《No Second Chances: The Beginning Of The End》


 Chapter 1

    The beginning of everything is unknown for those who were not there to behold, but there will always be a glimpse of what could have happened for those who dare enough to wonder about it. Human beings have the ability to craft and build, but most importantly, to wonder. The limit of every single one of us is our own imagination.


    The story I''m about to redact will be fictional, but every character will have relatable human traits and their lives will have different backgrounds. Their personalities will be connected to what they do. Feelings, ideas, and relationships will influence their skills, making them grow stronger or sink them in despair. however, please note this is my very first story so it might lack many features, I hope everyone understands that while reading,


    Life and death are empty concepts without each other, just like the story would lose its meaning if the main purpose of it gets defeated by the lack of importance in a certain character or if a character takes more importance than it should, think about it while reading.


    As a fair warning before continuing, I will be redacting certain grotesque scenes that could not be pleasant for many. I ask for the readers'' discretion.

 Chapter 2 - Introduction 1/2: A Deadly Choice.

    Many years ago, when the earth was still a civilized place, the life within would start to destroy itself because of the basic, yet the powerful feeling of greed.


    The development of science reached a point where genetics could create life easily, so governments around the globe created "monsters" with dragon/dinosaur-like bodies which could resist most of the weapons created by mankind. These biological weapons started developing special abilities related to nature. There was a point where humanity couldn''t restrain their instincts, and they broke free.


    Humanity was so afraid of its own creation that we hunted down most of them by throwing special nuclear bullets, not even close in power as atomic bombs but effective enough to kill at least one of them. But there was something we missed, something that really matters after all: living beings adapt and evolve to survive.


    The worst happened. Winged beasts that were immune to radiation and could burn down entire cities appeared, and even worst yet, humanity was not prepared.


    The most powerful creation of the human race became the plague which decimated us, how ironic.


    The ones who were still alive tried to find a way to fight back, but death awaited in every corner, so the survivors lived in fear and despair. Until one day a survivor who prayed to a god received a gift, a divine power enable to slay the beasts known as dragons. The gods made their move by giving a certain and small number of people the power to control their own creation, these people were called The Prophets. One by one, they gathered and fought the dragons with success. But after all, after the way human beings were slain by their own creation because of greed, we didn''t learn the lesson.


    The Prophets could have the power to slay man-made beasts but couldn''t use their power against humans, so they were totally unprotected against the head-hunt of them which started with the thought of studying and possessing the gods'' gifts so they could be used by everyone. Sadly the technology was not advanced enough to extract the power of the gods, so the inhuman tests on The Prophets ended up in death.


    Then it happened again. A new plague haunted humanity and it was a new disease that affected both animals and humans, making them more aggressive and stronger, with time, the infected ones would transform into demonic-like forms. The plage was called "The Devil''s Whisper" or TDW-A01.


    In a desperate move to survive a new emergency, humanity started new experiments which included mutating ourselves by cloning and adding animal traits on us by breaking down two different DNA chains and enhancing the traits up to a point where they could fight Dragons as well, these were called the half-breeds, able to fight for survival.


    Luckily, TDW-A01 was successfully contained by the half breeds and studied, it seemed like the half-breed were immune to the disease.


    At this point in time, the world has suffered many changes which caused the formation of new continents and the movement of others. Earth changed and new human-like beings appeared, these had the ability to control the most primal aspects of the earth, humanity called it magic.


    The human-like beings called themselves Elves. The Elves associated with human beings exchanging the knowledge of Magic for science.


    At this point in time, the Dragons, an almost forgotten creation, have managed to successfully hide and reproduce silently, until the point where new species of dragons appeared, and there''s another surprise, they were not immune to the TDW-A01. This created a monster among monsters, the first time it was seen, people called him death itself. The next plague, The Death Dragon, an extremely dangerous being, which could reduce to nothing anything with its dark flames.


    The Prophets were almost extinct now, and the half-breed didn''t stand a chance against it.


    When the Death Dragon or DD showed itself, the world started to shake and dragons emerged from the depths of the oceans, caves, forests, volcanoes and landed from the sky. The very few Prophets who still lived tried to fight DD thanks to their kindness despite how they were hunted down for their powers. Unable to defeat DD, in a desperate move, The Prophets cursed DD with a divine armor that sealed DD inside a mountain and absorbed its vital energy.


    After all this, humanity, with the help of the elves and half-breed could craft magic-enhanced weapons to fight back the dragons or at least to scare them away.


    Many years have passed now, the world stayed in silence for too long while humanity and the other races such as half-breeds and Elves populated the earth once again. The technology, magic, and religion became more advance with time, and then when the last of The Prophets died, a new race appeared, the Dwarves, also many species of plants and fauna took over the once-popular cities in the world.


    Human beings were becoming the less powerful yet the most raw-potential wielding race. With the dragons sleeping, the TDW-A01 in revision, and the Prophets dead, The Gods started to wonder about how powerful the different races would become, and without hesitation, the first god decided to land on the earth to become a ruler, and so did many other gods taking human-like bodies so no one would ever know about they being Gods.


    (This is not the main story, this is just how the world is in the story, having said that, this is basically an introduction. I hope you guys like it, this is my first story).

 Chapter 3 - Introduction 2/2: Order And Chaos.

    The world in its prehistoric state was a hard place to live in for Human beings. We were still the most numerous race but the limitation of resources made harder the development of buildings and technology. Somehow we managed to make deals with the other races and the world divided into kingdoms because of their new rulers, The Gods, who descended to put a temporary stop to the imminent extinction of humans.


    The half-breeds became an independent sub-race growing in number every day. Dwarves normally associated with humans making deals for resources. Elves built their own society, one more connected to nature; naturally they were wiser than humans. The Gods were attracted to science and human development so they let us do more research.


    The new fauna had a prehistoric form, preserving their predecessor''s behavior but obviously stronger and wilder. The offspring of Half-breeds were stronger, at least enough to hunt. Also, a low sub-class of the dragons appeared, they resembled wyverns as in the mythology; they are resistant but not as strong as a fourth part of the dragons'' power.


    There was an order, and the gods made sure to keep a class-divided society, a kind of improved capitalism, but leaving all the rights about owning everything for them. Everyone had to work to survive, there was poverty, yes, but the ones who had nothing were because they didn''t work enough to earn it.


    The buildings were becoming medieval-like because of the lack of resources for human beings but the technology was advancing, improving the lifestyle for those who could afford it.


    The Elves'' society didn''t want to contaminate the world so they made nature-friendly buildings, however, they still had human technology because of the deals made with us.


    When order was restored, the world would continue its normal course again.


    A new era has begun.


    But...


    There''s a special thing about humans: we are naturally stupid, that''s our essence. Our history is full of situations where we impose our own problems and limitations, we are our own doom. It doesn''t matter how much capacity of progress we develop, humanity will always have to fight its own greed and stupidity.


    Chaos is natural, no matter how perfect everything would look in society''s eyes, there will always be Chaos to be balanced by Order.


    And so, as human nature dictates, there were some who didn''t stand the current society as it was. These people were the ones who released TDW-A01 once again, but the disease mutated. This created the known "undead", but it has several stages, there were lepers, savages, ghouls, and demon-like ones.


    This time, society was prepared, but the disease spread quite faster than before, this time affecting elves and dwarves as well. Then it happened, the Gods called for the most prepared living warriors and soldiers, these were called Heroes, they were armed with magic enhanced weapons, specially forged by Dwarves and Elves.


    The half-breeds were stronger, yes, but most of them lose their battle instincts and only a few of them were determined to hunt.


    The Gods were criticized by many people because of not creating new Prophets and sending "average" humans, half-breeds, elves, and dwarves to fight The Devil''s whisper.


    Then the Heroes appeared. Not a new race, but some members of the already existing races who exceeded their own limitations to a point of being exceptional warriors. Some humans learned magic and how to enhance man-made weapons with it, giving a huge step on their militia. There were also studies that determined some minerals are excellent catalysts for energy and magic, but when used together with complex weapons such as guns, drones, or machines they would lose their properties, so then the long-forgotten weapons made by the medieval humans would come back only to seize the power of the precious stones.


    After many years of dealing with this new world, a new guild-like system was implemented for those who would be dedicated to exploring. This attracted the attention of many warriors, travelers, adventures, and most importantly Heroes. It consisted of gathering requests of many members of the society with rewards.


    This didn''t solve all the problems but it helped most of the people''s concerns, obviously helping with the happiness which solved one of the rulers'' problems.

 Chapter 4 - 1: Fated.

    The knowledge in the world grew far more than expected, and there were some who wanted to acquire all the knowledge they could, these are the collectors. Some of them travel in large groups and others rather travel alone but every one of them seeks knowledge. Some of them even accept job requests in exchange for knowledge.


    There was once one large group of collectors, all of them with years of experience and knowledge wrote invaluable books which they carried all the time in their transports.


    One day, these collectors were studying the place where the Prophets sealed away the Death itself, DD. What they didn''t know was that the Prophets couldn''t seal DD completely, they just chained it down to the earth inside a mountain.


    One of these collectors had a child, a new-born boy called Chronos, in honor of the God of time. It was the only baby among them and his parents couldn''t just leave him. What they didn''t know is the mistake they just made.


    The collectors knew very well about the dangers awaiting them every time they travel, but this time, they didn''t know what kind of ancient danger they were about to face.


    It happened in the sunset, when the sun hides behind the mountain, and in a couple of minutes. Everyone was calcinated into black flames, the black flames of DD. The only survivor who was not brutally engulfed by the abrasive dark fire was Chronos. The Emissary of death, a Dragon with the TDW-A01 at its most advanced stage, a Dragon able to kill the Prophets and which couldn''t be killed by the gods'' gifts, had mercy upon the new-born child whose destiny was marked by death.


    The Dragons, a human creation, are able to think and learn, even in small periods of time. They could seldomly attack travelers and eat the scorched corpses and take whatever is left to their nests, but DD, unable to move far away from the mountain only could retain the knowledge of the ones it killed. Dragons, with time, became wiser and could speak and understand just as human beings or even more, DD was not the exception.


    The only reason DD had mercy is that there was something in its insides which needed someone to take care of. Also, DD wanted to share its knowledge with someone who could then teach her offspring and protect it until they became mature enough to then live on their own.


    Yes, The Death Dragon was relatively close to give birth to her only successor and die because of the divine armor''s curse, which chained DD to the earth and consumed her vital energy up to this point. Maybe it was the survival instinct of a dying species which dictated finding someone worth training to protect its offspring.


    Chronos was that person, the next emissary of the apocalypse.


    18 years later...


    A wild boar is spotted by Chronos, it''s his opportunity to sneak on the giant beast a kill it with the scales of DD which are sharp and strong enough to kill another dragon. Chronos approaches slowly but surely the Wild boar which was oblivious of his presence, like a good hunter reaching his prey. In a matter of seconds, Chronos sliced the animal''s back-legs and it couldn''t escape, then it was too late for it, Chronos ended its misery by cutting through the neck, and a few minutes later he found himself carrying the huge animal to the mountain where DD or Mother, the way she denominated herself to Chronos, was patiently waiting for her last meal.


    After eating with the last of her energies, DD slowly lays her egg and with a deafening screech, curses Chronos with thousands of years worth of wisdom, Chronos at that moment became a Hero, but wouldn''t know until the right time arrived.


    When DD dies, the curse is lifted from her motionless body but something weird happens, Chronos beholds how the curse transforms itself to suit the egg. The once-powerful curse which finally ended with DD''s life became a blessing with a divine aura that overwhelmed the place. This was not a normal event at all, and every god on earth noticed the energy coming from it. They knew the Death Dragon died and left a successor. This was bound to happen. It was fate.

 Chapter 5 - 2: A Merciless World.

    I better make something to carry the egg and to keep it warm and safe-Chronos thought.


    By the time the blessing stopped emitting light and energy Chronos noticed some drones approaching the mountain.


    "This is bad..."-he muttered. "I have to hide the egg and hurry up to leave this place".


    Despite his age, Chronos was a very skilled hunter, he could also have the patience and precision enough to transform scales from DD into weapons and light armor to cover certain parts of his body. Everything he knew was thanks to the library which the collectors left when they were reduced to dust by DD. Chronos knew his parents were killed by DD, but he was not angry or sad, he just accepted it a long time ago; this helped him to have no troublesome thoughts while growing, his mind was clear and sharp.


    A while after, the drone inspected the zone, Chronos came out from his hiding spot and started to create a backpack big enough for the egg.


    It might take me a couple of hours to finish and collect everything I need to leave -Chronos thought.


    Chronos mind processed what was happening and what he had to do. Luckily for him, the collectors had maps and dictionaries, perfect for a traveler. Sadly the transports they used to reach the place had no use anymore.


    When Chronos collected everything he needed and the egg, he heard a different noise from everything he has heard in his pacific, yet rigorous life. Some helicopters were about to arrive at the place to take DD''s corpse and the egg.


    Chronos had to run. But in a way he couldn''t be spotted, so he used the mountain to avoid being sighted.


    -sigh- "Goodbye Mother..."


    Chronos was not unable to feel, but he had almost no emotional knowledge. Even though, the fact of DD''s corpse being taken by an unknown group of people bothered him.


    I can''t do anything right now... they may be armed as well -he thought while moving cautiously towards a forest right next to the mountain''s base.


    When the sun set completely, Chronos could hear how the helicopters started flying again, but this time carrying DD''s corpse. Chronos gritted his teeth, he had lost everything again and he couldn''t do anything. So he focused on taking care of the dragon''s baby with his life. He was determined.


    Sometime later, he prepared a small settlement within the forest to study the maps and dictionaries to be ready when he arrived his first town, which was not so far away; he calculated a couple of days before he could arrive and three weeks was the estimated time he could learn all the languages he needed.


    Chronos passed a month in the forest, and now he could talk about 6 different languages to an intermediate level, he felt prepared to travel around the current world and dedicate his life to be a collector, like his deceased parents, but this time with a mission which was protecting his new friend, even though it was not ready to hatch yet.


    "I feel you will understand me or at least you will pay attention to me in the future" -said Chronos to the egg while reading the map again. It''s weird to talk to something that won''t reply to me -he thought.


    After a deep sigh, he took the map, and some reserves of meat and water then packed them up along with the egg in his improvised but large backpack and burned down the books he read already. He knew they would not be of use for him anymore.


    Then it began, the story of a boy who lost everything he had twice, and still managed to move on by accepting his fate in a world that was about to do anything to kill him and take away his unborn partner from him to study it.


    A merciless world...


    A couple of days later, when Chronos managed to find his way to the first town he has ever been in, Argos, he noticed the language would not be different from the ones he currently knew.


    "It seems the languages didn''t change that much with the pass of time"-he said to himself with a small smile reflecting relief.


    Argos was a town where the economy depended mostly on farming and trading. The world''s currency has changed many times until now and the value of the resources increased enough to tag those who couldn''t afford them as poor, but still, everyone who dedicated his life to a certain job could afford enough to survive everyday and feed their family.


    It looks like there''s not much technolo- Chronos'' thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the presence of a person; probably trying to sneak behind him.


    The unknown individual took out a gun from his pants and aimed at Chronos'' rib cage. "Give me everything you have" -the robber said with a low tone and with his eyes motioning for Chronos to give him his back without resistance.


    Chronos, with an expression of disappointment on his face because of his first encounter with another human being like this, looked at the individual and quickly thought: this place is not as secure as i thought, maybe "poverty" brings crime.


    For a brief moment Chronos stayed motionless looking at the finger in the trigger then without any warning the robber moved closer to Chronos in order to take away his backpack from him. Chronos reacted grabbing the hand with the gun and raising it up, this made the robber shoot twice to the sky and gave enough time for Chronos to reach his relatively small blade made of DD''s scales and sliced the hand which was holding the gun, making the robber yelp in pain. Blood ran down the severed wrist and the robber fell on the floor twitching and crying because of the fear and pain. Chronos just stayed still watching with a straight face the once determined robber, and placed his dagger-like blade into his backpack.


    "Fuck you!" was the last thing that person said to Chronos before he walked away from the now dying robber.


    human beings...I thought we would be more...friendly to each other... -Chronos thought. of course, this was only the first one I met, sadly it ended up like this -Continued.


    Chronos tried to erase his first impression of humanity from his head. After all, he would end up socializing and traveling along with others, which was an unpleasant thought for him at the moment.


    To be logical, he needed to interact with other humans in order to progress on his goals. Not that he wanted to, but he had to.


    "I should look for a place to sleep and I still need to find out which currency is used in this place... maybe I could sell one of the precious stones I brought with me from the mountain I wonder how much they are worth" -Chronos said to himself.


    Some minutes later, Chronos realized none of the people who saw the fight moved to save the robber or cared enough to call for help. Noone cares -Chronos stomach tied into knots making him feel upset but he didn''t understand why.


    The town looked like the buildings would be made from basic materials, and the technology was basic as well, just for comfort.


    After arriving at a sort of inn for travelers, Chronos eavesdropped a conversation between two animal-like people, the first half-breeds he saw:


    "Did you see the foreigner who cut Dan''s hand?" -asked one of them.


    "Yes, I knew it would eventually happen if he kept trying to rob travelers, but I think his gang would still try to avenge him" -answered the second Half-breed.


    Chronos kept that in mind while going inside the inn. probably only the closer ones to someone would only care -Chronos thought.


    Finally, inside the inn, Chronos went straight to the receptionist with a half-serious and half disinterested expression.


    "Excuse me...how many days does this worth?" -Chronos placed an emerald of about 6-7 centimeters of diameter on the counter.


    The receptionist chuckled. "I''m sorry kid, but I''m not stupid. I won''t let you stay here if you bring me a fake stone which worths nothing"


    Chronos frowns confused. "Fake?"-He replies.


    The receptionist was a suspicious-looking man with some extra pounds on his body. The look in his eyes expressed joy and amusement. The man smiles at the innocent look of Chronos. "Yes fake, only by watching it in the distance I can tell it is obviously fake. Therefore I will take it so no one will be fooled by you".


    The receptionist is about to take the emerald when suddenly someone storms in, slamming the door of the inn and shouting: "STOP!"


    The stature of the individual was lower than the average Chronos has seen so far. a kid? -he thought. The receptionist looked scared, something which confused Chronos even more.


    "N-nat, what does bring you here today?" -The receptionist stuttered.


    "Get your dirty hand off that precious stone, Bernard!" The girl exclaimed.


    The girl called by the receptionist "Nat", seemed related in some way to him, who answered to the name of Bernard. Chronos was trying to pick up with what was happening. But he just stayed there watching them argue about the emerald''s value. A couple of minutes later Nat jumped on the counter and snatched the emerald from Bernard''s grip, and grabbed his tie. "May this be the last time I see you trying to fool someone, fat-ass. That''s why travelers almost never come here in the first place!".


    "Rude...I just do what it''s necessary to succeed in life" -Bernard "innocently" explains.


    "SAY YOU ARE SORRY!" -Nat pulls higher Bernard''s tie making it more difficult for him to breathe.


    Bernard sighs in defeat. "I-I''m sorry...."


    "Good," Nat says triumphantly. Then she jumps down from the table with the emerald in her hand and turns to Chronos. "Boy-"


    Boy? -Chronos thought.


    "-if you don''t want this to happen again you should sell this to a real professional, you shouldn''t have these kinds of valuable stones with you" Nat continued.


    "A-alright, but I don''t know anyone who I can trust to sell them" -Chronos explained.


    "Luckily for you, I know someone in this town who could help you, follow me" -Says Nat with authority in her tone.


    Without having anything to add, Chronos follows Nat, and the moment they leave, Bernard sighs and fixes his tie. His expression is more serious than before. Then he takes a radio from beneath the counter and turns it on: "Yes, he was here".

 Chapter 6 - 3: Eyes Everywhere.

    "I''m Natasha by the way, but everyone calls me Nat and I am a Dwarf" -Nat said looking up to Chronos while walking towards a relatively ancient-looking shack. "You?" She asked.


    A Dwarf, that explains her stature -Chronos thought before answering. "I''m Chronos" -He replied.


    "I''m sorry for what happened back in the inn, I know Bernard since I have use of common sense and he likes to fool foreigners but lately the number of travelers has decreased and he has got barely income from his job. Anyway, you look like a foreigner, so let me tell you: some weird stuff has happened lately, a strange light appeared about a month ago and special teams from the government came many times to inspect the town asking for a dragon egg, don''t you think it is weird? Some people were taken to the capital to be interrogated a week now" -Nat explained.


    "It is true, I''m a foreigner, and thanks for the information, Natasha" -Chronos replied. So this is what is happening now after Mother died... -He thought. "Where are we going?" -Chronos added.


    "Please call me Nat, it is weird when people call me Natasha, only my parents do that" -She countered. "And we are about to meet a collector, I think they pay for information and also jewels or precious stones" -She said.


    "I see" -Was all Chronos said before arriving at the shack.


    Nat knocks on the door a couple of times before it opens and reveals a tall and old man. "Hey, doc! I brought you a traveler" -Nat said to the old man.


    Kindly and patiently he smiles and motioning his hand to the inside he let us in. "What a glad surprise to see you here boy, there are not as many travelers as before. Probably because a town like this does not offer good rewards on guild requests" -he said. "So what brings you here today?" -Doc asked.


    Before Chronos could even open his mouth. "We are here for you to buy his precious stone, so he will actually have money" -Nat answered.


    "It is weird to see the town''s blacksmith trying to help a traveler instead of offering him good quality armor and weapons" -Doc countered.


    "Well you see, I was walking by-". Before she could continue, a faint sound of helicopters in the distance caught Doc''s attention, then he looked at Cronos realizing he was also aware of them despite the very low noise. This made Doc realize Chronos has a good hearing. Maybe a good training? Maybe experience? I can''t really know part of his past or personality from his looks. He can be dangerous -Doc thought.


    "Then give back to Chronos his emerald and brought him to sell it" -Nat concluded.


    Doc lets a small chuckle slide from his broken lips and gives an enthusiastic expression to the pair. "Well, in that case, let''s see what you have for me, boy" -Doc said standing up and walking towards his counter which was full of jewels with tags, and behind it, on the wall, was a large number of books and all of them related to jewels and their properties.


    Chronos couldn''t hide his expression of fascination when he saw them. "Are the jewels used for more than magic catalysts and decoration?" -Chronos asked while reading the tags.


    "Yes, I dedicated my life to studying them. They are special energy transformers; when electricity is applied, the outcome becomes way higher than it would normally be with normal metals" -Doc explained. "The many carbon-based gems have different degrees of power, this makes them as strong as they are" -He concluded.


    "They are also good base materials for forging weapons" -Nat added.


    "Yes, that''s why your customers come to me for material for you to forge them powerful weapons" -Doc replied.


    With a big smile and a giggle, Nat went to sit down by the stools they were sitting on before.


    Chronos puts down his backpack and opens a pocket with all the gems he has and places them on the counter. Doc notices something weird on them, like if they were preserved for thousands of years after being found. "May I ask where did you get them?" -Doc asked with a low tone.


    "It was a gift from my parents" -Chronos answered without hesitating.


    "Interesting... were your parent collectors?" -Doc kept asking while inspecting the jewels.


    "Yes" -Chronos answered while focusing on the helicopters'' flying sound. I need to hide or leave this town -He thought, worried for the egg from being taken away from him.


    Nat was humming while waiting patiently for Chronos to finish his deal with Doc. Maybe I could show him the town and them ask him if he needs a good weapon -she thought.


    When Doc finished inspecting the jewels his expression stayed into a midpoint between joy and melancholia, then he said something that made Chronos expression change into astonishment: "I know these precious stones... some people many years ago made me inspect them before going to study the mountain of Death. They had a baby among them, and by now he would have your age".


    "I-I don''t know what are you talking about, sir" -Chronos stuttered while stepping back.


    "The mother of the child was my daughter..." -Doc said with a faint smile reflecting grief, then he looked up at Chronos. "...You resemble her" -he concluded.


    Chronos, not sure of what was happening, tried to change his expression into disinterest again. "I...just want to sell these stones, sir. How much do they worth?" -he said coldly.


    Doc sighed and looked at the stones. "Yeah...I see. I can give you 30m in cash for all of them" -Doc said while opening his safe. "But because of the amount, I will give you 30 white gold coins which worth the same in most of the world" -He added.


    "Ok" -Chronos replied trying to avoid thinking about the earlier statement of Doc.


    Some minutes later, Doc gives the money to Chronos, then he waves in farewell at Chronos and Nat while they leave the place.


    "Would you like to see the town? To be your first day, you may be pretty lost" -Nat said with energy.


    "Sure" -Chronos said a bit bothered by two thoughts. One of them was that if he didn''t leave the town, probably the last relative he had still alive would be in danger and the second thought was the helicopter''s noise, which stopped a while now.


    "Hm...why don''t we go to my workshop first? I would like to show you the weapons I can make, maybe you''ll be interested" -Nat suggested realizing Chronos'' change of mood.


    "Are you ok with that? Isn''t it far?" -Chronos asked while being pulled out of his thoughts by Nat.


    Nat raised a finger showing where the place was, not so far from Doc''s shack but closer to the rest of the town. "There it-" -She was interrupted by a group of people who were walking towards the two of them.


    "There he is, I saw him chopping off Dan''s hand when he just wanted to help him transport his backpack for him" -One of them said with an innocent tone.


    Chop off Dan''s hand? Chronos doesn''t seem the kind of person who attacks when being helped, and Dan is a thug -Nat thought when heard the person.


    "Are you sure this is the guy? He doesn''t seem to be a big deal" -Pointed out the one who seemed like the strongest in the group while walking towards Chronos.


    Doc was walking towards the window to clean them when then he saw the scene. "Huh? Chronos? Nat?" -Doc said confused while staring.


    "Oh, I forgot about it, you may be friends with that guy I met earlier, he-" -Chronos was abruptly interrupted by a laugh coming from the one who seemed the strongest one.


    "Friend? He is the only someone who owns my money, and now that one of his hands is missing he can''t work. It means you will pay for him now." -the thug said.


    Chronos sighed in disappointment. it really seems there is no hope for some people after all -Chronos thought.


    "Why don''t we show him who he has to pay from now on, guys?" -the thug said and Nat positioned herself to resist but Chronos seemed calm.


    Right before the Strongest thug was able to hit first, a magic-enhanced bullet blew away his head and the rest of the body started to burn down.


    Nat''s eyes widened and Chronos quickly turned to see a team of soldiers with assault rifles marching towards them. The gang, disoriented and scared, started to run but they had the same luck as their leader. Then the team surrounded and aimed towards Chronos and Nat.


    this is bad...they are too many for me to fight without being captured or killed -Chronos thought while getting closer to Nat.


    Then, a known silhouette was walking towards them while clapping. "Nice job guys, now where''s the reward you told me about?" -said Bernard.


    Nat was shocked. "Bernard....w-what does this mean?..." -she faintly said with an expression of horror on her face while trembling.


    The leader of the team was just arriving, when attached his rifle to his back and approached Bernard slowly. "You did a great job" -he said when then executed Bernard in a second with his gun which he took from the left side of his special-armored uniform pants.


    "Bernard..." -Nat said before dropping on her knees while crying in silence without changing her expression.


    The leader motioned for his team to captured Chronos and Nat. "Bring the transport, we caught them" -he said when then turned to see Chronos, who was now on his knees and looking at him right on his eyes while one of them was about to take the backpack from him.


    Is this the end?...without even beginning? -Chronos thought briefly.


    In a matter of seconds, one of the soldiers was thrown towards a building by the force of a high-speed projectile. At that moment all the team passed to be in alert mode. "It''s been a while since I last used magic..." -Doc said while walking and a large number of jewels surrounding him. "Sadly, I can''t last long. Run Chronos...take Natasha with you, she''ll be very helpful" -He added.


    "No! You will die in vain! I won''t let you fight alone!" -Chronos refuted.


    Nat was still in shock, she couldn''t react to what was happening. She was only staring at who she thought was her friend while he was lying motionless on the ground surrounded by a crimson pool.


    The soldiers started firing towards Doc, and he effortlessly stopped the rain of shoots by creating a shield with the stones, but by being magical bullets the precious stones couldn''t last more than 2 impacts. "HURRY!" -Doc shouted while striking back.


    Chronos, without thinking, took his backpack and Nat, then he ran away to the forest where he settled a month ago.


    "If you guys think I will let you get to my grandson so easily then you are mistaken!" -Doc exclaimed while increasing the rate of jewels being launched.


    "Bring the destroyers and send another team to search the zone again" -the leader of the team said by radio to the helicopter pilots. Then, a couple of minutes later, Doc was surrounded by 3 quadcopters with heavy magic-enhanced ammunition and antimagic-weaponry armor.


    The only thing I regret...is not being able to see you grow, Chronos -Doc thought smiling in relief while dropping his arms in defeat and looking towards the path Chronos used to escape. Then in a matter of seconds, Doc was reduced to nothing by the destroyers.


    "Surround the perimeter and put trap-cameras in place, whatever moves is going to be tranquilized by those darts" -The leader commanded.

 Chapter 7 - 4: The Hunt.

    Despite the weight from his backpack and Nat, Chronos ran like if he was not carrying anything at all. Nat blacked out the moment Chronos picked her up and ran away, she was so mentally and emotionally broken she couldn''t stay awake.


    Chronos tried to get to his settlement as fast as he could but the Destroyers were right before them. I need to find a place to hide before going back to the forest, but where? -Chronos thought while running.


    A few minutes later, heavy ammunition impacted the ground right next to him, shattering part of it almost instantly and making Chronos'' escape more difficult. Then, in a matter of seconds, a Destroyer passed right in front of Chronos, blocking his route to the forest. No! If we get caught again Doc''s death will be in vain... -Chronos thought with sadness reflected on his eyes.


    The other 3 destroyers surrounded Chronos and Nat, leaving them with no escape. Chronos feared the worst, and the Destroyers were ready to shoot. He took one of the dagger-like blades he had on his backpack to step in front of Nat and the bag in defiance, resembling a cornered beast showing its fangs.


    Before Chronos couldn''t even move, one of the propellers of a Destroyer exploded by an unknown magnetic-impulsed projectile. The rest of the Pilots started to break the formation to avoid another hit, whilst the destroyer which was targeted by the powerful weapon lost height enough for Chronos to react and run towards it, easily breaking the armored windscreen with DD''s scale and penetrating through the helmet of the pilot, killing him instantly. The quadcopter now without a pilot to control it and with a destroyed propeller, helplessly landed on the ground roughly.


    "I think I took down one" -An unknown and husky voice popped out.


    "You have to be more careful Phill, that''s my own prototype of a coilgun and it may be unstable" -A girly voice complained while Phill took down the rest of Destroyers with a few shots. "Yeah, whatever you say Gree" -Phill said with disinterest.


    Chronos came out of the pilot''s cabin and ran towards Nat and the bag.


    "Oh, he is trying to escape" -Said Phill calmly while aiming the weapon towards Chronos.


    "Wait! Nat is right there, don''t shoot" -Gree commanded while running towards Nat.


    Who are they? And why didn''t they arrived earlier? Doc...Doc could be still alive... -Chronos thought while picking up Nat and the backpack to quickly disappear in the town.


    "Wait! Bring Nat back!" -Gree said while trying to catch Chronos. that guy is fast -She thought while stopping to catch her breath.


    "We need reinforces! There is some resistance in this town, I ask for permission to exterminate them" -The leader of the assault team asked by radio.


    "Permission granted, sending a unit of Tyranno-AMHAR: Peacemaker" -A voice on the next side of the radio replied.


    Chronos quickly hid behind a shed by the local farm without being noticed. Nat slowly woke up, instantly remembering the sight of Bernard''s death which made her puke. Chronos sighed and had a grieving look while inspecting the zone carefully.


    "Are you sure he went this way?" -Phill said while jogging next to Gree and setting up the coilgun.


    "Yes, he is fast but I''m smarter and I can deduce he is by the farm" -Gree proudly said. Nat was unconscious...did he take her as a hostage? Did he know we are related to her? -Gree thought very worriedly.


    Chronos knew they were coming, so he started to set up some traps based on wires and small holes on the ground to know where they are coming from.


    The assault team regrouped and inspected the damages dealt with their units. "All the Destroyers are rehabilitated, Sir" -One of the soldiers said to the leader of the team. "It doesn''t matter now, there is a Sweeper on its way to wipe out this place. Let''s come back when that thing finished seeing if the egg is still intact" -commanded the leader of the team.


    Nat was staring at the crops which were divided into sections of new species of corn and wheat. "Why?..." -She repeatedly asked herself while reviving the scene of Bernard''s death again and again inside her head.


    Chronos quickly finished setting up his traps and went back with Nat, who noticed him. "W-what did just happen...?" -Nat said with a broken and low tone. "I don''t understand..." -She continued with fear and confusion in her words.


    They are looking for me and they want the egg, but if I tell her, she could betray me and sell me to them -Chronos thought while grabbing his backpack.


    The soldiers retreated to their armored vehicle after they set up special traps around the town and left the place. Meanwhile, in the capital of the kingdom, a rocket was prepared to be launched. One of the engineers in the place set the coordinates of Argos and the rocket took off. "Estimated landing time: 20 minutes" -The engineer said.


    Phill and Gree were about to reach the farm when a sudden earthquake made them lose their balance and fall. The rest of the villagers quickly came out of their houses as a preventive method. Chronos had a familiar feeling about the earthquake, and Nat tried not to lose her balance. "Something moved down there" -Chronos said thoughtfully.


    "Yeah, no shit Hawkings" -Nat refuted while ridiculing him. It seems the earthquake snapped Nat out of her melancholic state. "How do you think earthquakes are produced?" -She continued.


    "No, it is different" -Chronos explained with a serious face looking towards the crops. "Something else produced the earthquake" -Chronos added.


    Nat couldn''t imagine what would produce an earthquake of such magnitude.


    Mother once told me, natural disasters were produced by anomalies that attracted dragons. Otherwise, dragons were the reason for the disasters -Chronos recalled.


    "Ouch! This is weird, normally this town wouldn''t have any tectonic activity at all!" -Gree complained while standing up.


    "Good thing it happened though, if we didn''t trip over because of it, we wouldn''t have seen this wire" -Phill said standing up and cut the wire of the traps. "Also, it stopped now, so we can hunt down that guy" -he added.


    This is a pretty lame trap for a government''s elite soldier, but it was so well located we could have tripped over it and alerted him. This person knows what he is doing -Gree thought.


    Phill and Gree didn''t waste any more time and continued searching, but now more cautiously. Wait a minute... the traps are in a circular order... -Gree thought realizing something while following the wires with her eyes until watching the shed. "He knew where we were coming from the moment we cut the first wire, just like a spiderweb..." -Gree said softly while her eyes widened.


    Phill could barely react by moving backward. Chronos had sneaked upon them hiding his presence, then cut in half the coilgun instead of Phill''s arm. Nat couldn''t let her thoughts haunt her again and went to see what was Chronos doing, then she saw Phill and Gree defending themselves from Chronos blades.


    "EVERYBODY STOP!" -Nat commanded in an authoritarian shout.


    Chronos, Phill, and Gree instantly froze and turned to see Nat crossing her arms in a mother-like way. "Someone tells me what''s going on!" -Nat demanded.


    Phill pointed towards Chronos. "This guy tried to use you as a hostage" -Phill said.


    "They were following us, I was trying to defend myself" -Chronos countered.


    "Then why did you take Nat with you?" -Gree instantly asked. "Aren''t you a government dog?" -She added.


    The government?...why did they attack us?... -Nat thought while watching them argue. "No, he is not a soldier, he is a traveler and he''s with me" -Nat explained.


    Phill and Gree stared at Chronos for a moment while processing what Nat just said. "But he sliced my coilgun in half!" -Gree complained in a childish tone.


    "You could still make another one" -Phill shrugged.


    Nat sighed. "I''ll help you making another one this time" -She decided.


    "Something is missing...where are the soldiers?" -Chronos asked. The earthquake ceased a while now, whatever is down there it stopped moving -He thought.


    The launched rocket followed a parable path, and it was about to reach Argos'' aerial boundaries. The rocket, when reached a falling state, started disassembling, revealing a bipedal heavy-armored war machine controlled remotely.


    The air was whistling. Chronos could hear it and looked up to the sky to see what was approaching. "Interesting" -He muttered.


    Nat heard Chronos. "What is it?" -She said while looking at him and then looking at what he was staring at. She noticed something was falling down and seemed dangerous. "We have to leave now!" -She commanded.


    "Huh? Why?" -Phill asked.


    Gree at that moment understood why the team of soldiers left the place. "They sent a Sweeper..." -Gree said.


    Phill''s face showed concern and horror, like if he had met once before. "We need to evacuate the town..." -Phill said while shaking. "Now!" -He exclaimed in addition while starting to run towards the rest of the town.


    From Chronos'' perspective, Nat and Gree started running as well, while he slowly walked backward expecting to see what happened when the machine landed. Then a hand took his arm and pulled him. "What do you think you are doing?" -Said Gree while still pulling him. Nat was impatiently waiting some meters away. "If that thing targets you, you are dead" -Gree stated.


    Noticing how serious Gree was about it, Chronos couldn''t refuse to follow them. "I think it will land in a couple of minutes" -Chronos said while running towards the town.


    "There will not be enough time for everyone to escape" -Nat said.


    "Then we have to buy time in some way or another" -Gree replied.


    Chronos was oblivious to the conversation. Is that a man-made machine used for war? Why it doesn''t fly like the others? -He thought, trying to study the purpose of the machine''s structure.


    Phill was running towards groups of people who came out of their houses due to the earthquake. He alerted the people about the Sweeper but everyone seemed to take it for a bad taste joke, until the moment it landed. The gigantic bipedal machine''s landing produced a tremor, not as powerful as the previous earthquake but strong enough to be felt by the villagers. "There it is, the sequels of the main earthquake" -One of the villagers said.


    Nat and Gree quickly went to Gree''s and Nat''s workshop to search for weapons while Chronos beheld the machine initializing. He noticed the multiple joints moving to show a magnetic supported Antimagic shield and many digital locks opening to release a railgun, homing missile batteries, grenade launchers, two cannon barrels with heavy-armor penetrating ammunition enhanced with magic, magic-based ammunition machine guns, and flamethrowers. The Tyranno-AMHAR: Peacemaker was not a war machine, it was an extermination device.


    Phill ran as fast as possible to the workshop hoping the machine hadn''t eliminated Nat and Gree. He saw Chronos taking his blades out of his backpack which made him change his direction to stop him from going towards the machine. Then a deafening noise came out of the machine''s speaker, paralyzing everyone in 50 kilometers around it. Phill couldn''t move, neither Chronos nor the rest of the town. The machine then anchored itself to the ground and shot the first railgun spike which effortlessly performed everything in front of it in a distance of 500 meters. It switched to the heavy ammo barrels, and as it shot a rain of missiles, grenades, and flames eradicated half of the town in a blink.


    Phill and Chronos unable to move, could only watch the massacre and realized how they would end up if they didn''t find a way to move.


    When the machine was rotating to start firing again another earthquake began, but this time it was stronger. The earthquake shattered the ground next to the machine, and a gigantic beast showed up from within. A dragon with skin as hard as a rock and thick as a mountain, with one bite, destroyed one side of the machine. The machine fell down but managed to launch grenades to the Dragon''s face, without any effect. Then, realizing it was futile to keep attacking, the machine activated an auto-destruction mechanism which focused the thermal energy of a small nuclear reactor inside of it, creating a vacuum effect in the surroundings of the machine and the dragon, this could control a small nuclear explosion which expanding wave still sent Phill, Chronos, and many structures away without exerting radiation on them.

 Chapter 8 - 5: New Friends.

    Chronos and Phill blacked out almost instantly after they hit the ground. the Dragon survived the explosion and the radiation seemed to have no effect on it. When everything seemed calmed the dragon went back to where it came from.


    Argos was destroyed but not all the population had the same deadly fate. Some of the villagers cried their losses and some others tried to rescue their belongings. Everyone was affected in some way or another.


    The scorched piece of wasteland which once was half of the town and the other half which was ruined became a kindly reminder of how devastating a single AMHAR unit could be.


    Nat survived the demolition of the house and popped out of the rubble with a deep breath. "Gree! Are you alive?!" -Nat said trying to release the rest of her body from the ruins.


    Gree raised a hand and made a thumbs up while trying to grab something from the rubble. "Yeah, I''m pretty much alive" -She said with a gas mask on her face. "You?" -She jokingly asked.


    "Gree what''s that on your face?" -Nat said while walking towards her.


    "A gas mask I made!" -Gree answered with pride. "It is for the radiation" -she added.


    "Radiation?" -Nat muttered.


    "The explosion seemed to have a certain degree of radiation enough to damage organs such as lungs, but it doesn''t look like there is radiation on the air, it is weird" -Gree continued while trying to figure out the origin of the explosion.


    While Gree was talking about what could have happened, Nat tried to search for her blacksmith equipment. When Nat found at least her hammer, she sighed in relief.


    Gree took a camera from the rubble and realized it didn''t work, then she inspected the surroundings and saw Phill and Chronos lying on the ground a few meters away. "Nat! Over there!" -she pointed with her finger.


    Nat turned to see them on the ground and started skipping over the rubble in order to reach them. "Come and help me, Grace!" -Nat demanded.


    Gree started following. "They look pretty much dead, Nat" -she said sarcastically.


    Meanwhile, at the launching center. "Peacemaker destroyed, sir. It seems it was a dragon" -An engineer said to the General of the Anomalies Prevention Brigade.


    "So they still exist, after all, I honestly thought DD was the last one" -The General said. "Tell the media Argos is now a quarantine zone due to illegal nuclear experiments" -he added.


    Back in Argos. Chronos was the first one on waking up. The egg! -Cronos quickly thought while standing up and looking around.


    "Woah, calm down dude" -Gree said surprised by Chronos'' reaction. "If you are looking for your bag it is over there, nothing fell from it" -She added while showing Chronos where the backpack was.


    Chronos seemed relieved and went towards the backpack. Meanwhile, Nat was trying to wake Phill up and successfully Phill woke up with a sudden reaction while sitting up and grabbing his chest. "What happened?! Where''s that thing? Where the dragon?!" -Phill exclaimed still in shock.


    Chronos took his backpack and looked towards Phill. So he saw it as well...I wonder why the dragon left, but most importantly, why it came here, to begin with? Was that dragon trying to protect something? The egg? -Chronos thought while walking back towards the group.


    "Dragon? Didn''t they extinct a long time ago?" -Nat countered Phill skeptically.


    "Yes! I saw it, it looked like a moving mountain! He was there as well" -Phill said looking to Chronos and expecting him to back up what he saw.


    "I saw it as well" -Chronos said. maybe if we start investigating I could understand why all this happened -Chronos instantly thought.


    "See? Even he saw it" -Phill continued.


    Nat and Gree''s expressions changed into confusion. "But why?" -Nat asked.


    "Probably the earthquakes and the sharp paralyzing noise attracted the dragon" -Gree pointed out.


    After a while discussing it, the group concluded that working together was the best way to find out why the government tried to kidnap Chronos and Nat.


    Chronos couldn''t refuse the idea, after all, Nat was involved as well, and it was Doc''s last wish for Chronos to take Nat with him.


    The sunset a while now and after hours of collecting everything they could from the rubble, the group decided to go somewhere else before the assault team arrived again.


    Chronos proposed to go to the settlement he made a month ago and everyone seemed to agree with the idea. Before leaving, Nat built a small tomb for Bernard. "Rest in peace, My friend" -Nat said in a gloomy mood.


    Cronos noticed Nat kneeling down and putting some rocks together. "He betrayed you" -Chronos pointed out.


    "I don''t mind. If it wasn''t for him, I wouldn''t have survived a long time ago" -Nat replied with a forgiving tone.


    Chronos saw what humanity lack in the scene he was watching. What I was looking to see in human beings, this Dwarf girl has it, kindness -He thought.


    A while has passed after Nat built the tomb. The group walked along a road towards the forest Chronos was talking about. Luckily for them, the explosion of the Sweeper disrupted the digital components of the traps left by the assault team, leaving the traps unable to work.


    It was very late now and the group decided to make a stop in a small forest a few kilometers away from Argos. They lit a fire and cooked some of the goods they rescued from the ruins.


    "So what brought you to Argos, Chronos? A guild request? A family member? Or an old friend?" -Phill asked.


    "Ah yes, also tell us about you, we know each other since a while ago, so it is your turn to join us by telling your story" -Gree added.


    "Why don''t you guys introduce yourselves first?" -Nat countered.


    Phill and Gree exchanged quick glances and turned to see Chronos. "He is Phillips and I''m Grace, as you can see, we are not simply human beings" -Gree explained proudly. "I''m a brilliant and beautiful scientist with a gifted mind and this dude over here works for me, he is resistant enough to test my experiments and prototypes" -She added with crushing self-esteem.


    Phill cringed out and sighed. "Not even losing your current home will change your excessive amount of self-confidence, huh?" -He said while staring at Gree.


    Gree smirks. "We can build another one" -Gree shrugged. "Plus, we have our talented friend who is an amazing builder and skilled blacksmith" -She added.


    Nat blushed and smiled but didn''t say anything letting them continue talking to Chronos.


    "Nice to meet the both of you" -Chronos said while addressing their aspect.


    Phill, with black hair and brown eyes, had a serious but logical expression and was the tallest in the group, and he seemed to be the strongest one as well, at least from Chronos'' perspective he was the one with more presence in the group. Gree, on the other hand, seemed smaller than Chronos and her body seemed weak, she had blonde hair and light green eyes filled with pride and charisma. Gree seemed to have childish behavior most of the time.


    "I''m a traveler, I was looking forward to joining a guild after arriving in the capital, but all this happened" -Chronos said.


    "I think it would be a good idea for all of us to join a guild" -Gree decided. "But we should change our IDs so the government won''t know who we are, so instead of going to the forest Cronos told us about, we should head to the capital as fast as possible" -She continued.


    "You are right, if the government tagged Nat or Chronos then it would be easy for them to track us down" -Phill agreed.


    "ID? I don''t have one" -Chronos said.


    "Are you a traveler and you don''t even have an ID? Where are you from, then?" -Gree asked.


    Chronos stayed in silence for a while. Before Gree could say something else Nat stared at her. "It is not nice to ask about that kind of thing" -Nat said.


    Gree stayed in silence as well and Phill felt a bit uncomfortable with the situation. "I''ll look for more firewood" -he said while standing up and walking around in the woods.


    "I think you can get an ID in the capital" -Gree said in a low tone.


    "Great! So we all agree on going to the capital and get new IDs for the guild" -Nat said while clapping once.


    A few moments later, when Phill went back to the improvised camp, the group decided to sleep in turns.


    The next morning when everyone woke up, Chronos took one of the maps he had in his backpack and showed the route to another town. The name was Drixtown and seemed to be another farming town, but this time it was a half-breed colony.


    Gree noticed there was a mine next to the town as well. "Miners?" -She asked.


    "Probably, they would also have dwarves working in the mines" -Nat answered.


    "Dwarves are known to be the best race to extract minerals and precious stones from the earth, right?" -Chronos asked spontaneously.


    "That''s racist" -Gree muttered with a smirk.


    "Yes, we work better in that kind of environment" -Nat said staring at Gree who quickly focused her attention on the map while giggling.


    "Well, everything is ready for us to travel, so let''s head to Drixtown without wasting time" -Phill interrupted while walking closer to the luggage.


    Nat, Gree, and Chronos agreed and took their belongings to start their new adventure setting the Capital and the guild as their principal objective.

 Chapter 9 - 6: Worlds Species.

    A couple of days later, when the group made their way to Drixtown, the sight made Chronos understand the difference in lifestyles of the different species.


    Everyone seemed surprised excepting by Gree. "The ability to easily extract materials from the earth and manipulate them at will in the current world is a huge step on technology development, just as we can see from this place" -She pointed out.


    "I didn''t expect to see much difference between Argos and Drixtown only by the acquisition of materials" -Phill said still surprised by the buildings and vehicles.


    It is true there is a huge difference between towns, but it is mostly because of the mining and the dwarves -Chronos thought while looking at Nat without her noticing it.


    The group move on to look around the town and checking the multiple buildings. A tour guide noticed the group and walked towards them. It was a young Half-breed with a lot of energy, he also seemed to have simian features. "Hello! Good day to everyone, Max here, I will show you the best spots in the town for travelers including inns, workshops, armories, tourist places such as the mines and post office" -The half-breed said.


    "Thanks, but we are not interested" -Nat said while the group kept walking.


    "Oh, are you guys sure of that? I''m not expensive at all" -The half-breed continued. "And I haven''t seen you here before, are you guys here for a special request from a guild or just for tourism in the mines?" -He continued.


    "You know, when some people tell you they are not interested, it is a good sign to go away" -Phill said annoyed by the pushy half-breed.


    The half-breed nods in defeat and walks towards where he came from. It seemed he was the manager of a small tourism agency which counted with compact vehicles to travel around the town.


    "That guy was annoying" -Gree said while consulting the map they had of the zone. "We have to get some equipment and visit the workshops before we leave to the next town" -She continued.


    Everyone agreed and went to the designated places. In the visit to the different spots of the town, Chronos could see many dwarves and half-breeds trading with humans with what looked like different kinds of minerals and jewels. This town seems to have a large number of resources because of the mines, no wonder why it looks so advance in technology -Chronos thought while walking with everyone else.


    Phill noticed how Chronos was slowly spacing out from the group. "It almost looks like you have never seen technology before" -He said to Chronos, pulling him out of his thoughts.


    "Do I really look so surprised?" -Chronos said with an apologizing smile. "I remember everyone was as shocked as me when arrived at the place" -He added.


    "Well yes, but you are the only one still wondering about it. Also, it seems you are not so used to see other races" -Phill pointed out.


    Chronos couldn''t deny Phill''s words so he stayed in silence for a moment.


    Nat and Gree were already gone shopping for what they needed and Phill sighed recalling the moment when Chronos gave them his white gold coins. "Well, now that we have to wait for them to come back, let me explain to you the different races the world currently has" -Phill said.


    Chronos nodded and walked with him to a square which was turning the corner in front of them.


    "Well you see, there are Humans, Dwarves, Half-breeds, Elves, and Infected. Each one of them has a special feature in the current society" -Phill explained while sitting on a bench. "Humans are currently the most powerful and numerous race, having science, history, art, and other contemporaneous features which make us the "best race", also we are the first known race that populated the world. Dwarves are those short ones like Nat, who have special skills which help them to extract and work with the raw material from the earth, something very important nowadays, also Dwarves are known to live longer than humans and half-breeds" -Phill continued.


    Meanwhile, Nat and Gree were on a shopping spree where they bought essential items to make the trip to the capital easier. "I can''t believe we already bought a phone for everyone, materials for blacksmithing, a laptop, electronic components, and made a reservation for a week in the best inn of the town and we still have 28 damned white gold coins and a shit load of cash left from the last coin we used" -Gree said disgusted by how much money they had. "Now we only need a vehicle to move faster from point A to point B" -She added sarcastically.


    Nat on the other hand was delighted by the new materials they bought for blacksmithing. "Well, I think we could buy a Car" -She said while looking towards a small car sale with old electrical-powered versions.


    Back in the square where Phill and Chronos are. "So Half-breeds are basically Humans with animal features and were created to fight the Infected? And the infected are humans who acquired this mind-controlling virus?" -Chronos resumed to make sure he understood what Phill told him.


    "Yes, But the devil''s whisper not only controls their minds, but it also makes them stronger and changes their physical appearance to a kind of demons" -Phill cleared.


    "And the Elves? You said they were able to control the elements with magic, but how?" -Cronos asked.


    "You really don''t know anything right? Where you did live all this time? In a cave?" -Phill rhetorically asked. "Yes, Elves use magic to control the elements, and Humans through time also learned to control magic but with less effectiveness than Elves. All this is because, as history and science say, Magic is an ancient combination of commands which are directly connected to the spiritual part of reality and forces natural events to happen, but depending on the complexity of said combinations Magic could become unstable and very dangerous" -Phill added.


    "I wonder how do you know all this" -Chronos said with a straight face.


    "I''m not stupid, boy. I studied anthropology and universal history, but I ended up without a job, so now I work for Grace. She doesn''t look like a scientist at all but she was the head of the research center in the capital a while ago" -Phill answered with a sigh.


    She was? What happened then? Why did they end up in Argos? And why they fought against the government? -Chronos thought while looking at how the sun was setting on the horizon.


    "It''s getting late, we should start looking for the girls and find an inn to sleep in a comfortable bed, I''m sick of sleeping on the ground" -Phill complained.


    "Oh, yes..." -Chronos said before a small car arrived at the square and the windows came down revealing Gree and Nat inside.


    "Sup!" -Gree said while looking at Phill and Chronos with a big smile and Nat was next to her waving.


    "I hope they didn''t spend all your money" -Phill said while looking to Cronos. Then they got in the car and went to the inn to spend the rest of the evening and night.


    During the rest of the week, Chronos visited the local library to read more about the history of the world, Nat spent one day see the mines and learned how to properly extract material, the rest of the days she was in the workshop working in a new set of blades for Chronos using the scales he had and also helped Gree making pieces for her new version of the coilgun Chronos destroyed. Gree and Phill stayed in the inn trying to hack their way into the government classified information without being noticed, also building new equipment and modifying the car.


    When the week finished some government officers visited the town asking for some people with an egg in their belongings which could be there a week now. Chronos, while he was in the library, could notice the uniformed people and slowly go to the inn without being noticed. I think it is pretty logical to see them here, after all, they would have searched the ruins of Argos without any success -Chronos thought while arriving at the inn.


    Before he could knock on the door of the room where Gree and Nat sleep, the phone given to him started ringing, making him jump a little in surprise. I forgot about this, I need to get used to it -Chronos thought with his heart racing and taking his phone out of his pocket. "Let''s see...I think I need to answer the call" -Chronos said to himself before pressing the "answer" option.


    "Chronos! Where the heck are you? Why didn''t you answer quicker? Anyway, there are some people looking for us, try to not go out, I will go to the inn in a few minutes with Gree and Phill, make sure you are not being followed" -Nat said in a rush and before Chronos could say something, she hung up.


    When Chronos put his phone in his pocket, he quickly turned to see the empty hallway and the security cameras. Chronos quickly walked to his room and packed everything he could, he took the backpack with the egg and the new blades refined by Nat. I wonder when you will hatch, it could help a lot to stop carrying this bag -Chronos thought while looking at the egg.


    Nat, Phill, and Gree were stopped by the officers to inspect the car, luckily for them, Gree made a fake driver''s license and suggested leaving the new devices and experiments in the local workshop, so they didn''t have any problem reaching the inn. "That was a close one, we need to leave the town" -Nat said while walking towards the rooms.


    "Good thing we spent just enough for food and important devices, and the personal hygiene products which are essential for us, don''t you think Nat?" -Gree asked Nat while packing everything on the bags.


    Nat recalled she spent most of the week working day and night on the workshop and quickly sniffed her armpit without Gree noticing and sighed in relief. "Ahm...yeah" -Nat answered hesitantly.


    A few minutes later, Phill and Chronos finished packing everything they needed in the car and Gree followed them with her luggage.


    When Nat came out to the inn''s parking lot after checking out and leaving the keys, Gree started the car and they left the town in a matter of minutes after they made a stop in the local workshop to take the experiments. What the group didn''t know was that someone has been stalking them every day since they arrived in the town, and it was the Half-breed who met them and offered to give them a tour around the town.


    "Hey, officers! I think I have something to tell you about what you are looking for" -The Half-breed called Max said while walking towards them.

 Chapter 10 - 7: Kingdoms Capital.

    Thanks to Gree''s idle mind, the car had some helpful modifications, the most useful features added to it was a thermodynamic reactor which produced electricity for the car and a signal disruptor, making them invisible for satellites, the rest of the modifications were mostly for Gree''s use.


    Everyone was relaxed while Phill was driving, the road was monotonous, and the lack of activity made Chronos and Nat fall asleep in the back seats while Gree was using her laptop. After looking at Chronos and Nat''s sleep, Gree continued typing on her laptop trying to program a virus able to open a breach in the security of the government information. "Phill... isn''t it weird? We barely know Chronos, and now he is traveling along with us" -Gree said with a serious tone while still typing.


    "I think it is pretty normal, he is not exactly an open book" -Phill countered without taking his eyes from the road.


    "You know what I meant. It is weird to see the government in a place like Argos and surprisingly the same day this guy appears. And not only that, he seemed to not know anything about the world like if he just came out from a hole in the earth, he sure knows how to talk, read and write, but other than that, he doesn''t relate to technology at all" -Gree pointed out.


    "I think you are being a little paranoic, remember we are also fugitives from the government. Probably he just happened to be in the wrong place and in the wrong time" -Phill said trying to calm down Gree''s thoughts.


    No...I made sure to leave no evidence of who we are in Argos or any other place except by the government database. Also, there is something else bothering me since we left Argos...why the Sweeper was destroyed by a Dragon? And why the Dragon left afterward? -Gree thought while revising her programming.


    The road seemed to be almost endless and Gree ended up falling asleep as well. A couple of hours later, something caught Phill''s attention and it was a sign on the road with the name of the Capital approximately 100km away. "Finally! Something to know I''m in the right direction besides the map" -He exclaimed in a low tone.


    "Delcyt is still 100 kilometers away, there is a lot to travel, I don''t understand your joy" -Chronos suddenly said while rubbing his eyes.


    "Hm...I just like to see I''m on the right Path" -Phill explained.


    The right path...I wonder if I took the right path by coming along with them -Chronos thought.


    Several hours later. The group was about to arrive at Delcyt, the capital of the Kingdom where they currently are. The diversity there was greater than in the towns they have been to before. There were even Elves. Everything seemed to be a futuristic mirage of what older generations would have desired.


    Only Chronos and Nat looked like they were in a dream because of their delighted expressions.


    "There is no time to waste now, we have to create the new IDs and join the guild" -Gree stated while setting a route.


    After I get to join the guild I will need to investigate about the government and what they did with Mother''s corpse, maybe Gree and Phill can tell me something...but that would imply...me telling them about the egg, and who I am -Chronos thought.


    The group traveled around the immense city, looking for a place with which Gree had contact. The city had an insane amount of patrols and people seemed careless about it, freely walking around while going in and out of the buildings. The Capital counted with a systematic plan of commerce and technology development, having a huge amount of educational institutions, libraries, workshops, and laboratories, also there was a large variety of stores and banks.


    Being such a large place, Delcyt had a concentration of buildings belonging to big companies and government business partners in the middle part, following there was the rest of companies and tourist buildings such as churches, Hotels, the guild, and restaurants, then, after a long number of buildings, the outskirts counted with different classes of neighborhoods divided into high, middle and low class.


    Mostly every place in Delcyt seemed almost perfect due to the political system based on Royalty, starting from the Rulers and ending with the social division.


    Being the most visited place in the kingdom, Delcyt was the center of the gathering of species and also had jobs annexed to some resource processing companies in the outskirts mainly led by Dwarves and Elves.


    "I feel like I''m in a dream. I never thought the capital would be so beautiful" -Nat said.


    No one paid attention to what Nat said, but she seemed to be swimming in her fantasies so it didn''t matter to her. A few hours of traffic and wrong turns later, the group was in front of a reinforced-wall building.


    "Is this the guild?" -Chronos said. "Seems very secure" -He added.


    "No, remember we need new ID''s so the government won''t annoy us" -Gree answered. It''s been 6 years since we last came to this place, I hope they recognize Phill and me -She thought.


    "Oh! So we will get them here? I thought it was a bank or something because of the walls" -Nat pointed out.


    "This place runs illegal businesses most of the time, the walls are only one method to protect themselves" -Phill explained.


    Illegal!? -Nat thought with her eyes widened.


    Gree stood in front of the main door and a security camera recorded her. "It is me, let me in" -Gree said impatiently as the door opened.


    Behind the door, the place looked like the living room of a castle, with a red carpet covering the whole floor and white walls. "You guys will never change this disgusting place, huh?" -Gree joked.


    Two elves were waiting behind a counter and seemed to know Gree. "We could change it for you every time you visit us, but you didn''t tell us you were coming" -One of the elves countered with a small smile.


    "What brings you here again, little one? It''s been a long while since you came here as a customer" -The other elf asked.


    "You see this edgy-looking guy next to me? He needs an ID and the rest of us want to change our IDs so we can work in the guild" -Gree answered.


    Phill and Nat chuckled while Chronos just inspected the room oblivious of the conversation.


    The Elf who looked like the oldest of the two addressed Chronos carefully. "What''s his name?" -He asked in a more serious tone.


    Chronos noticed the elf was referring to him. "Chronos" -He answered stepping forwards.


    "Good" -The elf said while writing it down in a small book. "surname?" -The elf asked.


    Cronos hesitated for a couple of seconds, he didn''t need a Surname until that exact moment, and he didn''t remember his parents'' surnames. Chronos had to improvise something in the seconds the elf asked him, all he could remember were the names of the authors of the books he read in Drixtown. "Van Weils" -Chronos answered with a straight face while everyone looked at him with curiosity.


    The elf wrote down the surname. "Chronos Van Weils?" -he asked one last time.


    "Yes..." -Chronos answered.


    "Alright, come this way" -The elf said while standing up and motioning his hand towards a door to his right.


    Chronos nodded and walked in.


    While Chronos went through the process to get an ID, everyone else just needed to say their actual names and the names they wanted to have and in about ten minutes the group had their new IDs.


    "Thank you, guys. Here, a gift for your services" -Gree said while leaving a White Gold coin on the counter


    "This I way more than expected, Miss Myers. We hope to see you again" -The oldest Elf said surprised and grateful.


    After the group left the place, something caught Nat''s attention and it was a relatively old-looking Church. "Since we arrived Delcyt I''ve seen a lot of Churches, Are people here that religious?" -She asked.


    "There are many speculations saying that the rulers are the closest beings to the Prophets, but ironically they like to mock the gods by building sanctuaries and banning the entrance to them" -Phill explained.


    "Why would they do that if they are so close to being just like the ones chosen by the gods?" -Chronos asked immediately leaving Phill without an answer.


    "Because of their powers..." -Gree muttered.


    The group then set out to the guild. It took them about an hour and the sun was setting; the traffic was heavier than before because of the working schedule and the number of patrols was lower than before.


    The guild was a Palace-looking place, the size of it was comparable to a large mall, enough to have currency trading stations, merchants, leisure stores, and the registration counter.


    Nat couldn''t hide her excitement at all and Gree had to hold her blouse so she wouldn''t go so far away from them.


    "She seems more mature than Nat since we arrive in the capital" -Chronos whispered to Phill.


    "Some things happened here that made Gree change in some way and by what Nat has told us, she has never come to Delcyt before" -Phill whispered back.


    Some minutes later, the group was in front of the registration counter of the guild. A lady attended them by asking for their IDs or any other document showing their identity and also asked for a fee for each one. Another step of the registration consisted of giving their phone numbers so they would be periodically contacted to check the requests feed and the time left for each request.


    Finally, the group successfully became members of the guild and applied for their first request, which consisted of escorting a medicine convoy to the borderline of the kingdom where a group of soldiers was badly injured by the Infected.


    After a few hours of getting the necessary equipment, the group went to the meeting point explained in the request.


    When the group was in Drixtown, Nat worked day and night trying to create armor able to resist stunning hits and light armor to resist cuts and small impacts, perfect for Phill and Chonos, also she made armor for herself strong and thick enough to resist bullet impacts. Nat didn''t make any armor for Gree as a petition from her, instead, Nat helped her to develop a new long-distance weapon based on the Gauss cannon principles and another Coilgun.


    Now at the meeting point, the group was ready and waiting for the convoy to arrive. They were rather early and had to wait about an hour which was something Nat asked to do.

 Chapter 11 - 8: A Diabolical Virus.

    The convoy finally arrived at the meeting point. Two armored hover-like mobile turrets, two research trucks, and three haul trucks full of provisions and supplies showed up.


    The leader of the mission walked closer to the group. "Thanks for accepting the request, but I have to warn you, the TDW-A01 mutated and creates hive-minded individuals, which make them harder to fight against, even with magic-enhanced ammunition. It seems the virus can delay the effect of magic as well and we are supposed to study it" -He explained.


    "Does it still affect all species besides the half-breeds?" -Chronos asked.


    Gree and the Leader of the mission stared at Chronos in silence for a couple of minutes. "Yes" -The soldier answered.


    "So, how much time will it take us to arrive at that place?" -Phill asked.


    "About a whole day without making too many stops" -Gree Said while walking towards the car. "So we have to leave as soon as possible" -She continued.


    When everyone got in their vehicles the mission started. It took about 12 hours before the convoy made the first stop in a small town called Betrio, it had nothing special; the stop was made to fuel up the trucks and eat something. 30 minutes later, the mission continued. The trip was relatively safe, but everyone was ready in case an emergency happened.


    "What will happen if we get infected as well?" -Nat asked.


    We are going to kill each other if that happens... -Gree thought. "It won''t happen with the set of armors you made" -She answered.


    Silence fell as the night approached. Chronos tried to analyze the multiple outcomes of what could happen in the mission. Judging by what the soldier said to us, we are bound to have a loss, either material or partners -Chronos thought while designing a mental plan of what to do in case of the worst situation.


    Gree was also preparing a plan in case things turned out bad. The words of the soldier echoed in Gree''s and Chronos'' heads, the two of them were tying ends until they came to the same outcome. "An Ambush" -Gree and Chronos said at the same time.


    Phill motioned the convoy to stop in order to discuss the fact that they could be expected by the infected, but despite his signals, he was ignored. He kept trying for about 30 minutes but then he stopped. "We have to assume they are ready for it" -He said.


    "That''s exactly what I don''t want, if they are prepared for an ambush, they had to share that information with us" -Gree countered. "But still, the ambush is just a supposition, they may not like to hear a supposition in a counter-clock mission" -She muttered while countering herself.


    "Then we just need to be ready for it, right?" -Nat asked.


    "I think it is not that easy, our task is to successfully protect the convoy until we arrive at our destination" -Chronos answered.


    "Nat do you know how to shoot?" -Gree asked out of the blue.


    "Uh...yes, I shot a couple of times when I helped you crafting some of the weapons you designed" -Nat answered in confusion. "Why?" -she asked.


    "Because I need you to use the Gauss rifle in case something happens" -Gree answered with a small smile.


    It didn''t take them too much time to be prepared for an ambush. "Hopefully everything will turn out good and we will claim our prize when we arrive at the place" -Phill said.


    "Hopefully" -Gree repeated.


    The convoy was approaching the destination when a dense mist started surrounding them. Then it began to rain heavily, making the vehicles'' vision range shrink to a meter.


    It didn''t take long before a very loud walking caught the attention of everyone in the middle of the rain. The turrets set in position to shoot where the unknown noise was coming from, but it stopped. Everyone expected to find an army of Infected to appear but the reality was far from it. A giant beast, with the features of an elephant with gruesome limbs and decomposed flesh, destroyed one of the turrets instantly by only stepping on it and blocked the road for the rest of the convoy.


    The next turret opened fire towards the infected beast, but suddenly another beast attacked it. It had a long and slim human shape, with pale skin and the face of an enraged ape. It didn''t seem to be as powerful as the other one but when it got on top of the turret, a deafening screech came out of its mouth and a considerable amount of infected came out of the mist surrounding the convoy.


    Nat, Phill, and Gree were paralyzed for a brief minute while staring at the scene. They came back to their senses when the door opened and Chronos left with his equipment. "Chronos wait!" -Nat exclaimed while opening the door and going after Chronos.


    "Where are the weapons? In the trunk?" -Phill asked while stepping out of the car.


    "Yes" -Gree said while putting on and headset and grabbing a modified gun. "Give the Gauss rifle to Nat and support her with the new Coilgun, and try to keep Chronos alive" -She said while reloading the gun and shooting to the closest infected.


    Chronos ran towards the Turret where the simian-like infected was. If I kill it then it won''t call anymore infected -He thought while running and killing the infected in his path.


    The rain seemed to not stop anytime soon. The turret and a team of soldiers tried to keep the infected far from them, but then the screaming infected jumped towards one of the soldiers and easily ripped his arms apart, making the soldier twitch and scream in pain and agony until the infected devoured his head. The rest of the soldiers shot at the infected while this was feasting on their partner''s corpse. The normal ammunition didn''t affect it too much so they tried the magical ammunition which was supposed to light in fire the target or electrocute it and make it explode after a couple of impacts.


    The turret aimed at the infected while it was eating the soldier, when the turret shot the beast, it hit the ground and a large wound covered its back. A small victory for the soldier didn''t last long when the rest of the infected surrounded them. Luckily for the soldiers, loud and quick shots coming from the guns Gree designed, were enough to catch the attention of the infected and take out many of them.


    Chronos kept killing effortlessly the infected that was on his way. It seems heavy ammo can kill them easily -He thought while running towards the infected on the ground.


    The rain made the night arrive faster and the situation became direr. The mist, the rain, and the night in the middle of nowhere represented the most challenging situation after getting ambushed. The drivers of the trucks turned on the lights in order to not be on a pitch-black rainy night. The Elephant-like Beast couldn''t be seen entirely, but it stayed in its place completely motionless.


    The infected eventually stopped coming from the mist. Everything looked like if the group successfully survived, or at least most of them. But the soldiers and Chronos didn''t take their victory for granted. The giant beast was still a problem as well as the mist.


    "How do you think we should deal with the small one?" -Gree asked sarcastically to the Leader of the mission while pointing towards the Giant infected.


    "We need to take as many samples of these infected as we can first, it will help us with the main objective" -The soldier explained. "The Screamer will help us a lot to see how much has the Virus developed" -He continued.


    "We are exposed here" -Phill added. "They will come back so we need to be ready and if we stay to get samples then we will all die" -He reasoned.


    "That''s why you are here, we requested a team in the Guild to protect us in this mission, and the description of the team states that you are a skilled team" -The soldier countered. "We need the samples" -He said with authority.


    While Phill and Gree discussed the situation with the Soldier. Nat was patrolling around the convoy with Chronos and the rest of the soldiers were collecting the samples and carrying them in one of the research trucks.


    After a couple of minutes, the soldiers carried a lot of samples, but the screamer was missing. "THE SCREAMER IS STILL ALIVE!" -A soldier shouted before being torn apart and consumed by the hurt beast.


    Everyone was on alert now, the vision was a problem and the rain blocked the sound of Simian''s light walk. In a couple of minutes, the suspense built by the hunting infected was broken by a howl, the howl was coming from the Giant Infected.


    This is bad -Gree thought while aiming her gun towards where she expected the beast to appear. She was next to Phill and the Leader of the mission, Phill was also ready and aiming the coilgun.


    "Shoot the big one" -The Leader of the mission said by radio to the turret driver. Gree and Phill looked at him in horror.


    Is he out of his mind?! -Gree thought.


    Gunshots from the turrets could be seen from all sides of the convoy. The heavy ammunition was all used on the enormous limb of the Infected. The Beast let another howl out, then the Screamer jumped out of nowhere and bent the barrel of the turret until it broke.


    Chronos was the first one to react. He moved in the blink of an eye. The only thing Nat could see was him jumping towards the infected. "What are you doing?!" -Nat exclaimed.


    The beast noticed Chronos and made a quick turn hitting him with its long limbs. Chronos bounced against one of the trucks and fell on the ground. Nat ran towards Cronos and saw him covered in blood. "Chronos! Chronos!" -Nat repeated trying to wake him up. Then she realized it wasn''t Chronos'' blood; One of the limbs of the infected was severed on the ground next to Chronos.


    The infected beast started to scream again this time it was obvious the pain reflected on its scream. Phill aimed the coilgun towards the infected and shot. The impact pierced through the Screamer''s chest but more infected attracted by the scream came out of the mist.


    Gree managed to hold them back but they were too many. The soldiers also had a hard time fighting them. "The magic ammo is not working, Sir!" -One of the soldiers said to the leader.


    After a couple of minutes of trying to survive, the group was running out of ammunition. As good news for the soldiers and the group, the infected slowly became fewer and fewer, but another horror was moving in the darkness.


    Nat was next to Chronos killing every infected she could. She recalled the moment back in the guild when everyone agreed on the request, Gree was the one who saw the request and showed it to them. I never thought it would be like this...Grace said it would be just a simple escort mission -Nat thought while shooting the Gauss rifle.


    Chronos woke up and quickly got up. "Where is the Screamer?" -He asked Nat who was now resting from the recent fight.


    "Phill shot it down" -Gree answered while walking towards them.


    The rain stopped now, and Phill was discussing with the leader what to do with the giant infected. The idea of driving around was canceled because of the danger it could represent in case of more infected like the screamer.


    "Why did you choose this request?" -Nat asked Gree.


    "Because of the reward" -Gree answered. And the "easy" access to the Government''s database -She thought.


    Chronos felt like something was watching them from the shadows, something bigger and stronger than the screamer. His eyes widened when something charged from the mist and destroyed one of the research trucks with a single tackle. Everyone was in shock because of the explosion and from the flames of the destroyed vehicle stood up a monster with an abnormal human body and unbelievable strength. Its head was almost covered by a formation of pulsing muscles and broken bones from the shoulders, back, and chest. The face of the infected was incomplete as if something chews it and left only the nose, mouth, and ears.


    The next research truck immediately called for backup. "There is an abomination here! We need back up!" -The driver of the research truck said while the rest of the soldiers shoot but the bullets couldn''t pierce the skin of the infected.


    Even Phill and Nat couldn''t do any damage to the Abomination with the Gauss rifle and the coilgun, It was futile.


    The Abomination jumped and fell on a running soldier, smashing him and splattering his rests all around. Another soldier tried to stab it with a knife but it broke, then the abomination grabbed him and threw him against the ground, breaking most of his bones and destroying his organs, it was instant death.


    There is something we could do to kill it... -Cronos thought while positioning in a blind spot.


    "Nothing seems to affect it..." -The Leader of the mission said hopelessly.


    The Abomination jumped again and aimed to fall on the leader; At this point, he was just waiting to be killed by the infected but a loud metal noise and an impact were heard. The infected fell down quickly as if it bounced against something.


    A girl with silver hair and crimson eyes with the looks of a doll landed in front of the Soldier. She was wielding a mechanical battle-ax with magic-enhanced blades and her intentions were to defeat the Abomination.

 Chapter 12 - 9: Genetic Prodigy.

    Several years ago. "The mother passed away while giving birth. The TDW-A01 was successfully adopted by the child''s body. It seems the DNA naturally accepted the modification with the help of the mother cells regeneration. Was Birth the key to natural adaption and evolution? Or was it the genes of a ruler? More research is required" -A scientist in the genetics department of the government said. "The code name of the child will be: Victoria''s Model No.1: Sinns" -The Scientist added while writing in a notebook.


    7 years later. "VM No.1: Sinns hasn''t shown signs of cell degeneration or Hypertrophy presented on infected individuals in their advanced stage, instead, the cells quickly adapt and overcome any situation or disease; Her doll aspect is attributed to this ability which doesn''t stop producing lactic acid, muscles don''t grow but strength greatly increases with standard training. When extracted, the blood losses its properties avoiding further studies and experimentation. Many other attempts to recreate VM No.1 ended in failure. The TDW-A01 rejected their hosts by decomposing their cells" -The scientist said while recording and writing down more notes.


    10 years later. "Sinns have improved in her training, slowly she is becoming as strong as an average hero. The research team has developed the perfect weapon for her, a mechanical battle-ax with a magic-enhanced blade, the blade is able to separate into pieces to become larger and uncover a movable barrel with armor-piercing ammunition. Sinns easily wields the Axe and excels at close and medium-range combat. Also, her behavior is calm and cold and has a high interest in the current world and the guilds" -The scientist recorded in a voice recorder.


    A year later, on the current date. "Sinns finally reached the final stage of development given by the virus, right now she is stronger than any known infected and has the same destruction capacity of any AMHAR unit, her battle-ax was modified and now it weights more in order to make her blows stronger. As a scientist, I couldn''t be more proud and excited, but as her caretaker, I''m worried about what could happen to her" -The Scientist recorded. "Today is her birthday and she got her first mission. It was an emergency and the AMHAR units are in maintenance, so this is an opportunity for her to have contact with the world outside these walls. It may be pointless but I pray for her well-being" -The scientist added.


    A quadcopter quickly departed from the military base carrying the Battle-ax attached to a cargo-holding cable. "Estimated time to arrive: 2 to 3 hours" -The pilot said while turning towards the coordinates.


    This is the first time I will fight outside the base... I hope the world is as interesting as Otto has told me all this time -Sinns Thought while looking through the quadcopter''s glass.


    It was almost time to arrive at the place and a dense mist surrounded the Quadcopter. "We are experiencing some difficulties, we cannot spot a landing point and there is an Abomination, VM No.1 it is your turn to control the situation" -The co-pilot said to Sinns.


    The helicopter was suspending in the air and Sinns jumped out of it, the battle-ax was also released and Sinns was able to grab it before colliding against the Abomination while it jumped.


    Gracefully, Sinns lands in front of the Leader of the team and prepared herself to fight. The abomination took a step forwards before sprinting towards Sinns, quickly picking up speed for a devastating single blow. Sinns prepared the ax to shoot when the abomination was close enough. The Axe released two magnetic locks, then a magnetic field of 3 square meters controlled the detachable pieces, enlarging the total size of the weapon and revealing the barrel.


    Before the Abomination could get closer to Sinns, she shoot and knocked it down, the shoot had some recoil which made her step back a bit. On the other hand, the abomination seemed to be stunned by the impact, Sinns seized the opportunity and jumped to create momentum to cut through the Infected''s hardened skin.


    Sinns easily sliced off one of the arms of the abomination. Blood splattered around it, Sinns made another move and cut the head horizontally. Nat, Gree, Phill, and Chronos were processing what just happened in silence and with expressions of disbelief. Sinns saved them from imminent death in hands of that monster.


    Sinns turned towards the giant beast and sliced the foot which was stepping on one of the turrets. The giant kneeled down in pain and Sinns shoot inside the wound, severing the leg and making the beast fall. The mist started to fade away and the quadcopter landed a few meters away from the road. "VM no. 1, we got orders to tell you to escort the convoy from now on" -The pilot said.


    Meanwhile, everyone got their attention towards the girl who took down the strongest infected in the zone, Gree managed to sneak on the research truck to release her virus in the terminal.


    Chronos curiosity carried him towards the Abomination''s corpse. Slowly, Cronos realized there were some weird aspects on the abomination, it was familiar to him. Nat walked towards him and also realized something in the corpse. The lower part of the severed head had simian aspects. "Just like the tour guide..." -Nat said to herself but Chronos could hear her.


    "Thank you for coming #1, you saved the remaining of the convoy. Sadly, the mission will last less than expected due to this sudden attack" -The leader of the soldiers said.


    The remaining soldiers and researchers took samples from the abomination and the giant beast.


    The weapon that the girl wields looks like something Grace used to research -Phill thought while walking towards the car.


    Gree was still uploading the virus in the vehicle. "This is taking more than I expected" -She muttered.


    The corpses and the rest of the destroyed vehicles were successfully retired from the road after a couple of hours, then the convoy continued its normal route to complete the mission.


    Sinns had to go on top of the provision''s truck since it was the one with the most weight capacity and the battle-ax was too heavy for the rest of the vehicles.


    "Hey Gree...isn''t her-" -Phill whispered before being interrupted.


    "The perfect biological weapon, Victoria''s Model no.1: Sinns" -Gree also whispered, almost muttering. "Who would have thought she would be this powerful in 6 years" -She continued.


    "Do you guys know her?" -Nat asked innocently.


    "Not really, we have only heard about her" -Phill lied.


    Chronos was immersed in his thoughts while looking through the window. This request was way tougher than expected, if it was not because of that girl, we would be dead by now -Chronos thought while he gritted his teeth.


    "The only reason we live is that we are lucky, but we need to improve to become stronger" -Phill said in a serious tone. "At least now we know Gree''s inventions and strong enough to kill a weakened screamer" -He continued.


    Magnetic weapons are not as powerful when the ammunition is not magical-enhanced... -Gree thought as an excuse.


    "But the infected could disable magic as we saw with the soldiers'' ammunition" -Chronos countered. The only weapons that could affect the screamer were the heavy cannon of the turret and Gree''s inventions" -He concluded.


    The convoy continued the mission until they finally arrived at the camp where the wounded were treated. Almost every soldier in the camp was badly wounded or dead. Nat saw a report on one of the tables of the camp. "And several soldiers died because of the large groups of infected which had extremely dangerous beasts leading them" -Nat said as she was reading.


    Chronos and Phill heard her. "I hope we just meet them a while ago, we are not prepared for another assault of those things" -Phill said.


    It is true...our weapons are low in ammunition and I doubt the soldiers would lend us theirs, plus, it would be useless against an advanced infected like the Screamer or the Abomination -Chronos thought.


    Sinns suddenly appears on his mind, Chronos tried to detail her movements while fighting with such a heavy weapon. Can I imitate it? Can I move like her only using my blades? -Chronos kept thinking.


    Meanwhile, Gree was walking towards the group of soldiers who were treating the wounded. "So here is where the mission ends, right?" -She asked.


    "Yes, but as you may know, the damages and casualties will be discounted from the reward, the job was to protect the whole convoy from being destroyed" -the Soldier explained. "What is left from the reward will be sent to your account in the guild" -He continued.


    Gree just limited herself to only listen and nod. Soon, I won''t have to do any request concerning the guild -She thought with a smile while still nodding, then she went back to meet the rest of the group, but Sinns blocked her path.

 Chapter 13 - 10: Silent Farewell.

    Chronos was simply waiting in the back of the whole convoy while the rest of the group was assessing the situation. Phill kept an eye on him from afar but didn''t want to pay much attention to what Gree mentioned earlier before the ambush. She seemed serious with that regard, i will just try to stay calm about it, Chronos has a good intuition, and alerting him would just make things worse. Phill said while trying to give maintenance to the coilgun, next to one of the wrecked turrets.


    There was no real threat at the moment and the military team took its time to collect as many samples as possible and count the number of casualties including the damage on the vehicles.


    One of the soldiers took the severed arm of the screamer and brought it back to the resources truck in order to store it while noticing Sinns stepping out of the truck and walking towards Gree. Without hesitating, he began to record the situation with a camera on his assault vest.


    Gree didn''t have much information regarding the Victoria''s Model project, since it was not in her former department, all she knew was that it was related to the development of weapons to fight TDW-A01. She never expected a doll-looking girl to be part of that project, so she couldn''t really think of what Sinns actually was. A Cyborg? A half-breed with suppressed non-human features? Maybe a Hero? In any case, I hope the virus I left in the convoy results useful to answer that question. Gree planned in her mind while her path was suddenly blocked by Sinns.


    Neither Sinns nor Gree said anything for a moment while staring at each other, and the soldier kept recording while hiding by the resources truck. "You are undeniably cute but I know very well I''m cuter, so it''s alright to keep staring, but it is weird if you don''t say anything though" -Gree said with a sassy tone as she shrugged.


    Sinns kept quiet and moved aside, letting Gree walk forward but whispering something between her teeth. Gree couldn''t really hear it well until Sinns mentioned "Dr. Otto told me to help you, escape now that you can". Sinns was definitely there to capture them, but thanks to a former colleague Gree was granted the opportunity to escape once again. Gree''s eyes widened but knew she couldn''t waste any time and so kept walking towards the group. The soldier stopped recording the moment Gree walked away from Sinns and went to report to his superior.


    Nat was collecting all the weapons she could since she knew very well Gree would love to dismantle every single one of them to create something. Phill was relaxing a bit, cleaning his weapon, but often shifting his eyes over to everyone. Chronos on the other hand was trying to check on the egg and to his horror, he noticed some cracks on the egg''s surface. He didn''t know if they were natural or if it was a result of the fight, but his mind couldn''t cloud with the worse thoughts at that moment, so he tried to keep it safe once again and join the group.


    Gree had a serious expression and motioned her hand towards Phill to come over while Cronos was walking towards Nat. Phill felt something was off and followed her without hesitating. "Everyone, get to the car, we are leaving as fast as possible" -She said while the only one who seemed to not know what was going on is Nat. However, she still got in the car but before they could do anything, the soldiers were aiming the turret towards them.


    Phill and Gree noticed they didn''t have time and before the turret could shoot, a heavy screech coming from the turret itself deafened partially the soldier and the barrel fell down with a clean cut as if something sliced it making the ammunition that was being fired explode upon leaving the now sliced barrel, destroying the top of the turret and leaving the vehicle unusable. All soldiers aimed their guns towards Sinns as Chronos'' group used the opportunity to leave as fast as they could. Sinns simply sighed and surrendered while dropping her Axe and raising her hands.


    The team leader addressed the situation and reported to the headquarters."Sir, we have confirmed VM No.1 sabotaged the operation and let the targets escape, we are now taking measures to arrest her and carry her back to be processed" -Said the soldier while Sinns was being cuffed and forced into the convoy.


    Back in an unknown section of a military building in the capital. "Dr. Otto Van Weils, we have confirmed Victoria''s Model No.1 to be a traitor of the nation by failing the very first mission she was assigned and letting the targets escape, which means you are also suspect of betrayal to the nation, we are here to terminate you" -Said a uniformed soldier along with a partner who was holding a simple assault rifle.


    "Can I see Sinns one last time?" -Otto asked while sitting as he was placing down his pair of glasses on a nightstand.


    "Denied" -said the soldier while turning around and leaving the room, which indicated the partner to open fire and fill Otto''s body with lead splattering blood around which also fell on the glasses and disfiguring his body until the magazine clicked empty.


    Oblivious of this gruesome scene, Chronos'' team was moving away from the convoy and making fake tracks to avoid being chased so easily. "Damn, I really feel like puking after going into so many circles" -Said Gree to herself, she seemed a bit sick from the turns Phill have been making on the road.


    Chronos was checking his map and Nat was sleeping, Phill felt rather stressed since the past events have been too convenient for their sake. "What did Sinns tell you?" -He asked Gree who was curling into a ball with her seatbelt on while whining because of her dizziness.


    "Oh, you know, the typical stuff, something something a friend, something something the ruler, we were being jebaited and that was a very elaborated trap" -Gree summarized while rubbing her stomach slowly as she curled.


    Phill sighed in disbelief, remembering the only one who they knew on the VM project was Otto. Who oddly enough share the same surname as Chronos -He thought. "Wait, but this implies-!" -Phill said while being suddenly interrupted by Gree. "Yes, I know what will happen now, if it didn''t happen already..." -She added.


    Chronos heard the whole conversation and recalled the moment Sinns appeared, clenching his fist and feeling powerless since he had to be saved once again, at the same time, he for some reason felt relieved since there are still people that show kindness to others by helping them somehow. I can understand that I don''t have the reflexes nor the strength to fight on my own in this world, If it wasn''t for Natasha, I would have been captured or killed the very first day I stepped on a town -he thought while briefly looking at Nat sleeping as she snored softly.


    A nauseous feeling traveled up from Chronos'' stomach, and he suddenly fainted without Gree or Phill noticing. It seems like the moment he relaxed his body began to backfire and forced him into unconsciousness.


    Nat woke up a couple of hours later and noticed the car wasn''t moving, and the windows were down, also Gree and Phill were not in the car. Huh? What is going on now? Where are those two? -she thought while slowly coming out of the car.


    To her surprise, Nat noticed Phill comforting Gree while patting her back slowly as she cried and puked. "We were about to die so many times...why are we still being hunted down, we did so much for the ruler and now we can''t even...-Gree complained briefly and stopped to puke again while remembering the past few events.


    Nat simply kept her distance and couldn''t help but remember the death of her friend in silence as well as the fight against the infected. It seemed like the group was starting to understand the path they walked on was nothing but full of blood.


    This is a fact Chronos accepted the moment DD passed away and was taken by one of the rulers who oversee this kingdom. On the other hand, Gree, Phill, and Nat never thought the beginning of this "trip" would turn into a heavy psychological challenge and the moment they thought everything was turning for the best, they would be haunted by death once again.


    "I don''t know if I could take this for too long Phill, I belong to a laboratory, or even a workshop, not the battlefield, and yet for almost 1 month we''ve been hunted down like fucking dogs" -Gree complained with anger filling her words.


    "We need to leave this kingdom, and maybe that way we would be able to get an opportunity to survive" -Phill reasoned, trying to comfort Gree with the start of a plan.


    Nat was eavesdropping and slowly sat down behind a tree, looking up to the sky and trying to find peace in her mind. Chronos woke up a while ago and saw everyone from the distance while checking on the egg once again, realizing it had more cracks, meaning that the egg, the successor he has to protect, was about to be born. Maybe it is time to part ways with them before they notice I''m the cause of this situation -Chronos thought while grabbing his bag and the white gold coins left.


    Without saying a word, he simply walked away, hoping he would be able to avoid the death of the people he was traveling with. Just like the first time he went to a town, Chronos was decided to travel alone again but this time he had experience and knowledge of the world, he just needed to find a way to survive it.


    Nat, Gree, and Phill went back to the car to notice Chronos disappeared, they were clueless of why but Gree had a hunch, which made her angry because she knew nothing about him, and yet he seemed like he hid something important from them. However, regardless of Chronos hiding something to them or not, there was nothing they could do now, but hope they crossed paths once again.

 Chapter 14 - 11: A Sentient Forest.

    Chronos tried to do his best to hide his tracks, so the group wouldn''t follow him nor any undesired individuals, but he knew it would be a matter of time for the military to find him once again and take the egg away.


    There is no time to waste, I need to find a safe place and let it hatch, maybe try to cross borders between kingdoms and blend in with the crowds, but having such baggage would make it rather difficult -Chronos analyzed his option while moving through the wasteland.


    Meanwhile, Gree¡¯s group set their route towards the neighboring kingdom, Falladis.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe he simply left after all that happened¡­¡± -Nat muttered while sighing, Gree and Phill were silent as they traveled but both of them knew Chronos wasn¡¯t who he said he was. Gree did remember about leaving a virus on the convoy, so she tried to access the database of the convoy from her laptop, attempting to breach the government security files.


    After many failed attempts, Gree managed to access the military files, however, she found an order of search and capture on their heads, which was also posted on the kingdom¡¯s guild, making them targets of even more dangerous beings than the military itself. Heroes, the closest in power to the now-forgotten prophets, would take the request and start to hunt them. ¡°Ah, we are so fucked-¡° -Gree suddenly mentioned while reading.


    Nat looked at her with a rather surprised expression and Phill simply sighed as they kept driving to the border of the kingdom while the sun began to rise on the horizon.


    Chronos did his best to get out of the wasteland until he meets a great forest with towering flora and almost no fauna. Even though not many people in the current times would dare to step into such a place, Chronos on the other hand, found it rather pleasant as he was used to being connected to nature since he could remember. This could be a good place to settle in for a time, I could plan what to do next after making sure I can stay here -Chronos planned as he was wandering inside the overgrown vegetation.


    The day slowly passed as he manages to find a small river and a clearing which was being bathed by the sun, filling the surroundings with a radiant glow and granting Chronos a sense of peace, luring him into it as if he was hypnotized.


    Suddenly a crack from the egg snapped him out of his trance. Right at the moment he snapped back into reality, Chronos backed away from the clearing and tried to address what just happened, so he covered his mouth and nose naturally to avoid breathing anything that could be in the air.


    Upon closer inspection, the field covering the clearing turned slowly into crimson red turning the scene into a pool of blood.


    ¡°The clearing was a trap¡­but what can possibly make a trap like this?¡± -Chronos said to himself as the blood on the field slowly disappeared on the ground, giving him a hint of what is actually happening. ¡°A carnivorous plant?... -he muttered. But if the whole clearing is catching preys for it then this thing has to be enormous -Chronos thought while backing up slowly and noticing many figures emerging from the forest.


    A sudden and unknown chant chained Chronos on his spot as an arrow with a small bag tied to it exploded in front of him, forcing him into unconsciousness.


    The individuals took him with them as well as his belongings.


    After a while, Chronos slowly woke up and noticed he had his hands and legs tied tightly as long-eared individuals were discussing what to do with him in a foreign tongue. it was a language Chronos learned before, a language that originated from the elves. In that same moment, Chronos recognized the language he finally woke up completely.


    ¡°So what are we going to do with this guardian, the kingdom might want to destroy this forest if they knew he is here with¡­¡± -One of the elves said as she looked at the bag Chronos carried. What seemed like a more mature Elf and seasoned hunter, looked back at Chronos and squinted his eyes. ¡°It seems like the intruder woke up, Carry him to the elder and he will decide his fate¡± -the male elf commanded.


    Chronos was then taken from the place he was laying, and carried by two elves armed with bows into a hut which was across a wooden bridge on the side of the towering trees, many meters above the ground. Once inside and very wrinkly and old Elf stepped forward towards Chronos, inspecting him. ¡°It seems like you do understand what I can say so please don¡¯t refrain yourself from exchanging some words with this old elf¡± -the elderly elf said while slowly walking back using a small staff to then sit down on a sort of couch.


    ¡°How do you know I can understand if I haven¡¯t spoken a single word in this language?¡± -Chronos asked with curiosity.


    ¡°You are not the first one that enters the Pandora Forest, young one. Many travelers end up here and surprisingly enough they too have studied our tongue as well as the dangers of this place¡± -The elf answered with a smile and eyes barely open due to the skin of his forehead slowly falling over them.


    So this is the forest I read about in some reference books -Chronos though while exchanging visual contact with the Elf. ¡°My name is Archival, everyone here calls me pops, or old Archie¡± -the elf pointed out without taking his eyes from Chronos.


    ¡°I¡¯m Chronos, I travel around the kingdom in search of knowledge¡± -Chronos replied.


    The Elf forced to open his eyes for a moment. ¡°You are carrying something that could destroy the world, Chronos. If I¡¯m correct, you were told to take care of it, right?¡± -He mentioned.


    Chronos couldn¡¯t help but be surprised at the Elf who seemed to have lived hundreds of years.


    ¡°You see, Chronos, you are a guardian, and a power that can end an entire civilization was bestowed upon you. Currently, there are 5 living Guardians and 3 of them were taken by other kingdoms, meanwhile, 1 hasn¡¯t met the predecessor yet¡± -Archie explained.


    ¡°How do you know all this? And why are you telling me this?¡± -Chronos asked after some minutes of silence.


    ¡°This forest is not a common one, Chronos. Us elves have always been very close to nature, enough to understand the secrets of it. That¡¯s why humanity tried to deal with us, in order to then use our arts to kill each other¡± -Archie sighed and walked closer to the entrance of his hut. ¡°This is the Pandora¡¯s Forest, a single organism that is connected to Earth and often whisper to us, letting us know what happens in the outside¡± -he finally explained.


    ¡°Who is Pandora?¡± -Chronos continued asking while looking at Archie with growing curiosity.


    Archie turned around to face Chronos once again. ¡°Pandora was a prophet and the one who made this forest appear. Before dying, she chained her soul on the wasteland and fused with the earth, creating what you see now, a single being reflected into a forest¡± -Archie answered while stepping forwards towards Chronos, knowing what Chronos was about to ask next judging by his expression. ¡°Yes, we know which Dragon made you a guardian, and yes this Forest once served as a shelter to Her, in fact, Pandora was the first and greatest guardian that ever appeared. However the only Dragon capable to resist being tamed by her was the Death Dragon, the biggest threat of humanity¡± -Archival explained while having a curious look towards Chronos'' willingness to listen. After finishing the story, Archie simply laughed as his old lungs let him. Not even the youngest of the tribe are so willing to hear this old elf¡¯s stories -He thought while enjoying himself as he spoke to Chronos.


    After talking for a while with the elder of the Elf tribe, Chronos was considered as a guest instead of a threat. There wasn¡¯t much of a welcoming or apologizing gift for the way he was treated, but there were apologies and better treatment from the hunters who found him next to the clearing.


    One of the hunters explained to Chronos the forest often requires nourishment other than the minerals from the ground and those clearings serve to lure both animals and insects to get consumed by mutated digestive enzymes, which are then absorbed by the ground and roots. It wasn¡¯t the first time someone fell on that trap so the hunters often patrolled the areas on which those clearings exist.


    Shortly after there was a meeting with the tribe elder and all the heads of the different posts, Chronos was brought on the place his belongings and the egg was kept and was told to rest since he had a tired look, something he never really noticed until he saw his reflection in a mirror. These elves have been living in this forest for longer than it seems, maybe I could settle here for a while until I learn one or two new things -Chronos thought while sighing relieved.


    That same night, after Chronos was brought to the Elf town in the forest, a substantial amount of destroyers were mobilized from the capital, with the directives of searching all the wasteland and its surroundings in order to find the fugitive group. Posters and new missions were assigned in the guild and many took interest in the rewards these offered. In some points of Delcyt, there are certain ominous beings walking into guild buildings who began reading the information and details of the request, without hesitating they simply left in order to begin the hunt.


    Chronos didn¡¯t have a peaceful sleep, since the forest was slowly exerting pressure on him, injecting memories he never had of a dying person cursing the negative traits of humanity and being surrounded by entire armies. These memories triggered several emotions in Chronos, awakening something dormant in him, allowing him to drastically widen his view on the world and what could be the future. The wisdom and experience of both DD and Pandora now kept revolving around the mind of Chronos, creating an unbearable headache and allowing Chronos to live through their lives, burning their memories and knowledge into him, forcing him to wake up in a desperate search for air to breath. To his surprise, Archie stood in front of Chronos silently and solemnly before speaking with pride. ¡°You have been baptized as well, Pandora has awakened what DD granted you, and now I shall guide you as to how the forest wants¡± -Archie said while slowly walking away with an air of determination on his looks.

 Chapter 15 - 12: The Trial.

    500 hundred years ago, humanity was in a constant fight with their own creation as it turned against them. At the same time, beings from unexplored parts of the world appeared and managed to show humans how they developed their own cultures. The feature which impacted the world the most was the manipulation of the primal elements on the earth, also known as magic.


    Magic is an art that derives from absolute commands to imitate and accelerate natural events; however, with advanced knowledge in the matter, these events could be altered and even cancelled to provide the desired outcome within the boundaries of what nature accepts.


    Elves are the race that understands these commands and use their concept to break down the structure of elements in order to manipulate them. Elves use magic on a daily basis, to provide themselves with a better and comfortable lifestyle in harmony with nature.


    However, Humans and Elves united to defend against the repercussions of the TDW-A01, this pact was sealed by the acknowledgement of both sides seeing each other as equals, sharing cultures and technologies, as well as knowledge and religions, but understanding their differences respectfully. All this was explained by Archival to Chronos as they simply walked through the forest.


    ¡°Now that I think about it, the origin of TDW was another desperate attempt to get rid of the Dragons, we Elves and humans performed several rites and investigations to find a gap within the dragons'' biology¡± ¨CArchival explained as he sat on a tree root. Chronos remained in silence looking up towards the treetops as flashbacks of someone else¡¯s memories sprung inside his mind; he kept calm, assimilating both the flashbacks and what the old elf had told him so far.


    Archival looked up towards Chronos and let a small humming out as he was waiting for Chronos to say something. This snapped Chronos out of his thoughts and he turned to see Archival. ¡°Archival, who are you exactly?¡± ¨CAsked Chronos while looking down towards him.


    ¡°I am the chosen by Pandora, the only elf that she got involved with, and her apprentice in the ways of magic, because even I, an elf, wouldn¡¯t be a match to one of the Prophets themselves¡± ¨CArchival said while laughing. After a couple of minutes in silence, Chronos began to wonder about what magic was able to do and if he was able to use it. A sudden flashback from Doc dying invaded Chronos mind and he remembered Doc using magic to control some gems he owned. Archival looked towards Chronos and assumed he would ask about magic, so before Chronos spoke Archival stood up and knocked the ground twice with his staff, opening an entrance to a cave. ¡°Before you ask about learning magic, follow me Chronos, there is something you need to see as a guardian¡± ¨CArchival said while walking towards the cave entrance. Chronos followed Archival sceptically. This doesn¡¯t seem like a trap, but every time I am about to say something he seems to already know it before I mention it; have others come here to ask for his training? Is that why he also knew about me understanding them? Maybe his experience is greater than I imagined ¨CChronos thought methodically while silent, not knowing what to expect in the underground.


    The cave leads towards a path illuminated by glowing blue crystals; the atmosphere inside the cave seemed lighter than the forest, also many vines and roots where accommodated on the sides of the cave, creating a very concave and hollow structure under the forest, almost as if the forest was held only by the roots of every tree on it. Archival kept walking in silence as the roots and earth were moving in accordance with creating the path in front of them until the roots connected to the next tunnel which was glowing red. Suddenly, a pulsing noise was overwhelming the cave as if a massive living being was hiding within the depths. ¡°Chronos, I believe you are already familiar with my friend here, the living monolith, a dragon that has an affinity with the earth and which saved you a while ago under my command¡± ¨CArchival said while looking towards the great opening of a cave with a sleeping beast that resembled a mountain.


    ¡°How¡­?¡± ¨Cwas all Chronos could say while being pressured by the overwhelming presence of this giant.


    Archival laughed in return to his expression. ¡°You seem to be more surprised than I expected, Chronos. The reason you are here, in this very forest, is because of Pandora, you happened to walk through the wasteland but not randomly, since this forest subliminally guided you towards itself, you are here because we brought you here¡± ¨CArchival explained as he walked closer to the dragon. ¡°Human beings created something beyond their imagination, truly massive forces of nature; however, they never knew these would be the most primal of animals, rulers blessed by science and evolution, or at least that is what Pandora used to think¡± ¨CArchival said while patting the dragon as it was sleeping.


    Chronos couldn¡¯t believe his eyes, it was the very same beast that easily destroyed one of the strongest weapons created by humanity as if it was a toy, and Archival was just patting its side as it was just a pet. ¡°So you sent the dragon to save us? For the sake of me being the bridge of humans and dragons?¡± ¨CChronos asked, trying to understand the situation.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid you don¡¯t understand, Chronos. I want you to be the one capable of carrying out the wish of Pandora, the death of the current rulers, the ones that hunted down the original Prophets¡± ¨CArchival answered while looking at Chronos with a glimpse of hatred in his eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯m aware I¡¯m an outsider myself, however, isn¡¯t taking down the ones who oversee the continents harmful for the society?¡± ¨CChronos replied while keeping his thoughts organized.


    ¡°Humans are advanced enough to overcome the need of relying on them, so society won¡¯t fall in debris if they just disappear¡± ¨CArchival countered, walking away from the dragon.


    Chronos stood in silence for a moment. It is true that I didn¡¯t have a clear objective after mother died; I was simply left in charge of taking care of her offspring. All I planned was to become a wanderer, hoping that the world would somehow keep me busy so I didn¡¯t have any ambition other than raising the dragon¡­ If getting rid of the rulers guarantee the survival of the dragon then I¡¯ll have to accept ¨CChronos reflected. ¡°Archival, I need to learn magic if you want me to go against beings almost as strong as the prophets¡± ¨CHe concluded.


    Archival smiled and walked towards the entrance of the cave. ¡°Very well, then follow me, Chronos. I will teach you everything you need to know to understand it¡± ¨CThe old elf said while opening the path back to the surface. It didn¡¯t take long before the two of them were on the surface and found themselves surrounded by the rest of the tribe.


    ¡°Was he baptized then? Can we start it now? It¡¯s been a while since we last had fun with one of the baptized subjects¡± ¨CSaid one of the older elves preparing one of his weapons as the rest readied their bows towards Chronos.


    Archival started to laugh and patted Chronos back. ¡°Ah yes, I forgot. There were other baptised ones before you, but to know they would be able to carry on with the will of Pandora, we tested them with a trial to see if they were up to the task. None of them has survived so far¡± ¨CArchival explained with a grim smile. ¡°If you survive for a week while we hunt you down, I will teach you magic, if not, well¡­ The forest will claim your nutrients¡± ¨CHe added while walking back to the huts on the treetops.


    Right after Archival left the place, every elf surrounding Chronos almost instantly shoot their arrows. Without thinking, Chronos suddenly jumped and avoided the immediate arrows but the elves got their bows ready to shoot again in no time, suddenly a voice on Chronos head whispered to him: these arrows won¡¯t kill you, protect your legs. Chronos at first didn¡¯t understand but there was no time for hesitation. Right after getting struck in the right shoulder and arm, Chronos hurried to leave the zone, and all elves present in that moment dispersed to start chasing him down in the forest. Luckily for Chronos, his legs were very well trained and the adrenaline of the moment pushed him to move even faster. However, the elves knew the forest better and managed to block his path many times, so Chronos had to make a move and deviate. They are trying to corner me; my arm is bleeding and I being chased down, so it is going to be hard to recover ¨CChronos thought while running between trees. The elves were moving in synchrony with each other in order to surround Chronos once again; some of them were shooting arrows to force him to a specific side, while others were stationary in the spot Chronos was being lured in. Suddenly, Chronos saw his own movements slower, as well as everything surrounding him. The voice whispered to him once again: follow the roots. Immediately Chronos gazed down and the overgrown roots of a tree were subtly poking out of the ground towards a certain direction within the trees. Once again, trusting his fate to the voice that whispered him, he ran as fast as he could; following the trail of roots, getting out of the visual field of the elves, and managing to hide inside the trunk of a tree that seemed to be just like any other.


    With gritted teeth, Chronos sat down on the ground and tried to pull the arrows stuck on his arm and shoulder; to stop the bleeding he tried to break his shirt and wrapped the broken cloth around his arm and armpit. This is a very dangerous situation, if it wasn¡¯t for that sudden voice I would be either dead or in an even direr situation. For now, I think I could not be able to rest as they would be searching for me. ¨CHe thought while sighing.


    Chronos lived most of his life in the wild with DD, slowly building up his survival instincts and forging his capabilities when a life-and-death situation presented itself before him. He knew he needed some sort of nourishment to avoid an anaemic state due to his blood loss. Chronos attempted to focus and tried to listen if the elves were still around. It doesn¡¯t seem like they are immediately around this tree, so it would be safe to check what I can work with on the outside ¨CHe thought while slowly peeking his head out of the trunk. To his surprise there were none of the elves around, so he tried to slowly walk out of his hiding spot in order to search for something to eat.


    Since killing animals could alert the elves from his location, Chronos attempted to harvest fruits and general plants to eat, to his luck there were edible roots the elves enjoyed eating while he was still in the treetops with them. Chronos gathered as many pieces of root as he could and carried them back to the tree trunk while eating a couple of them. The fleshy texture of the roots and the rich sap gave a very enjoyable moment of peace to Chronos. He knew he couldn¡¯t hide in the same spot forever, so he had to think about a way to escape in case he was found. Sleeping wouldn¡¯t be an option since elves would keep patrols shifting day and night, making it even harder to properly rest and settle his thoughts.


    As Chronos was trying to survive, Archival was walking towards the hut with Chronos¡¯ belongings, trying to inspect the egg with the successor of the death dragon, noticing it moved and cracked again. ¡°It seems like you are soon to see the world, little one. I just wonder if your guardian will be able to last enough to see you¡± ¨CHe said to the egg while the tree on which the hut was built, started to move and reshape its inside, creating a sort of shrine that held the egg in the middle of the room.


    On the other side of Delcyt, close to the border with the neighbouring kingdom called Falladis, Gree, Phill and Nat were driving towards what seemed to be a roadblock specifically placed by the government and guarded by a couple of heroes sent by the guild to arrest the group in case of being spotted.

 Chapter 16 - 13: The Escape.

    In the current world, there are many kingdoms that form a continent. The world has 4 continents left on which these kingdoms try to rule over the rest in a constant competition of power and diplomacy. Borders are constantly patrolled and even guild missions are meant to capture illegal trespassers before they step on the next side of the border.


    ¡°So Gree, what are we going to do in case we run up to heroes? Will your weapons be able to hold them back or do we avoid any contact?¡± ¨CPhill asked as he kept on driving off the road to avoid being easily tracked.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t there any friends you guys have in the guild so we can safely cross the border? This whole situation is making me rather nervous, I still don¡¯t even know why we are being chased down by the government¡°¨CNat complained as she popped her head between the two front seats while frowning.


    ¡°We will explain everything once we can assure your safety, Nat. Right now we can¡¯t really focus on anything else than dealing with the border guards and the very possible mercenaries and/or heroes sent by the guild¡± ¨CGree explained while researching through some military documents since she could have access to them thanks to the virus previously left in the convoy. The main problem is that we have to face them or else we won¡¯t be able to pass through the border, we don¡¯t have many options but to fight our way through it ¨CShe thought while reading the personnel files of those who attended the convoy ambush.


    ¡°Do we have a map of the general direction on which we are going? There might be a way to cross without being noticed, right? ¨CPhill asked noticing Gree was stressing herself with more information than she needed.


    Nat began to rummage within the bags they had and took out a relatively large map of the zone they were heading to. On the west of Delcyt, a formation of rugged mountains serves as the border between Falladis and Delcyt.


    The mountains are a neutral zone that is often explored by Heroes to capture Wyverns and explore the natural caves. Requested missions from the guild often send heroes to confront dangerous fugitives in this area. ¡°There will be guards everywhere on the foot of the mountains, what should we do with them to get through?¡± ¨CNat asked.


    Gree¡¯s eyes lit up when she remembered about a device she salvaged before leaving the first town before meeting Chronos. Suddenly, she went to the backseats in a jump as Nat moved aside to give her room to move with a curious look. ¡°Nat, remember the device that exerted this weird pressure on everyone? I took one of those speakers and tried to make it work. I still don¡¯t know if it works though, but we lose nothing if we try it against the guards¡± ¨CGree said while rummaging within the devices she built and repaired, successfully taking out the speaker from which the deafening noise was produced from.


    The car stopped a few miles away from the mountains¡¯ camp where 2 Heroes and a whole tactical squad were expecting the group to show up. They were patrolling fully armed and very aware of any anomaly that could lead to the escapees.


    ¡°What if they don¡¯t come here? We would be just guarding for nothing? Or are we still getting paid?¡± ¨COne of the Heroes asked the other with visible annoyance as he held a modified sniper rifle.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like we have any option other than doing what the government wants, these guys have a bounty on their heads after all¡± ¨CThe next hero mentioned while walking away from the campsite as a safety measure to not be heard by the soldiers.


    ¡°Michael, can you please describe to me the appearance of the fugitives again? I don¡¯t remember what the soldiers said¡± ¨CThe first hero asked with a very pushy tone while catching up with the other one.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you forgot already, john. There are four of them; a tall, rather tanned middle-aged man with white hair and a soldier stance called Phillips Moroc; a dark-skinned dwarf girl with black hair, who is known to be able to craft high-quality materials for weapons such as your rifle, her name is Natasha Martinez; a small blonde girl with a sassy attitude and presumed to be a half-elf due to the records in the government files, we need to be extra careful with her since she is a former weaponry developer of the military her name is Grace Myers. Any encounter with them has to end on either subjugating them or killing them¡± ¨CMichael explained while turning around and checking on his notes.


    ¡°Wait, you mentioned four, why did you just describe three of them?¡± ¨CJohn asked while making sure his rifle was loaded.


    ¡°It is because the government doesn¡¯t want to give much detail about this one, it is rumored between the soldiers that it is a guardian left by DD itself, managing to escape from government custody thanks to the other three fugitives, so I suspect he is one valuable target, we should kill all but that one¡± ¨CMichael replied with a malicious smile as symbols slowly began to appear on his skin, moving towards his wrist and hand.


    After some hours of driving, the group managed to reach a hill prior to the rugged mountains which had some houses and a service station; this small settlement had a sign with the name ¡°Elvira¡±. The gas station wasn¡¯t really a big deal, just an average spot for filling up a vehicle¡¯s tank, seemingly ran by a family that has built their houses around it. ¡°Gree, what are we going to do if the device doesn¡¯t work on the heroes?¡± ¨CAsked Phill rather worried while filling up the tank of the car.


    ¡°We will have a small opportunity after we activate the device, even if they get back to their senses faster than the rest, we will use that to take them down. EZ¡± ¨CGree quickly explained while attaching the device to the car and fixing the electronics into the dashboard.


    ¡°Are you guys going to kill them...?¡± ¨CNat asked with residual sadness, remembering the friend she lost in the first town and the massacre left by the peacemaker. Can¡¯t we just escape as soon as they are incapacitated?¡± ¨CShe added with a weak tone.


    With a sigh, Phill got closer to Nat and crouched in front of her. Natasha if we want to survive and make it over to the next kingdom in one piece, we need to strike them down while we can, any open window for them to capture us or even kill us will definitely crush our only opportunity¡± ¨CHe explained with a very serious tone as he placed his hand on her shoulder.


    ¡°Just remember, the badies want us caged or dead, so it¡¯s fine to take away their human rights too¡± ¨CGree yelled with a thumbs up from the front of the car.


    Phill glared at Gree as she quickly hid; Nat gritted her fists and looked down in defeat while she let out a small sigh. ¡°Are you guys sure there is no other way? What would make us better than them if we kill them?¡± ¨CNat tried to reason with pleading eyes as the last struggle.


    ¡°We are not better than them Nat¡­¡± ¨CGree whispered while finishing off the modifications on the car.


    ¡°We just need to pray then, because if we fail, we could all die, Nat¡± ¨CPhill replied to Nat while standing up and going to pay for the fuel.


    As Phill walked up towards the closest building in the zone, he felt many eyes were looking at him but couldn¡¯t turn around for some reason. Pressure built upon his back as he felt hiw something was getting close to him, making him sweat cold; he couldn¡¯t knock the gate in front of him as his hand was fixated in place. This presence was that of an apex predator about to absolutely slaughter a prey that lost its will to escape. Suddenly, a hand tapped him on his shoulder. ¡°You guys shouldn¡¯t be here, it is far too reckless to cross a border, and I bet you are not even sure what is currently going on in Falladis¡± ¨CSaid a rather tall, black-haired girl with the looks of a farmer but with animal features such as her ears over her head and fur covering the side of her face and arms. Her eyes gazed upon Phill with an eerie shine as her general attitude was calm and reserved.


    ¡°I believe you ar-¡°¨CPhill tried to speak while turning as he was suddenly interrupted.


    ¡°There is also a camp of soldiers waiting in the border expecting a group of people. I¡¯m quite sure you are the people they are looking for; you have a lot of guts to come here and face them, they even hired heroes.¡± ¨CThe tall lady continued.


    Phill only raised his hands as a sign of no resistance while Gree walked up to the two of them. ¡°Phill, come on; stop flirting with unknown girls, last time you did I found you wasted on a random trashcan¡± ¨CGree crossed her arms while looking at the two of them.


    ¡°You seem to be the one who leads them there. Do you understand the danger you guys are going to face if you don¡¯t turn around and leave?¡± -The unknown lady repeated as she faced Gree.


    ¡°There is no point in hiding here forever, they won¡¯t stop looking for us, and we can¡¯t overpower them. We will escape from this kingdom, Elvira¡± ¨CGree spoke with certainty and determination.


    Elvira sighed and turned around. ¡°Don¡¯t complain when you get killed or treated like a lab rat again, Grace. If my family gets in trouble because of you I will search for you myself and punch the crap out of that sassy face of yours. Just pay for the fuel, I don¡¯t know you and I never saw you¡± ¨CShe said while cashing out the money from Phill and going back to her house.


    Gree simply smirked and nodded while getting back to the car along with Phill in silence, while they were mentally preparing themselves to fight one more time to escape the kingdom that has placed a bounty on their heads.


    Nat simply prepared the gear she thought would be necessary in case they would need to fight the heroes, while Gree sat on the co-pilot seat to begin fidgeting with her laptop and the car dashboard to test the power source and connections. Any mistake will hinder us to the point of failing the escape ¨CGree thought with stress building up on her back. As Phill sat on the driver¡¯s seat he noticed Gree getting nervous and patted her head while giving her a thumb up. ¡°You suck at cheering up people my dude, but thanks¡± ¨CGree scoffed as she sighed while closing her laptop and putting it in the back seat.


    The soldiers were on guarding spots all around the foot of the mountains as the heroes kept guard on top of a communication tower, trying to catch a glimpse of what is on the horizon and the mountains. A few hours after the group finally got ready, they decided to move forth and escape, and well aware they would have to fight in one way or another.


    Once the sun was setting, the car was reaching the camp and an alarm was set off, making all soldiers notice the fugitives were on sight. ¡°They are finally here, those dumbasses, I believe they just want to simply give up¡± ¨CJohn pointed out while reading his sniper rifle and aiming it from the top of the tower.


    ¡°It¡¯s now or never Gree, you better activate that device!¡± ¨CPhill exclaimed while accelerating the car.


    ¡°I need to confirm one more man in this place before we actually turn the device on, or else we won¡¯t make it¡± ¨CGree countered while looking around.


    After a few seconds, the soldier began to shoot towards the car and Phill did his best to not get hit by many bullets. Michael jumped from the tower and the symbols that were once forming on his wrist, now propagated all over his body, granting him abnormal strength and seemingly no backlash from falling from such height. ¡°There he is, the guy we have to be careful with, it¡¯s time to start it, guys cover your ears as tight as you can¡± ¨CGree said while handing a couple of noise-canceling headphones to both Nat and Phill to therefore activate the device and let a screeching noise that lasted for a second, the soldiers were a bit confused but continued to shoot as Michael laugh and began to charge at the car. ¡°Well, Fuck¡± ¨CGree spat while lowering the window and grabbing a wrench to quickly smack consecutively the device on top of the car until it began to emit the screeching noise once again. Quickly she went back into the car and raised the window back up as the majority of soldiers in the zone got disturbed and couldn¡¯t hold their weapons anymore. Even Michael and John couldn¡¯t move as the device was active and simply trembled as they tried to cover their ears. Phill took this opportunity to run over Michael and Gree middle fingered towards him as he got knocked to the side. Nat was looking through her window in silence, recalling the time her town was destroyed for no apparent reason, and sighed. The team successfully managed to get through the customs gates and enter the mountain range in no time, their new destination was the closest town in Falladis to the border with Delcyt, a small village that mostly focused on mining called Casamira.

 Chapter 17 - 14: Awakening.

    About 5 days later, the elves had heavily increased the patrols around the forest, lowering the chances of Chronos moving freely after certain periods of time. However, Chronos had already prepared counter measurements to avoid being surrounded once again, using simple traps, his past experiences, thinking ahead of time and trying to figure what other ways the elves could manage to hunt him down. I have only two days left to complete this trial; however, I will run out of spots to hide, eventually, I¡¯ll have to fight them and win. I have a gapping disadvantage against them though¡­ They have bows and magic, while I can just run away ¨CHe thought while applying certain herbs on his wounds and biting an edible root.


    Archival simply kept guard in the altar where the egg was being incubated while drinking a brew specially made by the same medicinal herbs Chronos¡¯ used on his wounds. ¡°Who would¡¯ve thought it¡¯s been 5 days already and I still can feel that presence hiding in the forest¡± ¨CArchival said while sipping the liquid as he looked at the egg. ¡°So it is as I suspected, he is the holder of an absolute command as well. Blessed when born, chosen by Pandora and trained with sharp instincts, almost as if he was prepared and brought to us by God¡± ¨CHe muttered while turning towards the entrance of the altar.


    That same evening, the elves managed to gather around the zones where Chronos was suspected to frequent, forcing him to show himself by casting magic and engulfing the possible hideouts with a controlled flame that was kept in place to avoid the fire to spread across the flora. After some minutes of scorching flames burning the hollow trunks, a foul scent of decomposed and burned meat began to emanate from one of them, making the elves surrounding it flinch for a moment. ¡°Maybe he already died by starving to death or couldn¡¯t close his wounds and suffered from an infection¡± ¨COne of the present elves speculated while slowly approaching the inside of the trunk with confidence. Without noticing, the elf stepped on a simple branch and broke it, triggering a simple but silent trap, which consisted of a rather big log falling from another tree and knocking the elf to the ground. The rest of the elves quickly separated into two groups, one to help the elf on the ground and the next one to inspect the inside of the scorched log, just to realize Chronos wasn¡¯t there. On another of the groups, most of the elves fell to the ground due to the effects of a mushroom¡¯s scent after being burned along with the tree. A similar situation in which the elves were neutralized took place after an explosion was triggered in one of the hideouts after the elves burned the tree while a very flammable sap was purposely smeared all over the inside of the trunk. As the teams were simply taken down by traps, Chronos slowly resurfaced from a river in the vicinity, realizing the traps started to work judging by the explosions that shook the ground. It seems like it was good timing to prepare the traps. I figured they wouldn¡¯t wait until the time was up for me to come out; those patrols were to study the zones of which I could¡¯ve been, however they didn¡¯t notice the traps. They won¡¯t die, but this will surely make them think of me as more than just a prey ¨CChronos thought while making his way to the tribe¡¯s settlement on the trees.


    ¡°I see they didn¡¯t really manage to get you, and you might have also figured the week was just a bluff, since most of them have been massacred by us and feed the forest with their remains. You did manage to come here by yourself and even knocked out many of us, just with traps. Chronos, I will fight you and kill you, but if you happen to survive, I will teach you everything I know¡± ¨CArchival said while narrowing his eyes towards Chronos who stepped in front of his hut with a different shine on his eyes.


    While a group of elves who weren¡¯t struck by Chronos¡¯ traps was helping the ones out of combat, a great explosion followed by a huge and flexible tree branch destroying the entrance of the hut where Archival resided expulsed Chronos abruptly with a movement similar to a whip, slamming him against another of the trees nearby. What has just happened? Was that Archival? Using magic!? ¨COne of the elves thought while witnessing the scene in fear as the branch quickly slammed against the next tree in order to crush Chronos with great momentum.


    Archival simply looked down upon the dust lifted by the impact, slowly widening his eyes as he noticed Chronos wasn¡¯t hit by the branch, and not even faced by the impact. ¡°You are indeed worthy is being called a guardian, Chronos. But I¡¯m the protector of this forest, are you willing to fight nature itself?!¡± ¨CArchival threatened while many other flexible branches grew from the tree he was standing on. Chronos was held in place with the roots of the tree behind him, while the branches simultaneously began to build up speed and simulated whips violently attacking a single target. Archival simply watched for a couple of minutes until the whips began to tear apart from the wearing effect of the impact. I don¡¯t think anyone can possibly come out in a single piece after that much force ¨CArchival thought while silently casting another few branches. ¡°However, you are a guardian and the holder of DD¡¯s absolute command, Ad superstes¡± ¨CHe spoke while solemnly placing his staff in front and modifying the current branches, making thick thorns to grow from them. ¡°Is your will enough to push forward, Chronos?!¡± ¨CArchival finally exclaimed while giving a menacing look towards where the dust slowly settled as the branches began to slash down upon Chronos once again, creating multiple explosive reactions that even made the whole forest shake. ¡°I will be honest, I actually had high hopes of you since you made it this far¡± ¨CArchival said while the branches slowed down with clear disappointment.


    Silence ruled across the entire forest right after the branches stopped shaking the ground with continuous hits. Archival assessed the situation and gazed towards the groups of elves slowly gaining back their consciousness. Suddenly, a horrible shiver ran down Archival¡¯s back as well as many elves began to puke after feeling an overwhelming presence and killing intent, just as if they were facing against something beyond dangerous. The egg in the altar cracked once again, and Chronos simply looked up towards Archival; blood sliding from several parts of his body and steam slowly fuming from it. In a defensive stance covering his face and neck, Chronos quietly, with blood-injected eyes, glared at Archival. His presence was simply enough to make Archival sweat cold and hesitate on what to do next.


    Not only were the ones in the forest affected by this brief nightmarish effect, but it also woke up the earth dragon sleeping in the caves and raised several disaster alarms in the nearby cities and towns, immediately alerting the main military forces and the rulers of Delcyt, Falladis, and Nando. The west of Delcyt was paralyzed for a moment as there were major meetings in the capital; many important figures were seeking shelter as fast as they could and the Ruler of Delcyt decided to make an appearance in the intelligence recollection buildings of the military in the capital to confirm that DD¡¯s corpse was still kept in there.


    ¡°Report of the situation¡± ¨CSaid the ominous yet formally dressed ruler while walking next to the head of the research department and the head of the main assault team of the Capital forces.


    ¡°Disaster alarms detected the presence of massive life form, it is possible to compare it to the very DD¡¯s presence, however, there hasn¡¯t been any eyesight¡¯s; the location is Pandora¡¯s forest, we suspect the elves were raising or even kept hidden a primal dragon since the scale is so large¡± ¨CThe head director of the research department explained.


    ¡°Destroyers and stealth drones were already deployed to assess the forest integrity; the report should arrive as soon as they approach its vicinity. It should take an estimate of 3 hours; also troops designated to protect these cities nearby are taking defensive formations to both calm down the masses and regulate the traffic within them¡± ¨CThe general explained while giving some reports of the fugitives incident.


    The ruler reluctantly took the report and headed to a large meeting room on which many reporters have already set a press conference and discussed the situation with the current minister for both internal and external matters. Once the ruler entered the room every reporter with a camera took pictures of him as he casually waved to them and took over the podium while the minister sat behind him. A lengthy yet convincing and well-structured explanation was given to the media about what is happening and what to expect in the future. Naturally, the interviewers kept asking questions about the alarms and the recent fugitives that crossed the border. However, there was no unanswered question left and the conference eventually ended.


    On the forest, Chronos approached Archival slowly as he simply stayed still, as if he was paralyzed by the sight of something even greater and more fearsome than the earth dragon he petted 5 days ago. Clearly, any movement he could possibly make would end up on his death, or it just felt so to him. Chronos seemed to not fully understand the situation but still pushed forward until he grabbed the staff Archival was holding and broke it easily, or rather the staff quickly deteriorated in his hands.


    After analyzing the situation, Chronos simply kneeled and stared at Archival into his eyes. ¡°I believe I managed to pass the Trial, right?¡± ¨CChronos asked with certainty on what the answer was. Right afterward, he stood up and went towards the altar which was almost intact in spite of the fight.


    ¡°After all, despite taking good care of it, the disease was also inherited, and couldn¡¯t withstand it. It died right after breaking the egg, but it is surprising it didn¡¯t die before so I did my best to help it incubate¡± ¨CArchival explained while following Chronos.


    While leaning against a wall, Chronos slowly sat down while seeing the broken egg and a small dragon motionless and covered into a black viscous substance that kept pouring from its mouth. Archival stood right next to Chronos, feeling how the air became thicker due to his silent grief. Chronos didn¡¯t let any tear come out; he simply reflected in his mind what his purpose was now that the only thing he needed to protect is no more.


    ¡°I¡¯m willing to teach you magic, Chronos. Maybe once you understand the laws behind them-¡°¨CArchival tried to reason before being interrupted by Chronos.


    ¡°You said Pandora wanted me to fulfill her dying wish, right?¡± ¨CChronos asked with a rather decayed tone.


    ¡°Yes, you were chosen to become the bearer of Pandora¡¯s memories. The trial was just a fraction of how difficult your journey will become if you are willing to carry on with Pandora¡¯s wish¡± ¨CArchival warned Chronos with a sigh. Chronos simply nodded and stood up while the tree slowly began to surround the corpse and broken egg with flexible branches as if it wanted to consume it. ¡°The forest will now take care of it. We can begin as soon as you-¡°¨CArchival was once again interrupted by the noise of destroyers in the proximity of the forest. He suddenly turned around and a new branch recreated the shape of the staff Chronos destroyed.


    ¡°It seems like you caused quite the commotion across this kingdom. However, since you are a suitable candidate, we can¡¯t let them have you, so I hope you understand there will be a fight soon¡± ¨CArchival said while walking outside of the altar, chanting a rather long spell while many trees began to break and reshape into massive bipedal beings.

 Chapter 18 - 15: The Immersion To Magic.

    ¡°Massive instances of humanoid vegetation are moving within the forest range sir, how do we proceed?¡± ¨COne of the pilots leading the recon operation asked the commander in the research facility.


    ¡°It is clearly one of the elves controlling them, so take measures to avoid and capture, we can¡¯t afford to fight treants of this size without special units, we need to prioritize the objective which is to search for the cause of the violent frequency distortion, There has to be a huge being hiding in the forest¡± ¨CThe commander explained to the leader of the recon team.


    As soon as one of the remote drones was in range, one of the treants swiftly swung its arm and knocked it down, forcing the destroyers to move in a different formation. One by one the drones were reached by the branches and arms of the treants. ¡°Chronos, I will now explain to you what is magic and its basics.¡± ¨CArchival said while looking at the treants fighting the destroyers. Chronos simply stood next to him, listening attentively. ¡°Magic is the representation of existence itself, the capability of using the concept of matter in order to manipulate the nature of elements and develop the desired outcome. At first, I didn¡¯t quite understand it myself, but with time I learned how it worked and how to make it shine.¡± ¨CArchival explained while turning to Chronos, who despite of seeing the destructive scenario in front of them, paid attention to him. ¡°Magic is the derivation of some natural codes that were bestowed upon the world by deities beyond our comprehension, these natural codes are absolute and can¡¯t be rewritten, humanity calls them absolute commands, and those who can wield these unnatural powers were once called the prophets.¡± ¨CArchival stopped for a moment and sighed while remembering a scene he wanted to forget. ¡°Once humanity knew about these powers, and that they could be transferred to others, the prophets began to be hunted down. Some gave up their powers through empty promises, some escaped and were never seen again, some others became mass-destruction weapons and finally, the ones left were mercilessly killed.¡± ¨CHe continued while the Treants took down almost all the destroyers as the last one left began to retreat.


    ¡°Commander, the treants can reach speeds higher than expected, Alpha, Bravo, and Lambda were taken down by sudden vines emerging from the vegetation within their tops, and the drones were also destroyed, I ask for permission to retreat and come back with heavier firepower¡± ¨CThe leader of the last destroyer unit communicated to the commander in charge.


    Naturally fighting against these kind of monsters would take at least one peacemaker, but we would even burn the entire forest and maybe any nearby city if we do. ¨CThe commander thought while assessing the situation and imputing a launch code for an AMHAR unit. ¡°You have permission to retreat, Delta. Also, warn all surrounding cities to prepare for an AMHAR: Dragon¡± ¨CThe commander ordered while inserting the landing coordinates into the interface before launching the unit.


    ¡°Send a request to the guild, if the AMHAR lands, there won¡¯t be anything left around, so we need to evacuate all the public areas¡± ¨CThe leader of the squad commanded to the rest of the team as they began to send distress signals to the guild servers for a quicker reaction.


    Several guild teams were dispatched to evacuate the cities and surrounding towns to minimize innocent casualties; the AMHAR rocket was launched briefly after 75% of the population evacuated the vicinity and a whistling noise produced by the rocket pierced the air as it rose across the kingdom, from the capital to Pandora¡¯s forest. Special teams were waiting in the outskirts of the cities and towns to confirm the impact as well as the firepower and durability of the new AMHAR unit.


    ¡°Magic is special, mostly since it expresses differently in everyone; elemental affinity, user¡¯s imagination, versatility, and all these help to augment the outcome of the spell you want to construct. A simple sentence could exert pressure upon the rules of nature and create a spell. However, depending on the application of each individual¡¯s magic, the spell could be even skipped or applied to simple objects. This, therefore, is enhanced by the authority of every individual upon their own mind and the understanding of the world- no, existence itself.¡± ¨CArchival explained while sitting in front of the altar, right next to Chronos.


    ¡°What are the parameters to use magic?¡± ¨CChronos asked while in his mind there were many threads being pulled together with the knowledge he had acquired since the moment DD died up to this point. Every mirage of his memories and knowledge began to align together as if it was a reverse domino effect. A rigid shape was created within Chronos'' thoughts as if the representation of his life was a mirror.


    Archival simply pat Chronos on his back and laughed, remembering his past and how overwhelmed he felt after learning laws beyond the comprehension of some living beings. ¡°You see Chronos, what you are experiencing right now is the first requirement to wield magic: the acceptance of uncertainty, the first law, ¡°If¡±. However, as it is a simple principle, many choose to leave it behind when they begin practicing on their own. Leaving that aside, you can start using magic when you can see the flow of overlapping realities meshing together, it is something that hasn¡¯t been written nor properly explained by science. None but the spectator can actually understand it as those are the witnesses of creation in their own minds.¡± ¨CArchival explained while turning to see the whistling noise in the sky, exposing the rocket about to dispatch the AMHAR: Dragon.


    As the rocket reached its peak height, the structure began to break down to allow the bipedal machine to activate the parachutes and slowly descend to the set destination. Archival didn¡¯t think twice while launching a trunk towards the parachutes to let gravity destroy it. However, the trunk easily pierced through the parachutes and let the machine drop. The ground began to shake as the earth dragon emerged from within the depths as the impact of the AMHAR simply deformed the ground underneath and created a small quake without major damage to its components. The massive entities summoned by Archival approached it in order to crush it before the system initialized the heavily armored bipedal machine. Many flexible branches tied the machine in place as the Treants began to trash it violently. However, the machine was not fazed by them, quite the opposite, the treants were breaking their trunks as they kept striking the scaled plates on the AMHAR.


    ¡°Sir, the machinery is under heavy enemy strikes, at some point DD¡¯s scales will detach upon extreme forced¡± ¨COne of the engineers controlling the machine reported to the commander.


    ¡°Are all the systems ready to start? We are going to wipe this forest out of the map if that is what it takes to lure the anomaly out¡± ¨Cthe commander said while the rest of the engineers were checking the integrity of the hull and mechanical articulations, before starting the engine inside the machine.


    The AMHAR suddenly let pressured air out for a moment as the treants kept hitting it. Suddenly, one of the compartments detached from the back of the bipedal machine, launching several rockets towards the surroundings, and creating a wall of fire that submerge the forest in chaos in a matter of seconds. As one of the massive beings was engulfed in flames, Archival quickly dissipated them to about further damage to the forest, right as the earth dragon hurried towards the machine in order to tackle and bite it off. However, the AMHAR was properly protected, using scales taken from DD¡¯s corpse, avoiding instant damage to the structure. A minute after the machinery fully initialized, the hull allowed turbines under the arms to accelerate, combining oxygen and propane under high pressure and constantly expulsing it, manifesting blue flames with the shape of cones.


    Archival¡¯s eyes widened while seeing the earth dragon awake and charging against the machine. Chronos was in a sort of trance between his thoughts and reality, seeing himself in the mirror of his mind, slowly moving around, checking his own movements. Blinking made him notice a sudden change of image in the mirror, showing both his image and the actual reality which was a forest slowly getting overwhelmed by flames. After the dragon getting closer to the machine with a single jump, the AMHAR began to shoot and launch several rockets while moving away from the dragon¡¯s range, hitting most of the bullets and rockets but not damaging the hardened scales. Upon landing, the dragon began to roar as a sack under its neck illuminated before spitting a substantial amount of magma towards the AMHAR. The machine couldn¡¯t move in time to completely avoid getting hit as one of the turbines under the arms got damaged by the magma. ¡°Sir, the dragon that destroyed the first lost unit is also attacking now, one of the turbines was damaged by the magma coming from its mouth¡± ¨COne of the engineers pointed out while checking on the audio-visual feed from the AMHAR.


    Meanwhile, helicopters from the capital depart with the ruler of Delcyt himself in order to lead the new investigation team and seize the zone after the AMHAR finishes its job. However, the situation was prolonged and they made a stop in the nearest city to the forest. ¡°Why is the sweeper not done yet? I supposed the scales used to reinforce the hull were enough to fend off the Treants that took down the destroyers.¡± ¨CThe ruler said with disdain while talking with one of the scientists in charge of the data gathering.


    ¡°The research center affirmed to have made contact with a dragon that destroyed one of the sweepers in the past; they are trying to suppress the dragon but seem difficult even with the scaled armor.¡± ¨CThe scientist stuttered while checking at the data from the research center.


    As the dragon kept trying to take down the sweeper, Archival turned to see Chronos in trance and couldn¡¯t help but worry that he would not be able to find the answer to his inner challenge in time, knowing that the dragon was struggling to destroy the machine in front of him. Chronos on the other hand could not understand what was happening in his mind, representation of his consciousness was simply caged in a mirror, looking at itself. ¡°I supposed you were not aware of the blessings the world has brought upon you, and now here you are, looking within. Although you might not have ever seen me, you still recognize my voice, right?¡± ¨CA sudden but familiar voice popped in the back of his mind, forcing Chronos to naturally give an image to it in the small subconscious room where his mind was.


    ¡°Perhaps you are the one who I saw in those dreams the forest forced me to see, right Pandora?¡± ¨CChronos turned around to see the mirage of a slender woman with long black hair and blood slowly dripping from her eyes, her torso was covered by a long white cloth also tainted with blood. ¡°What is this? Why is my body not reacting?¡± ¨CHe asked while turning back to the mirror showing glimpses of the fight between the AMHAR and the Dragon.


    ¡°You¡¯ve reached the state on where your mind is assimilating the principles of magic, I¡¯m here as an unusual guest, maybe the forest wants your help and brought me as a representation of that will, so I will help you to get to the next stage on which you could actually manipulate magic.¡± ¨CPandora answered while approaching the mirror. ¡°You need to break this mirror which is full of all the logic and information that you¡¯ve gathered, with your own mind and with the first thought that makes you push forward.¡± ¨CPandora continued as the space where Chronos consciousness was, began to blur and turn darker which meant that Chronos mind was flowing with every single possibility, but all of them lead to the first source of his understanding, DD.

 Chapter 19 - 16: Unforgiving Anger.

    The mirror began to shatter slowly as if it was the shell of an egg breaking towards the outside. Chronos''s mind suddenly flashed images of DD passing away and the egg breaking only to show the descendant passed away as well. Suddenly, the thought of Death began to crawl from the back of his mind as if it was a mist that inevitably approached everyone. Pandora simply observed from her spot, knowing very well that Chronos was the holder of DD¡¯s absolute command, Ad superstes. The mirror kept shattering, showing different images of Chronos himself in all its fragments.


    Archival slowly turned to see the rest of the tribe evacuating the forest while flames were spreading across the vegetation; some of them were crushed by flaming trunks falling from the trees after getting blown apart by the rockets. Archival did his best to save as many as he could, letting the roots of the trees cover the ones that already passed, burying them, and letting the forest take their nutrients. Chronos began to move and Archival suddenly turned to see him, widening his eyes while Chronos cast a cloud of ashes, slowly compressing itself to form a sort of spear, long and with a sharp end. Archival felt the same presence when Pandora was alive before the spear suddenly accelerated after Chronos swung his arm, piercing through the scales over the hull and the next turbine, immobilizing the AMHAR instantly.


    ¡°Sir, the sweeper''s mobility is being restrained by unknown means, we suspect it is the source of the anomaly¡± ¨CA researcher that accompanied the Ruler stated while getting the audio-visual feed from the control room where the engineers were controlling and checking the integrity of the AMHAR.


    ¡°What are they waiting for then? Just activate the bomb and blow that place up, this time it should be enough to damage even a dragon, if not, we could at least get rid of the forest which is a rather annoying factor for the research team¡± ¨CThe ruler commanded and motioned the researcher to give the signal to do so.


    Moments later, after the ruler gave the order, the commander in the control room of the research facility doubted to apply it while considering the collateral damage that such an explosion could produce to the neighboring cities and towns, however, the ruler also owned an absolute command, Tractatori. This command helped him to reach the top, being a smooth talker, saying the right words in the right moment, and leaving the listener without any options but to agree to what he proposes. ¡°I will activate the bomb mechanism, declare the forest as a red zone and protect the nearby population¡± ¨CThe commander ordered while using a key to open a switch to activate the bomb.


    The sweeper raised a couple of scales from the back of the hull in order to make the suppressing device go off but another spear cut it off cleanly before it activated, the sweeper was then pierced by several other spears, crippling the remote connection with the control room before the bomb was activated.


    A sudden thump could be heard coming from the control room as the commander had both of his fists against the activation console. ¡°Damn it¡­ If I hadn¡¯t hesitated we would¡¯ve probably had the opportunity to end this quickly¡­¡± ¨Cthe commander clenched his fist while cold sweat ran down his forehead as a chill crawled up on his back while he felt the presence of the ruler intimidating him from behind, even though there was nothing.


    After impaling the sweeper, Chronos inspected his body in case something happened to it while he was unconscious. ¡°You certainly came out of that mental prison quickly, even a genius would¡¯ve at least taken a minimum of a couple of hours¡± ¨CArchival pointed out while he slowly caressed his beard amazed at Chronos.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t alone¡­ Pandora appeared in my mind as well, she helped me and before I knew it I was able to make these spears.¡± ¨CChronos replied while creating another spear from the ashes that fell over the forest, noticing the feeling of it as if it was something familiar.


    ¡°Chronos, you have inherited the very same method of magic Pandora owned, you can manipulate these particles, the ashes.¡± ¨CArchival added while inspecting the spear closely, checking the ashes tightly overlapping each other, creating a sturdy object.


    As Chronos and Archival were talking about the power Pandora bestowed upon him, the earth dragon began to retreat to his lair within the depths of the forest as the forest itself opened a path before the dragon. The forest slowly burned, creating a big cloud of smoke and ashes; even though it was burning, archival whispered a spell, and the sensation of danger slowly faded away as the trees slowly deteriorated before the flames kept spreading, stopping the fire and minimizing the damage done to the forest. It seems like Archival has to phrase a sentence in order to cast a spell while I can cast the ashes in this form at will. It just comes naturally; maybe it was Pandora¡¯s gift since Archival mentioned she also manipulated ashes in this same way. ¨CChronos thought while inspecting the spear he created as Archival purged the trees affected by the fire.


    While the control room was in silent panic due to the situation they just faced, the research team with the ruler were discussing what could have gone wrong replaying the last transmission from the AMHAR. If the sweeper got taken down by either the dragon or the anomaly, then we need to find a way to eliminate that forest without making any contact, nuking it would be pretty irresponsible too; I was expecting the controlled explosion of the sweeper to get rid of both entities. I clearly overestimated the new version with DD¡¯s scales attached to the hull. It was durable but still might not have been enough. Perhaps I could control the dragon somehow; the treants puppeteer seems to be behind this too, so if I¡¯m not mistaken getting rid of him could probably make me able to take the dragon for myself. ¨CThe ruler thought while walking towards the research team waiting nearby. ¡°Change of plans, we are going back to the capital, there is an order I need to give and a press conference for the ones that are curious of what happened¡± ¨CHe ordered while getting on one of the helicopters as the rest of the team began to pack up everything in order to return.


    Looking in the distance, Archival noticed the helicopters going away and sighed in relief, walking away from the trees and moving around to address the situation better as the forest began to rearrange itself revealing what it seemed to be several tombs made out of roots covering the bodies of those who couldn¡¯t escape in time. Chronos slowly followed while looking around as the flora dramatically changed to fill in the gaps left by the fight. Archival then kneeled and began a prayer, allowing the roots to slowly sink underground along with the bodies, letting the forest consume the ones who fell in the heat of the battle. In silence, Chronos felt the same way when he saw Nat making a tomb for her friend, so in order to pay his respects, he also kneeled next to Archival.


    As Archival finished the prayer, he stood up and began to walk back towards his hut, which was being rearranged by the tree itself. ¡°Chronos, are you familiar with the concept of God?¡± ¨CHe asked while stopping for a moment. Chronos was in silence, having knowledge about it, but not certain on how to explain it. ¡°Everything in existence is said to be created out of nothingness, however, what is the meaning of it? Why all that once was nothing, became everything? And most importantly, why are we here? Why do we have to go through all these hardships? In my hundreds of years, I couldn¡¯t find a concrete answer to these questions, so at some point, I thought about blaming what humans call and worship as God. However, I stopped thinking like that when I noticed that I would despair because I¡¯m not strong enough to protect those who still walk beside me and that I could not be able to protect those who already left, so my anger turned into sadness, letting me realize that if there was someone or something that could play with our destinies, why wouldn¡¯t I ask him for help? ¨CHe continued turning to see Chronos into his eyes.


    ¡°Why does it have to be like that? Why can¡¯t he help us survive and overcome this?¡± ¨CChronos asked innocently while clenching his fists.


    Archival sighed while faintly smiling as he turned his back to Chronos once again. ¡°You are very na?ve, Chronos. God is the source of all good and all evil; he is the one who balances order within our realities, a bystander who acts if the scale decants to one of the sides.¡± ¨CHe explained briefly as the branches of the trees helped him and Chronos to reach the top.


    ¡°So all this was bound to happen to keep order? Many of your tribe didn¡¯t survive while trying to escape this last battle.¡± ¨CChronos countered while looking down towards the tombs.


    ¡°No, and this is why you are here, to carry out the will of the one who was supposed to bring the scale back into balance. Humanity, in its own greed, decanted the scale as they kept searching for more power, and that is the reason why the world turned like this because those who acquired the power wanted to rule over everything. I promise you Chronos, This forest and me will help you to understand your new-found power.¡± ¨CArchival stated while stepping on his hut as Chronos followed. ¡°You will have to go back to that mental mirage where you met Pandora, but this time you have to look further within in order to understand her will and your magic better¡± ¨CHe explained as he sat in the middle of the hut.


    ¡°Will it be the same amount of time as the first? Or it was because of Pandora¡¯s help?¡± ¨CChronos asked while sitting in front of Archival. If I go back there, I might not be able to break the glass again; Pandora mentioned she wouldn¡¯t be able to help me like that before I regained consciousness.-Chronos recalled briefly.


    ¡°The next step will be harder than the first one, you could be lost in your mind for even months but I trust you, you will find a way to get out faster, you are a gifted one after all.¡± ¨CArchival mentioned while playing with his beard wearing a smile. ¡°All you need to do now is to focus, as your body falls asleep, this meditation will keep you conscious but unable to move; you need to exercise your knowledge and imagination, so you will then be allowed to get back to your body. Many avoid this step since they could not handle the pressure of being in a comatose trance, so most mages are rather mediocre because of it.¡± ¨CHe finally explained.


    Chronos attempted to get back into the same state while suddenly feeling his body drop without any resistance. Naturally, he panicked but noticed Archival holding him and letting him rest on the floor of the hut. ¡°I¡¯ll protect the forest now; you can try your best without interruptions¡± ¨CHe said while guarding the door of the hut as Chronos went fully unconscious.


    The sun was fully setting as a group of people stepped into the forest, shadowy figures that held some elves who escaped earlier, beaten and on the verge of dying, begging for their lives to no avail since their aggressors didn¡¯t understand their pleads. The forest naturally tried to expulse them but they simply pushed forward before letting one of the elves run away. The elf desperately tried to go back to the treetops¡¯ huts while wearing a collar the group of people attached to her. One of the individuals turned on a notepad that showed the location of the elf via satellite; shortly after that, they began to follow her until arriving at the place Archival was.


    The young female elf ended up meeting Archival while he was waiting for her but as soon as she opened her mouth to scream for him to escape, the collar blew up, severing her head as she was still in movement. The momentum splattered blood around and kept the head in movement until reaching Archival¡¯s feet. Suddenly, the whole forest shook in response to a growing anger that Archival felt after a long while from the time he saw Pandora getting slaughtered in front of him with her own magic. The group of people slowly made their way out of the darkness and stepped closer to Archival. ¡°You should¡¯ve not done that¡± ¨CArchival said in their language as they began to laugh and joke about how there was one who could actually be smart among them. His blood began to boil; his eyes were slowly rising from the head on his feet towards the group of mercenaries. The laughter dramatically turned into noises of muscles and bones getting crushed and severed. Archival sighed and walked closer to the gruesome scene of bodies impaled and brutally destroyed by several branches and roots. ¡°These are not even worth becoming nourishment for the forest, so I¡¯ll use them as a warning¡± ¨CArchival talked to himself while walking towards where the mercenaries came from.

 Chapter 20 - 17: Preparations.

    ¡°Ruler Yan Hernandez confirmed the forest became the nest of a catastrophe tier threat known as an Earth dragon. The guild has also warned any mercenary to stay away since a famous group of heroes called Deadlock was found brutally quartered in the outskirts of the forest as if it was a sort of warning; it is presumed the elves living in this forest have turned against humans, making them a natural disaster tier threat. The prime minister decided to create a task team to enter the forest and eliminate the elves before they start hunting, in the nearby cities. In the spawn of 2 weeks, the military will be mobilized in case the initial plan fails, claims the prime minister.¡± ¨CA news reporter summarized before the T.V. was suddenly turned off by Elvira, who let out a sigh while getting out of her house to work on the service station once again. What if Gree knew about this before it happened, and that is why they fled? I¡¯m worried this could spread across the kingdom; they only mentioned 4 catastrophe tier threats in the past since the creation of dragons as far as history concerns. ¨CShe thought while noticing some military SUVs approaching her family houses.


    A few minutes later, 2 soldiers were interrogating Elvira and her family. ¡°We will now go to the point. We are here to recruit you to help us hunt a certain objective in the Pandora forest, if you refuse, we will have to take your family into custody for confabulating against the kingdom and letting crucial fugitives escape.¡± ¨CSaid the next soldier while stepping into the house, holding an SMG and followed by 4 other soldiers equally armed. ¡°If you decide to oppose us the government will tag you as a traitor and your family will pay for the consequences¡± ¨CThe soldier continued with a nonchalant tone. Elvira, unable to say anything, was taken without resistance to the SUV as one of the soldiers was left behind in order to keep her family controlled.


    So in the end I can¡¯t really escape from my past as a government dog¡­I can¡¯t really let them do anything to my family so I¡¯ll have to obey.-Elvira thought while clenching her fists as the SUV arrived at the camp on the border of the kingdoms. She was then taken into a helicopter with the capital as the destination.


    ¡°The first mission assigned to you will be the capture or, if impossible, elimination of a catastrophe tier threat individual. A group of special heroes will be gathered and turned into a task team able to fight these objectives. Unclassified information states that an updated version of the Tyranno-AMHAR series was not enough to subjugate the threat, meaning that this far exceeds what a small platoon of average soldiers could do.¡± ¨CA soldier that seemed to be the team leader of the bordering camp read out loud a document with information about the mission for Elvira. ¡°I hope you understand, failing this mission means death, and refusing it means you will become a traitor¡± ¨CThe soldier continued while staring at Elvira. ¡°Once we get to the capital you will be provided with proper equipment and information about your team¡± ¨CHe concluded while putting away the document and closely inspecting Elvira during the rest of the flight.


    Once in the capital¡¯s military facility Elvira was escorted to what it seemed to be a large waiting room with several people already, many of them appeared to be seasoned mercenaries and heroes, all of them already equipped for combat. ¡°Just how many of them are here already?¡± ¨CElvira spoke her mind out loud without noticing.


    ¡°We are taking extreme measurements bringing as many heroes as possible; we are expecting to send 50 towards the forest to purge the threat. We were taking into count their skills and their teamwork as they are able to defeat a Peacemaker in teams of 10.¡± ¨CA soldier escorting Elvira answered.


    So they are sending 5 teams of 10 to be able to fight a threat that they¡¯ve probably not seen before, are we some sort of test subjects? If an updated version of the sweeper was dispatched and still got destroyed, I can¡¯t imagine what could happen to us, -Elvira thought while making her way to a free seat.


    After a while, a group of heroes approached Elvira with the intention of adding her to their team. Seemingly, there was another half-breed like her that accepted joining them, and with her, the team would be complete, so she agreed. Some minutes later, they introduced themselves and began talking about their past experiences as heroes. Two of them are a married couple that learned magic and helped to fight against the TDW-A01 hives; the other three escalated the guild ranks by accepting dangerous missions of escort, Intel gathering, and capturing fugitives; the half-breed who joined before Elvira was an experiment subject, the government recruited him to develop a cure for the TDW-A01 using his immunity. Lastly, the rest of them were veterans called back for duty, their exceptional results in combat and leadership were remarkable enough to let them take part in this operation.


    Elvira didn¡¯t disclose too much of her past, she just pointed that she has a special affinity with a wide variety of fauna, and the government recruited her to develop that ability and sharpen her fighting instincts. She also pointed out she joined a special weapon development program that specialized in creating custom weapons to enhance the holder¡¯s abilities. ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve heard of that project, it sounded promising but the government canceled it due to the expenses, they couldn¡¯t afford to create more than just a few of those weapons. If you are one of the lucky few who managed to get a custom weapon, no wonder why they called you back.¡± ¨COne of the veterans mentioned while crossing his arms. ¡°This certainly makes you one of, if not the most, valuable asset in this team¡± ¨CHe concluded while a soldier entered the room and called 3 names; one of them was Elvira Sevens.


    Elvira stood up and saw the other two walking towards the soldier with a rather lazy behavior, yawning and stretching as if they just woke up from a nap. ¡°These three people will now conduct a character test in order to be given their respective equipment, if the test results in failure you will be terminated and the equipment will be scrapped¡± ¨CThe soldier read from a paper given to her.


    So this is the way for them to make sure we will be able to obey, I guess I¡¯ll just have to do it properly, my family is on the line.-Elvira thought while forming in front of the soldier who then took them to a separate room along with a whole military squad.


    The room consisted of a white space monitored by cameras, pretty simple for a character test room. Suddenly, the three of them were all aimed at by the soldiers; no one moved a muscle until the soldier who read the paper out loud entered the room and placed an electronic collar on their necks. ¡°These collars are the character test, they will blow up and severe your head instantly in case you attempt to rebel against us or try to deviate from the operation objective. Attempting to remove it, will also trigger the explosion, if you don¡¯t believe this, you are allowed to try.¡± ¨CShe explained before leaving the room, allowing a trolley with weapons on display to enter. The weapons consisted of a large scythe, a couple of gloves, and a whip.


    Elvira took the gloves as the other two took the scythe and whip accordingly, they were then allowed to change their clothes into more suitable military clothing. After some minutes, they were escorted back to the waiting room. Once there, Elvira was interrogated by her new companions about the collar and the weapon they provided her. ¡°The collar is for me to not disobey orders nor deviate from the plan and my equipment consists of these gloves, the one who made them said the special polymer they are made of can help Nanomachines to create a wide variety of rigid shapes, it also helps me simulate a softer touch to the senses of anything I come in contact with. Basically just a tool I could use as a weapon, like a nifty Swiss knife.¡± Elvira answered while suddenly the tips of the gloves turned into different tools, such as a small blade, screwdriver tip, lock pick, etc. Everyone looked at her with reluctance before starting to laugh.


    ¡°After seeing what the other two got, I was expecting to see these to be more¡­¡± ¨COne of the veterans mentioned while trying to find the next word to finish the sentence.


    ¡°Imposing?¡± ¨CA Hero completed as everyone began to laugh again.


    ¡°Given that those are simple gloves, anyone could wear then, no? I¡¯m not entirely sure of how this be made only for you¡± ¨COne of the married couples pointed out before whispering something to her wife as they both stared at the gloves.


    ¡°I¡¯m not supposed to disclose much of the utility these gloves provide, so I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t show more of this¡± ¨CElvira said while gently sitting down covering one of her hands with the other. Everyone¡¯s laughs and giggles turned into whispers and stares towards Elvira, unsettling her a bit.


    Approximately an hour later, the last of the 50 chosen people, was brought into the room, and the soldier who escorted him ordered to close the door behind him. Suddenly, the room¡¯s lights dimmed and a projector turned on showing images taken by the recon team before getting destroyed by the treants. After swiping through a couple of them, Archival comes into the projection. ¡°This is the individual everyone has to be careful about; he is also the secondary target of this operation but the most threatening one, don¡¯t hesitate on terminating this individual.¡± ¨Cthe voice of the head researcher came out from a speaker while they kept swiping after the brief explanation. Once the images turned into the AMHAR¡¯s point of view, a massive animal with prehistoric features and an alarmingly sturdy body structure was shown, amazing everyone in the room. ¡°This is the operation¡¯s objective, a dragon. Upon exhaustive investigation, the research department concluded it is one of the oldest specimens that we¡¯ve encountered; hence, it is one of the original subjects that escaped from our ancestors. After several hundreds of years, the dragon developed the body and size of a catastrophe threat tier individual; the priority is to capture it, but if this results impossible, it is allowed to terminate it.¡± ¨Cthe head researcher explained before the lights turned back on.


    ¡°All five teams will be required to check into the devices placed on their transports in order to proceed to the mission. Everyone will be promptly dispatched to outposts nearby the forest. This operation will take place in 6 days, so be sure to prepare contingency plans and to get familiarized with each other for better coordination.¡± ¨COne of the soldiers mentioned while opening the doors once again for everyone to leave the room to walk towards their respective transports.


    Meanwhile, in a research facility around the outskirts of the capital, the Ruler beheld the corpse of DD from a safe distance as many scientists kept testing its properties, taking samples, and walking back and forth with several tools meant for both demolitions and surgeries. Behind him, Sinns was being kept captive in a laboratory suspension tube, while researchers kept administrating her certain components extracted from DD¡¯s corpse. ¡°This is going to be the weapon we need against the other kingdoms; the rest of rulers might have already noticed DD is dead and we are vulnerable. But you, my daughter, you will be the ace up my sleeve to conquer the neighboring kingdoms¡± ¨CSaid the ruler while turning to see Sinns in a lethargic state, as her body kept reacting differently due to the chemicals and components.

 Chapter 21 - 18: The Beginning Of A War.

    After Chronos entered the mental cage he found himself in before, he felt different this time as if it was more real than before. It wasn¡¯t a cage anymore; Chronos was in a field this time, a calm extension of grass peacefully being caressed by streams of wind, a breath-taking scenario that made Chronos feel very comfortable but oddly heavy as if he was exhausted and sleep was the only thing he wanted. ¡°So it looks like this is for you, nothingness¡­ just a peaceful paradise.¡± ¨CPandora muttered while suddenly standing behind Chronos.


    Naturally, Chronos turned around to check the mirage of Pandora once again. ¡°Why are you here again? ¨CChronos asked while addressing the pale female, who this time seemed to be in better conditions compared to the first time Chronos met her in the first mental cage.


    ¡°Well, you should already know I need someone to carry out my will, someone who is able to achieve what you see as peace.¡± ¨CPandora said while looking to the surroundings as she was looking for an end to that sea of grass. ¡°I will explain this quickly, if you submit yourself to the desires of your body, you won¡¯t be able to escape this place, mostly since this is the manifestation of your mind to make you give up. It is different for everyone, just like their own magic, but many of these dreams could have a similar meaning, but different scenarios. If my consciousness recalls correctly, I also seek for peace, but I saw a more chaotic scenario, the excitement I got from it almost beats me.¡± ¨CShe continued.


    That would explain why I feel so tired¡­ maybe I just need to escape as soon as possible but where is the exit? Where is the place I have to break through? ¨CChronos thought within his consciousness and tried to gaze upon the horizon of this imaginary construction. Shortly after, he materialized the same spears he used while destroying the sweeper. One after the other, the spears were impulse forwards with great speed, intending to find an end to this space. However, Chronos couldn¡¯t focus enough to know if there was a limit and so the spears faded away before getting far enough.


    ¡°You need to remember this is a place where you can¡¯t really rule over your thoughts, this is the reality you want to live, and your head is just reproducing it, but if you submit to your desire of resting, you will not make it past this stage to master the gift I gave you¡± ¨CPandora mentioned while disappearing from the space.


    Chronos tried to cut the grass of the field in order to see clearly in front of him and trying to keep himself busy so he would not fall asleep. Moving forward, he tried to make his way to the end of this vast extension of the field. It wouldn¡¯t matter how much he would¡¯ve moved forward, it never seemed to stop.


    4 days after Chronos entered this comatose state, Archival kept guard on the surroundings of the forest while noticing a lot of movement. It seems like they are preparing themselves to take me down along with the forest.-Archival sighed while preparing natural traps as the forest slowly modified itself to suit.


    Once the traps were set around the forest, Archival went back to where Chronos kept himself in a deep slumber. Without saying a word, Archival simply sat to drink tea and gaze outside of his hut, the forest was very calm; none of the other elves stayed in the forest after the AMHAR strike since fear dominated them. Naturally, Archival as the protector of the forest had the duty to persevere for the sake of Pandora and his livelihood. It almost feels like this is the end of my adventure, Pandora did you feel like this before you said goodbye? ¨CArchival thought with a gloomy look on his face as he blew the steam off his tea before taking a sip from it.


    On the other side, the teams were preparing plans and resources to make this a one-time expedition, considering all the details they got from the last battle and the possible situations that a direct and indirect attack could bring upon the teams'' integrity. In the end, the leaders of every team came to the conclusion that there will be necessary casualties for the sake of the operation, but that would not be known to the rest of their teams. Elvira on the other hand was trying to train with her gloves, realizing diverse tasks around the make-shift facilities the government provided them. Across these camps, it was not rare to see people ridiculing Elvira just because of her utility out of combat. However, Elvira was trying to conceal her fighting capabilities until the right moment came. ¡°Hey, Elvira, right? We need you to pick a lock, there is a very nice-looking car we saw parked around, we might as well take it as a spoil of war¡± ¨COne of the Heroes of another team along with his companions asked, clearly ridiculing her before then being told to go away by the Scythe holder.


    ¡°It seems like they are not really thinking about the danger we are about to face, I really apologize this is happening to someone as valuable as you, I offer you to come to me anytime you are being bothered by these pesky dumbasses again.¡± ¨CThe Scythe holder bowed down to her in a polite manner and smirked unconsciously before getting back up. ¡°My name is Lawrence Kaiser, by the way, we met before in the selection room, and since we were surrounded by rifles ready to kill us, I couldn¡¯t quite talk to you¡± ¨CHe continued while stepping closer to her while holding his Scythe.


    ¡°Nice to meet you, I¡¯m Elvira, and I¡¯m sorry but I have to get going, I was tasked to help a group of researchers in the zone with meteorological equipment.¡± ¨CShe lied while walking away from Lawrence. Elvira knew Lawrence from before, she heard from him in the weapon developing program since Gree mentioned it to her, warning her to not stay too much time nearby him because one of his abilities was to charm others and then kill when vulnerable by switching personalities. If I recall correctly, several researchers were killed by him when testing the weapon he is holding right now, I¡¯m not sure if this operation will be successful with that individual among us. ¨CShe thought while walking towards her tent where one of the married ladies was waiting for her.


    Back in the forest, Archival was making his way underground after securing Chronos in the hut by camouflaging it; he wanted to meet with the earth dragon that was rather injured by the last fight. ¡°Oh poor you, I really wish there was a better way to treat you but you have to rest in order to heal. Maybe Chronos would be able to take you with him after he wakes up when all this finally ends¡­¡± ¨CArchival said while sighing and patting the dragon gently.


    Chronos on the other hand was still trying his best to not lose consciousness within the mental construction that resembled a large extension of the field; the desire of resting was getting too strong for him to bear, and his thoughts were clouded, the only thing he could do was to cut what was in front of him. Stumbling across the immensity of this place, Chronos couldn¡¯t help but drop on the field, however, on verge of losing consciousness, Chronos was reawakened by a sudden fear that ran through his mind, a sensation he forgot after DD took him since he was a simple baby. Death, the fear of not being able to wake up again, the same fear of not being able to move forward anymore made him slowly push himself up to continue through this challenge. While attempting to continue, Chronos manifested several spears and pierced the ground, creating more spears the pierced upwards from the field and slowly destroying the field. 6 days passed before Chronos was able to complete the challenge, his body was weak since there was no nourishment, but still, he slowly stood up and walked towards the entrance of the hut where he woke up, noticing the forest looked quite different and the tree was heavily covered by more vegetation.


    ¡°Ah! You are more of a genius than I thought, you did it in 1 day less than I expected.¡± ¨CArchival laughed while walking towards the hut which was connected to another tree by a large branch. ¡°I was starting to get worried you wouldn¡¯t wake up in time.¡± ¨CHe mentioned while stopping right in front of Chronos to address him better, in case there were any visible changes. Naturally, Chronos felt uncomfortable and stepped back while frowning. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry, sometimes while the candidate is in the second stage of this sort of initiation, the body undergoes a mutation since the next stage requires certain features for the user¡¯s magic to be manifest.¡± ¨CArchival explained as he went back the tree branch.


    ¡°I see, but what happened to the forest? Why is it different?¡± ¨CChronos asked as he is unaware of what happened while he was in the comatose state.


    ¡°Well, the forest will turn into a warzone, so I was preparing it to be able to succeed, but I think I might be at a disadvantage since they would know how to deal with me now. They will probably burn the forest.¡± ¨CArchival replied with grief on his face.


    Burn down the whole forest? This is simply overwhelming, but maybe I could be able to assist Archival now that I am fully awake. ¨CChronos thought while getting out of the hut in order to head to where his belongings were. It was a while since Chronos last saw the pair of daggers Nat made for him, it felt quite nostalgic but he knew there was no use for them anymore. A cloud of ashes began to manifest, gathering and compressing themselves into the shape of a long spear, Chronos then proceeded to grab it, noticing a very similar feeling to the grips of the daggers but with a big difference in size and weight. After swinging the spear a couple of times, Chronos realized it wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea to keep the daggers after all since they would be convenient in case there was a close combat fight.


    Some kilometers away from the forest, all teams were preparing themselves to start the operation; several vehicles took the teams around the perimeter of the forest to start raiding it from different flanks, forcing the Earth dragon to come out and overwhelming the entity known as the elf guarding the forest. ¡°The mission will start at 0:00, any delay will not be accepted, all flanks have to be covered simultaneously and the special equipment has to be activated in order to burn down the forest, this way forcing the Dragon to come out will be easier.¡± ¨CThe Commander reiterated from the control room in the capital.


    A half-hour before the raid began; a couple of destroyers from the capital brought a container that had a next custom weapon, a very characteristic battle-ax with a hollow pole, loaded with heavy ammunition. Elvira noticed the weapon and managed to remember where she saw it before, only for a shiver to crawl over her back while seeing the user descending from one of the destroyers, Victoria¡¯s Model No.1: Sinns, Her aura seemed way different from before. Sinns instantly noticed Elvira and smirked as her skin suddenly showed a sort of reaction resembling the growth of small scales before turning back to normal. Elvira felt uneasy but tried to focus, not realizing there were many gazes upon her and the gloves she was welding, her teammates already planned a way to get rid of her while she was busy around the camps helping others, they supposed her gloves didn¡¯t really mean anything special but very worthy for they own purposes.


    The raid was about to begin, all the teams were situated in their respective spots, Sinns was named the Officer in charge to capture or kill the dragon, and the flame-throwing weapons were activated right after the clock marked 00:00. The operation began but no one expected the Anomaly that was born recently in that fateful forest.

 Chapter 22 - 19: The Wielder Meets The King Of Ashes.

    The forest began to burn once again; the teams were making their way in the search of the objectives while the forest was trying to defend itself, lunging sharp branches and roots to lure away the invaders, but to no avail, since every branch and root ended turning into charcoal due to a special device that induced wooden elements to wither and catch in a fire almost instantly, a powerful bacteria worked as a withering agent, and a trigger sent a signal to said bacteria to cause the combustion. ¡°I wonder if we would be helplessly torn apart by these branches if we didn¡¯t have the device with us.¡± ¨COne of the Heroes in Lawrence¡¯s team asked while kicking the ashes of withered roots.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you see the news before getting called by the military? A group of heroes were brutally quartered by the roots and branches of this forest and exposed as a taunt; it clearly was a war declaration of the elves to the kingdom.¡± ¨CA veteran soldier from the same team answered while sticking closer to the device, trying getting closer to Lawrence who was operating the device as well.


    After 15 minutes of wandering through and the forest engulfed in flames, Lawrence¡¯s team heard loud noises coming from the supposed positions of 3 other teams, it seemed like screams and explosions that started simultaneously. ¡°Everyone, make sure to stay alert! The Elf began to move and it seems the devices are not stopping him¡± ¨CLawrence shouted to make sure everyone heard him while under the device, many roots rose up to pierce through it and kill two veterans, as well as reaching Lawrence¡¯s neck, breaking the electronic collar and cutting his neck superficially since he dodged the sharp end out of instinct. After noticing his collar was neutralized, Lawrence slowly raised his hand to check his neck while a sinister smile and vicious eyes distorted his face.


    On Elvira¡¯s side, traps were also activated, destroying the device and killing 3 of the members including one of the women in the married couple, the next one simply held her in her arms and tried to carry her now-deceased wife on her back, with tears on her face reflecting grief and hatred, she continuously gazed towards Elvira, who was doing her best to avoid getting impaled like the 3 heroes. However, the other half-breed who was in their team began to mutate, turning into a larger mix of a canine and simian being, killing a hero and a veteran soldier, then using them as a sort of meat shield to avoid getting impaled while slowly approaching Elvira. The leader of the team was trying to address the situation and act accordingly quickly before Archival suddenly appeared behind him and two roots with concave shapes captured the leader, just to disappear as fast as he appeared, along with the roots sinking in the ground.


    A loud roar was heard coming from the mutated half-breed since it started to throw the corpses in his hands; Elvira reacted and dodged before being struck by the sacks of bones and meat left by the two corpses drenched in blood. The remaining members of the team tried to escape to avoid being killed by the mutated half-breed; they were also trying to communicate the situation to the control room in the capital facility but the control room wasn¡¯t responding since the virus Gree implanted began to act up jamming their communications. The engineers and technicians desperately tried to neutralize it before it kept spreading across the military server; on the other side of the border Gree received a notification of the virus being cleansed, she sighed and went back to sleep in the inn Nat, Phill and she were staying at.


    As Lawrence¡¯s and Elvira¡¯s teams were having trouble, the holder of the whip had exceptional control over the situation, using the whip and infusing the flames of the trees into it to then quickly search for traps with it since one of their members was impaled as well due to a sudden root. The device they had was still functional but an earthquake shook the forest, alerting every team of what was about to happen, giving them time to prepare themselves for the main objective, the earth dragon.


    Sinns was wandering through the forest alone, attempting to find Archival on her own and after he took at least 35 out of the 50 people in total, he finally managed to meet her. The fight instantly started, Archival began to cast several roots with thorns to hinder Sinns movement; however, she broke through after damaging herself as scales rapidly grew from the wounds and shed off several seconds later, making Archival flinch before she jumped and smoothly wavered her battle-ax downwards, gaining momentum and directing a focused hit on Archival¡¯s head. Archival didn¡¯t stay still as Sinns¡¯ strike was about to land; he was instinctively pulled backward by some roots, denoting the forest was also aiding him. Sinns had left a crater that had pushed the ground to the sides and slowly attempted the raise the battle-ax once again but several roots pierced through the ground to impale her. ¡°You would¡¯ve split me in two if it wasn¡¯t for this place protecting me, I didn¡¯t expect you to be so strong and agile, and you will serve as good nourishment for the forest¡± ¨CArchival said with respect as there was a drop of sweat falling from his forehead after noticing the crater left by the strike.


    Another earthquake shook the forest, revealing the massive dragon which took by surprise the whip user¡¯s team. ¡°Everyone back off, you will be killed if otherwise!¡± ¨Cthe whip holder commanded as he began to waver the long weapon around before hitting a single strike that was heard in the whole forest, the explosive strike made the dragon backed off in pain since the contact spot broke the rock-like scales covering its head. Every other member looked in awe as the dragon roared loudly as its neck began to shine bright red, preparing to spit magma towards the group.


    Archival looked towards the direction where the roar came from, sighing and turning to see what was happening there. ¡°It seems like they are going to be showered by its wrath¡± ¨Che said while a loud explosion was triggered next to him, he attempted to turn around horrified, as a large bullet pierced through the earth risen by the crater which blew Archival¡¯s right side and arm, throwing him a couple of meters forward, the forest quickly rose roots to stop the bleeding but such hit left Archival near death. He spat some blood and tried to breathe but one of his lungs wasn¡¯t there anymore, so he knew that was his end, his muscles relaxed as he was losing his air and before he passed he closed his eyes without any regrets. Sinns was walking towards Archival¡¯s corpse to check if it was dead while the forest slowly tried to bury him using many roots to carry him underground. As she saw it, she attempted to decapitate the corpse to carry the head as a trophy back to the headquarters, but before she did, a large spear made out of ashes cut her path, instantly making her jump back into a defensive stance.


    Chronos suddenly landed in front of the corpse, as the forest gently wrapped it with roots to then pull it underground. Chronos placed his hand on top of it as he looked back to Sinns who noticed who he is. ¡°I remember you; you were traveling with Miss Grace, because of you they also had a hard time, so I will now take you back along with the descendant.¡± ¨CSinns mentioned while swinging the battle-ax slowly to then point towards Chronos.


    Before Chronos said anything, Sinns accelerated at the same time she prepared a strike to cut him in half horizontally. However, before entering in contact with his body, a loud metal clang was heard as sparks flew, Sinns smile faded away while noticing her Battle-ax was deflected by a spear she didn¡¯t know anything off. Last time this helpless guy was only using the scales as daggers, what is this? Was he actually a mage? ¨CSinns thought while backing up using her weapon as a lever to impulse herself away. Several spears surrounded Sinns closing any escape route and accelerated to pierce her limbs, immobilizing and making her drop the battle-ax.


    I¡¯m sorry Archival, I can¡¯t properly grieve you in this situation, I will repel the ones who entered the forest and free the dragon for your sake ¨CChronos thought while turning to check Archival being pulled underground.


    Not long after Sinns was defeated, loud stomps were approaching Chronos as a Tall woman with animal ears was running towards his direction escaping from the source of the stomps, a massive abomination. ¡°Run! This is something we can¡¯t kill; we need the other two Custom weapon users or¡­Sinns.¡± ¨CElvira shouted while slowing down as she noticed Sinns¡¯ limbs restrained by several spears and her weapon on the ground.


    The Abomination that once was a Half-breed on Elvira¡¯s team was holding in both of its hands and mouth the corpses of the last three members left before Elvira, She tried to escape by running to where she thought she would find help but instead, the anomaly that awoke the interest of the Government was standing right in front of her. The beast that was now around 3 times bigger than originally began to swallow the corpse in its mouth and charged towards Chronos before its head and arm was impaled to the ground by another spear. Elvira was shocked by what she just witnessed; a force above Sinns and an Abomination was right in front of her and she had no idea if she had the opportunity to even escape. ¡°I didn¡¯t come here unprepared to die; we were supposed to capture a dragon after all.¡± ¨CShe joked while asserting a defensive stance and focusing on the trump card she was hiding from everyone.


    Elvira besides being a half-breed also has a certain affinity with the world, flora, fauna, and many of those who can sense it knew that. She was also a second-stage mage, but this magic of hers was what the government wanted, the ability to enhance her senses while hunting, allowing her to perceive reality as a whole, making her an apex predator while hunting. With her diligent nature and outstanding combat skills, the government didn¡¯t wait long before recruiting her and enlisted her for the custom weapon program. After meeting Gree, she was given a certain weapon that was not meant to enhance her skill but to be able to wield every other custom weapon created, Gree named it Midas¡¯ touch due to the amount of golden-looking components it has.


    As she clearly seemed to have invaded the forest along with the others, so Chronos didn¡¯t think too much about what to do, so several spears appeared around her, just like with Sinns, however, Elvira reacted even before the spears appeared, quickly making her way towards Sinns¡¯ battle-ax, dodging as many spears as she could, showcasing a high grade of flexibility and precision when it came to knowing where the next spears would appear from. Once Elvira made her way towards the weapon, her gloves began to shine as they adapted and reproduced a similar genetic print as Sinns, allowing Elvira to lift the battle-ax with ease since the built-in magnetic field that kept it together was resonating with the gloves; now that she managed to lift the weapon, she began to move accordingly to avoid as many spears as possible, as if it was a sort of dance to survive. A minute later, she landed the first hit on Chronos, who tried to defend himself with one of the spears but was still thrown away by the momentum that Elvira was building while dodging.


    Before he could compose himself, a large ammunition shell struck the ground next to Chronos, almost blowing his head up. Startled, he tried to quickly move from there as Elvira seemed to not have much experience aiming the cannon barrel from the battle-ax. Several spears started to surround Elvira but she used the weapon to move around easier as if she was copying Sinns. Chronos tried to keep his distance since there was very little chance of him winning in close combat against what seemed to be a trained soldier, but Elvira still tried to find openings in order to strike Chronos once again.


    A few hundred meters away from them, a slender figure with blood splattered all around him was making his way towards the team subjugating the dragon. Lawrence was licking the blood on his hand while resting the scythe on his shoulder as he dragged the limbless corpse of one of his teammates along with him.

 Chapter 23 - 20: The Fall Of Pandora’s Forest.

    7 days before the raid to the Pandora forest. ¡°The name is Cristobal Monteari, He is an ex-commander who learned how to use magic, at its very basic level; his diligence and skill are very well-known on the battlefield, He was known as ¡®the storm¡¯ by his platoon; he is a 43 years old male and when he was promoted to general at the age of 30, he was also invited to the custom weapon program; his signature weapon is the Whip. It is known that it was able to channel his magic through it to break the sound barrier several times more than just the normal built-up momentum the whip had. However, there was another feature, the whip was made out of an artificial membrane that could absorb chemical reactions, and develop a certain attribute, due to this, and his feats in battle he was then promoted to commander of the whole troop he began to work with. When he turned 40, he decided to leave the army and dedicate to his family with special permission.¡± ¨CThe head researcher of the capital read out loud the record files of the whip¡¯s user in a meeting held by several other high-rank officers among the military and government.


    Back to the present day of the raid to the Pandora Forest. ¡°It indeed was tougher than expected but we managed to knock it out and restrain this massive beast, we were lucky we didn¡¯t stumble across the secondary objective while dealing with it. This means the other teams managed to neutralize it, I¡¯m relieved¡± ¨CCristobal sighed in relief while the dragon¡¯s limbs and mouth were restrained by the rest of the team using some sort of non-Newtonian polymer that could even prevent a dragon from moving. After a few minutes, Cristobal kept trying to contact the control room in the capital to request extraction, but the signal was still jammed. Shortly after, a shadow with a sinister smile walked towards the group; Cristobal instantly noticed and waved to Lawrence. However, there was something off; Cristobal instantly noticed there was no collar on Lawrence¡¯s neck and the limbless corpse he was dragging with him wasn¡¯t the secondary objective but one of his teammates. ¡°Everyone, run away! The scythe holder has lost his restriction collar, flee before he-¡° ¨CCristobal attempted to give an order before being abruptly interrupted by a slicing noise and a splash, followed by a couple of heads suddenly flying off from the bodies of Cristobal¡¯s teammates. A dense smoke suddenly began to propagate from Lawrence¡¯s arms as it was his magic. The scythe had some hollow veins across the blade and handle, letting out smoke as well which helped it mesh into it and become undetectable to Cristobal. Instinctively, Cristobal attempted to flee since he still had the collar and it could blow up if there was any aggression towards the members in the 5 squads. As the smoke didn¡¯t spread quickly enough, Lawrence tried to pull it back up inside his arms and sighed while walking towards the direction of where Cristobal ran away after looking at the dragon for a brief moment. ¡°You are about to die anyway, using my energy on you would be a waste¡± ¨CHe muttered while spitting on the ground and walking away.


    At the same time, in another part of the forest. Elvira was doing her best to close distance with Chronos while masterfully dodging and blocking the ash spears that Chronos kept materializing. It may not look like it but I noticed there is a limit on how many spears he can throw, maybe that is why he tried to surround me with them, either way, I can¡¯t keep this up for longer ¨CElvira thought while rushing through the barrage of ashes, swinging the battle-ax to block and the barrel to shoot simultaneously to strategically get pushed backward by the recoil to dodge spears coming from both of her sides. If Chronos didn¡¯t move at that moment while also trying to control the spears'' orientation, he would¡¯ve been struck by the large shell on his left leg.


    This feels more natural than before, but I can¡¯t suppress the increasing urge of sleeping, why do I feel tired so suddenly? ¨CChronos thought while attempting to move towards Sinns subtly, as Elvira was busy trying to evade as much as she could with the aid of her current weapon. After properly landing on the ground, Elvira tried to gain strength by instantly crouching and spring forward towards Chronos at a high speed. With a small room for reaction, Chronos attempted to use the opportunity but his mind was getting numb while he tried to pull out his dagger to use her momentum to cut her neck as she didn¡¯t expect the daggers. Fortunately for Elvira, he could only cut through the collar as she attempted to avoid the dagger, leaving a superficial cut on her neck, while Chronos¡¯ stomach was hit by her knee with the full force of impact, sending him backward, bouncing on the ground once and landing against a tree.


    Elvira instantly inspected her neck for any deadly injury and looked around to check if there was anyone witnessing the fight. Her heart was beating fast, her hands and arms were numb and it was rather difficult for her to breathe with the forest engulfed in flames depleting the oxygen; she dropped the battle-ax and walked towards Sinns who is now passed out on the floor, with scales covering the wounds inflicted by the spears impaling her. ¡°You did take a beating I see, better be careful next time, missy.¡± ¨CElvira said while trying to pick up Sinns from the ground but the lack of oxygen made her pass out before she could even lift Sinns.


    Chronos suddenly woke up and puked after his body relaxed enough to feel the pain of the impact. A couple of minutes after, he attempted to stand up as the forest was still in flames. The unified forest structure as a whole became a drawback since the affected branches made the agent travel faster across the forest, affecting it at an uncontainable rate. Chronos could sense the rapid deterioration of the flora and decided to walk out of the forest. As he attempted to leave, he stumbled upon Archival¡¯s ¡®grave made by the forest¡¯s roots. ¡°May you rest for me now, Thank you for your service, Archival.¡± ¨CHe muttered while kneeling down in front of the grave as the trees began to fall succumbing to the flames. As the forest was slowly burning, Chronos ended up in front of Elvira and Sinns. If I recall correctly she knocked me out but didn¡¯t kill me, why? ¨CChronos addressed the scene, checking if it wasn¡¯t a sort of trap and then tried to drag them along with him. Using rags and some ropes Chronos tied Sinns to his back and tied up Elvira¡¯s hands, and legs to then carry her with the ropes leaving Sinns¡¯ battle-ax behind. After walking for a while Chronos noticed the earth dragon having a hard time trying to breathe, when suddenly in his mind a voice echoed begging for the pain to end. ¡°So this is also how Mother raised me through time¡­ just like you are now trying to talk to me.¡± ¨CChronos mentioned while petting the head of the dying beast just like how Archival did before.


    Slowly, the massive beast stopped breathing and then Chronos knew it was dead, so he closed his eyes as a sign of gratitude and left with the other two he was dragging in order to leave the dying forest as the sun was now rising in the horizon.


    Outside of the forest, Cristobal and the remaining 5 of his team met and tried to contact the control room in the capital facility again and successfully managed to request the extraction of the team, as well as he gave a brief explanation of the situation. ¡°Yes sir, both objectives were neutralized, but unable to be captured, also Lawrence Kaiser lost the collar restriction and now he is on the loose, we barely managed to escape alive, as for what happened with the rest of teams, Commander Sinns and the user Elvira, we can¡¯t give a certain answer.¡± ¨CHe informed as one of the transport helicopter waiting in a nearby city was arriving for extraction.


    Lawrence got out of the forest moments later to witness in awe the flames engulfing it; he unconsciously smiled proud as let out a victorious cry, to then prepare himself to take a route out of the government¡¯s grasp. I wonder if I will be caught in the first city I arrive, after all, this scythe is very flashy ¨Che thought while making his way in the opposite direction of the temporary camps placed for the raid teams. In the distance, Chronos noticed this person but tried not to engage since he had a load on his back, and it would pretty much be troublesome for him, so he decided to avoid any contact while getting out of the forest.


    Elvira woke up some hours later realizing she was tied up and being dragged through the field, she didn¡¯t take long to begin forcing her way through the knots but as Chronos noticed she tried to use her gloves to break out, he smacked her on the head, making her pass out once again. He then sighed and continued making his way until reaching the wasteland he once walked on after leaving Nat, Gree, and Phil behind. I wonder what are they doing now, I hope they managed to find a safe place ¨CChronos thought while taking his time to appreciate the landscape, which consisted of a combination of cities and mountains in the distance, several airplanes and helicopters flying on their regular routes and the large manufacturing and energy companies¡¯ gas-emitting chimneys. For some reason Chronos felt a familiar shiver, he turned around to see the forest burning and the memory of the lifeless dragon breaking through the egg suddenly came across his mind, dropping his emotions for a moment. After a couple of minutes of pondering about where to head next, he decided to walk towards the closest mountain range, since it seemed like there weren¡¯t any cities in that direction.


    On that same day, Cristobal was summoned to a meeting so he could properly explain what happened in the operation. ¡°The operation when smoothly in the beginning; however, there were several traps made to avoid the immediate wood incineration, cleverly spread across the forest so it would cause a maximum amount of casualties. I am certain the second objective was neutralized because there was no sight of him around my team, given that he constantly attacked others, my suspicions are that Sinns or Elvira managed to defeat him.¡± ¨CHe explained while standing in front of a large table with a few high-ranked officers, while a reporter was taking notes on everything. ¡°The major issue is Lawrence Kaiser getting rid of his tracking collar, he demonstrated to be a bigger threat than the main objective due to my collar, since I could¡¯ve lost my head if I clashed with him carelessly, so I ordered the rest of my squad to retreat and avoid conflict at all costs.¡± ¨CHe continues as two of the high-ranked officers read a different report from other surviving members.


    ¡°So you are telling us that Lawrence could have outsmarted and out-powered both Elvira and Sinns? They were not found and if I¡¯m not mistaken, in the case they go against the directives, the collars would be activated, and their bodies are being searched, but the only thing that was found is Sinns¡¯ Battle-ax.¡± ¨CThe commander in charge of overseeing the operation pointed out while showing some pictures given by the recon teams after the forest was set on fire.


    ¡°I¡¯m not certain, but I can¡¯t deny the possibility, however, it was rare that the secondary objective was alone with the main objective, there could¡¯ve been a third element we didn¡¯t know about.¡± ¨CCristobal opined while sitting back on his chair while the Commander continues to go through the videos of the stealth drones.


    ¡°Sir, the Anomaly, it wasn¡¯t created by the dragon or the Elf, a different source was registered since the new records given by the dragon¡¯s corpse reveal an interaction with it post-death.¡± ¨CA researcher from the facility entered the meeting room panting as if he ran all the way there to explain the discovery while everyone looked at him horrified noticing that Cristobal¡¯s supposition was right and there was something even stronger than the dragon and the elf they just killed.

 Chapter 24 - 21: Casamira.

    After Gree, Phil and Nat managed to get past the military camp, they entered a very steep terrain, with several uneven zones where the vehicle had a hard time trying to overcome, but in the end, they managed to get back on track to enter Falladis through the commercial route, the next problem they faced was the sub-species of dragons that happened to often roam around that route, they were called ¡®Wyverns¡¯ as they presented a drastic change over time which made them evolved to be smaller and lose the front limbs, leaving the wings and lower limbs with sharp claws. ¡°You know, it would be funny if we happened to get attacked by Wyverns in this god-forsaken route¡± ¨CGree pointed out while poking her head out of the window. ¡°Thankfully those brave soldiers that we passed a couple of hours ago managed to hunt the majority of the Wyverns in the vicinity, they made a nice report and I happened to read it on our way there, heh.¡± ¨CGree added with a pretty satisfied and mug look.


    ¡°Sometimes I feel like you know every single one of their moves, you scare me Gree.¡± ¨CNat added with a worried expression on her face as if Gree was some sort of mind-reading monster. Phil simply sighed while driving through the commercial route, passing some interesting spots where Gree took a couple of pictures as if she was a tourist while the vehicle was on movement.


    Phil kept driving for hours in order to get through the mountain range and reach the next customs point they were supposed to arrive at, but as soon as they arrived, the general structure of the place was splattered with what seemed to be a viscous black substance, on which Nat instantly flinched in disgust and Gree instantly got out of the car to take a sample and mess with Nat in the meantime. This is obviously the result of an attack made by the virus hordes, but the odd part of it is that there are no remnants of a fight. ¨CPhil instantly addressed the situation while driving through the customs gate while Gree jumped into the back seat and Nat panicked when the sample got closer to her, jumping to the front seat as Gree remained in the back seats searching for something in their belongings.


    ¡°I certainly dislike this ooze splattered all around but it will serve as a nice reference point for some thingies I will be messing with.¡± ¨CGree mentioned while grabbing a device that resembled a modified monocle to then put the sample underneath the lens, to check it. ¡°You guys might know this already but the zombies we fought with Sinns and this ooze might come from a similar hive, so we better skedaddle before whatever left this comes back.¡± ¨CGree suggested after taking a glimpse on the substance, sealing it in a test tube afterwards and placing the tube in a sort of cloth inside a briefcase.


    ¡°The only thing we need to focus on right now is to seek shelter in Casamira.¡± ¨CPhil replied while turning left as the road bifurcated, following the map they had.


    Casamira is a small village with a complex cavern system dug up through generations of miners, the selling price of the metals have dropped since the mine has been very rich on a wide variety of them. The village also has a special magnetic anomaly that causes trouble to certain satellites and some electronic devices; this is one of the reasons why the Falladis government have deployed a lower amount of defences to this town, despite the recent attack of the infected hordes.


    ¡°Gree are you sure it is a good idea to go to that village? It doesn¡¯t seem like the safest place in the world.¡± ¨CNat asked while checking the map in an attempt to find other towns nearby.


    ¡°I actually chose it because it has many dwarves that know how to infuse materials with other¡¯s magic, it is basically something to keep you busy while Phil and I laze around and do some tourism inside the caves.¡± ¨CGree snickered while putting away the briefcase. And maybe find interesting materials to upgrade our weapons with; we will be busy for the next month if things go well, I also have the funny feeling we need to get prepared for whatever happened to the customs building. ¨CGree thought while opening her laptop to check some information before entering the magnetic field of the village.


    After the three of them drove closer to the village, they noticed there were some fortifications being built around it, the foundation of a large wall was already settled and many dwarves were working on it. Nat was marvelled since she hardly saw any other dwarves back in Argos and this was the first time she saw them work so diligently, feeling pretty proud while the car passed through one of the entrances of the village. ¡°Well, it is true that Dwarves are very hard workers, but they are just doing their best to protect their home, mostly since it is only natural they might know what is lurking in the vicinity.¡± ¨CGree pointed out noticing Nat¡¯s excitement.


    ¡°What is going to happen to this Village?¡± ¨CNat asked, forgetting what they saw in the customs building while sitting down properly once again.


    ¡°I presume they are building a wall around the town to avoid a possible horde of infected; the more prepared they are, the fewer casualties they will have, so it is a defence designed by someone who is expecting a battle.¡± ¨CPhil explained while searching for an inn he could drive into, keeping his eyes open at everything in front of them.


    ¡°Wait but how do they know about that?¡± ¨CNat asked while turning to see Phil and switch her sight to Gree.


    ¡°Simple, there is just a super genius in the village who can also predict the future and alerted everyone about the incoming hordes¡± ¨CGree shrugged with a smug look on her face.


    ¡°Or maybe there were guards who survived the raid to the customs building and came to alert the village.¡± ¨CPhil countered while finding the Inn and driving into their parking lot.


    Gree talked to the Innkeeper and asked for 2 rooms while Phil and Nat began to unload their belongings, leaving most of Gree¡¯s devices in the vehicle. ¡°Nat, I know we just arrived but when we get to finish helping with everything, we will go to the local blacksmith, so prepare your equipment, because I will ask him to take you as an apprentice for a while¡± ¨CPhil pointed out to Nat as they were accommodating the luggage. Nat nodded in excitement while getting the room ready for her and Gree.


    ¡°There are some suspicious individuals that were announced on the radio I recommend you to refrain yourselves from go out too much since they might be fugitives from the Delcyt government.¡± ¨CThe innkeeper mentioned to Gree while she was walking back to the rooms.


    Ugh, the old bastard told me this on purpose. ¨CGree thought while sighing and turning back to the innkeeper, who was wearing a small smile while rubbing his thumb against his index and middle finger, denoting he wanted money in exchange for his silence. With a very annoyed face, Gree reached in her pocket and pulled out a couple of silver coins that made the innkeeper¡¯s smile grow larger.


    ¡°Ahem, I hope you enjoy your stay in our humble village¡± ¨Cthe innkeeper turned his grin into a more serious face while fake coughing, sliding the coins into a drawer behind the counter of the reception. Gree simply left the reception while stomping in annoyance, entering the room and finding Nat selecting her best tools to go with Phil to the blacksmith.


    ¡°What is it? You seem pretty serious so suddenly, Gree. Did the innkeeper try to grope you? I will crush his hands right away if that was the case!¡± -Nat exclaimed while grabbing her hammer and approaching the door.


    ¡°Nah, it¡¯s okay, he is just an old fox, trying to get paid for his silence since he mentioned he heard about us through radio¡­radio, huh? So it actually works in here.¡± ¨CGree explained while slowly sinking into her thoughts in the middle of the conversation with Nat.


    Nat simply sighed as she knew this typical behaviour of Gree, who normally begins to babble to herself after realizing something useful for her researches. ¡°Alrighty Gree, Phil will carry me to the blacksmith, I will come back after I get to learn something worth showing you.¡± ¨CNat said while getting her tools and walking towards the door.


    ¡°Wait, are you going now? I have something I want you to carry for him as well, remember the thingy we used for the escape from the military camp? Well, I want him to make a proper casing for it, and if possible I would want it to-¡° ¨CGree popped out of her trance after Nat opened the door but got suddenly interrupted by another sigh from Nat.


    ¡°Just come with us, it would be better if you tell him the details yourself because I will certainly forget.¡± ¨CNat countered Gree since she seemed to not have anything else to do.


    Probably it would be good to do as she says, that way I could meet the person in charge and ask for guidance in the material-finding situation, plus Phil will be able to carry any possible guide in the vehicle. ¨CGree made up her mind and accepted to go with them, leaving the rooms somewhat organized and locked. Before they left the innkeeper grinned at Gree and she pulled her tongue as a way of childish disrespect towards him; Phil also noticed and looked towards the man over his shoulder, narrowing his eyes.


    Once on the road, Nat noticed a couple of dwarves carrying a sort of rectangular box and Gree convinced Phil to pull over to them to ask for directions. ¡°Hey Hey, yeah we are looking for the blacksmith of the town, and we wondered if you handsome guys knew about him.¡± ¨CGree asked the two dwarves in an attempt of catching their attention, which resulted successfully.


    The two of them instantly noticed and let the box on the ground, waving and listening to Gree¡¯s question. ¡°Hey missy, we indeed know him, he is the head manager of the manufacturing company of Casamira. We were actually heading to deliver this package to the Village major; he ordered a large casing for a sort of weapon he designed to keep those pesky dead guys away from the town.¡± ¨CThe one who seemed to be the oldest of the dwarves greeted them while the next one was making sure the box was in good conditions after they let it down. ¡°I¡¯m Pascal, and this is Marco, we are currently simple workers from the company but we can take you to the boss.¡± ¨CPascal added while Marco waved at them.


    ¡°Oh, that would be great! We will help you move this big box and you will be able to show us the way to your boss!¡± ¨CNat replied to them almost instantly without letting Gree or Phil say a word, as they simply looked at her in surprise given her excitement.


    After the three of them helped the Dwarves, they got information about the project and the vision of the Major. ¡°There was an attack on the town 2 days ago but it was repelled after many people lost their lives, then the radio broadcast announced certain dangerous individuals crossing the borders and presenting a big threat to the nearby towns. So we all took part in the construction of defences to avoid another tragedy.¡± ¨CMarco explained while they drove towards the building they normally work in, parking where required and walking towards the entrance while Nat took all her tools with her while following behind. Pascal looked at her dumbfounded, then shifting his sight towards Gree as she automatically shrugged.


    The three of them got into the workshop where many humans and dwarves worked together to work on machines to manufacture pieces for something. A tall figure wearing a suit was standing in the middle of the workshop, talking with other workers who were wearing some sort of jumpsuit; Gree pointed at him and looked at Pascal who was nodding in response. ¡°He is the founder of this place and the best blacksmith in Casamira, Lorenz Helmschied.¡± ¨CPascal pointed out as he turned to Phill and Gree while Lorenz looked towards the group with curiosity.

 Chapter 25 - 22: A Moment Of Peace.

    Lorenz approached Gree and Phil with a curious look. ¡°Hey Pascal, Marco, did you manage to carry out the order? Also, why don¡¯t you present our guests to me?¡± ¨CHe asked while extending his arms in a welcoming way, irradiating a very comforting aura as if he was an old friend. His golden eyes shone with the same intensity as Elvira but the effect was the opposite, it wasn¡¯t intimidating at all, but rather charming.


    ¡°Hey boss man, these kind people helped us deliver the piece faster after they stumbled upon us, and they said they wanted to talk with you about some business with the cavern.¡± ¨CMarco answered while presenting Gree and Phil, as Nat was looking around at the machinery with gleaming eyes, trying to take notes with a small notebook she had in her back pocket, she then proceeded to click a pen and write down what she could. Pascal peeked at her notes and realized Nat drew almost perfect outlines of the machines they have in the workshop; with nervous sweat, he once again turned towards Gree as she shrugged again. Meanwhile, Phil shook Lorenz''s hands to then walk around in the workshop.


    ¡°It is quite a nice facility you have here; I never thought you could have these machines in a Village like this, since well, the magnetic field that normally interrupts the electronic devices often could burn the motherboard of automatized machinery¡± ¨CPhil pointed out while Lorenz showed them around, trying to pull out information that Gree could use as she was just looking around with Nat, praising her for her drawing with a thumbs up, making Phil simply sighed hopelessly.


    Lorenz seemed to enjoy their excitement and kept walking along with Phil. ¡°Well, these machines were designed by the Major of this village; he managed to teach us how to produce a special coating for the electronics part, melting a special alloy he developed, it turned out to work like a charm and allowed us to thrive as a manufacturing company.¡± ¨CHe explained while Phil noticed the excitement on his eyes, like a child proud for completing his first school project. ¡°Of course, for helping us with this, we always take requests from him a prioritize them, it has become a job policy.¡± ¨CLorenz added with a joking tone as he chuckled.


    Phil managed to take discrete pictures of certain objects around as Lorenz was talking and giving him a tour around the workshop. It seems like they have a well-equipped facility here, I just wonder what kind of person the major is, we didn¡¯t meet him when we helped with the delivery. For now, I need to focus on asking Lorenz about going to the cavern system. ¨CPhil thought as they walked towards Lorenz''s office, this time Gree joined them with a smirk, letting Phil notice she realized something from the place.


    As Lorenz sat on his chair behind a desk, Gree sits as well next to Phil. ¡°So Lorenz, can I call you like that?¡± ¨CGree asked while getting comfortable on her seat, given that it had a very comfortable cushion. ¡°Well anyway, I will go straight to the point.¡± ¨CShe paused for a moment while taking out her ID along with Phil¡¯s and Nat¡¯s ones to then place them on the desk, Lorenz suddenly got very serious and held his chin while looking at Gree. ¡°I know you know we are the fugitives, and you seemed to want us to work for you as a way to keep you quiet, no? Otherwise, you wouldn¡¯t have shown us your equipment so eagerly.¡± ¨CGree smirked once again while looking at Lorenz¡¯s eyes narrowing. ¡°Well, I have the best offer for you; we can gladly aid you since we already know what you guys have to deal with, but in return, you will show us what kind of crap you are doing down there in the caves.¡± ¨CShe finalized with a sassy tone, denoting that she already knows something about the mines under the village.


    ¡°It seems like you did your homework Miss Myers, But what can you offer with this aid of yours? The village Major has proven to be an efficient person; he had made the village strive for more and very effective defense methods, I can still turn you into Delcyt and get more benefits than simply some of your aid.¡± ¨CLorenz countered while leaning back on his chair and staring down at Gree.


    ¡°Yes, but then they will try to search up the mines and find the hive you are trying to hide.¡± ¨CGree sat back satisfied with her answer as Lorenz''s eyes widened after hearing Gree mentioning the hive clearly developing a fear towards what other things she might know about, a droplet of sweat slowly began to run down his forehead.


    I can¡¯t simply continue to bargain with them now¡­ the more she stays here, the more I feel she would be able to rule over this place. It was a mistake to lure them in. ¨CLorenz thought in fear while sighing in defeat. ¡°I admit I was careless on letting such researcher into this facility. Miss Myers, what else would you like to deal with in this place? You certainly didn¡¯t choose it for tourism¡± ¨CHe said while trying to regain his composure, accepting the conditions Gree stated at first.


    Gree was very satisfied by deducing the situation properly as Phil gave her a discrete thumbs up while recording the conversation, naturally, Gree gave him a thumbs-up as well and turned back to Lorenz. ¡°So Lorenz, I want to have the right to use your machinery and a legal permit to explore the mine, as well as taking Nat as an apprentice for magic infusion, in exchange for that, the information about the hidden hive will be concealed and we will help you repel the horde of infected that will storm this village, does that sound like a fair agreement?¡± ¨CGree explained once again as she regained the lead of the situation.


    ¡°By the way, I noticed my phone can work despite the electromagnetic interference of the village, is this facility protected somehow?¡± ¨CPhil asked as Lorenz began to write a formal contract with Gree.


    ¡°Well yes, this whole facility was built in order to repel the interference using the same alloy the Major taught us about.¡± ¨CLorenz answered after signing the contract and handed it to Gree to check and sign as well; she simply read for a while in silence to double-check the agreement.


    After the agreement was done, Gree managed to get a copy of the contract and Phil followed her while they went out of the office to search for Nat who was already learning how to use some of the machines with protective glasses. As they approached, Nat stopped the machine and walked towards them with worried eyes. ¡°Is everything in order?¡± ¨CShe asked while taking the glasses off.


    ¡°Well, we sold you to these guys to be able to afford to do some tourism in the caves¡± ¨CGree scoffed before getting flickered by Phil as he stared at Gree rubbing her forehead.


    ¡°Everything went smoothly, we will be able to search the mines and you will be able to learn as much as possible from this workshop. They even said you will be able to take part in the casting work for the Major of the village.¡± ¨CPhil explained to Nat as she was in shock after hearing Gree first.


    Later that day, the workshop arranged a better place to stay for the three of them. Nat almost immediately went back to the workshop after getting her belongings in her room and Gree managed to get a guide to the mines in the same evening. Once inside the mines, Phil couldn¡¯t stop feeling uneasy, as if the whole place slowly shrunk as they ventured deeper, however, this didn¡¯t stop him from continuing further inside. The guide was doing his regular job as a tourist guide and mentioned he could also carry them to the prohibited area since they could know more about what is being kept down there. ¡°Oh, there is no need for that; I already know the Core of the hive is down there, I just want to check the place from where they mine the minerals for the alloy.¡± ¨CGree explained while looking around the mines, noticing Phil was growing a bit anxious. This reminds me that Phil is actually claustrophobic; I don¡¯t know why he chose a career in the military that would make him go into situations like this. I guess it is a human thing to face their fears. ¨CGree thought and sighed while scratching the back of her head as they kept walking in an artificial pathway towards the depths of the mine. Phil took a glimpse of the prohibited entrance as they walked past it, which was sealed by several layers of concrete and steel with a gate and guards ready for any contingency.


    ¡°So they used the same alloy to keep the gates of the hive closed?¡± ¨CPhil asked to the guide, as they descended deeper after the entrance of the hive.


    ¡°No, not at all, there isn¡¯t any wiring in those gates, mainly because any electronic wiring could still be hacked into opening the gates and we certainly don¡¯t want that open.¡± ¨CThe guide answered while keeping his eyes forwards.


    ¡°How did you guys manage to seal that entrance after realizing there was a hive here as well? Did the government help in any way? Or you had an ace up your sleeves?¡± ¨CGree continued the conversation by asking.


    ¡°You see, the Major of this Village is a very knowledgeable person, he is like a genius and even managed to foresee the collapse of the mines into an infected hive so commanded most of the available people to build a preventive for whenever that happens, and 3 months later, a tremor shook the mines, making a certain part collapse and reveal the core of a hive and several infected. We closed the gates immediately and so we began to fully rely on and believe in the Major.¡± ¨CThe guide narrated with enthusiasm.


    The conversation continued and they managed to find the most recent excavation place after a couple of hours. Gree and Phil met the excavation team and managed to have a good impression of them. They explained to Gree the methods of extracting the minerals and showed her the process, while Phil was simply looking around to check if there was anything suspicious but all he found was simple equipment and personal belongings. After spending the rest of the evening in the mines, they managed to get back to the apartment Lorenz had arranged for them. As usual, Nat didn¡¯t get back to the apartment in order to burn the knowledge she was given into her new works, in the very first week, she managed to master all the techniques she was taught in the facility as well as the magic enhancement.


    Gree kept studying and testing with the materials she got from the mines until coming to the same conclusion of the alloy and almost instantly started to apply it to all her devices as well as Phil¡¯s phone and Nat¡¯s tools. It took her almost a week to complete the project with her own devices and then joined back to the construction team to develop some defenses against the incoming hordes. One night, Gree managed to get an alert in her tablet, stating the virus successfully acquired the information she needed and was being removed from the main database from Delcyt¡¯s military intelligence center. She read for a moment while the data was downloading into her tablet, noticing the alloy was working and the magnetic interference wasn¡¯t affecting her tablet up to that extent, despite the distance between Delcyt and Casamira. At that moment Gree was totally unaware of what was happening on the other side, so she simply put away the tablet and continued sleeping.

 Chapter 26 - 23: A New Alliance.

    After carrying them for hours, Chronos began to feel fatigued as he approached a mountain range, he noticed a crack between the mountains to then decide to drag Elvira and Sinns in there, there was nothing much he could do if continued moving forward without first talking to them to ask several questions. After checking the inside of the crack he noticed it extended deeper inside the mountain, exposing a rather dark cove, with the only source of light coming from the crack. Chronos decided to put Sinns on the ground next to Elvira and went for some firewood in the surroundings to light a fire in the front of the entrance. I need to hunt something to eat, but there doesn¡¯t seem to be much fauna over here, maybe any birds I could happen to see flying around¡­ -Chronos thought as his stomach began growl unconsciously.


    Several attempts later, trying to aim one of his spears at a flock of birds, Chronos managed to hunt down 5 normal geese that were trying to migrate to a new area due to the season change and brought them to the front of the cave where he had made a small fireplace, with branches and logs he got from scattered trees around the mountain. There were mutated bears around as well and Chronos noticed he could use their fur for the night so he hunted a couple and skinned them to then use their fat as an ingredient and eat the meat with difficulty since the bear meat was pretty tough.


    A couple of hours later, Elvira wakes up with a headache and notices Chronos in front of her, looking directly into her eyes. A shiver ran down her spine and felt how his eyes pierced hers, she then quickly tried to free herself from the ropes only to find out she was already able to move. ¡°Why did you bring us here?¡± ¨CShe instantly asked while turning back to Chronos who was pointing at the meat in front of her.


    ¡°I have several questions to ask, but first eat, it¡¯s been a while since we left the forest¡± ¨CChronos replied while holding up a piece of roasted goose covered in bear fat. Hesitantly, Elvira took the meal and ate it, leaving some for Sinns so she could also eat if she woke up. ¡°My first question is¡­ why did you have to attack Pandora¡¯s forest?¡± ¨CChronos asked while sitting down next to the entrance of the cove.


    Elvira, hesitant of giving much information, rubbed her neck briefly to remember that her collar was also broken in the battle. ¡°We were given instructions, I followed them according to the plan¡± ¨CShe replied after swallowing a mouthful of the meat.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you kill me when you knocked me down, knowing that I am such a threat?¡± ¨CChronos continued asking while laying his back against the wall of the cove.


    ¡°I managed to defeat you, so I prioritized the recovery of Sinns and then your capture-¡° ¨CElvira explained before getting interrupted.


    ¡°But you were also at your limit and simply fell on the ground¡± ¨CChronos continued her sentence. ¡°And so I suppose you are a soldier, you must¡¯ve known about the targets, what was the purpose of that attack?¡± ¨CHe kept on pressing about the matter while Elvira simply kept her silence and chewed on a roasted goose thigh. Chronos kept considering his options on what to do now, remembering all the events that have been happening since his first contact with other human beings. He then turned to see Sinns who was still sleeping next to them. I guess most of my questions will be answered once this one wakes up since she knew Gree from before and helped us. ¨CChronos thought while noticing there were no marks of the spears that impaled her limbs. A familiar feeling was given off from her, he couldn¡¯t really describe it but it reminded him of DD.


    ¡°Kid, why was a mage like you in the forest and attacked the military forces? Did you want to prove something? Are you not afraid to die? What is your business?¡± ¨CElvira asked after she finished eating trying to get information from Chronos.


    ¡°What will you do with that information? Let me free?¡± ¨CChronos countered. ¡°I got separated from a group and ended up in the forest. The elf that was killed helped me to recover as I was injured on my way there, and the reason I tried to keep her alive was that we met in the past while I was with the group.¡± ¨CHe answered while gesturing his hand towards Sinns.


    The two objectives had to be certainly neutralized if the forest managed to burn down properly, so why didn¡¯t we get warned about this individual? He wasn¡¯t in the footage and he clearly isn¡¯t weaker than any of the objectives. And he met Sinns before? Did he mention a group? Was he with Gree? ¨CElvira analyzed the information she was given and tried to come to a conclusion while unconsciously the gloves began to slowly manifest some sort of claws as Elvira realized how actually dangerous is the person in front of her.


    In a moment a small hand tapped Elvira¡¯s right arm and made her snap out of her thoughts. Sinns woke up and held Elvira¡¯s arm while looking towards Chronos who was also prepared for a fight as he saw the claws on Elvira¡¯s gloves. ¡°I need to stop you right here, or else it wouldn¡¯t end up nicely for us.¡± ¨CSinns mentioned while letting go of Elvira¡¯s arm. ¡°He was not a mage at all when we met. He traveled along with Gree, Phil, and a dwarf, and during a horde, he managed to fend off against them without major injuries. However, I did not expect him to be the anomaly.¡± ¨CShe explained while sitting up, scanning her surroundings, and keeping calm.


    ¡°Anomaly?¡± ¨CChronos instinctively asked after hearing what Sinns said as Elvira calmed down a bit but without lowering her guard.


    ¡°You are a walking disaster, just like the dragon we had to hunt, a walking time-bomb that represents a huge threat to any nation if not under control. If I had to compare you to something, you could be like the guardians.¡± ¨CSinns pointed out before grabbing a piece of roasted goose and gave it a bite.


    ¡°How do you know all that?¡± ¨CElvira questioned as her eyes were wide open after hearing Sinns¡¯ deduction.


    ¡°I¡¯m not some stupid kid on steroids, I was raised by Otto and Miss Myers after all, of course, I had to learn about these kinds of beings since I was born to deal with them, the custom weapon program was also for that end. Other nations are too powerful for holding these biological weapons with human shapes, and we are witnessing one¡± ¨CSinns briefly explained after she finished eating. ¡°And we are alive for pure luck since if it was an actual guardian from another nation, we would be fertilizer already.¡± ¨CShe concluded to reaffirm the fact that they are not in immediate danger.


    ¡°So what you are saying is that there are other people like me?¡± ¨CChronos popped into the conversation out of curiosity.


    ¡°It is hard to say what you actually are, maybe just a really good mage, but no mage can stand longer than 10 minutes using homing magic or anything particularly effective against a custom weapon user. And there are other more advanced nations that don¡¯t need any sort of biological weapon to deal with you, like the Federation of Orst, or Arkadia. Their exo-suits are specially made to suppress magic, like the AMHAR series.¡± ¨CSinns began to mutter and hold her chin with her thumb, placing her elbow on her other hand unconsciously as she kept talking.


    ¡°Sinns you are getting out of the subject, what do we do now?¡± ¨CElvira snapped Sinns out of her train of thought by grabbing her shoulders and shaking her.


    So there are others in a similar situation as me? Maybe if I look for them I could find answers on what I should do from now on. I also have to learn more about the rulers and what they are able to do; it seems like I made the right choice by having these two as prisoners. ¨CChronos thought as he kept on seeing Sinns and Elvira debating about what they should do now that they are stuck with him.


    A couple of hours later, after discussing the situation, Sinns decided it would be best to contact Gree, since Elvira explained to her they headed to the border with Falladis, supposing they will arrive at Casamira and stay there for the magnetic interference. Due to the given situation, Sinns didn¡¯t plan on going back to the government for certain reasons and Elvira thought it would be best if she was considered another casualty to kept her family safe. Both of them agreed on having a deal with Chronos where there wouldn¡¯t be any aggression depending on the situation in order to survive any contingencies until meeting Gree.


    The three of them finally decided to leave the cove that same night and start to move towards Falladis. Their route of access had to be the same route as the one Gree¡¯s group took since they would most likely find them faster that way. Sinns grabbed the fur Chronos got from the bears and gave them to Elvira since she was getting cold as the sun was setting.


    Elvira kept having a bad feeling since the moment they left the cove as if something was watching them, a similar feeling Phil had when she stared down at him back at her family¡¯s house. An hour later, the uneasiness persisted and Elvira decided to warn Sinns and Chronos about something following them from an unknown location as she can¡¯t point out where it is. ¡°It could be one of the hounds the military were developing, so we better move cautiously.¡± ¨CSinns pointed out while briefly looking around to check for any other hint of the stalker.


    ¡°Was the government also developing genetically modified dogs?¡± ¨CElvira asked lowering her voice in case they were being heard as well.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be silly, they stopped the genetic manipulation when I was born, or at least the is what it seemed, so they started developing mechanical land units specialized in stealth. They are classified from the public just like my existence, so there are not many people out of the research facilities of Delcyt that would know about them.¡± ¨CSinns replied while hurrying towards a small forest of withered trees.


    In the distance a four-legged robotic figure with the shape of a canine was silently crawling as a special plating deflected the light, making it able to disappear in thin air to the naked eye. The movement of this machine with the size of a school bus denoted the advanced technology applied to its A.I. and the joints of every leg, allowing it to copy the movement of different animals in order to carry out the task given to it. The name of it is Special Task Force Machine: The Hound (STFM:TH).


    Sinns explained the capabilities of this machine to Chronos and Elvira while they were following her lead towards the withered pine forest. After 10 minutes, Elvira pushes Chronos abruptly to his right, making him trip and fall to his right side in order to save him from getting sliced by one of the machine¡¯s legs which left a crack on the ground. Before Chronos could react, Elvira swiftly grabbed his arm and pulled him towards the forest as fast as she could. While being pulled, Chronos heard and felt steel hitting the ground continuously, deducing instantly there was something he couldn¡¯t see moving fast behind them and it was getting closer.


    (Note: Hello everyone I hope you are enjoying my story as I enjoy writing it, I now have a Twitter account where I will be posting some updates about the story, if I get to remember Twitter exists, you can find me as @SbrcBleh12)

 Chapter 27 - 24: Falladis’ Ruler.

    The situation is dire- if the government let out a prototype of these kinds of machines, it means that they know about the existence of Chronos and that he was nearby after the Pandora¡¯s operation. In the worst-case scenario, I would have to go back and become a Lab rat again, but if we manage to get to Gree I can forget about all this. ¨CSinns considered her options while taking cover between some trees, clenching her fist while remembering everything she had to go through back at the Laboratory.


    Flashbacks of grotesque operations and limbs dismembering crossed her mind and also recalled her last memories of the Pandora¡¯s operation being hazy, knowing very well she was implemented a drug her immune system wasn¡¯t able to stop, so she couldn¡¯t help but be obedient towards her higher-ups. Her head began to hurt a bit before Elvira managed to get into the withered forest with Chronos being carried on her shoulder.


    A mechanic noise was heard from the direction of the machine that was chasing them while at the same time the steel hitting the ground stopped as if it was waiting for something. The machine was readjusting some of the connections to move differently, adapting to the terrain and making it more agile.


    Elvira threw Chronos towards Sinns¡¯ direction and ran as fast as she could towards a different direction to act as bait while moving through the forest, the machine stopped for a brief second before going towards Chronos. Elvira wasn¡¯t able to see it but she could still notice the machine ignoring her and going for Chronos, so she decided to run back towards them. Chronos landed while rolling backward on the ground once to minimize the strain on his legs as his momentum kept dragging him, allowing him to stop right in front of Sinns.


    ¡°How do we deal with something we can¡¯t see? I can¡¯t simply attack it and risk myself being attacked in exchange for not being able to neutralize it fast.¡± ¨CChronos complained to Sinns who was biting her nail and snapped out of her train of thought.


    ¡°That is one of the reasons we brought it here, eventually it will slip and make us be able to destroy it; the trees will be a good indicator for you so focus and stop complaining!¡± ¨CSinns snarled to Chronos while he winced after being scolded by her. In the blink of an eye, a tree snapped horizontally as if something used it as leverage to get impulse and Chronos unconsciously materialized three spears that rose from the ground on which the machine impaled itself due to its own momentum on the air. The machine stopped moving and it slowly turned visible to Chronos and Sinns; Elvira also managed to arrive in time to see what happened and imagine that could¡¯ve been what happened to her if she wasn¡¯t agile enough while fighting Chronos.


    Chronos sighed in relief and turned to Sinns while the spears began to fade away. Sinns and Elvira walked toward the mechanic carcass and investigated it a bit. Sinns then turned to Elvira and pointed at her gloves. ¡°It is your turn to use your custom weapon properly¡± ¨CShe commanded Elvira while it caused curiosity to Chronos.


    Elvira hesitated for a bit and walked closer to the machine with the intention of using her gloves with it. Right at the moment, the gloves came in contact with it, they began to break down into several thousands of Nano-robots, invading the electronics of the mechanical hound and only leaving two sorts of bracelets on each of her wrists. The Nano-machines began to reconnect and hack the electronics of the previously impaled mechanic hound, allowing it to restart the system but corrupting the A.I. Causing a drastic change in behavior, turning docile towards the three of them.


    Elvira was confused since this wasn¡¯t a feature she used before. She recalled the time Gree told her about the capabilities of those Nano-machines that shaped themselves into gloves. The main feature was the ability to wield any of the other custom weapons if the user was able to handle them, also, besides being a sort of Swiss knife, 80% of the overall units could hijack any electronic components, depending on the width of the wiring network. In conclusion, Elvira is also able to manipulate the STFM:TH.


    Once the machine was able to move once again, Sinns stretched and hopped on top of the machine¡¯s haul. ¡°Well, now that we conveniently seized one of these, we better hurry to Casamira, before the government addresses the location of this missing unit. It will be best for us to move as fast as possible and pray they don¡¯t send the whole forces to catch us.¡± ¨CShe joked while Elvira and Chronos hopped on as well. The machined then jumped suddenly at a great speed into the direction of the border between Delcyt and Falladis.


    Once the STFM:TH was disconnected from the military network, the engineer in charge of it immediately reported to the head researcher of the facility, giving details of the coordinates where it got lost. The head researcher was hesitant since the STFM series had a faulty network connection system from the start but The Hound seemed to have a lot of potentials, so he had to send several stealth drones in order to double-check its location and what was able to take it down. He also had his suspicions about the anomaly being the culprit but couldn¡¯t make any groundless hypothesis on whether this anomaly was the cause of a faulty reading from the equipment or if there is actually another walking catastrophe within the kingdom. The past events consisted of the extermination of an ancient forest along with an earth dragon and a national-threat Elf mage, followed by the deaths of 3/4 of the teams that got involved in the operation, without leaving aside the fact that Lawrence Kaiser managed to free himself from the electronic collar as well as the disappearance of Elvira¡¯s and VM No.1: Sinns¡¯ bodies; presumably, they were consumed by the forest before it totally burned ¨CThe Head researcher wrote down in a report that was directed to a next facility in order to make public some information about the incident.


    The government made public top classified information to spread awareness of individuals like Sinns that are nothing but a threat to humanity, also that special machinery was stolen. The news of Delcyt also reached the neighboring nations. This of course was also broadcasted on every radio on a national scale, The STFM:TH had one incorporated for convenience.


    Sinns, Elvira, and Chronos were able to listen to the national broadcast given by the Ruler himself. While he was talking, Sinns recalled some information given to her related to the latest fugitives which included Gree. Falladis is also alert on the matter since there were fugitives that crossed the border; however, they wouldn¡¯t focus on that matter because of the present situation with the TDW-A01 and the hordes of mutated beings that create the hives. ¨CShe thought while holding tightly on the machinery in order to not fall due to the speed. After analyzing the situation, Sinns also tried to put in place all the information she had about Falladis in her mind, including a tale she was told about the ruler from that Kingdom.


    As she recalled as much as she could, she then asked Elvira to stop under a bridge nearby in order to explain the following: One of Falladis specialties was the rich land and complex cavern systems located in several parts of the kingdom, making it a wealthy and rather advanced nation. The Ruler of Falladis is Eloise Reed, An elf with dark hair and a voluptuous body who holds the absolute command called Et imperatrix, which was passed down to her after the Prophet let her drink his blood in a forgotten ritual before the prophets were hunted down. Many years later, a military Human family took her in, and slowly but surely, Eloise built a nation after several generations to what now is the great Kingdom of Falladis. However, despite being a peaceful kingdom, it was once at war with the Federation of Orst, which had to retreat since Eloise herself along with a Guardian personally joined the fight for the cavern systems. From that time, Eloise was known as the Crimson Empress due to her ability to manipulate blood at will. That was the only time Eloise ever fought, repelling the entire army of Orst which was very well equipped with cutting-edge war machines and soldiers.


    The Guardian of Falladis and his descendants, on the other hand, keep fighting up to today¡¯s date against the Hives that have been appearing underground with the help of a primal dragon descendant cataloged as water dragon. Thanks to the technology advancements of Falladis and the access to an incredible amount of materials, the water dragon was equipped with special devices used mostly for the guardian¡¯s support and the special clean-up team that follows them.


    ¡°So guardians are those who are chosen by the dragons?¡± ¨CChronos Asked after drinking water from the river they stopped by.


    ¡°That¡¯s correct, and the Victoria Project started in order to use the virus to enhance human beings and make soldiers able to match the power of these beings.¡± ¨CSinns stopped the explanation for a second and turn to see Elvira for a brief moment. ¡°The Custom weapon program was also made since all Human beings subjected to the virus were not able to survive it. I was the only successful attempt and so I was also enlisted for a custom weapon and taught everything I know.¡± ¨CShe sighed while looking a bit frustrated while leaning back against the wall behind her.


    Archival previously explained to Chronos there are other Guardians in Delcyt. There are currently 2 candidates of Guardians and 1 Guardian that already meets with Archival to be baptized by Pandora and receive her blessing; however, the candidates couldn¡¯t complete the trial and fled the forest. The guardian also fled but was still entrusted by a primal dragon to raise its offspring, just like Chronos while the other two candidates stumbled upon the forest as Heroes to tame the earth dragon but unable to complete the trial. The only difference is that the dragon of the guardian was able to hatch, becoming a threat already for being alive. Neither Chronos nor Elvira or Sinns had any idea that they were nearby the territory of this individual.


    The broadcast was still going for some hours, repeating the same information in order to keep the awareness of the situation to the population. The Ruler of Delcyt had to present himself in several meetings and press conferences, keeping his responsible status by explaining the importance of secrecy for the military and research matters, detailing the most convenient points to win the over media.


    Once the ruler was back to his office and had a moment to breathe, he sighed and sat on his chair to look outside of his window only to notice many people striking in front of the government building, denoting their discontent towards the secrecy in the military and the human experiments. He simply rubbed his eyes and stretched before calling for Cristobal to enter the office. ¡°You are going to be the new face of the military forces, the one who managed to kill the Earth Dragon.¡± ¨CThe ruler spoke with a very dominant and assertive tone as if it was an absolute order after Cristobal passed through the door.


    Cristobal nodded before being told to leave and once he left the room, he quickly leaned against a wall and tried to grab his chest as his heart was beating fast and sweat fell from his forehead, like if he had a nightmare and just woke up from it. The General of the Military forces was passing by to congratulate him about the success of the mission and invited him to eat something afterward, to which Cristobal agreed while regaining his composure but still not forgetting about the fear of being in that office, in front of the ruler of Delcyt.


    Twitter: @Sbrcbleh12

 Chapter 28 - 25: Encounter With The First Guardian.

    After the Protestants were cleared out by the authorities, the ruler took a walk around the front yard of the government building while being followed by the head researcher of the military. ¡°Sir, I need to report a missing Hound; it was last located by our network in the mountains at the north of where the Pandora forest used to be. We presumed it was Lawrence Kaiser but it is only a hypothesis. A recon team was sent in order to scan the area and located any scrap left from the prototype.¡± ¨CThe researcher read a report on his hands while walking next to the ruler.


    ¡°Have you found the boy with the successor? The corpse of the thing we have in the research facility¡¯s basement didn¡¯t have an egg on its inside. So I presume there is a latent guardian we can obtain to invade other nations.¡± ¨CThe ruler thought out loud while remembering his ¡®daughter¡¯ went missing on the Pandora¡¯s raid; however, he just saw it as the loss of an active.


    The researcher dropped his arms and looked down, hesitantly. ¡°No sir, we presume he left to Falladis with the former head weapon developer Grace Myers. However, the reports of the squad on the border didn¡¯t notice anything similar to a successor. Given the time DD died, the successor must¡¯ve been born already, so there is the possibility the guardian was not with them during the escape.¡± ¨CThe researcher answered while sweating due to the serious expression of the ruler who stopped walking to pay full attention to the report.


    The ruler simply walked closer and tapped the researcher¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Then he is still in the nation, use everything you can to bring him to the dissection table, or else I¡¯ll have to have a talk with you again.¡± ¨CHe eventually muttered while getting closer to the researcher¡¯s ear. After leaving clear his intention, the ruler began to walk inside once again and commanded another team to go searching every city in the nation to get clues on Chronos. The Researcher, on the other hand, was pale, feeling his shoulder heavier and only remembering a dead stare with killing intent.


    Cristobal and the head commander of the military went on a friendly meeting off-duty in a bar nearby. The discussion topic was mostly about family matters and plans on what to do once the missions from the ruler are over. Honestly, at first, I thought I would be able to go back to see my family and have a very enjoyable evening with my grandchild, but since I saw those eyes, the eyes of a being beyond warped, I knew that I had no right to think about my family anymore. I know I won¡¯t be able to go back to them anymore. ¨CCristobal analyzed after having a long conversation with the Commander. A couple of hours later they came out of the bar while laughing about some past wars of the continent while Cristobal was holding the commander¡¯s arm, preventing him from falling on the ground due to his current drunk state.


    Once Cristobal managed to carry the commander to the living quarters he went back to an office assigned to him in order to investigate certain details about the Pandora Forest and the elves that used to guard it. It didn¡¯t take him long to find out there was an agreement with the secondary objective of the Pandora Operation. The subject known as Archival was an elf that took care of the forest his whole life until developing a bond with it, the forest was studied to be sentient and able to receive commands from the subject. It was also recently discovered that Archival was hiding an Earth dragon, breaking a certain clause of the agreement and allowing the military to take over the forest and kill him if deemed a threat. This is too convenient for the government, but knowing this I can reassure myself there is nothing good in the ruler¡¯s head, however, I can¡¯t do anything, or else me and/or my family will suffer consequences. ¨CCristobal thought while analyzing the information from the Pandora operation.


    After some hours of researching, the guardian¡¯s file appears and Cristobal begins to read it thoroughly. He finds out the dragons were created in order to become biological weapons hundreds of years ago, the ones in charge of taking care of them were called the guardians, and so the dragons created a certain affinity for a singular human being through their lives. Given the dragons were unstoppable forces at the time, some of their guardians left them free in the wild, which altered the food chain and became a threat to human beings. With the combined efforts of the Prophets and the current nations, the dragons learned to be more discrete thanks to the generation of humans and humanoids that were chosen to be their trusted guardians. It is still unknown which are the requirements for the dragons to choose a Guardian, but once they do, the guardian attains a power able to subjugate nations. The Prophets on the other hand we''re unable to fight against other human beings; however, their power was able to keep dragons at bay. Technology was eventually developed in order to match certain factors of the ongoing wars at the time, and so the Prophets were also known to be traitors of humanity and were hunted one by one.


    Conveniently, once all the known Prophets were hunted and eliminated, rulers began to appear across the dying nations that were brought to a world war, then the TDW-A01 came into play and the new generation of dragons also appeared, choosing new guardians but becoming less of a threat to humanity due to their ability to hide from the population. Under the ruler¡¯s commands, some guardians became protectors of their nation and became what they were meant to be in the beginning, biological weapons able to turn the tables against any of the current nations.


    After learning about the guardians, Cristobal had to stop the research there before the system showed to the higher-ups about his sneaking into classified information. Some Hours later the head researcher called him in order to augment certain aspects of his custom weapon, once a protocol routine was executed to it, the researcher began to question certain things to Cristobal in order to acquire extra information about the way he uses his custom weapon. ¡°Seemingly, the former weapon developer didn¡¯t give enough information in her reports about the nature of these weapons, so I need to fill up this form in order to let us see your growth with it.¡± ¨CThe researcher explained while taking notes on the general size and aspect of the whip.


    While Cristobal¡¯s weapon was being investigated after being used; Chronos, Elvira, and Sinns ran up to a certain male with long and fluffy black hair, around the same height as Elvira but with wilder looks. The individual presented himself as Hisato Kamagura, also after a whistle, a long green Dragon began to crawl out of a crack from the mountains; the looks of this beast were the ones of a snake ready to attack at command.


    ¡°You have quite the nerve to come here without anything to protect yourself other than these two ladies. You should know that this means you will die helplessly for crossing my domains.¡± ¨CHisato proudly spoke as if he was giving his prey a last chance to escape.


    Elvira looked at Sinns and she simply shrugged while holding Chronos before motioning him to stay still. The Guardian took this as a surrender from their part and snapped his fingers for his dragon to attack immediately. However, Elvira¡¯s gloves returned to their original form before Sinns held onto Chronos, and so Elvira manages to grab both jaws of the dragon and keep them open before slamming the animal against the ground and the mountain as if it was a ragdoll, leaving the formerly prideful guardian on the ground since he fell back due to the sudden impression. ¡°I think you are not well aware either, but you are very unlucky to have come across us especially.¡± ¨CSinns countered Hisato¡¯s previous statement while Elvira was holding down the dragon as it kept jerking around in order to get her off.


    Hisato looked at Chronos desperately as if he was the leader of the group and Chronos simply shrugged with an emotionless expression, as if he was seeing an everyday event. I never expected Elvira to have such strength, but it makes sense since she was able to use Sinns battle-ax with such ease, maybe the gloves are more powerful than they seem, and I should not try to enrage her. Thankfully Sinns was there in the moment she was processing who I am, if it wasn¡¯t for her, It is very probable we would¡¯ve clashed once again.-Chronos addressed the situation in his mind right after taking a glimpse of what Elvira was able to achieve with her brute strength, sending a shiver down his spine.


    Sinns walked up to Hisato and punched him once on his jaw, knocking him out, and carried him back to the crack on the mountain from where the dragon came from. Helplessly, Hisato found himself tied up and with the hound in front of the crack in the mountain to avoid any possible escape route. ¡°Now we need answers. Who do you work for and why are you in Delcyt? Did another nation send you here to attack this kingdom?¡± ¨CSinns began to question the much-disoriented guardian. Hisato could barely put together what just happened since it was too fast.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you are talking about I just know that guy is my enemy, for some reason, I keep getting nightmares about this guy destroying everything and he must be stopped.¡± ¨CHisato began to babble while being scared of being killed in the spot.


    ¡°why wou-¡° ¨CChronos attempted to question him as well before getting interrupted by Sinns who was raising her hand, blocking Chronos from moving any closer and swiftly lowering it to slap Hisato.


    ¡°I¡¯m the one asking questions, the only thing I can guarantee you is that we won¡¯t kill you as long as you are useful to us¡± ¨CSinns replied with authority, looking down at Hisato as if he was a kid about to throw a tantrum. Hisato simply nodded in fear while shaking. Elvira on the other hand already managed to calm down the dragon and even let it move freely around her; seemingly the dragon took a liking to her as well.


    A couple of hours later, Hisato stood up and took a deep breath before speaking. ¡°I am a native of Delcyt, I used to live in one town nearby the Pandora forest and then I meet a dragon five times bigger than my friend there, I was very scared but It made me follow it. I was sort of kidnapped by it but then it suddenly died, leaving an egg behind. Since I heard stories of the elves knowing a lot about these animals, I went to meet the ones by the Pandora forest. They explained to me with sign language and symbols something about me being a protector and helped my dragon hatch, but then I was forced to do a certain rite where I had to survive for a time and I just couldn¡¯t take it and left, since that time I came back to the same place where the first dragon took me and the one I have simply grown up over time and here we are now.¡± ¨CHisato explained quickly, very nervous of what Sinns would do or say. He then sat back down and went to a corner.


    ¡°It really matches certain things I was suspecting, but it doesn¡¯t take away the fact that this thing cuddling with Elvira is a catastrophe that one day will probably kill millions. So we have to either take you to the gove-¡° ¨CSinns stopped herself from continuing speaking as she realized she was talking with a protocol mindset as her lips moved naturally. ¡°Never mind that, for how long have you been taking care of the dragon?¡± ¨CSinns asked trying to shake off what she previously said.


    ¡°2 years, since that moment I escaped from the Pandora forest, maybe I would have to go back and face the rite again.¡± ¨CHisato replied and snapped his fingers twice, making the dragon crawl closer to him, coiling around.


    ¡°I have bad news for you: the forest was burned to ashes.¡± ¨CChronos replied while staring at Sinns who closed her eyes and sighed remembering how she also killed Archival under the control of a certain drug she couldn¡¯t overcome by herself.


    Twitter: @Sbrcbleh12

 Chapter 29 - 26: Vestige Of The Past.

    Elvira¡¯s gloves returned to the form of wristbands so the rest of the Nano-machines would get back to the mechanical hound, allowing her to manipulate it in order to scout the zone around. While she was at it, she could notice drones flying nearby. This is bad; if they scan this zone and find us, they will not hesitate to send a whole army here. ¨CElvira thought before bringing the machine back. ¡°We need to go now, it seems like there are some annoying birds searching for the STFM, if we don¡¯t get out of here, it will be a matter of time for them to find out we are alive.¡± ¨CElvira pointed out while the hound was approaching the crack in the mountain.


    Hisato stood up worried and tried to pet his dragon as Sinns motioned him to stay down. ¡°You are staying here; if you managed to stay away from the government¡¯s eyes for two years, you can keep yourself hidden for longer, so you are staying while we leave.¡± ¨CSinns explained while walking towards the hound along with Elvira and Chronos who looking back at the dragon which looked very similar to an oversized domesticated cobra.


    Elvira leads Chronos and Sinns to the hound quickly and once again set off towards Casamira, following the mountain range and trying to avoid the drones. Given the quick departure and the consequences that would bring, Hisato couldn¡¯t even muster enough strength to follow them, so he kept himself in the shadow as he has previously been doing. However, a drone passing nearby at a maximum height caught a glimpse of him hiding back in the crack of the mountain. The engineers behind the control of the drones managed to remap the majority of the mountain range; after sending a second swarm of land drones, the engineers began to burrow inside the mountains to scan them in order to create a 3D map of the possible caverns.


    Without much room to hide, Hisato tried to escape from the drones by running away towards his natal city in search of shelter. On the other hand, Chronos, Elvira, and Sinns hurried to the border with Falladis, which was heavily guarded by a special task team created by the survivor heroes that took part in the raid of the forest and the previous two heroes that couldn¡¯t stop Gree, Phil, and Nat from escaping.


    Once on their way, to the border between Falladis and Delcyt, Elvira began to think about going to her family and let them know about how she is still alive and trying to solve some important matters. Maybe I can try to talk things with them and so they can keep me in secret. I¡¯m not sure if they are still under the military watch, but I can¡¯t just leave without letting them know I¡¯m alright. ¨CElvira thought while they were approaching the vicinity of her family¡¯s service station which was also heavily reinforced with military vehicles and troops in standby nearby.


    There was no room for Elvira to see her family if there were that many troops and only god knew if there were any heroes among them who could represent a threat to the team, or to her family, so Elvira gave up on the thought, wishing to be able to get back to her family in the future. Sinns noticed how Elvira looked down while heading towards the border and sigh while trying to figure what she had in mind. On the other hand, Chronos was trying to keep the drones at bay by launching a couple of spears at a time in order to destroy them before they notice the hound.


    As they approached the border, an alarm went off and all the standby troops in the post were getting quickly in formation to detain the incoming intruders. Maybe people were expecting the appearance of another vehicle with similar features as the last one but they were unsure since the individuals were ¡°floating¡± in a flash report given by the one who turned on the alarm.


    The soldiers were waiting to see any movement to shoot instantly but all they could hear was several stomps but nothing in front of them. John was prepared in the watchtower scoping the vicinity in order to find the source of the stomp but nothing seemed to be off. Suddenly, something crashed against the main building of the camp, then some speakers around the camo went off and the voice of an engineer was heard. ¡°Everyone present without special abilities, evacuate the zone, the enemy stole a STFM and headed to this border.¡± ¨CThe engineer spoke through the speaker with certainty after reading a report sent to every military facility from the capital.


    After hearing these orders, most of the troops headed to the vehicles nearby and hurried away while Michael was in the front of the facility along with the other heroes that survived the Pandora raid. The team was trying to inspect the zone of impact in front of the building, which to them it seemed to have nothing else in it but just a big hole. However, the hound began to move again and the debris on the ground cracked as it moved, alerting Michael as he was strengthening himself with his ability. Michael managed to grab the hound, but now that the hound began to move once again, he was being dragged by it as he held tightly onto the machine. As the hound managed to create havoc, drawing the attention of the special team in the facility, Elvira, Chronos, and Sinns were making their way towards the commercial route of the border.


    ¡°Will it be alright if you leave the rest of the gloves in that thing? You might not be able to get them back if that was the case.¡± ¨CSinns asked Elvira while sneaking around the building.


    ¡°There is no use on getting them back now, if it wasn¡¯t for the distraction it would be harder for us to get away and try to get to Grace.¡± ¨CElvira replied while there were shots coming from the watchtower, which meant the sniper was focusing on the hound which Elvira purposely made visibly. Without wasting any time Chronos also attempted to strike down the watchtower to create a further annoyance for the ones guarding the border.


    3 large pillars made out of ashes arose from under the watchtower and destroyed its base, making John fall from it and breaking one of his legs in the process. Michael hurried to help him along with the rest of the people left in the facility while the group of Chronos, Elvira, and Sinns already left through the commercial route.


    The plan was a success, but I can¡¯t stop thinking about the fact that they would also send a team after us. Elvira and Sinns seem very sure of this plan, I¡¯m not certain of what will happen from now on but I can¡¯t stop thinking about what Hisato said, would it be probably what Pandora wants? A future without Rulers¡­ -Chronos thought while running behind Sinns and Elvira as an explosion was heard coming from the customs facility where they came from.


    Seemingly the hound exploded due to the excessive separation between the Nano-machines from the wristbands and the ones in the hound as a safety trigger implemented in the gloves to avoid its reproduction by foreign governments. After the explosion, a lot of debris was thrown around injuring other members of the team. Michael instantly carried John to the medical bay and issued a report about what just happened and how they don¡¯t know who did this terrorist attack to the border. Michael also requested compensation for John¡¯s broken leg but he was cut short by an officer walking into the office. ¡°Due to incompetence for having lost control of two very delicate situations and the failure to retrieve a very unique prototype, we now revoke you from your mission of staying here in the border camp. We will send a final compensation report and dismiss you back to the capital where you will be sent home.¡± ¨CThe officer reported before saluting and leaving the office. Michael held his head and rubbed his sides in order to ease the accumulated stress on his head to then sigh and stand up to go back to the medical bay in order to check on John. Everything happened within 4 hours of the incident and Michael tried his best to not lose his mind while seeing how John¡¯s leg was being treated as John was still unconscious.


    On the commercial route of the border, Chronos and Sinns found a sort of camp while Elvira was taking care of their backs in case there was any drone or military convoy searching for them. ¡°You are still a walking disaster, Chronos, and Hisato¡¯s dream might have been a revelation. I don¡¯t trust you but I will keep my alliance with you until we get back to Gree. For the time being rest, since we will need you in case anything happens.¡± ¨CSinns pointed out to Chronos in a very straightforward manner while he was entering a small tent.


    It is only natural, I don¡¯t even know what I am myself, and yet I am here, looking for answers along with strangers that wanted to kill me a couple of days ago. ¨CChronos silently thought while a sudden headache made him frown in pain.


    He slowly sat down weakened and annoyed due to the sudden pain, shortly after, the sky turned black as an accumulation of clouds revolved around the zone, letting rainfall afterward. Instinctively, Chronos tried to make a small tunnel on top of the tent using his own shirt in order to be able to drink the rainwater which brought some memories back of his life before meeting other human beings.


    In his memory, an elf always walked around the vicinity of the mountain and found Chronos hunting around like a beast; he took pity on him and eventually managed to find a way to educate him by using food and water. The unknown elf wasn¡¯t malicious, and seemed to have lived for many years; fairly enough the elf never approached a certain area which Chronos always went back after hunting his food along as doing his necessities. The memory brought him to the moment where he saw the Elf poking a hole on the top of his tent and using a cloth to cover it, so there would be a drop falling from it constantly, allowing him to drink from it freely as the rain kept falling.


    ¡°To think that an unknown elf would teach me so much but I never learned his name, it is a shame that I would probably never be able to meet him again.¡± ¨CChronos talked to himself while drinking from the cloth while there was a heavy downpour falling.


    Elvira was approaching the tents to avoid getting totally soaked and met Sinns eavesdropping on what Chronos just said outside of the tent where he was in, while she had her index finger covering her lips as a sign for Elvira to be quiet. Elvira was a bit confused but went inside the next tent quietly. Did he meet an Elf? Was he talking about the one in Pandora¡¯s forest? Was that Elf not related to him? What was he doing in that forest then? Was he about to become a guardian? So my guess about him being an anomaly is right. ¨CSinns began to overthink while holding her own chin with one hand and her elbow with the next hand as it was her bad habit before Elvira came out of the tent and dragged her in as her clothes were totally soaked.


    Chronos sighed since he knew Sinns somehow listened to him, but he was getting too tired to think about it any further, so he decided to close his eyes for a moment in order to regain strength for when the rain stopped. However, Chronos found himself in a dream where he could see Pandora in the distance, faintly mentioning to him something he couldn¡¯t really hear but seemed to be highly important, but Chronos at that moment didn¡¯t pay much attention to it.


    Twitter: @Sbrcbleh12

 Chapter 30 - 27: The Peace Is Over.

    3 days after her tablet suddenly turned on and downloaded some information, Gree was in Lorenz¡¯s workshop developing a device for Casamira¡¯s Major as a petition from Lorenz himself since there were readings of abnormal tectonic movement in the caverns, collapsing some entrances to active veins in the mines and opening other natural tunnels. The epicenter of the tectonic movement wasn¡¯t exact but it represented a threat to the village, hence, the major requested a certain device from Lorenz after handing him some blueprints on how to make it.


    Gree felt a bit offended given the blueprint represented a very basic model of the device in question and depended a lot on the alloy created to cover the electronic parts. Given she had nothing better to do since Nat was also working on the defenses of the town along with Phil, Gree decided to make a better version of the blueprint and began to develop the electronic components. However, when she checked on her tablet to go back in some notes for reference, she remembered the alert the tablet showed her while she was half asleep. Gree diligently read through the most important documents and double-checked the status of the virus she implanted in the database of Delcyt¡¯s research department. Finally, she sighed after confirming the virus was successfully removed from the classified files, and the backdoor she was planning to have for later was removed. Maybe they are more capable than I expected; surely that new director knows how to order the engineers around. ¨CGree thought while scrolling through the information she had acquired with the virus.


    The day was coming to an end while Gree walked into the workshop to find Phil welding some beams into a large gate for one of the entrances of the village. The progress has been greater than Gree expected since it seemed most of the villagers were trying to get the fortifications needed for the town. The vast majority of contributors believed in the major and his judgment since it didn¡¯t fail to predict and properly counter unfavorable situations.


    As Phil focused on the job that was assigned to him, Gree sneaked behind him with a welding mask to check on Phil¡¯s progress, which was more than what a normal worker in the workshop would¡¯ve done in the time he was given the job. Naturally, Phil noticed and stopped the welding and took off his mask to her what Gree had to say to him, to which she simply gave him a thumbs up and left to check on Nat. Phil got worried for a second but sighed it away and continued welding to finish the last of the 3 gates for the entrances the town has.


    Nat wasn¡¯t particularly busy at the moment since she had to wait for Pascal to check some measurements for her and bring back a blueprint for a sort of cannon they are currently building. Gree approached her and sat in front of her to just stare for a moment in order to make Nat slightly uncomfortable. ¡°Have you figured where Chronos is?¡± ¨CNat suddenly asked while drinking water from her own bottle.


    ¡°Why do you still think about him? Do you like him or something?¡± ¨CGree teased Nat while then turning on her tablet to confirm any recent info from the database of Delcyt¡¯s military. ¡°And no I¡¯m not sure why he suddenly left but the government was also looking for him, however, he wasn¡¯t caught so he might be aimlessly wandering around¡± ¨CGree finally explained while scrolling through reports as she notices the reports of the recent Pandora¡¯s Forest raid. 51 people entered including 4 custom weapon users and only 2 were reported to be alive¡­ They also called Elvira? And if I had to guess, they would surely send Sinns under the influence of drugs since her body would handle them without breaking. ¨CShe analyzed briefly as Nat walked closer to take a look at the report as well.


    ¡°No, but Doc¡­Doc seemed to know him from somewhere, so maybe Chronos is part of his family.¡± ¨CNat countered while frowning since Gree got her intentions wrong and joked about it, she then sat next to Gree and peeked on what she was reading.


    ¡°I see¡­ I honestly have a funny feeling we will be meeting him soon, maybe he will find his way out of Delcyt and we will see him in the next 3 years or sum.¡± ¨CGree shrugged and didn¡¯t think much about Chronos whereabouts, on the other hand, the raid to Pandora¡¯s forest revealed to her the existence of an Earth dragon somehow hidden by the Elves living in there.


    As Phil finished his job for the day, he went to meet Marco at the back of the workshop, which talked to Phil beforehand and asked him for help with an old Pickup they had for deliveries but ended up breaking apart and didn¡¯t have the time to fix it back. Marco explained to Phil the problems and showed him the carcass of the vehicle along with the rest of the pieces all over the place inside an old warehouse. Phil¡¯s eyes lit up as his mind began to produce several possible ways on how the old carcass could end up. ¡°Is that all? Is there anything else I need to know? If not, I will gladly help you get it moving. I will come to check and work on it every day; we just need to survive the Incoming hordes.¡± ¨CPhil happily pointed to Marco who was very pleased with his enthusiasm.


    Some hours later, After Phil manages to check the pieces scattered around the carcass, a tremor shook the village and Gree noticed some readings on different gases emanating from the cavern systems. An alarm in the village was activated and every miner inside and around the cave had to leave immediately the vicinity of the mines entrances; seemingly, the cause of the tremor wasn¡¯t from a tectonic source, but rather from a massive form of life nearby the hive¡¯s core.


    Gree was worried since the prediction of the town major referred to something similar; however, the time given was supposed to be later on that month, not at that moment. Quickly, she took Nat with her and hurried to find Phil who was already waiting for them on their vehicle, and drove out of the town in order to check the cavern¡¯s entrance in case there was any break out from the hive. Instead, the cave had a high reading of different elements on the air including cadaverine and putrescine which were normally found in dead bodies.


    Nat instantly covered her nose and mouth after gagging due to the smell and Gree put on a gas mask she had in the glove box, Phil on the other hand was trying his best to only breathe from his nose, getting used to the smell. Shortly after they arrived, another vehicle that seemed reinforced approached the scene; the driver was Lorenz, and accompanying him was the Major of the town. With a handshake and a genuine smile, the Major introduced himself to the group. ¡°It is a pleasure to finally meet you in person, I am Ivan Dragicevic, and I am the Major of Casamira.¡± ¨CThe old man mentioned in a very cheery way despite the situation at hand.


    ¡°What are you doing here though? I thought you only came out of your cave in case there was a disaster.¡± ¨CGree joked while keeping her mask on as Ivan laughed and motioned Lorenz to get something out of their vehicle.


    Lorenz didn¡¯t take long to bring out a sort of device that could read certain particles in the air. Once placed on the ground it began to emit a beeping noise and a gauge went up, alerting Ivan and worrying Lorenz. ¡°So what does this measure?¡± ¨CNat asked while wrapping a cloth around her face to mask herself from the smell.


    ¡°You see, the hives are abundant in Falladis due to the natural tunnels and caverns scattered around the kingdom, so before becoming major of Casamira, I did construct this device and coated the electronics with the special alloy you are already familiar with. So, getting back to the point, this device measures the condensation of fumes created by the hives, and it tells us whether the hive is in a dormant, latent, or altered state.¡± ¨CIvan explained eagerly and kept constant eye contact with Gree, Phil, and Nat as if he was a professor presenting an invention.


    Gree was holding her chin and her elbow with the next hand as she was fascinated by the utility the device represented. She walked closer to it to take a better look and found some special wiring colors normally used in military experiments. Clearly, Ivan is a politician from the Falladis Kingdom, who leads this village and its honest people, so he would have access to this, but I¡¯m still not sure of what is the meaning of him bringing this device here with us around. My best bet is to ask him directly. ¨CGree thought after a quick inspection of the wiring of the electronics part. ¡°Why are you showing us this device?¡± ¨CShe asked skeptically.


    ¡°I am a sort of first stage mage, and with this, I am able to see small fragments of the future. Having said this, I managed to see glimpses of something bigger than an abomination crawl out of these caves. You and your friends are a great help to the town, but, there is an individual that manages to take down the monster coming out of here with ease, and he happens to know you as well.¡± ¨CIvan explains once again revealing his ability to foresee small mirages of the future.


    ¡°Elvira? Or any other sort of acquainted of yours?¡± ¨CPhil asked Gree as she crossed her arms and shrugged while thinking about all the probable people she knows that is able to face something that big and beat it.


    ¡°Do you have anyone in mind Miss Myers?¡± ¨CLorenz asked expecting a solid answer since the thought of having a massive entity about to breach out of the hive was a scary one.


    ¡°Currently there is no one I know that would be capable of taking down something like that unless it is a specially trained soldier or a guardian.¡± ¨CGree sighed after running out of people they could ask immediate help to. ¡°Don¡¯t you guys have any sort of connection with the capital? We will need military intervention if the cannons you are developing don¡¯t work.¡± ¨CGree concluded while looking back at Nat who just realized she needs to adjust a few things in the cannons and test them before mounting them in the walls of the village.


    ¡°Well, then, it is time to get back to the village, we should work overtime to get the gates in place.¡± ¨CLorenz suggested as he got the device back to his vehicle.


    ¡°How much time do we have before this thing crawls out of the tunnels?¡± ¨CNat asked as Gree place her hands behind her head and walked back into the car with Phil.


    ¡°It might come out today or tomorrow. These reading were of an altered hive, so something will surely come.¡± ¨CIvan answered while getting slightly serious about the matter. ¡°So I hope you don¡¯t mind getting the cannons ready for it as fast as possible.¡± ¨CIvan continued while feeling a bit ashamed to hurry Nat.


    Shit, I still need to test the cannons. It would be a pain if they don¡¯t work by when these things come out of here. ¨CNat thought while getting back in the car with Phil and Gree.


    After they left the place, the wall in the tunnel keeping the hive inside, started to get violently rammed, slowly bending the steel and shattering the rock around it, making it just a matter of time for whatever was inside to get out and head to Casamira.


    Twitter: @Sbrcbleh12

 Chapter 31 - 28: The Horde.

    Nat, Gree, and Phil began to work together on the cannons to get them ready and test them the same night as a group of workers including Marco and Pascal were installing the gate in the last of the spots. Nat worked and fast as she could while Phil and Gree were double-checking the wiring and structural integrity so it won¡¯t fall apart when mounted on the walls of the village.


    Several hours later, Marco and Pascal joined them to talk about the progress of the cannons. ¡°Yes, yes, thankfully we will be done in an hour or so to mount them, I just need to set a generic calibrator to then recalibrate in the testing phase.¡± ¨CNat pointed out with tired eyes as she closed the lid of the analogical section of the calibrator. ¡°You guys might as well take those two already and mount them since they are ready to mount¡± ¨CShe continued while pointing at a couple of large cannons able to launch large heavy ammunition. Pascal and Marco walked out after nodding and saying nothing else to bring the transportation team to get the cannons to the wall.


    ¡°I¡¯m still worried about how they had the ammunition sitting here already.¡± ¨CPhil said while running a couple of tests on the wiring of the cannons and the welded joints.


    ¡°Ivan can see the future Phil, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if they also knew more than they have told us, but leaving that aside I¡¯m sleepy as hell and I need my beauty sleep, so we really need to deal with this matter already.¡± ¨CGree scoffed while checking the programming for the built-in targeting and controls, making sure the alloy is evenly covering the wiring.


    There is also the fact that Ivan mentioned someone coming, who is able to face whatever is down there. ¨CPhil thought while remembering the moment he felt so powerless while Elvira stood behind him, sending a sudden shiver down his spine.


    While they were checking the last of the cannons, a tremor shook the village and the tunnels. An amalgamation of several hundred bodies with immense mouths across its own torso and eyes everywhere, having 4 legs and 3 gigantic arms along with 3 mouths with bones as teeth, crawled out of the entrance of the mines hissing putrid fumes and standing on its legs before heading to the closest source of nourishment along with several abominations and infected.


    An alarm in the village was turned on and everyone was advised to stay at home until everything was over. Pascal and Marco rushed with the transportation team towards the workshop and quickly alerted Gree, Nat, and Phil about the horde that was approaching the Village. In a matter of minutes, the whole transportation team along with Phil and Nat tried to get the last 2 cannons on the walls. Meanwhile, Gree had to find the Major and Lorenz to ask them more about the predictions, however, they already were driving on a special vehicle towards the entrance located closer to the horde. Gree instantly recognized the car and poked her thumb out as if asking for a lift and Lorenz stopped to pick her up. ¡°Ivan, what the hell is going to happen? We are not nearly ready to shoot the cannons and much less repel a whole horde.¡± ¨CGree complained in the backseats, sassily crossing her arms and looking directly to the back of Ivan¡¯s head.


    Ivan sighed and looked back towards Gree. ¡°I am afraid I can¡¯t tell you about what will happen, because it could affect the future in different ways, so I will just let you know that you won¡¯t sleep tonight.¡± ¨CIvan replied concerned since he didn¡¯t know much about what was going to happen either, but he was betting on the future were they survive somehow.


    On the other side of the town, Phil and Nat were mounting the cannons with the transportation team and fixing them in place so they could properly withstand the recoil of every shot. The cannon consisted of a large barrel with a magnetic rail able to launch heavy and explosive rounds at high speeds, basically becoming anti-tanks weaponry. Nat felt proud and concerned as to what would happen after placing the cannons on the walls since she didn¡¯t have previous time to test them and they might have offsetting problems. Phil was more worried about the horde including the amalgamation of bodies several times bigger than the abominations around it.


    Lorenz and Ivan were looking at the wall in the distance as there were several people trying to peek out of their houses to understand what is happening, some of them consisted of younger people gathering out of their houses, expecting something to happen, and very badly equipped. Gree took a look at them and sighed since it would be most likely for them to die if they tried to fight any infected from the horde. Lorenz kept driving towards the workshop and managed to dismiss some people in the middle of the road by blowing the horn, as they seemed dumbfounded looking at the transportation teamwork on placing the cannons.


    Pascal and Marco were coordinating another team to quickly make a rough estimation of the ammunition they had and the amount of infected approaching. Which ended being short of ammo on their side, representing a problem and risk of individuals having to go out of the walls to clear up the non-mutated infected.


    After Lorenz arrived at his office, he began to send a distress message to the capital in order to get help, with the unbelievably massive infected that was slowly making his way to the walls of the village. The message described the situation and the urgency of the request for help; right after he sent the message, Marco entered his office while out of breath. ¡°Lorenz, they are 500 meters away from the walls, the cannons are mounted but-¡° ¨CMarco stated before being interrupted by a loud explosion created by the large rounds being launched from the cannons.


    Nat and Phil tried their best to control a cannon each and prepared the necessary offsets to shoot, not totally accurate but enough to impact in a large group of the infected and a couple of abominations that began to charge against the wall. As they kept shooting, Nat got increasingly anxious due to the amalgamation in the back of the horde slowly making its way in clumsy steps, as if it just learned to move.


    Phil commanded Pascal to control another of the cannons and shoot, but missed his initial target; shooting way further than intended. Quickly, Pascal took a notepad from his pocket to write the approximate distance the round flew to. However, the infected already reached the walls and began to slam their limbs against the fortified spots, doing a minimum of damage towards the concrete and steel reinforcements. But then the abominations arrived too and started to bend the steel with their flailing.


    Ivan was standing outside of the workshop, looking at the cannons shooting and reloading after a small time lag. ¡°Do you think miracles exist, Miss Myers?¡± ¨CIvan asked before turning to Gree who was right next to him, looking at her tablet and reading some documents, humming and not paying attention to what he said. ¡°You really seem very carefree in a situation like this.¡± ¨CHe muttered while looking back at the walls as they were heavily pounded by the abominations.


    As the cannons were being shot at the abominations, the amalgamation was struggling but keeping a steady pace towards the village, stomping several infected in front of it and splattering their remains around. In the near vicinity, at the entrance of the mines, Sinns and Elvira were slicing howlers and normal infected, each of them holding 1 of Chronos daggers, while Chronos himself managed to take down a couple of abominations a few meters in front of them.


    ¡°What is going on and why are there so many of these things here?!¡± ¨CElvira asked confused while slicing the next infected approaching her.


    ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken there has to be a hive nearby, and it broke loose searching for nutrients.¡± ¨CSinns replied as she quickly dispatches some infected as well, sliding the dagger swiftly and cutting off the limbs of the infected.


    ¡°And we are supposed to go to Gree with a horde of this magnitude in our way? Wouldn¡¯t it be wiser to avoid this?¡± ¨CElvira opined as she took another of the infected down and swung the blade to get rid of the excess of putrid blood.


    That would be a good idea, but Casamira is right in the direction these things are heading, so if we want to have a clue of Gree¡¯s whereabouts, we need the people in that town alive, however, there is little we could do against that¡± ¨CSinns sighed and pointed to the amalgamation which was clumsily moving.


    ¡°I could try to get its attention while you two attempt to reach faster to the town; however I am not sure if it will work.¡± ¨CChronos suggested as Elvira and Sinns doubted it but allowed him anyways since it would be their only way to get to Casamira. He then began to run in separated ways from them, piercing through anything in his path, given Infected, howlers, or even abominations.


    Similarly, Sinns and Elvira ran towards Casamira as they kept hearing heavy rounds being shot, one of those landing close to Sinns and injuring her right arm slightly, which almost instantly got covered in some sort of scales and healed. Tch, at this rate I will be losing a limb completely, are they really only aiming to kill the infected? ¨CSinns silently complained while rubbing her arm to brush off the dirt and gunpowder.


    Elvira keeps killing left and right, even using her free hand to crush the skulls of the infected, as if she was releasing some stress on them, not minding the trail of motionless corpses she is leaving behind while approaching the fortified village.


    ¡°There are some heroes taken down some infected on their way to the village!¡± ¨CPascal exclaimed excited after scoping Elvira and Sinns massacring every infected in their path while making their way to the village.


    Nat and Phil managed to hear Pascal but didn¡¯t pay much attention to him since they were busier trying to hit the howlers gathering more and more infected around them and the abominations preparing to ram the wall.


    At the same time, Lorenz and Marco came out of the workshop to meet Gree and Ivan, who was simply standing nearby the parking lot. ¡°Ivan, how much of this were you able to see?¡± ¨CLorenz asked while getting in his car with Marco to carry him to the wall.


    ¡°I just saw a horrible monster and someone taking it down, but I don¡¯t know if we will survive before that happens¡± ¨CIvan answered, as he also got inside the car, while Gree silently jumped in as well, throwing glances to the street and her tablet.


    On the other side of the field, Chronos kept pushing forward towards the amalgamation; every infected, howler, and abomination in his path was almost instantly pierced by large ashen spears that rose from the ground. In his hands he had another spear made out of ashes but refrained from using it since it could slow him down, preventing him from his immediate goal. Minutes later, he made contact with the amalgamation, piercing its massive legs and part of its torso. However, he was only able to slow it down and shift its attention to him.


    Sinns and Elvira successfully made their way to the gate of the village after taking down an abomination together, syncing their moves to avoid wasting time, slicing off the abomination¡¯s head and arms. Elvira then began to knock on the gate as a way to mock the gatekeepers behind it. ¡°IS THERE ANYONE AT HOME?!¡± ¨CShe yelled in order to get the gate open, which was quickly opened by a couple of dwarves that looked at them with respect and fear.


    Phil kept firing further after realizing there were substantially less infected nearby the wall, then he realized the amalgamation stopped moving in their direction and seemed to be attacking a rather young person he couldn¡¯t really recognize due to the distance. Nat sighed in relief after noticing reinforces arrived to help and relaxed slightly, shooting a howler with more enthusiasm.


    The amalgamation attempted to slam its deformed limbs against Chronos who was easily avoiding the swings and stomps, but despite his efforts, Chronos couldn¡¯t completely finish off the massive mountain of bodies that were in from of him. To his surprise, there were a couple of jets flying over the area and carpet bombing the amalgamation a lot with a large number of infected, inflicting a lot of damage to it. At the same time, an animal with the similar looks of an enormous inflated frog, landed nearby Chronos and after hearing an unknown man whistle, the animal spat a high-pressure stream of water with probably the width of Chronos¡¯ arm, acting as a water blade, and aiming towards the amalgamation, being able to cut through it easily and splitting it in two.


    Chronos was looking at the scene in awe before the man who whistled patted his shoulder. ¡°Are you alright? We are here to clean the area, please go back to the town so we can do our job.¡± ¨CSaid the man with an overwhelming presence.


    Twitter: @Sbrcbleh12

 Chapter 32 - 29: Reunited Again.

    Once a special team, which arrived along with the Jets, took down the rest of the horde, they placed a quarantine barrier around the entrance of the mine as well as the giant frog guarded the place while the man who came in contact with Chronos escorted him to Casamira. The gates then opened again with the help of the same dwarves who let Elvira and Sinns pass through, allowing Chronos to see the village which happened to be rather larger than Argos.


    Suddenly, Chronos felt a sharp pain on his face after being pulled down and slapped hard by Nat, who was furious and stressed. ¡°WHO THE FRICK YOU THINK YOU ARE BY LEAVING US LIKE THAT?!¡± ¨CNat yelled while continuously trashing Chronos who took a brief moment to realize who it was and what was going on. A couple of minutes later, Nat drops Chronos on the ground and looked at him in disdain before tears began to fall from her eyes. ¡°You are all that is left from Doc¡­¡± ¨CShe muttered while sobbing and cleaning her tears.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry; I caused more problems than I should have.¡± ¨CChronos apologize while Phil was approaching them, followed by Sinns and Elvira who met with him after entering through the gate.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to see you here; I thought you would go back to where you came from given the dangers we were facing. But what was all that about? Who are you?¡± ¨CPhil asked, aiming a handgun at Chronos as a preventive measure.


    ¡°I am not sure how but-¡° ¨CChronos attempted to explain before being interrupted by Lorenz¡¯s car stopping in front of them. Gree came out of the backseat and inspected Chronos in silence, to then read a report in her tablet just to confirm something.


    ¡°You went to Pandora¡¯s forest, I presume?¡± ¨CGree asked coldly while narrowing her eyes. ¡°Meaning that the package you had in the past was an egg close to hatch. Where is it now? Did the ruler take it?¡± ¨CShe continued questioning Chronos in a serious tone while everyone remained silent in order to hear the answer.


    ¡°Wait, what? An egg? What happened in Pandora¡¯s forest? What is going on now?¡± ¨CNat asked once she caught up with the conversation, looking at Chronos trying to get answers with a confused and fragile expression.


    ¡°It was dead all along¡­¡± ¨CChronos replied while clenching his fists, recalling the moment he witnessed the insides of the egg falling from it in the form of a dark gooey mass back in Pandora¡¯s forest.


    ¡°This is not the place to discuss this matter, so take him to the commissary and lock him in there; we need to avoid any more public disturbance.¡± ¨CIvan ordered as there were people already gathering around them. Phil demanded Chronos to raise his hands and proceeded to restrain him using handcuffs that Lorenz threw at him.


    Nat felt betrayed, the only person she thought could be anything related to her former tutor, ended up being a liar from the beginning. She sat on the ground and simply reflected in silence, while everyone left. Pascal and Marco tried to make her go to rest by sending her to the apartment and so she did.


    Meanwhile, Elvira and Sinns were being interrogated by Gree on what happened the past weeks as she also explained how she got a hold of some information. Chronos was locked in a cell underground and being watched by Phill who as felt betrayed but attempted to avoid mixing his feeling with the situation.


    ¡°Answer me Chronos; I asked you once and I am asking you this again, who are you?¡± ¨CPhil asked, calm but annoyance could be noticed in his tone.


    ¡°The only thing I know about myself is that my name is Chronos, I thought I was a guardian when I first heard the term, but I failed, the egg I was carrying was dead, and I couldn¡¯t become one. I was lured to Pandora¡¯s forest by something I couldn¡¯t understand, my mind broke into pieces, and after learning magic, I felt like I could defend myself.¡± ¨CChronos explain trying to summarize the past events while gesturing with his hands as they reflected his feelings through the explanation.


    ¡°Was the magic those needles you summoned while fighting gigantic infected?¡± ¨CPhil asked while analyzing the information Chronos just gave him. ¡°And what do you think lured you to the forest? Was it the elves living in there? Did you meet any elf there? Did you understand anything about what they said?¡± ¨CHe continued to ask in order to find out more.


    ¡°I somehow knew what they were saying all the time, there was an elf called Archival, he helped me to enter in a state to learn magic and said he lured me to the forest but it wasn¡¯t him, because I could feel something else in my head, I kept thinking about it but it keeps fading away from my thoughts.¡± ¨CChronos explained, remembering how he saw Archival die in the forest as everything was in flames.


    ¡°And you learned magic just like that? Out of the blue? I¡¯ve seen very experienced people in the matter and never heard of anyone mastering it so simply and at such degree.¡± ¨CPhil countered in order to press Chronos for details, the information was vague and he knew there had to be more behind what Chronos said.


    ¡°There was a trial, to see if I was worthy of bearing Pandora¡¯s duty. After I completed it, I felt stronger, but then I was taught the base of magic by Archival. He just simplified it but it came to me faster than he expected and I woke up from a dream where Pandora helped me break free from a transparent cage. Once that happened I could see the spears appear whenever I called them.¡± ¨CChronos continued narrating his past experience within the forest, before briefly looking at his hands in the end.


    ¡°And how did you end up meeting with Elvira and Sinns?¡± ¨CPhill crossed his arms and sat down while sighing, trying to believe what Chronos just said.


    ¡°I can answer that.¡± ¨CGree mentioned as she walked in and sat next to Phil. ¡°Sorry for taking long, I just had a very emotive reunion with Sinns and Elvira. I would tell them they are cuter than before but my pride wouldn¡¯t let me.¡± ¨CShe added with a sassy tone. ¡°Anyways, back to the point. Chronos fought them in Pandora¡¯s forest and seemingly defeated Sinns because he took her by surprise with his new flying sticks, which I have to add, are a huge surprise to me too, since you seemed to be more of dead weight in the beginning.¡± ¨CShe added bluntly. ¡°So according to Sinns you are more dangerous than the elf on the shelf or archive or something.¡± ¨CShe finished by gesticulating with her hand in a dismissive way to subtract importance to the matter.


    ¡°For how long were you hearing this conversation before you entered the room?¡± ¨CPhil asked Gree who seemed very satisfied with the answers Chronos gave to him since it made sense according to the conversations she had with Elvira and Sinns.


    ¡°Everything; I didn¡¯t want to ruin the mood so I waited outside and entered when necessary.¡± ¨CGree answered while passing Phil her tablet with a report on it. The report consisted of the investigation team receiving an anomalous incoming signal from the Pandora¡¯s forest, which affected the frequency of the measuring devices, forcing a protocol scan of the zone with a recon team.


    Phil read the report in silence and continued by reading the plan of raiding the forest after a special prototype of the new AMHAR series was destroyed mysteriously in the middle of the failed dragon extermination. He saw all the participants¡¯ names in a list and the date of the operation. After that, there were no other reports concerning the Pandora¡¯s forest raid and Phil leaned back on his chair while sighing as Chronos was in silence looking and them.


    ¡°A dragon, the same one we saw in Argos? But that doesn¡¯t make any sense. It is too much of a coincidence as if-¡° ¨CPhil began to give his opinion before being interrupted by Gree who took back her tablet.


    ¡°As if someone sent the Dragon to Argos, yes; but this someone is dead, along with the dragon. However, there was no more information about the anomaly other than the brief reading the investigation department got.¡± ¨CGree continued, explaining to Phil the missing point. ¡°So yes, Chronos, Sinns, and Elvira fought. Chronos won. And everything he has said is true, but the anomaly, the source of it was not Chronos. Because if it was him, the readings the investigation department got, wouldn¡¯t have stopped.¡± ¨CGree concluded by looking at Chronos fascinated and pointing him with her index finger.


    ¡°So what is Chronos then? Is he a mage? Or is he a Guardian? Or is he something we haven¡¯t discovered yet? This is so confusing.¡± ¨CPhil pondered in the matter while holding his head to ease the headache he was getting from all this matter.


    ¡°For now, it is best for me to use him as a lab rat and find out what is he, and why is he always in between so many causalities.¡± ¨CGree pointed out before Phil stood up and gave a last look at Chronos before leaving the room. ¡°Oh right, try to talk with Nat, she is sulky since the horde was wiped out. Maybe you can find out what is the matter with her.¡± ¨CShe gave Phil a thumb up and let him leave.


    Once Phil exited the room, he was met by Lorenz and the leader of the team that helped wiping out the horde. ¡°Mr. Moroc, I know you are busy with the reunions but this is an official from the capital and leader of the rapid response team who came to help us thanks to the distress message I sent before. He wants to ask you a few things, so now if you excuse me I need to leave.¡± ¨CLorenz quickly pointed out before leaving them to attend other matters concerning the workshop as his phone began to ring during the time he spoke.


    ¡°Nice to meet you Mr. Moroc, I¡¯m Charles Ford, and as the workshop director said, I dedicate myself to reach and quickly deal with situations like the horde. However there are other missions I get regarding border patrolling, and I hope you understand where this is explanation is heading.¡± ¨CCharles talked in a very formal tone and took a couple of handcuffs from the back of his belt. ¡°According to the law of this kingdom, the party that traveled with you and the newcomers that recently helped in the battle with the horde are under arrest and you will be escorted to the capital for interrogation.¡± ¨CCharles stated while arresting Phil who was surprised by this sudden outcome. A couple of agents that accompanied Charles entered the room where Phil came out from to arrest Chronos and Gree, who didn¡¯t resist, however, Chronos didn¡¯t understand what was happening and Gree willingly walked along with the agent.


    While they were escorted out, Chronos saw Elvira and Sinns being politely told to accompany them while Nat was trying to resist since she wasn¡¯t sure of why they were being taken away. Nat then calmed down as she saw Gree being quiet and serious while following the agents to a helicopter situated in the vicinity of the Village.


    Phil noticed the old Innkeeper talking with one of the agents, the innkeeper casually shifted his attention to Phil and grinned, which made Phil realize Lorenz wasn¡¯t the one who sold them out, but the innkeeper. He clenched his fists in anger but Gree immediately tapped his arm in order to snap him out of it. ¡°Keep calm; there was nothing else here for us.¡± ¨CShe muttered while walking towards the helicopter.


    Charles was following them and made sure every one of them got up in the helicopter before looking back at his team. ¡°Make sure to confiscate and investigate all their belongings. Interrogate everyone who made contact with them.¡± ¨CHe commanded before putting on some straps and heading towards his dragon, which was the giant frog-looking beast, fully equipped with several belts and cargo.


    Twitter: @Sbrcbleh12

 Chapter 33 - 30: Hisato Kamagura.

    On the outskirts of one of the cities of Delcyt called Carca, Hisato tried to hide his friend and attempted to wander around in the search of a job that could help him survive as an affiliate of the guild. He managed to get a couple of tasks in order to gain some money but he knew he had to find another way of income to avoid starving and letting the dragon break havoc. I don¡¯t really want to stumble upon people that could be as strong as those 3 I met a couple of weeks ago¡­ So I better not stand out too much.¡± ¨CHe thought while working in a small food establishment as a part-time worker.


    Hisato¡¯s life became calmer as he kept working hard in feeding periodically the dragon he was supposed to take care of. Day by day he tried to not draw the attention of the government or the guild so he dedicated the most to his part-time jobs. He kept living closer to the outskirts so he would be able to meet with the dragon every time he could. However, there were people always watching him strolling in the night, eventually bringing them closer along with authorities to ask where he was going.


    ¡°Good night officer, how can I help you?¡± ¨CHisato shyly asked while two uniformed approached him and suddenly began to beat him up for some minutes until they got bored and took his belongings. A couple of hours later the two policemen threw him out of their car in a public dumpster located at the entrance of an alley and hurried away from the place to avoid any midnight stroller.


    Hisato woke up hours later after some people began to walk around the street, slowly coming back to his senses and remembering what happened several hours ago. At least they left me alive¡­-Hisato thought while clenching his fists and making his way back to where he was staying in order to rest properly.


    Days later, Hisato received a particular task from the guild to help a certain chairman candidate of the city as a bodyguard and so he did, but the security was rather lacking since there were other few who accepted the task, so the worst happened as in the public meeting the candidate held an armed group of terrorists took the life of the chairman, placing in a very bad spot the security team assigned for it.


    Hisato was called upon interrogation but the two officers who happened to carry said interrogation were the same two that assaulted him in the night, several days ago. I can¡¯t believe it, so everything was just a trap? Why? How? Was their target the candidate? Is that why almost no one else showed up? ¨CHe quickly asked himself in terror as the two officers smiled and sat in front of him, with malicious intentions.


    After a couple of hours of personal questions and blackmailing, the officers managed to get the information they wanted and even forced Hisato to lie in order to get a fake testimony, promising him safety and anonymity. However he was told to drop all his belongings since they are all some sort of evidence and they are needed for the investigation, so he would have to get them back later on that week and after paying the recovery fee.


    Hisato was simply marked as an easy target, inconveniently tumbling upon more and more unfortunate situations that slowly drove him closer to mental breakdowns. Now that dream where everything is in chaos doesn¡¯t seem that bad. ¨CHe kept thinking to himself as he slowly pets and tried to hide the dragon he was taking care of when suddenly a sort of mist began to surround the outskirts of the city and faint steps could be heard approaching Hisato.


    ¡°Who would¡¯ve thought I would find another one in such a small period of time? First in Pandora¡¯s forest and now in Carca¡­¡± ¨CLawrence said as he slowly made his way out of the mist, resting his scythe against his shoulder and walking towards Hisato while the dragon was glaring at Lawrence, sensing the danger he represents. ¡°Oh, I am deeply sorry. I haven¡¯t introduced myself yet. I am Lawrence Kaiser, a former military worker who, like you, is being oppressed and chased by the government for crimes I have not committed.¡± ¨CHe lied while bowing down in fake respect, expecting a positive response from Hisato.


    Hisato who had a bad feeling about this situation quickly left with the dragon, mixing themselves with the mix in order to avoid Lawrence. However, Hisato couldn¡¯t see where to go and the dragon kept glaring in a certain direction. Naturally, I wouldn¡¯t be lucky enough to lose this guy just like that. ¨CHe scoffed to his own luck in his mind and tried to keep his guard up despite the difference in strength he didn¡¯t know they had. ¡°What makes you think we went through the same situations? Isn¡¯t it a bit bold of you to appear out of nowhere and big talk a guardian?¡± ¨CHe spoke out loud trying to find a way to get out of the mist, which was getting denser as he kept moving. At some point, Hisato ended up walking back to the same place where Lawrence first appeared in front of him.


    ¡°Well, that certainly wasted our time don¡¯t you think? However, I must admit I am most certainly a patient man.¡± ¨CLawrence announced as he bowed and gestured as a way to politely dismiss Hisato¡¯s attempt of escaping. ¡°Also, to answer your questions, I am delighted to announce that I, under normal circumstances, would have already captured you or silenced you as a part of my job.¡± ¨CHe continued while he had a calm look with a smug smile.


    ¡°Then, what do you want from me?¡± ¨CHisato asked as soon as Lawrence paused and began walking closer to him.


    ¡°Your cooperation of course, hopefully, it won¡¯t be an issue since we might have gone through similar difficulties, right?¡± ¨CLawrence lied again in order to appeal to Hisato¡¯s approval. However, Hisato keeps trying to find a way to get out of this situation without having to fight.


    A couple of minutes of silence later, a patrolling police vehicle was passing by and its lights could be seen in the mist, without thinking twice Hisato began to scream in order to call the police attention. After screaming for help, the dragon managed to make his way back to Hisato, but he lost sight of Lawrence as the police vehicle was approaching them. ¡°Hah! He got scared and decided to escape, finally, police did something right.¡± ¨CHe exclaimed while cheering for this stroke of luck.


    The mist slowly dissipated nearby Hisato, showing him the police car stopped but the policemen happened to still be in the car. Hisato quickly instructed his dragon to hide and attempted to approach the vehicle, with the hope of getting help. I didn¡¯t expect myself to be so happy to see these two pieces of- -His train of thought was cut off as he realized the officers were the same two but their faces were full of horror while their throats were sliced and bled off along with missing limbs which were scattered around the opened doors of the vehicle.


    Horrified, Hisato stood there in silence as Lawrence slowly came out of the mist to stop behind him, moving the scythe in front of Hisato and closing it to his neck. ¡°I might as well ask for your cooperation once again, or perhaps you would like to end up quartered like them.¡± ¨CLawrence calmly stated while throwing one arm towards the co-pilot seat of the vehicle where the blood was still gushing out of the dismembered body.


    After such a gruesome event, Hisato passed out from fear and Lawrence walked into the police car to then call for reinforces as there was a twisted murderer that attacked the police officers in charge of patrolling around mysterious mist. The receiver on the other end instantly asked for the location of the patrolling vehicle but Lawrence already fled while carrying Hisato with him.


    Several patrols were dispatched but the mist already dissipated and the police car was left there, blood everywhere and several trails of steps around that lead nowhere, the police opened a case and the guild was also informed about the situation so there were conjoined patrols between police and freelancers and heroes that worked for the guild.


    Once Hisato woke up, he found himself tied up on a chair and inside a dark room with a strong smell of blood and chemicals that began to damage his nose, making it bled lightly. After panicking for a couple of minutes, Hisato tried to look for a door while trying to break the ties with just cheer force but notice his arms began to bleed as well due to the thin strings restraining him. ¡°It is not a good thing that you damage yourself even before I get to do anything. That wouldn¡¯t work for me, Mister.¡± ¨CLawrence suddenly appeared through the door which was right behind Hisato. Instantly, Hisato froze and stood quietly while Lawrence had preventively brought surgical equipment, as his face drew a wicked smile. ¡°Now then, shall we begin with our small conversation?¡± ¨CHe jokingly asked before grabbing a pair of scissors and interrogated Hisato while cutting his fingers one by one.


    Meanwhile, the police department of Carca sent a request to Delcyt in order to receive help from the military and tackle this situation faster before there are any other casualties that would lower the public morale. The general in charge of the public safety department received the request and sent a letter to the Minister of defense to carry out a quick sweep on Carca in order to find the one responsible and to clear the doubts that were rising across the department.


    The Ruler also heard about the situation and allowed the mobilization of a small team with veterans to get clues and quickly find the location of the target before it flees the city. The operation took place within hours and a lockdown was transmitted through the media, advising all citizens to stay at home earlier than usual.


    A news broadcast team followed the operation squad while narrating the situation. ¡°And here we reached the area of the gruesome scene which was already tagged and investigated as a mysterious mist happened to rise around the time of the fatality. The forensic corps analyzed the bodies of the deceased and said this was the work of a creature with a high threat category leading to the dispatch of this tactical team as commanded by the Ruler Yan Hernandez.¡± ¨CA beautiful and experienced news reporter stated while looking at the camera, holding her microphone and following the operation squad along with the cameraman. ¡°After the Pandora¡¯s forest incident, ruler Yan has been leaking the information about biological weapons that might have escaped; this became a subject of observation by several cryptozoologists and veteran guild workers. The uncertainty of believing in Ruler Yan after the massive leak of information and the ignition of a whole area preserved by the Elves, resulted in a lot of panic when the arrival of the tactical team took place around 7 pm in the terminal of the Carca District.¡± ¨CThe reporter concluded before several eyewitnesses called for help after an unknown man carrying a long weapon disappeared in a strange mist after leaving an apartment in the vicinity. The closest witness which was a middle-aged man who lives in the same apartment complex began to explain how he heard several screams from a boy in the room where the unknown man came out from.


    Quickly, the team headed into the apartment evacuating the people living in it and asking for backup from the police and the guild to keep order and safety. Once they reached the room, groaning was heard from inside and the door was carefully opened by one of the soldiers as a next one situated on the next side of it. When the door opened, they silently went in, inspecting all the surroundings and the possible victims, but there was only one person inside of one of the rooms as well as there was blood everywhere on the floor of that same room and a machine attached to the body. The person in there was Hisato and his limbs were missing; his torso exposed a large wound which was badly stitched and the team found out he was the source of the groaning, which suggested he was still alive but, his eyes were removed and his mouth was also stitched. The body cam of one of the soldiers recorded the whole situation and broadcasted the video to the research department, filming all details.


    One of the soldiers in the operation team was a doctor and requested mercy-killing the victim. The research department approved the request and a single bullet was shot to end Hisato¡¯s misery. After a couple of minutes of silence, a beeping noise came from the machine attached to his body; shortly, the soldiers took action in case it was a bomb and attempted to flee as fast as they could but it was too late for them. An explosion was seen from the outside as it engulfed the nearby apartments killing the soldiers and destroying the place.


    Twitter: @Sbrcbleh12

 Chapter 34 - 31: Testimonials.

    After the explosion was triggered, Lawrence managed to escape using the chaos and confusion. He recalled the whole conversation he had with Hisato before making him a living bomb. The conversation consisted on asking everything Hisato knew about the dragon and if he knew about the whereabouts of others like him. Despite answering everything without being forced to, Lawrence still decided to dispose of Hisato and leave a gift from his part to the police or swat team that would be after him.


    The news reported broadcasted everything from the safety of the street and keep narrating the situation, asking the neighbors gathered around about what they knew of the current situation. However, she didn¡¯t get many positive interviews, and most of them presented a rather aggressive opinion towards the government before the explosion went off.


    Lawrence walked towards the usual place where Hisato sneaked to meet the dragon and spend time with it. As soon as Lawrence was detected by the dragon, two large fangs quickly flashed to tear him apart but before contact was made, a sudden curtain of mist overwhelmed the dragon¡¯s mouth and made it shake its mouth in confusion due to the uncertainty of what happened. In a quick maneuver, Lawrence threw a long chain around the long mouth of the dragon and slammed it to the ground, making the dragon pass out while twitching. Lawrence then proceeded to drag the dragon away from Carca in order to train it properly afterward.


    As Carca began to fall into anarchy due to the terrorist attacks, Gree, Sinns, Nat, Elvira, Phil, and Chronos were transported to the main headquarters of the military forces in the capital of Falladis itself. Charles was escorting them while mounting on his dragon which leaped at immense heights with really high speeds in order to keep up with the helicopter''s pace.


    Inside of the helicopter, Nat was sitting next to Gree and leaned on her trying to receive comfort, to which Gree sighed and held her hand. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure nothing is going to happen to us, don¡¯t worry.¡± ¨CGree whispered and Nat nodded in response, feeling more relaxed since Gree answered her main doubt.


    Phil was sitting next to Chronos while feeling rather uncomfortable due to the little space he had, and also felt rather bad since the reunion with Chronos turned out to be just an interrogation to pull information out of him. Honestly, I¡¯m quite glad Chronos arrived at the right time; otherwise, we would¡¯ve been in a huge problem with that absurdly big monster that came out of the caves. It just doesn¡¯t add up how he was able to learn magic so fast, even a genius like Gree is not able to do such a feat. ¨CHe thought while some turbulence shook the helicopter a bit.


    Elvira seemed calmer than usual while sitting next to Phil as Sinns began to take a nap, leaning towards Gree after seeing Nat leaning on her too. These kids seem too comfy nowadays. ¨CGree thought while being squished between the two of them.


    The helicopter took several hours to arrive at the capital, as at the heliport the group was greeted by a whole platoon of soldiers who readied their weapons in case there was any hostility from the incoming apprehended group. The leader of the large team walked forth and saluted, before escorting the team and announcing the reason they were brought into the capital besides trespassing illegally. ¡°We suspect you are people who used to work in the military of Delcyt so we require your cooperation to guarantee your safety. I hope you understand the position you are in.¡± ¨CThe Leader commented to Phil, thinking he is the one who brought them all across the border. Once Nat heard this she got confused since the only two she thought might have worked with the military were Chronos and Sinns.


    Before Phil said anything Gree walked faster and pushed him aside to properly speak with the Leader of the platoon. ¡°Excuse me, but I am the one who is in charge of these youngsters. I am Grace Myers, former director of the research department of the military forces and main attributor to the weapon developing programs. I beg your pardon as for we escaped from possibly slavery and/or death if we happened to stay in Delcyt.¡± ¨CShe spoke politely and with proper manners, the Leader briefly looked at her and then back at Phil to be certain this is not a joke of bad taste, however, Phil explained she is an elf older than anyone present. Nat, who was hearing everything, choked on her own saliva after what Gree said, and immediately looked desperately at Elvira and Sinns for any type of visual confirmation to which they bluntly nodded in sync.


    ¡°In that case Miss Myers, I have to have a formal interrogation session with you and the rest of people who came with you in order for us to be sure of your intentions in Falladis.¡± ¨CThe leader explained while entering into a building to then walk down several staircases.


    Nat felt very confused and unsafe but simply sighed as she couldn¡¯t make a scene in the middle of armed soldiers. Phil noticed how Nat began to space out as she walked along and he couldn¡¯t help but worry since he also was guilty of hiding their true identity from Nat, so he refrained to go out of the way since the soldier would take it as a threat and probably shoot him.


    It even makes sense, all this time Gree knew where to go and what to do, as well as she knew Sinns beforehand, was her the reason why the military went to Argos? Then why would they react the way they did when Chronos came back? Something doesn¡¯t fit well ¨CNat thought while walking behind Gree and next to Phil.


    Chronos felt like a stranger to the whole situation, looking around to inspect everything he could, and always trying to look into the soldiers¡¯ faces so he could remember them later on. He was the last one in the line who walked down the staircase being followed by 4 soldiers, Elvira and Sinns were walking in front of him and Sinns looked back a couple of times, keeping her guard up in case Chronos turned against them in this situation, which would be very beneficial to him given the small space to maneuver.


    It still bothers me the fact that we need to put up with him, the danger he poses by only existing is greater than those things we fought at Casamira. We would be lucky if he doesn¡¯t see us as obstacles. ¨CSinns thought while Elvira stared at her for a while as Sinns kept her bad habit of holding her chin while thinking about something. After pondering for a couple of minutes, Sinns realizes Elvira was looking at her and shakes herself off from that brief trance. ¡°What is it? Why are you staring at me so much?¡± ¨CSinns whispered.


    ¡°You seemed very worried about something, are these soldiers intimidating you?¡± ¨CElvira joked while walking down the last set of stairs and being directed to different rooms which functioned as waiting and interrogation rooms. Elvira was the first one to enter the closest one which was a small and cubic-like room with a table in the middle, two chairs, and a couple of water bottles on top of the chair. A uniformed man was waiting, while sitting by the next side of the table, expecting Elvira to sit as well. ¡°I already know the drill, skip to the important questions.¡± ¨CShe pointed out without much interest in talking.


    ¡°Very well, miss; I need your real name and purpose of illegally crossing the border, I am a border officer that will hear what you have to say and produce a report accordingly.¡± ¨CThe officer explained as he pulled out a pen from his shirt pocket and opened a notebook. Elvira, surprised as the situation was further from what she expected, sat down quietly and signed with her name on the notebook before starting to talk about what happened to her in Delcyt for the last month.


    A few hours later, Elvira walked out of the room, and the officer called Nat to go in now. As she was spacing out, the officer got closer and shook her shoulder to then call her in again. She was a bit disoriented but followed after him. Once inside, Nat sat in silence while the officer mentioned the protocol rundown that needed to be said in order to get the information he needed. Nat reluctantly answered some bits but then started to space out again thinking if it was all real for a second. Ever since I knew Gree and Phil, it felt so warm and welcoming, but then Doc died after Chronos appeared and just Gree, Phil, and I escaped? Why did I have to escape as well? Why did they have to escape too? Was Chronos the one who came for them? Or was Chronos the one being chased? If that is the case why didn¡¯t we go back and get a normal life? Why do we have to fight hordes and then get jailed in another kingdom? Why is all this happening? ¨CNat thought while breaking down in tears, worrying the officer who felt rather uncomfortable and wary of what was going on. ¡°I¡¯m sorry; I lost it for a moment.¡± ¨CNat sighed while wiping her tears after a couple of minutes of crying.


    The interrogation with Nat took the longest as she explained with a lot of detail what she experienced since she left Argos and how everything seemed to go well for her somehow. After leaving the room, Nat felt relieved, as if a weight was a lift from her chest, a similar sensation she had when she used to talk with Doc, but she tried to brush it off as it was a gloomy memory. As Nat sat down the officer came out of the room and asked For Phil to enter. Given his very personality and train of thought, Phil¡¯s interview was the fastest so far, taking only 20 minutes.


    The officer called Sinns after Phil came out of the room and as he began to ask the same questions to her, she presented herself as the daughter of Delcyt¡¯s ruler. As soon as she mentioned it, the officer looked at her directly into her eyes. ¡°It was never public the Ruler had a family, how do I know you are not lying?¡± ¨CThe officer asked while writing his report. Sinns then began to explain the countless experiments she has been subjected to since the moment she was born and the purpose for her birth as a living weapon that the ruler could use in case of contingencies. With what Sinns said, the officer thought it would be alright for the interrogation, so she could call Gree on her way out.


    As Gree entered the room, the officer sighed as he knew beforehand who she is since the leader of the platoon informed him a couple of minutes before the interrogations. ¡°What¡¯s up, I strongly believe you already know who I am so let¡¯s make it brief. I need you to tell me whatever that Chronos guy mentions to you because he looks kinda iffy and I¡¯m not really sure of what he actually is.¡± ¨CGree casually spoke as the officer raised an eyebrow and looked at her dumbfounded. ¡°I know I know, not a request I should be asking given my position as a potentially dangerous, and stunningly beautiful spy from Delcyt.¡± ¨CShe dramatically stated. ¡°But, I don¡¯t gain anything from lying here so I will quickly update you with everything I know, and maybe if you guys think a tiny bit about helping us I could also leak some info of Delcyt¡¯s military.¡± ¨CShe concluded while raising both of her hands together and keeping them in a praying position.


    ¡°I will do what I can Miss Myers, just please begin to explain your reasons why illegally entering Falladis.¡± ¨CThe officer mentioned while writing on his notebook once again.


    After a long interrogation session, Gree came out of the room and happily sat between Elvira and Phil, as the officer called Chronos in and gestured a couple of soldiers to dismiss the rest of the group to another place inside the facility in the meanwhile. When Chronos sat in front of the officer, he was requested to give his real and complete name in order to start the interrogation. ¡°The only thing I know about my identity is that my name is Chronos, and I am approximately 20 years old.¡± ¨CChronos commenced the interrogation by introducing himself. ¡°I don¡¯t have memories of my parents, and I am unaware of any living relatives, so I took a surname from a book I read, Van Weils.¡± ¨CHe continued before the officer stopped him.


    ¡°So are you telling me you never met your family, and then who raised you?¡± ¨CThe officer asked while looking confused at Chronos.


    Before Chronos could say anything, in his mind a faint voice echoed, repeating on itself continuously, attempting to make Chronos lie instead of what he was about to answer. ¡°A dragon took me and fed me until I was able to hunt by myself, then an Elf suddenly arrived, searching for me and gave me proper education, at a basic level at least. I never knew the elf¡¯s name, or their intentions on why they taught me so much.¡± ¨CChronos answered, trying to ignore the voice inside of his mind.


    ¡°I see, so you are a guardian or about to be one, Falladis employs them so it is not rare. Could you tell me the attributes your dragon possesses so I can register it?¡± ¨CThe officer pointed out and asked naturally while writing his report.


    Hesitantly, Chronos stayed quiet for a minute before speaking. ¡°It died; seemingly, it was already dead since before it hatched.¡± ¨CHe replied while clenching his fists as a sudden feeling of frustration and sadness invaded him briefly.


    The officer placed down his pen and looked at Chronos directly into his eyes while keeping a very serious face. ¡°Where you realized it was dead and what did you do after you lost the egg?¡± ¨CHe asked while remembering what Gree mentioned to him before.


    ¡°It happened in Pandora¡¯s Forest, I learned magic from an old elf that used to live there, and I¡¯m not very sure, I tried to protect him, but he was killed and I was knocked out, when I woke up, I took Miss Elvira and Sinns from the burning forest and tried to make my way back to Gree. I thought she would have an answer to my situation, but we had to fight our way to finally meet her, and in the end, no one trusted me.¡± ¨CChronos stopped explaining for a second after realizing how he didn¡¯t really have anyone to help him anymore. ¡°And finally, the Bordering team that helped to fight the horde took us here.¡± ¨CHe finished and took a deep breath while waiting for the next question.


    The officer narrowed his eyes and tapped his finger on the table before picking up his pen and silently began to write on his notebook. ¡°Chronos, you have learned magic in the time you spent in Pandora¡¯s forest, correct? ¨CHe asked while shifting his eyes from the notebook to Chronos and vice-versa, to which Chronos simply nodded. ¡°Magic is an extremely dangerous law of nature that could put in a comatose state those who can¡¯t control their desires, and takes years if not a lifetime to learn and control it, this applies for dwarves, Half-breeds, Elves and human beings. There are some who can potentially learn it faster than others, but it still would take discipline and years of training. Could you please tell me the time you spent in the forest before your departure from it? ¨Cthe officer explained in order to see a reaction from Chronos and notice if he is about to lie or not.


    ¡°Around 3 weeks if I¡¯m not mistaken.¡± ¨CChronos hesitantly answered as he wasn¡¯t sure for how long he slept while being caged on his own mind. The officer wrote silently on his notebook once again and closed it.


    ¡°You may leave now.¡± ¨CThe officer stated while following Chronos out of the room and called for the same two soldiers from before to take Chronos with the rest.


    Twitter: @Sbrcbleh12

 Chapter 35 - 32: Vestige Of The Past #2.

    The group was sent to some living quarters underground in order to wait for the reports to be processed and to be legally admitted or not. After several hours waiting in different rooms, the officer who wrote the reports entered the common lobby of the living quarters and requested the presence of Sinns, Gree and Chronos, since they would be needed for further testing and interrogation. Nat sat down as they left and Phil sat down next to her.


    ¡°Once upon a time, there was a family of elves that got sold to a wicked king in exchange for peace. These elves happened to be used as soldiers to suppress the masses who stood against the same king through hundreds of years.¡± ¨CPhil started telling a story to Nat, catching her attention. ¡°In the years the elves served the king, a new elf was born, radiating with hope and expectations of freedom. But as soon as this elf was able to speak and defend herself, she was taken away from her parents.¡± ¨CHe continued, noticing Nat was listening attentively. ¡°The little elf was then made into a slave, but in the field, she would only be good for searching proximity mines. However, the elf was blessed with intelligence and understanding, soon becoming a really important tool for her owners.¡± ¨CHe stopped briefly as he noticed Elvira leaning against a wall behind Nat, also listening to Phil. ¡°The ones who used her long passed away and she grew more knowledgeable, until one day from the kindness of their heart, the successor of those who used her as a tool, recommended her to become a scientist, so she could finally step away from the danger. Sadly, it was far too late to save her innocence as she already witnessed the darkest side of the world after decades.¡± ¨CPhil stopped while getting flashbacks from the tales Gree used to tell him when he was younger.


    On the other side of the underground facility, Gree and Sinns were separated from Chronos who was told to enter a large room with white walls, a long reinforced window, as well a normal and a large gate on both ends of the room. They really aren¡¯t wasting their time, huh? Both the daughter of the ruler and I have to be further interrogated to leak information about the military, the soldiers Phil and Elvira are under surveillance along with Nat the civilian, and the one they don¡¯t really understand is about to be tested. If this runs in a protocol, I will have to comply with their requests until we get our belongings from Casamira. The only thing I can¡¯t cover is Chronos'' safety, so I guess that will be up to him as for what he does. ¨CGree deduced while being told to keep on moving after Chronos entered the testing area of the facility.


    ¡°The elf became a field researcher, taking readings and scanning dangerous zones along with a team assigned to keep her protected. However, nothing much happened the first 10 years, until a small civil war started, drawing closer even more unfortunate events that twisted her mind even more, or so she believed. 5 years later, after a small town happened to be raided by terrorists, her team was assigned to scan the area and retrieve any value from it so it would become a zone for operations for the government. There was only 1 survivor, a baby that miraculously didn¡¯t die since the rubble falling from the ceiling fell apart and caged him into a very small hole. After hours of crying, the elf noticed the baby and saved him, naturally keeping him despite the warnings given by her teammates, who were worrying about the baby being a bomb.¡± ¨CPhil narrated before getting interrupted by Nat who got rather confused.


    ¡°What? Who in their right mind would think about something so sick and disturbed?! ¨CNat complained as Elvira and Phil looked at her in silence knowing very well the answer to that. Nat after reading the moment understood they might have seen it already and so she looked down ashamed, letting Phil continue.


    ¡°Years passed, and the elf managed to take good care of the child, raising him to become a soldier so he could defend himself. The child also studied and learned what he wanted to learn, with the elf always taking care of him like a mother until there was the decisive moment to leave the life of a government pet behind. Both the Elf and the now grown-up kid escaped after learning about very dangerous information regarding the government, and so they managed to hide in a small town. They were welcomed by a very eloquent old man and seemingly his granddaughter. The old man sheltered the elf and the man and gave them jobs to do, helping them, granting them the peace they were looking for.¡± ¨CPhil sighed as he finished the story and began to pat Nat¡¯s head. Nat knew from the beginning of the story Phil referred to Gree and him, and so she tried to process everything in silence before going to one of the rooms of the living quarters. Elvira wanted to follow her but Phil stopped her, shaking his head quietly, letting her know to leave Nat alone for a moment.


    On the other hand; Chronos patiently waited inside of the room, looking around in curiosity, silently trying to understand his surroundings better. After a couple of minutes, one of the gates opened, letting several infected inside the room, to which Chronos rapidly became alert of the sudden runners. As if it was a natural thing for him, Chronos gestured with his hands before countless particles revolved around simultaneously while creating the shape of thin spears before accelerating towards the heads of the infected and silencing 15 of them in a moment. ¡°Please, proceed to the next part of the room.¡± ¨CA researcher spoke through a speaker while looking at Chronos behind the large window.


    Is this what would happen if I was taken along with the egg in Delcyt? Or maybe I would have been killed in the spot? In any case, I should be able to learn something if they let me fight like¡­this¡­ -Chronos thought while walking towards the door where the infected came from, realizing there were dozens of them waiting for him. Effortlessly, he continued taking down as many infected as he could. However, after going on for hours, he suddenly began to feel drowsy; his body wasn¡¯t reacting as how he wanted and Chronos ended up collapsing on the floor in front of the remaining infected, which were killed afterward in order to clear the place and retrieve Chronos. The scientists in charge of running the test for Chronos began to take blood, hair, and nail samples from him as he was unconscious in order to run a general diagnosis on his health and other matters regarding his compatibility with some substances developed in the facility.


    While Chronos was being treated like a lab rat, Gree and Sinns were interrogated once again but this time by military officers in charge of the Intel department. The officer stated several facts they knew about Delcyt¡¯s government thanks to Gree¡¯s tablet, as they thoroughly revised the data in front of her. Sinns looked at Gree confused as to how she had access to so much information out of her expertise; Gree simply shrugged with a dismissive expression on her face. One of the officers pointed out the existence of an anomaly born from the death of DD, as Delcyt wasn¡¯t the only nation that addressed the frequency distortion. Gree¡¯s mind wasn¡¯t focusing on the matter at all, showing her disinterest by yawning and taking longer to answer some questions in rather childish behavior. Sinns, despite not having previous knowledge about the matter, was paying attention during the whole conversation as she felt familiar with it.


    Only when the officers began to imply about benefits upon collaboration, Gree began to take them seriously and explained his position as a former researcher along with the possible armament Delcyt might be developing as the interrogation continued. ¡°Oh, I also requested something from the guy that interrogated the others; did he let you two know about it?¡± ¨CGree asked after remembering the session earlier that day. One of the officers pulled out of a drawer a recorder the size of a pen. Gree instantly played it and the 4 of them heard the entire conversation.


    Several hours later, Gree finally convinced the officers to grant her a meeting with their superior in order to give them some of her designs in exchange of protection and a certain degree of freedom. The officers then advised Gree and her team to get ready in order to meet their superior as soon as possible before letting them go to the living quarters once again.


    Upon entering the living quarters, Gree was met by Elvira sitting next to Phil. Instantly she smiled and narrowed her eyes in silence while walking straight to a sofa in front of them and dropping on it to instantly fall asleep. Phil sighed and tried to pick her up to carry her into an actual bed, but was stopped by Sinns who began to talk about the interview they just had.


    ¡°I see, but then, where is Chronos? He was also taken with you two and hasn¡¯t come back yet.¡± ¨CPhil asked after looking around and out of the living quarters.


    Sinns shrugged and tried to remember the last time she saw him. ¡°He was taken into a room with a very heavy door that sealed right after he entered, so it is improbable for us to see him until they let us.¡± ¨CSinns mentioned a bit worried about the matter, thinking about the chances of Chronos being subjected to inhuman laboratory tests as she did.


    Chronos woke up on an infirmary bed and a scientist instantly gave him a couple of medicaments along with a glass of water. He hesitantly took them and drank the water. ¡°Have you been in contact with the TDW virus before? Apparently, your body has been trying to fight it for a long time, so besides your magic, there is an abnormal quality about your body since everything else seems normal besides the fact, that you should be dead already.¡± ¨CThe scientist explained while looking into a chart he picked up after giving Chronos the medicine.


    What does this mean? What is keeping me alive then? And why? ¨CChronos debated in his mind before a strong headache began to torture him.


    ¡°Ah, so the medicine is working now.¡± ¨CThe scientist mentioned while writing down the time of reaction on his chart. ¡°Generally it takes longer to manifest in the ones infected by it. Since you are the first one recorded in this facility to be alive and host the virus, this is a special occasion.¡± ¨CThe scientist continued before finalizing the brief report of the effect. ¡°Before I leave, I recommend you to take it easy, this medicine doesn¡¯t cure the virus, it mutates the virus so it cannibalizes on itself. Since a regular infected is technically dead already, the medicine simply would stop all movement and terminate the individual. You, on the other hand, are a special case, so we will keep you here to follow the progress of the medicine.¡± ¨CHe explained before standing from the chair and leaving the room as Chronos was trying his best to endure the horrible pain.


    Several Hours later, Chronos was finally knocked out by the pain and remained asleep while some scientists seized that moment to take samples of his hair and blood once again. At the same time, Nat woke up after crying herself to sleep, feeling pretty optimistic now that Phil tried to talk things out in a different way than normal. After coming out of the room she locked herself in, she was met by Elvira and Sinns who wanted to hear about the life Gree and Phil had while living in Argos.


    Phil was taking care of Gree, who was also asleep, by bringing her water and asking patrolling soldiers for any sort of meal they could provide. He was surprised since the meal he requested turned out to be larger than expected and enough to feed the 5 of them. Phil also asked for the whereabouts of Chronos and the soldiers limited to mention he was under a protocol testing so he had nothing to worry about.


    Nat kept herself busy by talking eagerly about her life in Argos and how everything was pretty calm for her before the incident. Elvira and Sinns paid close attention to the details Nat mentioned and often turned to see Phil to get a confirmation, to what made him sheepishly scratch the back of his head and nod while looking away from the 3 of them.


    Gree suddenly woke up after coming into a realization in her dream, making her sweat cold and leave the room with a serious expression. Everyone turned to see her and Phil instantly stood up as he sensed something was off. ¡°Call it a hunch, but they are up to no good with Chronos.¡± ¨CGree stated without much of an explanation while closing the door behind her and turning to see several soldiers gathering in the front of the living quarters.


    Twitter: @Sbrcbleh12

 Chapter 36 - 33: The Proposal.

    ¡°We are here to escort you to have an audience with the Ruler of Falladis, Eloise Reed.¡± ¨CThe leader of the group announced before guiding the group out of the facility, blocking the possibility for them to look around for Chronos.


    ¡°Huh? Wasn¡¯t I talking with 2 low ranked officers from the military? I asked to see their superior and discuss matters, why are why going to see the Ruler?¡± ¨CGree quickly reacted with a confused expression while trying to pry for answers she didn¡¯t get.


    The group was escorted by the soldiers and directed out of the underground facility to a special vehicle in order to transport them to one of the Ruler¡¯s safe houses located on the outskirts of the capital. Gree and Phil began to count every second that passed ever since they were taken from the facility and drove them to the safe house in order to keep track of where they were going. Nat was kind of internally panicking as she never thought she would meet such an important figure like a ruler in her life. Elvira and Sinns were quiet and wary of what was going to happen since they¡¯ve only heard tales of the ruler.


    Once the vehicle stopped, the group was told to get out of it and walk into an idyllic garden where an elf with a black dress eccentrically decorated was sitting behind a round table equipped with a large umbrella and sipping tea while waving at the group, motioning them to approach her. The two officers who interrogated Sinns and Gree were standing behind her, letting Gree deduce quickly they were personal guards of the ruler.


    The group approached the table and Gree sat on the chair in front of the ruler, feeling rather pressured but not intimidated. After a few seconds of silence, the ruler took another sip of tea and Gree sighed as she understood the ruler was expecting her to talk. ¡°It is an honour to have met you, my name is Grace Myers and I¡¯m a scientist who-¡° ¨CGree cleared her throat and began to introduce herself before being interrupted by the Ruler raising her hand as a sign for Gree to stop.


    ¡°I¡¯m aware of the identity of everyone present here, and I also know your intentions, I just want to know what kind of information you can provide to Falladis that could be traded in exchange for our collaboration, given the information is relevant to our interests.¡± ¨CEloise spoke in a refined and serious tone, proper of royalty but not as pretentious as a corrupted politician, to then take the next sip of her tea while subtly eyeing Nat.


    Gree took a moment to think carefully about her answer and came up with the memory of the files she stole before leaving Delcyt¡¯s research facility along with Phil, approximately 10 years ago. ¡°Delcyt¡¯s ruler is planning to go in a war with the rest of nations using the corpse of DD and the successor.¡± ¨CGree suddenly replied. ¡°The corpse is already in his possession but not the successor.¡± ¨CShe added, getting the attention of Eloise and making place her cup down.


    ¡°How do you know the successor is not being investigated already, given you didn¡¯t have any files concerning the matter once we revised your data storage?¡± ¨CEloise asked, prying for more answers since the topic turned out to be of vital importance to her. Elvira stood behind Gree as if she was a bodyguard and Phil was looking around without moving from the spot next to Elvira. Nat didn¡¯t dare to say anything as she felt pretty nervous but noticed how Eloise shifted her eyes to her a couple of times. At the same time, Sinns felt pretty worried due to the overly exposed environment they were in, as it was dangerous given the status of the Rulers.


    ¡°After evaluating the occurrences that happened to us in the last months, I came up with the conclusion that Chronos is the guardian of the successor but the successor died, given his testimonial.¡± ¨CGree stated very sure of herself as Nat widened her eyes lightly along with Sinns¡¯ and Elvira. ¡°I presume he still hosts something that produced the anomalies that lead to the Pandora¡¯s raid. Despite lacking the proper training for it, Chronos has managed to survive and develop the second stage of magic just like Elvira who is standing behind me.¡± ¨CShe continued giving a brief report as Eloise stood up from her chair and turned around to talk with the officers behind her.


    ¡°Cease the testing on him; seemingly he is one of them.¡± ¨COne of the officers reported through a phone before hanging up almost immediately.


    ¡°One of them? What do you mean one of them?¡± ¨CNat questioned without thinking and Eloise turned to see her. A sweet smile was drawn on the ruler¡¯s face as she saw the worries of Nat in her eyes.


    ¡°Here in Falladis there is a library that holds tomes from people who wrote about the beginning and the end of the Prophets, they all speculated about certain harbingers of the apocalypse and such who came in the form of anomalies. Given the impact these books had, their numbers were severely reduced.¡± ¨CEloise suddenly explained as if she was telling a fairy tale. ¡°As an exchange for your collaboration, I will allow you to enter in that Library as well as the return of personal belongings and comply with other minor demands. Francois will take you to the Library and serve as a guide through the capital.¡± ¨CShe pointed out while gracefully motioning to one of the officers behind her before leaving to one of the vehicles in order to go back to work.


    Back in the facility, Chronos had several sensors connected superficially to his body as a scientist was comparing his reactions and general body features with the results of general infected. To her surprise, the scientist discovered Chronos biological data and the virus in his body had a similar pattern as a hive that was neutralized several years ago. Before leaving the room where Chronos was being subjected to testing, the order of ceasing experiments arrived, disabling their progress to find out more about Chronos. I am not certain, but maybe they are trying to find out how I am still alive. I have separated from the group once again and I still have a headache, thankfully it is not as intense as before. This doesn¡¯t feel like when I used to live in the forest or hills, I don¡¯t feel the same peace, but for some reason, I found peace when I was travelling with the group. I feel tired. ¨CChronos mind was swarmed by different thoughts almost at the same time, keeping him silent and making him space out as the scientist detached the machine from him and left the room.


    Several hours later, Eloise entered the room where Chronos was followed by Charles. ¡°Hello, I hope you didn¡¯t find unpleasant your stay in this facility. My name is Eloise, and this person who I presume you already know is the one who brought you here, Charles.¡± ¨CEloise eloquently introduced herself along with Charles who waved at him before each one took a seat next to Chronos¡¯ bed. ¡°I happened to meet the group you travelled with and they mentioned something of vital importance to me. Do you know anything about DD?¡± ¨CShe asked while crossing her arms after noticing Chronos¡¯ eyes lit up once he heard DD.


    ¡°We need you to tell us if you know anything about an egg that DD left, we suspect you are the guardian who will be in charge of raising it.¡± ¨CCharles bluntly stated, going straight to the point.


    Chronos, who still couldn¡¯t properly express his emotions after what happened in Delcyt, began to tear up and clenched his fist but quickly calmed down after a deep sigh. ¡°The egg was dead before hatching. The elf who helped me incubate it, said it never happened before, but he couldn¡¯t tell me more about what he knew, as there was a raid that killed him.¡± ¨CHe narrated once again while looking at Charles who winced in regret from being so straightforward.


    ¡°So it was an egg left by DD, but it was dead before hatching, like, rotten?¡± ¨CEloise pressed on the topic in order to understand what could have happened.


    ¡°Yes, black liquids poured from it along with the dead baby.¡± ¨CChronos dully answered.


    Eloise gestured to Charles and he nodded to then stand up and leave the room. After a couple of minutes in silence, Eloise began to speak in her elfic tongue and Chronos stared at her impressed that she knew he could understand. ¡°You met Archival I suppose, and if that was the case, you must have been chosen as a candidate, correct?¡± ¨CShe asked, to what Chronos only nodded in response. ¡°Then, you have a parasite in your mind, a psychological intruder that accelerated the process of learning magic. Pandora, one of the harbingers who wanted to bring doom to humanity, was also one of the triggers that started the hunt for the prophets.¡± ¨CShe explained while Chronos couldn¡¯t really understand as he was trying to hold on to his task from Pandora. ¡°Among the current rulers, 3 of us worked together in order to stop her but seemingly Archival cultivated a forest that could host her subconscious. Since it was out of my jurisdiction, the forest managed to grow under the Archival¡¯s surveillance. According to Yan, there was an ace up his sleeve to burn it down, hence, the raid that you were involved in.¡± ¨CShe continued while Charles entered the room once again with a tablet in his hands.


    ¡°According to the interrogations we conducted with the rest of the team you were travelling with, the ruler of Delcyt plans on declaring war on other nations in the hope of being able to conquer them or gain military technology able to extract and replicate with more efficiency the data proportionated by the Corpse of DD¡± ¨CCharles informed while reading the reports shown in the tablet. ¡°We also investigated and confirmed most of the acquired information from the interviews. We found out you are Chronos Cinere, son of Alexander Cinere and Jean Martinez, who disappeared along with you after travelling to a place where the government didn¡¯t even want to send soldiers to die. The vicinity of the weakened DD. Your Father¡¯s family was involved as well and your mother only had a relative left, his name was Johan Martinez, who had a Doctor¡¯s degree in geology and was a first stage mage.¡± ¨CCharles stopped for a moment to read the report again and carefully before continuing. ¡°He was the tutor of Natasha Martinez up until the moment of decease, making Natasha a legal relative of yours, somewhat your adopted sister.¡± ¨CCharles concluded, putting the tablet down on a small counter and leaving the room once again.


    At that moment Chronos remembered what Doc told him about taking Nat along. So that is why Doc wanted me to leave with her, she is my family as well¡­-Chronos pondered in silence while Eloise addressed his reaction.


    ¡°I have a proposal for you. You can make Falladis your home, but you will have to help us to protect it. This of course includes your safety and the safety of the ones you care about.¡± ¨CEloise pointed out while Chronos thought about it for a moment.


    If what she said about Pandora is right, then I need to know more about it¡­ I don¡¯t lose anything by accepting. ¨CChronos finally accepted by shaking hands with Eloise, who then left the room after leaving the tablet closer to Chronos for him to read more about what Charles talked about.


    While Chronos struggled to understand how the tablet works, Gree, Nat and Sinns were in Eloise¡¯s personal library. Phil and Elvira kept searching for any books of interest as Gree ordered them to search for specific ones that could be related to the hunt of the Prophets. Since Nat wasn¡¯t forced into it, she wandered around in the library to get some books about the minerals located in the cavern systems of Falladis.


    ¡°This might take us a couple of days, so tell Francois we need supplies and such.¡± ¨CGree mentioned to Sinns who nodded and quickly went away in order to search for the officer. It is too much of a coincidence that the hunt started after the harbingers appeared. But according to these books, there was no direct relation to it. It just doesn¡¯t explain why, It is giving me a headache, ugh. ¨CGree thought while grunting and rubbing her temples as there was a pile of opened books in front of her.


    Twitter: @Sbrcbleh12

 Chapter 37 - 34: An Incoming Disaster.

    In a region unknown by the current rulers, there is a flying city, a military place where humanity managed to contain and study certain anomalies, called the Ark. This place was under the supervision of an organization that kept on dwelling on the dark in order to avoid being dismantled by those who deemed it dangerous. This city often landed on the ground for supplies and kept contracts with some rulers in order to receive information and create connections beneficial for both the Rulers and the organization. Eloise was a benefactor of this organization and had received information beforehand about the deaths of the earth dragon and Archival. Given the situation, she did not expect to stumble upon Chronos, an anomaly the organization mentioned to her that was recently addressed by massive frequency interferences similar to the one that DD produced upon death.


    After the proposal, Eloise coordinated a team to make sure Casamira and the border are still in order, however, in this patrolling mission Charles wouldn¡¯t take place, since he had to be in charge of training Chronos as a new military addition. All preparations took at least a month after the last conversation Eloise had with Chronos, and by that time Gree managed to find a book that explained the situation of Pandora, a very ancient-looking book that dated from the time the dragons began to roam the world.


    According to the texts, the prophets were not the only ones who were blessed by the power of killing immense creatures, but also those who could inherit these abilities through the will of the predecessor; these abilities were called ¡°Absolute commands¡± and were given a name to each one of the originals. This distorted the views of reality in history, opening a path the lead to the understanding of magic as the discovery of the most recent humanoid species. Phil found other books written by the same author and began to read them as well. Sinns and Elvira wandered into the library looking for books of the sort and Nat was lost for a while between the bookshelves but didn¡¯t care too much about it as she kept finding interesting books about the dwarves and blacksmithing.


    Gree fell asleep under a pile of books that fell on top of her but was too tired to get out of there, so Phil had to come around and get her out of the pile. Francois periodically walked into the library to make sure there was some progress made into the investigation Gree was doing; to his surprise, Gree also wrote a book summarizing most of the important details about the books she has read so far, highlighting the importance of some specific points in the world where the books described as holy or anomalous by different authors.


    Francois placed the book down and walked up to Phil in order to mention to him the decision Chronos took after the proposal. ¡°We require your assistance to train Chronos along with Charles as you are already familiar with the standard tactics taken for military training in Delcyt. This would make him familiar with it in case there is another conflict with the ruler Yan.¡± ¨CFrancois explained as Elvira managed to eavesdrop on the conversation as she returned with some books she found.


    ¡°I can also help with that, Chronos already fought me, so I am well aware of what he can currently do.¡± ¨CElvira popped in after dropping the books on the table next to Gree who was still asleep.


    Francois addressed Elvira with slight indignity as she intruded on an important conversation; however, he resumed and accepted the suggestion before leaving the library to prepare the transport. As soon as he left, Elvira turned to look at Gree and Sinns coming from another section of the library, dropping several books on the ground next to the table. ¡°Did Francois just leave? I think we need to ask him to form another plain notebook for Gree.¡± ¨CSinns casually mentioned as she stretched, making several of her bones produce a cracking noise. Elvira then explains to Sinns that Chronos is going to become a soldier and both Phil and she will supervise his training. With a suspicious look, Sinns shrugs it off and gives her a pat on the shoulder before turning back to pick up the books Gree already read. ¡°Alright then, I will help Gree investigate and look for Nat wherever she is; so there is no problem with you two leaving. I¡¯ll let Gree know about it when she wakes up, just tell Francois we need the notebooks.¡± ¨CSinns said in a dismissive tone while pilling the books to then place them in their respective places.


    Phil sighed and walked out of the library followed by Elvira as Francois was waiting for them at the entrance, ready to leave and get back to the underground facility, where Chronos is going to be trained for the rest of the year. Nat ended up circling back to where Gree was and noticed she was sleeping, as she didn¡¯t have much to do, she began to read the book Gree wrote and the ones Sinns brought for her.


    Back on Delcyt, Cristobal was in a training camp that was built in the same facility where the corpse of DD was kept. In the last month the Ruler approved the insertion of DD¡¯s genetic material into Cristobal as a new genetic program to enhance the already trained soldiers, any erratic behavior shown would end up on the decapitation by the tracking collars.


    The program subjected many veteran soldiers; some of them were survivors of the Raid of Pandora¡¯s forest, but the majority was chosen given their remarkable history and slightly above average qualities where they would be considered heroes if they applied to become guild workers. The general idea terrified Cristobal since he saw a dragon beforehand and didn¡¯t want anything related to it in his body. Sadly, this was a mandatory experiment and he had to serve as an example for the rest of the subjects involved. Weighing this responsibility, Cristobal steeled himself and let the surgery begin in order to see if there was compatibility with DD¡¯s biological print and his body. This decision was taken based on the results given by Sinns, who was also subjected to this procedure before being sent to the raid. After the month where Eloise was making preparations to begin Chronos training, around 50 of the 200 soldiers selected to take place into the program, died due to extreme mutations which triggered the collars, severing their heads to prevent any more losses.


    Cristobal was one of the survivors that managed to assimilate the biological print of DD. The researchers and doctors who operate him recommended at least 1 to 2 weeks of resting in order to be fully prepared for any of the upcoming tests approved by the ruler. There were some highly compatible soldiers within the ones selected and managed to develop some sort of hardened skin, giving them special resistance against heat and heavy hits. Ruler Yan was very pleased with the results and sent a small team of these soldiers to investigate the scorched land that once was Pandora¡¯s forest with the intention of searching for the remnants of the earth dragon in order to research its composition.


    Cristobal requested some documents about the next missions that will be assigned to him in order to get familiarized with it, using his free time to learn more about his goal. However, the ruler himself came to his rehab safe room and sat next to his bed. ¡°Every time I look at you I see you more resilient, are you sure you are human?¡± ¨CThe ruler mischievously joked, making Cristobal sweat cold.


    ¡°Ever since I joined the army to protect this nation and my family, I was ready to throw away my humanity, so¡­ I guess I am not human anymore.¡± ¨CCristobal solemnly stated while looking at his hands, feeling there was something off with his body. ¡°What is my next task? I requested the document but they never came.¡± ¨CHe pointed out, going straight to the point.


    ¡°I denied the delivery, so I¡¯ll tell you myself. You are going to master whatever your body can do now, and the scientists will investigate your limits, and after you are ready, you will be the perfect face of the military and head to war.¡± ¨CThe ruler answered while standing up and leaving a small bouquet of flowers on the table next to Cristobal¡¯s bed. ¡°I will start a war for domination and to preserve a natural peace that was lost the moment humanity wanted to play god and created horrors that feasted on us.¡± ¨CHe concluded before leaving the room.


    The only inhuman one I have met so far is you; drawing a war will only bring losses, there is not even a pretext to base it on and yet¡­ -Cristobal thought while sighing, feeling a sudden shock on his hand, forcing him to take some medicine he had next to the bouquet left by the ruler.


    After leaving the medical ward of the facility, the ruler ordered several scientists to speed up the recovery of Cristobal and send the ones who are already recovered to the training grounds for protocol testing, as well as a sooner report from the team that was sent to recover the corpse of the earth dragon. Once the ruler gave his orders he left the facility to attend to other matters concerning the general state of the nation and the affairs of the citizens.


    Cristobal was later told by some of the scientists that his capabilities would be similar to what Sinns could have been capable of. His custom weapon was also slightly enhanced in order to adjust itself within the most optimal range of conduction in order to withstand Cristobal¡¯s power in case his magic got enhanced with the surgery.


    Some days later, Cristobal was able to fully recover and was directed to the testing grounds in order to gauge his capabilities, to which he greatly exceeded given he could effortlessly deactivate a new model of the AMHAR series by himself in less than 30 minutes and without the aid of his custom weapon.


    The scientists caused an uproar when they realized Cristobal was beyond their expectations since he performed several times better than Sinns on her best results. According to the report made by the research team, Cristobal was capable of running for 20 meters per second and jump without muscle tension for up to 7 meters in height. His muscles developed a thin layer of some sort of fat that protected him from a normally fatal wound such as a stab. Small elements like needles could still pass through it as the medical team confirmed upon taking blood samples, however, the needles seemed to be clamped down by the muscles unconsciously, suggesting a self-preserving instinct the body has developed through the surgery, in other words, the healing factor presented in Sinns could be also seen in Cristobal but in a lesser state. On the Custom weapon test, there wasn¡¯t much of a change beside his output, enabling Cristobal to break through 2-meter thick steel walls easily. The scientists called him a sort of super-soldier, comparable to the prophets.


    After reading the report the ruler was about to head to the research facility in order to make sure of Cristobal''s progress. Before leaving, an alarm went off and several uniformed soldiers were dispatched to carry him to a safer place. ¡°What is the meaning of this? Why the alarm? Is this a security protocol without my consent?¡± ¨CThe ruler asked while being pretty annoyed before one of the soldiers reported a dragon along with its guardian taking down several police teams and destroying the southern side of the capital.


    A reporter was live in a rather safe area narrating the situation as the dragon quickly swallowed whole a couple of officers while a dense mist was covering it. Normal bullets didn¡¯t affect it and every officer that showed up was either the next to be eaten or sliced to pieces due to the unknown guardian. A couple of minutes later, from the mist, a tall figure wielding a scythe stood on top of a police car to have a better view of where the government building was located. The dragon slowly coiled behind him and waited in silence for the next command.


    Twitter: @Sbrcbleh12

 Chapter 38 - 35: A Deal With The Devil.

    The ruler was watching the broadcast of the news while traveling in his security vehicle on a special escape route. ¡°Give me the information we have gathered of the terrorist.¡± ¨CThe ruler spoke, ordering a scientist next to him, who had a tablet searching for matching features on the government database.


    ¡°According to what I found, he participated in the Pandora¡¯s raid; he is the subject who escaped on Cristobal¡¯s report. His name is Lawrence Kaiser, former participant of the custom weapon program and former elite soldier, capable of casting a dense mist around himself. Upon shrouding, his ability to cut through matter is abnormal. His records show erratic behaviors with certain individuals and murder; he was called to the raid to then be executed but the situation changed since he somehow managed to take off the tracking collar.¡± ¨CThe scientist explained while reading.


    ¡°Is there any report of him being a guardian?¡± ¨CThe ruler asked while leaning his head against 2 fingers while using the door of the vehicle as his elbow stand. The scientist simply shook his head while on the broadcast the reporter could hear from the terrorist how he requested an audience with the ruler. Once he heard this, the ruler requested to be taken to Lawrence, keeping in mind the danger but wanting to negotiate in order to hear what Lawrence had to say.


    The situation persisted for 30 minutes before the ruler and several military vehicles reached the place. Lawrence was feeding the dragon a couple of limbs from officers that tried to shoot him beforehand. A dense mist was covering him and the dragon in the shape of an ominous cocoon, so the military couldn¡¯t see through in order to properly shoot, so the Ruler took the risk and went out of the safety of his vehicle to negotiate with Lawrence. Upon getting closer, the mist partially dissipated where Lawrence was located. ¡°I really didn¡¯t expect the ruler himself would show up in front of a newly born guardian.¡± ¨CLawrence joked while walking away from the mist.


    ¡°What are your demands?¡± ¨CThe ruler asked in a serious tone while looking at Lawrence directly.


    ¡°That was pretty straightforward, quite proper of the almighty ruler of Delcyt.¡± ¨CLawrence commented. ¡°I have actually several things in mind, but the first of them is immunity. I want to know I will be able to carry on this discussion in your office like 2 civilized men, and so I can grant you my services as a guardian.¡± ¨CHe answered with a sly smile, shifting his looks to the small army the ruler brought along with him.


    After a moment of silence, the ruler began to consider the situation and snapped his fingers to make a sniper who was aiming for Lawrence to retreat and also making several of the soldiers behind the ruler lower their assault rifles. This made Lawrence dissipates the mist as well, only for the ruler to discover the dragon was missing, to which he looked at Lawrence in disgust, silently praising his wits. The ruler then commanded a group of 4 people to escort Lawrence in a vehicle, as he willingly gave up his scythe as well, which made the ruler pretty wary of him given the show he put an hour before his arrival and how compliant he is now.


    Once in a safe zone, several kilometers away from the capital, the ruler held a meeting with the general of the army, the head researcher, Cristobal, and Lawrence. Cristobal served as a witness in order to certify whatever Lawrence happened to mention regarding the raid. Outside of the bunker, the small army was also waiting for any orders in case something went wrong. Meanwhile, on the outskirts of the capital, the dragon quickly moved, following Lawrence¡¯s scent and avoiding any contact with people.


    The platoon stationed out of the bunker eventually noticed the presence of the dragon by using a proximity sensor that acted as a sort of sonar and adopted a defensive stance by preparing the tanks they had and the mobile turret, along with the assault rifles they counted with. However, the dragon seemed to not make any moves upon entering the range of the device, as if it was waiting for something. The soldiers reported this to the general who was inside of the bunker and he received the message but didn¡¯t read it given the importance of the meeting.


    ¡°Well gentlemen, I see you are all reunited here in my regard, so I most appreciate that. However, I will be brief given there are matters to be held accountable for.¡± ¨CLawrence politely referred to the present figures in the meeting. ¡°I want to be part of the military once again, but I know very well it won¡¯t be as simple, so to the public, I should be prosecuted in order to ensure the credibility of the ruler and the military, besides the approval of the people who suffered losses. This of course is just a slight matter that could be made up to ensure my safety and the possibility of having an irreplaceable active added to the military.¡± ¨CHe gracefully explained, extending his arms as a body language sign to seek the approval of the ruler, commander, and head researcher. Cristobal was standing behind the commander, silently listening and knowing the ruler would accept Lawrence¡¯s conditions because of the dragon he managed to find and bring to the capital.


    ¡°Given your situation, you seem very confident that you won¡¯t be actually prosecuted as the dragon would become the actual addition to the army. From my point of view, you are not in the position of demanding anything but to be killed in the spot.¡± ¨CThe commander mentioned while accommodating himself on his seat and crossing his arms. Meanwhile, the head researcher passed a tablet to the ruler to show him a notice where the dragon is in the vicinity, in a passive stance, to which the ruler looked at Lawrence and narrowed his eyes. Upon noticing, Lawrence smiled and sat down in front of the ruler, across the table in front of them.


    ¡°I must warn you, the situation will require you to suffer and get indoctrinated for the safety of our ranks, otherwise you are a weight I¡¯m not willing to carry any longer. As I have seen your records, you are very likely to cause major drawbacks that could potentially be greater than the simple addition of a guardian.¡± ¨CThe ruler objected, making Lawrence¡¯s smile fade away.


    With a sigh, Lawrence reclined on his seat and pondered for a few seconds. ¡°What if I also knew about the fugitives you are looking for? I¡¯m pretty sure that cat-looking lady called Elvira is with your daughter as well within that group.¡± ¨CLawrence pointed out, making the ruler¡¯s eyes widen and sit properly, clearly catching his attention.


    ¡°Well, this changes the situation. I will be clear: If you bring VM01: Sinns and retrieve the custom weapon created for Elvira Sevens, I will consider your proposal and lift any charges up to the date.¡± ¨CThe ruler concluded and looked at both the Commander and Head researcher as they both accepted his decision without hesitating.


    Cristobal simply limited himself to listen to the meeting. This situation will drive Lawrence to ignite the war that Yan wants, and since this situation is conditional, there is no guarantee for Lawrence to be admitted back into the military. However, he seems to be capable of doing such a feat as becoming a guardian, so I can¡¯t discard the probabilities. ¨CCristobal thought as the meeting finalized, escorting the ruler out of the bunker. Once Lawrence left the bunker, he whistled to make the dragon slither next to him in order to leave the place to start his new mission.


    In Falladis, inside of one of the safe houses Eloise owns, she and an agent from the organization had a meeting, exchanging information regarding the implications of using Chronos as a soldier while he is being trained by Phil, Charles, and Elvira. In return, Eloise obtained information from other nations such as Arkadia and Metan. However, the agent mentioned that Metan¡¯s religious ruler seems to be making preparations for the day god comes down to earth to bless humans again as once it did with the prophets. This conversation worried Eloise and made her recall what Gree mentioned about Delcyt¡¯s ruler wanting to start a war. The situation seems to be precarious, what is Yan thinking? And who is he going to start a war with? In any case, I need to travel to Metan and have a talk with Aster. ¨CShe thought while leaving the safe house and entering her vehicle. The agent also left to enter another vehicle and left the place.


    Meanwhile, Phil was teaching Chronos how to defend himself in hand-to-hand combat in case he wasn¡¯t able to rely on his ability. Elvira often joined them to mercilessly beat Chronos in case he had learned anything from Phil¡¯s teachings, and spoke to Phil about what she noticed in the fights. There was always room for improvement but Chronos seemed to learn quite fast, as he could dodge better and land hits every now and then. Phil kept trying to have talks with Chronos about what he was lacking and how to improve it, but unlike Nat, Chronos never wrote anything down and simply tried to focus on what Phil said every time.


    Francois and Charles often visited the training grounds of the underground facility in order to assess Chronos¡¯ progress with several tests done within the same room where Chronos was first tested in battle, as he was forced to kill some infected over and over again. Every time there was another test, Chronos grew less dependent to even use the knives provided by the researchers, efficiently breaking the necks and spines of the infected to either finish them fast or restrict their movement to achieve certain goals given to him for progress.


    The quick development of Chronos scared Charles, as he was supposed to fight him at some point to gauge his improvement once again. However, given Chronos was tagged by the researcher¡¯s team as a special case, Charles was allowed to use his ability to even the test battle in case there was a problem, to which he complained since there was no need for suppression in a mock fight.


    Elvira was eavesdropping on the conversation as Phil stood next to her before having to leave and discuss what to do and what to tell Chronos regarding the matter. ¡°So what should I do to help him on the matter? Do I beat him up again but this time seriously and see how it goes?¡± ¨CElvira asked with her arms crossed.


    ¡°I know you are aggressive by nature but you can be more methodical about it, so instead of beating him, try restraining him.¡± ¨CPhil answered as he looked around the area in order to check for security cameras before walking to meet Chronos in the gym of the facility.


    Chronos ended up asking for special dummies to help with the speed of his hands, as a boxing coach assessed his training. Phil and Elvira walked in and dismissed the coach while Chronos was running as fast as he could on the treadmill. At this point, he is going as fast as that special hound that followed us before leaving Delcyt. Does he also have a way to strengthen himself other than just training? He doesn¡¯t seem human at this point. ¨CElvira thought after noticing the speed at which the treadmill was going, which was a ridiculous speed of 18m/s. After an alarm started ringing the treadmill started to slow down, reducing the momentum Chronos was building while running until it finally stopped, leaving Chronos heavily panting and getting off from it.


    ¡°Chronos, we need you to prepare for the next training fight you will have, Elvira will be your training partner again and the winning condition will be to successfully restrain or incapacitate the adversary.¡± ¨CPhil explained to which Chronos simply nodded before leaving the gym to rest.


    ¡°Do you think he will not use his ability once he notices I¡¯m using mine? I don¡¯t want to be impaled like Sinns, I can¡¯t heal like her.¡± ¨CElvira poked Phil on his arm after Chronos left the place.


    ¡°I honestly didn¡¯t know how to feel once he left and came back like a different person. However, if he meant any real harm to us, we wouldn¡¯t be here. He is just like a lost child; he doesn¡¯t have anywhere to go and is just going with the flow of events, so the only real decision he took by himself was to spare both Sinns and you.¡± ¨CPhil pointed out with confidence as he as well left the gym to walk to the living quarters.


    Twitter: @Sbrcbleh12

 Chapter 39 - 36: Limits And Boundaries.

    On the day of the training fight, Chronos walked into the training grounds which were completely reworked into a sort of military settlement with many slopes and trees. Phil stood next to Chronos before the research team asked for the mock fight to start. Phil then walked outside and headed to the monitoring room to check the cameras placed in the area.


    Once Chronos stepped into the area, a clock began to count the time elapsed. Elvira, after hearing the door on the other side close, started to move around the place trying to avoid being noticed by Chronos. So if I want to win this I just need to restrain him, hopefully, I won¡¯t lose any arms in the process. ¨CElvira thought while hiding in different places, trying to see where Chronos was. On the other hand, Chronos felt oddly familiar with it, to which he began to walk around casually in order to study his environment, pretty aware of what the test fight was about.


    I have a weird feeling, maybe this could be anxiety or excitement, and I¡¯m not very sure, but this feels familiar, like that time in the forest. ¨CChronos thought while moving around and looking behind different obstacles, eventually picking up speed and running through the area, looking for Elvira. Elvira quickly took notice of this and patiently waited while hidden until Chronos ran next to her to quickly take him down. Chronos was aware that he would be eventually ambushed and purposely started to build momentum by running around the whole area carelessly, also expecting Elvira to seize any opportunity of capturing him.


    After Chronos lapped for the third time next to Elvira, she decided to swiftly jump behind him to use his speed in order to throw him off balance. However, Chronos reacted in time and purposely fell to the ground to get himself room to avoid being caught and successfully spin away with the remaining momentum to then lever himself using the environment in order to attempt a kick to Elvira¡¯s head. Right before the moment of impact, Elvira triggered her magic, slowing down her perception of the speed to which Chronos lunged himself towards her; this also allowed her to grab Chronos¡¯ leg in order to then slam him to the ground using his own momentum.


    In the course of 2 minutes, Elvira rendered Chronos unconscious after another couple of slams. The test fight was over righter afterward and the researchers requested Elvira to leave the area and to leave Chronos in there so the medical team would take care of him. Phil sighed as the outcome of the fight was similar to the rest: Chronos getting beaten until unconscious. Once he wrote a report about the battle for the research team, Phil attempted to talk with Elvira who was in the hallway next to the training grounds and seemed very relieved after the fight.


    ¡°I successfully restrained him, so the condition was met, no?¡± ¨CElvira shrugged with a smug smile while leaning against a wall.


    ¡°You know very well the point is to teach him properly, not to beat him down. At this rate, he will become either afraid or too reckless and that will end up killing him.¡± ¨CPhil said while being clearly annoyed by the result of the training.


    ¡°I was told I can use magic, so I did. He should¡¯ve been prepared for that. But I think he trusted on his speed alone.¡± ¨CElvira countered before crossing her arms. ¡°I think he will learn that he can¡¯t just be reckless all the time like that. In a real fight, I doubt he would lose like that since it would mean death. So thanks to this, I¡¯m letting him know his limits without his magical spears.¡± ¨CShe explained while stepping closer to Phil. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be as worried about him since he is proven to be tough, so why don¡¯t you worry about me a bit?¡± ¨CShe complained before poking Phil¡¯s chest and sliding that same finger down briefly before leaving to the living quarters.


    Phil raised his hand, rubbed his forehead, and covered his face to then sigh while looking at Elvira leave to which he attempted to go to the medical bay and check on Chronos who woke up a few minutes later, feeling pretty sore but still enthusiastic about the result of the fight. Maybe I was worrying too much about Chronos after all. But that way of approaching me¡­ was quite different from her usual self. ¨CPhil thought while keeping in mind the conversation he just had with Elvira.


    After waking up and coming to his senses, Chronos instantly understood Elvira used her magic, just like in the Pandora¡¯s forest. The weight of failing the training test didn¡¯t budge Chronos and he quickly attempted to leave the medical bay to search for his coach to learn more and train.


    On the other side of the capital, Gree and Sinns were enjoying a meal outside of a restaurant after requesting to get a good meal after working so hard. Eloise accepted the request and sent them with Francois to one of the best restaurants around. Nat, on the other hand, had some questions for the ruler and asked if she could be granted some of her time. Eloise didn¡¯t hesitate before accepting and went to one of her safe houses with Nat in order to drink tea and discuss what she wanted to ask.


    ¡°I know you are a very busy person, but I needed to ask why you agreed on keeping us here in Falladis, when you actually just wanted Chronos.¡± ¨CNat went straight to the point while Eloise remained calm while sipping from her cup of tea.


    ¡°Given Chronos is maybe the only relative you currently have, I understand the worries. Yes, Chronos has the potential to be a biological weapon of my category, supposing you¡¯ve heard of my feats.¡± ¨CEloise answered with a light smile while gently placing the cup on the table in front of them. ¡°But he wasn¡¯t the only reason I agreed on keeping your group here. Grace Myers, a genius able to created weaponry capable of matching the guardians and subjugate dragons. Phillip Moroc, a highly skilled soldier from Delcyt and according to his record files, is well versed in testing Grace¡¯s new devices. Elvira Sevens, a solider, custom weapon user, and second stage mage that can strengthen herself; honestly think she is a very good military addition. Sinns Hernandez, the daughter of the Delcyt¡¯s ruler, is a potential hostage in case I have to negotiate with him, and Sinns alone is a very rare and precious active; just like Elvira, a very good military addition.¡± ¨CShe continued explaining patiently while locking her eyes on Nat¡¯s.


    ¡°Then what is the point of allowing me to stay too? I don¡¯t really have anything you would need, so I wanted to say thank you for letting us all stay and give you a gift for it. It¡­ might not be much and I am still learning but I made some cookies to go with the tea.¡± ¨CNat nervously said while reaching out for a little backpack she was given as she requested from Francois, she then took a bag out of it.


    Eloise covered her mouth, feeling quite overwhelmed by the innocence Nat was showing at the moment. ¡°I will go for more tea, wait here please.¡± ¨CShe said while blushing lightly and feeling quite moved by the gift. On the other hand, Nat felt quite nervous since she thought the ruler got offended by the cookies and tried to hold her shame to slowly place the cookies on the table. A couple of minutes later, Eloise appeared with a filled teapot and sat once again, leaving it on the table with the cookies around it. ¡°May I ask for your background? I read about you in the report made by my subordinates but I don¡¯t quite understand how you ended up being adopted by Chronos¡¯ grandfather in Argos.¡± ¨CEloise asked while grabbing and biting one of the cookies as she kept eye contact with Nat.


    Feeling rather nervous, Nat tried to sip from the cup Eloise gave her and kept it close to herself. ¡°I don¡¯t remember my biological parents. Doc raised me and took care of me since I was a baby, then I eventually got accepted by everyone in the town, it was a normal life. Eventually, I started to like the blacksmith¡¯s work and began to learn from the local blacksmith at a young age. Then Phil and Gree met Doc and he offered them a place to stay and work with the blacksmith, so I ended up seeing them every day helping around and creating new devices. After years of hanging around them I grew fond of them and also consider them part of my family.¡± ¨CNat narrated while looking down to her cup. ¡°Sometimes I just want to go back to those times when everything seemed to be peaceful.¡± ¨CShe muttered while sighing before taking a sip from the cup of tea. Eloise limited herself to listen while biting on a cookie and then sipping on the tea as well.


    While Nat and Eloise were in the privacy of the safe house, Gree and Sinns were walking around the capital to enjoy the most popular places and check the guild registrations to enter a special mall for the guild affiliates; Francois was escorting and providing them with anything they needed and wanted. ¡±What do you say Sinns? I think we are kinda done with all this sightseeing, and I am missing my tablet, so we better get back to work. I bet these guys already have all our belongings, and I know Phil might be missing the car already.¡± ¨CGree casually mentioned to Sinns who didn¡¯t really know how to answer the question.


    ¡°I think it wouldn¡¯t be bad to begin working, but I¡¯m not sure of what I can do, other than fight. Also aren¡¯t you worried one bit about Nat? She left us that note saying she would go and meet the ruler of this nation by herself. God knows what she could be subjected to right now.¡± ¨CSinns replied while recalling the note over the table and how Gree was sleeping again without realizing it.


    ¡°I highly doubt this ruler is as fucked up like your dad, so I will just let Nat bond with her and maybe have a good time. She¡¯s been through a lot of shit these past months, and it serves her well to have a talk with someone who seems decent.¡± ¨CGree pointed out while looking quite sad for a brief moment. It was a surprise to me when I heard Chronos was Doc¡¯s actual grandson. Nat must be feeling quite bad now that Doc is gone, plus Chronos appearance is a big impact too. ¨CShe shook her head while sighing before meeting up with Francois to ask him about going back to the underground facility.


    Several kilometers away from the capital, in Casamira, Ivan had a vision of certain individuals heavily armed from Delcyt entering the village. He quickly called Lorenz who was in his office signing some documents and warned him about it. Lorenz then instantly sent a message to the capital about an incoming situation and requested support.


    Twitter: @Sbrcbleh12

 Chapter 40 - 37: Phil’s Training.

    After spending the day with Nat, Eloise requested a report concerning the preparations to leave the nation and meet Aster, the ruler of Metan, in order to discuss the situation at hand and the possible intervention of Metan in an upcoming war. One of Eloise¡¯s subordinates advised her to keep a patrol team in Casamira, since they got a message from there requesting support. Keeping this in mind, Eloise requested Charles to mount a guard on the border with Delcyt and to keep Casamira in check in case something happens. Upon receiving the order, Charles postponed the training fight with Chronos and mobilized his team along with the dragon to Casamira in order to obtain more information about the matter.


    Once Charles and his team left to carry out their task, Eloise ordered Francois to give back to Gree and her team their belongings, in order to assist the research team to develop defensive tactics in case a war starts.


    Gree felt like a kid in a candy shop after Francois showed her the workshop of the research team and gave her back her tablet along with the devices she had enhanced in Casamira. Sinns, on the other hand, felt rather overwhelmed by the technology quality the research team of the capital owned, giving her the chills after remembering the tests she went through in Delcyt. ¡°Are you alright? Did you imagine the babies I could make with all this equipment and get afraid?¡± ¨CGree joked in a sassy tone to try to calm Sinns after noticing the expression she had upon entering the place.


    ¡°I believe you will get me something better than the axe I used in Delcyt, right?¡± ¨CSinns countered while taking a deep breath and walked towards a counter showing the devices Gree already worked with in Casamira.


    ¡°Eh¡­ I know you are used to that axe already, so I¡¯m not sure if making you something different will do, so I would have to make prototypes and let you test them, it might take a month. I also need to work on new nanobots for Elvira. That is going to the kinda hard, but as you already know, my fabulous self will get it done in no time.¡± ¨CGree pointed out while flattering herself before turning to a glass that showed the manufacturing area of the facility. A mischievous smile slowly appeared on her face as she stared at the assembly arms and machinery imagining the things she would be able to create with them.


    Sinns simply sighed while Francois showed her around and help her meet the workers in the facility. ¡°This is also a place connected to the underground facility where the rest of your group is carrying out their training. You can pay them a visit anytime in order to continue honing yourself. I¡¯ve heard you are quite sturdy despite your fragile looks.¡± ¨CFrancois mentioned, and Sinns instantly pictured Nat in her mind saying something about the time they first met, to which Sinns covered her face for a brief moment and continued following Francois in silence.


    Nat was dropped in the underground facility by one of Eloise¡¯s subordinates and she started to wander around, looking for the training ground and watch Elvira and Chronos fight since it would be a funny sight to see, but instead, she found Phil training alone using several types of weapons in the testing phase, developed by the research team. Phil displayed high expertise at handling the targets who happened to be infected individuals. 10 of them were howlers and 3 were abominations. The weaponry provided for him was scattered around the area and to start, he was given a regular gun with limited bullets and a military knife to fend off from the infected. Swiftly, Phil proceeded to kill the infected that were closest to him and ran away from the crowded zone of the place. The infected immediately started to move and the howlers were the first ones that ran across the training grounds to hunt Phil.


    Upon reaching a certain place, Phil quickly took a weapon that looked similar to the railgun Gree developed back in Argos. Without hesitating Phil aimed the weapon to the head of the closest howler and blew it up with one shot of the weapon. After flinching for a second due to the unsuspected firepower, Phil took down another of the howlers while the rest began to scream, alerting the abominations which started to move quickly towards Phil. In a matter of seconds, Phil shot down 5 more of the howlers and several infected before running out of ammunition, by then the Abominations began to trash the infected in their path to then grab and throw them to Phil. One of the thrown infected almost hits Phil before splattering against a wall while Phil quickly ducked and ran towards the next weapon he was hoping to find. Sadly, his expectations were betrayed by the lack of a weapon, so he had to keep running away as a howler quickly reached to him to trash him against a wall, nearly rendering Phil unconscious.


    The test was then stopped to which several soldiers entered the area to clear out the rest of the infected and sedate the howlers along with abominations. Phil was escorted out to the medical bay and was quickly inspected. The doctor praised him as a very sturdy person for receiving such a hit without having more than just a couple of broken bones. Apparently, that training was designed mostly for mages who focused on offensive tactics, and Elite soldiers who were badly injured in the process.


    After getting a cast on his left arm and bandages on his head, Phil headed to the living quarters to rest and was met by Nat who blocked his way with crossed arms, looking quite mad about what she saw. ¡°I saw what happened, now answer, why are you doing stupid and reckless stuff like this? Understand you are not like Sinns or Elvira. I don¡¯t want you to go around and exposing yourself to dangers like this, what would Gree say? I bet she would be annoyed as well.¡± ¨CNat questioned Phil while he just looked at Nat in silence until she finished talking.


    ¡°I¡¯m well aware I¡¯m not special, however, I need to understand better what we will be dealing with and get used to the danger. The life of a soldier is expendable, but I understand your worries. However, this is exactly why I am training in this sort of situation, so I will already know what to do in case I see myself in the same problem.¡± ¨CPhil explained, leaving Nat speechless as she pouted before being pat on the head by him. Nat then left to look for Chronos as Phil walked towards the living quarters.


    Phil sighed while feeling rather down, rubbing the cast on his arm and walking to the room designated for him to then rest. It hurts how right Nat is¡­but if I want to keep up and be able to protect them, I need to continue this kind of training. Maybe like that, I will be able to be up to the task. ¨CHe kept wondering while lying on his bed.


    Chronos was training with his coach and Nat walked in to talk with him. The coach allowed Chronos to stop and left the place for the time being. ¡°I am sorry for treating you the way I did in Casamira. I recently confirmed you are indeed Doc¡¯s grandchild, and therefore you are also my family. The ruler told me you accepted to work for this nation with the condition of keeping us protected¡­ Thank you.¡± ¨CNat didn¡¯t hesitate while apologizing and lowered her head before thanking Chronos.


    ¡°I lived my life as a savage for the most part; I got help from a stranger after another, and so I managed to find what I was looking for by mere chance. But it was all taken away. At least, you are safe, and you can continue living for those who are not with us anymore.¡± ¨CChronos replied to her, remembering all the people he has met so far and the ones that are not around anymore. This reminds me that I have someone else in my mind too¡­Pandora. ¨CChronos thought while the silhouette of Pandora began to draw itself in his mind. Chronos'' vision got suddenly blurry and he spaced out briefly, while a mirage of Pandora with obscured facial features, circled around him like a ghost, looking at him in silence but with a sinister smile drilling on his thoughts.


    Upon noticing Chronos mind absence, Nat pushed him to check if there was something wrong, bringing him out of the sudden trance while she sighed relieved. ¡°What¡¯s up with you? You suddenly stared into nothingness for a whole minute. That was creepy as fuck, so don¡¯t do it again.¡± ¨Cshe complained while mocking him before leaving the gym to let him continue his training.


    Chronos asked to get the rest of his day free in order to go and look for Francois, so he could take him to either Eloise or Charles. However, none of them were available at the time given Eloise was on her way to Metan, and Charles went to Casamira for another distress message. This led Chronos to search for Gree who was in the laboratory of the workshop, adjusting some of the manufacturing machinery. After a few minutes tinkering with the machine, Gree decided to address Chronos who seemed rather worried. ¡°What¡¯s with you? If you want a date it will cost you a lot and I will just be in for the food.¡± ¨CGree joked while keeping her mind on the machine, circling around it and checking the looks of it.


    ¡°I was told you went to a special library to study about some things concerning the prophets.¡± ¨CChronos mentioned while stepping closer.


    ¡°Yeah, so what do you want to know from that?¡± ¨CGree asked while trying to guess Chronos intentions while going under the machine to graduate a sensor.


    ¡°When I was in the Pandora forest, someone called Pandora entered in my head and helped me to understand magic and how to use it. So it became natural to me.¡± ¨CChronos briefly explained. ¡°I was told she was one of the reasons why the prophets began to be hunted. Lately, I have seen her in front of me, telling me something I can¡¯t really understand, and so I thought I need help to stop it.¡± ¨CChronos continued while Gree came out from under the Machine to look at him and narrowed her eyes.


    ¡°Are you schizophrenic?¡± ¨CGree asked while standing up and closing the hatch of the machine in which she went into before.


    ¡°What?...¡± ¨CChronos asked confused while Gree sighed and walked out of the laboratory.


    ¡°Follow me. We need to get Francois to carry you somewhere to scan what is going on in your head.¡± ¨CGree answered as Chronos followed her out and through the workshop.


    Once they found Francois, Gree immediately asked to go to the nearest psychologist in order to confirm something about Chronos¡¯ mind besides getting herself diagnosed as well. ¡°Do you think you have any mental issues that a simple psychologist would be able to diagnose?¡± ¨CFrancois asked, being a bit skeptical about Gree being serious about it.


    ¡°Well Sherlock, I surely would love to find out first, duh.¡± ¨CGree countered while Chronos was simply waiting behind Gree while Sinns walked up to them after noticing Gree and Francois talking. She silently stood next to Chronos and waited for Francois to agree to whatever Gree said.


    With a sigh, Francois ended agreeing and went to his office to quickly write a letter to recommend them to a psychologist. Later on the day, he drove towards a special hospital in the area while Chronos peeked outside; being the first time he was out of the underground facility. Gree was slowly falling asleep as she was working on the machines without rest and Sinns was also there without saying much as she also decided to follow them despite not knowing where they were going.


    Twitter: @Sbrcbleh12

 Chapter 41 - 38: A Future Only Ivan Can See.

    Back in Casamira, Ivan requested some pieces to Lorenz who gave them the highest priority to create a special exoskeleton Ivan saw in one of his visions. Since he wasn¡¯t very familiar with the technology involved in he saw in his vision, Ivan decided to make it from scratch and create several prototypes for what is going to happen in the near future. Lorenz feared the situation could turn for the worse since Ivan mentioned that someone might come in the search of Gree¡¯s group and they would be coming along with a dragon. Ivan couldn¡¯t tell when the situation was going to happen, unlike with the caves, since he could develop a device to gauge the timing on which the hive would start to move.


    After receiving the order to keep guard on the walls, Pascal and Marco simply loitered nearby the cannons previously mounted to fend off from the horde that arose from the hive in the caves, which was now in a dormant state. Pascal leaned on one of the cannons and yawned as he felt quite bored from simply standing on the wall and report any sort of irregularities. Marco had a couple of binoculars in order to check for any person or infected that could be approaching in the vicinity. ¡°I¡¯m still a bit disgusted from the time we had to help clean the corpses from the horde. The smell of the burning corpses made me throw up even though we were kilometers away from the hole.¡± ¨CMarco mentioned after turning to see the large hole that was dug up in order to dispose and eliminate the corpses of the horde.??


    ¡°Shut up, my stomach still twists whenever I remember that.¡± ¨CPascal replied while burping and carrying his hand to his mouth as a sign of getting nauseous.


    Several hours later, the two dwarves noticed a small convoy approaching from a different direction. Right after that, Marco left to talk with Lorenz about the matter. Pascal on the other hand went to the gate and tried to talk with the person guarding it in order to get any information about any programmed convoy with resources. The guard confirmed he had the order to let a convoy enter, which made Pascal sigh in relief. Marco also was coming back with Lorenz who was the one who requested it. ¡°Thank you guys, I will be taking it from here now.¡± ¨CLorenz said while gently dismissing Pascal and Marco to their guarding post as the convoy approached the gates.


    Once inside Casamira, a tall and rather fat man with a beard came out of one of the vehicles, wearing a big smile and opening his arms. ¡°Lorenz! Been a while!¡± ¨Cthe man exclaimed while approaching Lorenz who was also quite happy.


    ¡°Ali! How you doing? It¡¯s been a long time indeed.¡± ¨CLorenz replied while giving Ali a handshake and a hug. ¡°It seems like you have a new job being a businessman.¡± ¨CHe joked while pointing his hand towards the convoy.


    ¡°I really am, just had to get a permit and deal with all the paraphernalia, then just bullshit my way through it¡± ¨CAli continued joking while taking Lorenz with him to check the goods in the convoy. ¡°So the mediator you contacted happened to ask the company I work in for these materials. Though I¡¯m curious, who are you going to war with?¡± ¨CHe continued while revealing several kilos of gun powder, engines, batteries, and raw steels.


    Lorenz pulled out his phone and took a picture of the good while Ali kept open the lip covering them. ¡°The problem is that we are yet to know when is going to happen, a special team from the capital I supposed to be here soon, but according to Ivan, it would be a nice meeting.¡± ¨CLorenz explained while entering in the same vehicle as Ali to drive towards the workshop. ¡°Many things have been happening lately. First, the caves were plagued by a hive and ended up becoming a horde, then this group of fugitives coming from Delcyt, and now according to Ivan, a guardian with bad intentions on his way to ask for directions.¡± ¨CHe continued before letting out a sigh as Ali silently listened.


    Ivan was in his personal workshop taking several notes and making voice recordings on the device he was developing for something he dreamed about. The exoskeleton he was preparing would be able to withhold it and create a sort of small cannon attached to the body; the purpose of it was to fend off from something humanity would not be able to deal with as of how it is now. The seer kept mentioning Grace on his recordings, talking as if she was always his assistant, and needed to share this information with her before the upcoming incident happened to be sooner than expected. He purposely avoided telling Lorenz about the rest of his visions and kept on rushing to get the preparations ready to meet what he believes was his fate. ¡°Recording #145: the core of the device is not perfect, but I trust you will be able to find a way to make it look better, this is just the start for you to continue it, Grace. I have prepared enough information about the core and the exoskeleton for you to be able to create anything better. I would try to do it myself but the time is almost up. I need you to also remember about the device I showed you in front of the caves, it will be important for you to fabricate one similar to it for when the virus starts to take over. Not even god will be there to help us, but you are the last line of defense humanity will have against was it going to happen. End of recording.¡± ¨CIvan saved all the data in several terminals in his workshop, keeping many backup devices in case one fails.


    ¡°So yes bro, I think it will that amount of money for the whole convoy full of goods, however, if you are not able to pay it right now I¡¯ll just deal with it and come back every now and then to talk things out. What do you say?¡± ¨CAli mentioned while sealing the deal with the merchandise with Lorenz in his office while Lorenz was sweating cold after seen the prices of the materials.


    ¡°I can pay a part of it now, then I will transfer the rest, I can make also an act stating the agreement.¡± ¨CLorenz answered, trying to not take advantage of Ali¡¯s kindness while using a small handkerchief to clean the sweat off his forehead. ¡°I am really grateful you understand we really need them, and I don¡¯t plan on letting you down.¡± ¨Che continued while typing out the act of the agreement on his computer.


    Meanwhile, Ali arrived at Casamira and brought needed resources to Lorenz, in the capital Nat walked around trying to get to know every worker and soldier in the underground facility as she felt the living quarters were rather boring with the lack of things to do. She stumbled upon some scientist and showed them a special pass Eloise granted her and so they began to escort Nat around, answering her questions and showing her the whole place. Seemingly, the pass Nat had was a special VIP card that only Eloise had for whenever she made an appearance in the military and research facilities for work matters. However, Nat was still confused as to why there was such willingness from the scientist and soldiers inside the facility, but she didn¡¯t stop to think about it too much.


    Inside the living quarters, Elvira slowly walked around and searched for anyone who could be guarding the area, however she couldn¡¯t sense anyone other than Phil who was in his room. After a couple of minutes of hesitating, she decided to sneak inside of Phil¡¯s room and lock the door behind her. She then contemplated for a few seconds what she was about to do while undressing, stepping closer to Phil who seemed asleep. However, upon getting closer, Phil¡¯s body instinctively reacted and reached up to grab whoever¡¯s arm was nearing towards him, but as he was not fully awake, he instead grabbed Elvira¡¯s neck. Elvira, rather flustered and surprised, stood still for a second before getting serious and slapping Phil¡¯s hand away, therefore, tearing his shirt apart, making Phil fully wake up and realize what was going on.


    Nat spent most of her day walking around with a group of scientists. ¡°Oh wait! Does anyone know where Gree is? I wanted to mention something important and forgot about it when I saw Phil injured¡­¡± ¨CShe suddenly asked the group but they didn¡¯t know.


    ¡°Maybe they left somewhere with the director Francois, I was told she got visited by the testing soldier Chronos so I can¡¯t confirm if they are out of the facility.¡± ¨COne of the scientists mentioned while shaking her head, denoting she didn¡¯t know much more.


    Nat frowned and pouted briefly. I need to make a mental note to remember telling Gree about what Eloise told me. I should go to the workshop and check if she left any devices in there for me to study them. ¨CShe thought while standing still for a moment. ¡°You guys know where Gree was working? I wanna play around with her stuff.¡± ¨CShe asked the group while turning towards them. Two of the scientists escorted her to the workshop while the rest of them went back to their laboratory to resume work.


    Meanwhile, on the surface, Francois was driving to a specialized psychiatric institution at a request from Gree in order to get a general view into her and Chronos¡¯ minds. The trip was taking long despite the streets of the capital being less populated as it was almost midnight. Francois figured the ones who would be needed for the group might not be in the area, or even awake, but he still tried to contact them via an airpod he had on himself all the time. After several minutes of driving and trying to reach out to the doctor, he managed to finally get a call through. ¡°Is this Doctor Sebastian Monroe? I am Francois Vega, General Director of the special forces of the country; I am currently contacting you for a rather urgent request to check a couple of people¡¯s minds for me.¡± ¨CHe diligently mentioned while the man through the phone felt rather confused and almost hung up thinking it was a phone prank. After noticing the call didn¡¯t end yet, Sebastian asked several questions to Francois to which he answered them all. A minute later the man affirmed to be on his way to the institution to check in the new patients.


    Once the group reached the place, the doctor also arrived shortly after. Both Francois and the doctor talked for a moment to explain the situation better, Sinns was near them and simply heard what Francois mentioned before going back to sit between Gree and Chronos. Approximately 20 minutes later, the doctor asked Gree to go into the room to have a session with her. Gree nodded and walked to the room.


    When she entered, the room looked like a very comfortable office, the wall behind the desk was full of bookshelves and the desk had a couple of anti-stress toys. Sebastian handed her a couple of images for her to look at and asked what she saw in them. ¡°Is there any real purpose to this?¡± ¨CShe asked while looking at the doctor.


    ¡°Your explanation actually helps me know about your perspective towards the images. This helps me to know how to understand your mind better.¡± ¨CSebastian explains to Gree while sitting behind his desk.


    ¡°I¡¯m actually here to talk about the guy that came along with me. His name is Chronos, and I¡¯m afraid he has an imaginary friend that could become really dangerous.¡± ¨CGree mentioned while grabbing a small ball and squeezing it. Sebastian got a bit worried and asked Gree to leave and bring him, to which she did. However, once Chronos entered the room, Sebastian began to feel anxious, as if behind Chronos was something looking straight into his eyes, warning him about what he was about to deal with.

 Chapter 42 - 39: Metan’s Ruler.

    Eloise was anticipated by a group of soldiers from the nation. The one who seemed to be the highest rank of them offered a sort of folder with documents inside. These documents consisted of a series of images showing step by step a sort of ritual, the same ritual Eloise happened to take part in before acquiring her Absolute command.


    While remaining calm, Eloise handed back the pictures and followed the escorts to the main building where the next ruler was awaiting Eloise. ¡°I can¡¯t really say it is always a pleasure to meet you Aster, this place always gives me goosebumps.¡± ¨CEloise casually mentioned after entering a room where the next ruler patiently waited while smiling.??


    ¡°I just raise the cities that god almighty have allowed me to, it is his will for our structures to be designed the way they are, and so we will be blessed by him once he again comes down to our sinful world to right the wrongs.¡± ¨CAster replied to Eloise in a very calm tone, preaching his vision.


    ¡°I want to ask you a couple of things before you start trying to sell me your god.¡± ¨CEloise stated while sitting in front of Aster across a long table. ¡°Do you know what is going on through Yan¡¯s head? He burned down the forest that grew after she died. There are several things that don¡¯t seem right, Intel informed me about the high possibility of him starting a war. So I want to know this now¡­ What are you going to do if a war starts?¡± ¨CEloise asked while Aster frowned, not expecting her to be so direct about the matter.


    ¡°As you may already know, I am the one gifted directly by God to prepare the world for his next coming. I hope you don¡¯t mix me with warlike rulers such as Yan or Christina. However, burning down the forest that once held captive the soul of the devil is a heinous act that should be punished by God.¡± ¨CAster articulated his point of view while using his hands to support his expression. ¡°Metan is sacred land that will not tolerate such acts. And so this way I may answer your questions.¡± ¨CHe continued while reaching for a glass of water next to him.


    So he wouldn¡¯t hesitate to war against Yan¡­ It is true that Metan possesses the largest amount of military mages in this continent or even in the world, but Yan is a cheater, he will do whatever is possible to achieve what he wants¡­ It is possible he is plotting something bigger than I expect. However, those images the escort gave me, they point something is going to happen soon, but did Aster send those images for me to see? Or that escort warned me about something? This is a rather delicate situation, so it is best to not point it out. ¨CEloise silently thought while Aster was patiently waiting for her to speak. ¡°Would you sign an agreement of no aggression towards Falladis?¡± ¨CShe finally asked.


    ¡°I have no intentions of interfering with you or your nation, so if God wills it, I shall grant you my written approval of alliance. However, we need to receive compensation of some sort; after all, the land of god needs to be taken care of so it could be ideal for his arrival.¡± ¨CAster answered while opening his arms in a welcoming way.


    ¡°You keep mentioning the second coming of God as if he had scheduled it to be soon. Would you mind telling me what are you planning?¡± ¨CEloise narrowed her eyes while Aster suddenly got excited after hearing the question.


    ¡°Well, as a humble servant of God, I was granted the ability to see his glory through my dreams, and so I was assigned with the divine task to create a vessel for the almighty.¡± ¨CAster answered quite delighted remembering his lucid dream. Eloise went silent for several minutes after hearing him, quickly trying to find a reason what kind of vessel and if there was a connection between said vessel and the images she was shown earlier. Aster kept looking at her with confidence, knowing very well how confused Eloise was after she mentioned openly the vessel.


    ¡°So given you agree on the cease-fire treaty, what do you want in return? I¡¯m pretty sure the land of god would have enough resources for the vessel, no?¡± ¨CEloise asked while being wary of Aster¡¯s true intentions.


    While the two rulers continued with their meeting, back in Falladis, the doctor called by Francois to check on Chronos was sweating cold while a strange presence stared down at him from behind Chronos. Chronos was aware of Pandora¡¯s presence; however, he had gotten used to it and didn¡¯t expect others to be able to see it as he did. Sebastian was quite anxious and scared of that feeling he didn¡¯t quite understand. Despite that, he continued the session, trying to convince himself there was nothing there and focusing on some other things purposely. ¡°So¡­Chronos, could you explain to me what do you see here?¡± ¨CSebastian asks while handing him the same pictures Gree saw earlier.


    ¡°I just see animals here, some of them dead and waiting to be eaten. There is blood splattered around as if they fell from somewhere.¡± ¨CChronos explained while carefully looking at the abstract pictures.


    Pandora¡¯s presence could not have affected Chronos, but Sebastian could see her, a lady with her face covered by her own hair and a blood-stained white dress. Through her hair, Sebastian could feel her fully black eyes piercing right through his soul as fear paralyzed him, making him unable to think properly. Chronos quickly noticed and tried to shake Sebastian out of his trance, successfully bringing him back from the psychological torture Pandora forced upon him. ¡°I need you to leave, please call Francois for me.¡± ¨CSebastian mentioned while his hands were shaking as he tried to bring them up to his head calm himself down. Chronos was a bit confused but nodded before opening the door to leave the room, but once he did, Sinns, Gree, and Francois got instantly disturbed by a brief illusion that turned Chronos into a faceless being, with a grey mantle covering his body and pointy shards of ashes floating on top and in front of his head resembling the shape of a crown.


    After turning his head to see them and walk towards them, the illusion suddenly ceased, leaving Gree sweating cold and Sinns getting in front of her as a way to protect her from what they saw. Francois had pulled out his gun as well as a means to fight back. ¡°Sebastian is asking you to go in the room, Francois, he seemed quite afraid of something.¡± ¨CChronos said while freezing in place, trying to not let the situation deteriorate as he instantly noticed them being as scared or even more than Sebastian.


    After letting out a long sigh, Francois let the gun down and put it back in the inner side of his suit while his hands were shaking. ¡°What was that you just did? I¡¯m not very happy to be scared this way.¡± ¨CFrancois asked while trying to compose himself. Sinns was also shaking behind Francois while not really understanding what she just saw; she was well prepared to die to at least let Gree escape, had it not the illusion ceased.


    ¡°Chronos, the fuck was that!? I don¡¯t recall you telling me anything about what we just saw.¡± ¨CGree questioned Chronos while still being wary of him. Chronos wasn¡¯t sure of what just happened that made them so scared, but he understood that it could be something related to himself.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you are referring to¡­¡± ¨CChronos answered while feeling quite worried about the situation. I don¡¯t know what is happening, but it feels like they can see something in me, maybe Pandora is not only in my head¡­ ¨CHe quickly deduced while keeping his distance from the three of them, sitting in a stool across the hallway. Right after hearing his answer, Francois stood up and walked to the office to see Sebastian and talk about what he learned from Chronos. However, Sebastian was too unsettled to properly diagnose anything on Chronos. Despite not being able to run a standard session, Sebastian still explained to Francois what he saw, and eventually calmed down.


    ¡°There is a ghost or demon or whatever you call it, following Chronos. If you think he has a problem, you brought him to the wrong place; you better take him to a church or even to Metan if possible.¡± ¨CSebastian seriously requested to Francois.


    Outside of the office, Sinns kept staring at Chronos as Gree, who had brought her tablet along with her, tried to research similar instances of what she just saw. Several minutes later, Gree came to the conclusion that what Francois, Sinns, and her saw, was a sort of illusion. These shady sites are not really very trusty; however, I feel this was very real until I blinked. ¨CGree thought while doing some more research and trying to get to a proper explanation as Francois came out of the office.


    ¡°We are going back to the facility. The best thing to do now is to put Chronos under constant custody and this time, instead of testing his capability of muscular growth, we are going to get him to develop his magic. This will most likely give a positive reaction from whatever is attached to him and would be subjected to study. If this doesn¡¯t work, we are going to search for people specialized in ¡®spirits¡¯ or whatever Pandora is.¡± ¨CFrancois stated while walking towards the exit of the facility. Everyone nodded and stood up to follow him back to the car.


    In the facility, Nat walked out of the workshop after reading some notes Gree left for her in case she wanted to go tinker with the devices on display, clearly explaining the devices had to be in the exact position she left them in order to continue creating or fixing them smoothly. Feeling a bit discouraged, she simply walked back to the living quarters while slowly getting tired after bidding goodbye to the 2 researchers who tagged along with her. Upon reaching the area, she didn¡¯t see Elvira or Phil around so she simply thought they were sleeping. A second before she entered her room to rest, she began to hear some noises resembling slaps, along with grunts and moans, to which she instantly turns to see Phil room¡¯s door and then looked at Elvira''s room¡¯s door. Quickly, she went to look for Elvira in her room but found it empty. Oh right¡­ ¨CShe thought while instantly understanding what was happening as her face got bright red and silently went back to her room to sleep, wrapping her pillow around her head to cover her ears.


    An hour later, Gree, Sinns, and Chronos arrived back at the facility along with Francois. Francois commanded several soldiers and researchers to prepare the training grounds to be able to withstand what Chronos could do, as well as secretly requesting the presence of a priest to one of his subordinates who happened to have connections with the church. Gree almost immediately went to check the workshop and sighed in relief as everything was in the same position she left them, however, she then yawned and walked with Sinns towards the living quarters to rest, while Chronos was sent to receive another general health check to then be released for training after resting. Once on the living quarters, Sinns went straight to sleep as Gree sat on a couch to keep researching about the illusion she saw back in the mental institute. Seemingly Metan is a nation full of this sketchy stuff. If I want to know more about what I saw, I should pay a visit to that kingdom. ¨CShe thought while reading an article with similar cases occurring in Metan. A couple of minutes later, A message from Ivan pops up on her tablet, mentioning her about his possible death and how she needs to be aware of the virus. Confused, Gree attempted to reach him through video calls and emails. After several unsuccessful attempts, she simply walks up to Francois¡¯ office and explains the situation.


    Twitter: @Sbrcbleh12

 Chapter 43 - 40: An Announced Death.

    After sending Lawrence to complete the task of bringing Sinns back to Delcyt along with a special team, Yan received reports of a massive accumulation of viscous and dark substances on the surface of the scorched land of what used to be the Pandora forest. The report explained how the remains of the earth dragon were covered by the substance, disabling the team from being able to retrieve the corpse. Upon reading the report, Yan contacted Cristobal to make him assess the training of those who survived the operation with the dragon genes they were cultivating from DD¡¯s corpse. This way Cristobal could eliminate any soldier who could suddenly mutate, as it was a possibility already seen in some half-breeds used as testing subjects before.


    Lawrence, after making up the excuse of the dragon needing to eat, was allowed to make a limited amount of civilian casualties in order to feed it and prepare a public report of collateral damage to make up for it. As it was nearby the border, a small service station belonging to a family was chosen to become the place where the dragon would eat, to which it didn¡¯t take long for Lawrence to break into the houses and quickly silence the brief screams produced by the terror of the half-breeds inside. A couple of hours later, Lawrence fed the dragon with the limbs of the corpses he had gathered around while the soldiers stationed in that zone were dispatched to the border to clear it from any inconvenience. It may be a coincidence, but these half-breeds happened to look similar to my dear Elvira. I might mention this small stop to her since she will enjoy herself knowing how welcoming her equals were to me and my new pet.¡± ¨CLawrence thought while throwing the last corpse upwards for the dragon to catch and eat it. After the place was cleared, a demolition team was called to take down the family houses in order to build a proper service station for military operations.


    After leaving the empty service station behind, Lawrence led the team to the border to request information on the past events so he could confirm the information he already had of the target he is searching for. Several soldiers and a couple of mercenaries mentioned there was an incident about 2 months ago where a very developed robot exploded, causing heavy damage to the outpost and taking down a tower. The footage revealed exactly what Lawrence expected: Sinns and Elvira were sneaking away through the border along with another individual he didn¡¯t give much importance at the moment. With this new information, Lawrence requested more Intel about the closest town or city to the border, and Casamira was mentioned to him. The soldiers in the outpost happened to witness a massive clean of a horde that recently broke from a cave nearby the town, so the personnel in the outpost didn¡¯t approach it in case there was another horde. Now better informed about the situation, Lawrence set the departure to that place in a couple of days to ask for directions to the people in there. In the meantime, he would let the dragon get hungry enough to let it have fun in the town in case people refused to talk.


    On Casamira, Ali already departed to another city after leaving the resources requested by Lorenz. This allowed Lorenz to manufacture really intricate pieces of the new project Ivan requested. However, Ivan happened to walk into the workshop, which was rather rare because whenever he had a new idea to create a device he would lock himself up in his personal workshop and design every detail of it properly. To Lorenz, seeing Ivan in the workshop instead of getting a call from him meant something was going to happen. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did you get a new vision?¡± ¨CLorenz asked looking quite worried due to the sudden visit.


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen something horrible is going to happen, but the vision suddenly stopped at a certain point. There was a dragon looking like a snake, with scales that were as tough as diamond, maybe even more, eating everything on its path along with someone who uses a scythe looking like a reaper or something similar.¡± ¨CIvan explained the vision to Lorenz, trying to remember the details. ¡°I also saw Charles, the guardian that helped us with the horde, but he was killed¡­¡± ¨CHe continued, stopping for a moment taking a glimpse of Lorenz''s face in horror.


    ¡°When is it going to happen? I need to know when everything will wreak havoc so we can prepare ourselves for it.¡± ¨CLorenz asked while thinking about all the damage something like that could make and searching for ways to prevent it.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, I can never predict when something in my visions is going to happen, I can just prepare myself for it. The best bet we have is to warn Charles about what could happen, and maybe this way we can stop a tragedy.¡± ¨CIvan answered while trying to remember more details of his vision.


    The situation in Casamira turned quite tense as Lawrence was making his way there. Charles was soon to arrive there along with his team but wasn¡¯t as prepared as last time given the light urgency in the distress message sent by Lorenz.


    In Delcyt, Cristobal prepared himself to be sent to another mission right after assessing some soldiers who went through the same surgery. The number of fatalities due to the surgery decreased 10% after they managed to study Cristobal¡¯s body to achieve a similar outcome to the new volunteers. Once he finished his last meeting and training, Cristobal was called by Yan to be the leader of an operation out of the kingdom. He was supposed to follow behind Lawrence and kill him whenever it was needed in order to retrieve Sinns effectively, the only drawback being the collateral damage done in the kingdom where Sinns currently resides as it would be considered an incentive for war.


    For this, Yan already communicated with the Ruler of the federation of Orst, Christina, who is known to be the most prepared one for war, having machinery prepared for combat ever since the last attempt of invasion failed against Falladis. Once I get VM01 I will be finally able to continue the negotiations, otherwise, I¡¯ll have a hard time trying to convince Christina to go for a new invasion to Falladis. I prefer to not put too much of my time into this matter but since there is something unexpected happening, I will have to focus.¡± ¨CYan thought while remembering the report announcing a probable hive being created in the former location of the Pandora¡¯s forest.


    Several hours after Cristobal prepared his team, he got a document he requested days before the said mission. It happened to be the files detailing Lawrence¡¯s and Sinns¡¯ capabilities. As he entered the plane that was supposed to drop him, Cristobal carefully read about the most important aspects to keep in mind about Lawrence¡¯s magic and Sinns limitations, which helped him create a better image of himself subjugating both of them in an ideal scenario. However, Cristobal knew it wouldn¡¯t be as easy, so the timing on which the mission had to be executed was crucial for taking down Lawrence and retrieve Sinns.


    Back in Falladis¡¯ capital, Nat just woke up to get out of her room and meet a whole platoon of soldiers around Francois and Gree, who was dictating certain orders to follow. ¡°Team A will clear the area by evacuating the people living around while Team B will keep guard around the perimeter of the wall. If you see anything bigger than a bus shoot and run away; no normal soldier will be able to survive if a dragon shows. The one who needs to be escorted out first is Ivan, the mayor of that place. Failing to achieve Ivan¡¯s safety will most likely end up in Falladis being destroyed by war.¡± ¨CGree explained while presenting some emails she got from Ivan. The content of these emails detailed certain events that will happen in Casamira, including Charles and his own death.


    After listening to this, Nat fully woke up and got shocked by the situation at hand. ¡°Wait so, are you going to Casamira, Ivan is in danger? What- what??¡± ¨CShe began to question while Gree turned around to see her. Almost instantly, Elvira tapped Nat¡¯s shoulder and shook her head holding her finger in front of her mouth, letting Nat know she had to be quiet at that moment.


    Phil silently sat on a couch and heard the whole presentation while Gree continued explaining a plan she had in mind. ¡°What are we going to do then? And what if the plan fails?¡± ¨CHe asked out loud once Gree took a pause.


    ¡°Then Falladis will lose a guardian, a dragon, the key piece to avoid a huge war and hundreds of civilians.¡± ¨CGree answered after drinking a bit of water. ¡°If we hold to the detail that all visions Ivan had are guaranteed to happen, the mission will helplessly fail to save him and Charles. However, it is very important to save as many lives as possible, so even if we fail, we need to repel the threat or neutralize them if possible.¡± ¨CShe continued while Francois called an end to the meeting and sent the platoon to Casamira to aid Charles with this new information and plan.


    ¡°Where are Chronos and Sinns?¡± ¨CElvira mentioned to Gree while she was writing some notes. A loud explosion was heard coming from the training grounds, making both Phil and Nat look towards that side before actually going there.


    In the training grounds, Sinns was trying out a new prototype weapon made in the laboratory of the facility. Gree was overseeing and making sure the creation of it went according to her instructions and the specifications were similar to the battle-ax Sinns used to wield. However, this time there was no hollow handle on which heavy ammunition could be shot from since it would take too much time for it to be ready before being useful in combat. Unaware of what the outcome of the situation would be, Gree traced a plan where Sinns would be involved as a supporter in case the situation would turn for the worse. Gree explained to Sinns how the weapon was not as complex and useful as her first ax, but it was sturdier and it would be enough to tear down abominations. However, as there was a lack of time, she couldn¡¯t recreate the gloves for Elvira, who had to stick with Chronos daggers in case of contingencies. Knowing this, Elvira didn¡¯t mind and just agreed on the temporary fix.


    Twitter: @Sbrcbleh12

 Chapter 44 - 41: Lawrence Has Arrived.

    Two days passed and the time for the incursion to Casamira drew closer as Charles, who already managed to reach the area with his team, was updated with the information of his very possible death. After having this audience with Ivan, Charles tried to get more information of how certain his visions are and if there are any other crucial details. Upon further discussion, Charles could feel how the anxiety of knowing he will soon die began to twist his stomach and make his vision blur a bit. Ivan on the other hand, was expecting to see his death come, so he always made preparations in case there was a detail he would forget or oversee, so as a result of this, he had invested years of study and development for a wide variety of devices he always kept in his personal workshop; to which made Casamira an extremely important place by holding on to enough technology to rival the Federation of Orst. However, neither Yan nor Eloise knew about this and so didn¡¯t regard this place as an important area outside of its connection with a huge mine rich in minerals. This was thanks to the efforts of Ivan by avoiding publishing his studies or inventions to the world, keeping them locked for the moment he would meet his successor.


    Charles didn¡¯t take the information provided to him very well, but he knew he had to calm himself down and report this information to both his team and the headquarters in Falladis. ¡°I have to announce this will be most likely my last mission as an officer and chief in charge of the patrolling movements of the military. I was informed about my death and given a warning that it is most probable to happen soon, the time for it is not exact, so I could be now, or in a week, but it has been proven that such information is accurate by similar instances announced in the past.¡± ¨CHe said to his team and to the commander of the military along with his lawyer through a video-call made with one of the devices reinforced in Lorenz¡¯s workshop.


    Right after making his wishes clear to his lawyer, Charles finished the call and left recorded messages to his family and friends while feeling quite infuriated by the fact he probably didn¡¯t have any option but to accept what was going to happen. However, once he accepted it, he understood there was nothing else but to move forward and face with everything he had. His team didn¡¯t want to accept this and also tried to cheer him up by mention they would also put their lives in line for him.


    Meanwhile, Lawrence was traversing the commercial route of the border between Falladis and Delcyt, before noticing the dragon was behaving strangely, coiling on itself several times while convulsing. This worried him and made him wonder if dragons suffered from any other disease besides the virus as the dragon in front of him became rather pale and the scales slowly fell from it.


    ¡°I have seen this before on some insects while trying to create a cocoon. But this looks more of a snake, I don¡¯t think it would apply¡­¡± ¨COne of the soldiers next to Lawrence pointed out while aiming at the dragon in case it decided to attack them. Lawrence calmly turned to see him before the soldier began to shoot as the dragon tackled him violently, killing him in an instant and swallowing him before coiling on itself once again as if it was anxious.


    ¡°So it is shedding its skin.¡± ¨CLawrence muttered while his eyes widened in excitement.


    The Dragon slowly calmed down while the pale skin began to detach from its body and so, upon sliding from the dead skin, the scales seemed different to Lawrence, showing an odd shine that made him a bit nervous as if the dragon totally changed the material its scales were made of. At this point Lawrence expected the dragon to be a nice opportunity to be unstoppable. If I manage to get a hold of VM01, I could use her as a hostage and finally kill that bastard of a ruler we have, maybe I could even try to rule this rotten country, but it would be too much of a hefty job, so I will put someone else to it. ¨CLawrence thought while admiring the dragon as it finally stopped shedding.


    In Falladis, Gree along with another researcher assigned to be her assistant, rushed to the training grounds to stop Chronos and Sinns from continuing the mock battle. ¡°Okay guys, all good and nice, I know Chronos was about to get his ass beaten but we need to move now, if we want to be able to save everyone in Casamira, then I need you two ready in an hour.¡± ¨CShe commanded while leaving the place almost instantly to look for Francois who was coordinating some workers in the facility for when he leaves with Gree and the rest.


    Phil, despite being told to stay and rest, demanded to also go in order to help in Casamira, at least as a coordinator for the people in there to safely evacuate. Elvira was against this and attempted several times to convince Phil to stay and have some rest as his arm wasn¡¯t fully recovered. However, he wouldn¡¯t listen to her and continue getting ready for any sort of riot produced by the confusion of a crowd.


    Meanwhile, Nat received a ban from Gree in order to not let her go to Casamira as she could be exposed to a lot of danger. Nat attempted to talk it out but it was refused, so she just stopped trying with a sad sigh. ¡°Please, just come back safe and sound...¡± ¨CShe begged Gree while holding her hands.


    ¡°You are worrying too much, we will just get some people out of certain death and then come back. This is not like that time we were escaping from Delcyt, now we are going to save people.¡± ¨CGree answered while patting Nat¡¯s head before Francois approached them to announce the transport for the ones going was ready.


    Once Gree, Chronos, Sinns, Elvira, and Phil were ready to leave, Francois gave the order to the pilot of the plane to bring them back safely as possible. With this, the plane took off as fast as possible to drop the platoon of soldiers along with Chronos¡¯ group as paratroopers.


    As the second team was on their way to Casamira, Lawrence didn¡¯t waste much time after the dragon shed its skin. With an air of superiority, Lawrence commanded the team accompanying him to scout the area in front of them to make sure there was nothing in the customs¡¯ outpost on the other side of the commercial route. After an hour, the soldiers scouting the area confirmed a clear route in Casamira¡¯s direction. Upon hearing this Lawrence ordered to mobilize everyone immediately and surround Casamira in case Sinns escaped if she still happened to be there.


    A couple of hours later, the team would approach Casamira without the dragon in order to pass as a convoy bringing materials for the Major. However, the situation turned dire as the entry to the village was denied. Lawrence personally approached the gate guard and asked why their entrance was denied, but before the guard could answer, a wet slicing sound could be heard and the head and body of the guard dropped in different directions. Right after this, Lawrence commanded the soldiers to enter the place and start to look and kill if needed. After a group of the soldiers entered, Lawrence whistled loudly in order to call the dragon and order it to stay around the walls of the village before he went in as well.


    Once inside, Charles¡¯ team noticed there was an unusual movement of people nearby one of the gates. Three men of this group reported the situation before going to investigate and Charles got warned as he was next to Ivan in his office. The soldiers leaving to investigate were equipped with special radios reinforced on Lorenz¡¯s workshop, so they could communicate with Charles at all times. A couple of minutes after their suspicions, several gunshots were heard along with the bullets striking steel and concrete while screams drowned the transmission of the radios. Charles got alarmed and stood up while Ivan activated an alarm to keep everyone in the village alert to the threat. ¡°Ivan, is this the moment you saw in your visions?¡± ¨CCharles asked while grabbing his assault rifle. However, Ivan could only shake his head as he couldn¡¯t know whether it was the moment or not.


    Lorenz also knew about the situation and ordered his workers to not leave the facility and try to hide if any of the terrorists entered the building, to which Pascal tried to coordinate people within the facility to avoid panic as Marco tried to check if there was anyone missing.


    On the other side of Casamira, Charles¡¯ team attempted to suppress the invasion led by Lawrence, attempting to corner them against the gate they initially came from. The situation pushed Lawrence to call his dragon by whistling loudly as he began to let his mist out to avoid being found.


    After hearing the whistling, the dragon began to slither upwards towards the top of the wall, denoting how much it had grown from the time Lawrence took it as his own. Upon reaching the top, the dragon began to taste the particles in the air with its tongue and instantly noticed there was another dragon nearby.


    As soon as one detected the other, the opposite happened as well, making Charles¡¯ dragon suddenly leap towards the essence it caught in order to neutralize the threat. However, the one sliding over the wall suddenly opened its mouth in a grotesque way, unhinging its jaws and letting out a cry that overwhelmed the whole village. As soon as this happened, the guards on the other gates rushed to the cannons mounted on the wall to take down the snake-like dragon. However, their attempts were unsuccessful due to the impact of ammunition doing no damage to the scales of the dragon. As it paid no attention to the minuscule threat that the cannons represented, the dragon finally slid down the wall to aid Lawrence and his team by just swallowing the soldiers in front of them.


    Charles rushed out of the town hall after hearing his team screaming after the sight of another dragon, to which he also notice his own dragon already moved to then stomp on the snake-like one creating a small tremor. Lawrence, who already left the area by meshing with his mist while there was chaos all around, went to gather information from the people sheltering in their houses, torturing them without hesitation if there was no cooperation. To his surprise, there was a person very willing to talk after being threatened. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect an old innkeeper knew who I was looking for. You must see a lot of guests so I can¡¯t really tell whether you are lying or not, so I will take a warrant.¡± ¨CLawrence calmly stated while slicing off one of the innkeeper¡¯s arms, making him scream in agony while dropping on the ground as he desperately tried to make the blood stop by covering it with his hand. ¡°I apologize, but you are not going to live much longer if you struggle too much, so go to the point and I might let you enjoy your misery for a bit longer.¡± ¨CLawrence demanded while remaining calm and collected in front of the innkeeper, who slowly mentioned Ivan and his role as the village¡¯s major, and how he was close to the group Sinns belonged too.


    After getting the directions of the town hall where the major normally was, Lawrence simply hide in his mist and left to search for Ivan, allowing the innkeeper to live for longer but without one of his arms. Sadly for the innkeeper, a couple of minutes after Lawrence left, he finally tried to leave for medical help but a loud slam produced another tremor and the building collapse on him after Charles¡¯ dragon pushed the snake-like one against the inn, killing the innkeeper and a couple of families hiding in the same place.


    Twitter: @Sbrcbleh12

 Chapter 45 - 42: Despair.

    Once Lawrence had learned about Ivan and how he knew where his target was, he decided to pay a visit to him, to which he calmly walked across the village looking for the town hall as the 2 dragons were brutally fighting, slamming, biting, and trying to immobilize each other.


    Meanwhile, Charles had already reached where the 2 dragons were fighting. He tried to whistle to his own dragon in a specific pattern so it would act accordingly. As he expected, the dragon quickly jumped away and landed nearby Charles to then open its jaws and let a pressured stream of water cut through the skin of the snake-like dragon just like with the amalgamation in the horde. However, the new scales of Lawrence¡¯s dragon showed reflected the water stream, bending it upon hitting the sides of the dragon and causing the buildings nearby to suffer the repercussions of the water stream. Charles was forced to make the dragon stop as the situation seemed to deteriorate since the remaining soldiers from his team got caught in the middle of the fight between the 2 massive beasts.


    Right now I can¡¯t tell if I will be able to suppress it successfully, but I can only hope it will work. ¨CCharles thought while concentrating on the snake-like dragon that was moving closer to him. Suddenly, while pointing at the dragon moving towards him, Charles triggered his magic ability, stopping the dragon on its tracks and making it twitch and convulse in pain.


    Lawrence, who was slowly moving away from the place, noticed there was something wrong with his dragon and decided to take priority on solving that issue first, as the dragon represented one of his cards against the ruler of Delcyt.


    Charles attempted to apply his magic, which allowed him to create a constant state of involuntary muscle contraction, rendering the target of his ability immobile as the target itself deals with a lot of pain. However, Charles could only focus on 1 target at a time given the magnitude of such ability since he could even apply it to the dragon before him. This ability also had its limitations, since the infected could continue moving despite any pain that could be inflicted on them.


    Lawrence seemed to not fully understand the situation but realized the dragon next to Charles noticed his presence and started to approach him; so, as a measure to avoid further problems, Lawrence walked towards Charles as he seemed very exposed, disregarding the dragon moving closer. With a swift swing of his scythe, Lawrence knocked back the dragon, inflicting a nasty-looking slice on its jaw. Charles quickly turned to see what happened behind him but his left leg was sliced off in a second, making him suddenly lose his concentration, and allowing the dragon under the effect of his ability to quickly retaliate and rush towards him.


    I didn¡¯t expect it to be this way, but I think I must finish it properly. ¨CCharles thought trying to not let the pain consume him while pulling a ring off from a grenade he had on his belt while Lawrence¡¯s dragon bit and crushed him. The explosion then made the dragon go on a rampage for several minutes, increasing the damage to the nearby buildings.


    Once the issue was solved, Lawrence left to search for Ivan who was hiding in his office, holding a shotgun with both hands and expectant of whoever entered through his door. Meanwhile, Lorenz kept trying to contact the Falladis contingency agency since there is a terrorist attack in Casamira, and despite having a patrolling team stationed in there already, the situation seemed to deteriorate fast.


    The plane transporting Chronos¡¯ group and the rest of the platoon was closing fast to Casamira but the fatalities were increasing by the minute. This worried Gree who kept reading the emails sent by Ivan to try finding any other clues between the details stated. The situation might have happened already and I wouldn¡¯t know. If we lose Ivan Falladis will probably be drawn to war we wouldn¡¯t be able to win.¡± ¨CShe thought while biting her thumbnail, expressing anxiety and worry.


    Chronos remained silent and trying to focus on the plan Gree explained to him before taking off from the capital since he was probably the one who could be able to actually fight a developed dragon since the custom weapons were made especially for tasks of this magnitude were not in their hands. With the training he was subjected to, Chronos learned to minimize the size of the spears he could create to increase the general amount of them by larger proportions. However, this was not possible with the spikes he could make appear from the ground. Having seen this, Gree idealized a plan as a countermeasure against the dragon Ivan was speaking of in the emails he sent. At the same time, in Chronos¡¯ mind, Pandora was slowly creeping up to whisper to him about thoughts he never had and showing him memories he never experienced as an attempt to mess with his judgment, trying to get him to lose focus.


    Sinns was feeling rather nervous since they could still lose Chronos due to the existence of Pandora being around him as a ghost, something that would simply make the plan fail, but, Gree also tried to think about this possibility and the plan b would be around the possibility of Elvira and Sinns distracting the dragon while the rest of soldiers would coordinate a swift evacuation, given there wasn¡¯t a high toll of deaths due to the incursion of a terrorist team. Both plans were in case of the worse already happening but the whole group was unsure of what they would find upon reaching the area.


    In Casamira, after Lawrence finished off Charles, his initial thought was to keep searching for Ivan, but as he began to walk, he noticed the other dragon still breathing slowly, making him wonder if he could also take control over it by exhaustive training as he did with the one he already had. ¡°Hey, you, don¡¯t let this one escape.¡± ¨CLawrence commanded to his dragon while snapping his fingers and pointing towards the badly injured dragon in front of him.


    After trashing on the buildings nearby, the snake dragon managed to understand the brief order and began to could around the injured one, restraining its movements. With this possible threat taken care of, Lawrence strolled through the empty streets of Casamira looking for the town hall which didn¡¯t take much time for him to find.


    Ivan was constantly guarding the door to his office, expectant to be visited by one of the terrorists at any moment. As time passed, lowered his guard a bit to call Lorenz and find out about the situation with any reinforces coming from the capital, to which Lorenz was silent, denoting the lack of hope he expressed. ¡°What happened to Charles and his team?¡± ¨CIvan asked while looking towards his door as a dense mist began to invade the whole building.


    ¡°Footage from his body camera revealed he was killed by the dragon brought by the terrorists.¡± ¨CLorenz said in a discouraged tone as Ivan could hear footsteps and loud thuds from out of his office, making him put down the phone and raising his shotgun towards his window door once again. ¡°Ivan you need to leave the village now, we don¡¯t know what they want but you should save yourself.¡± ¨CLorenz continued as the door in Ivan¡¯s office slowly opened. The next thing Lorenz could hear through the phone was a loud shotgun shot, alarming him even more before the call ended.


    Once Ivan shot as the door was opened, the body of one of the security guards fell on the ground, fully opening the door and showing how there was nothing but mist in the room outside. Before he could check on the fallen guard, a sudden slash split the shotgun, rendering it useless. Right when Ivan reacted to it, Lawrence had already kicked him down, making him fall and hit his head against his desk, blacking out instantly. ¡°Did I just kill you without intending to?¡± ¨CLawrence chuckled at what happened and started to drag Ivan out of the building. Outside of the building, Lawrence called on the remaining soldiers that accompanied him to restrain Ivan in order to use his ability for Delcyt. However, he noticed a plane flying on top of the area and instantly saw the dropping soldiers coming from that plane. ¡°Tch, we have to go now, I¡¯ll have to take care of this dragon first and take the information of where VM01 is from this old man later.¡± ¨CLawrence said while approaching closer to the injured dragon restrained by the snake.


    Approximately 10 minutes after Lawrence ended with Charles¡¯ dragon and was making his way to the convoy from which they came. One of the vehicles exploded after being smashed down by a big battle axe while Sinns released herself from the parachute to then land on the destroyed vehicle, making Lawrence laugh a lot and confusing Sinns who instantly demolished another of the vehicles to create a blockade after seeing the soldiers moving with Ivan in his arms.


    ¡°You saved me the hard work of having to find you.¡± ¨CLawrence joked while pulling a gun out of the belt of one of the soldiers next to him and shooting Ivan on the head.


    Sinns, eyes widened after witnessing the instant kill without hesitation, gripping tightly on the axe and instinctively jumping toward Lawrence to land a hit that would most likely split him in half. Once the axe landed on the ground, a dense mist surrounded Sinns while she stared in shock at the soldier she had cut in half, failing to understand when or how Lawrence moved. With a gentle touch, Lawrence rested his hand on Sinns¡¯ shoulders with a wicked expression of compassion on his face. Sinns then fell down as her legs were sliced off by Lawrence.


    While slowly falling unconscious, Sinns understood the reason behind her disorientation and it was the same drug used by the ruler to subdue her before the surgery on which DD¡¯s genes were implanted in her. Without being able to resist, Sinns simply landed on the ground while Lawrence observed her brief struggle. However, he felt there was something coming his way as the air began to whistle, so as a reflex he shrouded himself into his mist once again to avoid a fatal hit from Elvira who shattered the ground lightly and picked up Sinns to run away into Casamira as fast as she could. After snapping his fingers, the snake dragon used its tail to whip Elvira to the ground immobilizing her as Lawrence began to walk towards them. But to Lawrence¡¯s surprise, spikes resembling the ones he avoided in the Pandora¡¯s forest suddenly pierced to the ground, pushing away the dragon and keeping Lawrence into his mist while Chronos observed the situation from on top of the building he landed on.


    The dragon shifted its attention to Chronos and Chronos immediately realized it was Hisato¡¯s dragon, taking his attention away from it briefly to looks for Hisato but could only see Charles¡¯ dragon dead against one of the buildings in the vicinity. Right when Chronos turned around, the snake dragon had lunged towards him but was suddenly hit by one of Chronos¡¯ ashen spears, successfully altering the trajectory of the snake¡¯s head. The snake on the other hand used its body to slam Chronos away from the building he was on. With this opportunity given by Chronos, Elvira ran away once again with Sinns in her arms.


    Several soldiers already landed in Casamira and started immediately with the plan. Gree and Phil were coordinating the soldiers along with the group of people who were evacuating the village. A couple of minutes after they searched around the town hall for Ivan, Elvira appeared with Sinns in her arms as her legs stopped bleeding. ¡°Grace, Ivan is dead, and Lawrence is here.¡± ¨CElvira said while panting and letting Sinns down on one of the pieces of furniture in the town hall. Gree¡¯s expression turned to terror after realizing Delcyt soldiers were the terrorists behind the attack, understanding they would be using the custom weapons she created.


    Twitter: @Sbrcbleh12

 Chapter 46 - 43: Tragedy.

    Phil hurried to check on Sinns and requested proper help from a group of soldiers while Gree went to look for Lorenz, who attempted to come out to look for Ivan as he didn¡¯t answer his calls. However, the moment he left the building a vehicle was flying towards his direction after being thrown by the snake which kept trashing its surrounding while trying to reach up to Chronos.


    To his luck, once Elvira secured Sinns she hurried back to help Chronos while leaving Gree behind and attempt to kill Lawrence upon sighting him, so before Lorenz got caught under the vehicle, Elvira pushed him aside as the wall behind them got heavily dented by the impact. ¡°What are you doing out here? You almost get killed and you can¡¯t do anything.¡± ¨CElvira asked quite annoyed about the situation.


    ¡°I need to know where Ivan is, he said he would die and now he is not answering any call. Did he really¡­?¡± ¨CLorenz stopped for a moment while Elvira instantly turned her expression to sorrow.


    ¡°Get back in. I don¡¯t want to be babysitting you too.¡± ¨CElvira replied while running off to the giant snake dragon that kept approaching Chronos despite his efforts to maintain it away from him. Elvira noticed the mist was dissipating from the surrounding area, which to her meant 2 possibilities: 1. Lawrence left in order to keep himself away from danger or 2. He is still around but hiding behind the debris. Either option seemed plausible to her but since she didn¡¯t know exactly what he planned to do after Ivan died, she couldn¡¯t lower her guard while she took pieces of debris and flung them towards the eyes of the dragon to create a window for Chronos to find ways to damage it.


    As he instantly understood what Elvira wanted him to do, Chronos attempted to focus in certain areas of the Dragon¡¯s long body but it was futile as the spears he would cast couldn¡¯t pierce through. ¡°Elvira, we need to take it out of the village!¡± ¨CHe shouted while jumping off to another ceiling before the tail of the snake destroyed the foundation of that building he just got off from.


    Lawrence paid no mind to the inconvenience as he already found his target. However, he found quite interesting the young man who seemed to be able to cast spears and large spikes out of thin air. I better keep an eye on him in case he survives the fight against the dragon.¡¯ ¨CHe thought while making his way towards where he thinks Sinns is, but to his surprise, he realizes Gree is also with them and immediately shifts his priority to getting rid of her.


    ¡°I would¡¯ve pretty much enjoyed a quick lift to Lorenz¡¯s, Elvira!¡± ¨CGree yelled while resting a bit after getting tired and annoyed since she was left behind. After taking a deep breath and readied herself to continued, her body instinctively made her pull a gun out of her belt and aim at whatever was approaching her. A sudden feeling of terror invaded her as a dense mist began to surround her. ¡°Tch, you still suck at properly greeting people, Lawrence.¡± ¨CShe said while starting to shoot to where she guessed Lawrence would be but her gun got easily sliced in the middle of a shot and the recoil threw pieces of the gun to one of her eyes inflicting her a lot of pain as she lost balance and fell over, only to realize one of the legs was missing.


    ¡°Had I know you would be here as well, I wouldn¡¯t have lost any time looking for VM01 or even having to deal with that joke of a ruler, mainly since I could¡¯ve used you as a nice warranty. But now I have a dragon and my deal with Yan is already secure.¡± ¨CLawrence casually spoke while standing in front of Gree who was trying her best to not panic while reaching into her belt for another method of getting rid of Lawrence. ¡°Aw, you surely are tough for being an over 100 years-old child.¡± ¨CHe mentioned while enjoying the sight before severing her arm as it was reaching her belt.


    Gree let out a scream which was quickly drowned by her vomiting in pain while trying to crawl away afterward. Lawrence, overjoyed by the sight decided to finally put an end to her but was interrupted by a shot that landed on his left shoulder, alerting him and forcing him to shroud himself once again using his mist. In a moment, Phil appeared and threw a stun grenade forward into the mist while following a blood trail he hoped was coming from Lawrence, but once he approached the source, he flinched as his stomach twisted while the grenade went off blinding Lawrence for a second. Phil winced while trying to carefully but quickly pick up Gree from the floor as his thought focused on escaping to get medical attention as fast as possible, ignoring everything else in his surroundings.


    Lawrence groaned while being visibly annoyed by the pain on his shoulder but didn¡¯t hesitate to chase after Phil since he understood that as long as Gree was alive, there would be a high probability of her being able to replicate the custom weapons, which was something he couldn¡¯t allow if he wanted to take over the ruler¡¯s role. He didn¡¯t take long to approach Phil and graze his back, making him lose balance and tripping over while trying to protect Gree. ¡°I¡¯m tired of this job, now I have to add an extra medical insurance to the deal, or else I won¡¯t be able to continue much longer like this.¡± ¨CLawrence mumbled to himself while severing both of Phil¡¯s legs as he screamed in pain before being instantly silenced by another slash that cut his head off as Lawrence stared at him in disdain.


    Once he turned the body around to expose Gree again, a spear had pierced through his right arm, forcing him to drop his Scythe while turning around to see what happened with the Dragon, which eyes¡¯ were forced out and its head was impaled by several ashen spears created by Chronos who stood next to the corpse while looking at the mist in the distance. However, Lawrence couldn¡¯t see Elvira who suddenly jumped into the mist with her bloodshot eyes and her hands full of blood from pulling out the snake¡¯s eyes. Before he could react, Elvira bashed his head down to the ground and began to brutally smash his head, breaking his skull and reducing his head to mush while his body already gave up and became motionless.


    Chronos approached her but was met with a horrible sight. Phil was decapitated, Gree lost a couple of her limbs and Elvira screamed in agony to the sky as it began to rain. Pandora showed herself behind him, silently getting closer as Chronos¡¯ heart began to beat faster while uneasiness invaded him. He felt like throwing up but couldn¡¯t let himself succumb at the moment since he noticed Gree was still breathing faintly. He quickly picked her up and ran towards the soldiers who were evacuating the people in the vicinity in order to look for help. At the sight of Chronos holding Gree, the soldiers instantly attempted to aid them.


    As it began to rain heavily, Elvira was still next to Phil¡¯s corpse, lamenting his death while sobbing. She couldn¡¯t notice the helicopter flying over Casamira and stopping to hover above the town hall. Chronos on the other hand, looked at it dumbfounded as he didn¡¯t know for sure if this was also part of Gree¡¯s plan while the Soldiers were all around helping to save people from the debris and giving medical attention to Gree.


    A long rope ladder was thrown out of the Helicopter while an extremely fast impact shattered the ground in front of Chronos, forcing him to back away from it as a group of unknown soldiers appeared in front of him, aiming their assault rifles at Chronos while Cristobal was walking into the town hall to retrieve Sinns after killing the soldiers who were taking care of her. As he walked out, he looked briefly at Chronos with a cold expression but decided to not give an order to terminate him while the unknown soldiers began to climb the ladder. Only when Cristobal touched the ladder, Chronos came back to his senses as he attempted to impale Cristobal, to which Cristobal, with a movement of his whip, altered the trajectory of the spear and quickly impacted Chronos'' chest, knocking him out.


    By the time he woke up, Chronos noticed he was moved into a temporary medical facility and Lorenz was sitting nearby next to Elvira who was talking to him, explaining what happened. As he tried to stand up from the bed he woke up on, Chronos felt a piercing pain coming from his chest. ¡°I don¡¯t recommend you moving. It is almost a miracle you are still alive after the hit you received yesterday.¡± ¨CA doctor that was rushing around mentioned while reading the report in front of his bed.


    For how long have I slept? Where is Gree? ¨CChronos thought while Elvira approached him after Lorenz left to go somewhere else.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been sleeping for a while now.¡± ¨CElvira mentioned while sitting next to his bed. ¡°Sinns was taken by a commander from Delcyt, most likely under the ruler¡¯s orders, so trying to get to them would be a task beyond what we could do.¡± ¨CShe continued while scratching her head.


    ¡°Did Gree...?¡± ¨CChronos asked expecting the worst of scenarios.


    ¡°She is alive, barely. Had it not been for you, she would have probably not made it in time.¡± ¨CElvira answered, calming Chronos down, as he tried to avoid speaking about Phil. ¡°The guy you saw me talking with is an acquaintance of Gree, I met him the day we first came here to this place. He went to check on Gree as her life is not in immediate danger anymore.¡± ¨CShe continued while standing up with the intention to leave the facility in order to help anyone who could. ¡°He would be very grateful, just as how grateful I am. Thank you for saving her when I was falling in despair.¡± ¨Cshe mentioned while leaving Chronos alone on his bed.


    Right after Elvira left, Pandora briefly appeared on the seat she had just stood up from, showing a malevolent smile with empty eyes. Chronos instantly frowned upon seeing her and attempted to not pay any attention to whatever she would tell him. ¡°It seems like you are in a very dire situation. However, there is a way for you to be able to make amends and bring the girl back. As you may already know, she is a bit more special than the rest. She was blessed, just like you, but not in the same way. Just like you, she is going to become the recipient of something and if you want, I could help you unlock what is left inside of you, the actual power of your command.¡± ¨CPandora said as she caught Chronos attention, making him sweat cold after her brief appearance.


    Several hours later, in an emergency room, Gree was again taken in again as she destabilized while resting on the bed assigned to her. Lorenz and Elvira stood out of the room waiting to get any news without saying a word, hoping for her to survive.


    Twitter: @Sbrcbleh12

 Chapter 47 - 44: A Treasure Left Behind.

    Upon opening her eyes, Gree noticed she could only see from one of her eyes. Quickly addressing the situation, the fact that she is alive meant that Lawrence got killed, which calmed her a bit. After realizing she was missing an arm and a leg, Gree attempted to look around to see who was in the room with her, seeing Elvira sleeping in a chair in front of her bed. A memory came to her mind and her heart sunk, realizing the most probable reason for her being alive is because Phil was there. Her suspicions were that Phil most likely was killed, but Gree didn¡¯t want to think about the matter anymore. ¡°Where¡­is Sinns?¡± ¨CShe faintly asked while trying to make an effort to speak.


    Elvira suddenly opened her eyes while raising her head to look at Gree. ¡°She was taken by people from Delcyt, Chronos tried to stop them but one of them had a custom weapon you made.¡± ¨CShe explained while keeping eye contact with Gree.


    ¡°Did¡­ Chronos¡­?¡± ¨CGree attempted to ask before being interrupted by Elvira.


    ¡°No, he is actually better than he should, he might be resting now. Hopefully, he will recover fast.¡± ¨CElvira answered without letting Gree speaking too much. With a faint sigh, Gree closed her eyes again, falling asleep while Elvira walked out to search for the doctors and ask about Gree¡¯s condition, to which they weren¡¯t really positive.


    On the other side of Casamira, Lorenz began to take care of the damage done to the structures while looking through Ivan¡¯s belongings in his office, noticing a couple of weird items among the pile he salvaged. A box with his and Gree¡¯s names was intact in one of Ivan¡¯s desk drawers, leading to a key to open a certain part of his workshop that no one else had access to. As this was something Lorenz didn¡¯t know about, he went to the town hall almost immediately and search for any place where the key would fit. Under the main desk, there was a small keyhole that Lorenz noticed after a couple of hours of searching in the office. Once he placed the key in, the keyhole began to turn on itself and the floor next to the desk opened a trapdoor which revealed a stairway that lead to Ivan¡¯s workshop. As he walked down the stairs, Lorenz noticed several pieces of different equipment that resembled exoskeletons and lead Lorenz to sit on one of the chairs to stare at them in awe. After taking a look at the equipment, Lorenz attempted to log in to the pc that was there in a table with several attachments for the exoskeletons and found several recordings that were directed to him and Gree as well.


    ¡°Lorenz, this recording is specially directed to you, since you will take care of Casamira for me, you will also notice there are several things left in here. The main thing you need to know is that the equipment here is, indeed, for military purposes.¡± ¨CThe recording briefly stops as Ivan sighs. ¡°I saw something that goes beyond what we could imagine. It was a disease that will plague the world as it once did, but I won¡¯t be around to be able to help. So I will entrust this work to someone called Grace Myers, the group she travels with is of utmost importance to what is going to happen to Falladis in the near future.¡± ¨CThe recording ends there following with the computer showing several more files with information regarding the blueprints of the exoskeletons and several more devices to measure the number of certain elements in the environment.


    A note in front of Ivan¡¯s pc showed some special instruction for Gree, to which Lorenz realized that Ivan might have been able to see more than just his death but also the fact that she would lose some of her limbs. ¡°Use these for your recovery, Gree.¡± ¨CThe note had written on it while a code leading to a safe in the workshop required that same code. Right after opening the safe, Lorenz could see prosthetic limbs that could be adjusted to the owner. This finding immediately calmed Lorenz down, as it meant Gree would survive to use the equipment, according to Ivan.


    In Delcyt, Cristobal and his team reported what they witnessed while following Lawrence, and how they took action to retrieve the target, which was Sinns. The report stated the loss of Lawrence and the dragon he controlled, confirming that Elvira was alive as well as another individual that helped her kill Lawrence. As Yan kept reading the report, his eyes widened when he saw Gree¡¯s name in it. Gree was reported to be dead as well as the one she took before going missing from the research facility, this was referred to be Phil but the picture taken from afar couldn¡¯t confirm it since the body was decapitated. With this information, Yan proceed to check on Sinns, who was in a comatose state due to prolonged use of the drugs that weaken her. Once he confirmed the reports were correct, Yan decided to make a call to prepare a meeting with the Ruler of the Federation of Orst, Christina. Besides Christina, Yan contacted another benefactor who would agree on bringing him help upon receiving a very important active he currently possessed, which was Sinns. After hesitating a couple of minutes due to the proposal and the weight it has over the future, Yan accepted the deal as the outcome of his plan would still require using Sinns as a very valuable active for research, given her assimilation of the virus. Once Cristobal submitted his report, a next mission was given to him and his team, which was to carry Sinns to the religious nation of Metan in order to carry out a ritual for Aster.


    Once Eloise went back to the capital of Falladis after her meeting in Metan, a report was given to her about the situation with the bordering town of Casamira and how some terrorists from Delcyt lead by a guardian ended up killing several people along with the commander of the patrolling unit, and guardian associated with the Falladis militia, Charles Ford. Upon reading this, she could only feel anger and nausea, quickly realizing it was Yan who pulled the strings for this to happen.


    There was a press conference given by the ruler of Delcyt, announcing the aggressions and cover-ups Falladis have been doing in order to harm Delcyt. Most of the questions were related to the future of the border between Delcyt and Falladis, and the answer seemed to be war. To the reporters, the idea of war was outrageous due to the military power that repelled the Federation of Orst. The reporters made Yan speak the truth behind genetically enhanced soldiers that would serve the nation and conquer Falladis to end the possible war.


    The reporters naturally demanded evidence of the situation, and so Yan began to show them images taken by Cristobal¡¯s team of a location destroyed near the border, as well and several other pictures of dead and half-eaten soldiers who ended up being victims of Lawrence¡¯s dragon, but Yan covered it up as a terrorist action from Falladis in a way to kidnap his daughter and use her as a hostage. In the images, it was shown how Elvira brutally killed Lawrence and so Yan used this as a way to point her out as a terrorist and traitor to the nation. After the reporters saw the images, a sudden silence filled the conference room; a couple of them stood up and asked once again about the upcoming war and how it will affect Delcyt and the overall stability of the militia.


    Back in Casamira, Gree kept resting as several life support devices were keeping her alive. Elvira could only help the town by removing rubble and digging tombs for the victims of the destruction produced. On the other hand, Lorenz was still looking around Ivan¡¯s workshop as the soldiers were mounting guard in the area in case there was something else happening.


    A convoy approached the town from the inner side of Falladis, but it was stopped by the soldiers who needed some confirmation of the identity of the one in charge of the transport. It happened to be Ali, who received bad news from his contacts about Casamira, so he went back to check on what happened.


    As Ali arrived, the soldiers guarding the gates requested for his personal identification and permits of transport along with licenses, which he naturally had and showed. To his surprise, the town seemed to be in better shape than he expected. However, he couldn¡¯t help but feel a knot on his stomach while thinking it was such a beautiful place a week ago. The convoy cargo happened to be resources funded by Ali himself to help feed the victims of the horrible event.


    Elvira was called by Lorenz who was done with reading and hearing instructions left by Ivan inside of his workshop. She was clueless of the reason but couldn¡¯t brush it off as something unimportant. As she walked into the town hall and notice the absence of Lorenz, Elvira simply looked around to see several people cleaning the inside of the building, trying to take off the stains and the bodies that Lawrence left behind.


    Lorenz then popped out of Ivan¡¯s office and invited Elvira, who was waiting outside, to go in. The main objective of this brief meeting was to let Elvira know about Ivan¡¯s workshop, but to his surprise, Elvira seemed to be familiarized with some of the equipment she came in contact with, denoting, she has already since similar devices in the past. ¡°Do you by any chance know if in Delcyt they have developed these kinds of exoskeletons?¡± ¨CLorenz asked as he caught Elvira¡¯s attention while she was tinkering with the devices.


    ¡°Honestly speaking, it is harder to imagine them not perfecting anything that they deem important, so your question is a bit off since it is a nation with a very strong military. However, I think these devices Ivan left here, don¡¯t seem very¡­ conventional..¡± ¨CElvira replied while letting the armor on its spot, as she took a glance of the prosthetic limbs while her eyes widened.

 Chapter 48 - 45: Hope?

    Once she woke up again, Gree looked around to find no one in the room, just the devices attached to her that were helping her breathe properly. Her memories were very hazy but could fully understand who was the one behind what happened, so with an uninterested look towards the door of the room, Gree began to fidget with a small button to call for assistance, which brought a couple of nurses that look rather worried by the sudden call.


    As Gree was being attended by the nurses, Chronos slowly attempted to walk while feeling slight discomfort as he moved, remembering Pandora¡¯s words he attempted to walk out of the temporary facility. However, he was stopped by a doctor who walked by, telling Chronos to go back to his designated room to rest so he could be dispatched somewhere differently. ¡°You are Chronos Cinere, right? Currently, you are being treated by medics contracted by the ruler to keep you and Grace Myers alive.¡± ¨Cthe doctor explained. ¡°We can¡¯t let you go around just like that without first checking your body.¡± ¨Cthe doctor continued while bringing Chronos back into his room to check his x-ray results before telling him anything else. To his surprise, the fracture looked almost as if it was just a minor crack on the ribcage, leaving the doctor dumbfounded for a moment. The doctor went to compare the x-rays he just saw with the old one taken 3 days ago and noticed an anomaly that seemed to be gluing the cracks together to heal the ribcage.


    As the doctor called on some of his colleagues to see what happened, several soldiers began to walk into the facility to request the doctor about the information found about Chronos¡¯ recovery, which it was a necessary intervention from the scientists in the capital¡¯s facility. The doctors concluded that the virus in Chronos¡¯ body had mutated into a symbiotic version that is keeping the host alive. The outrage it created among the doctors had to be suppressed by the soldiers, as the discovery of a strain of virus being could mean the solution to all the hives in the world. However, the subject would have to be subjected to constant vigilance and studies to create a perfect way to eradicate the hives for good.


    Elvira was walking towards the building to check on Chronos and Gree but noticed the doctors attempting to enter Chronos'' room and wondered what happened. Approaching closer, she spoke to a soldier briefly and found out about the situation, to which she instantly dispersed the crowd of doctors. After she managed to enter Chronos'' room, she saw him reading through some papers handed by a doctor. The documents stated a singularity on the strain of the virus that Chronos hosted. Upon reading further, Chronos found out there is a slight difference in the virus sequence that had changed upon entering his body, but the report crossed this as nearly impossible and highly fictional. According to the doctors, what kept Chronos alive seemed to be only luck but this brought hope for the future as the document requested his signature to allow the doctors to take samples from him to work in a way to counter the hives around the world and eradicate the TDW-01.


    Elvira was confused as to what the content of the papers was, and why would it be so outrageous for the doctors that were crowding the outside of his room. ¡°What did you get there, buddy?¡± ¨CElvira casually asked while sitting on a chair next to Chronos¡¯ bed.


    ¡°This paper explains the reason why I¡¯ve survived all this time up until now. It is basically stating that I hold the cure for the virus.¡± ¨CChronos answered with a straight face while Elvira looks at the papers in silence after Chronos hands them to her.


    Meaning that Sinns and Chronos share a certain affinity for the virus? Back in Delcyt I never heard that Sinns could be any sort of cure for it, how come Chronos is the cure then? ¨CElvira kept pondering as she read through the document and managed to get to the point where they ask for Chronos¡¯ permission to be used as a lab rat. ¡°You don¡¯t have to accept this, the little freedom you have right now to choose what you want to do will only shrink even more.¡± ¨CElvira mentioned to Chronos while placing the papers on a night table next to the bed. ¡°You also have a situation with your mental state, and as for what I¡¯ve heard, you can see Pandora, but not only that, others can see her too often walking around you and staring at them. Only god knows what could happen if your condition gets worse around civilians.¡± ¨CElvira crossed her arms while getting annoyed at the thought of the doctors wanting to use Chronos.


    ¡°I won¡¯t accept being an experimental subject, at least not yet¡­ there are things we need to do, and Gree needs help. More than I do. Also, you are right, I can see Pandora every now and then, and it feels like she is there as if she could simply appear out of nowhere. Every time that happens, it is as if her presence became more real.¡± ¨CChronos explained while shifting his sight to an empty chair across the room.


    Elvira took a moment to process the situation and finally stood up to walk towards Gree¡¯s designated room, carrying a box with the prosthetic limbs inside. To her surprise, Elvira noticed Gree ordering nurses around to take her to a workshop they didn¡¯t know about while the nurses attempted to calm her down and put her to rest. Once Elvira knocked on the open door, she caught Gree¡¯s attention as the 2 nurses were holding her still. ¡°You seem very lively for someone who got trimmed down by an edgy psychopath¡± ¨CElvira joked as Gree sighed while looking at the box she carried in her arms.


    ¡°I¡¯m feeling better now; don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be depressed forever. I just need some help to move around and I will get myself some temporary limbs to work with. However, these two bullies don¡¯t want to help me for shit so I had to try to stand up by myself.¡± ¨CGree answered while shaking her head and closing her eye.


    One of the nurses felt indignant and wanted to protest but was held back by the next one, who suggested leaving Gree and Elvira talk in private. After they both left, Elvira sat on a chair next to Gree¡¯s bed and Gree attempted to sit up properly but wincing in the process. ¡°How is Chronos doing? Also, do you have any info about Nat? She would be really worried that we haven¡¯t contacted her yet.¡± ¨CGree asked while keeping her attention on the box, expecting Elvira to eventually mention it.


    ¡°Chronos is rather weird, I don¡¯t understand what he thinks sometimes or what he wants to do, but his situation is concerning, and dangerous, at least seems to care for us though. Concerning Nat about what happened will only make things worse right now, when the time comes I will try to talk with her in private.¡± ¨CElvira answered while opening the box as she already knew Gree was curious about it.


    The box content didn¡¯t surprise Gree as she already expected something of the sort, but once the prosthetic arm came into contact with her, several needles popped out of the shoulder connection as the arm itself could disassemble. Gree understood the prosthetic limbs were supposed to connect with the body in order to properly use them, but it would have to turn into a very risky operation. This seems too good to be true; however, these limbs look like they are too orthopedic for my taste. ¨CGree thought while sighing as she was expecting something better from Ivan.


    On the other side of Casamira, Ali attempted to help with the reconstruction of several buildings after acquiring a special permit by asking his contacts for it. Lorenz managed to meet him after giving the prosthesis to Elvira for her to carry them to the temporary facility. The soldiers assigned for Casamira happened to help as well, accelerating the reconstruction of the village.


    A petition for the operation to attach the prosthesis was sent to the capital in order to treat Gree¡¯s situation. The response took a week to be processed and the answer was positive. Along with the answer, a special team was also sent to Casamira to carry out the operation after being informed of Gree¡¯s situation.


    Meanwhile, Cristobal and his team were on their way to Metan, which was one of the nation¡¯s bordering with Delcyt as well as Falladis.


    Upon nearing the border, Cristobal was met by a large group of people who were wearing ominous dark robes. While covering him with a plain mask, one of them who seemed to be the leader of the group approached Cristobal with some documents in her hands. The content of the document was the same as the ones shown to Eloise in the past. Without understanding the purpose of this, Cristobal grew wary of the lady in the robes along with her group. However, once he went back to the vehicle transporting Sinns, the group opened a path for the convoy to pass.


    The capital of Metan happened to be close to Delcyt, so Cristobal¡¯s team took a day to reach their destination. The place of which the convoy had to be was a large forest in a hill; the top of the hill had a small entrance to a cavern which led to a vast natural area. The cavern was illuminated by hundreds of candles placed into carved holes on the walls. The bottom of the area had been filled with a red viscous liquid that reached knee level and in the middle of it a stone slab was poking up resembling a sacrificial altar. After inspecting the area, Cristobal and his team heard a voice from behind the walls.


    ¡°Welcome to the temple of rebirth, where our Lord will bless the corrupted existence of the being you are holding within and so it shall grant his gifts to the believers, the followers of the light. This is the beginning of the new world and thanks to your cooperation we will once again see the Holy Spirit grace us with his presence.¡± ¨CAster spoke while the red liquid began to drain under the floor. ¡°Please, place the girl on the altar, to start the ceremony.¡± ¨CHe continued in an ominous tone, to which the soldiers who were holding Sinns followed the order and walked towards the altar. However, Cristobal felt oddly preoccupied, he could only guess something sinister was about to take place.


    As the soldiers walked towards the altar, the pool of red liquid drained enough to allow Cristobal to realize something horrifying. There were dead bodies, several of them laying around in a sick pattern which made Cristobal nauseous. ¡°Stop! We are leaving this plac-¡° ¨CCristobal could only say this much before a bright light shone upon Sinn¡¯s body which was already left on the altar while Aster walked from behind him and his team, coming through a camouflaged door.


    ¡°Behold! This is the birth of the new messiah.¡± ¨CAster exclaimed euphorically while Cristobal looked at the scene before his eyes dumbfounded.


    Twitter: @Sbrcbleh12

 Chapter 49 - 46: The Cult And The Organization.

    In front of Cristobal, Sinns was holding onto the arms of the two soldiers who were carrying her. However, the two soldiers were looking at her in silence before suddenly bloating and exploding. Sinns had an uninterested expression, looking at what happened without flinching as if she was looking at something totally natural.


    Aster was marvelled by what he just witnessed and bowed down to her immediately. ¡°Oh almighty lord, please guide us through the vessel we humbly offer you.¡± ¨CHe requested while keeping his head down as Cristobal felt an urge to avoid any eye contact.


    Sinns slowly walked down the altar while the remaining liquid from the floor began to move away from her as if Sinns was repelling the viscous substance. The soldiers around Cristobal began to fall on their knees and pray in a language he had never heard before. The urge of doing the same thing invaded Cristobal as he helplessly copied them. Involuntarily, Cristobal began to speak words he never knew about and adopted a praying position. Fear and desperation invaded him while in the presence of Sinns.


    Aster seemed unaffected by the situation before him; the ritual was successful to the extent of his knowledge and the guests who brought Sinns seemed to be busy for the time being. As he was content, Aster simply left them there, forgiving their lives as he slowly approached Sinns. ¡°My lord, please come this way, there is a world that needs your grace and divinity in order to find salvation.¡± ¨CAster begged while falling on his knees and pointing towards the door he came from as he also lowered his head.


    Silently, Sinns looked at Aster with an emotionless expression before walking towards the direction he mentioned. Anyone who saw Sinns walking through the hallways of the facility under the hill simply kneeled down and began to pray. Aster seemed to be the only exception to this situation, as his ancestor was one of the gifted people who received a blessing from God, which he currently holds. By the time Sinns stepped out of the facility, every human being, half-breed and Elf on her way was left into a praying state that rendered immobile for hours.


    The sky turned cloudy as if a storm was about to fall on Metan. Aster blindly followed Sinns, understanding that the Messiah would need to get used to the current new world first. Upon realizing this, Aster used his influence to show the nation to Sinns.


    Hours later, after passing out, Cristobal woke up in the same place he lost his consciousness, and around him, the rest of the soldiers who accompanied him. After several attempts to wake them up, it seemed like they were in a deep sleep state. Cristobal then realized the soldiers were undergoing the same sleep state he was subjected to when starting to learn about magic. This led him to wonder if he was also into a similar sleep state but failed as he had already gone through it. Without wasting any more time, he decided to leave the area without his team, attempting to get to the vehicles his team and he came with.


    However, Cristobal was met with the same group of people that greeted him when crossing the border. The same lady wearing a plain mask was walking towards him while the group behind her was opening a path to walk through. ¡°We see in you the possibility of avoiding disaster; we need you to be a messenger, the only one who can stop what just awakened, is another awakened entity that your nation was hiding. The receiver is someone you have already crossed paths with.¡± ¨CThe masked lady explained in a calm tone. ¡°The receiver is an incomplete vessel, but once he meets with us, the true shape of what lies within him will take form.¡± ¨CShe continued while bowing down to Cristobal and stepping aside. ¡°In the land of the sacred, a godly being will bring devastation to the new era, as a dweller of the dark is the last hope of a sinful world.¡± ¨CThe lady finalized before silently waiting for Cristobal to leave.


    With several questions in his head, Cristobal attempted to retain the information he was given while hesitantly walking through the path opened by the people in robes. ¡°Wait but who is the person I have to deliver this information to?¡± ¨CCristobal asked as he stopped to turn around and find out the group of people was gone without a trace. As unsettling as it was to him, Cristobal sighed and left the place to go back to Delcyt, hoping he would be able to find any help.


    Back in Casamira, a specialized team of doctors and engineers were operating Gree, attaching the prosthetic limbs left by Ivan and trying to discuss its functionality. The surgery lasted 3 days, and Gree had to be in emergencies several times as her body kept rejecting the prosthesis until it eventually came to stabilize. Elvira kept taking care of Gree while Chronos focused on his own recovery, thankfully for him, Pandora hasn¡¯t appeared for days and his recovery has been going well, allowing him to freely move around the facility more often.


    Once he heard about Gree entering a big surgery, he went to the waiting room Along with Elvira and stayed there in case he could be able to see the progress of the operation. I wonder what we will do after we get to leave this place. Maybe Nat will beat me up again for not contacting her?... ¨CChronos thought while sighing after remembering he has to tell Nat about what happened to Phil.


    Outside of the medical facility, Lorenz and Ali were managing the reconstruction of Casamira after the incident with Lawrence. As they were idling for a moment, Ali called one of his contacts to present them to Lorenz who seemed rather confused about the sudden call. As expected by Ali, the person arrived Casamira in a matter of 2 hours making Lorenz wonder where the person came from as Casamira is at the very least 4 hours away from the cities.


    Ali happily greeted a rather old person who was in a suit and brought him to Lorenz to introduce him. ¡°Lorenz, this is my buddy Jeff from an important organization, he is actually helping fund the reconstruction of Casamira. And Jeff, this is Lorenz, not only the best blacksmith I¡¯ve met in my life, but also a great CEO of his own metallurgic company.¡± ¨CAli presented each other expecting them to shake hands, and so they did, while nodding to each other.


    ¡°Nice to meet you, Lorenz, I¡¯m Jefferson Styles, and I¡¯ve heard a lot about you from this guy right here¡± ¨CJeff mentioned while casually pointing at Ali. ¡°I¡¯m also a CEO of my own company. It has grown quite a bit through the years, and I¡¯m going around finding really bright stars to join it. However, you are taking care of your own business and I believe it would be best to just leave you my presentation card.¡± ¨CJeff casually spoke while handing a small business card to Lorenz, who took it hesitantly.


    Upon inspecting the black card, Lorenz saw only the name of Jeff and his phone number engraved in it with a golden colour. This is quite nice, I should also make business cards like this, but there is so little information, what does he do? ¨CLorenz thought while shifting his attention between the card and Jeff who was patiently letting him revise it. ¡°Um, may I know what kind of business you run?¡± ¨CLorenz hesitantly asked.


    With a small chuckle, Jeff pointed his index finger up subtly while looking at Lorenz, making him turn to Ali dumbfounded as Ali nodded and pointed up too. Suddenly, an overwhelming shadow covered the village, immediately causing panic within the walls as the source of the shadow was a gigantic piece of land floating in the air. Lorenz was simply speechless, looking at the sky and trying to find the words to express his amazement. ¡°Fuck¡­¡± ¨CWas all Lorenz said while leaving his mouth open in amazement.


    ¡°It is imposing, isn¡¯t it? It¡¯s been my home for a while now. I find it quite cosy up there.¡± ¨CJeff mentioned while using a special whistle to call something. ¡°Why don¡¯t we take a look up there?¡± ¨CJeff invited Ali and Lorenz to go to the floating island before a massive being with 4 limbs and wings began to descend from it.


    A dragon, easily of the size of a plane gracefully landed outside of Casamira. Everyone who saw it attempted to escape and the soldiers readied their weapons to shoot. However, Lorenz ran towards them and did his best to tell the soldiers to call down as the Dragon did mean any threat to the village. In the end, Jeff walked towards laughing along with Ali who seemed quite relaxed. ¡°How can you be so calm about such an immense creature? Not even the ones we saw before were half as big and this Dragon.¡± ¨CLorenz asked Ali, as he hesitantly approached the winged beast carefully while Ali walked casually to it.


    ¡°Let¡¯s say it is not my first time.¡± ¨CAli replied with a smile as he followed Jeff on top of the dragon¡¯s back, which was fully equipped to be ridden by several people at a time. The design of the mount caught Lorenz attention and found out it was more modern and equipped than it initially seemed.


    Twitter: @Sbrcbleh12

 Chapter 50 - 47: Bad News.

    Lorenz felt dizzy, almost about to throw up. The trip on the back of a massive dragon made him nauseous and Ali was giving him a bag in case Lorenz needed it. Jeff was laughing at Lorenz¡¯s first impression and patiently waited for the dragon to stop on top of the floating island, which took less than half-hour.


    Once Lorenz stepped down from the dragon, he tried to control his shaking legs and sat on the ground for a moment. Ali and Jeff were joking around about it and laughed a bit until Jeff walked away to meet some important guests. ¡°He will be back soon enough. Thankfully, I was entrusted to guide you around to let you familiarize with this place.¡± ¨CAli mentioned while helping Lorenz stand up from the ground.


    To Lorenz, the whole place seemed oddly normal; with streets and several buildings surrounding the Dragon¡¯s landing port, there were some security guards, giving the impression of mild security in the immediate area.


    As Lorenz went absent in the town, Elvira decided to go for a stroll to look for him and help in anything she could to the soldiers transporting construction material. Chronos on the other hand, stayed in the same room as Gree, to wait for her recovery.


    Back in the capital, Nat was worried about the group as she didn¡¯t have any news from them for a long time now, all she could hear around the hallways was that the mission failed but with few casualties thanks to the efforts of the organizers of the mission. Nat was only hoping the group was safe.


    On one of her regular strolls over the facility, while idling out of the workshop, Nat found herself in front of an office where Eloise was having a meeting with several heads of the nation. The subject to be discussed was how to take care of the situation that happened at Casamira. Nat didn¡¯t dare enter but made sure there was no one around as she eavesdropped on the meeting. What she found out was the horrible news of several agents losing their lives including Phillips Moroc, followed by the critical condition in which Grace Myers was left in. Nat¡¯s heart sunk, she just stood in silence as the meeting carried on to the counter-measures of a possible war since the irruption of the invading group was a clear attempt to sabotage Falladis and it all pointed towards the ruler of Delcyt. Nat slowly made her way towards the dorms to therefore fall into a deep sleep after hours of crying, feeling regret as she wasn¡¯t able to stop Phil from going there as well.


    After the meeting ended, Eloise contacted the same agent who talked with her in one of her safe houses and learned that the organization made a small stop on top of Casamira, this made her wonder about the intentions of the organization with Falladis. However, Eloise knew they had no ill intentions, as they would have destroyed the nation with everything they had by now. As she dismissed the suspicions away, she prepared herself to meet with other officers and to call a press conference about the current situation that was nearing. ¡°The subject of the emergency, as the ruler stated, was the incoming war lead by the ruler Yan, from Delcyt.¡± ¨CThe official in charge of speaking for Eloise stated in front of the reporters. ¡°As you could see in the following images, the metallurgic town of Casamira was struck by a group of soldiers coming from Delcyt; their vanguard was a Guardian that managed to take down both our guardian Charles Ford and the Dragon that lived for so many generations aiding the nation.¡± ¨CThe officer explained while showing several images taken by the soldiers stationed there.


    Eloise watched the press conference from one of her safe houses and called Nat to accompany her. One of her worries was the way how Nat would take the news about the death of her friend Phil and the state in which Gree was left.


    Nat was devastated, her face was a bit swollen after crying so much and Eloise couldn¡¯t help but hug her gently, caressing the back of her head while pressing her against her chest. Eloise simply limited herself to pat Nat¡¯s head as she was lamenting not being able to stop Phil. With gentle caresses, Eloise managed to make Nat fall asleep and placed her on a couch to then contact one of the doctors sent to treat Gree.


    The doctor explained how Gree¡¯s body slowly began to accept the invasion of the new prosthesis and how it slowly began to fit as the muscles stopped contracting in response to the operation. The assimilation of the nerves to the micro-wiring started without further problems and Gree is now in a stable condition.


    After hearing the report from the doctor about Gree, Eloise immediately asked about Chronos. The natural healing factor of the virus in Chronos¡¯ body became public to the doctors working in the facility at Casamira to which it would be harder for the government to hide the fact that there could be a cure without having to suppress the witnesses. The fact that no normal devices could properly work at Casamira aids the effort to contain this information but we can¡¯t really keep everyone there forever. I would have to find someone to persuade them and avoid a massive leak of this information; otherwise, we would be bringing high hopes to the desperate and create havoc. ¨CEloise thought while reading through some information regarding protests towards the war preparations that have to be arranged.


    Several groups of people in the nation disagreed to leave their houses due to a possible invasion and denied the fact that a war could start after some small terrorist acts that slightly affected a town on the border. Social media began to gaslight the importance of the preparation, splitting the population into the ones that were overly worried about the ones that didn¡¯t want to believe the government.


    The main concern Eloise had was how to avoid disclosing such information through the media. The methods would be too rudimentary for a large organization as the government but it would be inevitable to apply them for media suppression. After a sigh, Eloise allowed the usage of these methods by using the split between the two sides that believe and the ones that don¡¯t as a cover to avoid an undesirable leak.


    Back in the floating island of the organization, Lorenz walked behind Ali looking to the sides subtly and carefully, to be able to see anything that could be waiting in every corner. This place is just like a huge city. I don¡¯t know where Ali is taking me but it seems like a¡­ coffee shop? ¨CLorenz thought while entering the establishment with Ali.


    After ordering a coffee and having a small talk about the facilities, Lorenz had a worried look on his face. ¡°What is going on here? What is the organization? And how hasn¡¯t it been taken down already?¡± ¨CLorenz asked while keeping his eyes on the drink while Ali turned to a serious expression.


    ¡°The organization is an international company that regulates the power management of the nations; it was created after the Falladis war and it has been creating relationships with a vast amount of companies throughout the world. Thanks to it cutting-edge technology, it generates a similar magnetic repulsion as Casamira, which was developed by none other than Ivan. I believe that will give you an idea of why it can go undetected through the sky.¡± ¨CAli answered while turning leaning forward to lower his voice a bit. ¡°Since there hasn¡¯t been a global threat the organization hasn¡¯t shown itself before to the public as to how it did today. The reason is a certain group of people that has been aiding Casamira and you specifically since the set foot in Falladis.¡± ¨CAli continued explaining while Lorenz looked at him horrified. ¡°Correct, but most importantly, Chronos Cinere, the key to stopping the TDW-01, and also the one chosen by Pandora.¡± ¨CAli stopped briefly to sip on his coffee.


    ¡°But how? And when did this information get leaked? I didn¡¯t even know he was so important, he just seemed like another guardian but never found out if he had a dragon or not. That guy always seemed like a lot of problems so I allowed Charles to take him to the capital and interrogate him.¡± ¨CLorenz attempted to defend himself by explaining what happened but Ali didn¡¯t judge him.


    ¡°It¡¯s all good. Actually, you saved yourself a lot of paperwork by not interfering, so you did what was best. However, my point wasn¡¯t to blame you or anything like that, on the contrary. I know the organization has a connection with the government and so it was easier to get this information. But now it is just a bit too soon to be glad. There is a war coming, Lorenz. A war that is far greater than the Falladis war and the organization recently got news from agents in Metan. Things are not looking bright, and the worst part is that Metan managed to awaken a Messiah and let me tell you, I don¡¯t know what the fuck is going on anymore.¡± ¨CAli began to divagate as he took another sip of his cup.


    ¡°Ali¡­ how do you know all this?¡± ¨CLorenz asked while wondering who Ali is.


    ¡°I¡¯m the leader of the logistics department. You could say all the information that we receive is processed by my department. It is just quite funny sometimes how shady the information can be.¡± ¨CAli answered nonchalantly.


    Lorenz, dumbfounded and speechless simply took a sip from his cup while Ali began to laugh at his reaction. After a while of discussing how Ali never mentioned these details with Lorenz before, Ali received a call from his department which made him stand up quickly, making Lorenz realize the importance of it.


    ¡°So bro, how about you come and check the office? You might even like one of the ladies working there.¡± ¨CAli joked while motioning Lorenz to follow him to another building.


    Twitter: @Sbrcbleh12

 Chapter 51 - 48: Recovery.

    ¡°Several weeks passed after the patient¡¯s operation. Her recovery went at a normal pace but still showed signs of difficulty to move or operating the newly implanted prosthesis. Without difficulty breathing or sleep, the progress was still great for someone who had her nervous system attached to machines. Albeit there are several people who had gone through this similar operation, Grace Myers is the very first reported elf to receive a bionic arm and leg as a prosthesis for her missing limbs.¡± ¨CA doctor recorded while passing through Gree¡¯s bedroom to check on her.


    ¡°Are you done with your detective-ish monologue? I wanted to ask when I¡¯m going to be free, the food here tastes quite yucky and don¡¯t give me that ¡®it¡¯s the meds¡¯ talk because I know very well how some of these taste already.¡± ¨CGree complained while pointing at the doctor with her implanted arm with the same freedom she had with her real one.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid we can¡¯t let you go just yet Miss Myers, your condition could take a turn for the worse if we allow you to go out of the facility, it could damage you irreparably. So to avoid getting me fired and you dead, how about you take your time and relax a bit?¡± ¨CThe doctor tried to reason with Gree who crossed her arms and laid back down frowning. The doctor then walked closer to the window of the room and looked up with a worried expression to check if the floating island was still on top of Casamira.


    ¡°Is it still there? Honestly, it is creepy but if they wanted us dead then maybe we would be already.¡± ¨CGree tried to reason with the doctor.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean it has any good intentions, no?¡± ¨CThe doctor countered before leaving the room as Gree frowned again in silence.


    Right after the doctor left the room; Elvira knocked on the door before entering and noticed Gree checking her prosthesis with curiosity. ¡°Hey, I got you some real food, as you asked me to, but I don¡¯t know if this could make you feel bad.¡± ¨CElvira mentioned while Gree extended her new bionic arm to her and motioned it to make Elvira give the bag with the food. With a small sigh, Elvira handed the bag and sat on a chair next to the bed. ¡°What do you plan on doing? Chronos is also fully recovered, but the doctors won¡¯t allow him to go until there are orders from the capital.¡± ¨CElvira asked while leaning back on the chair.


    ¡°I want to pay a visit to Ivan¡¯s workshop and study for a bit. You can help me while Chronos goes around doing what he does, he will find something to do.¡± ¨CGree answered in a dismissive tone while eating the meal Elvira brought for her.


    While Elvira was with Gree, Chronos wandered around in the facility, noticing how the exits were guarded by soldiers. Are the soldiers here to protect us? But from what?... ¨CChronos thought while the soldiers stood in silence, holding their rifles while staring at Chronos.


    ¡°It¡¯s because they are not here to protect, they are here to retain you.¡± ¨CThe silhouette of Pandora slowly passed behind the soldiers, sliding her hands over the rifles. ¡°You are too important for them now and they won¡¯t let you go until you help with what they need.¡± ¨CPandora continued while taking a step out of Chronos¡¯ field of vision and suddenly hugging him from behind, lunging her arms over his shoulders. ¡°This reminds me, a certain Dragon left something for you before it died, and maybe it is related to this condition everyone is making a fuss about.¡± ¨CPandora whispered before vanishing on thin air as Chronos remained silent, clenching his fists as he remembered the moment DD passed away.


    I don¡¯t understand the reasons behind the behavior of Pandora, but she made a point I can¡¯t ignore¡­How am I the only case? And how is Sinns not able to create to be a possible cure as well? Maybe I could find out something if I talk with Gree about it. ¨CChronos thought while leaving the main lobby of the facility to walk towards Gree¡¯s room. As he made his way to look for Gree, Chronos tried to summarize all the events that happened throughout the time since the first contact with other humans back in Argos. The memories brought back some crucial moments on which he grew into what he is now, starting from the death of DD, and continuing with his predestined meeting with Archival, following with the unfortunate invasion of Pandora. Chronos sighed as this last significant event because much more of a problem to him.


    Upon reaching the door to enter Gree¡¯s room, a doctor walked by, looking at Chronos in disdain while holding onto the document Chronos decided to not sign while talking with Elvira about it. Chronos¡¯ stomach twisted slightly after not understanding the reason behind that look in the eyes of the doctor. After a couple of seconds of looking at the doctor walk away, Chronos entered Gree¡¯s room.


    ¡°You did take your sweet time to come and visit me, I thought you would escape again to god knows where.¡± ¨CGree sighed while trying to get used to the leg prosthesis by walking in her room. ¡°But I bet you are not here to just visit and pat my back.¡± ¨CGree continued while sitting on the bed.


    ¡°I want to know if you can tell me of what I actually am.¡± ¨CChronos requested while standing next to a chair.


    ¡°Buddy, I don¡¯t even know what I am anymore. However, I found out there are some funny things called Absolute commands. According to the old ass books I read, the beginning of all magic and stuff started with the gifts of a god who helped its creation to survive, granting humanity the ability to rule over certain laws of the world to be able to fight the plague they created.¡± ¨CGree explained while doing her best to summarize everything she read. ¡°It is stated that the rulers seized the power of said gifts and managed to rise to the top of our societies. But, here comes the funny part, these gifts were not only given to humanity.¡± ¨CShe mentioned.


    ¡°Then¡­¡± ¨CChronos tried to connect the dots but was interrupted by Gree.


    ¡°Exactly, animals, or more likely, intelligent beings able to communicate somehow, also managed to receive such gifts, like the calamity known as the death dragon.¡± ¨CGree continued while grabbing a glass with her bionic arm to drink water. ¡°DD by no means could be killed, but it was incarcerated to avoid killing everything on its path. So the prophets suspected it was the work of an absolute command.¡± ¨CGree smiled while remembering what she read. ¡°Then the prophets began to question themselves why God would do such thing to humanity. And so that¡¯s how they began to understand that they were not special, that their gifts were able to be passed on to anyone else.¡± ¨CShe ominously explained while looking at her window, placing the cup back down. ¡°So to answer you, what you are, you need to remember, who you were with.¡± ¨CGree countered Chronos¡¯ question, expecting to finally know the answer from himself.


    ¡°DD¡­ I was originally supposed to be a guardian for her offspring, but the egg was rotten, the same black substance that the hives produce came out of the egg when it was supposed to hatch. It was dead¡­¡± ¨CChronos lowered his head a bit while clenching his fists.


    ¡°The funny part is that you were never aware of it. The only thing that kept the death dragon alive was the absolute command gifted to it.¡± ¨CGree pointed out while turning to see Chronos. ¡°So besides being able to shoot toothpicks from thin air, you are basically unable to be killed, which is really overpowered and I don¡¯t like that.¡± ¨CShe continued while sighing. ¡°But there is a contradiction, and it is the fact that your bones can still be fractured or your skin is damaged. But this is just a minor question I am overthinking. So to be perfectly accurate as for what are you to this point: you are basically a ruler, except that you can¡¯t rule even in your mind, which is hilariously sad.¡± ¨Cshe joked around while walking once again to test the stability and balance with her bionic leg.


    While Chronos was talking with Gree, Elvira visited the grave she made for Phil outside of the walls. She silently sat down and meditated. I wonder how Jessie and Elaina are doing; I bet they are messing around with Jasper as always. Poor kid, his sisters always bullying him. I surely hope mom and dad are taking care of everything, but one would never know when it comes to those two little devils. ¨CElvira chuckled as she thought about her family. ¡°Maybe I should buy some souvenirs for when I go back home, I bet they would love it.¡± ¨CShe muttered while sighing as she stood up from in front of the grave and decided to walk back into Casamira. On her way back, Elvira notice Pascal and Marco struggling to move the vehicle they were driving as it broke down nearby the gate, so she decided to help them by pushing it in.


    ¡°Thanks very much miss; you surely are a strong one.¡± ¨CPascal praised Elvira as he poked his head out of the window while directing the front wheels.


    ¡°Oh it¡¯s nothing; I used to do this kind of thing all the time back when I was at home. My father is a great mechanic but he always needed help to move the cars that broke down nearby the workshop. So I was always helping him with new customers.¡± ¨CElvira Joyfully answered as she kept pushing the vehicle effortlessly.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s quite nice. But where are you from miss?¡± ¨CMarco popped in the conversation.


    ¡°It¡¯s actually a service station nearby the border, not as big but enough to refill a whole caravan.¡± ¨CElvira replied while arriving at the workshop and shaking both Pascal¡¯s and Marco¡¯s hands. ¡°Well then, be careful now; you guys better fix it well so this doesn¡¯t happen again.¡± ¨CElvira mentioned before leaving to check the town hall.


    As she finally entered the renovated Townhall, Elvira immediately made her way to Ivan¡¯s workshop in order to search about the rest of the notes he left for Gree and Lorenz since Lorenz¡¯s allowed her to. Within the inventions, Elvira found a list that named them with some serial numbers for quicker identification. While reading the list, Elvira walked across the cramped place trying to organize it a bit to have a proper working area. So Gree would be able to mess it all up again. ¨CShe sighed while thinking of how lazy Gree gets when it comes to cleaning.


    Back in the temporary hospital, an uncomfortable silence invaded Gree¡¯s room while Chronos kept pondering about the details behind the command Gree suspected he had. ¡°Okay, this gets quite uncomfortable if you don¡¯t laugh at my jokes, so I¡¯ll be direct. As a human, you are too fragile to hold onto the command that made the deadliest dragon registered to be unkillable.¡± ¨CGree stated while kicking on the floor gently to test the reaction of her prosthesis. ¡°Maybe it doesn¡¯t an effect on you or it is dormant, but for whatever reason, there is just so much I can tell you, mainly since the information about it is limited to some few books and forums online of people guesstimating bullshit after reading some copies of said books by themselves.¡± ¨CGree ranted while remembering the details of what she read online. ¡°Sadly, since I¡¯m half blind right now, the doctors forbid me to use any devices.¡± -Gree continued as she pointed to her face.


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