“Use that? Are you serious?” a young man asked in surprise, looking at his comrades with awe and fear. To lock down the city and use that tool over two humans. Not even calamities! Were they in their right minds?
His boss, a bearded man named Joe, laughed. The sound echoed through the dimly-lit room. This was far from amused laughter, and the surrealness sent chills down the spines of those assembled. The air was thick with tension as flickering candlelight cast dancing shadows on the walls. They were huddled together, their faces nothing but hard lines of worry as they contemplated the decision before them.
"We have to use it," Joe declared, voice low and menacing. He eyed each one, lingering over the young man for a second too long, and dared anybody to defy his order.
"But we only have one charge for a year!" the young man protested without hesitation, his voice rising with panic. "The calamities are still a threat! What if there's an emergency?"
Joe’s brows furrowed as he stroked his beard, leveling his cold gaze on the panicking young man. He took a step forward. "This is an emergency. Those two are worse than calamities. They’re walking disasters, and they can’t be left to go unchecked any longer. We must act now, while we still have the chance to save ourselves." Joe saw just how much everyone hated the idea and growled, “They’re not even human anymore!”
The other men shifted uneasily, and their eyes darted back and forth between the bearded man and the young panicked man. Finally, Joe finished stroking his beard and continued, earning many hushed sighs, "I have a fair deal for everyone. Let's take a vote. All in favor of using the charge now, raise your hands."
Almost ten men raised their hands, their faces grim with determination. The others exchanged worried glances, but they knew that the decision had been made, finalized. What happened would happen, and nothing would change things now. Joe stroked his beard knowingly as he nodded in satisfaction, while a grim sense of finality settled over the rest of the room.
They all knew the choice, this awful decision of theirs, would have consequences. How great, only time would tell. They had no choice but to do what they had to do. They had to survive. No matter what, they, and by extension the Department of Magic and Anomalies, would survive. They had to. There was no other way.
*
The aroma of freshly brewed coffee wafted through the room, mingling with the cozy ambiance created by the soft lighting and plush furnishings. Achylys closed his eyes, inhaling deeply, savoring the rich scent of the coffee. He could almost taste the bold, earthy notes of the beans as they mingled with the sweet cream and sugar.
Achylys lounged on his plush couch, sinking into its soft embrace as he held the magical hologram phone in his hand. With a gentle touch, the phone flickered to life and casted a warm golden glow across his face. The glow danced across his features, highlighting his defined cheekbones and piercing blue eyes.
As the image on the phone's screen sharpened, Neveah's smiling face came into view. Her eyes shone with a mischievous glint, and her full lips curved upwards in a playful grin. Achylys couldn't help but return her smile, feeling a warmth spread through his chest. Neveah's presence always had a way of lifting his spirits, no matter how he was feeling.
"Hey, you," Neveah's voice rang out from the hologram phone, interrupting his reverie of admiration. "What are you up to today?"
Achylys opened his eyes and blinked, his lips curving into a lazy smile. "Nothing much, just enjoying the peace and quiet. The DMHA not constantly hounding me is like a weight off my shoulders. What about you?"
“Eh, the usual—AGH!”
Achylys froze as the call cut off. His heart was pounding in his chest as the sound of the piercing scream echoed through the airwaves. His mind was racing as he tried to make sense of what he just heard. Neveah's voice had been cut off so abruptly, her scream filled with fear, a level of terror he’d never heard from her before. The suddenness left him with a jarring sense of dread.
Frantically, he tried to reconnect with her, his fingers tapping impatiently at the hologram phone's screen. But there was no answer. Not the first time, third time, or tenth. Just a black void where the video call should have been. Fear began to claw its way up his throat as he imagined the worst-case scenarios. The possibilities played out in his mind like a deep horror cinematic, envisioning the awful things that would make Neveah so afraid.
Achylys's mind raced as he tried to make sense of the situation. The sudden scream and Neveah's disappearance had left him reeling, but he refused to let fear take hold of him. He had always known that their line of work came with risks, and he had trained himself to remain cool and collected in even the most dire of circumstances.
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Knocks rang out at the door, and Achylys's instincts kicked in. He moved swiftly like a specter, fluid and precise as he glided his way towards the entrance. His heart pounded in his chest, but his mind was focused, honed.
He unlocked the door and pulled it open, revealing a group of armed men. They wore dark uniforms, their faces obscured by masks and helmets. Achylys recognized them in an instant: the Department of Magic and Anomalies’ subjugation squad.
A small, cold smile spread over Achylys’s face. He knew that this day would come, but he didn’t expect things to escalate this soon, this fast. His smile turned even colder as he remembered Neveah’s scream. He didn’t expect them to go after her—especially with her family’s background.
The Department’s men raised their black guns, aiming right at Achylys.
His eyes narrowed as he realized that his powers had been sealed. He had experienced this sensation only once before when an Ender Class Destiny Breaker ripped apart space to step foot into their world.
It was as if a thick layer of fog had settled over his mind, blocking him from accessing his mana and other abilities. Self-deprecation tugged the corners of his lips upward, stretching his mouth into something of a madman, a cornered and trapped animal desperate. Even he did not expect the Department to go so hard and gun for them this soon.
It seemed they were truly desperate.
He raised his hands, his fingers twitching with the desire to unleash his restricted power. But he knew that it was useless. Like a rat trapped in a maze, there was no way out. His contingency plans, escape routes, and everything he’d prepared for this moment all relied on him being able to fight his way out with his mana.
He’d never expected them to pull out their greatest weapon, the Nullifier, just to get rid of him—likely Neveah too. Only a second passed as he filled with fury.
And then the Department’s men pulled their triggers.
*
Joe stroked his beard as he tried to calm his pounding heart. He heard the subjugation soldiers' footsteps approaching. He could feel the cold barrel pressed into his back. One wrong move, and he’d be done for—not that he had long left now. Despite this, he kept his head held high and his gaze steady, unwilling to show any signs of weakness.
"It was necessary," he said, voice rough with determination. "If my life can ensure the survival of the Department, then it was a cheap cost to pay, one well worth it."
The soldiers eyed him, their expressions grim and unforgiving.
"You have been convicted for using an irreplaceable asset without the agreement of the council and potentially endangering all of humanity," one of them said, numb and uncaring. "The High Council, upon hearing the testimonies of your accomplices, have placed the burden of guilt and responsibility on you. How do you plead?"
Joe’s eyes narrowed, his jaw clenching. "I did what I had to do, and I stand by my decision. I will not apologize for it. My life has always been dedicated to the Department. If this is their will, so be it.”
The soldiers exchanged a quick glance, and one of them stepped forward, his gun pressed to Joe’s forehead. "You leave us no choice," he said.
The soldier pulled the trigger, killing Joe.
*
Achylys blinked away the blurriness of the world around him as he opened his eyes and took stock of the situation, feeling groggy and disoriented. He was in a void, an endless expanse of nothingness that stretched out in all directions. He tried to shake off the fog in his mind, but it clung to him like a heavy cloak.
He focused on the void. Now that he wasn’t distracted, he looked around. A figure in the endless expanse of darkness floated on a cosmic cloud of fluff in the distance—a single feline demihuman woman, black hair cascading down to her shoulders. She leaned lazy-like with half-lidded eyes as she regarded him.
Despite the strangeness of the situation, he couldn't help but feel drawn to her. Orbs of green and blue, brown and red, purple and gray, and many more such marble-like objects orbited her. The more he watched, the stranger things got. Drawn to the planet-like marbles swirling around her and eyes of the purest blue captivating him, he approached.
He couldn’t shake the feeling that she held some sort of power over him.
She gave him a gentle smile. Before Achylys could even begin to process what was happening, the woman spoke. "Choose," she said. "Will you go for a utopia, or will you represent me and meet Neveah again? She’s dead, too."
Confusion washed over him again, as if he were caught in a hazy fever dream. But then, with a sudden click of the woman's finger, his mind snapped into focus. He knew exactly what she was asking, and he didn't need any time to consider his answer.
"The second option." As soon as the words left his mouth, the void around him began to shift and swirl. Colors and shapes danced before his eyes, and he felt as if he were being pulled in a dozen different directions at once.
And then he lost consciousness once more, the last thing he remembered being the mad cackles of the goddess.
*
As Achylys disappeared, the goddess’ Cosmic Godbed swirled and sparkled with excitement. Joy and relief pervaded her grandiose visage. Someone had finally taken her second choice! And not just anyone, a strong person! The air around her started to shimmer, and she let out a mad cackle, feeling as if she had won the lottery.
She floated towards her Godbed, a soft, fluffy cloud crafted of many world’s starry night skies. It beckoned to her, and she turned onto her back and sank into it, feeling the plushness envelop her body like a warm hug. She stretched out her whole body while yawning.
As she lay there, she started to imagine all the possibilities. She could laze around all day, doing whatever she wanted, messing with her representative all she wanted, and no one could tell her otherwise. She had her own TV show now, and she was the star of the show!
No matter how much of her divinity she spent, it could be considered as a work expense, and she’d be given a discount! She could play with the humans, watch them struggle, and laugh at their failures. It was the perfect entertainment!
The goddess giggled to herself, feeling like a mischievous child. She could feel her energy pulsing through her body, and she started to swirl faster and faster, like a whirlwind. This was absolute perfection!