"From the very begining, the World has been a unique place with countless possibilities. The amount of freedom people have since birth is remarkable. And the opportunities and choices that arise from that freedom are endless, but also terrifying. The choice of a mere person can alter billions of peoples' lives and literally change the World. Isn't that peculiar? That an infinitesimal fraction of the World has the power to achieve so many astoundingly great or bad things?"

|

The people in the room are having a hard time digesting this critical, rhetorical question and are trying to understand where this is going.

"The answer is obvious. Yes, this amount of freedom gives people tremendous power... Total control over their lives, the ability to choose their own path, their entire journey in life. It is all well and truly in the palm of their hands..."

The speaker clenches their open right hand.

"There is but one thing that Mankind has and will never have control of. The concept of death and its unique, mystifying nature."

Everyone narrows their eyebrows and leans forwards to listen more carefully.

"Due to the nature of our World, when a person is given life, they are also given death, just at different points in time. When a string of life is created, it has a clear begining, but it also has a fixed end. Just like our lives. From the moment we are born, our deaths have already happened. That is the reason why people have so much freedom. Because in reality, this freedom is but a mere illusion. No matter the road you take in life, your choices and goals in between, your death will happen at an exact, immutable time. It has always been fixed from the moment you were born."

Sachrist- In this block of space-time we like to call the World, life and death are interwined and predetermined. Everything has already happened. It just hasn't unfolded yet. Everything, even our deaths...

Sachrist opens his previously closed godly sparkling eyes.

ℍ𝕖'𝕤 𝕣𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥. 𝔻𝕖𝕒𝕥𝕙 𝕚𝕤 𝕀𝕟𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕥𝕒𝕓𝕝𝕖...

———————————————

In the middle of a huge, underground, dead white coloured room with a complicated layout, a team of 4 people are standing their ground with their backs pressing against each other for greater stability and control over their dire situation.

Zaiaku, the official leader of the Faith Organization is having visitors in his most protected base, the hidden base one. Samei, Ikki, Geord and Kinako had their ambush hindered by a defensive bomb explosion earlier and fell down the room only to be met by the enemy's well prepared trap. They are now surrounded by multiple armed guards which watch over them with their guns, waiting for Zaiaku's approval to execute them.

Zaiaku, standing on taller ground above everyone else to show his superiority, suddenly hysterically laughs and then stretches his open right hand forwards.

Zaiaku- Hah.. Hahahahaha!

Kinako- I see you haven't changed at all, Zaiaku...

At that moment, Zaiaku immediately clenches his hand and says.

Zaiaku- Eliminate them!

The assult rifles are starting to fire bullets.

Kinako- Geord, now!

Geord quickly nods and throws his smoke bomb at his feet. The thick cloud of blinding smoke nullifies the enemy's vision and ability to locate them.

A mere smoke bomb however, is not enough to get out of the situation. Kinako, however, visualising the layout on his head, knows exactly where to find cover and how to do so in time.

Kinako- This way!

Kinako throws a second smoke bomb to the side and makes the area ahead of them also immune to bullet accuracy. The end of the second smoke cloud touches the edge of a wall that they can use as cover.

At that moment though, the enemy sees that they are trying to escape and try to apprehend them from a different approach. After firing many bullets which all miss, they try out melee combat.

Unbeknownst to our team, a member of the Faith Organization rushes in the smoke with a knife and attempts to take Ikki's life.

Samei, in the nick of time, turns around and looks at her brother, Ikki, who was last to start moving towards the safe area. And then...

Samei- Behind you, Ikki!

Ikki tries to move to the side, but a knife attack this close up is sure to be lethal. There's no room to run at this point.

Samei- Shit—

Samei pulls out her silencer pistol at lightning speed and closes her left eye to perfect her aim. She first shoots at the enemy's attacking hand, which makes them drop the knife and then fires a second bullet at their right leg to immobilize them.

Samei quickly grabs Ikki's right arm and helps him get out of the way faster, as more armed members join the area surrounded by smoke.

Ikki- Thanks, Samei.

Samei- Don't mention it.

The siblings turn left and make it to the wall they will use as cover.

Kinako- Everybody safe?

They all nod and then get ready to fire back. From the side of this wall they are leaning on, they fire back at the enemy and fend them off from their safe spot.

Geord, Samei Ikki and Kinako all glance at their enemies from the edges of this white wall they use as cover and return fire when they get the opportunity. Kinako and Samei prove their proficiency in aim in this moment. Following Samei's ideals Kinako does his best not to kill off anybody but rather render them unable to pursue further with accurate shots at non-vital points.

Ikki and Kinako move to another safe spot to the right of the wall and hide there. They watch out for Samei and Geord's signal to flank them. Samei points with her two fingers forth and sends off the signal. Then, Geord and Samei start firing multiple bullets that not only force the enemy to defend but they also secretly allow Ikki and Kinako to carry out their ambush.

Behind their backs, Kinako and Ikki suddenly appear.

Kinako- Heya! Whachu doin' here lads?

Ikki- You left your backs uncovered!

Ikki uses his smoke bomb and they both rush in to immobilize everybody. The enemy has the clear disadvantage not only because they cannot clearly see through the smoke, but also because they don't wear cloth masks to prevent lung damage, unlike Ikki and Kinako. And since they are occupied with holding their guns at this close range, they cannot counter Kinako and Ikki's elbow and knee strikes in time.

The result is obvious. Kinako and Ikki render most of the guards unconscious and those who try to flee are shot by Geord and Samei from afar.

Just when it seemed like it was over, A second unit of members charge behind Samei and Geord's backs. Kinako, who was focused only on attack, forgot about a secret backdoor that the enemy could use to counter attack.

Kinako- Shit! Samei, Geord, watch out!

Samei widens her eyes when she notices a squad of heavy armed members, wearing bullet proof armor and masks to counter the smoke bombs, rushing toward them ready to shoot at any given point.

Knowing that they cannot move to the side of the finely edged, white wall to escape, Geord tries to get in front of Samei to at least let her make it out alive. But Samei stops him with her right hand, showing that she has the situation under control.

Samei- Leave it to me, Geord.

Samei uses the last smoke bomb to nullify the enemy's bullets and buy them a few seconds for her final move. As expected the squad charges at them without any problem due to their masks.

Even though there are more than 15 enemies in total, Samei brings out her gun and points it at the enemy squad.

Geord is really worried. How many could she possibly knock out with a single small revolver? Not only that but the heavy armor is bullet proof. There's no way that they make it out of here alive. If that was a mere revolver that is...

Samei- Go, Radiant Revolver 1000! (R.R. 1000)

Samei presses the revolver's trigger which shoots out an unwavering strong flame, then toggles the auto-fire mode on and throws the gun towards the smoke, where the enemies are located.

Samei- Go go go!

Samei pushes Geord with her hand to move out of the way.

The constant flamethrower of the small revolver reacts with the flammable smoke in that area and puts everything and everyone inside on fire.

The members are in disaray and try to remove their live bullets hanging from their waists but are not able to do so in time. The fire reaction is instant and many bullets catch on fire, creating small scale explosions that although not lethal at all, damage the enemy in combination with their armor burning.

The result? Samei and Geord run towards Ikki and Kinako's location while behind them, a blazing smoke cloud is starting to explode from countless different angles due to the gunpowder of the members' bullets catching fire.

The only reason the enemies barely survive this is due to their heavy armor and the burning smoke activating the base's fire splinker system.

After a bit, Samei and Geord meet up with Ikki and Kinako again. They look out for anymore assults by the Faith Organization but see noone. The last thing they do before confronting Zaiaku is to see if everyone who is on the floor is at least unconscious. For different reasons each, either due to the fire, the bullets hitting non-vital spots, the bullets exploding and even melee attacks, everyone is immobilized to the very minimum. Some members seem to have lost their lives due to blood loss or inability to breath, but the majority is simply knocked out.

After this ideal outcome and their sweet victory, Zaiaku appears once again on the platform he first appeared on. A white platform standing magnificently on higher ground to the northest part of this huge room with the only way to reach being a smooth tilted ramp to the left or the right side.

Despite anyone's thoughts, the first thing Zaiaku does is neither to curse them or to attack them in any way. He intead, surprisingly, applauds them.

*clap clap clap*

Zaiaku- You actually dealt with all of my base's guards. Now I need to ask for assistance from the other bases. You tried very hard I will give you that.

Zaiaku's clapping stops.

Zaiaku- But if you really expect the four of you to defeat me, I believe you are a bit too optimistic. I have a reason to be Humanity's most powerful "individual". And you try to fight me in my own playground? Think again!

Samei- No matter what you say, we will make quick work of you and stop this crazy mess you've created with the New World War!

Zaiaku pretends to feel offended and answers back.

Zaiaku- Crazy mess? You don't understand. We are just making the Lingerians pay for the humiliation they have brought upon us humans. They gave us the opportunity to finally strike back after 400 years and you think a retaliation is unreasonable? You young people have no idea about anything... Our reasons have always been for a better future--

Samei- I don't wanna hear it. I'm well aware of everything that's happenned. Yet this is my standpoint. This War must be stopped. Fighting fire with fire you think will make any difference? Stop hiding behind these fake humble ambitions already. You manipulate everyone and make them think this is for the better, when you greedy people only long for power and control. You are inexusable...

Kinako steps forth and adresses Zaiaku.

Kinako- She is right. In all of your life, you have always been a narcissistic piece of shit, Zaiaku! You rotten bastard just want more and more power. But this story will come to an end right here, right now. Any last words?

Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

Kinako has never spoken so formally and seriously before.

Zaiaku- Interesting. You peaked my interest again, Kinako. Let's see what you've got!

Ikki, Samei, Geord and Kinako hold their silencer pistols close to their chests. Zaiaku pulls out his revolver, spins it multiple times in his hand and gets ready for battle.

Without any warning, the first shot is fired by Zaiaku from far away. The sound the revolver makes echoes throughout the huge white room and the bullet almost finds Kinako's head. Instead, it hits the wall behind him and creates a visible crack.

Due to the higher accurace of the revolver in comparison with their pistols and the higher ground, Zaiaku has the clear advantage. The others need to get closer if they want to increase their odds. But Zaiaku won't just let them close the gap. More and more bullets are about to be shot from his signature revolver.

Kinako- Spread out! We need to surround him. Get close to the platfrom from both entrances at the same time, Samei, Ikki

Samei dodges the bullet aimed at her with a slick slide while rushing to the left and Ikki gets behind a wall in time to avoid the bullet targetting him while moving to the right.

Kinako and Geord look at each other and nod. They then leave their cover behind and rush forwards, backed up by Samei and Ikki.

Zaiaku, who was ready to first shoot Samei and then Ikki, has to change strategy. At alarming speeds, Geord and Kinako have caught up and are ready to shoot him.

One, two the triggers are pulled. Zaiaku dodges to the left, but he has fallen right to Samei's hand holding her pistol tightly. He is well and truly cornered. Even if Samei dodges, Ikki is coming from behind his back.

Samei- Take that!

Samei gets on the platform and shoots, but Zaiaku moves his body to the side and returns fire. Samei rolls towards a wall to avoid the bullet and leaves the rest to Ikki.

Without him realising, Ikki has gotten on the platform and now fires from his own silencer pistol.

Zaiaku- Ugh!

Zaiaku's left leg is heavily bleeding. Knowing that he would die if he tried to fight back in this vulnerable position, he touches his mask and does something unthinkable.

By pressing his emergency mode on his mask, Zaiaku transforms the entire base into one huge multi-layered mirror battleground. And this not his only plan. On top of all the white walls now being mirrors, he also somehow vanishes into thin air.

Geord- What the— Why do I see myself here?

Ikki- I just shot him in the leg! Where did he go?

Kinako- Never before have I seen this... All the rooms're now mirrors. This must be what he meant by his own playground...

Capitalizing on all this chaos present in the room, Zaiaku counter attacks them. He suddenly appears down the platform, to the southest part of the room, holding a sniper rifle.

In the nick of time, Samei notices the glow of the sniper's scope in the mirror and instantly does a backflip.

Samei- What the--

*Loud sniper rifle shot*

The sniper rifle breaks the glass of the wall Samei was standing in front of.

Zaiaku reloads his sniper.

"How did he get there?!" thinks Ikki who just thought they won from his accurate shot earlier.

Gerod tries to understand how the whole room now works and tries to hit Zaiaku with his pistol. They only thing he accomplishes however is to hit Zaiaku's reflection in the mirror.

Geord- Fuck. We've gotta be careful with these mirrors. If we run out of bullets, we lose.

That's easier said than done however. Especially when Zaiaku can apparently "teleport" from one spot to the other seemlessly.

Yes, after touching his mask once again, they lose sight of Zaiaku again.

Kinako- Where's he this time..?

Zaiaku appears out of nowhere behind Geord and Kinako's backs. Kinako instinctively shoots at him 3 times but the shots find just the mirror. On the other hand, Zaiaku holding an automatic rifle fires countless shots at him.

Kinako- Oh no...

Kinako runs towards the broken wall in front of him, but one of the bullets hits him in the arm.

Kinako tries to reduce the bleeding with a bandage, but he gets no room to breath. Zaiaku appears to the other side of the room, while having clear target of him with his sniper ready and loaded.

Geord- Kinako!

Geord jumps forth and pushes Kinako out of the bullet's way. Fortunately enough, neither Kinako nor Geord get hit.

Zaiaku- Tsk*

Kinako- Thanks Geord... I— I thought I was a goner right there...

The wall they are now hiding behind is broken, and there's no other mirrors around them as well. This makes it easier for them to focus on Kinako's wound and cover it with a bandage, without having to worry about a Zaiaku's confusing angles of attack.

After temporarily treating the wound, Geord and Kinako look from the side of the wall, but see no sign of Zaiaku.

Kinako- Where's he now?

Geord- I've no idea...

Still on top of the elevated platform, Samei maneuvers her way through the pillars of mirrors while holding her gun up.

Using the edges of these walls as cover, she plays it safe and waits for Zaiaku to appear in a mirror. But in this situation, she needs to act smart. Simply seeing him in a mirror doesn't mean he's in that location. His real self should be in the opposite side of the mirror. It is a really challenging thing, to be able to tell between reflection and flesh, a skill only owned by Zaiaku.

Speaking of who...

Zaiaku- Gotcha!

Heavily armed with his automated rifle, Zaiaku rains hell on Samei, who runs as fast as she can to dodge all the bullets. Many mirrors break one after the other in quick succession, but Samei makes a steep turn and hides in the corner. When she hears the sound of him reloading, she strikes back with multiple magazines unloaded at the enemy.

As more and more mirrors are being destroyed, Samei slowly gets the advantage to her side. Weren't it for this gimmick of his, Samei would've won. Nobody beats her in a fair duel, and Zaiaku knows that really well. Her unmatched aim and skill is unbeatable. Therefore, if Zaiaku doesn't get rid of her quickly, he will lose the fight.

Magazines from both sides are starting to deplete. And the mirrors on top of the platform are starting to dwindle. Not only that, but soon enough the others will join Samei and end this battle.

Zaiaku- I've got no choice.

Zaiaku tries to flee the scene by using the last few mirrors left to confuse his enemy.

Samei- Not on my watch!

Samei calculates this perfectly and when he sees Zaiaku moving to the left side from the mirror, she quickly rolls once and shoots two times to the right. The first shot misses but the second one hits him in the forearm.

Zaiaku- Ugh....

Unfortunately, Samei is now out of ammo and she can't finish him off. Zaiaku takes this lucky opportunity and touches his mask with his right hand to teleport again.

Samei- Tsk... He's gonna get away again...

Just as Samei is about to turn away and meet with the others, she notices something at the last possible second. The mirror behind Zaiaku has a big noticable crack on the bottom right side of the wall. And as Zaiaku disappears into thin air, something apparently does not blend in with the background completely, as he had hoped. Consequently, a part of his boot becomes visible for a split second that Samei keenly notices.

Samei- Was that...? I see...

Samei has figured out how Zaiaku does things and rushes to find the others. Surprisingly enough, the others are also rushing to ensure that Samei is okay. And the outcome of all this rushing to the same location causes this unlucky outcome.

Samei / Ikki / Geord / Kinako- Ouch!

They all bump into each other in a turn they make to the left entrance of the elevated mirrored platform.

Geord- *Atata... Are you all safe..?

Both Ikki and Samei nod.

Kinako- Samei, were all those gunshots you fighting Zaiaku?

Samei- Yes, I wasted all of my ammunition and in the end I just hit him once in his left forearm.

Kinako says "Here, take some" and gives Samei a few bullets from his magazine.

Geord- If he's already been hit once in the leg and once in the forearm, then he can't have run far away. He should be around here somewhere. We should all be on guard at all times.

They all reload their guns and keep them close to their chests. Now that they are ready to fight again, Samei tells them what she learned about Zaiaku.

Samei- I think I figured out what he's doing with the teleporting thing. His helmet can temporarily make him blend in with the glass of the mirrors, in this way making him practically invisible. I noticed that when he stood in front of a slightly broken mirror. His right boot wasn't blending in with the mirror because a bullet had hit the mirror there.

Geord- So that's how he's been ambushing us all this time...

Ikki narrows his eyebrows and thinks of a way to use this new piece of information.

Ikki- I have an idea! This time, we won't let him sneak attack us, but we will strike first.

By reaching his right hand forwards, he takes the situation to his hands.

Ikki- Everyone, shoot each wall once and pay close attention for Zaiaku!

After thinking about it for a split second, they all do what Ikki suggested. They shoot all the mirrors around the platform and look out for any traces.

One, two, three four. The bullets are being shot. Nothing happens. Five, six, seven.

Kinako- Wait...

Kinako saw for a split second Zaiaku's black glove in front of the mirror just ahead of him.

Kinako- There he is!

Kinako shoots three times and Zaiaku dodges the bullets, but at the cost of his "invisibility" being completely undone.

Zaiaku appears again. He holds a sniper rifle in his hands, but from such a close range he can't use it. Kinako tries to shoot him with his pistol, but he is out of ammo, like Samei previously. However, Kinako handles this situation completely differently compared to Samei.

Kinako- Fuck this!

Kinako throws the pistol at Zaiaku's face and since he is so close to him, he dashes forwards and delivers a powerful kick.

The sniper rifle flies away from their location and Kinako tries to punch Zaiaku from his left side. As he was shot in both left leg and arm previously, Zaiaku should have no way to counter this.

All these years of work, yet what unfolds Kinako has never witnessed before. Zaiaku grabs Kinako's attacking hand with his injured left hand, he jumps in the air, does a spin and hits him with his left leg in the neck. Despite all of his breathtaking attacks, they weren't as strong as one would expect from Zaiaku.

Kinako- What da fuck is goin on...? His wounds are... gone...? And his moves seemed peculiarly gentle...

Kinako shakes his head, thinking he must be imagining things and strikes back with a powerful punch on the enemy's face. From this attack, Zaiaku's mask comes off.

Kinako is speechless. The others watching this revelation are also dumbfounded. "Is this... Zaiaku?!" they are all thinking. Pretty reasonably so. Semi-long orange hair, stunning green eyes, and a pretty face of a woman in her 40's.

Kinako- Who the fuck are you?!

Geord almost drops his pistol from seeing her after so long.

Geord- I can't believe this... A-Alice.. How...?

Alice- I am... Zaiaku. No, that's perhaps not true.

From behind Alice's back, two more figures appear from her left and right side and remove their identical masks.

??? (1, 2, 3)- We are... Zaiaku.

Alice takes her sniper rifle from the floor and steps forwards.

Alice- This is.

Holding his automated rifle, Antonio removes his signature black glasses. Samei and Ikki widen their eyes upon seeing him. Their homeroom teacher, Gidenir...

Gidenir- Who we.

Harabalo, Kinako's childhood rival, points his gun at Kinako and cocks back the hammer of his revolver.

Harabalo- Really are.

They are all petrified by fear. Especially Kinako. He can't muster the words to say anything.

Kinako- (...)

Harabalo- I win again, Kinako. This time, for good... Any last words?

Kinako gulps.

Kinako- Hah... Tis funny... That it all ends like this...

Harabalo- Farewell, Kinako Kendomo...

Samei reaches out her right hand and shouts "Kinakoooo!" from the top of her lungs. Yet those words cannot prevent his fateful death.

The trigger is pulled and the sound the revolver makes echoes throughout the huge room. Kinako Kendomo drops down with a hole in his head. Blood splashes around everywhere and marks this spot as Kinako's grave. Geord, Ikki and especially Samei cannot control their emotions and tear up while glaring at the three of them, this "individual" named Zaiaku...

Everyone's sorrow and rage is indescribable. First the harsh truth behind Zaiaku's true identity and now Kinako's unexpected death, one after the other these gruesome events have ignited a raging flame in their hearts that grows stronger and stronger. A deadly, serious aura surrounds them as they ready themselves for their final battle to settle things once and for all.

Samei takes a determined step forwards and throws away the silencer compartment of her pistol. She wants every shot to be heard, loud and clear. After reloading her pistol with her teeth, Samei utters these final words.

Samei- I'll make you...... PAY FOR THIS....... HERE I COME, ZAIAKU!