Planet Earth, age 20xx. 

A gorgeous and prosperous gem became a barren world. Nothing is the same as it once was. Countries collapsed—cities ravaged by madness. The steadily advancing technology lost to a catastrophic disaster. Law, justice is long gone. Despair, agony, fear, changed humankind since that day. Demons wearing human skin roam across the world. An inferno where only the strong, ruthless, wicked, and selfish rule with an iron fist. The weak have nothing, hollow slaves to the powerful. Sold and traded for work or pleasure. It is truly hell on Earth.

“Uhh. Mother, I’m thirsty!”

The scorching sun shined upon a little group trespassing through the desert. They were on the move for days. The heat from the sunlight and chilly nights took a toll on everyone, notably the children. 

Drops of sweat dripped from her chin while she stared at her daughter. “I know, dear.” She picked up a bottle out of her backpack and dropped on the warm sand with a knee.

“Only a sip, okay? It’s our last bottle.”

The warm breeze almost blew away her cloak as she adjusted the daughter’s clothes. Her brown eyes stirred to the side. They shouldn’t have left based on a rumor. The children wouldn’t make it, and that terrified her. She glanced at the man leading them with a frown. Her expression changed once she felt a hand on the shoulder.

“Don’t. Now’s not the time for fighting. Preserve your strength.” 

She wanted to confront him, but her friend was right. “Humph, you’re right. How are you holding on, Sara?” Her features softened as she glanced at the older woman. 

The sudden laugh startled her. “Haha, don’t worry about me! You just look after yourself and the cute kid. Don’t think about others, leave that to me, Paris.” She wanted to protest, but her mature friend wouldn’t allow it.

“There’s nothing to worry! I know it’s rough, but we’re on the correct path! A bit more, and we’re there!”

She remained silent. Her weary eyes observed the man who lifted a child and carried it. They resumed walking, searching for the rumored city, but she had no hope. However, she couldn’t say it out loud. Primarily because of her daughter and children. How much did they have before the blazing sun and endless desert turned their bodies to ashes?

“Mr. Billiam, it’s too hot! Are you sure the city exists?”

The weak, shivering voice came from a tiny kid the man carried—a temporary pause. Ten seconds later, the man released a soft laugh.

“Of course there is, boy! And it’s not just a simple city! It’s an oasis rich with water and food! I’m not wrong; I’m not…” He clenched his teeth and murmured to himself as they pushed forward.

However, their expedition abruptly came to a halt. An arrow pierced the man’s left shoulder. As he and the child fell on the sand, a roar erupted above them. 

“Oh, no! It’s the desert b-bandits!”

Their animal howls echoed over the desert as they approached the group on horses. They circled them and laughed, satisfied with the score. The men were massive, dirty, and with noticeable evil thoughts in their dark eyes.

“Hihihi! The boss will reward us well this time, boys! We stumbled upon some goods, all right!”

The women immediately gathered the children and tried to protect them from the bandits, but it was in vain. Before they could blink, a short-haired bandit kicked Sara in the head and chuckled.

“No! Don’t hurt her, please! We’re just…” Her plea didn’t help. Instead, they laughed at her. 

“Let me guess; you’re looking for a city. An oasis, filled with water and food. Well, you’re on the right path, but I doubt you’ll like it there, woman!”

Her entire body shook. “Please, can’t you leave us be? We did nothing to deserve this! The children, at least, let them…” A firm whack to the back sent her down.

“M-Mother!”

While the child cried and called her mother, the bandit spat on the ground. “Ah, enough! Toro, Ken, tie the kids up and put them to sleep!” His and others’ attention suddenly shifted to the man he shot with an arrow.

“Hey, bro! It looks like glasses guy still has enough strength to stand. Want me to fix that for you?”

The bandit stirred his horse and closed the distance. “No. Let’s see what the Professor offers. Come, show me what you got, skinny!” He spread the muscular arms, inviting the man to strike. However, the opposite happened.

Tears slid down the man’s wrinkled cheeks as he dropped on the knees. “Don’t kill me! I’ll do whatever you want! I can work for you and your boss! Take them and spare me, please!” His pitiful screams reached the crimson sky. 

While his men snickered and mocked the wounded guy, he stared at him. “So, you’re ready to betray and offer your companions to us in exchange for your life? Damn, I don’t know if you’re pathetic or evil…” He kicked away the miserable man so it wouldn’t touch his horse.

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“Hm, can I take him with me, bro? He’s the type I like to have fun with.”

The flame-haired bandit lifted an eyebrow as he stared at his friend. “Fun, you say? Hihi, sure! He’s all yours, Gram!” He could hear the pleading noises from the guy, but he chuckled at that.

“Let’s head back, boys!”

The galloping brought her back to reality for a moment. She tried to locate her daughter, but it hurt too much. Tears rolled down. Just what will happen to them? Dark thoughts consumed her mind. Before her tired eyes closed, she noticed a silhouette standing on a cliff, but it might have been a fragment of her imagination.

-

The massive metal gates closed behind them. A loud cheering rang as the bandits moved toward a fountain. The flame-haired leader just smirked at the noise. He reopened his eyes and stared at the fat-looking man in front of the fountain. Seeing the guy dressed in military uniform and surrounded by beautiful and almost naked women made him laugh. However, he kept himself back from doing so.

“My, oh my! You and your nasty friends brought something nice today. Excellent job, Ripper!”

He drooped off his horse and placed the woman over the shoulder. “Humph, I expect an excellent reward, Commander.” It didn’t seem like the chubby guy noticed his sarcastic remark.

“Yes, yes, yes! I love it! I’ll get so much from them! Sooo, much…”

And yet, he called them nasty. “Anyway, I’m taking them to the cells. I’ll get back to you as soon as I drop them off. I can’t wait to see our reward.” By a simple hand gesture, his companions dragged the children inside an old-looking building.

“These little ones will bring me a fortune! However, I need not sell all of them. Two, I can save for myself! Hoho!” The head of the oasis stroked his mustache as he stared at his new prize. 

“Let’s hide from this heat in my chambers, ladies.”

She could hear someone crying, screaming for help. Her ears twitched at the loud sound. A minute later, her eyes opened, only to find herself behind bars. She put a hand on her head. After several seconds, she remembered. Panic and fear overwhelmed her. Without thinking twice, she rose from the icy floor and slammed her body against the metal.

“Hello! Is anyone there!? Where’s my daughter!? Let me see her, please!” Unfortunately, there was no answer. She could only hear shrieks from the upper level.

The woman dropped on her knees. Tears slid down as she imagined the worst. “Hey, don’t cry. I doubt fatty did anything to your daughter, yet.” She snapped out of it when she heard a voice.

She didn’t even notice there was someone beside her in the cell. Her brown eyes quivered out of fear as the person got closer. The stranger had long, silky black hair that hid the right eye. She couldn’t but stare at the pretty face and fit figure. The tight suit almost revealed everything. She was blushing. It was the first time she met someone so beautiful. As the stranger elegantly advanced, its black earring swung.

Before she even realized, the individual sat in front of her and placed both arms around her. The skin was so smooth it made little sense. 

“As I said, don’t fret. Fatty can’t do anything to your daughter. He’s unable to satisfy women.” The black-haired stranger offered a warm smile as it tilted its head to the side.

That confused her. “Um, what do you mean? How can you be sure? If anything happens to her and other children, I just…” She stopped talking when the stranger placed a finger gently against her lips.

“Shh. I experienced firsthand what that guy can’t do. Let’s just say that his tool doesn’t work at all.” The pretty stranger burst into a laugh. “So, since he can’t do anything with it, the gorgeous women in this filthy oasis come to me seeking pleasure. That’s how a good-looking guy like me got stuck here…”

She shook her head. “Guy?” The stranger happily nodded while she continued to blink. Now that she focused her eyes more, she noticed it.

The look on her face was hilarious. “Fooled by my appearance, huh? Well, I get that all the time.” He backed away and stood up.

“Don’t let my beautiful physique trick you. I’m strong and skilled in martial arts.”

She didn’t believe that. To her, it seemed like this guy was lying and trying to act tough. “Whatever! I can’t stay here and listen to you! There must be a way out!” Paris turned around and got up. She tried to find anything that would help.

He observed the desperate woman while he was leaning against the wall. Usually, he wouldn’t care, but it was different this time. It would bring nothing but trouble, and he hated dirty his hands. However, her foolish determination and will was admirable.

“You won’t find anything here. But that doesn’t mean we can’t get out.” He closed his eyes as she gazed in his direction.

“Really? How!? Please tell me!”

She was in his face, staring with those puppy eyes. “Calm down. Once a guard’s back, I’ll take care of it.” A big grin appeared on his face as he put a hand on her shoulder.

He moved away and slowly approached the bars. Just as he was about to yell, he and Paris heard a commotion outside. “Something’s happening out there! You can hear all that commotion, right?” He turned to her and received a nod.

They wondered what was going on until a guard busted inside. “Damn it, where’s my sword!? Ah, it’s here!” He picked up the weapon from the table and rushed toward the door, but a voice stopped him.

“Hey, hey! What’s going on, Nin?”

The short man halted and glanced in their direction. “Huh? You’re stuck in here again, Starr? Just what did you do this time? Anyway, I must go, an intruder is killing our guys like flies!” He got too close to the cell. A firm grip caught his shirt and smacked him against steel bars.

“See? That’s how you do it! Now, help me search. He has the keys for sure!”

They brought the unconscious body closer and looked for the keys. After a minute, Paris found what they needed and handed the key to Starr. While she watched over the door, Starr put the body inside the cell. With that done, they got closer to the door and carefully opened them.

Several people passed by the door in a rush, but luckily nobody noticed them. “All right, it’s clear. Come on, let’s get out of here.” Before he could get out, the woman seized his wrist.

“You already did enough, but please, help me find my daughter and other children! I can’t do it without you!”

It was already too much. He simply helped Paris out of a whim and because it was getting boring. But this was too much. Letting the kids and women free was a death sentence which even he couldn’t escape. If he decided to help this poor woman, then there was only one option for him.

“Ah! It’s not like I planned to stay here forever! Fine, but do what I say, and stay quiet! Got it!?” He glared at her with a severe expression, hoping she would understand this wasn’t a simple thing.

“I do… Thank you.”

He didn’t reply to that. Instead, he opened the door and glanced around. With no one in sight, he and Paris ran upstairs. Before they reached the first floor, Starr leaned against the wall and lowered himself. He advised the woman to do the same, and she complied. Slowly, they climbed up.

A drop of sweat slid down his smooth cheek as he tried to look around the corner. As he did that, something crashed nearby. He immediately hid, but it didn’t seem like anyone was coming their way. Curious, Starr took another chance. His eyes were wide open when he saw Gram’s body lying on the ground.

“What the hell’s going on!? This guy is one of Ripper’s strongest! Who beat him!?” His azure orbs shook as he nervously took a step forward.

While he stared at the limp, Paris walked by him and called his name. “Mr. Starr, look!” He snapped out of it and got near her.

They could see the Commander’s furious and yet terrified expression. Meanwhile, Ripper and his dogs surrounded someone. It was a lone man, done up in black clothes and a crimson cloak over the head.