Mildry - 12/03 5:48 am 51EE

A filling breakfast sat on the table, an omelette, a fluffy gold, and a steaming cup of hot chocolate beside it—made from Mildry's finest dairy. The subtle fiddling of cutlery and birds chirping created a dreamy atmosphere. He took a knife and fork, plunging it into the omelette as the stretchy and gooey layers of the omelette were ripped apart unevenly. He took a bite. His face twisted into a smile, his eyes hovering over the rest of the meal. The texture was tough—like chewed gum—and tasted like nothing. Once he swallowed it the facade faded. The room grew darker and darker as water dripped through the ceiling.

He looked up, there was no ceiling. Rain began to drench him, the cold drops searing his dry skin. His eyes twitched as he gasped for air, his throat aching from how dry it was. In an instant, he realized he was awake. Shooting up and clumsily thrashing about, throwing pieces of worn cloth and tattered clothes to the side. Other people began to look at him as he scrounged through his bedding. They ignored him while he got drenched, most used cardboard or garbage bin lids to shield themselves from the rain.

After much searching, he moved an old beanie to find a small phone, the screen cracked and the edges exposed. He hurriedly stuffed it in his coat pocket before grabbing a handful of clothes. As the rain slowly picked up he ran to cover, darting through the alleyways and leaping over sleeping people. He kept running until he stumbled by an open garage. He found no one inside so he went in, piles of boxes and junk caused him to totter through. Once he reached the back of the garage he threw down the pile of clothes and took out the phone.

With unsteady breath, he pressed the 'on' button. He pressed it again. And again. And again. Each time using more force to press it but only the black screen remained, his dishevelled face looking back at him. He sighed and put the phone in his pocket, looking at the clothes, he began to take some out. Most of the clothes were wet but still able to be worn. He quickly got changed, the various scars around his torso bringing back painful memories. He took out a necklace with a small stone on it. With a heavy sigh, he put it around his neck. Once he had changed into cleaner clothes he heard footsteps outside the garage.

"Like hell we are. I'm gonna have a smoke first."

A gruff voice said.

"You ain't getting my lighter again. I'm sick of you taking it and doing those dumb party tricks to impress those girls."

A stern voice responded.

"What? Shrimpy sad he can't get any game? Pfft, toss it over."

"I'm serious man, these lighters are good quality. Cost a lot."

"Then stop wasting so much on them! You like collecting them so you gotta scoff 'em over when the time comes. Now pass it over or I'll beat your ass again."

He stayed low, he listened in, their footsteps growing louder. He looked around trying to find a way past them without either noticing.

"Is someone in here?"

He panicked and stumbled back. The noise alerted the two people and they came rushing over. Knowing he would be found either way, he got up and dashed to the exit of the garage.

"Oh no you don't."

He was grabbed by the back of his collar and thrown to the floor.

"Wait, please! I just-"

One of the men punched him.

"Shut up! The fuck are you doing in here?"

"I-I just needed a place to change! I didn't take anything, I swear!"

His voice began to break as he desperately pleaded.

"You ain't take anything huh?"

The man grabbed him and noticed the necklace hanging around his neck.

"We'll I'll be taking this as payment for intruding on our turf."

"NO!"

He shot up and snatched the necklace back. He pushed the man over and began to run through the alley. He stepped on people lying down and barged through the crowds.

"Hey get back here!"

The men shouted in the distance.

He kept running, his throat tightening as the cold air pierced his lungs. The rain hailed down on him and it seemed no matter which direction he turned, the faces of the men would be closer and closer. Once he reached a crossroad, he had nowhere left to run. All directions were full of people walking to where they needed to be. As the men closed in, he clutched his necklace, the stone glowing.

"Please... show me where I need to go."

He looked around, the men had spotted him.

"Oh, I'm gonna beat your ass."

The man took out a knife and slowly approached, pushing people out of his way.

"Please, show me the way! Show me!"

He clutched the necklace, the stone glowing brighter.

"PLEASE!"

"Sten, Go left, the wall. Pipes. Climb those."

The stone softly whispered in his ear.

Sten nodded and ran to the wall. Large rusted pipes snaked up to the roof. He began to climb as the men started to shout at him.

"Sten, right leg. Watch out."

Sten looked down to see the man reaching for him. Before he grabbed him, Sten kicked his hand away. He kept climbing, the men watched and snarled, running away to find another way up.

Once Sten reached the top he gathered his breath.

"Thank you... I thought you weren't gonna help for a second."

The stone softly giggled in his ear, its voice echoing around him.

"You don't happen to know the time do you?"

The rain slowly cleared, grey skies still lingering above.

"It is..."

The stone glowed brightly.

"Incoming. Dodge."

Sten looked up to see a bat whacking him in the face. He stumbled back as the man looked into his eyes with rage. Sten flailed his arms. His stomach dropped as he fell off the roof. The man ran over, peering past the edge, looking down at the people moving about below. His eyes scanned the area but Sten was nowhere to be found.

"Damn. Rat got away."

The man turned away and walked off.

The stone glowed brightly before slowly fading away. Sten looked at it thoughtfully.

"Thanks... again."

"You couldn't die there."

"That implies I'll die somewhere else..."

Sten began to walk away.

"You will."

"Harsh... Anyway, you never told me the time."

"Of course. It's 6:10 am."

"Crap! I'm gonna be late! And I look like shit!"

Mildry - 12/03 6:21 am 51EE

The sun began to rise over the horizon, the grey clouds disappearing along with the morning. Along a quiet street, a bus slowly drove through, stopping at a bus sign. Its doors opened and a passenger got off. Sten closed the doors as he continued to drive down the quiet road.

"No passengers... only good part about morning shifts."

Sten relaxed as he drove past houses, people getting to their cars and going on walks. Mildry slowly began to wake up. The silence of the bus prompted Sten to turn on the radio, switching off the channel used to communicate with other drivers, and tuning into a morning news channel.

"...Because of his tragic passing, many Undercity citizens are backing away from protests but they are still campaigning for the rights of non-Strand people. As the Undercity's population grows to almost double that of those living in Nuclear City, there have been many discussions on what the plan is for the next Era. Many Strand citizens insist that this way of life continues and that the Undercity should be abolished entirely due to the various sinkholes appearing across the Central Continent. The casualty rate of these sinkholes has surpassed a quarter of a million. It seems whatever happens at this year's Federation Assembly will put into motion the end of this Era..."

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

Sten laughs.

"The world is so funny."

Sten's eyes twitch.

"To think those same protests are still happening. When we were in the Undercity they had already been going for a good couple of years. Seems everyone's scared still. Can't blame them..."

"...In other news, Oosuwa's latest performance this year, where she performed her newest album—Eyes in the Television—was her largest concert to date. Garnering over 500,000 attendees and debuting her newest persona, Eye! She is set for another concert at Ponder later this year so stay tuned!"

Sten sighed.

"Man, do I wish I could go!"

He leaned on the steering wheel.

"I remember when TalkTalk debuted. That was something."

"...on the run. Police forces are following the creature but it seems the National Guard will have to intervene."

Sten looked at the radio, his eyes squinting as he turned it up.

"Huh?"

"From the live footage we have, some are theorizing it to be a Necrobeast. Its current location is the outskirts of Mildry, it seems to be chasing a group of people across town. Everyone is advised to steer clear of it and wait for higher authority to intervene."

Sten shook his head.

"Hold on... wait."

"Left side. Danger."

Sten looked up to see a mass of black goo ram into the side of his bus. It screeched and tore itself free as it continued to rampage through the town.

Sten's pupils were diluted and his hands gripped onto the steering wheel.

"What... what was that?"

"Vampire. Sten, follow it."

"Excuse me!?"

Sten grabbed the stone and held it up.

"Are you insane! That thing nearly tore apart the bus! And the news said to stay clear of it!"

"People need you. Sten, please."

Sten eyes widened and he looked at the creature slowly get further and further away.

"Damnit!"

Sten tightly held onto the steering wheel.

"You're lucky you said the magic word."

Sten turned the bus around and drove straight toward the creature.

Meanwhile...

Crux moved as fast as his legs would let him, he carried Petra and Rina's babies as Archie screeched and chased after them. His pulsing mass grew larger the angrier he got. Rina ran beside him, Eliowen on her back and Yuro in her arms. She didn't want to use her wings in case any bystander saw it. They ran down the street, Archie ripping streetlamps out and chucking them forward.

Crux swung his staff around with one hand, batting the streetlamps away.

"Any bright ideas anyone!?"

Yuro looked over Rina's shoulders, the beating hearts on Archie's face bleeding and his mouth oozing with black goo.

"There's no stopping it. The only way to get rid of it is to rip out the human soul inside it. The process goes in a specific order otherwise it won't work. First, you rip out the Vampire soul and then the human soul. If you do it any other way it'll risk him permanently becoming a Limbo."

Eliowen had his eyes closed tightly, using his invisible hands to pull objects into Archie's way.

"So we have to rip out his human soul? I can do that with my powers... how do I do that though?"

Archie grabbed a parked car and threw it at him. Eliowen caught it with his invisible hands and tossed it to the side. Archie roared and threw more things at them. Eliowen strained himself trying to catch everything.

Petra looked disturbed.

"Mind actually explaining what the HELL I'm looking at?"

Yuro cleared his throat.

"Well, that is a pure Vampire soul. Vampires are technically human but they contain two souls, one human and another Vampire. They balance each other out but if the human one is pulled out they go completely monstrous."

"It almost looks like... a Necrobeast."

Crux wasn't looking forward, instead, his gaze was fixated on Archie.

"IDIOT LOOK OUT!"

Petra yelled.

Crux faced forward and smacked into a pole. He groaned as he fell. Rina kept running but stopped, his eyes going wide as Archie was getting close to Crux and her babies.

Crux rubbed his head and looked at Archie.

"Shit... My bad guys..."

Veins appeared on Petra's head.

"MY BAD!? YOU'RE GONNA DIE AND THAT'S ALL YOU CAN SAY?!"

Archie lifted one of his veiny arms, its mass increasing before diving down toward Crux. Crux held his staff out to block it but divine intervention saved him. Or rather... a bus saved him. The Piston bus logo drove past Crux as Archie was hit, sending him crashing across the street. The bus stopped as Crux let out a long sigh.

"A bus?"

Eliowen raised an eyebrow.

The bus door then opened and a young man in a blue uniform and red cap greeted them.

"Get in, please."

Everyone looked at each other.

Crux stood up, scooping Petra and the Bombs up.

"I appreciate the save but who are you exactly?"

Sten looked down at his necklace.

"A bus driver. I'm just doing my job."

Rina began to hiss as the sun slowly rose.

Yuro nodded.

"We don't have a choice. Rina can't stay in the sun and we can't keep running."

"You mean me and Rina can't keep running."

Yuro rolled his eyes.

"Just get on the bus!"

Everyone piled onto the bus. Sten turned around to look at them all.

"You're a strange bunch."

Crux smiled.

"Just how we like it."

Sten smiled and revved the engine. Archie slowly got up, shaking all the debris and dust off him before looking at the bus. Sten took a deep breath.

"Hold on. I'm gonna get fired for this..."

Sten stepped on the peddle, the bus shot off, a trail of dust left in its wake. Archie screeched, news helicopters flying above capturing the whole thing.

"Holy shit! Did you see that? A bus! A bus! Holy fuck this is amazing."

The news reporter exclaimed with glee.

"Uh... should we be this close, sir?"

The cameraman was hesitant.

"SHUT UP AND KEEP FILMING! The people need to see this."

Archie looked at the helicopter, licking his lips.

Crux looked out the back window.

"I don't see him anymore."

Rina slowly took the bullet in Eliowen's shoulder. Eliowen squirmed and whimpered in pain.

"Wait stop, stop... it hurts..."

Rina slumped her shoulders—as if to say that Eliowen was stating the obvious.

Yuro fiddled with his thumbs, his mind wandering to the past. Petra sat beside him, her eyes scanning his timidness.

"So you gonna explain old man? What the hell happened between you two to cause him to get like... that."

Yuro sighed.

"Archie... didn't start off as a Vampire."

Everyone turned to him.

"He was the first human to understand Vampires. He tried to understand us, not drive us out of our homes or hunt us. He was the first who gave me hope. When he came to Mildry he said that he wanted to start a new precedent. Create a friendship between humans and Vampires. Turns out he only came to Mildry because it's where his ex-wife ran off to. We knew he was a bad man. Exploiting people, abusing them. We thought we could do him a favour, do everyone he hurt a favour and... help him change."

Yuro closed his eyes.

"We turned him into a Vampire in hopes he'd change. He forgot his past and all the horrible things he had done so we thought it would work. Slowly... his true colours came back. He argued over petty things, always wanted his way, and needed the spotlight on him. He wanted to control people."

Yuro opened his eyes, tears slowly falling down his cheek.

"On that day... he wanted to kill Malillia, so he could lead the Vampires. I tried to stop him but... he ripped out my Vampire soul and I turned into... a baby. I wanted to trust him so badly. I made up for his mistakes. I apologized for him. I let him tag along and never questioned what his true intentions were. I wanted to keep hopeful that... a better future could exist."

Crux walked over to Yuro.

"To be honest... learning you're like a billion years old was a big surprise but... in the 400 years since those events is the only thing you've done sulk? Ignore that he was still alive? Do something about all of this?"

Eliowen reached his hand out.

"Crux... I-"

Crux glared at Eliowen before turning back to Yuro.

"You're spineless. Even now you're being sad because you can't be bothered to deal with him. Get off your pedestal and realise that half of this is your fault! Just don't end up like him. Make up for what you did. You have opportunities."

Sten kept his eyes on the road while idly fiddling with his necklace.

Yuro's eyes widened.

"Heh... the people around me are so much smarter than me."

Yuro wiped his tears.

"Eliowen, to tear out his human soul you have to rip out his heart."

Eliowen looked shocked at how well Crux handled it.

"Okay... which one? He has two on his eyes."

"Neither, they're fake. His real heart is in the back of his head."

"Once I do that... what then?"

"I can't really explain it but... you'll have to figure out which one is the human soul. His heart will have two strings, one is his Vampire soul and the other is his human soul. I can't say which one is which so you'll have to guess."

"Hold on I have to guess?! Didn't you say if the process is done wrong then he'll STAY like that?"

Yuro nodded.

"Yes. If you choose the wrong one... he won't be killable."

Eliowen gulped as sweat ran down his face.

"That's... a lot of- AAGH!"

Eliowen's hand gripped Rina's arm as she pulled out the bullet.

"Pressure..."

Crux held out a thumbs up.

"You're pretty smart! You got this."

Eliowen smiled weakly.

"I'll try..."

Sten looked in the rearview mirror, his hand tensing.

"Uh... he's back!"

Everyone looked out the windows to see a news helicopter flying toward them. It fused with Archie's body, his thick black goo gyrating as he controlled the helicopter. He screeched and flew faster, quickly catching up to them.

Crux looked up and opened the hatch to the top of the bus.

"Up here!"

Rina helped Eliowen to the roof, Crux joining him.

Yuro looked at Nina.

"You won't hate me will you?"

Nina squinted.

"Why?"

On the roof, Eliowen and Crux stood gazing at the mutated helicopter. Yuro—in Nina's body—flew up and landed on Crux's shoulder.

"I want to help... anyway I can."

Crux grinned.

"Glad to see you came around."

Crux readied his staff.

"It's do or die now."

Eliowen trembled as he held onto Crux.

"Y-Yeah..."

Archie let out a piercing roar, the final battle had begun.