“You’re late.”

Vaso looked down at an elderly woman who wore an old, yellowed lab coat and had hair which was as pale as her ghostly white skin. Her pale blue eyes peered into the visor of Vaso’s helmet.

“I know.” Vaso sighed as she removed her helmet, revealing her light brown skin and dark brown eyes which she turned to the elderly woman.

The two stood in a brightly lit hangar, in front of a large, dark aircraft from which Vaso had just disembarked.

“I owe you no justification but I will say that I enjoyed the sights, took in some fresh air and made a friend.” Vaso smiled while glancing at the robot which floated silently next to her right leg.

“I’m sure Our Lord will understand. Right, Madam Cebula?”

The elderly woman winced a little before eventually sighing.

“Only Our Lord knows how he will react but I do wonder what your mother would say to such tardiness.” Madam Cebula hummed while turning to leave the hanger.

Vaso bit her teeth as the elderly woman walked towards one of the hangar’s many exits but her eyes remained half closed.

A few heavily armed figures could be seen standing guard within the building but Vaso ignored them as she followed Madam Cebula into a brightly lit corridor which led into a grand, candle-lit chamber at the centre of which was a throne atop which sat a certain masked being only now they stood only two meters tall. Their golden mask was eyeless but even still Vaso could feel their gaze at it locked onto her.

Standing at the foot of their throne were four figures.

The first was a short elderly man who wore a luxurious tuxedo which was as black as his shortly trimmed hair. His eyes had no irises and instead, his large pupils were encircled by a dim white halo. Draped on his shoulders was a fur coat of a beast which had the head which somewhat resembled a goat only it had large, pointed teeth, four eye sockets and eight horns. This beastly head stood atop the elderly man’s right shoulder firmly, as if clutching him with its teeth.

The second was a small woman who wore a modest, deep purple gown. Her face was hidden behind a veil, obscuring her face and eyes. All but her hands were covered and this revealed that they were scared terribly.

The third was a tall man who appeared to be in his twenties although he wore clothes that were fitting for an emperor.

A golden chest piece of armour adorned his torso over a pure white knee-length toga and draping from his shoulders was a deep purple cape which bore a crest which depicted a serpent which coiled itself around a violet.

By his waist, bound to a belt separate from the one that held up his skirt, was a sheathed broadsword.

This man, like the first, had no irises and his eyes bore a halo.

The last was a man who wore figure-hugging armor which was similar to Vaso’s in that it covered everything but his head. His, however, was a pale grey. His eyes were a pale grey as well and his blond hair was cut short.

“My Lord.” Vaso bowed after walking up to the throne. Her Macuahuitl still firmly in hand.

She then turned to everyone else and greeted them as well.

“Adsecula, Claustra, Nero, Álísend- oh, where are Mash’kiyf and Buer?”

“They left quite some time ago.” The blond man – Álísend said flatly as the veiled woman – Claustra gave the Masked Being a deep bow.

She then turned to leave and exited the chamber with young man – Nero in tow via a door to the left side of the chamber.

“Where are they off to?” Vaso asked with crossed arms.

“You would know the answer to all of your questions had you returned with Our Lord.” The elderly man – Adsecula scoffed.

“They have been instructed to return to their duties for now. Our Lord would like to launch one last assault although it will be on a far smaller scale. They will most likely have their guard up this time but I suggested a method that could counter whatever attempts at self-defence they are putting up.” Álísend explained making Vaso nod in acknowledgement.

“Care to share?” She asked as Madam Cebula walked up to Álísend’s side.

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“We will send three devices into Westview.” The elderly woman said and this made Vaso’s eyes widen a little.

She glanced at the Masked Being and saw that their gaze hadn’t left her.

“I’m guessing our lord won’t be retrieving them himself this time.”

“Correct. Álísend will go instead.” Madam Cebula announced making Vaso bite her teeth again.

“Oh- A-alright. Will… will I be accompanying him?”

Everyone turned to the Masked Being.

[You will go but only as support for the retrieval of the devices.] The being spoke in a voice that seemed to come from everywhere. It was both a whisper and suppressed scream which made tears well in Vaso’s eyes a little.

“U-understood.” She bowed alongside everyone else.

The Masked Being stood up and left the room with silent grace via a grand doorway behind the throne.

A deep growl filled the chamber and although it sounded like it was coming from Adsecula, he didn’t look like he was doing anything.

The sound, however, was enough to make the hairs on the back of Vaso’s neck stand.

Adsecula’s eyes narrowed and they seemingly rolled back for a bit but he took a deep breath and promptly turned to everyone else.

“Sir?” Madam Cebula's brows furrowed.

“Have everything ready tomorrow morning. He seems to be pleased with the initial test so expect my continued support.” Adsecula let out an extended sigh but this made Madam Cebula’s eyes fall a little bit.

Adsecula then left the room via the leftmost door and it’s here that Álísend walked up to Vaso although it looked like he was more interested in her cubic companion.

“If you’ll excuse me.” Madam Cebula said before leaving the chamber as well.

A moment of silence passed in the chamber as Álísend inspected the robot at Vaso’s feet.

“Are we going with the others or will it just be you and me?”

Álísend gently placed his gloved hand on the robot’s top and Vaso’s eyes immediately widened.

“It’ll just be the two of us,” Álísend said softly even as Vaso’s shadow widened and an unseen force tried pushing away down but he seemed unaffected.

He eventually let out a sigh before standing up and dusting his gloves of the robot’s dust and rust.

“Try to behave this time.” He whispered before turning to leave.

Vaso’s brow knotted and the chamber shook a little as the unseen force from her shadow was still active.

She took a deep breath and returned her shadow to its normal size, negating the unseen force in the process.

She then made her way to the grand doorway that the Masked Being had taken and entered a separate candle lit chamber that had a large bed at its centre.

The Masked Being stood next to the bed and was in the middle of removing their mask by carefully undoing the clips which held it in place.

[Vaso…] The Being called as the grand doors closed behind her.

“Yes, My Lord.” Vaso bowed before placing her helmet and Macuahuitl down.

She then walked up to the Masked Being and helped them remove their mask revealing a face that was covered in severe burn scars.

The Being, who appeared as a middle-aged man, had eyes much like those of Adsecula. Ones which bore no irises, however, unlike Adsecula’s, his had dark swirling vortexes within their pupils.

The Mask Vaso took was made of gold and so she carefully placed the mask down and helped remove the rest of her lord’s clothes revealing that his entire body was covered in burns.

Her lord then crawled onto the bed as a holographic display appeared next to it.

It displayed a news broadcast that detailed the sudden disappearance of an entire city but Vaso paid it no mind as she removed her armor.

It was tightly pressed onto her body by countless straps so it took a few minutes for her to completely undress, revealing her tall and muscular figure.

She then joined her lord in bed where he gently wrapped her in his arms.

“I thought, if anything, that would be what made him show his arrogant face.”

“Maybe he funnily succumbed to his wounds, My Lord- Laktan.” Vaso sang as Laktan’s body began glowing faintly white.

Vaso’s body then seemingly began absorbing the light from Laktan and this process was enough to make both of them deeply sigh.

“Ah… maybe but I highly doubt it.”

“Mmm.” Vaso hummed.

A moment passed as Vaso leaned into Laktan’s embrace.

Her half-closed eyes then darted back and forth and she gasped as he gently rested his right hand on her head.

“What’s wrong?” He asked.

“Nothing. I just… sometimes I wonder when all this will be over. I wonder when I’ll be able to finally drop my club and pick up a guitar.” Vaso sighed.

She saw that Laktan was about to say something and so she spoke ahead of him.

“I know what you’re going to say and I know we will be able to do anything we want when you create your Garden but...”

Silence followed for a bit.

Vaso felt Laktan’s powerful heartbeat through his chest and it was like music to her.

“I know your young blood urges you, desperately to chase that which allures you so but… I must ask that you be a little more patient.”

Vaso bit her teeth a little but Laktan seemingly sensed her frustration and so began to rub her head.

“Do not forget why we are here, my dear. It is not as simple as revenge although I often think back to those blissful days in my garden. No, what we want is to wash away the old and stagnant so that something new and possibly even peaceful may grow in its place.”

“I know.” Vaso sighed before picking up a remote and changing what the holographic display was showing from the news to a video which showed a man standing on a stage in front of a crowd of thousands.

He was a short man with smooth brown skin, long silky black hair, a body that was covered in tribal tattoos up to his neck and wore a pair of tight leather jeans.

He had in his hands a jade-colored guitar which he played skillfully all while singing a song which Vaso knew by heart.

It was a song about a lost cub who was in a cold and dark place far from home. Where food and comfort were luxuries. A place that wanted the cub dead along with everything that lived therein.

The cub ran for its life and fed off scraps until it grew big enough to proudly roar and defend itself.

A big and powerful jaguar that had made a home for itself in the harshness of the world beyond its homeland.

Vaso’s eyes widened as the man on the display finished his performance and it seemed as though, just as he looked at the camera which recorded him, he looked at Vaso herself.

[That was “The Lost Hunter” by none other than Ch'íich Paalo’ujo! A stellar performance by a stellar man!]

“I wish the Jaguar would visit his home sometimes,” Vaso whispered.

“Mmm?”

“It’s nothing. Goodnight, my lord.”