Standing on the rooftop of the singular remaining building in the desolate townscape, Arlecchino looked down at the group of civilians huddled in the center of the town square like cattle. The mask he wore hid any emotion, hiding what little humanity he had left in the eyes of the civilians. It was as if he wasn't a person at all... But a scarecrow meant to instill fear into their hearts. An object of pure terror.

Amongst the panicked crowd who searched, yelled and begged for mercy, a scared child clung onto his mother desperately. His small fingers gripping the cloth of his mother's dress as if it were his only life in the bleak reality he was living in. The boy shook with fear - his cheeks were wet with tears, and his were red.

"Mama... Will a hero come and save us?" He asked, his voice shook and trembled.

The mother - looking at the boy with sadness and guilt - hugged him tightly. She wanted to resist crying, so her son wouldn't worry... However even the strongest persons would crack under the reality of their situation.

"I'm sorry, Liam! Mama is so... So sorry.... But heroes only exist in fairytales...." She said, crying as she held her son.

As the scene of despair played out, Arlecchino continued to stare down. Not moving an inch. He truly wasn't human.

The two investigators ran as fast as they could, making their way to the maze-like townscape. Of course their journey wouldn't be without obstacles. Festers popped out one after another, as if they were purposely sent to stop them.

Cutting a large bug fester in half, Olivia dropped down gracefully before kicking another bug that snuck up on her.

"I guess it was too much to expect that guy to play fair huh?" Olivia retorted, rolling her eyes.

Swinging his dagger frantically, Oliver cut down the hordes of smaller Festers hoarding up on them. With each hit, he could feel himself getting used to using his weapon better, but the sheer amount of Festers started to take a toll on him. As he was about to slash another fester in half, he slipped, almost falling to the ground. Fortunately Olivia grabbed him by his scarf, saving him from an unfortunate fate.

"Geez stop being so hyper focused you ADHD ridden freak! It's making you into a clu-" but before she could finish her sentence, she heard choking noises.

Without even realising it, she was choking her brother with his scarf. Quickly letting go, she looked away and attempted to whistle... Horribly at that. Oliver stared at her with a deadpanned expression, before punching a Fester behind him by pure coincidence.

"Oh shit did you see that? I mean it was totally calculated and stuff but still you gotta... Uh... You gotta gotta appreciate the skill and effort" Oliver said, trying to act nonchalant.

It was Olivia's time to stare at him, though their antics wouldn't be able to go on for much longer. The bugs - realising that their numbers are diminishing - began to group up together. They form a giant ball, from which a giant hand came out of, made entirely of bugs. Soon more limbs began to come out of the ball, until finally it formed an organic mecha made entirely out of bugs. Olivia and Oliver looked at it, then shrugged.

"Honestly this stuff doesn't surprise me anymore" Olivia said, scratching her head with the blunt end of her katana.

Oliver crossed his arms, lifting his dominant arm up and moving his hand as he spoke.

"Honestly, it insists on itself..."

The giant bug robot mech tilted its head - clearly more confused by the twins, than they were of it. It couldn't tell if the two were mocking it, or were just insane. Still, it had a job to do - and it sure as hell didn't want to upset Arlecchino. Raising its fist up, it slammed its fist into the ground, causing a shockwave to hit the two investigators. The two were sent backwards, but only slightly thanks to Olivia stabbing her sword into the ground and using it as an anchor. The Fester didn't let up its attack however, shooting a bug at them like a missile. In response, Oliver easily cut it in half with his dagger. The bug's antennas perked up, surprised he was able to cut it down so easily. Its surprise quickly turned into rage - feeling as if Oliver was mocking it. It let out a strange noise, seeming to be its battle cry. However, the act didn't phase the twins one bit. In fact, they began laughing.

"What the hell was that? It sounded like a broken microwave!" Oliver said, laughing as he pointed at the creature.

"No no, a broken microwave would still be more of a threat than that thing!" Olivia laughed, joining in his observation.

The bug grit its sharp teeth before charging at them at high speeds. Seeing the creature run at them, Oliver's confidence immediately went away as he began shaking.

"SHIT IT'S COMING AFTER US!" Oliver yelled, not even attempting to preserve his faux-confidence as he began running away.

Olivia rolled her eyes before pulling the tip of her sword out of the ground. Moving along with him, she gripped the handle of her blade tight as she began to focus intensely. Focusing on nothing but herself in the world, blue energy began to envelope her, spreading from the tips of her shoe to the top of her hair like flames. Oliver watched in awe at her performance, though he was a bit ticked off that she was showing off instead of hitting the charging Fester.

"Stop tryna be cool and hit the damn thing!" Oliver yelled, his paranoia getting to him.

His words caused her to snap out of her focused state - which pissed her off. Flicking his forehead, she yelled back at him - telling him she needs complete focus.

"If I don't, it'll be like trying to break a coconut with a gummy bear!" Her voice was fierce.

Oliver pressed his index fingers together - looking away with a guilty expression.

"Sorry..."

Olivia was about to drill it into his thick skull even more - however the bug had finally caught up to them. Their eyes widened as the creature lunged at them with vigor. Their fears would be quickly replaced with disappointment as the bug tripped and fell face first into the ground - sliding unceremoniously on the concrete.

"You were really scared of that?" Olivia retorted, pointing at the creature as her head faced Oliver.

Oliver rubbed the back of his head, clearly embarrassed.

"Yeah honestly that's my bad..." Even he couldn't deny it was stupid.

They could practically see the birds circling above the Fester's head - it's consciousness fading quickly. The two looked at each other, mentally asking themselves if they should leave the poor creature alone. Oliver attempted to reason that it would only be a waste of energy - however before he could say anything, Olivia had already stabbed the fester with a descent energy filled, burst mode attack. Oliver looked at her with disappointment, appalled how childish his sister could get.

"... A chop to the head would've killed it too ya know" Oliver retorted, watching as the fester began disappearing into pure descent energy.

Olivia smirked before putting her hand on her hips.

"I gotta show you your place ya know? Come on, praise your big sister! >:3" she said proudly, puffing her chest.

Oliver rolled his eyes before walking away from her with a sigh. Surprised he completely ignored her, Olivia's face turned to panic.

"Hey come back here! I'm your big sister! Your big sister!" She whined, chasing after her brother.

In the communications tent, Sieg sat down with a sullen expression on his face. This wasn't the first time F.A.T.E had pulled off such a stunt, and just like before, he couldn't do anything about it. Clenching his fist, Sieg leaned back into his seat with a heavy sigh.

Walking up to her husband, Yue placed a hand on her hip - looking down at the man.

"This is nostalgic..." Yue teased, though her cold expression remained.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

Sieg stuck his tongue out before patting his lap.

"Come. I wanna repay you for earlier" Sieg said with a huff.

The cold investigator's face turned slightly red before laying her head on his thighs. Sieg chuckled a bit, making Yue slightly embarrassed.

"What...?" A slight bit of annoyance in her voice.

Sieg shook his head before beginning to stroke her head.

"I was thinking of a different position... But this is nice too, don't you agree?" Sieg said with a soft smile.

The woman rolled her eyes before pinching the exposed skin on his lap. Sieg pouted - taking his hands off his wife's head.

"Fine, no scratches then." Sieg crossed his arms.

The usually cold faced investigator's face turned soft.

"W- what? No! That's not fair!" She said, her voice in a more energetic pitch.

Seeing the change in her personality, Sieg made a hearty laugh. He even had to wipe away some tears that formed from how hard he laughed. Yue was obviously not happy.

"You're mean... Stupid Sieg" Yue said, looking away as her cold demeanour came back.

"Sorry sorry... It's just... I haven't seen that side of you in a long time..." Sieg smiled, continuing to play with her hair.

Yue calmed down a bit from him stroking her hair - but her coldness still remained. She stared at the ceiling - she looked like she was remembering something. Seeing the look in her eyes… Sieg knew exactly what she was thinking, which only made him even more upset.

"It's not your faul-" but before he could finish his sentence, she interrupted him.

"I never said it was... It's just how the world is. I was too stupid to realise it back then" Yue said, burying her face in his lap.

A sad expression appeared on Sieg's face - sighing at how useless he felt. He put more care into his touch, before turning to the other titled investigators. They all had the same, apathetic look on their faces. A look born from forced obedience and disillusionment.

He was disgusted.

Defeating the last horde of Festers in their way, the twin investigators noticed what seemed to be a sign in the distance. The two squinted their eyes, then grimaced after realising what it was. A giant, gilded middle finger in the sky pointing down to what was left of the town square.

"Hmm... You know I don't really know what I expected" Olivia retorted, annoyance was clear in her voice.

Oliver didn't have time to make a witty retort however - immediately running towards the scene. Seeing her brother so determined, a pang of jealousy struck Olivia's heart. However she didn't have time to act irrationally. Innocent people were suffering.

Reaching the town centre, they were greeted with an even more mocking gesture by Arlecchino. He sat on a high throne, his feet directly hanging above the innocent civilians.

"Where do you even have time to do this?!" Olivia yelled, pointing at him in anger.

Arlecchino chuckled, clearly giddy that he managed to rouse her up. As he rested his head against his fist, his eyes wandered to Oliver. The investigator didn't even glance at the masked man - his attention occupied by the suffering civilians. This annoyed Arlecchino, making him audibly whine.

"Hey I did this all for you two, at least look at me~" he practically threw a tantrum on his seat.

As quickly as he started though, he ceased his antics - laughing a venomous snicker.

"Well whatever... I'll just make up for it later~" Arlecchino said, hopping off his throne - the gaudy seat disappearing into flakes of gold.

Stepping down, he looked at the two. His pure white mask that was ordained with nothing but a smile, made his presence even more imposing. It didn't help that he was wearing a hood that cast a shadow on the mask, hiding any other features that might've been on it. There were no eyes, no nose, no other features that would make him seem human. Only a wide white smile plastered on the mask. Though... the smile looked wider than before. Olivia didn't want to admit it, but terror started to fester in her heart.

Underneath his mask; Arlecchino licked his lips at her reaction. Stretching his arms wide, he tilted his head up slightly as a spotlight suddenly shined down on him. It illuminated his figure, letting them fully take in the clown in front of them. His long white coat was ordained with trinkets and accessories in a mad cluster of chaos and childish wonder. The dark purple vest he was wearing had a single breast pocket with an obviously fake flower inside. His inner black shirt and clean checked black pants that were held up by a simple purple and gold belt were the most normal thing about this appearance - however it was almost symbolic. The chaos and wildness covering up the darkness of his true self. The funniest thing that the two could notice, was the fact his muscular build was obviously just a muscle suit underneath his clothes. It didn't make him any less terrifying however.

"Welcome investigators! It seems like you two are the only ones ballsy enough to come join me in my little show! I'm so happy~" Arlecchino said, a whimsical tone in his voice.

The two grimaced, appalled by how he was acting. He had captured innocent people, trapping them in a makeshift animal pen, - Not to mention how many investigators he's killed - all to lure two people out for his so-called "show". Oliver in particular, couldn't stand such behaviour.

"Just shut up! Stop yapping about a 'show' or acting like all of this is a game! You're hurting- no, you HAVE hurt innocent people... And all you can say is that you're happy?!" Oliver yelled, passion in his voice.

Clenching his fist tightly, Oliver then screamed out.

"Why does everyone just care about themselves?!"

Arlecchino's demeanor quickly shifted, turning his attention to the young man. Pointing at him with a judgemental gaze, the man tilted his head.

"You... You're a hypocrite..."

Upon hearing that, Oliver's eyes widened. His surprise then turned to anger as he pointed his dagger at the man.

"What did you just say?" Oliver said, a dark look in his eyes.

Arlecchino chuckled before pointing the spotlight at the innocent civilians. He gestured towards them, guiding the twins attention towards the crowd.

"See... You... My dear friend, you're just the same as everyone. You claim to be some righteous hero of justice... But if you were, you would've used that fancy shmancy belt you have, and use it to protect these innocent people. But no... You're too scared of the consequences..." Arlecchino said with a laugh creeping behind his voice.

Taking a step back, Oliver gulped with a lump of guilt in the back of his throat.

"That's... That's not..." He said, trying to defend himself.

Arlecchino scoffed before clapping.

"Of course it's not the same if it's you right? If it's you then it's okay..." Arlecchino said, talking down to him like a child.

Affected by his taunt, Oliver almost lunged at him but Olivia stopped him.

"Hey... Remember, he still has the hostages. We get them out of here... And then we can beat his ass." She said, reassuringly.

Oliver looked at her, calming down significantly. He sighed, before looking at Arlecchino with a determined look on his face.

"Go on... Hold up the end of your bargain. We come, and you'd let them go." Oliver said, staring the clown down.

Arlecchino put his hands in his pockets, before making a little laugh. This scared the twins for a moment, though they felt relieved when they saw him snapping his fingers and releasing the civilians from their cage.

"There. Happy? Was that really worth getting your panties in a bunch over" Arlecchino mocked.

The civilians all rushed to try and leave, however they were met with a worse fate than being imprisoned. As he saw the first person who tried to leave’s head be blown up after crossing a certain threshold, Oliver and Olivia's eyes filled with rage. Meanwhile, Arlecchino began laughing hysterically as he saw the pile up of dead bodies.

"Aww... These ones are much smarter than pigs" he retorted, noticing the pile up had stopped since the civilians were too scared to walk out anymore.

The number of civilians had almost been halved, causing a boiling rage to take over Olivia.

"You promised to let them go!" Olivia yelled at the man.

All Arlecchino could do was laugh at her face.

"Yeah, I did let them go, I never said that I would let them leave alive!" Arlecchino laughed, pointing at the woman with malicious intent.

Olivia's eyes widened before falling to her knees. She couldn't believe it. He was a monster. An irredeemable monster. She regretted not letting Oliver attack him earlier... But at least now she could do it herself. Grabbing her sword, she dashed at Arlecchino, attempting to slice him down. However, he just disappeared, and in his place was a falling anvil. Olivia didn't have time to react, and she would've been crushed if Oliver didn't grab her with his scarf. Arlecchino was surprised at how resourceful he was, clapping in admiration. In response Oliver flipped him off.

"Fuck off! And what's that looney toons ass stunt?!" Oliver yelled, pointing accusingly at him.

Arlecchino shrugged, his mask now showing a stuck out tongue.

"Can't help that I'm just awesome"

Oliver had enough of Arlecchino's antics. Putting his sister down, he rushed towards the man. Arlecchino sighed, before chopping the back of Oliver's head with his hand. This knocked the investigator down, making him slide across the hard brick floor of the town square - only stopping after hitting a tree... Wait, there weren't any trees in the town square?

Looking up, Oliver's eyes widened in horror. It was one of the same trees he fought against earlier back at the park. However this time, it looked much more mature. The cocoon-like tree was a shade of snow white, with streaks of purple running throughout like vines. It pulsated, beating like a living heart... Or a baby kicking against its mother's womb.

Seeing the look of fear in Oliver's eyes, Arlecchino's mask showed a grin. He approached the man, crouching down as he laid his cheek against the palm of his hand.

"Aw... Is little Olie scared of a tree? Don't worry it won't bite... Not yet at least" he laughed with a cackle.

Oliver looked at the now empty mask, devoid of any features - glaring at it like it was the most vile thing to have ever graced his sight. The look... It made Arlecchino's heart burn with passion.

"I like that look... You should show it more~" Arlecchino said, booping Oliver's nose.

With rage in his voice, Oliver asked Arlecchino a simple question. It was so simple that it only contained three words. Three words that made Arlecchino cackle and snicker like a cliché villain from a Saturday morning cartoon.

"Why do this?"

His response was even more simple.

"Because I could..."

Pulling out a small box from his pocket he waved it in front of Oliver. It was obviously a way to mock him, however the motion had a secondary purpose. The specific way he waved the box caused the lines to glow on it, before opening up from the lines that were created. Inside, a soft blue glow illuminated a vial containing... A Fester.

"You see all I came here for was this cutie... The invasion and chaos was merely because I was bored. You would be too if all you did was laze around a dingy underground bunker with psychopaths as your only source of companionship!" The man chuckled.

Both the investigators looked at Arlecchino with rage... But mostly confusion. They were so baffled by his claim, that rage could barely even register in their minds. Before them... Was not a man. Nor even a monster. He was a villain. Nothing more. Nothing less. And that was what made him terrifying.

Closing the box, Arlecchino stood up before gently caressing the cocoon. He touched it with a certain gentleness, as if he were a father waking up his child for their first day of school.

"Come on sleepyhead... Time to wake up... It's time you punish these insolent humans..." Arlecchino said, a commanding tone in his voice.

The cocoon glowed brighter before a low but imposing buzz permeated throughout the town square. In the distance, the various huge trees that sprouted up from around Leighburne town started to one by one glow with the same shade of purple from before.

Olivia and Oliver watched in horror as each one began lighting up. First the one in the south... Then the one in the east... Then then North. With each glow, the mania in Arlecchino's demeanor grew... Then suddenly, his expression fell. His mask now showed an upset expression as he saw the trees one by one get blown up. His upset expression then turned to an angry one as he looked at the two investigators.

"What did you two do?!" He yelled.

The two looked confused for a moment before laughing and dropping their faux-innocence.

"We just called some favours..." The two said in unison, sharing a smug grin.

For the first time, Arlecchino felt the fear of being outplayed. His mask showed an expression of terror and annoyance.

"You bastards…”