The cheerful laughter and teasing echoed throughout the bar.

Ian seemed out of place with his flamboyant clothes. His long flowy clothes made for quite a feminine attire. Meanwhile, Xeril and Sammuel had the air of a warrior surrounding them. Xeril's body had already formed scars that were quite difficult to heal in such a short amount of time. Ian led the other two deeper in. Those who watched on didn't seem to care what they were here for.

[???]

Ian had stealthily used the power bestowed to him. As the activation was a simple gesture, it would be difficult to stop it. Even if one did see it, one would simply assume it was but a simple wink.

There didn’t seem to have been any changes that occurred. The empty hallway they walked through eventually ended. There wasn't even a speck of decoration slammed before them.

"What's this?" Xeril asked.

Ian didn't respond verbally but rather simply walked towards the wall. When his body was about to make contact it suddenly passed through. Ian proceeded to walk forward without batting an eye at such an odd predicament.

Sammuel initially had some caution towards this questionable path but his curiosity got the better of him. Walking through the illusionary wall, they were faced with an interesting scene. It wasn’t grand in the sense that they were thinking of but instead, it was rather mundane. A simple table with an overhanging lamp above it, the only source of light. This felt more like an interrogation than anything.

Ian brought up a barrier that prevented any unwanted listeners. With the three taking their seats, Ian took the lead in the conversation.

“I apologize for not treating you both with something more… luxurious but it was the best I could come up with on such short notice.” Ian laughed it off. “If things work out, I’ll be sure to make it up to the both of you.”

“The Hatchling. Straight to the point.” Sammuel narrowed his eyes. For Ian to blatantly say this out loud, there must be some hidden agenda behind it.

“Not so fast. I think I need to properly introduce myself first. I’m Ian, a person from the Genesis Foundation. Nice to formally meet you both.” Ian took a slight bow as the symbol of the Genesis Foundation appeared right behind him. Xeril was quite versed in most matters but even he had only heard small rumors regarding such a massive organization. As for Sammuel, he simply understood that Ian was not simple.

"Genesis Foundation?” Sammuel blurbed out.

Ian had expected this. “An organized set in preserving the world." Ian shifted the topic into something more relevant. "Which leads me to why I wanted to talk to you both privately. To get straight to the point, this is a simple offer to work us. And if you so desire, join us.”

“We’re not interested.” Xeril immediately refused. Knowing what he knew, joining them was essentially cutting off his past and wholly devoting their lives to the organization. “I’m not going to be a lapdog to someone else.”

Not only will he have to give up his goal of reviving his fallen family but he will also have to disregard all his personal desires. He will have to put the organization's well-being above his own. This was a path that Xeril was vehemently against. No matter how much they were willing to offer, he wasn't going to sell his own ideals.

“Don’t be so hasty to refuse. Even if you don’t want to join, our goals still align here.”

“Which is?”

“To make Alyur give up her attack on Aganth. To give her the Hatchling hiding inside Aganth. I'm sure everyone in Aganth would be delighted to hear about the two heroes that would show themselves during this dire moment of Aganth."

Sammuel could see the clear intent of this entire operation. A road for clear fame and glory.

"So would you like to join us?"

Sammuel felt two things inherently wrong with something that Ian had just said. “If you knew where the Hatchling was, why not do it yourself?”

“Hahaha, I expected as much, always the sharp one. It’s because this Hatchling is a little special. So special that we had to actively give up 11 years of progress and spill the news.” Ian raised his finger up to his mouth. “This is a secret but this Hatchling so don't tell anyone but... it came from a Supreme Dragon.”

"A... Supreme Dragon? No, that can't be right." Xeril could not believe his ears. A Supreme Being was a creature that reigns over even Great Beings. Such a powerful being could already cause the world to tremble before its might.

The weight of the situation finally weighed down on both Sammuel and Xeril. No wonder Alyur was so willing to risk everything, why she was so lenient, why she would do everything in her power to regain the Hatchling. The situation was just that dire. Being the child of a Supreme Dragon meant that it could very well become another devastating being.

“I’m only telling you both this in confidence because…” Ian closed his eye and had his other eye open. The mystic power held within and hovered around Xeril and Sammuel.

[???]

They both tried to rid themselves of this mysterious power but it shackled them. It did not have a tangible form, rather it was nothing more than an oppressive feeling hovering above them. It did not prevent them from moving but at the same time, the threat it posed was evident.

“If you don’t agree, I’ll be able to easily manipulate your memories such that this never happened in the first place. Why are you looking at me like that? Did you think I would threaten you? Haha, that doesn’t fit the Genesis Foundation’s motto.”

“A Supreme Dragon…” Xeril placed his hand over his mouth. It was a devastating thought. “If you’re going wipe my memories, then you might as well tell me everything I need to know now. Who knows? I might just sell my soul to the devil."

"That stings but very well. There's no harm in letting you know." Ian was confident in this ability.

"Despite being a Hatchling from a Supreme Dragon, why not just do it yourself? It should still be weak.”

“That’s where you are wrong. You're looking down on how powerful a Supreme Dragon is. Furthermore, it came from the Supreme Dragon of Attachment. Meaning, if the Hatchling loathes you or you irk it, you would feel the weight of immense power. It was to the point that we had to send out one of our own to act as its mother. It’s a very tricky situation.”

“Then what are you hoping to get out of this?” Sammuel asked. “Don’t hold back. Since you could manipulate our memories, just tell us already.”

Ian nodded along.

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

“It’s to make the Hatchling of the Supreme Dragon grow attached to humanity. Make it think it's human and only when she reaches adulthood would we try and scout her out. There was supposed to be an entire play about it but there's no point dwelling on it. If not for Vzella the Great Dragon of Symphony falling and the Dragon Clan deciding to take drastic actions, we wouldn’t have had to waste eleven years.”

Ian continued, “We need both your help in this case.” He raised his hand and waved it over Xeril’s eyes. Xeril’s focused eyes turned dull and empty, his mind had been temporarily stopped for the time being. “Specifically, I need your help Sammuel.”

“I just wanted to recruit Xeril to join the Genesis Foundation while the real person I really needed help from was you, Sammuel. I’m sure you could guess who it is by now.”

“I guessed a while back from your hints.” Sammuel took a deep breath.

[Switch Ego: Hypnotic Snail]

This was one of Sammuel’s recently gained [Ego]. It had the ability to hypnotize predators as it burrowed into their brains and controlled the body from within. The predator would eat its common pray while most of the nutrients would go to the Hypnotic Snail. If there was anything that was going to remotely defend himself against mental attacks then it was this.

Just to be safe, he used [Ego Fusion] to maximize the strength that [Ego: Hypnotic Snail] had. It was better safe than sorry.

“Marie.”

“That’s correct.” Ian nodded. “Fian had long cut off contact with us but from certain clues from how the Vis Empire and the Salvo Empire acted, we managed to pinpoint that you are an outsider. The Summoning of the Two Great Heroes. But that was odd, there were only really supposed to be two. You could assume just how interested we are in you.”

“The Salvo Empire’s brainwashing truly is superior to ours. Compared to such a behemoth, we’re only capable of party tricks. They managed to control so many people during the ceremony but in the end, they couldn't verify every single little person that they came into. I guess that spy we planted... look at me getting ahead of myself. Fortunately, we’re only dealing with a branch of these Empires. Hmm?” Ian saw Sammuel’s uneasy expression.

“You didn’t know? The Salvo Empire and the Vis Empire have their roots in the Plains of Divinity. Everything out here’s nothing but rejected nobodies that weren’t good enough to make the cut. But don’t look down on us, soon enough the Genesis Foundation will rise and finally be a match to them. More accurately, reclaim its spot.”

Sammuel had been thinking through how this world worked a lot but there were a lot of inconsistencies. Everyone in the world had already deemed humanity as superior yet they were out here in the Wasteland of Mortality. If they truly were strong then why were they on the weaker land?

Learning that the Salvo Empire and the Vis Empire were actually in the Plains of Divinity now made complete sense. There were far too many important revelations that he was given but Sammuel had even more questions. The more he learned, the more he questioned.

"The day I came to this world. Did the Salvo Empire really wipe away the memories of so many people?"

"Of course. Such a small number's barely anything in the grand scheme of... well, everything."

If the branches of the Vis Empire and Salvo Empire were able to summon them, then could the other branches and even the main Vis Empire and Salvo Empire summon outsiders as well? Sammuel didn’t know. This was a thought he needed to think about.

Then that must mean... there are other outsiders. Other people from other worlds that have arrived here. Sammuel shivered at the thought. He had already seen just how terrifying a single outsider was. Now there were even more monsters hiding in this vast world.

If summoning outsiders were common then at the very least Sammuel would feel so pressured to keep his identity a secret. He might be inclined to keep his identity as an outsider but it shouldn't be that important later on.

“You want me to convince Marie to leave with Alyur? Is that what you’re asking of me?” There was only one reason why Ian would seek him out like this. He would be a fool if he didn't realize this already.

“More or less. There are finer details in the plan but that is the general idea of it, yes. Whether or not you join us, we’ll reward you generously. After all, an outsider who had managed to reach this point with nothing but the clothes on his back is a very favorable candidate to join us.”

“What does Fian think of this?” Sammuel asked a question he already knew the answer to. Fian had already cut off contact with them, she was going against the orders of the Genesis Foundation.

“Her input is irrelevant in the matter. After this is done, she’ll be sent away to safer place to live out her life in peace. We aren't barbarians, we have a pure goal. She has done enough for the Genesis Foundation and despite her traitorous actions, she's still a very important person.”

Sammuel was completely conflicted. Marie was the Hatchling that everyone had been looking out for. If he chose to take her away from her fake mother then it was right, right? After all, Marie would finally be among her true family. A moral dilemna of reconciliation and struggle.

Thinking about it, Fian was one of the culprits that took Marie away from her real family. Were the attachments she had with Fian justify what she was deprived of? Sammuel couldn’t answer. He was stuck. The problem he was faced weighed the lives between two and many. He was going to let countless people die and depriving the Dragon Clan of a future for the sake for a mother and a daughter who weren't even blood related.

“What will happen once Marie’s back in Alyur’s hands?”

“She will be groomed into a successor of sorts. Her future will be bright and hopeful. She’ll have a positive view of humanity so she’ll act as the bridge to form eternal peace between the two strongest races in this world. Doing this brings forward the eventual progression of world peace. I can't promise that she will be happy but she will be loved by her real family.”

It sounded flowery. It really did. For Marie to be the catalyst of what would essentially be the reconciliation between all the races, was a heavy responsibility. Everything was leading to the point that Sammuel should agree. This choice benefited all sides.

Yet…

“Have you considered what Marie wants?” Sammuel’s voice was low. Melancholic even.

He had seen her play with dolls, having fun as she played around. She was hiding inside her shell this entire time, only when Sammuel forced her out did she finally warm up to playing with others. Being stuck inside as she helped her mother run their little library, she was nothing more than a dutiful child. She isolated herself from others. She had only begun to open up when it would be so easily ripped away from her.

She hadn’t lived a wealthy life but it seemed to be a life she was content with. Sammuel had no right to take her away from this life even if everyone else was telling him to do it. Only if Marie desired it would he accept the task. Though that was a lie. Was the happiness of two people worth more than the lives of countless others?

And as expected, Sammuel saw it coming.

“The good of the many far outweighs the good of one. It’s not like she’ll die, she’ll live a fulfilling life with many adorning her. There’s only one right answer.” Ian fiddled with his sleeves, nonchalantly awaiting for Sammuel to make his choice.

It was at times like this that Sammuel wished that instead of his mindset, he had Sadin’s. A completely selfish and greedy creed. One that wouldn't be burdened by choosing one answer out of the myraid of possibilities.

Back when Sammuel was forced to choose a bribe or to choose the right thing, Sammuel easily chose to take the bribe. He didn’t know both parties and there was a completely inherently morally good choice yet he chose the one where he was feeding into the corruption. Someone with a clear righteous heart would not hesitate to do the right thing. Yet Sammuel did not have a righteous heart, if anything, his heart could be described as human. A human heart.

Now, Sammuel was forced to choose once again, to essentially bring peace to the world or to let Marie live her own slow life. There was once again a moral dilemma where there was one correct answer given from an outsider’s perspective. Too bad Sammuel had his own bias. He didn’t want Marie to live a life she didn’t want to live.

It was irrational. But that’s just how humans are.

“You know I’ve been thinking about it. I think we’re outsiders not because we come from another world but because we see things in a completely different light.” Sammuel sighed. With [Ego: Hypnotic Snail] ready, he was ready to try and retain his memories. Even if this wouldn't work out, he was willing to fight for it.

The room was simply devoid of anything to escape with. From Sammuel’s perspective, even if he killed Ian, he would die here. That mysterious power was something above his understanding.

Ian waved his hand, placing it over Sammuel. It was slightly expected but Ian knew this was the outcome. “Maybe if you see Aganth on its last legs, you’ll change your mind. I’ll ask once again by then. Or I'll have already left, leaving behind a ruined landscape where millions had once lived.”

[???]

Sammuel felt his mind slowly turn blank. Ian’s hypnotic ability was far too strong. The very next moment he opened his eyes, he was completely lost in an infirmary bed. He looked around to see what just happened.

Looking at his stats, he had [Ego: Hypnotic Snail], it was completely odd because he didn’t remember using this.

[Switch Ego: Base]

Sammuel mindlessly stared at the ceiling. “I remember…” Jumping out of bed, a nurse came up to him and gave him some water to drink. Looking to the side, Xeril was sleeping soundly. “Now what to do? Now that I think about it, Lawrence’s technology, it’s about time I see just how close he is to finishing it.”