"With all the added shit besides that, he should be chasing stars right now." Tiki facepalmed as she looked at Dante.

"So let me get this straight. I had a single glass of water that you guys may, or just really did, boycott with a concoction of deadly chemicals. While also being premeditated?" Dante looked at everyone.

"We really didn't know what to add! Truly! And since we were informed of your resistances by then us...well...did that." Terna said.

"I'm surprised because I thought Luna would be more tactical than this, but to leave me outside of it...what the hell." Tiki sighed.

"You say that but you had to wack me in the head with force enough to level cities after you used all those poisons to knock me out. What I'm more surprised of is the fact that while the poisons didn't poison me, your cooking gave me food poisoning." Dante said with a straight face.

"That's honestly commendable," Yuno said.

"Honestly don't even know how Hikari went about her day after consuming that." Enemy agreed with him.

"Screw you guys." Tiki folded her arms.

Drima took a deep breath, "Since we are all still alive...let's move on. So for Luna, your abilities are the same as Dante's and Enemy's but she cannot hold on for as long. Now Tiki. You're...typical."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean."

"Nothing out of the ordinary. The signature is as it should and energy levels are perfectly normal for your classification. However... who the hell gave you the thing you're wearing?"

"What, this? It was Anya, she contacted a merchant named Nikki from Corosta and gave it to me. She said something about wanting me to try it out for her to collect data on it. So far so good."

"This isn't just any regular battle suit. It's a MOD. Short for Mass Obsulyte Distributor. And it's both illegal and extremely dangerous, not that I mind. Moreover, you're looking at the creator of it. It is an all-size fit wear that's made...well, for military use. I used to have an undercover job at LAB and this was the one thing that I reported before getting terminated. It was deemed illegal and confiscated, though I guess Golvers's money wouldn't keep it locked forever. I'm sure you're aware of special weapons made for Obsulyte users, and how they're conductive and extremely lethal if handled by an actual user. This is the armor version of it. It was specifically made to regulate and amplify Obsulyte running through your body and externalize it for maximum destruction."

"So this is why I feel so nice when using this thing? I don't get even close to having that feeling of causing some wrecks at the Destruction Zone."

"Problem is...this is going to be detrimental to your body if I don't finish it up. The design is largely unfinished and because of it, I'm starting to really get why a Demon's bones, which were supposed to be almost impossible to break, are so breakable now. Granted, you did go against two beings that one can probably snap a planet out of existence and another that tries to imitate it. Yes, I know about your fight with Luna too. Right now, your bones must be strained because of the excess energy they have to process because of the MOD. It might not look like it, but there are a lot of micro details underneath the cloth to regulate everything going on. Now, I think I might be able to round up the design, but if that doesn't work...I'll start from scratch. For all of you if possible. I would normally be completely against elevating violence in a situation when enough is enough but...that's not plausible anymore."

"This sounds way more serious than I initially thought it to be...guess it's not exactly fun and games now, is it?", Dante said.

Drima nodded, "Allow me to round up with Anya and Terna and I will tell you exactly what this is all about. Yuno, I suppose you won't be offended if I gloss over you, right? In a nutshell, Dante but smaller. Your body might not be able to circulate as much energy as his, but your powers are one and the same."

"No offence taken. That was the one thing we could be certain of." he calmly said.

"You're a Link so, it's only a matter of time before you can unlock the full potential of your abilities."

"Wait...a Link? You mean a 'Guardian'?" Yuno corrected him.

"You studied the old books, huh? Welcome to the age of holograms, we call those 'Links'. Essentially, they are helpers of the original that they're protecting. By 'original' I mean the fact that Links are created by an Obsulyte signature that the actual person originally possessing the powers has. That's why your base signature will always be the same as the original, but your powers can either be the same or vary. I studied for Links over time, but only ever seen 2, those being Hyrusas as well."

"Hmm...Got it. I'll use that info as best I can. Somehow, like Dante...I still feel like something is missing."

"Hope you do. The only thing you share is death aside from powers, with everything in between varying very heavily. Now...Terna. Aren't you an interesting one? Essentially, I know absolutely nothing, aside from your innate boosting abilities. Which is...it's interesting, to say the least. You're definitely nothing more than human and your Obsulyte is there but...that's just it. Your abilities so far seem to be dormant and not dangerous, but then again, I was receiving some weird frequencies off the recording."

"She is capable of controlling the elements, I think? As far as I've seen, her boosting effects aren't the only thing." Dante added.

Terna nodded, "Hmm. All of them...though, I really don't use anything else than earth during battles, because that's the most viable one."

"Interesting. Though, that still doesn't say much to begin with. I'll keep tabs on you, perhaps we will learn something to help you understand it better in the near future." Drima reassured her.

"Thank you mister Drima...really! Maybe that way, I can also figure out what to do..." Terna quietly said.

Tiki noticed Terna's behavior, "Yo, you doing alright?"

"Hmm? Yeah."

"You sound quite low."

"Just a little bit...tired, I guess."

Tiki sighed, "Alright, sorry. Moving on."

"Right. Finally, Anya. I got my hands on view analytics before sending her to the hospital. It's no mystery that her body gave in to a transformation that pushed her animal side over her human side to the exterior."

"Basically a furry. Or furry bait, either or both." Tiki said.

"Laugh while you can. This is because she overused her Obsulyte to some external source that wound up to her. It's an unfortunate side effect of such a trade. The question is where she got that."

Dante sighed, "She won a game of cards and wanted to go into a dungeon run with me. Long story short, she was injured and used that book Terna is holding to heal herself way faster because she was on the verge of death."

"And there you have it. The same signature Obsulyte redirected after being externalised will cause an internal overload. Not lethal, in fact, most of the time it's beneficial as it can reinforce the body with a permanent, fully functioning second layer of your Obsulyte but if you're a half-human breed...well, this can happen. And that's not the only cause of it. It can typically also happen if it's forced by other means, but I don't exactly know how, but Anya's is a pretty uncommon one. A small group of people have had that side effect nowadays anyway. However...I don't know about the third layer."

Dante leaned forward, "What third layer?"

Magi took a worried, wide look at Drima, almost as if signaling him to back down.

Drima exhaled deeply, "I was wondering if I should tell you this or not. I told Magi before you and thought of keeping the rest to myself to not decrease your morale further than it already is...but I won't do it in the end. I'm done with gaslighting more than I already had to. Her Obsulyte intake source was still left open after that day. Despite the Obsulyte-based monsters she may have fought in the meantime, she didn't receive as much damage with it until today. Her intake of your powers has infested her. Her body is fighting her wounds and simultaneously trying to fight a foreign Obsulyte signature...it...it can be fatal. Foreign Obsulyte signatures inside your body are like getting a blood transfusion with a different blood type."

Dante banged his arm against his side of the table, snapping it to bits in an instant before calmly leaning back to his seat, head lowered as if he was afraid to be looked at by anyone else. The room went silent as everyone tried to look away, Drima not daring to react to another breaking of his equipment. He carried on, trying to ignore the situation.

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"That being said...she will be somewhat like you after this. I don't know what the effects might be, but I won't be entirely sure they're only beneficial until I can see so for myself. Moving along...that's about it for everyone's powers. Now I'll get down into some deeper details. This is the world map." Drima opened the world map in the hologram, "Red spots reflect Obsulyte energy concentration and the lighter it gets, the less it has. Nowadays, we harness mass energy reserves to keep things floating, which a huge issue is considering that besides Obsulyte users, Obsulyte concentrated crystals will never replenish once fully depleted. Think of it as a young cell. So long as one exists, it'll reproduce, but once none does, it's over. Now what this means is simple. Because of the fact that the World War took way more energy reserves than it should, and the mass technological advances we are officially about to enter an energy crisis. No one knows about it, because everyone wants it censored to see what to do with it. And you know how humans always work. Lack something that's needed? Make war."

"So on top of everything we have to deal with, now we must worry about a rerun of a true hell?" Enemy folded her arms.

"Precisely. That's why I gathered you all here. Because we're facing two fronts now...or three, depending on how you look at it. The world that's on fire, Shadowers and Enmities and Maro and Kiro who also need to be dealt with in the meantime. And here's what I'm forwarding to you. Break your promise with the Reingard king now."

"Wait, why?" Terna asked, "Weren't we supposed to unify the world to face the monsters?"

"Naive as always. Unify the world under what exactly? We're going to war either way from the looks of it.", Drima said.

Dante snapped out of it, "We were naive. Because it's the same shit all over again. Some old sons of bitches point their fingers at each other from their golden thrones and a million soldiers mindlessly die. Judging from Reingards history, Hataros would most likely want to 'unify' the world under his own charge. Same with how Dirunon was..."

"Wait, how do you...remember?" Magi asked.

"Before that day came along we had a major public vote for starting a war with Reingard. Frederick was a king with a title, but a peasant like the rest of us. He wouldn't dare to make such a drastic move without the support of the people, hence why he censored nothing at all about the situation. I don't remember the details but...I knew that war was inevitable, besides the surprise attack. We were offered an ultimatum of sorts, which was ultimately rejected. Then all of that happened. We had the best soldiers in the world, but failed to show for it...we rarely had conflict anyway. Mere skirmishes we had to take care of. And judging off the fact that Reingard is both the world capital and the only place in the world to be controlled by a monarchy...it's all too iffy."

"Wait, what about Victoria and Reingard?" Yuno asked.

"The 'king' we have is an honorary title from another era. He has almost zero power and everything is handled by the Council." Drima answered.

"So what's the catch? Do we start by destroying monsters' activity?" Dante asked.

"Exactly. For now, however, I'd focus more on the imminent threat of the two brothers and the monsters, having already gone rampant. Starting with Victoria. The nearby farming towns of Gastella, Estella and Mestella all have given out a red warning from the Farmers Association for monsters activity. The local militia is holding Enmities and Shadowers away, without a single breakthrough from the military on the other side to be able to send reinforcements. These three towns are collectively responsible for a massive chunk of the world's food production and its supply, and for more than 2 months, they've been under siege. If I had to guess, the monsters are innately attracted to the Obsulyte used to manufacture the massive needed for mass production. And here's the catch. If you want to take part in such an operation, you must give up the task set to you by Hataros, because you need to be unaffiliated in both country and organization to be there. After all, when you're legally classified as an ambassador, it'd be weird to take on combat with another army."

"I'm down for it. I refuse to be anyone's dog but me. Until we figure out things in a deeper matter, feel like this will be best for everyone. Anyone opposed?" Dante waited for a response, "So this just got way bigger than I initially thought it would. If we are to be dragged into a bigger rabbit hole, we need a proper plan."

"A bunch of kids saving the world...that'll be fun. Though I guess they are the strongest generation to ever exist..." Drima whispered, "The plan is as follows. Secure the three farming towns and break through with the military. For now, that is. I need to do a couple of things, including tweaking Tiki's MOD, checking up with Anya who should be in emergency surgery by now and above all, finishing up a MOD prototype for you specifically. If you're going to be fighting with everyone and are going to use your powers then I need to get this done now. While we have a general consensus of everyone's abilities, yours still remain largely unrecorded. Same with Enemy, but she has a grasp of them and Terna hasn't shown destructive outbursts yet. You will take tomorrow off and be deployed in two days because according to military intel, we're gathering massive energy concentration in the general battlefield. That could point to something bad coming. Taking tomorrow off will at least allow me to round up all my work and additionally allow some of you to familiarize yourself with the new equipment I'll roll in. Long term, we need to make sure to reinforce the bond between the regions to further dilute the chances of a possible war while also finding a backup source to prevent obstruction of daily life. That's why from now on, I'm changing everyone's profiles on every single platform to an unaffiliated organization. It's the only way to keep a neutral ground to avoid unnecessary conflict and criticism from some special category of idiots while working under the radar. This is no joke and you're doing a complete one-eighty from everything you've been doing and everything you've come to know. You'll no longer be a bunch of mindless teenagers, I hope, but instead have a very important task that requires way more tactical precision than whatever you've been doing up until this point. Anyone opposed to that say it right now."

Everyone looked at each other with a look of both determination and fear for the coming unknown, finally turning back to Drima.

"I'm game. This sounds like hella fun to me.", Tiki agreed.

"I will also raise the bar and do the same. We have now got to do whatever it takes if we are to rely on a future." Luna agreed.

"Yes! Big sis is in, so that means I can be in too, right?!" Lina excitedly asked.

Drima covered his smile with his tablet, "I suppose I can give you the position of 'Morale Manager' if you wish."

Lina looked at Drima with eyes full of excitement, her smile widening more and more at the possibility of having an adventure. Luna nodded at Drima, before looking back down at Lina.

"I suppose that the position proposed is to be taken by you." Luna agreed.

Lina jumped around, "Yes, yes, yes! I can do it! I'll help everyone!"

"No way can I back out either. Not like she would let me do so anyone...count us both in.", Enemy agreed.

"Someone needs to take care of business. Sure that the mutt will agree to it anyway, so I can't stay on the sidelines." Dante agreed.

"That automatically puts me in as well." Yuno agreed.

"Well, looks like y'all got it pretty clear cut. Nice to see." Magi happily said.

Terna hesitated, "I-I um...could I please take a walk? It's a bit...I need to think about it. But I won't delay my answer, promise."

"Sure. It's not like everyone can just agree on a whim about something like this anyway." Drima accepted her promise, "Now, that'll all be it for now. You can all head out and into the living quarters. The lab used to be for more than one person but...no one ever really stuck around."

"Illegal practices." Magi coughed.

Drima exhaled, "Yes. That. Don't worry, however, because I will try to make the operation as legal as possible by handling all of the details and everything paperwork-wise. From now on, this place will be treated as the base of operation and new devices, specifically made with layers of encryption and an even more advanced private chatting network than the one Anya managed to scramble. I suggest you get a chance to also mentally prepare yourself for what's to come. We have a long way to go."

Everyone nodded as they headed out of the meeting room, heading for the living quarters as Terna instead took the route to get outside. Drima finished tidying his paperwork as Magi stood beside him.

"And done. That should be all for tonight...exhausting day." he sighed.

"You don't say. What I really want to know is how all this will play out. I'm still worried for the kids, especially Dante."

Drima looked at Magi, "I told you back then what you clearly shouldn't have done. You never listen to me."

Magi chuckled, "I never do, do I?"

"You know, someone that didn't know you as well as I do would be offended that you laughed at this, but...you need to listen to what I said back then now."

"Do I? I mean...I do feel pretty cool around him. Been with him since he was little anyway."

Drima looked at Magi with a deep, concerned look, "You...won't be doing this for you. This time..."

She paused as she looked back at Drima with eyes that betrayed the deepest feeling of sadness a person could experience. She quietly headed out of the room as well, leaving Drima behind to finish up the room.

"Alright, order the final parts for today and clean this up as well. I want this over by the morning." he commanded the maid bots before looking at his beeping transmitter, answering the call.

“Drima, are you done wrecking stuff for the night? I was just scolded by the accounting department for all the bills!” Rein angrily said.

Drima stuttered, “U-Uh. Yes. Sorry.”

“And have you resolved everything with the little monster as well with the crew behind her?”

“Ehm. Mind you, she’s a lovely little girl, no monster. And yes, everything is completely under control. I’d go into details, but for now, you should all be thanking me the world wasn’t blown to smithereens. In any case, what are you doing up so late anyway?”

“You tell me. I was supposed to get off an hour ago but I’m now investigating the goddamn gardens again.”

“Hmm? What for? Lina replanted everything, correct?”

“Yes, the mon-uh, girl replanted everything with the guards and did a bloody good job. But I need to find a woman in here.”

“Wait, what woman? We have intruders?”

“No, but everyone is reporting some woman screaming and moaning in pain from a certain place in the garden, so they emptied the area and notified me.”

Drima choked, “God, dammit!”

Rein weirdly looked at Drima, “Everything ok?”

Drima blushed, “Yeah, yeah, it’s all perfectly fine. Where are you right now?”

“I’m about to come around to the part in front of your lab at the side of the building.”

Drima grabbed a grenade and a gun, “Yeah, perfectly fine! I’ll be right back, give me a moment!”

Drima left the room, leaving the transmission behind and Rein waiting while he went back up into the window he threw his tablet from and looked down, only to see a bright rectangular flash coming from below. He promptly took off the pin from the grenade and lodged at it before firing the entire magazine of bullets directly onto the still operating tablet, the explosion and the bullet fire finally destroying it completely. He then tossed the gun aside and went back into the room, Reina fuming with rage.

“What the hell did you just do again?! I swear, if I have to save your ass one more time for today-“, she was interrupted.

“Yeah, sorry, don’t worry, I’ll have Lina replant some plants tomorrow, she loves it anyway, gotta go, bye!”

He closed the transmission as he breathed a long sigh of relief, his current troubles finally coming to an end. What was really about to elevate his anxiety, however, was the immanent future of tomorrow, as he, like everyone else, knew that every step was going to be treated with care and be crucial to a better tomorrow.