Wontiferus looked out towards the lake. He watched the rain patter on the surface while he heard the patter on a wooden roof above him.

‘Nice day, isn’t it?’ he mused to his compatriot.

‘Indeed. It is, my dear,’ Diana agreed. She stood out in the open and embraced the weather.

‘Are you sure you don’t want to sit in cover with me?’

‘I will have to refuse. It’s not often we experience such a phenomenon. I and my flora are enjoying this,’ squadron O’s colonel revealed a toothless grin.

‘Fair enough. I do have a question though,’ Wontiferus sat back against a throne made out of vines.

‘Oh?’

‘How do you know?’

‘Expand on inquiry. I don’t quite follow,’ Diana’s smile flipped into a frown.

‘You wanted me for this certain task. How are you so sure they will come?’

The Xernim user cackled. ‘The answer to that conundrum is in fact that I do not.’

‘Eh? Isn’t that a bit reckless?’

‘My dearest Wontiferus, I am a firm believer that it is impossible to see the future. Whatever occurs, occurs. However, that does not mean we cannot prepare. Every piece of the puzzle, every state of being, every minute detail of the past leads to the happenings of the present. Now, what if you can collate it all into one entity? Outcomes become predictable, does it not?’ Diana walked towards the shelter as she carried on, ‘It was always going to rain today. Likewise, we always had a rat in our midst. We always had manush with certain pasts. The dynamics between personnel took interesting turns and twists. And you? You were always going to be by my side at this very moment in time just as we hit the precipice of this battle.’

‘So, what you’re saying is…?’ Wontiferus’ head began to spin.

‘I am simply a collector. I tax information from others. I then pass it down to the puppet master that can decipher the past in order to predict the future. Oh, what a terrifying mistress she is, might I add. If I were to be a betting type of person, then I would lay down my life on that prediction,’ Diana stopped talking. The waters started to bubble. ‘It would appear I live another day. Shall we?’

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Wontiferus looked ahead. From the waters, one aquatic bestial emerged. Then two. Then Ten. Soon, a whole swarm of several hundred emerged, all eyeing the same two, lone individuals sitting in the middle of the flowery sands.

‘I’ll let you handle them for now. I’ll deal with the stragglers,’ the colonel instructed.

‘Sounds good,’ the medic jumped off his seat, brushed himself off and walked as casual as you’d like towards the enemy. ‘It’s been a while since I feasted.’

The bestials watched him in confusion. After all, why would a sole enemy come towards their superior numbers like that? However, when Wontiferus didn’t stop, they gave out instructions to one another. Some split off to deal with him while the rest spread out and started looking for something. For someone.

But Wo paid no heed. He carried on his stroll towards those that faced him. A red mist formed around him, expanding in size until he could fit a dozen men in his little bubble. If not for the occasional gaps that appeared, no one could see the mage at the very centre.

The AAA representatives grew wary of the display. They backed off for a second before encircling the dome. They looked at one another, nodded, then one reached out his arms. She retracted the limb as soon as she did but found that nothing happened. With another nod, they all charged in.

A second passed. Then two. Then ten. A minute passed. Not a single sound or soul escaped the dome. The Afro-Australians grew tense as they watched the red mist dissipate, only for the lanky, pale man to come out victorious. As for his prey, not a single speck of them remained. No bones. No blood. No evidence of their existence.

‘I’m still hungry. Who’s next?’ Wontiferus smirked.

He could see the terror in their eyes of some, disbelief in others, as he carried on his march towards them. The red mist formed around him once more and, once more, he began his massacre.

He ate through every skin, every tissue and every bone of his foes. His bacteria consumed all in his way like ravenous piranhas. No one could get close to him. No one wanted to. Yet, they couldn’t run. His sphere of influence grew and grew until it enveloped everyone. The red mist of death took no mercy, eating through man and plant alike until nothing remained except for Wontiferus and a circle of sand, untainted of vegetation, that soon darkened under the rain.

‘Easy,’ the sole survivor clapped his hands and patted himself on the back. From the corner of his eye, he could see several trees, as tall as him, walking in his direction. They tore their roots from the ground with every step. However, Wontiferus’ attention lay on their branches that skewered several mages.

‘A gift, my dear,’ Diana popped out of nowhere.

‘Thanks. I wanted dessert anyway,’ Wontiferus smiled as the trees knelt before him and extended their branches. ‘I suppose you being here to get those that I couldn’t was part of the “master plan” too, right?’

‘How astute,’ Diana cackled. ‘Now, if you would, shall we wrap this up? I believe our compatriots have finished their ordeal and are returning.’

‘Sure.’

Wo grinned. He could see life in the remaining victims. Their eyes trembled in fear. They squirmed but the branched clutched their bodies even harder. All the better!

Unlike the others, this time Wo could take his time and enjoy his meal. He extended just one arm. A wave of red circled the limb like a ball of fuzz. Diana watched with utmost glee.

‘Thanks for the meal.’