“I suppose the news calmed your audacity down.”

The Sun buried its half over the horizon as the distant birds danced in harmony across the warm clouds fleeting and glowing. The buildings defined the horizon through its charcoal-black silhouettes that grew exponentially.

I, grasping the awe of the scenic view as my crimson-red hair complemented the warmth of the environment’s colors, stood before the rooftop railings and muttered.

The breathless Quimora barged out the door behind me, rested her hands over her knees, and bowed boomingly. She asked with a sighing-like voice like she drowned and came up after a minute, “Is… Is that true… that Hera and the others are alive!?”

I turned at her, leaning my back at the railing while hiding my arms, and giggled menacingly, giving her false hope. “Really? And from whose unreliable source did you hear that? Do you think they could withstand our attack in that unlawful school?”

Gritting her teeth, Quimora clenched her fists and growled, “Do you mean… Guinelle’s lying?”

My laughter erupted like a jester caught in the throes of a comedic revelation, her expression, “Good! I just want to see that expression. Very cutesy, very demure.”

“I’m properly asking you!”

“Your friends? Alive? When I left, their bones were still around 207s. Guinelle might’ve felt guilty hiding her narrow-headedness from me.”

“...... I want to see them.”

“They’ll be chasing me, no matter what… However, I can’t reveal you to them. If they’re alive, they should have clicked on an unforetold future that may hinder us. This margin of error, though it might be in their favor, is completely a skit of Entropy’s plot. Quimora’s dead, and that should be history. Everything else is already too late.”

“I’ve never questioned you about this before, and I know you have reasons, but… Why are you doing this?”

I smiled, facing the sunset, and uttered, “Have you once seen what’s beyond those skies? A massive unknown verse orbiting around oneself. Even if you know your home, you’ll still feel lost… and you’ll soon realize that you’re a nearly infinitive denominator. Far beyond the planes of wonder, the realm of propagators exists, the realms of wonder and contempt, a politics beyond the skies. Roze wasn’t there.”

“Roze?” Quimora tilted her head, mesmerized by the familiarity of the name she had forgotten she had come across.

“A forgotten propagator, tasked her apostle to destroy this world. I am a product of her regret. Though her tone might’ve synced with a final boss’s BGM, her face, concealed with compressed distance, expressed grief and anger. For fifteen years I’ve lived inside you, I never questioned her about my purpose. Only I realized when I encountered her worn-out grave, and for the next five years, you may not have realized, but we’re standing directly right above it.”

Quimora looked fixedly at the highest ground we were currently stepping in. Far beneath this giant building, I built my place, my base, and protected Roze’s tomb for internal consultation, and the public never knew about this.

Staring at my palm, I continued, “The person standing before you now wasn’t simply your twin, a resident of your vision. I am an otherworldly prankster, a kid who loves to play with puppets and Roze’s direct apostle. I’m given this ability not to cause agony in the living ground. Like what I did to you, I’m meant to destroy her world, her identity, and end her eternal suffering… I’m born to end her misery.”

Quimora gazed back at me and asked, “I suppose you should have a reason for doing so.”

I clenched my fist and rested it on my chest. “Answers… There’s an uncomfortable tingling in my chest, reminding me of someone who should be important to me. She might be right. I forgot someone dear to me and I’ll gladly offer my sacrifice to make that person happy. This quiz only the divine (Roze) could perfect may’ve come to an end if I misunderstood her.”

Quimora rubbed her arm and turned away. “I suppose… I don’t have a say in matters beyond my comprehension. But… forgetting your loved ones is the worst sin! That's just… the worst. Even I won’t dare to forget my family no matter what happens.”

“I agree, but I didn’t choose to forget. That case should be the same as yours. Your name shouldn’t have been involved in this. The Quimora everyone knew was a ruthless murderer, a sinner drowned in greed… It was never you. It was me. However, it’s inevitable as Roze planted her seed, a past that can’t be sliced like a piece of cake. We’re now in the branch of life that can’t be bent, and our weapon to change our future was the twigs it grew. The outside world never accepted Quimora as a person. This is the only place that you can live in peace, and you can never escape.”

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

I created Megapolis solely not for peace. It’s meant to be a sanctuary hidden from despair. I solely made this for people who wanted to live and end their lives in peace. I only made this for Quimora.

“You’re exaggerating, Saori. I would’ve wanted peace, but it will always be lacking if I don’t have my family and friends here. Mom, Dad, brother Zeus, I always wanted to bring them a message, knowing that I’m still alive. The same case with Hera, Jinx, Macy, and the others… I wanted them to know that I was already free and that I would be able to register myself at a Magic University. Living here in this paradise… I suppose it’s not what I deserved.”

I approached her, distancing my face over hers a foot away. “You should’ve known what happened within these five years of your house play. You shouldn’t meet them, I can’t say why. That’s the only thing you deserve not to know. You only have two choices: either you reset your life or you end this worldline’s future. Soon, you’ll understand why.”

“Why are you like this, Saori? I only came to you to seek answers!”

“AND I’M NOT THE ONE WHO SHOULD’VE ANSWERED THOSE, FUCKER…” I shouted, followed by subsequent drawn breaths to calm myself. “For all I seek was the same. I apologize if Roze involved you in this, but… the moment you’re born, you never had a choice until now.”

Silence filled the air, tempting Quimora’s tears to fall down her cheeks. She buried her face in my chest, chucked her clenched fists lightly and repeatedly, and wept, “You’re… the worst….”

I am.

I bowed down since this was all that I could do. In my past life, I’ve never been considerate of even a single hint of life. I’m not a fan of throwing concerning words to someone else. I may have changed the moment I came into this world…

Or the moment I forgot everything else.

***

Inside a public cabin near the ocean, a man in a cowboy hat that hid his eyes rested his legs over the low table while slouching on his couch. He exhaled a thick fog of smoke after removing his cigarette which soon he tapped its end on a metal ashtray. Before him are the three surviving convicts who just escaped from the high-profile prison.

“Hera of the 75th Onyx brigade, I never knew I’d see you out and alive,” he chuckled, then gazed at Macy. “You even brought the undercover agent of the Serpents Assembly here. That’s a strong lineup.”

“I’ve already cut my ties to my organization,” Macy replied. “If you have questions for me about them, I’m afraid I can’t answer.”

“Who cares about that long-disbanded group of underground kids?” He asked. “If you’re asking for my help, you know the price. I don’t get fond of negotiation contrary to my interests.”

Hera said, “There’s some group that we’re seeking for, the Veiled Paradox, the one who took the life of our precious friend. Have you heard of it?”

The man smiled menacingly and nodded. “Hmm… Nebula, I guess… Far from introductions, you can call me the Olympian Thunder, or Thunder for short, far befitting of my name. I hope you don’t betray us and sing my name across towns.”

Gelly smashed the table and growled, “You better state what you know, Olympic Blunder. I’m running out of patience to create friends.”

“Tsk!” He clacked. “You better know your position. Over the years, there are more assertive individuals capable of doing things more than you can. I’m not saying I’m also the same case myself, but I can end this negotiation with a flick of a finger.”

Reminiscing the past trauma of the Veiled Paradox executing the entire prison with a flick of a finger, they took a deep breath and leaned forward. Hera asked, “What do you know about them?”

“Unlike those in isolated tribes, everyone knows about them. No one knows where they’ll appear or who they are. Colliding with their unpredictability was pure sheer luck. Even we, the Pseudo-Slayer’s Assembly, who solely believed in Prevalence's natural occurrences, would only be able to spectate the aftermath. It’s a reason we’re also on a chase with their group.”

“What a funny name,” Gelly murmured. “What do you think their goal was?”

Thunder smirked, “The stones, a will to revive the fallen propagator of Entropy, also the bias of that fallen empire who drowned my world to despair. With just a hint, they’ll surely be trapped. Wasn’t that the case with the prison?”

Macy pressed her lips and nodded. “They’ve come across some ancient scriptures as well. Also, they had this weapon that could overtake everything in existence, Science.”

“Interesting, what a lovely piece. Moving forward to negotiations, I can assist you with pulling a stunt to chase them. However, now that you heard my goals, I’m afraid that you can’t bail out of this place of junk without accepting my terms. I hope you have considered joining us for the hunt. Though if you fail to provide critical information, your life will surely end.”

The three didn’t falter as Hera led the talks. “For starters, have you known a saint named Guinelle?”

Thunder laughed ecstatically, leaning back on his couch and facing the ceiling. “HAHAHA! I never expected that you could buy me with a single sentence, even revealing the Wicked Luna’s identity. Now, that’s what we’re talking about.”

Behind this laughter, Thunder, whose alias is derived from his original name, chased down one goal. He reminisced the moment he sneaked into the Briston empire and hid his face with a hood. That same disguise crushed his heart from witnessing the brutal persecution of her beheaded sister.

I’m nearing my preparations, Quimora. I’ll make sure your brother will avenge your death.