Cerberus HQ, Upper Floor Corridor: 936, April 2st, Monday, 1:00 AM.
Claire patrolled a corridor in the highest floor of HQ’s main building. Under direct orders from Yeon, she was to not let anyone inside the room tagged as ‘Out of Service.’ Taking the morning shift, she woke up early to carry her duty diligently—keeping a sharp eye in all corners and shadows.
As she led her gaze towards the shut door, the lieutenant spotted a faint light coming under the frame. Knowing well that the room was unlit when she arrived, Claire decided to investigate by leaning her ear on the door first—but couldn’t spot a single peep from the other side.
Curiosity, combined with the firmness to carry her assignment; Claire opted to take a quick glance and clear any doubts about an intruder—unholstering one of her pistols while carefully pushing the door open. She leaned in closely and carefully peeked into the room while placing one foot inside, coming in contact with a silver haired figure standing at the end of the office behind a desk—his face just as surprised as hers was.
“Oh...”
“Ah...”
Both parties reacted at each other’s’ presence—their mouths slightly open as they stared at one another for a few seconds.
“Lionheart?” Sovereign was the first to speak.
“You!” the perplexed lieutenant expressed while lowering her weapon—placing her second foot beyond the portal and concluding her way inside the office. “Why are you here?”
“Shouldn’t I be asking you that?” the young CEO replied with furrowed brows—puzzled at her presence so far into the building.
“I was told to guard this room,” she stated with a glare. “How did you get in?”
Sovereign huffed a pompous laugh, opening his arms to introduce his territory to the iffy lieutenant. “This is my office,” he said. “You have nothing to be suspicious about, I’m as innocent as a baby.”
“I need proof,” not budging to his claims, Claire remained firm in front of the door—blocking the exit. “I’m not leaving until I confirm you are not up to something.”
Sovereign dropped his shoulders, rubbing his forehead with soft sigh. As he contemplated the situation however, a devilish grin quickly formed in his face—giving into the mischievous devil whispering in his ear. “Alright, it’s not like I’m going anywhere at the moment.” he took a sit on his chair in front of the desk—taking a comfortable position with his back leaned on the chair. “We could just stay here and enjoy the view together... how about some drinks?”
“How about a bullet to the face?” Claire retorted immediately, closing the door and moving in closer. “Why should Arwen’s assistant be all the way up here in an ‘out of service’ room?”
Sovereign bared his teeth with a grin as the lieutenant finished her sentence, resting his head on his fist and crossing one leg on top of the other. “You don’t expect him to do everything around here, do you?” he offered a devious reply.
The pair entered into a stare off, but as Sovereign looked into Claire’s amber eyes, an abrupt set of images flashed through his mind in the split of a second—turning his wicked grin into a disturbed gawk.
A wiping girl leaned her back against a large tree in the middle of a dense forest, she was covered in leaves, dirt and broken branches—her terrified teary eyes fixed on him while he approached slowly. She sobbed loudly with every step he took, her worn out body unable to find the strength to fight back—Sovereign was aware of what was happening at the moment, yet the desire to tear the infant apart with his own hands burned fiercely within him.
“Are you feeling alright?” the lieutenant’s voice interrupted his memories, bringing him back to the office with a shock—her face both concerned and puzzled for what she just witnessed. “You went blank for a moment, what happened?”
Giving himself a second to take a quick breath, Sovereign regained his composure quickly—lifting his head to look into Claire’s eyes once more. “Can I ask you something?” his serious tone shifted the mood completely.
“You are changing the subject,” the lieutenant crossed her arms with an imposing stare. “I don’t know what that was about, but I can’t allow you to be here without permission.”
“It’s important,” he kept firm against the lieutenant’s pressure—not a hint of humor in his face. “Just one question...”
Deciding to humor the insisting man, Claire took a quick gamble and granted him his wish. “Be quick,” she responded—keeping an attentive eye on his every movement.
“Why exactly did you join Cerberus?”
The lieutenant tilted her head at the question, slightly disappointed at such simple question after such a fuss. “Is that it?” she asked, to which Sovereign nodded in confirmation. “To kill specters, of course.” her reply was as simple as the question.
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“But why exactly?” the young CEO leaned forward, placing his shoulders on top of the desk and clasping his hands together—hiding the lower half of his face with them. “For what I know, you had more options before coming here.”
Claire frowned at his persistence, her cautious nature setting off multiple alarms in her head. “They are a plague, and should be exterminated. Isn’t that a good enough reason?”
“You want your father back,” Sovereign spew out the words Claire kept inside her mind—her eyes flinching in shock. “You want a normal life... like the one you had before, am I correct?”
With daggers shooting out of her eyes, the lieutenant stared at the man with scrunched eyebrows and a frowning mouth, unsure of his motivations. “What is this about?”
Sovereign stood back on his feet and moved his eyes towards a small white flower lying on his desk—gently picking it up with his left hand, which remained concealed under a black glove. “I could grant you a portion of the life you seek,” he turned his gaze back to Claire. “Somewhere in the empire, far away from the Deadlands.” he stretched his arm across the desk—presenting the flower alongside his offer. “You will never see a specter in your life, and will never have to worry about them ever again... I promise you that.”
Squinting her eyes, the lieutenant kept a firm stare on Sovereign before offering her reply—ignoring the flower in front of her. “I’d rather you give that offer to my father, take him out of the Deadlands.” she suggested instead.
“I can’t do that,” Sovereign offered a dry reply.
“Then we have nothing to talk about,” Claire crossed her arms—somehow able to not raise her voice at the absurd proposal. “I’ve witnessed specters and more during my first mission in the empire,” she reminded him. “No corner of this world will ever be safe while they live, I know that for a fact... your promise means nothing to me.”
Sovereign kept a stoic expression with his hand still extended, but the corner of his lip curved slightly upwards at her answer—sighing with a defeated smile. “So be it... can you at least take the flower?” he shook it slightly in front of her.
With a raised eyebrow, Claire reluctantly took the gift from his hand—inspecting the exotic flower carefully. “Is that all you wanted?”
The satisfied silver figure nodded with a smile, taking a sit back on his chair. “It will do for now, unless you want to stay and talk for a bit.” he bared his teeth with a smug grin—returning to his usual self. “My first offer is this available if you want to have some drinks.”
“No thanks,” Claire replied coldly, walking her way to the exit before being stopped by Sovereign.
“Wait!” he spoke up—getting the lieutenant’s attention. “What’s your favorite food, Lionheart?” his curious brows remained furrowed, waiting for an answer.
“What?” the lieutenant raised an eyebrow.
“I knew I said one question but... you can answer one more, right?” he pressed his hands together with a pleading expression.
“Why are you so annoying...?” Claire furrowed her brows with a sad frown—exhaling loudly from her nose. “Chicken pot,” she answered reluctantly.
Sovereign’s lips curved into a smile. “Thanks, and...” he leaned forward from his sit, keeping eye contact. “I’ll make this world into a peaceful place for everyone,” he claimed. “Not a single specter will remain once I’m done here, I promise.” his smile grew with genuine warmth.
Not knowing how to respond, Claire simply nodded before striding her way out of the room—closing the door behind her. Left alone once more, Sovereign turned his chair to face the window for a second time—contemplating the crimson scenery he was so fond of. His mind wond—
The abrupt and violent sound of the door bouncing off the wall as Claire kicked it back open startled Sovereign off his sit, turning his head to look at the frenetic lieutenant rushing him with a sprint—drifting her way around the desk.
“You are not supposed to be here!” she yelled while grabbing Sovereign by the ankle—dragging him out of the office with one hand.
“But I am!” his cries echoed across the hallway.
Republic of Kaldstein, Kaldstein City: 936, April 1st, Friday, 9:00 AM.
Maulik—one of Ninigi’s disciples, roamed the bustling capital of Kaldstein. Keeping his head straight while mixing with the crowd, not taking into account his unusual getup compared to the large jackets and sweaters worn by the citizens—his flowing vest standing out amongst them.
Taking a sharp turn towards an empty alleyway, Maulik remained stoic as he ventured further inside—coming to a stop at a wooden door from an abandoned building. “This should be it,” he said to himself—looking at a tiny sheet of paper in his hand.
He proceeded to knock on the door, but received no answer—prompting him to continue multiple times, but with no different result. From above the building however, a woman with a skull mask and a tight white catsuit observed him quietly—holding one dagger in hand.
“Guess I’ll just turn my back on the door then...” Maulik muttered.
Spotting an opportunity, the assassin leaped from above the tall building with her dagger aimed at the unaware man’s neck—ready to eliminate her opponent in a single blow. To her shocking surprise however, Maulik managed to catch her arm in the air—using the momentum of her fall to forcefully guide her into the snowy concrete.
“You shouldn’t—”
A powerful kick to the chin interrupted the disciple’s monologue—spewing saliva into the air. Bianca—the assassin, spun her legs in the air like the blades of a helicopter while on the floor—prompting Maulik to block her continuous kicks with his arms.
Breaking out of Bianca’s attack, the young disciple grabbed her by the legs and hurled her into the nearest wall—slamming her back against the building. Before the assassin could recover from the impact, Maulik placed two of his fingers a mere inches away from her mask.
“I want to talk,” he claimed—a soft gasp escaping his lips as he noticed the blade of a dagger placed near his heart.
Backing off from Bianca, Maulik explained the reason for his visit—handing the assassin an envelope full of cash. “It’s what you use here, correct?”
A quick inspection was enough to hook Bianca into the deal, having received a full payment in advance. She nodded in response to the man’s question—waiting patiently for his request.
Maulik took a picture from his pocket—the photo of a woman with long black hair and amber eyes. “I want you to track this girl down for me,” he requested. “She has some information I need, so make sure not to kill her.”
Bianca pulled a small white board from her back, writing the words ‘what about the rest?’ on it.
“Do what you want with them.”
END OF CHAPTER