Democratic Republic of Pelkesk, Kapono City: 936, May 14th, Monday, 3:00 PM.
In a somewhat dark room, with a desk at the end of it and a glass window behind it—allowing the rays of the sun to leak inside the room. Piles upon piles of trash were lying all over the floor, from aluminum cans, to carton plates and boxes. A small television was placed on top of a ragged-up couch, it was connected to an outlet in the wall behind it—tuned in on the news from channel 24, known as Kaponews.
In front of the TV, a man was seated in a small wooden chair—somewhat rotten by the humidity. The man wore a long dark brown coat, and observed the news with interest while playing with a pipe in his hand—causing the object to emit bubbles when blowing on it.
The headline for the most recent news on TV read ‘Deadlands expand once more, is Cerberus really the answer?’ A woman sitting behind a desk informed the public about the recent discovery, where reporters interview a farmer who claim to have discovered the crimson zone as it expanded.
“Oh, dear Gladea bless us all.” the man spoke with a strange accent, common in northern areas of Kapono. “I’ll tell ya what, it sounded like a, you know, like one of those demolition derbies here in our glorious country. I was passing by after I got drunk in one of my pals birthday party when I felt the ground just… crack below me, you know, like hell was finally taking me down. That’s when I saw them, the demons! They were as ugly as the devil himself and I thought I was food for the worms I’m telling ya. Then it was like, boom! A massive wall appeared in front of me, almost takin’ me to the sky with it. It was as if Gladea herself protect me from those creatures you know, yeah, I feel blessed, and I wish I could find my way home.”
“Thank you for your uh, insight mr…” the female reporter waited for the man’s name.
“Jonathan.”
“Mr. Jonathan.” She said as the camera moved to focus on the massive black wall that emerged from under the ground, its crimson energy veins glowing brightly across its entire body in the far distance. “As you can see, the Deadlands have expanded all the way to Pelkesk from the east, and has taken part of Heildin with it…”
The report continued, and the man sitting on the chair listened intently. His focus was quickly interrupted by a catchy jazz song from his phone, an upbeat trumpet playing wildly with a fast rhythm. The man quickly stood up from his chair, calmly walking towards his desk to pick up the device.
“Knightly investigations at your service,” the man said.
“Tormod Patterson, I assume?” Yeon’s voice came through the speaker.
“The one and only, is there anything I can help you with dear lass?” Tormod smiled, happy to hear from a client.
“No, I only called to warn you.”
“Sounds terrible, should I be looking for bombs under my bed?”
“Are you waiting on guests for this afternoon?”
“Huh, guess not.” Tormod replied, walking around the desk to sit on his chair—facing the wooden door at the other side of the room. “Who are you by the way?”
“You don’t need to know, but make sure they don’t get you. The boss still needs your services.”
“The young lad?” Tormod chuckled. “Very well, I like the pay he offers. I just wish he had more relaxed jobs from time to time, maybe investigating the hot springs at Kaldstein.”
Yeon cut the call without notice, leaving Tormod with the phone on his ear. The detective safeguarded the device in one of the pockets in his coat, proceeding to open a drawer on the desk to take out a small fedora from within—its color matching his coat.
A soft knocking on the wooden door prompted Tormod to raise his head and face it, putting his hat on. “I guess that’s my queue to leave,” he said to himself.
The knocking became louder after every hit, eventually turning into a violent and continuous banging sound. Suddenly—with a loud burst—the door was teared from the frame of the wall and propelled into the other side of the room, hitting the desk.
A tall man crouched his head to fit in the door frame and make his way inside, followed by two other figures—all of them concealed under dark cloaks. What the group found inside however, was nothing but an empty room, and the glass on the window behind the desk shattered into pieces.
Outside, into the open streets of Kapono, Tormod played with the bubbles on his pipe as he entered a lone alleyway—turning his head to look over his shoulder, noticing the many cloaked figures keeping a watchful eye on the residents of the city.
“This place is a disaster,” the detective whispered, releasing a quick sigh right after. “Really makes me want to go home.”
Republic of Kaldstein, Kaldstein City: 936, May 14th, Monday, 3:00 PM.
Yeon parked her car in front of a small house, a beautiful garden grown in the front yard. She stepped out of her vehicle and slammed the door closed, rushing towards the house with hasty steps. Making her way inside, she quickly locked the door from inside and continued to stride towards the living room—running up the stairs into one of the rooms in the second floor.
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“Sovereign,” she said with panting breaths, closing the door behind her as she entered the room.
The silver-haired man was seated at the edge of his bed, his shoulders and head dropped as he breathed through his slightly open mouth.
“I told you to lie down,” Yeon gently pressed her hand against the man’s chest, accommodating him in the bed.
“What does it matter,” Sovereign replied. “You know it’s gonna happen anyway.”
“I don’t care, my job is to take care of you, remember?”
“I’m not a kid anymore.”
“Then stop acting like one,” a quick sigh escaped Yeon’s lips as she furrowed her brows. “Anything I can do?”
“How’s Lionheart?”
“I took her to the hospital. She might recover in a couple of months or less.”
“No surprises there I guess,” Sovereign’s voice was weak, and his figure seemed thinner than usual. “What about you? Are you harmed?”
“I’m good, focus on yourself.”
The man chuckled. “Why? There’s no point in it, just take care of Lucy for me. Make sure she doesn’t leave the house.”
“I can’t see her, but I know how to keep her entertained. Don’t worry, she’ll be fine with me.”
“Thanks, who would’ve thought you’d become a baby sitter again…”
Yeon huffed a laugh, her lips curving into a smile. “Never knew I had the talent,” she went quiet for a moment—noticing Sovereign had stopped moving. “I’ll see you soon, right?”
A weak smile drew itself in the man’s face, winking at Yeon. “You know I don’t choose when to wake up, but it shouldn’t take long.” He replied. “Stay safe, Yeon.”
“Ki-Joon.”
A chuckle escaped from between Sovereign’s lips. “Ki-Joon… let’s go on a date after this.”
“The lieutenant will get mad at you.”
“Ah, I guess you got my number now…” he frowned.
“I’ll be waiting here,” Yeon smiled as she guided her hand towards Sovereign’s silver locks—gently running her fingers through it.
Kingdom of Heildin, Remote Village: 936, May 14th, Monday, 3:30 PM.
In a tiny village, far away from the advanced cities of Heildin. Ninigi returned with his injured students after picking them up at the Cerberus outpost in Kaldstein—his superhuman speed aiding him in bringing the pair home as fast as possible. The knight was received with looks of concern, but he gently reassured the residents with a smile.
Inside the small cabin where he made his home in the village, Ninigi carefully laid Gal and Maulik down in their respective futons. The pair rested peacefully with calm breaths, while the knight prepared special ointments with a set of herbs on a table nearby. Sounds of footsteps coming from outside reached the man’s ears as he continued crushing the herbs on the table, prompting him to turn his head towards the closed door.
With a small creaking sound, the golden clad knight suddenly strode her way inside the cabin—small fissures displayed in her armor, with parts of her mask completely shattered. “I’m home,” she said casually—taking her broken armor off.
“Welcome back, Atalanta.” Ninigi offered a warm smile to his former student. “Are you injured?”
“Nothing my pathway can’t fix,” she replied, turning her gaze towards the pair of hybrids sleeping in their futons. “What happened?”
“I’d like to know myself, but they haven’t woken up yet. Thankfully, the people at Kaldstein where kind enough to help them with their injuries.”
Atalanta sighed with relief, “that’s good hear.” she expressed with a smile, but her eyes quickly noticed the knight’s tattered clothes and deep cuts covering his body—prompting her eyebrows to raise in shock. “You… what happened to you?” Atalanta cautiously approached him.
“I’ll be fine, Atalanta.” Ninigi told her with a smile. “My pathway will fix it eventually.”
“But who could’ve done this to you? Was it Loki?”
“Gigi…” Gal’s weak voice caught the pair’s attention. “Get away… from him… woman…” the redhead spoke in her sleep, mumbling words to herself.
“…” a soft grunt escape Atalanta, raising an eyebrow at the girl’s words.
Ninigi chuckled nervously, taking into his hands a small recipient with the cream he prepared for his students. “Let’s talk about it later,” he told the blonde knight. “I prepared enough for you too, come sit here for a moment.”
“Thanks…”
Floating City of Paradise, Gladea’s Castle: 936, May 14th, Monday, 3:00 PM.
“You allowed the Golden Lightning to escape?” Theo inquired—his tone matching the serene expression in his face.
Both him and Loki talked at the throne room, watching over King as he slept in his throne—the giant’s height now matching that of a normal gladean knight. His head was dropped, and his arms were laid on the armrests of the throne—resting with heavy sounding breaths.
“So?” Loki replied with little concern. “You called me to take care of the specter, and did just that.”
“She is a necessary tool for the order’s success, her power should join with King’s.” Theo explained. “The Deadland’s influence is stronger on him than a regular gladean knight, you know this.”
“Or maybe is necessary for him to not be like that,” Loki retorted while pointing at King with his chin. “You know what I’m about to say is true,” the knight squinted his eyes into an intimidating glare against Theo. “But King has lost his mind with all the power he garnered over the years. He is no different from the other knights that have been revived by the fountain, is he? A husk, a shadow of what used to be.”
“King is the hope of humanity,” Theo calmly retorted, confidently replying without a second thought. “He was chosen by the goddess to carry her dream, and lead her creations to a world where they won’t have to suffer ever again.”
“Whatever,” Loki turned his back towards Theo. “What’s the plan now then? I don’t think he’ll be waking up soon, and I can’t find that girl you were talking about, Lucy or whatever.”
Theo led one hand inside his azure rob, pulling a small picture from inside. “I actually have something for you,” he said—handing the picture over to Loki. “This might take care of our problem with the exile’s spawn.”
Loki looked at the picture, raising an eyebrow before saving it in his pocket. “He’s putting you to shame, I just hope this isn’t a waste of time.”
“This will change everything, Loki.” Theo told him. “This… will force Specter out of his safe haven.”
END OF CHAPTER