The forest was gripped by a forsaken silence that night. The quiet reigned like a despondent god in the dark; an abnormal hush that snuffed out even the whistling of wind and the chatter of wildlife.
In the heart of the thicket was a small cave, its entrance almost invisible beneath the cover of darkness. Seated on the floor of one side of the cave were two slender silhouettes of an almost identical stature. On the opposite side was the shadowy figure of a man.
"You came all this way just to make such a request?" asked the voice of a young woman, finally breaking the silence of the night. The buzz of the forest returned, as if the permission of sound itself had been restored.
"I've come for nothing more and shall return with nothing less." replied a man's voice. It was a neutral tone, spoken with a mundane voice of a pitch perhaps slightly higher than average.
"And if we refuse?" quietly replied a third voice, that of a young man. There was no threat in his gentle tone; but rather, a tranquil authority that ushered the forest into an ominous silence once again.
"You will not, for this is the only way….." calmly replied the man, clearly unperturbed. "But if for some reason you insist on obstinance…."
An invisible pressure rippled throughout the cavern, causing the stalagtites to shake like the quivering maw of some abyssal beast.
"Then my only recourse would be to take them by force."
----------------------------------------
Drip, drip…..
The feeling of a sudden cold, wet sensation on his face stirred Satoru from his dreams. He forced open his heavy eyelids, just wide enough to see large droplets of water falling from the ceiling. Several more drops of water splashed again on his face, finally jolting the half-asleep Satoru back to reality.
As he sat up in his sleeping bag, Satoru grimaced as he felt a faint stinging sensation on his face. He sniffed the air, and as expected, his room was now covered in the metallic stench of contaminated water.
Leakage of the water supply pipes above the janitor's quarters was quite a common occurrence. It wasn't that they always broke; they were simply never truly fixed. The result was a room constantly drenched in acidic, foul smelling water; eating away at both Satoru's skin and sanity.
Satoru gave a dark chuckle as he observed the dribble of murky water descending upon the spot he had just been sleeping on.
Perhaps one of these days the acid will melt my skin away, and I'll finally become an Overlord again….
The water contained in the supply pipes came from the nearby rivers and lakes, since all the underground water reservoirs had been reserved for the personal use of the elite. And as the rivers and lakes had long been contaminated by decades of pollution, the unfiltered water that the employees used while inside the office building was nigh unusable. A universal filtration and distillation system was deemed, of course, as an unnecessary expense for the company, and employees were encouraged to bring their own water to drink from home.
For that same reason, Satoru never used the shower stall in his "apartment." Instead, once a week after closing, he would secretly head to the executives' suite, where an exclusive clean water supply could be located. He would soak a towel with the clean water and use it to wipe away the dirt and grime on his body.
Satoru sighed. Several years of inhabiting his current space had made him numb to the terrible living conditions. He supposed that it could have been worse; he would be dead by now if he had continued to stay in the slums where he had undergone his...readjustment.
He grabbed his sleeping bag and the suitcase that contained the precious few items he owned, dragging it over to the nearest dry corner of the room. He took the bucket he used for his janitorial duties and stuck it below the place of the leak.
Unable to go back to sleep, Satoru rummaged through his suitcase and pulled out the dusty virtual helmet he had kept with him for all this time. It was one of the few things that were on his person at the time of being transported to the New World, and thus he managed to retain it when he was brought back five years ago.
He gazed silently at the helmet, a mirthless look on his face as he unconsciously touched the neural port on the back of his neck.
Back when he first recovered from his physical and mental transition, he had spent a few weeks completely obsessed with the helmet and the neural nano-interface. Satoru recalled how he had convinced himself that as long as he could connect back onto the server, he would somehow be able to return to the New World, to Nazarick.
One day, he finally managed to get his hands on a few doses of the syringe that was needed to boot up a DMMO-RPG. However, when plugged the helmet into his neural port and administered the syringe, he was soon reminded of a cold, hard truth.
The panel that previously displayed the Yggdrasil logo had long disappeared.
The servers had been shut down. Yggdrasil was no more, and he would never be able to log in to the game ever again.
But that wasn't enough to make him give up.
He then spent an entire year trying to find an alternative solution. Other DRMMOs, bootleg Yggdrasil servers, watching clips of Yggdrasil gameplay he had recorded on his helmet...all to no avail. As he stared at the clips of him and his guild mates in the Great Tomb of Nazarick, he would try to reach into the scene, hoping that he would be sucked in back to his one true home.
But it never worked. Nothing ever worked.
Satoru set the helmet down and leaned back against the wall, closing his eyes as he felt himself sinking into an ever-growing pit of loneliness.
He lived a terrible life, yes, but what truly suffocated him was the endless solitude he now had to endure. It was the same feeling that plagued his existence when he had been forced to walk the halls of Nazarick alone, toiling away all by himself in a futile effort to preserve the legacy he had built with his comrades.
But back then, he at the very least had Yggdrasil. Through his tireless endeavors to maintain the sanctuary that was Nazarick, he found a purpose, a glimmer of passion in a bleak life of tedium and monotony.
Now, all that accompanied Suzuki Satoru was the icy hand of loneliness that clenched his heart in a skeletal grasp. Sometimes he felt like that dreaded hand was only a moment away from closing its fist to end the miserable existence he called his own.
He recalled the faces of the NPCs as they gazed at him with eyes filled with affection and warmth. The shy innocence of Mare. The youthful spunk of Aura. The endearing foolhardiness of Shalltear. The steadfast honor of Cocytus. The reliable cunning of Demiurge. The genuine passion of Pandora's Actor. And Albedo….
He sighed again as the image of the passionate Guardian Overseer entered his thoughts.
He always did feel a bit guilty for tweaking the Succubus's settings before the server shut down, but that guilt now scraped at his heart like a knife. Satoru knew that his banishment likely impacted her the most out of all the NPCs, perhaps even more so than Pandora's Actor.
But there was nothing he could do about that now. He could not change the past, nor could he see any future ahead of him…..
Satoru felt his eyelids growing heavier and heavier. He unwittingly began to close them, slipping back into a deep sleep as a heavy fatigue pressed down upon his body and mind.
But before he could fully return to his dreams, the sudden sound of beeping jolted the man back to his senses….
----------------------------------------
At the center of a great battlefield, two individuals silently circled one another amidst a furious clash between humans and beastmen.
Where they moved, the soldiers of both sides parted to avoid them, gradually forming an eye of calm amidst the storm of steel and flesh.
The individual on the right towered over everyone else in the battlefield; a behemoth of size and strength whose muscles rippled with an explosive power at the brink of eruption. It had the body of a humanoid giant, but atop that great chassis of muscle sat a nightmarish head that looked like some horrific amalgamation of wolf and elk. The monster's lips curled into a vicious snarl, revealing a terrifying maw of blood-soaked fangs that formed a twisted contrast against the great antlers on both sides of its head.
Facing this monster was a man who could most simply be described as an "old knight." His body was framed by a full suit of glistening plate armor, exposing only the head; which revealed a wrinkled face etched with lines of age, interwoven with the scars of countless battles. He held a longsword in his right hand, the blade emitting an unnatural silver light that pulsated with each step as the two individuals continued to circle each other in a dance of death.
Both their gazes were fixated completely on the opponent before them, as if nothing existed outside of the circle of death they had formed together. The beast-headed giant's eyes were like obsidian beads, glittering with a sinister intellect that hinted at a deep cunning beneath the bestial visage. In contrast, a frenzied gleam shone through the blue eyes of the old knight, as if a savage animal had been shackled beneath the flesh and bones of a human being.
Finally, the patience of that shackled animal wore thin. The old knight exploded into action.
He lunged at the huge beastman, his sword a silver blur as it streaked towards his target's abdomen with blinding speed.
The beastman sneered as if it had been waiting for this moment-a gruesome expression that contorted its features into an even more frightening visage.
It backstepped with an uncanny nimbleness, planting its feet backward and shifting its body just enough to narrowly avoid the arc of the aggressor's blade. As soon as the attack missed, the beastman immediately reversed its momentum, launching itself forward and swinging its huge fist towards the old knight.
Ripples of power cascaded in all directions as the monster's bones and muscles finally let loose the power they had been holding back. A panicked expression formed on the knight's face as he saw the sheer power of the incoming blow.
[Shining Sword: Flash Parry]
Right before the beastman's fist could connect with the human warrior, the latter blurred in place, flashing in and out of existence in a manner that almost resembled the flickering of a candle. As he flashed back into existence, he had somehow transitioned into a defensive stance, his blade now in position to deflect the beastman's fist as it slammed against him with a force that shook the very earth around them.
The beastman's sneer deepened as it saw the old man stumble backwards from the attack, blood dribbling down from a corner of his mouth.
Finally, it spoke-a soft, androgynous voice that felt strangely out of place as it reverberated from the beastman's monstrous frame.
"Age has grinded away at both your speed and your patience, Fierce Flash." mused the beastman as it strode leisurely towards the injured warrior. "If you were in your prime, that initial strike would have left me no room to retaliate, but now….it poses no threat to me."
The "Fierce Flash" Cerabrate gritted his teeth in frustration as he heard the monster's mocking words. While [Flash Parry] had managed to save him from being completely crushed by the monster's blow, he could still feel the nauseating pain of a broken rib cage.
"You should turn back now while you still can, Gorescheil. You have no idea what is awaiting you at the Dragon Capital." Cerabrate warily replied, a tone of warning in his voice.
The monster named Gorescheil gave a mysterious smile as it heard Cerabrate's warning. "Ah, is that so? I assume you are referring to the Wild Magic of the Dark Scaled One? The grand ritual that requires a million souls?"
Cerebrate's eyes widened in shock. "H-how do you know about.."
This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.
"How do I know?" Gorescheil began his response with a quiet rasp, but the monster's soft voice soon turned into an inhuman snarl as it continued: "How do I know?! The grandfather of your precious queen made me into THIS! Look at me, Fierce Flash, at this aberration you see before you. Have you ever seen a beastman like me before?"
A look of realisation dawned upon the old human warrior's face as he took in Gorescheil's words.
"So that's why...that's why you suddenly regrouped the Beastmen to invade the Dragon Kingdom all these years after the Great Vanquishing….you're one of his…."
"Experiments." Gorescheil finished, spitting the last word with a venomous contempt. "One of the countless abominations locked away in the Brightness Dragon Lord's abandoned residence. Do not think to fool me with your worthless bluffs; I know all of the Dragon Kingdom's secrets."
"A mysterious savior set me free fifty years ago..." it continued, "and now I lead the beastmen to tear down the greatest legacy of that wretched Dragonlord. After this battle is concluded, I will march onto your capital and drink the blood of the Dragon Queen. With her draconic power in my veins, I shall at last ascend and spread my dominion across this wretched world."
Cerabrate gave a dark chuckle as he heard this. "When the Sorcerer Kingdom was still the protectorate of this land, you were still rotting away inside the Brightness Dragon Lord's residence, I presume? If you saw what they did to the invasion force that preceded yours, you wouldn't make such a bold statement."
Gorescheil curled its lips in distaste. "Irrelevant. The Sorcerer King is no more. Throughout the past several decades, I have rebuilt the remnants of the Beastman Country into a new machine of war. You have fought valiantly in the past, but time is not on your side….."
The monster fixed its cruel gaze onto the old warrior, licking the air with a thin black tongue as it mused: "You are an interesting specimen. I see the inner beast behind those human eyes of yours; I can taste the savagery and lust in your soul. I hear you enjoy the company of young human girls? Rest assured, for you shall rest forever alongside them, after we skin you all and mount your flayed corpses atop the walls of the capital-"
[Shining Sword: Rupturing Light]
Seeing the momentary lull in Gorescheil's concentration, Cerabrate immediately initiated another attack. His sword took on an angelic golden glow as it cut through the air towards the monster's throat, leaving threads of brilliant white light in its trail.
But Gorescheil's guard was never truly down. The monster snorted at the brazen attempt to catch it unawares, opening its vile maw and clamping down onto the sword before the blade could reach its throat.
Cerabrate concentrated all his remaining strength into forcing the sword forward. The injury in his ribs burned with an extreme pain under his sudden exertion of strength, but the knight gritted his teeth and bore it, as he knew this was his only chance at survival.
But it was not enough. The "Fierce Flash's" strength began to wane, yet the force of Gorescheil's bite only grew stronger. With a snarl of effort, the monster ripped the sword out of Cerabrate's grip, sending the weapon flying into the entangled masses of combatants.
Before Cerebrate could react, Goreschiel's giant hand snaked out with an uncanny speed to clasp the top of the knight's head. In a single stroke of unbelievable strength, the monster tore out the head of the aged warrior, and the last of Crystal Tear was no more.
----------------------------------------
"And here I thought you'd finally decided to come visit me….."
Zinrus awakened to the sound of a woman's voice. As he slowly opened his eyes, his surroundings gradually came into focus. Through his still blurry vision, he could make out the overall picture of an unfamiliar living room before him. It was relatively small compared to that of his manor, but was decorated with surprising elegance and finesse, indicative of a refined noble taste. He could see numerous golden blade-like ornaments mounted to the walls, polished to perfection. An ornate white table sat at the center of the room, and beside it were two women standing face to face with one another.
The woman on the left was an individual Zinrus had never seen before. She had long hair that had turned silver with age, and a face etched with lines of wrinkles, but her mesmerizing crystal blue eyes remained a testament to her former beauty.
The shorter woman on the right was the masked sorcerer from the night before.
Evileye.
As Zinrus recalled the name he had learned not so long ago, a flood of terrifying memories instantly resurfaced in his mind, threatening to overwhelm him.
His father was dead.
Killed….
Grief. Fear. Hopelessness. Anger. The negative emotions shot through every fiber of his being. He felt paralysed, as if liquid ice now flowed through his veins, moments away from solidifying and shattering his very soul.
And for that reason he lay still. Unable to move or speak, to announce his presence to the two strangers before him.
Maybe if I just lie here long enough, all these terrible things will go away…..
Unaware of the inner turmoil of the half-conscious Zinrus nearby, the two women continued on with their conversation.
"Lakyus, I could really use your help with this." pleaded Evileye. "I think I've found a new lead that will intrigue even you."
But Lakyus merely shook her head. "You need to stop with this obsession, Evileye. Momon has been gone for a hundred years; you don't even know if his disappearance was actually related to the Deathless."
"I'm on the right path. The Cult knows something about what happened to Momon, and I won't stop until I found out what that is." Evileye firmly replied. "Please, for the sake of the Blue Roses…."
"The Blue Roses are over." Lakyus bitterly interrupted. "We haven't truly been a team since the twins were killed decades ago….Not that you care; you weren't even here for Gagaran's funeral last year."
Evileye felt a pang of guilt at the sound of Gagaran's name. She lowered her head as she spoke. "I'm sorry….I was investigating something over in the Karnassus City State Alliance. I just couldn't make it in time….."
Lakyus sighed, the resentment in her heart briefly subsiding. Evileye hardly ever apologised, and based on the remorsefulness in her voice, Lakyus believed she truly meant it. Her tone softened:
"Look, I'm not as strong as someone like you or Rigrit. I can't go around tirelessly questing and fighting for two centuries. I turn one hundred and twenty nine this year, and I suspect that I don't have too much time left in this world. I've left the adventurer life far behind me, and no matter what you say, it's not going to change the fact that-"
"Can somebody please for fuck's sake tell us what the hell is going on?!"
Zinrus, Lakyus and Evileye winced at the same time as a sudden high pitched yell echoed from a certain corner of the room.
Zinrus forced himself to sit up on the couch he had been lying on to look in the direction of the familiar voice. Eloise, who had been out cold just moments ago on a chair in the corner of the living room, was now wide awake, a mixed look of anger and confusion on her face.
Lakyus pursed her lips at the sudden outburst: "I'm going to go make some tea. Evileye, why don't you go ahead and have a little talk with these two?"
With that, the former leader of the Blue Roses turned and walked out of the room, leaving the masked vampire alone with the two teenagers..
"Well?" demanded Eloise.
Evileye sighed, silently contemplating whether to proceed with her plans or to simply leave the two of them in a ditch and be done with it. Finally, she made up her mind.
The vampire ignored Eloise completely, walking instead over to where Zinrus was sitting as she asked: "Tell me everything you know about the conspiracy your father was looking into."
Zinrus looked up at the uncanny mask before him, his mind still scrambled by the abrupt transformation of his life. Several thoughts began racing inside his head:
How can they all be acting with such nonchalance? I just watched my father die….killed in cold blood by an untouchable enemy. I'm in the living room of an absolute stranger with no clue what is going on. And this person expects me to just suck it up and answer her questions?
Zinrus steeled himself before delivering his reply: "I-I'm not telling you anything until I get some answers myself."
The retort had sounded quite a bit more collected and forceful in Zinrus's head, but as he actually spoke it aloud, his voice cracked and his tone quivered as a result of his nerves.
"Hoh?" Evileye drew back in amusement, not having expected any resistance from the boy. "I don't believe you're in much of a bargaining position at the moment. You would be dead if I hadn't saved you."
"Yes, but why were you there in the first place? You knew that assassin was going to be there that night, didn't you? How do I know you aren't the reason my father died? How can the two of us even trust you?" Zinrus protested while Eloise silently gave him the thumbs up behind Evileye's back.
From beneath her mask, Evileye's harsh gaze bore down upon Zinrus for several seconds, but the young man refused to look away or give in, staring back at her with eyes full of cold determination.
The Vampire finally clicked her tongue impatiently in concession. "Fine. What do you want to know?"
Zinrus let out an internal sigh of relief. He was half expecting the magic caster to simply skewer him with one of her crystal projectiles.
"Where are we?" he asked.
"You're in my house." Lakyus replied suddenly as she walked back into the room holding a platter of tea and pastries. She set the platter down onto the white table at the center of the room before continuing:
"Sorry for not introducing myself earlier. My name is Lakyus Alvein Dale Aindra; I'm an old friend of Evileye's."
The vampire nodded, adding: "Her place has been reinforced with multiple layers of protective magic enhancements and anti-divination spells. You should be safe here for now."
"Safe?" Zinrus asked. "Safe from what, exactly?"
Evileye and Lakyus looked at each other, the latter blinking in surprise.
"The Cult of the Deathless, obviously. What else?" replied Evileye in a slightly confused tone.
"That's the thing. I keep hearing you talk about Deathless this, Deathless that. But I have absolutely no idea what that even means." exclaimed Zinrus in frustration.
Upon hearing this, Evileye fell silent for several seconds before turning to Lakyus and asking: "Did those amateurs in the Resistance change their traditions when they were forced to go underground in the Empire? I thought the heirs were trained and taught the Creed at the age of 9?"
Lakyus shrugged. "I haven't kept up with their activities in years. I mean, they never really stood a chance against the Cult anyway. They would have been wiped out long ago if the Emperor was any less stubborn, but it's a matter of time until the Cult gets to him too."
Evileye snorted. "To think that that conceited little boy would turn into the only bulwark against the corruption of the Deathless….that hag Rockbruise must be furious."
Eloise finally couldn't take it anymore. She stood up and walked right in between Evileye and Lakyus.
"Can the two of you stop talking as if Zinrus and I weren't here?"
Lakyus gave her an apologetic smile, but Evileye was having none of it.
"None of this concerns you. The only reason you are here was because I couldn't properly verify your identity. Now that I know you are simply another noble brat, you are free to leave any time you want." snapped the Vampire.
Zinrus hurriedly strode over to drag the furious Eloise away from the irritated Evileye. He turned towards the Vampire and spoke: "She's my best friend. If you need something from me then she has the right to know what's going on as well."
Evileye snorted. "Best friend? How long have you two known each other?"
Zinrus opened his mouth to speak, but as he searched his brain for an answer, he was faced with nothing but a blank fuzziness. He felt like the answer was just at the tip of his tongue, but he couldn't quite lay a finger on it….
How long….how long have we known each other? Why can't I...
Eloise rolled her eyes at Zinrus's hesitation. "Five years ago," she sharply interrupted. "We met five years ago during the noble gathering at the Sovereign Duke's Estate."
As she said this, a crystal clear image of the two of them bowing and shaking hands in a grand ballroom quickly surfaced in Zinrus's mind.
Ah, that's right...I remember it clear as day now….
Evileye waved her hand dismissively. "The more she learns about what we're doing, the more danger she will be put into." She shifted her gaze back to Eloise, addressing the girl directly once again: "The enemies we are dealing with are ruthless and cruel; they will stop at nothing to achieve their vision for this world and will kill and torture any who get in their way. You should walk away while you still can."
But Eloise did not even hesitate. "That's fine. A wise individual once told me that there is no greater love than to lay down life for a friend. I'm not going to let Zinrus go about this all alone. My family wouldn't care; I'm the youngest amongst four brothers and three sisters. Besides, I've always wanted to be part of something bigger than myself."
Zinrus's eyes widened as he heard the bold statement of his friend. In all honesty, he himself had been considering simply running away from all this. Zinrus was not interested in diving headfirst into a world of violence and madness; for a cause his father had only vaguely confided him in. He was wracked with fear and grief, too shaken from the past events to find the strength to move forward.
But now, how could he possibly run away? As he stared at the fierce, determined eyes of the friend who was willing to throw everything away for him, Zinrus knew what path he had to walk. He would take up his father's legacy and fight for the cause that was his birthright. No matter what lay in store for them, they would face it together.
Even Lakyus and Evileye were impressed. The vampire shrugged, having decided not to press the matter. "Well, if she insists, I won't stop her." she continued. "Anyway, I was pursuing a lead that brought me to the New Re-Estize Kingdom, and was supposed to meet up with your father's friend. Unfortunately, the Cult decided to send someone to silence them on that same day."
"Tira, the Shadow…." Zinrus recalled aloud, the silhouette of that mysterious assassin still fresh in his memory.
Lakyus's eyes widened at the sound of that name. Her otherwise kind features contorted momentarily into an ugly mask of hatred. "What? Tira is here?" She whipped around to look at Evileye. "You didn't mention this to me earlier."
Evileye scowled beneath her mask. "I was just about to until we were so rudely interrupted…" She glared at Eloise, who guiltily averted her gaze. "Yes, for some reason they decided to send her, of all people. Luckily, the two kids were out of the house. I had a feeling something was wrong, so I went to check on the two people I was supposed to meet, only to find…."
She grimaced. They all knew what happened from there."Anyway, if you haven't been initiated into the Resistance yet, our plans will have to proceed a bit differently. The Resistance has something called the Creed Box that members give to their next of kin. Inside of it will be all the information your father has collected about the operations of the Cult inside the New Re-Estize Kingdom. Unfortunately, the Cult's agents are likely scouring every inch of the manor as we speak. It's not safe to go back there."
"I don't think we need to worry about that," Zinrus said suddenly. 'Is this "Creed Box" a white rectangular box with the black symbol of a helmet on the lid?'
"Yes, that's the one." Evileye replied in surprise.
"It's buried beneath my mother's grave in the Ramposa Cemetery. My old man told me it was my mother's will, and that she wanted me to dig it up after I turned sixteen."
"That's perfect! Even the Cult wouldn't think to watch over a place like that!" exclaimed the Vampire. "Alright. I'll head there at once and-"
"We." Zinrus corrected her. "We'll head there together. That's my mother's grave you're digging up."
Evileye reluctantly nodded her head. "Fine, you can come. But not her." She pointed to Eloise. "She's staying here, at least for now."
The young red-headed girl responded with an innocent smile. "I'm fine with that. But sooner or later, I'll sneak my way into the thick of the action."
Evileye shot Eloise a suspicious look before clamping her iron grip on Zinrus's arm and dragging him out of the house, towards their new objective.
Lakyus sighed and patted Eloise on the back. "I guess you'll just have to keep this old woman company. Come, have some tea and pastries."
Eloise smiled politely and sat down upon the ornate white tea table. As she began pouring a cup of tea for Lakyus, she slid a quiet glance out of a nearby window.
Atop a tree not too far from Lakyus's house, the silhouette of a shadowy figure silently flickered and disappeared from sight.