Cleary began to tear up. The weight of the past events crashed down and mental fatigue overtook the physical pain. Being chased around by insane wizards was one thing, but to have freedom dangled in front of him and then ripped away was the final straw. “P-Please, I don't know what’s going on,” he choked out. “I’ll give you whatever you want, just please, I don't-” he began breathing heavily, his chest constricting as if someone was squeezing his lungs in a fist.

Syc froze, unsure of how to deal with this development. “Wait, wait- shit, I can see how that sounds bad,” he said with a guilty smile. “No, no, please don't cry dude, this is embarrassing.” he reached into the glove compartment and grabbed Cleary some tissues. “Look, I promise I’m on your side, okay? I am not going to hurt you for the video. We’re the good guys, I swear.”

Cleary blew his nose and looked at Syc in confusion. “W-what video?”

Syc looked at Cleary with pity. “You got wrapped up in some things far beyond your existence,” he explained. “Um, how do I put this? The most powerful organizations in the world are after you to get the full recording of the fight you captured. Some of these organizations, like mine, follow rules and basic human morals. Others, such as the guys you just met, are much more fluid with what they are willing to do to achieve their goals. Does that make sense?”

Cleary felt his breath shorten. “W-why though? What’s so important about that video?” he asked.

Syc gave Cleary a strange look. “Are you telling me you’ve never heard of- ooh, right, I forgot you were a normal person until a few hours ago. Look, you remember the man with the katana you saw?” Cleary nodded slowly. “That man is named Malich Drachia. He is known as the King of the Sword. Very few people have seen him fight because very few can survive a confrontational encounter with him. He is more elusive than a nine-tailed fox, and until today, no one has ever recorded him fighting.”

Cleary struggled to comprehend this information. “So what, he’s some celebrity for you wizards? They’ve never seen him before so they want the video?”

“If only it was that simple,” Syc shook his head. “No, you see, the reason that The King of the Sword has held the title of the strongest being alive is because of his technique, a secret that he has kept since his first fight. Wings of Aethon is what it's called, dubbed the ultimate martial art. Anyone who sees it dies. Yet, for the first time, we have a chance to study this technique and His fighting style. Sure, we’re likely grasping at straws, but that’s the effect people like the King of the Sword have on us regular folk.” He looked at Cleary seriously. “And you have the key to it.”

Cleary sputtered, trying to reconcile this motive for wanting to kill him “W-what the hell does that- if someone wants the video, just ask! I would have given it to them the first time they threw me at my fucking tv!” he let out an exasperated laugh. “This is so unbelievable. King of the Sword, Wings of Whatever, I don't know what you smoke that causes this anime-addict, weeaboo bullshit but I don't want a part of it. Just take the memory chip and leave me alone, you’re clearly more equipped to fight them off than I am.”

As Cleary reached into his back pocket to grab the memory card, Syc reached out a hand to stop him. “Think before you do that,” Syc said slowly. “I have duties to uphold so if you give that to me, I can't help as much as you need. Look, first off, the memory card is what people with morals are after. Krohn and the rest of Karkana are cut from the cloth of people willing to forcibly extract your memories, which will kill you, if they can't get the memory card. Getting the memory card is easier but not the only way for them to get what they want. And unfortunately, you’re in too deep, kid. I saw how you fight. I don't know what happened, but you’re part of our world now. So, instead of panicking and giving me the video, sit and wait. We’re about 20 minutes from my HQ. Meet with my boss. She wants that card badly, and luckily for you, has a very naive set of values. Now, one last thing.” Syc reached into the back seat of the car and rummaged around a bit before pulling out an empty black memory card case and a small pistol. He tossed the case onto Cleary’s lap and pointed the gun at his head. “Put the memory chip in the case and swallow.”

—

6:47 P.M.

Unknown Plateau

Ogemeda Mountain Range, Victriona

Malich Dracia stood amongst uncountable butchered bodies, covered in blood. He stood still, breathing deeply as he healed his wounds. He looked down at his final opponent, a large Minotaur with a now-severed head lying a few feet away from its massive, burly body.

The leaks are becoming more widespread, he thought, pondering over the cause. One would assume the Cult of Raharos was behind this, but they had been unusually inactive for the past few months. Either way, that would be handled by those fools at the Table. His only concern was when large leaks like this caused capable opponents to enter this plane. However, this fight had taken far too much out of him, far more than anticipated.

Malich muttered a quick incantation and a hazy screen of smoke appeared in front of him, slowly forming the shape of a woman. “Yes, my lord?” the figure asked immediately.

“I am going into solitary meditation,” Malich stated.

The figure nodded. “Yes, I will handle the necessary arrangements,” she replied. “How long do you expect to be in meditation?”

Malich looked at the corpses on the ground before responding. “At least three or four months,” he finally responded. “This exchange has left much for me to think about.”

The figure was silent for a moment before it nodded. “Of course, my lord.”

Malich waved his hand in front of him, dispelling the smoke and ending the communication. He sighed before sheathing his katana and disappearing in a flash of blue.

Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

—

6:50 P.M.

Quail Tower, Nightlight Headquarters

Nightclaw City, Renia Province, Victriona

Kana chewed on her thumb as the smoke in front of her dissolved. “Dammit, I should have told him,” she sighed. He would have definitely wanted to know that there was a video of him fighting that might get leaked. Still, either way, he would have told me to handle it, right? So there’s no difference. She shook her head, trying to ignore the voice in the back of her head which told her to stop lying and accept that she just did not want to risk that he wouldn't let her watch the video herself. It's fine, she comforted herself as she took a sip of her coffee. As long as Syc pulls through, it will all be fine.

As if on cue, her buzzer rang as her assistant Jane spoke through the desk phone. “Syc has just pulled into the parking garage,” she said. “A dishevelled young man is with him.”

Kana let out a sigh of relief. “Send them in immediately.”

—

“I would have swallowed it without the gun, you know?” Cleary muttered angrily as he stepped out of the car.

“Would you have, though?” Syc questioned. “I prefer the assurance of the gun. Now stop talking about that. Remember everything I told you?”

Cleary nodded, giving Syc a look of appreciation as they stepped into an elevator, getting out on the lobby of some fancy office building. Syc tapped them through the barriers with his wristband. “Yes, I’ll remember it all. Thank you so much.”

Syc smiled and patted Cleary on the back. “Just don't forget you owe me, yeah?” he said. Cleary nodded vigorously as they entered another elevator, this time going up for much longer. Cleary watched the numbers tick up until they finally stopped at 53.

“Before we do this,” Cleary started in a quiet voice. “Am I really stuck? Is there no way I can just give you the video and leave?”

Syc shook his head and gave Cleary a sad smile. “You’re stuck, kid. I wish I could get you out of this and back to the normal life you had, but that’s out of my powers. Besides, you already swallowed it,” he laughed.

Cleary nodded, still feeling like this was a strange dream. As they stepped out of the elevator, Syc let out a deep breath. “Alright, game faces, kid.”

Cleary glanced at Syc’s face had become rigid, an indifferent expression taking over. Although he had not been Jerry's level of friendly, he had accommodated Cleary way more than he had to and even now was setting him up to make the most of the situation. Now, however, the air around him had completely changed, and he looked more like the man who had burst into the warehouse and fought off Cleary’s three attackers.

The floor they stepped out to was a stereotypical bustling office with various desks and cubicles sprawled around in clusters. However, everyone went silent when Syc and Cleary stepped out, the only sound remaining being that of the phones ringing and printers whirring.

Cleary followed closely behind Syc as they walked through the office towards two glass office doors. There was a small metal plaque to the left of the doors which presumably had the name of whoever’s office this was, though he was too scattered to catch the whole thing. All he saw was the last name, Ralas.

“Remember what I said you need to say if she threatens you?” Syc whispered.

Cleary nodded.

Syc sighed, giving Cleary a final glance and knocked on the door before pushing them open and strutting in. “Kana,” he said with a slight smirk. “Long time no see.”

The office was spacious, sparsely furnished beyond some bookshelves which lined the walls and the cluttered desk behind which sat a woman who seemed to be around Cleary’s age. She wore a navy suit, adjusting her glasses as she returned a small smile. The walls were decorated with various swords and bladed weapons, giving the office a rather violent atmosphere which contrasted with its owner’s seemingly calm demeanour.

“So it has,” Kana replied before glancing at Cleary. “Is this him?”

Syc nodded. “In the flesh,” he said as he patted Cleary’s back, causing him to stumble forward.

“Um, h-hi. I’m Cleary. Nice to… meet you?” Cleary stumbled over his words as he dragged his focus away from the decorations that covered the wall and to the discussion at hand.

“You can call me Ms. Ralas,” Kana replied, motioning for him to sit. “You are dismissed, Syc. Fill in your report and hand it to Miranda before the end of the day.”

Cleary felt worried as Syc nodded and turned to leave. As he left, Syc gave him an encouraging thumbs up before walking out of the office, which caused Kana to squint. “He seems to have taken a liking to you,” she said indifferently.

“Um, I guess? Syc has been very helpful, saving me and all that,” Cleary replied.

“How aware are you of your current predicament?” Kana asked, as if she had not heard Cleary.

“I took a video I should not have after I saw something I should not have. Now there are a bunch of psychopathic magical organizations after me to get that video because they think they can learn something from one of the fighters.” Cleary paused, trying to see if he forgot anything. “Oh, and you guys are the good guys and will help me,” he added.

Kana nodded. “You summed it up well, albeit crudely,” she tapped her pen on the desk rapidly. “Technically only a few of the organizations are purely magical. And about that last bit, yes, we will help you, but only if you hand over that video to us.” Kana began shuffling through some papers in front of her, not bothering to look at Cleary as she spoke. “We will house you and protect you for one year while we teach you about Krian society and the new world you have entered, and even give you a stipend of 12500 dollars a month and 3000 wints every other month until your 75th birthday or the day you die, whichever comes first. As a personal gift, I’ll even put in a good word if you decide to apply for a career at Nightlight Enterprises or one of our subsidiaries. Those are the terms, the agreement has already been prepared and a certified Overseer will be here soon to officiate the contract. You can give the memory card with the video to my assistant Miranda on your way out and we’ll be in touch.”

Silence filled the room as Cleary stared at Kana. He cleared his throat before speaking. “Um, no,” he said, trying to sound more confident than he was. “No, I don’t agree to those terms.”

The atmosphere became chilly. Kana took off her glasses and set them on the table before finally looking directly at Cleary. “Why not?” she asked.

“I- I have further terms,” Cleary said, trying not to break away from the eye contact. He felt his palms get sweaty as he saw the signs of irritation flicker across Kana’s face. She let out a deep sigh.

“Very well,” she said finally. “Let’s adjust the terms. How about this? Give me the video and I will not kill you here and now.”