Dante held onto Crystal for dear life, the bike zooming forward without a moment's notice. He wondered what happened to Gilgamesh and why he'd looked so forlorn when leaving.
What exactly is going on? Dante couldn't be sure. But he had nowhere else to go; he was over his head anyway. I wonder how you survived this world, Alan. But according to Crystal, Alan didn't even count as a survivor—more of cannon fodder. Dante wasn't sure what to think about that. He decided to stop thinking and take in the world he found himself in. The landscape was bleak, and the harshness of the sun felt alien from the sun Dante was used to; it felt malicious. If he was being honest, everything in that damned world felt like they were gunning for his head. In that sweltering heat, The Graveyard felt a long way off, and Dante was shocked to realise he missed it—just a tad. Since there were practically no sounds of insects or birds, Dante wondered how Alan survived that long. In Alan's words, "This world is mad, and sometimes it refuses to let us die," even though Dante didn't understand it, it suddenly made sense. The terrain was sandy in some places and rocky in other areas. It was a mishmash of both. Aside from the sweltering heat, some things did not make sense, like the voice in his head in a hologram. It made no sense, and he'd never heard of such things happening before. If he was being honest, he felt as though he was hallucinating and would wake up after a while. The fact that he was holding onto Crystal for dear life didn't make it any better. The scenery changed suddenly, and just like earlier with the cavern, it seemed like one moment there was desert as far as the eyes could see, and the next, there was a scattering of caves and mountains with jagged edges. On one side, the sun's heat was sweltering; on the other, Dante couldn't breathe well because of the instant switch from hot to extreme cold. It was like walking bare-chested in a blizzard. "What is this? How's this possible?" Dante asked, his teeth chattering. In one smooth move, Crystal killed the engine and removed her jacket, handing it over to him. "Take, you'd need it," she acted so naturally; Dante wasn't sure if the place was weird or if he was overreacting. "This is my home. I protect it with my life. We are The Renegades. And you're one of us now." That was news to Dante since it was clear that he didn't agree to anything. But he hadn't eaten in a while, and his tongue felt like sandpaper. "Water," he croaked out, and Crystal's eyes widened suddenly. "Wait here. Don't move a muscle, no matter what." She sounded stern, and Dante wondered if she'd ever stop being bossy. He wrapped his arms around his body, the cold worming into his system. [BODY TEMPERATURE LOWERING, INITIATING SAFETY MEASURES] It was that damned voice again, the holographic one. He couldn't tell if he was going cuckoo or the world around him was. [BODY TEMPERATURE DROPPING, SAFE MODE INITIATED] Dante felt his arm heating up, like his imagination, but the heat seemed to be coming from his legs and arms. He raised his arm and screamed—a high and girly scream. His arms were glowing red as though they'd just come out from a blazing furnace. Forget the cold; I'd burn myself alive at this rate. [SAFE MODE DISABLED] And just like that, Dante touched his body to be sure he was in one piece. Another thing he noticed was that he was no longer cold at all. He felt perfectly toasty. "Can you read my mind?" He asked apprehensively, wondering if he'd get a response in return. [GREETINGS, I AM A PART OF YOU, AN EXTENSION OF YOUR SOUL, YOUR DIGITAL ADVANCED SELF] It all sounded like gibberish, especially since he asked a different question. But Dante could tell that whatever the voice was, it didn't have a hint of malice. So he could trust it for the time being. "What is wrong? I heard you shout," Crystal said, running up to him. She had a worried look in her eyes, and he wondered why. They hadn't known each other for a long while, just a few hours tops, not counting the time overnight spent in the cave. "I am fine; it's just the voice in my head. It helps in weird ways; I'm no longer cold," Dante said, handing over Crystal's jacket to her. A look of irritation crossed her face for a millisecond, and it was gone in a flash. Maybe I imagined it. "Gilgamesh is already here; let's get going." Crystal draped her jacket over her shoulder in an incredibly smooth, off-handed gesture. He didn’t know what to think."One thing though, you can't spook them. You'll remain silent until they permit you to speak," Crystal laid down the ground rules, and Dante nodded, unsure what else he was supposed to say. It sounded like a military camp, but he didn't mind. "Good, you're learning," Crystal replied when Dante said nothing. He walked after her until they got to a clearing. Something felt different, but he couldn't place it. It was neither cold nor hot. I can hear the birds chirping.Dante laughed out loud then, unable to believe how much he'd missed them. The Graveyard felt dead, as the name implied."Everything here is alive," Dante whooped with glee, and Crystal didn't stop him; she just gave him a small smile, and he noticed a bunch of people huddled together, wearing the same jacket Crystal gave him earlier. "Hel—" he tried to speak but remembered what Crystal told him a few moments before. Crystal never did anything just for the sake of it; that's what made her stand apart from the people he'd
Zero hated the smell of nicotine, but he held himself back from complaining. It'd been weeks since he tossed the last boy into his void space, and he wondered if that act was going to bite him in the ass later on. "Is he going to survive? There's been a lot of failed experiments on your part," Number 9 and a member of the Order spoke, almost boring holes into his head. He knew of her past time; he knew of what she did that he wouldn't touch even with a ten-foot pole."Have I ever been wrong? He's going to return. When? I don't know, and I don't think anybody does. Time flows twice the speed there, so that it might take a while. Remember that brat we tossed in a few years back? How she screamed and fought like a raging bull? Wonder what happened to her." Zero smiled, all teeth. His pristine white suit gleamed in the dim lighting of the city's topmost restaurant, Skyfall. The traffic was regulated so thoroughly in those areas that technology of any kind was banned within proximity of
Seven years before…The world smelled sickly sweet, and Zero turned up his nose, unable to believe someone could live in such a place. Standing in the middle of the room he entered was a girl of about ten years old, wearing rags for clothes."Where are your parents? Why are you here?" Zero asked, worried beyond reason. He'd seen situations like hers before, but that didn't mean his empathy was dead."Stay away from her! She's a devil, a monster! She'll only drag you down!" A man yelled from afar, crouching behind a table, huddled together with what seemed to be his family."What did she do?" Zero asked calmly, staring at the room, seeing nothing out of place. But then, he wasn't a trained eye, so he couldn't judge."What didn't she do? Look at us! We live in fear of her every day! When her eyes get glassy, nothing gets through to her. It'd be better talking to solid rock. No, I can't do that anymore." Zero felt sorry for the pathetic man speaking, but he was even more disgusted by the
A trip down memory lane hurt sometimes, but it was extra torturous for Zero that rainy day when the clouds raged against the sky and the forces of heaven clashed. I should have been stronger.But he wasn't, and that was the whole point. The Order was becoming more powerful, and soon, he'd be just a pawn in their game and then fodder. To be used and discarded like a piece that's outlived its usefulness. He didn't want to go down that route, but it seemed his only plausible path.Will you forgive me, Crystal?But of course, she wasn't there to hear him. He was learning that The Order had known about how she was faring hurt Zero more than he'd like to admit. Usually, he was the perfect soldier, never questioning, never doubting. But now, he was at a crossroads, and he didn't know who to tell about it without being considered a traitor.Traitors to The Order faced death in the most brutal forms, and Zero wasn't idiotic enough to throw his life away just because. He was more intelligent t
Fred Alabaster was dying for a drink—something to soothe his troubled soul. There'd be unrest in the continent lately, and Selene was just a tiny part of the puzzle. He poured himself a glass of wine absentmindedly, his thoughts muddled up. The continent of Anthras had to deal with rogue mages before, but never to this extent. And it was getting even more challenging to turn away from the troubles knocking on his door. Now, he had to deal with rogue mages and cyborgs. They'd turned the world into a cesspool of chaos. The Defenders ran out of space in the Crypts to throw the rotten eggs in. And if things continued at the pace they were going…Fucking hell, I need a stronger drink.Fred wasn't cut out for things like this; he was a diplomat and a politician. But he couldn't abandon his people. The City of Selene was a city but likened to a country because it had the feel of one. But that wasn't the problem, no. The problem was what lurked underneath that city. The denizens of the un
"Clear all my schedule, Sarah." Fred tugged at the hem of his sleeves, his eyes gaining a steely look. "For how long, sir? And, you called me by my name." Sarah sounded positively shellshocked, but Fred wasn't in the mood for such buffoonery. "Yes, it's your name, is it not?. Clear it for the next year. I have a job to do." Sarah looked taken aback at first, but she maintained her composure, which he was grateful for."Okay, sir. May I come with you?" Fred wasn't sure what to reply to that. Sarah had been with him for over seven years, and she was the best assistant he'd ever had. It wouldn't be a stretch to say that she made everything easier on him. But he couldn't bring her where he was going unless she could manage independently. He was going to miss her, though, but he'd survive."Can you hold your own in a fight?" He asked to mess with her."Yes, sir, I've been practicing for years. And I'm a black belt in aikido, karate, taekwondo, and others." Fred wondered if she was pullin
People were stupid; that's one thing Number 9 was sure of. Her actual name was Raven Wanderlust, even if she didn't use it as much anymore. Alistair doted on her, and in his sight, she could not do wrong. It was a dull existence. Raven had everything, and that made her life so miserable. The first time she took a life, it was a floundering fish. The feel of the slice slicing through its guts pleased her greatly, and she wondered if she was going mad at first. So, she killed a dire beast under cover of the night and felt her body spasm with pleasure. She got a kick out of it and realised she would do it again. It just felt too fun to break things, and the first time she killed a human, she made sure it was with her bare hands. Weapons didn't elicit the same pleasure within her; they always fell short of what they were meant to do. "What's got your panties in a bunch, sweetie?" Her husband and closest friend came from behind, placing a kiss on her neck. She moaned, leaning into the
"Run, you fucking dimwit!" Raven screamed at a young boy who stood in the line of fire as a rain of lightning and firestorm fell from the sky with a vengeance, breaking the first line of defence."Hold the line!" She screamed. As commander of the Tenth Battalion, she was the disposable one, the one the empire used to gauge the strength of the enemy. "Fucking cowards, the lot of them." She was seeing red, and the people under her charge dying did nothing to better her mood."Whatever you do, don't play the hero." She was practically telling them to desert, but she didn't care. They were just cannon fodder, and if they continued, their sacrifices would mean nothing."It's our duty to fight to the death." The captain she handpicked for his straight-laced ways, Nakamura, butted heads with her once more. The Tenth Battalion echoed his sentiments, hitting their spears on the ground in unison and screaming in a booming voice, "WE ARE THE TENTH BATTALION; WE WILL NEVER FALL NOR SLUMBER. AS L