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Novus Ordo Mundi

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Picard
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Beyond the Horizon



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« on: February 14, 2009, 07:21:21 am »

Originally planned to be a role-play, but circumstances often change plans. I have been working on it for nearly a year now, although if you count the procrastinations and accursed school-related delays, it's probably around two to three months. Granted, I am still in the process of writing, and as it goes, earlier chapters are very subject to changes when a writer delves deeper into the story, so I might be taking chapters out for re-editing. I've yet to even reach the tenth chapter, which is the number where I would feel that this story would be ready by then for presentation, but I feel I have dragged on long enough. Perhaps I need some comments to fuel my writing, who knows? No matter, no matter. Here it is, my story, written by myself, for myself.

Prologue

Homo sapiens, said to be the superior race of all organisms on Earth. How amusingly ignorant they are, and arrogant to claim themselves so. They are no different from viruses, their pervasiveness insatiable as they seek to dominate the entire planet. It is ironic that I am created in their likeliness, aesthetically indistinguishable from them. Nevertheless, that does not mean I despise them. After all, there are good people as there are equally immoral and unknowledgeable brethrens of mine. Generalizing all humans as sinful creatures would make me no different from them.

As the more perceptive of you may have realized by now, I am not human, albeit very similar in most aspects. There were no names for my species, but there was a time when a German coined a word for us shortly before dying from severe trauma: ‘Übermensch’, literally meaning ‘superman’. The term stuck ever since. The reason is simple: We have supernormal talents that our counterparts do not. For example, how many people have you seen that can produce over four thousand volts of electricity through their hands? Or perhaps, have you ever heard of someone who can disintegrate matter by mere physical contact? I thought not. Nevertheless, most of us preferred to just call ourselves as ‘variants’ for simplicity’s sake.

Despite our appearances, we did not evolve from humans. We exist as a separate race, hidden from humanity since the earliest civilizations. We live amongst their ranks unnoticed, for we are too alike. However, as technology improved and mankind grew more aware of the world, our secrecy became threatened. It was only a matter of time before they discover us, and their fear of the unknown will predictably cause them to attempt to destroy us. Indeed, when some of us first tried to introduce ourselves, they massacred those who did. That was the Dark Ages, and we remained in the shadows ever since. On a side note, they killed more of their own than they did to my kinsmen. Such is the folly of humans. Their blunders are correspondent of their ego.

In the twentieth century, our existence became known during the Second World War, for it was impossible to survive without fighting. T.S. Eliot was quoted, “Humankind cannot bear very much reality.” The information was kept a secret due to the shock it would have on the public if announced. Contrary to our belief, not all nations sought for our elimination. In other words, we are employed under them. We are their secret army, given access to more freedom than an average person would have for fear of a rebellion should we be mistreated. Us Übermenschs think more rationally than emotionally, thus we agreed. Who would not disagree to preferential treatment? Nevertheless, we do not abuse this newfound authority, for our foremost priority was to keep a low profile.

Übermenschs are categorized into different classes since birth into the First Sphere, Second Sphere and the Third Sphere, with the primary being the strongest. Within each categories are even more separations. From the First Sphere in ascending order come the Ophanim, Cherubim and Seraphim. The Second Sphere has the Power, Dominion, and the Throne respectively, whiles the final possessing the Angel, Archangel and the Principality. The strongest of each hierarchy rank is termed Master. But I digress with these technicalities.

Still, there are exceptions. Some love their heightened rights so much that they succumbed to sins like any other human. Ergo, we sought to obliterate them who have lost their ways. It was an unwise move on our part. One of my brethren who went by the name of Cypher Zuller aimed to become the government, to be the employer, not the employee. He was among the best of the bests, a Seraph, in fact. Leading a legion of the fallen Übermenschs, they formed the Runic Moon, and thus began a clandestine war among our own kind. When he rebelled, there was little that we could do against him, for the odds were stacked too high against us. Ah, the painful irony.

In response to the rebellion, the United Nations merged the Übermensch militia of all countries into a single amalgamation to bring down Runic Moon. A few months following that, countries previously independent from the UN started to join the organization, and eventually the entire world was under the single International Government Organization, IGO for short. It came as no surprise to me, for the insurgence was the cause of it. In the end, perhaps we are not so different from humans after all.

Allow me to introduce myself. My hierarchy code is the Master Throne. My codename is Lei.

My allegiance is to humanity.
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Picard
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Beyond the Horizon



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« Reply #1 on: February 14, 2009, 07:21:54 am »

Chapter 1: The Black Reaper

The sky was utterly dark, devoid of stars and the moon. In contrast, it was bustling with life and brilliance beneath. A metropolis choked with vehicles, crowded with skyscrapers, and contaminated with humans. The air reeked of pollution. The stench of cigarettes was unbearable. Second hand smoke, inhaled directly, contains 5.3 to 43 nanograms of carcinogenic nitrosamines compared to 680 to 823 nanograms when inhaled second-hand. The second-hand smoker also inhales eleven times the volume of smoke itself, 18,000 nanograms in all. The risk of the surrounding population is far greater than to the smoker himself. Why do humans not comprehend this fact?

“Target moving to L42U24,” buzzed a voice in my earpiece.

It was time to move. I weaved through the hordes of people with an increased pace, clearing out everything in my vision save for the road ahead. I had memorized the entire city map by heart, thus it was expedient for my informer to give me the coordinates. It was the basic requirement for all Second Sphere Übermenschs. The ‘target’ was Frank Lusbert, an agent with connections to the Russian branch of Runic Moon. As the more astute ones may have guessed, he was an Übermensch, one of the fallen, but he was just a mere Principality. Übermenschs have special abilities, but they are just as susceptible to ambushes as the next man. And that was just what I would be doing. Not.

Climbing up the numerous flights of stairs of an apartment house (damn broken lifts), I arrived at the rooftop. I could feel the earth shuddering underfoot as I pushed open the door silently. Frank stood before the steel railing, staring down at the streets. He already knew I was coming, for in his hand was a pistol, aimed at me as I entered. That did not deter me from advancing upon him, however. Several shots came at me and I felt the painful impact upon my bulletproof black overcoat, but I was unwounded. Frank did not falter either. It was then that I saw a tuning fork on his other hand.

I knew intuitively what was about to happen next. The ground quivered madly as I neared him, and I could feel every fiber of my body vibrating. I grimaced as my mind processed the next steps. Attacking now would be absolutely foolish. Defense was the key. As Frank swung the fork down like a sword, I threw myself behind the air conditioner condenser, following which a deafening crash was heard. Being able to manipulate sound waves was useful, but lacking the knowledge to use it skillfully placed him as a Principality. The moment the condenser was blown apart, I went in for the kill.

It was with a triumphant gleam in my eyes that I whipped out my knife (connected to a metal wire) and flung it forcefully at him. As soon as it pierced through his rather fetching suit and into his flesh, it was the curtain call for him. Frank convulsed madly shortly before he collapsed, and froth formed on his lips, his lifeless eyes staring blankly into space. I clicked on my transmitter and spoke laconically, “Done.”

“Return,” responded my informer just as curtly.

Pulling my weapon out of the fried corpse, I left. The government would clean up the mess Frank made. It was just another day at work.

As soon as I stepped onto the streets, a streamlined obsidian car swerved in to greet me. The side window scrolled down, revealing a bespectacled young adult gesturing at me to board. This was Elias Kruz, my assistant. He possessed the ability of eidetic memory and was ranked a Dominion. In other words, he was a living, walking encyclopedia. Despite having a disadvantage at combat situations against other Übermenschs, his tactical expertise and resourcefulness made up for it. I nodded to him and entered the transport. Kruz leaned back against his seat and stepped on the accelerator. He cast a glance at the rear-view mirror at me, and then returned his attention to the traffic light. “You have a message from Misaki: ‘Janus’.”

This was a code amongst the Übermenschs that worked for the government. After the rebellion, codes were made amongst ourselves for communication. Then, we modified it slightly and added our own inventions into it so we could shorten our conversations. ‘Janus’ meant to meet at the entrance of a building. In this case, Misaki was rendezvousing with me at the gate of the condominium which I resided. Why ‘Janus’? He was the god of gates, doors, doorways, beginnings, and endings. Ah, I neglected to introduce Misaki. She was my associate, a fellow Throne with the gift of phantasm, a skill exceptionally helpful to me during assault missions …and she happened to be a pain in the neck sometimes.

The car came to a halt by the outskirts of the condominium, where a svelte brunette with Asiatic features awaited, clad in a frilly ebony dress that reached her knees, a milky white woolen coat, and a pair of distracting black leggings, tapping on her handphone impatiently. Playing Solitaire on her phone had always been a habit of Misaki’s. There was a luggage standing beside her. I frowned. I had a bad feeling about that. I left the vehicle and bid Kruz goodbye, accompanying her up to my abode. Being characteristically quiet, she usually begun the conversation first, and today was no exception.

My house was relatively large, and I decorated it with the theme ‘simplicity’ in mind. It contained only what I need, nothing more. However, that did not mean that I would not indulge myself in luxury every now and then. A calendar was hung at the side of the wall, just next to my HD television. It read ‘12th May, 2011 - Spring’. The air conditioner sensed me entering, switching on immediately. I love technology. As we walked into my living room, she threw herself onto the chesterfield and started, “Aide Kruz seemed irritated lately.”

“Our database was corrupted by a sabotage attempt by the Runic Moon. He dealt with the matter personally and solved it, but the restoration of the data was manual,” I explained mechanically, taking a seat on my beloved leather office chair.

Misaki winced. “That would take months.”

I inclined my head slightly in response. “Exactly. So, what brings you here?”

“There are bizarre killings recently, as you may have read on the news. People found dead on the ground with their blood completely drained from their bodies. The Internet’s full of rumors and myths of vampires. The latest death involved mutilation of limbs. The bodies were sliced cleanly into ribbons,” answered Misaki gravely. “RM must be behind these. They probably have a first-class killer, but I don’t understand why one would deplete their victims of their blood. It doesn’t make sense.”

She passed me a file of sheets from her baggage, and I rubbed my chin typically as I leafed through the reports lackadaisically. Being under the government was such a chore sometimes, but I constantly reminded myself of the benefits. Although they were strictly confidential, they contained as much information as the newspapers. Some intelligence that was. I discarded the folder thoughtlessly onto the table and shifted my gaze to the television. Channel News Asia was airing, broadcasting about the recovery status of the hurricane Katia disaster. “I am just as clueless as you are on this matter, but so long I am not ordered to investigate, I will not interfere.”

“The UN has requested you to involve yourself in this,” stated Misaki. “And we both know the request is just a courtesy.”

I heaved a deep sigh of exasperation. “I am on vacation.”

She glared at me. “Lei.”

“Tis a bad joke, I apologize.” It was no gag at all. I had requested for a month’s break after my last major operation in Iraq which required me to prevent the Runic Moon from attempting to do anything suspicious during the US-Iraq conflict. The presence of a Master Throne often put the fallen variants away from exposing themselves, since users from the First Sphere were incredibly rare in both the United Nations and the Runic Moon, and I’m the closest to being one. Still, an order from the government cannot be refused. In the past few weeks, I was still handed assignments, albeit in less quantities. I raised my hands in submission. “I suppose that is why you’ve brought your luggage? You’re on this mission as well?”

“Correct.”

“I did tell you I renovated my guest room into a storage room.”

“Yes, you did.”

“You want me to sleep in the living room.”

Misaki gave me a smile that told me of her enjoyment in teasing me. I had to resist strangling her. “You don’t have to. I can sleep beside you. We know each other long enough already, don’t we?”

I did not respond, dragging on the silence for a dramatic effect for my retort, “…I think I prefer the living room.”

“Ha ha. Very funny,” muttered Misaki with a tinge of fire in her voice.

I edged away from her with unease. “Fine, bedroom. But I will not tolerate any complaints about the lack of space.”

“Sure,” she agreed as she stretched lazily. “You amaze me sometimes. Aren’t you interested in women?”

“Pardon me for being abstinent and traditional.”

The corners of her lips raised a little as she said, “I thought such men are extinct.”

It was with a blithe mood that we communed and Misaki unpacked her belongings in my spacious room (which, she commented, was ‘dismally bleak’). The bed was made for one, and despite insistences from me to sleep on the floor, I was forced to bed with her. I think this would be the part where males scream at my insanity. After washing up and changing into my pajamas, I positioned myself at the edge of the bed while my comrade hogged the other three-quarters of it. One word to describe the experience was ‘uncomfortable’. She had the tendency of tossing and turning about in her sleep, and I, being a light sleeper, woke at every minute action she did.

Ergo, in the morning…

“Look at those dark circles around your eyes…” mumbled Misaki during breakfast. “Woke up on the wrong side of bed?”

“I woke up on the floor,” I growled grumpily, “Go figure.”

Neither of us spoke another word as we finished our meals and left home. Aide Kruz had text messaged the word ‘Janus’ to me and was already waiting for us when we arrived outside, unspoken as normal. Judging by his bloodshot eyes and crooked spectacles, he seemed to have much less sleep than I did. He did not even bother to shave. The database recovery must be terribly taxing on him. Not wanting to add to his frustration, we quickly boarded the car and he drove us to our destination. Peering outside the window, citizens strode to work like robots, carrying out their mundane daily routines. It took an hour’s ride before we came to an industrial edifice, but we did not enter.

Parking the car by the side of the road, the three of us circled the building to the back of it, where the trash was dumped. All Übermenschs had what humans called ‘clairvoyance’, which was the purported ability to gain information about an object, location or physical event through means other than the known human senses, a form of extra-sensory perception, but most of ours were strong enough only to sense an enemy (in fact, some human’s were much stronger than ours). Aide Kruz’s clairvoyance was extraordinarily strong. Perhaps this was a reason he was a Dominion. Here, he displayed his prowess in its full glory. Standing where the murder had taken place, he shut his eyes and concentrated. Misaki and I waited quietly for him, also unmoving in case we disturbed the waves in the air.

After a minute, his eyes flickered open. “Übermensch. Only Mohandas from Runic Moon is able to slice matter apart with absolute ease. It’s likely he is behind this, but as for drinking blood… It may have to do with his religion. I remember he worships the goddess Kali.”

I nodded. Kali was a Hindu goddess of death and destruction, but yet also depicted as benevolent at times. She was said to have an insatiable appetite for blood. Kali looked after those who looked after her, bringing riches to the poor, revenge to the oppressed and newborn joy to the childless. I wonder if Mohandas was trying to get a wish granted. Why could he not just throw a coin into a wishing well? It’s much more convenient and less of a mess. Sacrifices for a goddess sounded nonsensical to me. It was irrational thinking. Not that I despise religion, but this was ridiculous. That aside, Kruz’s superb memory saved us the trouble of returning to the HQ to search for information regarding Mohandas. “Good work, Aide Kruz. Now we need to hunt him down.”

“Seeing as this was his most recent kill, he must be in the vicinity,” speculated Misaki, “Unless he has an acquaintance Übermensch that can travel fast.”

“There is a Teleporter in RM, but he will not waste his time partaking in trivial activities,” spoke Kruz as we walked back to the car, “A Seraph.”

It was common knowledge amongst the Übermenschs who the Seraphim were, for they were so rare you could count them with your hands. Three of them belonged to UN, while the other two defected to RM. The five of them were once called the ‘Hand of God’ by the government, for their abilities far surpass the rest of the variants. Jean ‘Noir’ Auclair, Lawrence Whitelaw, Rie Inoue, Muthazar Nair and Alicia McDowell, each sometimes referred to by their initial. What about Cypher, I hear you ask? He was the Master Seraphim, the wrist of the hand, I suppose. Looks like the hand got dislocated. L was the Seraph Teleporter, and it was a shock to us when he turned against the government. Single-handedly, he brought down an entire legion of Übermenschs guarding the Pentagon before vanishing without a trace. That was five years ago.

I was thrown forward when the car screeched to a halt. I pushed myself back onto my seat and looked around for the cause, only to see a red light shining above. I sighed. Aide Kruz was more exhausted than I expected. The rest of the journey was less eventful as he drove us to Mohandas’ residence, although it was more than likely that he would not be available. All Runic Moon members had discarded their old homes after the rebellion so that we could not locate them. On second thought, that was a sweeping statement. Most of them abandoned their abodes. Majority of the rest were killed before they got the chance to.

Misaki and Aide Kruz waited downstairs while I went to Mohandas’ apartment. I had a quick change of clothes while in the vehicle, now dressed smartly like a salesman. After a few knocks on the door, a chocolate-skinned man came to receive me. I hid my amazement when I saw my target. He was naïve to think that his home was safe just because the government no longer searched the houses of the members of Runic Moon after the rebellion. Or could it be that he had something planned? Regardless, I smiled my most salesman smile and introduced myself with a false alias. “Good morning, sir. I am Bill Clay from Ajax. May I ask for a few minutes of your time to let you in on the newest detergent…?”

Mohandas seemed dubious of my identity. A war could do that to a person. Or maybe he disliked detergents. “Can I see your ID?”

“Certainly,” I said, reaching into my shirt. In a swift move, I whipped out my pistol and fired at him, but he reacted much faster due to his suspicions of me, slamming the door in my face. Before the slab of wood could shut, I booted it down and darted in, rolling aside hastily when the door was sliced in half. His nails were frighteningly sharp. No wonder he stayed single. Imagine the agony his wife would face during fornication. He must have known that he could not win this duel, for he was already making a beeline out of the window. I did not bother giving pursuit. Misaki and Aide Kruz could handle it. I holstered my firearm and walked over to the window, looking out downwards. He must have jumped and used his nails to slow his descent, for the scratch marks were visible on the wall. He was gone.

Reaching to my earpiece, I contacted my assistants. “Did you see Mohandas escaping?”

“…No. No one left,” replied a mystified Misaki. “You engaged him?”

“Yes, I did. He leapt out of the window. Are you sure you did not see him?” I asked again.

It was Aide Kruz who replied, “Affirmative. Target not sighted.”

I cursed under my breath and returned to the car, but not before looking around one more time. No avail. There were no signs of an accomplice. How did he flee? It was a mystery. Without any further discussion on the topic, Kruz gave us a ride home. Letting an insurgent run free from my clutches was humiliating, and also a blow to us. Nothing was accomplished. I hate my own incompetence.

“Mohandas Iskandar, age forty-nine, used to work as a cheap hairdresser. His occupation was a cover for his true identity as a Power under the government, although his talents were used sparingly, all of which were for assault and rescue missions. During the rebellion, he was one of the first who joined Cypher. Killed three Übermenschs in the conflict. Escaped during a capture attempt on 13th May, 2011. Current whereabouts unknown,” Misaki read from the report, casting a glance at me to gauge my reaction. I made no visible response, but I was indeed upset about failing my mission. I heard a sigh from her, followed by a file being shut. “I know you’re trying to bottle your anger, Lei, but the fault partly lies on Aide Kruz and I for not being able to find him when he fled too.”

Aide Kruz had driven us back to my abode before returning to the HQ. Misaki, on the other hand, was bugging me in my home. Her efforts at consoling me only made me feel worse about the mission. The only thing I could do now was to file a report to the United Nations and wait for them to find Mohandas. In the UN was a variant with the talent of locating people, named the Finder. No one knew the Finder’s gender or biography or the Sphere it belonged to, for there was no information on it to prevent it from coming under any harm. Just as well, for no one in Runic Moon knew who the Finder was, too. That was another advantage for siding with humanity. The problem was that there were so many requests sent in by the other Übermenschs to search for people, it often took a long time before we obtain the results, not to mention that the Finder required resting after using its ability.

It was with much relief that I left Misaki’s companionship down to the local food court for my lunch. Occupying the usual seat, I wolfed down five bowls of that irresistible teriyaki chicken rice while receiving startled and amazed gazes from the non-patrons. The regulars there had already grown used to my abnormally large appetite. Washing all the food down with a cup of earl grey tea, I gestured to the waiter to pay the bill.

As I waited, I spent my leisure doing my favorite activity: observing people. A child was whining about not being given candy, while his mother tried repeatedly to hush him, much to the annoyance of some customers. A couple was eating a bowl of udon together, and a pair of tickets was pinned down by a cup on the table. An elderly man sat by the side, squaring off with a youngster in a game of chess. A woman was chattering loudly on the phone and slurping her ramen at the same time, which was quite unbecoming of a lady. A tall and gaunt golden-haired foreigner with an air of civility, clad in an immaculate black suit, was alone, having only a cup of watermelon juice.

And staring at me.

I froze. It was Noir, the Seraph.

I did not go towards him, but instead kept up my appearances as a common Joe. My thoughts were momentarily distracted as I paid for my meal and tipped the waiter, but as soon as he walked away, Noir was suddenly sitting opposite of me, sipping on his drink. No one noticed him at all. He was what Übermenschs described as a ‘void’, one who made no lasting impressions on an ordinary man and could never be remembered. Except that, evidently, we variants were able to remember him. His raspy voice had an accentuated low-key moroseness, but held an authoritative tone as he spoke in an urbane manner, “Salutations, Lei, or should I address you as Master Li?”

“Lei will do fine, sir,” I replied respectfully. Hearing a Seraph address I as ‘Master’ felt embarrassing. “What brings you here, sir?”

He placed his cup down, and gazed at me with his stone cold eyes. “L.”

I straightened hastily. “He’s in Japan?”

Noir nodded slowly. “I can feel his presence.”

That was one of the remarkable traits of the legendary Seraph. Noir’s clairvoyance was so strong he could detect another Übermensch over ranges normally unreachable by other variants. Moreover, Lawrence, being utterly powerful, made it easier for the former to find him. Or maybe the strongest Übermenschs can cloak their radiesthesia? That would make Noir’s sensing skills even more impressive to be able to detect Lawrence. When I came over the shock of this information, I asked, “Can I help you in any way?”

He shook his head. “It is but a coincidence we met. I am merely curious about who you are when I sensed you.”

“I see,” I mumbled. “I shall not disturb you then, sir. I will be on my way.”

“Wait,” called Noir, “You are currently investigating where Mohandas is, yes?”

“Yes, I am,” came my answer. I was slightly puzzled and also amazed at his photographic memory. “Is there something wrong, sir?”

“Not at all,” assured the Seraph. “I trust you’ll bring the insurgent down.”

“Yes sir, I will.”

He waved at me dismissively, and I bid him farewell as I left the food store. Something about his words perturbed me, but I could not place my finger on anything specific. Was it the vibe he gave off? Then again, that pallid, deadpan visage had intimidated many an Übermensch novice during their training stages. On a related note, often a Seraph would demonstrate their ability to the greenhorns to allow them to see the tremendous difference between each sphere, while Masters such as I would explain exceptions to said gap with our powers. Given the present situation, the UN no longer held training sessions using Seraphs and Masters. Bringing down the Runic Moon was more important than anything else currently.

It was with a full stomach that I would return to my lodging, and much to my dismay, Misaki had somehow smuggled her Playstation 3 into my house in her luggage. Sometimes I just wonder what criteria the UN had chosen for Übermenschs to earn their stripes. My fellow Throne, ladies and gentleman. Twenty-one years old and still a rabid fan of gaming consoles. My gut feeling told me that Aide Kruz had done all the research for her before she carried out any of her assignments. I stared at the box cover of ‘Final Fantasy Versus XIII’ atop the gaming hardware. That game was released three years ago. How many times had she completed it already? It was then that she noticed my return after I shut the door audibly loud. “Oh, hi.”

“You… my…” No coherent sentences came out of my lips. “Did you just unplug my Cable TV?”

Misaki nodded nonchalantly. “Yeah, I got confused with all the wires and stuff. I couldn’t remember which plug goes where, so I just left them as they are.”

I heaved a deep sigh of resignation. C’est la vie. At least she would be too preoccupied with the game to disturb me. Stepping into my room, I flipped open my laptop and logged in to the G-Messenger, an instant messenger available only to the Übermenschs working under the UN. Here, anyone can talk to me should they require any advice or had some time to kill. Nevertheless, given my status, lower-ranks seldom dared to approach me. Most of them chatted amongst their own Spheres or levels. To my delight, a few of my colleagues were online too. Clicking on their names, I gathered them into a single window and greeted them.

雷says:
Salutations, my friends. It’s been too long.

Blight says:
Indeed. It’s rare that we could talk like this.

Firstly, Blight the Master Cherubim, my revered mentor. He was an erudite, soft-spoken British who loved civility, never seen without his trademark nigrescent suit that contrasted with his albino defect, which was the reason for his nickname. He had a passion for swords of different cultures, but his favorite was the rapier. Fencing was his forte, and coupled with his ability to slow down time, even bullets were not a problem for him. For Übermensch novices, he was their idol and their role model.

Exodus says:
Well, what have we here? Sir Blight! How surprising.

Secondly, there was the hot-headed and smart-mouthed Exodus. The redheaded (and not to mention flirtatious) American was known as the invisible man, exceptionally useful for stealth missions (infra-red was a pain in the neck for him, though). Despite his rashness, his mastery over it was so great that he was placed as a Throne. One example of this was that he could go to the extent of blocking out sound around him. Being able to maintain invisibility for months at a time spoke volumes of his power.

Bamidbar says:
Cheerful as always I see, Exodus.

Thirdly, the Egyptian Throne, feared by many due to his imposing appearance. With the ability to replicate twenty-seven solid copies of himself in an instant, each with his own independent mind that was then linked to the other minds, Bamidbar was a terrifying foe to the Runic Moon members. Despite me being the Master Throne, I held much respect for his professionalism and skills. If I were to die, he would be my successor.

Exodus says:
‘Course. Hey, Lei, how’s Misaki?

雷says:
She’s increasing my electricity bills with her PlayStation 3 in my abode.

Exodus says:
Heh. Hey, Al, say something.

Albireo says:
Sorry. Bad Internet connection. My cat’s been playing with the wires.

The half-Japanese, half-German Ophanim with a love for feline creatures was our last conversationalist. Amongst all of us, he might actually be the most normal. There was nothing apparently variant-like of him; save for the fact that he could see short glimpses of the future at will and had zero human reaction time, meaning that ambushing him from behind would be the most unwise choice. In a battle between Albireo and Blight, the latter would emerge victorious only because of his ability to slow time to attack an opening. That was how skillful he was.

Exodus says: So, what’s up?

雷says: I met Seraph Noir today while I was having my lunch.

Exodus says: Woah.

Blight says: How’s Sir Noir?

雷says: He appears to be tracking L down, and it seems that L is here in Japan.

Albireo says: Did he ask you to join?

雷says: No.

Exodus says: Awe-some! I’m so heading over to Tokyo now. I can’t wait to shake Sir Noir’s hand!

雷says: You serious?

Bamidbar says: Lei, I would ask you to be careful if L truly is in Japan.

雷says: Yes, I know.

<Albireo has left this conversation>

Blight says: Looks like his connection got cut off again. I suppose we should end our chat here. Till we meet again.

<Blight has left this conversation>

With the two Ophanim out of this conversation, I took my exit. Communication with those men never took a long time, for all of them were straight to the point (maybe with the exception of Exodus). It felt good to stay in contact with them still, even if I could not see them in person. Leaving the G-Messenger, I went onto our confidential Übermensch website for news of Runic Moon movement or governmental announcements. They had a forum there which some of the freer Übermenschs would spend their time talking and debating, but I personally never found the delight in waiting for hours for a response. I digress. It was not exactly pleasing to the eye to see on my profile that I am still “currently requesting a pinpoint on Mohandas’ location”.

With nothing else better to do, I explored my bookshelf that I was so proud of. Pulling out the ‘Der Wille zur Macht’ from the tight-packed row, I was about to sit down on my lovely couch to read when Misaki jumped in and bugged me to accompany her shopping as soon as she was done with her game. Throwing on my bulletproof jacket, I chucked my wallet into my side pocket and left my abode with my raven-haired partner.

The vicinity around the Tachikawa train station boasted a number of giant departmental stores, the most familiar of which to me were Takashimaya and Isetan, since they were known across the entire world. I wrinkled my nose as a whiff of smoke entered my nostrils, and I hurried Misaki into the former shopping center to avoid speeding up my death. If I was not mistaken, I could swear that I saw her eyes glitter when she caught sight of a discount store. Did the government not give her enough salary? When I asked her that, she replied with “it’s the adrenaline, like bungee jumping”. I guess I will never understand.

Sitting on the empty bench by myself, my habit of observing kicked in again. Couples dating, groups of friends chattering, security guards slacking off, cosplayers, which were people dressing up as their favorite anime characters, parading in the lobby for some party, parents taking their children out, people hurrying back to work from their lunches, cleaners replacing the dust bins. Nothing was out of the ordinary here, though I could feel the radiesthesia of several Übermenschs, none of them near the Second Sphere. Whoever said us variants did not need recreational activities?

“Pardon me, but do you mind if I sit here?” came a raspy, tired voice. As I looked up, a grey-haired Westerner was smiling at me in a grandfatherly way. I returned him the smile and shifted a little to the side, allowing him to take a seat next to me. “Ah, what a relief it is to be able to rest my tired legs. The nightlife here is as lively as that of New York. You don’t look like a local here, son. Are you a Chinese?”

“Yes, I am,” I responded politely, and at the same time searching for his identity. He was no Übermensch, just a regular human.

He nodded to himself rather absent-mindedly. “Amazing how fast the world changes, isn’t it? Population, computing power, speed of transport, the sheer amount of information, are all increasing at an accelerating rate. I didn’t have Internet back in my days, oh no…”

I simply remained silent while he droned on. Interrupting would be most rude, after all. Then, something in his monologue piqued my interest. “The world is growing to become a darker place… at least, that’s what I think. Most people realize it intuitively, but many would deny their instincts. Ah, it’s human nature to reject unpleasant truths, don’t you think? Terrorism, overpopulation, global warming, drought, famine, plagues… Humanity won’t last long if we don’t do anything about it, I think… Oh, sorry, I’m talking too much again… Habit of an old man…”

I smiled at him reassuringly. “It’s fine. I enjoyed your speech.”

“No, no, I should apologize for taking your time…” mumbled the old man with a toothless smile, shaking my hand in appreciation for listening to him.

“Lei! I’m done! Let’s go!” exclaimed Misaki, who had just emerged with a half a dozen shopping bags. “Come and help me carry some of them!”

“Looks like your girl’s calling you, son, you’d better go,” he spoke, waving me good-bye. Returning the gesture, I went over to my associate, who was notably content with her purchased goods. There were clothes, clothes, and ah, surprise, more clothes. The notion that she was using me as a shopping cart was pinned in my mind as I took the sacks and hurled them into the backseat of my car. As I drove back home, I thought back on the elderly man’s words. The world was indeed, just as he said, becoming more sinister. And it was not just the Runic Moon’s doing. There was corruption in the regimes, in my employers. Was that why Cypher had rebelled?

No, what he did was out of greed, the thirst for power, the pride as the best of the best to be even better, and an arrogance that deemed him to be the rightful master of all races. He was no different from the type of human that I detest. And thus, Runic Moon must fall.

My train of thought derailed when my phone rang. Answering the call on my earpiece, a cool female voice spoke to me, “Master Lei, you have received a message. Your request to pinpoint Mohandas’ location has been accepted and completed by the Finder. Please take down the address.”


****************************************************************
A small trivia: This is my first time writing a story in first person standpoint. Some parts of the story may sound boring or dreary at times, but that's part of who Lei is, and who I am. I find it hard not to leave essences of myself in him, or was it me who is becoming like him? I'm not sure, really. As you can see, Lei's a gloomy person with a pessimistic perception on life, contrasted by the bright and bubbly Misaki, whose personality is quintessential in creating a more cheerful view of the story. Images of my characters to come soon.
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« Reply #2 on: February 16, 2009, 08:04:11 am »

As promised, the character images. Props to you if you can guess where Lei originally came from.

Lei
http://img37.picoodle.com/img/img37/3/2/16/xadeth/f_heim_c98224d.gif
http://img33.picoodle.com/img/img33/3/2/16/xadeth/f_hei2m_700a5ee.jpg
http://img32.picoodle.com/img/img32/3/2/16/xadeth/f_273561m_2d5f276.jpg

Misaki
http://img33.picoodle.com/img/img33/3/2/21/xadeth/f_Suzuhira573m_fde3db4.jpg

Aide Kruz (Ripped off Final Fantasy Versus XIII, basically. Square Enix read my mind when they made this guy.)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v674/Aetheral/Characters/20090216213553.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v674/Aetheral/Characters/20090216213536.jpg

Albireo
http://img32.picoodle.com/img/img32/3/2/16/xadeth/f_a0ba1c8748bm_33008a1.jpg

Jean 'Noir' Auclair
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v674/Aetheral/Characters/1196458743061.jpg

Due to limits of my image-searching abilities, for Exodus, just imagine a more masculine Final Fantasy VII's Reno. Jock, really. For Bamidbar, I always imagined him looking like the Haitian from Heroes. Sir Blight is basically what Virgil from Devil May Cry might look like if he ever grows to his mid-fifties (a la Dante). Charismatic, tall and reserved.

EDIT: Changed Misaki's picture.
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« Reply #3 on: February 21, 2009, 10:35:16 pm »

HOLY SHAT I AM READING

That was a good read, Picard. It's been a while since I read anything of yours - not since the first few chapters of The Behriotarion's Past, I think. I've noticed a bit of improvement. You've got some interesting stuff going on and I look forward to seeing it develop. However, there are a number of minor grammatical errors, inconsistencies and awkward phrases that bar you from reaching the point of maximum brilliance. It's not a small number, either, so I'm not inclined to list them all in this post. If you catch me on MSN one of these days - which you should, because we're pals - I'd be happy to go over them with you. My email address is in my profile.

Quote from: Picard
but that's part of who Lei is, and who I am. I find it hard not to leave essences of myself in him
HMM I DIDN'T NOTICE THIS PICARD THANKS FOR ELUCIDATING THAT BIT OF ESOTERICA

Truth be told, Lei doesn't strike me as all that "gloomy" or "pessimistic", and neither do you. If anything, I see him as overtly objective and distant - which is what I see in you. Coupla interesting fellows, you two.

Also, I didn't find the story boring or dreary at any point. Then again, I didn't find it particularly exciting, but it at least kept me interested the whole way through.


[Edit] I wanna take a look at Dawn/Dusk, but the download is apparently "set to private", or some such nonsense. Anything you can do about that?
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pıɐs ǝɥs 'ɟɹɐ

suıɐɯop ʇuǝıqɯɐ ʎןɥbıɥ ɹǝɥʇo puɐ ǝɔuɐuosǝɹ ɔıʇɐɯoɹɥɔuɐd pǝssǝɹdǝp-ןɐpǝd uı ɹoıʌɐɥǝq uosɹǝd-ʇɹoɥs ɟo ǝɔuɐɔıɟıubıs ǝɥʇ pǝɹǝpuod 'uoıʇɐɔıɟıpoɯ ɹǝɥʇɹnɟ ǝuobɹǝpun buıʌɐɥ 'bop ɐ 'uʎןǝʌǝ
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« Reply #4 on: March 18, 2009, 01:20:07 am »

Darn! My English standard has dropped. Been too rusty, I guess. Nothing some elbow grease can't fix. Übermenschs are generally very objective, but Lei's a separate case, as you'll find out soon. And about Dawn/Dusk. I set it to private to prevent Internet wanderers from plagiarizing my work. My e-mail's sentinel_breeze2000@hotmail.com, so if you want the story, just send me a mail. Here's chapter 2, enjoy.

Chapter 2: Shadow Jumper

Why? I brooded over the same question for the past few hours while Aide Kruz drove Misaki and me back on Mohandas’ trail. It made absolutely no sense that the Finder would answer to my request within a single day. Throughout my years, there was never a moment the Finder would get to me so quickly. Only Seraphim were given the special treatment of having the authority to be able to ask and obtain information like this.

Misaki was no less surprised than I was, and although Kruz’s expression was indifferent, years of partnership with him told me that he was just as astonished. The bespectacled Dominion had to put down his work and return all the way from the HQ when he received the news. The first thought was Noir lending a hand to my mission, but I simply cannot picture the French Seraph doing so. He was too uncaring and ice-blooded, not to mention ruthlessly efficient. He was more a monster than Lawrence was, to be frank.

“We’re here,” announced Kruz, switching off the engine with a twist of the key.

I left the vehicle and threw on my ceramic mask, obscuring my visage from my enemies. Each Master in the Spheres had a mark of their own which made them easy to identify from the rest of the Übermenschs. For me, it was my trademark ivory concealment and my ebony bulletproof overcoat that gave me the nickname of the Black Reaper, the emotionless harbinger of doom. It sounded cool, but I felt that it was unnecessary. ‘Lei’ was short and simple; there was no need for more titles to identify myself with.

Gesturing to my allies to follow my lead, I beneath a bridge where Mohandas was alleged to be located. What was he, a hobo? Why he would hide in such a cliché place was beyond me. You would think that villains could find better hiding spots. Lo and behold, the Finder was never wrong as usual. The Principality noticed me as soon as I approached him from afar, scuttling hastily away with a camper’s backpack. I sighed. He could have escaped faster if he threw that baggage away. Humanity’s stupidity must be starting to rub off on us variants after all those centuries. I did not bother to give chase. Aide Kruz had already restarted the car engines and screeched to a halt beside me, and I boarded it without delay.

Naturally, a man can never outrun a car. There was much screaming and blood spilling. Or at least, that was what’s going on in my mind. He had vanished in the blink of an eye. That was not supposed to happen. Stepping out onto the coarse, sandy road, I stared at where he stood a moment ago and cursed under my breath. There were two sets of footprints. It did not take Sherlock Holmes or Hercule Poirot (had they been Übermenschs) to comprehend that someone else had intervened. Was it Lawrence? If it was him, why did he not take advantage of the opportunity while I was shocked to kill me? He had slipped past Noir’s fingers again and again, there was no stopping him, so why?

It was with a foul mood that I left, recognizing this as the second failure in a row to catch my prey.

Misaki, however, was optimistic. “Look on the bright side, Lei. Now we know that there’s another variant involved.”

I scowled and looked out of the window, staring at the passing scenery. I could see my reputation crumbling away underfoot. Two attempts in a day and neither succeeded. The last time such a thing happened was when I was a Power, but at that time, I was tracking down a Teleporter by the name of Ilaria. She escaped my clutches ten times, and alas, I killed her with a stroke of my blade as I held onto her when she teleported. Thus fell one of the only two Teleporters of the Runic Moon. But the past was the past, nothing more than a memory now. If only I had sir Blight’s patience. I took a deep breath and exhaled away my frustration. “Yes, you’re right, Misaki.”

She beamed at me cheerfully and patted me on my shoulder placidly. I returned a smile, grateful for her positivism. The ride back home was arduously lengthy, and the sole event that aroused my curiosity was a radio broadcast on the mysterious vampiric deaths that I now knew as Mohandas’ handiwork. There were more of the same murders taking place in New York, Germany, Russia, and even China. I was completely befuddled. Unless Lawrence was behind it, there was no way he could travel all over the world with such speed. The stranger part was, why fly around the globe when he could just obtain his victims in Japan? Could it be that there were another variants who worshipped the same goddess as Mohandas did? That seemed to be the more plausible explanation.

Bah, the Runic Moon members must have lost their marbles. Worshipping gods and sacrifices? What idiocy.

It was night when I arrived back at my abode. Such a ridiculously long and depressing day it was. I needed a warm bath and a nice book to de-stress myself. As I relaxed in the comfortable bathtub, I flipped open ‘Der Wille zur Macht’ and immersed myself in the wonders of philosophy.

“LEI!”

“Wha-!?” I uttered in shock, suddenly thrown out of my serenity.

There was an awful splash, and I noticed my hands were empty. My beloved book was sinking down to the bottom of the tub. “Oh fu-”

“I need to use the restroom!” came Misaki’s urgent voice, followed by several slams on the door.

I pulled the book out of the water, staring at it in dismay. That book was expensive. “Hold it for a moment, I’m still bathing.”

“Now!” she yelled with urgency, hitting the door even harder.

“Alright, alright! Stop beating my door down!” I shouted back, leaving the tub reluctantly and throwing the towel around my waist. As soon as I opened the door, she charged in like a mad bull and kicked me out. So I was left standing outside, dripping wet, under the freezing air conditioner. Maybe renovating the guest room had been a bad idea. I should start planning to revert it back.

After that nonsensical affair (and a change of clothes), I planned to wait for another killing in Japan to expose Mohandas’ location. Asking the Finder again would be embarrassing, even if the UN did not bother to catalog what we searched. I should depend on my own abilities. Obviously, this would definitely take a while. It looked like I had to put up with Misaki longer than I would like.

Second of June, 2011. Three weeks had passed since the second encounter with Mohandas, and spring had made the transition into summer. There was still no news of the insurgent, and my patience was running thin. Maybe I should just abort the mission and tell the UN that I was still on vacation. The storeroom was now choked with Misaki’s belongings, mostly clothes and shoes that she had splurged on. The only positive side to her stay was that she was an amazing cook. I ate instant noodles or headed down to the food court in the past, so she saved me the trouble of traveling and from an unhealthy diet. Nevertheless, her consistent shifting on the bed was a constant irritation to me. I never had a good sleep since she came. I ought to get a mattress soon.

Aide Kruz had made visits every now and then, occasionally with the news of obscure killings in other countries that never made it into the news. I was puzzled, but I forced myself to remain focused. It was not worth my time flying to different parts of the globe just to investigate those murders. Other Übermenschs could handle the job. I had several more conversations with my colleagues since, though not all of them were present during each chat. Sir Albireo’s connection kept dying on him, while sir Blight was almost always absent. Exodus, on the other hand, had lots of free time on his hands, while Bamidbar was online only in the afternoons in the weekends. Speaking of computers, Misaki hogged my laptop so much that I could hardly use the Internet or speak to my friends. She said something about “online games” before shutting me out of my own room. Damn gamers.

For some reason, I received a text message in the evening by the Finder, when I was having dinner with Kruz and Misaki (who, by the way, cooked up seafood cuisines that were most delightful to my taste buds). “Tokyo-Wan Ferry, Port of Yokosuka.”

“Yokosuka port? What’s this about?” I pondered aloud.

“The Finder knows that you’re still searching for him?” inquired Misaki curiously.

I shook my head, flummoxed.

“It doesn’t matter. We should hurry there now,” decided Aide Kruz, emptying his cup of water.

It was with much bewilderment that we left the condominium, and Aide Kruz was practically speeding throughout the ride, dashing past the red traffic lights as though he owned the roads. The police cars did not pursue us, recognizing our status somewhat albeit not knowing our true identity. Little was said during the trip, and we made it to the seaport relatively quick. I felt at home in the wet terrain. This place was ideal for my ability. We did a brief check on where the Tokyo-Wan Ferry will arrive at and strode briskly there. The ship was already in view. And so we hid, like predators awaiting their food.

As the Finder had claimed, he was there, the accursed Power that wasted so much of my time. He was overseeing the importation of several large containers, accompanied by several co-workers directing the boxes onto a truck. I could only guess that the contents were durable and very much solid, judging by the noises made when the containers were placed down. We kept waiting till the civilians had left the area. By then, the vehicle was ready to leave.

Kruz gestured to me. Throwing on my mask, I inclined my head in response and proceeded stealthily towards them, making my way undetected to the side of the truck. I placed my hand on the metal skin of the transport and it short-circuited with a sound pleasant to my ears. It was time. I heard exclamations of confusion from the driver, which would be my cue to show myself. “Salutations, gentlemen.”

“It’s Lei!” came Mohandas’ terrified voice, jabbing his finger at my direction. “Kill him!”

I could not sense any radiesthesia from those men. They were clearly not Übermenschs. Rifles were just as fatal to me, though. Before I could duck for cover, an unexpected bellow came from an amplifier, tearing their attention from me. Policemen had emerged out of literally nowhere, guns trained at them and commanding them to drop their weapons. The astounding efficiency of the Japanese cops amazed me. Not. I had been with Misaki long enough to know that she was trying to distract their attention from me. Illusions were so useful.

In a swift move, I drew the life out of my surrounding enemies and sprinted towards Mohandas, who had just comprehended what had occurred. I would not let the same mistake happen thrice, especially in a place that worked to my advantage. The instant his foot landed on a shallow patch of water upon the floor, it was the curtain call for him. Lampposts blinked out of light, and the Power insurgent crumpled to the ground, unconscious. He would be brought back and questioned later. It was with grim satisfaction that Kruz disposed of the rest of the bodies into the ocean (not before tying them to an anchor).

“Good work. Let’s examine the crates,” I said, pointing at the truck.

“…Where?” Misaki asked.

“What do you mean…?” Realization dawned on me before I completed my sentence. The truck was gone. “What the…?”

I turned around to find Mohandas, but much to my consternation, his head had been twisted to the back, undoubtedly dead.

“Greetings, dear Übermenschs,” announced a triumphant voice from above. I had to squint in the darkness to make out the shape of a man sitting atop the lamppost. “Especially you, Lei.”

“Who are you?” demanded Misaki.

“Surely you recognize my voice?”

I hesitated for a second. He did sound oddly familiar…

“I’m disappointed.” I did not blink, but he somehow transported from the lamppost to in front of me. “Look at my face and tell me you don’t remember.”

“Dalias…” I could not believe my eyes. Standing before me was Dalias, ex-Master Throne, who now belonged to the Runic Moon. He bore the ability of shadow translocation, meaning that he could disappear into darkness and appear out of another’s shadow. He was akin to a brother to me, and I could not understand why he defected. I never wanted to fight him. I had committed treason that five years ago by letting him go after defeating him, but only he and I knew this. I could not bear to kill him. And here he was, right before me again. “So you’re Mohandas’ partner…”

“Yes,” spoke Dalias. “He was duly punished for his failures. We cannot allow for blunders.”

“What’s in the crates?” I asked, backing away from him.

“I’m very sorry, but that’s confidential,” Dalias apologized with false sincerity, stepping towards me as I retreated. “You are a threat to us, Lei. We cannot have someone so powerful under the government’s thumb. I’m afraid I must eliminate you.”

My eyes reflected the shimmer of my dagger as it shot out of my sleeve, and I advanced towards my old friend swiftly. Expectedly, he sank into the caliginosity and surfaced behind me, attempting to strike me down unguarded. But I was much faster, whirling around as soon as he disappeared and sliced at him horizontally, ripping a hole on his uniform. He had prepared himself for this. There was armor underneath his shirt, protecting him from my blade. I retracted my weapon and delivered a kick in his stomach, distancing him from me. As soon as he collapsed, he disappeared.

“Not bad, Lei. Not a single speck of rust,” complimented Dalias. “You’re still a far cry from Lawrence, however.”

“I’m well aware of that,” I retorted, trying to locate him by the volume of his voice.

“No offense there, Lei. I have heard about your kill of our Teleporter, Ilaria. That’s saying something, no?” He had moved closer.

A flash of anger rushed through my veins. “You dare bring her name up?”

“Still, you are quite amazing. Had you shown your true potential, you could be an Ophanim… or even higher. But you held yourself back.” Closer.

“I doubt I am a match for sir Blight.”

He ignored that statement. “Come with us, Lei. You’re a talent. It would be a waste to lose someone like you.”

“No thank you. Cypher is motivated by greed. I will not serve under him.”

“And the government isn’t?” Dalias laughed. “That is a lousy argument, Lei. But I assure you, we are doing what’s best for the world.”

“I’m sure you are,” I concluded sarcastically. I knew where he was. I made a sudden lurch downwards as I felt a force brush above my head and I quickly delivered a sweeping kick, knocking Dalias off his feet. My blade was primed like a viper, and I sent it forth at his throat. I frowned. More armor. He had been slyly goading me to attack him by making himself look undefended! He landed on the floor and melted into the shadows. I felt a heavy blow in my abdomen, and I fell to my knees in pain, gasping for breath. The moment I looked up, a boot bludgeoned through my mask and into my face, hurling me across the ground. I tasted blood in my mouth.

Dalias towered over me. “I’ve done my homework this time, Lei. I was unprepared in our last fight.”

I sprang up at him, grasping his arm and channeling power into my hands. Dalias’ sleeve was burnt, but he was otherwise unharmed. He delivered a fist into my stomach again, sending me kneeling once more as he commented, “Electricity. You can kill others with a single strike, but you need a conducting medium to do so from afar. Most can’t withstand your attack at close range, but I can. You see, rubber is a poor conductor of electricity.”

“How perceptive of you,” I responded mordantly.

“Indeed,” said Dalias humorously. He pulled out a H&K P7 9mm and pointed it at my forehead. “Shadow translocation can’t kill, but this can.”

I stared at him unwaveringly. A shot was fired, but not from him. Dalias was gone, leaving only traces of blood on the ground. Kruz stepped towards me, a sniper rifle in his hands. “Thanks.”

“We’d better leave now.”

*

What a terrible world I live in, where old friends betray each other and people murder their own brethren. Old lives undone, left behind, the familiar became unsafe and new nightmares to challenge sleep. I thought I knew Dalias to the core, but now I realize that I barely understood him. The Dalias I had been with was a gentle and friendly companion, killing only when it was truly necessary, unlike the cold-blooded monster that I fought in the harbor that day. All these time, I bonded with an imaginary friend that did not exist. I was friend with a façade. I began to doubt my knowledge since.

The injuries sustained from the port were more than anything I had suffered from in the past few months. I had never been outmatched for too long a time and had since grown complacent of my own abilities. I underestimated Dalias and overestimated myself. That kick to my face resulted in a rather broken nose that took quite some time to fix, and the bruise on my stomach subsided quite slowly too. As if God was rubbing salt on my wounds, I was down with high fever, an irritating cold (in the contrasting heat of the summer, no less) and a sore throat. I was in no position to go out hunting for the insurgents.

Despite all the illness, I was gratified for being given a new understanding of Misaki. She was not the inconsiderate and importunate woman I thought she was. I did not see her touch her game console at all during my sickness, and made sure I had taken my medicine regularly as though she was a private nurse. Misaki had even gone to the point of cooking healthy dishes. I never thought I could feel so grateful for her at all. I was starting to feel guilty of the rude treatment I had given her in the past few weeks. Maybe I could get another bed instead of re-renovating my store room. Being unwell can make a person feel that vulnerable, I suppose.

Aide Kruz visited more often too, checking on me to make sure I was given sufficient sleep while he, ironically, did not get enough of it, for the restoration process of the database was not yet over. I tried to do some work during my stay at home, but I was quickly overridden by my two compassionate compatriots who volunteered to take on the burden of my researches on the Runic Moon activities. Whenever Kruz arrived, he would hand me a file or two on the movements of the rebels, but most of them were of little interest to me, for I had grown a strong obsession to locate Dalias and discover his plans. What were the craters in the truck containing that required the rank of a Master Throne to ensure the delivery of? I had several ideas, but I dared not to imagine too far ahead.

“Lei,” came Kruz’s voice, snapping me back into reality. I returned my attention to the Go board upon my glass table and narrowed my eyebrows when I noticed the move he had made. Playing a board game with an Übermensch with eidetic memory was most unwise. He had memorized every single move and counterattack, leaving me with no choice but to lose. I was thankfully relieved from the game when Misaki came with my meds, allowing me to excuse myself with the pretext of needing respite. Kruz had seen through my ploy effortlessly, smirking at me as he cleared the board. He was probably noting in his head how many victories he had triumphed over me. So pleased to amuse, Kruz.

Back in my room, Misaki gave me my daily dose of prescription and left me alone while the effects of drowsiness overcome me as I lay on the bed. When I opened my eyes again, it was nighttime. How I dislike sleeping. Add all the time a man would sleep in his lifetime and you would be surprised at the amount of time you had wasted sleeping. But I digress yet again. Kruz had probably left for HQ by now.

I glanced over at the clock, which read ‘11:45P.M.’. Deciding to indulge in a bit of a snack, I made a motion to leave the bed, only to notice that there was a pair of arms around me. I shifted around gently and saw Misaki’s slender frame resting beside me, illuminated by the soft glow of the moonlight. At times like this, when she did not speak, I would find myself admiring at her beauty. Face of an angel, spawn of the devil. Except that she had been really nice to me the past few days. She bore a fearful expression that told me she was not enjoying her dream one bit.

“Daddy…” uttered Misaki, her voice tinged with apprehension.

Intrigued and disturbed, I pulled myself closer to listen to her. Did something happen to her father in the past? I would be able to learn more about her by entering her dream. On second thought, that would be rather inconsiderate. Dreams are supposed to be personal.

“Don’t… Let go of me!” she pleaded, her arms trembling and her forehead beady with sweat.

Worried, I grasped her shoulders and shook her in an attempt to wake her from her nightmare. “Misaki, wake up! Misaki!”

Her eyes snapped open in shock, as though she had been jolted up. “L-Lei…”

“Are you alright?” I asked gently, trying to console her.

There were tears forming in her eyes. She hurriedly buried her face in my shirt, but I could hear her sobbing. Normally, rational thinking would tell me to inquire further, but instead I embraced her like a father would to a child and said placidly, “It’s just a dream.”

“...Lei.”

“Hm?”

“I… talked in my sleep, didn’t I?”

I nodded. “About your father.”

Misaki sunk deeper under the blanket. She did not need to explain. It did not take a genius to infer what had happened. “Let bygones be bygones. Don’t think about it anymore.”

“How can I not?” she started rather loudly, pushing me away from her. “No one will want me. I’m… sullied.”

“I will,” I blurted. How I wanted to palm my face! I stupidly made a love confession without realizing it.

She stared at me in disbelief. “Lei …”

My mind went on an overdrive in an attempt to salvage the situation. “Don’t get me wrong. What I meant is that… uh, if someone truly loves you, he wouldn’t care about this.”

Misaki clutched my arms snugly and stared at me with watery puppy-like eyes. “Please, don’t tell anyone about this. I don’t want anyone to know…”

“I won’t. I promise,” I assured her tenderly. “Go to sleep.”

Silence hung in the air as I watched her doze off into slumber. I was taken aback by what she had been through. It was clear that she had not gotten over it.  How could she remain so cheerful when she was still traumatized by this? Was it all a pretense, a brave front she had put up to hide her childhood horror? I heaved a sigh of resignation. First Dalias, now Misaki. How many more of my friends did I not understand at all? It seemed as though everything in this world was covered by a veil. Even me. My mask that I wore was indicative of that. Thinking back, I had been distant to my friends. None of them knew about my past, or even the trivial facts such as my favorite food. Ever since the rebellion, I was afraid to lose those around me again.

What a messed up world this was.

“Li Zheng Qiu.” It wasn’t Misaki’s voice. Wait, where did she go? She was by my side mere seconds ago. I pulled myself from my bed and glanced about at the pitch blackness. I was pretty sure I had left the light on in the bathroom, but I could not see anything at all, not even my hands. Then, a svelte, feminine figure emerged from the caliginosity. Her skin was radiant, so bright that I cannot perceive her visage. The contrasting darkness made her brilliance stand out even more so. I was forced to look away from her. I could feel no enmity from her, nor the radiesthesia of an Übermensch. Who or what was she? Even my real name was within her knowledge.

“Who are you?” I inquired, wary of her. “How did you do this?”

“The atramentous fumes veils the starlit skies. Melanoid are the hearts of Men. The eye beholds only the surface, never the ebony beneath. Everything will be cast into the sable; it will encompass and consume all. No flame or light shall sever the night. No dawn shall rise, no dusk will come. All will turn to naught. The earth crumbles underfoot, and the sky shatters into glass. The Black Sun riseth.”

I had absolutely no idea what gibberish she was spouting. Intending to approach her, I took a step forward, only to find myself back in bed, holding Misaki in my arms. I think my fever’s getting worse.

When the sun arose at dawn, Misaki was already gone from the bed without me realizing. The drugs were strong indeed. I felt heavy-headed even now. It was with a pair of bleary eyes that I fumbled into the bathroom to wash up, eyeballing at the reflection in the mirror when I discovered that I had not shaved ever since the day at the port. How I dislike prickly chins. While I was scraping the studs off my face, I noticed something else in the mirror. Misaki was gazing at me. She was drenched, and dressed in a towel.

“Taking liberties so early in the morning, I see,” she greeted wryly.

“Wha-what’re you doing here?” Another stupid question. I should stop taking that medicine.

Misaki beamed at me devilishly. “Why, taking a bath, of course.”

“I didn’t hear the water running.”

Her smile turned into a grin. “I’m sure you didn’t, especially the part where I was calling your name.”

“I-I really didn’t! I swear!” I stuttered, backing away from her. Was this the same Misaki that slept with me yesternight? She could sure change her mood fast.

The raven-haired Japanese broke into a laugh. “You’re so cute sometimes, Lei.”

“Ha ha…” Sacrificing my pride and dignity to give her some happiness? I suppose it’s worth it. She probably had enough misery for a lifetime.

After a breakfast of plain porridge and a cup of earl grey tea, I left downstairs for a morning jog to keep myself fit (although the clouds of cigarette smoke were not helping much). I see humans hurrying off to work in all modes of transport, ignorant of the wars that were fought in secrecy. Ignorance was bliss, after all. It was better that they remain unaware of the Übermenschs. Why give them something more to trouble them with? The fact that their reaction to us would be nothing short of fear meant that they would attempt to destroy us if our existence ever became known to them. On second thought, the government’s words could quell this trepidation.

When I returned in an hour’s time, I was welcomed with a pleasant surprise. Sitting on my couch was a man with fiery crimson hair cut short and spiked, donned with an unzipped grey coat that gave a peek into his abs, along a pair of ultramarine jeans. His facial features were that of a Westerner, and one that I recognize all too well. I had already felt his radiesthesia before I entered the house. “Exodus! What brings you here?”

When he noticed me, he was grinning broadly. “Lei! Great to see you in person! Long time no see!”

“Indeed,” I replied. “But you still haven’t answered me.”

He crossed his arms haughtily. “I’m here to find an old… friend.”

I raised my eyebrow. “And that would be…?”

“Dalias.”

I sobered immediately. He had been assigned to this mission. That wasn’t a surprise, seeing as how the task had grown much more complicated than it had been, not to mention that an ex-Master Throne was involved in it.

“I see,” I said, just to say something.

Exodus nodded at me solemnly, and then he wrung his arm around my neck and whispered to me, “By the way… you’re a really lucky bastard.”

“Huh? What’re you talking about?”

“C’mon! You slept with Misaki for a month!” yelled Exodus at the top of his lungs, as though trying to announce that to the world. Misaki pretended not to hear, engrossed in her women’s magazine. “Surely you did something in one of those nights?”

I glared at him, but the events of yesternight flooded into my head. “I’m not as loose as y-…”

“Yeah, he did. Lei barged into the restroom when I was bathing!” exclaimed Misaki gleefully. How much I wanted to throttle that scrawny neck of hers.

Exodus ogled at me appraisingly. “I never knew you’re so bold! I’ve gained a new respect for you, man.”

I remained my stoic composure. “It’s not what you think.”

He ignored that statement. “Anyway, you’d be happy to know that I’m not the only one who came.”

“What?” I uttered, astounded. “You mean…”

“Sir Blight, sir Albireo and Bamidbar are here, too.”

I absorbed the information after registering astonishment: Seven Übermenschs for just this mission, two of which were Masters. “Has this escalated so far?”

Exodus nodded. “Yeah, you haven’t failed a mission for years, y’know. And we all know Dalias’ abilities. Knowing him, he would have allies.”

A surge of excitement coursed through my veins. It had been too long since I had worked with them, but with them by my side, victory would be as good as ours. Even as a Master Throne, I felt extremely honored to be fighting alongside the Ophanim duo. Dalias would stand no chance against them. No amount of ‘homework’ could resist a time dilation, and sir Albireo’s talent at reacting instantly negates Dalias’ element of surprise via teleporting through shadows. All the sense of defeat I felt in the past had diminished, replaced with a renewed vigor.

“…You should probably rest, though. I hear you’re sick.”

“I’m much better now,” I retorted. “I can fight if I have to.”

Exodus raised his hands. “Hey, hey, I’m not saying you can’t do battle. Just worried about your health. I doubt we’d be getting any action soon, either way. The Ophanim are doing the search for Runic Moon activities here with Elias Kruz. Bamidbar’s ability helps loads, too. We’ll contact you if anything’s up, yeah?”

“Alright.” I paused. “Wait, you’re leaving?”

The redhead gave me a thumb up. “Yup, I wanna check out the red-light district.”

“…Uh-huh. Enjoy yourself,” I mumbled, rolling my eyes in exasperation.

“I will. Ciao!” With that, he vanished for some gallivanting. Literally.

I stared at the door shutting, apparently by itself. I found myself massaging my temples. “How did that flirt become a Throne…?”

The rest of day was uneventful, albeit peaceful. I began to appreciate and grow a fondness for such normalcy. For people such as me, an entire day with an empty schedule was a blessing. Perhaps I should get sick more often. After Misaki fed me with a dose of my pills, I drifted off into an afternoon nap on the couch. In my sleep, I was treated with a re-run of the dream from the night before. She seemed dimmer than before, as though the darkness had been eating away at her luminosity, allowing me a glimpse at her visage. I drew in a sharp breath. She was truly beautiful. The nubile, statuesque maiden was svelte and supple, perhaps slightly older than Misaki, but her obsidian irises were wealthy with wisdom and experience.

“Salutations, this is Li Zheng Qiu. I am currently enjoying my respite at the moment. If you have any cryptic messages or pessimistic monologues, please leave a message after the beep,” I greeted with a hint of sarcasm and sprinkles of pleasantries. I did not even know why I bothered talking to an imaginary figure. Maybe I was just losing my sanity. Ah, to be young and round the bend again. I never expected her to gaze up at me and smile.

“I would be more concerned if you had been intimidated by my warning. I see that my qualms are unfounded,” she spoke with a melodious voice that would have made any man swoon over her. “To be able to jest so lightly to such a grave caveat, you remind me so strongly of him.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Him? …More importantly, who are you? I don’t remember any Übermensch with ability like yours.”

Her lips curved upwards as she did a curtsy. “Skuld, Cherub of Kismet. Do not try to find me, Zheng Qiu. Like humans unbeknownst of the Übermenschs, the UN knows me not. I will keep in contact with you. Until then, sweet dreams.”

“W-wait!” I awoke with an abrupt jerk, as though I had fallen off a building. I stared at the floor blankly while my mind relived the surrealistic event. An Übermensch that neither belonged to the UN nor the Runic Moon, and only I know of her existence. How much more was I uninformed of? I heaved a resigned sigh. The world was becoming too complicated for me to handle.

****************************************************************
Some bits are kinda cliched, but hey, I like cliches. People these days just complain too much about originality.
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mauralucky7
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« Reply #5 on: April 02, 2009, 06:56:50 pm »

Nice job Ciel. I really enjoyed reading that.
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« Reply #6 on: May 08, 2009, 11:31:18 pm »

Been kinda inactive lately. As usual, schoolwork calls. : (

Chapter 3: Seraphim

Ides of July, 2011. The summer heat was becoming almost unbearable. I had finally recovered from my illness, and Misaki had returned to her old self again, playing her beloved Playstation 3 at full blast and hogging my computer for online games. Yet, I did not mind as much as before. Perhaps I was trying to repay the kindness she had treated me with during my sickness, or was I actually looking out for her because of her past? Whatever it was, I behaved better towards her. That did not mean my complaints of her choking up my store room had stopped, though. You would think that her credit cards had melted from the prolonged use already.

In other news, I was reunited with my erstwhile comrades during the past few weeks. Albireo paid a visit to me when I had dinner with Exodus, Misaki and Kruz in the local restaurant, claiming that he had foreseen himself in our company. He also predicted that I would foot the bill too. Sneaky bastard. I met sir Blight in the HQ, which he had never left from since his arrival in Japan. I had a few practice matches with him after my recuperation, with him emerging victorious every single time. It was most difficult to hit someone who can slow down time. I could see why Rie Inoue was a Seraph. With the full mastery of time, she basically had the entire battle within her grasp.

Bamidbar, on the other hand, was all over the country, so it was difficult to even get a glimpse of him, despite the fact that there were clones of him all over the place. I only caught sight of him while enjoying a bit of fishing with Albireo at the beach. Übermenschs do need recreational activities every now and then, after all. Misaki looked stunning in her two-piece, I might add. She was having so much fun deluding me with images of flying pigs and giving me the impression that my hook had caught something. I wonder why I had not lost my marbles yet, after staying so long with her. Aide Kruz and Blight simply relaxed in the shelter, sparring off in a game of chess. Needless to say, the poor Master Ophanim was powerless against the Dominion.

On a more serious note, Bamidbar had reported several cases of supposed Übermensch activities. There were cases of mutilated corpses with, surprise, their blood drained dry. Mohandas was not the only culprit, it seemed. There was also a report of several Archangels being murdered in the Hokkaido district. The Runic Moon had made its move. When Kruz utilized his clairvoyance where the deaths occurred, he managed to uncover an important piece of information: Lawrence was the perpetrator of the kills. Why a Seraph would waste his time on them was beyond my understanding. There might be a possibility that he wanted to eliminate any eyewitnesses, I suppose. He had made a blunder then, if that were so. Noir would be catching up to him.

One of Bamidbar’s clones had stationed himself at the port and another at the airport, though there were no more imports of any mysterious crates anymore. They must have obtained whatever they required the last time I tried to stop them. If only I managed to find out what the contents were. My burning curiosity was beginning to give me a stomachache.

Aside from these, there was Skuld. I seldom received any ‘transmissions’ from her, although she did drop by every now and then to converse with me. From her, I managed to learn that there was an imminent danger approaching, although that by itself was utterly useless as information. She could not divulge more either, for her abilities were limited as well. In other words, she was just as clueless as I was. Apparently she had moved to Japan after somehow finding out where I lived, too. I attempted to find out the ‘he’ that she referred to, but she was clammed about that too. I tried to find out more about her in my dreams, but she remained tightly clandestine of herself, waking me up whenever she decided that our conversation had come to an end.

“We will meet in the future in person, that I guarantee you, Zheng Qiu,” she claimed with a bewitching smile. “My visions always realize.”

I rubbed my chin. “That’s troubling to hear. That meant the ‘danger’ you warned me of will definitely happen, too.”

Skuld frowned. “Not exactly… I was exaggerating a little bit there. I see only possibilities of the future, starting with the most plausible. Those are the ones that happen most of the time, unless the choices people make change. The future isn’t set in stone.”

“That’s still worrying,” I said, sitting on a comfortable chair that materialized out of my imagination. Dreams were quite fun. “Why did you come to me, of all people, anyway?”

“It’s destiny,” she said simply. “I saw you. I needed to find out what the future holds, and it led me to you.”

If God needed a hero to save the world from peril, I think He could not have picked a worse person for the job. I hate carrying heavy responsibilities, and I am not one for heroics or moralistic acts. Get a pope to do those things. The Seraphim could have done a better job at it than I could ever accomplish. I paused for a moment, and then asked her, “Say, can you do me a favor?”

She raised her eyebrows. “You want me to find Dalias for you?”

Did she just read my mind? “Yes.”

Skuld pondered for a while, and then she uttered, “You will find him in Port of Yokosuka, where you last saw him, at 1 a.m. tomorrow.”

“Thank you. You’re really useful,” I thanked her, still amazed at her prowess.

She pouted. “I’m not a tool, Zheng Qiu.”

I scratched my head sheepishly. “I apologize. I didn’t mean it that way.”

“It’s alright.” Skuld rubbed her eyes sleepily. “My power’s weakening. Let’s call it a day. I’ll see you again, Zheng Qiu.”

Conveying this message to everyone else would be difficult. As I had never introduced Skuld to any of my fellow comrades, getting them to trust this information would be hard. They would think that I had gone insane, or gone too obsessed with trying to settle my score with Dalias. Instead, I settled with the simplest of excuses: My clairvoyance was telling me to stay watch there. Thank you for the inspiration, Spiderman. I will never forget it. It was with much anxiousness that we left for the port at Yokosuka. Bamidbar was there too, his twenty-seven copies ready to be summoned at any given moment. As a congregation of Übermenschs would make Dalias on guard, we spread ourselves apart so that he would not pick up on our presences.

At one sharp, Skuld’s prediction came true. A small boat arrived, mooring itself by the dock. There were several crates upon it, just like before, but they were of much smaller size. The content must be different, I speculated. They seemed no different from smugglers. What had the Übermenschs come to? A car soon came into view, stopping by the vessel to transfer the items. Then, Dalias emerged from the automobile. As soon as he stepped out, Blight had begun the move. He must have used his ability, for he appeared at the transports in the blink of an eye, grabbing Dalias and hurling him away from the dock before the latter could react. “It’s been a long time, Dalias.”

I threw on my mask and moved closer, albeit still in hiding. It was not time for me to move yet. I was slightly amused when I saw the ship drifting away from the dock, for I knew that it was Exodus who had untied it. At the same time, Bamidbar and Albireo surfaced from their hiding to surround Dalias. Five copies of Bamidbar watched the cars, another five by the ship, and the rest encompassing the Runic Moon Master Throne. Misaki had done her thing, I figured, for the shadows of surrounding objects had been erased off one by one, giving Dalias the illusion that his teleportation would become quite useless. Aide Kruz lay prone above a stack of metallic containers, loading tranquilizer darts into his sniper rifle. How he managed to climb so high, I had no idea.

“Give up, Dalias. You can’t escape this time,” warned one of the Bamidbars, poised to attack with a stun gun. “We’re willing to forgive you if you cooperate with us.”

My old friend laughed mockingly. “Rejoin the corrupted regime and aid in the declination of humanity? You must be kidding me. I would ask you all to awaken to your senses and come with me instead.”

There was no hesitation as Albireo made his move. He charged at Dalias at breakneck speed and whipped out a dagger at him, but the ex-Master Throne was quick enough to shift away. Albireo had already foreseen this, pulling out a handgun and firing it at a lamppost. His shot was slightly off its mark, merely scraping on the metal of the light, but it was enough to catch Dalias off guard, causing him to slip from the lamppost. Then, there was a splash that drew my attention away from the fight. Whoever that was in the ship was now attempting to reconnect the vessel to the dock again. It was time for me to move.

Throwing on my mask, I sneaked soundlessly within the darkness, keeping my eyes constantly on the battle in case Dalias ever spotted me. As I hid close to the dock, it took only half a minute to reach the ship. My clairvoyance alerted me of Übermenschs, but I was hardly bothered by it. Harbors were perfect for my ability. I broke out of the caliginosity and exposed myself as I charged towards the edge of the dock. A man had hauled himself to land with a rope on his hand. The water was slowing him down. Lady Luck was on my side this time. It was with a smirk that I sent a deadly blast of electricity across his body, and he crumpled to the wet floor lifelessly. One down.

Before I could make it to the ship, a bullet cannoned into my bullet-proof coat. The Übermensch had not done much homework on me. Still, the impact would cause some degree of contusion. I grabbed the rope the dead man had so thoughtfully left for me and pulled, disregarding the shots that were aimed at me. A few more shots followed, and one of the men in the ship collapsed. I thanked Aide Kruz silently in my head as I tied the rope hurriedly and leapt onboard. A sudden burst of heat and light caught my attention, and I quickly made for the sea. Oh great, a pyro. I would have wrapped the entire ship up in electricity if I had not been afraid of damaging whatever was in those crates. Thankfully, a bunch of Bamidbar clones came to my aid, jumping onboard and finishing the variant. An invisible hand dragged me out of the water and patted me on my shoulder. Fighting with First and high-tiered Second Spheres was an unwise move to begin with.

Dalias was still putting up a good fight, despite being outnumbered. I get the feeling that he might have familiarized himself with the harbor the last time I fought against him, allowing him to pull the disappearing act on me when he was shot by Kruz. Majority of the fight was spent trying to locate Dalias. Blight’s eyes were most sharp. It took him within a minute to find and attack, though Dalias teleported before sustaining much damage. Why he did not try to flee puzzled and perturbed me. He could have just left the goods and saved himself. Were the contents so important that he would risk his life to ensure its delivery?

Apparently it was. He tore himself away from the battle and made a beeline towards me, his gaze murderous. I glared back at him as I prepped my wired knife. He dissolved into the ground. My instincts kicked in as I whirled around, ready to retaliate, but something else held my attention. A pair of hands reached my shin and yanked me into the sea. As I glanced back, I saw the man I thought I had killed earlier. It was a water clone. Cunning Übermensch. Maybe he had been a Principality. I let loose a small voltage through his hand, enough to stop his heart. Bubbles poured out of his mouth as his grip on me loosened, and he floated back up to the surface of the water, dead for good this time.

When I had finally gotten back to land, Dalias was lying on the ground unconscious, surrounded by my comrades. “Wh-what happened?”

“It was Misaki. She confused Dalias with illusions of sir Blights and sir Albireos,” explained Exodus, “That many of them can be quite scary.”

“He cannot find the real ones, and had trouble finding a shadow to leap to because she had been veiling them with her illusions. Then Kruz took him out,” spoke Bamidbar, “Quite impressive.”

Misaki seemed gleeful. “I’m so s-m-r-t.”

Blight stepped forward and flung Dalias over his shoulder. “We should return to HQ immediately. It’s unsafe without the Inhibitor’s watch.”

The Inhibitor was a pure horror to us Übermenschs. Although not some sadistic, monstrous demon, he had the ability to negate our abilities just by being around. He could even selectively allow specific variants to use their powers while suppressing all other abilities. As such, he was used when interrogating the insurgents from the Runic Moon. Due to the eldritch nature of his ability, he did not have any rank and was merely known by his title. Exodus looked at me curiously. “And you might need a towel.”

“Very astute, Exodus,” I remarked sarcastically. I would have liked to settle my score with Dalias alone, but people in Hell also want iced water. The mission came first. “Let’s go.”

“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.” It was a masculine voice that seemed to echo from all sides. I wished people would stop making silly cliché entrances already. As if television dramas did not have enough of that. I did not know where to look, but my clairvoyance told me that the newcomer was at the dock. Ah, spoke too soon. I just ridiculed Lawrence the Seraph. At least he did not hear that. “I’m afraid I cannot let you go just yet, my old friends. You see, Dalias is an important member of the Runic Moon. I cannot allow you to take him with you. As with my goods on the ship.”

“Lawrence…” muttered Blight softly. I understood how he felt. The Master Ophanim once held much respect for L, as did I. We were more afraid of fighting him, however. A Seraph’s ability far outstrips that of ours. His radiesthesia was overwhelming.

There was no way I can defeat him.

“You can leave him here and go, in which I will not harm any of you since we were once close friends, Blight. Or you can try to attack me, in which I will kill every single one of you,” stated Lawrence pleasantly. He certainly had a flair for pleasantries. “Now choose.”

An Übermensch’s rational thinking switched on. Survival would be the course of action here. Still, Lawrence might be lying about letting us go. He was not as cold-blooded as Noir, but having killed those Archangels the other day, I doubt he would be anywhere close to benevolent. In reality, there was only a single option for us: death. In this case, a fight implied the possibility of survival. My allies had the same thought as I did, for I could see defiance in their eyes. And thus the battle against one of the lords of Übermenschs began.

Exodus went invisible at once, while Kruz ran for cover, seeing as how his memory work would be useless if he was dead. Misaki hurried to hiding too, knowing that illusions were useless against such a high-ranked variant. The rest of us did not make a move at all, and neither did L. Tempting the Seraph to attack was the only way to assault him. Other methods would just make him teleport. He smirked, as though the battle was already won. He disappeared. I could not tell where he was coming from. There was a bright light in my eyes, and I found myself on the ground with a throbbing skull.

Blight and Albireo were able to react better, though. The latter, having zero reaction time, defended himself from Lawrence’s teleportation, while the former slowed down time to evade and strike. Bamidbar had already been knocked out cold. I feigned unconsciousness while I waited for the right moment to turn the tables against him. My body was in contact with pools of water on the ground. If I could just time it proper, I could electrocute him. The fight was painful, nevertheless, to watch. The Ophanim duo could not land a single hit against the Seraph. L could even predict the times at which Blight would dilate time and teleport at the exact moment the latter tried to attack. Albireo succeeded in catching L and back throwing him, but the Seraph teleported away before he crushed to the ground.

Lawrence’s foot landed on a puddle of water. It was now or never. I sent a net of electricity across the damp floor and immediately drew it back, such that it would not reach Blight and Albireo. The Seraph gave a gasp of astonishment as he realized that I was still conscious, but even his reaction could not surpass the speed of electricity. He collapsed to the ground, as though the air had been knocked out of his lungs. It was over. I pushed myself to my feet, giving a nod to my two allies. Catching a Seraph would be a tremendous victory over the Runic Moon. “We should leave this instant.”

“I don’t think so.” I could not believe my eyes. He was no yet out cold. Such amounts of endurance! L sank a dagger into Albireo’s leg and, as he rose, a knife flew out of the side of his shoe and landed in Blight’s abdomen, while a third blade was drawn from his pocket and into my arm before booting me away. I did not notice the concealment of his weaponries at all! In a single instant, he had taken out two Masters and a powerful Ophanim. “That was a stroke of brilliance, Lei. I was nearly crippled by that. I have heard many tales of you in the past. You managed to kill someone who shared my ability, didn’t you? It seems that I can’t lower my guard around you.”

“Why, Lawrence? Why did you join the Runic Moon?” I asked, hoping to buy myself some time.

He crouched down to face me. “You appear to have some misconceptions of the Runic Moon, Lei. Let me explain to you. The Runic Moon exists to expose the governments’ lies and propaganda, to dismantle it and reinstate a new regime in its place, one that is hopefully transparent and, I won’t be so naive as to say ‘uncorrupted’, but hopefully much less so than the current one. There are many things the UN had done that you do not know of. Adolf Hitler, Pearl Harbor, 911 attacks, Iraq conflict, the so-called international terrorisms… Those are just a few to list that were conspired by the government.”

“Those are simply wild conspiracies,” I shot back.

“As wild as our powers, Lei. We are part of the conspiracy. We are hidden from the world by the government, as are the rest of the others. If you are a human, you would think that people like us are mere myths,” he argued calmly. “The government is already planning to reveal our existence to the world. We cannot allow that to happen. They are aiming for strife. They will use the fear of the people to unite them, and then, the people will just be united. They will use our existence as an excuse to congregate all the governments in the world into a single regime, although under the shadows they already have done so. Then, a terrifying change will occur, and humanity will be under the thumb of the fiercest tyranny ever seen in history. That is why we must stop them.”

“Bull****,” I growled.

“Denial, such a predictable response,” he scoffed. He wrenched the knife from my arm, inspecting it closely. “It will soon be replaced by disbelief when my words come true, Lei. A pity I will never see that expression on your face. You shall remember that your stubbornness was your last mistake.”

A streak of silver flashed past my eyes, but I did not register any pain. The blade had been thrown across the floor and into the sea. Another pressurizing radiesthesia entered the harbor. Noir. His pale gold hair shined under the lamppost light, as did his immaculate white suit. “It’s been far too long, Lawrence.”

“Ah, Jean, it’s been three years,” replied the Seraph coolly, unphased by the psychic. “I hear you still hold a passion for conducting. Did you visit the Prague Spring International Music Festival?”

“Yes, it’s wonderful. You should have been there too,” said Noir, his voice emotionless. “There’s still the Arvika Festival in Värmland, if you’re interested.”

“Sadly I’m not one for the classical genre, my dear Jean. I have more important tasks to attend to.”

“As do I,” came Noir’s reply, “This entire harbor is now under my jurisdiction. You can either leave now or follow me to the HQ.”

Lawrence gave a bow. “I can see there is no use resisting. I bid you adieu for now, Noir.”

As L teleported away, Noir strode past us and towards the crates, which levitated and hovered in the air before him. The cover was flung off the container as he took a peek inside. His face could not be any paler as he shut the box. I felt a shiver ran up my spine. What could chill even a Seraph so much? My curiosity for it peaked. Then, he turned his attention to us. “I am impressed that you could stand against Lawrence for so long. Thanks to you, we are able to delay the Runic Moon’s plans.”

“What is in the box, sir?” I asked as I pushed myself to my feet.

He eyeballed at me, and then glanced at Albireo and Blight. “C-4.”

Albireo seemed alarmed. “What could they be planning to destroy with so many explosives?”

Noir shifted his gaze to Dalias. “Perhaps we may find some answers to our questions in due time.”

“Sir Noir, how did you know we are here?” inquired Blight, clutching his injured abdomen in pain.

“Exodus informed me,” answered the Seraph as he carried Dalias with his willpower.

“Shall we accompany you to the HQ?” spoke Albireo respectfully, staggering with his wounded leg.

He shook his head. “It must’ve been a long day for you all. You should rest and recuperate. I will inform you if I manage to extract something from him.”

“Pardon me, sir, but… Lawrence said… certain things about the government,” I muttered. When he turned to me, I reiterated what the Teleporter had told me as we made our way back to our transports (Kruz had been waiting in the car park). Noir listened quietly to me, as did Albireo and Blight. “…Do you think that anything he said could be true?”

There was a pregnant pause. “To pull so many Übermenschs to the Runic Moon, Cypher must have conclusive evidence of the government for said conspiracies. They may not be as farfetched as we think, to be frank. Still, we should not be concerned with the affairs of humanity. Remember our origins, Lei. We are Übermenschs, not humans. What they do is of no concern to us. Our priority is to remain hidden from the public of mankind as our ancestors had done. I am certain that revealing our existence is something they had made up. After all, if they had not rebelled, there would be no reason for the government to do so. That is why we must dismantle the Runic Moon as quickly as we can.”

“I see… I understand… sir.”

“Ah, there’s another thing. I think you may be wondering why you received help from the Finder so quickly, even when you’ve not asked for it. I am guilty for it, frankly. I suspected Lawrence may be behind your mission, so I decided to speed up the progress a little. Nevertheless, I would have missed meeting him here again today had Exodus not told me of it. How did you find out there was a transportation of goods today?”

I gulped. Tight spot. “After I lost to Dalias the last time I was here, I got a little… obsessed with this place, to say the least.”

Noir inclined his head. “I see what you mean. I used to be most stubborn when I suffered a defeat, too.”

I thanked him and bade farewell to my comrades as I entered my vehicle. Misaki was needlessly worried about my bleeding arm, pulling out the first aid kit and fixing my wound as Kruz drove us back home. “Geez, Lei! Take care of yourself!”

“When you’re fighting against a Seraph, it’s pretty hard to do that. I’m lucky I didn’t get my head severed,” I retorted. I appreciated her concern, watching her as she tied the dressing together. “You didn’t get hurt, did you?”

“No, I was pretty far from the battle,” she said absent-mindedly, patting on her finished work. I winced at the twinge. “Sorry, got too used to doing that.”

Soon we ended back in my abode, and I finally heaved a relieved sigh. This mission was finally over. Thinking back, however, most of the time was spent lazing around doing nothing. Not much of a mission. Now all that I needed to do was to wait for the results after Noir’s interrogation, which in fact, could not be considered one. He could influence Dalias’ mind and make him spill the truth effortlessly, as though he had mastered some form of the unorthodox Black Ops hypnotism. I felt a slight pang of sympathy for Dalias. He used to be my best friend. Now that he had been captured by us and forced to reveal the Runic Moon’s secrets, he would definitely be sought by them to be killed. He had to be imprisoned in our protection until the destruction of Runic Moon, and that might take years.

After washing up and reapplying a new set of bandages, I collapsed onto my bed exhaustedly. It was three in the morning. At least I had nothing planned. I could sleep as long as I liked. Misaki crawled in beside me, snuggling close to me for warmth. Under the cooling breeze of the air conditioner, I soon dozed off, only to be shaken awake in a moment’s time. It had been over a month, but getting used to her tossing and turning about was hard. “…Hey, Misaki. You awake?”

“…Yeah,” came a muffled voice beneath the blanket. “You couldn’t sleep either?”

“No. I can’t stop brooding over what Noir told me,” I spoke, repeating the Seraph’s words on the Runic Moon. “What if the Runic Moon is right about the government’s conspiracies? If the world were to be thrown into tyranny, we’re not going to live any better than the humans do. Yet Noir said to me that human affairs are none of our business.”

“An Übermensch worrying about the fate of mankind,” commented Misaki with a hint of amusement, “Now that’s interesting.”

“Misaki, I’m serious about this.”

“I know you are, Lei, but right now, there’s nothing we can do about this. Don’t obsess so much about the future, Lei. It’s not healthy.”

“I suppose so…” I murmured. It was difficult to sleep, despite being in an air-conditioned room. I had a sudden goose bump that crawled under my skin, even with two layers of blanket over myself. Maybe it was not the frigidity. Then I noticed that I had left my bed and back into the familiar caliginosity. I understood that I had already drifted into dreamland. I crossed my arms as I waited for Skuld to appear.

Sure enough, the breath-taking beauty materialized from the darkness, smiling her usual smile. “I didn’t lie to you, did I?”

“No, you didn’t. I appreciate your help,” I thanked her formally. “The crackdown on Runic Moon will progress much faster now.”

“Always talking about work, I see,” Skuld shook her head in disapproval. “You don’t even realize how fortunate you are.”

My eyebrows rose. “Huh?”

“Misaki,” said Skuld, “She likes you a lot, in case you haven’t noticed.”

I looked at her quizzically, causing her to continue on, “Does ‘I will be with you if nobody else does’ ring any bell?”

“You were eavesdropping?” I muttered.

She shrugged nonchalantly. What an actress. I was rather uncomfortable. A stagnant pause lingered between us.

“Do you like her?” she asked, breaking the silence, approaching me and staring closely at my face.

“…I don’t know. I always regarded her as a working partner.”

Skuld stepped away from me and heaved a sigh. “Poor Misaki.”

“…”

She giggled. “I’m being serious, though. You ought to untangle yourself from work and focus on your personal life and relationships. You should consider if you really like her.”

I placed my hand over my forehead in exasperation. “Did you come just to tell me about this?”

“Relationships are important too. I just thought you needed to know. Misaki may be proactive, but she isn’t the type to proclaim her love for someone. You should be more sensitive to a woman’s feelings, Zheng Qiu,” Skuld said, seeming a little upset at me. I felt a little guilty, to be honest. “I came because I thought you might have something to ask me about.”

I pondered for a while, and it struck me. “You’re right. What Lawrence and Noir said…”

She nodded sadly. “They’re true.”

I eyeballed at her in disbelief. “Then what have I been fighting for all these years?”

Skuld sat down on an imaginary chair, troubled by my question. “The Übermenschs under the UN, you included, are fighting to prevent it from using the Runic Moon and Übermenschs in general as an excuse to unite the world. You may not realize it, but you have stopped them from causing destructions that would alert the public of the existence of the Übermenschs. The Runic Moon has good intentions for humanity, or at least Cypher Zuller did, but after five years, they are beginning to tire with clandestine means that do little progress. They want to dismantle the UN as fast as possible.”

 “Why didn’t you tell me about this sooner?”

“Would you trust me if I told you about this in the past?” she asked rhetorically.

She had a point. I scratched my chin thoughtfully. “What can I do?”

“Nothing at the moment, but… it’s only a matter of time before the Runic Moon does something that the IGO will use against the Übermensch.”

I bit my lip. “Perhaps… this may be the link to your vision.”

Skuld nodded. “I believe so too. I will keep you informed if I manage to see anything.”

‘Ah well. Ah well.’ That was the sole comment in my head at the time. I was beginning to lose faith for myself, for my kind, for the world.

****************************************************************

To be honest, I don't have a picture for Skuld. She's basically the girl of your dreams, so have her look however you want.
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« Reply #7 on: May 09, 2009, 12:33:50 am »

And here's some stats for the team!

Lei:


Misaki:


Albireo:


Blight:


Bamidbar:


Exodus:


Dalias:
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« Reply #8 on: May 10, 2009, 12:55:20 am »

DB’s Book

The following is just a compilation of review notes I’ve been taking.  I’m not practicing the usual grammatical grace of sentence structure.  You get to look into my mind, and patch together the many garden-path sentences I’ve created.  This is what it is.  I talk to myself, so this stuff isn’t addressed to anyone.  Notes are in no particular order.

***

First impressions: I have to say, I like it.  The story revolves around the fates of people, and super-entities which resemble people, which reader-people like hearing about.  Our own human ego ****, really . . . and DB lets us know, first thing.

He is VERY good at explaining the nonhuman culture of the Ubermenchs.  They are very intelligent, highly aware of one anothers’ powers, and spend little time shooting the breeze.  Everything is business, knowledge, and code.

DB’s style is “tell” rather than “show,” though he exercises both.  He exposes the situation to all readers, saying “this is how things are, this is what’s going on, this is why, etc.”  The only thing he really leaves out is character personalities.  You know what they do, you know how they look, but you don’t know the actual people for who they are.  Now, there IS some creative use of “showing” involved, such as when the one guy almost fails to stop at a red traffic light because he’s exhausted.  I really liked that.

I’m seeing a lot of adverbs and adjectives being used.  “ly” words.  And he names everything in the surroundings when it becomes important, such as the air conditioning and ventilation system on the roof.  Is it important that we know this much?  There’s a delicate balance between descriptiveness and verbosity.  DB doesn’t go into things to the point that he rambles, so my attention is kept.

He’s very good at using real-time references.  He aced the name and appearance of a certain Ubermench’s race (“Mohandas,” Ganhi’s first name), and combined it with an actual Hindu goddess named Kali that many people in his culture worships.  That’s resourceful of him.  Of course, there’s other stuff like using the Dark Ages, World War II, etc.

About the grammar . . . it’s not that important.  My secondary schooling has given me a hyper-sensitivity to any syntactical errors at all, such as incomplete sentences and change of tense from past to present or reverse.  This story has a few of those.  Some are deliberate, and it’s just DB’s style.  Some are simple accidents, which could be fixed in a minute.  I won’t dwell on it.

The reading is pretty high-level; something for adult-aged sci-fi enthusiasts who appreciate the concept of superhumans (even though Ubermenchs are not technically human).  This is definitely not a read for general preteen or teen audiences.  A bunch of big words are used, and you need a damn decent vocabulary if you want to fully appreciate the story’s richness.  If you DO happen to know a lot of words, reading the story will make you feel pretty smart.

DB tells you a lot, but not everything.  He’ll explain, for instance, that single-word phrases such as “Janus” are codes used amongst Ubermenchs for time-saving, and so that anyone outside the circle of the code-users won’t understand.  He also explains powers such as the “clairvoyance,” down to the very fact that it isn’t actually spiritual.  Yet he doesn’t say why Lei is in favor of humanity.  That’s probably a plot point that’ll be developed later . . . here’s a better example: we never get told how Lei’s team tracks down Monhandas’s actual apartment room, and we just have to accept that Kruz’s tracking skills are every bit as godly as Lei asserts.

I like the here-and-there observations that Lei makes, as he talks to his imaginary audience throughout the story.  He mentions how the people of the city remind him of robots in their monotonous walking to and from work; it goes to show that he’s got the impression that the world, like him, is virtually an emotionless machine.  At another (earlier) time, he also goes off on a minor rant about how the city smells of cigarette smoke, and how dumb people are for not realizing how detrimental the secondhand smoke is to their health.  It goes to show that he isn’t protecting humans out of respect; he clearly looks down on them in this regard.  He said this already, but now here’s the proof.

It’s hard to memorize names, classes, and organizations, although that could be because I’m still just at the beginning.  But with a book title “Novus Ordo Mundi,” I suppose it’s made obvious that I’m just going to have to grit my teeth and adapt to unfamiliar words.  This may be trying to the patience of many readers.

You know what this reminds me of, both in good ways and bad?  The Matrix.  In bad ways, it seems that every character feels they have something intelligent to say.  It’s either philosophy, of self-vindication for beliefs.  There’s very, very little small talk.  Again, I have to accept that this is Ubermench culture, but it’s kind of annoying.  I’d forgive this instantly if there were a Jar Jar Binks character coming up.  Okay, anyway . . . in the good way, the fights are about ten seconds long.  This would suck, except DB milks every action-packed second for all it’s worth.  As the reader, you feel like you’re moving at the same lightning speed as the combatants, while keeping up with the battle’s goings-on.  DB flatters the audience in this regard.  It’s like you’re in on everything, as though you’ve got the same observative skills and ultra-reflexes that the Ubermenchs do.

Hell, I want to extend on that reader-is-an-equal thing.  For whatever reason, Lei seems to consider his audience an understanding listener, so he opens up almost as much as he possibly can, considering his character.  He’ll admit his uncertainty about whether or not Ubermenchs and humans are alike.  He reveals his likes and dislikes, whether in regard to certain technologies or particular housing arrangements.  He even addresses the reader here and there.  “What about Cypher, I hear you ask?”  He’s like the Underground Man, believing that his readers have the same obsessive interests that he does, despite only knowing his life situation for about fifteen minutes.  And then he’ll say things like “As the more perceptive of you may have realized by now,” which shows that he approves of (and definitely expects) an audience with bright minds.  In short, Lei seems to say “I’ll care about you for as long as you continue to care about me.”

That brings us to the one particular question that makes or breaks any story.  Why should the audience care?  Lei is not a human, and neither are his associates, nor any of the significant characters in the first chapter (that’s all I’ve read).  It’s like watching the Transformers movie, and only concentrating on the Autobots’ plans to foil the Decepticons.  Humans are basically just loitering in the background.  There’s not even a Sam Witwicky.  Therefore, the interesting stuff (at least to me) would come from the resmblences between Lei and the humans he often compares himself to.  Let’s consider the most important two, in accordance to Sigmund Freud: violence and sex.  Ubermenchs appear to live for combat (at least the main focus ones), and it’s pretty cool to read through the Matrix-ish fight scenes.  Power rankings also show who stands where, and who could dominate who, and hey, who DOESN’T want to know who’d win a fight between Batman and Spiderman?  As for the sex, Lei appears to be asexual.  For that reason, it should be entertaining to see how Lei reacts differently in sex situations than most humans would.  DB based the story’s first joke around this very theme.  Any long-term readers would likely plow on just to see more of that.

I was hasty, and did a review before reading the rest of the stuff DB posted up.  But I’m putting up the notes anyway, because I have my first impression, and it is untainted by further reading.  DB could make use of this.  After all, he has mentioned in the first post that he may edit the first few chapters.
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Recently discovered Pathfinder (modern D&D). Thanks for introducing me to the concepts all those years ago.
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« Reply #9 on: May 10, 2009, 02:51:01 am »

That's a very comprehensive review of the story, Kenta, and I'm eternally grateful for that. I don't really have much time to thank you properly now, but do know that I appreciate what you've said. I'll work on my errs and try not to forget about writing this story amidst my piles of homework.
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« Reply #10 on: July 03, 2009, 10:14:57 pm »

Sorry for not appearing, but my exams are draining my life. I haven't been able to write at all, sadly, so this story hasn't been progressing.
===================================================

Chapter 4: Days Gone By

My eyes snapped open, and I was greeted with Misaki’s innocent visage while she slept on. The sun had already shone through the curtains, and my clock read eleven in the morning. I still felt a little sore and aching from the fight yesterday, an indication that I had not been keeping myself as fit as I thought. Skuld’s advice was fresh in my mind as I gazed at Misaki, who was but a teenager when we first met. She was taken in after the rebellion of the Runic Moon, and assigned to me as my partner, along with Aide Kruz. Come to think of it, she never seemed to have changed much in the past four years. She was always so carefree and driven.

I, on the other hand, became graver, quieter and colder. The two of us were too different, as though we lived in separate worlds, intertwined only by our existence as Übermenschs. It made me wonder: since when had she fallen for me? Was it the time when she unintentionally divulged her traumatizing past, or was it even before that, during the years we had been together as partners?

I brushed aside the fringe obstructing her face lightly, observing her in her slumber. I have known her for nearly a decade, and yet I knew so little of her. Skuld was correct; I had been so focused in my work that I was blind to everything around me. Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche once said, “Like tourists huffing and puffing to reach the peak, we forget the view on the way up.” How correct he was. Pushing the thoughts aside, I crept out of the bed as gently and silently as I could. There was a message notification on the computer screen.

I had received a mail from Noir. It was first-hand information of the progress of interrogation. It was shocking and disturbing to see how efficient Noir was. I felt a chill run down my spine. Dalias’ mind sustained too much damage from the mind-control. He was as good as dead. I stood dazed before the monitor for the eternity of a minute before returning to reality. Should I have followed Skuld’s advice? It caused the death of my good friend, who was actually trying to save humanity. Still, having any involvement with so many explosives would mean nothing except trying to blow up something large, and that would mean exposing the existence of us Übermenschs. Ah, what a dilemma.

‘…The Runic Moon has been planning to detonate our base at Area 51 with the C4 explosives. That would sever all the links to all the branches in other countries. There is an Übermensch here in Japan that has the ability to alter the properties of matter, ranked Throne before his defection, thus the importation of the explosives here. They are attempting to modify the explosives with higher exploding power, such that Area 51 will be utterly decimated. Once these mega-bombs were completed, Lawrence was supposed to teleport into the base and let the pyrotechnics commence. It is fortunate that their ploy failed, or we would be in major jeopardy. Of course, we should not exclude the possibility that he would find something equally or even more destructive to destroy our base. Given their abilities, it seems that I have to return to America and remain at Area 51 to guard it from Lawrence.

There is also another plan to use the reserves of the bombs to wipe out the UN HQ at New York, but with the explosives in our hands, that scheme is probably being delayed. I had asked the Finder to locate the Übermensch I had mentioned about earlier, and Master Merodach had been sent to eliminate the threat. I doubt we require any need for concern over this matter.

Secondly, we have also uncovered information about Cypher Zuller. He has been handing out instructions and overseeing RM operations in Paris. But I digress. He is too dangerous for anyone to handle as of yet. Dalias also knew of Muthazar Nair’s location. He currently resides in Malaysia, but there had not been any activities from him for a long time. He appears to have retired, or is waiting for Cypher’s orders.

That is all. If you have any other inquiries, feel free to ask.’

To put it briefly, there was nothing I can do currently. Merodach was the Master Cherub with superhuman abilities. He could run faster than any Olympic sprinter, lift weight heavier than any ape could carry, and the list went on and on. An Übermensch two ranks higher than mine should have no problems taking out a Throne. Could Skuld had already foreseen this, and hence her suggestion to focus on my personal life? Knowing that cunning fox, that might be just the case.

“So Dalias is dead…” came a murmur behind me. I turned around instinctively. Misaki’s face was uncomfortably close to mine, her obsidian irises gazing into mine. I pulled away from her edgily in a lousy attempt to hide my uneasiness. She seemed completely oblivious to my discomfort, or was pretending not to have noticed it. Misaki smiled radiantly at me. “Good morning, Lei.”

“Morning,” I replied automatically.

“How’s your wound?” she asked, pointing at my bandage.

“Getting better,” I said, rubbing my arm instinctively.

“That’s good to hear. I’ll be leaving today.”

For some reason or another, I registered surprise. “Why?”

She looked at me, perplexed. “The mission’s over, remember? Time for me to head back home. I’ve inconvenienced you long enough, I think.”

“I see…” I mumbled quietly. There was a nagging sense of reluctance in my heart.

Misaki gazed at me playfully. “What’s wrong? You want me to stay?”

My mind hovered between telling her the truth and taking the easy way out. I leaned back on my chair and stretched lazily. “Maybe I do.”

“Huh?” she remarked, clearly not expecting my response.

“I… want you to stay,” I spoke one word at a time, hardly believing what was coming out of my mouth.

Misaki parted her lips, paused, pondered for a second, tried to say something, but alas decided to remain silent. There was an awkward silence between us for a minute as she sat by the edge of the bed, and me on the chair before my laptop, waiting for her response. Then, she broke the deafening stillness. “You’re not joking, right?”

She was evidently nervous. I nodded. The wind chime out in the balcony could be heard from the room, pealing pleasantly with the morning breeze. Eventually, Misaki replied, “…Alright. I’ll stay, but I’ll have to move my things from my home here.”

And it was settled. The entire day was spent moving Misaki’s possessions and furniture (not all of them, just the ones she fancied) over to my house. Thankfully, the apartment the UN had given me was large enough to accommodate them. She even brought her fish tank over, which was automated to filter the water and feed the fishes during her absence. Technology these days were impressive. Misaki had gotten visibly more cheerful, although she pretended to whine and complain about the load that she had to carry over to my abode. Aide Kruz was nice enough to drop by and help us, and he asked few questions during the move. Still, I get the feeling that he had gotten a different gist from my explanation.

Sure enough, later that night I was sent a ‘Good Luck’ e-card and an ‘Intimacy for Dummies’ from Exodus. I sent a death threat back at him.

With Misaki’s entire luggage brought over to my house, we collapsed onto our bed in exhaustion. Moving furniture and belongings never felt that enjoyable. Or I was just happy that I had someone to talk to. Übermenschs were sociable creatures like humans, after all. We did not converse much about our lives during the move, mostly discussing where to position her items and what to be disposed of. It felt like family, actually, even though I never knew what that meant. The days Misaki had been with me during the mission had a sense of warmth and normalcy to it which I had never felt, or perhaps I had experienced in the past but forgot. I wanted to live in such days as long as I could.

I felt Misaki tugging my sleeve. I merely grunted in response without facing her. “Lei, I’ve been wondering, why do you want me to stay?”

“I don’t know, myself,” I lied. Telling her about my thoughts felt too awkward and energy-draining. “Perhaps I’m just feeling lonely after all these years.”

“Five years of distancing yourself from everyone does that to a person,” she agreed.

I raised my eyebrows. “Misaki…”

“I’ve discussed about you with your previous partners and your friends. You never let anyone get too close to you relationship-wise,” she said. “Why?”

“I’ve lost my best friend, Dalias, who went over to the Runic Moon. Look at him; he’s as good as dead now. Many of my comrades were slain during the rebellion, too. Remember the Teleporter I killed? Ilaria? She was someone I loved. I couldn’t bear to kill her. She killed herself with my blade because I was hesitant. She did not want my comrades to suspect me of treason. I witnessed so much death, misery and bloodshed that I’m tired of fighting, tired of making friends when I’ll just lose them again,” I explained thoughtlessly, surprised at myself for revealing so much. “That’s why.”

Misaki remained silent for a while, and then she spoke, “What’s your real name?”

“That’s classified.”

She pouted adorably. “Oh, come on, Lei! We should get to know each other better. After all, I agreed to stay.”

Good point. I found it rather hard to refuse that face of hers either way. “It’s Li Zheng Qiu.”

“I’m Mizuki Kouno,” Misaki introduced herself with beaming eyes, “Zheng Qiu, huh… You really are Chinese.”

What’s that supposed to mean? “Should I call you Mizuki or Misaki?”

“Misaki in front of others, and just between us, you can address me by my real name,” came her bubbly reply.

I stretched lazily. “Too much hassle. I’ll just call you Misaki.”

“Sure!”

Just another normal day. I cherish such days. I was now all too familiar with the caliginosity when I enter Skuld’s world, so I was surprised when I entered a room in my dream this time round. It was a luxurious room with a king-sized bed, its floor laid over with an expensive Turkish carpet, its walls painted with feathers and illustrations of angels. Dolls of all shapes and sizes rested around the sole furniture of the doorless chamber. The change of scenery was certainly refreshing. Skuld sat upon the bed, looking more beautiful than ever as she brushed her fringe to one side and smiled at me. I waved my hand across the place and said, “This is your room?”

She nodded as she picked up a teddy bear and hugged it affectionately. “Since Misaki had some sharing session with you, I figured I’d do the same. I felt it’s unfair that I know so much of you but you so little about me.”

I crossed my arms. “You eavesdropped again.”

Skuld laughed guiltily. “It’s a bad habit of mine. I can see you whenever I try to communicate with you. It so happened you have your bedtime chats with Misaki at that time.”

I walked over to her and sat beside her. “So, why don’t you tell me about yourself?”

She placed the bear on her lap and combed its fur. “I was born an orphan, adopted by a pair of loving surrogates. I graduated from Princeton University, and I have a sweet tooth. As you may have noticed, I love anything related to angels.”

A child prodigy with gargantuan affluence, I noted. “What about your powers? You’re… unique, for an Übermensch. You can enter people’s dreams, have the ability of foresight, and can locate people and even see them. Most Übermenschs only have one skill.”

Skuld shrugged nonchalantly. “That’s why I’m special, I suppose.”

“Is Skuld your real name? I’ve read on Norse mythologies before.”

She smiled. “Yes, it is. It’s not as strange as that child named Chewbacca a few years back, though.”

I chuckled. “No, it’s not. Anyway, I’ve been wondering. The first time we met, you acted so cryptically. What’s with that?”

“That wasn’t me. I was in a trance then.” Skuld fell backwards onto the bed, pulling a pillow under her head. “Anyway, I’m really glad that you asked Misaki to stay. She must be elated.”

“She is. Nonetheless, I still don’t know if I love her.”

I felt her hand wrapping around mine. She was warm. “Don’t worry. You have time.”

“Will I ever meet you in real life?”

She gazed at me with her glimmering eyes. “You will. Very soon.”

I awoke to a blinding sun and a bright face. Misaki was hauling me out of bed while I remain anchored in the blanket. “Wake up, Li-kun!”

“What’s with the early commotion?” I mumbled lazily, still not moving of my own accord.

“C’mon! It’s your birthday! I’ve already called everyone along! We should celebrate!”

I glanced at the calendar. Sure enough. Another year older, and one more step closer to dying. How cheerful. Eventually I crawled out of bed and washed up, had a quick shave and donned a fresh set of clothes. Throwing on my bulletproof jacket, I left the apartment with Misaki. I never had a single birthday celebration in the thirty years of my life. I disliked the cacophony and the inconvenience that was cleaning up afterwards. Still, I suppose I should try out new things, as Misaki had so shown me in our stay together by forcing me to wear brighter-colored clothes and shoving down exotic food down my reluctant throat. Ah, karma. I should kill less people.

The moment I stepped into the local food court I had visited for the past five years, I was taken aback by an explosion of ribbons and glitter. The good old chef was laughing heartily, presenting to me an extra large plate of noodles I loved. Exodus and Aide Kruz were present too, and, much to my surprise, sir Albireo with his feline friends. What the-? How did he get cats into a food court? The Ophanim smiled at me charmingly. “Happy birthday, dear friend. One step closer to death, hm?”

I smirked at his little inside joke, sitting round the table with my friends. Misaki stood out as the only female in our company, but that was quickly changed as Albireo invited someone else along. She needed no introduction, for I had known her even longer than Misaki. Alina (an alias, of course) was yet another Ophanim, who was the opposite of the bubbly Misaki. Quiet, poised and demure, the redhead was indispensable in keeping us on task. Her ability was potentially one of the strongest amongst us: She could halt any force, energy or substance aimed at her even at high velocities. In other words, no harm could befall upon her, so it came as no surprise that she had not sustained any damage once in her missions. Alina settled down in her seat silently, smiling meekly at me. The two of us shared a little history together once, but that was another story.

Exodus thrust a bottle of beer into the air. “To Lei’s thirty-first birthday! Cheers!”

Misaki was the first to join in with her cup, followed by Aide Kruz, Albireo and Alina (who had tea instead of alcohol). I took a sip from mine before placing it down. “So… why the sudden decision to celebrate?”

“Misaki decided that it’s about damn time we do something up for your birthday. I noticed you haven’t had any before,” explained Exodus, his breath reeking of alcohol, having drunk the entire bottle in a single go. “Hey, old man, you can bring it out now!”

The chef (or ‘old man’ as Exodus called him) brought out an elaborately decorated coffee favored cake with three large candles and a small one to represent my age. Misaki and Exodus were the only enthusiastic ones singing, while Albireo just clapped along to the rhythm. Aide Kruz and Alina were… just there, I guess. Those two were too mature to do such things. So it was with me blowing out the candles that the initial party was over, and we finished the cake relatively quick (I didn’t bother making a wish; they never realize, anyway). Then Misaki dragged us out for some shopping as per usual, except this time she focused on buying things for me instead of her.

“Whaddya think?” she asked, holding up an electric blue shirt at me.

I crossed my arms in thought. “It feels too… young for me.”

Exodus struck me on my back rather hard, nearly knocking me forward. “C’mon, Lei! Don’t be in such a hurry to die!”

Some encouragement that was. Albireo (who yet again managed to smuggle his cats into the pet-forbidden shopping mall), on the other hand, preferred to get me a rather fetching suit which caught my eye. It was light and soft, perfect if I ever needed to fight in it, such as during undercover missions, reminiscent of James Bond. Aide Kruz agreed to our tastes, picking out a black leather belt to accompany my outfit. Alina bought a rather effeminate silver locket for me from the other store, causing my friends around me to raise their eyebrows in curiosity. Still, I accepted her goodwill and wore it over my neck. To my amusement, Misaki seemed rather jealous.

“Hey Misaki, what’s your present for Lei?” came Exodus’ question. The brunette smiled meekly, and then she strode over to me. Her face was a little too close. Then I felt her lips against mine. There was a curious tingling sensation that ran down my spine. My face heated up like the Sahara desert under the afternoon sun as the slow realization dawned on me that everyone was watching, not to mention that we were in a public area. When she finally pulled away from me, Exodus was cheering at the top of his voice, joined in by Albireo and the chef, as well as some other people sitting around. Aide Kruz pretended to look away, and Alina pretended to be engrossed at staring at her handphone screen.

“Misaki…”

“Did I just rob you of your first kiss?” she asked cheekily, her face rosy like a peach.

She hadn’t. The first had gone to Ilaria. I just nodded quietly to her question, pretending to be too embarrassed to talk. My friends stayed with me till the evening, when I requested to have some peace and quiet to myself (and Misaki, now preoccupied with her game console) at home. I stepped into my room with a new copy of ‘Der Wille zur Macht’, shutting the door behind me.

“Happy birthday, Lei.”

I dropped my book. There was a lady sitting atop my bed. Her face was all too familiar.

“…Skuld? W…what are you…?” I stammered, at a loss for words.

Skuld smiled at me, one that I had seen in my dreams all too often to indicate amusement. “I thought I’d pay a visit to you in person, seeing as today’s your birthday. Aren’t you happy to see me at last?”

As the initial shock wore away, joy replaced it. I had always wanted to see her in person, an inner desire to confirm that she really existed. Now here she was. It was most surreal. It was hard to believe at first, until she held my hand. It was warm, like in my dream. She was so close to me, and her visage so beautiful, like that of an angel. I had nearly forgotten what I was about to say. “…Is there any other reason that you’ve come?”

A sudden sense of uneasiness came over me. Somehow, intuitively, I knew I would not like whatever that she was about to say. Maybe it was because of being with Misaki for so long that I became familiar with recognizing that particular facial expression that said “I’m going to do something that you will dislike but I am going ahead with it anyway”. She seemed to have read my mind, her smile widening. “I’m going to stay with you.”

There was a dreadful silence. “Tell me you’re kidding, Skuld.”

“I’m not,” she answered candidly. Then, as if she had read my mind, she went on, “I’ll explain everything to your friends and Misaki.”

I caught the meaning behind her words, insinuating that Misaki was more than a friend to me. I heaved a sigh, taking a seat on my bed. I felt like a migraine was coming soon. “How are you going to tell everyone about yourself? And why do you want to live here?”

“The truth,” came her succinct reply. “As for the second question, I think that by being with the key to my vision, it may aid to see deeper into the future. It’s just a conjecture, but maybe the hypothesis might prove to be right. Any action is better than none, right?”

I shook my head. I was getting a headache from thinking about this. “They wouldn’t believe you at all.”

“That’s why I need you to affirm my explanations.”

“…Right.” I was still unconvinced that this would work.

“Let’s start with convincing Misaki,” decided Skuld abruptly as she started towards the door. Before I could stop her, she exclaimed, “Excuse me!”

Misaki was outside, sitting on the couch and playing her game console. She was surprised, to say the least, to see a woman walking out of our bedroom. I felt like hiding under a rock at this point. This was one awkward situation that I wished I could escape from. Misaki stared at Skuld for a while, dumbstruck, and then shifted her gaze towards me. “Lei…? Who…?”

“I’ll explain everything, Misaki,” I spoke in resignation, knowing that my roommate would most likely not trust Skuld. And so I began from the very beginning, from Mohandas’ search where I first met the mysterious Übermensch and her predictions of Dalias, right up till the current situation. I kept the more personal conversations with Skuld private in fear of fomenting any trouble. It definitely took a while, but both ladies sat quietly and listened. Come to think of it, Skuld still remained mum about that ‘he’ she mentioned the second time I met her. I was somewhat uneasy about her knowing another man who displayed little anxiety over the destruction of the world. Misaki seemed unhappy at me for keeping something like this from her, so I quickly added at the end, “…I’m sorry for not telling you this, but frankly, I doubt anyone would believe me.”

The raven-haired Japanese appeared beleaguered with thoughts, but sorted them out hastily. “I understand why you didn’t inform me of this, but… even so, I wished you’ve told me about it nonetheless. Even if I didn’t believe you…”

“I think I’m the one who ought to apologize,” said Skuld softly. “I’m the one who started this by visiting Zheng Qiu.”

“…Forget it, it doesn’t matter whose fault is it now, does it? You did this because of your ominous visions,” concluded Misaki, her mood suddenly lightening up. She broke into her usual sprightliness, smiling at Skuld and reaching her hand out at her. “Pleased to meet your acquaintance, Skuld. I hope we can get along, seeing as you’re going to live here, too.”

The enigmatic Cherub held her hand, smiling back at Misaki. Ah, women. I just could not understand how they think sometimes. Maybe I should get Exodus’ help. On second thought, he would only tell me how to get laid. “Come to think of it… Where is Skuld going to sleep?”

There was a pause. Misaki glanced about, pondered for a moment, and then suggested, “…With us?”

I pulled a face of disbelief. Oh, déjà vu. Haven’t I been through with this situation months before? I would hate to hear what Exodus would say if he knew I was sleeping not just with Misaki, but a breathtaking beauty like Skuld, too. He would make fun of me for the rest of my life, or would get very, very jealous. Probably. I got the feeling I wouldn’t mind seeing that envious face of his when he knew of this, but I didn’t want sir Blight and sir Albireo to have the wrong impression of me, either. “I’ll take the living room. You two can have my bed.”

Misaki hugged me from the back, her face bearing a mischievous grin as she poked at my cheek. “Why so shy, Lei? You’ve slept with me for a few months and you even got me to stay with you. Surely another girl wouldn’t be that bad, hm? Plus, she’s really pretty, too. It’s any man’s dream!”

Skuld blushed slightly at the flattery. I scowled. “Don’t tease me, Misaki. Besides, the bed wouldn’t have enough space for the three of us.”

“I have ways around that,” answered Skuld enigmatically. I had to admit, that got me curious. Without my consent, Misaki dragged the Cherub over to the bedroom to find out what her ‘ways’ were, and I followed behind shortly. I wasn’t quite sure what she did, but by the time I entered the room, the bed had grown longer, as though it had been stretched. …How the hell do you stretch a piece of wood with your bare hands? Well, I’m not complaining. I got a king-sized bed in exchange for a puny sized one. That bed could take four, I reckon. “See? Now it has space for three.”

“You can enter dreams, see the future, find people and you can elongate furniture! I’m really impressed!” remarked Misaki excitedly. “I’ve never known of any Übermensch with so many abilities… except for Cypher, that is.”

She wasn’t the only one awed by Skuld. I was stunned by her prowess, too. Maybe the Cherub had some more abilities up her sleeves. She reminded me of those Japanese anime where a guy meets a girl who can do anything and everything, even your deepest, darkest perverse desires. I wager that she was not as vulnerable as she looked, though. That was just a guess. Don’t take me too seriously. I noticed that it had fallen silent, and Misaki and Skuld were gazing at me. I thought I had to say something, “...Eh, I guess we have room for all of us now…”

“Yay!” exclaimed the Cherub, hurling herself onto the bed and crumpling the blanket as she pulled them around herself. It was quite an adorable sight, watching her cuddling like that, but I hastily kept a check on my expression as Misaki glanced at me. She did not seem to mind, to my astonishment. In fact, she looked like she was about to tease me, but decided not to say it, humming a tune as she left for the restroom. I stared at Skuld, who was trying to settle on the most comfortable position, eventually finding a spot by the side of the bed.

“...Not brushing your teeth?” I asked, attempting to strike up a conversation.

The petite Cherub shook her head. “I don’t have a toothbrush with me. I’ll bring my luggage in tomorrow.”

“Ah…” That ended pretty fast. “…That reminds me. How did you get into my room in the first place? Is that another one of your skills?”

 “Yup,” came her muffled response as her head disappeared under the blanket.

“…Don’t hide in there. You’ll suffocate.”

She emerged from the cotton cover. Her bewitching eyes sparkled under the lighting. “I won’t die that easily.”

I swallowed. A part of me went up to her and undid her dress, pulled it off her slender curves, and sank into her youthful flesh. The rest of me just collapsed onto left for the restroom, pushing the incongruous, sinful thoughts into the deepest recesses of my mind. My common sense was vying with vestiges of hormones from my teenage years. What was it about her that attracted me? Her beauty? She certainly was in a league of her own. Her bravery, perhaps, her willingness to venture into the unknown, or it could be her resoluteness, that personality. My mind was conflicted. I held equal affection for Misaki and Skuld. I don’t think either of them would like that. No one likes a two-timer.

“What’s wrong, Lei?” inquired Misaki, who was just done with washing her face. Beads of water glistened on her rosy cheeks. She was pretty, too, in a different way from Skuld. Argh, mental agony. What did I do in my previous life to deserve such a dilemma? “You look troubled.”

“Huh? Oh, uh…” I started, somewhat panicky. Where’s an excuse when you need one? “I was wondering how to break this news to the others.”

Misaki contemplated a bit, and then she answered, “Just tell them whatever you’ve told me. I can back you up.”

“We cannot let the UN know of her power. She will be apprehended, interrogated and maybe even killed. We can’t have that happen,” I warned, suddenly comprehending how dire our situation might be. Great, now I really was troubled.

“Don’t worry, I understand that,” she assured me, giving me an elfin smile. “I’m not that dim-witted.”

I returned the smile. “Sometimes you’re such a klutz, though.”

“Hey!” I ducked away from an incoming sponge, caught it and flung it back at her. She grabbed it before it hit her face, and then she lost her footing and collapsed backwards on the ground with a loud thud. “Ow!”

“...I rest my case,” I concluded triumphantly, chuckling at her carelessness. I went over to her. “Are you hurt?”

She rubbed her back, wincing as she did. “I think I got a bruise…”

“Let me take a look.” I went around her and lifted her shirt up. “Yeah, a small contusion. I’ll get the ointment.”

“Nah. I don’t need medication for every trifle,” Misaki said, pushing herself up to her feet. “I’m not made of glass.”

“No, you’re made of diamonds.”

She threw a friendly punch at me. “Aw, stop it. I’m blushing.”

Misaki stared at me for a while with an incomprehensible expression, and then she left. When I returned to my room, Misaki and Skuld were exchanging stories of their personal lives, or at least the former did while the latter listened. I took my place by the side of the bed without a word and flicked off the lights lethargically, ignoring the couple’s complaints about not giving them a signal before doing so. It was strange. I had gotten too used to Skuld visiting me every night in my dreams, and now that she was here, there was no need for her to.

I had a dream that night. Dalias was shouting something at me urgently, clearly worried for my life. There was a huge, looming shadow cast over me, and then the ex-Master Throne was reduced to ashes. No matter how hard I ran, I could only proceed at a snail’s pace while the darkness continued to consume everything in its path at breakneck speed. Horrid screams and cries for help grew deafening, and then incoherent. I came to an unexpected halt, despite trying desperately to move. My adrenaline was rushing through my veins, my heart beating like a drum at a frenzied rate. Then, I fell into the caliginosity, plummeting into the deep abyss. I landed softly on a titan’s palm. Its fingers moved, closing in on me, attempting to crush me. I could not escape its clutch. I was suffocating, begging for salvation…

“Lei! Lei!” I awoke with a jolt, breaking out in cold sweat. Misaki was staring at me concernedly. “You alright? You look like you’ve had a nightmare.”

“I’m fine. It’s just a dream,” I told her, still recovering from the shock. “Just a dream…”

Skuld held my hand, passing her warmth onto me. “Why don’t you tell me about it?”

“I’d rather not think about it,” I stated curtly, wiping the sweat off my forehead. “But thanks anyway.”

Aside from the morning commotion, I was greeted with a surprise. Not. Apparently Skuld can cook, too. I knew it! Wonder what she can’t do. I text messaged my comrades who had visited me yesterday to return for a meeting using our usual codes. It was puzzlingly nerve-wrecking, probably due to the fear of the possibility of them trying to prosecute Skuld. I trust that Kruz wouldn’t do that, although I could not say the same for sir Blight.  At noon, they arrived. I greeted them at my doorstep. “It’s nice to see you all again. Come inside, I’ve someone I want to introduce you to.”

My pulse quickened. I was evidently nervous about how they would react. In the worst case scenario, Skuld would have to fend for herself, and I would be persecuted for hiding an unregistered Übermensch. At least Exodus had a positive reaction when he saw her. He wolf whistled, a lecherous glint sparkling in his pupil. Aide Kruz and Alina had unreadable faces as usual, both dressed in their tuxedoes. Sir Blight and Albireo had impassive faces, knowing that I would explain everything to them, while Bamidbar was trying to size her up. “This is Skuld. Skuld, these are my friends: Sir Blight, Albireo, Bamidbar, Alina, Exodus and Aide Kruz.”

She bowed curtsy at them. “It’s my pleasure to meet you all.”

“So, Lei, who’s this hot chick?” asked Exodus bluntly. “You’re gonna tell us why she’s here, right?”

I nodded. “Precisely. You can ask questions when I’m done elucidating.”

I began regurgitating everything I told Misaki, while the latter chimed in to add in some comments. Again, I neglected to mention about the UN manipulating us. They did not need another burden on their shoulders now. Skuld was everything but uneasy, listening quietly to me with a serene expression. Sir Blight did not look too pleased, as I expected, but Albireo seemed not to mind it at all. When I was done, the former decided to speak up, “So this lady… led you to find Dalias and stopped him from performing a dangerous stunt on Area 51. I appreciate your aid, Miss Skuld, and this act alone proved you’re no ally of the Runic Moon, but please forgive my rudeness, for I’d like to ask you: how did you manage to avoid the detection of the UN all these years?”

Skuld shrugged. “You are familiar with the history of our race, are you not?”

Sir Blight nodded. “Very clearly. Could it be that during the Second World War, some Übermenschs actually managed to avoid being identified by the UN? If that’s true, I can see how you’re unregistered.”

“That’s one reason, yes,” replied the Cherub. “I don’t know how many other unregistered Übermenschs there are out there, since we have no organizations such as yours. At least, I don’t know of any.”

It was Bamidbar’s turn to speak. “How is it possible that you have so many abilities? The only one I know of with more than two is Cypher.”

Skuld smiled radiantly. “This isn’t the first time I’ve heard that question. Lei and Misaki have asked it too. All I can say is… it’s in my genes.”

“Man, I can’t believe you sometimes, Lei. All these while, and you kept me out of the circle about this pretty princess?” complained Exodus.

I smirked. “I didn’t want your dirty claws all over her, that’s way.”

Albireo chuckled. The atmosphere lightened somewhat, as though a thick, dark cloud was whisked away.

“I can’t trust you yet, Skuld, but… I won’t hand you over to the UN,” decided sir Blight. He turned to the others. “What about you?”

“I feel the same as you do, Blight,” agreed Albireo, scratching his pet cat lying lazily on his lap. It gave a delightful purr, leapt off and jumped onto Skuld’s thighs. “Socrates’ a good judge of people. She trusts you, so I will too.”

Alina stretched her arms downwards. “I believe in Lei. That’s all that matters.”

“There you have it. Alina sums it up for me,” said Exodus, placing his hands behind his head. “Whatever you say, boss.”

I heaved a sigh of relief. This had gone better than I imagined. “Thank you, guys.”

“So, uh, I take it you live you Lei, too?” Exodus enquired curiously. Skuld nodded. “Damn it! Lei, you bastard!”

I gave him the best evil overlord laughter impression I could. That envious look on his face is priceless. Aide Kruz was trying hard not to laugh, while Alina, for one of the rarest occasions, actually smiled. With that, I ended our meeting on a high note. Albireo decided to stay around a little longer so that his pet Socrates got enough play time with Skuld. The Ophanim seemed interested in her, but it was probably because his cat was too. He was relaxing on my couch, watching Skuld tease Socrates with catnip. “Lei, have you been reading the news in the Übermensch site?”

I shook my head. “No, why?”

“There was a report from sir Merodach. Looks like he was done with his mission.”

Dalias’ acquaintance had been killed, in other words. “Does that mean you’ll be returning back to Germany?”

“I initially planned to, but...” He cast a glance at Skuld. “Her ominous message is disturbing. Too disturbing. I don’t want the world to suffer like this. I want to get to the bottom of this, to stop what she had foreseen.”

Skuld knitted her fingers together. “See, Lei? My arrival here does move things along.”

“Let’s hope it doesn’t move your vision closer too,” I retorted. The Cherub pursed her lips, returning her attention to Socrates.

Albireo called his pet over to him and bid farewell to us at three. I decided to head back to my room to peruse the computer, checking to see if I had been assigned any tasks. There were several, although most of them were taken by the lower ranks. There was nothing left for me to do, and my vacation had expired (I hardly had a chance to enjoy it, now that I think of it), so it was right back to work again. I thought about the IGO’s skilful puppetry on the Übermenschs and its people, and then about Runic Moon’s cause. I hesitated to take on a mission. Even if the Runic Moon had been eliminated, the UN would still find other ways around its plan. The fate of my race would not be any better, I reckon.

In the end, I simply shut off my laptop and took an afternoon nap. However, I was rudely awakened before I could get any decent sleep. Misaki had dragged me out of my bed roughly, throwing my bulletproof coat at me. She was evidently urgent. “What’s going on?”

“Skuld warned me of danger. She said something about a woman with a gun on her way here, visions of you two fighting. Could she be trying to avenge Dalias?”

“Who knows…? I’d better get ready,” I replied. Violence begets violence. I dreaded an avenger of higher rank than me, but logical thinking kept telling me that only someone stronger would come to attack me, unless he or she was terribly reckless. Revenge blinds people, but Übermenschs were not exactly well known for that trait. Whoever that wanted to kill me probably did not only have revenge in his or her mind. With a Master Throne out of the way, the Runic Moon would have one less threat to deal with. Without another word, I donned my white mask and equipped my wired knives. It’s either kill or be killed. I did not want to fight against the Runic Moon any longer, but this I had no choice. “Misaki, take Skuld and leave for Aide Kruz’s house.”

“Okay.”

Now I was all alone. It felt almost nostalgic to be in solitude again. I waited by the door, a pistol in my hand. One hour passed by, and I remained dead still. I sensed a radiesthesia approaching, and whoever outside had felt mine too. It was strong, as I had dreaded. Definitely above Throne level. I could feel the person outside hesitate for a moment, realizing that the ambush had not gone as expected. Slowly, ever so slowly, the door clicked open. A boot came into view. At that very moment, I darted into view and pulled the trigger. Before me was a brown-haired woman, her features Russian, her limbed sapphire irises cold as the snow of Alps. I recognized her. Anzhela Demidov, an Ophanim who could fly. A fitting name, for ‘Anzhela’ translates to ‘angel’. Nevertheless, she was not compassionate like one.

The femme fatale had been crouching when she entered, causing my shot to be completely off the mark. Her .44 magnum was aimed at my head, her finger ready to pull the trigger. I instinctively reached for the door and slammed it in her face, forcing her to kick it open again. It was a minute window of opportunity, but I made full use of it by slipping in and disarming her, tossing the gun away from her. Immediately I reached for her arm in a bid to electrocute her, but I stumbled backwards as a forceful kick came onto my abdomen.

After I recovered from that winded feeling, I found her making a beeline for her gun. Without a thought, I flung my knife at it, knocking the firearm away from her. Knowing her, she would not aim for my bulletproof coat, so keeping her from procuring a gun was my topmost priority. I thought I had a concussion when she sent a fist swiftly in my direction, and I was seeing stars. Before I could regain my orientation, I saw her knee incoming. Now I could see the Milky Way, too. I collapsed onto the ground, writhing in pain. My head was spinning, and my field of vision was messed up, causing me to see a duplicate of everything until I regained my senses. She was extremely skilled at close quarter combat techniques.

When I looked up, I saw her aiming the .44 magnum at me. I was too slow. Dammit.

Then, for some reason, she turned around curiously, her gun still aimed at me. Anzhela gave a violent jerk as she fell to the ground painfully, knocked down by a blow to the back of her neck. I hurried to my feet, kicked the gun away from her and grabbed her by her throat. Misaki crouched down beside me, aiming her gun at the Ophanim. “Why’d you come back?”

“Skuld told me to. She said that you would need my help. Looks like she’s right,” answered Misaki, her gaze not leaving Anzhela.

I nodded slowly, glaring at the defeated soldier. “Now, Anzhela, I’d like some answers.”

“In your dreams.” My arm was nearly wrenched off as I felt the ground vanish under me, and a blast of wind cannoned into me. I barely held on to the Ophanim, but I could feel my grip loosening, and so could she. She had a triumphant gleam in her eyes as she reached for my arm. I grimaced. She was going to break my elbow. That pain would be too unbearable for me to keep my grasp on her. I was doomed. A mental image of me plummeting and my brains splattering all over the pavement surfaced in my imaginative mind, and it was not at all pleasant. I did not dare to look down. However, there was little choice. I freed my hand from her neck, and I felt the powerful force of the wind rushing against my falling figure.

As soon as I released my hold on her, I launched my wired knife at her, lassoing it around her leg. The combined weight of her and me in addition to the damage she sustained earlier was too much, forcing her to find a roof to land on. She could have decided to take off her pair of jeans, but the possibility of me taking myself down with her probably crossed her mind. I held on to the wire as it was my lifeline, the only thing separating me from a horrible death. A skyscraper was right before us, growing larger and larger as we neared it. It was time. The very moment I was close to the edge, I sent a jolt up the wire and watched her convulse and lose consciousness. There was enough momentum to hurl me onto the floor, and I did so with ease. I heaved a sigh of relief. I was alive.

The questioning can wait. I need my afternoon nap badly.

===========================================================

Alina: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v674/Aetheral/Characters/74c73e08cbf1b896f17f8122a1a5ee11.jpg
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« Reply #11 on: July 07, 2009, 02:30:18 pm »

God Ciel.

"I glanced at the calendar. Sure enough. Another year older, and one more step closer to dying. How cheerful."

How ironic that its my birthday when I actually read this. Nice chapter.
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« Reply #12 on: July 08, 2009, 04:14:35 am »

I always 'celebrate' my birthday with that thought in my head, hence I added that in.
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« Reply #13 on: September 10, 2009, 01:55:36 am »

I haven't been updating yet, but here's another chapter I kept in reserves.
===================================================

Chapter 5: Reconnoiter

“Wow, I can’t believe you actually defeated an Ophanim…”murmured Exodus incredulously. I was at the Übermensch HQ, after handing Anzhela to the Inhibitor. Ophanim or not, an Übermensch’s powers were useless in his presence, even Cypher Zuller. The HQ was not particularly noteworthy, for it did not possess any revolutionary technology of the sort. In fact, it was just a well-lit, spacious building with Übermenschs and intergovernmental officials hurrying along, minding their own businesses like any other ordinary office one would see. Ordinary people would not even take a second glance, which was the point of the whole design. Aide Kruz was absent from the office today, for he had finally completed restoring the UN databanks and opted to have a week of vacation. Sir Albireo was not here as well, possibly out to explore his home country. “You really deserve the title of a Master Throne. You should be promoted to an Ophanim already.”

“Bah, I don’t want to be riddled with more assignments. Master Throne’s good enough for me,” I replied humbly.

Exodus chuckled, “Now that’s my role model. By the way, how did you find out about Anzhela trying to kill you?”

“She predicted it,” I replied vaguely. It would be terrible if anyone in the HQ learned of Skuld’s existence. My fellow Throne had caught my drift, nodding in comprehension. “Well, I’ll see you around.”

“Ciao, Lei. I’ll pay our dear chicks a visit when I’m free.”

I bid my invisible friend adieu before making my way through cubicles and corridors to the Inhibitor’s office, where a balding man in his seventies sat alone, typing up documents and reports which would be filed to the UN main branch’s high security sectors. It was strange to see that the legendary variant was actually this septuagenarian, but only fools would underestimate him. He was quite capable of holding his own. During the rebellion, it was he who had almost caught Cypher, but the latter was skilled not only in Übermensch abilities, but human fighting styles, too. It was thus that he managed to escape, for the veteran soldier was too old to match the Master Seraph’s abilities. The Inhibitor’s office was a stark contrast from the rest of the building. It was decorated with the 1950s in mind. Even his telephone was the old model, which you had to rotate it to dial in the numbers. The only piece of electronics that kept with the times was his computer. His creased visage broke into a smile when he saw me. “Ah, sonny, it’s been a while. What can this old man do for you?”

“Good to see you too, sir. I’d like to make a strange request, if you don’t mind.”

“Oh?” He raised his eyebrows, his interest piqued. “Let me in on the details.”

“I’d like Anzhela’s abilities suppressed and I wish to interrogate her alone, no one else around,” I answered tensely.

The Inhibitor frowned, causing his wrinkles to be more prominent. “You’d like your results to be private.”

He was spot on. I continued, “Yes, sir. I believe her reasons of assaulting me are as well.”

“I see…” muttered his guttural voice, his face deep in contemplation. “Well, I won’t be so nosy as to question your reasoning. It’s become quite a trend lately.”

That meant he agreed, even if it was grudgingly. “Thank you, sir.”

The interrogation room was simple: two chairs and a table in a subtly-lit room. On the wall was a large panel of glass which could only be seen through by people in the room adjoining to this. The Inhibitor remained in his office, for his ability’s range was wide enough to encompass the entire building. There were only Anzhela and I in the room, and the former was tied to her chair, which was welded to the floor to prevent reckless escapades, and hooked up to a lie detector. The brunette seemed awfully pissed off, but I was not bothered with it. “There are only two of us here, Anzhela. I’m willing to forgive that little charade in the afternoon. I’ll keep everything we talked about here private. I’d like you to tell me why you attacked me. Was it to avenge Dalias? I knew him well enough that he would disapprove of this. Surely you understand that, too.”

“Why did you not defect to the Runic Moon, Lei? I’ve heard. Sir Lawrence explained it to you. You knew, yet you stubbornly chose to side with the UN,” she responded with her thick Russian accent. “It will suppress the world with tyranny and fear. Everything will be controlled and regulated.”

“That is beside the point, but I shall answer. Lawrence and Dalias are willing to kill their comrades without any hesitation. Mohandas, dead before he could apologize for his errs. Dalias had gone out of his way to harm someone who was once his closest friend, too. The Runic Moon is just as immoral.”

“The one who was assigned to Mohandas’ mission… wasn’t Dalias.”

Silence. I stared at her in confusion. Dalias was alive? I glanced at the lie detector. Not lying. It wasn’t helping my bafflement a bit, and I might need some aspirin. “What are you talking about? I was there. I saw him. I know that face.”

“Following the years after the rebellion, the Runic Moon became aware of vagrant Übermenschs, some of whom sympathized with our cause and joined our ranks. One of them had the same ability as Dalias, and became his student soon after,” explained Anzhela, watching my reaction closely, trying to gauge how much she should reveal. Still not lying. What was she playing at?

“…That still doesn’t explain how uncannily he resembled Dalias,” I argued, crossing my arms.

The Russian leaned backwards on the chair. “He wore a face camouflage. It was a cutting edge technology that allowed him to resemble Dalias. Shame, that piece of expensive gadgetry had to be dumped into the fire with that poor boy.”

Not lying. In fact, she seemed to be more concerned over the equipment than Dalias’ pupil.

“Why would he do such a thing?” I asked, perplexed. “It made no sense whatsoever.”

“…” She clammed up, refusing to answer.

“…Forget it. You don’t have to answer. I’ll find it out sooner or later, either way.” I said with dispassionately, falling back onto my seat. “Now tell me why you attacked me.”

“It was a mission, nothing more,” replied Anzhela curtly. She had guessed what I was thinking, quickly adding, “Not every mission is gone though with the higher ups in the Runic Moon. Master Cypher wouldn’t have permitted it.”

Not lying. An Übermensch going out of her way to do something unassigned to her. How very un-Übermensch-like of her.

“So it was for revenge.”

“…” No response again. I’m having second thoughts about revenge as the objective.

“Is there anything else you wish to add before I end our conversation here?”

“Leave the UN before it is too late, Lei. We’re fighting a meaningless battle amongst ourselves. By the time your side realizes what was going on, there would be too few of us left to fight them. It would be over for us, and for humanity.”

I did not respond, shutting the door as I walked out of the room. I already knew everything she had said before that. What could I do? Defect to the Runic Moon? I did not have the faintest clue where their base is, nor could I bear to face my friends in battle. In the end, Übermenschs were no different from soldiers, to be used as pawns by the UN to achieve their goals. I wonder if Noir was right to leave humanity to its own fate. Humans and Übermenschs share a symbiotic relationship. One affected would influence the other. A Seraph should know this best, yet…

“Something troubling you, Lei?” I stopped abruptly as I halted before a pair of polished boots. Looking up, I saw the venerable sir Blight standing in front of me, clutching onto his favorite wooden cane. I hesitated for a while, wondering whether to tell him my dilemma. He might draw the wrong conclusion of me trying to betray them. But he, one of the men I respect the highest, should know the truth. As I remained silent, he decided to continue, “Come. Take a walk with me.”

I tilted my head forward slightly, following him up to the rooftop. It used to be a place I frequented with Dalias and Misaki, when there was nothing to do but to watch the sun rise and set, observing how it painted the sky a fiery gold before it was shaded with blue and violet and ebony of the night. Tokyo had too many industries and buildings that the stars were no longer visible, but when I remember the times in China during my Angel-ranked years that I often brought a telescope out into the park to view the constellations in the boundless space. At that time, life was simple. Things were easier to classify as black or white, occasionally gray. Now, the colors meshed. Sir Blight and I maintained a serene quietness between us for a moment as we admired the scenery of the seas of buildings, and then he finally spoke, “By any chance… are you thinking about what Lawrence had said to you?”

I nearly jumped out of my skin, turning to him hastily. “You guessed?”

“You’re not the only one who had heard him that day. Albireo and I were perturbed too, although I haven’t discussed this with the others…”

“Do you think sir Noir is right? That we shouldn’t interfere with the affairs of humans?”

Sir Blight shook his head. “Übermenschs share a close bond with humans, as do all other living beings. An enormous impact such as this would undoubtedly affect us as well… Who’s to say we’re not going to be oppressed too?”

“My sentiments exactly,” I agreed eagerly. “Such thoughts would get us arrested.”

“To conform and pray that things turn out for the best, or to rebel and try to change things… perhaps that was what Cypher believed. Have we been fighting blindly for the UN all these while, I wonder…? It has been engrained in our minds not to question the governments’ actions for so long that we had forgotten what is right and what is wrong. Black has become white.”

“Two plus two equals five, huh...” I muttered, laughing morbidly. “Actually, Skuld told me something about the UN that you should know.”

Sir Blight gazed at me with curiosity glimmering in his eyes. I told him everything about the government trying to uniting the world under a single banner, using the Übermenschs as the key to inject fear into the public. There wasn’t actually much to tell him, frankly. The Teleporter had said most of it during our last encounter with him. The respected Ophanim was mildly surprised, but held his cool as he stared at the skyscrapers in the distance, following a couple of birds flutter away into the distance. “This… is bad news indeed. Still, with things as they are now, we cannot change anything by ourselves. The UN watches our moves, and the Runic Moon sees us as their enemy. One wrong move would put us in a terrible spot.”

“Exactly. I don’t know what to do.”

He heaved a troubled sigh, eyeing me with interest. “How much do you trust Skuld?”

I wondered where he was going with this question. “I can’t really say. She is a great help to me, and she is a nice person, but I know there is much more to her than meets the eye. I feel that she is keeping things from me, yet… my instinct… or clairvoyance, whatever it is, is telling me to trust her. I feel as though I could place my life in her hands.”

Surprisingly, sir Blight laughed out loud. “Strange. I feel the exact same way the moment I saw her. I thought I was the only one.”

“Can we trust her information?” I asked, like a child asking for permission.

The Ophanim shrugged. “You have believed in her for the prediction on Dalias. You decide.”

“That’s just maddeningly unhelpful,” I grumbled, shaking my head in frustration. Sir Blight chuckled and left briskly.

In the end, I have to make the choice myself. I took a cab outside the HQ back home, staring blankly at the passing scenery outside the window. I was mentally exhausted after the interrogation and the conversation with sir Blight (not to mention I still did not get that afternoon sleep I was dying for), so I spaced out throughout the whole journey to my abode. When I snapped back to reality, I had already found myself back in the living room, resting on my couch. Misaki was in her pajamas, rubbing her eye sleepily as she walked out of my room. The sky outside was been painted a tangerine hue. Nearly evening and I still haven’t gotten a good nap. “How’d it go, Lei?”

“I found out that Dalias isn’t dead yet,” I responded, waving at Skuld, who was chewing on that bar of chocolate I bought the other day for myself.

“What!?” exclaimed a surprised Misaki with widened eyes. “Why? How?”

“The one we fought was his disciple who was wearing a flesh mask,” I answered with a nonchalant shrug.

She mumbled something incoherent unhappily, jumping onto the seat beside me. “How can you act so… aloof about this?”

“I’m just glad I didn’t kill my old friend. The Runic Moon might become an important ally later on, seeing as how the UN seems less and less to be on our side from what we’ve been gathering,” I answered. “Now that you mention it… in the short run, this is bad news. Dalias is a scheming man. He may have used his disciple to distract us away from him for the past few months. Skuld, what do you think?”

The Cherub simply shrugged, washing down the chocolate bar with a glass of milk. “You know him better than I do. Shouldn’t you ask your heart?”

As usual, she was right. If I knew Dalias as well as I think I do, he would be finding an alternative way of going about attacking the UN base at Area 51 while sending out his pawns to secure the other means of achieving their goal. He would have planned everything out in advance. His disciple would only be one of the means of executing the assault while he ensures the rest of his schemes would be ready in case one fails, such as the C4 explosives plan. Dalias might even have secured his escape route, too. Still, that gave me no clues of his whereabouts or his actions. “Easier said than done.”

“Hey, Skuld, join me for a game! The A.I. in this game sucks! I need your help!”

“I’ll be right there!” And so I was shut out from my own room, leaving me to sleep on the couch. Damn gamers.

When I came to, however, I had a blanket on me. I never found out whether it was Misaki or Skuld that placed it on me.

3rd of August, 2011. A few weeks have passed since our last mission, and suffice to say, nothing out of the ordinary had happened. The summer heat had subsided as the melancholic autumn took its place, deciduous trees shedding the old foliage and sprouting autumnal leaves upon their branches. I was a little upset about leaving the stifling warmth, for that meant I no longer get to see Skuld and Misaki dressed in sleeveless tops. I had learned a few things during Skuld’s stay in those days, though nothing of significance. Skuld never knew who her parents were, and that she was born in Venice, though her parents were of Chinese and Japanese descent (which was interesting, considering the bad blood between the two races in the previous generation due to World War II). As I’ve said, trivial stuff.

More importantly, sir Blight had explained the situation (regarding Skuld) to my friends, who had initially intended to stay over in Japan only for a week or so post-mission. They weren’t about to trust Skuld yet, unsurprisingly, but Alina had placed her trust in me. I wasn’t sure I understood Exodus’s reaction to this, but he seemed ready to put his faith with any pretty girl, while Bamidbar had his suspicions. I didn’t hear from sir Albireo, but he probably had the same notion as sir Blight. In other news, Misaki was already rather close with the petite Venetian after the latter’s brief stay here.

The day began with a gloomy, sunless sky that had cast the metropolitan landscape beneath into a melancholic darkness. What a cheerful day. I could barely get out of my bed. Skuld as well, was still snuggling inside the blankets, refusing to wake up. On the other hand, Misaki was still buzzing with energy as usual, unphased by the joy-draining atmosphere.

“C’mon, guys! Stop lazing around!” exclaimed the illusionist, dragging Skuld out of bed, and then started to yank me out by my ankle.

“What’s with the commotion? We’ve got nothing to do today, anyway…” I replied lethargically, clinging onto the bed sheets.

“You shouldn’t sleep your life away, Lei! You should be having your morning jog by this time already!”

I groaned with the effort of pushing myself to my feet, scratching my chin absent-mindedly as I went to wash up. Before I could head for the toilet, I heard an exclamation of pain from behind. I turned around instinctively, seeing Skuld on her knees, clutching her head with her trembling hand. Something wasn’t quite right. Dread was gnawing at my stomach. “...Skuld, what is it? Not feeling well?”

“I saw… that… vision again. From our first meeting,” she answered in between gasps, trying to regain her breath. She brushed away the hair that had been veiling her visage, which was frighteningly pale from the effort of suppressing the discomfort. “It’s linked to another future, one much closer to us. I didn’t manage to get a good glimpse of it, but… it’s about something, a building, I think, exploding into flames. There was something inherently… malevolent about it that I can’t place my finger on…”

I quickly helped her back to the bed and felt her forehead for any signs of illness. My hand retracted from her in a reflex reaction. Her forehead was frigid. I cast a glance at Misaki, who was looking at me quizzically. “I think we should take her to a doctor.”

Skuld grabbed my wrist hastily. Her palm was cold, too. “There isn’t a need to. This happens when I have such visions. I’ll feel better after a while.”

“…Are you sure?” inquired Misaki worriedly. “You look really sick.”

“I’ll be fine, trust me,” Skuld replied with a heave. “I know myself.”

Little did I know that this was a premonition of the many things that was about to come.

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Fairly short chapter, a prelude to a longer one.
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