Chapter Two

  The Devil’s School Orientation

  Viviana screamed as she fell down an endless void. Everything black and empty around her. Then she landed with a hard thud. Weirdly she felt no pain nor anything as her chest slammed against the black liquid covering the ground.

  The liquid itself was black, sticky, a bit soft like a gelatin but still liquid enough to flow and ripple around her feet. She looked around scared and confused.

  “What…Where am I?”

  Two shadowy figures suddenly appeared far ahead of her. They seem like females, swinging their swords at each other in graceful dance till one of them comes out victorious and the other dies.

  One of the shadowy figures slowly takes the form of Harina. Viviana recoiled at the surprising transformation the figure had and rubbed her eyes frantically to make sure what she saw was indeed her.

  The other figure didn’t take a form and transform but kept swinging its swords at Harina’s identical shadowy figure. With a loud scraping sound of their swords rubbing off one another, the unknown shadowy figure thrusted its sword into Harina and twisted it while letting out a loud pained scream.

  Harina’s shadowy figure fell to the ink-like substance covering the ground and flashes out a devious grin accompanied with a cackle as she pressed the hole on her chest.

  Meanwhile, the victorious shadowy figure turned its head and landed its red flashing eyes at Viviana. Its mouth is dripping with saliva and a little bit of blood.

  “You!” it called out in a growly voice. The shadowy figure raised her right arm and pointed her index at Viviana. “This is all your fault! This is not the future we need!”

  “—?! I-I–” Viviana stuttered in complete confusion. “What are you talking about?! Who–What are you?”

  “Souls will be lifted up from their worlds and unto heavens,” the shadowy figure said. “Countless possibilities—pick the right one when the time comes!”

  Suddenly something wrapped around Viviana by the waist and pulled her up towards the black sky violently. The rush of air brought her up into a blinding light up ahead. Too blinding for her to see, everything around her turned white.

  ***

  —?! Oh… it's just a bad dream.

  Viviana opened her eyes but to her surprise, her vision hadn't returned yet.

  …Of course. I’m still blind.

  The total vision impairment caused by the incident at her workplace still remains. Though weirdly, her lungs seem to be okay and she didn’t feel any pain she felt previously. The first thing she tried to move was her arms. The memories of getting her hands severed still haunts her.

  To her surprise, she found two, very technologically advanced prostheses surgically connected to where her stumps were. She tried to move them before feeling a neural response as the prosthetics fingers began to move around. They move just like her real fingers too, even allowing her to feel the smoothness of her silky blanket.

  She pulled her blanket. Her legs, originally flesh and bones, are now replaced with advanced prosthetics with the outer layer capable of giving her the sense of feeling like her own skin.

  How… How much did she spend on these things? These are not standard issue prostheses!

  Viviana slowly raised her head and sat up.

  These prostheses… they must be those advanced medical things Harina has at her disposal.

  She coughed, and then…

  Suddenly, inside her head, she could see waves beaming out of and going back to her, revealing the interior of the room she woke up in in some sort of 3D mental projection. After going back to her, the wave disappeared and her vision went pitch black again.

  What… What just happened?

  Viviana collected her thoughts momentarily, perplexed by what just happened. She coughed again. The waves appeared again and she could see the mental projection again.

  No, no, no—I must be seeing things. I’m going crazy. She chuckled at her weird transformation and decided to test it out further. She let out a whistle.

  A slight improvement over the cough, her whistle allows her to send the waves further and see further things. Like the clay pot on the drawer near the door.

  This must be a bad dream. Wake up, V. It’s time for work!

  She let out another whistle. This time, it’s a continuous flow. To her surprise, she can keep the mental projection projected for longer inside her head as long as she keeps making a sound and the sound can resonate back to her.

  No, no, no—this is not—possible.

  No matter how hard she tried to convince herself that her ability to perceive her surroundings using sounds, her very guts told her that everything was real.

  It must be a dream, right? Right?!

  She turned to the left, grabbed her IV pole and tapped it lightly against the floor twice. Her mind could still perceive the vibration but not by a lot and the distance is somewhat short, only about two metres.

  Viviana rubbed her toes on the floor and pressed against it, noticing that the moment she lifted her toes, the material seemed to be returning to its previous shape.

  Rubber?

  She tapped the pole again and again as she guided herself to the nearest wall. She tapped the wall using the IV pole and noticed that the vibration resonates better and allows her to see at least five metres around her and about a metre outside the wall.

  What is this—I can see things—by sounds? This is not good. Oh, right! My eyes—

  Viviana placed her palms on her head and felt multiple layers of bandage wrapped around her head, specifically, around her eye level.

  Was Harina actually able to give her a new set of working eyes? Was she really that powerful to be granting her something beyond what she is ever capable of financing in her previous life?

  The door slid open and her ears automatically sensed the vibrations from whoever just entered the room. The scent, lavender, must be Esther. Viviana turned at the door, her nose twitching as the scent became clearer with every step the person took..

  “Esther, is that you?” she asked.

  Esther smiled at her and put a stack of new clothes into the wardrobe beside her bed.

  “I see that you have started to assimilate to Lady Harina’s powers.”

  She turned to the general direction where Esther’s voice came from, still getting used to her newfound ability.

  “Assimilate? What do you mean to assimilate?”

  “I heard whistling, tapping, and mumbling from outside the room.” Esther continued to mindlessly but gently put the clothes in different compartments of the wardrobe. “Yes or no, have you experienced the difference in how you perceive your surroundings?”

  Feeling stunned by what she asked her, Viviana only nodded her head.

  “How did you know?”

  Esther simply shrugs her shoulders casually.

  “It’s just an educated guess. Now that you have awoken, how do you find your new hands and legs?”

  “It's—okay?” Viviana said warily. She moved her fingers a bit more. “I appreciate these prostheses but did she really have to plug the most expensive ones on me?”

  “Welcome to Quindecim Umbra,” Esther said, claiming proudly. “We only use the best, no exceptions. Those things are much much much stronger than your human counterparts. You can slap a whole reinforced concrete barricade off with your hands, jump higher, run faster, swim much further, kick stuff much harder, basically making you a superhuman.”

  Soon as Esther finished listing off the newly and unfairly obtained advantages, Viviana rolled her face up.

  “Actual contrived plot armour,” she said with a little distaste in her tone.

  “Have you tried any of your new powers yet?”

  “Powers?”

  “Yeah. Powers, magic, spiritual essence, whatever you want to call it.”

  Viviana listened to Esther intently. “I have powers now?”

  “Yes, A WHOLE LOT. I’m kinda jealous of you actually.”

  “Jealous? How come?”

  “Because here’s the thing, your contract with Lady Harina…that is something very special and powerful. Remember the moment she chanted the Latin speech? Your soul is basically tethered to hers…permanently…or in her words, until one of you dies and the bond is severed completely.”

  “What does that contract entail?”

  “Well, you are now theoretically able to use any of the power that she has with exactly zero drawback and consequences. Of course, assuming you can trigger them and then use them for another time. The learning curve will be a bitch for you, though.”

  Viviana groaned in exasperation.

  “Dear lord, that is just lazy writing.”

  “At least you acknowledge it.”

  “ Let me ask you something…can you do the sonar imagery thingy as well?”

  “I can. But different from you, I have to earn it.”

  “Earn it?”

  “It took me four months just to grasp the idea. Took me another seven to use it effectively.”

  “Who taught you?” asked Viviana..

  “Lady Harina. She taught me so many things… things that I would have never known alone.”

  Esther lowered her head. Her thoughts trace back to a distant memory.

  “She took me in, gave me strength, and moulded me into what I am today. Without her, I’m sure as hell going to die in that god forsaken alley or selling my body like every whore there.”

  Viviana turned to her, puzzled.

  “Then why didn’t she pick you as her successor?”

  “Lady Harina can see even the most well hidden potential within people with just one glance. She sees through me. She didn’t see any potential in leadership.” Esther’s tone comes off with a bit of bitterness. “She said that I’m more akin to an operator, an assassin. And looking at my life, she is absolutely right. I am more successful in taking lives than taking charge.”

  “Come on, now. You’re just selling yourself short. Isn’t the point of life to fail again and again until the result changes? A one percent success rate is still a result worth fighting for, no?”

  Esther looked at Viviana and let out a small chuckle. She sees a little bit of change in Viviana’s personality and speech. She felt like seeing her master’s second or a mirage of hers.

  “That confidence…I see that Lady Harina picked the right successor after all.”

  “What?”

  “The ability to stay optimistic and confident in one’s own capabilities is a quality of a true leader. The fact that you can spit such nonsensical things with a confident tone flat out mirrors her.”

  “Thanks? I guess…”

  “Oh, right. I almost forgot about my task. Lady Harina commands me to get you prepped up for today’s breakfast. She wants to properly introduce you to the other lords and ladies.”

  “Other lords and ladies?”

  “The founders of this very organisation, the Umbrae. Why do you think the enterprise is called Quindecim Umbra? The name translates to Fifteen Shadows, hailing from the fifteen individuals who founded it and made it into this infamous. I know, It’s rather too on the nose. I myself almost cackled the first time I heard it.”

  Viviana looked away momentarily. Recalling her basic linguistic lesson before her dropout.

  “Wait a minute…Isn’t Umbrae the plural form? Why do you people refer to the singular form, Umbra? Shouldn’t it be Quindecim Umbrae, not Quindecim Umbra?”

  “Well, yes…but actually no. Umbrae does mean the plural form, but that would mean that each founder fought for themselves. We use the singular form, Umbra, as the fifteen founders act as a single organisation, a single crime entity. It’s quite simple but quite a common misconception.”

  “Okay…do I need to know anything about these lords and ladies before I eat breakfast?”

  “I’d say just stay calm, smile, let Lady Harina do the talking. Everyone of them is…unique in their own ways. Best not to think too hard of them.”

  After dressing Viviana in Harina’s selected clothing, Esther applied the appropriate amount of make up for Viviana. Finally, she spun the makeup chair and turned Viviana facing the mirror. Esther giggled once she let her hands off of her face.

  “Alright, you are ready and looking cute.”

  Through her bandaged eyes, Viviana shot an annoyed look at Esther.

  “Really, mate? At least tell me how I look. You know I’m blind,” she grumbled. “I am not visually impaired…I am blind as a bloody mole rat.”

  Esther shook her head while her mischievous giggle still escaped her mouth.

  “Black shirt, skirt, coat, that naive innocent look of yours and your silly bob hair…could be worse,” she said, describing how Viviana looked after their little make up session. “But I can see your natural beauty beneath the foundations.”

  “So you’re saying I look decent?”

  Esther nodded, stifling her laughs.

  “Yeah…decent enough not to laugh at—”

  Viviana’s smile faded as she turned to bite her lip.

  “You are such an arsehole,” she said while scowling.

  “Jeez, even Lady Harina’s sarcasm is passed on to you. The assimilation is weird.” Esther walked off towards the cabinet to store the makeup set but stopped in her tracks. “Oh, and about your new eyes—”

  Viviana quickly opened her ears in excitement.

  “What?!” she asked, her face lighting up nearly instantly.

  “It will be ready in three days. The surgery experienced some…setbacks.”

  “What do you mean?” Viviana looked at her with curiosity and a little worry. “Did something happen during my surgery?”

  “Well, not exactly. Lady Harina didn’t want you to have just regular, weak, fragile human eyes so she designed and created specialised new eyeballs for you,” Esther explained in a way Viviana could understand. “According to her, your new eyes are basically a replica of her actual eyes…with all of her ridiculous ocular powers included.”

  “Such as?”

  “Long range vision, night vision, various spectrum sensitivity, heat and others.”

  Viviana pulled her shoulders back, her face slightly overwhelmed.

  “That sounds like overkill,” she said mockingly.

  “Yeah, she takes quality over quantity very seriously. Though, I want to see whether you would inherit her ten degree blindspot.”

  “Ten degree blindspot?” she asked with intrigue. “She has a blindspot?”

  “She can see MANY things around her, except everything within the ten degree blindspot, located right behind her neck. By far, to this day, that is the one of the only two physical weaknesses she couldn’t get rid of.”

  “Okay?” Viviana said in strange acknowledgement. “What’s the other one?”

  “Her non-diabetic hypoglycemia.”

  “She has a what?”

  “It’s a blood sugar deficiency disease. It affects her ability to think and command clearly and effectively.”

  “That sounds like a really big, bad bag of foreshadowing.” Viviana shook her head and sighed. ”Harina better die a glorious death in the future or I'm not reading.”

  “If that day can even come.”

  “Watch what you wish for.” She giggled. “So when can I have those eyes?”

  “It’s already in you. She said that it might take a while for it to become active after the surgery.”

  Esther closed the cabinet slowly and turned towards the door.

  “Besides, your eye transplant surgery is the single most complex medical operation our organisation has ever taken. It took our best medical experts six full days. Half of them passed out after the surgery was done.”

  “Wait,” Viviana said, raising her hand to her forehead. “I was out for six days after the oven incident?”

  “Oh, no. You were out for two decades.”

  “I was out for two whole decades?!” Viviana asked in surprise, her tone rising dramatically. “Why didn’t anybody tell me that?! How does her contract put me in a coma for two bloody decades?”

  “The toll is stupidly massive, okay? Your mortal body is forcing itself to assimilate to her powers. It’s a natural process that cannot be accelerated. Not by her nor anyone. Even now, your assimilation is not fully completed yet. You’re only three percent there assimilated.”

  “I’m turning into a sleeping beauty for two fucking decades and I feel like I just woke up from a really bad hangover,” Viviana remarked exasperatedly, taking a really deep sigh. “Whatever… can we just go now? One more second to ponder this whole thing and I might as well take another ten years and change my species to bears.”

  ***

  Viviana followed Esther to where Harina and the others were, with Esther holding her hand and guiding her along the way. She walked through corridors to corridors, hearing everything around her and perceived how they looked.

  Her sonar vision seems to be a major help for her. Even with her eyes still being blind, the mental imagery feels like breathing through the mouth. It’s not difficult but not comfortable either.

  Finally, she could hear people talking and the imagery shown in her head changed. The room feels spacious with a single large round table in the centre and dozens of chairs around it. Around her, she also heard dings and twinks of silverware around the table.

  “V!” Harina said out loud, standing up from her seat. “Glad you could make it.”

  Viviana turned towards the voice.

  “Harina? Is that you?”

  Harina scoffed lightly.

  “Of course, it’s me. I thought you saw me…with your ears.”

  “Hey! I’m still getting used to this new sonar thingy, okay!” Viviana said in defence. “Also, thank you! I’ve been out for twenty fucking years and not one person bothered to leave a note for me.”

  Harina tried to hold herself from giggling before letting out, “Can you read with those eyes—”

  “It was rhetorical!” Viviana shouted, cutting her off.

  “Damn, calm down, V. You’re not you when you’re hungry.” Harina picked up a banana and peeling it. “Sit down, have breakfast. Our finest chefs have done their best to whip something nice for you.”

  Esther guides Viviana to Harina’s side and pulls the seat out for her. She sat down and listened intently. She could feel every eye around the table staring right at her.

  From the far right side, one of the Umbra, Fortis, glanced at Viviana. He was a tall middle aged man with wide shoulders and a manly goatee and many cuts adorning his face.

  Wearing what many would call prideful, his knightly coat made from a magnificent grade black wool covered him elegantly. Though the slightly loose size of his coat, his fit muscles break through the linen out, giving him an imposing look.

  An arming sword stored inside its fabulous red scabbard leaned against his seat. Blood red gemstone placed in the centre of the crossguard on both sides, gleaming under the chamber’s many lights.

  Fortis gave Viviana a curious look but he kept his expression hidden with his hands, crossed in front of him on the table. His amber eyes seemingly staring deep into her bandaged eyes.

  “She is a feisty one, boss,” he said, turning his head slightly to Harina.

  Harina glanced slightly, darting between Fortis and Viviana.

  “Yeah, you can blame that one on me,” she said. “Her assimilation is rather unorthodox—which will be a running gag in this story.” She pulled the shrimp tail with her hand and continued, “I sense that some of my sarcasm and personality are passed down to her.”

  Another Umbra, Sonus, glanced back and forth between Harina and Viviana. He looked at her unimpressed.

  He was a young-looking man with a thin beard, various body piercings and countless tattoos decorating his body. Wearing a black shirt with a skull on the inside and topped with black leather jacket, his arrogant and prideful smirk flashing at Viviana in a superior mannerism.

  “It’s a good thing she’s your successor, boss,” he said. “If not, I might punch the living shit outta people like her. She looks so, I don’t know, unworthy.”

  “Right?!” Fortis added, “I’ve seen weaklings with… more features than her.”

  The two men giggled and shook their heads in amusement while gesturing at Viviana. Viviana who heard the two’s open conversation with Harina turned at them in offence.

  “I’m sorry, have I offended you two in some way? Any way?” she asked the two men, her face frowning from their remarks.

  “Don’t mind them, V. They’re just showing their dicks off,” Harina said dismissively, not bothering to look up from her shrimp. “Worry not, if any of them tries to do anything funny to you, I’ll skin them alive and dip them in hydrochloric acid.”

  Fortis and Sonus turned to Harina from their seats. Their faces changed once Harina began to eye them with hidden contempt.

  “Boss—”

  “Don’t boss me, Hannibal Lecter.” Harina scowled at Fortis. “You eat people, dead and alive alike…you don’t get to pull the I’m superior card on her.”

  Fortis recoiled, lowering his head. Harina turned towards Sonus, curving her eyebrows at him.

  “And you, oh, street musician, don’t get to say whatever you wanted,” she scolded him. “You used to sleep on the sidewalk, smell like rubbish and scrap for food…you are not so different from her.”

  “No I don’t!” he denied.

  “Yes you are, you punk.” She wiped her hands with a nearby handkerchief on the table across from her and stood up. “I need each and everyone of you around this table to know something. She is my successor. And anything you do to her…I will do it back to you.”

  The temperature around her suddenly dropped and Viviana could hear a bubbling sound coming off of Harina. Though her sonar vision couldn’t perceive the subtle line or the colour of an object, she could feel a round object materialise above Harina’s head and hover in the air.

  The object doesn't seem to possess a physical form as her sonar vision can’t seem to perceive it but she knew very well that the round object was there, floating above her head.

  She looked down to Harina, seeing every curve and what expression she made. Harina is clearly not amused by their opinions of Viviana, especially for two instigators, Fortis and Sonus. Harina grabbed a fork and stuck it into a cut piece of apple.

  “Failure to understand my basic command and I’ll make sure the obituary displays your name for an entire year,” she continued, her tone low yet menacing. “Capiche?”

  She began to turn her eyes from one to another. Not one person uttered a single word at Harina and only nodded their heads. Viviana could sense fourteen people, presumably the Umbra, gulping nervously.

  But she also felt another fourteen around the Primae Umbrae, most likely their successors, shaking. As Harina sat down, the temperature returned to normal nearly instantly.

  “Then we’re good.” Harina turned to Viviana and her tone changed back to casual like nothing even happened. “Try those smoky barbeque pork, V. They’re absolutely… delicious. Watch your waistline, though.”

  Viviana felt a little startled and scared that Harina could change her demeanour from casual to menacingly evil and back to casual in seconds like that. The fact that she can keep a straight face through the entire thing worried her more than her powers.

  Noticing Viviana spacing out, Harina whistled at her and tilted her face.

  “V,” she called. “I’m talking to you.”

  Viviana collected herself and cleared her throat.

  “Oh, uh—yeah, yeah. Do you have anything sweet?”

  The Umbra sitting across from them, Atome, whistled to Viviana and pointed her finger at a pan of pie sitting a metre away from them.

  “Try the yams,” she said.

  Harina gasped and quickly pointed her finger at her in approval.

  “YES! The yam is just… it’s just—” She made a kissing gesture with her lips before adding, “They’re fucking heavenly. The apple pie too! Oh, they’re so good.”

  “Harina, Esther said something about you wanting to tell me something,” Viviana said, looking at Harina. “What is it?”

  Harina momentarily looked up before dropping her jaw.

  “Oh, right! About that.” She stood up and raised her glass. “Ladies and gentlemen, my fellow Umbra, I hereby announce the beginning of our Proximae Umbrae initiative,” she proclaimed firmly, tapping a small fork in her hand against the glass.

  The fourteen Umbrae all turned their heads at her, listening to her every word intently.

  “I know that we have wanted that program to take off for the longest time. As you all know, I have scoured through thousands of systems, millions of planets, in search of my true successor. I’m happy to say that after so long, I have finally acquired one.”

  Harina turned and gestured her hand at Viviana who sat beside her.

  “Everyone, this fine young naive gal beside me is Viviana,” she continued. “She’s my successor. Everything that I know and have, I will pass down to her.”

  Feeling flustered and slightly panicked, Viviana bowed slightly a few times and waved her hands at them.

  “I know that many of you have been asking me for quite some time to step down from your position and enjoy your retirement, I too can relate,” she added. “We have finally found our own successors to continue our legacy. Fifteen shadows…replaced by another fifteen. From this day onwards, the Proximae Umbrae initiative is initiated.”

  Sound of cheers from the founders erupted. They sound happy that Harina has finally initiated the initiative.

  “Finally!”

  “Took you long enough.”

  “Ah, finally! My retirement—”

  “About fucking time.”

  Each of the Umbrae began to turn to their respective successors and converse with them. After Harina sat down, Viviana turned to her.

  “What’s a Proximae Umbrae?” she asked.

  “It means Next Shadows,” Harina replied. “You see, I’m not the only one looking for someone to replace me. All of us were. We travelled to many, many, many worlds, searching for someone worthy of our power. As you can see, I was the very last one to finally find my worthy successor…you.”

  “What’s going to happen to me and the other successors?”

  “Simple. For the next hundred years, all of you are going to learn from whoever you’re succeeding. We’re gonna make sure the nails are plated really deep and stick to the walls before we take our mantle off.”

  “A hundred years?!” Viviana gasped in surprise. “What if I only live until—”

  “Don’t worry, when our contract was made, you turned ageless. No matter how many years will pass, your face and body will remain the same as when the contract was made. In your case, you’re forever twenty one…or forty one, depending on whether you like to count the time you're in a coma or not..”

  Viviana looked down. A moment of doubt began to cast down on herself. “I don’t know, Har,” she said weakly, her voice unsure.

  “Don’t worry, V. We’re going to take things slowly. Running a criminal enterprise is stupidly hard but running a criminal enterprise of our size, getting hunted down by countless space enforcement and having to keep the inferior syndicates in their place is like trying to shatter a reinforced concrete barrier with a flaccid penis hard.”

  Viviana recoiled from her casual sexual remark. “Eww!”

  “Calm down. You’re going to learn directly from me…the best criminal in the universe. Today, you’re gonna rest. We’ll start tomorrow.”

  Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  She looked up to her, her face now laced with worry. “What…What are we going to do?”

  Harina let out a cackle. “There’s laughter in manslaughter after all!” she proclaimed boldly.

  Viviana slapped her hands in annoyance.

  “Be serious! Look, I know that I said I accepted your offer, Har, but I still don’t think I made the right decision.” Viviana’s face showed worries all over. “I mean, I’m not like you. I never killed anyone, directly or indirectly. I only said yes because I don’t know what else to say. I feel like…I don’t think I can succeed you.”

  “Nonsense. You’d be fine. Besides, do you really think I’m just going to let you walk away after I tethered your soul to mine? You expect me to just break the contract? It doesn’t work like that, amigo. That contract is a solid deal. Just do as I say and you’ll be fine. You’re going to fully assimilate anyway. Your moral compass is going to get as bad as mine…that’s kinda what your story is supposed to be. Drop that overthinking of yours.”

  “No, seriously—”

  Harina groaned in frustration and cut her off.

  “You’ll be fine! Grr! Stop whatever this conversation is or I’ll hang you upside down by your toes.”

  Viviana only nodded fearfully and ran her hand across the table. She picked up the basket of bread and cracked one in half, savouring the rich taste of butter and garlic.

  “Good girl,” Harina said. “Before we begin, I should tell you about the others.”

  “The others?”

  “Yeah, the other Umbrae. If you're going to continue after us, you need to at least know the fifteen biggest, baddest motherfuckers to ever live.”

  Harina pointed at a young looking woman at her 10. She has dark hair tied in a ponytail and wears a trenchcoat.

  She noticed that although every Umbrae is wearing different inner clothing and accessories, they all wear the same trench coat. The trenchcoat themselves are long with their collars raised.

  “Let’s start from the least to most wanted ones, yeah? That way you can know which is more important.”

  Viviana sighed. “Yeah, sure.”

  “That brunette is Primiera Dominatrix, number fifteen on the most wanted list. She was once one of my two pupils and later a captain of the Seventy Two Enforcers, which is one of the many organisations that I founded. She’s one of our best on-field fighters. Fast, agile, hits incredibly hard, and is no slouch when it comes to improvising strategies on the fly. She’s now in charge of our training facilities. A demon for our new recruits.”

  Viviana looked at the Umbra, Primiera, noting the detail of her face and the way she spoke. She sounded incredibly rude using harsh words with her chin up. She looked at everyone with frowned eyes and wrapped her elbow around her sceptre. Viviana turned her attention to the girl sitting next to Primiera and decided to ask Harina.

  “Who's the gal beside her?” she asked.

  “That's Regina, her successor,” Harina said. “Great brawn on battle, horrible brain off battle.”

  “What did she do to earn her respect?”

  “She won an annual youth fighting tournament on her planet. The thing itself has no rules and all games are fair, she won six years back to back. Apparently it was enough to impress Primi.”

  “That sounds suicidal. Throwing fighting tournaments with zero rules and letting teenagers kill each other.”

  “Every planet has a different custom, V. Hers is fighting, yours is enslaving people like you to work corporate jobs until you die. It’s as simple as that.”

  “Dear god,” Viviana rubbed her head as the memory flooded back, “I do not need that powerful reminder of my origin.”

  Harina pointed at another young woman. “That blonde chick is Minerva Artemis, number fourteen on the wanted list. Former commander of the Royal Guards Womens Corps Sniper Division and the other one of my two pupils.”

  “Wait…those two were your pupils once?”

  “They are…well, were…past tense. Both Primiera and Minerva are two sides of the same coin. One kills people head on, one kills people the long way. Like Primi, Minie is in charge of training our new recruits but unlike her, she trained them in long range combat, while Primi is more hand-to-hand and CQB oriented. Like I said, two sides of the same coin.”

  “Okay,” Viviana turned to look at a teenage boy sitting beside Minerva, “Who’s that guy next to her?”

  “Kendall,” Harina said, “Terrific sniper who can do a lot of trickshots but is a little too erratic. He’s easily overwhelmed by unknown elements. What a fucking loser.”

  Minerva’s laugh and giggle sounded nice to Viviana’s ears. The way she kept her rifle on her lap instead of putting it on the ground, like Primiera, ease her. But due to her heightened hearing senses, she can’t help but notice that she does not sound as truthful as her tone.

  “I hope she’s kind,” she said.

  Harina chuckled. “She likes boys…and by boys, I mean the underage kind.”

  “Oh!” Viviana quickly revolted. “Disgusting!” She shook her head, trying to pretend she never heard that.

  Harina chuckled again in amusement. “Can’t have a super terrorist group without a child predator, can’t we?” She pointed to a half asleep man to her left. “That one is Ernest Kracht and the girl beside him is his successor, Cassidy. He’s number thirteen on the most wanted list.”

  Viviana noticed that the man Harina was gesturing at was trying his hardest to keep his head straight and stay awake. His eyes bagged from the lack of sleep. “What’s his deal?” she asked.

  “Former commander of Regnum Dei’s Armoured Division. He was once a very respected military figure due to his ability to lead multiple fleets and keep them alive despite his young age.”

  “Was?” Viviana repeated. “Why was and not is?”

  “He lost his best friend in one conflict, suffered great PTSD and stopped leading completely. He later found comfort in an online military simulation game and quickly got addicted to it. One day, he argued with a fellow hardcore player in the game’s official discussion forum…things got ugly really fast.”

  “How?”

  “He argued that the battlecruiser depicted in the game was inaccurate and suggested the developers implement the real world specifications for the next update and patch it up for realism's sake. Many players began to call him out for his relentless and ridiculous demand, arguing back that the depictions are accurate. Of course, him being a literal commander of the fucking Armoured Division once, denied their silly responds as he have served on different ships of different classes that no gamers have. The argument went on for days until he had enough of people calling him out and decided to just release the actual heavy cruiser specifications on the official online forum, which includes all of its technical details, manuals, cargo, every package and build and version of the class.”

  “What?!” Viviana said, flabbergasted. “That’s just dumb!”

  “Hell yeah, it is. The game developers contacted our DoD about the whole ordeal which led to a whole bunch of investigations. He was swiftly charged with the highest count of treason and stamped with a life sentence.”

  “This is the first time I heard of someone getting arrested, military style, for a crime he committed online.”

  “That being said, he’s not washed up. He still retains his military knowledge about armoured crafts, which is why I make him the head of Q.U. Spaceships.”

  “Q.U. Spaceships?” Viviana repeated. “What is that?”

  “Quindecim Umbra has MANY ways to produce our wealth influx. We have successfully plugged our hands into many industries, both legal and illegal goods alike. We expanded our operations so fast that there were times that we genuinely forgot what divisions, subdivisions, sub-subdivisions and even subsidiaries we have made. But in short, the ones you should know best are Spaceships, Arms, A.I., Robotics, and Mercenaries.”

  Viviana wrinkled her face. “I don’t get it. Doesn’t that sound a little oxymoron?” she said. “Making money legally and illegally. How does one even do that, hypothetically?”

  “Well, one produce illegal, unlicensed and uncontrolled weapons, spaceships that violates multiple star-treaties and are technologically superior compared to those that obeys treaties, advanced artificial intelligence systems, and develop countless types of combat robots, drones and mobile suits that, again, does not comply to the agreed treaties.”

  “Is that how you…we do business?”

  “Yes but worse in every way you cannot imagine. Especially with the mobile suits! I loved them and endorsed and advocated their capabilities with all my heart.”

  “Which is?”

  “Big fucking mechanical robotic suits specifically designed for combat or the good stuff—mass murder.”

  “Like the one you destroyed in the Department of Taxes building?”

  “Yes. But that one is only a cheap knock-off compared to ours. Our mobile suits are bigger, much much more powerful and heavily armed. One can eradicate an entire city or space colony in less than an hour. Oh, right, where was I again? Oh, there’s also Mercenaries, which rent our assets for private wars and help cement our names as the single most powerful criminal organisation and then there’s Beasts.”

  Viviana stifled a laugh. “Beasts? What are you guys doing with a Division called Beasts?” she asked, giggling. “Breeding exotic and dangerous, possibly illegal creatures?”

  But instead of humouring her, Harina nodded in a completely deadpan expression. “Yes, we are.”

  “Wait. I was joking—”

  “Too late. That is spot on. We indeed have our own breeding facilities.”

  “I have a hard time catching up with the size and scope of the organisation I was supposed to lead in the future.”

  “Aww, don’t get all gloomy. We still have a long way to go.”

  “I was afraid you’re gonna say that.”

  “Would you like to know our legal side of profit making too?”

  Viviana blinked in silence for a moment. With a heavy sigh, she nodded her head. “Sure, fire away.”

  “I talked about our subsidiaries. Well, we have many but the one you should know the most is our Ravenous and ZAF—Zapped, Awakened and Fucked. The first is our racing team, the second is our energy drink brand. Of course, both are legal.”

  “Why does a crime syndicate need to have a racing team too?”

  “I was bored. I don’t like seeing other legally run teams on my screen. They all suck.”

  “So you’re telling me that you made a racing team subsidiary just because you’re feeling spiteful?”

  “Yes.”

  “And then you made an energy drink subsidiary to sponsor your newly built racing team?”

  “Yes.”

  “Let me ask, were the two actually made with real goals and intentions or were they just a front and shield for our public perception?”

  “I actually made the two for real without any intention to overly humanise our main crime syndicate. We made the podium in our first season, just not the first place. I told the guys in the RnD to do whatever they wanted with how much funds they needed and voila, we landed first place on our second season and kept winning.”

  Harina pointed at a man with a mohawk and many tattoos. The man was the one of the two men who made fun of Viviana earlier. The mohawk stood on his head, casting a shadow over the teardrop tattoo under his right eye.

  “That punk over there is Sonus Maxwell, number twelve on the most wanted list.”

  Sonus, who noticed that Harina was introducing him to Viviana, quickly waved his hand at her. Viviana too noticed him waving at her and threw a piece of grape at him.

  “Har, what’s with him?” she said warily. “He’s looking at me like a creep.”

  “He’s a former street musician and 26-times Voice Universe champion. He handles most of our psyop. The guy next to him is his successor, Oliver.”

  Viviana turned to Harina in offence. “How is a street musician the twelfth most wanted person in the universe?!”

  “He has a good voice, sold a record-breaking amount of copies and he’s good with the fangirls. He pulled a lot of people to join our organisation. He’s sneakily efficient at propaganda—hence, our huge number of manpower.”

  “Can I have a restraining order on him?”

  “Sure, whatever you want.”

  “But if his only good is bringing in new members into this organised crime syndicate, why not just get a marketing team? Wouldn’t that be better for you in the long run?”

  “He’s not just a propaganda master, V. He’s also a sound based support mage.”

  “Mage?! As in—”

  “As in magic, yes. He weaponized sound spectrums and can control crowds, helping our forces offensively or defensively. Sound is one of the only things an energy or magic barrier cannot block, thereby making him a worthy asset in my book.”

  “A witchcraft-wielding bard,” Viviana said in a dry remark. “Now I’ve seen everything.”

  Harina chuckled at her then pointed at a woman wearing a ripped and worn cloak topped on her trench coat with a large calibre rifle slung behind her. The woman, like Viviana, had a prosthetic right arm. Her dark red hair was topped with a cat-motiffed beanie hat and a pilot goggle sitting on her forehead.

  “She’s Neith Nyx, number eleven on the most wanted list and head of our Mercenaries Division,” Harina said. “She’s the only Hekatonkheire-grade bounty hunter ever since she killed the three previous title holders.”

  “Is that a good thing?”

  “The title is the highest level a galactic bounty hunter can ever achieve. Expert in tracking, marksmanship, CQB, medium range combat, hand-to-hand combat, demolition, spacecraft piloting, etc. She’s a nice gal and a demon with her custom 35-mm rifle. The one next to her is her successor, Bastet.”

  The Umbra, Neith, turned to Viviana. Her dark brown eyes seemingly staring at her. Noticing her intense stare, Viviana turned to Harina.

  “She looks like a mean lady,” she said.

  “Only on the outside, she’s actually easy to talk to. Give her a chance, you two might bond over bonsais.”

  “I don’t think we will.”

  Harina pointed to another woman. “That one is Belial Suberficiei, number ten on the most wanted list.”

  The Umbra was a beautiful young woman with long, light grey hair tied in a ponytail. She has a lean build with a very unassuming amount of muscle underneath her turtleneck sweater and leather jacket. The smile she gave to Viviana was also shockingly warm unlike the others.

  “She used to be a commander of both the Special Intelligence Service and Black Sky Special Operations Division that I founded. She’s now the head of our Intelligence and Security Division. Any information you wanted, she could get them and other dirt that you might need in the blink of an eye. The gal next to her is her successor, Anne.”

  “Oh, wow. She’s beautiful. Kinda makes me wonder how she uses that face for evil, though.”

  “A rose is only as admirable as their thorns.”

  “I have no idea what you mean by that.”

  Harina pointed at another woman. “That one is Lyudmilla Vladivostok, number nine on the most wanted list,” she said.

  The woman was quite young with long dark brown hair topped with a fedora. Unlike the previous Umbrae, Belial, this one doesn’t seem to be able to smile. Her face looked annoyed as she glared pridefully at Viviana.

  “She’s a former sicario of the Carell Mafia Family before their downfall. She later founded her own Vladivostok Mafia.”

  Viviana looked at Lyudmilla warily. “Is everyone around this table an expert killer? Did we not have a better variation than this?”

  “Relax. She’s a terrific killer but her expertise lay in numbers and financial matters so I picked her as our market representative. I haven’t seen the day she disappointed me yet. The bitchy gal next to her is her successor, Olga.”

  Lyudmilla rolled her eyes off of Viviana and began gulping down a bottle of light brown-coloured liquid.

  “Is she…Is she day drinking right now?”

  “Yeah, she’s of Russian descent. That’s kinda their thing.”

  “She either has a massive tolerance to alcohol or alcohol is just water to her.”

  Harina pointed at a young-looking woman. “That one is Isabella Nina Wolfram, formerly Castillo, number eight on the most wanted list.”

  The person Harina was referring to was a young, aristocrat-looking woman. She seemed to give a different aura than the rest. The way she spoke, the way she held her fork and cut her food, the way she covered her mouth when she giggled–they are akin to how a royal presents themselves in public.

  Her superb golden blonde hair flowed magnificently behind her back. Adorned with a small golden crown with luxurious gemstones, she was among the most presented in the chamber.

  “She’s the head of our Beasts Division and my second in command. If you need something when I’m not around, you talk to her.”

  Viviana pulled Harina’s coat lightly. “Why does she look and sound like a royal?” she asked.

  “She was the first princess of the Kingdom of Endemy.”

  Again, Harina referred to her fellow Umbra with was rather than is.

  “Was?”

  “She eloped with that guy over there,” Harina said, her index finger pointing to the Umbra sitting across Isabella. “Don’t be fooled by her sweet face, she’s the master of the beasts. She’s just as cruel as the rest of us. Her bloodthirst is very well controlled and hidden. The one next to her is her successor, Gail.”

  “Oh, bloody hell! I was hoping that she’s the actual kind one around here.”

  Harina pointed at another woman. She was a beautiful and tall, ginger haired woman wearing what appears to be a nun’s habit. Her smile was eerily inhuman and objectively cruel for someone as pretty as her. And for someone weaning a habit, she surprisingly has several tattoos on both of her wrists.

  “That one is Nero Andreanna Black, number seven on the most wanted list,” Harina said. “She used to be a priestess before abandoning her religion and fully committed to her research.”

  “Research?”

  “She’s a fantastic biologist, biochemist and various other biology-related majors.” Harina continued to explain before her face changed. “A little heads up, she’s amongst our most evil, downbad and depraved. She cut people and creatures up in the name of scientific progression. The girl beside her is her successor, Leah.”

  “Oh! Yikes!”

  Harina pointed to a tall man with a thick beard. He was a large, muscular middle aged man wearing a military officer uniform. Several burn marks adorned his face right below his jaw and around his neck.

  “That one is Lewis Enfield, number six on the most wanted list. Former field marshal of Regnum Dei’s army. Superb military knowledge and master strategist. He’s our military operations commander in chief. The bloke on his right is his successor, William.”

  “He’s old,” Viviana remarked. “I hope his brain is still in its prime.”

  Harina chuckled, then pointed to a woman, the same woman who suggested her to try the yams. Strangely, unlike the rest who looked human, she has a thin line in the middle, splitting her right and left side.

  Her right side was human looking, with a slightly tanned skin, light brown hair and brown eyes. Her left side, however, had a pale white skin with traces of icy blue marks all over her hand and a crown of ice vaping on her head.

  “That one is Atome de Bienveillante le Mont Blanc, number five on the most wanted list,” Harina said. “Former particle physicist and molecular researcher.”

  “I don’t get it. How is a scientist the fifth most wanted person?”

  “Her alter ego, Glace. They’re basically two in one. Atome is the brain and the body’s controller. Glace, on the other hand, is the offensive ice witch and the fighter. She can switch places with her other self and still share the same body which in turn grants her many ridiculous ice-based powers. The one next to her is her successor, Madeline.”

  “Sounds like a complete package of an asset.”

  “It would be if she were a fighter but she’s pretty much on the pacifist side of things.”

  “Maybe she had her reasons.”

  Harina pointed to a man. He was a short, small build man with silver hair and blue eyes. Compared to the other men, he has the smallest stature and build and looked the least intimidating. Wearing a turtleneck and a suit jacket, he sat on his seat without exuding arrogance, speaking with a calm, controlled and warm tone.

  “That one is Faber Wolfram, Isabella’s husband, number four on the most wanted list,” Harina said. “Founder and CEO of Apocalypse Arms, now changed to our very own Q.U. Arms. He designed, conceptualised and innovated almost all of the weapons our organisation has. I consider him one of the greatest minds to ever exist. If you need something to destroy a planet and kill trillions, he’s your go to guy. The girl beside him is his successor, Matilda.”

  Harina then pointed at a tall man with a goatee, the same man who insulted Viviana from before.

  “That one, the one you want to avoid, is Fortis Grendel,” she said, chuckling. “Number three on the most wanted list and former Head Knight of Regnum Dei Holy Knights Division. His power set is extensive but the main ones being ferrokinesis and hemokinesis. He leads our Strategic Strike Groups.”

  “Strategic Strike Groups?”

  “Our deep space-transgalactic black ops unit—basically doing the nastiest, most dangerous, straight up mad operations that any sane person would reject. They dirty their hands so the others don’t have to.”

  “I see a little discrepancy around here, Har. You can’t go nastier than killing can’t you? I mean, what can you realistically do that’s worse than every deed this organisation does?”

  “Say, have you ever cut kids up and dissolve them in—”

  “Eww! That’s repulsive!”

  “You asked.”

  “The insult you hurled at him from before…what does it mean?”

  “Oh,” Harina smirked. “You mean Hannibal Lecter?”

  “Yeah, that one.” Viviana nodded. “What does it mean?”

  “He eats people.”

  “As in–”

  “Cannibal, yeah.”

  “That is actually disgusting. If he’s the third most wanted, then who’s the second?”

  Harina pointed at a man wearing square glasses. By far the most unassuming male Umbra. Even compared to all the other previous Umbra, Faber, the man was even more unassuming. Like Faber, he has a thin build just slightly taller and his eyes droopy from the lack of sleep, almost like Ernest.

  “That’s Sapiens Decimus, the girl to his left is his successor, Adelheid,” Harina said. “He’s the second most wanted person in the entire universe—directly below me. He’s the head of A.I. and Robotics Division.”

  “Okay, what’s his story?”

  “He used to be the head of Regnum Dei’s cybersecurity division. His childhood friend killed herself and the case was quickly closed shortly after. Investigation stopped on the first day because of some higher up cover-ups. In rage, he leaked the case to the public and got all the higher ups killed from the revolt. He’s untouchable behind the computer and can get anyone anywhere digitally in time hitherto unknown.”

  “I don’t mean to talk smack but how is he the second most infamous criminal? He looks like a dork that could barely lift the roasted turkey in front of him.”

  “He programmed most of our softwares, including the ones used by our spaceships and mobile suits. That includes many variables and functions like multi-target targeting system, guidance, damage control, anti weapons-lock countermeasure, point defence countermeasure, jammers, pilot-to-suit neural link and many more.”

  “Okay, I'll take everything I said back.”

  “Do you want to know how much his bounty is?”

  “How much?”

  “15 decillion credits.”

  Viviana spit out her drink. “What…What?!”

  “Never judge a book by its cover, V. He’s the second most wanted for a reason. But he’s also one of our nicest Umbrae around. He likes shooting pool in his downtime. Maybe you could play 8-ball or 9-ball with him when you’re free—and after you have your vision back of course.”

  “Alright. Is there anything else I should know about this band of misfits?”

  “That’s all for now.”

  “I gotta ask. When you told me about these people… why do several of them come from Regnum Dei? Isn’t that your country? Do you know each of them? I feel you had a connection to them, Har.”

  Harina passed a bowl of mashed potatoes to Viviana and gulped her wine. She seemed to show discomfort from her inquiry, her face still fixed to Viviana but the way her eyes tightened showed her evasiveness.

  “Enjoy your breakfast and take the next three days off,” Harina said, completely avoiding her question. “I want you to have the energy for the first day of class. Es gibt Dinge, die man besser nicht wei?.”

  What did she say?

  ***

  After the breakfast with all the other Shadows and their successors, Esther guides Viviana back to her room, where she spends the next two days just laying on her bed and listening to a playlist of classical pieces Harina picked for her.

  During her rest, she starts to notice a change in her. She could hear much better and further than before, allowing her to perceive things from further distance with her sonar vision.

  Even things that are dozens of metres away and behind thick insulated walls are not invisible to her. She knows that her vision hasn’t fully returned but she could already see lines of colours through the bandages wrapped around her head.

  The lines are not abstract, they took the shape of something around her vicinity. Vase, cookie jar, wardrobe and things alike.

  Though the sonar vision she got from Harina helped her perceive her surroundings, she missed the feeling of seeing things with her own eyes. Luckily, she only needed to wait thirty hours before she regained her vision.

  She breathed in and out and calmed herself down. She wants to find a way to convince Harina that she’s not fit to be her successor but the many benefits that the organisation can grant her tempted her mind.

  What am I doing? I’m not cut out for this kind of life!

  She rolled on her bed and shovelled her head into the pillow, repeatedly trying to snuff herself out.

  You’re so stupid, me. You should’ve let the sickness kill you. Great. Now you’re gonna have to cut people up too…on the daily.

  But no matter how hard she tried to plunge her increasing desensitisation, everything around her are things that she normally would never have. From the comfortable, silky smooth king sized bed she laid on.

  To the calming classical music played in the background and the skin-caressing clothes she wears. Everything on and around her are things no commoners like her ever had.

  The thoughts keep weighing her down and keeping her up. She decided to go out, take a walk and get some fresh air—maybe in this world that is not hers, the air is actually breathable and not dark with toxic fumes.

  She walked out of her room with her pyjama and a cane Esther gave her yesterday. She tapped the cane every step she took, not very hard but enough to generate a noticeable sound for the vibrations to bounce back to her.

  Whoever designed this wing with this fancy stone needs to get a medal. This is incredible for my sonar vision.

  At the end of the corridor, her cane seems to descend lower than previously before landing on a surface.

  Stairs?

  Then from behind her, she could hear two people walking towards her. Their footsteps sounded heavy, like they were wearing thick clothing and boots. She turned around and pointed her cane at them.

  “Who’s there?!” she asked in panic, her heart rate rising. “I can see you.”

  “Lady Viviana? What are you doing at this hour?” one of them asked her. His voice sounded masculine and filtered by a mask.

  “Who are you?”

  “We’re this wing’s perimeter guard,” the other replied, bowing his head at her. The sound of his rifle rattling in his hands startled her a bit.

  “Oh, s…sorry.” She lowered her cane. “I thought you were a thief.”

  “I assure you my lady, if there is one person that can go through our first layer, everyone here would’ve known.”

  “One can never be too careful.”

  “Anyway, I don’t mean to bother you, but you shouldn’t be out without your PPD. If I may ask you, ma’am, where are your PPDs?”

  “What’s a PPD?”

  “Personal Protection Detail. Lady Harina put this wing on the Maximum Security Protocol ever since you arrived. Shouldn’t you have an elite team with you all the time?”

  “She didn’t give me one. Even Esther told me absolutely nothing when she’s around me. That girl needs to speak more.”

  “Lady Esther didn’t give you a team either?” He turned to his partner. “Call it in.”

  “Yep,” The other nodded and tapped his comms. “Command, this is Cob 2-9-0, come in.”

  “Come in, what you got?”

  “Sir, we’re with Lady Viviana on the South East corridor by the stairs. She’s out here without her PPD. What’s the status of her team, over?”

  “Bloody hell! Stay where you are. I’ll get a team to your location. Do not leave her unguarded, Cob!”

  “Copy that. Cob, out.” He then turned back to Viviana and raised his rifle. “Wait here, ma’am. They’re sending a team to our position.”

  “Oh, come on. This is just ridiculous! I’m just going for a bloody walk.”

  “Sorry, ma’am. Lady Harina’s order.”

  Viviana sat on the top of the stairs, sulking silently with her hands supporting her jaw. After a while, a team of eight all wearing black body armour, identical metal masks with two long guns on their backs approached her and the two patrolling guards. The two straightened their postures and saluted them.

  “At ease, men,” the one in the middle said. “Thank you for calling in. We’ll take it from here.”

  “Sir,” one of the guards said before walking away.

  “My lady,” he said, bowing to Viviana. “It is an honour to finally be in your presence.”

  Viviana looked at him then the men behind him in awkward confusion, her eyes twitching a bit. Even the thick and secure bandage wraps couldn’t stop her from twitching her eyes.

  “I’m sorry—who are you, again?”

  “My name is Agent 6-0.” He lowered his head. “These men and I were tasked by Lady Harina to be your personal protection. We’re very sorry to have missed your night walk, ma’am. It won't happen again.”

  “Okay. One, you need to tell me your codename, nickname or anything because I’m not calling you numbers.” She slapped her own face and slowly pulled her hand down. “Two, can we not with the over formality? I feel like a bloody royal…I am not.”

  “But, ma’am—”

  “Please! I do not like that in the slightest. This whole successor thing is new to me.”

  “Forgive me, but we cannot acknowledge that order, ma’am.” 6-0 shook his head worryingly.

  “Why?”

  “Lady Harina has made sure everyone knows your importance. She won’t accept anything less than honorifics. Our heads are on the line.”

  “She actually said that?”

  “Yes, she did…and something else.”

  “Tell me.”

  “Anyone who fails is to be subjected to four ranks demotion and two years of probation.”

  “That is actually messed up. But if you guys are that afraid of getting demoted and failing, then why didn’t I hear or know about you?”

  “Lady Harina prohibits anyone from entering your room, not even the cooks. The only people she allowed are medical personnel and Lady Esther herself.”

  “Go on.”

  “But she wanted you to have your own protective team close to you so she placed us in the room next to yours. We were told to hang back until you wanted to go out for a walk. But we didn’t receive any orders from you so we thought everything was still normal. Please don’t tell Lady Haria about this. We’re really sorry for our carelessness.”

  Viviana groaned, annoyed. “Alright, look. I’m not gonna snitch. Thanks for informing me.”

  6-0 and his men nodded and breathed a sigh of relief. “My pleasure, ma’am. So where to?”

  “I’m just going for a walk around the wing.” Viviana shoo them away. “You guys can return, I can—”

  “Absolutely not!” 6-0 raised his tone and readied his rifle, the others followed suit. “Where you go, we go.”

  Feeling annoyed and frustrated, Viviana let out an audible groan. “I’m being serious, I’m just night walking. Off you go. Get out of here. I want my privacy.”

  “I’m very sorry, ma’am. But that is very unwise. We can’t allow you to go out in the middle of the night alone without protection. We’re very sorry. Lady Harina’s orders.”

  I feel like talking to a brick wall. Viviana slumped her shoulders as a sigh escaped her mouth. “Fine…do your thing.”

  “Understood.”

  Agent 6-0 turned to his men and made a sign with his hand. The other then formed around her back in a triangle shape formation with their rifles on their chest level.

  Viviana slowly turned her head to 6-0 and said, “Really?”

  “After you, madam.”

  Although she couldn’t see through his mask, she knew very well that he’s smirking underneath it. It’s getting easier for her to hear things now.

  Fucking hell.

  ***

  Viviana continued walking around the wing, slowly mapping the entire area and memorising little details of each corner. Step after step, she started to hear the sound of dripping water followed by the sound of leaves falling. The closer she goes down the corridor, the stronger the voice becomes.

  She stopped in front of a water fountain. The constant noise created by the falling water coming out from the recirculator disoriented her as the imagery became a constant projection in her head.

  6-0 was quick to notice her discomfort and ready to catch her from behind. Viviana began to stumble bit by bit before stepping away from the fountain.

  “Lady Viviana, are you okay? Do you need medical assistance? Emergency care?”

  Viviana shook her head and straightened herself.

  “No, it's just the noise. I guess I found one weakness to my sonar vision.”

  “Ma’am, maybe we should retreat back to your room. You’re still not used to your sonar—”

  Viviana cuts him off. “I’m fine. It’s just a little fuzzy feeling. I experienced worse.”

  “Very well, if you need anything—”

  “Yeah, yeah. I got it.” Jeez, I thought being rich would feel nice. “Anyway, do you happen to know where she is?”

  “She?”

  “Harina. Where is she?”

  “Oh, Lady Harina and Lady Esther are preoccupied at this moment. She has something to do.”

  “Take me to her.”

  “I’m sorry, ma’am. But I don’t think you want to—”

  “Listen, six or whatever your name is, I need to talk to her…right now. This is a direct order. Either you take me to her right now, or I’ll find her myself and you can kiss your employment goodbye.”

  6-0 hesitated momentarily before turning around and leading her to the elevator. “Very well…right this way, ma’am.”

  As the elevator descended, Viviana could feel that she might have said things too harshly. She noticed that what she just said doesn’t sound like her. She has never felt that dominating in her life.

  The assimilation…must be her personality.

  When the door opened, 6-0 guided Viviana down a tight corridor to a door in the end. There were four heavily armed and armoured men standing by the entrance, seemingly non anticipating her arrival.

  “Good evening, lads,” 6-0 said. “Lady Viviana wished to see Lady Harina.”

  “We’re very sorry, but Lady Harina didn’t tell us that she would be having company,” one of the four men said, looking at Viviana.

  “This is more of a…spontaneous visit. She wants to talk to her privately. I’m sure you understand.”

  “I’m sorry but I’m gonna have to—”

  Viviana cut him off. “My face is my warrant. You idiots stay here. This is a private talk.” She quickly notices her sudden change in demeanour again. Silently reflecting on her speech to the man.

  What the hell?

  “Of course, ma’am. We apologise,” said the man. He turned and opened the electric lock. “This way…”

  “Thank you.”

  6-0 and the rest of her detail stood outside the room with the four guards, waiting for her. Viviana kept walking until she ran into another door.

  She must be in there…

  When she opened the door and stepped inside, the first thing she heard was the sound of a man screaming in pain, choking out. Her sonar imagery tells her that Harina was holding a laser cutter in her hands while Esther was holding the rope securing the man. Her jaw dropped.

  “What…What are you guys doing?!” Viviana exclaimed.

  “Oh, hey, V,” Harina said with a casual and relaxed tone. “I thought you were sleeping?”

  The tortured men looked up at Harina weakly.

  “Please, please—”

  Harina quickly turned and punched the man on his face. His head yanked to the other side violently as blood splat out from his face.

  “Shut up!”

  Viviana looked at her in disgust, holding her vomit. “Who is this man?”

  “Oh, just a stiff our boys caught trying to sneak into one of our robotics factories,” Harina replied, her tone changing to casual again. “Our boys showed me the security footage and he was caught red-handed. Gotta love security cameras.”

  “P…Please,” the man muttered weakly from his bloody mouth.

  “I…I won’t say—”

  Harina swiftly pulled his hair back and brought her face close to his.

  “I want to make something clear, you lowly weasel,” she said, frowning. “I don’t care how many skinny dogs you GPF or Regnum Dei assholes send out. I will always get every last one of you and make an example out of you every…single…goddamn…time.”

  Viviana dropped to her knees while keeping her hands covering her mouth. She could feel it going up her throat but kept holding it from going out her mouth.

  Harina rolled eyes and sighed at Viviana, noticing her disgusted expression. She looked at Esther and tilted her head.

  “Get the bowl.”

  Esther let go of the rope and walked to a table, picking up the bowl and giving it to Viviana. Viviana quickly grabbed the bowl and vomited into the bowl, her eyes tearing up slightly. Esther chuckled slightly and rubbed Viviana’s back, calming her down.

  “Why?” Viviana asked. “Why did you do this?”

  “What kind of dumbass question is that?” Harina scoffed. “I’m a criminal, V. This is what I do.”

  “Why do you have to keep torturing the powerless man? Look at him. He can’t even breathe properly, Har. Just let him—”

  “You are going to succeed me. You should be learning how to do things like me or better than me, V. Not every fight is about raw power. Sometimes, psychological warfare also matters. I’m doing that right now.”

  “You are a monster.”

  “You already called me that. Try something else.”

  Viviana tossed the bowl with her vomit to the walls.

  “I know I shouldn’t have agreed!” she shouted.

  Harina let go of the man’s hair and let him fall to the floor head first. She walked to Viviana slowly and menacingly. Viviana could feel that she stopped right in front of her. She looked up at her and felt the rage she held.

  “Say that one more time, V.”

  Viviana backed away slightly.

  “I…I’m sorry—”

  Before Viviana could finish it, Harina snapped her fingers and caused her to fly backwards violently and crashed against the wall. Her brain starts to feel weird and painful at the same time.

  Suddenly her lungs felt a burning sensation and she fell to the floor, gasping for air as her sonar vision disappeared. The pain was exactly the same as it was the day she was steamed in the oven. She choked out but not a single letter came out.

  “Tell me something, V,” Harina said as she knelt down at Viviana. “Do you wish to be freed from your moral dilemma? Do you wish to be your past self once more? Because if you want to, I can remind you of what you were two decades ago…”

  Viviana kept gasping for air as she felt the very feeling of her lungs collapsing. Her face turned red and all her veins showed off from her skin.

  “Let me ask you something. Back at breakfast, you keep saying that you’re not a good fit to succeed me…did you say that out of doubt or are you being serious in your wording?”

  With her eyes going blind again, Viviana rolled over to her belly and dragged herself away from Harina. But the pain in her lungs made her unable to continue.

  “The first time I looked into your eyes, I knew I saw something in you, V. Call me crazy but the way peering into your soul works similarly to seeing the best of what that person can be in the future. It’s basically a massive spoiler of the ending without actually having to read or watch the entire story. When I saw you, I saw you standing on top of a burning world. Your eyes are devoid of emotion. Your expression is cold. Your hands are dripping with blood. Death is all around you…including my corpse. When I saw that, I thought it was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen in someone with a face so innocent.”

  Harina snapped her finger again and Viviana could feel her chest pain subsiding slightly, allowing her to breathe and make out words weakly.

  “Now, I’ve never been wrong before but if you insist on telling me that I was wrong in choosing you as my successor, I could just ‘release’ you and scrap our bonding.”

  Harina pulled Viviana’s head up to her eyes.

  “If you say yes, I’ll fucking do it and you’ll be off with your rest—oh, I’m sorry—the rest of your life. I remember specifically that you have four terminal diseases before our contract was made. Say yes, V. I’ll release you and you can enjoy the death you wished for. It won’t take long for those diseases to kill you, probably in less than a minute after I release you. So what’s it going to be, V?”

  Viviana looked up, her eyes tearing up as she started crying.

  “I said what’s it going to be?!”

  “No, please,” Viviana choked out. “Let me live.”

  “Wise choice. Remember this, V. I never want us to have this conversation ever again.”

  Harina dropped Viviana, turned the laser cutter back on and quickly swung her hand backwards. The cutter beam goes through the man’s neck and severing his head clean off. His head goes in the air momentarily before landing on Viviana’s lap.

  She felt disgusted but her mouth couldn’t move from fear. She tried her best to ignore the head bleeding down her thighs as she waited for Harina to say anything. Harina tossed the laser cutter to Esther and walked to the door. Without looking back at her.

  “Sleep, V. Meet me in my office tomorrow morning. I want to talk to you, eye to eye. Es ist Zeit, dir mal so richtig den Kopf zurechtzurücken."

  Esther followed Harina out of the room without saying anything to Viviana, leaving her in the room. Viviana kept sitting there on the floor for minutes before her sonar vision returned. She gently picked the severed head up and put it down on the floor.

  She stood up and wiped her bloodied hands on her pyjamas before going out of the room and returning to her bedroom. The walk there was silent. Her mind was blank. Her fear was at the peak. Her moral compass—shredded.

  END