It was the day after the festival. Jason’s bold display of anarchy had set the monsters of Minohwa on their guards.

  Nolan was in his office, holdings his face and trembling. Jason had returned and he was being far more direct than before. Hearing the details of the report from Count Earl, he already knew what message Jason was sending.

  “He created the walls…” Nolan muttered in genuine fright. Resisting his bodily urges to relieve the stress. “And he’s here to destroy them…”

  Count Earl found this pathetic. The man he loves, now rendered into a helpless, self-pitying man. Not even a quarter of the man he used to be, Count Earl wanted to spit in his face. But he knew he could bring back the man he once loved.

  “Representative Bradley, if you are feeling stressed,” Count Earl took a pack of cigarettes from his shirt pocket and held to Nolan. With a sinister smile on his face. “You can help yourself.”

  “Count… You know I can’t take that,” Suddenly, a powerful presence was casted off from Nolan. The amount of intimidation he managed to cast off was incredible. Count Earl felt a sense of euphoria but, the scent of fear from Nolan ruined it. “I won’t relapse.”

  Clicking his tongue, Count Earl put the pack of cigarettes back into his pocket. Angered by his resistance, he knew very well soon that Nolan will give in to his true self.

  “Look… Just send a Detective after Jason… Please,” Nolan rubbed his eyebrows and spoke. “It doesn’t matter who… just stop Jason.”

  “Understood, Representative Bradley,” Count Earl turned to leave. Disappointed with his reaction.

  “Thank you, Count Earl,” Nolan said with a very meek smile. Count Earl felt disgusted by his weakness. “I can always depend on you.”

  Stepping out of the office, Count Earl marched into his own. Frantic workers at the Confederation headquarters were pushed out of his way as he moved with annoyance. Closing his door and locking it, he took out his personal phone and dialed a number.

  “Hello? Best buddy?” The voice spoke as it immediately answered the call. “I was expecting your call.”

  “Mauter.” Count Earl addressed him.

  Count Earl had teamed up with Jason Mauter for one reason. Jason is the only man who is capable of sending Nolan back to his destructive ways. Count Earl accepted the fact that he would need Jason to return the man he loves. So, he sided with him and supported him. And having someone with a high position in the Confederation is also advantageous for Jason.

  “Nolan is sending a Detective after you,” Count Earl explained briefly. He continuously checked the pheromones around to be sure no one was listening.

  “Oh? I thought my oldest pal would come to see me himself,” Jason teased. His insane chuckle could send shivers done your spine.

  “Watch your mouth, Mauter,” Count Earl warned Jason aggressively. He wasn’t helping Jason; he was merely using him. “Nolan is mine. Don’t think otherwise.”

  “I poked at a nerve, didn’t I?” Jason mocked him. “I guess for now I can’t overstep my boundaries.”

  “For now.”

  “What do you want me to do?” Count Earl changed the topic. He didn’t like Jason in the slightest.

  “Do you know which Detective will be sent,” Jason asked, piecing his plans together.

  “No, it will be chosen at random for who is available,” Count Earl lied, the detective will be chosen by his choice. He just didn’t want to be Jason’s lapdog.

  “Too bad,” A silence washed over as Jason pondered on it. “This is what I want you to do.”

  “Send the Detective after my daughter first, not me.”

  A sick chuckle erupted as Jason imagined it,

  “I will make this interesting!”

  ~~~

  It was still early, at dawn. Wanting to gain Bryant’s trust and wanting to reciprocate it too, they decided to break into Jason’s temporary base. They wanted information, Bryant wanted to know that Xitalli was safe.

  And Able couldn’t help daydreaming of killing Jason on the way.

  “This place is disgusting,” Emilia muttered as they wondered down deeper. Peaches managed to take down the monsters that patrolled around the shaven down front-yard with ease.

  The place which used to be bright and well-decorated was now dark and littered. Most of the light bulbs were shattered and sunlight barely entered. Strange devices were discarded around, from various sizes that filled up Xitalli’s mansions.

  “What did you expect from Jason? A cutesy tea party?” Able scoffed, recognizing some of the equipment since it was his and Tristan’s research that found most of it.

  “What is this shit?” Bryant took up a strange vial of gray fluid that seemed to surge towards where his touch was.

  “[Generation], it is used to manipulate the aspects of life,” Tristan answered his question readily, being very familiar with it. The amount Jason had was alarming, since it takes living creatures to make them.

  “We shouldn’t be wasting time,” Peaches wrinkled his nose at a familiar scent. He thought he killed all the monsters but, the ones he was picking up were alive. And stronger.

  “Let’s get to moving.” Able ordered and they rushed through the mansion. Bryant was emotionless as per usual but, his mind was constantly on Xitalli.

  “You’re thinking about her, aren’t you?” Able asked Bryant as they continued to speed throughout the mansion.

  “Maybe a little,” Bryant responded lowly, watching their environments carefully as they neared an office with a familiar pressure.

  “Don’t worry about it too much,” Able said with a stone-cold expression. “Jason can’t kill her or harm her too much. He needs her Chairwoman’s Authority.”

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  “So…” Bryant then asked the question which was bothering him the most. “Will the King of the Damned try to save her.”

  Able became silent at that question, not knowing himself, “That’s a question for him, not for me.”

  They arrived at the strange office and waited at the door. Since Bryant had the best defense of all of them, he was the one to kick down the door. Lucky for them, it was empty. Just a mess of an office with dim lighting, with multiple scattered over the place.

  “Do you think the man of chaos would have the decency to organize?” Peaches waltzed over to the desks and observed. He had amassed a lot of documents in such a long time.

  Beforehand, Able explained to Bryant that they were going to search for information before getting Xitalli.

  “Looks like he somewhat did,” Tristan pointed out, coming to a small pile of documents that he had separated from the pile.

  “Let’s see what this bad boy is hiding.” Able went to the small pile and began scanning through along with them.

  “It looks like Jason did get help with taking down the Refugee Camp and Xitalli,” Able finished reading the document and handed it to the rest. Peaches stayed at the door and looked out for anyone coming.

  “As if he could take down Everbit by himself,” Emilia scoffed as she waited for the document. “It was Count Earl, wasn’t it?”

  “Yeah, not only that… He gave Jason a piece of the Potentia Historie,” Able finished the other document and circled it around again.

  “That’s how he is controlling Xitalli,” Bryant muttered. In his Paranormal History classes, he learnt that the Potentia Historie is the strongest [Generation] to exist. Having no restrictions unlike other generations.

  “And now he’s planning on taking the old Confederation Headquarters in the Rosario’s territory,” Tristan stated, taking a document up since he didn’t want to wait for Able to read. “Using Tyr and its equipment to build up a massive army…”

  “So, he can take back the Americas,” Peaches sneered.

  “Everything else is information we already know,” Able scanned through the rest. The data was already in the Roundtable’s clutches.

  “We should report this as soon as we can,” Able muttered, snapping pictures of the documents. They surrounded him to ensure that the camera flash didn't go far.

  A black ooze fell onto Peaches and started to wrap around him.

  “What the fuck is this?” Peaches tried to freeze it and break it off but, it didn’t work. It kept reforming. The others took up guard and prepared.

  “I will get rid of it.” Tristan prepared his black blood but, suddenly a face popped up in the ooze.

  “Reactive.” There was an explosion! Destroying the office. Luckily for them, Peaches shielded against it with a glacier. But after, consecutive explosions occurred. Tearing down that area of the mansion.

  “Bryant! Go!” Able yelled at him, getting ready as more came and Peaches still defending against the nonstop explosions. “Find her!”

  Bryant didn’t hesitate, pushing out his demonic wings and soaring through the mansion.

  “Draugr!” A monstrous human made of dead flesh and fingernails appeared behind Peaches, summoned by Able. It dropped down its heavy axe like arm on the black ooze, stopping the consecutive explosion.

  “I didn’t need any help!” Peaches said in annoyance, gathering a deathly frost around him.

  “Sure you didn-!” A being having 3 pairs of white, long wings dove into Able. Dragging through the rubble.

  “Looks like you need some!” Peaches laugh, knowing how to counter the consecutive explosion now by stopping the black ooze from touching him.

  “That thing will make an excellent familiar…” Tristan observed the man that emerged from black ooze. Growing dangerously long nails, he prepared to assist Peaches.

  “You shouldn’t be looking at other people when you have a date with me,” A man with dark, gray hair said to Tristan, standing before him with his hand behind his back.

  “Are you as exceptional?” Tristan turned to face his opponent. Suddenly, an explosion hit him. He didn’t sense it coming or see the man before him move.

  Once again, another explosion hit him. And they certainly were not weak, Tristan could not see where it was coming from.

  “Does that answer the question for you,” An explosion from above knocked Tristan into the ground, the man clapped in glee, “I wasn’t even using my hands.”

  “I will dissect you and analyze your abilities,” Tristan transformed into his [Grotesque]. Gaining spiraling horns, demonic wings and black trails along his body.

  “Ooh! Pretty girl! Pretty girl!” A large man clapped in a strange manner at the sight of Emilia. He was beefy and muscular, he unconsciously drooled and had broken up teeth. Having a dumb smile plastered on his face.

  “Gross!” Emilia flinched at the sight of him, wanting to switch opponents with the others. "Grimaced as he got closer, "Accidentally kill a cat by petting it special person...."

  “Come here, pretty girl! Hiro want to play!” The man launched after Emilia. She dodged with her wings and his hands hit the ground, creating a minor crater.

  “Get away from me! Subservient!” She casted a powerful black wind at him that slice shallowly into his chest.

  It was as if that damage charged him, an explosion was then emitted from his body, “KABOOM!”

  “You smell just like sister…” The boy had a striking resemblance to Jason, Able sneered at it. He held strong, holy stimulus to Able’s neck.

  Dead flesh and fingernails began to erupt around Able as he started to let loose, “Shocking… Cause…”

  “I should say the same.”

  ~//~

  Bryant followed her pheromones and ever so slowly neared where she was being kept. It was the darkest part of the ruined mansion so far, and she was the brightest light source.nShe was forced into her grotesque by the generation she was forced to reside. Being semi-conscious, Bryant felt helpless seeing her like that. But he still couldn’t cry.

  As he slowly stepped closer, she was forced awake. Xitalli had a look of rage until realizing it was the man she loved the most.

  “I think you look more beautiful in your natural form,” Bryant said to her. She tried to speak but, nothing came out.

  Bryant came to the glass and rested his head on it, “Xitalli…. I don’t know what to do…”

  He waited for her response. She couldn’t. Only bubbles formed when she tried to speak, not a word being conveyed.

  “I feel helpless… I can’t even cry or ask for help,” Bryant rambled on, just wanted to hear her voice just once. “Ever since you’ve been gone… Everything seemed to be in shambles.”

  “Xitalli, I just want to know,” Still, he couldn’t cry. Yet, he was hopeless and miserable. He could only look at her with weary eyes. “What should I do?”

  “Survive.” He could hear her voice. He looked up at her. Seeing that she got through to him, she tried to talk some more but was unable to.

  “And I am at a lost again,” Bryant sighed and rested his head on the glass. Xitalli came to it and placed her head where he was.

  “Survive.” He heard her voice again. Being sure that it was her this time.

  He smiled meekly, that’s what he wanted to hear, “Yes… Yes, I will.”

  She tried to communicate again which was to no avail. She sighed, moving her lips slowly to convey a message. Bryant watched carefully,

  Please protect my daughter…

  Assuming who she was talking about, he nodded, “I will.”

  Xitalli gave a strong, tired smile as she peered into his eyes, “I love you; my lust demon.”

  He could hear her voice again and felt at ease, “I love you more; my lovely nymph.”

  Go… I’ll be safe…

  She sent for him to get out and placed her hand on the glass.

  Bryant placed his hands on the glass, and it shattered slightly, “I will be back for you…”

  Using his demonic wings, he soared after again. He could have heard the wreckage of the battle for a long time, just ignoring it so he could value his moments with her.

  “You would have lost if you didn’t have that sword…” Able growled at the boy who resembled his worst enemy. Amalgamations of dead flesh and fingernails were behind him, forming giants and obscure flowers. His sclera becoming pitch black and his irises gold.

  “Indeed I would… That’s why I have it…” The boy held the sword to his Able’s neck. His angelic wings far larger than before. Multiple replicas of his sword floated behind him, with black engravings and sacred flames circling him.

  The roof was ruined so, the sunlight rained over them as the angel had advantage over the monster. The boy said coldly, “No pagan will prevail against the Cult of Jason.”

  “You know… I have a pretty special sword too,” Able sneered as a strange katana rose from his amalgamations. He held it with pride, “I just don’t want to use it.”

  Bryant came charging in. Colliding with the other three opponents and the boy, sending them into a wall. He floated proudly with his horns out and wings spread, “If you needed help, you should have told me.”

  “As if.” Able dropped his sword back into the amalgamation and dusted himself off, “Did you get to see what you want?”

  “Yes… I am sure…” Bryant thought long about it and tightened his fists. He didn’t believe his words, “She’ll be safe.”

  Able looked back to see them recovering. He looked back at the familiar boy, he was aware of who his sister was. Does that mean they have met?

  “Then let’s get out of here before we have to kill those fools.”