Fourteen years ago, the Immortal Jasper War neared its end. The conflict between Coelestis and Smaragdos lasted for two decades. Such bloodshed gave freelance executioners many opportunities. From the perpetually snowing nation of Hiver lived the most infamous one.

Airi Hakkyō, known as the nation’s guillotine, had an iron grip on the culling of Smaragdian soldiers. Her routine was strict: breakfast, coffee, attire, gloves, knife. One day, she took her daughter, Tokino, to view a lake of bubbling black liquid.

It was a popular execution method for its time. Guards forced prisoners to jump in, and none escaped once inside. After a while, these pits became the infamous “Hades Bathtubs.”

Airi gently moved her daughter’s head up, who sulked. “See these criminals, Tokino? They deserve everything coming for them. The world gave them time to correct their mistakes and walk a different path. But they never did. Now they have no time at all.” A screaming prisoner fell into the lake by force. “Rot in pieces,” her eyes squinted.

Tokino closed her eyes away from the pitiful man’s fate. He flailed his arms as he sunk deeper into the abyss.

They went home to a temporary mansion. Airi acquired it kilometers away from both cities. Coelestis sent her prisoners daily, and it served her handsomely.

In the hallway, Tokino’s sulk did not fade. Her mother looked down at her. She knew she would act like this, but she gave her a head pat. Tokino scratched her arms and other areas. She found a noble’s garment very itchy. “Do you hate me… Mama?” her head still lowered.

“Never in a thousand lifetimes, my sweet darling,” she shook her head, “You are my light in this ugly, annoying world.”

She looked up at her again. “Then… why… do you always…?”

“All of it is necessary, my Tokino. You are to become me in the future.” She stopped in her tracks and held her shoulders. “I love you a million deaths. And so, I am still here to sever your remaining flaws.” She kissed her cheek.

The gesture gave Tokino a sense of immense love. Yet, she could not return it. Her body and soul did not want her.

They went inside an improvised torture chamber at the end of the hallway.

For two years of Tokino’s life, she had a weekly, painful routine. Airi would strap her onto a chair. Wrists, ankles, and neck. Next, she would bring in a Smaragdian prisoner before her eyes. They were in the same situation.

Airi tied her daughter’s mouth with a cloth. She did it gently. “Relax, darling. It will be over soon.”

With that, Tokino’s “education” commenced.

Airi had an innate ability perfect for her profession: “Free Cutlery.” With finger strokes alone, the victim’s skin would be finely flayed. She could also chop flesh and bone. Her cutting power significantly increased when holding a sharp tool.

Every time Airi “educated” Tokino, she cast minuscule runic arrays on her eyes. It prevented her from blinking but gave ample lubrication. Tried as she might, her lids refused to close.

Her mother began with the victim‘s arm. She dug her knife into his flesh and cut his ulna. With a bag over his head, he screamed in muffled agony.

Tokino’s heart never tolerated the gushing blood, lopped-off skin, cracked bones, and gouged-out eyes; made worse when her foresight would activate on its own. She sobbed and hyperventilated as it went on.

Next were the fingernails. Airi’s knife pierced deep into the root and flicked them off one by one. As the prisoner’s suffering continued, Airi lectured her daughter thoroughly. “Efficiency is key, darling. Enjoy their pain if you must, but never waste time. For example.” She cut open his guts in quick succession.

Tokino sobbed further. Her breathing became worse. No matter what, she could close her eyes.

The prisoner’s torture went on for hours. Eventually, he died of shock. It signaled the end of Tokino’s course for the day.

Airi freed her from the chair and hugged her. “Oh, darling. I’m so happy,” she smiled with her eyes closed. “You cried less than before. Give it time, and you’ll no longer feel anything….”

Suddenly, a man barged in the door. “Airi! I thought we had a long talk! Keep her out of this!”

His words caused her eyes to glare with contempt. “You bastard….”

Tokino immediately ran to her loving father. She hugged him tightly and bawled. “Take me home! Take me home!” she pleaded.

Taikō Hakkyō (発狂対抗) disproved his wife’s methods from day one. However, her nigh-omnipresent political power over Hiver meant very few stood in her way. Luckily for the duke, he finally convinced the parliament to pass on a bill to strengthen child protection. It would come into effect in two days.

He held Tokino close, who still bawled. “I will write the papers, Airi. Once I do, you’ll never touch us again.”

His words angered Airi further. She tried laying a hand on him before refraining. She laid her shaking hand down. “That’s too cruel, dear… Surely, I could see my darling every year or so?” she smiled faintly. “I need her warm embrace—” She felt a sharp sting on her cheek.

“No promises. That’s that.” Taikō walked out of the torture chamber alongside his daughter.

The door closed in front of Airi. Her eyes lit up, and she breathed heavily. She stabbed the prisoner’s corpse repeatedly. “Fuck you! Fuck you!! She’s mine, and mine only. Go to hell, bastard!”

She continued until its face became unrecognizable.

Tokino chased butterflies in the backyard. Her smile came back. Eventually, her father joined and laughed with her.

Thirty seconds in, she caught three Smaragdian crystal-winged butterflies. “Look, Papa. Look!” she showed them.

Taikō realized how effortlessly she managed to do it. He held her shoulder. “That was amazing, kiddo. How’d you do that?”

“Oh, it’s easy!” she declared. “I can see the future time after time. It’s like a movie.”

He chuckled with his mouth closed. “That sounds very handy. If I had it, I’d never be late for work.”

Tokino giggled at his remark. However, her face changed into melancholy. “What’s wrong?” asked her father.

Her eyes and lips frowned. “I hate every time it turns on during my lessons. I see people dying before they know it.” She clutched her chest. “It hurts me, too, Papa….”

Taikō hugged and rubbed her back. “Don’t worry, kiddo. Someday, this will all be behind us. We’ll finally be free from this hellhole.”

“But what about Mama…?” she looked up.

He stroked her lavender hair. “She’ll be behind us, too. Don’t you hate her?”

“No, Papa,” she shook her head. “I’m only scared of her. But she’s still family….”

He sighed. “Well, I can promise you this, Tokino. You won’t feel scared ever again once we find a new home.”

“But can she visit us? I don’t want her to be lonely. Mama never hurts me. She loves me.”

Taikō found no lie in that. Twisted as it was, his wife never laid a finger on their daughter. He patted her head. “Sorry, but no promises. I’ll make it up to you somehow in the future. You’re precious to me, too.” He hugged her again.

An idea popped within Tokino. She ran into the field. “Papa, let’s play! See who can catch the most butterflies!”

He chuckled once more and joined in the fun for hours.

On the battlefield, Coelestian brigade mages occupied more outposts from opposing forces. The Smaragdian army used pistols with crystal bullets. Each shot turned into balls of spikes and pierced many bodily areas. With their near-infinite supply of Immortal Jasper, they never used anything else.

On a Coelestian outpost, a tent lay nearby. Inside was a young Harald, already the city’s king. “Listen carefully, my men.” He explained his plan. “We’ll attack the Smaragdians in unguarded areas. Flanking is always preferred when your foe is too disciplined. Then, we shall make a pincer attack at east and west. Furthermore, we should—”

A brigade mage opened the tent. “Your majesty! I have dire news. It might spell our defeat at this moment.”

Harald chuckled and walked toward him. “No need for ill-fated messages, young man. Tell me so, and we shall crush it head-on.” He smirked.

He sweated bullets. “I-It’s the Alaric Empire, your majesty. They refused to put the past behind them and sided with our foes. Our men rumored that Adel Brand is on the field.”

His smirk disappeared. He sighed with his eyes closed. “And this is why I hate ill-fated messages… Have our men tell you of our plan. I’ll take him on. You lot shall not assist me. Understand?”

“Yessir!” he saluted.

Back at the mansion, Taikō read Tokino about their family history. Their roots got traced back to defectors from Mikadzukihantō during the Kin Period (金時代). Tokino yawned, eyes relaxed. However, the next read caught her attention and even excited her.

It was a hard copy of the Thralldom Codex. It showed detailed illustrations of every past slave within its catalogs. Said defectors were victims of it, while some profited off the practice. War and political prisoners also became entrapped in servitude. Even seadrakes suffered at one point in history. All were sentient and spoke many tongues.

What caught her eye the most was the existence of magicless humans with fiery eyes—and absurdly superhuman powers.

“Oh. You’re interested in that, aren’t you?” said Taikō. “Alright. This book will be our last read before dinner.”

It was a million-year-old Pantaiyanilam saga. It retold the fate of an angry God that rebelled against his kind in Heaven.

As he read, Tokino got scared and held her father close. “Oh, I’m sorry. You don’t want me to finish?” he looked at her.

She shook her head. “Don’t worry, Papa. I wanna know more….”

He smiled. “Okay.” He continued the story. For added effect, he deepened his voice.

Many eons ago, Heaven cast out their traitor to the mortal realm. Unbeknownst to them, he relished the idea since he wanted none of their influence. Alas, he soon found out the world the Gods banished him to was their creation. His blood boiled enough that it affected the outside. However, a beautiful maiden he knew came in. “Enough of this poison, rabbit!” she cried out.

The traitor God tried to lash out at her. Before he knew it, the maiden neared her lips unto his. She never let go until his soul knew calmness. “Seek to be the better man, my love. You are no God nor monster in my eyes. You are a poor rabbit in need of help. As you are too, my treasure.” With her declaration, she continued showing her love until the grassy meadow grew.

From then on, the traitor God began to learn. Humanity viewed him as more man than his kind ever did. He cried a river of gratitude to them—and his wife. Alas, he learned one more thing. Several Gods resided in the mortal realm to lead their sheep. With that, his blood boiled once more. He never hesitated to cull three hundred in one night.

Years went by he created his loyal friend: the red Sword of Endings. Only he could wield it, and even the most divine perished before its blade. After his 10,000th crusade in the mortal realm, he had an epiphany. Heaven needed correction.

Before going back home, the traitor God loved the maiden one last time. “I give my seed to you. Our goodbyes shall not be in vain. You are worth more than a trillion stars.”

“On with it, my love,” she declared. “I care not for your hatred. I ask only of your embrace once more. I assure you they will grow strong. The world awaits them.” She neared her lips unto his and gave none ever since.

From that day forward, every God left the mortal realm. As I write this, we know not when they shall return. Either way, the traitor’s children lived. And so, we must remove them like weeds. Our measly chains could not restrain them. Magic is the ultimate gift the Gods gave us. Those who possess none are a sickness before their eyes.

–Alfred Eichmann IX, 53rd dean of Durham’s House of Learned Exceptions, circa 1XXX

In the end, the saga showed bloody illustrations of wartime propaganda against one group. It detailed every torture method to a grotesque degree.

Taikō comforted a frightened Tokino. He rubbed her back. “It’s alright, kiddo… Yes, I’m afraid Pantaiyanilam has an ugly history, but sagas aren’t necessarily true. They probably used these texts to justify atrocities.”

Moments later, the butler called them in for dinner. Taikō dismissed him, and he held his daughter’s hand in the dining room. Her smile never faded.

In Tokino’s bedroom, Airi turned on the lights and arranged her stuffed animals. After fixing her bed, she dimmed the room and cast runic arrays over a wall. “I love you… a million deaths. My dear, sweet, darling Tokino….” She smiled faintly.