“Kylie…”

“….Kylie.”

“Kylie!”

“Wah!”

The young boy, Kylie woke up screaming and fell off his bed.

“Hahaha! I just screamed in your ear a bit and this how you react?”

Kylie looked up and saw five persons looking down on him.

“Jasmine, why did you do that?”

“What’s the big deal, Roxanne? He’s a trained warrior and this how he reacts?”

“I-I also think that you did something bad, Jasmine.”

“Even you are taking his side, Nordia? I’m the oldest you know?”

“Enough. Just because you’re the oldest doesn’t mean that you can do as you like.”

“Ow! Mama, you didn’t have to hit m!”

“Kylie.”

The only male stooped down in front of him.

“Are you ok?”

The man’s face was stern but eyes had a gentle light. Kylie stared at this face until his vision became blurry.

“Eh? Is he crying? Did I make him cry?”

“Good going, Jasmine.”

Roxanne stooped down in front of him and wiped the tears from his eyes.

“Wow, the tears just keep coming.”

Nordia stooped down as well. Lacie sighed and picked him up.

“At least stand up for now.”

She fixed his clothes and gave him a motherly smile.

“You’re a big boy so shouldn’t cry so easily.”

“Th-That’s right!”

“Shut up, Jasmine.”

“Ugh…”

Kylie wiped the tears from his eyes and spoke with a hoarse voice.

“I’m sorry.”

He showed a bright smile while tears kept flowing.

“It’s just that I’m glad to see you all again, even if it’s a dream.”

He pounced on his mother and started embracing her. The others surrounded him and embraced him as well.

“I’ll bring you all back alive, even if it’s the last thing I do. I promise.”

Lacie hugged him tightly and nodded.

“We’ll be here waiting.”

“Jin….Jin…Jin!”

Jin opened his eyes and saw Miko looking down on him.

“I was going to ask you if you slept well…But seeing those tears, I guess I don’t need to ask.”

“!”

Jin lifted his upper body up in a rush.

“Ugh!”

His body was immediately assaulted with pain.

“I wouldn’t move too much if I were you. I’m pretty sure that a lot of things are broken.”

“…..I see. I lost.”

“Yup.”

Miko sat on a boulder behind him.

“You didn’t kill me….You’re a bigger coward than I thought.”

“You know, for someone whose ass I kicked you’re pretty rude.”

“You were afraid to kill me because you knew that if you did there’s no saving Bloom.”

“Well, I can’t deny that. Speaking of Bloom, I’m pretty sure that I’ll fight her soon. But before that, I need to fix you two idiots.”

He pointed at Shòuxing who laid out on the ground.

“Why didn’t you wake him?”

“Because you’re easier to talk to. He’s emotionally unstable.”

“And I’m not.”

“You are too, but it’s easier to fix what you’re worried about. So I’ll deal with you first.”

Miko pointed at himself.

“I have no intention of threatening what you hold dare.”

“I know your intentions are good but I don’t agree with your methods. I hate self-sacrifice.”

“I’m not talking about Bloom…. Jasmine, Roxanne, Nordia, Lacie, Glen.”

Jin’s eyes widened.

“I heard you mumbled those names in your sleep. They’re people you hold dare, right?”

He pointed at the necklace around Jin’s neck.

“Those three rings, they belong to them. They’re the reason you’re in New Era. Since they aren’t with you now and you were crying while calling their names they’re either being held hostage or dead. I’m leaning more to being dead.”

“What are you trying to say?”

Jin’s glare sharpened.

“I’ll take a wild guess here but could it be that New Era promised to bring them back?”

Jin’s glare got more hostile.

“What? Are you going to laugh and say it’s not possible?”

“No, it’s possible. Especially for them. The reason why I brought it up is that you see me as a threat to them, right? You believe that if I continue to evolve I might be able to destroy them one day. If I do that, your family will be gone forever, right?”

“That’s right.”

“You don’t need to worry. There’s a high chance that I’ll join the New Era in the future. So I won’t destroy them…”

“You’re lying. I told you before when we just met, I know your type. You’re not the type to serve others. Even if you join New Era, you’ll definitely destroy the harmony in the organization.”

“Hmm….I see. Then how about this? If I join you guys I’ll help you regain your family.”

“How?”

“I’m Miko.”

“That’s your reply? You’re you?”

“Do I need to say any more than that?”

Jin became quiet. He thought about all the pros and cons of teaming with Miko in the future. He thought long and hard about what could happen. In the end, he sighed and nodded.

“Fine. I’ll back off and let you do what you want in this war.”

Miko smiled.

“Not that you had much of a choice.”

“Oh, how I hate your guts.”

Miko laughed and jumped off the boulder. He walked over to Shòuxing and started kicking him until he woke up.

“What the?”

He looked around with a confused expression.

“Yo. Did you sleep alright?”

“….I lost.”

Miko nodded.

“You failed to kill anyone which means that you got the answer you were looking for.”

Shòuxing shook his head.

“I didn’t kill anyone because I was defeated not because I couldn’t bring myself to do it. Back there I was giving it my all to kill you two…. That’s means that I’m really far too gone. I can’t return to Camellia.”

“Camellia? Oh, so that’s Hana’s real name? It suits her.”

Miko sighed when he saw Shòuxíng holding his head down.

“For someone harboring two powerful monsters in his body, you’re pretty soft.”

He looked up at the sky and smiled.

“Say, Shòuxing. What do you think of this world?”

“What?”

“I’m asking, how do you feel about this world? I want your honest feelings.”

“….I don’t know.”

“Then let me tell you how I feel.”

Miko brought his head down and looked Shòuxing in the eyes.

“I hate it. There’s not one day I don’t feel the urge to burn everything to the ground. I hate its people, it’s history, and it’s future. I despise this goddamn world more than anything else.”

He smiled.

“Do you feel the same?”

“….I don’t think so.”

“Then you’re not too far gone. At least not compared to me.”

He sat on the ground next to Shòu.

“You see, I’m the definition of a monster. I wouldn’t hesitate to slaughter innocents, destroy their lives, and rob them of their future.”

He pointed at Shòu.

“But you’re different. You say that you’re too far gone but if you really were you wouldn’t be sulking right now. No, you would be indifferent about trying to kill us. At most, you would be angry about not being able to end us. Since you’re not feeling any of those things then you’re fine.”

“But I did some despicable things during this war.”

“Haven’t we all? We’ve all stained our hands with blood. You’re afraid of the beast inside you? We all are. That’s what war does to people, it forces them to come face to face with their own evil…..That’s why I hate it.”

Miko became silent for a bit before speaking again.

“Listen, Shòu. You have done things that you aren’t proud of but you did it to protect the one you love.”

“Yeah, and she rejected me.”

“She rejected you because you were rejecting yourself.”

Miko stood up.

“You refused to accept who you are and it was making you weak. That’s why I pushed you the way I did. I know from experience that if you don’t learn to accept everything about yourself then there will be no happiness in your life.”

He stretched his hands out to Shòuxing and Jin. They looked at his hands, each other, and then back at his hands. They slowly reached out and grabbed it.

“People have many sides to them. The hero, the villain, the god, the devil, the man, and the beast. Unless we accept them all you’ll never fulfill your full potential.”

He pulled them up.

“If you’re afraid of losing yourselves again then you’re always free to come find me. I’ll beat you into shape.”

“…Why? Why did you go such lengths for us? Why are you going through all of this to save Bloom?”

Miko looked at Jin and smiled.

“Who knows?”

That was all Miko said but to Jin and Shòuxíng it was more than enough.

“You said that you hated wars, right? So why do you fight so much?”

“Did I say that? You must’ve misheard me.”

Miko turned his back on them and started walking away.

“Didn’t you see me laughing and smiling while I fought you? I love wars. I start them all the time.”

“….I see….I guess everyone has their problems.”

“That’s right, Jinny Boy. Everyone has their problems. Mine are just a bit special I guess.”

He stopped and faced them.

“Now that your therapy is over I must attend to my next patient.”

“Next patient?”

Miko nodded.

“And this one will be quite a handful. So if I were you I would get back.”

“No, let them stay.”

Shòu and Jin turned around and saw Bloom floating in the air.

“I’ll deal with the traitors after you, Miko.”

“Traitors?”

Jin furrowed his brows.

“I see. You saw me chatting with our enemies in a friendly manner so you believe that I’ve betrayed you.”

Bloom didn’t respond to Jin. She didn’t even look in his direction.

(Once she gets like this there’s no changing her mind. Talking to her would just make it worse. The only thing I can do is to rely on Miko.)

Jin turned his back to Bloom.

“Let’s go, Lizard.”

“………”

Shòuxing looked at Bloom for a bit before turning away as well. The two started walking away but they didn’t take five steps before they were forced on to their stomachs. It felt like something was pushing down on them.

“Who gave you permission to leave?”

Bloom finally looked at them. She looked down at them with a cold gaze as if she was looking at a pair of corpses.

“Shit! I don’t have any power left to oppose her and my injuries are already bad as it is.”

Shòuxing’s body started sinking into the earth.

“I hate traitors more than anything else. I’ll be sure to kill you in the most painful way possible.”

Bloom’s voice had thorns in them and pricked into Jin’s and Shòuxíng’s heart.

“Hey, cut them some slack. They just got their ass kicked. You don’t need to kick it again.”

She turned her gaze on Miko who stood with a smile.

“You’re the cause of everything.”

“Hm…I wouldn’t say everything but I’ll settle for 85%.”

An invisible force hit where Miko stood and a huge crater opened underneath him. However, Miko himself looked unbothered.

“I’m sorry, hun. I don’t obey the laws of nature, so gravity won’t work here.”

“I’ll kill you.”

“I said it earlier didn’t I?”

Miko spread his arms.

“I welcome all challengers.”

He was blown away by a more powerful force. Bloom chased after him and formed a purple sword in her hand. She swung it and the space around Miko became distorted.

“Chaotic Vita huh?”

He swung his hand and a shattering sound was heard. The space around him became normal again.

“………”

Bloom glared at him in silence. Miko smiled.

“Love, if you want a kiss don’t be afraid to ask.”

Bloom’s eyes started twitching.

“I’m so gonna kill you.”