''Fucking useless piece of shit.'' Xofamai said under his breath before slamming the door of the car and taking a deep breath of nicotine to calm down his nerve. They had been on the road to return to the Ding Dong Community. But rain had come pouring unexpectedly. Without the power of the sun, the car had lost all it's power and thus was the reason for his frustration.

''Hey Xofamai I see an abandoned drug store up there. maybe we could find something some band-aid and ointment for his cuts and burn.'' Clara said in a hopeful voice.

He made a dismissive gesture toward her. ''Yeah, yeah whatever. It's not like we're going anywhere anyway, fucking useless pile of scrap.'' He muttered the last part under his breath.

Oliver roll his eyes at Clara. ''I told you I'm fine I don't need these things.''

Clara responded by grabbing him by the hand and dragged him by force toward the drug store. He tried to get out of her grip but being an hybrid Clara was much stronger than him. And so he had to resigned to his fate and followed her.

Inside, the drugstore was in surprisingly good condition. Which meant no one had looted this place yet. Clara looked at the place with a nostalgic look plastered on her face. ''Wow it almost like we're back in time. Look they even have a section for blu-ray. I remember seeing some of those movies in cinema before the Invasion. too bad we don't have blu-ray back at the Community, I would make you watch some of these.''

Oliver looked at them and tried to read at least one of the title. ''S-p-i-d-e-r-M-a-n, Spider-Man?''

Clara nodded with a happy smile. ''Oh Spider-Man! he was my favorite superhero when I was young!''

Oliver looked at her with a weirded out expression. ''Seriously? A movie about a guy that turn into a spider? People from before the Invasion had weird hobbies.'' Clara looked at him with a melancholic look. ''What?''

She shook her head. ''Nothing... It just sometime I forget that despite the fact we have the same age you have much less memories about the Old World than I do. It's kind of sad that the next generation won't remember any of this.'' She said while pointing toward the movies.

Oliver looked down realising she was right. Pretty soon the Old World would be nothing more than a legend people talked about around a campfire. He clenched his fist angrily, these damn Dragons had taken so much from them. Thousand of years in advancement thrown into the abyss. If they didn't stop them they would be forced to return to the stone age and live like animals, just like the Elestia.

Oliver looked up and noticed that Clara was gone. ''Clara?'' he asked in a slightly worried tone.

''I'm over here!'' Her voice responded from further away in the drug store. When he found she was in a section full of medical items. He couldn't even begin to read most of these names. ''Here I found what you need, now hold still while I put them on you.''

Oliver tried to back away but she was arleady on him and held him in place while she applied the ointment on his burn and put band-aids on his cuts. He crossed his arms with a grumble. ''I look silly with these things on me.''

Clara rolled her eyes. ''There's nothing silly about taking care of yourself. Now look at this, I found it while I was searching for your stuff.''

He looked at what she had in her hand with a confused look. What she was holding looked like suckers made out of gummy. Before he could even questioned what it was Clara had took one of them and shoved it inside his mouth. His lips immediatly pucker up as an extremely sour taste invaded his tongue.

Clara meanwhile was munching happily on the stuff. ''Ah I love sour stuff! Isn't it wonderful?''

Oliver meanwhile felt like his tongue had been overwhlemed by the taste. ''What the heck?! How much sugar did they put in that stuff?! I feel like I ate more sugar with a single bite of this than I did in my entire life!''

''I know isn't it amazing?'' She said with a gleeful expression on her face.

Oliver shook his head and walked away. ''You're crazy, I'm getting out of here.''

Clara shrugged while putting another piece of candy in her mouth and she hummed happily. Meanwhile Oliver had walked deeper and looked everywhere for something that might look interesting.

He saw a section for birthday cards, a section for plushies with all sort of strange creatures that could easily pass for Elestia and also a section for chips, popcorn and other unhealthy foods. For a store that was called a drugstore they sure carried a lot of stuff that had nothing to do with drugs or medicine, Oliver thought to himself.

Then he saw a small rack full of newspaper, it immediately caught his attention because on top of the first page was a picture of Professor Dogwood standing in front of a familiar machine. on it was written 'The D.T Starleap, next step of humanity or just another pipe dream?' Oliver felt bad when he saw the hopeful look in the old Professor's eyes. If only he knew back then what his invention would bring into the world.

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard the sound of a horn coming from outside the store. When he arrived outside Clara was arleady there and Xofamai was inside the car. He had one of his rare smirk as he looked at them. ''It look like the sun finally decide to come out. Let's go before another cloud come ruin our day.''

The two of them quickly went inside and Xofamai pressed on the gas. The tires screetched as the car zoomed into action. Fortunately for them they had no other problems on the road and managed to arrive back to the Ding Dong Community before the sun completely disappeared into the horizon.

- - - - -

Two entire weeks had passed since their mission at Bajoon. General Clementine almost had a panic attack when she saw the rough state Oliver was in. Predicably because of this she had assigned them nothing but patrolling duties since that day, much to the chagrin of Oliver.

That day they were guarding the fifth residential station. As usual he was bored to death about his patrolling duty, nothing ever happened on these assignment. To his knowledge there was very rarely any criminal activity in the Ding Dong Community and when there was it was mostly nothing more than petty theft.

Oliver had almost fallen asleep while standing up when Clara gave him a light hit with her shoulder. ''Huh wha-?'' He asked in confusion.

Clara pointed at someone in the distance. ''Look at that man, don't you find it weird how everyone seem to avoid him?'' The man in question was a tall muscular old man sitting on a bench, he had a dark ebony skin and a long white beard. His head was completely bald and was shining with the light of the torch above him. He wore a simple white tank top along with a pair of camo jeans.

As he looked he saw that a small boy was running close to the man. A woman in her mid-thirty came running after him and dragged him away all the while avoiding eye conact with the man sitting on the bench. ''Huh that is weird. Why would people avoid him? He just look like a regular old guy.'' Oliver said while scratching his chin.

Clara grabbed him by the hand, ''Let's go see him, maybe we can learn more.''

Oliver looked at her in shock while he was dragged. ''Hey should we really put our nose in stuff that don't concern us?''

Clara made a dismissive gesture with her free hand. ''We're paid to guard this place right? Well if there's someone suspicious it's our duty to keep a watch on them.'' Oliver conceded the point and they went toward the old man.

''Hello there, can I help you?'' The man said in a pleasant tone.

Clara let go of Oliver and brought her full attention to the man. ''Yes I'm sorry for disturbing you. But we're member of the Resistance patrolling this area for the day.''

The man had an impressed look in his eyes. ''Wow y'all look pretty young for member of the Resistance.''

Clara rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. ''Well yeah... But anyway I'm sorry if it's an insensitive question but it seem like other people are avoiding you. As guards we wanted to know why would people would be nervous about you.''

Clara was scared she had offended the man, but he only had a sad expression on his face. ''Well I can't say I blame them. I'm surprised nobody told you two who I am. You see my name is Justin Jones... And I used to be a member of the Knights of Humanity.''

Oliver eyes widened in shock and he was left speechless. What was he supposed to say to that? Should he arrested him... no if it was common knowledge that he used to be a Knights then General Clementine must have known about it. But then why had she allowed him inside? Didn't she knew how dangerous members of that organisation were?

Clara meanwhile had a more calm reaction to the whole thing. ''Really? No offense but you look a little too old to have been a member of that group.''

Justin chuckled hollowly at that. ''I suppose I must look pretty old to the two of you huh? But the reality is that I'm only twenty-two years old.''

Both teens look at him in disbelief. ''How is that possible? You look like you're closer to eighty than anything else.'' Oliver asked with a disbelieving stare.

Justin lifted a part of his shirt and what was inside made the two teens recoiled. His chest area had turned into a dark grey color as if it had been drained of all it's vitality. ''This is the price we pay for using powers we weren't meant to have. The armor of the Knights allow us to use the power of the Elestia. But in exchange we drain ourself of our own life. I was only a Knight for four years and yet that was enough to turn me into the old man you see today.''

''Why did you leave them? I mean apart from the horrible loss of your lifespan?'' Clara asked to the old man as he put back the shirt on himself.

Justin rubbed the back of neck. ''Well obviously my ageing was a reason for me leaving. But the real reason is because I learned how the Knights treated Chosens. I know that most people think the Knights are extremists and they're not entirely wrong. But what most people don't know is that a lot of the members don't know that they're killing innocent people like this. The Queen tell us that the Chosens we killed were dangerous terrorists that were trying to attack settlements, other time she told us they were members of that crazy Cult of The Great Ones. Only a select few know we're also killing innocent civilians.''

Oliver clenched his fists angrily. ''And I thought they couldn't get any worse. I can't believe I used to think the Knights were the good guys.''

Justing nodded his head sadly. ''I know what you mean when the Knights of Humanity first popped into existence they seemed like our saving grace. Finally there was a group that could fight the Dragons.'' He chuckled dryly at that. ''Yeah right, they pretend they're going to kill the Dragons and save all of humanity but have they done anything? Hell no! They're scared shitless of the Dragons just like anybody else. They haven't even tried to attack them since their inception. They've been content to just protect settlements in exchange for their complete loyalty to their cause. They've been draining the ressources of almost half the settlements of Orchestralia for years!''

Oliver glared angrily at the ground. ''That's why I want to do something. I'm tired of people just giving up hope like this. If the Knights or the Resistance won't fight the Dragons then I'll do it myself!''

Justin looked at the boy in amazemenet but then he shook his head with a sigh. ''Don't throw your life away like that kid. You still have all your life in front of you. Don't waste it on an impossible fight.''

Oliver glared at him and walked away. Clara looked at Justin with an apologetic expression. ''Sorry about him he can get really stubborn when he want to.'' With a final bow of her head she ran after Oliver. ''You should really listen to what people say to you sometime.''

He snorted in response. ''He just has given up like everybody else. Have you given up too? You were the one that said we should get rid of the Dragons.''

She shook her head. ''I haven't given up. But we can't get reckless either, I know you want to kill them but the Dragons are the strongest Elestia in existence. We will need to become much stronger than we are right now if we want to stand a chance.''

Oliver sighed and grumbled. ''I hate when you're right.''

At that Clara smiled brightly. ''I'm always right.''

He made a snorting sound. ''Yeah because you're a nerd.''

Clara made a gasping sound that was clearly way too dramatic to be serious. ''I am not a nerd I'm simply well read.'' She said in a haughty tone.

''You're the Queen of nerds.'' Oliver replied with a smirk on his face.

''Are you Oliver Wilden and Clara Balsam?'' A voice said from behind, when they turned around they saw a woman with a lab coat looking at them with a unreadable expression.

''Umm yes, why?'' Clara asked cautiously.

''Professor Benjamin Dogwood has asked me to fetch the both of you. Something about a test I didn't ask what it was about.''

They both looked at each other with looks of realisation before following the woman who guided them toward the labotary station.

- - - - -

When they arrived they could see that the old professor was tinkering with a small machine. The woman that had accompanied them cleared her throat. ''I have bought the children you asked for, will you need anything else?''

Professor Dogwood turned around with a surprised look but then smiled when he saw who had arrived. ''Everything is fine Noira, you can return to your own work.'' The woman nodded stifly before retreating away from the three of them. ''I'm glad you could make it. I'm sorry it took this long but I finally got the results for the test you asked for a while ago.''

Clara edged closer to the Professor with a nervous look in her eyes. ''And?...''

''Well okay I have good news, bad news and a kind of weird news. I'll start with the good news if you don't mind.'' Clara nodded in response her nervous look still in place. ''Well the good news is that you will be able to have children with other humans.''

Clara released a breath of relief at the new. ''That's really reassuring thank you Professor Dogwood.''

He nodded with a smile. ''I just hope you're not planning on using that knowlege anytime soon I don't want to be blamed for you becoming a parent as a teenager.''

Clara shook her head with a blush appearing on her face. ''You don't have to worry about that... I just really wanted to know, that transformation arleady took so much away from me.'' The old man nodded sadly with a sympathetic look in his eyes. ''What about the other news?'' She asked curiously.

The professor scratched his chin. ''Well the weird news is that I made the same test on a few regular Elestia. And the test came out the same way. It seem like all Elestia are compatible with humans not just hybrids. And not only can they reproduce with humans, it seem like Elestia can basically reproduce with any kind of creatures in the universe.''

Clara looked at him flabbergasted. ''How does that even work?''

''Well from what I observed Elestia can use their life force to convert chromosones into something compatible with their own genes. So because of that your children will most likely have a stronger resemblance to you than the father. Or at least that's the theory I have, we would need to really see it in action before I make any real conclusions.''

Oliver scrunched his nose. ''I really don't want to think about an Elestia having children with humans.''

Professor Dogwood coughed awkwardly. ''Yes well, let's move on to the last piece of news. For this part Oliver can you step away? I need to talk to Clara in private. I'll make you a sign when I want you to return.''

Oliver felt thorn at this but when Clara nodded at him he decided to comply and walked away from the Professor and Clara. From the distance he could see him whispering something in the ear of Clara and when he was done she had become as white as a sheet.

Oliver really wanted to know what was being said but he knew he would not hear the end of it if he tried to eavesdrop. Finally after a few more minutes of them whispering to each other Professor Dogwood gestured for Oliver to come back.

The two of them were still looking at each other awkwardly which made Oliver even more curious but Professor Dogwood quickly broke the silence. ''The last thing I want to talk you about is my magnum opus.''

Oliver cocked his head. ''The D.T. Starleap?''

At that the old man shook his head with a frown plastered on his face. ''I don't consider that my magnum opus... Anymore. This is what I'm talking about.'' He took something from his table and presented them with a rectangular device with a screen.

''Is that a tablet?'' Clara asked curiously.

He shook his head in response. ''No! It's much more than that! This device contain all the knowledge I have amassed on Elestia in the last ten years. One day it will become a massive encyclopedia containing information on every single Elestia!... Unfortunately right now we only have information on about one hundred and thirty which is most of the Elestia in Orchestralia. We don't know how many Elestia there are in the world. But I'm certain there are hundreds maybe even thousands we don't know about in other places in the world. I call this device the G.E.E.K. Global Encyclopedia for Elestia Knowledge.''

Oliver snorted and bursted out laughing at the name. ''Really that's the name you're going with?'' He said with mirth in his voice.

Clara smiled micheviously at Professor Dogwood. ''You should have just called it the Pokédex.''

In response he pressed his palm against his forehead and let out a deep sigh. ''As I was saying this device will help members of the Resistance know more about the danger they encounter in the wild. And that's the ohter reason why I called both of you today. I want you two to carry my first prototype of the G.E.E.K. and scan any Elestia that might not be in the encyclopedia.''

Clara looked at the device with a new apreciation. ''Why us? Aren't there more qualified members of the Resistance who would be more qualified for this job?''

Professor Dogwood nodded. ''Yes there are people much more competent than you for this job.'' Those words sent a pit in the stomach of Oliver making him realise he was still far from the strenght he needed to accomplish his goal. ''But that's just it, these experienced members don't need this device. They arleady know the vast majority of Elestia that live in this country. You two however could make good use of it. And if you happen to find new Elestia along the way it would be a nice bonus. Beside this is only the first prototype. I'm planning to do much more of these devices in the future.''

Oliver took the device and instantly recoiled when he saw a large wall of text greeting him. ''Umm, you take it Clara, I don't think I'll be able to read all that text while we're being attack by wild Elestia, you however probably read quick enough to read the whole encyclopedia in a minute.''

Clara rolled her eyes at that but she nonetheless took the GEEK in her hands. ''So how does it work? I mean it's great and all to have an encyclopedia on the go. But I don't think we'll have the time to scroll throught it while in battle.''

Professor Dogwood nodded. ''Yes that's why I equiped it with a scanner. It will scan the signature of the life force you're pointing it at and give you all the information you need on the Elestia you're facing.''

Clara grew curious and looked down toward her pouch. ''Marie come out a second will you?'' The small winged mouse emerge from the pouch and looked at Clara curiously.

She pointed the device toward Marie and waited in anticipation. Then an image of a similar Elestia popped up on the screen along with some text underneath it. ''What? No fancy AI voice to read the text for me?'' She said in a teasing voice.

Professor Dogwood sighed in exhasperation. ''For the last time this is not a Pokédex. Beside I don't really have the ressources to put create an AI with the technology we have. It would be more realistic to hire a voice actor to read all the text. I might consider it down the line but for now the text will have to do.''

Clara rolled her eyes playfuly. ''Fine, let's see here. Rodair, Wind Nature. These small Rodent are infamous for swooping down on farms and stealing crops all around the world. Fortunately these rodents are very lazy and can sleep up to twenty hours a day.'' She smirked toward Marie. ''No wonder you're always in my pouch you lazybones.''

Then she had an idea, she dropped her illusion and revealed her hybrid form. Professor Dogwood who was not used to this jumped back in surprise at the sudden change in appearance.

Then she pointed the G.E.E.K. toward herself and waited for it to scan her. When it was done she turned the screen around but was dissapointed when no picutres appeared and the only words that appeared were. ''Elestia not found in the database?''

Professor Dogwood rubbed the back of his head. ''As I said it is not completed. But if you want you could be the one to name the species you turned into, I mean it would only be right.''

Clara nodded with a thougtful look in her eyes. ''I'll think about it. But even if it's incomplete this will really be useful, but are you sure you should give it to us?''

He nodded without hesitation. ''I'm sure, both of your fathers were the best men I ever had the chance to work with. I'm sorry about what happened, to both of them. Franklin was the best enginer I have ever met and while I often disagreed with Michael I valued his input greatly. It such a shame a brilliant man like him decided to waste his talent for a bunch of crazy cultists.''

Clara glared down angrily toward the ground. ''I will never forgive him for what he did to me and all those people. I don't consider him my father anymore, only someone I need to deal with at all costs.''

Oliver looked at her with a worried frown. He just hoped she wouldn't get blind by the desire for revenge, like he did...

- - - - - -

The next day Oliver was woken up when something fell on him. With bleary eyes he looked down and saw a book laying on him. Clara was standing above him with a smile on her face. ''Today is the day you're finally going to read this book, I think you're ready to do it now.''

He groaned in response. ''Did you really have to wake me up for that?''

Clara looked at him as if the answer was obvious. ''Of course! You're finally going to read your first story isn't it exctiting?''

''Completely thrilling.'' He mumbled under his breath.

Clara just levitated the book in front of his face and with resignation he took it in his hands and opened the book on the first page.

- - - - -

Long ago, two races ruled over Earth: Human and monsters. One day war broke out between the two races. After a long battle, the humans were victorious. They sealed the monsters underground with a magic spell

Many years later a lone human child would accidently discover the entrance to the underground and become trapped inside. When he woked up the child met with a friendly flower named Flowey.

- - - - -

Oliver looked at a drawing of yellow flower with a frown on his face. ''Seriously? A friendly sentient flower? This story sound really cheesy arleady.''

Clara rolled her eyes at him. ''Well what did you expect? It is a book for children don't expect to read an epic as your first book. Beside it might not be as bad as you think, just give it a chance before you give up on it.''

He snorted in response but turned the page nonetheless and began to read once again.

- - - - -

The flower introuced himself to the lost child and told him he would help him get use to how things worked in the underground. But much to the shock of the child just as he approached it the flower suddenly turned on him and tried to kill him with his explosive seeds.

The child cried out for help and his plea was answered when a ball of fire appeared from nowhere and made the evil flower flee in terror. Much to the child's horror what greeted him was another monster. A bipedal female goat that was towering over him.

But the monster quickly won the trust of the child by helping him pass throught traps and puzzles. She also told to him that he shouldn't kill other monsters, that he should find a way to resolve conflicts without violence.

The child didn't know if that was possible but he wanted to try for the kind lady that had helped him. She led him to her house and made him eat the tastiest pie he had ever eaten. And then once his belly was full she read him a story from her vast library before he got to fall asleep. Unfortunately conflict arose quickly when the monster tried to convince him to stay with her forever.

Even though he liked her he needed to find a way back home. And so the human and the monsters fought. But he quickly realised that she was not really trying to hurt him and was trying to scare him away from the exit more than anything else so with determination on his side he managed to make her change her mind by proving he could dodge every attacks she threw at him.

Once he passed the door the child met all sort of monsters from a funny skeletons who constantly made puns and his brother who constantly made him solve puzzles. But it was not all rainbow and sunshine. He was almost killed many time by many monsters from an angry fish lady, to a killer robot and even a possessed dummy. But in the end he managed to resolve all conflicts without resorting to violence.

Finally he came face to face with the king but just before he could face him all the friends he had made along the way came to help him. But then the same flower that had attacked him at the start of his journey came back and captured all of them and stole all of their powers.

The flower became a monster of unmatched power. And he tried once again to kill the child but he had grown since the last time they had met and he managed to save everyone with his determination. Finally when everyone he knew was saved he realised there was one last person to save.

The monster was so shocked that a human would try to save him that he started to remember the time he used to be a kinder person. It was revealed that the monster was the child of the King and Queen who everyone though had died. With his newfound compasion. The monster broke the spell that had kept the monsters imprisoned for so long.

Together they all left the underground and a new era of peace between the two races would soon begin.

The End

- - - - -

''That really was the cheesiest story I ever read.'' He said while closing the book.

Clara crossed her arm and smirked at him. ''I mean it is also the only story you ever readed.''

He glared at her with an unamused expression. ''You know what I meant, I hope the next book I read will be more interesting than this, the moral of that story was way too unrealistic there's no way you can resovle everything without violence.''

Clara nodded with a saddened expression. ''You're right in the real world we can't always spare everyone... But at the same time I think maybe we should learn to also be more merciful. While it is true we can't spare everyone we should at least try don't you think?''

''Yeah you're right... When I tried to kill the Bunterra kits at Bajoon I realised I was becoming a monster. There's no point in killing the Dragons if we become just as bad as them.'' Then he chuckled as a realisation hit him. ''You know I just realised the child in that story is kind of similar to me. He was lost and lonely and then a nerdy goat lady helped him find the right path.''

She puffed her cheek and looked at him with an annoyed look. ''How many time must I tell you, I'm not a nerd!''

''You know even if I didn't know where your tent was I would have no problem finding the two of you with all of your bickering.'' The familiar voice of Xofamai said outside of their tent.

Oliver quickly unziped the entrance and came out outside with an excited grin. ''Xofamai! If you're here it must mean we have a mission right?''

He responded with a nod of his head. ''Yep, the General want to see us, so come on.''

The trio quickly made their way to the small shack where Olivia Clementine was patiently waiting for them. She developed a warm smile when she saw them. ''Good morning Oliver, Clara. Today your mission should be pretty straightfoward. The town of Violina has requested for us to take care of an Elestia that has attacked and eaten their livestocks for a few weeks now. You need to find that Elestia and take care of it before it become a serious problem.''

Xofamai seemed thoughtful at that. ''Violina huh? It's the closest settlement we have to the Ding Dong Community it shouldn't take too long to get there.''

Olivia nodded and put on a more serious expression. ''They're also one of our best client, so it's important you leave a good impression, alright?'' She said toward both Oliver and Clara the both of them nodded in acceptance. ''Very well then, I wish you good luck on your mission and please be more careful this time Oliver?''

He crossed his arms in response but grumbled an affirmative response under his breath. The trio left the shack and prepared themselves for the road ahead by packing rations for both themselves and their Elestia and putting on their coat for travelling throught the ruins of Ringabell City. Once that was done they were off toward their next mission.