11:00 A.M. February 4, 4086 A.D.

Black Forest

Alcee Salva

Alcee was still in a daze when he woke up. The room was quite small, and the walls were made of wood, adorned with animal pictures. Five chairs were neatly arranged at the center of the shack. He was familiar with the place.

Is this the treehouse?!

How did I arrive at this place?

Just earlier, he was sitting inside Troy's car when suddenly his surrounding became a pitch-black void. Remembering all the things he saw at the strange dimension, he was now resolved to discover more of his true identity. He found out he had a sister, and that he was a key to something that grants great power, of which in particular, he didn't know. And now, to add more to his confusion, he was literally teleported at the treehouse.

What's with all these changes in the setting? Where to next?

As Alcee contemplated on his situation, a figure appeared on the doorway: it was Matron Minerva!

"What are you doing here, mom?”

"Thank God you're okay. No time to explain, we must - "

Swooosh!

The air became chilly, and the coldness made the both of them shiver. Suddenly, a man with a mask appeared at the treehouse's front door, saying: "Hello there. Are you Alcee?"

11:15 A.M. February 4, 4086 A.D.

Black Forest

Matron Minerva

"I repeat, are you Alcee?"

Minerva knew that this guy meant trouble. He was just floating freely, yet she could already feel the killing instinct emanating from him. It was suffocating, and his bearing gave her an impression that he was a professional assassin. She knitted her brows in a furrow; she knew that a battle was going to happen inevitably. "Who are you?"

"Me? My name's not important. I am just a lost nomad."

“Well, what do you want?”

“Nothing. Just being curious and friendly.”

Nothing?! Friendly?! Yeah right. Minerva let out a cold snort, knowing that no sane person would appear out of nowhere and suddenly asked someone’s name without a reason. She motioned her hands towards Alcee, signaling him to be cautious. "Here, take this chip. If he attacks, crush it." Red rays of mana gathered around her body as she started floating in the air.

Alcee nodded his head, posturing his body into a fighting stance. “Be careful, Mom. Don’t worry about me.”

The masked assassin started to emanate green wisps of lights as he drifted towards the treehouse. "Hmmm, I guess I would take that as a yes. Sorry, I mean no trouble, but you...lady...need to die."

The assassin glided in the air, like a hawk catching its prey. Swiftly, he slashed his katana against Minerva, creating a white streak in the air. This happened in mere seconds!

"Crush it, NOW!"

Alcee was flabbergasted, he didn't knew a human could possess such speed. Without hesitation, he crushed the pill and suddenly he was surrounded by an opaque thin shield, as if a ward, protecting him from outside harm.

Minerva speedily flicked her right arm, and a giant warhammer materialized, shielding her from the ruthless attack. A loud clang echoed, and both of them was pushed back by the colliding force.

It seems that you're underestimating me, boy. He he he. She licked her lips, her thirst for battle resurging. Being a retired commander of a government battalion, her prowess in war was known to the androids and humans, using her hammer to smash the enemies, gaining the nickname “The Destroyer.”

The assassin’s mask fell off, revealing a handsome face blemished by a big, slant scar across his face. His mouth twitched and his brows were raised, as if he was not expecting this result. Pointing his dagger towards Minerva, he smiled contemptuously, and laughed. “This is the first time someone took off my mask. Hmmmm...that warhammer, why does it seem so familiar?” Pausing for a moment, his frown became more evident when all of a sudden, he snapped his fingers, and uttered, “oh, I see. So you’re the legendary Destroyer of the 13th Battalion, huh? It seems I found a worthy prey.”

Minerva didn’t utter a reply. Swinging her warhammer, she scowled at the laughing assassin. “Stop talking. Give me your worst.”

His eyes sparkled and his body trembled, as if excited from the provocation. Licking his katana’s blade, he suddenly scurried in the ground, blurry like a visage. He had disappeared without a trace, and the forest stood silent.

Where the hell is he? Minerva descended on the forest clearing as she carefully looked around, checking her enemy’s position. Suddenly, a flash of light appeared at her back, and a katana slashed towards her. The sword missed her by a hair's breadth, and she mauled her weapon against the assassin in retaliation. His body was hit squarely, but instead of bleeding, it dissipated like a gas.

Those were afterimages? How can he have inhuman speed?

Thwack!

She was hit on her back, and fresh blue blood dripped as she twisted in pain. Then another streaks of light appeared, this time five images hitting against her simultaneously.

They’re real? Minerva gritted her teeth. She concentrated her essence onto her weapon, emitting a black mist. “Warhammer Tempest!”

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

Twirling like a hurricane, she hit all the afterimages’ assaults. As expected, they simply vanished without revealing the assassin’s true body.

When she thought that it would not get worse, suddenly the number of streaks increased from five to 20. “This won’t do.” She stomped her foot on the ground and jumped, escaping the sword onslaught. Taking out a red chip, she attached it on the warhammer’s handle and swung it roughly in the air. “Warhammer Blast!”

A fiery squall gushed towards the afterimages as loud explosions resonated across the forest. It was about to reach the target when suddenly, green orbs of light radiated from the swiveling swords.

“Shield of the Forest!”

Eight tubular vines appeared from the swirling orbs. It condensed into a big lump of wooden sphere, about 3 meters in circumference, The two opposing forces collided with each other.

BOOM!

Scorched trees littered the ground while the air was covered with red and green essences.

“Annoying fly. I have no choice but to use this.” Minerva was gasping for breath, as metallic bones were now visible on her right arm, a big chunk of her muscles was gone due to the collision earlier. She then took a blue pill from her pocket, and popped it inside her mouth. Promptly, her energy increased, and her strength was now tripled.

Well, I'll let you taste a dose of your own medicine!

If you're just going to hide, then I'll just have to make you stop hiding!

This time 20 streaks of light surrounded her, but this didn't perturbed her in any way. She swiveled her warhammer, like a hurricane, hitting all of them accurately. She posed in a stance, and suddenly jumped in the air, hitting the ground as hard as she could, creating a crater. Waves of gust streamed in every direction, destroying the nearby trees. Yet, she jumped again, and hit the ground, this time, with a greater force. She did this consecutively, without stopping, creating countless of craters! It was as if her momentum was building up: as she continued to jump, her strength increased as well. She didn't remember how many times she jumped, all she cared was to obliterate her enemy. For an entire hour, all she did was hit the ground, creating deadly shockwaves after shockwaves.

The Black Forest was now unrecognizable: it was like a barren desert! Tree stumps were the only reminders that this place was once a big, thriving forest. And at the center of the mess was a body: mangled and squashed in a bloody pulp!

Matron Minerva turned her body towards Alcee, and slowly her body fell down.

11:00 A.M. February 4, 4086 A.D.

The Graveyard

Ken Chiaozu

What have they done to my brother?!

...a boy shielding his brother from the falling rocks...

...beaten and blue, yet the boy punched his brother's attacker...

...a man gave him a corsage...

...happily dining together...

Jiang was always with him wherever he goes, supporting him in all his endeavors. He never had seen a moment in his life where his brother contradicted his decisions, he was always at his back. He was his supporter, he was his friend, he was his only brother. Yet, now he was just a corpse, God knows what these scrupulous people had done to him.

Ken could not quell his raging emotions, and he felt a burning fire surging inside his body. Something inside him was stirred, and it wanted out of his body. Adrenaline rushed into his head, and his eyes were bloodshot, blazing like a demonic fire. Blue veins appeared on his entire body, bulging out as if it was about to pop. Raging, roaring, he was like a madman, a mindless psychotic that wants to kill. He felt no fear, even the pain inflicted on him earlier was thoroughly gone. Today, he was a mindless monster!

Monster against monster. The zombies surrounded him as he stood like a statue. Ken didn't move, yet he was already imposing, like a big mountain. A zombie approached him when suddenly his feral instincts kicked in. He charged towards the zombie and shouted like a banshee, producing an ear-splitting scream.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!"

Still screaming, he abruptly move towards the first zombie, punched his head, instantly exploding while kicking the nearby zombie in its knees. He turned around and carried the first zombie that he killed, twirled like a hurricane, then tossed it on the remaining zombies. The zombies were hit, falling down like a pole. He hurriedly run to the nearest zombie, and continued his massacre. And he went on to the next, then on to the next, striking them with a one-punch kill. A zombie bit him in the leg, yet he didn't feel any pain. He grabbed its neck and squashed it like a bug, severing it entirely. For a slash he received, he would retaliate with a sure-fire kill. The more they wounded him, the more he was refreshed!

Ken couldn't explain what he was feeling right now: he was not afraid, he had uncanny strength, and his desire to kill was great. It was as if he was under a bloodlust spell. He just did what his instinct tells him to do, without any reservations. Anything that he held became a weapon: a bone, a body, a stone, even a head or a limb. He just hacked, punched, and kicked his way towards the gate, slowly approaching his brother. He didn't mind how he killed them, as long as he could kill them, it was okay. There was even a zombie who had bitten him on his arm, and, in rage, he retaliated by biting it to death. He tasted guts, and it fanned his impulse to annihilate. He was totally covered with zombies' guts, yet his mind wished for more. Soon enough, a mountain of body formed from the zombies he killed, yet he didn't stop.

The moaning lessened as the dead bodies increased in number. Five hundred became a hundred, and a hundred became fifty. He was now covered with wounds: he was bitten, clawed, and hacked. He was bleeding profusely, yet he was still standing.

Like a demon, Ken stood up at the center of the mauled corpses. He wanted more!

His killings continued. until only two zombies remained, walking between Ken and Jiang, who was five meters away. Striding down the path, he smashed the nearest zombie's puny head, popping like a balloon. He carried the beheaded monster and tossed it against the remaining monster. He growled, and sat on the last zombie and punched his body mercilessly. He punched and punched until the body became a thick paste, even the bones were shattered completely. After his massacre, he went towards his brother. Somehow, even though he couldn't control his killing desire, he could still recognize his foes and friends.

"Brother, can you hear me?" He was now sober, his eyes not blazing anymore. Suddenly, a rush of intense pain assaulted him, the adrenaline was now gone.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!"

Ken sprawled on the ground, as if shocked. He couldn't move his body anymore, even a slight touch on him would inflict extreme torture. Helpless, he had no more strength even just to stay conscious.

Groaning in pain, Ken tried to gather his strength so as to stand up, but his body failed to heed his urging. Looking at the sky, his eyes began to falter as he wondered what his fate would be. Would I just die here in vain? He was about to resign in exhaustion when all of a sudden, he heard a voice.

"Ken! Can you hear me? Ken!"

Ken looked around at the surroundings, checking the source of the sound. He tilted his head towards the standing corpse.

Did I just hear my brother speak?

Ken listened keenly, half-expecting to hear his brother's voice. He was not disappointed, the body indeed talked!

"Ken! Listen to me!"

“Brother Jiang…”

"Listen, Ken. I really want to explain everything to you, but as of the moment, I could only tell you the most important thins, since my soul is temporarily detached from this body. Don’t ask how, it’s one of our clan’s secrets.”

“We are a family of psychic, and our blood contains a powerful lineage."

"Beware of the androids. They covet our powers, and they found out our secret. The only way they can get our power is by obtaining our heirloom."

"Inside your body is our family's heritage: the Psychotic Penchant. Before I left, I have already put it inside your body while you were sleeping. Do not ask how I did it. You will learn it in time."

"This is the reason why they abducted me, and killed my body. So do not ever let them know or even give them a hint that you have it."

"Your power is now fully activated. Bloodlust and prophecy, use it well."

"I'll use my last life essence to create a portal. Go my brother. Avenge our clan."

"Now go!"

Blue energy emanated from the dead Jiang’s corpse, and a gush of force accumulated at his front. The energy engulfed Ken entirely, and the last words he heard before he dematerialized was:

"Search the Black Forest!”

But Ken couldn't see anything due to the lights engulfing him, he couldn't even hear any sound. It was as if he was separated from the world!