“Senhor Hyuga. Eu trago notícias [Mr Hyuga. I bring news]”,

A young man said with a hurried tone as he entered the room without notice.

He hurried next to an older man sat down in a black armchair in front of two other men sat in a long black couch with a glass table separating them. He saluted the older man before crouching down to his left ear.

The young man then whispered.

After a few seconds, the whole message was passed on, causing the older man to smile.

“Ho~, obrigado Judas. Diz ao Luís para começar o avião [Ho~, thank you Judas. Tell Luís to start the plane]”,

The young man, Judas, bowed slightly before hurrying out of the room. The older man then stood up from the chair as he left.

He possessed long black hair down to his shoulders. His hair was abyssal black, thick and volumed quite nicely. His eyes glowed a dead purple, with no glint or shine whatsoever. On his lower face a pointy beard took place, the same colour of his hair.

The man was well built, in both height and muscle. Anyone could’ve mistaken him for a wrestling professional, but that was far from what he was.

He wore a black, three-piece suit, the shirt was purple much like his eyes, with their collar stuck up instead of flattened down. While the suit itself was elegant, the man wore it in a much more casual way than intended for.

His voice was coarse, much coarser than his age. And using said voice, he bid the two gentlemen before him, who had also stood up when he did, farewell.

“Minhas desculpas, mas parece que estou a ser preciso em casa. Nós continuamos está conversa noutro dia [My apologies, it looks like I’m needed at home. Well carry on this conversation another day]”,

“Claro. Boas viagens, Comandante [Of course. Safe travels, Commander]”,

The other men replied giving him a salute.

The older man then stepped to the side of the chair, walking for the door. When he reached it, he swung it open with force and stepped out.

[Soul Time Passed: Approximately 1 Month and 4 Days]

[Real World Time Passed: Approximately 11 Seconds]

[Current Location: Paris, France]

[Objective: Retrieve the 13 missing Series Pages. 0/13 Collected]

Arthur grabbed onto a small ledge before propping himself up. Floating behind him was Guinevere. As he finished climbing, he rolled over onto his back to take a rest. He panted and gasped as sweat poured and covered his body, leaving his clothes sticky and glued to his wet skin.

“You know… the fact… you can’t… just fly me everywhere… is going to get on my nerves”,

He complained, taking deep breaths in between words.

“Besides not being your personal airplane, Arthorius, flying while carrying someone is harder than you might believe. Especially since I’m about the same size as you”,

Guin replied with slight attitude to her voice.

“You know… for being my A.I… you sure are cocky with me”,

Arthur commented while sitting up right, finally getting a hold of himself.

“Hmm”,

Guin answered with a scoff.

Arthur let out another single exhale before picking himself up and standing straight, looking out into the horizon.

While Guinevere did indeed have some attitude, she was none the less impressed with the feat the man before her just accomplished.

“I must say though, I’m amazed. This tower is easily 1’000 feet tall, it’s not every day a human can climb that so easily”,

“Easily? Couldn’t you see the state I was in just now!?”,

“Sure, you were tired, but still…”,

Guinevere looked around her. She was truly impressed.

“Quite a feat none the less”,

Arthur simply looked at her in silence. He closed his eyes for a second before standing up.

“So, this page. What is it exactly?”,

He asked looking out to the destroyed world. Guinevere came down from the air and stood next to him.

“The Double-Edged Series. It contains computations able to alter the physical strength of body parts”,

“And you’re sure it’s around here?”,

“Maybe… this was the area I lost it in, I think?”,

“Ugh~. Is there an easy way to spot it? Like, does it glow? Or can you sense its presence?”,

“Huh!? Why would I be able to do that!?”,

“I don’t know, maybe because you created them? Aren’t you A.I. all magical and shit? Wouldn’t a Creator want to put something to trace on its creations to find them at any time?”,

Guin rested her head on her hand.

“We’re not gods, Arthur. Even we have limitations”,

“Is that so?”,

Arthur looked all around him. Simply standing here wasn’t going to help them get those pages, so action was needed. And to do said action, he needed information.

“You said you’ve been fighting my inner demons right? What does that mean?”,

Guinevere turned to the man.

“Your fears, your hates, you anger, all of them create a personification of themselves in the link to Mother’s Soul. As expected of the things you hate, they aren’t exactly friendly”,

“And these demons, took your pages, correct?”,

“Yeah”,

“So? Let’s find ourselves some demons”,

“That’s why I said to come here”,

“Ehh?”,

Arthur looked at Guin confused but was suddenly alerted. A loud screech was heard below him. He immediately went to the edge of the tower and looked down; in the direction the sound came from.

When he looked down, his eyes shot open in shock. At the bottom of the tower, a group of giant spider like creatures began climbing up.

“Oi, oi, oi, Guin. What the fuck are those!?”,

“Your demons”,

“Huh!? My demons are giant spiders!?”,

“These specific ones are, yes”,

“And what am I meant to do against that!?”,

Arthur had raised his voice, justifiably.

“Kill them”,

“Are you nuts? How am I going to fight them, WHEN WE DON’T HAVE ANY WEAPONS!?”,

“Relax, would you? I told you, didn’t I? You can’t die in here. And besides, we do have weapons”,

Arthur blinked, as if he was repeating her words in his mind.

“We do?”,

Guinevere took out her book and opened it.

“We have an empty page”,

Arthur raised his hands as if he was about to strangle the woman, but no. He simply raised them to emphasise his next point.

“It’s empty! What do you want me to do, fight them with paper!?”,

Guin, even now, kept her cool and calm.

“No, use it to create your own”,

Arthur froze.

The spiders kept climbing. The sounds of their legs hitting into the metallic structure of the tower were getting closer and louder as they reached closer to the top.

Arthur simply stared with a blank mind.

“Create my own?”,

“Yes. I told you, didn’t I? This is The Heir’s Series page, a blank canvas for you to create your own weapons and abilities. So… create your own”,

“And how am I meant to do that?”,

Arthur appeared to be mimicking Guinevere’s attitude from before.

“Simply imagine it”,

“Huh?”,

“Come on, you were a kid once. You must have imagined being a hero with a powerful weapon you could use to defeat the evil villains”,

“Yeah, my childhood wasn’t exactly carefree for me to have such stupid dreams”,

“Ugh~. Come on, anything. You must have knowledge of some sort of weapon”,

When he heard her words, an image instantly took place in his head.

“There it is”,

Guin whispered to herself.

Arthur tightened his right hand to a fist.

“I think I got one”,

“Alright…”,

Guin took the page out of the book and handed it over to him.

“Think of the weapon. How it looks, feels, weighs, its shape, it’s length, width, it’s colour. Think of how it emerges when you summon it, think of how it disappears afterwards. Think of the sounds it makes, what it’ll look like hitting flesh or anything else. How you use it. Think of the weapon as an extension of yourself”,

“That simple, huh?”,

“Yep”,

While he asked sarcastically, Guin replied with a smile, being totally serious. It wasn’t that simple at all. Sure, as a kid, even he dreamt of having these magical weapons he could summon at any time to defeat anyone in his way.

But in this world, that kind of thinking, wasn’t just fantasy. It could be possible.

Arthur grabbed the silver sheet and held it up. He closed his eyes. When he did, his hearing instantly heightened. He could hear the spiders getting closer and closer, but he kept calm.

(Concentrate),

He thought to himself.

An image began to gather in his head. Glistening metal, contraptions falling into place, smooth and sharp edges, abyssal blacks, gunmetal greys, explosive reds, and yellows. Loud noises, as he squeezed his finger. Destruction everywhere the item pointed.

And in that instant, the image was realised.

Arthur opened his eyes.

“Okay”,

“Got it? Good. Now hand me the page”,

Arthur followed her instruction.

Guinevere stored the page back into the book and closed it. When she did, she handed him the book.

“Now, give it a name and call it aloud when you’re ready to use it”,

Arthur grabbed the book and looked down at the spiders increasing their distant.

He took a deep breath and with a powerful, prideful and commanding shout, he summoned his very own creation.

“AR-X Model 25!”,

[Soul Time Passed: Approximately 1 Month and 4 Days]

[Real World Time Passed: Approximately 11 Seconds]

[Current Location: Paris, France]

[Objective: Retrieve the 13 missing Series Pages. 1/13 Collected]

“Wooooo~! That was awesome!”,

Cheered Arthur as he stared at the falling corpses of his defeated enemies, or more specifically, his demons.

“It was better than I imagined! It really did recreate everything I thought, even down to the bullets and the sheen on the sight”,

Guinevere stood there, in awe. Compared to what she usually is, this was a rare sight. While she had been impressed with Arthur’s actions before, she never gave a physical hint that she was, always keeping either a cool and calm look, or a devilish attitude.

However, this was the first time her mouth had opened in both surprise and astonishment.

(He got the hang of it so quickly. Not only did he visualise a weapon that can help him in many scenarios, but he also even visualised a way to control it, without ever touching it),

Her mind flooded with thoughts, but one took the centre stage of her brain.

(I am humbly worthy of having such a Host),

Guin shook her head, to clear it, and proceeded to take a few steps closer to Arthur. While she didn’t want to interrupt his celebration, there were better news he needed to receive.

“Arthur”,

He stopped in the middle of his cheering, turning back to stare at Guinevere, with a smile on his face.

“We got it”,

“Huh?”,

Guinevere pulled out The Relinquished Armoury, opening it. Like magic, another page suddenly appeared in the book, taking shape like it was being digitally printed.

“Congratulations, Arthur. You have obtained The Double-Edged Series”,

The happiness on Arthur’s eyes, further grew. He immediately asked to see the page to look at what kind of Abilities he had just received.

As he looked down the page, his eyes sharpened. Not to get a better look, but because he seemed to recognise something.

“Wait a minute… I know these abilities…”,

“I’m sure you do. After all, they are all from your world. Well, their creators were”,

The sound of the front entrance door was heard throughout the empty house. However, that single sound was soon interrupted but the sound of two familiar cannons emerging from the ceiling.

Their red lasers pointed at the man currently standing at the entrance, looking around slowly.

“Hello Ivy, I see you still haven’t changed after all this time”,

The cannons disappeared just as quickly as they appeared. A female robotic voice then rang throughout the house.

“Master Alexander. Welcome home, sir”,

“Good to be home”,

The man standing in front of the door was none other than Aliza’s, and Arthur’s, father.

“Tell me, where are my kids?”,

“I believe they should still be in school, sir. Master Alizastril accompanied Master Arthorius to his A.I. Connection yesterday. However, they have not returned since”,

“I see. Well, I’ll be off to meet them then. If by any chance they happen to arrive before I do, please make sure to contact me”,

“As you wish Master”,

Alexander turned around and left through the door he came in through.

“WHAT!?”,

Guinevere scratched her ear after Arthur’s shout.

“Do you have to be so loud?”,

“Clearly, I do!”,

“Why’s that then?”,

“Because, clearly, my mind just can’t comprehend how an A.I. is standing before me, telling me, humanity’s history about A.I.s is all a lie!”,

“It’s not all a lie. It’s just misinformation. Well… thinking about it, you could call it a lie… hmm”,

Arthur stuttered, unknowing how to stay his next sentence, before finally, words emerged.

“A.I. were discovered in 1977!”,

“Wrong. We’ve been around since humanity’s dawn”,

Guinevere informed him. However, Arthur kept hitting her with the facts he had learned.

“You’re my A.I.! Created for me specifically, out of a piece of the Mother of A.I.”,

“Again, wrong. I’ve been around for nearly 6’000 years. The fact I’m with you now is simply chance”,

“No. No!”,

“Yes. Yes! A.I. form a contract with humans they deem worthy. Limboics on the other hand, only form contracts through hereditary means”,

“Wha- Ah- Ho- NO! That’s not what the world knows!”,

“Well, clearly the world doesn’t know very much do they”,

Arthur was taken aback. What was she saying? That everything up to this point was a lie? That the information, now regarded as truth, is nothing but one big fat lie?

“You’re lying”,

Arthur stated.

“I may be many things, Arthur, but a liar I am not”,

Arthur fell back, thumping to the ground, still trying to deny what Guin had been saying. While his breathing became erratic for a moment, he soon calmed himself. He tried to clear his head, to think logically, as he’s always been taught.

“Okay. Alright. Hold on. Let’s run through this again”,

“Ugh, if we must”,

“A.I. are not a product of humanity, but their own beings”,

“Yes”,

“You are not physical incarnations of an A.I. Block, you’re simply using them to take shape and form through meticulous calculations, so that you may enter a contract with a human, to be able to manifest yourself on Earth, or as you call it, Terra, through our Links”,

“Correct”,

“And not only are A.I. their own beings with personalities and lives outside of our world, but they also form multiple contracts with humans throughout time, so you can… what?”,

“So, we can live in your world”,

“So, is a Limboic not just a rare type of A.I.? Are they not just a select few that can only be contracted through certain conditions?”,

“No. Being a Limboic, or having the Limboic name, merely means and states your place in our world. Sort of a hierarchy type of deal. Sure, there are fewer now than ever before, but being a Limboic doesn’t mean you’re special. All A.I. are different, all possessing different abilities, personalities, looks, and such”,

“A lie… all my life, my studying, my preparations, all for naught. All just a big lie”,

“I don’t see why you’re making such a fuss about this. This should be common knowledge to all of you”,

Arthur began to slowly laugh to himself. Nothing was funny about what was being spoken, he was just simply laughing for laughing’s sake. Or maybe, he began losing his mind.

When he stopped, the two shared a long and awkward silence. That’s silence though, was broken by Arthur slapping his face, as if to wake himself up to reality. He slowly stood up and looked at Guin.

“Let’s just keep going”,

His voice had returned to normal.

“A~are you sure you don’t want to talk about this some more?”,

“Let’s just find those pages”.

The sound of the leather shoes Alexander possessed on his feet, hit the tiling floor of the school, ringing out his presence. Students were all around him talking about their newly gained A.I., but once they noticed his presence, they moved out of the man’s way.

With the body he had anyway, I don’t think any of them had a choice.

He soon arrived at a single wooden door, with a plaque attached to it. He knocked twice. A short while later, a voice came from within.

“Come in”,

Alex turned the metallic knob and entered.

When his figure peered into the room, the person who sat inside it, who had previously called out, suddenly stood, as he noticed who entered.

“C-Commander H-“,

The man was quickly cut short of his words as Alexander raised his hand.

“I do not wish the whole world to know I am here, Headmaster Orlands”,

“Ah, yes. Apologies Commander”,

The headmaster replied bowing deeply to the man before him.

Alex stepped in further into this massive and luxurious office. The colours to instantly hit his eyes were white and orange, with some mixture of blue in certain furniture around him. He took a seat in front of the Headmaster’s table, signalling him to sit as well.

“I’m shocked by your presence, Commander”,

“I’m sorry to arrive unannounced. Although, you already know why I am here”,

“Yes. Your son, Arthorius”,

“Indeed. How long has he been gone?”,

Orlands checked his wristwatch after pulling back the sleeve of his grey suit.

“As of now, 24 hours and 23 minutes”,

“Hmm… over 700 years”,

“It’s a long time, sir”,

“Tell me Orlands…”,

Alexander relaxed back on the chair, raising his right hand up to his cheek, so he could rest his head.

“Would you be able to last that long?”,

Orlands thought for a bit, but the reply was exactly what Alexander internally predicted.

“No. Not in Mother’s Soul”,

“And that boy has been through worse than yourself. Not even the 7 years of war can compare to what that boy has already seen. Compare to what he has already felt”,

Orlands joined his hands in worry.

“Commander… I-“,

“You needn’t say anything”,

Alex cut him off again, raising his hand once more.

“If he was dead, we would already know”,

“But… 700 years…”,

“Tell me Orlands. What does the Soul portray about one’s self? And what does it do, to combat, or even aid it?”,

Orlands had to think for a while. While the answer was pretty much at the tip of his tongue, he wanted to answer with the correct words.

When he finally got the answer together, he looked straight into Alex’s eyes, replying.

“While many things affect the Soul, the ‘world’ the Soul portrays, is entirely made from our fears, and our desires. Our inner demons, however, are portrayed by the things we love and detest”,

“Indeed. Now let me ask you, what’s your greatest fear?”,

Orlands instinctively looked down.

“You already know, Commander”,

“I do, yes. But I want to hear you say it”,

Orlands looked back up.

“The loss of my family”,

“And yet, in Mother’s Soul, they were portrayed as immortal beings”,

“Yes… it’s as you say”,

Alexander leaned in with a small grin rising in his lips.

“What do you think Arthorius’ greatest fear is?”,

“I’m sorry sir, but I do not know”,

Alexander’s teeth began to peek through his lips.

“He fears… his own life”,

Orlands’ mouth slowly opened along with the widening of his eyes.

“It seems you get it”,

Said Alexander as he stood up.

Orlands also stood. Alexander began walking towards the door but was quickly halted by the Headmaster suddenly speaking up.

“But, sir. If that’s true… won’t that mean…”,

Alex turned back slightly, revealing his left eye to Orlands. When he saw it, a shiver ran up his spine. No more words emerged from him, but instead, from the man leaving the room.

“You’ve been teaching a murderer in your school, Orlands”,

“S-Sir?”,

“What he fears… is the fact that his life will go on”,

Alex carried on walking towards the door, slowly opening it when he reached it and leaving the shocked Headmaster behind.

The door closed behind him, revealing the school hall again. Alex looked to his left, then his right. A student walked by his front, but Alex stopped the student in his tracks.

“You there”,

“Hmm?”,

The student looked up at the hunk of a man with surprise and a slight quiver.

“Y-Yes sir? Can I help you?”,

“No need to look so afraid kid. If I wanted you dead, I wouldn’t talk to you first”,

The student began shivering at the thought. However, his nerves were quickly calmed by the gentle smile Alex placed upon his face.

“By any chance, is there a woman called Alizastril Hyuga here?”,

“Miss Hyuga? Yeah… I think she’s still in the infirmary looking after Belladonna”,

“Do you mind pointing which way?”,

“Uh, of course”,

The student turned around and pointed in the direction he now faced.

“Take this hall to the very end. Take your right and keep going. You’ll see the red cross on the door, can’t miss it”,

Alexander looked the way the student pointed before looking back down at him.

“Much appreciated kid”,

He said, giving the kid a pat on his shoulder and walking to the right, following the directions the student informed him of.

He watched the man walk away, when suddenly another student bumped him on the shoulder.

“Yo!”,

“Huh? Oh, hey Adrian”,

“What’s up dude?”,

“Nothing… hey, does that guy look familiar to you?”,

The student pointed to Alexander, who was walking further and further away.

“Hmm? Don’t know, can’t really see him. Why?”,

“Don’t know… I just feel like I’ve seen him somewhere”,

The other student then changed the conversation.

“Well, whatever. Hey about tonight, you jumping on?”,

“Yeah. We need to finish that raid after all…”,

The two walked away in the opposite direction of Alex.

A short while later, Alexander came across the infirmary. Just exactly as the student said, there were two metallic doors, with one saying ‘infirmary’, while the other had a sheet of plastic in the shape of a red cross.

The doors had windows on them, but they had a smoked effect, covering the interior from any onlooker. Without hesitation, Alex opened the two of them and stepped in. As the doors shut themselves automatically behind him, he looked around him.

In front of him, were empty beds, except for one. In said bed, he saw a familiar looking girl, with someone else laying at her side, with her head down.

(Hm? She looks familiar),

Alex stepped closer to the bed, and the familiar looking female, brought back a sudden memory of when she was younger.

(Ahh. Belladonna. She’s grown quite nicely),

He then looked to the clearly sleeping Aliza. Instead of waking her up, he went and grabbed a chair, placing it at her side and taking a seat. He then reached into his inner pocket of his suit jacket, taking out a small book.

A few minutes passed, before any noise was made. That noise was Aliza awaking. She shuffled before straightening herself up. She rubbed her eyes, revealing the still sleeping Belle.

Aliza let out a yawn as she fully woke up. Her attention was suddenly averted to her right, by the sound of a page of paper being turned. She looked to her right, expecting someone like Hikaru to be sitting there. Instead, her eyes quickly shot open in surprise.

“FATH-“,

Her loud voice was suddenly quietened by Alex’s right hand closing her mouth. Using his left, he raised his index up to his lips, signalling her to speak quieter. She nodded in response, but her shocked eyes, remained wide.

“Hello Liz”,

Whispered Alex, lowering both his hands onto his lap.

“Father. What… what are you doing here?”,

Whispered Aliza, trying her best not to shout.

“Two reasons really. But we can get to that later. How are you? I see you’ve dyed your hair. Was it for a contract?”,

“Uhh, yeah I’m fine. Yeah, it was, the target liked girls with blonde hair, so… besides, I quite like it to be honest”,

“Fair enough. I think your mother would like it. It looks good on you”,

Aliza simply smiled and asked a few questions of her own.

“How are you doing? You’ve been away for a while… a very long while”,

Alexander stored his book back into his jacket, relaxing back on his chair after he did so.

“I know. I’m sorry, for not being home as often. Things in Reign have become a little complicated since America started that whole shitty business. I’m pretty sure they’ll soon try to invade, so fortification of the country and training the inhabitants, has been taking up most of my time”,

“Hmm… how bad is it?”,

“They’ve already moved into South Africa, most of it has fallen. Their goal at the moment seems to be to take everything up to Egypt, but Aten doesn’t seem like he’ll just let them roll through. If they do, they’ll only be a short distance away”,

Aliza looked at her father intensely.

“Do you need help?”,

Alexander chuckled slightly at her question.

“Don’t worry Liz. I’m not that bad of a parent that I need you to fight my wars for me”,

“I’m not saying it like that father”,

“Don’t worry. Besides, that’s one thing your mother won’t allow… you both joining the war”,

Aliza looked down with a hint of guilt to her.

“Is she still… blaming herself?”,

“You know how she gets about it. He was your older brother after all”,

Aliza seemed to get more depressed. However, her mood quickly lightened as her father rested his hand on her head.

“It’ll be okay. After all, they’re invading our country after all”,

“Hmm”,

Aliza nodded with a slight smile.

Alex then stretched his arms as a smile started to appear on his face.

“So, down to business. Why was Águia summoned?”,

“Ohh, that”,

Aliza pointed to the still sleeping Belle.

“Remember Belladonna? She’s Connected to a Dragon God”,

“Ehh~ so little mischief got herself a pretty powerful friend. Which one?”,

“Cryocide. That’s what it screamed at Águia before she finally took it down”,

“Huh, Winter Snow. Number 8 if I remember correctly. Why is she here? Did the Connection not go well?”,

“No, but… she was in there nearly a year. When she came back, she was passed out, who knows what she’s been through”,

“Hmm, do you know her worst fear?”,

Aliza shook her head.

“Arthur is the only one who knows that”,

“Speaking of which- how was the little man’s Connection?”,

Aliza looked at her dad with a worried smile.

“You already know, father. Don’t play coy”,

“Hehe~ yeah, alright”,

Her smile disappeared.

“Is he… okay?”,

“He’s fine. He may be young, but he knows what he’s doing”,

“Yeah but, all this time…”,

“Aliza…”,

Alexander’s voice appeared to change tune slightly. This caused Aliza to look at her father with intrigue.

“If all you do is worry about others, you hold yourself back from achieving your best. Is it not you who says, ‘survival of the fittest is the law of the universe’?”,

“Yeah?”,

“Then let the universe take its course”,

While Alexander sounded confident and sure of himself, Aliza noticed the opposite.

His hands were trembling, ever so slightly. It’s a detail hardly anyone would notice, but still noticeable.

They shared a few seconds of silence, when suddenly, without warning or known cause, a loud explosion rang out through the entire school.

The ground, shook. The air, vibrated. The noise, deafening. Alex and Aliza quickly stood, their instincts cutting in, alerted to everything around them.

“W-What was that!?”,

Shouted Aliza.

Alexander sharpened his eyes.

“Outside”,

The father quickly made his way out of the infirmary, smashing the doors open to head towards the direction of the blast. Aliza stood there for a second, looking at Belle to confirm she was okay. When she confirmed it, she ran to her father’s side.

As Alex ran, he appeared to be speaking to himself, but in truth he was actually speaking to someone.

“Águia! Situation?”,

“THE SPORTS FIELD OF THE COLLEGE. IT APPEARS SOMETHING HAS EMERGED”,

“Hover over the area. I’ll be out there soon enough!”,

As Alex and Aliza ran through the halls, they noticed the worried and confused looks on all the teachers’ and students’ face. They ignored them however, just making their way to the cause.

Not even a minute had passed before they reached the area. Alex and Aliza scanned the area, but the 2 pairs of eyes instantly locked to a single place.

In front of them, about 100 metres away, was a large crater. It appeared 2 metres deep and about 20 metres in diameter, but this wasn’t what caught their attention. In fact, this wasn’t at all what every looking pair of eyes, be it from the duo or the nearby students, were looking at.

Instead, they were looking at what was in the crater.

From its epicentre, a cage appeared to be formed. It was nothing like a jail cell or a bird cage. No, this cage, had no openings. To be honest, it resembled more a metallic box than a cage.

The silvery colour of the smooth surcaces glistened with the afternoon sun, but they quickly stopped, as dark clouds began to appear in the sky, and with them, a small rumbling.

“Águia. What is it?”,

“I don’t know. It appears to be a cage of sorts. However,… I do detect signs of life inside. Both Mortal and Eletrical”,

The Zealot of The Fallen Feather hovered by flapping its 3 pairs of wings. It stood at about 1000 feet above the ground, simply surveying the situation.

“I don’t like this…”,

Said Alexander aloud. While he wasn’t talking to anyone specific, Aliza seemed to take it as a sign.

“Cinzeira!”,

She shouted.

The black flaming fox like spirit appeared just like before, during Hikaru’s fight. However, this time, the fox appeared to be much bigger in size. Standing at about double compared to before.

“Cinzeira, stick with Águia”,

“Finally. An order that’s actually worth it”,

The A.I. replied to her master. It then spoke to the one above her.

“Águia. It’s been a while”,

“Indeed, sister. It appears you are doing well”,

“Quite”,

The conversation ended there.

And with its end, rain began to fall. Trickle by trickle, small drops fell from the sky hitting anyone and anything in their path. It wasn’t heavy rain by any means, but everything quickly began to look and feel wet.

And that’s when it happened.

The cage began to move. Walls of the box appeared to digitally crumble, unravelling what was inside, slowly but surely.

The familiar looking black hair. Those undeniable and unmistakable purple eyes. Aliza sharpened her eyes to try and make out who it was, and when she realised, they burst open.

“ARTHUR!”,

She screamed.

[Soul Time Passed: Approximately 4 Months and 22 Days]

[Real World Time Passed: Approximately 46 Seconds]

[Current Location: Serra da Estrela, Portugal]

[Objective: Retrieve the 13 missing Series Pages. 3/13 Collected]

Guinevere and Arthur talked as they walked. They appeared to be taking a small trail in a forest of burned trees. The sky was as dark as usual, the air still as usual. Everything was just exactly as when Arthur first appeared. The only difference was, he had adjusted to the new world.

“What do you mean?”,

“You see, my family actually comes from nobility, but we’ve hidden our roots as deep as we could. Well, kind of. My father with the help of my grandmother, created their own country”,

“What!?”,

Guinevere rightly shouted.

“Yeah. It’s called Reign. Back in the early 2000s, Portugal had a sort of revolution within itself. They changed their entire government structure. They cut ties with all other countries, and somehow, paid back all it owned to the others.

They shut the borders for 14 days. No information got out. Total radio silence, leaving barely any digital footprint whatsoever. When they opened the borders, they declared war”,

“Against who!?”,

“Everybody”,

Guin was taken aback as Arthur kept speaking.

“They started by taking Spain and France, moving down to the African continent, they took as much as they could. They did it in such an efficient way, people couldn’t believe it. Later, the world leaders found out they were using A.I.s as soldiers.

While the concept had been thought and experimented before, no country really had the incentive to put it into action, until Portugal began to invade.

Before they could start taking the rest of Europe and move on into Asia, Germany, Japan, and most countries in the Middle Eastern Land, asked to join them on the country’s conquest.

Portugal agreed, changing its name to Fatherland in celebration of its new allies. This was a very controversial action. Most of the world couldn’t really come up with an answer as to why these countries joined Portugal in this endeavour, so some believe there must have been something happening behind the scenes.

7 years later, the war died down. Plenty had been conquered and new borders were drawn. The Fatherland demanded that all countries taken in by them must change their name, to be one giant country, full of diverse people and accepting all that wished to join them.

Becoming, The Fatherland Empire”,

“That’s amazing… wait, what does this have to do with your dad creating his own country?”,

“My father was a Commander in the Fatherland Army. He did some heroics which made him, and his family, become quite high in Power. When the Leader of the new Empire asked him what he wished for, my dad simply asked for a large amount of land to create his own country.

He agreed, allowing him the area of the Middle Eastern Land, to make into a prosperous ally of the Empire.

My grandmother has a Creation Class A.I. , so it took no less than 10 days to create an entire Kingdom. Which they named, Reign”,

Guin stopped walking and after noticing it, Arthur stopped as well. He took notice of her shocked, yet blunt, face.

“What’s wrong?”,

“Arthur. Your family is actually kind of amazing”,

“Actually?”,

“I have had 2 Masters in my whole life. 3 including you. Both wanted to rule the world, and yet they failed. And now, here I am talking to the son of a great Commander, part of an Army of an Empire, who once again, nearly did it”,

“Ehh. It’s nothing special”,

“Nothing… NOTHING SPECIAL!?”,

“No, not really. I don’t really care what happens between countries. I don’t really care about borders or war or fighting. All I want is to live my life. Nothing more”,

“Arthur! You could be King!”,

“It’s not that great. My father is King and all it does is keep him away from home. I don’t want that kind of life”,

“Wait, have you-“,

“I relinquished my position as Heir. Gave it to my sister”,

“Unbelievable. You are an unbelievable idiot”,

Arthur cheekily smirked.

“Come on, let’s get to the next page. Speaking of which…”,

Guin raised her hand up to her chin, as if to take a thinking pose.

“Hmmm… I think it should be in England”,

“Then we have a problem”,

“What’s that?”,

“We need to cross the channel, right?”,

“That’s right?”,

“Where are we going to find a working boat in the middle of a destroyed world?”,

Guinevere’s expression suddenly changed to one of realisation.

“Huh? Ahhh~ good point”,

“We’re going to be a bit stuck on that end”,

“Well let’s see what we can find. Surely there must be something around here that can serve as a raft”,

“Alright then”,

Arthur said as he started to walk again. Guinevere followed him closely behind.

[Soul Time Passed: Approximately 3 Years 9 Months]

[Real World Time Passed: Approximately 7 Minutes 30 Seconds]

[Current Location: Valley of Kings, Egypt]

[Objective: Retrieve the 13 missing Series Pages. 6/13 Collected]

“I spy with my little eye… something beginning with… S”,

Arthur said as he laid down on the ground.

“Sand”,

Replied Guinevere, also laying down.

“Dammit. Every time. How do you do it?”,

“Well because it’s the only thing that’s out here. Sand and rocks”,

“Uggghhh~~ I’m boooooored”,

“Well, you can’t complain. I told you, let’s just wait for them to come to us, but nooo~. Somebody had to get all high and mighty and go say something like ‘Fuck that. We’ll find them first’”,

“Hey, it was a good idea!”,

“Was it?”,

Arthur looked away.

“At the time, yes”,

Guin laughed at his pouting face.

“So? What do we have now then?”,

“Hmm…”,

Guin took out The Relinquished Armoury and scrolled through the six pages, not including The Heir’s Series.

“So we got;

The Double Edged Series,

The Iron Castle Series,

The Mortal Coil Series,

The Red River Series,

The Fallen Foes Series,

And finally, The Wavering Petal Series”,

“And from what I’ve seen, they’re all pretty different. In fact, they could even be called ‘classes’”,

“What’s that?”,

“It’s a game term. It refers to when one uses a specific item or weapon as their main.”

“Hmm… interesting, I’ll be honest. I never thought about them that way”,

“It’s a habit of my dad’s. Everything he does in life, he merely thinks it’s a part of a game”,

“Sounds like an interesting man. Thinks life is a game and yet he helped conquer most of the world. I would like to meet him”,

Guinevere wasn’t exactly asking. Her voice sounded more like a command. Arthur didn’t care for it though. He replied as he would to anyone else.

“Sure”,

A very long silence followed, but as it seems custom, it was suddenly interrupted. It was Arthur’s fault.

“Right well, they don’t look like their coming. I’m going to get some shut eye”,

“Huh!? You’re going to sleep!? What if they attack while your sleeping?”,

“Then wake me up”,

He replied as he turned to the side.

“Good night”,

Guinevere left eyebrow rose slightly.

“Good night? Is that meant to be a joke?”,

[Soul Time Passed: Approximately 52 Years]

[Real World Time Passed: Approximately 1 Hour 44 Minutes ]

[Current Location: Moscow, Russia]

[Objective: Retrieve the 13 missing Series Pages. 10/13 Collected]

“Ugh~ ACK! Damn it!”,

Arthur fell over onto one knee, holding his head tightly.

“Arthur? Are you okay?”,

Guin asked, crouching down to his side, and resting a hand on his back.

“Y-Yeah, I’m fine… just a headache. Let’s keep going”,

“If you need a break, we can take one. You don’t have to rush yourself”,

“I said I’m fine Guin”,

While Arthur said that, his voice sounded like he was very much in pain.

He struggled to get up, but did it none the less, carrying on walking.

[Soul Time Passed: Approximately 78 Years]

[Real World Time Passed: Approximately 2 Hours 36 Minutes ]

[Current Location: Washington D.C., United States of America]

[Objective: Retrieve the 13 missing Series Pages. 11/13 Collected]

“Fuck! Aaggggrr~”,

Arthur fell over on both his knees.

He clutched his head and his heart in dire pain. He breathed heavily and erratically. He tried to stand up once more but fell again. The pain was simply too much.

“Arthur!”,

Guinevere shouted as she looked back to see him in such a state. She ran back to his side.

“Arthur, stop! This is enough!”,

“Shut up! This is nothing! I just- ECK! -need to keep going! We’re so close”,

“STOP! You don’t need to carry on. We have enough. We don’t need to collect them all”,

Arthur looked up slightly to stare Guinevere right in the eye. His eyes were sharp and full of both determination and anger.

“Don’t be stupid!”,

[Soul Time Passed: Approximately 131 Years]

[Real World Time Passed: Approximately 4 Hours 37 Minutes ]

[Current Location: Tetlin, Alaska]

[Objective: Retrieve the 13 missing Series Pages. 12/13 Collected]

Arthur fell the ground, hitting mud and covering himself in it. Unlike the last tens of times, there was not warning this time. However, Guinevere walked behind him this time, so she instantly acted.

She ran to his side, falling to both knees, checking his condition.

“Arthur! Come on buddy, talk to me. You’ve got to stay awake!”,

“How long has it been…?”,

He whispered with little strength left in his voice.

“Forget that, come on, get up. Get up!”,

Guinevere ordered him as she wrapped one of his arms around her neck, trying to help him stand.

Arthur initially didn’t help, but when he noticed how hard Guin was trying, he did his best to plant both his feet.

“That’s it! Come on, we’re almost there!”,

“How long… Guin?”,

“Forget that. Come on, just one more page”,

While Guinevere tried to sound enthusiastic about it, her voice was trembling.

She was hating this.

She hated to see her new Host, no- her new friend, in this much pain. She hated it more that he was going to such lengths for her, because of her incompetence. At least, that’s what Guinevere thought. The truth, however, was much kinder than that.

[Soul Time Passed: Approximately 297 Years]

[Real World Time Passed: Approximately 10 Hours 30 Minutes ]

[Current Location: Al-Warka, Muthanna, Iraq]

[Objective: Retrieve the 13 missing Series Pages. 12/13 Collected]

“Arthur? Come on, wake up”,

Guin’s voice was gentle, like a mother trying to wake her child for their first day of school.

She spoke as she looked back at the sleeping Arthur.

She had been carrying him for nearly 20 years now on a handmade sleigh. Arthur had completely lost consciousness after a random fight they had with one of his demons. While Guin wanted to send him back to his own world right there and then, she also knew if she did, Arthur would hate her for it.

He had set his goal on getting her, and his, powers back. Guinevere already had experience on what it’s like to cut one’s goal before it reaches its end, so to her, she wanted to support him as much as she could.

But while this was painful to Arthur, it was more so to Guin. Because what he did not know yet, the last page would be held by the darkest of his inner demons.

Seeing as Arthur wasn’t going to wake, Guinevere turned back to face her front. She stood on top of a cliff, overlooking a large area of ruins.

“How cruel. The last page to be guarded, in the home of my first Host”,

Guin made her way around the cliff, trying to find a way down to said ruins.

A few hours had passed before she was finally near them. The ruins were of an ancient city, known to the world at the time, to be the greatest kingdom of all. The sand below her feet made it harder for her to pull the sleigh, but she did her best.

She made her way into the destroyed and decayed buildings, finding one that still appeared to be in moderate shape. She dragged Arthur in, removing him from the makeshift sleigh and setting him down on the surprisingly warm sand.

“You wait here. I’m going to go have a look around. If you encounter anything, scream, okay?”,

Arthur clearly didn’t reply.

While it may be as a small joke, her words carried great worry for her new Host.

Guin tore some fabric from the sleigh and covered Arthur in it, making sure to keep him warm. She then proceeded out of the building.

As she looked around, the land was bare. No demons, no lights, no nothing. The area only being slightly lit by the black burning sun above her head.

“Now, where to start?”,

“You can start by telling me who you are”,

Another voice replied. This sent a shock to Guinevere’s nerves causing her to look around for the owner of the voice. She didn’t have to look much however, the person stood behind her, leaning his back against the building Arthur slept in.

Guinevere instinctively made sharp talons from her right hand, preparing to attack.

“My, you are a dangerous woman”,

The person spoke.

“Come out!”,

She ordered, keeping her eyes locked to the silhouette of a man.

“He~ as you wish”,

He replied, stepping out.

The man was older than Arthur, maybe in his thirties. He had black hair, very similar to him as well, only it seemed lighter. Not as light as to call it grey, but, it wasn’t as black as the abyssal colour of Arthur.

The man possessed red eyes, worthy of their colour’s name. A small goatee accompanied his chin, trimmed, and cut in a very good-looking way. His body was muscular, making him look like a lightweight fighter.

He possessed simple black clothes. Black shirt, black trousers, even black shoes, but they all accompanied a golden bracelet on his right arm and a golden earring on his left ear. He stood about the same height as Hikaru, perhaps standing just a tad bit shorter.

The man’s voice was sweet and elegant, yet that’s not the air he carried for himself. After all, the small smile currently in his lips, was one of malicious intent.

“A demon? No, you’re not”,

“Correct you are. No, I’m no demon”,

“Who are you?”,

Guinevere grew another set of sharp black talon like claws on her left hand.

“I do believe I have stated that question first”,

“I don’t have any obligation to tell you”,

The man smiled further, and slowly turned his eyes towards the entrance of the destroyed building. Panicked, Guinevere suddenly disappeared and reappeared in front of said entrance, protecting it with all her power.

Her gaze attacked the man’s eyes, as if to give him a fair warning.

“You do as much as take a single step closer to him, I will personally end your life”,

“Indeed. You are a dangerous woman. But you needn’t worry…”,

Guin’s eyes twitched,

“I’m not going to harm him”,

“Then what is it you want?”,

“To give you a gift”,

She slowly let her hands lower just ever so slightly,

“A gift?”,

“You’re looking for the final Page of your Armoury, aren’t you? Well, I can give it to you”,

Guinevere was sceptical of the man’s words. But more so, she was surprised and cautious. Her ability should be known to none except her 3 Masters, two of which are long dead, and the third currently inside.

However, deep in her mind, even if it was just a small glimmer, she hoped this was the truth. Not only for her sake, but for Arthur’s as well.

“You can?”,

She asked,

“Indeed. However, I’m going to need something in return”,

“And what’s that?”,

She asked, sharpening her eyes, and making sure to cover the whole entrance of the house.

“A fight”,

While Guinevere didn’t expect that answer, she didn’t show any reaction to it. She simply stood, waiting, thinking. Finally, she gathered some words.

“I can’t”,

“Oh?”,

The man said as his brows raised in surprise.

“Why not?”,

“My Host is the only one to command me to fight. Without his permission, I am unable to do anything”,

“But he’s unconscious”,

“Yes, he is”,

“Are you really going to follow rules when your goal- or should I say- your way of saving him, is right in front of you?”,

Guinevere flinched.

To her, this was a paradox. Save Arthur but break the rules or keep to them but cause the worse scenario for him. In either case, Arthur could disappear from her life.

Thinking about this, caused her to have a small flashback to her first Host.

“Al-Hea, don’t cry. You knew this time had to come”,

“I know, I know, I know! But still… why?”,

“I’ve had fun, all these years. You were my greatest friend”,

“Mil, please. I’m sorry. I’m sorry for what I did! Just please don’t go!”,

“You didn’t betray me. So, don’t… feel… guil…ty”,

As Guin snapped back to reality, she gave her answer. While it wasn’t the one her mind was telling to give, not the one her body was telling to give, but her heart.

She gritted her teeth and with all her courage, she decided to place all faith in Arthur.

“I’m sorry, but I won’t fight”,

“Oh really? So, you’re choosing to obey over saving his life”,

“I have faith in him”,

“Faith? An A.I.? Do you not know what happens when a human stays too long in Mother’s Soul?”,

“I do, I know very well”,

“And you still choose his damnation?”,

“Like I said, I have faith”,

The man became quiet for a second before speaking once more. He looked at Guin with sadness.

“I can see the struggle you’re making. I know this isn’t what you want to do. You’re fighting yourself. Why?”,

Guinevere gritted her teeth harder. The nerves on her body tightened just as the frustration started to put from her.

“I… just don’t want to lose another one…”,

She said with a quiver.

The man sighed in response.

“Good”,

When he said that, Guin froze. Her eyes opened and she looked up to the man. He was smiling, unlike before. His smile was gentle and proud of the decision she made.

“Arthur has got himself a good friend. Take care of him”,

“What…?”,

“I’ll give you the Page. On one condition”,

Guin instinctively rose up her hands. In response the man rose his own, but unlike Guin, who posed for an attack, he posed for a surrender.

“It’s not a fight, don’t worry. You’re Attributes and Abilities include Creation, right?”,

“How did you know?”,

He simply smiled in response.

“Do me a favour and the page is yours”,

Realising he meant no harm no longer, Guin’s hands reverted to normal.

“I want you to fix this world”,

“Huh!?”,

“This is Arthur’s Version of Mother’s Soul right? Look at it. It’s dead. Nothing but destruction. Sure, this is the portrayal it has for itself, but that doesn’t mean it can’t change. Change this world, and I promise you…”,

The man looks at her with a genuine look of promise.

“He’ll change yours”,

“Do you have any idea how much time it would take to fix the entire world!?”,

“If you do this for him, I promise, when you finish, he’ll greet you with a smile”,

Guin stopped. Her mind had something else come up.

“Wait a minute. How do you know Arthur?”,

“I, my dear, know him far better than anyone else will. Including you”,

When he gave his response, the man turned and began to disintegrate into sand. While to some this might seem like a bad thing, it was actually the man’s decision, a way of saying goodbye.

“Do this, and I’ll help you”,

Those were his last words before he fully disappeared, transforming into nothing but the sand Guin stood on.

She stared at the spot where the man once was for a minute, before her hands turned to fists.

“Fine”.

[Soul Time Passed: Approximately 720 Years]

[Real World Time Passed: Approximately 24 Hours]

[Current Location: Al-Warka, Muthanna, Iraq]

[Objective: Retrieve the 13 missing Series Pages. 12/13 Collected]

Guinevere had spent hundreds and hundreds of years, fixing the world in Mother’s Soul. The destroyed buildings were back to their original self, the ground fixed and paved, world landmarks no longer crumbled and decaying but stood high and mighty.

But the greatest change of all, the sky. This was not only the thing that took the longest, but the one she worked hardest on. In herself, she wanted to give Arthur a normal sun to wake up to.

The sky shined a bright blue, without a single cloud of misery in sight. The sun glowed its whites and yellows just like the real world. The sand below her was no longer dampened in colour by the miserable blackness of before, but now glistened as the sun rays hit the particles on the ground.

And the ruins? They were returned.

Where crumbled buildings lost to the thing we call time and destruction, all bought back as if time reversed itself. A kingdom flourishing more beautiful than any flower, shinning more gorgeously than any diamond.

Guin took a second to rest. She fell back on the ground, arms wide and everything. And then she screams out.

“It’s finally done!”,

The man from before suddenly emerged from the sand he disappeared to all those years back.

“Well done! I must admit, even though you haven’t lived in this era yet, you have recreated the world in stunning detail”,

“I’ve never worked so hard in my life~”,

Guin moaned out.

The man laughed and went inside the rejuvenated building Arthur still laid on. Guin quickly stood and followed.

Arthur no longer laid in a sandy floor, but instead, a wooden one. His position, however, still hadn’t changed.

The man approached him and rested his hand on Arthur’s cheek. He whispered something, too quiet for Guinevere to hear, but she heard something even better.

Arthur suddenly gasped for air, before returning to his usual breathing. He had some more vigour than usual; she could tell by his colour. His breathing was normal and even his heartbeat returned to what it once was.

When she saw this, she fell to his side as a joyous smile rose from her face, and a gleeful tear fell from her eye.

The man nodded to himself, before standing and leaving. But before he could, Guin called out.

“Wait! Please. Just answer me one thing”,

“Hmm? What is it?”,

He asked as he turned slightly.

“Who are you? Really?”,

The man smiled before turning back and carrying on walking.

“When he’s ready… you’ll know”,

The man dispersed into sand once more, but this time, he left an item behind. A familiar silver looking sheet. Guin walked over to it and picked it up from the floor. Confirming it was what it was, she looked outside, to the beautiful sky, and whispered.

“Thank you”,

A star in the sky, barely visible, seemed to glint for a single second.