Arthur looked all round him. The college field immediately told him he was back. Even though he had been away for 720 years, a single day in the human world, he acted quite calm. It was then that he heard his sister yell his name.

“ARTHUR!”,

He turned to the right with great speed to see his sister’s glad face. But that’s not what caught his attention.

Besides the two giant A.I. Manifestations, one in front of him and the other above, there was a man standing next to Aliza.

His father.

Arthur turned fully to face him.

The rain hit them with stronger force. Their hair quickly becoming wet, the atmosphere looking gloomy and tense. Only the 2 pairs of eyes seemed to glow in the world. Arthur’s, and his current goal.

While they were about 100 metres away from each other, they both saw each other’s smiles rise from each other’s lips.

“Liz, order Cinzeira back”,

Alexander ordered his daughter.

“W--What? Yeah, okay”,

Cinzeira disappeared from sight, leaving only the giant hovering eagle above Arthur’s head. However, his eyes remained on his dad, uncaring for the disappearance of Aliza’s.

Alexander the raised a hand, and gestured as simple wave, signalling Arthur to ‘come at him’.

Arthur smiled further.

“Guinevere”,

Suddenly, from the sky, hundreds of swords fell all around Arthur, covering him completely, but just as quickly as they appeared, they burst. The swords broke into pieces and shards, slowly revealing Arthur once more.

However, this time, someone stood next to him.

Guinevere hovered in the air about 3 feet off the ground, just to Arthur’s right. She slowly opened her eyes, and when she did, it wasn’t just Alexander and Aliza, but 11 total people, from all around the world, felt a weird feeling.

It felt like a small shock coming from their brains. It wasn’t painful in the slightest, but each and every single one of them, knew what this meant. At that very moment, 11 people synchronised, all around the world, all understanding the same situation. The 13th Limboic had arrived.

Alexander turned back slightly to look at his daughter.

“He’s done it”,

“Y--Yeah! I felt it! The 13th… He got it!”,

Aliza replied with excitement, whether it was for his brother’s achievement, or the fact that Guinevere had finally returned to Earth, no one knew.

Alexander then started walking forwards, heading towards his son. Arthur did the same, heading towards his father. Aliza however, stood still, allowing their reunion to happen just between the two.

They walked, and walked, and soon, they were merely 10 metres apart, stopping at that distance. No words were exchanged, simply gazes. Their purple eyes, locked, in a battle of attrition. The rain kept coming down. The world was silent except the sound of the water hitting the ground and each other’s clothes.

Until, just then, Alexander spoke.

“Son…”,

“Dad…”,

Another pause followed.

“Are you sure about this?”,

Arthur smiled before giving a response.

“I need this”,

“I won’t go easy on you, you know?”,

“I wouldn’t expect you to. In fact, I’d hate you if you did”,

“Remember the deal, right?”,

“Of course. If you win, I’ll become King. If I win, I will forsake the family name, removing me from the family entirely”,

“He~ you’ve grown nicely Arthorius. As your father, I could not be prouder”,

“Thank you, dad… Before we start, whether I win or lose, there’s something I need to tell you…”,

Alexander’s eyebrows raised slightly as intrigue entered his mind. Arthur looked at him with a proud and genuine smile.

“You are my hero”,

Alexander was taken aback with his words, but he remained calm and prevented showing of a response. Instead, he smiled internally.

“Let’s get this started”,

“Let’s”,

They both turned around, walking away from each other. It was then, in a mere split of a second, something crashed. The ground blew up, sending a plume of dirt and grass into the air.

Where?

Arthur’s side.

It was a powerful strike. Too quick for human eyes.

Aliza suddenly expressed shock, looking at her father with both confusion and surprise.

“W--What are you doing!?”,

She shouted as her father walked towards her.

“This is what he wanted--”,

Alexander suddenly stopped talking, as something attracted his attention.

Laughing.

Laughing was coming from where Arthur should be laying, defeated.

He turned to face where his son stood.

As the dirt cleared from the air and the grass finally settled on the floor, Alex noticed Arthur holding a shield. And to his side? A large hole.

While Alex didn’t see what happened, it was clear to him what went down.

Águia shot a projectile at Arthur like the two planned, but before it could land, he pulled out that shield from somewhere to block it.

But something still didn’t sit well with him.

(He shouldn’t be able to block that. That shot was at Mach 5. No human has such reflexes!),

That’s what he thought.

He then watched as the shield disappeared from his son’s hand. But his attention averted to seeing his A.I.

Guinevere landed on the ground and took a seat, opening The Relinquished Armoury and pretending to read it.

“Go get ‘em Arthur!”,

She shouted.

Alexander’s eyes opened wider.

(He’s fighting himself?!),

Arthur then raised his hand to his right, keeping it straight with an open palm.

“Relinquished Armoury, King’s Series, Number 5, Galentine!”,

On his open palm, a giant two-handed sword suddenly appeared. The handle and the pummel were a leathery black. The cross guard took shape of a trident with the centre ‘spike’ being the massive blade itself. While the cross guard was a silvery and glittering colour, it was the blade itself that caught everyone’s attention.

The blade seemed to shine a green similar to grass on a springtime field. It appeared to emit light along with a small humming sound, like the blade had just been struck. Every time the blade moved, it created a sort of afterimage, leaving a green trail.

(Summoning Weapons?),

Alexander then looked at Arthur’s Spirit, who chilled in the ground while her Master prepared to fight.

(Ahh~, I get it. She’s a Supporter Class. Well then, this should be easier than expected),

Arthur twirled the sword to his back, taking a stance to swing.

For some reason, it was at that time Arthur remembered something Guinevere told him before returning to his world.

“Hey Guin?”,

“Yeah?”,

“What’s the point of giving me my own Series?”,

“Huh?”,

“Why can’t I just use the other Series as much as I’d like instead?”,

“Yeah that’s probably something I should have explained earlier. You can only use 5 weapons and abilities, from the other Series, per day”,

“Only 5?”,

“It’s a rule that’s been set up. To prevent one from losing their body and mind”,

“What do you mean?”,

“Initially, you were able to use all weapons and abilities at the same time, but when my first Master did it, the combined power of the weapons began stripping away his very being and all the abilities at once began to shape him into something that wasn’t human”,

“What about my own?”,

“You can use that as much as you’d like. After all, they’re your weapons”,

“I see…”,

As Arthur’s mind returned to reality, he grinned and looked up to see Águia. He simply hovered, as if waiting for further orders.

Arthur, however, wasn’t just going to stand around and waste an opportunity like this.

“Let’s see just how strong your feathers really are, oh King of Animals!!”,

As Arthur screamed those words, he swung the sword towards his front. However, this was simply a trick. As the sword made its way to his front, he quickly raised it and redirected the slash upwards, towards the A.I. above.

The sword glowed ever so brightly before a powerful shockwave burst out, sending this flying arc of green light flying at incredible speed towards Águia.

Alexander instantly gathered what was going on and took action.

“Águia! Tanker Mode!”,

Above Arthur’s head, the eagle began shinning. While this alerted him, thinking it was an incoming attack, it was the opposite.

In a single fraction of a second, Águia began changing forms.

Her beautiful, feathered wings were now made from cold hard metal. Not just her feathers though, but her whole body. She changed completely. While before she looked like a majestic bird from the Mythos Era, now she looked like something akin to a giant mecha.

As the arc hit Águia, a loud explosion went off. With it, Águia was bombarded with hundreds of green bolts exploding all over her body. The sparks it made, due to the lightning like attack striking the cold hard metal, fell from the air before dispersing into nothingness.

Arthur was smiling, knowing his attack hit the mark. But the smile quickly dispersed.

Águia, with a single motion of her 3 pairs of metallic wings, seemed to blow away Arthur’s attack. Revealing to him, that she was unharmed.

“Águia, Damage Mode”,

Alexander proceeded to order.

The eagle once again shined brighter than the stars, taking a completely different form. This time, the cold, hard, metal was replaced to something akin to fire. Her whole body became engulfed by the beautiful reds and oranges.

The heat coming of it’s body was enough to start making Arthur sweat.

(A Phoenix?),

That’s what Arthur thought to himself.

To be honest, he wasn’t off the mark there either. The form Alex’s A.I. took could be called that at this very moment.

“Burn it all!”,

Alexander commanded.

Águia began gathering a giant flame in its open beak, causing Arthur to react.

“Guinevere!”,

He shouted to his ow.

“Yeah, yeah”,

She replied with a sort of tired attitude.

She immediately made his way to his side, standing at his back.

“Relinquished Armoury, King’s Series, Number 3, Pridwen!”,

As the last syllable left his mouth, a giant fireball came down on him. For every inch it moved closer, the ground, the grass, the moisture in the air and even on his skin began to boil up. That effect was quickly halted however, as a giant cover soon appeared over him.

Around Arthur and Guinevere, in a radius of about 15 metres, a sudden bubble emerged from his raised shield pointing towards he attack.

It was translucent in nature, yet it shined a bright blue hue. It took shape similar to a glass dome, covering the entire area around Arthur and Guin.

When the fire hit the top of the bubble, it exploded into a blanket of red covering the entire structure, as if to melt it down.

While he didn’t want to admit it, Arthur was actually struggling to keep it together. The attack from his father’s A.I. was great. Powerful, effective, fear inducing. Something suited to the man he both loved and feared the most.

However, the red substance covering the shield suddenly began to solidify, like lava turning to rock.

Just in the nick of time as well. Arthur’s defensive bubble shattered, but instead of being rained with hundreds of glass shards like one would expect, they simply disappeared into the air.

He was now cocooned in this half spherical rock. There was no light whatsoever, or sound coming from it, but he could hear the rain pounding on top, hitting the rocky substance.

He took this chance to relax a bit, taking a deep breath. However, his quiet time was quickly cut short by Guinevere.

“Águia? ÁGUIA!? Your father is the Holder of the Limboic Father of Zealots and King to All Spirit Animals!? WE CAN’T WIN!”,

“What’s with that? You turning chicken?”,

Arthur asked with a cheeky smile. However, Guin wasn’t playing.

“Arthur, I don’t think you realise how powerless we are against that thing! Águia isn’t simply an A.I., it’s a fucking Incarnation of Power!”,

“You said so yourself. Being a Limboic doesn’t mean your powerful, it’s just a title, nothing else--“,

“THIS IS DIFFERENT!!”,

Seeing Guin this flustered was a sight to hold, but more importantly, Arthur understood well why she felt this way.

After all, he wasn’t stupid.

He knew too well the power his father and his A.I. possessed together. His father alone was able to conquer an entire country with just Águia. What would a kid with a single day of experience ever do to him?

However, Arthur possessed one trick to beat his father. But, deep inside his mind, buried under the possibility of victory, a tinge as small as the smallest of fractions, existed. That tinge was doubt.

“Guin. I’ve got 3 left right?”,

“Yeah…”,

She replied after finally calming herself.

“You’ve got 3 more weapons or abilities to use out of the Armoury”,

“And I’ve used 2 from The King’s Series. That means if I use 2 more, I’ll be able to use Number 1, correct”,

“It’s as you say”,

“And I have to say the inscription to its fullest for it to activate?”,

“I’m afraid so… if you were to stop for longer than 3 seconds in the middle of saying it, you’d have to restart”,

Arthur then looked in the direction where his father should be standing. While he clearly couldn’t see anything, due to the rock dome around him, he had a feeling his father wouldn’t have moved.

He would wait to see Arthur’s next move. After all, this is the man who taught him how to fight.

Arthur tightened his fist and a surge of confidence flowed through him.

“Alright. Let’s go!”,

Guin immediately opened the Armoury.

“Relinquished Armoury, King’s Series, Number 4, Clarent!”,

From the outside, Alexander awaited to see his son’s move. Just like Arthur predicted. He simply stared at the rock currently covering Arthur and Guin, but his attention was suddenly interrupted by Aliza grabbing him violently.

“WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING DAD!?”,

“I’m giving him what he wants”,

He replied, looking down at his distressed daughter.

“What he wants?”,

She asked confused.

“Your brother wants to relinquish the throne to you”,

“Wha--Why?”,

“Ask him yourself”,

He answered, pointing to the dome.

As Aliza looked towards the rock, she saw the wall crack. It split, cracking upwards, sideways and downwards. The cracks began to glow a red colour, before, in an almighty display, it blew open.

Rubble, giant pieces of the previous molten rock, went flying in all directions. Aliza dodged promptly. Alex, however, didn’t even flinch.

Peering into the newly made hole acting as an open door, the duo saw Arthur standing with a smile, and with it on his right hand, a red long sword, glowing harshly.

Alexander, as his mind suddenly clicked, realised what Arthur had been doing. He recognised every single weapon Arthur had been using up until now. Only now did it become clear to him, and he felt stupid for not noticing earlier.

(I KNOW THOSE WEAPONS! ARTHUR, YOU WOULDN’T--),

His thoughts were quickly halted as he saw his son dashing towards himself.

“Águia! Stop him! Bring down the weight of the Silver City if you must! ZEALOT MODE!”,

He screamed with an almighty, with a strong and overpowering, with a commanding voice! The voice of a true Commander!

Águia shined a bright light just like the last two times. But this time, it was different. While, yes, just like before, he was changing forms, now it felt different. After the light disappeared, Águia revealed himself.

A true image of Divine.

It went back to its original look, but this time…

Its feathers glowed a bright gold. Its beak shined a pure platinum. It’s eyes as blue as sapphires. It’s talons as red as rubies. It looked like a moving, living, breathing treasure of the Divines.

“No-- NO! Dad stop!!”,

Aliza cried out. However, once she noticed it, she knew there was no going back. That one single thing gave her all the information she needed, that her father was not backing down. That he was enjoying himself.

That one tiny detail.

His grin.

“Hammer him down!”,

He commanded his A.I.

Águia began charging an attack on its glowing eyes as a loud and immense screech emerged from its open beak.

In that instant, Arthur set his plan into motion.

As he kept running, he threw the sword in his right hand into the ground in front of him. As it stabbed into the ground, Arthur jumped onto its handle and using it as a prop, he jumped even higher.

“Guin!”,

She suddenly teleported to his side. She joined her hands together, allowing Arthur to rest one foot on them.

With all her strength, she threw him even higher, easily throwing him 100 metres in the air.

“Relinquished Armoury, King’s Series, Number 2, Carnwennan!”,

An abyssal dagger suddenly appeared in his hand, but he paid little attention to it. Instead, he cared about its special property.

Arthur took a firm grasp of it, and without anyone ever expecting it, he disappeared.

Alexander and Alizastril looked panicked, searching everywhere for him, but Alex was the first to find him.

Using Carnwennan’s special attribute to teleport it’s user, Arthur used its ability to gain even more height. It was then… all conditions had been met.

The Number 1.

His plan.

His hidden trick.

He pounded his chest and talked with a strong tone.

“Relinquished Armoury, King’s Series, Use King’s Page!”,

The dagger disappeared from his hand and instead was replaced by the silver page he first obtained in his Soul. He clutched it with force and the page burned away in his hand.

“Mistaken for your brethren in Origin, your Name is unmistakable Legendary. You are the August Blade, the King of Weapons. Created by Cold Ore to bring Judgement of the Burning Fires of Heaven, Hear me, oh Holy Blade! Grant me my wish! Appear before me, lend yourself to me, be used by me, oh Holy Blade! FIGHT FOR I ALONE CALL YOUR NAME--“,

“KILL HIM ÁGUIA!”,

Shouted Alexander.

“NO! STOOOOP!!!”,

Screamed Aliza.

“DO IT MASTER~~~!!!!”,

Cheered Guinevere.

Arthur’s right hand glowed a bright golden colour surrounded by spirals of blue and red.

“EXCALIBUR!!”,

An almost pure golden weapon materialised in his right hand. A truly gorgeous blade. It possessed a red hilt looking like the finest leather. A blue, shinning, cross guard with two crosses at the end of each of the two points. A black pummel, darker than the night sky.

And finally, the silver blade. It glowed all the colours of the gems and rainbows of the world, and yet, it’s highest and purest form of silver was unmistakable. Black lettering ran up from the cross guard to the point of the sword, but it was too hard to read.

He raised the blade up to his face, before thrusting it down, towards his father, hundreds of metres below him.

In that instance, Águia fired.

A pure white beam of light shot from its sapphire eyes and was headed towards Arthur. A beam so bright and overpowering it deleted everything it touched.

The sheer size was immense. Even though Arthur couldn’t see it, he felt it, he knew. Lurking behind him, coming at him, was Death.

This was it.

The death race.

The decider.

The dice throw.

Would Arthur reach his father?

Or would Águia kill him?

Arthur was falling at great speed, but so was Águia’s attack. Two attacks, both aimed in the same direction, but with two different targets.

As Arthur’s blade, as Excalibur, pierced the air, it created a silvery trail behind it. As Alexander looked up at the beautiful colours it made, his eyes widened as he saw a figure appear behind his son’s body, as he fell towards his father, created by the blade.

The figure was a beautiful silver colour, just like the blade from the sword. It appeared to envelop Arthur, either to shield him, or to strengthen his attack. That figure was akin to a wolf’s head.

It had its mouth open, having Arthur inside it. The wolf’s head then bit down, exploding into greater power and accelerating Arthur even more towards his parent.

As Arthur came ever so close to his father, he began screaming, putting all his power into this one attack.

He was just a few metres away. His father felt the immense power he was about to hit him with. He knew Águia’s attack wouldn’t reach him in time.

Alexander scoffed before reaching into his pocket, trying to get something out. But, before he could, a voice shouted.

“MODICUM TEMPUS!”,

In that instance, when Arthur was just a single metre away from hitting his target, when Alexander was just a single inch from grabbing his secret, when Águia’s attack was just a few metres from deleting Arthur’s existence, everything froze.

Time turned grey.

Space turned black.

Nothing moved.

Frozen in place.

Not the rain, not Aliza, not Alex, not Arthur nor any of the A.I., moved. Everything had just stopped as if captured in a photograph, forever to stay still.

A figure then appeared next to Alexander. It appeared to look him in the eyes, before letting out a sigh.

“This is the welcome back you want to give him? What happened to ‘dear young Arthorius’? Grow up will you, old man?”,

The figure then disappeared and reappeared next to Arthur.

“And you… are you sure you want to do this? You want to give up after everything we went through?... I’m disappointed Arthur, I thought you’d be more intelligent than this”,

The figure looked back at Aliza but said nothing. Instead, it appeared to be talking to everyone, but most importantly, himself.

“Why don’t we try this again?”,

It clapped its hands, and with that single sound, that single clap, everything changed.

Arthur looked all round him. The college field immediately told him he was back. Even though he had been away for 720 years, a single day in the human world, he acted quite calm. It was then that he heard his sister yell his name.

“ARTHUR!”,

He turned to the right with great speed to see his sister’s glad face. But that’s not what caught his attention.

Besides the two giant A.I. Manifestations, one in front of him and the other above, there was a man standing next to Aliza.

His father.

He was about to turn to the man, before suddenly coming over with sharp pain from his head. He didn’t scream, he didn’t cry out, no, he simply fell as the consciousness appeared to leave his eyes.

As his body fell at the same rate of the rain, it hit the muddy ground below him, covering him in dirt. Águia then chuckled.

“HAHA~ MASTERFUL ENTRANCE”,

“Águia, be quiet”,

Alexander told him.

“OF COURSE. WELL, I’LL LEAVE IT TO YOU”,

The A.I. replied disappearing from sight.

Once it did, Aliza ran to her brother’s side. She was now merely 5 metres away from him, but before she could approach any further, a rain of swords came down to cover Arthur’s body, landing in a perfect circle around him, creating a barrier between his sister and him.

Aliza was obviously taken aback. She even looked around, thinking it was someone trying to attack, but she got the wrong idea. The swords soon burst into shards and pieces as Guin made her own entrance.

She hovered over Arthur like a guardian angel, however, her appearance was far from such divinity.

Her hands were her signature talons and claws, giant and glowing a deadly red and black. Her eyes were sharp and protective. The black substance through her body seemed to be in unrest as it flowed throughout said body, taking shape of spikes around her forearms and thighs.

Basically, she looked as if she was ready to attack anyone who came close. But Aliza easily understood this.

She understood who she was, after all, there’s only one A.I. that would ever be so protective of someone, their own.

While an innate feeling was felt throughout the world, Aliza and Alexander feeling it as well, Aliza seemed to ignore it, concentrating on the presence in front of her.

Knowing the Manifestation would now basically become part of the family, she tried to greet it nicely.

“Hi there. Are you Arthorius’ A.I.?”,

Aliza asked, taking a knee slightly closer to her brother, making sure she was looking up at Guinevere.

Guin remained silent.

“I am Alizastril Ynha-El Hyuga, I am Arthorius’ older sister. That’s Cinzeira, my A.I…”,

She said as she pointed to her rear, perfectly pointing her thumb towards the burning fox. She then reached out her hand towards the Spirit in front of her.

“It’s a pleasure”,

Guin, just like before said nothing. But Aliza seemed to notice a reason why. Guin’s eyes were trained and locked to an approaching man behind Aliza. When he approached, he tapped Aliza’s shoulder.

Seeing her dad now next to her, Aliza stood and took a step back, allowing her father to talk to the A.I. in peace.

“So… you’re my son’s new Partner? The 13th Limboic, right?”,

It was then that Guinevere said something. It wasn’t that she was purposely ignoring Aliza, it was just that she knew it wasn’t Aliza who Arthur needed to impress.

“هل أنت الملك ؟ [ARE YOU THE KING?]”,

Her voice was powerful. It carried with it a dread and death like feeling unlike no other. It may have actually been good that Arthur passed out, so he wouldn’t have to listen to such a horrific sound.

The rain began to die down, with some sun rays slowly breaking through the clouds.

“MASTER, SHE IS SPEAKING IN ARABIC”,

Águia told Alexander from within his head, acting as the ‘translator’ between both.

While Alexander knew how to speak the language, it wasn’t the language itself Águia was translating, it was the static noise it made to Alex’s and Aliza’s ears.

“Arabic you say? Arthur’s main tongue isn’t Arabic, so why is she speaking in such a language?”,

“هل أنت الملك ؟ [ARE YOU THE KING?]”,

Guinevere asked again. Her voice getting darker and more distorted by the second.

“ أيها الملك ، هل كان (آرثر) يخبرك بالحكايات ؟ [King? Ahh~ has Arthur been telling you tales?]”,

Alexander asked a question of his own.

Guinevere was impressed but showed no such reaction. Instead, she tried something else.

“Diz-me… não achas que um Rei devia de andar um bocadinho mais… protegido? [TELL ME… DON’T YOU THINK A KING SHOULD WALK AROUND A LITTLE MORE… GUARDED?”,

“SHE SPEAKS IN PORTUGUESE NOW, ALEX”,

“Hmm… she’s quite clever for n A.I. I’ve never actually seen one that speaks two languages before-- well, except for you Águia. What did she say by the way?”,

“SHOULD A KING NOT WALK AROUND A LITTLE MORE GUARDED?”,

Alexander burst into laughter. As he wiped away the tears from his eyes, he then gave Guin a sharp stare. She immediately flinched into action, growing her talons even bigger and sharper, ready to defend herself.

“Hmm… she has good instincts. I like her”,

“IM NOT YOURS TO LIKE”,

Guinevere commented. Águia told his Master.

“Is that so? A shame”,

Alexander said as he turned around and began walking away.

“Aliza, take care of Arthur, will you? I still need to finish some business with him”,

Alexander shouted as he got further and further away,

“Huh!? Where are you going?”,

She shouted back,

“Home. I need a nap”,

Aliza was left alone to stare at the demonic Manifestation in front of her. A sort of awkward expression ran through her face but, it was quickly changed to one of wonder.

Guinevere took out The Relinquished Armoury and appeared to use it. There was a small red light suddenly appear on top of the book and Guinevere spoke.

“Can you hear well, human?”,

Aliza’s eyes widened. Did she hear right? Was this A.I. really talking to her, more precisely, was she able to hear it?

“Do not be surprised. It’s merely one of my many abilities. I’ll take your expression as a yes to my last question”,

“Uhh… yeah, I can hear you just fine”,

“Good. May you do me a favour?”,

“W-- What is it?”,

“My Host will need some time to rest. Can you find him somewhere safe and take him to such? Being his sister, this should be a simple task”,

“Yeah, of course”,

Aliza picked up Arthur, placing him on her back, holding him by his legs. She then looked up at Guin. She said nothing, she was simply looking.

“Does something interesting you?”,

“Uh-- No sorry, I didn’t mean to stare. I just…”,

“If you have a question then speak it”,

Aliza became hesitant but she brushed that feeling aside.

“Are you the 13th Limboic?”,

Guinevere didn’t answer her question. Instead, she pointed to Cinzeira.

“I’m sure your friend already knows”,

“Huh?”,

Aliza looked back at Cinzeira who still sat where she was initially summoned. The A.I.’s eyes glowed a bright red as if it was carefully analysing Guin.

When Aliza turned back, Guin was gone.

It was the next day.

Arthur slowly opened his eyes to see a familiar looking black ceiling. He stared at it for a few seconds before turning over in his bed and sitting at the edge of it, facing the giant windows.

He was in his room. If one entered through the door, they would be met by dark colours. A black ceiling with a black carpet floor. 3 of the walls would be a dark grey while the wall with the bed against it, was painted red.

The bed would be on the right side, headboard against the wall. To the left would be a desk, spanning the entire wall, lined with 3 computer monitors, tools and what looked like a safe. In front of the monitors was a comfy looking black chair.

Near the door, was a small table with all kinds of things but mostly keys and such. While opposite, were the giant windowpanes, currently visible due to the drawn back black curtains. Arthur stared out of said panes. It was sunny outside, he could see his street, his car, people walking by and the like.

Nothing really interested him, he was just looking for looking’s sake. He took a deep breath and spoke.

“Guinevere”,

He said softly.

Guinevere suddenly materialised herself sitting on the chair in front of the monitors. She began spinning around in said chair as she conversed with Arthur.

“Finally awake”,

“How long was I out?”,

“Hmm… 18 hours, roughly”,

Arthur ran his hand through his hair before standing up. He looked down at his clothes and noticed they weren’t the same. As well as that, he appeared to be smelling different to before.

“Did someone shower me?”,

“Your sister”,

Arthur then relaxed himself, but his mind quickly remembered a certain subject.

“Belle… BELLE! Where--“,

“If you’re talking about the black and blue haired woman, she’s downstairs”,

Arthur was about to rush out of his room, but Guin suddenly appeared in front of the door, like she teleported.

“Please wait a minute, Arthur”,

“Huh? What?”,

He asked with a hurried tone.

“Before you decide to go and talk to people, there’s something I need to tell you”,

“What? What is it?”,

Guin sighed internally before a sort of troubled voice emerged from her mouth.

“You’ve been gone for a day”,

“Yeah, I passed out, so?”,

“No, that’s not what I mean”,

“What then?”,

“Your body… you were in Mother’s soul for a day”,

“Huh?”,

Arthur was visibly confused and unknowing how to process what she had told him.

“I’m sorry, what?”,

“720 years in total, not including some of the months and days”,

Arthur didn’t know what to do. I don’t think anyone would in that scenario.

“N-- No, no, no. That can’t be. I was there, maybe, half that time. If less”,

“Your mind couldn’t take the pressure anymore and you ended up in a deep sleep. If it wasn’t for— certain things happening—- you would have never woke”,

“So I was--“,

“Gone for 25 hours, around that at least”,

Arthur looked to the ground. He still had no idea what to think. But that didn’t matter right now, he quickly changed the subject, back to its original one, but again, Guin stopped him.

“Let me go see Belle”,

“Wait!”,

“Guinevere. Move”,

“YOU CAN’T SEE HER!”,

Guin shouted.

There was a small pause before Arthur asked.

“What’s going on? Why not?”,

“Arthur, there’s a reason I told you about your time in there. A lot can happen in 25 hours”,

“Guin—“,

“Arthur… trust me on this. Please don’t go see Belladonna”,

Immediately thinking the worse, Arthur threw Guin out of the way. Or he tried. When he took hold of her, he tried with all his might to move her, but she just wouldn’t budge.

“Guin… ACH~… Mooove~”,

“I’m sorry Master. This is for your own good”,

Arthur was visibly using all his might, but Guinevere simply acted casually and with sort of sympathy. Arthur took a step back while taking a breath.

“What happened!? Why can’t I see her!?”,

He asked, begging to know.

Guin then spoke to him the truth.

When he heard it, his eyes froze. His heart froze. His mind froze. Everything seemed to freeze as a sharp ringing sound began to come from his ears. Guin carried on speaking but Arthur just couldn’t hear it. He was still processing what she said.

He raised his hand and snapped his fingers. Guin disappeared. He then hurried down the stairs, to try and find Belle.

(It’s not true! IT’S NOT TRUE!!),

He screamed internally as he remembered Guin’s words.

“She doesn’t remember you… When an A.I. dies in your world, we regenerate by trading your memories or more accurately, the electrical energy they produce, for our life. Belladonna has forgotten you due to Cryocide’s fight against Águia. You… in her mind and heart… no longer exist”,

(IT’S NOT TRUE!!),

“Master, STOP!!”,

Guin shouted from inside his head, but he rightly ignored her. He rushed down the stairs, tripping over one of the last steps and tumbling to the ground.

Aliza, who was sat in the living room, immediately knew what was happening by the noise.

“Arthur! Don’t!”,

She shouted as she rushed to his side, coming out of the kitchen.

“MOVE!!”,

He screamed as she pushed her aside towards the entrance and rushed inside the living room.

When he reached the archway connecting the kitchen and the said living room, he noticed faces staring directly at him. While most were with sympathetic or worried looks, one was with confusion.

(Hikaru? Headmaster Orlands? Even Belle’s parents are here!?),

Arthur thought to himself as he stared at the face of each and every person.

However, the staring from the visitors, quickly turned to shocked ones as Arthur got smacked at the back of the head, and he quickly fell in pain.

Standing behind him, appearing from apparently nowhere, was his father, still with a raised hand after the slap he gave his son.

“Don’t push your sister. Apologise. Now”,

“Ouch- ouch- sorry Liz! Fuck me that hurt…”,

Arthur scratched his still aching head, before standing up quickly to look at Belle.

She sat on the black couch where, Arthur and Aliza, had done a small recap session just a couple of days ago.

She had a smile on her face, like she usually would when she was around him. To his eyes, Belle looked just like she usually would be. And yet… something wasn’t right.

“Bell—“,

SMACK!

Arthur fell again onto the floor, holding his head tightly. The strike was spot on, even in the same place as the last.

This time however, it wasn’t Alexander but Aliza, who slapped him in the back of the head.

“Push me again and you’ll be fox food!”,

She said as veins started to show up from her neck and arms.

“Sorry! Sorry! I said I was sorry!”,

As the laughs from the guests died down, the atmosphere in the room began to change.

However, it wasn’t in a way people were expecting.

Belle seemed to get up from the couch and approach the sitting, in pain, Arthur.

“Sup! You must be Aliza’s younger brother. I’m Belladonna, but just call me Belle!”,

“Yeah, yeah I kn—“,

It took a second, but Arthur processed through words carefully.

(No… please… Belle),

Internally, Arthur was begging, pleading with a whimper, that what Guin said wasn’t true.

Arthur looked up at Belle’s glowing ocean blue eyes.

They were glistening like always, more beautifully now than ever before actually.

“Hi… I’m Arthorius. You can just call me Arthur though”,

(What are you saying you fool! SHE KNOWS WHO YOU ARE!),

“A pleasure, Arthur!”,

She replied helping him up, extending a hand.

(BELLE IT’S ME!),

“You know, you’re a lot more handsome than your sister let’s on”,

“Is that so?”,

(IDIOT! Just ask her if she knows you! You’ll see this is nothing but a prank!),

Aliza sat back, worried, and yet shocked. She was expecting her brother to be panicked and screaming at Belle, but instead, they were just having a normal conversation.

“I heard you’ve recently got your A.I., Arthur! Can I see?”,

“Yeah, I’ll show it to you later”,

(ARTHUR! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!!?),

“Say, Belle?”,

“Hmm?”,

“Have you ever met me before?”,

The faces from the visitors quickly turned, as if they didn’t want to experience the answer being given.

(YES! That’s it! She’ll know who you are! This is nothing but a joke, a prank! YOU REMEMBER ME, RIGHT? BELLE!?),

“Hmm… no. This is the first time. Although I did know Aliza had brothers so… and it seems your close with Hikaru over there. I’m actually surprised though, considering how much he talked about you, I’m shocked we haven’t met sooner”,

“Ah… I see”,

Arthur looked to the ground.

(Belle would never lie… she would never… what is…),

Arthur then picked himself up, raising his head and placing a smile on his face. Although it was clear, to Hikaru especially. Arthur was dying inside.

“It’s nice to see you all, but if you’ll excuse me, I have some business I need to take care of”,

Arthur then walked to the entrance, grabbed his car keys and left.

Everyone else, simply watched. Shocked, surprised, and stunned at what just happened.

Aliza quickly ran after her brother but by the time she got outside, she saw her brother speeding away, burning rubber of the tyres and creating a burnout as he sped off.

The sun began to set on the day. The beautiful oranges began raining down on the city. The peace and quiet began to appear, but just as quick as it did, it dispersed. The cause? A sudden explosion and screaming.

“AAAAAGGGHHHHRRRRR!!!!!”,

*BOOOOM!!!*

“FUUUUUCK!!!”,

*CRASH!!!*

“WHY!!!???”,

*KA—BOOOOM!!!*

“WH—WHY M—MEEE!!????”,

*KKKRRRAAAACCCCCKKKK*

Arthur breathed hard as trees in front of him collapsed to the ground.

“Of all the people!!!”,

He sung his fist and powerfully impaled a tree trunk.

“WHY ME!?”,

He screamed as a small tear ran down his right eye and he swung his left fist into the tree, ripping the trunk to shreds and causing the tree to collapse.

If one could count, Arthur already did a major deforestation job, destroying a total of 32 fully grown oak trees, dating to 600 years of age on average.

“Master… perhaps it’s time for a rest. You’ve been at it for 8 hours n--“,

“SHUT UP GUIN!”,

He shouted as he destroyed another tree, punching it to pieces and watching it crumble like a game of Jenga.

He carried on for a few more hours.

The dark sky was now glistening with beautiful stars, millions and millions of light years away. Arthur laid on the grass below him, simply staring at the sky, trying to find the answers he’d probably never have.

It was then that a familiar voice called out to him.

“Hey Arthur”,

Recognising it, he immediately raised his head, looking behind him.

“Hikaru?”,

He spoke softly.

“Hey buddy”,

His friend approached him and sat next to him.

“Wh-- how did you find me?”,

“Haha~ pretty hard to miss a large area of forest missing from the air”,

“Yeah… that makes sense”,

The two sat in silence. For a while. For a long while. Before, finally, that silence was broken.

“Hikaru? Am I a bad guy?”,

“Hmm… I don’t think so”,

“Then… am I just unlucky?”,

“You’re royalty so… probably not”,

“Then tell me…”,

Arthur looked at him. Hikaru looked at his friend and his eyes widened slightly, taking notice of something rare for Arthur. His tears.

“What have I done to deserve this?”,

Hikaru grasped his friend, giving him the shoulder, he so much wanted, needed, and deserved at this moment.

“I don’t know…”,

“Why? Please, tell me! Someone tell me! Why was I the one she forgot!?”,

Arthur cried out, tightening his grip around Hikaru’s shirt as his face rested on his, now, wet shoulder.

Hikaru simply kept quiet, holding his friend.

“It could have been anyone! Her enemies, the people she hates, her favourite artist, her favourite movie star, the people she mocks, but… ME? It had to BE ME? Oh suuuure~ yeah, this is just the world being unfair. Unfair? UNFAIR? This is the world crushing! KILLING! OBLITERATING EVERYTHING A MAN LIVES FOR! The world could have picked a person she despised and instead it took from her the memory of the man who loves her most!! Why? Why of all the people her A.I. would choose, the world would choose, why did it have to be the person that cared, loved, enjoyed, treated like family, would do anything, for her!? Tell me Hikaru! Please… tell me…”,

Hikaru choked up a bit before placing his left arm around Arthur.

“I… don’t know…”,

He replied with a stutter to his voice.

Hikaru shared not the pain Arthur did, but he did feel the pain from seeing his friend in such a state.

“18 years… I’ve known her for 18 years… all that time… gone… and I can do nothing except FUCKING WATCH!”,

Arthur felt frustrated. He felt pain and misery. He felt fear and anger. Every single emotion one could have in such a state under such a scenario, he felt it.

Hikaru then thought of some words to console his friend with.

“And yet, you’ve protected her. You acted as her shield”,

“Huh?”,

Arthur stopped his balling, just for a second, as he tried his best to look through his tears to look at his friend.

Hikaru had a smile on his face when he said that.

“I think you’ve done her a favour she’ll never be able to repay. I think you’ve protected everything she loves. You love her, right? And you’ve just given your life to protect her”,

“W-- What are you talking about?”,

Arthur asked, wiping his tears from his eyes and his runny nose, sitting up straight.

“Can you imagine the pain one would feel if she forgot her own parents?”,

Arthur’s eyes widened in realisation.

“You’ve protected her from forgetting such people. Can you imagine the pain she would suffer if she forgot Aliza?”,

Hikaru was right. Arthur loved Belle to the end of the earth, but Aliza’s and Belle’s relationship was far stronger than his own.

“You protected not only Belle but also, Aliza. Imagine how Aliza would feel knowing the girl she’s closest with, would suddenly become a stranger. You protected Belle’s family. You protected her teacher and one of her best friends. You Arthur, the pain you have now, you can take pride in it. Take pride knowing you have saved that pain from reaching others”,

Arthur trembled at the thought. He didn’t even look at it that way. Hikaru was the one to say it.

“You’re right…”,

“Ain’t I? Maaan sometimes I’m just the best!”,

“Alright you can quit your boasting”,

Arthur said pushing him away and sharing a much needed laugh with his friend. They shared a happy quiet moment before somebody finally said something.

“So? What are you going to do now?”,

Arthur stood up.

“I think… I’ll let her be”,

“Are you sure that’s wise?”,

“She knows things about me— well she did— which I’d rather, she didn’t find out again. At least now, I think she can have a little less worry on her shoulders. Besides… 18 years is a lot of lost time”,

(I won’t have that time if…),

Hikaru stood up to join his friend.

“Will you be okay with that?”,

Arthur turned to him.

“No. But… I’ll live with it. A void in the heart is hard to fill”,

Hikaru smiled and placed a hand on Arthur’s shoulder.

“If the power of the mind, can conquer the heart. Then the power of the heart can conquer the soul, but never let your soul conquer the mind”,

Arthur stood quiet for a second before responding.

“What the fuck does that mean?”,

“Who knows?”,

They both burst into laughter, bringing the previous gloomy and dreadful day to a happy end.

Arthur returned home. It was late and the clocks almost ticked midnight. He wasn’t expecting anyone to be awake, and yet, when he reached outside his house, the kitchen lights were still on.

After checking his car was locked, he walked up the stairs outside to reach the entrance. As he opened the door, the two same cannons as before came in right on queue.

Before they even had time to point, Arthur moaned out.

“Just me Ivy”,

“Good to see you Master Arthorius”,

He walked to the kitchen as the door closed behind him and noticed his sister having a hot drink while chatting with their father.

When he made his presence known, the two of them looked at him.

“Got it out of your system?”,

Aliza asked with a smile offering a cup.

“Yeah, most of it anyways. Hikaru came and had a chat”,

Arthur replied as he approached her and took the mug off her hands.

Arthur took a sip and then stared at his father.

“Welcome back dad”,

Alex smiled.

“Good to be back son. I’m… sorry about what happened”,

“Don’t worry. Life will go on. Nothing to stress about”,

“Good. Just like how I taught you. So, what are your plans now?”,

“We still have business to take care between you and I”,

“Indeed”,

“But…”,

Alexander raised his eyebrows slightly, waiting for his son’s words.

“You know what… I just can’t do it yet”,

“Ho~”,

Arthur looked deeply into Alexander’s eyes.

“Give me some time to get ready?”,

“Of course. After all, you won’t take the Seat until I die. And considering what just happened, I think you could use some time to yourself”,

“Thanks”,

Aliza was sat in the middle of the two with a confused look as if to say ‘let me in on this’. However, neither Arthur nor Alex informed her about it.

“You have an A.I. now. How does it feel?”,

Asked Aliza.

“Still getting used to her attitude, but she’s great. I couldn’t have asked for better, in both ability and usefulness”,

Arthur could almost feel Guinevere blushing inside his head.

“Have you met her?”,

“We have yes. After you passed out, she protected your body. Wouldn’t allow us near it, well, until father went away”,

Aliza said with a smile as she looks towards her father. Alex simply sighed.

“Oh, speaking of which. I got something to tell you dad”,

“Hmm? And what’s that?”,

“Our life has been a lie”,

Alexander had just taken a sip from his mug of coffee, but when he heard that, he spat it all out with a wide spray as shock and surprise emerged from him. He coughed a couple of times, before finally calming down.

“W-- What?”,

Before Arthur could speak, Guin appeared beside him. She emerged from the ground like black smoke rising from a non-existent fire. This caused Alexander and Aliza to widen their eyes in surprise.

“Master, a word?”,

She asked approaching closer to Arthur.

“Hmm? What is it?”,

Guinevere leaned in on his right ear.

“I recommend you do go spouting such information”,

She whispered.

“Why not?”,

He whispered back.

“Clearly your world doesn’t really know about how A.I.s work. Perhaps it would be best to keep it on a need-to-know basis, yes?”,

“Ahh, yeah. That makes sense”,

(Having information that my dad doesn’t know? Well, well, well),

Arthur turned back to the duo currently staring at Guin and himself,

“Well, I think I’ll get some shut eye”,

Before Arthur could leave, Alex spoke out.

“Oh, before I forget, Leónidas offers a Rose”,

Arthur raised a smile before carrying on. He made his way up the stairs and went into his room.

Guin stood downstairs, simply staring at Alexander. In response, Alex gave her a smirk with a devilish look in his eyes.

“What?”,

He asked as if he was ready to pick a fight.

“[STATIC]”,

Suddenly, Águia began laughing inside Alex’s mind.

“INDEED HE IS. JUST ANOTHER MORTAL YOU COULD SAY”,

Águia said back to Guin as she disappeared, turning to black smoke and disappearing into the floor.

“What she say?”,

Alex spoke to his own Spirit.

“JUST A SMALL JOKE”,

Alex stared at the spot where Guinevere previously stood, before looking at his daughter with suspicious eyes.

“Hey, Aliza?”,

“Yeah dad?”,

“What’s todays date?”.

As Arthur closed the door of his room, Guinevere showed up next to him. Arthur locked the door, before turning slightly to look at Guin.

“Since when can you come out without willingly?”,

Guin took a seat on Arthur’s bed.

“This isn’t the real me. It’s merely a projection, a creation to make people think I’m actually present”,

“Hmm… not bad. My dad should be quite suspicious of that right now”,

Arthur said as he approached the black chair in front of his monitors and took a seat.

He tapped a single key on the keyboard in front of him, and the screen lit up slightly. It was mostly still black, except there was a single white symbol in the centre of the screen, of his middle monitor.

The symbol looked akin to a rose yet to bloom, looking simplistic and made only from its general outline.

“Arthorius”,

He said aloud to apparently no one.

However, something had a reaction. On the screen, the rose appeared to sprout its beautiful petals, before the screen changed and Arthur became bombarded with information.

“Ivy?”,

“Yes, Master Arthorius?”,

The robotic voice replied, coming from two speakers in the ceiling corners of his room.

“Initiate Black Letter Protocol”,

“Affirmative”,

The voice replied.

Suddenly the room darkened. The small amount of light coming from outside, disappeared as the windows darkened. A small winding noise was heard from the door and the windows, and when it stopped, the room fell silent.

Guin simply looked around, curious as to what was happening or where that voice was even coming from.

Arthur stared at the monitor in front of him, as well as switching between the one on the left and right.

The screens remained black, but there was writing all over the place, in green and white.

He then moved the mouse cursor along the middle screen over to the right one and clicked on a name.

This caused a box with a white outline and black background to appear, taking up about half the entire screen.

And before long, some lettering began to show up, scrolling upwards from the bottom.

King Arthur is now Online King Leónidas is now Online

Those were the two message that popped.

Arthur then began to type.

King Arthur (0012) – Good Morning Leónidas.

He didn’t have to wait long before a reply appeared.

King Leónidas (0012) – Good Morning, Arthur. Has the Flower Blossomed? King Arthur (0012) – Quite beautifully. King Leónidas (0013) – Congratulations. Will you be opening Letters? King Arthur (0013) – Indeed. However, I’ll leave the judgement to you. Please pick appropriately. King Leónidas (0013) – As you wish.

A short pause followed. Arthur simply relaxed back on his chair, but suddenly felt a presence next to him.

“What’s this?”,

Asked Guinevere.

“A computer”,

Arthur replied.

“What does it do?”,

“A number of things”,

“Hmm…”,

Guinevere sounded interested in the subject, however, Arthur had a few questions of his own he wanted answers to.

“Guin?”,

“Yeah?”,

“How come you’re not surprised about any of this?”,

“What do you mean?”,

“This. The computer, Ivy, the state the world it’s in, the technology. You know, all that kind of stuff”,

“Well, I’ve been living in your version of Mother’s Soul. I’ve seen all of this be created inside it, it just… never seemed to work. Any of it. For example, that computer there. I’ve seen something similar, but it appeared destroyed”,

Arthur thought for a bit. It did make sense. When he went into the Soul, everything was easily recognisable as to what it was.

(So that’s why she’s not ecstatic about this. She’s seen everything, just not in working condition. Hmm…),

“What are you doing exactly?”,

Guin asked, makings Arthur’s mind jump back into reality.

“Awaiting my next contract”,

He responded.

“Contract?”,

“You’ll understand soon enough”,

A message popped, putting an end to their conversation for a while.

King Leónidas (0017) – I have 7 available Letters. If you were to tell me what kind of Flower you have obtained, I could choose more wisely. King Arthur (0017) – A Flower to help Growth of Flowers. King Leónidas (0017) – I understand. In that case, please have a look at these 3. King Leónidas (0017) – httpsl://blackletterprogramme.ww/contract-002361 King Leónidas (0017) – httpsl://blackletterprogramme.ww/contract-063099 King Leónidas (0017) – httpsl://blackletterprogramme.ww/contract-021777

Arthur then spoke aloud.

“Ivy, please pull up the 3 attached files and recite them”,

“Affirmative”,

Suddenly the three screens in front of Arthur changed completely. Whereas before, it was a black background with white and green writing, now it was a white background with black writing.

The three of them looked very similar in nature, but the files were actually very different.

“Contract 002361. Assassination Contract”,

Arthur looked to the left screen. The first thing that he looked at was the picture of a person at the very top left. A white female with hazel hair and blue eyes.

“Target, Fionna Del-Fey. Employer, Britannian Government”,

Ivy kept reading out some details.

“Cause for Contract, Terrorism. Details, Leader of a Terrorist group, Fionna has killed over 23 Britannian Government Officials. Britannia has so far not found any details as to the whereabouts of Fionna, however, they are certain she’s in country”,

“Details of Life?”,

Asked Arthur as he raised a hand up to his chin.

“Attended school until Year 10, where she moved to America after the passing of her parents. Fionna fell into the movement of the American Freedom Fighters, quickly gaining rank within the group. Taking the cause into Britannia, she amassed a great deal of followers, all willing to die for her. The message her group is devoted for is ‘Freedom for All’”,

“She calls it ‘freedom’ yet she takes lives away. Ivy, Second Contract”,

Arthur looked to the screen in the middle.

“Contract 063099. Search and Recover Contract”,

Arthur looked at the picture also at the top left of the screen. This time, it was of a young boy. He had darkish green hair along with a dark grey colour in his eyes. Arthur though, paid very close attention to him.

(Hmm? He seems familiar…),

“Target, Adrian Harlow. Employer, Dr. Stone Harlow”,

“Stone Harlow? THE Stone Harlow!?”,

“Yes. Cause for Contract, Kidnapping, Abduction, Held for Ransom. Details, Adrian Harlow went missing 6 weeks ago. While a Lost Persons Report was filed, no clues were ever found. 3 weeks ago, a group calling themselves ‘Spirit Guides’ claimed to have the boy and are holding him for a ransom of 13.2 Million US Dollars”,

“Are there any Notes attached?”,

“Yes. Police intervention was withdrawn in case of accident. The group is consisted of 6 members, all armed and designated Extremely Dangerous. All information has been prevented from reaching the media”,

“Location?”,

“The group has been moving from country to country, finding ways to move the boy unnoticed, however, these last 10 days, they’ve been holding up in Georgia, under the protection of the Asianican Mafia”,

“Contracts created?”,

“6 Contracts were made. 2 were made to the Black Letter Programme. Remaining 4 are unknown”,

“Georgia, huh? Have my father or sister accepted this yet?”,

“No”,

Arthur took a minute to think but raised his head with a confident look.

“Have all details regarding it sent to me directly”,

“Affirmative”,

“Third Contract?”,

“Contract 021777. Collection and Deliverance Contract—“,

“Deny Contract”,

Arthur demanded as Ivy finished speaking.

“Contract Denied”,

The right screen suddenly turned black, removing the page altogether.

“If they need Mail men, get another Agency”,

Arthur said to himself.

The two Contracts remaining were left on their respective monitors. Arthur looked at them intensely before looking up to the ceiling, yawning.

“Ivy, Accept Contract 063099. Place Contract 002361 on Open Listing. Close Black Letter Protocol once finished”,

“Affirmative”,

Ivy went silent. The two contracts that were on the screen disappeared leaving behind only the chat box. Arthur then began typing.

King Arthur (0038) – Get me a plane to Georgia in two days. King Leónidas (0038) – Will you be needing accommodation? King Arthur (0038) – No, one day will do. Have Coffins 3, 6 and 8 delivered prior to my landing and send me the location of their whereabouts. Clear me a route as well. No cameras. Have a car on standby outside the airport, black with tinted windows. Place a laptop inside the glove compartment. King Leónidas (0039) – As you wish. Will that be all Arthur? King Arthur (0040) – Yes. I’ll contact again once the job is finished. King Leónidas (0040) – Good Luck. King Leónidas is now Offline

Arthur relaxed back on his chair before powering down his desktop by his feet. The windows at the same time went back to their transparent look, while the door made the same winding noise as before.

He then stood up, removed his clothes, throwing them to the side, and fell into his bed.

He laid stomach down, with his face buried in his pillow. Guinevere then appeared next to him, sitting at the edge of the bed.

“What’s all that about? Assassination? Search and Recover?... what are you?”,

“I guess I never told you huh…”,

His voice was being muffled slightly by the pillow cloth.

Arthur looked to his right, looking up slightly and staring Guin in the eyes. He thought about what she said before that this wasn’t the real her, merely a construction. He whispered her name, and the construction disappeared into the same black smoke as it appeared with.

Instead, it was replaced by the, very real, Guinevere. She sat in the same position, only now she had her eyes widened slightly due to him summoning her.

“Well? Are you going to tell me?”,

She asked with insistence.

Arthur turned fully to his right, raising his head slightly and propping it up with his left hand. He now faced Guin.

A smile appeared on his face as he responded to her previous question.

“I’m a Mercenary”.