Letter Bee

Digimon- [The Uncanny Frontier]

@RBYDark is trying to interest me in this RP; we talked on Discord. Are there any objections to me joining and is the RP still alive?

Digimon: The Parallel Visage

Is this game truly full, as per the Join Status?

If so, is there a waiting list?

Genshin Impact AU RP

<Snipped quote by Letter Bee>

Nothing a little editing magic cannot solve. XD

@Enkryption

Done.

Genshin Impact AU RP

@Letter Bee

That's something that Sho would need to answer, in terms of mechanically how it will function. I pinged you, on the off-chance that you might have thought of a balancing features (such as, they are hindering, but not debilitating a.k.a mild effects) and so you didn't just pop in, and think I was attacking you.

Sadly, we only have two characters to contrast and compare, after all, and it's fair that you get your say on the matter, as well.

@Enkryption

Thank you for that, then; it means a lot. But yeah, I was thinking hindering but not debilitating.

And thanks too; it also means a lot.

Genshin Impact AU RP

@Sho Minazuki

So, this just occurred to me. How exactly is John's [Kirin's Eyes] broken for allowing her ten second clairvoyance that causes immense sensory overload, if she uses it too long, when @Letter Bee has a gun that does unblockable Poison on hit and a gun that does unblockable Sleep on hit?

[Kirin's Eyes], pre-patch, were inherently balanced by the fact that John had to prescription glasses with the INTENT of dealing constant damage to her eyes in order to control her "blessing" of seeing into the future.

Ken just has to shoot a target to poison them and put them to sleep. There is a claim that, "Well, some enemies will be resistant, and some will be just immune," and that's all find and dandy. But, that goes both ways, since John's [Kirin's Eyes] saw into the immediate future, but an opponent that knows that would be able to create simultaneous multiple futures by just doing one thing, but envisioning themself doing elsewise, and furthermore, she needs to be able to SEE the target, they need to be ALIVE, and generating a BIOELECTRIC FIELD as she's reading their brainwaves, more or less.

Robots. Undead. Elementals. A rainy day. A foggy day. A sudden crowd. A bunch of clones. A bag over her head.

[Kirin's Eyes] has so many countermeasures, whereas Poison Gun and Sleep Gun need to be Resisted, which means, eventually, they will take, or Immunized against, for anything to not be trivialized by these weapons, as just basic enchantments.

@Enkryption

Can I change it so that the Poison and Sleep effects are mild, or are mild effects not existent in Genshin (still trying to find time to get past the beginning stages)?

Genshin Impact AU RP

Probably just my fault for not making an example character, which I will probably do, and make it for an NPC we will meet in Al-Marabar. Anyway...

@Letter Bee
Probably best you just read what I just said about fighting style. Yours is pretty easy at least, it's kind of everything in a regular cowboy's skillset short of lassos and rifles. Everything else seems fine so far.

@Sho Minazuki

Edited.

Genshin Impact AU RP

Fastest Gun in Uvera

Overconfident Brat

Name: Ken Cooper.
Age: 16
Gender:
Race: Human.

Appearance: Unlike the picture he uses, Ken prefers to wear a tough leather vest over his cotton shirt, as well as a dark green long coat made of some reptile's skin and a set of tough brown jeans and darker brown combat boots, as well as a fedora hat, a belt, and a bandana for style and as an improvised mask.

Personality: Ken does not know the meaning of 'True Companions', but he does know the meaning of family. Knowing what it was like to be an outcast, the boy sympathizes with marginalized members of the societies he finds himself in, even as he keeps a hand on one of his guns in case of betrayal. Traumatized by his parents' deaths and his bloody vengeance for them, Ken is paranoid about being caught and shot but paradoxically yields easily to shows of kindness and sympathy towards him.

Backstory: Ken was born in the United Republic of Walton to an Averton settler and his Uveran wife; an odd pairing that was scorned in some places. They lived in a remote homestead in between an Avertonian/Waltonian town and an Uveran tribal village, trading with both whenever needed, and Ken learned both the scorn of folk and the knowledge of both peoples... As well as how to shoot a gun whenever hooligans, rogue tribals, and the occasional monster threatened. Nevertheless, Ken's first love was his books, books from Walton's capital, surrounding towns and traders, and even a few from Averton.

As he grew older, Ken and his family began to receive more hatred from the settlers streaming into Walton, and distrust from the Uveran natives. Several livestock were killed for trespassing into native lands, and tribal fruit trees were cut down in response, the incidents kept on piling up, and Ken's father knew that it was only a matter of time before both sides crossed the line to open murder. So they fled with all they can carry on a wagon; food, drink, tools, medicine, and a few books. Their plan was to set up a new home deeper in the jungles, living closer to the Uveran way of life. And so they did; a house was built of living trees, roofed together with tough leaves. All books and guns were kept in a hollow in the walls, kept dry by sawdust.

This idyllic new life lasted for two years, and Ken learned to forage and survive even better than before, going far afield in search of berries and water or just plant fibers to weave into cloth. It was one such foraging trip that saved his life when his parents' house was found by a gang of Waltonian settlers looking for a Cryptid, but perfectly willing to kill 'savages', and the boy arrived to see his homestead on fire and his parents dying; his mother clung on to life long enough to tell him what had happened.

And when he wept, Ken swore not just revenge, but also to find a way to bring peace between Waltonians and Uverans. And at the moment of his oath, a Vision Crystal descended from the skies in front of him: He had been favored by them.

Ken took the Vision Crystal and it glowed with the power of the Dendro element, able to reshape the world's plants to his command. After burying his parents, he took their guns, his father's jacket, and hat, and wandered off to become a mercenary; somewhere in-between an adventurer and an outlaw but closer to the former. He eventually found and murdered the gang which had killed his parents, earning the name of 'The Six-Shot Kid' for murdering them all with six accurate shots (and a Dendro grenade) and also a bounty in several Waltonian towns; he had already turned fifteen then.

And so wandering out of the Walton/Uveran region of the world, Ken became a wandering adventurer, living with the hope that he'd one day find a way to bring peace to his people...

Independents:

Professional - Ken is a Mercenary who lives by his wits and guns, so he can technically apply his advantage to an action that needs the application of physical force, and which also earns money. He can also persuade people that he knows how to shoot straight.

COMBAT

Element: Dendro.
Main Weapon Type: Two six-shooter revolvers.
Secondary Weapon Type: Grenades, Knives, Clubs.

WEAPON

Name: Sean's Vengeance.
Description: Ken's father's six-shooter, this gun has been enhanced with the Dendro element to inflict poisoned wounds in addition to normal bullet damage.
Weapon Enhancements:

Snakebite - Every shot that hits inflicts hindering but not delibitating poison damage.

WEAPON

Name: Mary's Kiss.
Description: Ken's mother's own six-shooter, this gun has been enhanced with the Dendro element so that bullets shot by it have a tranquilizing effect that causes the target to be drowsy...
Weapon Enhancements:

Sleep - Inflicts hindering but not delibitating drowsiness with every wound or even graze.

Fighting Style: Gunslinging Pistoleer - Dual-wielding pistols and hitting multiple targets accurately.

Affinity: (All of them start at 1. Excluding the 1 in each, you have 3 points to spend on them all)
Strength - 1
Skill - 3
Endurance - 1
Elemental Mastery - 2
Elemental Stamina - 1

Elemental Style: Elemental Manipulation and Alteration; Ken can control plants and alter their properties.

Techniques:

Healing Spores - Ken can transform any bit of nearby plant matter into spores that latch onto wounds and slowly regenerate the damage done, allowing him much-needed staying power in a fight.

Exploding Plant Matter - Ken can throw a fruit, a tuber, or a root at a foe and make it explode; this does not usually do lasting or fatal damage, but is a handy distraction; can be used in conjunction with Healing Spores.

Tranquilize - Ken can liquefy bits of plant matter into a sleeping aerosol that causes those who breathe it to grow even drowsier and sleepier; works well with Exploding Plant Matter.

Mechwarrior: Disposable Heroes

Andrew Rivers

South Nui Awa - Unknown FPA HQ

50 push-ups, 50 sit-ups, and a set of radio calisthenics after that, Andrew Rivers thought as he spent the long days after the harrowing escape from Yuzhny Portveyn exercising, preparing his body and mind for an uncertain future. We're not dead yet. We have hope. The outcome is still in the balance.

His jacket was draped over a chair; he took it with him even in his rare showers because it was proof he was a Green Knight, his link to his family. He had no doubt his father will be coming for him, that at the end of the day, Raven Rivers would find him, and they would all be one big happy family again - This was the hope that sustained him in these dark days. Hope, faith, love; Andrew had never been religious, but he appreciated those themes better now.

Not that he was a convert to anything; true, most of the books he had access to as a 'Guest' of the FPA were religious or devotional in nature, but Andrew took only bits and pieces of consolation from them. Instead, as he kept training, sharpening his body and mind, making the most of his stay in his room, consuming every bit of food and drink provided him, and occasionally trying to talk his 'minders' to give him the news, Andrew learned to wait.

Of the little family, it was his mother who was patient; his father can pretend to be such, but they all knew better. Andrew thought about what his mother must be suffering right now, how the entire civilian contingent of the Knights must be doing in Fort Tie Shan, and this time, he contained his resentments.

As he brushed the sweat from his forehead with a dirty rag, Andrew threw himself into another set of sit-ups on the floor of the room he had been locked in, no longer pretending he was above anger, above grief, above hatred. He just learned a lesson his father hadn't done so, as far as he knew: You can feel hatred, anger, and resentment, but you don't have to let it out. Hold it in, but do not hold it back; feel but keep it private.

He was not going to explode, to grow psychotic, his anger will burn and smolder, but it will be channeled, metered out as needs must. This was what he promised himself, all alone in this dirty room, a 'Guest' of the Free People's Army, one who was trying to gain their trust but was now conscious that anything can happen to set that quest back. Anything.

My life is no longer in my own hands. I don't have control of my fate. But that is not forever; I can wait now. Dad will come for me, and so will the Colonel. Another 50 sit-ups will do for the next hour, then I can rest, relax, meditate, and pray(?). Then I start again unless my minders offer me another plate of rice and a few bits of fish.

He checked his jacket to see if the FPA had allowed him to keep a few of the more 'innocent' items, such as a portable game console, a toy, or even candy. If they had, he can use that as a bribe to get some decent milk or even calcium supplements. If they hadn't, he'd offer to do manual labor for them in their base in exchange for those; carefully watched, of course, even though it'd be absurd for him to attempt to escape...

Royal Rumble: Rumble over the Heavens

Collab between @Dezuel and @Letter Bee.

Part One

It was with a big sigh that Al lamented that his favorite hotdog stand had closed for the day. He had been met with such fortune this day, so that now it would do a sharp turn and provide him with such poor luck was surely to be expected.

Perhaps it were the very gods themselves interfering after having seen him cruise through his biggest problems in life, just like that.

He just had to do the best of what he had, after all there were still plenty of food places nearby. But before he could make his way there he bumped into someone.

"Ow! Oh sorry, I-I didn't see where I was walking." He quickly stated in an appologetic tone before he even could see who it had been he had unwittingly bumped into.

Ken Illustrious Ikari was walking back home after he had finished his lessons in Saint Laurel's, and he found himself bumped onto by another kid, one who looked somewhat younger than him. Getting up, he offered a hand and said, "You okay? Sorry for bumping onto you!"

He saw no ill-intent from the boy, although he wasn't so unwary that he would completely let his guard down.

Al quickly got up to his feet without taking the offered hand and gave a series of quick bows. "Sorry, sorry, sorry! It was my fault! I was just discouraged by the untimely shutdown of my favorite vendor here. Talk about poor luck right? Heh...eheh? You are here to buy food aswell?" Al scratched the side of his cheek in an awkward manner, while his eyes wandered over Ken.

"I'm.. I'm Al, well the short name for my actual name is. But it totally works right? Ahah.. ehh... So great weather today huh?" He could feel the sweatdrops building up at his neck, he really wasn't good with talking with people when it wasn't at those underground events. But at least he had to try, after all... Lambda had called him cool. It was definitely cool to say cool stuff so he had to give it a shot.

"Oh you are attending to one of the schools? I mean ofcourse you are. Only poor people and uh... bad people skip out on school. Ahah... ehh..." He said in a nearly panicked manner, he had gotten reminded about himself not attending to any school. But soon that would surely change, he had to find out how to join Mephisto's school of the wickedly cool.

"Sweets? Well... it's not a bad thing. But you can't eat as much tasty food if you eat too much of it. But hey eating is a lifestyle... I think? But if you are looking for sweets there's a shop not too far away from here. But you need to go past this super creepy old building. I think it might be haunted. It gives me the chills every time I pass by it. Brrr..." Al's tone of voice changed through the various words he spoke, adding a dramatic and eerie sounding tone when he spoke about the building. Like a kid telling younger kids about ghost stories. Even if in this case the person in front of him was clearly older and taller than him.

"I am definitely okay! This has been a great day overall. This little setback isn't going to ruin the good stuff this day will bring. Uhm. So uh... what school are you part of? Mephisto's? Claws..Claur... witts?" It didn't cross his mind for a moment that he was hurling questions like a rapid fire catapult, but if one wanted to learn things, asking was usually the best way.

"Saint Laurel's," Ken said. "My name is Ken and I attend there; my parents worked hard to lift themselves out of poverty and get me to a good school and I am greatful to them. Despite being well-off now, I still clear out haunted buildings from time to time because it makes me money, so can you tell me more about the haunted building, if you want?"

He blinked as he observed Alrune closer, tempted to pat the smaller kid's hair. The other boy gave off 'little brother vibes', not that he ever had a little brother. Then Ken added, "I can tell you a story if you want; the story of the tragic figure called 'Doctor Nightman'..."

"Another Saint Laurel's? I met another one earlier by the name of Lambda, is he an aqqu- aqqaui- a friend of yours? Pleased to meet you Ken! Oh so you are from a hardworking family too. My parents are hard working people too, they are however not here with me, but is in my homeland. El-Undura. I came to Rhea to work and make a living so I could help them and my siblings. I am a singer and writer of songs. But whoa I never expected to meet a ghost-hunter. This must be fate! We could go an explore that creepy old building, with a ghost hunter like yourself there would be little to worry about right?" Al beamed up the more he thought about it, and then began to blink his eyes quickly when Ken wished to know more about the building. He wasn't sure of how much he would be able to tell, the building looked like a several stories high warehouse.

But who were this doctor that Ken spoke of. Nightman. It sounded like a creep, a tragic creep? Al knew that if something sounded like a creep it probably were one.

"I... well yes, the building looks like a warehouse, an old tall one. The windows are high from the ground though, so you cannot look inside unless you find something to stand on or can fly. I never dared to look inside of it, it was giving me the chills." Al explained before he nodded his head quickly.

"So uhm.. who were this Doctor Nightman? I thought doctors were problemfree people? Oh tell me while we walk, I will show you to the building so you get the idea!" Al said and motioned for Ken to follow.

Ken mused, "Lambda is someone I vaguely heard of, so acquaintance. And cool, you're an El-Unduran and a singer! That's amazing!"

As he followed Lambda's lead, he clarified, "Note that I don't plan on going ghost-hunting right now, but eventually..."

And finally, Ken explained Dr. Nightman's story, saying, "There was a doctor who saw so much tragedy from seeing his patients hurt that he decided to take away thier pain forever by making them sleep and wiping away their problems. He had the unique ability to steal others' Gifts, and decided that taking other people's powers away made sure they cannot hurt others."

He sighed, feeling some buried guilt, and continued, "So that's why I, I and a few other friends, fought him. Then I found out my friends were... very flawed people, just like me, and one of them wasn't really interested in being friends..."

"Hehe. Well to be fair, my homeland falls short of Rhea in almost all regards. Still home is home I guess." Al nodded softly to Ken as he revealed his intentions of having no plan to hunting ghosts right now. As for the Nightman story he had, it did indeed sound like trouble. Some mind manipulations? That's for sure something a villain would do.

"So this doctor was some gift-thief? But wiping away people's problems... their memories? Isn't that the same of killing someone? We are shaped by our memories and it defines who we are no?" It took Alrune a few moments to gather his thoughts and turn them into words, he had to make sure not to misuse any word so that he couldn't be misunderstood.

"Well, no person is perfect right? But you shouldn't beat yourself or others up about having a weakness. There's surely not a single person alive who has never made an error! I don't really have any friends to speak of here in Rhea, I guess it's my own fault as I have been so busy with making songs and trying to survive. I just happen to know that friends make up for the weaknesses you have, and uhm.. the other way around." Al explained, he sounded more grown up for just a few moments before it came off as a student speaking his teacher's words.

The boy looked abit playful for a moment and decided to make a pouty sort of facial expression. "But I never suspected a ghost-hunter being scared of ghosts!" He laughed in a teasing manner.

"Maybe I should explore the creepy ol' building on my own? I may be a few heads shorter, but I am not scared. Definitely not scared." Al adamantly stated, yet he knew fully well that he was scared about doing just that. Hopefully Ken would accompany him so they could scout out that creepy place.

Part Two

Ken sighed and said, "All right, I'll come with you. I'd invite you to see my parents but if you want to go ghost hunting... I'm keeping you safe."

And with that, he'd walk beside Alrune, already having a bad feeling about what could happen in such an ominous building. And his feelings were rarely wrong.

He would have preferred to talk more with the other kid and maybe even introduce him to his parents, but those plans would have to wait.

"It's not that I don't want to meet your parents, it's just... wouldn't it be totally cool to tell them about how we solved some mystery or put some ghost to peace? Many of the songs written by musicians are about bravery and doing hero things." Alrune said in an upbeat tone, clenching his hands into fists and raising them in a cheering manner.

As the two began to wander, they eventually reached their destination. The large ominous warehouse-looking building.

"This place really give me the creeps... oh look over there. That dumpster over there could give us a view into one of the windows. Let's go check it out! Uhm.. you be r-right behind me right?" Nervousness momentarily got the better of him, just what would happen if he saw some terrible ghost? He would likely be unable to sleep for ages.

But why did this place cause him so much distress, but at the same time... being so alluring? He wasn't -that- brave or danger-seeking. Was it curiousity? Surely there were bigger mysteries in the world for him to delve into. So why this place?

Every fiber in his body was telling him to turn back, but his mind and heart beckoned him forwards. As such the boy jumped on top of the large metallic lid of the dumpster and peeked into the window, after having rubbed the window with his arm to get a glimse of what was inside.

"I can see inside! But it's too dark... Huh?" Al tugged at the window frame and it loosened. The window had not been secured. It was open. As such Al slid the window frame upwards, the surprise on his face as he realized this was one of both intrigue and fear. But he had to put on a brave face.

Looking back to Ken, Al gave a broad grin and a thumbs-up motion with his one hand. "Let's face destiny allright? Y-you c-coming?" Al said in a stuttering manner as if doubt momentarily took hold. What if Ken was a coward and would abandon him to being attacked by some creepy ghosts?

The inside of the warehouse seemed to be filled with large shelves with crates, large old statues, machinery and glass tubes and containers. At least that was what he could see from the window. It almost looked like a storage for a museum with old blankets covering some things. It made Al shiver, as it reminded him of ghosts. Was it his curiousity or his folly that made him jump inside, he didn't know.

The warehouse was dark, enough to see the various things about but dark enough to make it seem creepy. "Ken?" Al said in a hushed manner towards the window, waiting for Ken to follow.

Ken climbed up through the window, making sure to follow Alrune and keep him in sight. His left ring finger glinted as Gimlé, his magic item, flashed faintly, but soon had its light suppressed as Ken thought better of alerting any ghosts to his usage of magic. He then continued, "If you have a Gift, I can strengthen it. If not, I'll defend the both of us."

He still had some Izumo Paper Talismans/Ofuda, despite their relative uselessness. But he speculated that ghosts might not be the main problem with this warehouse's insides - There could be something else.

"I can create electricity in my body and uhm.. make alot of noise. But I don't think it will work on ghosts, unless they really like songs..." Al explained, and the nodded quickly back to Ken. "It feels great to know the great ghost-hunter has my back in here... whoa look at these things." Al scurried over towards one of the opened crates which held various old looking items.

"Look at this old clock? This must be hundreds of years old at least. Oh... and I think this was a portrait of someone?" Al picked up an old photograph which had been encased into a frame, although the picture had been filled with grime and damage over the years. Who knew who it was depicting.

"Ohh!" He gasped before grabbing his own mouth to silence himself, before he began to pull out a wooden symbol from the crate. "Cool. This is a tribalistic icon from my homeland, but man does it look old." The boy blew some air at it, causing dust to fly from it. The boy coughed slightly as a reaction and waved his hand to clear away the dust.

"Right, we better watch out for g-ghosts. These items might be haunted..." Al quickly placed the symbol back, glancing over to Ken and then indicating a door that were ahead of them. "I wonder where that leads... this might be an old museum or something? Let's continue okay?" He was approaching the even more ominous looking wooden door with it's rounded handle, tip-toeing his way over towards it as if he was sneaking.

He tugged at the doorknob and the door began to open with a creaking noise. It led into a room which resembled an old lab? Were they in some old alchemist or botanist's workshop? Alot of glass containers were stuffed on the various shelves, the walls held various magical schematics and what seemed to be biological studies. The old parchment was partly molded.

"What is this.. place?" Al squinted at all the glass tubes and vials which were gathered about. One of them seemed to contain a hand. Which in turn made the boy take a step back in fear and surprise. He wanted to scream, but he couldn't find his own voice. He swallowed and indicated to Ken the hand ahead of him. His eyes began to wander over the other glass containers, and that's when he realized. Each one of them contained some form of fleshy creation inside of them.

Did he just see a pair of eyes in one of them? His eyes wandered over to a collection of larger glass containers which had some liquid in them aswell, much like the rest of them.

There were some kind of creatures in them. Embryos.

Was it because of curiousity or fear, but Al allowed his hand to grab unto a big piece of cloth covering the largest tube in the room. Fear struck him the moment the piece of cloth fell down, fearing what would be under it.

An empty large glass tube with various things attached to it. The tube itself was slightly taller than himself, maybe about as high as Ken were.

The young boy's trembling hands reached for his head as if trying to fathom what he was seeing. A deep prodding could be felt in his head, an uneasy and frightening feeling. A headache was beginning to form.

"My head... it hurts... there's something truly terrible about this place..." Al said through gritted teeth as he fell to his knees, his hands catching the floor as he fell down, his vision becoming blurred. Had some ghost seemingly attacked him with some psychic attack?

A sound could soon be heard of the other door to the room they had just entered, the door handle turned and the door began to open. "Hide!" Al said in a hushed but quick manner to Ken.

Al quickly found shelter under one of the tables which still had some cloth hanging over them. Footsteps could soon be heard as two individuals strode into the room. One was a large man with a big belly, sporting a well worn suit, the other man was tall and thin, and bore a long white labcoat. The tall man had slicked back green hair, he also wore a pair of rounded glasses.

Ken instinctively hid beside Alrune, suspecting that to get seperated, even a very small distance, could be dangerous for them both. This was an illegal laboratory they were in, and he had to make sure that he and the other boy survived to report what exactly was happening. Gripping the hilt of his sword, the Ame-no-Murakumo, Ken willed the wind and air to still, to refrain from carrying sound outside the bounds of the table.

A more complicated version of the Cone of Silence. He then whispered to Alrune, "This is worse thaan a haunted building. This is an illegal laboratory where unethical experiments are done. Stay still and do not make a sound; we're listening in to this conversation."

Part Three

Somehow. Ken had managed to do something about their predicament. But the young boy didn't quite understood what it were, even as the two of them had taken cover from whomever were approaching.

A sword. Ken carried a sword of some kind? Al couldn't help but momentarily become fixed on it. Was there some cool backstory to be had about this sword? A ghost-killing weapon maybe? Such questions would however have to wait as the boy quickly nodded back to Ken's suggestion that they were to be quiet and still. And listen.

"Just how long are you going to keep this place looking like this? Could use with abit of clean-up." A gruff sounding voice came from the man in the suit, aimed towards the man in the labcoat.

"This room shall be kept in it's current state, it is serving as a reminder of their greed. To think so many have the gall to pass judgement on me, while their very ancestors did all this for power. But what can one expect from monsters? If not to make more monsters. Going as far as infecting the entire world with their illness." The man in the labcoat went over towards one of the old tables and pulled forth some document folders.

"Monsters this or monsters that. As long as they make me some money I don't care that much. But in this particular case doctor, I beg you to care if you want your continued funding. I am not willing to pay you a great deal of my profit if he dies before I can get up the ratings and make a ton of money." The man in the suit grabbed one of the document folders and browsed through it quickly.

"This is all gibberish to me. Doesn't tell me shit. I just need to know how long he will last. I don't need to know every little detail that were part in this." The man with the suit moved his hand to pull back his hair abit, or what remained of his hair.

"You need to understand, this creature is several lifetimes old. He is very much unlike Rozenfeldt which we have created from scratch with the right kind of genetics for the best results. What these people did in this very room some two centuries ago was arrogance and folly at it's finest. This isn't science, the means to do this back in those times. This is demon influence. Magic if you prefer that label. These fools used demon magic in order to revive their dead, or at the very least create a second vessel. For what purpose? Who knows and who cares. Their ilk were, and still are obsessed with power and gaining some form of immortality." The doctor explained, his voice filled with resentment and disgust.

"So do you have the means to prolong his life? His continued living is important for my business." The thicker of the two men asked followed by a deep sigh.

"According to the initial sample I took from the creature, it's structure is identical to it's deceased predecessor, aside from the shortened telomeres. Meaning that once it were released from it's box. Much like any doll. It will quickly lose it's value and start to wither. Like food being conserved in a can. I would say judging from this sample, possibly a year or two before it ceases to function. Despite how it's creator sacrificed all it's siblings to further ensure the success of his or her project. Ultimately it were a failure and abandoned for ages. The authorities would not care to inspect every single building in the city, especially not when paid to look the other way. My work requires solitude from the prying eyes and ears of mindless fools. Those who are incapable to understand, or unwilling to understand what I am doing. So the short answer is no." The doctor opened one of the document folders, blowing some dust away from it.

"Ever considered using him for your plans?" The man in the suit asked as he lightened a cigar.

"What possible use would I have for such a short term investment that not only goes against my belief in life but also I have plenty of other projects to work on. Such as the Rhean Armanent Variable, It will only be a few years until we'll be able to mass produce them with regular pilots. Which would mean labrats like Rozenfeldt won't be needed no more. The cure is also coming along well, it's potency is proving quite immense. However it needs to distinguish between pure humans and the filth. Sadly it cannot be made airborne and we'll have to rely on administer the cure manually when the time comes." The doctor said in a satisfied manner, smiling as he adjusted his rounded glasses, as he read the old document.

Alrune recognized one of these voices, to him that voice bore a face of a friend. What in the world were these two men talking about. This building wasn't haunted by ghosts, it was some kind of lab. Rhean... armanent? Some kind of weapon facility and genetic manipulation place? Al's brain scrambled and ran various reasonings in his head to figure out what in the world this place were.

He couldn't help but feel anger build up inside of him, but it couldn't be from his lack of understanding, it was how they were speaking. Something about it didn't sit well with him at all. Were they trying to make some kind of virus aswell? He had so many questions, and unless he would get some answers, he sure as hell wouldn't be getting any good night's sleep. Al threw a glance towards Ken, it was a look of appology and guilt. He had pulled Ken into danger, this wasn't a ghost infested building at all. Al only hoped that Ken would forgive him for what he were to do next, what he had to do next.

The boy motioned for Ken to remain where he were, to stay hidden. Then Al rose up and made his presence known to the two men.

"What's going on here?!" Al said in a loud manner, causing the plump looking man, his manager to almost swallow his cigar. The man in the labcoat barely twitched but instead glanced over his shoulder, almost as if he was untouchable.

"What th- Kiddo?! Al what are you doing here? Did you you follow me?" His manager asked in a surprised and startled manner, sweat falling down his greasy forehead.

"Like a dog it found it's way home to it's master." The doctor turned around with his arms behind his back, looking down at the short boy before him.

"W-who are you?! What are you doing in this place?" Al asked in a demanding tone, he tried his best to not stutter or be nervous. He had to be strong now. Not to mention he didn't want them to realize Ken was present aswell. While the two of them might have been able to sneakily get away, Al knew he had to get his answers no matter what.

"So you haven't told it? As expected. I think even it deserves to know these things." The doctor said with a smirk, there was something unearthly and unsettling with how he looked at him. As if he was nothing more than a piece of trash. It made the boy feel hollow.

"Ehh...well... I was going to.. you see. I just was waiting for a better time. Ehh.. this is Doctor Plagerzes." The manager explained, motioning his hand towards the man in the labcoat.

"I'm Alrune. What exactly is it that you are doing here doctor and what is your relationship with my manager?" Al assumed a defensive stance, he was on edge but his mind was abit calmer. Still there was something very wrong in the air. The very room and the doctor was giving him the creeps. Those glasses. That unsettling smile. His voice.

"I work to save mankind, as for your manager he contributes in that very noble goal. The work you see in this room however is not mine." The doctor said in a cold matter of fact tone, throwing a few of the document folders towards Al, a few of them opening and landing on the floor near Ken. Old black and white pictures would fall out of it, depicting the very room they were in, many many years ago.

"This place is a shrine of evil, where your ilk devised a plan to make their hopes and dreams eternal. When their precious heroes fell around them, one in particular by the name of Shal-Akkun, an ally to the one known as Laurel. Was mortally wounded in a battle, these fools attempted to save him and restore him. Though ultimately failing in doing so. For when ones spirit leaves the body it is beyond the grasp of such demonic powers. Instead they defiled my trade, the art of science. Having the genetic code stored in blood and other samples from a far younger Shal-Akkun, taken when he first entered Rhea to check for diseases and whatever else. One such vial survived and through magic they were able to create life. At the cost of life and defiling life itself. The tubes you see around you are sacrifices for their greater hope. Which brings us to the finale of this little tale." The doctor reached over to turn on the lights in the room, an old grey photo on the wall would make Al's skin crawl. It depicted heroes of ages past, long since dead. All but one.

"I-it.. can't be.. this is?" Al's jaw fell as he only gasped, looking at the pictures before him and then his eyes wandered over the various glass tubes and the largest one which was empty.

"Ever considered that all your memories were not even your own? You are the result of the 'gifted's' hopes and dreams, the product of their hardship to hold unto useless hope, the second coming of this Shal-Akkun. But you are just that man's defective clone, a failure of the greatest proportions and a symbol of their endless greed. You are a creature with no real past and judging by the genetics no future neither. Ofcourse my associate here saw some uses for you, but now that the can- No. The tube has been opened, I see no use in playing these games any further." The doctor reached up one of his fingers up to press at the brim of his glasses, as the light of the room reflected in them, just momentarily giving view of the near-slit looking eyes of the man wearing them.

"I'm sorry, kiddo. I needed the money and instead of leaving you for dead I took you in. But it turned out quite good didn't it eh?" The manager nervously scratched his face and neck with one of this sausage like fingers.

"Were it up to me, I would simply have discarded you with the rest of the abominations. So you owe your manager everything. Even the very air you breathe right now. Your very existance is still a sin, how many of your 'siblings' do you think had to die for you to even come to be? Quite amazing really how these self-proclaimed heroes would do all this just to battle some 'Great Lynx' and some ancient evil. They say truth is bitter, so how does it taste, Shal-Akkun?" The doctor allowed himself a snickering laugh, turning his back to the boy who was at this point on his knees, his hands flat on the cold floor.

"I-I... I am..." Al's eyes were watery, his vision blurried. He felt weak. Weaker than he had ever been before. All the words which had reached him. He couldn't put a deaf ear to them, but they were poisonous... but even so. He knew deep within they were true. The grim and mean words the doctor spoke were true.

'Shal-Akkun?... Mother...father... my brothers and sisters? It was all a lie? My... life... is a lie?' The young boy couldn't make his mouth move to utter his thoughts, even letting the thoughts get loose in his head was making him fall into a dark pit.

"I may still have some uses for you. You could tell the world of the injustice done to you. It will serve my ambition quite well. If you refuse, your purpose in living will be even less. I can find others to do my bidding. I do not need to pick up every broken toy I happen to come across and try to restore it. Ofcourse I could potentially find a cure for your ailment, but you are just not worth it." The doctor said in a matter of fact tone, as if he had run the idea in his head before with a not too favorable result.

Part Four

Ken was listening to Dr. Plagrazes' words, already comprehending what this man said. And he knew what he had to do.

The technique he was going to use was dangerous, forbidden in all but the most dire of circumstances. This was the most dire of circumstances. It required a lot of concentration, and it was easier to use when without allies, faced with a villain more ominous and visceral than Dr. Nightman, and a threat to them all.

His more ruthless and murderous side taking over, he focused on the sound of Dr. Plagrazes' voice and with a surge of power, channeled through his sword, drew out the man's breath, sucking all the air from his throat and lungs, hopefully collapsing them.

It were with gasps that the doctor leaned over one of the desks that held many of the test tubes. Before Al or the manager could react to what was going on, the not so good doctor was coughing up blood and stumbling forwards, swiping down several glass containers on the floor. His other hand instinctively went for his pocket where he seemed to press on something. A small device perhaps. It was all happening so rapidly, Al had no idea what was going on? Had his power, his gift awakened something terrible in him? Had his anguish been unleashed on Doctor Plagerzes?

'W-what's going on..? What am I doing here..? Did I just-? I... I didn't mean to... I-' His brain was under much pressure, not only to process all the things which he had just been told. Terrible things. But now the doctor seemed to suffer from something.

With tears covering his cheeks the boy lifted his head to look in horror at what was going on, from his position on the floor on all fours. The doctor was coughing blood violently, gasping for air, air which wouldn't be able to get inside of him, his white labcoat had quickly been drenched in red.

Various vials with unknown liquids were crashing down against the floor, some released some powderlike substances aswell, like dust collected through centuries. Al's head momentarily turned to look to Ken, before snapping back on hearing the doctor fall over facefirst into the stone floor, the glasses falling off him and landing in front of Al. Within it's reflection he could see himself.

It was his power that had done this? He had struck down the doctor, without even having felt a thing. The terror crawled up his spine, and a scream of terror came from the manager who quickly began to run towards the door and out of the room. Then he heard his name. His true name.

"Ahh! A... MONSTER!" The manager's voice seemed to echo in the boy's head. The plump man who had been his friend, having taken care of him, having deceived him and used him. The boy didn't know what to feel but misery, how his world had shattered instantly into a million pieces.

His past was a lie, his name was a lie, his personality and the people around him. All lies. The words of the doctor, while they had been terrible and grim... had at least been true. He knew it. He could feel it in his heart, no matter how much he wanted to deny it, scream and reject the very possibility of it being true. He nontheless knew.

What future could he possibly have? His hands were now stained with the same blood as those who made him. It was a sin for him to even be alive. What right did he have to even breathe? Eat? Drink? The sacrifice of all these 'siblings' for him to even exist. How could he live with that?

The world had betrayed him. Turned him into a monster created in some lab.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Al let out an anguished scream at the top of his lungs, followed by his powers running amok. The remaining glass containers in the room would begin to explode from the shockwave of sound emitting from the boy, the music coming from his aura was quick and violent. Like a superspeeded up rock theme, from his body sparkles of electricity was lashing out violently. Al's both hands reached up to his head as if holding it would help suppressing the surge of anguish and pain. It did little to stop him, as the very room began to shake from the incoming shockwaves.

"I! I... am! I AM! HAAAAAAAAAAH!" The boy screamed out as a section of the ceiling began to crumble in, the pieces falling down would simply fall off the boy's aura as the vibrations themselves seemed to protect him. Then he took a leap upwards out through the hole. He needed to escape. He needed to run away. He needed to hide.

But where could he go? Where would he hide? What would he hide from?

'MONSTER!' He could hear in his head, over and over. He had killed the doctor. He was a murderer. A killer. A monster. His hands were drenched in blood. A monster without a purpose. Well if it were a monster they wanted, then perhaps it were a monster they would get!

Part Five

Ken walked out of the table he was under; having seen the entire scene. Dr. Plagrazes was hopefully dead, but Alrune now blamed himself, and it was his fault. He hated admitting it, but resorting to murder, even in the defense of millions of people, was not the best course. Even now, he knew that this side of him that was so quick to end a life had betrayed him. In the future, he needed to stop it, to stop killing people as a first solution as it was too much like his Uncle for his liking.

But right now, he had to follow Alrune. Right now, Gimle, his ring, lit up, shielding him from the falling masonry. Then, in a desperate maneuver, he used his sword once more, propelling himself to the air with a gust of wind, through the hole Alrune flew through, shouting, "ALRUNE, STOP! PLEASE! YOU DIDN'T KILL HIM, I DID! PLEASE HEAR ME, I WAS THE ONE WHO KILLED THAT PERSON! I'm the monster here, not you!"

The other boy can kill him all he wanted, he had that right. But Ken cannot let him live with guilt which didn't even belong to him! So he said, "Please!"

"ALL OF THIS IS BECAUSE OF ME! BECAUSE OF THIS POWER! THIS HORRIBLE POWER! STOP LYING TO ME KEN! EVERYTHING IS A LIE! EVERYTHING! DON'T YOU TRY TO DECEIVE ME ASWELL!" His emotions were running rampant, his state of mind and soul was a far cry away from the calmness he had felt earlier that day. His time in the library and his joy to finally have gotten money to help his family. His family that was a lie. That never existed. His joy had turned into anguish so quickly, and while Ken's words did reach his ears and would have been effective on making him feel less burdened. The words couldn't reach his heart. In this moment in time, it was as sealed as an ancient tome. It was now repelling anything from getting near, without Al even realizing it he had gone into a mode of self-preservation. Despite the revelation, he felt like he had to run. To somewhere. Anywhere but here.

"I AM A MURDERER! I KNOW WHAT I SAW! I KNOW WHAT I HEARD! I AM A... MONSTER! P-PLEASE KEEP AWAY KEN! I DON'T WANT TO HURT YOU ASWELL! THIS POWER... IT'S BECAUSE OF THIS TERRIBLE POWER." The boy had landed on the rooftop of the building, the electric current still swirling around him, the musical theme still playing but it was secondary to their voices now.

The wind was blowing in his purple hair as he stood there, looking at Ken, who had moments before been an ally. But now? Al wasn't so sure. The world seemed to have lied to him. What could he really believe in now?

While he waited for Ken's next words, the duo were interupted by an incoming flying vehicle of some kind, hovering slightly above them. Searchlights would easily find Al first as he stood there not even attempting to hide.

"Hold it right there! You are in a restricted area! Surrender and you will not be harmed!" A voice echoed over a pair of speakers as the sounds of propellers became louder.

"Why? Why is everyone? I need to get away... JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!" Al screamed out after some low muttering to himself, his hands reached for the guitar strapped on his back, before slamming it into the rooftop, sending a bolt of lightning straight towards the hovercraft which recoiled violently to the side and began to get slightly off-course.

"We are hit! Call in the ground units! A suspect is fleeing the scene!" The speakers of the hovercraft relayed with abit of static noise.

"No, I will not!" Ken shouted as he propelled himself towards Alrune, covering his body in the magical shield projected by Gimle. Was that hovercraft law enforcement? Hopefully it was not, because Ken did not want to explain everything to the police, including how he murdered Dr. Plagrazes... Unless that man had survived after all, as Ken had not stopped to make sure the man was dead. "You are not a monster, you are not just a copy, you are my friend!"

I will not lose you like I did Reverio and Chinami. I am not going to lose another person to cynicism and despair!

So Ken pursued, adrenaline and desperation making up for the fact that it was his first time flying. He will not allow another tragedy to happen on his watch. And if he cannot do it alone, he'd call for, "HELP! REVERIO, CHINAMI, ANYONE, PLEASE HELP!"

But it wasn't any of them who answered the echoing cry. Instead, a figure of red and orange did, a machine barely taller than two people standing on top of each other - Hajime Sakurazaki had found his liege.

It was hopeless. Al thought it might be able to outrun the flying vehicle, might be able to outrun Ken... but there was also now this other machine joining in.

Amidst all his swirling thoughts he realized that if he kept running, then Ken would possibly get captured aswell from following him. This wasn't only about how he had been used by these people, but his actions had drawn Ken into it aswell. The cool thing would be to surrender. Accepting his fate.

To let these people capture him, and thus leave Ken no choice but to run away. Who knows what plans they would use him for, but did it really matter at this point? All he knew had been lies.

"Ken! RUN! Before they take you too!" Al screamed out towards Ken, as the spotlights set on the boy again, the large flying vehicle's side lining up, a set of doors opening and a group of masked men with some kind of rifles were aiming towards him.

Then a series of darts were flying through the air towards him. These people wanted to capture him. Hopefully Ken would be able to get away. The boy resigned to his fate.

'A monster should be locked away where it cannot hurt anyone...' He thought as he closed his eyes, awaiting whatever grip that would find itself wrapping around his limbs and dragging him away.

He allowed himself a small smile where only his lips moved, but no voice came out.

"Thank you... Ken..."

Hajime Sakurazaki took one look at the scene before speeding to block the darts flying at Alrune with his four-meter tall Mech, and a voice, heavily modulated, came out of said mech's speakers, saying, "If the Rightful Emperor of Izumo wants you to be free, then we'll escape together. Said Emperor should get away too. Now come with me if you want to live - And atone for whatever you did."

Ken, meanwhile, nodded at the mysterious pilot's words, and then zoomed away, hoping to find someplace to resume his trip home to; he needed to make sure his parents were safe.

Al's eyes flashed open as there were no impact. No rubber ammunition. No taser. No tranquilizer darts. The oddly shaped machine had somehow placed itself inbetween the boy and the hovercraft.

Hearing the modulated voice coming out of the machine, Al felt instant doubt. A rightful emperor of Izumo? Wasn't that one of the neighbouring countries? Soon the pieces connected. The person this machine was speaking of was Ken.

Ken was the heir to that country? Izumo. Impossible. Why would someone like that waltz about in the streets and happen to come upon him?

His relief to not being hit by whatever the hovercraft personell had aimed at him, had quickly turned into a different kind of worry.

'This is insane!' Al grabbed his head with both of his hands, in such a short period of time, his world seems to have combusted into a pillar of fire. Ken who had accompanied him as a ghost hunter, was no ghost hunter at all. But the heir of a country? And this machine was serving him?

"Emperor of Izumo?! No!" Al quickly yelled out and took a defiant stance, his face still reddened by a mix of anger and from his tears. Even if the machine's words were true, there was no way he could go with them. Something about all this wasn't right. It couldn't be. He just needed to get some time to go through all of this by himself. Right?

"Unidentified armanent! Stand down and cease your obstruction of the Rhean civil defense force! Identify yourself, is this line of action in line with the wishes of the Emperor of Izumo?! Know that your interference and replies will be recorded and may be used against you in the Rhean court of law!" A female voice echoed over the hovercraft speakers, the tone was authorative and the group of armed men were now switching out their weaponry to potentially battle against a machine.

"You are obstructing the law and sheltering a suspect of trespassing into a restricted area! I repeat, you are obstructing law enforcement. Stand down and surrender." The female voice demanded over the speakers, as the spinning rotors of the hovercraft was awaiting the next move of the machine.

Hajime clarified, "Not the man currently holding the throne - That man is an usurper! I'm talking about the unrecognized but rightful, heir!"

By all rights, he would have, should have, blasted them with his Mech's Mana Blast. But alas, Rhea had been a good city to him and these people were just doing their jobs... If they were genuine Rhean Law Enforcement.

"If you are indeed agents of the Rhean Civil Defense Force, I would like to request authentication of your status - It's perfectly plausible that you might be impersonators. As for the person the True Emperor wants me to protect, I would prefer that you not shoot tranquilizer darts at him; that way, we can talk things over and get his side of the story. Or is due process a lie?"

Hajime then turned on his Mech's recording devices - An essential part of being able to communicate in it - then said to Alrune, "Now, what did you and the Rightful Emperor, the one who deserves to be in power instead of The Usurper, hear and go through which resulted in this entire scrap?"

"We do not recognize the authority of any would-be-claimant, the de facto ruler of Izumo is it's current head of state. As deemed by it's people and it's international treaties with Rhea. You are in violation of section 3:1 and section 4:3 of the Rhean law, trespassing and obstruction of the RCDF. Surrender your armanent and put your hands above your head! This is chief Kuronaka Arashi, of the RCDF, identification code 0305WS. Shinsei Hikari squadron, section PL4G3RZ35. Comply at once or we will respond with force! I repeat! Surrender!" The woman's voice echoed once more over the large speakers of the craft, as it hovered close-by, it's armored and armed men ready to open a second volley at any given moment.

Al felt as if it were hopeless, even if he ran, where would he go? To the manager who had lied to him? To his band? He would be known as a wanted fugitive. A murderer. There was no place where he could hide. Surely not even if he were to find the Mephisto school. He was doomed. He was always doomed. He just didn't know it until this day. The day of revelation. When the machine's voice beckoned to him to answer it what he and Ken had been doing he felt there was no use lying.

"W-we trespas-s-s-sed into a building! It was my idea! Ken is innocent! I... I... KILLED... a man! ! I did it! I-I surrender!" Al reached up his hands and arms, they were trembling much like his mouth. He felt so weak. His stomach felt like it was turning, his legs were unstable. Even his vision were growing worse. He was exhausted. Mentally and physically. Maybe if he fell asleep he would wake-up and everything would be like it were before? That all of this was nothing but a terrible dream.

(The ID offered by the woman is indeed a section working under the RCDF, a specific force selected to guard a collection of compounds located around in Rhea. Whereof Dr Plagerzes warehouse were one of those places. An ID check if possible would also reveal the woman over the speakers is a former citizen of Izumo. And if the records are true, a supporter of the current emperor and other unfavorable figures.)

Hajime sighed and said, "That ID is authenticated, Ms. Kuronaka. Very well, I will cease the obstruction of justice. But be warned; The Usurper will not be the de facto ruler of Izumo for much longer."

He hated leaving a friend of his liege behind into captivity, but as a Giftless, he knew when to pick and choose his battles like a good underdog. For a moment, the embers of an old grudge burned, then cooled down. He then saluted Alrune with his Mech's hand, then said, "We're friends too!"

Hajime Sakurazaki will find his liege once more, later. But for now, his mech zoomed away, looking for a cloud to hide himself behind, hoping that the Rhean Civil Defense Force would not pursue him... At least not immediately.

Part Six

It was a kind of relief which overwhelmed Al, happy that no one else needed to be hurt this day. It would all come to an end now with him being locked away no doubt.

The odd machine which had placed itself into harms way just like that had provided him with a salute and a strange saying.

'We're friends too!' Al thought about the line. What in the world did he mean? Did it mean he just now considered him a friend? Why would you be a friend with a murderer? Or had he meant Ken? There was no use pondering on that, and there was alot of other things to mentally process. But he was tired. Too tired to think about it all.

"Ignore the machine! We will run a database search for it later. Capture the suspect on foot." Kuronaka ordered her subordinates and pointed with her entire arm.

As the hovercraft sent down personell attached by wires to seize him, he could only wonder if he would see Ken and the mysterious machine again.

Before the boy knew it, he had been apprehended, handcuffed and put into a straightjacket. Then hauled up into the hovercraft, where he was put into one of the seats. Sitting ahead of him was a woman with pitchblack hair held up in a ponytail. She wore a dark set of armor, along with a pair of sunglasses. She also was wearing a headset.

"Don't worry boy, you have nothing to worry about, you are in safe hands." The woman said in a reassuring manner to Alrune, but her facial expression was saying otherwise. As she smirked and motioned for the personell to fly off. The woman soon after left her seat, as Al passed out from fatigue.

In the cockpit the woman began checking the voicechannels.

"I have received information that Dr Plagerzes is deceased. Awaiting confirmation. Respond Bravo team. Over." The woman said in an almost robotlike manner over the comms.

"Ma'am. We have confirmation of a body. It is the doctor. No signs of life. Alot of blood. Over." A male voice replied back soon after.

"That is regrettable. Photograph the scene of the crime and then proceed to extract the body. I hear these warehouses are highly flammable. Best work quickly. Over." The woman stated in a semi-amused manner.

"Understood ma'am. Over." The male voice replied, his voice betraying that he was highly amused.

Chief Kuronaka switched channel to one which was private only to her.

"Madam. We have confirmation of your husband's unfortunate demise, however we have captured someone who claims to have killed him. This boy is one of the cursed ones. He attempted to shoot our vehicle out of the sky, there were two more accomplices but they got away. We will leave a full report as soon as possible. Over." Kuronaka spoke in a smoother, if not even wary tone. As if her very existance were hanging in the air. Perhaps it were.

"Our work has taken a serious blow, however my work has gotten a boon. My husband's noble sacrifice shall be a catalyst for us to gain more support, this boy shall be made an example of. So that others will understand just how dangerous their existance truly is. However now that we have this boy in our hands, we might aswell put it to use. Bring him to me at once. Make certain he is secured. Burn warehouse nine to the ground. That is final. Over." It was a cold voice which greeted Kuronaka, one which didn't express much emotion towards the loss of their life partner. Yet at the same time, expressed more emotion towards a different kind of thing.

The woman at the other ends of the comms turned around in her chair, having taken a moment to take a deep inhale of her smoking stick. The purple lipstick which she wore on her smirking lips contrasted greatly with her blue-ish green hair which was neatly made into ponytail which hung down the front of her chest and all the way down to her waist. The white buisness suit which she wore were of outmost fine quality, a small broché was kept at the collar of it depicting a star with an eye within it.

'It's time to add another nail to your evergrowing coffin. You insufferable abominations. Soon you will all be extinct and the true mankind can bring a new era of progress. Just you wait my dear, I will use your killer like a puppet. Wipe away all that he is and then discard him like a piece of trash.' The woman mused in her own head, as she stood up from her leathery chair, her arms behind her back as she looked out of the tall skyscraper building overlooking Rhea.

'A murderer indeed. Let see how many more you may murder.' The woman began to chuckle to herself, before she began to burst out into a full laugh. As the scene from the tall tower began to fade away...

Ken - Collab Epilogue

Ken went back home late; his parents, Shinsei and Maki, were worried about him, and even more worried that he could possibly have gotten in trouble with the law; Nightman's murder was bad enough, although Ken wasn't at least directly involved with that.

But they trusted him enough to believe him, they trusted him enough to promise to hide his tracks and even begin some preliminary investigations into the conspiracy he claimed to have uncovered. However, they would not help Ken process the guilt and anxiety about having taken his first life. Nor would they help him with his other task, aka finding another murderer whose victim's ghost had possessed him.

He was on his own in those latter tasks.

Hajime - Collab Epilogue

Hajime was glad he could conceal his machine in a dimensional space and that Mephisto's was safe for now. He'll contact Ken later, now that he knew how to find the other boy. Right now, he had a conspiracy to investigate - The Nitta Clan would be happy to root out a loyal dog of The Usurper and investigate a conspiracy to destroy all Gifted.

A cause he had declared war against, despite all that he had to profit from it. For a brief moment, he felt guilt for having betrayed other Ungifted... But then he remembered Ken's impassioned pleas to Alrune, and knew that Gifted, Ungifted, all deserved life who had the capacity to love.

As he walked back into the Mephisto dorms, he knew this: He would have to depend on other people for the time being.

Noble Arms - The ASEAN War [Moved to New Thread]

Private Collab - Noel and Regil

Edit: This was before Noel's Age got Retconed to 18 from 16.

Hidden for Size

Hansel’s Bread and Breakfast, Municipality of Lingayen - 9/30/2022, 8:15 UTC+8

Hansel’s Bread and Breakfast was founded by two German expatriates who retired to the Philippines to enjoy the good life and fulfil their dreams of running a bed and breakfast. These dreams, though interrupted by war, were nevertheless not shattered as the small house of stone, wood, and thatch that they had converted into their establishment after gaining Filipino Citizenship had survived the battle thanks to Nil and her Anti-Aircraft Noble Arm. And so Noel had decided to invite Regil, his fellow child soldier, to that quaint place in order to eat, get to know him better, and yes, to see if the latter was boyfriend material.

Note that as the Philippines was an… old-fashioned country and so were the people in it, even the expats, that last part was best not spoken about.

But hey, the food was at least good! As he waited for Regil to arrive, making sure to text the location to him plus a picture as he did so, Noel ordered some bacon, eggs, and the typical Filipino staple, rice.

BGM: Satellite Cafe Terrace (Magical Astronomy)

Soon, Regil arrived at the place and looked around. As he saw Noel sitting alone at the table, he walked over there and made himself comfortable.

"Good evening, Lieutenant. I’m sorry if I’m showing up late, I don’t know Lingayen that well." He spoke.

“That’s all right,” Noel said, “I’m glad you came.”

He then handed him a menu, before saying, “I’m paying, by the way. Also, I recommend the Chorizo - It’s a type of sausage - with rice, plus some scrambled eggs and hot chocolate.”

Once Regil had decided what to order - It could be something else, for all he knew; this place did serve American and British Breakfasts - Noel prepared to ask, and finally spoke again, “So, tell me more about yourself? As far as your orders allow, of course - And no, I’m not ordering anything; I’m just genuinely curious.”

"I don’t exactly have any orders to follow. To be perfectly honest, I’m… not a regular soldier like Regina. I’m a common citizen who was called by her to help with something on her behalf." Regil answered.

He was still indecisive about what should he order. While the restaurant served British breakfast, he wasn’t actually interested in anything too heavy. In fact, he was actively searching for healthy food, like salads, and tea for beverages. Meat was something he didn’t eat in the morning, he never liked it much. In the meantime, he decided to fill Noel with other information.

As he spoke about the situation, Regil called one of the waitresses and asked for a simple English garden salad with chamomile tea. He then awaited Noel’s response in order to see what he would say about a civilian intruding into war.

There was no waitress; it was manned entirely by the old couple who owned the bed and breakfast; Hans and Greta. Greta, however, was the one who served Regil his salad and tea in record time, even as Noel sighed and said, “Thought as much; you have that look on your face that says you didn’t fully expect to be here.”

He sighed and said, “I’ll record you as a ‘Volunteer’, but we need to talk with your Government later on, all right? The United Kingdom takes a dim view of people volunteering for foreign conflicts, although the Ukraine War has lightened it up somewhat. Then again, Arms Masters offering themselves for various causes is something some politicians see as a threat to national security despite the circumstances. All I can say is, be wary.”

Do not reveal what you know, what Willard has told you. However, what you should let Regil know is that this is very irregular and that he might get in trouble despite the circumstances.

Then he sighed and said, “Just to make sure, you’re not from a Spartan Training Program, right? Those things don’t work often enough to be practical, but people keep turning to fringe cases to say that they can work… Even though the cost is too high to be justifiable to all but the most unhinged of people.”

There, Noel made a judgement, though not of Regil. Of course, this also meant that no, Noel was further away from asking Regil if he thought he was cute…

Regil understood every single risk that this whole ordeal would take him. That, and the questions Noel was asking him. There wasn’t much for him to do, other than sincerely answer his question.

"No, I’m not. I came here of my own volition, as well as by Regina’s request. I also understand the implications and, as I said before, am ready for the consequences." Regil answered.

He began to eat the salad, giving away that he was no soldier, but some refined and pampered noble. As he calmly ate away his food, he decided to go on another tangent with Noel before returning to the main topic

"Now that I think about it, I haven’t properly introduced myself. All of the conversations back at the beach were so quick because of the situation." Regil stopped eating for a moment before extending his hand to Noel. "My name is Regil Meitner. I’m Regina’s younger brother, and the Meitner family’s self-taught Noble Arm scholar… in-training. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lieutenant."

Noel shook Regil’s hand, delighting in how it was so soft and smooth while his own had some calluses, though much less than expected.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you too, Mr. Meitner. I must say, you take good care of your looks.”

There, a hint. Hopefully it was not too blatant.

"Oh, thank you. I'm not too good with self-care, but I do try to keep myself presentable." He thanked him and continued. "And you don't have to be so formal with me. Just call me Regil."

Regil felt Noel's friendliness and ease to approach. Though he still kept the formal tone, considering their positions, so he wouldn't step out of line.

*BGM fades*

... But as much as the meeting was quite friendly-paced, Regil decided to ask something related to the war.

"Lieutenant, I'm sorry to ask this right now, but… do you have any idea why China decided to wage war against the world?"

Noel nodded and said, “Antipathy, hatred, a refusal to accept second-place when it’s been the center of the world for millenia. A belief that its system is superior to others’ own. And finally… The influence of the Downward Descent corrupting the above-mentioned impulses, making them believe that it can overcome all opposition simply because it is China and willing to do ‘what it takes to win’ and the ‘hard decsions needed to make itself strong’.”

His eyes glinted with reflected light, his good mood gone now, “It’s a seductive logic for the prideful and the egotistic.”

BGM: Suspicion (Persona 5)

As Noel explained to him how things started with China, Regil somewhat got the idea behind their reasons, but still had questions.

"So the Downward Descent has been moving within China and spiraled it to start everything… not that they don’t have the volition to do this of their own accord. But still… even with the power of Noble Arms, don’t they think it’s sort of suicidal to wage war against the world. With other big potent countries like Russia and the United States, declaring such a thing is asking for their own destruction. Or am I wrong in my statement?" Regil asked.

Noel sighed - a gesture he regretted right away - and said, “Russia is on China’s side. It claims its own ‘special military operation’ in Ukraine is a ‘parallel movement’, but no one is deceived; they’re both planning to tear down the world order and replace it with themselves.”

"An alliance between countries to overthrow the world order… But this is…" Regil said and continued. "They’re helping each other right now, but the moment their plan carves out successfully, then it’s one against the other. And with their military force and their, well, expansive land, I’m sure Russia has nothing to lose while China’s being played around. I might be diverging and imagining things, but it’s what I can amount to right now."

To Regil, there was no benefit for China to ally itself with Russia, especially knowing the rather vast difference between each country’s military power. Sure, Russia may have lost wars in the past, but history is no longer the same as back then. And China has no way of standing any chance to defeat them if combat were to fall right at their lands.

"This feels such an illogical and risky move… they’re basically acting like some playthings to test grounds." Regil sighed.

Noel nodded and said as he sipped his coffee, “You might be onto something. Playthings to test grounds…”

Then he changed the subject, “So, umm, how do you keep your hair that way? Silver, I mean? Is it dyed, or is a Noble Arm power used?”

Okay, that was a sterotypically gay - well, bi - question.

BGM: Joy (Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3)

The serious mood got cut off by Noel’s sudden question.

"My hair…? Oh, it’s from my mother’s. Her hair’s silver, so both me and Regina were born with silver hair. Though I can’t tell if it’s the genetics of it’s because of her own Noble Arm." Regil answered.

Noel stepped up his game, or tried to, saying, “You know… Your sister is very pretty; girls would say that you are, too…”

"Do you think so? Well, I’ve never been courted by any girl friends that I know. And Regina wouldn’t actually care much, she doesn’t think about romance or marriage." Regil said, innocently.

“Hmm…” Noel’s voice lowered into a whisper, “I know this is a foolish thing to ask in a Majority-Catholic country, albeit more lenient than most, but what about boys?”

"None that I recall. I don’t think that I actually have been courted by someone in my life." Regil answered, not knowing the second intention behind the question.

Noel blinked and said, “You really don’t get what I’m saying, don’t you? All right, I’ll be up-front with it. I like you, enough to want to court you, but it’s hard to know if you’d let me or just be disgusted or be scared off by how up-front I am. Is that okay?”

*BGM stops*.

But he didn’t get a yes. Not even a no. Regil just simply tilted his head, in utter confusion. Not shock from the blunt way Noel decided to expose himself, no. He genuinely didn’t understand.

"Umm… I don’t actually follow. Hmm…" Regil closed his eyes. "Oh!" And then came to an answer.

BGM: Oh, I’m a Flamelet! (Secret of Mana 2/Trials of Mana)

"This is a test! I see it now… you’re testing me to see how I’d react to a really blunt assumption thrown at me! Aaaaaah, I almost failed it! Hahaha, I can’t believe this!"

This narrator would like to remember everyone that Regil Meitner is a sheltered, logical, bookworm kid that has never experienced romance in his life. Thus, to him, this was a way for Noel to actually test his reactions to the bluntness of war, considering he never stepped in the battlefield before, with the battle from some days ago being his first one.

"Don’t worry, Lieutenant! I may be a battle novice, but I’m ready to go and help everyone. Again, I’m sorry that I made you worry, but I shall not disappoint! I’ll get the hang of things and be an impressive ally!" He said, proud that he didn’t fail the test.

“I…” Noel was speechless, seeing someone so sheltered and naive in front of him. And so he just stopped eating and drinking and bowed down his head, hiding his eyes, although his glum frown was easily visible anyway. He was going to stop doing anything at all until Regil actually got what he was saying.

If the other boy wanted a test, he’s getting one!

"In any case, you are really direct about things. That’s something I like in people! Oh, but I’m hoping that you can chase the man you’re after! I know we just met each other a few days ago, but I’m rooting for your happiness." Regil said, cheering him up. Whether or not he was sort of giving him a chance for Noel to pursue him, it was up for the Lieutenant to decide.

"Oh, but to answer your question properly about boys and girls… hmm, I never thought about it. I guess I’d be fine with both…? I’ve never gone through the proper steps of romance, though I did read something or two about it. I think I have to study a little bit more to actually decide."

Noel blinked at that, lifted his head up, and said, “Hmm, maybe I can help study? I haven’t romanced anyone myself, but I do know that sometimes, holding hands is both an innocent form of physical contact yet enough to awaken… feelings. So why don’t we try that, and if you feel nothing, we can safely say you might not be into boys…”

The idea seemed wonderful… but bookworms aren’t satisfied with just one route. No, no, just that wasn’t enough for Regil at all.

"Just that? No, no, that’s way too few steps to conduct a proper experiment. I won’t reach an answer with just that! I have to build a study plan, some field practices, gather enough information with my peers, see what I can find on the internet… so much to do in order to discover this! Hehe, I’m getting excited just thinking about doing some intensive studying again!" He said, giddy. "I’ll have to properly plan that with my continued research about Noble Arms… and then there’s my business with my sister… I think I can put that here and there and make some space in my research agenda… I just have to put that down somewhere so that I won’t forget."

Noel might have been expecting something, but Regil deviated from some romantic experience to actual academic research about love, romance, and his preferences. It was like seeing a professor build an entire field trip and even some scientific analysis to find the answer to love… if this professor was just some naive and innocent kid from the United Kingdom.

Noel decided to up his game and said, “I already paid for the food up-front. If we leave now, find a ‘make-out spot’, and I kissed you full on the mouth, will that help you in your experiment?”

*BGM stops*

But before Regil could answer, the door rang as someone got in.

BGM: Hora theae (Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Portable)

”Oh-ho, there you two are!" A voice called from afar.

When Regil looked back, Willard was at the door, waving at them. Regil called him over to sit down with them.

"I didn’t know you were in the area, Mr. Willard." Regil asked.

”Ah, I was passing by and felt hungry so I decided to stop by. And coincidentally, I bumped into you two." Willard answered. Though not exactly truthful. It wasn’t a coincidence, but both he and Regina wondered where they were and why they were taking that long. So he sort of followed them.

"I see. In any case, we were talking about making a love study!" Regil said.

”A what now?" Willard asked.

"A study about love, romance and those things! I need to discover so much and I know so little, so Lieutenant Alonso has given me this idea!" Regil answered, happy.

”Uh… huh. Lieutenant Alonso proposed that…" Willard said, looking at Noel.

"Oh, I forgot that I finished my plate already and my tea! Give me a moment, I’ll be right back!"

Regil picked up his plate and cup and went to place them at the counter. Willard looked at Noel and gave him a smile… though that meant something else.

”Well then Lieutenant… why don’t you tell me what were you actually planning to do with Regil as part of your… ahem, “love study”, eh?" Willard asked.

“I have a crush on him,” Noel was blunt. “And he’s dense and thinks this is all a test or something. So I decided to play along until he finally gets it.”

”Mmhmm, I see, I see…" Willard spoke and continued. ”You’re jumping some steps right there, my guy. Like, really good steps, let me tell you."

“Oh,” was all Noel can say about that. “Yeah… I’m inexperienced too. What steps need to be taken?”

”Ah, to be young and innocent. How cute." Willard said, sounding like an old man. ”Well, first of all, you can’t be that blunt. You have to feel the terrain, to see if you really want to grow some crops. Planting seeds on ruined soil won’t get you any good results, will it?"

Willard laughed before he continued. ”What I mean to say is… you barely know him. You just developed a crush on him, like that’s enough to convince you that Regil’s the perfect man for you. You got lucky that he doesn’t know any better, otherwise he would’ve rejected you on the spot."

Noel’s eyes opened wide, and he said, “Oh. Oh no. I… I genuinely didn’t know. I feel like a fool now…”

”Bluntness can be translated to aggressiveness, that can be translated further to desperation, that can be translated even further to “anyone works for me”. But like I said, Regil’s so pure he didn’t get that at all.” Willard said. ”So you did start with your left foot, true. But there’s still plenty of time to make it work. Let’s see…"

As a casanova himself (though only in the line of work), Willard has experience with this. Especially with a first romance such as this one. He thought well about what Noel could do with Regil.

”Well, instead of just screaming out “I LOVE YOU SO MUCH, PLEASE DATE ME!!" to the poor boy, why don’t you start just as friends? Instead of leading him off with his idea, get yourself to know him better naturally. Work together, chat, and just be friendly with him. If you mislead him with this whole “study”, that’s going to bite you in the ass so hard that he might get offended, to be blunt with you.

Noel nodded and said to himself, “Be friends. Just be friends for now. No ‘love study’. Yeah, that works, but how do we pull out of this?”

Then he thanked Willard by saying, “You know, it was best that you intercepted me; it could have been Regina.”

”Be real glad, that woman would’ve seriously killed you right on the spot." Willard said. ”And about Regil, I’ll do you this favor. As your new “bro”, I suppose, haha!”

Just as he finished laughing, Regil returned to the table.

"Sorry I took so much time! Anyway, about the study, I have some ideas." Regil said, sitting down.

”Ah, but you see, we actually don’t have that much time on our hands to do that. War’s going to be very consuming and you will need to focus on that." Willard spoke.

"Aww, but I thought about we make a holding hands experiment with everyone else!" Regil said, a little frustrated.

”Regil, that’s not how that works, little guy. Love comes as a natural feeling, not some scientific result. You’ll feel it when you’ll feel it." Willard spoke, reassuring him.

"You don’t know until you try! Imagine if we could produce love that easily!" Regil answered.

”Hahaha! Oh Regil… that won’t happen. Believe me, people tried and it didn’t work.” Willard laughed and lied.

"Really? Fiddlesticks… and here I thought it would…" Regil pouted.

”Well now, why don’t we head back to the base? We still got some stuff to do there. Right, Lieutenant?” Willard asked Noel.

“Right!” Noel said, before saying to Regil, “So, had fun? I hope you at least managed to relax…”

"Oh! Yes, most certainly! This was a wonderful outing! Thank you very much!" Regil answered.

”I’m glad you two managed to take a break. Shall we go then?” Willard asked.

"You just arrived here! Don’t you want to eat something?” Regil asked him.

”I can just eat something on the way back. I’m not that hungry anyway, I’ll be fine.” Willard answered.

"If you say so. I’ll wait for you two outside!” Regil said, leaving the table.

He left them and went outside to wait for them. Taking the few seconds left before leaving, Willard talked to Noel once more.

”There, you’re saved. Now remember, don’t be desperate to get into Regil’s heart. Go slow, and then you can go steady, especially with such a cinnamon roll as our little guy is, alright?" Willard spoke.

Noel smiled and said, “Cinnamon Rolls… They’re awesome.”

And with that, he went to follow Regil.

@Letter Bee @MagusDream