Entertainment Sector

Secret Genaco Compound.

12:33 a.m. 2nd July, 1092.

"Hey! Slow down!" Taiga jokingly protested as Saeko excitedly dragged him through the amusement park. As fate would have it, the park was mostly empty, so the duo had the whole place to themselves.

Saeko, however, like an excited puppy, pulled Taiga to multiple attractions. Taiga jumped out of his skin multiple times in the haunted house. They stormed the arcade, and shut down the firing range, clearing the top prizes with ease. They toured the park's multiple attractions with unrestrained fervor, until Taiga nearly collapsed from exhaustion.

"H-Hold on!" Taiga heavily panted when they stepped out of the killer roller coaster ride, 'Cheating Death.' The young man brought his hand to his nose and then revealed a bitter smile when he saw a patch of blood.

Saeko noticed the blood. Her lips curled in a guilty smile. "I think that's enough for today. We should rest."

A couple of minutes later, Taiga sat on his bed, while Saeko carefully cleaned the blood around his nose. Saeko frowned as she inspected Taiga's room out of the corner of her eyes. The room was empty. There wasn't a single piece of furniture aside from the bed and Full-Dive. It looked like the room of someone who expected to leave at any moment.

"You're good at this." Taiga chuckled as he observed Saeko's cutely furrowed brows.

"Well, I had to." Saeko sighed. "Most kids who played with me ended up with broken noses or cuts." Revealing a wry smile, she added, "I was much stronger than my mates." She then looked at Taiga with an apologetic smile. "Sorry, it's been hard finding someone who could match with me. I got over-excited and carried away."

"Nah, it's fine." Taiga waved away her apology with a smile. "This is the most fun I've had in years." He wound his right arm as he lamented, "Guess my body isn't yet used to this much high-octane fun for this long."

Saeko placed the final cotton bud in a bowl, and then released Taiga, who had stopped bleeding. She then set the bowl on the floor, and looked into the young man's eyes. "So, I've been meaning to ask. Now, that you've had time to cool down and think." She bit her lips in hesitation, but then summoned up her courage and asked, "Are you certain you don't see me as a fre—mm!"

Taiga sealed Saeko's lips with a firm kiss.

Fireworks exploded in Saeko's mind. The young woman's eyes snapped wide in shock, and she instinctively jumped back. Or, well, she attempted to. Taiga clasped his arm around her waist before she could, and then pulled her close. Saeko half-heartedly squirmed a few times, before she then cursed, 'Fuck it!' and surrendered herself to Taiga's lips.

Taiga, however, suddenly pulled away at that moment. This resulted in a hilarious situation as Saeko puckered her lips to the air. "PUHA!" An unnatural sound rose from Taiga's stomach and then burst out through his mouth before he could control it.

"You!" Saeko's eyes reddened, and the young man's eyes watered with tears as she pounced on him and delivered a rain of punishing blows. Saeko's cheeks were blazing hot. Unable to contain her embarrassment, she took out her anger of the laughing asshole beneath her. How could he make fun of a maiden like this!?

Du!

Suddenly, Taiga grabbed Saeko's hands. His grin settled to a gentle smile as he warmly looked into her eyes. "You are not a freak. And, even if the world considers you a freak, then you will be my freak. We can be two little freakazoids together. What do you think?"

"I don't know." Saeko freed her hands. She pushed Taiga so his back hit the bed. She bent over him, allowing her beautiful, golden hair to fall like curtains around the young man's head. Her lips curled in a sly smirk as she looked into Taiga's eyes. The wildness in those yellow-gold eyes was intoxicating. Like a dangerous drug. "Are you capable of handling this freak?"

Taiga's lips spread into a wide, wolfish grin. He then said, as he wrapped his hand around her neck and pulled her in, "Challenge accepted."

A memorable battle for the ages commenced. Taiga and Saeko fought with full force, throwing everything they had at each other! Both parties revelled in the gloriousness of finally being able to let loose. They had both had a few battles in their time, but they were always forced to hold back in fear of obliterating the others.

Not this time though. This time, both Taiga and Saeko let themselves get drunk on the battle. They fought on and off, non-stop until the sun set. Only when they were completely spent, without any fight left in them, did they finally call a truce.

Saeko curled up on Taiga's chest and slowly fell asleep, feeling secure in another person's presence for the first time in her life.

Taiga smiled as he looked down at the sleeping Saeko. He felt something off, and then looked toward the balcony. His eyes widened. There, stood Henri with a smile on her face. She looked at Taiga, and then Saeko. Her smile brightened as she then looked back at Taiga. She raised her hand and gently waved.

Taiga's eyes watered. For the first time in his life, he could feel that weight on his chest finally loosening. He wiped his eyes and then, with a bittersweet smile, returned the wave with one of his own. 'Mm... Goodbye, Henri. I'll never forget you.'

Henri smiled, and then slowly disappeared, finally releasing Taiga from two decades worth of self-blame and hatred.

'Urk.' A huge flood or relief and release overwhelmed Taiga. The young man's eyes once again watered as he looked at Saeko. 'I'm happy.' Taiga was happy. No, he was more than happy. 'I never want to leave.' Taiga did not want this to end. He never wanted to lose someone because he waited too long. "Heh. Hey, Goldilocks. Looks like I'm in love with you." Taiga grinned as Saeko snuggled in closer. "Hear that, my Prince? I love y—Urk!."

Taiga frowned and clutched his head as a sharp pain assaulted his brain. He gritted his teeth, and breathed slowly while he waited for the pain to subside. Fortunately, the pain seized a few minutes later. Taiga let out a breath and then wiped the massive pool of sweat on his face.

Strangely, he felt a thicker liquid.

Taiga revealed a bitter smile as he examined the thick pool of blood on his palm. "I should have known." Luckily, the buds Saeko used were right by the bed. So, he was able to adjust and pick up a few without waking Saeko up. He plugged his nostrils, and then carefully cleaned the drops that had fallen on his chest.

When he was done, Taiga once again looked at Saeko. His voice held deep sorrow and longing as he said through tears, as if begging, "...I don't want to leave."

Oni Hill

3:41 p.m. 12th Zelyr 1092.

8 Days to World's End.

A black crow flew over the clouds, and then gently landed on the shoulder of Queen Alia, who sat by the small lake with her eyes closed.

Upon landing, a deep baritone voice escaped the crow's mouth. "We have arrived, My Queen. We await you at the base of Oni Hill."

"Understood." Queen Alia opened her eyes. She looked to the side, at Cathek, who was silently staring at the glass throne. Despite knowing him for her whole life, Alia, still could not pinpoint exactly how Cathek felt towards Razznik. Sometimes, he spoke with intense hatred. Other times, pure admiration. And then, there were moments like these where he almost seemed to worship The Destroyer. "Uncle?"

Cathek looked away from the throne to the young queen. "Mm. I will join you. But, you can go down on your own from now on." He looked at the robed figures. "Oni Hill acknowledges those who reach the summit. It will no longer attack you." With those words, he sent a stream of cold ice to wrap around Queen Alia and her entourage.

When done, Cathek jumped off the side off the mountain with eleven 'icicles' around him.

Gugugugu!

Queen Alia trembled. The mountain shook as if irritated by the flies at its side. However, it then calmed down just as quickly, stunning the daeben queen. Cathek regarded Alia with a relaxed smile. "I told you. You have already been acknowledged. Next time, you can climb on your own."

Queen Alia nodded. She opened her mouth to say something, but then her expression turned grave once they broke through the ashy clouds. Thousands of torches shone through the darkness, denoting the massive army that had gathered below.

"A Queen needs her stage." Cathek chuckled as he flicked a tiny ice cube through his fingers. BOOM! The cube rapidly expanded until it formed a giant 30 meter tall platform and then crashed into the ground, sending terrible shockwaves in every direction.

The army below trembled, and many lost their footing from the colossal force. Well, most did. An interesting assortment of fifteen men and women stood at the head of the army. The aura these individuals gave off was vastly different from the rest of the army.

Extreme power oozed off these people. Each one of them had fought for years, bathing in blood and sweat. These had turned them into the monsters that could withstand the cube's force without so much as a blink.

Tak! Tak! Tak!

Cathek, Queen Alia, and the rest, softly landed on the cube one after another. Cathek observed the army below. This was most likely the single largest force on the continent. Over 200,000 men and women, their numbers stretching out far and wide.

Queen Alia thought of the rest of her army still stationed on the Holy Land. Her lips curled in a beautiful smile. It had taken a decade of hiding and scheming, but the Chaos Order was finally ready to step onto the light, stronger than ever, and fuelled by a powerful ambition. The young queen recalled her mother's back. The previous queen had sacrificed her life to give Alia a chance at life.

'Watch me, mother.' Queen Alia's smile turned sinister as she walked to the edge of the cube. 'I will surpass you.' She turned to Cathek. "Uncle. Please?"

"Of course." Cathek smiled and then softly tapped the cube's surface. Gugugugu! The cube softly trembled as the exterior began to slide out, forming a set of stairs that descended to the ground, just in front of the army.

"Thank you, Uncle." Queen Alia stretched her hand out, and then ordered. "Come Forward, Primates!"

The fifteen individuals, who were revealed to be Primates stepped forward, and then climbed up the stairs. Du! The Primates stopped five steps below Queen Alia, knelt, and then loudly greeted, "My Queen!"

Alia's gaze travelled over the fifteen Primates. Each of these men and women had their own reasons for joining the Chaos Order. She glanced at an immaculately dressed daeben male. Some were groomed into the role. Her gaze then travelled to a seven-foot tall bear-like Nordic man. Others joined to further their own goals.

Whatever their reasons for joining, they had become the Chaos Orders' sharpest spears used to hunt down any dissenters and enemies. They also helped further the Order's cause in their assigned territories. Alia's gaze narrowed as she looked at the empty space either side of the fifteen.

It was unfortunate.

The Order had lost five Primates, three of which were directly linked to Kashi and the Hopeful Maggots. Queen Alia clenched her fists as she thought about the daeben that had thwarted their plans over and over again. She had never met this man, but she was filled with sadistic glee as the thought of finally punishing him.

'Not Yet.' Queen Alia calmed herself, and then pushed the thoughts of that daeben to the back of her mind. She then looked at the Primates and said, "Oni Hill has eight floors. You will split up and look after each floor. Your mission will be to disrupt the enemy, and try your best to stop them from climbing. You do not need to win, or even kill them. Just delay them long enough." Her gaze grew strong. "Remember, be prepared to risk your lives..." She paused, and then added with a seductive smile, "but do not die. If you die, it's all over. If you cannot win, escape. It is enough as long as you have tried your best."

'If you are not the strongest, be the smartest. If you are not the smartest, be the quickest. If you still cannot win, cheat!" Cathek smiled. It seemed Queen Alia had taken Razznik's teachings to heart. That's right. Running away was a kind of strength too. As the Summoned would put it: Run away, grind some more, then return and curb stomp the opponent.

Queen Alia cast her eyes over the rest of the army. "Your task is simple. You will prevent the enemy's army from flooding Oni Hill. Hold them back for as long as you can. Do not worry. We will be battling alongside you." The queen paused and then added, "Do not forget. When you hear the signal, you must initiate a full-scale retreat."

At this point, one of the robed figures stepped forward. It removed a scroll with strange gemstones embedded in it from its robes, and then handed it to the queen.

Queen Alia gratefully accepted the scroll and then held it up. "A scroll that facilitates your escape will be handed out to each of you, shortly. Rip it up when you hear the signal." The queen paused, wondering if she forgot anything. When she was certain, she didn't, she waved her hand. "Everyone to your positions! We must be prepared for the incoming storm."

"My Queen!"

Queen Alia was about to leave, but the shout prompted her to stop. She looked at the source. Myra Locktree. She knew this woman by name and reputation. She was one of the more promising Primates. Considering Myra's quiet nature, she would not call upon the queen, except for something immensely important. With all these thoughts in mind, Queen Alia motioned for Myra. "Speak."

Myra swallowed, suppressing her nervousness. "My Queen. I have a candidate for the position of Primate."

The other fourteen stared at the wisben in shock. It had to be known that it took more than strength to qualify for the position of Primate. Primates had to be unique individuals. People with specific skill sets that were very difficult to find.

Myra was saying she found someone like that? At this late stage?

Queen Alia's brows rose in interest. "Oh? Who is this person?"

Myra looked toward the base of the stairs. "Bok. Come up here."