Dropping their phoney - almost comically furious personas, Oliver and Olivia breathed a sigh of relief. They couldn't believe they were able to hold such an enraged facade for so long - and so well too! They were honestly proud of themselves.

  "Dang.... Acting all angry was kinda hard. I'm not used to it..." Oliver said, rubbing the back of his head.

  Olivia looked at him with a smirk reminding his little melt down back at the communications tent.

  "You were honestly really scary... I've never seen you that mad..." Olivia retorted.

  Oliver perked up a bit, before his face turned a bright shade of red.

  "Really...?" He said, pressing his index fingers together. It was obvious that the two were running off the high that came after foiling Arlecchino's meticulously crafted plan... but as quickly as they smiled, their faces contorted into a look of worry.

  A slow, quiet chuckle escalated further and further until the mad clown was practically laughing his brain out. That loud, almost sadistic laugh was downright terrifying - the two couldn't help but feel an uncomfortable shiver down their spines. It was like hearing metal rub against metal. That graining... Obnoxious sound was perfectly replicated by Arlecchino's laughter. It was almost as if he was mocking them... No, it would be stupid to think he was doing anything other than mockery.

  Feeling her pride challenged by the maniacal villain in front of her - Olivia began yelling at him with fury in her voice. No... It was more like whining.

  "Stop laughing! We just ruined your entire plan! Be sad!" Olivia said, practically stomping her feet.

  The clown's laughter slowly died down, before his mask showed a mischievous smile. He clapped, congratulating them for their plan. A surprise for the twins.

  "Bravo! Bravo! Honestly I'm really impressed! You used my flare for the theatrics as a distraction so your little friends could go chop down some trees! Very commendable.... However you forgot one crucial detail..." His mask now showed an annoyed look. "I'm not a fucking idiot..." He said with a menacing tone.

  Snapping his fingers, the ground shook violently, before those vehement trees - that the others so meticulously destroyed - began springing back up one after another. The two investigators' eyes widened, clearly confused by the situation. The shocked look on their faces baffled Arlecchino. Turning his head back and forth as if looking for someone to agree with his appal, he held the sides of his face tightly.

  "What did you think was going to happen? That the trees would just stay destroyed? These are fucking magic demon trees! Of course they regrow!" Arlecchino said, genuinely dumbfounded by their incompetence.

  The twins looked at each other with a hint of guilt in their eyes, before lowering their gaze to the floor with embarrassment in their hearts. Arlecchino almost felt bad for them... Almost.

  "Hahahahahahahahaha you two are idiots! No no, let me rephrase that. We have a loser idiot... And an even bigger loser idiot!" Arlecchino laughed, his back on the floor as he kicked his feet like a child.

  Annoyance building up in the woman - Olivia clenched her fist tightly before pointing at the man defensively.

  "Don't act all cocky! We can just destroy them again!" Olivia yelled.

  Arlecchino stopped laughing for a moment. his mask now showed a faux-shocked expression.

  "Oh yeah... You totally got me! You totally dismantled my backup plan in mere seconds! Whatever will I do!" He pressed her hands against his cheeks, his mask now depicting Edvard Munch's The Scream. "...Gosh can you get any more idiotic?" He said in exasperation.

  He snapped his fingers again, screens appearing in the sky - showing the conditions of the teams who were sent out to destroy the trees. They were already exhausted before, but now with the resurgence of the infernal trees - their struggle was turning into more of a death mission.

  Fear set in both of the investigator's hearts - but shame borrowed in Olivia as well. Not only did the plan she helped come up with fail... But she was humbled twice. Arlecchino could see the pain in Olivia's eyes, and as the trickster he was - he decided to capitalise on it.

  Appearing beside her, he put a hand on her shoulder.

  "You really are a failure huh? Can't even do something as simple as think ahead... It's pathetic really." Gripping her shoulders tighter. "Look at those people... They were begging for a saviour... Yet you failed them. How many times will you fail them? You're supposed to be their perfect little investigator...." He whispered into her ears.

  Gritting her teeth, Olivia tried jamming her blade into his skull - but instead she almost hit Oliver instead.

  "Woah woah easy! I'm not your enemy!" Oliver said, raising his arms up in defense.

  Olivia began breathing heavily, clicking her tongue as she searched for Arlecchino. Her wandering eyes found him standing next to the cocoon-like tree, his hands placed against the demonic bark.

  "Have you two ever encountered an apocalypse class Fester?" Arlecchino asked, taking his hand off the demonic wood. "I've never really seen one before in my life. They're such... Mockeries of life itself. A living creature that is able to destroy the world it was born into... Isn't that such a worthless life to live?"

  Their eyes widened, Oliver taking a step back in fear. Olivia stood strong however, holding her ground as she stared him down. She saw through his bluff.

  "Stop trying to be ominous and cool. It ain't working... In fact you look like an even bigger loser right now" Olivia retorted.

  Arlecchino chuckled, finding her words ironic. Turning to the two, his mask now showed a curious look. It was different from the previous ones he had shown earlier. It wasn't playful, mocking, or fake. He was genuinely intrigued and curious.

  "Fine. Since you hate theatrics and such.... I'm gonna spoil this chapter for you. You see, this wonderful mockery of life itself here, will immerge from it's cocoon into a beautiful butterfly... And when I say butterfly, I mean a creature so strong it can bring the end a solar system with just a flap of its wings... An apocalypse." Arlecchino chuckled.

  Olivia's confidence faltered for a moment, realising he was being serious. Inside that tree, was a creature able to bring the end of the world. She just hoped that the "apocalypse" he mentioned, meant it's less literal meaning.

  Seeing the fear set in her eyes, Arlecchino was incredibly delighted. Thrilled in fact. However his mask then showed a frown as he turned back to the cocoon.

  "But you see... He's a hungry little thing... He needs all his nutrition to grow up into a big boy... I think those friends of yours are good enough nutrients. Hell even if they aren't, I have pigs in a pen as well as two bumbling idiots in front of me!" Arlecchino opened his arms wide, his mania reaching it's highest point as all the trees began glowing once more. "The moment those trees blind this world, a new age will come! An age of destruction itself!" The mad clown laughed.

  True, untrained despair filled the hearts of those in Leighburne town.

  [South of Leighburne]

  Coughing up blood from her mouth, Bianca looked at the glowing tree in front of her with anger.

  "Of course I got paired up with a coward... so I'm dying alone huh... Figures..." She sighed, gripping her weapon tighter.

  [North of Leighburne]

  Slashing and cleaving through Festers, Ren's gaze was seduced by the ominous bright light building up in front of him. Gripping his sword tighter, he began running towards it.

  "... I won't let you destroy any more lives!" He yelled, passion burning throughout his body.

  [East of Leighburne]

  Dropping her bow on the ground, Tabatha fell to her knees. She began sobbing as she held her face in her hands.

  "I'm sorry.... I'm sorry... I'm sorry!" She cried.

  Looking at the poor girl, Alice patted her head before looking at the glowing tree.

  "It's pretty... Maybe I shouldn't have given her that thing after all..." The researcher said, the trees light reflecting in her eyes.

  [West of Leighburne]

  Visibly shaking, Sebastian began vomiting. He fell on his hands and knees, vomiting on the ground - the light from tree illuminating him.

  "No... No... This can't be happening... Damnit!" Sebastian yelled, tears streaming down his face.

  Paul couldn't help but feel bad for the young man, but he himself was already loosing hope. He looked up at the sky, taking one last drag as his gaze fixed itself on the glowing bright light.

  From each direction of Leighbourne city, despair embraced the poor investigators. However... the town center was by far the worst. The sounds of children crying replaced the background noise in both volume, and consistency. It took all of the twin's courage and will to not just breakdown from hearing them. Meanwhile, Arlecchino was laughing and playing with the slowly expanding wooden cocoon. How ridiculous. Such childish antics in a situation bereft of joy. It was infuriating.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  Rage accumulated in the investigators hearts... But there was nothing they could do... Or could they?

  Steering his emotions, Oliver reached into his pocket for his driver. Seeing the display, Arlecchino was genuinely surprised.

  "Oh... So now you want to play the hero? Could've done that a lot sooner if you weren't such a pussy..." Arlecchino said, his mask now showed a smirk.

  Gritting his teeth, Oliver's grip tightened around the device inside his coat pocket. As he slowly pulled it out - he stopped right before showing the driver. He knew what was going to happen if he revealed to everyone what he could do. If it wasn't experimentation... It would be death... And unfortunately for everyone, despite his pride and arrogance... Oliver was no better a coward than Roland.

  Swallowing his pride, he got on his hands and knees... Then began crying.

  "Please.... Please don't do this... I beg you... Don't kill them..." Oliver said, his head pressed against the cold brick floor.

  Witnessing such a sight, Olivia's face dropped.

  "Why...? Why is he doing that? Is it because... I wasn't good enough? I should've done better... I should've-" but before she could sink into the sea of abyss her mind was submerged in - she remembered a single trump card. Or more like a gamble.

  Looking down at the pathetic investigator beneath him, Arlecchino's previous reservations completely disappeared. Holding his masked face, he began laughing again. It wasn't as much a laugh of mockery as it was a laugh of pure satisfaction.

  "Right.... Right I totally forgot... Of course you wouldn't... Because at the end of the day, you're just a fucking loser pretending to be a hero! When push comes to shove, you cower away like a little dog. Isn't that right?!" Arlecchino said, kicking Oliver's head up with his feet.

  He forced the man to look at his crazed expression, rubbing salt into his already festering wound.

  "Gosh that face is fucking priceless! I might just keep you around so I can see this pathetic piece of art everyday!" Arlecchino ended his taunt with a laugh.

  His nose bleeding from the kick, and tears streaming down his face - Oliver had accepted it all. He had accepted that he was no better than anybody. He was no hero. Just a coward.

  Now, just like the children crying in the pen... He begged for someone to save the day. However... No hero would come... But maybe a fox would?

  As the air itself became hotter, Arlecchino's expression turned into that of annoyance. He looked up at the sky, seeing a familiar looking man in a fox inspired suit of armour. Kicking Oliver to the side, Arlecchino turned to his sister instead. It seemed that while he was busy breaking her brother's spirit, she had used a crudely upgraded communication device - provided by none other than Alice - to contact one shred of hope. A final act of desperation from an older sister seeing her brother lose all hope in life.

  Looking over at Oliver, Arlecchino's face cringed as he noticed an annoying smirk on his face.

  "You... Conniving..." Arlecchino grit his teeth.

  Shaking his head, Oliver's smile faltered slightly as he looked at the man.

  "Don't get it twisted. That was genuine fucking fear just now! I'm just smiling cause it looks like the world itself wants you to lose..." Oliver responded.

  [Few moments earlier]

  Sitting in front of the communication console, Sieg almost begged for someone to call him. He wanted so desperately not to sit idly and let things become even worse.

  "No... I could've done that earlier... But I was stubborn... Why did I even do it? I have no loyalties to this damned organisation anyway..." Sieg thought, staring at the console as if it were his lifeline.

  As time progressed, his hope slowly but surely dimmed. This was his retribution. This was his punishment for his fear. Once again, he'd watch as innocent people get hurt because of him... Was that red light always on the console?

  Flicking the answer switch, garbled audio whirled before slowly clearing up. He heard the voice of a desperate child begging for help.

  "Help... Please..."

  It wasn't an exaggeration to say Sieg dropped everything he was doing to run out of the tent. Noticing his attempt at intervention, the other titled investigators tried to stop him - but Yue stepped in before they could even touch him. She grabbed the hand of "The Grains Of Burning Land", crushing it as if it were a twig. He screamed in pain, falling to his knees as he held his broken hand. The Evermotion River looked at Yue with surprise, before gritting her teeth.

  "You know what will happen if you intervene..." The Evermotion River retorted.

  Yue paused for a moment, before creating a blade purely from ice. She examined the blade closely, completely ignoring the woman's words.

  "This blade is made out of pure ice. Fascinating isn't it? Miracles and descent energy are such powerful tools... But we can't even use it to help people when they need it most..." Yue gripped the handle tightly. "If you as much as touch my husband... I'll kill you right on the spot..." The woman glared at her.

  The Evermotion River gulped, lowering her head in defeat. Yue smirked before turning her head as she watched her husband run off.

  "Show them hell, love."

  Floating high up in the sky, the general looked down at the scene below him. His cape - which resembled nine foxtails - swayed in wind. His figure made him resemble a sun - a sun that lit up the despair that clouded the town. The civilians all looked up, feeling the radiant warmth coming from the man hitting their skin. Smiles grew like seeds in fertile land.

  Seeing their smiles, Sieg couldn't help but smile... however as quickly as joy filled his face - annoyance and anger replaced it. Seeing such horror displayed so haphazardly beneath him, he couldn't help but click his tongue.

  "It's gotten this bad huh... I'm sorry. I'm sorry for being such a terrible adult... but now, I'll protect you all." Sieg said, opening his palm as if grabbing something... No more accurately holding something.

  Four small, but incredibly hot black orbs appeared above his palms, forming a diamond shape. As if the heat wasn't hot enough, Sieg engulfed the orbs in a shower of flames. Watching the orbs burn and reconstruct themselves, Sieg's eyes burned with passion.

  "Fourth-star: Burning Neraka"

  Flicking the orbs, they traveled to each of the four cardinal directions - stopping right above the trees. Collapsing into themselves, a stream of fire rained down on the malignant trees - so bright that the light could be seen from light years away. The heat would've burned and blinded anyone that gazed upon the monolith of flame - however Sieg’s precise control had allowed the attack to be concentrated on only the trees. In a matter of seconds, the large skyscraper-like trees were eradicated like weeds. A display of strength befitting of a general.

  Looking up at her father, Katherine shook her head before scoffing. She knew for a fact that the move he used was one of his strongest abilities... Which was completely overkill.

  "Even First-Star would be enough... Show off..." Katherine said, a smile creeping up her smug lips.

  Elizabeth looked at the man as well, though it was more out of curiosity than reverence.

  "So that's the black sheep of the night huh? No wonder he told me to stay clear of his family..." Elizabeth thought to herself, before kicking up her spear.

  On the other side of the spectrum... Ren looked up at his father, clenching his fist tightly. He almost felt annoyed by the extravagant show of strength. Not because of what he could do... But instead what he couldn't do. Katherine noticed this - her frustrations with her brother growing even stronger.

  Back at the town square, Arlecchino looked up - feeling a bit peeved. All the despair he had worked so hard to build up, was flushed down the drain - all thanks to an infuriating intruding irrelevant character.... But instead of faltering, he took this set back as a challenge. Raising his arm up, his mask now showed a wide grin.

  "Fine... Let's see how long you can keep up - you glorified matchstick!" His fist clenched tightly.

  As his palm closed, all the trees began regrowing immediately... Then immediately started burning away. An annoyed expression now showed on his mask - the people near him could practically see the steam coming from his ears.... Wait no he was actually steaming from his ears!

  Looking at the ridiculous sight, Sieg couldn't help but chuckle. Imitating the act of pulling down his eye lid he made an audible "blergh~" sound.

  "Too bad kiddo! Do you think my flames can be put out that easily?" Sieg taunted, sticking his out underneath his mask.

  His mask showing teeth grinding against each other, Arlecchino pointed at the man in an accusatory fashion.

  "Being silly is my thing! You'll be hearing from my lawyers damnit!" Arlecchino yelled, sounding genuinely infuriated.

  Sieg let out a soft chuckle before shooting a glare at the man. Even through the mask, Arlecchino could feel his piercing gaze digging into him like sharp claws. For the first time, the clown was startled.

  "Yeah well the difference between you and me, is the fact I'm mature enough to realise when to get serious. So grow up, you man child..." Sieg said, vindictiveness in his voice.

  Despite his mask showing a blank expression, underneath it hid the worst kind of rage. The rage of a broken ego. Nodding his head slightly the clown began laughing. As the clown grew madder... The cocoon began reacting. It was clear the man was doing something to cause the cocoon to awaken much earlier than intended... That was when Sieg noticed one of the trees fighting back against the hellish flames. Looking at the other trees, the general immediately knew what was going on. Arlecchino had completely abandoned the other trees, sacrificing them so that all his descent energy would be focused on one target - as well as causing the balance of the world to react to his plea... Such quick thinking honestly impressed Sieg.

  Oh he wasn't impressed by Arlecchino's plan if you were wondering.

  Laughing like a madman, Arlecchino stretched his arms wide - an air of arrogance surrounding him.

  "Right... Right... Child? That's what I am? Fine, I'll show you what a real tantrum i-" but before he could finish his sentence, Oliver had pressed his dagger against his neck.

  Looking down at the investigator, his rage grew even stronger. Not only was it infuriating, but also... Exhilarating. To have the man who was previously on his knees - begging and pleading for his mercy - now have his blade so close to against the supple fragile skin of his neck.... Such a comeback story was delectable.

  "A little too close there pal... What do you think you're doing?" Arlecchino asked, his white mask now showing nothing but empty black darkness.

  Oliver looked at him with a stern expression, before making a smug one.

  "Doing what I do best... Be a distraction." Oliver said, his gaze turning towards the dashing investigator.

  Arlecchino's mask showed a cartoonishly shocked expression - as if even his clothing tried to drill in the fact that he was fucked. He watched with wide eyes as the female investigator ran towards the cocoon in its most vulnerable state.

  Holding her blade tightly, Olivia began focusing intensely. Engulfing her mind in trauma, she disregarded everything except the pain and suffering from that bad memory. She could feel the warm blaze of her descent coating the tips of her fingers as it traveled along the jagged - almost fang like edges of the blade. With each step, she felt pain. With each step, her mind was clouded by sadness. With each step, she could feel the disapproving glare of her brother.... But ironically, she would lose all concentration - by what was supposed to be kind words from her brother.

  "Do it! Show him why you're the greatest, Big sis!"

  Just those few words... Caused Olivia to lose all focus. Instead of immersing herself in disappointment, dissatisfaction, and depression... Her mind was engulfed in something much more human... annoyance.

  As her blade touched the cocoon, instead of cutting through the monstrous wood - it bounced back, almost hitting her face. Her eyes widened as she witnessed her failure unfold. Just because of something as small being annoyed... She had cost the lives of everyone around her.

  From behind her, a bright - almost blinding light engulfed everything in sight. Then... She heard a crack.

  "Father... Why do I live?"

  Immerging from the cocoon... A horrifying depiction of a "fairy" pushed itself out of the wet, slimy cage. It had no eyes, wore a crown of death, possessed arms that belong to two different species, and wore a robe made from its own tattered wings. A true monster.

  Witnessing the creature, Sieg didn't hesitate to charge up five more star bombs. However before he could even flick them, he received a call.

  "Stop. If you intervene any more. You're dead." A mysterious voice came from the communicator in his helmet.

  Sieg rolled his eyes, telling the voice to leave.

  "I don't care if I die or get stripped of my position. I won't let you bastards destroy another-" but before he could finish his sentence, he heard another familiar voice. A voice that was as sweet as honey, but as dangerous as a wasp.

  "If you don't retreat. Your family will be offered to you on a plate~" The voice said, cooing at the end.

  Sieg grit his teeth, rage overcoming him.

  "Do you think I'll let you touch them?!" The general threatened.

  The voice chuckled before responding as playfully as ever.

  "Yet you'll still lay down like a good little foxy... Cause you know what we'll do to them... To you." The voice responded.

  Sieg clenched his fist tightly - so hard that he dug the sharp claws of his armour into his actual skin - causing him to bleed. As the blood trickled down his wrists - he took a deep breath - before smiling and nodding his head.

  "Understood!" he said in a cheerful tone.

  The voice cackled before responding in the most disrespectful way possible.

  "You still have it in you, don't you? No wonder you were their favourite..."

  It took all of Sieg's strength to not cuss the voice out... But he had to be strong... For his family.

  Looking at his children, he saw the disappointment in Ren's eyes. The look haunted him. He lowered his head in shame before teleporting away. A bell sound rang as he disappeared - a sound Ren was all too familiar with. Clenching his weapon he grit his teeth.

  "Why? You're so strong... Why are you so terrified?”