(City of Bell – Occupation: Lit) (Amos)

  Three Days Later

  An eerie, high-pitched sizzle fades as Amos teleports from one area to another. The clink of his armor sounds as he tries to shield his eyes from the bright sunlight. “Damn, it’s so bright here.” As he slowly gathers himself, a few more people teleport around him. The many markets spanning the open courtyard resemble those in Durmax. “Right, so…” A hand grabs Amos’s shoulder, causing him to jump back and chop the air with his hands. He lowers his defenses only after recognizing Merak.

  Merak chuckles. “That was a bit embarrassing, don’t you think?”

  Amos coughs. “Well, the light blinded me, so…”

  A smirk crosses Merak’s face as he nods along. “Yeah, sure, right…”

  Amos’s expression shifts. “Listen, asshole, do you have the pass for the mountains?”

  A crystal, ticket-like pass materializes in Merak’s hand. “Ah, asshole! You’re starting to sound like Christ, I see.”

  Amos takes the crystal pass as a twelve-hour clock appears in his interface. “Don’t compare me to him. Last night, he wanted to wash my back because he felt happy. That man doesn’t know where the line is sometimes.”

  “That’s adorable. I wish I had someone to wash my back.”

  Amos opens his interface to check messages. “Alright, fine, I’ll message Christ.”

  Merak tackles Amos, wrapping his arms around him. “Please! Please no…”

  As Amos breaks free, he begins to laugh.

  “Right,” Merak says, scratching his head. “I should get back; I’ve already been away from Zul for too long. But maybe if I can get some alone time next week, I’d love to visit you guys.”

  “I don’t know about the others, but I’d love that,” Amos replies. “We’ve been training nonstop for the last two months and grinding against the Guardian of Lepidos. It would be nice to have a change of pace around the manor.”

  Merak steps back, a smile crossing his face. “We’ll see…” He turns toward the capital building and lifts his hand to wave.

  Amos exhales, his smile widening. Merak is his second-best student, right behind Sara. It helps that they share the same curse, but it’s often more than that. A drop of water splashes on Amos’s nose, prompting him to glance up. “What? Today of all days…”

  Clouds roll in from the west, and in another ten minutes, the sun will be blocked out.

  Amos bobs his head back and forth as he weighs his options: fall behind his clanmates in grinding his magic skill or suck it up and train in the rain. A rough sigh escapes him as he resolves to stick with his original plan. He might earn less experience from the grind, but he can’t neglect skills beyond strength and perception.

  Splashing from puddle to puddle, Amos zips through the woodland, casting a tier-three Fire Bolt. Water vaporizes a foot from the spell like a force field until it hits its target in a steam-like explosion.

  A hole is blown into a mud fiend's head, leaving a dent and spreading its body outward before it slowly morphs back into shape. Fiends are difficult creatures.

  Amos shakes his head and snaps his gaze toward the fiend. His palm glows as he casts a few more Fire Bolts.

  The fiend extends its arm to twice the length of its body toward Amos. Before it can hit him, a Mud Wall lifts from the ground.

  Amos leaps, casting a tier-three Fire Bolt down on the fiend’s extended arm. He lands a kick in the fiend's face as he presses his palm against the monster’s chest. Seconds later, fire erupts from five different holes. Tumbling into a spin, he lands on his knees and comes to a halt.

  Heavy breathing escapes him as he notices an exclamation mark in the corner of his vision. Opening his interface, he sees two messages from Zero, five from Christ, and another five from Xander. Amos closes his interface and searches for a log to sit on, though, unlike other woods in the land, the woodlands north of Bell are clean and not very brushy.

  Amos scans the area until his eyes lock on a hooded individual walking down the path.

  Unless he carries a ton of supplies in his inventory like anyone else, the man has only the hood he wears and the tattoos on his exposed arms.

  Amos turns to the side to give the man plenty of room, ready if things turn south. However, he isn’t prepared when an arrow pierces the side of his neck. The shock is so great that the pain receptors don’t kick in until Amos dodges five more arrows emerging from the bush in front of him.

  Blood spurts from Amos’s mouth and spills from his neck. What’s going on? Leaping from one tree to another, he can’t tell how many attackers there are, but he needs to create distance. Landing hard in a backward slide, he hears footsteps splashing behind him. Stepping aside, a steel longsword penetrates his heavy armor and plunges into his stomach. The man leaps back as two more arrows hit him in the chest, with one whizzing by.

  Static fills his thoughts; he hasn’t fully processed what is happening. His body moves on its own, but that’s not enough. He has to— Amos zips past three individuals, dodging their attacks despite his condition. He has to get out of here!

  A bronze great axe materializes as he slashes a vertical line across several trees. The trees, a meter tall and higher, are cut in half.

  Dodging a sword slice leaves Amos vulnerable to a kick that sends him crashing to the ground, scattering water and mud in all directions. As he rolls, pain sets in just before seven individuals surround him. Amos might actually die… “Who…” He drops to a knee as blood spurts from his mouth, and a breath fills his lungs with blood, mixing with the rainwater.

  “Sorry…” another man says.

  Amos’s eyes widen further at the familiar voice.

  “Please forgive us, Liam,” a woman says.

  Amos strains to scan the faces of his students, who are ambushing him. He wants to speak, but the arrow lodged in his airway silences him. Breaking off the tip, he pulls the shaft from the other side. Gurgling blood, he manages to gasp for air before coughing violently. “Why! Why are you doing this?” Silence amplifies the tension as the hole in his neck hastens his plea. “WHY!”

  “S… Sorry…” a third man stammers before rushing him.

  A few clashes occur as Amos leaps to create distance. But no matter how he tries to flee, they pursue him.

  “RoT” is tattooed on their wrists, just hidden beneath the steel gauntlets they wield.

  “Let’s not make this more difficult than it has to be!” a second woman shouts.

  Amos clutches the wound in his neck with one hand while gripping his axe with the other. He has two mixed brews that Hypno made for him. If he can create enough space, he can manage something. He has to; he has never failed to escape a sticky situation. But this is different. It’s beyond messed up how can they do this!

  Lifting his head, he attempts to speak, but arrows strike his chest and back, cutting him off. Amos’s feet drag before he comes to a halt; the pain is overwhelming. His vision blurs, and his consciousness slips away. So this is it… This is how Amos… No, Liam, dies. His last thoughts are of his mother and her words. Sorry… Mom.

  (Frauw – Occupation: Lit) (Zero)

  He gazed outside as the rain continued to pour. Everyone, except Ship and Hypno, relaxed in the kitchen. Sara sipped her coffee while Xander scratched the back of his neck. It was silent except for Marisa’s joyful humming, which Zero found annoying as his stomach began to turn. “It’s been forty-five minutes, and still no message back.”

  Christ crossed his arms. “I have a bad feeling about this. I knew I should have gone with him.”

  Xander waved his arm. “Relax, I’m sure he’s just caught up in something.”

  “Well, he’s breaking the promise to message us every fifteen minutes.” Zero shook his head. “What am I even doing?” A teleportation scroll appeared. “I’ll go check on him. You guys coming?”

  “Yeah… We shou…” Xander began before getting interrupted.

  “Well, I’m sprinting there. Hurry up, or I’m leaving you behind,” Zero said.

  Sara dropped her glass. “Zero, relax… I’m sure everything is fine.”

  Zero shook his head. “No… I’ve known Amos for years. He never misses a text, even when he’s busy.”

  Christ sighed. “Alright, I’m right behind you; let me just…”

  Before Christ could finish, Zero tore the scroll and teleported to the City of Bell. He could already hear Christ calling him an asshole, but he didn’t care. He needed to make sure Amos was safe…

  (City of Bell – Occupation: Lit) (Zero)

  Zero flashed past a few stationed guards, only catching mumbles before the hard rain drowned them out. He was moving so fast that the splashes lagged behind. His gut churned as he neared the fiend’s territory. It was so expansive that he had to take a chance, sprinting past trees, over boulders, and down a stream. It wasn’t until five minutes later that he noticed a few trees down, two hundred yards away.

  A strong iron smell filled his nose as he approached. “AMOS!” Slowing down, he scanned the area. Body parts were scattered, guts pulled out, and weapons lay feet from the bodies. Amidst all the dismemberment and blood, only one body remained intact.

  Helmet off, on his knees, and holding a broken bronze axe, Amos stared at the muddy ground between his legs. He appeared healed, with light skin patches and arrows still lodged in him.

  He’s corrupted; kill him.

  Zero’s eyes widened as a wave of migraines surged through his mind.

  Amos cradled the popped blood vessel in his right eye with his red-stained gauntlets, almost as if they were both experiencing the same migraine.

  Kill him before it is too late.

  “Shut up…”

  With one eye open, Amos’s hand shook as he dropped it into the chilly puddle. Drool escaped his mouth as his coughing worsened, sending him into a fit. Calming down, his fingers dug into the mud, and he stared straight ahead again. “I… I didn’t mean to; it was a reaction…”

  The migraine subsided slightly, allowing Zero to open his eyes fully. “No… It’s not your fault!”

  Amos paused before speaking. “But… Why them…”

  Zero turned his gaze to one of the decapitated heads, that of a familiar girl. His heart sank even more.

  “All seven of them tried to kill me… My own…” Amos retched, emptying his stomach until a black liquid followed. “Yet… all fourteen of their eyes still stare at me.”

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  Quick, kill him! Kill him now!

  Zero ignored the voices as he knelt next to Amos, wrapping his arms around his friend. It felt like an eternity in a split second as the white room engulfed him.

  Kill him now!

  “Shut up!” Zero shouted into the white room. “No amount of words will make me kill him. So shut the fuck up!” Distressed, he sensed an invisible gaze.

  Seal him, then.

  His eyes widened. “What do you mean by that?”

  Use us and bind his white room shut. The chorus of Lord Tatter is fatal. Hurry.

  “Use…” Zero glances at his hands. “I don’t understand.” He begins to hyperventilate, shaken as the voices respond for the first time. What the fuck is going on? “Who are you?” The silence is deafening, with only the beat of his heart echoing. Zero grinds his teeth. “Don’t ignore me! I’ve been hearing you for months, thinking it was all in my fucking head! TELL ME!” He grabs his chest, trying to calm himself in this strange room that somehow feels like it is him…

  We are that which takes comfort in your white room. We are the three in one.

  Just as suddenly as the white room appeared, it’s gone, leaving Zero kneeling in the rain, holding Amos from behind. “Wha…” Before he can finish, a hard vibration shifts from his chest into Amos’s back. It’s not painful, but uncomfortable as hell, and it ends after ten seconds.

  The Seal will hold; we are the two in one.

  Zero drops his head onto the back of Amos’s neck, bewildered by what just happened. But it’s over now; his best friend needs him. “Amos…”

  “The staring… it’s gone…” Amos opens his other eye, also bloodshot. “I don’t know how to feel about this. What am I supposed to feel…”

  Zero lifts his head from Amos’s lap, glancing at the seven bodies they once knew so well. He has to tell Amos something… anything! Memories flood him, recalling how he once saw his mother bald for the first time and asked her how he should feel. Her response was to feel happy and be strong, even though she knew she was dying.

  Zero tightens his grip around Amos. “Happy… feel happy. I’ll take on all your grief and hurt…”

  Amos grins weakly, his head slumping forward. “Okay…” His eyes close.

  After five minutes of Amos resting on Zero’s legs, three Lit squads arrive, numbering between twenty and thirty people. Their reactions shift as they witness the gruesome scene, but none move forward.

  Zero turns to them, and the realization sets in: if they wanted, they could kill him right now. Kill him… The leaked plans about them dead and the secret bounties they put on all of WAL’s heads. Zero scans the seven bodies around him again. Lit wants them dead, and he’s next. Zero tries to activate a teleportation scroll in Amos’s hands, but after splitting it, Amos remains.

  “No, not now…” Zero says, setting Amos down. Standing up, he summons his steel warhammer out of thin air.

  Not a single one of them moves. Hybrids and a few tanks cautiously hold their breath; someone undoubtedly warned them about WAL.

  Zero has to strike first. Chains shoot up from the ground, wrapping around his neck and arms, with clamps grabbing his wrists and forcing him to his knees. Shit, he has to break free, but he can barely move, being pulled down.

  “Relax…” says a man to Zero’s right. A half-talisman mask covers the man’s face.

  Zero’s heart races until he notices his clanmates behind the man, rushing toward him. Their expressions turn to horror as they recognize the seven bodies.

  The man removes his mask, revealing himself as Ship, and the chains locking Zero down slowly fade away.

  Zero gazes at the chains as they transform into a foam-like, metallic glow. “What the hell?”

  Christ and Hypno lift Amos, checking to see if he’s still breathing. “He’s alive!” Christ sighs in relief.

  Ship moves closer to the dazed Zero. “Let’s head back to the house before we cause more trouble.”

  “Fuck off…” Zero mumbles.

  Ship glares down at Zero, his expression empty and cold. “I’m not asking you; I’m telling you.”

  “FUCK OFF!” Zero leaps at Ship, grabbing his neck. “JUST SHUT THE FUCK UP!”

  Xander snatches Zero’s wrist from Ship. “Calm the fuck down!”

  Zero tries to yank away, but he’s overpowered and pulled closer.

  “ZERO!” Xander shouts. “I need you to calm down. Amos is alive; let’s get home without another incident.”

  Zero locks eyes with Xander before pulling his wrist back.

  “You guys take Amos. Hypno, Vodka, and I will talk with Lit,” Xander commands. “We’ll meet up with you later.” He turns to the Lit squad leaders, who separate themselves from the others.

  Zero wipes the inner corners of his eyes with his fingers. He’s right… Amos is alive, and they need to get him to safety.

  (Frauw – Occupation: Lit) (Zero)

  Zero dries himself off with a towel as Marisa and Christ clean Amos in his room. The rain still pours heavily outside, half an hour after they teleported back to Frauw. While the two are with Amos in one room, the other three haven’t returned yet, leaving the rest of them in uneasy silence.

  “I just don’t understand why they would attack Amos,” Sara says, pulling her knees up to her chin.

  “Neither can we. The worst part is, they were the last people we’d expect to do something like this,” Smokey replies.

  Carp leans his head on Smokey’s shoulder. “They’re really dead…”

  Smokey rubs his little brother’s head. “Did you message Maria and Ice?”

  “Once I hear from Xander, I’ll do it. But for now…” Sara replies.

  Ship sips a bottle of wine beside John, who glances at Zero every minute.

  Sara sighs. “I just don’t get it…”

  “Fuck! Sara, no one does!” Zero barks.

  “Zero, we’re all just in shock,” Smokey says. “Won’t do us any good if we start turning on each other.”

  Zero raises his hands in frustration. “Look, I get it. But I don’t need to hear the same thing every five fucking minutes. Silence—I just need silence right now.”

  “Then go to the other side of the building if you want silence,” Ship snaps.

  Zero glares at Ship. “I’m not leaving Amos’s side.”

  Ship waves him off. “Neither are we. So get used to us talking if we want.”

  “Listen, you fu...” Zero starts, but is cut off as the front doors open.

  In enter Hypno, Vodka, and Xander, folding their umbrellas. Water drips from the tips as they place them into a bucket by the side. A fourth man joins them, a face Zero recognizes immediately.

  Everyone stands at the dining table as the four join them. Xander removes his jacket and points to a chair.

  The RoT member, General Copper, hangs his trench coat over the oak chair as he hides behind Xander.

  “How is he?” Xander asks.

  Smokey crosses his arms. “Christ and Marisa are still working on him. He’s alive, but we don’t know his condition yet.”

  Xander sighs. “Alive is good. Anyway, we talked it over with Lit, and it looks like nothing major will come of it. But Copper…”

  “What is that asshole doing here?” Zero interrupts.

  Ship grabs Zero’s wrist, but he yanks it away.

  Xander glares at Zero. “If you’d let me finish Copper, here is a general from RoT. He was Christ’s and my lieutenant before we left RoT years ago. I hope you guys can show him some respect since he wants to join us.”

  “You brought the guy who commands the seven individuals who tried to assassinate Amos?” Zero says, his voice rising.

  Vodka taps Zero’s shoulder. “Hey, hear him out. We wouldn’t have brought him here if it was for nothing.”

  Zero steps back until his back hits the wall.

  Copper swallows and steps past Xander. “Hello. As you know, I’m General Copper of the third and fourth platoons. My clan and I would like to extend our deepest apologies. We’re currently in a panic, trying to understand why one of our top squads decided to abandon their posts. Yes, they were under my command; yes, we’ve received messages and letters from Lit to assassinate you, but rest assured, we rejected all those requests.” Copper swallows again, sighing deeply. “Now, with that said, Squad Demi-Twenty-Five, the squad that attacked you, is also under the orders of Second-in-Command Feef.”

  Zero’s eyes widen. “FEEF!”

  Copper waves him down. “Feef was the first to warn me that they were missing. Knowing Feef’s history with you, he wouldn’t have attempted something like this.”

  “So what are you saying?” Zero fumes.

  “It’s speculation, but the bodies are still warm,” Copper replies. “It looks like they did this on their own.”

  “That’s a load of bullshit!” Zero challenges. “In our leaked information, it said you took the gold.”

  “So it did…” Copper rubs his chin. “But it should have stated we rejected their offer. So, technically, we stole it.”

  “Were they offered gold?” Smokey asks.

  “A lot of our squads received requests,” Copper replies. “We told them to bring the offers to us for review. But as I said, the bodies are still warm.”

  “Feef couldn’t come?” Hypno adds.

  Copper shakes his head. “RoT couldn’t risk Feef being sent out here. It’s better that I come. Any more questions?”

  As the lies pile up, Zero remains silent, anger building in his chest. Something doesn’t add up, and he can’t shake the feeling that something is off about the entire situation.

  After a few more exchanges, Christ and Marisa return, with Christ greeting his long-time friend Copper before sitting next to Sara. Marisa washes her hands, having gotten most of the blood off.

  “How is Amos?” Copper asks.

  “Asleep and well,” Christ replies.

  Marisa leans against the wall beside Zero, wiping her hands with a towel. “My tier-two Scan can only do so much, but it looks like he ripped chunks of skin and muscle when removing the arrows. Aside from that, I can’t determine how much blood he lost or if any bones are broken. We need someone with a medical curse to examine him.”

  “Xander! Should I send Maria and Ice a request to come?” Sara bolts upright.

  Xander shakes his head. “Lit blocked their teleportation to Frauw’s obelisk. They’re focused on the front lines at the Sword of Tintinaru. Merak said he’d send someone, but we can’t trust them now.”

  Copper leaves soon after, and the rest remain around the dining table.

  “Okay, hear me out, Marisa, Sara, John…” Xander says, rubbing his chin. He hesitates for a moment, then forces out the words. “You guys aren’t going to like this, but if things turn south, you need to travel west to Sanity-controlled territory.”

  Marisa pushes off the wall. “Excuse me?”

  “Wait, hold on,” John waves his arms. “West? That’s Sanity territory. They don’t like you guys.”

  “Yeah, us…” Xander agrees. “They don’t know about you. In fact, very few people know about you three outside this clan. I can tell things are about to get worse, and the last thing we need is for you three to be hurt or distracted by what’s ahead.”

  “We’re holding you back, aren’t we?” Marisa asks.

  Xander shakes his head. “Don’t say that.”

  “Then what is it?” Marisa demands.

  Xander exhales deeply, rubbing his head. “Yes, you would be. But…”

  “Oh fuck, Brian. Are you kidding me?” John shouts.

  Marisa scans the room for signs of disapproval. Instead, she’s met with blank stares.

  “Marisa, dear,” Hypno says softly, “We’re facing the biggest clans from all sides. You guys work hard, but you lack levels and skill. Most of us are around the eight-hundred mark, and you three aren’t even half of that. You wouldn’t last against the average cannon squad.”

  “Sara!” Marisa pleads.

  Sara’s confident gaze avoids Marisa’s. “Christ already informed me about this a while ago… I’m at seven-fifty strength, but they’re right. We three are in a situation we shouldn’t be in.”

  John stands, almost knocking over Ship’s wine bottle. “You do realize this never works in the movies!”

  “Well, this isn’t the movies, John,” Zero interjects. “This is real life. Life and death. We’re up against people stronger than us. So please, just shut up and listen. Just fucking listen…”

  John recoils, looking down.

  “Zero…” Smokey says quietly.

  Zero feels the weight of the room’s gaze on him. Realizing how brutal he’s been, he sighs. “Sorry…” He turns away, his eyes fluttering. “I’m going to check on Amos.”

  Amos sleeps silently, his face occasionally twitching as if reacting to something—a memory, a dream, something heated.

  Zero can’t take his eyes off his best friend. Five long hours have passed. It’s been a while since he heard those voices in his mind, and he wonders if it’s the aftershock of what happened between them: Seal… Two-in-one… White room. There are so many questions, so many pieces that don’t fit. Yet, in this game, not once has he heard any mention of these things. But maybe, right now, those shouldn’t be his worries.

  Zero strokes Amos’s hair, trying to calm the storm brewing inside him when the door swings open.

  Christ stands in the doorway, a small flame flickering at the tip of his thumb. He’s shirtless, wearing nothing but pajamas, and yawns before stepping inside. “I’ll take over the watch.”

  “I’m good,” Zero mutters, not moving his gaze from Amos.

  Christ sighs, clearly not in the mood for Zero’s stubbornness. “Asshole…” He pulls a foldable chair from the corner and sets it down on the other side of Amos. “You should get some sleep.”

  “I said I’m good.”

  “Yeah, but for how long?” Christ replies, his voice softening with concern. “Everyone has a limit, no matter how tough they are.” When Zero doesn’t respond, Christ leans back, watching him with quiet understanding. “I get it. You’re worried. We all are. Maybe you more than the rest of us, but trust me when I say I’ll look after Amos with my life.”

  A lump forms in Zero’s throat. He blinks hard, but tears still gather at the corners of his eyes. His voice cracks. “I’m scared, Christ…”

  “Me too…” Christ says, his expression unreadable as he checks Amos for a fever. “Get some rest. You won’t be good to anyone if you’re running on empty.”

  Zero swallows hard, his mind racing. “Why do you care so much if you hate me?”

  Christ doesn’t take his eyes off Amos, his tone surprisingly gentle. “I don’t hate you. I’m just... envious, I guess. Of what you two have.” He pauses, as if weighing his words. “The bond between you two—it’s something I don’t have. Something I’ve never had.”

  “Why, though?” Zero asks, his voice barely above a whisper.

  Christ hesitates, his gaze still locked on Amos. “It’s a long story… maybe for another time.”

  Normally, Zero would try to lighten the mood with a sarcastic remark like, “Where’s the smile?” but he knows now is not the time. He exhales deeply, his shoulders slumping. “Alright… I’ll go to bed.”