IX: Broken Time

Lost time is never found again

-Benjamin Franklin

Red Shadows Part 2: Begin

Unknown Location

It was a dark, completely silent room. The illusion of peace was shattered when a loud bang was heard as a shadowed, seemingly masculine figure slammed his fist onto a nearby table. A growl escaped his lips as he heard the new developments. He had put his other projects on hold simply to clean up the previous mess, the escaping of the M2 specimen, but now the scientists had completely lost track of it. Now it was up to him to clean up all of this. The man picked up a paper-weight, as if to throw it, before catching himself. He straightened up and headed towards one of the room's windows. As he walked, he snapped his fingers. The shadows convulsed and a second figure appeared out of nowhere, its demeanor and stature signifying respect and obedience to the man. The first figure motioned with his hands.

"Begin the backup." The second figure nodded and vanished back into the darkness, as quickly and quietly as it had come. The once again solitary figure reached the window. As he pulled open the curtains, a bright light from outside filled the previously dark room. The man stood, a shadowed silhouette, framed and accented by the bright light surrounding him. As he looked outside, to the vast, lush mountains and forests, extending into the horizon, he smiled slightly, the corners of his mouth lifting up just ever-so-little. Then, he lifted up his hand, still carrying the paperweight, and squeezed, slowly crushing the metal object with pure, brute strength. The man's slight smile turned into an insane grin as he laughed, imagining that the world would soon take its place.

Gold was exhausted, to say the least. This day marked his official entrance into the Academy, a place reserved for the elite and remarkable. The cream of the crop, the best in the region, perhaps even the world attended the school, all holding some sort of power, whether it is physical, intellectual, political, or so forth. Fear was thought to have connections to this place, and Gold would never allow the terrorist to get the upper hand on him. Therefore, he had spent practically every waking hour since he had received his assignment studying and observing the Academy. In fact, he had pulled a few all-nighters before the big day. Now, as he walked down the gaudy path to the large entrance building, Gold somewhat regretted his decision.

As he looked around, he saw other students mingling and chatting with each other. Looking at their fine clothes and accessories and styled hair, Gold felt like a dirty, unkempt vagrant. Then he pushed away the feelings. He remembered something that he had been told long, long ago, that what one does is a far better measure of their character and worth than what their ancestors did. That was one of the things that Red used to tell him when they saw the obvious socioeconomic gap as city orphans.

Red.

Gold had to admit; he was both looking forward to and dreading meeting him, if it even was him. After all, it would be the first time that they'd see each other in person in nearly a decade. In fact, Gold wouldn't be too surprised if his surrogate brother had forgotten about him. He didn't think that he had made the same impact on Red as the older boy did to him. The idea felt incredibly depressing to Gold; the first true and only true friend that he had made may have never thought twice about him.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Gold stared out to the scene in front of him. Having reached the massive gates and standing right before them, he looked into the main campus of the Academy, and even with his extensive training, could not help but gawk in amazement.

Everywhere he looked, there were students, all dressed in the signature school uniform. Massive buildings lined various walkways and roads, all extending out from the massive central square. The scene felt more like a 5-star resort than a school, and Gold suddenly felt small and completely insignificant. Then he steeled himself, his eyes gaining a hard edge. This entire display was purposefully designed to intimidate people like himself, giving the Academy good subjects to mold to their liking. Gold took a deep breath and continued walking, before glancing around in confusion. The circular design of the entrance area made each branching road look almost exactly the same. If he took the wrong one, he wouldn't have enough time to correct his mistake.

"Are you lost?" Gold spun around on his heel and began a roundhouse kick before remembering that he was not to reveal his affiliation with the K.E.J.F in any way, at all cost. He quickly jammed his spinning leg to the ground, destroying the momentum and causing him to tumble down, as if tripping. Unfortunately, he knocked down the stranger behind him as well.

"Oof!" Gold rubbed the back of his head before taking a curious glance at the other person. He saw a dark-haired twin-tailed girl, looking to be about the same age as him.

"I'm sorry," Gold said as he got up and extended a helping hand. The girl grasped it and righted herself as well.

"It's fine. I guess it kinda is my fault, you know, startling you and all…" The girl seemed to examine him. Gold did likewise. He was able to tell that she from some top-class family, or at least had ties with one. She seemed to heavily favor her legs, perhaps due to a deficiency in arm strength. She was also carrying an abnormal amount of water bottles.

"Crystal Waterglass," the girl said, extending her hand. Gold stared at it with suspicion.

"Excuse me?"

"Crystal Waterglass. That's my name. Nice to meet you, um…" Crystal trailed off awkwardly. Gold suddenly remembered that he was in a friendly, social environment.

"Ethan Heart," he said, taking Crystal's outstretched hand. Crystal smiled.

"So anyways, you looked a little lost. Are you new?" Gold nodded. "That's good. I can show you to… oh! That's my class! How convenient!" Gold sighed. He would have preferred less social interaction, but it seemed as if he would be unable to avoid it. Even worse, this girl, Crystal, seemed to be interested in him less because of kindness and more because of curiosity. If he did something wrong, the whole school would most likely know shortly. He sighed. He would have no choice but to follow. After all, he needed to blend in, remain in the shadows, and collect data, not stand out.

Red was in a cheerful, or at least as cheerful as he was able to be. The first phase of his plan had been completed with few glitches. He now simply needed to continue; it was all within his calculations. Admittedly, there were a few unexpected factors, such as the G.R.A.M. Alliance and the stone filled with power. However, ultimately, he was still confident.

Regardless of how well the plan was functioning, it was absolutely necessary for him to continue visiting the Academy. He snorted. Who had thought of putting the all of the elite and the children of the elite in one, small area? The place was overflowing with information, and Red loved it. Not to mention, the school had cutting-edge technology as well. A few pieces of equipment going missing now and then were unnoticeable. That was precisely what Red was lacking. Information and resources. And now, he had the perfect method of gaining them. He grinned as Pika jumped on his lap, demanding Red to scratch the rodent's back. For now, everything seemed to be doing well.

Blue was rather bored, as usual. There was nothing to stimulate his mind, and he had just finished reading the only book that he was carrying. He slumped onto his desk, burying his head into his arms. With nothing else to keep it occupied his mind desperately grabbed out. Blue sighed, thinking about the whole 'game' fiasco. He was almost convinced that some kind of a hypnosis-typed divine had been used on him and the others, but he knew better than that. The entire thing had been real, Rai, Fear, and all. For someone who valued intelligence more than strength, he admired Fear. However, at the same time, slightly ironically, he feared him. The masked figure may have been able to convince other players that he had been using some powerful divine, but Blue had gone over the scenes in his head, playing them out. There was no concrete or singular attribute to Fear's abilities. Blue knew: all of the games had gone as the enigmatic leader had planned; he had simply strategized and destroyed a power greater than what Blue himself was able to imagine.

"Yo, Blue!" Blue looked up, bleary-eyed, adjusting to the bright sunlight. He spotted Gary waving at him from the classroom's door.

"What." Blue was rather irritable, as was he always when his thoughts were interrupted.

"We have another new classmate here! Can you believe it? He's a guy again, though, unfortunately." Blue turned his head slightly so he was able to see the crowd of people hovering in the hallway immediately behind Gary.

"I don't care." Blue turned his head back, about to return to his thoughts once again, when he something caught his attention from the corner of his eye. Blue's eyes widened.

Standing there was… Ethan?

Blue blinked a few times before allowing logic to grip his mental functions once again. It was definitely possible. After all, He, Chris, Gary, and Leaf had all participated in a game at one time or another. Why not others, especially in this elite school?

Blue stood up and walked towards the door. Ignoring the stares, he pushed aside the crown and came face-to-face with the new student, whose eyes widened as well. They both glared before marching off. After losing the rest of the crowd, they stopped.

"Who are you?" Blue questioned. Ethan remained poker-faced. Blue frowned.

"Listen, I know this seems strange, but in terms of probability, it actually isn't. What I want to know, though, is what you're after," The other boy's eyes narrowed, "because I know you were hiding something during the game. So, what is it?" Blue returned the glare. There was a tense silence.

"There is absolutely no reason for you to know. However, I will admit that you were correct about me hiding something. Other than that, we're done here." Ethan turned around to go back, when he stopped.

"Why do you want to know? You're treading on dangerous grounds." A golden, questioning iris was visible. Blue smirked.

"It's because I'm bored, obviously. What else?" Ethan smirked slightly as well before walking away. Blue looked out a nearby window, staring at the vast, never-ending blue sky. Perhaps he would no longer be bored. Oh, he had no idea.

Red was ridiculously paranoid. Whether it was his desire to not fail the plan at this stage, an error in his calculations, or just simply gut instinct, he felt as if there was something completely, terribly wrong. However, he had pushed down this feeling and had entered the Academy. Staying away from all crowds, his eyes flickered back and forth, analyzing all nearby people and determining their threat levels. So far, he hadn't encountered anybody who seemed like trouble, but Red knew that something was going to happen. As he entered his classroom, he immediately took a seat in the back corner in order to be able to observe everyone.

He noticed an unusual amount of excitement among the other students, but chalked it up to some test or something equally insignificant. As the bell rang, announcing the start of the day to all, Red noticed a familiar face mingling in the crowd. He looked closer… Ethan? Red became more suspicious before observing the way the boy carried himself, seemingly relaxed but always ready and poised to either strike or run. The boy's golden eyes momentarily connected with Red's crimson-brown ones and the latter felt a flicker of recognition, igniting shred of memory. It couldn't be…

Right as Red was about to speak out, the classroom's door slammed open fully. Red glanced over as their teacher came in. Red glanced at him warily. He still didn't know his background, and although the slightly tall, well-built man with light brown hair seemed ordinary, there was definitely something different, off even. After all, he would have to something special to even hope to get a staff position at the Academy.

"Hello, class." The students responded, some uninterested, others cheerfully. The professor stepped up to the front of the classroom, and standing up straight, commanded everyone's attention.

"Today we will be discussing the advanced details of the mysterious power of divine. Many have approached me with questions, especially after the debut of the enigmatic Fear," Out of the corner of his eye, Red saw the new student sit up a little straighter, "and exactly what power Fear holds. To answer this, I must delve into a topic on a branch of divine which is still heavily debated on its legitimacy. You may have heard about it; the cursed." One could hear a pin drop in the classroom. Even those students who had previously ignored the professor were paying rapt attention now. The professor continued on.

"Cursed were first introduced by the esteemed Professor Oak as a hypothetical power which defied the previously accepted rules which bound divine. Can anyone tell me what those are?" A student in the back raised their hand.

"A divine is a power than either controls or manipulates a particular physical substance. In some cases, it can do both. However, the substance must originate from the user in the case of production, and must have contact with the used in the case of manipulation." The professor nodded his head in approval.

"Good. Now, a cursed is essentially a divine that deviates from these rules in some way. Some divine have been able to originate their power from a distance; others have control over an idea, and so forth." The professor paused, scanning the room, examining the dozens of interested faces staring at him intently. He took a deep breath and continued.

"You must remember. They are called cursed for a reason. Although the concept was only officially released as a scientific concept within recent times, rumors have been circulating for ages, from both unknown and credible sources. Disaster will befall anyone who is affected by a cursed." With that, the professor stopped, leaving the awestruck and fearful students in silence.

Red stared out of the window, contemplating. He had known about the cursed experiment, how the existence of deviant divine came to be known. He also knew the rumours, having researched quite a bit into the topic himself. However, he had never been able to find any reference of someone having no divine altogether.

Still lost in thought, Red casually looked over at the school's entrance when a flicker of black caught his eye. He looked closer. Some man wearing black was carefully and stealthily weaving in and out of buildings. Red's paranoia increased. Another minuscule flicker was registered in the corner of his eye. As he looked over, another black-clad figure was creeping about.

Red stood up suddenly, pushing his chair back and creating a horrible screeching noise.

"I'm feeling sick. Please excuse me." He quickly strode out of the shocked class. Red started off at a fast walk, but slowly increased it to a fast jog and then to a full out sprint. His jacket flying out behind him, he jumped down the large marble staircase, skidding on the handrails. As he reached the ground floor of that particular building, Red saw another black-clad figure steal into it. He ducked behind a pillar. As the unsuspecting figure came closer, Red took off his jacket and belt. Hooking the belt into the jacket sleeve, he wore the article of clothing once again. Then, he sprinted back to the staircase. Glancing back, he saw the figure start and then give chase.

Red shot past the marble stairs and rocketed towards the more modest wooden ones which headed down to the first basement level. He slung his belt and hooked a pillar on the marble stairs and stopped suddenly. The figure was unprepared and crashed, pushing both of them over the edge. However, Red's momentum was halted by the belt, while the figure crashed down the steps. After waiting for a few seconds, Red cautiously walked down and checked the figure's pulse. They were alive, but definitely unconscious. Red grinned.

Within a few minutes, he had dressed up into the figure's black garments. After covering his face, there shouldn't be any way to tell them apart. Red slowly walked out of the building, only to find dozens of other black-clad figures operating. He quickly ducked into a small service road. Although the clothing would disguise him if he was seen, if he actually had to interact with the others, then he would most likely be found out easily.

Red opened a door behind him and entered. Groping for the lights in the dark, he found a switch. Upon flooding the room with light, Red found a small room with no windows and one door, the perfect place to hide out. He grinned once again.

Chris was having an amazing day. She had started it off by meeting a new student, instant material to share. The day was bright and sunny, just how she liked it. Also, it seemed as if Blue and Ethan knew each other somehow. Figuring it all out would be an excellent distraction from her recent stress about the 'games'. Thus, she had entered the classroom and sat down like any other day, albeit more excited than usual.

"So, Chris… why so jumpy?" Chris looked up. Leaf and just arrived. She smiled and Chris grinned.

"Wait until I tell you. There's this…" BANG. The classroom door had slammed open. Chris ribbed her head. She must have been so preoccupied that she didn't even hear the bell. As Leaf took a seat next to her, Chris thought about the recent bloody games. The last one had ended in a peculiar fashion, and there hadn't been any since. No, rather than saying it ended, it never began. Chris waved away the imaginings, however. She had no use for them anymore. As far as she was concerned, that entire phase of her life had never happened. She stared listlessly at the front of the room while the teacher continued.

Suddenly, a horrible screeching noise jarred her into reality. Quickly turning around, she noticed that the previous transfer student had stood up suddenly, rigid, staring outside. With his only explanation being that he 'felt sick', he exited the room. It was rather strange, as the guy never seemed to strike her as someone who wanted to stand out. The opposite may be true.

Chris leaned back in her again as the teacher continued, ignoring the momentary interruption. Chris tried to balance herself on just two legs of her chair and got annoyed when it proved to be tougher than anticipated. Leaf watched her, giggling slightly. Everything seemed peaceful.

Then, a vibration suddenly spread through the floor. Everyone felt it and the teacher paused. It died away quickly. Chris continued her pastime when suddenly; an explosion shattered the room's windows.

"What the…!" There were screams as everyone tried to avoid the potentially deadly debris. As a second one rang out, Chris ducked beneath her desk. She saw Leaf do the same.

"What's going on?!" She screamed.

"I don't know!" Leaf shouted back. A third and fourth explosion went off. Leaf pointed at and motioned towards the door. Chris nodded in affirmation. The two crawled towards the exit when a couple of large men in suits blocked the doorway. Chris recoiled. Leaf shot a stream of flame in desperation, but the heat vanished as it made contact with their assailant.

"ATTENTION EVERYONE!" All of the people in the classroom flinched at the loud volume. The intercom had turned on.

"This is Dawn Berlitz, heir to the Berlitz family, speaking. We have taken over this facility. Do not resist, or you will be met with lethal force. Stay where you are; my henchmen will detain you and take you to another location. In the case of someone trying to play the hero, I will tell you this: No divine will work on them. Now, stay quiet, mongrels." Chris looked at Leaf. Although the message seemed ludicrous, Leaf's attack had vanished as if it had been nullified. Chris reached over and touched her water bottle, wetting her fingers slightly. She was unable to manipulate the liquid. She shook her head minutely at Leaf, who frowned. This was not going to be fun.

Silver stared, emotionless, at the cackling girl in front of him. She seemed so… strange, as if she was a separate entity, inhuman. Dawn Berlitz was a constant thorn in his side, forever nagging, annoying, and tormenting him. However, Silver had to admit, she was able to back up her words, and even he knew that she would probably be able to best him if given enough time to concoct a plan. In fact, the only time that he had ever seen her beaten was against that mysterious Fear.

Currently, Silver was overseeing the operation from its heart. He and Dawn had planned this almost since they had teamed up. This school, the Academy, was not just a learning institution. Valuable, classified files and information were stored in its archives. One could find almost anything there if given access and enough time. The former concept was a thing that neither of them had, thus leading to the operation. An added bonus was the hostage situation; a single one of these kids was worth far more than Silver would ever be.

"What's the latest there?" Silver glanced at Dawn, making sure that she had intended the question to be for him.

"Nothing much. Everything is going smoothly." Dawn nodded with satisfaction.

"He only one who has defeated me is that Fear, and I will get my revenge!" Silver rolled his eyes before returning his attention to his own screen. Hos gray eyes widened.

"Dawn… we have a problem…" The girl turned sharply. "What."

"Well, one entire border unit has been taken out…" This time, it was the Berlitz heiress's turn to be shocked.

"What!"

"That's not all, either… an internal unit is being taken out right now. I've sent reinforcements, but…" The way that they had set up their strategy was to have a few 'border units' spread out thinly to scout the area and alert the main 'internal units' of danger. However, if internal units were being taken out…

"I'm afraid that we've been pierced." Dawn's shock turned to anger.

"By who? By what? Do you have a visual? How is it possible if they can't use divine on us?" Silver tapped in a few sequences of codes and turned back.

"We have no visual. There is no trace of any type of divine being used. We're completely in the dark." Dawn turned red with anger. She looked back at the screen, staring at the arrangement of her troops. She nodded, and then slowly smiled a cruel, sadistic grin.

"I know this style. There's only one person who could do this." She turned towards Silver, whose stomach dropped.

"Looks like we have a rematch with Fear."

Gold didn't know what to expect when Red had abruptly left the room. However, he knew that if he was indeed Red, then something had happened. Gold had quickly glanced out the windows and, after a moment, spotted an intruder. Thus, he had a split second to react before the following events began to occur. As the first vibration shook the school, he quietly snuck to the back of the room. Then the explosions hit. Rubble began to streak down on him and the floor shook dangerously. He had simply held up his hand and the stone had turned to dust, no visible contact made. He had ducked into a cabinet, having been able to escape the notice of the intruders. That was where he was currently, mind reeling over the implications.

Had the Berlitz family decided to claim the information in the Academy's archives for itself? After all, that was the only logical conclusion. Gold narrowed his eyes. He had no idea about exactly what kind of information was stored in the archives, but it had to be something either extremely important or very valuable. It was most likely something on divine…

Gold flinched slightly. The professor's talk about cursed still remained in his mind. He hated it, the name, the rumors, all of it. After all, he himself had a cursed. Whenever he was asked about the nature of his power, he wasn't able to answer. Usually, he simply made something up, a convenient excuse. However, that didn't prevent him from being affected whenever the topic was brought up.

Shaking his head, Gold looked around at his shadowed surroundings in the dark, cramped space in which he was in. He would contemplate cursed later; right now he had to escape. Gold closed his eyes, focusing. Concentrating his power, he built it up before releasing it. A bright flash ignited, dyeing his eyelids a glowing red. Gold opened his eyes. The once dark insides of the cabinet now flared with glaring, white light originating from an unknown source. It seemed as if the light was simply there, not caused by anything.

Studying the back wall of the cabinet, Gold found a solid wood board, most likely with cement behind it. He sighed, focusing his power again. Gold clenched his fist, straining his muscles, and lashed out at the wood. The wall exploded into shards, scattering on the ground in the hallway revealed behind the cabinet. Strangely enough, not a sound was made during the entire process. Gold looked around and, after finding the hallway to be empty, got out. He turned towards the building's entrance and dashed down, shrouded in silence.

As he ran, Gold contemplated on the actions he could take. Obviously, with most of the school infiltrated and divine usage negated, he wouldn't be able to use conventional methods. Brute force tactics was not the way to go. He needed a strategy; outsmarting the opposition was best. Immediately, his thoughts went to Red. The way that Red had left the room and escaped before the intruders captured the rest of the students left little doubt in mind of the black-haired enigma's identity. The guy was one of the most intelligent that Gold had ever met, even with his extensive involvement in the secretive parts of the force. Red would undoubtedly be able to make a working plan.

A slight whistling sound interrupted Gold's thoughts. He barely had the time to see the sleek, silver bullet before it scraped his cheek and lodged itself in the cement behind him, leaving a bloody trail. Gold cursed at his lapse in attention before turning towards his assailant, a large man dressed in pitch-black attire. The grinning man fired another volley of bullets. However, Gold was prepared this time. Raising his hands, the projectiles slowed down, seeming to almost halt completely. Then, in the next instant, they vanished, leaving behind a silvery powder floating in the air. Gold took advantage of the man's confusion by rocketing off of the floor under him, leaving behind a small impact crater. As he shot towards his opponent, hair flying behind him, the large man braced himself. Gold smirked slightly. It was useless. He lightly touched the man's arm as he landed. Nothing happened. The man grinned, thinking that his opponent had failed, and lunged. Suddenly, he exploded, skin tearing apart and blood squirting everywhere. His face contorted in pain before twisting, eyeballs popping out of their sockets. Within a few seconds, he had been reduced to a mass of bloody, oozing flesh.

Gold looked at the mess impassively, then turned to continue on his way, and ice-cold look settling into his eyes. They were the eyes of a killer.

The inside of the cabin is nearly empty; it has been furnished with the minimum amount of accessories. It seems to be a hideout more than a residence. The bare inside is shadowed, only one corner bathed in a warm golden glow. It is in this corner where the only resident of the structure can be seen, hurriedly packing a bag. The snow swirls outside, the wind wailing a low, ominous note. The man stiffens, then turns around, revealing himself to be Professor Rowan. He stares intently at the wooden entrance. After a period of silence, he turns back to continue his work.

Suddenly, the door crashes in as if flung by some extraordinary force, allowing the raging blizzard outside to enter the sanctuary. Rowan jumps back, pressing himself against the wall, clutching a package wrapped in cloth. Men dressed in black file in, each with a bold, red 'R' emblazoned on their chest. The part momentarily to allow access to a tall, red-haired woman who sports a cruel smirk. She throws the limp, lifeless body that she was dragging behind her in front of Rowan. It rolls over, revealing itself to be a barely alive Lucas. Rowan gapes upon the scene with horror. The woman's sadistic grin grows larger as she approaches the professor. In a deliberate attempt to anger the old man, the woman spits on Lucas's still body. Something in the old professor snaps.

With a scream, he slams his hand on the cabin floor, causing it to explode, sending shards of wood in all directions. The woman and her associates reel back, protecting themselves. The professor takes advantage of this and runs away into the blizzard, knowing that everything will be over if the woman manages to acquire the contents of his parcel. The man fights the battering wind and sleet as slowly makes his way towards the large, imposing shadow that stands, overlooking the area. Its jagged peak seems unnaturally dark, a black box, absorbing all light.

The man hears yells and looks back. He sees that the woman and her associates have recovered and are giving chase. Tightening his coat against the bitter weather, he strives forwards, making sure the parcel is safe. The yelling behind him increases.

Another explosion shakes the ground, hurling Rowan through the air. He soars through the air briefly, catching a gust of wind, before crashing into a pile of cold, white snow. He looks upwards and sees the peak of the mountain rising above him. The man, although exhausted, his muscles aching with cold and going limp with fatigue, continues, knowing that he has almost reached his destination.

Unfortunately, it is not meant to be. As the professor approaches the mouth of the large cave entrance to the mountain, a hand shoots out from behind the curtain of snow and grabs his shoulder. Four more arms, clad in black, grab and detain the professor. The parcel slips from his hands and lands softly, cushioned by the snow. The professor struggles as the woman bends down to pick up the cloth-covered package from the ground, but it is to no avail. As she takes off its wrappings, the woman laughs, a horrible, cruel sound. She cradles a sparkling blue orb, glowing with power. She had succeeded.

However, Rowan will not give up without a fight. He lunges forward, taking his captors by surprise, and slams his hand onto the pulsing stone. Some of the woman's other associates quickly grab him and he is detained once again. Rowan smiles, knowing that he has done what was necessary. The woman shakes off her momentary surprise at seeing that the stone has not been damaged.

Suddenly, the stone sends out spears of blinding blue light. Faint webs of cracks appear on its surface before widening into larger abrasions. All of the members of the woman's company watch in horror as the stone slowly explodes into a bright, sparkling powder. There is a silence in the midst of the raging storm. No one moves, talks, or breathes. Then, the world vanishes into light and time stops, broken.

A/N

Hello once again, readers of Red Shadows. I apologize for the new chapter being so late, but I was occupied with other matters. I also had some difficulty with writing this one, mainly the casual dialogue at the beginning. I'll try to post faster from now on, but chapters will most likely come out slower than before. However, they won't take months.

The plot moves forwards, and the characters will soon begin to meet and interact with each other. I tried to explain the concept of divine in this chapter, and it will be gone into more thoroughly later.

Next, if any typos, glitches, or just general errors are found, inform me and I will fix them.

If you have a question about the story, ask and I will try to answer.

Finally, as always, thanks for reading! Please review and leave your thoughts, comments, and any constructive criticism.