[Normal P.O.V]
Murmurs filled the air, along with a faint scent of tobacco and gunpowder. Several people, all high-ranking officers, sat in their respective seats around the circular, steel table. Despite it being early in the morning, around 0200 hours, a meeting has been called to all peace agencies from all over the world. Right now, ten representatives were present to join the meeting, together with their top agents at the moment. But it's not like they had any other choice. Their organization works under the United Nations, which they signed a contract with until they're released. They may have some form of freedom but when it comes to the higher-ups, not even they could raise a finger.
Shatter, the head chief of Drakos and the chosen representative for America, sat in his oversized chair, designed just for a big, muscular man like him. Like always, he came with his formal wear; a gorgeous Italian-cut tuxedo, paired with a knotted maroon tie and a fresh pair of single-monk straps—they had to be enlarged to fit the man's feet. Using a stolen hair tie from Mala, his charcoal-black hair has been slicked back into a nice samurai bun. Of course, his appearance wouldn't be as unique if it weren't for his absurd amount of piercings and chains hanging all over his body. Despite knowing that the UN headquarters is probably one of the safest buildings on the planet, he can't help but bring his weapons—the chains, just in case. However, he contemplated whether he would attach all 34 piercings to his body. In the end, he decided to leave the last four, which were the nose studs, just because he doesn't want to scare the rest of the representatives.
Unfortunately, the other representatives were already uncomfortable with America's section. Although their delinquent-looking spokesperson was already unnerving to look at, despite having a friendly and kind face, they can't seem to ignore the person standing behind the man with an aura that could be felt across the entire boardroom. One of the reasons why is because they know exactly who it was. They heard stories all about it. The man that once single-handedly massacred multiple criminal syndicates, stopped a global drug cartel, and possibly one of the greatest achievements ever; saved the world from the Big Three Tyrants. If all those stories were true, then make no mistake that everyone in this room has the right to feel terrified of the man.
Still donning the clean, black combat armor with lines of gaps running down across his suit, he has his arms folded across his chest, which were bulked up with extra plates of armor that matched the color of his suit. A baggy hood that's attached to armor covered most of his face, except for his mouth and nose. Even if the hood was off, a clear red visor concealed the upper-half of his face so it wouldn't exactly be that much trouble if a gust of wind suddenly blew out of nowhere. Attached to his hip is a coil of chain with an extremely sharp, curved blade locked in its end, as his main weapon. Although people remembered Night Fury as the person with "the blade forged out of hell", they still haven't seen the man work in front of their eyes so they can't judge too quickly. Besides, they seem to have noticed the long, elongated hilt strapped to his back.
People speculated that the Night Fury had grown softer and maybe even weaker over the years. His victims were less brutalized and most of the stories they heard weren't as terrifying and spine-chilling as before. This happened right after the destruction of the Big Three Tyrants. But then, around the four years after that incident, the stories slowly grew more gruesome and the reports that were received were as daunting as before, maybe even more. So, the respect and fear for the infamous offspring of death are back in full force and everyone in the room can feel it.
Meanwhile, behind the red visor, Zythid had his eyes closed for the past fifteen minutes, trying to get some shut-eye before the big meeting would start that would probably last an entire day. After donning the title of Night Fury for the past six years, he has learned that in almost every situation, he must give off an intimidating aura to keep up to the name. However, it's hard to keep on doing it for a long period of time. It's a bit tiring and overwhelming. His predecessor could do this flawlessly and effortlessly, so he's been training hard to live up to him. Zythid finally found the perfect way to do both, which is to literally just turn off his mind but force himself to keep his body upright. He had found out that you could sleep while your body continues exerting energy to hold certain positions, just like what he's doing right now.
Ten more minutes have passed, and there has been no sign of the secretary-general. The other representatives were starting to get impatient. They're not exactly the type of people that would leave their agencies for this long.
As if the gods have answered their prayers, the doors open and in comes a well-suited man in his late 60s, together with his security escort; both wearing their standard UNPOL uniform, with a customary M16 and an earpiece. Light wrinkles lined across his face, giving off the assumption that he's still spry and youthful for his age. His hair has turned completely white and already has signs of balding on the top of his head. Wearing a thin pair of spectacles, he walked around the room to reach his seat at the remaining spot on the front of the table. It was quiet, except for the secretary-general's steps. Once he reached his seat, he sat down with a sigh while his security escorts stood behind him like the rest of the agents. However, it's highly likely that the top agents from all across the world are a better form of security than the UNPOL.
The secretary-general, Lachlan Tuffin, took out several files and laid them across the table. He cleared his throat before addressing the meeting. "Now, you must be wondering why I called all of you here today." He announced, panning his vision around the table. "If you must know, I called you here to report your current statistics and records. It's been a while since we had our last report. I believe it's been fifteen years. So, lay everything down on the table. Australia, let's start with you."
Australian representative, Oliver Lee; head of the Titans organization, nervously tapped his fingers on the surface of the table. He gave a slight glance at his top agent, who refused to make eye contact with his boss. "Uh, we've been going a'ight. Not too shabby. Criminal rates have gone down for the past years. And uh... that's about it, yeah."
Mr. Tuffin hummed unimpressed, all the while scrolling through the pages of one of the files. "Nothing serious, eh?" He questioned, to which Oliver Lee responded with a tight nod. "Well, I heard that the Sydney Opera House was attacked, resulting in 134 deaths, 210 injured, and millions of property damage. You can't be seriously trying to hide this from me."
"I-uh... I just wanted to discreetly relay this information to you as quietly as possible." Oliver Lee replied.
"It's all over the news, Lee. We'll talk about this later." Mr. Tuffin sternly said. He turned to the next representative, who looks just as apprehensive as the last guy. "Elias Weber, your turn."
While Western Europe's representative stumbled on his words as he tried to explain the recent attack on Germany, Shatter's mind went blank and the noise fell silent on his ears. Lately, he has this feeling that something's about to happen. He would watch the news and almost every day, there's a major tragedy occurring. Of course, it's none of his business since his division only focuses on certain people and places. It would have to be really important if they have to branch out of their territory, just like their Italian reconnaissance mission which resulted in the lives of two of their best agents being taken away.
It's not uncommon that they would suffer some losses, but the problem was how fast the rate is. Within the same year, one of the Demolition and Explosive twins was severely injured by the same person that's dividing the organization in half. But he can't blame this on one problematic vigilante. In fact, he recently heard that the Shangti Tower has been attacked by an unknown source. It wasn't just them; an entire village disappeared in Russia, hundreds of people had been massacred in Nigeria, terrorist attacks were occurring all over the Middle East. The number of deaths that occurred last year increased by an estimate of 2.87%, which excludes health issues and natural causes. Judging by how many people are dying every day, they could only imagine how much the death rate increased. If they don't find the problem soon, by the end of the decade, half the population might've been wiped out already.
"Shatter, how about you?"
The secretary-general's words took the leader of Drakos out of his thoughts, but due to him being distracted, he could only sputter out a small; "Huh?", which earned him a subtle nudge from Zythid.
"What's your report?" Mr. Tuffin repeated.
Shatter scratched the side of his head, showing a strained smile. He wasn't exactly ready for this meeting and he's pretty sure no one was. This was all sudden and they weren't even informed about how it would go down. But when you're facing the head of the United Nations, you have to think of something to answer, or else it won't be a good look for your reputation. He tried thinking of something to report but everything that popped up in his head was all bad ones. He needed to answer fast and confidently or else this would go down the drain. So, he decided to say whatever was in his mind at the moment.
"Demon Killer..." Shatter spouted, and immediately regretted it.
The name wasn't really that known in the news or public. But everyone in this room has heard that name and maybe even saw the actual person. The infamous Demon Killer that roams around the Western Hemisphere, dropping bodies anywhere like they're flies. Even if they have never encountered him, the stories that floated around the underground were enough to at least raise some alarms. The stories might even be able to match the ones about Night Fury, which makes it even worse.
"Demon Killer?" Mr. Tuffin repeated, arching an eyebrow after finding nothing about the name in his files.
"Uh, yes, sir. He's been our current minor problem back in the States. Nothing serious." Shatter replied nonchalantly, but everyone in the room could pick up on the lie... including the secretary-general. He wasn't elected head of the UN for nothing. It's required that he learns a special and specific set of skills, which he successfully did. One of them is to read body language. From a normal perspective, he might be telling the truth. But constant tapping of his fingers on the table is a dead giveaway.
"Minor problem?" He questioned, trying to give him one last chance, to tell the truth. But when he nodded, he sighed out of frustration and then turned to their top agent, Night Fury. "Explain this, son."
Zythid gave Shatter a silent apology from under his visor and spoke up. "The Demon Killer is an infamous vigilante that's been around for about two years as far as we know. In under that limited time, he has taken a thousand or more lives and caused smaller criminal organizations to stop their progress. His presence is known across the entire underworld and occasionally, we would receive reports of his appearances from different countries. We've been deciding his label for the past year and multiple agencies had already somewhat deemed him an ally and some, a criminal. Whoever, we've been the voted to be the deciding factor but we still have yet to bear any results."
"Why are ya'll trying to keep your reports hidden from me?" Mr. Tuffin exclaimed. "Ya do know that I'll learn about it soon, one way or the other."
"We were worried that you were going to shut us down." Ekon Kimathi, the representative of the African division, replied stiffly.
A frown crawled up the secretary-general's face. "The fuck? Why the hell would we shut youse down when we're the ones who created you cunts in the first place?!" He responded with an awfully loud voice. They learned the hard way that Mr. Tuffin isn't exactly as formal as other people perceived him to be. Once aggravated, the inner Aussie in his soul would just jump out and start swinging.
The secretary-general took off his spectacles and then pinched the bridge of his nose while sighing. "I'm too old for this shit..." He muttered under his breath, before wearing the spectacles back on and raising his head with a forced smile. "Fine, let's get back onto the meeting. Joaquin, you go on right—"
The doors swung open and slammed against the wall, catching everyone by surprise, especially the agents. Their hands were immediately hovering over their weapons but when they saw a man bathed in sweat standing in front of the doorway, they retracted their hostility and went back to their original positions. However, one person wasn't exactly happy about the sudden intrusion.
Mr. Tuffin's face turned bright red, his front teeth digging deep into his bottom lip to the point that it almost drew blood. He then rose from his seat and went off, "WHAT THE FUCK IS IT ABOUT NOW?!" He yelled and the entire building shook from his voice. However, the man in question just ignored the fuming secretary-general and walked towards one of the representatives, Sâmua Samøssen, a large native man who happens to be representing the Greenlandic division. The rest just watched the brave yet stupid man disregard the presence of the secretary-general and proceeded to whisper something in the Sâmua's ear.
Once he finished, the representative's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. He quickly turned to the man's face with a look of disbelief, but the man sadly nodded his head in confirmation. He turned back to the table, his face white as a sheet and a horrified expression on his face. "My country has been eradicated..." He said and everyone in the room burst into mutters and murmurs.
Mr. Tuffin's anger receded as soon as he heard the news. He sunk back to his seat with distress written all over his face. The other representatives share the same expression as the secretary-general, all wondering how it happened.
"What's the situation looking like now?" Mr. Tuffin asked.
The man that reported decided to speak up since Sâmua Samóssa in a state of shock and horror. "Survivors have fled to Canada. An estimate of 12,000 refugees has arrived and the rest..." He trailed off and everyone's moods turned down another notch.
Mr. Tuffin pursed his lips. His brows furrowed in determination. It's been years since a tragedy like this has happened. After they defeated the Dragons, they've been at peace for more than forty years. Looking back at the war, it was absolute chaos. It started with the destruction of Madagascar. The land was completely wiped out, burned to the ground and waters. Soon, hundreds of meta-humans descended from the sky like angels, but they wreaked havoc on the people of Earth, like devils. Islands were reduced to floating rubble. Lakes dried up. Mountains shattered. The skies turned grey. Storms surged through continents. Millions, possibly billions of lives were lost. It was a historic tragedy that will be remembered for centuries.
Now, it seems that something is about to start again. But Mr. Tuffin refuses to accept this. If another war is about to occur, then he would rather die fighting than let their enemies wipe them out effortlessly. This was a sign. Before the war, they wasted time crying over wasted time. They panicked and because of this, the world had been reshaped into the one that they have today. But that's not the case today. He slammed his hands against the table and rose from his seat, a burning determination set across his eyes.
"I'm about to send a message; we are acting now before anything else starts." He stated, his chest blooming with confidence and passion.
The rest looked confused. Even Shatter was curious about what he was planning. One of them, the representative of Eastern Asia, spoke up, "What do you mean?" She questioned.
"These are signs. Everything youse mentioned is somehow correlated with what happened in Greenland." He explained, pounding his finger on the table. "These aren't coincidences. I've received reports of the same things five or six years ago. Whoever is doing this has been planning it for a very long time. We're already late. If we don't act now, another Dragon tragedy might fall on us and, I, for one, don't want to see that happen."
"What do you plan on doing, sir?" Shatter perked up, genuinely interested. "Greenland was safe five hours ago but in that limited time, it was destroyed." Although he called it from a long time ago, he's not one to come up with a plan from the get-go. Even if he did come up with one, its effectiveness would be useless if he doesn't know he doesn't know what they're facing.
"Whoever is doing this wanted their presence to be known." Mr. Tuffin replied smoothly. "If that's the case, they would back down for some time before attacking again. We can't pinpoint their exact location so we have to rely on the assumption that they're coming from every direction. So, if I'm right and every attack that's been occurring for the past years are connected to whatever this is, then they're among the population."
A wave of mutters erupted in the boardroom as Mr. Tuffin continued, "I'm saying it here and now that every suspect on your list has to be eliminated. I don't care if you don't have enough evidence or you don't have orders to pursue. I'm telling you right now that I'm giving you full access and freedom to the data records. Gather up enough information and focus on them. Every vigilante, mercenary, and hireling in the city are immediate suspects. You don't have to pursue them but when you come in contact with one, engage with the intention to kill. We can't have afforded to have any mistakes."
"But sir," All eyes shifted to Zythid, who immediately felt a wave of discomfort enter his system. But he pulled himself together and asked what he needed to ask. He folded his arms together, across his plated chest. He tried making his demeanor as cold as an iceberg fresh out of Antarctica. "What would happen if we get the wrong guys?"
"Then you got the wrong ones. Drop it and continue." The secretary-general replied indifferently. "I'm sure someone with your caliber and specialties can handle doing that."
Night Fury nodded in response but deep inside, he felt an anvil drop in his heart. Even though he signed up to an agency to literally be an assassin who kills for a living, he still has his morals and there are lines that need to be drawn. In fact, he believes that everyone in Drakos doesn't necessarily enjoy killing people but it just happens so frequently that death could no longer affect them. They are not the ones who would decide who is innocent or guilty. They simply pull the trigger while the higher-ups control their aim. With what's about to happen, it looks like this is another case just like it.
"Assemble the Druids and call the Department of Foreign Adversaries. Tell them to get ready to activate Code 106. " Mr. Tuffin ordered to his security escorts, to which their eyes widened in consternation but they responded anyway, with a firm nod before hurriedly speeding out of the room.
The secretary-general turned to the representatives of every major agency across the globe. Everyone in the room was anxious, even the top agents escorting them. The probability of a world-scale attack growing higher the more they think about it. They reached to the conclusion that there is something out there, waiting to just pounce. Mr. Tuffin could read the expressions on their faces and to be perfectly honest, he shares the same thought as them. was about to speak when the representative of Eastern Asia, Gok Hyo-Sonn, jumped out of her seat, clutching her phone with her hand while she stared at the screen with a petrified expression.
"We lost Japan." She muttered loud enough so that everyone could hear. "Yakuza overthrew the government."
"Italy as well." The representative of Western Europe perked up. He was looking down at his screen, creasing his brows in frustration. "We don't know who exactly, but we have our suspicions that it was an ancient organization called Camorra."
Mr. Tuffin let out a heavy sigh, clutching his temple with his hand. They were already late and these are the consequences of their ignorance. "I can't believe that I'm going to say this but, I need you to forget about that for now." He said. "I need you to go back to your divisions and do what I ordered you to do."
"Aren't you moving too fast, Secretary-General Tuffin?" Shatter remarked as every eye turned towards his direction. "What if this isn't what we're expecting? What if this is all a ruse to lure us into something bigger? What if this is what they expect us to do?"
"You're asking too many questions, Shatter." Mr. Tuffin replied sternly. "And my answer to all of those is what if it is what we're expecting, and we decided to wait for much longer. The consequences will be more devastating. The worst that could happen is I lose my position and yours as well. But I'm willing to bet that just to ensure the safety of the world. You were there the day the Dragons invaded, Shatter. You should know why I'm doing this."
The large man shook his head. "We're not just going to lose our jobs, sir. We're going to cause global panic across the world. Code 106 states that civilians must take cover in the underground bunkers and assemble the entire globe's military forces to raise the Pillars, which will cost us trillions of dollars. If we're wrong about this, the world economy will crash and it will take more than a year to recover. The people will impeach every single position in the UN, completely destroying our chain of command."
"We already lost two countries to two of the most dominant crime syndicates and one to an unknown power." The secretary-general replied. "I'm more than sure that this is equal to the scale of the Dragons' destruction, possibly more. If I'm wrong, then I'm wrong. I'll take the blame. But for now, listen to my orders and eliminate anything that may deem dangerous. From small-time criminals to global criminal organizations. Even your Demon Killer..."
Shatter shot Zythid a glance that told him everything he needs to know. Night Fury gave him a nod and faced forward. "Sir, may I suggest something?" He spoke up, surprising everyone in the room, including the secretary-general himself. However, he had no time to accept or deny any more suggestions, especially from agents.
But before he could refuse, Shatter intervened, "Secretary-General Tuffin, I highly recommend you to listen to my top agent here. After all, he did save the world once. He's got some experience when it comes to war. It's the least you can do for him..."
Mr. Tuffin glanced at Night Fury with a suspicious gaze. There's a reason why he never really felt comfortable around the infamous offspring of death. Ignoring his viciousness and his lack of empathy for anyone, he always found him hard to read. The easiest way to read someone's emotions and personality is through the eyes. But before, he wore no visor and he was still the only person he couldn't decipher. It was like there were a thousand walls blocking whatever he was concealing in his heart and mind. Even when he broke through all of those, there seems to be an invisible force that pushes you out of the way. It's both irritating and useful in some situations.
"Sure, go ahead..." He relented.
"I propose to send a scouting fleet to inspect the situation. To survey the country to increase our knowledge on what we're facing." Zythid said. He kept up his tough demeanor but inside, he's quite nervous. He's technically talking to the head of the world and disagreeing with him. But if this works, then that'll be a perfect story to tell his girlfriend. "While we wait, we inform the leaders of every country but we won't act just yet. Code 106 will be our fail-safe plan when we get the information we need. I know that this is crucial but it's the best we can do that can lower the risks."
Mr. Tuffin rubbed the bottom of his chin, contemplating. It certainly is a good plan but it will take too much time. But just like Night Fury said, it will lower the risks from both sides. He was also a bit surprised that the agent was more respectful since the last time they met. Nine years ago, he left a bad impression on him after he practically insulted Mr. Tuffin, his entire family, and his legacy. The only reason why he let him live or even let him keep his job is because he was an important asset and probably the best agent in the entire world. He would let the sarcastic remarks and insults aside just because they needed him. At least this time, he was a bit more humbled and respectful.
"I guess we can consider that plan. But I still expect you to do what I told you to do." The secretary-general reminded.
"Yes, Secretary-General Tuffin."
"Then we move forward with that plan. Go back to your divisions and start your missions. Get ready, ladies and gentlemen. We're going to war..."
"We're going to war, ladies and gentlemen. I ask you to get ready."
Hayden rested his hand on the rough paintwork that coats the door and pushed it. Rough wooden splinters cut into his palm; shards of black paint crumble to the floor. The hinges squeak as though they are a warning, but their plea is silenced by a wall of noise. Laughter overpowers the jukebox. Conversations swirl in a dirty cloud of smoke, the stagnant stench of cigarettes hides within the collaboration of mephitic odors. A sharp smell of drink wafts towards him, like black plumes billowing from the windows of a burning house. There's even a hint of flowers tainting the fragrance of the room.
Only a few people left from the huge army that just left. But it was enough to fill up the bar. He walked across the room, ignoring the strange looks he got from the soldiers that were drinking the night away. Next to the bar, he spots Nadia leaning against the bar with her platinum-blonde hair lying over her shoulder. With a drink in her hand and a light blush on her cheeks, it's pretty evident that she was buzzed. Her jacket was unbuttoned, revealing the tightness of the tank top he had bought for her and emphasizing her well-endowed bosom. Every man in the room was practically leering at the blonde, and Hayden was no exception. However, he has more control and manners than the brutes that were almost drooling at the sight. If they wanted some female interaction, they could just go down over the street and visit the brothel.
When Nadia noticed the auburn, stiffly walking down the floor with his hands digging into the pockets of his coat, she raised her glass in the air and cried out in joy, "Hey! It's you, again! It's been a while since we talked!"
'Yup, definitely buzzed...' Hayden thought to himself as he strolled towards the blonde. Once he was near, her arm suddenly swung around his shoulders and pulled him in so close, he could smell the strong scent of the liquor off of her. He could also sense the angry gazes piercing his back. If he wanted to stay out of trouble, he better not get too close. Even if he could take all the people in this bar, there's no telling whether the rest of the soldiers that stayed would rush over and overwhelm him. So he'd rather not get into a fight for now.
He slowly slid out of her grasp and faced her. "Are you drunk?" He asked, to which Nadia responded with a cheeky smile.
"Not that much. I only had like..." She raised her shot glass and examined it as if it was the most interesting thing in the entire world. "...ten of these." She didn't exactly slur her words but the cheerful and drunken tone in her voice told him everything he needed to know.
"Come on! Order a drink! I'll pay for it!" Nadia then leaned close to his ear, her lips nearly touching his skin as she whispered huskily, "It's on me..."
A tingle sparked down Hayden's spine and he shivered at her voice. Maybe it's because she was so close to him or her voice sounded so... alluring. Whatever it was, it sure did the trick to make him blush. He cleared his voice to drown the embarrassment he was feeling and decided to order a glass of vodka. The bartender, a gangly man in his late 20s, nodded and started to prepare his drink. He propped his elbows over the bar table, while Nadia took a swig of her drink from his side.
"I'm sorry for my outburst a while ago. I guess you made some pretty good points." He suddenly said.
Almost immediately, the intoxication left her face and her expression turned serious. She looked down, pursing her lips before turning around and copying Hayden's position, holding her glass with one hand "It's alright. You had every right to get mad." She replied softly.
"Then why did you stop me from killing her. From how it looks, you don't seem to mind..." Hayden eyed the liquid pouring into the glass as the bartender closed the cap of the bottle. He then turned to Nadia with an earnest gaze. "Why?"
Nadia licked her lips and then pressed them together into a thin line. She wondered if she should tell him about her interaction with Camilla, but decided to keep that a secret. If she labeled that as a reason, she had a feeling that he would think that she's only obligated to do it just because someone else told her to. It would feel insincere and she wanted to express her genuinely. Plus, she doesn't know if Hayden can remember her friend's name, especially with all the memory loss bits. So, she decided to tell him how she really feels.
"You once told me that you didn't want to be called a demon." She started. "I guess... I know the feeling. Except, I already accepted the fact that I'm always like this. But you... I'm surprised how long you held your ground. For three years? It barely took me a year for me to accept my fate. Why do you do this... vigilante thingy, Hayden?" She turned to the auburn, her eyes boring into his soul. "What forced you to take this position in our life?"
Hayden released a sigh and intertwined his fingers along each other. "Three years ago, I woke up in a deserted land... with no food, clean clothes, or memories. I wandered across the area until I found a small town where I met an old man named Tobias. He... kinda acted as my guardian for a few months. It was a good feeling." Nadia could tell it was, just by looking at the wistful smile on his face. But then, his face dropped and his demeanor shifted. "But somebody broke in the house and I... I- I don't know why she did it but she... burned the house down... along with him. So, I hunted that bitch down and tortured her until she begged me to kill her. That day, I learned that there are some shitty people in this world and someone had to deal with them. Who else but a shitty person like me could do the job?" He let out a humorless laugh. "But that's also the day where I realized... there's something wrong with me..."
The blonde watched the expression on Hayden's face. There was no hint of sadness, nor anger, nor regret. It was just pure emptiness. As if he accepted it a long time ago but the hole in his heart remained. She glanced down at her glass, watching the golden liquid swirl around.
"When I was born, the first words my mother said to me was, 'you'll be a great asset'." Hayden turned to her, caught off guard. But Nadia continued, "It turns out, I wasn't. I was supposed to inherit a special type of gene but something went wrong and I only received about 25 percent of it. But half of it wasn't even useful... or at least, to my mother's eyes. That's how I got my mental disorders. I wasn't who she expected so she threw me to the side and expected me to work under her as a mere cult follower. Even though I was one of her children; one of the—"
"Dragons..." When Nadia turned to him in bewilderment, he simply let a small smile curve up on the side of his lips. "I kinda connected the dots early on. Don't worry... at least I know you won't sprout thorns off of your body."
She let out a light chuckle, "Well, I'm glad you liked it. Sage, however, didn't..." At the mention of her name, her expression darkened and the smile left her lips. "I was nine-years-old when I ran away and decided to fend off for myself. Killed my first victim when I was eleven. Worked as a mercenary when I was seventeen. From then on, that's been my life. I already accepted this will be my fate. Just a merciless, emotionless killer. What's my motive; survival. I can't make that shit up..." She downed the rest of her drink and released a satisfied sigh before slamming the glass down on the table. "That's why I stopped you, man. Before, you had the right motives but probably not the right actions but who gives a fuck at that point. But when you were about to kill Sage, it almost looks like you were going to enjoy it. I had to stop you there. Because once you cross that point, there's no return."
The bartender slid the glass of vodka across the bar and into Hayden's hand. The auburn just stared at clear liquid for a moment, before letting out a low chuckle. "You just had to get in my way, didn't you?" He laughed.
Nadia cracked a smile, "Of course. If I didn't, I wouldn't want a psychopath as my... friend." She quipped, to which he responded with a louder laugh. She surprised herself when she mentioned the f-word. But she was even more surprised that Hayden didn't acknowledge it and simply moved on as if it were normal. Her heart fluttered at the act and she couldn't help but feel grateful because of that.
Hayden took a small sip of his vodka, relishing at the smooth feeling of the alcoholic drink sliding down his throat. It burned, just like the way he liked it. He rested the glass back on the bar table with a smile. "Hey, Nadia. Do you mind me asking a question.?" When Nadia gestured for him to continue, he nodded in gratification. "Who do you think I was before all this?"
"You mean before you lost your memories?" He nods. "Well, I think you're the type of person who would definitely recognize Rakim, Big Pun, Slipknot, or even Taylor Swift?" She directed that as a question to Hayden, who simply shook his head with a grin. "Damn it... "
They shared a small laugh before Nadia went back to the original topic of the conversation. "But in all seriousness, I have no idea man. You practically started a new life as a newborn man so I can't exactly know for sure what your personality was before this. But there's a high chance that you might've not changed at all. You're like.. what, thirty?" He shrugged his shoulders. "Let's just assume that you are. If you were a kid, then it's easier to change your character. But when you pass adulthood, your personality will have some permanent qualities that might stick even after losing your memories. But don't take my advice seriously. I'm not a doctor... Why'd you ask?"
"Uh, well..." Hayden rubbed the back of his neck, frowning. "When I... broke down back in the volcanoes, I felt a surge of memories entering my head and I think I saw a bunch of glimpses of my past."
"Did you find out anything about yourself?" Nadia asked, genuinely curious.
Hayden's frown deepened, "Well, I learned I killed more people than I originally thought." He deadpanned. "That's all I saw. Just... death everywhere. Even before I was controlled and influenced by Sage. And I caused it... I don't even know if what I did was justified or not."
"Killing can never be justified." The blonde perked up. "Even if that person could be the evilest person in the world, are we even allowed to judge his actions? Morals say that killing is wrong, but only if they don't deserve it. How do we know who deserves it or not? We don't. The rest of us just don't care about the lines that we cross because when you experience some pretty rough shit, morals are the least of your worries."
"But how do I know if I killed all those people out of anger, or revenge, or anything else?" Hayden exclaimed, but Nadia shrugged in response.
"You don't, and neither do I. But what's important is the present and who you are right now." She replied, locking eyes with the auburn. "I could care less about your past because from what I see right now, you seem to be a pretty good guy... just like me if we ignore all the illegal crimes we committed."
Hayden let out a laugh that didn't really reach his eyes, and Nadia noticed this. He just continued to down the drink into his throat and ordered another one. If this keeps on going, then he'll probably feel like shit the next day but she doesn't know exactly how much liquor he could take. But he couldn't blame him. Learning the amount of information he just experienced is definitely mind-breaking. She's surprised his mental breakdown didn't go as long as she expected. She does have her shitty days just like him, times where she would reminisce all the horrible things she had to face during her younger days. They always come back at the worst times and the only thing you can do is to drink the night away. But she recently found out that it's not the only thing you can do. By recently, she meant a few years ago. She doesn't know if he'll be up to it, considering his life started only three years ago. But if it's able to take her mind off of things, then it's sure it can help him in some ways.
"Hey, whenever I feel miserable or dejected, I do this thing that would both satisfy my needs and take my mind off of things. You wanna know?" She spoke up. Hayden turned his gaze towards her, holding his glass of vodka near his lips and arching an eyebrow, a little bit interested.
"A proper fuck..."
Hayden had no idea what made him end up in this position.
As of right now, he's sitting on the edge of a fairly large bed, the upper half of his body exposed and his weapons hidden under the drawer. His blush seared through his cheeks and for a second, he thought his face was on fire. Gulping, he twiddled with his fingers impatiently. His foot tapped onto the wooden floorboards with so much force and speed that it almost looks like he was trembling. Dark auburn locks fell near his eyes, his head down as he anticipated what was about to happen.
He hears the doorknob jiggling and when the door opened, in comes the person who dragged him into this room. His eyes first stared at her exposed legs as they made her way up to her plump chest, which lingered for much longer. Pure black locks fell down one side of her shoulder. Cheeks the color of pink roses and eyelashes longer than anyone's he's ever seen. The rest of her body was merely covered with a lingerie that practically exposed everything. A smirk plastered on her plump and glossy lips, her dark-brown eyes swirling with lust.
Hayden's eyes were just staring at the woman leaning against the door, his blush burning stronger and a proper reaction from his lower region. Nadia specifically told him that sometimes, all you need is a good stress-reliever. So, she pulled him into the brothel and told him to go have fun, before completely leaving him alone to fend off the crowd of women who immediately rushed to him to devour their new victim. He knew that he couldn't get out of this and in all honesty, he wanted to try it out if it would seriously take his mind off of things. So, he allowed himself to be dragged upstairs and into a room by a random woman, who was already wearing a very skimpy outfit before she emerged out of the room in the lingerie.
A gulp went down Hayden's throat. He has no idea nor experience on what to do here. "Uh, s- so what should I do?" He cursed himself for stammering in front of the woman who was going to... relieve him. Even if he doesn't remember his childhood, he could fairly feel the embarrassment that he might've experienced back then.
Fortunately, the woman didn't seem to mind as she sauntered her way towards him, her hips swaying in a hypnotic way and the smile on her lips growing bigger. Hayden was stuck between a rock and a hard place. On one hand, he was growing uncomfortable by the second. He has no clue who this woman is and now, he's supposed to surrender his body to her? But at the same time, he doesn't want to be rude to someone who is only trying to do her job. Or at least, that's what he thought before the woman straddled him and snaked her arms around his neck, her lips dangerously nearing his neck.
Hayden's heart raced to its maximum potential. He tried to speak but all that came out of his mouth was sputters. It grew even worse when the woman ground her hips against his lap and her chest against his. Now, his mind is split into two with one being the hormonal side of him, screaming into his ear to go crazy, and the other being the rational one, telling him to take it slow. He screamed internally at the two devils on his shoulders. They disappeared in a puff of smoke and he was left with his troubled mind and hormones.
It only got worse when the woman started trailing small kisses up his naked chest, caressing his sculpted muscles with vigor. The tightness in his pants started to feel uncomfortable, so he tried to adjust his position, but it looked like he was grinding against the woman's lower regions, which only earning him a wanton moan as she threw her head back. She craned her neck and looked back at him with eyes stirring with ardor. Licking her lips, she pressed her chest against his once again and bit the bottom of his ear, causing the auburn to silently yelp.
"Hey, want to go any further?" The woman whispered flirtatiously and it was at this moment that Hayden's mind
At first, the woman was in shock. But that shock soon turned into lust when Hayden suddenly started sucking on her neck. A flood of moans escaped her lips as the auburn expertly left hickeys across her shoulders and neck. The warm feeling of his toned and chiseled chest sent shivers down her body, especially her lower region. With her body surrendered to him, Hayden assertively latched his hands on her clothed breasts and began massaging them in his palms and fingers.
"Fuck!" The woman squeaked, as she felt his fingertips dig suddenly into her skin, before emboldening him. "Yes, more!"
Hayden silently nodded as he continued to grope and squeeze her mounds. Sweat had built up all around his body already, but he kept on with his ministrations. He felt her nipples become more pebbled by running his fingers over them, through her bra while his lips remained attached to her neck. During all this, the belt securing Hayden's pants was mysteriously loosened. But he knew full well who did it. Not even bothering to mention it, he shimmied out of it and kicked the annoying pair of clothing away from his legs, leaving him only in his boxer shorts.
Hayden increased the intensity of his ministrations, which resulted in the woman grinding and rocking harder against him. Heat had already built up a lot within his body, now that he could feel more of his partner's grinding against his sex. He then proceeded to slide his fingers down towards where her lacy panties are, rubbing the tips of his fingers against her entrance through those thin clothing. The nameless woman cried out and panted, as Hayden gave another few aggressive bites against her other shoulder, long neglected for his attention. Having teased her with a few rubs against her entrance, he pulled away from his fingers for a second, before diving them again beneath her panties. The woman gasped out loudly, as she felt his fingers roughly spread apart and enter her, one finger joined with the other.
He continued to pump those fingers in and out of her, earning him those moans from the dark-haired female right in front of him. She cried out again, as she could feel another surge of pleasure shoot through her before she reached her climax with a moan. It overwhelmed her body, causing her muscles to shake as wave after wave of pleasure came down on her. After her climax settles, her legs fell limp across the bed and a drunken smile remained on her lips. Hayden pulled out his fingers, the woman's cum dripping off of them. He stared at it for a second before holding it in front of the woman's mouth. He didn't know what provoked him to do this but from the knowledge and information he received from the educational videos Nadia showed him, this was a common thing to do. The woman, an expert on how to arouse men, gawked at his fingers before closing her mouth onto them. She swirled her tongue around them, licking every last drop until she released his fingers with a pop.
Something about that just turned a switch in Hayden's brain. He then felt something shift within his tight boxers, his appendage in-between his thighs. It was just aching to be let out. Almost painfully. When the woman noticed his erection under his boxers, a smirk immediately curved up her lips, and once again, her body was filled with energy. She took the initiative to tear off almost all the clothing on her body, revealing her naked buxom chest. She might as well give him a reward for At that moment, Hayden froze in position. Thinking he was admiring her body, she decided to give him a show. She licked her lips seductively as she cupped her breasts with her free hands. She ran them over her sensitive nipples and had to bite back her moan.
She raised her hips and accidentally rubbed her clit against the hard cloth, causing her to moan wantonly. She could feel him under her exposed nether-lips, eager to be released. So, she did him a favor and grabbed the waistband of his pants tightly, grinning sultrily at the auburn, and then proceeded to pull the clothing down, causing his dick to spring out and stand up like a mountain right in front of her. The woman felt her lower lips throb almost painfully as she imagined that going inside her.
She thought he was one of those men that's well-built and handsome from the outside but unfortunate from the lower region side. She was proven wrong and she's excited to see how it'll go. She silently praised herself for snatching this man before the rest of her co-workers could. What luck is this? A wallop of cash and a satisfying fuck for once? She might even consider taking him for her own if this meets her expectations. Licking her lips in anticipation, she waited for the man to just shove his engorged phallus into her but it never came. She looked up and saw the widened eyes of the auburn that's not even directed at her, just staring out into space.
Hayden likes to believe that he's out of his mind. The first sign was his merciless and indifferent attitude towards murder. He does know what he's doing but his mind, sometimes, fails to comprehend his actions. The second is his memory surges, which seems to be happening more often since the start of last year. From time to time, he could speak multiple languages or do certain things that he doesn't know how, but after a few minutes, those pieces of knowledge will just fly out of his head. The third sign is now literally sitting before his eyes, or he thinks it was.
Time slowed through his vision as the world around him moved at a snail-like pace. Sitting against the headrest of the bead is a ghost-like apparition of a woman, her leg propped up against the covers and her arm resting against her knee. Most of her face was blurry; Hayden doesn't know if it was him or the apparition but the only feature he could see was her eyes. They were the color of a crystal buried in the icy cold snow sand; the color of a perfect raindrop on a blue aster; the color of a river hurrying to join the great ocean. He found himself drawn to them, even if he doesn't know why.
The more he stared into them, the more her figure cleared. The long braided locks that fell down her shoulders glowed and burned like the sun. The hazy buzz shifting below her face slowly disappeared to reveal one of the most beautiful smiles he has ever seen, if not the most beautiful. He could see the emotions radiating through just from the simple curvature of her mouth; excitement, joy. But he noticed the hint of sadness just hidden from her smile. Slowly, that smile faded. The corner of her lips fell and her cheeks softened until she was merely boring her eyes into his soul without a single expression or emotion showing.
Hayden didn't know why but he felt his chest tightened at that. He wanted to reach out and comfort her, hold her close and tell her that everything was going to be okay. But he's not sure if he's in the right mental state of mind to tell her that, himself. Instead, he watched with pain in his heart as the woman's body slowly faded. The ghost-like smoke enveloping her began to disappear along in the air, starting from her feet and up to her waist. It was about to reach her face when her expression suddenly changed. He could fully see her face but the floods of rage and pain smoldering through her eyes. Her former smile clenched into a disgusted sneer. I could see one emotion churning in the middle of the waves of furious flames and it was betrayal. But among them, was an emotion he couldn't quite understand. It sparked underneath her anger and he felt it burn in his heart as well.
A single tear streamed down her cheek. It was a simple drop of liquid but it was more than that. It was the tear that held all the emotions the woman felt in the span of ten seconds in Hayden's vision. It was the tear the broke the walls around Hayden's heart. It was the tear the made him come to his senses. He blinked once and the apparition was gone from his sights, just like that. He's just by himself again... or that's what he thought.
"Uh, are you going to make me wait all day?"
He had completely forgotten about the prostitute that was impatiently waiting for him to ravish her just like what she imagined. Her naked body was still drenched in sweat and the blush on her cheeks still burned with passion. At that moment, he felt it was wrong. What he was doing right now feels like he was going to make the biggest mistake of his life. He doesn't know why but almost every cell in his body was physically restraining him from fucking the woman who he doesn't even know what her name is.
"I'm sorry. This is a mistake." Hayden apologized as he started to pull away from the woman. "I- I'll just pay you twice the money."
He was about to back away when her arm reached out and grabbed his still-erected member with her hand. A groan of pleasure accidentally escaped Hayden's lips at the sudden contact. Even if he told himself to stop, the only opposing force that was preventing him from leaving was the one that pushed him into this position in the first place. The woman sat up, glaring at auburn with her hand still wrapped around his phallus with eagerness.
"Oh, no. Fuck the money. I don't care. You get here right now and fuck me!" The woman cried out. She didn't just spend the last thirty minutes building up to a climax that she'll never receive. Although she already did once, her libido is still up and running and she won't let him go until she's satisfied.
Her grip around his member tightened and Hayden had to bite his bottom lip to stop himself from groaning. He grits his teeth in frustration, both sexually and emotionally, and he proceeded to grab the woman's wrist, securing his fingers around with so much force that she had to let go of him, much to his relief. He was about to admonish the woman for blatantly grabbing dicks when the door suddenly opened with a slam.
"Drop the cock and raise your hand in the air!" Nadia cried out in a heroic voice, holding her sword up like a knight in shining armor. But the bottle of rum in her hand only made her look like an old drunkard that owns a fruit stall during the medieval times. The faint blush that used to be on her cheeks was now brighter and redder. It was slightly more obvious that she's a bit drunk just from the way she stumbled across the room.
"What?" The prostitute frowned in confusion.
"I said..." Nadia slowly made her way towards them, her feet stepping around randomly in an aimless path but she somehow managed to walk straight. She held her sword tight, just to make sure that she still had it in her hand and not anything else like air. "...drop the cock and raise your hands."
The woman in question craned her head to the side, "Listen, bitch. Stick your nose somewhere else that's not a part of our business! If you want a fuck, I'm sure that the women's section is at the far right corner, ready to take your pathetic ass. Now lea—"
She felt something zipped past her at lightning speed and then heard it penetrate the wall behind her. Slowly, she followed its trajectory to a knife embedded into the wooden boards and traced it back to Nadia, who still had her hand out in position. A smile that's less drunken than before, curved up her lips. "Sorry for borrowing your knife, Hayden." She called out to the auburn, who responded with a thumbs-up.
"No problem." He replied awkwardly.
She then turned her attention back to the woman, whose face is still rigid in fear and shock. "You might want to leave before I slice your tits off and serve it across the bar as a plate of Jell-O." Nadia threatened.
Without wasting a second, the woman picked her clothes up and ran out the door, narrowly missing Nadia on her way out. Hayden released a sigh of relief, "Well, that wasn't a visual that I needed to see. Especially when I like Jell-O." He remarked, earning him a chuckle from the blonde.
Nadia sheathed her sword back to its scabbard with a grin. "Don't worry. I'm pretty sure you'll enjoy Jell-O more with that visual." She joked back as she made her way towards him, taking a small sip from her bottle. "It'll be more please... oh, hello there."
A bright pink blush seared through his cheeks and neck. His hands went supersonic and in a flash, his member disappeared under his boxers but the damage was already done. His inner self cursed every god that was supposed to oversee his life but decided to have fun and make him flash his friend. However, Nadia, rather than embarrassed or even aroused, was nodding in approval and... admiration?
"Wow, I guess I know why she was so persistent." She remarked, which only made his blush burn harder. "Good job!"
"Uhh, thanks?" Hayden replied, unsure of what to say as he began picking his pants up off the floor.
Nadia had to admit that she would've never have thought that this guy would be packing heat. She had to give him praise for that and in her opinion, it's genuinely more pleasing to look at compared to the ones that she saw before. Even with his boxers on, she could clearly see it tenting up through the clothe. She might even say that a pair of pants won't be able to hide his fully-erect length and to her, that's a pretty impressive feat.
"Need a cold shower?"
"I don't know how that'll help but if it's going to fix this... predicament, then sure!"
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So sorry about this. I'm sure the hiccstrid fandom will come and try to kill me now. But special thanks to Tiara once again for this weird almost-sex scene (Thank fuck)
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Sorry for the long chapters. I'll try to make it shorter next time. We'll go back to Astrid next chapter.
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P.S. All those dick jokes aren't mine. Thank Tiara for that.