Note: Before you start this fic, this is not a Fate fanfiction. There was no tag for Notes, so I had to use Fate instead, but the fic uses some of Fate's ideas anyway. And if you are still going to read this fic, I highly recommend reading Angel's Notes, the story the fic is based around. Angel's Notes is a post apocalyptic short novel in the Nasuverse, and also the first story Nasu wrote. It's available to read online and will help clear up terms and ideas you might not know that are specific to the Notes timeline. Enjoy!
April 23, 88
I heard screaming in the distance. The sky was red as it always was, and the dirt was a reddish-brown color.
*clank clank clank.*
My boots made noise as I walked across the deck of the Aristoteles, the Ether Liner's airship.
"Clare, what's the situation like?" I asked a woman standing at the front of the ship. She calmly looked across the battlefield and at a giant floating cross ahead.
The cross spanned three thousand meters in length and was made of a glass-like illuminated material.
"Ado Edem, it is good to see you again, you have missed a lot in these past years, including my promotion to Ruler. But as you can tell, there is no time to reminisce."
She cleared her throat. "Type Saturn, also known as the Cross, is active as you can see. It was heading toward the City of the World Tree, but due to the brave efforts of our pilots, it was steered off course. Now, we just have to figure out how to destroy it here and now."
"How long has the battle been going on? Who has been deployed so far?"
She checked her watch. "About five hours so far. The damn thing doesn't even have a scratch on it. As for who's been deployed, all the Riders are here either flying the Aristoteles or separate jets. The Archer's have been laying down fire to little effect, Casters are supporting as always, and Berserkers with the heavy artillery. Unfortunately, it's doing nothing, which is why you are here. Our ace in the hole."
"I'm flattered, Ruler, but are you sure I will be able to do this? I've been locked away in that castle for years. Don't you think I may be rusty?"
Ruler looked at me and a slight smile formed at her mouth. "I've known you since we were kids, I know for a fact you haven't gone rusty. You showed up, didn't you? You could've run if you really couldn't fight, yet here you are."
Without a word, I looked back out toward the cross as it mindlessly flew, raining down crosses of light onto the earth below.
"Where are we? Are any cities nearby? What about other forces I should be aware of? How close can you get to it?"
"We are around one thousand meters to the west of the City of the World Tree, there are no other civilizations that we know of nearby, only this ever-stretching dead earth. I will tell the other forces to fall back while you do your thing and I can get about five hundred meters close to it, but even that's pushing it."
"Understood. I will be able to complete this mission to kill Type Saturn. Get everyone out of the area, I do not wish to endanger innocent lives, nor do I want anyone but myself, and or Saturn to die here."
She got a momentary look of surprise, then a nostalgic smile formed on her face. "Still want to play the hero, huh? Listen, you better not die here. That's an order."
"Roger that, Ruler." I focused my eyes forward and Ruler called in orders with a phone while briskly walking away toward the bridge. The airship began to slowly fly forward and I saw jets flying toward us and landing on the runway.
I raised my hands and began checking on my armor. Gauntlets looked clean and ready for use, easy to move in too. Looking down at my chest, the black armor didn't have even a speck of dirt on it, the black cloth underneath looked brand new too. The gray waist cape fluttered in the wind with a rippling sound. The black boots had a white stripe down the middle and seemed to be in perfect order. They had heavy with machinery which could propel me into the sky built in the bottom. I stomped my feet a few times on the metal deck just to make sure it fits fine. After that, I grabbed the sword at my waist and removed it from the sheathing. It's not an effective weapon against an Aristoteles, but still a damn good blade at the end of the day. The sword was perfectly sharp and shiny like it's never been used before, despite my training with it every day before I was locked up.
With a sigh of relief, I relaxed my body a little. I was glad they took care of my gear while I was away. Though, in the face of an Ultimate One, you must have no less than perfection to even think about taking one on.
"Um, excuse me? Mister Edem?" A quiet feminine voice said from behind. I turned around and greeted the woman. "Yes? Do you need something?"
There stood a woman dawned in black armor just like everyone else, but the cloth robe and hood told me in a glance that she was from the Caster platoon. The robe and hood was black, so that means she was the Grand Caster.
She removed her helmet and brown, medium-length hair fell to the sides of her head. "I was wondering if you needed anything. It's been a while since you've been in battle, so I want to help if I can. That's what us Casters are for, no?"
I shook my head. "I'm all good for now, thank you though, Erika."
"You remember my name?" She said with a look of surprise. Her hand hovered over her mouth.
"Yes. I still remember back at the barracks when you messed up that spell of yours and blew up the left wing of the women's dorms."
She scratched the back of her head and her green eyes diverted from my own.
"Hehe. Yeah… I had to run one thousand laps for that. My legs hurt like hell for a week afterward." She looked back and smiled. "I did appreciate you helping me repair the walls back then. You didn't have to."
"Don't worry about it. I was glad to help. Besides, you treated me to lunch, so we can call that being even."
"THAT'S NOT EVEN AT ALL! ONE LUNCH CAN'T PAY YOU BACK FOR THOSE HOURS OF WORK! AND I HAD TO DRAG YOU THERE SO IT FEELS LIKE EVEN LESS!"
I outstretched my hand toward her. "Please refrain from shouting at this time. I'm sure everyone is under a lot of stress right now."
Erika blushed hard and looked down in embarrassment. "Right, sorry, Edem."
A male voice called for her from the bridge and she spun around. "Coming!"
She turned back and smiled. "Please stay safe out there. I have full trust in you."
I nodded my head and she ran off. Now then, we are much closer than we were a few minutes ago. The Aristoteles hadn't noticed us yet if it even had that capacity in the first place. Raising the helmet I've kept tucked under my arm, I put it over my head and lowered it.
My vision went dark for a moment, but then my HUD flipped on and I could see everything just as before. Vitals, Grain level in the atmosphere. Air quality, comms with the other crew members, and a sonar-like map.
"Testing, testing. Ado Edem, can you hear me?"
I touched the right side of my helmet. "Yes, Ruler. I can hear you"
"Good. Your mission here is to get in, kill Type Saturn, and return as fast as you can. You may use any method you choose as long as it dies and you live. Understood?"
"Understood."
The cross didn't make much sound even though it was so massive. Even with its size, the thing defies Earth's logic. The only sound it produced was flying through the air and the wind cutting against its body.
I walked towards the edge, the ground was easily a thousand meters below. But this was no issue for an Ether Liner.
I took one more step and began to plummet. My waist cape flew up and flapped around relentlessly, my stomach felt as if it was flying upward in my body, and my speed picked up as I fell.
The boots I wore transformed and became covered, now resembling thrusters. My descent was slowed, and I began to hover in place. Both the thrusters on my boots, and my back were working as expected, and their fuel was fully charged.
I took a long breath that very well might've been my last should things go wrong. And then I soared toward the cross. The Aristoteles airship behind me grew smaller and smaller as I ascended into the air above the Ultimate One.
Type Saturn had the power to create crosses of light as a form of offense. If I stayed under it, I could've easily been trapped and overwhelmed, but by flying above it, I could have had more room to evade and attack.
Even from so high up that the ground can't be seen anymore, the cross was still massive in size. It would take a few minutes to get where I must go, being where its core should be.
The hum of the jets mixed with the wind blowing against my armor filled my ears. I looked down and saw the illuminated cross stretch on for as far as I could see. Being this close I could almost hear it humming like a lamp.
"Ado, you can still hear me, correct?"
"I can hear you, Ruler. How close am I?"
"The core is located where the cross is formed. Where the two 'arms' stretch out, it is located inside."
I scanned the area and located what she was talking about.
"Understood. I will make quick work of it."
"Be careful, Ado. The thing may be slow, but it is still an Aristoteles."
"I know. Don't get hit by its attacks, and don't touch its body directly with anything but my Knight Arm."
"Correct, stay safe out there—" And the comm went dark as if it was cut off.
The cross is interfering with the comms? Intentionally or not, it's annoying.
A noise like a trumpet pierced my ears and the cross began to ascend.
Did it notice me? I'm near where its core should be, so I need to get to the ground to activate my Knight Arm.
I moved my body to the left and began my descent, curving around the cross's body. Mach One was reached and I arrived on the earth in no time at all.
I placed my palm on the ground and my right arm tingled like my veins were vibrating. A seed formed at my hand and began to bloom like a flower. The dry earth turned even darker than before as my palm absorbed its barely remaining life.
Flowing water turned stagnant and I stood up now that activation was complete. Now, all that was left to do was to cut the thing do—
"Oh."
In all that, I didn't even notice the crosses raining down toward me. I was only on the ground for thirty seconds at most and even then I was about to be skewered until my body no longer remained.
I quickly activated the jets on my feet and flew out of the way at rapid speeds, the crosses impacted the ground just as fast. I ascended into the air and away from the dangerous ground. Looking down, I could see the ground shatter into small canyons. Earthquakes formed by the crosses hitting the earth could easily have the power to level a city.
A graveyard was formed as the crosses stuck out of the ground. For how many lives the thing has taken, it's fairly accurate to call them graves.
More crucifixes were shot out toward me and I dodged them just as I did the others, but they curved around mid-air and began chasing me.
Just like homing missiles?
I drew the blade on my waist and began to fly toward the incoming crosses of light. I dodged to the side for one of them and cut it down, exploding after I moved out of the way. The next was stabbed through and I quickly intercepted the last of them with an upward slash. After that, I flew up to gain altitude and the Ultimate One gave chase at a slow speed.
Sheathing my sword, I focused on the seed in my right palm. The enemy was targeted, and the location where the core should be was in sight. I closed my hand and—
Filling the air was the sound of a thousand cries. Type Saturn emitted an ear-piercing noise that could make any army crumble in fear and pain. I tried to cover my ears but to no avail as I was wearing a helmet. My ears began to ring and I lost focus on the fight for the briefest of moments.
A ring of ice and rock formed at its side and hurled at me. The ten-meter disk approached quickly while I was off guard and couldn't focus, so all I could do was try and dodge it. I boosted to the side and the ring only scraped my left side as it flew past into the distance.
I grabbed my side and red liquid appeared on my black gauntlet. Dammit. I thought and assessed the situation. The cross flew in the air a few thousand meters just like I was. We both seemed to be staring at each other. In a way, it's almost like it was thinking to itself, but that was impossible. These monsters don't have that ability. They only kill using their instinct.
Several more shining crosses of light filled the air in front of it like a wall, each began to swell and shoot out beams of energy erratically in my direction.
I began to fly all around, narrowly avoiding each massive beam. Flipping around, ascending and descending, everything I could do to dodge.
All the beams ceased fire and the crosses began to swell once more. Light blasted out again, but this time, all in unison. A literal wall of light was heading my way with a very small chance to dodge and live.
With quick thinking, I cut the boosters on my back and boots and began to plummet to the earth below. The incoming death missed my head by two meters. Nearing the ground, I uprighted myself and activated my thrusters, stopping me from splattering on the shattered, dead ground below.
The sound of rocks could be heard from above. I looked up and saw a ring that spanned one thousand meters made out of rock and ice. A manifestation of the ring of Saturn was about to fly down, detached from the planet's orbit.
And just like that, the ring fell toward the Earth. I couldn't gain altitude since I wanted to avoid the thing that would shred my body into dust, but sticking out of the ground were thousands of crosses it attacked with earlier. Doing first and thinking later, I flew through the crucifixes, dodging and weaving through them as fast as I could while still being able to see. The helmet HUD read that I was going around Mach Two at the time.
*BOOM!*
*CRASH!*
The ring impacted the ground behind me and began to tear up the earth. Impending death followed me as I escaped. If I got caught up in either the ring or the ground shattering, I was as good as dead.
The crosses around me began to shatter as rocks were flung from the ring as it broke apart. One nailed me in the arm, ripping the black fabric and drawing blood. There was no time to think about that.
Dodge and weave, dodge and weave. That was all I could do at the time. The earth fractured right behind me, and the ring of Saturn shattered on the ground like glass.
The sound of everything was overwhelming. Mountains were cracked in half, dead trees fell into ravines, and canyons were formed exposing the inner workings of the planet. Animals fell into the abyss never to return.
Electromagnetic tracking crosses were manifested and followed me just as fast as I was moving.
I gritted my teeth and turned my body 90 degrees upward, rocketing straight toward Type Saturn's core area.
I balled my right hand into a fist, bone-like spikes pierced the skin and gauntlet, and the blade began to grow. I turn 180 degrees and slash the incoming crosses, obliterating them into a luminous explosion.
Type Saturn had already caught notice of the situation. The weapon I wielded was a threat, and that I needed to die, fast.
The sword grew and grew. It grew like a plant and passed one thousand meters long with no end anytime soon.
The ear-piercing scream emitted from the Aristoteles again crosses fell like rain, another ring of Saturn was being formed, and blasts of light shot all over the sky, yet, I did not stop my ascent. If I slowed down, I was dead. But no matter what happened, I was not going to stop.
The crosses grazed me, drawing blood from my arms, legs, and torso, and even breaking my helmet's left horn off. But I didn't even flinch.
My Knight Arm, a weapon forged by the very bones inside an Ether Liner, extended. My right hand was a sword that could cleave even God in two. A double-bladed, black sword stretched into heaven and hell.
I swung my arm, my blade, behind me. It was as long as three thousand meters, the same size as the enemy.
The sword that consumes planets was ready to kill the strongest being on Saturn. The obsidian blade cut through the red sky and the clouds below, revealing a long-hidden blue color.
Target locked.
The execution was set in stone as the guillotine fell on the Ultimate One of Saturn. The weight of humanity, and the world was in this one strike. One ultimate attack that rendered even the most powerful of beings as nothing more than insects—
"Slash Emperor."
/̷̢̟̻̞̯̓̃̈́̆̕͝;̶̡̲͈̘͓͕̗̯̜̼̹̩͕̄͒̍͊̋̔̈́̐͜͜͝ͅ;̴̢̧̳̱̰̬͉̖̳̮̟̟͕̆̓̋̄̓̽́͋;̷̢̣͚̻͚̮̹̣̖͎̳̻̍̈́̏̉̈̓͜ͅ;̷̛̼́͆̈́̇̕;̴̜̯̺͉̜͖̜̑͐̍̍͜/̵̢̧͉͙͕̦̠͍͍̘̲̣̈́̐̅̾͌̑̈́͆̈́͊͘ͅ;̶̛̹̱̰̠̭͓̙͂̄̈́̈́̅̾̈́́́̔͘͝;̴̨̢̞͓̞͇̰͎͑͊̉͆͗̈̉̊͌̑̊̏̚̚͝͝ͅ;̴̧̧̡̧͔̤̳͓͚̠̖̤͍̖͕̘̬̐̾̓̄̉́̀͊̑̋͛̍̊̐̃̕͜͝ͅ;̴̩̣̏̈́̽͌͌̕;̸̡̢̧̧̦̙̞͎̩̹̣̝̝̼̫̬̟͉͉͔̝́̅̕̚͘͠;̶̬̱̺̺̭͊̈̅;̸̨̻̘̣̹̻̺̬̙͖͙̝̿͋̆͗̄͌̽́̋̓̐;̶̛̮̀͐̂̆̓̏̑̓̀̒̋̿̕—̷͕̺͎̃̈́̉͆̒́̀̏͠-̵̧̹̞̖͎̏̐̽͋͛͗͊̕̚͝;̷̨̛̬̲̭͎͇̳͔̘̥̤̅̽̍̓̿͐̏̐̄͊̎̅̊̋̎̕̕͝ͅ;̴̦̳̺̞͂͆̅́͆͊̋̊͂̃̎́̕:̴̧̢̯͈̺̳̿̏̊͐:̶̢͈̙̳̗͚͙̹̰̫̗̘̦͕̽̆́͘͜͠͝:̴̛̭͈̐̆͐̋̍̏̋̇́͊̽̇͐͌̈͘͠:̷͖͚̜̜͕̱̠̱͇̩͔͎̣̤͈̬͖̥̩̮̎͋̅̽̑́̀̚͠(̴̛̪̠͙͓̮̅̈́̒̏̄̿̈́͌̇̓̀̈́͐͝͝͝)̷̢̛̳̟̪̝̟̎̃̑́͌́͆̓̓̏͑̾̐͘(̶̥̱̜͕̣̻̑̅̓͛́̉͋̈́̾̈́̏͊͆̐̅̃͝͝"̷̨̧̨̛͇̞̯̻͖̲͕͕̫̱̝͙̯͓̋͐̌͛̄͋̋͊̏͜͝ͅ-̵̨̡̦̙̰̳̹̤͇͙̥̠̟̻̱̼̼͐̓͑̐́̂̋̚͜/̸̛̥̗̃̈́̈̅̊̓̓̽̽͒̌̕/̴̧͚͙͔͓̩͕̼̼̀͒͐̅̔̓͋̏́̏̏̈͌͆̿̊̈̕̚͜:̵̻̥͈̩̝͙̙͚̇̒̎̓̈͂̓̈́̀̉̇̏̂̍̎̈́̿̌̅͒̕;̴̨̛̪͚̞̤̟̳̰̞̮̰̭͙͈̪̈́́̑̋͊̎̈́̋̾͑̒͆̒̇̓̓͜ͅ;̶̡̨̡̧͍̹͉̰͙̭͈̔͛͒̈́̇̏̇͐̎̎̂̆̋̈́͋̃̈̈͘͝͠;̷̨̻̯̮̞̫̯͔̹̠̽̔̀̄̽́̇͊̔̒͊̇̒͌̈̔̊͌͊̇͌
The Aristoteles let out a death cry as it was cleaved in two. Its core smashed to dust. And its once lit-up body turned gray and lifeless.
The two halves fell to the ground below as I hovered in the air catching my breath.
*CRASH!*
The bisected body landed on the earth and created craters like meteor strikes. Dust clouds formed and made the ground unable to be seen.
The comm buzzed "Grand Saber…did you—?"
"Yeah. It's dead. The core and body are split in two, and its color is gone. All attacks it was carrying out stopped too. Type Saturn has perished."
"All readings from it stopped as well. Fly back to The Aristoteles, your mission is complete." *sniffle* "Welcome back, Ado Edem…"
August 12, XX
When I came to, I was in a burning field.
My first deployment into the war. Ether Liners were created to fight the A-Rays, and as an Ether Liner, I, along with 77 others were deployed into battle.
Oh, the drop ship must've been hit. How am I still alive? Maybe the armor saved me? Who knows?
I slowly but surely made my way to my feet and looked around. The field is in chaos. Fire all over, bloodshed and screams, smoke rising into the air.
Of course, an A-Ray, a beast man specifically that looked like a humanoid wolf, began to sprint toward me with an axe in hand.
I stumbled back and tripped on a rock, falling back onto my back and into a position I tried so hard to just get out of.
The wolf raised his axe and began to bring it down. I closed my eyes fully prepared to die, but…
When I opened them, no one was there. Only green flakes of something flew through the air where he once stood.
W-hat?
It took a second before I realized that the battlefield was silent. I looked around and saw that everyone had stopped fighting and was now looking in one direction.
And where they were all looking, the thing that took all attention away from everyone and turned the tide of the Earth forever, was a silver and blue spider observing the battlefield as if searching for its next prey.
"What the he—" The knight was immediately attacked by a limb that looked like bright green gel, and vanished from the planet. Absorbed by the creature completely.
And that's when the screaming happened. Most began to run away, including myself. One by one, others got picked off like flies. Some tried to fight back to no avail. Others froze in fear and were either absorbed or stepped on by its massive legs.
I had no choice but to run. I didn't want to die, so fleeing was my only option. Luckily, no one tried to fight me, or any of the Ether Liners, as they were too busy either dying or running. The one-hundred-meter-tall spider advanced toward the group of people running, but more importantly, the city where us Liner's lived was not too far away in the direction that the spider is moving toward.
I looked to the side and saw a large ditch in the ground and jumped in, covering my head and laying down hoping the spider either doesn't see me or doesn't kill me.
After that, it all just passed by. I don't remember anything, maybe I passed out, maybe I just repressed what happened, but that day all those years ago, I don't know how long I spent in that ditch.
When I came to, however, I emerged from the cover and looked around. The battlefield was empty. Green crystals covered the red earth and massive craters lay everywhere. Crystalline spider webs were spewed all over the dead trees, rocks, hills, and ground with even some weaponry, and bodies stuck to them.
The spider was nowhere in sight, but in the distance, I could see a massive mountain of green crystal right where my home was. It was about two hundred meters tall and covered 3⁄4 's of the city in width.
"Ado? Is that you?" I turned my body to face the voice and it was a fellow Ether Liner I was friends with growing up. "Kai?"
The man with black armor and a white waist cape removed his helmet and I saw a man with white hair. He looked like he was on the verge of tears and was trembling all over. I removed my helmet and ran toward him, embracing him in a hug.
"W-what just happened? We were fighting and then that spider came and I ran away just like everyone else. I found a hole in the ground to hide in, but when I came out…" He said in a panic but couldn't say any more.
"Yeah, I know. For now, let's see if anyone else is still alive, A-Ray or Knight, we should help them. We can worry about the rest later." I said while I pointed toward the field.
We managed to find and rescue several Knights and fewer A-Rays. They were confused, but ultimately grateful for our help.
That was the first of the Aristoteles to arrive on Earth. The Ultimate One of the Oort Cloud, ORT. The very being that caused our planet to become as desolate and dead as it is now. And a being that has gone missing for years, nowhere to be found.
April 25, 88
I woke up in a bed in a room I did not recognize.
Where am I?
I took a look around the room. Just a plain space that all knights have as their room. So I was in a spare bedroom at home base?
All that was in the room was the bed I was laying on, a few drawers and cabinets across from the bed, a mirror, a lamp, and a wooden desk to the right of the bed. I also saw that my armor and sword have been placed on a stand in the corner of the room, all fixed up and shiny as if it was just cleaned today.
Wait, what day IS it today?
*knock knock knock*
The wooden door was knocked and the sound echoed through the small space. It then opened and stepped in Clare, looking around the room, then straight at me. Her blonde, short hair was flowing as she walked, her blue eyes were staring into my own. She then smiled and gave a small wave. "Hey, you finally woke up. How are you doing?"
"How long has it been?" I asked as I took off the blanket.
"Just two days, don't worry. You were exhausted after that fight and fell unconscious right when you landed on the deck of The Aristoteles. From there you were taken straight to the onboard infirmary, then you were moved to a spare room back here at the City of the World Tree."
She walked over to a window covered by curtains and opened them to reveal a massive city with buildings all over along with rare plant life throughout. I could spot a portion of the corpse of Type Venus below as we were situated fairly high up in the city. The sky was still red, but I thought I could spot a blue streak in the far distance.
"Well, Ado? How's it feel to be back home?"
"I just woke up, can I have a few minutes to process things?"
She pointed at me. "Can you move?"
"Yes, I can move just fine, Ruler."
"Then get up and let's get something to eat. If you can move, then you are awake enough. Also, I'm off the clock, I'm just Clare now, got it?"
*Sigh.* "Alright, whatever you say, Clare." I crawled out of bed and stood up.
"I haven't seen you like this in a while. You've gained some muscle, haven't you?"
I looked down at my body and realized I was only wearing pants. "I guess so, but this is just how we are made, right? We are supposed to be strong. That's how I didn't lose much while locked up for ten years."
"I guess so…" Clare lifted her plain black t-shirt to show her stomach. "I have no muscle though."
"Yeah, but you can still lift 180 kg fairly easily."
"Fair enough. Anyway, get dressed and meet me outside. There are clothes in the dresser over there."
And with that she walked out of the room, shutting the door behind her.
I walked over to the drawers and opened them, putting on the clothes inside. Black pants with a gray long-sleeve shirt, some dress shoes laid in front of the dresser, and a gray trench coat neatly folded on top of the dresser.
I then walked over to the mirror and took a look to make sure I looked presentable and brushed my hair. I set the brush down and left the room, locking it behind me.
And as said, waiting outside was Clare. "Wow, you got dressed fast. That outfit looks good on you. It complements your black hair nicely."
I took one more look at myself "Thanks. Where are we heading?"
"I'll bring you to my favorite restaurant. You'll love it, I just know it!"
And she marched away as I followed behind. The casual clothes we both wore seemed to mask us quite well in public as no one batted an eye.
This place sure has changed. It's more lively than before. More populated, there are more plants and more buildings. I hope this means there is still a chance for us…
As we walked by, I noticed several A-Rays going about their days. Beastmen walked by, a woman who looked like a dog was sitting on a bench, a bird girl flapping her wings while playing with friends. Of course, not all of them were strictly animals, plenty looked like human-animal hybrids, which is what they might have thought the two of us were. Humanity went extinct with the last remaining pure human dying while fighting Type Saturn in a plane. A shame but probably for the best, humanity couldn't survive very well in this land that's meant for A-Rays.
"Ado…Ado stop spacing out. We're here."
I snapped out of it and looked up to see a building made of a material that is supposed to be a replacement for wood since it was hard to come by these days. There was a sign above the door that read "Angel's Tavern."
"Oh, this place. I remember it just opening long ago, who would've guessed it would still be standing."
"The food here is great and the drinks are better. Let's go."
She grabbed my wrist and pulled me in the doorway. Immediately, I could tell why she likes this place so much. I'm sure the food was good, but the atmosphere was nice too. The building's inside was dimly lit, but enough to see well, the smell was amazing and made one salivate instantly, various decorations were around such as paintings and statues of various shapes and sizes. Of course, there was a massive menu above the bar area of all their drinks. There was a second floor up above with a spiral staircase that lead up to it.
"Hello, welcome to Angel's Tavern. Is it just you two today?" The waitress asked.
"Yep, just us two. Would we be able to get a booth? Preferably on the second floor?"
"Oh course, right this way." We followed the waitress through the building and up the stairs and to our booth. Around us were a few people, but it was much less busy than downstairs. "The menus will be right at the end of the table. I will return with water momentarily." She bowed and walked off.
"Quite a nice place," I said to no one in particular.
"I know right? I'm a regular here and I've been coming every week since…five years ago? I think you'll like the chimera."
"I'll get that then." I said as I scanned the menu to see what else they had.
The waitress came back and placed two glasses of water on the table. "Do you two know what you want already or do you still need time?"
Clare raised her hand in protest. "Nah, we know what we want. I'll have the bicorn, and he will have the chimera."
"And how would you like those?" She asked while jotting down our orders on a small notepad.
"I'll have mine well done," Clare said. "Medium rare for me," I replied.
"Very well. We will get those started right away." And she walked off, her heels clicked on the wooden floor.
I looked at Clare. "Is this only for food? Or is there more you wanted to talk about?"
"…how would you feel about taking a quest?" She said quietly.
I knew it.
I tilted my head in confusion. "What kind of quest? Why me?"
"I figured you would want the exercise. Plus, it's a pretty difficult one that would require someone strong, and you're our strongest."
"Go on."
"The City of Grain has requested aid. There's a cave nearby that some folk have gone into to mine and not come out. They want a knight to go in and check things out."
"The City of Grain? That's the one with all that Grain that resembles trees right?"
She nodded her head. "Yep, all of it for some reason hardened and became sort of a forest, but it's Grain instead of trees. It's a beautiful place."
"How far is it from here?"
"About six hours by train."
"Then there's an issue, Clare."
"?"
"I have no money."
"Oh, right… Well have no worries, I'm loaded. I'll loan you plenty of money and you can pay me back later." She said while making an "ok" sign with her hand.
"Are you sure? I feel bad about this."
She smiled and waved her hand like she was shaking me off. "Don't worry, Ado. You don't ever ask for much, you can take this money. Oh, speaking of which, there's one more piece of info I need to share with you."
She leaned back against the cushion of the booth. "Rumor has it that the cave holds a dragon inside."
"A dragon? Those are quite rare, no?"
"Yep. They were common years ago when they flew out of the Reverse Side of the World via the Great Rift, but after they were all killed, not many have shown up. So if there's a dragon inside, well, no wonder they need an Ether Liner for this. And you can keep the corpse and sell it for a buttload. In conclusion, they need the dragon killed, find potential survivors, and deal with anything else that may be harmful. And of course, they are paying you for doing this on top of what you find. So a perfect job for someone with nothing to their name, no?"
I closed my eyes for a second to think, but I already had my answer. Those people needed aid, and I had the ability to give aid, so why shouldn't I help?
"I'll take it."
Her face lit up. "Alright then! After we eat, I'll prepare the money and you can be on your way tomorrow morning after resting some more."
"Very well then."
Not long after, our food arrived and we began to eat.
"I haven't had real food like this in years." I said while devouring the phantasmal meat.
"It's been seven years, right?"
"Yes, or, that's what they said anyway. I slept the entire time so I'm not sure how much time passed."
She looked down with a pained expression. "I'm sorry, Ado. I tried and tried to free you, but assossiation wouldn't listen. Even after I became Ruler for this sole purpose, I wasn't able to do anything. They were just too afraid of what you could do, that they didn't even consider if you would do any of that. You were only released because we had no other options on killing Type Saturn, and for now, you are free to live your life."
"Clare, it's fine. I'm not mad about being locked away. I understand their worries, and accept all that's happened to me."
"But—!"
"Clare…Thank you for accepting the responsibilities of Ruler for my sake, I appreciate it, truly. But, none of this is your fault, you don't need to feel bad. This is just how the world works.
She grabbed her face and a nervous expression formed. "The world shouldn't have innocent people thrown in jail just because of a hypothetical. We've already gone through so much. Our home city was destroyed and crystallized along with our families…Without you around, I wasn't sure if I could keep going as I did before, but I did so anyway to assure you made it out of that jail and had someone you could trust with you."
I looked down at my lap. "Thank you, Clare. I'm happy that you still remain my friend even after everything. I owe you a lot."
"Pay me back by staying alive."
I nodded and continued eating. Our table grew silent and we could only hear everyone else around us talking about their business.
After eating, Clare went on her way as I explored the city some more. I hadn't been around in a while so I wanted to thoroughly look around while I could.
Walking through the street at sunset, a lot of people began to return to their homes. Their jobs were done for the day, kids were done with schooling, or people were just turning in early. Either way, it was better for me to get around now rather than while it was busy.
Looking up to the top of a large hill, I could see the Ether Liner's home base. A massive stone building like a fortress stood tall and watched the city from above like a guardian. That is where the Ether Liners live and train to fight.
Next to those were wings, one on each side. They were far apart, but these are the wings of Type Venus, an Aristoteles that was shot down years ago and turned into a city to live on. The two wings glow in the darkness in a nice yellow and gold color. Because of these, the city never truly goes dark.
But, seeing all this plant life in a world devoid of it is truly breathtaking. If the world is eventually saved from the Aristoteles, maybe the whole world can grow this stuff just like in the old Calendar.
My feet tapped against the stone path as I continued to walk around as the sky grew darker. Because of the red sky, due to Type Pluto's destruction spraying blood everywhere, the world is never fully bright, and when it gets dark then it gets even darker than normal. The lights of the city kept things illuminated, but to those in a place without such creations, they might as well have been blind at night.
I should head back and get some rest.
And with that thought; I did just that. Walking up the hill, and to the base above. Walking through the large, now quiet corridors, I reached the room I was given and unlocked the door, opening it right after.
The first thing I noticed are the lights shining through the open window blinds. It is quite a view…but now it was time for me to turn in, so I closed them and removed my trench coat, shirt, and pants. Putting on nightwear that was more comfortable to sleep in.
She never told me exactly what time to be up by… I thought while staring at a clock that hung on the wall.
I looked at the clock on the wall and its hands pointed to it being 10:37 PM.
6:00 AM should be fine then. Clare has always been the type to sleep in…no wait she's Ruler now, so 5:30 AM it is then.
April 26, 88
In Clare's outstretched hand was a rather large, brown pouch. "Okay Ado, here's enough gold to fund your trip and splurge a bit more."
"Are you sure I need this much? This is enough to buy a house. A small house, but a house nonetheless."
She forced the bag into my hands. "It's fine. Keep whatever you don't use. You needed the money anyway, right?" She then winked at me. "Oh and that bag on your back, does that have your armor in it?"
I turn my head to look at the black duffel bag. "Yes, I don't want to stand out too much, so I put my armor, sword, and cloak in here, along with some extra food and water, and various supplies."
"I can tell…that bag is as big as you are after all."
"Where is the station?"
"Oh, so if you exit this building and just keep going straight, you will eventually reach it. It's a straight line all the way there, you can't miss it." She said while pointing in the direction.
"Got it." I turned around ready to leave.
"Oh and remember. You can do what you want with the corpse. And try not to be gone for too long, okay? We only just got you back!"
I waved and walked off through the building.
I could see people looking at me and whispering, but I didn't much care what they were talking about.
I didn't feel like talking at the moment, so I briskly walked through the building and out the door.
The streets were busy at that time of day, stores and restaurants were opening, so adults were all out and about. Kids seemed to be in school at that time, so they were nowhere to be seen. A-Rays ran various stands, yelling out to try and get customers. It was perfect Wednesday morning for a train ride, and to spend time in a cave.
"Excuse me, mister! Can I interest you in an energy bar?"
I looked over and saw an older man running a store, his body halfway out the window.
So it has a dine-in and a walk-by way to get food? Smart thinking.
"It's filled with enough nutrition to get your morning going strong! And, it's only two pieces of bronze. Cheap, no?"
"I'll take one then." I opened up the pouch I was given and saw way too many gold pieces in it. I removed one piece and gave it to the wolfman, who gave me back five silvers in change. "Thank you for your purchase! Come again!"
I walked off and opened up the food I was just given and took a bite. Not bad…I can already feel my body waking up more.
As I walked, I ate the rest and continued on my way.
The breeze through the City of the World Tree was nice. Not too much, but it was enough to cool me down. The trees flowed in the wind and made a calming rustling sound.
Hm? I looked over at a sign which read "Railroad Station of the World Tree"
Further past that sign was a building which must've been the station. I walked inside and was greeted with a massive interior made of brick. A-Rays walked around with luggage being carried and dragged along. There was a seating area, ticket booths, a small store to purchase snacks and drinks, bathrooms, and everything a place like that should have.
None of that mattered to me though. So I headed straight over to the ticket booth and got in line. With the three booths, the line was empty in no time and it was my turn.
"Hello. Where will you be going today, sir?"
I leaned in so he could hear me better. "The City of Grain."
"Alright, will that be business or first class?"
"Business is fine."
"Very well then…" the man typed away at a computer. "Oh, and can I see your bag?"
"Uh, sure." I reluctantly handed over the massive backpack and placed it on a table next to the booth. The A-Ray walked over and opened it. Security measures are what I assumed.
"…" He spotted what was inside the bag and I could see the color drain from his body.
"A Knight…" he looked back up at me, then looked back down at the contents of the bag, then back up at me.
"Well, this will not do! I will waive your fees!"
My arm extended like I was going to grab him. "That's not—" I sputter out.
"And I will upgrade you up to first class!"
"Wait I—"
"No need to be polite, sir. You've saved us countless times, you deserve this, it's the least I can do."
"But—"
And so, I was forced onto the train in first class. The only person in first class that is. All for free.
I would've just been fine with business. So much for not standing out.
The train departed and we were on our way.
Seeing as how the ride would take six hours, I sat back and tried to relax.
The sliding door opened and in walked an A-Ray with cat features. "Excuse me, mister knight?"
I looked up at her. "Yes? Do you need something? I have my ticket right here." I reached into my pocket and grabbed the paper ticket.
She waved her hands in front of her body as if refusing. "I know you have a ticket. Uhm. I'm here to serve you…"
"Oh, does the first class have its own attendant?" I asked her.
"Yes, sorry, I'm new at this, plus I'm nervous…" She looked down, dejected. Her cat ears and tail drooped.
"Don't be. I won't do anything even if you mess up. I didn't even want to be in first class but was forced. Just take things easy, you don't even have to check up on me."
"I can't do that! You are my guest for this ride, so I must serve you!" She said stubbornly.
I sighed and looked back up at her, uncrossing my arms. "Then, could you get me some water?"
Her cat ears popped right up and her tail did the same. "Right away, sir!" And she practically ran off into the next cabin.
That'll keep her happy for a while I hope.
I looked out the window and saw the same old red landscape. Reddish brown dirt and a red sky. The landscape was practically level since all of nature was destroyed by the various Ultimate Ones passing by. Trees are either dead or gone completely, mountains have crumbled, and hills are still there but brown just like the rest.
From the records, while I was gone, no other Aristoteles attacked. Though, I'm sure they would've released me if that were the case as they did with Saturn. I should try and catch up with everyone after this mission.
The door slid open once more and the attendant walked through with a tray in hand. She calmly walked over and placed the cup of water into the cup holder. "I thought you might be hungry, so here." She handed me an apple. Of course, it was not a natural apple, but an artificial one since most trees can't grow any sort of food anymore.
I took the blue apple from her hand and thanked her. "By the way, what's your name?" I asked to be polite.
"Mine? It's Ava Naldawn. What's yours, sir knight?"
"Ad—Adam is my name." I lied. I shouldn't just say who I am. I felt no need to draw any more attention to myself than needed. Besides, public perception of myself might've not been the best. "Mr. Adam… I've never heard of a knight by that name…"
"I'm usually away doing stuff. I'm not in this area often." I once again lied.
"I'm from the City of the World Tree. I've seen your headquarters before too. Is it true that Grand Lancer has killed over one thousand phantasmals?" She asked while her face lit up in curiosity.
"Yes? He is a pretty strong person. I'm of the Saber platoon so I do not interact with him much though."
"You're a Saber? So your weapon thing is a sword?"
"Yes, my Knight Arm is nothing special though. It's a blade that never dulls. Other than that it can't do much." I lied one more time.
"Wow! What can the others do? Like what about Grand Lancer's? Sorry, I just have a crush on him, that's all."
"Grand Lancer? He can manifest a massive lance from his right arm. It's able to pierce through most surfaces conceptually. Meaning, that no matter the defense, it will break through somehow by making the means to do so appear."
She dramatically outstretched her arm into the air. "So you're saying he can just bypass all defenses?"
"Yes, he can. Quite a strong man. It's no wonder he's the Grand rank."
She took a long look out the window.
"The other day, an Aristoteles died, right? Everyone in the City of the World Tree saw it."
"Yes, Type Saturn was killed by the Knights."
She smiled gratefully. "One more is gone, huh? Hopefully, once they are all gone, the world can improve. Don't you hope so too?"
"Yes, that is what we are trying to do. It's the one wish everyone in the Knights has. Once the Ultimate Ones have been defeated, our job will be done."
The woman suddenly jumped and touched her ear. I could hear a barely audible voice from her earpiece tell her something.
"Ah well, they need me in car number three, but I will be back at some point to assist you."
Ava bowed her head and walked out of the car, leaving me alone for a good portion of the trip, which I didn't mind. The rest of the ride was uneventful. The ride was smooth and we arrived earlier than expected. Ava came back a few times and we briefly chatted with each other.
I stood up and grabbed my bag from the top shelf. "How did you find everything today? Did I do good enough?"
I looked at her and nodded. "You did perfectly. Here, take this." I handed her a few gold coins and began to walk away.
I could practically hear her jump and she ran over to me, grabbing my shoulder with her free hand. "Sir! This is way too much! I can't accept this!"
I turned my head around my shoulder. "Keep it. I insist. You've earned it."
She scrambled around for a moment and then stood up straight and bowed. "Thank you, Adam! Please be sure to ride again!"
I stepped out of the doorway, out of the train, into the station, and out the doorway and was greeted with a bustling city.
The City of Grain was full of, well, Grain. What fills the air somehow created several hundred masses of various sizes that resemble trees. A forest of Grain turned into a place to live with houses built by the A-Rays using the trees as cover.
Just like the City of the World Tree, this city was packed as well, but with much less of a population than the World Tree.
Most of the homes and buildings were built right into the very Grain that makes up the city, like an owl living in a tree hollow.
All the Grain must be a good camouflage from the Aristoteles as they would just view this place as just another part of nature and not target it for attack. They've only been tasked with wiping out humanity, so if they say just a bunch of Grain, which is the same Grain that's in the air, they most likely wouldn't attack.
I stepped out of the path so people could easily walk by and into the station without having to move around me, and I leaned on the building's wall. The sky remained its normal red even here. Funny how blood from an Aristoteles is the thing protecting the world from other Aristoteles from entering.
Oh, I should call Clare and tell her how it went.
I took my phone out of my bag and dialed her number, putting it up to my ear.
"Hello? This is Clare."
"Hey, Clare. I made it to the city. On my way to the mine you mentioned. I will ask the residents of the city about its specific location."
"Glad to hear it! I'd recommend asking the Knight base there. They are the ones who mentioned it."
"There's a branch here? Why are they not dealing with this then?"
"Because they aren't strong enough as I said. They are in other platoons on the lower ranks. They are there to maintain peace and make arrests if needed, not fighting dragons."
*sigh* "Alright then. I'll head over there now. How long do I have for this mission?"
"As long as you need. There is no time limit here."
"That's good to know, thanks. Bye."
And I hung up the phone and placed it back into my bag.
Scanning the city, I could spot a small, but recognizable building. The same style of architecture as the main base back home. The out-of-place stone-made building, while everything else is made out of white, wood-like Grain, or brick. The building looks like a military base with plenty of vehicles of all types nearby. I thought I could even see knights or at least guards walking around there.
It was about a twenty-minute walk but I made it with no issues. In those normal clothes I was wearing, I didn't stick out at all to the residents.
"Halt, State your business." The guard at the gate demanded once I walked up.
"I am here to acquire more information about the mine you commissioned the City of the World Tree branch about." I took my wallet out of my bag and showed the man my ID for the Knights.
"Grand Saber!? They sent in the big guns, huh? Ahem…apologies. We don't normally get people as high of a rank as you in these parts."
"It's fine. The Grands normally monitor the more important cities to the world, so it would make sense why there are none of them ever here."
"Haha, yeah. Anyway, you may pass through. There's a directory inside so you can follow that. You can enter through the door right there." He says while pointing toward a heavy-looking metal door behind him.
"Thanks." I walked past him into the building. After looking at the map, I headed over to the requests office. The interior of the building was made out of stone with a marble floor. Artwork and artifacts decorated the light gray hallway. There were other people in the halls too, but they didn't look like they were Knights. Must've just been other workers.
After following the halls for a while, I found a wooden door with a sign next to it saying "Office of Requests."
I knocked on the wooden door and awaited a response.
"Come in. It's open." An older male voice said from the other side. I turned the knob and opened the door to be greeted by a man at a desk facing me.
"Hello, sir. My name is Ado Edem, Grand Rank of the Saber platoon. I have come in response to the request of the mine disappearances."
"Ah yes, you got here quickly. Please, take a seat." He gestured to the front of the desk where a black chair was. I sat down and we began to talk.
He pulled a large piece of paper out of his desk and unrolled it, setting it on the counter.
"So, the location of this mine is right here." He said while pointing at the map on the desk. According to the map, it's on the outside of the city to the east. "As you've heard, there is a dragon down there. A survivor said so at least, though, he was in a panic so who knows if that's what he really saw."
"So I'm assuming there are no other details on the dragon?"
"No, there is one more bit. The beast resides about 500 meters down in a cavern-like space. Must've dug down there itself. There's a pathway down there you can take, but it's quite dark down there."
I touched my bag with my hand. "Don't worry, my helmet has night vision built in. I'll be able to see just fine."
"Splendid then. Now, the conditions are stable down there, so no need to worry about much else. Feel free to take any gems if you find any you like. And as for payment, once it's dealt with and you bring back proof, you will receive 50 gold pieces for your trouble. And as a bonus, you may keep the corpse and sell it on your own."
I tilted my head in confusion. "This seems too beneficial in my favor."
The man laughed. "We just want this beast gone so we can go back to mining as we did before. A little extra benefit is alright with me. We just need this thing dead. The miners are afraid to go into the mine nowadays, which lowers our material gain."
I touched my chin with my hand. "Alright then. I'll take the job and get it done. Leave it to me."
"Thank you so much, Edem. We owe you a lot.
The man bowed his head.
"I'm just doing my job. If I can aid you all, I'm happy to help." I stood up from the chair and pushed it in as far as I could. I made my way over to the door and took one more glance back, then opened it and left.
I set off on the journey over to the mine and saw plenty of people on my way over. I walked straight through the city, past the gate at the end, and followed a stone path toward the mine.
On the way, several miners tried to warn and stop me, but I just said I was on official business and kept moving regardless of how they felt. Of course they would be worried about a man in plain clothes walking toward a dragon's lair, but I couldn't just say I was a Knight because they would've wanted to talk I'm sure.
The path over was just like the city, trees of Grain all over, and several small phantasmals that were harmless roamed around, staring at me as I walked past.
Before heading into the mine, I put on my armor. Inside the entrance was a standard cave, with several metal support beams and there was a large table in the corner with several tools hanging above it.
On the other side, there were tracks and a minecart with several rocks inside, but nothing that looked valuable. Must've been abandoned when the dragon attacked and everyone fled.
I walked over to an elevator and got in, setting it to go down to the lowest level it could go.
The air felt warm and stale as I descended. The cave grew darker and darker, but my night vision ignored the darkness. The elevator squeaked and whined as I fell into the abyss.
With a soft boom, the elevator stopped when I reached the bottom, and the door opened. I walked out and looked at a sign. "400 meters." It read. So that means one hundred meters to go. I looked around for a way to get down and noticed a ladder in the corner with caution tape blocking it.
Must be the way down then.
I walked over and removed the tape, descending into the dark below.
A dragon, huh? I haven't fought one in a long time. The wretched beast must've flown up from the Reverse Side and dug down here. It's probably strong too. Gotta be on my guard.
After a few minutes, the ladder ended and my feet touched the cold, hard ground of rock. I looked forward and there was a tunnel.
*step, step, step.*
I walked through the tunnel and looked around, my hand on my blade's handle. The walls were all just rock with a few minerals about, but I had no interest in those, I only had one goal in mind.
At the end of the tunnel, I reach a giant, metal door.
*knock, knock, knock*
Tungsten? Is the dragon behind this door? Would make sense with this sort of metal.
Using the strength of an Ether Liner, I pried the door open with my hands and peeked in. I see nothing even with night vision.
I walked in and looked around. Nothing…
I still feel uneasy though. But why?
The walls were also made out of tungsten, with some carvings all around the room that looked like runes of old. I could spot unlit torches lining the walls.
*drip.*
A water droplet hit the ground in front of me from above. I looked up in curiosity and saw it…
It had a white texture like wood, the same material as Grain. Its whole body was made of the stuff instead of having scales. The same texture as when Slash Emperor is deployed and the "bone" pierced my hand. But that's impossible, right? That was a living, breathing dragon. So how is it made out of Grain?
*RRRRROOOOOOAAAAAAARRRRRR!*
The beast screamed, and the awful sound echoed through the entire cave. It started to fly down from its perch up above, flying around the massive area, then it landed in front of me. I drew the sword at my hip and got ready to fight.
The dragon was about 27 meters long and it was a beautiful white color with gray eyes. One thing was off to me though. It has claws like any dragon would, but it also had a massive scythe-like blade on each of its front claws.
The dragon quickly pounced at me and I blocked its massive claw with my blade, but was still knocked back a few meters. In retaliation, I used my jets to boost in and swipe at the monster, cutting it, yet drawing no blood. Its body even felt like Grain. It was like the thing was living bone rather than a living and breathing creature.
The dragon took flight and flew up high, and with a deep breath, it began to breathe white fire onto my location. I rolled out of the way, just narrowly avoiding the blast. With my jets, I flew up to meet the dragon up high. The dragon twisted and swiped its massive tail at me before I could even think about attacking. I was sent flying into the metal wall, and shards from the impact fell and hit the ground with a few thuds and echoes.
An idea from that formed in my head, so I went to put it into action!
Boosting forward, I rapidly attacked the roof above the dragon and fled, bringing it down and crushing the beast on the ground, I then flew down myself and went to attack with a slash to the neck.
But of course, the simple rubble was nowhere near enough to keep it down. The dragon broke free and rushed toward me, mouth agape. It wasn't going to breathe fire, but instead, it was trying to eat me, and fast!
I don't have time to dodge this! I'm already mid-swing, so—
I rotated my sword and put it in the dragon's mouth so it couldn't close all the way and bite me.
"HAH!" With my armored hand, I punched it in the snout, but it didn't even flinch and once again the impact felt like punching bone.
The sword was spat out, landing on its side with a clang. The dragon flew directly at me with its mouth wide open and its claws out in front. I could only block with my gauntlets and was pinned to the wall. If I lowered my guard, I could've been crushed or eaten, and I had little way to fight back.
My hand felt the wall and I punched it repeatedly until it cracked, and I was able to force my palm into the rock underneath. The seed was fed, and the enemy was targeted. The walls began to crumble due to the size of my blade. I kicked the beast away, and in an instant, I boosted forward with the demonic sword, slashing the dragon with a blade the same size as it.
The phantasmal fell to the ground unmoving with a crash, and I fell to the ground gasping for air. If it was a more open area, this fight would've been much easier. But the battle was over now…
Now all that was left was to grab a piece of it to use as proof. There's no way I could lug this whole thing back up with that narrow ladder.
*crack.*
I stopped and picked up my sword that was on the ground that dropped earlier. Dragons don't start cracking when they die like this, so what is going on?
I looked closer and noticed that the top of it was cracking open where the wings diverged from the main body, and where a slash ran through from Slash Emperor. The "skin" began to swell and crack even further, until—
A humanoid figure rose from the corpse. I could see two dragon-like wings and a tail, and I could make out two horns on top of their head with messy, short hair.
On closer inspection, it was very clearly a woman. The naked beauty was what looked to be a dragon A-Ray with short, white hair with black bits throughout. White wings, tail, and horns were in the spots one would expect. Large, ripped-up wings on her back, a tail near her butt, and horns on the sides of her head. Her eyes were a dark gray color just like the dragon's were.
She looked like she just awoke from a long slumber. Stretching her body into the air and yawning. She then licked her lips in a daze and stared into the abyss that was the dark room.
Does she not notice me? What should I do? I shouldn't just leave her here, but I also shouldn't just walk up to her either in the instance that she is still hostile. What if she's mad that I used my Knight Arm on her? What do I—
Her nose began to move, and her eyes darted to me. Her gaze burned right into my own eyes. Her once blank face turned more serious, and her wings spread out like she was trying to intimidate me. Her hands got into a pose like they were claws, and she seemed ready to attack.
Time stopped, the scene lasted less than a few seconds, but… I was sure I would remember this scene until the day that I was removed from this world…
