Translator

At the Capital of the Middle East, a country ruled by one man.
-

{Palace of the Golden Dawn.}

Inside the palace, the mighty palace.
The tiger lies, chained only by their body.
Their muse unharmed, yet wary of the future.

Lola was feeling many things at the moment. Relief at seeing her boss alive and well, though covered in bandages at the chest and head while lying on a soft and warm bed. Wariness when she noticed that the room included several other utilities like a bathroom, kitchen, and a lab with just enough equipment that she could use to repair herself and their tools. And outright shock when she saw tiger posters adorning the walls, noticed that none of the doors were actually locked and the lack of blatant cameras anywhere, because all of that combined could only mean that the room custom made for the two of them to stay in. Stay in for a while.

Had ZedΩ not excused himself out of the room a few minutes ago, then she'd have given him the special look that girls give to those who weird them out, because this is beyond creepy.

"Like final boss level creepy, boss…" she admits while working her magic on his boots, mobility being the main thing that needs to be restored when Copen inevitably wants to escape this gilded cage they've been put in. "Like Beauty and the beast kind of creepy."

No scoff or sarcastic remark was fired back at her, which only makes her more on edge. A ridiculous reaction really, she knows that her boss would eventually wake up, he always does!

But to see him in a bed, injured and unmoving added a sense of grim finality to the atmosphere, like a reminder that despite all the gear and experience Copen is still a man of flesh and blood who no matter how tough he is, could die if he ever fell of the stairs wrong.

Of course, he'd never die in such an anticlimactic way or ever if she can help it! But now Lola can only hope for him to eventually wake up, if she's lucky it could be today but if not then she's not sure what to do or expect in the few days to come in the middle of enemy territory.

Territory which happens to look amazing from what she can see through the balcony.

Overwhelmingly glorious even, for it gave the impression of another world. The view revealed a shining white and gold city, an endless metropolis that spanned from horizon to horizon with the grand tower she is in looming higher than any skyscrapers piercing the clouds, sunlight is shimmering off their edges, and countless civilians- adept and human alike- hurry about in the early morning rush, appearing so small and insignificant in the streets below. Luxurious flying cars are flying above roads adorned by slides of water like it's an oil painting and those on foot showed no discomfort as the walkways are made with pristine marble that looks just right with the golden colour of the natural sands. Making it all look like a Middle Eastern paradise.

The insides of the colossal tower were no slouch either, for their halls -where open archways let in gentle rays of the westering sun's light- were lined with artworks of past heroes; paintings, tapestries, photographs, and elegant red carpets covered the floors. And as if things couldn't be possibly even tackier, every door has a logo of a phoenix under a shining sun.

"Show off doesn't even describe it…" Lola can't help but gasp at the sight of it all, she'd be sweating profusely if her body allowed it even. "This, to make something like this…."

One would need to be absurdly rich or more likely: Control the entire country.

"If ATEMS is that powerful of an organization, then how is it even possible for us to not be aware of it!?" Lola spouts the right question to nobody in particular, flying around the room as she feels her own machinery heat up more than usual. "It shouldn't be possible! Everyone in the country should be talking about it! Heck, a single search on the web about 'Adept Kingdoms' should have showed this place on the frontpage! So how! How and why?!"

Nobody answers her question, nor can she find the answer herself for all the servers in the vicinity are sealed air-tight so hacking is not an option nor is leaving the room and leaving her boss alone and undefended one is one she would never consider. She is Copen's guardian, his partner for many years and no matter the situation they're in, she will protect him.

But what is she supposed to do in this room now? She's already tended the most severe injuries with healing mode and the resources in the room. But anything more advanced needs to be handled by a professional, one that the creep promised would come to the room but still has not arrived even though the clock says that five minutes have already passed by now.

"I'll just work on the gear for now, it's what you would have told me to do." She addresses her bed-bound partner while doing what she just mentioned, hoping that he can somehow hear it.

"The boots should be a jiffy to fix, but the shields will have to be scrapped to fix the armour."
Which a real shame, because the way the border transformed from a mere revolver into an powerful tank-destroying rifle that shoots massive lasers had a cool-factor unprecedented.

To her surprise, someone knocks on the door while she is in the middle of things.
If it's the doctor that was promised, then they sure took their time! Furious, she opens it.

And she is met with two very undoctor-looking people. Well, they were women, wait no, they are women. Like in the present, not the past, but ahem. "Can I help you?" Lola blurts out.

The woman on the left has blue hair, white skin, soulless eyes filled with irritation and the get-up of some evil sorceress, staff included. "You can, by moving aside and not wasting our time." She replies with an grim-edged voice as flicks the pod aside with her staff as she enters.

"Wha-hey!" Not expecting that, Lola quickly recovers and pushes away the staff.
"I'm not letting you get any closer, what do you want!?" and blocks the way again.

"I hate saying things twice." The unfriendly woman continues with a soft tone that's cold as ice. "In the first place, why should I waste my breath on the likes of you? Use. Your. head."

Lola doesn't know what's wrong with this girl, but if she wants a fight. "Watch your tone…"

"Or else? Are you going to cry? Try to fight me and lose? Go on, do say it. Or else what?"

"Come now, no need for hostilities. Now isn't the time!" The woman on the right shoves herself into the room and puts an arm around the blue-haired one. Lowering the building tension with a hammy gesture that's similar to the tone of her voice. "My dear Lollipop." She flicks her brown hair with her remaining hand, but wait what did she just call Lola?

"Isn't it obvious that we are here to treat your man?" She ends the statement with a wink and a pose that gives a very clear view on her prince-like appearance and as if that's' not odd enough, one could swear that her only visible orange eye is sparkling with enthusiasm.

Being a creature of science, Lola's confidence in them is not very high. "I-is that so?" if she had eyebrows then she'd be raising them now and if she had arms, they'd be crossed in doubt.

"That is indeed the case, but before all that. Let's tread warmer waters, by which I mea-ogh!" the brown haired one is interrupted by an elbow hitting her stomach, courtesy of the blue haired one, who uses the opportunity to back off and give the other a glare. "Why, how rude" The former simply ignores the latter and rubs her stomach as she continues her sentence after the obligatory acknowledgement of the act. "As I was saying, allow us to introduce ourselves!"

The hammy woman summons a flower out of nowhere, puts one hand above her crotch and the other behind her head as she spreads her legs and keeps her back straight. "I'm Prado! The beautiful knight of dual swords, the strongest and most charming member of ATEMS!" if this was an anime, then an onomatopoeia with purple colouring would appear behind her now.

The other woman doesn't say anything, instead staring at the bed-bound person in the room while ignoring the other two. "And the gloomy woman is Serpentine, the foretold death fog!" so Prado introduces her instead, which makes her let out a scoff, but she doesn't say more.

"We are two members of the upper echelon of ATEMS, calling ourselves the ATEMS knights." Prado helpfully explains or boasts, maybe both as far as Lola knows. "And we are here so Serpentine here can take a look at our newest member while I felt like tagging along."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Lola exclaims in surprise, seeing several things wrong with that.
"One, does she have a medical degree and two, WHAT DO YOU MEAN NEW MEMBER?!"

"You dare doubt me?" Serpentine speaks up as her eyes narrow in hostility. "Fine, then take care of him yourself. Helping an enemy is ridiculous anyway." She moves to leave the room.

But the door gets blocked by a sudden ice-pillar. "Come now! My comrade do not let the little lollipop's words ire your temper." Prado proclaims, obviously the culprit. "And you!" she points at Lola with a rose, a move so sudden the pod slightly backs off. "Sweet little cherry ball, Serpentine is the best possible person when it concerns appraising one's body due to her experience in certain arts so do not worry. And two, what is so confusing about what I said?"

"We never agreed to join in the first place!" Lola protests hotly, her metal body glowering as she rises slightly in the air. "Your boss basically blackmailed us into coming here!"

"And so, you've been recruited." Prado nods, as if Lola shared some topic about an obscure cooking recipe that she agreed with. "It's the way our exalted Sir ZedΩ does things after all."

If Lola had eyebrows, she'd be blinking twice at that. "What are you talking about?"

Prado gladly elaborates by raising one hand in the air as if wielding a blade. "I remember my own recruitment quite fondly! Here I was, scouring the world during my grand quest to gain the title of the strongest adept ever to live. I was but a young lass with a sword true and-"

"Nobody cares about your monologue." Serpentine interrupts. And taps the floor with her staff as an exclamation. "I'm here to do a job, one you won't let me do, so open the damn exit!"

"Bah, what a bore you are, my cold Serpentine." Prado waves her hand apathetically at her, a smile of amusement on her face as she turns to Lola. "But she is not wrong, so let us make a compromise as adults are prompt to do! Why don't you decide on what to do, Lollipop?"

"My name is Lola. And I don't follow?"

"Your reactions are adorable, how I would love to eat you up were you not of metal." Prado spouts for some reason, then puts a finger against her forehead, before pointing at Serpentine and then herself. "But to make it simple, who do you agree with? Me or her? Do let us know!"

If only to make this conversation end, Lola chooses, "….Serpentine." and quickly continues when she sees Prado's about to feign grand sadness. "Look, I can tell you're trying to be friendly here. But until my boss is up and healthy, nothing else matters to me right now."

"An admirable sentiment, Lollipop. The more you speak the more I like you!" Prado doesn't bother pretending to be offended, and gives a glance to Serpentine that Lola doesn't get.

"Tsk." Whatever it means, it got the message across as Serpentine reluctantly steps forward.
"I'm going to give this one more chance, so move aside and let me see the boy." Her tone still as unfriendly and demanding as always, which naturally makes Lola not eager to comply.

And she wouldn't….in any other situation that is. No matter how terrible this lady's personality is, If she has the skills to take care of the boss then she has to give it a go. So, she moves aside.
"If I see the slightest hint of a shady move or a septima, then I'll make you back off."

"Good, you're not as stupid as you look then." Serpentine says the most positive thing she's said during the whole time she's here and then moves towards the bed where Copen lies.

'Boss, please get well soon' Lola thinks as she trails behind the sorceress while Prado simply takes a seat nearby and watches the treatment unfold. 'I don't want to linger here'.

Lola feels nervous

Meanwhile in the most gaudiest interpretation of a meeting room with it's round table made of the finest wood the country could produce, on which is a large symbol of a globe on top which lies a phoenix and very fine-tuned chairs made of the softest materials on it's sides.
Are seated four figures shaded in darkness, observing the live footage of a hidden camera placed inside the very room that Lola is in. Because yes, of course the room holding a determined slayer would have one. Not to forget that all the guards near it's vicinity are on high alert, all of which consist of A tier adepts wielding the best weapons of the modern age.

Such measures are nowhere near Overkill concerning their thought, or at least the occupants of the dark room believe so. And one is always better of safe than sorry and very unsafe, yeah.

Well, the room is not really shaded in darkness, more like blinding light due to the magnificent stained-glass windows –which is adorned with heroic portraits of the current knights—letting the sunlight in. So in a way the room is not dark at all, but it's not as fun when you think that.

Still ZedΩ would look very scheming if he had a cat to pat while looking over this like the mastermind he believes he is. Instead he has to do -not implying that what he has to do with is an inferior model, if anything he like this more, in an appropriate way— with softly patting a red-eyed blond girl who's wearing a black rabbit cosplay on his lap. Except he has to give that up after a while because moving even that much hurts his bandage-covered body too much.

"Everything is going according to plan." He says if only because saying such a line is something he would always want to say when given the opportunity. "Isn't that great everyone?"

"hm." The girl on his lap just gives a short grunt, as she's wilfully mute on all occasions. This being one of the rare occasions a small noise leaves her mouth, if only to please ZedΩ's ego as he's about to dramatically reveal some part of the plan after everyone's inputs.

"Course, Mr Zeddy. It's just like you said!" a girl with glasses, yellow hair and a bit of a chubby dwarf physique gives the expected answer with her rough accent. "Still, yer not too hurt aight? Ye didn't need to to risk yourself, honest. Any one of us could have taken im down."

"As expected of my prince." Replies a woman covered in pink in clothes, hair, and eyes. The latter of which are eye brimming with affection and adoration towards him. She crosses her legs on her seat if only to show more eye-candy towards the target of her feelings. "But…"

All her affection turns to cold hatred when her gaze changes to that of a sleeping silver-haired boy. "Why does that still need to be alive? If it's just the Cyber Diva you want then- "

"I know, I know." ZedΩ interrupts her. "But Sistina we've talked about this. Any future of cooperation would become impossible the moment we dispose of her master. Besides he still has a role to play as well. After that is over, we can consider more drastic actions." And with that said he considers that part of the conversation over. But he's still curious. "Really, I know he's killing our kind left and right, but if there's some personal history you've got with him. I'd be more than ready to hear what this is really about." And asks her about it on the spot.

"Prince…" she seems frustrated with his answer yet completely swayed by his offer to her hear out. "It's…just something silly. It's his eyes, his hair, all of it reminds me of someone else." And the very memory of that person is enough for her hands to automatically turn into tight fists.

*Dr Kamizono* ZedΩ doesn't say out loud, simply nodding in sympathy towards her feelings but still firm on his own decision. *That man's evil has somehow persisted to this day. How poetic it'd be if the White Tiger was his son, yet that man's children have all died last year and nobody else became his successor. Still his research on the glaives and his predictions that Adepts would one day end the world is somehow helping us today, the irony...*

*Still now isn't the time to reminisce, now is the time for action.* ZedΩ nods to his own thought and lets out a small clap to regain the attention. "Regardless the plan doesn't change."

"As everyone is aware, our first goal for harbouring our new guests is to figure out how a mechanical being has managed to recreate the 'Muse' septima and to find some way to acquire our own, whether that's by figuring out whatever 'weapon' she's using or by using her to find a way to awaken our own potential muse. No matter the way things progress, we are going to need a muse for the upcoming event lest we'd have a massive disadvantage."

He gives a look at the rabbit girl, though she isn't an adept. The scientifical tests and the mystical ones have shown that she possesses a great affinity towards a music based one if she were to ever develop one. So, it's safe to assume that she's a potential diva. A trump card in a way for then ATEMS would possess a muse that's loyal to their goals and dreams. To him.

"Our second goal is to obtain the cooperation of the White Tiger by subtly influencing the muse's favourability towards our organization. If we show her that we all truly mean well then there will be a chance that she'll stop her partner from refusing to budge in his beliefs for us and by doing so guarantees that no matter what, we will have two more assets to take down the Azure Striker. By now Serpentine should be reading the Tiger's memories and traumas so that we may gain further insight into his mindset and thus more options will be available."

"IF and I mean a hard IF that all fails then…" ZedΩ shows a determined yet saddened at the prospect of it look, "We'd have no choice but to eliminate them both as the possibility of them working against us would mean they have fallen to darkness, and we can't allow them to hasten the arrival of the primal dragons. As much as it saddens me to do so."

"But remember everyone." The leader of the group stands up with an infectious charisma.
"EDEN and Quill are no more than shadows of the past and Sumeragi has never been weaker. Our only remaining enemy is the Azure Striker and once he's gone, the world is ours to save!"

"For the World!" He ends his speech with an obligatory 'everyone participate' toast.

"For the world!" the girl with glasses, Grazie is more than happy to do so.

"For a world that Prince ZedΩ rules!" Sistina, the pink haired one adds in as well.

"Hm." Layla, the mute one. Simply returns a grunt that's a bit louder than usual.

And with that, the meeting of the ATEMS knights is adjourned.

Author note: Okay so yknow how in GV3 Serpentine has the ability to read people's memories and literally revive their sources of trauma? Well since Copen is KO at the moment, I've decided that the next episode will have a 'The Sorrow' kind of boss fight inside his mind!

One could call that canon defilement I guess, but for the sake of rule of cool we're going to have a mind level because he did kill a lot of adepts and should be called out for it lest any chance of a genuine redemption arc would be impossible if not feel undeserved. Though I will mention that he's been too busy hunting down genuine evil adepts across the world to step across the moral horizon by say, shooting an innocent adept kid in the head in this fic. (I'm not going to spoil whether he commits to one or simply embraces it all and becomes the BBEG yet, why read the story if you can already guess everything, right?)

Oh and don't forget the gigantic water slide mentioned at the beginning, it's basically the Nile and will come back soon enough. With that said, Jacodu out!