I suggest you READ this note before reading the chapter.
Bet you guys weren't expecting a new story, huh? Well, new year-new story! I thought about this storyline once I re-watched the series back in the 'Saturday-morning-cartoons' days and started the rough draft a few years back and put in the fanfic vault. I've always wanted to post it but wanted to get ahead of the plotline before making the actual chapters, and now I think I'm comfortable and happy with the story I've came up with. Of course, if my writer's block kicks in, I'll be sure to let you guys know and step back to reapproach the story. If you guys are wondering which animation this story is referring to (because the OG fans know what I mean), it honestly depends on what you prefer. For me personally, it's easier to visualize this story with the animation in seasons 2/3, even though I preferred the first season animation. Again, it all depends on which animation you guys prefer to visualize while reading.
For anyone wondering about the status of "Katsumi: Underground", it's still ongoing and I plan on finishing it. It is currently my top priority since a decent amount of people are liking it so far, based on the page. Because of this, the speed of which I upload chapters to this story depends on the demand, especially now that I would be juggling with two fanfics. Initially, I was going to wait until I finished with my Naruto fanfic, but based on where I'm at and how busy my personal life is, it would've been years. Fun fact: I planned on posting this story couple years ago but got pulled away from it because of my lack of writing and posting of my first story. My worry is that I won't be able to dedicate quality time and work for both stories. Yet here I am posting it anyway, lol. We'll see how this works out. Anyway, that's it for my author's note. Let me know your thoughts about the first chapter and if you guys wanna see more, and I'll accommodate the best I can for you guys!
As always, thanks for the continuous support! And also, I don't own anything from Chaotic except my OC and the plot. Oh, and sorry in advance for typos of any sorts; my typing can't keep up with my brain.
Okay, enough talking. Enjoy!
It was cool, calm night in Kiru City. The streets were engulfed with absentness, the inner homes were pitch black with heavy slumber, the cloudless sky reflected a cool-toned navy blue, and the moon was proudly insisting its light to the city. No creature nor living thing was in sight as this was a rare occurrence of peace in the OverWorld's capital. It wasn't a surprise that such thing called "peace" was barely known to the city's capital, especially Kiru's royalty. When you have a large population of enemies, it's expected to have a sixth sense active along with your other senses. Such a task is primarily difficult when you're not only a formidable tribe's leader, but their protector.
It was a few hours before dawn, yet the OverWorld's wise, powerful, hardworking leader proceeded to work through the long to-do list with the energy equivalent to the world's production of caffeine. It was because of this dedication he carried around for his city, his comrades, his tribe, he was nominated as the OverWorld's leader with an overwhelmingly high approval rate within the tribe. What Maxxor represented was what they saw in the legacy of their tribe, and possible the hero who would one day achieve international peace.
However, with the way that things are happening right now, a bright future like that couldn't even be considered an anticipated wish.
"A possibility can be in sight if the idea crosses through the hardened egos of the other tribes' leaders." The OverWorld leader grunted discouragingly with his pupils scanning the dense paperwork.
Karma then struck impeccably after the heavens above overheard Maxxor's blunt comment. A stern quake entered the warrior's study without consent, stunning him for a brief second.
"What's going on? Is it an ambush!?" He questioned alertly, eagerly gazing through his secured window.
Then, his study door slammed open.
"Sir, it's the UnderWorlders!" A guard of his notifying worriedly. "They're raiding the city!"
"I figured as much." Maxxor responded firmly, exiting his study with strong intent to protect. "Has anyone else been alerted?"
"Yes, sir. Tangath Toborn, Intress, and some others have already encountered them." His guard informed, tailing closely behind him. "They are fending off the enemy as we speak."
Maxxor felt almost foolish into thinking that a large, populated city like his would experience a peaceful night where the citizens could slumber without having one eye open. When has Chaor ever made a move that's of convenience?
"Alert for backup. Tell the others to assist the situation; we need all the help we can get!" The OverWorld warrior ordered hastily, picking up the speed.
"Yes, your highness!" With that, the guard parted ways with his leader to send the message.
'Hopefully, there isn't too much damage done…'
Maxxor continued on his valiant journey through the long, branched streets towards the enemy's path of destruction. His face read nothing but collectedness, but his mind was running through thoughts, accelerating his limited speed.
Fortunately, he was closing in on the battle. Though deep in thought, Maxxor's intuition warned him that an attack was coming his way. The warrior seamlessly pounced from the ground, rejecting the fire attack as a welcome.
"Torrent of Flame!" He snarled, followed by thick flames ejecting from his large hands.
The head OverWorlder continued to fire his powerful wave of flames as he soared through the breezy air. This wasn't left unnoticed by the UnderWorlders as they now mainly focused their attention on Maxxor. They knew what he was capable of and underestimating him was the last thing they wanted to do.
He was Chaor's mortal enemy for a reason.
While some continued to attack the other OverWorlders, most of the opposing side started aiming their attacks on their leader. This didn't bother him one bit; in fact, it would be rather insulting if they didn't feel the need to gang up on him.
Maxxor effortlessly landed on high ground on a building's top, taking in the view below him. It was just as he feared: the extent of the damage on his city and his people was more than he imagined. The stone-tiled ground was charcoal-black, the buildings' bodies were still decorated with flames, the smell of ashes overwhelmed his nostrils, and his people—both creatures and civilians—were either down or on the verge of falling in defeat.
"Damn you, Chaor." The proud warrior seethed with clenched fists.
"Maxxor!" An attentive voice called worriedly.
Said male didn't need to lay eyes on the host of this voice, given that he had known her for the longest time.
"Intress…" He acknowledged calmly with his eyes still glued to the carnage below him. "How did this all started?"
"Bodal was doing his nightly duty when he overheard a stampede coming from the distance. He met up with Tangath Toborn when the enemy started firing." She answered apprehensively, taking in the devastating view.
"His current location?"
"Who knows? He's not much of a fighter, anyway…" The orange tigress commented nonchalantly.
"I just don't understand what Chaor is thinking, recklessly attacking Kiru at a time like this." Maxxor gritted frustratingly.
"Expect no less from the UnderWorld, but my guess is that they're after something that's in the city. Or maybe they're just simply trying to destroy the city and everything in it."
"Any explanation of an attack is possible when it comes to Chaor and the UnderWorlders."
"What should we do, Maxxor?" The tigress asked intently.
From a distance, not far away from the two, a battle cry echoed through the streets and into their ears. Glancing curiously behind them, their eyes were met by the sight of reinforcements charging straight for the UnderWorlders. They mercilessly fired their strongest element attacks at the enemy without concern for their possible demise. Just the mere sight of his tribe's fierceness and fearlessness always reassured him in wanting to stay as his leader after everything their enemies have put them through. How they undoubtedly trusted and how devoted they are to their leader felt as though he was a father-figure to them.
His people were the catalyst to the undeniable need to fight and protect those who called his family.
"We'll just have to continue fighting them off until we make our point across, loud and clear." He answered in a gruff. "Until then, just hit them primarily with water attacks. By the looks of it, these guys seem to only use fire attacks."
Intress nodded firmly. "I'll let the others know."
His loyal friend turned on her heel and prepared to leave, until he abruptly sent her a parting message.
"Just be careful, Intress…" Maxxor warned huskily, complementing the glint of concern in his eyes.
The orange tigress smiled softly at his old friend, appreciating his concern.
"You too, Maxxor." She returned the warning, then leaped from the roof.
Nodding promisingly, he held out his hands to ignite orbs of bright yellow and red flames. His determined, bold eyes were locked on his targets, emitting an aura shift. This grabbed the attention of the UnderWorld warriors one again, glaring at the OverWorld ruler challengingly. Mentally counting down to one, a war cry escaped Maxxor's green lips as his followed his body's command to fight without any definition of hesitation.
Attacks were thrown, fists were felt, kicks were dreaded, BattleGear were used until they were worn out. After what seemed like ages, there wasn't a clear winner. However, the OverWorlders were overpowering the UnderWorlders with more of their men down. In spite of nearing defeat, they still persisted to fight. Half of them laid unconscious on the burnt ground, while the other half still maintained fight intent. Some were shakily getting up on their feet while some of them were protectively holding their injuries.
Such stubbornness couldn't be dealt with any longer, especially with the amount of damage they caused.
"I'm ending this." Kiru's leader proclaimed determinedly, reaching for something. "Everyone, stay back."
His tribe graciously listened to their leader and protector, letting him finish the job. Eyeing the despicable tribe carefully, he pulled out a thick, heptagon-shaped, grey frame. Releasing his grip, the generic mugic levitated from Maxxor's palms and floated above his head. It positioned itself about three times his height. Right on cue, a blue Mugician arose from his built chest and it followed the path of the mugic flying above.
"Song of Embernova!"
After the seven-note melody chimed, a large ray of fiery light shot down from the night sky, heading straight for the enemy. They could begin to process what was occurring because of the exhaustion they felt, leaving them to gape in horror. Once the mugic made contact, screams of agony and distress rang out throughout the city as Maxxor and the others silently watched their enemies fall, one by one. However, some still maintained consciousness by the sounds of grunting and groaning.
"Remember this the next time you step into our territory!" Maxxor hissed warningly, reaching for another mugic.
However, he never got the chance to touch the mugic. He wasn't physically restricted from reaching any further, but what he overheard stopped him from his tracks. It was nothing like he had ever heard before in his life.
The sound of crying. A youthful cry for help.
"Maxxor, what's wrong?" One of his castle guards asked concernedly.
Snapping out of his curious trance, said OverWorlder hastily turned to his men.
"Stay here, and make sure none of them escape!" He ordered sternly.
Maxxor wasted little time as he took off without letting his men question his change in behaviour. Dismissing the weird looks on his back, he continued to sprint through the long streets.
'I've never heard a desperate cry like this before. Something in me is begging to help whoever that is…'
Considering that the despairing sobbing could be heard from where he originally stood, it wasn't too far away. Nevertheless, it didn't settle with Maxxor at all. Anxiety built in his large chest, pushing his heart to beat faster than normal. His breathing getting shorter and shorter by each inhalation.
'That sound, it's getting closer…'
Pinpointing the source, the OverWorld warrior skillfully skidded down the main street until he made a complete stop in front of the market area of Kiru. The prevalence of the unknown crying grew as it proceeded to sound more erratic and desperate. It begged for someone to save them from whatever dilemma they weren't capable of dealing it alone.
'Where could you be hiding?' Maxxor thought curiously, scanning his surroundings while cautiously taking steps.
Turning the corner, the sight presented in front of his eyes felt as though he was hit with a frost blight attack. The large, blue-furred, predatory creature slowly crept dangerously at its target.
The realization about this target stopped Maxxor's heart dead. The crying he heard was coming from an infant. A human infant.
'How is this possible!? A human child belonging in Perim?'
Frankly, it doesn't look as if this was merely an ordinary child. As far as Maxxor was concerned, humans don't emit bright light. On top of that, he was certain that humans weren't capable of activating a protective barrier around them.
'Is it possible that young one is a creature?'
Nothing like this has ever happened before. There hasn't been an occurrence of a human carrying creature-like abilities. At least for as long as those living in Perim were aware of humans existing.
A hungry growl from the predator pulled Maxxor out of his thoughts, alerting him about the danger brewing around the child. The OverWorlder mentally prepared to jump to the child's rescue as he carefully observed the creature inching closer.
"Well, would you look at that? How precious…" The predator pursed venomously, reaching his claws out towards the young one. "Chaor was right, you are a special being. Special enough to bring you to the UnderWorld and become one of us…"
Hearing the dark, immoral words from this UnderWorlder to the innocent infant sobbing for mercy made the Maxxor's blood boil. His body shook with rage, his fist clenched tightly to the point of dislocating knuckles, his teeth gritted tightly, and his vision shifted to seeing blood-red. This poor, defenceless, innocent, young being was bawling for mercy at the hands of its predator, yet all this heartless creature was concerned about was the use they could get out of with this child.
In spite of the anonymity surrounding this infant, the strongest OverWorld warrior refused to let any harm settle on its bundle of innocence.
With his mind set, he instinctively threw a large Flame Orb attack towards the UnderWorlder the second he attempted to break the barrier protecting the child. Catching the enemy off guard, he spun on his heel and threw a couple of Power Pulses at his way. Jumping out of the way, Maxxor glared dangerously at his enemy as he activated his Iron Balls in midair. The UnderWorlder was able to dodge most of the iron balls, but still felt the impact of those that did hit him.
"Well, if it isn't the great Maxxor…" He praised sarcastically. "I would never expect you to be around here when your city is under attack."
"Zalvar…" Maxxor seethed coldly. "What are you doing here?"
"Isn't it already obvious? To take down the en—"
"No! I mean, what are you doing here with that child?" The OverWorld leader cut in sharply.
"Oh, this? You see, she has abilities that enticed our leader very much… so much so, he wants to take her in as our own." The blue-furred UnderWorlder snickered sinfully. "She'll be a perfect subordinate for Chaor…"
"What?"
"Hard of hearing, great Maxxor?"
"Step away from her, Zalvar." Said OverWorlder ordered warningly.
"Why? So, you OverWorlders can have her powers to yourselves?" Zalvar growled stubbornly, glaring daggers as he reached back for the infant. "Not gonna happen."
The UnderWorlder's claws inching towards the child was enough to send Maxxor's eyes to ablaze in rage.
"I'll say this one more time before I destroy you: step away from that child now." The head warrior threatened menacingly as his hands were coated with aggressive, burning flames.
"Make me." The enemy refused challengingly.
Without warning, Maxxor threw his strongest fire attack at Zalvar. The UnderWorlder sidestepped quickly, glaring intently at Maxxor.
"Take this, Ember Swarm!" He threw his clawed hands out, unleashing flaming torrents of burning embers.
Maxxor leaped, avoiding the burning embers thrown his way.
"Ash Torrent!" He roared, releasing a strong gust of burning ash from his palms.
Awing in horror, the enemy covered his nose and mouth, instinctively protecting his airway from suffocation. The head OverWorlder prepped his next attack, until he paused by the sound of coughing. The low, hoarse, deep coughing from his opponent wasn't what caught his attention. Instead, it was the high-pitched coughs and despairing wheezes. Squinting his eyes to get a better picture, he was caught by a wave of concern from the sight of the faultless infant dealing with respiratory distress.
'I have to plan out my attacks more accordingly or else the child will get injured.' He mentally warned himself.
With the infant's safety in mind, the fierce warrior no longer hesitated to bring down his opponent. With a powerful battle cry, he unleashed his Megaroar attack on the UnderWorlder while said enemy was still surrounded by clouds of thick, black smoke. Maxxor's lips curved upwards by the sound of agonizing grunts while cautiously waiting for the thick ashes to evaporate. The process was indeed gradual and somewhat dreadful, but the reminder of his weakened enemy brought him peace in mind.
That is, until the sounds of low chuckling wafted into the OverWorlder's ears.
"I'll admit, Maxxor… you almost had me there…" Zalvar mused iniquitously as his outline slower became clearer. "But we UnderWorlders do whatever it takes to beat our enemies… even through sacrifice…"
The last word was the trigger to lose Maxxor's composure. His fears were unfortunately confirmed when the large ash cloud subsided, revealing the blue-furred UnderWorlder towering over the unconscious infant. He glared remorselessly at the OverWorld leader as his fire-cloaked hand hovered over the defenceless young being.
'No!'
His horrified, brood reaction sent his opponent into a series of evil cackles.
"What's wrong, Maxxor? You're not scared, are you?" Zalvar questioned tauntingly.
"Zalvar, you—!"
"Hold it, OverWorlder!" The UnderWorlder retorted, threateningly inching his burning hand closer to the helpless child. "Make one move, and she won't ever see the light of day!"
Maxxor begrudgingly kept it anger in check, growling hatefully underneath his breath. He cursed the day this heartless creature and the rest of the UnderWorlders—especially Chaor—were ever brought to Perim.
"Hehehehe, I didn't know you have a soft spot…" The enemy commented deridingly. "I wonder if you would consider in surrendering for her sake…"
"Never."
"Then, you don't care if I slay her on the spot!" Zalvar spat challengingly, inching his flamed hand close enough for the child to feel the heat.
Because the young one was in a deep slumber, the transparent shield Maxxor witnessed earlier was nowhere in sight. The poor thing was completely oblivious to her near demise.
'I refuse to surrender to the UnderWorld, but I can't let this one die on my behalf!'
Before the indecisive leader considered his options, he detected a swift presence in his radar. This, however, wasn't brought to the UnderWorlder's attention.
"I figured it was you!" A familiar, accusing voice proclaimed.
Determining the presence of the voice's host was more than reassuring to the head warrior. Finally, he had some backup. Not so good for the enemy now, by the sight of his appalled reaction.
"Wait, it isn't—!" Zalvar instantly turned around, only to be greeted by his former opponent. "Intress!"
"Remember this?" She smirked slyly.
The orange tigress immediately followed her rhetorical question by an attack of her own.
"Rustoxic!" She barked, unleashing a rust-coloured projectile at Zalvar.
Said enemy didn't have the chance to process the sudden circumstance, never mind invading her attack. This resulted him to be enveloped by the liquid which quickly hardened into cold, tough, rust. What was left was a still, rigid statue of Zalvar's stunned form.
Maxxor hadn't realized that he bottled up a lot of trapped air in his lungs until he reassured himself that the issue was now dealt with. The relief that no one's life was threatened was overwhelming to say the least. The moment he became the OverWorld's ruler, he sworn himself to not have any sacrifices in his watch.
What had just occurred almost damaged his oath to himself had Intress didn't arrive in the nick of time.
"Are you alright, Maxxor?" His old friend inquired concernedly.
"Yes, I am." He answered half-heartedly. "Good thing you showed up when you did. Things were looking rocky…"
"The second I learned Zalvar was in charge of this mess, I came here as fast as I could. It was during that travel I sensed you fighting him." She informed briefly, observing her close friend gently.
"I see. What about the enemies attacked with my mugic?" Maxxor asked dryly.
"They're still unconscious or too gravely weak to cause any trouble. We came out of this one, that's for certain…"
The city's ruler grunted in response, laying his strong gaze on the infant lying peacefully in her comfy bundle. Intress curiously followed her friend's gaze, her mouth agape in astonishment by the sight.
"This child…" She breathed incredulously.
"My thoughts exactly…" Maxxor nodded in agreement.
"So, this is the reason behind their infiltration?"
"From what I've gathered from Zalvar, it seems to be."
"I can't imagine the UnderWorld would go through the trouble for an infant human." Intress commented in disbelief.
"Oddly enough, I can…" The OverWorld ruler admitted reluctantly. "When I arrived, I watched Zalvar inspecting her with some sort of protective shield around her. As he got closer, the shield seemed to increase its strength in defense. If I had to guess, the child felt threatened by him which led to the automatic increase in durability."
"Maxxor…" The tigress spoke firmly, gaining said warrior's gaze. "Are you telling me that this child contains powers like us?"
"I'm afraid so."
"Isn't that even possible? A human with abilities such that belongs solely to those living in Perim…" She mused incredulity.
"That begs another question: where did she come from? How did she get here in the first place?" Maxxor pondered questioningly.
"Maxxor!" An alerted shout echoed into said OverWorlder's ears.
Interrupting their state of disbelief, Maxxor and Intress glanced over only to see their short, green, talkative ally rushing towards the two. His pace resembled someone who was running for dear life.
Knowing Bodal, anything could make him agitated.
"What is it, Bodal?" Maxxor asked uninterestedly.
"The enemy, they—!"
"We've already taken care of them." Intress interjected flatly.
"O-Oh, I see." Bodal stammered sheepishly, clearing his throat. "Excellent."
The city's ruler sighed heavily at his arsenal supervisor, slowly shaking his head at his unique behavioural pattern. Shoving his personal opinions aside, he glanced back at his old friend.
"Intress, use the 'Song of Translocation' to take these guys back to the UnderWorld while they're still down." Maxxor requested evenly, holding out said mugic at her way.
Intress took the musical weapon, nodding understandingly at her leader and friend. Maxxor then glanced over at his talkative weapon overseer.
"Bodal, I want you to contact Najarin. Tell him his assistance is needed." He instructed expectedly.
"Of course, right away." Bodal nodded acceptingly, preparing to make his exit.
Of course, Bodal being Bodal, a strong wave of curiosity struck him hard like if he were hit by a Torrent of Water attack. Instead of promising to do what he was ordered, he slowly turned around with a glint of interest in his eyes to the dismay of Maxxor.
"If I may ask, sir… why exactly do you need Najarin at this moment?"
The city's ruler decided to let his eyes answer his questions, glancing over at the sleeping infant. The shift of his attention wasn't left unnoticed by Bodal who intriguingly followed his commander's gaze. The short intellect gave himself a few seconds to let his rather large brain to process the image that greeted his eyes. He couldn't recall the last time he was frozen in place with blinking orbs.
"A newborn… human..." He acknowledged hesitantly. "That's… peculiar…"
"I know. We don't know where she came from and what capabilities she possibly has, so we need Najarin to clear some confusion surrounding her…" Maxxor commented discouragingly.
"I see, well I won't waste any time in doing just that." The tiny OverWorlder assured, exiting the scene.
Maxxor and Intress watched the arsenal overseer speed-walking away in the distance.
"I wonder what Najarin will think about this abnormal child…" The tigress thought aloud.
"Whatever his conclusion is, one thing's for sure…" The head OverWorlder replied thoughtfully.
"What's that, Maxxor?"
Said ruler silently glanced over at the infant, innocently stirring in her sleep. What had gotten into him during his confrontation with Zalvar, anyone's guess was better than his. He didn't know why, but the moment he processed the situation revolving around the newborn, a drastic shift occurred within him. A rigid, emotional attachment for the tiny human was planted in his chest like a seed planted in moist, fresh soil. A seed that one day will grow into a proud, tall, courageous tree.
Never had he ever had any difficulty in making tough decisions. Never had he ever remotely entertained the idea of complying with the enemy. Never had he ever acted very cautious with his attacks.
Then, why start now? For an infant, no less?
The encounter didn't feel natural at all. The warm feeling in his chest was more intentional from an outer source because Maxxor never brought himself to have any emotional attachment to anyone or anything. But, his inner chest proved otherwise for the first time. A voice echoed in his head, pushing him to grant its wish.
'Guide her… protect her… nurture her…'
That was all he heard in his head when danger was lurking closer to the newborn. He knew he couldn't ignore the voice in his head when he attempted to do so because it would get louder and demand harder when he resisted. And as the voice got louder, the feeling his in chest got warmer, causing the unexplainable attachment to grow stronger.
'Guide her… protect her… nurture her…'
Maxxor never believed in the saying that everyone had an inner self that acted as if it were a separate person within you. He also didn't believe that it carried the answers you needed. If he ever did, then that would just led him to the belief that he didn't have one himself. Apparently, he was wrong, because now his inner self was telling him what to do.
More surprisingly, his inner self happened to carry a female voice.
Maxxor questioned if he was capable in raising the child. With so much responsibilities as the ruler of Kiru City and the leader of the OverWorlder tribe, he doubted he had space for one more responsibility.
But, unlike previous occasions, he couldn't bring himself to make the difficult decision to abandon the child. His inner self wouldn't let him, and the connection he felt he had with the infant was unbearable to ignore. She resembled everything the world of Perim wasn't: innocent, pure, wholesome, and naïve. Plus, if Maxxor somehow brought himself to leave her, there was no doubt Chaor would take that advantage and abduct the child to use her for his personal gain.
If someone as pure and impressionable as this young one intrigued his sworn enemy to the point of going to great lengths to get her under his influence, the child was certainly more than meets the eye.
Which was why he needed Najarin to investigate the potential power the newborn carried.
But, despite what Najarin, Intress, or any OverWorlder would want to do with the impressionable human, their opinion was futile.
He already made up his mind.
"We can't let the enemy get a hold of her; she must not get in the wrong hands, for her sake…" Maxxor answered determinedly, observing the bundle of innocence with a promised look.
The powerful Perim warrior and supposed guardian would make sure of that.
"Any answers, Najarin?" Intress asked expectedly.
After accepting that an abnormal human newborn was indeed in Perim, Bodal contacted Najarin as instructed. However, the powerful Muge wasn't too keen in travelling all the way from Lake Ken-I-Po to Kiru City. The talkative subordinate briefly touched that the situation revolved around a human newborn, it just made the mugic specialist more reluctant to assist the situation. Luckily, Intress approached Bodal to deal with the slight delay and was able to convince him to come to Maxxor's castle to help them.
Though the request was an inconvenience, Najarin made his travel in the quickest way possible for his comrades and arrive at the castle's doorstep. Bodal led him up the spacious palace to Maxxor's large meeting room. Greeting Intress and Maxxor himself, his eyes were immediately greeted to the sight of the human newborn. He was taken aback by the human offspring, and the fact the chatty Bodal wasn't embellishing his story.
Once Najarin got past the initial shock, he went straight to work on the inspection while Maxxor, Intress, and Bodal stood by patiently as they watched the wise Muge.
If the OverWorld leader insisted he wasn't at all nervous, he would be guilty for deception. Additionally, he wasn't doing a fine job in hiding it; he couldn't stop his hands from clenching itself.
Najarin sighed discouragingly, turning to the curious trio.
"It seems your assumption that this child holds powers equivalent to us is true." He concluded lowly, still sounding a bit unconvinced.
"In that case, this child could cause trouble for us…" Intress frowned thoughtfully.
"How so?" Bodal questioned doubtfully.
"The reason behind the UnderWorld's infiltration was to seize the infant. They obviously knew about her presence in Perim unbeknownst to us. Considering it turned up in Kiru, it gave them the belief that we were trying to keep her hidden." The tigress theorized deeply, folding her orange-furred arms.
"But, we had no clue she even existed, let alone in Kiru City." Maxxor remarked with a gruff.
"Chaor doesn't seem to think so. He was probably concerned that we were trying to make her become one of us, so he infiltrated Kiru and hunted her down to prevent any allegiance or influence between the OverWorld and the child from happening." Bodal commented, holding his chin in thought.
"I wonder how long Chaor knew about this infant before we did…" Intress mused lowly. "And if the other tribes know about this child too…"
"If they did, they haven't made a move… yet…" Maxxor replied hoarsely.
"But, why go to great lengths for a mere human newborn? She doesn't carry any qualities that make her deem 'valuable'…" The weaponry supervisor critiqued bluntly.
"Well, what I've uncovered from inspecting this child, I'm not the least surprised the UnderWorld went through the trouble in trespassing Kiru City." Najarin remarked nonchalantly.
"What did you find, Najarin?" Intress asked curiously.
"Firstly, it appears this child holds the ability to do all elemental attacks." Said Muge disclosed. "I used a basic Mugician technique to see if her body adapts or reacts negatively to each element, and her body easily adapted and absorbed each element, as a result."
Bodal's jaw hung low from position whereas Maxxor and Intress stood there with baffled eyes.
"How is that possible? It's unheard for anyone in Perim to have all element attacks, with the exception of Heptadd." The orange tigress contemplated skeptically. "And now a human? A human who supposedly has abilities equivalent to Heptadd?"
"There was a long-held rumor that Heptadd is the only one in Perim who actually located the Cothica, which granted him the power of all elemental attacks and the ability to use any tribal mugic." Bodal pondered theoretically, frowning deeply at the bundle. "If we hold that speculation as the truth, can that be the explanation behind this infant's capabilities?"
"Are you implying that this child has been to the Cothica, Bodal?" Maxxor pressed questioningly, furrowing his brows. "She's incapable of registering anything at her current age…"
"Surely, she hasn't been to the Cothica herself. More likely, she was taken there… and whoever took her there must've brought her here too…" The talkative dwarf reasoned presumably. "It's a slight possibility, but a possibility nonetheless…"
"But, why just leave her here all alone? Out in the open?" Intress inquired dryly.
"Either they intended this so that she could be taken in and nurtured… or they left her behind unintentionally..." Najarin suggested insinuatingly.
"The latter is highly unlikely; anyone could witness the scenario and report it. If not, rumors would go around until it reached the castle." The tigress noted dubiously. "I'm leaning towards the former theory…"
"Why should the OverWorld be responsible for such nuisance?" Bodal scoffed in disgust.
"They must've believed that the OverWorld was better than the other evils, I presume. They probably felt more secured in our mentality towards our allies than the other tribes…" Intress replied.
"That's doesn't give them a privilege to leave someone's life in our hands." Bodal ridiculed snobbishly.
Maxxor grunted dismissively at the midget's remark. He had a good point: no one had the privilege to give the OverWorld such a task by no means, let alone with consent. It wasn't the tribe's job and it certainly wasn't his job to raise an infant belonging to the human species.
However, no excuse could make him entertain the idea of shunning this child. She was brought in the cruel, dangerous world of Perim where there was nothing but conflict between the tribes. He already promised the mystical voice within him to guide and protect this child with all his might. On top of that, the unexplainable attachment he had with the young child was stronger than titanium. He couldn't help himself; he didn't know why he felt this way, he certainly didn't want to feel this way, but he couldn't do anything to stop it. Just the mention of his friends considering in rejecting her was enough to make his heart palpitate and his mind run through frightening thoughts. His body was going insane; he no longer had control with himself, which was a rarity. He always had everything under control no matter the situation or the circumstances, but then the infant popped out of nowhere and ruined his streak. That aggravated the OverWorld leader, but he wasn't in the slightest angry or exasperated at her.
It was then Maxxor realized he sounded more and more like the kid's unofficial parent.
'Such an inconvenience…' He commented mentally with a grunt.
"Maxxor."
"Hm?" The voice of the tigress broke his train of thought, glancing at her and registered her concerned and suspicious face.
"Are you alright? You're awfully quiet, more so than usual." She commented assertively.
Maxxor rested his eyelids as he slowly shook his head.
"Sorry. There's just a lot of things on my mind…" He stated hoarsely.
"You're at least taking in what's being discussed, correct?" Najarin questioned expectedly.
"Of course."
The wise Muge nodded acceptingly at Maxxor's answer.
"Did you find anything else?" The city's ruler asked flatly.
Najarin nodded. "Besides the ability to use all elements, the child also seems to have Mugicians living within like us. However, it seems there isn't a set number of Mugicians she has living within her…"
"What does that mean?" Intress asked confusingly.
"Her body is a host of many Mugicians. Possibly, she's inherited or obtained the ability to produce them…" Maxxor muttered in awe while his eyes laid low.
The look of surprise on the tigress's face spoke volumes, but the short subordinate's hanging jaw and budging eyes was close to priceless.
"But… Maxxor doesn't even have that type of power! How could a HUMAN have an ability like that!?" Bodal gaped bafflingly.
Intress shook her head at the short overseer, sighing stressfully. "This child has proven again and again that she's more than what we see…"
"She's also proven that she could potentially cause problems for Kiru City and the OverWorld. Frankly, I don't see why we're having difficulties in treating the issue." The arsenal supervisor commented bluntly, crossing his slender arms.
"Then, what exactly do you suggest, Bodal?" Maxxor questioned hardly.
"We simply shouldn't bother ourselves with the child, period." Said midget answered candidly. "Why should we, the OverWorld, have to babysit a human?"
"He does have a point." Intress replied admittedly, glancing at the aged Muge. "What do you think, Najarin?"
"There is truth behind his words, but I don't think it's the right solution to look into." Said elder replied deeply, moving towards the vintage window. "If we were to dismiss the child, it would be like handing her over to our enemies; they would use her abilities against us, no doubt."
"But, if we were to keep her, that would also give our enemies another reason to ambush us. There is only so much we can take…" Bodal argued respectfully, eyeing the long-bearded Muge's back.
Najarin grunted understandingly at the dwarf's concern as he took in the wide, quiet view of Kiru City. He took notice of the shifting colour of the sky, signalling the time being near dawn.
"Well, what we think the right course of action is insignificant." Intress remarked flatly, glancing over at the quiet ruler. "At the end of the day, the decision lies solely on Maxxor."
Said OverWorlder glanced back at his old friend with pursed lips. Though Maxxor highly respected and cared for Intress, he couldn't help but mentally scold her for putting him on the spot abruptly. Then, there was Bodal and Najarin, who had each seen two different sides of him. Bodal saw the him as a conservative leader whose decisions were made solely for the great of his tribe and homeland—which was partially true. Najarin, on the other hand, saw him as a good friend with a soft spot for those he held close to and intentions to protect and fight for those around him—which, again, was partially true. To them, the OverWorlders' decision could go either way. But to Maxxor, he couldn't recall the last time he voiced his decision so impulsively.
"We, the OverWorld, will take this child in… as one of our own." He disclosed determinedly.
Each member in the room remained silent respectfully, though they didn't do their best to mask their reactions to their leader's decision. Bodal was simply flustered, slightly embarrassed for everything he had said as if he expected Maxxor's response. Intress eyed her old friend concernedly, wondering skeptically about his thought process. Najarin's reaction was difficult to read since his back remained facing the others, taking interest in the great view through the window frame. However, Maxxor could see how the Muge's slender finger were loosely intertwined behind his back; they were telling him that their host held no disagreement to his decision, knowing where it was coming from.
"With all due respect, sir…" Bodal spoke up reluctantly. "… but keeping this child will only bring conflict to the OverWorld. The UnderWorld and possibly the other tribes are hunting her down. If they learn that we took her in, they'll stop at nothing to get her back. They'll might even resort to full-out destruction…"
In spite of how nettling his arsenal overseer could be, the city's ruler never discredited Bodal's vast intelligence. He allowed his mind to run through the midget's argument, which admittedly had no room for disagreement. Maxxor was certain that raising this infant would cause physical dispute between their enemies. He was no fool; he understood the risks and consequences he and his tribe would have to face. Nonetheless, his tribe would face conflict with their enemies if he let the young child slip past them, letting her fall in their enemies' hands. Undoubtedly, they would take full advantage of her power Najarin previously remarked and use them against his side of Perim. Simply put, either taking in the newborn or leaving her be was a lose-lose situation.
However, Maxxor would lose more in one situation than he would in the other. In fact, it would be lethal if he chose the latter.
Additionally, he was more than certain that his inner, emotional self wouldn't allow him to remotely think about shutting out the young one.
"If we just leave her out in the open, we would just make it easier for the UnderWorld and the other tribes to obtain her powers, causing the balance of power between tribes to shift drastically." The OverWorld leader defended impassively.
"Maxxor is right…" Najarin remarked blankly, glancing over his shoulder. "We must pick the lesser of two terrible situations."
Maxxor causally glanced over at Intress, who gazed at him with a seemingly dubiously look.
"What's the matter, Intress? It's unlike you to doubt me as leader…" He acknowledged questioningly, raising an eyebrow.
"God no." The tigress scoffed sheepishly, shaking her head.
"Then, what is it?"
Intress laid her cat-like eyes on the infant, who was now awake from her long slumber.
"It's actually unfortunate… for this innocent child to be forced into a world like this…" She commented dishearteningly.
"Nothing can be done to change that, Intress. We have to learn to adjust to the unexpected, such as this…" Najarin remarked dryly, slowly approaching the others.
"Frankly, we've never raised an impressionable, young being before—let alone a human—so I don't know how on earth we're going to adjust to this." Bodal grunted lowly, crossing his arms.
Ignoring the dwarf's last comment, Maxxor sauntered towards the infant that laid comfortable in the makeshift bed on the large table. With a rested face, he observed the young girl in her bundle, glancing curiously up at the ruler. Her eyes consisted of pure white sclera free of red lines and brilliant purple irises that gave off a quirky spark. She beamed strongly at the tall OverWorlder who stole any source of light from her due to his height. The young one radiated a strong brightness that even made the likes of Maxxor loosen his stern, professional demeanor.
"Let's say we take her in… what are we supposed to do with the powers within her?" Bodal inquired irresolutely.
"We'll simply have to train her to hone and control it." Maxxor answered sternly, proceeding to gaze at the infant. "That way, it'll give us reassurance that she's capable in fending for herself."
On cue, the infant let out a small series of giggles while showing off her toothless gums. Taking this into account, Maxxor could only estimate her age to being around one, give or take.
'She's simply a bundle of oblivion…' He commented thoughtfully, breathing heavily through his nose.
"Now that this has been settled enough, what shall we call her by?" Najarin pondered blankly, looking over at the bundle.
"Huh?" Bodal hummed puzzlingly.
"You're right, we should give her name since she'll be staying with us." Intress nodded in agreement, dismissing Bodal's oblivion.
"How about—?"
"We're not naming her after you, Bodal." The tigress rebuffed curtly.
"I would do no such thing, even though it's a splendid idea." Said homunculus gawked defensively.
Intress and Bodal went back and forth, brainstorming possible names for the infant while Najarin stood by and listened interestedly. Meanwhile, the OverWorld ruler was too busy trying to stop himself from being too occupied with the young girl. The last thing he wanted was for the others to suspect any flaw on his usual bearing; it would be difficult for him to know that those around him were aware of his unusual attachment for a human. Hell, he couldn't explain how he gained it himself.
The last thing he remembered correctly, his comrades were coming up with possible names for the child. Maxxor himself didn't bother thinking of possible names himself because he already knew her name. He didn't know how, and he didn't know why, but all he knew was that the voice in his head—not his own voice, instead a female voice—told him the name belonging to this child. In fact, the warrior wasn't certain if this voice came from his head. It sounded more like a faint whisper in his ear by another presence. It was unexplainable, but Maxxor could've sworn he felt that nonexistent presence standing behind him.
He must be losing his mind if he was starting to believe that a spirit was telling him significant details.
Did he rebuff it? No, but that was only because his inner self—the one that emotionally cherished the girl from the start—wouldn't let him. It was saying whatever it could to convince his outer, physical form to listen to the phantom.
It succeeded.
"Nevaeh." He blurted out subconsciously.
This brought everyone's attention to Maxxor, whose eyes were still glued to the infant. After a short delay, the OverWorlder was made aware of his unintended proclaim by the thick silence engulfing the large room. He knew all eyes were on him, and he didn't plan on facing the heavy gazes, so he chose to keep his eyes on the young girl. He tensely waited for a question to be thrown at his way as one moment after the other slipped by.
"Why Nevaeh?" Intress finally asked, eyeing bemusedly at her old friend.
"Your proposition was said quite strongly, Maxxor." The slender Muge commented dubiously.
Said warrior quickly ran through possible explanations that were convincing enough to his comrades, but he was having trouble thinking straight with the hard stares he was receiving for delaying his clarification.
"She appeared out of thin air; her origin is completely unknown and may never well will be." Maxxor explained impulsively, avoiding any eye contact. "The name spells 'heaven' backwards, and it appears that she fell from there, landing in Kiru…"
Bodal's jaw hung low once again; he hadn't stopped being confounded by his leader's peculiar behaviour. He actually entertained the idea that Maxxor must've hit his head really hard during the UnderWorld's ambush.
Apparently for Maxxor himself, tonight was the time for his firsts: his first attachment, his first meeting with his inner self, his first encounter with a ghost, and now his first time every feeling uncomfortable was added to the list. It never crossed his mind because he never felt anything remotely similar to it. Now that he did, he greatly disliked the feeling of uncomfortableness, especially in front of his people. Heaven forbid this was the last time he would ever feel this way again.
A leader wasn't supposed to feel anything that rendered them as weak. He made sure that he was immune to such things, but this kid broke through this immunity without realizing it. As a result, his comrades were noticing deviations in his behaviour.
"I didn't know you thought so metaphorically deep, Maxxor." Intress chuckled playfully, smiling amusedly at him. "Not to mention openly sentimental."
"Everyone has their moments." The city's leader replied dully.
"Of course." She assured entertainingly, relending on her teasing.
Huffing at his friend's teasing, Maxxor strode quickly towards the door, briefly mentioning he had a lot of work to do in his study. He shut the door behind him before any interjection encountered his ears.
'The last thing I need is them interrogating me. I don't need them telling me I've lost my mind…' He thought as he entered his study.
Sliding into his large, cushioned chair, he unrolled a long document and smoothly scanned through the dense text. But, of course, his eyes were glued to written document, yet his mind was wandering around the infant now known as Nevaeh. He told himself to pay attention to his work, but his mind flat-out refused to do so. The frustration was starting to get to Maxxor as he gritted his teeth and gripped the paper.
Out of impulse, the OverWorlder slammed the document on his wooden desk, sighing heavily.
'I've got to learn to accept my affection for this child…' He thought persistently, slowly taking those steps.
Very slowly and gradually, the ruler of Kiru City began ceasing the resistance to feel the confidential, emotional attachment. Though he was still very much so hesitant, the sight of Nevaeh's beaming form made it a bit easier to manage.
I'm gonna end it right here. The next chapter is gonna be a part 2 to the prologue, then the actual story will begin on the third chapter. I do plan on posting part 2 of the Prologue regardless of reader/viewer numbers so that a complete Prologue is there and gives a decent idea on my OC. Again, the upload pace for the rest of the story depends on demand from readers. Otherwise, my focus will remain with my first fanfic.
Stay tuned and thanks for being wonderful like always!