[Timeline 4 / May 11, 2021 - Amelia Watson's apartment]

My eyes open slightly as I start to wake up. "Urgh!" As soon as my senses return, I feel a presence on my chest. A weight is pressed on my lungs, making it hard to breathe.

"It's time to wake up Amelia." Says a voice from on top of me. Sensing that this is coming from the presence on my chest, I quickly open my eyes to find out who it is.

"Bae! What are you doing here!?" I shout, my voice thin and raspy because of a lack of air.

"Since today is such an important day, I wanted to wake you up personally." Bae says excitedly, still sitting on top of me. I look at Bae in confusion and painfully wheeze out a question, "What, what's going on today?"

Chapter fourteen - Investigation report three

————

I sluggishly walk outside my bedroom, my hair an absolute mess and my hat barely hanging on to my head. My chest hurts, I'm sleep deprived, and I didn't even get a chance to eat, let alone take a shower. Why did the council decide to have a meeting at five AM?

"C'mon Amelia, they're waiting." Bae teases me as she holds the door open.

I'm in the other side of the room.

I groggily walk towards the door, and as I get right in front of the front door, my feet suddenly hit a soft, fleshy object. I then look down to see my dog Bubba passed out in front of the door.

"Bae, what did you do to my dog?" I ask frustratedly, too tired to raise my voice. "I didn't want your pooch to get in the way of my suprise." Bae says, flashing an akwardly playful smile.

*Smack*

"Ow!"

[Timeline 4 / May 11, 2021 - Throne room of the Universe's Courthouse]

——————————————

I open the large doors of the throne room, feeling less anxious then I was the last time I was here.

As me and Bae enter the throne room, we're greeted by Shiori and the council, who are sitting in their throne-podiums as usual.

"Good morning Amelia." Kronii says, directing me to a chair in front of her podium. Curiously enough, in addition to Shiori's seat, there are three more chairs placed next to mine. "Hey Ame." Cali says as she casually greets me from her podium.

I sit in my chair, the one next to Shiori's. As I settle into my seat, I take a look around the throne room. The thing that grabs my attention being Cali's podium. It's placed right in the middle, where Kronii's used to be. Kronii's podium now placed on an elevated area right behind being Cali's podium.

Just like the other members, Cali's podium has a banner hanging off the front of it. An image of a skull placed in the centre of said banner.

Cali's really part of the council now, huh? She looks too natural sitting in her podium-throne thing, like she's been a part of the council since the beginning. But I don't think I'll ever get used to her sitting with the other members though.

"It's a little bit jarring right?" Shiori asks me, referring to Cali's seat in the council. "I never thought Cali would join the council." I say, and Shiori replies with a grin. "That's just a product of Bae's spontaneity."

"By the way," Shiori says, sniffing the air around us. "You stink, decided to go all natural again today?" Shiori teases with a cheeky grin. "That's another product of Bae's spontaneity." I reply, my cheeks flushed red in embarrassment.

After getting over my embarrassment, I look towards the three chairs to my left, and then up at Kronii. "Are Suisei, Haato, and Miko coming today?" I ask, and Kronii shakes her head no. "They were supposed to, but Suisei wanted to leave for their mission early." Kronii says.

Suisei wanted to leave early? I wonder why.

"Then who are these chairs for?" I ask, curiously looking at the seats beside me. "You'll see soon enough." Kronii says, smiling cheekily.

"Kronii's feeling extra playful today." I jokingly whisper to Shiori. "You think she'll play with me later tonight?" Shiori says, smiling devilishly. A disgusted face is all I give her in response.

"Before the rest of your group arrive, We'll be briefing you two on your mission." Fauna says, grabbing me and Shiori's attention. "We know that Kaela Kovalskia forged the key for Laplus's shackles. And so, we tried to contact her and tell her what would happen if Laplus was awakened. But Kaela has been avoiding all contact, and she's kept all of her high speed vehicles locked up in Hololive Indonesia's headquarters."

"That's definitely suspicious." I say, and Cali replies quickly. "That's what we were thinking too."

"We think that Kaela is still working with Laplus, and she might already be getting to work on forging Laplus's key." Mumei says, causing me to understand the mission. "So you want us to stop Kaela from forging the key for Laplus's shackles." I say, and Fauna nods in approval. "That's right, your group will be sent to Indonesia with the purpose of preventing Kaela from forging Laplus's key, with force if necessary."

"Fauna, you keep saying 'your group', are the three members coming part of our group?" I ask, thinking of the three chairs to my left. "Yes, the five of you will be going to Indonesia." Fauna says, holding up all of her fingers to emphasise the number.

"And just who are these people?" I ask, causing Kronii to smile and point to the doors of the throne room. "These are your teammates."

The large doors open, revealing three familiar faces on the other side. Gura, Kiara, and Ina.

"Wooooaaaaahhh!" Gura exclaims, her mouth agape as she looks around the room In wonder. "So this is the throne room of the gods." Ina says, scanning the room. Seeing Cali's podium, Ina's eyes widen. "Cali! You're part of the council!?"

"What can I say? Daddy got the promotion." Cali says jokingly, spreading her arms in faux bravado.

"Kiara, you're part of this mission?" I ask as I quickly stand up from my seat. Did Kronii tell Kiara about Cthullu? "We are, though we just found out today." Kiara says as she yawns and walks towards her chair lazily. Guess she got a special early morning visit too.

As Kiara takes her seat and Shiori chats her up, I grab my pocket watch and open it. I place it close to my face and whisper, "Kronii, did you tell Kiara about Cthullu and Laplus?" I say as I look up at Kronii, who closes her eyes upon hearing my message. "I didn't, we'll be giving a cover story for this mission." Kronii says, her voice quietly emitting from my pocket watch.

Before sitting down in my chair, I close my pocket watch and hang it back around my waist. Can't have anyone thinking I'm a weirdo who likes listening to her pocket watch.

"What's it like sitting in that fancy pants throne-podium thing?" Gura asks, looking up at Cali from right in front of her podium. "It's pretty cool, wanna try?" Cali asks, causing Gura to jump up and down in excitement. "Yeah! Get me up there!"

Cali grabs the scythe beside her and holds it by the handle, her hand place right under the blade. She then moves the scythe in front of her and then down, allowing Gura to hold onto the snath.

Cali hoists her scythe up, and Gura uses the extra elevation to jump onto Cali's podium. Gura then hops down to the throne part of Cali's podium and nestles herself into the seat.

"It's comfy." Gura exclaims, patting the throne's cushion. "It has to be, Im gonna be sitting on this thing every day from now on." Cali says, a worn out look already on her face. Seems like she's not too excited for her new council duties.

"How's it been? Being a part of the council." Kiara asks, and Cali closes her eyes while she thinks. "It's tiring is all I can say. My work now is just like my old job, but I've got to do way more." Cali says as she leans back in her chair. "Not only do I have to manage the dead if this world, but other worlds as well."

"So you get to go to other worlds!?" Ina asks excitedly, but Cali doesn't share the same enthusiasm. "It gets same-y after the first hundred times." Cali says apathetically.

First hundred times? She's only been in the council for a day! Just what kinda schedule does the council have!?

"But you enjoy your work, right?" Fauna asks with a sickeningly sweet smile. "Oh! yes ma'am!" Cali says, quickly adjusting her posture and sitting straight. "Good!" Fauna says, that same sinister smile still on her face.

"Fauna's kinda scary." I whisper to Shiori. "You don't know the half of it." She responds, the echoes of past trauma in her words.

"Aright, that's enough playtime. Everyone get back to their seats." Kronii says, her choice of words making her sound like a preschool teacher. "Yes Kronii!" Gura says, sounding just like the preschoolers Kronii would teach.

Gura jumps down from Cali's podium, recoiling a little bit as she lands. She then runs over to our chairs and sits in the empty seat next to me.

"Hi Gura." I say, greeting her casually. "Hi Watson." Gura replies, copying my tone. Suddenly Gura sniffs the air around us, ack! I know what's coming! "Hey Ame, did you take a bath today?" Gura asks, moving her nose away from me. "I did not! And you can blame Bae for that!" I shout in embarrassment, my cheeks glowing a bright red again.

"Ahem!" Kronii exclaims, getting me and Gura to focus on her. "The reason I have gathered you all here, is to give you a very important mission. We have commissioned Kaela Kovalskia, our elite blacksmith, to create a powerful weapon. But to forge this weapon, she'll need a magical ore, Kronite. Your mission is to deliver this... Kronite, to Kaela as fast as possible."

So that's Kronii's cover up, a delivery mission. It's a pretty good one, a personal delivery is a great explanation for sailing all the way to Kaela's front door. But seriously? Kronite? Did Laplus take all of the council's knowledge with her when she was kicked out?

"Why do we have to go all the way to Indonesia to deliver this... Kronite? Can't you guys just slap a manager in the Kaeyorivation69 and send them to Kaela?" Gura asks, causing Kronii to get flustered. "Well... you see, Kronite is a very valuable resource because it's perfect for forging weapons. A lot of nasty guys want Kronite, so we need an elite squad of defenders for this... rock." Kronii says, almost fumbling over every word.

"But aren't the managers stronger than us? And how could any 'nasty guys' catch up to a jet going at like, a thousand kilometres and hour?" Ina asks, causing Kronii to look even more panicked. "Yeah, but, the managers are... busy. And plus, the Kaeyorivation69 is under repair right now." Kronii ...explains?

Yikes, if this keeps going, even Gura's gonna find out about the cover up.

"I see, that's quite unfortunate." Ina says, nodding her head in a poised thinking pose. "Indeed." Gura adds, her lips pouting forwards like an elite. I can't believe these idiots actually believed Kronii's story.

I look at Kiara to gauge her reaction. She looks totally normal, looks like she fell for Kronii's cover up too.

"So it seems like we're the only ones who can deliver this all important material." Gura says smugly, placing her hand on her chest.

"Where'd this sudden arrogance come from." Shiori says, looking ticked off. "Looks like Gura's feeling important." I reply with an unimpressed expression.

"That's right Gura! You five are the only ones powerful enough to deliver this.. Kronite!" Mumei says, causing Gura to look even more smug. "Don't encourage her!" I shout at Mumei, pointing violently at her.

"Okay! Since we, the Apex Five, ("Don't go deciding team names on your own!" - Shiori) are the only ones capable of delivering this... Kronite, to the great Kaela Kovalskia, we will humbly accept your mission." Gura says, doing the exact opposite of humbly accepting.

"I have just one concern, where exactly is this... Hololive Indonesia?" Gura asks, immediately destroying any sense of swagger she just had.

"Hololive Indonesia's headquarters is stationed on a beach in Lembeh island, a small island on the very north east point of Indonesia." Fauna says, giggling at Gura's smug act. "Ah! Yes! Lembeh Island! Of course. Thank you for reminding me, kind, green one." Gura says, returning to her arrogant character.

"So in summary, you just want us to go to Indonesia and deliver the... Kronite to Kaela." Kiara asks. "Yep! It's that easy!" Kronii says, smiling encouragingly (Is that a sparkle I see in her teeth?!).

"Then this should be no problem for us!" Gura says with confidence as she stands proudly.

"Great! There's just one thing though." Kronii says. "The weapon Kaela's gonna forge with this Kronite is extremely important, so we want to get the Kronite to her as soon as possible." Please stop saying Kronite. "That's the reason why this meeting happened so early in the morning, it's because you will be leaving for Indonesia today."

"Today? Isn't that a little too sudden?" Ina asks, completely taken by suprise. "This mission is of utmost importance. I know it's a little fast, but we need to get to Kaela as soon as possible." Kronii says, so focused on convincing Ina that she let a little detail slip.

"Do you have any important matters to attend to today? Any funerals? Marriages?" Kronii asks, causing Gura, Ina, and Kiara to shake their heads no. "Great! Then if you're all free, you should go to your homes and pack your things ASAP. We'll meet back here at around five PM." Kronii says, waving her hands towards the door, basically urging us to hurry up.

Taking Kronii's signal, Ina, Gura, Kiara and Shiori quickly get up and head towards the door. Right as she's about to leave, Gura suddenly stops and turns around "Ame, are you coming?" Gura asks me, standing by the entrance.

"Oh, yeah. I'll just talk to Kronii for a bit." I say, pointing behind me. "Okay, see you later!" Gura says, waving goodbye before she runs off to catch up with Ina and Kiara.

"You wanted to ask me something?" Kronii asks. "Yeah." I say as I turn around and look at Kronii. "Why did you bring them into this?"

"What are you talking about?" Kronii asks, acting coy. "You know what I'm talking about. Why did you bring Kiara, Gura, and Ina into the mission?" I ask, getting a little frustrated.

"We need all the help we can get with this mission. Remember that you'll potentially be fighting Kaela and Laplus, and you and Shiori alone won't be able to win if that time comes." Kronii says. A reasonable excuse, but that doesn't explain everything.

"Why not just send members of the Japan branch, or some of the managers to help us out?" I ask, and Kronii shakes her head in response. "No, the managers are stretched too thin dealing with other business. And this mission is top secret, we can't risk having any other members finding out about Cthullu." Kronii explains, her explanation raising more questions.

"If it's so top secret, then why do Gura, Ina, and Kiara get to know?" I retort, causing Kronii to look a little frustrated. "The council decided that if any members should help in the Cthullu mission, it should be your genmates. Because even if they don't know about the Cthullu mission, they'll still be inherently protective of Ina." Kronii explains.

I guess that makes sense, but I'm still worried about them. "They won't be in danger, right? Ina and the rest." I ask, my frustration turning into concern. "All missions are dangerous, Amelia." Kronii says, a sympathetic look on her face. "But we've made extra precautions to make sure you and your friends will get home safely." Kronii says, giving an assuring smile.

"And what about you Amelia?" Cali asks. "Will you protect our friends?" A determined look shows on my face as I shout, "I will! At any cost!"

"Haha! Then we have nothing to worry about if Amelia is so sure!" Bae jokes, smiling at my inspired chant. I blush a little bit at Bae's remark, I didn't mean to shout.

"Your friends will be okay, we promise." Fauna says, smiling warmly. Seeing that smile, I can't help but feel like I can trust her.

"So you better get going, you need to prepare for our mission." Kronii says. "Yeah!" I say confidently before walking out of the throne room.

I close the throne room doors behind me, and walk towards the front entrance of the Universe's Courthouse. A wave of light wasing over me as I pass by the glass roof of the Courthouse's entrance hall. It's kind of silly, but when I'm standing under this light, I feel like I'm in the presence of the Creator themself.

I open the front doors and step out onto the green grass outside. There should be a manager coming to pick me up soon, we decided on that system after what happened at the end of the first investigation report.

"I liked your confidence earlier." A voice suddenly says from around the corner. "I know that accent, what are you doing here Bae?" I ask, and Bae reveals herself upon hearing her name called out.

"Laplus is a dangerous foe, there's no way you'll be able to beat her as you are right now." Bae says as she leans on the wall beside her, smiling in anticipation, like she's about to pull a prank. "And what about it?" I ask. Is she just here to call me weak?

"What I mean to say is, I'm here to help you out." Bae says, standing up as her smile grows into a big white crescent on her face. "Help me out? How?" I ask curiously.

"Being surrounded by so many powerful creatures, don't you wish you had some power yourself?" Bae asks as she walks towards me.

Bae's question resonates with me. Whenever I go on missions, I'm always the weak link in the team, the one constantly being protected by the others. That was made painfully clear during our fight with Cthullu. I was left bleeding out with a hole in my chest before the battle even began.

If push comes to shove, and I'll have to fight Laplus or Kaela to protect Ina, there's no way that I could beat them. But if I was as strong as Suisei or Kiara, I would be able to beat any potential enemies and keep Ina safe.

"I do. What's your plan?" I ask, looking at Bae with determination in my eyes. I'm ready for whatever weird training method Bae has in mind, as long as it makes me stronger.

"I can make you stronger than an Atlantean." Bae says, creating the illusion of a ring of water around us. "I can make you stronger than the phoenix." Bae continues, shooting the image of fire from the palm of her right hand. "I can even make you stronger than death." Bae says, creating the image of a floating skull in her left hand. This promise of power, I'd be lying if I said it didn't excite me.

"There's just one thing you'll have to do." Bae says as the illusions she created dissipate into the air. "Give up your humanity."

"My... humanity?" I ask timidly. Is she talking metaphorically? Or... literally. Bae reaches into her pocket and pulls out a small white flower, which looks a lot like the ones in Fauna's hair. "This is the Kirin's flower." Bae says, bringing it close to my face. The Kirin's flower... so it really is from Fauna.

"Anyone who ingests this flower will transform into the Kirin, the beast that rules over all life, and gain all of the power that comes with it." Transform into the Kirin..? So that's what Bae meant by giving up my humanity. "So if I eat that flower, I'll be as strong as Fauna?" I ask as I take the flower into my hands and get a closer look at it.

"That's right. But there's a catch. Anyone who ingests the Kirin's flower, will die shortly after." Bae says, the final part of her sentence throwing me off. "Die!?" I exclaim, staring in disbelief at the little flower in my hands.

"So that's the nature of the Kirin's flower. All the power of the Kirin, in exchange for your humanity and your life." I say, staring blankly at the white flower. I can't believe it, but I'm actually considering the possibility of using it in the future. If we ever need to fight Laplus, this flower would basically ensure our victory. It would allow me to fight for Ina.

"Bae, thank you." I say as I put the flower in my waist pocket. Bae looks surprised for a bit, then she smiles. "Of course, anything to support the council." Bae says as she takes a bow.

"Im excited to see how you'll use it." Bae says, flashing her signature cheeky smile before suddenly disappearing.

I stare at where Bae once was for a while, before shifting my attention to the flower in my pocket. The Kirin's flower, what frightening power. I was so confident earlier, saying that I would protect Ina at all cost, and I'm serious when I say it. But if it really comes down to it, would I really be able to sacrifice my life for Ina's? That thought scares me a bit, what if because I'm too afraid to make a sacrifice, I'll throw away the mission, and I would lose Ina all over again.

This flower, I'll make sure to use it.

[Timeline 4 / May 11, 2021 - The Cell]

*click* *clack*

*click* *clack*

The footsteps of the two girls echo throughout the halls of the prison as they walk through the labyrinth's corridors.

"I can't believe Kronii authorised the release of these prisoners."

[ Elizabeth Rose Bloodflame - Scarlet queen of Justice ]

"Hey, we need as many people as possible for this mission, and these girls are our only options. That is unless, you can get us Fubuki or Shion?" Shiori asks teasingly, stopping right as she approaches the large marble doors leading to the Cell's maximum security prison.

"You know we can't do that." Elizabeth sighs, golden keys jingling as she grabs them from the side of her waist.

*click*

She inserts the key in the keyhole, unlocking the heavy doors in front of her and Shiori.

*Vwoooom*

The large doors scrape across the floor as Elizabeth pushes them open.

"Never gets not annoying." Shiori jokes, smacking her ears to get rid of the ringing inside her head. "You'll get used to it." Elizabeth says as she hangs the keys back around her waist and calmly walks forwards.

'The Birdcage' is the Cell's maximum security prison. It was given this name because of the shape of it's interior, being a cylindrical tower that narrows at the top. There are a total of twenty cells in the Birdcage, but only three are occupied. Two at the bottom, and one solitary cell at the very top.

"Hey! Hey! Are you gonna let us out!?" The dog shouts at the two visitors, banging on the bars of her cell. "Yeah! Are you here to let us out!? Or is it munchies time!?" The other one joins in on the heckling, shaking the bars of her cell along with her sister.

"Bad news, it's not munchies time. Good news, it's freedom time." Shiori says, waving the set of keys in her hand. "Hey! How'd you get those!" Elizabeth shouts at Shiori as she pats the empty key ring on her waist.

"Are you weally gonna let us out!?" The jewel shouts from her cell, her enthusiasm being felt by every other person in the room. "Yep! You're all going free today!" Shiori says, causing the three prisoners to howl in joy.

"Yeaaaaaaah!"

"Let's go!"

"Shut up." Says a voice from above. It was the prisoner in the highest cell. "We know how the council is by now, if they're doing something like letting us free, then they must want something in return." Says the pessimistic girl, her words falling down on the rest of the prisoners like a cascade feathers made of negative energy.

"C'mon, Newissa, don't be such a party pooper!" The jewel shouts, her frustration being felt across the room. "No, she's right." Shiori says, a false look of regret on her face. "I hate to spoil you guys' fun, but we do have a mission for you." Shiori says, causing the prisoner's spirits to drop.

"Haeh?! There's no way we're working for the council!" The dog shouts, letting go of her cell's bars and turning to face the wall in defiance. "We're not helping you guys!" The larger one says, copying her sister's defiant pose.

"If you're not willing to cooperate, then we won't be cooperative as well." Elizabeth says in frustration, turning around and walking towards the exit. "Hey, hey, don't be like that Liz." Shiori says as she catches up to the scarlet girl and grabs her shoulder.

"Don't call me nicknames like we're friends!" Elizabeth shouts as she swats Shiori's hand off of her shoulder. "C'mon, we need these prisoners. Me and Ame are gonna get mauled out there if we don't have them." Shiori pleads with Elizabeth, 'true' desperation in her eyes.

Elizabeth signs as she relents, turning around and walking in front of the cells. "I'm giving you prisoners an ultimatum! You can either serve the council for one mission, and regain your freedom. Or you can sit and rot in these cells for the rest of your lives." Elizabeth shouts sternly, the room falling silent as the prisoners think over their decisions.

"We want freedom!" The dog shouts, her sister then following suit. "Yeah! Freedom!" She shouts, the two dogs shaking the bars of their cells violently in excitement.

"Me too! I wanna be free!" The jewel shouts from her cell, her feelings of desire being projected onto the souls of everyone else in the room.

"And what about you, Nerissa?" Shiori asks, looking up at the pessimistic prisoner.

"I'm in." The songbird sings, the jewel's emotions lighting a fire inside of her soul. "Perfect." Shiori says to herself, a sinister smile forming on her face.

Author's notes:

Hey, it's Yur3i. I originally had a lot of things to say in this chapter author's notes, but right now there's only one thing I wanna discuss.

Yesterday, Ame announced that she would cease her channel's activities on September 30. So even though she didn't technically graduate, she won't be streaming anymore.

Her announcement just came out of nowhere. It was just before I had gotten home from school when she made her announcement.

It was quite a shock because she was happily steaming just a day before, and now she won't be streaming at all in just ten days. And it hurts even more because I had just kind of believed that she would kind of be around forever, or at least for the next few years.

I know it sounds kinda silly, but you don't just wake up expecting your favourite VTubers to retire soon.

I know that she's not going to read this, so like I did when Aqua retired, I'm not going to make a super long, personalised goodbye message for Ame. I just wanna say that her announcement really affected me. I'm not really an emotional guy, but I almost cried listening to her announcement stream.

So, I'm gonna miss Ame when she officially retires, and I know that you guys will too.