Neopolitan: Beyond Ever After (The Girl From Another World) - Part 1

by Calavera de Comala

After failing to ascend, Neo finds herself trapped in Zenith, a world obliterating other forsaken planets. Confronted by a mysterious organization called The Zodiac, she will embark on an incredible odyssey that tests the limits of her imagination. However, she may discover new friends who help her face the adversities ahead. Spin-off and spiritual successor to the RWBY series.

13. Lockdown

Lockdown

Once upon a time, in a solar system subjected to the experiments of capricious gods, a humanoid race emerged from the ashes on a deserted planet, Galadyus. Left behind without a purpose, the Galadyans conquered throughout millennia the worlds within their solar system, enslaving the lifeforms of other planets to establish the almighty Galadya Empire.

Thanks to their flight capabilities, interplanetary battleships, and immense physical strength, nothing could stop the Galadyans from seeking to expand the boundaries of their empire outside their solar system. Seizing the resources and relics from colonized planets, the Galadyan civilization prepared for the big leap toward the rest of the galaxy. Their bright future seemed guaranteed.

Until one day, mysterious cracks in the skies of Galadyus appeared.

•

Galadyus – Year 10,447 AB (After Brothers)

It did not take even a month for nearly all the planets of the Galadya Empire to fall against the foreign army. Relying on fracture cannons, antimatter, gamma rays, and neutronium weapons, the invaders wiped out most of the lifeforms across the Galadyan System. With only their home world left, the Galadyans gathered their last forces for retaliation. However, sensing their imminent defeat and potential extinction, the proud race of conquerors devised a plan to deal a huge blow to the invaders.

•

On a gigantic military airbase designated for interstellar battleships, the emissaries of both armies agreed to meet to discuss the terms of a truce. Finding themselves pushed to a corner, the Galadyans proposed a ceasefire to the invading forces, which to their surprise was accepted by the enemy emperor, Húwáng Dì.

Galadyus's skies shone red as relentless fires burned in the distance what once were marvelous cities. At the airbase, Zenith's fleet, composed of Monoliths and Cherubim, lay opposite the Galadyan fleet, made up of white interstellar battleships shaped like ovals and rectangles.

While the 18 rectangular Galadyan ships 230 meters in length, 22 meters in height, and 20 meters in width, seemed to be at rest in lines of 6, the truth is that the crew inside them were ready to fire their missiles and plasma lasers at the opposing fleet of 10 Monoliths, formed in lines of 5. The 2 oval-shaped battleships, with a height of 45 meters and a diameter of 11, were standing in front of the rectangular ships, also waiting for the order to shoot at the enemy fleet with superlasers capable of piercing and cutting in half massive asteroids.

In the space of 160 meters between both fleets, there was a red, square-shaped carpet with an area of 100 square meters. In the middle of it, two wooden podiums stood 4 meters apart. Each one was meant for the emissaries of both factions.

Exiting the Monolith in the center, The Goat with its black justacorp, red jabot, and rose-themed side cape, walked composedly to his assigned podium. As it stepped on the carpet, the fiendish creature pointed down for the 4 Cherubim, placed between the 5 Monoliths in the frontal line, to deactivate their weapons and rest on standby mode.

The 25-meter-tall Cherubim placed the tips of their swords on the ground and folded their two pairs of golden wings to cover their white and silver bodies. The lights on their 4 'faces' turned off, indicating The Goat's order had been received.

The Galadyans watched cautiously as Harragaz, one of the final mightiest warriors in their world, walked imposingly to his podium. Like most of his people, Harragaz was a blue-skinned humanoid but slightly taller than the average Galadyan, with a height of 2.4 meters. The muscular leader wore the standard military Galadyan uniform, consisting of a black full bodysuit and white armor plates that covered most of the body, except for the head. Since Harragaz was acting as a representative of the Galadyan emperor, he wore a golden cape that almost reached the ground.

48 Galadyan foot soldiers, among the last from an elite force that conquered planets and moons with their physical strength alone, stood before their fleet. Some held what appeared to be staffs and swords wrapped in golden fabric. Just like the crew members inside the ships, the foot soldiers were preparing themselves to make their move. If everything went according to plan, they would take hostage the enemy's emissary and eliminate the opposing fleet in a few seconds.

After all, The Zodiac had no way of countering the powerful relic in their hands granted to them by their creators.

"Harragaz The Ruthless. Lieutenant General of the 1st Galadyan Vanguard. Acting as a representative of his highness, Markhus The Resilient. Almighty Ruler of the Galadyan System." The middle-aged general with a white beard, faded hairstyle, and red eyes spoke, doing a cross shape with his arms and standing behind his podium.

The Linguas lent by the invaders had been updated to understand and translate the language of this world, thus eliminating the language barrier between both emissaries.

"Capra. Grand Admiral of the Merkabah Fleet. Representing the divine sovereign and conqueror of all forsaken worlds, Nostro Amato Imperatore, Húwáng Dì." The Zodiac member bowed, using the left hand to cover the front of its body with the side cape.

Zenithean drones equipped with cameras flew over the airbase, sending footage of the peace talks to giant holo-screens around the place. The Galadyans had no problems authorizing these since they had confirmed the drones were unarmed.

"Aren't you going to take off your mask, Capra? I can see you have a head like ours." Ignoring the arrogant presentation of the rival emissary, a taunting Harragaz used the ability many Galadyans were born with to see through solid matter.

This allowed him to discern that Capra's white 'head' was only a mask that concealed his face.

"It's not a requisite to take off this mask to fulfill my duty as the ambassador of our eternal emperor. The real identity of the humble servant standing here is not important." The demon raised its right hand to readjust its white mask.

"Stop!" Even if he did his best to restrain his force, the annoyed Galadyan general couldn't avoid breaking the podium with one move of his hand. "Under the terms we are here to review, it's stated that Galadyus isn't surrendering to this emperor of yours. We will keep our sovereignty!"

The atmosphere became tense but The Goat remained poised as the Galadyan foot soldiers made their move. Confirming there weren't Zenithean forces outside the Monoliths, except for the Cherubim on standby, they decided to begin their operation. All the Galadyan soldier in his twenties needed to do was call the spirit inside the wrapped relic and order it to annihilate the fleet on the opposite side of the airbase.

"My dear Harragaz, maybe we should drop the pretenses." Speaking with calm malice, the masked emissary grabbed the papers on his podium, and if by magic, set them on fire. "It was never our intention to achieve a truce, wasn't it?"

Harragaz grew agitated when his opposite said aloud what he was thinking. The Zodiac member threw away the burning papers and moved aside his cape to reach for something in its justacorp.

"We are here to reaffirm which empire is more tyrannical." Capra voiced his hostile intentions and opened the silver pocket watch he took out.

Harragaz stood there, nervously waiting for the relic to destroy the fleet behind the demonic ambassador. But the enemy faction remained intact so he didn't make his move.

"It's taking them long to realize your mistake." Not replying to The Goat's sinister statement, Harragaz instead turned to observe his men.

The elite soldiers used to oppress and conquer races on other planets, expressed fear and stupefaction as they failed to activate the relic given to them. In desperation, the soldier holding their trump card unwrapped it to see what was wrong.

"Canto XIII." With a graceful sleight of hand, the devilish representative took out a wand hidden under one of its sleeves, still holding the pocket watch with its other hand. "Your body shall compensate for the broken podium."

"What are you talking-" Harragaz felt a strange sensation across his body, so he looked down to witness the inconceivable:

His arms transformed into wood.

The same formidable limbs he used to shatter planets and produce earthquakes across continental landmasses were rendered useless. And soon, the rest of his body followed.

"What the hell are you!?" A horrified Harragaz asked the fiend before his head was transformed into wood, like his torso and legs.

"As I said, my real identity is not important. Much less to a tree." The demonic ambassador continued observing its pocket watch, ignoring the last moments of its victim.

"MONSTER!" One of the elite Galadyan soldiers shouted in fury.

He and 6 of his companions launched themselves with lightning speed toward The Zodiac member. But in less than the blink of an eye, the 7 soldiers fell.

Sliced into several pieces.

Galadyans whose bodies could destroy planets and tolerate atmospheric entry, had been killed by slashes of unknown origin, with no chance of defending themselves.

None of the remaining soldiers grasped what they saw. They only felt a sudden pressure change in the area.

"Take the relic away-" A panicking Galadyan soldier fell apart after lines of purple blood appeared over his body. He was slashed 4 times:

Horizontally across his waist, diagonally across his torso, horizontally across the neck, and vertically in the middle of the head.

"Shoot the Zenitheans!" Predicting the desperate order from a soldier on the ground, the crew inside the Galadyan battleships wasted no time firing their weapons at the enemy fleet and the collected emissary behind its podium.

Lasers, missiles, and other projectiles from the stationed Galadyan fleet made it past 50 meters when another weird phenomenon occurred.

As if manipulated by an invisible force, the lasers and projectiles unexpectedly performed a sharp 180-degree turn, striking the respective battleships that shot them. Some missiles were redirected to hit military hangars, bases, and scorching cities on the far horizon.

Most of Galadyus's fleet was wiped out by a mysterious wall, invisible to even the enhanced Galadyan eye, that reflected its projectiles against itself.

Thinking that staying was hopeless, a squad of soldiers surrounded the young man holding the unwrapped golden sword but as they took off to escape, another enigmatic air pressure engulfed their bodies. In an instant, all of them fell dead to the ground, sliced into several pieces.

The relic was the only thing spared from calamity. As the golden sword fell, a portal opened below it in midair, and another one manifested above Capra. The Zodiac member caught the relic effortlessly, still holding his pocket watch with the other hand.

Another group of Galadyans furiously swung their decoy swords and staffs to hit whatever was the thing destroying their vanguard, but after unsuccessful attempts, their arms and weapons went missing, leaving only dripping blood and exposed bone where their arms used to be. Before comprehending what transpired, the armless soldiers fell, killed by the sudden reappearance of the missing weapons in the middle of their hearts and brains.

The invisible defensive wall between both fleets did not allow the furious Galadyan offensive to reach the Zenithean half of the airbase. No matter the speed at which the remaining soldiers flew, they could only make it past 50 meters before being redirected to their half of the airbase and sliced apart by an imperceptible entity.

Among the last soldiers, one attempted to flee in cowardice toward the skies above the Galadyan zone of the airbase. Yet, another invisible barrier altered his flying trajectory back to the ground, where he was sliced into many body pieces.

In the end, nothing remained of the interplanetary elite vanguard, except for pools of blood, slashed flesh, and echoing screams.

•

"If Reconnaissance didn't screw up, that sword is the last relic of this nadir system." The Wolf spoke, rapidly swinging his katana, Akai Kiba, to wipe off the purple blood from it.

He wore black sandals and umanori hakama, white shin guards and a jinbaori of the same color over his dark armor plates and light gray haori, and a wolf-themed mask over his face. The gray-haired Faunus with pointy canine ears walked toward his Master, who stood close to the tree on the carpet.

"They died in utter ignorance. Betting everything on this trinket." The Goat looked with displeasure at the golden relic in his hand.

Its usual blue blade was instead glowing red.

"A wo-" The demonic emissary interrupted itself with an uncharacteristic chuckle.

Struggling to hold its cackle, Capra placed a hand over the frontal part of its mask and the other over its stomach, dropping the golden sword to the ground. The Wolf was taken aback by this sudden change of attitude from his Master.

"A wooden stick would have been more useful!" The senior Zodiac member calmed itself enough to finish its mocking remark.

"Ha, you are right, Maestro. Thanks to your Aura Network I got rid of them within the 5-minute time limit." The disciple bowed with respect.

"Wolf, taking into account the repeaters provided and the Galadyans' lack of aura defenses, you should have taken less than 3 minutes." Chivo commanded the relic to return to its hand and stared at the drones flying around the burning airbase.

"Are the Sarume Clan's teachings holding you back?" Speaking like a stern mentor, the elegant devil inspected the sword's blade.

"Sen- The Rooster no longer has any influence on me. I will perform better next time and meet your expectations, Maestro Capra." The Faunus clenched his fists while still bowing.

"Do not meet my expectations." The senior member pointed with the sword to the burning Galadyan fleet. "Surpass them."

Having said this, the demonic figure turned to the Monoliths, sword in hand.

"The rest of the Merkabah Fleet is eliminating the final forces of this nadir world." Capra indicated The Wolf to head together into the Monoliths.

"Canto XIII..." But the masked Faunus made his mentor stop in its tracks before standing straight and speaking confidently. "The Wood of the Suicides."

"Corretto. Fitting for Harragaz and his vanguard." Not looking back, both Zodiac members left behind their fallen adversaries.

•

I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT STUPID IDIOT LEFT ME STUCK TO A TREE!

I tried breaking free when I saw Calavera (?) fly away on his motorcycle from a swarm of exploding fireflies, but the steel wire was well secured.

I should never have cooperated with that hunts- bounty hunter.

"I know. What a jerkass." Roman manifested, sitting on one of the tree's branches.

He failed to grasp the steel wire to free me since I didn't have enough aura to build a strong body for him.

...

For a minute, I thought I was in the middle of a nightmare. He gave me the scare of my life.

"Confused him for Maria Calavera?" I wasn't surprised he asked me that. The similarities between both hunters were uncanny.

"Shocking to see someone who looks like the granny who kicked your ass." Roman laughed after teasing me.

I defeated Maria Calavera! After I... Attacked her while she was distracted...

"You hit a granny when she was looking away!? Not even I was so evil." Roman faked surprise and disgust, placing a hand on his chest and opening his mouth in awe.

THAT'S NOT THE POINT!

"Sorry. What's bothering you? Besides being stuck to a tree for a second time." He pointed up and down the oak with his cane.

That there's a Calavera in Zenith. A male Grimm Reaper. Don't you find it odd?

I could tell both skull warriors weren't the same person. How this Calavera walked and moved his waist singled him as a man. Plus, his weaponry and fighting style were vastly different from Maria's.

I heard gunshots and explosions in the distance. The fight between Calavera and Silver Moth begun. The skull hunter didn't lie about making sure the fight took place far from here.

"Maybe every Zenithean is a gender-bent version of a Remnant inhabitant, which would mean... There's a female me somewhere in this world!" Roman happily whistled after his last statement.

I feared to imagine what was going on inside of his narcissistic mind.

A gender-bent you? Stop saying nonsense.

"Or a male Little Red! As if the female one wasn't annoying enough." He ignored my angry gaze, voicing more ludicrous ideas. "At least Remnant's was adorkable."

Roman.

"A female Jaune would be nice. Her name would probably be... Jeanne!" My partner kept excitedly daydreaming impossible scenarios.

Roman!

"What- Oh, tied to a tree." At last, he went back to paying me attention.

Suggestions?

"Try pulling harder?" He shrugged with a nervous smirk.

You're lucky to be dead.

"Summon something to break the tree." Ignoring my threat, he pointed now with the barrel of his weapon at the oak.

Not enough aura left. Projecting a disguise is still plausible with my low reserves, but not summoning something sturdy enough to break the trunk. Besides-

A couple of yellow fireflies approached the tree I was tied to. Unable to escape, I quickly improvised.

Holding my breath, I turned the steel wire and myself invisible with the shards that made up my Calavera disguise. For a few seconds, the fireflies flew into the tree's crown and got close to my face. After half a minute, the insect-shaped bombs left in peace. Luckily, these didn't possess thermal vision and other equipment to detect invisible targets.

I need to be careful with my aura expenses and escape quietly.

Keeping myself invisible, I gathered on my right palm the shards that made up my disguise's oversized sombrero and long limbs. As expected, even with my natural body proportions the steel wire was still too tight for me to escape.

"Build something to cut the wires." Roman made a scissor gesture with his right hand, looking into my eyes.

I don't think- Roman, you see me?

"I can feel your presence. Even if you are invisible and I'm dead, our hearts will always be connected. No matter how rotten they are, partner." He smiled with affection.

Dum-dum.

The figment of my imagination could say some sweet things now and then.

I can make a small knife, but one strong enough to cut steel isn't viable.

Coming from the central zone of the park, I sensed some vibrations and heard a loud thud. A purple flame followed by a shockwave and an incredible number of simultaneous explosions made the park shake.

That aura boost must have been Calavera's. Silver Moth blew him up with a hundred explosions.

Not even a Maiden could have tanked several detonations of that magnitude.

"He deserved it, for abusing your trust and leaving you here." Roman looked with disdain at the direction the fight took place.

[Sorry, I do not know sign language.]

Idiot. Most people obviously do not know sign language, no need to apologize. You also didn't need to save my life.

"For your good, I will burst your bubble. He probably wanted to deliver you alive for the bounty." Roman sat closer to me, while I looked disappointingly at the smoke left behind by the explosions in the distance.

Serves him right for calling me a liability, instead of cooperating with me.

"He played hero and died like every other huntsman in histo-"

Look!

My surprised thought interrupted Roman.

Many fireflies were flying to the central zone of Principal Park. As these left the meadow in front of the oak I was tied to, I saw Sakura trapped in the branches of another tree, 17 meters away from my location. I assumed it fell from Calavera's bike when we were attacked by the invisible enemy.

Agh! Too bad I cannot call Sakura with MY bracelet.

Even if I was wearing again the AAIS bracelet on my right arm, it wasn't of use because I forgot to set up a new aura link between Sakura and it. I had previously used the bracelet to provide aura to my Roman construct, and then to receive aura from Calavera, so its connection with the Taiyou umbrella was severed. I needed a way to transmit my aura to its handle, so I could command Sakura.

A shiny shape on the horizon caught my attention. Hundreds of yellow fireflies were flying 25 meters above the baseball area located to my left.

The fight is not over yet?... Calavera is still alive!

"Bah, so what? He's not getting out of this one. There must be a thousand fireflies in that formation." Roman forced himself to hide his dismay.

Silver Moth is terrifying. To command this many flying- Ah, I'm so dumb! The solution was simple!

Taking inspiration from the fireflies and Calavera's bird-shaped gadget, I used the shards in my hand to summon a construct based on Qrow's bird form. Then, I made the crow touch the AAIS bracelet on my arm to establish an aura link between both and ordered it to fly toward the tree where Sakura was stuck. After the bird construct landed on the objective, I shapeshifted it into pink aura shards that wrapped the umbrella's handle, successfully setting up an aura link between Sakura and my bracelet.

"Neo, you are incredible!" Roman praised me with amazement.

Just when I was about to call Sakura, a sudden loud noise and a shockwave rocked the tree I was tied to.

That was scary.

The lights illuminating the baseball area were gone, replaced with even more fire and smoke. Silver Moth had dropped all those fireflies at the same time. The sound of people panicking, breaking glass, and alarms outside the park reached my ears.

"A Wyvern Grimm couldn't survive that. Calavera is now gone for sure. He played hero and died like every other huntsman-"

Silence, I need to concentrate.

Ever since I arrived in this world, I had been unable to figure out what MY new weapon was made of. To reduce the risk of blowing my covers, I decided to keep Sakura a secret from everyone, which meant I couldn't go around asking weapon experts about it.

I knew Sakura was a wagasa, thanks to an exhibit at the world expo in Anglia's New Crystal Palace, but it was easy to tell it wasn't one made of paper. Like Hush, Sakura was resistant enough to shield me from bullets, small dust explosions, and even attacks that could cut steel.

Anyway, whatever was going on at the center of the park made most fireflies leave the area where I was located. Seizing this opportunity, I activated the wind dust stored within Sakura's handle.

"Are you-" Roman shut up by his own volition. He realized what I was planning.

[Advanced Aura Interlink System. It allows me to extend my aura to Sakura and control its flying trajectory easily, even without touching my weapon. They don't have those around here or whatever world you come from?]

The Rabbit, Sharpluck, Milady, Araknim, and Comala's Calavera. They are Zenitheans who possess different forms of technology and fighting styles than those of the world I come from. Even if I was born in Remnant, I can no longer afford to think like someone from that world.

To survive in Zenith, I need to stop limiting my imagination.

I commanded Sakura to open its canopy and spin rapidly. The activated wind dust further accelerated its spinning, making the canopy cut the branches of the tree Sakura was stuck on. Before the wagasa fell to the ground, I used the AAIS bracelet to make it 'fly' at a high speed toward the tree to which I was tied. Following a curved trajectory, the spinning Sakura landed on the left side of the tree's trunk, and cut the steel wire that kept me in place.

If I had missed for less than a meter, I could have cut off my limbs... Or my face.

Thankfully, I had practiced controlling Sakura via AAIS. Even if I lacked the bunny girl's mastery, I could still direct Sakura's trajectory well enough to hit improvised targets at Copper Amusement Park.

"I know coming from me doesn't mean much, but I will say it. I couldn't have asked for a better partner when I was alive." Roman clapped and congratulated me, while I removed the cut steel wire to free myself.

I could feel that my face was blushing.

Focusing again on my current predicament, I removed my skates' soul plates and the stuck weapon from the trunk to jump between trees and avoid touching the muddy ground. I didn't want to leave any footprints that could be used to track me. As I was about to jump off the branches of an oak near the edge of the park, curiosity won me over and I turned my head again in the direction of the park's central section.

What are those bright beams?

Using the aura shards in Sakura's handle, I resummoned the crow construct and made it fly to where the battle was taking place. Through my right eye, I could perceive what my construct was seeing.

"Neo, it's better we leave now." Roman called me from the sidewalk below the branch I was standing on.

Keeping myself invisible, I jumped out of the park and ran to the nearest alleyway to change into a disguise.

I cannot turn into Beryl, Liz, and much less Neopolitan, so I will go with Mint. Zenithean authorities aren't aware of that cover.

It had been years since I was Mint at the Vytal Festival Tournament.

"Don't go around stomping on people's faces." Leaning on a wall, my partner witnessed her anticipated return.

I will not make any promises- Oh, shit.

"3 seconds, Mint. You have been here for only 3 seconds and already are making Neo act more vulgar." Roman scolded me.

I'm still watching the fight, Dum-dum.

I could see through 'Qrow', hiding in a tree close to Principal Park's reservoir, how the battle developed. Calavera was using his flying motorcycle to evade deadly beams that were hot enough to cut trees and destroy the facades of buildings outside the park. The attacks came from dangerous devices shaped like hornets, commanded by a well-armored moth Faunus.

Silver Moth... You are right, Roman. Better leave now.

"Why are you shaking?" My partner tried to put his hand over my left shoulder but it went through my body.

I have no chance against either bounty hunter.

I could tell Silver Moth was using telekinesis to control his numerous flying weapons. He possibly had a semblance that resembled Glynda Goodwitch's. On the other hand, Calavera kept relying just on his bike to escape from the moth's attacks.

Does this world's Calavera lack a semblance? He will die if he doesn't come up with a strategy.

"He wants to be a hero, then-" I silenced Roman with an angry stare.

I hated that negative phrase because it got him devoured by a Grimm.

Both are bounty hunters, not huntsmen. In this context, your phrase doesn't hold much- Fuck!

"Mint, can you stop swearing and instead explain the situation?" With curiosity and annoyance, Roman demanded to learn how the fight was going.

Calavera somehow made Silver Moth blow up himself! We need to run!

Since I wasn't sure if skating girls would attract the police's attention, I played it safe and ran to Shine Crossing in Midtown. My plan now was to take a train and leave Bright Island. I crossed the streets, mixing myself with numerous civilians running away from Principal Park, and doing my best to avoid armored policemen with visors that detected sources of aura.

Calavera and Silver Moth fell into the park's museum.

I made it to Shine Crossing, but the crowd escaping from the chaos was gathering at the entrance of the Beaux-Arts terminal. Most fleeing citizens weren't pushing around or stepping on each other. Despite the panic, everyone was going into the train station in an ordered manner, probably due to all the armored policemen and Stratus Sentinels overseeing the evacuation proceedings. Thanks to my short height, I didn't need to hunch to hide among the evacuees.

After some minutes, I entered the station and walked to a platform.

Just a bit more and I will make it to a train-

I paused my walking.

"Neo, what are you doing!? You need to move on! Hurry!" Standing inside the train car ahead of me, Roman extended his arm. He urged me to board the train, along with the people pushing me from behind.

[The staff at Shiny Game Center. The medical personnel and wounded persons at Lumini Tower. The families hiding at Bright Diner. The policemen holding the perimeter. The firefighters turning off the flames of my explosions. One of them must be her!]

I cannot leave yet! Silver Moth wants to blow up Lumini Tower!

I pushed everyone to exit the grand terminal. Seeing a man riding a dust-motor scooter stuck in Shine Crossing's traffic, I kicked him to the ground to steal his ride.

"Batshit girl!" The angry man shouted at me while I drove his green-colored scooter over the sidewalks to exit the big intersection, making everyone jump out of my way.

In the last minutes, the fight between both bounty hunters went off the rails. At first, Silver Moth summoned thousands of fireflies to eliminate Calavera but after his plan backfired, he was now thinking of dispersing his explosives to kill anyone I could be disguised as. Fireflies surrounded me while I drove across a street that led back to the park.

That lunatic insect will murder everyone to claim my capture as his feat.

"There's nothing you can do in your current state! Neo, you need to escape from this island!" A concerned Roman, standing in the middle of the street, raised his hands to stop me but I drove the scooter through his incorporeal body.

... What is he doing?

Through my bird construct I witnessed Calavera forcing himself to enter Silver Moth's ferocious sphere of psychokinetic energy. Even if he was taking constant damage from doing so, he continued making his way into the red storm. I arrived back at the southern end of the park, but I was still several blocks away from the reservoir area.

Calavera is not going to make it. His aura will break before reaching Silver Moth. Unless...

Maneuvering between the fleeing cars of civilians and avoiding the barricades of police cars, I only had 3 blocks left to arrive at the entrance closest to the reservoir. The red winds generated by the moth's semblance made it difficult for the scooter to maintain a high speed.

The stupid idiot will kill himself to stop him!

"Told you he wanted to die playing hero!" An alarmed Roman shouted, grabbing a street light to avoid getting blown away by the winds.

Not like Roman needed to. He was pretending to be affected by the storm slowing my scooter. Driving past firefighters and policemen struggling to hold their ground, I made it to the entrance.

I can barely see Calavera's purple aura! It's losing force! He's not going to make-

A blue flash out of nowhere cut in half the psychokinetic sphere, unleashing more violent winds that pushed me out of the park. I spun with the scooter some metres, before stopping over the sidewalk that led to the park's entrance.

What just happened?

My trembling hands continued gripping the scooter's handles, now pointing opposite the park. Unexpectedly, it started to rain as I reconnected my eye's vision to the Qrow construct.

In the giant hole that used to be a reservoir, I confirmed the presence of a tall woman, dressed in military clothes, poking with a long weapon an unconscious Calavera. She was holding a guandao, if I recall correctly what I learned at the Anglian world expo. Silver Moth's unconscious body had landed some meters north of them.

Unbelievable. That military lady defeated the mad bomber like it was nothing.

Through my construct, I surveyed the area. Police officers and soldiers were gathered around the edges of the former reservoir. I couldn't avoid taking note that as Calavera stood up he kept staring at the military woman who saved him.

...

"It seems everything solved itself." Roman pointed with his cane to some motionless, insect-shaped explosives on the sidewalk. He walked with relief toward me, confirming I was unscathed but distracted. "Neo?"

Tsk, I worried for nothing. Should have listened to you and fled the island.

I drove back to the train station, ignoring the scene playing in my eye. With the fight now over, I had a feeling something bad was about to happen.

•

At a top-secret, futuristic location in Cloud City only accessible to a selected few, the white doors of an elevator opened with a chime. Stepping out of it, a slim man in a modern white suit with thin black stripes, a blue tie, and a black shirt readjusted the white rat-themed mask covering his head.

It was Dr. Loveless; a Zodiac member assigned the animal of the rat.

"Will someone pick up that holodial?" The man in his early thirties excitedly waltzed sideways into his office that oversaw the big room below. "Because I called it!"

Using his prosthetic tail to gain momentum, The Rat spun swiftly a couple of times to arrive at the console inside his office.

The Nest was The Zodiac's main headquarters in this region of U.N.N.M. From here, The Rat and his subordinates, dressed in black suits and wearing white mice-themed masks, monitored and controlled Cloud City and the cities below it.

"Doctor, shut up and begin the lockdown. Maximum alert level." Captain Irigami's irritated voice came from a speaker in The Rat's office.

"Calavera said it's been around half an hour since he last saw the nadir spy..." The thoughtful rat walked over to a window in the triangular office and grabbed a microphone so the 'mice' below could hear him. "Let us lockdown not only Bright Island but also Cloud City, Copper Suburb, Kings, and Bronze City!"

His subordinates, working on individual black desks with a computer and chair, looked up and gasped in surprise. A brunette-haired office lady, wearing a white shirt, black skirt, and a mouse mask that only covered her eyes, tripped when she was about to reach her desk.

"That's right, the whole region. Do as we practiced because we aren't leaving things up to luck. Today we are catching Neopolitan!" An enthusiastic Loveless put down the microphone and rubbed together his gloved hands, heading back to the center of his office.

•

I was near the train station's entrance, parking the ride I stole on a pedestrian plaza when the holodials of every citizen around me started buzzing and beeping. Looking up, I confirmed that Shine Crossing's hundreds of billboards stopped flashing advertisements while alarms sounded everywhere.

It's too late.

"No way they will do it. Millions live here." Roman gulped next to me.

I forgot that it was the first time my dejection coping mechanism was going to experience this.

"Citizens of Bright Island, Cathie Led here." The anchorwoman from the usual public announcements showed up across all the billboards of the commercial intersection. "For your safety, we ask you to listen carefully to the following announcement. This is neither a drill nor a test."

They will do it, Roman. The Zodiac doesn't care for them.

"The International Zenithean Army and local police departments have confirmed the presence of the dangerous bioterrorist Neopolitan at Bright Island. The following sectors will enter a lockdown to prevent any tragedy that claims many lives." The somber anchorwoman declared the beginning of what I feared.

•

"3, 2, 1. Let's jam!" Neon lights for dancing and several screens turned on at The Rat's office as electro-swing music began playing on its speaker system.

With his left hand in one pocket and tapping on the floor with his left foot, the doctor used his right hand to playfully point forward to the window. Multiple floating holo-screens were turned on for everyone in the big room to see. These displayed the maps of the sectors chosen for lockdown, including Bright Island's 12 long north-south avenues and over 150 east-west streets.

"Mice 1 through 12, shut down the public transport systems." The doctor smoothly performed his 'walking man' neo-swing dance technique, moving up and down his arms with every step he took, without actually stepping away from the same spot in the center of his office.

"Let's deal with the trains first." The Rat commanded his assistants via a wireless headset microphone attached to his mask.

A holo-screen with a train icon showed up in front of The Zodiac member. After tapping on it, his feet performed the 'swap' dance technique and he used his hands to pull an imaginary rope.

•

I was in line with everyone else at a platform, about to step into a train car, when the engines of every train turned off.

Puzzled by what was happening, the other civilians and I turned our heads in confusion. Trains leaving the station stopped in their tracks (literally) and returned to the platforms, opening their doors after their engines were deactivated.

Across all the electric screens in the platforms and trains, the word 'lockdown' popped up, along with a strange symbol that consisted of an inverted triangle with circles at its two upper vertices.

Is that a mouse?

As I speculated if Little's ghost placed a bad luck curse on me, I heard a series of incoming heavy footsteps.

"Relax everyone. We will proceed to do a quick inspection." A stern group of armored policemen with aura visors arrived at the subway platforms. "No train is allowed to leave until we make sure Neopolitan isn't among us."

"But she is! Right here, officer!" A frightened Roman shouted to the policemen as he pointed at the top of my head.

Traitor!

"I'm kidding... You still need to run though." Listening to his obvious advice, I ran through a shrugging Roman and relied on my natural height to blend with the evacuees.

I need to find another way to escape.

After carefully making it once more to the station's entrance closest to Shine Crossing, I saw the man from whom I had stolen my scooter earlier. He had only reignited its dust engine, when I pushed him to the ground to retrieve the vehicle.

"DAAAMN!" He raised his angry voice, scaring everyone nearby.

Ignoring him, I focused on driving between many cars to reach the nearest exit of the island.

•

"Mice 13 through 18, we need to burn our bridges." Loveless grabbed a pair of bright saber toys. "Deal with any pesky vehicle."

Icons representing the most important bridges and tunnels in all 5 areas designated for lockdown showed up in front of The Rat. Each time one of these approached him, he struck it down with a saber. As if playing a rhythm game, he spun now and then to hit the icons with his prosthetic tail, and a sound that complemented the music in the office was released by these when cut.

•

Once we reach the tunnel, we will head east to Kings and-

Meters ahead of me, security bollards and tire deflation devices emerged from the ground to interrupt my 'conversation' with Roman. Civilian cars next to these were repositioned against their drivers' volition to reinforce the barricades and prevent anyone from accessing the tunnel. Just when I was thinking of forcing my way through these obstacles, a hard-light shield closed off the entrance to the tunnel. I had no option but to brake.

The peculiar symbol made up of one triangle and two circles, taunted me again by popping up this time in the energy shield.

"Got another idea?" A disappointed Roman supported himself on a bollard with his arms crossed.

I do.

I turned my scooter in another direction. If I drove north, I could make it to a bridge that also led to Kings.

But misfortune read my mind. With three streets left to reach this exit, I saw barricades and shields closing off the entrance to the bridge that crossed the big river between both cities. Further complicating everything, a portion of the moveable bridge was lifted to prevent any vehicle from crossing to the other side. Seeing it wasn't worth the effort; I braked right next to a tree on which Roman was leaning.

"Your idea is water under-"

DON'T!

•

"Take it to the next level. Mice 19 through 28, seize them all!" The white rat lifted a knee to transition into his next dancing techniques, the single and double v-steps, shuffling his feet to the sides to match the music's tempo.

On this occasion, icons representing civilian vehicles surrounded him. The Rat rolled his hands before doing complicated sequences of arm movements that made him look like a traffic cop directing waves of cars. He continued shuffling his feet and guiding the imaginary traffic even as his body performed a slow 360 spin.

•

There are some old non-moveable bridges on the lower east side of Bright Island. They will have trouble closing those off entirely.

Lady Luck wasn't on my side today because the scooter's engine broke down as I brainstormed.

That jackass didn't refuel my ride.

"It's not that. Look around." Roman stepped into the middle of the road.

He wasn't worried about any cars hitting him, not because he was a figment of my imagination but because not a single vehicle on the eastern highway was moving.

They took control of all vehicles, like in Gallia.

The ominous symbol reminiscent of a mouse's head popped up on the scooter's dashboard.

"We need to think of something fast! Police helicopters are about to get here!" I looked up to see a light beam illuminating hijacked cars on the highway.

Some civilians stepped out of their cars, while others remained inside theirs, failing to restart their dust engines. The helicopter inspecting the highway probably counted with aura-detection equipment. If the police caught a glimpse of me, they would suspect me of being Neopolitan.

"And they would be right." Roman impolitely read my thoughts.

That's not the point.

I left my hard-earned scooter behind and jumped out of the highway to hide below the trees in a park on the island's eastern edge.

•

"The boys in the air may need assistance. Mice 32 through 34, lend them a hand." A series of icons, shaped like spheres and with silhouettes of bats in them, rapidly approached the dancing rat's shoes.

Dr. Loveless transitioned to smoothly shuffling his legs, pretending to lose balance but avoiding the fall thanks to his prosthetic tail. With each quick shuffle, he kicked to his sides and sent into the air a sphere-shaped icon. These transformed into small, shiny bat shapes that flew to the maps in front of everyone at The Nest.

•

"What are all those tiny lights?" Roman made me look up to the sky and confirm the deployment of hundreds of drones shaped like bats with stretched wings.

These spread from Bright Island's Midtown to the rest of the island. The drones at most spanned 1 metre in length and width. And if my hunch was correct, these probably were equipped with aura-sensors that could identify me as Neopolitan. I remained hidden under the trees, hoping the drones wouldn't detect me.

Bounty hunters with jetpacks, drones, helicopters. Even if I could make a construct with wings, escaping via air is impossible.

"You have more chances of crossing the river by swimming. How about building a boat?" Roman suggested an idea that didn't seem so unreasonable, till I looked at the river to see patrol boats with searchlights.

I haven't recovered enough aura for that. But maybe I can steal a boat at the southeastern piers-

[It's just our... Temporal hideout. Our point of contact.]

AAAH!

"What's the matter!?" Roman asked me startled.

There's an industrial zone next to the piers. Phoebe is hiding there.

I ran south to exit the park without waiting for my partner's approval.

•

"Mice 40 to 44, let's raise the sea barriers." As the saxophones got louder to wrap up the music, The Rat slowly and dramatically raised his arms to lift the blue icons on his hands that symbolized the anti-Grimm, sea barriers around the region's waters.

The Rat dropped to his knees, spinning thrice on the floor to finish his dance. The Nest went completely silent as the normal office's lights turned on again.

...

"Was the dance necessary?" Lieutenant Wuneng's deadpan voice came from a speaker on the desk's office.

"You know nothing... about style, simpleton." The Rat spoke between breaths, waiting for claps that never arrived. "I did my part... the rest is up to IZA."

•

"Three Citadels established a perimeter around Bright Island. Minotaurs with optical camouflage are patrolling the avenues. Navy vessels were ordered to stand by at the regional bight. I will leave the east-west streets to the local authorities." At The Rat's request, Captain Irigami used a palm-sized intercom device to review with an authoritative tone the orders to his forces.

Still wearing their military attires, Lieutenant Wuneng and he stood in the commanding room inside a big military plane shaped like a hawk, Taka-1. In the middle of the room, there was a 3D holographic display of Bright Island and its surrounding waters. Three giant fortresses, with a horizontal anti-gravity ring of 1 kilometer of diameter, were also floating around the holographic island. These were the International Zenithean Army's Citadels.

"Dr. Loveless, grant me access to the drone network." The Faunus captain coldly requested, searching for a headset in the room.

"All that for Bright Island alone!? We will make everyone panic." The doubtful lieutenant spoke at Irigami's back.

"Lieutenant, never forget I outrank you." With contempt, the captain turned around to assert his authority.

"Why are you so mad?" But the lieutenant refused to be intimidated and instead expressed annoyance.

"I ordered you not to attack Silver Moth." Ignoring her defiance, he hit the holographic table at the center of the room.

This made the discussion escalate.

— He was about to kill thousands!

— You ruined an opportunity to lure out Neopolitan!

— Did you seriously expect the mime girl to save our people!?

— My tactic worked at Lumini Tower, didn't it?

Both argued back and forth. Fortunately, no one else was at Taka-1 to overhear their fight.

"You've gotten worse, Wolf. You didn't even hesitate to murder your accomplice when I could have knocked him out." Wuneng put both hands on her hips and replied with a reprimanding tone.

"... Silver Moth died of a heart attack caused by-" For an instant, the captain expressed doubt but he forced himself to respond.

"One of your gloves is missing. It must have gotten stained with his heart's blood." The lieutenant lowered her head to gaze at the ungloved hand of her superior.

"... He talked too much. You know the rules, Lieutenant." Irigami raised his ungloved hand and pointed up with his index finger to rebuke her.

Despite most of the rainclouds clearing away by now, a lightning bolt struck loudly south of Principal Park. The impact reached the ears of both Zodiac members and made them forget their discussion.

"Yězhū, Inu-senpai." A jovial male voice announced his arrival through a speaker in the room. It belonged to another Zodiac member.

"Saru. What took you long?" The unfazed captain now reprimanded his other comrade.

•

"Yare yare. I was overseas." The Monkey squatted over the edge of an Art Deco-style skyscraper with 100 floors to look down at the city.

His mask counted with a microphone to communicate with Taka-1 and The Nest.

"With your semblance a 2-minute delay is inexcusable." The relaxed Monkey scratched the back of his head as The Wolf scolded him.

"Taiyoujin's obsession for punctuality is scarier than ours." Dr. Loveless joined their conversation with a joke.

"Doctor, any guesses where the cutie is hiding?" Not scared of tall heights, The Monkey stood straight and walked over the edge of the skyscraper's rooftop to see if he could see anything Neopolitan-related.

"If doggo is right, then tightening the security at Bright Island is the best approach. But I locked down the entire region to be sure." A male growl and a female snicker could be heard from Taka-1 as The Rat nonchalantly explained the situation.

"Any other Zodiac members here?" The Monkey leaned forward a bit to see farther.

"From the main twe- eleven? Nah, only us. The rest aren't available... And The Tiger recently went missing." After hearing the casual reply, The Monkey sat on the edge of the skyscraper.

"Eh, how nice to be a drifter whenever one pleases." A little envious, the young man lay down on the edge of the building with his hands behind his head.

•

"Inu-senpai, why not track her with your nose?" Irigami put on a headset with a visor that covered one of his eyes as he heard The Monkey's question over the intercom speaker.

"The rain and urban environment hinder my sense of smell." The Wolf replied with nuisance.

"Irigami, the drone network is at your disposal." But the captain grinned after hearing a satisfying statement from The Rat.

"One glimpse. That's all I need. Once I see her, she's mine." Showing his fangs, he turned on the device on his head.

"Alert me when you find her... Captain." The tired lieutenant ignored the menacing air in the room and stepped out of Taka-1, into Principal Park.

•

I made it undetected to a zone filled with warehouses and factories, most closed or abandoned. Since the address Phoebe shared with me was of the warehouse closest to the southeastern piers, I didn't bother turning on my holodial to confirm in which building the hideout was located. After checking that there was an unlocked door; I entered the building.

There was no one inside the warehouse to greet me. The building was eerily quiet with only the moonlight illuminating the interior. Piles of wooden crates, two trawler boats, and hanging chains with hooks were among the things I could see-

"Dodge!" I heard Roman's warning too late.

A sharp pain traveled across my torso. I jumped backward to make distance with whatever hit me and opened Sakura's canopy for protection. My Mint disguise broke, so I returned to being Liz in her skating outfit. The aura that covered my body couldn't stop flashing pink. I was at my limit.

"Who are you, intrusa? I don't recall anyone inviting you!" A rude female voice came from the other side of the canopy.

Someone had jumped down from the warehouse's roof to ambush me. It was a young woman in a red dress. I couldn't shake off the feeling I had seen her before. Without a warning, the remaining stinging sensation in my body unlocked an unpleasant memory.

THE PHILIPPOS GIRL!

"THE PHILIPPOS GIRL!" Filled with shock, Roman and I identified her at the same time.

There was no mistake about it.

The rich-tanned woman was 1.6 meters tall. She had curly black hair that reached her shoulders and looked in her early twenties. The mystery girl wore a headband with a red flower of many petals. Attached to the white headband, there was a black veil that covered the back of her head and made it slightly past her shoulders.

The woman had a small, opened jacket of color deep scarlet, which reminded me of those Hispania's matadors used when they fought Grimm. Over her torso, she wore a black corset with white laces. The color of her red, knee-length dress matched her jacket. Both red pieces of clothing had white organic patterns, such as flowers seen from above. A white petticoat was visible at the bottom edges of her dress.

Apparently, underneath her dress, she wore a black pantyhose. Her red shoes with short heels looked elegant and beautiful. She had tied a bow between her corset and dress with a long white fabric.

Her big and rounded, golden eyes stared at me. She was holding two silver daggers, which she spun for intimidation.

"I will kill you for trespassing without permission." The mystery girl pointed the tip of her daggers at me, then fully extended her arms and raised them above her head.

She moved her waist left and right femininely, advancing with stylish but loud steps in my direction. And then, without a warning, she froze in place, still shooting at me a cold look. Then, with a series of small quick steps, the young woman attempted to close the distance between us but I stepped back to keep it the same.

She took three steps toward me. I stepped back thrice.

She took two steps toward me. I stepped back twice.

Then, she feigned taking one step but I didn't fall for it and canceled my step backwards. We did this a few more times.

Her rhythmic dance movements formed a circle around me. She gained momentum while her heels tapped the floor faster and faster. The blades of her daggers clashed to complement the dance. Whenever she spun with abrupt grace, her dress turned into a flower. I turned around to keep track of the girl, not lowering Sakura.

WHY IS SHE DANCING!?

"WHY IS SHE DANCING!?" Roman and I asked each other exasperated.

Then as sudden as it began, her dance ended.

What was that-

She restarted her ridiculous dance just when I was about to attack.

AAAH!

"AAAH!" Roman and I shouted with anger.

"Is every Zenithean a nutjob?" He grabbed his hat in fury and threw it to the ground.

I couldn't blame him. By now, she had been dancing for 3 minutes.

Maybe it's a trick, to make me lower my guard.

"She is the one literally exposing her back to you!" Roman pointed to the crazy girl, who was raising her arms to rhythmically clash her daggers above her head in tandem with her brusque footsteps.

She spun fast twice before (at last) freezing again with a very dramatic pose and intimidating gaze.

"Prepare to die." She spoke.

Of tedium.

We closed the distance between us. Even if my encounter with three bounty hunters and the police depleted almost all my energy, I didn't have much choice but to fight the enemy ahead. I prepared myself to swing a closed Sakura, while she repositioned the angle of her daggers to-

"Carmelia, para." A sweet male voice ceased our bloodlust and petrified us.

We looked together at its source: The door I used earlier to enter the warehouse.

"Conde!" The mystery girl in a red dress, who I assumed was named Carmelia, merrily shouted.

•

"Calavera, I found another one." I heard Galatea's cute but unemotional voice behind me.

She had brought me another discarded piece of Ehekatl's armored bodywork. I was done storing the 'hoverboard' part of my broken motorcycle inside the box truck that Roberto lent us. We parked close to the park's (former) reservoir entrance after being ordered to stay there by the IZA officers.

"Gracias, Tea. We are done collecting Ehekatl's most important components. The rest of the missing pieces will be replaced." I shut the truck's box after putting the piece Tea handed me with the rest.

I still was in my Mik Calavera armor and attire, although some of its parts were damaged due to the fight.

As much as Poktli's truck driver wanted to take Ehekatl to a place where we could repair it in secrecy, the ongoing lockdown procedures prevented the vehicle's engine from being turned on, along with hundreds of others stuck in the avenue.

"Calavera, are you planning something?" Another female voice made both of us turn toward the park's entrance.

It belonged to the tall beauty who saved me.

"Lieutenant Wuneng!" I gave her a military salute, then walked to the sidewalk to join both girls.

"I needed to know if you could help us track Neopolitan once more, to end this lockdown madness." Wuneng stared at the avenue, filled with unmoving cars.

Some scared vehicle owners left their transports behind, while others refused to abandon them and kept honking their horns in protest.

"Tea and I have no idea where she is..." I revealed to her not even my investigation partner had found where Neo fled by hijacking cameras around the park.

"But maybe someone I know could provide us a lead." I signaled both to follow me into the park since this was the shortest route to our destination. "Let's pray they are in good shape to talk."

•

The man who entered the warehouse was none other than Ed, Phoebe's partner. The same person who made the vultures attack Bianchi's during the masquerade party.

Carmelia cheerfully ran to the handsome dandy and hugged him. In return, he hugged the obnoxious woman and patted her head. Because of his 1.85-meter height, he had to lower his head to look her in the face. They smiled at each other.

I had no problem recognizing him despite wearing an attire different from the day we met.

He now sported an elegant black tailcoat with matching trousers, a white shirt, and a purple silk scarf around the neck. The tailcoat's cuffs had a purple cross motif. His white gloves didn't allow one to see his hands. His dark silver, silk vest counted with white sea wave patterns. On his head, there was a black top hat with a white ribbon edge trim. The sides of its brim were shaped like wings. His shoes this time were white.

He also wore a long cape that reached his shins. The latter had a black exterior but a purple interior with silhouettes of flying doves. Covering the upper half of his face, there was the same dove mask he wore at the party. His facial hair was now stylized as an impeccable anchor beard with a small mustache.

I opened my backpack to pull out my holodial.

"Do not turn on your holodial." Ed raised his head to look at me, speaking as if he were giving me advice rather than an order. "Otherwise, they will find us."

What do you mean?

"Good evening, Miss Neopolitan." Ed talked and signed simultaneously.

He knows sign-

"I confess I haven't learned much sign language. Your co-worker recommended it only days ago." The dove man preemptively shot down my hopes to avoid a misunderstanding.

Oh. Debbie must have told him about my disability.

"Neopolitan?" The girl in red looked at me with disgust.

It seemed Phoebe and Ed didn't tell her about my real identity.

That explains why she ambushed me.

"This pendeja ruined my smuggling operation at Philippos!" Carmelia stopped hugging Ed and aimed her daggers at me again.

Blimey! She would have attacked me even if she had known my identity.

"Querida, relax. Be nice to my guest." Ed put his hand over Carmelia's shoulder to calm her down.

"Cariño!" The effect was immediate. She cheerily dropped her weapons and comically went back to hugging him.

"I will lend you my holodial." Ed took a device from his tailcoat's pocket with a sophisticated movement and handed it to me.

Is this your organization's hideout? Where's Phoebe?

(•᷄- •᷅ ;)

"Phoebe is no longer with us. I severely punished her..." Ed informed with an ominous face.

That heartless monster killed Phoebe!?

"Ed told her to wash the getaway vehicle for nearly killing you." Carmelia clarified, rolling her eyes.

The man closed his and gently smiled at me.

Misleading bastard! And how unfair for Phoebe, considering these two got closer than her to killing me.

"Miss Neopolitan, have you accepted our offer? Is that why you are here?" Ed inquired with an innocent attitude.

I...

Carmelia limited herself to giving me judgmental looks.

"Excusez-moi, I forgot Phoebe didn't properly inform you about our organization." The melodramatic dandy softly smacked his head.

Right. I came here to learn more about you. Are you really terrorists?

"In the eyes of the world, you could say we are. Mine is an organization I created to oppose those who rule the world." With a gesture, Ed requested the girl to help him take off the cape.

The Zodiac. ( ｡ •̀ ᴖ •́ ｡)

"Liberalis. That's how we call ourselves. Our goal is to expose the crimes of The Zodiac and free everyone from them. Even those who aren't aware they are being controlled." Ed took off his top hat. "I assume you have a bad history with them. Many I recruit do."

Who exactly are you, Ed? How can I trust that you aren't with them?

The girl in red cackled when she read my text.

"Her questions are justified, Carmelia. Would you trust blindly a masked man who hasn't introduced himself?" Ed tied some of his long hair into a ponytail and took off his dove mask to show me his face.

His thick, sharp eyebrows and piercing amber eyes were on full display. He appeared to be in his forties.

"I'm the Count of Monte Cruz, but you can address me as Ed. I'm a man who seeks vengeance for the great injustices committed by the Zodiac. One who has gotten rid of his heart in pursuit of this noble goal. For their existence is a vile detriment to our world that we must abolish to attain true liberty!" His loud voice became more passionate with each sentence but also scarier. It was filled with intense but restrained hate.

...

Did he say vengeance?

"Psst, Neo. Over here." I turned around to see my imaginary partner sitting on a wooden crate, some meters from us.

Care to give me a moment to process everything?

(•́ ᴗ •̀)

I awkwardly faked a smile and displayed a new text to the middle-aged man.

"Go ahead." Ed abruptly changed his attitude, looking and sounding again like a friendly, relaxed dandy.

"You look so sexy when you get angry." Meanwhile, Carmelia returned to acting lovey-dovey.

He may have a screw loose.

"And that's saying a lot coming from us." Roman watched the couple behind me with caution.

"Neo, what is your plan? You weren't thinking of joining them, right? We are only here to hide while things calm down." I squeezed my hands and averted my gaze from him.

I... Don't know. I'm not sure. Roman, it's just that-

"You are playing with fire. I like Phoebe but this count guy doesn't give me a good vibe." He stood up and walked toward the unlocked door. "We better leave."

...

"Neo?" But Roman stopped and turned around once he noticed I wasn't following him.

I'm tired...

"What do you-"

Of hiding.

Of running.

Of loneliness.

Of discrimination.

Of not being myself!

I used my remaining aura reserves to transform into my true self. I returned to wearing my pink Lolita-inspired dress, a white ruffled blouse, and a brown corset. My hair with fluffy pigtails was now half-brown, half-pink with white streaks.

The three were staggered by my spontaneous transformation.

How many more times will I have to flee!? Watch the few I care for suffer!?

"Neo, calm-" I continued my rant, not letting Roman speak.

RWBY, Cinder, Salem, The Zodiac. I always lose it all, while my adversaries obtain everything. For once, I want to make a difference and stop running away from my problems. I don't want to repeat the same mistakes I did at Remnant and for my life to be a footnote in someone else's story. I won't go through another 18 years of isolation and seclusion. Perhaps this time it can be different. Things will not end in failure or calamity. Maybe this is the opportunity I've been waiting for. The one I wasn't granted back in my hom- back where I come from.

I'm tired of my life not moving forward!

...

"I understand... But does it have to be with them?" A remorseful Roman looked at the confused couple who remained in silence.

"You need to think this better. I don't want you to commit... The same mistake I made. Like when I thought joining Cinder was a great idea." He tried to hug me, stopping his arms before they went through my body. "Look at where I led you."

I somehow felt his tenderness warming my body.

It wasn't only your fault, dum-dum. I also let myself be deceived by Cinder. I should have tried harder to convince you not to work with her.

Losing you that night is the greatest regret in my life.

"We were such fools." It had been a while since I heard him this emotional.

The last time he sounded this vulnerable was when he begged me to let go of his hand, all those years ago.

But fools who deserved each other.

...

"If you feel unsure, how about temporarily joining us? I swear you will be allowed to leave Liberalis whenever you desire." Ed politely regained my attention with an interesting proposal.

"Miss?" He bowed and stretched a hand to me as if inviting someone to a dance.

What?

"Qué!?" Carmelia and I likely thought the same thing but in different languages.

"Conde, why do you insist on her joining Liberalis? La jodida enana will be a hindrance to us." But the rude girl pulled his arm away from me.

I need to take note of all the weird words Carmelia uses. I get the feeling these aren't flattering remarks.

"On the contrary, Miss Neopolitan's contributions would be of much value. Someone who evaded Araknim, Mik Calavera, and Silver Moth is for sure a promising recruit." Unbothered by the girl's harsh attitude, Ed bragged to her about my recent accomplishments.

How does he-

"TRES CAZADORES!" She let go of his arm.

"Each with a rank of 4 stars." With his arm now free, he proudly presented me to Carmelia as if I were a trophy.

Were you spying on me? ヾ( ･･)ﾉﾞ

"It's all over the news." He clarified, disregarding my anger.

"I don't believe it. There must be a mistake. She couldn't even handle a bunch of thugs without Phoebe." As she questioned his decision, Ed walked to a crate on which his top hat had been placed.

"Her fighting capabilities aren't the only thing I'm interested in." He inserted his hand into the top hat to pull something from it. "Miss Neopolitan, can we perform a quick test?"

Is that a Zodiac mask?

The object in his hand certainly looked more like a mask worn by a Zodiac member and not one for a masquerade party. This one had a cat motif and covered only the upper half of one's face, similar to The Rabbit's. He put it on and his body flashed blue a couple of times. If my guess was correct, he had activated his aura.

"How many fingers am I holding up?" Ed made a sudden but easy question, raising 3 fingers.

I lifted the same fingers in my hand to answer him. He then lifted only his index finger, so I did the same. I imitated his hand movements a few more times.

"Fascinating. She got them all right." A smirking Ed took off the cat mask.

"Imposible. Conde, lend it to me." Carmelia grabbed the mask from his hand and put it on next. Her body flashed red.

"How many fingers am I holding up?" She lifted only one of her fingers to make a rude gesture at me.

I replied with the same gesture.

"She can see me, but how!?" She took off the mask.

Carmelia was taken aback rather than annoyed by my response.

Are Zodiac members invisible thanks to those masks?

I speculated the reason for their excitement, remembering my misadventure at Anglia.

"Imperceptible to all senses, as long as they provide aura to their masks." Ed affirmed my suspicions.

Then, how can I see them? Roman-

"I can see Carmelia just fine but my answer doesn't matter. Your senses are my senses." Roman watched the ill-mannered girl put on the mask again.

"Miss Neopolitan, try recording Carmelia with the camera of my holodial." Ed stood by my side to see the device's screen.

The camera glitches whenever I point it at Carme- Stop growling and showing me rude hand gestures. I can still see you with my eyes!

"Carmelia, deactivate your aura." After hearing the order, she switched to waving at me with an innocent smile on her face.

Ah, the camera is now working fine.

"Is her ability to see Zodiac assassins why she has a big bounty on her head?" Taking off the mask, Carmelia for once said something of value.

I thought it was because I come from another world but maybe she's right.

"It's better we figure it out later. Miss Neopolitan, I must insist you accept our help. At least to escape from Bright Island." Speaking with urgency, Ed put on his top hat and dove mask.

•

"Beryl is a Neopolitan!?" Bianchi responded with an incredulous tone.

He was sitting on a stretcher trolley at the rear of an ambulance, attended by paramedics. His wounded arm was held by a sling. There were some bloodstains on his white suit.

Wuneng and I were allowed to question Bianchi thanks to him being among the least injured persons rescued from his destroyed restaurant. Because of the lockdown, paramedics and other medical staff had no choice but to attend to everyone outside of Lumini Tower.

Being aware of this problem, Wuneng promised Bianchi to contact someone who could reactivate the ambulances and get the traffic out of their way. Galatea was nearby, helping paramedics attend to the victims and applying first-aid procedures.

"The only bioweapons Beryl could prepare were those unpalatable cocktails when I hired her. Debbie and I had to teach her how to mix drinks. I cannot fathom her being a bioterrorist." Bianchi continued defending his waitress-bouncer.

Although I had already met him, this was technically the first time I interviewed him as Mik Calavera. He seemed more defensive around my bounty hunter identity than my civilian one.

"Even if she were Neopolitan, Beryl has done more for us than you, hunters! She saved us from your crazy comrade!" Debbie shouted from a distance.

She was being transported into an ambulance. Unlike Bianchi's, her injuries were more severe, forcing the paramedics to lay her down entirely on a stretcher trolley.

"I arrested Araknim some time ago when he caused trouble at Olvido. He's not my partner. Araknim has already been apprehended for his crimes tonight." I tactfully defended myself and cleared the misunderstanding.

"Captain, we lost two more men!" I heard an armored policeman shouting from afar.

A police unit was looking for injured persons around the area of the collapsed tower.

"If Araknim was arrested, then why he was freed? We couldn't even call the police because the lines were down. 4 lives were lost in my restaurant alone!" Bianchi complained with distress to me.

I couldn't think of a comeback.

"IZA will find whoever else is responsible for tonight's attack. We received confirmation that the ambulances will be reactivated and any civilian vehicles moved out of the way." The cool lieutenant regained control of the situation.

I needed to change my approach to get more information out of him.

"Mr. Bianchi, if Beryl isn't Neopolitan, the more reason to be worried for her safety. Other bounty hunters may have mistaken her for the bioterrorist." I paused to let Bianchi understand my warning before continuing.

"The lieutenant and I could provide Beryl protection if we knew her whereabouts. Any idea where she could be?" Just when I was talking, the ambulances reignited their dust engines.

Wuneng solved the problem, after all. I saw Bianchi doubt before he answered me.

"Wish I knew where Beryl lives to make sure she's fine. All I ever discovered about her personal life is that she doesn't live on this island." Bianchi admitted reluctantly as the paramedics placed him inside the ambulance.

[A girl hanging to a train thanks to her umbrella.]

I suspected he wasn't lying. But did Neo leave the island before the lockdown commenced? A holodial's ringtone interrupted my thoughts. It was Wuneng's.

"Are you sure it's her number? Understood, I'm heading there." She urgently answered and hung up the short call.

"Calavera, they tracked her down. She's still on Bright Island." Wuneng pulled my jorongo so I followed her.

•

"Carmelia, I will take Neopolitan to our hideout. Go ahead, and leave without us." The count handed his cape to her and then asked me back for his holodial.

"We shouldn't let her join Liberalis. She will bring us bad luck!" The girl in red objected but Ed dismissed her.

"Too late, I already texted Sara. Neopolitan is coming with me." Ed wrapped an arm around me and showed his device's screen to her.

"Espera, no, no, no-" As the alarmed girl tried reaching for us, she suddenly disappeared into a swirl of smoke.

SHE'S GONE!

"SHE'S GONE!" Roman's terrified reaction confirmed I wasn't the only one who saw the impossible happen.

In a literal blink of an eye, Carmelia vanished without leaving a trace.

"She's back in our headquarters. Let's meet her there." Ed enthusiastically patted my back, not explaining what was going on.

He lent me again the cat mask and his holodial.

Where are we going? What happened to Carmelia? Headquarters? Do I need to use your holodial all the time?

The count ceased moving, aware he had to convince me for us to leave.

"Carmelia is with Sara. I would take you to Liberalis through the same method you witnessed but Sara's semblance has limitations. That's why we need the getaway vehicle Phoebe is guarding..." Ed headed to a door and unlocked it.

"I'm glad you feel concerned for both girls." I followed him.

I'm not worried about Carmelia! I was asking because-

"As for the last question, The Zodiac may track your holodial and, therefore your location. As long as they are aware of someone's number, they can trace his or her device in real-time. Better destroy yours." The dandy looked down a set of stairs.

It seemed this was our escape route.

Thank goodness, I turned it off when I fought Araknim- Wait, I got an idea!

Ed was about to head down, till I grabbed one of his sleeves to stop him.

Before we leave, can I ask you a favor?

•

"Lieutenant?" I hesitantly spoke to the tall military lady as we ran to the location of Neo's holodial.

We crossed multiple city blocks, jumping and dodging vehicles or passersby. Tea was flying ahead of us, leaving a trail of white flames as if she were a comet.

"Pick up the pace, you are slowing us down, Calavera!" The lieutenant hurried me.

But the reason I wasn't going as fast as Wuneng wasn't only because of her amazing fitness. What kept me from running faster was a feeling of familiarity. I knew where we were heading because I visited this area not long ago. Bright Island's old downtown.

There was an explosion ahead. Gunshots and rumbling reached our ears. Other authorities had beat us to... The vultures' offices.

Armored policemen were arresting the gangsters I fought yesterday while Sentinels were tearing down their building.

"Captain, what's going on?" Wuneng and I slowed down.

In front of us was the Faunus IZA captain I met at Principal Park. He was eagerly looking at the destruction of the 3-story brick building.

"Lieutenant, you are late. We already took care of the criminals protecting the bioterrorist. The police are searching for her inside their base of operations." He arrogantly informed us of the situation.

"I TOLD YOU, NEOPOLITAN ISN'T HERE! WHY WOULD WE BE HIDING HER?" In the middle of the street, Don Wing was on his knees shouting to the captain.

"Oh... I think we've been tricked." I casually said, making Don Wing and the IZA members turn to see me.

"Calavera, explain yourself." Wuneng skeptically put both hands on her hips and lowered her head forward.

"I found the holodial. It was on the rooftop." Landing nearby, Tea stole our attention.

I suspected the pink device on her hand was Beryl and Neo's.

"But where's Neopolitan!?" Irigami menacingly bared his fangs at the gynoid but Wuneng extended one of her arms to stop him.

"She left the holodial here for you to wreck this place." I respectfully explained the enemy's deception.

The captain stopped showing hostility to Tea and instead raised his hands as if claws desperate to slash at flesh. He wildly spread his arms and shouted in fury to the sky, shaking the street and everything in it.

A crow standing on what remained of the brick building's rooftop took off, then it broke down in mid-flight into several pink crystal shards.

This girl is really something else.

•

I know it doesn't compensate for all of tonight's trouble but I hope those at Bianchi's appreciate my farewell gift.

Thanks to the count sharing his aura reserves with me through an AAIS bracelet concealed under his tailcoat's sleeves, I could send a sturdy construct to the vultures' building. Then, I turned on my device through my crow for it to bait everyone. For good measure, I had taken out the holodial's storage micro-card containing my saved archives, addresses, conversations, mails, and photos, leaving only the identifying number chip in it.

"Clever move. Now they will be searching for you on the other side of the island." Ed drove his custom motorcycle through the underground tunnel that connected Bright Island and Copper Suburb.

The warehouse in Bright Island being a decoy was also clever. Apparently, he only takes those he trusts to Liberalis's real hideout at Copper Suburb.

We accessed the underwater tunnel through a secret passageway underneath the warehouse that led to a road parallel to the tunnel used by maintenance workers. Ed prepared this exit beforehand by bringing down two brick walls, linking the warehouse's basement and the tunnel's maintenance passage.

He tasked me with providing aura to the mask and motorcycle as I held him by the waist, so we were imperceptible to policemen, civilians, and surveillance cameras as we moved through the tunnel. Only vehicles inspected by authorities were allowed to exit, so he timed when the policemen deactivated the hard-light shields to leave the tunnel. Then, Ed evaded the barricades and obstacles, driving to the closed-off area where Copper Amusement Park was located.

We soon arrived at another area of abandoned warehouses close to the piers.

To think they were hiding only some meters away from Copper Amusement Park.

"You can take off the mask." Ed said while parking next to a warehouse.

"Holy shit, you convinced her!" I heard a joyful female voice coming out from a door to receive us.

It belonged to Phoebe. She hugged me after stepping down from the motorcycle. Phoebe's clothes were mostly the same as the last time I saw her.

I missed this dumb woman.

"I love your look. Now you resemble the girl in all those announcements." She complimented me while looking at my attire from head to toe.

"Miss Neopolitan accepted tagging with us to get out of here. Bounty hunters caused a mess at Bright Island while chasing after her." Ed took off his dove mask.

What are you doing over here?

"Ah, Ed scolded me for... You know, because of the whole throwing an explosive at you and blowing up a wall issue." She hugged me after I stepped down from the motorcycle.

"Someone had to look out for our getaway vehicle anyway. We needed to play it safe after the incident." Ed said unemotionally, driving the motorcycle into the warehouse through the door Phoebe left open.

Incident?

"A fucking prankster turned on the attractions at the park. This made the authorities gather around here." Phoebe pointed to the amusement park where I almost died the other day.

... I better keep that one to myself.

"Their laziness in inspecting the warehouses saved us." Ed rejoined us after leaving his ride inside the warehouse.

You mentioned a getaway vehicle but how are we evading the drones, helicopters, and that giant military fortress in the air?

"We aren't escaping via air, Miss Neopolitan." Ed laughed and put a hand over my shoulder.

(ﾟДﾟ) A boat!? But the police boats and the sea barrier will stop us!

"Add the navy's battleships at the bight. Escaping with a boat would be suicidal." He made an explosion gesture with his hands.

Then, how...

"Ed, you haven't told her? Don't be mean. Step inside, sis." Phoebe complained to the dandy.

Then, she grabbed me by the hand and took me into the warehouse.

Amazing! I cannot believe it. Is that a... Whatever Zenitheans call these.

•

"This region is under martial law! I want every short person and aura user to be detained! We are sealing off the region for weeks, if necessary! No one is allowed to enter or leave without undergoing an extensive inspection! And release more drones!" I overheard Captain Irigami desperately shouting to his holodial as I inspected the building's rooftop.

The target of his commands was possibly the person in charge of lockdown procedures. Esperen, if his orders are taken too literally, wouldn't that mean detaining kids and teenagers?

Policemen were done arresting the vultures, so only the IZA members, Sentinels picking debris, and Tea helping me with investigations remained.

"Calavera. There is an anomaly to report." Tea stood up straight and made electronic sounds while blinking.

"What is it?" I interrupted my inspection of the rooftop to focus on her.

"There were a series of failures in the surveillance system of the Bright-Copper Tunnel. Cameras malfunctioned from Bright Island to Copper Suburb." She pointed at where I pocketed my holodial.

"Someone driving across the tunnel jammed them?" On my device, I analyzed the glitching footage Tea sent me.

"I'm unable to confirm this." Tea expressed unusual dejection in her eyes and face.

"I don't believe Neopolitan hacked-" A flood of memories hit me.

[Mayor Byron: Are you done with Copper Amusement Park's investigations?... What do you mean the few cameras available failed to capture anything suspicious!?… No way all those rides activated themselves!]

[Max: Has the sea barrier been repaired or replaced yet?]

[Byron: Still in the process of gathering enough funds for that.]

[Max: The one that didn't pay for a train ticket at Copper Suburb. Did she use an umbrella to hook herself to a moving wagon?]

[Bianchi: All I ever discovered about her personal life is that she doesn't live on this island.]

"SHE KNOWS HOW TO ESCAPE THE LOCKDOWN!" The epiphany made me shout.

•

"ORCA. It's a submarine with the latest diving technology for safe seafloor exploration. I got this one some months ago in Migdal." Ed explained while piloting the extravagant vehicle.

We were inside the so-called submarine, reminiscent of a black whale with white eye patches. It was approximately 10 meters in length and 2.3 meters in height, without counting the 'dorsal fin' above the center of its main body through which one entered. The three of us sat comfortably, with the disarmed motorcycle behind us.

"First time in one of these?" Phoebe happily asked, sitting between Ed and me.

I forced myself to nod due to my anxious body being stiff as a rock. I knew that these weird vehicles existed thanks to the New Crystal Palace's expo but I never expected them to actually work. I thought these were fraudulent inventions.

"Good for us IZA cleared the waters from Grimm yesterday." In the frontmost seat, Ed stared at the screens displaying him 3D images of our surroundings.

Whatever ORCA was equipped with, it allowed the submarine to navigate through the dark waters and detect obstacles in the distance. But his comment made me poke Phoebe.

"Ah, it would be bad if one damaged the hull. At deep waters, any crack would make the submarine explode." Phoebe this time made an explosion gesture with her hands.

EXPLODE!

"Do not lie, Phoebe. Submarines don't explode." Ed sternly corrected his partner without turning around to see us.

Oh, thank you-

"They implode." Ed snickered and clenched a raised hand, making his knuckles crack.

WHY DOES THAT SOUND WORSE!?

"Never activate your aura while exploring deep waters. The quicker you die the better!" Ed laughed maniacally, hitting the armrests of his seat.

"Hey, hold the steering device! We will crash!" Phoebe scolded the count, trying to reach for the submarine's controls.

I sunk deeper into my seat and suffered another one of my catatonic episodes.

Roman, Blacksmith... What madness have I gotten myself into?

•

"Dr. Loveless, there's a message from the navy. Their acoustic sensors detected something exiting Copper Bay. They failed to identify the source of the sound waves as it sped up to transboundary waters." Sitting on her designated desk, the brunette-haired, mouse lady informed the latest development to her superior.

"So what? It's likely a whale or a Grimm." But The Rat dismissed the report of his subordinate. "Prepare the next round of drones."

"Doctor, Calavera thinks Neo will try to escape through Copper Suburb." Captain Irigami's voice came from his office's speaker.

"Absurd. How could she escape through- AH!" The Rat violently slashed his mask and fell on his rolling chair with a scream. "SHELLYYYYY!"

"Rat, you repaired the underwater hole of its sea barrier... Affirmative?" The irritated voice demanded a satisfying reply from him.

...

"RAT!?" But the dismayed Nest's leader kept quiet as the voice owner became increasingly furious.

•

"Are you okay, partner?" A gentle male voice pulled me out of a mental crisis.

Roman, is that you? Well, my stress coping mechanism?

"Rude. I told you not to think of me that way." I could hear Roman but not see him.

Ha! I'm fine, thanks for asking.

He must have felt offended by my joke so I cheer him up with a positive response.

It's been... A wild year.

"Huh?" The start of my ramble confused him.

In my first year at Zenith, I had some crazy experiences. I have seen things here that I thought were impossible back when I was little Trivia, and even as an adult in Remnant. Stuff that surpasses those of fairytale books I grew up with.

Ever since I met you, my life has been in constant turmoil.

"Sorry." The regretful voice unnecessarily apologized.

I wasn't complaining. Despite everything, I'm having... Fun.

This still is an improvement compared to those first 18 years of my life. And while life in Zenith has also been harsh, at least this last year was better than the 2 years I spent in Remnant without you.

"Your time with Cinder and Salem was that tough, eh?" Roman's voice said humorously.

Ironic but I'm beginning to miss those bitches. Unfortunately, now I've way bigger concerns than those two.

I took out the cat mask from my backpack. Ed told me to keep it for now. It was the third Zodiac-related item in my possession, counting the bracelet on my arm and Sakura in my other hand.

"A bigger concern than Salem? How is that possible?" The disembodied voice was confused by my statements.

We didn't have it that bad in Remnant. Sharpluck told me how to defeat someone like Salem, considering the resources available in my natal world. Of course, I brought to him the existence of Remnant and her as a hypothetical scenario for a fantasy novella.

"And what did he tell you?" Since Roman wasn't around when I met that great detective, he always found incredible what I shared about Sharpluck.

All we needed to defeat Salem was to seal her inside a vault. Or use the relic of creation to teleport her outside of Remnant, providing it astronomically far coordinates.

"Wow, we really were such fools! We should have done it ourselves and not bet on black. Neo and Roman, Remnant's greatest heroes! Can you imagine that?" He avidly daydreamed another impossible scenario. "Too bad being a couple of thieves is more exciting."

Dum-dum!

He and I laughed internally at his nonsensical comments.

...

But the items in my hands ceased the carefree thoughts.

I wonder if we will find a way to defeat The Zodiac, as impossible as it may appear. Perhaps I will discover a solution if I don't give up. There's still a lot to learn about this world but at least my odds are better than yesterday's, thanks to my future partners.

I smiled at the odd couple in front without them noticing it.

"... Yes... I suppose." He replied a bit disheartened.

I wanted now to be the one who asked if he was okay. But I realized something extremely awful after reopening my backpack to store the mask.

Ah!

"Neo?" I ignored him as I scrutinized over and over my belongings.

IT'S NOT HERE!

•

It had been a day since who I assumed was Neopolitan fled from Copper Suburb through the hole in the sea barrier. I told Poktli's truck driver to park the vehicle in an abandoned warehouse close to the one IZA suspected Neopolitan used as a base of operations. Among the buildings in this area, just one could store a submarine of the dimensions detected by the navy's sensors.

Wuneng, Tea, and I agreed to better focus our investigations in this area for the next few days. Maybe we could dig something to trace the bioterrorist's destination and discover the identity of the mysterious couple who potentially helped her escape.

After concluding my inspection of the 'submarine's warehouse' I walked to the one where I was repairing Ehekatl. My precious motorcycle was in shambles so I started its reparations, calculating it would easily take me days. I took off the silver skull helmet to observe its messy parts with my naked eyes. I saw the seat half-lifted, making me remember the object I put in the storage compartment below it.

One of Neopolitan's belongings that I separated from the rest, hoping it contained clues about bio-bombs secretly planted by her. I grabbed it, thinking it would reveal her current whereabouts.

"Imaginarium Encyclopaedia." I read aloud the title on the cover of the binder.

The cover was mostly pink with the title spelled in golden letters at the top. In the middle of it, there was a drawing of a tree. The entire thing was definitely handmade. I could imagine a cut- I could imagine a girl like her carrying this type of binder around.

"Cool weapon." I flipped its pages until the drawing of a girl in a red hood with a big scythe caught my eye.

"Ruby Rose. Huntress of Beacon Academy..." I read aloud the text of this girl's entry to-

[Death.]

WHO IS THIS GIRL!?

I grabbed in pain the bottom of my neck.

[It's been more than a decade since then.]

HOW SHE UNCOVERED THIS!?

I continued flipping the pages, seeking anything that allowed me to understand this nightmare.

[Calavera.]

WHY DOES SHE KNOW ABOUT ME!?

My hyperventilation made me drop the binder to the ground. I felt like throwing up and losing consciousness simultaneously. Eventually, I lost my balance, falling over the pieces of Ehekatl.

...

After some time, my breathing returned to normal. I hurried to the binder and picked it up. I grabbed one of my guns, exited the warehouse, and ran to the nearest pier. I aimed at the binder with my weapon, to destroy it with a fire dust bullet and throw its ashes in the water.

I must get rid of this-

"Calavera?" A disconcerted female voice halted me.

I lifted my hoodie, put the gun on its holster, and hid the arm holding the binder under my jorongo.

"Lieutenant Wuneng, is it you? You scared me." I spoke as calm as possible.

"Is something wrong?" I heard a series of footsteps on the wooden pier.

I discerned these were Wuneng and Tea's. They possibly saw me running out of the warehouse but I missed them in my miserable state.

"Do not approach me! I don't have my helmet on!" I shouted, unable to fully control my nerves.

The waters of the bay illuminated by the sunset did nothing to calm me.

"My mistake... I forgot your contract stipulations!" I made the military girl uneasy.

Mierda, no la trates mal. Ella te salvó la vida.

"Lo siento! I'm so sorry, Wuneng! It's not your fault. Give me a moment to recover and retrieve my helmet." I frantically apologized to her.

"Once you feel well, meet me at the submarine's warehouse. We found something that might interest you." I felt her steps become more distant.

"Right... I will see you there." With a forced neutral voice, I waved her goodbye without facing her direction.

"Calavera, have you found something on your end?" Wuneng asked a final concerned question before leaving.

"No. Nothing to report." I dismissed her worries.

Her slow footsteps left the wooden pier but Tea tapped twice on it.

End of the first year in Zenith.

Author's notes: It's been a year since started exchanging messages with Rooster Teeth, and then with Viz Media (following RT's closure), to see if I could be hired as a writer of Neopolitan books. But so far, I have been told they aren't accepting proposals for new projects such as this. Neither RT or Viz. So, this storyline will continue being an independent project. I also hired someone to help me make a cover for this but the plan fell apart because the selected artist took like other 14 commissions and stressed himself over this matter.

Now, the good news. I decided some time ago and will restate it, that it's my goal to at least finish Part 1 of this story. Whether it gets officially endorsed or not. Its planned conclusion is very solid and satisfying by itself. Think of this project's Parts similar to those of Jojo's parts, Dragon Ball sagas, or Battle Angel Alita (GUNNM)'s big arcs. Also, because I'm working alone on this, I can go ahead and plan characters with semblances, new lore, and combat mechanics with no worries. As of now, I have come up with over thirty characters with semblances, and the main cast for Part 1 is already complete. New lore and combat mechanics have been planned up to Part 3, to keep consistency between all parts in case I made it past Part 1. I will be also taking the advice of shortening the chapters and try for these not to be colossal monsters of texts, such as Her First Bow's third act, which I had to split into two acts at AO3. The age-rating will probably be increased to Mature with future updates, like it happened with the side-stories. Mostly due to the future scenes of violence for specific chapters in mind. I will try for this project to have around the levels of violence we see in dark shounen stories, so no super gory or edgy stuff. Her First Bow is a good indicator of how violent things will get in the main story.

And for those not aware, as I waited for RT/Viz's replies and for hiring opportunities by them to open, I wrote some side-stories that complement the main storyline. I will upload them separately from the main chapters because I plan to write side-stories whenever I feel like it, at irregular intervals. Two side-stories have been completed so far, "Milady, Mon Amour" and "Her First Bow". I hope you enjoy them.

I'm also considering opening a but that idea is still up in the air. Maybe in a future update, I will share it if I create one. And if you stuck till the end to read these informal notes, thank you very much!