The Great

Deven Piten: Azina took out her parchment paper and rolled it out fully in her arms. She turned the paper towards us and Aurora’s eyes went wide—and so did all of ours. In big, red letters at the top of the scroll the words, “DECLARATION OF WAR,” burned into my eyes like a horrific murder. Aurora took a deep breath and started to read the rest of the declaration, “We, the official messengers of the Republic of Evian, officially declare war on the Taegan Empire….. You’re all really itching to preserve that Ring of Nations alliance huh? The enemy of my enemy is my friend?” Azina scoffed,

“While we don’t not love Mevillime they are not our enemy. Meanwhile your nation has put a giant crater in our country and took the lives of half a million people.” Aurora’s eyes flashed with anger,

“We didn’t do that! We were caught in the blast too—you think we would kill ourselves to try and damage your nation?” Azina put her face straight into Aurora’s,

“You’re not going to expect me to believe that someone else bombed our nation? After that disaster of a summit meeting and the fact that you lied about Evay Maver’s death all makes our nation have zero trust in the Taegan empire. You have 48 hours to respond to this declaration or all of Evian will descend upon your nation. Walk wisely, Taegan.” Azina and Ibiza both knelt down and a giant flash of blue light erupted before our eyes. The flash of light disappeared and so did both of the warriors. Aurora knelt down and picked up the paper—looking at it with fearful eyes. She faced us and gave us a determined stare,

“We need to get this to someone—anyone. We need to make a trip to the capital and tell them the news. I think we’re fighting a war on two fronts—no—we’re fighting a war on literally all the fronts. It’s a worldwide war but no one is on our side.”

Evay Maver: “Jugo! Jugo! Where are we? What is happening? War? I’m going to be in a war? Jugo! Where are we?” I walked out of the giant metal box I was contained in and instantly got hit with a massive ray of sunlight. I covered my eyes and cringed like a vampire in the presence of the dazzling sun. I slowly opened my eyes and nearly had a heart attack.

The city I was in was the most beautiful, breathtaking, and glorious place that I had ever seen. Huge, snow-white, marble buildings with massive pillars and beautiful rooftops were scattered around the city. Cherry-red, temple-like buildings with golden, pink, and emerald-green embroidery were topped with night black rooftops with curled overhangs. Mahogany wooden buildings and stone courtyards filled with hundreds of hand laid bricks were scattered everywhere, and beautiful fountains with crystal clear water flowing down their sides could be seen as far as the eye could see. It was all so… incredible. I had never been in a city so large before but this city wasn’t just large—it was so beautiful. Everything that met my eye seemed to be crafted to absolute perfection down to the finest detail. My feet were glued to the floor as I took in everything all at once. It was only after overhearing some people on the street that I noticed what city we were in. This is Taegan’s capital…. I’m here…

I shook my head and snapped out of my trance as I darted forwards trying to find Jugo. He had disappeared in a crowd so large that I almost fainted. There were so many people—it was almost like a sea of people had just appeared before me as I swam through bodies to try to reach Jugo. I gasped for air as random elbows pierced into my chest and my body was thrown in every direction possible. Jugo got farther, and farther, and farther until I could barely see the edge of his cloak. I reached out my hand and tried to grasp him before he got too far when I suddenly tripped and hit my forehead on the hard, concrete floor. I got up and expected to see some blood pouring down my face but I was completely fine. There was no blood and no pain. I had always felt stronger since Hiem had upgraded my body but I didn’t know how far I could push myself exactly. Seeing this though, I could probably tank a lot more damage than I could in the past. I slowly got to my feet before a pair of arms pulled me to my feet.

The guy was pretty large—with spiky black hair. He had kind eyes and an even kinder smile and he gave off a warm and gentle vibe which comforted me. He spoke in a deep voice, “are you ok? You seem like a student—where are you headed?” I tried to speak but I could only look at him with wide and surprised eyes. A girl suddenly walked up beside him and gave me a suspicious look,

“He doesn’t seem normal. Are you a warrior too? I heard the students are being drafted but that hasn’t happened yet right? Anyways, are you ok?” The girl was about my height and had medium length red hair. She had milky white skin and wore black eyeliner and also had black diamond earrings. The big guy turned towards the girl and spoke again,

“If he is a student-warrior I feel even worse for him. My heart aches for those young children—they shouldn’t have to experience suffering this great so soon.” The girl spoke without taking her eyes off me,

“Student warriors train their entire lives to go to war. This is their dream—they should be fine. I don’t expect many of them to be good though—they are kids after all.” She got awfully close to me as I leaned back to avoid her gaze. She looked at me with confusion as she spoke in a soft and quiet voice, “I kind of recognize you. Have you been to many tournaments? I might’ve seen you in the papers a couple times.” I gulped.

It’d make sense that no one really recognized me. I didn’t look that different from before but I looked different enough that people who didn’t normally see me wouldn’t recognize me. I looked into the woman’s eyes and spoke, “I—uh—sometimes do fight in some tournaments. But it’s not that important—I need to get to someone. It was nice talking to you.” I started to walk forward when I felt a shoulder come down on my shoulder.

“Kids ready to go and chase after a royal guard. He’s brave if not very stupid—I like him.” The voice was gruff and tough—like something out of a dark alleyway. I turned around and got my first look at the man who had just stopped me. He was very tall—maybe a little taller than Geon and he had very short, cropped, black hair as well as dark glasses which hid his red, malevolent eyes. He had a wide, slightly creepy smile, and a constant look of no-good on his face. He wore a long leather jacket which covered his legs and was accompanied by another woman. The woman looked a lot younger than the rest of the crew. She was probably around my age and she seemed to have a constant look of boredom on her face. She had jet-black, medium length hair which fell to her shoulders and bangs which covered her forehead. Her large, red lips, and smooth white skin complimented her crystal black eyes. She wore black leggings and a gray tank top which showed off her slim and athletic figure. I slowly backed away from the man and backed right into the red-haired woman. I was trapped—by whoever these people were.

I don’t feel like I need to fight. But I’m not too sure what they want…. Maybe they do want to kill me—who knows?

The creepy guy smiled and spoke again, “relax kid—we’re all trying to get to the same place right? I guess you’re just getting here a bit early.” I looked at him with a puzzled expression,

“What? No—no I’m trying to get to Jugo… I have questions for him.” The man laughed again,

“I know you want to talk to the big warrior but he’s probably a little busy kid. You shouldn’t snoop around and go to these warriors looking for an autograph… They aren’t what they seem.” The red haired woman looked at the man in anger,

“Stop, Mars, you aren’t helping him. That activity that you do relating to the warriors is confidential—don’t go scaring kids with it.” I looked at the woman and spoke with a sense of urgency,

“Where are you trying to go? It sounds like I need to go there too—I need answers.” The man—Mars—laughed again,

“The emperor called for a mass gathering of warriors for the departure ceremony. You—young buck—are also invited assuming you are a student warrior. Now all you have to do is not get your little panties blown up and you’ll get to live to see your elder years. Maybe meet a couple of those warriors you like, get a couple autographs, meet one of those nobles you love.” My heart started to pound and anger seeped from my pores. The man smiled, “oh….that hit home didn’t it.” The woman’s eyes started to widen with panic. Mars spoke again, “that’s actually really interesting because all of you little boys and girls want to be just like them. But it looks like you already know what they do right? You already know who they are? What did they do to you kid?” I spoke with suppressed rage,

“Shut up,” Mars smiled,

“Steal your house,”

“Shut up,”

“Turn you down,”

“Shut up,”

He laughed softly, “what? Did they kill your family? Take your girl. Aw—you lost your little girl did you?” Gold’s Viel adorned my body and I slammed my hands straight into Mars’s neck. I lifted him up off the ground as he smiled manically. The others tried to pull me away from him but it was no use. They simply bounced off of me like children and I looked into Mars’s eyes with burning hatred,

“You’re a pretty smart guy if you know the nobles aren’t some goody-two-shoes. But I need you to stop talking and answer my questions.” The man coughed softly and smiled at me with a manic glare in his eyes,

“Warriors are all assembled here in the capital in order to be officially sent off to war. Me and my squad here were also selected to fight but we’re also here on important business. That’s all from me—Evay Maver. Now you can pop my head off and go have a nice little wank or you can let me live and I’ll answer more of your questions—your choice.” I deactivated Gold’s Veil and put Mars down. The others backed away and the younger girl’s eyes widened for the very first time,

“Woah, you’re him. The kid in the paper? Do you know Geon Leventen? Are you friends? What’s he like?” I rolled my eyes,

“He’s—very normal. What? Do you want his address or something?” The girl twirled her hair,

“That would be nice. What type of girls does he like?” The red haired woman finally spoke again,

“Stop! Stop now—we don’t have time for this. Evay Maver we need to get to the warrior home which will host all of us here in the capital.” I looked at them with a hint of suspicion,

“You’re not just here to get to the hotel are you?” The woman started to get nervous. I looked directly into her eyes and spoke, “your heart rate is over 180 beats per minute, you reek of adrenaline, and your pupils are dilated. You're sweating too—I’m right then…What are you guys planning?” Mars laughed,

“You see Grace, that’s how you do an interrogation. We’re going to bust a warrior who’s been secretly murdering some bankers in inner bondas. That’s what we do—we catch warriors and even nobles who get away with an insane amount of illegal activities due to their power and status. It’s hard since everyone thinks that these warriors and nobles are so just and pure in their duties serving their nation. It feels good to pluck them from their podium—you know what I mean.” Grace looked at Mars with a incredulous state,

“WHAT? MARS! Mars you can’t be saying this right now.” She looked at me with killing intent and charged towards me in a flash. She grabbed my shirt and pulled her fist back, “sorry kid—you can’t know anything about this.” I laughed.

I grabbed her arm and ripped her off of me. I swung her around and slammed her into the ground with immense force. The others jumped back to avoid the shockwave created by my attack and the ground erupted with cracks and fissures. I crouched down next to Grace who looked up at me with anger and shock. I spoke with a cold and indifferent voice, “you can’t just get rid of me. I’ll tell you this—I’ll help you with your little mission to neutralize this warrior and then you give me something in return. If you don’t agree…. well you really have no choice—I’ll leak your secret otherwise.” I smiled down at Grace and at the rest of her squad, “let’s have some fun. I’ve been itching for it.” Mars smiled manically and beckoned me to follow him as his red eyes glinted with a flash of evil,

“Come on son, follow me.” He led me to an underground chamber illuminated by a single torch. A creaky wooden table sat in the middle of a cracked, moist floor which had vines and weeds growing all over it. Mars slammed a map on the table as Grace tossed the big guy some water and the bored girl leaned back against the wall. Mars smiled at me and spoke with devious excitement, “alright kid, the ceremony commemorating all of the warriors is going to be in five days. The initial ceremony will be a very public event—we’ll all be on a massive balcony while the public loses their damn minds. That’s not what we’re here for—what we’re here for is the party.” He guided his finger on the map towards a large room in the middle of a giant building. “You see this—this is the shit right here.” Grace butted in,

“The party is a small little send off towards important warriors—the ones in the first battalion, generals, captains, and most importantly people like you.” I frowned,

“What do you mean?” Mars smiled,

“You're a national sensation! A couple of twats going off to Evian and beating a couple other countries' asses made you a bit famous. You—along with some other young warriors—are invited. I’m surprised you didn’t get the invite.” I stared at the map,

“Well I’ve been getting interrogated and locked in random rooms for the past few days so I haven’t gotten many party invites.” I put my finger above the room Mars pointed at and felt my brain start to turn. “So you want me to get you guys in—or do something for you—and take out or distract this noble you want to kill. Then you do what I want and we’re good right?” Mars nodded,

“We don’t want you to get your panties in a knot but we do need you to bait this little noble out of the house and into the open. After that we hit him with this,” he tossed a giant elixir filled syringe on the table. The liquid inside the syringe was a weird green color and seemed to glow and felt weirdly warm. I tossed it around in my hand and I looked at Mars and Grace in confusion, “what’s this? It looks like alien piss….” Mars grinned,

“That right there is what we in the business like to call ‘a fuck ton of glow-vial.’ Glow Vial was made by a couple scientists at that little school of yours—Eden Academy. It’s the only thing that has ever been made by humans that can counter liquor-granted, blueprint abilities. Anyone with a blueprint and liquor in their veins will get totaled by the glow vial if it enters their bloodstream. Of course we can’t stab this noble with a random-ass glowing vial so we hit him with the element of surprise—you.” I nodded and tossed the glow vial back to Mars.

“I got it. I’m in.” Grace looked at me skeptically,

“What exactly do you want from this? You haven’t specified your demands.” I looked over at the others and smiled,

“I don’t have to tell you that—you’re not in a position to negotiate. I’m sure if nobles and warriors found out there was a secret group of people trying to expose them they wouldn’t be happy either.” Grace’s eyes flashed with anger and I started to walk out of the basement. I looked at them one last time, “what are your names? I never got yours” The big guy spoke softly,

“My name's Buffon.” The girl spoke in a slightly less bored voice,

“My name’s Via.” I smiled,

“Good—nice to meet you. I’ll see you at the party,” I floated up into the air and lifted myself above the stairs leading out of the cellar, “make sure you dress nice.”