“I can’t believe he just left you there,” says Louisa, pouting. “When I woke and found out that he didn’t want to save you, I snapped. The audacity of such a ruthless display.”

“It’s well deserved, Louisa. I am the reason Trist is gone. Your father and the citizens of Trist died because of me.”

“True, but you were not in your right mind, correct? Until we figure out why your hair flared like snow and that black aura surrounding you, we can’t place all the blame on you.”

“Yes we can,” says Niklaus, standing idly at the door. “You killed all those people. Whether you were sane matters not.”

“Niklaus—”

“If a man commits a crime and says he was not conscious of the event, courts will judge him guilty, regardless of the fact. Your lovesick defence further ruins his image, Louisa.”

“You’re right, Niklaus. I am guilty. But I want to work towards changing myself so that another massacre does not occur.”

“A monster,” he whispers, “can never change.”  

“Niklaus! That’s going too far!”

A woman claps her hands and says, “Now, now. Let’s not fight amongst ourselves. We still have a meeting to attend, right Niklaus?”

“Ivy?”

The woman peeks at me from under her witch’s hat and winks. Louisa, witnessing this glares at Ivy. “Is there anything you want, Ivy?”

“My, my. Your hostility is flaring, Louisa. Don’t let a small wink steal your heart, Mr Haruki—lest you wish to bear witness to fury incarnate.”

“Strong words coming from a slutty witch.”

“Slutty…” She coughs and regains her composure. “I see you’re as quick to fire insults as you are at fainting in a battle.”

A nerve on Louisa’s head pops out. “Want to see how fast I can make you faint, Slutty Witch?”

“Hahaha! A Spirit mage of your level would never stand a chance against me, little girl.”

Tension flares up in the room. “Louisa, I don’t think it’s necessary to—”

“Shut it, Haruki.”

“Ivy, you can’t—”

“Niklaus, my dear, kindly shut your mouth.” Ivy focuses her gaze on Louisa and fixes her hat. “How about we take this outside—so we don’t disturb the patients?”

“Hmph! A suggestion like that from a Slutty Witch… Has the harlot gained an inkling of wisdom?”

“That’s enough, Ivy, Louisa.”

Callisto enters the hospital room with plasters on his face. “Raizo said we must meet him after Haruki wakes. Let’s not keep him waiting any longer.” He leaves and we follow along.

I need to learn from Callisto. He seemed so calm at handling Louisa and Ivy.

“I had siblings, you know,” he says. “Before I joined Grand Order. I was an older brother to two younger sisters. They fought all the time, which is why I had to remain firm when I reprimanded them.”

“Is that why you handled Louisa and Ivy with such ease?”

“It’s why I handle them all in such a manner of ease. Young girls and boys like Ivy, Kai, Niklaus, and Louisa are difficult children to handle.”

Young? Children?

“Sorry, but is Kai not older than you?”

“Kai?” Callisto laughs. “Of course not. He’s a mere child in his early twenties. I’ve got centuries over him.”

“Centuries? So, you’re not human, I assume.”

“You assume correct. I have elf blood mixed in my system.”

A half-elf, then. That explains his geezer talk.

“Elders like us can’t afford to let youngsters one-up us, right?”

Elders like… us?

“What do you…”

“We’re here.” Callisto opens the door to Raizo’s office. Inside, Raizo and Melody wait, with concerned expressions.

“Ah, you’re all awake. Good.”

“What’s going on, Raizo? How did two assailants sneak into Mico without our knowing of it?”

“I don’t have the answer to that, Niklaus. My barrier never failed to detect an enemy’s presence before. It’s clear someone planned this. If not, then such an exquisite infiltration could never happen.”

“But it did. Should I assume there was an internal cause to their infiltration?”

“Are you suspecting Raizo?” flares Melody.

“No, he is hiding truths from me, but he does not come off as someone who would perform such a horrendous act of treachery.”

“Then you’re saying it was an officer in the organisation.”

“As expected of my sister.”

“How does an officer have enough authority to bypass Raizo’s barrier, though?”

“I don’t know. Maybe the man whose barrier proved inefficient can explain?”

Raizo shakes his head. “There is no way that can happen. Everyone who passes the barrier displays as a life force entering the city.”

“As a life force? But sir, that man…”

“What man?” asks Niklaus.

“Necromancer, the assailant who attacked Raizo and me. He was an undead. If your barrier recognises anyone who passes through as a life form, what about someone without life?”

Raizo’s pursed expression says it all. He never thought such a loophole could exist.

“My barrier works by identifying the electrical circulation in the human body. For someone without life, it is possible to bypass my barrier,” he admits. “That said, I cannot say I ever thought an undead would prance through the front door to one of the most powerful organisations in the world.”

“You didn’t think? People died because of this!” Niklaus turns to Callisto and asks, “And did you do anything as the second assailant murdered people? You say you’re much older than us, but I guess elderly wisdom took a pass on you.”

“Raizo, that’s enough.”

“Louisa, you are no different. If you were more perceptive, then that woman would not be lying in an emergency room right now.”

“That’s enough, Niklaus.”

“Haruki, don’t get me started on you.”

“He’s right, Niklaus. Blaming everyone does not change the past. It only tells us where we can improve so we can avoid making the same mistakes again.”

Niklaus backs off. Though his face remains sour, the meeting continues.

“How are we going to deal with these five-star threats?”

“They appear to be working for a hostile organisation. Necromancer remained silent about his leader, though. And he also said nothing about his organisation.”

“Sorry, but what’s a ‘five-star threat’?”

“Grand Order deals with interdimensional threats to Leagard. These threats range from weak spirits to powerful dragons. We categorize each threat based on its threat level. One star is the lowest rank, meaning the threat is something that a small group of officers can easily handle. A ten-star, or realm destroyer, is the highest rank. You, Haruki, are one such ten-star threat.”

Realm destroyer? Those words bring up poor memories.

“And what of the organization’s leader? How would you rank them?”

“Since I never met the person, it’s hard to say. But if I assumed, I’d say… seven… if not, eight-star threat.”

“That high?”

“A leader must be the most powerful in an organization. For those individuals to serve someone means we’re dealing with a person of unfathomable strength.”

“I agree with Raizo,” says Callisto. “Joker was not an easy foe to face. And his ability was menacing, to say the least.”

“That said, while we track their current whereabouts, Niklaus, Louisa, and Haruki, I have a mission for the three of you.”

“A mission? With him? I’d rather die.”

“This is not a request, Niklaus. It’s an order.”

Niklaus glares at Raizo, then stands idly as he did in the hospital room. “What’s the request?” asks Louisa.

“Recently, a group of assailants threatened the Duke of Til and his daughter’s lives. Much like our visitors, these masked assailants did not reveal the mastermind behind their attack. The Duke is frightened an attack might occur again, so he ordered us to send top agents to deal with the threat.” Raizo sighs, and continues, “Does that man not know our organisation does not take orders from anyone?”

“Why send us on this mission, then?”

“Kai was the one who foiled the assailants’ plans. He told us we might find something interesting if we research them.”

“Something interesting?”

“A clue to the whereabouts of the largest organisation in all seven realms: The Illuminati.”

“The Illuminati?” says Ivy, squeezing her arm. “Raizo, let me in on this mission.”

“No, I have another mission for you.”

“But—”

“Don’t worry. I know how important this organisation is to you. Which is why I’m sending you to investigate a certain town where Kai saw some suspicious movements from cultists in white.”

“That’s…”

“Yes. It can only be the Illuminati. I want you to investigate the area but do not engage if you see any cultists. Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Then, I wish you all luck on this journey. Come back safe.”

                                                          *******************************

Vending machines. Elevators. And now, a snake-like metal structure. “What was this called again?”

“A steam train.”

“Steam train, you say.”

Humans have a real knack for inventing strange devices. Each device makes living in this realm many times easier than it is to live in Ragnarök.

“We arrive in a week,” says Niklaus. He glances over in my direction and furrows his brow.

“Sorry about my brother. Ever since he found out that you destroyed Trist, he’s been in this state.”

“He deserves to be angry.”

“No, he doesn’t. What happened was an uncontrollable situation. It’s only his ego at play at this point.”

Disagreeing with Louisa will lead me nowhere. I blame myself for Trist’s disappearance, which is why I accept his anger. If he hates me, so be it. His forgiveness will not be something I beg for, nor do I seek it. I only want to return to my realm, after all.

“I see the tension is at an all-time high between you and Niklaus.”

“What do you want, Ivy?”

“No need to snap, Louisa. I came to play mediator.”

“Mediator? For Niklaus and me?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because… you both remind me of someone I knew.” Ivy sets four cups down on the table before us. She leaves the seating area and returns with a pot of tea. After adding three sugar cubes, she takes a spoon and stirs the mixture of tea and sugar. “He was a bright young boy,” she continues, “someone who put a smile on everyone’s faces.” Ivy takes a sip of tea. “The boy had an older sister. She was utterly useless at any task she performed. Be it washing the dirty clothes of the week or preparing food for the night. Even preparing a cup of tea was no simple task for her. The villagers ridiculed her. ‘You’re a disgrace.’ ‘How can you ever be a proper lady if you can’t do such simple things?’ These, along with insults to her family, made the sister spiral into an abyss of darkness. A horrifying darkness. A darkness that nearly consumed her. But he saved her from this darkness. Her brother. ‘Don’t worry,’ he said, ‘I will take care of you.’ He was the guiding light she needed. A beacon of hope she could rely on. Don’t get me wrong, it was a pathetic display from an older sister. To rely on your younger sibling in times of trouble—nothing is more pitiable than that.”

“Where are you getting at with this story, Slutty Witch?”

“Well, my ignorant junior, I was getting to that part.” She looks at Niklaus and says, “Your passion for becoming stronger is like his. You’re not mad at Haruki for destroying Trist. You’re mad at yourself for not being strong enough to save it.”

“That’s right,” he says. After saying that, he cups his mouth with his hands. “Why did I—”

“Haruki,” she says, turning her gaze to me. “You put on a brave front, but in reality, you are afraid.”

“How did you—” I mimic Niklaus’ actions.

What’s going on? I don’t want to say this, but the words want to spill from my mouth.

I look down at the tea. “What did you put in the tea?” I ask her.

“Linklater. It’s a truth flower, of sorts. Grinding just the right amount can make you sing the truth for days.”

“That’s a rare flower, even for you,” says Louisa. “I’m sure you used it sparingly, right?”

“Don’t worry your little self about the tea I served you. It’s safe. But knowing you, you probably have your own defences against Linklater, right?”

Louisa does not answer and just sips on her tea.

“What was the purpose of doing this?”

“If I didn’t, Niklaus would have held his emotions inside until he couldn’t. That’s an unhealthy habit that’s much like him. Stepping in to bridge the gap between the two of you was the only logical thing I could do as your senior.”

“I never asked for therapeutic help.”

“And I never offered. But acting as though you hate someone only produces enemies. That’s not something a hero should do, right?”

“I didn’t say I wanted this role.”

“Yet, you received it. And since you did, you ought to live up to the image of the role.”

“That—”

“Niklaus, you are selfish. Your rash actions stem from your inflated ego. As a prince, you are a failure. As a hero, you are imperfect. As a man, you are insufferable. Until you learn to lean on others from time to time, you will never become the person you wish to be.”

Ivy left him with those words before she left to attend to her mission. A few days later, we arrived at our destination. And as soon as we make our way off the train, a troop of guards races past us. One such guard crashes into Louisa.

“Ah! Sorry,” he says, helping her up. “Are you okay?”

“I’m quite fine,” she replies.

The bloated vein says otherwise.

“Why are you all in such a rush?” asks Niklaus.

“It’s the Duke’s mansion. It suddenly burst into flames.”

“It what?”

I look at the location the guards rush towards. Rising like a meerkat from the ground is a tower of smoke. And at its base, a large mansion is up in flames.