Birth of an Angel

-Midgard, Cathedral City, Year 994-

SPLASH!

I woke up surprised and shivering thanks to the icy water poured on me. I tried to move my hands around my body to try to warm myself, but I couldn't, something stopped me.

Looking around, I saw that someone chained me to the wall in some kind of dungeon composed of a small square room made of grey stone, a large wooden door with a small opening blocked by bars and a small opening blocked by bars in the wall behind me, lighting the cell.

I tried to use my strength to break the chains, but red symbols glowed on it, making an agonizing pain run through my body as if something electrocuted me.

"AAAHHH!" I screamed, incapable of holding back the pain, and fell on my knees, where between my blurred vision and painful breath, I saw a man staring at me through the opening of the door.

"Lady Caerula, the prisoner is awake." The man spoke.

I heard high heels clicking down the hall while the man opened the cell door and stepped aside, letting a beautiful woman wearing noble clothes accompanied by heavily armed guards enter. 

The woman looked me up and down with a serious and analyzing look, covering part of her face with a fan.

"Leave us!" The woman ordered the guards behind her, without taking her eyes from me. 

Without question, all the men left the cell, leaving me alone with the woman.

"Hello! I hope those brutes treated you well. I'm sorry for their attitude; it's so difficult to find employees with good manners these days." The woman said politely, lowering her fan and smiling as she approached me.

"Don't worry about it, I love being woken up in dungeons by a bucket of cold water." I said sarcastically, waving around the best I could.

"I'm glad to hear it, but it's a strange custom, if I may say." Caerula replied, stopping in front of me.

"Who are you exactly?" I asked squinting my eyes and analyzing her facial features.

"Oh! I didn't introduce myself properly, did I? My name is Caerula, Lord of the Land of the Seas, and the person who placed the bounty on your friend and you." Caerula said too happy for my liking, as she hid a smile with her fan.

My eyes widened at the information and I felt a boiling anger forming inside me. I quickly stepped forward, aiming for Caerula's neck, it would be so easy to break it, but the chains held me back, sending pain coursing through my body again.

"AAAHHH!" I screamed as I fell again.

"Don't bother trying to break out of these chains; they were made to trap magic users like you, a beautiful piece of art made by the mages of Cathedral City. Or you can keep trying; I believe it would be a great source of entertainment." Caerula said, running her hands through the chains.

"What do you want?" I asked, getting up with shaking legs.

"I want many things, the most beautiful dresses, the most valuable jewels, the most impressive mansion, the most powerful army, the most beautiful men and women fulfilling my every desire, but at the moment, I want you." Caerula said, placing her hand on my chin and lifting my face towards hers.

"What?!?"

"HAHAHA! I'll be honest with you, it's hard to find someone competent these days, my men and the other lords became arrogant due to our government. The soldiers became drunkards, perverts, and idiots who abuse their position and harass the commoners with loyalty depending on the amount we pay them, and that causes us problems."

"Where are you going with this?"

"I want you to join me; you possess great magical and physical power, not to mention, of course, the two magical books and you are a competent person with a good head over your shoulders, I can see it in your eyes."

"Why should I?"

"Think of what we can do together! We can get whatever we want! You can get whatever you want! What do you want, women, men, money, political power, greater magic power? I can give it all to you. All I ask in return is that you swear allegiance to me and become my left-hand man."

"Why can't I be the right-hand man?" I asked curiously.

"Sorry, but Bartas already occupies that position." Caerula said with false sadness in her voice.

"What if I decline your proposal?"

"Well, modesty aside, I'm the most competent lord in Midgard. Bass, that disgusting pig, would rather stay locked up in his castle building his 'dolls', if something doesn't interest him Bass will completely ignore it. Gray, that pretentious pervert, prefers to spend his time with every woman he sees, and when he's not fornicating with some random whore, Gray wastes his money on parties and fancy clothes. I don't know if you noticed, but he's not very smart."

"It looks like…" Caerula put her index finger in front of my lips, silencing me before I finished.

"SHHH! I'm not finished yet. Finally, we have Shaxor, Gray's "son" if you know what I mean. The spoiled brat would rather spend his day torturing fairies and elves from the Land of Forests than taking care of his lands, the funniest part is, that he isn't even Gray's son. I don't blame the poor woman who gave birth to the boy, it doesn't surprise me that Shaxor's mother searched for someone better, but if Gray found out the truth, she would be executed along with her child. So what did she do? She told Gray that Shaxor was his son. In addition to the best part, He believed it, even though the two didn't look alike at all!"

"Why are you telling me this?"

"I want to show you that I'm your only chance to get out of here. All the other Lords would let you rot in this cell or torture you for fun. However, I saw untapped potential in you and unlike the other Lords, I've plans and I would like you to be a part of it. So what do you say? Will you join me?" Caerula finished her speech and looked at me expectantly.

I'm not stupid, being stubborn and saying I would never join her will worsen my situation, Caerula is my best option to get out of here and find Noir, Rubrum, and Rose.

Although I'm not comfortable with the kind of people I'll have to serve, it's still better than staying locked up here.

"Before I give my answer, could you answer some of my questions?"

"Hm… All right, ask."

"Where are the magic books and the girl who accompanied me?"

"The books are kept in a safe here at the Institute, while the girl is locked in a cell in the Cathedral City prison. If you join me, I promise to return the books and set the girl free."

"Okay, so I…"

"Lady Caerula!"

Suddenly, a guard knocking on the cell door, calling out for Caerula interrupted us.

"What's it? Can't you see I'm busy?" Caerula replied menacingly, turning to the guard and making him wince.

The soldier gulped and continued. 

"The other Lords just arrived in Cathedral City, and they wish to see you."

"Let them know I'm on my way." Caerula sighed, fanning herself.

"Yes, Lady Caerula." The guard said before running away.

"We'll continue our conversation later. Don't go anywhere." Caerula said playfully, blowing me a kiss and leaving the cell soon after. 

Hump! As if, I've anywhere to go.

-In a laboratory at the Institute-

I opened my "eyes" and looked around, seeing some kind of laboratory composed of a big square room with shelves full of books, potions, vials with strange liquids, and glass containers with organs inside them.

I was on a wooden and metal table with various papers full of notes and several tools beside me. It doesn't matter! I need to find Lord Alan! When I find him, we'll go after Miss Rose and Rubrum.

I tried to "get up", but I couldn't. This is weird, I tried to use my magic, but I couldn't either. What's happening? 

Suddenly, a large metal door on the other side of the room opened, and a group of men entered, five in total.

They wore a white metallic mask, a large brown shirt that reached down to their knees but split in half at the hip area, a long white coat with a black turtleneck over the shirt, red pants, brown boots, and gloves.

"Who are you?" I asked, analyzing each one of them.

"It can speak!" One of the men screamed in surprise.

"It's a unique specimen!" Another exclaimed, raising his finger in the air.

"Allow us to introduce ourselves! We are the mages of Cathedral City; we are at the service of the Lords to study you, and for this, The Lords made available all the resources of the Institute of Magic." A third man said, bowing down politely.

"We were also told to use any means necessary." A fourth one completed, rubbing his hands together in anticipation.

"But seeing that you are capable of speech and rational thought, why don't you just tell us what we want to know?" A fifth asked, leaning on the table.

"And what would you like to know?" I asked.

"We want to know everything! What is the source of your power? How do you work? How do you use your magic? Think of the progress we could make with your help! The magic we could discover! The weapons we could create!"

"I refuse to collaborate with your insane goals!" These men are crazy! 

"Poor book, we will get what we want one way or another. And it's no use trying to use your magic, we took precautions against it." One of the mages said, pointing at something on the table.

Looking better, I saw that I was inside a circle drawn on the table with bright and strange symbols. Therefore, that was what kept me from using magic.

"Let's start?" One of the mages asked, approaching me.

"You won't be able to take anything from me!" I screamed in defiance.

"That's what we'll see." The mage replied, his hand glowing red with magic.

-Alan's cell-

Where is Caerula? It has been a long time since we last saw each other, so far, I've only been chained in this cell, eating moldy bread and drinking dirty water. Well, time to go right back to what I was doing, counting numbers in my mind.

"Nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety-seven, nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety-eight, nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine, a thousand…"

BOOM!

Suddenly, an explosion shook the entire building. What was happening?

"ALL MEN, ATTACK!" A voice screamed outside my cell.

I glimpsed two groups of people fighting through the small window in my cell, one of them being guards and the other unknown to me.

The chains were long enough that I could hold the bars and see the street outside but the cell was underground, so I saw what was far away and the feet of people nearby.

A massacre happened in the streets with the guards killing people from all sides, it was extremely one-sided. 

While the guards were well-equipped and organized, the unknown group used everything they had in their hands, shovels, pickaxes, and pitchforks, but the guards spared no one.

Suddenly a man dropped dead directly in front of my cell window, making me fall back in fright, and for a moment, I saw the look of fear and despair on his dead face.

I sat just below the window and thought. Would I have to be a part of it if I joined Caerula? Kill people who weren't even able to fight? I don't want to be a part of it!

However, no matter how hard I focused on my thoughts, I couldn't ignore the screams; this continued throughout the day, and Cathedral City was silent when dusk settled.

-XXXXXX-

I woke up to the sound of screams coming from the street, again. I leaned on the bars and looked around, searching for the source of the screams, and what I saw made me sick.

The guards dragged a group of girls through the streets towards a platform, one of the girls fell to the ground, bleeding from the mouth, another tried to run but the guards beat her until she stopped moving, the remaining two were tied to poles on the platform.

Moreover, hours of torture followed next, the screams of the girls echoed through the city, while a group of people watched in fear, shame, pity, and disgust.

Suddenly, footsteps echoed down the hall and the cell door opened letting Caerula in.

"Hello, it's been a while." Caerula said, waving at me.

"But it wasn't enough." I replied angrily.

"Why the cold attitude, I thought we were getting along?" Caerula smiled with false sadness.

"Could you tell me what happened a few days ago? What was the fight that happened in the city?"

"That one, that was a revolt, at least it would be one. We crushed the revolt before it happened thanks to a traitor within the group, the rebels tried to take over the Institute in an act of desperation, but the mages made short work of them. However, that's in the past. Have you thought about my proposal?"

"What about the girls being tortured? Who are they and why are they there?"

"Why the sudden interest in…"

"Please answer my question."

"Noble families organized the revolt; these girls are the daughters of each family that revolted, they now serve as an example of what will happen to those who go against us."

"I see… I decline your proposal."

"What?"

"I decline your proposal."

"Could you repeat? I don't think I heard it right." Caerula said, approaching me.

"I said… AAAHHH!" I couldn't finish as Caerula punched me in the stomach with an absurd strength, making blood and spite fly out of my mouth toward the floor.

"You bastard, I tried to be nice! However, you spat at my generosity! What do you think you will get out of this? I'm your best chance to get out of here! So why do you refuse to join me?"

"Because… I don't want to… go down to your level." I replied, trying to catch my breath.

Caerula gave me a murderous look and without saying anything; she raised her hand and punched me in the face.

CRACK!

"AAAHHH!" My nose just broke.

Another punch came right after.

CRACK!

"AAAHHH!" I think I lost some teeth.

Caerula raised her fist once more, but the punch never came, Caerula took a deep breath and slowly lowered her shaking fist.

"If you want to do it the hard way then so be it, after all, you still haven't lost your usefulness. That book of yours hasn't collaborated with us, and the mages are getting frustrated, so I want you to tell me how you got the book and how to use it. "

"I will never say it!" I screamed, spitting blood and some teeth on the ground.

"That's what we're going to see." Caerula left the room and returned a few minutes later with a man beside her.

The man wore a black hood and a long gray shirt with a brown leather apron over it; he also wore gloves, boots, and a belt full of tools.

"I want him to talk." Caerula said to the man while pointing at me with her fan.

"Is there any limit?" The man asked with disturbing happiness in his voice.

"As long as he's still alive and can talk, then no, there's no limit." Caerula replied.

"As you wish." The man answered, bowing down.

Caerula then left the room and I heard her talking to one of the guards.

"This prisoner will not receive food or water until further notice!"

"Yes, Lady Caerula!"

"And don't enter the cell, no matter how much the prisoner screams!"

"Yes, Lady Caerula!"

Then the sound of footsteps faded down the hall.

"You and I will become best friends." The man said with sadistic happiness while rubbing both hands together.

The man approached me as he took a pair of pliers from his belt. I tried to fight back, but the chains electrocuted me again.

"AAAHHH!"

"Please save your screams for when I start." The man said, putting the pliers on my right index fingernail and pulling it.

"AAAHHH!" All I could do was scream as I tried to endure the pain.

-Midgard, Cathedral City, Year 995-

"How long have I been here?" I said to myself as I leaned against the wall of my cell, I didn't have the strength to stand. 

On the bright side, today was one of the days I didn't have to spend time with my "best friend" so to speak.

The moonlight shone through the window of my cell, the cold wind made me shiver, and they didn't give me anything to warm myself, not even a rag. Amid the cold, I thought about my situation.

He pulled out my nails, broke some of my fingers, and ripped some of my teeth; I was also whipped, burned by hot irons, and pierced by metal thorns. When he didn't torture me, he left me starving and thirsty, feeding me just enough to not die.

It was hell! I looked awful! I was covered in wounds and scars, and I'm sure I have a few broken bones besides my fingers. There was also a particularly large scar on my left wrist. 

A mage came to my cell one day, wanting my blood for some reason.

The mages came in search of another source of magic since Noir didn't cooperate with their experiments. The magic in my body, the MASO, that's what the mages want, they hope to get it with my blood.

A particularly cold wind made me shiver profusely, snapping me out of my thoughts, I quickly rubbed myself, trying to warm myself as my teeth chattered. It's no use thinking about it now let's try to sleep tonight.

-XXXXXX-

I woke up thanks to the noises coming from the street once again; I dragged myself to the window with difficulty and looked around, what I saw left me devastated. Rose is being whipped furiously while tied to a pole on the platform.

I tried to rip the bars off but it was useless, the damn chains electrocuted me again. All I could do was lie on the floor while covering my ears, trying to ignore the sound of the whip.

-XXXXXX-

The cell door opened, and Caerula entered accompanied by someone. 

A tall man, approximately forty years old, with blond hair and fair skin, he wore a black cloak with pieces of armor on his chest and shoulder, his most notable feature was his left metal arm.

"Hello! How is your stay here in Cathedral City?" Caerula asked, smiling playfully.

"Room service is horrible, I ordered a sandwich two hours ago and it still hasn't arrived, the maid didn't clean my room and the shower ran out of hot water. Where's the manager? I would like to talk with him." I replied in the same tone.

Caerula didn't like my joke; she kicked me in the side of the head.

"Still resisting, I'm seriously considering killing you, the mages seem to have gotten what they wanted with your blood, so you and your books will soon lose your usefulness. I wonder how I should kill you. Burnt alive, stoned or let you starve to death?"

"What do you think about the guillotine?" I asked as the world spun around me.

"What is it?" Caerula asked curiously.

"Forget it; I'd have to give you a history lesson for you to understand." I replied smiling.

"Let's see how long you go on like this. Come with me Bartas!" Caerula ordered the man.

Therefore, this is Bartas, Caerula's right-hand man. He was silent during the entire conversation and just stared at me intently.

"Bartas!" Caerula screamed, but Bartas ignored her and approached me.

"Are you strong?" Bartas asked, leaning down and staring me in the eyes.

"What?" I asked confused.

"Are you strong?" Bartas asked again.

"I believe so; I'm not at my best. I'm hungry, thirsty, injured, and tired, these chains weaken me, and I'm without my magical books. So you don't have to worry about me leaving." I replied sarcastically, waving at all my wounds.

Bartas stared at me for a few more seconds, looked at the chains, and then turned around and followed Caerula out of the cell.

What a strange man. What does he want?

-XXXXXX-

It had been a few hours since Caerula and Bartas left, and the moonlight shone through my cell window, showing the arrival of dusk. Suddenly, my cell opened and Bartas entered, staring at me with the same intently as before.

"Do you want to get out of here?" Bartas asked me.

"What?"

"Do you want to get out of here?" Bartas asked again.

"HAHAHA! Of course, I want to! I also want a lot of gold, a mountain of food and drinks, and the most beautiful woman to serve me! But as you can see, I'm not getting any of that anytime soon!" I laughed desperately, shaking the chain that tormented me.

"I can get you out of here." Bartas said emotionlessly.

"HAHAHA! What's the catch? Did Caerula send you to speak to me? Give me false hope?"

"There's no catch, I'm here of my own free will."

"Seriously? So let's suppose that what you say is true. What do you get with it?"

"Fun." Bartas replied seriously, but I saw the corner of his lips raising a little.

"What kind of fun?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"A fight."

"A fight?"

"Yes, a fight, I help you escape, in exchange I want you to fight me the next time we meet, a fight to the death." Bartas said, his smile widening a little.

"Know what? Fuck this shit! I accept it! Better to die fighting than die rotting here." I replied, offering a handshake.

"Good." Bartas said, ignoring my handshake and leaving my cell.

"Where are you going? Weren't you going to set me free?" I asked.

"And I'll." Bartas said, disappearing down the hall.

Will he keep his end of the bargain? All I have left now is to wait.

-Laboratory-

"AAAHHH!" I screamed in pain as one of the mages tried to open me and read my pages. 

They tried to discover my contents, but I held them back with all my might, the mages tried everything from spells to tools, but I held my ground with Rubrum doing the same inside a magic circle beside me.

One day the mages came with Rubrum in their hands and since then, they experimented with us. 

I need to find a way to get us out of here! However, I couldn't; this magic circle cancels all our powers. I couldn't help but worry, where are Lord Alan and Miss Rose? Are they safe?

"AAAHHH!" Another wave of pain interrupted me; the mages kept trying to open me with their spells.

"Hm… I think that's enough for today, tomorrow we will continue our experiments." One of the mages said before withdrawing from the room with his group.

I wonder how long I can go on… 

"Hummm, hummm." A female voice sang, relieving my pain.

"Thank you Rubrum." 

Rubrum didn't respond and just sang.

Minutes passed with us enjoying the song before we heard footsteps coming towards the room, a man with a metal arm opened the big metal doors and entered the lab, moving towards us.

The man then brought his metal arm closer to the magic circle and pressed his thumb against it, cracking the circle and breaking the spell; the man did the same with Rubrum and left the room.

I felt it, and my magic slowly returned! I could tell that Rubrum felt the same, but it was taking too long, we needed to speed up the process! We need more power! 

I failed Lord Alan once because I was too weak; one spell knocked me down! I won't repeat that mistake ever again! We need more power! I need more power!

We are in the Institute of Magic, aren't we? This place must be full of magic items. I'll take this magic for myself!

"Rubrum, do the same as me!"

"Yes!" Rubrum replied.

I "closed" my eyes and concentrated. I felt it in various rooms of the institute, on this same floor, above and below, rooms and more rooms full of magic items. I want that power! I need that power! Therefore, with effort, I absorbed the institute's magic.

-XXXXXX-

Something strange happened inside the Institute of Magic; all magic objects lost their power. Magic weapons rusted, magic books crumbled, potions turned into a disgusting black slime, organs of magical beings that retained their power even after their owner's death rotted and mages died of weakness. 

All the magic of the institute was being absorbed into a single place, including the magic of a certain pair of chains.

-Alan's cell-

I felt something different as if I was a little stronger, it must be my impression, and Bartas probably abandoned me here. The cell door opened, snapping me out of my thoughts and my "best friend" came in.

"Hello, my friend! Unfortunately, I've bad news! It seems our time together has ended. Lady Caerula got tired of waiting, so she ordered me to execute you. But don't worry, I'll keep all the good times we spent together in my memory, if it's any consolation, you lasted longer than the others." The hooded man said, approaching me with a dagger.

Well, it's over, this is the end; I couldn't help but think about everything that happened to lead me to the current situation. Meet Nier and Yonah, wake up in Midgard, and meet Noir, Rubrum, and Rose.

Rose… Thinking about her makes me sad, I hope her suffering ends soon, maybe when we die we will find ourselves on the other side, or in whatever awaits us after death.

Death, I never thought about it, to die in Shinjuku was always a possibility, whether from hunger, thirst, illness, or getting into a fight with other survivors, I didn't worry about it, after all, who would care if I died?

I had no friends or family, maybe I'd be stabbed to death in an alley or starved to death in my apartment, just another corpse in that damn city.

That thought changed when I met my new family. I cared, there would be someone to miss me if I died, and now I'll never see them again. Know what, it was good while it lasted.

Suddenly, the entire institute shook the moment the hooded man tried to cut my throat, he fell to the ground and I stumbled forward, snapping the chain that held my right wrist.

I widened my eyes while opening and closing my right hand. I pulled my left wrist forward, snapping the chain too, and giving a strong pull with my legs, I broke the chains that held me by the shins and I ripped the metal cuffs on my wrists and shins right after.

"What was that?" The hooded man said as he stood up, but stepped back frightened upon seeing me free.

"Wait!" He screamed, extending both hands.

However, I didn't let him finish. I raised my right fist and punched his face, exploding his head in a shower of blood with pieces of eyes, brains, and bones flying across the cell.

I opened and closed my right hand surprised, something changed, I was strong, but not to the point of blowing someone's head off. Let me try something, I approached the cell door, lifted my left leg, and kicked it.

The door flew off its hinges with my footprint on it and hit a guard on the other side, smashing him against the wall in the hallway, and cracking the stone.

I winced in pain and looking at my hand, I saw something that worried me. It was as if my skin cracked; the tip of my right index finger fell to the ground, disappearing in red particles.

There was a black-colored finger where the skin used to be as if I dipped my finger inside an oilcan and red ran from my hands up to my biceps.

Leaving that aside and stepping forward, I felt something falling to the ground, it was a piece of my foot. There was the same black color where the skin used to be with red lines going from my foot up to my hip.

"What is that?!?" Someone screamed.

Looking to the side, I saw a group of five guards coming towards me. I quickly ran in the opposite direction.

"Stop!" The guards yelled.

I ran through the stone corridors of the Institute of Magic, dodging groups of guards, turning corners, and entering corridors, until I saw a set of stairs leading up. Going up the stairs, I came face to face with a group of guards going down.

The guards looked at me surprised, but before they could draw their weapons, I grabbed the first guard by the head and smashed it against the wall in an explosion of blood.

The guards behind him jumped back frightened with their faces covered in blood, I quickly grabbed the closest guard by his armor, sinking my fingers into the metal.

"AAAHHH!" The guard screamed in pain. 

I saw blood coming out of the place where my fingers sank; it seemed I pierced the flesh. Shrugging, I lifted the guard over my head and threw him down the stairs towards the group of guards below.

Therefore, I went up, killing all the guards I found in the way until I entered a corridor with a door at the end.

I ran towards the door and punched it with all my strength, sending it flying and kicking up a dust cloud upon hitting the wall on the other side.

I saw a line of blood and crushed bodies when the dust settled, all of the guards wearing armor, carrying swords and shields. 

What was going on? I just escaped, how did the guards get here so fast? Unless they're not after me. They probably came after what made the institute shake.

Suddenly, the institute shook once more; the chandelier hanging on the ceiling fell in the hallway, followed by more tremors and screams.

"What is this?"

"Somebody stop that book!"

"Where are the mages?"

Noir, Rubrum! I ran towards the screams, ignoring the guards on my way, and crossed hallways decorated like a mansion, with golden chandeliers, red wallpaper, and stained glass windows.

"Call more men!"

"Raise your shields!"

I turned left, heading towards the screams, but received a strong blow to my face after entering another hallway. I grabbed my face in pain and saw something falling to the floor after taking my hands away, it was the skin of my nose. 

Looking forward I saw the source of the blow, a guard wearing heavy armor and carrying a spear and shield.

The guard tried to pierce my heart but dodged to the left, grabbing the spear and pulling it toward me; making the guard lose his balance and fall forward. 

I raised my left fist and punched his head as he fell, his helmet sank into his skull, making blood pour out of the helmet, nose, and eyes, and then the guard dropped dead to the ground.

I left the body and ran away, knocking down a pair of double wooden doors in my way and entering a large square room decorated with marble pillars and a large golden chandelier.

A set of large wooden doors on the other side of the room, probably the exit, opened and guards carrying swords, shields, spears, halberds, and bows entered and ran toward me.

Looking around, I saw doors to my right and left, but I doubt I'll get to them before the guards reach me. Well, I just needed to fight, but I don't know if I'll make it, the guards outnumber me.

"So who will be the first?" I asked, assuming a fighting stance.

One of the guards stepped forward, but the institute shook again before we fought. Dust fell from above and looking up, I saw the ceiling cracking. 

The institute shook again, suddenly, a large black and red hand destroyed the ceiling and smashed several guards right below. 

I jumped back, avoiding the falling debris and the double-bladed great ax that fell at my feet with one of its blades stuck in the ground. 

Raising a curious eyebrow at the weapon, I gripped the ax handle with both hands, lifting it. Despite being bigger than I am, the ax felt light as a feather in my hands.

"Lord Alan! Are you okay?"

I couldn't help but smile when I heard a familiar voice coming from the hole in the ceiling. I waited a few seconds and saw Noir and Rubrum floating in front of me as the dust settled.

"Noir! Rubrum!" I screamed as I ran towards them.

"Lord Alan!" Noir and Rubrum replied, circling me.

"Are you okay? What did they do to you? When I find these worms, I'll…" Noir exclaimed, but I interrupted him, hugging both books.

"I'm fine Noir! I'm fine!" I said smiling.

"Lord Alan I…" Noir mumbled surprised.

Sadly, the floor in the center of the room cracked and gave away, interrupting our moment. 

A gigantic skeletal hand came out of the hole, followed by another; both hands grabbed the edges of the hole and a giant body came out of it. 

I gripped the handle of the ax tightly, my eyes widened, and my mouth dropped at what I saw.

Then the thing in front of me roared.

"RROOOAAARRR!"

-A few minutes ago-

Rubrum and I absorbed the institute's magic. Suddenly, the lab's door opened and the group of mages entered.

"What are you doing?" One of the mages demanded, casting a spell.

Rubrum cast a magic orb aimed at his head, creating an explosion as it hit the mage; his body fell to the ground without his upper half, spilling blood and organs on the floor.

"How is that possible?" Another mage asked, stepping back frightened.

I didn't answer and cast Dark Spear toward his heart; the magic projectile pierced his chest and stuck his body in the wall. Now there were three left. 

Rubrum enveloped one of the mages in a magic bubble and shrunk the bubble's size, crushing the mage, a ball of flesh fell to the ground when Rubrum finished. Two left. 

I made a stake come out of the ground, impaling one of the remaining mages, but the last one ran away screaming while I used my new spell.

"PREPARE WEAPON NUMBER 16!"

Weapon number 16, what is that? It doesn't matter, I floated with Rubrum beside me and together we moved toward the exit.

"Rubrum, we need to find Lord Alan and Miss Rose!"

Rubrum nodded vigorously.

I created a Dark Hand and punched the door of the laboratory, crushing the metal and sending it away, crushing everything in its path.

"FIRE THE ARROWS!"

A volley of arrows shot toward us, Rubrum quickly floated in front of me and created a red barrier, blocking the arrows. 

I cast Dark Execution while Rubrum protected us; making stakes come out of the ground, piercing all the archers in our way.

"Rubrum let's go!"

Rubrum nodded, and we floated down the halls of the institute. A group of guards came out from the end of the hall; I cast a Dark Hand and punched the group, sending them flying away.

Rubrum and I moved forward, descending a set of stairs and finding more guards on the floor below.

"STOP!" One of the guards yelled, raising his sword as they ran towards us. 

Rubrum created a magic barrier, blocking the guard's blow and breaking his sword into several pieces, and fired a magic orb at the guard's chest right after, the explosion throwing the guard across the hallway.

However, the rest of the group snapped out of their surprise and advanced after Rubrum's exhibition. 

I cast another spell, Dark Whirlwind, magic sigils appeared around me and spikes came out of them, and then the circles rotated at great speed, turning it into a saw. Therefore, I advanced towards the guards. 

They realized the danger of the situation and tried to turn around, but they weren't fast enough and were shredded by my spell, blood and guts stained the windows and walls as the spikes drew a straight line across the walls.

Rubrum and I entered a room when my spell ended. The room looked like a museum, armor decorated the walls, wooden stands with artifacts lined the room, and paintings depicting historical scenes hung on the walls.

There was a great ax inside a large glass box in the center of the room; made of black metal with golden ornaments on its handle, representing soldiers marching. The soldiers marched towards the blade of the ax, adorned with dragon designs on both sides.

A red color "dripped" towards the ax handle through the edge of the ax blades, giving the impression of blood stains, and the adornment of a flower blooming with a metal spike coming out of it stood at the end of the ax handle, between the two blades.

There was something written on the handle of the ax.

"Charlemagne Vincens Victoriam, Victoria certa sit iis qui ultimi imperatoris securim feriunt."

I would like to explore the room, but I didn't get the chance due to the large number of soldiers entering through all the doors inside the room.

"Rubrum get ready!"

"Yes!" Rubrum replied.

I cast a big Dark Hand, raising it until it hit the ceiling, and then lowering it toward the floor, destroying the ground beneath us and only stopping on the floor below. 

The soldiers retreated to avoid falling into the hole, while objects around the room fell, including the ax.

Rubrum and I went down the hole and what we saw filled us with joy. It was Lord Alan! However, he changed, his skin "cracked" with red and yellow lines covering his body and a dark mass appearing beneath the cracks.

"Lord Alan! Are you okay?"

-Present-

How did the situation get so bad? I was scared and I couldn't deny it! I wasn't sure I could fight the thing in front of me.

A giant skeleton, about five meters tall, stood in front of us. Its feet, legs, hips, torso, arms, and hands were shaped like a human skeleton, but the most disturbing part was its head, a gigantic sphere disproportional to the body with a permanent smile stretching from ear to ear, and two round eyes glowing red above it.

"Behold the fruit of our experiments!" A man wearing a metal mask screamed on top of the monster's shoulder.

"What is this thing?!?" I demanded, raising my ax.

"Hm… You must be Alan. I would like to thank you, thanks to your books and you; we developed the most powerful weapon!" The man screamed madly while raising both arms.

"So you mean… My blood!"

"Yes, your blood! Thanks to the magic in your blood, we created the ultimate weapon, but due to your group going around killing everyone at the institute, I'll have to kill you all, unfortunately! Weapon 16, finish them off!" The man ordered, pointing at us with his left hand shining red with magic.

The creature shook intently, the red light in its eyes intensified and the thing let out a deafening roar.

"RROOOAAARRR!"

Then the creature ran towards us at an absurd speed, each step of its hunched form cracking the ground and creating a small earthquake. Something that big shouldn't move that fast!

"Noir, shoot the mage!"

"Yes, Lord Alan!"

Noir fired magic projectiles toward the mage on the monster's shoulder but a magic barrier blocked the shots.

"Is that all? If that's the extent of the power of your books then I shouldn't have wasted so much time trying to open them!" The mage bragged.

The monster then closed the distance, raised its left hand, and tried to crush us at blinding speed. The monster's hand blurred and I barely had time to jump away before the blow hit the ground, creating a large hole followed by a shock wave that threw us away.

I screamed in pain as I hit the ground repeatedly, I stuck the ax blade into the ground, stopping my advance, and stood up alongside Noir and Rubrum. Together we faced the monster that advanced with thunderous steps.

"Rubrum shot that thing in the head! Noir, we need something stronger to take down the mage!"

Noir and Rubrum nodded before acting, Rubrum fired red orbs at the monster's head, creating a series of explosions and stopping its advance, making the monster roar in pain as it tried to protect its face with its hands. 

Noir opened his pages and accumulated magic in them. With a magic burst, Noir fired five large magic projectiles toward the mage.

Due to Rubrum's attack, the monster stepped back in pain, causing Noir's attack to miss the mage. However, the projectiles turned around midflight and hit the mage, the magic barrier blocked the attack but cracks formed in it.

"How?!? Number 16, kill them!" The mage screamed as his hand shined red again.

Number 16 screamed in pain as bolts of magic electrocuted its body, and then the monster opened its mouth and jumped toward me. 

I rolled to the right, avoiding the bite, and Number 16's head sank into the ground as the monster opened a large hole in the floor with its bite. 

I cut Number 16 with my ax, taking advantage of its head being close to the ground, and struck two l blows forming an X on the left side of its head.

However, before I struck a third blow, I felt a searing pain in my chest, as if something burned me and fell on my back with the strength of the attack. 

Lifting my head, I saw the mage staring at me with fury in his eyes and an outstretched shining hand.

"I'll have to interfere, unfortunately." The mage spoke seriously before casting spell after spell toward me. I ran across the room dodging fireballs, lightning, ice spears, and more.

"Noir! Rubrum! Don't stop shooting!" I screamed between my dodges.

Noir and Rubrum nodded and kept their attack, damaging Number 16 and cracking the barrier even more.

Number 16 then stood up, taking his head off the ground, and looked around, focusing on Noir and Rubrum. The monster raised its right fist and tried to smash Rubrum, but the book quickly floated out of the way while firing orbs at the monster's head.

Suddenly, Number 16 jumped, hitting the ceiling with its head, and created red shock waves that spread across the room upon falling on the floor. 

This looked like the attack of a video game boss, so I jumped over the first wave, and stepping back, jumped over the second and third.

Number 16 lay on the floor, probably confused with the hit on his head, and with its rib cage exposed to me, so I ran toward the monster and pierced the center of its ribcage with the spike at the tip of my ax.

"RROOOAAARRR!" Number 16 roared, struggling on the floor while I sunk the spike deeper into its body.

"Number 16 what are you doing?!? You are the ultimate weapon, start acting like one!" The mage's hand glowed again and Number 16 screamed.

Number 16 opened its mouth and spat a flurry of red magic orbs towards me; they moved at great speed, like a wall of red blurs, and due to my proximity to Number 16, there would be no time for me to dodge.

"Lord Alan!" I heard Noir scream.

Noir quickly put himself between the attack and me while its pages opened and four barriers formed around us. The barriers absorbed the approaching magic orbs and created four magic circles that spun around us like a top, forming a gigantic magic orb

"Noir shoot the mage!"

"As you wish!"

Noir turned toward the mage and fired the gigantic orb, I saw the mage's eyes widen behind his mask as the orb approached the barrier, then…

BOOM!

"AAAHHH!" The mage screamed as he flew across the room, hitting the ground repeatedly, and rolling for a few seconds before stopping upon hitting a wall.

"Noir go help Rubrum! I'll deal with the mage!" I ordered as I approached the mage.

"I understood Lord Alan." Noir replied, and then floated to Rubrum's side, and together they fought Number 16.

Well, time to do my part.

"You…you…you are going to pay for this! I'll not allow myself to be killed, not when I have the ultimate weapon ready!" The mage exclaimed furiously between gasps, getting up and taking two metal rings from his back.

The rings glowed red before he threw them towards me. I ducked, dodging the rings, and ran toward the mage with my ax raised, strangely, the mage didn't try to fight back; he just stood there with both hands outstretched.

Suddenly, my instincts screamed for me to get out of there, I felt something approaching quickly behind me. I jumped to the left, barely dodging the two rings that passed by me, leaving cuts on my right arm and hip.

The skin on my arm and hip fell, revealing the same black color. What was happening to me?

The mage then did an acrobatic jump grabbed both rings midflight, and then made another tricky leap before throwing both rings at me again.

I think I saw this movie before.

I jumped to the right, dodging one of the rings, and ducked, dodging the second, the mage outstretched his hands again and the rings returned, I stopped my attack once more to dodge it.

This won't get me anywhere; I need to change my strategy. Once again, the mage jumped and threw his rings.

I saw the rings approaching thanks to my heightened senses, they were fast, but they didn't compare to Number 16's attacks, so I raised my ax and swung it like a bat, throwing the rings away.

The mage called the rings back and threw them towards me, and again, I deflected them with my ax, the process repeated itself several times, but slowly, one step at a time, I closed the distance to the mage.

I swung my ax towards his neck but the mage quickly ducked down and tried to trip me, I jumped over his leg, dodging his attack and I brought the ax down towards his head while falling, unfortunately, the mage rolled to the right, dodging the blow.

I jumped back dodging the ring aimed at my neck and ran towards the mage before he threw the second.

I tried to cut his stomach, but the mage stepped back, narrowly avoiding my attack, and advanced right after, trying to cut my head open with one of the rings.

I raised my ax, blocking the ring with its handle and making the blow bounce off, throwing the mage's arm back. Taking my chance, I kicked the wizard in the chest making him fly away.

"AAAHHH!" The mage screamed in pain as he slid across the floor with blood oozing out of his mask.

"I'll not be defeated that easily!" The mage outstretched his hands again. 

I threw myself on the ground, knowing what would happen, and let the ring pass over me again.

I ran toward the mage soon after and he returned the gesture with a ring in each hand, then we closed the distance between each other and exchanged blows. 

The mage tried to cut my eyes with his left ring; I quickly leaned back, barely dodging the attack and receiving a cut above my nose. 

Recovering my balance and spinning around, I swung the ax diagonally from bottom to top, trying to cut the mage in two, but the mage jumped back, dodging the blow. 

Taking advantage of the moment, I stepped forward and lowered the ax toward the mage's head, and again he jumped back, dodging my attack and throwing his rings.

This is getting annoying, time to end this fight! I raised my ax and slammed it against the ground with all my might when the rings closed in creating a dust cloud that took over the place.

The mage looked around scared when the dust cloud dissipated and he couldn't find me, then he outstretched his hands, calling the rings back, moving fast, I grabbed both of his arms by the biceps and kept them in place.

"Hello!" I screamed behind him.

The mage turned his head to the side upon hearing my voice and widened his eyes after seeing me.

I forced the mage's arms open in a T-pose while the mage looked ahead, seeing the rings he called approaching.

"Let me go!" The mage screamed, trying to escape my grip.

I sunk my fingers into the mage's flesh as he screamed in pain, drawing blood and tightening my grip. Soon the rings hit the mage and the expected happened.

"AAAHHH!" The mage screamed in agony as both of his arms flew away and fell on the ground behind us.

Then, I released the mage, dropping him to his knees while blood sprayed out of his stumps.

"You bastard, it can't end like this! I'll not let my research be in vain. I'll not die here! Not when I was so close to being the greatest mage in the world!" The mage screamed, trying to get up, but his legs failed him.

"Of course, of course, keep dreaming." I said mockingly, raising my ax and preparing to chop off the mage's head. 

Unfortunately, Number 16 flew past me, and hit a wall on the far side of the room, interrupting me.

"Lord Alan!" Noir yelled as Rubrum and he approached me.

-With Noir and Rubrum-

The creature in front of us roared, spiting a shower of magic orbs toward us. I used Dark Gluttony to absorb all the orbs and form a gigantic one, but Number 16 raised its right fist, trying to punch me before I completed my spell.

Rubrum then flew in front of me and blocked the punch with a magic barrier, but Number 16 threw punch after punch, cracking it with each blow and slowly pushing Rubrum back.

"Rubrum hold on a little longer!" I screamed as the magic orb grew while Number 16 readied another punch.

"Rubrum get out of the way!"

Rubrum did just that and moved away as the barrier broke, the orb flew toward the monster's disgusting face, and…

BOOM!

"RROOOAAARRR!"

Number 16 grabbed its face in pain, covering both eyes with its hands, but I saw a purple light shining between its fingers. 

Suddenly, Number 16 took its hands away from its eyes and fired two magic purple beams toward us, sending us toward a wall across the room. 

Then Number 16 jumped towards us with its mouth open, trying to bite us, luckily, Rubrum and I managed to get out of the hole in the wall in time and the monster ended up getting its head stuck in the wall.

I cast Dark Spear, creating five magic spears around me and firing them towards Number 16.

The spears pierced Number 16 in its torso, but the monster didn't seem to care and removed its head from the wall. 

Its eyes glowed again, but before it could fire another beam, Rubrum created a magic bubble around her and flew toward Number 16 at high speed, hitting the monster's chest and pushing Number 16 across the room.

It wasn't enough to stop Number 16's attack, but it was enough to make it miss. The magic beams pierced the ceiling, reaching the upper floors and splitting the clouds in the sky, letting the rain enter the institute.

Rubrum dissipated the bubble and floated away from Number 16, but she wasn't fast enough and ended up slapped away by the monster. 

Number 16 then ran towards me with both hands outstretched, I created two Dark Hands and held its hands, stopping its advance.

So I created a third Dark Hand and punched Number 16 in the chin, Number 16 stepped back due to the blow, this allowed Rubrum to create another magic bubble around herself and hit Number 16 in the side.

Number 16 flew across the room until it hit a wall near where Lord Alan fought the mage; however, I saw Number 16 eyes shine again as it tried to remove its body from the wall.

Not this time, I created two Dark Spears and fired them toward Number 16's eyes, piercing them; Number 16 roared in pain, stepping forward with shaking legs before finally falling motionless to the ground.

-With Alan-

"Noir! Rubrum! Are you okay?" I asked the two approaching books.

"Yes, Lord Alan! And you?" Noir asked worriedly.

"I'm fine, Noir, thanks for asking!" I replied as the two books floated around me.

"No, no, no!" The mage screamed, getting up with hesitant steps.

"You should be the ultimate weapon! You shouldn't be defeated by anyone! You useless piece of junk, stand up now!" The mage yelled as he approached Number 16.

Number 16 stood up too fast for something so badly beaten and sniffed like a dog, but instead of following the mage's orders, Number 16 grabbed the mage with its left hand and opened its mouth.

"Stop!" The mage screamed as he tried to escape Number 166 grip but it was no use.

Then Number 16 bit the mage in the waist.

"AAAHHH!" The mage screamed in pain as Number 16 chewed him, Number 16 then pulled the mage's legs, cutting him in two and devouring the legs.

Blood trickled between Number 16's teeth, making its permanent smile even more disturbing, and then Number 16 sniffed again, turning his head toward us.

"RROOOAAARRR!" Number 16 roared as it ran towards us.

Rubrum created a magic bubble around us; but Number 16 head-butted the bubble furiously, cracking it with each blow.

"Noir I know this isn't the best time to ask, but how did you and Rubrum get so strong? How did I get so strong?" I asked nervously, trying to find an exit to our situation.

"Rubrum and I absorbed the magic of various items around the Institute." Noir replied in the same tone.

"Hm… Is there any magic left in the institute?" I asked again, formulating a plan.

Noir seemed to concentrate for a few seconds before answering.

"Yes."

"Then absorb it all, every single drop of magic in the institute!"

"As you wish." Noir said hesitantly.

Noir absorbed the institute's magic and I felt something different. A tingling that grew into a searing pain, the red lines across my body increased and my skin cracked more and more.

I felt something coming out of my back, were those wings? The pain worsened and I could only scream.

-Midgard, Cathedral City, 995, Institute of Magic-

Weapon Number 16 tried to break the bubble that protected Alan, Noir, and Rubrum, the red grimoire used all her strength to hold the monster back, but the bubble cracked with every blow.

Suddenly a strong red light shone inside the bubble. Number 16 delivered one last hit before shattering the bubble and pulling its head back; preparing to deliver the final blow, but it never came.

A gigantic hand came out from the red light and grabbed Number 16's head, crushing it completely, and then Number 16 crumbled into red particles, which were absorbed into the books.

More hands came out of the red light, destroying the institute's ceiling until they reached the heavens while another of those hands flew forward and destroyed the entrance of the institute.

An angel stood inside a crater when the light disappeared, the angel held a large black ax as two magic books floated beside him.

The doors around the institute opened and its terrified researchers came out of it, the researchers tried to run through the destroyed entrance of the institute upon seeing the angel, but they didn't go far. 

The angel raised his right hand and stakes came out of the ground piercing the researchers. The angel then walked out of the institute and outstretched his hand while looking up, feeling the rain running down his body.

The angel saw something that caught his attention, a white-haired, pink-eyed girl tied to a pole on a stone platform.

The angel walked towards the girl, killing all the guards on his way, they were no match for him.

The angel saw the girl surrounded by flower petals upon reaching the platform while a flower stood at her feet. 

The angel felt several things when seeing the flower, curiosity, flaming anger, revolting disgust, and an overwhelming hunger. 

The angel raised his ax and brought it down towards the flower. In the end, the angel saw a white light followed by an explosion.

END OF CHAPTER