20 Darkness Falls
Music.
Why did I bring this up?
I always thought that a little bit of music can be a remedy or band-aid of some sorts. I also believed that they convey hidden meanings.
An idea popped in my head one day, asking, "What would be the appropriate music genre for this work?"
Funny enough, I immediately tried to cross out what isn't viable, like, Pop, Jazz, Classical and much more.
Especially the new music we listen to, because most of it is absolute TRASH. I scoured for ideas, trying to make something pop out of my head.
And something did.
Technically, I am an Alucard/Chou main, and I keep updated with the MPL (or the 'Mobile Legends Professional League'), most especially, its teams and members.
But since I am a Chou main, my idols were Syno and unXpected.
And their insane Chou montages gave me the songs I was looking for.
Rock music.
Okay, many of you will think…
"Yo, ain't that the devil's music?"
If you do believe that, then you must get your thinking fixed.
HEAVY METAL is the devil's music, not rock. I always hated it when someone says that rock music is bad, when in truth, it's actually ten times better than the horse dung being blasted on our poor ears today. The famed songs of the 00s and 2011-2014 was good… until 2015 started to screw up in every way possible.
Sure, many of you will not believe me and immediately report this and stop reading my story (I hope not. XD), but either way, it's true.
If you're asking what were the songs used for the Chou Montages, go to the channel 'MontageRock' and play the songs on the 'Popular Uploads' list, or simply scroll through the montage and find the links for the songs.
If you're still lazy, I can send some for you.
Onlap – The Awakening, Out of My Way, Running, Still Alive
Our Waking Hour – Break Me Down
Cult to Follow – Leave it All Behind, 10 Seconds from Panic
Stria – Rise From the Ashes, Alive
Alive in Barcelona – Back to Life
White Comic – This Ain't the End of Me
Papercut Massacre – Lose my Life
Message from Sylvia – Army of One
Some were included in the montages, while others were of my own preference. Just check the lyrics and see why I prefer them.
If you still think Rock Music is trash, then I guess I have no way of convincing you. At least I tried, that's better than not doing anything.
But by the time you read specific scenes in this FanFiction and play the appropriate music, then you'll know why I preferred the genre.
Whenever I listen to one of these songs, I get zoned out so hard that I could actually imagine the scene unraveling around me. It got me hooked like a drug, and I gain so much inspiration to write this stuff.
Since I am a bit of a sadist, I won't tell what song you should play in a specific scene. But if you pay attention, you'll find out.
Judging from the title, something wrong will occur.
Let's get to it.
It was four days before the huge war, and everyone was nerve-wracked. Civilians and citizens barely came out now, but the training grounds were fully occupied. Everybody was amped up, training the soldiers and the new recruits to shape. All the help they could muster would suffice.
The mages were applying their energies to the crystal one by one, taking shifts.
"You're like, cheating," Nana told Cyclops. "You know what sign I'll use!"
"Yeah, it makes rock-paper-scissors too easy for me," the mage said, landing scissor as Nana lands paper. "Chess would be more of a challenge. Too many outcomes."
"Sadly, Nana doesn't even know how to play chess," Harley pointed out. "The other mages do…"
"Nope, I'm fine. Chess hurts my head," Cyclops said, grinning. "Is it my shift?"
"Yup, it is. You're replacing Kagura."
In the other end of the citadel, Argus and Minotaur watched the mages closely as they did their work. They barely conversed however.
"I assume it was a shock for you to see how much the world has changed," Argus began.
The beast sighed. "The wretched place I once knew, now in ruin. A shock. I should've felt… glad. The wretchedness was gone… but I feel empty."
"It's because you only knew rage then," the fallen angel explained. "It wasn't easy to accept, I know. But in this place, you can change. What people knew about you? You can change all of it. Takes some time, though."
"Hmph. I'll try then. How about you? How were things back then for you?"
Argus looked down on the floor. "I was the weakest among those recruited to be part of the seraphim."
"You've got to be joking."
Argus chuckled. "I can't simply be making this up. Everybody picked on me. It just hit me when I learned I have outmatched them after all these millennia. It's hard to believe it."
"Judging from the state you're in, they're baffled."
"I don't know that."
"Why not?"
"I haven't got home yet."
The two laughed, resuming their inspections.
In the training grounds, Clint and his sharpshooters were at the firing range, scoring bullseyes with every shot.
"Keep at it, ladies!" Clint hollered. "Accuracy isn't always your best friend! Those wusses out in the open are going to come at you like cats ready to shred metal for a nibble! Your aiming won't help if you won't fire fast enough!"
Bruno went up to the shooting range, spectating the dozens of sharpshooters, easily taking down the targets. However, they weren't as fast as Clint.
"Man, I can only imagine the amount of pressure from the old training days," Bruno told the cowboy.
"This is just the start, muchacho," Clint replied, patting Bruno's shoulder. "Some of us had to hang through ropes, walls, and all that other stuff."
Suddenly, Clint ducked, easily dodging a stray bullet from Lesley's rifle, who was shooting from far away. The .50 caliber shot hits the head of a target, breaking the head piece.
"Damn," Bruno reacts. "There isn't much cranium left on that thing."
The Protector ducks, avoiding Miya's light arrow that proceeded to fly and pierce through the other targets. What's surprising is that the arrow acted on its own, curving around like a sidewinder. The light arrow fades after hitting the last target.
"Y'know, my friends and I feel left out," Bruno began.
"Why is that?"
"You guys are too powerful. Like, we barely even have superpowers!"
"Bruno, my compadre," Clint said. "You have augments that makes you have superhuman agility. Layla has a cannon that can disintegrate matter. Lolita's hammer deflects nearly everything that the Dark Lord can throw in our way. Chou has beaten almost every fighter except Argus. Ruby can go have a killing spree that can last for days, and Alucard can do the same, but better. What makes you think you have nothing to square up against that edge-lord outside these walls?"
Bruno remained silent. "I am just gonna… um… you know? I heard that Chou's bringing some spicy wings from a few blocks away-"
"Wally's Wings? Yeah, they're the best in town. Don't forget the barbecue sauce."
"You want a box of wings?"
"Nah, I'm fine. Go ahead."
Meanwhile…
"Faster… faster…"
Saber was training Fanny's complex maneuverability. After learning that her cable placement can completely alter her flight patterns, he had to train her in the skies. Fanny was zipping back and forth, her cables slowing and speeding up her flight. Feeling dizzy she shot a cable to a nearby wall and tried to catch her breath.
"I am not the one who can do this without suffocating!" she complained.
"I know, but if anything goes wrong with whatever you do, you're dead. The time will come when I'll not be there to catch you."
"Yeah, yeah, I get it." Fanny slowly landed on the ground below her.
"How long did it take you to create that flight gear?"
The flier looked at her equipment. "A year or so… It took me twice as long to teach myself."
Saber paused, and said, "It is still a shock for me that your neck hasn't snapped due to the insane amount of Gs your body is experiencing."
Fanny laughed. "We can adapt, tin man. No need to worry."
"Oh, so you want to race?" Saber challenged as he transformed into a metal eagle. "Ten rounds around the Land of Dawn. Whoever loses gets guard duty."
"Oh… it's on!" Fanny immediately shot her cables to two buildings, shooting her forward.
Meanwhile…
Johnson was driving around with Chou. Their work hours were finished, so they grew bored.
That is… before Chou had the impulse to buy from Wally's Wings.
"Hmm… hey, Johnson! What do you think is one of the best flavors?"
The cyborg was analyzing. "I… don't know, exactly. What I do recommend are the ones slightly above the normal 'Hotness' scale. Just… not the Nuclear Raptors. Those are just… nuts."
"Why not? Isn't that even more fun?"
"Well, last night, I did see someone pleading for milk in the streets."
"Oh… Wait… how about the Chili Teriyaki?"
"Could be. Wait… what flavors do your friends like?"
Chou shrugged. "They'd prefer any. Just… not the Nuclear Raptors. Maybe the Fiery Feet will do."
The two went up to the vendor, who was a young adult. "Um… do you still have some of those Fiery Feet on your stock?"
"Of course! I highly recommend the barbecue sauce and dip. It's good on it! I still have stock. By the way, do you want the hot sauce?"
"Sure. That will do," Johnson replied.
"Okay then. Just wait for a few minutes. I'll be right back." The vendor went to cooking the wings. Chou rested his back on the food truck.
"If only life was as good as this," he muttered. "I hope it will be all fine in the end."
Somewhere in the citadel…
Alpha was aimlessly trailing around the halls as a guard. He silently kept praying that the work routines would last a lot longer.
Why?
Because he didn't want to hear the awful noises whenever he would drift close to a room.
Yes.
You probably know what I meant.
You already know what I meant.
Two nights ago, he heard Lancelot and Odette. Yesterday, it was Miya and Yun Zhao, which shocked him, because he didn't know of their status until that day. He wondered who it would be next.
He hoped it wasn't Hayabusa and Kagura. He already walked to see them… well… yeah. He walked up to them twice already.
Alpha wanted to bleach his eyes. But that's impossible. He had no eyes to begin with, only a visor. A visor that can help him see through walls, unfortunately.
"Argh, this is nuts," Alpha grumbled. "Why did I get assigned for guard duty here?! I keep hearing lovebirds who were on the edge of doing it right on the spot-" Beta, the drone, whacked him on the head.
"Sorry. I am just… ugh. I better ask Estes if I can find someone to switch with."
He was about to walk on the stairs when he saw Tigreal and Natalia. They nodded at him, but Alpha slowed his descent.
"Goddamnit. I swear, if you do the forbidden business and force me to keep watch on one of those rooms…"
Luckily enough, they were conversing some deep matters. Alpha sighed with relief.
"Oh, thank the heavens." He walked down the steps and met up with Estes on the chambers, overlooking the battle strategies with Rafaela.
"Um, yo, Estes! I was wondering if you, um… have a replacement for my shift. It's kind of um, boring to walk around in here now, and I am wanting a bit of fresh air…"
"Sure, Alpha," the king responded. "You can rest for now. I'll send someone else to guard the halls. Oh, and by the way, Alucard wants to see you. He's in the med bays prepping the equipment."
"Thanks." Alpha sprints out of the citadel and activates Beta's flight systems, helping him travel to the med bays which were not too far away. He spots Fanny racing with Saber around the whole place, zipping through the buildings and the towers, fearlessly maneuvering through the dangers. As he got to the med bays, he saw the Demon Hunter, alone.
He scanned the place. All of the equipment was in place. If Alucard didn't ask for help from Alpha, then what was he asking for?
"Oh, hey there," Alucard waved. "I've been looking for you."
"This isn't about the equipment, huh?"
"That's the easy part. Alpha, I requested for you being here for a specific reason."
"Okay, dude. Whatever you need."
"It is classified, and I recommend you not tell anyone about this."
"Sure."
Alucard attempted to lean in to whisper something to Alpha, but the cyborg pulled back.
"You do know we're the only ones in this wide hall, right?"
Alucard looked around, baffled. "Oh, yeah, sorry. Heh. Okay, um... I know the risks about my powers and all, but one night… I attempted to use them, and things started going off."
"What do you mean? Don't tell me the demonization process is occurring even without your powers being triggered."
"No, no, it's not like that. It's something different. It's…" Alucard grabs his greatsword and wields it. He closes his eyes and calms himself, which was the exact opposite of what he should do in order to activate the demonic powers. After a few seconds, the greatsword began to ignite, and the Demon Hunter's clothes began to change, morphing his weapon back into a flame reaper, his coat turning black. But as the time passed, the orange flames began to turn blue, and Alucard's back began t0 5p4002hi1t wwiin1g1ugd,ldms9081
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ALERT! INCOMING TRANSMISSION!
(The following surveillance feed shows a conference room. Two people, one young adult and one middle-aged man with unknown identities can be seen. They wore suits, the young adult lacking a tie. They sat calmly on one side of the table, the former fiddling his pen with his fingers.
The date has been scratched off, along with the time.)
Note: Names have been omitted, but not through the editing process, but rather, in the original feed.
"This is a magnificent find, ********. How did you come across it?"
"It was all about chance, sir. I… I really didn't expect that someone like me would find it. Who on earth would place it in a [DATA EXPUNGED]?"
"And yet, you found it. And please, enough with all the 'sir'. ******** would be fine."
"Thank you, si- I mean, ********. Um, why did you ask for my being here?"
"You see, we have scoured, well, it. What we found would help us make a suitable product that will benefit us greatly, and will help us gain a lot of supporters for this [DATA REDACTED]. However, in the deepest part of it, there's this one bit that's highly [DATA REDACTED]. None from our department could [DATA EXPUNGED]."
"I have seen it myself, ********. It is stubborn, but I was able to get a pattern that showed the actual, well, [DATA CORRUPTED]."
(The young adult fishes out a small pile of papers and sends it to ********. The middle-aged man reads it, his face giving off a confused expression.)
Note: The paper content has also been omitted through the same process.
"It all has the same [DATA REDACTED] that we have discovered. Are you sure you can't find anything else that will help us out in [DATA EXPUNGED] this?"
"Not in my eyes."
"Then, it is urgent that we find someone that can-"
(The door of the room opens. An adult woman enters. Her credentials were also scratched off the feed.)
"Sir, the ******** team needs help. They cannot contain the anomaly."
"How many [DATA CORRUPTED] have occurred today?"
"Four, sir. The probability of the event occurring again rises every day. If this keeps up, we won't be able to sustain the [DATA REDACTED]."
"It is important we find someone now, kid. If we don't, everything will backfire."
"I am on it."
(The two adults exit the room, leaving the young adult nervous.)
END OF TRANSMISSION.
"…side of me is beginning to emerge, Alpha!" Alucard worriedly warns. "If the Dark Lord gets ahold of this-"
"Calm down. Estes has been thinking about this as well, right? He is developing battle strategies in order to optimize your participation in the war whilst keeping you, one of our most important assets, safe. I am not going to tell any of this to anyone, do you understand? I keep my promises. What's important is that we prepare, and-"
Suddenly, the alarm blares, signaling an intrusion.
"Not this again," Alpha grumbled. "Last time this happened, it's because a rascal triggered it for a prank."
"I'd rather have that than an actual occurring fight."
The two run outside, expecting to see panicking civilians. Surprisingly, Estes' request for cooperation has benefitted the whole place. Everyone remained calm as they rushed to their homes, deploying their first stage of defenses. Fanny landed on the entrance of the med bays along with Saber.
"Status," Alpha said.
"We have checked the area. There's only one threat… a Shadowbringer. The same one the convoy encountered, coincidentally. It's not aiming for the citizens. Perhaps it is intimidating us."
"The Gem is not yet on its 5th stage," Fanny explained. "It couldn't generate the static field."
"We're going to have to drive this away. Estes' new prototype defenses are still being installed. If it disables them…"
"We would need to hurry," Alucard finished. "Saber, Fanny, check the skies and see any black spot, or anything you find odd. Alpha and I will go check on the others and make sure the Gem is secure."
"As you say." Fanny launches a cable to the nearby building, hovering through the landscape. Saber transforms once again and activates his recon augments.
"Grock," the cyborg called. The titan was squinting in order to see what was up.
"Grock sees black there." Grock points on a wide open avenue, the Shadowbringer's dark aura in full view. It was hastily nicking civilians with its spiky tail, but Saber couldn't detect any form of poison acting on their bloodstream, but rather, a natural variant of a tranquilizer.
"He's putting the people to sleep. He is trying to intimidate and catch our attention. Keep your guard up," Fanny points out.
Alucard and Alpha race back to the citadel, the streets growing quiet. It won't be long until the Land of Dawn will resemble a ghost town, now that most of its inhabitants were asleep.
They quickly opened the door, revealing Argus, Minotaur, the mages, Alucard's friends, Johnson, the mages, and the naval army with their respective leaders. Clint was aiming at the entrance, along with Lesley.
Everyone was there, which is bad, because they would be stuck like a fish in a barrel, ripe for the taking for an ancient assassin.
"All of you, spread out," Lapu-Lapu commanded. "If the creature catches all of us in one massive pile, the higher the chance we'll be dead. If we split up, the harder it will be for him to reach us. Don't be fooled. They can still nick you." Everyone followed, the others taking the stairs or balconies. Some stuck on dark spaces or pillars, while some stayed in the citadel. However, despite being the most sought target (probably), Alucard stayed smack in the middle with Estes, Argus, Hayabusa, Rafaela and Bruno.
"Y'know, Chou and Johnson was planning to buy a box of wings when this occurred," Bruno whispered to Alucard.
"Let's not mind the wings, okay? Let's just-"
Before the Demon Hunter could finish his sentence, the citadel's doors burst wide open…
But no one was there.
"Stand calmly…" Estes shushed. "Again, it's trying to scare us."
Then, one by one, the windows and the glass paintings were broken, but they were simply mended due to the advanced repairing technology. Hayabusa listened closely to the shattering of the windows.
"…Twelve, Thirteen-" The ninja stopped count as he heard the whoosh of the wind. Before he could pull out his blade, his vision blackened.
"Um, guys?!" Cyclops asked. "Are you- AH! I CAN'T SEE! I can't…"
The heroes began to panic, but they were silenced by the same hollow voice that Gossen heard.
"Shhhhh… all of you… paaaa…. thetic…"
"Who goes there?" Rafaela asked. "What is your motive?"
"M-m-m-motive? I… have none… but to… kill… and… terrify…"
"Why are you doing this?" Ruby interrogated.
"For my brethren… who fell… under your h-h-h-haaaandsss…"
Freya felt a presence beginning to loom over her. She raised her shield blindly, deflecting the stealth strike.
"Aaaahhh… you're not as f-f-f-foolish… as they thought… Hehehehehe…"
"No time for games," Argus threatened. He could not see well, but he clearly sees the outline of the creature, slowly crawling around the walls and teleporting to certain spots around the citadel.
"The t-t-t-traitoooor… Have you come to atone? To f-f-face death… with your very eyes?"
Alucard began to speak. "Enough of that. What is your name?"
Only the loud blaring of the siren could be heard, and the voice spoke, like a chilling whisper.
"H-H-H-Heeelllll… cuurrrrrrttt…"
Yun Zhao shrugged. "Well, that's easy. Alright, where are you, ghost face?"
"Are you kidding me right now?" Eudora complains. "This is the wrong time to-" The mage then felt something nick her neck. Before she could touch the nick, she fell, asleep.
"Wrong time to what?" Odette asked when she was nicked as well, and she fell, too. One by one, everyone fell, the tranquilizers shutting them down, moaning in pain as they tried to wake. The whizzing of the tranquilizers filled the hall. Only Estes, Argus and Alucard stood.
"S-s-s-satisfying… but I won't kill… not now… the master hasn't given… the order…"
"I know he's back," Estes answered back. "What is prophesized is inevitable. I know you seek revenge, but this is the wrong course of action."
The three heard the low snarl of the Shadowbringer.
"Y-y-y-you… know nothing… about right or wrong! You confuse the t-t-t-terms…"
"So do you, along with them," Alucard said. "We have different perceptions, but we can-"
He instinctively raised his sword to block himself from Helcurt's claws.
"V-v-very tempting, Hunteeeerrrrrr… But not… today…"
"If you want to kill me, do it. It's what the Dark Lord wants. It's what Alice, Vexana, Moskov and Zhask would want as well. I am here. If you're brave enough, you can acquire the 'vengeance' you want. You won't have to prolong your agony."
The four figures stood nervously. As they waited for Helcurt's next move, the remaining three patiently waited.
"Is this… a… test? Hehehe… you don't know me, Hunter…"
"Don't make me-" Alucard stopped as he was forcibly put down to the ground, but Helcurt didn't want to pounce on him, but rather, drag him to the stairs.
"He's yanking Alucard!" Estes warned. "Argus, can you catch up?"
The fallen angel said nothing as he launched his claw to the ceiling, proceeding to swing towards Helcurt's path. It proved to be fruitless as he noticed the Shadowbringer simply blinking to and fro, passing through Argus without him even noticing.
"He can teleport to short distances. No other Shadowbringer can do that," Argus mutters. Estes blindly casts a ward that slows Helcurt's movement while boosting Argus', but the Shadowbringer was just too far. Argus raced to an inner hall, trying to listen in to Alucard's grunts and struggling.
"Have it your way!" Alucard challenged. "What's worth following? Your temptations, or your master's orders?"
"I… freely chose… what I want to s-s-side… to achieve my goals! And no… no, no… no one… not even nature, will stop me!"
Helcurt was planning to drag Alucard right to the top balcony, hoping to make him suffer, but as he burst through the balcony's doors, Argus was able to reach in time. Helcurt stopped in his tracks, simply leaning over the edge, with Alucard now unconscious.
The demon hunter was nicked.
"T-t-t-t-traitor… how would you like him to s-s-s-ssuffferrrr? A little scratch… maybe a nibble… or do you want h-h-h-him to receive a p-p-proper sh-shredding?"
"Let him go," Argus threatened. "Don't think I don't see you."
"I know that… And you will know… to remember… the name of the l-l-last of his kind… that brought j-j-justice… for his-"
Due to Helcurt's ranting, he didn't realize that Alucard was faking his being unconscious. Argus noticed it and kept quiet, but he then saw the greatsword began to glow blue, its runes emphasized. Alucard slowly opened his eyes, a striking blue hue on his irises. He grips the greatsword tightly.
"W-w-w-what… is… thiiisssss?!"
As Argus saw the streaks of light emerging from Alucard's shoulders, he knew that it was the cue to shield his eyes. A sharp, warping sound filled his ears, a massive gale nearly blowing him back to the halls. Argus grunted as he struggled against the sudden force that faded over several seconds, gripping his longsword that he had to strike down towards the ground. As he opened his eyes, his vision returned, Alucard awake and standing up, but there was no glow on his eyes or on his weapon.
The Demon Hunter eyes the Shadowbringer, its arm wounded, oozing with blue blood. The creature's body was extremely thin, like a husk of what was once living. Sharp, metallic claws adorned its grips, and the purple, spiked tail wagged nervously. Helcurt's face was hidden with a cloak, but the hellish glow of his eyes and the sheen of his sharp canines was something to fear.
"Their b-b-b-b-blessing… They w-w-will hear of this… You are lucky, Alucard… I will spare everyone… but by the time I see y-y-you again… I won't be… s-s-s-so mercifuuulllll… Hahahahahaha!"
Helcurt blinked out through the dark rift, disappearing in sight. Argus notices the civilians regaining consciousness. He turns to Alucard.
"I know what you did," the fallen angel began. "That was in total control. Your powers are emerging faster than it should. You gave the information away to Helcurt!"
"What am I supposed to do?! There was no other way!"
"I know, I know, it was inevitable. But next time, in the war, you have to keep this power of yours confidential."
Alucard sighed. "Okay, okay, let's go see Estes and the others. We have to check up on them."
They climbed down the stairs calmly, and Nana bumped on them.
"Ow."
"Woah, sorry, didn't see you there," Alucard apologized. "Is everyone-"
"Yeah, they're beginning to wake. What happened to the… um… thingy?"
"We chased it away. The whole place is safe for now."
Nana nodded cheerfully and ran back below. Alucard and Argus followed suit, and saw Estes assessing the situation in front of them. Everyone woke up groggily, trying to shake off the tranquilizers effect. The loud blaring of the siren slowly faded down.
"No one was hurt?" Argus asked Estes.
"We were right. Helcurt only seeked to intimidate rather than harm. We can worry about him later."
"What's wrong?" a voice interrogated. "I just returned from my citadel to prepare my troops."
"The Shadowbringer sought to scare us, Aurora," Bane said, shaking his numb leg. "It nicked everyone with its tail, causing a city-wide slumber. Lucky enough, no one was poisoned."
"If we can't kill him that easily, I suggest watching out for him," Alucard suggested. "Since it can only teleport in short distances like Moskov, and in a long interval, we keep close track of his movement and keep him occupied with our spare defenses. If it tries to sneak up on us, we will have a hard time to shake him off the fray."
"The Genesys Gem will begin its 5th and final stage in a few days time," Minotaur spoke. "The shield will ward off the demons long enough before the 7th day, but it will weaken at nighttime, allowing Helcurt to break through the barriers."
"Then it's settled. We try to think of new defensive strategies and routines at night to keep intrusions off of the kingdom as quickly and as effective as possible. For the meantime, we will maintain our form and finish any preparation that we can polish until nighttime. Let the army recuperate from the attack if needed so. Report back to me once you're done," Estes says. The others nod and help up the conscious heroes to wake up the others. Before Alucard could leave, Estes suddenly gripped his arm.
"I know what happened back there," the Elven King said. "The blessing of the Fall has begun to develop inside you."
"Estes, I can't control it. If I try to negate the effect-"
"Then the other side will take over you," Estes continued. "Your duality will break itself if you keep using your powers. Remember, you are our objective. If we lose you, we lose everything. You gave the information away to Helcurt. We just have to hope that it will trail off the Dark Lord's mind. No matter what, charge through the frontlines last. If they expect that, go first, and improvise."
"Thanks for the tip."
Meanwhile…
"Mom?"
"Yes?"
"Don't you like them?"
"Who?"
"The heroes."
"Of course I do. I didn't want to join that protest."
"Mom, do you trust them?"
"If you do, then why not?"
"They've always saved me, back in… Eruditio… and they healed my leg during the protests…"
"It just shows that they truly care, love."
"If so, Mom, then I want to be like them when I grow up. But I don't want to fight. I don't want to do good out of fear."
"What do you want to do?"
"I want to protect. I'd be willing to help.
"But you would have to sacrifice a lot, and you're still a kid!"
"I know, but at least I know I'm on the right side."
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[DATA EXPUNGED]
[DATA EXPUNGED]
[DATA EXPUNGED]
[DATA EXPUNGED]
[DATA EXPUNGED]
[DATA EXPUNGED]
[DATA EXPUNGED]
Recovering 4lg0r1thm001C4354R…
Recovering 4lg0r1thm002NUMT0L3T…
Recovering 4lg0r1thm003GR1DL0CK…
Recovering [DATA EXPUNGED]
Recovering SystemProfile…
File Recovery Complete, 100% Effective
ALERT! INCOMING TRANSMISSION!
(The following transmission is an audio log. As of now, no one can trace the voice owner, or the gadget used for recording.
The date was forcibly erased off of the file history.)
"What's this? Wait, let me get…"
"Okay… 'Dear [VOICE STATIC], you are one of the chosen few that are given the opportunity to [VOICE STATIC]. Under no circumstances will you ask of anything to us concerning your objective, but to complete it will give you the free will to do as you wish with the [VOICE STATIC]. Good luck.'"
"Hmm… wait, the message came from [VOICE STATIC]?! Am I being pranked?"
"Wait… 'Warning. Never speak of this task to anyone.'"
"Pfft. Hmm… the link is here…"
"Wait, what's going on? Why is my-"
"WHAT IS GOING ON?! MY [VOICE STATIC]! RESET! RESET! C'MON!"
(The transmission's auditory interference grows stronger.)
"Okay… okay…"
"Keep your **** together, [VOICE STATIC]. This is serious. This is no joke…"
"Goddamn, is it still reco-"
END OF TRANSMISSION.
