Two

Harlot club

Chicago, United states

Terra, Gaea solar system

Milky way Galaxy

Neutral Free Zone

January 14th 2019

Harlot Club - located within North Broadway Chicago in Rogers Park, was one of the few Terran bars associated with anything to do with the Hidden World. The club was the smallest out of all the other buildings around it, most of them were food stores and local restaurants. Leon could sense the presence of the Grey, the mysterious barrier that divided the space between the Hidden world and the Mundane world of the humans. Terra was the only planet within the Neutral Free zone that kept the humans ignorant of the existence of the supernatural side. Not only were they ignorant, but their civilization hadn't progressed to the level of other planets. Leon stood outside the club, analyzing the outside appearance that stood before him. Humans passed by him, unable to perceive him or even aware of the building that was placed within the local stores. Leon's mouth pulled itself into a smile seeing the club in the city. Not long ago, the club had been halfway across the states, and now surprisingly it was also here. The inside was kind of dark with black painted gothic interiors, dancers all dressed in black clothing, their bodies snaking through each other as they danced to the beat of the music. Leon noticed some humans sitting at one of the exclusive tables, the suits they wore showed they were members of the elite part of the human society who were aware of the Hidden world. Some of them were beginning to stare at him, a look of fascination and apprehension on their faces. Leon couldn't blame them. They knew...or more specifically.. somewhere within their primitive mind, they could tell that there was more to him than what they could see. His appearance was after all not what a normal Terran would look like. His features were sharper than even the best of the humans, his cheekbones high along with his strong jawlines. He was dressed in black like them, a black armor trench coat and a black suit with black pants and black combat boots. His hair was naturally amber, which went well with his naturally tanned olive skin and his luminous blue eyes. Some of the Demihumans in the club knew exactly who he was, so they made sure to distance themselves from him, unlike the humans who were fascinated with his kind. On this planet, Humans who were aware of the truth were known as Mystic. And this club was full of them.

"Leonard Haravok!," A voice boomed through the raging sound of the club. Leon sighed as he pushed through the dancers towards Lance Al' Roth. Unlike the Demihumans, Lance was a full-blood Beastman- a race of humanoid beings with animal features. Right now, Lance appeared like a regular human. If you count the canine fangs he had, hair of ashen gray color, with bright wolfish yellow eyes. He was sitting at the most expensive table, surrounded by other female Demihumans. He was wearing an open-sleeved shirt with a silver chain around his neck. 

"Lance," Leon said. He was the owner and proprietor of the club, and the one responsible for making the club move around. Leon had known him since he was a kid who used to visit Terra. They had been childhood friends though Lance was the one who viewed him more as a friend while Leon only cared about the value that Lance brought to him. Lance's clan was well known in the Hidden World, even among the Offworld clans of the Beastmen race.

"Are you stalking me," Leon said.

"Stalking... Who do you think I am," Lance said. He snapped his hands, and a waitress came over with more bottles of champagne. She left the bottles on the table and then left. Lance opened the bottle and poured Leon a drink. "New York was beginning to feel dry." Leon gulped the drink, enjoying the stinging alcohol.

"So is she here," Leon asked as he took the champagne bottle from Lance, and began to drink directly from it. Lance sighed as he gestured across the table towards the corner that was far away from the dance floor and the others.

"Take it easy," Lance said. "I don't want my club blowing up," Leon moved to the opposite side of the club, and along the way it didn't take long before Leon attracted the attention of the opposite sex and they tried to gather around him. Leon found himself indulging in small talk with them. He recognized some of them from past dalliances though he couldn't remember their names. The more they talked the more bored he got till he found what he was there for. His eyes landed on a woman who was staring at him from across the room. She was seated in the corner of the club, far from the dancers, but with a view to watch them. She looked different from everybody who was in the club. She had on a red-furred jacket with blue jeans and brown boots. Her white hair was braided in a ponytail. She had a smile that was directed at him but it was her eyes that held his attention. The heterochromia eyes of red and blue felt like they had seen things that Leon could barely think of. He took a shot before taking a sit across from her. The atmosphere around her was tense and off-putting but he ignored the warning vibes that she was giving off. She looked up from her drink and smiled at him. Those were not your friendly-looking smile though he couldn't deny that she was beautiful. But there was something about her beauty that made him not admire it for what it was. He couldn't figure out why.

"You keep breaking all those hearts, one day it's going to come back and bite you," she said with a chuckle.

"I never promised them anything other than my attention," Leon said with a charming smile.

"Huh uh?" She said. Vuelo Vysileaf's eyes tingled as she dropped her smile. She had pretty nice skin for someone who looked older than she was. "You're truly such a flirt, aren't you? Toying with their feelings."

"I don't see myself as one," Leon said.

"Uh...Interesting. Then, I wonder how you view yourself, Leonard Haravok." She said, "So how has Chicago been? Did your hunt go as well as you had hoped or did it end up the same way? As it's normally been for you."

"You're a Seer, you tell me how it turned out, Vuelo," Leon said. He was doing a fine job of keeping his frustration under check. Something that he had recently begun working on. Leon had no intention of getting into any kind of scuffle while surrounded by Terrans. Though what she said stung, she was right about the part of things not going according to what he wanted.

"I see, not so well then?" Vuelo said. She was playing with a golden coin on her right finger, spinning it around with her thumb and index fingers. The coin caught Leon's attention for a moment but then he returned to glaring at Vuelo.

"I should ask for a refund for how much I paid you," Leon said. 

"Oh, Leon." She said, "You know I'm never wrong."

"The information you sold me led me to an Erlking," Leon said. "The Beast was already infected with Infernal energy. I don't know how an Abomination got to this planet, and I don't care to know. What I do want to know is why do I feel like I was used to clean up someone's mess."

"And within that mess, nothing caught your fancy," Vuelo said. He thought back to what had happened in the Sewer. The mysterious runes that had been etched on the wall. The Erlking had somehow managed to activate it, but the moment he died, the power that had been within the rune had disappeared. It didn't feel right to him that a mysterious power source was here in Terra of all places. But it wasn't his immediate concern.

"So there was," Vuelo said. There was a period of silence between them as they stared at each other. Leon felt tired and frustrated at Vuelo, himself, and most of all the stupid Council for being so short-sighted. He knew with all his guts that the Fallen stars were still out there. But the Federation was so blinded by their effort to keep the peace, that they had become blind. He thought back to the mission that had driven Emily and him away from Agartha. It had been a horrible experience and one that he tried countless nights to forget. But the events kept playing within his head making it hard not to. He took a glimpse at his hand, seeing the red that had once been there. 

"Maybe it was for the best that it didn't turn out the way you wanted it to. The future is not a one-way line or path. There are several paths, each of them forking out into different possibilities. This path that you're walking on is dangerous, Leon, and within it lies a fixed point. I have seen where your path ends and trust me, it is not pleasant." Leon said nothing to what she said. The Path was never easy for those of the Blood of Haravok. He had learned that at an early age.

"Don't speak to me about what's pleasant or dangerous," Leon said. He got up knowing exactly what he needed to do. He had to go back to that sewer. The answer he was after might be there. There was no doubt about it. Maybe Emily missed something within the Erlking's mind. Maybe...

"Death... it surrounds you, Leonard. If you continue down this path..death is all you will find." Vuelo said. His vision of himself being stabbed came back this time with full force. He was standing in a field of grass on top of a hill. The Faceless entity stood in front of him, the blade cutting inside him. It went through his ribcage, blood spluttering from his mouth. He saw the green-haired girl running towards him, calling his name. And then it was gone.

"I think I've had enough talk of the future," Leon said. Talk of the future...especially his, was something he didn't have the stomach for nor care for. He turned around to leave but Vuelo grabbed his right hand. She had a strong grip which took him by surprise.

"The web of causality grows tighter around you," Vuelo said. " I know you think you know what you're looking for, but fate has a funny way of giving us what we want."

"What do you know of what I want," Leon whispered as he pulled his arms off her.

"I know it isn't your death," She said. She threw the golden coin at him which he caught. "That coin is made up of Adamant metal. Do be careful with it."

"And what am I to do with this?" Leon said raising the coin. He needed another drink or something to take the edge off. Something stronger than the garbage drink that he had wasted his time on. Maybe sex might not be a bad thing. He turned to the girls which he had left but none of them piqued his interest.

"I wouldn't go for them either," Vuelo said. "Speaking of the Erlking, I have no idea why it would be infected with Infernal energy... but when you think about it, Infernal energy is corrosive, poisonous enough that it can burn through the mind of those who wield it. A beast like the Erlking isn't suitable for such a thing. Whatever infected it, did so to probably keep it silent." Leon said nothing. When he thought back to his fight with the beast, it had been underwhelming. Erlkings were powerful Therians but that thing had lost its edge. He touched his chest. Yes, it had explosive power, but Leon had still easily killed it. Whoever had infected the Beast had done so with the intention of it getting killed. Could it be the Fallen Stars? 

"Whatever information the beast had, it had probably forgotten about it due to how fragile its mental state was from the infection," Vuelo said. "My information was right. You just didn't get to it on time."

"Maybe next time give me an intel that isn't as vague as the one you sold to me," Leon said. "You owe me 200,000 credits for wasting my time."

"And I've compensated you already," Vuelo said. She pointed at the coin he had in his hand. "That's an enchanted coin. It's worth a lot of money. Thanks to you I could afford it." Vuelo got up from her table, getting ready to leave.

"And what am I supposed to do with this," Leon said looking at the magic coin.

"it should help you find what you're looking for," She said with a dry smile. 

"Yeah, I doubt so," Leon said as Vuelo left him behind at the table. He didn't try to stop her. Though he doubted her words, a part of him still hoped it was true.

 ***

Watching over the city from up high as the sun rose down was one of the good things that Leon liked to do whenever he visited Terra. The place was kind of familiar just like Agartha, probably because of his childhood visits to this planet. There was beauty within the orange sky that seemed to burn through the clouds. He hovered within the clouds, his sight taking in all the view that Chicago had to offer. He could see the tiny dots of humans, going about their lives, so ignorant of the shadow that laid before them. He was also thinking about what Vuelo had said to him. He did find it suspicious that the Erlking had turned into an Abomination. The beast had become so consumed with hunger, that it even went after humans with low spiritual power. That was how Emily and he had tracked it down. They had stumbled on a case of missing homeless humans, and Leon had decided to follow through on it based on his gut feelings. His fight with the beast had somehow brought it back to its senses...but it was too late. The Infernal energy had corrupted its mind and all it could think about was its hunger. Leon could feel his blood roaring, a rush gathering that needed to be vented out. The release from sex that he had needed had changed into something else. He had never had the impulse to hit something as hard as he was feeling. Leon had to be careful not to lose control as there were humans below him even though they were unaware of his presence thanks to him being covered by the Grey. He was also careful in making sure that he wasn't spotted by any Faes or Mystics that could spot him. Luckily there weren't that many Pleiadians out in this Quadrant of the universe. His kind normally stuck to the Federation Quadrants. As he began to lower himself, trying to get back into Chicago as the Sun finally finished setting, he felt something burning within his pocket. He bought out the Gold coin Vuelo had given him. She had said that it was Adamant metal which had been surprising. Adamant was one of the few rare ores valuable to the Federation though from what he knew, sources of it had dried up. The metal from the ore was said to be very conducive to Od. Leon wondered why it was colored gold since the ore was said to be silvery white. The coin glowed bright and lay within his palm it felt like it was detecting something. Could it be… Adamant metal was good at detecting powerful Od, even those disguised or sealed. Could it be detecting the presence of a powerful Od wielder? Maybe a Fallen…Don't get too full of yourself. Leon bashed himself mentally. As if he would just stumble upon the Fallens. He landed across a building where it seemed an event was going on. It was an art gallery called Reggie Sullivan Center. Why does that sound familiar... If he remembered it correctly, Wasn't this one of those buildings owned by Helix Institute that displays artists and their work... How the hell did he end up here? A lot of Terrans had shown up for whatever event that was going on. Leon didn't have much to say about Terrans, and though they may be an inferior species when it came to strength and power, there was no denying that they had imagination and passion. Though to be fair, most humans across the cosmos do share the same characteristics. It wasn't just exclusive to the Terrans. Maybe it had something to do with their short lifespan. Leon walked inside the building, still within the Grey. He didn't want to call any attention to himself while he was here. The room was spacious and filled with all kinds of pictures and paintings. It was a nice space he would give it that. The Humans flocked around whispering to themselves as they drank and ate whatever food it was they were serving. He swiftly picked up a glass of champagne from one of the trays of a waitress, covering the glass with the Grey so no one would see a floating glass. He walked around the paintings but none of them piqued any interest from him. They were beautiful and it seemed like a lot of work had been put into it but they never had that spark that he was looking for. He began to get bored and wanted to leave this place even with the gold coin burning hotter. But then his eyes landed on it. Leon froze as he was struck by some kind of force. He couldn't believe his eyes, nor could he believe his ears. A mystifying aura oozed from the painting, a swarm of bright gold and green mixed together pulled at his consciousness. And then there was the melody. The painting felt like a musical note... No, it was a musical note. The music symbols were engraved in a circular motion, painted across a midnight blue sky like stars. There were clefs that belonged to the ones Terrans had, but there were also clefs from other plants, music symbols developed by other civilizations that no Terrans should be aware of. As Leon stared at them, he could hear the melody of the notes rising. A song stirring within his heart, deeper than even that. The aura of the notes was so bright that they lit up the painting even with the dark background. He could feel the passion that the artist had put into it, to the point that the painting felt like... No, it was singing to him. But there was something more to it. Something that the painting brought up within me. This feeling... it was foreign yet it also felt familiar.

"I call it Star of Melody." A voice said just as the coin flared hotter. Leon unfroze as he turned around to look at the stranger that had spoken, the stranger to which the Adamant coin had been reacting to. Only it wasn't a stranger, but the girl from his dream. The girl he had been dreaming about for most of his life. She had on a black coat, with navy blue jeans and combat boots. Her brown hair was tied in a ponytail with a smile on her light brown face. At first, he was struck by her beauty, but then he noticed something strange. She seemed different from the girl in his dream. Both in appearance and within the Odyllic. Something about her seemed so Terran that Leon wanted to run away from her. But his body refused to move. His instinct was to run away. He was fast. Faster than the human eye could follow. He could just flash away and it would be like he was never there. Like she had imagined him being there. But he didn't and the window he needed was gone. She pointed up at the painting. "Sorry for bothering you, but I couldn't help noticing that it's the only painting that seemed to grab your attention since you walked in."

"It's the only beauty here, isn't it," Leon said with a smile. She smiled while raising an eyebrow at him.

 "I suppose so," She said. Huh, Was she the one who painted it...wait a minute. Something was wrong. Leon was still within the Grey... So how the hell could she see him? He didn't sense any Infernal or Faeric presence about her. Which meant that she was human. Or maybe she wasn't. Vuelo's words about his desire came back to haunt him. Could she be what he was looking for? No... Damn it, Leon, get your shit together. Vuelo was a crazy old… but pretty bat and what he was searching for was not just any human girl. What I wanted was far more elusive than this. But this was the girl from my dream. It couldn't be a coincidence that I would meet her here of all places. As much as I hated the idea of fate, the universe runs on it. And the fact that she could see me meant that she was sensitive to the Odyllic. She had to be a Mystic.

"Well, it's a beautiful painting, I'll give you that. " He said. "Way better than the other mundane ones here."

"Thank you, though to be honest, I don't think mine is as impressive as some of the ones in here." She said. Her eyes twinkled as she smiled, there was so much warmth and pleasantness coming off her. Leon couldn't help liking her modesty. Probably because he lacked one. 

"So a modest artist, huh.." He said with a smile. Leon drained the glass of champagne. The drink somehow tasted good all of a sudden."First time showing off your art."

"Yeah." She said. " My T.A. encouraged me that it might do me some good to display my work." Ah, so she was one of the humans who went to Helix University. Might explain why she could see me. That place was one of Helix's experiment grounds that he had with the government of the Hidden World.

"Sounds like a smart person," Leon said. "I'm not surprised that someone as skilled as you got into Helix."

"Thanks," she said. He turned back to the painting, the song from within the painting had gone down, though its aura was still as bright.

"How did you come up with the idea," He asked. "It's brilliant using the clefs as symbols for stars. Feels like you're combining both your hobbies together."

"I like to paint. I also like to compose my own music. I thought why not do both," She said. "Of course, this is an old painting, so it might not have come out the way I intended it to," Leon had one of his eyebrows raised in surprise and she smiled like she wanted me to know that she thought it was silly. Just the way a normal human would. Not that he thought it was silly. Somehow this human girl had managed to imbue a piece of her soul within this painting, and she didn't even know. No human was capable of such feats... A slight pain struck him, bringing his thoughts to a pause. Was this some kind of mental attack? Another wave struck him again, this time stronger than the first one. The glass fell through his hand, making an ugly clash on the floor. But he ignored it and the girl staring at him with concern, only caring for the pain that he was feeling. Was he dying....no...no..not yet...he can't... Leon! Leon!... Help me... This voice...It belonged to Emily. He caught an image of her in his mind. In some kind of strange building, the ceiling had fallen on her. What the hell was Emily up to?

"Are you alright..." the girl said. Leon raised up his arm, signaling that he was okay.

"I'm good. I have to leave, unfortunately..." He paused, not sure if he wanted to leave. She was staring at him, that look of genuine concern threw him off. He might never see her again. His curiosity about her was palatable enough to keep him here, but the dying pain that he was getting from Emily gave him no choice. Leon smiled at her and before she could say anything, he was gone.