Prologue 7 (Part 2) Impressive Reaction and New Member.

Belthion Ijima was looking at a master piece; hardly any pollution of blood to the floor or screams. He would actually listen to music while carrying out his job and ignore that voice at the back of his head that told him that on some fundamental level, there was something wrong with enjoying the screams and mutilation of people that managed to intrude into his hearing whenever he blocked them with loud and beautifully crafted noise.

Kazu Nini, the flayed Pixie before him, had been his salvation.

The Dragon had peeled off her arms and stopped at her clavicle before her sports bra, then lifted off from her decapitated ankles and reached her thighs before her bum shorts. He had also bent her into a 'v' so that she hung from both her hands and legs, although her buttocks stayed on the table.

She looked at him, head feeling light then she allowed her body to resume its functions as he clapped. "Well done, so far."

She waited until she lifted her off the table, the Ko-jin at her wrists and ankles making her hand and feet grow back; a stick of bone flatten out and bloat before taking form, the size becoming adequate for her stature and lastly her phalanges first projecting themselves outwards and finally finish their form into fingers and toes. The flesh on her abdomen and back healed as though time was reversing itself on her wounds.

She rose her hand up just as blood began building in her system again. "Face me with the camera." Jinja Kaliope and Zlai Dfon complied immediately when they pulled themselves out of what they were watching. "We are climbing higher to greater heights, come with us, our ambition is unstoppable."

She looked at her own healed arm detachedly then up to the reptilian slits of the Dragon with dark gray scales. "Continue."

He chuckled darkly then went into the darkness to find an upright chair with more straps. "Ready?"

She did not answer and he bent down to turn a switch under the chair that was positioned before the box that was attached to the sitting area on it. He then held a knob that was on one of the arm rests long before her frazzled hair began rising up.

"About a month ago, I was abducted." Her voice sounded like she was on an electric massage machine now. "And simply because I could, and also tortured just because I could be." She chuckled as arcs of electricity danced around her body and her teeth started clattering. "We listen to a principal simply because of power, we can listen to our parents simply because of their power, we can listen to our teachers for the same cause. Rules, and regulations, law and order. Institutions, countries and much more… Just because of power. She clenched her shaking hands until they were firm for the amount of the sentence that she spoke next. "Imagine being part of that structure, that hustle, that madness, that game."

"Not to be suppressed, not to be ordered, not to be misled or manipulated, not to be born into someone's scheme or live for it or die for it." She dropped her hands back, carefully slow as it vibrated from the volts passing through it. "Not to make us bullies, and do not get me wrong about that". She waited until the meaning was passed across, then she continued, her hair burning now. "Freedom, release, escape, a home…The New Universe can be all of that plus, when I die, I would like to leave something behind." She smiled, "join me. Join the New Universe." Kazu Nini kept a hand held out and the smile on her face till the chair caught fire after the box generating the voltage exploded.

Belthion Ijima quickly put away the flames, a water spray appearing in his hand which went full blast before Kazu Nini knew that the chair she was on had a hose roped under its seating plate, hidden from conventional view with her peripheral vision as her hands were still reaching out and her smile had not died.

When she sat back, now partially bald, she was calm as she heard Belthion Ijima's clapping before he knelt down on one knee. "Before the speech, I was convinced to join you. Your ruthlessness for the things you need, shown to me by what you did to your body just now." He stammered, "I do not know how I can prove it but I am will-"

"It is done." His heard jerked up and he was about to speak. "However, 3 conditions." She looked at the Dark Elf and told him to cut the recording. The people were enraged when they heard her but she had cemented her place in their hearts. Although, some still thought she was crazy and others thought she was letting her new society get into her head. Majority of them, though, listened to her and that was what she wanted. Someone even claimed to be bored.

"Firstly, i want 60 percent of the materials you procure from your deals."

His brows crunched "maybe 30 or 20."

"40; half to me and the other for our company. You can keep the rest for your own personal business."

He let out a breath waiting for her to continue.

"Secondly, you must always promote us."

"Easy, what is the last one?"

"Lastly, the people on the streets; give them menial tasks if you have to, give them some sort of work where they can get some pay but in exchange allow them to work as our agents and scout things, hear things and so on and so forth."

He cupped his chin and clapped once before a bow. "Intelligent, it is an honor to join the New Universe."

She smiled, "the main event is done; the time when I could have been probably attacked has passed. Call the others back in." The mesmerizing Zlai Dfon moved out and she then reclined into a more comfortable position after she was sure that fluids were back in her body.

"Attacked by whom?"

She regarded the Dragon, "I had an encounter not too long ago and I would rather not pass through such an ordeal again." She looked at him until he was not sure she still wanted him. When Lowe Hagp, Elric Yjob and Shafa Rinmon stepped in, she began to speak.

"Elric Yjob, you will be mainly based her with our new Dragon friend, when we have established a base camp here. You will help to gather information with anything at disposal. This will be our separate base apart from the other we purchased."

"Lighomi Estate?"

"Yeah, that one, we will visit it sometime next week. He will be our eyes and ears in the dark whereas you would be the one in the light." She looked about them and their expressions which openly betrayed the fact that they must have watched the video too. Stepping into her clothes, ignoring their looks, she asked a question. "Any other questions before we leave?"

The Slime regarded her with a turn of his head. "Is this going to be some charity?"

"You just have to do your job, is it pay that worries you?"

"No, far from that."

"So, say what is on your mind, baseless questions like that are pointless."

"You talk about the direction of the company and how you see us going far or getting stronger but do you have the capabilities to run it?"

"Your question is at my administration?"

"No, you said you want more people and you will make them stronger and that they should come and join your cause."

"Yes, what about it?"

"Can you take care of them all?"

"What makes you doubt me?"

"This just reminds me of some irresponsible parent who only knows how to birth but not care for their young ones."

She was almost amused. "It seems you have a traumatic past and for that I sympathize with you. However, I do have a guardian that helped me realize that when things are nurtured, they get better and their potential develops. Like mine."

"Yes, but we *just* started and you keep admitting people, what makes you confident in your abilities?" He extended a blub of an arm towards where she had just mutilated her body. "This, at most will bring people to you but not help you take care of them."

"You see that I have enough mental energy to endure pain without a sound but you assume that I do not have plans." She began walking towards the door. "It is either patience, fear or trauma that makes you speak like this but I do know that I will make things better for those who believe in me with their contributions to my organization."

"Organization? This is just a society at best."

"For now, you are correct. And I agree with you, albeit momentarily."

"Again I ask; what gives you the confidence?"

"In this life you either make it through hard work, networking, determination, wealth, political power and many other factors." She spread her arms, "my confidence does not come from my actions to bring people to me but my ability to convince them to follow me even after them knowing that I am just in high school. Plus, everyone is a resource, everybody has potential but what happens when everyone with a potential believes you are worth investing in?"

"Look, my old man gave us 100 expectations and 100 disappointments." He stared at her fixedly, "we were to add to his life because as his children we would obviously invest him with time, expectation, resource and man power. But it did not stop him from being the *thing* that he became."

"Naro Meena, I have had 0 expectations because I never even had mine which means I had 100 disappointments whenever I saw a happy family but let us leave emotion out of this and be logical." She looked at him, "are you saying I remind you of your father in that I am becoming dependable and it scares you because you do not wish to see me become something that breaks your expectations or are you saying that you regard anyone in charge with lack of trust because of your experiences?"

He was silent a while, "both."

"Let's do this," She walked up to him and stared at him until he blinked forcefully. "If I ever disappoint you, or not satisfy you. You are free to leave my life. The New Universe is an organization that can help my dream, it is not a prison. And this goes to all of you." She turned away from him and walked out. "Now, let's move out."

The Slime let out a breath he did not know he was holding, leaving the premises only before Belthion Ijima.

***

When she got home, she drank a lot of water and her aunt came down to meet her. "What's been up, today."

"It was eventful, kinda." She turned to face her, still drinking water. "How do you inspire people when they are down or faithless?"

"It's simple," she shrugged. "Give them a reason to believe."

"Hmmm."

***

When she got back to school that Monday, she felt a *change* in perception regarding her. Everywhere she passed, she had eyes on her like her body was some kind of visual adhesive. Hushing of voices in her coming presence, picking up her name and catching a few students capturing her on camera. She fought a smile with more effort than she imagined and was surprised not to see the Sprite twins on their seats that Monday. She caught Jinja Kaliope's grin and she knew that she had made good impact so she tugged a corner of her lips and resumed her view on the teacher.

Later that day, she and the staff of the New Universe were asked to meet at the playground that was occupied by the society of the Sprite Twins.

Devon and Kivon and his society had all black colors form their jackets to their shades, piercing, nose rings, lipstick, highlight with so much more and their heads turned when the Pixie arrived.

Devon and Kivon stood up to receive her but she walked past them to stand at the slide where the people seating there scrambled away for her to rest her backside. Her staff smiled openly and the Twins awkwardly turned around to regard her.

"Kazu Ni-"

"Cut to the chase, I don't have time to be here."

Devon regretted the fact that she was an enemy as Kivon spoke. "Our bet – we do not want to participate anymore."

Their members gawked at them but The New Universe acted with disinterest.

"We just wanted to let you know th-"

Kazu Nini stood up and walked away but someone ran to them and knelt down to present her lunchbox. The same one that they had made a video of.

"We had to go to the garbage company as we had thrown it away."

She looked down at him, but ordered the Sprite, "put it in a SpaceBox and I want the video of what you did in it as not only part of your profile pictures but I want it as a sign of your emblem."

"Is that not going too f-"

"Naro Meena if he says anything apart from agreement, target that quadrant of people. Elric take the ones at the farthest reach, Jinja handle the ones in the middle Zlai Dfon support him. Shafa Rinmon on the right and Lowe Hagp on the left." Her eyes went cold and she wanted to test out a theory she had had for the longest time. "I will handle them both."

Her Staff spread out and she waited as their faces trembled until one of them held a SpaceBox out and another of their members picked it to give it to her, of which they put the lunch box inside after Kivon's frowning eyes had given a nod of assent.

"New Universe, out!"