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Stepping forward, Darius grins, "Hmhmhmhmhm, old? You're way older than me, lizard."

"Well, you're not wrong about that," Valthor sighs, losing his cold tone in an instant.

"Hey, it's not that bad," Darius pats his shoulder. "That old hag is older than you," he mumbles, pointing at Nero.

"What the fuck? Why are you including me?" Nero clicks her tongue. "I'm a man, by the way."

"Ugh, I hate old hags, they're all senile," Valthor groans, rolling his eyes.

"Fuck you, you know I'm a man," Nero exhales, clenching her sword in annoyance.

"Meta—"

"I don't have time for this," Nero rubs her eyes, interrupting Darius. "I just need to kill that monster girl," she mumbles, her jade green glowing blade starting to turn black. "Sit still," she states coldly, staring at Ryua.

"Ryua!" Nio grunts, running to Ryua as fast as possible. "Get your shit together!"

"N-Nio... I-I can't," she clenches her fist, tears streaming down. "I will never wield a sword again," she mumbles, reaching into her bag and pulling out a large bow.

Nero's posture shifts, her breaths becoming colder, her skin starting to darken. "Fuck off," she exhales, glaring at Darius and Valthor. "Ring Blast!" In an instant, several massive magic circles appear, sending a blast of concentrated wind magic at them, blasting them into the sky. The force is so intense that it creates a shockwave, uprooting trees and sending debris flying.

The ground shudders under the immense force of the magic circles, which hum with power as they unleash their energy. Darius and Valthor are catapulted through the air, their forms disappearing into the distance with a trail of destruction left in their wake. 

"Berry, play with the fireball," Nero commands, lifting her sword with a frustrated expression. "I would normally have a conversation before killing you, but there's four seconds before they return. I only managed to send them a couple hundred miles away."

Nio's feet dig into the ground, blasting himself across the earth. "Put your bow down and pick up your sword!"

-

"How fascinating," the creature says in a calm, curious voice. "It seems no matter what era, humans will go against the natural order." He raises his finger, making Ryua freeze in place. "I understand. You're afraid." He smiles and reaches down, warmly looking at Ryua's contrasting eyes as she struggles, trying to move. "Poor child," he murmurs, floating down and patting her head. "You're afraid of yourself. You despise yourself, fearing the harm you're capable of."

As he walks back to his seat, he runs his finger over his infected-looking eye. "You and I aren't so different." Taking a seat, he smiles. "Your past is quite intriguing. However, if you continue to fear yourself, you'll break. Wouldn't you agree?" He asks, turning to Kael.

The misty figure pins Kael down. "Shit! I can't move!" Kael grunts, struggling. 'I didn't write any of this. I never included a terrorist organization like that in my story. Just what the hell is going on?' Looking at Ryua, Kael sighs. 'A genetically modified human is already bad enough, but not only is she a different species, her whole life she was mind-controlled into believing she's a human doing the right thing.' As soon as Ryua's gaze turns, Kael looks away. "Get out of our heads."

"Hmhmhmhm," the creature leans his head on his hand and smiles. "You," his eye glows brightly as he glares at Kael. "Who exactly are you? You seem very familiar," he mumbles with a smile. "But that can't be, it's been over 3,500 years since I've met any strangers. But this feeling..." He pushes his hair back. "Hmm... I'm not imagining it."

Ryua grits her teeth. 'His magic is keeping me in place, I can't move a muscle.' Her eyes turn to Kael. 'Is this monster saying V is over 3,000 years old? Is that even possible? The oldest known human in history, from what I know, only reached the age of 390 before her body fell apart. Elves have a lifespan of around 2,500 to 3,000 years, but V is not an elf. Could... Could he be non-human?'

"I don't know what you're talking about. How could a human live that long?" Kael grunts. 'This fucking mist thing, all my attacks go through it. This creature is over 3,500 years old... I get it, that's why it's quiet.'

"You are a mystery," the creature mumbles, floating toward Kael. "Are you a demon or a human... Perhaps your memories hold the truth." His eyes glow brighter and brighter.

-

"W-what are you talking about? I need you—"

Interrupting her, Kael grabs a wine bottle from a nearby counter, breaks it, and points it at her. "Don't play dumb! WHO WAS IT!?"

Looking away from him, she trembles. "I-It was Alex... Listen, Kael, please don't do—"

"Shut UP! You're supposed to be her friend!" he yells, slamming open the door and leaving her unable to say a word.

After an hour of straight running, Kael stops, breathing heavily. "It's always the fucking rich," he grits his teeth, slamming the door. "Open up!" he continues restlessly, slamming the door. "Open the fuck up! If you don't open this fucking door, I'm going to break it down!"

"What the fuck do you want?" a voice yells from the other side of the door. After a second, it opens, revealing a confused face. "Who the hell are you? The fuck you banging on my door for?" The man has blond, wavy short hair and light blue eyes. He's muscular, built like a football player.