Ashes of Gods: Return of the Blade Emperor - 3 Cain's Magnum Opus

“Cain.” Truth stopped her treatment of Vez and walked closer to the dark magician. “Crescent stole the World Serpent. So, the fight against the guardian is going to be hard.”

“Oh, about that.” Cain summoned a scroll to his hand. “We went and got this, me and Shes.”

“Oh, a summoning scroll! Nice one, Cain.” Fate jumped on Cain’s back and scratched his head. Her chest rubbed dangerously against Cain’s back, making the latter uncomfortable.

“Stop it, Fate.” Cain tried to squirm out of Fate’s hold, but there was no escaping. She clung to him like an overgrown child on her father’s back. In the end, he sighed and gave up.

“Oh, what type of summon are we talking about?” asked Vez, his complexion was much improved after Truth’s treatment.

“An arcane dragon,” responded Cain still weighed down by Fate who was still straddling his back.

“Oh, a legendary rank beast? That’s rare!” Fate slid off Cain’s back and hopped around him to get a closer look at the scroll. “Let me see, let me see. It’s been a while since one dropped for us.”

Cain’s shoulders dropped in disappointment. “Can you be a little more serious? This is still a final, you know?”

In response to Cain’s comment, Fate waved her hands off, uninterested. “Who cares? It’s just a regional. Let’s have some fun! Now, gimmie that scroll!”

Cain sighed and said, “Here, take it.” He lobbed the scroll for Fate to catch. The moment she caught it, she looked at the words inscribed in gold on its sides.

While Fate was playing around with her new toy, Cain slipped away in case she remembered and decided to cling onto him again.

Vez, noticing his teammate’s peril, signaled him to come over. Truth, on the other hand, struck a conversation with Fate to divert her.

“So, how was the fight against a Tier-VI that ain’t me or Shes?” Cain sat next to Vez.

“Terrifying,” Vez responded. However, his expression wasn’t one of terror, but instead, he wore a smile of excitement. “We were totally, and completely outclassed. There was no point in fighting, even using Final Sacrifice, Leo was only able to guard one of his spells.”

“Yes.” A voice came from behind the tree. Rev walked from its shadow, revealing his tall stature. “Even in a one-on-one fight, I was from start to finish in his grasp. It’s shameful to say this, but the whole time I was completely under the influence of his illusion.”

Rev nodded in understanding. He was a man of few words, so he didn’t comment on Cain’s advice. He took it to heart and decided to let his actions show his determination. Vez, on the other hand, broke eye contact and looked away smiling.

This gesture didn’t go unnoticed by Cain. He knew he’d touched upon a sensitive subject when speaking of the future. He put his hand on Vez’s knee, forcing the latter to look straight into his eyes.

“Vez, look at me. Family comes first, you know that?”

Vez nodded at Cain’s words, but the self-deprecating smile didn’t leave his face.

“Don’t—feel—bad—about—this. Look at me in the eye. Just—do—not—feel—bad,” Cain repeated himself. This time taken between every single word uttered was to drive his point home. “Go home and play with your Allen. That’s your kid’s name, right? How old is he?”

“He just turned four, a few weeks ago,” answered Vez with a smile.

“The cute little thing,” Cain remarked. “And you were thinking of leaving the cute little creature alone, for what? We’re already four-time world champions, what more glory do you need for a legacy?”

Both Cain and Vez laughed. It’s true. After said aloud, everything seemed so senseless. Vez looked at Cain with eyes that reflected sharply the morning light.

“You’re right. We’ve had more than enough fun in these ten years. If I had one complaint, it’s that I wasn’t able to reach the sixth tier before retirement.”

“What are you talking about?” Cain laughed. “You were the first one to reach the fifth tier before, ain’t that enough?”

“Haha.” Vez laughed. “Yeah, that’s true. It would be a bit too greedy to ask for more.”

“That’s what I’m saying!” Cain exclaimed and then stood to land a hand on Vez. “Here, get up. Once Allen is of age, tell him to come over to see uncle Cain. We’ll have some fun together.”

Vez looked at Cain’s hand and smiled. He then took it and hopped back up.

“I’m sure he would love it because he watches every game. Actually, he is watching right now.”

“Oh, really?” Cain smiled. “Then let’s make this a show that he will love—”

“But, before that, I have to ask you…”

“Hmm?” Noticing that the conversation wasn’t done yet, Cain returned his focus back to Vez.

“What about you? Aren’t you tired of this game? I mean, you’ve been with the guild since the beginning of it, before any of the rest of us.”

“Ah, me…” Cain’s eyes turned hazy, memories flooded him like water surging from a broken dam. “I can’t leave just yet. I still have something to do.” He paused for a few seconds, thinking about how to formulate his next words, “You see, Shesmu is carrying a heavy burden. I cannot let him face it alone. That’s why, I’ll see this to the end, no matter how long it takes.”

Vez wanted to respond, but the words stuck in his throat. In the end, he just looked away and smiled, knowing that it was something he couldn’t understand even if he explained it to him.

After his talk, Cain sensed something and turned around. A man clad in a black cloak flickered into existence.

Shesmu walked over the grassy field towards the rest of the group. Everyone stopped chattering and directed their attention to their leader.

“Crescent is dead. Let’s go finish this up before their team respawns. We have five minutes.”

No one said anything in response, not even Fate did, they knew that the talking time was now over. In resonance, they all teleported from the grassy field and appeared in front of an immense gate made of dark honey wood which was decorated with golden metal runes. Cain stepped up and pushed the door open.

The gates opened with a creak, and a cloud of dust billowed out from the air pressure. Light seeped out from the crack of the open door. The darkness gave way to a new world, a green and beautiful one.

A flight of doves escaped through the open door, while Cain and his teammates entered this new dimension. Immense white clouds decorated the blue sky. Green grass covered the lands, and from afar, a river flowed. They were on a ridge rising above this valley, a place where the sky was within one’s arms reach.

* * *

Shesmu stepped to Cain. “The floor is yours, Cain. I can’t do much against the boss, so we’ll be relying on you.”

Cain nodded to Shesmu. His eyes turned serious as he scanned the edge of the valley.

A sharp cry from the depths unknown forced everyone to cover their ears. From below, a white reptilian limb rose and slammed on the grassy ground. Many luminous yellow eyes opened, and seven monstrous heads emerged.

A titanic creature flew from underground. A beautiful, white dragon with seven heads opened its wings and soared into the skies. Each head had differently colored hair. From red to violet, the gamut of colors spanned the full spectrum of a rainbow. On its chest, a multicolored crystal was embedded. Five HP bars appeared above the beast, while its name was displayed in full golden.

The Seven-Headed Hydragon Of Virtue

Shesmu unsheathed his sword and stepped to the fore. “I’ll take the aggro in this fight. Rev, focus on disarming. Truth, heal me. Fate, Vez, ascension ritual Cain.”

“Understood,” Everyone responded.

The holy dragon dived with its seven heads towards Shesmu. It summoned a gale with its wings and roared in a display of its full might.

Yellow lightning coursed along the dragon’s right arm as it raised its clawed limb. They glinted with a dangerous light. Shesmu coated his sword with a green aura, and jumped towards the dragon, ready for the impending impact.

The clash of claw and steel reverberated. The red-colored head of this dragon looked directly at Shesmu with a cold reptilian glare, before opening its mouth. A torrent of blazing flames gushed out, forcing Shesmu to break the stalemate and guard against its scorching fire. Meanwhile, the yellow pate looked at Shesmu from above, before gathering light in its open mouth. The head turned down to bear down on Shesmu, its mouth wide open and a ball of lightning forming in its mouth’s epicenter.

Shesmu braced for impact, but suddenly, the rampaging lightning was no more. It dissipated in the blink of an eye. A shadow flashed from behind the dragon’s yellow head, but Shesmu paid the movement no heed. He dashed towards the beast of virtue’s open chest and struck the rainbow-colored crystal. Its lively colors dimmed and grayed.

The seven heads screeched in pain, while the main body swayed. The HP bars above the Boss shone in red, and the top bar decreased by a quarter. However, Shesmu didn’t stop his barrage. He kept slashing at the dragon’s body, leaving wound after wound. The monster’s HP kept decreasing until it reopened its eyes.

Shesmu backed out, exiting the Boss’ range of attack. The Holy dragon of virtue raised its heads and cried out. Colors returned to its crystal and pulsated throughout the beast’s whole body. It took off with a flick of its wings and soared into the sky.

Realizing what the Boss was about to do, Shesmu glanced at Cain. He was sitting, eyes closed and legs crossed in the middle of a blood-red magic circle, while Fate and Vez skirted the edges. They fed their power into the circle only for it to be absorbed by Cain.

‘Crap, they’re not done yet.’ Shesmu glanced back at the dragon with all its seven mouths open, gathering energy in all of them. No choice, I need to tank this one.

Magic circles started appearing in front of the beast’s open mouths, their colors matched that of their parent heads. Six magical circles finally appeared before each mouth, gathering unimaginable power inside each spell. Flames blazed, rocks formed, Thunder roared, the wind turned into tornadoes and water into jet torrents, plasma balls emerged and purple poison fog gushed out.

Shesmu witnessed this agglomeration of elemental power. His whole body glowed a dark hue while black magical circles materialized below him. His brown eyes turned dark, and a white pentagram emerged from its depth. He whispered, “State Zero.”

And nothing happened. No green aura, no monochronic world, no flying magical circles. Even the dark aura that was surrounding his body was no more. Shesmu stood on the grassy ground, gazing up at the beast high in the sky preparing this armageddon of raging elements within its open jaws.

The dragon roared with might. Its seven heads launched spells of every color. Lightning rumbled, flames blazed, small meteorites fell, and all kinds of other spells made their way towards Shesmu. He stayed silent, motionless.

The man kept tracking the spells as they drew closer. For a moment, he was entranced by their beauty. However, it was but a fleeting thought before they melted into nothingness.

Rocks decomposed, and jets of water turned into glassy static droplets before disappearing into thin air and giant hurricanes softened to a gentle breeze. The fire whiffed out of existence and so did the lightning dissipate. The balls of plasma quickly followed suit while the purple poison fog thinned out leaving only a light purple faint haze in its wake.

“Cancel State.”

Shesmu’s eyes returned to their normal brown color. Black magical circles appeared below him before shattering and disappearing once more. His eyes darted back to where Cain was. The latter was clad in a dark orange aura. He opened his eyes and walked out of the blood-red. Fate and Vez stopped channeling their energy into the circle. They sat down on their butts, dizzy and lightheaded from the whole ordeal.

“Here, the scroll.”

Even though Fate was tired, she still found the strength to throw the summoning scroll at Cain. He caught it with one hand before inspecting it. The golden letters on its side were written in a strange language. Cain whispered, “Arcane Dragon of the First Flame.”

With a quick motion, he opened the scroll. Blinding light radiated from it, forcing Cain to protect his eyes with his hand. He slowly opened it only to be greeted by a gargantuan beast. Fangs sharper than the most treacherous daggers, reptilian yellow eyes that pierce the soul and a snout that breaths whiffs of fire three meters long.

The dark brown dragon was laying down, but it still towered over everything in sight besides its kin. The dark beast regarded Cain and said, “Thou which hath summoned me shalt receive the august essence of mine august being. The nectar of dreams is the poisoned well of the fool, may wisdom guide thy path to the original truth.”

The dark dragon raised its taloned foreleg gently and showed him his index claw. Cain fist-bumped the dragon’s claw before the latter turned ethereal. The beast decomposed into countless red particles. They gathered around Cain like moths on a bonfire before merging with the latter’s deep red aura. Energy flared around Cain becoming a torrent of red light that pierced the heavens. He stood motionless, amidst the flame-like aura. Jumping far above, he rose high enough to see eye to eye with the dragon of virtue. The aura that connected Cain to the clouds compressed and became a ball surrounding him. It then contorted in various forms before breaking out, appearing as a ghost of a dragon.

Cain stood inside the dragon of flame, controlling its every movement. He flew to the holy beast in a flash, claws clashing with opposing talons and horns colliding. The flame dragon gathered fire in its mouth, it breathed hell upon its opponent. Cain followed up with a slash to the rainbow crystal in the holy dragon’s chest.

The beast staggered backward, screeching in pain. However, Cain did not stop. He kept clawing away at his opponent while breathing fire upon it. The holy dragon’s HP decreased until the first bar was emptied.

The holy beast opened its eye. Light shone from underneath, as it began to repel Cain. It soared into the sky with a mighty cry.

Looking at the situation from afar, Shesmu panicked. “Everyone, run!”

Cain flew into the sky, while Shesmu teleported to Fate and Vez. He seized each one-handedly and dashed away, towing them.

Magical circles started winking into existence everywhere across the field. They were golden, and they emitted an intense light. This sharp glow became a pillar of light that speared into the sky. Everywhere the eye could see was soon covered in this light.

Shesmu and his team fled with all their might. Fate turned to see the source of the commotion only for her jaw to drop. Humanoid creatures with wings flew out from the magical circles and soared high into the sky.

“You—you’re joking! Are all of these… angels?!”

Shesmu grabbed Fate’s arm in a vise-like grip before teleporting away. Rev turned to watch the spectacle of a thousand angels rising from the ground before following suit.

A moment later, Shesmu, Fate, and Vez materialized above the clouds, Rev followed them shortly. Shesmu floated midair while carrying Fate and Vez.

“Leader, can you use Float on us?”

Understanding their discomfort, Shesmu nodded and said, “Sure.” He proceeded to invoke the spell in the depths of his mind and a transparent aura enveloped both subjects.

“Yahoo!” The moment Fate regained control of her body, she flipped around in the air like a clown and laughed loudly.

“Goddamnit, Fate. Can’t you be calm for like, one second?”

Fate calmed and sat cross-legged in the air beside Shesmu.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry! It’s just that this is the most boring part of this whole situation, though. We’re just gonna sit here, spectator mode, while Cain gets all the limelight!” She pouted.

Shesmu tilted his head, unamused by Fate’s outcry. “Yeah, can you tell me who lost the Serpent to the enemy team again? I forgot.”

Fate was frightened by Shesmu’s sudden shift of tone. His cold tone gave her shivers.

“Hey, hey, hey! Don’t be angry, Leader. We didn’t know he had already achieved Tier-VI, else we would have burst it way earlier.”

“Haha, well, it’s not a problem this fight went like this.” Spoken in an attempt to smooth things over, Vez butted in. “Thanks to that mishap, the world will see the first arcane transformation of a Tier-VI mage.”

“Ohh, that’s hype! Leader, you and Cain always go questing together, has he ever shown you his arcane transformation?”

Shesmu gave Fate a questioning look. “No, he didn’t. Also, what the heck do you think arcane scrolls are? Candies you can buy at a shop?”

Shesmu’s series of sarcastic questions made Fate chuckle nervously. “Though I do have an idea of what it might be,” he continued, easing the tension with only his words, “and if his arcane transformation is anything like mine, it’s gonna go through six stages. Each one is fundamentally stronger than the last. Since it’s the Arcane of Fire, I’m guessing that its color would change at every stage.”

“Shesmu, can you please use your Orb of True Vision? I can’t use mine.” Vez’s reminder spurred Shesmu into action. He summoned a white orb and activated it with his mind. A holographic screen appeared in front of it to show Cain facing the Boss.

* * *

He basked in the light of a thousand spells. Cain gazed around as the army of two-winged angels rose from the ground and pointed their spears at him. He then looked to the holy dragon which was inspecting him before he made a decision and issued a command, “Avatar mode activated. Arcane Stage II.”

The dragon of flame that encased Cain issued a piercing cry. It glowed bright red before melting and condensing into a ball of flame encompassing Cain as a cocoon. The ball of flame rotated at a high speed before it cracked and Cain emerged. A bright orange aura surrounded him while flaming wings sprouted from his back.

Seeing his transformation, the holy beast flew towards Cain at high speed. Noticing the dragon’s movement, Cain looked back at the army of angels before diving right in. He gathered a ball of fire in his hand before throwing it at the enemies in front of him, killing dozens of the angel soldiers. He forged a path forward amidst his bloodthirsty opponents. He formed a giant hole in the enemy’s formation.

From the corner of his eye, Cain looked at the movements of the mighty dragon. To his surprise, it flew in a straight line towards him, not caring about the thousands of its comrades in its way.

Expecting a clash between the dragon and its minions, Cain stopped and repositioned himself. He waited for the opportune moment to strike. The dragon dived into its minions and passed through them like ghosts.

Cain’s eyes dilated in surprise before he regained his composure and clicked his tongue.

“No friendly fire mechanic…” He whispered.

Not wasting any time, he sprang into action. Cain looked at the grassy ground below him before his fire aura grew bigger. Tongues of flame lashed out at the air, scorching the incoming angel army and keeping it at bay. The oversized aura then shrank and concentrated on Cain’s right fist, covering it in a ball of flame. He punched the ground and it cracked.

Like an erupting volcano, the whole valley was split in two, fire and lava coming out of every crack. Rocks crumbled and fell into the river below the valley. Cain jumped into the crack he made before turning around and facing his enemies.

The holy dragon bypassed all of its minions and crashed into the ground. Dust billowed and rocks were pulverized. However, the dragon couldn’t make it past the crack Cain made. It could only look at its enemy as it tried to reach him with its paw to no avail.

Cain didn’t waste his opportunity. Orange magical circles appeared all around him, forming a hexagon. A fire laser launched from the middle of the formation, piercing the dragon.

The beast howled in pain, but Cain didn’t ease the pressure, he comboed the first attack with another fireball, before dashing towards the dragon and punching its face with his flaming orange fist. The dragon was catapulted out of the crack and into the air before it regained its balance. The flurry of attacks quickly chipped at its Health bar, decreasing it by more than half.

The Boss stood in the air, eyeing Cain who was still inside the Crack. It roared with might, beckoning for the army of angels. Its subordinates answered its call and dived down the crack.

The angels pointed their spears forward and entered the crack one by one. Suddenly, Cain couldn’t see the light as hundreds of them covered the sky. He chanted a spell and wisps of flames popped into existence beside him one by one. They turned into bullets as they flashed towards the flying army.

Spells bombarded the armed angels by the hundreds, however, they remained unscathed.

“Damn, seems like that won’t cut it.”

“Arcane Stage III”

The flames surrounding Cain, his wings and everything, they became more intense, they shone like a thousand stars before turning white.

The angels lunged at Cain with their spears, while he countered with punches and kicks. His limbs clad in white fire, like the hammers of the heavenly forge. He would dodge by the tiniest of margins and strike with clean hits. Their flesh was nothing more than a cover for the metallic frame behind it, which Cain pulverized.

However, the more angels Cain killed, the more surrounded him. By the tenth soldier he killed, Cain was already surrounded by all twelve directions.

“Tch,” His fists that were covered in flames shone brighter. He punched out, and before his fist could land, he punched again. Again, and again, and again, until his fist was but a blurry image of flaming missiles.

With his ranging flurry, Cain opened up a pathway. The bright sky showed itself and he was finally able to get a breath of fresh air. Suddenly, the red head of the dragon covered the sun. It opened its mouth and gathered flames in its center, preparing to breathe hell into the earth.

Cain clicked his tongue before focusing back on the angels surrounding him. He gathered flames on his hand and threw a fireball at his right side. The spell wreaked havoc on his enemies and left Cain an opportunity to flee. An opportunity he did not miss as the hellish breath of the dragon blazed through his previous position in the blink of an eye.

Cain’s eyebrows furrowed at the gravity of the situation.

“Arcane Stage IV!”

A blue fire pulsated from Cain’s chest. It then covered his arms, legs, head, and finally wings. Like a blue phoenix, he soared in the air.

He murmured a chant beneath his breath and six miniature sky blue magic circles appeared beneath his feet before immediately disappearing.

Cain kept destroying angels left and right while the dragon kept looking for blind angles to fire its projectiles. In the meantime, he whispered his chants and the magical circles popped in and out of existence. This back and forth lingered for a minute or two before the army of angels dwindled to a non-threatening force.

Cain looked up at the sky, catching a full sight of the seven-headed dragons. Something he wasn’t able to do for the last minute or so. His expression, however, wasn’t one of worry or distress, but a triumphant one. His grin spanned from ear to ear, a sight he rarely showed to his peers.

“Flames of Genesis.”

Light sprouted from beneath Cain and illuminated the crater. Hundreds upon hundreds of magical circles popped out of nowhere.

Blue flames surged and roared before engulfing Cain with their nightmarish tongues. He became fire, and soon enough, he turned into a blazing phoenix. His eyes glinted with a sky blue gleam. His sharp talons tore the air in preparation before he launched with mind breaking speeds.

One punch. The mighty dragon couldn’t even follow Cain’s movement; he appeared right in front of it. Flames fluttering like wings, fists more solid than steel. With a clean uppercut, Cain shattered the dragon’s crystal, pulverizing it into rainbow-colored dust.

The Hp bars above the Boss’ head plummeted, and life in its eyes dimmed. The holy dragon fell from the sky and plunged into the river. The crash caused a tsunami. Gigantic waves drowned the grassy plains.

Cain stood high in the sky, flames surrounding him from all sides. He was looking at the dying dragon when his vision blurred. The wings of fire faded into a whisp as Cain lost his balance. He slowly dived down into the ground before falling on his back, exhausted.

“Good job Cain, you did great.”

Shesmu suddenly appeared and so did the rest of his teammates.

“Holy hell, you went all out. Look at this crater! Who’s gonna pay for the repair!”

Fate’s obnoxious shouting and unfunny jokes brought a smile on everyone’s face. Even the usually stoic Cain couldn’t help but soften.

“Once we get the prize money, we’ll have enough to cover the cost and more. Even after the snakes at the top take their cut, you’ll all have enough money to drown in booze until you die.”

At the mention of alcohol, Fate got even more excited than before.

“Leader! Last time you said it’s gonna be your treat but chickened out. You better make it up for me this time or you’re never gonna hear the end of it on twitter!”

Shesmu immediately regretted bringing up the matter of booze. His eyes darted in all directions trying to find a way out of this sticky situation. However, even though they saw his signals for help, neither Vez nor Cain stepped in to help. They let out a sigh in resonance. They looked at each other in surprise before letting out a laugh.

“Hey, hey. You guys laugh all you want, but we’re still in-game. This is a final, you know?”

“Yeah, well, we already won and—”

Vez was about to continue when his face froze.

“Wait, we lost the Serpent. Can’t they base race us now?!”

Everyone turned into high alert mode with Vez’s reminder. Even Cain who was on the ground resting tried his hardest to stand up.

“That’s what I’m saying you apes. Let me call winter, hopefully, he made it back in time,” Shesmu concluded.

[No need.]

[Yo winter!] Fate jumped into the call. ‘Leader is freaking out here. First, he forgets about the booze, then he trolls around in the final and forgets that they stole the Serpent. Honestly, it’s kinda embarrassing.’

“You little sh*t…” Shesmu seethed at Fate’s teasing, while Vez and Cain just breathed a sigh of relief knowing that matters at the base had cleaned up.

[You don’t need to tell me that Shes is noob, I think we already established that ages ago. Though while you dipsh*ts were having fun trolling around in these regionals, I took care of the mess here. So, for the sake of everything that is holy, can you please end the game?! I’m getting bored out of my goddamn mind here!]

Click.

The connection was cut over, leaving Shesmu not able to say anything. A wry smile was plastered on his face, he didn’t know whether to be angry or laugh at the situation.

“Okay, Winter is right. This is getting boring for both us and the fans, let’s finish it cleanly.”

Everyone nodded at Shesmu’s words.

“Well, finishing the game is fine and all, but Leader, don’t forget about the booze!”

* * *

The crowd went into a frenzy. Black flags fluttered left and right as the fans of Black Moon cheered and screamed their lungs out. Flyers and flags flew all around the stadium and the atmosphere was festive.

“Yay! Papa won!” Eva jumped in joy. She then looked at Sophie with sparkling eyes before shouting even louder. “Papa was so cool! And that red uncle was so cool too!”

Sophie lightly chuckled. She looked at her daughter before landing her hand. “Come, let’s go to papa. He is waiting for us.”

Eva nodded happily and took her mother’s hand. Sophie verbalized a command in her mind. Access restricted area. Code name: BlackMoon. Sponsor: Dawn’s Resonance.

A cold metallic voice responded in her head. Access granted. Welcome, Sophie of the Crimson Desert.

The pair of mother and daughter disintegrated into shiny particles before disappearing. They teleported to a hallway. It was dark, illuminated only by the dim light of the torches on the walls.

“Mama, this place is scary…” Eva’s previously cheerful demeanor died down. She fidgeted in her place. Lips trembling, she latched on her mother’s lap, too scared to stay alone in the dark damp corridor.

Sophie crouched to the level of her daughter before caressing her hair. “I’m sorry. It’s scary, isn’t it? I always told Mark that their aesthetics were not the most pleasant. But… Oh, well.” Sophie lifted Eva from below her armpits before putting her in a princess carry. “Here, Mama will carry you.” Sophie’s smile turned into a grin before she leaned in and went for a belly rub.

“Hahaha, Mama! Stop it!” Eva continued laughing even as she shouted and flailed around, making Sophie giggle in return. She then looked at Eva in her eyes and smiled. “See, no more scary place, right?”

The couple laughed all the way as they walked through the corridor. Barely one minute of walking and they reached an inconspicuous room. Sophie put down her daughter before saying.

“Papa is in that room. I’ll go and talk to him. You stay patiently here and be a good girl, ok—”

“What do you mean he is out?!!!”

Before Sophie could even finish her words, a scream from inside the room shook her. She recognized her husband’s voice. Sophie’s eyes opened in surprise at the sudden outburst, she looked at the door before focusing back on her daughter. She smiled and then said with a soft voice.

“Eva, can you stay here? Mama will be right back.”

She walked with hurried steps and opened the door, a frown covering her face. There she saw two men staring at each other. One was slim and tall, black hair covering his head. The other was plump with an orange mustache and his hair was cut short.

“Shade,” Shesmu’s eyes were sprouting fire as he stared at the man in front of him. “When we started this org, ten years ago. Ten fucking years ago! Do you know who was on that table too? Do you know?!”

Shade, the overweight man darted his eyes away from Shesmu before muttering. “Shes, this is really out of my control—”

“Cain was fucking there! Yes, he was sitting there, since the start of this whole mess. And now you’re telling me we are gonna fire him. Are you kidding me?!” Shesmu could no longer hold back. His teeth were grinding. He clenched his fist so hard blood dripped out. His eyes never once looked away from the shuddering Shade, who was fidgeting on his shoes and looking away at the ground.

Mustering up more courage, Shade clenched his fist and looked at Shesmu in the eyes. “Shesmu. This is a higherup decision. It’s Dawn that made it! Cain just doesn’t follow the narratives. We already talked about this so many—”

“He brings wins!” Shesmu’s face couldn’t stop contorting. He slammed the table next to him, breaking every utensil on his way, and grabbed Shade from his collar then lifted him from the ground. Shesmu looked at him straight in the eyes and shouted at the top of his lungs. “He brings championships, that’s what he brings!”

Shesmu’s teeth stopped grinding, his furrowed eyebrows relaxed. He looked away from Shade for the first time since the start of this conversation before saying in a soft voice. “Honestly, I can’t believe it. After everything, we went through…”

Shesmu eased his grab on Shade’s collar, setting the latter free. Shade fell on the ground and coughed, gasping for breath.

“Shesmu, I’m as mad as you are. This is wrong! I know. But even if I’m not the one to fire him, they’ll just fire me and bring someone else to do it. My hands are tied.”

“Stop.” Sophie’s voice cut in like a sharp knife through the conversation. Both Shesmu and Shade turned their heads in response to her.

“What is going on?” She asked. But her voice was lower than usual. It was cold, as cold as her eyes as she observed Shade’s every movement. She locked her eyes with his, making him shudder.

Shade gulped. He sat up then walked towards Sophie trying to explain his position. “Sophie, look, I’m really sorry. Due to circumstances outside my control—”

“Enough.” Sophie cut in. “Get out of here.” Her eyes never broke contact, and her voice was always low. But behind it was a commanding tone that could not be disobeyed.

Shade, flustered, couldn’t help but step back. He staggered before complying and leaving the room.

Shesmu looked at Sophie, his eyes lost, his arms low and his hands open. They walked towards each other with staggering steps before falling into an embrace.

Hot tears streamed down Shesmu’s cheeks. His vision clouded and his throat hoarse. He felt Sophie’s touch on his face. She caressed him and cleaned the tears out of his eyes. Her emerald green eyes stared into his soul, beckoning him to share his suffering. “Mark, what happened?”

“Cain, no—Allan, Dawn decided they no longer need him…” He paused as if to process the same words that left his mouth. “And for what?” He asked with a self-deprecating laugh. “Just because he didn’t scream some cringy speech before he battles like the rest of us bastards do, he is fired! Allan! Allan who was here since the beginning of this goddamn guild!”

Sophie was shocked. Her eyes widened and her fist tightened. However, she quickly grabbed hold of herself and didn’t fall to panic. She hugged Shesmu harder than she ever did before. Her warmth, her love, her everything, he received it all.

“Sophie…” So he bawled, his speech interrupted by his hiccups. He cried, he screamed at the top of his lungs. He screamed at his own weakness, unable to even defend his best friend. He screamed at the skies and the gods and damned them all, for they destroyed what he worked so hard to build. He screamed and kept screaming, for his innards were crumbling, and they would continue to do so until he is but a hollow husk.

“Papa!” This voice he knew. The voice of a child, his own. He opened his eyes but the sight was too blurry, so he couldn’t see. He cleared up his tears, and there she was, Eva, shocked and unable to understand what happened in front of her.

Shesmu smiled. Years of acting in front of crowds of millions let him mask his sorrow. He couldn’t show his weakness to his daughter, that he could never do.

“Eva? What are you standing there in a daze for? Come and give papa a hug!”

Seeing Shesmu’s jovial attitude, Eva lost all her reservations and jumped in for a hug.

“Ah, there you go. That’s more like it.”

Eva chuckled in Shesmu’s arm before asking, “But papa, why were you crying?”

Shesmu looked at Eva and gave her a questioning look. He then pinched her cheeks and played around with them.

“Smelly girl, who do you think is crying, huh? See this smile on papa’s face, give me your best one too!”

Eva smiled even as Shesmu was pulling at her cheeks. Her teeth showed themselves in full splendor.

“Like this?…”

“Pfft.” Shesmu couldn’t help but chuckle. Eva’s face, when she tried talking while he was pulling at her cheeks, was hilarious even for the pained Shesmu.

“So, you got to watch the game. Did you have fun?”

Eva beamed a bright smile at her father’s question. “Yeah! It was really fun! The way papa fought with his sword was so cool! You just went vroooom!! And the black magician lost. Red uncle was also sooo cool! He just went Vraaaah!! And then he became a big fire dragon! He then did Booom! Boom! Boom! And the other dragon went Ahh! And then it lost!”

While the smile stayed engraved on his face, Shesmu’s eyes showed complex emotions.

“Yeah, uncle red is really cool…” For a second, he broke his act and sadness emanated from his voice. “Much, much cooler than papa…”

Shesmu felt Eva’s grab on his arm. He looked at her in the eyes and her resolute look and pouting cheeks surprised him.

“That’s not true at all! Uncle red is cool, but papa is also cool! Papa is the coolest in the world!”

She then grabbed an imaginary sword and started slashing at the air. “You defeat bad guys like this, Vroom! And Booom! And the bad guys go Ahhh! And then they explode!”

Eva’s roleplaying made Shesmu chuckle, for real this time. He brought her closer to him before carrying her in his arms. Shesmu then looked at Sophie. She didn’t say a word ever since Eva showed up. Shesmu knew that she knew that he was acting, and he was grateful. He was grateful that she stayed silent, because it would have been hard even for him to act, if she did talk.

“Sophie, tomorrow, I’ll call in a meeting. The whole team will be there.”

Sophie’s lips formed a tender smile, “That’s exactly what I was thinking.”

“Papa,” Eva yawned. “Can you continue the story of the blacksmith and the king? You said you’ll tell me but you keep forgetting!”

Hearing his daughter’s tired voice, Shesmu knew that it was time to log out.

“Sure thing sweetie, let’s log out and I’ll tell you the story.”

Hearing a tale that was most familiar to her ears, Sophie couldn’t help but blurt out.

“You were telling her the questline of Kaleh? Now, isn’t that sweet.”

Shesmu acknowledged Sophie’s comment with his eyes, before focusing his attention back on Eva.

“Let’s log out. Tomorrow will be a long day.”

* * *

The trio simultaneously glowed in a myriad of colors before dissipating into tiny particles.

Shesmu’s eyes opened within a capsule. He was naked, his body submerged in a light brown fluid. Being in that liquid gave him a sense of peace, alone with his darkness. He could scream if he wanted, cry and lash out at the world, and the noise cancellers would make no one the wiser. Yet , he didn’t. Despite most of his interaction with his daughter being an act, it healed him.. At least enough so that he didn’t focus on the pain, but on the future.

In his mind, he issued the command for the capsule to open which swiftly obliged. The room was dimly lit. It was no use to waste energy on light when its only use was to host his VR capsule. He sat up, put his ready-made clothes on, and exited the room.

He entered the hallway and from the corner of his eyes, he could see his wife walking up the stairs to the master bedroom. Usually, he would trail after her, but tonight, he needed to take a detour. Right in front of the gaming room was a pink door. Stickers of many different characters were stuck onto it. However, the biggest sticker of all had one name written in bold all over it: Eva.

Shesmu opened it, and was greeted by a mountain of toys. From princess dolls to plushies of magical cats and bears, there wasn’t one single spot in the room where he could take a step without stepping on something.

“Eva, how many times have I told you to put your toys back in the drawer when you finish playing with them? Honestly, all it takes is one command, how can you be so lazy?” Shesmu’s tone was a mix of reprimand and bemusement.

Muffled noises sounded out from below the mountain of plushies. Cats and wolves flew in all directions as Eva swam up the hundreds of toys and finally regained her breath.

“Papa, I’m sowwy… I just, kinda, forgot…”

Looking at Eva’s puffed face atop the mountains of toys, Shesmu couldn’t help but laugh softly. He freed her from the clutch of the little devils and carried her in his arms.

“It’s okay, sweetie. Let’s clean up this mess, okay?”

“Okay,” Eva replied. “Melon-chan! Can you clean up this mess, please?”

‘Hai! I’ll do it just for you~’

A cute, squeaky voice sounded out from the depth of Shesmu’s mind. The pink room turned neon orange. The lower parts of all four walls opened like doors of a closet. The myriad of plushies, dolls, and toys gravitated towards the openings like metal to a magnet. Within ten seconds the messy room turned clean.

“And that’s a job well done. See? Doesn’t take much effort to go from a zoo to a civilized society. Honestly, I wouldn’t have been surprised if a monkey jumped from one of those corners.” While in the midst of his lecture, Shesmu felt the weight on his shoulder increase. He looked at Eva and saw her leaning on his shoulder, using it as a pillow to sleep on.

“Hey, hey, weren’t we supposed to listen to the story of the king and the blacksmith?” His words were soft, afraid to wake up his princess from her sleep.

“Well, maybe another time…” Carefully he placed her on the bed and covered her with a sky blue blanket.

“L—love you… papa.” Her barely discernible mumbling warmed Shesmu’s heart, bringing a smile to his face.

“Love you too, sweetie.” He kissed Eva goodnight on the forehead before switching off the light. Leaving his daughter’s room, he climbed up the stairs and entered the master bedroom.

Sophie was still in her underwear, in the middle slipping into her pajamas. She was beautiful, her dark brown hair reaching to her waist. She looked back at Shesmu and smiled.

“So, did she like the tale of Kaleh?”

“She didn’t get the chance to. I was barely at the start and she was already off to neverland.”

Sophie chuckled at the response. She was already done putting on her clothes and slid into the bed. Shesmu quickly followed suit.

“You know, Eva had lots of fun today. She kept watching you guys, mouth open, for the whole day. It’s as if she saw real-life heroes battling in front of her.”

Shesmu smiled. Even though his heart still clenched in pain, his smile remained. Which father wouldn’t smile at the thought of his daughter? He looked at Sophie before leaning in and playing with the strands of her hair with his hand.

“She too will become one.”

“You are her hero. Strong, untouchable and unbeatable.” Her hand caressed Shesmu’s face gently and her eyes glistened with a thousand emotions. Her fingers then traced their way from his neck and into his torso, pointing at his heart. “But I know that down here, you’re hurt…”

Shesmu leaned in closer, his hands reached in farther, holding onto her back. Their legs coiled around one another, searching for warmth. Their breaths intertwined, and their eyes connected.

“Sophie, it’s hard. Allan—Allan has been there for me since before I can even remember. He was always there, in the background, protecting me. He was my guardian angel. He was there when I knew nothing, when I had nothing to offer, and he guided me. He was there when we were at the top of our glory, and my confidants were conspiring to betray me. He was protecting me. Without Allan, there is no BlackMoon.”

Sophie stayed silent. She knew that Shesmu wasn’t finished.

“Sophie, you know why I called the meeting tomorrow?” Shesmu’s voice was soft, breathy, and full of affection.

Sophie pinched his forehead and chuckled. “Silly you, for how long do you think we’ve been married? Of course, I know…” Sophie’s voice was soft like the summer breeze. Shesmu could no longer hold his instincts and deeply kissed her.

“Tomorrow, you’re going to protect him. Like he always protected you.” Her finger ran up Shesmu’s chest slowly, and back to his neck. She leaned in, her breath tickling his ear.

“Tomorrow, you’re going to gather everyone, all of our friends and do the one thing you should have done long ago. Disband the team.”

Her words hit him like a backdrop. There was no need for a response because she was right. Shesmu will disband the team and start a new journey. But the only thing he could focus on now was her. Her beautiful face, her small upturned nose, her emerald eyes, and long, silky hair. She was breathtaking, even more than when he first proposed to her, six years ago.

Their lips met, brushing softly, delicate like flaps of the butterfly’s wings. He inhaled deeply. It was just long enough that he could inhale her own breath. Her sweet, sweet breath. He hungrily went for more. His hand gripped the back of her head firmly, afraid to let go. His tongue dug deeper searching for treasure in the deep, dark sea. But here she was, his treasure.

Sophie chuckled. Her deep, kind voice soothing his heart. But she didn’t say anything. Words were unnecessary. They both knew exactly what the other felt. That’s precisely why Shesmu couldn’t help but fall head over heels over her all over again.

And as such, they continued. Cuddled, hugged and kissed until they could no more. By the end, when their eyelashes were too heavy to bear, their hands reached out for each other, and their fingers intertwined one last time.