DAY 3 – AOI HAMASKI (THE TRAINNING)
08:30
Emptiness (Fifth Dimension)
Basin of Shangri-La (City of Light)
The Underground Palace of Tir-na-hOige was located inside an underground cave system, which was named Mazandaran Labyrinth. The cave system had developed in very long time, which was sitting under the Basin of Shangri-La. The cave system was capped by layers of limestone stratum and sandstone, which had made Mazandaran Labyrinth remarkably stable. At the middle region of Mazandaran Labyrinth, there was a massive sinkhole. Within this sinkhole, it lied the Underground Palace of Tir-na-hOige.
The Underground Palace of Tir-na-hOige was constructed in an axially symmetrical layout, which along a central north to south axis. The Mausoleum of the Cruel, Valhalla Terrace and Theatre of Elders in the outer court together with the Throne Hall, Grand Library of Scholomance, and Emperor’s Chamber in the inner court were constructed on the central axis.
Ninety percent of all of the main structures were built of wood with wooden beams and columns. The walls were full of motifs of color painting, which were mainly dragons and phoenixes and sometimes with other style of patterns such as scroll, damask, and lattice. The design of the roofs was mainly hipped-gable roof and sometimes with a mix-and-match of pyramidal-hipped roof. The roofs also had mythical creatures on the smooth lines and the eaves, which acted as nails for the stability of the eaves. These mythical creatures were included Alicorn, Dragon, Griffin, Phoenix, and Sphinx.
Mausoleum of the Cruel was an oriental futuristic fusion structure, which located on the western edge of the outer court. Its inner plane of the façade is massive, futuristic, while the exterior one is prestige, visibility, heterogeneous plot, resolved with titanium profiles arranged in two different ways, in different modular positions and in difference shades of grey as the color scale. The combination of space, arrangement and color provided the building with a changing image depend on the orientations. The interior was a continuous one space, which created an engaging and futuristic spatial experience that denoted the idea of automata and space-time magic. Its interior design aimed to create a flexible interior that would support open space for small-group activities while also having a strong and futuristic look. An entirely black space pierced only by the titanium rods and tube from the black walls and black ceilings at divergent angles, which provided a suitable backdrop to usher in an era of automata and space-time magic.
Inside the grand hall of Mausoleum of Cruel, there was a girl who was lying on the cold marble floor. There were a male and female who had sat beside her. They were waiting there silently while they tried to not to disturb her sleep. They were speaking in a low voice.
The female squinted at the girl.
“She is asleep.”
The male pursed his lips.
“It seems so.”
Her eyes were glossy.
“Will she wake up?”
His forehead furrowed.
“I guess so.”
Her eyes widened.
“Is she okay?”
He knitted his eyebrows.
“I believe so.”
She looked into his eyes and said.
“Will she see us?”
He glanced up to the ceiling.
“I think so.”
Her eyes narrowed and said.
“Can I smack you in your face?”
He squeezed his eyes shut.
“I hope not.”
She rolled her eyes several times.
“Argh! You are so…”
He raised an eyebrow and put his finger on his lips.
“Sheesh… Please be quiet, she is still asleep.”
She sneered at him angrily.
“Roar…”
A while later, the girl had awakened because of the chillness. She opened her eyes and saw those two persons were staring at her. She blinked her eyes for a moment and then she grinned from ear to ear.
“Number Three! Number Four!”
Ms. Traitor smiled and said.
“How are you, my lovely Aoi?”
Mr. Death glanced at Ms. Traitor and put his finger on his lips.
“Sheesh… Keep it down. We aren’t supposed to show up in here.”
“Oh well, I don’t care. I want to see my niece.”
“I don’t want to get into trouble. You know once he gets mad. He will force us to do pervert things.”
Ms. Traitor looked at Mr. Death with an evil smile.
“I know, but I don’t mind. But you… Hehe…”
Mr. Death grimaced as he had imagined what would happened to him afterwards.
“Of course, you don’t have a problem. Since, you are just crossdressing with a butler suit. But for me…”
Ms. Traitor licked her lips.
“Hehe… You look so beautiful when you are crossdressing with a maid uniform.”
“Dang!”
Aoi was so happy when she saw both of them were still alive. However, she had noticed that their outlooks were a bit different than before. After Aoi took a closer look at them, then she had realized both of them were not in their pajamas anymore. Mr. Death dressed up with a red vintage gothic swallow tail jacket, while Ms. Traitor was wearing a black gothic Lolita noble dovetail lace dress. Aoi’s eyes were fixed on both of them.
“You two looked amazing!”
Ms. Traitor blushed. Then, Mr. Death winked at her and said.
“Of course, we are the best-looking couple at all time.”
“I see. I see. By the way, where am I now?”
Mr. Death turned to Ms. Traitor and then she said.
“You are in the underground palace. Umm… Actually, your location is inside a mausoleum, which is within the outer court of the underground palace. Umm… this underground palace actually is located inside the Mazandaran Labyrinth, which is under Basin of Shangri-La or should I called it City of Light… Umm… This’s too complicated.”
“Huh?”
As usual, Mr. Death interrupted the conversation.
“Aoi, the simplest answer would be the underground palace’s mausoleum of City of Light.”
Aoi glanced around the surroundings.
“Wow, so I’m in a mausoleum. But it looks different than I expected.”
Mr. Death looked heavenward and said.
“Oh, about that. His taste is freaking weird. Umm… Maybe, because of… He is a tech-nerd... Haha…”
All of a sudden, somebody was shouting down from the hallway. Once, Mr. Death heard that voice. He immediately hid behind Ms. Traitor.
Mr. Death turned to Ms. Traitor and said.
“Dang! He is here. I’m doomed!”
“Told you so, do not to talk about him behind his back. He is a stingy person.”
Suddenly, a male voice came from the ceiling and said.
“You two! I heard that.”
Meanwhile, a gentleman who dressed up elegantly with a dark red tailored suit had descent from the ceiling to the floor in front of them. Mr. Death and Ms. Traitor made faces when he stared at them.
“Couple of the Year, what were you two talking about? Especially, without my presence?”
Mr. Death and Ms. Traitor looked at each other and said.
“Nothing at all… Haha…”
The gentleman looked at Aoi and said.
“Lady Aoi, how are you today?”
Aoi glanced at the gentleman.
“I’m fine thanks. By the way, should I address you Mr. Hermit or The Fool?”
The gentleman pondered a moment.
“You can just call me The Fool.”
“Okay. Then, The Fool… What should I do now?”
“Umm… About that, she didn’t tell you?!”
“Generally speaking is a YES. But not in detail, she told me to ask you once I’m back.”
The Fool turned to Mr. Death and Ms. Traitor. A moment later, Ms. Traitor spoke up.
“Umm… Although, I think it is too dangerous for you to get involved at this moment. But if Number One said so, then we believed in her decision.”
Aoi gave a puzzled frown.
“Who is Number One?”
The Fool replied with a smile.
“Oh, I think you already met her. She is my wife.”
Her mouth had fell open.
“Ms. Eldritch is Number One?”
The Fool smirked and blushed.
“Haha… Yes. Isn’t she lovely? Hehe…”
Ms. Traitor stared at The Fool for a moment. Then, she shook her head and said.
“Aoi, technically… You are also Number One too.”
Aoi stared at The Fool for a while.
“Huh? Am I? How’s this possible?”
The Fool looked into her eyes while his pupils flared.
“Yes, you are one third of my wife. Hehe…”
Ms. Traitor gave a half-smile to Aoi.
“Aoi, as you can see. Since, one third of Number One is inside your body. So, technically you are also Number One.”
Aoi scratched her head a little bit.
“Umm… So, where are the other two third of Number One?”
The Fool gawked at Aoi.
“The other two third of hers are inside Servant.”
Aoi glanced around the hall.
“Servant? Where is she?”
Ms. Traitor turned to The Fool. But he glanced up to the ceiling. Surprisingly, Mr. Death spoke out.
“Servant is currently in Town of Kensington?!”
The Fool stared at Mr. Death for a moment. Then, he shook his head.
“Hmph… You have spoiled the storyline.”
Mr. Death’s face went as blank as a chalkboard.
“Oops… Did I?”
Meanwhile, Aoi raised a question for everyone.
“Oh, I see. Then, what should I do? Go to Town of Kensington?”
The Fool glanced up to the ceiling. Then, he glanced over his shoulder and said.
“Lady Aoi, let’s start off with your training first. Afterwards, you will receive your first order.”
“Okay, I will work hard on my training. But I won’t take someone’s life.”
At of a sudden, The Fool scowled up at Aoi and said.
“So, that is your choice?”
His unnatural tone made her wince unpleasantly and she replied hastily.
“So?!”
“Haha… It is all up to you…”
The Fool faked a smile and then left the mausoleum. Meanwhile, Mr. Death shook his head and said.
“Sigh… Disappointing…”
Ms. Traitor looked into Aoi’s eyes and said.
“Are you sure? This is your final answer?”
“Umm… I don't want to kill anyone and if possible, I won’t take any life at all.”
As usual, Mr. Death interrupted the conversation.
“Sigh… Never mind then...”
Ms. Traitor stared at Mr. Death and said.
“Don’t say that. She has her rights to choose.”
Mr. Death looked heavenward and said.
“Sigh… We have a date with destiny!”
Ms. Traitor walked closer to Aoi with a grin like a Cheshire cat.
“Aoi, shall we start the training?”
Aoi pondered for a moment.
“What shall I learn?”
Mr. Death answered.
“Your hidden ability – Time Magic!”
Soon after, they had left the mausoleum. They had arrived at the underground palace’s gate. Once, they stepped out the gate. Mr. Death turned around and said.
“Aoi, welcome to your training ground – Mazandaran Labyrinth!”
<< === === >>>
12:40
Emptiness (Fifth Dimension)
Basin of Shangri-La (City of Light)
Under Basin of Shangri-La, there was a cave system called Mazandaran Labyrinth which had developed in centuries ago. But it was rebuilt by Deathmar Schneider the Great during the tenth century, soon after the First Millennium War had ended. It was originally designed as the final defense line of City of Light. However, it was destroyed during the Tringles incident. On the Records of Ancients, one of the Ancients historians had mentioned about this Tringles incident as a dimensions-wide catastrophic event, which led to the extinction of all races and species. Furthermore, it was the original cause of the grand opening for all seven of Dimension Gates. Soon after the labyrinth had been rebuilt, several supernatural and paranormal phenomena had been occurred within labyrinth. Especially, at the southern area of it. Ancients called that area as Deadman Maze.
Deadman Maze was a standalone maze within the Mazandaran Labyrinth. It was created due to the Tringles incident. During the twelfth century, a group of Ancients magicians, scientists and alchemists were trying to explore this maze. After several hundred years of researching and exploring, they had found out at the center of Deadman Maze. There was a portal which later on named as the Eighth Dimension Gate. It was a passage to the so-called eighth dimension with its two exits at the end of it. The first exit was located under a sea and the second one was located on an island. Later on, Ancients historians had named this sea as Devil’s Tringle and this island had become Brasil Isle.
The time flew irregularly within the Deadman Maze. The time in certain places were as slow as a halt, but in some other places it would be in a fast pace. No Ancients would dare to step into the Deadman Maze without possessing the ability of Time Magic. Throughout the history of Ancients, only a group of several persons would be able to travel within the maze. Since, it was a mythical place of supernatural and paranormal phenomena. Therefore, it was a most dangerous place in the Emptiness. However, it was also the best place for training. Especially, when it was related to the time itself.
Soon after, Mr. Death, Ms. Traitor and Aoi left the underground palace. They were heading to the south side of the Mazandaran Labyrinth without further ado. A while later, the three of them had arrived at the Pearly Gates of Deadman Maze. The Pearly Gates was a set of large, white wrought-iron gates, which were left ajar.
Once the three of them entered the gates, Mr. Death glanced around the surroundings cautiously. Meanwhile, Aoi had started to wander off into the maze because of its remarkable wall structures. Soon after, Ms. Traitor had realized Aoi had wandered off. She shouted to Aoi immediately.
“Aoi, STOP right there!”
Aoi stopped and turned around.
“Huh? Oh, I’m sorry. These walls are just too…”
Mr. Death tried to explain that to Aoi.
“Aoi, you are trying to say astonishing, astounding, marvelous, wonderful, splendid…”
Ms. Traitor stared at Mr. Death angrily.
“We understood… No need to keep on throwing words to us!”
Then, Ms. Traitor continued her explanation to Aoi.
“Aoi, these walls were made of crystalline silica, boron and quartz, which had a very high light reflection rate and could be able to persist high temperatures. But anyway, our training ground will be near the portal. So, let’s go.”
Aoi took a closer look onto the walls.
“It is amazing… Is it made of glass? Maybe mirror?”
“Kind of both…”
“I see.”
Meanwhile, Mr. Death suddenly spoke out.
“Aoi, we need to remind you one thing before we start.”
Aoi looked at Mr. Death and replied.
“Please go on.”
“It is about the secret of this maze!”
Mr. Death looked into her eyes and said.
“The time flows irregularly in here. Some places will be fast and some other places will be slow. And that will make a lot of things unpredictable or I should say things are pretty weird and unthinkable in here.”
“Like what?”
Fear passed across his face.
“You might see dead people.”
“So, you mean ghost?!”
Aoi glanced at Ms. Traitor while her face went blank. Then, Mr. Death replied.
“Some sort of… But anyway, I have talked too much. Let’s go!”
Suddenly, Ms. Traitor shouted.
“WAIT!”
Everyone stopped and looked at her.
“Just let me summon King Kuma first, please.”
A moment later, King Kuma had fallen from the sky and it had landed beside us. Aoi gazed at King Kuma for a while and said.
“Sure, King Kuma looks a little bit different than before.”
Ms. Traitor’s eyes gleamed at King Kuma and said.
“Oh yeah… This is the latest version of it. I called it – Shin King Kuma!”
Everyone looked at Shin King Kuma closely. Meanwhile, Aoi raised a question for Ms. Traitor.
“Oh, I see. But what is the difference?”
She replied with a laugh.
“Haha… Shin King Kuma is much more powerful than its previous version. The difference is…”
As usual, Mr. Death interrupted the conversation.
“Aoi, if you don’t count they have different names, then the difference is actually no different at all.”
Ms. Traitor stared at Mr. Death angrily. Meanwhile Mr. Death had a little smirk on the face as he sidled away.
“Aoi, don’t listen to him… Anyway, we shall go now.”
Hence, they were heading to the center of the Deadman Maze without any hesitation. An hour later, they had arrived near the portal. Mr. Death turned around and said.
“Aoi, did you feel anything?”
Aoi pondered for a moment.
“I’m not sure. It seems slow… very slow.”
“Oh, that’s great. Although, you can feel it. However, our movement didn’t slow down at all.”
Mr. Death took out his Double Sins and then threw it to Shin King Kuma. Afterwards, Shin King Kuma had caught his scythe without any problem.
“Aoi, you saw that?! Its momentum.”
Aoi scratched her head and asked.
“So, what should I do?”
Mr. Death looked at Aoi, while Ms. Traitor was guarding the area near them.
“Use the time in here as your reference point. Then, just activate your hidden ability and try to match the time and your surroundings in sync. At the beginning, your Time Magic’s effect would be within a small range of area. For example: within six feet of radius. Your Time Magic is controlling the space-time which states of physical objects undergo change are not affected, whether these changes of state be referred to the one or the other of two objects in uniform translator motion relative to each other.”
“How?”
“By focusing on your feeling of the time. It implies a wide of consequences. It has replaced the conventional notion of the space-time with the notion of a space-time that is dependent on reference frame and spatial position.”
“Huh?”
“This is the two-dimensional projection of the three-dimensional analogy of space-time curvature. In another word, you are not trying to halt or freeze the space-time. Instead, you are trying to bend the space-time within your Time Magic’s effective area. That means you are a black hole, and you are trying to decay the space-time around you.”
“Okay. Let me have a try.”
Mr. Death threw his Double Sins to Shin King Kuma once again. Meanwhile, Aoi was trying to use her Time Magic when Shin King Kuma was trying to catch his scythe in one shot. During the first attempt, Shin King Kuma was using its right-hand to catch it, which missed it completely due to Time Magic had been activated. But Shin King Kuma immediately followed up by catching the scythe with its left-hand. This second attempt did the job.
Ms. Traitor’s eyes widened when Mr. Death nodded and said.
“Although, it was only a fragment of decay time. But you had successfully get a glimpse of your Time Magic. Nevertheless, you still need more of this training before you actually can go into a battle.”
Soon after, Aoi had heard Mr. Death’s compliment. She was surprised that she was able to use Time Magic by herself. Unfortunately, she still got a lot to learn before she could activate her Time Magic spontaneously during a combat situation.
Several hours later, Aoi’s combat training had ended with a success. Although, her Time Magic was still a little bit rusty. But at least she was being able to use that in a battle.
Ms. Traitor looked at both of them. She noticed that Aoi had grew tired of her intensive training.
“Let’s take a rest. Shall we?”
The three of them had sat in a circle on the ground, while Shin King Kuma was standing beside them and acted as a lookout. Soon after, Aoi had laid down onto the ground and rest for the moment. Ms. Traitor was alarmed by something else. She turned to Mr. Death and said.
“Something is coming…”
“Where?”
“Actually, it is from there.”
Mr. Death and Ms. Traitor turned around and stared at the portal, which was just several feet away from their location. Meanwhile, Shin King Kuma was heading toward the portal.
All of a sudden, a gentleman had walked out from the portal. He was of medium build who dressed up a red tailored suit, while he was holding ebony metal cane with a gothic dragon claw clutching orb knob as its handle. Once, he stepped out from the portal. He glanced over the surroundings and he had realized that he just found her – Aoi Hamasaki.
Ms. Traitor and Mr. Death were ready to go into a battle against him, while he took a closer look at Aoi.
“Oh, you must be Aoi Hamasaki.”
Aoi had not say a word, while Mr. Death spoke out freely.
“Mr. Joker, I haven’t seen you for a long time. How are you doing lately?”
Mr. Joker tilted his head and glanced at Mr. Death and Ms. Traitor.
“Wow, what a surprise?! Mr. Death, you are still alive… And you too, Ms. Traitor.”
Ms. Traitor stared at Mr. Joker angrily and asked.
“What do you want?”
Then, Mr. Joker pointed at Aoi, while Shin King Kuma had started to throw a left jab at him. Suddenly, its attack was blocked by a shadowy figure. Furthermore, two more shadowy figures were appeared behind Mr. Joker.
Mr. Death and Ms. Traitor were surprised since they had not notice that there were three more persons who were standing behind Mr. Joker. Ms. Traitor turned to Mr. Death and said.
“This is bad.”
Mr. Death stared at those three shadowy figures.
“Who are they anyway?”
Mr. Joker laughed at Mr. Death and replied.
“No need to know in detail. Just handle over Aoi. Maybe I will spare your life… Haha… What the… Eh?!”
Mr. Joker suddenly stopped his talking, when he had realized another gentleman was sitting at the top of the walls. That gentleman had dressed up elegantly with a dark red tailored suit and was holding a tea cup in his hands. Then, Mr. Joker looked at him and said.
“Anyway, I just come here and have my walk. Maybe it is time for me to leave. Oh, by the way. How are you, The Fool?”
The Fool looked down from the walls with a cup of tea in his left-hand.
“Sip… Argh… Oh, Mr. Joker, are you sure? Having a walk is very important for your health.”
“Doesn’t matter now! By the way, how is your tea?”
The Fool pouted when he took a sip of his tea.
“Taste a little bit bitter though.”
Mr. Joker’s eyes narrowed.
“Tch… Anyway, I’m leaving now.”
The Fool’s forehead furrowed and asked.
“Oh, by the way. What about those people at your back?”
“They are just my personal bodyguards.”
The Fool lifted an eyebrow and asked again.
“So, once you left, then they will follow you?!”
Mr. Joker rolled his eyes.
“Tch… Of course.”
The Fool smirked at Mr. Joker.
“Oh, I see… Mr. Joker, you know I cannot effort to hire personal bodyguard.”
Mr. Joker rolled his eyes again.
“Tch… Whatever… Let’s go… We are leaving now!”
Mr. Joker turned around and had entered into the portal with his personal bodyguards. Soon after, Mr. Joker and his personal bodyguards had left the maze. The Fool jumped down from the walls. Then, he looked at Aoi and said.
“So, Lady Aoi. It seems you are ready now.”
Aoi stared at The Fool.
“So?!”
“Then, I will give you the order.”
Ms. Traitor spoke out her suggestion.
“Shall we wait a little longer until she is fully ready?”
The Fool turned to Mr. Death. Then, Mr. Death spoke out his concern.
“Seriously, the situation is pretty bad. And the tide is turning against us.”
Aoi looked at them and said.
“What do you want me to do? But I won’t kill…”
The Fool looked into her eyes and fake a smile.
“If your dad is in trouble, then what will you do?”
“Of course, I will save him.”
The Fool shook his head and said.
“However, if you need to kill someone in order to save him. Then, what will you do?”
“Umm…”
Ms. Traitor gazed at Aoi.
“I can go with her!”
Fool faked a smile.
“Of course, you will. But Ms. Traitor, I had another order for you and Mr. Death.”
Ms. Traitor bit her lip.
“What is it then?”
The Fool looked heavenward and said.
“Lady Aoi, your first mission is go to the canyon and save your dad – Mr. Hermit.”
Aoi nodded in agreement. Then, The Fool turned to the others and said.
“Mr. Death and Ms. Traitor, your order is go to Town of Kensington.”
Mr. Death and Ms. Traitor looked at each other for a moment, then raised a question for The Fool.
“Servant, Ms. WF, Mr. Juggler are already there. Plus, I heard the Underdogs are there too. So, is this necessary?”
Everyone looked at The Fool, while he was pondering for a moment and then he answered.
“Both of you are correct. Unfortunately, it is now getting to the stage where the whole town would be annihilated by Mr. Joker’s subordinates.”
Mr. Death and Ms. Traitor were shocked for the moment. Meanwhile, Aoi was looking at them with some questions that roamed around in her mind. Afterwards, Mr. Death gradually had realized its cause.
“Although, that is impossible for Crazy Seventy-Eight to take over the town, since Servant and our team were there. Umm… Unless, a third-party was also involved… But wait… Umm… Earlier, those three shadowy figures…If they really are those guys. Then…”
Terror overtook Mr. Death’s face when he had suddenly stopped his talking.
With a heavily sigh, The Fool had spoken out the reason.
“Mr. Death, you are on the right track. Although, I have believed in our team that they could defeat Mr. Joker’s subordinates. But, if the Kings and Generals were also get involved. Then, things will get out of hand very soon. There’s why I need the two of you to go to Town of Kensington as our reinforcement.”
Mr. Death and Ms. Traitor looked at each other. Then, they nodded in agreement.
“Oh, Ms. Traitor… I think I know who is that shadowy figure, which had blocked Shin King Kuma’s attack.”
Ms. Traitor tilted her head to one side while was listening.
The Fool rested his chin in his palm and said.
“There is a person within the Kings and Generals who got the power to block Shin King Kuma’s jab without moving backwards… He must be the sixth-seat of the Twelve Generals – Draghignazzo!”
Ms. Traitor nodded in agreement.
“Then, what about the other two of them?”
The Fool rested his chin in his palm once again and said.
“No idea! Haha…”
Ms. Traitor’s eyes narrowed to crinkled slits.
“Ugh…”
A moment later, Aoi raised a question which was roaming in her mind for a while.
“Who are the Kings and Generals?”
The Fool’s forehead puckered and said.
“The Thirteen Kings and the Twelve Generals were a group of mercenary warlords who had served the Ancients military during the First Millennium War. A few of them are good and decent person but most of them aren’t. However, that isn’t the key point. The problem which we are facing is, how many of them are working for Mr. Joker?!”
Aoi nodded vigorously.
“I see… I see… By the way, are they strong?”
“Compare to whom?”
“To you?”
The Fool sneered and flicked lint off his suit.
“Haha… Of course not.”
“What about Origin Six?”
“Oh, that would depend on whom versus whom.”
The Fool stood straighter and straightened his tie. Then, he had a quick look at his watch.
“Umm… Maybe it is the time to contact them... So, I better call them up… Let’s me see…”
The Fool took out his smartphone and glanced through his address book.
“Umm… The Fool?!”
“Oh, Aoi.”
“So, shall we get going?”
The Fool smirked at Aoi.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I totally forgot. You guys can dismiss now.”
<<< === === >>>
Soon after, Aoi and others had left the maze. The Fool picked up his smartphone and started calling up someone. Ring, ring, someone had picked up the call. It was a female voice.
“Hello. This is the Ali & Beri Law Firm.”
“Hello, how are you these days?”
“Oh… is it you?”
“Of course. It’s me.”
“Are you in trouble again?”
“Kind of…”
“What happens this time? Parking ticket? Bankruptcy? Or maybe... Pornography? Hehe…”
“Umm… Actually, how are you guys doing?”
“Oh, pretty good now. Thank you for your suggestion. And now, by running a law firm. We could officially ask the human to make a deal with the devils. Haha…”
“I see.”
“So, The Fool. What’s up for this time?”
“Umm… Beri. I think I need Ali, you and your associates helps.”
“Wow… Serious business stuff then. You know, we charge by the hours, right?”
“I know.”
“So, which multinational corporation do you want to buy off?”
“Umm… I think I cannot called that as a multinational corporation. Although, they look like one now. But their funding is support by a well-known entrepreneur.”
“Oh, really?! That’s interesting enough. Who is this guy?”
“Umm… Mr. Joker.”
Dead air on the other side of the phone.
“… … …”
“Hello?!”
No reply at all.
“… … …”
“Umm… I know, it is a hard decision for you and Ali to make.”
Still dead silent.
“… … …”
“I’m in deep shit. The whole team of Origin Six had deployed, plus several members of Crazy Seventy-Eight. But, for this time. Mr. Joker is dead serious.”
Finally, The Fool had heard a reply from Beri.
“… How serious is he?”
“Umm… This time, he hired the AstaBarb Associates to help him.”
“Dang! Dang! Dang! You should tell me at the beginning. Those freaking jerks from that law firm. No matter in this-dimension or that-dimension, Ali and I got a lot of unfinished business with them.”
“So, is that a YES?!”
“Of course, we will help. When do you need us?”
“As soon as possible.”
“Okay, no problem though. I will contact my associates after. Ali and I will come to the underground palace first. And by the way, did you meet their lawyers or associates?”
“Once, inside the Deadman Maze. They came over from the portal and tried to kidnap Lady Aoi.”
“Dang! Are they insane? Oh wait, Aoi?! Is she a girl? Don’t tell me your wife had reincarnated.”
“Umm… Not really. How should I say? She is just one third of my wife.”
“Seriously, as a friend of yours. I must remind you, you wife is dead, long time ago.”
“I understood. Anyways… So, one of their associates which I had met was Draghi.”
“Oh, that meathead on the number sixth-seat of the Twelve Generals.”
“However, there were two more of them. They were hiding their identities and I wasn’t sure who were they?!”
“Oh well, the circle is small.”
“I believe Mr. Joker still had more of those.”
“No worries. Ali and I with my associates will take care of them for you.”
“Thank you very much, my old friends.”
“Not at all. See you later in the underground palace.”
“Okay, see you.”
After the Fool had finished up the call. He was heading back to the underground palace.
<<< === === >>>
A lady was standing at the gate of the underground palace. She was expecting The Fool’s arrival.
That lady grimaced and looked at The Fool.
“The Fool, what had you done?”
The Fool looked into her eyes and smirked.
“Nothing. Ms. Batons.”
Ms. Batons narrowed her eyes.
“You gave an order to my daughter!”
“Actually, to my one third wife also.”
“Ugh…”
The Fool gawked and replied.
“Don’t worry she will be fine.”
“Why are you so sure about that?”
“It is because of you.”
Ms. Batons glowered at The Fool.
“Haha… I see. You want me to get involve too.”
“Of course, since one of them is your husband and the other one is your daughter. For sure, you will voluntarily to help out. Am I right?”
“Never mind. I will go.”
“As I expected. But, remember… You guys are facing the Three Sisters.”
Ms. Batons glanced at The Fool.
“I understood.”
Ms. Batons left the gate instantly and tried to catch up with Aoi on her way to the canyon.
<<< === === >>>
15:32
Shadow City's Western District
Highway Sixteen near Northern Canyon
A while later, Aoi, Ms. Traitor and Mr. Death had arrived near the Northern Canyon with the help of Teleportation Magic from Ms. Traitor.
Ms. Traitor looked into Aoi’s eyes and said.
“Aoi, Mr. Hermit should be at the basin of this canyon. But Mr. Death and I had to go to Town of Kensington. So, you must becareful while you are alone in there.”
“Aunt, I understood. I will be fine. Don’t worry about me.”
Ms. Traitor was fighting back her tears.
“… Oh wait, you called me your aunt.”
Aoi smiled at Ms. Traitor and then she stared at Mr. Death.
“Uncle, you will take my aunt, right?”
Mr. Death was shocked and his jaw dropped.
“Aoi, don’t call me that. I am not that old though. Especially, when I compared with your aunt… Wait! It hurts… Ms. Traitor… Umm… My lovely wife… It hurts… My young lovely wife… It will fall off!”
Ms. Traitor had twisted Mr. Death left-ear several times, while he was talking with Aoi.
Aoi looked at them in silent. A moment later, Ms. Traitor spoke once again.
“Aoi, please becareful. We got to go now.”
“Aunt, I will. See you two later.”
“Aoi, see you later.”
Soon after, Ms. Traitor and Mr. Death had left the canyon. Aoi started to travel down to the basin of the canyon in search of Mr. Hermit’s trail. Half an hour later, Aoi finally found Mr. Hermit. He was standing there with three other persons. When Aoi started heading toward him, a hand grasped her from behind. Once, Aoi turned around and she had realized that hand was from Ms. Batons.
“MOM!”
Ms. Batons put her finger on Aoi’s lips.
“Sheesh…”
Aoi’s tears shimmered in her eyes.
“Yes, Mom.”
Ms. Batons gave a strong hug to Aoi. A while later, Aoi asked.
“Mom, why are you here?”
“That stupid idiot sent you here by yourself. So, I must follow you since you are still under age.”
Aoi pouted and said.
“But I’m going to save Dad.”
Ms. Batons stared at Mr. Hermit for a moment.
“It seems your Dad is quite enjoying his current situation.”
“Huh? Why?”
Ms. Batons’ face twisted a little bit.
“Your Dad is stuck with three girls in their own dimension. Look at your Dad’s face, you see?! He is talking with those young girls.”
Aoi narrowed her eyes and asked.
“Mom, are you jealous because of those young girls?”
Ms. Batons glowered at Mr. Hermit.
“No way! Middle-aged man always likes younger girls.”
“You mean Dad also?”
Ms. Batons glowered at Mr. Hermit again.
“Impossible… If he does, then I will twist off his head instantly.”
“I Understood... Umm… Mom, then what should we do now?”
Ms. Batons observed the surroundings which was near Mr. Hermit.
“It seems there is a massive gravitational equilibrium in between your Dad and that girl who was standing at the far end. Probably, that’s why they stuck inside there for a day or so.”
Aoi glanced around the surroundings which was near Mr. Hermit.
“I see. Mom, then what should we do?”
“Aoi, now I know why that stupid idiot gave you a training on Time Magic. Umm… Aoi, you need to use your Time Magic to interfere the existence Gravity Magic. Once, the gravitational equilibrium is off balance. Then, we have a chance to save your Dad. However, we also ended up fighting against those three girls. Especially, that girl who had the Kelper’s Sphere in her hand.”
“Understood.”
Ms. Batons took out a pair of Tonfa. She looked at them closely.
“Ruyi and Jingu, please give me all of your strengths.”
Ms. Batons looked at Aoi and said.
“Aoi, those girls are called the Three Sisters. They are Ms. Sun, Ms. Moon and Ms. Star. Although, they are all magic casters. However, each of them only specialized with one school of magic. Ms. Sun is from Gravity, Ms. Moon is from Water, and Ms. Star is from Lightning. Umm… Each of them are pretty weak at close combat. But those girls are pretty strong in team battle. Especially, if they are using magic seals such as now.”
Ms. Batons gathered her thoughts and said.
“Aoi, once I get closer to your Dad. Then, you start to activate your Time Magic.”
Aoi nodded.
“Everyone will break lose once your Time Magic had interfered the Kelper’s Sphere.”
Aoi nodded again.
“Remember, you’ll be in a combat, so becareful. Once, your Dad is free. Then, your Dad and I should be able to take down those girls without any problem.”
Aoi nodded once again.
“Aoi, I’m going in now.”
Ms. Batons was heading toward Mr. Hermit, while Aoi had ready to activate her Time Magic. Once, Ms. Batons had reached Mr. Hermit. She had realized that he was flirting with the Three Sisters.
“Ms. Sun, you know what?! Let’s sit down and some tea together and we could talk about the school of Gravity Magic in detail.”
Ms. Sun looked at Mr. Hermit and replied.
“Ugh… You, middle-aged pervert! You want to date me?!”
“No, no, no, don’t get me wrong. I was trying to have a discussion on magic. You know, knowledge exchange of a technical conference. Since, both of us are from the same school of magic. I believe we should get to know each other in order to discuss our school of magic in depth.”
All of a sudden, Mr. Hermit felt a chill from his back. So, he turned his head around and saw Ms. Batons was glowering at him.
“So, Mr. Hermit. It seems you are quite happy in here. Maybe I shouldn’t come and try to save you.”
Ms. Batons’ words chilled down Mr. Hermit’s spine. He instantly apologized to Ms. Batons with his own version of explanation.
“Sorry! I was trying to trick Ms. Sun to let me out from here. Haha…”
Ms. Batons narrowed her eyes.
“Oh really?!”
“Of course. It is true.”
“Never mind. I’m leaving now.”
Ms. Batons turned around and started to leave, while Mr. Hermit was chasing after her.
“Wait! Oh… I’m free now… Wow… What happened?!”
Ms. Batons glanced over her shoulder and said.
“Aoi, is here to save you too. You, stupid old man.”
Mr. Hermit glanced around the surroundings and had realized Aoi was standing there.
“My daughter, Aoi!”
Aoi looked at Mr. Hermit.
“Hi, Dad.”
“Aoi!”
Ms. Batons stopped and looked at Ms. Sun.
“Hey, there! The three of you.”
Ms. Sun replied instantly.
“What? Old lady.”
Ms. Batons glowered at Ms. Sun and said.
“You want me twist off you head now? Or I’ll let you and your sisters go? Choose wisely.”
Ms. Sun looked at her badly injured sisters and pondered for a moment.
“We will retreat now.”
Ms. Batons glanced down at Ms. Sun.
“Good choice. You girls can leave now.”
Soon after, Ms. Batons had finished her sentence. Ms. Sun had picked up both of her sisters and the Three Sisters had left the canyon immediately. Meanwhile, Ms. Batons was still angry with Mr. Hermit.
“So, middle-aged pervert. Why are you keep following me?”
Mr. Hermit’s eyes were wet. He went over to Ms. Batons. He hugged her and tried to kiss her in front of their daughter.
“Please, please, please… My sincerely apology… Please, please, please…”
Ms. Batons narrowed her eyes and tried to push him away.
“Oh, quit that. Aoi is here.”
“Oh, sorry.”
“Never mind. What now?”
Mr. Hermit rested his chin in his palm and said.
“Probably, the Three Sisters are going to the airport and ask for help. So, we cannot linger in here.”
Ms. Batons looked at him.
“Then, where can we go? We cannot simply ignore everything which had happened inside the Shadow City.”
“I understood. Did the stupid idiot have any order for us?”
“Umm… No. He didn’t say a word when I left the palace.”
“Umm… Then, should we go back to the city? Or else?”
Aoi gave a suggestion for her parents.
“Maybe we should go to Kensington and help the others to defense.”
Both of them looked at Aoi and said.
“Aoi, you had grown.”
So, the whole Hamasaki’s family had decided to go to Town of Kensington and to defend against Mr. Joker’s army.
<<< === === >>>
15:42
Devil’s Sea
Grand Mountains of Brasil Isle
Throne Hall of Avalon Castle
Mr. Joker was sitting at his throne and was expecting someone to arrival at this moment. A while later, fifteen shadowy figures had appeared in front of him. The fifteen of them had worn the same style of white cloak with golden threads at its edges. Each of the white cloak had a golden crest on the back, and this crest was a symbol of Ancients royals and nobles.
Mr. Joker stood up from his throne and looked down to the shadowy figures. Meanwhile, the fifteen of them had split into two rows and had stood along to the long dark red floor carpet of the Throne Hall. Eight of them were on Mr. Joker’s left side and seven of them were Mr. Joker’s right side.
Afterwards, those fifteen shadowy figures had bowed down and spoke up at the same time.
“The fifteen of us, will serve our master – Deathmar Schneider the Kind! From this day to the end of Reversi War!”
Mr. Joker glanced over them and said.
“Welcome, Kings and Generals from Ancients… I, Deathmar Schneider the Kind will fulfill all of your requests, once I had won the Reversi War.”
Soon after, those fifteen shadowy figures nodded in agreement. One of the shadowy figures on the left had stepped forwards and asked.
“Our master, is it about Town of Kensington?”
Mr. Joker looked at that shadowy figure and said.
“General Barbariccia, that battle had begun several hours ago. That small town was only a decoy within my invasion plan.”
Barbariccia bowed down and replied.
“My apology, our master. I’m not wise enough.”
“Don’t worry, General Barbariccia. I have another order for all of you.”
“I see, our master. Then, what is your order?”
Mr. Joker pondered for a moment and then said.
“Haha… We cannot call this a WAR, if it only has one battlefront. So, we should create more…”
Mr. Joker paused and glanced at the fifteen shadowy figures again.
Then, one of the shadowy figures on the right had stepped forwards and asked.
“Our master, you want us to attack… The Fool?!”
Mr. Joker laughed, then said.
“Haha… King Astaroth, you are always the smartest one among all.”
Astaroth bowed and replied.
“Our master, Thank you for your compliment.”
Afterwards, Mr. Joker sat down onto his throne and said.
“It is all up to you… To invade where and when, I will let all of you to decide. But, the main objective is…”
Astaroth and Barbariccia had spoken out at the same time.
“Keep him at bay!”
Mr. Joker grinned from ear to ear.
“Excellent! Then, I will leave that stupid idiot to all of you… By the way, I had received an intel, which was about Queen Berith and General Alichino.”
Astaroth tilted his head and said.
“Our master, I guess, both of them are helping The Fool in this war.”
“You are correct, King Astaroth.”
Astaroth bowed down and said.
“Our master, the fifteen of us will take care of those so-called Kings and Generals of First Millennium War.”
Mr. Joker waved at the fifteen shadowy figures in dismissal.
“Good enough.”
The fifteen shadowy figures bowed and then disappeared.
<<< === === >>>
15:56
North of Town of Kensington (Two miles away)
Command Post of Killer Corporation from This-world (This Inc.)
Mr. Conquest and his team were inside a tent at the top of a small hill, while an Orc Scout was rushing into the tent. The Orc Scout had kneeled in front of them and spoke out.
“Status Report! Our frontline had reached at the one mile range near from the town.”
Mr. Conquest stared at the Orc Scout and said.
“Umm... Good enough. Just keep on pushing to the town’s border. Very soon, their defense will run out of stamina and ammunition. Once, our undead army had reached the town’s border. Origin Six will not take the risk to use their massive destruction skills without killing any human in town.”
Mr. Conquest turned to Ms. War and asked.
“Ms. War, when will our main troop arrive?”
“Mr. Conquest, according Mr. Devil’s plan and his latest update. He and his team will arrive within an hour.”
“Excellent! The town will be ours before sunset. Haha…”
Mr. Famine looked heavenward and then he suddenly spoke out.
“Mr. Conquest, maybe we should send the Suits Armors now.”
“Why? Mr. Famine.”
“I just received a message from our intelligences. They had found out the town’s reinforcement had arrived several minutes ago.”
“How many of them?”
“Two.”
“Tch… Origin Six again. The Fool is so naive. He always thinks his Origin Six can sort out everything for him… Nevertheless, we will start deploying all four divisions of Suits Armors at 16:15… Mr. Famine and Ms. War, please assists them.”
Mr. Famine and Ms. War had replied together.
“It is our pleasures.”
Then, Mr. Conquest continued.
“We shall break through their defense line within an hour. When Mr. Devils and his team had arrived, we shall launch the final attack to the town. Haha…”
Mr. Conquest’s face twisted into a horrible rictus of a smile.
<<< === === >>>
16:02
Emptiness (Fifth Dimension)
Basin of Shangri-La (City of Light)
Valhalla Terrace from Underground Palace of Tir-na-hOige
Valhalla Terrace was a memorial that honored Kings and Generals who had died in the First Millennium War, which located on the eastern edge of the outer court. The memorial’s exterior composed of circular marble steps, a porch, a circular colonnade of ionic order columns and a shallow dome. Its interior had a ten feet tall marble statue of Deathmar Schneider the Great along with the panel of Kings and Generals portraits. In the front of the marble status, there was a long tea table and twelve armchairs.
At the moment, The Fool was sitting in one of the twelve armchairs at the long tea table. He was enjoying his afternoon tea break, while a group of ten persons were approaching the memorial. Soon after, the group of ten persons had entered the structure. The Fool stood up and started his greeting.
“Wow… All of you are here. Haha… Have a sit, please… How is everyone doing?”
The group stared at The Fool for a moment. Then, they sat down onto the armchairs.
“Umm… Ali and Beri, what’s up lately?”
Berith smiled and said.
“Now, we are all here. So, what is your order?”
The Fool pondered for a while, then said.
“What do you guys think?”
Alichino stared at The Fool and said.
“Seriously, is that thing still in your head or what? Are you still acting? Or you got some sort of brain damage since the First Millennium War?!”
The Fool pouted, while Alichino turned to Berith and said.
“Sigh… Why is he pouting? Sigh… Beri, he has no hope.”
Berith looked at The Fool and replied.
“Ali, I’m not sure. But if the rumor is true. Then, he really is The Fool… Oh, I mean Deathmar Schneider the Cruel.”
Alichino’s eyes were wet when he was talking.
“But, Beri… I’m not saying he isn’t Deathmar Schneider the Cruel… Umm… I’m trying to say he should wake up now… You know, I’m his long time old friend, I worry about his mental condition rather than this stupid war.”
Berith looked at The Fool again.
“The Fool, everyone in here knew you for a very long time. We always believe in you and your leadership. Everyone in here worries about you. I’m sorry, but I have to say it again. Your wife is dead and she won’t come back. Although, her memories had transferred to Servant and also to that girl too. However, those two aren’t Adamantha Eldritch. Please wake up now.”
The Fool looked heavenward and said.
“Queen Berith and also General Alichino… I am fine… I know what I’m doing. But right at this moment, by seeing all of you guys in here. I had felt a little bit of sorrow… All of the armchairs supposed to be filled up, but there is one left open which is beside mine… The dead people which are inside those portraits over there, but they are now sitting at this tea table with me...
Should I just call this meeting off?! Such that, everyone can go home peacefully… Should I just let Mr. Joker takes over the dimension?! Such that, everyone will not get involved once again…
Queen Berith, I can tell you right now about that rumor… Yes, it is true… And General Alichino, you are right, my wife’s death is still roaming inside my mind all the time…
I knew, this is my destiny to battle against Mr. Joker. But I’m not sure about everyone in here. Maybe, it isn’t your destiny after all.”
The Fool stood up and looked at everyone around the tea table. Suddenly, Berith had realized something. Then, she smiled and said
“Oh well, The Fool… For us, it is too late to turn our backs on you now.”
Alichino looked at Berith and he also had realized the same thing as Berith did. Hence, Alichino laughed and said.
“Beri, is right. Haha… It is too late now… So, the ten of us will serve under your flag until our deaths had come.”
Meanwhile, everyone around the tea table had also realized the same thing as Alichino and Berith did. Such that, all of them nodded in agreement. A moment later, The Fool smiled at everyone and said.
“I should not call you guys. So, none of you guys would come here. Then, nothing would happen at all.”
Everyone closed their eyes and laughed together.
“Haha… It is too late now. But we don’t have any regret. Haha…”
Then, everyone asked The Fool.
“Our master, what is your order?”
The Fool waved at everyone in dismissal, when he was slowly walking towards the porch of the memorial and said.
“Let’s defend our palace.”
Everyone bowed and then disappeared at once.
<<< === === >>>
On the other hand, a group of fifteen shadowy figures had come through from the portal, which was inside Deadman Maze. Several minutes later, the fifteen of them had passed through Mazandaran Labyrinth and were heading toward Underground Palace of Tir-na-hOige.
