Endless Wars: being the most OP in the world of OP is a bother

DIFFERENT FONT STYLES USED:

“STORYLINE” “‘SPECIAL SKILLS OR MOVES’” “SPEAKER” “SPEECH” “THOUGHT”

Warning: This story contains scenes of violence, character death and strong language which some readers may find disturbing. Read at your own discretion.

SCENE: Unknown

Several people, shrouded in the darkness of the room, sit around in what looks like a meeting room. They discuss amongst themselves about the recent break-in at one of their bases.

Unknown 1: So, it’s true that base five was broken into, then.

Unknown 2: Indeed, it seems someone had managed to get passed the security and all the agents, snuck into the research labs and made away with many of our data and samples.

Unknown 3: (tapping their chin) Hmm, I think we all know who’s behind this.

Unknown 4: Yes. They’ve been a thorn in our sides for too long. I suggest it’s finally time deal with them for good.

Unknown 5: I agree.

Unknown 2: We’ll also have to accelerate our plans now.

Unknown 3: Very well. We should assemble every available agent to deal with this situation.

Unknown 6: Then it’s decided. We’ll call for reinforcements from the other nine bases in state.

SCENE: Rising Star Academy

Laz: (voice over) ‘METAHUMANS’. It’s a term that means ‘beyond human’; it’s used to describe the current state of mankind. Why do we call ourselves that you ask? Because we are essentially a race of humans that have surpassed almost all limits of the normal man; and our most redeeming and noticeable feature is our ability to utilize awesome superhuman powers and abilities called ‘SPECIAL SKILLS’. These skills make us powerful, and they’re what distinguish us from normal humans, ancient man. No one knows where these abilities came from, why or how they even exist; the earliest known sighting a special skill was 13,000 years ago, when a levitating baby was born. That baby would eventually grow up to be a great and famous person, using their flight skill to help people world-wide; sometime later, more metas were born and they grew up and got married, their kids were also born as metas as well, and so on until all of mankind became a metahuman race. We’ve developed into possessing superior minds and bodies, acquiring superhuman physique, intelligence, recovery and even an absolute immunity to diseases and allergies; among other things.

The CHAPTER begins at RSA high school, where two boys walk into the premises. One has medium-length, golden-blond hair with natural highlights, and a long lock going down the left side of his face to his chin, barely concealing his eye and some side bangs framing his face. Alongside this he had fair skin with a tint complexion and bluebell eyes; he was rather handsome. His outfit consisted of a purple long-sleeved jacket over a t-shirt that was brown on the upper half and white on the lower, navy jeans, white sneakers with black highlights with a flower logo on each, a pair of pale brown gloves, a deep blue and pale black striped scarf, and white wide-brim hat which had a black band around the crown, and a tiny heterosexual pride flag attached to it. The strange thing about his appearance was the extra accessory he had with him, not the scarf or hat or even the khaki satchel he slung over his left shoulder, but the wooden sword less than partially sheathed in a holster of sorts, attached by a belt strap at left side of his waist. He is currently wearing a white schoolbag with only one strap.

The boy with him, a young male of the same age in terms of birthyear. He stands at equal height, give or take a few inches and has a pretty athletic build, though it can’t be seen much through his clothing. He has sandy-toned skin with a tint complexion, slightly tousled but mostly combed short black hair with electric blue-dyed tips and matching blue eyes; his face fairly handsome, either because of or in spite of the constant look of apathy and disinterest he always has on, like he’s bored of life itself. He wears a black t-shirt with a ‘Genshin Impact’ logo written in electric blue on the chest; over it is a pale blue denim jacket. He also sports a pair of khaki trousers, fastened by a black belt and a pair of white dress shoes. He is carrying a gray book bag.

They suddenly stop upon hearing a commotion and look up to see two other boys fighting.

Zak: (angrily) You bumped into me on purpose, you *sshole.

Ian: (visibly pissed) Get over yourself shock boy, you’re always looking for an excuse to start something.

The first two boys watch as the other two boys, both also teens, death-glare daggers at each other for the umpteenth time with enough intensity to have killed if they could.

Neil: (clearly annoyed and exasperated; sighing while bringing a hand to his face) Oh man, Ian and Zak, those two are at it again. What is this; like the third time this week?

The boy “Zak” has short blue hair and red eyes, while “Ian” has medium-length dark hair and grey eyes. The most notable thing about Ian’s appearance is that he has a pair of large red exoskeletal armored scorpion pincers in place of his arms and a long tail to match protruding from his backside.

Zak: Ugh, you’re really starting to pissed me off bug boy.

Zak’s own body instantly gets enveloped in a lightning aura-cloak, making him look like a humanoid lightning-elemental; his clothes and skin turning shades of electric blue and his hair turning white. Both boys lunge for each other. Ian throws a right hook at Zak who effortlessly dodges it and fires a bolt of lightning back at him. It hit Ian square, electrifying him. The scorpion boy then unleashes a rapid-fire tail attack at Zak who just kepes evading every strike with his electrically-enhanced speed.

Zak then leaps forward at Ian with a lightning ball ready in his right hand.

Suddenly the fight comes to halt as something crashes in-between the two fighters, causing Zak to recoil to his original spot. The two boys’ eyes widen in surprise and fear at the sight of what - or rather who landed in front of them: a young man who looks in his last couple of teen years stands before them. His hair and skin are shades of blue-grey and his eyes are green and glowing.

Ian and Zak: (scared) D-D-D-Draco?

Draco: (calm and collected yet still stern and imposing) You know just for one day, for a single week I’d like to come to school and NOT make separating you two a regular part of daily routine. Besides, even if you MUST fight, not at the school entrance. There’re designated battlegrounds on campus.

Both: (still scared) S-S-S-Sorry.

Zak powers down, and though Ian’s scorpion parts don’t change, he also visibly withdraws. Draco also powers down afterwards; his hair and skin returning to normal as his eye glows faded out. The boy “Draco” is a teen with short, neatly-combed amaranth-silver hair and tanned skin. He has light-green eyes and wears a short-sleeved, dark-gray hoodie with a pair of blue jeans and black sneakers; on the face of his left wrist is a black dot.

Draco: Both of you to the principal’s office NOW.

Both: (now even more scared) Y-Y-Yes Sir.

Zak and Ian immediately leave and Draco turns to the crowd.

Draco: The rest of you, what are looking at? Get to class.

Neil: (nonchalantly, speaking coolly and apathetically as his face depicted) A commanding presence as always. (They begin walking to their class)

Laz: Hey Neil, I’m heading to the new arcade later this evening after dinner, wanna join?

Neil: Nah, I’ve got plans with, I already promised to meet up with her after school, no time today.

Laz: That’s too bad.

TIME: Later after school.

Laz waves bye to Neil who waves back as he walks off, a sky-blue-haired girl beside him. His chauffer arrives to pick him up. He gets in and the car drives off, unknown to anyone a pair of eyes were watching him.

Laz: Afternoon Ruckus.

Ruckus: (in an elegant and proper manner) Good Afternoon Sir.

Laz: Head home quickly Ruckus, I can’t wait to see ma meré, she promised me she’d have dinner with me today before her business trip tomorrow.

Ruckus: Um, about that…Madam already left for her trip this afternoon.

Laz: (shocked, screams) WHAT?! (speaking frantically) No way, NO! Not…NOT POSSIBLE. She…she promised me, she wouldn’t…

Ruckus: (apologetically) I drove her to the spaceport myself… I’m sorry.

Laz: Stop the car.

Ruckus: (surprised) But…

Laz: (yells demandingly) NOW RUCKUS!

The tone of his voice telling that it wasn’t a request. Hesitantly, the car came to a halt. Laz stepped out angrily.

Ruckus: (clearly anxious) Master La rose.

He however wasn’t in the mood to talk or even listen to reason.

Laz: I want to be alone Ruckus. (he walks off, Ruckus not being able to do anything but watch)

Laz walks home along the road, an upset look on his face as he continuously tried without success to contact his mother. Actually, upset was the euphemistic way of putting it, he was utterly distraught; this wasn’t first, second or even tenth time his mother had done this. Time and time again, his mother had flaked on him, thwarting his every attempt to grow closer to her. Since an early age, his mother has always neglected him, while she did provide the basic necessities of food, shelter, education, entertainment and interaction with other kids his age; but as far paying him any attention was concerned, he left bare. Everyday, he is forced to eat his meals, breakfast, lunch and dinner all by himself; two rows of empty seats and a lone adjacent one at opposite end of the table, his only companions. As he walks he tries for the umpteenth time to call his mother on his smartphone that is literally made entirely out of purple-colored glass.

Ms. La rose: (voicemail) I’m sorry, I can’t come to the phone right now. If it’s important please contact my assistant, Nathaniel. (he sighs in defeat)

A few yards away a mysterious figure watches him as walks. The man stalks him with a pair of binoculars as he reads his profile on a glass tablet.

Mysterious man: (speaking into a comm link) Yes, I see him. Blond hair, blue eyes, fair skin, 6’7”, age: 16. It’s the boy alright; and yes, he’s alone.

Male: (over comm) Fantastic! Proceed immediately.

Mysterious man: Copy that commander.

Laz disappointedly puts his phone inside his pocket just as an older woman walked up to him.

Woman: Excuse my dear but, do have the time?

Laz: Sure. (he reached back into his pocket to get his phone back out, completely unaware that he was currently being aimed at from afar until…)

GLEAM!

Laz: ...?! (suddenly feels a strange sensation, like a pulse wave had just been shot right through his body) What was that?

Woman: (suddenly looking nervous) What was what?

Laz: (almost as quickly as it came, the strange feeling seems to vanish) No, nothing, never mind. (brings out his phone and looks at screen) Five minutes after three.

Woman: Thank you. (she quickly walks away)

Laz: No problem. (managing a small smile as he continued on his own way)

Suddenly Laz notices as he continued to walk that he is being followed, he paces faster and the faster he does the faster his pursuers do too until he decides ‘enough of this game of follow the leader’.

Laz: (turning around, hand on the wooden sword that always seems to literally be by his side ready to be drawn for battle) Alright, who are you people and why are you following me? Crazy fans? (his voice as stern and demanding as earlier with Ruckus, he was already really pissed because of his mother and now it was as if the universe was just adding insult to injury)

One of the pursuers charges at him with knife in hand, he pulls out his sword, which is carved from the tip of the blade to the base of the handle out of reddish-brown wood and made in the shape of a traditional medieval sword, black wrapping around the handle. On the blade is the inscription: A tou Ω, written in black. Laz blocks the it with the wooden blade of his sword which takes absolutely no damage; not that the same can be said about the knife which despite being made of actual metal and sharpened as such, it breaks into two upon impact like it was a cookie. Laz then swings the blade like a real sword, sending the man flying ways away.

Laz: Hmm, I don’t think these are fans.

Another lunges at him with a hand turned into a tiger claw, Laz parries it with his free hand and guts the guy with one knee making him rear back in pain. Someone charges from Laz’s blind spot and stabs his left arm with a knife, dragging it down his wrist and ripping his sleeve from the wrist down. The blond-haired boy, caught unaware by the sudden attack, screams in pain before swing his right foot towards the head of his attacker, knocking them into the wall of a nearby building.

Laz: How did she sneak up on me? And how did it hurt?

He places his sword in his left hand and rips the knife out his forearm, utilizing both weapons for combat. He pauses for moment to focus his will on the wound on his arm but nothing happens, much to his shock.

Laz: (shocked) What?! Why isn’t it healing? What’s going on?

Taking advantage of his distraction, another assailant speeds up from behind him and ground-pounds his back, he falls to ground as he coughs out blood. He looks back at the assailant as they thrust a right fist forward to finish the job only for Laz to catch the fist with his legs and spin, maneuvering their position to trap them in an armbar that would any MMA fighter or pro-wrestler proud. He would then proceed to break their arm in two in one fell swoop.

Laz: Yeah, definitely not fans. Gah! What’s happening? Why aren’t wounds healing?

He then proceeds to grab the two blades and staggers to his feet, his vision slowly becoming hazy. Fear starting to grip him now; not because he’s being attacked but because he knows what his hazy vision means, he’s losing consciousness. He definitely doesn’t want to collapse in the midst of people who were clearly after his life. Two people grab him from behind and third one comes up as he was struggling with them, distracted by the two holding him. He stabs Laz in the neck with a syringe gun, injecting him with a strange glowing black and white serum. Using the last of his strength, Laz forces them off of himself and takes to a peculiar sword stance.

Laz: ‘SPECIAL SWORD STYLE: ROTATING LOTUS’

He spins around, striking everyone present with his sword, knocking them back, but not out. He runs off before they could regain their bearings, leaving both his schoolbag and hat behind; both of which he’d dropped during the fight. He runs into more people on his way, luckily though they are just random civilians but he doesn’t care; he just keeps running, pushing people out his way until bumps into one of them.

Civilian 1: (concerned) Young man are you ok?

Civilian 2: Hey, it that kid ok?

Civilian 3: (gasps) Isn’t that Lazarus La rose? What happened to him?

Civilian 4: He looks hurt.

Not even answering the question directed specifically to him, Laz just pushes himself off them and keeps running, he then leaps into the air only to land back on his feet. Surprised, he tries again, only to be met with the same result.

Laz: (bewildered and slightly panicked) What?! Why can’t I fly?

Undeterred, he keeps on running, panting heavily until he makes it to a large mansion with cream-white walls, coal-black roofing and a matching box-shaped fence enclosing it, with a silver gate in front. He taps a black tablet on the wall a fence post repeatedly and frantically until a voice comes out.

Emilia: (over intercom) Hello?

Laz: (amidst heavy panting) Emilia, it’s me.

Emilia: (over intercom) Master Lazarus?

They scoot apart, opening for Laz to enter. The front door of the house opens up to reveal an older and taller woman, about a few full feet taller than Laz. She has medium-length, caramel-brown hair, olive green eyes and pecan skin. Protruding from the sides of her head are a pair black ox-like horns that curve into circular shapes. She dresses in a typical black and white maid outfit, complete with a pair of white wrist cuffs and a pair of black slip-ons.

Emilia: Master--? (gasps in horror at Laz’s condition) M-MASTER LAZARUS! (breaks into a mad dash to her master)

Laz: (shakily) Emilia… (he collapses to floor just as Emilia reaches him, catching his head just before it hit the floor. He’d reaches his limit)

Emilia: (scared and worried) Master Lazarus, what--?

Laz: (weakly) Emilia…call…Kyle. (he passes out)

Emilia: (now even more scared and worried) Master Lazarus? MASTER LAZARUS?!

TIME: About 10 minutes later.

A young man in his late teens runs in through the open gates of the mansion. He has sandy skin and short snow-white hair, neatly combed back with some locks resting over his forehead, two longer ones going down his face just past his sunlight-yellow eyes at their outer corners. He wears a white dress shirt under a green cashmere jacket fastened with golden buttons down the middle and golden cufflinks at the wrists, white dress pants, white gloves, black slip-ons, with a red cravat around his neck, a gold and diamond star-shaped pin attached to it. In addition, he also wore a boat captain’s hat, a fire opal ring on the ring finger of his right hand, as well as a glass watch, and five silver rings on his left; each ring having a different colored jewel on it, being from thumb to little finger, green, purple, white, blue and red.

Kyle runs in to find Emilia clutching unto Laz, desperately like letting go would cause him to just disappear.

Kyle: (shocked by Laz’s condition) What…what happened to him?

Emilia: (crying worriedly) I don’t know. He just came home like this.

I don’t understand, Ruckus was supposed to bring him back so why did he come back alone? (turning to Kyle) Please Lord Kyleo, do something to him.

Kyle: I would if I could but I don’t have any skills that can help here, but I do know someone who does. (he reaches into his pocket and brings out a phone, one not dissimilar from Laz’s with the only changes being that it was made from green glass. He dials a number and places the phone to his ear) Hello Candy? Yes, it’s me, can get over to Laz’s place? Quickly.

Several more minutes later, two more people had shown up, one being a young teenage green-haired girl, presumably the one known as Candy and the other Neil, whom was with her at the time she was called. Both boys stand over the two females and Laz as if guarding and watching as he is being healed. Emilia, crouched on her knees, clings on to him as Candy fires consistent beams of green energy from her hands at him, the green energy enveloping the entirety of his body as his wounds close up; her eyes closed in concentration.

As this goes on, Kyle tries to wrap his head around this whole thing. Laz is one strongest people he knows, and as world traveler and beyond, he knows a lot of strong people; he’d personally sparred with Laz multiple before and he would put Laz in the top five of the strongest people both in and out of the world. His strength, while not to the actual full extent, was something almost all of humanity knew of, so it made no sense to see him in such a defeated state. He wonders ‘who could’ve done this?’, ‘who COULD do this?’, even without his special skills, Laz could take down hordes of formidable opponents all on his own; his naturally enhanced physique and mastery of the blade being all he needed. Kyle needs only one hand to count the number of people he knows that could actually even go toe-to-toe with Laz, let alone win, himself included; but two of them are dead and the others aren’t even in the country.

After what feels like an eternity, but is really just five minutes, Candy finishes. She opens her glowing bluebell eyes to look up at her friends.

Candy: Alright, I’m done.

Kyle: Why isn’t he waking up?

Candy: I’m not sure. All his wounds are healed, aren’t they? (she gestures to Laz while speaking to Emilia) May I?

Reluctantly, Emilia lets go of him, letting Candy hold him, supporting his head with her left arm. Her right palm begins emitting an emerald-green glow. She then begins waving her hand over his body, back and forth, as if it were a hand-held scanner.

Emilia: What is she doing?

Neil: Scanning for injuries?

She finally pauses at the side of his neck, where the hole from the injection is.

Kyle: (seeing the wound, furrowing his eyes) What’s that?

Neil: It looks like an injection wound.

Kyle: (rolling his eyes) No sh*t, I meant why is it there?

Candy: (firing a beam to heal the wound) No clue, but maybe it has something to do with this. (raises his left arm to show them his wrist)

All three instantly grow shocked to see what is on it. On the face of his wrist, just above his palm is a black mark, in the shape of a 6-point star. The mark itself isn’t what shocked them but that it is slowly turning white from the center outward.

Emilia: (terrified) H-H-His meta-mark’s turning white. Why is that happening?

Candy: He’s been…poisoned.

The shocked only intensifies at this statement.

Neil: (surprised) Poisoned? But how? By whom?

Kyle: Even if he were, Laz is immune to poison, it shouldn’t be make him unconscious like this.

Candy: You’re right, so I don’t understand what’s happening.

Emilia: (desperate) But you can cure it, right?

Candy: I’ve being trying to but it’s not working for some reason. Sorry, but this is beyond my powers; you’ll have get someone else.

Neil: But you’re one of the best healers around.

Candy: Not at the moment apparently. (letting down Laz gently) You’ll have get someone better, or with a higher-leveled healing skill, sorry.

Kyle: (sighs) It’s alright, you’ve already done enough.

Candy gets up and powers down. Candy is tall, beautiful, adolescent girl, though still about a head shorter than the boys, but with long legs and peach skin. Her long, wavy, emerald-green hair reverts back to its natural sky-blue color and her eye glows dim out, leaving regular bluebell eyes; and a meta-mark of her own on her left wrist, with shape of three triangles aligned together, facing by their bottom edges so that each one points away from the others. She wears a white crop-top via thin spaghetti-straps, a black blazer with a dark-grey interior worn over it; the sleeves rolled up just above her elbows. Alongside these, is a pair of pale-silver jean-shorts that stop halfway down her thighs, fastened by a black belt, tan, lace-up boots and rose-gold stud earrings.

At that moment, Candy’s phone rings, alerting her of a text she just received.

Candy: (reads the message, sighs) It’s my folks. They need at the shop.

Neil: Go, we’ll handle things from here.

Candy: Ok, bye. (waving off as she leaves)

Kyle: Who could’ve poisoned Laz? And what kind of poison could possibly affect him at his level?

Neil: No idea, but it probably has something to do with how he got beaten so badly.

Emilia: (distraught) Is he going to ok?

Kyle: We don’t know, but figure something out. For now, can you carry him to his room?

Emilia nods before giving a slight bow, she proceeds to lift Laz up and carries him bridal style up the stairs to his room. As the two boys watch her leave Neil couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt.

Neil: (gritting his teeth) Dammit! I say no to his invite once and he winds up on death’s doorstep, what the hell is going on?

Turning his gaze to the floor, Kyle sees Laz’s sword and the bloody knife he brought with him. It is a chrome-colored blade of an odd design, being a slight mix of squiggly and straight, with a blue, ceramic handle. Kneeling down, he picks it up and examines it closely.

TIME: Later that evening

The cool night breeze blows through the sky, the building “La rose manor” silent as a grave it always, be it day or night, all personnel inside sound asleep. Kyle and Neil had elected to stay at Laz’s place until he woke up. La rose manor, as incredulous as it sounded, doesn’t have a guestroom. Kyle had once questioned the absurdity of a mansion not having a guestroom, to which Laz just nonchalantly replied that because the owner, his mother, didn’t like having guests. Because of this reason, both boys are forced to sleep in the meeting room of the manor, sitting upon the chairs while resting their heads upon the table, blankets provided for them by the maid; it is either that or sleeping on the stairs.

Emilia herself, stayed in Laz’s room to watch over him, a single chair as her only means of comfort. Kyle had tried to convince her to go to her room, but she refused to leave his side; she is his personal maid, hired specifically to take care of him, after all, so she wouldn’t rest until he was okay.

SCENE: Just outside the manor

A van pulls up outside the gates as several people stepped out and scale over the walls of the fence to get into the La rose compound. Aiming a device at the building they fire.

GLEAM!

The same pulse wave that shot Laz’s body earlier now shoots through the walls and rooms of the building, through the bodies of the people inside.

SCENE: Inside the meeting room

Kyle and Neil sleep peacefully, sitting closely to eachother, unaware what was happening just outside the four walls of the manor…or what was about to happen inside. A portal opens up on the floor in the room and a man emerges from it, his face covered with a mask that hid it from the nose down to conceal his identity. He stalks up to Kyle, raising his right hand which bears a knife ready to strike. At just that moment, Neil stirs awake, seeing the masked stranger and he is about to do, he instinctively jerks his arm forward to block it.

Neil: (blocking the knife with his left arm) KYLE! (it pierces right into his arm, he gets up and sucker-punches the intruder hard)

Kyle: (jolting awake) Huh? What’s going on?

Neil: Kyle wake up, look.

Kyle: (seeing the situation) WHOA! (getting up to check on Neil) Are you ok?

Neil: (yanking the knife out of his arm) Yeah kinda; but man, that really hurts.

Kyle: Well yeah it hurts, you just got stabbed with a-- (cuts himself short looking at the knife in Neil’s hand, taking it in his own to inspect it)

Neil: (confused) What?

Kyle: Neil, this is the same knife Laz had with him.

Neil: (surprised) You mean…?

Kyle: (nods) Yeah! (turns to the intruder) This guy’s somehow involved with what happened to Laz. (pounces on top of him, holding him down via a hand around his throat)

Emilia walks into the room groggily, they turn to her then back to the man, no one even noticing for a second that her horns are gone.

Emilia: (sleepily, rubbing a fist over her right eye while giving of a slight yawn) What’s happening here? (noticing the man, now fully awake) Who’s this?

Neil: Emilia, good timing. We believe this guy’s somehow has something to do with Laz’s condition.

Emilia: (turning her full attention to the intruder, her emotions of surprise and confusion being replaced with ones of anger and seriousness) Who are you and what have you done to Master Lazarus?

Kyle: Are you deaf? She asked you a question.

Intruder 1: (struggling to speak because of Kyle’s strangling hold) I’ll—never--tell you--anything.

Neil: (never losing the sense of enigma created by the air of coolness and apathy in his voice) Oh, I think you will, or rather, you’d do yourself a favor to. See, you harmed one of our own, and that’s unforgiveable. So, you can either tell us what we want to now, or never speak at all again. And trust us, we can get that information either way.

Kyle: Hmm, something doesn’t make sense hear. There’s no way Laz could possibly loose to a guy like this unless-- (eyes widen in shock and realization, turning to the others) Neil, Emilia, head to Laz’ room, now!

Neil: (surprised) What?!

Kyle: GO!

The two run up the stairs of the main entrance to the hallway of Laz’s bedroom, opening the door to find two equally masked individuals trying abduct a still unconscious Laz.

Neil: (bewildered) HEY!

Emilia: (horrified) MASTER LAZARUS!

Neil charges forward at the kidnappers, another man and a woman, whom had dropped Laz upon being startled. Neil delivers a powerful right kick to the man’s skull before jamming an elbow into the gut of his partner, causing fly back a few paces; something that Neil notes is strange. Even stranger, he observes as Emilia goes to check on Laz, that they are still conscious, if a little dazed.

Neil: Hmm, strange. Those hits should have been enough to incapacitate them, why are they still moving.

The woman gets up first, not suffering from a slight concussion like her partner. A streak of blue light releases from her body like a trail as she charges at Neil with inhuman speed, leaving an afterimage in her previous position.

Intruder 2: (yelling as she throws a hard, right fist) HAAYAA!

Neil: (caught off-guard a bit) …!

Neil raises his arms over his chest as a shield.

WHAM!

Neil gets sent flying with one direct hit. He landed several feet away, landing on his back. He gets up, inspecting his arms, he finds them badly bruised which is unusual, as his natural high defense should have protected him from a blow that was more speed than strength. That said, he also notices that wound still hurts a lot, despite not being that serious. With his durability and recovery, it should hurt so much.

Neil: Strength seems to be depleted for some reason.

Emilia screams and he looks up to see the man, now fully recovered, towering over Emilia and Laz.

Neil: (concerned for their safety) …!

Intruder 2: Always keep your eyes on your opponent. (she charges for another punch, only for Neil to parry it this time with his left hand and sock her in the face with his right) Guh!

He races to the other one as the man’s right palm emits a golden-orange glow.

Neil: Darn! Even my speed has dropped. What’s happening?  Hey!

The assailant turns his body over to Neil and fires a beam of hot plasma at Neil, who leaps into the air to dodge, spinning, he extends his foot out upon landing; striking the man face first with his foot, giving another concussion.

Neil: (to Emilia) Are you alright? (she nods, her expression one of gratitude, before turning to one of terror)

Emilia: (crying out) Lord Neil, look out!

Neil: Huh? (turns too late to see a fist of blue energy collide with his chest, launching him into a wall, knocking him out for a bit) Gah!

Emilia: Lord Neil!

The first man from downstairs had managed to escape Kyle and had come to help his comrades.

Intruder 1: (grinning wickedly, he walks menacingly to Laz and her) Well, looks like the two boys are out commission, now I’ll just take the La rose boy and leave.

Emilia: (hugging Laz closer to her) No! don’t come any closer.

Intruder 1: Don’t be stupid lady, no one can save you now.

Kyle: (from behind him) Oh no?

SCENE: Just outside the manor, in the van

Another figure sits in the passenger seat of the vehicle, mask covering his face, similarly like those of the others. He grows impatient; it shouldn’t be taking this long to capture an unconscious body or eliminate any still-conscious residents.

Masked man: Hmm, maybe I should go see what’s taking so long.

The scene fades to black as the CHAPTER ends.

STORY CONTINUES IN CHAPTER: 2 (DISABLED)

Stat Bonus:

Zak’s stats:

Skill(s): Lightning Aura

Level: 4.0

Str: 41 Mob: 52 Int: 28 Atk: 55 Def: 36 Rcy: 27

Ian’s stats:

Skill(s): Scorpioid

Level: 4.0

Str: 49 Mob: 45 Int: 28 Atk: 53 Def: 40 Rcy: 25

Intruder 3’s stats:

Skill(s): Plasma Shot

Level: 1.3

Str: 10 Mob: 10 Int: 10 Atk: 30 Def: 10 Rcy: 10

Intruder 1’s stats:

Skill(s): Transportals, Rocket Fist

Level: 1.8

Str: 10 Mob: 40 Int: 10 Atk: 30 Def: 10 Rcy: 10

Intruder 2’s stats:

Skill(s): Afterimage

Level: 2.0

Str: 10 Mob: 40 Int: 10 Atk: 30 Def: 20 Rcy: 10