3 WEEKS LATER

  ETERNAL TOWER - 50TH FLOOR

  EVERNIGHT, NAZENDEL - 7:11 AM

  In the heart of the Eternal Tower, four individuals stand in a room with a gigantic monitor. These four individuals are none other than Damon Estreval, Trent Omega, Brian Mathers and the hooded man, presumed to be Jason Diaz.

  Damon, holding a remote, faces the three.

  “Now that you’re all aware of the pitiful attempt on my life, could any of you guess the culprits before I reveal them? Those who answer correctly will be amply rewarded” Damon announces.

  “Was it Project B?” Brian asks as Damon shakes his head.

  “Unfortunately I lost contact with Bivelli a few weeks ago. The last thing he told me was that he had trapped four Palladium members in a motel. I’m sure you can guess his fate, as he hasn’t responded since.”

  “He might have underestimated them. Even I can admit I’m no match for a bunch of A-Ranks.” Brian replies. Trent laughs soon afterwards, prompting stares from the three before giving his own answer.

  “Was it Project E?” Trent asks as Damon turns to the screen, pressing a button on the remote. A close up of Zack Evergreen fighting an elite soldier in the rain pops up on the screen as Trent laughs even harder.

  “Brilliant! What do I get?”

  “Now, now, Trent; Evergreen isn’t the only culprit. Any other guesses?” Damon invites as Trent and Brian are left to think.

  “Rage.” The hooded man softly speaks.

  “Oh, that’s just cheating. You see, Jason here was the one who weeded them out in the first place.” States Damon, pressing another button that reveals Tyson and Entro Gruff as Zack’s accomplices. Jason takes off his hood, unveiling his partially disfigured face. Under his eyes lie several stitches of skin held together like a spider web. Peeking out of the gaps are lumps of crimson, red flesh.

  “Apologies, boss. I just really wanted that reward.” Jason says in a sinister tone.

  “Ask and you shall receive. Trent, I believe you’ll find the reward quite enjoyable as well.” Says Damon, turning to Trent who smiles deviously.

  “Sorry Brian, but a deal’s a deal. Don’t worry, I’m sure I’ll have something for you to do.” Damon continues as Brian nods subserviently.

  “So what’s the reward?” Trent asks impatiently. Damon presses another button as the screen changes into an image of a flower shop in the middle of a greenery. Above the flower shop lies a sign titled:

  NEVERGLOW

  “Upon checking our records, this flower shop in Lutherford was named under Nia Friedman. Does that name ring a bell?”

  “That was your secretary, the one who took over after that whore Lily Winchester resigned.” Trent answers.

  “Correct! Zack Evergreen was spotted entering this flower shop a few days ago. According to citizens who lived by the area, they were under the assumption that Evergreen owned the establishment. Nia Friedman, after all, passed away over a decade ago. Are things starting to line up, now?”

  “That’s where you can find Zack.” Answers Jason as Damon nods.

  “Now, for the fun part. Your reward is paying our old friend a visit. Of course, you shouldn’t underestimate him. He, along with his accomplices, murdered 146 of my men, and destroyed 38 attack drones and 2 butterfly mechs. I’ll be providing 250 soldiers to back you up as well as 2 tarantula mechs, but no more. I believe two demedioms are more than enough to equate to an army, anyways.” States Damon, detailing the plan.

  “If that’s clear, then get to work. I want him here before midnight, dead or alive.” Damon concludes.

  FRANZ MALL

  LUTHERFORD, AETERNUM - 9:29 AM

  Nick and Elena pass by several restaurants in a mall as they walk towards a hardware store. The two enter the store, searching for a sprinkler to replace a broken-down one in Neverglow.

  “Is this the one?” Asks Elena, pointing to a small sprinkler inside a plastic container.

  “No, wrong brand. Luke’s picky about that kind of stuff.” Nick replies, sorting through several sprinklers, stopping at the second to the last one on a shelf.

  “This one.” Says Nick, pulling out the cased sprinkler and setting it on the counter for purchase.

  The two step out of the store, ready to head back to Neverglow. On their way out, Elena spots an ice rink, stopping in the midst of her tracks.

  “You guys have a rink here?!” Elena asks enthusiastically.

  “Uh, yeah. Why?”

  “I love skating! Come on, let’s go for a round!” Exclaims Elena, who pulls Nick towards the rink.

  “I gotta warn you, I’m not very good at this stuff.” States Nick as Elena purchases two ten-minute passes.

  “Lucky for you, you’ve got a real pro right here.” Elena confidently replies as the operator hands her two pairs of ice skates. The two step aside to wear them, entering the empty rink. Nobody in their right mind would go ice skating first thing in the morning; these two, however, had long lost their sanity when they pushed each other into the Aurus lake.

  Elena gracefully skates through the rink as Nick, having barely entered, struggles to maintain his balance. Elena notices this, chuckling as she circles back to the entrance.

  “Need a little help?”

  “Little is an understatement.” Jokes Nick as Elena holds both of his hands, skating backwards. Nick is forced to keep up with her, clumsily moving his legs back and forth.

  “How does it feel?” Elena asks as she continues skating effortlessly. Nick follows her, performing an ugly kicking motion that belongs in a football field, rather than an ice rink.

  “Fighting that guy on top of the moving train was easier.” Nick replies as Elena laughs. She lets go of Nick’s left hand as she starts skating sidewards. Nick struggles even more as he tries to mimic Elena, forcing himself to use his powers. By moving his legs as fast as lightning, Nick manages to regain his balance as Elena continues holding on to his right hand.

  “How are you so good at this?”

  “Whenever Aurus enters the winter season, the lake always gets frozen. I’d skate there in my free time.” Elena answers.

  “That reminds me, you should visit Aurus when winter comes again! It’s like a totally different place!” Elena continues, letting go of Nick’s other hand as she twirls around. Nick momentarily stops, clutching the entrance gate to keep balance. Nick watches in awe as Elena performs several graceful spins before stopping beside Nick. A bell rings from nearby, as the worker calls out to them.

  “I guess that’s our cue.” Says Elena as the two leave the rink, taking off their boots.

  NEVERGLOW

  LUTHERFORD, AETERNUM - 10:15 AM

  “Yo, we got the sprinkler.” Nick announces as he and Elena enter the flower shop.

  “Did you get the right model?”

  “Yes, TurboHydro-8900.” Replies Nick, setting the sprinkler down at the counter. Luke retrieves the product, rushing outside to set it up.

  “He’s really passionate about gardening.” Elena comments.

  “It was a hobby he took from his mom. Honestly I’m surprised too, at first glance you’d think Luke isn’t the type of guy who was obsessed with gardening.” Replies Celeste as Elena nods. The entrance chimes ring once more as Zack enters the building.

  “Why’s Luke all by himself outside?” Asks Zack.

  “He’s setting up the new sprinkler we bought.” Nick answers as Zack sits on the couch.

  “I see. So why aren’t you three helping him?”

  “He’s the only one who knows how to set it up. We’d just be a nuisance to him.” Celeste explains.

  “Alright. Now you, Elena. How long do you plan on staying in Nexos?”

  “Like I said, until the dust settles down.” Elena answers.

  “So never, then?” Zack snarkily replies, pulling out a cigarette.

  “Come on, man. Do you have to do that here?” Nick asks, annoyed at Zack’s tendency to smoke indoors.

  “Remind me who’s paying the bills?” Zack retorts as Nick is left speechless.

  “I thought so.” Zack continues as he inserts the cigarette into his mouth, lighting it with his finger. Nick pulls up his shirt to cover the smoke as Celeste and Elena begin heading outside to avoid it.

  “What the fuck?” Celeste exclaims, spotting dozens of armored cars pulling up at the parking lot. Zack gets up from the couch as Nick and Elena draw their weapons, ready to fight.

  “EVERGREEN!” Trent yells from a distance. Celeste worriedly looks at the three, who sport determined faces.

  Trent begins approaching the flower shop, admiring the different plants around the area. Nick’s eyes widen as he recognizes the scientist.

  “That’s the guy who impersonated Mayor Watts.” Nick remarks as Zack turns towards him.

  “Omega…” Zack mutters, reminiscing of the torture Trent put him through.

  “I know you resent him, but I need a crack at this asshole, too.” Nick answers, gripping his bow even tighter.

  “Oh, he’s all yours. Just staring at his face makes me sick.” Zack says as the four’s hearts collectively sink at the sight they see.

  Walking beside Trent is an elite soldier, holding Luke hostage with a blade held to his neck.

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  “No… They wouldn’t…”

  “They would. It’s in their nature.” Elena replies as Nick and Zack look furiously towards Trent.

  “But Luke hasn’t done anything!” Celeste complains as Zack steps forward, ready to open the door.

  “Elena, head to the balcony on the second floor. Be prepared to catch him.” Nick commands, staring at Luke through the window who looks annoyed at the soldier taking him hostage. Elena follows the order, rushing upstairs.

  “Cel, you said that you fought a demediom in Briken, right?” Nick asks as Celeste nods.

  “I did, but Luke and the Palladium guys did the heavy lifting.”

  “Same case here, then; standby in case we need support. This is war.” Nick declares as Zack steps outside. Trent smiles as the former colleagues reunite.

  “Would you look at that? Project Evergreen right here in the flesh! I almost can’t believe my eyes.”

  “Nice to see you again, Omega! How’s it like being Estreval’s bitch?” Zack sarcastically asks.

  “Oh, it pays good. I see you have Nia’s kid over here! He’s quite the feisty one.” Trent replies as Luke glares at him.

  “What’ll it take for you to leave him alone?”

  “Come with us, and I swear that we will leave him and this establishment alone.” Trent promises as Zack scoffs.

  “You really think I’m gonna buy that bullshit?” Zack retaliates as Trent chuckles.

  “Oh, the ever-intelligent Evergreen. It’s a mystery how dumb you were, falling for my disguise as Mayhem.” Responds Trent, antagonizing Zack.

  “Fool me once, shame on me. Fool me twice, I’ll fucking end you.” Zack replies as Trent’s smile drops.

  “Is that really how you want to talk to someone with a hostage?”

  “What hostage?” Responds Zack as a flash of light momentarily blinds everyone in the area. Luke takes advantage of Elena’s distraction and spreads his right hand, creating an explosion that blows up the soldier who took him hostage. Luke flies through the air as dozens of soldiers open fire at him. Before he can get shot, several golden threads catch him by the legs, pulling him towards the flower shop. Trent glares at Zack, who smirks before firing a laser at Trent. Trent ducks to dodge the laser, only for it to separate in midair, striking several soldiers behind Trent. Before Trent can react, a bolt of electricity dashes in front of him as he gets kicked in the ribs by Nick, sending the former flying through a nearby building. Nick rushes after Trent as Zack starts running towards the parking lot, ravaging the soldiers.

  “We should help them!”

  “No, they’ll just get distracted trying to protect us. I almost got myself killed back there. Let’s just stay here and defend the shop.” Luke replies, opting to stay inside.

  “Sorry, I’d rather not sit here and watch them die.” Elena says, heading outside to help Zack clear the soldiers. Celeste tries to stop her, but Luke holds her back.

  “Put some trust in them, Cel. We already know how tough Zack is. As for Nick and Elena, well, those two apparently ran through hundreds of soldiers. They managed to flee Precidia and head all the way here. We’ll know when to step in.” Luke assures Celeste as Zack and Elena fight their way through waves of soldiers. Elena brings down several rays of light from above, taking out half the army at once as Zack looks impressed.

  Meanwhile, Nick continues his assault on Trent, trying to cut him with his bow. Trent parries Nick’s attacks with a large steel pole he had picked up before striking Nick in his torso with it. Nick falls back to catch his breath as Trent sets the pole down.

  “You again. I wasn’t expecting you to be allied with Evergreen.”

  “Why? The concept of allies must be foreign to you, isn’t it?” Nick replies, still furious about Trent’s betrayal.

  “Oh, I’ve done my fair share of research on you while you were gone.” Trent says as Nick looks at him, bewildered.

  “You’re the son of the scientist, Raymond Altair! And here I thought that his whole family was dead.” Exclaims Trent as Nick still looks at him, confused.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Oh, if only you knew just how troublesome your father was. Let’s just say he knew too much and we couldn’t let that information run wild.” Trent continues as Nick clenches his teeth.

  “...Are you saying…”

  “Yes! Damon sent Project A to deal with your father. We were waiting for the right opportunity, and he just so happened to be in Nazendel the very same night of the demediom breakout.” Trent explains.

  “You mean… the demediom that attacked us…” Nick utters, coming to a sinister realization.

  “...was under our control from the very start. Evergreen may have been a hardheaded son of a bitch but Brock Allister was brainwashed quite easily. One of the very few successful demediom experiments, courtesty of yours truly.” Trent concludes as Nick clenches his left fist hard enough to make himself bleed.

  “What happened to my family… wasn’t an accident.” Nick says, realizing that Eternal Drive was behind the deaths of Raymond and Candace all along. In South Lavia, there is no such thing as coincidences; every road leads back to the megacorp.

  “Raymond Altair was a loose end that needed to be dealt with. As were his children.” Replies Trent, raising his pole in preparation for Nick's attack.

  “That's too bad... I'm still alive.” Growls Nick as he teleports behind Trent, striking with the bow. Trent blocks the blow at the last second, struggling to defend as Nick pushes his bow even further, denting the pole. While occupied with defending, Nick quickly charges an arrow, firing it directly at Trent’s midsection. Trent is blown black from the attack, yet manages to keep himself standing.

  Nick launches himself at Trent once more, striking downwards with his bow. Trent blocks it yet again with his pole, though unknowingly with the dented portion. Nick notices this, quickly separating the bow into daggers as he swiftly slashes the dent twice, slicing the pole into two. Caught off-guard from his weapon breaking, Trent finds himself shaken for a brief moment. He barely manages to dodge Nick’s next attack, who goes straight for his neck, making a small cut as the scientist leaps backwards.

  Trent feels his neck wound as small drops of blood drip down his white coat. He flinches as his finger brushes off the wound; the scientist was a professional in inflicting pain onto others, but had rarely subjected himself to the feeling.

  “You insolent brat!” Trent insults Nick, who smiles.

  “Come on, surely you can think of something better than that.” Nick petulantly replies, squaring up as he readies a stance with his daggers.

  “Very well, then. How about a reminder… of your dead family!” Responds Trent, who pushes his arms forward, bringing a gust of wind that blows Nick away and launches him through a clothing store. Similar to Zack, Trent possessed two demediom abilities. One was being able to take the form of others, the other was generating wind; the ability Raymond Altair once held. It was adding insult to injury, which infuriated Nick even more.

  NEVERGLOW

  LUTHERFORD, AETERNUM - 10:37 AM

  Elena uses her threads to hurl two vans by the soldiers, creating a massive explosion that takes out dozens. Meanwhile, Zack fires lasers from behind, taking out the soldiers not caught in the explosion.

  “That’s a hell of an ability you got there. Shields, strings and spears? Feels like God has favorites.” Zack says, complimenting Elena’s battle prowess.

  “Don’t sweat it, I paid one hell of a price to get to where I am now.” Replies Elena who blocks a blast from a grenade launcher with a barrier. The barrier blasts back, incinerating the soldier who fired the shot. Having cleared the majority of the footsoldiers, Elena and Zack take a brief respite in the middle of the road.

  “Jeez, those two are on another level.” Celeste comments, observing the fight with Luke.

  “Easiest picks for S-Rank if they ever decide to join Palladium.” Luke says, crossing his arms.

  “What kind of price? Enlighten me, please.” Zack asks Elena annoyedly. In his words, he went through hell in Evernight. What could Elena have gone through that could have possibly been worse than being tortured for a near decade?

  Before Elena can answer his question, she suddenly disappears, vanishing without a trace. Zack looks around, trying to figure out what just happened, only to have his confusion quelled in the next few moments.

  Two massive tendrils strike from above as Zack leaps backwards, dodging the strike. The tendrils pull back, revealing the culprit to be Jason Diaz. Zack stares at his former best friend in disbelief, certain that the two would never meet again.

  “What did they do to you, Jason?” Asks Zack, noticing Jason’s disfigured face.

  “They allowed me to find my true self. This is who I am, the man I’ve always wanted to become.” Jason replies, removing his hoodie. Even more scars are revealed, scattered throughout his body. Patches of skin cover several wounds, obtained from obscene manners.

  “Is that truly what you think of when you look at yourself in the mirror?” Zack condescendingly asks.

  “Zack… I thought Old Nan taught you about treating others with respect, regardless of their appearance?” Says Jason who slowly approaches Zack.

  “They did this to you! I don’t know what’s gotten into your head, but you need to wake up for one goddamn second!”

  “YOU LEFT ME!” Jason screams, shaking Zack to his core.

  “You… left me… when I needed you the most!” Jason continues, recalling the moment Zack abandoned him.

  “Damon… He was there for me at my lowest. He took me in, said I had potential. Now I finally have a place where I feel like I belong.” Jason concludes as four of his tendrils lunge at Zack, who dodges and dismembers them with his lasers.

  “Don’t you see?! They’re using you, like how they used me!” Zack yells, trying to reason with his old friend.

  “Stop trying to push this narrative that you were betrayed by Damon! You planned to start a civil war by pitting him and Mayhem against each other!” Jason retorts, regenerating the tendrils Zack had severed.

  “You’ve completely bought in to their propaganda…” Zack disappointedly states as he prepares for Jason’s next attack.

  “No. I simply chose to awaken my full potential.” Replies Jason, who launches all six of his tendrils towards Zack. Zack slices through them once more with his hand lasers, but Jason continues his assault, speedily regenerating the injured tendrils.

  Contemplating how to defeat Jason, Zack remains on the defensive. He eventually comes to the conclusion that a large and powerful blast will be enough to take out his enemy; what good will regenerating serve when your entire body has turned to ash?

  Zack fires off several lasers that intercept the incoming tendrils as he leaps back even further, creating a glass dome around him. Jason attacks the dome, but fails to penetrate it. Zack begins charging up a laser, with the goal of creating an even larger one than those he used to destroy the butterfly mechs in the streets of Evernight. Jason continues assaulting the dome, to no avail.

  After around thirty seconds of charging up his attack, Zack fires off a massive laser that engulfs the entirety of the road. The tips of Jason's tendrils are burned off, but the laser disappears before it can manage to hit his body.

  NEVERGLOW

  LUTHERFORD, AETERNUM - 10:44 AM

  As Nick picks himself up his feet, Zack’s massive laser fires from the sky in between him and Trent, creating a huge crater in the ground. Using the newly formed terrain to his advantage, Trent starts forming a tornado from inside the crater. Thinking on his feet, Nick shoots several arrows at the tornado, effectively creating a thunderstorm that shoots bolts of lightning in every direction. Trent is forced to dissipate the tornado as Nick tosses his chakram towards the scientist. Trent almost gets cleaved by the chakram, but catches it at the last second with a vortex of air. Nick teleports behind Trent, kicking him down the crater as he retrieves his weapon from the air.

  Trent gets up, firing several wind slashes towards Nick who deflects each slash with his chakram. Getting fed up, Trent fires triple the amount of slashes towards Nick. Far too much to block, Nick thinks of an alternative to dodging the assault. He remembers the ice rink from earlier, where he moved as fast as lightning to keep his balance. Nick recreates his movement, dodging every single wind slash as he goes for the kill on Trent. Trent, however, anticipated Nick’s counterattack, placing his hand on Nick’s chest before the young demediom had the chance to deliver a strike.

  After Trent makes contact with Nick’s chest, the latter’s body is cut all over by microscopic slashes of wind, tearing his shirt as he groans in pain. Nick takes a moment to calm himself, as Trent antagonizes him once more.

  “Face it, brat, I am far too much beyond your capabilities! If you’re struggling with me, how could you ever hope to face Damon himself?” Trent says, trying to aggravate Nick.

  “Fuck Damon. My only concern right now is you.” Nick responds as thunder rumbles in the background. Trent looks up, noticing the sky had turned grey.

  “You aren’t ready for the storm to come.”

  “I am the storm.” Nick replies as blue lightning flashes beyond the grey clouds. The loud rumbling of thunder continuously beats in the background as the two demedioms stare each other down. Trent pushes his arms once again, trying to create another gust of wind. Nick raises his hand in response as the thunder gets even louder, and the flashes get even brighter. Trent cancels his attack, distracted by constant flashing. Nick brings his hand down, summoning a huge bolt of lightning that Trent tries dodging. His right arm ends up getting caught in the blast as he screams in pain; he had not just been struck by a hundred volts of electricty, but by lightning itself. Using this opportunity, Nick hurls his chakram once more towards Trent, severing his right arm entirely as the scientist continues to scream in pain.

  “Diaz! Fall back!” Trent yells out in agony as Nick’s chakram is returned to him. Nick changes the chakram’s form into a bow and begins charging up a massive arrow. Before he can fire the arrow, however, Trent suddenly disappears.

  NEVERGLOW

  LUTHERFORD, AETERNUM - 10:44 AM

  Regenerating his incinerated tendrils, Jason thrusts them underground, rising inside Zack’s dome. Zack continues cutting them as he shatters the dome, finding it difficult to fight in such a tight space. Jason retracts his tendrils, using them to travel towards Zack instead. As he drops down, Zack shoots two lasers at him. Jason, however, disappears, only to quickly reappear behind Zack, piercing his left shoulder and arm with three tendrils. Zack cuts the tendrils off, pulling out the tips stuck in his body. With Jason’s only weakness seemingly solved by his disappearing technique, things seemed hopeless.

  “Diaz! Fall back!” Trent yells in the background as Jason gives a slight smile to Zack.

  “We’ll meet again, Zack. Remember this face.” Jason says, disappearing in thin air. A ray of light shines through the area as Elena drops down, having been teleported by Jason to somewhere far away.

  With the two demedioms retreating, as well as the army of foot soldiers massacred, it seemed as if Nick, Zack and Elena had thwarted Eternal Drive’s assault. However, each one of them knew at heart a reality that would not leave their minds any time soon. They might have won the battle, but the war is still yet to be over. It has only in fact, just begun.

  That statement would prove true as a humongous black mech approaches the flower shop from above, using its XRay vision to target Luke and Celeste who reside within.

  To Be Continued…