While Victor was busy putting on a show, meanwhile inside the summit…
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
“AHHH!!! Someone help me!” Kaelen screamed, his voice raw with panic as he dodged bullets from three men looked as Jack Sparrow, each armed with a massive rifle, hunting him down like prey.
“Come on, doggy~ Just one bullet is all it’ll take to put you down,” Real Jack taunted with a wicked grin, firing another shot at Kaelen, who barely managed to dodge in time.
“What the hell, Jack? Why are you doing this? I didn’t do anything to you!” Kaelen shouted desperately, keeping his distance as he scrambled backward.
The trio lowered their rifles, resting them on their shoulders, each with an amused expression plastered across their faces.
“He’s really a coward, don’t you think, J1?” one of them sneered.
“Yeah… I thought he might have a bit of his mother’s guts, but it turns out he’s nothing but a scared little rabbit,” J1 replied, chuckling darkly.
Kaelen’s jaw clenched, his lips twitching in anger. “You bastards!” he growled. “I’m only holding back because you attacked me with those freakish weapons out of nowhere! Now tell me, why the hell are you targeting me?”
“Hahah… Hahahah”
“Hahahah…”
Suddenly, all three burst out laughing, their mocking laughter echoing through the wide path. Kaelen’s face twisted in confusion and frustration. “W-Why are you laughing? What’s so funny?”
“N-Nah… It’s just funny how he really doesn’t remember us,” the real Jack said, a smug smile spreading across his face. ‘Master is a genius,’ he thought to himself before adding aloud, “Nothing personal, Kaelen… but you said ‘no’ to something, so now, my hands are tied.” He raised his gun again, his expression hardening. “It’s a pity, though, having to kill you after everything we’ve been through. But orders are orders.”
Kaelen squinted, his mind racing, trying to piece together Jack’s cryptic words. Before he could fully process it, his legs moved instinctively, breaking into a run.
….
…
Thud!
“You bastard! What did you just say?” Kai slammed Leon against the wall with a force that made the wall trembled, his bloodshot eyes glaring into Leon’s with raw, unbridled fury.
The words echoed in Kai’s mind, twisting like a knife. He couldn’t believe what he’d just heard; it felt like his world was spiraling out of control, his head spinning as he tried to process it.
Leon lowered his gaze, guilt heavy on his face as he stammered, “I… I was drunk, Kai. I was broken, lost… I… I didn’t mean for any of this to happen—”
BOOM!
Kai’s fist connected with Leon’s gut, his punch fueled by rage and betrayal. He glared at Leon, his voice trembling with fury, “So… you… raped my girlfriend?” he spat, his gaze darting toward Vesperine, who was huddled in the corner, her shoulders shaking as she cried silently.
Leon bit his lip, shame and guilt etched into his face, but he remained silent, unable to meet Kai’s eyes.
Kai’s lips quivered as tears brimmed in his eyes. His grip tightened around Leon’s neck, his knuckles white. Every muscle in his body screamed for revenge, for justice. “I… I thought you were my friend… I trusted you like a brother! I gave you everything, and this is what you do to me? To her?”
Each word struck Leon with the force of a sledgehammer, his face crumpling under the weight of Kai’s betrayal. “P-Please, Kai… I know I deserve it, but please… forgive me,” Leon choked out, his voice barely a whisper. “Bro—”
“Don’t you dare call me that, you bastard!” Kai’s shout was raw, piercing the air like a blade.
“I-I’m sorry, Kai… I am so sorry,” Leon stammered, his voice cracking.
“Sorry? After what you did to her, all you have to say is ‘sorry’?” Kai’s face twisted in disbelief as he looked at Leon, then glanced over at Vesperine, who was curled up in anguish.
Leon’s eyes flicked toward Vesperine, his face lined with remorse as he mumbled, “If… if sorry isn’t enough, then I’ll… I’ll take responsibility.
I’ll make it right.
I’ll marry her!”
Something snapped inside Kai. His vision went red as a white-hot fury flooded his senses, pushing him past his breaking point. “YOU MOTHERFUCKER!!!”
BOOOMMMMMMM!!!!
…..
….
“Why is it taking so long…?” Aqualina muttered, glancing at her body and noticing subtle signs of aging…. She let out a sigh.
“Well, it is a game… what did you expect from this so-called ‘Heart Game’?” Selene replied, sighing with an annoyed expression. Her eyes flicked to Aqualina’s bust, then down to her own, a frown deepening on her face for reasons she couldn’t entirely explain.
Aqualina raised an eyebrow as she sensed Selene’s gaze fixed on her chest. Even between girls… it felt weird.
“A-Anyway…” she cleared her throat awkwardly before continuing, “I never thought you were into Victor. I mean, didn’t you say you were into Aether? You seemed pretty certain.”
Selene, who was still staring at Aqualina’s chest as if trying to decipher some kind of code that causing the growth, snapped back to attention, “Huh? Oh… yeah,” she replied, a little too casually.
Aqualina frowned, “That’s it?”
“Hmm?” Selene replied, distractedly.
“I asked about Aether,” Aqualina pressed, a deeper frown forming. “Didn’t you say you wanted him, or something along those lines?”
Selene grinned, lifting tow hands and holding up a single finger of each hand “Alright, let me ask you something. What’s one plus one?”
Aqualina squinted at the two fingers Selene held up and replied, “Two?”
“Well, duh, that’s obvious,” Selene nodded, a smirk tugging at her lips. But then she moved her hands closer together, placing one finger in front and one behind, aligning them perfectly. She looked at Aqualina with a grin, “But the real answer is one and only!”
Aqualina blinked, utterly baffled, ‘What on heck is she talking about?’ She scoffed and said, “If you don’t want to answer my question, just say so!” She turned on her heel and began walking away.
Selene blinked, feeling slightly offended. ‘Didn’t I make myself clear?’ she wondered. With a shrug, she thought, ‘Well, that’s her loss,’ and began following Aqualina when—
SSSssshhhhhhhhhhh!!
Selene instinctively tilted her head, just narrowly dodging an arrow that grazed her ear. She froze for a moment, processing the shock before a sly grin spread across her face.
She turned slowly.
“What the—?” Aqualina exclaimed, whirling around and spotting… Aria!
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Aria stared at Selene with an indifferent expression, her gaze piercing and dark, “So it really is you, after all this time… hm.”
Selene’s grin widened into something wicked, “Oh? And what are you planning to do about it… Sister~?”
Aria’s lips twitched, barely holding back something.
She notched another arrow, her eyes flashing with danger, “I don’t think I’d enjoy having a ‘sister’… Hope that’s clear, Missy~.” And with that, she let the arrow fly, aiming straight at Selene.
Tang!
Selene summoned an ice spear, blocking the arrow just in time. But Aria was already in front of her, swinging a powerful kick. Selene managed to block it, but the force sent her skidding back
Selene frowned, assessing Aria. “You’re stronger than I expected.”
Aria smirked, her voice dripping with satisfaction, “Well, I’ve been “GRINDING”… quite a bit.”
Grinding what, exactly?
Of course, Selene knew all too well what that meant, having endured her own intense ‘Grinding’. Her confident smile faltered for a moment before she snarled, “Bitch!” and lunged forward, launching her own attack.
Meanwhile…
Aqualina blinked, watching the chaotic scene with wide eyes, unable to comprehend what was happening. ‘Why are they fighting all of a sudden?’ she wondered, utterly bewildered.
Celestia, observing Aqualina from a distance, sighed deeply. ‘You’ll be doing the same one day, Princess, once you learn the truth… It’s going to be quite amusing,’ she mused. ‘I wonder how he plans to handle all of them… or maybe he’s already planned it all,’ she thought with a wry smile, glancing from Selene to Aria.
Suddenly, Aqualina flinched as a small crystal in her pocket began to blink urgently. Her eyes narrowed, ‘Looks like someone’s already entered the final stage,’ she thought. Ignoring the two “fighting cats” behind her, she picked up her pace, racing toward her destination.