Boarding the train, the trio was met by the sight of sets of chairs seated face to face with a retractable table in the middle. There were many young pa.s.sengers who alighted and boarded as it was getting near the end of Christmas vacation.

Annie and Caesar seated together, with the woman in front of them, calmly staring at them without uttering a word. It was extremely unsettling for the two of them.

"So…. what's your name?" Annie uncomfortably asked to relieve some of the unnerving atmosphere.

"Sophia." Sophia answered without saying anything else, disallowing the awkward ambiance to dissipate at all.

"I haven't introduced myself yet," Annie continued to attempt on alleviating the mood as she didn't like it at all. "My name is Annie, and as you've heard, this is Caesar."

"Okay." Sophia nonchalantly responded, sitting there quietly.

A few seconds of silence ensued, with Annie's face twitching due to Sophia's uncooperative att.i.tude. Unable to bear it any longer, Annie gritted her teeth and brazenly inquired, "What is up with your calmness?"

"I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable." Sophia bowed her head to apologize. "My Ability's pa.s.sive literally doesn't let me show emotion at all, even though I feel emotions, I cannot express it at all. At most, I can smile or laugh a little, but this is not a time for smiling. In other words, my face is permanently serene."

"Oh…" Annie s.h.i.+ed away. Oddly enough, when she heard Sophia's voice, she calmed down instantly, clearing her mind of emotion. She was supposed to be embarra.s.sed of her behavior, yet…

"Don't worry about that." Sophia waved this matter away without saying anything else. "If anything, I should be the one who's ashamed because I didn't explain earlier."

Coughing, Annie let it go despite desiring to ask what kind of Ability Sophia possessed. Restraining her curiosity, Annie veered the topic into another direction, "What's Puting Araw like?"

"Why do you want to join Puting Araw?" Annie didn't entertain Annie's question at all. "It's weird enough that you're part of our enemy's army, Kamay ng Lagim, and save me when a branch of ours is under attack. What's the deal?"

Sophia's 180-degree turn in att.i.tude caught Annie and Caesar off-guard. Turning their heads to stare into each other's eyes, Annie reluctantly told her story to Sophia.

…...

Few weeks ago, 20 minutes before the invasion of Kamay ng Lagim, back in Crimson Cloud's Vermillion City prior to the invasion of the Kamay ng Lagim, there were pretty sizable walled complexes belonging to the Four Ruling Clans of the Crimson Cloud. Each of the Four Ruling Clans in the Crimson Cloud had their own complexes, with the Pejuang (1) Clan possessing the largest as they are the most ill.u.s.trious in terms of combat achievements.

In the middle of the complex was a tall skysc.r.a.per. On one of the rooms of the skysc.r.a.per was the throne room of the head of the Pejuang Clan, and within it was naturally the throne of the clan head of the Pejuang Clan. Sitting on the throne was a middle-aged man wearing traditional Indonesian clothes.

On his right side was a woman in her 30s and was wearing a batik dress, his wife, Annisa. On the other was Annie, similarly wearing a batik dress, along with Caesar who was donning a black butler suit, and another woman, much more beautiful than Annie and was one year older than her, was present, wearing a kebaya dress; she was Fitri, Annie's best friend.

On the sides of the room were people, men and women, wearing white t-s.h.i.+rts, black pants, and red shawls. Meanwhile, genuflecting in front of the clan head was a man.

"Thank you for your time," the clan head spoke. "You're dismissed."

Standing up, the man bowed once more prior to exiting. The clan head shouted, "You guys may also exit."

With that, the men on the side of the room exited the throne room in a disciplined manner and orderly fas.h.i.+on. "Let's go to the family room, shall we?"

Stretching his body, the clan head walked to the door on the side of the throne and opened it. Following closely behind him was Annisa, Annie, Fitri, then Caesar. Inside was a grandiose room with a red table.

Sitting down on the end of the table, the clan head dignified himself. His wife sat to his right, Annie on the left, while Fitri and Caesar stood behind Annie.

Seeing the people seated down, the clan head spoke, "How was your training today, Annie?"

"It was amazing," Annie's enthusiastic voice rang out. "I have been training my Muay Thai and has defeated my master today! He said that he has nothing to teach me anymore… I'm ready, dad! Let me fight cognizants and wielders, please please please!?"

"No, Indah," the clan head's tone was strict and called Annie by her true name.

"But, dad-" Before Annie could finish her sentence, the clan head interrupted her.

"No. And when I say no, I mean no!" The clan head shouted. "It's too dangerous out there and we're lucky to be here in the midst of the safest haven for wielders in Indonesia. You don't know what it's like to be in the midst of war, to struggle for your life, I don't want you to experience that."

"But I want to fight, dad!" Annie shouted angrily. "What have I been training for if I don't do so, huh? What's the point of my training if I don't get to go out there and fight?"

"No." Sternly, the clan head downright rejected Annie without remorse.

"Fine!" Annie stormed out of the throne room without looking back, the same-aged lady in the room silently chasing her.

Her mother stood up, preparing to chase her when the clan head stopped her, shaking his head. "In the future, she'd be thankful that I was stern for her sake."

…..

In the second floor of the skysc.r.a.per, in a large room, Annie was lying on her bed, her eyes in tears. Suddenly, a knock came from her door.

"Indah?" A woman's voice resounded from the other side of the door. "Indah? Please open up."

Walking to the door, Annie opened it and saw the woman, her tear-filled eyes became even more filled with tears. "Fitri…"

"Indah…" Fitri embraced Annie. "Hey, hey, let's go inside, let's talk this through, okay?"

Letting go of Fitri, Annie went back to sit on her bed, with Fitri closing the door behind her. Planting her b.u.t.t on the bed of Annie, she placed her hand on Annie's back and slowly patted it. "Hey, don't worry about it, okay?"

"Why shouldn't I?" Annie rested her elbows on her knees and supported her head using her hands, moping. "I want to fight, I want to get out there and experience the world for what it is. I don't want to be stuck in this h.e.l.lhole forever! Do you?"

"Hey," Fitri's voice became a bit irate. "This h.e.l.lhole is what's keeping us from the dangers of the outside. This h.e.l.lhole is the thing that protects us from those criminals that uses their Abilities for evil."

"And so?" Annie slapped Fitri's hand out of her back and stood up. "What don't you understand? They say I'm born powerful, but they don't let me out. They say I'm a prodigy, but they don't let me truly fight! What the h.e.l.l is a prodigy without experience? Talent isn't everything. Experience is everything! What the h.e.l.l do I get by staying up here? Rotting in this s.h.i.+thole that I've been put into?"

"Hey." Fitri stood up, holding Annie's shoulders, she smiled. "Maybe when you become a Level 3 wielder, you'd be able to get out there and experience the world. Perhaps be the savior of the world. There's a perfect time for everything, okay? For now, maybe you'd want to learn some more skills to further your combat power?"

"You always know what to say, huh?" Annie's head tilted downwards, a smile plastered on her face. "This is why you're my best friend."

"Only friend…" Fitri coughed, teasing Annie. "I'm your only friend."

"No you're not." Annie pouted, rotating her head to the side and acted angry. "I have tons of friends."

"Okay," Fitri laughed. "If you have so many friends, name one."

"Uh…" Annie was speechless, caught in a minor quagmire. "Fine, fine, you're my only friend… It's because of this stupid status as a so-called princess of a clan… I mean, what is up with that? Shouldn't everyone want to befriend me instead of staying away from me?"

"You watch too much soap operas…" It was Fitri's time to be flabbergasted of Annie. "You have too much time on your hands… Anyhow, it's not like you can blame them, you're a prodigy and a person of high-standing. Your Ability is literally the best in our academy. You're the strongest person, smart, beautiful, and a member of the strongest Pejuang Clan. They're intimidated of you."

"Yeah, yeah…" Annie rolled her eyes and collapsed on her bed. "I sometimes wish I wasn't so… Special… It's so hard being on the top, it's so lonely…"

"It's because you haven't met anyone of your own caliber." Fitri sat back down. "Don't worry, someday you'll meet people. You know? When you get out of this so-called h.e.l.lhole."

Laughing, the two talked for a few minutes when they heard the alarms of the Vermillion City. It was the signal for Code Red. Shooting upwards, Fitri pulled Annie out from her room immediately. "We have to get out of here as soon as possible."

Back in the grandiose family room, the clan head and her wife were happily talking when they heard the Code Red. "s.h.i.+t… Annisa, Agung, er… I forgot you go by Caesar now, sorry. You go find Fitri and Indah."

With that, the three burst out of the room, with the clan head turning into a huge red-eyed rhinoceros-human hybrid, stomping over three wielders from Kamay ng Lagim. "I have to get outside."

Das.h.i.+ng out of the front door, he was met by a scene of utter carnage. Noticing Graybeard clad in Kamay ng Lagim uniform, crus.h.i.+ng the skull of a Level 3 wielder with ease. Rus.h.i.+ng at Graybeard, the clan head sent him flying.

Immediately, Graybeard recovered, his feet sliding on the pavement. With a mocking tone, Graybeard talked. "Oho, it's the great G.o.d of Battle of the Crimson Cloud! What an honor to meet you."

Without a warning, the clan head rushed at Graybeard at Mach 10. As a response, Graybeard activated his Ability, an old rifle materializing in his hands. Taking aim, Graybeard instantly shot the clan head, the bullet landing and exploding on his head.

A loud rhinoceros' howl resounded from the clan head, clearly hurt. The clan head then transformed back into human form and smashed the ground. Instantly, Graybeard vanished from his position as a spike protruded out from the position he was previously in.

Whilst moving, Graybeard fired another bullet on the clan head, this time, it hit the stomach and perforated him instead of exploding. Groaning in pain, the clan head rushed towards the clan head.

Meanwhile, back in the building, Caesar and Annisa already reunited with Fitri and Annie in the second floor, with Annisa and Caesar on the front.

Exiting the skysc.r.a.per through the front door, they were in time to witness Graybeard's foot on the clan head's back. Graybeard was pointing a rifle at the clan head's temple. What's worse is that Graybeard's countenance is filled with elation.

"Dad!" Annie cried out.

"Oho, the daughter of the great G.o.d of Battle." Graybeard chortled. "Oh, there's also the great Annisa, the Berserk Tiger. What a privilege this night is, to witness so many eminent people."

Saying that, a loud sound resonated all throughout from Graybeard's rifle, a gust of wind traveled all throughout the complex as the clan head's head blew up into pieces.

"No!" Annisa growled in anger, her body becoming that of a tiger's. "Caesar, Fitri, get Annie out of here."

Abruptly, Annisa disappeared, a sonic boom was produced behind her. Emerging in front of Graybeard, she slashed at him and yelled, "Now! Escape now!"

Caesar and Fitri forcefully took Annie, who struggled. "Let me go! I've got to save mom!"

After struggling to drag Annie, the gate of the complex was finally in sight. They were going to the gate as it had the closest emergency exit. 100 meters to the gate, they were intercepted by tens of Kamay ng Lagim soldiers.

"Caesar." Fitri spoke, her eyes glowing blue. "You go get Annie out of here, I'll clear a path."

"Not you as well!" Annie was concurrently in tears, on the brink of insanity. "I can't bear to lose another person in my life!"

"You have to live." Fitri turned to Annie, her eyes remaining glowing. "You have to live for our sake. This is your chance, okay? Go see the world out there."

As Annie was about to speak, Fitri shushed her with her index finger. "I'll see you on the other side, okay? I promise?"

On that note, Fitri ran forward into the crowd and released an omnidirectional blast of blue energy, killing off a sizable amount of Kamay ng Lagim soldiers and clearing a path for Caesar and Annie.

Without resistance, Annie followed Caesar through the path that was cleared, all the while staring at Fitri. It was as if time was slow in that instant, seeing her friend sacrifice herself for her own sake.

She knew herself that Fitri wasn't going to survive this at all, but she couldn't possibly convince Fitri to not do this as she is, without a doubt, one of the stubbornest people one will ever meet.

Nearing the exit, they heard the ear-piercing sound of a rifle firing off, the same one that killed Annie's father, an evidence that Annisa was killed. Holding back a sob, Annie kept running, transforming into her rhino-tiger form to accelerate.

On the entrance of the complex, Annie and Caesar pressed a b.u.t.ton on the thick entrance wall as a staircase pa.s.sageway was revealed. "Hurry now, Miss Indah."

"Call me Annie from now on." The previous sniffling expression on Annie's face was wiped off, a gaze of determination replacing it.

Descending the staircase, the duo was led into the plains not far off from the Vermillion City, but also far enough to not be seen by the forces of Kamay ng Lagim. Looking back at the Vermillion City, Annie took a vow, "I swear that I will find whoever you are and kill you in the near future…"

…..

"And that's how we're here." Annie's countenance was cold due to reliving the painful memories that she experienced in the past.

"That's tough." Sophia's face was calm as ever, not changing in the slightest. "You want to take revenge on Kamay ng Lagim, huh?"

"Indeed." Annie took a deep breath. "I will destroy them, raze their entire organization to the ground until this blood debt is repaid."

"Calm down." Sophia activated her Ability once again. "Remember, in your current state, you won't achieve anything."

"I know," Annie nodded her head. "That's why I want to join Puting Araw."

"With your intentions, I don't think you're suited to join Puting Araw." Annie shook her head. "I mean, they're not all good people, but you're not what Puting Araw is looking for."

"What do you mean?" Annie cannot be enraged even if she wanted to due to Sophia's Ability. "Kamay ng Lagim is Puting Araw's enemy, right?"

���Yes, but, you're much suited for another organization." This time, a faint smile appeared on Sophia's face. "And I'm going to take you to them."

"There's another one?" Annie was confused.

"Yes," Annie's faint smile became more prominent. "And they're feared by both Puting Araw and Kamay ng Lagim."

…..

Meanwhile, on the sky, a huge jet-black bird-like creature was up there, flying incredibly fast and extremely high to avoid incurring attention. It was Jae-hwa in her Winged Nightmare form.

Atop Jae-hwa was the CHORUS members, donning their hanboks and animal masks.

"Where are we going?" Sayuri, wearing a wolf mask, asked Eun-ha. "You just hit us up and we responded without even asking. Now that we're traveling, what is happening?"

"It's Hayden." Eun-ha sighed, raising up her mask to reveal her beautiful face. "He forgets that he has a girlfriend that can help, and that girlfriend has a ton of powerful girl friends that can help him as well."

"You called us for Hayden?" Jin-ae, sporting a koala mask, walked beside Eun-ha. "What were you thinking? We're in the Philippines. This is not our territory. We can't simply reveal our existences to Filipino wielders."

"He cooked delicious food for you." Eun-ha smiled and articulated in a matter-of-factly tone. This sentence pretty much won over all the others, excluding Jin-ae, the leader. "Plus, despite knowing him for only a short time, don't you think it'd be a benefit if we helped him out so that he'd owe us in the future?"

"Fine!" Jin-ae rolled her eyes behind her mask. "If we get in trouble back in South Korea because of this, you're answering to Kim Taehyung-ssi."

"Thank you very much!" Eun-ha beamed at Jin-ae, hugging her. "Seriously though, you won't regret it."

"Sure, sure." Recalling Hayden, Jin-ae was reminded of his charismatic aura and great potential. "However, how come we're trailing him and not… You know, with him?"

"As I said, he forgets that he's in a relations.h.i.+p." Eun-ha sighed in consternation. "He's too much of a lone wolf prior to his awakening. I mean, he's great, but he's helpless when it comes to socializing and he's too used to being alone to ask for help. You noticed that he was shy by just asking for a simple picture with you all?"

"Really? That guy?" Sayuri similarly lifted her mask, confused. "You're saying that that Hayden, who intimidated a Level 4 wielder, is… An introvert? The 'cool' celebrity? I thought he was just shy the first time because he already acted casual with us the second time around. Are we talking about the same Hayden here?"

"I'm telling you." Eun-ha shrugged, lowering her mask back on. "I've been with him for three weeks and he's never asked my help for anything, nor anyone else. He's a loner and would prefer to do things on his own than endanger or involve anybody in his business."

…..

1 Pejuang – Indonesian for Warrior

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