The man with black ears and a tail leaned back in a stiff armchair, huffing as he opened a bottle of alcohol, the cork-lid flying off and landing in the corner of the room. He took a hearty sip, the bubbles within the semi-transparent glass fizzing as he downed a few gulps.

  Aizawa watched in silence before huffing, rubbing his brows in annoyance. “You interrupted our court session to bring us here?”

  He nodded, his tail twitching slightly. “Yeah, I did. Is that a problem?”

  “You mind-controlled those judges to let us leave, and you disobeyed the Pollinators orders on a whim.” Aizawa replied.

  “What even is this building?” Olivia looked around the dimly-lit space.

  The man with fox ears and a tail chuckled under his breath. “This is where I was stationed until I could find a place to rest. My supervisor sent me here early to supervise a few things, including any anomalies."

  “Anomalies?”

  He nodded. “From what my supervisor told me, for the last two weeks, our emperor has been receiving faulty reports from the ambassador sent here, with letters spouting all sorts of bullshit…”

  The man with fox ears leaned in close, smirking. “Do you people really have a carrot-themed festival?"

  “That’s not important,” Aizawa said, pushing him away. “My kid Shinso here volunteered to help plead for Catherine and Carter’s innocence, but now the stuff you pulled makes that situation half-completed. Technically speaking, what you just did was illegal.”

  “Illegal for a little while, yes.” He brought the bottle of alcohol back to his lips, gulping down a little more of the bitter substance.

  Seeing this, Aizawa suddenly asked a question. “What’s your name?”

  “Can’t say.”

  At this moment, Aizawa’s vision turned slightly hazy. He was abruptly pulled into his mindscape, where his spiritual projection was waiting for him. Before Aizawa could speak, the other man in the room smiled.

  “He’s a Seeker of the same pathway as you. He’s an Order 7 of the Edict pathway, which grants mental invulnerability to an extent.”

  The other Aizawa, clad in purple and white robes, stepped forward, his bare feet slapping against the cold polished floor. “Diue to what happened back in the court room, the Pollinators would most likely not give you the potion. On the other hand, perhaps he could give you an Order 9 potion.”

  Aizawa placed his hands on his hips, scoffing. “I don’t know who he is, or if he even has a potion on him. Additionally, I don’t entirely trust him.”

  His counterpart wearing the robes scoffed and turned around. “It’s been nearly twenty-four hours since Isaac was shot, and you have no idea of his whereabouts. Think about it. You’re not back home; you’re not the vigilant pro-hero that fought criminals at night. You’re not a man in a different world, with a different purpose."

  He extended a finger, tapping Aizawa in the center of his chest. “You are to protect and help everyone. Even when they smile and laugh, they’re still scared on the inside. You’ve witnessed firsthand the dangers and madness of this world. It’s about time you acted like the guardian you were meant to be.”

  Aizawa nodded his head, lips twitching into a faint smile. “I can see why you’re so confident in me; you’re everything I strive to be.”

  “No, I’m your perfect self. If I were who you wanted to be, I’d be curled in that sleeping bag of yours for all eternity.”

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  Aizawa groaned softly as he closed his eyes, the environment around him gradually changing. As he found himself back in the dimly-lit room, his gaze immediately fixated on the eccentric man drinking from his bottle of alcohol. He took a step forward, gesturing for the fox-like man to come with him.

  He let out a low mumble as he put his bottle down, pushing it aside. His tail twitched as Aizawa led him to the other corner of the room.

  “I already know what you want from me; and I’ve made arrangements." The fox man dove into the pockets of his black attire, taking out a small vial filled with a purplish glowing liquid. Within the liquid, fireworks of energy seemed to explode.

  He held the vial up, showing it to Aizawa. “Order 9: Speaker. Upon consumption, you can make anyone obey you from speaking. Though, people with countering pathways or those with specialized abilities can resist you or flip this ability on its head, channeling its commands back at its user.”

  “How did you…” Aizawa was left without words.

  “Having command over voices and thoughts is like an intricate network of giving and receiving signals. I may not exactly know what people have in mind, but I get the general idea every so often.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  The fox-like man smiled. “As you advance, you can literally read mental cues like they're on paper. The moment I was sent to this kingdom and walked near the courthouse, I knew about your current intentions regarding the Edict pathway through the Convergence Instinct.”

  “Imagine this…” He reached into his robe, taking out a long piece of paper. Using a piece of blackened chalk, he drew a line down the paper. “Everything that happens is a linear path, and within the path is an intricate network of much smaller roads.”

  The fox man drew lines extending from the line of chalk; the new shape seemed to resemble an organism with countless small legs—a millipede.

  “In my culture, the entire world is carried by the World Bug, Travaatlyn. It is said that She rides the tides of existence like a piece of driftwood, flowing endlessly down the current of inevitability. And on Earth, inevitability is a guiding force. One way or another, everything converges and splits; everything is bound by a single thread.”

  “So… you’re saying an omnipotent bug led to our convergence and meeting?” Aizawa couldn’t help but scoff at the ridiculousness of the entire explanation.

  “It may not be true. I’ve always grown up a skeptical individual; I know firsthand that everyone isn’t who they appear to be at first glance.”

  They paused for a beat before smiling. “You may address me as Lasezlo.”

  “Laselzo…” Aizawa repeated the name under his breath.

  “Is that a cultural thing?” Carter asked, approaching them.

  Laselzo nodded. “My name is—”

  At this moment, Laselzo suddenly collapsed to the ground, curling into a ball as he let out almost animalistic whimpers. Ink-black and crimson colored cracks seeped from his forehead and wrists, sizzling and burning his flesh.

  “Oh my god!” Olivia took a step back, eyes widening.

  Aizawa frantically crouched, rolling him over. Laselzo’s face was contorted with pain, eyes clenched shut and jaw tightened.

  Within his mind, Laselzo heard voices.

  “Don’t disobey me.”

  “You made an oath.”

  “Don’t walk astray.”

  His eyes shot open, breathing frantically as he shot to his feet, tail coiling around his legs, ears drooping into his long black hair. His eyes darted around the room, pupils slitted in a feral manner. Everyone in the room remained silent.

  Shinso had habitually drawn his Sword of Judgement, the blade flaming with orange-blue flames. His brows furrowed.

  “What was that?” He asked.

  Laselzo abruptly remembered Kael’s interaction with him in the underground chambers of the castle, how he had taken an oath via that strange chalice-like device. He knew of Kael’s power and the influence he carried, which rendered him terrified of the man's intentions if he were to walk astray. He had been given orders, and he had to obey them.

  He looked at Shinso, brushing his outfit off. “My illness, nothing serious.”

  “An illness?” Humphrey raised an eyebrow.

  Laselzo nodded his head, tail twitching. He looked out the door, noticing the setting sun outside. Laselzo trotted over to the door, paws clenching around the door handle. “I have to leave; my apartment is a walk away from here.”

  “You’re not leaving just yet.” Humphrey extended a hand, small vines coiling over the doorknob to prevent escape.

  Laselzo took a step back from the door, snarling. “What… what is the meaning of this?”

  Humphrey’s expression hardened, taking an assertive step forward. “You can’t just walk around with an illness. The last person who did that had to be hospitalized after infecting our previous captain.”

  “He should have infected that bastard too.” Losalzo pointed to Captain Silas, who was leaning against the wall.

  Captain Silas scoffed, crossing his arms. “I’m the new captain for a reason; I can take your ass back to your little tail-back kingdom forever.”

  “How would you feel if we burnt your forests again, chump?”

  Losalzo’s eyes widened upon hearing this statement. “Punch yourself a few times,” he responded in an ethereal voice, a smirk crossing his face.

  Captain Silas froze for a moment, a look of speculation crossing his face. “Wha—” His fist suddenly made its way to his cheek, landing a heavy punch.

  He stumbled back, holding his cheek as he cursed under his breath. In the next second, he continued to punch himself again and again. Humphrey rushed over to Losalzo, pulling out his gun. “Unbind him from whatever is happening.”

  At this moment, Losalzo let out a low chuckle. “It’s strange you don’t know the nature of the pathways you possess.”

  His voice came out ethereal again as he spoke up. “You all forgot I was here.”

  The vines binding the door fell slack, wrinkling up on the ground. Losalzo observed as a wave of confusion washed over everyone in the room. Before he left, the man with ears and a tail said one final thing. “You were all getting a drink, celebrating your victory at today's trial.”

  …

  In a nearby alleyway, Kael’s figure materialized from a puff of smoke, gazing directly at Losalzo. Seeing him, the fox-like man nodded solemnly.

  “The betterment be done.”

  Kael nodded back. “You did well.”

  “Only because it was your will, sir,” Losalzo replied with a smile.

  “Here…” Kael conjured a torrent of crimson flame. The flames materialized into a large slab of hearty meat, which he threw to Losalzo’s feet. “A reward for your competence."

  Losalzo bent down, already drooling as he brought the meat to his mouth, taking a large chomp with his animalistic teeth. He bit off a large amount of meat, swallowing it. Kael walked forward, running a finger along Losalzo’s cheek.

  “The rest of your friends will be here the day after tomorrow.”

  He nodded. “The betterment be done.”

  Kael smiled in response, disappearing into the darkness of the alleyway. A moment later, an ink-black raven emerged from the darkness, soaring high into the clouds as it disappeared behind the setting sun.