Chapter 10: Time is fleeting. Ambitions are eternal

In an unknown land, a garden existed. It had an abundance of rose bushes and lavender patches of land. The floral fields were inhabited by variants of butterflies of different colors that gleamed as bright as a firefly.

The air was scented with an enchanting smell from the flowers perfectly mixing with the calming silence.

The garden was grand and decorated by a lush field of emerald green grasses, towering trees that pointed to the atmosphere, and green-shaded marble fountains that reflected a luscious transparent glare.

Each of the fountains emitted glistening water from their depths, giving the feel of a celestial waterfall. Around the field existed robots made of nuts and bolts that managed this vast land.

On this grassland stood a round cottage. It was a cabin of five meters in height and made out of enchanted bronze, with sets of red tinted windows placed around each side.

Inside this cabin, two men discussed, and one of them was Calinar, who stood by the window and inspected the ambient night scene.

The other person slouched on a shit-colored leather chair while he drank a cup of rum while a large bottle stayed by his side.

The man was massive, and his frame was enveloped in a cozy, white bear coat.

The man's name was Saturn and Calinar's, immediate supervisor. The supervisor looked at Calinar with his brown eyes before dropping the cup onto the metal table.

"You said he dared to reject the offer!?" Saturn exclaimed in disbelief as he sunk into the chair,

The news of the offer rejection by that sociopath named Revan shocked him to the core.

Why would anyone resist such an irresistible deal?

"Yes, he did," Calinar confirmed, writing on a nearby platform with a pen. His act showed he did not pay attention to the case anymore.

Unexpectedly, Calinar added. "So, since the spot remains open as Revan denied it, may I recommend Roman Cedric?"

Saturn waved his hand at the suggestion. "No, I need an explanation."

Saturn felt he could salvage this. "Did Revan state a reason? When he was young, he was always blabbing about how he would take my position…"

Saturn's face turned ugly as he paused. "But now he resigns... hmph!"

"Saturn, people change," Calinar intervened, his eyes closed. He preferred the previous Revan rather than the committed one he saw.

Saturn perceived an insult in Calinar's use of the word change. "You are twenty-five years too young to talk to me about change, Calinar," he warned.

However, he felt that Calinar had important things to add to the conversation, so he said, "keep going," Saturn ordered.

"Revan has a child," said Calinar as he emphasized the word – child. "That is more than enough, and you know it!"

'Oh,' Saturn thought with surprise, and he scratched his beard and looked to the ceiling.

Saturn looked back at Calinar. "I did not know of such; I guess this is the qualms of having high positions. I have become less connected."

Saturn pondered as he poured himself a glass to remove the thoughts that arose. After a passing moment, he got back to Calinar.

"I understand, and send the offer to Roman,'' Saturn ordered. "I am sure he will be delighted upon receiving the news!"

Saturn abandoned the idea of convincing Revan as persuading a father proved more challenging than convincing a workaholic, leading him to assign Calinar a different task.

"Understood!" Calinar answered with a sunny smile that blended with the dim garden. After seeing the smile, Saturn snorted with contempt.

"Looks like you got better at showing emotions, Calinar," Saturn insulted as he focused on Calinar's face, and he mockingly laughed. "If I didn't know you. I might have been deceived!"

Saturn poured another drink for himself.

"Thank you for your compliments!" Calinar bowed in a lackluster manner.

"I was not complimenting you," Saturn said non-committedly.

"Still... Thank you!" Calinar answered.

"Hmmph," Saturn snorted before he remembered something. "Yes, what's the name of their child?"

"Their child's name is…"Calinar smiled as he dropped the pen down. "Alistair."

"I see… well, get out, and if you see Revan, make sure to give him my congratulations," Saturn sent the man away; he was uninterested in conversing with the fellow any longer.

"Will do, Mr. Saturn," Calinar trod to the silver door and opened it, revealing the pitch-black environment outside.

Calinar glanced back one more time with a smile full of teeth before disappearing into the all-encompassing void of twilight.

…

On top of a silver building placed firmly on its foundations, a child stood.

The child's fiery hair moved with the morning breeze, and the blistering sun painted on his silver jacket.

The boy held a walkie-talkie as he surveyed the grand city that lay before his azure eyes. The child paid close attention to every block and street, searching for his target.

"Elina, it's approaching your six. I hope you are ready?" He spouted into the device.

The walkie in his hands crackled with a sizzling sound, and a voice arrived, "What…? Where is it!?"

The owner of the voice possessed a hard-to-understand searing voice, which stung to listen to.

"Try not to talk so loud… and wait for a while; it should be there soon… Also, do not engage until Alfred arrives," Alistair grimaced as he slapped his ears consecutively to get them back to normal.

He observed a black spot away from him that approached the position of his assailant.

Alistair's eyes moved away from the black spot and went to three positions in different parts of the city, and he noticed something abnormal.

"Why is that position over there empty?" Alistair uttered while looking at a tall black building. "Where is Alfred?"

The voice tried to remember as it paused for a moment. "Alfred said he had to buy something for his dad!"

"Of all times? At least he should have informed me before… you know what…? Forget it! " Alistair shouted. "At least Isaac and Silan are in position, but the plan might fail since we are missing one person–"

Suddenly harsh searing sounds emitted from the walkie as Alistair was in thought!

"It's here!" Elina exclaimed, startling Alistair and causing him to quickly clasp his ears, protecting them from the banshee he acclaimed his friend.

"Son of a…" Alistair trailed off at the scream, cleaning the dark-red blood that fell from his left ear with his sleeves. He fell victim to the power Elina wielded.

"Oops, sorry!" Elina said from the dropped walkie as Alistair cursed in a beautiful symphony of profanities.

Elina had already veered back after Alistair's warning, and ten meters away was a black creature, a decaying dog-sized rat, which was the cause of her scream.

The raven-black rat crept closer. It scratched the ground with its nails like knives, emitting a black and foul mist. Its saliva reeked of nasty smells and musky scents.

It possessed ember eyes of burning light, staring into the depths of one's soul. It merged with the alley, looking for its defenseless prey.

Elina, who crouched above a pipe, took a deep breath, stabilizing herself upon the metal bar. She carefully retrieved a gun from the sand-colored coat that she wrapped around her thin waist. Her heart raced.

The revolver gleamed with white light. She aimed it at the creature, but when Elina wanted to pull the trigger.

"Don't be stupid, Elina," Alistair interrupted Elina.

Alistair picked up the walkie. "That is an experimental gun... It doesn't have enough power, wait for Isaac's assistance," he said.

Elina obliged and patiently waited. Alistair, who recovered from the ear damage, focused on Elina's position, one hundred and fifty meters relative to him.

He sprinted off the tower. He jumped, and the calm breeze blew at his face. The falling scenery of windows greeted his eyes, and the smell of steel encroached on his nose.

Upon nearing the ground, Alistair grabbed a pipe and trod forward through the industrial sea of dominoes. He possessed the gracefulness of a circus monkey

He parkoured across the tiles, rooftops, and stone platforms. His every swing was a close call to the grim reaper. Nonetheless, Alistair skillfully thwarted every danger.

However, a couple of blocks away, the thin figure performed noticeably better.

'Isaac, that damn show off!' Alistair thought as he witnessed a figure swerve past the buildings, occasionally running at the sides of the wall.

Elina stared at the rat sniffing the air. She held her breath, hiding her presence from the unassuming vermin.

However the vermin looked up, and Elina's eyes met it, the red sights of the creature. Elina's breathing stopped, her fingers shook, and an awkward smile decorated her face.

"Hello—" Elina had to cut her greetings halfway, leaping from the pipe as the vermin dashed up.

It tore apart the pipe into bits and trinkets.

Elina struggled to clasp the wall gaps and protrusions to gain distance from the pursuing creature. It stalked her from below as it strayed beneath her; it would get its snack. As it was a patient creature.

Elina took deep breaths as her hand dug into the gaps in the dirty walls. Despite the scary scenario, Elina attempted to calm down. She took a deep breath as a mysterious force surged in her, remembering the teachings of her mentors.

If she died, she was sure her mentors would beat her up for desecrating their teachings. Elina's chest slowly raised as she gathered air into her lungs.

The massive rat beneath her bent its knees; it was going for a lunge.

'Work fast, work fast!' Elina panicked in her mind, sweat dripped down her forehead, and her grip on the wall slowly lost strength.

Abruptly, the rat pounced forward with a grin on its mouth. When it closed on, Elina screamed with all her might.

A searing sound wave emitted from Elina's vocal cords, ripping through the air and colliding with the insufferable creature.

The vermin sauntered back and landed back on the alley floors. Elina brought the walkie as blood rose to her throat. "Guys, help faster!"

Elina panicked as her sweat boiled her skin. Despite the power of the attack, the rat wasn't down for the count; it got up. It glared at Elina.

Elina, seeing the hateful gaze of the vermin, almost screamed again. However she didn't get the chance to because a figure appeared from above and slammed it on the head.

However they missed because the rat rotated its head. Elina, who watched the altercation, recognized the newcomer as Isaac.

Suddenly Isaac leaped backward in haste, narrowly dodging a bladed tail that swiped at his neck.

The rat shook its skull, trying to sober up from the strike. As it did, Elina aimed with her pistol; she shot at its head.

However, the rat dashed away and evaded the bullets.

The rat sprinted to Isaac, and Isaac retrieved a purple Warhammer from his back. He braced himself and swung.

Unexpectedly a scarlet blur arrived from the left. It tackled the rat. The rat shook its head to remove the dizziness that encumbered it and looked to see its new opponent. But. a punch deflected its sights.

"Up here!" the rat heard; it looked, and a black shoe met its face. Nonetheless, it finally saw the face of its attacker: Alistair.

Alistair had a white aura encircling him. It served as body armor. Alistair hopped while grinning, looking at the rat, he whispered, "got you!"

Alistair's sequence of attacks led the rat to approach Issac. Isaac snuck to the back of the beast while raising his hammer to the sky. He glared at it while preparing to strike.

It was then Alistair noticed something. The monster's crimson eyes brightened, and its tail shivered.

The tail pointed at Issac's neck.

Alistair's pupils dilated after he saw the grinning face of the vermin. He quickly ordered. "ELINA shoot now!"

Elina obliged and shot at the rat, but it hopped away in time. It stood opposite the trio; it encircled them. Furthermore, it focused on the gaps in the walls.

Isaac looked at Alistair with sweat staining his face."Why did you do that? I was close to killing that damn thing!" Isaac questioned.

Alistair looked at the confused gaze of the beast and said, "It senses danger; it would have reacted the instant you brought the attack down."

Isaac understood and remembered the past incident, but then he raised his brows. "Why did your attacks hit in the first place?"

"That's what I intend to find out!" Alistair said before he retrieved his walkie. "Salin, are you in position?"

"Affirmative!" Salin said on the other side of the alley, 500 meters away. She aimed with her hands passing the broken window in front of her.

Alistair nodded and observed the creature. He noticed its pupils glowed again.

'If I am not wrong… It cannot sense when there are too many attacks from multiple directions,' thought Alistair.

Alistair's gaze steeled as he said, "C3C formation, go!"

Isaac and Elina immediately prepared after hearing the formation.

Isaac jumped onto the walls. Elina retreated. Alistair sprinted forward.

The rat focused on Alistair's mocking look, and it scowled. It dashed forward with all its nights, ignoring the warning signals its brains rapidly fired.

When the two neared each other, Alistair leaped to the side. The rat hit empty space and soared midair.

A scream chimed, shattering glasses and wriggling steel. It came so suddenly.

The scream sounded from Elina, who was situated at the rear. The soundwave collided with the sprinting animal. Its plan of escape was thwarted. Its ears bled, and its bones screeched. Blood dripped from its pores and stained its fur.

Yet that wasn't all. From above, Issac descended with his hammer raised. He whacked down the head of the monster before kicking it deep into the concrete floor.

In the distance Salin aimed ahead, with her hands glowing, causing the burning sound of air to permeate the dark room she resided.

Soon after, between her hands, a fireball materialized. It swirled around its axis as it smudged the walls with scarlet light. From the team training they did, she understood their plan, so she shot.

A wave of light swam through, spinning around like a tornado, burning the air and spreading a torrent of sparks in its path. Issac leaped away as it neared, letting it collide with the grotesque monster on the ground.

The beast's surface exploded into countless pieces as it danced in the flames that contained the grace of the sun.

Alistair watched from the side with a smile. "Mission complete,"