VALERIAN: THE GUILD
The secretary sat in her office as she placed a communication orb on her desk.
"Serenya, is your group done with the assignment? Don't return to the guild yet. Another client reached out. She specifically requested Moonveil.
"The Akatsuki household seems to have a job for you, and from the looks of things, it's a complicated issue. She doesn't want it recorded. She wants to meet your group in person."
The guild's transparency was law. All jobs handed out were sent to the guild and recorded for future purposes, allowing them to track events whenever necessary.
The voice of Selene Frosttail faded as the communication orb dimmed and went silent.
A brief pause followed.
"We'll head back to Daria," Serenya said, her voice echoing through the minds of her sisters. "We'll send the letter to Damon once we arrive."
"Serelia said."
Behind them, the remains of seven Ferrodrakon dissolved into fine ash, scattering into the wind as though they had never existed.
The forest was quiet again.
But not peaceful.
"Jural Forest has been unstable for weeks," Serelia noted. "The barrier is still intact. There's no breach point."
"Yet they appeared anyway," Seranya added.
"Seven casualties this morning," Serenya concluded calmly. "Unacceptable."
The ground beneath them began to glow, a circle of light spreading outward, filled with intricate symbols.
"This assignment is complete," she said.
"On to the next."
The light surged.
They vanished.
---
TIKKA — THE PALACE
"The black market."
Freya Brann's voice cut cleanly through the royal chamber as she stood before the throne, a scroll open in her hand.
"This is where Lot was seen. He has visited this particular place often in the past, based on gathered intel. But he was never the root.
"Just a branch."
King Charlotte leaned forward slightly, her gaze sharp.
"And where is it located?"
"Lake Vail," Freya replied.
"But the entrance is heavily concealed. Most who enter are blindfolded... or drugged and transported unconscious. No one walks in freely. No one walks out informed."
She paused, letting the weight of her words settle.
"Inside, all forms of illegal business are carried out. Slavery. Illegal cursed weapons. Cursed artifacts. Human and demi-human experimentation.
"It's not just a market... it's an ecosystem."
The room felt colder.
"The one at the top," Freya continued, "remains unidentified. Unknown face. Unknown name. Unknown origin.
"Speculation says he's from Tikka, while others simply know him as the Ghost."
Charlotte's fingers tapped lightly against the arm of her throne.
"We need more information. What about Alric?"
"He's progressing," Freya answered. "He's a Dio user, so he's taken a different approach.
"Recruitment."
Charlotte's eyes narrowed slightly.
"He's posted notices across Tikka. He's looking for individuals extremely skilled at using Eno... or those who've already awakened Dio."
"And?" Charlotte asked.
"He intends to build a unit from scratch. Controlled. Loyal. Structured from the foundation level."
Charlotte's tone sharpened.
"How long would it take to build a strong unit?"
"At minimum? Two months."
A pause.
"Twelve volunteers so far."
Charlotte exhaled slowly.
"Two months is too long," she said. "Every day we wait, more people die."
Silence stretched across the chamber.
"Push for more intel," she continued. "I want that organization dismantled, and the man behind it exposed."
Freya bowed slightly.
"Understood."
Charlotte's gaze drifted, her thoughts tightening.
"Lot confessed. He was the one in control, and he believed it."
Her eyes dimmed.
"But he wasn't, which means..."
Her fingers curled slightly.
"He wasn't mind-controlled, and he didn't have multiple personalities. If he had, I'd know. He would've confessed even if it fell under either of those explanations.
"He built that entire operation... funded it... controlled it.
"At least, that's what Mr. Ghost wants him to think.
"He was manipulated through speech. No magic. No technique. No drug."
A man who had erased his own presence from every traceable point.
Charlotte's lips pressed into a thin line.
"We're not hunting a criminal.
"Rather, we're inside his design."
A quiet realization settled over her.
Cold.
Precise.
She looked down at the ground.
"This isn't a normal battlefield."
Her voice dropped, almost to a whisper.
"It's a chessboard."
She paused.
"And we're all just pawns."
---
DARIA — CAPITAL
MYSTIC LYTHORIA
JUNIOR CLASS 4
"Aristo, stop sleeping. It's unlike you. If anything, it should be your brother, not you."
The teacher's voice cut through the room.
"I'm fine," Aristo muttered, slapping his cheek to stay awake.
A few students turned, whispering among themselves.
Mr. Ash faced the board again.
"As I was saying, teleportation can be performed through what we call a magic circle. Now, I'll demonstrate."
He drew a circle on the floor, carefully inscribing symbols within it. Then, he drew another identical circle on the table.
"Watch closely. I'll place this piece of chalk here. By adding a small amount of Dio energy to this circle, the second one will activate."
He placed the chalk inside the first circle.
The symbols glowed faintly.
In an instant, the chalk vanished, reappearing on the table inside the second circle.
A ripple of murmurs spread through the class.
"However," Mr. Ash continued, "if Eno energy is used instead, the circle becomes unstable. It fails. Sometimes it doesn't send, and other times..."
He picked up an orange and placed it inside the circle.
"...the results are far worse."
He infused the circle with Eno energy.
The symbols flickered violently.
The orange disappeared.
A moment later, it reappeared inside the second circle, reduced to hundreds of tiny slices.
Silence filled the room.
"This," he said calmly, "is the outcome. Imagine if that were a human body."
No one spoke.
"So, we have concluded that Eno energy cannot be used for teleportation.
"There are, however, other methods.
"One involves detection techniques."
He began pacing slowly.
"Detection is simple and commonly performed using Eno energy. But for teleportation, Dio energy must be used.
"First, activate detection. Then lock onto a location within your range. You cannot exceed that range.
"Visualize yourself at that exact point."
The bell rang sharply.
Mr. Ash stopped.
"We'll continue next time. Aristo, stay behind."
The class quickly emptied.
"I guess we'll head out without you," Phobos said as he walked away.
"Bye, Aristo. Take care," Zira said as she walked past him, following Phobos from behind.
Soon, only Aristo remained.
"Sorry for sleeping during your class, sir," he said. "I've just been really tired since yesterday. I don't know why."
"It's not about that," Mr. Ash replied. "After yesterday's training session, you were seen leaving the school grounds with three other boys. A few minutes later, you returned alone."
Aristo frowned.
"There were ten boys found outside," Mr. Ash continued. "Badly beaten. They're still recovering. So, did you have a fight?"
"Outside? Fight!?" Aristo's voice rose. "I didn't go outside."
"They've all been questioned," Mr. Ash said. "Their answers are identical. They remember nothing."
Aristo shook his head.
"After training, I stayed on the field. I don't know why, but I did. Then I went back inside. I was already late. That's all I can remember."
Mr. Ash studied him in silence.
"Can I leave now, sir?" Aristo asked.
"You may," Mr. Ash said. "But be careful. And don't cause any trouble."
"I'll be sure to do that," Aristo answered, his voice steady as he stepped out of the classroom.
Minutes later, he reached the school gates, the heavy silence of the afternoon weighing on him.
Ten boys. Memory loss.
The thoughts looped through his mind.
I still can't remember a thing. Is it even possible to just... blank out during an incident like that?
He walked alone, his shadow stretching thin against the pavement.
From the roof of a towering building far away from the school, E watched him.
His dark hair whipped in the wind, framing eyes that didn't miss a single flicker of movement.
"That's Aristo Artemis," E muttered.
"Walking home alone? This is tactically a gift. I won't get a window like this again."
Aristo kept walking home.
"Hey, little one."
The voice echoed—not in the air, but directly within his consciousness.
"You've grown quite a bit since we last saw you."
Aristo snapped his head up.
Three women stood in his path.
Their eyes held a predatory hunger, a depth of intent that made his stomach churn.
"I don't remember meeting you," Aristo said, his mind racing as he calculated an exit strategy. "Sorry, but I have to get home."
He froze.
They're powerful.
I'll say they are definitely stronger than Lady Alexandra.
Then he realized with a jolt of horror that they hadn't moved their lips.
I'm not hearing their thoughts...
They're projecting their words directly into my mind.
"You don't have to be scared, baby Aristo," Serelia said.
"It's been eleven years. You were so small."
"I'm Serenya. This is Serelia, and she is Seranya. Does that ring a bell?"
A dormant circuit in Aristo's brain sparked.
He saw flashes of his mother.
Her voice.
Repeating these names in hushed, urgent tones.
"Yeah," Aristo breathed.
"I remember."
"I see your detection is getting better," Serenya noted, a sharp smile playing on her lips.
"It's a miracle you're doing as well as you are."
High above, E's pulse quickened.
The Three Sisters.
The ones who nearly dismantled Z and trapped half her soul in that shell of a man back at Azura.
The same sisters who pushed M to the absolute brink.
He could see the Dio—the raw energy flickering around them like a solar flare.
Engaging them is a zero-percent success rate.
I'll have to abort this mission. Aristo isn't worth a death sentence.
"Aristo, take this," Serenya said, handing him a sealed envelope.
"A letter for your father. We have business to attend to. We would probably pay him a visit once we're free, okay?"
They all smiled.
"Okay, sure," Aristo replied.
Every word of their conversation had been a seamless telepathic exchange.
As E prepared to phase away, the sisters turned in unison.
Their movements were synchronized to the millisecond.
And where do you think you're going?
Their voices boomed inside his head.
We can smell the Soul Manipulator and the Lady of Nails on you.
You're working together.
This time, you don't leave.
A spear of pure, incandescent white light materialized in Serenya's hand.
Before E could even process the displacement of air, it was launched.
E's synapses fired at peak capacity.
He twisted his torso, but the spear grazed his shoulder.
The physical wound was minor.
But his Soul Matrix shrieked.
The weapon was designed to bypass physical matter and sever the soul itself.
Damn it!
The spear passed through him and collided with the building beneath him.
The kinetic force didn't simply impact the building.
It vaporized the structural supports and tore through the building itself.
As the concrete began to groan, one of the sisters had already created a shimmering hexagonal barrier, protecting the civilians living in each room of the building.
She caught the falling debris with the barrier, shielding the civilians below.
The street erupted into chaos.
Ariancams—automated recording drones—swarmed the sky, capturing every frame of the unfolding disaster.
I need to blend in.
E clutched his fractured soul as he disappeared into the crowd.
But I can't hide this energy signature.
If I can reach the base, Z can patch my soul. I can try reducing the damage and its effects.
But repairing the soul is just something I can't do.
The longer it takes to reach the base, the faster I get rotten from the inside.
These girls... they're monsters!
He glanced behind him.
That opening is perfect. They won't be able to follow through.
He slipped into a narrow path.
I think I lost them.
"Got you."
The sisters' voices echoed in unison inside his mind.
Under E's feet, a massive geometric array ignited.
"A teleportation circle? When did they—?"
He looked down.
"This? It's built with Eno. Eno can't be used for teleportation. It just doesn't wor—"
He stopped.
His eyes widened.
Then he realized what was happening.
The results would only lead to my death.
I'd be chopped into a thousand pieces.
"I can't even sense the trigger point."
His expression tightened.
"This is not good."
As the circle reached critical mass, E made a desperate gamble.
He dumped his remaining Dio into a localized reality fold.
The world blurred.
The city vanished.
It was replaced by a hyper-vivid landscape.
A massive oak tree towered over a rushing river. Above it, the sky was an impossible shade of cerulean—so blue and bright that it almost hurt to look at.
E had created a dimension within the split second before the Eno teleportation circle could activate.
"Finally free," he said, catching his breath.
"Don't think you've escaped."
Serenya's voice echoed through the dimension.
E's eyes widened.
The three sisters stood together within his world.
"Damn it. These roaches are just hard to shake off."
"So this is your dimension," Serelia mused, scanning the horizon.
"Let's see how much Dio you have to maintain an entire world."
"My world. My rules," E spat.
"The probability of my survival just climbed."
He stared at them.
"Why chase me when I'm not even your primary target? The Soul Girl and the Nails are. So why chase me?"
"The fact that you ran is enough proof you're one of them."
They spoke in perfect sync.
From the sky, concentrated light suddenly snapped down at the sisters.
Serenya and Serelia flickered, moving faster than light could travel.
But Seranya was too slow.
The light punched through her, leaving her torso covered in a lattice of glowing holes as her blood stained the ground.
E smirked.
"One down. Two to go."
The remaining two sisters didn't flinch.
No tears.
No hesitation.
They simply resumed the hunt.
As they gave chase, E's confidence began to waver.
"They're heartless," he whispered.
"Have you calculated the scale of this place yet?"
Seranya stood there, holes covering her body.
Then, within minutes, those holes began to close.
E's eyes widened.
"A perfect clone..."
His blood turned to ice.
Seranya was never in my dimension.
Only two sisters followed me through.
The one who received the damage from my attack was nothing more than a perfect clone—a Dio-sustained immortal construct.
She was never inside to begin with.
"Expanding detection," the clone reported to her sisters.
"The dimension is expanding at nine hundred meters per second. He's burning through his reserves."
The ground in front of E suddenly surged upward, forming a jagged wall that defied his commands.
"What?!"
He stopped.
"This is my world!"
An unseen force seized E, hoisting him into the air like a puppet.
The sisters walked toward him.
Their footsteps echoed through the dimension, each one bringing them closer.
"Who is your master?" they demanded.
They used their detection frequency to explore his mind.
The pressure was immense.
It felt as though his skull were being crushed from the inside.
E tried to lock his mind using a Mental Isolation Technique.
But one of the sisters was enough to place an overwhelming weight upon him.
He had only one move left.
I'm bringing a real monster into this playground.
A manic grin stretched across E's face.