Looking at the unfamiliar, different boy from his expectations, Yondu wasn't sure what to even feel. His status felt things instead, since it made everything easier. “I heard Viktor was Rank 0 at curious times, weird eras, and not much is known about it. He said it himself. To me, you know, boy. Nowadays, things are different, and seeing youths and Rank 0s is a great reminder to old fools of how we have underestimated the past, mistrusted it, and how we produced youths. This one is.... what, again?”

  “What is there to understand?” Adam asked, poking his head from Yondu's protection because he was just a man. Nothing else.

  That claw was still slithering around the ground, its five fingers sizzling the soft tiles and going deeper. It wanted out, too, but William was unwilling to cooperate, or it couldn't do it.

  This time, William managed to keep his sanity and looked far into those eyes. Forcing his conscience to stay, his stubbornness showed, but the noises and insanity increased the longer he stayed on his feet.

  “System, is it? Or the Emblem? Ego... What do you know, boy? What have your parents taught you?”

  “N-nothing...”

  A step echoed, and Mi-Yung arrived before Yondu and William and poked at his hefty chest. “I think this is enough, sir. This talk is well outside of our justifiable actions. We get the rest, correct, sir?”

  “He showed interest. I am stating it, even if I am more worried about what he hasn't shown. Maybe the next one should involve Darks. I know some good...”

  “Kindly, I refuse this business based on the common ground of our trade offerings.” Mi-Yung paused Yondu's offer.

  Shaking his head, he figured going deeper was too much. This boy had just a few days before the Awakening; he should cherish this time, rest, and get better, and not turn bloody red.

  “It's worth praising such bravery. Killing yourself... I could only imagine the corners you've seen and forced, boy. It makes this old man shiver,” Yondu said, nodded towards William, delivered his last words, and returned to his people.

  Adam was left alone but close to Mi-Yung. The claw was fine, too, slowly decreasing in fierce, abundant pity. The flow was keeping itself in check, but William was also a good outlet for it. Slowly, the claw disappeared into the arm, William slouched, and blood gushed, and veins popped off, but overall, he barely screamed and kept his right arm in check as his wounds reopened.

  Nothing lasted forever.

  It didn't look nice. Blood fell everywhere, chunks of ground went missing, and he was a mess. William slipped in pain before Mi-Yung caught his shoulder. Drops of blood then flowed for minutes without stopping, until Adam, who had brought some medics with him, as per Mi-Yung's days-old request, stepped in.

  She didn't know this would happen, but she knew there was a reason she had done this, and William knew it as well.

  “Sorry for the mess.” William apologized in his creeping unconsciousness.

  “No. That is...” Adam went around her and spoke to William. Their serene moment was all gone. “That was wonderful. Can you tell me the details? Voices. Meanings. Which Darks create which differences? How have you found these things? Where did it lead? How far can it go on? What is too much damage? That crimson. Annihilation is...”

  Mi-Yung pinched his side and shut him up after he flew away. It was her little grudge and pride, and Adam wasn't surprised. “All right, but you agreed. Agreed!”

  Mi-Yung gave him an annoyed look when medics reached him, so she left William with them and approached Adam. “Listen. What I made is a minor touch. Do you think there are no worse things ahead? That I do not know what is ahead?”

  “Understanding Egos is a priority of many of us, and per the First Head, I am privy to such sequence.”

  “It's touching. Sure. Do you feel it can be touched?” Mi-Yung argued, pushing him even further away from William, who started to moan in pain. At last, the last vestige of red loosened.

  “He did it,” Adam argued. “With price, sure. Weird price. Sacifices... and.... stuff. I want to know more. It is important. Viktor is a known menace, but the latter part? His rousing path via his Ranks is a nice story indeed, and I got the privilege to look at it once.”

  “Good for you. Now, you'd better know when to shut up. You have no idea about imagination and hope. He knows very little because he lacked information when growing up, unlike you. Likewise, by the way, you should respect it. I don't want to imagine everything. I just want him to be good in a couple of days and see what will change.”

  “Rank 1... With this EGO?!” Adam began to shake and wished to create the wildest report of his dream. He had almost no doubts that the First Head would stop his current research and find excitement in this specimen. However, Adam soon realized it was about that time again, and First Head would be very busy. For days. For weeks... This was nice, but not perfect, which was the issue.

  Too much was hiding in plain sight.

  The Forced Awakening was next, and the First Head was its creator, curator, and controller.

  Mi-Yung heard him and snorted. “Leave it for later, will you?”

  Adam gulped, nodded, and felt great. This was a great scoop and report with considerable merit because there was no way William would get away because of Mi-Yung and Yondu.

  He left with his assistants, like Yondu did a while ago. Medics remained, and Tao was licking his wounds. Seeing William's sorry state, he too departed before hearing anything Mi-Yung had to say.

  By this point, Mi-Yung relaxed her arms for the first time in a while and looked at William in wonder. He showed it. He promised... He got it. He didn't enjoy the care of the medics and looked more like a lost dog, not so happy about unfamiliar faces. At least his Emblem was calm and not biting anyone without regard. Medics knew the dangers, had nasty experiences with such things, but even then, they ensured he would be fine.

  Mi-Yung sighed, touched her face, and fixed her perfect hair. Out of curiosity, she glanced at the sides. There weren't people. There weren't any poking heads either.

  There was already someone, and that person appeared after Yondu left this building. Clothed in a tidy black suit, it was a Butler.

  But not just any Butler. Mi-Yung frowned and grew slightly angry at this person, since it was an unexpected individual who shouldn't be there at all, let alone at this time. “Agatha?”

  If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

  “Don't worry. I didn't look at anything with Yondu in the way. Though listening was good enough, so you are welcome.”

  “That's... great... What do you want here? I don't recall the Academy being invited to my party, or involved in Yondu's business.”

  “It isn't his business either. It's yours. Very much yours.” Agatha said, walked through the crude spatial torrent, which was hard to see, and entered the Reality. She had a lean figure and a calm, clear voice. Her hair was short, her face was older but not too old, and her Butler attire was perfect —almost too formal and immaculate.

  “Seeing you isn't reassuring anyone,” Mi-Yung argued and sized her, or anyone close. Nope. It was just her. She wasn't sure if she was even alone, because, hell, she was the director of all Butlers of the Academy, and at Rank 7, she was absolutely an incredible figure due to the difficulties this Class possessed.

  They had challenging periods reaching higher Ranks, and that alone made Agatha very influential, and it was no wonder she was hard to see and easy to respect. She was the first of her kind to reach this Rank.

  Butlers were seen as casual, almost genetically weak Walkers who couldn't go very far. Their powers were subversive and supportive, not murderous and powerful. It made sense to look at them as an important subtype, even if the System didn't officially recognize their tinkering nickname.

  Under the System, touching the crux of the Emblem and mysteries of this era, they were known as Voidwalkers.

  “So... What is it that you are here for?” Mi-Yung inquired since Agatha was standing at the entrance to this arena and clearly wanted something, and her silence and eyes weren't messing with Mi-Yung. “Is it about William?”

  “Little.”

  That didn't lessen Mi-Yung's worries in the slightest because this could mean one fearful thought. Gales... “I don't think there is a point in this. I...”

  “It's not my place to argue. I am a messenger, Miss Song—dear Pillar, I mean. I bring a message from Dia.” Agatha quickly stated, speaking to the point even with a minor hiccup.

  “D-Dia?” Mi-Yung muttered, aware she hadn't made any visit or developed a way to get it started. It will take Luke a while to get his things sorted out in this Division anyway.

  “A cooperation is fitting, as this is official business, but... not here,” Agatha argued by glancing around, noticing medics and blood and stuff, so she pointed to the empty space with her hand.

  Mi-Yung got nervous and followed her steps. It was like a grasp, and then Reality splintered. Agatha put forth her arm and grasped Mi-Yung's hand, snatching them both out of the room yet still remaining inside.

  The world changed. Colors washed away, floor, ceiling, air, and a lot of other things were different in counts and depth. It was impossible to breathe, and gravity and space twisted.

  Mi-Yung put forth her innate Arcalyst, its glinting presence evident in her eyes and hair, and her body breathed in strength that could endure these dimensions just fine. Her entire Physique was above her Rank, and she could live in this place if she wanted for days at a time.

  But fighting would shorten it by hundreds of times. Like in Fogs, or when facing monsters in skin and scales, and gods forbid what else.

  Agatha had no such problems. She strolled into a place called Land, a place between Somewhere and Nowhere.

  Then, Agatha brought out a small bottle. Crushing it above her head—the space and the colorless liquid, full of strands—exploded, and Agatha seized them. “Song...” a soft voice called out from the twisted vortex.

  “Lady Dia,” Mi-Yung bowed down, kneeling because that was proper in such a forthcoming business she hadn't seen coming.

  “Don't be that... not this,” Dia argued, speaking in a soft voice as if she were hurt. The face was very smooth, feminine, and lacked sharpness, even in its lack of color.

  Agatha remained quiet as she connected multiple sides and knew what to do. She was still a Butler. She had work and etiquette to follow, so she perfected the connection.

  “Is...something matter?” Mi-Yung asked.

  “I heard you need me.”

  “That's right.”

  “I can help.”

  “Price?”

  “Favors... some big favors, yes. I am... sorry. And.... well...”

  “Speak.”

  “It's about a bet and blood.”

  “Bet?”

  “West Party forced it, and... it is sensitive. I fear that this will upset you. Hurt us. I think William Gale is the reason, and the proposition is a game done by West.”

  “Game?!” Mi-Yung didn't like where this was going. “Was it that Fain again?!”

  “Yes,” Dia said without hiding a thing. It wasn't her forte to plot like a fox, and her nature was one of helpful prudency.

  “He.... Ugh. What is it about?”

  “Repairing your love isn't far from anything. Rank 5. It isn't that hard to accept, since it can turn horrible. It's still unfair of me to refuse and rely on the Parties that think for me. I like... to help, you know. I could do it with your favors alone, but... alas, that is not possible with so many eyes on these matters. Whispers. Ravens. You know. Time was and is relentless.”

  “That's not assuring.”

  “I know. I know... But the principles...”

  “Fine. What's the deal?”

  “Three things. You.... loss. Him... losing. A certain... Affinity, too. Academy. Gales and... stuff?”

  Frowning and releasing her politeness, Mi-Yung looked at that gentle face, who was far too nervous about her words. “I am not following.”

  “Bets are also two-sided, Lady Dia. I suggest you look at the protocol page that has been sent over recently,” Agatha argued between them.

  “Oh, right?” Dia softly spoke as if she hadn't realized her mistake. “Then I will put forth my support? It isn't bad. I think West is big, and there was also North. I heard...”

  “Richards did visit me, touched William multiple times, and Kaufman was beyond included, but you must know already,” Mi-Yung added.

  “Smells like trouble,” Agatha said and shook her head in disappointment about what in the world Parties were doing about it, or her, of all people. They could easily antagonize Yondu, or perhaps his whole division, because Mi-Yung was his hidden yet obvious trump card. Maybe not just it. Maybe she was much more critical, like another forthcoming unofficial Gale, who was ridiculous from any point. From the political one... however? Agather was getting a headache.

  “Or a personal business. Anyway, Dia. I am down. I want Luke to be safe. Whole!”

  “Send him to me tomorrow. I will take care of it and put forth the entire contract, which I am sure you can influence on the go, but... it isn't quite fair. I am sorry.”

  Agatha coughed, clearing her throat. “Back to business.”

  Mi-Yug wasn't happy, but she was convinced William wouldn't be with her forever anyway. For as long as she could, she wanted to keep him close and help him. Then, he will open his arm and go out into the world, while she... well, whatever this deal was about, William wasn't in it, and whatever he would do next was up to him.

  “You seem... unhappy, Yungie.”

  “You know why, Dia. You want William out there? Well, not you, but still...”

  “I do. And I am sorry. I think some people haven't left the past, and that Gale behind, or... you know. It is... how to put it?”

  “Wicked. Sinful. Humiliating. Still interesting, yes?”

  “Fearful?” Agatha added.

  “I would say exposed yet forbidden. Old yet dead. There, yet living. Not everyone is hateful. Not every history needs repeating.” Dia argued and sighed at the end. “It's not like it's bad. I don't think this business is rotten to the core, and I could do more if Fain would let me. Alas...”

  “No. That's fine. I am convinced already, because William is a fine young man.”

  Dia paused, thinking and sounding glad. “That was... easier than anticipated.”

  “Good thinking,” Agatha argued and stopped the connection. With a wave of a hand, she tossed them back into Reality before Dia would fucked it up even more.

  William was still under medical care when Mi-Yung breathed the fresh air and calmed her heart and Emblem. Agatha was also there, but wavering like snow tossed into the water. She was disappearing back to the Land. “I will be in contact, so think about it. You can disagree. Change it, but you know the rules. Parties are not simple. Find your way. Don't haggle too much. Don't underestimate the old eras or grudge. Tomorrow... Song...”

  Mi-Yung glanced at her stern face and felt how certain favors, bets, and words might be heavier than anything she could ever count on. After today, she doubted William would ever argue about anything.

  He would literally kill himself for nothing but pride, stubbornness, unwillingness, words, reality, and promises.

  Stress was getting ahead of her, and her time was narrowing.

  The Academy often got what it wanted, no matter what or how, for that was what Alan Fain was about, and that meant new difficulties were about to form.

  “So, Fain thinks he can spit on this... after years I spent on it? Or the Parties?! Oh, they'd better prepare themselves if they think they can spit on my face.” Mi-Yung said decisively, approached the medics, scolded William, and knew that Dia meant what she said, even adding a couple of hints here and there. Whatever. This was one of the easiest decisions she had ever made.

  There was no escape from darkness in this world, but among them, there were friends and a place to stand straight and true.

  Today, a lot of challenging stands neared and stretched, wobbled, and broke, and more was around the corner.