Soul Lovers

The beginning of the end.

Sheik walked through the passageway towards Frankenstein's lab, then stopped and scoffed.

“Telling Aje before him will be first cause' I need to figure out something urgent from Aje.” Sheik said as he went the other way. Meanwhile Node was hiding near a wall, peeping at Sheik as he went away, he exhaled.

“Now that he's gone. My plan starts now.” He whispered, then left.

He reached a shaded narrowed passageway full of doors on both sides—he'd knew that one of these doors in this shaded passageway will definitely be the place they were keeping Sniffia. Moving carefully while looking at each doors on his sides.

“Where… did I see them putting her… oh right… one… two… three. This is the right door.” He said, as he pointed at the door on his left, he tried looking through the holes in the door but were too tiny for him to see through. Scratching his chin.

“I may as well, knock.” He knocked the door thrice, dropped his hand then put his ear on the door, “No one answered… ” Put his hand at the door knob, twisted it, to his amazement the door opened.

Node eyes widened as he entered, suddenly, he was punched at the chin, which he stumbled and fell while holding his probably broken chin.

“Ugh!” he shook his head and looked at the person who hit him. “Sniffia?!”

Sniffia was standing in front of him with her fist in the air, about to pondered him more but hearing the voice of Node, she froze her hand in the air.

“... Node?!” then she gave him a hand in standing on his two feet, “I thought it was someone else since you don't have any scent.”

Node shook his jaw.

“You just shifted my jaw… ouch!” Node moaned. Suddenly, Sniffia heard footsteps coming their way, She immediately took Node by his hand, enter the room and closed it. Placed her hand on Node's mouth, her other hand held Node's hand while leaning on Node.

“Shhhh… someone is coming this way.” She whispered, Node blinked frequently, seriously, wishing this position they were right now could stay forever. Beneath Sniffia hand he smiled. “Where is Peirce?” she asked silently, then she noticed she was too close to Node, immediately removed her hands, taking many steps back. Node froze for some seconds after coming back to his senses, he put his ear on the door for an excuse for blushing in that awkward moment.

“I know where he is, alright. But I have a plan.” He said, still placing his ear on the door. “Listen carefully.” He moved to Sniffia. “We… ” Suddenly, the door broke opened, appearing before them were the two little girls staring at both Node and Sniffia. Node turned on seeing them he slightly smirked. It will be easy to persuade them, so he thought since they were two harmless little girls.

"We will be escaping this place right now. Are you tagging along," he said, Sniffia widened his eyes,

"What are you doing?!" she asked,

"Relax Sniffia, looked at them. They look insecure we can't just leave them here." he said, but in his mind he felt if Peirce could do it befriending and bringing a beast to the village he also can, to be the caretaker of the two little girls—he smiled. Watch out, Peirce you ain't the only one with a golden heart.

The two little girls inclined there head while staring at them to the left then to the right, Node blinked then imitated them.

"What are you kids doing? don't you understand a word that comes out from my mouth?"

Then one of the two little girls went to the door and closed it, after she walked back to her former position as their eyes bulging from their sockets, this made Node shivered a little—

"What have you done?" Sniffia whispered behind him with a touch, Node fidgeted.

"I-I don't know but they ate the food I gave them or they must be mad about my food's taste." Node swallowed, "hey... "

Suddenly, the two little girls neck elongated revealing their hoods more like the way cobra snakes does with a hiss. It startled only Node as he noticed their appearance only mean they are from the beast kingdom taken, enslaved and brainwashed here in this frightful city.

Meanwhile at the bounty collector throne room. While seated he turned his head to the doors behind him,

“Is my breakfast not ready yet?! Cook!” he shouted and waited for an answer, no one answered, then he stood up about walking to the door.

“It seems to me, your cook is preparing something delicious.” Lazarus voice echoed through the room, The bounty collector turned his head looking at everyone in their cells.

“Who dares talk?!” he fumed, Lazarus stood, stretching his body as the chains on his body clanged together then he dusted his untrimmed hair and beards with his hands.

“First of all thank you for your hospitality, because this is the only city my wife will never search for me. Nevertheless, to be honest I have overused my stay here and I don’t fancy the little pit here you call latrine.” He said while yawning, The bounty collector turned his fat body towards him.

“You must be Lazarus.”

“Finally someone here knows and called my name, after all these years!” he expressed.

“Why won’t I, my finite alphabets caught you ten years ago. So watch what you say and get your little ass back to the ground to where it belong. I own you.” The bounty collector said.

Lazarus laughed.

“That's where you are mistaken, I only allowed myself to be caught because… I told you why. The men you boldly talked about where are they now. Did you sent them off because they were too weak? or are they hiding in corner until one of us break out of this shitty place? But all the same I'm going back to see her.” Lazarus narrated, the bounty collector let out a harsh breath scowling at Lazarus.

“What are you trying to say? That am alone, broken and lack followers?”

“If you put it like that. Sorry am in a hurry to leave, she will be waiting.” Lazarus said as half of his body glowed in black which suddenly, spreads in all directions, swiftly opened the cell doors in the room, simultaneously including unchaining every prisoner including Jared in his silver bracelets and himself, Lazarus walked out smiling staring at the bounty collector with no or little expression on the bounty collector face.

Every prisoners came out of their cells. Jared jerkily rose up walked out from his cell also as the hair now covering his two marked eyes sways while the air around the room got stronger and stronger until it suddenly broke every little window glass in the room then shattered the carcasses's throne behind the bounty collector. After, the air in the room calmed down.

Lazarus looked at everyone and at Jared, smirking, his black glows fully covered his body, he spread his hand just as the black glows expanded from his wrist turning it into a wrist reaper on both hands.

“Surprised. We-- ” Suddenly, every prisoners darted towards the exit, not a single prisoner remained for they were more afraid of the fat being in front of them than to stand and fight except Jared. Lazarus blinked.

Cowards! He thought.

The bounty collector smiled looking at the only two in the room.

-

Meanwhile at the lab. Peirce struggled his body, as the thin needle pointed towards his scar.

“Stop resisting, Peirce. Let my needle pierce through, your blood may be the break through to my final fantasy. It not what's paid that gives value to an items, but what it costs. Do you understand how much you worth?!”

Suddenly, the long thin needle penetrated through Peirce's scar, Peirce shook his body and head in pain. The pain was unbearable for his little mind and body as he struggled, kicked, shook his head and feet as he strained grunted.

Frankenstein pupils dilated.

“I said it! Your blood is the key! Go deeper!” he cried as the needle went deeper into Peirce's scar then Peirce clenched his fist tightly as his eyes watered, groaning then he unclenched his hand, shaking his body as the needle went deeper and deeper while Frankenstein looked at the strange screen happily. “Yes! Yes!... ”

Peirce starts to glow in green with the pain at hand, Frankenstein looked at the glowing kid on the inclined metallic bed then ignored him staring back at the strange screen. His glow shone brighter, brighter more brighter than ever before as Peirce continued to shake. The green light became overpowering and intimidating, breaking the incandescent light in the ceiling then the green glowing in Peirce’s suddenly ablaze to the roof which blasted off the ceiling completely, luminating through the sky in broad daylight.

Everyone in the city could feel and see the great pressure the green light gave.

That same moment. Every sacred beings in every kingdom felt it.

On the snowy land, inside the cave of the ice bears where the gigantic creature was frozen, it immediately opened it eyes and spoke;

“It is time.”

The Dragon secretly under the castle of the Humane Kingdom buried deep into the ground, also opened it's eyes.

While the Dragon Peirce met at the lagoon raised his neck higher in an unknown dungeon, he opened his eyes staring at every other dragons who were much smaller than him bowing before him.

After experiencing the Vigor of Peirce's light. Gage with the red-caped royal guards looked pressured by the light from afar, Gage nodded looking at them as they ran towards the light without hesitation.

In an unknown hideout, six shadowy figures stood behind a shadowy short figure.

“The war between kingdoms as ended and another as risen.”

It was the words that came out of the small figure shaded mouth.

And lastly the Beast in the bottomless hole opened it’s fiercely purple-reddish eyes, rolled his eyes up. the hole was too deep—it could be seen as the hole of no return and seems endless to the eyes.

“It has begun.” the Beast roared.

At the surface, mystical creatures of all kinds came out from the ground with the redness in their eyes, swarming, ten hundreds upon ten hundreds thousands of them, groaning and stamping towards the huge visible barrier—This was not for the boy, no not at all it was for the huge visible barrier blocking their way to the outside world. They'd slammed, smashed, clashed, banged their body hard on the cracked and weakened huge barrier with no urge to rest or whatsoever.