Chapter 54 - Hard truths. (1)

  Sakura’s shield snapped up, intercepting the bded, finger-like cws of the twisted arm lunging at her. With her other arm, she dipped low, sshing her sword across the creature’s misshapen leg, cutting deep into its grotesque flesh.

  Behind her, Izzy spun into motion. She unched a kick over Sakura’s shoulder, striking the monster in the jaw just as it tried to cmp its deformed mouth down on her friend. Using the momentum, Izzy twisted beneath the beast, her other leg sweeping out to sm into its limbs and send its malformed body buckling.

  The monster dropped. As if on cue, Sakura’s sword arced up, targeting its head. It tried to recoil, but her Blessing yanked it forward, the bde slicing clean through its skull. Blue, viscous blood sprayed as Izzy followed up with a brutal kick, driving the monster’s head further into the sword and splitting it in two.

  The creature went limp.

  But the two didn’t wait. Sakura braced her shield, ready for more. Izzy pivoted, tackling her. Sakura released the shield, letting it hover midair, while she pulled a rger one from the shared inventory. As they fell back, Izzy’s foot smmed into the smaller floating shield, unching it skyward. Sakura wrapped them both in the cover of her new, rger shield.

  The creature exploded.

  The bst drawn upward to the smaller shield above, absorbing the worst of the force. The rest smmed into the rger shield, protecting the girls as they were hurled to the ground. They hit hard but safe, the shield having taken the brunt of the impact.

  Sakura moved the shield aside, freeing them. Both girls burst into ughter, high-fiving before springing to their feet and racing off to rejoin the fight against the swarming monsters attacking the rest of the group.

  At the same time, off to the side, Era faced down a fluffy monster that stood unnaturally still, its beady eyes locked onto her.

  "How cute," she said with a smile, reaching out to pet it. The smile twitched when its fur suddenly split open, revealing a hidden mouth that lunged for her hand. She pulled back just in time to avoid being bitten.

  "Hmm… not cute at all," she murmured, still smiling. Her other hand shot forward, a pink-bded dagger fshing into view. It pierced the creature cleanly, dropping it in an instant. All that remained was a core.

  Meanwhile, the rest of us were caught in a storm of tiny, bug-like monsters—small but seemingly endless. Angelica’s barrier kept them at bay, protecting us, but also trapping us inside.

  That’s when I slotted Spectra the Reaper’s card—and my hunch paid off. These weren’t many monsters. They were one—a single creature that had split itself into countless pieces, spawning new bodies endlessly.

  With a swift slice of my scythe, I cut into its soul, enough to sever its connection. The swarm died instantly, fading from existence just before Sakura and Izzy made it back.

  “Yeah, you did it!” Era cheered, noticing the battlefield had cleared. She hadn’t done much, staying in cheerleader mode to avoid affecting my evaluation with the involvement of a higher-tier team member.

  My vision snapped back to the present, a dull throb building in my skull—the price of splitting my awareness in the past. The headache was only there because I hadn’t yet reestablished the bond that allowed Spectra knowledge to guide me.

  My card ejected from the slot, dispelling my spectral white robes and returning me to normal.

  Angelica’s ability kicked in almost immediately, soothing the pain just as the tomboy duo came running up to steady me.

  After moving in with us, the next step was, of course, Izzy joining the team. She had originally been sted to be part of it—until she and Sakura got into a fight, and Izzy split off to form her own group, determined to outshine her friend. That point was moot now. She switched over quickly, having no reason left to keep her distance. Her old team was surprisingly understanding, and it looked like they'd still be meeting up occasionally—going so far as to invite Sakura to join them in the future.

  Once I was steady on my feet again, we regrouped quickly. Yelizaveta, the leader, arrived with Tabitha—the petite redhead—and Esmeralda, the blue-haired woman with the ever-present wizard hat. The rest of their team fanned out, securing the area.

  “Your two disruptors acted quickly and decisively to eliminate the monster,” Yelizaveta said, cool and formal as always, recording something on a ft, ste-like device. “However, celebration should wait until the area is confirmed clear. Your main force held out well while analyzing the entity, though—Liev, you should have signaled the others before damaging its soul. Any number of things could have happened afterward. Still, you get a pass—with a note for improvement.”

  “Don’t listen to her,” Tabitha chimed in, pointing an accusatory finger at her leader. “She just yells ‘Go!’ and charges in, leaving us to figure out all the complicated stuff. At least you had a pn.”

  A giggle came from her other side. Tabitha whipped around and pointed at the blue-haired woman. “And she’s just as bad!”

  “Oh?” Esmeralda said with an exaggerated pout, bending over to peer down at Tabitha. Her ample breasts swayed in front of the redhead’s face. “I’m nowhere near as bad as our fearless leader.”

  Tabitha’s cheek twitched. “At least our leader doesn’t try to “accidentally” hit me with a ser!”

  “Really? You’re still accusing me of that?” Esmeralda replied, making a show of bouncing her chest. “You’re just unlucky, Tabby.”

  A soft body wrapped around me from the side.

  “They're cute, but you shouldn’t be getting distracted,” Izzy said, and only then did I realize I’d been steering.

  “Is something wrong, Brother?” Sakura asked, concerned.

  “It’s nothing,” Izzy answered smoothly. “He’s just... an adult now.”

  “Oh,” Sakura replied, clearly confused.

  “Don’t think about it too much, Sakura. It’s time to reapply our pills,” Angelica said, stepping in as she handed each of us four pills.

  She was using the shared inventory to organize our prep items. Each set was boxed individually for us, then further divided by regions we might travel through, with one big box containing it all. It was like she had her own mini supply store tucked away in my inventory. The only downside was how long it took to unbox it all.

  “Thank you, Sister Angelica,” Izzy said as she accepted her pills. “She’s right—you’ll understand when you get married.”

  “Hey! You just got a head start, that’s all!” Sakura said quickly, flustered.

  Angelica moved off to where the two girls were chatting with our newest addition—Era. Though she wasn’t participating in the evaluation. Only two tiers up were allowed, otherwise it would be considered “carrying” and would mess with the assessment of the one being evaluated.

  Yuno had suggested she join our team, and since Era seemed to be Yuno’s only real friend, I hadn’t had the heart to say no.

  “That really is a pretty knife,” Lucy said with genuine admiration.

  “My mom gave it to me—made it herself,” Era replied, pride evident in her voice. “She says it’ll keep me safe from all the bad in the world that tries to cage us.”

  “Oh? What’s she like?” Lucy asked, curious.

  ‘Things are much more rexed without Miki here.’ I thought, watching the girls talk and ugh together.

  “Miki’s right, ya idjit. Ya shouldn’t be droppin’ yer guard,” a voice called out, startling us all.

  The accent was strange—familiar, yet off. Like it didn’t quite belong to the nguage she was speaking, and yet… something about it felt oddly recognizable, as if I’d grown up hearing it.

  Turning toward the voice, we saw a girl who looked like she could’ve come from any small town back on Earth—only she was fwless. Brownish-red hair framed her face, her deep brown eyes sharp and aware, and freckles dotted her nose in a way that looked almost too perfect. She wore sturdy boots with blue pants tucked neatly into them, and a red-and-bck checkered, wool-like shirt with pockets. Over it all, she had on what was unmistakably a white b coat—stuffed with vials and bottles like some kind of mad chemist.

  In her right hand, she casually twirled one of those vials, spinning it effortlessly around her thumb.

  ‘Is that a b coat?’ I thought, blinking. It was a familiar look—but while I’d seen many outfit styles here that vaguely echoed suits or uniforms, never once had I seen a b coat.

  “Sure is. Just like m’daddy’s,” she said, as if reading my mind. “And yeah, we’ve met before.”

  She turned to face the Trailbzer squad, who immediately moved to shield us. Hidden members of their team emerged from the shadows, weapons drawn and ready. I got the subtle signal from my own guards—they were already in position.

  Still, the girl looked at us without a hint of worry. Then her eyes changed—shifting into a radiant, glowing gold. A shiver ran down my spine. It felt like no matter where I ran, she’d be able to see me.

  “Wait… you're the girl from the ruins,” Tabitha said, voice tight with recognition. Her words triggered a ripple through the others as realization struck.

  Then Yuno appeared behind her, blinking into existence and dropped to the ground, sliding to the girl’s side just as the vial tipped in her hand, its contents already spilling over my twin.

  “Yuno, now that just ain’t good. Bein’ so fuckin’ impatient,” the girl muttered, half-chiding.

  “Yuno!” Angelica screamed, but she was quickly intercepted by Nyx’s floating form. The ghostly figure reached out with a pale white hand, halting my sister. Around her, hundreds of translucent spirits drifted into the air, their presence overwhelming.

  “Stay back,” Yelizaveta commanded, her voice sharp. “No matter what tier she appears to be—she is not someone you can challenge.” Her armor shimmered faintly, taking on a soft blue glow. Behind her, Tabitha and Esmeralda were already drinking potions, prepping for a worst-case scenario.

  “Your sister’s fine,” Spectra said, stepping forward, her eyes glowing faintly as she peered into the past. “She’s just been put into a deep sleep.”

  I tried to observe the brown-haired girl but pain smmed through my skull, sharp and searing, like a bolt of electricity frying my brain from the inside out. The metallic tang of blood filled my mouth. My vision blurred as bloody droplets ran from my eyes.

  I blinked furiously, trying to clear it.

  “What the fuck’d you expect?” the girl said, her form now a distorted blur. “Tryin’ ta process all that info—I ain’t hidin’ nothin’, but that don’t mean your mind can take it.”

  Her voice made the pain worse. I could feel Angelica’s power already at work, trying to patch the damage.

  “What do you want?” Yelizaveta asked, her stance firm, the st of her preparations complete. Behind her, her team stood ready.

  “I’m here t’knock some sense into him. Show him he can’t keep runnin’ from his problems forever,” she said, my vision slowly clearing. “His daddy shoulda done that a long time ago.”

  As her words settled in, I watched her pull out a pristine pair of white gloves, slipping them on with deliberate care.

  “We won’t let you,” Angelica snapped, her barriers fring to life. Sakura and Izzy moved in front of me, forming a tight line of defense.

  Then it all happened in a fsh.

  One second, everyone was tense and ready. The next—thud—bodies hit the ground all around us. Too fast to process, too fast to react. Everyone dropped.

  My head still throbbed from earlier. I forced a scream through the pain: “Start a date!”

  No wheel appeared. Time didn’t freeze. But the voice rang out just the same:

  “Date starto!”

  With a snap, the girl finished pulling on her gloves. Her hand shed out, spping a rainbow-colored thread that shimmered into view—one end anchored to her fingers, the other leading straight to my chest.

  “Date canceled!”

  “Time don’t freeze, ya idjit—it just slows down,” she said, answering the question I hadn’t asked aloud. “Here and now, this pce evens everythin’ out.”

  Then she moved—racing toward me.

  I surged forward, leaping over my fallen sister and Izzy, heart pounding. I slotted Shadow 13 and Shadows 404—taking no chances this time. I wasn’t going to make the same mistake again.

  First priority: get everyone back to the city.

  The cards slotted into the field, hovering at the edge of my vision just as I saw her kick coming. It passed straight through the bck summoning field—striking both of my cards mid-materialization and ejecting them instantly—before smming into my face.

  My body hit the ground hard, bouncing from the impact and knocking the wind right out of me.

  ‘What the hell!’ I thought, dazed and struggling to understand what I’d just seen.

  I scrambled to slot Sk?gul, summoning her sprite. But just as she crossed into the field, the girl’s foot snapped out again—catching her mid-summon and kicking her out, then crashing into my face a second time. I went flying, spinning backwards.

  I threw my arms up to protect myself, bracing for a third hit. But it didn’t come.

  Lowering my guard, I saw her standing above me, staring down with that same cold focus.

  “Git up an’ take yer beatin’ like the man you wish you was,” she said ftly.

  I quickly activated ‘Charm Her Pants Off’, but—for the first time—nothing happened.

  “That’s ‘cause the most charm you’ve got right now is not pissin’ me off worse than I already am,” she said with a scoff.

  Thinking fast, I shifted tactics and used ‘My Father Works For That Company’, blurting out, “You said you’d let us go back to the city!”

  She raised an eyebrow. “Really now? You saw Seraphina give ya a front-row seat to how opposites react, and you’re still tryin’? Bless yer heart.”

  “Who the hell are you?” I asked, still sprawled out on the ground.

  “Slow on the uptake, as always,” she muttered. “I’m the King of the Goddess of Truth, ya stupid sack’a shit.”

  ‘King? Like in chess?’ I wondered.

  “Yep. Just like ‘chess,’” she said, using the English word with a knowing grin.

  Then it hit me—her Southern drawl, her conservative outfit, the odd mix of words I’d seem to recall.

  “Wait… you’re from Earth?” I said, realization washing over me.

  “No shit, Sherlock,” she replied.

  “Why are you attacking me?” I asked. The st set I met were more than willing to talk, even work together.

  “Last one ya met tried to kill ya. I’d say I’m a step up—but you probably ain’t gonna think so after today.” Her answer threw me off, but she didn’t give me time to think. She moved again.

  I activated my ‘Dezz’ skill, trying to pull out my armor, weapons, and a stack of high-tier health potions that I could drop on her. Yelizaveta’s warning about her tier echoed in my head.

  But as I tried, she casually extended her hand.

  “Nuts,” she said.

  And everything—everything—was ejected from my inventory, spilling uselessly onto the ground. Everything except the sword I’d recently repaired, which was still locked behind a loading screen. My entire HUD flickered, a system overy fshing across it before she tapped the air once more. A faint system silhouette appeared—then vanished.

  “Go on back to sleep now, sweetie,” she whispered.

  She looked back down at me, folding her hand into a loose fist like I was just some unruly child. “Now, are ya done, or do I gotta wait all day?”

  “Like hell I’m just going to take this,” I growled, forcing myself to my feet and dropping into a stance. ‘She came here. She attacked us—my sister, my family. Like hell I’m letting her do whatever she wants.’

  She struck. I tried to block—but her fist slipped past my guard, crashing into my cheek. Another punch hit the other side before I could recover.

  I saw them coming. I knew where they were going to nd. But every time I moved to defend, she slipped through like my guard didn’t even exist.

  By the eighth hit, I doubled over, barely catching myself. I scrambled upright, only to be met with another blow—then another. It was like I was standing there, helpless, just letting her hit me.

  Seeing no point in just defending anymore, I shed out with a punch. But by the time my fist reached where she should have been, it passed clean through the air—like she hadn’t been there at all. Her strikes didn’t stop. My retaliation meant nothing.

  I tried a low kick. Same result. It only threw me off bance, and her next punch sent me tumbling again, forcing me to scramble back to my feet.

  It was like trying to fight a hurricane.

  The worst part? I still had no idea why this was happening.

  “That’s ‘cause you’re still the same sorry excuse for a boy you were before you ever got here,” she said, fists never slowing.

  “What the hell would you know?” I shouted, my jaw aching.

  As if to mock me, she shifted her assault—smming punches into my gut, knocking the wind from my lungs. I curled inward, arms trying to shield my body, but it was like she didn’t even notice the effort. Her blows slipped right through.

  “I know more 'bout you than you’ll ever know ‘bout yourself,” she said, her eyes cutting straight through me. “Ever since you got here, instead’a grounding yourself—figuring out what you should be doin’—you panicked. Got all mopey. Pushed away everyone who gave a damn about you… just ‘cause they reminded you of your folks back home. And you couldn’t handle that.””

  Sakura’s smile fshed through my mind.

  ‘And that ended with Sakura getting a hole punched through her stomach,' I thought bitterly. 'All because they tried to cheer me up. That was my fault. I admit that. But I’ve been working hard since then…’

  I tried to counter but the air still hadn’t returned to my lungs.

  “Workin’ hard? That’s what you’re callin’ it?” she scoffed. “You ain’t never been good at that. You only climbed those game ranks ‘cause it was fun. Same with school—soon as it stopped bein’ fun, you stopped carin’.”

  Her punches came faster now, harder. Every one of them felt like it was aimed at something deeper than my body.

  “You like fightin’. Even when it hurts. Just look at you—got all these options, all these people willin’ to help—but you won’t go to none of ‘em.”

  The flurry kept coming, relentless.

  “You don’t like the nobles, so you tell yourself they can’t be trusted,” she continued, her voice as relentless as her fists. “Sk?gul makes you nervous with how fast she got devoted to ya, so you cim you don’t wanna waste your Love Land time on somethin’ too soon—sayin’ you’ll wait till the year’s end. But even then? You weren’t gonna call her. You got others—girls you say you need to focus on first.”

  Each hit nded exactly where I tried to move, like she was reading me before I even twitched. At this point, most of my swaying was just me trying to stay upright.

  “Seraphina could teach you a whole damn lot, but that thought never even crossed that stubborn lil’ mind of yours—‘cause you don’t see her as family.”

  I staggered under another blow, her words cutting deeper than her fists.

  “All you’ve been doin’ is spendin’ time with folks who make you feel comfortable, doin’ what you enjoy. So tell me—where in all that are you actually tryin’?”

  She stepped in closer.

  “Trainin’ when you can’t sleep? That ain’t discipline, ya fuckin’ idjit—that’s just you distractin’ yourself from the nightmares. Now your daddy? If he were in your shoes, he’d get down on his knees and beg if that’s what it took to protect the ones he loved.”

  Her knee smmed into my face.

  I swore I saw it coming. I thought I had time to block. But the next thing I knew, my head snapped back, and I stumbled.

  The pain wasn’t even what hit hardest—it was everything she said.

  What the hell is she accusing me of? Pying around? I’ve been working my ass off. Nobles? I invited them into my home once, and they attacked my family. Even Father wouldn’t forgive that. Why the hell would I ever ask them for help? The only one less trustworthy is that stupid fucking goddess.

  “I used to be a God-fearin’ woman too,” she said, her voice softening. “But once I got these abilities—once I started seein’ the truth in things? I understood. Anything God can do... so can they.”

  “What the hell does that have to do with anything?” I coughed, trying to fight through the pain, and threw a jab—one that whiffed through the air like she wasn’t even there.

  “Soon as someone challenges your faith, you go all wild instead’a sittin’ back and listenin’,” she said, voice sharp and relentless. “Tell me somethin’, you fuckin’ idjit—you really think you’d even know if she was messin’ with you? Or your family? Hell, the whole dang city—this whole pne? You ain’t got a fuckin’ clue what you’re dealin’ with.”

  I shed out at her—but she dodged effortlessly, spping me across the face mid-sentence, barely missing a beat.

  “You don’t like her, so you refused to use the power she gave you. And when it finally got proven you needed it? You twisted it. Made an excuse that ‘the system has nothin’ to do with her,’ so now it’s fine to use. And even then—you keep makin’ excuses. The moment somethin’ don’t go how you want, you backpedal.”

  She circled me slowly, voice low but cutting.

  “You knew the first thing you should’ve done was get your bonds straight. You coulda called the girls—even while you were still servin’. But you didn’t. And once you did get back? You stalled again, waitin’ on New Year’s like that’d magically make it easier.”

  Her words hit harder than her fists.

  “Truth is, those retionships still get under your skin. You’d just keep on stallin’ till they came knockin’. You know exactly what you oughta be doin’, but the second things get even a little uncomfortable, you go lookin’ for an out. Every step forward, you take two steps back—scared as a cat in a room full’a rockin’ chairs.”

  She paused, wiping blood off her now-red gloves, giving my battered body a rare moment to breathe.

  “Of course I’m uneasy,” I spat, chest heaving. “Bringing random girls I connected with into my life—without them even knowing what that could mean? That’s not a small thing.”

  It stung more than I expected. I gnced over—Ellie and Lucy were lying on the ground just a few feet away. We’d just had a conversation about the danger. And now this.

  “An excuse,” she snapped, eyes narrowing. “So they’d walk away first. That way it wouldn’t be your fault, right? And Lord forbid you actually sit down and fight it out with your sister.”

  She moved in again.

  “No—they had to know what they were getting into!” I shouted, heart pounding. “Bringing someone into something that could change their whole life without telling them first? That’s not right.”

  A brutal hit cut me off mid-thought, nearly knocking me out. I staggered but forced myself to stay upright.

  “If you really gave a damn,” she said coldly, “you would’ve weighed the pros and cons. Laid it all out for ‘em. Given them the choice to stay in your life—but not in your party. Like Cire.”

  Her voice dug deeper than any punch.

  “But no. You bundled up all their feelings into one big mess. If they left, it was their choice. If they stayed and got hurt? Still their choice. So you could wipe your hands clean and say, ‘Well, I gave ‘em a chance.’ Just like you did with your baby brother—you knew he was struggling, but you wrapped it all up nice and neat: ‘He just likes being alone.’”

  I clenched my jaw, vision blurring from pain.

  “Your sister? Too trusting. But if you’d stayed, your excuse would’ve been, ‘She’s grown, she don’t need me meddlin’.’ Your daddy would’ve passed, your mama would be sittin’ drunk in the dark, and you’d say, ‘She just needs time.’”

  She stepped closer, voice rising.

  “Your life’s a string of excuses and half-hearted tries. You’ve let fear steer every decision. You’re not cautious. You’re not smart. You’re just a coward.”

  “You leave my fucking family out of this!” I roared, rage pushing my consciousness back into focus as I lunged.

  But she moved like water, slipping under my guard. Her elbow smmed into my bruised ribs, knocking the breath from my lungs.

  “Oh, gettin’ mad now, are ya?” she sneered. “That’s your favorite move. You get angry, blow up, say all the shit you really think—then act like it didn’t mean nothin’ once you cool off. But even when the steam’s gone, you still ain’t never the one to bme. Nah—it’s always someone else. Unless you’re wearin’ the victim badge that day.”

  Her voice dropped low, sharp and deliberate.

  “That’s why you and your ex kept fightin’. It wasn’t that you were possessive—she was just ‘bein’ extra,’ right? You weren’t tryin’ to control her—you were just mad. That’s what you told yourself. You two were fine… until the pain hit. Then it all fell apart.”

  She stepped back, eyes locked on mine.

  “That’s why you’re so easy to control. That’s why folks keep pullin’ your strings like you’re a wind-up toy.”

  My mind fshed—my future self’s warning about seers echoing in my head.

  “Isn’t that what you’re doing?” I asked, through clenched teeth.

  “Yes,” she said coldly, “and there ain’t a fuckin’ thing you can do ‘bout it.”

  Her knee smmed into my stomach, knocking the air out of me and sending me toppling. This time, she didn’t give me a second to recover—she followed through, dropping her knee onto my chest and mounting me, pinning me to the ground. Her eyes glowed brighter than ever, locking onto mine like they could peel me apart yer by yer.

  “You—!” I tried to shout, trying to buck her off, but a punch to my throat cut the attempt short. The pain stunned me, freezing my body in pce.

  “Shut the hell up,” she growled. “I’m debating killin’ ya. Swipin’ your piece before it hits the board. Slowin’ their game down. Lettin’ this pne have just a little peace ‘fore the next storm rolls in.”

  Her gaze burned into me, like she could see everything—what I was, what I would be, what I was too afraid to become.

  Rage boiled inside me, but so did panic. I had nothing left—no cards, no options. The only thing untouched was my goddess points… but I’d need a way to use them that she couldn’t immediately shut down, like everything else.

  “Sakura gettin’ torn through ‘cause you got compcent?” she said suddenly, breaking the silence. “That was the ghost of your past. Your future self showin’ up to warn you? Ghost of your future. And me?”

  She leaned in closer, voice like thunder in my ears.

  “I’m the ghost of your present. I can pop in any damn time I please, take whatever I want from you, and there ain’t nothin’—nothin’—you can do about it. If this were one of your little games, I’d be that hidden end-game boss you never could beat.”

  She gave my chest a small, almost pyful pat.

  “Bye,” she said simply.

  Then she stood, spun on her heel, and began to walk away—slow, casual, like none of this had meant anything. But she stopped just before fading into the distance.

  “Oh, and one more thing,” she added, gncing back over her shoulder. “If you even think about puttin’ that fuckin’ dick anywhere near me, I’ll rip it off and shove it down your damn throat. Be seein’ ya, Kevin.”

  And just like that, she was gone.

  All I could do was lie there, the world spinning and ringing around me, her words echoing in my head. There was no way all of what she said was true—but some of it was. And that was what made the rest sting all the more.

  For the first time since arriving here… this world felt real. More real than it ever had before.

  alwaysunqualified