CENTURY COSMETICS HEADQUARTERS
The door to the CEO's office fell open and she walked out; an elegance-emanating lady. A long, silk black dress hugged her body tightly, revealing how her alluring body lines. She looked somewhere between 27 and 32 years old. And despite the oozing beauty she had going on all over her, her vibe was that which said, 'DON'T PLAY WITH ME'. Her name was Kro!
Understanding her was indeed a challenge. She had the most unusual tastes in people she worked with close. Her personal assistant, Loro, was a 70-year-old woman with the most wrinkled skin and greyest hair in the whole building. The large glasses she wore made her eyes look even smaller.
Nobody understood why Kro kept working with her even after her retirement passed years ago. Loro looked like she was going to fall anytime soon, but she still assisted Kro like her life depended on it.
...
The driver was already waiting for them outside the building. They got in the car and the ride commenced.
"You'll be meeting Minister Akeshi in 20 minutes, and after that your schedule is clear.", said Loro
"I said we need to get you to the hospital after the meeting, so my schedule isn't clear until after we do that.", calmly, Kro spoke, facing outside the window.
"Kro, I'll take care of myse_",
"I was done having this conversation, Loro, thank you.",
And just like that, Loro turned off the tablet and rested it on her lap. There was no way for her to win against Kro. It was something which never happened over her 70 years of life.
.....
700 YEARS AGO
KINGDOM OF AZARADAN
The Blood Mountains.
The night seemed darker in that forest, the scariest place he'd never stepped in although he had been the king of the kingdom for 15 years. Bukka, the king of Azaradan, disguised in commoners' attire walked side by side his best friend, the chief general of Azaradan's army, Qin.
"Are you sure we're doing the right thing?", asked Bukka, nervously.
"Don't worry. She's our only hope, she'll definitely help us.", answered Qin, confidently.
They arrived at the cave in the dead of night. Painful screams escaped the chamber, and while the king almost squirmed, the general never flinched. Without wasting time, they entered.
At the center of the cave was a well of fire. Bones piled up on every corner, releasing a strong bad stench. Bukka looked around and there was no sign of the witch. He felt discouraged.
"She's not here. There's no more hope for us.", said Bukka, incapacitated.
"I know she's here somewhere. We can't leave until we see her.",
"But where?",
"I'M RIGHT HERE!", a loud, feminine voice answered from within the fiery pit.
Shocked, Qin and Bukka slowly approached the well, but they couldn't get closer as the surrounding was extremely hot.
Then, before them, a woman, naked, walked out of the fire. Her body was without a doubt the most alluring the men had ever seen. She walked towards the men slowly. Her hips swung like the dancing wind. Thorny black roses appeared on her body with every step, forming a long robe.
"Enjoyed my entrance?", asked the witch.
"Yes!", blurted Bukka, hypnotized.
"I'm flattered.", she chuckled, "Now tell me, King Bukka and General Qin, what is it that you need? Wealth? Attraction? Women?".
"Victory!", said general Qin.
His eyes turned away from the witch. Her mere being was enough to cast a spell on them. Qin was aware. He avoided her.
The witch scanned him from top to bottom. She saw that he was in perfect common sense. Surely, her spell didn't get to him. She heaved a disappointed sigh as she turned around.
"I can't help you with that.", she said.
"WHY? I know you can do anything! I know of your great powers! I know you can do this!", panicked Qin.
"It's not that I can't do it. I don't think you'll comply to my one condition.",
"What is the condition? Tell us, we can give you everything.".
"Oh Qin, I'm just talking to you, Bukka is in his own world now.",
Qin looked at Bukka and he found him drooling, his eyes pitch black. He resembled a human dog salivating over a bone.
"Alright.", he exhaled sharply, "Tell me what you want. I'll give it to you.",
The witch paused and faced him. She beamed, intrigued.
"Are you sure you will? Because if you won't, I'll destroy your whole kingdom, Qin.",
"Just name your price.",
"Very well.", she smacked her perfect lips, "The night before your battle with the Thunder tribe, a girl will be born under the 5 aligned stars. You'll take her and baptize her as the fighter in your army. She's the key to your victory.",
"What? I can't _ I can't do that. We have laws in the army. No woman allowed, and even if they were, I can't baptize a baby.", Qin argued, "The baptized fighter must be a grown-up who has shown the willing to fight. I'll be breaking the kingdom's law.",
"Think about it, Qin. Is it better to break the kingdom's law, or witness your kingdom fall into the hands of the Thunder tribe?",
"Nobody will understand.",
"They will when you gain your victory.", the witch replied, "My condition is this; you'll raise the girl as your own, train her as hard as you can. Once she turns 25, send her on a mission to kill me.",
"Then what?",
"Then the kingdom will be yours. You'll be the king of Azaradan, just like you want.".
The witch had apparently seen deep within Qin's truest desires. He needed victory, but his goal was to rule the whole kingdom. That visit to the blood mountains was just the beginning.
"What if she fails to kill you?", he asked the witch.
The witch halted in front of him and put her hand on his shoulder. Her lips curved into the most serious smirk.
"If you fail, you'll watch the kingdom burn to ashes, right before I kill you painfully, brutally and slowly.".
....
3 days later.
Three soldiers knelt before general Qin. In one of the soldier's hands rested a baby girl covered in sheep's wool. She had blood all over her, confirming that they took her as soon as she left her mother's womb.
Qin, without wasting a second, put the baby in a big wooden bowl. He took a cup filled with the most precious water of lake Azara and started pouring it on her.
"Since you're the key to our kingdom's victory and the fulfiller of my dream, I'm going to name you Kro, the undefeated warrior. I baptize you now, in the name of Azaradan, as the first female warrior of our Kingdom",
Every warrior bowed.
...
PRESENT TIME
(Now the place called KNNEW REBUBLIC)
Minister Akeshi, a man in his 60s, short and stubborn, together with Kro and Loro occupied the restaurant's VIP room. 2 bodyguards stood outside the door, making sure no one disturbed the ongoing meeting inside.
Akeshi was the minister of Archeology and Historical events in the country. Beside him sat his assistant, a mean looking young man in a black suit.
The table was filled with loads of tasty foods, some which happened to be Kro's favorite.
"Please, enjoy the food. I heard you love pork cutlets and spaetzles. This place makes the best cutlets in the city.", said the minister proudly.
"I'm aware.", answered Kro, slicing the meat, unbothered.
Akeshi gave his assistant a side glare. He had asked him to choose a place which will impress Kro, but she surely didn't look very impressed. He cleared his throat and returned his gaze back to Kro. Loro slowly ate her soup.
"So, Miss Kro, I hear you're about to recruit new employees to your company. How's it going?", asked the minister.
"We're going to do the interview tomorrow. Hopefully, we'll get many qualified cosmetic experts.", she answered.
"I see, I see.", he nodded, "I have a daughter. Her name is Misaki. She's very much into beauty. She's been talking about wanting to join your company one day, and I think this will be the best opportunity for her.",
Kro nodded.
"So, I called you here to ask you to give my daughter a chance.", he proceeded.
"I know.", said Kro, flatly.
"Oh, you do?", asked the minister, a bit taken aback.
"She can come to the interview tomorrow.",
"I know, but I wanted this to be a favor between you and me. I don't want her to go through that challenging process. That's why I'm asking you now.",
"Do you trust your daughter?", asked Kro, now staring at him.
"I do.",
"Do you trust her skills?",
"I do, I definitely do.",
"Then why don't you want her to do the interview? It sounds to me like you think she doesn't have what it takes.",
"That's not it. Misaki has always been a person who gets whatever she wants without stressing about it. I know she has everything it takes to work for CC Cosmetics, but it's how she's going to present herself that I'm worried about.",
"You think she'll fail to explain herself?",
"Exactly!",
"But I think she will. I've already seen her job application, the CV, and the short introductory video she sent us. Misaki will be fine, and I think she'll do great.",
Minister Akeshi signaled his assistant, and he quickly put a briefcase on the table. He entered the code and opened it.
Bundles of cash rested in the briefcase. Loro slowly put the spoon down. She stretched her hand to Kro's lap almost immediately. She had sensed what was coming.
Kro stared at the money for a while. Although she looked calm on the outside, the inside was in chaos. The only thing which kept her sane was Loro's hand.ย
"Close the briefcase.", she said, her tone being commanding.
"Miss Kro, I'm just doing this for my daughter. I'm trying to be the best dad here.",
"That's enough Mr. Akeshi.", said Loro.
Both Kro and Loro got up. They started leaving the room, right before Minister Akeshi stopped them.
"Are you sure you won't regret this? It's 10 million!", he yelled.
Kro halted. She faced him
"If your daughter's life gets destroyed, it will be all on you, Minister Akeshi.", she said.
They left the room, leaving the minister feeling humiliated. There's a first time for everything, and that was the first time the minister felt belittled. It enraged him.
...โฆ
Evening
DAMAKI
The Pagoda-styled estate couldn't belong to anybody else but Mr. Song, one among the best historians in the country. Bald-headed, mountain of a man who always wore pulled neck, hiding his greatest insecurity. His son, Ukraine, was a 30-year-old, simple minded man. With long ash brown hair somewhere to the shoulders, he was a fine-looking man.
There's an ongoing meeting. 4 people sat around the table: Song, Ukraine, and his grandparents, Song's parents. The elegant grandma, Vida, was a serious looking one. It's no doubt she was strict. Grandpa on the other hand was laid back.
On the table were 5 photos; 3 BnW, and 2 colored ones. All photos had one woman in them, Kro.
"Have you finished preparing for tomorrow's interview?", Song asked Ukraine.
"Yeah, everything is ready.", Ukraine responded.
"Good. Now let's all keep our eyes on the table.", and they did, "The first picture you see is Kro in 1944. The second one is in 1968. The third photo is in 1981 which I took myself, and the last-colored ones are in 2002 and 2020 respectively. I think we can all agree that she's the same person.", Song explained.
"She definitely is one person. Look at the hair, the eyes, even the height is the same.", added Vida.
"She's not changed a bit for more than seventy years. Even if we say that each one gave birth to the other then we're going to get stuck in 1981.", said the grandpa.
"Exactly. I've been watching her from 1981 to this moment and she's the same person. I've never seen something like this before!", Song exclaimed.
Ukraine took the photo from 1944 and studied it closely. It's a photo of Kro leaving a bakery. Her style looks a bit old-fashioned, but back then she was the perfect description of how an elegant lady dressed like. Ukraine's concern was on her facial expression.
"Look at her face.", he began, "She looks like she has a lot going on in all 5 photos.", he said.
"First of all, we want to know what she really is and how she became like that. She might be an alien. Second, we want to know what she'd been doing here. We want to know her motive.", Song said.
"And that's why we want you to do your best, get a job tomorrow and work super close to her. That way we'll know who she really is soon.", Vida added with emphasis.
"This is a billion-dollar mission, Ukraine. Our family's fortune depends on you. We're counting on you. Make us proud!",
Ukraine nodded.
"Can I keep this photo? I need motivation.", he asked.
"Yes, take care of it.", said Song.
Ukraine left. He had to rest for the busy next day. He had never done something like that before. He'd been sent on a number of missions, but for the first time in his life, he was about to encounter a supernatural being. He didn't want his family to notice, but he was actually scared to death.
*****