While the night is still and everyone else is asleep, two goblins stand atop a wooden tower, surveying the area with keen eyes. "I can't believe we moved camps again. Hopefully, we don't do it so much. After a while, all of it will get old," said one Goblin.
"I agree, but we've been gone for eight months. Staying still too long only leaves us the chance to be found easier."
Suddenly, they see Hiro emerging from the forests, his black trench coat rustling as he tucks a royal bundle away.
The goblin furrows his brow, and his nose wrinkles in suspicion. "Is that Hiro? What's he doing out this late?"
"And what in the hell is he doing with all that money?"
"Let me get a closer look," A goblin peers through binoculars and watches a never-ending stream of Ozanian soldiers, all armed to the teeth, enter the premises.
"Oh, shit, they found us sound the alarm!"
Before either can sound the alarm, Kyoko shoots them with a Lava JōKai Blast from his JōKai blaster, the blazing molten stream penetrating their skulls and killing them. Kyoko waves his hands forward, beckoning his soldiers to go ahead. "Find the rest of the fugitives and eliminate them."
"Yes, sir!" The soldiers fan out through the area, their presence looming as they encircle the cabins.
Hiro enters a small cabin, and he packs his belongings in a large, black rectangular suitcase. Hiro's packing of his bag creates a cacophony of noise reverberating through the room, rousing Kazumi from his sleep. "What are you doing?"
"I'm sorry, it was me or you guys," Hiro zips up his bag and rushes out of the cabin, the door slamming shut behind him.
"What the hell are you talking ab-" Kazumi catches a glimpse of the Ozanian soldiers outside the window and ducks to the ground, his back pressed against the window seal. "Shit, they found us. Damn, what in the hell do we do now?" Kazumi thinks to himself.
Watari opens the back door, the hinges groaning, and steps into the barracks with a look of disappointment. "I had my suspicions about him. I knew he couldn't be trusted."
"What do you suggest we do now?"
"Escape is improbable now. The only thing we can do is fight and hope for the best."
"I got a better idea. Those of us who are Supernaturals should stay back and try to hold them off and let the others escape," says Tatsuda.
"Ok, give me a moment. I got to tell my family," Kazumi ambles over to Mariko, Kazz, and Takashima and gives them each a nudge, waking them from their sleep. "Guys, they found us."
"Really? What are we going to do?" asks Mariko.
"The Supernaturals here in the camp will stall the soldiers long enough for the others to escape. While everyone else makes a run for it."
"What do I do?" asks Kazz.
Kazumi kneels to match Kazz's height, placing his hands on his shoulders. "Listen, little brother, you take Takashima and run away from here. Don't come back, ok."
"No, I'm not leaving you here! I promised Mom and Dad I'd never leave you guys behind!"
"Just do as I say. We'll make it out alive. Mariko, the other Supernaturals, and I will do whatever it takes to keep them stalled long enough to buy you guys some time."
"B-but brother..."
"Go ahead, Kazz, we'll see you again, I promise," says Mariko
"Ok, but you guys better see us again," Kazz grabs Takashima, his hands trembling with adrenaline, as he rushes out the back door, away from the commotion. Kazz plunges into the dimness of the twilight forests and sprints. "Guys, please don't die," Thought Kazz. Kazz's eyes dart around as he runs, searching for a place to conceal himself.
Kazz finds a bush of lush foliage behind the two oak trees and settles in its midst. Kazz brushes Takashima's hair with his fingers and embraces her in a comforting cradle. "Don't worry, Takashima. They'll meet us back."
A prolonged three-pass with no sign of anyone returning from the site, just the sound of crickets echoing in the night's stillness. "Where in the hell are they? Maybe I should go back to the camp… Just standing here isn't a good idea," he thinks to himself.
Kazz roams through the crepuscular forests for a few moments before returning to camp, the air heavy with the smell and sight of smoke. "Damn, I can't see anything."
Hiro emerges from the smoke, his body tense in shock and his eyes wide with fear as he clutches his blaster.
"Hiro! Is everything ok? How's everyone?!"
"…"
Kazz's forehead crinkles as his eyes squint in confusion. "What's the matter?"
"I-I…."
"You what?"
Hiro's hands shake with emotion as he holds the blaster to his head, tears streaming down his face. "It was me…"
"What?"
Hiro shoots himself in the head with the blaster, and his body falls to the ground.
"Hiro!" Kazz sprints toward Hiro and sees a gaping hole in his skull. "Damn, he's dead…"
Once the smokescreen fades away by a breeze, the frightening sight of countless dismembered, mutilated, decapitated, flayed, and burned Goblin and Elf corpses lay in the campground dirt. Kazz trembles in fear, his heart racing and his legs quivering as he almost collapses. "N-no way, they were all killed. I need to find Mariko and Kazumi now in case they're hurt."
Kazz trudges through the shadowy campground, his eyes darting around for signs of Kazumi and Mariko. "Damn, I can't find them. Maybe I should check our cabin," Kazz enters and sees the horrifying visual of Mariko's legs severed from her body, her flaky skin fading into dust as it's wholly blazed.
"M-Mariko," Kazz sheds a tear from his eye as he witnesses the sight of his mutilated sister.
"I thought I said don't come back."
"Brother?" Kazz surveys the room, his eyes searching for Kazumi.
"I'm over here..."
Kazz sees a grisly sight of Kazumi's legs dismembered from his body, along with his eye and hand missing.
"Brother.... no..."
"It's fine, Kazz, don't you worry about me. Just go away and don't come back again. Right now, they're looking for survivors. If they find you, you're going to get killed."
"No, I won't leave you! I'm not losing anyone else!" Kazz sets down Takashima and grabs Kazumi's arms, his legs pressing against the creaking floorboards as he tries to pull Kazumi away. "I'll be strong, just like Mom and Dad told me to. Just watch. I will save you."
Kazumi pulls Kazz toward him, wrapping his arm around him in a tight embrace. "Even without both legs, I'm stronger than you," Kazumi lets out a soft chuckle, and a single tear rolls down his cheek.
"Now isn't the time to joke! Don't you see what's going on?! If I don't get you to safety, y-"
"Kazz, I'm dying. I've bled out far too long. Even if you were to take me from the cabin, I wouldn't be able to survive much longer."
"B-but y-y," Kazz's words falter as he comes to grips with the realization of his brother's impending doom.
"You know what Mariko told me before she was murdered? She told me she still had hope that all this would end. She's just like mother. Even in the worst of times, she is always cheerful.."
"Hey, look at me, little brother."
Kazz and Kazumi lock eyes, Kazumi's face a picture of determination despite the tears in his eyes. "Promise me you won't give up no matter what, Kazz. Things seem bad right now, but they will get better. I leave Takashima in your hands. Protect her with all your strength. I believe you can do it. I love you...."
"I love you too," Kazz hugs Kazumi, feeling his breath become shallow and gradually grow fainter until it disappears. Kazz notices this and starts shaking Kazumi's body, his heart pounding as he clings to any hope that he might still be alive. "Kazumi... Kazumi.... wake up please, I'm too weak to go on alone, please..."
Kazz shakes Kazumi, tears streaming down his face as he screams in despair. "Wake up, please! Wake up! Please wake up! Come on, don't die. I need you!"
"Wake up, dammit! I said wake up, brother!"
"This isn't fair! Why did all this have to happen?!"
"Why!" Kazz lets out a heart-rending scream, his hand pounding the ground with despair. "This isn't fair! Why did this have to happen to us?!"
Takashima comes up behind Kazz, wrapping her arms around him in a comforting hug. "Brota," Takashima nestles her head against Kazz's back.
"Takashima..." Kazz brushes away his tears with the back of his hand then he gathers Takashima into his arms. "I can't be weak anymore. You're depending on me now. If I'm weak, then how in the world will you be able to survive?"
Kazz glances back one last time, taking in the sight of Mariko and Kazumi. "Thank you, guys, for saving me. I won't let you down," Kazz ventures out of the camp, the sounds of the night creatures echoing in the darkness of the woods. During his walk, Kazz hears footsteps coming from the upper left direction, echoing in the stillness of the night, causing him to halt his movement. "Who's that?"
Kyoko steps out of the bushes, the rustling leaves and twigs announcing his arrival as his brutal gaze sends shivers down Kazz's spine. Kazz feels his heart drop to his stomach and shudders in terror, laying his eyes upon Kyoko. "I-it's him."
Kazz still stands petrified as Kyoko's fearful glance meets his own until he averts his gaze and walks in the opposite direction. Kyoko peers over his shoulder at Kazz. "Go."
Kazz still stands rooted to the spot, his heart pounding in his ears. "It's not worth my time to kill someone so weak, so go," Kyoko steps away from Kazz, his footsteps echoing in the stillness as he plunges into the forest's black.
Kazz sprints away from Kyoko until he reaches a circular clearing in the forest surrounded by tall trees. "This should be good. We can rest on one of these trees."
Kazz falls onto the ground and leans his head against the tree, hearing the rustling of the leaves above him as he drifts off to sleep with Takashima cradled in his arms. Kazz awakens after seven hours, the gurgle of his stomach reminding him of his hunger. "Last night, I saw a couple of grapes around here somewhere. I'll get them for us to eat," Kazz gives Takashima a tender, quick kiss on the top of her head before setting her down on the soft grass. "I'll be right back."
Kazz returns from the jungle, fresh red grapes resting in the bowl of his palms. "This can last us for around a month."
"Takashima, I got some food!"
"…"
"Takashima, are you hiding from me?"
"…"
Kazz rounds the corner and spots Takashima's bow on the ground, and he laughs. "Didn't Mariko tell you not to keep this off yo-"
Kazz's eyes expand as he sees a beast spitting out Takashima's clothes with blood oozing from his sharp teeth.
Kazz's hands tremble as he drops the grapes, his heart racing. "T-Takashima... No..."
"I couldn't save Mariko. I couldn't save Kazumi. I couldn't save you, either. I can't save anyone."
"I'm, I'm, I'm… Weak!" He cried the rest of the day that day, angered at himself for not being able to keep anyone he cared about alive. This would become a commonality for the 15 years he roamed in the treacherous jungles, his will to live gradually fading.
We now go into the POV of Kazz 15 years into the future, holding a thermal blaster in hand, aiming it into his mouth. "I give up... I can't do this anymore. Forgive me, guys. I can no longer live in this hell."
"You don't want to do that," says a masked voice.
Kazz yanks the blaster from his mouth and squints his eyes, trying to pinpoint the source of the voice. "Who said that?!"
"I'm an opportunist, and I can grant you power beyond your wildest dreams. All I require of you is to trust me," Out of the shadows appears a man cloaked in black, a hood shrouding his face in the darkness.
"How do I know you're not lying?"
"I am a scientist, and my work has transformed a multitudinous amount of creatures throughout the decades I've been alive. You can either continue to roam these macabre biomes and meet an inexorable death, or you can come with me and seize a better opportunity, your choice..."
Kazz's mind races as he considers the potentially dangerous proposal presented to him by this mysterious man. Kazz strides toward him, his agreement clear in his determined steps.
"Good, now hold still while I inject this anesthetic into you," the hooded silhouette injects a needle into Kazz's neck, causing him to collapse. Three days later, Kazz opens his eyes to find himself enclosed in tube.
"It seems the procedure has been complete," The scientist presses a red button, which opens his tube.
Kazz steps out of the tube and admires his enhanced muscularity, feeling the strength coursing through him.
"Tell me, Kazz, what will you do with your new power?"
"Don't call me that name. I'm no longer that weak scoundrel who basked in the forests alone. No, now I possess the power to exact my vengeance. I will venture into the vast universe and gather a legion of Goblins and Elves by my side. I'll head a powerful army and reign as a powerful Overlord. I am Overlord, and I will annihilate Ozania!" Declares Overlord.