April 7th, 2026.
Following the end of the war, the Founder opened a door, stepping into a comfortable room. Desks settled against walls, cabinets nestled into corners, all while curtains draped at a wide window's sides revealing the extent of the city below the hovering castle.
"Morning, Cal," Heidi said from her seat nestled beside the table, cradling a coffee mug.
"Everyone here?" Icarus asked with his back turned.
"Yup," affirmed Ryosuke.
"It's odd, though. I never thought we'd be meeting in your room compared to the brass's chambers. What's the special occasion?" Azrael questioned before sipping coffee out his mug.
"I had some ideas on where to move Retly following Founder Rivers' agreement with Satoru and Azrael. Sit down so we can go over them."
Chrollo's order sent Callum's bottom to the seat. Revealing a picture from within his lettered coat, he threw it onto the table, watching as it slid across the surface to reach the center.
"Now then, as discussed earlier, Retly's military will eventually turn obsolete. Both my power and the Founder's Artifact is equivalent to the strength of a thousand nations or maybe even ten times that, rendering our soldier forces ineffective. However, even with our combined strength, the Master, the Reaper and the Source persist for the top spot of being our top competitor. To rectify this, we will obtain the remaining Requiems and siphon their power to reclaim our spot as the world's only superpower," said the Jester.
"So, we really are attacking the Evolutionary Capital. Do you have any plan on how we'd go about capturing them?" asked Azrael.
"I have the beginnings of one, yes. Azrael and Callum can help me with developing it further. As for the rest, I want you to scope out areas to situate different bases to plan for Retly's new Capital."
The Jester's orders left everyone speechless, but that unique expression stained the Founder's deformed features. A smile over his lips. He seemed 'proud.'
After the meeting, the Jester and the Founder walked side-by-side yet again. The latter of which continuing to smoke a cigarette, directly paralleling yesterday.
"Can you really conquer the Evolutionary Requiems in just a few months?" questioned Callum, smoke leaking from his lips.
"It's not like I have a choice, remember? We fucked with the Requiems and now they're angry. For three years they've stood quiet while we were constantly being bombarded by wars. I don't know about you but that's three years too many. Something's brewing below our noses and whether or not we can see it doesn't matter. We have to be ready to act when the time comes, and unfortunately for us, the time has already arrived. We can only hope we're not too late before our past sins envelop us in Death's blanket of unavoidable obliteration."
Eventually, they'd reach ground-level, and start walking down the street. As they passed by a park, the Founder saw beard crumbs flying out a stranger's hand. He stopped. Some distance away, he was granted the luxury of simply staring. Icarus followed the same halting motion, glancing at his partner's face.
"What's up with you?" He asked.
"What that person is doing makes no sense. They're just baselessly throwing bread onto the ground but how are the birds supposed to get through the sphere surrounding us?" questioned the Founder.
After inspecting further and scratching his chin, it clicked for him. Their movements were gradual and heavy, procedurally jolting every few seconds to indicate they were alive. This drone-like movement—he'd seen it before. A memory resurfaced, remembering that time he glimpsed into the hospital just to hear their agonized moans, to see their disfigured bodies and mutilated limbs. Soldiers of war having just barely returned home, forced to face the fruits of their labor.
Callum's eye widened once again. But the Jester's silence wasn't what granted him this shocked face, no. Rather, it was that somber look ingrained into his emotionless features, not to mention the tears appearing within his retinas' corners.
Just then, it hit him. Another memory magically resurfaced, and just like that, there was that unforgettable scenery laid out before his red eye. A crater of unforgettable death and destruction as far as the eye could see with the sole ray of hope in the form of the Island glimmering so far in the distance—how long had he forgotten it? That tear streaming down his cheek, his broken voice croaking as he reluctantly replied to Kelly, back then, he couldn't have imagined being in her shoes. But now, the apathetic face of the Jester dared to draw tears and what more could Callum do but stare?
"Are you okay?" Rivers asked.
But there was a silent moment between the two. The Jester wiped his eyes afterward, then stifling a chuckle with his fist against his mouth. He turned away, however leaving Callum to curiously stare at his partner's rear. How long did he stare before Icarus said something—somehow, it felt like an eternity before his soothing voice infected the air again. And when he did…
"I'm fine." Chrollo turned around, facing his partner with a smile. "I guess I'm more human than I thought. Heh."
Callum patted Icarus's back. Their legs continued moving, and their bodies vanished after they turned a corner.
Without them in sight, the person raised their head, revealing her eyes' coloration. Flowing black hair covering her shoulders, the blue coloration of her revealed eyes wielded a flame that would eventually ignite everything. Throwing away the hood hiding her face, there she was. The deadly Source of Death incarnate, continuing to throw grain after grain. After watching the pieces scatter, her head raised.
She thought back to seconds ago, when the Founder glanced as they were escaping her sight. Katie sighed, allowing her head to hang again. She didn't smile nor did she laugh. Rather, her unwavering eyes continued gawking at the unchanging tiles covering the rocky desert floor. Her lips finally began to part, and what she said was…
"Do your best, Ms. Summers."
To Be Continued.