February 14th, 2022.
One restless night in his apartment, before the usurpation plot began, Talen began remembering. He sighed, standing from the mattress to stroll across the floor and enter the miniature kitchen. The lawyer rubbed the sleep from his eyes, leaning forward on the island with one arm propped up.
'Why does something so irrelevant now keep me up this late in my life?'
The man took a beer bottle from the fridge door. Sipping the liquor, Talen entered his living room to sit on the couch before the coffee table. Settling the bottle on a coaster already placed, Amit revealed a lighter from his suit pocket, watching as the flame appeared over the top. Before he knew it, the spliff was already between his lips and all that remained was to light it.
Yet, for some odd reason, he couldn't. Something stopped him. But what? And why? Talen chuckled—releasing the joint from his lips, and placing it in the tray. All he could do was rub his face, remembering the endless times the fond sound of his friends' laughter reverberated throughout his home. But that was all he had. The fondness for the past, while the present was grim.
His best friend was dead; he couldn't even bear to face his family after everything. Why? Why was he so alone? Why did it… have to turn out this way?
….
Ten years ago.
May 2012.
A reincarnated Displacement manifested in southern Barronia.
Ava Amit, respectively Rank-2, and Samael Andras, respectively Rank-1, were the Enforcers dispatched to eliminate the Displacement. While they'd prepped for the possibility of the Displacement's strength, they failed to realize the capacity of his cunning.
The vessel backhanded Ava with his open fist; she flew back, her cheek broken and nose bloody. Samael opened his arms effortlessly catching his partner's build before she could smash into the wall behind them. He slowly knelt while holding her tightly.
"You alright?" Andras asked.
Ava groaned. "Shut up, I'm fine."
The powerless Enforcers watched the Displacement steadily advance—bearing his fangs at the cursed Fate-users. Blessed with heavenly white hair and blood-red eyes, the monstrous reincarnation dug through shadows, glaring down at the weakened challengers. Scratching his chin, the Displacement examined the duos' intricate auras.
"Mmm…"
Samael threw Ava aside and clasped his fingers together, spewing the depths of his Fate from his footwear's soles. Before any of them knew it, the entire environment was replaced by the darkness of his Fate embodied using Area Empowerment's signature vastness. Curiosity begging to be satiated, Monstrum strolled over to one of the walls and scraped his hand across the blackened surface.
"What is this? An environmental technique that empowers one's confined area with their Fate signature? Huh. I didn't know you could create barriers with that power. Interesting…"
Samael's eyebrow raised. 'He recognizes this technique? What the hell? Every Enforcer dispatched from the Metropolitan Center is given information about the scene beforehand. This thing has only been alive in this world for no more than a few hours! And yet…'
Andras sighed. He flicked a black marble from his hand, letting the Displacement precariously watch while his arms instinctively raised to defend. Just as it was about to hit, the white-haired monster's eyes widened while the Area surrounding him rapidly altered.
Due to the properties of one's technique, an individual's Area can be imbued with specific conditions that the ensnared must follow. By the time the information ceased flowing through Monstrum's mind, he fell to his knees, watching the Area slowly unravel.
Had they changed locations? For some reason, it all seemed to change; now resembling the gambling arena of a slot machine behind Samael while glaring at the monstrous invader.
Because of the conditions of Samael's Predestined Power, the Area that comes by default is linked to his technique. However, for his technique to work properly, the opponent needs to understand it. As such, Samael links them via his Fate and telepathically sends the rules of his Area and Power into Monstrum's mind.
'I see! He uses a slot machine and manipulates probability to achieve victory! Depending on whatever the slots land on behind him, someone gets a bonus, ailment, or stalemate. It's completely random, however, the more one attacks the other, the more slots are in their favor. In other words… I have to be the one who attacks first!'
Samael snickered. "I'm glad we were dispatched to intersect you. After all, if you're powerful enough to damage an Amit, you must be pretty strong. What's your name?" he asked.
"I believe you've been fairly mistaken. This fight between you and I won't be one merely for the sake of fighting. I intend to slaughter you and use your corpse to smother that useless curly-headed broad behind you. When I'm done, I'll bring your dead bodies to your families and watch as they despair before I kill them, too!!"
Samael glared at his foe. It seemed that he was sorely mistaken. The fight ahead couldn't be enjoyed. To uphold his duty as one of Barronia's lethal Enforcers, this would have to be a battle to the death!
Monstrum, incarnated into the world of Fate, was the embodiment of chaos, anxious to ensnare anyone or anything in its despair. A true monster; born from a world beyond the realm of reason.
Andras's leg shot above, watching his foot sink through space before inevitably smashing into the enemy's defenseless crown. Monstrum caught the kick, forwarding his arm to strike the enemy's chest with his hand. Samael flew back and landed flat on his rear, powerlessly watching the Monster pounce on him.
The Enforcer rolled away before his face could get smashed—stumbling onto his feet.
'Goddammit! He's too fast! I can't even follow his movements! His superiority is unparalleled. The only one who can match his strength has to be…'
The fighters' eyes widened. An unparalleled signature surrounding only the strongest suddenly entered the fray.
Monstrum grinned widely. "AHAH! WHAT IS THAT?!"
The building they were battling within abruptly started crumbling. Standing outside the premises, a black-haired teenager watched the structure collapse with one extended hand guiding the sphere imprisoning the Displacement.
Monstrum excitedly watched everything from above, reveling at the signature's source and the tenacity encompassing him.
'There! The signature belongs to that boy. If he were to advance through the ranks of Fate, he would come to surpass even me. How intriguing…'
The boy walked across the street and entered the smoke hiding the debris, peering through the rubble to spot the bloody figure of his dear sister.
"I came to save you." Talen propped up on some debris. "Ava! You're not crying, are ya?"
Blood poured down her face, and Amit shot daggers at her older brother.
Tal snickered. "Now, where's Sammy? He didn't die too, did he?"
His head turned; green eyes spotting the bundled rubble covering a lump in the wasteland. Talen swatted the air with his hand—dissipating the clutter to reveal the wounded Enforcer trapped below. Samael unconsciously bled from the dent in his head and the cut across his nose. Upon the fighter's reluctant awakening, the first sight he saw was Amit's putrid face.
He grinned. "Heh. Looks like Hell hasn't pulled you down yet, huh?"
"S-shut up..."
Talen turned, his hands pocketed. "What exactly were you two brats fighting? You two are weak but it hurts to see my sister bested so easily. So, who is it? Who's the monster that defeated you two—"
Suddenly, a demonic beast appeared behind him. Bearing fangs that flowed malice into everyone's bones and flesh, Monstrum snapped his fingers; ordering the demons to smash the surrounding humans. Then, its flesh burst into numerous bloody chunks that flew into the air before soon littering the ground with a gory stench. Talen's partner advanced—his snowy long hair swaying in the wind.
The Prince smirked. "It's not nice to pick fights, Talen. If you're going to duel someone, at least make sure they can give you a decent challenge," spat Uriel.
Amit chuckled and pointed at his friend. "Are you trying to say I beat them in a straight-on fight? Hah! And here I thought the Angel Prince would be a little nicer," teased the Unconquerable.
Uri sighed. "Let's just get this over with..."
Later, at the Amit Family House.
Uriel, Talen, and Alora returned to base; kneeling before their mentor. Valentina sighed at the sorry sight of her pupils, removing the fingers rubbing her eyes to glare at them all.
"Now, who amongst you was the imbecile who forgot to seal the Displacement? Because of your irresponsibility, that monster is still wreaking havoc all over the city!"
Uriel and Alora pointed at Talen. His eyes widened.
"What?!"
Val's teeth clenched. "I see…"
For punishment, she chopped her son on the head and sent him upstairs to the living room.
Inhaling from a spliff tucked between his fingers, the boy released the smoke from his lips, watching the mist envelop the room.
"Ugh, what's the point of worrying about whether or not our powers hurt anyone? Anyone who's not smart enough to move out of the way is just another idiot fated to die."
Uriel lowered his cup of tea, smiling. "I see you're still mad about the lecture your mom gave you, huh?" He chuckled.
"Oh, shuddup! Like you're any better! And she has the gall to call me irresponsible..." Tal sunk into the sofa while smoking more of the joint.
"Responsibility is all about entrusting the King in how he decides to lead this country forward. By doing that, Supreme King Barron intends to keep the strong in check and ensure the weak are protected. You see, Talen, we exist to protect non-Fate users' peace of mind."
"You sound exactly like that self-righteous King himself. I hate that old bastard!"
"Excuse me? Watch your tone when you speak of my father, brat."
"Or what? You'll sic daddy on me? Don't be stupid. You know he favors me more than you, bastard!"
"You two are idiots!" Alora interjected, entering the living room. "Neither of you prioritized the actual mission. Instead, you just focused on showboating and acting arrogant. Uri, do better next time! I expect this from Talen but not you!"
Uriel sighed. "Whatever. You guys're giving me a headache…"
Talen inhaled one more time; leaning over the coffee table to hand his partner the smoking joint. Alora plopped onto the seat beside Amit, uncaring the way his cheek squished into her exposed shoulder. She patted his cheek, her peripheral watching as Uriel took the spliff in the background.
The more time passed, the more their positions changed. With the blinds hiding the height of the sun, the hours seemingly flew by. Morning fell into noon, noon fell into the evening, and, before any of them knew it, the sun was gone for the curtain of night had already descended.
Meanwhile, in Arronsburg.
A young man sleeping in his apartment was awakened by the sound of footsteps. The man threw his blankets aside and slowly snuck out of his bedroom, peeking around the corner to scan the exposed living room. He gasped.
Apollo Moloch.
"Yo-you're…"
Apollo turned. "I see you've heard of me. That's a little disappointing. But I guess that isn't important now... nothing is."
Moloch snapped. Four tendrils ensnared the young man's wrists and ankles, raising him by the joints in the entrance of his living room. The Displacement stepped forward, grabbing the victim by his cheeks and opening his jaw, gazing into the depths of the man's human throat.
Apollo chuckled. "Alright then. Looks like I hit the jackpot then. You, Anthony Whitlock, have potential as a vessel for the strongest Displacement tormenting the word of Fate...
Malum Monstrum."
Trivia: Malum Monstrum is a Disastrous Monster God with eight arms and just as many mouths and eyes. After many encounters with different versions of him across the years, multiple Enforcers agree with the sentiment that he is the strongest Displacement. Some believe he's a resurrected deity incarnated to judge mankind, others say he's a living nightmare tormenting reality. Whatever the case, everyone can agree that crossing Monstrum's path confirms your gruesome demise.