After we arrived, I looked around at our environment. It looked eerily familiar...
Like I'd been in this room numerous times before.
An underground cavern of sorts.
It looked like a ruined temple with glowing braziers surrounding us. They were lit with blue flames.
Except in the center of the room, there was a glowing metal...box...?
I wasn't sure what to call it, exactly. The word was on the tip of my tongue...
"I'm assuming that's the terminal?" Isabella said.
"It is... Now we just have to access it and turn it off," Nasumi said.
"What happens if I just break it instead?" Isabella said.
"Th-that...I do not know... You should be careful. You might break something important-"
Isabella walked forward and tapped the 'terminal' with her fist.
"Hey! This place looks like the Oracle's temple back on the original Avernia. Why is that?" Isabella asked.
"These things are common knowledge for us... Didn't Mizik tell you?" Nasumi said.
"No. Why would he know that?"
"Uhh...well, the Oracle was supposed to be Mizik's caretaker. The terminals were modeled after the Oracle's temple because it was meant to be the place she communes with him. And since this is the Artificer's world, terminals are used to commune with him. As above, so below and such..." Nasumi said.
"I see. Then I suppose I will just-"
"Stop right there!" Said a familiar voice.
We turned to look and saw Kronos standing with the others near the entrance to the room. Mori, however, was not present.
Isabella immediately played dumb.
"Oh. Greetings, Sir Kronos. What brings you to this place?" She asked innocently.
"You know damn well why we're here."
"I haven't the faintest idea. Since Sir Mizik proved his ability so well during the recent necromancer incident, I thought I would ask for his help in another matter. This odd temple that appeared from nowhere... His friend Nasumi just happened to tag along," Isabella said.
Her acting was amazing. We're it not for the obvious, I'd have assumed she was telling the truth.
Even Kronos began to hesitate slightly. But then he looked at Nasumi.
"Nasumi?" He said angrily.
She averted her eyes.
"I'm...I'm so sorry... It's not what it looks like, I swear..."
"It's okay, Nasumi! Please! Just come to me! It'll be alright!" Mako said desperately. He spread his arms wide to her.
"I can't do this anymore..." She said.
"I see. So the Princess is lying..." Kronos said.
Isabella sighed.
"I suppose it's too much for me to expect her to go along with things at the drop of a hat. Regardless, we won't be tolerating this farce any longer."
She turned and created a large sword in her hand made of light. Then swung it at the terminal...and destroyed it.
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!?!?" Kronos shouted.
"Exactly what I needed to do."
"NO, YOU IDIOT!!! NOW WE'RE TRAPPED HERE!!!"
Isabella raised an eyebrow.
"Are we now? My connection to the outside remains intact."
And all this was happening as the ground began to shake.
My head began to hurt...
"When a terminal is destroyed, the sphere goes on lockdown. The only way out is to kill the prisoner. Haaah...oh well. We planned this from the start. Sorry Mizik, you gotta die," Kronos said.
What...?
"Hold on a second! We might not see eye to eye on certain things...but aren't we friends?" I asked.
"Uh...did they not tell you? It doesn't matter. We're still gonna kill you..."
"Can we talk about this...?" I said desperately.
"No. You were a catastrophic failure. The Artificer never should have made you... Type-1 and Type-2 Exo-Humans were enough..."
"Made...me...?" I said.
Isabella stepped in front of me.
"Excuse me...but what do you mean by 'made'? All of this is starting to sound strange," she said.
"I'm not surprised no one told you. Well, I'm assuming you know that there are seven of us, yes? That information slipped from Garen when he was interrogated in the Order Realm a while back. Back then, the Type-3 was only in the early stages of development."
"We heard about this Type-3, but we weren't exactly sure how dangerous they were...or if they even finished development."
"Dear sweet Isabella...the Type-3 finished development thousands of years ago. There were several trial runs and he passed every test with stunning ability. The most powerful Exo-Human ever made. The ultimate weapon. Project: Vengeance."
"Are you saying...Vengeance is the Type-3?" Isabella said in surprise.
"Vengeance was only the name of the project. It was made that way to create the perfect wielder for that sword. One that was just as adaptable as the blade itself. We have Exo-Abilities, you see... Each of us has a specific power that was isolated to modify reality. And the Type-3 had the strongest ability of all. Exo-Adaptability. A power that let him absorb practically any type of ability and graft it onto himself. He was the perfect weapon...but it was a failure..."
"I see...and who is this Type-3...?" Isabella asked.
Nasumi looked at her and frowned.
"I said...he was one of our own...didn't I? I never wanted to say the words..." She said with tears on her eyes.
"Isabella, the Type-3 is standing right behind you. Mizik Iratus. Or rather, just Mizik. The seventh Exo-Human. The first Type-3," Kronos said.
Isabella looked back at me and I shrugged.
"I don't know what he's talking about..." I said.
"It makes no difference... You're still my husband. Regardless of whatever freaky things happened to make you...I suppose... Can we even have children at this point? Maybe I should consider that later..."
She seemed to hesitate somewhat.
"Your husband is a failed experiment. Mizik was created to be the ultimate weapon. Our new leader and the most effective resistance against anything that would ever threaten creation. He kills like it's second nature. Ends the lives of others as if its perfectly natural...yet can sympathise with people and show compassion. How is this possible...? He was programmed to do this! Mizik was created to kill enemies and protect the innocent. Far different than the rest of us."
"So...I was made to kill...? What was I made to kill?" I asked.
"For starters, the Source of the Corruption. Aside from that, anything else that might threaten creation. But you yourself have become a threat to creation. You must be eradicated as a failed experiment. Surely you understand? Lay down and die for us," Kronos said.
He readied his Claymore and it glowed with a silvery magic.
The others also readied their weapons.
"Mizik! We don't stand a chance against all of them! Please...we have to get out of here!" Nasumi said.
"Can you use that command thing...?" I asked.
"No. I can't because I'm being blocked. I think Mori is stopping me..." Nasumi said.
"Hm...then I suppose I'll have to step up," Isabella said.
"Isabella...?"
"Yes, my love. You may not remember it yet, but I am very powerful. I can buy time for all of you to escape...after that, you're on your own. You'll have to figure out how to kill them yourselves."
"But...won't that kill you!?"
I started to feel a rising sensation of fear in my chest.
"Ah, if this body dies, I'll just go back to my original body. There's no threat to me."
"Hm...yes. Even on lockdown, she's connected to the outside somehow," Nasumi said.
"I...I see..."
Isabella suddenly turned to me and smiled. She grabbed my collar and pulled me into a kiss.
A very deep kiss...
After she pulled away, she seemed satisfied.
"Haaah...now I have motivation! I'll see you soon, my love!" Isabella said with a smile.
She turned and stepped forward confidently.
"You seriously think you can take all of us?" Kronos said.
"Nope! But with my sister...maybe I have a chance?"
"What...?"
Isabella raised her hand and a beam of light shot out of it. Almost immediately, a shadowy figure began to manifest next to her.
And...another Isabella appeared...?
No...this one was different somehow...
"The enemies...of my darling... The one's who tried to hurt him...DIE!!!!" She screamed.
The woman was cloaked in shadows and a glowing stream of orange flared out of her right eye.
She disappeared in an instant and appeared behind Kronos.
He turned to catch her blade as Isabella exploded into light. A stream of dark blue light flared out of her left eye.
Portals began opening around the room and armored soldiers appeared.
"Mizik!!! Run away! We'll handle this! Live to fight another day!" Isabella shouted.
I reluctantly nodded and tried to make an avenue of escape.
The other woman viciously slashed through the crowd as they scrambled to deal with her. Kesia summoned a blazing sword and deflected a dagger strike.
"I AM CASSANDRA IRATUS!!! THE PHANTOM BLADE OF HIS MAJESTY, MIZIK IRATUS THE DESTROYER OF WORLDS!!!" She roared.
"Cassandra...?" I whispered aloud.
My head began to hurt again as several more portals opened. Strange and warped creatures began piling out of them and overwhelming the group.
Isabella disappeared and reappeared in front of their group with a sword and shield in her hands.
"Come on...come on!" Nasumi said.
She was trying to do something. So...I reached out to her and touched her hand.
She looked at me curiously.
"I have something called...Exo-Adaptability...right?" I said.
"Yes... You can absorb and graft any power onto yourself. Wait...that means... You can use commands! Maybe Mori can't block you? Type-3's are built differently from the rest of us!"
I nodded and Nasumi clapsed her hands over mine.
I saw a message appear on my status menu.
[EXO-HUMAN ABIITIES ARE CURRENTLY DISABLED. EXO-HUMAN TYPE-1 NASUMI HIRAKO WOULD LIKE TO USE 'PRIMEVAL REGENERATION' TO RESTORE THEM. CONTINUE?]
[Y/N?]
"YES!"
[EXO-HUMAN ABILITIES UNLOCKED!]
[ABILITY UNLOCKED: EXO-ADAPTABILITY!]
[Description: The user is capable of grafting powers from other worlds and realities onto themselves to become infinitely stronger. Abilities grafted always surface in their strongest form. This power also allows the use of Exo-Human Commands. Command level: GUEST. To gain higher access, the user must acquire use of the {PROGENITOR OS}]
"Progenitor...OS...?" I said.
"That's the power Kronos possesses. If you want that power, you'll have to take it from him. Until then, get us out of here!" Nasumi said.
I looked at the ongoing battle.
Isabella and Cassandra we're fighting in perfect sync.
Against the five people with their small army of soldiers, they did an effective job at holding them back.
I wanted to help...but I needed to escape.
If my memories were supposedly sealed, I wouldn't be much help.
"Thank you both! And good work!" I shouted to them.
Cassandra stopped in place and bent back to look at me.
"Huuuh...? Darling said I did good...? Aahhhh....YES!!! I WILL DO EVEN BETTER!!! HEHEHEHEHEHE!!!!"
Cassandra smiled wide and disappeared into the crowd.
Isabella turned and winked at me.
Finally...
"Command...move...?" I said hesitantly.
[Destination?]
The message appeared before my eyes.
"Uh..."
I imagined the place I wanted to move.
My room in Lorelei.
Suddenly, Nasumi grabbed my arm and we were transported.