Somewhere on Zylon, a vast wasteland could be seen with small mountains in the distance. Silence reigned and the ground of the area was burnt in some areas and was uneven, clearly showing signs of a big battle.
In this wasteland, which was littered with blood and bodies. One figure could be seen standing solitary amidst it all. The figure had shining black hair which flowed unhindered to the back of his knees.
The wore an imposing black armour which seemed to absorb all sunlight and in his hand was a 1.5 meter long black katana, which glowed in a soft green light. The figure then raised his face to look up to the sky, revealing himself to be Khaos.
His eyes glowed in an intense green hue which added a tint of colour to his golden brown skin. He also had a neatly trimmed, short beard on his face, even though it was tainted with blood.
Khaos slowly walked through the battlefield his gaze hovering over the hundreds of bodies under his feet.
Hearing a soft groan, he stopped and turned his head towards the source of the sound. He slowly walked towards a young woman who was struggling to breathe.
She was missing an arm and a large cut was visible on her abdomen. She also wore blood tainted blue robes, with an Academy above her heart area.
"K..Kh", she tried to speak, but only blood came out of her mouth. Khaos just looked down on her with an expressionless gaze.
"You chose the wrong side Petra, and i am deeply sorry". Khaos said "But this was inevitable, For the future is in the hands of those who know his face, and hear his voice". Then he stabbed his sword into the girl's forehead.
Khaos sighed and turned his attention to the sky, his gaze focused, as if passing through the world and looking at the cosmos itself.
"Outcome", he said before slowly closing his eyes, opening them, he was in a small room which had nothing but a mattress, a chair and a shower in the corner.
Khaos woke up with a start, jumping straight onto his feet and frantically looking around the room. His breathing was laboured and his clothes clung to his body due to the sweat.
"Outcome?", he said, the only thing he remembered from his dream.
"What was it!?, what happened?" he mumbled, clutching his head. However, as always, he could not remember anything from his dream. This time, only the word 'Outcome'.
"This is why i should stop sleeping altogether", he sighed as he went to take a quick bath. Due to the dreams, Khaos had resorted to sleeping only once a month, and that was because his mind had to rest, otherwise he would never sleep.
After cleaning up and wearing his Academy robes, he left the room and went to knock at the next door. However, even after waiting for a full minute, no one answered so he went down the stairs.
He greeted Lex with a nod before walking over to Zara who was sitting at one of the tables in the inn, looking at the already busy street outside.
"Hie, playboy. I guess that adds to the stories i have to tell Lyra when i meet her". Zara said with a smile.
"What are you talking about this time Zara?" Khaos sighed. He really cursed Lex for saying his sister's name in front of Zara.
"Well, i was about to knock on your door and wake you when i heard you talking to Petra". Zara said, and something clicked in Khaos' mind.
"What else did you hear!?, did i say anything else?" he asked, shaking Zara's shoulders frantically.
"No i did not hear anything else, sorry". Zara said seriously, she had just realised what was happening. "So you forgot absolutely everything?" she asked.
Khaos sighed. "Only the word 'Outcome', and now thanks to you, the name 'Petra'" he said. The duo was then overcome with a few minutes of silence.
"We should sleep together" Khaos suddenly said.
"What!?" Zara shouted, her face turning red before a smirk appeared on her lips. "Oh really?, well..."
"Whoa, hold your..., hold it". Khaos lifted up his arms in a defensive manner. "I meant as in sleep in the same room, preferably on opposite sides, of said room". he explained quick as his mouth could move.
Zara chuckled, "Fine, suit yourself, but beware, i sleep in the nude". Zara said with a wink as she stood up. "Let's get going we are still on a quest".
"I am going to regret this". Khaos mumbled as he walked out after waving to Lex. He did not realize the frustration on Lex's face at that moment.
"Here, this house is the closest one to our position". Zara pointed at the map they had gotten from Milly.
Khaos nodded and they quickly flew towards the house. It did not take long for them to arrive in front of a small house in the outer district.
After knocking on the door, it was opened by a young boy, barely 40 years old. "Hello", Zara smiled while kneeling so as to be on the same height as the kid.
(AN : On Zylon, a 40 year old is equivalent to an 8 year old child)
"Are your parents around?" Zara asked with a smile.
The child shook his head "No, mommy went to look for big sister" he said.
"Oh okay, thank you". Zara smiled.
"Next house is just across the street". The duo continued their rounds, moving from house to house and asking questions. However, they always received the same answers everywhere they went.
The victims had just disappeared in the middle of the day. Not even one family reported that their loved one was taken at night. Khaos and Zara even went to the places were the victims were last seen, but they got nothing useful, in fact they only got more confused.
"So you mean to tell me she just vanished?" Khaos asked, rubbing his eyes.
"Yes", the shopkeeper they were talking to nodded. "Yes, she paid for this ring right here, and i just looked into my coin box to get her change. When i looked back up, she was gone", he said.
"At first i thought she had run away, but my door creaks every time someone opens it and after working here for 400 years, i know that creak better than my own name. So if she did suddenly run out of my shop, she walked straight through the door". The shopkeeper said.
As if to proved his point, the door creaked loudly as a guard from The Shield walked in.
"See?" The shopkeeper gestured at the door with his hands.
"Excuse me Academic Khaos and Zara", the guard who just entered said. "I was sent by the Mayor to tell you that Mider has come back".