Greetings by Monsters

Bargain God
"...!" Amon suddenly opened his eyes, sweating profusely, before his attention was drawn by the sharp pain in his shoulder and arms. His injuries were bandaged up but not quite healed, and he laid in a hospital bed "...".

"That Moloch is troublesome." Gram said to Amon, as the latter got out of bed "I suggest you keep up your guard. Who knows what he's going to do...".

"I'm tired." Amon said, his knees suddenly feeling the weight of his body and failing him for a moment "...Ah, I forgot...what it's like to not have the regeneration of a demon...".

"Not fun, is it?" Lucadra said, a child kicking her legs while sitting on the bed "You started to rely on that a bit too much. You can endure some punishment and pain, but...right now, you will die like any human. So be careful.".

Amon breathed out, straightening himself up "I want..." He rubbed his eyes and face "Am I...?".

"Ah, you're up." An elderly doctor said, walking into the room "You seem to be doing good. I arranged you some new clothes. Make yourself comfortable, but please be careful. You lost too much blood and getting hurt any further will result in death. Not maybe, but will." The doctor bluntly said to Amon, adjusting his glasses.

"Thanks." Amon replied, grabbing the clothing on the table. A simple short-sleeved green shirt and blue pants "Where...Ah, I still can't get my head straight.".

"Must be the drugs." The doctor rubbed his chin "It took a lot to calm you down. If you're feeling some numbness in your fingers or toes, that must be the drugs.".

"...What about my hallucinations of my past crimes coming back to haunt me in disembodied voices?" Amon asked.

"The drugs.".

"My crippling guilt and emotional dissonance?".

"Drugs.".

"..." Amon scratched his cheek before speaking again "What about my headache?".

"Eh, must be weather.".

"I feel like you're messing with me.".

Amon grabbed a random jacket as he exited the room. He wore it on, looking around, seeing the halls were mostly empty, with the exception of the sleeping soldier next to the door "...Hey." Amon said to the sleeping soldier, kneeling down and lightly tapping on the soldier's helmet, waking him up.

The soldier jolted awake, but quickly stood up, saluting Amon as he spoke "Greetings, Amon! I came with a message from Dimaria! She awaits you on the top floor!".

"Wait, that voice..." Amon took a moment before remembering the soldier's name "Martin, right?".

"Oh, you remember me...?" Martin said, surprised.

Amon squinted his eyes in response "Yes...?".

"I'm used to people forgetting about me...Even my sister forgets about me until I get her money to feed her kids." Martin said, weeping with his head against the wall. Amon awkwardly patted the man on his back, trying to be somewhat comforting towards the poor guy.

"Right...let me...let me take you to Dimaria." Martin said, taking Amon on the same elevator as last time, leading him to the top floor.

"You coming?" Amon asked Martin.

"Ah! No!" Martin said, staying inside the elevator after pushing Amon out "I have a family to feed. I'm not about to be in here for more than five seconds!" He said, pressing the button to the lower floors "Good luck, man." The doors closed, and the elevator went down.

"...Our talks are nice." Amon chuckled.

Amon walked towards Dimaria, who sat infront of a large table, fiddling with a pack of cards "Ah, you're finally here. Come, sit down." Dimaria suggested to Amon, sitting on a normal chair for a change. Amon sat on the other side of the table, facing Dimaria "Let's play a game of cards. What's your best game?".

"Poker." Amon replied.

"Oho~ Gambler, are we?" Dimaria's amused tone refused to dwindle, as she continued shuffling the cards "How about a regular game of cards?" She said, beginning to give Amon his cards.

"I guess it wouldn't be fair for you." Amon sarcastically quipped.

"Haha, funny." Dimaria retorted "Now, let's have a little chat.".

"Right." Amon said, looking at his cards, coming off as distant and uninterested, almost disrespecting Dimaria.

"You know, I would usually have you thrown in a dungeon to rot away with the rest for intruding on my territory." Dimaria said, looking at her cards.

"Then why haven't you?" Amon asked.

"You're a White Rose, aren't you?" Dimaria said, resting her head on one of her hands "You're just misfortune and suffering. I want to see what that's like.".

"Hm. What is misfortune, I wonder." Amon said in a melancholic tone, looking at the cards in his hands, taking one of his five cards and placing them on the table. A four of hearts "I'd always believe it wasn't really a thing. Just some random chance that bad things happened to me. There exists billions of people around the world, some who obviously have it worse than me. So it made no sense to me that just because I happen to be born with a specific hair and eye color, bad things happening to me is suddenly something that's meant to be, that fate dictates. I hated that word. Fate." He said "Go ahead." He gestured to Dimaria to make her move.

"Do we have a skeptic on our midst?" Dimaria responded, bemused, as she drew a card from the deck, having no card to lay down "Perhaps misfortune is the Gods past time? Perhaps, when bored, they pick a random mortal to create a black cloud above them, for their own amusement? Maybe you're someone's favorite toy.".

"Hmph." Amon scoffed at Dimaria's claim, showing disregard. He put down a joker card atop the four of hearts "I don't believe in Gods. I have no reason to, and never wanted to. If I did, I'd be too focused on how something like a God could exist in a world with so many flaws. You'd think, something omnipotent, would have no issues fixing these problems.".

"That's because the idea of an omnipotent deity is something mankind man to fill the void in their hearts, and give themselves hope." Dimaria replied, placing down a six of spades atop the joker "You know how humans are. When they have nothing else on Earth to cling to, they start making things up to fill whatever they're missing and give meaning to things, even if it's an exaggeration." She gestured to Amon to continue his turn.

"Hope is a funny thing." Amon said, scratching his cheek as he looked at his cards. He settled on drawing, seeing he had no good cards to lay over "But, eventually, when you see how things just keep getting worse and worse, you start to doubt everything you believed in, and start believing what everyone told you.".

Dimaria's smile stretched across her cheeks, making for a grin that showed her amusement "Ah, so even the hardened bad boy started believing superstition? And what now? What do you believe? That you're someone who has no room in this world, because your entire purpose is to suffer?" She said in an almost insulting manner.

"..." Amon arranged the cards in his hands, placing them face down on the table, as he sighed in frustration "I've grown tired of it. And I started hating everything to do with it. Fate and what I am were my curse, but knowing more like me made me wonder, who would create this curse? For what purpose, would you create a brand of humans who exist to just suffer?".

"Hahaha!" Dimaria laughed loudly, kicking back her legs and holding her arms around her stomach, going short on breathe. She stopped laughing after at least a minute, ubbing tears off her eyes and looking at Amon "Isn't life grand?" Her demeanor returned to her laid-back self, as she inquired Amon.

"...Life is grand." He sarcastically replied.

"Come on, let's keep playing." Dimaria told Amon, ready to continue.

Amon grunted, standing up and beginning to walk away "I think I'm done." He said "I need to leave." Upon grabbing the doorknob, it came off. A clean cut, seperated the knob from the door itself, man-made "...".

"I don't think you understand how things work around here." Dimaria stayed at her seat, resting against her chair, stretching her arms in relaxation. In her hand was a sword, its tip stabbing into the floor, its height the same as its owner. Its handle resembled a broken clockwork piece, while the blade itself was sharpened well, easily digging into the solid stone floor. She fiddled with it like it was a toy, using only one finger on the tip of the handle to keep it from falling over.

"Five points on a continent of over one billion people, each controlled by a single emperor." She got up from her seat, another cut appearing on the walls around the door, causing Amon to back up "And in those territories, whatever the emperor says, is law." Turning around, Dimaria began walking towards Amon, her blade grinding against the floor, but making no sound as it sliced clean through it "And right now, my word is, you stay, and become my new source of entertainment.".

"..." Amon scratched his cheek, appearing more bothered than threatened "Must we really?" Dimaria nodded, raising her sword and pointing it at Amon "Well, alright." Amon attempted to grab blade, but missed. He didn't see any movement, but there it was, digging through his abdomen, all the way and through the door even. Appropriately, his expression changed from his composed, calm attitude to a shocked and pained look.

Dimaria pulled the blade out of Amon, causing him to back away against the wall, bleeding profusely as he clutched his wound "Hurts, doesn't it?" She gleefully said, swiping her sword, causing the blood to splash off from the blade onto the floor "If I wanted to, I could just have you killed on the spot, right here.".

"..." Amon gripped his wound, standing up and grunting in pain as he did "Ugh...! I...need to find my family, so...if you don't mind...I would like to leave already." He said, turning around towards the door, but before he could touch it, he springed back in pain, a gruesome gash across his right hand "Gah...! Stop it!" Amon's anger began to rise, turning towards Dimaria "Let me go.".

"You'll be dead before that door opens." Dimaria seemed awfully casual about mutilating a man slowly without giving him a chance to react or retort in any way. Amon couldn't tell how she did, moving and slashing him, stabbing without him noticing or even feeling an ounce of movement on her part. He began to lose more blood, and it didn't seem to stop, no matter how much he pressed against the injury.

He couldn't regenerate, otherwise the "lock" on his magic origin will open, and the poison will spread again. He can't afford to shorten his life any further. He couldn't trust Eva, but if it was true.

Eventually, his legs gave in, forcing him down on his knees, his blood from his hand slathering on the door. He quickly tackled the door, forcing it open, beginning to run through the halls as he bled, much to the confusion of the soldiers and other workers in the area, but they all soon shrugged it off and continued with their day, ignoring the man bleeding a trail behind him.

A gash was made on his thigh, causing Amon to trample over and fall, failing to properly get back up as he bled further "Ugh...! Damn it. How do you keep doing that?!" Amon looked over his shoulder, seeing Dimaria behind him, her foot stomping on his back, making getting back up harder "Is this teleportation...? No...I can't sense a...a rift. This is...".

"This is my world." Dimaria said, stabbing her sword near Amon's head, missing it by a few inches "You will never escape me. No matter how much you resist me, I'll continue to cut you down until the only thing left of you will be your head rolling on the floor!" She leaned down infront of Amon, poking his head in a matter akin to a child bothering a sleeping bear "But, like I said, there's an entertainment value in having a White Rose around here. Do you know it is rare to find an adult White Rose? It is even rarer if they're a woman...I wonder why..." A malicious grin appeared on her face as she continued talking.

"...Lets'...make a deal..." Amon said, growing paler as he lost more blood, feeling his head go dizzy, and his vision failing him.

"Oh? A deal?".

"Yes...!" Amon crawled, looking up at Dimaria "Listen...listen to me...I have to know if my friends are alive. I need to know if they're here! I...!" He coughed, gasping for air, as blood dripped down his lips "Help me...see that they are safe...and I will do whatever you say...Just that...Please...!".

"Hahaha!" Dimaria bursted into laughter, standing up and clutching her stomach "You're going to submit your life to me, in exchange for that useless bit of info?" Dimaria said, pointing out the unfair conditions that were more in Dimaria's favor.

"Yes..." He bluntly replied, suddenly killing Dimaria's smile, making her frown, almost in a displeased or disappointed fashion "Do this one thing for me, and you can do whatever you want to me in return. I don't care. My time is limited anyway.".

But her smile came back just as quick, and Amon was standing up. His wounds were sealed, stitched up and bandaged, stopping the bleeding. He was still dizzy and pale, but with his wounds all patched up, it was no longer an issue. Amon's shirt was slashed open, exposing his now sealed wound on his abdomen. The same applied to the left leg of his pants, showing his sealed wound. His right hand was completely bandaged up, reddening a bit from his blood.

Before he had even an inkling of what was going on, Amon's body was patched up and taken care of.

"Let's shake on it." Dimaria extended her hand to Amon for a handshake.

"..." Amon shrugged off this mystery at the moment, shaking Dimaria's hand "Glad we could come to an agreement.".

"Mmm~" Dimaria let go of Amon's hand, stretching her arms, using her sword stabbing into the ground in order to keep herself standing as she rested her arm against it "I'm beat.".

"From beating me up?" Amon sarcastically asked.

"Haha, yeah. It takes a lot out of me.".

"I really do not like you." Amon bluntly replied.

She cracked her knuckles, pulling her sword out of the ground and resting it on her shoulder "Let's go take a shower.".

"No.".

"Yes.".

"No.".

"Too late." And thus, the two were in the bathes. Rather large, and looking more like an expensive bathhouse. To top it off, both were nude, with Dimaria in the large, pool-like bath, submerged into the waters and relaxing, while Amon was on the other side of the bath "Ah~.".

"Oh, goddammit." Amon said in frustration "...Is it even a good idea for me to get into waters with these bandages?".

"They're magical." Dimaria replied, putting a towel over her head, not allowing a shred of her hair poke out "They don't get affected by moisture and heal wounds faster, but they're very expensive. You should be grateful.".

"You're the reason I have them.".

"Haha, yeah." Dimaria chuckled, amused.

"..." Amon stretched his arms, submerging himself further into the waters, until only his head was left outside. He breathed out, calming himself down "Alright...how are you going to help me find everyone?".

"I'll need you to get me descriptions. I already sent for a call of the person who will help you." As if on cue, the doors of the bathes opened, as the heavily armored Captain of the Zaman Army entered. The Captain saluted Dimaria, paying no mind to the two's lack of clothing "Ah, Vera.".

"I have arrived, Dimaria." Vera spoke, greeting her General "What do y-...? Oh. It's you." Vera crossed their arms when they noticed Amon "Is he causing you trouble?".

"Calm down, Vera. We're helping him.".

"Helping?! This...waste of human skin?!" Vera snapped, throwing profanities directed at Amon "He's a White Rose! A menace to us all! A blight! A curse! My liege, if we don't get rid of him, his existence will bring nothing but misfortune to our land!" Vera continued, walking towards the bath at the center, their metal boots making loud sounds against the marble floor "He could be a spy, an enemy. He should be executed, at on-...".

"That's enough, Vera." Dimaria said to the Captain, silencing them "And didn't I tell you to stop wearing that armor! It's not cute at all!".

"..." Amon settled on not interfering in this argument, opting to keep relaxing in the warm waters.

"But General...!" Vera breathed in, before speaking again "I believe this man is nothing but trouble.".

"And I say! He's great entertainment value!" Dimaria declared, suddenly standing up and angrily pointing at Vera "You may not understand my very complex interests rooted in the idea of sadism, but know, that to me! It is a very important part of my life that I need to fill ever since...her...".

"...Are we talking about Brandish?"

"Yes, we're talking about Brandish, dammit. She's the only woman I speak about consistently."

"Apologies, General." Vera bowed to Dimaria in response.

"Whatever that means, I'm not going to fight again even if you force me." Amon said "I'm tired. I want to rest for now.".

Dimaria giggled, getting back into the waters "Of course. Take it as a present from me." She said, gesturing to Vera "Vera here is an artist. Describe the people you want to find, and she will take of it in less than a week.".

"...She?".

"Hm?" Dimaria looked at Amon in confusion "Yes, Vera is a woman. You didn't know?" As she said that, Vera took off her helmet, revealing herself to, indeed, be a woman, with short brunette hair and blue eyes with black pupils, and an expression fitting her continuous temper.

"Is that a problem?" Vera asked Amon, as if trying to provoke him.

"No, not really." Amon replied, glancing at her "Just surprised. Especially, your throat. I'm surprised anyone has such strong vocals cords to shout so much, without going mute.".

"Funny coming from you." Gram snarked at the usually short-tempered Amon.

"Just tell me about these people so I can go." Vera said, sitting down on a nearby stool, pulling out a notepad and pen from within her armor "I don't want to look at something so repulsive like you any longer.".

"...Right.".

Risen
The ground rose up into a hill, before the top shattered open, a dark red cloud bursting free from it. It create fairly large hole, one big enough for Cobra to just jump out of, covered in dirt and mud, wearing his shirt around his waist due to the excess sweating from continually digging a tunnel "Why was I the only one digging...?" Cobra asked, looking around, seeing they were in a desert-like area, collapsed buildings sinking into the sand.

Racer exited, carrying Angel on his back, before kneeling down and letting her get off his back "You're the one with two arms and destructive magic." Racer replied, kneeling down next to the hole, grabbing Midnight's hand and helping him get out.

Midnight began dusting himself off before looking back to see Wahl Icht climb out independently "Well, here we are." Midnight said "As we agreed, we helped get you out. Now, give us a helping hand, a guide on where we are and where to go.".

"As the agreement tells, this is how it should go." Wahl replied "I am able of sensing the magic energy in the atmosphere, and by extension, of living beings. With this, a network is forged. I can access the information from the database." He said, as he extended his arms, steam exiting the crevices of his body "Atmospheric Levels: Rich." Eternano in the air became clear, visible, and soon began to absorb itself into Wahl's body, overflowing in particles of blue lights, resembling fireflies, visible in the daylight.

"What are you doing?" Angel asked Wahl.

"Recharging. My power is low, my core's light will vanish." Wahl replied "I can detect an ally. Yes. A familiar core." Wahl said, pointing south "The map I have is complete, but I cannot pinpoint anyone on the map, including myself. We need information.".

"Well, let's go then." Midnight said "This place seems abandoned, so getting any kind of assistance is invaluable.".

And with that said, they began moving, following Wahl's directions to find the ally he spoke of. They passed through many buildings that were crumbling and already collapsed, fauna beginning to overtake them, while others were sunken into sand. But most remarkably of all, was the castle that was cut in half, one side collapsed and broken, while the other miraculously stayed standing, vines and trees growing in and around it.

"Here." Wahl said, halting in an instant. His robotic arm bent and straightened, the joints of his fingers clenching into a fist, with one finger, his index finger, pointing at a rubble of broken brick walls.

"...Uh..." Cobra pointed at the pile of rubble in confusion "Is he under it?".

Without waiting, Midnight swiped his arm away, forcing the rubble away from the scene. All that was left was a pile of skeletons and nothing else "Hm. I'm afraid your ally is long gone.".

"No." Wahl walked closer to the skeletons "He is asleep." Electricity charged at the palm of his hand, before gathering it into a sphere of electric energy, a ball of eternano "Weakness." Numbers appeared around the sphere, ones and zeroes, seemingly spelling something before Wahl crushed the sphere in his palm "Awakening Unit, Drill Model, M.K. III.".

"...What?" Cobra said, before Wahl punched the ground, burning the skeletons to ashes. The ashes spread, before being drawn back in by the electricity, resulting in a tower of blue energy.

"Oh. I've overcharged." Wahl casually said, as a hand suddenly sprung from the earth, clenched into a fist, striking him across the face, smashing him into the ground, before the tower of energy intensified, rising up and taking the form of a reptillian beast, wings sprouting, roaring a mighty roar that split the clouds apart.

And suddenly, it stopped, as a man with long, pale hair stood before everyone. His skin unsathed for the most part, yet a notable scar going across his right arm, as well as another covering the entirety of his stomach. His right eye was also bloodshot, making his black-colored eye barely visible under all that blood. His hair messy and unkempt, most of it going infront of his face, but they didn't hide his canine-like teeth.

"Gah! Aaaagh! GAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!" The man began shouting, clutching his head, opening his eyes widely, refusing to blink even as sand blew into his eyes "Where am I?! What is happening?! Blood...Blood...?! Why is my hair so snowy?! Why am I in a desert?! Where are my pants?! Who are you people?!".

"...Angel, don't look." Racer said, covering Angel's eyes, who was seemingly in a state of shock.

"Greetings." Wahl said, standing up, despite the fist-shaped dent in his face "It seems you were in a stasis of sorts, caused by an overflow of magical energy within your body, creating a form of barrier, an egg, where you got weaker, but did not age. That is how you survived ten years in this state.".

"T-...Ten years...? No, that's not right...Was it really ten years? Wait, who are you?!".

"It is I, Wahl Icht. I am in a reserve bo-..." Before Wahl could finish, he recieved another punch to the face, denting it even further.

"Ah, I see!" The man's face lit up, as if he has reached an epiphany "So I survived being bisected in half, and the bleeding. Through sheer willpower! Yes!".

"No." Wahl replied, standing up again "It was a desperate act of survival on your pa-...".

"Willpower! The Will of a Dragon!" The man struck a pose, inducing many images the Oracion Seis will have to revisit when meeting their psychiatrist in the near future.

"Wait, Dragon?!" Cobra picked up on the man's final line "You do smell pretty dragonic! Who are you? A Dragon Slayer?" Cobra squinted his eyes, trying to peer into the man's soul "And what is that tune that keeps going on in your head?!".

"Fufufu..." The man chuckled, and before he could strike another pose, Wahl managed to bring about a pair of torn pants into existence using his magic, using the bare minimum materials found in the surrounding to create them "I am the virtuous, vicious, ruthless, but victorious, valorous, vicious...!".

"You already said vicious. Dumbass." Cobra snarkly interrupted the man's speech.

"I am God Serena, the strongst mage, in all of Ishgar!".

"We're in Alakitasia." Wahl corrected.

"In all of Alakitasia!".

"We're a pretty small continent all things considered.".

"All of Earth Land!" God Serena topped off, with an echo powerful enough to send sand towards everyone, a true nuisance rather than anything detrimental. Especially since it got in their eyes.

There was a breeze, and a persisting silence, as no one seemed particulary impressed with God Serena's display, more so horrified or annoyed, soliciting a "ew" from a jade-haired woman far off from where they are.

"Wahl, we're unanimously agreeing that it was a mistake to follow you." Midnight said, as the rest of the Oracion Seis nodded to bring the point home.

"Hahaha! Wahl, old friend!" Serena bawled loudly in laughter, patting Wahl on the shoulder "You look different! Did you change your hai-...?" Wahl struck Serena across the face, returning the favor three-fold, cracking Serena's crack and breaking his jaw "Strong metal..." He somehow managed to make coherent words with a broken jaw, and clear thought with a broken skull, which seemed to heal just as easy.

"This is a reserve body. The Bionic body." Wahl explained to Serena "It was an emergency tactic after my body was destroyed.".

"Ah, now that you mention it." Midnight intervened between the two "You mentioned someone defeated you. Who was it?".

"Ah, yes. A demon most heinous, one who can only be called the Grim Reaper with his ruthless, murderous sprees." Wahl said, beginning to describe the one who killed him and Serena "No scythe, only the powers beyond the Gates of Hell are his weapons. Crosses were raised for every defeated foe, while the dead were left rotting into the soil. That monster, the Death God, is known as Bloodman. Search as far as you would like, you will never find a creature more terrifying and merciless than Death itself.".

"...Grand." Midnight replied. Somehow a completely monotone and unchanging robotic voice failed to properly convey any sort of emotion with his story "Serena, was it? What about you?".

"I remember him as clear as day. I may have been in stasis, asleep and unaware of my surrounding, but the feeling is still strong." Serena extended his right arm forward, visibly shaking "First my flesh burnt hotter the Hell's deepest pits, before my bones were cut. Something went through them, and my arm fell off. The only thing that distracted me from it, was the sharp pain across my gut." He was visibly angered, furious even, gritting his teeth "That bastard gutted me in half, left me to die! Rot away! But I refused. I refused to fall even when my legs were meters away from me. And I lived." Serena grinned widely, brushing his hair back from the front of his face to the back of his head "And this time! I'll win! I, God Serena of the Eight Dragons!".

"..." Cobra leaned in to the others, whispering "I think he's on some of those illegal stuff that even I shouldn't eat.".

"Everything you eat is illegal. Somewhere in the world." Midnight answered, before addressing the robot and self-proclaimed dragon "Well, we hope you make your goals on your ventures. We, on the other hand, will be looking for our allies.".

"We understand." Wahl replied "Best of luck.".

"Wait, wait, wait." Serena stopped the Oracion Seis "Who else is alive?".

"I do not know." Wahl said "We need to gather info before finding Bloodman. If Irene is also alive, we are in greater trouble. Our priority should be getting us back in shape. Get myself a new body, and get you the Stygian Cor." He explained, creating a hologram of an incomplete map on the palm of his hand "This will be troublesome, but I can pinpoint the Stygian Cor's unique energy signature.".

"Stygian Cor? You can't mean...?".

"Yes." Wahl replied to Cobra "The Hearts of the Dragon, of the Trihexia Dragon.".

"B-...But those were just myth..." Cobra began to sweat nervously, but a smile crept on his face "Are you telling me it's here in Alakitasia...?".

"There exist two." Wahl began to explain "I do not know where they are now, but I can locate them if given enough time. Their unique, dragonic energy make them stand out among the billion souls of Alakitasia.".

"What are you talking about?" Midnight asked.

"Stygian Cor, these are six hearts of a legendary Dragon. You never heard?" Cobra asked in return, after responding to Midnight.

Midnight and the others shook their heads in reply "Well..." Cobra scratched his chin, before explaining "They're six hearts that belonged to a Dragon, the most evil Dragon in history. He killed and devoured thousands of Dragons 400 years ago, during the Dragon Civil War. I heard stories. In fact, if I remember, the Stygian Cor was going to be used on me, but we couldn't get a hold of any of the six hearts.".

"What do they do?" Midnight asked.

"We don't know." Cobra replied "But they say, whoever has them, no matter who you are, you gain the powers of the Apocalypse Dragon, and the more hearts you get, the stronger you become.".

"Joy. It's the usual artifact of power." Racer snarkily replied "Interesting.".

"Y-...Yeah.".

"I need it, because as I am right now, I'll never defeat Bloodman. Or anyone for that matter." Serena explained "I feel weaker in fact. I have to get my hands on the Stygian Cor within Alakitasia. All of them." He seemed visibly upset, angry even.

"Well, best of luck to you, bu-...".

"Wait, we have to go after that too." Cobra explained "Listen, listen. It's said the Stygian Cor still beat, despite being hearts detached from the body. They have a mind of their own! Imagine what I could get from listening to it. This could get me valuable information! Something to become stronger!".

"When did you care?" Midnight asked.

"Well, not really, but I never talked to a Dragon!" Cobra replied "This is a once in a lifetime chance for me. Second Generation Dragon Slayers like me don't have guidance from Dragons. Knowing what a Dragon is like, or just feeling the presence of one...".

Midnight said, scratching his head "Alright, fine, fine." He said "This could help us find everyone, I suppose. Since Wahl has a better map.".

"Yes!" Cobra clapped his hands joyously, rubbing them as poison exuded from his wide slasher grin "I will finally know what a Dragon's power is like...! Hahaha!".

"You're not taking my Stygian Cor, are you?" Serena said, crossing his arms.

"What? No, I'm no-..." Cobra suddenly stopped, feeling a choking pressure from Serena, with the visage of a dragon accompanying the man. A cold sweat ran down his face, muttering, as if trying to remember how to speak again "I just want to see if it thinks.".

"Okay!" Serena's attitude changed, returning to his cheery self in an instant "Then let's waste no time! Next stop, Stygian Cor!"

Misfortune Monster
Vera waited outside the bathes. She added a few more details to the drafts of Amon's friends he wishes to know of their status. She followed Amon's descriptions, and he approved them as being accurate, all that's left is adding the last few details before mass-producing the images to the scouting squad to search for them all across Alakitasia. It has been about an hour. Somehow Dimaria managed to keep Amon stuck there for that long. She almost felt pity for the White Rose man.

Vera leaned against the wall near the door, but quickly stood straight and saluted as the door opened, holding the notepad behind her back, and indeed, Dimaria exited, wearing nothing but a towel around her body "Ah~ Vera, are you still here?" Her tone was whimsical, her expression soft and calm, and hair tied into a bun "Have you finished the drafts? I want to complete my deal with Amon as fast as pssible.".

"Just a few more touches, General." Vera replied, putting down her salute "Do you need anything else?".

"Eh, just wait here. When Amon leaves, take him to a room to stay at." Dimaria said to Vera, noticing the Captain was visibly upset by her orders "Don't worry, he's mellow. He doesn't bite unless you let him." Her familiar glare and casual expression returned "Be nice, or at least, try to. Okay?".

Vera bit her lip in frustration, before reclutantly nodding "Good girl." Dimaria said, beginning to walk off "I didn't give him a set of clothes, so make sure he puts on a towel or something.".

A few minutes after, Amon exited the bathes, wearing a bathrobe, tied together around the waist. He glanced to the side, seeing Vera "Oh, joy. You're here." Amon said in a monotone voice, but was clearly being sarcastic "Does she want something else from me?".

"No." Vera replied "Just an order to take you to a room to stay at.".

"Hm." Amon rubbed his abdomen, still feeling the wound from Dimaria's blade "How kind of her.".

Suddenly, Vera grabbed Amon by the bathrobe's collar, pulling him closer, furiously glaring at him "Listen to me. If you step out of line, I will kill you. If you try anything on Dimaria, I will kill you. If you try and harm anyone else in the entirety of Zaman and then some, I will kill you. Do anything, to anyone, or no one, that gives me the right excuse, and I will make you wish those lions ate you.".

Amon was unshaken by Vera's threat, grabbing her wrist and managing to pull her off "I already offered myself up for Dimaria's favor. It will get worse for me after you finish your job." He calmly replied to Vera, but his grip was strong, implying layers of frustration "Show me the room, so that I can rest. I'm tired.".

"Hmph." Vera scoffed at Amon "At least you have no pride to waste.".

"I've never really had any.".

No further words were exchanged, as Vera lead Amon to the room he would stay at. A simple two-bed room, with one bathroom. She closed the door, leaving Amon to his lonesome.

"Well...things are quiet." Amon said, walking over to the closet in the room, opening it to find nothing but pajamas in it "...Oh.".

"Well hey, you have something to wear at least." Lucadra said, looking outside the window "You know how I somehow can move around and see what you don't, despite the fact these are illusions?" Lucadra asked.

"How?" He casually asked, taking out a pajama with tiger stripe patterns on it.

"Shit if I know." Lucadra replied, shrugging "It's weird. Also there's like two girls outside making out. This place is nice.".

Amon pulled out another pajama, white with black spots like a dalmatian "I can't go with either one without looking like some doof.".

"Why not that one?" Lucadra suggested, pointing at the bright pink pajamas plastered with the many images of scantily clad, or outright nude women all over it "I think it's nice.".

"...Right." Amon settled on the boring dark-grey pajamas.

"So." Gram spoke, as Amon changed into the pajamas "Are you really going to go through with your deal? You realize, this could mean you never see them again, right?" He asked Amon.

"I'll think about it." Amon replied, sitting down on the bed, sighing "I'm tired.".

"I didn't take you for such a loner." Dimaria said, suddenly sitting on the other bed, startling Amon "Talking to yourself, huh? Maybe I should leave someone to keep you company.".

"...Please leave." Amon politely said to Dimaria.

Dimaria chuckled, resting on her back on the bed "I tell you, I cannot wait for when you become my latest toy." Dimaria said, implying this is not the first time she dealt with these sorts of deals "Some men and women found this Hell, others had...different ideas of joy. I wonder which one you will be.".

"Do you think I'm going to break?" Amon asked Dimaria "You said it yourself, I'm a White Rose. How do you think my life has been until now? You're welcomed to try, but, whatever you do to me, and already did, I'm still fresh from two horror shows." He said, glancing aside "I guess there is a God out there who has it out for me.".

"You really don't know who I am do you?" Dimaria said with a wide grin "Oh, I will have fun making you regret every moment of your life as my foot stool.".

"Right." Amon replied, still calm "Let me guess; am I going to be forced to crawl on all four? Clothed? Naked? Are my meals going to be the scraps and plates you leave? Will I have a collar, I wonder. Cuffs? Chains? Something to restrict my movement in some shape or form?".

"You think I'm predictable? I'm not that cruel, but I'm not kind either." Dimaria said, changing her position, sitting on the bed "Do you know how long it takes to reduce a strong-willed man to a grumbling fool? The longest it ever took was two months. I-...".

"Please. Shut up and leave." Amon said, silencing Dimaria.

"...Heh. Hahaha, oh, you're disrespectful. Very, very rude. Yo-...".

"Leave. Now." He said again, making it clear he's just about done listening to her.

"Fine." Dimaria stood up "I'll leave you be, but when my end of the deal ends, I'll come back for you." And with that, she was gone just as easy as she entered, no trace left behind.

"...".

"Man, she is just heinous, ain't she?" Lucadra jokingly, grinning widely "You think, uh, you think she can get through to you?".

Amon sighed, looking down at the floor "...Hah." Amon breathed out, cracking his neck "I'm afraid." A grin crept on his face, his cheeks stretching and teeth bared "I'm afraid, because everyday, every time this happens, I feel a bit of me being eaten and lost.".

Lucadra's expression became blank, sittting down next to Amon "How do you feel?" She asked, her tone sincere.

"Ah." His grin lessed to a simple smile "I think...I feel angry. But I don't want to. I feel hollow. But I don't want to. I'm afraid. Do you think I'm a monster?".

"Yes." Lucadra bluntly replied "Don't ask me a stupid question. You're a monster, but you're denying it. Or, are you just afraid what happened to you is going to make you someone else to your family?".

Amon chuckled, almost uncontrollably, staring at Lucadra "Then...haha...is that woman right about me? Am I just...misfortune for others? Hahaha...am I..." His tone began shaking, his laughing sounding weaker and his hands shivering.

"Am I going to kill everyone by just being there with them?".

"I don't know." Lucadra replied to Amon "I'm sorry.".

"Ah. I almost forgot how a bed feels..." Amon said, resting his head down, his arms on his lap, shutting his eyes "I think I'll let myself forget everything else, just for tonight.".