Rude Awakening

Howl At The Moon
"Run little boy, the wolf comes for you" A soft voice of a man sang, as he was walking down the hallway of the building. The man wore a black coat, with a ruffled blouse, white pants with brown boots, and white gloves. His most noticeable trait, however, was his long blonde hair, tied into a single long strand that almost reached pass his waist.

The man, Midas Gold, grinned as he joyfully continued singing his tune "Go and run, and hide and pray. Evantually, you will be prey. You cannot hope to escape the wolf." He cracked his neck, noticing he was being followed, despite the fact he saw no one behind him "Who will protect you...from the Big Bad Wolf?" Midas turned around, as a shadow emerged on the wall.

"That damn song of yours is trash. Won't you get that through your thick skull already?" It was the voice of a woman, and she wasn't pleased.

"Come now, my mother taught me this song. You're being quite rude telling me that, you know" Midas sarcastically replied, walking towards the shadow on the wall. "Why not come out, dear? Say hello".

"No!" The woman shouted, as hand stretched through the shadow and grabbed Midas by his collar, lifting him up. The hand was still coated in shadows, hiding it, but it had a clawed appearance "Should I remind how much I wanna rip your fuckin' face apart?!" She clearly did not like this man.

"You women and your period" An awkward silence took place, for exactly 10 seconds. The woman held onto Midas' collar as he simply kept a smile, whilst appearing unconcerned.

"...Ugh..." The woman released Midas, sighing in annoyance "Let me just get to buisness".

"But of course, do tell, my dear, why the sudden...meeting? And you're using his magic to tell me this to boot. Must be serious" Despite what he was saying, Midas' expression gave off the impression he couldn't care less about what was happening. He would probably just sit down and sip on tea while the world blew up around him.

"It is. You see, Georgie boy called" It was upon hearing that name that Midas' expression became serious. That calm smile and uncaring face vanished in an instant.

"What does he want? I already did what he ordered".

"That you did. But he said it...wasn't enough" The woman threw a bag towards Midas, as he caught it. It felt rather heavy, as if piles of metal were kept in it.

"What's this supposed to be?"

"Early payment. over 10,000 Jewels. All crammed into that one bag" The woman explained "He said he'll pay triple if you do one more delivery".

"Hmm..." Midas openned the bag. It was true, while he couldn't count how much was in there, it did seem like an awful lot of money. "...What does he want this time? Another rare species?".

"Surprisingly enough, no. He wants a woman"

"Oh god..." His tone had a "not this shit" vibe to it.

"Her name is Lamia. He said she's...important."

"In what aspect?"

"Fuck should I know? I'm the messenger and cook. Which reminds me, it's your turn to clean the dishes" The woman sounded irritated, even more so than before, as Midas' carefree face and smile returned.

"My, my, are you still mad that I turned you into...a non-Human?" It sounded more like a taunt, rather than a question, coming from Midas.

The woman growled, sounding like an actual animal "Just get this shit done, and get back! Everyone's waiting for you, King Wolf! Mostly the fuckin' dishes you forgot for almost a goddamn year!" The woman said, grabbing the bag of money from Midas, as the shadow on the wall vanished, leaving Midas behind.

"...Yeah, totally on her period." Midas said to himself, sighing "Oh, how I love that woman. I'd marry her if she didn't hate me so much~ And if my feelings were genuine" Midas' shifting between serious and out of this world, happy-go-lucky was fascinating. "But...I should atleast get this done. Georgie boy won't take too kindly to me keeping him waiting" Midas said, continuing to walk, as he hummed a tune on his way.

Meanwhile, in the area of the explosion that erupted from the clash between Hyperion and Mozou, Noma laid on the floor, his lower body crushed under rubble. Noma openned his eyes, looking around "My...Urk..! What...?" Noma's vision was blurry, and he couldn't concentrate. He was in too much pain.

"I...must get up...Lily awaits me...!" Blood spilled from Noma's mouth, trying to push himself out of the rubble, but failed to do so. "Urgh...! My legs...! I can...feel them being crushed...!!! This is...too much for me to bear!" Noma coughed blood. He lied on the floor, as his vision got worse. By this point, everything was blurry and unclear.

He felt tired.

"Awww, poor puppy"

Noma openned his eyes upon hearing this new voice. Looking up, he saw Midas crouching towards him.

"You must be in pain, being under all those rocks" Midas said, standing up and with extreme ease, tossing the rocks crushing Noma's legs away, and picking up Noma.

"What is...this man...? I couldn't smell or ear him coming...and he moved those boulders with such ease..." Noma took a better...sniff, getting to smell Midas' scent "This scent...it isn't the scent of a human...it's..."

"The scent of a wolf" Midas grinned widely at Noma, bearing his teeth, which appeared more like fangs.

"How did he...?!"

"Relax. No need to fret. I won't hurt you. Quite the contary infact. I will help you" Midas said to Noma "All you have to do, is accept me as the...pack leader. Basically, one day, I will can for your assistance, and you will have to obey, otherwise, I can end you...just like that. Without even touching you."

"Grr...!!! Why should I trust you?! How can I know...that this isn't a trick?!"

"You'll die either way. If I leave you here, what will you do? Crawl until the last drop of blood? Wait for an angel to come and save you? Don't make me laugh" Midas' tone became mocking towards Noma, putting him back on the floor "But, if you don't trust, then there's no point in continuing this talk, now is there?".

"Urk...!...Fine! Do it what you want! But first, I get to save my master, then give your order, deal?!" Noma exclaimed, clearly displeased with the man, but had very little choice.

"Heh~ Good choice" Midas grinned widely, revealing his fangs as he walked towards Noma.

The shrieks of Noma in pain echoed through the halls of the building, only for few to actually hear it. But the very sound was very chilling.

Scarred For Life
Aph sat on a chair, next to an unconscious Amon on the bed, tied by chains and Magic sealing stones to it, as she read a book titled "How To Control Others For Dummies". She appeared quite into it.

"Urgh..." Amon grunted, openning his eyes, and looking around "Why is it so breezy...?" Amon asked, not noticing he wasn't hearing his shirt or bandages on his face.

"You're only wearing pants, dear" Aph casually replied, scrolling through the pages of her book.

"Who...are you...?" Even though Amon has met Aph, he was blind at the time, and seeing her face was completely new.

"Oh, it's me, Aphrodite Cytherea~ Remember?"

"Oh....Aph...Yeah, I recognize the voice..." Amon tried to get up, but was immediately stopped by the chains holding him to the bed "...Why am I tied to a bed?".

"Ah, Lamia didn't want you to leave. So, I took the liberty of using Magic sealing stones and chains to keep you at bay~" Aph cheerfully replied, smiling at Amon. Seeing how cheerful and smiley she was somewhat making Amon feel uneasy.

"Where...Where did you even get them?" Amon asked Aph.

"Uhh..." Aph pressed her finger against her lip, deep in thought "...How did I get these things?" It was clear that Aph wasn't too bright. Then again, it doesn't appear that she's trying to be. "Eh, no matter. Just as long as you don't leave~ You don't want those scars to re-open after all".

"Scars...?" Amon tried to look down, seeing his stomach had a nasty scar, crossing his belly from the top left down to the right, and stitched closed, while also noticing the other large scar going from his right shoulder down to his abdomen, and crossing with the edge of the scar on his stomach "...I'd lie if I said this wasn't the worst that's ever happened to me...but this isn't the worst that's ever happened to me" Amon wasn't very good with the whole sarcastic thing.

"Oh, you. But either way, now that you're awake, let's read a book together, shall we?" Aph cheerfully proposed to Amon, who was more focused on how to release himself from the chains.

"I can probably break these chains with my strength. This right arm should help" Amon though out loud, as Aph closed the book, the loud sound of it closing catching Amon's attention, as Aph glared at him with a solemn expression that completely erased the cheerful image from before.

"I can't let you do that, Amon. Lamia told me, you mustn't, at any cost, go and save Lily. Because just one more hit, one more gush of blood, and the only place you'll sleeping in next is six feet inside the earth. While everyone you know and love wheep. Do you really want that?" Aph was surprisingly stern in her words, as she stood up "Lamia is the last friend I made out of my own decision. She is a person I love dearly. And I refuse to let anyone, even people she considers her friends, make her cry or hurt her" Aph grabbed the hilt of her sword, and stabbed the groud next to the bed.

"...Are you saying you'll stop me at any cost...?" Amon asked Aph, actually shaken by this sudden shift in personality.

"Yes. I will break your legs, and your arms if I have to. Lamia will just fix them back again." Aph was already making the entire room feel tense. The other patients could feel the bloodlust in Aph, that she wasn't lying "You will not make her cry, even if it means saving your own daughter. Lamia will take care of it."

"...So, it's best to let her die?" Amon replied, glaring at Aph "You're not so sure yourself Lamia is unkillable, right? Even with her barriers, there's a limit to what she can block. They will break, she will be vulnerable, and she will get hurt, or worse, die".

"She has Hera to protect he-..."

"I have no idea who that is! So how can I trust that this Hera will keep my best friend safe?!" Amon snapped at Aph, breaking some of the chains by accident, causing Aph to quickly increase the gravity around Amon, making him incapable of moving as the gravity pushed him down.

"Grr...!!!".

"Don't move. Otherwise, it'll hurt more." Aph said, as she grabbed Amon by his head, making him look her in the eyes "How much do you really care for her?"

"...Who?"

"Lamia and Lily. What makes them so important to you? From what I know, you've been a father for only a few months at best, no?" Aph questioned Amon, gripping her sword in her hand.

"I already said, Lamia is my best friend. I've known her for years, and I won't let anything happen to her. I failed to do that once, with Lily as well." Amon replied to Aph.

"And Lily? Why care for a girl who isn't even truly your daughter? Not by blood atleast. Considering you are neither married to Lamia, and Lamia is infertile" Aph continued to question Amon, irritating him even more.

"What does it matter that she's not a...natural born child, huh? She considers me her father, and I intend on filling that role" Amon replied.

"Why? What's the driving force behind it?"

"...Before, I just thought being a father would be...nice. Coming home, knowing someone who loves and considers you important to them is waiting. I cannot...just throw that kind of life away. A family, that is" Amon sounded much more calm saying that.

"But what do you mean, before?"

"After, I...remebered everything. I want to do the same thing my mother did, and finish the job. She raised me, taught me what I needed to survive. Even if our meeting was...shaky, she took me in. And taught me...many things that I won't forget again. For example, she once told me, Ira, if there is ever a pretty girl holding a knife to your neck, and demanding that you give her everything you own, don't be afraid to smack a bitch" Amon said with confidence in his words "I intend on protecting both Lamia and Lily. I've lost my happiness once, my mother, my first friend, but I won't lose it twice. No matter how selfish it might sound of me"

"Is that so? How far will you go to protect both of them then? Say you had to choose between saving either Lamia, or a stranger you don't know. A father of a family. three kids, a wife who can't support the family by herself, and a sick mother. Who would you choose to save?"

"Lamia" Amon answered immediately, without even taking a moment to think over it.

"Oho? You'd be willing to let an innocent man, and a father such as yourself, die, and most likely cause his entire family's life to be ruined?"

"The hell do I care about a stranger?" Amon's words were bitter and cold towards Aph, showing his detest to Aph questioning him "The world threw enough shit at me while I grew up. I don't need to protect, or give a damn about the same people who threw me into a cage, and tried to sell me off as some kind of toy, some kind of accessory for people to enjoy. Infact, I wouldn't even bat an eye, none at all. I'd let the man drown in a sea, burn alive, get mauled by wild animals! Because I don't give a fuck about this world!"

"Are you sure?"

"I'm going against the fuckin' Magic Council right now! The ruling body of this world! Do you think anything else will be any different?!" A silent crossed the room. The patients and the nurse, who have heard everything, were shocked, and quickly came to the realization.

"Wait, against the Council? Does...this mean...?" The nurse asked, realizing who these people are.

"...." Aph sighed, releasing her grip on Amon's head "You really are selfish...but...Lamia was correct. If she were here, she wouldn't be able to stop you" Aph said, as her cheerful smile returned. Raising her sword up, and swinging it down, she cut the chains and freed Amon "Put on your clothes and let's go. I'd assume she's not that far"

"...." Amon looked at Aph for a moment, comprehending the sudden shift from cheerful, to serious, then again to cheerful in almost an instant, but how she changed her mind "Thanks...I suppose" Amon got up, grabbing a random white shirt and his black jacket and wearing them both on, while also taking bandages that were lying on the table and wrapping them around his face.

"Why do you even do that?" Aph asked Amon, as he tied the bandaged onto his face.

"Do what?" He was oblivious to how odd it seemed.

"The bandages...why do you always put them on...?"

"Ah...I...am not sure...a childhood habit, I guess" Amon replied "But enough about that. Let's go" Amon said, walking towards the door as Aph followed, only for the nurse to stand in his way, blocking the door.

"Wait! I can't let you leave! You two are the intruders who have been killing and injuring soldiers! I can't simply let you leave!" The nurse said, appearing enraged towards Amon.

Amon blankly stared at the woman, looking at her, he rubbed his forehead in aggravation "Ugh...I don't need to deal with this shit right now" Amon turned to Aph, extending his hand to her "Hold my hand"

"Eh?" Aph blushed at this proposal. Usually, a man asking a woman to hold his hand would be an invite to a dance or a date, or something of the kind "Why Amon, you're so straightforward~" She was completely imagining things the way she wanted them to be.

"....What?" And he was simply oblivious to a maiden's heart. "Just grab my hand, I'll teleport us out of here".

"Oh..." Aph sounded somewhat dissapointed after that brief explanation, but grabbed his hand anyway.

"No, wait! Don't you da-...!" Before she could finish, Amon and Aph teleported out of the room. The nurse quickly openned the door, rushing outside. Looking around she didn't see them at all. "Ugh! They got away!" The nurse clutched her hands, appearing absolutely livid "The bastards...Even though they looked so nice...and she...she actually looked worried...and they turn out to be the fuckin' intruders of all people..." She was full of disgust for even allowing these people into the infirmary, she could just vomit from the thought alone "I'll have to leave it to the rest then..." The nurse said, going back into the infirmary and closing the door behind her.