Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Flux is the son of the retired S-Class hunter, Elanuelo. The baby brother of Aculon Guild’s leader, Ender. The cherished half brother of Infernus Guild’s founder, Cynikka. His grandfather, Solev, was one of the first S-Classes to awaken in the world.

Needless to say, Flux was born with the ultimate silver spoon known to man. He’s well-connected, pampered, and on his way to living an easy life doing god knows what, enjoying whatever luxuries his family accumulated over the years. It’s hard not to take it easy when you’re born so privileged, but even more so, when he’s already Pandora’s sweetheart.

“There’s the golden boy,” Ender’s sharp grin cuts through his thoughts. The older is leaning on an expensive car—the brand, Flux didn’t bother to learn—and over his shoulder, he spots Cynikka settled in the passenger seat. “Ready to get yourself assessed?”

There’s a long suffering sigh that escapes his lips, turning to lock the gate of his villa, “Why do we even have to do this? Oof—”

Ender wraps an arm around his head (screw him and the tall genes he inherited from Crow), dragging him towards the car, “Sorry, lil bro. Rules are rules.”

“I don’t remember you being such a stickler…” He grumbles, shuffling into the backseat.

Cynikka laughs at that, closing her phone. “You only get the right to be a rulebreaker when you’re an S-Class.”

“We all know I’m not going to be one,” Flux huffs, crossing his arms. “It was a given with you and Ender, because you’ve been strong since you were kids. I wasn’t.”

“Yeah,” Ender hums, punching in their destination on the GPS. “But not all S-Classes are combatants. Cheer up, lil guy.”

“I am not little.” He grits out.

“Awww, but our Flux is still a baby!” His sister mock-squeals, reaching back to ruffle his hair. “Pandora’s baby, even! It doesn’t matter whether or not you’re an S-Class in people’s eyes.”

He glares at her, swatting her hands away. She knows he hates it when his hair is out of order. Still, his heart warms at the thought that she’s doing so in order to cheer him up. Take his mind off of the looming assessment. He scoffs, “I’m not Pandora’s baby.”

“Pandora’s princess, then,” Ender snickers, leaning over Cynikka to fasten her seatbelt. She has a bad habit of not wanting to wear it.

“Princess?” Flux makes a face.

“Yup,” Cynikka nods, popping the ‘p.’ She unfastens the seatbelt, much to Ender’s chagrin. “Pandora already has its prince, and it’s not Ender~”

“I don’t want to be Pandora’s prince.” He rolls his eyes, finally taking the car to the road. “Aculon’s prince sounds much better.”

“I sense bitterness.” She snickers, and Ender steps on the gas, if only to shut her up.

The cityscape blurs with the speed, and Flux ends up tuning out their bickering. Cynikka’s always been weak to fast travel while Ender thrives on it, considering his skills. She’s arguing over Ender being a reckless driver, now. He opts to watch the peace of Pandora instead of commenting.

He glances at the status window that’s been greeting him since two weeks ago, indicating his condition as an Awakened.

He hopes that his class won’t generate too much trouble for him. He doesn’t have any aspirations as a Hunter.

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A few generations ago, Gates started opening up in the world. These gates lead to dungeons, and if a dungeon isn’t cleared on time, then it would lead to dungeon breaks.

Of course, back then, this wasn’t common knowledge. People weren’t aware of the fact that the seemingly innocuous distortions would lead to monsters wreaking havoc if left untouched. The first dungeon break led to insurmountable levels of widespread destruction, and the chaos that came from seeing monsters first-hand led to a lot of deaths.

However, this is where Awakeneds and, more importantly, the System came in. The System chose people to awaken (thus their name) their full potential, leading to Skills and powers that were previously seen in just story books.

The first generation of Awakeneds were immediately recruited into being Hunters. It was a given, because they needed numbers to subdue the monsters that were overflowing from the Gates. However, within Awakeneds, there was a division between the strong and the strongest.

Among them was Solev, Aculon’s first ever S-Class hunter.

It took them a few years, but when the first generation of Hunters finally managed to clear the monster waves, they established Pandora and Yggdrasil.

Pandora became the home to civilians and lower classed Awakeneds, as well as serves as the hub for information, networking, and normal life. Yggdrasil, on the other hand, took up space in the remnants of the battles, lands scorched and barren. It became the center for higher classed Awakeneds, researchers, and top guilds. It’s also where the black market for Hunters and underground Guilds took up residence.

In the background, the Aculon Guild also took hands with the government in order to establish the Awakeneds Management and Mitigation Association, shortened to AMMA. It’s a branch of the government that handles all Awakeneds within Pandora and Yggdrasil, keeping track of all of their skills, classes, and offenses.

AMMA also deals with helping an Awakened “level up.”

A core aspect of being an Awakened is the fact that the System will simply tell you that you are one. You’d have to go out and fight monsters in order to unlock more information. Back during the first generation, this wasn’t a problem, because monsters were everywhere.

Now, though, when Gates are heavily monitored and classified into risk levels—some owned by AMMA and majority by private guilds—it’s virtually impossible to unlock your information organically.

This is why assessments are important.

Whether or not you are signing up to become a Hunter, you are legally obligated to undergo assessment in order to know the extent of your power. There’s been one too many incidents between an un-assessed Awakened and a civilian accidentally clashing heads and leading to unprecedented chaos.

And… That’s what Flux is doing today.

He sighs, looking up at the sleek building of AMMA’s assessment center from their position in the car. He can’t help but feel disgust. “You’re sure they aren’t here?”

Cynikka turns her head, looking at him in the backseat, “You seriously think we’d choose a center where the geezers could be?”

“I’d sooner keel over and die.” Ender deadpans. He forgets, sometimes, that their hate for both Solev and Elanuelo is a consensus.

He glances at the center and realizes it’s one of the smaller ones. There’s no way those power hungry men would be slinking around here.

He nods. “Well. Let’s get this over with.”

“Don’t worry so much.” Ender turns off the engine, looking at Flux through the rearview mirror. “You don’t have to be an S-Class. Actually, I’d even prefer it if you were an F-Class— Yeouch!”

“Why would you say that?!” Cynikka hisses.

“I was trying to be reassuring—!”

“That’s not very reassuring!”

“Are— Are you mocking me?”

“Am— Am I mocking you?”

“Oh, shut up!”

Flux can’t help the fond huff that escapes his lips, deciding to butt in before they end up destroying the car again. Their tousles are precisely why he doesn’t bother remembering the car brands anymore.

“Alright, you two, pack it up,” He rolls his eyes. “I get it, you don’t mind what I’d be. Let’s just go.”

“Hmph,” Ender huffs, opening the door. The deafening amount of shutters that action generates makes him flinch.

“Look at him go,” Cynikka whistles. Sure enough, Ender’s slipped into his public persona, aloof and serious.

“He looks like Crow,” Flux murmurs before he can stop himself. Ender glares at him through the tinted windows. “Jeez. Do you S-Class just hear everything?”

Cynikka shrugs, “It’s part of the requirement as a combatant Hunter, more than anything. I know some pretty oblivious S-Class supports.”

“Sucks to be you, then.”

“Yeah, yeah. Time to head out, baby bro.”

As she says that, Cynikka steps out and the air around her changes. The carefree attitude morphs into a serious, commanding one. He can’t help but mimic, “Look at her go.”

She glares at him through the tinted windows too.

Flux allows himself a chuckle before stepping out of the car, nodding at the gathered reporters. He steps in between Ender and Cynikka, before they head off into the safety of the center. Reporters aren’t allowed beyond the parking lot, after all.

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“Now, if you could just lay down over here,” The worker at AMMA instructs Flux, guiding him to a pod. He’d changed into a hospital gown of sorts. “This will help you assess your class by simulating a fight sequence in your brain. It won’t hurt, don’t worry.”

As he lays down, they place wires on his head and attach other instruments to monitor his vitals. Finally, they cover his mouth with an oxygen mask, and instruct him to inhale slowly.

The last thing he hears is the monitor beeping languidly, his siblings watching through the observation room, before he fades into sleep.

There’s a strange moment where he thinks the equipment won’t work. It’s just this endless expanse of nothingness, where he’s neither existent nor nonexistent. Neither is or isn’t—before he’s thrown into the throes of heat and fire.

Simulating a fight sequence, the researcher had expressed.

He wonders what fight sequence entails his siblings dying, Pandora burning and being razed to the ground, and countless dungeon breaks occurring simultaneously. He’s almost dazed, as everything he has come to take for granted is swiped from him before he can truly appreciate it.

And then, he’s swept off of his feet, as he sees an ability he’d seen countless times before. In photographs, videos, and even on billboards around Pandora. It’s a skill that’s widely loved and openly gawked at. And here, under it, he understands why.

Angelic wings engulfing the red sky, its owner looking down at everyone—whether in dominion or subordination, Flux is unsure—and him locking eyes with a liquid gold gaze.

Is he here to save everyone, or lead them hurdling faster to their doom…?

Beep beep beep beep.

“Mister Fluixon—” He hears the worker’s voice before he can recognize his siblings wrestling their way beside him.

“Flux! What the hell happened?! Are you okay?!” Cynikka’s by his side first, aggressively tugging the wires off of his body.

Ender’s staring the AMMA worker down, and his long limbs don’t help in easing his imposing aura. “Did you check the equipment before using it? These look defective.”

The worker is stammering out a response, and both his siblings are fuming. Still, Flux is more concerned with the system message that’s staring right at him. “You’re fucking kidding me.”

“Flux? Don’t worry, we’ll deal with—” Cynikka pipes up, brows furrowed. Then, she yelps, “Are you crying?!”

“Stop screaming!” He groans, falling back into the pod. “This is just outrageous…”

What even are these titles and skills? …Does this mean that the thing he saw earlier…?

“Hey, you,” He sighs, rubbing at his temple. He’s looking at the AMMA worker. “How do these things usually go?”

“Um… Well—” The worker stammers, pushing her glasses up higher on her nose. “Usually, the fight sequence would last for five minutes, and then you’ll wake up. Your brain waves would have been assessed by the machine, and we’ll see what skills you used and deduce what your class is from there…”

“And what’s the verdict?” Flux sits up, crossing his arms. His siblings have quieted down, but they’re still hovering, clearly worried.

“We can only assess your class, Sir.” She offers up the tablet she’s holding, and sure enough, none of his skills are displayed. Only a bright yellow S, followed by a sequence of errors. “I apologize, but this situation is an anomaly. I’m unsure if the fault lies in the equipment or…”

She pauses, gazing at Flux expectantly. She catches on fast. He glances sideways at his skill window.

Still, he doesn’t see any reason in letting AMMA be privy to his cards. If he can withhold information, then he will do so for as long as he can, and for as much as he can. He’s not naive enough to think that the government would be any sort of ally.

“Or, what?” He raises his brow, poised in the way Crow does. If there’s one thing to learn from his father, it would be his way of silently challenging authority without confrontation.

“Are you suggesting that my brother somehow has something to do with your malfunctioning equipment?” Ender butts in, and wow. He sounds pissed.

“No! No, sir… Simply covering all of my bases, here…” Comes the worker’s immediate response.

It takes a few more minutes of fumbling before they agree to simply let Flux dictate the skills he’d unlocked, with the promise of a reassessment in the future. Of course, he’ll take action before that ever comes into fruition. Not that the worker can do anything anyways. She’s facing up against three S-Classes here.

“Healing, buffing, and crowd control.” He summarizes. It’s not exactly lying, per se.

The worker hums, noting down the skills, “Three skills are the standard for assessments. Can I have the name of those skills?”

Really? He didn’t know. He looks at his Awakened window and realizes just how much of an anomaly he truly is.

And did these skill names have to be so on the nose? There’s little to no subtlety at all, save for maybe fighting spirit. It’s almost like the universe wants him to reveal his abilities to the world.

Like hell that’ll happen.

“Fighting Spirit for healing, Marking Eye for buffing, and Leading Voice for crowd control.” He lies smoothly, and watches the worker jot it down.

“Alright, and any special titles?”

He raises a brow, looking at his siblings. They shrug, and he wonders if he should offer up any of his titles. A glance at all of them tells him he should just give it up.

“No,” He shakes his head.

“Huh, none at all?” She pushes her glasses up, seeming almost suspicious.

Still, he doubles down, “None at all.”

“...Alright. That’ll be it for the assessment. Please take complementary mana and recovery potions on your way out. Your clothes are in the locker room.” He sighs, standing up. He’s almost frustrated—not only is he an S-Class, he also just had to be a clairvoyant.

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“So, do you really have no titles?” Cynikka asks, after they settle in the car. He’s glad she could hold her curiosity back, at least enough so to not ask when they were still inside the building. Who knows which rooms were bugged or not. (Considering his family, it’s more likely all rooms were bugged.)

Flux takes a cursory glance at the two, catching Ender’s eye through the rearview mirror. He sighs, “Is it really that weird?”

“Yes.” The two of them answer in unison, and he can tell that they’ve already concluded he’s lying.

“The system gives S-Classes at least one special title during assessment.” His sister’s brow furrows, turning to point at Ender, “He got Faster Than Light and Owner of Frostfire Flames from the get-go. I got Infernal Queen. I know Pandora’s prince got three titles.”

He stares at them, and then at his Awakened window. Then, to the crowd of paparazzi surrounding the parking lot, trying to sniff out his class before they can release it to the press formally.

“Let’s get moving.” He leans back on his seat. “I’ll tell you on the road.”

“So paranoid…” Cynikka only murmurs, but she’s pushing Ender’s hand away from fastening her seatbelt.

Flux had never been one to be particularly curious about hunters, though. It’s only normal that he wasn’t completely familiar with the procedures. Among his older family members, he was closest to Crow, the only non-hunter. Where Cynikka took after Turkey’s light and fire adjacent fighting and Ender fostered the same frost and speed as Solev and Elanuelo, he always preferred to hide within Crow’s shadow. Literally and figuratively, considering the tall, sleek man had skills related to the dark.

Still, Crow was entirely uninterested in guilds and politics and hunting dungeons. He reaped the rewards of being married to a powerful man, but that was it. There was no love lost, even with Turkey in the picture, after all.

And perhaps it’s because Flux spent the most time with him while he was growing up, but he truly found no glory or pleasure in the idea of the world of hunters. They can risk their lives fighting dungeons and rule over their own mini-kingdoms called guilds, but Flux would prefer to live within Pandora, among the normal folks.

But…

Visions of fire and ash and razed buildings of his home. His siblings dying before his very eyes. Every dungeon in Pandora breaking at the same time, a devastating recreation of the first generation of Hunters. Large, white wings and a figure he is unsure of whether friend or foe…

He pinches his nose, looking at the road before him. The world looks unassuming, normal. Nothing like what he’d seen earlier.

“Pandora’s Only Augur.” He murmurs.

Ender catches his eye in the rearview mirror, “Augur, as in…?”

“As in prophet.” He averts his gaze, turning to look at the system window once again. “Secret Bearer, The Witness to the End, One Whose Strings Are Unbound By Fate, The Last Wall of Humanity—”

“Wait, wait, wait.” Cynikka yelps, full body turning in her seat to gape at Flux, “The Witness to the End?”

“...Instead of a fight sequence, I saw how the world would end.” He admits, looking out the window. “I have a skill that prevents anybody, skill or equipment or otherwise, from looking into any information about me. That’s why AMMA couldn’t assess me.”

“And the skills you told the worker about earlier?” Ender prods. He sounds calm, but his grip on the steering wheel is taut.

“Not exactly lies, but not really truths either.” He shrugs. He thinks he’s offered enough answers to satiate his family’s curiosity for now.

The car is quiet save for the engine and occasional road bumps, but it’s obvious the two are soaking in the information that Flux had just given them. And Flux, himself, is still reeling.

After all, you’re supposed to unlock skills and titles little by little. Only through frequent fighting and use do you slowly pry away the skill gap between you and experienced hunters. It’s why dungeons are so prized, and why AMMA has entire centers dedicated to making leveling up accessible.

You acquire skills and titles as you go. That’s how it’s always been, and how it should be. But here Flux is—an outlier, an anomaly. A large one, at that. With skills never seen before and titles that offer no glory or comfort.

He’s glad to have Drawn Curtains. This is a small mercy, in its own right. God knows what would happen if his abilities were revealed to the public or, worse, to AMMA.

Still, Cynikka somehow finds it in herself to make a joke, “...Pandora’s princess beat out the prince here though, right? He only had three titles, and our Flux has— oof!”

A swift kick to the back of the passenger seat has her shutting up well enough.

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Hunter Gossip

TITLE UN-HOLDER! Pandora’s Sweetheart Is The Only S-Class Without A Title?!

Awakeneds Management and Mitigation Association’s Director, Solev Aculon, refrains from giving a statement!

MKC News

THE FALL FROM PANDORA: Saparata de Theria Comments on Recent S-Class News!

“Everyone has their own secrets to keep,” says the feathered S-Class!

Pandora Digest

PANDORA LEFT HANGING

Fluixon Aculon continues to refuse interviews, could this mean something grim for the future of S-Classes?

News7

The Visionary and the Blindfold: All About Luminara’s Recent Recruitment

Luminara, an A-Rank guild placing within the top 100 guilds in Pandora, welcomes new S-Class Hunter Fluixon Aculon.

Hunter Gossip

SERPENTINE BLOODLINE: WHISPERS ABOUT FOUL PLAY

Everyone knows that the Association is managed by a certain family, so who is to say that strings weren’t pulled?

Pandora Digest

THERIA CLEARS S-CLASS DUNGEON WITH EASE

Pandora’s top guild, Theria, entered Rjur’s Lair, an aquatic based dungeon, earlier in 13:02 and successfully exited by 15:21!

Zaggler

“WE ARE THE BRIDGE FOR HUNTERS AND NON-HUNTERS”: Luminara Strikes Back!

Guildmaster 3BelowZero is disappointed at the recent rumors, and is seeking to clear up misunderstandings about A-Rank Guild Luminara!

MKC News

BIRD’S EYE VIEW: Saparata de Theria Appeals to the Public

“We need to be more forgiving towards hunters,” concludes the top ranked S-Class!

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Frustrated, Flux groans and aggressively closes the tab. Stupid press—they don’t know anything!

“He’s so annoying!” He growls out, fists clenched, to no one in particular.

Thomas deadpans from the other side of the room, “Reading articles again?”

“We told you to lay off on it,” Gotoga adds as he enters, three cups of coffee floating around him. They’re swiftly served to the other two with a wave of his finger. “They’re still busy tearing you to shreds. Give it, like, a week. They’ll come back around to praising your beauty and annoying attitude.”

“I don’t care about what they think of me!” Flux grits out, taking a swig of the coffee. “It’s that pretentious prince of Pandora that’s pissing me off.”

“Homoerotic.” Thomas whispers under his breath, and he throws a paperweight at the brunette.

“Ease up, tiger!” Micro appears out of nowhere, catching the thing before it can hit his boyfriend square on the forehead.

“Micro!” Gotoga sounds happy, as he greets the S-Class scout.

“Micro.” Flux, on the other hand, is much more hostile. “What the hell are you doing here? This is Luminara’s building. Not Theria!”

“Visiting my hubby, of course!” The white haired man chirps, pulling a bouquet of roses from thin air. The way he holds it pains Flux to see.

“Have you ever held flowers ever?” He asks, if only to be annoying.

“Nope!” Thomas laughs, answering for the man. He sounds way too delighted to see the brother of his enemy. Especially considering he’s holding the bouquet like one would hold a Santo Niño. “Come here, you.”

“Eeeyuck.” Gotoga slaps a hand over his eyes, turning around as the two share a kiss. “Get a room.”

“They are in a room.” Flux hisses, grabbing another paperweight to throw, “It just so happens to be mine!”

“Alright, alright,” Micro pulls away from the brunette, torso morphing into thin air to dodge the makeshift missile. “I am well aware that I am not welcomed here! Alas!”

“A dramatic way to put it.” He growls, bristling. “You’re trespassing on guild property! Don’t you two know how to use phones?”

“Wow, your panties are in a twist!” The Theria brother hums, floating to lounge on the air. “...Well, more than usual! What’d my genius twin do, this time?”

“Nothing,” Thomas and Gotoga answer, the same time Flux breathes, “Everything!”

“As I was saying,” Thomas raises a brow at Flux’s response, “Flux’s hate-watching of your brother has become intensely queer coded.”

“Trust me,” Micro deflates, stealing his boyfriend’s cup of coffee. “It’s a two way street.”

“Why’re you so obsessed with him, anyway?” Gotoga waves his hands, pulling his chair to where he’s standing. “I don’t think I ever saw you guys really talk.”

“Because we haven’t.” He drags a hand down his face. Since when has Luminara’s Vice Guildmaster Office become a hangout room? “And I’m not obsessed with him.”

“Could’ve fooled me.” Thomas snarks, having secured his boyfriend on his lap. They’re happily sharing their coffee, and it disgusts Flux to no end.

But to be completely honest, Flux had interacted with Saparata de Theria. In his visions, that is.

In the days following his assessment, he’d been wracked with a number of visions. It’s in most parts the reason behind him avoiding the press—whenever Clarivoyant Eye activated, Flux would ragdoll until the vision came to pass. He couldn’t risk being out in the open when it did so.

He doesn’t understand, truly, the full extent of his own skill. A week ago, it had been activating left and right. And in every vision, the way the world ends is slightly altered. Not quite enough for him to say that the future is fickle, but enough so that he’s sure there are other people at play. After all…

This has to mean there are other people who know the world is ending, right? And if his suspicions are correct, then…

Saparata first appeared to him during the assessment, with his signature angelic wings and imposing figure, floating above the destruction of humanity. It was unclear to him what the man was truly doing—whether he was fighting against the threat, or fighting as the threat. And then, on the car ride back home, Flux had another vision.

That time, it was of himself, face to face with the white haired man. Everything is hazy, and he’s unsure if this is an effect of the skill itself, or because of the smoke that fogged their surroundings. But he knew hostility when faced with it, having lived within a house that fosters it.

“The Vice Guildmaster of Aculon, huh?” The normally kind looking man looked at Flux with contempt. It was enough to make him stagger in surprise, however slightly, “You’re as rotten as ever. How do you sleep at night, knowing your brother died because of you?”

He doesn’t like thinking about that particular vision. It’s disconcerting, to say the least. Still, waking to the sight of his brother and sister fighting over who’ll carry Flux inside his apartment was enough to solidify his decision. To join Luminara and avoid both Aculon and Infernus, that is.

The next few episodes of the skill were various renditions of the same confrontation. Saparata and him, surroundings foggy and familiar but unfamiliar at the same time, with contempt in those yellow eyes. His accusations ranged from ‘Coveting the Luminara guild, huh?’ to ‘Hiding corruption in AMMA, huh?’

He’s been working overtime to go against every thrown argument in his face, and they’re now at a stalemate. Which, of course, is to say that he’s hesitating to act against vision-Saparata’s expectations.

It was easy enough to give up the idea of joining both Aculon or Infernus. After all, they’re top guilds in their own right. Being a hunter there would mean that Flux will have to work double time, raiding dungeons and trying to mitigate the end of the world. And while he did disagree with 3Below’s personal philosophies, it was easy to nip his idea of taking over Luminara in the bud. AMMA’s corruption, too, is already an open secret. It didn’t take much to push the press in the right direction.

Anyway, point being—vision-Saparata’s challenges against Flux weren’t hard to thwart, because he can understand where the other man was coming from. But…

He recently got a vision where one of the dungeons in Yggdrasil breaks, and it released the first SSS-class monster that the world has ever seen. It caused destruction not only in Yggdrasil, but also the frontier parts of Pandora, because residents had led the monster to the city in a panic.

Vision-Saparata’s most recent accusation was ‘Closing the gate on Yggdrasil, huh?’

And the thing is, there’s no other solution that Flux can think of! Besides, why is that even considered a bad thing? Yggdrasil has all the S-Class guilds, and there are lots of hunters, both registered and unregistered, that can hold off the threat. The same can’t be said for Pandora.

Heck, it’s named Pandora for a reason. It’s supposed to be a safe haven for non-Awakeneds, and Awakeneds who aren’t hunters. What’s so wrong about them cutting off the world of the hunters, if only for a short while? It’s a win-win! And besides, Flux is positive that Yggdrasil will manage just fine—they just need to get over their panic, and they’ll be able to work together to take the monster down. The anarchy there suggests more than enough evidence of their strength, anyways.

He wishes he could just go and shake Saparata by the shoulders and yell, what the hell do you want me to do, then?! However, it’s not exactly socially acceptable to greet someone you’re meeting for the first time in such an aggressive manner.

It’s one of the hardest parts of this whole only augur schtick, besides the obvious, looming elephant of total annihilation. The fact that he knows Saparata, but doesn’t really know him. So frustrating!

He lets his face fall down on his wooden table, forehead making an empty thunk, as he groans, “I want to smother him.”

He feels the three’s collective stares burn a hole into the back of his head, and he wonders if they even heard him. None of them are combatant hunters, but surely his voice wasn’t muffled badly enough that they didn’t understand, right?

He looks up.

Thomas looks deadpan, while Micro and Gotoga were much too amused for comfort.

He’s about to ask what the matter was, but Gotoga beats him to it, “Like with a kiss?”

Flux throws another paperweight.

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He remembers when he was younger and Ender first awakened, the house was embellished with furs and cushions. They’d bought special gloves, and even filled everyone’s closets with special jackets. These things were special products made with or simply earned from dungeons called items. And certainly, items weren’t cheap (not to mention S-Class ones), but it’s not like they lacked the money.

Still, Flux remembers thinking about how excessive it all was. After all, not even a year later, they had to rework the house once again for Cynikka’s fire abilities. (The irony of Ender being frost-adjacent and Cynikka being flame-adjacent was not lost on him.)

Point being, Flux was always so confused about hunters letting their abilities dictate so much of their lives. Maybe minimal changes are acceptable, but regular house refurbishing? Isn’t that a bit much?

Now that he’s passing out and folding in on himself like a ragdoll left and right because of his passive ability though, he thinks he understands where they’re coming from. He can admit that he splurged a bit on self-activating-cushion items, on top of soft dungeon wool blankets. The halls of his apartment are also quickly filled with soft carpets, and there’s cushions to prevent any nasty falls. He’s had to redecorate with the thought of no sharp edges in mind three times now. He even adopted a service dog to help him! (Passing out is extremely disorienting, skill or no skill.)

Which is to say, he’s currently blinking his eyes open to Momo draped over his chest.

He’s just had a minor vision—not a very long one, but ominous all the same—of him going to Luminara and getting snatched by Micro.

The S-Class hunter belongs to the Theria guild, as the twin brother of Saparata. But he wasn’t really hostile to Luminara or even Flux, because he’s… Well, Thomas’s boyfriend. Still, the scope of his ability must be larger than he’s letting on, if he can quite literally just appear in front of Flux and grab him.

It must be more than just turning ghost like he’s always implied then, right? Or maybe he has an entirely different skill, where he can teleport?

Ugh… He doesn’t want to think about it too hard. He’s not going to the guild until next week, anyway. He’ll find a way to avoid the guy some other time.

“Momo… Hey, girl,” He murmurs, squinting. She perks up at his voice, and immediately aids him in sitting up. “Good job, girl.”

As she stands up to grab a bottle of water from a low-set shelf, he finds himself entirely relieved that Ender had convinced him to buy a service dog. She’s really helpful. And more importantly, he thinks to himself, positively adorable. This is a universal fact, he’s sure, as she settles on his lap to give him DPT.

“Good job, girl.” He repeats, stroking her head gently, in case she didn’t get the memo the first time.

‎

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‎

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“Hey,” Thomas answers on the first ring. The sun is setting, and he’s looking outside his floor to ceiling windows. The cityscape is pretty, this high up. “What’s up?”

“Is Micro with you?” Flux asks, skipping over the formalities.

“Uhhh… Why?” Which probably means he is. Those two are the stickiest people to ever grace this earth, seriously. They’re so clingy with each other.

He sighs, “Are you on speaker?”

There’s some shuffling that he can hear from the other end of the line, and then his best friend’s voice, “Not anymore.”

“Great.” He leans on the glass and enjoys the swooping feeling it gives his stomach. “Is there like… Any chance that he hates me? Dislikes me? Maybe he has a grudge, or something?”

“You cannot be serious.” The brunette deadpans. Then, he imagines he’s pinching his nose, “He’s chill with you. Maybe, like, a bit annoyed? But only because of his brother.”

Saparata… “Why? Is it because I talk shit about him?”

“That’s the understatement of the century, but no.” Thomas snorts. “I’m pretty sure the guy won’t shut up about you either.”

“What?” Flux scrunches his nose, confused. Why the hell would Saparata be talking about him?

“He’s nodding his head vigorously right now.” There’s chuckling at the other end of the line, and it sounds entirely lovesick. He feels like he’s getting toothaches from these two.

“So, no long lasting grudges? No reason to, I dunno… Kidnap me out of nowhere?” He knows he sounds ridiculous—especially when Thomas has zero idea of Flux’s skills—but he trusts his best friend to not let the conversation slip to Micro.

“Kidnap?” He sounds incredulous, as he has every right to be. “Flux, are you okay? Are you being held at gunpoint right now?”

“Ha, ha, ha.” A roll of the eyes. “Just humor me.”

The answer is a definitive, “No!”

“Okay.” He sighs. “Thanks, then.”

“You’re being weird.” Thomas responds. His tone is serious, “And I mean more than usual. Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yes, just…” He pauses, thinking it over. Only Ender and Cynikka know about his abilities, and even then, it’s only to a certain extent. Still, he trusts the other enough to admit, “Something about my skill, is all.”

“Oh.” The brunette answers, no doubt trying to piece clues together. Flux doesn’t doubt that he’ll figure things out one day.

Not today, though. So, he hangs up with a simple, “See you.”

The call, while not entirely solid proof, at least arms him with some knowledge. That whatever Micro did inside Flux’s vision, he did so not for his own goals, but for Saparata’s.

Now he just needs to— oh fuck.

He swoons, and the familiar drawl to his feet is the first telltale warning. That he’s about to pass out, that is.

The vision is of him, again. It’s right where he’s laying down right now, and— is that Micro? Oh, for fuck’s sake.

His eyes snap open, early enough to catch the wisp of the S-Class appear right in front of him. He looks sheepish as he grabs Flux, “Sorry. Couldn’t risk you running on me.”

“You’re—” kidding me, he meant to say, but all words are swallowed by an expanse of feeling weightless and nothing. It’s a weird, foreign sensation. To be one second, and then the next, just… not. If this is what Micro has to go through every time he uses his skill, he’s surprised the man hasn’t gone insane yet. This feeling… It fills him with a weird sense of existential dread. Like he’s beginning to feel himself slipping away.

And as quickly as the nothingness swallowed him, he’s spat back out, gasping. He exclaims, very eloquently, “This is insane!”

“I know, right!” Micro grins, and they’re no longer in the familiar high-rise apartment. Instead, they’re in a foreign place, doubtlessly owned by Theria. “My first title was Ghost Walker. Cool, huh?”

The other seems to be vastly misjudging what Flux meant with his words, so he sets the record straight, “I will rip you to bits so small even atoms will cower in shame if you put me through that skill one more time.”

“Oh!” The man answers pleasantly. “My bad.”

“Where are we?” He demands. His hands aren’t tied, but that just makes things more complicated. It means the other is sure he won’t be leaving.

Micro pulls at the blinds, and the sight fills Flux’s stomach with dread. “Yggdrasil!”

Sure enough, the tall tree that gave the region its name, having emerged from the first dungeons of the early era, stood looming in the distance. It’s… not an entirely unfamiliar sight. After all, he’d been here a handful of times. But that’s about it—his knowledge is nowhere near enough for him to escape safely. He’d recognize Infernus or Aculon’s base, but can’t navigate his way there.

His eyes narrow, “What does Saparata want with me?”

“Woah,” Micro sounds surprised, leaning on the wall. “Saps? Not me?”

“You have nothing to gain from me.” Flux hisses, staying put right where he is.

“Hmm, that’s true!” The man nods, tapping at his chin. His flippant attitude turns serious, however, as he eyes Flux, “But you’re in no position to be demanding anything.”

He scoffs, but doesn’t really have anything to say to that. They must know his hands are tied. So, he taunts, “Does Thomas know about this? That you’re kidnapping his best friend?”

“No,” A shrug of the shoulders. “He thinks I’m grabbing us dinner. So you can’t tell him anything, ‘kay?”

Flux glowers, annoyed that he can’t break the other guy’s pleasant attitude at all. Still, there’s nothing he can do. If he risks pissing off the dude, then he’ll be as good as dead. God knows S-Classes have higher stats than him, even if he’s also an S-Class.

Fine! If this was going to happen anyway, then he’ll just have to deal with it his way. He plops down onto the floor, and does not glare. He directs his gaze at the large tree that’s rooted in barren, ashy lands instead. Micro doesn’t chatter away like he usually does, either. He keeps his post by the window, leaning on the wall casually.

A few minutes pass like that, and it’s enough for Flux to begin questioning things. After all, why had the future suddenly changed? He was supposed to be taken next week. Is it the phone call? Did Micro have super hearing, too?

He eyes the S-Class. Cynikka said combatants have enhanced senses, so maybe Micro is lying about his role as a scout? He wouldn’t put it past Theria to do that. They’re a tight-lipped guild, elusive and secretive. It’d also explain how Micro was able to overhear their call and make the decision to kidnap Flux immediately.

But why? What’s so important that Saparata has to approach him in this way? Surely, he understands that this could very well burn three bridges. Very big, very important bridges. Four, if you count the fact that his father and grandfather are the backers of AMMA. After all, Infernus, Aculon, and Luminara will not sit on their hands if news were to get out.

So, what’s his angle?

Unfortunately, Flux doesn’t have the time to contemplate any further. After all, he swoons again, and he only heaves a sigh as Clairvoyant Eye activates once more.

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Saparata de Theria.

It’s a name that’s familiar to any resident of Pandora or Yggdrasil. As one of the youngest awakened S-Class, Flux can still remember the buzz he made when he exploded into the scene.

It started like this: an undefined Gate appeared in the heart of Pandora, within the bustling streets of Barbieland. Back then, the registration of Gates and classification of danger levels hadn’t been as adept as it is now. Nobody knew how destructive this specific dungeon could be.

Flux was there himself. He saw the magnificent distortion that folded the fabric of reality, awed as it carved itself into a fountain. Blue in hue and unassumingly peaceful, people had passed it by without much worry. After all, scout teams were often dispatched by the AMMA in order to scope out the type of dungeon and enemies that lurked within the Gates.

In the rising era of hunters and guilds, Gates were nothing much to gawk or worry at. It was simply something you passed by on the way to work or school. As long as you don’t enter, there’s nothing to worry about.

This nonchalant attitude nigh caused a catastrophic event.

Flux was around 10, then. Saparata must have been 11. But ages mean nothing when granted supernatural powers—the Aculon bloodline had proven itself vastly dangerous, despite the fact that both Cynikka and Ender had still been underaged—and in the new world that is being rebuilt from the ashes of the old one, kids who are S-Classes are as good as adults.

He stood to shield the residents of Barbieland in the face of an A-Class monster, the Lor C’oill Worm, with his magnificent angelic wings serving as a wall for the public. The sun, which had been setting, cast him in a golden light as he fought valiantly against the monster.

Saparata later stated that he had just awakened at that moment. And while skills are innate and quick to be harnessed by their owners, showing such proficiency from the get-go was still a massive feat.

It’s mainly what got people into calling him Pandora’s prince. The angelic S-Class. The hero of the masses.

And for a long while, Flux had always thought of Saparata as a pushover. He was quick to fold under AMMA’s rules, ones even he thought were outrageous, and even more quickly to bend over backwards for the general public.

It had gone on for a solid eight years. Where other S-Classes were adamant to not have their lines be crossed, it seemed that Saparata was inviting people to continue to push his boundaries. It was almost masochistic, his tendency to let other people trample all over him.

And then, at 19, people saw him falling off of a skyscraper in the outskirts of Pandora. And then the public saw neither hide nor hair of him for two solid years. And then Pandora had lost its prince.

If Flux were to think of what he felt at that time, it would be most akin to pity. Pity, because an S-Class—somebody that cannot fit within the general public—had tried so hard to fit in, to cater to, and to protect the nation.

But that was all that it was. Saparata, after all, had been a footnote in Flux’s worries. He was more concerned with entering university, and making sure Crow didn’t kill Elanuelo, and mending relations with his two older siblings.

Still, there’s a reason behind the fact that Saparata is so loved by the people. Because he always comes back, no matter how dire the circumstances are. Be it with dungeons, or with situations in real life.

Only, Flux isn’t quite sure it’s the same Saparata he’d grown up watching. He seemed more defiant. Stronger. Sturdier.

He established Theria in Yggdrasil, claiming it will become the oasis of that barren land. He created powerful allies within Tricolor and Westhelm. He heralded the change for more Gate security within the AMMA. He challenged the status quo, and advocated for better management of hunters, both high and low classes. He was always first to appear, whenever there were dungeon breaks. His response for emergencies were so quick, it almost felt as if he foresaw them.

And while on the surface, he still worked overtime for other people… it seemed different. It felt less self-sacrificial. And he had drawn lines for himself, too. Faint, but the lines are there.

This Saparata felt a hundred times more interesting to Flux. He felt much more deserving of the title prince.

And then when Flux turns 22, he awakens. And then Saparata appears inside his visions regularly, accusing him and being hostile towards him. And then Saparata appears to be at the heart of the apocalypse.

Saparata de Theria. A pity.

In another life, perhaps they could have been friends.

‎

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‎

“Agh, just do as I say!” Flux is one inch away from pulling Micro’s hair out of his scalp and turning him bald. “This is important! You can cuff me to you, for all I care!”

“I’m not into bondage!” The other squawks, and he’s baffled at the fact that that’s what he’s focusing on.

“Are you kidding me?! I just told you, that dungeon is about to break!!!” He’s been trying to convince Micro to evacuate this building for a solid 5 minutes now. After all, he’s just gotten a wonderful vision from Clairvoyant Eye where a dungeon a couple of blocks down will break, and he’s not looking to sport wounds today, thank you. Blood will clash with his purple dress shirt.

“That dungeon’s been covered by Theria,” Micro talks to him like he’s five, and it does nothing but make him even more mad. “It won’t be breaking anytime soon.”

“But it will!” He hisses. And you get stabbed through the stomach along with it, he doesn’t say. It was a brutal sight, after all.

“It won’t! Jeez.” The man ruffles his own hair, obviously frustrated. “I thought you’d just keep quiet until Saps came. This is so annoying.”

Flux has half the mind to make the future come true a solid 10 minutes earlier and just stab Micro himself. Still, he looks worriedly at the clock—6:22 right now, and the dungeon will break at 6:32. He doesn’t have much time, and he doesn’t have much to work with.

“I can see into the future.” He speaks solemnly, throwing caution into the wind. “You have to believe me.”

Micro squints at him. Then crosses his arms, “I would… But my lie detector skill won’t work on you.”

“I have a skill that blocks everyone out.” He parries, laying out his cards, “It’s to keep the future safe with me. Pandora’s Only Augur.”

The Theria twin balks, obviously surprised at the title. “Well I’ll be damned…”

“What?” He scrunches his nose.

“Saps has been looking for you,” The man pushes himself off of the wall, coming to grab Flux’s arm. “Not Flux, but the… augur thing.”

Another wave of confusion washes over him. “Why?”

“Ask him, not me,” A shrug of the shoulders. Flux stands up. “Also, seriously? You kept that title a secret? Thomas will flip out when he hears you told me about it first.”

“And Thomas will flip out when he hears that you have a lie detector skill, a teleportation skill, and that you can make people go ghost with you.” He grits out, because two can play at this game.

“...Touché. Truce?” He offers a hand, and Flux is glad.

He grasps it, and watches as a clock embeds itself into the back of Micro’s palm. “Truce.”

“What the hell is this?” The twin squints, looking the tattoo over. It’s counting down to 6:33.

“Just a safeguard. Now evacuate the building.” He answers flippantly, looking sideways at his skill.

He probably won’t die, right?

‎

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‎

6:30 PM. The people on the street are evacuating under the guise that they’re going through a surprise drill. And as he watches them leave single-file, Flux is shocked at just how many children there are in Yggdrasil.

“Why are there…” He clears his throat, trying to hide his concern. “Where are these children’s parents?”

Micro looks at him funny, “They don’t have parents. They’re either orphans looking for a job, or they’re born here.” Into poverty, the other doesn’t say. Flux understands without having it be said, though.

Closing the gate on Yggdrasil, huh?

“Oh…” He swallows. In that future, the one he saw through Clairvoyant Eye, he had cut off Pandora from helping these kids. He’d been an unknowing catalyst to the death of the needy.

“Theria’s working on it.” The white haired man watches him from the corner of his eye. “We’ve been slowly trying to relocate them to better places. Some of them are Awakeneds, so they can help out in guilds. Those who aren’t are taken in by Theria.”

“Oh.” He answers, because there’s nothing more to say. He’d been ignorant to the state of Yggdrasil, after all. He was so sure this place was overrun by unruly hunters, high class Awakeneds, and power-hungry people that he hadn’t paused to even consider the possibility of children residing here. Isn’t it only normal to assume that children belong to Pandora, and the rotten ones stay out in Yggdrasil?

He sighs, looking at Micro’s wrist watch. 6:31 PM.

“Let’s have them pick up the pace,” He instructs. “I’ll stay up here, so just… Move as much people as you can.”

The guy has the gall to squint at him, “And the truce means you won’t tell Thomas, right…?”

“Oh my god!” Flux fumes, “Yes, so get on it! We only have a minute left!”

“Aye, aye…” And then he disappears, appearing towards the end of the crowd to teleport people ten at a time.

“Jeez…” He sighs, watching him go. The scope of his ability really had been larger than he’d let on. “Thomas would kill the two of us.”

Still, he can’t find himself to feel too upset about it right now. After all, it’s useful for evacuation. He understands the importance of keeping yourself shrouded in mystery well enough. And now, there’s only a handful of people left, and the dungeon break’s happening in less than a minute.

As if on cue, he feels a gust of wind powerful enough to make him stumble blow just abovehead, as it surges right towards where Micro is helping the last few people. Did the dungeon break already?

A gaze towards the figure that paused above the S-Class has him assured, though. Against all odds, Saparata is hovering above the crowd. He squints, watching the twins having a heated conversation. Even then, the wings of the Theria Guildmaster shielded the group of people.

Flux supposes that despite the fact that his feathers have been ruffled by the white haired, yellow-eyed hunter, the sense of relief upon seeing him is instinctual. After all, he’s the hero of the masses. And at the very least, this means he won’t have to worry about what to do once the dungeon does break. They were at a disadvantage, with only two non-combatant Awakeneds around. Plus, he only has one attack skill up his sleeve, with low strength stats to boot.

Saparata can at least deal with the aftermath.

Of course, Flux should have known better than to be relieved. Just as the twins seem to come to an agreement, he sees the Gate blitz from blue to red. And as quickly as the distortion occurred, an arrow is shot blindly out into the open.

Except… It functioned as an arrow, but looked entirely like a tree trunk. Just as Flux’s vision had shown him. And if Clairvoyant Eye is correct, the target would be…

“Micro you have to move!” He bellows from where he’s standing on the roof. Really, guys, he’s not looking to sport any wounds, stomach impalement or not.

However, it was much too late. The tree trunk digs into Micro’s stomach. He winces, partly because of how painful it looks, and then—

Fuck. He should have just told Micro the entire story instead of keeping it vague. Who cares if he has clairvoyant abilities right now? He feels like he’s getting torn to shreds!

Just as the Mark of the Future had stated, the branch dissolves into violet particles. There’s no hole on Micro’s stomach, neither blood nor injury. It’s evident that he’s surprised, and even Saparata is stunned for a short moment. And then the back of his palm starts glowing a faint violet. And then Flux stumbles, coughing blood.

Fuck.

“You better get me out of here…” He manages out, keeling over. Wow, this sucks. He’s never been so much as punched before, and now he has to deal with the feeling of a hole burrowing itself into his stomach? What even made him so confident of the fact that he could handle this? He should’ve just let Micro bleed!

Damn it all.

The last thing he sees as he closes his eyes is the sight of white wings covering the sky. He recognizes the fact that he should feel intimidated by those feathered appendages, considering he’d seen it swallow the heavens in his vision—but he can’t help the relief that floods him.

At the very least, Saparata would get him out of there.

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‎

‎

Pandora Digest

PANDORA’S SWEETHEART MYSTERIOUSLY INJURED

Fluixon Aculon, fondly dubbed as Pandora’s sweetheart, was seen rushed to the Theria Guild Headquarters in the heart of Yggdrasil, bloodied and unconscious.

News7

ACULON GUILDMASTER SEEN STORMING TO THERIA HEADQUARTERS!

Ender Aculon, S-Class and current guildmaster of Aculon, has been blocked entry from the Theria Building and threatens to freeze Yggdrasil over.

Hunter Gossip

ON THE WINGS OF LOVE

The public suspects S-Classes Fluixon Aculon and Saparata de Theria are dating, are the rumours true?

MKC News

“ALL WE ASK IS INSURANCE”: Luminara Asks for Theria to Release Vice Guildmaster

It has been two days since the incident involving Fluixon Aculon, and there has still been no action on behalf of Theria!

Zaggler

THE PRESS IS PRESSED FOR NEWS

What could have happened with the mysterious incident involving Fluixon Aculon and Saparata de Theria?

Hunter Gossip

THE DUALITY OF MAN: S-Classes Hide Dark Secrets

It’s no secret that S-Classes have monstrous urges that come with their exceptional abilities, and could Saparata de Theria, resident angelic S-Class, truly be exempt from that?

Pandora Digest

“HE IS OKAY”: Infernus Guildmaster Confirms Fluixon Aculon’s State!

Today marks the fifth day since seeing Pandora’s sweetheart injured, and we have finally received news!

Hunter Gossip

LOVE IS A CLOSED DOOR: Exploring Love Between High Class Hunters

Could the injury be a result of a lover’s quarrel between two high class Awakeneds?

‎

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“May I please have my phone back?” Thomas deadpans beside him, having finished peeling apple slices into tiny rabbits.

“Okay.” Flux sighs, feeling defeated after reading through most of the public’s reactions. It’s… concerning, to say the least. He barely managed to stop Ender and Cynikka from biting his head off, and even less so Saparata’s. Now they’re being perceived as the Hot New Gay Couple? “Help me with something.”

Thomas sighs, pocketing the phone. He’s suspicious, “You’re actually asking? What do you want now?”

“We need to destroy Pandora and rebuild it someplace else.” He answers solemnly, looking at the clock. “We have, like, a minute. Let’s hurry.”

“Wow…” The brunette has the gall to sound genuinely surprised. “You’re actually sounding defeated.”

“My reputation is in tatters.” He groans, eye twitching. “And I wouldn’t even mind, if only it were my fault! But it isn’t! It’s—”

“I’m cutting you off there,” His friend raises a hand, preventing him from going on a tangent, “I don’t want to hear you ranting about my boyfriend’s brother with queer subliminals mixed in.”

Groaning again, he falls back into the soft pillows of Theria’s medical ward, “Don’t tell me you’ve decided to join the hivemind!”

“Excuse you, I was here before it was trending.” Thomas rolls his eyes, shoving a rabbit-apple into Flux’s mouth. “If anything, I’m a founding father.”

“Of what?” Micro pops in, floating above the pair. He’s already stealing an apple.

“Wow, did you hear that, Flux?” The brunette’s smile is serene, contradicting his hands as he grips the fruit knife. “It’s almost like I can hear the sound of clear betrayal whispering in my ear.”

“Thomaaas!” The white haired man whines, wrapping his arms around his shoulders. He’s pouting and playing up the pitiful act, “I already said I’m sorryyy!”

Thomas, for his part, threateningly raises the fruit knife. “One more peep and I might just turn you into a real ghost.”

“Thanks for the show,” Flux deadpans, popping another slice into his mouth. “Can we go back to more pressing matters now?”

“What, like how you’re now boyfriends with the prince of Pandora? Big deal.” His best friend shrugs off the clingy S-Class, going back to work another apple into rabbit slices.

Flux glares, “I get the feeling I’m not being treated seriously here.”

“The matter isn’t all that serious to begin with.” The other shrugs.

“I fear that I’ll have to argue with that statement,” A new voice joins the fray. He’s closing the door behind him, carrying a tray of potions. “Hello, Fluixon, Thomas. How are you both?”

Immediately, Flux bristles. After all, for all the six days he’s stayed within Theria, he didn’t catch so much as a glimpse of the other. And now is when he’s choosing to show up?

“Finally decided we were worth your time?” He snarks, crossing his arms.

Saparata’s smile twitches, but he offers the potions. “I’ve been clearing a backlog of dungeons. Here, some mana-recovery potions.”

“I’ve already recovered my mana.” Flux raises a brow, pushing the tray away. “So have my health. And my injuries. And practically everything there is to recover. Isn’t it about time you released me?”

“Hm.” The other S-Class only hums, passing the tray to his floating twin brother. He looks odd, without his skill activated and those wings hanging behind him. “Sorry, but no.”

“No?” He scrunches his nose. “You know my family’s barely holding back. You very well may make them your enemies if you keep this up.”

“They don’t have proper justification to attack Theria, do they?” Saparata tilts his head, and though his attitude is non-threatening, the meaning behind his words are anything but.

“You’re keeping me hostage.” Flux spits out.

“I’m keeping a fragile patient safe.” He looks to Thomas as the man says this, and the brunette could only shrug, eyes wide. Okay, so he isn’t insane for thinking this is weird.

“I’m no longer a patient.” He says, slowly. Why is this not clicking to Saparata?

Saparata takes his wrist into hand, as if to feel for a pulse. However, his grip is unkind, “Is that so? Maybe you’re feeling confused. You’re still a patient.”

Oh. Okay. He scoffs, “So that’s how you’re playing it?”

The two of them have a stare-off, with the white haired man still smiling. It somehow makes it all the more annoying—he must really think he’s the shit, threatening Flux like this and keeping him here even though he should have been long released by now. It’s infuriating, and he wants to wipe that smugness off of the S-Class’s face. Who does he think he is, anyway?

“Whatever.” He grits out, looking away. He settles back into the soft pillows, crossing his arms.

“I hope it’s comfortable here?” Saparata turns to look at Thomas, and if it were any other time, Flux might have laughed at his panicked expression.

“Oh, yeah, it’s great!” The brunette snaps to attention, glancing at Flux and then back to Saparata. “Uh, I just hope to get Flux’s phone? He’s been stealing mine a lot.”

The man turns to look at Flux, calculating. “Maybe soon. I’ll talk to our patient first.”

“Make sure my dog is getting fed, while you’re at it,” He tilts his head, challenging. “She doesn’t take just kibble, if you’re wondering.”

“Fine.” Saparata smiles, tight. “I guess it’s my responsibility to be your housekeeper now, too?”

“Oh, is it too much work?” He bats his lashes, eyebrows raised in faux concern. “I just thought you’d make sure my stay here was comfortable. Since I’m still a recovering patient, and all.”

“I never imagined that cleaning a patient’s home will make his stay at the ward more comfortable.” The S-Class crosses his arms, and Flux wonders if his cheeks are burning with the effort to keep smiling yet.

“I mean, knowing my house is clean and my dog is fed makes me comfortable,” It’s his turn to smile, “You wouldn’t want your patient to be in emotional distress, right?”

Saparata stares at him unblinkingly, and it takes everything in him to not laugh right in the man’s face. After all, if you’re going to piss off Flux, he’ll make sure to return the favor.

“I’ll see to it that your apartment is squeaky clean, then.” Saparata finally answers.

“Mm, but I don’t want just anyone to go there.” He sighs, placing a hand on his cheek, “I’m worried they’ll steal my stuff.”

Saparata actually scoffs, but he quickly recovers, “No worries. I’ll do it myself.”

“Really?” He stares up at the man, eyes wide in fake gratitude, “Thanks, Saparata. Now I get why you’re called the angelic S-Class.”

“You’re nice,” The man returns the favor, “I guess I shouldn’t have expected less from Pandora’s sweetheart.”

He’s positive that they’re both grating on each other’s nerves, and while he’s absolutely fuming at the man’s audacity, Flux is at least glad that they’re both pissed off. If he can’t have a moment’s peace, then neither should Saparata.

“Don’t you have better things to do?” Flux finally asks. “I mean, there’s probably work you need to catch up on. I’m sure Cynikka said she’ll have some emails waiting for you when you get back.”

The mention of Cynikka is enough to make Saparata deflate, however slightly, and it makes him feel so much joy that it’s almost inconceivable. He’ll make sure to thank his sister.

“I’ll be back later.” The man finally turns to take his leave, nodding to Thomas and Micro. “Thomas, Micro.”

“Aye, chief…” His twin brother sighs, as if responding to an order. Actually, Saparata probably sent him to watch over the two. Paranoid asshole.

Anyway, he gags when the door finally closes, not caring for the fact that the S-Class has more than enough heightened senses to hear him. “What a character.”

“What a tension, I think you mean,” Thomas grimaces. “I can’t tell if it’s romantic or hateful. Fine line, that thing separating the two.”

“It’s hateful.” Flux is quick to respond.

“Whatever it is, it’s homoerotic.” Micro adds. Of course, his comments aren’t welcomed, and he’s reminded of that fact when the brunette raises the fruit knife once again.

“I thought I said not a peep.” Thomas’s grip on the fruit knife is white-knuckled. He almost feels bad for the guy.

Still, it’s not enough for him to consider stepping in. Instead, he lets the two tussle and pick at each other—he’s long since realized questioning their posturing won’t do anything—and leans back, thinking about the recent events.

Mark of the Future activated when Micro got impaled by the tree-arrow. Thankfully, he didn’t actually get punctured, and no new hole was torn into his body. However, he had somehow been bleeding internally, and was passed out for around a day.

While he was unconscious, Saparata had swiftly cleared out the monsters spilling over the Gate, before carrying Flux into the Theria guild headquarters. He doesn’t have much information beyond this—only that his injuries were easily managed by potions and items. He woke up the next day in the medical ward.

Initially, he’d been compliant to the claims of the doctors who told him he had to stay to recover mana. Ultimately, it’s the only stat that you can’t visibly see in the system window. You never knew without equipment if you were running on low mana, so it didn’t hurt to play it safe. However, two days passed without so much as a peep from the outside world, and he began to feel suspicious. After all, he didn’t feel all that bad anymore.

Thomas arrived on the fourth day, courtesy of Micro, and with him came the information that nobody actually knows why the hell Flux was in the Theria guild. Which, fair. His abilities are a secret to everyone, so nobody could have known that he took the hit for Micro. Still, he felt even more miffed that they hadn’t so much as sent word to his friends or family, on top of not allowing visitors until now.

He’d thrown a fit, then. The next day, they’d let Cynikka and Ender visit him. It was… an eventful visit. Mostly him avoiding nagging and downplaying what he’d done. (Sorry not sorry, Micro. You were too easy of a target—someone had to take the fall.)

And then now marks the sixth day.

Somewhere along the way, he’d unlocked two new skills. He’d been initially shocked, but in hindsight, the more frequently you use your abilities, the more likely you are able to access more of your power. After all, it’s the reason so many Awakeneds choose to be hunters. To be able to enter dungeons, attack monsters, and more importantly, utilize their skills in hopes of unlocking better ones. Being a skilled hunter is a heavily desired career path in this day and age. Only by being one can you really access dungeon materials, items, and potions.

In that way, he supposes hunters are a separate entity from normal human beings, or low classed Awakeneds who chose to not pursue that path. Perhaps they’re a whole other realm of being, after all.

He digresses. He’s simply glad that he has new active skills. Clairvoyant Eye is a difficult skill because of three main things: a) it’s a passive skill, so it activates randomly; b) it has its own mind and shows him futures that range from one minute later to a year; and, c) the information handed to him can be so specific that it’s hard to grasp.

All in all, he’s confident these skills will prove to be useful in the future. Prophetic Sight already seems to be shaping up as a more convenient version of Clairvoyant Eye, and Cataclysmic Diviner will be a great team buff.

Hmm… He surveys the two in the room. Micro’s busy trying to coax Thomas into talking to him, and the brunette is trying to pretend that he doesn’t find his boyfriend’s whining adorable. Their attention is squarely on each other, those love birds.

Any other time, and Flux would have gagged. However, it’s advantageous to him at this moment. He already knows how and where he wants to try Prophetic Sight on, after all.

Four years ago, Saparata disappeared off the face of the world after being seen falling off a skyscraper. Two years later, he comes back a changed man. Flux had always found it curious. What happened to him in those two years?

Only one way to find out. He leans back, closes his eyes, and activates Prophetic Sight.

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Insurmountable amount of guilt. He’s drowning in it—the inky black feeling, thick and viscous, as vicious as the anger. All those people, screaming in anger. Murderer, murderer, murderer.

He isn’t fast enough, strong enough, good enough.

What is he without his wings?

(A murderer. Murderer. Murderer.)

His stomach is flipping, familiar to the feeling of flight. It’s okay, it’s okay, it’s okay— (murderer) he’ll find a way to make it okay (murderer).

And when he opens his eyes and the bright blue sky is spread out in front of him, the concrete no longer solid on his feet, and he’s falling (murderer) he is relieved.

Except the sky turns bluer, as the ground rapidly finds its brutal way towards him.

Winged bird, the ground is not your place.

It’s okay. (Murderer.)

He’ll find a way to make it okay.

A second chance at this—that’s what he needs.

…

“What did you do?!” Saparata is on him when he opens his eyes, nose bleeding. Flux tries to answer, but all that comes out is a wet cough.

Looking down, he realizes he’s also bleeding. Much more than the other S-Class is. Is this what the system meant, when it said there would be consequences?

“Fluixon, what did you do?!” The man repeats, shaking his shoulders. His vision swims with the movement, and if he could, he’d snap at the other. You shouldn’t shake someone who’s actively losing blood!

Thankfully, Thomas slaps the man’s hands, although he isn’t quite strong enough to stop Saparata. Their voices are becoming muffled, and it’s getting hard to form any thoughts.

Before he passes out, he musters the strength to grip the ‘angelic’ S-Class’s wrist and ask, more so in outrage (and, though he won’t admit it, fear), “What the hell are you?”

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The thing that appeared before Saparata as he was pummeling down to his death wasn’t simply the blue sky. In fact, it was the system window, actively intervening with the S-Class’s planned suicide.

And instead of letting him die… It had invited something to take over his body.

Flux is unsure what it could be—the vision was actively collapsing by the time he’d even had the chance to take a glance at the new inhabitor of Saparata’s body. In fact, he feels as if the system itself were actively working against him, preventing him from finding out more than he should know.

So he can only be sure of these things: Saparata de Theria is dead. Saparata de Theria is no longer who he claims to be. And finally, Saparata de Theria knows about the apocalypse, more than even Flux.

Where Flux’s knowledge comes from premonition, he’s put under the impression that… its knowledge is otherworldly. Not in an exaggerant way, but rather in the literal sense. Knowledge that doesn’t belong to this world as they know it.

Perhaps that’s why he’d been so shocked. After all, ‘Saparata’ may very well be more powerful than he lets on.

Of course, it’s only Flux’s luck that he’d manage to choose someone this… obscure to test his skill out on. He sorely regrets his curiosity the moment he wakes up.

“Awake?” He turns to his side, and there ‘Saparata’ is. He fails to mask his grimace. “Great. I feel the same.”

“I didn’t even say anything.” He grumbles, and his throat is raw. He stares at the other, expecting water.

The other only stares back. “It’s written on your face.”

“Didn’t peg you for a judgemental type.” He snarks, because he won’t ask for anything from that man. So if he won’t be offered water, fine.

“Didn’t peg you for the nosey type either, but here we are.” The white haired man leans back, staring at Flux intensely. He scoffs, turning to look away. “Cut to the chase. How much did you see?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” No matter what ‘Saparata’ tries, he won’t get so much as a peep from him.

He supposes the other realizes this, because there’s a long suffering sigh. “This is why I hated you…”

“We never even interacted before.” Flux squints, off-put by the comment.

The response is a cryptic, “I suppose not.”

The conversation dwindles out from there, silence covering the room like a thin blanket. It’s unsettling, to say the least. He busies himself with staring at the wall opposite to his bed, while the other man is dead set on staring a hole into his cheek.

The room is similar to the one he’d been staying at, he observes. However, it’s not the same one. He wonders where Thomas is now.

The other man sighs, as if sensing his thoughts wandering. “Listen, you have to work with me here. I know you don’t like me—”

“That’s the understatement of the century…” He scoffs, rolling his eyes.

“—and I don’t like you either, so the sooner we answer each other’s questions, the sooner we get out of each other’s hair.” The other leans forward, elbows settling on his knees. His eyes hold purpose, and it’s obvious there’s a goal he’s working towards. “You must have a lot of questions, right?”

Flux stares at the white haired man, those golden eyes striking and steady on him. No matter how many times he’d seen it through visions and been acquainted to the glint perpetually stuck within them, he doesn’t think he’ll ever get used to the intensity. Even more so now that Flux recognizes the otherworldliness simmering beneath the surface.

Still, he won’t let himself be swept away by that molten gold, magma-hot in their passions. While he may not recognize what that man’s goal is, all that matters is that he has one. People are easier to exploit when they are passionate and driven.

“That depends,” He cocks his head to the side, crossing his arms. “It wouldn’t be fair, considering you’re the one that needs me, right?”

“You’re really cocky.” The S-Class smiles, taut and forced. He weaves his fingers together. “I don’t need you. I can do this alone, with or without your support.”

“Hah! Really?” Flux scoffs, “Then be my guest. I guess you don’t need Pandora’s Only Augur after all.”

The smile quickly drops, and the temperature in the room lowers with it. If it were anybody else, they might have felt a bit of fear. However… Indelible Courage doesn’t let him feel even the slightest bit intimidated. And even then—Flux knows. That the thing pretending to be Saparata needs him, so he won’t be harmed. At least not now.

“How do you know about that title?” The other grits out, and it’s obvious he’s no longer keeping up the friendly pretense.

Flux decides to play along, “Because it’s my title.”

“No. It isn’t.” There’s an almost crazed look in his eye, and he can visibly see his fingers clenching from where they’re woven together. “You’re not supposed to have that title. You’re supposed to have the saddest excuse of clairvoyance…”

“Excuse me?” He scoffs, slightly offended. “My clairvoyant abilities are one of a kind—”

However, he’s cut off from his tangent as the S-Class continues, intensity rolling off of him in waves, “Actually, you’re not even meant to be in Luminara… You’re supposed to be in Aculon… You were going to tell your brother to give up his career as a guildmaster… And then, you were going to plant him in AMMA… Slowly, you destroyed the bond between Yggdrasil and Pandora, and you helped the apocalypse roll in faster—”

“What the hell are you even saying?” Flux snaps, creeped out. These are the things that happened in his visions, after all. The things he’d actively tried to work around—because he’s right. All those actions led to the end of the world.

“Did the system talk to you, too?” The other’s eyes snap towards him, crazed. He stands up, taking Flux by the shoulders, “Were you brought here? Where did you come from? How much did you change? Our information will be limited because of you—!”

“I don’t talk to the system!” He grips the other S-Class’s wrists, trying to pry him off. His shoulders are beginning to ache with the force, “Don’t compare me to you, whatever you are! I told you, I just have clairvoyant abilities!”

‘Saparata’ lets go of his shoulders then, slumping. He looks defeated. “I’m human. Don’t talk about me like I’m some creature.”

He scoffs, rubbing his shoulders, “As if.”

“It’s true. I was brought here by the system.” He leans back on the seat, head lolling backwards to look at the ceiling. “I’m not Saparata, the S-Class. I’m Saparata, the college student.”

“What, you’re saying you’re Saparata from another world?” He squints, trying to see if the other is being serious.

The other throws his hands in the air, “I’m not answering anything until you cooperate with me.”

“For someone who claims to not need me, you’re being awfully clingy.” He snarks, huffing.

Saparata looks at him, deadpan, “Fine. I was bluffing. You win.”

Flux stares at him for a moment, before sighing. “It’s no fun when you give up that quickly.”

“Whatever.” The other huffs, annoyed. “So, what’s the verdict?”

“I’ll help you,” He relents. It’ll be useful to have an S-Class combatant at his beck and call, especially when it comes to clearing dangerous dungeons or cleaning up after breaks. “But you have to answer my questions.”

“Fine.” Saparata shrugs. “I’ll answer your questions and follow your orders, on the condition that you prove yourself to me.”

He rolls his eyes, “Prove myself?”

“Yes, prove yourself.” He speaks slowly, like Flux is five. It makes him sound annoying. “You don’t expect me to just trust you from the get go, right?”

“I don’t need you to trust me,” He argues, “Just trust in my abilities.”

“Like that’s any different…” Saparata grumbles, and Flux has the sudden urge to smother him with the pillow he’s resting on.

“It’s completely different. You look like you wouldn’t trust me with anything,” He points out, jutting a finger on the S-Class’s forehead. He looks like he’s about to argue, so he continues, “Don’t worry, I share the sentiment. So there’s no need to trust me.”

“Fine, but you still have to prove your abilities.” Saparata shrugs. Annoying.

“Fine.” Flux grits out, settling into the bed, arms crossing.

Saparata looks like he wants to laugh, but he doesn’t, “Fine.”

“Where’s Thomas?” He side eyes the other.

He shrugs, grabbing a fruit knife and apple by the table, “With his boyfriend.”

Flux makes a face, but otherwise just watches the S-Class cut and peel the fruit. He’s much more clumsy compared to Thomas. However, he seemed to be putting a lot of effort into it.

“Is this your first time cutting apples?” He asks, picking up a… deformed rabbit. He inspects it curiously.

Saparata looks up at him, smiling. It’s the kind of smile that tells him to shut up.

Flux rolls his eyes, popping the slice into his mouth. When the other finishes peeling the other slices, he pipes up, “I don’t like apples.”

The deadpan look shot to him makes him shrug cockily, “What? I didn’t think you’d force feed a patient something he doesn’t like.”

“That patient was eating apples just a moment ago.” The core that was in his hand is crushed with the force of his grip.

“I changed my mind,” Flux tilts his head. “I want lychee.”

“I didn’t realize I was a fruit vendor.” Saparata snarks, and wow. He’s not even pretending to be nice anymore.

Regardless, he takes it in stride, “You should look into it as a side hustle.”

The white haired man stands up with a long suffering sigh. “Fine. Fine! It’s what I get for working with you. Fine.”

Flux laughs at that, watching the other retreat. He calls, “I also want white dragonfruit!”

Saparata only grumbles, shutting the door to his ward. He feels somewhat accomplished to have successfully angered the other like that, and the fact that he’s finally left alone is also a bonus. As much as he enjoys annoying Saparata, that entails getting annoyed back. He needs some space, too!

But behind all that back and forth… He’s hiding a lot more than he lets on.

As frustrating as it is, he supposes the only way he’ll get his answers is by cooperating for now. He doesn’t want to risk using Prophetic Sight on that man again.

Why does the end of the world have to inconvenience him so much?

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“Hey,” Thomas appears inside his room an hour later. He’s carrying a tray of lychee and sliced up dragonfruit. “How are you?”

“Better.” He sits up, eyeing the fruit. Suspicious… Lychee shouldn’t even be in season. “Where’d you get those from?”

“Saps,” The brunette settles down in the seat by his bed, settling the tray on the table. “What did you do, by the way? He looked weird.”

He pictures the same tight smile that he makes, when he doesn’t want to drop the kind act but also feels annoyed. It’s enough to make him snort. “Just gave him a taste of his own medicine.”

“Jeez,” His friend sighs heavily, “You really need to get it together. He was really scary when you started bleeding out.”

“Oh, right,” Flux speaks through a mouthful of dragonfruit. “What happened? I don’t remember anything besides waking up bloody.”

“Well, that’s really all that happened. One second you were closing your eyes, and the next you started… bleeding through your nose. It was scary, honestly,” Thomas shudders, running a hand through his hair. “Then Saps barged in with his nose bleeding too, and he started trying to wake you up. It took a while to get you to open your eyes, and you were already bleeding more. And then you passed out from the blood loss, so that’s that.”

“Wow,” He sighs, popping a lychee into his mouth. Surprisingly sweet. “That’s freaky.”

The brunette glares at him, before reaching over to pinch his cheek. “Okay, enough avoidance. Tell me what the fuck happened.”

“Eugh, stop that.” Flux slaps his hand away, rubbing his cheek. That hurt. “I’m sure Micro already told you what’s going on.”

“And I’m sure you didn’t tell Micro everything, so does that even matter?” Thomas hisses, flipping him off.

He returns the favor, both fingers up, “Why bother? You’ll figure it out.”

“Ugh, why do I even try with you?” A lychee is stolen from his tray, “And what’s your deal with Saps? Wow, these are great…”

“We’re cooperating with each other.” He slaps the other’s hand, “Same goals and stuff. Ease up on the lychee!”

“I barely even got any!” The brunette sticks his tongue out, childish as he is, “And same goals? What, he’s some future-seeing hunter too?”

“Actually, I’m not so sure.” His brows furrow, “I think he does know bits of the future, but…”

He says ‘you’re meant to,’ and ‘you’re supposed to,’ like he’s working with limited information. And more importantly… ‘Did the system talk to you, too?’

“But?” Thomas looks at him curiously, tilting his head. He thinks he’s being slick, swiping more fruits off his tray.

“But he doesn’t have omniscient information, which he needs.” Flux shrugs. He’ll figure it out later. “Which, also, I happen to have.”

His best friend knows him well, so he asks, “And what are you getting out of this?”

A world that doesn’t end, is probably the most important trade off. However… “Some favors.”

Thomas chokes on a lychee pit, which he successfully dislodges with a fist to the chest. He coughs, “Favors? Flux, don’t tell me you’re—”

“Whatever you’re thinking, drop it.” He glares. “It’s probably not what you think it is.”

“Right…” Perhaps his best friend doesn’t know him well enough, after all.

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“So every time I offer valuable information, you answer a question?” Flux deadpans, scanning the primitive contract laid in front of him.

“That’s the essence of our partnership, yes,” Saparata smiles. “We can have Micro use his lie detection skill on me, if you want.”

“Do you want your twin brother to know about these things?” He snaps, eye twitching.

“Oh.” The other pauses, as if the thought just registered to him. “On second thought…”

“No, wait,” He raises a hand, rubbing his temple. “Who even taught you how to write contracts like this? This is… It’s barely even one!”

He has the gall to tilt his head, as if confused, “Why not?”

“What do you mean, why not? Where are the clauses? The terms?” He feels like he’s back in college, surrounded with foolish team members, except all of them have merged into one strongheaded S-Class guildmaster.

“The terms are right there.” He taps on the paper, pointing at the sorry excuse of it.

“You’re kidding me.” He hisses. “You don’t actually think this will be legally binding, do you?”

Saparata sighs, as if he’s the one not getting things, “Who says anything about legally binding?”

“What use is a contract if not to legally bind you into compliance!” Flux snaps, throwing his hands in the air.

“You should know better than anyone that laws are hardly applicable to S-Classes,” The man taps on the paper again, and it begins glowing red. “This is a curse-contract. Any breach of the terms will make you blind—”

“Don’t you think you should lead with that?!” He slams his hands on the table, outraged. Then, he sighs, pinching his nosebridge, “A curse-contract just means we have to work out the terms even more. There’s too much wiggle room in this. If we’re not careful, we both might end up blind.”

“I guess that’s true.” Saparata taps his chin in thought, and Flux has half the mind to slam the S-Class’s face into the table.

“You guess?” He sighs instead. He’s under zero impressions that he can overpower the other. “Whatever. Listen, let’s work it out—”

He sways once, before falling face first into the waiting palms of Saparata. Great. Looks like a productive conversation will simply have to wait, because the universe is hell-bent on making sure that he’s thoroughly inconvenienced in his attempts to stop the end of the world.

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“Really?” Saparata asks, side eyeing him. And look, he gets it. It’s embarrassing for him too, okay? So can he just shut up? “Not that I’m complaining…”

“Oh, yeah?” Flux growls, pinching the man’s nape. “It sure sounds like you are!”

“I mean, aren’t you just fueling the rumours?” He swears the other is holding back a smug smile as he says this. He can practically hear the pompous man’s self-perceived victory.

He pinches his nape again, for good measure. “There’s zero reporters in this dungeon.”

“And when we go outside?” He feels a sharp gust of wind, probably one of the man’s skills. “There’s sure to be many of them. The dungeon was one second away from breaking, after all.”

“Then you let me down!” Flux feels like he’s actively losing brain cells the more he talks to the other S-Class. Could the erosion of intellect be shared through his skill, too? Surely Cataclysmic Diviner didn’t have hidden aspects to it, right?

He feels Saparata’s hold on him shift, and he scrambles to grip onto his shoulders. What the hell is he doing? He promised to keep Flux safe! It’s the only reason he’d ever accompanied the other S-Class here!

“Relax!” The other has the gall to laugh, hand returning to hold onto his hip. Flux, though he won’t admit it, feels much safer with his arm around him. “I just had to attack that little lizard. You’d know if you opened your eyes.”

“I’d rather not.” His nose scrunches up at the idea. Saparata’s style of fighting is very akin to that of a bird—swooping up and down at high speeds. It’s enough that he has to be held by this man! “Just make this quick, I’m getting sick.”

“I would, if I had my left arm.” The S-Class snarks, which makes Flux scoff.

“You’re the top combatant S-Class, you can handle this much.” Though, his vision definitely implied the opposite.

Still, Saparata laughs, ignoring the dire circumstances, “So you know I’m stronger than your siblings?”

“Keep dreaming.” He only rolls his eyes. While it might be true that Saparata can overpower his family, though with struggle, he’ll never let the other have the satisfaction of confirming that. “Ender can beat you in his sleep.”

“Really?” Flux can feel rather than see the tilt of his head. “Maybe I should just drop you here. Oh, there’s an A-Class Lumipod Dragon below us, by the way.”

He feels the hand leave his hip, and now he’s dangling off of Saparata like a keychain. He claws onto the man’s neck, though is still above wrapping his legs around his torso, “This is outrageous…!”

“Hmm? What was that?” He can feel his chest rise and fall, like he’s laughing silently. “Can’t hear you. Your grip’s turning loose.”

“Saparata!” Flux growls, eyes snapping open. His nails dig into the man’s neck in an effort to not fall. “I swear to god, if you don’t hold me right now—!”

A guttural roar swallows his further complaints, and as if tearing the fabric of reality, appears a monster the world is entirely unfamiliar with. As quickly as Saparata let go, both hands are wrapping around him, secure and tight. The dragons that were wreaking havoc within the dungeon are quickly swallowed by the thing.

“Just when it was getting cute,” Saparata murmurs, and he glares at the man.

“That’s the thing I saw.” Flux pivots the topic, choosing to not trouble himself with what the S-Class is even thinking. “It’ll tear you to pieces—”

“I wouldn’t worry about that.” It’s almost astounding, his pride. Flux’s visions are reliable—he’d tested to see what would happen if he didn’t interfere with them, and it’s exactly what’s been relayed onto him. Fate is secure and everyone is bound by its threads. Only a select few can go against the set flow.

The thing in front of them is a strange creature. After all, all monsters within dungeons are at least animalistic in nature. The common denominator within every dungeon is that the inhabitants are almost always a form of flora or fauna. There are no eldritch horrors nor human-like enemies.

However, this creature is different. Its entire body seems to be a white ball, with neither eyes nor mouths. From there, nerve-like appendages sprout, its white color turning red the farther it goes from the main ball-like body. The thing is floating, and is about as tall as a satellite tower. It’s horrifically otherworldly.

As if sensing his fear, the white ball opens—a yawning, gaping thing—as thousands of pin-prick holes peer into its insides, where thousands more holes sprout from. The air contorts with its effort, and it’s entirely different from Saparata’s wind-based powers. It’s attacking using reality itself.

Swiftly, Saparata flies them out of there. He looks… exhilarated. As if he’s glad. Or, rather, happy that such a thing exists. It’s a disproportionate reaction to seeing one of the apocalypse’s horsemen, and it unsettles something within Flux.

“It ate the boss of the dungeon,” Saparata observes, as the thing does just that.

“It became the new boss.” He responds, brows furrowing. He looks away from the man’s crazed expression. “We have to kill it before it can get out via dungeon break.”

“It won’t.” Is his cryptic response. Like he’s confident that the thing won’t be able to come out.

Is he seriously so full of himself? He scoffs, “Why not?”

“Because this isn’t a dungeon.” Saparata answers, using his inventory to pull out a large, white bow. “Not anymore.”

Flux keeps his mouth shut and focuses on sharing Cataclysmic Diviner with the other instead. After all, within his vision, Saparata was sorely outclassed by this thing. Not for anything but the fact that he simply couldn’t catch up with its sheer speed.

Well, if speed was the problem, then he’ll simply have to look into the future. The monster’s attacks won’t land if they evade it in advance.

Of course, this was only half the battle. Saparata had quickly turned down the usage of Mark of the Future, citing the fact that any damage that can take him out would be enough to take Flux out, even if it were only dealt in half. And while he’s positive he won’t die from the skill, he sure as hell couldn’t care enough to take the hit for the other S-Class. That’s why they have to share the skill the only other way—by keeping physical contact.

Now, it’s inconvenient to attack with only one arm available… but it’s not impossible.

Thus, Flux can only cling onto Saparata as the S-Class uses every skill imaginable, with every weapon he has, to attack the thing. After all, they have no knowledge on this creature. No way to know what kind of attacks work best on it.

After a while, Saparata seems to realize that cutting the appendages off encourages the monster to ‘open’ again—to heal itself?—and by attacking the holes, true damage can be done. The white outside is nothing but a tough shell.

When he came to know that, defeating the thing was easy. The final blow was dealt, and a spray of mud-like liquid showers itself over the landscape. However, the ball-like body disintegrates with a reality-rippling portal, as if swallowing itself.

Thankfully, it simply disappeared.

“How was your first time in a high-class dungeon?” Saparata smiles beside him, one of his large, white wings covering them from the mud-like blood.

He rolls his eyes, scoffing, “Not that different from B-Class ones.”

“Really?” The other raises a brow.

“Yeah. It’s a so-so experience. 3 stars, at best.” He shrugs.

“I’d say it deserves 3.5 stars at least.” Saparata tilts his head, smile teasing. “Where else will you see a dungeon from my arms?”

“Eugh,” Flux fake gags, nose scrunching. “The fact that I had to be carried by you alone is enough to bump it down to zero.”

“Hmm, maybe I should drop you right now…?” Testingly, the S-Class’s grip on him loosens, and it makes Flux scramble to grab onto his neck again. Seriously, this guy…!

“If you let go again, I’m plucking all of your feathers!” He grits out, threatening.

It makes Saparata laugh boyishly, his head thrown back, “Geez, not the wings. The press loves them too much!”

“Well, they can love them when they’re as bald as chicken breasts,” Flux promises darkly, one hand on the S-Class’s neck and the other inching towards the feathered appendages.

Saparata’s laughter pauses, as he looks up into the sky. His hold steadies again. He says, “Get ready.”

“For wha—” As soon as he opens his mouth, the world around them distorts and folds in on itself. Then, where there used to be the dungeon’s landscape, is a sea of people in the middle of the bustling streets of Barbieland.

For a single, peaceful second, the world is quiet. It’s only the crowd, Saparata, and Flux in Saparata’s arms staring at each other. And then, like a pindrop, one person yelps, and everyone begins hooting and hollering. There’s countless camera flashes, and all Flux can do is squint. What the fuck?

Dungeons don’t close on their own. In fact, you’d have to actively search for the dungeon gate in order to exit it after finishing off the boss monster. But they weren’t anywhere near the gate, and they were spat out? He looks at Saparata, curious if the other S-Class knew this was coming, considering he said get ready.

Golden eyes were already looking back at him, head tilted. He mouths, “Play along.”

Before Flux could even ask what he’s supposed to play along with, Saparata uses his wings as a shield from the people. This only encourages them to hoot and holler some more, and he can barely pick their sentences and questions apart from each other.

“Is it true that you’re—” “—Luminara and Theria?” “—dating each other—” “Lovers quarrel?” “A secret from even your siblings—” “Dungeon that was sucking people in—” “—a statement for MKC News?”

He’s used to stepping into the limelight and being yelled at by a sea of people, enough to leave your ears ringing well into the week. But he’d spent a good few hours flying around a dungeon in Saparata’s arms, on top of feeling disoriented from the strange creature that emerged from nowhere. Really, he’s about to yell at everyone to shut up, when Saparata squeezes his body closer to him, hand shifting from a casual lift into a princess carry, and yelling.

“Please, everyone! The dungeon was hard on both of us.” Saparata looks at Flux, and he feels a pit sink into his stomach. That look tells him he’s about to say something stupid. “My sweetheart needs rest. I’d like to ask you all to step away, or else my wings might hit you.”

Surprisingly enough, people listened to him. They all shuffle backwards, cameras still flashing (somehow even more), and give enough space for Saparata to take off, flying into the sky.

As they retreat, Flux sees, curiously enough, other hunters and some civilians who were also inside the dungeon, in varying states of dishevelment, spat out on the ground. There were no signs of a Gate ever having been there, nor do they have any loot or dungeon materials, as would be customary in clearing one.

He has a lot of questions, like what was that stunt you pulled?, but this is the most pressing one. “What happened in that dungeon?”

After all, Saparata had acted as if he already knew what was happening. He wasn’t the least bit surprised, and even if he didn’t know the full picture, he knew enough. More than Flux does, at least in this topic.

“Is that your question?” The S-Class hums, weaving in between buildings. Flux nods, brows furrowed. “Alright. I’ll take you somewhere first.”

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News7

PANDORA’S SWEETHEART NO LONGER!: S-Class Stakes Claim and Emphasizes Possession

S-Classes Saparata de Theria and Fluixon Aculon suddenly exited a dungeon, all while the feathered S-Class emphasizes on “HIS” sweetheart needing rest!

Zaggler

LOVE BETWEEN S-CLASSES: The Pursuit of Passion When the World Has Its Eyes On You

S-Classes have always had the reputation of being higher than thou, and rarely do we ever see them having romantic escapades, leading the general public to believe them incapable of normal, modern love!

Pandora Digest

STRANGE DUNGEON’S FIRST APPEARANCE

Scientists are scrambling to warn people that a new class of dungeons might emerge, following the disappearing Gate handled by S-Classes Saparata de Theria and Fluixon Aculon!

MKC News

THE NORMALIZATION OF S-CLASS COLLABORATION

S-Classes rarely ever cooperate with one another, however as support type S-Classes are starting to emerge, can we welcome a new wave of S-Classes who collaborate with each other?

Hunter Gossip

DATING RUMORS CONFIRMED?

Saparata de Theria and Fluixon Aculon quickly arrived at the scene to clear a dungeon threatening to break, and exit in each other’s arms!

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Eventually, they land on the outskirts of Yggdrasil. Nobody ever visited this place if not for combat training or the occasional dungeon clearing. However, it’s surprisingly lush, in an almost bizarre way. The flora was almost akin to that of a dungeon…

“You notice it too, right?” Saparata asks, and Flux can feel his gaze following him.

He crouches down to run a hand through the curious greenery. “It’s like we’re inside a dungeon.”

He hears the other sigh, long suffering and heavy. As if he had been carrying a hefty weight for a long time, all alone. He wonders, then, if that makes them partners. No, companions?

…Collegues. Two people who work together. Who go through the same kind of existential dread knowing that their world as they know it is about to end, and as far as they know, they’re the only two people who can defy the fate given to them by whatever higher power there is. It’s quite cruel. And ironically, pitiful.

Saparata de Theria had always been somewhat pitiful in his eyes, hadn’t he?

“This place isn’t inhabited by anyone. It’s as barren as it can get. And we have a lot of dungeons here.” A pale, slender finger full of callouses and scars point in a direction, listing down dungeons. “Over there is the one we get mana stones from. There, the wool. And further back, monster eggs.”

“They’re all owned by different guilds, right?” Flux tilts his head. “Why aren’t there any buildings? Isn’t it more convenient that way?”

Saparata huffs, crouching down to sit on the ground with him. “We tried to do that back then. It didn’t really work out. The mana is too dense here, it’s hard to let your guard down. Dungeons also appear more often. And recently, they replenish much quicker.”

“Which means they get close to breaking much quicker, too.” His brows furrowed. Why isn’t this on the news?

“Bingo.” The S-Class snaps his fingers. “This place was supposed to become an expansion project for Yggdrasil, after we cleaned up the areas nearest the big tree. But before we could even begin scoping the place, Gates had already overtaken it.”

“Why don’t you close the Gates, then?” After all, that seemed like a more reliable solution, if not temporary.

Saparata shrugs, helpless, “You really think guilds will give up their money makers? We’d proposed it back then too, but they gave us a whole list of reasons why they can’t.”

“Greedy lowlives…” He rolls his eyes. Even with the world ending, people still prioritize their own interests before the safety of others. “Isn’t the land changing already concerning enough?”

The conversation fizzles out at that, with the other S-Class staring far off into the horizon. Flux doesn’t bother to poke at the man—he seemed to be thinking about something deeply—and instead runs his fingers through the grass they’re sitting on. It’s almost teal in its greenness, a stark contrast to the barren, orange sands that cover most of Yggdrasil. When he pulls his hands away, there’s pin-prick red dots, as if an allergic reaction.

…It’s minimal, but it’s there. Common monster flora in dungeons attack in a somewhat similar way, with poisonous pores and burrowing seeds. While it’s nowhere near deadly, it’s still curious. Is their world becoming a dungeon?

He activates Fighting Spirit, watching the red dots disappear. There had been discussions about how Gates might be fissures in the fabric of reality, and dungeons are other worlds that we can access through them. He’d thought it could be possible, but the main point of contention for this theory is that nobody had seen so much as a blip of civilization in dungeons.

There had been some minimal signs—ruins, rubbles, vague hints of a writing system… But never intelligent creatures capable of forming their own society. Monsters are about as intelligent as animals, and flora have grown to be able to attack, but that’s as far as it goes.

Almost as if… Dungeons are ruined worlds.

“Do you know about the Thread Bearing Needle?” Saparata finally speaks, snapping Flux from his reverie. “It’s a title for an obscure concept, a being that we can’t really fully grasp. In a way, maybe it’s god.”

He scrunches his nose, a brow raising in confusion, “Why are we getting philosophical?”

“The end of the world is philosophical,” The S-Class argues, which, okay? That doesn’t make sense, but he continues with his monologue anyway, “Think of our world as a unique fabric, and the apocalypse a needle. The needle seeks to stitch the fabric of different realities together. But in order to do that, the civilization of those realities must die out.”

Oh. Flux thinks he’s beginning to understand. “Is this… Is the needle trying to stitch our world to other worlds?”

“In theory, yes,” The other shrugs, leaning back. “So far, the needle’s only been poking and prodding. Some worlds die out only through that, after all.”

There’s a brief moment where he wonders where the white haired man managed to get this information, but he holds his tongue. Instead, he listens aptly.

“But it’s been more than a decade, right? The needle must know by now that we won’t die to dungeons.” He raises his hand, palm up, and within it he manifests a small ball of wind. “So it created a black hole of sorts. No animals, no gateways to worlds that met its end. Instead, the backhand of reality, where life isn’t made to survive.”

Saparata’s other hand comes to hold Flux’s wrist, pulling it towards the concentration of his power. “It sucks in anything near it, and there’s no exit once you get in. You either kill the things inside, or you die.”

Sure enough, his finger is quickly dragged to the center of the ball. “Like what happened to the dungeon earlier…”

“More of those will show up. It’ll be called a rift, after enough run-ins with it.” The S-Class lets go of his hand, closing his palm. The wind dissipates with the action. “We have the choice to close dungeons after clearing it, but there’s always something useful to come out of them. Rifts are different. There’s nothing but destruction to be seen inside them.”

Flux stares as the white haired man stands up, dusting his trousers. His wings once again standing tall behind him, the setting sun glowing through the white feathers. He has so many questions, so many things he wants to ask. But… “How do you know all of this?”

Saparata only smiles, offering a hand. “Well, you’ll have to prove yourself helpful to me again if you want that question answered.”

He goes back to Theria with more questions than when he left it this afternoon.