“Welcome to Bento Burger. What can I get for you gentlemen?”

  “We’ll have two B Combos with extra fries and Diet Cokes, please.”

  “That’ll be ￥1450. Would you like to pay in cash or credit card sir?”

  “We’ll do cash. Here.”

  “Thank you very much. Your orders will be out in 10 minutes.”

  While waiting for the orders, the customers return to their table. The two customers, one short one tall, are wearing in all bck, and both of them look very suspicious. They’re in fact the two kidnappers that Kariuda was looking for, and those two are the one who trapped Yasutaira inside of the “Almighty Realm”. As for now, they’re having a little celebration for what they’ve done.

  “Hey bro, is food from this pce any good? I mean we can always go to our usual ramen pce down the block, right?”

  “Now now bro, lemme tell you something real quick. Sometimes you just want something nice and juicy, am I right bro? What pce is more perfect than the best burger joint you can find across the country. Just give it a chance bro.”

  “I guess you’re right bro. If I remembered correctly, ten minutes right? In the meantime, let’s just run through quickly what we need to say to the boss shall we?”

  “Right right the report. OK let’s see. The mission our boss gave to us, that including…”

  “Spying on a random target, then cornering them into a dark alley. Using them as a bait to lure Yasutaira Waka out, you’ll use the [Almighty Sealing Scroll] to lock him inside the [Almighty Realm]. And eventually, “The Heretic” will no longer exists in this world. Am I correct sir?”

  “Yes, you’re absolutely correct sir. May I ask who are you supposed to be sir?”

  “The “sir” you’re talking to is your boss you dipshit! You two sckers seriously don’t recognize your own boss just because he’s putting on a disguise? Are you guys made of stupidity?”

  Someone interrupts the conversation between the two, even goes as far as taking shots at them: a young man with red hair, red wig if you pay enough attention. He’s wearing a baseball cap, a rectangle shades with a stylistic choice of clothing and a bck jacket to wrap things up. Apparently, this young man is the boss of the two that are waiting for their meals. He may be disguise, but he definitely can’t hide the fact that he’s pissed. After approaching his subordinates, the young man quickly gets into the table, while still looks as angry as ever. Just the face alone scares them to the point of sitting in the corner shaking. They know that they’ve made their boss mad, so they’ll have to do something quick.

  “N…No boss. Of course we recognized you boss. We…We’re just talking about the mission, right bro?”

  “Ye…Yes bro. We actually are going to report to you as soon as we can, so we’re just sitting here working on what we need to say boss.”

  “FOR AN HOUR? You sckers make me wait for that long just for some talks? Look, I know I may sound sensitive, but you can’t just make someone wait for an hour for something, let alone YOUR OWN BOSS. So you’d better make it fast, or you won’t get to see tomorrow.”

  “Yes…Yes boss, I’m doing it right now boss. About the mission, we’ve done it just like you said. No witnesses, and of course no one knows about our presence.”

  “OK, are you two sure that he’s completely locked up inside the scroll?”

  “Yes boss, we had actually checked before leaving the scene, and we can 100% guarantee that he’s gone for real.”

  “Good job, the both of you. You guys actually nailed it. May I ask one thing?”

  “Sure thing boss. What is it?”

  “Where’s the scroll?”

  “Pardon me boss?”

  “WHERE. IS. THE. SCROLL? Didn’t I specifically tell you to bring it back once you finished your job?”

  “You did?”

  “Of course I did you morons. Did you pay attention to what I say? Oh wait you didn’t, because apparently you brains IS NOT PROGRAMMABLE TO DO SUCH THING, IS IT?”

  He’s already mad, and now he’s about to explode at any moment. He’s no longer holding a water cup, he’s just straight up crushing it. Seeing this, the subordinates are all shaking in fear. They don’t seem to be able to move a single finger, which do not help at all. Right now, just one mistake and their life are doom, and they can’t afford any more of them.

  “You two idiots have one hour to fix this. Or else I’ll FEED YOU YOUR OWN HEART. Understand?”

  “Yes…Yes boss, we’re working on it right now boss.”

  “Good. Now get your ass outta here. We don’t have all night.”

  “Yes boss. Bro, we should get back to work right now. We gotta fix it fast.”

  “OK bro.”

  After an awkward exchange, those two quickly get out of the restaurant, not even bother waiting for their orders. As for their boss, for now he seems to cool down a little bit, but he’s still on pins and needles. He’s not just worried about the situation, he's also concerned about what’ll happen if it all screwed up. All he can do now is wait, hoping that things don’t go south.

  Meanwhile, in another table of the restaurant.

  "This is Kariuda speaking. Right now I’m in Bento Burger. I’ve tracked them down to this pce. It seems like they’re taking order from someone else. He’s very cautious, but I don’t think he recognized me. And he looks somewhat… familiar.”

  “Copy that. I’m sorry for letting things going on like this. Also about bout the alley situation, you don’t mind telling me what happened back there?”

  “Oh yes, I almost forgot. I think I know who they’re after.”

  “And that unlucky person is?”

  “Yasutaira Waka.”

  “Waka…YASUTAIRA? That Yasutaira Waka? Is that true?”

  “Yes sensei, I can guarantee you. But I can’t figure out why are they targeting him. Things just happened to fast.”

  “It’s alright. At least we know who they’re aiming for. About this “someone else”, you said “familiar”, right?”

  “Yeah, you see, he may look like he has red hair, but I noticed something. It looks too red to be true, like some sort of wig. Let’s see if I can take a closer look. Oh god. This can’t be true. It’s impossible, that silver hair…”

  “What is it Kariuda-chan, what’s going on?”

  “Sensei, that guy, he’s from our school, my css specifically. He has betrayed our academy.”

  “You’re inside a restaurant, am I correct?”

  “Yes sensei.”

  “Then just stand back. We can’t escate things too far, especially in my favorite burger joint.”

  “Heh?”

  “Not just the food of course, I have some insiders there. But for now, keep a close eye on them, see what they’re up to next.”

  “Roger that sensei.”

  “Thanks. I’m counting on you.”

  After finished the conversation, Kiriwatari turns off the earpieces. She’s letting out a big sigh while stretching her body. She has done a lot of info gathering missions, but this one is…rather special. Not only one of her students get involved, but he’s in fact a target. She does not want this to happen at all, but right now she has to deal with it.

  “Haaaaaa... Oh my, fate sure does know how to mess with us ain’t it. Those bastards dare to hurt my students? Well then, if they want to die, then I shall grant it to them.”

  Seeing how events unfold, Kiriwatari has enough. She can’t let things go too far anymore, it’s now or never. She puts on her jacket and quickly gets out of her office. She has a feeling that if she doesn’t do anything, everything she knows and loves will no longer exist. With that in mind, she starting disappearing into the mist.

  “So they’re finally after him huh? I’m hoping that he’s alright…”

  “Ugh. OK, this is not alright at all.”

  I’m literally on my knees right now. Let’s see, my left arm is broken, a couple of ssh wounds here and there, my legs are shaking nonstop. There’s even blood dripping from my forehead. I’m totally exhausted right now, so I have to use my sword as a staff to keep myself from falling down. While still not recovering from the battle, I look up to the sky.

  “What’s the matter boy, ran out of gas already? Come on, we’re just getting started.”

  “Getting started my ass. You *haa haa* beat me to a bloody pulp, ain’t that enough for ya?”

  “Oh my, can’t handle ten minutes? I guess you’re not the type of person who can satisfy a woman after all.”

  “Oh come on, don’t make it awkward. Just kill me already, will ya?”

  “Oh right boy, you ask for it.”

  Even in the craziest timeline ever, no one would ever thought of a battle between a 15 year old boy and the “Almighty Dragon”. And yet here I am, and somehow even survive for around seven minutes, I guess. One could argue that she’s getting rusty, but the fact that I’m not dead is a miracle. I don’t have much juice left, but she seems like she’s getting stronger every second. At this point, I don’t know if I can keep on dodging her attack of not, let alone nd another hit on her. I tried a few times, and they all failed miserably. In contrast, every single one of her blows sting like a bee.

  “Thwack…!!!”

  Before I can even continue my train of thoughts, she’s using her tail to strike me. I try to block it but still end up taking damage.

  “Hugh…”

  I fall on the ground, while my right arm is bleeding like crazy. Trying to endure the pain, I clench my teeth and get back up. My legs should have gave up now, but somehow I still manage to stand up.

  “You have earned my respect boy for actually survive for this long. Too bad, this shall be the end of you. Prepare yourself boy!!!”

  She then flies straight to me, preparing for one st attack. I can barely stand, and now I have to deal with this? I’m definitely not getting a good sleep today. Either way, I still get in the fighting position, hoping I can at least somehow pierce through the skin of that thing. With my legs that still haven’t recovered yet, I run towards her. I don’t know if I have enough left to make a leap or not, but nonetheless, I charge at her.

  “Garghhhh!!!!!!”

  I scream out my lung. I can only use my right arm right now, but that’s enough. The moment she unches her attack, it’s my chance to jump up and somehow nd a hit on her. That’s the initial pn. There’s not much left I can do, so the least thing I can do is go out with a ban…

  “Gurgh…”

  Before I even know it, her cws pierce through my body, push me back a couple meters. I try to take the cws out after we stopped, but it’s useless. My mouth keeps bleeding while my body might shut down any moment. There’s so much blood coming out that it covers a decent portion of her cws. I can’t even see things clearly, so it must be that I'm going to die soon. I guess this is the end of me: lonely in the middle of nowhere while no one knows about it, except for the killer.

  Eventually, I fade out, not knowing what happen next will forever change my life.

  (Almighty Dragon’s POV)

  “Huh, and I thought that he would st for longer.”

  Look, I know he’s only fifteen, but it’s just my cws, not some kind of intergactic range attack. Maybe I’m setting the bar a bit too high, but come on, can’t you do more than this? It’s only ten minutes and you’ve already knocked out. But credit where credit's due, he’s putting on every thing he has to offer, and that alone is better than a lots of my enemies in the past. He doesn’t want to kill, he’s fighting for his own survival, and for something way more than that. I don’t know what that is, but I can feel it burning inside him, in his eyes, even in his moves. Too bad he’ll die anytime soon, but well that’s how the circle of life works. With that in mind, I try taking my cws out of his body, but to my surprise, I can’t.

  “Still got something left there huh boy? Is this your second wind or just a dying gasp? Come on now boy, you’d better give me something, don’t just go out like that.”

  He's not responding. I can’t hear his heartbeat, and neither his breath, so I guess he has long gone now. I’ve killed many lives, but this one…will hold a special pce in my heart, for it to be the rare one that I actually respect…

  “Huh?”

  Out of nowhere, a magic circle appears under his foot. Now come to think about it, he never used magic when he fought me. Was he hiding his big gun or there’s something else I didn’t know? Either way, I definitely have to keep my guard up. Can’t let the mistake from the past haunt me this time, can I? There’s no sign of it being activated yet, so I still have a chance. Let’s see, what’s that one spell I once used to deactivate the opponent’s magic spell? I’m really getting rusty, maybe I should think of training as a hobbit for the future…

  “Whoosh…!!!”

  All of the sudden, some kind of whirlwind starts wrapping around him. In addition, his legs, more specifically the magic circle, start shining also. It’s like he’s turning into a small pilr right in front of my eyes. More importantly, there’s this aura that feels…odd. The more I look, the more quickly I realize what’s happening.

  “No way, it can’t be. There’s no way he’s gonna do that…”

  He’s going for the [Summoning Magic]! But from what I’ve seen, he can’t do magic. Is this some kind of failsafe? No matter who he’s calling out, it’s not a good sign at all. I definitely can take down whoever he’s summoning. But first, I have to take my cws out quick, or else…

  “Huh? I can’t take them out. How is this even possible? And what the hell is this?”

  While still struggling, I notice something. The pilr that’s covering his entire body now has this bloody red color. But not just any red, it’s the same color as my body. But that’s not the worst part. The moment it turns red, a magic circle start popping out right below me. The red aura is also covering my whole body. And before I even get to react, we’re connected to each other by some kind of red beam. I immediately realize what’s going on.

  “Impossible. There’s no way he’s pulling this…”

  He might not know it yet, but the thing he’s trying to summon…is me.

  “Huh, it’s not as bad as I expected to be. I must say I’m quite surprised.”

  Usually, [Summoning Magic] puts on quite the amount of stress not to the summoner, but also for what they’re trying to call up. But for some reason, I don’t feel that way. It’s quite refreshing in contrast.

  “So, about this kid…what’s with him anyway? Pulling out something like this…”

  While the summoning ritual still hasn’t finished, I decide to reflect on recent events. I mean, I don’t really have much to say. Since I got locked here a couple hundred years ago, nothing much had happened to be honest. For a while, I thought that I would die of boredom until…he showed up. To have someone to talk, to battle and to have such an excitement… he definitely has lighted up a fire that I thought had been put out forever. Not many people I know can possibly do that, let alone a fifteen year old kid. It may sound a bit wrong, but is that even matter anymore? This kid is going to be my master anytime soon, so at the very least, I’ll do anything I can to get him out alive.

  “Ok, let’s see. What should I do…Huh, what is this? Wait a minute, this is…”

  As soon as I finally take out the cws that pierced through him, something just pop off in my mind. While he’s healing all his wounds, I close my eyes.

  “All of these … are his memories from the past!”

  So it’s clear. This is one of the first signs of forming a contract with him. It may take a while for everything to complete, which means I can have a look on all of these memories in my head.

  “Huh, [The Heretic], all of the silent treatment, standing on his own, a promise from the past … I see, so this is why he fought me with everything he had despite all of his shortcomings. You had my curiosity kid, now you have my attention. I don’t know how long I’ll be with you, but it’s definitely nice to serve you for the rest of your journey, Master…”

  I close my eyes, happily accept my new lifeform. It might take me a while to get used to this body, but after all, it’s way better than being trapped here for eternity…

  (Yasutaira Waka’s POV)

  “You filthy beast, you dare stepping foot into this pce?”

  “This pce does not welcome trash, especially you whore. Die!!!!”

  “I should have known from the beginning that you’re nothing but a piece of garbage…Now YOU SHALL PERISH! GARGHHH!!!!!!”

  What in the world is this?

  What is wrong with these people?

  Just a few moments ago, they all lived in peace and harmony, and now all of sudden, they just straight up antagonizing this woman. They once saw her as a respectable figure, but now all they see is…hatred, despise and agony. What had she done to them?

  “Please, you don’t understand…I don’t want to harm any of you. I just want…”

  “Fuck what you want, old hag. We do not have to give a single shit about what trash wants. Now DIIEEE!!!!”

  “No please…don’t do it. Just let me go and…”

  “KNIGHTS, ATTACK THAT BITCH!!!!!”

  “RARGHHHH!!!!”

  They went from insulting her to all charging at her. It doesn’t even matter if they can fight or not, they just want to tear her apart. Physical attack, magic spell, they just throw everything they have at her, regardless of the aftermath.

  “Boom!!!!”

  All of the spells aiming at her explode. I thought that she won’t make it, but what happen next gives me a clear answer.

  “Impossible. Our attacks…they didn’t work at all…”

  In front of them is some kind of magic shield, I’m pretty sure that’s why she’s not hurt. When I take a closer look on her, all I see is sadness, confusion and…hatred. The feeling is…mutual? Seeing all of this, all I can do is stand here and watch how events unfold.

  “I’ve warned you. I don’t want any of this, but all of you…pushed me. IS THIS WHAT YOU WANT? IF THAT SO, THEN ALL OF YOU SHALL PAY!!!!!!”

  She then roars like never before. Some kind of light starts covering her, then it explodes, destroys everything within its range. I thought that I’ll take quite some damage, but I quickly realize something.

  “Wait, this isn’t my physical body. Am I inside a dream?”

  The impact from her attack did not affect me at all. In addition, when everything is colpsed, I’m quick to realize that I can float. The first thing I do is to go find the girl. I don’t know why, but something tells me that this is the right thing to do. Took me a while, but when I finally got there, she’s just sitting in front of me crying.

  “Why is this happening to me…I don’t want any of this to happen…someone please give me an *sob* answer…”

  I’m just…speechless. Seeing all these corpses around me makes me want to throw up so bad, but there’s something even worse: seeing this girl suffers. I don’t know who her is, but deep down, I know that she doesn’t deserve all of this. If only…If only I can do something…

  “Huh?”

  Suddenly, everything turns bck. I look around, try to see if there’s any light. But before I can do anything else, I start falling with the speed of light.

  “Ahhhh…”

  I’m falling so fast that my ears has gone deaf for a moment. While I’m about to hit the ground soon, something caught my eyes. This presence is somewhat…familiar. I know that I’ve seen it somewhere, but before I even have the time to think of anything, my heart stops beating, and in mere moment, all I can feel…is oblivion.

  Or so I thought.

  “Huh…? Where…where am I?”

  I thought that I was…dead. I swear that my body was turned into dust just a while ago. Turns out, I’m still alive. But once again, my head feels really heavy. If I had a nickel every time it ever happened to me, I would have two. It’s not a lot, but the fact that it happened twice is weird. I try to get up while I’m still dizzy. I still haven’t had my full vision back, so all I can do is sit there waiting for myself to recover. As I’m turning my head right, something, more specifically someone, caught my eyes.

  “What the…Who is this?” I whisper to myself.

  I don’t really know how to describe, but…she’s beautiful. Her long red hair, that fine body of her. Everything about her is perfection, pure css. And to top it off, she’s wearing a bck suits with greyish white high heels. It’s a weird thing to say, but I’ve always been a big fan of uniforms and suits, including the show of course. Her appearances can easily overshadow every model on Earth, period. While I’m still circling in my own train of thoughts, our eyes met.

  “Um, hello, Earth calls Master. Do you copy?”

  Huh?

  She’s talking to me, right?

  I mean, there’s just two of us here, but still. Also, who is this “Master” she’s preferring to? Is there anybody else here? Or is this just another dream that I need to get out? Either way, I decide to not response to her, just to see what she’s going to do next.

  “Hey Master, have you snapped back to reality? We don’t have all day and all the mom’s spaghetti in the world you know?”

  How did she know about the mom’s spaghetti thing? Wait a minute, why does she look oddly familiar? That red hair, that presence of her…What I’m about to say may sound crazy, but I really need to get it off my chest right now.

  “Excuse me miss, do you mind if I ask you something?”

  “Sure thing, go ahead.”

  “Do you happen to be…the [Almighty Dragon]?”

  I’m going big or going home with this one. Asking a woman something like that, I’m just the worst, aren’t I? But back to the topic, she doesn’t seem to be too surprised or anything, in fact she seems quite pleased with my question.

  “Well yes, yes I am Master. The one and only “Almighty Dragon” is standing right here Master.”

  I should have been scared by now. No human can react to that information with such calmness and composure, but somehow…I manage to pull it off. Maybe it’s because that I just came back from the dead, or maybe I don’t feel any killing intent from her. I think I should ask her more.

  “Um so… about the “Master” thing you keep saying, may I ask what’s that supposed to mean?”

  “What are you saying Master? Aren’t you the one summoning me just a few moments ago?”

  Me? Is this some kind of joke? I can’t do magic, so how the hell can I even pulled off the “Summoning Magic” in the first pce? I have so many questions, but at least I know that I can get my answers.

  “Wait a minute, how is that even possible, I…”

  “Can’t do magic since you’re [The Heretic], right? Don’t worry Master, you haven’t committed any crime yet. In fact, human has misconceived the whole thing from the beginning, as always.”

  “Misconceived? What is that supposed to mean?” I ask.

  "It means that crimes make it easier for you to do magic, not THE ONLY WAY.”

  I’m shocked. People have unintentionally fed me lies this whole time. I don’t bme them since they themselves didn’t know the truth behind it. But either way, it’s not easy to swallow all of this information. All I can do is sit there and watch her as she continues to expin.

  “Let’s say crime is a gateway. You go pass through that, then you’ll basically have an unlimited potential to perform any magic you want, assuming you have an unlimited amount of mana. But for those who don’t go down that path, they’ll have to find an alternative way. In your case Master, is a near death experience. That’s why you were able to summon me in the first pce.”

  That…is a lot to take in. Nobody had ever told me about this up until now. So is not that I can’t do magic, it's just that I haven’t found the right way to do it. Honestly, I don’t know how to feel. I’m going through so many mixed emotions right now. Should I be happy with this newfound power? Or should I be worried about it? As I try to get myself back in the game, I ask her something.

  “I think I kinda get it. But one more thing. Why did you accept this whole ritual? Didn’t you try to kill me back then?”

  “Interesting question Master. To answer them all, you’re one of the few people I respect and therefore I want to be by your side. That’s it.”

  Should I consider this an honor? I mean, it’s always nice to receive such a praise like that, at the same time, I feel like I haven’t done enough to deserve it. There are still a lot of things that I haven’t accepted yet, but at least for now, I think I should focus on the current situation.

  “Thanks for the compliment, I guess? But as for the “Summoning Magic”, what kind of contract did you accept? I do know one or two thing about this, so I just wanna make things clear.”

  “Oh yeah contract. You’ll be surprised to know that it’s actually 80-20, also known as “Master – Servant” bond.”

  Hearing that, I quickly check my hands to see if there’s any red mark, and luckily for me, there isn’t. But why “Master – Servant” though? Why couldn’t it be “Master – Student” or “Fellowship”? I think that I already have an answer in my mind, so I’ll just leave it there.

  “Well, I guess there’s only one thing left to do: getting out of this pce. There’s nothing that can stop us now, am I right?”

  “Well yes Master. We can just go whenever you want to. The decision is all yours now.”

  “If that’s the case, then let’s go. We still have a lot to discuss, but let’s save it till I get back home, shall we?”

  “At your service Master.” She smiles, while bowing down like a butler. Then she opens a portal back to the real world. We go through it, return to where we belong.

  “Woo! It’s always good to be back!”

  I let out my excitement while I’m stretching my body. I’m back at the alley right now, so I check to see if there’s anything missing. Let’s see, my sword, my backpack, my leftovers…it’s all here. I’m really surprised to see that I still have everything on me. But there’s still something I have to check…

  “So Almighty Dragon-san, how do you feel? I know that it’s been a few hundred years…”

  “Oh no I’m completely fine Master. In fact, I don’t feel out of pce at all.”

  “Wait, how is that even…”

  “I’ve seen your memories Master, besides once I get back here I’ve quickly updated everything I need to know about this time period, so don’t worry too much about me Master.”

  “Huh, that was…fast. Well, as expected from one of the most powerful mythological creatures, you sure know how to pull these types of things off.”

  “Thanks a lot Master. Anyway, it’s kinda te now. Do you want to go home now or is there any pce you need to go to?”

  “I think we should go back home. I really, really need some rest after today. Can you transport us to my house or something?”

  “Sure thing Master, we’ll be there in no time.”

  She then touches my shoulder, and just a few seconds ter the scenery around me slowly morphs into my house. We’re now standing right inside the living room. It’s quite cozy I must say, with a sofa facing a TV with a table in the middle. There used to be a lot more furniture on the wall, but I decide to take off some. I don’t really have an artistic eyes, so I can’t really tell whether that’s a good idea or not.

  "So this is your house Master? I gotta say, it looks decent. So do you live here alone? Because I didn’t see you mention them at all.”

  “Yeah you’re right, my mom and dad passed away when I was five. Ever since then, it’s normally just me, myself and I.” I said while holding the picture of my family that I put on the small table.

  “Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. It must be hard for you to live like this. But did you say “normally”? Is there anyone else?”

  “Oh yeah, Sukeno-sensei adopted me around eight years ago. He became my mentor, tought me cooking skills and ever since then I've been working in his restaurant. He visited me every once in a while. I own him a lot.” I put the photo down as I’m expining to her.

  “You can cook? That’s impressive. I know it’s kinda rude to ask, Master, but…can you show me what you got?”

  “That’s ok. I was pnning to cook something for the two of us anyway. But let me just take a quick shower first. You really gave me one hell of a fight back there.”

  “Ehehe…Don’t say that Master. Being an introvert for a few hundred years can make you lose myself for a bit you know.”

  “I guess you’re right. Well then, just make yourself feels at home while I’m showing. It won’t take long so just rex, will you?”

  “Not a problem, Master. See you in a minute.”

  She then casually takes a seat on the sofa and turns on the TV. She seems to enjoy it a lot. Seeing that, I put on a smile as I’m heading to my bedroom. Honestly, it’s been a long day, and I’m quite exhausted. But there’s still a dy down stair waiting for me, so I better make it quick.

  It’s 9 pm now. A lot of people must feel pretty down at around this time. But in my house, there’s still something that’s up.

  “OK, what to do, what to do…”

  We haven’t had anything for the night, so I decide to cook something. I have some leftover steaks from my shift, so I’m just not going to let it waste. I check my fridge to see if there’s anything I can use. After some considerations, steak fried rice is the chosen one. I chop my steaks into cubes, then prepare the rest of the ingredients.

  “Master, what are making for us tonight?”

  “I think I’ll go for steak fried rice. I don’t have much to work with so that’s the best option for now. It’s quite simple but definitely a powerhouse of fvor. You’re gonna love this, trust me.” I said as I’m cracking my eggs into the bowl.

  “If you said so Master, then I’ll be looking forward to it.”

  Alright then, if my customer wants something, then I shall deliver it. That is my chef way. OK let’s see, steaks had been chopped up, my rice is ready to go, all of my condiments are here, I think I got all I need to make the best dish I can possibly can. So I take out my wok and within a few minutes, I get it all seasoned up. I quickly oiled up my wok, scramble my eggs and put it to the side. Then I put my shallots and garlics in. After cooking it for less than two minutes, I put the eggs back to cook more for around a minute.

  “Wow Master, that smells good.”

  “Thanks. I don’t usually cook this too much, but in times like this, it’s perfect. But now, get ready for the real deal!!”

  “Huh?”

  She’s tilting her head, wondering what I’m talking about. I’m not wasting no time and put my rice and my steaks into the wok. I also hit it with a good amount of soy sauce and sesame oil. After tossing it a few minutes, I season it with salt, pepper and of course MSG. It can’t be an Asian dish without MSG, can it? I stir fry it for a couple more minutes before I’m adding my spring onions in. Usually I would make a fried rice sauce, but I don’t have enough ingredients. Anyway, once it’s done cooking, I serve it up into two bowls. I’m also taking my spoons out from the drawers alongside with two chopsticks. I carefully pce them up nicely in the bowls. I turn around, slowly head to the table where she’s waiting.

  "Here you go. My te-night steaks fried rice. Hope you enjoy.”

  “Thanks a lot Master. Wow, it smells nice. Itadakimasu!”

  She then takes a bite. I don’t know if she’s familiar with Asian cuisine or not, but from the look of her face, she seems to enjoy it a lot.

  “Mmm…It’s delicious! I never knew that something this simple can be this good!”

  “I’m gd you enjoy it. The best thing is, this dish can be even better if I have more stuff in my pantry. But sometimes you gotta have to work with what you have, am I right?”

  “Master, less talking, more eating. You should treat yourself, now!”

  “I don’t really like what you’re referencing, but I guess you’re right. Itadakimasu!”

  I quickly sit down and eat. Oh wow, this tastes really good. The nice and fluffy of rice combine with the eggs and steaks really make this a killer combination. And the crunchiness of spring onions really help round out the fvor. It could use more spices and other ingredients, but overall, I really like this one. And what I like more about is that…I’m eating with her. We literally just fought till the death a few moments ago, and now we’re here sharing this meal together. Not even in the wildest dreams did I ever get to experience this. It's a weird situation, but I don’t hate it. But to make it weirder, I decide to do the unthinkable.

  “Hey Almighty Dragon-san, can I ask you something?”

  “What is it Master?” she replies.

  “What is your real name? I know that [Almighty Dragon] is just a nickname. I don’t know if I should ask this, but it’s bugging me for a while now, and I really wanna know.”

  “Don’t worry Master, I was pnning to tell you after we’re done eating anyways, but since you asked for it, I guess right now is not a bad time to answer.”

  “Oh really? So can you tell me?”

  “Of course Master. But I’m warning you, not many people can handle this, so don’t freak out OK?”

  “I can only hope to try my best…”

  “If you say so Master, then I’ll cut to the chase. You see Master, a very long time ago, I went by the name…[Tiamat].”

  I almost spit out my food after hearing that. Tiamat? That Tiamat? The only and only [Creator Goddess], [Chromatic Dragon] is sitting right in front of me? A normal person will definitely have a mental breakdown if they ever get into this kind of situation. But to be honest, I’m too tired to act like that. But it’s still a surprise nevertheless.

  “Tiamat? You’re HER? Are you kidding me?”

  “I wish all this is just a bad joke Master. But unfortunately it’s not.”

  “But I thought that you have…”

  “Five heads right? Well yes, but actually no. You see, that was my original form, ever since my defeat back in the days, I have to change into this form so that they will no longer target me. But eventually, they still somehow discover the truth and just for a moment, I was…weak. Before I even knew it, everyone was dead. I had to spend the next few hundred years all alone inside my own realm until…you showed up. I don’t really believe in fate, but maybe…this is my chance to redeem myself.”

  I can somehow…understand her pain. Not just because I have seen her memories, but rather because…I’d experienced something simir. To have lost all of your love ones, that’s not something you can just easily get over with. From the look of her eyes, she must have seen this as an opportunity turn things around. Now that I’m her master, I can’t let her down can I?

  “Oh wow, that’s just…I’m sorry for your lost. It must have been a tough time for you.”

  “Oh Master, don’t bother it. The past is the past. I can’t just change it like how I change my appearance. Mmm, the more I eat this, the better it tastes. Seriously, what did you put into this dish?”

  “Love and MSG, I guess? Anyway, you said you lost, but from what I’ve read, they used your whole skeleton to create the Earth we’re living in. How true is that?

  “About half of it Master. You see, they didn’t use my skeleton, but it was in fact a clone of mine. That was my st resort in case they ever tried to kill me. Of course I made that clone to be way weaker than me for a reason, they wouldn’t tell the difference. But human as always decided to take the credit that they never deserved. Also technically Master they didn’t create the Earth, they just used my clone to create things that weren’t there before.”

  I’m beginning to think that we had a lot of issues back then. I mean, can we get much worse than that? I know I can, because right now I’m not just shoving down my dinner, but all of these information also. I feel like the deeper I dive into, the more I can’t handle.

  “I don’t think you can understand them all since there’s a lot to cover, but eventually you’ll, so just rex Master and everything will be fine.” She said while still eating.

  I guess she’s right. I can’t just force myself to get them all at once. As for now, finishing up my dinner is the better choice. We then keep on eating our dishes while she’s asking me some questions, mostly about my daily life and schedule. I don’t know what she’s up to, but hopefully it’s not something bad.

  It’s 10:15 pm now.

  I’m ying on my bed. After dinner, I washed all of the utensils and did some homework. I was going to do some light training but I’m all gassed up, so I just went straight to bed. I might fall asleep anytime soon. And if you’re wondering where Tiamat is…

  “Goodnight Master, have a good sleep.”

  “You too. Just don’t do anything crazy while I’m sleeping OK?”

  “Don’t worry Master, I won't…for now.”

  Pretending to ignore the st part, I close my eyes. She for some reason decides to stay inside my sword to rest. I didn’t know that’s possible, but hey, she’s Tiamat, so those kind of stuffs can’t be too hard to do. Also the whole conversation just a moment ago was done through [Telepathy Magic]. Of course I can’t perform such magic like that, so she had to go a bit further and created the [Telepathic Line] for me. But before I can even get to sleep, there’s still something that has been hovering inside my mind for a while.

  “So [Summoning Magic] is what I can do, huh? I wonder what the future will be like…”

  I thought that I’d never be able to have some type of magical ability, but now I have this, now I have…her. I’m going to need some time to fully get used to this, but if there’s something I know, is that somehow I can pull this off if I try my best. I believe in it, and so does she. With that in mind, I slowly fall asleep, ending probably one of the weirdest days of my entire life.

  (Tiamat’s POV)

  “I see, so this is Master’s sword. Not gonna lie, this is a good one, but I think I can do something more…”

  I’m currently inside my Master’s sword, the same sword that somehow survived all of my attacks without having a scratch on it. This thing is not fooling anyone let me tell you. I should thank whoever gave him the sword, they deserve some more than just a praise. But putting that aside, there’s something I need to do.

  “OK, let’s see, what I should I do with Master? He isn’t strong enough, that’s a fact. He might get himself into way more troubles than fighting me. He definitely needs to be ready to take on anything, but right now…is impossible.”

  My Master is rather a special case. He’s [The Heretic], so that already is a disadvantage for him. We’ll have to go through a lot to know what he can do. My job is not just to protect him, but to assist him, to help him overcome every obstacle. But in order to do that, he needs me, he needs power and most importantly, he needs motivation, which is something I can clearly see in his eyes. There has to be a way to do all of that.

  “He needs a mentor, that’s undeniable. But the question is, how is he going to train, where and when will he be doing all of that. I mean, I have the [Almighty Realm], but how am I supposed to use that…”

  Then something just snapped, something inside me. An idea just come up in my mind, an idea I never knew it’s possible, but the more I think about it, the more it makes sense.

  “Hehehe, so it can be done huh? Very well Master, get yourself ready, for I will deliver something beyond your imagination…”

  I can help but ugh like a maniac, of course I do not let him hear any of it. I hop back into [Almighty Realm], preparing everything for my pn…

  “Gargh…!”

  “Urgh…!”

  On the second inside a mysterious warehouse, two guys are whimpering in pain. You can see cuts, sshes and bruises all on their bodies. Their clothes are torn apart, so for now they’re all half-naked. They can’t even say a thing, let alone fight back or do anything else. These two are in fact the same guys who trapped Yasutaira Waka inside the [Almighty Realm]. They’re now getting beat up from their boss for not doing their jobs probably.

  “What’s wrong, idiots? Do you have anything to say?”

  “…”

  “Exactly. Dogs should obey their master, no biting back, no arguing, no nothing, just listen and do whatever the boss want. You sckers unfortunately can’t even do the simplest things I told you and now, you…shall…pay.”

  He then takes out his knifes from his pocket and stabs their legs. They can’t even scream in pain, just lying there taking the beating. Their whole bodies are shaking in fear, they’re all sweating like hell, but there’s simply nothing they can do. Their legs starting bleeding non-stop, to the point that they can’t even move a muscle.

  “Oh what’s that, did you suckers say anything? SPEAK LOUDER!!!”

  He then gives each of them a cp to the face. You can definitely see the veins on his face, that’s a sign of not holding himself any longer. It’s like he’s about to chop them in pieces anytime. But he has…other pn.

  “Now stay there and rot! You two suckers DO NOT deserve a proper burial!!”

  Looking as pissed as ever, he goes outside to catch a break while also doing something else. After a few minutes, he takes out his cellphone, calling someone.

  “Hey boss, this is [Poison Killer]. Can I have moment with you?”

  “Of course, what is it?”

  “You see, my subordinates, specifically Frank Luv and Jay Robinson, they now are all useless to our organization. I know this is a bold statement…but, I would want you to provide me a new and better team than them. I promise to bring to victory to you.”

  “Taking out the trash I see. Very well, you’ve earned my permission. [Squad 12] will be on their way tomorrow. As for the dead bodies, the [Shinigami Squad] will handle them for you. Rest well and you’ll get what you want.”

  “Thank you so much boss. I won’t disappoint you. Glory to [Rising Phoenix]!”

  He hangs up his phone. After the conversation, he seems to cool down a lot. He won’t have to deal with the corpses inside, which is a relief to him. So for now, all he has to do is map out a pn, a strategy to get the job done, or so he thought…

  “This is Kariuda speaking. Can you hear me clearly?”

  “Yes Kariuda-chan, no problem here. Where are you right now?”

  “Right now I’m inside some kind of traditional warehouse. Intel told me this location is associated with the [Rising Phoenix] organization.”

  “[Rising Phoenix] huh…This is bad, really bad. Did you have any trouble infiltrate that pce?”

  “There’s no security which is very odd for them, so I didn't have much trouble getting inside.”

  “Good, so tell me what’s happening inside?”

  “The two guys that I’ve followed up until now just got beat up by their boss, and they’re now all lying down on the floor.”

  “Can you check to see if they’re still alive?”

  “Surprisingly yes, their boss just went outside and he didn’t seem to return any time soon.”

  “Good. But just in case things go south, just do it quick, understand?”

  “Copy that Kiriwatari-sensei.”

  Kariuda then quickly heads to the bodies. She has been hiding in the dark since the beginning, and no one even noticed her. She jumps down, perfectly nds on the ground and gets closer to the body. When she’s finally there, she lies down to check their heartbeats and breaths. The moment she hears something, she quickly get into contact with Kiriwatari-sensei.

  "Kiriwatari-sensei here. How are they doing?”

  “They’re not dead, but they don't have much time left on the clock.”

  “Understand. Listen carefully, get them out of there as soon as possible. I’ll transport you back to the Academy to heal them. Do not tip off their boss by any means.”

  "Got it. I’ll be right there in no time.”

  Getting order from Kiriwatari-sensei, Kariuda quickly grabs the two guys and carries them out of the building. That’s around 150 kilograms she’s holding, yet she does it as easy as taking a candy from a kid’s hand. She jumps to the window that she prepared beforehand and in just a few minutes, there’s no one left in the warehouse, leaving their former boss outside waiting for the death that will never happen…

  It’s 11 pm.

  Not many pces are active around this time, especially schools and academies. But for Kiriwatari Academy, the light is still on, at least inside the medical center.

  “How are those two, Kariuda-chan?”

  “Doctor said had we got here two minutes te, they would have not made it. But for now, they’re fine. She also said that we can talk to them tomorrow if we want. They need some rest.”

  “It’s good to hear that. I know I could count on you for this type of mission.”

  “I was just doing my job sensei, no need to thank me like that.”

  The student – head principal duo are outside the academy’s medical center. For Kariuda, she doesn’t know the reason behind saving the two guys they brought here, but she has this feeling that she might figure it out soon, so she asks.

  “So what is exactly are you going to do with them once they wake up? I mean they’re still members, or should I say former members, of [Rising Phoenix], maybe you’ll make them spill out some information?”

  “Not necessary. You see, they have no other pce to go but under my protection, so their only choice is to happily cooperate with me. But your instinct is right, I am going to make them talk.”

  “As expected from sensei, always thinks a step ahead of everyone. But anyway, since you’re here, I’d like to report to you about what I’ve found.”

  “Go ahead.”

  “So firstly, about their boss, he goes by the nickname [Poison Killer]. From what I’ve gathered, he’s from my css. As the nickname implied, he’s mastered the art of [Poison Magic]. This is all the data I could gather. I don’t have much time so for now this is all we have.”

  “Thanks Kariuda-chan. Don’t worry, this is enough for me to work with. Good job.”

  Kariuda then gives all the files she’s holding to Kiriwatari-sensei. She takes it, takes a quick look at some of the files and then happily smiles. Looking at some of them is enough for her to form a pn inside of her mind. Of course there’s going to be errors like this mission, but she knows how to handle it. And for now…

  “Take some rest Kariuda-chan. We will discuss this at my office tomorrow.”

  “Yes sensei, see you tomorrow.”

  “Good night Kariuda-chan. Always remember to keep your head high for me OK?”

  When there’s nothing left to say, they split up, waiting for a whole new chapter that will forever change the world they’re living in.