Herbert exited the shower in the new clothes that he had received. Even though it had looked very thick, it was surprisingly comfortable, with a cooling effect that circulated throughout his body. They even provided him with sandals. 

He was wearing the same red uniform that was on the children, except that it was a more vibrant red. There was a water bottle inside his pocket, which he could refill, since there were water coolers everywhere. 

As Herbert stepped back into the bedroom, he saw that everyone had already returned to the state that they were previously in. He took care to not disturb them this time, and discreetly slipped out of the residence. 

Johnathan was still waiting there, but he had evidently gone halfway through the book in just some minutes, which made Herbert raise an eyebrow. No normal human could read that fast. 

"You're done? Good, we will now proceed to the main hall then." Johnathan closed his book, and turned back to where they had came from. 

Herbert continued to follow him, as Johnathan tried to make some small talk. "Did you know that the main hall is actually quite close to the containment chambers? The Hong Kong's division leader always stays there, so she could counter the monsters if they try to leave." 

"Really? That's interesting. Can you give me more details about the division leader?" Seeing that Herbert's attention was finally piqued, Johnathan went onto a rant praising the division leader, letting Herbert understand more about her. 

Her name was something unreadable, as she was one of the original founders of the Illuminati Collective. The Illuminati was founded by a group of aliens who arrived on Earth, so they could tap into powers far greater than humans. 

She was very powerful, and possessed strength that was beyond the imagination of the human mind. So far, she had suppressed all sorts of monsters easily, with just one finger. Herbert understood the raw power of the monsters, so he was very impressed. 

"She sounds strong, but more importantly, how did they come to Earth? Was it through a portal? A spaceship?" Herbert thought that if they had the technology to come to Earth, there would also be technology to get off Earth too. 

"Well, they got here through a badge... Wait, you're not supposed to know this yet!" Johnathan absentmindedly revealed this information to Herbert, before he quickly punched Herbert in the face. Herbert fell to the ground, as he was assaulted by a volley of punches. 

"Gah! What was that for?" Herbert touched his lips. There was some blood that was flowing. Jonathan's punches were heavy-handed. 

"There are some things you shouldn't ask about. You better keep quiet about this, or else I will come back to silence you." Johnathan threatened. He sounded like he would really kill Herbert if given the chance to do so. 

Johnathan placed great importance on this piece of information, judging by how he had reacted to Herbert when he had accidentally revealed it. 

Maybe this has to do with the apocalypse? Herbert was starting to get curious about the founders. He needed to get them to trust him and rise through the ranks to get more information about them though. 

Still, Herbert felt that the attack had not been justified. All the punches had been very painful for him, since Johnathan had some kind of enhanced strength. It was clear that the kind side of Johnathan before was just an act, as he seemed more at ease and natural while staying at this violent state. 

"Good. That's better. Now, let's meet our division leader, shall we?" Johnathan wore his mask of kindness again, offering to lift Herbert up. Herbert simply pushed himself up using both his arms, silently rejecting Johnathan. 

Johnathan only smirked, as he started moving swiftly. This time, he did not purposely slow down for Herbert, instead speeding towards the main hall. Herbert could only run and struggle to follow Johnathan. 

Luckily, the main hall was not that far away, and he soon arrived at a huge doorway, with a plaque attached at the top of it. Even though there were metal doors, both of them were pushed aside, and Herbert could see the entirety of the main hall. 

It was completely covered in metal, from the walls to the floor itself. There were slight indentations made in the floor for anti-slip purposes. It was on theme with this place's aesthetic, which was basically replacing almost every part of a building with metal. 

There was a stage, where a certain person was struggling mid-air. Johnathan grasped at his throat, but when he saw Herbert, he dropped like a sack on the ground. 

"Crack!" Johnathan groaned, as he slowly got up to his feet. His pain tolerance looked to be relatively high, as he did not let out loud screams or shouts. Instead, he still had the willpower left to stare daggers at Herbert, even though he did not dare to make a move on him. 

"Jonathan Jarvis. That's enough. Continue damaging the delicate asset and you will land into further trouble." A haughty voice commanded Johnathan to stand down. A blue skinned person appeared, with long flowing blonde hair and a slim figure. 

Johnathan's gaze immediately softened, as he replied, "Yes, mistress." He then drowsily headed towards the entrance, walking out and closing the entrance behind him. Only Herbert and the blue skinned woman were left. 

"You don't need to know about me. You just need to informed about your task two days from now." The woman was probably the division leader that Johnathan was gushing about earlier. She was indeed a beauty for an alien, but Herbert could easily guess that this was not her true form, considering the powers she possessed. 

"Your task is to retrieve the Rank 4 official, Black Tower, from the Lost City in Mexico. There will be high levelled mutants there, but you will be only dealing with the low level mutants, so you should be fine. Just in case, we will give you some training and tools." 

"Wait, wait, wait! Are you seriously sending me to a monster infested place with just two days of training and some 'tools'?" Herbert felt that he was mind blown by the stupidity that was coming from this idea. It was practically a suicide mission! 

"Look, it would be your orientation mission. Do you want to be a dog for the rest of your life?" The division leader looked at him with disdain. Herbert still stared at her with a look of disbelief. 

"Ok, fine! I will be the one teaching you myself, got it? We're pulling out all the stops for you. You better bloody succeed, or I will cripple you and make you into a sentient vegetable!" The division leader was agitated by Herbert's expression. Herbert started to smile. 

Herbert had already guessed that this Black Tower person must be very important, since even the division leader was the one teaching him. He could not control his fate for now, so he could only try to get stronger and understand the powers behind the apocalypse.

“It’s the end of the human era.” 

The start of 2020 brought many changes. For one, a man announced a statement to the whole world. The other less noticeable event was the various disasters ripping throughout the world. 

Also, organisations that only appeared in conspiracy theories seized control of the remnants of human civilisation, as they possessed secret energies unknown to most people. Not only that, alien humanoids from space attacked, bringing with them their most destructive weapons. 

Omnipotent beings beyond comprehension called the disasters happening, “Universe Collision”. Different people were starting to be mutated, afflicted with horrible diseases, or had gained a new lease of life. 

A man had looked to the sky during the end of the world. His hope had come true.

(Slap me with 20 spirit stones each time to awaken a chapter)

After tricking the little sweet Chuantong, she became like a model child of obedience and cooperation to her Master Aya. 


…. 


Aya have been walking through the strange and dangerous forest on Earth. Yes. She's still on Mother Earth, but this, and the other place where supernatural and celestial beings live were either concealed or camouflaged from the mortals, and any normal beings. 

And it so happens that the one mostly in-charge of the human beings were the Shinigamis; the beings she must avoid at all cost. 

So poor Aya can only temporarily hunt to possess on the beasts of this strange and dangerous forest. 
 
And she had lost count of the time she was floating towards the nearest fire or yang elemental beast that Chuantong found through her scanning and mapping of the place. She'd probably floated for around 10 miles since Chuantong pinpointed the location. 

Along the way she've seen countless herbs and fruits that could help her cultivation but since she had no mortal body she can only cast them longing glances. 'Ones I've succeeded possessing a body I'll go back here to pick this!' 

She had asked Chuantong earlier if she eat those fruits while possessing some other beings body if it will benefit her, but was instantly rejected because that will only benefit that being not her.  

So, why would she still go back and pick them? Because Chuantong revealed that she can store it in her partially open mind space. 

Although a mind space can't be used as a storage or spatial items but her mind space is one of the rarest mind space that it can automatically absorbs, purify and store any energy and qi. But since her mind space was only partially open it can't automatically absorbs but she had to feed it instead. And since that was the case then, she'd still be able to benefit even in its 'partially open' state. So basically it's a win-win for her. 

[Chuantong have you marked those herbs and fruit we have to pick up later?] 

[Yes, Master.] 


…   


[Chuantong you said they would be here but you didn't say they were dead. How can I possess a dead body? According to the Darkness Devourer Art, they must be alive before possession can begin.]

[Master, there are beast fighting a far away a bit from here. They must have surrounded and attacked.] 

Aya frowningly, check the two bodies in front of her. 

'Hmm? They're still alive. But this big one won't last long. Her vitals were viciously attacked. But this three little one. Seems to be newborn beasts but why don't they look to be the same type of beast? Or is it just their characteristics as a newborn?'  

[Chuantong what's the situation over those fighting beasts? How many spices are there? How many are still alive? Any chance they'll come here soon?] 

[Reporting to Master… Currently they're still in a vicious fight. Around 32 are still alive but half are heavily wounded while the other half were either slightly injured or near death. They wouldn't be coming for awhile. The victory can't be decided yet. As for their species... There are only two species there fire elemental beast - Flame Tiger and water elemental beast Black-spotted Leaf Tortoise.] 

[Just two? Are they related to this three little beasts here?] 

[No, Master. But this dying beast must be the mother of that little fire ball. She's an Illuminati beast. A royal among beast. I also found two dying royal beast nearby must be the mother of other two little balls. The one who looks-like a fur ball must the child of the Frost-Yin Maboroshi, and the last one must be the Heaven Devouring Nine-Headed Spirit Snake.]  

[I see.] Aya looked seriously at the three newborn beasts and then to one of the dying mother next to the three. 

[What do you want to do Master?] 

[Help me... Restrain the mother Illuminati. I will possess her and find out what happened while I'm at it.] 

[Yes, Master.] After saying that an invincible aura surrounds the unconscious mother Yang Illuminati beast. Then, Aya could be seen chanting and muttering mantras of the Darkness Devourer while her fingers continuously move into different signs and form in accordance to the chants and the muttered mantras. 

Slowly, from the space between her brows there was little black light flickering, while,  all the tips of her fingers have different colorful lights that was mixing one finger tip to another until a small vortex was formed. 

The Yang Illuminati Beast felt the threat but couldn't see nor move. And before she can make a sound she was enveloped by the small black vortex. 

When the Yang Illuminati Beast was fully enveloped by the small black vortex, Aya took nine careful steps before bowing twice to the body inside as a sign of her respect to the beast, and in a way an apology too. 

After that, she steps inside the black vortex and begin possessing the body of the mother Yang Illuminati Beast.  


…. 


Inside the black vortex… 

Aya can the soul of the dying beast. 

"Human, I don't feel killing intent from you but humans can't be trusted either. What do you want from this Princess?" 

Aya smiled politely while confidently looking straight at the eyes of the beast. 

"Yes, you're right. Humans can't be trusted or I wouldn't be standing right in front of you now. As you can see I don't have a mortal body so I'm left with only one option, and that is to possess your body and absorbs essence and qi from you." 

"Preposterous! You, a human dares to covet this Princess's essence and qi?! You're looking for death!" As the Yang Illuminati Beast was struggling wildly, it suddenly felt chains binding its body to the space of the vortex. 

"Looking for death? Of coarse not, I wouldn't be working hard trying to possess your body if I want to die. Besides, I don't understand why are still struggling? Aren't you aware of your body's original state? Or did you make yourself believe that you miraculously got healed?"  

When Aya saw what she wants from the beast's expression and whimpering, she decided not to make it too hard for the beast. 

"Yang Illuminati, you're body won't last long. You'll die soon. But will happen to those little ones outside. The ones that have attacked you are still fighting amongst each other. Once they're a certain victory, then, what will happen to those little ones? I'm afraid…" 

Then she continuously sighed for further effect before continuing, "Yang Illuminati, how much essence and qi can I still gain from you after possessing your body? Actually, not much. But if you willingly offer your body and all it has to me now I can vow to you that I'll protect those three and not let any harm come to them."

Aya saw the best hesitation so she added, "You see… you're not the only one who's not sure of the others intentions, and I could be faced with great peril if you have any hesitations and resistance. So, we can make a vow from our souls to the Heavens… as a sign of our sincerity. What do you think?" 

This one of the information that she received. If negotiating with other powerful beings and both side don't trust each other, they can use the Soul-Heaven Vow.

She was baiting the beast, waiting for the beast to bite the she looked calm but deep inside she's worried. According to Chuantong, the Yang Illuminati Beast is an Earth Rank 9 Peak Stage, just a half a step away to Heaven Rank, so normally she can't even come near one or she would be obliterated, but who tells them to appear before in this state? Of course, Aya would take advantage of it. 

About her vowing from her soul to the heaven? She'll definitely do it. This is a heaven's sent gift to her. Who wouldn't want a divine beast as companions. And there's three of them too! 

The Yang Illuminati Beast agreed they simultaneously made their vows. At end of their vow a small mark appeared on their soul. It was cute Yang Illuminati Beast curled up into a ball while purple mist was above it, sometimes it would fall and like curtain covering or shielding the beast inside.  

When the Yang Illuminati Beast saw completed mark, she peacefully close her eyes and let Aya take over. 

After taking over the body she used the Darkness Devourer Art to completely devour the beast's essences and qi and let some of it knocked over her mind space. She did it in cycle. And when she just finished the ninth cycle, there was an added space. It was like an eyelid lifting up a little. 

[Chuantong how many percent was that?] She excitedly asks. 

[Master, it's 0.1% increase.] 

[Ah… So little?] Aya can't help but be disappointed. 

[Master, you need add more essence and qi to your attack. An Earth Rank 9 Peak Stage even at death's door can help you fully open your mind space and even upgrade, while, Evolving you're Darkness Devourer Art to the next Rank. Add 20x more essence and qi in the next cycle. It will be painful for Master but I'll be the fastest way. Actually, if Master can handle it, Chuantong recommends 30x because when too much time passed the essence and qi will automatically disperse and merge with the nature around this piece of world.] 

Aya felt something familiar in her, something so long ago… 

'What is this feeling? ah… Yes. I remember this is what I felt whenever I joined a competition and I really wanted to win and whenever there are challenging things that I've to finished within a limited time. This is my competitive spirit. I never I still have it within me.' 

With a look of determination, alertness and the burning flame within her heart, she she look up and around the black vortex and with a bright and genuine smile that hadn't for so long she whispered to both the Yang Illuminati Beast and Chuantong, 
"Thank you, I'll do my best!"  
[Thank you, I'll do my best!]  

And with that she began a torturous cycle of absorbing 40x of the essence and knocking it over the mind space and circulating it all around her body, passing and knocking over every close meridians, apertures and dantian. She's being ambitious by wanting to open as many and as hard as she can.  

Every knock feels like humongous deadly weapons drilling through every part of her 'body' and weighing and trying to tear apart her soul. Aya felt that she was being shackled and drilled over and over again. She can countless of fetters that she can't help feeling her 'body' became Ipsy heavy, and she felt like she was suffocating! 

'Ugh! It hurst! But this not my end! I refused to fail! I can't stop here! I will do it! I can do it!' 


"Aaaaahhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Reverend Empress - The Legacy Path of The Supreme Ruler  


           There was prophecy in ancient times that a descendant of a God and an Immortal will be born as a mortal with twin-tailed fate in a mortal-ranked world. It was said that he or she will bring either peace or chaos in the God’s and Immortal Realm. Storms of fire and ice. Whirls of water and wind. Stumps of earth with intertwined woods and metal ores spike through space and time. Light and darkness shall converged into his/ her ‘Divine Will’. Who it will be? No one knows. But the one who could tie their fate with him/her is destined rule over all beings along with him or her. 

          When the Gods and Immortals first heard of the prophecy there was a pandemonium of utter chaos because the Chief Oracle died right after she finished her words. Thus, no one knows when or when ‘the one’ prophecies as ‘the supreme ruler’ will appear.  

         Many had waited but many millions of years had passed since then, and the prophecy of ‘the supreme ruler’ was soon forgotten by many. Only those ancient and traditional houses were still keeping an eye out but will they find him/her?

Josh Mavric, just an ordinary guy, had an accident that one day changed the course of his own life. First, he was just an ordinary agent at his job until his friends betray him. Now he has the ability to talk to souls and has many ancient souls within him as well so with all this with him, he battles his everyday enemies, specially the dark shadows of the world today.

Causation is impossible to determine in history. No one knows who caused the flesh-eating parasite outbreak in 2043, claiming thousands of lives. Some blamed it on the all-female eco-terrorist group 'Gaia', some the Illuminati (LGBTQI chapter). In the chain of events that led to the world as it is today, causation is tough. But, most people worth asking would tell you that the first domino fell in 2048 in Melbourne, Australia. As we all know by now, it was the first city to run the Open-Book beta test run. The sample was geriatric patients who had limited or no mobility left and was itching to communicate with others in a revolutionary way. The pitch was unbelievable; synaptic communication through brain wave transmitters embedded inside the skull. Although banned today, due to reasons I don't think I should repeat right now, or want to, at the time this was seen as an innovation with limitless potential. The Australian psychological association thought it could solve the loneliness crisis brought on by external smart devices of the early millennium.  

Subject 13, who had cerebral palsy (the cure was still 3 years away) used it better than every other patient combined. He found that by peering into the mind of his fellow participants he could glean information about human psychology on a much more sophisticated level than just speaking to them. Of course, this was not what the researchers had intended. He was not allowed to peer into their brains, only to understand basic emotions felt during the virtual simulations shown to them. But through a glitch in the early software, and partly his own genetic affinity, he was able to do so much more. Reading their minds; maybe read is the wrong word, more akin to eating and subsuming. If this happened today, the government would capture this person, lobotomize them and transplant their organs to more fitting individuals. But he got away with it, he told me as much the night before his flight.

The second domino fell three years later, in 2051 when Dr. Nobu Takanawa would posthumously win the Nobel prize for his part in curing cerebral palsy. His wife, a senator of the former united states of America, was killed in the flesh-eating parasite outbreak of 2043. 6 months later, overcome with great sadness, Nobu would overdose on a specialized cocktail of heroin, scorpion venom, and hookers. His work on cerebral palsy would be abandoned and go untouched for half a decade until a Ph.D. student interested in his research would dig up his work for her thesis. Subsequently, her paper became the central focus in the field and inspired a new wave of experimental studies that would culminate in the cure in 2050. Subject 13, or Om Kapoor as the world knew him was one of the first to be cured fully, he was 65. He described the moment of his newly returned freedom to me as the best day of his life "I was overjoyed, I could run and jump, and fuck again" he exclaimed to me as he ate his favorite meal; meat pie. Yes, real meat pie, not clean meat. How he had them procure it I don't know, I was almost thrown when I asked the question. 

The third domino fell 6 months after that when Om decided to attempt suicide and failed, "I was so high that I missed my arteries and almost cut my thumb off at the bone" he said chuckling. But, seeing my dismay he laughed raucously, slapped his thighs and started wagging his left thumb before me "don't you worry! They put it right back on, good as new" he said as he picked the knife back up and continued eating. Everyone knows why he tried to commit suicide, so I won't dwell on it for too long. Om said he felt useless, at 65 with a body destroyed by years of degeneration he felt his best years were stolen from him. A former athlete in the now-defunct sport of 'baseball' (which had long lost its popularity at the time of his cure) he said that he couldn't "hit a home run", whatever that meant.

The third domino fell and hit the next. Open-Book had successfully gone through beta-testing in several countries, lauded as a treatment for mental illnesses, especially depression. Google was intrigued by this technology and started investing in it. As a test feature, they integrated the software's emotional sharing capacities with their internet-enabled lucid dream hardware. The effects of this technology were enormous, people started to understand each other's emotions fully, couple's therapists went out of business, and therapists in general pivoted towards criminal pathology; most switched to sex crimes. Youdream was the main hub of the empathy culture. Om who was familiar with the technology due to the beta-test, caught on to it before many others and became a Star, unlike the world, had ever seen, and more controversial too. 

He started live-streaming his dark thoughts, his absolute despair, his illness, his cure, his dense ball of failures and successes jumbled into one. He was the highest streamed emotion on the planet. Were you feeling unmotivated before an important exam? You streamed Om, his regret would seep into you, motivating you to never feel such regret in your actual life. One hour of Om's feeling could break you from procrastination and change your life forever. It could change the most lackadaisical employee into an overnight workaholic. Nobody wanted to feel that useless. 

Christina Diaz, a candidate running for the president of the still intact "united states of America" caught a live stream of his emotions and was moved to tears. She reached out to him, eager to help him and people like him. In the private meeting he had with her, no one has ever reported what was said, om himself said to me, "I don't really remember, I was really drunk and I thought she was going to give me a handy". After this meeting, she wrote the essay that would change the world as we know it. "The purpose of work". Om was 130 years old the night I interviewed him when I asked him about his impact on the cultural and literal landscape, he looked up at the ceiling and said: "I don't understand the question". 

The dominoes fell one after another, the essay was picked up by all national media outlets, but more importantly, you dreamers streamed their emotions reading the essay and it resonated with huge swathes of voters. It became the focal point of all political discussions going forward. When Christina became president, she based all her policies on that essay, and the country let her. Here is an excerpt from the document "every sentient, intelligent being, has the right to prove their worth, as long as they strive to work, their worth is infinite". At first, this famous phrase was interpreted metaphorically, referring to the struggle of finding one's place in society as the main motivator of work, a motivation that should be stoked as Om had shown trying to take his own life because he couldn't work anymore. But then, slowly, it was changed, shifted into meaning that everyone's worth was equal to their work. Instead of having infinite value when striving to be useful, people had no value if they did not work. 

One of capitalism's greatest strengths was that it placated people's worst tendencies: greed, egoism, materialism. It's rapid rise and dominance was clearly due to these qualities. But in this new era, capitalism's biggest advantage turned out to be that it kept evolving, just like the common cold, capitalism changed itself at the molecular level. Instead of touting the fact that people could chase dreams of success (more like a fantasy). Capitalism was now redefined as the ability for people to fulfill one type of dream, the dream of being useful. It was not until years later did people make the connections between the capitalism of old, and its younger, more obtuse cousin. 
Causation is impossible to determine, but we can draw logical conclusions to the best of our knowledge. To the best of mine, Om Kapoor was the reason we have a society that values work above people. Although you probably already knew that. I think it's important for all the missing details to be out there too. The brainwashing of billions is not something that should be celebrated the world over. I would love to blame him but it wasn't his fault. He is an idiot. I know, these words could get me killed, actually, if I was to publish this, whatever it is, it will most definitely get me thrown. More on that later.

A story about how the world changed after revolutionary technology affected the brains of billions

C. Seamus Hermoso

One seemingly innocent Sunday morning, Carlos Decascos hummed his way to James Florentin's flat. Three blocks was a good enough exercise for Carlos. At least, three blocks away were what he remembered. He has only been at James' once or twice, to think that they have known each other for four years now, and have been competitive classmates occasionally in some subjects. Come to think of it, Carlos didn't know anyone who was James' friend. In Carlos' point of view, James wasn't the type who had the typical set of friends. Not that he was a nerd, but that he was, in many ways, different.

While the rest of the university the two were studying in up until a month ago was out partying with who-knows-what and god-knows-where, James took his interest in human behavior a million steps ahead. He joined organizations like Order of the Black Ram, a satanic pseudo-religion, Circle of Wicca, a pagan group studying ancient and modern witchcraft, and the Elus-Cohens Architects of the Universe, a branch of the Freemasons. Having been brought up in a rural town, Carlos never imagined the capabilities of esoteric societies in real life up until he was paired with James during an Anthropology field activity and they started talking. Carlos' eyes were opened to extreme possibilities with James' interesting ideas on almost everything.


And now, here he was, skipping to James' place so giddily his vitality was starting to tick himself off. As he skipped past two white-haired men that stared at him like he had the number 666 tattooed on his forehead, he decided to resume his casual walking and wondered once more why James invited him over out of the blue. 


"Please come over, now. I have to tell you something." James had said softly, as if gasping, in the most hurried and discreet manner. If only I had something better to do, Carlos thought to himself as he pressed the doorbell to James'. However, being a fresh Political Science graduate without any concrete plan whatsoever entitled him enough hours of boredom a week, so seeing James would already be a breath of invigorating air.

Carlos has lost track of the time he has been standing outside the blue front door. Having rang the doorbell over nine times already, he was about to give up when he noticed that the door wasn't shut tight. Nonchalantly, he gave it a mild push to reveal the messiest room he has ever seen, to think he used to live in a frat-house.


Household furnishings were upturned and strewn across the room like pieces of clothing on a teen's. As he shakily tried to make his way about the place, he caught something at the corner of his eye, something as velvet red as an old woman's lipstick. He walked closer to investigate; and as he was able to make out the figure slumped beside James' bed, he began to wish he hadn't. The eclectic outfit the body had on seemed like it was something James would wear, but other than that, Carlos would never have known. James' face, if it was James, was not there. It was scraped off, painstakingly peeled from the skin.

Before Carlos could react or move, he heard loud thumps from behind him. It was bound to be the last thumping sounds he would hear in a long while, as everything suddenly turned black for Carlos.

A bright white fluorescent light was the first thing I saw as my eyelids parted. Instinctively, I squinted, and turned my head to the left, where I faced this blank wall. 

Where am I? I racked my brains for whatever it was that I could possibly have been doing last, or anything to remember for that matter. My name, at least that would get me started. Carlos Decascos. I breathed a sigh of relief. For a brief moment there I was stricken with panic that I might not even recall that.

I turned to the other side and saw only a few things in this claustrophobic space I wouldn't call a room: the bed I am lying down on, a white urinal, a white sink, and an empty wooden table and chair. I have never seen so much white in my life, but it's not as if I am sure of much as of this instance. It dawned on me slowly, me entering this disordered apartment and the blur of things I saw after such. Now, when was that again? And more importantly, when is now? 

I found myself struggling to move into a sitting position, and my jaw drops as I realize I am wrapped in a straightjacket. Amazing to think how I have gone from seeing straightjackets on TV, directly to wearing one. Although in due time, I learned that there were endless surprises for me to encounter in this windowless, barren area.


"I really, really have to leave. I'll give you my part tomorrow." James declared, closing his bound notebook, revealing a logo with a face on the cover.


Carlos glared at the notebook's cover. "Eww. Whose' face is that? How could you carry that around?"
Lifting his bag off the floor and stuffing his notebook in it, James grunted. "It's my Elus-Cohens binder. We believe that the face is a symbol of identity. Something we value in this oppressive, materialistic world. Your own choice, your own rules."

"Okay, I know you don't like the Church, but don't get all preach-y on me. Come on dude. We have to do more research. Why do you have to leave so soon anyway?" Carlos asked as he turned to James, who was on the table with him. "You have a date or something?"

"Or something. My rank in the Elus-Cohens will be promoted tonight. I'm going to be a Magus," James proudly announced. He stood up right after he gathered his things and nodded.
Carlos raised an eyebrow. "What's with that anyway? It's not like you will get known worldwide for that."

It was a remark that made James stop dead on his tracks. "Huh. That's what you think. With that, I can have access to the ancient archives, conduct meetings and select my disciples, and personally have an appointment with the Grand Master."

"Okay. Stop now. It's something I'd rather not know." Carlos muttered, raising a hand to his face. "You go now be with your cult people, my lord."

James smiled. "First and foremost, we aren't just a cult. Secondly, you better not let anyone from Elus-Cohens hear you, Carlos my boy. They could make you cease to exist anytime they want to." With that, he waved and started walking away.


Is that it? Have I ceased to exist? I made a face, which seemed pointless since no one was there with me. I only see two people everyday, the one who brings me my meals, and the one looking more on the doctor side, checking up on me every so often. Although, everyday is too harsh a word since my time and date orientations are completely confused. 

They were always both in white; and we hardly say anything to each other. The first time the doctor-ish person talked to me, I kept on nagging him on the specifics of my situation and I all I got was a, "By next week you will be allowed to join the others for an hour a day." Ever since, being the arrogant person that I am, I didn't say much anymore.

Years seemed to have passed when a new person entered my room. He had a huge built and looked every bit a Colombian drug lord. I was about to hide under the bed as he was leaning over to me, until I realized he was trying to take off my straightjacket. 

"I don't need that straightjacket you know. I am perfectly fine." I stretched my arms until they hurt, and that felt very rejuvenating.

Drug lord man here held me by the arm and assisted me out of the door like I couldn't do it myself. "I'll bring you back here when your time is up. You have an hour."

Like I didn't know that.

The room he brought me in was very much bigger than mine; and there were people, all men, about twenty of them. Oh yes, how I have missed people. 
I immediately picked someone I could talk to the minute he left me. However, as I was making my way to him, a man with curly hair reached me first. "You're the latest one here right? What did you do?"

Shaking my head no, I went on with my way to this more credible looking fellow, whom for some reason could perhaps enlighten me. 
"Don't bother!" the curly-haired man insisted. "He doesn't speak. Not after he was tortured. He was the editor of the Daily Times, that's why he might seem familiar to you."

I turned to face him. "What did he do?"
"No one knows what people went through around here. You, what did you do?"
"I have no idea. I just woke up here." It was such a pity this was the only answer I have come up with, having been asking myself the question since I got here.

He snorted, "We all woke up here. No one even knows where here is. I was a homeless man. I chanced upon this warehouse one night, where a lot of people were gathered, chanting incantations. Next thing I know... here. So I ---"

My ears turned deaf when I saw a woman from the corner of my eye. As I turned to look, I was highly shocked to see it was not just any other woman. She was my long-time crush, Leann Fugazi, our history professor. "Ma'am Fugazi! Ma'am Fugazi!" I called out.

She turned to face me, only to continue walking and not give me any light of day whatsoever. While she walked down the hallway, I ran after her, or tried to until two big wardens held me back as I got dangerously close. How strange it was to see a familiar face amidst all these, and how awful it was to be ignored by her.
The two guards pinned me down on this couch and they both sat, sandwiching me in between them. That was how I spent the rest of my free hour.


"Ma'am Fugazi!" Carlos dashed out of the classroom the minute Leann Fugazi walked out and tried to catch up with her. "Maybe you need help with your things."
Leann raised the only book, a thick one, she was holding in her right hand. "This? You want to carry this? I think I can carry it myself. Thank you."

Carlos turned a few shades redder and just smiled as Leann walked away. He was about to turn around when he saw someone approach Leann near the door of the faculty lounge. The two quickly scurried over to a corner and seemed to converse intimately. As he began to make out the features of the man Leann was with, Carlos' eyes widened.

"So James, you making moves on my Fugazi?" Carlos accused James gleefully as they bumped into each other later that day.

James's face wrinkled up. "Huh? You saw that? It's not what you think."
Carlos looked at James straight in the eye. "You know I like her, don't you?"
"I told you. It wasn't like that. You wouldn't know," James started to go on his way and stopped. "Before I forget, we got an A on our Anthro paper."
"Just because you're a Magnum, or a Magoose, or well, whatever you are in that cult of yours doesn't mean you could just change the topic." Carlos shot back, with a smile.
James's face fell. It seemed as if he just froze. "Don't you mention that. Please, Carlos. Please forget about that."

With that, James hurried away into the throng of students and all Carlos could do was look on, puzzled.


I rested my head on my bed and watched the figures play around the formerly unmarked wall next to me. It was a hobby I have acquired. After all, what more could one do in such a desolate room? I have been free of my straightjacket for some time now, yet I realized that with nothing in this place, I might as well wear it again. Everyday, I seem to grow more lethargic than the last.

The door abruptly opened as a figure, again in white, stepped inside and closed the door hastily. The only person of the opposite sex to have entered my room so far. I couldn't recognize her. Someone new, perhaps. 

"Carlos Decascos, do you remember me?" the woman inquired sluggishly.

I turned to face her. Familiar features, alright. However, nothing and no one came to mind. 
"Anyway, it doesn't matter." She shrugged. "I am here about James. What has he told you?"
Again, the name sounds familiar, but then again James could be the one who gives me my food here for all I know. "James?"

The lady sat down on my chair. "I understand you found James Florentin's deceased body in his apartment last Tuesday."

Oh yeah, that James. I smiled in spite of myself. "He was pretty messed up, such a loathsome sight. The skin on his face was gone. I could have sworn there were maggots in there."

"So, what were you doing there? What has he told you?" She crossed her arms in front of her chest.
There was a piece of food stuck on her teeth. I laughed heartily.

She stood up and brought out a syringe from her pocket. "What have they been giving you?" She moved closer, turned me over and injected the needle on my back.
I practically screamed after a minute or so of silence, as I was able to behold the figure in front of me. "Ma'am Fugazi! What are you doing here?"
"I know you don't know anything, Carlos. I will get you out." She looked at me with such concern, something I haven't felt in a while.
"What's there to know?" I sat up, not quite sure what to feel. "Please get me out, please. I am not crazy!"
She sat down on the chair. "They are keeping you in here because they think James divulged to you those he found out about Elus-Cohens."


I shook my head in disbelief. "Who's they? I haven't talked to James in ages. Why? What has he discovered?"

"With the access to old archives, he questioned a lot as a Magus. He found articles that dealt with the different entanglements of the Elus-Cohens." Ma'am Fugazi admitted matter-of-factly.

"So Elus-Cohens' behind everything?" In my mind, I struggled to sort out all the things she said.
To my surprise, she disagreed. "The Elus-Cohens is just working under the Illuminati. The Illuminati goes way back. They say it was the propagation of the Kabbala teachings of the Jews that induced Hitler to wipe out the race who supposedly knew of the esoteric arts. He wanted to keep the ancient knowledge to himself and those under his authority"

She went on, "They also say Kennedy's assassination was because of the anti-occult task force that he created. The enforcement kept more eyes open for every movement of the Illuminati."

"Also, do you notice the pyramid with the eye on top in your one dollar bill? Well, they say that since that went out, the US economy boomed like no other. United States was suddenly feared as nation. You see, that symbol is the Illuminati's imprint."

Before I could say anything, she then stood up from the chair. "But hey, these won't matter now, would they? What's important is that I am telling you how to get out of here." Her voice faded slowly as she uttered the last sentence.

"Wait, have they found out who killed him? Why hasn't the policed asked for my statement yet?"
She stared at me skeptically. "Wow, you really don't know anything! A death like James' is one that would never be recorded."
I just leaned onto the wall, dumbfounded.
"Now listen," she went on. "Before I tell you anything worse, listen. When you get to the communal room later, run straight ahead to the hallway. At exactly 6pm, the guards at the front door change shifts. Between 6:00 to 6:01, the doors are unguarded."
With that, my dream girl left as rapidly as she came in.

"Thanks. Until next time!" Carlos grinned as he shut his front door to the pizza deliveryman whom he had been seeing very often in the past month.
He set the pizza down on the table and went back to his personal computer where he was checking his e-mail.

You have one new message.

Well, he thought to himself consolingly, you check e-mail twice a day.
He clicked open the inbox, revealing a new message from a James Florentin. 
"Carlos, this is because I trust you. You know what to do." The message had 5 attachments.
He opened the first one: WWII Conspiracies. Then the second: Kennedy's Anti-Occult Program. Then he goes on reading onto, The All Knowing Eye And The Dollar, New World Order, and lastly, Disappearance Of Malaysian Prime Minister Rooted To Freemasons.

Leaning back on his ergonomic chair, he read each one passively. Nodding at times, and yawning every so often. He couldn't quite grasp what each one said, something about whatever power behind everything. Carlos couldn't have been any more vague.


I am getting out! I am getting out! That's all I could mumble under by breath as I slowly trudged across the hallway. 6:00, the clock in the public room declared.

When I saw the unprotected front door, I dashed all the way until I was able to shut the door. As I saw the massive green grass, I inhaled the fresh air. 

I halted in my tracks. Now what? There's nothing here. Or so I thought.

I looked around for the nearest gate I could find, and ran towards it. It was black and intricately designed and looked every bit well-equipped of alarms.

Nonetheless, I approached it, running and never looking back. I seemed to run forever and yet the gate wasn't becoming any closer. My vision slowly blurred as I lurched over something on the floor, causing me to fall to my knees; moreover, causing a very loud alarm to ring out all-over the field.
I scampered and continued my running, when I felt two pairs of arms grabbing me from behind. I couldn't see who they were, but their grip was enough for me to almost suffocate. Suffocating me didn't seem to be enough for them however, as I found myself getting dragged across the grass, my feet gathering mud and every known creature that lurked in it.

It was when they set me down inside a vacant, all black room that I got a better look at them. Wrestlers, that's what would best describe them.

A part of the wall opened gradually and this all-too-familiar individual went in.
"Mr. Carlos Decascos, nice to see you here."

I almost stumbled onto the wall behind me. "Where is Ms. Fugazi? Where?"
Mr. Colombia advanced towards my direction. "I'm sorry but we don't know anyone who goes by that name."

I scanned the room for any other way out. I would settle for anything, really. Scampering to the opposite end of the room, I closed my eyes and wished everything away. It has worked well before. Conspicuously, it doesn't now.

"What did you expect to find here, mister? This is a men's asylum. No trace whatsoever of female blood here."

My perspiration was seeping through my pores like water on an overflowing dam, while I cowered in the corner. The Colombian drug lord smirked. "Take Mr. Decascos into the east wing. He seems to not belong here."

I couldn't distinguish anything anymore as the wrestlers dragged me out of the room. The only thing that struck my eye was that the hands that were holding me in the stomach had one ring on his left thumb, one with a logo, with a face.

A gruesome murder seems more than just a visual threat

The story is written in Taglish (Tagalog and English). 

Don't plagiarize.

Any form of plagiarism will be reported.

The following events are not based on real life, ofc, everything here is just made up specially the places, events, and names. 




THIS IS NOT SATANIC OR HAVE SOMETHING TO DO WITH ILLUMINATI. LMAO. 

God bless your souls♡

A pleasurable rollercoaster. A story that will fulfill all your temptations and will make you feel bad as a demon. 

Horror? Nah. 

Typical demon story? Absolutely not.

If you want to know what secrets are within, better risk to read it.

Because it's for me to know and for you to find out.

a guy who loves comics and stories and novels end up dying for a stupid reason, he gets compensated and sent to the turmoil filled world of DC's justice league to save it and correct the wrongs with a set of wishes.

I don't own DC or marvel am just  a fan making a novel to pass time .

The new semester had entered another month.
The girls seemed to have gotten used to their new routine as their aversion towards it had become blunt. Slowly, they turned back to the little obedient girls again.
November arrived and saw the climate start to embrace colder winds. Winter was coming.
Before the present day, a number of small but significant things happened. For example, the man who had sent Laeticia to his doorstep last time, the Paladin Grand Cross, Sir Grunewald, came to visit the Soul Armature again. Apparently, he came to check on Laeticia's progress, but the visit had also served as an opportunity to fill Baiyi in on news regarding the Godsfall cult.
It turned out that the Godsfall cult had suffered incredible damage from their tireless efforts; millions of cultists had been captured; their properties and funds seized, and many of the cult's higher-ups had committed suicide in order to escape sentences. This was a clear indication of the cult collapsing already, and the Church believed that, over time, the entire organization could be uprooted from Isythre once and for all!
These were commendable tidings!
"Master Hope, December 5th would mark the holiest of all holy days in the year. Would you be willing to grace the Holy City by conducting a mass?" The Grand Paladin Cross asked before he left the household.
"Hahaha! Er, we'll see about that! Ha! See you." Baiyi could only delay his reply this way.
December 5th — also known as the Day of Grace. It was as important as the Chinese's New Year, or the West's Christmas Holiday. It was one of the most important days of the year, and Baiyi really did not have the heart to ruin another festival again.
He planned to find a realm and hide there with the girls.
However, the girls had been looking forward to this festival since the month before. He could not find any reason to pour a bucket of cold water over their anticipation, so he considered leaving on his own when that day arrives.
'Spending an important festival alone sounds seriously sad, though[1].'
Today was their rest day, so there was no class for the girls, who had already seized the chance to frolic around and play. Only Attie was left at home to keep Baiyi's company.
The Kitty Cat Maid did look like a cat as she curled next to the Soul Armature on the couch, fast asleep.
At that moment, there was a knock on the door.
"Hmmm?" Attie was roused pretty quickly, and after she had rubbed her eyes, with "pat-pat-pat" sounds, she sprinted to the door.
When she returned, there was a new guy with her — a bald man whose head seemed to reflect light.
"He said he's a friend of yours." Attie pointed at the bald man.
Baiyi turned his head to face him, and —'Oh my god, who is this Shiny Head here? When have I ever met a guy who looked like he had lost his hair because he chose to forfeit sleep for a long time in order to grind for a rare item in a game?'
"Apologies for the unplanned visit," Baldy said as he extended his left hand, displaying three fingers, which he then placed before his own chest.
The salutation looked very familiar. Baiyi glanced at Baldy's long robe. It was a common, plain white robe, but with a quick sweep using his psychic energy, Baiyi could make out the invisible shape of an eye on his chest.
The man was from the Door of Conundrum.
'Back it up. Why are a bunch of nerds looking for me?' Baiyi was puzzled. He remembered he had donned one of their great sage's uniform back then, so technically, he was a part of this oversized nerd's book club.
He had no choice but to mimic Baldy's action, raising three fingers before his chest as a gesture of an eye[2].
After having Attie make some tea, Baiyi politely gestured at the man to sit down.
Baldy was very discreet in his behavior. He bowed before the Soul Armature first, then from his inner pocket, he produced an envelope and handed it to him.
"Great Sage Hope, I am Kris, the representative of the Door of Conundrum in Arfin city. The reason for my visit is to pass you the decision made by the Master Sages."
Master Sages were obviously the highest-ranking, decision-making members of the Doors of Conundrum; only the biggest nerds could possibly become one of them. Sometimes, when they got bored of reading, these nerds would start a meeting that ended with a dozen new commands for the rest of the members to follow. Other times, the governance of this organization was divided among the Lodge, the Arbiters, the Executioners, and other such divisions within the order.
Unfortunately, it was the rarity of a direct order from the Master Sages that made their commands irrefutable. Baiyi could only relent and open the envelope.
There were only two plain white papers.
'Gods, these nerds just love doing unnecessary tricks on craps that no one cares about,' Baiyi thought as he jabbed the paper with his psychic energy using a special rhythm and frequency.
Just like that, the words appeared on the papers. This was a special communication technique among the members of the Doors of Conundrum. Their letters were always encrypted so that outsiders would not be able to pry.
How did Baiyi even know their secret? Simple — the encryption method was invented by a certain lifeless nerd who also ended up in the Void.
Baldy accepted the hot tea from Attie and patiently waited for the Soul Armature to finish. When he noticed that Baiyi had finished reading the letter, he added, "I've actually sent a few of our letters to you for the past few days, but never did I receive a reply from you. That is why I am here today."
"Cough! Uh, I probably missed those?"
Baiyi never read his mails. In the beginning, it was because he rarely had mails. If he had, it was the account sheets from the alchemical refinery or some stupid boys' bold love letters. Lately, there was also an increase in the number of invitations he received from the aristocrats, which he never bothered with. He passed these letters to Laeticia, thinking that it would probably help the semi-literate village girl in learning new words and sentence structures.
A more thorough recall did allow Baiyi to remember that Laeticia once mentioned finding a few blank letters among the stack of letters that Baiyi handed to her. Back then, Baiyi thought it was just someone's lame prank, so he ordered the girl to burn the blank letters to ashes, and pour them into his animal tin can potted plants.
'Huh. If the nerds realized what I did to their super-secret-letters, what would they do?'
Baiyi looked up again and studied the eye symbol on Baldy's chest. Five brows.
That was all Baiyi needed to discern Baldy's identity and standing in the order. "Great Sage Kris, I have some questions about these orders from the Master Sages…"
"Please, do tell."
"Why me? I'm just a Soul Armature now, right? I'm no longer a part of the Doors of Conundrum. These things — well, they are more suitable for the other Great Sages, right?" Baiyi said as he ran his fingers along the paper, and the letters disappeared.
"Great Sage Hope, your wisdom will not vanish just because of your current form, " Baldy flattered, and then he went on to nag the Soul Armature...
Even after Baldy had gone, Baiyi still could not come up with a good excuse to knock it off, so all he could do was to sit in the living room, lightly tapping his gauntlet as he pondered his next move.
After a while, Little Mia and her friends returned home with new winter attires.
Mia was the first to notice Soul Armature troubled disposition, so she dashed to his side and hugged his neck from behind the couch. She placed her face close to his, rubbed on it gently, and then she asked, "Mr. Hope, what's the matter?"
"Nothing," Baiyi replied, his hand reaching out to pinch her cheek. "It's just that, well, you guys might need to expect new company…"
To summarize the purpose of the visit: every Great Sage in the Door of Conundrum had a few rights and obligations to fulfill. Baiyi had made use of the right to introduce before; however, never had he carried out his obligations as "one" of the Great Sages.
The obligations were such that one either publish an impressive academic treatise, show the fruits of their experiments and investigations, or mentor a few brilliant students from the Door of Conundrum.
They never once suspected that Baiyi could be a fake — purely because he had the Seal of the Great Sage with him. The Door of Conundrum was not very keen in extensive identity-checks, so as long as one displayed their Seal, the Door of Conundrum would automatically treat them as a member, even if the person could be a fake. Of course, that also meant that Baiyi would have to fulfill a few of the obligations that a Great Sage was expected to do.
If he refused, discord would ensue.
Baiyi was not very popular back then, so although they had accepted his identity within the order — and accepted Vidomina because of his introduction — they never actually followed up on this bootleg sage.
However, Baiyi had been all over the news lately. The Church kept using him as their unofficial mascot, and the Door of Conundrum remembered that they had gotten him first. Although they could not find any of his information from their own records, that was still fine by them; after all, it was not likely that a famous man like Baiyi would have an unsavory past that the order would have to be wary about.
As long as Baiyi still fulfilled his obligations, it would not matter that he never returned to the order. After all, he was a big hero, so his schedule must be packed. The Door of Conundrum understood his problem, so they would cave in a little and send the assigned student to his place instead.
"...and that's all folks," Baiyi ended his story with a helpless -_- expression. He had no idea that his greed for Vidomina's Saint Quartz staff would end bringing him a heap of unwanted problems now. 'Karma's a bitch, no doubt.'
Baiyi, of course, had considered outrightly rejecting or even ignoring the chores. The Door of Conundrum was an academic association — a glorified book club for nerds who could not fight. What could they do to him? However, if the order spread the news that he was a fake sage who harbored harmful conspiracy, or something close to his, Baiyi's reputations would be in ruined—or worse, he would start getting stalked and monitored.
"May I propose that you graciously accept what is stipulated in the Order? A shift of perspective shows that you would thus gain a valuable new identity. You may then use the Door of Conundrum as a deterrence for an investigation against you," the Scholar said in the Void. She, an actual Great Sage, was the one who had asked him to take on the role of being a Great Sage.
"I'm not worried about that! I'm just not sure of who they assigned to me! It's fine if it's a male, but if I'm not mistaken, you people even have some seventy or eight years old senior citizens as 'students', right? I am so not into the idea of having these sort of students!" Baiyi voiced out his main concern in the Void.
"As I'd said, Sir Hope, a shift in perspective would greatly benefit you. These 'senior citizens' are very independent in their studious pursuit! All you have to is to grant them a topic or a book and give them a direction as vague as 'Investigate this', and they would be on their own. Is that not the convenience all teachers dream of?" the Scholar replied.
'Hey! When you put it that way…'
[1] Oh come on, you're not even alone at any given time. Just go and create another goddamned game in the Void and BOOM, December 6th will arrive after a chapter!
[2] Illuminati much?


Imagine being forced to live, after death, as incorporeal bodies trapped in a vast space of nothingness for thousands of years, with nothing to do but exchanging past memories with other cohabitants (read: weirdos).  Everybody wanted out, but there was no way to leave the Void... 
Until one day, a young man was finally summoned, as a powerful but reluctant mentor, by a bubbly and motivated but completely naive young girl. Baiyi, finally out of the Void, was the only one who could save all of the other 32 souls from their prison and his summoner might just be The Key to their freedom.
However, Baiyi had to use the techniques and abilities the other souls had taught him throughout the years, and together with his own extensive knowledge of anime and game tropes from his shady and dangerous past as an otaku, to face the biggest challenge of them all: training the clumsy young girl he was forced to partner up with… into a competent sorcerer!

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