บท 16: Then come with me.

While I watched the drama, I picked up a lot just from the context. So, in the European battlefront, children were raised to become reapers and were sent to hell. That was just messed up. If they front-loaded the next generation with guilt and stress, wouldn't the little ones break?

The pressure to do better than the last generation. They would live their lives in preparation to die and just to be sent to hell. The life of reapers seemed darker than I could have ever imagined. Additionally, if being Formless could break even families, I had vastly underestimated its implications.

Josephine's screaming continued. "They were our parents! I mistakenly believed they loved us, but we were nothing more than tools! Earning achievement will not be enough! We can never return! Virtuous? His majesty Clive was the one who decided to throw us here without any support! He just wanted to maintain his image!"

The sisters became oblivious to Bella and me. I sensed my partner's presence by my side.

"Virtuous, the title of Clive Zanardi the Sovereign Revenant of the European battlefront. He is the absolute king that rules the continent from the shadows. I slipped up. They saw your special abilities. Decide now if you make them allies or kill them," Bella whispered to me.

"Why the rush? I thought you wanted to use them. It seemed like these two were betrayed for something they had no control over. I think we can capitalize on that right?" I retorted.

"I agree to some extent, but they have info that might put you in danger. We cannot take the risk. If they send a Specter after you, we are as good as dead."

With a name like Virtuous, you would think the dude would be upright. I understood that you could not judge the entire situation based on a single instance. But dropping these girls like leftover crap just because they were Formless was beyond vulgar.

"Ah, fine. Follow my lead, honey. We are lacking in too many departments. Let's take them in for real. Charm them, scare them, I don't care what you do but do not push them away. We need talented warriors. Raising a small, powerful team is necessary for our survival. And I like them. So please, trust my judgement on this."

Bella then came forward and pacified the crying sisters. At one point, the sisters had reversed roles with Jasmine berating Josephine. Now they were just weeping silently as they held hands. My partner seemed to have something up her sleeve.

"Jo, Jas, I cannot understand how you both must feel. I am sorry for that. But you girls are now reapers. Do you guys have plans on how to live moving forward? Without a sponsor or a handler, it would be most difficult. How about teaming up with us for real?"

Neither of the sisters replied. They just silently stared at Isabella. I felt that her next words were going to try and win them over. The grooming done to them was evident in how they were proficient in combat far beyond their ages. They only looked like 22- 23 at most and they could fight with tens of undead without panicking.

With the information we had about them, these women were fruit ripe for the taking. They had no allegiances due to being disposed of. If we could protect them, they would fight for us. Humans, while greedy, usually returned grace with loyalty. These two looked noble at the very least.

"Let us start over. I am Isabella Taurus, a cop from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He is John Smith. He is from Arizona. We banded together due to both being Formless. We are in the same situation as you are. We are not backed by any organization or country. Surviving and growing stronger is our only goal."

What? I thought Isabella had a sponsor. This bitch. Well, with my situation even worse, who was I to complain?

"Come with us. We will help, arm and protect you. As fellow Formless, we will not look down on you or take your contributions for granted. Together we will be able to grow stronger. Right, John?" she asked before she turned to me.

Ah! Playing on their insecurities while establishing commonalties, my partner was indeed a manipulative bitch. By all accounts, not only were these girls probably desperate after being betrayed but also in the lookout for a new home. If I played my cards right, they could become powerful pawns for me.

'Fine, let's do this. My gut feeling tells me these girls will not betray us. Let's give it some effort. I hope my acting skills are up to par,' I thought.

"You are free to come and go as you please. But if you stand with us, then your enemies will also be mine. Unlike others, I have nothing against the Formless. What I said before was no joke. I will become the strongest Revenant. And I shall be the one that closes Hellsgate. If you are scared, then just hide. But if you wish to end this nightmare, I welcome you."

To someone who lived and died for Hellsgate, this had to be a really bad nightmare. I played on these emotions to get not only their confidence but their hearts. The miserable and the forsaken often longed for one thing. A savior. I had no intention of being one but if I could get strong fighters from the Formless, it might be worthwhile to act like one in the short term.

"Are your words real?" Jasmine challenged me.

I walked towards them then stopped at arm's length. I stretched out my left hand towards them like I asked to be their partner for a dance.

"If you wish to know, then come with me. Being Formless is not a sin. If this entire world believes we have no right to exist, then all we have to do is rise to the summit and trample over it." I gave her the most genuine smile as I could. While I was not handsome, I didn't think I was fugly.

But on the inside, I felt like I just died from cringe. With {Listen}, I picked up Bella being unable to stifle her giggles. This bitch.

Jasmine then placed her hand hesitantly on my palm as she blushed. "Then please take care of me, John Smith. As long as you keep my sister safe, I shall remain your ally."

Josephine had a giant smile on her face as she hugged her sister.

"Me too! Me too! Josephine Benelli requests to join under your flag, your majesty!" she yelled.

"What?" I blurted out.

Bella then placed her hand on her hips as she explained the matter to me.

"The Revenants are considered absolute kings on earth and in Hellsgate. They are referred to as majesties or highnesses. Didn't you say you were going to become one? Better practice now. Hehe."

Ignoring the snarky bitch, with that our group now had four members. Our reinforcements were Jasmine Denel, an archer and Josephine Benelli, a rapier-dagger user. With our intention to develop Jo and Jas, Bella and I had them rest while we guarded them.

They had healing items saved but using those would cause both to get drowsy, so they had not done so earlier. Unable to restore their stamina, both were exhausted. However, because they had us now, they could rest without worries. After an hour both woke up full of energy with their injuries somewhat healed.

We had them rest so that {Auto} and {Save} would be at their best state. When we shared {Rewind} to Jas and Jo, they were elated.

"Your {fate} is amazing! Really cool!"

"Such flexibility, its applications are reassuring to have."

Right, {Rewind} could be considered a second life. When they saw us sharing our secrets, they also began sharing theirs. The original story they told us, the one about getting mugged was a lie. They did so because they didn't want to be easy marks. To Descendants, coming to Hellsgate without even one soulgear was pathetic.

They then first explained about Descendants, or the reapers born from reapers. These people had bodies several times stronger than normal humans. To these powerful combatants, a fledgling reaper without backing or support was easy prey.

Descendants were born and bred solely to become stronger reapers. Some were even stronger than Phantoms without awakened {fates}. They were also trained leaders who were expected to form groups loyal only to them by coercion, intimidation and bribery. To avoid being marked, Jo and Jas intentionally kept their backgrounds vague.

The sisters were from families into the 10th generation, otherwise know as 10th Gen Descendants. When I asked about their families, their expressions became troubled. According to Josephine, Jasmine's parents were reapers from the African battlefront that saved Josephine's parents before dying.

As a favor to her parents, the Benellis adopted Jasmine who was only a toddler back then. They raised her and Josephine like real sisters. Unfortunately, unlike common folk, the Europeans had a mystic that could foretell the {fates} of their reapers. When word got out that Jas and Jo were Formless, they lost all support.

After being thrown out without gear or weaponry, they were allowed one month to live normally before being sent to Hellsgate by assisted suicides. The two had no one to rely on thus resorted to crime just to prepare the minimum before their descent. Sad as it might have been, that was their lot in life.

After the short rest was over, it was time to see if their bite was half as good as their bark.

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Yinghuo_392

Hi everyone,

Story has been Vetted, and I applied for a contract! Wish me luck! If you like the novel please add it to your libraries and support it with PS and a review.

Enjoy the read!

Regards.