Blue-haired Guy

"To a brothel!" the guy says after I asked.

"No thanks," I refuse as I turn around. What a waste of time.

"Oh, just hear me out!" he chuckles. I narrow my eyes as I look at him over my shoulder. "The issuer is in that place."

"Why of all places? If he's a professional, he shouldn't be in this kind of place."

"I agree it sounds a bit inappropriate for a man that works a decent job but this is quite normal in this place. Hardworking men sometimes have to answer the call of something 'hard', don't you think?"

He laughs as if that was funny. That was a lame joke.

"Thank you for wasting my time," I smile to mock him.

"If you're worried about time, don't even," he says as I walk away. "Your cute little daughter is still asleep."

"Thank you for letting me kn—"

Wait a minute. I turn around and he's running away! What is he up to? How did he know that I have a daughter and that I'm worried she might wake up without me around?

"Hey!" I shout. "Get back here!"

"Catch me if you can!" he laughs.

"Stay away from her!"

He mocks me as he spreads his blue wings, flying backward then turns left. He's not the only one who has wings! I fly to pursue him above the street. He's fast but I can catch him! I can't let him get to Nisha and Helena!

Now is the time to use the new skill that I learned: "Cross-Frame: Weapon Switch!" While I'm in my Angelus Frame, I can use Algron's gun with Anthropic blood bullets. I shoot at him but he dodges every bullet without looking.

"Wow, impressive!" he remarks. "Where did you get these bullets? They're filled with Anthropic blood!"

He's yelling too much. I don't know what's his deal. Then flying cars with red and blue lights are tailing us. They must be the police of this island. Where did they come from?

<>

**

In a huge dark room filled with visions of different people, a group of twenty people shrouded in hooded robes are observing the chase. They are as calm as the windless icy seas where the ice flawlessly reflects the grey sky.

"He said Anthropic blood," one of them says.

"It might just be his delusion," the other argues.

Another one adds, "I heard a rumor from the Rave Kingdom that the Queen once had an Anthropa as one of her husbands."

"Are you certain?"

"Well, rumors are rumors. We cannot be certain."

"Then we'll ascertain it for ourselves. We could be looking at the rarest specimen in all of Shannia. Many would want to keep him, many would want to kill him. I suggest bringing him in—there is no harm to that."

"What do you say, All-Seer?"

The All-Seer is meditating and levitating in the middle of the room. His eyes are closed as he nods slightly.

"Capture the white-winged one," the commander of the police force orders his men. "Forget the other."

**

<>

I'm getting tired! I can't catch up to him. But. . . I can't just let him go and hurt my daughter and Nisha. Based on his flying ability, his level must be high. I'll just use Shadowclutch then. So, I transform into my Daemon Frame and land on the roof of a bus. Now, to catch him, I'll—

He's already in front of me, smirking and squeezing his fist. "Wait for me there," he says.

*Pow*

Argh! I blacked out for a second and then find myself inside a wrecked store. My left cheek is in pain. Then I just stay here as dozens of guns are pointed at me.

"Don't move," they say but I doubt that I can.

They restrain my hands behind my back and walk me toward a police car. Hundreds of people in the street are walking as if nothing has happened. They're not even showing signs of curiosity.

And I almost forgot! Nisha and Helena are in trouble!

"Please, let me go!" I plead. "My family is in trouble!" But my plea could not get through to them.

They push me into the car and slam the door shut. What is this handcuff? It's weakening me. I can't switch to any of my Frames. I can't even open my inventory. Please. . . I just want to protect my. . . Helena. . . Nisha.

Later, they move me out of the car and into the building I was trying to enter earlier. So this is what that guy meant to get me inside. But instead of climbing up, I'm brought down. What was his reason for doing this? Well, he knew about Helena. He must've done this so that I can't protect her.

Nisha. . . protect our girl at all cost. I can't get out of here. Please, be safe. Best the crap of that blue-haired guy when you see him. Don't be fooled. He's sly.

I'm put in a dungeon—a very familiar situation. This is not the first time I was imprisoned. What is with this world and dungeons?

The door opens and a guy in robes comes in. I can't see his face because of his shroud. He opens a book and it glows blue like the statues outside. What is he going to do to me?

He chants something like a spell. "Purifica. . .Hunc. . .Homi—"

Something shines blindingly bright suddenly. I'm blinded and can only hear the man grunting in pain. On the ground, I kneel. Then a hand touches my shoulder.

"Phew! That was close!" another voice says. "I can't believe my timing was on point!" He laughs as I rub my eyes. "This is one in a million chance, after all."

I know this voice.

"You!" I growl, confirming with my clear eyes that it's the blue-haired guy. I grab him by the shirt. "What did you do to them?! You better did nothing or I'll—"

"Relax I didn't even touch them. Five-year-olds aren't my type. But I just gotta say, your wife—she's a keeper." He winks at me. "You're one lucky guy."

"She's not my wife but that's not what I want to talk about. Who are you? And why are you doing this to me? Why do you know us? Get me out of here!"

"Shh!" he hushes me. "someone could hear us."

"Then explain."

"Okay, uh. . . what were your questions again? Please ask them one at a time. I'm not good at remembering, you know."

"Who are you?"

"Glad you asked," he chuckles, brushing his hair with his fingers like a narcissist. "Hello, I'm Zuriel—the greatest lady-killer in all of Shannia!"

*Squirm*

He's too full of himself. And he's too loud even though he said that someone might hear us.

"Why are you doing this to me?" I ask.

"I need your assistance as you're the only Anthropa left in Shannia. Those mages won't know what will hit 'em. They thought of capturing you as a weapon—just as I predicted and that allowed me to infiltrate this building."

"I refuse to help. I just wanna get out of here and take care of my daughter."

"Please, I need your help." He puts his palms together, begging. "It will be fast, I promise. And if we don't work together, you can't get out of here alive."

I still don't trust him on that. He could just be fooling me so that I'll help him. But I might just turn this around to reap something useful from him.

"If so, what's in it for me?"

"What was the reason you came to this island?"

"To find information for my daughter's power."

"Okay, then," he nods.

"How do I know you won't betray me?"

"I won't!" he laughs.

"You could at least try to be more persuasive." I rub my eyebrows, deciding if I should trust him. Well, I have no choice. "Okay, last question: Why do you know us?"

He half-smiles before saying, "I'm one of the great Rave Queen's husbands."