“So… in the end, it was all due to this ‘Avahni’ person? She possesses inherent concepts that even the Angel Of Green and Angel Of Desire coveted, leading them to invade our System Introduction?”

  “Is that about right?”

  Jon nodded his head, leaning deeper into his Mortal Ranked Relaxation-Chair.

  “Yes, although I cannot quite comment on the exact nature of these concepts. Despite my best efforts, our battle within the Hive-Womb Capital was prolonged, partly due to the actions of the Voracious Swarm Mother and the Murder Of Temperance And Humility.”

  “Cannot comment… or won’t comment?” Jugen interjected, raising a scaled-eyebrow while sipping on a glass of Mortal Ranked Haze-Wine. The sweet scent of vines and springtime wafted throughout the darkened public park.

  Jon flashed Jugen a smile that wasn’t quite a smile, something that all men were capable of understanding.

  “The relationship between myself and ‘Avahni’ is… well, complicated to say the least.”

  “We’ve spent quite a bit of time together, perhaps even more than what might seem ‘normal’ in the eyes of most. I trust her with my life, and I do believe that she trusts me with hers. However-.”

  “I would not betray that trust, even when faced with the opportunity to obtain another System Acknowledged Achievement or Memento Source Fragment. Even if I did know what concepts were contained within her Source, I would not tell you.”

  “Purely on principle.”

  Jugen and Jon matched gazes, staring at each other intently from across the park. Both had been seated, Jon atop his Relaxation-Chair and Jugen atop the Schwarzschild Light-Behemoth. The vermiton had not experienced the sensation of “drunkenness” since before he was brought into the System Introduction.

  In an attempt to reduce the tension between the two of them, Jon brought out one of his many stored wines. One with a particularly exquisite taste, and suitable for those that had yet to ascend to Knighthood.

  Aggronia stirred beneath Jugen, eyes still closed, giving Jon the appearance that she was sleeping.

  “There are not many concepts that can sway those that have transcended the Thronehood. Angels are existences that have gained partial control over entire concepts, beginning the path to embody them, in mind, spirit, and flesh.”

  “Heart. Spirit. Marrow. These are indeed concepts that could sway Angels.

  “Incarnation. Mind. Transcendence. Universal fragments are extraordinarily valuable throughout the integrated universes, and if someone possessed inherent concepts relating to any of these six nomological laws then…”

  Silver-metallic eyes flickered open, staring down towards the Princeps Of The Wandering Mutation.

  “Then perhaps I could see the Angel Of Desire or Angel Of Green decided to act so recklessly. Although I am unsure as to what benefits the System grants those that have exceeded Thronehood, there should be fail safes, so as prevent Angels from recklessly exterminating entire worlds, or even galaxies in the pursuit of more power.”

  “How the System could not prevent their intrusion…”

  “Perhaps only the Grands may know.”

  Jon and Jugen both went silent, neither knowing enough about the Twelve Grands to fully comprehend Aggronia’s words. Each one was aware of the existence of the twelve existences that transcended the System entirely, becoming literal manifestations of an entire concept.

  Some transforming themselves so as to best represent the definition of “Dreams” or “Victory.”

  While others changing the definition of “Treasure” or “Emotion” so as to become synonymous with said concept.

  The Eighth Truth. The one who borne the Title of Sorrow. And the one who had been granted the honorific name of The Oldest Dream was one such example that Eis and Song had used to emphasize the ordinary beginnings of most Grands.

  The fourth Grand, or the Fourth Truth. The one who borne the Title Of Victory. And the one who had been granted the honorific name of Destiny Cataphrakt was another example of this. A seemingly ordinary homo adonis warrior born after the integration of the fifth integrated universe.

  Jon and Jugen were both physically incapable of understanding the existences of Angels and Grands. Conceptually, their existence was tied to the flesh that their mind and spirits were bound to, constrained by their own lack of concepts.

  Although Jon had experienced the concepts of someone that would eventually ascend to become an Angel, he had yet to experience… the “weight” of being close to one.

  That was how Eis and Song both described it.

  The former a descendant of the Angel Of Ice.

  While the latter was the seventh-born son of the Angel Of Endings.

  “Was there anything else you wanted to ask about… Jugen?” Jon interjected, disturbing the growing silence between them. The Wordsmith Of Time And Wind stirring from his position atop one of Aggronia’s legs, scrunching up his face in thought before shaking his head in dismissal.

  “No, I think you’ve answered everything I always wondered about the System Introduction.” Jugen admitted, “Although I obtained a few Title Fragments after waking up here on Earth, I did miss out on the opportunity to obtain quite a number of task rewards.”

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  “I had yet to discover even a single Safe Zone within the small realm. And learnt naught but Avant from Aggronia, preventing me from obtaining all the task rewards related to languages. I did manage to find a few Dungeons and Wonders over the course of my travels, but still-.”

  “It doesn’t feel good, right? To have the opportunity taken away from you?” Jon said, watching as Jugen nodded, despite being interrupted.

  “I was preparing to obtain a Memento Source Fragment through whatever means were available to me. Enhancing the control I possessed over my abilities and fragments. Transforming the shape of my Mana Cores to improve the ebb and flow of my spiritual energy.”

  “Practicing fighting against Knights, even Veinless-Knights that had yet to obtain a full set of Knight-level abilities. Clearing Dungeons and going even so far as to plunder an entire Wonder, obtaining multiple Wonder Fragments in the process…”

  Jon felt Eis stir from within his Fragment Of Summon, grumbling in response to the mention of ‘Wonder Fragments.’ Jugen sighing, allowing his shoulders to slump inwardly, shaking his scaled head from side-to-side.

  “But now I’m here. On a planet halfway across the universe, filled with a race that would probably kill me given the chance… No offensive of course.” Jugen added on, Jon not denying the accusation.

  “No you’re probably right. If anyone realized that this arm of mine wasn’t a prosthetic, I would be placed on the dissection table regardless of whether I was human or not. Humanity, despite possessing an untold potential for beauty and wonder, often find their own interests outweighing the suffering that others experience.”

  Jon flashed Jugen a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

  “Springtown could have been-.”

  “No… it would have been something truly beautiful one day.”

  Jugen nodded his head, extending his glass towards Jon, allowing the two to softly clink together. Although their encounter was brief, the human and vermiton seemed to enjoy the company of their counterpart.

  The wind swirling around through the leaves and branches. Artificial light extending from the sleepless Melbourne, enveloping vast swathes of land in the soft, yellowish glow of lampposts and car headlights.

  The quiet dinging of trams had long since quietened down, lulling the city into a dreamless slumber. Although Jon and Jugen had found themselves becoming unlikely acquaintances, on the other side of the world, a certain twenty-one-year-old woman found her house surrounded by paparazzi and media outlets.

  Once again the centre of intense debate and media controversy.

  “International sensation ‘Miyoung’ has returned to the public eye after more than two months after her suspected disappearance. Public organized search parties which had been organised in order to search for recent missing persons have rejoiced after discovering that…”

  “Her most recent album “Fireflies Amidst Springtime Embers” had garnered more than three billion total plays in just three months across multiple music streaming platforms. The number of physical copies sold recently exceeded 20 million worldwide, making it the most successful album of the year…”

  “Recent controversies between ‘Miyoung’ and singer-songwriter Alan Whitaker have caused hundreds, if not thousands to comment on previous posts with actor Kim Janghuk. Miyoung had been seen out in public with the two older men on two multiple separate occasions prior to her initial disappearance with some netizens speculating that…”

  “Perhaps the most successful non-English-speaking performer of the decade. Her initial success as a child actor propelled her into the spotlight, but her relatively recent career as a singer and performer had pushed her to international stardom. Although one might attribute some of her success to her natural beauty, one cannot deny the sheer amount of talent that-.”

  Miyoung released a sigh of relief, watching as her manager switched off the wall-mounted television off with the switch of a button. Multiple other event managers, alongside the CEO and several shareholders, all gathered around the enormous, elongated table, turning towards Miyoung, varying degrees of anger and worry spread all across their faces.

  Thankfully, she had Yujin to help fend them all off.

  “See?! Nothing but a social media stunt! Search results are up. Streams are up. Profits are up and Miyoung is literally the talk of dozens of news outlets all over the world. What more than all of you ask for?!”

  One of the shareholders, a middle-aged man with Asian features furrowed his brows. Although he spoke in English, his accent was quite clearly Korean.

  “What we desire, Miss Yujin, is a little transparency within the company. An unexplained two month absence that led to a nationwide search for Miss Kim-Seydlitz here. All the while she was galivanting off in-.”

  “Where did you say you went again? Switzerland? Germany? Belgium?”

  Miyoung opened her mouth to speak but found Yujin answering on her behalf.

  “All of the above Mr Kim! And all without spending a single dime of the company’s money!”

  “Miyoung has not had a moment to rest since graduating from high school. She performed one domestic tour, one Asia tour and one international tour all within the span of eighteen months! What more can you ask from the poor girl!?”

  The CEO narrowed his eyes from across the room.

  “What more can we ask from her!? Are you aware of all the other staff members that we employ at this company Miss Yujin? We have had plans for additional concert dates months prior to the end of the international tour! Dozens of staff waiting to receive the go ahead in order to start planning and booking for concerts in LA and New York!”

  “I understand that fatigue can catch up on people. But there are just as many other people in the company that work equally as hard as Miss Kim-Seydlitz in order to allow her to perform at her very best.”

  Miyoung and Yujin watched as several event managers nodded their heads, alongside Mr Kim and multiple other shareholders.

  “But I also need you to understand that you signed a contract. A contract that comes obligations that you have failed to uphold. Do you understand the words that are coming out of my mouth-.”

  “Miyoung Kim-Seydlitz?”

  The woman in question, paused, feeling numerous different gazes roam across her form. Although somewhat used to the feeling, the presence of her Innana-Graceful Smile and Astarte-Chaste Lust seemed to compel those without sufficient willpower to gaze upon her uncontrollably.

  Everyone in this room, other than Yujin beside her, almost seemed entranced at her appearance and demeanour, despite the former being concealed with a face mask, and the latter blatantly disrespectful, figure slouched deeply into the chair beneath her.

  Said chair, being woefully insufficient in comparison to the spiritual items back in Springtown.

  ‘Damn, I almost wish that I could have fit a few more spiritual items within Aphetor; Boundless-Depth Quiver before the end of the System Introduction.’

  ‘This chair is absolute crap in comparison to some of the stuff Sariel and Avahni had tucked away…’

  Her dark-coloured flickered towards Park Sung-Ho, the CEO who she had met exactly three times prior to this moment. Innana-Graceful Smile causing his cheeks to unconsciously flush pink the exact moment their eyes locked, Astarte-Chaste Lust detecting a shift in the desires within him, uninitiated heart pounding within his chest.

  In fact, she could feel this shift within everyone present.

  Everyone that had ever thought her ‘desirable.’

  Miyoung loved to sing. She loved to act. She loved to perform. And she loved the way that something as simple as a song or a poem could change the hearts of hundreds of thousands of people.

  But this feeling. This feeling of being watched, of being observed, of being… pried into…

  The one that she was experiencing right this moment…

  Was why she hated her ‘face.’

  And why she craved to return back to the System Introduction, despite knowing that it was impossible for her to do so. Although Miyoung could not help possessing a Source that contained concepts related to ‘beauty,’ ‘desire,’ and ‘femininity’ she could not help but desire something else.

  Something different…

  Something stronger…

  Something more…

  ‘… I never did get to fight Jon…’

  ‘Perhaps if I’m lucky, I might see him again someday…’