90-60 Union Turnpike, Glendale, Queens, NY, USA. February 13, 2023, 10:55 P.M.
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Tetsuo sat on the edge of the apartment rooftop, his legs dangling over the void. Below, he watched as Paradox Movement personnel ushered more survivors inside. A school bus had pulled up at the apartment entrance, and as its doors opened, people poured out, quickly escorted into the building.
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In his hand, Tetsuo gripped the long, red-braided shaft of ‘Destiny,’ a spear that hummed with tension, threatening to snap under the force of his grip.
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Five hours earlier.
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“That’s where you come in, Mr. Kenshin.” Arthur said as he opened his Gizmo’s inventory. From it, he retrieved a lance-like spear, laying it on the table in front of Tetsuo. The young man’s eyes skimmed over the object, though his mind was still processing the mountain of 'evidence' he had been shown—claims and reports that defied logic, yet were impossible to ignore.
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“What exactly do you want me to do with this?” Tetsuo asked, his voice edged with disbelief.
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“Well, for starters, I need you to work with us to handle the threat we’re about to face,” Arthur replied, pulling out a large, unfolded map of Queens, New York. It was a 2023 edition, creased from use, and he spread it across the desk, covering every inch of surface.
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“I’ve already instructed my forces to barricade key points throughout Queens—Grand Central Parkway, Jackie Robinson Parkway, and Queens Boulevard. We’ve blocked all access leading to JFK Airport, preventing our target from slipping away. The plan is to funnel them straight here, to Union Turnpike.” Arthur’s tone was almost boastful, as if proud of his strategic foresight.
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Tetsuo glanced at the map, then at the spear, his expression unreadable. Arthur seemed to catch the unspoken question in his eyes.
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“By 0000 hours, an SUV will arrive here. The driver is our primary target—Alice." Arthur paused, watching for Tetsuo's reaction. “Yes, that Alice—Dr. Alice Elizabeth Starling, officially deceased, though unofficially, she’s very much alive.”
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Arthur’s face grew serious. “Mr. Kenshin, we need you to eliminate her. Our world hangs by a thread, and we don’t know how long it will hold. Please, before it’s too late.”
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Tetsuo had stared at the spear with disdain, unwilling to believe the enormity of the task laid before him. But now, on the rooftop, the weight of that moment played in his mind like a broken record. He had no choice. It was a ‘do or die’ situation.
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Time slipped away, burned like ash on the wind, as he sat waiting for what was to come. A storm approached suddenly, unnaturally. The downpour was heavy, freezing, and unrelenting, yet Tetsuo sat motionless, his expression blank. He barely registered the cold rain drenching him. Lightning tore across the sky in rapid succession—unnatural, like the storm itself—but Tetsuo stared ahead, tuning out the world around him, lost in his thoughts.
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It wasn’t until a series of taps on his shoulder that his senses stirred. He turned slowly to see Lucy standing beside him, soaked through by the rain. The raincoat and umbrella are limited and had been distributed to the volunteer civilians helping the Paradox Movement personnel—rebels—tend to the survivors and manage supply runs, during this hour. The Quasars, like Tetsuo and Lucy, didn’t need such things. They could endure harsh environments, their enhanced immunities, thanks to the 2203 vaccines, made them nearly impervious to sickness. Genetic disorders were rare in their time, and catching a cold was almost unheard of.
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But even Quasars still felt discomfort. Tetsuo’s teeth chattered violently, and his body trembled uncontrollably from the cold. Without a word, Lucy pressed an SDN device against his jacket. A translucent, tech-like bubble formed around him, instantly warming his body and easing the shivering.
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"Take care of yourself," Lucy said dryly, sitting down next to him on the rooftop's edge. "I don’t want to find you frozen up here and become a gargoyle."
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Tetsuo managed a faint smile. "Sorry. Everything’s happening all at once."
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The SDN equipment’s communication devices, built into their visors, allowed them to hear each other clearly, even though the torrential downpour drowned out everything else nearby.
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“What’s on your mind?” Lucy asked, sensing Tetsuo’s unease. She had known him for long enough, both as a fellow recruit and comrade, and despite the gravity of most situations, he was usually happy-go-lucky and laid-back. This time, however, something was clearly weighing on him.
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“I... It’s just that...,” Tetsuo started, then trailed off with a heavy sigh. He struggled to find the words, while Lucy waited patiently, giving him time to collect his thoughts.
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“Felix is dead,” he finally said. “And I have no idea how I’m supposed to explain that to Eva. If we even get the chance to meet again, that is. I’m dreading her reaction. She’s always had this... ‘doom and gloom’ about her.”
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He paused, looking down at his hands. “You know, mental disorders are practically non-existent now, thanks to NIX Corp’s Mental Health Regulations and the advancements in our society. But Eva... she’s the only person I know still fighting that battle, every single day. The doctors couldn’t help her. The psychiatrists tried, but nothing worked. And I couldn’t do anything for her either.” His voice grew quieter.
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“Then Felix came along. He knew Starling. And Eva... she was exactly what Felix needed to find Starling, or at least try to. But by the time he learned Starling was gone, he and Eva had become friends. She got better—mentally, physically. She had hope again.”
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Tetsuo’s eyes flickered with pain. “Did Starling know what she was doing all along? Did she leave without saying goodbye, knowing it would break Eva? And then, did she found Felix make him promise to find her—knowing Felix would search for her no matter what, only to bring Eva back to life in the process?”
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He shook his head, torn between frustration and admiration. “I don’t know if Starling was cruel or kind, selfish or selfless. But without her, Felix would have died in the snow. Eva would have been nothing but an empty shell. And now... I have to kill Starling. Because she’s not Starling anymore. This is the worst way to say thank you.”
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Tetsuo’s voice cracked slightly as he finished, the weight of his words finally spilling out. Lucy listened quietly, guilt pooling in her chest, but there was nothing she could say.
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1 hour and 29 minutes ago.
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Lucy burst through the door, interrupting Arthur and Paul mid-discussion. They had likely been going over strategies known only to them, but she didn’t care. Her sudden, unannounced entrance startled both men. Without hesitation, she strode directly towards Arthur, summoning her Excalibur in a blink. The blade slashed through the air, stopping just short of Arthur’s throat, the tip grazing his skin.
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"Why did you give the task to Tetsuo? I was supposed to do it!" Lucy hissed, her voice seething with anger. The sword trembled, its edge threatening to decapitate him.
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Paul immediately drew his phaser, aiming it at her head, but Arthur raised a hand, signalling him to stand down.
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"What difference does it make?" Arthur said coolly, crossing his arms as though unbothered by the blade at his throat. "Whether you do it or he does it, the outcome will be the same. I just believe Tetsuo is more likely to ensure success. Isn’t that right?" His voice dripped with faint condescension.
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Lucy’s eyes narrowed, her grip tightening on Excalibur. "Are you saying I can’t do it? That I would fail?"
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Arthur’s smirk barely hid his contempt. "Why not? Based on what I’ve seen, you’re far more pathetic than the woman you despise—the one you were born with." His tone sharpened as he leaned in. "At least give yourself credit for this: you’re the reason the Narrative began. The spark that ignited the Bundles... was you. Be grateful—'you' are still the key to our solution. The Anointed, as you so wish to be."
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He paused, his gaze cold. "Now, if there’s nothing else, I’d like to get back to my discussion with Mr. Sievernich."
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Lucy stood frozen, the rage in her eyes burning silently. After a moment, she let out a sharp breath and dematerialised Excalibur. "Once this is over, we’re done," she spat, brushing past Sievernich and deliberately slamming her shoulder into him as she stormed out. The door slammed behind her, causing the pictures on the wall to rattle.
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Arthur watched her leave, scoffing under his breath. "Fool. Thinking you’re the only one with the power to escape the Narrative. But you’re already six feet under. The wheel’s in motion. There’s no escape now."
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He glanced at Sievernich, and they resumed their conversation as if nothing had happened.
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Lucy clenched her fist, the memory of her confrontation with Arthur still filling her with distaste. She reminded herself of Tetsuo’s troubles and felt a deep sympathy for his plight. "I’m sorry," she blurted out. Tetsuo turned to her, confused by the sudden apology.
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"For what?" he asked.
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"For betraying your trust. For not digging deep enough, for not standing up to NIX to save Felix," Lucy said, her voice heavy with guilt. "Now you're forced to question whether what you’re doing is right or wrong, good or evil. You’re caught between saving the world or not saving it, at a cost you never signed up for, working for a syndicate filled with familiar faces but strangers nonetheless. Our world used to be simpler, didn’t it? Everything ruled by black, white, and shades of grey."
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Tetsuo looked down, his eyes weary. "I would’ve done the same as you," he said quietly. "Courage was never my strong suit. I always ran from challenges, exams, whatever came my way. But I’ve been lucky—blessed, really—with friends I never thought I’d have. So, I’m lucky to have you by my side. That’s all I could ask for. Don’t be too hard on yourself, Lucy, or I’ll have to be hard on myself, too."
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Unexpectedly, Lucy leaned in and kissed him on the cheek, catching him completely off guard. His face flushed red as he stared at her in surprise.
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"Um... wha... what was that?" Tetsuo stammered, clearly embarrassed.
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Lucy smiled, a teasing glint in her eyes. "A good luck kiss. Don’t you know?"
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Before Tetsuo could react, a message flashed across their visors:
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“It’s showtime. – Sievernich.”
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Tetsuo let out a shaky breath, realising it was a minute until midnight. Lucy's presence had reassured him, and without another word between them, Tetsuo disappeared in a blink, leaving her alone on the rooftop. She remained, sitting at the edge, waiting for the unfolding scene below.
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Tetsuo leaped from the apartment rooftop, moving swiftly across the street and landing on the roof of a nearby grocery store. The storm raged with increasing ferocity, the wind howling as the rain pelted down. He readied the spear, Destiny, in a throwing stance, waiting for his moment.
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Activating his Constellation, he became invisible to reality. In his mind, a vast array of mechanical parts and computer hardware whirred into motion, resembling film reels spiralling on a conveyor belt. Two components were selected: “CPU’s Precision Enhancement” and “VR’s Trajectory Optimisation.” They slotted into his system alongside “CAD’s Throughput Acceleration,” two of the four sockets in his mind’s "Memory Slots" activated. An atomic clock appeared, counting down in sync with his rising temperature monitor, fluctuating from absolute zero to one degree Kelvin with each second, warning him of potential hippocampus overheating from prolonged use.
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His senses sharpened. The rain slowed to a crawl as his enhanced vision locked onto the approaching SUV. Behind the wheel was his target—Alice. She stared ahead, bored and distracted, squinting through the downpour. His gaze flicked to the passengers inside. Two he didn’t recognise, but the other two sent a jolt of panic through him: Dr. Bartholomew Buchanan... and Eva.
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Fear gripped him. Eva was in the car. Panic surged, but before he could react, Alice’s eyes met his, cutting through the distance as if she saw him clearly despite the several metres between them. Instinct took over, and without thinking, he hurled the spear.
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Destiny sailed through the air, piercing Alice’s chest with brutal precision. The moment it struck, Tetsuo felt a massive force slam into him, sending him crashing through the roof of the grocery store. Pain exploded through his body as he hit the ground, debris falling around him. Through blurry vision, he saw something looming above—an amorphous cloud-like figure, wearing a Greek-style helmet, its eyes burning a deep red.
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Screams echoed in the distance as his world darkened, and the last thing he saw was the figure gazing down at him before he lost consciousness.
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90-60 Union Turnpike, Glendale, Queens, NY, USA. February 14, 2023, 00:00 A.M.
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“What? Tetsuo is in the grocery store with the other civilians, taken hostage? How did that happen with armed train personnel on duty?” Eva asked sharply after Lucy gave her a brief, vague account of events. Lucy twisted some of the details, deliberately concealing the truth. She wasn’t ready to tell Eva that the so-called train personnel were, in fact, members of the Paradox Movement.
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““This is serious. We need to act fast,” Eva said, ripping off her arm cast. Her injury had almost healed, for good measure Lucy gave Eva new Medibot Regeneration Bandage and an outdated SDN Equipment. Summoning her M.J.O.L.N.I.R., she swung at the amorphous cloud-like entity. But the creature evaded her strikes, weaving away effortlessly—though, strangely, it dodged only her attacks, not the others. The rest of the team’s weapons, including their own M.J.O.L.N.I.R., passed right through it with no effect.
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"Weiss!" a voice called from behind. It was Paul Sievernich, motioning for her to follow. She quickly moved toward him, landing a safe distance away from the chaotic battlefield. As she sprinted, Eva narrowly avoided stepping into a sinkhole—but not before her foot sank deep into the sand. Sievernich grabbed her, pulling her free just in time.
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The stormy cityscape around them began to shift unnaturally. What had once been cold rain-soaked streets morphed into a dry, desolate desert, the sun blazing overhead yet delivering no warmth. The environment felt imperfect, like a fractured reflection of reality. Despite the sun's light, the bone-chilling cold remained.
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“Did you notice how it only dodges your M.J.O.L.N.I.R. and not the others?” Sievernich asked as they surveyed the battlefield.
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Eva frowned. "I thought it was toying with me, trying to bait me into making a mistake. Waiting for an opening."
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Sievernich shook his head. "Maybe. But let’s find out. My squad and I will engage it directly. Hit it hard. You wait for the right moment—then go in for the kill."
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With that, Sievernich and his squad leapt back into action, charging the entity with close combat strikes and firing projectiles from their phasers. Eva watched from a distance, waiting, her weapon ready. Suddenly, Lucy arrived by her side.
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Before they could exchange words, a deafening roar erupted from the entity, shaking the very ground beneath them. The shockwave knocked Eva, Lucy, and the other combatants to the ground. In an instant, a towering wall of sand—50 meters high—swirled into existence, encircling the grocery store where Tetsuo had fallen. The winds whipped with the force of a category 5 hurricane, cutting off reinforcements. The screams of trapped soldiers were quickly drowned out by the raging storm.
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The entity raised its arms high above its head and clapped—thunder echoed across the desert. Lightning streaked down from the sky, striking the sand and transforming it into glass, creating jagged fulgurites. Sievernich’s squad didn’t stand a chance. They were disintegrated in seconds by the intense heat, turned to ash before they could even react.
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Eva and Lucy barely managed to avoid the first strike, but the entity clapped again. This time, bolts of lightning shot not only from the sky but from the fulgurites scattered across the ground, creating a web of death. The last of the remaining soldiers panicked, attempting to flee, but the lightning mercilessly hunted them down, one by one.
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Eva and Lucy braced for their inevitable end, but at the last moment, a massive, furry shape appeared between them and the bolts. The lightning dissipated harmlessly.
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When the dust settled, Schrödinger, Eva’s companion, landed on her shoulder, shrinking back to his usual size. “Are you alright, Eva?” he squeaked, his fur crackling with residual energy.
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Eva exhaled, relieved. “Yes. Thank you. You saved us.”
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Schrödinger chuckled. “Can’t have you turning into burnt toast. Doesn’t suit you,” he said with a playful smile. Eva raised an eyebrow, confused by his words.
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Nearby, Lucy groaned in pain, catching Eva’s attention. “Lucy, are you hurt?”
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“No,” Lucy grumbled, “but that lightning nearly shattered my eardrums. Thank your magic cat for dulling the worst of it.”
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Before Eva could respond, a blinding light engulfed the battlefield. Sievernich was now engaged in a brutal fistfight with the entity, but something was off—he was flying. Quasars weren’t capable of flight, which was why SDN Equipment existed in the first place, yet Sievernich soared through the air, delivering powerful blows.
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Eva and Lucy were about to rush to his aid when Schrödinger suddenly expanded again, blocking their path. Before they could ask why, his gaze locked onto the battle, sharp and focused.
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Sievernich raised his arm high, gesturing downward. In response, beams of pure light rained down from above, caging the entity in a prison of light. With a burst of speed, Sievernich split into multiple projections of himself, each one attacking in a blur of strikes. He headbutted the entity with enough force to slam it into the ground, gaining the upper hand.
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It seemed like victory was assured. Sievernich dived in for the final blow.
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But in the blink of an eye, the entity appeared right in front of him, unharmed. Its speed was unfathomable. Sievernich barely registered what had happened before the entity's palm struck him like a fly swatter. His body crumpled under the force, and he was buried in the sand.
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The ground shifted as the sand began to move, flowing like water, engulfing Sievernich body. It swept across the battlefield, heading toward the grocery store where Tetsuo had fallen, as if the entity teleport Sievernich into the grocery store.
"Now I know what we're up against," Schrödinger stated, shrinking again and landing on Eva's shoulder.
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"What? Do you know how to defeat it? Tell me!" Eva pleaded, grabbing Schrödinger with both hands, staring directly into his mismatched eyes. Lucy, however, understood nothing except for Eva's words and Schrödinger's meows.
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He smiled mischievously, a look that unnerved Eva. "I’ll help you, but only if you say, 'Schrödinger, help me.' Then I can assist you," he said, almost giddy.
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"Huh? Didn’t I already ask for your help?" Eva asked, confused.
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"There’s only so much I can do while my powers are restricted," Schrödinger explained, his tone playful. "I mean, sure, I can destroy a city block if I had to." Eva didn’t like how casually he said that. Without another word, she placed him on the sandy ground, silently refusing his offer.
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"Idiot! You can’t fight it alone! You don’t even know what it is, or what it can do!" Schrödinger yelled, his tone shifting to anger.
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"Then tell me. Give me a hint. Don’t try to take advantage of the situation—that’s all I ask," Eva replied coldly. Her eyes shimmered now, multicoloured, with ripples like raindrops on water. Schrödinger fell silent.
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"This entity isn’t a Void, that much is clear. There’s residue similar to the Cosmos, but it’s chaos—pure disorder. Voids leave no trace when they invade. Not that it matters. My comrades and I have already fought a being that destroyed my world. I swore I’d never lose the place I belong to again," Eva declared solemnly.
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Without waiting for a response, she dashed toward the entity, Lucy following closely behind.
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"So, you can understand cats?" Lucy asked curiously, running alongside Eva. She paused briefly, then replied, "He's more than a cat—he's the Devil."
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Without further explanation, Eva phase-shifted towards the entity. This time, it didn’t try to avoid her M.J.O.L.N.I.R. Instead, it had formed its own weapon—a saber. The two weapons clashed with the force of a lightning strike and the roar of thunder.
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Lucy activated her 'scheduler', crashing herself into the entity’s base, dispersing the surrounding storm clouds and forcing it to collapse to the ground. She projected multiple red, liquid-like copies of Excalibur, raining the blades down on the entity. The intense heat from the attack caused the stormy form of the creature to shift—its body, made of sand, began transforming into fulgurite.
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Desperately, the entity broke free, still impaled by the swords. It lashed out violently, striking Lucy and sending her crashing into a nearby grocery store. In retaliation, Eva sliced off both of its arms, the fragments shattering like glass.
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Before she could deliver the final blow by beheading it, everything around her froze. Time itself seemed to stop. Her vision blurred, filled with distortions and strange words in burning red dialects, shifting and scrambling. The letters reorganised into a message: I AM THE FULFILLER OF WISHES. TELL ME YOUR DREAMS.
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Then Schrödinger’s voice rang inside Eva’s head.
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"Tell me, Eva... Have you ever heard of a Genie?"
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