The first thing that came to Hikma’s mind about his new buddies was that they were way too paranoid.

It started when Cytortia patched Hikma enough for him to make a journey. After that, was a series of measures the young Archeologist deemed excessive. Firstly, they passed through the city gate under disguise and fake Status ID. Secondly, they sneaked into the wood out of sight from the city and into the area with literally nothing.

Hikma blinked.

“You said you are camping here,” he looked at the black-hair elf. “I see nothing.”

“Yes,” Luxinna fumbled in her pocket and produced a metal ball. “Concealment Artifact. You can’t pass through here without a specially forged key and a passcode.” Luxinna lifted the ball and shouted. “You shall not pass!”

Hikma cringed. The guy setting the password must have a strange sense of humor, or he loved Gandalf way too much.

The ball light-up and the three found themselves inside the camp.

To keep the explanation short: the campsite exceeded Hikma’s standard, and it was not in a comfortable way.

The site consisted of a black van parked in the background, a hastily constructed wooden shed in the corner, and a hearth in the center. Three individuals sat minding their businesses. A brown-hair boy with a white highlight sat behind the fire and tended to the stew. Inside the shed, a red-hair woman wearing an oversized goggle was disassembling an object with a badger. Hikma gulped. Was she disassembling a gun?

The boy looked up.

“So that is our new member,” the boy held out a bowl of stew. “Want some? It’s still hot.”

Hikma about to accept he bowl when Cytotia stopped him.

“Don’t,” the blonde warned. “Rem’s cooking sucks.”

“Cy, it tastes okay now.”

Luxinna snatched the bowl of stew from Rem’s hand and took a sip.

“Too salty.”

Rem sighed in defeat and turned toward Hikma.

“I know you have any questions,” Rem gestured toward the other side of the hearth. “Take a seat and fire away. My name is Remus Breaker or Rem to my co-worker.”

“Hikma De Darwin,” Hikma introduce himself and sat down. “So who are you guys?”

“Okay,” Rem frowned. “Something just occurs to me; do you know what you are getting into?”

Hikma stayed silent.

“I won’t lie to you, Hikma. If you join us, the path ahead won’t be pretty. Our enemies are overwhelming. Our allies are non-existence. We are going to war with the order of this world itself. The moment I tell you the information we hold. Those monsters will try to kill you. They will torture you to get every information they need. If you want to call quit or defect, this is the time. I won’t blame you if you step out of this camp. If you do, we will disappear, and you will never hear from us again. No matter where you go, you will have my blessing for happiness. Now that you know the stake. Do you want to go through with that question?”

“Why are you doing this then?” Hikma asked.

Rem looked into the fire.

“Each of us has many reasons,” Rem reminisced. “Me, I want to bring forth the world where a lonely kid knew a hero is real. A world where he can look at the sky and see hope and dream.”

Hikma nodded, and he replied.

“My father died protecting innocent people when he doesn’t have too. I wish he never did that, but I understand why he did it. He always taught me to live by example. And I promised my mother on her deathbed that I will always be kind.” Hikma looked into Rem’s eyes. “I have only been here for a month to know my father didn’t die for a world like this. I don’t know if this the right decision, but I won’t tarnish the history he left behind.”

Hikma closed his eyes and reaffirmed his resolve.

“If you plan to make this world a kinder place like my father would want it to be, I am in through hell and high water. If I have to camp here outside of civilization with you, I will do it as long as you are saving the innocent people.”

In the distance, Cytortia clapped.

“Great! Let throw a celebration!”

“Yeah, how about we brief the new guys first.” Rem sipped his stew and made a face. Luxinna was right about the salt. “Three months ago, when Earth merged with Phantasia, I got dropped in the middle desert with Cy.”

“Wait,” Hikma said. “Got dropped? You mean you are from Earth.”

“Yeah, I’m studying in London at the time, and the transition popped me right in the middle of nowhere,” Rem eyed Hikma. “And for the record, I am American, not British.”

“Well, for the record, my nationality is french,” Hikma laughed. “Although, I am a bit attached to Dubai.”

Both boys laughed while the girls watched them in confusion.

“What are they on about?” Luxinna asked the goddess.

“I don’t know.”

“They are bonding,” Melody answered from across the camp while measuring a steel gun’s barrel. “It is quite a beautiful phenomenon, I would say.”

Rem coughed and got back on track.

“Anyway, we are contacted by a goddess who resided beyond the realm of reality. The goddess, unable to directly interfere in our world, tasked us with assembling a team to deal with Phantasia’s crisis. And here is the first bombshell, Hikma. Do you know about the World Enemy?”

“You mean the monster that regularly invaded Phantasia.”

“Yeah, those things are increasing their assault frequency. Keep this up, and Phantasia would be a goner, and without Phantasia, the multiverse would follow suit. We are under a timer until a multiverse-scale existential threat.”

“Oh,” Hikma nearly asked for a stew. He needed some salt to process the information, and maybe more salt to stop him from running around like a headless chicken.

“Yes,” Rem turned toward Cytortia. “Bring food. I think we need something to balance the panic.”

Hikma stared at Rem like he was a monster.

“How can you be so calm about this?”

“Because it got worse.”

Hikma started to believe Rem missed the point. Later, he would realize Rem was spot-on.

“Now we arrive at the information people will flay you alive to hear,” Rem narrated. “A month ago, we had to deal with a crisis while trying to recruit Mel over there.”

“The name is Melody,” the demoness retorted.

“We successfully disposed of the crisis,” Rem continued to explain. “But we never expected the aftermath to be so wide.”

Hikma recalled his time with Velnia’s entourage. He remembered the day pretty well because it was the only time he ever saw Albert and Mercia lost their smugness, and panicked. Velnia didn’t know what happened; neither were the guards. However, all of them know it was huge. Now Hikma was about to discover the truth behind that day, but he had to be sure.

“Is what happened a month ago enough to make Albert Starling acted like a headless chicken?”

The badger in the background turned toward them.

“How did you know that Starling brat?”

Hikma stared.

“That honey badger talked?” He looked at Rem.

“The proper term is complaining, but yes, she talked.” Rem turned toward the honey badger. “Who the hell is this Albert Starling?”

Hikma answered that.

“He is Princess’s Velnia tutor.”

“Wait!” Luxinna “Are you talking about Albert Starling? The guys with glasses, a bit nerdy, desperately acting compose all the time despite having pretty much nothing going for him?”

The badger in the background turned toward them.

“How did you know that Starling brat?”

Hikma stared.

“That does sound like Albert,” Hikma frowned. “You two know him?”

“Know him?” Scathach snorted. “He used to come and kiss my ass to gain political backing. I gave him a boot. The only reason I even moderately remember him is that he is the only person in the last century who kept returning to get blasted from my lawn."

Inside Hikma's brain, the image of Albert, the manipulative politician, fell apart.

"Now that you mention it," Luxinna opened her mouth to complete the character annihilation. "He came to my father when I was around eight. I remember it very well because it was the first time I ever saw my father laughed at someone before throwing them out of the house face-first." Luxinna scowled with concentration. "He mentioned things about getting political alliance with my father to control Starland."

"Albert is a fool," Scathach commented. "Lucian never needs someone to get him Starland. That area is pretty much a waste of investment."

”Isn’t Starland a member of the Seven Continental Alliance?”

Everyone turned toward Hikma.

”Kid,” Scarhach started. ”Who told you that?”

”Albert.”

”Wow,” Melody took the gun apart and whistled. ”That is petty even by a politician standard.” She turned toward her comrade. ”Are you sure not going to Starland is a good idea? If this Starling guy is their best, stopping LinLey can’t be that hard.”

”Well, the quality of their personal sure explains why Starland get into their mess,” Rem said. ”No wonder Tai Hua and LinLey chose to head there first. It is weak enough to usurp and got enough influence to snowball; a perfect place for beginner tyrant.”

”What are you guys talking about?” Hikma said. ”What is wrong with Starland?”

”Hikma,” Cytortia gently explained. ”The member of Seven Continental Alliance are Northland, Grand Empire, Elypt, Ikle, Jenile Islands, Majistopia, and the Coalition of Tengen.” The goddess’s face turned sour. ”Starland is one of the three countries in the Union that is the Coalition of Tengen. To keep it short, Starland is only one-third of an Alliance member.”

Hikma’s mouth twitched.

”You are telling me that Albert lied.”

”No,” Rem said with a Sharden Freudian smile. ”Albert was exaggerating the importance of a joke member in an ineffective Alliance of countries to a kid who didn’t know any better.” Rem laughed dryly. ”Considering the damage caused by Cy’s senior sisters squabbling over that joke of a country, even calling them a part of the Alliance is an over-exaggeration at this point.”

”They are still a part of the Alliance, Rem, ” Scathach looked annoyed. ”Give them some respect.”

”Not when Tai Hua Tianshang took over half their territory.”

Hikma suddenly remembered something.

”Why do you think Albert would want to set up Princess Velnia’s marriage?”

That statement hit everyone by surprise.

”Who is getting married?” Cytortia panicked.

Meanwhile, Melody and Rem started chuckling.

”Albert is carting their princess to bargain for an ally?” Melody giggled. ”I might feel sorry for them if the girl isn't so stupid she get used as a casino chip.”

Hikma frowned.

”Velnia is better than that.”

”Yes, Hikma,” Rem nodded. ”I believe she is, but there are people you can save and people who you can’t. I hope you remember that.” Rem got back on topic. ”Now, to answer why Starland is flipping itself over. A month ago, an Untouchable, Illma Zoldia Road, got done over.”

Hikma froze. Velnia warned him about the Untouchable. She went into incredible detail about the immunity they had, their necessity to the world, and why he should avoid crossing them at all costs.

”Isn’t the Untouchable the big wig in Phantasia?” Hikma asked. ”Who dares to attack them?”

Cytortia, Scathach, Rem, and Melody answered by pointing at the elf who was drinking an apple cider.

Hikma stared at the nonchalant Luxinna and turned back toward the gang.

”You guys attacked a government official!” Hikma gaped. ”Are you telling me the chaos this month is all on you?”

”In my defense, Illma picked the fight,” Luxinna said. ”And she was a bitch.”

”True,” Melody agreed. ”Road was a bitch.”

”Technically, we are dealing with a dragon that bitch woke up,” Rem clarified. ”Road got piss-off when her plan got busted, so she picked a fight with Lux. The rest was history. And given what she did, Road deserves what she got.”

“Guys, I don’t kno--“

“Cy, gave him the X-cution file.”

Cytortia dourly walked into the van and walked out with a brown folder she handed to Hikma. Curious, Hikma began flipping through the page. He absorbed page by page of research note with practiced ease. As he flipped the paper, his expression turned from neutral to alarm before settling to fear-induced disgust.

He closed the folder.

"Did she really--"

"Stitches a bunch of psychologically dead kid inside a mech to use as weapons?" Rem nodded. "Yeah, it was Gregory Road's terrible idea. Illma continued it. Luckily, a brief discussion with Ebony Solarmaria allowed us to find a way to deal with the X-cution, so we aren't that helpless."

"And the Alliance made her an Untouchable?" Hikma gaped. "What were they smoking?"

"I don't know," Rem admitted. "Until we do, we are safer outside of their detection. Anyway, we took Illma down, but there is a complication."

"How could it be any worse?"

"The last page of that folder."

Hikma flipped to the last page, scanned it with his eyes, and blanched.

"My god, did someone dice her to piece?"

"Yes, but the most interesting, and the most worrying, is the part that didn't get dice along with Illma."

"Part?"

"Her head," Rem added a spoonful of spice in an attempt to reduce the stew's almighty saltiness. "Illma's head, or more accurately, her brain, was missing. Now, let head to the assumption territory and suggest the murderer knew what he or she was doing." Rem took a sip from the stew and cringed. "The only thing important about Illma's brain is her knowledge of the X-cution. With the right ritual, preservation, and significant prep time, it is possible to extract that information from her dead neurons like data from the hard drive. There is a grim possibility we might have to deal with a psychopathic killer with a mech army powered by broken children soon."

"Is that why you guys are here? To track down the killer."

"I wish," Rem mused. "But after reporting that particular debacle to our boss, she told there is a much more urgent crisis on the horizon. A kind that needed our immediate attention."

Hikma gaped.

"What could be worse than psychopathic killer running all over Phantasia to convert kid into a killing machine?"

Instead of Rem, it was Melody who answered that question.

"Our boss couldn't tell us everything, but all the signs are pretty damning," Melody slowly reassembled the gun. "Our last crisis ended up with us having to fight a dragon and an Untouchable. If the trend and our boss's insistence on us coming here first is anything to go by, the current mission will likely end with a possible attack on the capital the like Grand Empire have ever seen."

Hikma gulped and slowly helped himself with Rem's stew. Salty or not, he needed Sodium right now.