Nulla arrived at her house early in the morning. After finally having a decent meal for the past three days, she made the most out of her occasional meal, which took more time than usual. She entered her home, set aside her shoes, placed her keys on the small table by the sofa, and headed straight to Ligaya's room. She was still carrying her domineering appearance, with her long coat draped over her shoulders, her hands tucked inside her pockets, and her hair tied to a messy ponytail. She opened the door gently, careful not to disturb her sister despite knowing that she wouldn't be able to hear a single thing.

Ligaya's condition was the main reason why their home is equipped with the latest technologies Victory Corp. and Successful Securities had to offer on and off the market. Nulla also made sure to fill their current subdivision with her agents so that Ligaya can live a normal life without feeling insecure about her condition. Everything was for the sake of her sister's happiness.

Nulla leaned against the door frame, looking at the sleeping figure of her beloved sister. Ligaya's steady breathing and the silent buzzing of the room's air conditioner made the still night a little pleasant for Nulla, washing away the lingering ecstasy from her meal. She checked her watch, ready to proceed with her morning routine since the image of her sister, as well as her dinner, had given her enough energy for the day.

'3:58 am. 23 JUN 2537. Makati, Philippines'

Slowly closing the door behind her, Nulla went back to her room to freshen up. She changed her clothes to a loose sweater and baggy sweatpants and went to their home gym on the second floor. After doing some stretches, she decided to use the encapsulated treadmill - a treadmill built inside a capsule. It recreates any environment - from terrain, weather, vegetation, and animals or monsters - using virtual reality to give an authentic feel of running outside.

She chose the volcano/forest/swamp/dessert obstacle course and set it to the highest difficulty before running. Nulla started reviewing documents that needed her approval using a projected screen in front of her, all while having classical music played within the capsule.

After running for nearly an hour, she exited the capsule, removing her sweater to let her bare body cool down from all the sweat it has accumulated. Dropping the sweater on the floor, Nulla headed for the corner table and poured herself a glass of water before wiping her sweat with a towel, exposing her lean muscles and the scars on her torso.

Tattoos were etched all over her body. Those on her right arm extended all the way to her neck, while the one on her left arm covered her left boob before traveling down to her left side, touching her V-line. Her ponytail exposed a picture of a rose garden that emphasized six different colored roses covered her entire back that didn't look out of place on her overall appearance.

'5:22 am. 23 JUN 2537. Makati, Philippines'

"I should be able to squeeze about an hour in the training room." She concluded before heading towards a shelf on the opposite wall. Multiple weights with varying weights rested on each shelf. Nulla wore a waistband that weighed 30 lbs, wrist bands that weighed 15 lbs each, and leg warmers, weighing 20 lbs each. She then headed to a separate room that looked like a typical training room. Metal panels covered the walls, floor, and ceiling. A shelf where a series of headbands were kept and had all sorts of training weapons - weapons with unsharpened blades with metal handles that have embedded crystals, designed to adjust their weight and effects during training, depending on the user's preferences - was placed by the entrance. 

[Good morning, Director Manalo. This is Hapi at your service.

What kind of training would you like this morning? May I recommend the Myth Rebellion which occurred during the 24th century?]

A high-pitch robotic female voice echoed inside the room as the lights turned on upon Nulla's arrival. She thought about Hapi's suggestion as she wore one of the headwears and picked up a pair of practice daggers before doing some practice swings.

"Mm. Initiate 'Last Stand' and increase the difficulty to the highest level. Maintain my current stats and adjust my weapon to a B grade."

[. . . Calculating success rate. . . 23% calculated success rate.

I strongly discourage the use of a weapon that's two grades lower than the Director's stats. May I suggest using 'Caeli's Wings' or 'The Blade of Umbra' ?]

"Denied. Initiate battle scenarios with the provided conditions."

[. . . Understood. Activating Spatio Distantis. Initiating the difference: 2 minutes is to 1-day ratio. . . Activating Complete.

Activating Ex Animo Corpore. . . Activation complete.

Adjusting the chosen battle scenario 'The Last Stand' to the highest difficulty. . . Adjustment successful.

Recreating the 24th-century environment. . . Recreation successful.

Generating 3,000 Alans, 4,000 Amalanhig, 2,000 Amomongo, 2,300 Bal-bal, 1,700 Berbalang, 970 Busaw, 3,400 Dalaketnon, 500 Kapre, 1,100 Mambabarang, 850 Mangkukulam, 7,000 Multo, 4,300 Nuno sa Punso, 3,100 Pugot, 6,300 Sigbin, 5,600 Tikbalang, 3,200 Tyanak, 150 Bakunawa, 6,800 Mananaggal, 5,500 Wak-wak, and 3 Minokawa. . . Generation successful.

Adjusting weapon to grade B 'Noctis' Daggers'. . . Adjustment successful.

Adjusting armor to grade S 'The Pillar of Tartaros'. . . Armor not found, adjustment unsuccessful.

Initiating the '24th-century Myth Rebellion: The Last Stand'. Difficulty; Daredevil. . . Initiation complete.

Please proceed with utmost caution. Good luck.]

The earlier metallic room turned into a ruined city; buildings toppled over, roads beyond repair, greenery sprouting everywhere, painting the very image of nature taking back civilization. In the middle of an abandoned plaza, there stood a girl wearing nothing but sweatpants and weights while holding a pair of curved daggers with blades as black as the night sky on each hand. 

Nulla took a deep breath as she tightly gripped her training daggers that had transformed to the indicated weapon, looking at the sea of monsters in front of her. A mixture of goblins, elves, giants, cyclops, horse-human hybrids, and many more creatures glared at Nulla with mad-red eyes. With the largest Minokawa roaring from the far end, opposite of Nulla, signaling the start of the battle, indicating the beginning of another of Nulla's training, just like any other morning.

.

. . 

. . .

Facing the last injured Minokawa, an armless Nulla rushed forward, a chipped dagger at her right while the other tucked between her teeth. The Minokawa roared once more, opening its steel beak as its mirror-colored eyes glared at Nulla's small figure. It opened its wings, ready to fly once more as its sword-like wings fluttered like the silver dance of death. Unfazed, Nulla continued, accurately dodging the falling feathers that were twice as big, burying themselves in the ground.

To stop the Minokawa from taking off, Nulla ran up the highest building it could find, took the deepest breath she could muster, and roared her last battle cry, signaling her final battle, a battle that could lead to her potential death.

The Minokawa halted its wings and turned to the direction of the noise, opening its steel beak to see who roared, only to be met with the obsidian dagger which pierced the center of its left eye. The Minokawa roared once more, flapping its wings more vigorously than ever. Not missing the opportunity, Nulla jumped off the building, destroying it during her take-off. With the remaining dagger at hand, Nulla went straight for the Minokawa's open beak and dove inside, but the Minkoawa noticed her. It immediately closed its beak in an attempt to prevent her from entering.

Ignoring her newly decapitated right leg, Nulla allowed herself to fall deeper inside the Minokawa with her dagger firmly pointed ahead of her. Spotting the Minokawa's glowing and pumping heart, Nulla accumulated all of her remaining wind magic, mentally straining all of her power and leading them to the tip of her remaining foot before releasing it all at once, destroying her right leg in the process. Nulla's significant increase in speed was all the momentum she needed to pierce through its heart like a bullet, exiting the Minokawa through its back.

[Battle Scenario Complete. Reverting training room to normal condition. . . Reversion complete.

Reverting user condition to normal. . . Reversion complete.

Deactivating Ex Animo Corpore. . . Deactivation complete.

Deactivating Spatio Distantis. . . Deactivation complete. 

Calculating Battle Logs. . . Calculation complete.

Time of Completion: 26 days or 52 minutes.

Score: 65 / B+.

Congratulations! Detailed results are accessible in the Battle Records log. Thank you for using Victory Corp's 'Hapi Battle Simulation.' This is Hapi, and I look forward to training with you again!

Congratulations, Director Manalo, for another successful training. Would you like to view today's battle results?]

Nulla was on the floor, heavily panting with her 'remaining' limbs spread across the floor. Slowly but surely, her lost limbs began regaining their form, attaching themselves back to Nulla's body. It started from the reconstruction of bones, reattachment of veins, and reforming of muscles.

"Haa. . . Haa. . . No. . ." Nulla waved her right hand in front of her before weakly letting it fall back to the ground, "What. . . What time is . . . it?"

[It is currently 6:21 am. Philippine Standard Time.]

Spending a few more minutes on the ground, stabilizing her breathing to calm herself, recovering from all the injuries she's sustained while training. With a groan, she weakly pushed herself up and left the room, leaving the headwear, weights, and daggers to their rightful places.

She headed downstairs and passed through the kitchen to get to her room, only to notice a tall blood-red shake on the countertop with a note next to it.
'Drink up. It's fresh.'

Nulla smiled a little before drinking the entire glass in one go. She then neatly folded the note, throwing it in the trash before placing the glass inside the dishwasher. 

The sun peeked inside Ligaya's room, waking her from her peaceful sleep. With a light stretch, she checked the clock on her bedside table before smiling, "7:56 am. Ligaya 2, alarm clock, 6. Wait, since it's Sunday today, the scores should be; Ligaya 1, alarm clock 0. Ha!" Ligaya laughed triumphantly as she stood from her bed. After a full body stretch, Ligaya left her room and headed to the kitchen since her sister would be awake by this time, preparing breakfast.

Seeing that Nulla was already setting up the table with her favorite bacon and eggs with rice, Ligaya happily skipped towards the table for two, "Good Morning Sa Inyo~" Ligaya greeted as a song before placing herself beside her standing sister. She then looked up at her, tiptoed, and met Nulla's descending cheek with a light morning kiss, "Hehe, Morning Ate. Did work go well last night?" She asked as she sat in her seat.

Nulla nodded, placing food on Ligaya's empty plate before placing some on her own and took her seat.

|But I might be a little busy this week. Your Tito Ron wants us to increase our manpower in the Mindanao branches for his Myth advocacy|

"Mm. Is that the one where Tito Ron wants to introduce the Myths back to society as citizens?" Ligaya asked after swallowing a spoonful of rice. Seeing Nulla's affirmation with a nod, she continued, "But there are still people who have lived through the consequences of the Myth Rebellion during the 25th-century, not to mention the 'Battle of Races' during the 24th-century or 'The Last Stand in Bohol' by the end of the 24-century. The schools practically teach kids that Myths are bad until they grow old. How will Tito Ron turn society's views about the Myths?"

|Who knows? I'll ask him when I get the chance. Do you not like Myths?|

"What? How could I not? Sure there are bad Myths in the past, and maybe there are still bad Myths today, but Tita Dina is a Diwata. It wouldn't be fair to her if I hate all Myths because of some war that happened before our time.  It's like we should hate all Spanish people because they conquered us millennia ago. It's stupid."

Nulla chuckled at her sister's reasoning. She was glad that she was able to introduce a Myth to her sister before their planning, or else she'd be forced to eliminate all Myths if she hated them.

|What are your plans today?|

"Hm? Oh, just laze around the house and play some games while I'm at it. I'll probably ask Shuree and the others if they're free to hang out in the afternoon. Why?"

|Nothing much. Text me when you leave, alright? I'll have Vee drive you around|

"Waaah, Kuya Vee is back?!"

|He arrived two days ago|

"Yey! Thank you, Ate!"

|Of course. Anything for you Laya|

Nihilum_zero

Heyy, so in this chapter, I wanted to build a little bit around the lore, like how advanced this 'Neo Philippines' is already as well as what 'Myths' are as indicated in the previous chapter. By no means are these Myths only located in Mindanao. They are all over the country, but it just so happens that the largest Myth population is located in Mindanao. The 'Myths' mentioned during the battle simulation isn't everyone or everything. There are, of course, good Myths also as dictated by Ligaya.

I also enjoyed writing about the Nulla vs Minokawa bit although it was short-lived. Although I wanted to write about it extensively, I feel like it would take too much of the pacing since it really isn't that important for the chapter. I also wanted to show how close the Manalo siblings are as well as solidify Ligaya's character a little more.

I know the pacing is a little slow, but I really wanted to paint clear pictures of each of my characters so yeah. . .

Thank you so much for reading!

Don't forget to check out my website nihilumcreations.wordpress.com where I mainly post my stuff.

Spoiler

Entry # 7. . . Umm day something.

 

All right, it's been a couple of days since I had my second meal, and let me just tell you, those kids? WERE DELICIOUS. Sure they were a little bony than what I'd hope, but hey, we're in the slums. Being picky is like the greatest crime one can actually commit.

 

Anyway, now that I've learned everything that I can regarding kids, especially that rare fat kid. Damn did I savor every last bit of those fatty juices. They were sizzling when I cooked them with fire you know, just a mouthful of flavors I tell you. Anyway, I'm getting off-topic again, I swear, I always derail from the things I'm supposed to talk about when I think about that kid. Fat kids are just so rare you know?

 

So, as I was saying, or I probably haven't said anything yet, I'm out to hunt adults. Although I prefer eating kids, I really don't want to kill all kids in one go, especially now that my appetite seems to grow and grow. If I only eat kids, I'll eventually run out of food. It's not like humans here continuously produce you know? And the last time I checked, babies take a long time to mature to the optimal eating age. I could start eating babies but the babies here in the slums are too skinny for my taste, skinnier than the kids here. Might as well wait for them to mature you know? Instead of nipping them off their buds prematurely.

 

All right, a couple of days ago, while I was eating my last piece of meat from the fat kid, I started staking out a couple of potential meals. Although adult meat is a little hard, I figured they'd be packed with a lot of flavors that would be good for my growing body. Kids aren't really ideal for healthy consumption in my opinion.

 

So, I spotted three potential meals that would be easy pickings in my opinion. The first one is a dude who had a little scuffle with his gang and is now alone, the next one is new blood in the slums, a woman with a kid. I chose her since she's new and she's literally a two-in-one package. I doubt she'll just leave her kid so the least I could do is eat them both right? It's called manners. While the last one is the woman that taught me the brick trick. I know I said that I'd repay her, but she got badly involved in one of the gangs in the slums and is now in a bad state. Don't you think the best thing I can do to repay her is to end her suffering? Well, I know the method isn't technically ideal, but I can't waste any resources you know? That would be rude to her, and disrespectful to the rule of the slums. Never waste food.

 

I'll start with the battered lady since it's an easier kill, and I'd like to know how her lumps taste like. Are they also full of fat like the fat kid, or is it muscles like men? Can't wait to find out hahaha.

 

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