“Adey, let me tell you a story again,” Machina said. She leaned her arms on the table.

“Why?” Adey said.

“I just want to. Let me tell you a story about the Pale Shine Lady again.”

“Her again?” Adey touched his chin. “I thought the lady ruling us is the Pale Shine Lady.”

“Adey, I think you are deaf, the Obsidian Heiress is using the name of the Pale Shine, to deceive the lady of Pale Shine, and make way for her to come by. Now, don’t be confused, Adey. The Lady of the Pale Shine Pass and the Pale Shine Lady is entirely different, and our Boss, Tania of the Obsidian Flower isn’t the True Pale Shine.”

“You are tricking me, Machina. Don’t give that face when you do. It’s useless.”

“Am I lying or am I not? You know, it’s strange that the Boss Tania can topple down the time wraiths. I fought them you know? Strong, and utterly impossible to defeat unless you can match their plane of existence. Tania is abnormal, that is saying for sure but I know people who are dangerous than her.”

“That War Maiden?”

Machina smiled. “She’s strong indeed. However, you know I heard she can kill any time wraiths with ease. Understandable, since she’s what you call a Prime War Maiden, blessed by a War God, and blessed by the Incarnations that turns her into a being of power. However, can a brute swing truly contain any power strong enough to slash through the veils of time and space?”

Machina shook the cup with her hand. “Someone’s a liar, and two liars and three liars?”

“I hate liars, and there are three liars in this world that I know off. Really, I thought I’d take years to create a near-modern city, but Tania did it in the scope of five hundred years, and this War Maiden sure is tyrannical.”

Adey grimaced like a demon who was wounded.

“Ciara Alician, the Perpetual War Maiden, The One Blessed by the Gods, Tamer of Wraiths, the Beacon of Pale Pass, Slayer of Overlords, Tamer of the Wastelands, and Conqueror of the Thirteen Seas, and the Cold Empress that kneeled nations.”

“She has other names you know?”

“The Slaughterer of Solace, the Blade that wetted Four Mountains with blood, the Crazed Empress of Steel, Slayer of Demons, Tyrant of Lucite, The White-Haired Craven, the Matriarch of the Family of Slayers, and the One that Bathed the Emperor of Tule with his own blood, and bleeder of The Ker Village. She has many names and in the five hundred years of her existence, she has kept the world under her thumb. Kings? Emperors? No matter what they do she’d be the grand ruler and her neutrality is lie that no one dares to speak. Really, they call us the evil ones?”

“It’s subjective, in a sense that she was chosen to be like this. Besides, that woman never acted beyond what she can handle. She drew a thin red line she’d never cross unless you gave her three reasons. The Duality Pact was about that, and so far we’ve been having a good life that had made our life lovely. I shared what I know and they allowed us to live without being slaughtered by a woman who can slaughter an entire army of demons. The underground cities were lucky that they’ve been kept. Still, if that woman comes here and sees all of this. Do you think she’ll murder us?”

“Who knows?” Adey said. “She’s not unreasonable unless we take it too far. She’s powerful, but not stupid enough to let go of an invisible city, and despite her power, our Boss can hold the ground.”

“I pity the Cascade Nation, they have to provoke a family taught in the doctrine of the old. These fools think they can just fight against a family who owns factories and businesses for years?”

“How long do you think they’ll hold?” Adey asked.

“A month at best, and two days if the War Maiden enters the fray. Still, isn’t it exciting, Adey? I once thought that the first bout would end but I cannot wait for it.”

“That half-dragon is moving?”

“Along with the four ancients. The War Maiden taught them a lesson but do you really think those old fools would not try to have a bit of vengeance? Adey, they’ve lived on this planet before all of these things ever existed, and one of them sired a human that could be their messenger. Kaiser, the Half-Dragon bastard, and the guy who was a pain in the ass.”

“I have to ask this, you look so pained by his existence. I could never understand why. You speak leisurely of everyone except for this half-dragon. ”

“Well, he’s an old friend and a bastard who never paid his debt.”

Machina’s gaze became distant and Adey didn’t utter any word while Machina was acting up. Her demeanor was like a block of ice and it was impossible to communicate with her at times where she would act like this. In this world, Adey knew three liars that were a pain to his existence.

These three liars are horrendously involved in lies and secrets.

The first liar was a fool who could not stop rejecting.

The second liar was sincerely maddened.

The third liar was out of time.

Adey didn’t want to do anything with these fools who were a pain to him. Adey was a porter, and all he wanted was peace. However, even in his years of existence, it seems like trouble won’t just go away.

In an island far away from this underground city, there was a half-dragon itching to fight an Empire. While in a continent where an Empire lies, there’s a War Maiden and her fanatical family gearing up to fight a set of islands that have declared war against a nation backed by four dragons, a half-blood, and a finally a monster that has lived since the dawn of time.

“That damn woman is going to start a war again!” Adey gritted his teeth.