The concept of territories has not been thought of yet when the Order was formed.

  Much less so for countries.

  We stood as one race, not fractured nor divided.

  But as the population grew and we spread to the four corners, ideas and technology failed to catch up with others of our brethren.

  Which is how you get disparities in such as G?bekli Tepe and Stonehenge.

  Remember these words well.

  Our truths are hidden in the past.

  But, our lies, will be for the future.

  - from the personal accounts of Kwame Mensah, Teacher, Mentor, Tetrarch of Africa.

  ========================================================================

  What are the chances of things happening on their own. Like bumping into your favorite idol by pure accident, or spotting a celebrity casually strolling down the street. Then again, it’s not every day a face gets to meet the floor.

  Or that someone decides that tackling you to the ground, is a good way to say hello.

  Today, just isn’t my day.

  Whatever, bizarre, cosmic, karmic crossover episode of a day today is, or the universe had planned, I want no part of it. God damn you author!

  I sighed. I took a deep, deep, very deep breath. Breathe in. Breathe out. I ignored the worried voices of the people gathering around me. Most importantly, I tried to ignore the person who was, currently, breathing down my neck and was casually sniffing my hair from the back, and failing miserably.

  “Rai, get off me!” I tried to say loudly, though, my voice was muffled. It’s hard to project when your face is plastered to the floor.

  “Don’t I know that voice from somewhere?” Someone asked. Unfortunately, I also know that voice.

  I managed to twist my head, just enough to look up. The moment our eyes met, his eyes widened with recognition, like he just saw a long-lost, mildly amusing, treasure.

  “I knew it! Sup, Vi!” he said in English, grinning ear to ear. “Been a while, a year. Good to see you again!”

  “Yeah, hey Art,” I replied casually. “Can’t say the same, though. Never been lower, physically or emotionally—maybe mentally.”

  Arthur snorted.

  “I see you’ve been eating, a little too well. Pfft!” Arthur said before nearly doubling over from laughter. The other people were looking at our little, skit, with growing confusion, unsure whether to laugh or call security.

  “Before you laugh you ass off,” I said through gritted teeth, my anger rising. “Someone please, get this thing off me!”

  The thing on my back squirmed from displeasure but made no noise.

  “People, you know?” my brother asked slowly, while he squatted beside me.

  “Unfortunately,” I grumbled, sighing heavily.

  I took another look around and noticed the group of people who came with Arthur. I switched to Japanese and said “Art, brother. Brother, Arthur McMillan.”

  The two looked at each other and exchanged polite greetings, my brother giving his full name before they turned to look at me, still on the floor.

  “Everyone,” Arthur said in Japanese, gesturing dramatically at me, “this is the guy I told you about, the childhood friend of Reika and Shizuku, Marc Aira Reyvidaneo.”

  I exchanged pleasantries with everyone, even managed a weak wave from my—dignified—position. “Nice to meet you all. Call me Reyvi, or Vi, whichever you prefer,” I mumbled.

  “So, what are you doing there?” Arthur asked, perfectly straight-faced.

  “Counting the stars on the constellation of your penises!” I snapped. Sarcasm dripped from every syllable I uttered. “What the hell does it look like I am doing!?”

  Arthur burst out laughing, and even the taller guy next to him, Trayn, I think his name was, laughed out loud. The shorter boy next to them, snickered but tried to hide it with a hand over his mouth, though the way his shoulders, even glasses, were shaking, gave him away.

  While this entire, thing, was ongoing, other people streamed from the elevator, somewhere staring, some chose to continue walking, others however, were crowded around us, trying to get a better look.

  Those newcomers were whispering to the other people that came with Arthur, possibly friends of theirs.

  “It’s good to see you again Ae!” Reika said sweetly from behind, unbothered by the weird atmosphere.

  I groaned, trying to shove the considerable weight pinning me down. “Yeah, can’t say the same. Now—get—off!”

  Reika, nuzzled her face deeper into my neck. “Ten more minutes.”

  That remark just made the males snicker, as for the females, I did not know, all I knew in that moment was rage.

  Muuuzzzurrrassullaargh!

  After I finished making weird angry walrus noises, I gathered every ounce of strength and enthusiasm I had left. Arms don’t fail me now.

  With titanic effort, I managed to push myself up, then used one foot, and the strength of my back, to forcibly straighten myself. The thing on my back, unwillingly but helplessly and finally let go.

  I bent back, cracking my poor back, then I turned with a scowl and faced the thing that thinks it’s okay for people to say hello with tackle-hugs.

  “Calm down, calm down. Whoosah, Whoosah, remember,” Arthur still amused and snickering placed both hands on my shoulders and was rocking me back and forth.

  “Oh, I would love nothing more than to administer some whoo, on her sah,” I said through clenched teeth, which made Arthur snicker harder.

  Reika pouted and said, “It’s been a while since I last saw you, Ae. I was just recharging my Ae-nium,” unashamedly.

  What in the God’s name is Ae-nium!? I felt a few veins twitch on my head and my ancestors must have squirmed at the level my aneurysm reached. I raised both hands and began to massage my temples.

  “Girl, I am about ten seconds from either slapping you or—”

  I never finished my sentence. Three people stepped between us, their leader barking loudly, “What’s this pig doing to you Reika-san?”

  “Do you need us to take care of him, Reika-san?” Another said, his face looked like the face a yakuza would make if he were trying to extort people money.

  “Hey pig, get out of the way, we don’t want you stinking up the place,” the last one sneered.

  The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  Arthur, followed by Trayn quick to react, placed themselves between us, as did my brother.

  “Whoa boys, take it easy,” Trayn said with an amused tone, but his eyes sharpened. “You just met, now. How about, reserve the name calling, after you all learned each other’s name, alright?”

  “Yup, Yup, besides,” Arthur added, his voice steadier. “Remember the rules here? You 3 three don’t want to go back early, right?”

  These three people are probably her classmates, so of course, being the older and more mature person, I did the next best thing.

  I stepped forward.

  “Hey, it’s Taichou, Chinpo, Gero,” I said, a wicked smile curling my lips. “Didn’t think they would let the BAKA-dai Circus in the hotel. Desperate much?”

  At my words, their faces changed from smug to rather angry ones.

  “Brother, stop making things worse,” my brother hissed, blocking one of them as they tried to charge at me.

  “Okay, calm down now. You three wouldn’t want to pick this fight.” Arthur said, a bit firmer this time, which earned him glares from the trio. “Don’t worry. I won’t help him; it’s just that I don’t think you three can take him on.”

  “And what’s going on here?” A cool but entertained voice sounded, cutting through the tension. Another voice, female and sharper, echoed the first.

  “What’s going on here? What are you three doing!?” the woman demanded, anger flaring in her eyes. The three idiots shrank back and from their reactions, I guessed she was an authority figure, probably one of their teachers.

  When they failed to answer, she turned to the rest of her pupils.

  “Well!?” she barked, one eyebrow arching.

  “Sensei, if I may,” Remy said before anyone else could. The teacher fixed her students with a glare before she turned her attention to him.

  “Since nothing, happened, maybe we can let this, slide.” He explained slowly. “And just a suggestion. But if you do want to punish them, I recommend, not doing it here.”

  The teacher considered Remy’s words, then sighed.

  “It’s as you say, Mr. Remy,” she said, though still eyeing the trio suspiciously, before loudly declaring, “Everyone, if all of you are here to eat, then get to it. Don’t cause any more trouble.”

  Her sharp tone made it clear that there were no objections. Most of her pupils dispersed and went inside the hall.

  She then turned to face Remy again. “Thank you for handling that, better than I could and as well as the leniency Mr. Remy,”

  “It is no trouble at all, Kaname sensei,” he replied graciously, shaking his head. “And please, just, call me Remy instead. No need to add anything before my name.”

  She bowed and thanked him again, before she turned and followed her pupils in.

  “Reika, Shizuku, you both coming?” called one of the few who lingered behind. He was slightly shorter than Arthur but he looked like he was one blonde hair away from being a protagonist in a shounen manga.

  “Oh, it’s fine, Haruto-kun,” Reika replied cheerfully, as though she wasn’t the near cause of a fight earlier. “I’m with Ae!”

  Taken aback, Haruto looked surprised the by answer, like he thought he wasn’t about to receive an answer like that. I, on the other hand, had no illusions about what I wanted.

  “What!? No! No! No! No! No! No! You are not with me,” I said firmly, putting every ounce of finality I could muster into my voice. “Rai, I am here to eat, not entertain, whatever chaos this day wants to throw at me.”

  She pouted at me, lips quivering in that way she probably thought was cute.

  Well-—ok, it is, but still.

  Before anyone could, so much as, utter, a single syllable, I walked past them, as fast as my feet could carry me without actually breaking into a full sprint, and slipped into the room.

  I took a moment to survey the room. It was elegantly arranged with large round tables, covered in white linen, dominating the space. Warm ambient lighting and soft classical music playing in the background, created a welcoming atmosphere as guests entered.

  But it was the kind of atmosphere that whispered money and good taste.

  At the very front was a wide, raised stage, with four round tables arranged in front of it, likely reserved for the event organizers. At the back of the room, long buffet tables were neatly draped with crisp, white linens, and decorated with floral centerpieces.

  Rows of silver chafing dishes, gleamed under the light, each one already opened, and filled with different kinds of dishes from rice, to fruits and desserts. Several servers moved along the back of the buffet table, replenishing dishes and assisting where needed.

  There were quite a few people here, on one side sharing 5 tables, sat the delegations from my country. The Japanese group was sitting four tables away from their counterparts. Each group was giving the other curious glances, all except for the earlier trio, who were being lectured by their teacher.

  Even with both groups present, however, the hall was still too big. By my estimate, this place could host 200 people and still have room for another 100.

  After that quick scan, I quickly moved to the start of the line, fortunately there was no one else in the queue, so I decided to take my time and pick what I should eat.

  Unfortunately, during the time I was deciding what to eat, everyone else managed to catch up to me, and queued up, with Arthur behind me. I could only sigh internally as I reached for a plate.

  I looked up and noticed the server, which made me want to bash my head on the counter. Standing tall and lean at 190 cm, he had hazel nut eyes, short cut, dark brown hair, a strong jaw and a near arrogant smile plastered on his face.

  “G’day mate, fancy a snag or two? Or, reckon by the look on ya face, you’ve got your eye on the parma, eh? Shame there’s no bloody Maccas out here, no burgs round these parts!”

  He then turned to another server, “Oi, Goldy, chuck a few softies in the esky, mate, and top up the juice, will ya?”

  The blonde-haired attendant he mentioned turned around, just as lean and standing 185 cm tall, icy blue eyes. “All right, I’ll go and check with the kitchen,” he said in German. He gave me a polite nod before slipping through a nearby door.

  Because of course. Today just had to keep getting better.

  Arthur leaned towards me and whispered, “What’d they say?” while the others nearby looked equally confused.

  I could only sigh. Deeply. Very, very, deeply.

  Whoosah, Whoosah.

  If my aneurysm decided to explode, is swear I will make that thing into a freaking singularity and take all these bastards with me.

  “Three on the snags and hit them with some dead horse, also a parma, and add a slice of chook,” I said tiredly. “Got any choccy?”

  “Nah, no choccy stuff, sorry mate. Got some cucumber though, if ya want one. But you’ll have to wait, goldy’s off gettin’ more,” he shrugged, before he leaned forward and pointed to three clear jugs at the end of the table. “Otherwise, it’s water for ya.”

  I opted to wait, hopefully the cucumber would be good enough to salvage what was left of this day. My enthusiasm was already low before but with the arrival of these people, it went down to zero. But without chocolate, I feel hollow.

  Like hell, I’m going to drink water now.

  Absentmindedly, I handed him my plate and waited at the end of the queue. A few seconds later, he returned it, loaded with food and said cheerfully, “And remember, you’re free to go for seconds, or thirds”, and a wink.

  I tried to maintain my composure as I looked around for a good table. I walked past a server and did a double take. She was 166 cm tall, had warm brown eyes, golden brown skin, soft yet defined face with graceful eyebrows, and a cheeky smile.

  Right, I know they gave their Aegis, but I never thought they would come here and moonlight as, attendants much less as stupid idiots. I sat down in one of the tables near the back, not because it was close to the buffet table, but because I, desperately, needed, to sit down.

  I leaned forward, both hands supporting my head, I closed my eyes for a few seconds. I drew on my power, a single drop and as subtly as I could. I blotted out the sounds, the chatter, the clinking cutlery, the soft music, of everything around me, until there was only silence. Just enough to ask a question.

  What in the gods name are these people doing!?

  When I finally opened my eyes again, I was surrounded by the earlier group with my brother on my left and Reika on my right. Without shame or any consideration towards my feelings and inner turmoil, they were already eating.

  I’ve lost count on how many times I sighed today. Probably somewhere between too many and existential crisis.

  Lazily, I speared one of the sausages with my fork, then looked up, only to find everyone, some frozen mid-bite, staring at me. One half was amused. The other half was curious.

  Mother of—!

  “What?” I snapped, glaring at all of them.

  Everyone, except Remy, began to talk at the same time, overlapping what each was saying, like they were some horde of malfunctioning overly dramatic corgis. Of course, I couldn’t understand a single word they said.

  “Achichitsutsupapatapapa!” I made weird hissing noises, and flailed one hand. Miraculously, they stopped.

  “Okay. Let’s do this, like civilized people.” I hissed tiredly rubbing my head. “Ok, anyone who has questions, raise a hand.”

  Everyone, raised a hand.

  Goddammit Remy, why are you even raising yours!?

  I reluctantly pointed at him.

  “Vi,” he began, wearing the straightest face imaginable.

  “What?” I deadpanned.

  “Why is your nose red? A bit too early for Christmas don’t you think?” he said with a smug grin. Laughter rippled around the table.

  Okay—I am—going—to ignore him.

  Then there was one person who hadn’t said a word since the beginning. But she had been staring at me the whole time, hard enough to possibly bore through metal.

  “Mochizuki,” I said still side-eyeing Remy.

  She blinked, startled. “What?”

  “So, what’s your question?” I asked, finally turning to face her. “And can you please stop staring at me like that, it’s uncomfortable.”

  She inhaled once. Twice. Then met my gaze with a mix of mirth, confusion, and…was that fear?

  “I’m not sure why everyone else hasn’t bothered to ask this,” she said slowly. “But I’m going to ask anyway.”

  Wait does she know about the Order? Did her grandmother tell her, or did she figure it out? Little Timmy stuck in a well!? Is there a sale at Uniqlo again!? Are they going to cook again!? Is this some strange and diabolical plot concocted by the deranged noodle of that unhinged author!?

  I braced myself for the coming question, unsure of what it even is. Thoughts racing, with the amount of things going on, even I can’t be counted on to figure things out, at least, not as I am now, extremely low motivation. That, and because everything that happened seemed to be one curve ball after another.

  “Why are you, fat!?” she exclaimed with a dead serious expression.

  Oh.

  That.

  Now then, what kind of world-class, premium-grade BS, do I use, to get myself out of this one.