Playthings

  “Warpbreaker teleported himself into an intensive care unit,” Empress told us as soon as she lowered her phone, placing it into her pocket, her predatory violet eyes darting towards me, “He’s missing a foot, is nearly bled out, and has exhausted himself to the point of passing out. We still don’t know what his opponent was, where they are, or even their status,” she finished. Love Love stared at her blankly for a few seconds after these words, blinking in quick succession while her eyes widened and she could barely stop a fanatic smile from spreading over her lips. Oh my god, we did it. She professed inside her mind, flexing her fingers giddily while doing her best to have an outwardly grim appearance, her eyes flicking towards me. And on only the third try?! There’s no way, right? Right?? Surely Kevin is about to explain why this was a failure… Meanwhile, I wasn’t faring much better. I stared back at Empress with a perfectly neutral expression, my dead black eyes giving away exactly nothing to her, simply because that’s what my resting expression had been for such an uncountable amount of time. It worked. I finally internalised, a small smirk appearing on my lips as I raised an eyebrow at Eight, “Sounds awful. I hope he gets better soon,” I responded with a shrug. I did it. I can’t believe it. In all of my thousands of attempts… Was it really as simple as turning Jessica into my servant? All this time??? That was IT?? I’m definitely doing that more often from now on, goodness gracious.

  Empress suppressed an inner growl, flexing her fingers before swiftly turning away and towards the screen once more, resolved to not let me nor Jessica witness her lower eyelid twitch with frustration. “She won’t do anything unless she considers the situation to be unsalvageable, basically.” Love Love pondered on the words I had told her earlier, while I was warning her about what would happen while we waited for the results of the battle between Eiken and Oliver. That means that Number Eight only considers the situation unsalvageable if Warpbreaker dies, is that it? She sighed, pursing her lips and shifting uncomfortably in her seat. Today had been horrible for her nerves, and the way the Celestials would constantly stare at her wasn’t helpful at all. After all, it was so unlike Kevin to have anyone following him around that all of them just assumed she was there for some sort of nefarious if not at least suspicious reason. Bleh. Why do they distrust him so much?? He’s literally trying to save the world for heaven’s sake!! They should all be grateful to HIM!! She shook her head in distaste, deciding to pay attention to the speech for once, now that she knew she was safe. Number One had been monologuing for a while now, and it was about time to wrap up the speech anyway.

  “And THAT…” Angellica proclaimed, extending her arms into the air as the air around her fizzled and popped from the accumulation of energy, the fire from her eyes and wings intensifying majestically, “THAT is why I here and now announce to the world! From today on, I will never allow harm like that to befall humanity again!! From now on, I will be its guardian and protector!” she declared into the sky, her voice rumbling through the colosseum while she jumped upwards and ascended through the air while dropping her left arm and putting her right hand against her heart, “From this moment on I am no longer merely Angellica; I am NUMBER ONE of the Celestial Ten, SERAPH.” Angellica raised a finger to the clouds above, a golden projectile suddenly shooting down from them and towards her with a sonic boom, creating a hole in the fluffy bundles of water vapor in an instant. The newly crowned heroine smiled, a single trickle of sweat running down her jaw as she had to concentrate for this stunt she had practiced so many times before, extending her arm at the very last minute and catching the hardlight sword straight out of the air, causing a shower of golden sparks to fly off and for the colosseum to be flooded with a bright light for a moment. The light dissipated shortly thereafter, revealing the glorious heroine floating in the air with a golden sword in her hands - this one being normal sized instead of the gargantuan construct she had used to slay the monster. I grinned broadly after witnessing the spectacle, my eyes narrowing slightly while I bit my inner cheek eagerly. Hoh? That’s new! She’s getting cocky~ I thought in amusement, my own eyes narrowing as I stood up from where I was sitting. I wonder what prompted her to try that little trick? Maybe she just wants to show off, that creepy psycho.

  “It’s your turn now,” Number Eight muttered, uncrossing her arms and giving me a rather threatening side-eye, seemingly unsurprised by Angellica’s display. Did Empress plan for that, I wonder? Was it just to mess with me? Probably not~ But still!! I thought in amusement, raising an eyebrow as I jumped off my seat and began to walk towards the door while stretching my arms, “I know, I know. What’s with that unpleasant look on your face anyway? I’m not going to betray you guys anytime soon, plus, you look prettier when you smile!” I answered, giving Empress a mockingly innocent smile and a thumbs-up, “You could learn a thing or two from Love Love.” Jessica blinked at those words, her eyes quickly widening while slowly turning her head to look at the Celestial to her right in fear while I closed the door behind me with a boisterous laugh. WHAT WAS THAT?! KEVIN?!?! Do you WANT me to DIE?! KEVIN DON’T LEAVE ME HERE!!! She cried out internally, quickly looking away and pretending like she hadn’t heard me as soon as the piercing purple irises of her superior turned even slightly her way. “Hey, Love Love, was it?” Empress began, her voice deep and menacing, her gaze burning into the nape of the terrified Jessica who had begun to sweat cold, “How do you put up with him?” she ended up asking after a couple of seconds, sighing as she slumped down on a chair next to my pet, her uptight posture decaying just a little, as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

  My sidekick blinked a few more times after that, furrowing her brow and turning to look at Empress in confusion, “H-Huh? Did you just ask me how I put up with… Kronos?” The Celestial stared up at the screen where Seraph had finally returned to the floor, the flames around her and the sword in her hand vanishing into the wind as she went back to her normal state, “Yes,” the president of the Hero Association answered calmly, “He’s disrespectful, brash, smug, egotistical, greedy, woefully unserious, narcissistic, and downright sociopathic at times. Frankly, I wouldn’t be able to handle being his servant or student or whatever it is you are to him. He, who can do it all, and yet when faced with infinite choices still for some reason decides to be as infuriating as he can. Part of me thinks that even his personality itself might just be part of this supposed grander plan that he refuses to share with anyone, but the other half of me is beginning to think that that might just be how he is.” Jessica watched the Celestial that had taken a seat next to her in pure dumbfoundedness, her eyes scanning the woman up and down as if trying to decide if the situation before her was real, “Ah- Well… I mean-” she struggled to answer, biting her lower lip while looking away. How do I explain to Number Eight that Kevin really, truly is trying to save the world?? Like- who the hell cares what his attitude is if everything he’s doing is for the sake of saving everyone?! You-!! You wouldn’t get it, none of you would. Empress waved a hand dismissively before Love Love could say anything, sighing, “It was a rhetorical question, you don’t have to answer. I can tell that you know at minimum a small part of his plan, so it makes sense that you bear with him,” she commented casually, her eyes still fixated on the screen, “But the part that caught my attention is that you don’t seem to be in on it for some kind of personal gain. You don’t carry yourself like someone who has greed or even self-preservation in mind. And yet…” her eyes flicked over to meet Jessica’s, her irises shining malevolently, as if scouring her victim’s soul, “You don’t strike me as someone that is in it for a noble or altruistic reason either.” Love Love got goosebumps at those words, her gaze quickly separating from the Celestial’s, unable to stop herself from gulping subtly as she scrambled to come up with a response. Empress smiled in amusement at that reaction, turning her head towards the screen again, “You don’t need to worry so much, ‘sidekick.’ I was complimenting you.”

  I walked through the curtains, arriving on the podium where Seraph was standing, her eyes flicking over to me right as a deafening silence gripped the previously cheering crowd. It’s only natural. Seeing me take up the stage after a speech like that must be quite the whiplash. I smiled at Seraph in a way that anyone watching through the screen could easily confuse for warmth and camaraderie, but that only Angellica would interpret as smug contempt and that only Michaela would understand was sheer boredom. I gave Number One a nod and grabbed the microphone from her hands, tapping on it before beginning my part of the speech, “My, what inspiring words from Angellica just now,” I called out, grinning broadly at everyone gathered, closing my eyes softly, putting the crowd at ease. What if I bomb this place? I thought absentmindedly, even as my outward shell continued to praise Angellica. I’ve only done that like five times. Surely I can get some more enjoyment out of that? “And for anyone out there worried about her declaration about being Number One, I assure you there is no need to worry! I’m not about to let a young upstart just take my spot that easily!! Not that I’m that old myself…” I continued, chuckling at my own joke and eliciting a mildly amused reaction from those at the Colosseum, “No. In the same way Seraph has been promoted to Number One, I’ve been promoted as well. The very first Number Zero in history!!” I hate this. I thought in disgust, showing none of it to the cheering crowd. I hate this so much. Stupid damned speech. I reminisced about the first few hundred times I had delivered it, feeling nostalgic about how smug and proud and even somewhat nervous I felt when delivering it. Too bad that feeling was long dead. “However, it’s obvious I’m going to need to earn this title just as much as Angellica will need to earn hers. I’m not expecting to be forgiven for what happened in New York any time soon, and all I can do is assure everyone that I did what had to be done. I will not allow a single monster to stomp on innocent lives like that again.” Blah blah blah. As if I haven’t done far worse than any ridiculous monster could ever hope for.

  Dreamstress, meanwhile, was desperately hiding a broad giddy smile and red blushy cheeks beneath the scarf of her civilian disguise while she sat among the crowd in the colosseum. He’s so ama~zing!!! She thought to herself in a sing-song manner while giggling internally like a schoolgirl with a crush. Reaching into his soul is like embracing the cold and empty vastness of outer space~ I wouldn’t be surprised if he has done this over a thousand- no, ten thousand times!! Ahh, but alas, if I am to be the “one,” then I have to stand against these feelings of mine… It’s really such a shame~!! She swayed from side to side slightly, keeping herself occupied while she hummed some sort of song to herself, using her power to make the people around her ignore it. “It’s just not fair, you’re going to make me re-open my wounds from how much you’re making me swoon~” she giggled aloud to herself, touching her bandaged abdomen lightly, using Psychogenesis to stop herself from feeling any of the pain.

  John adjusted the collar of his shirt while standing on top of one of Breadman’s tendrils, taking what was in essence a piggyback ride to the hospital where Eiken was being treated, “This is some bullshit,” he groaned in frustration, looking to his right and at Stalwart who was sitting down on a separate tendril while they travelled. Number Four, Breadman, had become the epicenter of what could only really be described as a massive beige urchin, tendrils being shot out in all directions and grabbing unto whatever surface they made contact with, using that leverage to push the entire bulbous mass forward before letting go and once more shooting out to find somewhere else to grab and push off of. “I don’t know why you’re so mad, lad,” Number Nine replied with a kind smile, his dull grey eyes glinting slightly from where he was leisurely sitting, “This is rather comfortable I reckon.” Seven grimaced, wrinkling his nose while looking off into the sky with a sigh, “It’s humiliating!! We’re Celestials dammit, we shouldn’t need to rely on others to move around like this!! Show some damn pride, old man,” Immortalis chastised his elder, tsk’ing. Stalwart laughed softly at that, looking straight at the young Celestial with a knowing smirk, “You remind me of someone I used to know back in the day, you know. All prideful and haughty like that,” Nine’s eyes narrowed then, one of his hands lifting up to comb his beard, “No, wait, I guess there is a difference between you two.” John’s attention was piqued at that, raising an eyebrow while tilting his head, “What? Are you gonna say that at least he respected his elders or something stupid about how the newer generations suck?” Stalwart closed his eyes then, his warm smile returning, “Oh no!! He was way worse than you in almost every conceivable way, don’t worry. No… The big difference between you two is that when you inevitably get humbled, it won’t cost you your life.” Immortalis stiffened up after that, his eyes widening for a moment before his gaze drooped slightly, “I see. I guess I should apologise for my tasteless joke…” he sighed, closing his eyes and then opening them again, a renewed fervor within them as a cocky smile grew on his lips, “But I won’t! I’m not about to look past your insults just because of a sob story, old man. I’m not taking a single word back~” Bagwis responded with a mischievous half-smile and a hearty chuckle, a bit of life returning to his grizzled eyes.

  If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

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  “Kevin!! Big man!! Despicable bastard!!” Eiken exclaimed childishly with raised arms, his eyes aflame with energy despite the fact that he was very much currently bedridden and a slight gust of wind would probably be enough to knock him out cold again. I smirked, walking through the door and into the hospital room where all of the Celestials were gathered, Jessica walking in behind me nervously and gently closing the door, “It’s good to see you’re in good health, Warpbreaker,” I joked, leaning against the wall and inspecting the ten people gathered on the opposite end. They must all be thinking about how weird it is that they’re all gathering in a single place so often these days. That used to be quite rare~ For them, that is. I thought in amusement with a whistle. “Eiken here told us what happened already,” Empress muttered, her eyes narrowing and her arms crossing. “And in gruesome detail too!” Maquineer added with a harrumph while sitting atop a stool she most certainly had crafted with Architect, “It’s admirable how revolting the descriptions could get!!”

  “Ouch,” I answered with a shrug, raising an eyebrow in disinterest, “At least it’s quite literally his job to risk his life like that, no?” The doctor standing next to Warpbreaker lifted her glasses right after my rhetorical question, revealing the glitter-like sparkle within her pupils, “We aren’t fools, Zero,” she muttered, eyes fixated on my visage, Eiken’s bed acting like a separatory line between me and the rest of the Celestials, “The writing’s plain for all to see. Four attacks by the rebellion don’t just happen back to back like that, and especially not in the way these ones have. Not to mention the imminent monster war and all that entails, too. We’re not here to antagonise you, Kevin, we just-” Michaela snickered then, interrupting Number Two, “Correction, the rest of them aren’t here to antagonise you,” she growled, pushing herself off the wall she had been leaning on, one of her eyes covered up by a bandage that wrapped around her head, “Me? I don’t care, I’ll say it how it is. You’re playing with us like we’re action figures, Kronos~” she dragged her words in a sickly manner, her eyes and tongue dripping with enough venom to kill while she slowly made her way across the room towards me in a creepily sensual manner. I can’t move. I realised grimly, my eyes darting from her and to the rest of the people gathered in curiosity, noticing how not a single one of them had moved a muscle since Dreamstress had started talking. And neither can they. Number Three is holding everyone down by force. “And you see, Zero…” Michaela purred, lifting a finger to her lips, wetting them, “I don’t like it one bit~” her other hand suddenly wrapping around my neck, her claws threatening to pierce me like a hot knife through butter. I grinned internally, my eyes staring back up into hers in cocky defiance mixed with unashamed desire. You’re as pretty as ever, Michaela~ I thought unabashedly and without remorse, completely unafraid. You really wouldn’t rather we switch positions right now?~ Could be fun, you know. I never hid the fact that I desired Number Three, the same way she made it explicit to everyone that she loathed me to death. I’m pretty sure you’re the only reason I haven’t lost my sense of lust by now. Sheesh, that’s kind of a sad thought… Maybe part of me was aware that my eternal and futile relationship with her was one of the only reasons I hadn’t lost all sanity yet, but I would have never admitted it.

  I CAN’T MOVE!!! Love Love thought in utter panic, unable to do more than breathe and move her eyes, her heartbeat thumping in her ears from fear as she stared wide-eyed at each of the Celestials gathered on the opposite end to her, as if begging for their help. HELP!! HELP ME!!! KEVIN, PLEASE!!! She turned her neon pink eyes towards me pleadingly, only to suddenly feel as if the entire world stopped moving, Michaela’s hands wrapping around my throat. Oh. She looked me up and down with what limited way she could, realisation dawning on her. He can’t move either. Her eyes narrowed, the pink glow within her irises intensifying, fear all but consuming her very being, yet her thoughts had become eerily calm. She had heard the stories about the mythical Number Three, and she was all too aware of what she was capable of thanks to what I had told her. One look, one snap of her fingers, one measly word out of her mouth, and Jessica’s life would be extinguished without a second thought - or worse, she’d have her emotions and thoughts forcefully rewired in unnatural ways. And yet, despite knowing this, one thought had suddenly consumed her entirely. “So… Kevin…” the Celestial sultrily continued, trickles of blood beginning to erupt from where her nails dug into my skin, “You’re going to apologise very profusely as soon as you walk into this room, or else I’ll just keep killing you over and over until you do~”

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  “Dreamstress is the most popular Celestial, and it’s not even close. Because of this, she uses her power when out in public to basically become cognitively invisible to people around, and therefore interactions between her and fans are few and far between. Due to that, many of her fans would faint from joy at the opportunity to actually get to meet her in person,” I had told Love Love some days ago over dinner, talking with my mouth full shamelessly while grinning in that empty way she had grown accustomed to, “But that’s only with the average person!! Haha~ When it comes to politicians or celebrities, she’s avoided like the damn plague. It gets to the point that at BEST, if there’s some special event going on, she’ll do something like a video call with them. Ain’t that funny??” Jessica dragged her fork to and fro over the plate, staring down at the beef wellington I had spent a good couple of hours painstakingly cooking. And yet he eats it just like he eats everything else, he’s not taking the flavor in at all, not even of something he cooked himself. She looked up at me, her eyes narrowed, “Is that so? I mean, it’s pretty obvious why… They think she’d just use Psychogenesis to brainwash them or whatnot, no?” she sighed, only half-heartedly paying attention to the conversation. She cared a lot less about Dreamstress or whatever else, and was instead busy analysing my expression, placing a piece of the food in her mouth while deep in thought.

  I shook my head in amusement, placing my elbows on the table and resting my head on my hands, “Number Three is a real menace, to be fair. If she REALLY felt like it, she’d be able to effortlessly take over the world in a month flat. I know cus’ I’ve had it happen a few times before…” I grinned and placed another piece of the meal in my mouth unceremoniously, “So, you know, I was the one that told Empress to make it a rule that she straight up isn’t allowed to see important people in person, to prevent all that jazz. By the way, how’s the food??” Love Love blinked a couple of times and looked back down at her food, smiling softly before sighing over-dramatically while returning her gaze to me, “Oh, the food’s amazing like always!! Of course, everything you cook is masterfully made - really, the only reason we’d ever go to restaurants is for convenience at this point,” she then looked at me with renewed interest, leaning forwards over the table so her face would be concerningly close to mine, “What about you? How’s the food taste to YOU???” I was taken aback by this, my grin faltering while my eyes darted across her up and down in surprise, “Ah-? How it tastes to… me? Well…” my brow furrowed then, looking away. Where’d that come from?? And why does it seem like she’s so invested in my answer? Sheesh, what a strange pet you are. “It’s pretty good, I’d say. I made it after all!” I answered half-heartedly before quickly switching subjects with a wave of my hand, “Anyway, back to Dreamstress. As I was saying, she’s quite the force of nature if left unchecked. Of the Celestials she’s the one that has tried to kill me most often, and really the only one capable of holding me down for any extended amount of time,” I continued, my grin returning forcefully while pushing my sidekick back with my index finger.

  Love Love complied, returning to her seat. I knew it. She thought with narrowed eyes, her penetrating gaze remaining fixed on my face even as I acted like I didn’t notice it. This confirms it, this time for certain. He had no sense of taste. It’s… it’s even worse than I had expected. She bit her lower lip subtly, overrun with pity of all things, though she didn’t let it show on her face. You’ll see, Kevin. I’ll… I’ll do it, just like you did with me, without fail!! “Really?” she asked, keeping her thoughts to herself after a brief internal struggle, “How is anyone supposed to hold you back? Don’t tell me her powers continue to have an effect on you even after you wind the clock?!” I laughed at that, moving my head from side to side, “No, nothing like that. It’s more of a situation where she can just use her power to stop me from using mine consciously, and then subsequently play with me as much as she wants. It’s annoying as hell. Though… She tends to just cut off my head pretty much immediately,” I admitted while rubbing my chin. Weird. Why did I just admit that so easily?After all, it’s one of the few things closest to an actual weakness that I have… I decided not to ponder on it further. Love Love gulped down another piece of beef before responding, “I see. No wonder you want to have your way with her,” she joked while chewing, “Your type’s the kind of woman who’ll just straight up kill you, huh?”

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  “Hey, Dreamstress,” Jessica suddenly growled in fury, her neon pink irises glowing menacingly, pink mist-like energy exuding from her body and slowly gathering at her feet while she took a step forwards, the sound of her heel hitting the ground echoing through the room menacingly. Number Three’s eyes widened in shock immediately, her head turning towards the unexpected sound with a snap, her grip on my neck loosening thanks to the mental flashbang that she had just received, “WHA-?!” she exclaimed as soon as her eyes landed on the culprit, her own irises radiating with energy. Love Love took a second decisive step towards the Celestial, ignoring the metallic taste flooding into her mouth, “Hey, Michaela,” she continued, raising an arm and pointing at where Michaela’s hand had wrapped around my neck, “Let Kevin go,” she ordered with a level of confidence I had never ever heard from her before, not even in other timelines where she was a fully fledged hero. Dreamstress faltered, her grip loosening even further from the simple impossibility of the situation unfolding before her, her face contorting into a disgusted growl and subsequently tightening her grip even more than it was before, causing blood to begin dripping down her fingers from my neck, “HAAAAH?! And who do you think you are?! You’re just this bastard’s toy, a disposable plaything he’ll eventually grow bored of and toss aside!! I don’t know how you managed to break through Psychogenesis, but you’re insane if you think you can force me to do anything at all~” My eyes darted towards Love Love, the subtle shine within them betraying my excitement. Oh, today just keeps getting better!! I thought happily, internally bobbing my head from side to side. I wasn’t expecting my pet to be so protective over me, though~ She’s really pushing herself, hmm… And it’s not like Michaela’s wrong in her accusations, either.

  Jessica grit her teeth forcefully, taking another slow and laboured step towards the heroine, making the latter snicker. “Looks like whatever you’re doing to keep Psychogenesis at bay is taking quite the toll, huh?~ Sorry, plaything, but I just can’t let Kronos here keep toying with us - with ME - like this and just get out unscathed. I know he won’t change his ways, so the least I can do is humble the basta-” but before she could finish her sentence, she had already crashed through the door to the room, hitting the wall behind it with a satisfying crunch. Jessica spat out blood onto the floor, now standing where Michaela had been a mere moment ago, water vapour slowly rising out from her entire body and mixing with the pink mist - her fist raised and smoldering, the top layers of skin on it peeled away. “I told you…” my sidekick growled, her eyes flaring with unsettling vigour, “To let him go.”

  I stepped forwards then, placing a hand on her shoulder calmly, making her suddenly jolt in surprise and look behind herself and towards me. I smiled down at her, rubbing the top of her head, “Well done, Jessica,” I congratulated her, “It seems your display rattled Number Three hard enough to break her hold on the rest of us.” I looked away from the wide puppy eyes Love Love was giving me and towards the hole in the door where the heroine was already beginning to get back up, her eyes smoldering in fury and her teeth clenched, the bandages around her body having fallen off to reveal the gruesome bruises covering her. “Sadly, it seems tha-” I began, looking back down at Love Love with an apologetic smile, and blinking a couple of times as I realised she had collapsed onto the floor, passed out from overexertion, an amused sigh escaping from my lips at the sight and my smile vanishing, “Oh. I guess there’s no need to apologise anymore. Hmm… Why was I going to say sorry anyway? It’s not like she’d remembe-” and then my head was promptly disconnected from the rest of my body. Dreamstress held my head in her arms as if cradling it, her back turned to the rest of the Celestials that only now had begun moving again, the rest of my body slumping over and falling on top of Jessica’s. “Shush, now,” Michaela mumbled dreamily, swiping away a loose strand of hair from my quickly paling face, my sense of vision and hearing all but gone. She raised my head so I’d be eye-level with her, her lips moving to form words, only for my power to activate automatically before I could catch any of it.