The Harvester

“So, you saved me in the end, huh?” Rakna commented whilst sitting in a clearing of the forest, his wolf tails sluggishly moving around as if to convey their owner’s peace of mind.

 

Shin-Woo, whom he had addressed, smiled wryly. “I suppose… You were not wrong, anyhow. Just like you said, my presence alone changed your fate. Though, it was a bit more deliberate than you expected, huh?”

 

“Pretty much,” the therian conceded and looked at his hand, where a purple flame emerged and danced around his fingers. “If it weren’t for you, this thing would have killed me… right under her eyes,” he added with a sad whisper. “I thank you for that.”

 

The regressor nodded sympathetically, perfectly understanding the weight of his gratitude. “I am happy to have been able to prevent it,” he replied.

 

“Excuse me, but…” Flavia interjected into their conversation and menacingly raised an eyebrow at Rakna next to her, who promptly avoided her eyes. “Rakna… you knew that your life was at risk today and didn’t even try to prevent it?” She asked with a slightly angered tone.

 

The therian sighed. “I’m sorry,” he apologized instantly; he knew he was in the wrong. Kaelith and Nyx especially hadn’t deserved the pain he had made them go through worrying for him. “I didn’t tell you anything, but I’m sure you can understand why yourself.”

 

Flavia silently narrowed her eyes, “And is there anything else you’re hiding while we’re at it?”

 

Rakna smiled in amusement at that. “I can’t fool you,” he snorted and continued, “A while ago, my death was predicted by Fray’s magic.” At his confession, everybody listening stiffened. “At least, it was my most likely idea. My story ended with a riddle, and it didn’t take much thinking to deduce what it referred to exactly.”

 

“Which is?” The Chaos Witch followed up sharply and this time, he gave her a smile that managed to disarm her anger.

 

“Spoilers,” he joked and she blinked in disbelief.

 

“…you didn’t just say that,” she uttered and he shrugged.

 

“Although, now, I have doubts about what it actually implies,” he admitted and raised his hand for everyone to see a carved black crystal floating above his palm with purple flames contained inside of it. “I’ve just learned something very interesting about myself… and I’m unsure of it all.”

 

“Hm, interesting,” Gray tapped his cane as he observed the obsidian. “Does it have anything to do with you being a living prototype of the Philosopher’s Stone?”

 

Rakna glanced at him and dispelled his star energy. “Potentially,” he said and turned back toward Flavia with a kind look. “That’s why I can’t tell you. No… I don’t want to,” he stated. “You know me better than most; I don’t keep secrets because they are dangerous.”

 

“You keep them because you want to control them,” Flavia finished for him without hesitation and he smiled faintly. With a sigh, she relented. “I understand. As long as you know what you’re doing, there’s nothing I can say to change your mind. But you better not forget to ask for help whenever those little secrets of yours turn deadly again.”

 

The therian huffed. “I don’t have any of that kind anymore, but I’ll try not to for the next,” he said with a mischievous tone and she shook her head. “All that aside,” he addressed everyone. “Has Eva announced anything yet?”

 

“For the reinstitution of Plateau Zero, you mean?” Shin-Woo inquired and received a nod. “During my run, I believe it took a few days for her to speak of it. But now? Can’t say for sure.”

 

“And you say that based on ‘your’ future, is it?” Gray commented curiously. “I’m still a bit surprised by your identity… but if our little Emperor trusts you, it’s probably true. By the way, can I ask what Eva did with Zero? She wouldn’t have announced anything if she had simply deleted it.”

 

“I concur,” Flegra added. “The System would never announce anything if it didn’t involve at least a large portion of its population.”

 

“And you’re correct,” the regressor nodded. “She repurposed it. And to be honest with you, I’m not sure for what.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“In her own words, she described the new Zero as ‘The Forefront’. She turned it into a private sort of Plateau, even more so than the Celestial and Eonian. She invited important figures from all over; which included Hosts, Locals, and Wilden. Essentially… I heard she was issuing a large-scale Quest to those people. I wasn’t involved in the whole thing, so I couldn’t tell you more than that.”

 

Rakna scowled. “That’s… suspicious,” he muttered. “I’ll ask her myself. That brat and I have things to discuss either way,” he stated threateningly and for a moment, the group shuddered as a sharp sensation grazed their skin.

 

Higure especially, more than the others, felt a strange shiver. It was as if the therian was affecting her body and mind with just his presence. “Rakna…” She started and he turned toward her. “What is that ‘Beast Emperor’ thing all about?”

 

He blinked in surprise at the new topic but eventually snickered. “Well, I haven’t checked what it is yet, but even without reading the title description, I already can tell.”

 

“Oh?” Gray exclaimed in interest.

 

“And it’s as simple as this,” Rakna uttered and pointed at Tyran, who was sitting next to Flavia like a good boy. The Asura tilted his head when everyone focused on him and pointed at himself with one of his wings, letting out a confused roar. “Yes, you,” the therian nodded.

 

Tyran cried out confusingly and glanced at Pronos as if seeking clarification.

 

“No, you didn’t do anything,” Rakna suddenly said and the small creature froze. Higure’s eyes went wide in realization, but everyone else failed to notice what she had. All except Akronis.

 

The white bat leaped off Allan and landed in front of the therian. He looked up with a squint and spoke up, “So, that’s what it is... But, how far does the definition of ‘Beast’ extend?”

 

“Bring it back down a notch,” Rakna said with a smile. “All can be considered wild animals.”

 

Akronis laughed in response. “Well, isn’t that a great empire, Ô Beast Emperor?”

 

“Uuh… I’m confused,” Allan raised his opinion; one that everybody shared.

 

“Hah, don’t worry, child. No one here will be disappointed by your inaptness,” the bat chuckled as he found his way back atop the blond’s head, who barely resisted the urge to chuck him away.

 

“Well, you’ll understand soon enough,” Rakna remarked and looked over his shoulder at the front door of Flegra’s house. He smiled softly, “Nyx woke up.”

 

“Eh? How can you tell?” Higure asked in confusion.

 

“I would also like to know…” The therian muttered, briefly eyeing Flegra. Quickly afterward, they heard the door open and the Night Goddess hesitantly peeked outside. Kara smirked at the sight and Rakna waved playfully.

 

Nyx froze on the spot, blinking away her dizziness as she counted the number of people right there in front of her; definitely aware of the situation. With a muted cry, she blushed and slammed the door closed.

 

“…”

 

“That’s a normal reaction right there,” Higure commented in amusement.

 

Flegra exhaled tiredly. “I really won’t have my house back any time soon...”

 

“I think she won’t even want to say a word to me for a while,” Rakna snorted.

 

“Oh my, what did you do to the poor girl?” Kara teased him and he stood up with a roll of his eyes.

 

“Anyway, the rest of this conversation will have to wait until I sort out what happened to me,” he said and gave Evelyn a meaningful look. “Is she fine?”

 

The succubus understood what he meant and nodded seriously. “She hasn’t woken up yet, but up until when I left to come here, there had been no anomalies. Sir Eldron is currently watching over her condition.”

 

“I’ll pay a visit,” Rakna replied and turned to his fellow Throne of Glory members. “And thank you for passing by you two. I didn’t kick the bucket this time, so I won’t be leaving the Guild,” he joked and the clown laughed.

 

“Yes, thankfully. That would have been a depressing loss for us,” he said and Lilia complemented his words with a reserved nod.

 

“I’m sure it would’ve,” the therian chuckled. “And while you’re here, can I ask you to keep an eye out for the Abyss and the Scorpions? I’ll also ask Kaelith to investigate later.”

 

The cyborg hummed. “I assume you mean more than just their typical shenanigans?”

 

“Yes. They have been doing something inside of Zero. The Scorpions were working with the Abyss to create an artificial race of Téra,” Rakna said and going by how Lilia’s and Gray’s posture changed upon hearing that, he wasn’t the only one troubled by the idea. “I don’t know how many they made, but I wouldn’t underestimate the number. And if they unlock their status…”

 

“I see…” Gray muttered. “That’s some concerning news. I’ll be sure to relay this to both the Basilica and the Church. They’ll be better equipped to monitor or deal with them. I will also pass the info on to the rest of our members. Sazieyl has a knack for intel.”

 

Rakna nodded. “Thanks,” he said and looked at his friends. “You guys can go back home, I’ll come to you later to continue our chat.”

 

“Are you going to see her now?” Evelyn asked softly.

 

“Not exactly,” he retorted and pulled out his spatial ring from his soul storage. He brought out the Badge of Honor and initiated a System transfer on his own since he didn’t have an AI anymore. At the same time, he glanced at Flegra’s house and immediately, Sonata flew out of the chimney and flew to him, wrapping around his neck.

 

“I have a cheeky brat to interrogate first,” he uttered and teleported away.