〘Date: 2/13 - Wednesday〙
〘Time: 1:00 PM〙
〘Location: Texas, Royal Creek - Spade District〙
I landed inside an alleyway, Phroa shifting my clothes back into my original attire using digital particles while I straightened myself out. Once I finished smoothing out my jacket, I began making my way toward the plaza with quick steps.
Looking down at my phone, I began tracking Momo and the others using my Love Finder, the radar leading me toward the Spade Mall. I booked it inside, scanning the open environment and knew the Love Finder wouldn't be of much help due to the surge of colored dots that began appearing on the radar.
"At this rate, we're not gonna find them using Love Finder, too many potential dates around and I'm not focusing on them," I said as I began to walk around, slipping my way through the large sea of people walking to and from various shops.
〔Phroa: We could use Sixth Sense, but we'd run into the same issue with Clairvoyance. Unless you can focus only on one Essence at time.〕
"Actually," I began, an idea hatching in my mind from Phroa's suggestion.
I slipped into a clothing store, making my way to a lone area of the store and used Sixth Sense on myself. Scanning my clothes, I began to pick up on both Momo's and Karin's lingering Essence upon my jacket and pants.
〔Phroa: Hehe!~ Nice thinking, Master!〕
'I'm not the Genius of Trinity Valley for nothing. Now, let's see where they are...through Momo,' I replied mentally, using Synco on Momo's Essence and began to Synchronize with her.
Once the synchronization began, a trail of fiery energy began to gleam into reality, a vision of Momo's current position flashing in my head. The trail began to rush down the large hall, ending at another clothing store and tagging into Momo.
Momo grunted as her back began to heat up with a burning sensation, placing a cute, red dress back on the rack and began rubbing her back. "M-Mmph...What the heck was that..?"
Karin looked over at Momo, raising a curious brow as she walked over to check on her. "You okay? Your back is irritating you again?"
"Yeah, I can't really explain it...it's like a soothing burning sensation, but it's like someone's trying to call upon me. It's so strange," Momo said, looking at Karin with a soft, yet confused gaze.
"Hmm...I don't know, I haven't had that experience before with my Sigil. Maybe mine's broken," Karin said, gently rubbing her neck with slight disappointment.
"Momo, Karin! Come look at this," Allie called to the two of them, holding up a cute two piece outfit for them to check out.
Momo and Karin looked at Allie, sharing a light chuckle before making their way toward her and Jade. The four girls began to check out a few more outfits, gossiping and giggling amongst themselves as the moved along the isles.
Outside, I finally made it to the store, noticing it was a primarily female fashion store with sexy and classy outfits alike displayed inside the glass. Walking inside, I could see the looks of financially drained men hanging around the entrance and the bustling isles of women looking to get their next best fits.
Walking through the luxurious fashion, I managed to find Allie and Jade peeking through a few graphic shirts, clearing my throat gently to get their attention. The two girls turned their attention to me, both of them gasping and hurrying toward me with excitement.
"Ry!~ Oh gosh, you're okay!" Allie squealed, throwing herself at me for a tight hug.
I chuckled lightly at her excitement, my lips curling into a wide smile as I caught her in my arms. "C'mon, you honestly thought I was going to be caught up out there?"
"Looks like you did...you have a bruise on your head," Jade said, gently raking her fingers through my hair and slightly exposing my healed wound.
I smiled at Jade, enjoying her fingers through my hair. "It's nothing, just some lowly gangs looking for their next lick. Unfortunately, they picked the wrong one."
Allie and Jade smiled at my confidence, simply happy to see me in one piece. The two of them began taking me toward the dressing room area where Momo and Karin were, trying on clothes for pictures and memories.
Momo and Karin finished trying on their clothes, taking their pictures with them and walking out of the dressing room with gleeful giggles. The two looked ahead, noticing Allie and Jade leading me to them with enthusiasm.
"Guess who the cat decided to drag back in~" Allie beamed, looking at me with a teasing smirk and a cute giggle.
I playfully nudge her head back, rolling my eyes and walked toward Momo and Karin. "Hey, sorry for the scare I gave you all earlier. Charlotte called and I had a quick run in with those Crooked Spade dudes. Who the freak are they?"
Karin sighed softly, scratching the back of her head with a long tale in mind. "They are just Spade Extremists, people who used to follow under me when I was the Queen of Spade District. After my fall, they began raiding the district and I haven't been able to ban enough people together to end their shit."
"Knowing them, they were probably the idiots who made the error of taking Valerie and Piper. Ugh...another dagger for Fredrick to use against us. Karin, are we winning yet?" Momo sighed exasperatedly, lowering her head with sarcasm.
Karin gave Momo a side eye, exhaling slowly then turned her attention back toward me. "Anyway, we were planning to head back to Grandma's house after our small shopping spree. Wanna tag along?"
〔Phroa: I've worked my hours earlier this morning, plus we earned big after that mission! We are balling outside of the System!~〕
〔Credi Amount: 74,354c〕
Seeing my Credi amount, I knew I could treat myself and the girls with a longer shopping spree. With a nod of approval, the girls grew more excited for the outing, immediately dragging me along to start draining my account.
'Phroa, three more hours...' I thought, glancing down at my phone with an apologetic gaze.
〔Phroa: Ugh...I knew this would happen...〕
We all continued to traverse around the store, each girl asking me for their opinion on various clothing and accessories they wanted to buy. From each option I saw from the girls, Allie's stuck out to me as she was leaning more into learning how to be more hardcore.
Once we got to the front counter, the surface was stacked with clothes and jewelry from each girl with me, the cashier immediately working to getting each item scanned. Once all the bags were filled and the items were scanned, I took out my card to pay the amount.
〔Credi Spent: -1,100c〕
'It wasn't that bad,' I thought to Phroa, grabbing the bags with a smile before turning to follow the girls.
〔Phroa: Yeah, but you may never know!〕
The outing continued with a light stroll around the mall together, Allie and Jade taking the lead while gossiping about social media. Momo and Karin walked together, chatting about a few fond memories from the past, charging light laughs together.
I lingered behind with Wendy, looking over at her with a light exhale. "So...I found the culprit that kidnapped Valerie..."
Wendy glanced over at me, stepping closer and walking shoulder to shoulder with me, keeping her voice at a low, conspiring tone. "You did..? That's why you were gone? What about that talk about erasing her..?"
I exhaled softly and turned my gaze ahead, my eyes flickering around to catch glimpses of mothers with their children, families laughing and bonding together. "It's bigger than Fredrick... She's bigger than he is. Momo and Karin call her a suck up, but I saw a woman who's trying to fix what he broke..."
"Spade District hates Valerie...and it's like she knows why but refuses to believe that Fredrick is wrong. But, whether she truly does or not...she's still a woman with a baby, a mother caring for her child...so when I caught him..." I continued, my voice trailing off as the memory of me erasing Bear flashed in my head.
"I can see it all over you...You killed him. You ended his Essence, didn't you?" Wendy asked, reaching over to me and gently ruffled my hair.
"I had to...I couldn't let a man like him walk. But the act of doing it felt... different. It's hard to explain, but in the moment..." I said, leaning gently against Wendy and closing my eyes for a quick moment.
"I get it..~ You're starting to grow into a True Agent...just be sure to not fall into Apathy like Charlotte. Your light is still important," Wendy whispered, placing a soft kiss upon my forehead.
"Don't worry...I won't turn out like her," I chuckled softly, humming with soft affection from her soft kiss.
Wendy chuckled softly as well, letting me go so we could catch up to the others. The irony of hiding the fact that I saved the enemy of Spade District, and yet I don't regret it. However, the lingering desire to see Valerie again began to grow, her Imprint on me beginning to manifest slowly.
〘Date: 2/13 - Wednesday〙
〘Time: 1:30 PM〙
〘Location: Texas, Royal Creek - Hunt Residency〙
Amelia sat at the dining room, sipping on her wine and talking with someone next to her, sharing a soft laugh together. She heard the front door swing open, the sound of laughter and chatter filling the house.
"Ahh, those must be those knuckleheads coming back from their outing. They are preparing for the next grand revolution," Amelia hummed, leaning back in her seat while watching us enter into her view.
I walked into the kitchen with an exhausted sigh, looking up and my eyes widening in shock, my lips curling into an excited grin. "Desiree?!"
Desiree turned to look at me, a pleased smile forming on her lips with a soft chuckle, waving at me with her fingers. "Hi, little brother~ It's been quite some time since we last saw each other, huh?"
"Maybe like a week or so, but what are you doing here? I thought you were staying around Trinity Valley with Mama," I said, hurrying toward Desiree and pulling out a chair to sit next to her.
"Yeah, I was...then Charlotte gave me news you were pulling your biggest stop yet. Taking down a city...Ahh, I remember seizing over La Vernia four years ago...and I was only 16!" Desiree sighed, her voice carrying a nostalgic tone.
Amelia chuckled softly, taking a sip of her wine and setting it down against the table. "Mmm, I am aware of the Sanctuary Agency's feats. It's a shame the Riches are trying to ruin your legacy as well, just as they did to mine."
"Rest assured, the Riches aren't even at 1% of our true influence. They haven't seen real connections, especially if they think having ties with the Lost Syndicates will scare us," Desiree chuckled softly, placing an animal cracker in her mouth.
"Whoa what? The Riches are actually tied to the Syndicates..?" I asked in a low, conspiring tone, leaning closer to Desiree for more information.
Desiree nodded, gently placing her arm around me, raking her fingers through my hair with protective care. "Yeah, Rhea went on one of her recon missions with Alice this morning. I'll tell you about it later...it's confidential information."
I nodded, turning my head toward the entrance as the sound of gossip began closing in. Allie, Jade, Momo, and Karin walked into the kitchen, each of them finding their seats while Wendy walked in behind, passing Amelia a mock judgemental look.
Amelia noticed Wendy's gaze, returning her the stink eye and sipped her wine. "Honey, do you need this action?"
"Mmm, I don't know...I'm not sure if your 'prime' bones can handle too much action. Might need to call a Life Line service for you," Wendy answered back, feigning a sassy attitude as she eyed Amelia up and down.
"Ooo~ It's getting spicy in here, I might need to visit more often," Desiree giggled, glancing between Amelia and Wendy, rubbing her hands together with anticipation.
"There's not gonna be any action going on," I chuckled softly, lowering Desiree's hand by pushing it down. "Wendy, stop antagonizing Granny Hunt. And Granny Hunt, you need to chill out."
"Pretty Boy, if these young broads want this work, they can come get this work. I'll teach them why I'm the Wild Witch of the West, they don't need it," Amelia replied sassily, flipping her hair with a soft scoff.
Momo nudged Allie, pointing at Amelia with her thumb. "This senior citizen...get a load of this gal."
Allie giggled softly at Momo's tease, glancing at Momo with her mouth slightly covered. "Stop, she can clearly hear you..."
Amelia rolled her eyes at Momo's tease, clearing her throat and turned up the TV as the Breaking News began playing. "I ain't studying that little flower girl. I know I can put belt to ass with her."
"Oop—" Desiree snickered, covering her mouth with her shirt and broke down into laughter.
"Nah, that's crazy. Wouldn't let her say that shit about me tho," Karin sang, narrowing her gaze slowly toward the T.V.
〔Phroa: Momo, get up! Ref, DO SOMETHING! She just obliterated her tea!〕
The theme of the breaking news began to play on the tv, the screen transitioning onto the news anchor fixing her papers on her desk. "Good afternoon, Royal Creek. Today, we have a lot to cover so buckle in. Just in, Vice Mayor Valerie Summers and her daughter were abducted in the Spade District, but when rescued, was found in 7th Arc!"
"Let's move over over to Bryson over at Town Hall for some words, shall we?" The news anchor asked, smiling at the camera.
〘Location: Texas, Royal Creek - Royal Hall Outside〙
Bryson stood outside, nodding his head as he was given the okay. "Alright, thank you Tammy. Here we have the Vice Mayor and the Mayor of Royal Creek today, and we just want to know your thoughts."
Fredrick took the microphone from Bryson's hand, pushing him aside and walked into the frame with fire in his eyes. "Ryder Dawn...current King of Spade District, is this how you rule your kingdom? Is this the true nature of The Visionary? Your people carelessly put my fiance in jeopardy...put my daughter in danger!"
"This is no longer a challenge, you WILL appear at Royal Creek Arena and you will take the same beating as your Crooked Suits have done to my woman! You wanted my attention, Joker..? You've got it," Fredrick finished, shoving the microphone against Bryson before turning away to walk back inside the building.
Valerie grunted softly at Fredrick's outburst, looking between him and Bryson before gently approaching him and asking for the microphone. Once she was handed the microphone, she cleared her throat gently. "Uhm...I just want to say...I don't blame the Spades for anything. I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time."
"I know not all Spades are bad, opposed to my fiance. However, my message goes out to my savior...the one who got to me when my fiance couldn't. The Fool, if you're out there watching...thank you! If you can, I want you to come to Town Hall so I can properly thank you," Valerie finished, handing the microphone back to Bryson with a warm smile and following Fredrick inside.
〘Location: Texas, Royal Creek - Hunt Residency〙
"What the hell?! Ah hell nah! There's no way Fredrick actually thinks Ryder is behind this! He's just looking for any excuse to fight now!" Momo exclaimed, shooting up from her seat in distress.
"Huh, and I thought Tony was the crash out. And who the heck is The Fool? Goofy ahh name," Desiree said, glancing over at me and noticed my gaze fixated upon the TV. She rose an eyebrow, tilting her head and noticed me intently watching Valerie. "Earth to Ryder, she's taken buddy."
"I know that...it's just, I now have to answer. If he truly believes that I hurt Valerie then I'll simply just have to be the villain," I said, standing up from my seat and sighed softly. "After all, in this city, I am the villain...but in the end, the Riches shall fall."
"Ryder, wait—" Momo began, watching as I began making my way toward the back yard to prepare for my fight against Fredrick.
"His mind is made up...All we can do now as allies is support him and help him prepare for the best," Karin said, standing up from her seat as well and began making her way toward the backyard.
Momo sighed heavily, her Sigil on her back faintly glowing from her deep emotional state. She shook her head, putting on a determined front for me, nodding to herself and following us to the backyard.
"And so it begins...The False Hero against the Fabricated Villain. I sure do miss those days," Amelia hummed, standing up from her seat as well to make her way to the back.
Allie, Jade, Desiree, and Wendy began making their way to the back as well, each of them wanting to help me in their own way. With my big fight coming up, I knew I had to be in my best shape and there was no more room for hesitation.
〘Date: 2/13 - Wednesday〙
〘Time: 5:00 PM〙
〘Location: Texas, Royal Creek - Royal Creek Arena〙
The stadium of Royal Creek Arena, built with flashing neon lights and the parking lot filled to the max to see the grand match of Royal Creek's current history. The stadium was filled 101,000 people deep, the air filled with the sounds of cheering and chanting as filler matches began taking place.
Fredrick watched the fights and promos from the balcony with Leona and Valerie at his sides and a steady gaze, tapping his finger against the arm of his chair with gradual impatience. "He better show up...he will be my main example for those burnout Spades."
"Honestly, you might be jumping to conclusions here. Ryder doesn't seem like the type of person to do something so...vile," Leona said, glancing down at Fredrick with a judgemental gaze.
Fredrick scoffed at Leona's doubt, ignoring her comment and began to scan the crowd for any sighting of familiar faces. Within the front rows, he noticed Tony, Matt, and Benedict, his lips curling into a nasty grin.
Valerie noticed Fredrick's grin, a cold chill running down her spine. "Love? Who do you see in the crowd?"
"My little brother and his regime. Apparently, Matt Hunt used to be Ryder's closest friend but now he's with my brother. Now, Matt will watch his old friend fall with the other revolutionaries," Fredrick said, standing from his seat as the hour of his match began to arrive.
Leona stepped side and watched Fredrick leave the balcony, her hand clutching into a spiteful fist, yellow lightning crackling around her hand. Valerie walked over to Leona, gently placing her hand upon her arm, calming Leona down for the moment.
Leona scoffed at Valerie, turning away from her and left the balcony as well. "I'll be at the front row."
Valerie lowered her hand, a disappointed expression forming on her face. She let out a soft sigh, knowing why Leona hated her as well but decided to push forward. She began following Fredrick toward the arena, keeping her steps quick and light to match his pace.
As the stadium settled down from the recent jaw dropping match, the crowd erupted into a mix reaction of cheers and boos as Fredrick's entrance music began playing. Fredrick walked out into the ramp, pyros firing off in red and orange as he stepped down toward the arena.
Valerie made her way toward the commentator table, sitting down in a chair and watched as Fredrick stepped onto the large circular arena. She glanced over, noticing Tony, Matt, and Benedict on the front row, letting out a soft exhale.
Fredrick grabbed a microphone from one of his assistants on the side of the arena, tapping it a few times to make sure it was working. "Royal Creek Arena! Let's hear some noise for your truly!"
The crowd erupted once again in a mix of cheers and boos, Fredrick basking in the sound of his own mixed glory. He chuckled softly and cleared his throat gently, the arena slowly quieting down as he began to speak.
"I know you've all seen my announcements yesterday and today, we have a Visionary afoot...and this one claims to be different. And he might be...but just like the other frauds of The Spades, I will put him down!" Fredrick began, looking around the stadium, trying to spot me from within the crowd.
"Ryder Dawn! I know you're here, there's no way you won't show up when your target is offering himself! Isn't that what a Visionary does? They hop onto opportunity, so come out, and face me like the King you claim to be!" Fredrick called out, lowering his microphone and paced around the arena, waiting for my arrival.
The anticipation hung high as everyone waited for a response, the crowd murmuring upon themselves. Suddenly, a gust of wind began to pick up, streams of lightning rushing around the arena at blinding speeds.
Fredrick paused in his tracks, feeling a surge of energy around him then grunted as he leaped out of the way of a blindsided strike. He landed on the ground, skidding backwards and looking up slowly, his eyes glowing with intrigue.
I stood up straight, turning around slowly and adjusting my black gauntlet along my wrist. I caught the microphone Fredrick tossed toward me, staring at him with a focused gaze. As he was about to speak, I swatted the microphone out of his hand, preventing his voice from being heard.
"They've heard enough from you, and I have as well...so instead of the useless pleasantries, let the beatings begin! I didn't come here to chat, I came here to Slay the King!" I said, throwing the microphone to the ground and tossed off my hoodie, revealing my tribal tattoos along my arms and neck.
Fredrick grinned with slight excitement and irritation, chuckling lowly and took a step backwards, snapping his fingers and rays of energy began to surround the arena to act as a barrier. "Let the beatings begin..."
I rushed forward, dashing toward Fredrick at high speeds and went for a blurring strike, but Fredrick dodged my attack, countering with a right hook to my jaw then followed with a knee to my midsection. The roars from the crowd began fueling Fredrick, boosting his adrenaline even further than before.
With devious intentions, Fredrick began delivering blows to the back of my neck with his elbow, bringing me down onto one knee. He chuckled softly as he gripped my hair, driving his knee into my face with brutal force.
"What's the matter? Losing your fight when it matters most?!" Fredrick laughed, rising me up to my feet by my hair then knocked me away with a devastating palm strike to my stomach.
I groaned heavily as I crashed into the red barrier, falling forward onto all fours and grunted heavily as my back began stinging from the energy of the barrier. I looked up at Fredrick, noticing him taunting me with a smug expression on his face.
Matt watched the fight stressfully, gripping onto the barricades and grit his teeth. 'C'mon man! I've seen you fight me better than this! Lock in!'
Tony chuckled lightly as he watched his brother dominated me in the fight, taking cruel satisfaction in every intense blow Fredrick landed upon me. "Yeah! Kick his ass bro! Show him what's up!"
Fredrick launched another blow aimed at my face, but I caught his fist, stopping his strike completely. Fredrick rose an eyebrow, noticing my tattoos emitting faint ethereal energy. He took his hand back from me, stepping backwards and tilted his head with curiosity.
I rose my head slowly, my golden eyes glowing through the few strands of hair over my face. Slowly, I began to feel my heart less, my entire body growing more numb to any emotion as I stared at Fredrick.
Fredrick began watching me more closely, wondering what I was planning in my mind. 'I can't exactly read him anymore...let alone feel his presence. His Essence feels...cold...'
I stared at Fredrick calmly, activating Sixth Sense and glanced down at my body, picking up traces of Fredrick's Essence upon my being. "You know...I originally came to this city to just flip it upside down, but now...I want more than to tear you off the throne.."
"I will make you acknowledge me. You. Your people. Your fiance, everyone will acknowledge me, the Dawns, and The Mojis!" I declared, using Synco on Fredrick's Essence to synchronize with his mind and spirit.
Fredrick grunted softly as he felt my presence invading his own, his body tingling with energy as he felt his nerve endings buzzing with energy. 'What the hell..? What am I feeling..?'
Valerie hummed softly as she felt the familiar presence of my subtle Peace Energy, staring at the divine blue-silver shine of my tattoos. 'That shine...I saw it a few hours ago...'
"Fredrick Rich, declare yourself a Fallen King as your new King has risen to show you how a true King really leads," I said, getting into my stance and focused on studying Fredrick, ethereal green energy flowing around my body.
'The Aura of The Empath...Just who exactly are you, Ryder Dawn..?' Fredrick thought, studying me with a curious, yet cautious gaze.