Anastasius stretched and grasped his head while in his bed and on the brink of unconsciousness. He remembered being in his bed last but after opening his eyes he had realized that he was in his palace's kitchen alone. "Well— she finally properly learned to call and connect souls?" He noted aloud. He heard the disembodied voice of his mother seconds following his revelation. "We're connected my child— I always found myself curious about what the first location would be decided for you through his power during this sort of situation?" He heard from her husky voice. Anastasius compressed his lips while keeping his eyes moving. "The kitchen, mother— the palace's kitchen is where I'm standing right now." He answered her with a quieter tone. He heard her voice but continued missing her physical presence. "Could it be from the loving memories of the countless times that I'd bake you and your father cookies before your training sessions?" He heard his mother inquire with an unexpected fond tone heard in her voice. Anastasius shook his head. "Are— you able to see me?" He asked his mother with his softest tone of voice. A brief flash of light appeared before he saw his mother floating in front of him with her legs crossed and their family's infamous scepter in her hand that had always piqued his curiosity. Anastasius witnessed his mother approach him and caress his left cheek. "Son, the order and I are preparing to decimate this unworthy world you're stuck in and bring you home. What could you collect regarding this horrific world?" He heard from her. The heir of mauve squinted as he glanced downwards. "It's a gray realm, mother, filled with incredible happiness and impeccable gloom. Men who'd gut the world if they had their way with as many willing to take it themselves instead. They have a lot of the same weapons as our world with many different weapons— like things called automatic rifles. A ranged super weapon that fires too quickly for our people to regenerate from so please come prepared with handguns and mauve infused rounds and with the finest gear to overcome it." He answered his mother, continuing with his quieter soft tone. The heir's mother softly nodded her head. "Your father would find himself so proud that you're assisting in laying waste to this filthy, undeserving world. I will personally dress our men in the finest and strongest equipment so we'll all return after this siege." Said his mother with her own soft tone. The heir of mauve kept a worried look on his face. The heir's mother's expression shifted from joyous to inquisitive. "How's the royal escort unit and were you able to reunite with them?" She had questioned with a voice that shook her son. Anastasius gulped after leaving her question briefly unanswered after a bow. "A-amassing wealth for the plan when you and the order arrive while collecting some of the most beautiful women for you, mother." He answered eventually. Anastasius swiftly sat up in his bed while his eyes had opened as wide as possible for him while his breathing was out of his control. He had held where his heartbeat could be felt. "That's what the consciousness ring she's been practicing feels like— and I caved? Her power is as irresistible as ever." He thought to himself while continuing processing the event. He walked past the rooms of his teammates with his gentle steps on his way to their headquarters' training facility on the lowest floor. On the lowest floor, the heir of the mauve realm placed his palm on a scanner which opened humongous doors that led into a room which held nothing but a gargantuan, sharp fanged beast with feline eyes. Anastasius approached the snarling creature and stopped stepping right in front of it with an uncertain mien, it swiftly rolled over onto its back. "I'm so happy that I found you before any of the others could, cutie." He shouted with a tone of relief as he scratched its chin, "Behemoths of resolve and intellect rather than instincts. She conquered and can manipulate an army large enough to siege an entire nation. I need something more—?" He finished in his thoughts as he glanced away from the gargantuan beast. Anastasius gently snuggled with as much of the gargantuan creature as he could before stepping away from it and returning to the headquarters' living floor. After preparing for his shift and patrol through Seyort, he received an emergency call from the chief. Commissioner Amaury sighed after hanging up. "They made a vow of loyalty to the cities and Josue. It's time that our team is finally aware of the others." Said the commissioner to one of his subordinates. The captain of the fifth department nodded understandingly. "I'll take care of it, sir. I'll have the second best investigator meet up near the entrance with the prince of the Chiroptera faction." Said the commissioner's subordinate over their phone. The heir of the mauve realm arrived at the location sent to him by a local captain. It was a cave on the farthest east side of the rain-filled city. He scratched his bicep after questioning a creature shaped silhouette proceeding into the cave. He followed shortly thereafter but found a strange young man injured holding his right bicep. Anastasius wasted zero time with hesitation and rushed to his aid. "Here is a medkit for those wounds." He informed and offered the injured young man. The uncannily dressed young man pushed away the medicinal kit before flopping face first onto the cave's ground. "It'll be way, with an emphasis, less effective than finding me fruit." He replied as his expression conveyed the immense pain he felt in the moment. Anastasius remained silent yet asked himself what he meant by fruit in his thoughts, "J-j-just take me back home, partner! I've got enough time to lead the way but not the legs at the moment, guy." He finished with a tone of urgency. Anastasius surveyed as much of the cave as he could manage but was left wondering. "Why were you in this cave in the first place?" He inquired with an inquisitive tone. The uncannily dressed young man pointed towards a wall with his left hand. "Home is where this place leads— now hurry and grab me up and rush through that wall there!" He informed the gen-oath officer before adopting a demanding tone. Anastasius briefly trained a confused expression under his helmet towards the injured young man before nodding and rushing to drape the injured over his shoulder. "Is this position comfortable at all?" He asked with a curious tone. The injured young man balled his fists. "Just rush into the wall, brave monster slayer." He demanded before groaning. The heir of the mauve realm held onto the injured over his shoulder with one hand and scratched his palm with his fingers with the other before engaging in a sprinting position and taking off towards the cave wall the mysterious stranger pointed to earlier.
—
Anastasius found himself picking himself off the ground and glancing up towards the rainy sky above with no wall in sight. "You really just told me to leap from a ledge and deeper into the cave?" He inquired with a rhetorical tone. The injured young stranger groaned before lightly chuckling and returning to a groan. "Impeccable recap— sir. Here comes the official entrance." He replied and informed him as he laid face on the ground of the second floor of the cave immobilized. Both briefly saw an almost blinding flash light. As the bluriness began to fade from Anastasius' eyes he saw traces of sunlight above a bustling skyscraper filled city. There were vehicles riding alongside humongous and thick lines connecting to skyscrapers that reached nearly the top of the city sized cavern. The uncannily dressed injured stranger chuckled after a long groan. "Welcome. Welcome to the city of Chiropyort, sir." He shouted on the ground as loud as he could manage. Anastasius stepped backwards a few inches before glancing over towards the uncannily dressed injured stranger and returning him over his shoulder. "Back to leading the way now. I'll definitely need a few answers to some questions when you're feeling much better." He commanded and informed the stranger.
The uncannily dressed stranger groaned further. "Name is Phelan Rovina— by the way. Introductions, right?" He informed the gen-oath officer carrying him. Anastasius gently bit his lip before nodding. "You've got Italian in your roots?" He questioned the injured stranger on their walk. Phelan shook his head gently. "Et—alien?" He replied with a tone of curiosity. The duo continued their journey until Anastasius noticed a sign with the French that he was directed to keep an eye out for by the injured stranger. "The dish and silverware shop so what's our next goal?" He inquired as he turned around to allow him to see. Phelan held a sense of missing moving his limbs as his excitement from seeing the shop began to overwhelm him. "Enter while I pray that my friend Kas is actually on her shift today, Gen-Oath." He directed the officer before a low groan. Anastasius entered and surveyed the store.
The blonde-haired cashier began gaping from the shock as her eyes widened. "Fourth time that you've come in here with bruises and a pond of blood on you since you joined the force and this last time's been the worst for you, Lan!" Said the injured young man's friend with a heavy tone of worry and disappointment. The cashier grabbed Phelan from Anastasius and dragged him to a room authorized for employees only as they all read from a sign. Anastasius found himself confused by the cashier's strength. "Enhanced strength. She is five feet and two inches effortlessly carrying a six-foot-five two-hundred-fourth pound injured grown man. Has to be enhanced strength. Where did I end up now?" He questioned with a thoughtful stance as he watched the cashier carry the injured away from him.
The heir of the mauve realm awaited thirty minutes in the shop stuck in silence and thoughts. Anastasius sat in a chair. "A moment of training for their arrival from the mental technique she taught me won't hurt. Maybe?" He thought to himself as he tightly shut his eyes. Anastasius opened his eyes and noticed that he was in the arena that he remembered from his home. Three opponents appeared directly behind him, their heavy breathing alerted him of their spawn. "Emiel, Anki and Veerle— my mother's council. Dang." He said with a low voice and a sharp glare. Emiel began approaching their queen's heir, Anastasius, with a khopesh gripped tightly in his right hand. "Your mother is going to give you the world but you intend to reject it and stay on this pile of dirt?" He shouted inquisitively before sprinting and smashing the blade of his khopesh into the sword Anastasius held.
Anastasius initially struggled in their clash. "Y-yeah!" He shouted before the khopesh slid off his blade and he recovered his stance. Anki took the moment to slash towards the heir afterwards. "Why?" He questioned with a tone of aggravation repeatedly with each aggressive swing.
Anastasius blocked each swing and parried the final attempt, successfully disarming the shorter member of his mother's council afterwards and creating the chance for space between them with a flying knee strike. "That knee worked against him? I've failed to perform the technique properly. Damn it." He noted while recovering from creating distance with his acrobatics. Veerle held out his palms towards his queen's mid-twenties heir. "Why?" He questioned repeatedly. Anastasius fell to his knees from fatigue and a vague feeling of exhaustion. He arose from his knees only to be forced back to the floor with greater force and different symptoms, nausea, exhaustion and mistrustfulness after Emiel and Anki recovered to aid their comrade against him. "Why?" The three all shouted inquisitively from the top of their lungs in sync. Anastasius felt his heartbeat with his left hand as he felt recovering back to his feet impossible. "Because I fell in love!" He cried, he felt his face smash into the empty arena's ground.
—
Phelan's friend laid him on the ground before slowly approaching a cabinet with a colorful peach on it. Kas felt a combination of worry and disgust as she stared towards the numerous scars she couldn't remove her eyes away from on her friend's torso as she turned her gaze towards him. "Could this investigator gig maybe not— be worth it?" She asked hesitantly with a light voice. Phelan moved his head as the two shared a glance. "Undoubtedly worth it. I'm going to find these surface children with my new partner then celebrate their safety with my pa, Kas." He answered her question as he held his head towards the floor. Kas delivered a lengthy sigh. "You didn't hear the wavering confidence from yourself in that, Lan?" She inquired slightly louder as she held the peach. Phelan decided to approach his friend a bit closer. "I'm not the main character of some grand anime so I don't have the power of plot on my side. I definitely might fail. You'd like to hear me yap about all of the countless ways right now, Kas?" He replied and questioned in return. Kas resolutely shook her head before grabbing his shoulders. "I'd like to see you marry, grow old and generally be alive tomorrow. I'd like to hear 'I'm returning to my luxurious castle!' Actually." She replied with a resolute tone and her best imitation of him. Phelan held an expression of confusion as he glanced towards and away from her. "The one time that I was able to invite you to my family's dinner— it was taken over by assassins and mercenaries in a plot by my fifth and second uncles to seize the power of the throne though?" He reminded his friend with utter confusion during the whole time he spoke.
The shop's cashier shook her head while crossing her arms. "The royal guards were competent and had quickly worked to thwart their plot. Lan, you don't have that and you won't even accept a security detail of royal guards in the streets that your family offers you almost like everyday!" She reminded him in return and argued with Slight disappointment in her tone. Phelan's brow flew low as any chance of a grin vanished and he adopted a stony expression. "Listen to me very closely as I promise you this, Kas, I intend to solve this case then come back and tell ya all about it if you want to hear and finally spend some time sharing this case with my dad." He informed her, returning to a calm tone. Kas hugged herself lightly before Pershing her lips. "I could leave you paralyzed, patch you up and be an unofficial caretaker then I'll have a Phelan with me tomorrow, you know?" She proposed with a low mumble. Phelan's eyes widened slightly. "You'll have one wishing for death's sweet embrace who might as well be a corpse." He replied with a dejected tone as he stared up towards the ceiling and his mouth gaping.
Kas briefly held tightly onto the peach before cutting it into pieces and handing a slice of it to her friend. Phelan swallowed the slice of the peach after a moment of brief consideration. He felt his limbs able to move again and every previously opened wound on his body closed. He unleashed an agonizing scream as the couple of teeth that he had lost returned. Able to sit back up, he immediately trained his gaze towards Kas. The friends hug before the freshly recovered officer hugs the cashier tightly.
Phelan finishes putting on his spare uniform he left behind and zips up a spare pair of his uniform's pants. "I-I'll catch you later?" He swiftly said before he awkwardly waved away as he left the room while slowly scratching his neck. Phelan returned to the dish and silverware shop's empty lobby and found his temporarily appointed partner slumpt on the ground. He knelt down and poked him. "We've only really known each other for a couple of hours now but I didn't take you as the type to sleep on the job, Gen-Oath." He commented as he heard a low groan from his temporary officer. Anastasius felt appreciative being helped back to his feet. "Yeah and no— just what sort of magic helped you recover seventy or eighty percent of your body from being paralyzed?" He questioned with a curious tone. Phelan shook his head as he grabbed his shoulders. "Never mind that for now, we can focus on our case. The men that messed me up were a few suspects I uncovered but I wasn't the stealthiest discovering this and they found me." He disclosed as he wrapped his arm around him. Anastasius allowed himself to be led to the front of the shop while listening with a curious expression. "You know this place better than I do— I'm ready to play assistant for whatever you need so we can return the kids?" He replied and assured his temporary partner.
The duo ambled down the road side by side hearing murmurs. "If it ain't the uncrowned prince?" Anastasius heard someone in a crowd walking past him shout. "Isn't that the child of the royal family who lowered himself to being a beat cop?" He heard from another passerby. "I cannot believe they allowed him to do such a thing?" He heard from a passerby with a fruity voice. "Leaving luxury and comfort pretending to understand struggle?" He heard a light voice in the crowd comment. "A weirdo like father, like son!" They heard together. Anastasius turned towards his new temporary partner as they continued walking past the crowds of citizens. "Care to tell me what all of that was?" He questioned with a curious tone. Phelan shook his head disappointingly. "It's nothing big. Just the reaction of some of the citizens that pretty much hate my decisions like to join our law enforcement." He answered nonchalantly. Anastasius shifted his glance numerous times from the crowds to his temporary partner. "Genuinely curious why you'd leave luxury and wealth behind to fight crime? It's a career filled with tragedy." He questioned and warned his more youthful temporary partner against crime. Phelan briefly held a thoughtful expression as he repeated the question in his head. "I'm not the crowned prince. I'm not next in line for the throne. My father was in a similar position to myself and took up a role on the force. He became legendary. I don't care about becoming legendary, just making a difference. Wealth and luxury that's not mine can't help me with my goals." He answered his elder temporary partner with an authentic and nonchalant tone.