The year was 432PETK.
Amid the silent dunes, the ruins of a forgotten city slumbered, mud-brick buildings crumbling under the weight of time. Within the hollow shell of an abandoned bar, a solitary man in a hooded cloak sat in silence, nursing a bottle of aged sake imported from the Orient. A lone spider, perched delicately in its web, eyed him with suspicion.
The wind whispered through the deserted streets, carrying a melody of death and sorrow.
"Kiki, when is this nightmare going to end, huh?" the man muttered, clutching the hilt of his sword.
[Don't give up hope just yet, Lord Renen! We will win this battle! The oracle himself said it himself didn't he? That light always triumphs, right?! Kiki!] The voice came from the sword.
Renen scoffed. "The light huh? Sometimes I wonder… are we even on the right side of this war?"
[ Lord Renen…]
He glanced down at the blade. "Why don't you revert to your normal form? There's no enemy to worry about here, you know."
[I'm sorry. I can't do that. There's a slight chance that the enemy could strike without warning. I must be ready to protect always -kiki.]
Renen sighed. "You'll give yourself an aneurysm being this paranoid."
[And you will leave yourself vulnerable to an attack if get drunk. Kiki.]
Renen stared at the bottle, frowning. After a pause, he tossed it into his satchel, its landing marked by the clink of glass against metal. "Fine, I'll get drunk at home." He stepped outside and placed his bag on a purple flying carpet. Enchanted by his will, it hovered at his heels like a loyal hound.
[Lord Renen. Where are we going now? Kiki.]
"Just wandering. I need some clarity before I go home."
[Understood -kiki.]
The ruins greeted him like old ghosts. As he walked, he sketched what caught his eye: a shattered fountain in a deserted plaza, its basin filled not with water, but coagulated blood. Marketplaces, once bursting with life, now held stalls of human skulls instead of fruit. Building walls were smeared with dried crimson. The scent of gunpowder lingered in the air like a curse. Arrows and spears jutted from walls and windows, remnants of a battle that had turned the city into a grave.
Eventually, he reached the graveyard on the hill overlooking the ruins. There, he stood in stillness. His gaze, dull as tarnished silver, lingered on the graves. Caught in a dead silence.
"Son." A gravelly, spectral voice echoed behind him. "If only you were strong enough, you could have prevented all those deaths." A voice crept from behind Renen.
"F…father, I-"
"You could have saved them all. You could have saved me. It is your fault I'm dead." These words came from undead monstrosity. This phantom was forged from charred bone and ash, from skull to right arm. It had no face, only a mask of death. The rest of its body remained intact, clad in scarred armour and a horned helm. Two massive axes hung at its sides. It loomed over Renen like a grim statue of judgment.
"No… shut up! You're not real!"
"I raised you. Trained you. Moulded you into a warrior I believed would surpass me. And yet… you couldn't even repay that kindness by saving me."
"No… shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! My father would never say anything like that! He died valiantly in battle! Fighting to protect what was precious to him!"
"Who are you to tell me how I felt in my final moments? You're just lying to yourself to hide behind your powerlessness!"
"Shut up!" Renen drew his sword and clashed with the phantom. Their battle was so fierce that each swing sent blades of compressed of air slicing through the ruins, one strike shearing the top off a building.
"Aaaah!" Renen screamed maniacally, unleashing a flurry of slashes at his opponent from the nether.
[Lord Renen!! Calm down! It's all in your head -kiki!!]
Renen snapped out of it. As he did, the phantom was gone, only the wind remained. From the hilltop, he saw the destruction he had wrought, another building, already in ruins, now half-collapsed by his hand. He began to hyperventilate, sweat slicking his palms. His heart pounded. His vision blurred. He staggered back, unsteady. The phantom's words echoed, vivid and inescapable. He ran to the graveyard's edge and gripped the wooden fence, retching out the burdens he had long kept buried. He lingered there, savouring the moment. His heavy breaths the only sound in the silence. When he opened his eyes, he realised the hill was nothing more than a massive slab of rock jutting from the edge of a cliff. Below, a just canyon stretched into the mist, obscured by drifting clouds.
Renen's began to slow down, breath by breath. The uncertainty of what lay beneath those aimless clouds gave him a moment of reprieve as he stared at the abyss. A part of him wished he could stay in that moment forever, free from the terrors of the world beyond.
[Are you okay, Lord Renen?]
"Yeah… I'm fine."
[Good.]
Another moment of silence filled the air. The rustling leaves of the nearby tree reminded him that the world wouldn't pause for him. His desire to remain frozen in this moment was futile.
"Say, Kiki."
[Yes?]
"Is it really okay for us to keep fighting like this? Look at this city. The people here must have suffered so much. Isn't it selfish, for us to fight for a world where suffering is inevitable? Aren't we selfish for asking everyone to carry on suffering? The more we fight these monsters, the more we lose the people we love. The harder we resist, the more we delay the inevitable. Even if we win… that won't bring back everyone we've lost. Even if we won, we humans would just keep inflicting pain on each other. This cycle… it just won't end. I kind of envy the people beneath these graves. They must be at peace, wherever they are. Be it Valhalla or the Field of Reeds. I'm at a point where I think… maybe the Akhekhu are right. Maybe… this world should just--"
[Don't you dare finish that sentence, Renenhotep! Don't you dare! You sound just like those monsters -kiki!! So what if suffering is inevitable?! Isn't it enough to strive for a better world?!]
"Kiki…" murmured Renen. He looked back into the canyon and sighed. "I'm just scared man. I don't wanna leave the people I love in a world like this. I don't want them to leave me either."
[ We are not going to lose, Lord Renen! I have faith in you! Please, have faith in me, and the rest of our comrades -kiki!]
Renen looked at his sword, Kiki, and gave a smile that concealed many layers of pain. He picked his blade up and travelled back into the city.
As he wandered, he heard a rustling sound from a nearby alley. He went forth to see what it was. To his surprise, he found a child curled up in a foetal position, teetering on the edge of death. Her eyes were sunken, her cheekbones hollowed from malnutrition; her lips, cracked and dry from dehydration. Her will was all that kept her alive. It was unclear whether she had once lived in this city prior to its destruction, or if she was an outsider searching for food.
'How could a mere child keep fighting to live in a world this cruel? She clearly had no loved ones waiting for her, no place to call home. If she lived another day… what was she is hoping for?' Renen pondered as he stared at the young girl. Eventually, he reached out into his bag and pulled out an apple. Gently, he lifted the girl's head and tried to feed it to her. The child had no strength left to even chew.
"I'll have to bring her back to the hideout with me." Renen carried the girl in his arms and gently laid her on the flying carpet. He looked up at the sky.
"Guess it's time to go. Besides, I've seen enough of this." He sat on the flying carpet. The carpet ascended further into the sky and flew off into the distance, leaving the barren city ruins behind.
Renen grabbed the gourd of water hanging on his waist and gently let the child drink from it.
"It's gonna be okay, young one. You'll have a new home soon. It's gonna be warm inside. There'll be plenty of food. There are other kids you might get along with too," he said, trying to console the young child. But deep down, he knew the dream he was offering the child wouldn't last for long.
He pulled a wooden bowl from his bag and used his pocket dagger to slice the apple into pieces no larger than grains of rice, hoping that they'd be small enough to feed the little girl. He fed them to her and she was able to eat.
In that moment, Renen wondered if saving the child was truly the right thing to do. Was he doing her a disservice by allowing her to cling to this life? The thought sat heavy on his chest.
The wind was cold, so Renen removed his cloak and covered the girl. "We'll be home soon," he whispered to her.
Eventually, they reached a mountain surrounded by a withered forest. The atmosphere was gloomy. Crows cawed at them from the distance as the carpet slowly descended to the ground.
"We're here, little one," said Renen as he stepped off the flying carpet while carrying the child.
He walked towards the base of the mountain, uttering the phrase, "Open Sesame." Suddenly, the spot of the mountain in which Renen was facing began to shimmer and distort like a mirage in the desert. It was a subtle phenomenon that one wouldn't notice from a distance. Renen stepped forward, entering the distortion. Clearly, it was a gateway to a hidden space. As he entered with his flying carpet, he uttered the word, "Kwala." Instantly, the distortion vanished.
Renen looked ahead, there was a flight of stairs descending deep below the surface. An archaic elevator stood dormant on the right wall, long out of commission. But it was out of commission. Renen began the descent down the stairs. It was a long walk indeed. It was almost as if they were being led to the centre of the earth. The stairs coiled along the cave walls in a tightening spiral.
Eventually, they reached the base of the stairwell. Renen passed through the jade gates.
"Kiki, we're home now. You can turn back."
[Finally!]
The sword on Renen's back dissolved into a cloud of smoke, revealing a stubby little creature with a large, spherical head, tiny purple bat-like wings, and a bulbous blue nose. This was Kiki's true form. Together with Renen, they walked through a tunnel with a dim light at the end.
On the other side, a sprawling underground city awaited them. It was as lively as one might expect from the last bastion for humanity in an apocalyptic world. It was not as large as the ruins he had explored, nor as ornate or intricate in design, yet, it was still his home.
The buildings were like igloos made of mud bricks. Each igloo was surprisingly spacious. There was a small marketplace too. In the centre of the town square stood a towering obelisk, rising over 46 meters high, bearing the names of warriors fallen in the fight for humanity since the beginning of the Great Cataclysm.
As Renen walked through the town, residents bowed their heads in respect. They placed their hands together in a prayer-like gesture, fingers extended and palms facing inward, then bowing their heads or upper bodies slightly. Renenhotep was once the prince of the fallen kingdom of Kemmutu, which had succumbed to a colonial expedition launched by the Kingdoms of Septum.
This gesture was the traditional form of greeting among the people of Kemmutu. They had waited for decades for their prince to return since the fall of Kemmutu. Upon close inspection, most of those who greeted him were inhabitants of Dunya-Kelen, known to the outside world as the Dark Continent. For further context, this very mountain lay within the Dark Continent itself. It stood at the very base of the Iteru River, the river that gave birth to the Kingdom of Kemmutu.
Many legends, and even scientific papers, claim that humanity originated from this very place. It was not only the people of Dunya-Kelen who had gathered in this bastion. Humans from all walks of life had sought refuge here, making the area remarkably diverse. People learned from one another, exchanging wisdom, spirituality, and philosophy. In doing so, they enriched one another in countless ways. It felt like a full-circle moment for humanity.
Upon close inspection, some outsiders also attempted to mimic the Kemmutian bow as they paid their respects to Renen. Others bowed according to the customs of their own homelands. The respect people showed Renen was nearly universal.
Renen always felt a tinge of discomfort when showed such reverence. To him, he was no different from the warriors whose names were etched into the obelisk. All of those heroes had also come from every corner of the world.
As Renen gazed at the obelisk, a deep ache in his chest. He couldn't help but think: if life had never existed to begin with, those names wouldn't be carved into stone, and those warriors wouldn't have suffered such terrible fates.
Renen knew every name on that obelisk by heart. He would repeat each name in his mind as a form of meditation and a means to cling to his resolve to keep fighting. However, over time, this habit began to weigh heavily on him. It slowly transformed his determination into crushing pessimism. The heartbreaking truth was that these names represented not even a quarter of the lives lost. It was a mere fraction. Many of those who lost their lives were forgotten. Their hopes and dreams, gone with the wind. Remembered only by those they died to protect, if those very people were still alive.
Renen went to the local clinic to have the girl taken care of.
The clinic was very small, so it was surrounded by tents inhabiting patients who lay down on mats. There weren't any resources for top-of-the-line hospital equipment, so they had to work with what they had. Most of these patients were warriors who had survived expeditions to reclaim the Earth for mankind. They were lucky to have survived. Some had lost limbs. Some were charred. Others had been skinned alive. Some had hollow eye sockets that oozed bubbles of blood. Some were paralyzed. Others had been driven mad. A few were rendered mute by fear alone. They were young and old, some were gay, some were straight. Most were men; a few were women. It was a harrowing display of countless ways humanity could be broken. Thankfully, this grim sight was confined to the outskirts of the town, far enough that children wouldn't bear witness to such inevitable horrors.
An empty tent stood nearby, beside which a medical practitioner washed tools at a borehole.
"Excuse me, good sir. Could you help me?"
"Huh? Oh! Lord Renenhotep! I wasn't expecting you to come here so suddenly," said the doctor as he bowed to Renen.
"Oh no, it's fine. Please, no need for formalities. Hahaha." Renen humbly replied. "Can you please make sure this young one gets the help she needs? I found her amidst some ruins in another country. I was hoping that you'd see if there's any other problems with her."
"Hm, very well. Please place her on the mat for the night. I'll see to it that she's taken care of."
"T...Thank you, doctor." Renen tried placing her on the mat. But as he almost did, she clung to him with a desperation that belied her frail frame, like a drowning child to driftwood. "Hey, kid. Don't you wanna get help? Let go."
The kid clung onto him tighter. "Let go, kid." Renen tried to loosen her grip. Her hands were as brittle as dried leaves, yet she held onto his shirt like her life depended on it. Tears welled up in her eyes and slid silently down her cheeks. Renen was confused.
"Lord Renenhotep. Seems like the child has imprinted on you."
"Imprinted? What does that even mean?"
"It means she sees you as her caregiver. Kiki!" said Kiki.
"W...Wait, you mean like a parent?"
"Indeed. Kiki."
"Me? A parent? No way. That's not something I could handle!" yelled Renen.
The doctor gave a kind smile. Renen looked at the child as it grabbed on tighter with tears in its eyes. He sighed. He murmured to himself, "By the gods… what am I supposed to do now?"
"Lord Renenhotep. How about you take her to your house instead? I'll take care of her there."
"Really? Won't that be an inconvenience to you?"
"It's the least I can do, Lord Renenhotep. Besides, my shift's almost over anyway. There are plenty of other doctors who can tend to the remaining patients."
"I... I see. Thank you. Doctor...?"
"My name is Yeun Min-Soo. You can call me Doctor Yeun for short." He bowed to Renen after introducing himself.
"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Doctor Yeun. I appreciate your desire to go this far to help me." Renen bowed back at him.
"It's the least I could do." And so, with the child still clinging to him, Renen led the way. They made their way to his dwelling; a quiet, hollowed-out chamber nestled into the walls of the cave city.
The cave was a natural alcove nestled high up on the rough-hewn walls of the underground city, its entrance a dark rectangle that framed a breathtaking view of the subterranean metropolis below. To reach this lofty perch, one had to ascend a winding ramp of rough rock, a gentle slope that unwound like a mountain road, inviting the visitor to climb higher. As the ramp reached its crest, a wooden fence marked the boundary, a rustic barrier that seemed to lean casually against the stone. Beyond the fence, the cave mouth yawned open, a dark and inviting space that was home to Renen himself, evident from the sturdy door that barred the entrance. The air was thick with the scent of damp earth and the flickering glow of luminescent fungi cast eerie shadows on the walls, as if the very rock itself was alive and watching. It was a place where one could camp out under the stars – or rather, the faint glow of the city's luminescent ceiling – and feel the weight of the earth above, yet still be connected to the vibrant heart of the underground city below.
The three of them walked into the cave. As they entered the cave, they were invited by a sense of comforting warmth and the smell of a delicious meal being cooked on a magical heat crystal. The person stirring the pot was a beautiful woman named Isira. She has olive skin and curly hair as white as snow.
"Ren! Kiki! You're back!" exclaimed Isira. She ran over, squeezeed Kiki's cheeks, and gave him a hug.
"I missed you so much Kiki!!" She squeezed him hard.
"Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!! That's hurts -kiki!" Kiki yelled in irritation.
"Oh, I'm sorry about that!" she laughed.
"I'm not a teddy bear you know!" yelled Kiki.
"I know~. Sorry." Isira chuckled embarrassingly.
"Wow, not even a hug for me?" said Renen.
She crossed her arms and sneered. "Nope, I'm mad at you.".
"What for?" Renen was flabbergasted at her response.
"You left without saying goodbye; not even a letter. Nothing."
"That's what you're mad about?"
"Hmph!" she turned her head away.
"Come on, Isira. You can't be serious."
"Ren, what if I never get to see you again? Any moment can be our last. You're out there, alone with Kiki. Who knows what could have happened to you. Do you think dying without at least saying bye to me would be the best way to go out?"
"Hey, Isira, stop with all that negative talk. It doesn't sound like you in the slightest! Besides, I'm not the type to go out that easily! You got that?"
"Fine. I'll take your word for it. But next time, just give me a heads up instead of disappearing on me. Alright?"
"Sure."
"Promise me."
Renen looked into her determined eyes and sighed. "Alright, I promise." The two of them smiled at each other with eyes that hid the glimmer of pain lurking within their hearts. Their smiles gave each other hope and reminded them of the future they were fighting for.
"Huh? Who's that child you're carrying?" she asked.
"You just noticed her now?!" yelled Renen in shock.
"Shh! Renen, you're gonna wake her up -kiki!" whispered Kiki.
"Oops, my bad," said Renen. "Ahem... It's a bit of a long story. By the way, meet Dr--"
"Oh, Doctor Yeun!"
The doctor was on his knees the moment he entered the house in respect to Renen's royal authority.
"Queen Isira. I'm glad to see that you are doing well." Dr Yeun bowed.
"Wait, you know each other?"
"Of course. I help out at the clinic once in a while," said Isira.
"Oh yeah. I forgot about that," said Renen as he placed the child on the couch in the corner of the kitchen. "It's okay, I'm still here." He comforted the child as she slowly loosened her grip. He tucked her in.
Renen looked back at Doctor Yeun. "Hey, Doc, there's no need for all those formalities you know. I kinda feel bad having you on your knees like that. Please, feel free to stand up," said Renen all flustered.
"I may?"
"Yes please, get up!" Renen and Isira insisted while embarrassed about the situation.
"In fact, please have a seat!" Isira pulled a chair from the kitchen table.
"I appreciate it, your majesties." Dr Yeun stood up.
Renen and Isira exhaled in relief. Renen looked back on the child on the bed.
"Well, Isira, I guess I've got a lot of explaining to do, huh?"
"Yeah," she replied.
Renen went on to tell her about this ordeal and how the child imprinted on to him. Isira began to shed tears as she pitied the child.
"Renen, let's keep her! We can take care of her, feed her, and treat her as our own!"
"Yes, Lady Isira! That sounds so noble!!"
"Hey! Aren't we jumping the gun here?! Why are we trying to play house all of a sudden?! I'm not even cut out to have a kid!" yelled Renen.
Isira walked up to him and rested her head on his chest. "Come on, Renen. Isn't this what we've always wanted? For us to have a family? I mean, sure, we both decided to refrain from having a child of our own because we thought it would be unfair to bring a child into a world like this. Isn't this, the next best thing?"
Renen looked over at the child. He sighed. "Fine. If it makes you happy, then let's give it a shot."
"Thank you, Ren. You're the best." She gave him a kiss on the cheek. Renen blushed in embarrassment.
"Hmph!" Renen grabbed the bag he was holding during his trip from the outside world and hung it over his shoulder. "I'm going to hand these items over to Sefu. I'll be back in a bit."
"You're leaving already? I was about to get dinner ready.
"I'll be back in no time. Besides, the kid is probably hungrier than me. Take care of her for me, will you?"
"Alright. Don't take too long, okay?"
"Sure." Renen walked out of the cave and shut the door. "I gotta hand these items to Sefu. If what the Oracle said was true, then this device could help us reclaim our world."
Renen hopped on his flying carpet and flew across the city with his companion Kiki. The view from the air was beautiful, yet sad that humanity was confined to this small space.
After a while, they reached a scrapyard at the reaches of the city. In the middle of that scrapyard was a large dome-shaped bar made of clay and a thatch roof. This building had two floors. The windows had intricate patterns that were reminiscent of those found in the Far East. Beside the mud hut stood an igloo that was half its size. The surroundings of this structure were full of metallic litter. On the surface of the thatch roof stood a neon sign saying "Sefu's Bar".
Renen entered the bar with Kiki and the flying carpet.
"Hey, Sefu. I'm back."
Renen was greeted by a group of peculiar individuals. One was a giant man carrying two axes. His body wrapped in bandages from head to toe, like a mummy. His name was Jean-Pierre le Roux. The other was a man covered in tight spandex-fetish gear and boxing gloves. His hairstyle was a scarlet mullet. His legs were 4 feet taller than his torso. His thighs bulged like the calf muscles of a moose. His butt chin was as chiselled as a rare diamond, with his cheekbones sticking out like horns. The man was doing leg splits between two chairs with a cup of tea in his hands while bouncing up and down erratically. His name was Joe Cloud Van Dammit.
The other was a swordsman from the East named Seijuro Yamashita, who had a large fringe of hair covering his left eye and a ponytail that stood like the spikes of a porcupine. He held a blade by the name of Zatoichi. This warrior was one of the few men who were on par with Renen; if not stronger.
Another was a martial artist from the Far East, from the kingdom of Longxia. He had golden arm guards which covered the sleeves of his red Tangzhuang suit. He wore baggy black pants and Kung Fu shoes. He had spikey hair that almost covered his eyes as well.
Another was a beast man by the name Njomane Elibukhali. He was a humanoid lion that stood over 7ft tall.
There was a woman with pink dread locs wearing a cowboy hat. She was a gunslinger by the name of Ola Bishop.
"Hey, Renen, you're back!!" they all cheered.
"Yep. I'm back in one piece."
"Ah, Renen, big man dem deh yah! Mi never expect yuh to come back so soon, yah." A mysterious voice called out to Renen from the direction of the monitor screens on the other side of the room. In front of the monitor screens was a spinning chair with someone on it. As the chair turned around, a muscular Rastafarian cyborg was revealed. He was smoking a joint of cannabis while in his seat. "We were real worried 'bout yuh, mahn!"
"C'mon Sefu, you know I'm not the type to go down that easily. Anyway, I brought the materials you asked for." Renen placed the bag on the round table.
Sefu stood up in shock, dashed toward the table, and ravaged the bag.
"Renen, mahn, dem tings so rare, mi did tink dem was just legend. Maybe di Oracle did right afta all, yah!" said Sefu.
"So... can you do it?'
Sefu looked at Renen for a bit and sighed. "Mi sure yuh well aware of di risks, mi friend. Ain't no guarantee di present gon' fix if yuh change di past."
"I know. In that case, we'll just use the contingency plan we discussed," said Renen.
"Hiyah!! I never thought Time Travel would be something I would see in my lifetime! It's something one might hear from a work of fiction! Hiyah!! Révolutionnaire!" said Joe Cloud Van Dammit.
"Yeah, the longer you live, the more strange things you bear witness to, I guess," muttered Seijuro Yamashita.
"Mi gon' start right away, mahn. Renen, mahn, gimme two, maybe three months tops. Mi done by den, trust mi."
"Thank you, Sefu. I'm counting on you."
"No worries, mahn! Catch yuh later!" Sefu walked into a room behind the curtains, followed by the sounds of drilling and welding.
"Hiyah!! Look at him go!!" laughed Joe Cloud Van Dammit.
"Well, it's time for me to go now. See ya," said Renen.
"OH, COME ON RENEN! AREN'T YOU GONNA CHUG ON SOME BOOZE WITH US?! IT'S BEEN A MONTH, MAN!" cried Jean-Pierre.
"Sorry guys. I wanna spend some time with my wife for today. How does tomorrow sound?" said Renen. "But.. I will be taking this bottle of vodka with me. You don't mind, right?"
Everyone in the room sighed. "Fine, you can take it with you." They all replied in unison.
"Thanks! C'mon Kiki, let's go." Renen walked out of the room and fled on his flying carpet.
After a brief moment flying through the air, Renen made his way towards a hill in another far corner of the underground bastion. There he stood in front of a grave marked with two gigantic axes. Each axe, worn and torn. The tombstone had an engraving that read 'Fljúgandi Øxin', the name his father has earned for cleaving mountains and ships in a single strike. Now, it was just a title on a rock.
Renen poured the vodka on the tombstone and sat down. In a brief moment of silence.
"You'd hate this," he muttered, kicking dust over the booze he'd spilled as an offering. "A warrior's death shouldn't be so quiet."
The canyon below swallowed his words, clouds drifting like ghosts over the abyss.
"It's gonna be over soon, old man. We'll avenge your death. Just you wait."
The underground city buzzed with its usual rhythm, blacksmiths hammering, children chasing cave crickets, the smell of yeast from the communal ovens. Renen's cloak still reeked of blood and sake. As he looked down at the city from his flying carpet, he thought, 'Look how carefree they all are. If only things could remain this way.' Renen returned home to his wife. Before he could enter the house, he heard faint bellows of the child crying. "Oh, brother," he muttered to himself as he rubbed his temple. With a reluctant sigh, he entered the house.
"Oh, your majesty! You've returned at last! The girl has been asking for you," said Dr. Yeun.
Renen scowled. "What? Why is she asking for me of all people? Isira's right here you know."
"She imprinted on you, Ren. Not me."
"Yikes, talk about backward! I don't even know the first thing about taking care of a kid."
"Ren…" Isira said softly.
"I have diagnosed her with Marasmus. It's caused by a severe deficiency of calories and protein, essentially, prolonged starvation. Her fragile limbs, loss of fat and muscle are key symptoms. In the state that she's in, she's quite vulnerable to developmental delays, disease and infection. Even a mild fever could prove fatal. She's also been having nightmares while we were watching her. Poor kid. She must have gone through a lot. Forgive me for speaking plainly, your majesties, but she needs you both," said Dr. Yeun.
"Hmph," Renen scoffed, looking to the side. Isira clasped her hands together as if she were about to pray.
Dr. Yeun grabbed his satchel clinking with rusty tools. "Her body's begun to consume itself," he said, pressing two fingers to the child's wrist. "She needs calories. Feed her every hour. Even if she resists."
Renen leaned against the far wall, his pearl necklace glinting in the bioluminescent haze. "Very well."
"She needs therapeutic milk," Dr. Yeun said, handing Isira a dented tin. "Mix one teaspoon into water. Like I said before, feed her every hour."
Isira peered at the clumped powder in the dented tin. "And if she vomits?"
"Pray she doesn't," said Dr Yeun.
Dr Yeun gave them more advice on how to nurse the girl back to health and left.
Isira crushed dried crickets into the powder. It was protein, however meagre. The child's cracked lips trembled as the spoon neared.
"Small sips, little one," Isira murmured, weaving Kemmutian lullabies into her words.
The girl retched, milky tears streaking down her chin. Renen, lingering in the shadows, tossed a rag. "She can't keep anything down."
"One more time," Isira whispered, steady.
By the fourth try, the child kept half a spoon down.
Eventually, dusk faded and night fell. Isira was exhausted, dozed off beside the child on the worn-out sofa. "Tch. You're putting way too much stress on yourself, Isira," Renen muttered.
He carried her into the bedroom, a cave within a cave, and slowly placed her on the mattress.
"I guess you taking care of the kid like this couldn't be helped. You barely had a proper family. I at least had Bjorn to show me what one looked. But you…"
He paused, brushing Isira's curly locks aside.
"Isira… I'm sorry I couldn't give you the family you wanted. If only the world hadn't fallen into chaos… I would've freed you from your father and run to Dunya-Kelen with you. Like we promised."
Renen laughed softly to himself. "To be fair, we did fulfil that promise didn't we? But… I never thought it would happen like this. If things were normal, I'd have opened up my blacksmith shop. Maybe we'd have travelled the world. Maybe we'd have had a normal family. Isira…"
"Lord Renen…" Kiki murmured, as he felt sad watching his master in this state of vulnerability.
That night, Renen and Kiki took the night shift, grudgingly. The child's soft whimpers carved into his skull. He draped his cloak over her, brow furrowed.
"Hmph. I don't think I'm cut out for babysitting," he muttered.
"You'll get used to it. Take it from me, I babysit you all the time -kiki!"
"Oi! I'll yoink that round nose off your face right now!" Renen replied.
"No need. I can do it myself!" Kiki chirped, plucking his bulbous nose clean off. "See? Kiki."
"WHAT?! SINCE WHEN COULD YOU DO THAT?!"
"Since forever! I play soccer with it when I'm bored -kiki!"
"SERIOUSLY, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU?!" yelled Renen.
The child flinched in her sleep. "Shhh!" Kiki hissed, fingers to his lips, glaring.
"…My bad," Renen whispered sheepishly.
The next day, Renen ventured back into the outside world, accompanied by Seijuro Yamashita. Their mission: to gather honey; one of the rarest and most precious resource within the underground city. Dr. Yeun had explained its value in detail. Honey, rich in glucose, provided immediate energy. It boasted natural antimicrobial properties, that fend off bacteria and fungi. He also mentioned the fact that it had traces of zinc, iron, and vitamin B which would aid in the repairing of damaged cells. Best of all, it never spoiled, and is palatable and soothing for a child that's struggling to eat.
They soared toward it on the flying carpet. Then, without hesitation, they dove midair; freefalling into the upper mouth of the hive like twin arrows slicing through the wind.
Inside, the air grew thick with humidity and the golden musk of wax and nectar.
A hundred colossal bees thundered overhead, each as large as a merchant's wagon. Their wings beat in a unified rhythm, a deafening roar that shook the mountains and stirred the rivers from their beds.
Their golden-black forms glimmered like titans, dusted with sacred pollen and wreathed in wrath. Their many eyes, glowing like fire-stones, swept the chamber with an eerie, knowing gaze. This was no mere swarm. It was a storm of impending doom; a living tempest of ferocious wings blowing currents of destruction for the sake of protecting something dear to them. In a flash, they surged toward Renen and Seijuro.
Seijuro as he slowly unsheathed his Katana from his waist, a smirk tugging at his lips. "Finally, something worth cutting down. It's been a while since I've gotten the chance to go loose," he said, voice almost reverent.
"Wait, Seijuro," Renen snapped." Let's focus on getting the honey. It's our top priority."
"Too late," Seijuro replied. In an instant, the nearest wave of bees that charged towards him and Renen exploded mid-air, reduced to chunks of viscera and shattered chitin before their stingers could even land. The draw of his blade was nearly invisible, but its consequence was not. The remaining hive shrieked in fury. Hundreds more locked onto the intruders, their stingers drawn like spears, wings screeching with rage. They charged at them with suicidal resolve.
Renen and Seijuro weaved between the barrage of bees as they rained upon them in this onslaught of murderous intent; their movements blurring as monstrous stingers struck air and shattered stone. Seijuro laughed amid the chaos, his blade dancing at his side.
"Hahaha! These bees truly have some sort of Bushido code! Such fascinating creatures. Who knew that there was still a shred of humanity outside the city walls?! Hahaha!"
"Darn it Seijuro!" Renen snarled, parrying a stinger with the hilt of his blade. "Why'd you have to escalate things huh?! We could've just grabbed the honey and left!"
"Pfeh! You don't get it do you?" Seijuro grinned as he flipped over a diving bee. "Take a look at those bees carefully!"
"I am looking! What about them?!"
"They're not just any bees," Seijuro said, slicing cleanly through an approaching trio. "They're Executioner Bees; a mutated strain of Killer Bees!"
Renen grunted, swiftly ducking another strike. "The hell are you talking about?!"
Long ago, a group of honey merchants started splicing ordinary honeybees and bred a new; more aggressive; evolution of them called Killer Bees. But one way or another, shit hit the fan. That breed of bees was exposed to some sort of demonic miasma, warping them into these monstrosities you see before us. Well, that's just my theory at least," said Seijuro.
"And you know this how?"
Seijuro twirled his Katana lazily, then cleaved through another attacker. "Well, you don't exactly have much to do when there's nothing to slice and dice!"
Renen dodged sideways, swatting one of the bees aside. "So, what do them being Executioner Bees have to do with anything?"
"These creatures are in a constant state of Kanchi(感知). One whiff of your Ki, and they are pretty
much locked on to you for life." He gestured at Renen with his blade. "You lot in the Dark Continent call Ki 'Bawu' right? It's pretty much the same thing," said Seijuro while dodging the bees.
Renen growled, slicing a bee in two. "Great. So we're fighting monsters with grudges huh?! If any of these bees follow us, that would put the lives of everyone in the city in danger."
"Pretty much!" Seijuro laughed.
The two warriors landed on their feet after dodging the onslaught of furious bees and stood, back-to-back.
"Alright Seijuro. I'll take your word for it. These guys are clearly a threat. However, please make sure not to magic. Any cultivation and use of Bawu and Nyama should be avoided at all costs. We can't afford to attract the attention of the Akhekhu."
"No Ki and Mana huh? I can respect that." Seijuro shrugged his shoulders.
Renen reached for the secondary blade at his right hip. "Sorry, Kiki. I won't be making any use of you for this one."
[Understood. Do what you must -kiki!]
All around them, the carnage buzzed and twitched. About sixty-two bees now littered the floor, victims of their own reckless stings. Others loomed over the two warriors. In total, a hundred bees were left.
"How about a little challenge, Renenhotep?" Seijuro grinned. "Let's see who takes out the most."
"What's the catch?"
"Ramens on the loser."
"Fine by me."
In a blur, the two swordsmen quickly carved through all hundred bees in under twenty seconds.
"That settles it. Let's collect the honey, shall we?" Renen said, flicking bee ichor off his blade. "I got fifty-four bees. Guess I win."
Seijuro scoffed. "Hey! The bees that were stuck on the floor don't count!"
"Now you're just making up rules on the spot. I won fair and square. The ramen's on you."
"Tch! Must've been out of my element today." Seijuro muttered, sheathing his katana.
They both looked around the area for a while to make sure there won't be any enemy lunging at them from a blind spot. Their senses sharp despite their banter. They knew better than to underestimate these bees regardless of how weak they were.
"Hey, Seijuro… is it just me, or does this beehive look more like a castle on the inside?"
Seijuro glanced around, brow furrowing. "Now that you've mentioned it, it is kind of odd."
The two walked deeper into the hive, stopping before an immense wall of glistening honeycombs. Something felt… off.
"Seijuro, take a look at this. This isn't normal for bees, right?"
"What are you talking about now, Renenhotep? You know how much I hate --" He trailed off, his eyes locking onto what Renen was pointing at. "…small…talk."
Encased in the amber-like honey were preserved human corpses. Men, women, even children, suspended mid-scream, their final expressions twisted in agony. Animals too, some mutilated, others seemingly intact. All frozen in time, like a gallery of death. Seijuro placed a hand on the honeycomb, closing his eyes in brief meditation.
"Renenhotep." He finally said. "There's no traces of Ki. No breath. Not even a flicker. Whatever they were… they're gone."
Renen's jaw tightened. "We have to get them out of here and bury them somewhere. They deserve some dignity even in death."
"Tch!" Seijuro scoffed. "Now you're getting me involved in your self-righteous nonsense. Why waste effort on the dead? They're beyond dignity now."
"Seijuro. Please." Renen turned, meeting his eyes with quiet insistence. "They deserve at least that."
A beat passed.
Seijuro grumbled. "Very well, 'Your Highness'. But I'll be taking a good chunk of the honey for myself as payment! You got that?!"
"There's more than enough here to share with the whole city, even if you DO take a large amount. I just need enough to save a child's life."
"Hmph! Always the noble one, aren't you?" Seijuro muttered. "Let's get this over with! This place is giving me the creeps!"
Renen and Seijuro began lifting colossal slabs of honeycombs with relative ease.
"Yeah, no doubt about it. This place is unsettling."
"I wouldn't be surprised if this was a demon's lair," muttered Seijuro.
Suddenly, a strange chill shrivelled down their necks as they felt a sense of danger approaching them. The hive walls trembled, shaking loose dust and wax. Something was approaching from the brood chamber.
"Well," Seijuro said dryly, "that's never a good sign."
The floor exploded beneath them. They leapt back just in time as a monstrous bee burst forth. Towering over the others. It kind of looked like a queen bee, yet eerily had humanoid proportions such as four of its six legs being reminiscent of the arms of an asura. It swayed its limbs around violently.
"You just had to jinx it, didn't you Seijuro?" said Renen.
"Shut up!"
The Queen Bee let out a piercing screech that ricocheted around the walls of the hive, her bulging muscles flexing under her waxy hide.
Renen gave a low whistle. "Damn. Guess Mother Nature hit the gym." He hurled a massive honeycomb into the Queen Bee's face. Seijuro followed up, slamming another into her chest. The impacts sent her crashing into the hive wall with a sickening crunch.
"This is one of hell of an intense food fight, don't you think?" said Renen.
"Hmph!" was all Seijuro said.
With a guttural growl, the queen shook off the debris and lunged towards Renen and Seijuro. One arm struck Renen, sending him flying toward the ceiling like a ragdoll and the other attack sending Seijuro crashing into the wall with thunderous force.
"Wow, you really pack a sting don't ya?" Renen grunted, twisted midair and landing on his feet.
"I Meret- Biti, Queen of all bees shall make you suffer for killing my children!!" she bellowed.
"Hmph! Your sentiment is wasted you overgrown bug. If they were weak enough to fall, they were unworthy of survival," said Seijuro as he walked out of the cloud of dust caused by the debris from his crash. He was unscathed. "Besides, how do you expect to avenge anything when you couldn't even keep your own arm attached."
"What are you blabbering about you insolent--" Thump.
Just before the queen could finish her sentence, one of its arms hit the ground, severed cleanly at the joint. Purple ichor spurted out like a geyser. "Aaargh!!" she shrieked. Seijuro sliced off the queen's hand the moment she punched him.
Renen and Seijuro stood next to each other stretching their bodies and cracking their bones, calm as if warming up for a sparring match.
"Didn't expect a demon this close to home," said Seijuro.
"We'll have to exterminate it. Fast," Renen replied.
"SLAUGHTER THEM, MY CHILDREN!!" yelled the queen. Fifty colossal bees surged from the brood chamber, their stingers gleaming like spears. Renen and Seijuro leapt into motion, blades flashing as they cut down the swarm. Those that survived fell back and attempted kamikaze dives.
Amid the chaos, the queen slipped through. Her surprise strikes caught both warriors off-guard. They dodged the lethal stingers, but her blunt force was enough to slam them around.
Before they could recover, the queen secreted a strange waxy substance that hardened around them, binding their limbs, pinning them in place. "Now," she said, cracking her fingers with sadistic glee, "I'm going to enjoy every second of this."
"Y'know," Renen said, stuck in the wax, "I've met some intense women in my life. But none this clingy."
"Don't mock me!!" She lunged, fists a blur. Thousands of punches rained down. Renen and Seijuro were beaten like drums, kicked like soccer balls, and slammed into each other with bone-rattling force. She secreted more wax, forming it into chains that flung them across the hive like flails. The hive shook with each impact. Craters formed along the walls and floor. Wax, blood, and fury flew in every direction. For twenty minutes, the Queen reigned unchecked.
Eventually, the Queen ascended, wings buzzing erratically. She hovered above the ravaged chamber, breathing heavily, her eyes burning with utter contempt as she glared down at the two warriors.
"So, you, the queen, sacrificed your own loyal subjects just to get in a few cheap shots?" Renen called up.
"It was a worthy cause," she spat "I would sacrifice a thousand more if it meant sending you to the afterlife."
Seijuro narrowed his eyes. "You cry about avenging your fallen, but treat them as disposable? Isn't that contradictory?"
"No. My children share my will. They know that their sole purpose is in service of me even if it means putting their lives on the line."
"That's the biggest pile of garbage I've ever heard in a while. A true leader is supposed to protect their subjects! Not whatever this is! You treat your subjects like disposable toys!" yelled Renen.
"This world is suffering incarnate," the Queen hissed. "To die protecting me is a mercy. However, you -- you killed my children without cause. You murdered them without my sanction! That is grounds for me to act in retribution. Normally, I would have liked to annihilate you without making you suffer. But in this case, I will make an exception. I shall torture you. Slowly"
"Hmph," Seijuro scoffed. "Typical demon. You talk about loyalty and justice, but your code's as shallow as a dried-up pond. Your kind stands for nothing!"
"YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO JUDGE ME ON MY WAY OF DOING THINGS, YOU FILTHY HUMANS! I'VE HAD IT WITH YOU!! SCREW THE TORTURE! DIE NOW!!" The Queen shrieked.
"Wow, way to push her buttons," Renen muttered. "You really made her mad."
"Me?! I'm just speaking facts!" Seijuro barked back.
The Queen's abdomen split open, revealing a horrifying array of hollow hexagonal pits; like warped honeycombs, only darker and deeper, like an abyss.
"I've had my fun humans," she growled. "Any last words?"
"Look, lady… I'm flattered. But if this is your way of flirting, I gotta let you down easy. I'm already taken. What you've got back there?" Renen nodded toward her abdomen. "Not exactly a turn-on. Might work on Seijuro though."
"Renenhotep."
"What's up?"
"Hear me out…" said Seijuro.
"You're one freaky dude, Seijuro."
"And I feel no shame whatsoever," said Seijuro.
The queen twitched. "Even at death's door, you mock me? Are you incapable of perceiving your own peril? You humans are… fascinating. Infuriatingly so." The hexagonal dents on her abdomen glowed bright yellow, then a barrage of lasers rained down, scorching the exposed brood chamber. Explosions rocked the hive. The floor cracked apart. Renen and Seijuro were consumed in the blast.
The queen hovered, catching her breath, watching the wreckage with glee. But then, two silhouettes emerged, strolling from the rubble.
"Hey, queen," Renen called out. "You do realize your so called 'children' got caught in your blast, right? You cool with that?"
"What?! How are you alive?!"
"You still didn't answer my question."
"Hah! They were a necessary collateral. Even if they die, I'll just give birth to more!"
Renen narrowed his eyes. "…So, that's what family means to you? You're truly despicable." Flashes of memory ran through him. Isira's beautiful smile, the child he and Isira were nursing, his father smelting iron, his friends at Sefu's bar playing cards and drinking the night away, the people of the underground city and the looming obelisk full of names of people he cherished.
"I'm getting bored of this fight," said Seijuro. "And this wax is a pain. We'll need a bit of Ki or mana to break it."
"Fine by me," said Renen. "Just a spark. Enough to break free. By the way, look at its many hexagonal eyes. I'm sure this monster has high levels of perception, so let's blitz it."
"I got you. Let's do this!"
In a single breath, the wax shattered off them. Then, they vanished.
The two warriors vanished in a blur, dashing around the hive with such blinding speed that even the queen's many hexagonal eyes darted around wildly, unable to track them All she could do was listen to the faint patter of footsteps tapping the floor like whispers on stone. Then came the pain. One slash, then another, then another; each one from a different angle, each carving through muscle and chitin before she could even brace. She swung wildly, but struck only air. Panic crept in. She was being dismantled, piece by piece, by phantoms she could not see.
"Wh… where did they go?! How --?"
In a flurry of slashes, too quick for even her enhanced sight, the Queen Bee collapsed, hacked apart by swordsmanship too refined for her to comprehend.
Silence returned to the hive.
"I hope the Akhekhu didn't catch wind of that," Renen muttered.
"Unlikely," said Seijuro. "We only used Ki for a second. Just enough to escape."
"…I hope you're right."
Renen and Seijuro eventually returned to the underground city, the massive hive hoisted over their shoulders like a felled tree. Despite the chaos they had endured, they carried it with ease. They carried it all the way back home to share with the residents of the city.
Renen made his way home, bruised and scraped, his steps a little slower than usual. A honeycomb clung to his hand, dripping with molten gold. As he stepped inside, Isira rushed to him, worry clouding her features. She gently swept aside the locs draped over his eyes.
"Ren… your face. Are you--?"
"It was just bees," he said with a smile. "Don't worry."
He slid down against the wall and sat heavily, one hand gripping the necklace at his chest like a talisman. His breath slowed. His mind didn't.
'You are weak!' the voice hissed again; his father's phantom echo gnawing at the edge of his thoughts.
Isira knelt beside him without a word. She dipped a cloth in warm water and gently dabbed the wounds on his face.
"Thank you, Ren," she whispered, her voice firm yet soft. "Leave the rest to me."
Isira's nursing routine was precise:
Boil the water in a pot until it is mild. 2. Add a teaspoon of powdered milk. 3. Crush dried crickets with a mortar. 4. Add honey to the solution. 5. Stir and mix it all.
This routine was according to Dr Yeun's instructions. This was the solution the child had to be fed until she could return to tip top shape. The child choked on the first sip, and the second. "Again," Isira whispered, her voice fraying. On the third try, the child kept it down. Renen, pretending to be asleep against the wall with Kiki on his lap like a cat, counted each swallow.
After two weeks, the doctor arrived to find her sitting upright, nibbling a paste of crushed crickets and honey.
"Remarkable," he murmured.
Renen leaned in the doorway, the pearl necklace still at his throat. "The brats a fighter, I'll give her that."
"Just like her father," Isira said.
"Hmph!" Renen looked away.
As time passed, the child began to eat solid food, but recovery came slowly. She clung to Renen day and night, flinching at every loud noise, bursting into tears at sudden movements. Her nightmares were relentless, each one ending in howling sobs.
Exhausted and irritable, Renen muttered, "Zip it, you snot-nosed brat. You cry more than a monsoon. Might as well call you Rem. Suits you."
Isira raised an eyebrow. "Renen… that's cruel. Isn't Rem the Kemmutian word for 'tears'?"
"What? It's honest," he grumbled. "Tears aren't weak. My old man used to say they water the seeds of resolve… or some sappy crap like that."
Isira tilted her head. "Wow, that's deep. Amazing how you retroactively turn name-calling into parenting philosophy."
"Shut up!"
The child stared at him through puffy eyes, her lip trembling. Then, in the smallest whisper: "…Rem."
Renen blinked. "Yeah… Rem."
Isira's eyes welled up. She knelt beside the girl, cupping her cheeks in both hands. "In Kemmutu, tears are sacred. They mean you're strong enough to feel. So don't be ashamed, alright?"
From that day forward, the name Rem stayed.
And with it, a fragile but unbreakable bond began to take root, between the warrior, the healer, and the child of tears.