Abomination of Innovation Chapter 5

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[A/N: Many WuWa characters ahead. If you have not played the game or have not yet caught up with their lore, don’t worry. No context will be required. You have been warned both in the description of the fic and here.]

[ Belladonna Manor - The Next Day ]

Agitwo were rolling around on the ground after having ‘fought’ for an hour as ‘training,’ completely oblivious to Kali and her husband, Ghira, who were staring at the two raccoon boys (or the one Agito and his clone) rolling on the ground while trying to hit each other.

Between the Agitwo was a silver pocket watch currently being tugged on gently by the duo, showing what the current dispute was about as the two Agitos fought over the shiny Shiny.

Unfortunately, while the two were trying their best not to hurt the Shiny, they weren’t able to continue keeping it from snapping. The chain suddenly broke into a thousand pieces, leaving Agitwo stunned.

BOOM!

An explosion suddenly engulfed the two as their fighting intensified. Distress and anger were clearly visible on their faces as they fought valiantly to avenge the fallen shiny.

“... What am I watching?” Ghira asked with visible fatigue, sighing as Kali smiled brilliantly.

“Isn’t he just adorable?” Kali asked while clapping her hands together, grinning brightly as she gestured to the ‘victorious’ Agito standing above the ‘fallen’ Agito. “I’m keeping him.”

“Kali. For the last time, you can’t keep picking up strays and bringing them home for adoption.” Ghira rubbed his temples exasperatedly as he stared at the lonesome Agito, now standing alone after defeating the clone. “... I don’t come home for one day… This is why Blake left home.”

Ghira deftly sidestepped a swipe by Kali at his head before ducking as her other hand punched at his face.

“Ugh…” Unfortunately, he couldn’t avoid the knee Kali easily delivered to his gut, collapsing to the ground as Kali continued smiling above his prone form with a slightly more malicious hue on her smiling face. “I-I apologize profusely for my oversight, Great Lady…”

“That’s a good boy…” Kali nodded satisfactorily before turning back to see Agito scribbling a circle of sorts on the ground, almost looking like one of those ritual circles you’d see in a movie or a game.

“... Moving past that. Your usual stray pickup is a cat or a dog, not a twin-feature Faunus.” Ghira cleared his throat and stood up, changing the subject to move past his earlier mishap. “Why him?”

“Hm…” Kali paused momentarily to contemplate why she did what she did before chuckling softly. “I suppose I didn’t truly choose to do so. I didn’t even think about it after first seeing him launch out of the sky.”

“The sky…?” Ghira muttered in confusion, but Kali ignored him in favor of continuing her train of thought.

“Maybe it was my maternal instincts, but I knew not to let him wander alone after he spoke of his adventures with Summer Rose.” Kali’s face became enlightened as she ‘realized’ why she brought Agito with her, bringing her fist down on an open palm decisively.

After all, cats had extremely high maternal instincts, and a cat faunus was no exception to this as well.

“... Uh-huh.” Ghira didn’t seem as enlightened by her realization as she was, his lips thinning slightly at Kali’s behavior. “... Will you at least explain the Atlesian vehicle that keeps returning to the front of our manor even after being taken away by my people?”

“Oh, that’s Agito’s, not Atlas.” Kali proudly corrected while crossing her arms under her chest with a smirk.

“... Did he infect you with his brainrot or something?” Ghira muttered tiredly before immediately dropping to his knees just in time to dodge a kick at his head from Kali. “I apologize profusely for my oversight, Great Lady.”

“... Haah. Whatever.” Kali rolled her eyes with a sigh and shook her foot to loosen her leg’s muscles before putting it back down to reassure Ghira that he wasn’t about to be punted again. “If you’re that desperate for a serious answer… Agito isn’t normal.”

“Seriously?” Ghira’s eyebrows furrowed as he looked at Kali with an unamused expression. “I totally didn’t notice anything wrong after seeing his two faunus features, his ominously glowing white hair, his ability to make a physical clone, and his miraculous ability to sneak into my armory to steal my hidden Dust stash.”

“Oh, shut up, Ghira. You have more than enough Dust already stored, you won’t miss the few crystals he borrowed.” Kali puffed her cheeks and defended Agito while crossing her arms and looking away, clearly displeased with Ghira for his nitpicking if her pout was anything to go by.

“... Sometimes you seem more like a teenager than Blake does.” Ghira grumbled tiredly as Kali positively preened at the ‘praise,’ nodding happily with a smirk.

“I am quite youthful, aren’t I?~” She spun around to flaunt her ‘youth’ before placing a hand on her hip and running a hand through her hair to sweep it back in the air dramatically.

Click.

Ghira and Kali suddenly paused their conversation when the sound of someone entering Ghira’s office interrupted them. The two looked back to see a familiar youthful figure calmly walking in, a small smile on their face.

“You are indeed still quite youthful, Mrs. Belladonna. A subject of envy for too many women in Kuo Kuana.” The graceful yet young figure of the girl slowly approached the married couple, speaking calmly and with a small smile as she bowed her head politely. “I’m glad to see you both in good health, Mr. and Mrs. Belladonna.”

“Lady Magistrate… I didn’t expect to see you so soon without notice, Jinhsi.” Ghira raised an eyebrow and returned her bow with a nod, clearly confused about why she was here.

“If you’re here… Then that woman must be here too.” Kali, on the other hand, didn’t seem as worried about Jinhsi’s presence as she was about someone else’s.

Her eyes were narrowed, showing clear wariness as she searched for ‘that woman’ like there was a chance she was already in the room. Her eyes suddenly widened with panic as she quickly looked out the window towards her newest stray.

Clank. Clank. Clank.

She breathed out a sigh of relief as she saw one Agito still drawing a ritual-like circle in the ground with materials he got from who knew where while another Agito worked to inscribe more incomprehensible symbols on his ‘Relic of Treasures’ (The lid of an ordinary trash can) with Dust. There was no sign of anyone else in the courtyard.

“My teacher should currently be investigating the cause of our arrival here in Kuo Kuana as we speak.” Jinhsi elaborated helpfully as she saw Kali’s unrest, smiling calmly despite Kali’s reaction to her teacher.

Her gaze slowly moved over to the window Kali and Ghira were standing by, remaining calm and composed until her eyes landed on Agito. Her eyes widened as she stared at the two Agitos in the courtyard.

“... And what exactly is the cause of your visit to Kuo Kuana?” Ghira asked while crossing his arms suspiciously, displeased with the unplanned visit from the Magistrate. “I doubt you’re just here to visit, right? Yet, I don’t recall any event of note in Kuo Kuana worthy of garnering your attention.”

Jinhsi didn’t reply immediately to Ghira’s inquiry, stepping closer to the window and placing a hand on the glass to take a closer look at Agito’s figure from above.

Under Kali and Ghira’s tense gaze, Jinhsi eventually replied.

“... I sensed a temporal rift forming and disappearing near Kuo Kuana yesterday,” Jinhsi explained promptly and uncharacteristically chose not to elaborate further. “May I ask who the two Faunus twins in your backyard are?”

“Oh, that’s Agito- Err… Agitwo.” Kali proudly introduced Agito before pausing as she realized she somehow had to explain the presence of two of them. “He’s um… ah, yes. A pet.”

“... I was made to believe that Faunus Slavery was outlawed long ago.” Jinhsi didn’t seem amused by Kali’s description of Agito’s status, making Kali chuckle sheepishly and shake her head.

“Not literally, Jinhsi. It’s an inside joke, I guess.” Kali defended while crossing her arms, clearly sheepish at being accused of such a thing by the Magistrate. “He asked me if he was a pet yesterday, and when I joked that he’d make for a cute one, he began sulking on the ground before cloning himself… to sulk more.”

“If I understand this correctly, that would mean that he did not enjoy being labeled as a ‘pet’ by you, Mrs. Kali.” Jinhsi pointed out with a slight frown, disapproving of Kali’s ‘insensitivity’ and attempting to reprimand her for her actions. 

Unfortunately, Kali didn’t seem phased much by Jinhsi’s lecturing. She simply grinned like a mischievous cat, her eyes gleaming with amusement. Jinhsi eventually had to sigh in resignation and move on.

“... And you also met him yesterday, correct?” Jinhsi asked next, appearing quite invested in Agito’s information.

“Mhm…” Kali didn’t try to hide anything once she saw how serious Jinhsi was. “The temporal rift you spoke of… I’m guessing the crack in the sky Agito launched out of was just that, huh?”

“So it was him…” Jinhsi muttered thoughtfully while gazing at Agito’s back before returning to Kali. “Were there any… items of notice on his person? I sense the presence of… an extremely powerful temporal presence linked to him. It is no longer with him, but…”

Ghira and Kali watched Jinhsi’s complicated gaze involuntarily move back to Agito. She appeared quite conflicted… yet almost intrigued.

“Well… There is the advanced Motorcycle that isn’t Atlesian, according to him. Ah, and his ‘Relic of Treasures,’ the trashcan lid he’s working on.” Kali hummed thoughtfully and brought a finger to her lip, remembering all the weird items Agito displayed since she met him. “Oh! I almost forgot the Mecha-”

BOOOOOOOOOOM!

“Until everything… Burns to Ashes!”

“Until everything… Burns to Ashes!”

“I will set the Grimm… ABLAZE! Overdrive!!” x2

The three quickly looked outside to see that some of the dust that Agito 2, who was working on modifying runes into his ‘Relic of Treasures,’ had been stepped on by Agito 1 and thus caused a large explosion as a result.

Upon seeing his hard work destroyed and his ‘Shinies’ explode, Agito 2 immediately transformed and attacked, causing Agito 1 to transform and retaliate.

“Is… Is he fighting himself…?” Jinhsi asked in genuine disbelief as she stared at the two intimidating mech suits now brawling in the sky, clashing weapons and exchanging blows with none of the earlier clumsiness shown by the raccoon gremlin.

“You weren’t there when he fought without the mecha suit. It was adorable watching him roll around while fighting himself.” Kali smirked and moved to Jinhsi’s side to gently nudge her playfully, making the shorter girl blink and tilt her head.

BOOM!

“... Are we going to ignore how two Atlesian-level mechs are fighting in the air in my courtyard?” Ghira tried to bring the girls’ focus back to the fight but was promptly ignored in favor of their little gossip.

“... He seems quite young, no more than 15 or 16, yet already has so many capabilities…” Jinhsi noted quietly as she turned back to Kali, watching the mature woman smirk cattishly. 

“Isn’t that right around your age?~” Kali teased playfully while gently grabbing Jinhsi’s shoulders, leaving the younger girl flustered at the unexpected touch. “Intrigued at seeing another special faunus like yourself, hm?~ And a male one too, unlike little Blake…”

“W-What??” The normally composed magistrate’s eyes widened at Kali’s teasing, a noticeable flush reaching her ears and cheeks as Kali brought something like that up out of nowhere. “M-Mrs. Belladonna, please don’t tease me…”

As Kali laughed joyously at successfully teasing the usually composed and levelheaded magistrate, Jinhsi couldn’t help the slight pout that reached her lips at being played with so shamelessly by the playful cat woman.

“Sorry, sorry.~ I couldn’t help it… Not when you were being so serious as usual. It’s too cute.~” Kali cooed playfully while caressing Jinhsi’s cheek before letting go before the poor girl got even more flustered. “I cannot deny the possibility of Agito being one of the special ones…”

“Yes…” Jinhsi easily regained her composure after a few seconds, nodding seriously and staring at the ground contemplatively. “... Have you gotten a chance to inspect his aura for any traits?”

“Nada. I’ve playfully hit him on the head a few times for threatening to bomb people’s homes, but he already trusts me enough not to block my touch with his Aura passively.” Kali smiled and spoke with slight fondness as she remembered how Agito didn’t block any of her ‘attacks’ despite having just met her, completely ignoring her husband’s flabbergasted expression at hearing Agito’s plans to ‘bomb’ people’s homes.

“So fast? Did you do anything to gain his trust?” Jinhsi blinked in surprise and tilted her head slightly. “It’s not usual for someone to instinctively trust someone they just met to that degree.”

“Except listening to his ramble about his adventures with Summer Rose against the ‘Demon Queen Salem,’ not much.” Kali rolled her eyes humorously and shook her head, missing the slight widening of Jinhsi’s eyes. “... Although, I am apparently the first Faunus he’s ever seen other than himself.”

“... Imprinting?” Jinhsi suggested quietly, but her mind seemed elsewhere.

“Jinhsi… He’s not that young. Would you imprint on the first person you see in his place?” Kali teased the distracted girl with a playful nudge as Jinhsi snapped back to reality, flushing slightly at Kali’s teasing. “No, Agito has shown to be quite insightful in our time together. Despite not recognizing me, he could gather my high status with barely any information.”

Kali paused as she remembered the ‘silly’ and ‘harmless’ actions Agito had taken a mere few minutes earlier.

“You’d be the true fool if you underestimated him just because of how foolish he acts,” Kali commented amusedly. “Instead, you should use it to your advantage and endear yourself to him by playing along…~”

“I see…” Jinhsi nodded seriously at Kali’s advice before freezing. She noticed Kali’s teasing expression and realized that she was duped once again. “N-Not for that, Mrs. Belladonna! Please, stop teasing me.”

“Fufu… Sorry, sorry.~” Kali apologized again despite chuckling mirthfully, reaching out to pinch Jinhsi’s soft cheek gently. “If there’s one thing that woman is good for, it’s picking cute children to… adopt…” 

Kali’s words trailed off as she suddenly remembered the very adoptable trash panda she had left outside.

“... Huh. Shouldn’t there be the sounds of explosions from the two Agitos fighting?” Ghira mumbled curiously as he noticed the lack of explosions and chaos outside his office’s window now that Kali and Jinhsi weren’t talking.

BANG!

“THAT BITCH!” His curiosity soon faded as he was punched in the face and launched over his own desk by his own wife, falling limply to the ground with papers and pens scattered around his prone form.

Kali stomped over to the window to open it and stare outside, her eyes widening in shock and horror as she spotted the familiar raccoon-eared boy being given a lap pillow by a pink-haired woman whom she did NOT want to see right now.

With a gentle, calm smile, the graceful and mature figure of Jinhsi’s mentor gently ran her fingers through Agito’s hair, her own beautiful pink hair with mystical, whitened tips swaying in the calm breeze. Her fiery, golden eyes remained set on Agito for a few seconds before moving to Kali now that she opened the window.

Slowly, a small, provocative smirk reached her lips.

CRUNCH

Kali’s hands dug into the wooden window frame as it dented under her strength.

“This smug bitch…” Kali’s eyes blazed with fury as she stared down at the woman in the courtyard who was smirking up at her while moving her free hand down to gently caress Agito’s cheek before gliding over his lips provokingly.

“O-Oh…” Jinhsi raised a hand to cover her mouth as she stared between the two, staring at the motionless Agito on her teacher’s lap with a complicated gaze. “Live, please…”

…

“CHANGLIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!”

WOOOOSH!

Kali roared the other woman’s name while jumping out of the several-story high window carelessly, barely being caught halfway by a draconic projection as she was safely guided down to the ground by a panicked Jinhsi before resuming her march without any care for the danger she was just in.

Agito’s body almost stood up on instinct after hearing Kali’s terrifying roar, but a firm hand kept him down and resting against the soft lap of the pretty feathered lady.

…

…

[ POV Switch ]

‘What the fuck is going on??’ Agito panicked as the fuming Kali stomped her way over to them, glaring angrily and with an ominous aura surrounding her. Behind her was a silver-haired girl around Agito’s age, looking at him with a gaze that almost made him shiver.

All he did was… well, he did many things, but not enough for Kali to get that angry. He ensured that everything he stole last night didn’t belong to her, only stealing from everyone and everything else.

Maybe it’s because he stole from her husband? That didn’t seem right, though. She definitely engaged in domestic violence, so she wouldn’t care about the dust he stole from the very obvious ‘secret’ basement that Kali’s husband ‘hid.’ Or the scrap. Or the shinies.

Also, Kali has a daughter, Agito thinks. While searching for shinies, he stumbled upon a drawer full of girly panties, and those definitely did not belong to a woman like Kali.

… Why so much pink, though?

“You-” 

“Bleh…” 

As Kali opened her mouth to speak once she got close enough, Agito beat her to the punch by acting dead with his tongue sticking out and his body lying limply on Changli’s lap.

“...”

“Oh dear… Look what you’ve done, Kali.~” Changli sighed and caressed the hair of the ‘dead’ Agito, looking up from his corpse to stare at Kali sadly. “The poor child’s heart couldn’t take it and died.”

“Eat shit and die,” Kali replied without missing a beat.

“Language!” Agito awakened from the dead to admonish Kali for her language before collapsing on Changli’s lap with a ‘dead’ expression, ignoring the weird look he got from the silver-haired girl and the soft chuckle of the woman whose lap he was on. “Bleh…~”

“Agito, get away from that woman right now!” Kali ordered sternly while crossing her arms as Agito immediately obeyed, attempting to get up… only to be stopped once again.

“Little one… Stay.” The pretty lady ordered while holding his head down again, strengthening Kali’s murderous aura.

“Agito, come here now,” Kali commanded unhappily while extending her arms, waiting for Agito to enter them.

“Stay,” Changli ordered otherwise, still holding Agito’s head while she carefully caressed his hair.

“Agito!”

“Stay…”

POP

…

The two women stared in speechless silence as another Agito appeared and moved to Kali’s side just as she commanded, allowing him to technically obey both of their commands without having to choose between them.

“... Smart boy.” Changli complimented with a smirk while cupping her Agito’s cheek, contrasting Kali’s clear displeasure as she didn’t know what to do in this situation.

“... Brat.” Kali sighed and gently pinched Agito’s cheek while glaring at the one still on Changli’s lap as if that Agito wasn’t the same one in her arms. She slowly turned her head to Changli, scowling unhappily. “What are you doing in my home, Caw-Caw?” 

“Won’t you at least try to be civil, kitty-cat? The children are watching…” Changli calmly replied without showing any reaction to Kali’s taunts, still calmly stroking her Agito’s cheek while Kali seethed. “As for the reason why I am here… I am currently investigating a possible threat to Menagerie, of course.”

The Agito on Changli’s lap tensed slightly as she talked about a threat to Menagerie, making Jinhsi slightly anxious at his reaction as she looked at Kali worriedly…

“Someone’s threatening Minority HQ???” Agito exclaimed in shock.

… Before slowly facepalming with the tiniest smile on her face, unsure of how or where to even begin reacting to Agito's response.

“And how is giving this ‘National Threat to Menagerie’ a lap pillow helping your investigation, exactly?” Kali interrogated with a huff while crossing her arms, and the Agito next to her gasped in surprise at her accusing words.

“I’m the one threatening Minority HQ?!?” x2

“... Please stop referring to Menagerie as ‘Minority HQ.’” Jinhsi pleaded weakly while still hiding her face in her hand, shivering as the two Agitos turned to look at her.

“... Oh my god, it’s a girl our age.” One Agito commented in surprise while turning to the other.

“Yeah, I was starting to think this world only had gooner bait.” The other Agito replied tiredly as the three women looked equally puzzled at his confusing words.

“Wait, we saw other people our age yesterday when walking through Menagerie, idiot.” The first Agito realized and insulted the other him as the second Agito looked at him in confusion.

“You’re the one who commented in surprise about seeing a person our age.” The other Agito pointed out as the first froze. “You confused which of us was supposed to say that.

“... Damn, you’re right.” The first Agito sighed before flinching as the other Agito was smacked on the head by a slightly amused yet still annoyed Kali.

“I’m busy lecturing the Peacock right now, so I’d appreciate it if you kept your psychotic breaks in your head.” Kali scolded Agito while gently rubbing the area she smacked him before returning to Changli with a glare. “Well?”

“I can assure you that my actions are calculated, Mrs. Belladonna. Everything I do is for the sake of Menagerie.” Changli defended with an enigmatic smile, pausing her touch on her Agito’s face to tap his head and signal for him to finally stand up.

Freedom!

“I don’t trust a single calculation that comes out of your mouth, bird brains.” Kali rolled her eyes and huffed, narrowing her eyes once Changli’s Agito stood up. “Agito, come here.”

Kali’s Agito slowly walked to her side, making Kali facepalm and Changli giggle mirthfully.

“No, not you! Other Agito, come here.” Kali ordered before grabbing her Agito by the collar as he moved to exchange places with the other Agito. “No, Agitwo, come here.”

“Having some trouble, Hairball?~” Changli asked amusedly before turning as she spotted her Agito freezing and turning to his head to look at what seemed to be empty space, a confused look on his face. “Hm? Is something wrong, little one?”

[Achievement: Gain the Attention of “Jué ‘The Timeless’, First of the Sentinels” (200 CP added)]

“Who the hell is Jué!?” Agito asked in a panic, recalling the last time he spotted this type of achievement… and the person who appeared a mere few hours later.

In his surprise, he missed the shocked expression of Jinhsi and the slightly widened eyes of Changli.

“Who?” Kali asked in confusion.

“No, Jué.” Agito helpfully corrected.

[Achievement: Successfully Charm “Jinhsi ‘The Dragonborn,’ Timeless Thawborn of Rebirth” (150 CP added)]

[Achievement: Garner the Interest of “Changli ‘The Incandescent,’ Fading Bird of Vermillion” (150 CP added)]

“What- DRAGONBORN!?” Agito’s head snapped towards Jinhsi as she jumped slightly at his sudden exclamation and actions, appearing even more shocked at what he said. 

“FUS RO DAH!”

…

Everyone stared silently as Agito slowly looked down, a frown on his face at his failed attempt at using Thu’um.

“... Why can’t I use the Dragon Shouts?” Agito mumbled in disappointment before suddenly narrowing his eyes and turning his head to the notifications again. “Rip it, Grimoire!”

[Acquiring…]

Sons of Mil [400 CP - Irish Mythology] [A/N: Rolled by Kreigan on Patreon]

[Neither prophecy nor free will is supreme in the myths of Ireland; a man can fight his fate but can’t always win. Except for you, like the ancestors of the modern Irishmen landing on the shore, prophecies and foretellings seem not to include you, and those fated to die by a specific hand can certainly meet their end at yours.]

[Purchase / Skip]

“Dang it.” Agito did not successfully acquire Dragonborn status as he had hoped, pouting sullenly. “Okay…”

[‘Sons of Mil’ has been Acquired!]

[400 CP Deducted… 200 CP Remaining.]

“W-What?” Jinhsi’s eyes widened in horror as she stared at Agito, sensing a sudden disturbance in her senses that she hadn’t felt previous to that very moment. She felt like she had lost the ability to see something despite not yet having the strength to do so in the first place.

‘Wait… Doesn’t this mean I have even less of a chance to become Dragonborn now that I can’t be part of any prophecies?? The Dragonborn had a prophecy themselves!’ Agito suddenly realized the ‘mistake’ he had committed by purchasing this totally unhelpful skill that totally wasn’t going to protect him whatsoever in the future. 

‘No! I refuse! GAMBA!!!’ Agito passionately declared while trying once again for another chance.

[Acquiring…]

Ixalli’s Keeper  [200 CP - MTG - Ixalan]

[Fostering the growth of the creatures of the land is considered a righteous action in the Sun Empire, and you are among those who can - you have learnt how to use mana drawn from the land to spur on growth in creatures and enhance their physical capabilities to beyond what would be considered their potential. This is moderately effective on sapient beings and domesticated creatures, but where this shines is in undomesticated “Wild” beasts such as the dinosaurs of the jungles - the same amount of mana causing much greater growth with them.]

[Purchase / Skip]

[‘Ixalli’s Keeper’ has been Acquired!]

[200 CP Deducted… 0 CP Remaining.]

“MUL! QAH! DIIV!” Agito roared to the sky while clenching his fists, calling upon the surrounding mana. The mana coalesced swiftly until Agito's body matched the glow of his radiant hair, emitting a blinding glimmer of white across the entire field.

“A-Agito!?” Kali exclaimed in shock. Something weird was affecting her just by standing close to whatever was happening with Agito. She almost felt… stronger.

“And so the first Dragonborn meets the last Dragonborn at the Summit of Apocrypha…” Agito whispered ominously while looking directly at Jinhsi as the poor girl stepped back with widened eyes, clearly taken aback by his sudden switch in attitude. “You know not of the true power a Dragonborn can wield-”

Bonk!

Woooosh…

The ominous energy previously coalescing around Agito disappeared in the blink of an eye as Changli sighed helplessly, yet with an undeniable hint of amusement, shown by her small smirk.

“I believe you’ve given us all enough of a scare, little one… Let’s put an end to this prank, alright?” Changli calmly lectured while running her fingers across Agito’s raccoon ears to remind him that, no, he was unfortunately not a Dragon.

“Kay…” Agito pouted and released the mana he was controlling to boost himself, allowing the atmosphere to regress to its natural state without the blinding glow of Agito’s body.

“And what was that about a Grimoire before you began glowing?” Changli questioned with slightly narrowed eyes and a playful smirk as Agito’s ears stood ramrod straight in shock.

“Um… You’re usually supposed to dismiss everything I say as gibberish in this situation.” Agito pointed out with a caught expression as Changli’s smirk grew more mischievous.

“And why would I do such a thing? After all, you say such interesting things, little one…” Changli slowly trailed a hand across Agito’s jaw before chuckling as he disappeared from her grasp, reappearing within the arms of a particularly angry mother cat.

“Don’t be getting too handsy now, birdshit.” Kali spat while muffling Agito’s mouth with her hand to keep him from scolding her ‘language’ again… It almost looked incriminating how she was holding him. “And I’d recommend that you stop taking Agito’s words seriously. For your own nonexistent sanity.”

“True!” Agito agreed eagerly while nodding rapidly, hoping Changli would disregard his words like everyone else usually did.

He wasn’t prepared to actually face the consequences of his actions! She can’t hold him accountable for his words! That’s animal cruelty! 

Wait, animal people are a minority here.

That’s racism!

“Fufu… You may believe his words to be nonsense, but this little one has already surprised me with what he knows.” Changli giggled and crossed one arm beneath her bust while staring intently at Agito, a flicker of something fiery burning within her gaze and upturned lips.

“The giant horse co-” Kali muffled Agito’s lips with her hand again as she felt her instincts scream that he was about to say something extremely out-of-pocket.

“... Seriously?” Kali questioned with an unimpressed look after turning away from Agito’s unwilling face to look at the amused Changli.

“Seriously.” Changli didn’t back down even after Agito’s display of ‘intelligence,’ raising her hand to her lips in an almost… sultry way as a vein appeared on Kali’s forehead.

“... May I ask how you knew of that?” Jinhsi moved to Agito’s side and whispered softly, using the chance to speak to him personally for the first time while Changli and Kali had their spat.

“You have no idea of the true power a Dragonborn can wield, fledgling,” Agito replied ominously while narrowing his eyes at her seriously, the only thing betraying his seriousness being the twitching raccoon ears on his head. “This realm is beyond you. You have no power here…”

Jinhsi blinked slowly as she registered Agito’s words and his body’s involuntary reaction, eventually bursting into a fit of giggles at Agito’s continued attempts to appear serious.

“Is that so? Then… will you allow me the honor of learning of the true power of a Dragonborn?” Jinhsi asked with a soft smile while bringing her hands together in front of her chest, tilting her head in time with Agito as they both stared at each other with tilted heads.

“Have you tried exploring ancient ruins that may or may not have latent dragon power engraved on the walls?” Agito suggested helpfully while blinking slowly, making Jinhsi return the slow blink herself.

“Um… I have not attempted that yet, no.” She shook her head and frowned slightly before looking up at Agito again. “What should I expect to find down there?”

“Convoluted puzzles that will make you want to kill yourself, a ton of random enemies that shouldn’t reasonably be down there, and a chance to encounter an eldritch abomination if you’re unlucky… or lucky.” Agito slowly looked at the rising sun with a blank face as his hair suddenly began glowing brighter again. “A new hand touches the beacon…”

Bonk

The glow on Agito’s head disappeared as Kali chopped him on the head between his raccoon ears, dispersing the gathering energy around him.

“Ow-” Agito’s dramatic reaction was interrupted as his ears twitched, and he turned to look at the pathway leading to the courtyard they were in, finding Kali’s husband, who he only recognized from pictures, and an unfamiliar woman who, oh dear god-

Next to him stood a woman no shorter than six feet with visible abs that you could probably grate cheese against. Atop her head were two tiger-like ears that worked hand-in-hand with the tiger stripes all over her face, torso, and legs. Her sharp, slitted eyes moved over every person on the field… before eventually landing on him.

“... Is that the one you spoke of?” The woman confidently strolling into the field asked Ghira as they walked closer, striding uncaringly until she stood directly before Agito and towered over him.

…

The two silently looked into each other’s eyes for almost an entire minute before Agito eventually looked down with a blank stare.

“... I need an adult.” 

“Pfft…” Sienna couldn’t resist the chuckle that slipped from her lips at Agito’s reaction, a mirthful glint entering her eyes as she slowly turned back to Ghira. “... Yeah, I’m taking this one.”

BOOM

Pandemonium descended upon the courtyard at Sienna’s casual declaration.

“Huuuh?? Huuh!??” Agito immediately reacted to Sienna’s words with horror, attempting to escape, freezing as he found himself no longer touching the ground after the Amazonian Tiger woman lifted him by the scruff of his neck.

“You’re gonna do what!?” Kali exclaimed furiously while stomping towards the newly arrived Sienna. She was only stopped by her husband stepping in front of her, blocking the punch she tried to throw at his stomach. “Out of my way! I’m about to punch a bitch!”

“Language!”

“AGITO, I SWEAR TO GOD!”

“Not even a greeting, High Leader? You’re truly breaking my fragile heart here.” However, there was no one to stop Changli from approaching as she appeared next to Sienna, placing her hand on the wrist keeping Agito up by the scruff of his neck. 

“... I wasn’t aware that you were supposed to be here, General Secretary.” Sienna glanced to the side at the fiery woman glaring at her with a ‘calm’ smile before letting Agito down slowly…

Wooosh

… Before swiping at Changli with her clawed hand, missing the smiling woman by a landslide as she huffed and put her hand down.

“Tsk… Annoying woman…” Sienna clicked her tongue and grabbed Agito by the head as he tried to escape, making Changli’s hair glow red threateningly as a warning for Sienna to let go. 

“Let me through, goddammit!” Kali demanded while trying to jump over Ghira’s shoulder, barely being stopped by the man. “Why the hell are you getting in the way??”

“Kali… Someone saw him pick up a few scraps of metal and Dust crystals, draw some unintelligible scribbles, and blow up a hole in our reinforced wall.” Ghira explained with exasperation even as he dodged Kali’s punches and swiped with sweat running down his head. “That type of ability is not one I can allow to be misused or wasted…”

“And who gave you the right to use that ability, you daft fuck!? I’m going to pound your head into the fucking ground-” Kali threatened angrily while reaching down despite being held up on Ghira’s shoulder to grab her slipper before smacking Ghira with it again and again until he collapsed to his knees. “Agito, don’t you dare!”

“Little one- Huh…?” Changli tried to reach out to Agito, only to pause as she realized…

“Oi… Where did the boy go, Counselor?” Sienna turned to look at Changli with fury, raising the hand that was holding Agito a moment ago before he disappeared from between her fingers and flexing it into a claw threateningly.

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!

However, before a fight could descend upon the already tense group, an unfamiliar sound echoed through and caught the attention of everyone present, who simultaneously turned towards it.

There, an inconspicuous Agito stood atop a glowing magic circle with a blank look, his hair, raccoon ears, and tail glowing with the same powerful glow emanating from the glyph.

“That was the Circle he was drawing in the sand with dust a few minutes ago…” Ghira murmured warily while recalling how one of the two Agitos was creating this circle before the two began fighting.

“Agito!? What is that??” Kali asked in a panic while pushing Ghira’s head into the sand mercilessly to finally get up and walk towards Agito, stopping just short of the magic circle thanks to Jinhsi’s intervention as the girl stopped Kali from entering the possibly dangerous glyph.

“Teleportation Circle,” Agito answered honestly, looking up from the circle at the panicked Kali and group. “I’m escaping.”

“Where are you trying to go, idiot!?” Kali berated angrily as Agito slowly blinked.

“Haven’t decided yet.” Agito hummed and looked down at the circle again before turning to Changli as she carefully walked towards him. 

“Little one… Whatever you do, do not aim the endpoint at Atlas.” Changli ordered seriously while preparing to touch upon the circle.

“Um? Atlas?”

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!

Agito disappeared with a blinding light, his figure vanishing into motes of light alongside the engravings composing the Magic Circle.

…

…

…

“I’m gonna fucking kill you!” Kali roared while charging at Changli before barely being stopped by her husband again. “You’re sleeping on the couch for a fucking year, Ghira!”

“Language…” Jinhsi whispered softly before flinching as Kali turned to her with fury.

“Nice going, Peacock. Now, we’ve lost a possible recruit with exceptional abilities… and maybe even permanently now that he’s who knows where in Atlas.” Sienna snarled with a frown while stepping next to Changli and inspecting the empty earth that had held the Magic Circle previously.

“I didn’t see you attempt to do anything yourself, High Leader.” Changli calmly accused while crouching down to run her fingers over the empty engravings on the ground.

“None of this would have happened if none of you intruded on my house!” Kali accused with a cry as the two tried to act like it was the other’s fault when she believed this was their responsibility.

As the three began bickering and exchanging jabs, a lonesome Jinhsi silently stared at them for a few seconds before turning to the mansion.

Ssssszzz…

The soft, subtle aura that she wouldn’t have sensed without previously meeting its owner was still emanating throughout the Belladonna Estate… Concentrated somewhere deeper inside.

Jinhsi silently left the three women and Ghira to their own devices, following the trail she sensed…

…

[ A few minutes later - Deep Within the Belladonna Estate… ]

Jinhsi slowly stepped into the abandoned storage room full of knick-knacks, weapons, and other deserted items, smiling a small smile as her eyes gravitated towards an unnatural item inside.

Deep within the seemingly innocuous room stood a shiny trash can with a lid that didn’t match the can itself, possibly taken from somewhere else and placed there…

As Jinhsi stepped closer, she carefully raised a hand towards the lid and… knocked politely.

Knock, Knock.

…

Ssss…

The metal lid slowly rose as a pair of raccoon ears pushed against it from below, revealing a familiar pair of molten gold eyes staring curiously into Jinhsi’s calming silver ones.

“Hello there…” Jinhsi whispered softly so as not to alarm the clone(?) she sensed with her temporal senses, a small smile on her face as she sat on her knees in front of the trash can and raised an open palm towards him. “We didn’t get the opportunity to speak much, did we? I am Jinhsi… Dragonborn, as you seem to know.”

Agito’s golden eyes slowly moved to the offered palm for a few seconds before raising his own and placing it against hers.

“Agito… Shiny collector…”

…

…

[Extra…]

[ ??? POV - Atlas ]

Shatter!

A glass of wine shattered against the ground as a woman fell to her knees at her bedside, an utterly lifeless look on her face even after her fall.

“What’s the point anymore…” She whispered lethargically while raising a hand to try and reach for her scroll on the bed, failing to even do that much due to her sluggish movements and weak body.

Her untied and loose white hair cascaded down her fair back, a few strands falling over her miserable yet undoubtedly beautiful face and blocking her light blue eyes from seeing where she left the device. Her figure was practically overflowing out of her unkempt clothes, showing how little care she had in keeping herself proper anymore.

“What do I do… What is there left to do…?” She questioned weakly as her already reddened eyes wettened with tears that she didn’t know she still had. Had she seen them red in the mirror, she wouldn’t doubt that they were made of blood… or wine.

“Gods… Guardians… Whatever exists beyond this cruel sky…” She slowly began speaking while lifting her head to look at the roof of her luxurious room, her dulled eyes finding no comfort in the wealth surrounding her every turn. “Give me a sign… Grant me strength…”

“If someone’s listening… Please…” She stopped to take a deep breath.

“Send me an angel… bathed in golden light… and save me.”

…

BOOOOM!

“Until everything… Burns to Ashes!”

CRASH!

The previously luxurious roof blasted open with fiery fury as an angelic suit of armor descended, holding a spear of golden light and adorning three pairs of glowing wings on each side of their armor.

Willow’s eyes widened as she stared at the armored figure hovering above her bed… staring down at her silently.

Tttttsszzzkk…

Before her eyes, she watched as the armor slowly receded from around the figure as it hovered down, eventually landing in front of her on the bed and revealing an angelic pair of golden eyes befitting the image she had just seen.

“Mm…? You look sad...” The ‘angel’ murmured with a blink before tilting its head as Willow stared at the pure glow of its hair and golden eyes. “... Do you want to be happy?”

Willow stared speechlessly at the figure, barely even recognizing the tears streaming down her cheeks as she slowly raised her hand…

… and touched the soft cheek of the real angel staring down at her.

“Y-Yes… Yes… I do…”

…

…

HIIIIIIIII! AoI chapter once again!

So far doing pretty good in Uni! Boutta do some homework now after finishing this. First I'll post for non Patreons tho.

BTW SEND ME MONEY I NEED TO E6 FUGUE IN HSR AND CAMELLYA IN WUWA AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH :sob:

Also, this chapter's 6969 words :D