As dozens upon dozens of blood spikes manifested behind Isaac, the much older man before him raised his hands, a light smile still playing on his lips.

"Ah! There's no need for that, my good sir," the stranger said. "I come here in peace, bearing gifts as well as a proposition that could benefit us both."

Even though Isaac heard all that and saved it in the back of his mind, something else caught his attention at that moment. When the ginger lifted his hands, his right sleeve slipped back, revealing a familiar tattoo. It was dark gray instead of crimson, and the lines weren't exactly the same, but the resemblance was undeniable.

Isaac tightened his hold on the Root.

"You're a Pioneer."

The man's shoulders slumped, his hands dropping. "Looks like I'm caught already… no matter." He stood up and bowed low. "I'm Harry Hayward, one of the eternally beautiful Lady Narin's chosen. It's a pleasure to meet you, follower of Chaos."

Isaac's eyebrows shot up.

Strange way of speech aside, that brief introduction explained more than any question could. After all, the name Narin… it was familiar, very familiar. Rakin definitely hadn't bothered to hide it during the two messages he had sent. She had to be his… right hand? Assistant? Something like that.

And follower of Chaos… he knows everything, Isaac mused, forcing down the anger that spiked at the mere suggestion of serving anyone. He didn't bother correcting Harry, though. The way he spoke of Narin made it clear such words wouldn't be well received.

Guess some people really are mad enough to put mass-murdering all-powerful entities on a pedestal. Why am I not surprised…

He sighed, his gaze still glued to the other man. "What do you really want?"

Harry's smile widened. "No need to treat me like an enemy, fellow warrior. We are both on the same side here. Alone, we are deadly, but together… together we can make our shared enemy bleed. Don't you agree?"

It was hard to argue. Just by himself, Issac had killed over a hundred Zerians in twenty-four hours. With someone of comparable strength at his side, that number could be doubled, maybe tripled if they tried hard enough. Hell, he could take on larger groups, perhaps even the ones that spotted him early.

Still, as convenient as this team-up sounded, Isaac didn't agree right away. There was more he needed to know before making a decision.

"This is your Patron mission, isn't it?" he asked. "Work with me, kill more Zerians? That's why she sent you."

Harry tilted his head. "I think you misunderstand. Lady Narin didn't force me to come here. No… I simply recognized the folly of working alone and asked her for guidance. Being the kind and beautiful goddess she is, My Lady showed me the path. The path that led to you, follower of Chaos."

Isaac stifled the urge to roll his eyes. Forget putting Patrons on pedestals—this guy was ready to start a whole new religion. Honestly, he had no idea if he should be amused or horrified.

He settled on neither and steered the conversation to another important point.

"How did you even find me? Doubt Narin sent you constant updates on my location. A skill then?"

Harry shook his head. "Nothing like that. My Lady simply gave me this," he said, producing a black compass out of nowhere. "I just followed the direction it showed."

Isaac narrowed his eyes. "Can I?"

The man nodded happily and handed him the item.

A compass that can track my location at all times? In the hands of someone I don't trust? Yeah, I don't think so.

With that thought in mind, Isaac closed his fist around the object, crushing it into pieces. He looked up at Harry as he did that, but the man just shrugged, not looking angry at all.

"I planned to destroy it anyway," he explained. "I understand how having something that tracks you could be… troubling."

How sincere that statement was, Isaac couldn't tell. The guy seemed awfully friendly, though, which again could be a mask or just his true personality. Dealing with strangers really was a pain in the ass, worse still when they came on the orders of all-powerful entities.

But he could be useful, Isaac decided, dismissing the spikes still hovering behind him. Afterward, he spoke, "All right, let's say I agree to this temporary… partnership. You get a point for being forthcoming, but that's all, though. Doesn't mean I trust you. Got it?"

Harry tipped an imaginary hat. "Loud and clear. I have a question, however. You gave me a point. How many do I need to earn your full trust? I like to have a score to chase. It's… motivating."

Isaac blinked. This guy couldn't be serious. Who asked something like that?

Yet as the two continued to look at each other, the serious and somewhat hopeful expression on Harry's face didn't waver. Either he was a damn good actor, or Isaac was destined to attract every strange individual in the vicinity. And considering his circle of friends, he wasn't ready to rule out the latter.

Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

As such, he proceeded with an answer that didn't promise much.

"I will tell you when it happens."

If Isaac expected Harry to be disappointed, he expected wrong. The man grinned and clapped his hands.

"Delightful!" he exclaimed. "An ally and a potential friend. This day could hardly get better."

Yeah… Isaac held back a groan. He had a feeling that dealing with James' antics was nothing compared to what he would have to survive in Harry's presence. Guess my asocial side is showing again…

The other man, thankfully, didn't notice his internal struggle. Instead, he summoned another item to his hand. This time it was a small, glowing green gem. He held it out.

"This is the gift I mentioned," Harry said. "It's from Lady Narin. I have one myself."

Still wary of the guy, Isaac quickly took the gem while keeping his Viron at the ready. Of course, it was unnecessary. Despite being at least ten years older than him, the man looked like an eager puppy.

This is my life now, I guess. He chuckled in the safety of his mind. Analyze.

[Lesser Communication Shard | Grade: Arcane] As the name implies, this shard grants the Host access to the communications systems of Support Nexuses. Be warned, however, that while you may now send out messages regardless of your location, other Hosts will be unable to answer unless they also possess this shard. Range: Planetary.

I see… Isaac hummed, dismissing the description. For a moment there, he got excited about the potential of this item. Then, he reached the mention of its range, and the reason why it was called a Lesser Communication Shard became rather obvious.

So, no messaging the others yet. A shame.

He didn't let that bother him, though. After storing the shard in his Brand, he turned his attention back to his new… ally? He still wasn't sure what to call the guy. Time would tell.

"Do you have a plan?" he asked bluntly. "Or we just winging it?"

Just like that, a dark glint entered Harry's brown eyes. It was such a contrast to his normal, happy expression that Isaac stiffened for a moment. Then, the man started talking, and it all suddenly made sense.

Maybe this won't be such a bad idea after all.

Once the plan was set and their respective location reveals went off, they took off. As they did that, Isaac also learned how Harry managed to reach a Warp Portal and find him so fast.

His Legacy could also fly.

It wasn't a bird, though, no. It was an honest to god ray fish. Or at least something built like one. Isaac had literally gaped when Harry transformed into this almost ten-foot-long creature. Stranger still, it was also almost see-through—a bit like a ghost.

That said, even though he was curious, touching it was out of the question. That would have been weird.

After that discovery, they headed back toward the territory similar to the Peaceful Plains. Now there, a problem should have arisen. It was still daytime, after all, and there should be plenty of Zerians everywhere. Sure, killing them was an option, but that wasn't the plan for today.

Isaac had suggested flying as high as possible and hoping for the best.

Harry disagreed. Which led to the reveal of how the man had managed to sneak up on him.

Illusions.

"It's a minor thing, my dear ally," Harry swore back then. "Just some sensory manipulation so my body is harder to notice."

Isaac almost called bullshit. The ability was far from "minor," but considering what the guy had planned for their target, maybe he wasn't exaggerating.

And so, for over an hour, they flew under the cover of the illusion. Isaac had lost count of just how many Zerians they had passed. It must have been in thousands, though. Still, he didn't let that distract him from the true target. A target that they reached with only ten minutes left on his location reveal timer.

A Safe Zone, surrounded by another hostile territory.

The Safe Zone itself wasn't anything special. Sure, it stretched farther than Isaac could see, but that was nothing to write home about. Nor were the thousands upon thousands of wooden and stone buildings located inside. Only the lack of damage stood out. Unlike Earth, nothing here bore the scars of the Breakout stage.

Lucky, he thought, his gaze dropping to the sandy territory located just beyond the Safe Zone's barrier. Just like the swamps next to LA, it teemed with Hosts locked in battle with strange ant-like creatures. But the most important part?

None of them had the slightest clue who was flying above.

I would have never reached this place without being spotted.

And this was a fact. Even if he avoided the Zerians on the ground, he had already encountered plenty that could fly in their Legacy forms. These would have been a pain to deal with, even with the cover of the night.

Still would have tried, though. Isaac chuckled just when an Interface notification appeared before him.

[Message from Harry Hayward: To my potential friend. I shall go down and start on my part. Prepare yourself. You will have exactly a minute. Afterward, you are on your own.]

Isaac took a deep breath, the beat of his wings slowing down a bit. A moment later, his eyes snapped wide open as rivers of Mana spilled into his body. He seized half of it, splitting it into two equal parts. His Origin tried to reach out, but he held it back.

Not yet.

Symphony of Blood, recognizing what was to come, activated. Its slow, quiet song filled his veins, and he let it consume him as he waited and waited for the signal from his new ally.

It arrived about a minute later.

Screams of pain, of terror, filled his ears as hundreds of Zerians below collapsed to their knees, clutching their heads. More voices soon joined them as dreams and nightmares spread, touching as many minds as their caster's power allowed them to.

Terrifying, Isaac commented before he made his own move. Blood Moon. Crimson Fury.

The sky bled red as the Symphony surged, its rhythm blending with the cries of the blood ravens that descended upon the unsuspecting aliens. Mana-made Crimson Deaths soon joined the frenzy, beginning the massacre that would mark the true start of the war between Earth and Reprizem.

But Isaac spared no thought for that. He simply dived, Harry's words still echoing in his mind.

"My Origin. My Dreams… I can make thousands of weaklings fall into despair. I can paint a battlefield in chaos with my nightmares. But on such a scale, I cannot do much more. I lack the control, the power. You, on the other hand? You can thrive in this chaos and make it yours. The way My Lady described it… I want to see it with my own eyes. So please, let me craft you a canvas, so you may paint it red."

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.