Era of Madness

The truth of the world

Both Eliot and Marten were left speechless for a moment.

"That's why nobody laughs at your jokes" Eliot said. "And how is this magic? I recognize it, all your manipulation and scheming were really impressive, but in the end it was just skills and wits. Constructing Director Arsin's and the three Cifer's criminals to anticipate all their actions, acting in the background and on multiple fields to make sure everything would go according to your scenario and all this in the span of a few day, now that's impressive tricks, but it doens't have anything to do with magic"

Cain got closer to him, to the point the tall cyborg was almost face-to-face with his smily mask, which made him weirdly uncomfortable.

"No magic, uh? Are you sure of it?" Cain asked. "Then why don't you and Marten try to clarify some points for me?"

"Which ones?" Marten asked, feeling perplexed.

"Well, for starters, how did I sneaked so easily in and out of the Party Hall twice, while all its securities were on? Especially while, the second time, we were right in the middle of the terminal? And how did I get in the terminal in the first place? Not only during the final battle, but also during their first try at escaping the planet, since I managed to follow them until they arrived. How did I do this since they were moving with a spacial ship, and I wasn't? And how was it that Eliot was the only one to notice the exact location where the Party Hall became accessible back then?"

"Well... you..."

"No, you're right, I'm the best magician after all, so you can supose I found a logical way to do it" Cain interrupted. "But now, explain how a powerless, untrained drunk man with no extraordinary skill and no extraordinary weapon managed to fight a cyborg twice, and even kill her on the second try? Of course, just like you two, Tyler is my precious friend, but ask yourself this question: does this make sense that he could kill on his own the strongest cyorg of this planet, able to rival a special agent, and all that knowing he was already close to bone-tired?"

Both Marten and Eliot stood silent. The former was known as one of the most brillant minds on the planet and the second as a supersoldier travelling through the galaxy to fight the most horrific and unordinary criminals but in this instant, both were clueless.

"Here's the explaination, the one that the Paradise Council has made so much effort to hide from the world: beyond human science, beyond technology, beyond even mutants and such, there's things that transcends our common sense and our logic!"

Cain extended him arms:

"Despite all of their efforts to hide it, the truth is finally resurfacing, the truth about the true nature of the world we live in!" he exclaimed. "A mix of logical and illogical element that exist in the same places at the same time, that's what it is! And guess what, that's exactly the same thing for magic: people that believe in it think it's some kind of supernatural power or such, while people who don't will see it as elaborated tricks, some peculiar skills"

He held his finger right in front of them, extatic:

"But true magic isn't just one of those: it's both at the same time! Mixing basic skills like profiling, and complicated reasonning and thinking, along with more special ones like advanced coding and Fefnir tech, and finally add a touch of extraordinary, fantastic abilities that other can't see as real, all this to result in a perfect, spectacular and unique trick, that's what I call true magic." he proclaimed. "And that is the only magic worthy of Cain, the greatest magician of all time"

Eliot and Marten were both left speechless, and sank in doubt: was there actually so much truth hidden behind the veils? If so, what could it be? What kind of... thing was operating behind the scene to the point that even the current humanity, that was able to create something like the Fefnir technology, couldn't understand?

"Wait a minute, the reason the Cifer terrorist could escape the first time I met with them was because I had a hard fight on my way to Glactia-62, and my cybernetic arm wasn't working properly for a time" Eliot suddenly remembered. "Was it also part of your magic trick?"

Cain seemed like he was going to answer but could never because, suddenly, the sound of light steps echoed in the large room, plunging it into silence. All three abruptly turned their head, to see that a fourth person had appeared in the room, much like Cain was used to. Eliot immediatly recognize this person, a woman that seemed as if she was around twenty-eight years old, as the person who attacked him.

"No, it'd rather be mine" the person said.

It was a pretty short woman, around one meter seventy-three, with long white hair that had a silver shine. She was wearing a black sweater, the same color as her almond eyes, over dark blue jeans. Her eyes, circled by eyelashes of the same white color, shined with a dangerous bright despite their darkness. She also had small bags under her eyes, giving her a tired but not exhausted look.

Despite this and her relatively ordinary look, she exuded a charisma that neither Marten nor Eliot had ever seen, except when the latter had a glimpse of the Metal Angel in one of the Paradise Council's bases, a few years ago. Needless to say, a person making feel the same pression as the strongest soldier of the strongest group of the galaxy wasn't a good thing.

"Oh, talking about things that mix ordinary, extraordinary and supernatural, pleasure to see you Yoria, you come here just at the right moment to illustrate my point" Cain said familiarily, without seeming that wary. "But tell me, my slightly lazy- but very charming- friend, what's the reason for one of the Andromeus-Silveren Empire's stellar commanders to honor us with her presence?"

'Wait... did this motherfucker just say... that this girl was one of... Andromeus-Silveren empire's... stellar commander?!' Eliot thought, completely in shock.

The Andromeus-Silveren Empire was well-known as the third most powerful territory of the Milky Way, and the only major one that was openly hostile toward the Paradise Council and still survive. And in the empire, the stellar commanders were undoubtably among the twenty most important figures if not the ten.

And now, such a person was in front of them?! How? Why? What the hell was happening?

Marten shared his confusion and panick, but the woman, presumably named Yoria, simply ignored them and yawned:

"What do you think I'm doing here, exactly, you old trash?" she asked Cain after finishing her yawning.

"Hmm... to give your good old friend a heartwarming hug?" Cain tried.

"You got noticed while playing your little puppet show, you idiot, and now the old bag ordered me to take care of you to stop you for intervening any more in the next events"

"Oh. Well, at least it means you technically came to pay me a visit, so I wasn't too far I guess"

Yoria yawned once again, seemingly very bothered by the current situation:

"Ugh, you know, I feel really, really to lazy to do this with you right now" she said. "So can't you just spare me the trouble and let me give you all a fast and painless death?"

Asthe two other paled, Cain, simply took his chin between his fingers with an exaggerated pose:

"Hmm... tempting offer... but what about no? Sorry my little Yoria, but dying now isn't part of my plans" he said with a shrug. "Though, if you need some consolation... what about you let me grant some of your wishes?"

Yoria's expression darkened:

"Fine" she said. "Right now, there's only one thing I want anyway"

"Aww, really, my little lazy princess? Well, I'm happy we could resolve this in a pacific way" the magician sighed in relief. "So, tell me, what's your wish. Maybe... oh, I know, maybe a lolipop like in the good old time?"

"Hmm... Using your words, tempting offer but what about no? What I wish for is your head"

"Oh. Well, that does make me sad, my dear Yoria, and we now both have a little problem"

"You're right, except on one thing: you and your lackeys are the only problem here"

Saying that, Yoria took a step forward and, suddenly, without Cain, Marten and Eliot noticing it, she was standing between the three of them.