It was around 3:00 a.m., the sky was still dark. Two guards stood in front of the Absent Gate, the largest gate in the city. It surrounds the path to the academy stadium, a few miles away from the academy.

  As the guards stood on duty, they heard a faint sound of footsteps coming towards them. As the footsteps got closer, a person could be seen, their face hidden.

  “Sir, this is private property. Ima have to ask you to turn around.”

  The man didn’t stop walking towards them. As he got closer, the guard placed their hands on their holstered gun.

  “Sir, I’m only gonna tell you one last time. Turn aro-”

  “Calm down officer.” The man cut in.

  As he got closer to the guard's light post, they could finally see who the man was. His huge frame and large scar over his mouth was an easy give away. It was the great hero Karten.

  “Mr.Karten! I’m sorry sir, I couldn’t see it was you.”

  “It’s alright, officer. You were just doing your job.” He said, while giving the guard a warm smile on his face.

  “Um so why are you here Mr.Karten? Shouldn’t you be getting some rest for the showcasing later today?”

  “I know it’s late officers, but I was hoping y'all could help me out with something.”

  “Um what could that be sir?”

  Suddenly a young woman with a purse appeared behind Karten. It was the same young woman from the Alan War museum rooftop, though the guards were unaware of her identity. She had a starstruck look on her face while gawking at the stadium.

  “Oh my god Karten. We shouldn’t be here, it’ll be open tomorrow anyways.”

  “Calm down beautiful, these guys know me.” Karten caressed her cheek flirting with her

  The guards couldn’t help but to stare at the woman like some love sick puppies. Their uptight and stiff demeanor, no longer there.

  Karten glanced at the guards and grinned, “Y'all wouldn’t mind letting us in, so I can show sweetheart here around, would you?”

  “I don’t know Mr. Karten. It wouldn’t be a problem if it was just you but the lady might cause an issue for us if our boss sees her.”

  Karten's face went cold. The guard couldn’t help but to nervously shake as Karten stared at him. You can’t really say no to someone like Karten. Karten was not just a regular templar, he was one of the top 15 templars in North America and one of the best professional fighters in the world. Holding a 49-1 record, he is known as “The Great Hound”.

  Karten reached into his back pocket slowly as closed the distance. The guard looked to his partner for help but he looked away as if he didn’t know him. Some partner he was.

  Karten, who is now standing inches away from him, slowly pulled his hand from behind his back

  “M-M-Mr.Karten, I’m sure if you just l-et me call my boss, we can-”

  The guard jumped when Karten placed his large hand on the guard's shoulder. Karten leaned to get in the guard’s face, “Woah woah, calm down now. We don’t need you to do that. Here.” Karten showed the guard a silver business card that had Karten signature on it.

  “This is a very special card. I only give it out to people who helped me out.”

  The guard took the business card shakily and just stared at it confusingly.

  “What is this for?”

  “You know the Righteous Club down on Light Street? Take it down there and flash it and enjoy all the fruits of your hard earned labor officers.”

  “But Mr.Karten this is just-”

  “Officers…You know who I am, and I’m sure your boss does too. He won’t mind, besides if he heckles yall, I got your back.”

  Karten gave them a wink as he snuck the card into the guards shirt pocket.

  The officer's thought about it for a moment. The Righteous Club, the hottest club in the city, who could turn down V.I.P. access to that? And he was right about something else

  This guy is “The” Karten.

  He is a hero to this country and they all know it. If anyone is allowed into this stadium this late, it’s him. The guards nodded at each other and went to open the gate for Karten and his “friend”.

  “Go on in, sir. We’ll make sure to come up with an excuse if our boss calls.”

  Karten shot the guards a charismatic smile, “I knew you were good men. Keep up the hard work fellas.” He went back to the woman and wrapped his arm around her shoulder as they walked into the stadium.

  Karten and the woman stood in the middle of the empty stadium. The preparations for the showcasing were close to set-up.

  Karten stood on the stage and breathed in deeply, acting as if he was trying to smell the stadium's atmosphere.

  “Haaaah, man it feels good to be back in here.”

  The young woman, standing a few feet behind him, rolled her eyes, not impressed. Her flirty and innocent personality she had earlier had vanished, replaced by a more serious and cut-throat personality.

  “Quit slacking, and just go do your job.” The young woman ordered, her voice sharp as a knife.

  He sighed at her orders. “Yes ma’am…” he muttered, as a faint grin tugged at his lips.

  Karten stepped off the stage and walked towards the bleachers on the left side of the stadium. Each step he took echoes across the empty stadium.

  “By the way, why isn’t Master here?”

  “He said, there was an urgent matter that came up. Something about the Monarchs. Nothing we need to be concerned about.”

  “Hmm…oh well. I wanted to show him my banners that’s all across the stadium.”

  He stopped gloating and walking when he was about ten feet away from the bleacher. He looked at the concrete beneath him and he pulled his fist back aiming down at the ground and threw a powerful punch into the ground, making a jagged hole.

  The impact of the punch echoed across the stadium as if it was a shotgun. Dust and small debris scattered across the air.

  Kartens arm was buried up to his elbow, the remnants of the concrete surrounded him. For a moment he stayed still as the dust around dissipated.

  After a short while, he pulled his arm out with ease. He shook off all the dirt as he straightened up and walked up to the woman.

  “That good enough?” He asked

  She walked past him without saying a word. She stood in front of the hole Karten created and leaned over it looking into it.

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  “I was expecting you to go deeper, but this should work.”

  “Good, and that’s what she said by the way.” Karten said, chuckling a little bit.

  CRACK

  Suddenly a baseball sized rock came flying his way at a mach speed hitting him in the nose before he could even realize it.

  “AH! Goddammit, it was just a joke.”

  Ignoring his pain, the woman kneeled down to the hole and pulled out a small bag of seeds. She started pouring the seeds into the hole carefully. After pouring the seed she pulled out a small bag of black dust from her purse and poured it down as well.

  Karten was just standing behind her with his arms crossed watching her. He didn’t say a word but for some reason the woman could feel him grinning at her as he watched.

  When she finished she stood back up and walked towards a nearby garbage can, she nudged it just enough to conceal the hole, making sure it remained barely noticeable. After she was done she pulled out a small bottle filled with some yellow elixir and held it in front of Karten.

  “Ahhh the piss from God himself. Thanks, I’ll make sure to sell it before tomorrow.” Karten reached for the bottle but the woman snatched it away right before he could grab it.

  “Karten, this is not a game…” her eyes went sharp as she explained to Karten, “This is the first step of his resurrection and we can not have you joking around at a time like this.”

  He started rubbing the back of his neck as he sighed, his cocky and nonchalant demeanor was replaced with a more shrewd attitude.

  “Meg…” hearing him say her name in that tone made her step back a little “Do you think I don’t know that?”

  He turned away from her and started admiring the stadium that surrounded them. He then started walking back to the stage.

  “Do you think I don’t know the importance of this? The master gave me-Me-The most important role here and you think I’m going to mess it up just because I like to have a little fun?”

  He hopped back onto the stage, and turned back around to Meg. He put his arm in his pockets and smiled at her with arrogance.

  “These people are forgetting his history, his deeds, the good he did for all of humanity. I have been given a special honor to remind them and you think I’m going to make a mistake? Please, I am Karten! The Great Hound!”

  He turned around facing the empty stadium and threw his fists into the air.

  “AND NOW I AM THEIR PROPHET!” he screamed, “I REFUSE TO TARNISH HIS LEGACY WITH MISTAKES! THEY. WILL. REMEMBER!!”

  His voice echoed and reverberated across the stadium. His words hung in the air, the weight of it feeling impossible to ignore.

  Meg wasn’t entertained by Kartens theatrics, her face remained deadpan as he basked in his own self-glory.

  “Stupid fuck…” she muttered while rolling her eyes. She tossed the bottle at the back of his and strode to the exit.

  “Ah”

  “Just make sure that stuff makes it into the hole when the main event begins.”

  Karten picks up the bottle and shoves it in his pocket, playful chuckle comes out of him.

  “Yes ma’am.”

  Right as Meg was about to step into the stadium tunnel, but stopped dead in her tracks when she started hearing footsteps come their way. Karten, who was still on the stage, could also hear them. Meg's eyes never wavered, she kept still as the footsteps and a small ray of light approached, keeping a calm and cold demeanor.

  After a few seconds of waiting to see who was coming, three men came from out of the shadows. It was the two guards at the gate and another older man holding a flashlight. It was their boss, the head guard.

  “Well well, y'all had your fun?” The head guard asked with sarcasm.

  Meg didn’t say a word, she simply kept her eyes on the men. Her expression was unreadable to the officers as she just stood there looking at them. Karten came up from behind her with his hands in the air as if he was surrendering, trying to de-escalate the tension.

  “Heyyy Officer Wilson, how’d you know I was in here?” He said in a light and friendly tone.

  The two guards kept their eyes and heads down out of embarrassment from their earlier scolding. Officer Wilson shifted his eye to Karten and started scolding him.

  “You know damn well how I know! That loud ass bang had to be you, you little bastard. Could hear that shit from New York!!”

  “Oh come on, I was just having a little fun with-

  “This stadium is closed! Not just for civilians but for Templars like you as well! How many times do I have to tell you that!!” he yelled.

  “Woah woah calm down officer Wilson. You know me, this used to be my hunting ground. Shit you used to cheer for me here.”

  “Yea when the stadium was open! It ain’t open now is it?!” His face was flushed with red as he barked back at Karten.

  The two went back and forth with each for what felt like hours. Karten kept his tone light and playful while Wilson was getting more exasperated. The two guards didn’t say a word, they just stood there awkwardly watching them two.

  Meg, on the other hand, stook silent but was growing more impatient as the argument kept going. Karten's playful antics were starting to grate on the last nerve she had. Every second that passed was another second wasted for her.

  “Karten…” her sudden soft and innocent tone cut through their argument, “I didn’t think you would get in this much trouble cause of me. Let's just go.”

  Her flirty act came back like it never left and that sent a chill down Kartens spine. He could tell that she was starting to reach her breaking point and knew he had to wrap this up quickly.

  “Uh, yea baby, don’t worry. We finna go ahead and leave right now.”

  “Hah, where did you find this one? You usually have better hoes around you.” Wilson asked mockingly.

  Karten's head spring locked onto Wilson, fear was in his eyes as he stared at him. He took a glance at Meg and noticed her lip twitching a little.

  “...Excuse me?” she asked, trying to keep her innocent act up. Her voice remained sweet but had an edge to it that even Karten could hear.

  “N-Now Officer Wilson, there’s no need for you to call her that.” Karten interrupted while shakingly trying to step in between them.

  Officer Wilson didn’t seem to care about what he said, giving a nonchalant expression to Karten. He flashed his flashlight in front of Meg, putting more attention on her. He was a little surprised when he noticed she didn’t wince her eyes from the light.

  “I mean can you blame me? Those are the types of girls you usually like to snuggle with. What so special about this one.”

  “This one? You make it sound like I’m just some toy he bought.”

  “Well if the shoe fits.” He shot back mockingly

  Her face remained unchanged as she just stared at him. Karten, however, grew whiter with each second. His hand trembling out of fear of what's to come if they don’t leave soon.

  “Ok officer Wilson, none of that was

  necessary. We’ll just leave and-”

  “No, no. That’s ok Karten. I know how we could resolve this.”

  Before Karten could finish his sentence, Meg had already walked up to Officer Wilson. She kept her smile on her face as she was face to face with the man. Wilson raised an eyebrow as she stood in front of him

  “Oh, really now? Hehe.” he asked, his voice tinged with amusement, “and how would you be able to resolve this. Let me guess, you're gonna give us a little show?”

  She giggles at his remarks, keeping the innocent act up but nothing more. She simply just stared at the man smiling. Wilson smug grin he had started to falter and he couldn’t help but to feel a coldness run down his spine but chose to ignore it.

  After a short period of silence she simply softly caressed the side of the man's face. Everyone was confused. Karten and the officers just stood there watching while Officer Wilson was starting to melt in Meg’s soft and tender hands.

  “Ohhhh….” He meekly mumbled as he leaned into her touch, “I don’t know what kind of show this is but I like this…”

  Meg placed her other hand on his face and Wilson, his legs beginning to buckle his strength surrendered to her control fading as he . The two guards exchanged glances, small smiles creeping onto their faces as they watched the scene unfold. They shifted slightly, their postures relaxing as they began to imagine themselves in Wilson’s place. One of them even took a step forward, hoping he was next.

  Meanwhile, Karten was just watching this whole thing go down. His arms were crossed and face was serious.

  “Yea, looks like it would feel good wouldn’t it…” he thought to himself, a faint smirk tugs at his lip. “But just wait…”

  Wilson looked as if he was a puppy falling asleep in his owner's hand. He believed he was in paradise, but suddenly a sharp pain started to grow in his chest.

  “Ugh…!” he grunted while grabbing his chest. “Hold on, let me go for a second…” he pleaded

  Even with the plea, Meg kept her hands firmly on his face. He tried to back away from her but she wouldn’t let him, her nails digging deeper into his skin with each attempt. The pain in his chest grew even more serious as the seconds passed, his breathing was becoming more difficult.

  “Please…I’m sorry…J-Just let me go…” he weakly pleaded, his voice barely audine as his body started to slump like a ragdoll. Meg kept her grip on his face though, holding him as if he weighed nothing.

  Meg didn’t say anything, all she did was stare at him as if this was just a mundane task. Then, blood started pouring out of every hole in his head. Nose, ears, mouth, even the corner of his eyes. It streamed down his face and splattered all over the ground.

  The two guards watched in horror as they saw blood fall from their bosses head onto the ground. They tried to quietly back away back into the tunnel, but Karten, who was suddenly behind them, placed a hand on each of their shoulders, stopping them in their tracks. His grip was firm.

  “Now hold on, Officers, you were just smiling a moment ago. You definitely wanna see how this ends.”

  He met their eyes with a look that could only be described as beast-like. His pupils glowed in the dark, sharp and predatory, as if he was a wild animal. The two guards were frozen with fear, they didn’t dare more or speak. All they could do was watch the horror show happening in front of them.

  Meg kept her grip on Wilson’s head keeping his body upright as if he was a puppet. Her eyes started to turn black, covering her pupils. The air around her grew heavier, charged with an unnatural energy.

  Wilsons veins on his arm, neck and face started to turn black, and his body started to flail around as if he was having a seizure.

  One of the guards squeezed his eyes shut, unable to bear the sight, while the other began to tear up, his breath hitching as he struggled to hold back a sob. They were trapped, forced to witness the nightmare unfolding before them.

  Then, as suddenly as it began, Wilson’s body stopped moving, his veins remained black. His lifeless form hung limply in Meg’s grasp.

  Without a second thought, Meg dropped his lifeless body on the ground with a crull thud. She leaned her head back and began breathing out black smoke from her mouth, her eyes changing back to normal.

  Karten and his two hostages didn’t say a word, only watched, as she leaned her head back down and looked straight at the three spectators. The two guards flinched nervously while Karten kept his face still and calm.

  “You feel better now?” He casually asked.

  She didn’t answer, she simply turned toward the tunnel and began walking down it. As she walked away the two guards couldn’t help but let out a sigh of release.

  “M-M-Mr. Karten sir,” one of the guards stammered as he clutched his hands together. “We swear, we didn’t see anything that happened here.”

  “Yea yea.” The other guard chimed in, his face and hands trembling, “We won’t say a thing about what happened here, promise.” The other guard added on, trembling

  Karten looked at them as they pleaded but looked back up to Meg, ignoring them.

  “Hey! What do you want to do with these two?” He screamed out. The guards felt their hearts drop all the way down to their feet.

  Meg didn’t turn around, she didn’t even pause. All she did was keep walking down the tunnel. After a few seconds of silence, she ended up disappearing into the tunnel. For a second time, the guards dared to hope for their survival. Letting out another sigh of relief.

  Then her voice echoed down the tunnel in a cold and threatening tone.

  “...Kill them…”

  The guards froze. They looked at each, eyes wide with fear as they both felt a sharp pain dig into their shoulders. They looked and saw it was Karten, now claw-like and monstrous, gripping them with horrifying strength.

  “Welp officers…”

  The two officers looked up to Karten. His perfect smile now a grotesque display of sharp and jagged teeth loomed over them. Their faces were twisted in fear as they looked at him as if he was a giant out of their nightmares.

  “Looks like you should’ve called in sick tonight.”

  The guards didn’t have time to even attempt to run before Karten’s claws tightened, and the tunnel was filled with the sounds of their final, desperate struggles.

  “AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!”