The Dreamer's POV

A blue portal appeared sky-high atop a city in decadence, and two men fell from it.

They both activated their flight abilities and immediately zoomed to the largest structure in the city: the palace. The two levitated and as they flew, they saw the dire state of those below, and their scanty numbers.

"It seems like the quake didn't reach here." Park said to his savior.

"Oh it did."

The houses, buildings and the land surface all looked to be untouched by the quake that terrorized the world. Their structures still stood strong and beautiful in contrast to the people who were once so. The chaos with the new government, and the uncontrollable disaster had lessened the quality of life in all of Mage'Earth, and even the wealthy men of the royal capital felt it too.

Unlike the buildings however, the palace looked to be broken, and largely destroyed from within, though some parts appeared to still be standing.

The part of the palace that housed a dome had its ceiling cracked open, and it was through that crack that the strange brown man led Park.

There was a figure below, sitting on the throne meant for the royal majesty, and beside him stood a woman unmoving like a lifeless statue.

The sounds of their feet echoed once they stepped on the marble floor, and the man whose face had been bowed and facing the ground, turned up to see those who had come.

Besides the man stood a woman with a glowing tab flowing in front of her. She eyed the two men with caution as they approached.

The dark-skinned man stopped still meters away from the throne, and Park stopped alongside him.

"Ahhh, Caleb, and Park." Francis uttered with an exhausted voice tinged with uninterest.

"Francis." Caleb called out, and the two men maintained their gaze on one another for about a minute till Caleb chose to continue.

"The world is crumbling, there's someone causing all this, someone terrible and strong, very strong. If they get what they want, you would have no nations left to rule."

Francis raised an eyebrow, feigning confusion and obliviousness.

"What are you talking about?" He asked. Enjoy exclusive adventures from empire

"The quakes, what is keeping them at bay here? The whole of Mage'Earth is trembling except here, don't you see that?"

Francis' secretary stepped forward to utter a word when he raised his hand to stop her.

"There's an anti magic shield around the capital. It is what is keeping the capital standing, though it has fallen in many ways." He mumbled the last part.

The fall and deaths of multitudes of his men had disheartened Francis. From having an army of powerful individuals to practically nothing. His grip over the capital was no more, and his conquest ended before it began.

His face was furrowed seeing Caleb right before him. The last time they met, Francis had tried to recruit Caleb into the alliance, such a powerful individual would no doubt be a great addition to the group, but Caleb rejected the offer, and Francis had held a grudge since.

Though he was exhausted with largely everything, he still had disdain in his eyes as he looked at Caleb. Disdain and Jealousy.

'Just how is he the number 1 ranker?'

"Francis." Caleb called out, pulling him out of his train of thoughts.

He blinked frantically and then averted his gaze to Park of whom his status was revealed. He hadn't met Park but the names of the top rankers were etched in his mind, as he had once sought to recruit them all, and he was close.

"I couldn't take him, and that's why I am here. I need whatever help I can get from you. We would need to work together to survive whatever is happening."

"Do you think the system is against us Caleb? We've known nothing but pain and suffering since it began. It absorbed us into its carnage, and when I thought I had the upper hand, it reduced me." Caleb turned to Liz with sadness in his eyes, and then back to the men.

"What do you want? How haven't you given up?"

Caleb turned his face away, and then looked to the red sky through the cracked ceiling, and then back to Francis.

"Because I'm still standing, and I would rather try not to die."

"Ahh, I was expecting something a lot more chivalrous. Alright, who's causing this?"

Caleb then turned to Park, and the boy stepped forward.

"It is the nine headed dragon alliance. They have released their God, and he seems to have a lot of power. I'm not certain of their aims, but with the display shown this far, I can't reckon that it will be good for any of us."

"Hmmm… and you know this how?"

Caleb immediately cut in, "Let's save this world." His face stern and his eyes filled with conviction.

Francis was taken aback, and was slightly shocked by Caleb's reaction. Then he spoke,

"I suppose this is a cause to continue on. I'll send spies to look into this phenomenon."

He got up from the seat, and then staggered forward, but soon regained his balance. He walked to the men, got right at the face of Caleb and stretched out his hand.

"Alright then, let's work together."

Caleb took his hand, and the two shook hands.

"I am curious about this god of theirs. The nine headed alliance has always been a thorn in my path, but they had not been explicit in stopping or slowing my conquest, and they were a thing I decided would be best dealt with later. It seems that that time is now, and we would have to strike."

The two men nodded in agreement. Francis turned away from them, and began walking to his throne.

"Perhaps I should send in some spies, and of course. It's time for an insane espionage!" He yelled.

Lizbella bowed slightly to the two men, and then snapped her fingers triggering a burst of blue light.

Once the light dimmed, a dozen individuals were summoned in place, and they all donned the same black outfit that revealed none of their skin. They looked to be dressed like archetypical ninjas.

"Lisa, you will be in charge of this mission. I believe you have gotten the objective from Lizbella."

A much slimmer figure amongst the group nodded, and again, the blue light engulfed them, and they disappeared.