"Yubin...." Minji peeked over the edge. As the wind made her hair whip around her face in a flurry all she could see was smog rising towards them. A combination that was currently burning her eyes. And also the fact that this is the most sun any of them have ever seen in months. The air pollution has gotten worse ever since the sanctions were lifted in the industrial hours, "Yubin, why..?"

"Why not?" Yubin stood next to her with a wild grin on her face. She was wise to wear goggles. Even if it did make her look like a mad scientist. 

"Yubin!" Minji whined as she scurried back to the launch pad. A gush of smog rushed up and her face was assaulted with who knows what. Why did she let Yubin decide on the launch procedure? Oh that's right, she was the lead that worked on the tank, bikes and their programming. 

"You know it's the only way to get enough force to get past the barriers," Yubin's glee still remained as she followed Minji back with a smooth saunter, "The Genaritzod Tank can only break the barrier for itself. To get the other two bikes through means forcing them through the small opening for those brief seconds before the self repair process begins."

"By dive bombing???" Minji's brows furrowed as she swiped a hand over the control panel to pull up the schematics of the vehicles, "Doesn't the tank have its own altitude field?"

She had no idea what she was looking at. All the numbers blurred together as the hologram of the hover tank rotated in front of her. Different data points popped to the side as the image rotated. She fared well enough in her engineering classes but not as much as some of the others. 

Yubin chuckled as she stood to the left of Minji in order to properly showcase their work. 

"True but as much as we tried, we couldn't replicate the engineering..." Yubin paused for a moment as she cocked her head to the side as she lifted the goggles off her face and let them rest on top of her head, "No, I guess I couldn't repurpose it to fit the already specialised bikes."

Yubin zoomed in on one of the schematics for a bike. Siyeon's bike. Her moniker glowed brightly on the lower corner of the 3d image and Minji couldn't help but smile at the little wolf symbol proudly stamped next to the name. 

"Since we're planning on going into Paradigm at some point, and may or may not fight some crazed ed up monsters, most of the programming had already been filled. If I really wanted to give the bikes the same properties as the tank it would've meant sacrifices. A lot."

She zoomed into the internal engine. Various wiring, pipes, ports, chambers, etc., all glowed a different colour in order to differentiate them to the untrained eye. But all Minji could see was a rainbow. 

The image of the engine slowly rotated in front of them. Minji saw the data points that began to fill the side as Yubin selected a few key areas. Her eyes adjusted to the soft blue hue of the schematics that started to surround the rainbow of the engine.

"I already altered the engine to process the more refined Ether that the tank uses but the thermal ratio is still off," Yubin quickly rotated the engine and selected an interior portion with her fingertips and held it there briefly, "The temperature control system is rudimentary. Yoohyeon got the two to work as close as they can without risk of catastrophic failure."

"Where did you compensate?" Minji may not know a lot about the engineering of hover vehicles, but she listened to Yubin and Yoohyeon enough to know some basics. At least their version of basics.

"In its own field!" Yoohyeon's voice was excited as she stepped around the displayed engine. Her smile was proud as she immediately took her spot on Minji's right.

"So it still has a limited altitude field?" Minji questioned as the diagram before her began to rotate again in idle animation and the colours subdued themselves. 

"Uh yeah, no," Yubin answered with a grimace. It wasn't one of her proudest achievements in engineering. Or anything really. Well, no. It comes second in comparison if she's being honest. The first being the time she had to play the part of being a chipper, happy go lucky . But no one talks about that. Ever.

"Eh??"

"Yeeeeeah, so the bikes being as old as they are couldn't handle most of the mods we gave 
 or tried to give them," Yoohyeon explained as she changed the image back to the full bike, "And processing the refined Ether with the old cooling system meant that if the altitude field still remained active the bike would basically explode or implode. The tests weren't conclusive on which one it would be."

"Ahhhh, the concentration would've been too much?"

"Yup yup."

"Wouldn't that mean there's no shielding either?"

"Not necessarily," Yubin zoomed in at another part of the bike, "We've managed to keep the shield system active but it's powerful and can only last in short bursts."

"Limited bursts too. We worked out the output and input ratio as best we could but since it was already skewed in the beginning it meant that it was always going to be off," Yoohyeon finished.

"What else did you manage to fit in?" Minji zoomed the image back out to look at the bike as a whole. The bike was bulkier than regular hoverbikes. The bulbous front slimmed down towards the end like traditional bikes but it was the outer plating that made the biggest difference. In the front, the plating almost seemed to flare like a lion's mane. Enough room and cushion to hold an autocannon. The cannon, seat, and controls were enclosed in by a mix of plating on the bottom and reinforced glass on top. The tapered end remained more traditional in that it was still exposed for the propulsion but even the metal around it was reinforced. A metal tear drop of death. 

"I built the autocannons myself so that way it wouldn't put too much strain on the frame and driver when it fired," Yubin's glee was returning again at the topic, "It uses shell ammunition so there's a limit on what can be fired but I gave the front some extra space to catch the casings so we can recycle. You can also see the reinforcement plating we gave each of them. It's based off the tank's initial design concept so they'll be able to take some heavy hits before we have to worry about anything."

"Well, almost everything is based on the tank's initial concept," Yoohyeon admitted as she changed the image to that of the tank in a quick swipe, "When we transferred over the driver data and IDs the bikes were able to adjust their calculations immediately! Siyeon's bike is more rugged as it's built for more head on collisions and gunfire. Gahyeon's bike is built for speed while taking quick shots. Despite our issues with the ratios and outputs and inputs, the control tests show the programming being able to adjust without our interference. As if it's organic."

Yoohyeon's fascination was evident despite the horrid words she stated.

"I guess that means the Genaritzod tank is a moving HQ?" Minji couldn't help but be proud and fearful of the two before her. Combined they are a force to be reckoned with. A force that could lead to the end of everything.

"Complete with everything we need," Yubin lowered her hand to deactivate the display and directed them towards the tank itself. Their boots, with a magnetic toe and heel, softly clanged against the metallic flooring of the launch pad, "The exterior is the same as in the initial concept. A heaping LASV that has all of the necessities of our life."

"Ah," Minji had to stop herself. As much as she wanted to hear the duo talk more in depth about the tank she couldn't. She wanted to be surprised, "I hope you guys included a wine bar."

"Of course! Weeks long travel without an ounce of booze and in a cramped space is as catastrophic as a certain demon whose name rhymes with Kora---"

"The you say about me?" 

The shadows gave birth to the demon in a puff of smoke that wrapped the offending Yoohyeon in a hug. A gentle hug. But the arms were tense with an unspoken power. Wisps of shadow and smoke continued to lap around the human as the demon remained around her. 

"I said your name rhymes with Kora," Yoohyeon squeaked out. She looked at Minji with a pleading eyes.

"No, before that," Bora's voice was steady. She knew the answer already but she needed to hear it in order to validate what she was about to do. 

"That you're catastrophic," Yubin answered honestly. Her face was neutral but her eyes glistened with mischief. 

"Oh, you think I'm catastrophic??"

"Boraaa, Boraaa," Minji finally intervened. She beckoned the demon toward her with a small wave of her hand. An order that the demon only squinted at before relenting. She could never tell her leader no, "Didn't you say you were chaos personified anyway?"

Minji wrapped the demon between her arms in comfort and to finally pin her down in physical form. It was a bit of a challenge admittedly. Who can grab something solid from shadow?

She glanced at Yoohyeon and pointed her eyes yonder. An obvious signal for the younger one to flee while she still can. A signal that Yoohyeon gladly acted on. 

"Using my words against me? Learning something from those politicians I see," Bora's voice remained unchanging. A voice that was between human and demonic. Something understandable to something guttural and inhuman. Something ticked off Bora.

"What did I say? Malicious compliance," Minji exaggerated a nod.

"As long as you don't lose yourself," Bora's voice finally softened. And as it did, she gave into Minji's embrace. Melting into her leader's arms as if she was desperate for contact, "We can't lose you."

"That's why I have you guys," Minji's voice was still neutral. But there was a twinge that only those closest to her would recognize. The twinge of truth.

"Ok, you two didn't have to make me feel invisible," Yubin's voice cut between them.

"Well, if SOMEONE would participate in group hugs then that wouldn't be a problem," Bora's tone turned immediately chipper.

"How was I supposed to know that this was an inclusive hug?" Yubin moved in closer as if hesitant to be near the two. 

"When is it not an inclusive hug?!" 

"From what I've seen when a hug is between two people with no beckoning of the others then that's a sign that it's exclusive," Yubin reasoned out. 

"I----What???" Bora's voice edged towards confusion.

"I said what I said," Yubin continued to shift closer.

Bora squinted at Yubin for a brief second before reaching out and dragging her into the hug. Placing the young panda between herself and Minji in a protective embrace.

"Awww, this is nice," Minji beamed with affection.

They stood together for a peaceful couple of seconds before Yubin brought them back to reality. Their bliss ruined by their situation.

"So, who wants to break it to the demons that they'll have to drive the bikes when we launch??" Yubin wiggled out of the hug and faced the two still clinging onto each other.

"Wait, why??" Bora, whose day was just mediocre, was about to question all of her life decisions thus far. 

"I didn't even know that part soooooo," Minji drawed out as she gave her own pleading eyes to Yubin.  

"Aren't the bio controls already attuned?" A sinking feeling began to manifest in Bora's chest. The tentacles of dread whispered horrid possibilities in the back of her mind. 

"At this point you guys practically share some DNA."

"What's that supposed to mean, Yubin?!" 

"I really hope you mean the shared DNA characteristics between Animalistics and Demon......" Minji held the demon close in order to prevent a catastrophe.

"Duh, what did you think I meant?" Yubin cocked her head to the side again as she stared at the duo.

"A-ah, nothing," Minji quickly covered her tracks.

"So me and Dongie are going to have to drive the bikes WHEN WE LAUNCH?!" 

"Essentially, yes."

"And it's because we're demons?!"

"Yea, you two have poofing powers," Yubin shrugged, "Like you just did a while ago. We need the bikes to be manually driven so they won’t go off course when we launch and break through the barrier."

"Why can't the bikes be stored in the tank??" Bora continued to question.

"Sacrifices had to be made. There's only enough space for one and that's just for repairs and maintenance," Yubin answered truthfully, "The other one would have to be latched onto the tank."

"Why's that?" It was Minji's turn to question.

"Some of the parts we had to get illegally and if we were to add the extra space for two hover bikes then that would make the books be unbalanced," Yubin grimaced as she remembered the conversation with Gahyeon over the accounts. They did a lot of shuffling, but they still came up short.

"So not even Gahyeon could find a way to cover it, huh?" Minji talked more to herself than to the other two. 

"Not without it being obvious."

"Damn it all," Bora's growl echoed into Minji's body. 

Contemplative silence wrapped itself around them as the sounds of the 7th Hour roared beneath them like harrowing pleas. Another gush of smog. Another rush of despair. 

"So, when do we launch?" Bora finally broke the silence as she peeled herself off Minji to look between her and Yubin.

Yubin looked at Minji.

Minji could only sigh.

"The board wants to have a meeting later this week," Minji grimaced, "So, it'll have to be after that. Hopefully they don’t want us to do something else while we’re still here."

"A meeting huh? Then I'm going with you," Despite the height difference, Bora stood tall. 

"Bora, you don't--" 

"I'm not going to have you face them alone like in the courts," Bora's voice was low and even. Her red eyes bore into Minji's bare soul. A sea of fire that threatened to consume everything in its path.

"But--"

"Besides, you don't know Pandemonium," Bora's voice lightened up as she shrugged, "Gahyeon and Dongie have to talk things out and Siyeon has been requested multiple times at the cafe all this week."

"Can you record some Pandemonium conversations then? Yoohyeon and I already went through the other recordings," Yubin threw in.

"Of course. I'll see if I can catch some more advanced ones. Maybe between a Listic and Demon so you can hear the difference," Bora smiled at the eager Yubin. 

Minji could only sigh before a smile found its home on her face again.

Despite everything, she'll always have her members.  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was beautiful. It was painful. It reminded her of everything that she did and failed to do. This was her punishment. 

The land was red, and the sky was so dark that it was impossible to tell what the hue was. Sometimes it looked like an indigo so deep that it might as well be the void of space. Other times it looked like a dark green. Or maybe a deep mahogany. 

The purple haze was also endless. Like a fog that was infinity itself, it almost broke her mind like some of the other poor souls around her. Their endless cries of agony. Their screams for life. Their screams for forgiveness. Their screams for help. Their screams to nothing but that blinding light that taunted them from above as the cruel illusion that it was. 

She doesn’t know how long she has been here. All she could remember of her life was being around the campfire after a successful hunt. Her friends were telling the tale of the hunt to the village kids that eagerly gathered around them. Using furs to enlarge their form in order to properly tell the tale of the fight against the ferocious beast that would feed them for weeks. Their young eyes sparkled and glistened with curiosity and of the reflecting fire. 

She couldn’t help but smile. 

She remembered turning around and heading towards the small hut that she called home. The hut that held the very delicate state of her sanity. Times have been difficult lately. Famine and drought meant that sacrifices had to be made. That death had to be embraced in order to survive. And as more and more of those that she loved died willingly or not, it was taking a toll on her. Her family was the first to succumb to the sacrifices. Only she remained due to her skills as a hunter. 

But there was some hope.

The tides began to turn. The rain started to increase, and more game was being spotted. Her family didn’t die in vain. It was from their lifeforce that fueled the village now. And as a reward, she was granted permission to marry the love of her life. The daughter of the chieftain. A daughter who she was raised with. A daughter that she swore to protect the moment she could wield a weapon. A daughter that she thought she knew. 

For when she opened the flaps into their hut, the smile that she had on her face fell the moment she saw her wife in bed with another. Neither of them bothered to hide themselves from the grievous sin they committed. 

At first, she was stunned. Too stun to move or speak. But the moment that her wife sneered at her with disdain and disgust it was obvious. That the person she knew was nothing but an illusion just to keep the village happy. An illusion that she fell for.

Her family didn’t die for this.

They didn’t have their hands and feet cut off for this.

They didn’t have their skin flayed for this.

They didn’t have themselves hanged for this.

They didn’t die to have their only heir suffer like this. 

She saw red.

Then black.

Then she saw purple.

And here she stayed for aeons. The screams, moans, and cries all become nothing but a constant noise she learned to tune out. Every now and then, a soul would be brave enough to climb up, and as their boney hands ripped her skin apart and reopened lesions, she saw all of them fall. 

Eventually, she was just a husk. Limbs lost due to the erosion of those foolish souls that dare try and from merging with the flesh mound that was her coffin. She was content in laying in the rotting hill for what was left? Second chances don’t exist for they too are just illusions. Time always moves forward and everything is the first chance.

Or so she thought. 

The moment she saw a familiar face in the mound with her one eye, all she could feel was rage. It was them. Even after all these aeons, they were here. Right beside her. Mocking her. Taunting her. Reminding her of what and how much was lost. Her happiness was a falsehood but it was a falsehood that held her together after everything. The threads that burned away the moment the cruel truth of the universe revealed itself. 

The familiar face wanted freedom. 

But rage is blinding.

The moment the face was next to hers she used whatever strength she had left in her limbless body to attack. Her nubs disrupted the flesh underneath. The ripples and waves caused multiple blisters and boils to burst around her. Luckily she had lost the sense of touch and smell. 

The pus and blood made the flesh slippery and caused her foe to slip multiple times. At first, she was gleeful. Seeing them fail and fail again. Aeons passed and it was getting tiresome and pathetic. 

She wanted this all to end.

Now there was no thread. There was only her bare soul.

“I need to get out.”

The face spoke. 

She moved her head towards the voice and saw them staring at her. Their eyelids have long since vanished. Their face ripped to ribbons as the skeleton underneath peaked out from underneath the red muscles and dried skin.

“Get. Out.”

They spoke again. It was obvious that they were speaking to her. 

“Out.”

That was it. 

That was her straw. 

The face barely finished uttering the last sound before she summoned her remaining strength to her nubs for limbs and started a barrage of attacks against the withering face. Her vocal chords were ripped out only a couple of aeons ago but moved in memory. 

The face didn’t say anything against her attacks. 

She doesn’t know how long she continued either. It could’ve been minutes or aeons. It would’ve continued if she hadn’t managed to dislodge herself from the flesh mound she was fused to. 

She managed one last hit before the flesh mound shivered and she came tumbling down. Tumbling and falling and flailing. With no hands or feet she had no way to slow the fall. SO there was only one thing she could do at a time like this. 

She gave into temptation.

She saw how some of the souls that fell into the pool of blood below emerged either as shades or beasts of destruction. But she wanted more. She wanted to be a being of destruction while still retaining the autonomy of a human. What they use to call devils. She’ll become the very being that was despised in order to curse and smite those that engage in the sin that caused her suffering, her regret. 

As she fell into the pool, and the blood enveloped her in its welcoming embrace like a mother swaddling a child, darkness began to fill her vision. She could only think of one thing as the familiar darkness creeped along the edges. 

She wanted more. 

“And more you shall have.”

Darkness became light as she woke up and found herself strapped onto a table. Limbs fully regrown and her senses have returned. The steel of the cuffs were rough, cold, and abrasive. Yet her skin remained intact as she struggled against such constraints. The room smelled of decay, mold, and iron. The room was dark except for the light above. The light that was currently burning her now sensitive eyes.  Looking around in vain, for even the briefest of respite from the pain, all she saw were red walls covered in what looked like black ink. She blinked and the walls changed to a red marble. Another blink. Another change.

“Ah, be careful. I carefully constructed this room to not collapse as much as the rest of Paradigm but it’s also still subject to the law of observation,” A calm voice echoed around her. 

“Who—” Her own voice caught her off guard. How long has it been since she last spoke?

“I found you,” The voice moved around her, “Laying in that pool that scars these beautiful lands.”

She remained silent. She stared forward as a shadow emerged at the edge of the table by her feet. 

“I have to say, you’re fascinating. Unlike all the others that I’ve stumbled upon you are the first that tried to bite me,” The shadow chuckled.

“Why?” She grunted out as the walls changed again. This time taking on the form of a dazzling mosaic.

“Straight to the point already?” The shadow moved to her side, leaning closer to her face she finally saw the whispers of features, “Well, how 'bout introductions?”

The shadows melted away and, in its wake, stood a being that looked like a person. Their hair was wild, long, slicked back with a little tuft in front that managed to rebel. Their features were sharp and angular and their joints were bulbous as their physique was thin. Their skin was ghostly but it was their eyes that shook her core. The eyes were completely red. 

“I’m Skellam,” The being smiled and the rows of fangs unsettled her even more.

She stared. Mindful to not look at the row of sharp fangs that glistened. 

“This is where you say your name,” Skellam’s smile turned into a grin.

She opened yet nothing came out. Her mind blank at the question and yet she knew that there once was an answer. But what was it? What is her name?

“Oh that’s right, you’ve probably forgotten by now,” Skellam shrugged and walked around to the other side of the table. Taking the time to examine her constrained body. Cold fingers delicately danced just above the exposed flesh. A predator waiting to strike.

“How bout this,” Skellam suddenly stood straight as they clapped their hands together, “How about giving you the name Bora?”

She was becoming an expert at staring by now. Yet what else could she do?

“That settles it, Bora,” Skellam gave a haughty chuckle as they continued to stand proudly and give small pats on her shoulder, “Now, I’m going to release you but it’ll be a while before you regain full control of your limbs. So take it slow, ok? And don’t worry about last names. You can choose a last name for yourself later when you find one that fancies you.”

Skellam snapped their fingers and the constraints retracted back into the table. 

Finally, she was free.

"But remember this, my finding," Skellam's top half of their body separated itself from the lower half as a long tendril of shadow still connected the two pieces together. Skellam became a mockery of a snake with limbs as the top half loomed over her. Red eyes staring at her as the fangs clicked together when Skellam continued to speak, "In my name, you will create."

Bora felt a pulse course through her body. A sensation she hadn't felt since she was alive. It was haunting.

"And in my name, you will destroy."

Looking into the red eyes she saw herself.

"Sua."

She saw a pale being so small and so delicate.

"Sua."

Was this really her?

"Sua!"

Tendrils of shadows erupted from the walls and began to consume her. She tried to fight them and looked at Skellam for a sign of any assistance. 

She only saw curiosity.

"Huh, now I wonder who is calling for you," Skellam's chuckle echoed around her as their  form transformed back into shadow and faded away like smoke. And still they spoke. Their voice enveloped her like the shadows threatening to swallow her.

"Remember this before I release you. Don't ignore Paradigm's call any longer." 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Sua!!"

She awoke with a jolt and reacting on pure instinct alone she lunged at whatever force was holding her. She momentarily lost her sense of self as her corporeal form started to transform into shadows. Her hands wrapped around a throat as mercy fled her heart. All she wanted to do was kill whatever was in between her hands.

"S-sua...."

A familiar voice finally reached her ears.

"....Bora..."

It was Yoohyeon.

Finally regaining her sense of self, she immediately retreated at a blinding speed. Launching herself towards the opposite wall, she clung onto the single lamp that occupied the corner. Horrified at what she had just done she held onto the lamp as it was her anchor. 

"Hey--" Yoohyeon started. was still stinging from the claws and strength of grip that Bora had. She knew the demon was powerful, but she didn't realise by how much. In that brief moment, she finally understood how close death was.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Bora's voice trembled with regret and shock, ", I'm so sorry."

Bora continued to mumble apologies to the point that Yoohyeon couldn't tell if she was saying it to her or to herself. 

"It's alright," Yoohyeon slowly got off the bed and began her approach. Careful to not startle the still recovering demon.

"It isn't!" Bora's voice was sharp and stopped Yoohyeon in her tracks. 

Silence was their only companion as they both were lost in their heads. Lost in thought. Lost in possibilities. Lost in what-ifs. Lost in the moments prior.

"What....what happened?" Bora finally broke the still air between them. Still unable to meet Yoohyeon's eye.

"I came into the room and saw you thrashing around," Yoohyeon's voice was low. She wanted to do nothing else but hug the poor demon. 

"Thrashing?" Bora's voice cracked. She couldn't bear to look at Yoohyeon. Disgusted with herself as to what she had done. She never wanted to lay a dangerous hand on anyone and yet here she was. She was ready to strangle Yoohyeon without a second thought. 

"Yeah," Yoohyeon inched forward little by little, "It looked like you were struggling so I tried calling out to you at first."

Bora saw Yoohyeon out of the corner of her eye and she couldn't help but flinch. She knew she was capable of destruction but she believed in herself to never bring harm to those that she loves. Paradigm's call was getting stronger.

"But you didn't respond and then these shadow tentacles kinda appeared around you," Yoohyeon continued, "I couldn't tell if they were yours or something else so I had to do something."

Bora relaxed a little. Hands still firmly wrapped around the lamp she looked at the younger human. Yoohyeon's hair was dishevelled and her clothes askew. Her eyes continued to examine the human to see the extent of the damage. And, to some of her relief, there was only just a red mark around Yoohyeon's neck and nothing else. A faint red mark in the shape of her hands. 

"What's going on?" Yoohyeon was kneeling in front of her now. Her eyes twinkled with concern as her voice was comforting to the demon's ears.

"Paradigm's call......It's getting stronger," Bora's voice was nothing but a whisper, "My rehabilitation....it's breaking."

Yoohyeon barely reached towards the demon before Bora's corporeal form transformed into shadow and rushed past her towards the opposite wall. The wall with the comm. 

The shadows were warm as they brushed past her. The whispering tendrils delicately caressed her as they moved past. Despite the rush, not a single hair on her head moved. 

Bora reformed herself again and pressed the code to Minji's and Siyeon's room and spoke into the device. 

"Siyeon....I need you."

She didn't even wait to see if her message was received before she headed towards the door.

"Wait!" Yoohyeon stumbled onto her feet and started to go after the fleeing demon.

"Don't. Now adjust I--" Bora paused as she realised what she said. Even her command of language is being affected, "I just need some space, ok? Minji will comfort you."

Yoohyeon could only stand there, dumbfounded, at what just happened. She just wanted to comfort the demon. To let her know that it was alright. That this was just a small mishap. Is comforting a demon wrong?

As the door shut, its echo reminded her how alone she was.