"It has been two years since first contact, and this stupid word had haunted my dreams," I heard her say before slamming her head into the desk she was sitting at. "Like, what the hell does it mean? It has no structure. It is like saying you have no Bubblples, they left us a word without meaning!"

She was Penny, a brilliant girl who had been grinding her gears since the Greybal ship had appeared and taken 'volunteers' out into the Galaxy. Of course when they returned they took more and our translators had learned that the word they were using didn't mean space or a council. It was a zoo. They were taking people to be exhibits in a zoo.

Outrage followed, and then this idea 'keeneetaa' came about. Penny and I were among dozens of students that were deemed gifted and but into this accelerated course to deal with this. Of course there were hundred of programs focused on it, we weren't 'that' special.

"Penny, have you considered...they were fucking with you? With all of us? Leaving a riddle behind so that we focus on that instead of something else?"

Penny blinked forehead still firmly planted on her desk.

She slowly sat up, and looked me dead in the eye.

It was a long moment, before she suddenly swore as well.

I was sure that they had been monitoring our communications, and laughing as we continued to focus on their 'sentience' requirement, forgetting our outrage about the abductions and instead the insult of being considered animals.

"I thought Greybalans couldn't lie due to their telepathic communication?"

"Yeah, but who told us that?"

She swore again, and began to lament how long it had taken her. I lightly patted her head. I had figured it out a while ago, but I wasn't the first.

No, the first was Jacob and now he is gone. The next day everyone else seemed to forget and move on, but I didn't. So I watched, observed and realized.

My gaze flicked over to just behind the desk of our teacher, a desk that had never been filled. There one of many lenses could be seen if you looked for it. We were in the zoo, we were an exhibit for these aliens.

I didn't know what would happen to us now, but I couldn't wait anymore. Penny and I were the last...and I wasn't going to watch her go too. I had once thought of telling her about how i felt, but wanted to wait until we graduated. Two years had passed here, and we would have graduated months ago.

We were trapped, and only the next step brought us any hope for change...

I listened as Penny continued to build on my theory, and I merely listened.

If anything...

...it was just nice to hear her voice one more time.

Thank you for the comment! I do understand, it is a bittersweet story.

Fixed the error! Thanks

Eternity had stretched on. I had watched as my friends passed on, as humanity changed, and I remained the same. Now as the last human in the universe, I believed I had been forgotten.

"Why the long face, old chum?"

"Genie? Is that you? I haven't seen a familar face in a million years!"

"Adam, how is eternity treating you?"

"It's fine, I realized a lot since we last met."

"Anything good?"

"Mostly how short sighted I could be, with the exception of freeing you, I didn't think everything through properly."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, while I have everything I need...need and want are very different."

"Well, we could change that for ya buddy. I wouldn't mind helping my last master, and patron of my freedom another trio of wishes."

I was surprised, but chuckled.

"Thank you, but I don't want to abuse your goodwill. I didn't free you for you to owe me a thing."

The Genie grinned and patted my back warmly.

"I know, I know. But consider it a billion back birthday gifts."

"Then wouldn't I-"

"Just shut up and take the wishes before I start doing it for you!"

I chuckled, and then leaned back. "Come back in a century and then I will know my first wish. For now however let us celebrate!"

We enjoyed each other's company for almost an old earth year, nothing to beings that time forgot. Then years passed and he returned.

"3 wishes coming right up!"

I smiled, and offered another celebration, and at the end another hundred year delay. I kept that pattern up for a few thousand years before the Genie became annoyed.

"Alright, no party, no delays. Wishes. Pronto!"

"Then my first wish, is to have a wonderful celebration with my friend every hundred years."

He rolled his eyes, and granted my wish.

"Second. I would like a companion, someone or something that can last alongside me."

With that the Genie took a moment, and from the air spun a beautiful thread into a figure. It was an artifical lifeform, an android. It could look or act like anything.

"Finally, I wish that my original second wish be amended to anything I need to be comfortable, and happy."

With a third wish granted the Genie watched as the world around us washed away, and it was like the day I had made the original wishes all so long ago.

"A second chance, eh."

I remarked, and the Genie smiled before facing away. Til next time old friend.

The room was silent for a long moment.

It was impossible, and yet it had happened. Standing in the room beside a monster was something far worse. Though human enough in appearance, a sixteen-year-old girl with crimson hair, and crystal blue eyes. Ancient portraits of this creature were hung as warnings to all who would forget her.

The terror of the Blood Moon's appearance had all but the most fearless recoil. Hushed whispers filled the air next, and yet nothing happened. The girl yawned and glanced around at those gathered.

"Well, I suppose this should feel familiar...but I think..." The girl blinked owlishly, before looking down at the adventurer with a blade to his neck. He was the chosen hero, why would he be forced to his knees?

"Oh. Oh! I see what happened. Hahaha. She sent me to her place! Sorry, I wasn't paying attention when she asked me to come." The red-haired girl was laughing to herself, as one of the King's aides addressed her.

"Oh, bringer of Darkness, child of chaos. This creature has been duly tried for the crime of heresy under the Lord of Justice's mantle. The punishment is death. Do you mean to interfere?"

The aide recoiled when her eyes focused know him, and with an utterly blank expression, she replied.

"Sure. Anything for my baby sister's first contractor."

Whispers again filled the hall. Some wondered why the blade had not been drawn against the Adventurer's throat.

"You would dare to challenge the God of Justice? In his Cathedral?"

The girl's expression shifted to one of excitement.

"Oh, he can try it if he likes. I haven't killed a God in ages," with a small flourish, the girl pointed to the sword carrier, and the room was horrified as he twitched, shivered, and writhed in place, only his sword arm moving until it was placed to his own throat. "Be a good boy and stay, all right?"

The Blood Moon hopped down the steps to sit beside the kneeling man.

"Sorry to butt in. But it was probably to save you a headache. That girl doesn't know the idea of restraint, and when you called in danger she likely panicked. So, since you called, I assume you don't want to die?"

Blinking slowly at the girl's words she merely nodded in response.

"Oh, I suppose I should introduce myself. I am Yuri, Yuri Bludvayne, but I prefer to just go by Yuri. Some have called me the Crimson Moon, Blood Goddess, and the Origin of Vampires. Still, I prefer simple old Yuri."

If any had planned to stop her, none stepped forward now. Who had this boy made a contract with to summon this thing in their stead?

The Hero remained silent, but in his eyes, he spoke volumes.

"Hmm. It seems a curse of silence was put on you. Impressive you managed to call out to us like this..." with a snap of her fingers the magic crumbled. Symbols and words flowed from his throat and into the air. All settling above the aide's head.

He rubbed his throat, as feeling returned for the first time in days.

Yuri, however, was attempting to deduce something before stifling a nervous giggle.

"Usually this would be when the mysterious, beautiful Yuri deduces the secrets, and cunning plans of the court...but...I am actually preeeeety stupid," she exclaimed with a tension-breaking laugh. It made several of those gathered begin to wonder...if this was the Blood Moon at all. Or merely a trickster in her place.

The sudden laughter of the fallen hero once again brought the room to silence.

"You are just like that silver-haired maiden. Impulsive, powerful, and a complete idiot."

Yuri gave a toothy grin.

"That's us! Tons and tons of power, but we aren't exactly considered the brightest of our kind. If you'd like though, I could ask for someone far smarter to help."

"Enough of this madness, trickst-" The aide began, however, he was cut off by his screams. Dozens of sores tore themselves open, as his blood flowed freely from his body. Floating and arranging itself into a message.

'I hate being interrupted.'

Without even looking his way, the aide was drained of every droplet of his blood and collapsed into a dried husk. Any words of reprisal died at that moment.

"Do you want to go?"

"No. These...people...killed my friends, imprisoned me, and held a mock trial all to sully their memory..."

"You consorted with demons and demi-humans! Monsters! You are tainted! You have to face your punishment!" The trembling swordsman declared, his blade still firmly to his own throat.

"Ah, what an old cliché." Yuri clicked her tongue in annoyance, before standing up to address the gathered people.

"The King, Cardinal...whatever position the man on that throne had, hired the guy, and his friends, to solve some terrible problem. Demon Kings, Ancient Horror, whatever it was. Then once it was dealt with they got scared, or angry. Invited them back, and then basically told them for the crime of being good people, they would die so that the kingdom had peace."

The Adventurer was shocked.

"You said you were stupid, Lady Yuri."

Yuri smiled and looked at the hero.

"Still don't like to be interrupted~ but you get a pass. Besides, I have seen this play out so many times...it isn't intellect to see a pattern after all this time."

Standing for the first time, and towering over the petite Blood Moon.

"So what do we do, Lady Yuri?"

"Oh, I already told them. I am going to commit a bit of regicide now."

The guards and the lord who sat upon the throne had only a moment to panic, attempt to protect themselves, and fail. Even if the hero wanted, he could not have had the time to stop her.

It was far more agony than the aide had suffered. All she had done is slightly change their blood. Now their bodies burned from within, as screams and howls of agony gripped them.

"What have you done, demon!?"

The executioner was the only one untouched.

"I turned parts of their blood into acid. Just enough to burn away at their body slowly. It will take hours for them to die, eyes boiling, brain searing, heart tearing itself-" She was excited, her eyes now a glowing purple color but the hero placed a hand on her shoulder.

"While I will not defend them, nor ask for forgiveness for them. They do not deserve torture. Please, end it."

Yuri paused, looked at his hand, and back to him.

"I am not a fan of men touching me so casually, but again I make an exception," she proclaimed before snapping her fingers. In an instant all who had been screaming and writhing died. It was quick, quiet, and horrible.

"What was that?"

Yuri just looked at the executioner.

"Don't ask, you won't like the answer." Her gaze flicked over the Hero. "Come on, let's go. I take you to my sister, she'll want to hear more stories."

"Ah, very well Lady Yuri."

The crowd parted as the pair walked out. He had to admit he was very much concerned about exactly what had happened.

"Oh, I don't remember catching your name," Yuri mentioned as they reached the gate to the outside courtyard, the crowd watching fearfully from around them.

"Ah, I apologize. My name is Vlad, a pleasure lady Yuri."

That made Yuri laugh as well.

"My father's name was Vlad. How funny."

In a flash of crimson, the pair disappeared. Leaving many eyes to return to the executioner, who remained. The only member of the court to remain.

"Chaos Child indeed," he whispered as shouts and screams filled the chamber hall. The executioner was consumed as rage, fear, and greed descended upon him.

My mind says that he should go on to join the US Senate, before becoming in charge of a group of super soldiers seeking to use weapons to allow the world to be reborn into one based on the individual.

Or maybe something else.

I had always thought I was just a bit tough, that most physical pain just washed off of me. I had gone through training, top of the top. I never broke down, was never too tired to go. I always gave one hundred and ten.

Of course, then things became chaotic. Wars have to be fought by the best. I was put into a situation where I was dropped in to recover a critical bit of intel, that would leave a huge amount of the military vulnerable. They would be scrambling to fix the hole, but it could take weeks. We had days.

My operation was definitely on the black books.

I never thought that the same time that I recovered the data. I'd be looking out a window to see devastation. The city was being bombarded.

"Fuck me-"

Ten stories of building. Tumbling away like shattered glass. Fire. Metal. Cement.

I never expected to see anything ever again.

'USER CATEGORY TWO DANGER'

...

'ADMINISTERING SHOCK'

I screamed my body was left twitching. I looked around and I was sitting in a pile of rubble. My clothing was mostly ruined, but I was...fine. I glanced around wondering what had happened. What was that sound I had heard just before I lost consciousness?

I checked my pockets and found that the USB was still intact, the container was completely undamaged. Shaking my head, I tried to reach my evac but all my gear was completely fried. With the city in ruins it was doubtful that I would find an easy way to communicate. Luckily I knew how far the nearest base was.

It was quite far but all I need was a working vehicle and I could get there in a couple days. Even as ruined as it was, that was possible. Of course I had to deal with something new. The local militia had surrounded the city and put check points up. If I had thought about it I would have changed my appearance more, while I wasn't in military gear they had apparently made me off of some security networks that had survived.

They were on a shoot first questions later mentality.

'USER CATEGORY FIVE DANGER'

The first shot hit dead in my chest. I had a moment of panic, but then immediately wondered if they had a misfire. Didn't matter. I gunned it through the checkpoint.

"What the fuck is going on?"

I was definitely going to be chased down, and the beat half dead car I had wasn't going to out run them.

"What do I do now?"

'USER ADVISE - PULL OVER AT DEFENSIVE LOCATION. APPREHEND WEAPON. DEAL WITH ENEMY FORCES. COMMENDEER ENEMY TRANSPORT.'

"What the hell is that?"

'USER RESPONSE - I AM THE AUTONOMUS NANOMUSCULAR PROTOTYPE THAT YOU HAD ACTIVATED JUST BEFORE YOU WERE KNOCKED UNCONSCIOUS.'

"I did?"

There was no response to that, but following it's tactical advise, I was able to make it back to base. With a frown, I had to deal with a lot of questions. The problem is...

I had the information. It wasn't some nanomachine. No matter who I spoke with no one understood what I was talking about. I had to talk to a therapist who told me that it was a rationalization. My mind made it up, to rationalize how I survived.

I didn't argue, if I did they would force me out.

As I was leaving, I was stopped again. I didn't recognize the man wearing thick dark aviator glasses, but I recognized his rank and stepped aside with him.

"Well son, I don't know how to say this other than, you're out."

"What!"

"Well, we can't have an X-Factor in the military."

"X-Factor?"

"The nanomachines. They aren't how do I say this...let's just say they are an anomaly, and thus you are an anomaly. Following the Concords of the Shadow we can't have you in the conventional military."

I paused. There was a lot in that sentence.

"Don't worry son. You aren't done protecting this fine nation. You are just moving to the real black ops."

I froze when he removed his sunglasses revealing inhuman-looking, cat-like eyes.

"Welcome to the End Game son. We are the last line. The first line. The only line between us and things you've never imagined. From today on, you are one of us."

He handed me my orders, and I felt a bit reassured. I was always a bit different, but today I was ready. The world was even wider and for once I really didn't know what tomorrow would hold.