Seele's eyes snapped open.
A throbbing pain radiated from the back of her head, feeling as if her skull was about to split. She tried to reach for the wound, but found she couldn't move.
She was strapped to a chair, her limbs, torso, and neck bound by iron clamps. A dim moonlight filtered through a circular window high on the wall in front of her, reminding her of the horror stories she'd heard as a child—tales of chainsaw-wielding madmen and live experiments.
"Damn it, what's going on?!" she struggled, but the golden chains binding her seemed to nullify her quantum abilities. "What is this stuff?!"
"If I were you, I wouldn't struggle so much," a cool voice said. Seele turned to see Natasha similarly bound beside her, a large bump clearly visible on her forehead.
"Ah, this..." The sight of the bump brought it all back. After Mo Wang had found them, she had tried to phase away, but he had anticipated her move and snagged her with the Oath of Judah.
Before she could react, he had brought his bat down on her head. The fact that her head hadn't exploded like a watermelon was a testament to his restraint.
Click! The lights flickered on, and the door opened. Mo Wang entered, dressed in a black suit with a white Guy Fawkes mask. Bronya and Serval followed reluctantly, carrying a strange box.
"Mueehehehe, so you're finally awake, ladies. Did you have a nice nap?" His voice dripped with classic villainy.
He looked like he'd be right at home in Gotham, attracting the attention of both Batman and the Joker within ten minutes.
"You bastard! What are you planning to do?!" Seele snarled.
"What am I planning? You're the ones who broke into my house in the middle of the night! In the land of the free, I'd be within my rights to fill you with lead!"
"Um, this isn't your house, it's mine," Bronya muttered from behind him.
"My dear, what's mine is yours, and what's yours is mine," he said, giving her a look of deep affection. Bronya just stared back with her signature deadpan expression, too exhausted to even bother with a sarcastic retort.
"Cut the crap! What do you want? Are you going to play some kind of perverted game with us?" Seele demanded.
"Now, now, Miss Seele, you wound me. I'm not a pervert. I'm just a kind soul who enjoys... educating naughty children."
"Educating? You?!"
Mo Wang ignored her and took the box from Bronya, opening it to reveal a collection of... instruments. Scissors, hooks, scalpels, a power drill, steel nails, pliers... The sight of them made Seele and Natasha gulp.
Even Bronya and Serval were taken aback. Is he serious?!
"Huh? What's all this? Where are the props I asked Sampo to get?" Mo Wang frowned, just as confused as they were. "Did you two grab the wrong box?"
"This was the only one Sampo brought," Bronya said, relieved that he hadn't intended to use those horrifying tools.
"Oh, there's a second layer." Mo Wang reached into the box again and pulled out another set of items. The new collection was, if possible, even more terrifying than the first.
"What the hell did Sampo get me? A ball gag? A whip? A tail?! A pair of clamps and a battery is one thing, but an Electric Dragon Drill? A cucumber, yam, and bitter melon... but what's with the pineapple? Can that even fit? Holy crap! A basketball!"
Mo Wang himself was at a loss. He had just asked Sampo for a few props to scare the girls, but what he got was a collection of items that defied all logic and decency. He even found a tool that started spinning at high speed when he pressed a button. Tucked inside was a note: Little brother, the props are all ready! Hope you have a fun night! ~Your loving Sampo.
"So, uh, I just want to say, these aren't really what I had in mind. You believe me, right?" Mo Wang asked, looking up at the girls.
The looks of pure disgust on their faces told him everything he needed to know.
Bronya and Serval, standing behind him, couldn't bear to watch. They were beginning to regret ever trying to stop him. If they had just let him be, would any of this have happened?
"You scum! Pervert! Bastard! What the hell do you think you're doing?! Get that crap away from me!" Seele screamed, her face turning green.
In response, Mo Wang calmly picked up an object of unspeakable shape and stuffed it into her mouth. Don't misunderstand—it was just a bitter melon, a favorite of a certain principal. But he made sure to add a little... juice... before taping it shut.
Within seconds, Seele's face was the color of the gourd in her mouth. Natasha watched, her expression tight. She had the urge to laugh, but she knew if she did, she'd be next.
Her premonition proved correct. Mo Wang grabbed a corncob, pried her jaw open, and shoved it in.
"There. Now it's symmetrical," he said, admiring his handiwork.
"Mo Wang, isn't this a bit much?" Bronya asked, looking at the miserable Seele.
"What? You want to take her place?" he asked, holding up an electrified object.
Bronya immediately took a step back. No thank you. Seele could have this one all to herself. And if you think this is out of character for Bronya, you'd be wrong. She didn't even know this version of Seele. They were hardly best friends.
"Don't look at me like that," Mo Wang said to Seele's murderous glare. "I'm the hero who saved your planet. This is how you treat me? I'm hurt."
The girls all shared a look of utter disbelief. A hero? A savior? After what he'd done, only a demon would call him that.
"I know you don't believe me. But once I explain everything, you'll understand my good intentions."
Seele: "Mmph! Mmph!"
He temporarily removed her gag.
"Go to hell! What kind of hero are you?! Let me go and I'll fight you one-on-one! I'll kick your—mmph!"
He sealed her mouth again, this time drawing a poop emoji on her forehead for good measure.
"Now, let me finish," he said, clearing his throat. "First, I'd like to introduce this little item." He held up the sealed Stellaron, its power still radiating ominously. "This is the cause of the eternal winter that has plagued your planet. But, in a way, it's also the reason your planet has survived."
"You mean we're supposed to thank this thing for our miserable existence?" Serval sneered.
"Keep talking, and you can join your friends over there," Mo Wang threatened.
"Please, continue," she said, immediately backing down.
"As I was saying, your planet was once a prosperous world. It had a wealth of a special mineral resource... what was it called? Geovain? Geogoblin?"
"It's called Geomarrow," Bronya corrected him.
"I knew that! I didn't need you to tell me!" he snapped. "Anyway, Belobog was rich, even doing business with giants like the Interastral Peace Corporation. But then, the Antimatter Legion invaded."
"As you know, Destruction and Preservation are mortal enemies. And your world, Belobog, is a follower of Preservation. The Legion attacked, and you were nearly wiped out."
As Mo Wang recounted the history, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of pity. According to the lore, when Belobog was attacked, the Legion was still a new and underestimated threat.
No one in the universe had come to their aid. By the time everyone realized how dangerous the Legion was, Belobog had been forgotten.
"The Antimatter Legion... are they the 'enemies from the sky' mentioned in our historical records?" Bronya murmured. As a high-ranking official, she had some knowledge of Belobog's forgotten history, though Cocolia had suppressed most of it.
"Exactly!" Mo Wang snapped his fingers. "About seven hundred years ago, your Guardian, facing certain defeat, made a wish to this Stellaron, hoping to use its power to stop the invasion. But this thing is like a monkey's paw; it grants wishes, but twists them.
"In the end, Belobog was saved, but the planet was plunged into an eternal winter. Those strange ice sculptures you see outside... those were once living soldiers of the Antimatter Legion."
The girls fell silent, processing this new information. The eternal winter... was the result of their own ancestor's desperate attempt to save them?
It was a noble intention, but the consequences—the blizzard and the Fragmentum—were now killing them. Was this their just deserts?