ZZZ: Dawn of The Black Sun

Qingyi stepped down a sewer hole that led to a school corridor. Large lockers were lined up around them, the doors already replaced with bars. A Bangboo lie unmoving in some of them, while others paced around in panic.

The tragedy is almost comical, these are toys, made for amusement. Yet, to them, they were taken away from their family, to be literally ripped apart and harvested for parts. All because the gods who created them deemed them obsolete, less than a fork.

Belle stopped in front of a nurse's office, she took out her carrot tracker and nodded. "This is where Teddy is," she gently opened the door...

Something black, crawled out of the floors and the walls, the ceramic tiles below them warped and glitched into blackened coal. The school hallway melted away into a dungeon. The lights turned into strange crystal bathing the room in blood red glow.

Deep within the harvesting chamber, a shape is trashing erratically, like a broken radio, glitching in a mixture of Bangboo vocalization. Metals grinding, screeching like a demented orchestra. The beeping sound complimenting the symphony of torture.

"Oh my god..." Belle whispered with wide eyes. She reached out towards a machine at the other end of the room, pressing a few buttons as if she's used it a million times before. The noises stopped immediately and Qingyi can finally register the horrors that transpired.

A Sharkboo model Bangboo lies on a pedestal, numerous machines covering it. The blue shark onesie lay in tatters, white stuffing strewn out slick and wet with black liquid. The display is that of wide eyed horror and pain.

"The core is undamaged," Qingyi said with eerie calmness, she was built for this sort of situation after all. She walked towards the pedestal, pushing away all the demonic instruments and start digging for the core. It contains the memory chip, the main AI software of a Bangboo.

"How is it?" Belle walked up beside her. Strangely calm from the sight, as if she's seen this before. Perhaps in a movie.

"It's sustained too much corruption..." Qingyi sighed a little, the little chip in her hand felt like a tiny tortured and dying soul crying for help. "Belle we..." she paused and closed her eyes. "I need you to help me get back safely,"

"Huh?"

Black trendils seeped out of the chip, crawling up to her hand like venom. It was painful, physical pain, one that, despite her being an automaton, she cannot disable it. It's the sort of pain that is ingrained forcefully in her system, a horror that crawled up into her arm.

"Khh..." Qingyi closed her eyes. "I'm... taking the Ether Corruption of this child's..." she whispered. "My body was made for this, I have better chance of surviving," her legs wobbled and she leaned on to Belle. "Take this chip... it contains..." she hissed in pain. "It's Teddy, this chip is Teddy..."

Belle handed the chip back to Qingyi. "You're going to bring Teddy back, personally," she picked up Qingyi and carried her bridal style. "Let's go!!!"

[LINE BREAK]

"You will not get away with this, Koleda Belobog..." Cocolia gave the child before her a venomous glare. Not a trace of fear in her eyes, despite the red hair standing atop two grown men carrying a flaming hammer. "This is an assault, a tresspass, and robbery... You will brought an end to the countless people working under you, your entire legacy, Belobog will be tarnished for your childish make believe justice!!!"

Koleda gripped her hammer tightly, face a mask of stone cold resolve. "I am not leaving without Teddy..." she raised her hammer, the pain in her chest turned into a flaming resolve. "I'll bear whatever consequences, but this will be the end of it, Cocolia..."

The woman's eyes widened and she gritted her teeth. "You're a CEO, aren't you? You should know better than... doing any of this!!!" she swiped her arms in defiance. "Any businessman with half a brain would see this as a gold mine, Etheric Fuel, Anti-Corruption Serum, Raw Crystals... We could've been partners!!!"

Partners!? With someone like her!? The sheer thought of it brought nothing but disgust in her mouth. To partner with a heartless monster who'd kill for profit, a heartless monster who'd endanger the lives of the innocent for power. It sickened her to think that people like her even exists.

"Belobog Industries will NEVER partner with the likes of you!" Koleda yelled, arms trembling in anger as she stepped closer. "You're the person my sister was afraid I would become," she held up her burning hammer to her face forcing her to step back. "A monster who only cares about the profit, about the money... Belobog will never stoop that low you hear me!? I will drag you to the court and you will pay for what you've done!!!"

It was then that Cocolia gasped, a small smile formed on her face. She began to chuckle quietly, body relaxing in relief. "Ahaha... Gosh I forgot you're just a kid..." she put a hand over her head as if realizing a silly mistake she did. "Oh, the irony of it... I don't have to fear anything after all... You're not going to hurt me..." her smile grew wider. "You're not going to bribe the judge. You're not going to lie in the court. You're..." she chuckled softly. "You will let me get away..."

Koleda's hand trembled. "What?"

"Kill me," Cocolia taunted. "Or I will walk away from all this without consequences..."

Koleda's arm trembled. "I will turn you over to the Public Security and..."

"And what?" Cocolia spread out her arms and twirled around in victory. "I'm untouchable!!!" she exclaimed in glee. "Take this Mine! Steal my Bangboos, see if I care!!!" she turned around with no fear. "I can always start over! Offshore bank account, connections within the governments, bribes for the officers! This is not a loss, this is a minor setback!!!"

A sinking feeling dropped on to Koleda's chest. There's no way right? This must be a bluff, there's no way that the law will just let her get away without consequences. She's a monster, a terrible person, she belongs behind the bars! Someone must stop her!!!

"You!" Koleda raised her hammer and froze, what is she gonna do? Kill her? Wouldn't that make her the same as this monster?

...

"Ahaha..." A pair of bright blue eyes met hers, filled with nothing but mirth and pity. She watched as the woman crouched down to her level, gazing at her like she's just a helpless child. "Go back home kid... go play make belief somewhere else..."

The hammer dropped on to the floor along with Koleda's resolve. Apathy gnaws at her heart as she gazed upon this monster before her.

What sort of sick joke is this? What is she even fighting for? Is this why criminals exists!? Because the law just wouldn't touch the ruthless and powerful? Is there ever a good reason to play fair!? Is there even a reason to be kind in the first place!?

Is this... why her father left? Why Grace died?

"Aww... did I make you cry?" Cocolia drew closer and Koleda could feel her warm breath tickling her ear. She has never felt so weak before, without her big sister, someone who'll protect her from these kind of monster.

"Welcome to the real..."

Grace...

'SMACK'

A blur of blue and orange flashed in front of Koleda's vision, followed by a pained yelp. A wall of blue jacket appeared before her, arms stretched out as if shielding her from the monster. "Alright you bitch that's enough!!! Why don't you pick on someone your own size huh!?"

"Sis..." Koleda whispered.

Her big sister looked back at her, a confident smirk on her face. "We got Teddy and like a dozen Bangboo," she cracked her knuckles. "Now to send this bitch off with a very, very stern warning."

Cocolia rubbed the side of her face, groaning in pain. "You dare... I will have you!"

'CRACK'

Koleda couldn't help but wince as Belle's fist struck the woman right in the face. Some specks of blood came spewing out, though not fatal, she could tell that was really painful.

"That's for bullying my sister you bitch!" Belle shouted before delivering a punch right at her abdomen. Cocolia coughed, wheezed, and held up her hands. "Apologize, NOW!"

The woman was brought to her knees. She gritted her teeth and Koleda knew there's nothing genuine about whatever she says next.

"I'm sorry..." she said with a venomous glare.

Belle narrowed her eyes and kicked her away towards the two unconscious Hollow Raiders. "And that's how you take out the trash," she turned to Koleda and grinned. "Don't worry, we have a really good alibi," she turned to the entrance. "Isn't that right Qingyi!?"

Koleda turned to the entrance and saw Qingyi sitting near the entrance. "Yes, this... operation will not end up on the records..." the AI said with a weak smile.

Right... It's all about the intention isn't it?

Bending the rules don't make her a monster... if anything, Cocolia was the monster despite following the rules.

If this woman show up again, she can just beat her up...

Again...

"Thanks sis," Koleda hugged Belle tightly. "You really saved me there..."

"Ehehe... it's fine, you know I can't sit still when my little sis got bullied~" a gentle caress pat her head. An immeasurable warmth spread through her body. The same warmth she felt when she was little, as if she never left her. That the big sister she knew in love, is reborn with a different face.

"Stop rubbing it in dummy..."

"Sorry, sorry, ehehe..."