Anna sighs, looking out in the distance from the balcony of Beatle's home.

  Miguel enters the room and hugs him from behind. “You okay?”

  “No, just… a bit… terrified… Sometimes, I begin to think that I am a toxic masculine. I mean, I have a vagine, but I tend to push people away with my foul mouth, and when I realize that they’re afraid of me, I enter my bedroom and cry myself to sleep. Maybe that’s why I bought ant farms to reward my obsessive-compulsive tendencies. Their little societies and killing each other appease my mind, which reminds me of our own cruel world.” Anna shot out in rapid fire.

  Miguel chuckles. “And, I love you despite all that,” he smiled. “Regardless of what you are, I will always, always love you. Because you get me… And I get you. And nothing will break us apart.”

  Anna smirks flirtatiously. “Mmm…” she hummed. “Mmm mmm mmm…”

  Miguel hummed as well. “Hm. Hmmm hmmm…”

  They both chuckle at their own tics.

  Beatle meets with the pair from behind. “You, kids, should realize that I am RIGHT HERE, right?”

  “Shut the fuck up, Witcher,” said Anna.

  “I AM NOT CAVILL!!! I liked the Witcher, BUT I DO NOT LOOK LIKE HENRY CAVILL’S SUPERMAN!!!” boomed Beatle. “Whatever. You have another mission.”

  “That being?” asked Miguel.

  “Well, I’ve captured Unggoy. He talked. Said that Unbreakable has other members you guys gotta look into.”

  “How’d it go?” asked Anna.

  Earlier…

  Unggoy screams in horror while Beatle blasts heat vision near his face. “FUCKIN’ HENRY CAVILL-LOOKIN’ MOTHERFUCKER!!!”

  Now…

  ”Not good on either side. I’m gonna need you to crash this guy’s party,” said Beatle, pointing to a mysterious green-armored figure. “Rich business mogul. He’s going to be at the gala tonight.”

  “Like fuckin’ ‘praise the sun’ this asshole,” said Anna, as both of them laughed.

  “‘Praisin’ the sun!’” laughed Miguel.

  “What?” asked Beatle.

  “Just a little… inside joke between us,” said Miguel.

  Beatle sighs. “Y’know, I had an Anna.”

  “What happened to her?” asked Miguel. “Did… She died, didn’t she?”

  Beatle’s eye twitches. “No… She’s alive. We just don’t… talk… as much as you both do.”

  That evening… the pair reached the gala… where they entered and met with powerful figures as “journalists…”

  Miguel and Anna laugh while people actively avoid them, with the guards keeping an eye on them.

  “Was it a good idea to be here as journalists?” asked Miguel.

  “You fucking told them to pretend to be journalists!?” asked Beatle.

  “Yes,” said Lawa, in his earpiece. “People wouldn’t be more suspicious of someone who’s already suspicious.”

  “Yes, they would, you fucking dumb fuck,” said Beatle. “Just… both of you talk about something. Or some shit.”

  Miguel and Anna smile, talking to each other. Miguel wore a handsome Americana with a red polo and black overalls. She wore a red dress with one side showing her shoulder and a singular strap around the other.

  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

  “You look beautiful…” smiled Miguel.

  “Mmm…” Anna smiles, looking down, though her eyes tell something else. “What did you mean by ‘get a cat’?”

  “What? I wanted to get a cat,” smiled Miguel.

  Anna takes a deep breath, sighs, and turns away.

  “What?” smiled Miguel.

  “Nothing… just… Every night, I think of that same… obsessive feeling… Thoughts.”

  “Which are?” Anna’s eye twitches. “I did something bad, Miguel.”

  Miguel senses sadness under her breath, swept by her words. He hugs her. “I’ll love you no matter what.”

  “There’s this guy…” said Anna. “Tyrone…”

  Miguel pulls away, stumbling backward. “Don’t do this now. No…”

  Beatle tears up, hearing Tyrone’s name.

  “Isn’t that the guy whose relationship with the original Beatle’s Anna caused the creation of the fuckmothering Multiverse?” asked Lawa.

  “Every version of Miguel, ergo such as myself, has an occurrence like that… And… Annas tend to betray their Miguels… in every universe… Anna, this isn’t the time or place. Maybe shut up now… Anna?”

  “Something’s jamming the signal,” said Lawa. “I duinno…”

  “Fuck…” said Beatle, standing up.

  Anna tears up. “Miguel… I’m sorry… It wasn’t a mistake; it was a choice. It was wrong… And I knew it’d hurt you…” she teared up. “I’m afraid… of commitment, Miguel. And I did it to hurt you… I’m so, so sorry…”

  Miguel began to feel the heavy beating in his chest, hearing his own heartbeat in his ears. He grabs his chest and falls to his knees. He began panting in horror as guests began to look at them. He then felt the blood boil upon his fingertips, tickling them meticulously. His lips turned pale, and he began hitting his own face.

  Anna just closed her eyes, heartbroken by what she had done.

  “Miguel? Miguel!” She tried to reach for him.

  “GET THE HELL AWAY FROM ME!!!” His face began to slowly gain the blue fur, morphing into an Aswang.

  “Miguel. There is no excuse for what I did. I was afraid, but I chose you-...”

  “SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!” he boomed.

  Beatle sighs and flies out of the warehouse they stayed in while carrying Lawa, teleporting away.

  The guests are horrified, all turning to Miguel as the host is horrified. He apologizes to his main guests.

  Beatle reaches the gala only to be knocked down by Unbreakable.

  Unbreakable sneers, pinning him down. “DID YA MISS ME!?!?”

  Miguel begins to cry, only for him to hear whistling.

  Anna’s eyes widen, horrified, as she slowly turns to Askal, placing a Glock at her head.

  “Don’t even think of fucking moving…” said Askal.

  Dark lands and stabs Miguel from behind, knocking him down and beating him.

  Miguel growls, turning into an Aswang and horrifying the guests, who all run amok in panic.

  Dark tries decapitating Miguel, but Miguel cleverly blocks the katana by catching it, causing his hand to bleed upon its blade, and tries biting Dark. Dark takes off his mask and, shocking Miguel, gains blue fur, a dog head, bat wings, and a monkey’s tail. He had turned into an Aswang, biting Miguel in the shoulder.

  “You’re like me!?” gasped Miguel.

  Dark growled. “SHEESH KEBAB!!!”

  The two Aswangs claw at each other and roar like animals, roaring and screeching

  Askal turns to the fight. “DARK!!! MAKE SURE TO BRING HIM IN ALIVE!!!“

  Myrmex kicks the gun away and strikes Askal in the face, but Askal takes out her eskrima sticks and masterfully overpowers Myrmex not with strength, but pure technique.

  Meanwhile, Beatle exchanged strikes with Unbreakable, knocked down by his teeth and hammered down by his kicks.

  Unbreakable kicks him away, with Beatle crashing into the building. “Strong enough to fix this world… TO WEAK TO SET ITS INHABITANTS FREE!!!”

  “Equity and kindness… Hope… That’s what-...”

  Unbreakable grabs Beatle’s face and crashes it into the ground. “You’re an insult to everything he once was… ALL HAIL… BEATLE SAINT KING!!!” He grabs his face and squeezes his head as Beatle’s eye begins popping out.

  Suddenly, Lawa crashes a metal beam from behind Unbreakable, who turns to him and headbutts him into a car.

  Beatle breaks free by teleporting away and grabs Unbreakable before crashing him into the concrete, beating him over and over.

  “SHOOT HIM!!!” yelled Unbreakable.

  Two Black Spiral Knights look from a distance and prepare to snipe. “Dude… Is that Henry Cavill?”

  “No. A bit more like David Corenswet.”

  “SHOOT HIM!!!” boomed Unbreakable in the earpiece.

  “Sir, we will NOT shoot Henry Cavill with Demon Blood. I’m sorry,” said the first soldier.

  Beatle grabs Unbreakable by the jaw and beats him over and over.

  Beatle growls. “Putangina mo,. Motherfucker…” Beatle warps out the Cainmarker and shoots Unbreakable in the face, as he crashes into a building unconscious.

  “Why were you holding back?” asked Lawa.

  “I don’t kill,” sighed Beatle.

  “Yes, you do!”

  “Circumstantial. And the majority of my kills are forced by the Man Upstairs. But when I operate on my own, no one should die. Autonomy, equity, hope, and kindness are-...”

  “Just shut the fuck up with that,” sighed Lawa.

  Meanwhile, Miguel and Anna struggle, back to back, exchanging strikes against the two siblings.

  Dark masterfully stabs Miguel all over with his katana, and Askal manages to beat Anna down. They are separated, with Anna punched in the gut as she pukes blood. She falls to her knees.

  Miguel is overpowered by the acidic venom from the bite. He stumbles to his knees and falls face-first.

  Anna quietly mumbles. “I love you…” she teared up before falling face-first, unconscious.

  Beatle and Lawa arrive, but they’re too late. Ballroom is empty.