For the third time since the Breakout began, Isaac awoke surrounded by crimson. He sighed and stood up, eyes drifting to the horizon. As always, there was nothing there, just endless plains of tall, red grass swaying under a lifeless sky.

Just what is this place? Why do we meet here?

"And you still on about that?"

The familiar voice came without warning, but Isaac had expected it. He slowly turned his head to glance at his Sire. Rakin shot him a lazy salute before coming to a stop next to him.

"Tell me…" the alien said, gesturing vaguely to the world around them. "Why do you think this place looks like this?"

Isaac narrowed his eyes, his gaze returning to the crimson horizon for a moment. Why? Well, for him, the answer seemed quite simple. The problem was that something inside him told him that wasn't the correct assumption.

Still, he voiced his idea.

"It's because of my Origin. Blood. Crimson. I guess it fits."

Next to him, Rakin chuckled. "A good guess, but no. This place has nothing to do with you. And before you ask, we also aren't in your mindscape, soulscape, or whatever else you want to call it."

That made Isaac frown. "Then what is it?"

The grin on Rakin's face vanished, replaced by something softer. For a moment there, he looked almost like just another person and not an all-powerful being who caused the death of billions.

"A reminder," the Overlord whispered. Then, he shook his head, the vulnerable expression gone in an instant. "But enough about that. You're here for a reason. Go on, ask your questions first. I know you have a few."

Now, Isaac probably should have gotten right into the subject of Virus Wars. But… there was this one thing that had been on his mind ever since he defeated the swarm in the Valleys of Whispers.

"The list," he began. "You mentioned a list you gave Fisk in your last message. Just what is it?"

Rakin blinked, as if surprised by the question. "Huh… of all the things…" he muttered. "But fine, not like it's a secret."

He shrugged and dropped onto an armchair that definitely wasn't there a second ago.

"The list? It contained names I didn't want included in the public broadcast." Something must have shown on Isaac's face, as the alien clicked his tongue. "Right, you don't understand what that really means either."

"You watch us. That's it," Isaac said, his frown deepening. "What else is there to understand?"

The annoying grin returned to Rakin's face. "Oh, there is plenty you don't know yet. But you will learn—eventually. For now, let's just say that nobody but Fisk and I can watch you directly or even see your face."

"Wait…" Isaac muttered, realization hitting him like a train. "Is that why I wouldn't be able to get another Patron if I failed your missions?"

Rakin snapped his fingers. "Bingo! Good one, eh?"

Right… Isaac grimaced. Even if this only proved how much of a bastard the Overlord was, at least it also put some things into perspective. Though it definitely didn't make it any easier to understand just what the alien's angle was. Just more fuel for thought.

But that was an issue for the future. Time to move to the matter at hand.

"How long will the first round last?" he asked.

Rakin let out a laugh. "That's one way to change the subject… But to give you an answer?" He shrugged. "I don't know. It depends. Usually somewhere between one and two of your Earth months, but sometimes it runs longer. You will find out precisely once the systems unlock." He arched an eyebrow. "Anything else?"

Isaac's brow furrowed. Two months or even longer… That was a lot of time. Way more than what had passed since the Breakout began. Hell, it had been only what? Two weeks since his entire life had changed? Or was it less? He couldn't even be sure at this point. The days were blurring together. If not for the timers…

He shook his head and looked up. "Who are we fighting?"

Rakin's grin turned feral. "Now we are talking." He snapped his fingers again. "Here you go."

In the blink of an eye, the space between them shifted. Where before it was empty, now a translucent, three-dimensional hologram stood there. Isaac took a step back, his eyes widening ever so slightly.

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"This is your average Zerian," Rakin stated. "The only intelligent and developed species on planet Reprizem."

Average? Isaac echoed silently, incredulous. The humanoid creature standing before him was easily a head taller than him. The firm, bulging muscles covering almost every inch of its body also didn't scream "average" at all. He was pretty sure the alien could snap him in half if it wanted to.

And why does it look like a bit less ugly orc?

The light blue skin color didn't really match any of the fantasy creatures, but everything else was pretty on point, including the primitive armor. The face, though, was oddly human. No tusks, no pointed ears.

Still…

"Bet it could have been worse," Isaac muttered.

Rakin snorted. "Maybe… but listen, kid, I won't sugarcoat it. Here, I give Earth about thirty, maybe forty percent odds of winning the Fusion War. And that's if I'm feeling generous."

Isaac ripped his gaze away from the hologram, his focus now fully on the Overlord. "What? Why?"

"Simple. It's a bad matchup," Rakin answered lazily, gesturing to the Zerian. "They might not be as technologically advanced as you humans, but that doesn't really matter now, does it? All that counts is the ability to fight, and these guys? War runs in their blood; it's more common on Reprizem than those fast food chains of yours. Which, speaking of, way too much oil, man."

Ignoring the final jab, Isaac mulled over the information. To him, none of it really added up with the odds the Overlord gave him.

"But if they're always fighting, they're also killing each other," he observed. "And yeah, I know Earth's population is screwed due to the Breakout, but theirs can't be much better."

For some reason, that only made Rakin laugh. By the time he stopped, Isaac wanted to punch him in the face.

"You would think so, huh?" the Overlord said, amused. "But no. They multiply like rabbits. And their wars? Barely any lives lost. Why? Because they fight for the sake of fighting. Not for resources. Not for power. Killing each other would just mean fewer people to face later on."

Isaac's stomach sank. "And now that they have a common enemy that they can go all out against…"

Rakin nodded. "They will team up and slaughter all the monsters and humans in their path. Honestly, it reminds me a bit of Victor's home world. Bastards were nasty too."

For a while, silence descended upon the crimson realm. Isaac couldn't even find it in himself to be angry at how amused the Overlord sounded when talking about all of this.

"So Earth is screwed, then?" he muttered at last.

Rakin hummed, his head tilted. "Usually, Breakout worlds do well. Sure, you lose a good chunk of your population, but you also get a head start. But as I said… bad matchup. In a fair fight? You lose."

Isaac perked up just a bit. "Fair fight… It doesn't have to be one… Warp Portals."

"Ding! Ding! Ding! We have a winner!" Rakin cackled. "Warp Portals, yes! Zerians can use them too, but their strength lies in numbers and decent baseline combat skills. You humans? Your edge lies in individuals, in Hosts who have gone above and beyond thanks to the Breakout."

"Pioneers," Isaac whispered.

Rakin inclined his head. "Among others, yes… Be proactive. Use the Warp Portals. Become chaos incarnate. Win the war for your world. Kill."

There wasn't a trace of Rakin's usual amusement in his voice. This time, he sounded more like a general speaking to his soldiers. The silence that followed was also quite telling.

And yet, even though Isaac agreed with everything the alien had said, there was this one thing he couldn't understand.

"Why are you telling me all this?" he asked. "I get you're my Sire and Patron, but I can't be that important. What about the Hosts on Reprizem? Are you helping them too?"

Rakin frowned, which again, wasn't a common expression for him. "Huh? Why would I? None of them are mine."

Now it was Isaac's turn to be confused. "What? But on Earth, all Over—"

"Hold up, kid," the Overlord cut in, raising a hand. "Just so we are on the same page. You still think every planet in the Virus Wars has multiple Sires?" Isaac gave a slow nod. "Oh… must have been somebody else then…"

Suddenly, Rakin clapped his hands. "Anyway! To clarify. Only Breakout worlds can share multiple Sires. Everyone else? One Sire per planet. And don't even ask why. I don't want to explain it, so I won't. Capiche?"

Despite the many questions in his head, Isaac just nodded. The Overlord had already told him a lot. He could press for more another time.

Rakin grinned again. "Good! So as you can see, I couldn't care less if Reprizem loses. Earth though? There is some potential here, so I guess I would be sad for like… a minute if you lost."

Once more, the urge to punch the powerful alien returned.

Moments like this reminded Isaac that this right here was nothing more than a business transaction—a necessity for survival. He and Rakin weren't friends, and never would be. The Overlord's easygoing charm was just another mask.

Isaac forced himself to move on before the boiling anger got the better of him. "You mentioned a mission."

Rakin's eyes brightened. "Right, right! The mission. Think of it as the finalization of our partnership. Complete it, and I won't drop you even if you fail a few future tasks. Sounds good?"

"Guess so," Isaac muttered. "And what is it exactly?"

"You will find out once you wake up." Rakin shot him a wink. "Right now, our time together has come to an end. A pity. Oh well, I will see you again when you finish the mission."

With that, the Overlord stood up, his armchair disappearing. Bit by bit, the world around them grew darker, the crimson slowly vanishing from the horizon. At last, Rakin turned to Isaac.

"One last piece of advice, kid. You ought to be a little more creative with your blood manipulation. Daggers are nice and all, but you can do much more. Just try."

Isaac almost rolled his eyes. He was well aware of this issue. He just hadn't had enough time to work it out yet. One day though…

As such, even as the world went dark around him, he settled for a simple, "I will try."

A few seconds later, sleep claimed him once more.

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