Kintsugi was in a park where the swans on the lake were showcasing their elegance to each other.
He woke up early to take a stroll around the corners and gaze at the world's beauty.
The climate was chilly, so he wore a coat. The coffee he bought had grown cold.
He looked at his right hand. His right ring finger was gone – a sacrifice he'd made to seal the Blackburn to Beluga. He had no intention of replacing it with an artificial finger; in fact, he found himself strangely appealing with only four fingers on his right hand.
He stood up and continued walking. He spotted a taxi, hailed it, and told the driver his destination's address.
"Les Fleurs de Montmartre" - 56 Rue des Martyrs, 75009 Paris."
As he stepped out of the taxi, he couldn't help but feel a wave of nostalgia wash over him when he spotted a flower shop. He stepped inside, and the first thing that greeted him was the diverse array of scents from the flowers.
His heart began to beat faster as he caught sight of a woman with her back turned to him, arranging flower pots. The caramel-colored hair and the vanilla scent wafting from her immediately made him recognize her.
His attention shifted to the doorway as a buzz-cut man walked in, carrying paper bags. He breezed past Kintsugi, his focus on the woman, who remained oblivious to their presence.
Kintsugi observed the pair exchange warm greetings, followed by a tender hug, suggesting a close relationship.
"You didn't even inform me that you're coming here,'' the woman said, still looking down at the man.
''It's like you don't know me at all. You know I love surprises,'' the man replied. ''By the way, have you had breakfast? I brought your favorite shawarma from Five Gals – it's still warm. Let's eat first.''
''Okay, let's eat, but first, let me attend to this first customer,'' the woman said with a smile, looking up at Kintsugi.
This woman, who moves with demure elegance and is as gentle as a breeze, is named Sophie Lancelot. The hunky man accompanying her is Dalton Scott.
However, they're not the Sophie and Dalton he knew before. In the world of planet Earth 4512, Sophie and Dalton were deeply in love, with their wedding on the horizon.
Meanwhile, Kintsugi approached Sophie with a request: ''I'd like to buy a bouquet of white chrysanthemums.''
Ironically, the Sophie he once loved adored red roses, despising white chrysanthemums for their association with sorrow and goodbyes. Due to Kintsugi's habitual thoughtlessness, he'd often gift her chrysanthemums on dates and anniversaries, and surprisingly, they grew on her.
After purchasing the bouquet, Kintsugi discreetly left it on the counter, out of Sophie's sight.
•••
MISSION
- Head to planet Earth 4512 and execute a terrorist attack by bombing a stadium hosting a concert.
•••
The concert is scheduled for tomorrow night, giving Kintsugi ample time to orchestrate explosives. Upon arriving at the Parisian Stadium, the venue for the international popstar's concert, he discovered that another terrorist group had already set up bombs there.
Kintsugi didn't want to share the thrill of delivering terror, so he decided to take matters into his own hands. He karate-chopped the coercionists one by one until they were partially dead.
He took them to an abandoned warehouse and, to prevent them from escaping once they regained consciousness, he bound them with chains.
Wearing sunglasses, Kintsugi coolly observed the fate of the ten notorious terrorists.
"What will you do to us?" asked one, trying to break free from the chains.
"You don't look like you're with British Intelligence. You're just like us, but why are you treating us like this?" another one snarled.
"We have the same goal here. We're just allies," another one chimed in.
"I have no allies," Kintsugi emphasized, coolly sitting on a swivel chair. "I trust nobody, and even if we share the same goal, I don't want anyone getting in my way."
Despite their desperate attempts to bribe Kintsugi with large sums of money in exchange for their lives and freedom, he still refused to give in.
Kintsugi took out his stiletto, intending to behead the terrorists and put their heads on public display, so the public could see who these threats to society really were. However, he caught a whiff of three distinct scents.
"Get ready, someone's coming," Monaco warned him. Kintsugi looked up at the warehouse roof. A massive explosion created a huge hole, revealing three beings considered saviors in this place.
These saviors possessed superpowers.
First, there's the buff Black Widowman, whose suit is black with a distinctive red color. The web that comes out of his hands is as hard as steel and can burn. Next is the muscular Brown Recluse, whose walnut-brown suit has a distinctive violin-shaped mark. The web that comes out of his hands can electrocute. Lastly, there's the light-blue suited Wolf Spiderkid, who possesses super speed and can shoot out very rubbery and sticky webs. However, Kintsugi didn't show any signs of fear; instead, he was amused by the three, especially their costumes.
"They look like clowns at a piñata party," Kintsugi muttered, adjusting his eyeglasses.
When the three landed on the floor, they even demonstrated their signature poses.
"Hand over those criminals to us," Black Widowman said to him. His tone was decisive, and his stance showed ascendancy.
"If you hand them over to us, we'll let you go," Brown Recluse chimed in with an aggressive tone. Kintsugi then looked at Wolf Spiderkid, wondering if he would chime in, but he seemed reluctant to engage in the conversation with the adults.
"I'm the one who caught them, so I have the right to decide what to do with them," Kintsugi countered.
"That group caused intense fear and destruction, and their lives aren't enough to pay for the lives they took," Black Widowman justified. "They deserve to rot in prison."
"Your principle is commendable, but it's not a reason for me to follow your wishes," Kintsugi said.
With a swift move, he took the life of the supposed leader of the terrorist group. The leader's head fell to the floor, and Kintsugi picked it up by the hair. The others were shocked by his actions.
Kintsugi couldn't help but think as he gazed at the head. "This would make a great display piece in a museum, but it's more fun when you're the one whacking it at carnival games."
"Psycho!" one of the terrorists snarled at him. And because he snarled at Kintsugi, he met the same fate as their leader.
"Stop that, or we'll be forced to hurt you!" Black Widowman threatened him.
Kintsugi didn't heed Black Widowman's warning and continued to take lives until only one member of the Inraqu Terrorist group remained.
"Please, spare my life!" the last member begged, tears streaming down his face, with a snot bubble even forming at his nose.
Black Widowman couldn't bear Kintsugi's actions any longer, so he initiated an attack.
As the three Arachnids attacked him, Kintsugi executed his Musk ritual dance. The three caught a whiff of an incredibly potent alpha scent. Kintsugi was emitting a fragrant smoke, and his physical strength increased even more.
"He smells amazing," Black Widowman said.
"He smells expensive," Brown Recluse chimed in.
"He's as strong as he smells," Wolf Spiderkid observed. "He's like an apex predator."
However, the three Arachnids didn't back down, as they were able to attack Kintsugi. They ganged up on him. Black Widowman's web was extremely hard. Kintsugi was electrocuted when hit by Brown Recluse's web. He struggled to escape when wrapped in Wolf Spiderkid's web. But Kintsugi's fragrant Musk smoke was able to melt the sticky web, allowing him to break free.
"What kind of creature is he?" Wolf Spiderkid asked, trembling.
"He's not just any ordinary creature," Brown Recluse said angrily.
"We're three, and he's alone, so don't lose confidence in yourselves," Black Widowman motivated them.
When they attacked again, shooting webs, Kintsugi dodged them with ease. Kintsugi took the initiative, and although he had many abilities, he decided to rely solely on physical strength in this fight.
Black Widowman's metallic web didn't affect him, and he managed to punch Black Widowman's face, sending him crashing into the wall, destroying not just one wall, but several. Brown Recluse's electrical web was less effective, and Kintsugi buried him underground. Meanwhile, the high schooler Wolf Spiderkid flew into the air after receiving a powerful uppercut. The lone surviving terrorist member fainted in his spot, witnessing Kintsugi's display.
Kintsugi picked up the unconscious bodies of the three Arachnids one by one and gathered them.
"I'll make you a snack for my pet," he said, looking at the three bodies of the rescuers in the concrete.
The chaos and destruction were reported on TV and radio, but the cause wasn't revealed. Despite that, the concert scheduled for tonight would still push through.
From the top of the stadium, Kintsugi stood camouflaged in the darkness. From above, he could see the over 90,000 people inside the stadium. Almost everyone was having fun, singing along, and dancing with their idolized pop star.
Ten minutes were left before the erratically planted bombs would explode, and using binoculars, Kintsugi randomly observed the concertgoers.
"Enjoy this moment, because you don't know you're among the unlucky ones tonight," he said while using the binoculars. "I've learned that every second of life needs to be savored, because in the next second, we might be gone."
However, Kintsugi paused when he spotted Sophie and Dalton in the crowd, both happy and carefree. He stopped and pondered.
Kintsugi wanted to execute his mission perfectly and smoothly, but he wanted to save the two from the brink of disaster. Since they were at the center, he pushed his way through the crowd while thinking of a way to approach them.
Time was running out, so he needed to get the couple away from the location of one of the bombs.
"You guys need to get out of here - now!" he commanded the two when he reached their spot, but Sophie and Dalton just exchanged a questioning look. They were taken aback because suddenly a stranger was talking to them. Sophie recognized Kintsugi.
"You're the one who left a chrysanthemum bouquet at the counter yesterday!"
"That's me, but I have no time to explain."
"What's happening?" Sophie felt a sense of foreboding that something bad was about to happen.
"Babe, don't believe that guy. Maybe he's just pranking us. Maybe we're just actors in his vlog, and he's just using us for his own gain. Let's just enjoy the show."
Kintsugi grabbed Sophie's arm, causing Dalton to frown.
"Hey man, she's my fiancée!"
"I know, and if you want your wedding to push through, well, come with me."
"Who are you?" Dalton asked, and Kintsugi smirked in response.
"I'm a terrorist."