Author's Note/Intro: Hello everyone. This is a remake of the first fanfiction I've written on this site. I've made some terrible mistakes in my previous version that I really regret. Therefore, I've created an updated version, with changes to the lemon and overall story. If anyone wants the old version, please feel free to send me a PM asking for it. This is my vision of the ending of Blazblue as a series, or at least from Carl's POV. Of course, one should keep in mind that this fanfic contains SPOILERS for Blazblue's plot. Blazblue's setting, characters, etc. are all owned by Arc System Works. I do not claim ownership over any of it.
Celebration of Clovers
Our story takes place around and after the ending of the final Blazblue game. The cast was split up in different hierarchical cities around the world, so most will not be present in the events of this story. This particular story takes place in the second Hierarchical City of Iwatsuchi, which is located in modern-day Austria, the birthplace of the Clover family.
Appropriately, this was also the place for the final battle between Carl Clover and his father Relius, a man so monstrous that he turned his daughter and wife into mechanical marionette slaves with no remorse, has worked with Terumi (otherwise known as Hazama) to unleash the Black Beast and attempted the destruction of Amaterasu, and consequently, the world. Carl and his sister, currently with her soul in the Nox Nyctores Nirvana, worked together to defeat their father, to get revenge and stop his evil plans once and for all. Fittingly, their final battle was in an empty, but grand opera hall, given the family's tastes for classical music. As Relius was known to be as strong as the six heroes, this was a very difficult battle for Carl, but he miraculously pulled through in the end. While Relius was weakened after the fight, his mechanical wife Ignis turned on him, and killed him with her sharp claws, after he used her as a human shield one too many times. Ignis then broke down and collapsed after all the abuse she took from her husband.
Carl was relieved to see this all come to an end, but Ada was still a robot, and he had no way to change her back, as he found out from others that the Azure Grimoire could not bring back the dead like he assumed it could. He spoke a few solemn closing thoughts to Ignis at that moment
"Mother…I'm sorry I couldn't save you. I couldn't save Ada either. I hope you get to live peacefully in heaven, away from where my father will be in the afterlife…," Carl spoke with sadness, as he finished his statement with spite.
"Without you and a way to bring Sis back to life, I'm all alone. What do I do?" He asked himself as he cried in despair.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, Carl heard a familiar cry:
"A…are you alright, Master Carl?" asked the familiar voice.
The pale, blond youth looked up and saw none other than his old vigilante friend Bang Shishigami, a man among men, who cared for the people, and loved Carl as if he were a younger brother. He saw that his young friend had a saddened expression on his face.
"Mother's gone forever…and I have no way to bring back Sis. What should I do, Mr. Bang?"
After Carl explained his situation to Bang, his tear-filled face tugged at the man's heartstrings, for he could not bear to see a child, much less his cute little disciple, in this tragic situation. The ninja pondered deeply for a moment, and remained silent, which is a rarity for someone as boisterous and over-the-top as Bang. He then came to a solution.
"Ah! I remember Trinity informing me that my Phoenix Rettenjou can shatter a soul's ties to the boundary! Perhaps we can save your sister this way!"
"Are you sure about this, Mr. Bang?" the downtrodden boy asked as he sniffled.
"I'm not sure, but I am positive that things would work out better than if we were to leave your sister in this iron doll. We cannot lose hope! Now, Master Carl, allow me to try this technique! If anything goes wrong or I need to use it elsewhere, this Nox IS reusable, so do not panic!"
The boy quietly nodded, as whatever could happen would at least be better than letting Ada's soul suffer inside Nirvana even longer. Bang then got ready, by taking his five-foot nail off his back and firmly placing it point-first on the floor in front of him, as if he were brandishing a double-handed sword. His eyes sharpened, and his expression turned into that of serious concentration and determination.
"Now…Nox Nyctores Phoenix Rettenjou…ACTIVATE!"
All of a sudden, his nail started turning into a fiery Phoenix, which dashed into Nirvana, causing the marionette to take a luminescent white glow for a minute. Carl and Bang watched in awe as the Nox worked its magic to restore Nirvana into her true form, Ada Clover! She measured to be about six feet tall. Instead of an iron coating, she had smooth, white, and warm skin again. Her headdress was removed, leaving her long, blonde hair to flow freely down her back, reaching all the way down to her thighs. Her long, sharp nails disappeared, as well as her stick-like legs; they were replaced by human hands, feet, arms and legs again. She wore a modest purple bell-shaped dress covering her shoulders and neck, reaching down to her ankles. It was made of a material akin to fine silk, rather than the metallic material it consisted of previously. Her eyes turned from the silver, empty eyes of Nirvana into big, blue, beautiful eyes, much like her little brother's. She had completed her transformation to her original body permanently. Carl then ran over to his revived sister and tried talking to her.
"Ada? Do you remember me?" Carl inquired
"I am Deus Machina…Nirvana. Where…am I?" she said in a monotone voice, with an empty and emotionless expression on her face.
Carl was shocked to hear his dear sister talk like this and he tried speaking to her again.
"No, you're not! Your name is Ada Clover, and I'm your younger brother Carl! You're not a machine! You're my sister!" He pleaded in desperation.
"Ada…Clover. Carl…. Younger…brother," Ada said in a voice that was becoming less and less monotone by the word. Carl and Bang were slowly, but surely gaining hope.
"I…am…not…a…machine. My name…is…Ada Clover," she said as she became more aware of her true existence.
"Do you remember everything now, Ada? All the fun times we had, playing games around the estate? All the cookies and tea we had together? Anything?"
As he spoke, memories flooded back to Ada's head at a much quicker pace, and she stood looking downward and silent for a moment, obscuring her expression and leaving Carl and Bang with a feeling of suspense.
Ada slowly looked up again, gaining a new, determined look, and bringing life back to her eyes.
"Carl! You're…my little brother. I…remember everything now. We played together when you were little…and then father used me in his experiments later on. I even remember some of the times I spent with you as that iron doll. I'm glad to finally be free from that prison. More than anything, I'm happy to see you…Carl Clover, my dear, sweet little brother!" Ada said, as she reached over to embrace the golden-haired boy.
Carl's eyes lit up with joy, and his frown quickly turned into a huge smile.
"Ada! I'm so glad you're back to normal!"
He then reached out his arms to return his sister's hug, and the siblings snuggled against each other with open-mouth smiles and tears of joy.
"Such a happy ending! Allow me to join in your embrace! Group Hug!" Bang exclaimed.
The ninja wrapped his arms around his cute little disciple and said disciple's beloved, recently revived sister. Bang hugged them with the strength of ten men.
Due to this strength, the Clover siblings found it a little hard to breathe.
"M…Mr. Bang, while I appreciate your kindness, I think you're hugging us a little too hard."
Bang then felt humiliated for a moment, realizing how strong his embrace was.
"Oh! I'm sorry, Master Carl! I didn't hurt you or your sister, did I?"
"Oh. We're fine, but thank you for the concern Master Bang. You're still one of the nicest adults I've ever met, you and Ms. Litchi especially."
"Ah, Miss Litchi…if only I could find her again sometime. I'm glad you appreciate her so. She really is a goddess of a woman!" Bang then blushed at the thought of seeing Litchi again, as she was in another Hierarchical City, and they got separated earlier on.
"I'm sure you'll find her again someday, Mr. Bang. And from what I've gathered, I'm under the impression that you're in love with Miss Litchi, am I right?" Carl said with a smile. Bang hesitated for a moment.
"I…I…Yes! I love Miss Litchi VERY MUCH!" Bang revealed more than he had intended to, much to his embarrassment.
"Then why not ask her out? I'm sure she'd like you! I think you two would make a great couple!"
"Ah, thank you for the encouragement, Master Carl! You're such a nice little disciple! As for Miss Litchi, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to try another time, but for now, my men and I must rebuild our homeland of Ikaruga!" Bang proclaimed.
"Bang, thank you for all that you've done for my brother and me. I'm honored that you're such a good friend." Ada said, while shaking Bang's hand.
"You are very welcome, Ms. Ada! I wish I could help you and Master Carl out more, but duty calls! My men need me to aid them in the rebuilding process! Until then, FAREWELL!" shouted the ninja, as he disappeared in a flash of smoke. At least, he thought he did, but he really just fell down the stage of the opera hall. He then disappeared in an actual flash of smoke, leaving the Clover siblings in awe.
Before the siblings left, they decided to pay tribute to their mother, by piecing the remains of her robotic body back together, as best they could.
"Mother, thank you…for everything," Carl said solemnly.
"May you rest in peace," Carl and Ada wished, while speaking in unison.
The siblings buried their deceased mother outside the city, as there was little to no dirt inside the city to safely bury people.
Carl and Ada left the second Hierarchical City the next morning after they stayed in the local inn, to go home to their estate in the countryside of what is today Austria. It was about a day's walk or so from the city, but it was a very enjoyable trip for the two, unlike three years ago, when Carl took Nirvana to his Aunt and Uncle's house right after her fatal transformation. Due to Ada's new condition, she was even livelier than before, with her and Carl telling stories, jokes, and discussing their experiences before that point, when Ada was still Nirvana, such as this one:
"Carl, do you remember that time when I was a tuna fishing vessel, and you were saying 'My sister will never be defeated!'? Or how about the time when this police girl's cooking killed everyone in a restaurant except for the two of us and this green-haired man, and I made a joke at the chef's expense?" Ada asked, barely able to contain her laughter.
"I guess I vaguely remember things like that, but I don't remember actually experiencing them. You remember some odd things from when you were a machine. Maybe it was your subconscious?" Carl asked in a puzzled way.
"Yes, maybe you're right. Perhaps my mind's playing tricks on me," Ada said in a more reassured manner.
While this conversation was going, they traveled through some plains after leaving the Hierarchical City by going down the mountain it was located on. They would most likely have been tired beyond belief years ago, but this was a different time.
Carl was now 13 years old, and after Ada was turned into Nirvana three years ago, he has traveled to many different places as a vigilante and has fought many people. He was truly a living testament to the phrase "What doesn't kill me makes me stronger". Of course, he still had that same boyish cuteness, but he was just slightly more muscular and a bit taller as well, standing at 4'9'', rather than the 4'7" he was a year ago.
After traversing the alpine meadows, the siblings made their way to the old forest road they used to travel on at around the middle of the day. It was completely undisturbed, pristine wilderness. This was something Carl, and especially Ada due to being in Nirvana for so long, had sorely missed: the beauty of nature. They spent so much time in Hierarchical cities during their rushed travels that there wasn't much time to sit back and appreciate the natural world. But during their walk back home, they finally got to experience serenity again. They got to see tall, ancient trees, gently rolling streams, light shining through the leaves to provide warmth, and even some wildlife, such as foxes and deer. It was the kind of awe-inspiring environment that inspires man to create beautiful art and music. Seeing as how Carl was a violinist, he would sometimes take strolls around this enchanted land to practice his musical skills when he was young. It was a sacred place to the siblings in a mostly corrupt world, and they enjoyed every minute of their walk away from the large, crowded, and industrial 2nd Hierarchical City.
By sunset, they reached the Clover family estate, a large, deserted house with a more distinctly Western European style of architecture than most of the world, which was mostly dominated by the Japanese. It was large enough to house 20-30 people, but nobody was there. The siblings wandered into the house, and found that the place was dark and dusty, due to not being used for three years. They found the source of this disaster: Relius' underground laboratory, where he would perform his evil, twisted experiments on people, family members mainly. There was an awful smell of fumes and chemicals coming from that abhorrent room. Their home was completely unlike how the Clover siblings remembered it, as it used to be a beautiful and joyous place, full of happy memories between the two of them. They both knew they had to do something about these horrid conditions. However, they were only two people, and they wanted to clean an entire estate. It seemed hopeless, but Carl was as optimistic as ever, and came up with a plan.
"Sis, did you know that I have an army of puppets just like Chesster?"
"'Chesster?" asked a confused Ada.
Carl then pulled off his large, purple top hat and cape, revealing a mechanical knight and horse puppet that he decided to collectively name "Chesster", as he greatly resembled a chess piece, which could fulfill the roles of several pieces, namely the pawn, the rook, the bishop, and the knight. Carl went to the theater room of their estate to gather more puppets like Chesster, until there was an entire army of about 1000 knights under Chesster's command in rows corresponding to their type of chess piece. He then issued a "Royal Decree" to them.
"Captain Chesster, I order you and your men to clean this estate and restore it to its former glory!" Carl ordered with more magnificence than most would expect from a boy his age. Carl's father forcing him to recite Shakespeare quotes and share his love of theater when he was younger had its upsides, after all.
"You heard the King! Knights, CHARGE!" Chesster commanded as he pointed his lance into the air, and bucked his horse into standing on its hind legs.
"Yes, my lord Chesster! Glory to King Carl and Queen Ada!" the chess puppet army responded in unison. Ada giggled to herself, charmed by how cute the whole display was, as well as being referred to as a queen.
Their loyalty was unshakable and their work was efficient, whether it be fighting with Carl on the front lines or housekeeping in this case. The army of chess-themed puppets traveled all around the estate carrying a variety of cleaning equipment, such as brooms, dusters, and air-fresheners, hitting every nook and cranny with brutal efficiency. The knights of the group rode their horses along the walls and ceilings, cleaning as much as they could there. All the while, Carl was directing divisions of his 1001 man army (Chesster included), like the chess master he is, to move in certain places or take certain formations and flanks. All of them were surprisingly competent at their job, despite their small stature, except for two pawns that traveled into the music room. They were fighting a piano in a Don Quixote-like manner, thinking that it would spread teeth and decide to eat them. Aside from them, however, the chess army did their job well so well that they managed to clean the entire estate, even Relius' underground laboratory, in about an hour and a half, an impressively short time to be sure. Carl and Ada gathered everyone together to thank them as King and Queen of the army.
They ran back into the theater room behind the curtains after their job was finished, so that Carl may deploy them again whenever a serious need like this arose again. After they left, Ada then thought for a moment how lonely it was that only the two of them were living in this house. She told Carl that she wanted to repopulate the estate and bring it back to its former glory somehow, but she had to think of a way to do so.
Now that their work was finished, the house appeared as it had before, a formal, old-fashioned abode where rooms for classical music instruments and theater were present, and magic was in the air. It was now the puppeteer's paradise it used to be, especially for the Clovers. Carl then removed his satin violet cape and purple, iron plated top hat, hanging them on hooks near the front door, as it was impolite to wear such things indoors when not puppeteering. Not to mention, he wanted to relax, and wearing too much can make one uncomfortable after a while. However, due to a certain feeling, Carl's heart sank for a moment.
"Um…Sis, do we have any food here?" Carl asked due to his newfound hunger.
Ada responded more calmly than he expected, as she searched the kitchen for leftover food. There was more than she expected, but there was no way it could have stay fresh for three years. Thankfully, Ada was intelligent and resourceful, much like her younger brother. She managed to buy some food at the store before leaving the city, and used the oven to cook some meat for the both of them, with salad on the side, and tea to drink. Due to the tea, she was reminded of something.
"Hey Carl, can you do an impersonation of a rabbit girl?" Ada asked curiously.
"Rabbit girl…? You mean Miss Rachel?" Carl asked with a puzzled look on his face.
"I think that was her name…," Ada said with a newfound feeling of remembrance from when she was Nirvana.
"Why am I feeling déjà vu all of a sudden? I feel like I've been asked this twice before," Carl answered, trying to search his memory.
"Well, how about…her werewolf butler, then?" Ada asked in an attempt to relive the memories of imitating other people she had with Carl when he was younger.
"I guess you mean Mr. Valkenhayn then, right Ada? Well then, here goes..." Carl then changed the pitch of his voice some.
"U-Um… Ahem! I AM DA WURF'S FANG! AND ALL THAT STANDS IN MY WAY…WILL BE DESTROYED! How was that, Sis?" Carl asked with quiet laughter in his expression.
"That was so cute, Carl! Maybe you'll be an actor someday," Ada gave a warmhearted smile.
"Ha ha ha. Perhaps I will. After all, Miss Litchi taught me an important lesson on how important it is to care for others, and I want to follow in those footsteps. I doubt I would become a doctor like her, but I want to help out somehow...," Carl held his chin in his hand and thought for a moment. "Hmm…I think I'd like to be an entertainer…a musician, probably. What do you think, sis?" Carl asked.
"That's a wonderful idea, Carl! You've really grown into a wonderful, virtuous young man, and I wish more people were like you." Ada answered in approval. Carl's face lit up with joy at his sister's response.
"Aww, thank you Ada! I knew you'd like it!" Carl replied. An idea sparked in Ada's mind.
"Carl, I just thought of the best idea!" Ada's blue eyes twinkled with excitement. "We should have a celebration for getting everything back to normal! Shall we get the ballroom ready?"
"Y…you want to dance, Sis?" Carl's eyes beamed at the idea as well.
"Of course, silly!" Ada giggled, holding her hand out towards her little brother. "It's time for us to have fun again!"
"Like old times…Ada?"
"Yes, like old times…" Ada reminisced.
To be continued…
Disclaimer: I know that the "Carl is a living testament to the phrase 'What doesn't kill me makes me stronger'" quote was taken from the "Ask Rachel Alucard" fic, but it was so fitting that I had to use it. Please don't sue me, princess. Or unleash George XIII on me. It's nothing personal, really…