A black haired girl with bright blue eyes, wearing heavy blue armor sighed as she pulled her hair into a tight bun, before she looked herself in the mirror. She felt...different, more powerful yet she also felt somewhat nauseous, knowing what she now was and what it was she was to do. She was an Envoy of Gaia, meant to fight off demons and monsters, keep the peace and stay to the path of light; staying true was no problem...but she feared she would be like Reinhardt. When she had first meet Reinhardt, he was just a Templar, the Commander of the Church Army; heck he was her Commander as well! She knew him well, he was her cousin, Andre's, best friend and she was part of the army at the time as well. After Reinhardt got an Eidolon, all she had seen was him change...and not for the best. He turned against them and she remembered clearly what happened that day as though it had happened yesterday.
-Flashback- Incediana smiled as she walked around the Military District in Navea, enjoying what little time she had before she'd go back to maneuvers with the rest of the army. As she reached the area where they would all stand as her cousin, Andre, who had recently taken over as Commander, barked out orders...she saw the man she admired.
"Reinhardt!" She called out happily and ran to greet him before she suddenly stopped as she noticed something was different. He looked at her, his normal soft red eyes were filled with rage and greed; his posture was tense and he was wearing black armor instead of the normal white armor of a Templar, it was black and red. His Eidolon stood beside him, the normal white steed was now black and snorted in anger, hoofing the ground and Incediana began backing up, unable to grasp what happened. She looked at Reinhardt, confusion heavy in her eyes. "Uncle Reinhardt?" She questioned, scared...using the name she knew so well for him.
It happened so fast and she only remembered looking up as explosions rang throughout Navea, her vision hazy as she kept one eye shut, looking around in pain and confusion. What had happened to Reinhardt that would cause this destruction? She slowly stood, body aching with pain before she heard what sounded like hoof beats against the ground and she gasped as she spun around, only to feel a sword slash her across the chest, creating a deep gash.
"INCEDIANA!" She had heard Andre shout as she screamed in pain, before collapsing the ground, clutching her wound as she looked at Reinhardt tearfully. "I will tear down everything the Church has worked for...that even means you...Incediana." Reinhardt said as he drew his sword back. -Flashback end-
Incediana winced at the memory, clutching the fabric at her chest in an attempt to ease the pain; the scar was still there as was the raised skin that indicated a previous wound. She sighed as she grabbed her axe before she left her room in Aura Kingdom's barracks, looking around as she took in the sight of the just waking city. It was beautiful, she couldn't deny; it was also easier to navigate here than it was in Navea, something she was grateful for. She heard footsteps coming her way and looked toward her right, seeing Andre heading her way with Anya, Maria and a young girl that was in Andre's arms.
"That's right, you have a daughter now." Incediana said as she saw the little girl and smiled at the girl as she smiled back. "Hiya Auntie Incediana!" The little girl greeted and Incediana smiled back at her, before she looked to the others. Maria walked toward her and handed her a bag containing a few items. Looking in, Incediana saw a few health potions, something she'd definitely have need for; a pouch with the Aura Kingdom symbol and as she picked it up to inspect it she heard it jiggle and smiled. Money for the journey; Maria was gracious. Looking in again, she saw a teleportation scroll, it'd help her get where she needed and she noticed a small blue cube and brought it out.
She turned it over a few times before she rose a brow, looking at Maria. "What's this?" She asked, holding it up and Maria giggled. "It'll help you store crystals to help Alucard get stronger. In Terra, there are items called Gaia Crystals and if you give them to an Eidolon, they absorb the power within these crystals and get stronger." Maria said before she motioned to have the small cube. Incediana compiled, wondering how it worked.
"In order to open it, all you have to do…" Maria held the small cube to her chest, and smiled softly. "is pour your energy into the small cube. It'll open and you'll be able to grab any crystal within." Maria said as she glowed a soft blue before the cube expanded in size. The top suddenly opened and Incediana gasped as she saw several, rainbow colored crystals inside before it closed and shrunk. Maria smiled before placing it back in Incediana's bag and she closed the bag before slinging it over her shoulder and smiled at Maria.
"Thank you...Queen Maria." Incediana said as she bowed and Maria smiled. "Please, don't worry about formalities; you're a relative of Andre and an Envoy of Gaia, I'm sure you'll be kept busy. The scroll within your bag will teleport you here; as I require all Envoy's to come here every two months so I can check them." Maria stated and Incediana hummed. "See if their still on the path of light?" Incediana questioned and Maria nodded.
"Yes, I have already purified Envoy's and Eidolon's alike as well as having struck down Envoy's and Eidolon's alike. If there's a slight sign of corruption in you, I can purify you so you needn't worry about being corrupted." Maria said and Incediana sighed in relief, Maria would keep an eye on her as would Alucard.
Speaking of her Eidolon… "Where's Alucard?" She asked, tilting her head in confusion. As if her just asking for him was a sign, Alucard appeared in a swirl of black energy before landing beside her. He stood up and fanned his wings out a little as he decided to hover instead, folding his arms and legs as he leaned back slightly. "You called for me?" He asked Incediana who stared at him in disbelief. Her facial expression amused him as he began chuckling at her before she tried to compose herself, but it was futile as the others began laughing as well. Incediana huffed and looked away, not caring to really tell them to stop as her cheeks turned pink in embarrassment.
Maria was the first to compose herself as she looked at the bag and sighed happily. "You also have a small bead in there that will be of use to you later on. It's within the Cube but you can't really use it until your bond with Alucard is strong enough." Maria said with a grin and Incediana tilted her head confused while Alucard smiled. Maria gave his Envoy a Evolutionary Bead for him? She really was being gracious.
"There isn't really much more than that, I gave you most all you'll need and if you ever get hungry, most places around Terra give Envoy's free meals so you may not need to worry about that." Maria said and Incediana smiled at Maria gratefully. "Thank you for helping me prepare Queen Maria." Incediana said as she gave a small bow, as did Alucard. Maria was going to protest but ignored it and sighed; Alucard did it because it annoyed her and Incediana does it on instinct. "Have a safe journey." Andre said as he rubbed Incediana's head and Incediana nodded with a smile.
Anya, Andre and Maria all saluted her and she copied their movements. "May Gaia protect you from evil." Anya, Andre and Maria chorused before they watched Incediana leave with Alucard. "...Do you believe she will do well Andre?" Maria asked him and he nodded as he handed the little girl to Anya, who left to leave the two be. "I believe she will Maria, she had exceeded Reinhardt's expectations long ago when she joined; I believe she will exceed yours as well." Andre said as he looked at his Queen who grinned at him.
"Exceed my expectations?" She questioned as her grin widened and she chuckled. "Oh Andre, you should know I have HIGH expectations for my Envoy's as it is." Maria said before she left, her grin wide.
Incediana couldn't believe how different the world looked as she exited Aura Kingdom. Inside it was warm, beautiful and lively...yet outside its walls the land was just a dense forest, barren of any life. Incediana shivered slightly as a wind blew in, the air was cold showing that winter was closing in. She sighed and pulled blanket out of the bag that Maria had placed in there; happy to have the warmth it gave off.
Wrapping it around herself she stopped suddenly and looked at Alucard who was beside her. "Aren't you cold?" She asked him and he cocked a brow at her confused. "Cold?" He questioned, eyes curious and she nodded. "Yes, cold," She commented, walking toward him. "the air is chilly as winter is closing in. Aren't you cold?" She repeated her question, eyes showing concern.
Alucard sighed, confused by his Envoy; one minute she's hating him and the next she's worried about him? He guessed it was due to the fact that they are allies but he didn't dwell on it too long. "I'll be fine, most of us Eidolon's aren't affected by the weather...at least I know I'm not." Alucard said and Incediana hummed a little before shrugging. "Alright then, let's get moving." She said before she began to walk off, Alucard right beside her.
They eventually reached a teleportation crystal and Incediana sighed in relief, jogging over to it with Alucard following quickly. Incediana reached it and looked at Alucard, he nodded and gently landed beside her, holding her shoulder as she touched the crystal and closed her eyes. Images started to fly threw her mind and she quickly decided on a dense looking forest and the two disappear in a burst of blue light. When they opened their eyes, they saw themselves in Rainmist Reach, making Incediana sigh heavily as she took her blanket off and put it back in the bag; why did this place appear? She had only been here once, so she didn't understand why they appeared in Rainmist Reach instead of Cactakara Forest. She looked around, realizing everything was silent and was confused...shouldn't there be guards out and about? She understood no one was really worried anymore because the Shadow Knight was gone but there were still problems that were around.
"I smell blood." Alucard growled lowly, coming up beside her and bringing his swords out, keeping one arm around her waist. "We best be careful." He said to her and she nodded, bringing her axe out as they made their way to the village. As they entered the village Incediana was horrified to see a multitude of dead bodies, she held a hand to her mouth to stifle her sobs; she hadn't expected to see this! She wanted to cry...puke...maybe both she realized but she needed to stay strong; the Queen needed her to stay focused as did her Eidolon.
Alucard looked around and frowned, why didn't they send a messenger if they were in danger? "Why didn't they send a messenger?" He questioned and she looked at him, nodding. "I know Queen Maria would never ignore a cry for help from anyone." Incediana commented; despite her distrust of Maria due to her being the Queen of Eidolon's, she knew she was a kind and caring woman. Alucard flew around a little, never straying too far from Incediana and kept his senses sharp...when he noticed something odd.
"Incediana, over here!" He called out to her and she followed him to what looked to be a scout. A bag was on him but letters and envelopes were everywhere, a letter was currently held tightly in his hands. "He never got to leave the village." Incediana said and looked around, seeing drag marks. He was killed and dragged out of sight...but where were the villager's? Where they staying inside? Incediana ran back into the center of the village and looked around before she closed her eyes.
Alucard stayed a little behind her, keeping an eye out, she was trying to detect any movement that could be within the village. Alucard couldn't smell anything over the stench of blood yet he knew the village wasn't empty, that much he could tell. He suddenly heard footsteps and gasped as someone jumped at his Envoy, yet before he could react Incediana grabbed the wrist of who was swinging and slammed the guy into the ground. Alucard quickly flew toward them before noticing it was just a boy; his eyes were wide as he realized he was helpless, when Incediana grabbed his wrist she flicked the sword out of his grasp. When Incediana realized it was just a boy she let him go and held a hand out. "Here, let me help you up." She said as he turned around and looked at her worried.
"W-who're you?" He asked, his voice shaky and lined with fear. Incediana rose a brow, confused at this boy's scared behavior. "I'm an Envoy, this is my Eidolon Alucard. Here." Incediana held her hand closer to him and he shakily took it, allowing her to help him up. "Can you tell me what happened here?" Incediana asked him as he looked around nervously."I-I…" He gulped and looked around more and Incediana heard doors open and saw people come out of houses. They were worn down and many had scars and someone looked starved, Incediana rose a brow once more confused...what happened?
"It was a demon!" A voice shouted and Incediana looked at the man who shouted. "Sweetie, be quiet," A woman chided him, telling him to shush. "the demon might still be lurking around." She said as she looked around nervously as well. Incediana walked over to him, her gaze concerned. "Can you tell me more?" She questioned and the man nodded. "Yes, a demon had awoken from within the forest and attacked us!" He exclaimed as he waved his hands about. "She awoke a monster and had it attack us and we tried to send for help, but every messenger was killed! We've been too scared to try and leave since then!" He stated and Incediana hummed...who could they be talking about.
"Can you point me in the direction of the demon?" She asked, earning gasps and shocked looks, even from Alucard. "If I can see the demon I might be able to find a way to defeat it; it's not right that you all live in fear of this beast!" Incediana exclaimed and Alucard smiled. She was acting the way an Envoy would act, taking action and seeing if there's a way to fight a demon. "Better yet, we can show you." The man whispered and pointed to the center of the village. In the center of the village was a huge red ring lined with symbols in and outside the circle. In Incediana's eyes, it looked very much like a demon summoning ritual. She crouched to get a better look and gently touched the ring before pulling her fingers away, seeing them covered in the red color.
She sniffed before recoiling in horror; this was made with blood! "I know why you couldn't smell anything over the blood Alucard," Incediana said as she stood and looked at him. "this symbol is made completely in blood." She commented and Alucard hummed as the villager's all whispered amongst themselves. What could that mean? Suddenly the ground began shaking and the villager's gasped as did Incediana and Alucard; what was happening? Alucard flew over and grabbed her around the waist before pulling back right as a hand reached out, slamming into the ground where Incediana once stood. "What the hell?!" Incediana shouted as Alucard let her go and growled.
"Watch out, I'm going to transform." He warned Incediana as he began to slowly be engulfed in fire. Incediana gasped and spun to the villagers. "Go hide in your homes or make it to a safe house, we're going to deal with this beast!" She shouted to the villagers, all whom nodded, grabbed what they needed and left the village.
Incediana turned around right as a deafening roar rang out and she gasped as Alucard was now a giant, black dragon. His body seemed to be covered in sleek black scales that looked almost like armor with red fire lining the edges and it fire seemed to leak from what she believed to be scars on his neck. Burning red eyes that looked like lava gazed at the demon before him as fire began to spill from his mouth as he roared a challenge at the demon, who roared back. Incediana looked at the demon, growling low as fire engulfed her as well as she felt burning anger swallow her. The demon looked like a giant black and green golem, green liquid fell from his arms and hit the ground and little, and she saw smoke sizzle and cursed. Acid?! Just great! She swung her axe a few times before she charged the demon, avoiding it's clawed arms as it swung at her, yet she was small enough to dodge the attack. The swipe at her seemed to anger Alucard as he tackled the demon, allowing Incediana to get behind the demon and strike it, her axe sinking deeply into it's back.
The demon roared in pain before he reached behind him, yet she was able to avoid his claws as she rolled between his legs, yet kept her axe out as she created a gash in one leg, making it unsteady. It roared once again pain and she gasped as she saw a tail swing at her, covered in acid. Suddenly two large, black wings covered her; the tail slammed into the wings and she looked up seeing Alucard had protected her. As he removed his wings, she noticed the acid hadn't affected him and smile, this would make things easier! She swung at the tail, cutting it off before she felt something sharp and burning slam into her side, causing her to cry out in pain as she was flung into a house.
"Incediana!" Alucard shouted, his voice deep and dark as he flew to her aid. He yanked the demon off and they both noticed it had large green and black horns protruding from a dragon-like face; thus making Alucard cringe. How dare such a beast take on a familiar face! He growled and threw the beast into a house, thankful Incediana had told the villagers to leave. He looked over at Incediana only to see her rid herself of the armor she wore, growling as she threw the blue armor to the ground, watching as it disintegrated.
She growled and grabbed her axe when Alucard flew over and lowered his neck. "I suggest you stay on my back since you armor has been destroyed." He stated and she seemed hesitant at first, before sighing as she got on his back. She tightly gripped the sides of his neck, careful of the flames the leaked from the sides; before he turned toward the beast and she noticed it was actually quite easy to know what he'd do next. "Keep a tight hold!" Alucard warned her before he charged and felt her hands grip him tighter as he slammed into the demon, before wrapping his jaw around the demon's neck. Incediana was surprised to have been able to sense his charge, his muscles tightened and she felt his wings tremble when he reared back.
Alucard brought the beast down to the ground and Incediana grabbed her axe before she crouched on his back and felt him nod. She smirked, jumped off as she was covered in flames before she brought her axe down on the demon, severing the neck from the rest of the body when Alucard let go. The demon's body tensed before going limp as it fell to the ground and disintegrated before their eyes; looking to the head they saw the same results. Incediana smiled before she put her axe away, the fire leaving her body as she looked at Alucard who slowly reverted to his normal form as fire swirled around his body and dispersed, revealing him back in his original human form. "You okay?" She asked, wondering if the acid on the demon had affected him at all.
Alucard glanced at her before smiling and let himself touch the ground, folding his arms. "I'll be okay," He responded, tilting his head to the side a little. "I've had worse." He stated and Incediana sighed in relief, before giving a bright smile. "We did a good job." She congratulated and he chuckled at her praise. "That we did, though you did most the work." He responded and she giggled, blushing a little. "Come on Alucard, we worked together as a team;" She replied, watching as the ring faded away slowly. "we took it down together. No one outdid the other." She stated firmly and he chuckled, shaking his head a little in amusement.
"Come on," She started, gaining his attention as she followed footprints leading to outside the village. "we ought to let the villager's know it's okay to return to their lives." She stated and he nodded, following her outside the village. They told they villager's the problem was taken care of and then Incediana offered to help them rebuild their town, feeling guilty for having destroyed a few houses during her battle with the demon. They accepted their offer and they all began to rebuild the village.
Over in Aura Kingdom, Queen Maria smiled as she watched Incediana and Alucard through the Cube of Gaia...before she hummed, worried. The village had been unable to warn her because the demon had been smart enough to attack the messenger and create so much fear that the village was too scared to leave or do anything. This worried her...this wasn't a normal demon; that much she was certain of. She formed a small cube in her hand and thrusted her hand out, the small cube flying out the door as it seemed to follow a certain path.
A few minutes later, Andre and Akane both entered and bowed to her. "You called for us Queen Maria?" Akane questioned, standing with Andre as they awaited orders. "We have a problem, demon's are getting smarter and more strategic." Maria said as she showed Incediana and Alucard helping rebuild a village. "They just defeated a demon that was at Rainmist Reach, we hadn't been alerted because the demon was smart. Destroy the messenger and instill fear into the villagers to prevent them from leaving." Maria said and this worried Akane.
"That's new, even for demon's." Akane stated and Maria nodded. "What do you need us to do?" Andre questioned and she nodded. "If you have any spare soldier's, I'd like to send a few guards to Rainmist Reach and preferably one Envoy if possible." Maria stated and Andre nodded, bowed and left to gather some guards to send them out.
"Akane," Maria said, grabbing the white haired, red eyes duelist attention. "I wish for you to head to Rainmist Reach with the soldier's and take a look around." Maria said as her gold eyes turned blue as she touched the Cube of Gaia. "I have a feeling that was no normal demon they defeated." Maria said with a sigh and Akane nodded. "You believed it was summoned there and controlled?" Akane questioned and Maria nodded with a chuckle.
"Yes," She responded as she watched Incediana and Alucard speak to some villager's about something. "it looks like we have a long journey coming up...one we are unprepared for." She said as she moved the Cube of Gaia away, her eyes turning back to gold. "You plan to prepare us as much as possible?" Akane said and Maria nodded. "Make sure we have everything we'll need, alert Envoy's that you come across of the new danger found out about demon's." Maria said as she stood and several small cubes appeared around the room.
"It would seem demon's are growing stronger and others are starting to dabble into summoning them. Be aware of what's going on around you and keep your guard up at all times!" Maria ordered as the room shook as the small cubes began to glow before they flew out of the throne room at an incredible speed. "We will be prepared Queen Maria." Akane said as she bowed and left as well, while Maria sat back down and continued to watch her Envoy's and Eidolon's.