It had always been said that good triumphed over evil in the end, that man would always defeat whatever enemies that appeared to challenge him, and that the lines between two sides were clear cut. Stories often told that a hero would rise to challenge whatever overwhelming evil that would appear to take man's world, and that the hero would always break through all adversity while bringing justice to the evil and corrupt. The masked heroes of hope that rode into battle on their steel steeds, living legends and personifications of rightful justice.

But in the end, that was all no more than fiction.

In the early 21st century, an alien race dubbed by the humans as the "Serpentium" had arrived on Earth, a nomadic reptilian race that scoured space for a new home after the destruction of their own world. After a first encounter that ended in bloodshed, a war had sparked between the two races over control of the planet, a year-long war that would cause entire cities to be turned to ash, millions of innocent lives on both sides lost, and conflicts that butchered both races in numerous attempts to wipe each other out. In the end, a treaty had been signed between the two races to prevent further bloodshed, and both sides sought to rebuild and integrate both societies on Earth, no matter how difficult it may be.

Conflicts between the humans and Serpentium had now reduced to insurgent groups, some lead by those could not live past the atrocities performed by both sides. But among those that had fought in the war, those sought to keep the peace between both races were the rumored 'Kamen Riders', legendary masked heroes that were seen as little more than propaganda than actual warriors. But despite being known as heroes of justice, the Riders were an enigma as not even the highest members of the either military knew where they had come from in the first place. They would arrive onto the battlefield, alone, and end long battles as soon as they came. At the end of the war, they had disappeared without a trace, reduced to little more than a legend.

They had seeped into the bowels of history, forgotten by the very people they fought for.

It was now 18th October of the year 2021, and in the city of Streilson, heavy rain poured onto the bustling streets, the flashy neon lights on every building piercing the night as in the dim outskirts of the city, sat a small bar among the tall, towering skyscrapers. A few cars and a motorcycle parked outside of it, one would hear the calming rhythms of a violin leak out of the bar if not for the immense rainfall drowning out everything else. A simple sign hung above the bar, dimly lit and well-worn as it read "Haven".

With the rain only increasing in intensity and volume, a passing-by pedestrian in a thick coat shielded himself from the rain with an umbrella as he entered the warm den of the bar. A bell placed above the door rang as it opened, signalling the workers inside of their newest patron. The bar itself felt like a warm sanctuary from the outside world, dim yellow lights illuminating the area with the scent of perfume filling the air.

The bar owner sitting at the counter, Getrud, was a Serpentium with a lit cigar between her clawed fingers. As a race capable of altering parts of their body, an inattentive person could've easily mistook her for a simple redheaded woman, had they not noticed the scales covering her forearms, cheeks, and a long, thick tail sticking out the back of her dress. The cigarette she held was extinguished in an ash tray under her arm when Getrud's slit pupils noticed the costumer and the woman greeted him in a low, but welcoming voice.

"The usual as always?" she said as her hands pulled up out shot glass from under the counter, the tip of her tail picking up a bottle from the shelf behind her with ease.

As the man in the coat sat down with his umbrella put aside, the only musician on duty at the time was a single violinist in the corner.

His fingers were delicate, yet decisive, as they made their work on the instrument's strings, in contrast with the hand wielding the bow that was more quick and focused, like a knife repeatedly slashing through the air. The violinist maintaining a small smile on his face, he held the instrument in his hand like a golfer's grip, firm, but relaxed, steady and easy. Almost as if one was holding a fragile animal. With each movement of his hand, came a sound almost too pleasant to be even possible. For a lengthy period of time, the violinist had been playing despite bar having been entirely empty until the man in the coat had arrived.

Pouring their newest customer some bourbon whiskey, the bar owner placed the bottle down on the counter and sat back in her chair when she noticed the violinist finally finishing the song he was playing, "Akira, your shift's done already. The bar's closing soon, so you can go home if you want to," she told the young man who wrung his red fingers and wiped the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief.

"Of course, Miss. Have a pleasant night," the violinist casually replied with a smile and a nod before putting his violin under his shoulder. Running a hand through his neatly-combed hair, jewelry shaped like a musical note hung on one of his ears, the young man heading over to the back of the bar as another musician with a saxophone took over his shift.

Soon, the mellow, sultry sound of a saxophone replaced the whimsical strings of the violin and the bar owner looked at the heavy rain outside before glancing back at the customer in front of her. Getrud leaned forward on the counter, her voice lowered into a whisper, "What's the word on the street?"

"They're still looking for them. Saw a few gang members pass by here. Not sure what they're up to," the man answered in a deep voice, not taking off the hat he wore nor his thick coat. His umbrella placed down next to him, rainwater dripped from it with each passing second, "Things have been getting rough in the city, too. Fafnir and his gang have been practically running the city lately," he scoffed and then drank the shot of whiskey in his hand, grabbing the bottle next to it for a refill, "I don't get it. They should know better than to actively hunt them down of all things."

"Dumb-asses will be dumb-asses," the scaly woman said with a light shrug, her tail flickering back and forth in the air before her eyes turned to him, "They haven't got any leads, have they?"

"Maybe," the man shrugged, chugging down another shot of his drink before taking out his wallet and leaving some cash on the counter, "They've been acting up lately, since someone's been trying to take out the gangs. Not sure if it's the cops or some moron with a vigilante complex, but keep your guard up just in case, Getrud; the gangs will do anything to look for them," and with that, the man in the coat got up and left, the jingling bell above the door heralding his departure.

Getrud, with a wide frown on her face, leaned back in her chair and let out a loud sigh before as her tail fished out a cigarette from her pockets.

In the back of the bar, Akira rubbed his sweaty fingers with his handkerchief before placing his violin back in its casing and locking it tight. Storing it in his locker for the meantime, the young man took off the fancy vest he wore and unbuttoned his suit's collar for some air as he closed his locker. His ears then picked up the sound of the television in the other room suddenly switching on, and out of curiosity, Akira took his water bottle from the table behind him and went out of the belongings room. He walked past a few more lockers and bags before stepping right into the break room.

There, an old television sat in front of a small table as one of the other workers sat down, eating some creamy donuts in hand when she looked backed at the violinist with a mouth covered in cream.

"Evening, Maribelle," Akira politely greeted her with a small wave of his hand, "I didn't think you'd be here tonight."

"Oh, you're the new guy, right? Ashita - no - Akira! Yeah, Akira," Maribelle snapped her fingers in triumph once she remembered his name and then wiped her mouth with a tissue. The blonde gestured the younger man to sit down with her as she picked up another donut from a box on the table, "Come on, Getrud bought some of these donuts for us. You should have some!"

Unable to turn down her kind offer, Akira sat down on another side of the table in the small, but cozy break room and took a few creamy bites of donuts as he gazed at the TV. There, the evening news had started playing and the human and Serpentium news anchors were reading out reports on the terror attacks that had been aimed at both races in several cities: A bus bombing had killed 5 and injured 7 in the town of Futo, 3 more injured in the city of Zawame from attempted vehicular homicide, 6 killed during a shooting at Yumemi, and with each report, it grew more and more depressing to watch until Maribelle took the remote and switched the channel to something else just to avoid it.

Putting down the remote, Maribelle sighed and rested her chin on one hand, "Geez, things have been getting worse, huh? Even though the fighting's stopped, some people are still going at it," she looked at Akira, who had been staying silent the entire time with an expression that looked unfazed by what was shown on the news. The young man giving no reply to her words, Maribelle decided to bring up some small talk, "What do you think, Akira, about all this? You think things could someday settle down?"

Akira placed his elbows on the table as he tented his fingers, a small smile present on his face, "Maybe," he said, sounding not too hopeful, "After all, Getrud has been quite kind to me ever since she hired me. It wasn't easy finding a job, or even an apartment in this city, so I appreciate what she's done to help me in both regards," taking out his handkerchief and wiping his fingers and mouth clean, he placed it back in his pockets and continued staring at the game show playing on the TV, "Still, things like this never get resolved so easily. Not without time, or effort."

His tone sounded almost bitter to Maribelle as she hesitantly nodded along to his words, "Yeah. I guess so. But I guess it's the little things like people becoming friends and simple bonding are what brings the biggest changes, right?"

The violinist gave a grin and a small chuckle, "I suppose so," his hand reaching into his pockets, he took out his cellphone to check the time. It was past 9 already, and very much the time to head home.

"You heading back already?" the girl asked him, almost disappointed.

"Well, I should if I want to make sure I get enough sleep. A musician should take care himself well, after all," Akira laughed, running his hand past his ear as his musical note-shaped earring jingled, "I'll see you tomorrow, Maribelle. Have a pleasant night," without another word, the young man then stood up from his chair and headed out of the break room. Back in the locker area, Akira pulled out his violin casing and hung it over his shoulder before closing the locker and securing it with a key.

For a moment, the boy simply stared at his reflection on the locker's metal surface, a small sigh escaping his lips before he shook his head and headed out the back door. The sound of heavy rain instantly filling his ears, Akira grumbled to himself as he had no umbrella to use and his bike was a bit far from where the bar was. Then, as soon as he stepped outside the door and closed it behind him, he could hear several cars loudly screeching to a halt and voices all shouting at each other all of a sudden. All this, he could hear from the front of the bar.

The smile that Akira had been wearing this entire time suddenly disappeared, now replaced by a deep scowl as the violet ring on his ear began to glow.

Extinguishing her cigarette in an ash tray, Getrud clicked her forked tongue as she saw several cars park right outside the bar, their headlights shining through the bar's windows as several silhouettes could be seen exiting out of the vehicles. She calmly gestured to the musician in the corner to head out through the back of the bar and the young man diligently followed her orders. But as soon as he exited out the back, Maribelle came back in, utterly confused about the sudden noise outside.

"W-What's going on?" the blonde girl asked the bartender who shot her a panicked glare.

"Dammit, Mary, hide! It's-"

The double doors to the bar blew off their hinges and toppled to the floor with a thundering boom as 6 scaly, tall men in suits stood at the entrance with guns in their hands. The rumbling of the thunder outside echoing through the bar, Getrud and Maribelle stood frozen behind the counter as the men in suits strode into the premises. Their imposing figures dwarfed the average man, scales adorned their human-esque forms, and their eyes with slit pupils hid behind dark sunglasses. The one at the front, wearing a gaudy necklace around his neck, had a large scar running down the side of his face with one of his eyes covered in an eye-patch as he hovered his glare over the empty bar.

"Getrud Werner, am I right?" the one-eyed man casually began as his men stood behind him and stared down on the two women at the counter, "Sorry about the door, but I'd like to ask you girls a few questions."

With Maribelle trembling behind her, Getrud pursed her lips as she slowly sat back down on her chair, "What do you want? The bar's closing soon, so it's pretty fucking inconvenient for you guys to start barging in all of a sudden, you know?"

The man gave a hearty laugh, scratching a scale around his neck as he gave an uncanny smile at the bartender's attitude, "Oh, where are my manners? The name's Fafnir. I run the gangs around these parts, and lately, I've been hearing rumors about a 'man in a mask' taking out my boys. Not only that, but I heard that it just so happened to be at the same time you got a new worker," he glanced at the empty tables of the bar and grinned, "You two wouldn't happen to know anything about this masked man, have you? After all, who would work in a dump like this?"

"How should I know?" Getrud spat back at him, "All my workers here are just kids that have nowhere to go. I don't know anything about this 'masked man' either, so you're shit out of luck on that part," as she spoke, her hand slowly reached for the shotgun stowed away under the counter, until she felt Maribelle's hand grab her wrist. The blonde shook her head, insisting that they not take on several armed men.

"Alright then, fair enough," Fafnir sighed and clapped his hands together. Turning on his heel, his men made way for him as the Serpentium man slowly walked back to the bar entrance, "Bring them out."

Several gunshots and screams rang through the bar, and after a brief struggle, the two women were dragged out and thrown onto the wet, empty streets as the heavy rain continued to pour down on them. Getrud's dress clung to her skin as the scaly woman tried to help Maribelle up to her feet, the blonde biting her lip to hold back a cry of pain as blood trailed down from several bullet wounds on her leg. The rain washing away the blood and mixing it with the water at their feet, the 5 men lined on up the sidewalk as their leader held Getrud's shotgun in his hands and snapped it over his knee as if it was a twig. He tossed the two halves aside with a small laugh and dusted his hands, smiling.

"Now, you have a minute to tell me where the man in the mask is," Fafnir declared, the sound of his men switching off the safety of their guns audible through the rain to Getrud's sharp ears, "Otherwise, I'd have to make an example out of you. What happens when you don't give me, Fafnir, the king of Streilson, what I want."

"I already told you we know nothing!" Getrud screamed at them, trying to cover up the bleeding in Maribelle's leg with one hand. Her hair now a mess from the rain, Getrud shivered as her cold blood made the weather unbearable to her skin. She reached into her pockets and pulled out her wallet, "If you want money, then just fucking take it! Just leave us alone!" she flung her wallet at them and one of Fafnir's men caught it mid-air.

Fafnir disapprovingly wagged a finger and pulled out a pistol from his pockets as well, "I'll gladly take your money. But I already told you-" he switched off the safety of his weapon and aimed the barrel right at the bartender as she shielded Maribelle behind her body, "Where is the masked man?"

Gritting her sharp teeth, Getrud held onto Maribelle tight as she shot a fiery glare at them, unafraid of the threats of some criminals, and unwilling to sell-out her own workers for her own sake. Then, in the corner of her eye, she spotted someone looking at them from around the corner. Though it was dark, her reptilian eyes allowed her to see that it was none other than Akira that was watching them, though she could not see the expression on his face. If she could, Getrud would've just signaled him to run and save himself instead. She didn't need to get another person dragged into this mess. Whether or not he was the man in the mask that they were looking for, Akira was just a young man that didn't need to get himself in trouble.

Glancing back at the armed men, Fafnir's underlings raised up their pistols as well and aimed at the two women. Getrud held tightly onto Maribelle, who slowly began to pass out from blood-loss, and as she closed her eyes shut for the end that was about to come, she heard the faint noise of a violin through the heavy rain.

"Fire!"

A barrage of gunfire rang through the empty, rainy streets, the muzzle flare of their guns lightning up the dark with each shot, but as Getrud held her breath, nothing else but noise came. She heard the gunshots, but no more than that. Her eyes shot open, and as she looked in front of her, there, Akira stood in front of her, and surrounding them was a protective dome of violet light as crumpled-up bullets fell to the concrete at the violinist's feet. Getrud was at a lost for words, the armed men gasped in shock, and Fafnir, a smirk growing on his face, clapped his hands in applause.

Getrud stared at Akira's back as the boy looked at them over his shoulder with an apologetic glance. Only two words escaped the bartender's mouth.

"Kamen Rider..."

Standing in front of the two women with the dome of light around them withering away, Akira cursed himself for acting so rashly. He had jumped into the fray with little to no thought, as if his body had no other choice but to save them. Running his hand through his now messy, wet hair, Akira fired a piercing glare at the armed men who started reloading their weapons, "Fafnir, was it?" Akira spoke up, his hands raised to his abdomen area as his purple earring shined brighter with each passing second, "If you have business with someone, that would be me."

"And so arrives the masked man," Fafnir laughed, slamming a fresh magazine into his pistol, "I knew this would bring you out."

"A-Akira, what are you-"

"Stand back, Miss Getrud," Akira calmly said to the bartender as the rain slowly began to settle, "Get Maribelle and yourself to safety. I'll handle this."

Though she was hesitant to leave the young man all to himself, the bartender grimaced until she looked at the passed-out girl in her care and got up to her feet. With Maribelle bleeding out in her arms, the bartender ran for her apartment nearby and Fafnir's men left her be as their attention was placed solely on the violinist in front of them.

"You wanted to see me right?" Akira snapped his fingers, and in a bright flash of light, an ornate belt materialized around his waist, fastening itself around him as the front of the belt bore a giant musical symbol in the shape of an golden Treble clef, "You have my attention."

"The fuck is this?" one of Fafnir's men uttered as they raised their reloaded pistols at him again, "B-Boss, you sure he's just a normal kid?"

Fafnir scoffed and aimed his gun at Akira with an unfaltering grin, "Probably just some fancy tech from the old war. Open fire!" barking at his men, they unloaded their weapons on the violinist as dome of violet light projected around him once more and solidified like the shell of a turtle, causing their bullets to ricochet in all sorts of directions with ease.

As the last drop of rain fell onto Akira's protective shield, Fafnir and his men kept up the barrage of bullets despite their ineffectiveness. Akira then raised his hands over his waist, right before slamming them onto two buttons on the sides of his belt, causing the Treble clef symbol at the front of his belt to suddenly shimmer with violet energy. Covering the left side of his face with an open right hand, he crossed his left arm across his waist and clenched his hand into a fist. The whimsical strings of a violin echoed through the air. The sound of gunfire was replaced by the clicking of empty guns. Taking a deep breath, Akira narrowed his eyes and uttered a single word in his homeland's language, "Henshin."

The Treble clef on his belt flared up like a miniature sun with violet light, blinding Fafnir and his men as it announced in a deep, throaty voice, "Viola: Soloist Form."

To the utter shock of Fafnir and his guards, a black, armored suit began to materialize around Akira's body out of shining musical notes. Forming to the pleasant rhythm of a violin, his armor resembled the formal wear worn by musicians of a concert, with a split tail end on his back, white gloves and several glowing violet lines running through his body. A simple metal mask encasing his head, Akira's eyes stared through two big, glowing, compound eyes attached to lines that gave it the shape of a Quarter note as Fafnir's guards froze with fear. Then, the protective dome around him suddenly erupted, sending a wave of energy that blew Fafnir and his guards off their feet and sent them crashing through the windows of the Getrud's bar.

With a gloved hand placed on his chest, Kamen Rider Viola gave a theatrical bow and let out an eerie chuckle, "Now then, shall the concert begin?"

Rolling on the floor and covered in glass shards, Fafnir groaned in pain as the biggest of his guards got up, bloodied and fuming with anger at his injured comrades, "You goddamn brat! I'll tear your head from your shoulders!" nearly twice the size of Viola, the large Serpentium man roared as he mindlessly charged at Viola with his fingers growing into clawed hands.

Ducking underneath a crude swipe, Viola curled up one hand into a tight fist and hurled it straight into the larger man's abdomen, causing him to spew vomit from his mouth as the blow ruptured his internal organs. Falling to the concrete on his knees, Viola seized the man by the neck and struck him in the face with his fists, breaking his jaw with ease. The larger man now dazed, he couldn't do anything but struggle in Viola's sudden head-lock as Rider let out another eerie chuckle, "Such barbarity," a sickening snap rang through the air, one that got the attention of the 5 bleeding men on the ground as they saw the biggest of their group drop to the concrete with his head in a complete 180.

"You'll fucking pay for that!" angered by the death of their comrade, the rest of Fafnir's guards got up and sprinted towards Viola with unsheathed knives as Fafnir simply observed with an odd mix of shock and awe.

"Time for an encore, is it?" Viola smacked both buttons on the side of his belt again and the Treble clef at the front flashed a light that blinded the four guards as hundreds of glowing musical notes swirled into his arms. In his left arm, a buckler shield solidified itself in the shape of a violin and was secured to his forearm while his right hand held onto a cutlass in the shape of a violin's bow. The blinding light dimmed and the guards now found themselves up against a man with a blade, using no more than knives, "Harming Maribelle was a grave mistake," Viola hissed underneath his mask, brandishing his blade, "One that you will reimburse with your lives."

Lunging straight at him with their knives, the four guards surrounded him completely and sparks flew off Viola's shield as their knives grazed its surface with little to no harm. His cutlass swung through the air and parried the four attacker's blows with ease even as they surrounded him, Viola dancing left and right with their knives not even touching his armor. Wanting to waste no more time, Viola then crouched down and jumped into the air, the silver moon facing his back as the four guards looked up at him with utter shock.

"Let's hear your swansongs!" the violin-shaped shield on his arm glowed as strings formed over its surface, and in one smooth strike, he ran his blade across its strings, creating an ear-piercing screech that caused the four guards to grip the sides of their heads in pain. Descending upon his disoriented foes, Viola's cutlass shimmered as a fiery glow surrounded his blade. The Rider landed right in the middle of the four, and in a single blow Viola's blade ran through their abdomens before he knelt down on the concrete, the four guards suddenly standing completely still, "Only the dead have heard this song," in complete unison, the four guards dropped the floor and collapsed into a pile of guts and organs as their Serpentium blood ran through the street, dousing Viola's armor in green liquid while he stood up and glanced over to Fafnir.

The Serpentium man began to shake, his hands gripping his chest and his veins violently bulging as he started laughing like a madman, "So the legends were true. The famed 'Kamen Riders'. I found you. I finally fucking found you!" tearing off his eye-patch to reveal an eye with a glowing, slit pupil, Fafnir let out an animal-like roar as his muscles began convulsing, his clawed hands ripping and tearing at the suit he wore as Viola simply shook his head.

"A commander from the old war, huh?" Viola pointed the tip of his blade at him, "I'll give you a soldier's end, then."

"Don't get cocky with me!" Fafnir barked as his human skin was overtaken by the scales growing around his body, his armored skin spreading until no trace of human flesh remained. With a few audible crunches, Fafnir's face expanded, the Serpentium man's skull shifting and moving until he sprouted a lengthy snout. On his back, a powerful tail sprung forth and flickered in the air while covered in a thick hide. In a matter of seconds, the once human-looking Fafnir had turned into a grotesque, bipedal lizard, complete with clawed hands, blood-shot eyes, and scales all over as the remains of his suit hung on his body, "It's time for payback, you monkey!"

Charging at the Rider on all four limbs, Fafnir lunged at Viola and swiped at him with his claws, narrowly grazing his armored vest as Viola leaped backwards and skid to a halt right in front of a wall. He casually dusted his chest with a gloved hand and smirked underneath his mask, "So clumsy."

Screeching at his opponent, Fafnir charged at him once more, the claws on his hands growing into dagger-like proportions as Viola stood completely still. Swinging his claws right at the Kamen Rider, Viola ducked underneath at the last minute and debris flew everywhere as Fafnir's claws struck the brick wall behind him. Amidst the dust, Fafnir saw a faint glow before Viola's cutlass swung at him and dug into his scaly arm with an accompanying howl of pain. Green blood sprayed all over Viola's mask before Fafnir grabbed the Rider by the chest with his other arm and flung him across the street like a ragdoll.

The Rider swung his body around mid-air and landed right on his feet, Fafnir pulling out the Rider's blade from his forearm with a grunt of pain before throwing it to the ground where it vanished into violet particles.

"Time for plan B," his violin shield still with him, Viola held onto it with both hands and clicked on several buttons underneath his shield when Fafnir lunged straight at him again.

Like an animal with no sense of thought nor strategy, Fafnir threw his claws at the Rider again, only for Viola's shield to raise his shield and catch both attacks with ease. Viola's heels dug into the concrete, strings materialized on the surface of his shield, and with Fafnir's claws right on top of it, the strings were struck, causing the violin shield to emit its ear-piercing ring once more and flood the Serpentium's ears with a thousand horrid screeches. With Fafnir grasping the sides of his head in pain, Viola summoned his blade once more onto his other hand, and in two clean swings, the Serpentium's injured arms dropped onto the wet concrete, green blood spraying from the stumps that were left behind as the Serpentium screeched in pain.

Tossing away his weapons, Viola smacked a button on the left side of his belt and the Treble clef symbol glowed with energy as he hovered one palm over it. The Treble clef projected a laser into his hand, feeding the gathering energy in his belt and amassing a spiraling ball of energy in his palm.

Fafnir saw this, and in one last desperate move, swung his long tail at the Rider who proceeded to flip right over it with ease and flung the ball of energy right at him. It struck Fafnir in the chest and surged through his body, electricity coursing through the Serpentium's internal organs with a thousand more powerful violin screeches flooding his ears.

As Viola landed on the concrete again, Fafnir was wide open as the Rider let out one last eerie chuckle, "Time for your swansong."

Smacking a button on the right side of his belt this time, Viola's compound eyes shimmered with violet energy, the glowing lines traveling around his body following suit. In its deep, throaty voice, the belt announced, "Finale: REQUIEM," bending his knees, Viola took in a deep breath and broke into a swift run straight towards the paralyzed Serpentium. With each step, with each meter he closed in, Viola's right foot burned more and more with a fiery glow until his entire right leg was encompassed with violet energy. The whimsical strings of a violin coursing through the air once more, Viola jumped into the air, his target still unable to move, and with a Treble clef symbol glowing right at the bottom of his heel, Viola's right foot dove straight into Fafnir's skull with a thundering quake that echoed through the streets. Viola then phased through Fafnir's body like a ghost and the Rider knelt down behind him on one leg, the Serpentium's body beginning to crack apart like glass.

"This concert is over," Viola slowly rose up to his feet. Fafnir fell onto his knees. With one last cry of pain, Fafnir's body blew apart in a fiery explosion that scorched the streets and the remains of his guards strewn across the concrete. When the fire settled, Fafnir, along with his guards, were little more than ashes that blew away in the wind as Viola stood among the flames, unharmed with nary a scratch on his tuxedo-like armor as smoke billowed into the night sky.

A smell akin to burnt leather permeating the air, the armor around Kamen Rider Viola vanished into shimmering particles shaped like musical notes and Akira took out his phone to check up on Getrud.

Hours after the Serpentium gang members had attacked the bar, moonlight reflected off the motorcycle helmet Akira was carrying under one arm as he zipped up his luggage and locked up the apartment that he would soon no longer be returning to. Slinging his luggage onto his back, Akira stared at his reflection on the surface of his helmet before letting out a small sigh. He strode down the metal stairs of the apartment complex, his helmet and violin casing under one arm, when he stopped and spotted none other than Getrud standing at the base of the stairs with a lit cigarette between her lips.

"You're leaving, aren't you?" Getrud glanced at the backpack he was carrying and the young man slowly nodded, "You don't have to, you know?"

Akira avoided her gaze as he spoke up, "I have to. If I stay here any longer, things would get worse, and I'd just put both you and Maribelle in more danger. Forgive me," continuing his way down the stairs, he walked pass the bartender when he felt her hand grip his shoulder, the young man halting where he stood.

"So what, you're just gonna run away? Hope that the same doesn't happen in the next town you head off to?" Getrud remarked in a low voice as she held her cigarette between her fingers, "People like them will keep looking for you, no matter where you go. In the end, you're better off just staying here instead of just going off to some other town with no place to stay or work at."

A small smile growing on his face, Akira felt a little grateful that she was somewhat worried about him. Slowly, he took her hand off his shoulder and looked over to Getrud's apartment across the street where the still-unconscious Maribelle was at, "I know. I've been doing this for a long time, Getrud. I know it isn't going to be easy, but I don't want to give you any more trouble than I already have. You and Maribelle could have been killed just now."

Getrud crushed her cigarette in her palm, its ashes falling to the floor, "You're not going to change your mind, are you?" she got a small shake of the head and the bartender clicked her forked tongue in annoyance, "Fine. I won't stop you. But," she bit her lips and gazed at him with a hard glare, "I have some friends in other towns. I'll ask around if they can take you in, just so your dumb ass doesn't end up sleeping in a gutter cause you can't find a job or an apartment. Got it? I'll force your ass to stay if you don't agree with me."

Something tugged at the corner of Akira's mouth, before the young man couldn't help but chuckle at the bartender's persistence.

"The Hell? I'm trying to help your sorry ass and you just laugh it off?" Getrud groaned, crossing her arms across her chest, "Damn kids these days."

"I'm quite grateful for your assistance, Miss Getrud. I will gladly take your offer, then. But... before I leave town, I would like to finish some business I have with the remains of Fafnir's gang. May I?" Akira got a small nod in response, and with that, he gave a small, theatrical bow before walking away to a parked motorbike on the sidewalk nearby. He placed his luggage and violin on the back of the bike, strapped on his helmet and the bike rumbled as he started the ignition. Revving the engine, he glanced over to the bartender and gave an earnest smile, "Call me when you get any news on what town I should be heading to, and do apologize to Maribelle for me for what happened. Now then," he flipped down the face-guard of his helmet, "I'll be heading off."

Getrud scoffed, her tail flickering behind her when she gave a bit of a smile, "Take care of yourself. Try not to get yourself killed, you hear me?"

"No promises," with those last two words said, the violinist then rode off into the night, the rumbling of his motorbike's engine echoing through the empty streets of Streilson as he made his way straight into the neon light-filled capital city in the distance. Intending to finish what was left of Fafnir's gang before he would leave town, the lone Kamen Rider drove towards the heart of the city where they operated at, the one place he had intended to cleanse of its remaining gang members many days ago. The shimmering capital of Streilson glowing like a beacon from afar, the whimsical strings of a violin echoed through the streets, followed by a single phrase that would be the last thing his enemies would hear when they faced him, "Henshin!"

Rider Parameters (Ranging from A-D)

Kamen Rider Viola - Soloist Form

Destructive Power: C

Speed: B

Durability: B

Weapons: The Violin Shield and Bow Cutlass. The shield is capable of emitting shrieks upon being struck to disorient opponents and the cutlass can be empowered by being run across the shield's strings.

Abilities: Pressing on the belt's left button can amass an orb of energy that can be thrown at enemies to paralyze them, or can instead be used to empower the violin shield and cutlass in both offense and defense. Pressing on the belt's right button will activate Viola's Finishers: A diving Rider Kick, a powerful Rider Punch, or an all-range Rider Slash.

A/N: This is intended to be a one-shot only, since I just wanted to see what it felt like to do Kamen Rider in a literature-styled format. Though, if I feel like it, and if reactions are positive, I may release other stories featuring other Riders living in this world. It really was fun to come up stuff like the belts, jingles and concepts, but in the end I went for a simple belt jingle as they don't sound as good in a word format. The violinist thing was a personal appeal of mine, since I like the concept of literal killer music/musicians.

Also Kamen Rider Build looks pretty damn good so far. I hope it lives up to Ex-Aid.