Second part, here we go! So in here, Leon, Jillian and Sharlene are included, but mainly only Leon. Rated for mentioned violence and sex. -Soranryu


"Picture it," the echo of the aged human voice resounded through the ocean, catching everyone's attention, "the alternate universe called Cray, where Vanguard units come to life." All of the units gathered at the centre of their settlement, with Trans-core at the front. Soon after the voice spoke, astral bodies manifested in the waters, floating in front of them.

There are one elder and three young children, the latter staring at the world and the units in awe. Trans-core and the human elder exchanged nods before turning their attention to the kids, two girls, twins from the looks of it, and a boy. The twins both have light blue hair and yellow eyes, the only way to tell them apart is their personalities.

The older one is more serious and practical. The younger one, on the other hand, is more laid back and sometimes naïve. The boy, exuding kindness and love for the winds and ocean, has blond hair and unique purple eyes. While the girls were looking around their settlement, the boy focused on Trans-core and those behind him.

Stepping forward, the boy raised his hand, "Hello. My name is Souryu Leon. What's yours?" Raising his hand, the blue dragon presented a finger for the boy to shake, "My name is Blue Flight Dragon, Trans-core dragon. You may address me as Trans-core and I welcome you to our world." Hearing their introductions, the twins floated over and introduced themselves as well, the older one Jillian Chen and the younger one Sharlene Chen.

"Aqua Force," the elder spoke up afterwards, "these young children have reached the age of becoming a Fighter." He then gave a bow to the entire clan, "Will you lend these children your strength to rule the seas once again?" Trans-core and all other units returned the gesture, offering the power of the Aqua Force to the three kids.

With that, light surrounded the human children, the power of the clan flowing through them. Knowledge of their origins and of their stories, their individual skills and combination plays, all engraved deeply into the children's minds. Once the light dimmed, the three stared in awe before snapping out of their daze, bowing to the clan in respect and thanks.

Then, at the elder's cue, the four humans left, their astral bodies disintegrating. "That boy is special. Leon, is it?" Tetra Drive dragon muttered, coming to stand beside Trans-core. Catching the other dragon's eye, Trans-core nodded, "Yes, he will be the one." The two dragons shared one more glance before joining the rest of the clan, which was buzzing with excitement.

One could hardly blame them. When the Souryu clan disappeared from the seas, the elder was the only one who wielded Aqua Force. However, with him being an elder, it won't be long before he joined the rest of the clan, leaving Aqua Force to fade from the face of Cray. Now that they have three young Fighters wielding them, Aqua Force has a chance to thrive once more, and that thought boosted the entire clan's moral.

Time passed as the units spent time training, even more determined than ever. "That's enough, everyone; please rest up for the rest of the day," Trans-core put down his Doom Anchor, signalling the end of training. Then, as usual, he swam off into the open sea to spend some time alone, oblivious to the little figure following him.

Reaching his usual spot, the blue dragon sat down and hugged his weapon loosely, staring into the dark waters as he thought about his beloved mate trapped in a giant purple crystal. "Hey, you okay?" a soft voice broke him out of his trance and Trans-core turned to look at the intruder in surprise, "Leon?" The translucent figure of the boy circled around before coming to sit down on a rock beside him.

"You shouldn't be here," concern laced Trans-core's voice. From what he understood, it is taxing for the human mind to travel to Cray, and not all humans can do it. He does not want Leon to tire himself out. "It is fine," the child waved away his concern, "I'm more worried about you. When I first met you just now, I can feel your sadness. Do you mind sharing your troubles?"

He will be a great leader one day, with such a caring heart, Trans-core thought to himself as he returned his gaze to the ocean. Silence fell between them for a few minutes before Trans-core started to speak, "I am not Aqua Force's Vanguard." Leon did not seem surprised as he hummed in response, "I see." Sparing a glance at the human, the dragon continued, "Our Vanguard is a maroon dragon named Maelstrom, a beloved leader by all."

As he talked about his mate, Trans-core's heart clenched painfully, "Unfortunately, he was locked away by an evil being named Void long time ago. That is also why the Souryu clan disappeared as well." Hearing the sadness in the dragon's voice, Leon stared at him, "Is Maelstrom precious to you?" Taken aback, Trans-core could only nod.

"I see," Leon hummed again before getting up. He floated in front of Trans-core and flashed a brilliant smile, "You are now one of my precious comrades and I don't like seeing my friends sad. I swear upon my name that I'll become stronger to free Maelstrom and Aqua Force!"

Feeling the gentle breeze that danced along his scales from behind the child, Trans-core bowed down to Leon.


"Say, Sharlene, Leon-sama told us about the Souryu child, but it has been so long and there's no sign of him. What…what if the Souryu child doesn't exist?" the older twin mumbled, staring into the water. Sharlene gasped, shocked that her sister would even entertain that thought. "No way! Both Leon-sama and the Elder said he will come, so the Souryu child does exist!" she cried at her twin, "He does…"

However, Jillian's question raised her on doubt as well, and she trailed off, tears started making their way down her cheeks. Jillian caught onto her sister's sadness and soon both girls were sobbing, afraid that the prophecy of the Souryu child was fake and that they would be trapped on the island forever. Hearing their cries, Leon hid behind the wall and whispered to himself, "I will find the Souryu child, for their sake."

Seeing the familiar scene in his sleep, the blond rolled onto his back without signs of waking up. He was merely dreaming of the past, the promise he made years ago when he was still a child. Thinking of promises, his mind pulled another scene from his memories, playing it in his head.

"Hey, you okay?" he asked the beautiful blue dragon sitting alone. Giving a small smile at the dragon's shock, he circled around to sit beside it on a rock. The dragon told him that he shouldn't be here, but Leon dismissed his concerns, much more worried about the dragon who bears a sadness which he voiced out. "Do you mind sharing your troubles?" he asked.

The dragon turned to look at the sea before explaining everything, the sealing of their Vanguard leading to Aqua Force and Souryu clan's downfall. Leon could tell that Trans-core truly respected Maelstrom, but he sensed a deeper feeling, so he asked, "Is Maelstrom precious to you?" The look on Trans-core's face was all the answer he needed.

"I swear upon my name that I'll become stronger to free Maelstrom and Aqua Force!" he promised with a dazzling smile. The beautiful dragon sealed the words with a bow. Groaning softly, Leon opened his eyes to stare at the ceiling. Remembering the scenes, he frowned a little. Those two oaths were important to him, and yet he has yet to do something after all these years.

Yes, he did train, but he and the twins have nothing else they could learn on the island. It is past time that they set out into the world to meet other players. The Elder that had raised them left two years ago, requesting them to bring Souryu clan back on his deathbed. Back then, Leon felt that they were still too young, so they stayed on the island. But now, he felt ready to leave, Jillian and Sharlene will follow him without question.

As he thought of that, Leon got out of bed and washed up before walking out of the mansion. There were noises coming from the kitchen, but he paid no heed. The twins will call for him when they were done with breakfast. He strolled along without any destination in mind, contemplating. Leaving the island is a big deal, something none of them had done before. Will they be able to survive out there?

Questions and answers were flying around in his mind until he realised that he had stopped at his favourite spot of the island. It was a small ledge of stone facing the calmer part of the sea, the waves broken by the stone walls towering over the area. In front of him were two thin pillars of stone, slightly symmetrical to each other and sort of forming a "gate".

"Do you want power, young man? Do you want the power to leave this island?" a guttural voice sounded and water rose up from the ocean's surface, forming a mirror of sorts in front on him. Shocked, Leon took a step back and stared at his distorted image reflected off the water, watching as the liquid darkened and two red eyes staring back at him. "Who are you?" he demanded, straightening himself.

A chuckle was heard before the voice answered, "I am Void." "Void, huh? Indeed, I do want the power you mentioned, but there is a price, is there not?" Leon asked solemnly. There is no free lunch is this world, that he knows very well. "A cautious child, aren't you? That is correct. I can grant you the power, in exchange for my freedom," Void chuckled again, his red orbs glowing in amusement.

"Freedom? Are you trapped somewhere, like us?" the blond asked curiously, his kind heart taking over. Void's eyes bounced up and down as he nodded, "Yes. However, if you can get me out, I will help you, as repayment." Leon wanted to agree, but something was nagging at him, that something was suspicious about Void.

Void sensed his hesitation and pulled out his trump card, "I can get Maelstrom back for you." That seemed to do the trick as Leon snapped out of his thoughts to stare at the mirror of water with wide eyes, "You mean that?!" "Of course," Void purred, knowing that he had won the deal. Offering the human the power to leave was to give him a chance to fulfil his promise to the twins. However, if Leon was determined enough, he could have done that himself.

Offering Leon the power to get Maelstrom back, on the other hand, was a different story. The boy had no idea where, how and by whom Maelstrom was sealed; getting the maroon dragon back was an impossible feat. With this offer, Leon could not resist any further, in order to fulfil both his promises to the twins and Trans-core.

Contemplating for a little while more, Leon looked into the red orbs and demanded, "You better hold your end of the bargain." Thrusting his right hand into flowing water in front of him, Leon chanted the spell Void had taught him.

Void smirked.


Lightning flashed and thunder boomed, threatening to tear the world apart. Aqua Force looked on as the ocean darkened and the waters swirled violently around them. Light-weighted objects that couldn't stand against the currents were swept up from their places. A startled cry from one of the Grade 0s snapped Trans-core out of his shocked state and he quickly gave out orders to evacuate the weaker units into the buildings.

Once that was done, the dragons and several Grade 2s exchanged glances, waiting tensely for something to happen. "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!" a pain-filled cry cut through the roaring waters and reached their ears. "Leon!" Trans-core looked up, hoping to spot the boy but to no avail. He was getting really worried. First, a huge storm hit his settlement with no apparent warning, and then Leon's scream, these two matters leaving a bad taste in his mouth.

The storm and Leon's cry went on for a few minutes before dying out together. Looking at the ocean that had calmed down, everyone was on high alert. A foreboding sense of evil hung around them and they refused to ignore it. Just then, a silhouette appeared at the far end of the ocean. Something stirred in his heart and Trans-core gripped his anchor tighter, swimming forward.

"Trans-core, what are you doing?" Naval Gazer shouted to him, a slight panic in his voice. Trans-core turned back to him, "You guys stay! I'll go and see who that is myself. If something is wrong, I will call for reinforcements!" Without listening to what the others have to say, he swam on. His instincts were telling him to meet this person alone and he's going to go along.

Trans-core stopped short. Why…he took in the familiar maroon scales, the wings of canon and everything else that he would never forget in a lifetime, "Why are you here…Maelstrom…?" Finally, the two dragons were standing face to face, their eyes meeting. "Maelstrom…" Trans-core murmured, reaching out a shaking hand. He wants, no, he needs to touch his mate, to make sure that this isn't a dream.

What he hadn't expected was a painful slap. The pain on his face didn't register until much later as his mind blanked out from the shock. "Useless trash. How can you call yourself my mate when you can't even save me?" an ugly sneer plastered on Maelstrom's face, "Oh well, since I'm feeling good from being released after so long, I'll give you a chance to redeem yourself."

Trans-core took a step back in horror. Maelstrom had changed; this wasn't the Maelstrom he had known and loved for his entire life! Seeing the look on the blue dragon's face, Maelstrom's sneer widened, "You're afraid, that's good. Now listen well: I plan to take over Cray all other clans, and if you want to call yourself my mate, you better make yourself useful. Got it?"

Unable to refuse, Trans-core schooled his face into a blank sheet and kneeled down on one knee in submission, "Yes, my lord." Because in the end, no matter how different he is, how evil he has become, Trans-core still loves him.


All of Aqua Force were joyous at Maelstrom's return. However, the change in him was so great that even the weakest units could tell. According to the little ones, the current Vanguard was "scarier" and they were even more afraid of making mistakes. The old Maelstrom would have encouraged mistakes as he believed that things can be learned through making mistakes.

Maelstrom was strict with training and he no longer care about battle plans. Their attacks are just blindly charging in and destroying whoever that stood in their paths. All of Aqua Force realised that Maelstrom could very well do the same to them, being the heartless beast he is right now, but he didn't. There could only be one reason: Trans-core.

They found out the truth some time later, about how Trans-core sacrificing his body to Maelstrom's abuse for them. The other Grade 3s confronted him one day, and his reply only served to break their hearts even more, "I'm fine as long as he doesn't lay a hand on all of you as he promised. I can't let him destroy the home he spent so much effort to build just because he changed."

With that said, Trans-core returned to Maelstrom's side, being the loyal warrior to his lord. At night, Trans-core slowly breaks under the painful torture and mating bestowed by Maelstrom. His heart shed tears of blood at the crazed look in Maelstrom's eyes. Still, he kept his silence.

Who are you…?


Ok, Maelstrom's an asshole, but it has to be what it has to be. Hold onto your complains first and read the next, THEN tell me what you think :P -

-Soranryu