Allen: Retsu Taimukipa, founder of the Dimensional Protection Unit and the creator of the Aelitatrix, or as I like to call her, Trixie. One of the true mysteries of the entire multiverse, Retsu is. Why would a person like her create the Aelitatrix? What was the true reason for finding the Dimensional Protection Unit? How is it, after decades of years, is it that she is still roaming the streets of an ancient futuristic supercity, one that was rumored to have been destroyed by the Dimensional Rift so many ages ago? We find out now…
"Retsu-san! Time to wake up!", a woman yelled from below. Retsu sat up in her bed and rubbed her eyes. She peeled back the covers off her bed and stepped to the window. She opened the blinds and stepped out to the balcony, looking out at Amaria. She smiled softly and said, "Another beautiful day."
A knock at her door was heard. She turned to see a maid walk in with an outfit for her. "Today's the day, Ms. Retsu. Today, you join the ranks of one of the higher Celestians.", the maid said. She placed down a purple shirt, red leggings, brown boots, a white cloak, and black skintight pants on her bed. "Your mother insists that you wear these when you visit the Monarchs of the Veil today, Retsu-san.", the woman said.
"Thank you, Janine. You may go now.", Retsu said, letting the woman leave. Retsu closed the blinds to her room and got dressed, putting on each piece of clothing on carefully. She then walked out of her room and downstairs to the front door, stepping out of her home. She walked down the street and waved at each of her neighbors. "Good morning, Ms. Retsu.", said one person. "Good morning.", she replied.
"Oi, Retsu!~ Where are you off to in such a hurry?", a voice rang out above her. She looked up to see her fellow Kusemurai friends. "Ah, Kitsuke. Can't you see that I am a bit busy as of now? Why don't you do me a favor and leave me alone?", Retsu said walking right past the raccoon. The boy chuckled and hopped down from the wall he was sitting on, keeping up a good pace with Retsu. "I take it that you are heading towards the High Celestial Judgess?"
"And what if I am?", Retsu said. "Well, I'd just thought you'd like to know your opponent.", Kitsuke said. Retsu stopped and looked at the raccoon, staring at the battle scars he had. "You?", she said softly. "The one and only! I, Kitsuke Kusemurai, have also been chosen to be one of the few Kusemurai clan to be a protector of the Sacred Veil!", Kitsuke replied.
Retsu looked at Kitsuke and smirked slightly. "All those times we used to spar together, yet you still have it in your mind that you can beat me, Kitsuke. You haven't changed one bit.", Retsu said. Kitsuke smiled and said, "Shall we get to it, Retsu? We are gonna be late."
Retsu chuckled and said, "You are gonna be late, since I am already HALFWAY THERE!" She punched the air in front of her and a rift through time and space appeared. She stepped through it and ran down the path to the hidden temple within the Dimensional Rift. She stood in front of the building as Kitsuke finally caught up, staring up at the top of the building. He shivered as he saw the Judges staring back down at them. "Geez, I always get nervous when I come around here. All they are doing is staring…", Kitsuke said.
"Get a grip, Kitsuke.", Retsu said. "Retsu Taimukipa! Kitsuke Kusemurai! You two have been summoned for battle to determine which of you are ready to take on the honor of being a protector of the Sacred Veil! Do you two deny this fact?!", said one of the Head Judges.
"SIR, NO SIR!", Kitsuke said nervously. Retsu sighed and said, "No sir." All the Judges raised their hands as a bright light surrounded the entire area. "In that case, both of you to each side of the barrier, and come out fighting!", the Head Judges said.
Retsu and Kitsuke nodded, then lunged towards each side of the barrier. Kitsuke made a few hand gestures and a white light surrounded him. He thrusted his arm out as an energy blast was shot towards Retsu. Retsu made some gestures as well, and a rip in space swallowed the attack with ease. "Too weak." Retsu said, redirecting the blast right back at Kitsuke's head.
Kitsuke dodged the blast at the last minute, then pulled out a knife that was attached to his ankle. He lunged toward the young teenager, with a look that said he wasn't gonna give up. Retsu deflected it with her sword, keeping hold of the raccoon in place. She reached up and punched him scare in the face, knocking him back a few steps. She looked over to the Judges, noticing that they were mumbling amongst themselves. She knew the fight was almost over, so she needed to end it right away. "Kitsuke.", she said, looking at him with a serious look.
He smirked and said, "One final attack, huh? I guess I can manage that. I'm not gonna hold back on you, Taimukipa!" Retsu softly said, "Very well. Let's go."
Kitsuke growled slightly as a dark aura surrounded him. With a sharp yell, he fired a dark pulse of energy at Retsu, large enough to consume the female. Her red eyes glowed slightly as she raised her sword. "Space Shredder!", Retsu yelled, slamming her sword in the ground. In an instant, the dark pulse started ripping apart as if it was paper. A large wind blew back at Kitsuke, ripping away at his clothes. He yelled as cuts appeared on his body, falling to the ground unconscious.
"ENOUGH!", said the Head Judge. With a loud snap of his fingers, Kitsuke rose to his feet. A yellow glow surrounded him as his wounds were rehealed. He shook his head slightly and said, "Wow. That was some attack, Retsu. Y-You've gotten better with controlling space."
Retsu smirked and said, "I've been practicing." Retsu heard the Head Judge clear his throat and say, "You both fought with honor, yet only one of you are worthy to be a Riftbearer. Retsu Taimukipa, your skills were flawless. You are obviously the most trained out of the both of you."
"Thank you, sir. It is an honor to…", Retsu said, getting cut off by a loud "HOWEVER!" She looked at the Judge with a confused look when that was said. "I'm afraid it is not enough to hide the fact you were afraid."
"A-Afraid!?", Retsu exclaimed.
"Yes. In battle, you would not let your opponent get the chance to attack first. If they did, they would be able to get around any attack you throw at them, and still get away with killing you. Your actions proved you were afraid, despite how you put on a face of bravery.", the Head Judge said.
"Y-Yes sir….", Retsu said with a defeated tone. "Kitsuke Kusemurai.", the Judge said.
"Your Honor?", Kitsuke said with a cocky tone. "Your actions were brash, you didn't have any strategy whatsoever in going into this battle, and you relied more on your own tactics and abilities over the control of the dark forces. What do you have to say about this?"
Kitsuke crossed his arms and said, "Quite honestly, nothing. When I woke up this morning, I told myself one thing: I didn't train. I didn't study. I didn't do anything to get to know anything about my opponent. That is why I would come here and do everything I can to become the next Riftbearer, NO MATTER WHAT!"
The Head Judge looked over to the Judge next to him and said, "Judge Tanaka. Would you care for the honors?"
"Yes, Judge Heitsan.", Tanaka said. She stood up and pulled back her hood, Retsu looked directly in the face of Tanaka Taimukipa: her mother. "Kitsuke, even though you foolishly went into battle, your determination and confidence kept you going, even if you lost. Those are the two most important things a warrior can have in life. It is with great honor that I, along with the other members of the High Celestial Judges, can officially call you the next Riftbearer, the new Protector of the Veil. Good job."
"Thank you, Lady Judge!", Kitsuke said, seeing the Sacred Seal appear on his left hand, showing that he was chosen. He looked over to Retsu and said, "Well, looks like I'll be heading out into the Rift, Retsu."
Retsu looked over to him and said, "Yeah. Yeah it does."
"Now, return to your home, Kitsuke. We would like a few words with Lady Taimukipa.", Judge Heitsan said. Kitsuke bowed, and with a puff of smoke, he disappeared. "Retsu.", Tanaka said.
"Y-Yes, Mother? I-I mean….Yes, ma'am?", Retsu said.
"Even if you have failed to become a Riftbearer, you have shown great progress. More than enough to prove that you are able to travel amongst the Rift with other Riftbearers. I hereby appoint you to Ghost's team to help with certain jobs among the Rift, from being life to new worlds and closing off dead ones. Are you up to the challenge?"
"Yes, ma'am! Only one question though.", Retsu stated. "Speak up then.", Tanaka said.
"Why does it have to be Big Brother Ghost's team!? He seriously freaks me out!", Retsu said. Tanaka laughed and said, "Silly kid. Now go on. He's about to leave right now." Retsu nodded and slashed an area in front of her, opening a rip to where her brother was, leaving the Celestial Judges behind.
"Be safe..", Tanaka said softly.
Allen: So far, things seem to be going well for Retsu. Even if she wasn't a Protector of the Veil, she still was able to work amongst the best of them all: her big brother, Ghost Taimukipa. Who is Ghost, you may ask? Well…let's just let Retsu answer that one for you….
"Hurry up, men! We've only got a few more minutes before we leave!", Ghost said out loudly over the crowd of Riftbearers. He sighed softly and said, "How did I get stuck leading over these pitiful fools? They are most certainly not worth my time…."
"Sounds like you are having a bad day, big bro.", Retsu said, standing right next to her brother. Ghost looked at her with a smirk and said, "Those are the breaks of us Riftbearers. We gotta do what we do to keep this place up and running."
'Ghost Taimukipa….a name known by ever Taimukipa and Kusemurai family member within Amaria. He is the strongest out of all the Riftbearers, and also the most mysterious. He's been that way since he was born. According to Mother, Ghost was born without a body of his own, which makes his ability so special: he can perfectly copy the body or soul of the living or the dead and use that body as his own. Even now, I know he is using someone else's body….', Retsu thought to herself, looking at her brother with an eyepatch over his left eye. "So, Ghost. Who are you supposed to be right now?", she asked.
"Oh, you mean the new body? It belongs to a person not even born yet. His name is Kamina. Pretty cool looking, huh?", Ghost said.
"It's something alright. So, where are we supposed to be heading today?", Retsu asked. Ghost looked at the entrance to the Dimensional Rift and said, "We are heading to this already dying planet. It is supposedly inhabited with creatures that have the ability to shapeshift into weapons. We are to collect each one and send them to the Seiretei as soon as possible."
"The Seiretei? You mean the place Mother took us to a few months ago, yes?", Retsu said. "That's the one. We are to relocate these beings there for safety.", Ghost replied.
"Got'cha.", Retsu said. Ghost spoke up and said, "Listen up! We make our quest now! Next stop: the home of the Zanpakto Spirits!" His army yelled as they charged into the Rift, Retsu and Ghost following behind them.
Allen: So, after what seemed to be a 4-day trip, Retsu was able to get better acquainted with her brother and the rest of his army. Was it a shock for Retsu to realize that Kitsuke was also there with her! One more day had passed, and….
"Boring! When are we gonna stop seeing this blue warp!?", Kitsuke said out loud.
"Kitsuke, manners! We are inside the Dimensional Rift! This place deserves respect!", Retsu said, nudging him in the arm. "What this place DESERVES is a moving sidewalk! This is taking too long!", Kitsuke said rudely.
"Easy, kids. We're here.", Ghost said. He placed a hand on a wall, it glowed a red hue which was quite abnormal for the rest of the Rift. "What we have here, everyone, is a universe on the brink of destruction. Our mission is to take each Zanpakto spirit we can find out of this world and return them to the Seiretei! We must also gather any information on this world as quickly as possible! Do I make myself clear?!"
"Crystal clear, Ghost sir!", the army said. Ghost smiled as he pulled out a scythe from a warp in front of him. "Very well then. Let us enter.", he said, slashing an opening at the red wall. Retsu and Kitsuke peeked inside the rip, and gasped at the sight. They had entered a forest, trees as far as the eye could see. But, something was off about this forest.
"Oh my, all the trees are black! Same with the ground too!", Kitsuke said, walking out onto the ground. "Good foresight, Kitsuke. These are tell-tale signs of this world giving up on life. Everything around us is dying at an exceptionally fast pace. Can anyone else name a sign that this world is dying?", Ghost asked.
Retsu walked up and looked around, rubbing what looked like the remains of a rock. "This rock is wet. Acid rain?", she said, looking at her hands that were coated black. "Exactly, Retsu. EXACTLY. Acid rain, but the rain's acidity level here is quite high. Even one drop could melt a man in a second. So, no living land, no trees that gives off fresh air or fruit, and the rain contaminating each and every other water source on this planet. No possible way of survival.", Ghost said. He then turned his attention to the other members of the army. "The Zanpakto live in a village not far from here! The chief, Ryujin Jakka, is expecting us! So, I want half of you to go evacuate the natives from the village to the Rift. While the other half accompany me to the other side of the lake! There is a cavern there where the chief has said all the information of this world is located. Move out!"
"Yes sir!", said one half of the army. Retsu and Kitsuke started to walk away until Ghost said, "You two stick with my half of the army. We're gonna gather the sacred texts this village keeps in that cave."
"Alright.", Kitsuke said, walking towards the lake. Retsu shrugged her shoulders and followed.
For a while, all that was heard was the crunching of dead leaves underneath the feet of Ghost's troupe. It was once they arrived at the cavern, Kitsuke spoke out. "So, Ghost. What is it like? Being a Riftbearer of your strength? I bet it is super cool!", he asked. Ghost chuckled and said, "Actually, it's rather boring. There hasn't really been a reason to protect the Sacred Veil in years, and let me be honest: all the worlds the Rift is connected to have yet to be born. We're the only beings like us who exist in the multiverse."
"Really? There is no other people out there but us?", Kitsuke remarked. "Nope. ….But just think. What would happen if the Veil was in danger? What would happen if Amaria fell? Would the Dimensional Rift really warp and destroy everything like the High Celestial Judges say?", Ghost said with a soft tone.
"Ghost, you know that even our Judges don't make the rules of everything in the multiverse. We still follow the words of the Lord.", Retsu stated. Ghost smirked and said, "You mean Erina? That woman never does anything but look down on us like ants. Honestly, someone should take her job!"
Retsu stopped and said, "If that is a joke, it is a bad one, Ghost! Lord Erina can wipe all of Amaria off the face of the planet, INCLUDING YOU." Ghost laughed and said, "Easy, Retsu. You know I was joking. Anyway, we've found where the Zanpakto store their information. Everything here must be documented and returned to Amaria right away."
"Sir, yes sir!", said the troupe, each of the members grabbing everything in sight, from scrolls to leather bound books. Ghost looked around, and out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a black book bound in even blacker metal. He picked it up and said, "What is this…. "Celestial Memory"? Weird title for a book, if I say so myself."
"Celestial Memory? I've heard of that name before…..if only I could remember…..", Retsu said, eyeing the book as well. Ghost looked the entire book over and said, "This thing has a trick lock on it. I wonder why it is locked in the first place?"
"Open it! Maybe there is something good in it!", Kitsuke exclaimed, coming back into the room. Ghost started to reach for the lock, only to hear a loud yell from the entrance of the cavern. "DON'T OPEN THAT BOOK!", the voice said. Ghost dropped the book when an elderly man with flaming red hair walked in. "Chief Ryujin Jakka. What's the problem?", Ghost asked.
The chief of the Zanpakto spirits bent over and picked up the book, handing it back to Ghost and said, "This book was entrusted to me by our own God, Lord Erina herself. This book contains knowledge, knowledge that only she has the right to know. Everything in the multiverse, from the moment Amaria came to existence to the creation of the Dimensional Rift, to the birth of every being and world within the multiverse…..EVERYTHING IS IN THIS BOOK."
"This is God's holy book!?", Kitsuke said, eyeing the book again. "Doesn't look so holy to me. It's bound in a black chain, in black leather with a black lock. How is this thing HOLY?", Ghost asked. "Believe you me, this is indeed God's only prized possession. And since the beings closest to her are here, I trust you Celestians to take great care of this book. Most importantly, NEVER OPEN IT.", the chief replied.
Kitsuke raised an eyebrow and said, "Why? What's so bad about opening this book?" The chief closed his eyes and furrowed his brow as if he was deep in thought. He then said, "God's book is sacred. Only she has the right to view the secrets within it. Even if one person opens it besides her, the results will be…..disastrous. Viewing the insides of that book is a crime amongst crimes. A person could easily become God if they looked inside this book…..which is truly forbidden."
"Become God?", Ghost said, his grip tightening on the book. "Yes.", the Chief replied.
"Don't worry, sir. In Amaria, everyone follows a sacred law: never try to exceed God. Doing that would shatter the trust us Taimukipas and Kusemurais have in each other. You can count on me to turn this book over to the High Judges once we return to Amaria.", Ghost said, his attention was still directed on the book. Kitsuke saw his gaze on the book and he got worried, but he shook off that thought. Kitsuke then returned to gathering all the things from the cavern without a second thought on Ghost or the book. He didn't even notice that Ghost tucked it away in his cloak.
Retsu then walked up to her brother and said, "Everyone has been transported successfully to their new home. We are almost ready to take everything else to Amaria as well." Ghost nodded, then looked over to another troupe member and said, "You there, take Chief Ryujin Jakka to the Seiretei at once. We'll finish up here and meet back in Amaria."
"Yes, sir!", said the young Celestian, walking over to the Chief, and with a touch of his hand, they both disappeared instantly. Ghost sat down on a chair and had a look on his face as if he was deep in thought. His eye kept darting back to the bulge in his clock that was the Celestial Memory. 'Become God…..all knowledge of everything is within this book….maybe, just maybe…..it has the information I seek…', Ghost thought. His eye narrowed as he thought, 'I must find out. No matter what the consequence may be…'
A few more hours had passed in the Zanpakto world before everything and everyone was ready to leave. With a slice of his scythe, Ghost reopened the Dimensional Rift and watched everyone go in with all the information of this world…
"Well, let's get going, Ghost.", Kitsuke said, seeing Retsu walk up beside him. Ghost looked at the two and said, "I'm not going with you guys. I'm taking another route to deliver the Celestial Memory to the High Judges. Take this path to take this world's information to the storerooms. I'll seal off this place, and then take another path for my job."
"Oh, ok. See you when you get back home, Ghost.", Retsu said. She looked at Kitsuke and then, "Let's get going." "Right behind you!", Kitsuke said, both him and Retsu entering the Rift quickly. Kitsuke looked back and saw Ghost seal the world off, but then he saw the most disturbing image possible: a grin. A very cold and dark grin was upon Ghost's face. Immediately, he tried to think why he would be grinning like that. "Hmm…maybe I am just overthinking it.", Kitsuke said, still running beside Retsu down the Rift, his sight on Ghost getting smaller and smaller before he wasn't even visible anymore.
"….Hahaha….fools. All that information and relics fail in comparison to this: the Celestial Memory. With it, I will become the God that Erina has failed at!", Ghost said, staring at the black book in his hand. "First things first, I should go to a place where I can do some….reading.", he said softly, ripping an entrance to an empty room deep underneath Amaria's streets, and closed the entrance off behind him.
Once we returned home, Kitsuke and Retsu went to a nearby shop for a snack. As they ate, Kitsuke had a look on his face as if he was thinking rather hard on something….
"Kitsuke, is something on your mind? You seem completely out of it.", Retsu asked, nibbling a sandwich. Kitsuke grunted as his attention turned back to me. "Huh? What? Did you just say something, Retsu?", he replied, opening the water bottle he had. "Alright, what's going on? Ever since we left Ghost behind, you had this look on your face, as if you were worried on something.", Retsu stated.
Kitsuke sighed and said, "It's the Celestial Memory. I'm just really worried about it. What if someone opened it? What would happen?" Retsu muttered and said, "That is a freaky thought to have, but I'd guess all the secrets of the multiverse would be right at the reader's fingers. They would know everything that shouldn't be known, see things that should be unseen, and have the power to do things that are undoable. Of course, Ghost is taking it to the High Judges, so everything should be fine."
"I hope so.", Kitsuke said, standing to his feet and stretching slightly. "Well, think I should go check up on the High Judges anyway. Being a Riftbearer won't be easy, so I gotta start somewhere.", he continued, tossing his empty water bottle away in a nearby trashcan. "Alright then, you take care of yourself.", Retsu said, snapping her fingers as her journal appeared in front of her, returning to her usual routine of writing and mechanical design planning. Kitsuke disappeared in a puff of black aura, reappearing at the mansion where all the Head Judges lived and had their meetings. He breathed heavily as he pushed the tall door open for him to walk inside. He thought silently to himself as he walked down the hallways, hoping that he would be assigned to a new mission.
He finally reached a pair of oak doors with the city emblem emblazoned proudly on them. He knocked on the door and said, "Permission to enter!" He stood there silently, waiting for a reply. Kitsuke tapped his foot impatiently, knocking on the door again, not getting a reply again. Kitsuke gulped slightly as he turned the handle to the door, pushing the door open slightly. "Hello? Anyone in here?", he asked. A slight smell entered my nose, and a look of fear quickly crept on his face. 'Blood!?', he thought, opening the door wide to see most of the High Judges completely slaughtered, blood all over the place. "What in the name of Amaria happened here?!", he exclaimed, jumping slightly as a scythe was thrown at him, barely missing his head and lodging itself in the door.
"All of them knew…..ALL OF THEM KNEW!", a crazed voice exclaimed. Kitsuke's eyes widened when he saw Ghost holding Retsu's mother by her hair, she whimpered softly from the pain. "Ghost….why?", Kitsuke asked. Ghost sneered at Kitsuke and said, "The Celestial Memory is indeed a gift from Lord Erina herself. Have you ever wondered why I have to look like people who are either living or dead, Kitsuke? HAVE YOU?!"
Kitsuke kept completely silent, his eyes still full of the fear and anger that was running through him at that moment. Ghost chuckled and said, "Well, I will tell you. According to the Celestial Memory, I was NEVER born. My body died in this woman's womb, while my living spirit was able to escape before Erina could take me from this world!" He tossed Tanaka down to the floor, placing a foot on her head. He slightly pressed down as an unearthly scream escaped from her lips, her eyes was already shedding tears mixed with blood. Ghost raised a hand as the scythe he threw at Kitsuke reappeared in his hand, an evil smirk appeared on his face. "I exist, yet can't exist. What kind of life is that?", he said. He then frowned at Kitsuke and said, "You look like you are about to warn everyone what has happened here. Too bad you won't be able to.
"And what makes you think that?", Kitsuke replied. Ghost laughed and replied with a cold tone: "Because I will have killed you before you can reach anyone." With a quick swipe of his scythe, the entire room was cut in half, the building falling apart all around the raccoon and the Celestian. "Ghost, stop this! You have desecrated the Sacred Courthouse in more ways than one! As one of the Riftbearers, I cannot allow you to get away with that!", Kitsuke remarked.
Ghost chuckled and said, "Just try it, kid." Quickly removing the knife that was strapped to his right leg, Kitsuke charged towards Ghost quickly. With a loud clang of their weapons connecting, the entire area turned black as night, and the darkness continued to stretch across the sky rapidly. Meanwhile, on the other side of Amaria, Retsu was minding her own business reading a book in the park. She took glances and smiled at all her fellow Celestians as they enjoyed their daily lives. She was just about to flip a page as she heard a loud scream. She looked over quickly towards the scream and saw one of her own family members look towards the home of the High Judges. Her eyes shrank in horror as she noticed that the entire area was surrounded in a dark cloud, the mansion no longer standing.
'What? What the hell just happened?!', Retsu thought to herself, hearing a loud siren blaring throughout the entire city. "Attention! Attention, all citizens of Amaria! A large power spike has been detected at Judgement's Cliff! So far, I have no news of the High Judges, but I am sending the Riftbearers in to check things out right now.", a voice rang out above the clouds. Retsu watched as one-third of the Riftbearers headed towards the delapidated building. She was just about to take a sigh of relief, but the sounds of bloodcurdling screams were heard. The voice gasped and said, "I...I don't believe it..."
"Lady Erina, what's the problem?! What's going on up there?! What happened!?", said one of the Kusemurais amongst the crowd. Lady Erina, the Goddess of the Universe, replied with just this: "They're dead. All the Riftbearers...they're all dead!"
Retsu's eyes widened even more and said, "What about the High Judges?!" She was just about to say more, before the visual image of their Goddess completely covered the entire sky. "They are dead. They perished by the hands, and I am sorry to inform you of all of this...they perished by the hands of Ghost Taimukipa! He has broken the sacred law of this land, and read the Celestial Memory!"
All the beings of Amaria, Kusemurai and Taimukipa alike, was froze in fear when those words were uttered. It was the number one rule of Amaria that no member of either clan was allowed to try and read God's holy book, and Ghost deliberately broke this law. One voice rang out and said, "I knew it! I knew the Taimukipa clan was up to no good when Ghost was born!" Retsu's eyes darted over to the source of the voice, seeing it was one of the Kusemurai family members. She was about to say something when she heard of a trigger of a gun being pulled. She say that it was her youngest sister Angela holding the gun. "What is that supposed to mean, Blake?! Us Taimukipas are as true to the law as the Kusemurai clan could ever be!", Angela said.
"Angela, put that down!", Retsu said, only to get smacked across the face by Angela's pistol. "Shut up, Retsu! I will not stand here and allow our family name to be rudely disgraced like that!", Angela said, keeping the gun aimed at Blake. Blake chuckled and said, "Look, everyone. Living proof that none of the Taimukipas could ever be trusted. When one rebels, the others follow suit." A loud gunshot was heard, and with a thump of the ground, Blake fell to the ground with a gunshot wound to the head. Angela breathed heavily as the smoke escaped her pistol, but she immediately regained her composure and dropped her gun. Retsu looked at Angela and said, "What...what have you done?"
Angela was silent, staring at her hand at what she just done. "She killed him. She killed him in cold blood! YOU MURDERER!", said another Kusemurai member. "That is like declaring war against us! You'll regret doing that!", another said, a bunch of electric sparks coming from his hands. Back and forth, both families bickered, Retsu and Erina tried to stop the quarrel, but to no avail. What was done is done, and the two families ripped apart from each other. "Retsu, run! Just go, now! None of them are listening, and I can't stop them when they are like this!", Erina said, the entire sky turning blacker and blacker from the fight between Ghost and Kitsuke.
"But I can't! My family, my friends, I have to do something!", Retsu replied. A bright light enveloped her and she vanished from her place, reappearing in a building that wasn't destroyed by Ghost and Kitsuke's fight: her own home. "W-what? Why am I here?", she said to herself. That's when she heard a voice say: "Because I brought you here, my sweet child." Retsu looked behind her and saw Erina, the Creator of the Multiverse was sitting down right on the stairs looking directly at her. Retsu bowed slightly, and Erina chuckled and said, "Do not bow before me, child. It's only a matter of time before Amaria ceases to exist as what it is."
Retsu stood up straight and asked, "Your Holiness, I must ask: what is gonna happen to my family and friends? What's gonna happen to Amaria?" Erina sighed as she shook her head slightly. "Ghost has opened the Celestial Memory, learned of why he is what he is, and started a war among the Taimukipa family and the Kusemurai clan. Blood has spilled on a sacred land where it should have never spilled. I'm afraid...I'll have to restart everything from scratch. Amaria will cease to exist as it is."
Retsu lowered her head and sighed. "So, this is it, huh? Everything ceases to exist as it is...", she said softly. Erina nodded and said, "I'm sorry, but that is all I can do. Unless...hmm...are you little Retsu? The last born of the Taimukipa family?" Retsu looked up and said, "Yes, that's me." Erina chuckled and stood to her feet and said, "Then we may have a chance. A small one, but a chance nonetheless. Mind you, this could not only kill everyone here, but yourself in the process."
"I'll take it! Anything to help!", Retsu said. Erina's eyes glowed slightly, a bright light enveloping around her. Within her hands, the body of a bunnygirl no older than 13 was stretched out in front of her. "Her name is Mina. She is a Zanpakto spirit, one of the few that didn't make it to the Seiretei safely. Her special ability is to rip through the very fabric of time and space itself.", Erina said, placing her in Retsu's arms. Retsu raised an eyebrow and said, "Ok, but what does that have to do with me?"
"This is a very difficult thing to ask of you, Retsu.", Erina said. Her eyes turned pitch white as she rose from the floor slowly. "This war will last for 10 days. On the tenth day, Kitsuke Kusemurai will lose his life to the hands of Ghost Taimukipa, and the Celestian race will cease to exist. You must train during these ten days and rescue the last surviving Kusemurai child. After that, you must use the Supesurippa Wave and seal Ghost within the farthest reaches of the Dimensional Rift. Once that is done, I will seal Amaria off for the next 13 billion years. Only when the time is right will Amaria return to it's former glory! Ten days! That's all you have!", Erina proclaimed. And with that, she disappeared in a bright light, never to be seen again.
'Ten days...I've only got ten days...after that, Amaria will be no more.', Retsu thought to herself. She felt the young bunnygirl nuzzle into her stomach as she slept soundly. She kept her close and thought, 'I better be prepared for the worst.'
So, for the next five days, Retsu stayed within her home. With what magic she had, she kept a barrier around her home to stay undetected. While training with Mina, the two gained a bond quite rapidly. She learned that Mina could only communicate with her through her mind, since she couldn't talk. It made things a lot easier for Retsu, since she was at a loss of words herself during the next few days. On the 7th day, however, her training was complete with Mina. There was nothing more she could do...except for one thing...
'3 more days, Mina. 3 more days until time is up. I should be afraid...yet I am quite calm.', Retsu thought, writing in her diary. The pages were quite worn with how vigorously she has written within it. 'It's the calm before the storm, big sister. You know that you can't show any fear, or you'll die before the end comes.', Mina replied, chomping a carrot for her breakfast. Retsu closed her diary and replied, 'You're right. I cannot be afraid. Not now.' Retsu stepped over to her window that looked out towards Judgement's Cliff. She could still see small lights within the dark cloud surrounding it, showing that Kitsuke and Ghost were still going at it. 'Lady Erina said that Kitsuke was gonna die...I wish there was someway I could help him as well...but like she said, I gotta worry about the remaining Kusemurai child. But where is he? I can't sense him.', she continued.
'Perhaps you are trying to hard, sis? Try relaxing. Let your mind wander across all of Amaria. You can find him, I know you can.', Mina thought into Retsu's head, walking over to her and standing right beside her. Retsu sighed deeply and closed her eyes, trying to feel out even the smallest source of life outside her home. She could feel Ghost and Kitsuke fighting each other, Kitsuke's life slowly leaving his body, and each dying soul that are leaving the city. It was tough to feel all that pain, but finally, she could hear the yell of a young child crying for his mother. 'Found him!', Retsu thought, taking hold of Mina's arm and feeling her shapeshift in her hand to a black and purple scythe. She quickly disappeared from her home, slashing at each person that tried to get in her way. She finally arrived at a destroyed home that formely belonged to Kitsuke's family. Retsu looked around, seeing everything valuable to Kitsuke and his family scattered all over the floor, bloodstains coating the walls and the doors, strands of fur mixed in with the bloodstains. She heard a small whimper and walked over to a corner and saw a little young boy cuddling a blanket, wearing a gold medallion with the Kusemurai crest upon on it.
Retsu dropped to one knee and said softly, "What is your name, child?" The boy sniffled and looked at Retsu and said, "Zacharai. Zacharai Kusemurai." Retsu placed a gentle hand on the boy's head and said, "I've been sent here by Lady Erina. You'll be the one to start a brand new era of the Kusemurai clan, young child." Zacharai tilted his head with a confused look at what Retsu said. She chuckled slightly and said, "For now, just sleep, little one. When you wake up, this will all be a bad memory." She closed the boy's eyelids, and with a bright flash of light, he disappeared into the Dimensional Rift for parts unknown. Retsu closed her eyes and said, "I know what I need to do now. Amaria by itself is not gonna help anyone. It needs a hero. It needs a place that will help the weak and make things right everywhere. It needs...a fighting unit. The Dimensional Protection Unit is what it shall be called." She disappeared and reappeared back home, placing her scythe down and walked over to her bookshelf. Mina returned back to her bunnygirl form and saw Retsu pacing the floor, gathering a bunch of stuff scattered around in her room. 'Retsu, what are you doing?', she asked.
'I'm making a device that'll allow a person to travel between the boundaries of time, space, and reality. The Dimensional Protection Unit will depend on this device, for the bearer will be their strongest ally. I shall call it...hmmm...', Retsu said, stopping when it came down to the name. A single thought out of nowhere flashed through her head as a name appeared, a single word that would be known across the cosmos of the multiverse: 'Aelitatrix. I shall call it the Aelitatrix.'
'Aelitatrix...sounds good.', Mina said, looking out the window again.
For the next few days, Retsu worked day and night on the Aelitatrix, using pieces of leftover technology she could salvage from nearby homes. Then...on the final day...
'Big sister, it's time.', Mina said, standing near the window. Retsu looked at her finished creation and said, 'And just in time. No matter what happens, I won't be coming home the same.' She tucked the device into her cloak and said, 'Let's go, Mina. We gotta end it in one strike. If we can't do that, it's all over.'
Mina nodded and turned back into a scythe, landing in Retsu's hand. Retsu slashed a spot in front of us, opening a gate in time and space in front of her. She picked up her diary and threw it quickly down the Dimensional Rift, knowing that it would appear once more in the distant future. She also stepped through the entrance, closing off her home in a separate part of the Rift. She walked slowly in the direct of Judgement's Cliff, feeling Ghost's energy level grow stronger and stronger around her. She exhaled deeply and ripped an entrance from the Rift, stepping out right on the outskirts of the battlefield. She grimaced when she saw all the blood spilled everywhere, seeing Ghost laughing maniacally as he stood over Kitsuke's body, his breathing heavy and slow.
"Give it up, Kusemurai! There is no chance in Purgatorio that you can ever beat me! You are better off dying by my hand!", Ghost said. Kitsuke wheezed, opening one of his eyes slightly and said, "Shut up. You are nothing but a traitor, Ghost...I will defeat you...I will..." He coughed up a huge amount of blood as he fell back onto his back, looking up at Ghost, the life slowly leaving his eyes. "If you were going to defeat, you would've done it. Face it, YOU LOST!", Ghost said. He spun his scythe above his head and quickly drove it down towards Kitsuke, aiming for a killing blow. Kitsuke closed his only open eye and waiting for death to welcome him, only to hear the loud clang of iron clashing with iron.
"YOU!", Ghost exclaimed. Kitsuke opened his eye again and it watered slightly when he saw who was above him. "Retsu...you're still...", he said slowly. "Alive? Hardly. I died the moment this entire fight began.", Retsu replied. She looked back at Kitsuke and said, "You look horrible, brat." Kitsuke sat up slightly and said, "You haven't changed a bit. You're gonna call a dying man a brat?" Retsu nodded and smirked. "Yup. At least I know this brat will die with honor and not by the hands of this traitorous bastard.", Retsu continued, looking at her older brother.
Ghost grinned maniacally and said, "You've gotten stronger, kid. But, you are not strong enough to defeat me. Why did you come out of your hiding place after all this time? You can't stop me, and you know it." Retsu lowered her head and said, "Even if I can't stop you, I won't let you get away with this. Lady Erina gave me one job and one job only: to stop you."
Ghost laughed and headbutted Retsu away from him and Kitsuke. "LADY Erina? That old hag can't even destroy me properly, and you expect me to believe that she has given you an order to stop me?!", he exclaimed. Retsu nodded and he laughed loudly. "Well then, prove it! Come at me with everything you got!", Ghost replied. With one step, she lunged towards Ghost, clashing against his scythe furiously. Ghost only laughed as Retsu continued attacking him, getting a few cuts on him. He only continued to brush them off, knocking Retsu off of him into the dirt. "Is that it?! Is that all your precious goddess could do for you?!", he exclaimed.
"No...she has given me all I need...", Retsu said, raising her scythe up as it glowed an eerie green. "She told me I had to be the one that ended this, and that I will start a new age, a new revolution, and start the regeneration of Amaria's former glory. Everything is in place, Ghost. Today is the last day you'll ever see! In the name of Amaria, you're through!", she stated.
Kitsuke coughed and opened his eye again, seeing how Retsu's weapon was charging up for something big. He gasped as he thought, 'No way, she couldn't be...can she actually do it? The Space Shredder Wave?!' Ghost growled as he saw what was going on. "You aren't foolish enough to try that, Retsu. That technique was never completed, and it is definitely impossible to control that attack!", he said with a deranged grin. He ran towards Retsu with the intent to kill when he heard her say, "Someone once told me this. For a while, I thought he was crazy for having such confidence, but I know he's right."
"What is this you speak of?!", Ghost said, getting closer and closer to Retsu. She looked directly at him and yelled, "If you want something to be possible, then it is! Supesurippa-HA!" With a downward swipe of her scythe, a giant pentagram appeared in front of her, and a gigantic rip in time and space opened up behind Ghost. A huge wind appeared, pulling and uprooting everything nearby, swallowing all the dead bodies and buildings into the void. Ghost ducked as a piece of metal flew right past him, cutting his right eye in the process. He yelled loudly as he covered his right eye, blood flowing from behind his eye. "YOU IDIOT! LOOK WHAT YOU HAVE DONE! You've doomed us all! That technique is unfinished! What good is beating me if you'll end up dying as well?!", Ghost yelled at Retsu.
Retsu smiled underneath her hood and said, "Don't you get it, Ghost? It being unfinished makes it perfect. It only needed someone to master it. I learned something about this move: the user will end up losing their soul, getting sealed along with the being that is being sealed into the Great Void. But, I thought ahead of that." She walked over to Kitsuke, who finally took his final breath, his soul leaving his own body as well. "What do you mean? Answer me!", Ghost exclaimed.
Retsu looked up at Ghost and smirked as she pulled the Aelitatrix from her cloak and it absorbed Kitsuke's soul into it. It powered up rapidly, stripping her of own soul as well, and it shot off in the other direction towards the pentagram she made. "The Aelitatrix is my soul's prison. With it, I will be safe from the Great Void's seal. But, at a cost: my soul will be split into six pieces and reborn into 6 people. The biggest part, alongside Kitsuke's soul will be reincarnated into the one chosen to wield this device. He will lead the entire multiverse and bring Amaria back from the ashes.", she grinned, Kitsuke's body vanishing from her arms.
"No! I won't let that happen!", Ghost said, turning into a gigantic specter. He reached a hand towards the Aelitatrix, only for a gigantic barrier to appear around it. He yelled as the force of the barrier pushed him towards the entrance to the Great Void, disappearing for his location. Retsu looked up in the air as chains flew out of the Great Void and attached to her arms and ankles. She smiled and said, "Lady Erina, it's done...I hope the Aelitatrix will find the one it is looking for...I look forward to the day I meet the brat." She stood up and was dragged into the Great Void, and with the sound of a door being closed, the rift closed and Amaria vanished from where it once stood.
Allen: With that, the Aelitatrix was sent off into the Dimensional Rift. It traveled far and wide, landing in 6 different places during it's 13.79 billion year trip. Some of you may be wondering, why did the Aelitatrix make those frequent stops? Well, it is said that the Aelitatrix landed in the areas of time where Retsu's soul and DNA connected to specific people. It's first landing was in Ancient Egypt. Next, it landed in France and Japan. Then it landed on two different planets, which soon became Planets Vegeta and Mobius. It finally landed on Planet Earth, where a woman by the name of Rebecca Hines recieved it. From that point on, the tale of the Aelitatrix Bearer begins, and Retsu's Awakening starts. This was the beginning of the the Aelitatrix Bearer's legend, but even a legend has a few doors between him and his destiny. The second door opened far in the distant past, back in Ancient Egypt 5000 years ago...
TO BE CONTINUED in Ch. 2: The Pharaoh's Brother...