War had been declared between Yama Junpei and The House of Takaba decades earlier. Many battles had been fought, won and lost since then. A great loss had been dealt to the residents of the Mystic Realm, though none so grate as that of the murder of their beloved Queen. Word of her demise was spread throughout the Mystic Realm. The knowledge bringing creatures who had hidden away in fear, too weak to really fight, out out. Creatures long thought extinct turned up in droves to plead allegiance and loyalty to the new King. Takaba Akihito.

Even with the new alliances formed with these long believed extinct creatures, the Mystic Realm's forces were not great enough to truly appose Yama Junpei and his army. Humans who sought sanctuary in the Realm were executed publicly by Yama's soldiers. Those fortune enough to reach the safety of the Realm, did not do so easily. Many were so severely injured that they did not survive for long once crossing the borders. Others lost limbs or were left permanently scarred. Still, others loss loved ones to Yama's forces. Not even the youngest of children were spared punishment... and execution.

This left Akihito and his loyal advisers in a conundrum. They needed to stop Lord Yama Junpei and his followers, yet they had not the force to do so. Nor could they haul up in the Mystic Realm and increase their population. Yama's threat was too great and everyone was quite aware of the Lord's ability to get inside the Mystic Realm despite his evil intentions towards its residents and the Royal Family.

So how to stop a force greater than their own? The solution turned out to be rather quite simple. Stop it before it could truly take form.

~ Asami ❤ Akihito ~

The sun was setting into the water as the ships made their way across the sea. Unaware of the dangers lurking below in the depths of the darkening sea. Wizened sailors whispered stories of the evil mere-folk who lived there. No one took them seriously of course. There were no such nothing's as mermaids and mermen. Everyone knew that.

Soldiers sang and danced, drinking themselves into unconsciousness. All in the hope of staving off the pre battle nerves creeping upon them. Below them, the currents of the sea rippled with movement. A soft song, a prayer for lives that were about to be lost. Both ally and enemy alike. The sun sank beneath the sea and with it, the dark waters rose.

The men aboard the ships screamed in terror as thousands of feet high waves rose above them. The waves crashed down, drowning the ships and dragging the soldiers and sailors into the same. The men fought to swim upwards, freeing themselves of the killing water. Only to be slammed by strong bodies and be dragged down into darkness. The last thing any of them saw, was the beautifully deadly mere-folk. Lead by Nari Takato, Admiral of the Mystic Seas.

~ Asami/Akihito ~

When Lord Yama Junpei learned of German army's destruction, he laughed. He was amused by his enemies' attempt to fight back against him. The two thousand soldiers who were lost to him, meant nothing to him. They were not his men anyways. His German ally could just him more anyways.

In the Mystic Realm, a service was held for the deceased soldiers. Yes they had been enemies, but that did not mean their lives meant any less than the mere-folk who had ambushed them. And in truth, they were seen as innocents tricked by an evil man. No joy was taken in their deaths. As for the mere-folk, they were given a great feast in honor of their bravery. While none had died that night, that did not mean they could not have. Nor did it mean that their lives were still not at risk. The war was still raging after all.

~ Asami & Akihito ~

The next phase of action was to stop the French army making its way to Japan and Lord Yama Junpei. Mystic Realm spies reported that the army would be traveling by air.

An inventor named Harold Noglass was employed by Lord Yama to create new machines to wage war with. One of those inventions were giant metal birds that could defy the nature of human limitations. Allowing humans to fly.

It was Mutai Kou and his fellow Fae, that were charged with the task of diverting the French army.

Flying from the relative safety of the Mystic Realm beneath the cover of darkness. Kou led his tiny army toward the human land known as France. They were nearly a third way there when the came face to fave with the giant metal bird contraptions. They were an odd sight to behold, however, the Fae did not stop to ponder the contraptions.

Upon seeing winged humanoid creatures in the sky, the French soldiers were shocked. Fear slithered down their spines. Without warning, the soldiers open fire onto the strange creatures. Cries could be heard as the winged creatures were struck down. Their bodies falling onto land and into water below.

The Fae fought valiantly, but it was to no avail. The metal birds were able to deflect any magic tossed their way. The Fae took up their physical weapons and launched a renewed attack. Only to discover that their weapons were just as useless as their magic. It was with a heavy heart, that Kou called for the Fae to retreat back into the Mystic Realm.

Lord Yama was beside himself with amusement when he learned of the Fae's defeat and subsequent retreat. His new war birds were a delight and his new favorite toy.