Disclaimer: See initial chapter


"Tch. Figures you'd be here."

Frowning at the sour comment, Ky narrowed his eyes at the red-garbed bounty hunter. For as long as they had known each other, they had never gotten along, even when they were both in the Sacred Order. And when Sol left the Order with the Fuuenken, that really did it for Ky, who at the time, believed Sol had stolen it. But as time passed, that no longer was a factor. Whether Sol had stolen it or not, he was the only person on the planet who could utilize Fuuenken's full power.

But the man's attitude was just so...frustrating...

"Hey now, now. Let's save that for later." Axl replied, holding his hands up. He then smiled at the young officer. "Good to see ya, Kiske."

Ky nodded, the frown leaving his face. "The same to you, Axl. What brings you here?"

With a shrug, he thumbed Sol. "Probably the same thing that brought you and him here. And if anything of what I've heard is true, then 'he' could be here too."

"I see."

Ky knew exactly who he was talking about. He... That 'Man' had been at every scene of major gear activity. But he never openly revealed himself and when he was discovered, he would disappear, leaving behind messages, some of them cryptic.

Like the one he left Ky at their one and only meeting...


"Ky Kiske of the Sacred Order... Welcome. I was hoping to meet with you, even if for a short while."

"You're him, aren't you? The head of the Gear Project and creator of the gears."

"Yes. I am."

"Then I have no choice, but to take you in custody."

"I fear that is impossible, as I am currently serving my own sentence."

"W-what do you mean?"

"Gears were brought upon this earth to give something to mankind. What is is, I can no longer say. However, the end results were never my intent."

"Is that so? Nevertheless, I have to take you in. Please, come peacefully."

"I have long hoped that there could still be a chance, both for the gears and for mankind. Perhaps a way to atone for the sins I've committed. In either case, they are no longer children of man."

"No longer...children of man?"

"Our time has come to an end. But your true quarry lies elsewhere. In time, we'll see if I am to be judged by either man or God."

"All are judged by God's will."

"Heh, you sound like him, once upon a time ago. Maybe a little of me as well. Hopefully, you will not repeat my mistakes."

"Him?"

"I believe you call him Sol..."


Him…like Sol? That was something Ky couldn't even fathom to believe. They were such different people and they hated each other. Okay, perhaps hate was too strong a word. There was a bit of respect there and even though their attitudes clashed almost as much as their swords, that made Sol all the more a rival for Ky (Not that Sol would admit to that) Besides that, the other words of That Man also repeated themselves in Ky's mind.

-"...In either case, they are no longer children of man."-

Even now, Ky was unsure of those words, although now that he thought about it, it seemed to indicate something else. 'Perhaps children...of God?' That was a curious thought, but was it a true one? Even before entering the Sacred Order, Ky had seen the mass destruction done by the gears. It wasn't hard to believe them as monsters in that setting. But he knew of another side. The side of them that was capable of intelligent thought and action. The side of them that would protect something or someone precious to them. The side that made them every bit as human as those who created them.

The side...that Dizzy showed him.

Ky sighed inwardly, seeing that she had entered his mind once again. There was no use in trying to resist anymore. The plain truth was that he had missed her quite a lot. He didn't know how it happened, but he quickly became accustomed to her presence; enjoyed it as well. Her curious gazes, her innocent expressions, her kind smiles...

Her soft kiss...

Shaking his head, Ky dispelled those thoughts (for the time being) and moved on. After their meeting on the hill, the three of them decided to work together, in a matter of speaking. Therefore, they each split up and entered the facility through various entrances. Taking a side entrance, Ky made his way down a hallway corridor that led to a path of stairs heading down.

Once he descended, he found himself in another corridor, a much wider one than the one upstairs with a set of doors at the end. As Ky took a few steps toward them however, a thin, black-robed man stepped out in front of him. He had the appearance of a mad scientist, and the creepy grin on his face only served to reinforce that idea.

"So, we meet again."

Ky's eyes flashed with recognition. "You...!"

"To be honest, I didn't think you were still alive." the scientist's grin widened fractionally. "But this is good. I'll have a chance to reevaluate your abilities further now. After your last fight, I saw that our replicas of you need to be updated."

Ky felt himself scowl, recalling his last meeting with this man. "No. I'm going to stop you, here and now!"

"I'm afraid that won't be possible, as I have other things to do." he chuckled. Stepped away to the side, the scientist held up his hand. "But perhaps this lovely gentleman can suffice. After our last test run, we picked him up from a nearby forest. It revealed quite a useful ability, so we decided to use it to our advantage. Enjoy."

The young officer felt his eyes narrow in question, but caught sight of a shadow moving from an opening door where the dark scientist had indicated. Ky found his body reacting by pure instinct as the lightning blue glow of his Fuuraiken crossed blades with the curve of a blood-red blade. His gaze shifted to that of his attacker's, who glared back at him with eyes that were the same color of his weapon.

"Testament!"

"Die..."

Chap. 10