[Chapter 5: Calamity]

Velvet laid awake on the couch staring at the ceiling. She hadn't slept well during the night, and had spent most of it lost in thought. This was the first time since she came back that she was able to be alone with her thoughts, and she couldn't help but go through everything that had happened in her head over and over. She was supposed to be dead, she sealed herself away fully believing that it was going to be a one way trip, that there was going to be no going back no matter what, and she had done it so Phi could keep living. She was fully lead to believe that if Innominat died, everybody connected to him would die with him, including her. She knew Eleanor was right that the decision she made was a no-brainer, the alternatives were letting Innominat lobotomize all of humanity, including her, or to destroy him and have Phi, Kamoana, and Medissa die in addition to her. But now she was back, and she had no idea why. What was that strange place? Who were those people? Why was she brought back? Why did she get this second chance? It was impossible to make sense of, and she knew she would probably never find out.

More pressingly, however, Phi had become the Fifth Empyrean, and unleashed his silver flame upon humanity, cleansing all but the most corrupted beings that actively clung to the darkness in their hearts, but in doing so had returned himself to the land, and discarded his earthly form. Humanity's resonance also returned to the level it was before The Advent, and most humans, including her, could no longer perceive Malaks. She knew that Phi made his choice and did it gladly, and he was going to spend his life helping people and healing the world just like she had wished him to do, but then why was she so sad about it? Did she feel like he'd have been happier living a normal life, going to school, having friends, becoming a man, and raising a family? Did she feel responsible for the decision he had made, that her sacrifice had made him act out of grief instead of giving it serious thought? No, she knew the real reason. The reason was that she wanted to be a part of his life, to be a big sister again, see him grow and prosper with her helping him along the way, but now that was impossible.

Velvet was at a complete loss as to what to do next, she had never given any real thought into what would happen after she had slain Artorius. She had nowhere to return to now, no family to come home to, and despite Eleanor's insistence that she forgave her for what she had done to her, Velvet wanted to keep her at a distance. Her heart didn't want to get close to anybody ever again, she felt if she did, they would just end up either dead or ruined. She needed to be alone, she deserved to be alone. Velvet glanced over to Eleanor sleeping peacefully in her bed, and decided that she'd just slip out before she awoke. Where she'd go and what she'd do would be anybody's guess, she'd aimlessly wander the earth until she either found a reason to keep on living or someone put her out of her misery, whichever came first. Velvet quietly slipped off the couch and tried her best to creep out of the room, but her choice sneaking attire of steel sabatons combined with the creaky hardwood floor achieved the result you would expect.

"Where are you off to?..." Eleanor said groggily, sitting up on the bed. "I'm not sure myself...Wherever the wind takes me I guess." Velvet answered truthfully. "And you're just going to leave without saying goodbye?" Velvet turned her gaze away. "I just want to be alone for a bit...Figure some things out." Eleanor sighed. "Well, at least let me see you off. Maybe we should get you some new clothes while you're at it, what are you going to do if you wind up somewhere cold? You're not a Daemon anymore." Velvet examined her outfit, her face turned slightly red. "Do I have to?..." Velvet said reluctantly. "Okay, I have to ask...Why are you so attached to that outfit anyways? That can't be comfortable, everything's all ragged and torn, even when you were a Daemon you could have picked up new clothes at any time, but you insist on looking like you picked your clothes out of a trash can." Velvet's face began turning progressively more red. "I just thought it looked cool, okay?! I thought I looked like one of those dark villains in the fairy tails I used to read when I was little, I thought it suited me!" Velvet finally spouted out after a brief silence. Eleanor tried to stifle her laughter as Velvet's face was engulfed with a shade of bright red. "I-It's not funny damn it!" Velvet pouted, clasping her face in her hands trying to hide her embarrassment. Eleanor began to laugh progressively harder. "Stop laughing or I'll devour y-...DAMN IT!" Velvet balled her left fist as Eleanor's laughter spiraled out of control. A loud tap sounded on the door and a male voice yelled from the other side. "HEY! SHUT UP IN THERE WILL YA?" Eleanor and Velvet fell silent. After a short silence, Eleanor finally spoke. "Come on, let's go find something else that suits you, consider it a parting gift for your travels." Velvet let out a resigned grumble. "Fiiine."

"Hey, David, come take a look at this." The Northern Watchtower guard summoned his partner over to him and handed over his Telescope. "What have you got, Morgan?" The guard inquired as he took the telescope. "I got something to the Northwest, over the Aldina Plains from the looks of it." Morgan replied. "Something? Gee, that sure narrows it down." David snarked. "Quit being a smartass and take a look, you'll see it soon enough." Morgan said, gesturing towards where he last saw the strange object. It wasn't long before David spotted what Morgan was talking about. "I think I see it..Is that some kind of bird?" "I've never seen a bird move that fast, and look at its wings! They aren't flapping at all but that thing is still flying at such speed!" Morgan described what he had saw. "You think it's some kind of new Daemon? Or a Dragon?" David asked with concern. "I don't know, but we should probably report this to the boss man." Morgan replied.

xXx_W0m4n_Sl4y3r_69_xXx maintained a holding pattern above the Aldina plains, using the F-35's optical camera to analyze the crowds of people in the large city below, and cross reference the data with the images of his final moments in his memories. Velvet looked very distinct compared to all of these people, he'd have no trouble spotting her once she showed her face, and once she did, he'd get his revenge. Soon enough, his patience paid off. a girl with long, ankle-length hair, and tattered clothes stepped out of the inn on the main street near the town's square. "I HAVE FOUND YOU VELVET."

Eleanor and Velvet had stepped out of the inn and onto the street. "This place really hasn't changed much, has it?" Velvet said, looking around at the place. She had walked through most of the city the previous day, getting information on Eleanor's whereabouts and shopping for a new blade and some supplies, just about everything was in the same place it had always been, it almost felt like she never even left. "Yeah, it's impossible to get anything done around here. With Artorius gone, the leadership broke down completely, nowadays we spend more time arguing with each other than trying to help anybody." Eleanor vented. "Sounds like you've had it rough." Velvet replied. "Yeah, it hasn't been easy with you and Phi gone, most of my old friends still think I'm a traitor and want nothing to do with me. If it weren't for Kamoana and Medissa I'd have probably gone crazy by now." Eleanor continued to vent as the two women walked around the square. "Not exactly the honor roll student anymore, are you? I didn't think you'd be the type to complain this much." Velvet commented. Eleanor clasped her face in her palm and let out a tired sigh. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to be droning on like this. I've been having to put on a brave face for Kamoana, Medissa, and Phi, but...it's wearing me down. You're the first person in a long time I've been able to really talk to, Velvet." Velvet chuckled and showed a small smile. "You know, Niko and I used to go to Taliesin together a lot...We'd walk around just like this, visiting all the shops. She'd complain about everything to me the whole way, her parents, boys, how boring the village was...It always drove me nuts." Velvet stopped walking and gazed up at the sky. "I never understood how Aball wasn't enough for her. She had a home, parents that cared about her, even if they were pretty restrictive of her, lots of friends. All of that's gone now, and her along with it...No matter who you are or how strong you are, all it takes is a single moment for you to lose everything."

Eleanor gazed somberly at Velvet. She knew she was right, better than most other people, her mind wandered back to that day years and years ago, where just like Velvet, she had lost everything that mattered to her in a flash. She knew Velvet didn't like cheap sympathy, but she needed to try to get through to her. "Velvet...I've struggled with being the survivor too, for a long time. I know that it's hard, and I know this isn't what you want to hear right now, but you can't let that pain take control of your life. I know losing people hurts, and I would never wish that kind of grief on anybody, but you still have good memories of all the people you loved, and you're allowed to go out and make more. Walling yourself off away from everybody is only going to lead to regret in the end, moreso than trying." Velvet's gaze turned downwards. "Maybe...Maybe." Velvet spoke softly.

"Alright, I'm back, Command wants us to keep an eye on it and see what it does. They'll scramble a scouting team to go check the place out." David stepped back into the watchtower with a fresh cup of coffee. "About that, got a little something going on here, ya might want to take a look." Morgan called out. "For god's sake, stop being so vague and just tell-" David ranted angrily as he walked up to the window Morgan was looking at, but he fell silent when he saw what Morgan was talking about. The strange object had broken its holding pattern and was now barreling straight towards the city, the two guards were awestruck at how fast it was moving. "What the hell is it doing? Oh god we've gotta warn command!" Morgan yelled out. "There's no time! It's coming straight at us!" David cried out in reply. Morgan saw the object rapidly closing the distance, going from the Aldina Plains to over the Danann Highway in mere seconds. "My god it's already-GET DOWN!" David and Morgan dove to the ground as the strange object flew right past the window, over the wall and into the city with a deafening roar that resounded through the tower, a forceful gust of air blew into the tower that launched David's coffee from the table, spilling it onto Morgan. "...Ow..." Morgan deadpanned. "Shit...My coffee..." David lamented.

Eleanor and Velvet had just arrived at the merchant's stall when a loud rumble caught their attention, it was getting louder, like it was getting closer. Before they knew it, a metal, winged object unlike anything they had seen before soared overhead before looping back into the square. A flame spewing cylinder on its rear turned itself downward and it began to hover, descending into the square. Velvet and Eleanor gazed at the thing staring them down, a bright red light emanated from behind a tube of glass that almost seemed to stare at them. The two women began to cautiously back down the alley next to them. "What is that thing?!" Eleanor cried out, unable to contain her unease. "Is it some kind of bird? A Daemon? A Dragon?!" "VELVET CROWE. DO YOU REMEMBER ME?" A booming voice sounded from the winged object. "I think I'd remember something as strange as you!" Velvet called out to it. "I TOLD YOU I WOULD HAVE MY REVENGE. THIS FORM IS ALL THAT REMAINS OF ME, AND I WILL USE IT TO DESTROY YOU." Velvet was completely dumbstruck at the revelation, she had watched that man explode into chunks. Nobody should have been able to survive that fireball, but somehow he was back, and in the form of something she didn't even know how to describe. This wasn't a Daemon, but some kind of machine, and he wasn't just controlling it, he was it. "No way...I killed you..." Velvet finally uttered out. "Velvet?! You know this thing?! Who is it?! What is it?!" Eleanor interjected. "I AM BEYOND YOUR MORTAL COMPREHENSION. I AM xXx_W0m4n_Sl4y3r_69_xXx" The voice replied before Velvet could.

All of the tension in the air instantly evaporated, Eleanor's expression turned to her trademarked disappointed glare. "Woman Slayer? Are you being serious right now?" Eleanor grumbled out. "WOMEN HAVE TAKEN EVERYTHING FROM ME. MY HEART. MY SANITY. AND NOW MY BODY. I HAVE SPENT 60 LONG YEARS WITHOUT THE TOUCH OF A WOMAN, AND NOW I WILL NEVER KNOW IT THANKS TO YOU. YOU DID THIS TO ME. YOU DROVE ME TO THIS." The voice lamented. Eleanor clasped her forehead. This was exactly why she didn't want Laphicet listening to Rokurou and Eizen, this is what he risked becoming if he took their words to heart. "You can't blame an entire gender for what happened to you! I don't know what kind of heartbreak you have suffered, but I know it must have been horrible for you to turn out like this! I know there are lots of women out there who use men's feelings to manipulate them, but not all of them are like that! I despise such duplicity, as well do many other women! As long as you keep trying, even as you are now, I'm sure you could find love! True love extends beyond shallow appeara-" "SILENCE, WOMAN." The booming, distorted voice interrupted Eleanor, the red light radiating from the cockpit began to shine brighter.

Velvet's danger sense once again flared up. "ELEANOR! TAKE COVER!" Velvet cried out as she grabbed her and dove behind a nearby building. A hailstorm of bullets permeated the street where they had just been standing. "Come on get up! We need to get inside, now!" Velvet pulled Eleanor off the ground and ran to the end of the small alley they had taken cover in and crashed through the window to a small house. A barrage of missiles slammed into the building they had been previously hiding behind, the blast shook the earth as the building spalled into chunks of stone and wooden splinters. Screams filled the air as the city's denizens swarmed and scattered in response to the machine's sudden destructive display. "What is that thing?! It's like some kind of monster!" Eleanor trembled out, her ears ringing intensely from the explosions. "WHERE ARE YOU, VELVET? YOU CANNOT HIDE FOREVER. I WILL FIND YOU." The distorted voice boomed out as the Jet hovered over the square. Velvet pondered for a moment. That thing was unlike anything she had seen before, even Dragons had weaknesses that could be exploited, but that thing was faster than any dragon. She had no idea what else it was capable of, but from what she had seen, that thing could grind her to dust if she faced it head on with minimal effort. Escaping wasn't an option, even if she made it outside the city walls, the open plains surrounding the city would offer no cover or concealment, and would be just be one big killzone for it. This city was the safest place for her and her only bet at standing a chance against it. Of course, in actuality, Velvet could have just hidden from it until its finite fuel reserves ran out and the Jet would have eventually fallen from the sky with nowhere to return to, but to her, this thing was like magic, and for all she knew it could keep going forever.

Velvet finally spoke. "Eleanor, listen to me. It's me he's after, I'll get his attention, and then you're going to run. Get these people out of the city." "Velvet! No! You're not doing this to me again! You can't!" Eleanor cried out in protest. "Listen! I can take this thing down, but I need all of these screaming people out of my way!" Velvet retorted. "Alone?! Are you insane?!" Eleanor cried out "Yep." Velvet deadpanned. Eleanor was not amused. "I'm not letting you do this! What am I going to tell Phi the next time I see him? Do you have any idea how he's going to feel if he learns that you came back again, only to just die on us again?" Eleanor held back tears as she continued to protest. "I'm not planning on dying, Eleanor, not to this guy. I beat him once, I can do it again, I'll find some kind of weakness. But listen, you've seen what that thing can do, just because I'm not going to let it hit me doesn't mean that someone else might not get hit - by either of us." Eleanor grabbed Velvet's shoulders and glared at her with a serious expression. "Promise me! Promise me you'll come back alive!" Eleanor growled out. Velvet looked sternly into Eleanor's eyes. "I promise."

The Abbey and Imperial Army stormed into the square to confront the source of the commotion, but no sooner did they arrive were they cut down by the F-35. Their spears couldn't hope to reach the Jet, even if they could they wouldn't even dent it's hull. The archers didn't fare any better, their arrows bounced pitifully off of the Jet's armored hull before they were promptly turned into mincemeat by the Jet's cannon. In mere seconds, the sizeable force that had been sent in to confront the Jet had been decimated, the survivors fleeing for their lives. Suddenly, a door to one of the houses swung open, the Jet's attention shifted to the red-haired woman that came bolting out of it, but the moment it did, a red-tipped crossbow bolt flew out of the cloud of smoke pluming from the destroyed building next to it, exploding on contact with the Jet's hull and knocking the hovering plane off balance. As soon as it recovered its stability, it sprayed the smoke plume with a barrage of 25mm cannon fire, but Velvet had already relocated anticipating retaliation from the winged beast. Things were never that easy, why would she expect them to start now?

"YOUR FRIEND HAS LEFT YOU, VELVET. SHE HAS ABANDONED YOU LIKE ALL FEMALES EVENTUALLY DO. YOUR KIND CAN'T EVEN CARE FOR ITS OWN." The voice boomed out.

"That's fine by me. It's just me and you now. No distractions. No rules. No more second chances. Whoever wins gets to live another day."