(Immortal realm, Nature's Garden)

It was only a few of the Major Gods that met in Nature's personal pocket of the Immortal realm. Chaos, Order, Death, Knowledge, and Nature had all gathered together. They sat at a large table formed out of living vines and branches with chairs for all the Major Gods. Fate was absent at the time, checking in with their rising stars, and Life was busy with preparations for what the current discussion was about, while the others were tending to their respective tasks. Lastly, was a chair that clearly had not seen use in a long time. It's black obsidian form was cracked and covered in dust. And the red velvet cushions were worn and tattered at the seams.

Chaos was the first to break the silence. His usual childlike appearance and mischievous grin was replaced by grim seriousness as they began the meeting. "It is time to bring the exile back home. While his absence has mostly been unnoticed in the mortal realms, it has begun to cause long term problems that will be catastrophic if not addressed soon."

Order nodded in agreement before continuing. Her intense silver eyes looking at each member at the table. Her black, upper neck length hair and immaculate clothing giving credence to her control over order throughout the realms. "Unfortunately, in the past century alone. Five realms under our guidance have fallen into absolute conflict. Galaxy wide wars that leave entire civilizations destroyed and wiped from existence. And it is something Chaos and Myself have begun to lose the ability to control."

Nature leaned forward slightly, clasping her hands together on the table. A small bird flying off of her head as she did so, her hair green as the grass all around them expressing an unkempt mess and yet still managed to look incredibly lovely -as all things in nature do- as it reached her lower back. And her sea blue eyes for all their beauty, expressed a weariness and sadness that only a mother could when discussing a child who had gone away. "What do you suggest we do then? It has been forty five millennia since he exiled himself."

Knowledge frowned at the mention of that event. Sliding her glasses back to the bridge of her nose as she spoke. Her rusty red hair gleaming in the sunlight that broke through the canopy of trees around them. "Surely even he can see that his self punishment has gone long enough?"

Death sighed and folded his arms across his chest, his finely pressed and fitted suit contrasting against the Garden. His nearly jet black hair brushed back cleanly as it stopped just above his shoulders. Death would look quite at home as the CEO of some mortal company. Were it not for his piercing red eyes, alight with the power contained within. "We all remember how distraught he was, not to mention how his stubbornness would give Truth a run for his money. If we are to bring him back, it may have to be with force."

Chaos was quick to interject on that line of thought. "Not necessarily. While he was always stubborn. As the personification of War, his sense of duty was always stronger. We just need to remind him of that, and he will come of his own volition."

Nature raised an eyebrow slightly at that suggestion. "Even if you're right, who can we send? Shadow and Light are busy with their own tasks, and none of us can just stop doing our jobs to go after him."

Order simply pointed a finger towards Death. "Send Wrath. If anyone can do the job, it will be that man. They are quite similar in belief. Your sister I'm sure would approve, and wherever War has isolated himself there is sure to be conflict. Something Wrath is more in tune with than all of us, barring Light and Shadow

Death brought his right hand to his chin and thought before nodding slightly in agreement. "Wrath is still mad about his hard work organizing my network going to waste. This will be a good chance for him to let loose a little."

Knowledge pushed herself from the table and rose to her feet. "I will begin the preparations then. Wrath will bring War back home. And we will welcome him back with open arms."

Nature smiled softly as she too stood from her seat. The meeting having come to a close. "Let us hope War can overcome this."

With that the group dispersed from the Garden and returned to their own duties while Knowledge went to summon Wrath.

(Immortal Realm, Entrance to War's Domain)

Death and Knowledge stood next to a modest door made of steel, a shining golden lock keeping the automatic door from opening. Behind them stood a tall man wearing a blue officers uniform of an army that was not of Earth. The man watched the two Immortals discuss the task before them with arms folded over his broad chest.

Knowledge looked to Death and nodded firmly. "This is the only way. Together we can break this seal and enter his domain. Once we do, we can find where he has isolated his soul. And then that's where you come in Wrath. You are the only one available currently who we can rely on to get inside the mortal realm he has exiled himself too."

Wrath unfolded his arms and gripped the hilt of one of the two swords strapped to his hips with a grin. "Hopefully I'll be able to find a good fight there. It's been a while since Shadow and I last sparred."

Death shook his head with a chuckle. "Don't get your hopes too high. Remember, War sacrificed almost all his power to create this realm and seal himself from us. Whatever he's fighting, may not be a match for your skills."

Wrath shrugged slightly. "I suppose there is only one way to find out now isn't there? I'm ready to begin."

With that said, Death and Knowledge began to glow with power. Pooling their energy together and focusing it directly on the golden energy holding the door before them shut. The seal was surprisingly easy to break through. Though after such a long time the energy contained within had dwindled and likely helped the process.

Knowledge was the first to approach, hesitant in her motions. Until mustering the courage to open the door and entering the domain of War. The door slid open with a hiss of air and revealed the world beyond.

Contrary to what many would think. The realm of War was not one of death and destruction or fire and ash. Those who entered the personal abode of the god of ear would find a much more calm atmosphere. Advanced looking computers with hard-light controls and ancient maps of various worlds. Maple hardwood floors and shelves adorned with dozens of books in many different languages. Most of which were military doctrine of some sort. At the back of the room, behind one bookcase was another sliding door that was unlocked and half

Wrath applied a little force to the stuck door and it offered little resistance as it was forced open completely. Inside the room, lights flickered on and revealed a large smooth metal room with dozens of weapons and armor sets on display, similar to a museum or trophy room.

With a raised eyebrow, the former amestran leader hummed in approval. "This is quite the collection, it's clear that War was fond of gathering and keeping items from his conflicts."

Behind him, Knowledge and Death were also inspecting some of the displays. It was Knowledge who spoke up as Wrath made his statement. Her calm voice full of nostalgia.

"Indeed, the two of us would spend days, studying and cataloging each weapon he would bring back. Sometimes we wouldn't realize how long it had been until one of the others came to get us."

The bespectacled goddess gestured for them to continue to the back of the room where a large glass tube rested against the wall, dust had gathered on the outside but a soft blue glow could be seen emanating from within. Wrath ran a hand over the offending particles to see what was within.

Motionless within the stasis pod, the physical form of the god of war looked less than peaceful, as if having a nightmare. The god's face was that of a late twenties, early thirties male. Buzzed black hair and precisely maintained facial hair spoke to the sleeping man's discipline. Along with the well kept facial features, the warrior god was clad in ornate, knightly armor. Forged from a black metal and adorned with golden accents. Around the shoulders and collar of the armor was fur from some animal, beneath that on the right shoulder was a dark grey cape that stopped just above the bicep. On the back was visible a black cape that flowed to the man's lower calf.

More visible however was the regal, white rifle laying beside the Immortal. The weapon also sported golden accents, as well as script from some unknown language.

Wrath had a hunch that he would find the Immortal form of War within. And with his assumptions confirmed he turned to look at the two Gods who had led him there.

"How do I interact with his consciousness?"

Death gestured to the tube itself. Specifically at the terminal attached to the side. "Simply place your hand on the screen. And you will have your mind and soul transferred into the world he has created."

Wrath nodded firmly and as he was about to do so stopped. "If it is this simple to transfer my memories and soul, along with my abilities into a new body in this mortal realm. Why is it that Immortals now are forced to live entire new lives without full access to their powers?

Knowledge smiled softly at the intelligent question and looked towards the tube that War was being held in. "This mortal realm was created differently than that of the others. We have mentioned before that War sacrificed most of his power and abilities. That is what it took for him to create his prison, never before and never again will there be another realm like the one he is in now. As such, it's rules are different from our own. Allowing for what we are about to do, you will enter this realm, taking control of a body nearby and you will explain to him what is happening."

Wrath frowned slightly. "What if he refuses to return?"

"Then bring him back the hard way."

The warrior laughed a little at that. "I'll be sure to keep him in one piece if it comes to that."

Death crossed his arms and leaned against the wall next to them. "that would be helpful. Now, get going. Time is of the essence."

The uniformed man nodded firmly and turned on a dime. Raising his left hand and placing it on the scanner attached to the tube. With a flash of blue light, the soul was pulled from Wrath's body and absorbed into the machine.

Knowledge sighed softly. "Have Chaos and Life finished preparations for getting War back his power?"

Death's red eyes glanced over to the red head. "Yes, the game will be ready for War's use immediately once he's recovered from his time away."

"Good, good. Now all we have to do is wait I suppose."

With a silent, soft nod, Death turned his gaze toward the pod that held his friend as they waited.

(Unknown Location)

The initial disorientation of finding himself in a completely new body caused Wrath to stumble slightly. He steadied himself on a nearby wall as he gathered his senses and took in his surroundings.

Bleak was understating things. He was in a trench, of that he was sure. But where and why, he was unsure. Looking around him showed dozens of soldiers men and women braced against the tench wall as explosions rocked the world around them and bullets flew overhead in a veritable wall of lead. Officers called out orders and targets while medics dragged the wounded back. He was torn from his thoughts when an artillery shell landed merely five meters from him, throwing him off his feet and into a pool of mud filled water.

His ears rang as he gasped for air and pulled himself up out of the water. Muffled voices echoed around him as his hearing slowly came back.

"Jackson! Damnit Corporal get over here!"

Wrath was grabbed by his collar by a man bearing some form of markings on his collar, a single silver bar vertically pinned to it. The man was clearly talking to him, which told him what the man who he had inhabited was named.

"The Captain and second platoon are holding the ridge in sector five. But they're low on ammo and taking heavy casualties."

Wrath, or rather "Jackson" was shoved into a hole in the wall where five other soldiers were huddled.

"We're being sent over the wall to reinforce his position, friendly artillery is going to launch a barrage of smoke in sixty seconds. Once that happens we're going to move. If you get separated from the group keep moving. You'll recognize the captain by the rifle he has. White and gold trimmed."

One of the men next to the soldier in charge spoke up. "Things must be bad up there if they're sending us over the wall Lieutenant."

"Don't think about how bad it is. Just get ready to move. If you think, you start hesitating, if that happens you're as good as dead."

Wrath mostly ignored the banter around him as he familiarized himself with the weapon in his hands. It was about the size of a bolt action rifle from his home in Amestris, albeit much more bulky and without the aforementioned bolt mechanism. He had a sidearm as well which was much more familiar to him.

The Lieutenant looked at his watch and pushed off from the wall. "Alright boys! This is it, ten seconds to artillery!"

Everyone nearby braced themselves in their own way. Against the wood wall, or knelt down in the mud. True to his word, ten seconds after the call came, the world above them sounded like it was coming to an end. Thunder louder than any natural storm and fire that made that of even the strongest flame alchemists pale in comparison. Coupled with a thick grey smoke cloud that began to fill the air.

As suddenly as it began the artillery barrage came to an end. Leaving ringing ears and dust in its wake.

"Alright, the smoke won't last forever. Let's move!" Without hesitation, the Lieutenant grabbed the closest handhold and pulled himself up and over the wall before charging forward into the smoke. Following his example, the rest of the soldiers made their way into the fog of war and Wrath was not to be left behind.

The artillery made a real mess of the terrain between them and their objective. Deep craters and splintered wood tangled in barbed wire lay all throughout the land. Fortunately, while his fellow soldiers had to rely on the guidance of their Lieutenant, Wrath had the guidance of the gods. And using Chaos Game System, the location of War was shown via a gold diamond in Wrath's mind.

Using his incredible speed, he was able to cover the ground in less than a minute. Coming to a stop at the foot of a steep hill. All around the base of the natural incline were dozens of fallen bodies, some in incredibly bulky armor that looked thick enough to stop tank rounds. Others wearing uniforms like the one Wrath and the soldiers not too far behind him.

At the top, was a wall of what was probably sandbags. Sporadic gunfire could be heard clearly. The marker indicated that Wrath's objective was at the top of this slope and thus he began to race to the top. There, he found four men, three in familiar brown uniforms with metal plating on their extremities. However the outlier was the man in more ornate armor, a mix of what Wrath had seen on the body of war before he had arrived, and the uniforms of the soldiers with him.

The Immortal servant did not have long to contemplate this when gunfire erupted next to him and forced him to move into the fortified position. Running up to the man he knew was War, Wrath spoke for the first time he had arrived in this world. "War. Your presence is required by the gods."

The ornately armored man froze for a moment before ducking under a hail of bullets. Turning to face Wrath he raised his rifle at the former Amestran. "How do you know that.. who are you!?"

Unfazed by the gun in his face Wrath spoke calmly and firmly. "My name is Wrath, I am a holy soldier dedicated to the Goddess of Shadow, Death's sister. A recent newcomer to the circle of the Immortal realm. But I have been sent here by Knowledge and Death to bring you back. The realms are falling into uncontrolled conflict due to your absence. And Chaos and Order are struggling to contain it."

War faltered for a moment, rifle lowering a few inches as he took this information in. "How can I be certain you are telling the truth? And aren't just some deception by this realm to lead me to fail here?"

"Few things in life are ever truly certain. But I only have the information given to me by the gods. Knowledge herself said that if I could not convince you to return to your duty as god of war through words. I had to take you by force."

War nearly laughed at that. "She did, did she? Well, if Knowledge is saying that resorting to a fight is necessary then things must really be bad. Let's say I do believe you then. I'm not exactly the Immortal I once was."

Wrath nodded firmly. "Do not worry about that. Chaos has a system in place for that. All you need to do is return. They will inform you of the rest once you do."

War looked skeptical at the man before him before letting out a tired sigh. "Well, if you are telling the truth then I'll see you back in the Immortal realm shortly."

The god in exile closed his eyes and let his rifle fall to the ground, his face visibly letting go of millennia of regret and pain, looking almost peaceful as he stood from his position in cover and allowed himself to be obliterated by the torrent of ballistics that inevitability came for him.

The world around him began to fade into dust. Enemy and ally alike meeting the same fate as the realm created with the sole purpose of punishing it's creator tore itself asunder without an Immortal entity to hold it together. Wrath was violently pulled from the mortal coil that he had inhabited and returned to his true body in the Immortal realm. Shaking off the discomfort he turned to look at the glass pod beside him to see that War had begun to wake up. The pod released a hiss as steam vented from its systems and the glass popped off and raised up to allow the god freedom.

War reached up to pull himself out of the pod using the side of the opening. But as he took his first step he began to collapse. The millennia of laying still had taken its toll on the gods body, immortal or not. However Knowledge and Death were quick to rush to his side and catch him before he could slam into the cold metal floor. Both putting one of his arms over their shoulders to help him move. Wrath, being as perceptive as he was. Caught a glimpse of something reflecting the light of the room on the atrophied gods face.

War was crying. The immediate embrace by his two companions and his weakened state. Combined with the realization that his immortal family needed him, after all this time and he was currently incapable of helping them had been the warriors breaking point.

Wrath knew better than to interject and simply gave Death a nod that was returned with appreciative eyes before they led War out of the room. Allowing the servant of Shadow to return to his work before the gods had tasked him with War's return.

(Immortal Realm)

It was not long after War had returned that he was able to walk on his own, albeit slowly. Strength returning to the Immortal far quicker than anticipated. He resolved to speak with Order and Chaos first. Knowing that they were the ones most directly affected by his absence. They, like Knowledge and Death. Did not resent him for his actions, which made him regret his decision to leave even more.

Chaos wrapped an arm around War's shoulders and spoke with his usual enthusiasm and childish energy.

"It's good to have you back! Things were starting to get out of hand, even for me."

Order nodded in agreement, her demeanor far more reserved than her counterpart. Though concern was still evident on her face. Causing War to frown slightly at that, it wasn't often the two opposing gods agreed on anything.

"I assume bringing me back isn't going to just solve the problem, no amount of paperwork and delegation can just fix this."

Chaos patted the armored man on the back. "Of course! Bringing you back was simply the first step. The next part is something that I've been working on for a while now. It will allow you to physically interact with the mortals while regaining your lost power."

War raised an eyebrow, curious at the proposition but skeptical at the same time. "Really? What's the catch?"

Order interjected before Chaos could respond. "You'll be limited in your capabilities when you first start. The "Game" system will allow for some limited changes to your capabilities in the mortal realms based on your past experiences and current power. Given your current state however, you would likely be limited to one of the longer lived races instead of outright Immortal. However to balance that out you would be forced to learn everything the long way."

War brought his right hand to his chin in contemplation. Something like this was just a pipe dream before his exile, but he couldn't just wait another few millennia for his power to restore itself. "What about equipment? And skills I've learned?"

Chaos smiled a knowing smile and folded arms across his chest. "You can keep that old relic of yours. And the knowledge to maintain it. But you'll have to modify it over time to keep it viable in the realm we're sending you. For there are weapons far more powerful than your guns."

War nodded softly at that affirmation. "I learned the hard way that power is meaningless if you can't control it. And I've had a long time to master gunnery."

Order simply gestured for them to head for the adjacent room. "If you think you're ready then we mustn't waste any time. You may encounter young Shadow and Light during their own missions. It would be best to not intervene if possible. Though if you wish to introduce yourself, you may do so."

War nodded firmly. "Understood, do my job and limit interference of their own. Anything else?"

Order was about to say something, likely important. However, Chaos pushed War into the room before shutting it on the warrior. Leaving him with only a cheerful "Have fun!"

The room was dark, almost like an abyss, at least at first. It wasn't until his vision was replaced by some sort of Heads Up Display that he realized he was no longer in his body. Not something that made much sense but when Chaos was concerned that was not surprising.

The first thing he saw was the instructions and his mission objective. Which was vague to say the least. "Ensure humanity's survival and prosperity."

Not particularly helpful, but nothing could be done about it. So war moved on to the "character creation" section.

"When they said it was a game I hadn't realized how literally they meant that."

It was fairly easy to create his visual appearance, Identical to his Immortal body. Something he took pride in maintaining. It was altered slightly when he moved to the "species selection" part of the character creation.

He saw dozens of options. And a list next to them of particular skills and abilities related to each. He didn't have to look long, easily coming to the conclusion that the Inu-Daiyōkai was best suited to his task. While not technically Immortal. They could live for millennia if not killed in combat. And had a large capacity to learn new powers and abilities.

Once selected he was greeted by the "Stats" section. Something that had apparently been simplified for this version of the "Game." There were seven main attributes. Strength, Perception, Endurance, Charisma, Intelligence, Agility, and Luck.

Each one was set to five out of a current maximum of one hundred. However, due to his selection of Inu as his race. His strength, Intelligence, and Agility were given an additional two points. Bringing them to seven.

Each main attribute had a series of skills dedicated to them, each having their own levels out of one hundred. With his intelligence at seven he had seven skill points to spend. Looking over them for a few moments the warrior decided that putting four points into survival and three into athletics would benefit him in the short term. He then moved to the "Perks" section.

He had only one option available. Gunsmith. Allowing him to not only maintain his rifle, but build and enhance it using the weaponsmith skill. Other options required either a level requirement or a specific task to unlock them.

With his choices made. He highlighted the last available box. "Start Game." And his world once more went black.

(Immortal Realm, War's Domain)

It wasn't long after War had been sent to the mortal realm in which he would undertake his mission that Knowledge found herself drawn to enter the warrior's sanctuary once more. Nostalgia eating at her as she looked over the various displays and items. Many of which she helped catalog. She stopped at the wooden desk in the back where she looked over the items placed atop it. When she noticed a picture of herself and War during one of their many nights spent studying the various items War would bring back with him. The two of them looked incredibly happy in the photo, and the thought gnawed at her heart. She remembered that she had feelings for her fellow god back in those days. But she never had the chance to convey them to him before his exile. And after forty-five thousand years she had thought those feelings to be gone. But the moment she looked into his eyes, the weary and fearful eyes of a man who had lost everything and was being brought back home. She fell for him all over again, and now he was gone again. Off to save the realms from eternal war, while she was once again left behind.

She was brought out of her thoughts by a soft hand grasping her shoulder causing her to jump slightly. "Wha-? Love! Don't sneak up on me like that!"

The goddess in question giggled in amusement at the outburst before turning serious. "You can't just let him go a second time."

Knowledge flustered for a moment and tried to respond. "I.. Don't have any idea what you're talking about."

A roll of the eyes and an arm around the shoulders later and Love shook her head. "You know you can't hide this from me. It's my job to know these things. I knew it back then too. But I didn't intervene out of respect. However, I'm not about to let you break your heart all over again because you wouldn't make the move. You know he was always stubborn, and now with this task. This monumental mission. He may only be in the Immortal realm for days out of entire centuries. Can you wait for the time when he is here? Or… are you going to take the initiative and go after him?"

The bespectacled redhead frowned slightly at Love as she spoke. "What of my duties here? I can't simply stop doing my job because I'm chasing after War."

"Oh relax, it's not like your going to be gone forever. A few centuries, a millennia at most. Besides, it's high time those kids of yours pulled their weight around here. Especially after what they did to Truth."

Knowledge sighed softly before pinching the bridge of her nose. "I suppose you have a point."

With a smug grin the Goddess of Love nodded and all but dragged Knowledge towards the gameroom that War had only hours ago entered. "You should be able to find him easily enough. But just to be sure, you'll have my blessing. Find the stubborn man and make him yours. And then, help him sort this mess out. War leaves little room for love if there is no end to it."

Knowledge nodded firmly in agreement and hugged her fellow Goddess. "Thank you."

"You can thank me by successfully claiming his heart."

With that, the two immortals parted ways and the door closed behind Knowledge, sealing her in darkness where she was met with the heads up display of Chaos Game. After quickly entering her statistics and choosing her perks she was faced with a conundrum.

Due to her position as goddess of knowledge and her power not being diminished by sacrifice or disuse. She was allowed the choice of becoming a Daiyōkai. However, the young body of a child -even a Daiyōkai- would never be capable of containing the power she possessed. Fortunately, Fate and Love had a solution. There was a tragic incident taking place involving a powerful Daiyōkai and a Celestial maiden that would destroy the maidens mind, corrupt the soul and let the Daiyōkai responsible control even more powers. Due to this premature end to an otherwise Immortal soul allowed for Knowledge to intervene with the blessings of her fellow gods.

Replacing the destroyed soul with her own and subsuming the soul and mind of both the maiden and the Daiyōkai. Granting her a body capable of containing her power, and giving her a name. That of the Daiyōkai Kaguya. And allowing her to find her goal. War. With this decision, the Goddess of Knowledge felt herself wake in a forest shrine where she had to take a moment to gather her bearings and come up with a plan. And of course, learn all she could of her new abilities.

Chaos Game (Tactical Edition)

War: Lv. 1

Strength: 7/100

Perception: 5/100

Endurance: 5/100

Charisma: 5/100

Intelligence: 7/100

Agility: 7/100

Luck: 5/100