-Three Days Later-
Crusader found himself standing in darkness, and he already knew what that meant. "Show yourself, Imperious!" Crusader demanded, his response was deep slow laughter.
"I think not." the deep but elegant voice of the Dragon Emperor said smoothly.
"I'm showing myself." Crusader said as he waved his arms as if trying to draw an enemies fire. "You can't give me the same courtesy?" Crusader asked in an offended tone.
"As much as I'd love to get into a debate with you about that, I'm afraid we have business to discuss..." Imperious said smoothly.
"I have nothing to discuss with you." Crusader hissed.
"Oh?" Imperious asked in a surprised tone. "I do not think that is the case at all, for in my eyes we have much to discuss." Imperious said wisely.
"Like what, how your planning to invade not one, but two versions of Earth?" Crusader asked angrily.
"Yes... and no." Imperious answered. "While I have my eyes on the Mutate in one worlds S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy, this Earth has piqued my interest." Imperious said before pausing to take a breath. "This world would almost be to easy to bring to it's knees, since my general has already amassed a small army." Imperious said proudly.
"That dimensions Infinity Stones are scattered far across the galaxy, it would take you months to capture them." Crusader said stubbornly. "Not to mention the fact that Captain Marvel already knows of Wraiths presence, so your already outed." Crusader boasted at his unseen enemy. His response instead of anger, was a slow mocking clap, and Crusader did not like that.
"All that you have just said is true, as usual." Imperious began in a calculating tone. "However, I have no interest in this dimensions Infinity Stones." Imperious said, and that shocked Crusader for an instant before the Emperor began speaking again. "I have much different uses for, and plans for this dimension, more specifically... this world in general." Imperious said as smooth as honey.
"What might those be?" Crusader asked, even though he was sure he would get no answer. His suspicions where confirmed when Imperious began talking again.
"Know this, I'm always one, if not more steps ahead of my enemies." Imperious said wisely.
"Your not the only one." Crusader said defiantly.
"Indeed. But unlike you however, I can see the future, and see how this conquest ends." Crusader said with a dark laugh. "It will be... a revelation of sorts." Imperious added darkly.
"Answer me this." Crusader demanded, and it was clear he had Imperious's attention. "If you wanted this Earth as part of your plans, why alert my daughter and give her nightmares about the future, as she had nothing to do with what happened between us prior?" Crusader asked, and his response was silence for a few seconds.
"I expected a harder question from someone as elite in intelligence as you." Imperious said after a minute of contemplation. "She is exempt from the treaty–"
"How so?" Crusader asked in a shocked tone, the interruption not offending the Emperor.
"She might be your daughter, but she is not Continuum by blood." Imperious said wisely. "Wraith is the same way, he might serve me, but he often breaks the binds of the treaty." Imperious said, and that made Crusader think for a moment.
"So what your saying is, we both in our own ways have broken the treaty?" Crusader asked.
"That's not at all what I was saying, but that statement is accurate." Imperious answered.
"If Wraith has broken the treaty, how come you haven't returned to my world?" Crusader asked.
"I always keep my word, and I promised to never set foot on the rock you call home ever again." Imperious said wisely. "You swore to never launch a counter attack against my throne ever again, and you have kept your word." Imperious said wisely once again. "But like I said, Wraith has secretly broken the treaty on multiple locations, and while Vixen is not Continuum, her mere presence on Earth interferes with my plans, thus breaking the treaty." Imperious said as he took a deep breath. "I will leave you now with a parting remark: Your daughters fate is very much in the balance as we speak now... but... the fate of this quest is already decided, for I have seen it." Imperious said wisely.
"What is the fate of her quest?" Crusader asked the Dragon Emperor. His response was silence as the connection was severed...
-Later-
"Father, I'm not sure what to say." Vixen said as she could be found inside the Secret Warriors guest room which currently served as her room. Her father had summoned her presence through her wrist's holographic communicator, and the two could be found talking with each-other.
"Neither am I, Vixen." Crusader said simply. "It seems both sides have broken the treaty in their own way." Crusader said in a serious tone.
"One side did it intentionally though it seems." Vixen said as she took in what her father had been telling her.
"That's true." Crusader said. "But we did it without meaning too." Crusader quickly added.
"Father, you have my word I will not stop until Wraith is defeated, or dead." Vixen said in a convicted tone.
"I believe you, but this whole quest if bigger than we though." Crusader said wisely.
"How so?" Vixen asked.
"You might not know this, but Imperious has the ability using his magic's to see the future of all but himself, and he has seen how this quest ends, which means it's all part of his plan in one fashion or another." Crusader informed his daughter.
"That's creepy to think about that my fate is being decided by Imperious." Vixen said as she shuddered at that thought.
"Fear not Vixen. God and the Arch Angels will protect you, your life it actually in the Lords hands." Crusader said in a comforting tone. Vixen was about to respond until she heard a knocking at her door.
"You alright Vixen, you've been in there for almost half and hour?" Doreen asked the yellow eyed teenager.
"Yea, I'll be out in a minute." Vixen informed the squirrel tailed heroine. "Forgive me father, but I must go." Vixen said as she gave a bow to her father, who bowed back in respect as Vixen turned off the hologram, and excited her room, only to find Doreen standing there in her civilian attire. "How much did you overhear?" Vixen asked as the two began walking towards the training room.
"What makes you think I overheard anything at all?" Doreen asked innocently.
"I could hear your footsteps as you approached the room, fifteen minutes ago." Vixen replied with a sly smile, which earned a shocked look from Doreen.
"How did you–"
"Squirrels aren't the only animals with good hearing. After all, I have fox blood in my system." Vixen replied as she pointed a single finger at her yellow eyes as they kept walking.
"If your part fox, where's your tail?" Doreen asked in a confused tone.
"Why would I have a tail? I'm only part fox." Vixen asked.
"Well I'm part squirrel, and I've got a tail." Doreen replied.
"I guess we have a different genetic makeup." Vixen answered wisely. "Every night for the last three days I've contact my father every day telling him about my day–"
"I'm sure what happened with Shuri made the evening report." Doreen joked, and that earned a sly smile from Vixen.
"That it did, that it did." Vixen replied with friendly laugh. "But anyways, I've asked my father about the planet I was born on, and even he knows very little about it. But from what he could gather, my people where half human, part animal. But you only have certain features of the animal blood you have in your system–"
"Other than your eyes, what parts did you get?" Doreen asked innocently.
"Enhanced reflexes, agility, and really good hearing." Vixen answered proudly, which earned a fist bump from Doreen. "But it also seems my people where very proficient magic users." Vixen said in an impressed tone.
"Oh, what kind of magic are we talkin' about?" Doreen asked.
"Mostly utilizing ones Aura as a tool or a weapon." Vixen answered smoothly.
"I've heard of Auras." Doreen said as she stopped walking to scratch her chin. "But what could your people do with them?" she asked Vixen.
"From what my father could gather, my people could not only see peoples auras, but could even weaponize them." Vixen said in a giddy tone.
"How can you weaponize an aura?" Doreen asked. In response Vixen held out her left hand and pointed it towards a potted plant down the hallway and opened up her palm. Nothing happened for a few seconds until Vixen's hands and eyes began glowing yellow and the plant slowly but surely levitated off it's stand and floated over to the duo.
"That is sick." Doreen said in an astonished tone. "It almost looks like the force from the 'Star Wars' movies." Doreen said in a giddy tone.
"In some ways it is like the force." Vixen answered as she held the plant in her hands now. "Our auras are invisible like the force, but we all have one, and the stronger or more willful you are, the more powerful your aura is, and the more things you can do with it." Vixen said smoothly as she began concentrating and her eyes began glowing pure yellow, and the plant after a few seconds grew even greener and then bloomed, revealing the yellow rose inside the blossom.
"Since when could you do that?" Doreen asked in an astonished tone.
"Right now." Vixen answered with a chuckle as she levitated the plant back to it's perch. "I've been practicing in my down time since my father revealed these powers to me, but I'll admit I've only scratched the surface of what I can truly do." Vixen said as hey started walking again. "However, there is one thing my father told me was forbidden, as well as my people where forbidden to due with this power–"
"What might that be?" Doreen asked.
"Stealing and absorbing other peoples auras." Vixen said in serious tone. "If your aura is powerful enough, you can use a certain magic to steal other peoples auras, but it's forbidden for a reason. That reason being that forcefully stealing a persons aura can at the very least put them at the brink of death." Vixen said seriously.
"And the worse case?" Doreen asked.
"It can kill them instantly." Vixen answered lowly, which earned a silent nod from Doreen.
"One last question... can you see my aura?" Doreen asked. In response Vixen turned to look at the squirrel tailed heroine and her eyes where still glowing yellow.
"I can." Vixen replied. "It's green, which is a unique color." Vixen quickly added.
"Why is that unique?" Doreen asked in a curious tone, and that earned a smile from Vixen.
"That's for you to discover..."
To be Continued...
AN: You can see where I put the little nod towards "Operation Shuri" but like I said, I felt I could add nothing to that, "Playing with Fire" though, that's a different story. Obviously I'll have to wait till the special is released before I can write that chapter, but I'm in eager anticipation, and can set up a few things before I write that chapter.
