A/N: I may be almost finishing with my Helluva Boss fanfiction, but I really want to write a Cross Ange fanfiction that does not involve breaking Embryo in Rated M…I may have one planned out for AO3 but I can wait until a year or two, due to a certain project of my own and want to study more. When writing my previous Cross Ange story The Tuner's 'Gifts', I told Nitro zeus who suggested to me the other story about this one and I appreciate their opinions for me to write this. It might not be good, but I want to try my best.
Just to let everyone know, this story may not follow more of Ange and Arzenal though there will be chapters based on the other episodes (Not a fan of the first 9 episodes except for 5 and 8, sorry), but rather more on the World of Mana, similar to the Cross Ange and Kamen Rider crossover Kamen Rider Eternal: Rondo of Angel, Dragon, & Eternal. That, as well as Knight of Hilda and The Glitch of the System, are my favorite Cross Ange fanfictions.
Disclaimer: Everything in Cross Ange belongs to their respective owners such as King Records, Sentai Filmworks, Sunrise, Bandai Namco Entertainment. I own my original characters while a few may be from other companies as well.
CHAPTER 1: HUMAN KILLER
The World of Mana. A world that is perfect for humans who knows nothing of conflict, crime, poverty, and devastation through the infinite power humans are born and utilized called 'the Light of Mana' which gives them the power to have everything they could ever have beyond their dreams, and no one doesn't even need to fight each other. Living in a world like that would be like heaven…wrong.
Despite claims of living in peace, there exists an abnormality that breaks the humans' peaceful years with discrimination called Norma, females that are born by humans but unable to create and only destroy the Light of Mana. Because of this aberration, these girls are never referred to as anything but violent monsters and had to be taken away from humanity even from the moment a Norma is born, shipping them to a military base island called Arzenal where these Norma are trained as sacrificial soldiers and fight with robotic weapons called Para-Mail to protect the World of Mana from beasts that invade their world called Dimensional Rift Attuned Gargantuan Organic Neototype, or DRAGONs for short; the Norma's purpose and the DRAGONs' existence is kept secret from the humans who care less of the Norma's existence and go on with their oblivious life in so-called peace.
…But is there nothing wrong with changing the world by breaking the people's 'peace' of the World of Mana as a living hell, even without the Norma?
The Misurugi Empire, the main out of the six nations that formed the World of Mana was bristling with life with the people walking through the streets and going on with their business from shopping to working or jogging, with the roads taken by Mana cars that float inches above the road, with the vibrant colors of the town illuminated with the sunlight of the clear, blue sky, but not as much as the building that channels the Light of Mana throughout the world and is the beacon of the Misurugi Empire, the Dawn Pillar, and Mana screens hover above their heads and floating closer to the buildings with some of the screens showing the names of the stores and restaurants while most of the screens show pictures of a young woman with long, golden blonde hair and pink eyes that would look like red depending on the lighting from the sun. If some of the people weren't walking through town, they would be glancing at those Mana screens in admiration for the model in the Mana screen is the beloved Princess of the Misurugi Empire, Angelise Ikaruga Misurugi, who shall be the Empress by her baptism tomorrow and that made the people excited for the future of their Empire with their ruler leading them with her Mana.
Unaware of all, they didn't realize that there is someone among them who does not share their hope and feelings…or any feelings at all.
"Oh my gosh, look at this one!"
"She looks so cute!"
"Her eyes look scary, but her hair is so amazing!"
The sounds of girls saying their admiration beside her attracted the child from staring at the Mana screens of the Imperial Princess and look at her right to see three young women dressed in the Ho-o Institute school uniforms standing in front of her, with their Mana screens hovering in front of their faces, and remarking at the child as if she is a tiny animal or a doll for her appearance. A toddler girl with feet-length, blue hair that appears to be glowing with the fringes nearly hiding her glowing green eyes with black sclera but mostly her left eye, her complexion is tanned or dark, and wears a sleeveless, blue ballgown-like dress with a white apron and a dark indigo blue cape that shields her shoulders and torso, and both sides split to let her arms out. On her left hand is a beautiful mark that looks more of a tattoo than a birthmark; a red rose with black curved-like markings around it.
"So cute!" One of the girls cooed once she took a good picture of the child silently looking at the three girls and their Mana screen with a blank frown, unsure if she is confused, curious, or unable to show emotions for her age, with one of her friends slowly kneel and raised one of her arms and hands for hers.
"Hello! What's your name?" The second girl kindly asked as the three watch the child first look down to the ground for a few seconds, confusing the three girls though one of them slowly becomes afraid to run away from thinking the worst of the girl, before the child leisurely raise her hand which glows an aura of red light and, though silent without even moving her mouth, summon a small screen of red light… her green eyes changed to red the moment she summoned her Light of Mana but the three girls did not notice when they relaxed in relief knowing that what they were thinking about her is false.
"Oh good, she's not a Norma." One girl sighed.
"Yeah. I thought she could be one by her eyes." Another girl chuckled embarrassedly with her eyes closed when their friend playfully poke her finger on the other's cheek. "You look like you want to run away." The girl joked.
"Still, I wonder why she's alone. Who knows what'll happen if a Norma comes out of nowhere and attack her if she's not with her family?" The first girl wondered in worry just as the three glanced back at the little girl to see her not using Mana, oblivious that they didn't see her eyes changed back to green when not using the Light of Mana and staring at them with puzzlement by her eyes and a subtle tilt of her head to the side.
"Oh, you don't know what a Norma is?" One girl asked as the little girl, yet to talk and introduce herself, faintly shook her head with that same expression as her answer.
"They're disgusting beasts who can't use but destroy the Light of Mana, even if their parents are human. If there's one insight, they have to be caught immediately by the Mana soldiers on the spot because they could attack us …like right now!" The second student explained with a serious scowl revealing her disdain for the Norma as a quick glimpse at the other side of the road across where the four were standing on caught her attention to hastily point her finger and shout her shock that attracted her friends and the child to see the growing crowd circling a scene at the other side.
As two of the female students quickly ran towards the scene yet their other friend is kind enough to patiently reach and hold the little girl's hand when she wished to see what is going on before the two unhurriedly walk across the now idle road, the four managed to gently push the other people and get to stand at the first view of the police rounding up on a crying baby girl with auburn brown hair, blue eyes, and pink onesie inside a pyramid-shaped barrier of translucent green energy from Mana while two police officers restrain the mother, a woman with short, brunette hair, blue eyes, and wears a pink elbow-length shirt with a white undershirt, orange cloth wrapping around her waist, dark pink skirt, and brown shoes.
"Don't!" The mother urged her baby daughter when the latter slowly crawl towards the former but the moment she came in contact with the Mana barrier, it shattered as if it was glass and disappear into nothing which alarmed the people witnessing it to gasp in horror and anger except for the toddler girl who first looks around to see contempt, including the three girls who were kind to her earlier sneering their disgust at both the Norma baby and her mother trying to defend her, even as the little girl does not share anyone's feelings about this other than her empty glare the moment everyone watch the Norma baby crying when being held roughly by another police offer and the brunette officer who could be the leader reading out his Mana screen regarding the capture. "Under the Norma Control Act Article 1 Section 3; I designate this Norma #1203-76…"
"You can't take my baby!" The Norma's mother took the police officers off guard by pulling herself off her restraints and quickly grabs her baby off the other man's arms before she fell and kneel when a few of the police officers held her down with one beating her head with his hand before another police officer grabbed her hair and pull her up to show her face broken in fear and sadness, not stopping her to beg for their release. "This is a mistake! She isn't a Norma! She just hasn't learned to use her Mana yet! I swear!"
"That proves as it is, and this cannot be overlooked for any reason." Everyone stood silent the moment they hear a female voice speaking with a scowl and look at the source to be a familiar blonde woman wearing a white and purple dress and white gloves and high heels, collecting almost everyone's bewilderment to see no one but Princess Angelise appearing before a Norma when she and her purple-haired and brown-eyed maid walk past the officers with the former continue speaking in a bold font. "Humankind has evolved to gain the Light of Mana but Norma rejected to live on their own strength. They are violent, cold-blooded monsters therefore they must be purged from this world immediately."
The Norma's mother gasped her horror of the Princess's words though the silent, little girl can hear murmurs of agreement coming from the people around and behind her, ignoring the woman's plea to spare her baby who has stopped crying. "I beg of you, Lady Angelise. I can raise her not to be a monster!"
"Excuse me. What's all this then?"
A sudden voice of a man enquiring broke everyone's thoughts when everyone around the huddle look to their side of the road and see a man climbing out of the passenger seat of his Mana car, with the driver remaining inside when the owner of the voice spoke with a firm glower. "I received a warning that a Norma is around here and I see nothing but you people making my work difficult."
"I beg your pardon. Who are you?" Princess Angelise demanded, appearing startled by both the man's appearance and his tone when he use his arms to nudge the people that were in front of him away before he now stood between the Norma and her mother and the royal family with the police officer. A man who ladies would fawn over him for his handsome face even with the bandages wrapping around his forehead and shielding his left eye, his right eye is icy blue firmed in either boredom or apathetic, short orange or bronze-like yellow hair that slicks to the left side of his face, well-toned or lanky, and dressed in what the Mana Police Officers would wear, but with major differences. White in color but with black linings and also wears a black glove for his left hand since his right hand is also bandaged like his left eye, tie, and combat boots between his ankles and legs, another few details worth noticing was that he has a belt holding a chain hanging around the leg area of his uniform coat, his pants are short to his knees, and instead of a holster, he openly holds his customized double-barrel gun with his right hand.
"Be careful, Lady Angelise!" Angelise's timid maid, Momoka Oginome, warned and gently pull her mistress away from the man, startling the princess who first look at the people now staring at the intruder in fear and anger, as if this man is a murderer or, worse, a Male Norma until she listened to the Police Officer leader revealing the blonde with a sneer but the twitches at the corners of his lips can confirm that he is also afraid of him. "…He is known as the Human Killer, for his record of openly killing both Norma and humans who became traitors for protecting their Norma daughters. We never need him whenever there's a Norma sighting, but the government hired him for his accomplishments."
Hearing that made Angelise and Momoka froze in horror with the former hastily glare back at the Human Killer in anger.
'Someone the government hired to kill not just Norma but humans too!? Does Father know about him?' Angelise wondered in revulsion.
"Here, take it since you're here!" A police officer forcefully grabbed the baby off her mother's arms and hold her in front of the Human Killer's face who hold the crying baby with his free hand, bringing her mother to wail loudly and again throw her off her restraints before standing on her knees and grabbed anything from the Human Killer's clothes with her hands. "Noooo! Please, don't kill my baby! Serra's all I have left! If you kill her, you have to kill me first!"
The moment everyone can see that the Human Killer is unfazed by her plea with his face darkened as if the Devil is looking down on a damned soul…
BANG!
Everyone reacted too late apart from watching the Human Killer instantly raise and pull the trigger of his gun that was pressed against the Norma's mother's forehead, releasing the sound echoing the town and shot a bullet for a large blot of red to burst from the woman's face with her eyes bulged wide in dismay and pain which glued even when everyone froze in horror and watch the mother now falling her back towards the pavement and lying motionless with her blood spilling and almost covered her face.
The sight before them prompts the citizens excluding the police officers to scream their appalment with a few of them from the back hurriedly running away as if they are going to be killed from the heartless man who clipped his gun to hang behind the belt holding the chains and walk towards the lifeless woman, grabbing her by the back of her collar with his right hand and proceed to drag both the Norma baby and her dead mother towards his Mana car that remains with the passenger and guest doors now opened.
Caring less of the people backing away from him in fear for their lives, the Human Killer swiftly swings his arm holding the woman and remorselessly throw her body inside the car before gently placing the crying Norma baby inside a glass cube canister big enough to hold her and on one of the seats, increasing the humans' fear of him though Princess Angelise quickly regains her composure instead of cowering, trying to be brave for her people.
"Hold it right there, Human Killer!" Princess Angelise commanded and take a few steps from her maid and stopped behind the Human Killer, to the citizens' horror while the latter appears to be displeased when he looked over his right shoulder and glare at the eldest princess.
"What? You want to save the baby?" The Human Killer sarcastically asked as he is unfazed of seeing the shock, anger, and offense on the girl's face from the tone of his voice and his question.
"How dare you!? You have no right to speak to me like that, and terrify our people with your barbaric actions towards the humans, who could be saved if they never bear the Norma!" Princess Angelise argued.
"I'm just doing my job, Your Highness. For years, the police have been dealing with an increase of Norma and their families who want to save them would end up fighting their people to death and hid their daughters from the world. And although I work by myself, I was hired by the world leaders to deal with troublesome people who do just that." The Human Killer explained with a slow twist of his body to almost walk inside the passenger seat when he finished to see Princess Angelise's eyes furrowed and her beautiful face scrunched in anger and determination.
"If what you said is true…then, starting tomorrow as the future Empress of Misurugi, I shall have the Norma eradicated from this world! That way, not only the world will be more beautiful and flawless than it was, but you don't have to treat and kill the humans as if WE'RE the Norma, and have you promoted as the royal guard for both the World of Mana and the Imperial family." Princess Angelise declared with the citizens staring at their princess and gasp their astonishment of her future orders though her timid maid is saddened and the Human Killer who sneered his boredom from seeing the people smiling their appreciation for the thought of having the Norma destroyed…
"…So, you want to get me out of my job, right?" The Human Killer sighed with his eye closed to not see almost everyone glaring back at him in mixed surprise and anger at his words just as he climbed inside the passenger seat but the window remained open to see his face turning to face the slowly terrified princess. "What you said sounds boring if the Norma is destroyed without me to help out, but that would also sound nice to take a break. So I like to see you try. Sorry if I can't attend tomorrow, but good luck with your baptism."
Ignoring the cold stares and comments directing towards him, the Human Killer's window was closed by the driver who willed her Light of Mana to activate the Mana car and proceed to drive through the lane, leaving the scene to the royal siblings and their people. However, unaware to all including the Princess and the Human Killer…someone watched the interrogation with bemusement hiding his ponders for a plan inside the royal Mana car.
"Whoo, that was scary!" As soon as the people slowly disperse but unable to calm down from her fear of seeing the Human Killer in the flash, hearing rumors of a human willing to kill their kind just to get rid of the Norma, the first of the three high school girls commented in dismay while placing her hand on her chest and look at her two best friends to see them as surprised as she was for witnessing both the Human Killer and the Imperial Princess of their empire with the latter returning to her vehicle alongside her maid. "Yeah…I'm just glad we're not dead." The second girl sighed.
"I hope that the little girl's…safe…" The third girl assured as she slowly look down but instead of the little blue-haired girl…the three girls noticed in surprise that the girl is nowhere to be found. "Wait, where did she go?"
"Commander, aren't you being a bit…restrained than usual? Normally, you would be shooting someone until they're full of holes." The driver asked through her Mana screen as she continues to drive above the sea and not get caught by anything that could be around in the middle of the ocean with her black and red speeder-like vehicle that could be used with Mana but also bears manual steering controls and called Gliders, attached with a trailer holding her employer, his kill lying on the ground, and the latter's baby who is surprisingly sleeping inside her cage. Luckily after the bloody scene, the group made it to the harbor where the human workers did not notice two people illegally transporting a dead woman and her Norma baby to a secret vehicle and went away without issue. This is not the first and last time whenever the Human Killer would publicly kill someone and end up being scorned by the people but this is the first time when he had to kill in front of people.
Hopefully, that little stunt will make people grow more afraid of the Human Killer than usual…since that's his job.
"I would do that, if not for my gun's function being wacky to accidentally shoot my blood bullet." Her commander excused from the Mana screen with a tired sigh while tightening the bandages around his forehead and left eye when feeling they might fall off of his face. "Have you called someone at the Haven for a stretcher?"
"Yes, sir." The driver responded as she sees her drove towards a colossal island that could make itself into a nation but larger and far from humanity where it is taken and built to be a town with the beacon of this unnamed nation being a colossal resort with three large and white-colored condominium buildings with countless glass windows of different rooms and surrounded by colossal mountains with trees as a wall in the entire place except the front which made it easier to hide the establishment from the outside world. If they can see from above with an aerial view by Mana, the resort has two swimming pools in different sizes besides the greenish-blue yet crystal clear lake formed alongside the walking path surrounding the lake with some lanterns hanging on its posts for light, and there are also exotic flowers that different parts of the World of Mana have never seen. That beacon is the trademark of the secret Haven nation, called Haven Resort.
Not completely hidden from the World of Mana, the world leaders were misinformed of the Haven by its secret founders as both a factory to build Para-Mail for the Norma of Arzenal and a solitary colony reserved as a rehabilitation prison for humans who refused to follow their rules regarding the abandonment of Norma which results in punishing the humans to death…which is false.
As soon as the Glider arrived and slowly descend closer to the Haven's area, the rider glances up to where they see multiple towering mechanical figures called Para-Mails soaring through the sky, some of the Para-Mails are in their Destroyer Mode while others have their Para-Mails converted into their Flight Mode for faster flight speed and showing their riders to be men and female wearing their armor, with a few of them waving their greetings to the incoming rider who happily waved them back.
Steering her Glider to the landing deck from its harbor closer to the Haven Resort, noticing a doctor and a nurse are already there with a stretcher ready for their new guest, the Human Killer's driver parked her vehicle at a suitable distance before climbing off to assist the doctor and nurse by opening the trailer's door, allowing the Human Killer to walk out and hand over the Norma's cage to the nurse who hurriedly but quietly pulls the sleeping baby into her arms once the doctor gently places the mother's lifeless body on the stretcher and the three including the Human Killer left the Glider rider to walk and push the stretcher to the Haven Resort.
The secret of Haven from the humans is not to punish or kill those who object to humanity's laws and save the Norma from their purpose but to hide them away from the world simply by killing them off so that they will not be identified as traitors. Although that there would be the limitations of collecting food and supplies which only the unidentified humans using their Gliders have to be the providers, worried about risking their identities to the humans who may recognize the secret traitors and found out about their double lives, the humans' government and leaders hasn't learned about the truth of Haven and the Norma that escaped from deporting to Arzenal for years, so it is a 50-50 chance that it will stay that way.
What is important is that no family will be separated from each other, regardless of their species.
Once he left the doctor and nurse with the new guests, the Human Killer composedly walk towards the Haven Resort's sliding doors where the foyer and lobby of the Haven Resort illuminate with a warmly dim orange light from the candle chandelier hanging above with beautiful paintings adorning some of the beige brown walls contrasting the dark brown wooden floors smoothen to not feel a single splinter sticking out, and besides their left is the counter, and filled with the Haven residents that either lived in the resort or the town for a vacation.
Seeing the humans fairly interacting with the Norma women and girls instead of the disdain their kind from the other nations is proud to display brings a bit of serenity in the Human Killer's heart as since only the Haven nation understands that despite his work the other nations only knows of him as vicious, the Human Killer is not a heartless human…except when he kills the humans who wish to keep their flawed prosperity of sacrificing the Norma as it is.
"Rush." A man taller and muscular than some of the men including their leader walked from the hallway leading to the outdoor restaurant and swimming pool and stood closer to inform the Human Killer, openly revealing his name that the Haven nation knows. Dressed in a uniform of the Haven soldiers based on their agreed preferences; a long-sleeved shirt with a dark grey bullet-proof vest filled with zipped pockets, black gloves, black cargo pants, and combat boots, this particular soldier's uniform is different from the other male and female soldiers' as his shirt and pants are dark crimson red and his head is wearing a matching red helmet to hide his face. That almost red uniform explains little that his name is Red Death. "You wish to speak with us?"
"Yeah. I'll have the others come to my office." Rush ordered as he and his right-hand man leisurely walk away from the foyer, allowing the citizens to continue their peaceful time without worrying of the outside world, and head towards one of the six elevators of the lobby when one immediately open for Rush and Red Death to enter inside for the doors to close, allowing the former to summon a Mana screen and type something with his fingers while they were ascending to the top floor of the Haven Resort's main building where he and his team resides. It took a minute without stopping for the two to arrive on the top floor and walk out of the elevator towards the lobby where from the end of the lobby is a closed door and a group of people, two older women and two young men waiting outside until they notice Rush and Red Death's arrival.
"Thanks for coming, guys." Rush greeted once he opened the door with just a push of his hands and walk inside a lavish office room alongside his trusted teammates who took a seat on the two couches in the room excluding Red Death who stood in front of Rush's desk the moment he sat on his chair, and one of the two boys who have an unusual seat.
"As all of you know, tomorrow is the 16th birthday and coronation of Misurugi's Imperial Princess Angelise Ikaruga Misurugi to become the future Empress." Rush started the meeting with a glance at his teammates excluding Red Death to see their emotions regarding the princess, with one of the two women and boys expressing sadness, the other woman is stoic with her arms crossed under her chest, and the other boy is busy inspecting and typing his fingers in a primitive-looking disc bearing a keypad and serving as an alternative with a Mana screen but a bored sneer is on his face when the princess was mentioned. "I had to meet her when I did my job of taking out a Norma, but she was pissed not only because of my job but I had to take out the Norma's mother. Had to say that if she becomes the Empress, she will find ways to eradicate the Norma."
"If the beloved princess knew what the world is like, her fate would've to be avoided by our actions." One of the two women of the group scoffed with a distasteful glower, taller than an average woman with wavy brown hair tied in a high ponytail to her shoulders, fair skin, and wears a black sleeveless robe to her knees with a silver zipper resting on her chest, a hood behind her robe, matching black knee-high boots, and a long red Plenum Chamber cable hanging behind her robe as if it is a tail. As the Norma of Rush's team ever since she was a child, Cynical willingly serves as an expert in both physical and aerial combat with and without her Para-Mail and abilities to break the humans' Light of Mana.
"Since the people are too focused on the important event of their lives, it'll be easier for us to take some supplies that'll give them hell, won't it?" One of the boys jokingly asked while busily looking at the statistics of one of his inventions, a tablet-like device with a screen and keyboard, the word Man-dle is written at the back. Around a teenager or early twenties with spiky green hair siding to his right side with the pair of goggles on his forehead, magenta eyes, and dressed in an indigo version of the Haven soldiers' uniform, some of his pockets are filled with tools and a strap behind his back holds a red baton that is long to almost be a staff. Although he has a real name, he wished to discard his old life, therefore calling himself Ammo, the technician of the group.
"Cynical, Ammo. We know that you both detest the humans for their simple-mindedness and hatred to the Norma, but please restrain yourselves." The second woman reassured with her hands gently grab Cynical's shoulders. Bearing strawberry blonde hair to her waist with some of her strands colored bright blue, sky blue eyes that are constantly sad and attired in a blue robe tied with an orange cloth around her waist and the length of the robes is closer to the floor with small and countless purple and pink flower designs, and the robes appears to be slightly open that almost reveal her body. Despite her beautiful and delicate appearance fitting her name Hyacinth, her team knows NOT to mess with her.
"Captain Rush? Red Death? Would the princess being the Empress make everything difficult?" The second boy asked while petting his pet that also serves as his seat and trusted friend alongside his second pet. Not looking older than a man to be the youngest member of the group alongside Ammo, he has short and messy platinum silver hair, matching yet blank eyes, skinny to look underweight, wearing a simple white T-shirt and orange swimming trunks to his bare knees, and surprisingly to those outside the Haven nation who are used to him, has a large, dark green phyton snake coiling around his body and resting its chin on his hair, while his left ear has another but tiny white snake. Out of the group, Moon is a surprisingly capable ally due to both his background and his ability to speak to animals like his pet snakes, who Moon revealed their name that he DIDN'T give them to be Ular the phyton and Hebi the small snake.
"Don't worry, young Moon." Red Death assured. "Even if the princess has been baptized as Misurugi's ruler, it won't change how we handle the Norma compared to their so-called government."
"Red's right." Rush agreed with a nod against his gloved and bandaged hands holding his chin. "No matter how long it is and how the government keeps changing just to send the Norma to Arzenal, their methods are still shit. Now; as I'm getting ready to head into Arzenal in three days, here's the plan for tomorrow…"
[The Next Day…]
"Really, Rush? Out of you adults, you had to send US in this shitty day!?" Ammo grunted as he crouched and hold onto the top branch of the largest tree he and Moon picked as a hiding spot behind the Dawn Pillar's back exit since the citizens are at the front, watching Princess Angelise's baptism to not notice two boys and a giant snake spying onto the baptism. "Moon, can you and Ular be the lookout? I'll send in the droid." Ammo suggested as he typed his keypad from his Man-dle and watched over the screen recording the baptism ceremony in an aerial view from a camera droid he created.
"A-Alright." Moon timidly responded as he is sitting, instead of the same branch Ammo is crouching, on Ular's tail when the giant phyton coils around the branch and held its tail and Moon higher for higher surveillance. "What are we looking for again?"
"According to Rush, he wants us to record the baptism in case if Princess Angelise is still insisting on giving some boring speech of eliminating the Norma." Ammo answered sarcastically and continuously type his keyboard, though he took a glimpse at the snake communicator to see Moon still looking around but his face expressed nothing but sadness and hesitance as always, immediately catching Ammo's heart to grow heavy with guilt and sorrow. 'Ok, maybe I shouldn't say something like that to Moon.' Ammo mentally noted and ceased typing his Man-dle.
Suddenly, both boys heard the loud sounds of a siren ringing in the air of the Misurugi Empire from nowhere but the Dawn Pillar, the deafening volume almost made Ammo and Moon fall off the tree only to be saved by Ular quickly grab and hang them with its body and tail.
"W-What was that?" Moon gasped in shock as he and Ular hurriedly move and scoot closer to Ammo who held his device for the three to see the stage where Princess Angelise is found trapped in the glass chamber used for her baptism while the Misurugi Imperial family is found being held in gunpoint excluding the blonde-haired, blue-eyed young man in lavish white and purple robes and familiar to be the eldest prince and child, Julio Asuka Misurugi standing and smiling at the confused citizens once the siren ceased blaring.
"Hear this, my beloved subjects. I will now reveal the truth; Lady Angelise…is a Norma!"
Moon gasped his horror while Ammo only blink in surprise when the three including the snake watch Julio continue to speak in anger through Ammo's camera droid. "To conceal this fact and that a Norma rule over us must be a plot to undo our nation! This act is the ultimate treason against our citizens! Our Empire will not be tainted by monsters! It is high time our people found out the truth! On this; the day of Angelise's baptism!" Just as he finished, the scene then shows Princess Angelise being led out of the Dawn Pillar by the Empress, Sophia Ikaruga Misurugi.
"Let's go!" Ammo hurriedly unwrap Ular's coils off his foot before he land and bounce off a bush with Ular hastily but gently lower Moon to the ground for both boys to quickly run towards the vehicle and hide behind there when a crowd from the front of the Dawn Pillar was already grouping there the moment Princess Angelise exited only to be trapped in a pyramid-shaped dome of Mana with the Empress held back by the royal guards.
"Excuse me, Lady Angelise. Your Imperial Highness is under suspicion of being a Norma. Please don't resist…" The leader of the Mana Police Officer instructed as calm as he can, possibly finding himself in disbelief of the possible deception of Princess Angelise as a Norma, seemingly angering her to walk forward even with her mother begging her don't…just for everyone to witness the Mana dome shattering into pieces like glass the moment she touched it, to their horror with murmuring from the horrified citizens while the startled men hurriedly aim their guns at the revealed Norma princess.
'Oh, this is a new twist.' Ammo remarked with a grin Moon did not notice as the former recorded it from his Man-dle's camera.
"Put down your weapon now. If you don't I'll have to shoot you." The police officer informed though it's clear that Angelise will not back down from swiftly pulling out her sword that was strapped to her waist and charged after the officer even when he frightfully pull the trigger of his gun…and ended up shooting a bullet at the Empress who hastily run and blocked her daughter from attacking, hitting a vital point of her body with drops of her blood-stained on her daughter's face and dress when both fell to the ground.
The moment they witness the Empress shot, Ammo heard Moon gasp his shock and hurriedly end the recording to see the snake tamer glaring at the dying Empress in such aghast, collecting Ammo's notice to react in worry for the other for knowing what he was thinking until he gently holds Moon's hand and drag him away from the scene with a gasp releasing from the other's mouth, now bringing him back to the present as they run towards the tree Ular is still hiding.
"I'm sorry, Moon!" Ammo apologized once the three hid behind the tree and watch how Angelise is being dragged away by the guards that once loyally serve her, possibly taking her to the harbor that'll send her to the one place they know that she won't survive. 'I should haven't brought Moon with me to see this.' Ammo choked in regret.
"Under the Norma Control Act Article 1 Section 3; I designate this Norma #1203-77. Take it away." Listening to the police officer handing out the order before ignoring the citizens spewing insults to the disgraced Norma princess who is being dragged away and crying out for her dead mother, the child silently walk closer to the latter's body, her age and silence made it easier for people to not see a two-year-old girl with blue hair, eery green eyes, and blue dress in the open and even summoning a small, red hemisphere of the Light of Mana hovering horizontally over the Empress's bullet wound and blood-stained body. As she did though she managed to notice two strange-dressed boys running away from the royal Mana vehicle and hiding behind a tree, confusing her to almost losing her focus of her Mana.
"Ah, little girl!" The voice of the Mana police officer startled the girl to immediately lose her focus for her red Light of Mana to dismiss into nothing, luckily not broken into shards to confirm that she's not a Norma, and turns around to see the man now standing in front of her with his men hurriedly lead the now angered citizens away. "You shouldn't be here. We just sent the Norma away to where it should be."
"…No...Norma…" The police officer flinched in surprise as he could've sworn he heard a quiet voice speaking from the child, to see her trying to move her lips and speak possibly the first time. "…Not…Norma."
"Of course you're aren't. I saw your Light of Mana, so it's good. And it's rare that you have a Red Light of Mana, so that makes you special." The police officer smiled his relief and softly stroked her head with a hand as if she is his child, despite the latter having terrifying green and black eyes, before his smile faltered into a sad scowl. "But I'm afraid that even that couldn't save our Empress, who deceived us with the Emperor. For now, you should be with your family where it's safe."
"H-Hey!" Both the officer and the little girl heard a man trying to call someone when the former turned around for the two to see a boy sharing the girl's age or a few years older with neck–length, untidy, pure white hair almost covering his clouded pinkish-red eyes with the fringes, has extremely pale white skin, a long, faded scar at his throat that is recognizable to be stabbed than slashed, and dressed in a dark purple, ankle-length, and sleeveless overcoat with black trimmings on the chest, black T-shirt underneath the coat, white gloves, dark purple trousers and knee-length, and black, buckled boots running past the guard before he ran towards the girl with the police officer watching the boy silently wrap his arms around the girl in a hug, showing the man that these two are siblings which made him more eased than earlier to smile before he watch the two broke their hug and walk away to follow the police officer trying to stop the boy and now willing to lead them away from the scene.
Unaware of the World of Mana, that day is the beginning of a life-changing event…
Reference/ Trivia:
. Most of the characters are actually original characters I used in my previous stories, though a few can be considered a parody version of existing characters.
. The girl has Red Mana because the show didn't so much of Riza using 'hers'.
. (10/12/2021) As of the release of Chapter 5, the little girl will have a different appearance/ be a different character in the AO3 version of Cross Ange: Living Hell because I want the FF. Net version of this character for another fanfiction in AO3. I'll make a drawing in Deviantart to compare the two characters' appearances and explain the change.
. The Haven Resort is ACTUALLY a real-life resort in Ipoh, Malaysia but called The Haven All-Suite Resort or just The Haven Ipoh. I've been there a few times and it is a beautiful resort.
. Imagine the Man-dle as the Kindle Keyboard tablets (Used to own one).
