Disclaimer: I don't own Cross Ange or any of its characters and original plot, excluding the original characters I created for this story. Cross Ange and all its rights belong to King Records (Japan), Sentai Filmworks (USA), and Sunrise/ Bandai Namco Entertainment (Japan). This fanfiction is meant for entertainment only and not for profit. This story contains heavy language, blood and violence, and mild sexual themes not for audiences under 16-18 years old.
CHAPTER 31: APPROACHING STORM
Surprisingly, despite being in enemy territory, Ange slowly woke up from a good night's sleep after last night's celebration as she tiredly sat and climb out of bed and walked out of the balcony from the sliding door in Tiamat and Drake's temple, dressed in the blue robe that looks a bit like Hyacinth's robes, looking up at the sky with astonishment in her sleepy face from watching multiple and unfamiliar DRAGONS fly above her head and flew towards the town farther from the keep. "They really are DRAGONs, huh?" Ange muttered in amazement as she walked back into her quarters and closed the sliding door behind her. By now, Tusk, and Ammo should still be sleeping and from what she remembered before she went to sleep, Sala-whatever her name is should be expecting to see her once everyone wakes up. 'What is she planning?' Ange wondered in suspicion and annoyance just as she plopped down onto the couch which immediately and wildly shake and grunt under her, shocking Ange with a gasp and hastily climbing off to look down and see that, instead of furniture, she sat on Tusk wrapped up in a spare futon. Now she remembered what she did before going to bed.
"Oh yeah," Ange remembered. "I forgot you were in there."
"C-Come on! Will you just untie me already?" Tusk gasped; his face wet with sweat from the tight position he was forced to be in.
"Morning…" Ange and Tusk heard Ammo calling them with a yawn and emerged from the hallway, already dressed and his face washed by the slight wet moisture of his skin to completely wake up. The moment he noticed the scene after he lowered his hand off his mouth from yawning and see Ange narrowing her eyes at him in suspicion while Tusk had a pleading look in his eyes, begging him to help him… "Sorry, I'll come back when Moon's parents and Salamandinay show up." Ammo swiftly turns and is about to walk back to the hallway he came from.
"Ammo! Come back and help me!" Tusk called in fear and worry as Ammo nonchalantly walk back with a displeased glower and a raised eyebrow directed at both Ange and Tusk.
"What did you do to make Tusk go into this, Ange? Is this because of yesterday's accident?" Ammo asked.
"I got no choice! Do you both expect me to sleep in the same room with a sex maniac?" Ange demanded with annoyance.
"How many times do I have to tell you I'm not!" Tusk argued as she untied the cords securing Tusk's futon as the mattress fell off his upper half, releasing a sigh of relief from Tusk. But it was when Ange untied the third strap around Tusk's knees that it will be trouble when Ange and Ammo watched Tusk suddenly wobble from the sudden lack of balance to the three's surprise but Ammo didn't get to catch Tusk before he leaned forward and fall on top of Ange and the ground in an odd position with Tusk wearing nothing but his shorts and accidentally pull Ange's robe apart and down her slender frame with his hands just as the bedroom door slid open.
"Good morning," a familiar voice called out as Ammo turned from Ange and Tusk's humiliating position to Salamandinay and her two attendants entering in only to stop when the four saw Tusk kneeling and standing on his hands and knees in front of an embarrassed Ange, both blushing mad. 'Uh oh.' Ammo started to dread, knowing what Tusk's fate would be.
"Is this part of your morning copulation ritual? Please, I allow you to continue." Salamandinay offered with a calm smile, not seeing Naga and Kaname blushing, Ammo hiding his annoyed face with his gloved hand, Tusk trying to speak, and Ange staring at the former in anger.
"No way!" Ange swiftly rises and throws Tusk off her before Ammo, Salamandinay, Naga, and Kaname watch Ange kicking Tusk's ass with her foot. 'So, this is the girl that convinced Tusk to fight for Vilkiss, huh?' Ammo mentally joked.
After stopping Ange from nearly killing Tusk and giving them a quick change into their clothes, Ange and Tusk followed Salamandinay and her two cronies to the temple's dining area where two rows of low-set dining tables are placed on the floor with one table, on three of the cushions set on the floor, some familiar figures were already eating breakfast with Moon and Ular joining Tiamat and Drake while Vivian sat at another table beside theirs with Lamia and another human-formed male DRAGON which, by his appearance, Ange and Tusk could guess that he could be Vivian's father instead of his DRAGON form last night. Not as burly as Drake but still muscled with his mid-back red hair dishevelled to look spikier and messier, this male DRAGON wears a sleeveless vest baring his torso and a baggy pair of matching scarlet pants with a black waistband. And like his DRAGON form, his back and backside sport his DRAGON wings and tail.
"More please," Vivian chirped as she held out a bowel to Lamia who accepted it.
"Now Mii. Remember to chew. You're just like your father." the older woman reminded her with a smile and her eyes closed to not see her husband facing her with a sarcastic smile. "Wait, what? Why do you mean that, Lamia?"
"Sure thing, Your Mother. Your Father." Vivian smiled as she saw Ange, Tusk and Ammo's arrival with Salamandinay, Naga, and Kaname to wave at the former three. "Hey! Morning guys!"
"Good morning, your Highness." Lamia and her husband turned around in their seats and bowed.
"I trust you three rested well?" Salamandinay asked.
"Actually, Lamia and I spent the whole night talking with our daughter about her life at the False Earth." Vivian's father answered.
"Yeah, and I'm exhausted." Vivian yawned, rubbing her hands against her face.
"I am glad to hear it, Lord Gamus...now then," Salamandinay smiled as she turned to Ange's group, leading them to the other table where Moon's family are beside Vivian's family, also filled with food like bowls of steamed rice, eggs, and vegetables, meat, and other types of fish that looks similar but different with the seafood served in their world. "If you please, I would like you all to join us for breakfast." Salamandinay offered. "We have plenty so help yourselves," Ange, Tusk, and Ammo hurriedly join Moon's family where the former three sat beside Moon while Salamandinay, Naga, and Kaname sat beside Tiamat and Drake, no surprise that the latter two are sneaking peeks at the male DRAGON of the group with blushing cheeks while Naga sneers her jealously at Tiamat with a pout. Curious, Ammo held his pair of chopsticks with his fingers in a pincher and slowly grabs something from one of the plates in front of him, a small piece of moulded white rice with a piece of squid resting on top and dipped one end of the piece with a dap of liquid he could guess is soy sauce before taking it all in his mouth with one bite. Just chewing it once to dissect its taste caught Ammo's amazement to subtly whine his delight.
"Is it to your liking?" Salamandinay asked with a smile.
"Yeah!" Ammo nodded although he realized he may have startled everyone excluding Vivian's family by the sudden child-like excitement coming from HIM, alarming him to hurriedly calm himself down with a faintly embarrassed pout. "I-I mean, yes it's delicious."
"I'm delighted to hear that. And please don't be embarrassed by your reaction." Salamandinay assured. "It is always pleasant to observe how sincere a person is."
"If it's safe to mention this, Lady Salamandinay," Tiamat spoke with a hand raised, collecting the table's curiosity of the cruel-like smug grin coming from the older woman directed at Ammo. "The year before the Haven rescued Moon and me from being the False Human's so-called test subjects, when we first met Zenya, we witnessed a False Human killing the guards trying to assault us with such animalistic methods that made Zenya fainted and even..." However, Tiamat confidently stopped herself and smirk at Ammo frantically waving his arms at her and blushing in dismay and anger from almost revealing an embarrassing secret.
"Waaaaah! Miss Moon's mother! Please don't tell them that!" Ammo pleaded as he instantly turned his attention from Tiamat to glare and shift his tone to argue at Ular in anger. "Ular! Don't you dare tell Ange and Tusk about that memory!"
"Uh, we can't understand animals like some of the Haven, so you should be glad that we don't know what Ular's trying to say, Ammo." Tusk assured Ammo with a sheepish smile although Ange looked away with a displeased glower, not once touching her food.
"Oh? The Human Killer's land can communicate with animals?" Kaname asked with astonishment.
"O-oh, yes." Moon nodded. "When the Haven rescued me, Ammo, and Mother two years ago, Rush helped us settle in while he offered to take care of me and return Mother back to the True Earth. After that, I helped teach some of the Haven citizens and Sir Rush to communicate with animals to help with dealing with their enemies and giving them a nation to live." Moon answered with a nervous smile, slurping a string of noodles from his bowl with his chopsticks. "I thought he was scary, but I'm glad that he was okay asking Mother to fight our abusers. And the Haven is actually a nice place with friendly people regardless of their species."
"When Tiamat told me Sir Rush asked her to eat your tormentors, I honestly can't believe that there's someone both remorseless but almost heartless to willingly ask one of our people to kill his own kind," Drake admitted in bewilderment.
"But I find it amazing," Naga remarked. "When Lizardia first told us about the Human Killer and Moon, asking us to save him from the False Humans, we had the presumption that he will be another of Embryo's pawns due to leading a nation of his people who willingly torture their kind for protecting Norma, and his destructive methods. But when Tiamat and Moon told us the truth that this Rush is secretly initiating a war on his former kind, we couldn't help but be both shocked and amazed."
"We are curious about something, Sir Tusk, Sir Ammo." Kaname enquired, a soft blush on her cheeks when she smiled. "Apart from some other men of your army…is Sir Rush looking for a wife?" That one question made Tusk, Ammo, Moon, Tiamat, and Drake flinched and the atmosphere went silent with Salamandinay, Kaname, and Naga noticing the sudden surprise flashing on the five's faces to muse in curiosity…
'Shit! How are we going to answer THAT!?' Tusk and Ammo mentally scream their shock as they can imagine Rush's reaction IF he finds out about this question and what else they could answer without revealing something that could anger the DRAGONs IF they were to get back home; either he'll stare at the two boys down with a furious sneer while holding his gun ready to shoot at them or, in their horror to hug each other and scream, grinning like an incubus planning to torture them with fatal seduction. Suddenly, an answer has unexpectedly been given.
"I'm sorry. Rush wanted to marry his best friends when he was younger, but they were killed by his heartless parents before he killed them by himself. Because of that, Rush doesn't feel like getting married to anyone." Moon calmly answers with sadness as almost everyone stares at the snake tamer with mixed shock while Tusk and Ammo gawked their mouths in dismay yet they hastily glance back at Sala's side when Kaname looked down with sorrow in her eyes and mouth.
"Oh. Please forgive me. I shouldn't ask such an inconsiderate question. I hope he shall recover from his suffering." Kaname relented although Salamandinay and Naga watch Tusk and Ammo instantly throw their arms and wrap them around Moon and Ular, collecting the boy's puzzlement especially by noticing how the two are smiling with their closed eyes looking like they're about to cry right after he answered.
'Moon! You saved us!' Tusk and Ammo sighed.
'Shut up…Just shut up.' During the conversation between Tusk, Ammo, Moon, and Sala-whatever her name is and her cronies, while watching Vivian enjoying her breakfast with her parents which soured her mood further, Ange looked like she wanted to interrupt their little party and demanded Tusk and Ammo of why they are being friendly to these slimy, human lizards when her stomach began to growl, loud enough to attract her table's attention to stare at her.
"You should eat while it is still warm, Ange. From what I was taught, an army marches on their stomachs to ensure victory." Salamandinay advised with a friendly smile. Too friendly.
"Fine, I'm eating!" Ange snapped and started eating her food with her chopsticks. Even if they're good, better than Arzenal's food, there's no way she'll stoop low to get along with this lizard.
'Ange, can you at least be a bit civil? She's trying to give us hospitality.' Ammo mentally scoffed at Ange's hot-headedness, although he noticed something right asked after he and Tusk removed their arms from Moon and Ular. "Wait, an army?" Ammo asked.
"Yes, Sir Ammo. I have a request for all of you. But please let me explain once we are done with our breakfast. I shall take you all somewhere suitable for my proposition." Salamandinay nodded with a soft frown after taking a bit of her bowl of rice, increasing her guests' curiosity while Ange can feel that she won't be quiet any longer.
After breakfast, Sala and her two lackeys led the group out of the temple and through the sky with their similar-looking Para-mails while she, Tusk, Ammo, and Moon were given a ride with the same Galleon that took Sala and Ange to the Tower of Aura yesterday. As for Vivian, she was offered to follow the former's parents, Tiamat, and Drake to their houses and the town where she was born and initially raised. Following their captors, Ange, Tusk, Ammo, and Moon have found themselves and landed in front of a building nearly hidden by the canyon walls but easily spotted by the beige walls, and one of the two signs resembling a ball with three holes at the side and what appears to be a white object with a small top and round bottom, a red line around the end of the top. The other sign which is a text and luckily readable to Ange's group reads Hustle 1.
"What is this place?" Ange wondered as soon as the group walked inside and was given a tour of the inside to be multiple rooms of different designs and equipment required in each room.
"An arena for warriors gathered from other lands to combat each other with skill, strength, and wits. According to the legend." Sala answered.
'It looks more like a pre-Mana sports building, than a place to duel.' Ammo mused in confusion while Tusk looked around in amazement. "It's surprisingly stable and active for being more than 500 years old."
"We thank Lady Salamandinay who studied the old world and restored this building alongside others, without assistance. Thanks to her, we received many useful artifacts. She also restored our vessels, the Ryuu-shin-ki..." Naga elaborated with a blush on her cheeks and smiled when she proceeds to brag yet Kaname stopped her from continuing by softly jabbing a sudden elbow at the body. "Oww!"
"That's classified info, Naga!" Kaname reminded as Ange, Tusk, Ammo, and Moon watch Naga flinching in dread from realizing her mistake and bowed to Salamandinay. "Oh! Please forgive me."
"Alright, why did you bring us here?" Ange demanded.
"I have a request for you. I would like you and your allies to join us in our fight against Embryo." Ange, Tusk, Ammo, and Moon froze in silence although almost everyone can see the fury on Ange's face, tempting to blow off when Salamandinay continued explaining her offer. "As I told you with the truth of our war; our goal is to rescue Aura from Embryo, the cause of our false battles and enforce the Norma to be scapegoats for your people's terrible rules. As we share the same enemy for our suffering, I would like us to fight with us."
"Is that it?" Ange hissed, reaching an arm to stop Tusk, Ammo, or both from trying to stop her from speaking her mind in anger.
"Yes. It will do nicely if we could…" Salamandinay was about to continue when Ange suddenly raise her voice.
"How about no!" Ange yelled, shocking the entire room with her anger as Naga and Kaname looked like they were about to fight Ange or protect Salamandinay who reacted surprisingly calm despite the outburst in front of her face. "Understanding each other? That's bullshit! I'm sick and tired of people lying and taking advantage of me! Just because I pilot Vilkiss, people think that they can force me to do whatever they want!" Afraid of her temper, Moon hurriedly reaches his bony hands and grabbed her arm, snapping her anger and turning towards Moon in disbelief.
"Ange, please wait!" Moon begged. "You're not the only one dealing with this. Arzenal and Haven, we've been deceived by the enemies! It's not just you that's suffering because of the humans!" As much as she wants to, Ange couldn't find herself to shout back and remove her arm from Moon's hands as despite being a year older than her and having Ular wrapping around him, he's still Rush's truest friend or adopted brother or son, according to Tusk and Ammo when telling her that he's an Ancient Human, and she cannot help but sympathize Moon to be afraid of everything and his low self-esteem. That's another thing why she hates the humans who find pleasure in breaking the innocent boy.
"Lady Salamandinay. I understand and hope that we could ally as you're right about our enemy." Tusk spoke with a calm frown, a hand on Ange's shoulder. "But as Ange's knight, I shall do whatever I can to support her, even if it means involving her interests in working alongside the DRAGONs." Hopefully, Tusk shouldn't see or be oblivious to Ange calming down with a faint blush and a subtle smile when she glances back at him.
"I mean. I also agree that we need to take down Embryo. But I need us to get back and contact our allies at Arzenal and Haven who survived the humans' attack. I want to save our friends…but mostly Rush, who could or already be Embryo's target." Ammo admitted with Ange, Tusk, and Moon bearing worry when Rush was mentioned which must've attracted Salamandinay to notice their reactions before she nodded her understanding with a faintly saddened smile.
"I understand, Sir Ammo. Thank you and Young Moon for revealing your leader's predicament. Perhaps I might make another proposal. Ange? May I suggest a duel with you?" Ange, Tusk, Ammo, Moon, Kaname, and Naga blinked their eyes in surprise at this proposal. "Ever since our last battle in the False Earth after I had Tiamat save Young Moon, I long to have another battle with a true victor, as we, unfortunately, had a draw. But I shall make this one a wager; if you win, I shall allow you and your comrades to return to your world. But if I win, you will become my property." Although Tusk, Ammo, Moon, and Sala's attendants reacted surprised at the proposition, Ange's eyes glimmer with suspicion.
"So, all I have to do is beat you and we can go back home?" Ange asked, strangely but also unsurprisingly calm.
"Yes, that is correct." Salamandinay nodded and the cruel smile on Ange's face increased Tusk, Ammo, and Moon's worry when the latter hastily remove his hands from Ange's arm.
"All right fine. Let's do it!" Ammo instantly lowers his head with a groan, Moon watch Ular shaking his head in disapproval, and Tusk nervously laughs from his smile. Just like breakfast, negotiations with Ange are a lost cause.
For the first sport of the duel, Ange and Sala changed into sleeveless sports shirts and short skirts, the five of them found themselves on the court that is divided into zones by white paint formed into rectangular designs on the ground and split in half by a wide net running along the middle ground between her and Sala's sides for this 'tennis' game as the first of this duel. Holding onto the wooden paddle that has a stronger net made of wires at the top half of the racket she was given, Ange scowled as Sala tossed a small fur-covered ball in her other. According to her, the rule of tennis is to whack the ball at each other with their rackets until they will fly past either of them but not the other side of the court while both sides outside the field are out of bounds.
"Princess! You got the first serve!" After Kaname called from her seat at the tall chair and holding a scoreboard, Sala had already tossed up the ball before sending it flying across the court with her paddle. Ange darted forward and swung but missed by a hair as the ball flew past her rear line. "15, love! Your serve again milady!" Kaname noted, scoring the first serve by flipping over Salamandinay's side of the scoreboard. Sala again swung her racquet and send the ball flying across the court once again but thanks for witnessing how to play from the first score, releasing a cry of determination, Ange leapt to where the ball should bounce and swung her paddle that hit and knock the ball flying back to Sala before she could intercept it, surprising her and her two subordinates.
"Alright!" Tusk cheered while Ammo whistled, receiving a confident smirk from Ange.
"15 all," Kaname announced, nervously flipping Ange's side of the scoreboard.
"Impressive," Sala admitted.
"Bring it on, then!" Ange answered. After their tennis match ended in a draw, Ange and Salamandinay moved on to other sports after a quick change of clothes in each sport such as baseball, car racing, golf, a smaller version of tennis on the table called "ping-pong," and even trying out of an arcade crane game only for all to end everything in a draw, to Ange and Salamandinay's increasing disappointment. Now, the two of them were involved in a game Sala called Twister where the players must plant either their hands or foot on any of the large mat's four coloured dots depending on the dial and judge's command of each colour and body part, without falling over. To Tusk and Ammo's increasing confusion and befuddlement, Ange and Sala are dressed in two-piece swimming attires showing their slightly sweaty bodies from trying to twist around each other in time with the dial's commands, almost like human pretzels at this point.
Ignoring Ammo watching in displeasure for this duel, Tusk pressed the button of the dial which flashes into different colours matching the Twister board, picking out a new position to call out on Ange's turn. " Left hand on red, Ange!"
"You are a worthy foe, well done. Never have I encountered one who has proven an equal match for me. I find it interesting!" Sala remarked with a smile, startling Ange while she feels herself straining in her position.
"Lady Salamandinay. Left foot red!" Akame called as Sala slowly reach her foot to red, slightly pushing her rump against Ange's side and shoulder.
"Why you little...!" Ange growled as she gave the other a shove which would've made Sala fall over if not for holding her by willing her tail bracing her on the mat at the red dot where her foot should be. "Oh, come on! That's got to be cheating!" Without stopping herself, Ange bit Sala's tail and made her release a cry of surprise and pain before she accidentally fell against Ange and send them both to the ground with a gasp.
"Yelp, they're dead." Ammo sighed to himself, seeing the sight of two girls tangling each other with their bodies and limbs until Sala hastily climb to sit, her eyes were subtly well tears in pain.
"Y-You cheated! You bit my tail!" Sala wailed as Ange slowly rise and sit as well, but instead of a gloat, she closed her eyes and burst out laughing from her smile.
"It's nothing to cry about," Ange chuckled.
"That is true…" Salamandinay pouted before she also burst out laughing as well, surprising Ammo, Naga, and Kaname.
"Is she laughing?" Naga asked Kaname who responded just as surprised as she is. "I guess so… that's a first." Tusk smiled from seeing Ange surprisingly getting along with Sala with just an accident, as they watch the two competitors laugh.
Despite being a bit upset that they had another draw, it was decided they would break for a shower with Ange and Salamandinay taking one of the women's showering rooms, washing all the sweat they spent down their bodies. Surprisingly, despite being a competition, Ange realized that she was more than content with something other than trying to knock her opponent down. It's as if she was having fun for once. "You truly impressed me today with your athletic skills," Sala admitted from the other stall beside Ange's.
"You're pretty good too...Salamanday?" Ange remarked, trying to get her name right without being crude or mocking.
"It's Salamandinay," Sala corrected with an annoyed pout.
"It's crazy. Iaria matches were never this intense." Ange admitted, collecting Sala's curiosity. "Iaria?"
"It's a game we played in my world," Ange answered.
"Interesting. I think we should try and compete in your game. " Sala suggested although she noticed Ange's frown as she looked away in sadness.
"We can't. Norma can't play Iaria." Ange objected and it makes sense for Sala to express sadness as well.
"I see. Mana is human but Norma cannot wield it? Why must those who have discriminated against those who have not? Even in times of hardships, we never stop learning and growing at Aura's side. Strengthened by the bonds of another. Does that not bother you at all? Now that you've seen how twisted your world is, with the truth you were given. I know your past; you were an imperial princess…"
"I'm not a princess anymore." Ange curtly spoke, anger and determination filled her voice when she turned towards Salamandinay, both ignore the water washing over their heads. "All this stuff about leadership has anything to do with me. The same goes for Embryo and Aura. Besides, the humans in my world made it clear they like it just the way it is. But others wanted to change that, even by breaking the peace the humans believed it is their right. I was as stupid as them when I first Rush who showed me the truth about humans. This is why, when I get back home with Tusk, Ammo, Moon, and Vivian, I must help Haven destroy Embryo's world." To Ange's surprise, Salamandinay blinked her eyes in bewilderment, as if something sparked inside her from her words before she looked away with a curious frown.
"I find it odd regarding this Haven led by the Human Killer…no, Sir Rush," Sala admitted, seeing Ange's curious reaction. "As Naga mentioned this morning regarding Lizardia's meeting and the knowledge about Sir Rush, we all believed that he could either let himself be Embryo's soldier or be willing to repeat the original humans' destructive nature in the False Earth. But now, I cannot help but be intrigued by how you both could even continue to fight through a world where no one wished for anything but your deaths as well as your allies. Perhaps…I need to find an answer to a question I longed to know myself." Ange stayed silent in befuddlement at the response. A question for what? And why would Salamander be open to discussing this with her? Is it another way to force her to join the DRAGONs? This doesn't make any sense…
Suddenly, after Ange and Salamandinay left the stalls with towels wrapped around their bodies to dry, the entire atmosphere started shaking in a dangerously heavy shake. "What the?" Ange gasped.
"Lady Salamandinay!" Naga and Kaname ran into the bathroom, dread shown on their faces. "There's trouble outside!"
The moment Ange and Salamandinay quickly get into their pilot suits and meet up with Tusk, Ammo, and Moon who also witnessed the growing situation from the earthquake, the group ran out by the roof and saw in dismay the entire world growing darker by how the blue sky had now turned black and a massive hurricane have materialized at the tower's base, crackling with lightning and wind before it erupted into a spiralling vortex that materialised a large bubble-like vision shifting colours from the inside, with Ange noticing that the structure inside the bubble first show the Tower of Aura before transitioning into a familiar building and repeat changing like a primitive television. "Is that…the Iaria Stadium?" Ange asked herself.
"Enryugo!" Salamandinay commanded, the jewel of her forehead shimmered with a burst of white light while from a distance, a familiar machine in its Flight Mode belonging to the princess flew from the sky and joined them by hovering an inch above the building's roof and opened its cockpit by itself for Salamandinay to jump inside. "Kaname, go tell the High Priestess. Naga, get them to safety."
"Yes, milady!" Naga and Kaname agreed as Salamandinay sadly smile at Ange. "Well, Ange. Let us compete later." Closing the cockpit, Enryugo ascend higher and rocketed away from the stadium arena, pursuing the mysterious vortex that she knows means impending doom for her people.
As they felt the unusual earthquake while they were having a peaceful talk and learning about Mii's life in Arzenal, Drake, Tiamat, Vivian, Lamia, and Gamus hurriedly ran out of the latter three's house and inspect the concerning sight of what is happening in front of the tower of Aura, only to run away in horror from witnessing the dark sky and the hurricane releasing some type of singularity that looks as dangerous as their portals to the False Earth and growing bigger to the point of overrunning and killing some of the citizens by fusing them with the debris from the now destroyed buildings that were once their homes from the vortex.
"Everyone, we must evacuate and take shelter at the shrine now!" Drake yelled over the wind once he spread his wings and in airborne alongside Tiamat, Gamus, and some of the male and female DRAGONs flying from the ground, making sure not to get flown away and get sucked into the vortex.
"Mii, let's go." Lamia with Vivian and a group of villagers ran towards the shrine yet they also jumped off the ground and spread their wings to join their people and fly quicker, as some of the males who were initially in their human forms had already transformed into their DRAGON forms to carry some of the villagers who were unable to catch up with those who run faster from the vortex that is quickly closing in from the village and the Tower of Aura, with Lamia holding Vivian around her arms since the latter cannot turn into a DRAGON as of yet. However, the wind's strong tenacity was enough to force the other humanoid DRAGONs to fall and nearly land and crash themselves at the slowly breaking ground with the vortex still on their tails.
Forcing them to not fly with running as the only choice, Lamia grabbed Vivian's hand again and run alongside the villagers with a terrified Vivian looking over her shoulder during the run and see the village kept changing in rapid speed from the familiar stone buildings of the valley into different city streets.
As the Galleon that had brought them to the stadium sped up to the temple's entrance before it landed alongside Kaname and Naga's Ryuu-shin-ki machines, spotting Vilkiss and Tusk's Glider parked in front of where the DRAGON landed, Ange, Tusk, Ammo, and Moon hastily leapt away from its head and run away from Kaname and Naga when they also jumped off their machines. "I shall inform the High Priestess. Once you have escorted them to safety, we shall go help Lady Salamandinay." Akame announced to Naga.
"Sure thing. You four, please follow me…" Naga replied and turned to direct Ange, Tusk, Ammo, and Moon, first finding them gone only to find Ange running to Vilkiss's Flight Mode that is parked next to Tusk's Glider which Tusk, Ammo, and Moon have taken, both riders ready to fly to the storm. "Hey, where are you going?" Naga demanded.
"I need to help our friends!" Ange countered as she had Vilkiss rising from the air before soaring towards Lady Salamandinay's Ryuu-shin-ki with Tusk's Glider following her.
"Wait! Your machine's still damaged. You'll never make it!" Naga called.
Vivian, Your Mother, and the other citizens continued running away from the vortex although they were forced to witness a few of those who were slow or tripped on the ground end up caught in the maelstrom with either a part of their body parts or almost half of themselves ended up fused through the colossal path of debris just as everyone witnessed a red beam flying above their heads and bursts in a massive explosion instead of shooting it straight to the growing vortex but managed to destroy the debris from the rock-carved brick walls that would've landed and crushed them. Looking up, Vivian grinned in amazement and relief from seeing the same red machine that attacked Arzenal that day, before finding out that she herself is a DRAGON, as she knows it was Salamandinay's machine even before her voice alerted everyone below her to quickly run and seek shelter at the temple before flying away which everyone hastily does so. Hopefully, Ange will be here soon with Vilkiss. However, during the run and not once looking over her shoulder after Salamandinay fired, Your Mother spotted something flying towards their direction which was possibly thrown or emerged straight from the vortex.
"Mii!" Your Mother screamed and quickly push Vivian who fell face-first into the ground just as a bang echoed behind her. Hastily climbing on her knees, the sudden gasp of pain behind her after she was pushed attracted her to quickly turn and realized in her dismay from seeing Your Mother pinned beneath a large piece of a machine part like something belonging to a Para-mail. "Your Mother!" Vivian shouted, finding herself wanting to cry, but don't know why from seeing Your Mother getting the hit instead of her. "Why did you do that? I had training for things like this, so I would've been fine."
"I protected my child. Cause that's why…mothers do for their babies." Even if she was in pain, Lamia sadly smiled and reached up her hand to caress Vivian's left cheek, startling her with both her words and the tears continuously streaming down her face. Quickly, Vivian kneels beside her mother and grabbed the edge of the piece before she starts her attempts to lift the heavy part off her mother, making sure to check if the vortex is heading in her direction.
Although she managed to save the people from being crushed by the damages and direct them for safety, Salamandinay is forced to not feel satisfaction for her leadership and rest as the destructive Singularity continues to grow and wreck their precious village of the valley into a massive pile of debris while, to her horror when she looked down, the citizens who were too slow to outrun the danger ended up being buried in the most excruciating method. 'Just what is going on here?' Salamandinay wondered in baffled sorrow as she kept firing the Seiran from her beam cannon only for each projectile of energy to be unaffected and sucked in the whirlwind. "What am I to do now?" Salamandinay asked herself just as she received an audio transmission inside Enryugo's radio.
"You must retreat, Salamandinay. The people of Vivel are approaching as we speak so we must entrust this situation to them." The High Priestess's voice spoke, alarming Salamandinay. "The Ryuu-shin-ki is crucial in reclaiming Aura. Do not let that be compromised."
"But our people will not make it in time. How could I…" Salamandinany objected in shock, yet she is forced to hold her tongue when the High Priestess's voice curtly repeated. "Withdrawn now. That's your order."
The transmission was cut and Salamandinay was nearly distracted when she spotted a large white object like a sled flew into Enryugo's path and was about to crash to the cockpit when another, but larger white machine flew in front of her from the side and swung the sword it held in its only hand, slicing the projectile in two as if it is like paper.
"Hey, Salamandrill! Snap out of it!" Salamandinay snapped herself out of shock when hearing Ange's voice on the radio. "What's going on down there?"
"It's Embryo!" Tusk answered from the radio, his tone bearing anger shared by Salamandinay alongside her and Ange's shock for the cause. "That bastard can control time and space, crushing and trapping people with stone as one of his killing methods. My parents, and some of our people…that's how he killed them!"
"Honestly, can he stop picking the worst time to destroy everything!?" Ammo complained as he thought of something to himself. 'Does this mean…no, Rush couldn't be!' Ammo hurriedly shakes his head, refusing to think further about what he initially thought. Rush would NEVER allow something like this to happen…could he?
"Vivian!" Moon shouted what he was informed from Ular speaking to his ear, attracting everyone to see his direction somewhere at the side below them where Vivian is found trying to move another white sled pinning Lamia on the ground, struggling to escape as the vortex is slowly heading towards them.
"Tusk, take me and Moon down there! We're going to help Vivian and her mum!" Ammo decided with Tusk hurriedly gunning the Glider down towards Vivian and Lamia's spot, leaving Ange and Salamandinay to deal with the Singularity when Tusk quickly placed his Glider closer to Vivian and Lamia and disembarked alongside Ammo and Moon for the three boys to run towards them.
"Guys!" Vivian noticed from almost stopping her attempt and looked at her side as Tusk, Ammo, and Moon quickly kneel at both sides beside Vivian with their hands quickly gripping the edge of the sled and hurriedly straining themselves to quickly lift the sled hopefully enough for Lamia to slip herself out of there with Vivian's help. But even Ular's advanced strength is proven useless due to how heavy the sled surprisingly is. As much as he should've used Mana to effortlessly move it away, the cruel truth of its origin, the DRAGONs, and Aura has cemented Ammo's decision to never use it, no matter if he should regret it due to this devastation.
"Mii, listen. Just go and leave me. Save yourself and your friends!" Lamia demanded in worry.
"No way! I'm not leaving without my mom!" Vivian objected in tears, shaking her head as she and the boys continue budging the object to move, but to no avail.
"Lamia! Mii!" Everyone heard Gamus's voice calling for his wife and daughter and hastily look up to see him alongside Drake and Tiamat hurriedly fly towards them, the former expressed nothing but fear and worry the moment the three grown, humanoid DRAGONs landed at the other side of the sled. With only him when he grabbed the other side, Gamus swiftly slung the piece that flew off and was thrown into the air as light as a feather, shocking Vivian, Tusk, Ammo, Moon, and Ular who would've felt a bit sad that a humanoid DRAGON is stronger than them but none said a word due to the situation as Gamus held both Lamia and Vivian in his arms and hurriedly kick off his feet to fly over the air with Drake and Tiamat grabbing Moon, Ular and Ammo and flew alongside some of the other citizens and Tusk in his Glider, away from the Singularity.
"Hey, Salamandrake! How do we stop this thing?" Ange demanded, noticing the size of the vortex has grown to be half the size of the Tower. At this rate, the entire valley will be destroyed in seconds.
"I do not know. Enryugo's weapons are proven futile to disrupt this singularity." Salamandinay responded in worry.
"Hang on. We can use that thing," Ange remembered. "That thing that almost blew up Arzenal. Maybe we can knock out this tornado too!" Salamandinay blinked her eyes in shock but hastily look away in guilt.
"We cannot. The Space-Time Cannon is too destructive. If we fire, we'll destroy the temple and the valley." Sala revealed.
"Then just set them to 30% compacity!" Ange proposed.
"But that is easier said than done." Sala objected.
"You're so hard-headed, damn," Ange muttered in annoyance, starting to realize that she was no different from her regarding being hard-headed, although hers is understandable. Suddenly, Ange remembered something that could help with this situation. "That's it! We don't even have to reduce the power. If both of us fire at the same time, it should cancel yours out. Just like before!"
"Shoot at you?" Salamandinay muttered in confusion and dread as she listened to Ange continuing from the other line. "Who cares what you think that would be a bad idea... Look, you're a princess right, Salamantee? Then focus on saving your people. You said that's what a leader does!" Startled by Ange's tone of her authority, something about what she said made a point, even if she had an order to retreat from the High Priestess…hopefully she can understand when she'll report her insubordination later.
"Very well. I will." Salamandinay accepted, first closing her eyes and taking a deep breath before the DRAGON princess proceed to sing in her cockpit.
Kaze ni toban El Ragna
Sadame to chigiri kawashite
Kaze ni yukan El Ragna
Todorokishi tsubasa
Salamandinay's singlet on her forehead began to glow brighter than would've blinded her as from outside, dual targeting scopes manifested as the ancient melody began to charge the Space-Time Convergence Cannons which she fired at the singularity while she watched Ange's machine shifting into its Destroyer Mode at the same time as she proceeds to sing the same song, she sang from their first battle in the False Earth.
Hajimari no hikari kilari kirari
Owari no hikari lulala rira
Kaesan el ragna sunadokei wo
Toki wa afuren lulala rira
When the two songs combined, Villkiss and Enryugo both began to shine with a golden light although something that was blown from the singularity burst an explosion that rocked Villkiss's torso, strong enough to send it falingl.
"Ange! You must recover!" Sala cried.
Ange grit her teeth as she fought to retain consciousness before she managed to get it back and hurriedly fly a bit closer to Salamama and the growing singularity. "I don't have time for this! Aren't you the ultimate weapon that destroyed the world!? Get it together or I'll kick you more than nothing but bolts, Villkiss!" In response, the ring on her finger began to pulse and Villkiss glowed with the golden light again. From one of her screens, Ange smiled while she continues to sing Eternal Story that Vilkiss somehow regenerate from its damaged armour and missing arm out of nowhere, hiding anything that show how damaged it initially was before Vilkiss immediately released their cannons after Sala's once the two songs have reached their climax, the same blinding light as before in their first meeting immediately glows brighter that could obliterate the whole world in it.
Once it is certain that the light vanished into a suitable amount of light for everyone to reclaim their visions from keeping them shut and avoid being blind, the vortex vanished without a trace, leaving nothing more than a field of ruin and the sky returned its colours though in a warm orange as the sun is ready to set. In front of the wrecked Tower of Aura, Ange and Sala had their machines standing and facing each other before both riders stood from their open cockpits.
"I'm just glad it all worked out," Ange sighed in relief.
"Thanks to you, my people are safe." Sala thanked her with a smile.
"I just wanted to help my friends. Again, you're not bad yourself." Ange admitted with a faint scowl at first before she sincerely smiled back.
"I never imagined that song could be used as a force for good," Sala noted with uncertainty. "You sang Embryo's song that laid waste to our world against those who presumed him as responsible for our ancestors' sins before he was sent to yours. Tell me, where did you hear that song?" Ange first looked away to answer that question before she looked down at her mother's ring.
"My mother. She said that Eternal Story, made by our family, would light my path whenever I was lost." Ange answered.
"Then we have something in common," Salamandinay smiled, attracting Ange's confusion. "Aura's song; the True Star Song. It has a similar significance here. Ange. Please forgive my foolishness. I never should have sought to make you, my property. Now I understand; I was being childish. You taught me and opened my eyes that a true leader must have actions for their people. With your permission… I would like to be your friend instead."
"Friend huh? On one condition, Salamamama; let's just shorten your name to Sala." Ange decided as Sala was initially surprised by the unexpected response but nodded in acceptance.
"Very well then. And I shall call you Angie." Sala happily agreed although she sees Ange scowling in disapproval. "Yeah, no."
"Mum! Dad!"
"Mii!" Once Tusk parked his Glider where every DRAGON has stood at the damaged roads now that the crisis has ceased, but grimacing that the casualties of the city are as severe as they thought, he, Ammo, and Moon with Tiamat and Drake standing behind the latter with their hands softly grasps on his shoulders and arms, watch Vivian hug her parents who embraced her back with all three crying tears of relief for their safety, bringing the three boys to smile their happiness that not only they managed to save a lot of people in their DRAGON and human forms, but Vivian called her parents as normal than Your Mother or Your Father. Yet, with the growing tension he is feeling in his heart from earlier, Tusk looked away and glance at the wreckage he knows too well that the enemy has done, remembering the same night twelve years ago when everything around him was on fire and his parents' blood-stained bodies were half buried in the debris before he was forced to leave them when one of the surviving Ancient Humans rescued him before they were taken by the Haven for their protection.
'Embryo.' Tusk gritted his teeth in anger, pain, and sorrow. 'What are you trying to do? Is this for petty revenge or a puzzle for your big plans?' A part of him hopes that Rush is still alive as he was horrified when Ange told him last night that he nearly died when the Haven secretly protected Arzenal from the humans and Embryo before they were sent to the True Earth.
"He's gone too far, right? Even more than before the Libertus failure?" Ammo exclaimed, taking note of where Tusk is looking, also as horrified and furious as he was.
"Yeah. The truth of how he created your world, forcing the Norma and DRAGONs to fight each other, and the deaths he made with his hands. It's more than enough." Tusk agreed, shaking his fists until he nearly pierces his gloved palms with his fingernails. "We must take him down together; Haven, Arzenal, and the DRAGONs."
"But what about Ange?" Moon asked in worry. "Despite managing to stop whatever that was together, can they still work out their differences and not fight each other?"
"Hopefully, even despite their differences, they will get into a settlement that should be beneficial for ALL of us. For now, we must do what we can to clean up this mess before retiring for the night, praying for the condolences of our fallen brethren." Tiamat assured as the group found Ange and Salamandinay bickering with each other about some nicknames. Although, from what he noticed today and even during the fiasco, Tusk is secretly confident to think that perhaps, despite the stubbornness of one of them, those two are similar in their own ways. Time will tell if they can get along.
Character Info: Aya & Khalifa (FF. Net version)
Age: 5 (Aya) & 2 (Khalifa)
Height: 105 cm/ 3'5 (Aya) & 90 cm/ 2'11 (Khalifa)
Weight & Build: 18 kg, subtly underweight (Aya) & 12 kg (Khalifa)
Hair: Silver/ White (Aya), Glowing Blue (Khalifa)
Glowing Eyes: Red (Aya), Aquamarine Green with Black Sclera (Khalifa)
Voice actors:
. Aya: None
. Khalifa: Khaira Zearane (My fake name because I know the voice for my own character.) (ENG), Mamiko Noto (Enma Ai from Hell Girl; JPN)
Profile: Embryo's two of three children from their late wife and mother with his eldest son Aya being mute for mysterious reasons while his younger daughter was born with Manasthma, created by Aura mutating, and killing several Embryo's creations from using her powers for centuries as punishment to both the False Humans and their creator. Although they don't act like normal children which the family doesn't mind, they are powerful with their Mana for offensive situations despite their ages but not as powerful as their father. But it seems that they do have secrets that no one outside their circle must know.
Although only mentioned once and will be seen in a later chapter yet she replaces Khalifa in the AO3 version, they also had a younger sister.
