Just a fair warning before we begin, this chapter will contain some themes of assault. I don't think it will be severe enough to require a change in the age rating, but I felt like I should give you guys a heads up just in case. With that out of the way, enjoy!
Chapter 10- Sky Meets Wolf
Fuko found herself in a strange room with peculiar decorations. The walls and columns were made of a strange silver stone and there were fine crimson carpets stretched across the cold floor. On those very columns were fine tapestries with either images of a black capital or of a beautiful black-haired woman surrounded by darkness. For some reason, seeing the images of the woman made her feel nervous, as if they themselves possessed a strange terrifying power.
Faint moonlight flooded in from the ornate windows located at the edges of the room. It gave bit of an unsettling feeling, like she was in the lair of the final boss in a video game, only this felt real. Silence permeated the room, the very air completely still. Suddenly a loud snap, likely from two fingers, broke the quiet atmosphere. Specially cut crystals located on the ceiling and stone pillars began glowing with purple light making it easier to see, and who was inside.
Before her was a rather regal crimson and purple chair, almost like a throne of sorts. The craftsmanship was, in no better words, perfect. Each piece looked like it was made with care and great attention to detail. And there, sitting on the throne, was a young man garbed in a twin-tailed gray overcoat with a popped collar as well as a black hood which was pulled down, gray fingerless gloves, black pants and brown leather boots. It looked like something one would see in a fantasy game or anime. His most striking features were his flat, shoulder length hair that was as black as night and firm eyes that were the color of blood.
The young man looked very composed, yet a little relaxed as he was resting his head on his right hand. Despite this, he had the presence of someone powerful, a person not to be crossed. For some reason, he seemed…familiar to her. Where had she seen that face before? Right beside him, held up by his left hand, was a black longsword with a wing-shaped guard that opened towards the pommel and had a diamond-cut crimson gem embedded in the center. The blade itself was concealed within a black and red scabbard of intricate design. Just like the boy, both the sword and its sheath radiated with power, an ancient one at that.
"Report," the young man suddenly spoke up in a firm tone.
Fuko's body moved on its own as she fell into a kneeling position, her head held low while placing her right arm over her left breast. "As you wish, Prince Zane," she found herself saying. "As you expected, Queen Anthiese refuses to allow your forces to come to her aid, even though the Darkfallen and Lemures vastly outnumber her own army. She is planning on making a final stand on the Priam Highlands."
As she was kneeling, she caught a quick glance of herself and saw that she was wearing an unusual outfit as well. Her outfit consisted of a padded sky-blue bodysuit sewn with chainmail, armored gloves, and slightly heeled teal boots. It actually reminded her of her duel avatar, Sky Raker.
The man, presumably named Zane, who just so happened to be a prince of sorts, let out a scoff in annoyance. "Damn that woman. I know that fairies and demons don't get along, and that the Darkfallen nearly her kingdom's capital, Centoria, but this is just stupid."
"Sadly, I agree with your sentiments, my lord. I might have felt the same as the queen as a fellow fairy had you not rescued me after I got separated from my former liege, Princess Celine. We were ambushed by Lemures while journeying through the Dark Swamp and I volunteered to be the decoy so that my princess would survive. I fought with all my might, my chances for victory near impossible as more beasts kept coming, no matter how many of them I killed. But right when my strength failed and death seemed to approach me, you appeared and cut them all down with your Sword of Darkness. You then showed mercy to me by bringing me to your own castle and treated my wounds. I can never repay the debt I owe you."
The stoic mask that was Zane's face cracked with a faint smile, as if he was reminiscing the event himself. For some reason, Fuko felt her heart fluttering when she saw that smile.
"I just so happened to be in the area for training purposes. I was drawn to the sounds of your battle and was amazed that despite your terrible wounds and the countless Lemures closing around you, you fought on with an unyielding spirit. That is a rare trait in this dark time, what with the war and all. It was because of your spirit that I chose to help you that day. There was no way I would let a flame like yours go out so soon. However, I never would have imagined a fairy, much less a retainer to the crown princess of the fairies, to swear fealty to me, a prince of the demon race. I had even given you the option to return to your people and yet you still chose to stand beside me. You never cease to surprise me, Edna Crow."
Edna Crow? That wasn't her name, not even close. Despite that, it sounded very familiar to her, as if ingrained into her own heart. Just what going on here?
"I will not deny that I feel an obligation to return to my princess and fulfill my role as her retainer, but I believe that you and your Harbingers are the world's best option for defeating the Dark God Zeta and end this war. When faced with a choice like that, how could I not pick the path I feel will bring my lady's wish for a peaceful world the quickest."
"I see," the prince of demons mused. "As I told you then, I'm not particularly picky where I can find potential allies. Such selfishness would only bring destruction for me. It is an honor to fight beside you, Edna."
Fuko found herself smiling, her heart racing. "The honor is all mine, Your Highness. What shall we do?"
"Let's see." Zane snapped the fingers of his right hand, the vibration feeling almost like a thunderbolt. A silver magic circle suddenly appeared by his side, and in a flash of light, a beautiful young woman emerged. She had fine silver hair tied neatly in a braid that fell over her decent-sized bust and had eyes as red as blood, though she had peculiar pink dots surrounding her pupils like a square. She was garbed in a silver and red dress that augmented her figure, a black cloak that resembled insect legs, silver gloves with elongated fingernails and purple heeled shoes, as well as a black tiara decorated with red and purple gems. Her skin was also pale, almost like the color of snow.
Without any instructions, the mysterious woman suddenly knelt down and bowed her head in respect. "You called for me, my master?"
"Cynthia, what are the movements of Princess Celine's forces?"
"The princess and her forces are making their way for the Priam Highlands to aid her mother, the Fairy Queen," the woman answered automatically, almost as though she had rehearsed this. "They were joined by a contingent of human knights of Arcadia, but they are a day behind the Darkfallen. By the time they reach the highlands, Anthiese and her forces will be wiped out."
"So in other words, time is not on the fairies' side?"
"Yes," Cynthia responded. "Do you have a plan, Master?"
The demon prince let out a chuckle. "Of course I do. We're going to intercept the Darkfallen and buy the fairies enough time to regroup so they can strike back."
"But how will we get there?" Fuko questioned, her voice almost quivering. "We have no waypoints in the Priam Highlands, so Balduq can't teleport there. And even if we arrive in time, what will keep Queen Anthiese from just leaving us for dead?"
"Oh, dear Edna, you've been fighting beside for three months and yet you still don't understand who I am. I am Zane Umbris, crown prince of Eternus and ruler of the sky. I have ways of getting to my destination besides teleportation. As for the Fairy Queen, I'm sure her daughter would not want her to leave a beloved retainer to die, not to mention the repercussions she could get from my own mother, Altena." He rose to his feet, looking as sure as ever. "Summon Kaito and the others. We leave at once."
"Yes, Your Highness!" Fuko and Cynthia acknowledged before they stood as well, following their lord as he exited the throne room.
June 20, 2054
Fuko suddenly woke with a start. She found herself in her pajamas in her bedroom. Warm sunlight was peering through the closed blinds of her window, indicating that it was morning. Her breath was unsteady and she was covered in sweat.
Once again, she had another of those unusual dreams. She didn't know why, but ever since she turned fourteen two years ago, her nights were plagued by scenes straight out of a dark fantasy movie. Battles between large armies dressed in metal armor, cities burning in flames as civilians fled for their lives, to her fighting beside a group of strangely garbed people that she didn't recognize. Sometimes she would get reoccurring dreams with that boy, Zane, or a girl with platinum-blonde hair and silver eyes. What was interesting was that they both felt…familiar to her. In fact, the girl for some reason reminded her of Kuroba.
Her heart immediately ached as the thought of her former friend surfaced. In Fuko's desperation to touch the skies of Brain Burst, she had chosen to sacrifice everything to push herself to the next level. Despite Black Lotus's pleas, she had her king commit an act that would forever scar them both, to use the absolute sharpness of Black Lotus's swords to sever Sky Raker's legs to give the latter the ability to fly with her Enhanced Armament, Gale Thruster. Fuko's desperation to reach the sky cost her a dear friend and it didn't even pay off in the end. Despite all her sacrifices, all her determination, even the power of that system, the hidden feature of Brain Burst, she could only get up to 350 meters in altitude.
That was just barely over the top of the old Tokyo Tower, where she had since built a house in the Unlimited Neutral Field. To make matters worse, the psychic wounds she forced her friend to inflict on her refused to heal. Normally when one loses a limb in Brain Burst, it would regenerate the moment they logged off and back in. However, Sky Raker's legs refused to come back, no matter how many times Fuko accelerated.
Her avatar was forever bound to a wheelchair, unable to properly fight like she used to. Because of this and her guilt over losing her dear friend, she swore to never use Gale Thruster again, for if she never had that Enhanced Armament, then she never would have lost such a dear friend.
And now that friend was in hiding, branded as the Greatest Traitor of the Accelerated World. A few weeks after Fuko parted ways, she heard that Kuroba beheaded the Red King, Red Rider, during what should have been a peaceful meeting between the Seven Kings of Pure Color to decide what they should do since they got that mysterious message from the game creators. With Black Lotus now missing, the Black Legion, Nega Nebulus was disbanded, its members leaving to do other things.
Despite no longer being a part of Nega Nebulus, no because she was no longer a part of the Black Legion, Fuko blamed herself for Kuroba's actions. Maybe if she didn't cut ties with her friend, called her mean things when Kuroba pleaded for her to let go of her madness to reach the sky, the Black King would not be branded a traitor.
"Fuko!" her mother called out from behind her bedroom door. "Are you awake?"
"Yes, Mom, I'm up," the brunette replied slowly.
"Alright. I'm heading to work. Your breakfast is already on the table."
She heard the older woman walk off, likely out of the apartment. With a slight groan, Fuko pulled herself off the bed, removing a charger for her prosthetic legs while also putting on her Neurolinker. Before she was even born, her parents were informed that she had a hereditary genetic defect that would afflict her upon birth. Obviously her parents chose to keep her anyway, but she ended up being born without legs below her knees. Despite this, they loved her very much. They even went out of their way to get artificial legs for her, which aren't cheap mind you. She was also given a Neurolinker when she was born so her health could be monitored.
However, despite their clear affection, Fuko couldn't help but resent her parents. Don't get the wrong idea, she did love them, but deep down, she despised the fact that they essentially allowed her to be born this way. She hated that she couldn't walk on her own without the use of machines. But sadly, technology has not advanced enough to allow humans to regenerate missing limbs.
After eating breakfast, she showered and got dressed. Today was the beginning of summer vacation and both her parents were at work, so she had the apartment to herself. Silently, she debated what to do to pass the time. Brain Burst was obviously out, not just because of her avatar's handicap, but it accelerated time in her consciousness, not the real world. All it would do is make the day go by longer.
She did have a collection of books to read, both physical and digital. With the existence of the network and all its conveniences, physical copies of books were essentially irrelevant. However, there was just something about holding a book in your hands and reading it rather than simply reading it through a digital screen.
One of Fuko's favorite books is about the Harbingers, a legendary guild that existed thirty years ago, during the early age of VRMMOs. They were based in the VRMMO called Alfheim Online, which was a game where players chose a fairy race to play as, and each race all had their unique traits. The one universal trait that all races had, and one that Fuko desperately wished for, was the ability to fly. Originally, flight in ALO was limited to ten minutes, with the player's wings requiring rest before becoming usable again. However, sometime after ALO was transferred to a new company due to a scandal regarding one of its admins from the previous one, unlimited flight was added.
Fuko would have loved to play as a fairy in that game, able to fly as high as she could and as long as she wanted. It was the exact opposite of her Gale Thruster, which only allowed her to fly for a short duration. Unfortunately, Alfheim Online was mysteriously shut down around 2027. No one knows why this happened but the common consensus is that a majority of the game's playerbase, especially the top players, had all died the year prior.
The circumstances of the deaths are still debated, but some, including Fuko, believe that Japan was once the battleground a terrible war between humans and monsters, specifically demons. This event was fittingly dubbed the "Demon War". The war occurred in the summer of 2026 and lasted for five months. The entire country was ravaged by conflict, and the military just simply couldn't handle the supernatural threat.
However, then a miracle happened and the real and virtual worlds were merged, allowing those who played VRMMOs to use their powers in the real world. And with that, the VRMMO playerbase joined the war. No one knows who this was possible, but no one complained at the time. However, this strange miracle only lasted for the duration of the war, hence why there were no signs of people using their abilities from the virtual world while in the real world in this era.
With the ability to use their powers and equipment from the virtual world, the Japanese fought with a renewed resolve. However, the enemy was still very powerful and vastly outnumbered the humans. Hundreds of thousands of people would lose their lives during that time, the majority being the VRMMO players who fought to defend their country.
The final battle was the most gruesome of them all. It took place directly above Tokyo, on a floating castle that the enemy commander, supposedly named Zarc, had summoned. Eventually he and the Dark Swordsman, the latter being the leader of the Harbingers, took the battle to the sky itself. Their battle nearly destroyed Tokyo as they fought each other with all of their might, survival being the last thing on either of their minds. It all ended when they finally landed killing blows on each other, with Zarc supposedly falling into the Pacific Ocean, his flying fortress destroyed before vanishing. But Marth, and the rest of his comrades for that matter, were never seen again. Not even their bodies could be found among the wreckage.
The only member of the Harbingers that was confirmed dead on that day was Yuuki, the girlfriend of Marth. Everyone else just simply disappeared, leading many to believe that they perished as well. Also among the dead were Sakuya (the Sylph leader), Alicia Rue (the Caith Sith leader), General Eugene of the Salamanders, Chrysheight (who was supposedly a member of the government who played VRMMOs for research purposes), Yamikaze (one of the top players of Gun Gale Online), Musketeer X, and Dyne.
A memorial for the fallen was built right in the center of Tokyo, commemorating their great sacrifice. People nowadays try to say that there wasn't a war with actual monsters, but rather some kind of government conspiracy that killed so many people. Naturally, such people were looked down upon as they were essentially spitting on the graves of the fallen.
"Wherever they are," Fuko said as she flipped through the book that documented the tragedy, "I hope that they can all rest in peace. Especially Marth, since he made the ultimate sacrifice to end the war."
Since it was such a nice day outside, Fuko decided that she would go out for a walk. Perhaps she could even pay her respects at the VRMMO Memorial while she was out. Deciding to do just that, she slipped on her shoes and headed out, unaware that her life was about to change forever, all thanks to a chance encounter.
Even though there was plenty of daylight, Fuko had decided to take a few shortcuts through alleyways rather than simply taking the sidewalk. Her parents had warned her not to do this as there have been plenty of disappearances among women who take such routes. The police believe it to be the work of crime syndicate involved with human trafficking as the women are never seen again. The police claim that they're close to catching the criminals, but so far, no major arrests have been made and the abductions are still happening.
Fuko took a right turn and immediately got a bad vibe. Standing a few feet from her were five men, each looking rugged and cruel. They had to be part of that gang. Unfortunately, they quickly noticed her and smiled, dangerous emotions glinting in their eyes.
"Hey, little lady," one of the men said coolly as they all started to approach her. "Are you lost?"
Possibly thanks to all her experience fighting in Brain Burst, the brunette knew that she was in danger. She immediately turned to leave and walk away, but her progress was stopped by another burly man. She realized too late that she had walked into a trap. Both of her escape routes had been cut off.
"Leaving so soon?" another man said mockingly as they surrounded her. Yeah they were totally criminals. She could practically taste their malicious intent for her. "We just want to talk to you about something."
"Thanks, but I'll pass," Fuko said firmly, her hands balled into fists. She won't let herself be intimidated by them. She was Sky Raker, a former deputy of Nega Nebulus. She's faced worse than this. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'd like to get going."
She tried making break for it through a small opening in the enemy perimeter, but one of the thugs managed to grab her by the arm.
"I don't think so," he said mockingly.
Grunting in disgust, she delivered a powerful kick right in the groan. The thug immediately let go and reeled back, his eyes watering from the intense pain.
"Prosthetic…legs," he wheezed out before collapsing, clutching his groan.
"Ooo, we got ourselves a feisty one, boys. They're always the fun ones to break. Get her!"
The remaining criminals all charged at her, clearly thinking that they could win due to their numbers and their brawn. While that may work against a regular girl, Fuko was a Burst Linker. The normal rules don't apply to her.
"Burst Link," she muttered under her breath.
The world froze and was dyed blue. Unfortunately, it would seem that there weren't any security cameras, at least ones that properly functioned as the familiar world was all glitchy and unrecognizable. If she focused hard enough, she could faintly make out the figures of her assailants. They were barely recognizable but there was enough visual information for her to plan her counterattack. Satisfied with what she saw, she decelerated and returned to the real world.
Time resumed and the first grunt approached, arms ready to grab her. She easily dodged and kicked him in the side, knocking him to the ground. The next two grunts attacked, but she took them down just as easily. The final grunt, seeing his downed comrades, charged brazenly at her, fist poised to strike. She didn't need to use acceleration to see through an attack as telegraphed as that. With grace, she easily evaded his attack and punched him in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him and sent him falling on the ground.
That should be all of them. Wait, weren't there six before?! Fuko quickly did a body count, and sure enough, one thug was unaccounted for. Panic overcame her and she prepared to accelerate again to check her surroundings. However, before she could even say the words, she felt something hit the back of her neck hard. She collapsed on the ground, her vision fading in and out.
Somehow, she managed to look behind her and saw the missing thug, who had somehow gotten behind her without her noticing.
"My, my, I wasn't expecting someone as young as you to put up such a fight," he said as he popped his knuckles. "Even though you're defective, you might still fetch a good price."
This was bad. Fuko could feel herself fading away as the other members of the gang were recovering. She wanted to scream but her voice wouldn't obey. Was this seriously how it all ends for her, being sold as a slave in a trafficking ring?
"Someone…help me…" And then everything went black.
Marth, Kisara, and their familiars were walking down the sidewalk. Today was one of their rare days off from missions and training. Usually the demon prince would pass the time on these days off either by reading his books or sometimes playing the video games Kazuto gave him. Today, was not one of those days.
Due to how much time he spent inside, Kisara practically dragged him into taking a walk with her and possibly doing some shopping at a mall. Their familiars, Cynthia and Yuna, joined them as well since the demoness believed it to be a good bonding moment.
"I can't believe you talked me into this, Kisara," Marth said dryly, hands concealed in his jean pockets. "I was just getting into the latest light novel of my favorite series before you interrupted me."
His sister simply giggled in amusement. "Just because you don't like humans much doesn't mean you can hide yourself in your room, Brother," she said with a mischievous smile. "We're still years away before we're ready to live in Eternus full-time. Why not enjoy our time here while we can?"
Marth took a quick look around him. Several passersby's' were staring at the quartet oddly. Even they could sense that something was amiss about the group. "Do we really have to?" he questioned. "We're still technically in hiding after all. What if the Darkfallen might be watching?"
"If those traitors have the audacity to show up in a city where two demon lords and the deadliest women of the three realms live, then we'll just handle them like we do the Lemures. That's why I brought Cynthia and Yuna with us, as extra support."
"Indeed," the silver-haired familiar said formally, bowing her head slightly. "As the humble creation of the prince of darkness, I will use all my power to protect you and Lady Kisara. You have my word on that, my master."
"I can help too!" Yuna added cheerfully. "With my support magic, you guys can't lose."
Cynthia suddenly wrapped her arms around Marth's right arm, a rare cheerful smile plastered on her face. Honestly, he couldn't bring himself to shoo her off, despite the mixed messaging this could send to his classmates if they saw them like this. It's only been four months since he managed to revive her using a small lock of her hair. Cynthia was his familiar from all the way back in the Age of Chaos, but she tragically lost her life at the end of the war. Yuna was Kisara's familiar from back then as well and met a similar end.
Thankfully death isn't quite permanent for familiars for as long as you had a piece of them that contained their essence, they could be brought back to life. Rias had somehow managed to acquire a lock of Cynthia's fine hair, supposedly through a mysterious mage that told her that he and Kisara were in Japan. It took three years for Marth to master the spell to bring back his loyal servant. Kisara, however, managed to do it in just two, though supposedly it was because she had Yuna's former body, which was that of her favorite doll from when she lived as Lucia. As for how she got the doll, Rias had been holding onto it for several millennia, waiting for the day she could return it to its owner.
Unlike Yuna, who was an inanimate object given life and a human form, Cynthia was always a living being. Long ago, she used to be spider, one of the many offspring of the Spider Queen Shadira. Shadira was a Lemure and had sided with the Dark God Zeta and was considered to be one of the deadliest creatures to ever live. Zane and his allies were tasked for wiping out her and her entire brood. Cynthia was still just a hatchling when the demon prince attacked, and was actually bullied by her siblings for her small size, but Shadira's hive mind forced her to obey and defend her queen. After a long battle, the Spider Queen was slain as well as all of her offspring. Except for one.
Despite all odds, Cynthia managed to barely cling to life, but her lifeforce was quickly depleting. Nonetheless, she still kept fighting to survive. One of Zane's comrades soon noticed her and prepared to finish her off, only to be stopped by Zane himself. Her drive for survival impressed the demon prince, so much so that he decided to save her life. He infused her with his own blood, the blood of Sinestra. The infusion transformed Cynthia, giving her a human form. He gave her a choice, to fight beside him as his familiar and end the War of Light and Shadow, or live a peaceful life, away from the fighting. This was the first choice she was ever given in her entire life. As a monster, a hatchling at that, she knew nothing except how to fight, yet Zane's blood granted her intelligence. Despite the temptation of living free from the shadow of her mother and conflict, her choice was already made up. She gladly chose to serve Zane as his familiar and became his most loyal follower.
"Master, can we go to the VRMMO Memorial?" the spider familiar asked. "I know you survived your battle with Zarc thirty years ago, but I want to pay homage to your sacrifice, as well as the sacrifices of the other warriors who fought in that war."
Similar to Kisara, Marth couldn't bring himself to refuse a request from Cynthia. She rarely asked for anything for herself, so whenever she did, he would feel obliged to grant it. She was almost like a daughter to him. He was truly grateful to have someone as trustworthy and loyal as her in his life.
"Someone…help me…"
Marth suddenly halted in his tracks, catching the girls off-guard. They asked what was wrong, but he ignored them. It was very faint, almost inaudible, but he heard it. Someone was calling for help, a girl by the sounds of it. Despite how much he tried to distance himself from the human realm, even he knew about the crimes happening in it, especially the human trafficking ring happening in Tokyo. Given that gangs were targeting young women, Marth always made sure that Kisara never traveled alone, especially at night. Granted, this was a little overblown on his end since Kisara is a demon and can defend herself better than a human girl, but he still felt he should do his best to protect her as her big brother.
Was there a new victim nearby? Where were they? He quickly scanned the area, eyes fully alert. Soon, he saw them. Hiding in a nearby alleyway, just barely out of the view of the social cameras, he saw six gang members, with one of them carrying an unconscious brunette girl who looked around the prince's age. For some reason, he could feel a strange presence around the girl. It was similar to his own, powerful, but much more elegant.
"Hey!" he called out with authority. "What do you think you're doing with that girl?!"
The crooks seemed to panic and quickly fled the scene. Without missing a beat, Marth ducked into the alleyway in pursuit, but they were already gone. How could simple humans move that fast? The only thing he could find was a sky-blue Neurolinker that was lying on the ground. Judging from its scent, it had to belong to that girl he saw get carried away.
"Brother!" Kisara exclaimed as she and the familiars hurried over to him.
"Did we just witness an abduction, in broad daylight?!" Yuna said in a panic. "We need to call the police about this!"
Marth didn't answer. Instead he just stared at the Neurolinker in his hand. It would be quite easy to just throw the device away and just go about his day like nothing happened, yet somehow his heart wouldn't let him. He knew what he had to do.
"There's no time for that," he said firmly. "I'm going after those clowns and saving that girl myself."
The three girls were understandably surprised by his statement, especially since he had many negative experiences with girls outside his friend group.
"Forgive me for questioning you, Master," Cynthia spoke up, "but why put yourself at risk like this for a girl you don't know? You're always saying we need to keep a low profile so the Darkfallen or Eternus can't find us. Besides, the humans of this era have proven they don't deserve your protection given their poor treatment towards you and Lady Kisara."
"Yeah, but I've not exactly been good at keeping a low profile, adding more pressure to Mom for keeping our secret hidden. As for humans themselves, I may not be fond of them, but even I can't ignore such wicked deeds, especially if I see them happening before me. I still have a conscience and a moral code after all."
The silver-haired spider simply sighed in defeat. "Very well. If you wish to pursue them, Master, then I won't stop you. But allow me to accompany you. Your enemies are my enemies."
"I'm coming too," Kisara added. "We siblings need to stick together after all."
"Me three!" said Yuna. "Those fools will rue the day they crossed paths with us!"
Truth be told, Marth didn't need them to go with him. Given that he was the Demon Lord of Wrath, he could easily take a human gang by himself. However, if he was alone, he might be forced to use his forbidden power in order to ensure the girl's safety, which will cause the corruption of his curse to spread and grow stronger, making the return of the Lord of Calamity draw ever so closer. If he had some backup, especially from these three girls, then victory was assured.
"Alright. Then let's move."
It was unclear where the gang members went, but Marth had a way to pick up on their location. He handed the Neurolinker to his sister before harnessing a power within himself. His body became engulfed in shadow as black and red fur sprung from all over his body and his teeth sharpened into fangs. When the transformation finished, he let out a fierce howl. He had become a wolf. This was one of the Lost Magic spells, Beastshift. As the name implies, it allows the user to change into an animal, though what the animal is depends on the person. For Marth, it turns him into a wolf.
Knowing what his intentions were, Kisara nodded and held the Neurolinker to his face. The beast gave the device a good sniff, memorizing its scent. He then smelled around the area before finally picking up the trail. He took off running in the direction of the scent, the girls following in hot pursuit.
When Fuko came to, she found herself lying in a rusty cell of sorts with her arms chained behind her back. There was no virtual interface in her field of vision and her neck felt off. Her Neurolinker must have fallen off. That was bad because her Neurolinker was what helped her brain control her artificial legs. Without it, she was quite literally a sitting duck.
There was cloth tied around her mouth to gag her and her button-down shirt was open, revealing her sky-blue bra and her navel. It was dark, the faint light from lightbulbs barely making visibility possible. She had no idea where she was, but given that she could hear the sounds of other girls moaning and begging to be released in the distance, likely in similar cages, she figured that she was at the syndicate's base somewhere in Tokyo.
"I can't believe I was so careless. I have to get out of here before they come back."
She struggled to break loose from her bonds, but the chains held firm, keeping a tight grip on her wrists. Refusing to give in, she reached deep within herself before finally grasping an unknown power, allowing her to shatter her bonds. Okay, that's one step down, but how was she gonna escape. She could barely even walk without her Neurolinker. Slowly, but surely, Fuko forced herself to stand up, but it took all she had to keep from tipping over.
Taking this one step at a time, she slowly made her way over to the cell door and tried to open it with her newfound strength. However, all she could manage was shake it up a little as all her remaining strength was dedicated to keep herself standing.
Her efforts were stopped when she heard footsteps approaching. Fearing the worst, she unconsciously took a few steps backward. Sure enough, the man that had knocked her out was here, along with a man in a fancy black suit, likely the leader of this trafficking ring.
"I'm impressed," the crime leader said with a smug grin. "It takes a special kind of willpower to be able to move artificial limbs without a Neurolinker for assistance. And you managed to break those steel chains of yours. I think you'll fetch a fine price indeed."
"I told you, boss. She's a fighter."
If only looks could kill, then both men would be dead from the glare Fuko was giving them. "Let me go," she demanded, her voice strained from the effort of keeping herself up. "Otherwise I won't be so merciful."
Both men simply cackled in response. "Oh, I like you, girl," the boss replied arrogantly. "However, it would seem we need to teach you some manners before we auction you off. Why don't we start now?"
He reached into his pockets and pulled out a set of keys. He used those keys to open the cell door and marched inside. He easily towered over the brunette, who was trembling from the effort to keep standing on her artificial legs. Suddenly he smacked her hard in the face with an open palm, knocking her straight on the hard concrete floor. Her strength all depleted, she could only watch in fear as the man continued to physically assault her, tears leaking from her eyes from the pain.
"So that's their hideout," Marth said slowly as he eyed a certain warehouse from a nearby rooftop. He had already morphed into his combat gear as did the girls beside him. Kisara's outfit was a purple and red battledress that exposed parts of her legs, red fingerless gloves, a purple tunic underneath, and black heeled boots. Yuna, on the other hand, wore a short purple and red dress, black fingerless gloves and shoes. In her hands was a small microphone.
"Just to be sure, do you really want to go through with this, Brother?" Kisara questioned. "It'll be hard for even Mom to cover this up."
"I'm aware of the risks," the demon prince responded calmly, his hand resting on his waist. "But this is something I cannot ignore."
"Very well. What are your orders?"
"Quite simple really." Marth's eyes became ice-cold, his tone mirroring the change perfectly. "Storm the building. Kill every one of those mongrels so that they'll never become a threat again. I'll find the girl. If any of them try to stop me, then I'll cut them down as well."
"A bit basic," Cynthia said with a nod, "but acceptable since these are simple humans. They don't stand a chance against us."
With the plan decided upon, the quartet marched towards the warehouse where their target was located. The entrance was blocked by a large metal door. Marth felt it polite to give it a knock, only instead of using his hand, he used a blast of purple lightning to blow a hole right through the metal.
"What the?"
"We're under attack!"
The siblings and their familiars casually strode into the warehouse as the criminals hurried to grab their guns while in a panic. One of them managed to fire a few rounds at Marth, only to be shocked when none of the bullets touched him as they were blocked by a current of black wind that surrounded him.
"What the hell is with this kid?!"
"Just keep firing. Don't harm the girls too much. We can sell them later."
As soon as the last grunt finished that sentence, he soon found a black sword run through his chest. The last thing he saw before death claimed him was the merciless eyes of Marth before he nonchalantly tossed his corpse aside.
"No one…touches my sister. That goes for our familiars too."
If the crooks weren't freaked out before, they totally were now as fear practically radiated off them like a stench. One thug tried to foolishly attack Marth with a knife, only to suddenly stop in his tracks as hairline threads ensnared his body.
"You fools are not even worth my master's acknowledgement," Cynthia said coldly as she produced threads from her hands, catching several more goons in her clutches. Despite how thin they seemed, they were actually very strong, easily able to hold a mid-class Lemure. Needless to say, those humans were screwed.
A wicked smile graced the spider's face as she strolled over to her closest prisoner, brandishing her canines. The goon could only whimper she bit into his neck, his blood splattering everywhere. Cynthia was by no means a vampire (though that didn't stop her from drinking blood if she wanted to), but her bites had a poisonous touch. Despite her human appearance, she was still a spider and her venom was very potent, capable of incapacitating large Lemures. But for a regular human, it was instantly lethal. The goon died screaming in agony as the poison destroyed his insides.
"Oh, and by the way," Cynthia added casually after removing her mouth from her victim, "only my master is allowed to touch me. I will not let your filthy hands dirty the form that my master has given me."
Yuna's singing soon filled the air, enhancing the strength of her allies. With barely a flick of her wrist, Kisara cut down three criminals with her sparkling blue sword that radiated starlight, a projected copy of her divine weapon, Mercurius.
"Go on ahead, Brother," the demoness said calmly. "We can handle these fools ourselves."
Marth simply chuckled. "Very well. Remember, no survivors."
The demon prince proceeded further into the warehouse, following the scent of the abducted girl. Naturally, more of the bone-headed goons tried to stop him, either with their guns, knives, or even their bare fists, but Marth effortlessly cut them down without even batting an eye. That's how beneath him he saw these humans, no, beasts. These things don't deserve to be called humans. They were nothing like Kazuto, Asuna, or Shino.
"No! Stay away from me!"
It was the voice he had heard earlier. Given her distress, she was in danger. If this really was the stage for a human trafficking ring, then he had to hurry. Steeling his resolve, he channeled his magic throughout his body and burst forward like a lightning bolt, killing any gang member that crossed his path. In the blink of an eye, he appeared before an open cage that contained the brunette, who was struggling to get away from a man in a black suit while he was trying to undress her.
"I'd back away from her if I were you," Marth said in warning, taking his usual stance.
The man in the black suit stopped what he was doing and turned to face the demon. "A kid? How the hell did you get in here?" The girl on the other hand, simply watched from the ground in fear.
"Simple. I blew up your front door and let myself in. Oh and don't expect anyone to come help you. My team is handling them as we speak."
"Ha-ha-ha!" the man cackled madly. "You're joking right? There's no way a runt like you can defeat my gang! Tell you what, if you leave now, I'll spare your life. If you don't, I'll kill you."
Whatever the man was expecting, he sure didn't see the possibility of Marth smirking and let out a chuckle. "You…kill me? Ha-ha. That's rich. If you knew who I was, you'd be soiling your pants right now."
"What?" Suddenly the man smirked. "Well I guess this is goodbye then."
Marth raised an eyebrow in confusion. What was he up to?
"Behind you!" the girl cried out in warning.
Marth's Hypersense suddenly activated. He could sense a killing intent right behind him. His instincts taking over, he tossed Lunara in the air and backflipped towards it, narrowly missing a goon with a knife that would have stabbed him in the back otherwise. Not losing his momentum, Marth effortlessly caught the black blade in midair as he descended behind the grunt, slashing him across the back as he fell.
The man gurgled on his own blood before he fell limply on the concrete floor, blood pouring from the open wound. Meanwhile Marth just brushed his bangs aside, not even fazed by the attempt on his life.
"What the hell are you?!" the gang leader exclaimed in shock.
"Hmm, would it be accurate to say, 'your worst nightmare'?" As if on que, Marth's purple wings sprung from his back, the wings of a demon. He didn't normally do this indoors, especially in a confined area like this, but boy do they sure work as an intimidation factor as the gang leader definitely looked like he needed a new change of pants.
"No way," the girl said in disbelief. "You're a…"
"A demon," the man said in despair. "But I thought you guys were just a myth! How are you here?!"
"Oh come now," Marth said coolly with an icy smirk. He really enjoyed putting arrogant humans in their place. They were one of the few highlights of living on Earth. "Don't you know that some myths are based on a semblance of truth? Ready to repent for your sins now?"
"W-wait! Spare me, please. I'll give you anything you want. Money, take it. Women, I'll give you my entire stock, including this girl. Just please don't kill me!"
"Sorry but I'm afraid bribery isn't going to help you escape your fate. The women are coming with me though. I think it's high time they rejoin their families."
The gang leader gritted his teeth in anger before pulling a handgun from behind his coat. He pointed it straight at the girl's head. "Take one more step, and I'll kill her. Drop your sword now or I'll GAH—"
Suddenly he found Lunara piercing his heart all the way through. In the blink of an eye, Marth had suddenly closed the gap between them and landed a killing blow. "I believe you," the demon replied. "Unfortunately for you, I'm way faster than your trigger finger."
The man's eyes rolled to the back of his head as he dropped the gun. In one swift motion, Marth removed his sword from his chest, causing the body to fall on the floor, red blood gushing from the open wound. Not sensing any more hostiles, Marth dismissed Lunara. As expected, those humans weren't worthy to face his Dual Blades style. They were way too weak.
"Are you okay?" Marth asked the girl, who instinctively flinched as he took a step towards her.
Upon closer inspection, she was covered in bruises on her arms and face. Her clothing looked a little torn from the rough treatment, but seemed relatively intact. It would seem he arrived before her captor got too far with her.
"Are you going to kidnap me too?" the girl finally spoke, her voice sounding concerned. "Are you going to force yourself onto me too?"
The demon prince got down on one knee and looked her straight in the eye. "I would never treat a girl like that," he said sincerely. "If I did, my mother and sister would have my blood. I'm here to rescue you."
"Really? But I thought demons were evil."
"Can you call humans evil because you have scum like him?" Marth questioned, gesturing towards the dead gang leader. Nervously, the girl shook her head. "Exactly. Just like humans, we demons come from different walks of life. I'm by no means a saint, but I do have a code of honor and morals to live by. I guess you can consider me one of the good demons."
"I-I see."
Marth could tell that today's events will leave the girl traumatized. A shame Rias wasn't here. As the Demon Lord of Lust, she could easily suppress or even remove the memories of people, with a few exceptions, just by locking eyes with her target. While he did know magic to manipulate the mind, he was nowhere near the level of his foster mother, thus his methods required a more…intimate approach.
"Listen, if you want, I can suppress the memory of this event so you can go back to a normal life," he offered while returning her Neurolinker to her, which she accepted gingerly. "However, you must be willing to trust me and open yourself up. Are you willing to trust in the word of a demon?"
The girl was silent for a few moments, but Marth did not try to pressure her. Unlike those crooks, he respected boundaries. If she didn't want to go through with it, then he'll just call his mother and have her handle it.
"Are you able to simply suppress the trauma of the event?" the girl suddenly asked.
"Huh?" the demon said in confusion. He wasn't expecting that. "Uh, maybe. Why?"
"I don't want to fully forget this day. Sure I don't like that I got kidnapped by a gang, but you saved my life. I don't want to forget that. I want to pay you back, in any way that I can. Maybe, as a friend and a comrade."
"Are you sure about that? I am a demon. If you stay with me, then you won't live an easy life. You'll never be able to return to a normal life."
"I've given up having a normal life a long time ago. I've been stuck in a dark place for a while. I'd rather stand by you and suffer than be alone and miserable. Please, grant my selfish request."
For some reason, this all sounded very familiar to the demon lord. He felt like he had heard words like those before, a long time ago. He could sense the potential within this girl. With the right push, she could become a powerful ally in the inevitable war with the Darkfallen. Her drive impressed him too. Despite barely knowing anything about him, she is willing to cast her lot with him. Perhaps it was fate that they crossed paths.
"Very well," Marth said with a nod. "I will take you as one of my Harbingers and my friend. My name is Marth Umbris. What is yours?"
"Fuko Kurosaki and thank you."
Taking this as confirmation that she trusted him, the Wrath Lord leaned in and gently pressed his lips against hers. There wasn't anything romantic behind this kiss. Instead, he used it to suppress the trauma of this day, leaving the rest of Fuko's memory intact. In a way, one could also view it as a pact between master and servant. Still, it was rather annoying that he had to resort to such intimate means in order for his mental magic to be effective. It could easily lead to the wrong idea without any proper context.
Despite the circumstances, today was a good day for both Marth and Fuko. Marth had found a new ally and a genuinely nice girl to call his friend. Fuko, on the other hand, found a purpose to continue living. No matter what happens, she will serve her new lord with pride, even if the world raged against them. Later on, she would learn that this was the same Marth that she read about and admired, which made her even more happy with her choice. Perhaps, one day she could even become something more than his friend, but that is a story for another day.
To be continued
Wow, this was a long one. I was actually tempted to split this in two parts but decided against it since that would like two filler chapters. This was basically a flashback chapter detailing how Marth and Fuko met. I'm sure some people will be uncomfortable with an assault scene happening as that's generally looked down upon in media (heck Sword Art Online gets a lot of crap for it). Understandably, I kept it as tame as I could plus made an explanation on why Fuko seems unaffected two years later (I know some people are gonna call it lazy writing, but come on, Marth's a demon with magic, of course he's gonna ease her trauma if he can help it, he still has a heart after all). Also, this will be the only time this happens. I have no more plans to include scenes like this as I'm not comfortable with writing them.
I can't say for sure if I'll do more flashback chapters like this, but if I get the urge, I'll sprinkle them between arcs to not mess up the pacing of them. Heck, flashback chapters were actually a cut idea from Black Wolf, which would have detailed events on Kisara's life before reuniting with her brother. The idea was scrapped because I never felt the urge to write them, but this time was different. Like any good story teller, I wanted to show the events that transpired to cause Marth and Fuko to cross paths rather than simply telling it. Not to mention, it gave me the opportunity to show Cynthia and Yuna's abilities in action. The fight scene for them didn't fully pan out like I envisioned due to this chapter's already impressive length, but I think it's a good enough appetizer to show what's to come from these two. I'm especially looking forward to showing more of Cynthia's abilities. Not to mention, this gave me a great opportunity to give some backstory on the Demon War since Dark Swordsman 2 is no longer canon.
Finally, I won't be surprised if some people would claim that Marth is overpowered given that he's always winning his fights (well save for that one instance against Ash Roller, but he was caught off-guard since he wasn't expecting the fight) or absolutely decimating his enemies. In a way he is, but keep in mind that currently he's only been shown fighting ordinary humans, who aren't particularly strong to begin with. As mentioned in his monologues, he still doesn't stand a chance against Rias, Scathach, or Medusa (especially if they all team up, dear Sinestra that would be a one-sided slaughter). Once he starts fighting people with actual powers or people who can match his fighting experience, that's when things start to get more challenging for him. It'll be happening slowly over the course of the story.
Anyway, that's all I wanted to say. See you guys next time!
