Chapter 24- Elie's True Identity
November 4, 2056
Kuroba awoke to the feeling of something pressing against her back. She slowly opened her eyes and turned to look. It was that new girl that Marth took under his protection. Kaira was her name if she remembered right. The horned girl looked so peaceful right now, a stark contrast to what she had been through. The poor thing had been on the run from slaver traders for three days straight, barely getting any rest. If anything, it was surprising how easily Kaida managed to fall asleep when they returned to Earth. It might be because of Marth and his promise to protect her. It made her feel safe, something she must not have felt for a long while. However, that feeling seemed to have made her pretty dependent on the demon prince, as she practically hovered beside him, even sharing his bed with him along with the fairies. It made Kuroba feel a little jealous at seeing yet another pretty girl hanging around the boy she loved.
Still, what kind of being is Kaida? She certainly isn't a twili, much less a demon or fairy. Human was out of the question too. One would think that the deerlike antlers would indicate that she was some sort of satyr, but those creatures only exist in myths, also she has human feet instead of hooves. Last night, Kuroba had actually watched the mysterious girl change into sleepwear undress to get a better understanding of her body and was actually shocked by what she saw. She knew that the poor girl had been tortured by those slave traders for weeks, possibly even months, but seeing her body covered in scars was just heartbreaking. She was just a year younger than the fairy princess and was just as pretty but seeing those scars mar her body was beyond words. Some still even looked fresh. Oh, how Kuroba would love to find the ones responsible for those wounds and cut them to pieces. When Marth manages to track down those traders, she'll be the first to join his raid on their operations and burn it to the ground.
On the upside, those scars were healing, no doubt because of Ascalon's regenerative properties. She could even see the marred flesh slowly mend by the second. She was even gaining some muscle mass. Lunaris's scabbard truly is a powerful tool. It'll take a while, maybe a few weeks or so, but Kaida's body will return to its pristine condition.
"Hm?"
Her leg had just brushed past something on the sleeping grayette's body. Curious, she pulled up the covers and saw a bump of sorts, about the size of her fist, right above Kaida's butt. That wasn't there last night. Was it an adverse reaction to Ascalon? Gently as to not awaken the girl, Kuroba lifted up the hem of Kaida's shirt and managed to contain the gasp of shock that followed. It wasn't a clod like that of tumors that she expected, but the stub of a tail! It was relatively small in length and had gray lizard-like scales.
"Just what are you?"
It was at that moment that Kuroba noticed that both Marth and Fuko were missing. Checking the clock in her peripheral, she saw that it was seven o'clock. Today was Saturday so there would be no school today, so where could they have gone? Climbing out of bed and investigating the room, there was no sign of a note, meaning that they hadn't gone to Dun Scaith. Figuring that they were still in the apartment, Kuroba quietly exited the bedroom and made her way to the kitchen.
Sure enough, sitting at the table were the duo in question, along with Medusa and Cynthia, the latter being in her human form. For a brief moment, Kuroba also noticed Marth's shadow flicker unnaturally. There was nothing to worry about though as it was because of a certain dark spirit. You see, unlike most divine weapon wielders, the demon prince didn't store his legendary weapon in a special space whenever he wasn't using it. Instead, he opted instead to keep stored within his own shadow, a feat only possible thanks to Sophia's proficiency in dark magic. As to why he preferred this method, it was quite simple. It was more intimidating, also it allowed Sophia to remain in the physical world. She can't be too far from the Lunaris since it is her vessel after all.
"Good morning," Marth greeted when he saw the ravenette approach, taking a sip of his morning tea. "There's a fresh pot of tea if you want any. There's also some coffee too."
"Morning," she yawned back, still feeling a little drowsiness. Tea sounded rather lovely right now, so she went and made herself a cup before sitting beside the demon prince. "Did you sleep well last night, Marth?"
The Dark Swordsman's face became rather flushed, a stark contrast to his usually reserved expression. It was honestly hilarious to see him like this. Marth was a beast with a sword and a master tactician, but he was hopeless when it came to women. Neither she nor Fuko were being subtle when it came to earning his affection, but unfortunately Marth was too dense to understand their meanings, instead interpreting them as just ways to make him flustered.
Although, last night, Kisara did mention something to the fairies that as a demon prince, Marth was allowed to take multiple wives so technically he could simply choose both of them if he so wished. Apparently, the reason why the demoness waited until now to mention it was because she was too amused by their competition. This new knowledge did make Kuroba and Fuko's competition to win Marth's affection pointless since all they had to do was both get him to fall for them, but they quickly found a way to spin it so that they could continue. They were now competing on who would be Marth's first love (at least in this era anyway) and in a way, that motivated Kuroba to work even harder. Although, they may be getting a new competitor if Marth and Kaida's relationship were to develop any further (and knowing the demon prince's track record, that was very likely to happen).
"I-I slept alright," he stuttered out, sheepishly scratching his left cheek. "It was a little cramped though. My bed's not meant for four people."
The snake goddess chuckled at seeing her little brother's flustered face. "I'd enjoy it if I were you, little brother," she said mischievously. "Most guys would kill to share a bed with three beautiful girls after all."
Marth just let out a groan and buried his face in his hands, looking like he would want to be anywhere but here right now. He really is fun to tease because he always looks so serious, a combination of him being their leader and the nature of his curse. It was obvious to Kuroba just how badly the curse affected the boy he loved. She knew it's part of why he is so oblivious to her affection, since he refuses to believe anyone could love someone as damaged as him.
"Well it's not like I'm any better," she thought to herself as she lowered her gaze towards her hot tea. "I have my own share of psychological wounds, some directly caused by me and others by that witch. Then there's Fuko and her troubled past."
Now that she thought about it, perhaps that's why she felt so drawn to the Dark Swordsman. Both she and Fuko saw a kindred spirit in him, someone who had gone through their own personal hardship. Perhaps that's why she fell in love with this version of Zane. She could picture the remnants of Celine agree with her analogy, although there was no doubt that the original fairy princess would have fallen for this version of her beloved as well.
The Harbingers were a group of outcasts, people shunned by society for being even a little different from the norm. No wonder they rallied behind the Dark Swordsman. He gave them a place to belong, a home, a family. This family felt way more real than the one she had blood relations to. This one won't abandon her like that one did.
Feeling emboldened, Kuroba leaned in and pecked a kiss onto Marth's left cheek. If he wasn't flustered already, he sure was now given how much he was blushing. In fact, she could even picture steam shooting out of his ears. Meanwhile both Cynthia and Medusa smirked mischievously at her action. As for a certain brunette, she looked green with envy.
"Wh-what was that for?!" Marth cried out, his voice louder than intended. He was cradling the cheek the fairy had kissed.
Kuroba let out an innocent giggle. He really was adorable like this. Such a shame that this side of him was a rare sight. "Just my way of saying thanks for being there for me. I'm truly glad that we were able to meet again. I may not know the full extent of your plan, Eternal Twilight, but know that no matter what happens, I'll always be by your side. A world without you…is a world I don't want to live in."
"Wait, what?! What are you—"
"No fair!" Fuko interrupted, slamming her hand on the table in protest. "I wanted to say that! I've known him longer than you in this era, Kuroba. If anyone should make such a declaration, it should be me!"
The Black King smirked in triumph, giving the crippled Burst Linker a smug look as she wrapped around Marth's left arm, making him even more flustered. "You snooze, you lose," she teased, maintaining her smug grin.
Not backing down from the challenge, Fuko rose from her chair and stormed over to the duo. Conveniently, Cynthia chose that moment to go to the restroom, leaving her chair unoccupied. Also a coincidence, the Spider of Despair's seat happens to be beside Marth on his right side. The brunette quickly claimed that empty seat and pulled herself close to the demon prince's right arm, making sure her voluptuous breasts were pressed firmly against him.
"Uh, Fuko," Marth said nervously, the blush on his face intensifying.
"If Kuroba's going to vow that she'll always be by your side, then I will too. In fact, how about I become one of your vassals and live here with you fulltime? Think of all the fun the two of us could have together."
"Fuko!"
"What? You've got a lot of video games we can play together. What did you think I was implying?"
Kuroba gritted her teeth in frustration. Truly, the Azure Wind was truly shameless when it came to her flirts. There was no way in hell that she was implying that she and Marth have fun together by playing video games. Well, too bad for her, but the Black King never backs down from a challenge.
"If she's staying here, then I will too. I live alone anyway, so no one's gonna care if I move out." As soon the words left her lips, she realized she said more than she intended.
"Wait, what?" Marth asked, his face suddenly returning to normal, bloodred eyes looking down at her in concern.
At that moment, Kuroba found herself heating up in embarrassment, her snow-white cheeks becoming scarlet. She always intended to tell her friends about her living situation, but not like this. It made her want to crawl into a hole, the bravado she had before disappearing like mist over a meadow.
"I…um…well…" How the heck was she supposed to explain herself with all these prying eyes on her, especially from the boy she loved. "Two years ago, there was an…incident with my family. Long story short, they kicked me out and I've been living alone in an apartment ever since. They pay the bare minimum in childcare and wouldn't care if I suddenly dropped dead."
Already, she could feel the anger welling up inside the demon prince. She had to quell it quickly before he tried anything rash. She didn't want him anywhere near that witch. "It's fine," she said hastily. "I don't care about them anyway. I'm much happier with the Harbingers being my family instead of them. There's no need to fight on my behalf."
That seemed to do the trick as she could feel Marth relax, but his eyes still contained their fury. "I see," he replied firmly. "If you don't want me or the others to interfere with them, then I'll respect your decision. You're more than welcome to stay here."
"Thanks. I mean it."
"My, my. Did we miss something?"
"Looks like it, big sister."
Kuroba nearly jumped out of her seat from surprise. When she had been distracted by her emotions, Kisara, Yuniko and Yuna (who was in her human form as she no longer needed to hide it) had managed to enter the dining room without her noticing. Both the demoness and the Red King had smug grins plastered on their faces. No doubt they will use this to tease her in the future. Kaida was here too, although she looked more confused as to what is going on. Cynthia had also returned from the restroom, also looking amused.
Now that she thought about it, there are a lot of people staying in this apartment. Sure, it was decently sized and had three bedrooms, but it probably wasn't intended for a group this big. Granted Yuna and Cynthia hardly take up any space when they're in their true forms, with the former not even needing to eat to survive. Then again, this is technically a temporary residence until they graduate high school, but with the knowledge of Marth's curse, they may end up speeding up their plan on relocating to Eternus.
"You all are up early," the demon prince commented.
"It's kinda hard to sleep when you guys are in here shouting a lot," Niko replied dismissively. "Anyway, who's up for helping me with breakfast?"
Almost immediately, Marth refused the offer, which was for the best. His cooking skills are awful. In the end, kitchen duty fell onto Yuniko, Kisara and Fuko. Rather than make anything fancy, they just went with the classic bacon and eggs, along with some pancakes. The dish was somewhat unfamiliar to Kaida, and she had to be reminded of basic table manners, but other than that she looked like she enjoyed it. Although, she was sticking pretty close to the demon prince. Her self-esteem was pretty bad.
Surprisingly enough, the girl's protector didn't seem to mind this. Apparently back in the SAO era, Kisara had acted in a similar manner because of her upbringing (which is surprising considering how freely she acts in this era). Back then, neither of them knew they were demons until their mid-teens. That lack of knowledge made it hard for them to cope with their peers, with the whitette suffering the most. She was really dependent on Marth, almost having panic attacks whenever he wasn't around. Their birthparents loved them, but that love was held at arms-length, as they were also afraid of the siblings' demon presences. Apparently, Kisara's condition improved somewhat when they were adopted by Rinko Koujiro (the girlfriend of Akihiko Kayaba) before finally breaking out of her shell during her time trapped in Aincrad.
Kaida's condition didn't seem to be as severe (so far), but it was clear her mental health wasn't great. It'll take time for both her physical and psychological wounds to fully heal. As for what they were going to do with her, they felt that it would be for the best that she remains in the apartment. Admittedly it wasn't because of her horns because those could easily be concealed with illusion magic. Instead, it was because of her poor mental health.
Now none of the Harbingers were experts in mental health, but given Kaida's rough history, they felt it wise to help her adjust to the outside world gradually. Perhaps if luck was on their side, she might end up enrolling at Umesato once her condition improves. She obviously wouldn't be left alone as Medusa and Yuna will be here to look after her while the others, except Cynthia, were at school.
Speaking of which. A sudden question suddenly came to Kuroba's mind. She had forgotten to ask it last night to not overwhelm the poor girl, but now that Kaida seemed to have relaxed somewhat in the Umbris apartment, it was probably safe to ask.
"Hey, Kaida, do you mind telling us what you are?" the Black King asked sincerely, keeping her tone gentle. "You're obviously not a demon or human. If you tell us more about you, we could better understand why those slave traders were after you."
The grayette paused from eating and guiltily looked down at her plate. Perhaps it was still too soon to ask, but they needed to know so that they could have an idea on how determined those traders were to get their hands on Kaida. Just seeing her in this state made Kuroba's heart ache, but it had to be said.
"You…don't want…to know," the trembling girl muttered in a pained voice, her bangs covering her eyes. "If I tell you…you'll just kick me out…"
Marth paused from what he was doing and patted the grayette on the head. The sudden contact caught the girl by surprise, prompting her to lift her head towards him.
"I find that hard to believe," he said slowly, giving her a rare smile. "My elder sister is feared as the monstrous Gorgon who turned entire legions to stone. Kuroba's considered to be the greatest traitor in the Accelerated World. And I'm the current Wrath Lord and fated to become the next Lord of Calamity. I swore that I'd protect you. Nothing you say will make me go back on my word."
Kaida looked shocked by the demon prince's words, her eyes wide in amazement. While her past was still a mystery, this was probably the first time that someone accepted her. While he may appear cold and cynical, Marth genuinely cared about the people close to him. He had this uncanny ability to recruit people from even the most unlikely candidates. That was how he managed to get Fuko and Kuroba on his side. This was no different.
Kaida hesitated and looked away for a moment. After finally collecting herself, she returned her gaze onto the demon prince. "I'm…a dragon…"
Out of all the possibilities that Marth believed his ward to be, a dragon was among the most unlikely candidates. Dragons themselves didn't fall under the general category as Lemures (a fancy word for monsters), but they were exceptionally powerful beings. They were descended from Tiamat, who is not only known as the Queen of the Dragons but also believed to be one of the primordial gods. According to legend, she was capable of taking on human form, an ability that was passed down to her descendants. However, these human forms differed from actual humans as the dragons still retained their horns, wings (which actually work) and tails. Although, it was possible to conceal these traits through illusion magic.
Still, the fact that there were still living dragons was a big deal. Most of their kind had been wiped out during the War of Light and Shadow, though there were rumors that some of them managed to survive and form tribes in the three realms, spending their long lives in human form. There was even speculation that Tiamat was still alive as well, hiding somewhere within the three realms.
Naturally dragons could serve as powerful allies, but they were known to be prideful. They tended to keep to themselves and looked down on the other races, believing themselves to be superior. Some even attacked people and hoarded mountains of treasure to satisfy their own egos. It was quite rare for dragons to ally themselves with beings outside their race. Also, despite people claiming it was possible, dragons are actually immune to the familiar spell. They were just too powerful to be bound. It's actually their cousins, the wyverns, that could become familiars as they were weaker. That's actually how the Integrity Knights got their wyvern mounts seven thousand years ago.
Kaida explained that her tribe in Astria spend most of their time in human form, heck they were even born instead of hatched. They only took on their true draconic forms when their village was under threat. Also because they evolved to a point where they prefer being in human form, they only gain their dragon forms once they reach around seventeen, which is considered to be their coming of age. However, even among her tribe, Kaida was different from everyone. Unlike them, she was born with no wings. That made it impossible for her to learn how to fly. People even began speculating that she might not even be able to turn into a dragon when she became of age.
Because of this, she was bullied a lot, which really hurt her self-esteem. Thankfully she was able to make a few friends that looked past her "defectiveness" and her family still cared for her. Sadly, the villagers' speculation seems to have been true as despite having reached the appropriate age, Kaida has not been able to transform. That issue was what helped contribute to her capture by the slave traders.
She didn't go into details about how her village was attacked. Her mental state was not stable enough for that yet, and Marth wasn't going to push her into revealing more than what she was prepared to tell. Just those brief glimpses into her past made her eyes well up with tears, prompting Marth to pull her into a hug to comfort her.
"I'm sorry we put you through this," he said sincerely, running his fingers through her ash-gray hair, ignoring the glares that Kuroba and Fuko were giving him. "That couldn't have been easy to tell us."
Seems like he and Kaida had more in common than he suspected. He too was a victim of bullying. Heck, Kisara was once the same way thirty years ago. Part of why the demoness was able to cope better in this era was because she found out what she really was relatively early. Perhaps if Marth figured out why Kaida seemed unable to transform like the other dragons, maybe her mental state will improve.
Looking her over, there wasn't really much to really hint at Kaida's true identity. Her tail was missing, having been cut off by the slave traders to make her submissive, but it was showing signs of regrowing thanks to Ascalon. The only striking feature were her deerlike…antlers.
Wait a minute. A sudden idea came to mind, but in order to confirm it, he needed some additional information. Holding the dragon out, he asked, "Kaida, were there any lakes around your village?"
She looked confused by the sudden question, but nodded her head in confirmation. "Y-yes," she said slowly. "There was this big lake where we drew water from. The children always loved playing in it. So did I, actually." She actually smiled at that, the nostalgia of better times overtaking her. "I was considered to be the fastest swimmer in the village. Not even my older brother could beat me."
"I knew it." Marth smirked in triumph. "Hey, Kaida, I think those people were wrong about you. There's nothing defective about you at all. You're a special dragon. You're a ryuu."
The grayette tilted her head in confusion. "A ryuu? What's that?"
"Ryuus are dragons from Japanese mythology. Unlike their western counterparts, they didn't have wings and breathed lightning instead of fire. They're also considered to be water dragons, with some even able to command storms."
The girl's eyes widened in disbelief. "Does that mean I can transform as well?" she asked.
"I don't see why not," Medusa spoke up. "Your powers are likely just dormant. I'm sure they'll awaken when the time is right."
"I agree with Medusa," Kisara added. "Right now, you're not in the best condition to try pushing yourself into transforming into your true form. Just give Ascalon some time to heal your physical body while you work on healing your mental scars."
"Okay," the dragoness replied slowly, still looking unsure. "But is there anyway to prove that Marth's theory on me is right?"
"I have one way," the demon prince said firmly. "We'll test it out once you recover more of your strength. I promise that you will be able to take on your dragon form."
He wasn't saying all this to try to recruit Kaida into the Harbingers. He's not so tasteless as to take advantage of the girl's fragile condition and woo her to his side. He genuinely wanted to help her so that she could better protect herself. That isn't to say he wasn't tempted to recruit her. After all, if she really is a ryuu, a storm dragon, then she would perfectly compliment his magic.
Ultimately it was all up to Kaida on what she wants to do with her life after the threat against her was dealt with. Speaking of which. He needed to contact Elie and arrange a meeting. Their talk is long overdue, especially if she's who he thinks she is.
He opened his virtual interface and began typing a message to the girl in question, telling her the time and place to meet him.
The spring afternoon sky was rather lovely from outside the window. Marth had changed into street clothes, opting for a gray shirt, a thin jacket of a darker color, and blue jeans. He was sitting by a table in Dicey Café, taking a sip of tea. The place was currently empty, the rush hour having passed a while ago. Of course, Andrew was still behind the counter, polishing up any mugs to pass the time.
Initially he was hesitant to use this place for his meeting with the twili girl, but it was one of the only places he could talk to her without fear of being overheard. When he had told the male barista about this, he gladly offered the café, though not without making the remark of Marth having yet another "date" here. Cynthia was here too, albeit hiding within her master's hair while in her true form, as was Sophia, who was in his shadow.
The front door jingled and a white-haired girl in a pink one-piece dress entered. Like before, she had that mixed menacing yet elegant presence. The way she carried herself was different from everyone else. Everything about her seemed…refined, graceful. Pushing the thought aside, he waved her over, prompting her to take the chair in front of him.
"Thank you for agreeing to meet with me," Elie said formally, bowing her head slightly. "I hope I'm not taking too much time out of your day for this."
"Don't worry about it," Marth brushed off, ignoring the smug look on the barista's face over him bringing yet another pretty girl here. "By the way, we can speak freely here. The people here aren't ones to leak out unsavory details."
It was bit of a coded message to indicate that Dicey's was a secure place to talk about private matters. There were wards in place to prevent people from eavesdropping on conversations, though they only activate whenever Marth and the others chose to. Elie seemed to have understood his meaning and nodded her head.
"I see. You planned this out in advance then. I take it you've also got subordinates lurking nearby in case things turn sour."
He chuckled in amusement. This girl was good, easily noting the possible intervention of his servants. "Maybe I do, maybe I don't," he said vaguely. "You?"
"I'll leave that to your imagination. Excuse me, sir, I'd like an earl gray tea with two sugars."
As the bartender was making her drink, Marth decided to end this little back-and-forth. Waiting until her tea arrived, he promptly said, "You're Viceroy Mograine's daughter, aren't you? Elie Mograine."
The twili smiled upon hearing her true name. "I am. What gave me away?"
"You weren't really hiding it. First there's your twili presence, which is extremely rare. Second, when we met at the mall, you addressed yourself as 'Elie MacDowell'. If memory serves, that was the maiden name of the viceroy's late wife, Mia, who was a fairy that was banished from her homeland."
"My, I'm impressed you knew all that. Then again, what else would I expect from Altena's heir. I take it you had your familiar do an investigation in Celestine to understand the political climate?"
"Hey, I may be hated by my people, but that doesn't mean I'm oblivious to what's happening in my homeland."
"You're not entirely hated in Eternus, my prince. House Mograine is still in support of your family and your inherent right to the throne. My father has sent me to request an audience with you immediately. There's an urgent matter that needs your attention."
Marth raised an eyebrow. He had a feeling that she was playing messenger for her father, but he didn't quite expect Darion to be so forceful with his request. From what Cynthia's reports on the viceroy have told, he was more of the cautious sort, not acting unless he had a clear idea of what was going on. That mindset was how he managed to keep hold of his seat for fifty years, matched only by his brute strength. Something must have changed to warrant such a response. Not to mention the timing of the request. The demon prince had already planned to request an audience with the northern viceroy so that he could plan out a way to remove Matias from power. To hear that Darion was also reaching out, despite Marth not having made an official confirmation that he had reincarnated, was too much of a coincidence to ignore.
Narrowing his eyes, he carefully planned what words to say next, wanting to test the waters a little. "What happened?"
"I'm sure you're aware that Viceroy Shinra has been growing his military forces," Elie explained calmly, her eyes looking serious. "We believe that he may be planning another war between the other regions of Eternus and unite them under his rule."
"That will never work. Even if by some miracle he can defeat both Darion and Shasta, Matias doesn't have the power to rule a united Eternus. Only a member of the Umbris family can do that. My sister and I are the only ones left in our family and there's no way we would ever support someone as corrupt as him."
Elie pressed her lips together tightly, her grip on her teacup increasing. "That's the issue, my prince. Matias does have an Umbris within his forces. Somehow he's managed to create a homunculus using blood from you, Princess Kisara and Lady Altena. If the intel from our spies is correct, you have another sister."
"What?!" Marth shouted, standing to his feet in outrage. Creating a homunculus, especially one from the Umbris line, was incredibly difficult. Most of the time, they were born with short lifespans and tended to be weaker than the blood donors. If a homunculus was created using blood from the Umbris family, and they were stable, then they could be viable candidates for the throne.
But how did Matias manage to acquire the necessary blood samples? It was possible he had spies steal blood from Marth and Kisara thirty years ago, when they were still living as (relatively) normal people. But getting Altena's blood was much more difficult. Unlike her children, the Pride Lord hasn't reincarnated, and her body was burned to prevent its misuse. The latter was what the general public believed, but both Rias and Scathach suspected that Zane took his mother's corpse to Balduq for unknown reasons. As his reincarnation, Marth was unable to confirm this since he still lacked most of his memories from that life.
If Matias did manage to acquire Altena's blood, then did that mean that he had located Balduq? No, there would have been an uproar over the discovery of his old castle if that was the case. The southern viceroy would love to flaunt out that it was he who managed to obtain the treacherous prince's castle if he found it. Besides, Balduq had defense mechanisms in place to keep such corrupt people away from it when its master was gone. That should still hold true even after seven thousand years.
That had to mean that there was another force at play here. Someone else must have located Balduq and shared some of Altena's blood (if her body was there) with the corrupt viceroy. But who were they and what were they planning? What were they planning to achieve by creating an Umbris homunculus?
As if reading his mind, Elie said, "My father believes that his southern counterpart intends to use your youngest sister as a puppet ruler to control Eternus. While it's still unclear how the general public will react to her existence, she's still a viable candidate for the throne. No matter how you look at it, this scheme is a threat to your family."
"Indeed," Marth replied. "I can no longer ignore Matias's transgressions. I need to deal with him before he makes his move. Still, it's too soon for me to go public. I'm still missing a lot of my teammates and our divine weapons."
The female twili cracked a light smirk. "Oh, you don't need to worry about your missing teammates."
Before he could ask what she meant, the café door jingled once more. When he saw who had entered, time seemed to stop. Two new figures stood right by the door. The first was a man who looked to be in his mid-twenties with short spikey red hair held up by a crimson bandana, along with stubby facial hair. The second figure was a young man around Marth's age, only he had wavy hair that was a light brown. Those two. It couldn't be.
Andrew himself was shocked by the new arrivals, so much so that he dropped the mug he was cleaning. "No way. Are you serious?!"
The red-haired man casually waved at the two shell-shocked figures, the same stupid grin plastered on his face. "Yo, Marth, Agil. It's been a while. How've you been?"
The younger boy smacked his elbow into the red-head's rib. "Show more respect. We're finally reunited with our master. We need to show him the proper courtesy." As the red-head was rubbing his injured side, the brunette trotted over to the demon prince and fell to one knee, head lowered into a bow. "I'm glad to see you are well, Lord Marth. I'm sorry we kept you waiting for so long."
At that moment, Marth managed to recompose himself. It was reassuring to see that his Sable Knight hadn't changed after the last thirty years. "It's good to see you again, Nautilus. I see you're the same as ever. Good to see you too, Klein. Now would you mind explaining why you're here with Elie?"
Nautilus, real name being Eiji Nochizawa, rose to his feet. "Of course," he said with a nod. "As it would turn out, the remaining half of the Harbingers ended up being sent to Eternus instead of arriving on Earth. We were scattered everywhere, unaware of who we really were. About a year ago, I had joined Lord Mograine's Ebon Knights. I was plagued by nightmares from our past and when the viceroy learned that you were in them, he immediately worked to gather the remaining Harbingers that were in the demon realm."
"They discovered me next," Klein added, casually holding the back of his head with his hands. "I also had dreams of our time together thirty years ago, and by cross-referencing them with Eiji's dreams, we were able to track down Philia and the others. Once that was done, I was sent here to Tokyo for reconnaissance so we could find you and the others. Of course, Agil nearly discovered me before we planned to reveal ourselves."
"I knew that scruffy face I saw on the subway was yours," Andrew spoke up. "I tried going after you, Klein, but you gave me the slip before I could make contact."
The wannabe samurai scratched his head sheepishly. "Sorry about that. I was under clear orders from Lord Mograine himself not to reveal myself until after Elie made contact with Marth. They wanted it to be a surprise."
The demon prince chuckled in amusement. "Well then. I guess I should meet with Darion and thank him for helping to reunite my Harbingers. With them by my side, I should be able to rescue my new sister from Matias's clutches before she can be made into his pawn. Speaking of which, what's her name?"
"Altina," Eiji said simply. "Altina Umbris."
A lovely name. It was similar to their mother's, but it felt more like they were trying to honor her rather than desecrate her image. Now Marth was even more motivated to save his sister.
Despite finally getting reunited with some of his missing teammates, Marth had to end the meeting there since it was starting to get late. They will have to plan the reunion meeting for a later date.
As he was heading home, he got a message from Yuniko filling him in on what happened in the Accelerated World. She told the other Kings that Chrome Disaster has been dealt with, but didn't mention the Yellow King's trap since she lacked any evidence of his crime. Nega Nebulus will have to deal with him at a later date. As for Cherry Rook, he seems to have returned to normal, a relief for sure. It turns out some distant relatives of his had been found and they wanted to take him in. It was far from Tokyo, meaning there weren't any Burst Linkers in his new home, so he had been rushing to level up before he had to move.
So that's what happened, Cynthia commented. No wonder he resorted to using the Armor of Catastrophe. It was his only way to level up fast enough so he could try catching up to Yuniko.
Yeah, Marth replied. At the very least, he seems to have returned to normal. He doesn't remember Brain Burst at all, though. But there are other games he and Yuniko can play together so they can keep in touch. I plan on recommending a few to her when we get back.
Speaking of which, Sophia added. Yuniko should be returning to her boarding school tomorrow. Will you miss her?
Maybe a little, but I'm more looking forward to things settling down a little at our apartment.
I wouldn't be so sure. I have a feeling things will be getting a lot more chaotic in the near future, the dark spirit said with a laugh.
Unfortunately for Marth, he couldn't help but agree with his partner. If the past two days were any indication, things will be getting a lot busier for him in the near future. He has a sister to save and a viceroy to overthrow. Not to mention, he'll need to look after Kaida and help her unlock her true power, as well as bring the people who imprisoned her to justice.
Now he was far from a hero, but he was not the type to ignore atrocities committed on innocent people. It was time for the Dark Swordsman to make his return. One way or another, he will bring Matias to his knees before killing him. The viceroy's death will be the next step for Marth to make his grand return, whether the demons wanted him or not.
The possible inclusion of a foreign power at play in Eternus was troubling, but it was too late to back down now. The beginning phase of Eternal Twilight has already begun. If this new player was moving against him, then Marth will crush them like he plans to do the others who get in his way.
"Well then, new challenger. If you want to play with me, then go right ahead. But don't expect me to play by your rules. The game's already been rigged, but only I decide how I play. It's time I made my next move. I wonder which of us will come out on top."
To be continued
And Eiji and Klein are finally in the story. Sorry their appearance was so short. This chapter was getting really long and I want to save some explanations and interactions for the next chapter when the gang reunites. As for Kaida, I debated whether to reveal her being a dragon in this chapter or wait until later, but if I had waited, it would have made Rias and Scathach look like idiots for not knowing that she's a dragon because they've had encounters with them before. Medusa at least has a decent excuse since she lived most of her life on a deserted island. As for why Kaida's based on the Japanese dragons, it's because I don't see that version used a lot in media. Most of the time, people, even in Japan, use the western version of dragons in their stories. Of course it'll be a while before her dragon form makes its debut. I've already got a great scene planned for that. Anyway, the Chrome Disaster arc is FINALLY DONE! Now it's time for the Urun arc.
I just realized, I'm gonna have a lot of characters to cycle through soon. I've already got an idea on how to address it because the Harbingers are going to effectively double in size soon and I want at least some characters to shine through.
That's all I wanted to say. See you guys next time!
