Kira - Noir & Kage

Lacus - Hikari

Athrun - Rosso

Chapter 67

The Dance of Shadow and Light – Finale:

When Past caught up with the Future in the Present

Once, a long time ago, in order to placate some of the animosity that the Church often voiced against Februarius, the magical continent allowed some of the Church Missionaries to enter their borders, on the condition they're not allowed to carry weapons into their country. At first, these Missionaries were genuinely peaceful and righteous. They were easily accepted as they spread the teachings of the Church. Februarians, ever the naturally peaceful folk, easily accepted these teachings; more than a few became devout followers of the Church.

If there's one brewing problem, is the fact that these Missionaries are not over fond of the other denizens of Februarius, namely those who came from the other side. The fact that the citizenry of Februarius can so easily mingle with these creatures, some of which, quite frankly, are inhumanely monstrous, disturbs the Missionaries so much, that when he brought his report back to the Basilica, it snowballed into an increasing wave of anti-nonhuman sentiments. Worsening the matter, the Pope, wanting to increase both his political power and influence, escalated this sentiment into a full blown xenophobic paranoia that was on the verge towards a call to arms. It is a call that all Hakutenkuns, thankfully, recognized as the empty rhetoric that it is, so at the very least, they were able to prevent the majority of their army to answer such calls. However, several Radicals had nevertheless infiltrated Februarius and caused several major problems. They shouted Xenophobic messages, terrorizing so called Alpheian sympathizers, inciting old grudges between humans and Alpheians during the Magic War, even causing several incidents. In so far, no one died, but it was more than enough to sour Februarius' public opinion of the Church. These inciters and rabble rousers were deported under the threat of… 'Suffering a fate worse than death'.

But to silence any further such frenzy, two decisions were made: the legendary Goud Veia volunteered himself as the unofficial watcher of Februarius, taking the habit of spending his sabbatical in that vacation focused island every now and then. An apt choice, considering nothing makes the Alpheian shit quicker than the idea that the Immortal Hakutenkun who virtually single handedly ended the Magic War was watching their backs. But then again, Veia never did take his role as the watcher 'too' seriously. Like… only in Februarius one can be treated with the public scene of the Hakutenkun sleeping on a hammock with Hawaiian shirt. Never mind this was done atop the snowy peak of the mountain amidst a snowstorm. Before long, the Otherworlder's fearful wariness of Veia turned into, at the very least, feigned ignorance.

The second thing everyone agreed to is for a lone Church to be built in the outskirt of Gateway city, to minister the small number of faithful followers that had emerged amongst the populace of Februarius. And for a while, this status quo satisfied all factions and thus it held the peace for quite a while. That is… until Operation Whiteout happened. Owing to the minuscule influence the Church had on Februarius, the Circle deemed this continent the perfect sanctuary when they want to place a Priest under witness protection. However… the Circle (or at least one of its rookies) underestimated just how far desperate men will go. The one Church in Februarius was destroyed in what was publicly announced as accidental fire that breaks out right in the middle of a mass, killing many. A memorial was built to canonize the victims, but many Februarians still consider it a morbid place. Not the kind of place they would choose to visit often, if ever.

If some crazy mad scientist from the church wanted to perform some illegal human experimentation which doubles as a base of operation for child abduction with a side of terroristic bombing… in short… a place one does not want the locales to find, this is the perfect spot. And thanks to Noir's sacrifice, this is the only place left for them to hide.

When Salazar went to the Warden's Keep, he found the entire division had been mobilized, his own Father was ready and waiting. "Took you long enough, son. Where?"

"The old church ruins."

"Where's my son?" Curiously, Geralt was also there. And unless Salazar's eye tricked him, he already had his entire household army, even his Honor Guards, with him.

"He's already there, scouting ahead with a contingent of Elves… and a Bicorn."

"Then we go."

Hugo and Rowena spread out to gather every able bodied combatant they can find. Imagine their surprise, when those able bodies include HALF the town. Even woman and elderly… as well as new arrivals.

"Ummm… Mr. Flitwick, what…"

The Pig Farmer sharpened his biggest meat cleaver and holstered it over his back. "Isn't it obvious? We're coming with you! We heard our Benefactor, Lord Judge Noir, nearly killed himself. Again. To save God knows how many lives. Again."

"We never saw his face." Dr. Sprout brought out his shovel. "In Aprillus, no one ever saw him… but… we felt him. Aprillus was cold and unforgiving. But… whenever his influence spurred things into action, we could always feel the warmth of his compassion. They say he's a lethal force of nature… if we are to share that concept, we personally believed he is a benevolent one. Overly so."

"We owe him… a debt that can never be repaid." McGonagall readied her wand. "We lost much… and then… he and his friend go above and beyond, offering us all a second chance in life. Now we are finishing what he started, hopefully, now, we have a chance to repay if only a fraction of this debt."

"Besides, it's not just about paying debts." The engineer Mr. Zhang carried a massive steel pipe over his back. "There's the old saying in the streets of Aprillus." Zhang growled. "You mess with one of us… you mess with all of us. You mess with all of us… you mess with the street."

"Oh… what a coincidence." Fortescue's appearance shocked everyone the most. The elderly Ice cream parlor came wearing a full ornate armor, brandishing a runic axe made of ice and a shield. "There's an old adage of Februarius you younglings had also begin to forget."

"We don't start shit." Geralt Gryffindor and company joined at that timing.

"But we ain't taking any either." Dexter Fortescue the Water Knight finished with a smile. The two elderly Elemental knights of the same generation saluted one another with their weapons.

The army of Februarians soon come face to face with a horde of Elves, Dwarves… even Unicorns and Bicorns, led by nothing less than the Alicorn queen herself, with the Beastman Mistress Alicia and the Queen of Sylphan Elves Sakuya at her side.

The two armies stood at opposing side for a moment… and then, their leaders chuckled.

"Never thought I'd live to see the day." Sakuya chuckled. "That our two people would find themselves fighting side by side, if only for a while."

"Hmph. Don't get too comfortable with it." Balthazar remained as grim as ever. "This is just the first baby step, after all." Nevertheless, the elderly Slytherin stretched out his hand, and Sakuya gracefully accepted it. A historic moment.

The unified army of Februarians and Alpheans marched towards the source of all their woes. As they neared the place, they saw a pair of lone figures waiting for them in an overlooking cliff.

It was Godric and the Bicorn.

Rowena was the first to feel something's wrong. She gestured at Hugo and Salazar to approach their friend ahead of the army. When they get there, they too gasped in silence.

Entire armies of men, goblins, and even Trolls, all frozen to death, their shattered bodies scattered across an icy wasteland. The ruins of the old church, partially frozen, were at the center, and amidst its icy exposed interior, the one responsible, the only being in the whole of the Empire who can bring about this level of devastation stood in waiting.

Rowena, Salazar… even Hugo arrived to the same conclusion, despite their own confusion. "What… what's he been doing?"

"After all that? Absolutely nothing. He just… sat there."

"…can we assume… he's not friendly?" Salazar asked a question he already know the answer.

Soon, the other leaders of the allied army also joined, and they too paled. Amongst the victims of these frozen devastation are armies of well known Goblin mercenaries, scores of Trolls, several full-grown Ogres, even bigger than the one Noir beaten down before… "Those were Redcap Goblins." Sakuya confirmed as she gestured the Goblin popsicles. "A notorious group of Goblin mercenaries, even amongst their own kind. They could've caused quite a serious damage on our army… to say nothing of those Trolls and Ogres…"

Curiously, amidst the victims there are also a group of familiar white hooded men. Rowena recognized them as the so called Cardinal Guards that tried to force their way into the Troll Market. The story behind this scene played out… if only in part. "He killed them all… but… now… what?"

"Geass."The Alicorn Queen answered the riddle.

"Thought so."

"What now?"

"…there's no other choice."

The leaders ordered their army to stand down. The strongest warriors they have will now descend and meet the lone man by themselves. Only the Alicorn Queen stayed, but the Bicorn came down in her place. The lone man waited patiently until they reached within earshot.

"…how?" Balthazar started.

"He placed three Geass on me. Magic was never my strongest suit. And it was a lo~ong while ago." The man sighed. "In my defense, it's not like I don't take precaution… but he's using some kind of spell I've never seen, which is saying something. And it's quite unbreakable."

Sakuya knew only one type of magic powerful enough to bind even THIS man.

"Arguably, the Geass gave me a lot of leeway. Enough that I can still do whatever I want, to some extent, as you can see. Clean up my army, open a path for you guys… but… now… I'm afraid this is about as far as I can get."

That was confirmation. This man is no longer here to help… now he's an obstacle. The worst of the worst.

"What was the Geass placed upon you?" Godric pulled out his sword, Hugo readied his hammer, Rowena readied her wand, as did Salazar.

"First: That I protect this facility with everything I had. I'm not allowed to damage it in any way too. I'm not allowed to suffer anyone who means to bring harm to this place to pass either. Not without a fight."

Geralt, Fortescue and Balthazar looked to their defenses as they slowly approached the man…

"Second: to not harm the master of this place. Of course, the leeway being I can harm anyone else I wanted… his underlings… for instance. That's why I can wipe out his armies, his hired goons… But I can't raise a finger against him."

Sakuya placed her hand on her sword's hilt as she clicked it out of its sheath. Alicia the beastman's mistress childlike form was nowhere to be seen, instead a tiger like monstrosity stood with her claws at the ready. The Bicorn brandished his horns at this man.

"…and thirdly… and this is by far, the worst circumstances for you guys." Goud Veia sighed as he stood up and pulled out the Hyomaen. "The door to this place will remain sealed… for as long as I live."

And they realized they're in for a fight of their lives. "They took our children. Killed our people, our kin!" Hugo growled.

"I know." Veia nodded.

"We will not stop. We won't forgive anyone who gets in our way. Even you, Milord!" Godric readied his sword.

"I know."

Godric's roar marked the beginning of the final battle as he was the first to jump into the fight and brought his sword down in an overhead slash. Veia deftly parried the two hand slash with his sword and he gently let it slide to his side. At the same time he tilted his head to dodge Geralt's sword thrust to his head from his blind side and let the elder Gryffindor pass. The Gryffindor father and son attacked the Hakutenkun in perfect concert, slash and stab, downward stroke and horizontal swing at the same time, heavy attack paired with quick jabs… these the Hakutenkun parried with little to no effort. In the next eyeblink, he locked Geralt sword and redirected it to clash with his son's goblin sword. This placed both Gryffindors in one spot. Before they can recover, Veia already swung the Hyomaen in a blindingly fast upward slash that caused a small boom when it breaks the sound barrier.

The Gryffindor father and son were blasted aside by the mere shockwave caused by the supersonic swing of his sword. The Gryffindors were hurled straight towards Rowena and Salazar, who had to immediately jump away. But as she did, Rowena launched a barrage of spells at the Hakutenkun, a series of slithering tree roots. This coincides with Sakuya, Salazar, and Balthazar also launching their own spells, a flurry of wind blades, an onslaught of water bullets, and an eruption of stone pillars. Just before the attack struck, Veia unleashed a flurry of at least a hundred slashes that seemingly bends the space around him, and all the magical attacks were sliced away. Worse, his onslaught also launched a tirade of vacuum blades to wherever the magic attacks came from. Sakuya barely able to dodge, Salazar erected multitudes of barriers only to watch them being torn apart as if they were inexistent, forcing him to flee with no small amount of injuries. Rowena didn't even have the time to conjure any defenses, she transformed into a raven to dodge, but there were just too many. Soon, she was forcibly transformed back into her human form, lacerated from head to toe. Only Balthazar was able to relatively prevent a more serious damage to himself using some unknown spell to redirect the counter attack. But when the magical attacks and the long range counter cleared away, Hugo, Alicia, and Fortescue roared and brought their combined might into a single attack towards the Hakutenkun's unprotected rear.

CLANG!

Hugo who took pride in his strength. Alicia, the Mistress of the Beastmen, famed for their primal might. Fortescue, veteran of the Bloody Valentine war. All watched in disbelief as a very much unfazed Veia blocked their combined attack of hammer, claw, and axe with a single sword in his unflinching hand. Adding insult to injury, he didn't even bother turning around, halfheartedly holding his blade at the back of his uncaring head. The Bicorns came charging like a billowing smoke, his twin horn pointed forward, aimed to gut what he thinks to be a distracted Veia. But in the Hakutenkun's eyes, everyone, even the speeding Bicorn, is moving so very slowly. In the second it took for the four to understand their predicament, Veia already pushed the first three away with a simple push of the blade, and in the following second, Fortescue was slashed aside with his shield split cleanly in two, Alicia was sent flying with a massive cut on her chest, the Bicorn managed to get close enough to see the whites in Veia's decidedly unfazed eyes before he was slammed down by an overhead slash he did not see coming until his head struck the ground. And finally Hugo was forced down until he fell on his knees, cracking the ground when he luckily managed to block Veia's overhead slash… but the pressure. Merlin help him, it's like someone dropped a mountain on top of him. He only managed to last for half a second, as Veia let go the overhead attack and immediately switched to an under slash from the ground, its shockwave struck past Hugo's defenses before he even realized what had happened and both him and the Bicorn were shot across the field until they collided head first against an iceberg, the sheer force of the impact smashed it down to pieces.

Then Veia felt a gust of wind surrounding him. Sakuya, moving with grace and literal speed of the wind itself, unleashed her Quickdraw, a tirade of a hundred slashes rain down upon the Hakutenkun from multiple direction, all aimed at Veia's neck. She hit nothing but thin air – but she could've sworn she saw his eye looking straight at her just before he vanished. But as she zoomed away in her blurring speed, a sharper, faster, and colder wind completely surrounds her… and she realized… while she's still moving so fast that even her fellow elves could barely follow her… Veia is running circles around HER. And she could only barely catch a glimpse of him already assuming his own quickdraw stance. She didn't even last 3 reality slicing strokes before she was promptly thrown off her speed with severe injuries and a shattered sword.

"It seems there's a bit of misunderstanding here." The triumphant Veia stood imperiously as he swished the blood off his icy sword Regalia. "I wasn't named Immortal because I can heal any mortal wounds with my Bloodline Limit…"

Geralt, Fortescue, and Godric had recovered, followed swiftly by Hugo who had also returned to the scene. They all attacked in concert from four different directions, Godric aimed at his neck, Geralt attacked from his flank and aimed at his shoulder, Hugo swing his hammer at his knee, and Fortescue swung his axe at his spine. And as an additional surprise, Allelujah chose that time to join the fray by plummeting from the sky, spear first, straight at Veia's head. But the Hakutenkun, without even batting an eye at the incoming separate attacks, swung his sword so fast, the first four separate attacks were perfectly blocked at virtually the exact same time, and the attackers were knocked off balance by the sheer force of the guard impact, leaving them momentarily stunned for a few split seconds. More than enough time for Veia to turn upward and caught Allelujah's spear and stopped it dead on its tracks just millimeters away from impaling his head. A very shocked Allelujah locked eyes just briefly at Veia's ice cold glare before he used the Paladin as an impromptu weapon for the subsequent flurry of slashes aimed to all other assailants. By the next second, Godric, Hugo, Fortescue, and Geralt had been lacerated in at least a dozen different places as blood sprayed out of their open wounds like snowflakes. And Allelujah, now beaten and battered, was immediately tossed down like a used up ragdoll with contemptuous ease. All barely managed to stand before Veia swing his sword in a single circular arc, and the gust from his blade sent all injured warriors around him scattered like leaves caught in a tornado. Five clouds of dust rose up in five different locations across the field to mark where they violently crash landed.

"They call me that… because in the last 250 years I've lived in this cold merciless world, no one has ever managed to put even a scratch on me!"

Most of the combatants were severely injured, but the fact they're still alive meant Veia isn't even remotely close to being serious.

But this enforced one unassailable fact into everyone's mind, especially the overlooking army waiting behind who just watched all their best warriors brought down in a matter of minutes.

What stand before them is not just any Guard Dog. This is the Immortal hero of Zaft. One of the first Hakutenkuns, the legendary one who had been alive since the founding of Zaft Empire over 250 years ago. He had seen more war than most human had been alive. He had fought against things that sprang out from men's worst nightmares and survived. His skill with the sword that defies human comprehension stood in testimony to this fact. This… is the unparalleled might of the strongest of all Hakutenkun. This. Is. Goud Veia.

00000000

"Master, really, I must insist you return to rest!" Helena cried in protest even as she helped the still very weak Judge making his way around the mansion towards a certain wing.

"This is not a time for me to be resting…" Noir struggled and dragged his feet one at a time. Dobby followed him around with skittering pace, his beady eyes looked in absolute terror.

"You can't go there! Not like this!?"

"I'm not. Not yet. But… I imagine your mother, Godric, Salazar, Hugo… and probably everyone in town is heading there in a frenzy… and if I knew our enemy well… in which I do… trust me… it's not gonna be enough."

When Helena reluctantly opened the door to the location, its occupants weren't exactly pleased to see him either.

"The Hell are you doing here!?" Fayt growled angrily. "You should be in bed, God damn it!"

Noir merely chuckled, and no one was amused.

This particular wing of the mansion was used to house all the Paladin victims still in deep slumber, where they were placed under a constant surveillance by the Elven guards. Fayt, now a Paladin himself, albeit the only one still conscious – and relatively stable, is tasked to watch over them. Sakuya even sent in some of her own personal physicians to monitor their condition.

But one figure is still missing… which is weird. "She's not here either, eh?"

Helena pretended she did not hear that barely audible whisper.

Noir took a deep breath and struggled and make his way towards one of the slumbering Paladins, namely, the white haired girl. Soma Periez.

"What are you doing?" One of the alarmed elven guard grunted.

"I… promised him… that I'll help him save his brethren… and I always keep my promises." Noir looked attentively at Soma's sleeping figure. He did ordered them all to sleep, so they sleep. "Okay…" He placed one hand on her temple, another at her chest, just right over her heart. From his brief stint of stabilizing Fayt's, Noir figured that the Ether flows just like human blood. It start from the Heart and ends at the Heart.

Noir closed his eyes and concentrate… the True Language is like muscle memory now. Once you've learnt it, all other language became obsolete. Pe- "GAAAAAH!" He barely uttered a single syllable, the pain shot up across his nerves.

Helena and Fayt quickly came to his aid as he collapsed, but to their consternation, the person in question is chuckling. "Right… right… ether poisoning." Noir thought briefly and smirked. "Dobby. Help me will you?"

"Master?"

"It just occurred to me… why do Mages need Wands? I mean… the Ether flows through their Magic circuit so why do they still need wands? The answer is… because some magic are too powerful for humans, so they use certain objects to help them channel the energy out, taking the strain they cannot bear. So… what if… instead of a wand or some relic… I used… an Elf." Noir gestured Dobby to come closer. "Dobby… will you help me?"

"The House Elf?" One of the Phsyician perked.

"The house elves were originally the ones you guys know as the Tareldar. High Elves. His magic circuit is vastly more powerful both in quantity and quality compared to humans, much less wands. I'm going to use the True Language now… the Ether will flow through me, but briefly. Because I will immediately send them to Dobby, who will channel the spell for me. Together we can stabilize the Paladin's ether flow."

"That's madness!" One of the Elven Physician protested… and yet, despite their protest… "…but… that might work… although the risk is extreme! Not just for you, but for the House Elf too! If you miscalculate the amount of Ether by even a single measurement, the chaotic energy will tear you both apart!"

"Yeah, well, what else is new?" Noir sighed. "Everyone get out."

"What?"

"If this thing is as explosive as you say, we need to minimize casualty. Everyone but me and Dobby, out."

"With all due respect, Master Judge. We're staying." But the Physician ordered non essential personnel to leave. "We'll help you contain the energy, it will minimize the burden for you and the Elf."

"Then I'm staying!" Helena raised her hand. "Me too!" so did Fayt.

"No!" The Physician rebuked. "You, you are non essential, you're in the way. And you… your energy maybe be stable now, but you are a product of miraculous chance, there's much about you we're still uncertain of. But one thing we know, is that you are a towering bundle of energy. And so are these poor souls (Paladins). There's a chance a resonance reaction can occur. That may interfere with what we're trying to do."

"Fayt. Helena." Noir pleaded with a firm look.

Fayt nodded, grabbed a still reluctant Helena, and dragged her gently out of the room. All Elven warrior in the room soon departed, leaving only Noir, Dobby, and a group of Elven Physician in the room.

But… just before Noir even begin, even he himself had doubts. "This is not an order, Dobby. You can always say no, whenever you wish."

"Dobby wants to do it, master."

"You heard the Physician. You could die."

"House Elf always consider dying in service of one's master an honor."

"…I never wanted to be your master, Dobby. If I had my way, I'd give you clothes and free you right now. We've destroyed all copies of the Chronicle, no one else will ever be able to learn the True Language, there will be no reason for House Elves to slave themselves to anyone anymore."

To his credit, Dobby no longer screamed or yelled in panic at the prospect. "Do you not want Dobby to help you, Master?"

"I'd rather you have the freedom to choose. I prefer to be helped by a friend than a slave. I want you to be my friend, Dobby."

"Freedom… Friends… It does sound nice. Though Dobby's not sure what it entails…" Dobby smiled. "But it does feel better to help a friend than a master. If Master is Dobby's friend, then Dobby wants to help his friend, master. Dobby wants to help Master."

Noir smiled gently behind his mask. "Alright. Easy does it, Dobby." Noir directed Dobby to place his hand in Soma's chest over her heart. As he did this, Noir placed his hand gently on his shoulder.

The Elfish Physician looked at this little chat and exchanged warm looks with each other. Never have they seen a human treated a House Elf like this. Truly, this Noir is a human quite unlike any other.

"Okay… Let's do this." Noir began to chant in a whisper, the Physicians winced at first. The voice of the True Language booming in their minds.

Flow through this lesser vessel, and into this greater vessel. From this greater vessel, flow through into this body. Quiet this raging river, let them flow, let them heal.

"Now you repeat."

Flow through this lesser vessel, and into this greater vessel. From this greater vessel, flow through into this body. Quiet this raging river, let them flow, let them heal.

When Dobby said it, the words that came out sounded different though the meaning remain the same. This is the universality of True Language.

And then, Noir and Dobby continue to chant the spell, two very different voices, two very different sentences… but the words they spoke echoed together as one. Its intent is one. The Phsyicians, all Elven, quickly sensed the magical flow in that room… their magical eyes saw something they never thought possible.

An enormous amount of Ether flowed into Noir… and instantly flowed into Dobby, and into the Paladin laying in the gurney. For the purpose of illustrative understanding, the flow within the Paladin has been likened to a raging maelstrom of chaos. And now, this massive inflow of Ether hit it with full force at the opposite direction. A counterforce. Two massive maelstrom of energy of opposing nature are now butting heads inside this vessel. By all accounts, no Elf, no magical creature in the whole Alpheim or anywhere else had ever tried this. This is insanity beyond all measure. The Elves, each aged thousands of years old, did not see how this could succeed.

And yet…

Flow through this lesser vessel, and into this greater vessel. From these greater vessel, flow through into this body. Quiet this raging river, let them flow, let them heal.

With that one last final chant, Soma Periez finally opened her eyes, and they shined.

00000000

"Grrhh…" One warrior still managed to get back up, if barely. It is Allelujah. He swept back his hair to reveal his silver and gold eyes shining brightly as his body transformed.

"Mythical Zoan: Satyr. That's rare." Despite Veia's words of awe, his bored tone was the exact opposite.

"Young man." Balthazar addressed Allelujah just before he jumped in.

"Milord?"

"I need some time, can you hold him?"

"How much time?"

"Considering the opposition, as long as you can give me."

"As you wish. Come on Hallelujah."

"Oh?" It was then Veia noticed something unique about this zoan. As soon as Allelujah assumed his Half Beast zoan form, he came at him in blurring speed, spear posing to thrust. Veia blocked the thrust, but found himself pushed back by quite a distance. Just as this thrust reached the point before the momentum is spent, Veia pulled his head back to avoid a kick from Allelujah's hooved feet. But then he had to take a few more step back, because Allelujah continued with a roundhouse swing of his spear. After several swings, all of which was avoided, the Satyr zoan suddenly switched attack mid swing, from what seem to be another horizontal slash turned suddenly into a vertical upward swing. It missed Veia's chin by the inches, and worse, it momentarily stunned him with imbalance. Using the opening, H/Allelujah readied and launched a drilling stab, seemingly aimed at Veia's head but really aimed at the bigger target: his stomach. Veia smirked, and he did something he hadn't done for quite some time.

SLAM!

H/Allelujah was shocked to find their spear slammed aside by a force quite unlike anything they've ever felt in their life. Veia smashed aside their drilling stab… with a powerful two handed slash, something he hadn't done throughout this fight. Fact is, Veia hadn't had the need to hold his blade with both hands in years. "There's a saying: imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. When I learned that Paladin project involves adding secondary personality into some of the subject's minds, I was insulted. They thought of copying me… as if my troublesome Multiple Personality Disorder is some form of gift. But you…" Veia looked at Allelujah's shocked expression with delight. "You and your half actually worked together? That's something even I can never do!"

Allelujah was about to charge, but they barely get one foot in when Veia sheathed his blade and vanished from sight. When he instantly reappeared right in front of them, his blade was out and on the verge of bisecting their chest in two if not for Hallelujah's timely intervention of blocking the slash with his spear, but they're getting pushed back by the sheer pressure of the slash, their feet carved the ground as Veia pushed his blade forward. Dear God in heaven, what the hell is this monster!? They're a Mythical Zoan, and he's pushing them back like a ragdoll with sheer brute force!?

"One half analyzes the situation… the other, react to it. That was so ingeniously simple, it's elegant." Allelujah is blocking Veia's blade with everything he's got, but at the critical moment Veia suddenly swiped at Allelujah's leg with Hyomaen's sheath, Hallelujah jumped up to avoid the attack… only to be vertically slashed back down until he crashed and carved the ground for a quite a distance until he bounced up to the air. Before he even landed, Veia had already zoomed past him and reappeared on his back. "A pity that you're too weak." The Hakutenkun balled his fist and punched the Paladin to the ground with such force, a towering cloud of icy dust erupted as the frozen earth shattered instantly on impact. Allelujah vomit blood and can feel his already cracked bones broke under the Hakutenkun's sheer brute strength. The damage was so severe, when the dust settle, the two in one Zoan had already been forced back into his human form. "Oh? Wait… I see… you're wounded… you've taken a severe beating before this… and you didn't let it heal properly. A pity. Fighting you in your prime would've been fun."

Alleujah choked and gasped. He's very close to dying. Veia looked at him with pity. "You poor thing. I'm sorry the Empire did this to you, little boy. Let me put you out of your misery." The Hakutenkun raised his blade for the coup de grace.

But he had to stop midway to catch a Lance inches away from piercing his head. He looked at where it came from…

The Coalition Army part way as four golden eyed Knights with Angelic armor made their presence known. Leading them was the one who had thrown that lance, a silver haired lady knight in crimson armor. The others with white armor is armed with a rapier, another with dark blue armor carries a staff, and the last, the smallest one in light grey armor, carries a hammer. They need not say any more to show their intent to join the fight.

Veia smirked behind his helmet. "Round two."

The White Paladin started first by zooming across the battlefield and quickly closed the distance towards the waiting Hakutenkun. Hixar attacked the Hakutenkun with a flurry of sword dance, thrusting and slashing at incredible speed, his sword wielding arm seem vanished amidst the flurry of thrusting flashes of light. Veia readily parried and blocked each and every strike. Their hands barely visible as they moved across the air, slicing even the cold steam around them until an empty void were created in their sphere of clashes. However, Veia quickly began to overwhelm Hixar the White Paladin. Though the new enemy was clearly stronger than Allelujah, he still had the same problem: Veia is still much stronger than him. With a deft parry and good slash, he knocked Hixar's rapier to the side, leaving him open for a follow up attack. But when Veia brought his blade down, the little grey knight welcomed his slash with a hammer in a head on collision. How someone so little can exert so much power, Veia didn't know. But what is clear, is that for the first time, his attack was knocked back. Meanwhile, the dark blue Paladin slammed his staff and the ground crumbled beneath his unbalanced feet, its earthen pieces rose to the sky, and with a flick of the staff, they were brought raining down upon him, each with a force of a meteor. Veia smirked as he was forced to instinctively take evasive action amidst a barrage of destruction. All the while, the White and Grey Paladins are chasing him, their killing intent was absolutely focused at him. These three knights individually are already more powerful than the previous batch combined. As proof of this, the Dark Blue Paladin's barrage completely missed their wounded comrade on the ground.

Allelujah watched in disbelief as he saw his friends, once raving madmen, now fight with clarity and sanity. No longer are they a berserk uncontrollable animal, all their enhanced strength and speed are under perfect command of their still intact reason and rationality. "This… h… how…"

"Stay still." Allelujah almost jumped in delight when he heard that voice. The Silver Haired crimson Paladin bearing the face of his beloved came to view. She's placing a hand on his belly, and a warm light seeps across his body. Somehow, he can feel his shattered bones are mending. "M… Marie…!" He weakly muttered that name… and this time…

"My name is Soma Periez." The lady knight coldly replied.

Allelujah face cracked down in dejected sorrow at that declaration. But then…

"…and Marie said she's alright." So she declared before she departed.

And Allelujah's widened shocked eyes were now filled with hope as he watched the Crimson Paladin joined the fight.

"The Paladins…? Fighting for us…?" A still very injured but conscious Godric saw all this and choked in pleasant disbelief. He doesn't need to be a genius to deduce who he should thank for this miracle. "Master Noir… Even now, he still fights for us!"

With the addition of Soma joining the fight, even Veia finally felt the pressure. Hixar has speed and precision, Leonardo has power and the unpredictability of his small size, Grave covered long range support with his telekinetic powers, and Soma… she's the spear head. Speed, strength, precision, and overwhelming magical power to compound them all. They're attacking from every direction, in perfect concert from every angle, every method under the Sun – nothing held back, and their stamina is seemingly endless. Veia found himself unable to do anything but defend: blocking Hixar's flurry of thrust just to dodge Leonardo's hammer fall followed by stepping around a rockslide sent by Grave, before missing Soma's lance by the millimeter which is accompanied by a unison attack of rapier thrust and a side swinging hammer at his knee, all in one breath.

But if his 200 years of experience had taught him anything, besides the pain of a mind split in half, is the value of patience. Even as he busily blocked 20 different attacks per second, he calmly analyzed the opposition. Of the four, Soma Periez is the strongest, and Leonardo was obviously the weakest. And herein, lays the crack. Not an easy crack to exploit, but Veia's pride wouldn't have it any other way. "Alright. You've earned the honor. Witness the true power of the Primal Regalia of Ice and Snow."

The pearl on the Hyomaen's hilt lit up and the crystalline blade shined. "Hyomonken: Tsurara Mai!" Veia stabbed the Hyoamen to the ground and a palisade of thousands of icicles erupted to every direction before he slashed the blade upward to a certain direction. The onslaught of icicles changed the landscape, pushing all the Paladins back, one more than anyone. Soma Periez used all her magic swords to block a stream of Icicles Veia aimed just for her. These icicles were as hard as diamonds!

"You're the main pivot of their coordinated attacks." Soma didn't even had the chance to completely parry the first attack, Veia already launched a second wave in a horizontal swing. "Hyomonken: Mizunari Hebi!" Four solid spheres of water emerged around the blade before instantly merging into a massive serpent made of water that coiled around the Hyoamaen before he launched it at her as a forward charging vortex of swirling slashes. The watery snake was significantly smaller, but it was even more powerful than the icicles, the pressurized water within that snake bears the force of a concentrated tsunami. Every droplet of the Watery serpent can pulverize diamonds to dust. And that's exactly what happened. The coiling slashes of the Mizunari Hebi crushed the Icicles of the Tsurara Mai, and the momentum propelled both the razor sharp water snake together with a shower of Diamond Dust into an unstoppable force of destruction that shred everything in their path.

But moments before the attack hit, Soma found herself whisked away from the line of fire. The attack missed its target but kept on going, disintegrating an entire cliff in the process, destroying no one but the landscape. Soma blinked as Allelujah, assuming his massive Half Beast form, landed on an icicle with her in his arm.

"You again!?" Soma grunted. "Put me down!"

"Ok. I will." Allelujah's state just worsened. Yes, he rescued Soma, but… Veia's attack grazed his right arm. Just a pinch, but it was enough damage that his right arm now hung uselessly on his shoulder, a good portion of his body near said limb was also lacerated by minuscule but still deadly icicles. Worse, his ravaged flesh turned blue from the acute hypothermia that followed, he can barely keep his right eye open.

"You should be resting! You barely recovered!" Soma growled.

"How the fuck am I supposed to sleep when it's this cold!?" Hallelujah replied, momentarily stunning Soma, but then he quickly shifted to his gentler side. "…you're Soma Periez." Allelujah smiled gently now. "But you're also Marie Parfacy. I promised I will protect her with my life. And since the two of you are one and the same… I'll protect you both."

Soma frowned. And for a brief moment, the warmth is flowing…

"Yeah, yeah, whatever! Mushies all around later! We got a fight here!" Hallelujah cut the tender moment short. With good reason.

The five Paladins struggled to stand on their icicles whilst at the center, Veia stood imperiously atop the largest one, Hyomaen outstretched, the pressure of his might continue to rise as the cold wind begin to pick up. "That's right. This is far from over! Not by a longshot!" Soon, the whirlwind reached feverish pitch, the Paladins had trouble to remain firm on their foothold… the dark clouds above the battlefield that was previously so calm now swirled violently. The snow that fell so gently became turbulent. The snow in Februarius was warm … but now, the temperature turned deathly cold. Even colder than normal winter. The Coalition army's breath turned to cold steam before their very eyes, the edges of their armor began to freeze. Even water in their pouches froze to an icy rock.

"…he just called in a… blizzard!?"

In response to how the power coursing through Hyomaen and its wielder continue to grow to its absolute zenith, the weather rapidly worsened. Forget the cute snow flake, now hail of solid ice fell from the whirling heavens. "I know I'm not supposed to say this but… this has been… the best. Vacation. EVER." Veia pointed his blade to the heavens, and the freezing storm breaks. The Blizzard fell upon them in all its fury. "Now it's MY turn to have some fun!"

And by fun, it means it's his turn to go on an all out offense. Despite his apparent excitement, Veia calmly sheathed his blade until a telltale clicking sound. He then unsheathed it just a bit… and he vanished in a blur and reappeared again within the next eyeblink, back to where he was standing, sword sheathed, seemingly unmoved. An instant later, five Paladins were attacked by five charging afterimages of the Hakutenkun unleashing a flurry of reality bending slashes. The five Paladins were able to block the attack, but the momentum blasted them off their perch. As if on cue, the Blizzard reached a feverish pitch and threw them all around helplessly amidst the chaotic whirlwind of storm and ice. Only one person seemingly undisturbed by this weather, and as he laughed in revel, he jumped straight into the storm.

The Five Paladins struggled amidst this new surrounding; the storm is throwing them around like helpless infants. Only Veia, the conjurer of this blizzard, is seemingly unaffected.

With a snicker, Veia allowed himself to be carried by the storm and he start hunting the helpless Paladins. The first that caught his eye is the flailing Leonardo. The most physically strong of all Paladins, the boy blocked his attacks more times than he thought possible.

A perfect target, right out in the open. Veia launched himself towards him, blade swinging… and then a gigantic Snake erupted from the storm and smashed its building sized snout at the Hakutenkun head on. Veia quickly reoriented himself to get a better look at this beastly newcomer.

The Paladins were quick to notice this skyscraping Serpent is an ally, and one by one they perched themselves onto its scaly body, regaining foothold in this stormy weather. The serpent was so unnaturally massive and thick, its raised head was defiantly unperturbed by the storm. Speaking of head, its eyes are strangely blindfolded with a giant piece of snake skin, yet it clearly had no issue of looking at Veia's general direction… It can't see, but it can smell and hear its target's heart is still beating lively enough.

"Well, well… I was wondering what took your pet Basilisk so long to show up!"

Balthazar hissed and retched in Parseltongue, a language only the serpent understands. "ATTACK!"

The Basilisk roared and slithered towards the floating Veia. For something so massive, the creature is mind bogglingly fast. Veia dodged its lunging strike with only millimeters to spare. Big mistake, because a hammer suddenly came swinging from one of the scale and struck Veia right in the face. It didn't hurt him but it really spins him around, causing him to bounce several times against the Basilisk' scaly hide… but his flailing arm grabbed hold of a piece of it and soon he found his foothold. As he stood up, he noticed figures rising up. The Paladins. One of them, the white one with a Rapier was the closest.

"Shall we?" Veia saluted him with his nodachi, and Hixar politely returned it with a bow. With a gust of shockwave, Veia dashed towards him before launching a tirade of heavy slashes. One slash already made Hixar's hands numb. But, mustering all of his enhanced strength he managed to parry and knock away the last slash. Unfortunately, Veia used the impact to move his blade to his other hand, grabbing the sword with two hands. The counter horizontal slash was all but unstoppable, but not unavoidable. Hixar jumped and dodged the blade by the millimeter. But the shockwave from the slash pushed him back and travelled far, slicing through a piece of the Basilisk scale in the process. This notified the Basilisk that some of its passengers are fighting one another on its back.

Showing its obvious discomfort, the Basilisk trashed and coiled angrily, turning the arena that is its vast back into a rather unstable platform. Veia was briefly caught off guard, but Hixar used one particularly violent lashing to hurl himself towards Veia, sending in a flurry of stabs as he went. Veia happily blocked and evade them all at paper thin margin. At one point, Hixar blurred as he sent a stab from the front, but Veia blocked the actual attack coming from behind. "Very good!" He knocked back the Paladin before he slashed up, releasing a stream of Tsuraramai which struck Hixar's rapier so hard, it knocked the weapon off his hand. But this freezing ice technique resulted in even more discomfort for the Basilisk. Its trashing grew even more violent, preventing Veia from capitalizing on his advantage in lieu of maintaining his foothold.

As this happened, slabs of ice began to rain down on Veia, even the wind is now blowing against him, as if he's losing control of the storm. But Veia IS the storm. Nothing happens in this storm that he wasn't aware of. He grinned as he saw a floating Grave amidst the swirling snow, roaring as he raised his staff, launching whatever elements he can at him, mostly ice and snow. In fact, they began to swirl around Veia, entrapping him in the middle of a growing tornado. "Not good enough!" One powerful vertical chop and the tornado were literally cut to wisps. The second horizontal slash launched tirade of coiling Mizunari Hebi slashes at Grave.

A massive mass slides in front of Grave and shielded him from the attack. Veia's Mizunari Hebi ended up slicing some scales off the Basilisk' giant body. And Basilisk had been quite clear and how it dislikes this commotion on its back. It will tolerate only so much abuse before-

SLAM!

The tip of its giant tail just whipped the spot where the fight between Veia and Hixar had taken place. It missed Hixar by the inches, but it slapped Veia off it. It's not that Veia didn't try to dodge, but putting aside the serpent's mind boggling speed, the Basilisk was also ridiculously huge. The Hakutenkun was swatted across the field. And before he landed, the Basilisk slithered around, caught up to him mid flight and slammed him again with its snout, sending the Hakutenkun flying to yet another direction across the storm until he collided on another part of the Basilisk massive body. This thing is so huge; it had completely encircled the storm. But as Veia climbed back up on his feet… he suddenly realized the air around him is getting sucked in… when he turned around, Godric and Geralt had just finished inhaling until their chest had swollen to twice their original size… and they start screaming. That's enough time for Veia to remember the Gryffindors are an offshoot of the Clynes who sacrificed the finesse aspect of their bloodline limit… for pure destructive power.

ROAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR!

The two soundwaves slammed Veia right by the face and sent him flying… again. He was still half deaf from the experience when Alicia and Sakuya flanked him midair. The two Otherworlders teamed up and rapidly attacked him from every direction. Claws and sword slashed and swiped, accompanied by a barrage of magics. Veia blocked all attacks, and with a single powerful sweep, easily pushed them both away by the time he landed. But then, the ground erupted as tree roots and freezing water rose up and bound the Hakutenkun's limbs. Rowena and Salazar used every magic they had to make sure these bindings are the strongest they've ever made in their lives. Nothing less would be enough to hold this godlike warrior for even a moment.

But for more than a moment, the binding did hold. Alas, Salazar quickly noticed it was not because of their effort… because that elated, almost amused, look on Veia's eyes simply showed he was bound simply because he chose to remain so. Like a giddy kid wondering what's next on the menu. Godric and Geralt took another deep breath as they rushed towards him. As soon as they're in range, they screamed again, this time with a volume twice as loud at point blank range. As Veia was hammered by shockwaves of sound, he had to stab his blades to the ground to keep himself from being thrown away again… until he realized his mistake because the ground is still the body of a Basilisk who do not take kindly to that kind of behavior.

SLAM!

Again, the Basilisk angry tail slapped. And this time the mountainous tail fall right on top Veia's head, he was still restrained by Salazar and Rowena's bindings. When the Basilisk removed its tail from the spot, an unharmed Veia get back up, but his helmet were so horribly bashed out of shape, he had to take it off. Alas… when he did… it crumbled to pieces in his hands. "This is a collector's item. I loved this helmet you stupid frog-grown chicken…! And I still can't believe you're a chicken!" The now upset Hakutenkun tossed his broken helmet at the angry Basilisk's general direction.

Without his helmet, the face of a handsome young man of noble features is in full view. By outward appearance, he's like a youth who barely reached his thirties, with a long silken silver white mane flowing down from the sides of his fair skin, and at the rear, that same long hair stretched down past his back, and currently it's being billowed by the storm around them. Anyone asked, and no one would believe this young man is over 200 years old. The only indication of his age was when an observant viewer looked at the years that had marred his ancient deep blue eyes… the eyes who had witnessed the rise and fall of kingdoms.

"Oh great… now he's pissed." Geralt groaned.

"Not at you, fine gentlemen. Trust me." Veia sighed. His graceful annoyed pout had that touch of manic in it, the joy he constantly voiced throughout this life and death battle shined in full beam in his innocent but dignified expression. Goud Veia looked like a child who was having fun in his favorite candystore. And yet, there's no malice. "But Balthazar really raised this thing for the sake of beating me, and he did a good job. He never really liked me for some reason."

"Gee, I wonder why." The Gryffindor father and son raised their swords before they charged him with a roar. They swing their swords at two different angles, Geralt swing low at his knee, Godric swing high at his chest.

But just as Veia was about to welcome the attack… Hugo and Leonard came with a dual hammer fall with their sledgehammers from his back. And though Veia saw it coming, this time he knew better than to block it. He rolled down to avoid the stragglers' attack and jumped forward, slipping right inbetween the parallel swings of the Gryffindor Father and son's swords. As he rolled back up, Godric and Geralt is charging towards him again, Hugo and Leonard following behind… until Leonard suddenly teleported ahead of the line and materialized right in front of his face, swinging his hammer. Veia had to block the blunt attack with both hands holding on to his blade, and now he's locked in place. The Gryffindors used that chance to attack, as Veia was left with only his legs to rely on. He's a swordsman, but being the pure warrior, Veia never lagged behind in hand to hand combat. Even with just his legs, he was able to fend off the dual attacks with kicks and swipes, even pushing them back, until Hugo came along and tried to hammer both him and Leonardo. But the boy Paladin teleported away at the last second, leaving Veia to endure Hugo's hammer. Veia took a back step and missed the hammer by a millimeter. But then Leonardo rematerialized and swung his hammer from the side. Veia could barely block it and was knocked off balance. He recovered and attacked back, but the Paladin teleported away again, leaving him open for Godric and Geralt's charge. Veia was about to repel them when he realized Sakuya, Alicia and even Fortescue were also charging him from behind.

This is hardly an issue… until Hugo was suddenly teleported in by Leonard right on top of him. "HAVE A TASTE OF HUFFLEPUFF'S BLOODLINE LIMIT!"

Hufflepuff bloodline limit: Gargoyle Lock. When they choose to, the Hufflepuffs can put themselves into a complete stasis lock; their whole body became one solid monomolecular object. In layman's terms, in this state, they became virtually indestructible and immovable. Just one problem: in that state, they can't move a muscle either. They became this… immobile, immovable… statue. Not a very effective ability… especially since they'll need the help from another Hufflepuff to get out of the lock.

Then again… that depends on the state of the person when he became Gargoyle Locked.

So when Hugo wrapped his thick arms on a very caught off guard Veia's neck, hooked his arms together and then went into Lock right then and there, the Hakutenkun just got shackled down by a 300 pounds worth of immovable deadweight. Now, with this much weight shackling him down, as strong as he is, even Veia wouldn't be able to dodge the incoming massed attack.

As strong as he is… now… that is.

Veia grinned just as the first of the attacks were about to touch him.

And instantly, five after images of Veia (still carrying Hugo on his back) appeared right in front of the five attackers, and they were struck and repelled by an insanely powerful attack they cannot even see.

Godric and Geralt were covered in multitudes of fresh, and scalding, slash wounds as they were shot across the field until they collided with the caught off guard Salazar and Rowena. The mass collisions knocked them all unconscious.

Fortescue was lucky he used what's left of his shield to defend at the last moment, but he was similarly sent hurling across the field until he crashed against one of the Basilisk's outlying scale. Alicia was thrown off the serpent and was swallowed by the storm whilst Sakuya landed not so gently just a distance away from Fortescue. Both were severely wounded. And their new scars… they're… scalding hot. Like they were cut by hot knife.

"W… What…"

"Oh no…" Fortescue looked at this new telltale smoking wound and as a senior Water Knight and a former Bladebane, he knew what his Grandmaster just did. He just… cut through them all… while carrying the weight of Hugo's immovable body around his back. This was further shown when Veia nonchalantly plucked up Hugo's immobile body, looked at his unblinking, determined but empty stare for a moment… and then tossed him aside like a featherweight pebble.

Burst of steam hissed out of Veia's armor crevices, letting loose a high pitched noise – like a steam engine in full blast. But louder than this sound… was this thumping sound booming across the field. Soon, everyone recognized it as the sound of… heartbeat… beating hundreds of miles per minute. And they all soon quickly realize the source… was from the Hakutenkun. Veia's initially fair skin turned red. Even his blade started… smoking. The crystal turned red from the inside, the heat was such it distorted the air around him… and they're still in the middle of a freezing blizzard.

"The Third base technique of the Hyomonken: Jōki shinzō (Steam Heart). I haven't had to use this in decades. Well done, all of you!"

Veia's armor turned red hot, as if he was overheating from inside and steam bursting out of the seams. "The Steam Heart. By controlling the flow of his own blood, he quickened his heart rate to raise his temperature to the point where the water that composed… 7/8th of his body explosively turned into steam… effectively causing a Steam Explosion inside his own body. That's an abominable amount of energy… like the Steam Engine that propelled the Alliance' monstrous Slayer tanks." Fortescue explained. "And he used that energy to amplify his physical strength to… unbelievable levels."

"W… We're still talking about an explosion inside his own body, how can he… how can anyone survive that!?"

"You can't." Fortescue struggled to get back up. "Normal practitioner who practiced Hyomonken for decades wouldn't even last 10 seconds… but Veia's body is special. He can heal his body as fast as it's being ripped apart. That's why he's deemed the greatest Grandmaster of Hyomonken in the history of the art. He can use it… virtually INDEFINITELY."

"But… I don't want to." Veia scoffed. "Fights would've ended way too fast. Took all the joy right out of it."

"You… think this is FUN!?" Sakuya growled. "This is not a game!"

"No it's not, my dear. And I mean that most sincerely. It's the only joy I had left in this world." Veia's expression turned somber and melancholic. "I don't know how much longer before I lost even that. So… believe me when I say… I do take this… VERY… seriously. If any of you had fought one wit below what you had been pushing so far, I would've killed you."

Just then, Leonard rematerialized right behind Veia, but by that time, the Hakutenkun was quite bored of stragglers now. He turned around and put Leonard on a chokehold, hanging him midair. Leonard gritted his teeth and then teleported out of the captor's grasp. But Veia had seen through that already. He turned to another direction and sent a Mizunari Hebi swirling across the sky. The Steamheart enhanced attack is now composed of scalding hot water, slicing through the storm, leaving a trail of steam… and headed right towards where Leonard who had just materialized. The watery serpent struck him squarely in the chest, carving through his armor… before the whole thing ignited in a steam explosion that shattered his armor to bits and hurled him into the storm.

Seeing his friend blasted away, Grave the Wizard Paladin roared and generated a massive slab of iceberg before he hurled it at Veia, the Hakutenkun countered by sending a horde of massive Water Serpents, its boiling hot water easily cut through slabs of the gigantic projectile. Grave could barely dodge the attack, and by the time his actual attack reached Veia, the iceberg was no bigger than a full grown man, which Veia easily sliced in two, revealing a roaring Hixar who unleashed a tirade of thrusts and stabs. Even before Veia powered up, his attacks are too slow. And now he's vastly stronger than he was then. To show this, Veia didn't bother matching Hixar blow by blow… he just caught his rapier with his bare hand. And Hixar watched in horror as his magically reinforced rapier was superheated until it melted to sludge in Veia's red hot grip.

He was done playing around.

With a single upward strike, a wave of icicles erupted from his blade and blasted Hixar into the storm. Grave was trying to do something… until Veia turned towards him, swiped his blade horizontally and sent the icicles he had generated into an onslaught of icicle barrage, launched at several times the speed of sound. Grave was bombarded with a barrage of steam explosions and was pushed back until he too was swallowed by the storm.

But before Veia can even savor his victory, the Basilisk lunged in and drop its building sized snout at him.

CRASH! And again! CRASH! And again! CRAASSSHHH!

Funny thing, the Basilisk began to realize… it had bashed this tiny prey again and again over the course of this battle… it can't see the damage it inflicted… but this prey's heartbeat is still… lively beating like a buzzing bee. It began to wonder how something so puny can be so tough!? When the King of Serpents bashed its snout this time, it hissed in shock when Veia clenched the Basilisk nostrils tightly, holding him in place. Steam continues to pour out of his body.

"EVERYONE CLOSE YOUR EYES!" Balthazar's voice can be heard amidst the storm.

All magical beings who knew what Basilisk's eyes can do to a person need not to be told why.

Balthazar hissed some spells, and the blindfold that covered the Basilisk eyes fell off. The Monster's yellow slit eyes flared in full fury. Toxic green fire lit up from its pupils, beaming literal death to all who looked upon it. The Basilisk yanked himself loose and glared its deadly gaze upon its tormentor as its overlapping neck flaps sprang open to showcase its fury.

All who looked upon a Basilisk will die. And yet Veia bravely glared back at the Basilisk's yellow eyes of death head on. "Sorry, Young Master Balthazar. But I'm pretty sure this kind of thing doesn't work on me… the first ten times they tried that on me in Magic War."

Balthazar grunted in suspended disbelief. How many Basilisks this guy had fought!?

"Swallow him!"

The Basilisk roared, showcasing its rows of razor sharp fangs to a decidedly unimpressed Veia. The venom is hardly an issue… but he's not interested in reliving that unpleasant experience of filtering Basilisk digestive fluids out his liquid based logia body, thank you very much. "…yeah. That might be a problem. You know… I feel bad for you, Balthazar, considering all the effort you had spent raising this guy… But I think I've had just about enough of this thing." Veia lifted Hyomaen and channeled his endless life force into it… and then some. Ensui, an ornate handle of the bladeless sword of Abyssal Water, flew out of his waist and floated around the larger Regalia of Ice and Snow, both of their cores shined brighter in a resonance reaction. Flakes of snow and ice began to gather around the smaller regalia, amassing an increasingly large amount of water mass. Veia flicked his great blade and the smaller of the two regalias was launched into the whirling blizzard. The storm grew worse… the air trembled…

At that moment, the Basilisk's animal instinct flared… it sensed… danger… an apex predator that dwarfed even the King of Serpents.

And then… out of the storm… it showed up. It erupted as a swirling tornado of ice and water, coiling… slithering… and then… condensing… solidifying… and next thing it knew, the King of Serpents is being stared down by another serpent… even bigger than it ever was… with icicles jutting out across its glacial scales, just to make things worse.

"Hyomonken: Tsurara Hebi. (Icicle Snake)"

The Basilisk roared a defiant challenge, and the Icicle Serpent responded with its own lifeless clarion roar. The two giant ophidian promptly hurled against one another, and the result was already decided at the moment of the first impact. The Basilisk snout was forcibly bludgeoned aside by the Icicle Serpent's diamond hard head with a single hit. And as the Basilisk is still dizzied from the impact, the ice serpent rose up before striking down with an open mouth, ready to bite. Its rows of teeth instantly sank into its mark in a sickening squelch.

The army outside the blizzard could not clearly see what happened since Veia brought down the storm, but when two skyscraper sized serpents are fighting one another, it's impossible for them to not notice. Only, they did not expect to see this: The Basilisk, one of the deadliest magical creatures in the world is screeching and howling in pain as the Icicle Serpent's blade like fangs had mangled its forehead and eviscerated its eyes. Both of them. The Basilisk roared and trashed violently in pain, but the Serpent's bite on its head remained in place. In fact, even as the Basilisk serpentine body squirmed, the ice serpent coiled its own icicled laden body around the Basilisk's and tightened its hold, inadvertently piercing said flesh and blood body with those icicles. For a while, it seem ineffective as the Basilisk kept trying to break free, regardless of the massive injuries already inflicted upon it. It slammed the entwined body of its icy counterpart to its surrounding in its rampage over and over in a desperate attempt for freedom, but all it managed in doing was breaking some of the outlying ice spikes and deepened the ones already buried in its body, worsening the damage to lethal extent, nailing it in place and preventing the massive serpent from escaping. In fact… the Basilisk's body moved less and less… its pierced body turned white as it freezes.

When Salazar regained consciousness, he was welcomed… with the sadistic sight of the blinded Basilisk's last moments: unable to let loose even a single dying roar as its neck is being slowly crushed under its final opponent's jaws and the freezing process reached its final phase. When the Basilisk was frozen completely, the Icicle Serpent finished the bite with a snap of its jaws, and the brutally severed head of the King of Serpents fell to the ground, where it shattered like glass into a million pieces, followed by the rest of its now headless and frozen mangled body crumbling to pieces.

"NO~OO!" Salazar screeched in horror at the death of his family's most prized heirloom.

The fresh half frozen blood of the Basilisk still dripping from its maw, the Icicle Serpent roared in triumph at the center of the raging blizzard before it bent its head down for its master to land gracefully on. Goud Veia stood victorious, but his expression was devoid of any form of satisfaction. Most fun he had in ages, and now it's over just like that? Veia scanned his surrounding, hoping for some more… he counted his enemies… the Gryffindors are down, the Slytherins knew better, Ravenclaw won't be standing up any time soon, the Hufflepuff is still stuck in stasis, the others are down… and then the three Paladins-

Wait a minute… Shouldn't there be five of them?

In that moment, the three Paladins' made their presence known once more as they burst out of the blizzard, each act to the final role assigned to them. Grave roared to the heavens as he raised his staff. The biggest ice fragments from what's left of the Basilisk instantly transformed into massive ice swords around Veia. It didn't attack him directly, but the sudden formation of such massive ice construct trapped the Hakutenkun in place. Veia immediately noticed something afoot, especially when the sky parted and finally revealed the first of the two absentee Paladins, Soma Periez had just finished generating the largest lance she had ever created, a towering swirl of energy that dwarfed Veia's Icicle Serpent by a mile. With a roar, she threw the lance right at the entrapped Veia. "MAGNIFICENT!" The Battle maniac of a Hakutenkun will happily faces any challenge HEAD ON! With a swing of his sword, the palisade of frozen swords that locked him in place melted instantly, turning into countless droplets of water, which quickly shifted into snowflakes, which then condense into icicles, converging with the massive icicle serpent, and then the serpent coiled into a spiraling lance, its size easily rivaling Soma's. "Tsurara Hebi: RASEN!" With a thrust, the lance whirred upward, clashing with Soma's spear as they collided point to point. The shockwave of the impact rattled the already devastated battlefield, the Blizzard was blown away by the shockwave. The army waiting far behind budged a step back. Soma pushed her palm as hard as she can, pressing her lance against its counterpart with everything she's got… but to her disbelief… she's being pushed back. The Hakutenkun's drilling stab is corroding her lance, bit by bit. Just when Soma felt like she can't hold on anymore, she smirked.

Circles upon circles of magical runes formed between Soma and her lance, as Hixar weaved them with his half melted rapier. Veia knew right away that some magical onslaught is about to come down, but he had no idea what's coming. All those runic circles are all amplification spells: body strengthening and acceleration. Mostly acceleration… Wait… Acceleration!?

Like a bolt of light, the second of the absentee Paladin, Allelujah, blasted down from the sky, zoomed through all the runic circles that amplified his speed and momentum far beyond mortal limits, plunged into Soma's energy lance, merging with it, and the lance, its might amplified yet again, instantly shattered the spiraling ice lance to ice dust and pierced straight at a very shocked Veia. In that brief instant before the spear struck, Veia felt a very genuine threat to his life. Mustering his 200 years worth of raw strength, Veia raised his blade and struck the spear in an attempt to parry it… only to find it was too much even for him, and he was reduced to using the icy surface of Hyomaen to stop that spear from going any further. Perhaps for the first time in his 200 years long life, Veia tasted might far beyond his own. The spear pushed him down, way down. His feet remained strong and upright, but the ice platform he stood on went down. In that moment, Veia roared and stretched out his hand, calling in the Ensui amidst the fragments of what was once his serpent. The Regalia of Abyssal Water is a sword with no blade and only an ornate handle, but upon being gripped in Veia's hand, water emerged from one end, forming a blade of water, mimicking the shape of Hyomaen. Veia thrust the watery blade to the approaching ground beneath, its aqueous form extended far below and pierced through the earth before flowing through its cracks. Tendrils of water of the Earth quickly erupted out of the ground and reached out towards Veia. Once they've made contact, they formed a massive platform that froze instantly as Veia planted his foot on it. Now with a solid foothold under his feet, Veia strengthened his defense and the falling spear was seemingly stopped on its tracks. Though there's enough leftover momentum from Allelujah's spear to dangerously crack the icy construct, but the attack was halted, the spear was only one layer of blade away from his heart, and Veia deigned a small smirk… only to see Allelujah's very own: you're screwed smile.

Veia only had time to register a second series of amplification runic circles forming behind Allelujah's trail when he noticed Hixar just hurled Leo to freefall through the circles at terminal speed, heading straight at them, hammer first. On second observation, as Leo's speed amplified to the point he can no longer see him a second later, he wasn't aiming at him.

…he's aiming at the butt of Allelujah's spear.

The same spear whose tip was this close to gutting his heart.

"Oh-" That was the only word that managed to escape Veia's lips before the hammer fall and hit the butt of the spear dead center, propelling it anew with fresh force amplified tenfold. And Veia can barely block the previous version already. The ice platform beneath him instantly shattered and Veia's figure briefly vanished beneath the crumbling ice slabs as the spear finally, VISIBLY, struck in. Allelujah had the time to see the spear bounced off the Hyomaen and was catapulted from Veia's chest… straight up into his face with the force of a point blank cannonfire. He even saw the spearhead was shoved into his mouth. Hakutenkun or not, there's no way that didn't leave a mark!

The shot projectile fell unto the earth, taking its victim with it, and when they touched down, a gigantic, ice blue mushroom cloud explosion erupted. The ground shattered upon impact, its shockwave radiated across the continent, and shaking the whole island with a brief but severe earthquake. The massive ice construct shattered in its entirety as everything, and everyone, fell into the devastation, covered by a towering cloud of icy dust. What was left of the blizzard also vanished.

As silence settled, one by one, the five Paladins landed on the uneven ground, not so gently as wounds and exhaustion taking no small amount of toll even on their super enhanced physique. This is what it's like fighting a 200 year old Hakutenkun at the prime of his life. But their eyes kept scanning their surroundings, searching for any signs. With so much cloudy mist covering the once chaotic battlefield, no one can see anything.

As the icy cloudy dust finally settled, they saw it.

The unmistakable silhouette of Goud Veia half buried beneath a ruble of ice, with Allelujah's spear protruding from his face.

"…did we…?" Allelujah panted and gasped as he was forced to revert back to his human form.

"I… I'm not sure…" It took Soma everything she's got just to remain upright.

"Well… congratulations." Veia's voice was mumbled… because he had stopped Allelujah's spearhead inches away from piercing through his head… with his teeth. But… as Veia spit out the spear shaft… he also spit something else. A drop of blood. "My first scratch in 200 years. I'll be sure not to regenerate this. I can finally take off that troublesome Immortal sobriquet off my name. Thank you."

"…"

"Then again… it's not just a scratch, yes?"

The rubble of ice collapsed even further… now revealing two curved horns jutting out from his chest. The Bicorn grunted behind Veia, his horns had been buried deep into Veia's back.

Balthazar's basilisk already tunneled a hole before Veia killed it, and the Bicorn used that to hide and waited for his chance. When the Paladins threw that spear, of course they held no illusion of overpowering the Hakutenkun in a head on collision. They just aimed to push his back into the Bicorn's awaiting horns.

And why was this so important, one may ask?

"Bicorn Horn…" Veia choked as his lungs had trouble regenerating with Bicorn horns in the way. "The antithesis to Unicorn Horn… if Unicorn Horn can exponentially amplify magic powers… Bicorn Horn… can completely… nullify it."

Bicorn grunted again to make sure his horns sank even deeper.

"You weren't aiming to kill me of course…" Veia nodded. "You were aiming to remove the Geass that is controlling me."

"No magical spell, even one constructed by True Language, can resist the neutralizing power of a Bicorn Horn… especially when it gutted your heart." Sakuya smirked in triumph.

"And in normal case… that would indeed be the case. Alas."

The icy rubble crumbled away, revealing the full picture of the situation. Namely…

How Veia, holding Ensui in reverse grip, had plunged the water blade deep into the Bicorn's chest with a back stab. The Bicorn coughed out golden blood from his mouth, the same golden blood flowing endlessly from his fatally mangled heart. His legs trembled as his strength was robbed off them… and even then he still struggled to keep his horn buried into Veia's back.

"NO~O!" The Alicorn Queen's telepathic screech was heart wrenching.

"I… didn't… knew…" Veia's noble and youthful face grimaced in regret as he gritted his teeth, his tone was heavy with sorrow. "You've erased my three GeAss… but… that… bastard… he… planted… a fourth Geass… even I didn't know…"

"Fourth Geass!?"

"I… had… two… minds. The fourth… was planted… inside… him… It was set to activate… once any of the three Geass… had been compromised… in aNy waY…" Veia's words grew increasingly twisted and pitched. His eyes had trouble focusing and his facial expression twitched uncontrollably. It's like something inside him is trying to break free. "…thIs fouRtH GeAss… I… Is…!"

Veia grasped his face as he choked and cried… and when he removed his hand…

"ThE FoUrTh GeaSSs…" Everyone now looked upon the face of madness. Unbridled insanity coupled with nothing less then pure evil and an overwhelming dose of murderous intent… all neatly packed in a twisted parody of Veia's original noble features. Goud snarled in demented delight. "In CasE thE OtheR GeASs aRe COmPromISED… KiLl. E-VERY-ONE. DeSTrOY… EVERYTHING!"

Without a single trace of remorse or regret that Veia had shown earlier, Goud harshly kicked the Bicorn's dying body and violently ripped out Ensui from his now mangled chest.

Sakuya paled in absolute terror. Very few of even the Elves knew about the demented half of Goud Veia's fractured psyche… because very few managed to live long enough to tell the tale when Veia's worst half was loose. Sakuya was unfortunate enough to count herself among those few… unfortunate, because even now, she's still tormented by sleepless nights when her nightmares forced her to relive that horrifying experience. And now… now she felt like she was plunged back into that nightmare, a hundred times worse.

There's not a single warrior left in the battlefield that are capable of even picking up their weapon. And the now insane Hakutenkun cackled in as he brought out both of his Regalias. "BeHold! ThE Ul-Ti-MA-TE TehchNiqUe of Hyo-MoN-keN!"

Goud levitated off the ground as he raised both blades to the heavens…

The dark sky parted… and a terrifying cold blue light shined out from the sky… bathing everyone with a cold freezing chill of despair that came from this… astronomically massive object descending from the heavens… a cold white star that shine ever brighter as it grew closer and closer…

"…what is… that?" A Februarian mage pondered aloud.

An Elf fell on his knees in recognition. "Allfather help us… I know he can control ice and water… but… but to think… he can do even THAT!?"

"Huh?" The Februarians began to notice the other Elves were also consumed by despair. "W… What is that!?"

"…that is Celestial Water. Water drawn from the dark void that lies beyond the sky above the highest heavens… these waters merged in the darkest corner of the realm where the warmth of sun cannot reach… and so they froze into a great mass of ice. When it streaked in the dark heavens past the sun, it left behind a tail of pure white light…" An Elf answered with trembling lips. "…some of my people call it… a COMET."

The Februarians finally realized one thing. They're not fighting a warlord… not a pillar of their nation… no… nothing so feeble.

They had challenged… a GOD.

"Behold the Glory of Seiryuu! An ocean's worth of water condensed into an icy comet that will descend from the heavens… and then it will instantly convert into steam upon impact. The resulting Steam Explosion would be… GLORIOUS! AHAHAHAHAHAHA! DIE! DIEE! AHAHAHAHAHAHA!" The white star grew ever brighter in the background as the maniacal Hakutenkun raised his hands.

All who looked upon this scene fell on their knees in despair.

All except… one.

A boy walked amongst scores of kneeling men and woman. Unlike these people swallowed by fear and despair, the hope that shined from his eyes did not fade. He fearlessly walked tall and upright towards the Hakutenkun, floating imperiously in the skies above.

This outlier attracted the Hakutenkun's attention. "Oh!? WhO is ThIS nOw!?"

The Hakutenkun descended a bit, to smugly look at this… boy, in the eye.

The demented glare from the madness incarnate that is Goud would've cowed any living creature into absolute despair.

But in his defense… Ashem the Djinn had lived far longer than anyone, even Goud Veia. He'd seen far worse things than a Hakutenkun that can bring down a comet. But today, he can fearlessly stare back at Goud's eyes for a wholly different reason.

"It is curious to see a boy who did not look away when they gaze upon true power!"

Ashem did something more. He snorted. "Power. Power…?" He sneered. "You call THIS… power?"

"…?"

"I've granted… ultimate power… to the many, many people beyond counting… all who asked that of me, I granted it to them. I've watched them… used that power, for good or ill… whatever their reasons, whatever their causes… they did many great and terrible things with it. Money, woman, power…" Ashem sighed. "Irrespective of why or what they do… I gave them the power to do it. Perhaps you can say I'm jaded… but… there's a part of me that do take pride over the… 'Ultimate Power' I gave them. I gave them that power. Whatever impossible thing they want to achieve, that power comes from me. It's MY power. So… there's actually a part of me who take pride in this."

It was then a very curious Goud began to realize the Djinn wasn't bragging. He's… confessing. Like a prideful sinner confessing his shame to a priest. "…"

When the realization began to sink into Goud's twisted mind, the weather had already turned yet again. A storm roiled, the wind picked up, thunder began to rumble from afar…

"I've just completed… the final third wish… the last wish I will ever grant to the last master I will ever have." As he said this, Ashem happily dropped down his mark of servitude. A pair of what used to be his golden bracelets, now a pair of powerless rusted steel bracelets. This ugly thing is a mark of his freedom. He smirked, almost manic. "He asked for power. He knows the peril his friends must face. So he asked that of me for their sake. But…" Ashem laughed. "As expected of my last master… even his final wish for power, simple as it seems… are far more complex than all the wishes I've ever granted combined."

Goud raised an eyebrow.

A bolt of Lightning tore the heavens apart. The first of many more to crackle and jump from cloud to cloud gathering high in the sky at unnatural speed. When an abnormally large thunderbolt fell perilously close to Goud, he knew right away this is no natural storm. The falling comet is growing brighter still, but now, roiling thunderclouds began to gather around the Comet's peripheries, challenging its grandeur.

"…And I tell you now… I hope you're as strong as you think are… because…" The former Djinn smirked as he looked fearlessly to the thunderstruck heavens.

"Because in all my eternity granting so called 'ultimate power' to all who wished it…" Ashem happily raised his hands, praising the storm clouds.

"I've never felt THIS MUCH power… in a single human!"

Goud instinctively knew he had to drop the Comet NOW! With a downward stroke of his sword, he ordered the comet to go down, right this instant.

The icy comet in the heavens hastened its descent towards destruction, as if realizing this gathering storm was building power to challenge it. And the comet fell to earth in all its fury to preemptively strike down this impudent cloud… But by then, rather than parting, the storm clouds had instead gathered into a single dense mass, defiantly standing right in its way.

Soon, the comet and the thundercloud are literally face to face… The storm clouds broke… and sent forth a bolt of lightning, the largest of them all, to meet the comet head on.

Ice and Lightning collided against one another in a cataclysmic impact… it was but a brief struggle as the Lightning condensed itself into a single streak… and it instantly pierced through the comet.

The comet's descent was summarily halted; it shrank a bit, to take note of the damage it had taken… before it burst into an explosion so vast, one can see the halo from the surface of the earth, blowing away the cloud for thousands of miles around with Februarius at its center.

The shockwave of such a massive steam explosion so high in the heavens reached down to the Earth in no time at all, the coalition army who had stood stupefied staring the skies moments earlier were hammered down by such a powerful downward force, all fell. The frailest were thrown off their feet, the most stoic were forced to their knees.

Only two souls can remain standing amidst this chaos.

Ashem who smiled confidently to the now cleared skies… and Goud Veia… who stared in disbelief at the parting heavens… of how his most powerful technique, capable of destroying entire nation, now undone into a rain of harmless mist. The thunderbolts still roared and danced in the sky, telling tales of not just their victory against the icy doom from the heavens… but also to herald the coming of the one who commanded them.

When Goud Veia looked down at a smug Ashem, he saw… him.

Ashem turned and saw the same thing. With a smile, he immediately bent his knee and knelt before his master.

With entire armies are on their knees or otherwise unconscious, none could look at this being clearly.

His every foot step boomed like a thunderclap.

His armored form is coursing with immeasurable might, with thunder clouds billowing from the crevices of his ornate and white armor, shining brightly amidst the whirling cloud.

Five slitted eyes each shined with different color glows brightly from his four horned crown. Beneath them, his purple eyes shined past the crevices of his helmet. All seven eyes are focused on him.

When he stood before the Hakutenkun, a single look at the lightning coursing through those purple eyes, and both Goud and Veia knew… with absolute certainty:

Standing before them now… is the most powerful adversary they will ever face. In this lifetime or the next. This is not something they fight for fun or to kill… this is someone they have to fight… to survive.

Very rarely Goud and Veia can agree to the same thing. But on the occasion when they do, just like with Allelujah and Hallelujah, the combined power is far greater than the sum of its parts. Goud Veia roared as one. They threw aside their differences, threw away the desire for joy, the thirst for blood and destruction… their survival instinct united the once fractured mind into one conclusion: fight. Look to your defenses and fight if you want to live! In one instant, Goud Veia achieved this breakthrough. As they brandished the two Regalia of Ice and Water, their gems shined brightly as the zenith was breached, and Goud Veia stood ready with all the unbarred might and fury of a Hakutenkun unleashing everything he has, assuming a battle stance in preparation to fight for his life. Not even an army of Super Soldiers can face this with any amount of luck and still hope for victory.

Half a second later, three quarters of his body was obliterated down to the molecular level.

"…huh?"

Veia only managed to sputter that one word before what's left of his mangled upper half fell to the ground in a clatter of steel. That was all that's left of him: One arm still holding on to Hyomaen attached to a quarter of a torso cut cleanly from shoulder on one side to his upper waist on the other, his confused head is still attached and alive when it struck the ground. The rest of him is just… gone. No trace, no remains. All was reduced to… nothingness. There's no pain, even his Godlike regeneration was silent, as if it could not comprehend how he just lost one of his lungs and half of his heart, along with the rest of his lower half in that one instant. As this happened, he managed a glance at the back of the one who did this.

Even from this angle, his form was perfectly sublime. His shining blade held firmly in his outstretched hand. A single. Perfect. Strike.

As darkness claimed his vision, Veia smiled with pride. He could not ask for a more perfect final adversary:

He had challenged… a GOD.

0000000-8 Years Later-0000000

0000000-Lacus-0000000

Technically speaking, it was simple logic.

That crazy witch doctor kidnapped the Empress and left the building VIA the oven in the Forbidden palace main kitchen. So… logic dictates, she will return via that same spot.

When she disappeared into that roaring fire, multiple eyewitnesses account stated she left atop a monstrous half human half horse demon. So preparations have been made to welcome her, eventually. Mostly by those whose ass she had kicked on her way out the first time.

"That woman will not leave this place alive! Do you hear me?" The Eunuchs growled. "Call in all the guards! Send word to Rena, demand additional forces! I want cannons and bazookas at the ready, do you hear me!? That wench will pay for humiliating us like that!"

They were waiting for a 50 feet tall centaur demon.

So imagine their surprise when what came out is a titanic 600 feet long King Cobra.

The small army the Eunuchs had assembled ran out in panic at the mere sight of that thing… even though all it did was just popping out its massive head out of the green fire. Shock and terror was total, the ambushers even forget that they carried weapons, many were simply tossed away unfired or otherwise undrawn.

By the time the giant serpent emerged out of the flame in its entirety… only the bravest stayed. And these numbered less than the fingers in one hand. Only three as a matter of fact.

"This is pathetic." Rena grunted as she crossed her arms. "Terrified of snakes is one thing… but none of these idiot even consider firing a shot or two before they turn tail and run… Xing Ke… what the fuck? Have you been spoiling those sissies?"

"I… have no excuse, my general." Xing Ke also shook his head. He knew he hadn't been around for a while on the account of his job monitoring Kage. But this is ridiculous. These troopers will be fighting things that are far worse than just a giant snake! If they won't even stand their ground against only this much… he dread to wonder what will happen when the real horror came knocking.

"It's coming down." Master Bull is the one responsible of managing the Kitchen, so… any animal that came in and out of his oven, living or cooked, fall well within his jurisdiction.

The serpent opened its mouth and then one by one, her occupants popped out. Beginning with Kaguya.

"Diplomatic immunity can only be abused so much, milady." Xing Ke glared.

"Chill. We got plenty to talk about after this." She snapped her finger, and the giant spider Kuro-chan, bandaged and embalmed here and there, particularly on one of her mandibles, popped out next, before dropping two cocooned troopers… the twins… what's left of them anyway, right in front of Rena's feet, earning a glare from the General.

"Rest, Kuro-chan. I'll be calling you back later for another checkup with Hikari!" Kaguya made a few handseals and the now very docile spider nodded and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"…what is this?" Rena coldly looked at the state of these two troopers.

"Some of your men had some pretty interesting part time jobs." Kaguya grunted.

"…"

As this happened, the next batch of passengers popped out, namely the orphans. They all looked mighty confused and amazed at the same time. Next to the dirty and chaotic Shanghai, the forbidden palace is straight out of fantasy world for them. Setona and Marina were somewhat overwhelmed, feeling that they're in a place where they do not belong.

"W… What is this!?" A high pitched voice echoed. Some of the Eunuchs had finally rediscovered their balls and scampered back into the kitchen just as the Orphans began to settle their nerves. "How dare you bring these… these… filthy peasants here!?"

"Peasants!?" Xingke growled. "Watch your words, these are citizens of China!"

"Pah! Lowborn the lot of them! This is the Forbidden Palace, the sacred abode of the Son of Heaven! This is not a place someone of their lowly status had any right to be!"

"Ohoho… that is some strong words, Eunuch!" Salamandine chose that time to pop out.

"You! Incompetent FOOL! You've failed to protect the Empress and now you dare show your face here again!?"

"Failed? Failed how? I'm pretty sure I'm not the ones lying on the floor covered in my own vomit while the Empress was being kidnapped."

The eunuchs momentarily blushed at the shameful experience. "EEEII! IT doesn't matter! The fact is you too allowed the Empress to be removed from the safety of the palace. And then you even let these filthy outsiders into the sacred grounds of the Empress! Who gives you the right to bring these sewer inhabitants into the palace!?"

Salamandine snorted. "…why don't you go ask the one who invited them here in the first place?"

"YES! Show that bitch before us! We'll-" The Eunuchs thought they were about to face Hikari.

So… imagine their horror when the Empress stood before them, all her ornaments missing, hair messy, clothes torn and ragged… but worst of all… was her expression. She was everything but pleased. "…"

"Uh… Y… Your majesty…!? I… P… Please excuse us for such a unsightly scene. We shall remove these undesirables from your divine sight at on-"

"Undesirable?"

Everyone froze in silence. The Empress just spoke.

"I heard everything. Is that what you've been calling them…? This whole time? Undesirable? Sewer inhabitants? Lowborn? Peasants? These are the children of this great country. They are the future of this nation, I would rather you chose a better word to describe them."

"I… I… uuh… Your majesty… that hellish appearance… what have been done to you, your highness? Please, allow us to summon assistance, you are in need of-"

"I need nothing… but your attention! Something you have failed to give… to them." Tien Zi gestured at the orphans. "…Xingke. Why is the government funding for the orphans and children at risk in China had been cut off?"

"WHAT?" Xingke gasped. "We would never… what have you been doing!?" He glared at the Eunuchs, but Tien Zi rebuked him.

"This no one's fault, Xing Ke. This is everyone's. You. Me. Eunuchs. EVERYONE of this government had failed them. We were too busy with everything else except what matters most. A nation is its people. Government exists to protect its people. That's what you've always taught me. That is what we have failed to do."

Xing Ke fell on his knees and bowed in shame. "I… have no excuse… highness… I deserve a thousand deaths for failing you."

"…I'll ask again, and those who can answer WILL answer. Why is the government funding for the orphans and children at risk in China had been cut off?"

Everyone inadvertently turned to the Eunuchs.

"W… We're short on fundings on various other projects! If we cannot compromise-"

"And what are these projects?" Tien Zi frowned. "I've been touring Shanghai… I see no indication of any of them in progress or completion?"

"I… uhhh… you've been touring only a single city, your majesty! We have no project for Shanghai at the moment-"

"No project for Shanghai? One of our major cities? A city so major, even Zaft knew all about it? Then what are these projects? Why have I not seen any of them at my desk?"

"Uhh… well… Your majesty, we've selected those projects very carefully. Only the most important and critical… We only thought what's best for you-"

"I'LL BE THE JUDGE OF WHAT'S BEST FOR ME! AND FOR CHINA!" Tien Zi roared angrily. The volume in which her tiny lips loosed that voice shocked everyone, even Rena.

"Ha… haaaah!" The Eunuchs jumped down in shock.

Xingke was shivering from head to toe as he knelt down on his knees. But not in fear. In joy. What happened? In a single day, the lost dignity of the imperial bloodline suddenly exploded in full froth. It's like the previous Fire Emperor rose up from his grave to reprimand his negligent subordinates. "Y… Your… majesty… M… May I speak…?"

"…Yes."

"C… Clearly… there's much we need to discuss… B… But… I don't think a kitchen… our imperial kitchen is a good place to discuss it… Might I suggest to continue this at the Throne Room, after you freshen up? We can bring the data and information you may require there!"

"Or we can just discuss it here, much faster that way…" Kaguya chortled.

"…no." Tien Zi closed her eyes and sighed. She took a glance at the orphans at her side, they were in shock. Why, poor Setona is calming down Marina who had fainted when she realized who Tien Zi really is. "…Xingke's right. Some things are better discussed in the proper place. But… some decisions need to be done NOW. Firstly… I will need you to provide lodging for these orphans. They are now under my protection, and if something ill were to befall them, Heaven help you, I will have retribution for that."

"As you will!" Xingke happily bowed in obedience.

"Secondly… and this concerns you… General Imelia."

"Me?" Rena blinked.

"…I will not a say a word… on how you commanded your army. But… I want you… to dismantle any and all Alliance military apparatus currently under the personal employ of any official, civil or military, of this government. In fact… I'd like you to go ahead and say… from this day onward, all Alliance troopers safe for several top ranking officers are no longer welcome in Forbidden Palace."

Rena gaped. "…you're… asking me to remove all Alliance Regular Squadrons currently serving as the private protection detail of your court ministers? Of your own capital city!?" It took everything Xingke had to stop himself from laughing out loud. Basically, Tien Zi is asking Rena to stop the Eunuchs from using the Alliance troopers as personal bodyguards/muscle/assassin.

"B… But your majesty!" One of the Eunuch burst out. "W… What about our protection? If you remove our Alliance trooper-"

"The Imperial Guard will now take charge of that duty from here on out. If I'm not mistaken, this morning earlier you did say you wished to expand the Imperial Guard ranks. I approve. But Xing Ke will be in charge of selection, and they will all be under Salamandine's command. And she too, will be responsible for arranging your protection detail. See to it, Salamandine."

"I obey!" Like his brother, Salamandine happily knelt.

"B… But… without the Alliance troopers… we… we…"

"We're… what? What were you about to say? Vulnerable? Weak? Let me ask you this… is our Imperial Guards so cowardly?"

"I… we… No…! Uhh…"

"I'm asking you this… is our Imperial Guards was so weak, that we need Alliance Troopers to protect us? Are you saying that if there's no Alliance troopers to watch our backs, the Imperial Guards will not defend this nation with their lives!?"

"N… NO! We… We said no such things!"

"YET your resistance to this decision implied it!" Tien Zi became bolder and bolder as time passed. "Your words questioned the loyalty of the Imperial Guards! Weakening their morale with your distrust! You are insulting the Imperial dignity, which means you are insulting me!"

"N… NO! W… We wouldn't dare!" The last time the Eunuchs were THIS scared, the previous Fire Emperor had ordered half of their ranks to be executed for gross negligence.

"Just the same…" Rena was enjoying this. "…your… order… to have me remove all my men from the premises of the Forbidden Palace… can I take that as a vote of no confidence in the Alliance?"

"Considering what I've been through today because of YOUR men… you're lucky I stopped at this."

Rena's eyes widened. Did someone gave this little girl a new spine injection or something…? Xing Ke had taught her well… but this is perhaps the first time those teachings take root and bloomed. "…I obey." She nodded giddily. "I shall begin reviewing the troops tomorrow-"

"NO. You will do it tonight!" Tien Zi growled. "This time tomorrow morning I want your personal assurances that all Alliance Trooper presence had been purged from this Palace. You will add them to your war effort, but keep them AWAY from Palace grounds."

Rena smiled. "As you command… Your Majesty." And she gave her the slightest of nods. The first time she ever did this for her.

And then, as if on cue, Lacus popped out of the Akasha. Tien Zi take one look at her and nodded. "And one last urgent matter to discuss right now… will someone please arrest this woman and put her in the deepest, darkest cell we have?"

Tien Zi just nonchalantly pointed at Hikari, waving cheerfully at the aghast audience.

"Ummm…" Salamandine jaw dropped. "Umm… but… your majesty… she…"

"-Kidnapped me. Assaulted government officials. Putting the Son of Heaven in harms' way. Broke the sanctity of the Forbidden Palace, resisting arrest, causing untold amount of property damage, to say nothing of her use of biological weapon that poisoned half of Shanghai, including Heaven knows how many troops stationed there-"

"WHAT!?" Rena roared. She knew she's prepared for losses… but what the hell!?

"…The list can go on forever. By all rights, she should've been quartered."

"A… And… why don't we-?" One of the Eunuchs asked.

"Because she's also the one responsible for bringing me back. Protected me from assassins. By our law, my Father's law… she's entitled for leniency. But this is the extent of it. She will be locked away for the rest of her life in a place no one will ever be disturbed by her insanity. But let her be fed well. Salamandine. You will personally see to it."

"Y… Yes… Your Majesty!"

0000000-8 Years Earlier-0000000

It's quiet now. The blizzard is gone, the thunder cloud died down… all was strangely unconscious… Only Ashem remained awake in the midst of all this devastation. He remained on his knees, awaiting a word from his one true lord and master. In this life and the next.

"You've broken quite a few laws of nature to do this."

"Well, it was your wish." Ashem chuckled. "…I want power. But not just any power. I want to borrow the power I will wield one day… in the future yet to come. If there ever was one for me. Let me borrow it, from the time when my might is at its zenith." Ashem repeated the wish word per word. "That is… so like you, Master. An elegantly crafted and well thought out wish."

"Yes… That's exactly what I've said. It worked… too well. You didn't just borrow my power… you've brought me into this world way ahead of schedule."

"Pardon me master… as I've said… I did it give it my all to fulfill your wish, but… even I had no idea that this wish will result in… this." Ashem didn't just brought power from the future… he literally brought a piece of the future into this era. "This power will not last. Even for a Djinn… one does not simply break the Laws of Nature and hope to get away scot free. So I just… bend it a little."

"Except the fact that I'm not here to change history. I am here… because I'm a part of it."

As proof of this, cracks already began to appear in the Future's originally immaculate form. He looked at his own hand and saw it slowly deteriorating to dust, the pace increasing moment by moment. The Katana he used to strike down Veia had already shattered in his hand. An effect of the temporal imbalance. His very presence is disrupting timeline. He won't have long.

The Future looked at the memorial in the church ruin. When he struck down Veia, he was quite sure he was very dead. And now that he is, the door to the secret lab is now open. The Memorial in the middle of the Church's ruins shined with eerie light. But before that…

Killing a Hakutenkun at this time is… problematic to say the least. He had 30 seconds before brain death so he placed his hand on what's left of Veia's chest… and with a few jolts of lightning, he jumpstarted his heart… several times… until Veia gasped screaming out of his 'death', before he tucked down, gaping and wheezing… alive and hysterical, even though he was quite sure one of his lungs are still missing.

His eyes looked in horror at the face of the warrior who brought him this low. He had killed him… and then just like that he brought him back from the dead. The Future merely returned the look with a kind glance. "…see to it that he lives."

"As you wish." Ashem nodded.

"No!" Veia gasped and rasped. "NO! NO! PLEASE!" With his one arm, he desperately grabbed the hem of the Warrior God's cloth. "Please… I beg of you… if there's even the slightest bit of kindness in you… please… let me die! Grant me peace! Please!"

"Wha…?" Ashem gasped.

"For 200 years I've walked this world… it's been torture. A cold, freezing life that had been stretched way past its limit… until there's nothing left but the joy of violence and madness… Please… let me rest!"

At this, the Future suddenly knelt and held Veia's hand with his two hands. He can feel the warmth flowing through him. Veia's desperation began to melt as the Future spoke with kindness in his every word. More kindness than he ever felt in his 200 years of lifetime.

"How much you've wanted this. How much it hurts you… to take another torturous breath in an immortality you never asked for. I know it well. You told me that much; the day I granted you the death you longed for."

Veia gasped.

"I did not come here to change history."The Future glanced sadly at the gold bloodied body of an old friend before turning back to Veia."I'm here… because I'm part of history. I was brought here to ensure the past flows towards the future it was meant to be. You are part of that future. There are still some things left for you to do, Goud Veia, before the End comes."

Veia's despair turned to peaceful joy. His Death had come from the future yet to be… telling him that there will be an end waiting for him. Not today. Not tomorrow… but there is… there WILL be an end… "So… my journey… will finally end…?"

"I will not know it's you. And you will not know it's me. Neither of us will remember this."

"Perhaps… that is for the best." As peace filled Veia's mind, his desperate grip loosened. "Go. Finish this, then. I will look forward… to our reunion, my friend, my Death." And even though he's reduced to just half a body, Veia fell into a peaceful slumber… with a smile on his face.

The Future then approached the memorial, to fulfill his destiny. As he stepped into the opened gateway, the teleportation spell reacted, and he vanished in a flash of light.

The Future appeared in a smooth dark chamber and he continued to walk as calmly as he had been since he first arrived. Bodies littered the floor, but not one of them died by his hand. His one other sword remained sheathed… he will not need them, clearly. He made his way across the facility as if knowing where the road will take him, even though it's the first time he's here. When he finally reached the end of the road…

"My, my… just look at you." The Priest sat calmly in a chair.

The Future looked at this man before him. "I've told you I will kill you before this is over. Even if it takes me my whole life… which it kinda did."

"…you survived the Ether Poisoning… I did not expect the Princess to… well… in so doing… she bought herself some time. Will it be enough though? That's the question."

"That is no longer your concern."

"So… this is the end." The Priest smiled, even when his doom is literally staring at him. He dropped something to the floor… the last vial of the Super Soldier serum. It rolled across the marbled floor until it touched the Future's feet.

"This is your idea of a last struggle?"

"Pathetic, isn't it?" The Priest smiled. "You ever wondered, my friend? What if our positions were switched? Would I live your life? And you… mine?" He chuckled. "Well… I guess it doesn't matter anymore. The flow of time itself had decided which one of us shall live on."

The vial was crushed under his feet as the Future stepped forward, Lightning jumped inbetween his fingers …

0000000

When Godric's eyes fluttered open as he regained his consciousness, he still had trouble understanding what happened. But as he looked at his surroundings… he began to wonder if he's still in the same place. The frozen wasteland had largely disappeared; the freezing chill had receded, replaced by this gentle breeze. Others began to recover as well. The coalition army took stock of their ranks. No losses, but that shockwave caused injuries to some. One particular group suffered the greatest of losses.

The Alicorn Queen, flanked by her Bicorn Royal Guards approached the site where one of their own lay dying.

Then Godric looked up, and beheld a view he had never seen before.

The cloud that so often murky Februarius night sky had been cleared… and a tapestry of a billion stars now shined before his eyes. Each twinkling like a diamond in the far off distance. "Beautiful."

"Isn't it?"

Godric turned away from the stars and saw Ashem's figure sitting in the distance. Veia's mangled body lay still before him, though he was visibly still alive. After everything they throw at him, Godric couldn't even begin to imagine how something like that even possible. And he was not the only one. Rowena, Salazar and even Hugo were already there, all of them were at loss. Rowena and Salazar's wounds had been healed, even Hugo had somehow been freed of his static lock.

But Godric knew the answer to all this. And sure enough, Ashem pointed at the direction. The end of their journey: the answer to all the questions.

The Future waits for them at the Memorial.

The four made their way towards it. They get close enough until they can see his pure white back.

"…it is done."

The Future welcomed them with a voice so familiar yet so strange. Older. Wiser. They all stopped and watched the back of this… man.

"Master?"

"The Lab has been destroyed. All research data has been purged. This place, at least… will no longer pose any danger to your children. And the Mastermind… has been taken care of."

"Who was it?" Salazar asked. "The Mastermind, I mean? Is it someone we know? Or someone you know?"

The Future answered. "I don't know who he is… but I know his story all too well. He is… me. My opposite. My negative. My equal in every way, but he's the other side of the equation. More importantly… he's a demon you created."

"…!"

"In the end… this place is no different than the rest of the Empire. Beneath the glamour, beneath the gleam… darkness still exists in places you don't want to see. In your ignorance and complacency, it grew… and grew… until it became the most dangerous abomination you never saw coming. Today, I've excised it. But if you don't open your eyes, another will simply take his place."

As the Future said this, everyone began to notice… his crumbling form. The cracks worsened, his gleaming white armor lost its shine… pieces fell off it at an alarming rate. "Master!? Your body!?"

"I am the Future. I am something that was not meant to be here, yet. I'm not dying, obviously, but I cannot stay. My time is up. But I'm glad. It looks like I've managed to help you guys one last time."

"M… Master… could it be…!?"

The Future Noir chuckled as Godric quickly wiped away the tear that was on the verge of forming in his eye. "This is the last time I will help you. You will not see me again… for a very long while." As the Future said this, the crumbling gets worse and worse. His helmet broke off, revealing his signature brown hair. "But you won't have time to mourn. There are far worse things coming down the line. You all need to learn to pick up the pace to face what comes next."

"What comes next!?" Salazar stuttered.

"All of us…?" Rowena frowned.

"Yes. All of you." The man finally turned around and they all saw it. The helmet around his head had largely crumbled, leaving just the mouthguard that still cover his face with an open crevice around his right eye. By coincidence or providence, it strangely resembled Noir's cracked mask. But… even when there's a man behind that mask, they still recognize the boy they knew. "Godric… Rowena… Hugo… Salazar… I cannot afford to let any of you die. Because it will take all of you. All four of you, side by side, together with your friends and loved ones. For none of you can stand against what's coming alone."

"Master Noir…" Godric swallowed his tears and reaffirm his expression. "We understand." He looked at his friends and they too nodded. "Worry not. This is our home. Come what may, we will protect it."

"We will never forget everything you've taught us." Rowena shed a single tear.

"We won't keep trailing behind your back forever." Salazar scoffed lightly.

"One day… when you come here again… you will see our children, playing happily in the streets!" Hugo said firmly.

"Don't worry. I know I will see it." Noir winked at Hugo. And finally, he turned to a familiar black horse.

His injuries were severe and mortal… and yet… somehow, he managed to get up and stood upright and proud with his four legs. His eyes, clotted and dirty, is still as fierce as ever. The Future descended and approached the Bicorn, and gently caressed his mane. How badly he wanted to heal him, like he did all the rest… but he cannot change what is destined to happen.

"Old friend. I'm glad to see you again… if only for one last time."

The Bicorn, already one breath away from his grave, merely nodded. "Just go already!"

And at last, the future Noir entered his final moments as he began to fade… "…everyone…" He looked around one last time. "Be strong… be well… and be good."

He gave them one final salute with a smile.

"See ya."

And where there was a man… now there's only a million flocks of white light dispersing… joining the uncountable stars shining brightly in the night sky.

Noir… was gone.

0000000-8 years later-0000000

"And… this is where our story ended." Rowena sighed.

The five storytellers paused for a good long while. Reminiscing of such a profound history left them overwhelmed with emotions. Rosso can't blame them. Even he was overwhelmed. Kira's final days in Februarius. To think so many things happened. He was too busy in Aprillus gathering up all the manpower he needed, he didn't realize he was just grazing at the tip of an iceberg.

"For 8 years… we've wanted to ask for forgiveness. From you… and from him… if it at all possible."

"Forgiveness? What for?"

"What else?" Godric mournfully lowered his head. "Were it not for our weakness… our ineptitude… Lord Noir would never have to sacrifice himself for this."

"That's horseshit." Athrun chuckled. "There's nothing to forgive. In fact, I have to thank you. Why Noir quit a job he loved so much was one of the biggest mystery I've never been able to solve. Now thanks to you… I can finally have some manner of solace."

"…Solace?"

"Noir resigned from the Circle, right afterwards." Rosso sighed. "…there's… such a thing… as too much. When you resigned from the circle… you don't just quit. You have to literally throw away your life as a Judge."

"…the Pensieve." Salazar bitterly spat. "…my father's life's work. He invented the Pensieve to help the old and senile. To help them remember past and memories long forgotten. When your master trained under my Father… he learned the method to create the Pensieve… and he perverted it. Turning it into a tool to rip memories off a person. That… is something my father will never ever forgive him for… and neither will I."

"…it's mercy, they told me." Rosso sighed. "…Judges see… too many things… knows too many horrors… it broke us. It hurts us. Destroyed our faith and rob us of our personal peace. Pulling those dark memories out of our tormented mind was meant to give us peace… but… Noir was different. Your story made me understand that."

Athrun chuckled again. Of course they were confused. They don't know Kira like he did. "…despite the fact everyone tried to swept everything under the rug, the fact is, this incident left one of the most powerful BEING in Zaft missing more than half of his body. Peril to the Empire aside, only something so unbelievably powerful can do that to someone like Veia. That's not a fact any power hungry individual in Zaft can ignore. And if I understand your story just right… my best friend and mentor, Noir… went from a sickly half dead kid… into the most powerful being in the World, in less than 3 months living in Februarius. What do you think will happen if people finds out about this?"

"…!" Rowena, as expected, was the first who understands. Yes, Noir had destroyed the Chronicles… but… one can never knew. After all, he only destroyed the copies he could find in Februarius. The Judge understands there's far too much unknown, too many loose ends unsolved… too big of a chance for other smart people to connect the dots… Februarius would drew in the wrong kind of attention. Instead of aid, more chaos and malice will set their eyes on Februarius, and devastation even worse than what had come will ensue. But then… Februarius fixed themselves. If there were unsavory eyes set on the continent, it was gone after finding there's not even a trace left. But to be absolutely sure… Noir had to tie up the biggest loose end of them all… himself. "He did it for us?"

"…and don't feel too bad about it. Noir likes being a Judge. And do you know why? Because being Judge means he can use his intelligence to help as many people as he can. Lacus say Noir is happy only when's he's unhappy, but… he's happiest when others are happy. And he understands that happiness can only be fostered… in peace. Between the Ultimate Power or Peace… it was a no brainer to what he'll choose." That is… so like Kira. Rosso smiled. "So don't worry. And more importantly, don't feel guilty about it. I mean… We've all seen what Februarius had become… if he can see what you have become… what his sacrifice had wrought… given the chance, I'd bet my ass he'll do it allover again."

The audience smiled in relief. Rosso nodded, his eyes felt lighter. But… his mind kept whirring. Kept thinking. And inevitably… "…except…"

"…something still feels… off… to me. Why… do you wait this long to meet me? I know I'm a no show for 8 years… but… it should be little issue for Lady Canaver, the new Supreme Judge to contact me, should you ask that of her earlier… I would understand and I will have my peace…" As Rosso's quick and now unburdened mind whirred at the speed only a genius can, he connected the dots. And his eyes tightened in anger. "No… No… You… didn't…!"

"…" Seeing Rosso's angry glare… and the audience were left in awe at the Crimson Judge's deductive prowess. Truly, the words that say the Crimson Judge is Noir's only equal cannot be overstated.

"…Noir's… memory… is no ordinary memory. The amount of knowledge contained within was… invaluable-"

Rosso smashed the table in anger, silencing Salazar and everyone as he hissed in barely contained fury. "…my dearest friend… sacrificed his life… his mind… to keep it… to keep you all safe… How could you… How DARE you…! To undermine ALL THAT…!?"

"We had no idea until today!" Rowena quickly replied.

"…what?" Rosso' raised voice instantly flattened.

"…we couldn't… remember… until today… that we… that we were all Guardians."

"…Guardians!?"

"…Noir… is no simple Judge. Your words." Salazar bowed. "…it is only fitting… that for someone of HIS caliber… no simple extraction would suffice. I didn't learn about this until much later… but this… was his final wish to my father… who personally oversee his memory extraction."

"…!?" Now this… was a shock. Noir wasn't brainwashed by the Circle… but Grand Master Balthazar himself?

"He deemed my father, as the inventor of the Pensieve, to be only one who understands the process well enough, that he can customize it to suit his needs."

"…wait… Noir asked him to do this!?" His rage quickly abated and his mind began to race again. "Personally!?"

"No he didn't!" Rosso turned to Fayt, the blue haired teen shrugged. "I'd like to point out, that I never agreed to this."

Rosso raised an eyebrow.

"Young Master Leingod, we've talked about this?"

"YOU talked about this! Someone in the higher ups just decided to mutilate little big brother's mind into seven pieces because he got the information of the century inside! And you said Noir agreed to this, but we never see him saying that to us himself, didn't we!? And we know he can't anymore because his brain got fried!"

Athrun jawdropped. "SEVEN!? You split his memory into seven pieces!?"

"Yes. His mind… contains the most invaluable of information, and so to protect it, precautions were made. One of them… was the splitting of his memory… into seven separate pieces, each protected by a Guardian."

"Who gave you this task? Who appointed you Guardians?"

"Lord Ray Yuki himself. The day before he… departed to Junius." Godric replied. "…he came to us, individually, carrying a piece of Master Noir's memory. And then he embedded them into these relics, so that we can protect it."

"Relics." Rosso noted the plural.

"No simple cairn would suffice for a mind as mighty as Noir's. These objects… are relics of great power that will protect it from degradation in the years ahead… and so that we could protect it and kept it hidden in plain sight. Relics that we five… will protect with our lives." Godric began by presenting his relic. Namely… his Goblin Forged long sword. Amidst the crimson rubies encrusting said sword, one jewel at the hilt stood out as being… darker than the rest.

"These relics were chosen with care." Rowena presented her diadem, showing one of the gems adorning it also had that similar dark hue. "Not so plain that they can be easily forgotten… but not so obnoxious it will draw unneeded attentions."

"They are our family heirlooms. So that if we fail, our children will continue." Hugo presented the golden cup of the Hufflepuff, her mother's most favored and most powerful magical tool. The badger encrusted on the cup's surface held a dark glowing gem in its mouth.

"We kept them with us at all times." Salazar took out his locket. When it's opened, the picture within was covered in dark matter.

"And thus… we became Guardians." Fayt growled as he showed Rosso his relic. A no brainer to what it was, really. "Thing is… we didn't remember we were guardians… until very recently."

Athrun began to see another question answered. "I see… as additional security measures… you've had your memories taken away too. You didn't remember you were Guardians of Noir's Memory…" His mind whirred quickly. "…you said seven pieces… I count five of you. Who's the other two? Oh… wait… of course…"

"As expected… you noticed it, Milord."

There can only be one other person who fit the requirement to be a Guardian of Noir's precious memories. The one who would cherish it more than anyone.

0000000-Lacus-0000000

As ordered, Salamandine placed the doctor in the deepest darkest cell of the Forbidden palace. By coincidence, that's the same cell they placed Kira in. Salamandine apologized constantly, but Lacus stressed there's nothing to forgive. She's getting the punishment she deserved. What's more… in this deep dark cell… where there's little sound that can enter… she can sleep quietly for once without being disturbed by too much noise.

Now, as she rested quietly in her bed, Lacus can think and rearrange her thoughts in this silent room.

She took off her helmet, where her Meer face is still around. She pinched her cheek… and plucked out a needle. She continued pinching until all the needles are plucked out. A total of 6 of them. Once that's done, the cell was filled with the sound of facial muscles twitching and bones cracking… and when it was over, Lacus twitched one last time and she returned back to her original self. And then… she began to think.

This has been a long day. A great trip into the past…

When that mutant human elbowed her face, it's like a flood of memories bursting into her head. What happened slowly was now finished in much quicker fashion. Well that's just fine. She remembered. Everything.

When she lost her newest patient within the first day, she knew right away this was not gonna be easy.

Actually… she was offended. GREATLY offended.

The Clynes are famous as the premiere Sensor Advanced of the Empire. That someone can actually disappear right under her watch? That was insulting. Worse… it actually took her 6 MONTHS to find him again. SIX! MONTHS! The injury to her pride was… inoperable.

A lot of things happened during that six months. She befriended a Hakutenkun, the Hakutenkun nearly killed her, then an accident of misplaced identity happened and her sister nearly died, then she crippled her arm… In summary, for those 6 months she tried to be the filial daughter. The good girl. She had hoped things have changed, if only for a bit. Then again, she's also not so surprised that she would be so disappointed when that was not the case.

But what did surprise her… was how her feelings changed. In the six months of her search for her disappearing patient, the irritation she once felt slowly turned into curiosity. And then curiosity quickly turned into excitement. How did he do it? How did he hide from her for this long? What was his bloodline limit? This question quickly transitioned into something… she would consider silly. What does he look like? How tall is he? Is it a he or a she? What's his favorite food? Blond or brunette…? It was all very silly… and it was all very fun! The joy of not knowing. She had almost forgotten what that felt like after so many years. And when she found him… she's happy to say… she was not disappointed.

She found him again during one of her many secret visits to her sister. The first time he helped that poor… Djinn… in his human form.

He's… like her. He saw the world… and saw so much more than the rest… understand so much more… It's… funny. No matter how she saw him, he's a low flying bird… Nowhere near close to her but close enough for her to notice. And yet there he was… flying. Higher. Higher than everyone. Way above his own limits. But he's not alone. And… he can fly even higher than what he's doing right now. Like an eagle pretending to be a raven. He's doing what she tried to do, leveling his mentality with the idiots down below, but he's doing much better at it than her. But he did not dull his talons. Oh, no. He kept it sharp. The Reingraze kid learnt that the hard way when he nearly killed him.

But…

When she saw the look in his eye when he watched that poor kid choking to death… she saw something is breaking. Killing the boy had broken something inside him and if this kid dies… that thing that was broken will never be mended… and then this wonder will be just like the rest.

She wanted something different in this boring world and now she gets it. Damn it all, if she let it disappear just like that. So…

"Hold him down!" Lacus immediately took charge of the situation. Without wasting a single second minding the disgusted look of every harebrained audience in vicinity, she reached down the throat of Reingraze Jr. with her bare hands and did something to it until the kid vomited out the Peanut butter sandwich that is killing him. But a portion of it is stuck in his swelling throat. So she bring out a well prepared syringe and injected a cure to suppress the reaction, deflating the throat and allowing the leftover to come out on another onrush of vomit.

When Reingraze gasped for breath in his new lease on undeserved life, Lacus looked back at the masked boy's eye. It's back. That thing that was broken was reversed and the damage mended. Good. Now… she found her patient again, as her master requested, she's not gonna let him out of her sight.

And she never did. In fact… it wasn't long before she found herself unable to remove him from her sight. Or mind. She had forgotten about everything else… only his wellbeing concerns her. It was frightening. And confusing… and exciting. Not even his master's teachings about focus and concentration could make her this single minded about this one thing. She didn't understand this feeling… not until it was too late.

0000000-8 years ago-0000000

shizukana kono yoru ni anata wo matteru no

In this quiet night, I'm waiting for you

ano toki wasureta hohoemi wo tori ni kite

So come take back the smile you forgot back then

are kara sukoshi dake jikan ga sugite

Just a little time has passed since then

omoide ga yasashiku natta ne.

And the memories have become gentle

hoshi no furu basho de

In the place where stars fall

anata ga waratte irukoto wo

I was always hoping

itsumo negatteta

That you were smiling

ima tookutemo-

Though now we're far apart-

"Nice song." Noir sat calmly, alone in the field of flowers.

"…"

"…I've told you. Fidelius Charm makes you unperceivable. That doesn't mean you no longer exist." Noir kept talking gently to empty air.

"…"

"I don't need to want to find you. I just need to guess where you are. Then again, you were singing, so… it makes things even easier."

"…"

Noir looked calmly and then…

Lacus can feel his arms gently hugged her from behind. She wanted to immediately push him back… but… this… warmth… "…let go of me."

"…do you want me to?"

"…I'm filthy." Lacus' voice trembled. If he didn't let go soon, this warmth will never wear off… then she might… she might…

"…I'm quite sure I'm already filthy enough to begin with."

Lacus grunted as she placed her hands on top of his, intending to pull him off… instead… she caressed his warm strong hands and clasped it. Before long, Lacus sobbing form appeared in Noir's arms as the charm wore off. And, fitting so naturally like it was meant to, Lacus rested her head and snuggled it beneath Noir's. The white draped maiden and the black judge tightened their hold on each other, neither willing to let go one another in this embrace of white immaculate cloth and black torn and shredded rags, creating a tapestry of black and white, on fields of white flower with dark night sky above.

She dearly wished this moment will last forever…

"I have to go." As if guessing her thoughts, Noir spoke up. "I… I can't stay."

"…" Lacus didn't reply… at first… "…why…?"

The way she said it broke his heart. Something he thought was no longer possible… "A great Judge I once knew said this before he resigned. Being a Judge is never about you. It's about everyone else. It's about the greater good… of all the people who would benefit more if I accept this next step."

"I flew too high… too fast… too close to the sun… and I did not burn. But my form blotted the sun, and EVERYONE can see the shadow I cast. My very existence is now a challenge. As long as I stay, others will come. And they will get to you just to get to me… actually they already had. I can't… protect you… I can't let you get hurt anymore than you already-" Noir stopped when Lacus placed a finger around where his lips would be.

"…dance."

"…what?"

"…I've been making this new song. Clynes can control sound. If you keep quiet and think, humans and animals are not the only things that can make sound. The soft caress of the winds, the rubbings of leave… they're all sound. Clynes can… manipulate them all." Lacus chortled as she jumped from Noir's arm into the middle of the flower field. She took a deep breath… and blew. The flowers rustled… and the sound they produced… was like a symphony orchestra. She turned the rustling sound of flowers into music.

Then she turned at Noir with a smile, and stretched out both arms towards him. "Come on. Dance with me."

Noir nodded briefly. He remembered he watched Athrun getting his dance lessons. Kira remembered the steps, but he never had a practical experience. But he forget… Lacus is his dance partner.

She doesn't do steps.

Lacus yanked Noir and start dancing to the tune of this music. At first, Noir was a bit confused. He never heard this music, then again, he shouldn't be surprised. His dance partner was such a genius, she already composed her own grand orchestra sonata at 4 years old.

They moved gently and slowly… at first, Noir had trouble placing his step to the tune. But Lacus carefully and gently guided him. At one point, Noir was so confused he accidentally stepped on her feet. He was about to launch into a tirade of apologies, but Lacus tapped her finger on his lips. "Close your eyes. You don't see music with your eyes. Just listen. Don't think."

Noir nodded sheepishly. And now he closed his eyes. Note by note. Step by step. Lacus took him by the hand guided him slowly…

"Listen to my breathings. That's the key."

He's not sure if Lacus had silenced all sound but this song and their own movement and their breathings… but… in the darkness of closed eyes… it all felt so… quiet. So peaceful. Like there are only the two of them in this whole world…

Whether he noticed it or not, Noir soon found his step. Before long, the two danced in beautiful and perfect harmony to this song. How long it went, how did the song sounds like… it doesn't matter. Nothing matters.

And with one last perfect step… the song ended.

Noir didn't open his eyes until minutes later…

When he did however… he saw Lacus' face inches away from him. Her hand is caressing the edges of his mask… But… she wasn't trying to pry that mask open, she's keeping it there. "…did you see?"

"…I see you." Lacus smiled sadly. "This. This is you. I finally understand."

"…understand?"

"…this mask… is not a mask. This is your face. How many times have I told you that you wear your emotions on your sleeves?" Lacus chuckled. "…whoever… whatever you are behind this mask… it's not you. That is the mask you wear to answer the expectations and demands of the world around you. But when you wear this…" She caressed that broken bone white mask more lovingly this time. "Everything you held back… everything you kept inside you… everything boiled out of the seams… when you put on this mask… you became… you. You're not a soul trapped behind a mask. You're a soul liberated by it."

Noir didn't say anything at first… but as he thought about for a bit… he had to agree with a slight tilt. "…I really am screwed wrong in the head…"

But Lacus smiled. "No… I'm not sorry. Everybody always said I'm perfect. Everybody said I had it all. But not you." She smiled so very happily. "You saw me… and all you see is my imperfections. What I lacked. What I don't have. For the first time… in my life… I'm finally the same like everyone else." Lacus smiled like she had never had before. "And you never looked away. You tried to fix me. And you did… I… I'm not alone. Not anymore." She caressed Noir's face. "And you… you simply showed me that you're just as imperfect as everyone else. And there's nothing wrong that… no… just the opposite, isn't it? That's what makes it perfect."

Noir was taken back. He had no idea. He had consigned himself to forever live in the shadows. He thought… this was all there is. "…that night… in the Hotel in the Troll Market… did you see?" Noir gently held Lacus' hands.

Lacus smiled. That night… when she crept to his side under the blanket… she caressed his mask… it was on the verge of being undone… the lower half of his face had been exposed… and he slept very deeply. All she had to do was tuck it with a flick…

She shook her head. "No." That night, she did the exact opposite. She fixed the mask back to its place. She never saw his face. She knew she never had the right. "No… I never saw it… and… that thing that happened… last night? What we did… I… what I did…? When… we did it… It… it happened physically yes… but… our mind is in astral plain… I don't see anything… I enclosed us in the dark… I…"

Lacus suddenly stopped when she felt Noir's hold on her hand tightened. She looked at him… and he looked back at her.

…and his mask fell next to her feet.

When she came to, her lips and his had merged.

The memories of what happened last night overwhelmed them both. It was disgusting. It was immoral. It was unethical… in every way it was wrong… But… when they parted… panting and heaving…

Tears streaked down her eyes. "This is not fair." Lacus shook her head. "…why can't you have it?" She raised her teary eyes at Noir. "You've given everything for them. Your body. Your life. Your soul. Now your mind too… Everyone just… take and take and take from you… Until there's hardly anything left… why…? Why can't you have this one thing?" Lacus tucked her head to Noir. "…I wanted to give you everything… why won't you let me…?"

"…don't go." Lacus finally broke down crying in his arms. "…Please… don't go."

They parted and Noir can see just how miserable her expression is. Tears had been pouring from her agonized blue eyes nonstop.

"Stay… stay with me. We can go somewhere… anywhere… become anyone… we'll make it work somehow… Please… just stay…"

Noir was silent throughout. But not out of apathy… but mutual understanding. Because there was nothing left to be said. They are now two birds… who finally flew at the same altitude. Saw the same scenery. They're no longer alone. He knew it. And She knew it.

But they cannot be together. Not in this life.

She cried and danced and she played for time… everything was but an outpouring of her pent up emotions… Emotions that was on the verge of being killed off by her overwhelming cold rationale. She knew as well as he, why he can't stay. Forget the fate of Februarius, forget about the greater good. No. This all boiled down to three simple reasons:

First… the incident with Carine had caused the whole of the Empire to knew of his existence. This practically painted a target not just on him… but to everyone around him. Every evil he had silenced… they will come for him… and if he was to continue down this path, he must protect not just himself, but everyone he cars about.

Which brings it all to the second reason: He had failed that test. A great evil of their time throw everything he's got at him. And using everything he's got and beyond, Noir tried to counter it. And he failed. That Evil had planted a seed inside Lacus… one that will torment her in the years ahead. Someone had harmed her because of him. And he, for all his intellect and skill… Noir was unable to stop it.

And thirdly, and this is the most basic of all reasons: they were just children. How could they, no matter how extraordinary they are, could hope to fight against all that will be thrown against them? The simple fact is, Noir had made too many enemies… and he does not have the strength to protect the girl he loved.

They were a match in every way. Intellect. Character. Soul. They were always meant to be… And as proof of this, the two arrived to this same conclusion.

…his only option was to leave her and suffered a fate worse than death.

He must be forgotten.

When they parted, Lacus no longer cried. She had… seemingly, accepted what must be done. But… can she at least… be actually selfish for once? "…You know… you still owe me."

"…this is new. What do I owe you?"

"…I offered you housing and food… and they're free of charge. I will not go back on my words here. But… You still owe me for my treatment of you, the first time. I'm your nurse, remember? I'm supposed to care for you lest I'd be expelled. And you made me look for you for six months. SIX. MONTHS! In all that time: a Hakutenkun nearly killed me, my sister nearly died, and my arms got crippled. You. Owe. Me."

"…right." Noir thought a bit for a suitable recompense. It did not take him long. "…alright. I'll give you… this then."

Noir handed Lacus the only thing he had in his possession at the moment. Three feathers.

"…I did say I'm a bird person."

"You had a pet bird. He shed."

"I kinda get the idea from Ashem. You have three misfortunes because you lost me. So… for three misfortunes… I'll give you three wishes. One feather per wish. Of course, understand I'm not some genie with phenomenal cosmic power and eeny bitty little space… so… ask me for anything… and… if it's in my power to give… you got it."

Lacus chuckled as she took those three feathers. She can think of a thousand wishes already that will force Noir to stay at her side forever…

…not one of them, she sadly noted… will not cause him to hate her for it.

She wouldn't want that…

"…alright. For my first wish…" Lacus smiled. "…I wish that… one day we can see each other again."

"…you do realize-"

"I know. I won't know it's you. And you won't know it's me. Who knows? Maybe by then I'm already a senile old hag, and you're just a half demented old fart… I don't care. It's a wish. My wish. I can wish whatever I want."

Noir can only chuckle. "Fine."

Then he took a seat on a bed of rock amidst the flowers. All this dancing, and he was never that athletic… "…by and by… what is that song? The one you sang when I first came?"

"…it's a new song I've been composing. I've only figured out the lyric just now."

"…can you finish it? I… kinda like it."

"…sure." Lacus stepped forward as Kira watched from behind.

itsu kara hohoemi wa konna ni hakanakute

When did your smile become so fleeting?

hitotsu no machigaide kowarete shimau kara

Since it was broken by that one mistake

taisetsuna mono dake wo hikari ni kaete

Change only what's precious to you into light

tooi sora koete yuku tsuyosade

With strength that can cross over the distant sky

hoshi no furu basho e

I want to send my feelings to you

omoi wo anata ni todoketai

To the place where stars fall

itsumo soba ni iru

I will always be at your side

sono tsumetasa wo dakishimeru kara

To embrace you when you're cold

ima toukutemo, kitto aerune

And though we're far apart now, we'll surely meet again

shizuka na yoru ni

In the quiet night...

Lacus stopped. She's been singing with her back showing to Noir this whole time. She doesn't want to turn around. She doesn't want to finish this song… If she did… he will no longer be there.

She doesn't have the heart to see… but she knew it.

And she fell to her knees in tears and wailed…

Because she knew…

…that only his broken mask remained…

mata aeru yo ne

We can meet again, right?

0000000-8 years later-0000000

"I hate you." Lacus smiled.

That song was her favorite. Of all the song she composed, many would say that was her favorite. And they weren't wrong. She would hum it over and over whenever she wasn't thinking. When she composed a music, that song always became her reference point. She never understood why that song always stick to her and never let go.

Now she finally remembered.

Now she finally understood it all.

That song is not her song.

It was their song.

Indeed, Lacus Clyne… was a special Guardian in every way.

She lost her memory – just like everyone else. That is true. But… such was her love and devotion to Noir, her body had never forgotten the feeling. And unlike the other Guardians who buried their sorrow and go on with their lives… Lacus never got over it.

She couldn't.

Lacus reinvented herself after that. She may or may not realize what she's doing… but what she is now… was her response… her desperation to connect with the man she loved. Her no kill policy? It was in reverence to how Noir's attempt to kill someone… and how deeply he regretted it. Her predilection for radical actions? She learned that tactic from the best. After what happened with Noir, she no longer sees the Medical Art as a tool on which she can keep her focused and maintain her sanity. Now she devoted herself wholeheartedly to it, knowing that her beloved will most likely need it.

And instinctively… she kept searching for him. But imagine that for the moment: searching for someone you loved, but you couldn't even remember his name or his face. The confusion really drove her to very edge of sanity. But she kept searching. She spent her whole life, chasing after his shadow using nothing but instinct, her intelligence, and her longing.

To her credit… she get very close. Very, VERY close.

When she returned to Zaft, she searched for him still… and then she began spending an inordinate time with Athrun Zala. Her gut instinct told her that he holds the key to the answer she seeks. Most people, including her parents and Athrun's, misunderstood it completely. Arguably, she made it quite easy. Her interaction with Athrun does almost border on actual attraction. She even almost believed it herself that he was the one… And thus her engagement, decided by those around her, thinking it's for the best, for her and Athrun.

But now she realized… it wasn't Athrun she's looking at. She was looking at Noir's shadow. The remnants of what's left of the man she loved remained most strongly in his partner… his closest confident… Athrun Zala… AKA Rosso the Relentless. But… she could go no further. She could not figure it out. The connection. She had no idea that the man she loved was no longer in the continent. This… confusion… this failure… this inability to make sense of this… torturous affection… of loving someone you can't even remember… That for the first time in her life, she failed. Her intelligence. All her wits and capabilities… failed her. It was unfair. Not just to Athrun and everyone else around her… but also to herself.

If she thinks about it now, this was no one else's fault but hers. The failure of imagination. She did not think to search beyond the borders of her country. She gave up too quickly… When she finally decided to become the Priestess to the Pilgrimage towards Junius… she was in despair. The pressure of her life, her miasma, and most of all the constant failure in searching for him… she was exhausted… tired… and then… at the moment of her lowest point…

"I… I'm Shadow."

The first burst of emotion that welled up in her mind at that name… was hatred. Now she understands why.

She searched and searched and searched for him all her life… until she gave up living altogether… and now here he is, at the edge, pulling her back. She's been looking for his shadow… now here he is…

"I hate you…" 'Because you were never there when I need you. But you're there when I need you most.'

…and he couldn't even remember her.

"I hate you." 'Because can you imagine the pain of yearning someone I can't even remember…!?'

…and she couldn't even remember him.

"I hate you." 'Because of you, I've lived 8 years of my life with my mind… my heart… never making any sense…'

Noir…

"I hate you." She caressed her lips… remembering…

Kage…

"…I… hate… you…" 'Because I will never be able to love anyone else but you.'

…Kira.

She finally remembered. "Ms. Pink… where is it?"

Ms. Pink popped out next to her… before turning into Lily. "You finally remembered. Haro."

"Of course. Where is it?"

Lily smiled sadly. She rummaged her skirt and handed something she had sworn to kept unblemished… for 8 years since that day.

Lacus picked up… the Hairpin made of three golden feathers. Three feathers for three wishes. She plucked one away, leaving two.

After all… he did fulfill one of her wishes. She asked to meet him again… and now they've met again. Circumstances could be more ideal, but when the alternatives are so much worse… who is she to complain?

She happily put the hairpin on her hair, where it'll always be now.

Because once there was a promise between you and me… and this time she will make sure it is kept.

Lacus… was a special Guardian in every way.

And so is her relic.

0000000-Kira-0000000

When all three gigantic shells had finished their deed, the 4th car is just destroyed. When the remaining troopers down below came to, including Jess and Kaite, they were shocked to find they actually survived that. They're standing on the other side of the train, staring at this… giant maw parting this half of the train… and the other half, where the Gorilla just came to.

The explosions had torn the entire vehicle in half from top to bottom, it should've ripped the whole thing completely, but the car is now being held together by the sinews of the monstrosity within…

The corruption had yet to vanish… the dark energy still beats… faintly, weakly… but it beats still.

After all that… and it still beats…

One person obviously found that as just… unacceptable.

As the troopers below finally noticed him, they gasped.

The explosion had struck the Captain, hard. The right side of his face… it was… burnt… Even from this distance they can almost see the sinews beneath his charred skin… Kage gasped and retched. His throat is on fire… he dragged his great sword behind him as he made his way towards the still beating heart of this devilry.

The Heart is damaged. Broken. It still beats with unholy life that kept this dark magic going, but now there's no shockwave that will stop him from tearing this thing apart.

Heaving and panting, his head splitting, his face is scorching… Kage roared and rushed down the final stretch, lifting his sword over his head and swing it down as fast and as furious as he can let out… and he's very furious.

Which only worsened when the last of the Necromancer chose that moment to erect its last stand… the final barrier that kept the blade from getting closer.

Black shredded cloth covered in grime and gore… and white pale rotten skin, going head to head. The living and the dead… Good and Evil standing face to face in the final showdown.

Kage roared in frustration as the last Necromancer screeched its final defiance.

The Dark Captain desperately pushed the blade, desperately hoping all this sacrifice will let his blade just an inch deeper… so desperate, his one hand let go of the grip and pushed the sword's sharp edge with said bare hand. He doesn't care the blade bite into his flesh, hell, let it bite into his bones! Just as long as it bite into the head of this son of a bitch!

0000000-8 years earlier-0000000

"Do you realize what you're asking me to do?" The very distressed Alicorn Queen looked incredulously at the now dying Bicorn.

"Yes." The Bicorn smiled. "I asked you to… grant me this last breach in tradition. Tradition that I knew existed for a reason. But such is my wish. My… final wish."

Bicorns are the antithesis of Unicorn in every way. Unicorn only allowed Virgins to mount them whilst Bicorn allowed non virgin only. Unicorns with their sweet innocent disposition, and the Bicorn which is counted amongst the most vicious magical beast in the land. And most importantly, their horns are also a counter to one another. Unicorn Horn possess potent magical power, but they are the most potent when they're alive. Mixing living Unicorn Horn into spells will amplify its effect exponentially. In stark contrast, Bicorn horns did the exact opposite. Anything the horn touches will have any enchantments and spells unraveled. Nullified. When the Bicorn is still alive, its effect is limited to what they can touch with their horns. For the strongest effect, the horn must make as much contact as possible with the target – e.g.: stabbed. However…at the moment of their deaths, this Nullification effect surged out exponentially… and will continue to get stronger and stronger long after the death of the Bicorn. Any magic in proximity will be immediately cancelled, their ether mana unraveled by the aura emanated by these Horns… an effect akin to the Negative Aura found on Null Children.

Considering the fact that Bicorns lived in a Magic rich environment, this trait they have is a major issue that could affect the lives of all denizens of the fae world. And so, Bicorns made a rule… that at the moment of their deaths, a Bicorn must shatter their horns with their last breaths before they die to prevent their horns from becoming a problem after their demise. Which means what this particular Bicorn wanted was something completely outrageous.

"Please surgically remove my horns. Keep them intact."

The whole Bicorn… nay, the whole Magical world would be up in arms at this forbidden request, but the Bicorn was adamant.

But the Alicorn Queen was in distress for another reason. The Bicorn's life currently hangs by the thread that was the power of his horns. He's dying and his injuries are irreversibly fatal… but that horns are what kept him alive. Shattering it will offer him a quick end to this misery. The time consuming surgical removal means prolonging his suffering towards a slow agonizing death.

"Why? Why would you want this?"

"…I saw a glimpse. A glimpse of the future yet to be. My fate with that boy is entwined… but it did not end on this day. Quite the opposite. My journey with him had only just begun. But now I've realized that I cannot be alive to continue it. This is the way it should be."The Bicorn smiled."Take my horn… and use it. Reshape it. Forge it. Turn it into… whatever it is you think is worthy of him. But make sure… that it will find its way to him."

"This is something unheard off…"

"Sounds like a good challenge." The Alicorn jerked when she turned to the source of that gruff voice. An entourage of Dwarves made themselves known. Leading them was this Dwarf everyone knew to be the king of the Dwarves. The greatest of their smiths. "Our people owed him a debt. This is how we will repay it. If this… relic… will find its way into the Lawkeeper's hand… then let us craft it for him."

"Dead Bicorn Horn is not your ordinary material." Sakuya frowned. "I'm not questioning your skills… I just want to remind everyone how tough it is… I know the might of Dwarven forges… but what makes you think you can find the fuel to feed the kind of fire necessary to-"

Sakuya's words were cut off when the ground rumbled. The earth cracked open and a mass of tree roots slithered out before quickly forming a humanoid figure. It spoke… in entish. Sakuya had a hard time believing what was said as she translated them. "…you'll do that… great one!? Ummm… the Ents… will provide the firewood."

Everyone jawdropped. "Well… that's… quite something…" Alicia picked her jaw up first. "But… treant wood is as tough as steel… what kind of fire that can burn it?"

"Magic fire. Elfish Fae-fire." Sakuya is starting to see where this is going. "But there's only one species of Elf capable of producing this kind of fire." She looked knowingly at the shadows… and beady eyes full of determination looked back. The House Elf Dobby, chosen to represent everyone else, stepped out of it.

"And the water? Fae Fire is unquenchable."

"Not by me." Everyone turned to the last piece of the puzzle. Ashem the former Djinn stood ready. "I've quenched the Unquenchable Flames of desire in the Hells of Lust, Gluttony, and Greed. I'd like to see how this Fae-fire will last."

Sakuya shivered in excitement. Five species which had absolutely no connection to one another… now they will all join together… to forge a marvel unlike anything the world has ever seen.

"I see." Everyone turned to the one last voice that joined this council. Next to everyone in this palce, tiny Lacus looked the least intimidating. But there she is. She looked sadly at the Bicorn. "So I guess we're all set… except one last thing… I've heard you need a Vet Surgeon. Seeing the only one we know is dead, I'd like to offer you my skills. Such as it is. But it won't be cheap."

The Bicorn chuckled painfully, and with his last strength, galloped slowly before the girl. "And what price would you ask, little one?"

Lacus smiled sadly at the Bicorn. She gently caressed the Bicorn's drooping head.

…the Bicorn was shocked to find the warmth of her hands…

"…I've met with Lord Noir's Master. He gave me this. My demand is this. This… is what you will become. And give it to me. I will make sure it reached his hands."

The representatives of all five species looked at the parchment' in Lacus hands.

It's a blueprint of a weapon.

"Why… this is… something." The Dwarves whistled. It is unexpected but apt.

"You have the material… you have the tools… you have the masters of the crafts… but it won't be enough. It needs something else. Something more. It needs a spirit. A will that resonates with the will of the one who will wield it."

"And what spirit should we place into this masterpiece, Lady Lacus?"

"…in all my time with him… there's one emotion that constantly roiled inside him. He kept it under control, unleash as much as he require. And when he did, it was terrifying." Lacus frowned. "He locked it up inside him. Caged it. So much so it hurt himself. But it yearns to break free… at all time."

Lacus named this emotion with a word:

"Fury."

Everyone smirked. Fury. They didn't expect it to be something so easy. And so difficult at the same time. Then again… a weapon that will be wielded by their mutual savior cannot be so simple.

The Bicorn had provided the ultimate sacrifice.

The Dwarves will hammer it into shape within their Volcano borne forges.

The Treants, believe or not, will provide the firewood that fueled the flame.

The blazing fae flame of the forge that will be provided by the shadow of the once mighty Tareldar. Shadows of the High Elves.

The Djinn provided the celestial water that cooled that fire off…

And all five channeled this sentiment into this masterpiece, with equal measures of respect, gratitude… and fury.

He will carry the fury of five with him. May it protect him. Just as he had protected them.

When it was done… everyone marveled. Truly, it is a wonder unlike any other. "Such a wondrous craft will now need a name worthy of it." The Dwarf King declared.

"The Bicorn gave it a name… just before he passed away." Lacus smiled sadly. "A pretty ironic name… but fitting. Before he died, as was the tradition of the Alpheim, he surrendered his True Name to the Deep magic of the World. In his case… He whispered the name to me… so that I may surrender it to this… blade."

0000000

The Blade was in Lacus personal keeping for many years throughout her time in the academy. During her final days, she and her master went on a secret sojourn into the Forest of Sages, where she left the blade there for reasons she can no longer remember.

Years ago, Rena found the blade in the forest when she trained. She was never quite sure where it comes from… it did help her out of difficult challenges in the Forest… but after she got out… that thing… kinda lost its charm on her.

"Lock it up." Rena handed the great sword to Xing ke. "Put it somewhere out of my mind and sight, I got better things to do."

"As you wish." At first, Xing Ke simply put it in the storage. Out of sight. Out of mind. And then… after several bureaucratic mismanagement, several rearrangement, misplacement… it gathered dust in Qin Shih Huang's armory… everyone think little of it…

until today.

Kira's blood sank into the core of the Great Sword… and it realized… it finally reached the hand of the one it was meant for.

The great sword cracked from inside out. Kage at first panicked, thinking the strain was too much for the blade… but he quickly realized what crumbled was an outer shell. What he thought a blade was just a sheath… broken from the inside out… for what has lain dormant within it for 8 years… had finally woke up.

Veins of purple energy erupted from within… and the casing shattered… revealing… another blade.

The Blade.

Sleeker. Leaner. Beautiful. Plain and unornamented… but… it's a long broadsword unlike any other.

It's magic.

He can feel it. It doesn't feel evil. But it's furious.

Good. He's pretty furious himself.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGHHH!" His furious roar carried the fury of five others.

In the hands of its true master, the awakened sword, forged from the gifts and blessings of old friend and allies, easily nullified whatever dark witchcraft protecting the last Necromancer, and the blade sliced through the abomination down. Severing both its unholy life… and the corruption it spreads. Down to its very core. The heart beats one last time… before it vanished.

The bale light from the Necromancer's eyes vanished… the monster briefly regained its life as a human… before realizing that life… and his body… had been cut down like the animal it is… before it slid off the stump, down to the ground… before tumbling into the open gap of the torn train, and then into the bottomless pit down below.

Kage panted and gasped… he's still having a hard time perceiving if it's over. He looked at the now dead stump… he looked at the empty space… where the heart of darkness used to beat… there's nothing now… only void. Only silence.

With the understanding that it's the end, he looked at how he ended it. The sword. This sword. A black bladed sword. The shape was unique. At first glance, it looked like your average long broad sword with a hollow center… but a careful observation on the blade will reveal it's actually a pair of katana forged back to back, with hamon decorating both edges… and the tip, where the two halves of the katana were fused had been sharpened to a piercing point… but… it doesn't look like a bastardization… it's a single whole. East and west fused together into a sword unlike anything Kira had ever seen in his life. And… the color of the blade is as black as night… unlike any steel… quite in fact, it doesn't look like steel. The texture felt closer to an ivory… and yet it felt so much denser than metal. Kira had never seen a sword like this before, yet there's this sense of familiarity.

And the grip was perfect. Not too large, not too big… the weight of the sword is heavy, but enough for him. The length was just right… as far as comfort goes, this fits his hand a lot better than Shiki… all due respect to the katana that served him so well so far. But this… Every aspect of this sword… felt like it was made for him and only him…

Air mellon.

"…?" The word just came to his mind. He just knew what it meant. Air mellon. Elfish for Old friend. Someone he had not seen for a long time… but… where…? And with it came… a name… "Faidwen. That is your name…? Wait… How did I… know…? Wait… Faidwen…?" That word is in Txxe Lxxxxxxe. Something in him tell him he shouldn't throw that name around so easily. Then he'll just have to settle with the literal human translation: "…Freedom." Bluish white energy pulsed across the veins of the black blade, now officially christened by its rightful owner.

"Captain!"

Kage gasped back to reality when he heard the call. He looked around… the Gorillas… he had enough time to spot them leaving after picking up the last of their wounded, jumping out through the giant gaping hole, back into their forest… he looked across this yawning gap… and he saw the troopers waving at him. Calling him.

With the Heart of Darkness gone, the corruption is rotting away. The same corruption that barely kept this whole thing together… the sinews that kept the two halves of the shattered train are rotting… when these things snap… the two halves will part.

Quick check: Jess and Kaite are on the other side, safe. The 7 troopers… alive… their expressions are in suspended disbelief. Last survivors. And minutes ago they were ready to die. No… wait… shouldn't there be 8 of them…?

Kage looked around… and saw the 8th… that messenger trooper lying limp and unconscious with her back on the floor. Rygart is at her side, slapping her awake.

"R… Rygart?"

"Captain!?" Rygart gasped. "AAAAAHH! YOUR FACE!"

"That bad huh?" Kage sighed. He still doesn't know just how bad his face was mangled, but judging by THIS reaction… "How did you get here?"

"Thrown away by the explosion, lost consciousness, woke up, walk around, arrived here, and then this." Rygart slapped the messenger girl awake. "Hey… hey… wake up!"

The girl woke up and the first thing she saw, was at first Rygart's concerned face… and next… unfortunately… was the half burnt face of the captain. "WHAAA! OH NO! NO, NO, NO! YOU'VE TURNED INTO A ZOMBIE TOO! NOOO!" In panic, she was reaching for her gun.

"Easy! EASY! I'm alive!" Kage backed down and raised his hands.

The Messenger gasped… and realized that is the captain. Alive… but severely burnt. "Captain! CAPTAIN! Your face!"

"Yeah. Yeah." Again, this response. "Must be quite an improvement. Talk about it later. We've won. We have to go."

The Captain said all this in 5 seconds… she only caught 'won' and 'go'. And that is enough. She saw mutated lifeless flesh rotting away to nothingness… and she realized time is short. "Okay. Okay…"

Thing is… the messenger lost consciousness BEFORE the three misfiring shells tore through the whole train. So when she saw this gaping space between the two halves of the now severed train, her eyes went wide. "What the HELL did I miss? Did you save us from Zombies just so that General Imelia can kill us for this!?"

"I promise I'll defend you in the tribunal. We have to go. Now."

By go, the Messenger and Rygart realized the captain meant to jump from this half to that half before the last of the connecting tendon rotted away. "H… How? I mean… did you see the distance!?"

"I've jumped further." Placing the blade Freedom on his back, he motioned the two to come closer. "Hold on to me! Both of you!"

The Messenger and Rygart looked at each other and they nodded. Rygart hold on to the captain shoulder to shoulder, the messenger girl hugged his other arm tight. They moved closer to the edge. Kage breathed in and breathed out faster, gathering strength…

"Wait!" The messenger girl shouted… before she grabbed Kage's face and kissed him by the mask, right around the lips. "Good luck."

"Okay." No time to worry. "In 3… 2…"

The moment Kage said 1… several things happened all at once.

1: the last tendon that connected the two severed halves of the Qin Shih Huang finally snapped.

2: blood finally burst out of Kage's nostrils and lips… his injuries, held back for so long by Guts, finally reared back with a vengeance… and this happened just as his leg was about to leapt to Shunshin off the edge.

And 3: the main engine of the forward Locomotive, no longer reinforced by the corruption of black magic… finally reached critical mass… and explode. The great explosion instantly consumed the first two cars, and the fire reached the third… just as Kage jumped.

All these happened… producing one result:

Kage jumped away from the explosion just in time… but the blast disrupted him, the shockwave hit him full, compounding the scathing pain of his head injury… he lost consciousness mid air… and there's not enough momentum to carry him, and his two passengers, through.

The survivors reached out desperately to catch the captain… but the furthest fingers missed him by the millimeters. "NO!" The trooper who owned said fingers screeched in horror.

Kage, Rygart, and the messenger fell off the speeding train, down…

…into the abyss…

00000000000000

00000000000000

By now, Athrun's anger had greatly abated after understanding the Guardians circumstances.

"Multitudes of charms and enchantments had been embedded unto these relics." Godric used his sword as an example. "It made them virtually indestructible. But what we didn't know; was that it was also designed to gradually erase our memories regarding Master Noir as we carry them round. We've completely forgotten all about him by the second year after our… appointment."

"So… how come you're starting to remember it now? What triggered it?"

"There are failsafes. But chief among them… is that if one of the Guardians were compromised. And how we can be compromised…? That is… if our relic was compromised by someone other than the original owner of these memories… or if the Relic holding them were somehow damaged or destroyed… and most importantly… when one of us had made contact; actual, physical contact, with Judge Noir himself, even though she may not know who that person is."

"…ohh… my God…" Rosso collapsed to his chair in horror. "That's how you knew Lacus was still alive. You remembered. Because… you know she had remembered. And because… she had made contact with Judge Noir. Actual, physical contact."

"It was an inevitability." Fayt mourned. "…Lacus sis was never the same. She kept looking for him… even after she no longer even remembered anything about him."

"The process is gradual but once started, it cannot be reversed. We began to remember… bit by bit… it's like… a trickle which quickly turned into a flood… And thus now we know. Who we were, what we were meant to be… and who it was meant for."

Rosso furrowed his temple. "…now I understand the situation… so… who's the last Guardian? Where's the last memory? What's the last relic?"

"…we don't know." Godric answer earned another puzzled look from Rosso.

"That is why we came to you." Rowena followed. "…Lord Ray Yuki never told anyone where he kept the last memory piece. A final safety measure, I suppose. But we don't even know what object he used to store it. We thought… seeing you are Master Noir's greatest and closest partner… we thought…"

"You thought I would be the last Guardian." True, Athrun would fit the bill perfectly. And the fact he himself didn't know about it make him an even better protector. "That thought is not wrong… but… if I'm protecting an important piece of my friend's mind for the last 8 years… I would know. But… truth be known, in this last 8 years I've been through a lot of scuffles. There had been many occasions where I got blasted to bits and whatnot… me and anything attached to me. Most of the times, I survived… but my belongings… there's nothing left. I don't care how powerful those relics are, if it had stomached what I've stomached this last 8 years, it would've been either lost or destroyed by now."

"We believe you." Rowena rubbed her chin in keen observation of the Judge.

"Oh?"

"See this?" Rowena demonstrated this by moving her diadem close to Godric's sword and Salazar's locket. When they got close, the dark matter adorning the gem began to shine. "It reacted when it's close to one another. We don't feel it in you, so we know from the beginning you may not be a Guardian. But… you ARE master Ray Yuki's student, just like he was… do you not have some idea, of what it might be?"

Athrun would love to answer this riddle… but… "…please… indulge me… could you all leave me alone for the moment… there's… much I have to ponder. I will send for you when I have my answer… it shouldn't be long."

The kind Judge had been listening to their story for hours. And it is no simple tale, what they just told him. Yes, of course they owed him that much.

0000000-8 years earlier-0000000

Epilogue 1:

Aftermath

The Bladebanes from Gamoff were left aghast as they saw their master missing more than half of his body, hanging lifelessly in a tube filled with amniotic fluid. The physicians that cared for him were at lost. Veia was no stranger of losing portions of his body, but this was the first time he… could not bounce back.

"I've seen far worse damage done on logia. All kinds of injuries, some that even Logia had trouble recovering from. And I can't even begin to understand what's been done to his Lordship." One of the Physicians replied when he was pressed for answers. "At first glance it looked like he just got sliced clean… but we checked the area of injury and it's like… it's just… gone. Like they were never there. And the body just didn't WANT to fix itself up."

"There must be something you can do!" A silver haired Junior Bladebane roared in anguish! "Are you telling me our master must spend the rest of his life with half a body!?"

"Calm down, Yzak. At least I'm not dead!" Despite his condition, Veia grinned ear to ear inside his tank.

How such an incident didn't cause the whole of Zaft to go up in arms? Easy. Because the still very much alive Veia himself had declared that he held no ill will to what had happened to him. He held no one in Februarius to be responsible. In fact, if anything… he's the one who's apologizing.

"My worst half had been causing everyone no end of trouble. And just the other day… that monster was about to do something that can never be taken back." Veia said this personally to a group of three people: representatives from the Nobility, the Royal Court, and the Church. "If I can make amends by just losing half of my body, then I'd say that's a bargain."

"You are a pillar of this great nation, Lord Veia!" A representative from the Church spoke up. "We cannot just let the culprit get away!?"

"Get away!?" Veia burst in a chuckle. "Get Away!? You weaklings talk as if you can do anything! He just stopped my worst half from destroying an entire continent by blowing up a comet, and then he did this to me! What makes you think any of you can do anything to him, even if you can find him!?"

The representative paled. He had a point… anyone who can do this to one of the strongest Hakutenkuns in history must be a monster among monsters.

Veia snorted. "No need to lose sleep. He won't be around for quite a while."

"W… what do you mean by that, My Lord?"

Veia scoffed. "What I meant is: we have time. Time to prepare. To get our act together and fix things."

"F… Fix…?"

At that stuttering answer, Veia instantly boiled in rage. "WHAT'S WITH THAT HALF HEARTED ANSWER YOU DROOLING HALFWITS!? DID YOU SERIOUSLY THINK THIS NATION IS IN GOOD STATE!?" He angrily bashed the tube from within, cracking it, much to everyone's shock. In anger, he pointed at the Church Representative. "You. Tell that fat baboon you call the Pope. Stop that stupid xenophobic sermon he kept throwing to Februarius. We both know it was just empty rhetoric to boost his dwindling popularity. We don't have time for that SHIT right now! This nation had enough enemies as is with the alliance attacking from every corner. In case you haven't noticed, Februarius is a gateway to ANOTHER WORLD. A world with their own nations and people. Worse… that's the nation that was once our foe in another war! We beat them, yes. I beat them, yes. But back then, we don't have Alliance gunning our backs! He keep that shit up and we'll be fighting war on two fronts! And get his church in order!"

Next, he pointed at the Representative of the Royal Court. "Tell that brat the Emperor to get his lazy ass off the throne and look at what's happening to this country! Februarius may not mean much as vacation continent, but that is the source of our magical advancement! You know? Magic? That thing that gave us Zaft Knights an edge against Alliance guns!? And that continent is STARVING right now! Ray's been doing all he can. His students had been doing all they can… WHAT THE FUCK HAVE YOU DONE LATELY!?"

The Bladebane guards flanking Veia's tube winced and snorted. Only Goud Veia, the Immortal Hakutenkun can get away with calling the Pope AND the Emperor in such a derogatory way. And not because he's a Hakutenkun… it's because he is Goud Veia. He personally helped George of Glenn founded this nation, and he still care for it even now. The voice that says that he should assume the Crimson Throne and become the Emperor himself had been raised more than once. But Veia silenced them. He's a warrior through and through. Always have been, always will be. That's why he chose to remain a Hakutenkun for 200 years. Even so, everyone knew. As the other founding patriarch of this country, even the Emperor will not ignore his voice.

The two representatives from the Church and the Royal Court had received quite an earful from Veia. The representative of the Nobles knew he'll be next and braced himself. But as soon as Veia's finger pointed at him…

"And as for you-"

"Lord Veia."

"I'm BUS… Ga~aaah!?" Veia choked when he found his finger is pointing… at a certain pink haired princess, smirking cutely as she waved her tiny hands at him.

Lacus smiled widely watching the Hakutenkun is at a loss for words. "Heya, milord!"

Veia dumbstruck expression quickly turned into amusement. "O~ohh… you had to wait until half of my body gets disintegrated before you remove the silent treatment. Cute behavior aside, you're pretty harsh, milady."

"That's right! I really know how to hold a grudge." Lacus smiled. And then she unveiled something for Veia's viewing pleasure.

His helmet. Restored.

"I just want peace. Hate is corrosive, and I don't like it."

Veia smiled happily. Of all the princesses he had met in his life, this the one he never wanted as an enemy. Glad to see this little sad sorry episode is over, at last.

Then she looked at the Representative of the Noble. "Now… let me guess what were you going to say to this poor man right here before I so rudely interrupted you. You were going to say: STOP COMING TO FEBRUARIUS JUST TO GET FATTER YOU LAZY OAFS!"

That last part came as a bark so terrifyingly strict and firm, the three grownups jumped in shock. That's not a voice they'd expect to hear from a child!?

"Februarius are famed as the go to place for the idle rich to have their dream vacation. We thrived on this industry, and our economy boomed. It's a winter wonderland. Places where dreams and fantasy became real! For decades this has been true." Lacus frowned. "…but all we're doing… is fooling ourselves. We get complacent with our fake prosperity. And in so doing, we buried our true potential beneath the fats of the idle rich." Lacus glared at the representatives. "Well… no more."

"Oh?"

Lacus unfurled a scroll. "This just been brought out into the Senatorium today. And it was approved. Read it and weep you three." She handed the scroll to the Representatives.

When they read it, their eyes widened in disbelief. Veia tilted his head, after all, he's still in a tube and he's in the wrong angle to see the content. "Umm…"

"Long story short." Lacus came to the rescue. "…Februarius had decided to close off its borders and went into a self imposed isolation for the next 5 years."

"Oh?"

Earlier that morning, in the Senatorium…

Balthazar himself, as the chosen representative of the Februarius, came before the Senatorium. With a booming voice, he spoke. He detailed the incident that occurred which end up with Veia losing half of his body. Most of what he said were the things most people already know, with the addition of a bit more: the food issue, the Unicorn slaughter, the bombings, the child abduction… however… the story is heavily altered. For one thing, everyone agreed to remove any mention of the Church or Noir being involved in it. And that means the whole Super Soldier issue must also be quietly swept under the rug.

"Telling them about the Paladins is tantamount to us picking a fight with the Church. If Noir is still with us, I wouldn't mind. But can you tell me that you can fight one of the largest institutions in this country with our current state being as it is?" On this point, everyone agreed. The blame was then given to the many, many criminals who invested Februarius. When Noir came, they were terrified. And indeed, the Judge did cleaned house. In a grudge, they performed the various terrifying accidents in their attempt to push the Judge out. But it was a bad call. In so doing, they've angered too many parties, especially the one from the other side. The situation had gotten so bad, they were that perilously close towards Veia's doomsday scenario, where the Empire will be forced to fight enemies on two fronts.

But ultimately, Balthazar stressed that this was not anyone's fault. This was their own. Criminals made use of Februarius weak system and infiltrated the place so thoroughly, the country was rotting from the inside. To recover from this… a simple band aid or reconstruction will not do. Februarius needs to have a face lift. A drastic change unlike anything that had ever been attempted before. This change will be dangerous. And for that reason, the people of Februarius unanimously agreed… the entire continent will be closed off for 5 years.

"As far as Magic concerned, the Magia Colegia in the capital is more than sufficient to provide you with all the magical assistance that you'll need in the war against the Alliance. But Februarius' issue is not something that can be fixed quickly. It's do or die. We either change this down to its very foundations, cut the cancer at its very root or we die."

"What… exactly are you going to do to Februarius, Marshall?"

"At this point… with everything that has happened, secrecy is paramount." Balthazar took a deep breath. "I will detail the full extent of our plans with his Majesty alone."

"WHAT?" "The INSOLENCE!?" "KNOW YOUR PLACE-!"

"SILENCE!" The Steward of the Senatorium beat his gavel and the chamber was instantly silenced. A messenger had just come in and whispered in his ear. The Steward looked at Balthazar questioningly, and then he nodded.

"His majesty the Emperor understood the importance of this problem. Considering the critical significance of Februarius to our nation as a whole, by the grace of the Emperor, Balthazar Slytherin, you are hereby allowed to present your case to his Highness in a private audience."

The Senatorium gasped in awe. Balthazar hastily bowed to his knees. "I'm at his majesty's service."

Balthazar was swiftly escorted by the Royal Guards into a special isolated chamber. For hours he did not come out again. But when he did came out, he did so with a scroll sealed with a certain sigil to show everyone the decision is now beyond contestation.

Februarius will be closed off from the rest of the Empire for 5 years.

"5 years… I see…" Veia nodded. "That's… interesting. And I suppose you're not gonna tell me what you guys are up to?"

Lacus covered her mouth tight. "It's a secret. You'll just have to wait. 5 years from now."

"Oh no. I might have to wait a lot longer than that. I'm not sure I can go anywhere like this."

"Uh-uh. That church guy said one thing right. It would not do for Goud Veia, pillar of this nation, to hang around in a tube with half a body."

"Oh? You're going to fix me, Lacus-chan?"

"No. Even with my skills, this is beyond me." Lacus turned away. "…so I brought someone who definitely can."

A figure came to view. Veia didn't recognize this man, but Lacus quickly made his credential known:

"Lord Veia… please say hi… to my Shishou."

And once Veia picked up his jaw, the only thing he can say is: "Hi."

Later that evening…

Lacus' so called Shishou spent only a few hours with the bisected Hakutenkun. But by the time he left, Veia is still half a body… but… now there's a spine growing, if only slowly. They projected full body regeneration in 3 months. After that, it's just the matter of physical and psychological recovery.

But this was trivia compared to what everyone was quick to notice.

Veia never did recover completely from this ordeal. Lady Lacus' Master may had treated his injuries immaculately, but the once invincible Hakutenkun had lost a lion's share of his original strength. He's slower, less agile, and weaker. He's still a terrifying force in the battlefield, still the Immortal hero of Zaft, still leading the charge at the front… But he was no longer able to show the same level of might that he had displayed in Februarius ever again. His Hyomonken techniques are still potent, but they're but a shadow of what they once were. In fact, Veia was no longer able to use some techniques, like his infamous Steam Heart, among other things. If before Veia won't allow even bullets to graze him… now, his Immortality became attributed to his constant regeneration, as he no longer (able to) dodge attacks as well as before. Veia had become diminished - permanently.

Then again, there is a bigger issue than his diminished strength. His episodic switch of personality became increasingly erratic and frequent, especially during fierce battles. While this was carefully monitored, and precautions had been taken so that, insofar, the largest casualties caused by these episodes were from the enemy, but each and every occurrence of this insanity is still distressing, especially to those closest to Veia.

Curiously, it was Veia himself who was able to take all this in his stride. In fact, many claimed that Veia was a greatly changed man after this incident. His students claimed their usually distant and aloof Master suddenly became a more outgoing and open person. He had become more… alive.

The most obvious proof of this was when Februarius was reopened five years after the incident, as promised.

Veia was amongst the first in line who wished to enter the 'new and improved' continent. Along with him were various Nobles who were Februarius most famed clientele as well as concerned citizens, numbering in hundreds. The first signs that things were different were the fact they were forced to sign a waiver before entering the continent. Everyone was so impatient to enter Februarius, all but one signed without reading what's in it…

…most of these people would immediately rush back home for fear of their lives by the afternoon.

The lucky ones managed to get away with only a serious psychological trauma or a few infectious scratches. Some lost a limb or two. And very few were sent home in bodybags. An Emissary of The Februarius was called to answer for these incidents. When he arrived… everyone was shocked. When he first entered the Senatorium, everyone thought some kind of human shaped monster had walked into the chamber. This emissary is a hulking heavily scarred wild man, wearing fur and pelts from some kind beast, with taut muscular body more at place on a body builder than a Mage. After a brief and gruff introduction, the Emissary began explaining what had happened.

Februarius had undergone a drastic change in those 5 years. It began with the magical repeal of the Three Laws. With the aid of the Elves, the Law was nullified. And then, after the Unicorn incident, a natural preserve for Unicorn was to be made on the other side. As this requires no small amount of space, that also meant that some of the existing ecosystem needs to be cleared out, resulting in a lot of magical creatures and beasts will be forced to flee after losing their habitat. Februarius, or rather, Gateway City offered to open up the gateway and allowed some of the more… dangerous breed of these creatures to enter. The Other Side after all, is filled with strange creatures beyond count, some are so dangerous, both sides had taken active steps to make sure these creatures cannot be allowed to cross worlds… until now. Careful preparations were thus made: mass evacuation, reinforced bunkers, and stockpiles of food supply. Those who are unwilling to participate in this are free to leave. But those who leave were reminded that if they do so… the Old Februarius will no longer exist to welcome them if they choose to return one day. Thankfully, most of the citizen opted to stay, providing enough manpower for what lies ahead.

Once this was completed, the Gate was opened wide. A veritable flood of monsters and beasts the likes of which would make one chilled to the bone were allowed entry: Acromantula, Manticore, Chimera, Deviljho, Zinogre, even monsters the other side can't even figure the heads or tail of… For one full year, the citizens of Februarius hide in well prepared bunkers and watched as these monsters destroyed everything they knew, before making a lair atop the ruins of their old home. And as they watched and waited… they also prepare. Gryfindor, Ravenclaw, Slytherin and Hufflepuff trained the citizens of Februarius for one full year in preparation for the next phase. At first year's end, the fully trained and armed Februarius citizens re-emerged and thus began a 2 year long hunting season/fight for survival… The Bunkers became makeshift fortresses as the fight grinds on… but only for a while. From the very beginning, there's only enough food supply in their bunker for the first two years. To survive in this new Februarius, they have to fight, they have to hunt, and they have to kill… so that they can eat. This is the answer the Februarians come up with to solve the food and health issue that plagued the country without outside help, as the humans must now acquire all the nutrients they needed from the monsters they have to hunt. Children who had been taught only how to swing wands must now also learn how to kill their prey… with their bare hands if needs be. Because some of these monsters, as many will painfully learn, are so tough, they were impervious to all but the most destructive magic. This they must now learn rapidly… as they must also learn very quickly how to withstand the now lethally cold weather.

Those who cannot adapt will die, as there are no longer any three laws that can protect them, and the cold snow will now freeze unwary souls in all its true cold ruthlessness. Thankfully, this only happened to the unprepared few, or when something wholly unexpected occurred. After almost 2 years of upheaval, the final 2 years saw an establishment of the new ecosystem in Februarius. Beginning with the destruction of Gateway City, and stabilized with the completion of 5 new human settlements across the now monster invested continent, each a fortified Fortress cities designed to weather an environment where humans are no longer the Apex Predator. By then the Februarians have learned to live with monsters, to coexist in a kill or be killed environment with Monsters.

The Waiver that those ignorant nobles had ignored the first time explained the fact that Februarius is no longer the Winter Wonderland, the place closest to Heaven where the filthy rich can go to get even fatter… It's now a harsh, merciless Winter MONSTER-land where you WILL go to actual heaven if you are weak and unprepared. The Waiver declared that whoever signed it understand this fact and will not hold Februarius responsible for any… misfortune that may befall the ignorant. The flat dispassionate manner in which the Februarius emissary explained all this also reflected the new mentality adopted by the Februarians. If before the old Februarians were deemed by many as overly friendly and even meek… now they are rough, stubborn, and, if one isn't careful, can accidentally, and literally, break fingers when shaking hands. Thankfully, they're not humorless or cruel. If one were to spend some time paying attention to one of the five Fortress Cities that dotted the continent, one can still find traces of the old Februarius still around. For example, massive food portions in restaurants is still the standard, and it still had some form of entertainment industry… because only in Februarius one can know what it feels like to ride a Gryphon up in the sky.

Oh, and Crime Lords seeking hidden asylum in Februarius is still welcome by the way. Just not in any one of the five major settlements that dotted the continent – the only truly safe places in the entire monster infested continent. If they want to find a place to hide, they'll do it outside these settlements. But no one will bat an eye if they ended up being a lunch to some of the really scary ACTUAL monsters that now roamed the land.

And safety, despite the environmental hazard being higher than ever, is actually well enforced. One can easily see this in the civilian sector, where keen observer will be welcomed with the sight of children laughing cheerfully in the streets as they play around with an infant Manticore, or attending classrooms to submit their literature homework and then study physics and arithmetic with fairies flying overhead. Despite their now hardened nature and the harsh environment they must now live in, the Februarians insisted it is even more important that their children must also learn what it means to have a childhood. This was a promise they owed to a certain someone, of which Februarius owed a huge debt.

At first, only one person cheered at this. That person was among the first to enter Februarius… and he actually read the waiver… But he was so happy; he had spent a week in the deepest, most violent parts of the continent, chasing, and being chased, by the most nightmarish monsters he can find. When he returned, he was like a child who just gotten an early Christmas Present, and he immediately declared this Continent as his favorite place in the entire Empire. This time for real! Barely a few days later, he brought his entire classroom of Senior Bladebanes and Water Knight aspirants, have them signed the waiver, took away all their weapons and equipments, and then dumped them shivering and half naked in the depths of a monster invested wilderness for a week, during peak hunting season no less. Such was Goud Veia's idea of a Summer Camp.

Toughened by conditions far worse than any continent in the Empire, the knights that survived this Camp would go on to become some of the strongest and toughest Elemental Knights of their generation – after they recover from the damage inflicted that is: Yzak Joule (whose mother sued Veia for the Psychological Trauma her son must first recover from), Dearka Elthman (who dearly regretted stowing away at Veia's ship for a joyride), Shiho Hahnenfuss (who's now wary of any form of fish dish after a disastrous food poisoning accident), and Viral Nikopol (who developed fear of flowers after a pretty traumatic experience courtesy of hallucinogenic pollen), to name a few. Soon, others followed in his footsteps, and before the year's end, it became compulsory for an Elemental Knight aspirant to spend a full solitary week in Februarius' harsh environment as the final step towards their inauguration.

Knight recruiters from all across the empire are now rushing in to acquire the icy flowers of Februarius' youth, as their hardy toughened youth are now famed for their strength, endurance, and well honed killer instincts, to say nothing of the fact they all invariably had magical talents as well, all qualities that would make them Elemental Knights unlike anything that came before. Alliance forces soon reported a spike in casualties when this new stronger generation of Elemental knights made their debut on the field, easily identifiable by their new penchant of arming and adorning themselves with equipments made of exotic materials: the trophies from their kills.

And that's how it was concluded. Februarius value to the Zaft shot up fivefold, enough that even the Church was actively prevented by those in power from voicing any form of criticism for years to come, not even to level their latest accusation regarding a certain 'bombing' incident they claimed was done by a mage and very nearly killed his Holiness (not that it matters as said Pope passed away to natural causes a year into the isolation period). The whole of the Empire was far too overjoyed with the invaluable contribution the New Februarius had given to the war effort to care about any form religious intolerance. In an ironic twist, Februarius ended up providing Zaft with what the Church had been prevented to create: stronger, tougher class of warriors. Still far off from rivaling Orb's Samurais, but definitely a far cry better than what the Elemental Knights were before. And for this boon, nationwide aid came pouring in on its own, paving the way for Februarius to become one of the most prominent and prosperous continent in Zaft.

And the peace between humans and Alpheians hold… in fact, if anything, they've become stronger than ever. And this time, Veia need not to be around to make sure it last. Not that he could, even if he wanted to. His reputation in Februarius had taken a hit. He understand that when he returned for the last time in Februarius. In the 3 years that followed after his final departure from Februarius up until his death, he never returned to the Winter Continent ever again… but those 3 years was cherished by those closest to him as the happiest days in the Hakutenkun's life.

But that is a story for much later… one that Lacus and Veia could not have known yet.

"And I thought you were amazing. But that… That was a privilege to witness."

"My Shishou can put together a boy that was half frozen to death. Fixing someone who had 3/4 of his body Dimensionally Disintegrated is… quite easy. His words. I don't even know what that means."

"Neither do I. Your shishou, he already left? I wasn't conscious for a while there and I wish to thank him."

"My Shishou is a very busy man. He charged me to watch over you now. After which I'm to return back to the academy and finish my training." If that's her teacher, then that explains why this little girl is a much more competent physician than any physician he had ever seen. Speaking of which…

"…Lacus…"

"It was that messenger who mistook my sister for me. Not you." Lacus sighed. "I'm just upset she cut off her hair. I liked that hair. But if you still insist-"

"If I've learnt anything, young lady… the way of the Sword is not something you can force unto someone." Veia nodded. "Being a physician suits you more. In fact, truth be known… the reason I want peace with you is because… I need your help. As physician… and a mage."

"I'm listening."

"I didn't spend my days in Februarius just trotting around in Hawaiian shirt atop a freezing summit for no reason. You understand that, right?"

"I don't know. You seem to be having a lot of fun doing it."

"I am. But… that's beside the point. I was… trying my hands on magic invention. I know it was never my thing… but after 200 years… you're bound to pick up a few tricks. And as we know, the atmosphere in Februarius was quite ideal for that. And… against all odds… I did manage to make one. A new Magic spell."

"I'm sensing a problem."

"The theory is solid, and the initial results were very promising. I've even tried it myself. We're a step away on making it a permanent addition to Water Knight Curricula… But I… had my doubts." Veia admitted. "I need your expert opinion. Both as a doctor and a mage. My primary concern is the possible side effect this spell might have to a human body."

"Alright. Give me the data. What was this new spell called?"

Veia turned to one of his honor guards. "Marco, grab every research data we have gathered on Frostheart Hydromorphosis."

What followed after that, as everyone say, was public history. Veia cancelled the whole new spell project, put the research under lock and key, threw the key into the proverbial abyss, and banned it from ever being mentioned again. 3 months later, in a party celebrating the recovery of his body and limbs, Veia made it clear once again that he wanted everyone to consider this spell never existed.

0000000-8 years later-0000000

"Milady Veda…"

"…Seravee… you know why I asked to be locked up here? In this cell? Peace and quiet!"

"My humblest apologies, milady Veda."

She chuckled. "…how did it go, Seravee… no… Tieria."

"You finally remembered."

"Yes. As do the other Paladins by now, I'm sure." Lacus looked around. To ignorant bystanders, she looked like she was talking to no one. Assuming they can hear anything. "So… how did it go?"

"…it is fine, milady. The 13th… they've retreated from Shanghai en masse. Leaving just a few. I'm not among them. Simca had already begun manufacturing the antidote… but… she was being very… selective… in distributing them. In any rate, I foresee no problem. The 13th had had enough of the 7th, for now. And the fact we're speaking means I'm approaching your location. But not fast enough. It'll take some time, there's something wrong with the train. I suspect it has something to do with what my colleagues had been trying to do to Master Noir. But… I did not expect that Blacklist Captain… I'm not sure I understand what's going on, milady."

"Neither did I, but I'm not too worried about him, at the moment." Lacus tilted her head. "I don't know what happened. But I'm quite sure somehow… someway… Noir… no, Kage… Kage had something to do with it."

"So… leave him alone?"

"If you can. Keep me informed… Inquisitor."

"I will… and… I do apologize for my violence… I hope I did not strike you too harshly during that interrogation."

"You did exactly as required of you, Inquisitor Tieria." Lacus smirked. "…where are the other Paladins?"

"Already in position. They all await your command."

"Alright then… connect us. Use the Nadleeh."

"As you command." In a secret place, Tieria nodded. "Regene… come." Runic circle appeared around the bespectacled man. And then behind him, an apparition of another person emerged. The apparition had identical face to his, but different gender. "Nadleeh expanded. We are connected, milady."

"…all Paladins. This is Veda. Report."

"This is Cherudim, Lockon Stratos, reporting for duty." Neil Dylandy smiled.

"This is Exia, Setsuna F. Seisei, reporting for duty." Setsuna replied.

"This is Seravee, Tieria Erde, reporting for duty." Tieria Erde, still in his 13th Division Inquisitor garb, replied.

No one else answered. "Men… this sure feels surreal." Neil rubbed his head. "8 years not remembering anything, and then suddenly… BAM! All this?"

"It's alright, isn't it? There's not much we can remember before those 8 years anyway."

"Please maintain decorum! Even if we are still undercover, we are in the presence of Lady Veda!"

"Chill, Tieria. It's good to see everyone."

"But… if we remember… than does that mean…?"

"Yes." Lacus replied. "The Guardians. They have all awakened. I've triggered it, when I met Noir again in Junius."

"The other Paladins will be coming as well, milady."

"Obviously." Lacus smiled. "We are now on a path that can no longer be reversed. Noir's return… is in sight."

The Paladins smiled in agreement.

8 years ago, Noir saved their lives. Pulled their mind from oblivion and woke them. Sadly, 8 years ago, of the 8 Paladins Noir rescued, with the exception of the one still awake, Noir only had enough strength to bring out 4 of them. The remaining 3 were awoken after the carnage had ended. And by then, they never had the chance to repay this life debt.

Only Lacus… the only Guardian who constantly searched for their missing savior, the only person who never let go of him… can relate to their plight. Just like her, even though the Paladins also had their memories wiped, they were able to resist some of it. And while they cannot remember who their savior is, they at least had the instinctive awareness of the bond he shared with Lacus. And so… they served her. And Lacus, ever the brilliant genius she is, carefully spread them across the globe as sleeper agents, HER sleeper agents, at strategic positions and rank across a multitude of institutions, to be awakened at the appointed time… the time when their master… their savior is about to return. The idea was that they would remain the extensions of her will, should she fail. Which she kinda almost did.

"Such a momentous occasion… and yet… so few of us here…" Tieria mourned.

"They all had their assignments, no?" Setsuna replied. While some Paladins are positioned here in the Alliance, some were placed in Orb, the rest remained in Zaft. But just like their Lady Veda, Lacus Clyne, the Paladins are all devoted to him. Drawn to him. It wasn't a coincidence that two Paladins composed the rank of the 7th division's Juppongatana, a division that Kage lead.

"But… if my restored memory serves me right… what about Allelujah? He went undercover ahead of us all, 5 years ago!" Setsuna asked. "But then he's gone dark, we never knew where he went."

"Allelujah was a bit of a unique case." Lacus explained. "He's indebted to Noir as much as the rest of you. More so, in fact. But… he also had his own issues to deal with. So… I let him go freelance. I let him do as he wished with his new life. He earned it. You all owe it to him. He's the first one who pledged his service to Noir in return for him saving all of you. Let him have his leeway."

"Hear hear!" Neil nodded.

"But… at this critical moment, surely at least he must felt the call-"

"If you're worried, I'll have you know he actually contacted me first… alerting me of his presence." Lacus smiled. "Luckily, by then, half of my memories had returned. Just before he left, he assured he will try to make contact with the Captain."

"He will!?" Tieria and Neil was quite shocked. "Wait… milady, you're saying he's already HERE?"

"Yes. Him… and… one other."

00000000

On the severed half of the Qin Shih Huang…

"No." The Medic tried her best to restrain the flustered Trooper.

"Let me go! I can't just let it go like this!"

"We'll find a way! But first you need to calm down!"

"…he's right there! He's right there, right in front of us! He didn't remember us. He couldn't remember us, but he's right there! He's right there, Marie!"

"I know… I know." 6th Division Chief Medical officer Sergeant Marie Parfacy tried to calm her beloved and placed her arms around him. "But you're too emotional right now, Allelujah. Lord Noir wouldn't approve of you endangering yourself to save him. Not like this."

"I… I…" 10th division Senior Master Sergeant Allelujah Haptism took a few deep breaths… and he barely managed to calm down. So many things happening… and his fingers missed Master Noir by the inches! Inches! "…I'm sorry… you're right… of course. It's just… we've been through a lot… I worked in this place for 5 years, those guys were my friends… I watched them all die just because these maniacs wanted to please their manchild of a boss and tried to kill our boss…"

Marie chortled.

"What?"

"Lady Lacus would be so happy to hear you say that. You, making friends with Naturals."

Allelujah blushed. "…but she won't be happy when she heard what happened to Master Noir…"

"I think… the best thing to do right now… is to return back and make sure we report this directly to Lady Lacus. I'm sure her memory and everyone else's had fully returned at this point. Even if we want to mount a rescue, the Forest of Sages is not a place you can just search around with nothing but zeal, even if you brought in the whole army. Report back to Lady Lacus, rendezvous with the other Paladins which I'm sure have re-awakened by now… then we'll all figure out what to do next."

"…I guess we have no other choice."

"At least we can take solace knowing we've managed to hand over the Blade to its rightful owner. In the event Lord Noir… no… It's Captain Kage now… on the pretty good chance Captain Kage survived this fall… he'll be trapped in a place where he'll need that Blade, I'm sure of it."

00000000

"Allelujah will come to us, as soon as he had the chance. And I must say… I liked his position at the moment. Very strategic. Other Paladins too are already well placed as they are. So I pray you return to your post and maintain your vigilance as you had before." In her mind, Lacus' conference with the other Paladins took form in a white space, not dissimilar with Astral Space, with their images floating around her.

"Yeah… about that…!" Neil raised a finger. "All due respect… but… you've all seen what Noir had become now, right? I mean… to say he's gone off to the deep end is an understatement of the century-"

"What is this? You're having second thoughts?" Tieria barked in anger. "You question our lady? Planning on betraying HE who had given us all our lives? Our soul!?"

"Whoa, whoa… chill! Chill! Don't get me wrong, Tieria. Even before I got my memory back, I already LIKED this current version. I still like it! Half murderous and half psychotic be damned, he's still a fun guy to be with on a personal level. And he's like this even with half a mind. I'm looking forward to see him in fully reloaded as much as the next Paladin… which is what I'm trying to say." Neil snorted. "Can we still call ourselves Paladins? Just saying, that name feels strangely out of context now."

"Of all the silliest things…" Tieria slapped his face.

"You know, Neil made a good point." Lacus was also chuckling. "Calling yourselves Paladins at this point seems ridiculously bizarre, even for me."

"MILADY!?"

Lacus smiled. "The Paladins were a name created to satisfy the ego of some overzealous religious institution. They wanted to create an all-powerful monster using inhumane method, and they try to justify it by labeling it with some self righteous sounding name like Paladin. But names don't make a Knight. Righteousness is in the right action. After Februarius began their isolation, some of you stayed and protected the citizen during a period of hardship. Now they called you Paladins not because of what the Church told them to call you. They called you Paladins, because you've earned it."

"Awww… shucks Milady, you're making me blush." Neil grinned.

"Still…considering what we must do in the coming days, we can no longer be Paladins." Lacus smiled. "…So we'll be just like him. We stick to the shadows. Kept ourselves in the shadows so that truth will not be buried by the Light. From here on out, we are no longer Paladins."

"From here on out… We… are the Dark Knights."

000000000000

Epilogue 2

Rosso's Conclusion

Athrun stood calmly in a certain room.

He never hated becoming a Judge… even though it cost him his innocence and faith. But if there's one thing he dislike of this life… it's this room.

It's empty. But… he recognized the interior. Recognized what it's supposed to be used for.

"…the question is… why is it empty?" Athrun growled, knowing he's not alone. "They've told me quite a tale." Rosso sighed. "…but… it was obvious to me… that some things they just don't know. Because… while Noir may had told them truthfully… he… didn't tell them everything. For mercy's sake, I suppose?"

"…"

"But I'm a Judge. I'm trained to see and perceive far beyond what the commoners can see. I was trained by the best." Rosso looked on angrily. "…this story seems trying… so hard… to pin everything to the Church. But… there are others… other player in the shadows… and you know where Noir likes to lurk. In the shadows."

0000000-8 years earlier-0000000

Ray Yuki was no stranger to assassination attempts. In battlefield or in alleyways… or even in his own office.

That's what he first thought when he arrived at his office in Judge HQ Aprillus in the middle of the night and saw the light was on. Papers and files strewn across the floor… someone came in and had the balls to ransack his room. HIS room, of all places.

His warrior instinct told him all he needed to know… the culprit had yet to leave this room. "I hope you understand now that you've messed the wrong office… belonging to the last person on Earth whose table you want to ransack."

He placed his hand on his sword… narrowing his gaze to a shadowed corner of his office, namely, his own desk.

"Turn around and face me."

"…as you wish."

Ray's eyes widened as he recognized that voice. "…Noir!?"

Noir turned around and face his master, as requested… but… there's something different now. His mask was gone, all the better to reveal his now fierce and dark eyes. To say nothing of his murderous expression. That's a look he would normally reserve to his enemies… not his father figure…

"…your enmity with Grand Master Balthazar began because you've misused his invention… the Pensieve. In all honesty… I care little about it. You two are grown ups, you ought to solve your issues yourselves. But…"

Noir gritted his teeth beneath his mask. "There were… signs… too many signs. You thought you didn't leave behind any trace… But I've been trained to snuff them out of thin air. But… I don't want to believe it so I turned a blind eye. But…"

Noir tossed something at Ray's feet… a piece of stone… to most, that's all it is… but Ray recognized it. It's a piece of a Pensieve.

"There were only three Pensieves ever created. One was made by the Inventor, and he kept it. Two others were made by you. One we all know is here… in Judge HQ. The other is SUPPOSEDLY in Judge forward base in Boaz… So… care to explain why I found THAT Pensieve in a secret Super Soldier Lab beneath the Church Necropolis, which they have used to brainwash and alter the Paladin's minds!?"

Just seeing this and Ray was left completely speechless at how far his student had come. "That so called bombing incident in the Holy See… Noir, that was you!?" He was both in awe… and in horror. "Noir, I told you not to overdo it-"

"WHY!?" Noir roared. "…because you don't want me to find out that YOU were the one who funded and directed the Paladin Project!?" That's what he found in the Basilica Archive. "–teaching them how to extract and implant minds into their Paladins, driving them insane!?" The fury he felt at the epiphany when he saw scores of Pensieve Memory pearls containing the wisdoms of retired Judges in the Paladin's Cryo Chambers… "Or… or that YOU were also the one who's been upholding the Church's information cordon on Februarius – providing them with 'raw material' from the desperate populace of Februarius for their human experiments!?" Who else had that kind of resources?

Ray stood silent at the accusation.

"The Paladin project is all about creating the body." Noir growled. "But all they succeeded in creating are just super powered brutes. Physical strength and high magical aptitudes… but that was not enough. A Super Soldier must be superior in body and mind. What was it that you always said? Mind is the hardest thing to grow. While body only takes time and patience and diligence. And so for this, you brutally trained the minds of the Judges with the Circle… while the Paladin project focused on improving the body. You have, after all… prepared the Minds… you've created the Judges. So that when the time comes… when the Paladin Project had perfected the process of body improvements… the Judges will take that next step… All those minds, all those memories, all those WISDOM you have collected with the Pensieve. Whatever on earth we used them for, I always asked myself. Improved mind and improved body will unite to create the perfect Super Soldier YOU envisioned. That's what the Pensieve for. No… that's what the CIRCLE is all about. That's all it ever is! It's not about justice or the law or anything… it's a factory to crank up super minds for super soldiers."

Yet again, Ray didn't say anything. But that, in Noir's eyes, is already tantamount to a confession.

"How many children have you sacrificed…!? You were going to sacrifice one whole continent… And for what!? A stronger warrior to fight in your war!?"

"…I don't want to hear that from a child who had never even seen real war."

Ray's cold reply stunned Noir.

"…in case you have forgotten, our Empire is at war. 64 years. 64 bloody years now. Noir, have you ever seen the great furnace in Boaz? It was specially constructed 20 years ago… when Boaz was flooded with so much dead; the living was nearly choked by them. In the 5 minutes it took for us to have this conversation, at least a hundred bodies are being chucked into its fiery maw. Sacrificing Februarius? I had sacrificed so many more… so much more… too many good people had died for this. And I refuse to believe they had died for nothing!"

Noir couldn't believe his eyes and his ears. "…Judges must never compromise. They must never choose… they must never weight lives… That's what you've been teaching us… that's what you've been teaching me! Y… You were lying!? This whole damn time, you were lying to me!?" Who is this person!? Is this really the hero he aspire to be? This… this monster is his father figure!?

"Hell's week should've taught you this much. Ideals had a way of betraying you in the end. Don't project heroes unto people. Heroes don't exist. Even if they did, I'm not one of them. But you could be."

"…!"

"I've lied… to so many people, even you. I'll confess that much. But… At the very least… what I've taught you is not a lie. I gave you skills and wisdom, I gave you the strength of mind and the force of will… because I really don't want you to become like me… I want you to be better, Kira. And you could be better!"

"And this is your idea of being better!?" Contrary to what Ray may expect, Kira was even more repulsed. "What happened to you… what happened to us all!? Is this how we're going to justify all this? Lesser evil, greater good!?"

"…" Ray said nothing, but his cold eyes were unmoved.

"No." Kira shook his head. "No… not like this. This… I cannot… I will NOT be a part of this."

"What could you be a part of? Turn your back on me now, and you'll be alone."

"…you want me to be better? Let me show you better."

And he slammed something to the table… and at that precise moment…

The room shook. An explosion occurred somewhere in this building. Ray instinctively turned to look at where it came from. Judging by the direction of the explosion, he knew right away where the explosion occurred. And he immediately deduced the culprit. But when he turned to face him… to his shock… Kira was gone.

But his message was loud and clear… as he had left behind his resignation.

His badge…

Just then, a series of paced footsteps came approaching. A panicked Judge opened the door to address him. "Boss! Big Boss! We have explosion! Someone just blew up the-"

"The Pensieve chamber… yes?"

"Ye… How… uhh…" The Judge deflated. Ray Yuki is the Supreme Judge. Of course he knows. "…the Librarium is secure. The Memoriam is untouched. But… the Pensieve… destroyed. It's inferno down there…"

"…I see. Keep the fire contained. If we only lose that, that's fine."

"I… Yes, Boss."

"Also… contact Archives." Ray tucked his head down. "Operant Code: ZGMF-X10A is officially M.I.A."

"ZGMF-X10-" The Judge paused a bit in recognition. "Wait… Judge NOIR is… M.I.-"

Ray silenced her with a glare.

The Judge dare not say another word. "Yes, boss! Right away!" And she rushed out of the door hastily.

And once he's alone… Ray's cold face finally broke down in that instant… into an expression of pure sorrow and regret. He knew right then and there…

He had lost his most beloved son for good.

0000000-8 years earlier-0000000

Canaver, the Judge who received the order that day still remembered Ray's words to this day. "…he made me swear… to never say a word. Even to the very end."

Athrun was amazed that at this point, he did not scream in rage. But he can just about imagine Kira's horrified face. Everything he believed, everything he fought for… all of them… shattered. Then Athrun immediately realized why he was strangely unmoved. Because he knew what it felt like. That sense of betrayal. When he found out the rot that had festered so deeply in the Church he once so believed, the revelation drove him half mad. When Operation Whiteout went full swing, he was at the forefront, hunting corrupt clergymen with an ironically almost religious zeal.

Hammer of the Holy Men. That's what they call him now. Well… the Church anyway. And he hated what he had done to have earned this… He get this, because the people of the Church likened his rage to that of the relish the Order of Blue Cosmos had indulged during the Holocaust.

But he regretted nothing.

"Even if all the Pensieve hadn't been destroyed, we haven't had the need to brainwash any Judges over the last 8 years." Canaver spoke. "A new regulation was made. The Wardens were trained to handle harder cases to lessen the burden on Judges. In fact, Judges are only allowed field action under special cases. Nowadays, full time Field Judges like you are mercifully rare; a Judge's role had been reduced to largely counseling capacity. Providing insight for the Wardens. Also… I've enforced age restrictions."

Athrun looked at Canaver's regretful face. "I don't want to see any more broken children." It was then Canaver brought up something to Athrun's attention. "I've waited 8 years to hand this over to you."

At first glance, Athrun noted, it looked like a black… staff?

"Lord Yuki created two things… as his final gifts to you both. One was a blueprint to a… sword. He handed it to Lacus, who knew people who can make it a reality. The other… He crafted it just for you… with some input from your mother."

"My Mother!?" Hearing that, Athrun hastily reached out for the staff, but Canaver pulled it back. "They were right."

"Pardon?"

"The Guardians. They were right. You were always meant to be one of them. A guardian of Noir's memories." Canaver glanced at the black pole arm in her hand. "…but this one… this one is special. And… I have to warn you… you might not like what you'll see."

"…?" Carefully and slowly, Athrun grabbed the Pole Arm… and once he did…

Memories flushed into his mind. Noir's final memory.

00000008 years earlier0000000

"…it is done, then."

"You knew. All this time." Noir grunted.

"Obviously."

"And you did nothing. You!"

"I've done something. I've told the only one with the strength and will to take actions against it." Zero made his presence known. "I've told you… bringing everything back to one solves nothing. Not for this country. Not for this world."

"Yes… you did." Kira and Zero exchanged looks. Real face to masked face. And Kira caved in first. "…you were right. You were right. This country is broken. Rotten. Even the one place I thought striving the most to fix it is also a lie. Striving to keep things as they were… keeping the illusion that there's something worth preserving… just to make the intent of not wanting anything to change… it's not enough."

"What are you going to do now? Destroy the Circle? You could, you know. Knowing what you knew now… you could destroy the Circle to the ground."

"And what good will that do? Destroy the Circle, and I'll just make a mess that lasted a while. After which some other self righteous institution will simply takes its place. It's not enough. An institution… a nation… NOTHING!" Kira darkly looked at Zero. "What do you want me to do?"

"What are you prepared to do, my friend? Are you ready to turn against everything you hold dear? Forsake all your principles? Damned everyone you once loved in the process? Those who loved you. Who respected you. Your friends. Your partner. Your Princess…?"

It took a bit a while for Kira to answer that question… "No. Not yet."

"…yet?"

"Noir cannot do it. Because… try as he might… this… lingering sentiment he still have… it'll get in the way." Kira sighed. "Noir is a product of the Circle's failures. Tied too deeply to its dogmas. He'll never be able to be thorough. No… we need to tear it down. Tear it ALL down. Till there's nothing left. Everything that makes me Noir, everything lord Ray Yuki had instilled within me, all his indoctrinations, all his credos and memes, principles, ideals… ALL OF IT! Burn it down. Burn. Until there's nothing left… Nothing but Hate."

Zero easily deduced what Kira had planned. "You've destroyed the Pensieves."

"There's still one more. I can use that." Kira looked on at the city of Aprillus. "Noir must be destroyed. Only then…"

The city he grew up in. It's all quiet and shiny… hiding the rot down below.

Imagine it burning in braziers.

"Only then can Kira Yamato destroy everything with nothing holding me back."

0000000-8 years later-0000000

Clang!

A hyperventilating Athrun dropped the black staff in sheer horror. "W… What the hell did I just saw…!?"

The horrified teen looked at Canaver with a pale expression.

"That… is the reason why I've kept this from you for the last 8 years."

"…!"

"I have no idea when or where Zero had sunk his claws unto Noir's soul. And for how long… but the two of you met him before; the first time you went to Februarius, and as you say, both of you dismissed him… but somewhere after that, or before that… when you're not watching… Noir had made contact with him… and this-"

"THAT'S BULLSHIT!" Athrun roared. "Even if he did, Kira would never do that!"

"You saw it as well as I do. This is HIS memory. You cannot falsify its content or modify its outcome… what you see is what really happened."

Athrun felt faint. His greatest fears, his worst nightmare… just came true… "…what… do you want me to do…?"

"I want you to understand. I didn't tell the Guardians about this for obvious reasons, but… they WILL try to return those memories back to its original owner. They still believed that a Hero will be reborn. They didn't realize yet… that they will unleash a monster."

This is no laughing matter. This is the nightmare of all nightmares. Three years worth of experience of Noir… the greatest Judge of the Circle. The Judge who had seen it all, done it all. For three years, he had amassed knowledge and information… secrets… unspoken stories that can topple entire dynasties. Weakness and data on the most dangerous and critical of Bloodline limits… pressure points that can bring down the whole empire! All this had made Noir horrifying enough as an ally. Have him as a foe so hellbent on their destruction… even the disasters Kage had been dropping on them will look like child's play!

"…Lady Canaver… I'll ask again… what exactly do you want ME to do…? Why did you REALLY bring the Guardians here…!?"

Canaver sighed. "What are you prepared to do… Athrun Zala? No… Rosso, the Relentless?"

Athrun easily deduced why Canaver brought them all here… why they brought him here. "…killing them won't solve anything. Besides… I've seen Kira. I've seen him in the flesh. Talked to him! He's at peace! He would never do it!"

"And yet, Lacus Clyne had made contact with him. And if I read the situation just right… both are in Alliance custody. To say this is a catastrophe is the understatement of the century!"

"Destroy it then." Athrun growled. "Destroy the memories! All of it! We'll make sure Noir will never resurface and leave Kira alone!"

"…I've had that staff with me for 8 years. Which, in essence, made me a Guardian too. I never get brainwashed, so I know what's in it. And ever since I knew what's in it… I've spent the last 8 years… trying to destroy it. Trying to prevent a tragedy. It didn't work." Canaver sighed in despair. "Layers upon layers of protective spells were woven into those relics. Spells and enchantments far beyond the scope of men: Tareldar, Alicorn, Dwarfs, Treants and… I still can't believe it: DJINN! Any one of those enchantments from any one of those species already made it quite unbreakable! Noir had earned the favor of these species and they gladly aid him."

"Then throw it away! Seal it! Have the Guardians bury it deep, never speak it again!"

"I've tried that too. I learned it the hard way. I threw that staff into the ocean one time and a merchant bound for Orb picked it up. I managed to swipe it away at the last second. Try to bury it… it kept coming back to my person… or someone else's… a passerby… a random stranger… anyone who will get these relics even a single step closer to their true master. The same thing with the Guardians! That's also why I would never consider the idea of killing them, to do so will simply release the Relics from their watch and unleashed them upon the world! Their existence isn't so much as to protect those relics as to keep it from falling into the wrongs hands who will then ignorantly hand down the secrets of destruction to its owner. The enchantments placed upon these Relics are extremely powerful, and they're all bound to a single directive: they want to be found. They want to reunite with their rightful owner."

Athrun tucked his head down.

And think.

00000000000000

In an undisclosed location…

Deep within the heart of Judge forward base in Boaz, is a dark, lightless room with a round table placed at the center.

The Round table had 13 chairs. There's not much difference between one chair to another, but the grandest was placed right at the center, a crimson chair.

Each one of these chairs seated a Magister Judge. One to represent the continent they administer. Januarius, Februarius, Marius, Aprillus, Maius, Julius, Augustus, Septembra, Oktobrist, Novembrius, Decembrus… Owing to the state of Junius, there's no representative seat. And in case of Aprillus, the current Capital of Zaft, there are three chairs.

The largest chair is reserved for the Supreme Judge, previously held by the legendary Ray Yuki, now that seat was taken by his former right hand woman, Eileen Canaver. Flanking this seat, are two uniquely colored chairs. Colored in black on the left and magenta red on the right respectively.

The mounting dust on the chairs' surface signified how long they had remain empty… but no one ever spoke a word about these seats. No one was allowed to. But they all know who they belonged to. The left and right hands of the Supreme Judge.

For 8 years… these two seats had remained vacant. And no one was ever allowed to sit there.

Today was no different.

All Magister Judges had been called from their respective continents. They have heard the summons. They have to been called to war. Something that has never been done before. But the Judges were hardly surprised. The Circle was created by Ray Yuki to train the brightest minds in the Empire to nurture them into the finest strategic weapon. With that said, the Judges were always meant to be used in war. Thus now, they were granted military rank, above that of Elemental Knights.

Eileen Canaver had sent for an emergency summons. And all 10 Judges had answered.

All 10 out of 13 seats had now been filled.

"Greetings Judge Weiss. It's been a while."

"How's Augustus, Judge Verde?"

"Boringly peaceful. For now."

"By, and by, how's that case with the skewered pig, Judge Azul?"

"Open and shut case. I can't believe the Warden needs my help for THAT."

It's the usual banter. But… a boring one by now. There was a time these banters were of grave importance. Judges exchanging insight and experience on cases they had solved to unravel the mystery of present unsolved cases. But… by now, it lost its charm. Cases that require such exchange of information became rare. And chatting about solved cases now became nothing more than casual pastime.

"This is ridiculous." A Judge raised a voice. He wears a yellow mask.

"Something you wish to say, Judge Amber?"

"We're not being called here to chat." He growled. "You've seen that announcement. We're being called here to go to war! Don't you think you should take it more seriously!?"

"We understand, Amber." A purple Masked Judge replied. "…but fretting about it isn't gonna change anything!"

Before anyone can reply, the door to the dark room was opened. The ray of bright light that shined from the opening drew everyone's attention and silenced all chatter.

"I see we've all assembled." Canaver made her presence known. As the Supreme Judge, she's the only one in that room not wearing a mask. She kept the door opened and let the light shined as she took her seat. Everyone tidied themselves and looked at her.

"…now then. I understand, there has been some concern and perhaps confusion over the last order we've received. Allow me to clarify once more: All Judges will now have the military Authority equivalent to a Senior Elemental Knight and thus they are expected to perform military services as befits this rank. Effective immediately."

"Does that mean… we have to fight like one?" A Brown masked Judge asked. "…not all of us are fighters."

"And why not!?" The Purple Masked Judge replied in excitement. "This is a good chance!"

"Chance for what? Getting killed?"

"Silence." Everyone went silent. Cannaver shook her head in exasperation. "Listen. Whatever you feel about this decision is irrelevant. But most of you still had no idea what it's like. Yes, the curricula of the Circle also involved various practical military applications… but not many of you had ever seen war. Those who have… well… either they moved on… or they're no longer physically fit for field duty."

Some of the Judges did sport prosthetic limb.

"Wait… then Boss lady… what are you saying? That we can't fight-"

"Yes." Cannaver nodded. "You know what it's like to see evil in the eye and did not budge. You've been trained to never let fear blunt your mind into indecision. But War? That's way beyond those things. Good and evil. There's no clear line you can see in the fog of war. Most of you are Third Generation. And if I may say so bluntly, I've raised you in peace time. You need help. More help than I can give you right now."

"Help?" Judge Azul snarled. "We're cleaning up the Empire's stupid messes at daily basis and you say we need help? Didn't realize our situation was that dire."

"More than you realize." Canaver glared Azul into silence.

Any further comment was cut short when they all heard the clanking of armored footsteps approaching from behind Canaver's seat.

A figure appeared first as a silhouette from the light flooded door. It was a blur, but the man's shape became more defined as he got closer.

All Judges immediately recognized that… red magenta cloak… that halberd… that faceless angular mask…

"I'll say again. You're the brightest minds of this generation, but you were born in peace time. We're at War. And if I must send you all into its infernal fray… we will need the help from someone who was born in war time. Someone who is Judge, Jury… and Warrior."

CLONK!

The Judge planted his halberd until it sank to the ground before he took his long vacant and dusty crimson seat, at the right hand side of the Supreme Judge.

"Ladies and Gentlemen… please welcome back… our long lost comrade… Rosso the Relentless."

No voice can be heard in that room for quite a while…

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Final Epilogue

After Kage split him in half, the Necromancer fell to his doom, his body quickly disintegrated into dust before it could even land. A consequence of dabbling with the foulcraft of black magic.

But when Kage and two passengers fell… neither of them had dabbled in anything foul whatsoever… so their body remained intact… even as it fell down into the river.

The shock of the impact loosened his grip on his two companions, and allowed them to regain consciousness. But the Captain… even the splash of cold water was not enough… so severe was his exhaustion.

The two quickly regained their bearings, quickly communicating with brief hand signals, each quickly grabbed one of the Captain's arms. Rygart took better care as he's holding the Captain's sword arm. Even unconscious, he still gripped the sword tight. Together they swim upward, avoiding the falling debris from the destroyed train as they went.

It's not as easy as described, and they nearly drown several times. By the time they finally reached the shore, they were almost out of breath.

The two dropped the unconscious Captain to the shore.

"Haa… Haa… I'm… Haa… never… haaa… gonna do that… again… Haa…" Rygart gasped.

"The Captain… the Captain is he…?" The Messenger Girl scampered over the captain. Dear God, the damage to his face… some part of his mask was fused to his half melted skin… But… he's breathing. Water quickly spilled out of his mouth when he coughed. The Girl was relieved beyond all measure.

But that relief quickly turned to horror when she realized…

…they're not alone.

A figure stood before them with weapon drawn…

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Extra:

Kira woke up in a jerk, startling Zero.

"You're back. You went very deep this time. What happened?"

"I saw… a glimpse. Of a past. One that connects us to this future." Kira rubbed his head with his armored hand.

"…what did you see?"

"I see the root of this future… had already been predetermined by this past." Kira sighed as he pushed himself up from his seat. "Come. We have much work to do in the present."

Kira and Zero went out of the camp to gaze upon the assembled army…

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If anyone wondered which one's smarter, Noir or Kage… let's put it this way. Noir, is Kira's build focused solely on intelligence due to his limited physical strength. By comparison, Kage is Kira's build focused on direct combat. Kage is Noir that had lost all of his experience, but he still retains his basic (incredibly high) intelligence. So, hypothetically, if an adult Noir is to play chess with an Adult Kage, all things being equal, Noir would win. Conversely, if Noir, even armed with Titanbane, were to fight Kage in a fist fight, Noir would lose.

And as for Veia… well… Yeah. The Veia that appeared in the first arc… someone once said he's weakest of all Hakutenkun… well… yes. I had to agree. He's too weak. So… this arc is to explain… why.

Anyway. That's that. I'm so not going to make another arc with this format again. With three time crossed storylines going in tandem in a single arc. It's too stressful, and too much work.

On a more serious note…

In short:

Something IRL had come up.

Let's just say, this Covid-19 pandemic affected us all, directly and indirectly. In my case… it was indirect, but the effect was… quite bad. Many fans PM me, worrying about my health. I'm grateful. Just like the Future Kira, I'm here to tell you guys, I'm not dying. But suffice to say… I may, or may not, will be having some difficulties in the foreseeable future. Not even sure how long before I can upload anything.

So for readers… loyal fans who bear the long wait for me this far. Please bear it a bit more. I've just uploaded an entire 8 chapter arc in one go to complete this arc. It shows my commitment, my enjoyment of this big world I've created in this literature… But… understand I need to have my commitments straight – I need to refocus my attention on my real life, which will be facing a rather tumultuous period. I need to find stability and balance. And once I've felt I have achieved that… I will continue. Because I want to.

But for now, please, be patient. And I'll see you again. Someday.

Good luck, and stay safe.

And since I don't want this to sound like a message of despair, I will leave this… with hope.

TRAILER:

When Kira woke up, it took him a while to register the pain.

"Aaah, meu bravo amigo! So good to finally make your acquaintance!" Ed beamed a smile. "I thought you wouldn't make it!"

"How long have you been in this forest?"

"Weeks? Months? It's getting harder and harder to tell, alas."

"This place… for some reason it won't let us go. We're trapped here… with them."

"Them?"

The base was soon bombarded to oblivion. The troopers ran in terror.

"We have two blacklist captains with us. What could possibly stand in our way?" Rygart laughed.

"You're scaring me, meu novo amigo. You're one of the most fearless men I've ever met, and anything that can scare you is not something I think I'll like."

"We're not just trapped in space. We're trapped in time. Just like them."

"For us… it's a historical event that happened thousands of years ago."

"For them… it was yesterday."

Kage and Ed drew their swords…

"I'm talking about these guys… when they're at the most pissed off moment of their lives!"

Next Arc:

Deep in the darkness of the forest of Sages… hundreds of beam sabers lit up. At least one for every Samurai that wielded them…

Warriors Out of Time

…to say nothing of the iron giants looming behind them.

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