The three kings walked through the large doors of Illyria's council room.
Daryl arranged a meeting today with all of the members of the capital's council regarding the appearance of Aiden and the attacks of the 'demons.'
Safe to say the atmosphere of the room was tense. A few of the council members feeling anxious for how this topic would go.
Ky, Leo, and Daryl took their assigned seats at the middle of a wooden table. Giving the three kings the trait of facing all of the members.
"Your majesties, we are all glad that you made it here today" A male council member stood up from his seat and bowed to the three kings, the rest of the members following suit.
The table for the members was a reverse crescent wooden shaped table that also gave it's users the trait of directly facing whoever they were conversing with.
"Well since we're all here we can officially get started" The man declared as he sat back down, the rest of the members following suit
"So based on your report files from the attacks that went down last night, a bunch of rift openings started to suddenly appear throughout the Eastern section of the kingdom, correct?" One of them asked.
Ky choose to be the one to answer the member's question "Yes, we immediately responded to this by sending down various squads of our knights to the locations. Along with me, Leo, and Dr.Paradigm joining in for additional help"
The man nodded in understanding "Then later on you all came across those hostile monsters that wielded large scythe's, but were all quickly neutralized thanks to our mysterious savior that appeared the same day, is that true your majesty?"
Ky nodded "Yes, that's correct. At first we were confused as to why a young man was aiding our knights in battle. Though I wasn't suspicious as his help prevented any severe casualties from happening."
Hopeful murmuring went on with some of the council members.
The 1st let out a small breath of releif to the members positive response. Hopefully this would create a feeling of comfort for the young man in the near future.
Ky knew that Aiden would soon have to meet with the council and he wanted his guest to at least feel like he is being welcomed here.
The main member cleared his throat, quickly bringing the room to it's serious silence.
"That is refreshing to hear about Lord Ky, in the past years whenever a sudden being comes out a rift opening it usually goes with them threatening to harm the world. Glad to know that this isn't the case" The man let out a chuckle of relief
"My thoughts exactly!" Leo added with a proud smile
"If I may cut in on this..." A female member announced, the main member giving her the nod to go on "...How is his attitude exactly?While everyone here is relieved to hear about his heroic intervention, we have concerned feelings about his personality."
The three kings knew what she meant. Illyria was and will be eternally grateful for Sol's heroics in the past, even though he hates seeing it that way. But there is no denying that his lone-wolf attitude gave all of Illyria's council a negative view on any warriors the kingdom housed in.
"I can assure all of you that he is not a crude young man" Daryl spoke up bringing all of the attention to him.
"I'll admit, his emo hairstyle gave me the impression that he was either rudely blunt or just an arrogant fighter. But those impressions were quickly diminished when he bowed to us after we thanked him. Not because we were the kings of this kingdom, but because he accepts our gratitude"
All of the members listened to the 3rd king with their utmost attention.
"And if that isn't enough to convince all of you that he doesn't have a foul attitude, then perhaps his words will do the trick." Darly said with a smirk.
"And what were his words?"
Darly let out a soft chuckle before giving his answer "I may have been a big help, but the strong fighting spirit of the knights and me teaming up with Leo helped in the elimination of those monsters. And for that, they should also receive a large amount of gratitude as well. Those words right there, were his"
Leo's smirk widened whilst Ky formed a soft smile to Aiden's humble words.
The council members murmured in relief and surprise to the humbleness the young man showed to the three kings.
"I hope that is enough to satisfy your question?" Daryl questioned
The female member smiled softly "It does your majesty" She placed a hand on her chest as she gave the 3rd king a curt bow "Thank you for the information"
Leo's magicom rung, all the attention now brung onto himself.
"Forgive me, but I need to take this. It's most likely an urgent call" Leo bowed apologetically as he stood up from his seat and exited the room.
"Shall we proceed while Mr.Whitefang is taking care of his work?"
"That would be fine" Ky answered with a nod
...
Leo pressed his index finger to the magicomm once the doors behind him closed "Mrs.Rage, I hope this isn't a good morning call"
["I apologize if I interrupted your work, but I just wanted to inform you that I have just met with our mysterious guest"]
If Leo was drinking a beverage then he would've immediately spitted it all over the castle's well furnished floor.
"I beg you pardon!?"
Millia was slightly taken back by the 2nd king's response ["I hope I didn't cause any inconveniences to your work"]
Leo quickly shook his head and recovered his boisterous tone "You caused no such thing! I just didn't expect him to meet with you this quickly"
Leo heard an amused hum on from Millia ["Well I was bound to meet him sooner or later. And I can say that I am glad that he's leaving me with a good impression. He's well mannered, humble, and has rather a gentle attitude. Even if he gets a bit flustered whenever he's interacting with another person"]
Leo let out a amused laugh "Well I am certainly glad that your quickly taking a liking to him, Mrs.Rage. Though knowing your past affiliation, I'm certain that your suspicions about him are high"
["You guessed correctly. He may have a gentle air around him, but I sense a darkness outside of him. A feeling that I believe he's hiding from us, or so my paranoia thinks"]
"If that's true then perhaps he's afraid on showing it. Remember, there are some 'certain' individuals that hide their true abilities for the fear of accidentally harming the people around them" Leo explained to the former assassin, who hummed in understanding.
["You prove a good point. Alright, I won't waste any more of your time and let you resume your work. I once again apologize for interrupting. Have a good day, Mr.Whitefang"]
Leo let out a frustrated sigh as the former assassin ended the call "There goes the introduction plan..."
...
Back at the hotel:
Aiden was currently playing a relaxing riff on his guitar as he was sitting on his bed, his thoughts overrun about this whole ordeal.
It has been one day since he was dropped into the future and has so far been quickly taking a liking to the city he's currently residing in.
Still it baffled the young man as to how medieval looking the kingdom was, despite it being in the future. Half of the vehicles he's seen didn't match the futuristic look. The electric powered 'horse' carriages that he's seen had a blend of the past with the functions of the future. He had to admit that the design was ingenious to fit the look of the kingdom, but he'd also admit that they look absolutely ridiculous.
"Can't believe the people here are taking those steps to represent their home" He internally chuckled.
Still, Aiden was nervous about how skeptical the kings and the top ranking members of P.W.A.B were of him. He's always been aware that not everyone knew that demons actually existed, let alone Hell itself. But that didn't mean the feeling of solitude infected him every once and a while.
"Don't stress yourself too much over this, Aiden. It'll take some time before they're fully able to comprehend your current situation" Eva explained to Aiden in order to mitigate his growing worry.
"I know. I just don't want to feel like I'm a threat to them."
"That's the problem, Aiden. You're letting their perspectives weigh you down. While me and my wife are aware that it's been a while since you fully interacted with other people, you cannot let this entire situation destroy your purpose" His foster father explained to Aiden.
The young man exhaled lightly, his fingers pulling away from the guitar strings. His head elevating so his reddish-brown eyes could stare at the room's wall.
What his eyes were currently seeing didn't matter. What was going on in his mind did.
Ever since that day, his social life forever changed. He didn't interact with other people as openly as he did, and it was thanks to his newly developed fear of trying to build or establish a relationship.
That fear caused him to become an introvert outside of demon hunting. Once he finished a demon extermination, he would head into whatever place he called a 'safe haven,' and practice whatever guitar riffs his mind begged for him to play. Or spend a lot of time with his foster parents.
But when it was requirement for him to interact with another human being, that's when he would put on whatever facade was necessary and get what he needed.
And now here he was, an entire century and a half into the future where he had to build a fully interactive relation with the city's rulers.
This time, there wasn't a way for him to avoid them.
A knock on the door brings the young man back to reality. He places the instrument to the side and walked to the door, knowing who it was on the other side.
"Aiden, whatever happens, you can always count on me and my husband having your back." Eva notified her adopted son as he stood in front of the door. She could feel his hesitance in opening it and facing the outside world.
"I know. And I wouldn't trade it for anything."
Aiden powered through his worry and opened it, greeted by Ky sending him a curt bow.
"Forgive me if I was interrupting anything important."
"It's alright, I wasn't doing anything vital at the moment" The young assured the 1st king with a small smile.
"That's relieving to hear, so shall head to my office?"
He nodded "Wait for a second so I can get my coat"
Aiden closed the door and quickly snatched his coat that was hanging on a chair. He put it on and exited his room, Ky waiting for him as he patiently stood next to his door.
"I'm ready now"
"Good, my personal carriage will take us to the castle. Though we can take a short stroll on foot so you can familiarize yourself to the city" Ky offered to the young man.
"I am honored to hear that, but I want to see head to your office first, I am curious as to how this castle looks like" Aiden answered as he politely rejected the offer.
Ky nodded in understanding "Fine by me. Alright, let's head out now"
...
Ky served a hot cup of tea to Aiden, who was sitting on a chair across from his study desk.
After arriving to the castle, Aiden had to try to subdue his urge to explore every inch of the place. He may have been a well mannered young man, but there were times he would reveal a childlike action that he has suppressed deep inside of him.
The 1st king smiled softly to the young man as his eyes inspected every detail that the castle had. It made Ky feel a sense of nostalgia as he remembered how Elphelt's and Ramlethal's eyes were also filled with that childlike curiosity.
"I hope this tea is enough to suit your tastes" Ky said to the young man.
"I'm sure that it'll taste lovely" Aiden assured to the 1st king as he wrapped his thumb, index finger, and middle finger around the handle, sipping the hot liquid as he brought the cup to his lips.
"Good to see that you enjoy it" Ky said as he heard the satisfied sigh Aiden let out after gulping down the tea.
"Let's get started then shall we?"
Aiden put the tea cup on it's plate as he gave his undivided attention to the 1st king. The blonde knight ready to retell the era of the Crusades to the young man that got warped from the past.
"Back in the mid 2060's, the U.S. government started the mass production of these powerful creatures known as Gears, for the main purpose of using them for war. They succeed in conquering multiple lands across the globe along with their sworn allies"
"However that all changed when Justice was created during the mid 2070's. This being rebelled against it's creators as it was designed with the ability to control all of the Gears that existed. Using this ability, she created her army of various Gears and declared a World War against humanity. Thus marking the beginning of the Crusades..."
Ky went over the history of the war up until it's climax, ending with Justice being sealed off into a dimensional prison by the Holy Order. The monstrosity gone from the face of the Earth.
Sadly, that wouldn't be the last time the world would hear of Justice. 2-ish years later, a tournament that would be held that result in her release.
Luckily, a man named Sol Badguy defeated the malicious creation once and for all, saving the world from another attempt of total annihilation. Though, it was thanks to him being the original Gear and the wielder of the powerful fire known as the Flames of Corruption.
"...That era must've been the most nerve wrecking period for humanity" Aiden said after Ky finished his recap of the Crusades.
Ky nodded "It was. There so many people that I remembered saying that we had no hope of winning this war, I could understand where there were coming from. But if that was the case, then we refused to go down without a fight"
"I could imagine the rivers of tears that must've formed when they heard of Justice's defeat" The young man smiled slightly
Ky chuckled softly "Oh, you have no idea how right you are about that. We were...well I can't find the correct word to say this, but every single one of us were glad that this war has finally ended"
The 1st king looked out of his office window with a fond expression "Some of us even tried to refuse that her defeat was a reality. That it was all just a hallucination fabricated by our strongest desire."
"You must have some pretty epic war stories from that time, though I would like to know more about these Gears. Throughout this war there seems to be hardly any specific information about them" Aiden voiced out
"Well it was impossible for us to know anything about them since they were under Justice's control. But it was made even harder for any proper research to be made due to the majority of Gears getting slaughtered after the Crusades." Ky firmly explained with a slight bit of grimmness in his voice.
Sparda noticed the grimmness in Ky's tone. The old demon was curious as to why he sounded that way.
The 1st king glanced at the clock resting on left side of his desk. Seeing that he and Aiden have wasted a small chunk of time. "Forgive me for sounding rude on this, but I'll have to end our meeting so I can resume my work" Ky said to Aiden in an apologetic tone
"I understand Lord Ky. I presume I'll see you back here?"
"When the time calls for it?"
"In that case I will take my leave so you can finish your duties, your highness" Aiden bowed before exiting the office
Ky waved at the young man "Take care, and enjoy your stay in Illyria"
Aiden sent Ky a quick nod before walking out of the door, closing it behind him
A soft smile formed on the 1st king's as he saw Aiden out the do.
"Well Dr.Paradigm, it seems that your wish of him becoming an ally is coming to fruition" Ky said to himself as he began filling out the stack of paperwork.
...
Meanwhile, in a suburban neighborhood in London:
"Give that back you bloody ol' creep!!!" The British voice of Axl Low yelled out to a speeding hooded figure.
Currently he was chasing some creep who was currently carrying a guitar case containing Marlene, I-no's lifelong guitar
Axl could've guessed that this guy stole the instrument to pawn it off. He has heard rumors that various nasty individuals in the underworld and in the public scene were more than willing to pay top dollar for that specific instrument
But because he was one of I-no's very few friends (though she would never admit it casually) he wasn't going to let the only thing that remained of her disappear into the hands of some greedy jackass
If that were the case...
"Alright, let's give this another shot!"
Axl used his god-like ability to stop time itself as the crows that were currently perched on the nearby trees and lampposts froze within an instant. Sadly it didn't affect the thief as he kept on fleeing like nothing happened
"Oh, come on!!! Fine if you're gonna do this then I'll just have to catch you the good ol' fashioned way!"
Axl resumed time again, the nearby crows going on their previous activities like nothing unusual happened
The British man seized his running as he leaned himself against a nearby lamppost, panting as he was tired of chasing this guy
The thief glanced back at his panting pursuer, forming a triumphant grin as he kept on fleeing from him
But this was apart of Axl's plan, feigh his tiredness so the thief can keep on running, thinking that he successfully pulled off a robbery
Axl then got off the wall and teleportated himself to the rooftops of the houses, sprinting and jumping from rooftop to rooftop to shorten the distance
Axl saw a alleyway that cut to the left as he focused his eyesight in front of him. Forming a grin as he predicted that the thief will take that shortcut to ensure his escape
He teleported to the rooftop that was right next to the alleyway, his target quickly reaching his destination
"Come on. Come on you little bastard..."
The man quickly rounded to the left, entering the alleyway and falling into Axl's trap
The British man dropped down onto the thief, slamming his fist down onto his head as the man was knocked out against the small rocks below him
"I'll be taking this back" Axl said to the unconscious thief as he kneeled down to the guitar case, sighing in relief as he saw the guitar laid snuggly in it's place
He closed the case and carried it by the handle as he stood up, ready to teleport himself back ho-
"Get back here!!!"
All of a sudden, Axl got lifted into the air as a pair of clawed hands latched onto his sides.
Before he could even look as to who was gripping him, the British man got slammed against the roof of a car. The force of the slam severely denting the roof and breaking nearly all of its glass.
"Ugghhh..." Axl groaned in pain as he wasn't knocked out by the slam of his attacker, though a part of him wished that he was so he wouldn't be experiencing this aching pain
"I'll be taking this off your hands..."
Axl slowly turned his body sideways to see who attacked him, his eyesight was blurry but he could make out a tall white figure kneeling down to grab a black object that rested on the concrete road.
Axl's eyes widened as he just realized that he dropped the guitar case when the thing attacked him. He desperately got off the car but ended up falling down onto the road, his foolish mistake making his pain worse as he grunted loudly.
"You sure are desperate to get this back, Mr.Low. Well it pains me to say this, but you won't be seeing this personal relic for a while..."
The thief said as it disappeared into a shadowy spiral.
The British man looked puzzled as to how that thing knew his last name.
He quickly turned his head to the sound of police sirens, taking that as his cue to leave, he disappeared from a purple spiral with one thought on his mind:
"I-no is sooooo going to kill me in my sleep"