A hooded cloaked figure was currently running through a stone hallway that was covered in near pitch darkness, the only light source making his destination visible being the fire torches placed on the sides
The hunched figure was holding Marlene, I-no's powerful guitar. The one that he stole from Axl Low
The thief couldn't have felt more proud of himself for completing a robbery of a literal time traveler
"Years of staying here have paid off wonderfully..."
The figure's smile widened as he saw the end of the hallway coming closer, the main goal would officially be complete the second he reached the other side.
...
Ky was residing in his office of the castle as he was waiting for Leo and Daryl to arrive.
A couple of minutes ago, he called the other kings to meet him in his office to have a discussion regarding Aiden after the visit with his family.
His gaze turned to the near by window that was close to his desk. The 1st king took in the sights of seeing his people in various states of joy and happiness as they went on their day to day lives.
It pained his heart to know that this heartwarming sight would possibly be ruined by another attack of those demons. Though he had to remain optimistic as the kingdom officially had an ally that could prevent a catastrophic attack from happening.
Ky turned his head to the door as he heard someone knocking in, signifying that Leo and Daryl have arrived.
"You can come in!" He permitted
The door opened as Leo strode in with a prideful swagger and Daryl with a professional one.
"Good morning, Ky! We came here the second we were done with our work" Leo said to his friend as he sat in a chair in front of Ky's desk
"That's good to hear. Still it surprises me that the paperwork still didn't manage to end you" Ky teased with a smirk
Leo didn't respond offensively as he chuckled in amusement "Funny you say that. Aiden said something similar to me when I met him in Undine Park"
"Can't blame the young one for saying that. Your pride always tells us that one day, something as common as paperwork would be your number one weakness" Darly added with a chuckle of his own as he was sitting down on a chair as well
Leo shared out a heartly laugh in response to that statement "You have a point. Though speaking of Aiden... what was it specifically that you want to talk about him, Ky?" His face turned serious to the main reason for Ky's call
"That me and Aiden believe that the monsters from 2 nights ago arrived here via a nearby portal" Ky answered Leo's question with a face of seriousness
Leo hummed as he placed an index finger against his chin "Me and Dr.Paradigm were thinking the same thing as well. Those creatures must've walked through some sort of interdimensional gateway"
Daryl let out a worried breath "It does make the most logical sense, however... that means that we must act on this immediately"
Ky nodded in agreement "I agree. I propose that we build a squadron built out of our most experienced knights to try and track down the location of this portal"
"I assume that Millia and Zato are going to be apart of this squadron?" Leo guessed with crossed arms.
"Of course. They are the most eligible people for this kind of task" Daryl commented
Leo sighed in frustration "That doesn't mean I'll get along with them like we were long time friends. Even after what happened at the G4 summit"
Ky breathed out in agreement "We understand that, Leo, but right now there's a bigger problem that we must solve. So it is required for all of us to move aside any past grudges left by the P.W.A.B in order for all of us to handle this problem with upmost efficiency"
The 2nd king let out a somewhat reluctant sigh "I'll try my best, Ky"
The 3rd clapped his hands, bringing the attention to him "Well, past grudges aside, I think it's time that we discuss on your complaint from yesterday, Leo" Daryl said in an amused tone. A cheeky grin forming as he turned to the prideful king.
Leo turned his head to Daryl with an offensive glare "For your information, Daryl! That complaint was justified!"
"What complaint?" The 1st king asked in slight confusion.
"I'll keep it brief, the complaint was Leo's plan to introduce our guest to the director of the P.W.A.B that got absolutely derailed when Millia reported that she has already met said guest"
Ky's eyes widened as he remembered the complaint "Oh, I remember that now" He chuckled amusedly "Aiden did catch us off guard when I heard that he already got acquainted with Millia"
The 3rd chuckled amusedly to Leo's complaint "Plus, it went way more better than expected. Mrs.Rage is very famous for putting the fear of god into nearly anyone that's near her. But our special guest interacted with her as smoothly as silk"
"Oh, don't you dare over dramatize this, Daryl. Aiden surely must've felt a little bit of fear from her. Dare I say it's natural for him to feel that way" Leo retorted with an unamused glare sent to the 3rd king.
Daryl responded by shrugging nonchalantly "Eh, my point still stands"
Ky laughed lightly to the childish interaction he was witnessing. The 1st king was relieved to see that the two other kings managed to maintain their childlike bickering as it brought a little bit light to the workplace.
Ky's magicomm rung, seeing that it was Millia calling him. He pressed a finger on it as he was curious as to why the director of the P.W.A.B was calling him.
"Mrs.Rage, do what I owe this call from you?"
["Forgive me if I was interrupting your work, Lord Ky, but I hoped you and Leo would come over to the sparring arena of the castle"]
Ky raised his brow at this request "I do have the time for it, but why exactly would you want the two of us to head over there?"
["Knowing myself I would tell you, but today you'll have to come to the sparring arena to find that out yourself"]
Ky hummed with a bit of confusion to Millia's answer, she seemed like she was preparing... a surprise?
"Might as well head over there right now"
"Alright, I'll be there in a short bit"
["Excellent! Me and Zato will be waiting for the arrival of you two. See you soon, Lord Ky"]
Ky turned to his friends once the call has ended "Gentlemen, looks like our next plan for today will involve our visit to the sparring arena"
Leo's expression turned curious in response "What for?"
"Millia was requesting me and Leo to head over to the sparring arena. Though she hasn't specified why in the first place"
Leo cocked a brow at the sudden, unspecified request of the former assassin
"So you're heading there to find out as to why she's requesting this" Leo figured
The 2nd king's mind got tense as he wasn't too trusting of Millia. Even if she left behind her assassin affiliation, her crimes were a factor that should never be looked over
Leo stood up from his seat in response to his now paranoid mind
"Fine then. But she better not do something unforgivable"
Ky and Daryl did not dismiss the hint of Leo wanting to protect Ky from Millia. They knew how his dislike for any assassin of the Guild ran deep
Despite that however, the two of them did feel somewhat wary of this. So with a little bit of hesitation, Ky nodded in agreement
...
Leo's walk was slightly apprehensive as he and the two other kings were walking on the floor where the arena was located. Ky and Daryl could tell by his hardening glare pointed straight at the entrance of the arena. No doubt his glare would've hardened even further if Millia was standing at the entrance
After minute of this walking silence, the kings made it past the entrance as they entered the room. A waiting Millia Rage standing right next to the platform
The director of the P.W.A.B turned to them as she held her clipboard with her left arm
"Good morning to you, your highnessess" She greeted with a bow
"A good morning to you, Mrs.Rage. Now then, what is it that you-"
Leo would've finished his question if he didn't see Aiden appearing behind her. The emo haired young man sending the three kings a friendly smile.
"Aiden? What are you doing here?" Leo asked in surprise to the appearance of Aiden
"I should let Mrs.Rage explain this. After all, she is the one who proposed this idea" The young man answered as he motioned his head to the former assassin.
"Proposed what exactly?" Daryl asked as the three kings all looked at Millia
"Me wanting to grade Aiden's combat abilities. After what I have heard from Leo's report about his masterful katana skills, I proposed him the idea of sparring against one of you two gents. I gave my explanation and reasoning for the grading procedure of his skills and Aiden quickly accepted the idea with open arms. Though he has personally requested that he wanted to do it today" Millia explained to Ky and Leo. The two kings glancing at each other simultaneously
"Given that you two were done with your work of course" Millia added as she pointed her pen to the two warrior kings
"Well I'd be lying if I didn't say I wasn't on board with the idea. Plus I want to see what you're truly made of, Aiden!" Leo exclaimed with a wide smile. His once wary mind now occupied with the one of a combative warrior
Ky chuckled at Leo's enthusiasm "I wish I could say the same, but I'm currently not in my battle mood."
The other kings and the director of the P.W.A.B were surprised to hear Ky not wanting to participate in this sparring session.
"Nonetheless, I want to know if you're ready for this, Aiden?" Ky asked the young man in serious tone
Aiden sent Ky a exhale that was filled with smugness "I wouldn't if I wasn't here"
...
Meanwhile, back with our hooded figure:
In an ancient throne room, the hooded man was currently forming a ritual circle with salt, a necessary piece for it's creation
He took a glance towards Marlene, the guitar laid bare on the very center of the circle. The first step of his plan was nearing it's completion. Oh, the results would be priceless after staying in this alternate universe for so long
The last grain of salt was spread into the last chunk of the circle as it was officially complete
"It's done now, master" The man announced to the gargantuan sized statue that was looking down on him
"Now for the final step" The man muttered as he approached the statue, his hands shaking nervously
He grabbed a gold three dimensional rhombus that was laid snuggly besides one of the statute's legs
The man returned back to the ritual circle as he gently set down the orb right next to Marlene. He stood back up as he proceeded to pull out a large hunting knife from his cloak
He stretched his right hand out as he turned it sideways, spreading his palm to his shadowed eyes. He set the curved blade of the knife to his palm and slowly slid it down, blood dripping out as he let out a small pained grunt
The dripping blood fell down onto Marlene and the circle, a dark red light quickly illuminating the circle as more and more blood fell on it
The man quickly pulled his bloodied hand back after seeing the dark red light growing brighter by the second. But before he could even get back to a safe distance, a red beacon of light shot out of the circle, knocking him back by a few feet
The beacon quickly disappeared as it appeared, giving the man a chance to look at the end result of the ritual once he recovered
I-no was alive in the flesh, standing at the center of the now faded circle with her red themed outfit, turning her head in all directions as she was downright confused as to where she was
"Okay, can someone tell me as to where in the living hell am I!?" The red witch asked to no one, failing to notice the mad grinning man that was right behind her
"You're in Mallet Island, Miss I-no"
She quickly turned her confused gaze to the source of the voice, her expression quickly turning hostile
"And who the hell are you!?" She demanded to the hooded figure that was grinning at her
The man stood up as he took off his cloak, revealing a man with dark skin donning a short ponytail paired with a monocle worn over his right eye. His attire was a snow white professor's robe with snow white dress pants and snow white dress shoes. Thick orange trims being visible on his robe
"My name is doctor Agnus! A pleasure to finally meet you, Miss I-no" The man now known as Agnus presented himself with a bow
"Alright then... Doc. Can you please tell me as to why I was brought back from the dead?"
"Oh, I would love to Miss I-no. But I have a feeling that my master will explain it better to you..." Agnus responded to the red witch as he looked at the statue behind him.
"Isn't that right... Lord Mundus?" He asked to the statue with a maniacal grin