Edited as of: 05/30/2022
x6492, Tristain Academy of Magic, Unknown Cosmos
Today was the Springtime Familiar Summoning Ritual, a sacred rite of passage for mages, the descendants of Brimir. It was said the 1st Familiar was summoned to fight back the Demon Lord, and his ilk the Elves. Blasphemous creatures, the Firstborn that could cast magics without the use of a foci and could commune directly with spirit's to gain power. They currently reside at the Holy Land that was rightful belongs to Brimir's descendants.
A Familiar was a mage's lifelong companion that mirrors the strength of its summoner, the potential range of summonable familiars are from the common house cat to the fantastical dragons. A mage's power is determined through the quality of their own summons and as such this ritual will define them as who they're as people.
Jean Colbert saw the summoning was going smoothly and he just saw the last familiar being summoned a large mole by Guiche de Gramont, "Well done, has everyone finally summoned their familiars?"
None of the students spoke up.
"I will now conclude this Springtime Familiar Summoning Ritual-"
"Wait, we forgot about a certain 'Zero', she hasn't summoned yet." Kirche said with a knowing sly smile as she looked at Louise. The class erupted in laughter and jeers at Louise were sent her way.
"As if the Zero could summon something it will probably be just an explosion."
"Why even try Zero?"
"Silence! Let your classmate proceed." Jean said.
The Louise felt a flush of anger over her, "Yes, Professor I have not summon my familiar yet."
Colbert sighed, "Louise, forgive me for forgetting about you. Well then, please proceed to the circle and summon your fammiliar, Louise."
Louise steeled herself and ignore everything around her as she focus on the summoning spell, when she channeled her willpower in her wand, as she does pink vein-like patterns became to coalesce around her arms and faces. She never knew what these patterns were that appeared on her body when she use magic, when she was checked by a Royal Physician they didn't knew what it was. Some theorized it was curse inflicted on Louise by elves to suppress her magic, since her mother Karin de la Vallière killed an Elf in her younger years. Since, Elves are known to manifest colored patterns on their skins when they use their Firstborn Magic. Some even used to this slander the Vallière named by saying that Louise was an bastard half-elf, but those arguments were proven false as the Physician could confirm Louise was truly human.
Louise was the shame of the Vallière's and she hated everything about that. She wanted to proven that she is more the failure in the eyes of the people around her.
She breathed in, "Rule of Steel." Louise muttered under her breathe.
"My servant somewhere in the cosmos, divine, beautiful, wise, and powerful, heed my call!" The pink marks on her arm glowed in higher intensity as she chanted.
"I wish from the bottom of my heart and aid to my guidance and appear!"
"Pentagon of the Five Elemental Powers! Heed my summoning and bring forth my familiar!" Louise aimed her wand at the circle.
The magic circle glowed pink as it resonated with her powers.
The world fell silent as the earth where the magic circle cracked.
One.
Two.
A massive explosion happened, and the 2nd Years where sent on there backside from the force of her explosion. But, after the explosion a rip in space-time was opened as a pink portal began to suck everything around them.
The first victim was Louise and Jean Colbert as they were the closes to the portal and Kirche and Flame were sucked in soon after since she was the closest of the group, Tabitha riding her dragon familiar, Slyphid tried to rescue her friend in vain as they were pulled by the strong event horizon. Another victim was a passing maid named Siesta as she too was pulled by an expected force without knowing what happened.
But, unbeknownst to everyone something truly strange happened an anomaly to the greatest order. The moment Louise casted her spell a Chronophage was passing by the planet that she resided on and it planned to devour the planet of an indeterminant amount of time. It could be just a few minute or up to a 10,000 years of time. This anomalous creature of time was erratic and chaotic it could wipeout a planet or do absolutely nothing to a planet.
But, due to some unforeseen consequence of the true nature of Louise's power she did something that wasn't to suppose happen. She managed to unknowingly take a piece of the Chronophage's power of time and make it eat only a minute of Halkegenia's time but the 6000 years that was supposed to be eaten was instead took in by Louise's true ability, Void Ether.
Due to the nature of Void as the truest form of Ether it could adapt to any form of Ether Energy and take in it's nature if it's present. The Chronophage is a being of true Time Ether. As these elements combined it created a wormhole of time that sucked up everything around Louise. But, the moment the Chronophage eat that small of amount it reset the timeline and Louise summoned a boy named Saito Hiraga in this timeline. A man from the planet Oedo, and was a retainer of Seiji Hodo or Creed, but that is a story of this timeline.
But, the fates of Louise, Kirche, Tabitha, Siesta and Jean Colbert people of the lost timeline were yet to be determined.
Louise felt like she was floating a swallow pool, it felt like she was in a dream.
Louise thought she a room of devoid of anything, but slowly stars, galaxies and planets to existences around her. It was she was watching creation itself. But, there was a light the shone the brightest, Louis could make out a humanoid form from the light.
"Hear me, child captivated by both Time and Gravity... Beware the Void's glare..." a calm and motherly boomed from the direction of the light.
"What?!" Louise is utterly confused by this encountered.
Louise saw another person in these space between space that has no logic, she was a woman with black hair and wearing a strange dress. Louise noticed that she was barefooted and she walked towards her, ripples formed from each step distorting the image beneath her. Each ripple changed some the colors of stars, galaxies and planets.
"In time we will meet again, the Child of the Void..." she said.
Louise's vision began to be hazy as felt the pull of the waking world...
x492, Outside of Norma's Space in the Edens Zero
Louise groaned as she tried to hold back a massive migraine, she fluttered her eyes opened but she couldn't recognize anything through her hazy sight. A few more momenst she could now see more clearly and she was greeted by a stark corridor with an unknown design but it was covered disgusting fleshy pink growth that had yellow pustules that seemed to pulse as if it's alive.
Louise's heart hammered hard as she was in a unknown environment and she only the clothes that were on her person and her wand. Louise was clutching the wand as she didn't what dangers await her in this creepy place. She heard sounds of grunting and groaning, she turned her head towards the source of the sound and found a lot people. Most of them looked human, but there were also a mix of humanoid alien creatures among them.
"YOU COMMONERS DID YOU BROUGHT ME TO THIS DISGUSTING PLACE! I'll have you know I am the daughter of Dutchess de la Vallière!" Louise said in anger as she her wand threaten these commoner.
But, they didn't responded to her with words but with growls like feral dogs. They slowly approached Louise, "I am warning you stay back or I'll use magic on all of you!"
But, the feral commoner didn't listen and just hobbled forward.
Louise didn't hesitate as she cast a spell, "Fireball!" she blasted the nearest commoner. As the smoke cleared instead she saw a lot them were missing and somewhere unmoving in the ground. But, to Louise's horror she didn't saw any blood or gore. Instead these monster had purple inside, but their arms started morph into purple tentacles.
"W-what are you?" Louise felt her wand hand shake as was still aiming for these monsters.
"Stay back!" But yet again they refused to listen and they began increase their aggression in response to Louise's attack.
"FIREBALL!" Louise casted yet another explosion blasting another of these monster into smithereens, when they attack they seem to melt into purple sludge.
Louise sprint away and they pursued her relentlessly. She casted explosion after explosion as she tried to gain distance from them. But, they were an unrelenting horde that refuse to stop even when Louise kept casting her explosion again and again. But, her luck ran out when one of them grabbed her wand hand with their tentacled arms, due to the tight grip she was forced to let go of her wand. Another grab her other arm and her legs soon followed.
Louise could feel her skin crawl as she felt those slimy tentacles slither all over her body.
"Hngg!" Louise struggled to move as the tentacle restricts her movements even harder.
"Kyaaaaah! Somebody and anybody please help!" Louise screamed from being bind by such disgusting creatures.
She screamed hoping for anybody to save her from this.
"So Cool, Space Octopus." Shiki grin from the ceiling he was kneeling on. A tentacle went out to grab him or lash at him, but Shiki was quicker rush down on the group of Mimics. His Ether Gear lines glow brighter as the Gravity Ether gathered around his body, the energy spun erratically around him.
"MAGICMECH ATTACK: GRAVITY WAVE." He slammed his right hand on the ground as all the Mimics we forcefully dragged towards Shiki, he turned into a flurry punches and kicks as each mimic reached him.
"SPACE IS SO AWESOME!" Shiki exclaimed as he jumped and slammed both his fists on one mimic each.
But his excitement was interrupted when he heard simultaneous explosions followed by a scream.
"Kyaaaaah! Somebody and anybody please help!" Shiki heard the voice and his eyes widen in shock, he didn't wasted anytime to go where he heard the sound came from. He changed his body's gravity and he fell sideways in the corridor. He eliminated any Mimic that was on his way,
He finally found who screamed for help and he found a pink haired girl being a held up by the Mimic's as she desperately struggling against the tentacles that held her up.
"MAGICMECH ATTACK: WINDMILL KICK!" Shiki spun like a spinning top as he cut through the tentacles the held up the girl and eliminating the Mimics along the way.
Louise was surprised by the appearances of a young boy and even more surprised by his use of what looks like Wind magic to her, but when she was freed she was sent to fall on her back and brace for impact but the fall never came. She suddenly felt she was being carried as there was an arm under legs and a hand on her shoulder.
She opened her eyes she was greeting by the same boy that saved her with his weird magic, he beamed a big smile at her.
"You okay there, Miss. I didn't know Elsie captured someone else here?" the boy said.
"Elsie?" Louise asked.
"Yeah, Pirate Elsie Crimson she conquered the Seven Cosmic Seas or that's what Rebecca told me." Shiki said as he quirked up his brow in a thinking pose.
"I-I was kidnap by pirates!" Louise shouted indignantly.
"I think so, oh by the way my name is Shiki Granbell nice to you, wannabe friends-ummm?" Shiki said.
"Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière, nice to meet you too, Shiki Granbell." Louise introduce herself.
"That's a mouthful." Shiki said with a grin.
"Umm, could you put me down." Louise bashfully asked.
"Oh, sorry." Shiki chucked as he down Louise her feet.
"Shiki, so exactly where are we?" Louise asked.
"Where inside the Skull Fairy Elsie's battleship."
"This is a battleship?!" Louise was shocked since she thought she was in some kind of castle or even a strange cave. She wondered how big this ship if the corridors this big and long.
"Yep, I am gonna plunder it myself! And, I am also with my friends Rebecca, Happy and Weisz." Shiki declared with glee.
"You're going to fight this Elsie by yourself?!" Louise asked incredulously if this Elsie Crimson's crew were monster like these abominations she encountered, she wondered how strong Elsie herself is.
"Were you the one that made those explosions?" Shiki asked with a curious looked on his face.
"Y-yeah I did." Louise hesitantly admitted.
"That is... SO COOL." Shiki with genuine excitement.
Louise's mouth was agape as she expected ridicule but she was praised instead, it felt weird but it was not an unwelcomed feeling.
"So, how do it?!" Shiki said as he grabbed her hand and looking at her expectantly.
"Uhh, with my wand?"
"Wow, you're like a mage or a witch! That is so awesome!" if Shiki had a dog's tail it would have been wagging.
"Aren't you a mage too?" Louise asked.
"Kinda, Happy said that I am called a Ether Gearist." Shiki flexed his fist a green Ether Circuits manifested on his arms.
Louise's eyes widen as she was familiar with those pattern, though Shiki's were more angular and more symmetrical, forming skeletal markings along his arm, while hers look like rose thorns and had a more asymmetrical design. A lot of question are running through Louise's mind about this strange place she was lost in.
Another Group of Mimic emerged from behind Shiki, he cocked back his fist as that green energy gathered on his right fist.
"MAGIMECH ATTACK: GRAVITY CANNON!" Shiki called out his move as a massive dark green ball fired out of his fist. The ball exploded into a cone of green energy and sending those Mimics flying away.
Louise was shocked yet again seeing this boy doing a weird chant and cast magic without a foci. But, should couldn't ask Shiki how did he exactly did the things he did, since the Mimics were closing in on them.
"Louise we need to move, since more of these Space Octopus will pursue us. Let's go the captain's room!" without warning Shiki carried Louise.
"W-wait- !" Louise felt a strange sensation wash over her body, she felt as if gravity somehow reversed it's pull sideway. She felt the sensation of falling, but they were moving sideways in the corridor moving past most of the monstrous creatures in this place. Shiki occasionally went to check and every strange metallic doors that open themselves if approached. They only found the same fleshy growths and more Space Octopus as Shiki calls them.
She was strangely captivated with the way Shiki fight, as if gravity doesn't work normally and he was controlling it. He had a very limited understanding of how gravity works.
He would run up walls or the ceiling to gain momentum to strengthen his already incredible strength and natural acrobatics. Louise didn't standby idly and let Shiki do all the fighting. Her glow marks on her arms sometimes flickered green whenever Shiki used a Magimech Attack, but she ignored that for now and she focused on blasting any Space Octopus on Shiki's flank or the ones that got near her.
After a bit navigation they found their way to the biggest door at the end of the corridor of this very massive ship, Louise swore that they moved at least half the circumference of the Magic Academy on this battleship's corridor alone. It was mind-boggling to her that a ship this massive was made.
"That's definitely her room, we checked all of the room and this is the last one!" Louise said.
"You ready, Louise?" Shiki asked as he beamed a reassuring smile at Louise.
'Rule of Steel, I'll make that pirate wench pay!' Louise breathed in and out, "I am ready, Shiki."
"Okay!" Shiki casually approach the door to the bridge, "HEY! REDHEAD! I AM HERE!" Shiki said.
What greeted the pair was a sizable room with terminals, big white chairs strewed hap hazardously around the room and a ship's helm steering wheel. There were massive showing space outside its glass, but to Louise she thought it was the night sky. In the middle of this room stood a lone figure that figure had long red hair, and a black coat though she wasn't facing them.
"Hey didn't you heard me, I said I will plunder your ship from you!" Shiki declared.
"My name is Elsie Crimson..." Louise felt something unnerving, unnatural from the way she spoke.
"The one who will surpass the Demon Lord..." Elsie? tilts her head in slowly facing. Louise and Shiki were shocked her by they saw.
Instead of a human face, Elsie has skull with red hair and an eyepath.
"...I've waiting for you, Shiki." Elsie said an eerie tone.
"You're not human!" Louise pointed a wand in a threating manner at Elsie.
"A Skull Person?" Shiki only tilted his head in confusion.
"Shiki, You are the inheritor of the power of the Demon Lord."
"How do you know about Gramps?!"
Louise froze as somethings were finally clicking in her mind about Shiki. She looked at Shiki with a cautious look as she compiled her findings about this boy. Shiki could use magic without any assistance of a magical foci, Elsie called him the inheritor of the Demon Lord's power and Shiki just admitted he was the Grandson of the Demon Lord. Where on Brimir was she? Is she in the Holy Land somehow? In Brimic scripture it was said that the Demon Lord was a human traitor that colluded with Elves to learn blasphemous Firstborn Magics. Louise didn't like what she hearing as she tensed up around Shiki.
"Louise, what's wrong?" concern wash over Shiki's face as he looked at Louise.
"You're the grandson of the Demon Lord!" Louise shakily aimed the wand at Shiki.
"Yeah, Grandpa Ziggy was the coolest grandpa!" Shiki said with happy grin.
Louise grit her teeth, "Then you're a heretical demon!" "Fireball!" Louise casted an explosion at Shiki.
Shiki widen his eyes in shock, but he shook out of it quick. He shift his gravity to dodge Louise's explosion, "Louise, what's gotten into you? Did Elsie do something to you?"
Shiki followed his instinct as he dodge another, "Did I do something wrong?"
"You were playing with me since the beginning didn't you?!" Louise casted another explosion but Shiki dodged it yet again.
"You were lying about my magic about being awesome or cool didn't you!?"
"You were just a demon!" Shiki froze up from that comment for a moment.
Louise casted another explosion and this time Shiki was hit and he was blasted back from the force of Louise's explosion. He crashed into the captain's seat by the helm.
Louise huffed and pant after casting simultaneous explosion, Elsie attack her by lashing a tentacle at her. Louise was hit hard in the head and she was sprawled in the floor. Louise was fuzzy as if she was in a painful daze. As her eyes began to focus she saw Elsie approached Louise with her tentacle arms. Elsie saw the fallen wand and crushed it with her heel, leaving Louise without any means to defend herself from Elsie.
"Insolent worm, you interfere with my fight... No, matter I shall end you here..." Louise could weakly raise up her arm in defense.
She kept her shut expecting a painful experience, but yet again it never came. Louise opened her eyes and saw Shiki holding back Elsie's tentacle both his arms preventing any harm befalling Louise.
"How curious you still protect this girl even when she tried to hurt you?..." Elsie asked in a mocking tone.
"You are more of a fool than I than I thought you be?!..."
"NO I AM NOT A FOOL!" Shiki shouted as he kicked away the tentacle.
"I don't care if she attack me for no reason!" Shiki rushed at Elsie with greater speed, he coated both of his fist with Gravity Ether and sent a flurry punches to Elsie. Shiki had to grit his teeth since he felt pain from punching the surprisingly hard skin of Elsie.
"Maybe I did something wrong?! Or maybe she had the same virus that made my friend attack me back at Granbell!? But I do know that Louise is my friend!" Shiki sent a hard punch at Elsie which sent her reeling from the blow.
Louise eyes widen as if she was in a daze, but she heard what Shiki said to Elsie. Louise didn't know what to feel? She was thought it was wrong to collude with Firstborn, but is it wrong? No one in the Academy treated her with any respect, since they saw her no better than a commoner? Her family saw her as a shameful daughter with no magical talent and saw no love with them except for Cattleya. But, Shiki? He didn't judge her base on her lack of ability and even defended her even after he was hurt by her.
Louise didn't know the whole story about Shiki but maybe she judge him to unfairly.
"Then you are a fool..." Elsie grabbed Shiki's head and began to swing him around like a ragdoll, Shiki smashed into the floor, ceiling and other things in this room.
"Urgh! AHHHHHHH!" Shiki shouted as he was tossed around slamming into walls of the room.
"Shiki!" Louise shouted in worry for the boy.
Elsie finally let go of him, as he tossed him a couple meters away from Louise. Shiki crashed hard on the ground leaving spider web cracks on the ground.
"You were weaker than I expected Shiki... You limit yourself by defending this girl..." Elsie pointed out.
Shiki spited a bit of blood from his mouth as he clenched his fist harder, "Gramps once said to me if I wanted to become stronger I need the determination to say tha 'I can do it!'."
"Because if no one can't do it, then I can do it!" Shiki went for a kick that sent Elsie crashing into a wall, leaving a human-sized hole in the wall. But, Elsie just emerged from the wall with few minor damages.
"Tch, just what are you." Shiki exasperatedly said as he readied his fist again even he was panting and huffing.
"Impressive, you who will surpass the Demon Lord... Tell me what are you..." Elsie asked back.
"I am adventurer!" Shiki removed his red jacket.
"And, to what end?..."
"To find Mother! And, I'm going to be the first one to do it!" Shiki announced as he point his finger to the stars.
Louise was yet again utterly confused by Shiki proclamation who was Mother? Was Shiki just trying to find his mother?
Elsie made a eerie chuckle, "Many have gone and tried to reach Mother... Only to never return... I met as many as there are stars... The outside of the Sakura Cosmos is untamed space beyond your imagination... "
Shiki goes for a ready position as he gathered Gravity Ether around himself, "I'll never know until I try!"
"How Pointless!..." Elsie lashed more tentacles towards Shiki.
"If I can't do it, then me and my friends will! WE CAN DO IT!" Shiki shouted back.
Louise was floored by Shiki's ability to endure all this punishment and fight without backing down. And, it wasn't lost on Louise that Shiki had to sometimes focus on protect her by batting away any tentacles that Elsie sent her way, Shiki sometimes had no choice but to take a hit to keep her safe. Louise regretted her impulsive action due to her irrational fear of Shiki. Now, she felt helpless and powerless like she was in the Academy.
Just outside of Norma's sector a fleet of Interstellar Union Army starships arrived, it was the Justice Fleet under the eponymous Justice, the Celestial Judge, one of the members of Oracion Seis Interstellar. The fleet was in pursuit of the last known signs of Elsie Crimson's ship the Skull Fairy.
At the head of the fleet was the fleet capital ship, the Angel Feather.
The Angel Feather is a large silver spaceship with a prominent head, an intricate angelic wing theme around it, and a pair of wings below. The flight deck sits at the back and has a curved roof.
At the captain's helm sat a young man with silver hair and brown eyes. His only attire consists of a brown-and-white armored spacesuit that covers his entire body, the standard Justice Fleet Union Uniform.
"This is Zephyr to Justice. Elsie's ship has not move from point 52-C-N9 on Norma's orbit." a feminine voice said in the comms.
Tabitha or her codename Zephyr had short-blue hair and blue eyes as she wore the standard Justice Fleet Union EVA Suit, it was a black skin-tight suit that clung to the wearers physique, Tabitha forgone the usual white pauldron for a half-cloak that covered her right shoulder that had her old Chevalier Medal and her new Azure Argent Medal adorning her cape.
"Tabitha, I have my thanks for tailing the Skull Fairy's fleet for the last 3 days. Return to the main ship and take a rest. You have done well."
"Thank you, Lord Justice." Tabitha said as she turned her Sylph Interceptor-class Starfigther into the direction of the Justice Fleet.
The Starfighter has a slim triangular profile that has fairy-like wing that is actually made of pure Wind Ether. It was armed with basic Ether Vulcan Autoguns and a Ether-Link that let's Tabitha use her Ice Ether ability, Snowstorm.
"Kyuu! Why doesn't Sylphid get praise, please praise me more Justie!" Slyhid complained in the comms.
"Forgive me, You too, Virtue you have done a great job." Justice said with a smile.
"YAY! Slyphid made Justie happy again!" Sylphid squealed into the comms.
Sylphid or her proper codename Virtue had long blue hair and green eyes, she wore the standard Union Justice Fleet spacesuit that was modified to have the ability to stretch to fit her form whenever she turns into her dragon form.
She was riding her Star Dragoon Assault-type Starfighter unlike the Sylph it was a heavier class of starfighter with a box-like shape it was plated in Ether Coat alloy that let it take a lot punishment as long as there Ether Energy in its engine. With its larger size it was armed with things such as Ether Vulcans, Ether Missiles Pods and its Twin-Ether Cannons that fires compressed Dragon Ether Energy. Most of its weapon system could be decoupled from the starfighter and be mounted on the special E-Link modules on Virtue's modified suit.
"HEY! Ensign Virtue cut the flirting and return back to Angel Feather now! And, please remember to use your codename Virtue." a giant shouted in the bridge of the Angel Feather.
"Zephyr to Creed, I would want to kindly ask for the Fleet current coordinates, so Ensign Virtue and I could Fast Travel to your position." Zephyr said.
"Affirmative, these are the current coordinates of the Angel Feather." Creed said.
Creed or Seiji Hojo is a bespectacled young man with a tuft of black hair resting atop slicked-back, he was also wearing the standard Union spacesuit.
Victory is the burly right-hand man of Justice. He was a giant standing at nearly 7ft, he towered anyone in the Union. He was known as the Union Giant for his Ether Gear, Titan's Arm that lets him grow to gigantic proportions.
The comms of both Zephyr and Virtue closed, Justice swiped it off his dashboard and look forward into the Norma sector.
"Elsie... I have you now."
"I vow in the name of Justice of the Interstellar Union Army."
"This is the day I shall take you in." Justice sent a glare of determination.
"Permission to speak freely, sir." Asked another person in the bridge.
"Permission granted Gallant." Justice said with a neutral tone.
Saito Hiraga or Gallant nodded, he was a young man with short black hair in a wolf-tail. He wore a white haori with the Union symbol on the back over his Union spacesuit.
On his back he had his Zanbato, a massive two-handed Oedo-style sword meaning it was curved and single edged. The blade was made with Ether Alloy that lets him channel his ability of Spatial Blade.
Without Zanbato focusing his ability to his sword slashes, it was erratic and imprecise. But with it he could cut the space between his opponents, forcefully teleport them near him. Or, the ability to make sword slashes from far away.
"This is starting to sound like a love story." Gallant said with mock seriousness.
This got a chuckle out of Victory and Creed.
"If 'love' is what is need to capture that wretch, then I agree." Justice said with a straight face.
"As usual, another joke went straight over your head." Victory dryly said.
"Sometimes, I wonder if both you and Zephyr are actually siblings." Victory comments as he shrugs.
Victory approached Gallant as he put his hand on Gallant's shoulders, "Anyways, you having any luck with Zephyr?"
Gallant's face began to blush as he avoids the look from Victory's wiggling eyebrow with a very knowing smug look in his face. Gallant hated his nosy CO but he was still his boss, "I don't know what you're talking about!"
Victory boisterously laughed, "Come on, kid you can't hide the fact with the way you look at our cute Zephyr and how she looks away from her book to look at you!"
"Sir, we are just colleagues nothing more. I have only respect for Zephyr." Gallant tried to play it off.
"Come on, being in our line of work, we need to live a little. So, you don't end up like Justice." Victory whispered the last part to the young man.
"Knock it off, Victory it's not our job to interfere with Gallant's love life." Creed as he worked on his terminal.
Gallant could only groan, "Not you too, Milord."
Creed sighed, "Gallant in the Union I am no longer your lord and you aren't my retainer anymore." Creed or Seiji Hojo disliked how the feudal planet Oedo separate its people with a caste system or the bot rights movement being non-existent, discrimination was even encouraged.
His father the emperor, refuse him joining the Union. Though he relented after he convince why its beneficial to ally with the Galactic Union, but he made it madatory that his retainer, Saito Hiraga to join him in the Union.
Saito was Seiji's childhood, Imperial playmate and his bodyguard, he was already a decorated and famous swordsman in Oedo. But, he didn't hesitate to give up all his honors just to follow his lord in the Union.
"My only advise is to just ask out Zephyr on both of your off days." Creed said.
"You know I don't know what to tell her." Gallant retorted.
"Gallant, do you need assistances to talk to someone?" Zephyr asked as she suddenly appeared behind Gallant without any warning.
His senses as a swordsman is very keen and to circumvent that was impressive, and Zephyr just casually did so, she was like a gentle quiet breeze but a storm was hidden beneath that calm.
"Zephyr I told you should take a rest and you should definitely eat in the cafeteria. Rations are not a substitute for actual food." Justice said as more of a suggestion.
"Unnecessary, sir I could still function at my utmost effiency." Zephyr with her monotone yet calm voice.
"Where's Virtue?" Victory asked.
"The Cafeteria, sir." Zephyr responded as she pulled a holopad and began reading with it.
"Of course that empty black hole of a stomach is there. That lass had been ranting how the ration taste horrible in the comms." Victory said with a chuckle.
Suddenly there was alarm and the terminal showed a detection of an Abnormal Ether Reaction coming from the direction of Elsie's ship.
"Sir, the signature is coming from direction in Elsie's ship but its not Elsie's Ether signature. Was there a new Ether Gear user that was recruited recently?" Creed wondered.
"No, Jesse didn't report any new notable recruit on his last report." Justice said.
"I'll cross reference this signature to any recorded Ether Signatures." Creed began working away in his terminal.
"Based on the fluctuation of the Ether Energy of these readings means that someone is fighting in that ship."
"Who is it?"
"Sir, it was just for a moment but there was Void Ether readings that appeared in the scanner for a brief moment."
Zephyr put down what she was reading on her tablet and got more interested upon the mention of Void Ether, to most people Zephyr's expression seemed to barely change. But, Gallant saw the brewing storm in Zephyr's eyes about the potential idea that a certain man was here.
Justice quirked his brow, "Creed can you confirm that that it is Brimir of Oracion Seis Galactica's Ether Signature?"
"Negative sir, the signature is much more distinct unlike Brimir's erratic Ether patterns." Creed clarified.
"I see, maybe someone else awaken an Void Ether Gear. Regardless, our true objection is to capture, Elsie Crimson. Anything else is secondary." Justice swipe away the notiff in his dashboard.
Outside of Norma's space, The Dread Queen
Elsie sat on her throne as she watched Shiki fight the Kawpicatt S4 Mimic-type pest that infested on the Edens Zero. Elsie got a few laughs at the antics of Weisz and Rebecca's back to back banter of being held up these strangely lewd creatures.
Though she wasn't surprised since someone though it was a brilliant idea to keep a Kawpicatt as a pet because she liked the fact it could mimic anyone she found with her arduous gaze and 'use' the tentacles. And, as expected the Mimic began to became a big problem.
The Edens Zero was being used as a Cargo Freighter by the Skull Fairies at first. She asked Witch to turn the ship into a Cargo Hold until she return the ship back to Shiki, eventually.
But, another problem arose Elsie thought her right hand woman had dispose of the perverted Kawpicatt, but the horny witch kept it in the Edens Zero's freezer, for quote "Future Use."
And, during a particular bad fleet battle against some space cultist the Edens Zero was damaged not enough to destroy the ship, but enough to rattled the engine to temporarily lose power. The Kawpicatt got loose and began replicating so fast that it infested the whole ship. This fact wasn't discovered until they were about to arrive on Norma to find Shiki. The Kawpicatt arose when they open the security cams of the Edens Zero found absolutely infested with the perveted Kawpicatt's clones.
"You know, Kirche you should be down there and cleaning up your fuck up." Elsie said as she was rubbing the temple of her head.
"But, Esy their my babies, I can't exactly burn them." Kirche pouted like a children, but her figure was far from childish.
Kirche like Elsie had a head fiery red hair and smoldering dark brown eyes, her beautiful face was match is ravishing curves that were than average even Elsie's knockers or ass couldn't compare to her and dark brown complexion gave Kirche a more exotic taste. On her right shoulder she had black flaming tattoo.
She wore an eyecatching purple v-cut dress that expose a good amount of her cleavage and stomach, the right half of her dress was open to reveal her thighs. To complete her look she had a white furred black coat with the sigil of the Skull Fairies on the back this was lazily hung on her shoulders acting like a cloak for Kirche.
She was known by the moniker of the Arduous Flame August, is known to be a very powerful woman who commands the power of flames and even the flame of other Fire-type Ether Gearist. She was infamous for being one of Elsie's Elite Crew, The Princess Guard alongside with Gowen and Hyoga.
Her Salamander, Flame was also a terrifying horse-sized monster that can spew strong fire breathes that could even melt Ether Coat Armors, but to the Skull Fairy it was a lovable dork.
"They are not babies, they're just your toys that you forgot about!" Elsie said back.
"But-" Kirche was playing with her fingers
"Gowen can't you just control your lover." Elsie sighed.
"Kirche is just like a uncontrollable firestorm, even with my experience as a firefighter I can't hope to contain her! I will always be envelops in her hot passion!" Gowen rambled on with his passionate speech about Kirche again.
Gowen is a tall muscular man with spiky red-orange hair and wears a sleeveless trenchcoat with a fur collar, a flaming tattoo on his left shoulder bicep, an intricate bracelet on his left wrist, a fiery symbol of "F" on the back and pants with three belts: one wrapped around his waistline and two wrapped around his legs.
"Darling!" Kirche leaped at Gowen's massive muscular frame as she clung to Gowen she began to make out with him.
"Baby!" Gowen moaned as he matched Kirche's passion with his own.
Before they could fornicate in the bridge again in the audience of Elsie and the blushing terminal technicians on the bridge. Hyoga incase the very passionate couple in a cold pillar of ice.
"HYOGA! YOU FUCKING BASTARD! ITS FUCKING COLD!" Gowen shouted at the Hyoga.
"Aw~ What a killjoy, bad Hyoga~" Kirche blew raspberries at the man even as she was chattering from the cold.
Hyoga is a young man with light blue hair and wears a high-collared long-sleeved trenchcoat suit with gloves.
He scoffed at the flame-brained couple, "The bridge is not your love nest, please if you wish to continue, go back to your own rooms." Hyoga berated Kirche and Gowen.
Elsie groan in annoyance with Kirche, she loved her like a sister but sometimes she was too much. But, something got her attention as she was watching the live recording in the Edens Zero.
The scanners picked up a brief spike of Void Ether by it was just for a moment. Elsie searching for the source of the spike in the Edens Zero. What she found was a portal that opened up around the cafeteria corridor and a girl dropping out of the portal.
She was obviously young with long wavy pink hair and some form of a school uniform over a black cloak.
"Louise?!" Kirche said in shock upon seeing her classmate after being sent in Lenarde 15 years ago as a 4 year old child.
"Kirche you know this kid?" Elsie asked.
"Yes, but it was a long time ago, she is someone I knew from my past life."
Elsie nodded she understood what Kirche was talking about, the day she arrived in Lenarde, Kirche was a lost child, she eventually ended up as Elsie's personal maid but they became best friends. When Lenarde fell in the Kaede Cosmos War, they became war refugees and aimless traveled from planet to planet. Until, Ziggy took them both in and treated the both of them as his own surrogate daughters.
Kirche actually opened up about her past to Elsie, told her she came from a planet called Halkegenia. And, she was a student in the Tristain Academy of Magic. But, she was sent here when an accident occurred during the Summoning Ritual involving her classmate, Louise.
"But, how is she still that young? It has been 15 years." Kirche was looking at the screen with a newfound interest.
Elsie and her crew proceed to watch Louise wake up and started panicking, but she was beset by Mimic she respond by blowing them up.
Kirche and Gowen had use their fiery abilities to melt the ice they were incased in.
"Attagirl, that's the Louise I know!" Kirche cheered.
"Captain, her explosion have faint traces of Void Ether!" Jesse said as he sat on his terminal.
"She was a Void Ether Gearist?!" Kirche gasped in shock.
Louise was captured by the Mimics, but she rescued by Shiki, "That's my baby boy! Aunty Kirche is cheering for you!" Kirche shouted with fervor as she cheered.
Gowen pouted as he grumbled something.
Kirche giggling, "Gowen, Darling you're always gonna be my No.1!" Kirche yet again jump him.
"Yeah! No man can be as passionate as me!" Gowen said as they proceed to passionately makeout again.
"You damn animals in heat!" Hyoga incase them in ice yet again.
"ACK! YOU DAMN ICY VIRGIN!" Gowen yelled back.
Hyoga just froze his mouth to silence him, "Captain our scouts have picked up signs of the Justice Fleet, your orders?"
"We hold steady and prepare for a battle. We have to give Edens Zero time to retreat after their impromptu test." Elsie commanded as she stood up from her throne.
"Aye, aye Captain. Crew to battle stations!" Hyoga ordered to the other ships in the fleet.
Elsie just sat back on her throne, Kirche and Gowen freed themselves yet again. Gowen decided to have an argument with Hyoga, and Kirche watched with Elsie.
Shiki was currently fighting the Elsie Mimic, which turned into a skull person somehow.
"Kirche, am I that scary that the Kawpicatt turned me into that?" Elsie asked as she at the screen..
"Honestly, I could see it."
"Nice, that's means I'm doing a great job as a pirate then." Elsie said as her face formed a smug smile and self-satisfied expression.
"Good for you..."
"Not even the man who once ruled the Sakura Cosmos, the Demon Lord Ziggy himself... Ever managed to reach Mother..."
Shiki gasped, "Gramps tried to find Mother?" Shiki went into a grin. Shiki began gathering a great amount of Ether Energy.
"All who travel space dreams of meeting that Legendary Goddess... But none have succeeded..."
The Elsie lashed out multiple tentacles at Shiki, but he jumped up and stick on the ceiling.
"Sir! The power level reading of the mystery Ether is rising dramatically! It's almost at a Hundred Thousand and rising!"
"A Hundred Thousand!" Victory said in surprised.
A sudden winkle of recognition graced Justice's eyes, "This is..."
"The identification code... But that's impossible! It's the Demon King!" Creed said in shocked.
"The other unknown Void Ether Users power is rising too, it's resonating with the Demon King's Ether!" Creed said.
Justice frowned, "Just what is happening on the ship? Elsie's Ether has yet to change."
"And I'm telling you that we will!" Shiki gathered more Ether and he gathered so much that his shirt was ripped by the power his Ether. The ceiling cracked underneath his powers weight.
"Foolish!..." The Elsie Mimic leaped at Shiki as it created more tentacle to crush Shiki.
"Shiki!" Louise shouted, but she felt something strange happen, her Ether Circuit glow up but it wasn't its usual pink, but the same green as Shiki.
A thought entered to her, mind as if certain muscle memory was transmitted to her and memories too. Louise knew the movements needed for the move and the chant for it. But, somehow a memory alongside it. Feelings of warmth and security washed over her.
Her mind saw a scene of a boy and a massive skull-faced person with horns that wore a black cape. She saw them stargazing on a calm and gentle night. It was for a brief moment and she returned to reality.
Elsie was about to flatten Shiki.
Louise positioned her right arm horizontally over her face, her open palm hand face away from her. And, her left arm was positioned vertically and her hand towards her.
"Magimech Attack: Gravity Center!" Louise called out as if it was instinct and closed her hands into fists.
A pink aura surrounded Elsie and she was slammed into the floor being pinned by the weight of Louise's gravity.
Shiki's eyes widen in surprise, "THAT IS SO COOL, LOUISE I DIDN'T KNOW YOU COULD USE GRAVITY TOO! NOW IT'S MY TURN!"
Shiki's Ether Circuits on his body began to increased around his toned body as horns made of Ether formed on his head. For a brief moment Louise could see that Shiki's markings became violet but it changed back to green.
"Gramps couldn't make his come true! So as his grandson I'll see it through for him!" The Gravity Ether intensified and was compressed on his right fist.
"MAGIMECH ATTACK: GRAVITY COMET!" Shiki shot forward so fast that Louise only saw a blur and the floor breaking and several more floors were breaking. Even from a higher floor Louise feel the shockwave of Shiki's attack.
Louise was shocked by the sheer power of Shiki's attack.
Louise only saw a massive hole in the aftermath, she went to check for Shiki. But, she accidentally slip on the hole which sent her falling. The fall was at least 4-storeys high.
"Kyaah!" Louise screamed.
"Louise!" Shiki he jumped up to catch her, he paused when she saw Louise gently floating down to where he was.
Louise open her eyes as she expected to fall, moments ago. But, she was floating. She was confuse by the sensation of being weightless with a weaken pull of gravity as she falls.
"I am levitating?" Louise said dumbfoundedly, as she was floating down her Ether Circuit began blinking as the green color began to fade into its usual pink.
Louise's began falling again, but Shiki caught her before she hit could the floor. Louise looked at Shiki, her face flushed red when she noticed that Shiki was shirtless, showing his toned body.
The ceiling above them started to fix itself from the damage Shiki caused.
"Shiki!" a feminine voice called out.
"Oh! Rebecca! Happy! Pino! Weisz!" Shiki called out to them.
Louise look towards the people that Shiki called out and she found the strangest combination of beings they were two blondes one female and the other male they were wearing strange outfits.
There was a bipedal blue cat with a small box with a heart on his collar and a tiny humanoid girl with a pink bob for hair on her head there were rabbit ears on it, she was weaing a blue dress with a white ribbon tied to her back.
Louise looked at the strange metallic girl, is she some sort of golem? Pino noticed Louise's gaze and hid behind Rebecca's legs.
"So that's where the noise came from. It was from Thwomp Boy." Weisz said dryly.
"Shiki are you okay? And, who is this?" Rebecca asked as she was worrying over Shiki and the pink-haired girl in his arms.
"And, hey... Why are you shirtless?" Happy asked Shiki.
"I guess my clothes tore off when I did this really big move."
"I see so your gravity shredded the fibers of your clothes and boots." Rebecca said.
"And, Rebecca this is Louise um-Franky la Blank da Valley?" Shiki said in confusion.
"No that's not how you say it, you idiot! It's Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière, I am a daughter of Duke and Duchess Vallière! So let me go!" Louise screamed at Shiki.
"Sure." Shiki simply as he drop Louise on her butt.
"Ow! That hurts you idiot!"
Shiki laugh, "Now we are even, that's for blasting me with your explosions!" Shiki said as he crossed his arm and with a pouty face.
"And, besides we're friends and friends forgive each other." Shiki said as he held his hand to Louise.
"I-" Louise to took pause for a moment, but accepted Shiki's hand, "Thank you for forgiving me after what I did. But, who told you we are friends!?"
"Sheesh, are kids in this age are this loud." Weisz scoffed.
"I am not a kid you thug! I am 17!" Louise sent her ire to Weisz.
"Hah! What did you just call me, shorty!?" Weisz retorted.
"You just look like a peasant!"
"Your chest is flat as a board!"
Louise slapped Weisz in the cheek, "You're worse than a pig!" Louise said in anger.
"Ow! That hurts you bitc-"
Rebecca was about break up Louise and Weisz but a holoscreen appeared before the group which got their attention.
"HA HA HA HA HA!" Deep feminine voice laughed boisterously.
A huskier and sultry laugh followed that sounded distinct from the first laugh. Louise felt the way that voice laugh sounds familiar to her, but she can't recall what it was that made annoyed by the way she laughed.
The image of the holoscreen became clearer showed to two gorgeous red head one had fair skin and a eyepatch over her right eye and the other had exotic dark brown skin.
"ZERBST!" Louise called out to the screen.
"Hi Louise, long time no see!" Kirche cheerfully said with an easy smile on her face.
"What are doing with those pirates!?"
"I am Elsie Crimson's First Mate and part of the Skull Fairy."Kirche answered.
"I have to cut your reunion short Kirche, congratulations on cleaning up Kirche's mess." Elsie interupted.
"What do you mean?" Rebecca asked.
"You see I would just want to play a prank on all of you, but a certain someone left their lewd pet in the Edens Zero. What you guys fought is a pest known as a Kawpicatt S4, it's a parasite that could mimic any living being as long as it has any of its DNA."
"You see my First Mate here recklessly abandoned it on the cargo vessel and we didn't knew until we arrived at Norma, so we have no time to clean the ship. You see that thing copied all of Kirche's previous flings and she added some Nero Kraken DNA to have tentacles."
The group except for Shiki who was tilting his head, because he didn't know what Elsie was talking about. The rest looked at Kirche with disgust and judging looks.
"Thank you for the extermination job. But, this pirate is on a different ship."
As Elsie said that, everyone looked outside of the window saw a massive starship appear over them. It was the Skull Fairy's capital ship, the Dread Queen
The ship looked like a massive galleon with massive Ether Sails and at the front of the ship were thin-lance like cannons that where its main battery.
Louise's jaw drop upon the massive ship that shadow over them, but when she properly looked at the scenery of the outside they were above some sort of moon and there were other moons in the distances. But, there weren't moons, they were planets. Wait are those flower petals? Just where on Halkegenia was she?!
"Esy, I think you broke Louise." Kirche said.
"Zerbst where on Halkegenia are we?!" Louise was trying to comprehend was she was seeing.
"You there blondie girl." Kirche called out to Rebecca.
"Yes!" Rebecca was surprised by being called out by a pirate.
"You see Louise and I came from a very far away planet outside of the 4 Great Cosmoses, we came from a primitive planet so I would kindly asked you to educate her about space travel, okay love?" Kirche said as she smiled at Rebecca.
Rebecca just nodded.
"Well, then Shiki enjoy the new ship. It now belongs to you."
"What!?" Everyone shouted out.
"You've earned it since you defeat my imposter, and now you successfully plundered this ship like you promised you do."
"This makes no sense, I'm scared that you put a tracker on this ship to hunt us down later." Rebecca added.
"Of course... I planned to just give that ship to Shiki from the start. But, it's more fun you if you earned something rather than just being simply given something, no?"
"I'd rather do without the pervy tentacle monsters, though." Weisz as he scratched the back of his head in frustration.
"The Demon Lord Ziggy entrusted that ship to me, but I think he appreciate it if you have it."
"He once took it outside the Sakura Cosmos... On his quest to find Mother. I met him on his return trip, he told me he never made it to Mother... But he found you, Shiki."
"Wait. I... Wasn't born on Granbell!?" Shiki asked in genuine shock.
"I always assumed you weren't." Happy added.
"I mean its a planet of bots." Rebecca said.
"Ziggy knew his life was coming to an end. That's why he returned to Granbell rather than seek out Mother." Kirche added.
"He went there to raise you." Elsie said with a sad smile.
"Coming to an end... Does that mean my master is.." Pino look dejected upon learning that her master was dead.
"Oh, I never told you... He died when I was little..." Shiki looked somber as he told this.
"Elsie and I owed Ziggy a favor. We wanted to repay his kindness for saving us." Kirche as remembers the fun times she had on the Edens Zero.
"Ziggy said that one day Shiki would go into space, and he wanted to give you his personal ship. It was his final wish to us." Elsie said.
"Gramps did that... For me?"
"You're seriously giving us this ship!" Weisz said rather enthusiastically.
Happy gave the young Steiner a deadpan stare, "Your 'Ship' is the one in the hangar, the one you called a piece of junk, Professor."
"So- so all that talk about selling us in Guilst wasn't serious right?" Rebecca asked shakily.
Elsie laughed, "I was just half-joking obviously. And, do I look that villainous to you?!" Elsie continued laughing.
"A little bit." Rebecca admitted.
"What do you mean selling us?!" Louise shouted at Elsie.
"Don't worry Louise I'll buy you back in Guilst don't worry your pretty little head about it." Kirche cooed.
The others could see how Louise was seething from how Kirche treats her.
"Rebecca you could get a boost in your B-Cube Subscribers if I post those videos on the Ethernet, don't worry I saved some videos of you too Louise."
Louise did not understand anything to what Kirche just said, she felt angry regardless.
Elsie smacked Kirche in the head, which Louise was grateful for the rude pirate.
"Idiot, delete those." Elsie dryly said to Kirche.
"We were planning to steal a ship from you and now you're giving it to us That's silly. That defeats the purpose of plundering something from you." Shiki said.
"Why does it matter? A ship, is a ship." Weisz cockily said.
"I appreciate the thought, but I don't think I want it." Shiki shrugged.
"YES YOU DO, DUMBASS!" Weisz screamed back.
"I mean, I don't expect you to be so nice. We can't just take your ship."
"Don't worry Shiki, it's only one ship out of the whole fleet." Kirche told Shiki with a foxy grin.
"Yes compared to my fleet, it's but a small issue for me." Elsie said with pride.
Everyone's jaw drop to the floor upon seeing countless of similar ships to the Dread Queen but they didn't the Ether Sail and a bit smaller though still massive. But, the sheer amount of them covered Norma's space.
"WHAAAAAT!" Shiki screamed shock.
"WHOA!" Weisz's mouth was gaping like a fish.
"I've always heard rumors, but I didn't realize her fleet was that big." Rebecca couldn't help but stare at awe.
"We're talking to a real big shot..." Happy couldn't stop shaking.
"..." Pino could only stared.
As for Louise, she was stunned speechless. She felt so tiny like she was just a speck of dust in this massive fleet.
"Your Highness, The Justice Fleet just entered the Norma sector and they have us surrounded!" a random crewmate told Elsie.
"What is the Interstellar Union doing here?!" Rebecca asked.
"Oh, that idiot is still after me even after all these years. Makes a girl like me warm inside. We can't stay in this spot for too long. Muster to battlestation and prepare my Starfighter. Kirche I will leave the helm to you." Elsie commanded her crew like well-trained veteran.
"Aye, aye Captain. Shiki I suggest you use that ship, don't worry we'll cover your escape. And, Louise there is a surprise waiting for you in Bluegarden. Also, Ziggy told me to tell me that "Whoever makes it to Mother... Will be born again."
"Hey you and Elsie were Gramps' friends right?" Shiki asked.
"Both of us have a debt of gratitude for Ziggy, but yes he was more than a friends to us." Kirche said with a sad smile.
"Then that makes us family right?" Shiki grin hopefully at Kirche.
Louise was aghast by how Shiki said that, but she didn't voice her opinions.
Kirche looked surprised but she smile at Shiki, "I knew you would remember Auntie Kirche!" Kirche squealed happily.
"AUNTIE?!" Everyone said.
"I helped raise baby Shiki when Elsie and I still live in that ship alongside the Four Shining Stars. Actually one of them is currently inside the ship, but she is in deep sleep for the last 12 years." Kirche added.
"I think it's not the time dally any further a fight is about to start. Bye bye now, until we meet again Edens Zero - zrkkk" The communication line was cut abruptly.
The group in the Edens Zero saw another fleet of ship to emerge into Norma's space.
The space of Norma was bathed in Ether Beams that were meant to destroy battleship as a galactic fleet fight had started. It was a scale of war that Louise even in her wildest dream could ever imagine possible. Like everything she understood was being shattered.
"A place where people are born again? The Four Shining Star?" Rebecca ponder on Kirche's words.
"What does that even means?" Happy said.
The others remain silent with their own thoughts on Mother. But, their thoughts were interrupted when a stray Union Ether Beam scored a hit on the hull of the Edens Zero. Though it shook the ship, the ship's stability held strong.
"What was that?!" Louise asked in shocked.
"It was a direct hit from an Ether Beam from one of the Union Ships." Pino said.
"Crap, we have to move now!" Weisz said and he began trying to find something.
"What are you doing the helm is over there? We have to get out of here!" Rebecca frantically said.
"One of these levers should be..." Weisz pulled one of the lever at random.
Everyone heard the engine came alive as the Edens Zero began to be surrounded by Ether Energy. And, in an instant the Edens Zero shot forward moving at FTL speeds moving pass the Justice Fleet.
On the Angel Feather
"A single ship has retreated! It's likely the ship with the Demon King's and the Void Ether on it!" Creed said.
"Blast it. Elsie wanted to let that ship get away." Victory said.
"Belay that, I think they weren't one of Elsie's ship. Focus all forces on taking down the Dread Queen!" Justice comanded.
"Sir, Elsie's personal starfighter was spotted wrecking havoc through Ships 49 to 51. They're breaking formation!" One technician said.
"Order Hangar 1 prepare my starfighter I'll personally handle Elsie, Victory on the helm. Gallant and Zephyr both of you with me." Justice commanded as his way out of the bridge.
"Yes sir!" Everyone affirmed and saluted
The Union crew were working like an well oiled-machine and sent out starfighter to intercept the Skull Fairy's starfighters.
As Justice was walking towards Hangar 1 with Gallant and Zepyhr, his fist tighten into balls as he grits his teeth in anger.
"Elsie..." Justice growled as his white hair and brown turned blue. As Ether Circuits covered his right side of his face.
Meanwhile, outside in the vacuum of space. Elsie was tearing through the interceptor drones and starfighters after her. Her starfighter moved at unreadable speeds as she enhanced it with her Ether Gear, Star Drain. It was enveloped in a golden glow as she used one of her technique, Meteor.
Elsie saw a golden glint on her periphery, and smirk to herself, "I'm not that easy, Justice."
Edens Zero, Bluegarden Sector
The Edens Zero came to a sudden stop in the middle of space, it was only surrounded by stars and sakura petals.
Everyone except for Rebecca were shocked by the speeds that the Edens Zero traveled at.
"WHAT WAS THAT!? Did we go from there to wherever "here" is in less than a second?" asked by a very confused Weisz.
"How is this possible?!" Louise said in disbelief.
"That was fast travel. Oh, right... You're from 50 years ago so this tech didn't exist yet." Rebecca explained.
"Basically, we just teleported." Happy simplified.
"SPACE/THE FUTURE IS AWESOME!" Shiki and Weisz said.
"I just hope that Elsie, Kirche and the others are okay." Rebecca said in worry.
"I can't believe you're worrying about pirates." Louise dryly said to Rebecca.
"Just where in the cosmos are we?!" Weisz is try to find the navigation systems in this ship.
Rebecca just fished out her smartphone as checked the CPS app, "It looks like we are just outside of the Bluegarden Sector, that's perfect we can go back there for a little while."
"Thank the stars for the tech of the future." Weisz cheered.
"You need to go back to Norma, Professor." Happy said with a deadpan expression.
"SHUT IT CAT!" Weisz said back.
Rebecca tapped her phone and it projected a 3D Cosmos Map of the entire Sakura Cosmos.
Shiki and Louise look at the Cosmos Map with awe and wonder.
"Eh, we have those in the past." Weisz shrugged.
"I'm not trying to impress you!" Rebecca said.
"So, anyways we are currently here." Rebecca pointed towards a red dot in the hologram it was between three Planetary Sectors of Norma, Granbell and Bluegarden.
"If this ship is as fast or faster than the Aquawing we can reach Bluegarden in about six hours." Rebecca said.
"Becca, they'll never let us dock in this pirate ship." Happy added.
"We'll get close and then take the Aqua Wing-"
"That's my ship." Weisz smugly said.
Shiki picked up his fallen jacket and wore it, he went towards the window with the view of the Sakura Cosmos, "Gramps' Ship... Now, it's our ship."
"You mean your ship." Rebecca corrected.
"Nope. We're a team, aren't we? We're adventuring together. It's our ship." Shiki said with a grin.
Rebecca chuckle and Happy responded with, "Aye!"
Louise didn't know what to say since she couldn't add to conversation and she just listlessly but her attention was grab by Shiki yet again, "That's means you too, Louise."
Louise sighed, it was a crazy day and these people were her only way find her way back to Halkegenia, "If you say so."
And, Weisz had to ruin the moment.
"So you're saying I have some ownership here, too... hmm." Weisz asked with smug grin on him.
"Oh, you're not part of the team." Shiki in a deadpan tone.
"First, we'll have to clean this place up. I saw some cleaning supplies on the way here." Rebecca said as she eyed the fleshy growth in disgust.
"Those bugs may still be hanging around too."
"H-Happy don't call them bugs. They're Oc- octopi, yeah." Shiki said with a hint of fear in his voice.
Rebecca giggled and began poking Shiki's sides, "What's this? Is my widdle Shiky afraid of a widdle bug." Rebecca teased with her mock baby talk.
"Hnnngh..." Shiki could only flushed from being teased.
Louise was genuine shocked that someone so strong was afraid of bugs. It was cute in a way that she giggled from the absurdity.
Weisz was holding back his laughter, "But.. hrk.. You totally look like a brat who'd love big rhinoceros beetles and other creepy crawlies." Weisz teased.
"What would a brat like that even look like?!"
"Anyways, get cleaning! This is gonna be a big job!"
"Aye!" Happy cheered
"Louise you're coming with me." Rebecca drag Louise away from the bridge.
"Hey, I found the spa area while I was looking for Shiki earlier." Rebecca whispered to Louise.
Louise's brow quirk about the mention of a spa, "I was thinking about cleaning up that first, so we could take a bath. Being covered in tentacle slime is not a great feeling."
Louise nodded and just followed Rebecca.
"Hey, what Kirche said about you is that true? You don't know anything about space?" Rebecca asked with concern to Louise.
"I don't even know where 'here' is." Louise look dejected as she was far from home, her planer even. She has seen things that looked impossible yet it was. She had many thoughts running through her mind, too much to comprehend, too to understand.
"Hey, don't be sad when I was a kid I was surprised by how big space is and the how many planets were there in the cosmos." Rebecca said trying to cheer up Louise.
"Who know maybe you can find your own way to your home. I have your back and so does Shiki."
"Aye! Me too!" Happy said.
"I am meaning to ask you, is Happy your familiar?" Louise asked as she looked at Happy.
"Familiar?" Rebecca looked confused on the term.
"A mage's summon, he looks like one." Louise explained.
"I didn't summon him, I just found him one day and we became bestfriends."
"So, he is a pet?" Louise said.
Rebecca sighed, "No, I don't own him, Happy is his own person." Rebecca said with a huff.
"Uh, I am sorry."
"Don't worry about it, I get that all the time and I know, you didn't have any ill intentions."
"Though, we might need a change of clothes, if we are going to clean up being in slimy clothes isn't going to be fun."
The pair ended up in the hangar where the Aquawing was docked.
Shiki noticed that Pino was silent and she wasn't speaking after learning what happened to her master.
"What's wrong, Pino? Is it about Gramps?" Shiki asked.
"Yes... I'm still trying to process everything..."
"Take your time, but help with the cleaning, okay? Since you're part of the team too."
Pino looked shock, and she began contemplating about herself
'Master... For what purpose was I made? Why was I on Norma? What is my reason for being?' asked the artificial being.
Pino could only gaze at the stars over her head.
Rebecca changed into a white sleeveless sport shirt and form fitting track pants that reached her knees and some white rubber shoes.
Meanwhile Louise was wearing a t-shirt one size larger than herself, sleeves were sagging on her shoulders and the shirt went past her hips. She was also wearing Rebecca's gym shorts where it would have covered Rebecca's knee, on Louise it covered up to her shins. And, a pair of old rubber shoes from Rebecca's younger years.
Louise was fascinated by the washing machine in the Aquawing, a machine that launders your own clothes without the need to washing it yourself or using magic to clean your clothes. You simply put it inside and adds some detergent and nice smelling fabric softeners. Rebecca said that her uniform and cloak will be ready after 30 minutes in the dryer. The process was infinitely efficient compared to how its done where she comes from.
Louise even now she could faintly smell the fabric softeners that smelled wonderful. And, even the clothes that Rebecca lend to her was comfortable and breathable. It wasn't like the stuffy clothing back home.
The pair enter the aforementioned spa, and luckily it wasn't as infested as the hallway and the bridge.
This area of the ship was absolutely enormous, there was a changing room at the entrance of the spa area, a massage room with multiple massage tables and shelves where the massage supplies would be put. And, just ahead of the massage area was the main bathing area. A center of the room was a giant tree on a platform where the water would flow out of, it was placed in the middle of the round pool-like area that was roughly 100-feet in diameter and just 2-feet deep.
There were dozens of showers stalls around the pool area and each had a built-in seat on it. And, a massive glass dome was above with a clear view of the stars and cosmos.
"Whoa! I have never seen a bath this big! Hey Louise you said that you were a noble right?" Rebecca as she was mopping away the slimy discharges of the fleshy growth into a drain.
"Yeah, what of it?" Louise was given a power washer, she would normally be averse to doing menial task, but she was familiar of the task of cleaning since it was the most common way her teachers would punish her failures.
"I was wondering if Halkegenia has big bathtubs or spas like the one here?"
"No, Tristainian don't have public bath houses, but I heard that it was common in Germania. But, in the capital there are lavish spas around." Louise explained as blasted the filth with pressurized water.
"That's neat. Hey, Happy come on we could make a spa cleaning video for our channel. Just records us cleaning." Rebecca as she gave her B-Cube to Happy.
Rebecca wore a cat-eared headband and a belt with a cat's tail on her hips.
"Aye! We're recording in 3... 2... 1... And, we are live!" The B-Cube in Happy's hand formed a cube that recorded everything in it's sight.
"Hey Guys! Welcome to the AoNeko Channel!" Rebecca said with infectious glee.
"Meow-wow!" Rebecca struck a cat-like pose.
"Me-wow?" Louise looked at Rebecca with a strange look.
"You guys wouldn't believe what we found today." Rebecca angled herself out of the frame of the shot, to show the spa.
"We found a big spa in this abandonned battleship! And, I am going to clean it!" Rebecca runs towards Louise and dragged in frame for the recording.
"And, helping me today is a new guest for today's video! Come on, say hi to camera Louise!"
"Hi..." Louise awkwardly said as she waved at Happy's direction like Rebecca was doing.
This continued on until Rebecca was satisfied by all the clips that Happy got to be editted later. The trio continued cleaning up the spa.
"Why do I have to clean this thing too?" Weisz asked as he yanked off some the mimic's overgrowth on the walls.
"Nobody asked you to help." Shiki said as was mopping the floor and using his gravity powers to group the growth and pile them in a corner.
"Yeah, whatever wear something that isn't shredded." Weisz dryly said as he ripped more of those fleshy growths.
"Yeah." Shiki began running off to find clothes somewhere in this massive ship.
"There he goes." Weisz said with a sigh.
Weisz ripped another fleshy growth to reveal a door to the armory, Weisz smirked.
"Jackpot."
Using this cleaning tool was oddly satisfying to the pinkette, the water was cutting through the fleshy pus remnants of the Kawpicatt. Louise like to imagine she was using magic, but like Rebecca explained it was a machine that use Water Ether to supply the thing with water.
Apparently, Bluegarden specialized in making water related devices and machinery, since the planet was known for its abundant Water Ether. That was also another thing that Rebecca and Happy taught about her this new world of the stars.
Ether is the source of power found by all species, this energy is so potent that it can do anything from the mundane to the massive scale like making an starship move through the stars. Ether flows through the cosmos and the Sakura Petals that were the gently floating in space were just scattered Ether remanants from all the planets in this cosmos.
There is a cosmic phenomena exclusive to the Sakura Cosmos called Sakura Rain, where there is an increase chance the petal can fall into a planet within the Sakura Cosmos. But, this only happens every Cosmic Standard Calendar New Year, and this occurs due to the Sakura Cosmos' Ether will reach critical mass and return back that Ether back to its planets.
Louise learned all of that in a B-Cube Video, and Rebecca explained the concept of video recording and sharing. And, the world of the Ethernet was limitless source of news, forums, musics, sports, documentaries , plays, movies and even knowledge all viewable by this tiny cube just the size of a walnut.
Rebecca had to teach her how to interact with the device and it was fairly simple to understand and do. Even as they clean Louise was still listening in a basic history of the cosmoses.
But, after an hour of cleaning the trio manage to clean up, bathtub area and the spa area. Rebecca had to finick with the holographic display for the pool to fill up with hot water and Rebecca added some aromatic options like berries, herbs and flowers filling the bath with an absolutely heavenly scent.
Rebecca and Happy didn't hesitate to strip down and jumped into the hot spring, "Hey, Louise what's wrong? Come on join me the water feels so good!"
Louise had a permanent flush as she shied away from looking at Rebecca's bare body, "I-I'll take a bath after you and Happy are finished!" Louise was stuttered as she tried to retreat into the changing area.
Rebecca frowned and rose from the hot waters, she held on Louise's wrist, "Rebecca what are you doing?! Let go!" Louise tried to pry off Rebecca's grip, but the bigger girl was stronger than Louise.
"Come on it will be fun! Beside, we're girls!"
"What if Shiki and Weisz find us?!"
"I locked the doors."
"But-"
"No, buts!" Rebecca's movement was fast and she manage to strip down Louise's clothes very quickly. And, with her bigger size dragged Louise into the water.
"There doesn't that feel nice?" Rebecca said with smile.
"Yes... It's nice..." Louise weakly said as she was covering her chest and closed her legs and her face was flush from the heat, and being naked around Rebecca and Happy.
"Lousie, come on relax. You won't enjoy the waters like that." Happy said with a blissful expression, as he was gently floating.
"Come on, there is nothing to be shy about." Rebecca smiled at Louise.
"I suppose..." Louise ease the tension in her body, and allowed her self to relax. She had to admit the water felt nice, but she wouldn't say it out loud.
Even Happy a robot could feel great in this bath, "Becca it feels so good!"
"According to Shiki, The Demon King was a bot, too. That must be why the water feels so nice even to a machine."
"Wait Happy isn't a cat that could walk and talk?" Louise looked at Happy incredulously.
"Technically, I am an Exceed from Xtalia, Aye! I am fully machine now due some incidents years back..." Happy exposes her metal frame to Louise.
"Professor Weisz found us after the accident and built Happy a machine body."
"Weisz?! That idiot who called me a kid?! He made you a machine body?"
"Well, yes but actually no. It's complicated..." Rebecca explained to Louise how a Chronophage works, and how they ended up taking a younger version of Weisz Steiner and Pino out of Norma 50 years ago. Rebecca even showed Louise a picture of Professor Weisz Steiner compared it to a picture of a younger one with them.
"I don't completely understand everything, but I do have an idea why there is two versions of the same person at the same time." Louise said.
Rebecca looked up to the dome.
"Hey Louise! Look up! The stars are so beautiful."
Louise eyes sparkled in wonder as she get to see the sky or space like this. On the ground it was beautiful on its on, but on the view on dome was simply breathtaking. She could see many stars and galaxies of various colors against a backgrounds of sakura petals gently floating in space. Occasionally, an asteroid or a comet would pass them.
Rebecca laid on her back to float on the shallow waters of the bath, "To think, you used to live in a world with no knowledge of space and the greater cosmos, huh. In a way everything that has happened seems like a dream."
"Yeah." Louise copied Rebecca and Happy, she floated on the shallow waters looking up the sky.
"Louise, I know Shiki decided to add ypu to the crew impulsively, you don't mind tagging along with us?" Rebecca asked as she looked at Louise with concern.
The pinkette ponder on the question for the moment as she continued to watch a unfamiliar sky or space.
"What choice do I even have? I am lost and alone." Louise cynically said.
Rebecca frowned, "You aren't alone, you have us."
"You're right..." Louise smiled a little knowing that these new... friend are there to help.
Louise sighed, "Rebecca, you have been a great help ever since I arrived here, and I guess I was lucky to end up being found by you people. The last few hours has been the most very confusing day of my life. There are countless of questions in my mind and too few answers."
"I guess I want to say is that I am grateful for your help." Louise admitted as stared at the stars above them. Louise could only feel homesick, Rebecca was perceptive enough to notice it.
"You know with this ship, we could go anywhere in the cosmos! Maybe we could find Halkegenia somewhere out there!" Rebecca trying to cheer up Louise.
"Do you think its possible?" Louise doubted.
"I know so! And, we will get you home!" Rebecca said as she pumps her fist.
"Aye!" Happy also followed Rebecca's energy.
Rebecca's arm and legs suddenly gained Ether Circuits that glows a brilliant blue and forming a wing-like pattern.
Louise's rose thorn-like Ether Circuit also decided to glow as well.
"REBECCA! LOUISE!? Are you guys okay?!" Happy asked worry after seeing his friends suddenly glowing.
"Whoa, what's happening to me?!" Rebecca was checking out the circuits that manifested on her. While, Louise was more surprised that it decided to glow now.
"I know! Maybe the bath has properties that activates the Ether in your bodies." Happy said.
"Wow! Do you think, If I tried now, I could use an Ether Gear like Shiki's?" Rebecca was very enthusiastic about getting a cool superpower.
"Hiya!" Rebecca jokingly punched up mimicking how Shiki punches.
A bluish beam of light fired from her hand, they could hear glass shattering above them. And, through that hole in the dome of the spa room the vacuum of space began sucking everything.
Louise, Rebecca and Happy were being sucked in by the vacuum of space, "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" They collective screamed as Louise, Rebecca and Happy instinctively cling to each other as they were being sucked in. Luckily for them the hole in the dome repaired itself before they could be ejected into space.
They were smushed against the glass, Louise's face was buried in Rebecca's massive breasts. But, they were sent falling into the bath when the gravity of the room normalized.
They crashed into the pool making a big splash. Louise and Rebecca had to cough out some water that entered their mouth went they were submerge in the water.
"Reb-*cough* Rebecca be careful next time!" Louise said.
"Ehehe... Sorry about that I didn't expect to fire a beam out of nowhere." Rebecca sheepishly said as she rubbed the back of head.
"Rebecca..." Louise seemed to notice something.
"What's wrong Louise?"
"Where's our clothes?"
Rebecca looked to where their clothes was supposed to be placed and it wasn't there, "Oh, I think it was ejected into space..."
"What?! What are we going to wear!? I don't want to risk being seen by the others!" Louise said as she was progressively panicking.
"Calm down, Louise I found some clothes in the changing room we could wear those instead.
"Okay."
"But, Louise did you just see that I really did have some kind of power!" Rebecca said with so much excitement.
The trio had finish up cleaning their bodies after they washed up using one of the shower stalls.
Rebecca wore a black bat-themed one piece dress, white accents breaking up the blacks, that came bat wing shaped hair clips and black heeled boots.
Louise had the hardest picking an outfit as most of them didn't fit her, or they were too risque. She was content when she found a dark violet witch robes that was sleeveless and it a slit on the right side exposing her upper thigh, but it had complementary detached sleeves that were tied on her bicep. Louise wore a floral patter violet stockings to hide her legs and a pair of violet heeled boots that reached her knees.
She wore a large violet witch hat, which obscures her face on certain angles.
Louise found a staff that was made of wood and had a violet crystal ball on its tip she tested the staff in the hallway to see if she could use it. And, to her surprise the staff responded to her willpower. Though she only casted an explosion.
And, Happy found a navy blue and white spacesuit that he fit could in.
The trio decided to reconvene at ship's bridge. After freshening up.
Shiki, Rebecca, Louise, Happy, Pino and Weisz had found there way on some sort of Throne Room just above the bridge.
There was a panoramic view of space and the front of ship, the throne was located at the back of the room and there were two big violet crescent-shape couches and tables that following the design. There were pillars anf dragon statues on the room.
"The hell you guys wearing?" Weisz asked as he was looking at the others.
"Found these on this room." Shiki grinned.
Shiki's new outfit now consists of a buttoned-up, short-sleeved, and copper-trimmed black tunic with an open high collar, has two black laces behind the neck of the collar, white round details on the sides, and a zig-zag pattern at the end of the sleeves on either side. He wore white baggy pants and a pair of black boots, on his head he has the X-Ray Googles he got from Weisz's hideout on Norma.
Weisz also got a new outfit which consisted a short sleeved blue body glove that had white armour pieces on his shoulders, torso and armored boots. He an Ether Assault Rifle that was slung on his back.
"Louise, and I got some from the ship too." Rebecca said as she was present her outfit.
"Me too! Aye!"
"I do so too." Weisz said with a grin.
"Hey, Weisz how did you learn how to use your Ether Gear?" Rebecca asked.
"Hmm?"
"Shiki learned from his Grandpa, the Demon King. I was just wondering where you learned how to use your Ether Gear. Cuz, I think I just awoke my Ether Gear!" Rebecca said as she was growing excited.
"Yeah! Becca went ' Hiya' and fired a blue laser from her hands." Happy was mimicking the motions that Rebecca did in the spa.
"Is that so." Weisz made a curious glance at Rebecca."
"That's so cool!" Shiki was just as excited for Rebecca.
"So Weisz how did you learn to use yours. Do you think I would be able to use to?!"
"It's not a big deal, just trial and error. But, it will take you years of practice to use it." Weisz told in a laconic manner.
Shiki made a dumb grin at Weisz, "It only took me months to learn to use mine."
"Don't listen to him not everyone is a prodigy like this idiot."
"Hey, I am not an idiot!"
"Well you look like one!"
Shiki and Weisz began butting heads as they glared at each other.
But, Shiki lost interest in Weisz as he remembered something, "By the way, Louise how did you just use gravity like I did in the fight with the fake Elsie?"
Rebecca gasped, "Louise are you an Ether Gearist too?"
"Uhh... I don't really know how I did it?" Louise admitted.
"Don't worry about it. We'll figure out our powers together." Rebecca hug the much smaller girl from behind.
"Miss Louise I could help you a bit, if you would like to listen to me?" Pino shyly asked.
"It's fine I guess."
"When you were fighting the fake Elsie, I detected your Ether resonating with Shiki's Ether. I have made the hypothesis that you have a copy-type Ether Gea but this only happened when Shiki had an high concentration of Ether building up in him. However, I still need more data to conclusively tell the nature of your Ether Gear." Pino explained concisely to Louise.
"Thank you, Pino that was very informative."
Pino became happy when she was praised by Louise.
"This room is so different than the others in the ship, huh?" Weisz whistled as he eyed the dragon statues and throne.
"I think this is master's room." Pino said.
In the middle of the room there was a hologram projector. Shiki had a somber looked as he wiped his hands on the projector. The projector showed a star map and a charter course the Edens Zero once sent into. It simply was amazing that the record shows that the ship had passed all of the 4 Four Great Cosmos of Sakura, Aoi, Yuuki and Kaede across multiple planets and there records of its travels far into the greater Frontier. Though the last destination's data seems to be corrupted.
"So Gramps really wanted to see Mother, huh. Don't worry if you can't do it, I'll do it for you." Shiki swore.
Shiki sat on throne, his Ether Circuits lit up and the throne behind him lit up in response. Panels behind the throne to reveal a secret compartment.
"A7 Protocol Activated... Executing Command System Transfer Procedure... Transfer Complete... Welcome Back, Demon King..."
"Wait what was that?!" Shiki began searching for the source of the voice in the area.
"Shiki I think it's the ship's AI." Pino told him.
Panels behind the throne began moving opening a secret compartment, "Shiki behind you."
Rebecca pointed at the person who emerged from the room, she was a tall green haired woman, her long green hair was tied into a massive braid. She was wearing black dress along with a visor that covers her eyes and has "E4" etched on dress has yellow stripes with a deep cut in the back exposing her back, grey sleeves, and a heart-shaped cut in the chest exposing her cleavage. She had forgone any footwear and she was bear footed.
The features that stood out from her was her hands, legs and feet having seams like that of a mannequin.
"Apologies for the late introduction. I am the one who manages this ship." she told them as she continued her approach.
"I am Witch Regret, you can refer to me as Witch, I am one of the Demon King Ziggy's Four Shining Stars."
"Are you an android?" Happy asked.
"You are correct little one." Witch smiled at Happy.
"Command over me has been transferred to Lord Shiki. I will fulfill any kind of order without question."
"Then bark like a dog." Shiki half-heartedly joked.
"Woof!~ Woof!~" Witch barked without any hesitation as she curled her hands to look like paws.
"I was just joking though, you didn't have to..." Shiki had stared at Witch.
Rebecca giggled, "It's kinda cute."
"You manage the ship, right?" Weisz was pointing the overgrowth all over the room.
"Damn, do you suck at it. Look at all these bugs all over the ship." Weisz bluntly said.
"You idiot, that's very rude thing to say!" Louise told the blonde man.
"What's wrong pointing out the truth?! Huh, shorty!" Weisz countered back.
"I had been suspended for a very long time so I wasn't able to maintain it. But, do not worry for that is an easy matter.
Witch channel some Ether in her hands she was gathering it in the space between her hands. She raised her arms up and the Ether expelled out of her in a massive radius.
"Purge!" Witch said out loud.
They could hear a strong suction from the vents as it was sucking the Mimic's overgrowth all over the ship and out to space
"That's amazing!"
"At least we won't have to clean it ourselves." Louise sighed in relief.
"Shit, we could have just done this sooner?" Weisz said in frustration.
"Nobody asked you to help us, Weisz." Happy said.
Weisz shot Happy a glare, "Shut it cat!"
"And, then Rebirth!" Witch chanted.
And, they felt the ship shaking as they saw the ship was being dismantled, they could see it being rearranged from the window with the view of the hull.
"What's happening?!" Louise asked.
"I believe Miss Witch is reforming the ship." Pino answered calmly.
The ship lost its compact design and the ship was reforming into a more sleeker and elegant form. It's bulbous dragon head was replace it was replaced with a more menacing sharp snout dragon with twin horns. Two massive dragon wings appeared at it sides and its dull colours were now a shiny obsidian and golden outlines.
"I have restored the ship to its true form. The black wings that soar through space will fly once more!"
"Ether Drive Eternal Navigation Ship.. The Black Battleship EDENS Zero."
The hologram projector showed a 3D image of the current appearance of the ship.
Louise gas more less just accepted everything that happened today, but she was impressed that Witch could simply modify this massive battleship in just a few moments.
And, rest of the group were just us impressed.
"We went from pirate ship to a demon's king ship." Happy said while leaning on projector's edge.
"I hope we aren't mistaken for criminals because of this ship." Louise added.
"Louise is right it looks something a villain would ride on, though it does look kinda ciol though." Rebecca was interacting with hologram to rotate it at certain angle and looking at the ship's directory to see all its rooms and areas.
"I've been waiting for this, Demon King."
"The Demon King is Gramps, I'm just his grandson..." Shiki had a sad smile.
"No, you're the new Demon King." Witch kneel to Shiki.
"Shiki you finally came home..." behind her visors her tears were flowing.
Mildian, Frontier Cosmos
From a distance, Mildian is a small planet with a pair of clock-shaped rings, small gears around its body, and a pair of hands. From an outside perspective, the planet is perpetually frozen in time; contrary to beliefs that nothing on the planet can move, time flows normally for those on the planet while it stands still for the rest of the universe.
Therefore, visitors could remain on the planet for years, and when they leave, time would proceed from the exact moment of their arrival.
Many seek the elusive planet for the legendary fortune teller, Xiaomei. She resides on the Temple of Time. She had the ability to see all time and other timelines.
Countless versions of Shiki Granbell's had reach Mildian to seek the guidance of Xiaomei. Most share the same personality, sometimes he had different company, seldom had different backstories, they could have reach her at the beginning of his journey or near the end.
Through out all timelines, Xiaomei had seen all the ways Shiki had ended up at the end of his journey. Except this new branch in the timeline. Xiaomei was ecstatic for something finally different happening in this undocumented timeline.
Xiaomei is a slender young woman with red eyes and black hair with diagonally cut bangs, and has two pairs of longer bangs, each on the front and back of her head, respectively. She wears a red cherry qipao with blossom pattern that exposes much of her back, and a lily flower on the right side of her head.
She was bare footed as it was a requirement to be within the Temple of Time.
"Hi, though this is unconventional, hello. As you know I am Xiaomei, just like you, I am merely an observer of this undocumented timeline." Xiaomei addressing the readers.
"I will occasionally insert myself in some parts of this story, either as an active participant if the crew of Edens One ever arrive in Mildian, a guide during a critical moment of the story or merely an observer just like you."
Xiaomei was walking through the temple, its default appearance is just the empty space where Mildian currently reside or whatever Xiaomei wants it to look like.
"Though, it seems this lengthy first chapter of Shiki and Louise's journey has come to a close. Until next time, ta ta~" Xiaomei waved at the readers.
And, it's now truly done!
Hello, this will be the first time in a while to be making an AN at the end of my stories. I had reignited my passion in writing fanfics again though I wrote another ZnT crossover with Fate/Prototype, I doubt I'd continue that story.
But, this one is a focused work since I have been binging Edens Zero, which is a good and underappreciated series. I hate people calling it Fairy Tail in space, but it is much more than that. I think EZ is easily one of Mashima's best works, the start of the series is kinda slow and tedious but after Sun Jewel and Belial Gore is where the series surpasses FT in terms of worldbuilding and narrative.
But, I do hope you guys will enjoy this one, I will probably edit this first chapter in the future after I proofread this. This will be posted un-proofread.
Next chapter might be soon, the word count of the following chapters will be not as long as the first. On average they might only be 3k to 5k in the future. This chapter is long because I wanted to established a lot things like Kirche and Tabitha having been in the cosmos longer and develop into different people after experiences in the cosmos.
I like to write how Louise's deals with idea of the people she knew is far different from the people they turned into as they lived in the wide cosmos.
I appropriated some ZnT characters like Saito and Brimir being in the EZ setting. The next chapter will explain the true nature of Louise's Ether Gear why she was born with it and why Brimir is a criminal in this setting.
There is a character in EZ called Saintfire Nox, I hc that he would be some sort of space cultist. And, I plan to make Brimir a cult leader and swap him with Nox (he could be one of his followers in this fic). He would be like Zeref in this story, I would make a new arcs around the idea of Edens Zero crew fighting the 'angels', 'saints' and 'apostle' of the Brimic scriptures in Louise's time. Basically the Holy See from Berserk.
I have something planned for both Colbert and Siesta so stay tuned.
I will post my art of this in my twitter and if this fic becomes big I might make a discord channel, let's say at 1k Favs. And, I will consider it.
So please write a review good or bad if you like this one.
