Ashes of the Golden Tiger
Chapter 2
Bygone Memories
Dear Brother, your memory
Will never fade.
"My Dear Brother now that you are gone
You're no longer here to share
The bond we had together-
A bond of love and care.
Yet, somehow something tells me
You finally are free.
I miss you so very much,
And my tears I cannot hide
Yet, within my heart, I feel
You are always by my side.
Ever since you went away
Life has never been the same
Yet, it comforts me to know
That one day we'll meet again.
(Beatrice in front of Natsuki Subaru's grave 15 years ago)
Monarch retrieved her pack that she had left outside before getting 'captured' by the three individuals she had just put down. Armed with the new knowledge of who she needs to get in order to be successful, she went to meet the Iron Fang company.
She had lost weight since the last time she saw the company, around several months ago. She liked working alone, it gave her focus when she had to completed several high profile missions. However, working alone also made her mind drift.
It would inevitably go back to her brother, her throne that maintained the world and her happiness. When he left and they learned of his demise. It was as if her soul was rend in two, the throne she called Natsuki Subaru crumbled, leaving alone a crying and confused teenager. The agony has muted eventually after fifteen years, yet it still burns on quite moments of reflection.
She looked at the gentle snowflakes that fell and subconsciously stuck out her tongue, catching a wayward snowflake that melted on her tongue. She shivered at the cold yet her eyes seemed to be gazing eons ahead, as if lost in the raging memories of a bygone era.
Her hands cupped in front of her mouth as she blew gently, the breath visible due to the cold temperature outside, her boots sinking softly in the three inches of snow surrounding the magnificent skeletal trees. Their leaves stripped a long time ago by the churning forces of nature. The bleak landscape seemed to only invite one to lay down in its seemingly endless white ground.
She looked at the floor as her memories briefly overtook reality and she was thrown back into the distant past.
(21 years ago)
"Hey Beako, you can't seriously want to eat strawberry ice cream in this weather." Said a black haired young man, with eyes twinkling with mischief and good humor.
"Hmph, Betty wants ice-cream regardless of the weather, in fact. You should know better than this brother." Pouted an adorable drill haired loli, as her diminutive steps struggled to keep up with the larger ones of her older brother.
They both were enjoying themselves as they played around the throngs of tourists. It was a frigid winter in Kyoto, and they were visiting the magnificent temples of the historic city. They were in front of a Torri Gate, which is a rather large structure made out of wood and painted a vermillion color with splashes of black.
The Fushimi Inari Shrine is quite famous worldwide for easily being one of the most recognizable Shinto shrines in the world. Also having been used in many medias, including anime.
A place deep in the mountains, where the air breathed was as pure as it would ever get. The peaceful solitude enjoyed in the shrine invigorated both siblings spirits. As their home in Shibuya was ever rowdy due to the high density of people. The noise and bustle never stopped in Shibuya, so a weekend getaway was just what the duo needed.
They wished to come with their parents, however Natsuki Kenichi is a very busy man. His admirable charisma had propelled him to an excellent government job overseeing the prefecture they lived in. This enabled him to also be close to his adoring family, since he would never agree to a job where he couldn't see his family on a regular basis.
Both of them remembered how their dad had wrestled with Subaru until he finally gave up, due to Subaru having used all the past beatings and learned Kenichi's weak spots. Only after winning did they get to go there with their parents blessing.
As both Beatrice and Subaru bickered in a good natured manner they heard a silver bell-like voice:
"Ahh, Subaru and Beatrice-chan? It's reaally good to see you both."
The siblings turned around, and Subaru's breath stopped shortly, for in front of him was his childhood friend Emilia. She looked the same, yet her eyes looked haggard and worn down. Her whole countenance seemed dull, as if the rambunctious energy she always possessed seemed to have evaporated.
He struggled to breathe and internally counted to ten in order to make sure his appearance was, spotless, free of guilt and self-loathing. He turned around and put on his best (Fake) smile for Emilia and replied:
"Oh EMT! How dazzling you are, what an angel to have blessed us with her divine presence! I'll need to remember this moment for the rest of my life."
Beatrice looked at Emilia then at her brother, and saw the pain in his eyes. She narrowed her vision and grasped Subaru's clenched hand, that she noticed was slightly trembling. With a cold gaze that pierced Emilia she said:
"Lady Emilia, You should've known better than to approach us, after what happened between us and your sister in fact. I'm amazed you have the gall to talk to my brother, I suppose. Come Subaru, let's go."
"Ah, wai… wait one moment please!" Hurriedly replied Emilia as she intercepted them with tears in her eyes. She was struggling to keep her composure, for her emotions were on full display. The slight trembling of her shoulders, the tears falling freely from her amethyst colored eyes. How she was nervously wrangling her hair, as if to stop the compulsion to hug Subaru.
She glanced at Subaru and her heart broke all over again, for she saw in his eyes such raw pain that it pierced her soul, Emilia took a moment and continued:
"I'm sor… sorry for the events that happened, If on… only I had known what Satella did, I could've tried to stop her. I… NEVER WANTED THIS!"
Both Subaru and Beatrice flinched at her words, as they saw that she was being sincere and it hurt her to even speak those words. Subaru even wanted to go and comfort her, yet a firm grasp from Beatrice prevented him from approaching the crying silver-haired girl.
Her eyes were sad for her brother, yet she knew that if Subaru went to Emilia now, all his effort would be in vain. Everything they all worked for would be lost. There was a reason Subaru had distanced himself from Emilia, and she reminded him to much of her twin. The one that is wanted by multiple agencies.
Emilia alone had to carry a special writ by a judge in case she gets stopped and questioned by the police, which happened on a near daily basis. She dropped out of school and transferred to an online university since she never wanted to see anyone. Except Subaru, she always wanted to see the boy she loved, who she even confessed to.
However, her twin really ruined things, if only she hadn't done the things she did. Poor Otto, she still had nightmares about what happened to one of Subaru's best friends. As she was caught up in her thoughts Subaru finally replied:
"I'm glad to see you again Emilia, truly it's great. I hope things get resolved soon with Sat…." He choked when he tried to mention the name of his former lover. Even after a year it was still impossible for him to mention her without his emotions blindsiding him. He wiped his blurry face away since tears had pooled in their center and he continued:
"I am a terrible friend, and a horrible boyfriend, for also not noticing the things that happened around me. If only I would've known, I could've stopped her. I should've stopped her, yet I am weak, dumb, and small in all the ways that matter. I'm…. WORTHLESS!"
Beatrice noticed Subaru was beginning to hyperventilate and she thought to herself:
"Betty will not allow all the progress that we were able to make this past year vanish as if smoke in the air, in fact. While Betty feels bad for Emilia since this isn't her fault, nevertheless her brother takes priority over anything and anyone, I suppose. However this isn't good to just leave as it is, Betty shall have to mend things so that Subaru can reward her with many head pats, I gather."
She glanced at Emilia and tightened her grip on her brother's hand, enough for the self-loathing he was showing to vanish abruptly. She released her grasp on Subaru's hand and turned to Emilia while approaching her, Emilia was surprised that Beatrice got close to her, then Beatrice actually embraced Emilia.
The silver haired girl was shocked at Beatrice's actions. She started questioning everything she had done and wondered why was she being shown such kindness. She began crying more, while the drill haired loli patted her on the back and whispered:
"Betty truly shouldn't be bothering with the likes of you, I suppose. But, you've made my brother happy for many years, as well as bought Beatrice sweets. Hmph, there, there, let it all out, Betty has time, in fact."
Emilia just hugged Beatrice as she wailed, and a dark cloud raging in Natsuki Subaru's mind was lifted, as if the first rays of sunlight after a thunderstorm pierced through. He smiled a genuine smile and was grateful for his little sister to be wise beyond her years.
They all walked towards the temple in quiet contemplation, as to the events that happened and to what may still be in store for them all. Hope, despair, fear, loneliness permeated the souls of the trio. Yet, they wanted to believe things could be better. They needed to see that they could still be who they were, and learn to grow and accept who they might become. As Beatrice saw how Subaru and Emilia glanced at each other and turned away while blushing, she smirked and thought things were going quite nicely.
The trio ended up reconciling and enjoyed a peaceful day in the Shinto Temple. Betty got many sweets as Emilia and Subaru, hesitantly resumed their conversation. Both relieved that they could actually talk without being awkward. This day marked one of the best in Beatrice's life, and she remembered to cherish it truly.
As who knows when the peaceful moments would ever end. The three laughed and continued through the shrine, enjoying their new year and hoping that things would eventually turn back to normal. The dull rhythm of life infinitely preferable to the chaos that had enveloped their friends and family.
(Present Time)
"Hey Beatrice, wake up! We have to go after all."
A voice filled with enthusiasm broke the reverie that had been cast upon Monarch. She didn't even remember dozing off as she sat with her back to an oak tree, her hair covered in light snow, as if the environment had claimed her as one of their own.
She got up languidly, stretching like the pet cat that she had at her parents' home. She remembered Bubby and felt a pang of sadness and not having seen him in several years. Yet, she had to maintain her mission, as part of the Arbiter Corps of the Free World Coalition, or FWC for short.
Monarch had tremendous influence and was able to apply said influence to the Remnants. Countries that decided to not be part of the FWC and be independent on their own. Havens for criminal and countries with aspiration to repeat the war that happened.
She looked at Hetaro Pearlbaton, a boy around her age who's genetics where shown clearly in his cat like ears. With orange hair and turquoise eyes, he was taller than Monarch by 4 inches. He had two revolvers on each side of his hips, as well as a pendant dangling from his neck. The pendant did a good job as an amplifier to his water aura.
Him and Tivey were her backup when she learned of this mission scant hours ago. She preferred working alone, but when in doubt using the Iron Fang Company always reassured her. The on and off work relationship she enjoyed with the brothers led her to trust them with her life when needed. Just not the painful memories that reared up to strike at her mind when most vulnerable.
She sighed and started walking with Hetaro to the Helicopter as she talked:
"Hetaro, how many times must I say this, call Betty by her code name, Monarch, in fact. Is this so hard to understand, I wonder?"
"Ayo Betty, I understand but we are done with the current mission. Now that we have our next objective, we can relax a bit, no?" Questioned the unruly youth as his frenetic energy made him rather rambunctious.
She contemplated matters and rolled her eyes, already understanding that her carrot haired companion is relentless when determined. Monarch continued and they were almost to the helicopter when she felt a shiver down her spine.
Both Hetaro and Monarch dived to the side as several red streaks passed by them, one grazed Hetaro's left shoulder and he gritted his teeth in order to not scream. She assessed the situation as four soldiers approached them from different sides.
Monarch took a second to make sure Hetaro wasn't in critical condition before assessing the enemies surrounding them.
They were wearing full combat military gear, sleek black with no identification. They probably had their fingertips burned chemically and dental records forged so that if they died today, no one could identify them. Their oxygen masks shielded their face, making them look alien in appearance. The rifles they carried caused Monarch to be filled with apprehension. She understood that the bullets they shot that streaked red weren't ordinary.
"Hetaro, contact Tivey and Mimi. You will need their strength for this, They have anti-aura ballistic weaponry. I've deployed a counter comm jams, in fact. But you'll have less than ten seconds before it gets brute forced hacked, I suppose. I'll distract them for now."
Monarch whispered to Hetaro as she grimaced at the blow he had suffered. The bullets these operatives used are specifically for aura wielders such as Monarch and Hetaro. They were professionals, and she didn't doubt if they had more soldiers hiding somewhere.
She understood that she wasted time in the cabin she was in, as well as dozing off. She cursed her stupidity as she tilted her head and activated her Mourning Cloak, turning invisible. The soldiers were surprised as she suddenly vanished yet the captain put his hand in the air and clenched his fists. They understood and quickly filtered their thermal vision to an EM spectrum that allowed them to see anyone using aura to hide.
Yet, right when they spotted Monarch she splayed one hand palm open, and with the other had her Matilda 3 burst round pistol and yelled:
"Minya!"
They grunted at having been shot, thankful that their ballistic weave armor held its integrity. Yet two of them fell to the ground while clutching their throats, as two foot long black crystals had pierced their jugular veins and carotid arteries. They died in seconds. The remaining two radioed for help and six more soldiers appeared in less than fifteen seconds.
However, Monarch smirked as she turned off her Mourning Cloak, while sagging slightly. Using Shamak, Minya, and her Mourning Cloak had her running on fumes. She was done buying time as she heard a voice that made her smile for the first time that day.
"Oiiiii!, you bad guys are bullying my brother?! Only I can do that, let's go Tivey, and save Monarch and this useless brother of ours!"
A cheerful voice boomed throughout the clearing, as the soldiers weren't expecting reinforcements. Two of them looked up in shock as they witnessed Mimi and Tivey Pearlbaton falling from the sky, as the whisper quiet helicopter materialized seemingly out of nowhere.
Both Tivey and Mimi held hands and then separated as she drew out twin nine millimeter Berettas and started firing while they shouted:
"Activate Trisection!"
Tivey, Mimi, and Hetaro started glowing their own colors as the pain in Hetaro's wound numbed to near nothingness, and Mimi slightly grimaced. Yet, as the strongest of the trio she can do this all day. And when the fell to the ground, the trio and Monarch each choose a target.
Since, Mimi had made two perfect holes in the foreheads of the two soldiers that had been looking up. They died without even knowing how.
With six enemies remaining, Tivey, Hetaro, and Mimi each took one opponent. When Hetaro fought it almost seemed as if he was water incarnate. He ran to his opponent and his aura shined a cerulean blue as he shouted:
"Huma!"
A slight barrier of ice covered him as his aura was used for defense, and despite the anti-aura bullets striking true, the resonance between Tivey, Hetaro, and Mimi was more than able to trump the abilities of the bullets. He pulled out a twelve inch wand, channeled his aura through and with a flick of his wrist sent a chunk of ice barreling into his opponents chest. He was knocked out immediately.
Tivey was not as kind as his brother as him and Mimi together shouted:
"Resonance Wave!"
The remaining soldiers got swept alongside their companions as twin bursts of aura from Mimi and Tivey mouths fell upon them. Launching them until they hit the trees with brutal and lethal force. Furthermore, shattered bones could be heard and screams of pain resonated throughout the forest. They wished to help their remaining companions, yet they were unable to provide assistance as they had their own grievous wounds to deal with.
Both siblings sighed as this ability took a little bit out of them, yet as long as Trisection remained strong they could keep depending on each other.
Monarch only had two enemies left, despite their entire unit being wiped out they were professionals to the core. One of them surprised Monarch as they clicked their fingers and yelled:
"Ul Goa!"
A blaze of fire was launched towards Monarch before she could react. Large powerful fire bullets rained down upon her, incinerating all the nearby trees and evaporating the snow surrounding them. Right when Monarch was about to try to maneuver her way out of this attack, Hetaro and Tivey lent Mimi their strength as she pointed in front of Monarch and unleashed her own spell:
"Ul Dona!"
Thick walls of earth surrounded Monarch as the Ul Goa spell struck, A roaring inferno met stalwart walls as the whole area reached a crescendo of activity unseen before. Monarch was encased in the walls for her protection, yet she couldn't help feel she was in a blast oven, being cooked alive.
She gritted her teeth as she poured more of her Aura into shielding her as best as it could. After what seemed like an eternity the flames slowly weakened. They seemed incapable of penetrating the firm walls and dissipated. Before the users could do anything more they heard a whisper that chilled their souls:
"Ul Minya, and may you go peacefully into your afterlife's."
Two purple rings of light bounded the operatives as they couldn't move. In their panic they tried to run yet they were subsequently trapped. The Goa user was frightened beyond belief, as he had dealt with and put down many Aura users. However, he had never felt someone as strong as the one casting this spell on him. Even when his Ul Goa spell collided with the Ul Dona spell that the trio sent, he believed he could've prevailed if he launched a second one.
Yet, before he even got the opportunity to do so, he was bounded and trapped. He felt his life force weakening and hoped that the Divine Generals of Vincent can protect him, because he knew it was his last day alive.
A huge purple light appeared in the air and they felt an increase in gravity. Their bones felt like they weighed thousands of pounds, and they couldn't even scream. As they slowly died, Monarch clenched her fist and the purple light enveloped them and disappeared.
The triplets were stunned into silence at witnessing this spell that they've never seen before. They all knew how Monarch had been tinkering with the mana stones they possessed.
Writing down her experiments and what everyone was capable of with this new frightening element the populace called, Magic.
Her knowledge seemed to increase by leaps and bounds, as she pushed herself to extremes with her experimentation. Everyone was worried about her, yet she would hear none of it, anything that can help her take down the people with wicked thoughts. As well as the killers of her brother, she would take and use.
When they were admiring her handiwork, since it seemed like the purple light took every soldier with it, they heard her speak:
"Thank you for your assistance, Hetaro, Mimi, and Tivey. However, I believe I'll require your help once more. I… I'm not feel…. feeling too well, I suppose…"
Monarch barely finished what she was saying when she blacked out, before she hit the floor Hetaro had grabbed her.
The trio looked at each other in worry when they heard a booming voice:
"Rugrats! Get up here and bring Beatrice! She overused her Aura and momentarily blacked out, she'll be fine."
The voice belonged to no one but Ricardo Welkin, who was the pilot of the whisper quiet helicopter. And Mimi retorted angrily:
"Oi! We are all 28 you old dog, give us some respect, will ya?"
Ricardo just laughed and motioned them to come inside through the makeshift rope ladder he threw down. As everyone got situated they took off in search of the one companion they needed. The Golden Tiger that when joined with Monarch can take on any enemy and triumph no matter how bad the odds are.
No one noticed when Monarch's face scrunched up, and she dreamed of the war that consumed them all in her bygone memories.
Author's Notes:
Chapter 2 is shorter due to the massive workload I have, and thank you for reading. Now I will explain a couple of things.
Chapter 3 will explain more about this war and how magic ended up on Earth.
Aura is basically Mana in my fic, yet with slight differences that will be shown and explained in case you haven't noticed it.
Magic and sci fi will be prevalent, more like bleeding edge military tech among explanations on Mana stones and other factors.
Beatrice in descriptions and narration will usually be addressed as Monarch. In conversations they will alternate between her name and her title.
Mourning Cloak is a species of Butterfly, and Monarch will have different abilities from normal re zero alongside her re zero canon ones. I've taken liberties with certain restrictions, and also imposed my own.
Subaru is an important part of this fic, and I don't wish to spoil more but you'll learn and see things through his own eyes when he fought in the dreadful war.
Every loli that was in re zero is basically grown up here, as adults they share similar personalities to when they were children, yet will also act mature depending on the setting.
The trio is 29 years old.
Beatrice is 30 years old when not in flashbacks.
Mimi is around Beatrice's height which is 5'4 ft.
Tivey is 5'7 ft
Hetaro is 5'7.
Subaru is still 5'8.
Ricardo around 6'1.
And etc.
This story may seem confusing so bear with me as I take my time and unravel the great plans I have in store for it.
Thank you for reading and have a great day.
