Toa Solaric: Welcome back to Kiva: Dark Moon Over The Bloody Sky.
I don't own either Kamen Rider Kiva or Akame Ga Kill!
Kiva: Dark Moon Over The Bloody Sky
Wake 14: The Savage From Past
It was nightfall at a local village. In contrast to other villages that exist across the Empire, this one looks more clear and has more of a lively feeling in contrast to any other villages.
However, something is going to change as we soon see a girl walking out of the village and approaching the river to enjoy the view of the stars.
"Huh? Is that a person?" the girl wondered, after spotting someone.
The girl's gaze was now focused on the river where a large man could be seen, drifting on a log across the water itself. He looked badly injured, presumably from a fight with someone or something.
She watched the man drifting across the river before making a decision. She took her boots and apron off, making her way across the river and reached out the unconscious man.
"Hang on, I got you!" The girl said before pulling the man's arm over her shoulder.
As she pulled the man out of the river, she didn't notice a tattoo mark on the man's other hand. It was a well painted tattoo of a chess piece, specifically the rook, with a red rose and green vines. The tattoo briefly glowed before completely vanishing from the man's hand.
(Play Alive by ReoNa)
(Instrumental)
Raiga was seen sitting on top of Castle Doran while it was dark as the air softly moved his hair.
Soon the sun started to rise as Raiga opened his grey eyes and looked up at the horizon.
I've walked the road of lies and misery! Nanimo nokottenai na!
Raiga was currently seen walking through the ruined village. Unknown to the young man, he passed a child version of himself mourning for his old home.
And he wasn't alone as Kivat was seen flying above his head.
The three Armed Monsters watch Raiga's journey from Castle Doran.
Scars of the past is what makes me who I am!
The scene soon changed with Fuuko touching her chest as the memories of her haunted past won't vanish.
Standing behind her was none other than IXA who standing to watch her back.
Koboreochiteku ochiteku!
Both the Empire and Revolutionary Army are prepared to march into their own war for control of the Empire.
Kaze ga subete netsu wo ubatte iku
Soon the scene shifted to Raiga and Gray walking passed each other as the last Ghost turned to look at him with a careful gaze.
I feel my heart aching inside!
Soon the sky turn dark and flashes of lighting began to crack as Raiga turned around and see his companions in front of him.
Nani wo mamotte kizutsukete ima made ikite kitan darou!
A huge Sabbat blows up the field as both Empire and Revolutionary Army were blown aside.
Kiva turned into Kiva Garulu to fight against Lion Fangire.
Kiva turned into Kiva Basshaa to fire rapid shots against the Rat Fangires.
Kiva turned into Kiva Dogga to unleash a powerful storm against his enemies.
Saga standing on a hill as a large white creature hovers behind him.
To find the truth in everything rifujin to tatakatte!
Gray transformed into her Reaper form and slashed her enemies.
Both Night Raid and Jeager fight against each other to their death.
You see machigai janai to!
IXA's visor glowed brightly as her IXA-Calibur glowed intensely with the mirage sun shining behind her.
A pair of golden claws were coming toward her, but Kiva got in the way and come collided with his Darkness Moon Breaker.
A large fossilized being slowly waking up and waiting by his demonic army.
'Cause I'm still alive! I feel alive, with this pain!
Then the scene turned to a beach where Raiga was seen looking out of the horizon before being accompanied by Kivat and others.
A couple of weeks had gone by since Raiga and his party left The Capital, after delivering Sayo's letter to Tatsumi.
Not only that, he also recruited a reluctant Mazoku girl, Gray, in the form of an alliance against the Fangires. Thanks to the help of his three guardians.
There was still much hostility and reluctance from the Reaper girl, though she agreed to stay with them until the Fangires are dealt with. But that doesn't mean she won't be watchful of Raiga due to him being the new Kiva, even after being invited into Castle Doran.
Sitting around the dinner table was none other than Raiga, Fuuko, Gray, and the three Armed Monsters while they are eating breakfast.
"Do you know about your predecessor? Dark Kiva?" asked Gray, the suspicion in her gaze being apparent.
This caused the usual, peaceful atmosphere within Castle Doran to become slightly glum than before. The Armed Monsters stiffened upon that question while Raiga stares at her blankly before he took a deep breath.
"He was the King of Checkmate Five—the ones in charge of ruling the rest of the Fangires." Raiga answered, seldom.
Fuuko wasn't surprised about hearing another Kiva. The brunette did find it strange and questioned why Kivat always referred to himself as 'Kivat The Third', and this revelation gave some clearance to that connection.
"And planned those massacres of the other Mazoku clans, including my family," Gray added darkly.
(Flashback)
The sound of explosions had been heard almost everywhere.
Fallen Ghost Mazoku exploded while those remaining screamed before dissolving from overwhelming pain.
Gray was the one who tried to fly away despite none of her kinsmen making away from the slaughtered.
Behind her was a black and red armored figure that resembled Kiva, but had bat-like wings on top of the helmet and dark glowing green eyes.
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!" The figure flaunts his dark power around the village and destroyed everything in sight.
(Present)
"What do they…have to gain from that?" Fuuko hesitantly asked, realizing why Gray was acting hostile toward Raiga despite only meeting a few weeks ago.
"There is no reason behind that monster's mad conquer to make Fangires the only race that exists," Jiro answered coldly.
"The only ones left are us," Riki said stoically.
"Though the Gigants were able to avoid it, and the Hobbits are mostly servants for Fangires these days." Ramon added.
"Why is your armor different from his?" Gray asked, genuinely confused why Raiga's suit was so much different from the previous Kiva.
"Because that one belonged to my father." Kivat answered. "Although, he disappeared some time after Raiga was born."
"But if you had his power—"
"It is not that simple as that, Gray." Jiro gruffly interjected, as this gains her attention. "Raiga-sama can't handle the full power of Kiva due to being a Fandiri." He explains.
This piece of news surprised Fuuko and Gray. But mostly Gray since she never factored that being a Fandiri would have some disadvantages to becoming Kiva.
Raiga nodded. "From what I was told, the demonic power of Dark Kiva was too strong and it might override my instincts and consciousness to that of a feral beast that can't recognize either fried or foe. Because of that, there are restrictions on mine." he explained.
This surprised Fuuko while Gray gave a cold stare.
"Then why aren't you scared? The sins he committed against us and our families—!" Gray can never forget the memories of her fallen clan.
Raiga didn't flinch at the accusation that had been thrown at him. He knew he would have this sort of discussion sooner or later. Not that he and his guardians want to keep Fuuko in the dark. Just talking about it meant telling his guardians' past as well, something that they should explain themselves.
"Kivat has been there for me for as long as I can remember, and hasn't done anything to deceive me." Raiga reasoned. This made Gray look at him in disbelief. "What the previous Kiva had done was horrible, true. But I am not him. That is why I decided to help you so we can fight off against the Fangires. You can go your own way after that. I have no intention of putting any Mazoku that I come across as slaves."
"That's where I draw the line." Raiga continued kindly, making Gray's eyes fill in disbelief.
"I see…" Gray said before looking serious, "Kiva, if you cross the line—"
"I won't." Raiga finished.
The following morning, Raiga heads out to another village. As much as he completely hates the idea of staying in that corrupted nation, he had a reason. At least, he doesn't have to deal with the brewing conflicts within The Capital. The young man could still hear some wind moving behind him as he was getting close to the village.
"Is she still behind us?" Raiga quietly asked, looking around and seeing no one at all.
"I think so." Fuuko said. She decided to tag along with him to the village, feelingly slightly awkward about their new 'companion'.
"Why don't you come out?" asked Raiga to his invisible companion.
"…" There was still no response.
"I know there are people who refuse to show their faces, but I didn't think she would go this far." Fuuko commented, thinking how Gray might be more reluctant of being around them when they are outside of Castle Doran.
"You have to remember that she's been like this before we were born." Raiga pointed out the reason for Gray's habit of hiding herself.
The young man turned to look at the spot where Gray may or may not be.
"I'm all ears if you ever need to talk to me." Raid said aloud before turning around, continuing his walk into the village.
The first thing that he sees when entering the village are hard-working and happy locals. In contrast to the other villages he learned about, they are suffering less from The Empire's over-taxation policies.
"Good morning!"
"How is the field today?"
"Things looking great so far."
"That is good to know."
Raiga continued to hear more positive things that concluded that this village wasn't one of those villages that suffered because of The Empire.
"What do you think of this village?" asked Raiga.
"I suppose it's less poverty-stricken than others like Sayo's village." Fuuko answered.
"I have heard there are some villages that are considered under 'The Empire's grace'," Raiga said, recalling a conversation with Vandham.
"What do they do to deserve it? Growing the Emperor's favorite bread?" Fuuko asked, in a rare cold tone that Raiga is getting accustomed.
"Something like that." Raiga remarked.
But it wasn't long until Raiga felt someone collide with him, making him and Fuuko turn around. In front of them was a waitress.
The waitress was a young woman with long indigo hair that was tied in a ponytail and matching colored eyes, dressed in a brown and tanned waitress uniform.
"S-Sorry about that…" The waitress apologized meekly and bowed her head.
"It's alright," Raiga reassured. "You seem to be in a hurry. Is something wrong?"
"O-Oh, sorry! I need to be on my way!" The waitress said before hurrying off, away from them.
Even though Raiga would ask, he has a feeling it was something personal and didn't want to get involved.
The duo ventured into the this so-called 'peaceful' village. Raiga expected to see prisoners hanging on wooden poles due to the nature of The Capital, but was surprised by the lack of any of that. The same goes for Fuuko as she had never been outside of The Capital until she met Raiga.
It wasn't long until Raiga stopped at the sound of Bloody Rose playing in his head.
"What's wrong?" Fuuko asked, noticing that he stopped for a moment.
"Fangire ahead," he informed, as they already knew what to do.
The two made their way across the scene while people are running away from the area. In the center of the place was a Fangire. It was a large and muscular humanoid with stained glass skin covering his entire body. His forearms and shins looked like stained glass castle towers with black ivy wrapped around them. His shoulders had ivory cherubs with trumpets adorned with flags. His face was like a lion, but his mane was made of ivory as well.
"It can't be…!" Raiga and Fuuko turn around to see Gray in her human form, her emerald eyes wide as dinner plates and shaking in fear.
"Gray, what's wrong?" asked Raiga, as he didn't expect her to finally show herself at a time like this.
"T-That's one of the Checkmate Five, Rook! But how is he here!?" Gray revealed with a disbelief expression, experiencing another horrible flashback in her mind.
"A Checkmate? Here?" Fuuko cried with shock spread across her face.
"So that is one of them…" Raiga said in shock. If there is one here, won't the other four be in this corrupted nation as well?
"RAAAA!" The Lion Fangire roared before gaining their attention.
"Are you able to fight, Gray?" Raiga asked to the trembling Ghost.
Gray got out her specter, her hood becoming darker and her eyes turning violet.
"Kivat." Raiga called as his partner flew beside him.
"GABUU!" Raiga's Fangire markings appeared on his hands and face while his belt appeared around his waist.
Fuuko placed the IXA belt around her waist before getting out her IXA Knuckle.
"READY!"
"Henshin!" Both Raiga and Fuuko shouted before transforming into their respective Rider forms.
"FIST ON!"
The Lion Fangire charged at them as Kiva and his companions scattered to avoid the harsh tackle. Gray was the first one to unleash her assault as the Ghost swung her scythe. Unfortunately, her weapon didn't scratch the Fangire's armor as Rook grabbed Gray by her cloak and throws up into the air. Before Gray was thrown to the wall, she turned herself transparent to prevent from being hit.
"GARULU SABER!"
"BAS-SHA-A FAKE!"
Kiva charged forward in Garulu Form with Garulu Saber in hand, while IXA fired with her Basshaa Magnum.
But the water bullet didn't bother the Lion Fangire before Kiva slashes Rook in the chest. Rook didn't show any signs of being hurt. He then grabs Kiva by the neck at unparalleled speed, that Kiva barely anticipated in time. The Rider struggled in Rook's grip, as the iron muscles behind the Fangire's hand kept him in place.
"GRRRR! HAHAHAHA!"
"No!" IXA bellowed.
"DO-GA-A FAKE!"
The Lion Fangire turned to the source of the noise before he was met with the Dogga Hammer in the face from IXA. Dropping Kiva, the Lion Fangire stumbled backward. The Rider coughed to get the air back in his lungs.
"Aibou, are you alright?!" Kivat exclaimed.
"I-I'm fine…" Kiva mustered up everything to answer.
IXA tried to knock the Fangire back again with Dogga Hammer before the Lion Fangire caught her weapon and throws her and her weapon to the side.
"Just what in the world is this Fangire made of?" IXA pondered in disbelief. Even though her Dogga Hammer has the same strength as the real one, it only made Rook stumbled back only a bit!
"That is the Checkmate Five for you. They are the cream of the crop in Fangire hierarchy." Kivat explains.
Gray came back as she reemerged from Rook's behind and placed the bar of her scythe against his neck, trying to choke the life out of him. Rook did that before he grabbed the scythe and flipped Gray over him hard. He then used her scythe to slash at her a couple of times and was about to finish her before Kiva intercepted the attack with his Garulu Saber.
This left both Gray and IXA surprised by Kiva's swift movement into defending the last Ghost.
Kiva growls menacingly as he tried to fend off the sheer force behind the blow of Rook. Rook soon unleashed rapid speed multiplied strikes with Gray's scythe before Kiva was knocked back across the field.
Just when Rook was about to deal the fatal blow…something unexpected happens as his head throbbed harshly.
"Ughhh…!" The Lion Fangire groans, as he was holding his head. Soon he did the unexpected from the group as Rook turned around and left the area immediately.
"What in the world…was that just now?" IXA asked, confused.
"…" Kiva didn't say anything as he made his way to Gray, who was unconscious on the ground. The Ghost returned to her human form as she struggled to catch her breath.
(Castle Doran)
It wasn't long before Raiga and Fuuko carried Gray back to the castle after making sure that they weren't followed by anyone else. Though it was a struggling journey when they just come back from a brutal beating from Rook.
Riki helped place Gray on the table after Raiga and Fuuko came back from the main door. It wasn't long before red petals fell from the ceiling and landed gently around Gray's unconscious form.
"She would need to rest after this," Riki said.
"Are you positive that she said Rook?" Jiro growls as he wanted to know what happened to his younger charge.
"Yes...he looked like a lion with trumpets on his shoulders," Raiga said, noticing his guardian clenched his fist hard. It wasn't just him, but Riki and Ramon shared a concerned look on their faces after giving his description of Rook.
"I can't believe it," Jiro growled incredulously. "After all this time, that bastard decided to come back now."
"I thought he was gone for good…" Ramon added.
"You guys fought him, haven't you?" Raiga asked nonchalantly. Jiro nodded grimly.
"How high was he in comparison to other Checkmates?" Inquired Raiga. Even Fuuko was curious about it as well.
"He is bottom of the Checkmate Five," Jiro said. "Above him are Knight, Bishop, Queen, and King."
"You guys are lucky to have managed to survive your first encounter," Riki said. "Neither when myself, Ramon, and Jiro could beat him even when we're together."
"Yeah, we're only lucky he had a sudden headache." Fuuko said.
"Something like that never happened before…" Ramon said with growing concern.
"It's possible he still hasn't awakened after his revival." Kivat hypothesized.
"And what happens if he is fully awakened?" Raiga asked, warily.
"He is completely insane," Jiro answered. "But he has a strange habit. He treats life like a game. As such he created his own game called Time Play. First, he sets a target and then sets a time limit for himself before killing as many people as he can within the time he allowed for himself. He always sets the number of victims. If he finishes his Time Plays, he rewards himself with something sweet, but if he fails he punishes himself."
"That is completely insane." Fuuko agreed.
"Is there a way to stop him?" asked Raiga.
"There might be a way," Jiro said with a neutral expression.
"But there is a catch, isn't it?" Kivat asked sarcastically.
"There's a high chance that it might kill Raiga-sama if I'm wrong, or we might not be able to pull it off." Jiro answered.
"Is he really that dangerous?" Inquired Raiga. Even though he knows how much his guardians care about him, he never imagined Jiro looking…so grim.
"Before you give me your answer, I want you to think about it before making sure you are ready to be involved in the most dangerous battle ever," Jiro said.
Raiga let out a sigh before looking at Fuuko seems quite down.
"What do you want to do now, Fuuko?" asked Raiga.
"I think that I might want to sit out for a while…" Fuuko admitted, depressed. "I just don't think that I will be able to help much against someone like Rook."
Raiga nodded in understanding. Fuuko has a good reason for backing off when it comes to fighting someone like Rook. The monster barely flinched from their attacks and was able to choke him by surprise!
"I will be out in the village to check around. I'll be back soon." Raiga informed, looking at everyone in the room. "For the time being, try to keep Castle Doran from being in sight of the villagers."
Everyone nodded.
(In the village)
Raiga was making his way back to the village. Even though there were some casualties, the villagers seem to manage. The Fandiri is currently investigating the people in the village as he tried to figure out which one would likely be Rook.
"Dai-chan, here is the next order!" A familiar voice said, making Raiga turn to look at a restaurant.
Inside the restaurant, there was a large masculine man in a waiter uniform serving a lunch bowl at the very moment. He has lengthy black hair and kind brown eyes as he places the bowls down on the customers' table.
"Dai-chan! I think you gave the wrong order!"
"O-Oh, I'm sorry, Rumi!" The one known as Dai apologized. "I'm so sorry! Let me make it up to you!"
'I suppose this place is less crappy if there was someone like that around,' Raiga thought.
"You again…" He turned around and sees the waitress.
"Hello there," Raiga greeted. "I just noticed this restaurant and wanted to see if it was good or not." He added, noticing the suspicious gaze from the waitress. There was no doubt she thought that he was some stalker.
"You can come in." The waitress said after a few moments of staring and making her way back to the kitchen.
Raiga soon looked around before his attention was caught by a painting on the wall.
The painting depicted a beautiful woman with the tail of a fish swimming in the lake. The woman has darkish hair that contrasts the water that she swims in. Even though Raiga had never liked painting, he can sense the artist poured their heart and soul into this piece.
'It's as if this is important to them…' Raiga thought before he felt a presence behind him.
"I take it that you are interested in the painting?" asked a male cook, noticing Raiga's eyes focused on the painting.
"It is very good." Raiga complimented.
"Yes. It was a memento from my father who once saw the mythical mermaid." The cook said with a thoughtful expression.
"Mermaid, you say?" Raiga asked. He remembered once that there was a Mazoku clan known as Mermaid. Ramon once told him about the mermaids during his studies on the Mazokus one time. And how they like to hunt sailors out in the sea.
"How long ago is that?" Even though Raiga is astonished to hear such a thing, he remembers that the Mermaids were extinct due to the Checkmate Five. It makes sense Gray could have survived due to her supernatural abilities as a Ghost, but Mermaids has more disadvantages.
"Why don't you order something, and I can tell you more?" The cook offered, making Raiga chuckle.
"Of course," Raiga remarked before he sat down at the opposing table of the cook.
"What may I get for you, sir?" The same female waitress offered.
After Raiga picks an order from the menu and turned back his attention to the cook who sits opposite of him.
"You were saying that your father knows about a Mermaid?" Raiga curiously asked.
"That was fifty years ago. When he was out hunting by the lake close to the village and saw her for the first time." The cook answered, reminiscing. "He painted that picture to keep the memory alive."
"I see." Raiga hummed. 'Even if I can't be sure, I can ask Ramon to check the lake for any clues about the Mermaid…' he mentally noted.
(Back in Castle Doran)
"Uhh…" Gray groaned as she slowly regained consciousness. She took in her surroundings and found herself in the familiar main chamber of Castle Doran. She pushed herself up to a sitting position with her elbows to take in her surroundings. She was on a table covered in rose petals for some reason. The Ghost brushed some of the petals off her body with her hands.
'What happened…?' Gray thought before she remembered that Kiva jumped in front of her to fight against Rook. Her eyes widen in complete shock and she had trouble breathing in the process. She was almost killed by Rook of the Checkmate Fives and the one who did save her…was Kiva.
Is he not the same as that Kiva? Gray thought with confliction.
"Impossible, we had to have been in this nation before, we would have noticed." Jiro's voice grumbled from the kitchen.
Gray puts her hood back on her head as she quietly approaches the kitchen to see what is going on.
"What do you make of it, Ramon?" asked Riki, turning toward the Last Merman, who pondered about it.
"I'm not going to get my hopes up. But…I want to check it out." The childish Merman said.
There was a fifty-fifty chance of another Mazoku potentially surviving the extinction, and it was the Mermaid clan. The Mermaid clan have strong compatibility with Mermen due to their similar biology. The chance of reviving both of their clans. But, Ramon would prefer to fall in love naturally rather than force.
Raiga turns around to see Gray. "Gray, I see that you are awake." he greeted casually.
The memory of him taking the blow for her, made the Ghost feel slightly uneasy.
"Umm…I'm fine." Gray answered. "What are you three talking about? It sounds important."
"Someone in the village claims there was a mermaid that appeared close to the village around fifty years ago, and they had a painting of it." Raiga explains, making Gray look shocked.
"B-But that is impossible…" Gray muttered to the shocking revelation.
"I'm still skeptical about the claim. But I also get the feeling there might be some shred of evidence if check out the lake." Raiga stated.
"What about Rook? Where is he?" Gray asked, warily. You can tell the sheer volume of emotion in the tone.
"Bloody Rose didn't pick up any bad vibes from anyone in the village, but he couldn't have gone off…Wait!" Raiga suddenly realized something important. He then looks at his guardians. "You said you guys fought him before, right? Do you know what his human form looks like?"
This made Gray look at him with a surprised expression. "Really? You didn't think to ask that before running off?" The sarcasm in her remark was apparent.
Even though it did sting him a bit, Raiga looks at his guardians with a serious expression.
"Yes, we know what he looks like." Jiro confirmed, "Rook's form is that of a muscular human with shoulder length black hair."
"Huh?" Raiga blinks unexpectedly at the description. "Now that you mention, I did see someone like that while I was at the village. But, Bloody Rose didn't pick up anything unusual about him." Odd as that is, he will keep the information in mind if he goes out to search for Rook again.
"With Rook's whereabouts unknown, and questionable status, we should rest for the time being." Jiro said. Ramon and Riki nodding.
"Yeah," Raiga agreed, getting up from the couch. "I'm going to check on Fuuko to see how she is doing," he said before heading out of the living room.
Raiga made his way through the hallway and found his way to Fuuko's front door. He was about to knock when he hears cursing behind the door.
He flinched a little as he hears the sound of the book dropping to the ground. He soon opened the door to see what is going on.
Inside the room was Fuuko giving frustrated sighs and the book containing IXA's manual was on the ground.
"Fuuko, are you alright?" Raiga asked.
"R-Raiga-sama?" Fuuko asked, as all her frustrations just suddenly disappeared upon seeing him. "When did you come back?" she inquired curiously.
"For some time. I didn't find any clues about who Rook might be," Raiga said. "I assumed that you were still frustrated about what happened with our battle with him earlier." He picked up the IXA manual.
"Yeah. I was hoping there is a solution to what I can do. Rook was unlike any other Fangire." Fuuko said. "You don't happen to remember anything specific about IXA that could help, right?"
"I'm sorry. I am afraid I don't know much beyond Save Mode or anything else IXA was capable of," Raiga said, looking at the IXA manual.
This made Fuuko sigh in depression before sitting back down on her bed.
"Then there is no way I can keep up?" she asked.
"No. You've come a long way in the short time you've been with me. And you still have a long way to move ahead." Raiga stated, sitting beside her. "It's just…your feelings about protecting people wasn't that strong."
"That isn't hard to believe…Wondering that humanity is worth or not worth protecting." Fuuko frowned. "Not to mention what happened to me."
"I agree. But my Boss once taught me that feelings go beyond tools. If someone had the strongest Teigu in the world, it doesn't mean their feelings are strong enough to help them use it to its fullest." Raiga responded, his words sinking into Fuuko's mind.
"Feelings go beyond tools…" Fuuko said, "How are you able to find your reasons after everything? The Empire took a lot from you." she asked, knowing that Raiga expected a similar tragedy by the Empire.
"I suppose it's not something to easily get over and I will never forget that," The Fandiri admits. "I did want revenge for everyone in the village. But I've met a lot of people who took great lengths to convince me how much it wasn't worth, and helped me handle my own nightmares." Kivat, his guardians, and his mercenary friends come to mind. "That is how I found my reason to don Kiva."
Fuuko took his words to mind, pondering them.
Raiga turned back to her. "And I reached out to help you too, Fuuko. Doesn't that mean there are those out there who care?" he asked.
Fuuko blushed in response. "T-Thank you. I will think about it…"
Back in the village, everyone was turning in for bed as the moon showed up high in the sky. Well, almost everyone.
"Why can't I sleep?" The man known as Jai struggled to get to sleep as he stares up at the sky from the restaurant's rooftop. Apparently, he found drifting across the river and was taken in by the village.
Even though the restaurant is closed and everyone went to bed for the night, it doesn't seem he was tired enough to fall asleep as something kept him awake. Suddenly the unexpected happens when he hears the sound of pots accidentally breaking nearby.
This made the man's eyes go wide as he received a strange vision that tried to burn into his mind at the very moment.
A building with stained glass windows followed by the sound of metal clashing with each other.
"A…A building? What does this mean?" Dai pondered in confusion. Another vision appeared right in his mind.
The door of the building was scarred by a large shadow.
"Dai-chan, is everything alright up there?" The familiar voice of the owner asked but Dai didn't respond as the impacts of these visions made him out of touch with those around him.
(Next day)
A little while later, Castle Doran made their way closer to the mentioned lake where Ramon could check the place for any leads about the Mermaid. After landing, he soon changed into his Merman form and dived deep into the lake.
"Say, Aibou. If we do find a mermaid, do you think she might be beautiful?" asked Kivat as he and Raiga are waiting for Ramon to return. Not to mention keeping an eye out for any human passing by.
"Well…it was hard to tell by that painting. But I suppose she could be." His partner gave is own two cents on the subject.
It wasn't that long before they heard a splash of water and saw Basshaa coming out of the river.
"It looks like you're right, Onii-chan," Basshaa said, looking at Raiga. "It looks like this lake was used by a mermaid before."
"Really? How are you able to tell?" Kivat asked.
Soon, Basshaa showed something in his hand revealing to be a bracelet made of pearlers and branches. "This pendant…I've once seen something among the Mermaid. I never expected to see something like this again." Basshaa explains, showing the bracelet.
"I see…" Raiga said. "Do you think there is a chance we will encounter a Mermaid in this land?" he asked.
"I'm still skeptical if we find this Mermaid..." Basshaa said before turning back to his human form. "After all, we ended up bumping into Gray by accident, right?" he pointed out.
"I agree that the chances are slim." Raiga said. "But if we do find this Mermaid, are you thinking of 'cooperation' bringing both of your clans back?" The young Fandiri asked, knowing that dream was shared by his guardians.
But he is aware that kind of forced relationship, especially out of obligation, is due to being the last members of their respective clans. Even he isn't fond of the concept of arranged marriages. The only thing Raiga can do is help make things less awkward for those who live in Castle Doran.
"It's hard to imagine, I always thought it would be a distant dream." The last Merman chuckled solemnly. "But do you think it will work out?"
"I can't say since I never met the person. But you never know unless you try to get to know them." Raiga said.
"Hehehe, I guess that is a good point," Ramon chuckled before giving the bracelet to Raiga. "Give it a try with the Life Finder."
"Sure," Raiga said before taking out his Teigu and attaching the bracelet to it.
It wasn't long before they see Raiga's Teigu glow and move uncontrollably as Raiga kept a strong grip on it tightly.
"This is certainly an unexpected development," Kivat remarked as Raiga does his best to make sure not to lose his Teigu.
"Oh no, you don't!" Raiga growls, holding back the Teigu from flying out of his hands. Ramon soon comes and unattached the pendant from the Life Finder.
"I think we should hold off on that until we deal with Rook." Ramon said before placing it back in his pocket.
"Agreed,"
After the discovery at the lake, Raiga went back to the village before he noticed something odd going on.
In the middle of the street, there was the man known as Dai looking around frantically as if he was looking for something important.
"Dai-chan, wait!" The waitress, Raiga wasn't sure if her name was Rumi or not, hurried after the large man who looked around.
"You!" Dai said, approaching Raiga with a serious expression.
"Yes? Is there something the matter?" asked Raiga, wondering why of all people would this guy approach him. Despite being a little skeptical of him after what his guardians shared in regards to Rook's human form, he was the closest there was.
"Do you know any buildings with stain glass windows?" Dai questioned directly.
"You mean a church?" Raiga wondered. Although, mansions do have stained glass mirrors but they're in places where there are no wealthy houses built.
"A church… church… church… church…" Dai repeated the words as if he was possessed. "I need to find a church."
'Is it just me, or is this man is really behaving strange…' Raiga thought with concern.
"Dai-chan, what's wrong?" The waitress asked. "Why are you acting like this?"
"I need to find a church. I need to find a church." Dai repeated. "Do you know where a church is?" he asked Raiga again.
"Is there any building with stain glass windows or objects around here?" Raiga asked, looking around at the people who are nearby.
"Umm…I think there is an old building that has some stained-glass windows somewhere farther from the village, but no one ever goes there." One of the villagers answered hesitantly.
"Why is that?" Raiga asked.
"There was an old story about a Danger Beast there." Another villager revealed, surprising to see that Raiga didn't react badly about it.
"What are you going to do now?" asked Raiga, looking at Dai.
"I will go there. I will go there." Dai said before he makes his way off immediately in a hurry.
"Dai-chan, wait!" Rumi cried, chasing after him.
"Don't worry, I will keep an eye on them," Raiga reassured the villagers who are present before following them from behind.
(A few hours pass)
It wasn't that long before they made it to a deserted building one of the villagers mentioned. Lo and behold, it has stained glass windows. They didn't have to deal with Danger Beasts as Raiga was able to slay and force them back.
"Well, this is the place..." Raiga said, looking at the abandoned building. The design looks quite impressive if it wasn't left abandoned, and the mold wasn't helping the appeal either.
"Is this the place that you wanted to go?"
Even Rumi the waitress looks concerned as Dai slowly makes his way to the abandoned place and touches the front door which has unusual scars that were in his dreams.
After touching the door, Dai looks incredibly shocked as he received tremendous amounts of pain.
"I see. So that's what's going on," Raiga hummed as he recognized the familiar expression. "You have amnesia."
"AAAAAAHHH!" Dai screamed as many battles including one with a strange man in black clothes appeared in his mind, with a tattoo mark.
The mysterious man smiled at him before he says something—
"Dai-chan, what's the matter?" asked Rumi, coming to his side. "What is wrong with him!?"
Suddenly, Dai let out a rare before Rumi noticed his face has rainbow-like stains and was about to launch at her. Raiga quickly steps in with his war fans to knock him back away from Rumi.
Bloody Rose played in his mind, which gave Raiga the answer as to who 'Dai' really was.
"Get out of here!" he shouts seriously, making Rumi gasp.
"B-But Dai—" Rumi was about to say something before she was stopped by the darkened expression on Raiga's face. Not to mention that she could even see slight stain marks appearing on Raiga's face, as well.
"Get out. Now. Or, I will let you die." Raiga said in the most dangerous tone he ever mustered up. That alone was enough to startle the waitress before she ran back out of the abandoned building and left Raiga alone with the man, 'Dai'.
The man got up and stares at Raiga before he spoke.
"19 years ago, I fell into a great slumber but at the cost of my memories." The man explained. "But now, I'm back. I am Rook…member of the great Checkmate Five."
Though Raiga kept a stoic facade, he wanted to know if this guy's time as the amnesiac man named, Dai, held any impact on Rook's view of humans; seeing as he was happy in the village.
"And how do you feel about the village and that waitress? They all cared about you before your memory returned and you tried to kill one of them." Raiga explains.
"They are nothing more than food for the Fangire Kingdom," Rook answered without any hesitation or remorse.
Raiga knows that he meant it by the vicious look in his eyes. Even though it might be sad, someone like Rook was too dangerous after his attempt to murder Rumi. But he also remembered what his guardians told him that might help him with someone like Rook.
"Now we will fight!" Rook growls before changing into his Lion Fangire form.
The Fangire fired his needle from his hands as Raiga hurried out of the abandoned building before it exploded in the process.
Suddenly coming out of the woods were two Danger Beasts that Raiga recognized as Land Tigers prowling around the destruction. But before the Danger Beasts could do anything, their life force was consumed by the Lion Fangire who sent out his energy fangs and injected them into their bodies.
"Kivat!" Raiga shouts.
Soon Kivat flew toward his side.
"Kivatte Ikuze!" Kivat land in Raiga's hand before biting his hand. "GABUU!"
The same stain glass markings appeared on Raiga's face as silver chains appeared around his waist and turned into a red belt.
"Henshin!" Raiga said before placing Kivat upside down on the belt.
Kivat gave off multiple sound waves as Raiga's body was covered in quicksilver. His body then morphed before the quicksilver broke apart. When it has done, Kiva takes his place.
"Oh? So you are the one who inherited Kiva?! How interesting…" Rook complimented in a mildly rare surprised tone, though it held more curiosity than anything.
The two stared at each other before Rook made the first move by charing forward. Kiva moves out of the way from the first attack before he delivers a few blows with his fists, though it didn't make Rook flinch as the Lion Fangire slammed Kiva away from him.
Kiva finds himself hitting the tree and struggled to get up from the ground as Rook came toward him.
Before Kiva was about to regain his senses, a glowing dark blue blur came out of nowhere and slashes Rook, especially his right shoulder.
This sent Rook back from Kiva as the Rider turned around to see Gray in her Mazoku Form. Kiva was certainly surprised to see her here since he thought she might not want to fight with Rook.
"I didn't do it to save you, I am simply returning the debt from before," Gray stated as a matter of fact.
"Yeah, I suppose it can be that way," Kiva said, getting up from the ground. "That aside, you seem to have done something to him."
Rook got up from the ground, rubbing his right shoulder at the very moment. Even after resting for a long time this injury of his didn't end up recovering the same way.
"Haa… Haa… It will take more than that to kill me!" Rook gloating, showing no fear for his injury now.
Kiva inserted Garulu Fuestle into Kivat's mouth before Kivat blew it.
"GARULU SABER!"
The orange comet with Garulu's statue came out of Castle Doran and merged with Kiva as Garulu Saber transformed into its Kris mode and was held in Kiva's hand. Kiva's visor left arm, and chest piece turned blue completely.
Rook fires his needle-like hands, making both Kiva and Gray move out of the way as they tried to search for an opening to strike back at Rook.
Gray was the first to reach Rook before unleashing her scythe that was stopped by Rook, who held it in his hand before trying to knock her away. But before Rook could hit her, Gray turned transparent to allow his fist to go through her body.
Kiva intervened by attacking Rook's right shoulder with Garulu Saber, making the Lion Fangire gasp in pain. This allowed Gray to get her scythe back as she and Kiva moved out of the way of Rook's needle attacks that were fired.
Kiva soon comes back once again to attack the distraught Rook who hissed in pain from his right shoulder. But Rook managed to stop the blade with his other arm despite being forced back slightly. Rook was about to stab him with his claws, but Gray intercepted with her scythe aimed for his shoulder.
This made Lion Fangire groan in pain before Kiva kicked him with both of his legs to knock the Lion Fangire back from them. After landing on the ground, Kiva soon released a couple of slashes to knock him from their presence.
"I haven't had this much fun since that last fight I had with—Well, I won't go down here. Come, my fallen kinsmen!" Lion Fangire roared menacingly before summoning soul orbs from the abandoned building to him.
"Impossible!" Gray gasped in disbelief.
Soon they transformed into two Sabbats that looked down at them with menacing glares before firing beams that sent both Kiva and the Ghost Mazoku flying backward as complete destruction of the wood was left in their awakening.
Kivat immediately get out the Doran Fuestle immediately and blew on it.
"CASTLE DORAN!"
Castle Doran descends from the sky and released a bombardment of fireballs at the two Sabbats. Rook saw this opportunity to escape from the scene.
Gray was the first one to get up and sees Castle Doran holding its own against the two Sabbats. She soon heard groans and turned around to see Kiva on the ground.
"Hey! Kiva!" Gray shouted, shaking his armor shoulder. "You need to get up!"
Kiva soon stirred up from the ground, gripping hard on Garulu Saber. "Where is Rook?" he asked, trying to get his vision clear.
"Possibly gone." Kivat said, "But we have bigger issues to deal with." He pointed to Castle Doran having difficulty dealing with two Sabbats at the same time.
Kiva clenched his fist as he struggled to get up from the ground. "I guess…we're going to distract them somehow for Castle Doran to get its bearings."
"Do you think you are well enough to do it, aibou?" Kivat asked, knowing how tired Kiva might be from fighting against Rook.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Kiva said before blowing a whistle with his two fingers.
It wasn't that long until Barikion emerged beside them from the woods before Gray noticed that Kiva's horse turned metallic black.
'I guess there was really more to his horse…' Gray thought.
"Let's go, Barikion!" Kiva shouted before slamming the rein on his horse.
With that Barikion charged forward at an incredible speed before doing a surprising leap onto one of the Sabbats and kicking the stain-glass demon hard in the face. The Sabbat tried to smack Kiva and Barikion off, but Barikion jumped and lands on the other Sabbat's arm before Kiva used his Garulu Saber to slashes the neck of the Sabbat.
The sight of Kiva on the fellow Sabbat promoted the other Sabbat to fire a beam, knocking onto the Sabbat to the ground as Kiva and Barikion leapt off before the beam blast could hit.
The Sabbat collapsed to the ground before the two Sabbats were hit by a barrage of missiles and fireballs by Castle Doran and its child, Shoodoran.
Thanks to Kiva's distraction Castle Doran recovered from the attack and retaliated.
"GARULU BITE!"
Soon the day turned to night before Kiva, on Barikion, jumped high into the air as one of the Sabbats gets up. They descended with a blue glowing aura as they slashed through the neck of the Sabbat, making the massive chandelier monster exploded in the process.
The last Sabbat growls in anger after getting up from the ground, before facing Castle Doran who unleashed a point-blank range blast that destroyed the entire body in the process.
With the destruction of the two Sabbats, Castle Doran and Shoodran collected the soul orbs that came out of both large monsters.
(In Castle Doran)
"By looking around the village, it seems Rook isn't present," Gray reported, after coming back from the village. "However, it looks like Kiva might not be welcomed."
Raiga is currently resting from his second battle with Rook and Sabbat while Fuuko keeps him company. The only ones present with Gray in the living room are the Armed Monsters and Kivat.
"That is expected," Jiro said. "They live a different life, completely different from us. But we already got what we need to know from them." The fact that they know a Mermaid survived the massacre, they will find and reach out to her.
"There is one thing I don't understand…why is he trying to reach out to Rook even after his awakening?" Gray asked. It was something that she didn't understand while watching the interact with her Ghost abilities.
"It's true that it might be as risky as you say when it comes to understanding those and finding solutions, but it set Raiga apart from those murderers that exist in this land." Jiro answered.
"We taught Raiga-sama so he would be prepared for those people," Riki answered seriously.
"What should we do about Rook?" Gray questioned.
"We will leave him be for now," Kivat said seriously. "I imagine that he might likely get in contact with those from the Fangire Kingdom."
"When we cross paths again, I will assure that we're more than ready to fight him and the other Checkmates." Jiro agreed with Kivat's decision.
To be continued…
AN: And that folks, it was the end of this chapter. Also, Happy New Years, everyone!
With this chapter, we have returns of Raiga, the Armed Monsters, Fuuko, and Gray. And we introduced one of the Checkmates, Rook.
So, what do you guys think? Please give me some reviews if possible.