1Mithos Yggdrasil stood angrily in the control room of Welgaia, and he was not pleased.
"Yuan!" he barked into thin air. Yuan immediately appeared out of thin air.
"Yes, Lord Yggdrasil," he asked, sinking into a bow.
"Did I not tell you to retrieve Kratos from Sylvarant?" Yggdrasil asked, his normally cool voice low and dangerous.
"Yes, you did." Yuan mentally sighed. He knew what was coming. Yggdrasil had always favored Kratos over Yuan and it galled him to no avail. Kratos could slip off to various places whenever he wanted, but Yuan always had to do the grunt work.
"Then where is he?" Yggdrasil asked.
"He said he will not return. Not at the present time," Yuan replied. "To quote the man himself: 'I am not as content to serve.' "
Yggdrasil's face went calm and a sneer illuminated his pale face with something maniacal to match his insanity. "So Kratos thinks he can get away that easily? Hah! The fool. He underestimates the importance of the Angelus Project and thinks that I will let him wander as usual."
"Shall I retrieve him forcibly?" Yuan asked, trying hard to suppress the pleasure he received at the mere thought of having the slightest bit of power and triumph over the mighty Kratos.
"No," Yggdrasil said. "It would be pointless now. He'd be expecting it. We'll let some time pass." Yggdrasil sneered wider. "And maybe by then, he'll have something to lose."
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Anna rose early the morning after the Trial. Most of the village was still sleeping after the long night, but Anna was wide awake ready to raise the devil. She dressed quickly and stormed out of headquarters to the large house across the square. Without knocking, she kicked the door open so hard that one of the hinges flew across the room and smacked the bleary-eyed Ahmond in the head, drawing a ribbon of blood.
"What the h-" but Anna cut him off with such a hard a kick to the mouth that blood exploded from his lips and splattered onto her boot. Ahmond let out a strangled cry and dove for his sword, but before he could strike back, Anna had seized him by the front of his night shirt and forced him to look her in the eye.
"Anna-" he sputtered "Wha-…Sto-...Can't...breathe!"
"Good!" Anna snarled releasing him, doing nothing to prevent him crashing to the floor. "Explain your hesitation last night! And that tree stunt! And your dishonorable conduct at the Trial! You were fighting to kill him weren't you, thinking I'd let you off If I did?" Anna threw a bow and arrow at him. "I found your arrows when the tree branch fell," she spat. "Why? Why were you going to kill him!"
"I wasn't try to kill him!" Ahmond sputtered. "I was trying to ensure he couldn't win!"
"You know arrows are forbidden!" Anna yelled. "And what if your aim had been thrown off by something and you had accidentally killed him?"
"Then I'd die knowing I protected the Jalisa assassins!"
"Why do you think we need protection from him?" Anna cried.
"I don't trust him Anna!" Ahmond shouted. "There's something not right about him! Where did he learn that photon attack? And a normal man wouldn't have been perfectly ok after one of your stabs! And that exsphere! How are you sure he can be trusted!"
"How are you sure he can't?" Anna whispered. Her voice dangerously low.
"Your parents never would have let a man like that become an assassin!" Ahmond yelled. "and you know it!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, he wished he could take them back. He hadn't meant them and he knew it was the worst thing he could ever had said to her. It felt as though flames erupted around Anna such was her rage. Ahmond withdrew and backed against the wall as Anna advanced on him, her swords raised. But rather than strike Ahmond, for she feared she'd kill him-
"Sword Rain!" she cried and a fierce series of blows struck Ahmond's blade until it shattered into dozens of shards. Anna turned on her heel and stomped out of the house, turning back to give her decree. "Ahmond Senshi, you are under house arrest for dishonoring a sacred custom and blatant disrespect."
"You can't do that!" Ahmond gasped, staring at his broken sword.
"Watch me!" Anna snarled slamming the door. She stormed back outside, and marched to Sei's house, who was fortunately awake and fully dressed when she kicked the door open.
"Get over to Ahmond's," Anna ordered. "He's under house arrest. Take the first shift until I tell someone to relieve you. Take Selena with you," she added, nodding at his wife.
"Yes ma'am," they mumbled bowing and leaving immediately.
"Oh and Sei," Anna caught his arm as he went past. "Sweep his house for all his weapons and bring them to headquarters, including his shattered sword."
"Okay…Anna?" he looked her in the eye. "Why is Ahmond under house arrest?"
"So he remembers his place," Anna snapped storming back home. "Oh, and tell Selena to send Kratos to me in an hour."
"Right."
Rather than return to headquarters and dwell on Ahmond's words, Anna proceeded to the infirmary to visit Denise. Despite her affection for Ahmond, Anna was certain Denise would understand and lend a sympathetic ear.
"Hi Anna!" Denise greeted her brightly. She was sitting up now and looked much healthier. "I'm going to be released tomorrow and back in action in three days time!"
"That's great Denise!" Anna said cheerfully, sitting down next to her mat on the floor.
"Yeah," Denise agreed. "So what's wrong?"
Anna tilted her head to one side and smiled sadly. "Am I really that obvious?" she asked.
"Yup," Denise said brightly. "Spill it."
Anna sighed and told her all about the Trial and Kratos as well as Ahmond's treachery and how he was now under house arrest.. Denise listened patiently, as was her way, and did not ask questions until Anna was completely finished.
"Why is Ahmond under house arrest?" Denise asked.
"I just told you-"
"No," Denise interrupted, shaking her head. "Anna, why are you really angry at Ahmond?"
"Because he disgraced the ritual!" Anna cried. "I just told you!"
"Bull shit," Denise said simply. "You're mad at what he said about your parents, which he knows wasn't true." Denise looked Anna dead in the eye. "But I think you're even madder that he tried to kill Kratos." Anna opened her mouth furiously, but Denise held up her hand. "You can't pull the disgraced ritual on me, I know you better than that." Anna closed her mouth and glared. "You've been like a zombie since your parents and brothers died. But when Kratos came, he was like a match and I finally can see my best friend. You're quickly become your old, stubborn, immature self." Denise smiled. "And your angry that Ahmond distrusts someone that you seem to have a great deal of interest in, and perhaps not just professionally."
Anna sat there as Denise ran her through with the truth and could not deny a word of…at least not truthfully. She knew house arrest and a beating wasn't fair, but she was right in saying Ahmond needed to remember his place. And his attempt at murdering Kratos bothered her most of all.
Denise grinned as Anna sat contemplating. "You're about as subtle as a train wreck, Anna."
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When Anna returned to headquarters an hour later, Kratos was there, just as requested. He was leaning against the wall, with his arms folding, hiding his brown hair behind his spiky red hair, his purple armor gleaming in the sun.
"You sent for me?" he said when Anna drew level with him.
"Yes I did," Anna said opening he door to headquarters. She bid him follow her to her office in the back of the building.
"First there are some things of an official nature I must take care of," Anna said once they were both seated. "As you are aware, we are a clan of assassins and operate on a system, yet it is a loose system. Our main goals are breaking into high target human ranches to rescue people before they can be planted with exspheres as well as unearthing more information about the Desians and Cruxis."
Kratos had trained himself to expect the unexpected and always keep his emotions in check. But when Anna named the organization controlled by Mithos, the organization which Kratos wanted so desperately to escape, he almost forgot his control.
"What is Cruxis?"
"We admittedly know very little of it," Anna said. "It is basically the society of enhanced half-elves that are the demons behind the exspheres. The Desians work for them, but we don't know why. But we do know that the Desians will not attack the Chosen because the Chosen somehow is connected to their scheme."
And Kratos knew she had it right. He also knew that he could never, ever, divulge the full secrets, for that would put her and the Assassins in more danger than was imaginable. He understood why Forcystus was after her and why she was wanted by the other human ranches.
"I see," Kratos replied.
"But I have a feeling you knew this already," Anna said bluntly.
"Why do you say that?" Kratos said a little too quickly.
"Well not only does this news not seem to surprise you," Anna said waving her hand disinterestedly, "But you are in possession of an exsphere, you fought off the Desians in Iselia with a familiarity, but you knew about the Nimora blade, a blade used only by Desian Grand Cardinals like Forcystus and Kvar."
Kratos was mildly impressed that she knew all of this. He had to admit, despite her youth and inexperience, she was a born leader. Her skills would only improve from here.
"I'm impressed you know so much." Kratos said, nodding his head in acknowledgement of her skills.
Anna blushed a bit. "Thank you, but it is my job. It would be foolish to lead this place if I was uninformed."
She cleared her throat. "Now since you are a new assassin and not a native of Jalisa, you will start training in three areas: Magical technique with Denise Robins, stealth and archery with Ahmond, and hand to hand combat and sword fighting with me."
Kratos had to repress an exasperated sigh. If this was going to work, he'd have to pretend to be less of a fighter than he was. However, the hand to hand combat was training he could definitely use.
"I look forward to it," he said, just a knock sounded on the door.
"Anna?" said Sei coming in with an armful of weapons as well as two black eyes and a busted lip. Seeing Kratos seated in the office he added, "Greetings Kratos. Anna, we got all of his weapons. But he is in a towering rage and attempted to…uh…stop us. He's out cold now."
Anna slammed a fist down on her desk. "I figured as much," she snarled through clenched teeth.
"And what will you have me do with his shattered sword?" Sei asked.
"Take it to the armory to be repaired," Anna replied. "Tell them to hold it until I come to retrieve it. They are not to return it to Ahmond."
"Right." Sei said with a small bow of the head. "Well I'm back to my post then."
After he left, Kratos looked at Anna. "Ahmond's under house arrest for the arrow incident last night, isn't he?"
Anna stared. "How did you know that?"
"Word gets around fast," Kratos said shrugging. "And I heard the snap of a bowstring when he fell."
Anna regained her composure. "Yes Ahmond is under house arrest." She paused wondering if she should mention Ahmond's ill will toward Kratos.
"There's no need to tell me that Ahmond does not trust me," Kratos said. "But if I may, arresting him for appropriate mistrust is somewhat useless."
"What do you mean?" Anna said sharply.
"I mean you all know very little about me," Kratos said. "Your village was ransacked and people are dealing with their losses. Ahmond and yourself seem to feel guiltiest of the entire incident. Why, I don't know."
"Because I was on watch. I was fighting the man that killed my parents," Anna whispered. "Had I not been so weak, I could have killed him. But instead he ended up sparing me. I don't know why."
"At least you are alive to keeps your parents memory," Kratos pointed out.
"To linger on knowing I failed?" Anna replied. "To live on without those who meant most to me?" She gasped. "I'm sorry. I should not be pouring my heart out to you. You don't need to hear my troubles."
Kratos merely shrugged.
Anna cleared her throat. "Back to business…you have met Felicity."
"Your sister," Kratos replied. "Yes."
"She is a danger to us," Anna said. "She turned her back on us and could divulge our secrets to anyone. Including the Desians."
"So you need her captured," Kratos finished.
"And executed," Anna said bluntly. To this Kratos said nothing. "And I want you on board for the mission to locate her."
Kratos saw this coming. "What would you have me do?"
"In three days, at dawn, Ahmond and Denise and I are headed to Asgard where Felicity is rumored to be hiding. I'm requesting you assistance."
"And you shall have it," Kratos replied.