Episode 5: アップライジングパート1：ネオタブークでの宗教戦争！
Uprising Part 1: Religion War in Neo Tabuk!
Days Later
The group was finally reaching to the outskirts of Terra Magna as everyone saw the gigantic bowl-shaped canyon/depression filled with several rock formations of stalagmites and towering rocks. After Rei revealed to the others about the items that they'll need, they gathered them up and realized that all what was left was the sword.
Rin looked at the gems and said, "You know Nagisa, these were the same gems that Mikoshiba, Nitori, and my sister used back in Italy."
"I thought they were important," replied Nagisa.
"This mirror," muttered Haruka as he looked at it, "Wasn't this from…Izawa?"
"Iza-chan!" gasped Makoto with a chuckle, "I remember her! Her and Serah were cousins!"
"That's right," said Haruka, "She gave this to Alex before he returned to his country."
"Oh I remember too now!" replied Rei as he saw the mirror in Haruka's hands.
"Oh and we used the mirror on you too Rei," smirked Rin, "You fell out of your bed and all of that."
"Please don't remind me!" blushed the megane as Rin chuckled.
"Hey you guys!" shouted Awlida, "We're almost there!"
"Man, I can't wait to see home again," smiled Shirahama.
Haruka turned to Makoto and held his hand, saying, "I hope there are no monsters here."
Alex walked up on the slope with them as he suddenly felt another headache trying to hurt his head. Rei turned to hold him.
"W-water…t-the pool?" muttered Alex, hearing drops of water in his mind.
"W-what's going on!?" asked Nagisa, "Rei-chan!? Alex-chan!?"
Rin, Makoto, and Haruka rushed up to them to see what was happening as Alex's eyes closed shut, leading him to a dream…
Alex woke up and found himself floating in some unknown field of grass that overlooked to an entire scene before him; the towns, the water, all of it seemed unknown but strangely familiar.
He turned to see a younger boy walking towards him.
"R-RASPUTIN!?" growled Alex as he tried to get his sword but realized it wasn't on him.
Sergi walked up to him and rested his hand on his head, saying, "It's alright…nankurunaisa…"
"W-who are you?" asked Alex.
"I want to tell you but you cannot remember much...you saw the water...a relay race...and two words...destiny and promise," he replied.
"Then… can you tell me what they mean?" asked Alex.
"Listen to your heart...listen to the others...don't discourage them...they are here for you just how I am to you," said Sergi with a small smile on his face. He touched Alex's chest to where his heart was at, smiling a face of innocence before him.
"W-wait!" shouted Alex as the boy in front of him disappeared and the world turned bright.
Alex woke up as Rei was holding him in bridal style while they were all approaching to the region of Terra Magna.
"Did you see another memory?" asked Rei.
"S-someone…who was that boy; was he a dream…or an illusion…or is he…?" began Alex.
"Don't force yourself to remember. Your memories will come back to you soon, I promise..." replied the megane.
Rin turned to Nagisa and said, "We still don't know what the fourth item is; it's a sword but anyone could have it."
"I think I saw a sword with really rare design back when we lived on Earth," replied the blonde.
The Pirates led the gang to the entrance of Terra Magna as Awlida introduced the village, "Welcome to Terra Magna, everyone! This town is home to Shirahama, myself, Haru-chan, and the Nanase Clans!"
"Please enjoy your stay," said Shirahama, "There's plenty of room to fill up in the village and starting our new lives."
Awlida turned to Matsuura and said, "I want to show you something!"
"I…I uh, maybe we should split up?" asked Matsuura.
"Yeah, it's not a bad idea," agreed Shirahama, "How many should we divide though?"
"We will stay with the others...both of you need to split up...mix and match the clans for an even balance," said Makoto.
"It'll be alright, we cannot split off from our team," nodded Haruka.
"Actually…I want to go with Matsuura alone if that's okay!" replied Awlida.
"Very well," said Haruka.
Alex's headache couldn't stop bothering him as we wondered what he was going to do about all of this. Once the gangs split up into teams, the Six Stars, followed by Taekshi, headed their way to the central region of the district.
"The central region is where the springs are at," said Haruka, "As long as there are no monsters, we'll take a rest there."
"Yay! I can't wait to see it!" cheered Nagisa.
Takeshi noticed Alex's dizziness so he took out a vial of blood and said, "Here…you'll need this."
He poured the blood inside of his mouth and Alex's eyes turned red as he detected someone waiting for them. He grabbed his sword and dashed off.
"Oi! Alex!" shouted Rei as he and the others ran off while Takeshi decided to get back to Anne as he promised her prior to the splitting.
"Well then, that was a hell of a journey," said Aki as she and Anastasia and Sousuke waited by springs.
"You think they'll make it here?" asked Anastasia.
The trio heard footsteps running this way as the Six Stars arrived and were in shocked to see Aki and Sousuke alive and well while Anastasia was a bit unknown (except for Alex and Rei) to them.
Haruka could tell Aki's darken attitude as the girl said, "Well there, it's been a while…freestyle."
"It-it can't be…" said Haruka.
"A-Aki-chan!?" gasped Nagisa.
"Oh you thought we were gone…been a while too, blonde," she replied.
"S-Sousuke!?" gasped Rin, "B-but you died before the rest of us back on Lynwin!"
"I know...but it's because I had a mission to do here...and apparently, Aki-chan was assigned to this world as well," he answered.
Anastasia turned to Alex and said, "I need to talk to you."
"Alone," she finished as she looked at Rei in the eyes.
"I understand," nodded Rei as he let the two walk to a place alone.
"W-who was that other girl?" asked Rin.
"…hm, I should recognize her but I don't remember where," said Nagisa.
Anastasia and Alex sat down on a bench of bedrock as they watched the skies before them. It was a moment of silence between them at first.
"…you know," said Anastasia, "I'm not the same either…I'm also different."
"…are you a Chiropteran?" asked Alex.
"No. But…I am from another world called Earth. I still don't understand about myself...but I have somewhat lived in luxury," she answered.
"I didn't recognize your hairstyle either...you changed," he nodded.
"Well I wanted to change…and now I have goals of my own," she replied.
Alex remained silent while she continued, "You know brother, staying silence like that won't get you anywhere."
"I don't understand myself either. I keep having visions of a few things," he answered finally, "but then my brother...Rasputin."
"I remember him as a healer back when I lived in that "Earth"...he was supposedily linked to my real family...but I guess he was a traitor," she replied, "But...how the hell is he even your brother!? There's no way that this Rasputin of yours is the same as the Rasputin I remember!"
"The family line I came from, they have extraordinary powers, powers that can be almost god-like," said Alex.
"Why did you get away from them?" she asked.
"I am sure Jadwgia told you, I was part of the rebellion...a living weapon," he replied.
"…so then, are you going to kill me too, brother?" asked Anastasia.
Alex turned to her sharply and gasped, "H-HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT?!"
"I've heard the story about yourself with the tragedy," she replied, "Jadwiga explained it. I know we are not related by brother and sister...but...you know, this Rasputin, we both have known him."
"If you go, you'll die," he said.
Anastasia took out her gun, pointing at him and replied, "I made my decision. I will help you defeat him...but then I must return to my homeland...I am going to avenge my family."
"But what about our family?" asked Alex, "…I know I've changed drastically in the last month but it's not right to see me you leaving with such attitude like that!"
"I can say the same to you," she replied as she turned and fired her gun at a random clay pot nearby, casuing it to blow to shrards.
"W-WHAT WAS THAT!? ALEX!? ALEX!?" shouted an echo of a voice.
The two turned to see Rei running from the corner in shock and horror. At one point the megane also tripped over but he scrambled back to his feet.
"It's alright," said Anastasia, "I was showing him my sharp aiming skills."
"Could you do it later and not scare me? I thought that something happened to both of you!" sighed Rei.
Anastasia blew the smoke off of the gun while Alex was about to start walking back but turned around with a small smile, saying, "Thank you."
"You're kidding, right?" asked Haruka.
"…you have to leave soon, the six of you," replied Sousuke.
"I knew it!" sighed Rin.
"We have to check what's happening there!?" asked Nagisa.
"It may be linked to Rasputin...the six of you must hurry once Rei and Alex return," said Aki.
"You'll be able to use some more of you magic though...you have developed more memories and new spells," added Sousuke.
They all turned to see Rei, Alex, and Anastaisa reuniting with them.
"Don't forget that they are family to you...and I am your family as well...even if we are not related by blood," said Anastasia, "Promise me...you won't go off against them. If mother Georgia saw you now, how would she feel?"
Alex grunted to himself as he realized that it's been over a month now since their mother was "dead". He twitched a smile to her before turning to the five boys before him.
"We're ready," said Makoto.
"Please let us join you Alex," added Rin, "It's going to be tricky but we can figure out what is going on as a team, okay?"
"And we won't leave you alone!" agreed Rei.
"Once you are stuck with us you won't ever be alone!" smirked Nagisa.
Alex took out his sword and extended it out while Rin, Haruka, and Rei did the same while Nagisa and Makoto used their spell book and vase respectively to the team beore them.
"I swim…" said Makoto.
"Free…" answered Haruka.
"For the team!" smiled Rin.
"For my precious bonds," nodded Nagisa.
"To strive for beauty…" said Rei.
"Because…it's our destiny," finished Alex.
The others smiled at the phrase as their necklaces began to glow with swirls of water enveloped them, knowing that it was time to leave and travel to the next city before them.
"Hang on you guys!" shouted Makoto.
They all glomped together as the waters sealed them into the wind, teleporting out of Terra Magna and heading out to Neo Tabuk. The magic circle beneath their feet swirled faster and faster until everything was all a blur around them.
As for Aki, Anya, and Sousuke, they knew that there was very little time before an all-out batttle will strike. And this time...there was hope finally as the pirate clans have begun to developed a new relationship.
However, the rest of the world needed to be stabilized in order to fight and the outcome of the war will rock everyone to the deepest secret…
Who will be the one to die?
~Back to "Starting Point" (From Chapter 1)
Neo Tabuk
With the disappearance of Rin and the breakage of the Megascolides, the monsters were somewhat subdued but the people of Neo Tabuk were in uproar of anger and clashing of their beliefs on the incident.
The Tabukists blamed the Starists for believing in the Six Stars and accused them for believing such a silly prophecy and that their lack of cooperation caused the monsters to enter the city while the Starists combated the Tabukists with whatever they had to fight back.
The Sultans and the remaining royal guards tried to calm down but without their orders from Rin, they had to quickly elect a new leader but then a shadow fell...as a figure stepped into the throne room and sat down.
"I am your new leader," said Rikuto, "Hear me and we shall bring a new era of work and happiness!"
The Chivashi used his power from his staff, turning the guards and sultans into his own pawns of people. It was all in a matter of time before this town would become his, in part of the Les Cinq Frères overall master scheme of Duniya.
The others are going to Aeuropa City with Rasputin...while Natsuhisa is going to Lha'li and both of them will create armies, thought Rikuto, It will be a new family for his children…
"Lord Rikuto," said one of the guards, "What are your orders?"
Rikuto was about to reply when he sensed something in the desert and it chilled his spine, "We got…company."
In the city, Akane and Masaru fled through the scenes of smoke as they were looking for Nagisa. Ever since Nagisa attended the ball after winning the dance, they have heard no sign of him except for the disaster that happened with the Megascolides.
"NAGISA! NAGISA!" screamed Akane.
"He's not going to be here! He must have escaped the city during the chaos!" replied Masaru.
"…or dead," she answered.
Masaru turned to see more explosions going on as the people protested and screamed angrily, destroying several buildings with their weapons and random items they could find to break.
"This way!" said Masaru as he grabbed her hand and they fled to a nearby pile of rubble to hide.
"This is bad…really bad," sighed Akane.
"…why? Why must we suffer like this?" asked Masaru, "You're a Starrist and I am a Tabukist."
"Well you didn't have to save me," she answered, "Since we are opposing religions here."
"Now why should I leave you? If Nagisa is even alive...what do you think he would do? He'd be upset!" replied Masaru.
"I'm telling you, the Six Stars are important…only they can change destiny here on this world," she said.
"But so is Iwatobi and Sametsuka..." he answered, "However…no matter what, I won't let you die!"
"M-Masaru!" blushed Akane.
"We will find Nagisa, I swear," said Masaru,
Akane nodded as she could feel a closer bond to him; deep down, neither of them wanted to live in a world of war but humans are always imperfect and will always fight for whatever they have to share.
"Maybe…we should leave this town," began Masaru.
"W-where though!? The desert is too dangerous alone!" said Akane.
But I guess I got no choice, she thought, I have to show him…
"T-there's something I need to tell you," she spoke, "My uncle that used to work at the palace…he got to learn how to use some of the magic there…and I…"
"W-what!?" gasped Masaru as Akane got up and put her hand on a broken vase and chanted a hymn to repair it.
"…it's not much…but…I want to give it a try," she answered.
The Six Stars, dressed in their Arabian Clothing approached at the city gate where they saw the guards standing by.
"State your business!" said one of the guards.
"You don't recognize me?" asked Rin.
"Who the hell are you?" asked another guard.
"It's your prince, Rin!" replied the red-hair.
The guards laughed and readied their weapons against them.
"I order you to let us in!" growled Rin.
"Or else?" smirked one of the uards.
"I'd like to see you try hurting them!" snarled Nagisa as he readied his spell book whie the others readied their swords.
One of the guards charged up to Rei but the megane blocked his attack and stared at the guard with vengeance.
"RAAHHHH!" growled one of the guards as he and another one attacked Makoto and Haruka while the two combined their powers to blast them away to the wall.
Rin growled his shark teeth and unleashed a blast of water in his spell, "Shaaaaark SLASHHH!"
"Waters of the fury, go slice our enemy with hatred!" chanted Nagisa.
Alex turned and kicked down a guard by the nuts while punching the lights out on another guard. Part of his vows was to not kill humans but he could at least weaken them enough to buy time.
Rin had enough of combating so he chanted, "Waters of the mists, go blind our enemies!"
He unleashed a fog around the guards and grabbed Nagisa's hand, shouting, "Come on you guys! There's other ways to get inside the city!"
Rei turned to rab Alex's hand while Makoto reached to Haruka's and they all ran along the perimeter of the gates, looking for a smaller secret entrance.
"I knew it!" said Rin, "Something has changed here!"
"Maybe it's not so bad?" asked Nagisa.
Rin activated his x-ray vision on his eyes and scanned through the walls to see if anything happened beyond the walls. He gasped at the sight while Alex sniffed out some blood again.
"R-Rin?!" asked Haruka.
"….someone is already here," said Alex.
"W-who?" asked Rei.
"Rin-Rin?" asked Nagisa worried.
Alex lowered his head down for a moment and muttered something to himself before turning to Rin and said, "We can't stay here."
"Right!" answered Rin, "There's an enrance up ahead!"
The stars arrived at a smaller doorway that was an emergency entrance/exit to and from the city. To Rin's surprise, the passcode wasn't changed so he managed to get in and he led them through the alleyways.
"I have no idea what has happened to the kingdom or with the…" began Rin when they all heard a background explosion.
"Well that's not good," muttered Alex.
"W-what was that!?" asked Nagisa.
"W-what's happening?" asked the megane.
"Wait," said Rin as he crept over to the corner of a wall and saw an army of people marching through the streets, protesting with signs and gernades and other tools and weapons. Rin gasped in shock as Makoto and Nagisa took a peak and they were both horrified on the sight.
"We can't walk out there," muttered Rin.
"W-why?" asked Rei as he too joined up and saw the protest. Alex stood in silence before he too joined up to see.
The signs were read as the following:
Neo Tabuk is doomed, you will eat your babies alive!
Iwatobi and Samesuka hate the Starrists!
Starrists are going to hell for questioning the skies and water!
"Wh-why are they protesting!?" asked Nagisa.
"Remember what I told you about the Iwatobi and Sametsuka...this is one of their protests? This is one of them, but to have it this extreme…" began Rin when he gasped and saw people's heads impaled in sticks of branches and poles.
Makoto fell to his knees at the horror of the sight, covering his face. Haruka turned to Makoto, keeping him close as possible.
"W-why would somebody do that?" asked Rei.
"The Starrists are going to hell!" shouted the Tabukists as they threw bombs at them, exploding them to guts. The Starists tried to fight with their limited magic but the panicks and cries freaked out things even further.
"YOU KILLED OUR RIN!" shouted the Tabukists, beating down several of the Starists, "YOU KILLED OUR PRINCE THANKS TO YOUR PETTY BELIEFS!"
"Maybe you should tell them that you're alive?" asked Nagisa.
"They could also attack us though," said Rei, "Seeing how it looks, they are beyond angry to accept anything."
"From my experiences, the best thing to do is to stay away," answered Alex.
"Easy for you to say," sighed Makoto as Haruka got him back on his feet.
"Let's keep moving," said Rin, "Before they…"
Nagisa gasped as he remembered something, "A-Akane! Masaru! They live here in the city! Oh gosh, I hope they're alight!"
The blonde grabbed Rin's hand and said, "We have to find them Rin! Maybe they can help us!"
"N-Nagisa! Wait!" he replied, "W-we don't know anything about them!"
"Give us a description of them and we'll try to locate them," nodded Makoto.
The six linked their hands together as Alex asked, "W-we're holding hands?"
"It's how we can locate our friends, given with descriptions of what they looked like," replied Rin.
Rei smiled to Alex and answered, "It'll be alright. Just please do this."
"Akane is tanned girl with blue eyes and dark brown hair, she usually wears bright colors...And Masaru's skin is slightly lighter then Akane's and he has black hair and green eyes, he wears red,purple and blue colored clothes," said Nagisa as he recalled on their clothing back in the dance competition.
The six linked together as the five of them used the power of the water while Alex could only wonder what is going on...
However…
Alex's vision changed to a blur as he found himself in the depths of the ocean with a bright light shining from below. He was able to breathe in the depths and watched the light glowing brighter and brighter.
He heard a loud roar as a gigantic snake-like monster ascended higher and higher. Before his eyes he was riding on some gigantic monster and saw the world before his eyes.
The Sea Dragon roared loudly with a dark voice echoing, "Remember…"
Rin saw Alex feeling a bit dizzy as he realized another memory was flooding into him. Rei held him from falling down as they finally used their powers to locate Masaru and Akane.
"They're in some ruins!" said Nagisa as he turned to the path.
They began to follow the blonde while Nagisa held onto Rin's hand and Rei holding onto the semi-conscious Alex.
"Another memory?" asked Rei.
"A…sea dragon," muttered the Chiropteran as he closed his eyes.
"Ahhh, so that's what his animal was!" said Rin, "Sexy Dragon. And I just remembered we rode on his dragon back to Japan!"
"So that's what that big thing was!" replied Haruka, "It was his animal spirit."
Nagisa couldn't help but chuckle at that as they rushed their way through the streets of Neo Tabuk, reaching closer and closer to Nagisa's fellow dance competitors. However, it wasn't easy to avoid all of the protesting and stuff that was happening.
It took them about 5 minutes of running through when they arrived at some clearing where they saw the two people sitting down and staring at the sunset.
"AKANE-CHAN! MASARU-CHAN!" shouted Nagisa as he rushed towards them.
Akane and Masaru turned to see Nagisa running towards them. They cried out in relief as the trio hugged together. The others joined up but Rin kept his identity hidden in his Arab outfit. The blonde hugged the two and said, "I'm so glad you're both alright!"
"Y-yeah," blushed Masaru.
"Oh you silly blonde, of course we are!" chuckled Akane, "Did you at least get to meet the prince?"
Rin gasped to himself and covered his face with the Arab hat while Nagisa turned to Rin before looking back at them and replied, "I did…and he was really nice."
"I don't think they will attack you Rin-chan-shan," muttered Rei quietly in Rin's ear.
"Rin, we got your back," said Makoto as Haruka and Alex nodded in agreement while the latter kept his sword to the side.
Still holding his identiy, Rin gently walked over as Masaru asaw the others and asked "Oh, and who are these fine young gentlemen here?"
"Interesting…there are six of you," said Akane.
Rin finally uncovered himself as he placed his hat back on and stared at the trio. Akane and Masaru gasped as they recognized him as the prince standing before them.
"Oh Iwatobi and Sametsuka!" gasped Masaru as he and Akane stepped down to bowing on their knees. Rin blushed for a moment before he cleared his throat.
"No need for the formalities," said Rin.
Nagisa turned to look at Masaru and explained, "They are my friends and Rin is my...lover, so please don't hurt him."
"H-he?" asked Masaru, "But he's the prince of our town! How did both of you even survive after all of this time!?"
"It wasn't easy and we managed to get on train and travel to my hometown..." said Nagisa.
"May I kindly ask of you explain what has happened here?" asked Rin.
"Well of course your majesty," smiled Akane, "However, it's been nasty here ever since the day of the Megascolides."
"There have been riots for the last month...and searching for you at first but they assume you dead and now they're electing a new leader," said Masaru.
"…and what have they done to allow more chaos to erupt?" asked Haruka.
"Yes please! Why people are killing each other?! And why nobody is doing something about it!?" asked Rei.
"Without the leader, the guards cannot preform the orders or duties," said Akane.
"The land here has been in a system of power and order ever since the early days," explained Masaru, "All power lies in the hands of a single entity...the Bethrone of Neo Tabuk..."
"However there's more than to that," said Rin as he turned to the others, "The one who Bethrones must worship and accept the gods of Iwatobi and Sametsuka. All other ideologies were not permitted to be in the Murraba Palace."
"So...even though you began to remember your life on Earth, you couldn't show any sign of change in emotion?" asked Makoto.
"That's right," replied Rin, "If by any means that the bethrone shows any signs of not being with the Tabukism...well, if it was a prince, he'd be overthrown and exiled...if it is by a civilian...that's more complicated."
"We cannot stay here though," said Akane, "It's likely that the groups will throw more bombs and grenades around."
"I have a question," said Alex.
"Oh?" replied Masaru.
"Earlier, I smelled a scent of blood coming from the palace," replied the Chiropteran, "I think someone has gained power already in there and we need to…"
Akane gasped in horror as she recalled the story of the Tragedy of Herisia and recognized the sword being carried, "A-A-are you a Chiropteran!?"
Masaru stood by her side and said, "And are you the one who destroyed Herisia!?"
"Don't be afraid! He is our friend and he won't hurt you," replied Rei.
"Leave the past alone for now," said Haruka, "Regardless of what happened back then, we don't have the time to dwell on it."
"We need to figure out who is in control now and stop them before they do anything else to the city," agreed Rin.
Nagisa turned to Alex and asked, "Who do you think was the person whose blood you smelled?"
"Oh I can smell a Chiropteran…but it's slightly different; it may be a higher class category," guessed the Chiropteran.
"I thought it was only you and Rasputin…" began Haruka.
"More like a middle class if you must know the details but still powerful," said Alex.
"Well then," replied Akane, "If it is a Chiropteran taking over, I guess we got a fight in our hands."
She turned to a rock and chanted, "CASTELLA!"
The rock exploded into dust as the others gapsed with Masaru and Makoto jumped in fear by that explosion.
"Wow!" smirked Nagisa, "How did you do that?!"
"Yes uh…how?" asked Rei while he fixed up his glasses.
"I told Nagisa that my uncle used to be a palace guard...but he was one of the few that learned some of the magic here," explained Akane.
"Let's just worry about that later," sighed Masaru.
"To where are we going?" asked Rin.
"To the Eastern District; there are plenty of places to hide...but, it's not far from where my family used to live. The homes are a bit "abandoned" but it's a place of refuge from the chaos," said Akane.
"Let's go then before someone finds us," nodded Rei.
The group escaped to the eastern district where Akane's followers of the Starists clan were shocked with the news. Several of the Starists bowed down to the Magic Six while others prepared food for them.
"Please help us! Legendary Magic Six!" shouted several of the Starists.
"We beg of you to help give us the wisdom!" shouted a handful of the other Starists.
"Oi! Calm down now!" shouted Rin as he raised his sword up to get all of their attention. The religious people silenced themselves as they could feel the power coming out from the Six boys before them. They were relieved to know that the legend of their lives was real after all and that the Tabukists' belief of Iwatobi and Sametsuka were false.
T-these people...they're all beaten up, thought Masaru.
"Now then, many of them were injured...shall we?" muttered Haruka.
Nagisa took out his spell book to search for healin g spells while Rei checked on the injured people and said, "We have to help them, quickly!"
The five stood together side by side while Alex stood by with Masaru and Akane as the others chanted the spell, combining their powers to create a drizzle rain of healing. The light rain washed away the wounds and blood, and scars. Alex felt the rain and for a moment saw a strange looking temple similar to that of the one in Iwamara.
Alex turned to see a baby crying and walked up to it, holding and keeping the baby warm whie the others jumped in to check on the survivors.
"That was some stronge magic there," said Akane, "But…why didn't he join you?"
"…I thought the legend said that there were six," said another Starrist, "Where is the last one?!"
"It's a long story...Alex is the last star, but he's...changed. We're hoping to figure out how to get him back," replied Makoto.
Rei and Nagisa turned to see Alex holding the baby and they both shared a smile while Nagisa walked up to see the baby.
"These babies do not deserve to suffer like this," said Alex.
"Oh please, Suiei Gods," begged another Starist, "We need you to help us save this city! We do not wish to harm the Tabukists but they've forgotten the true story of this world and their purpose!"
"Promise one thing to us," said Haruka.
"A-anything please!" begged several of the Starists children.
"…Do not use religion as a weapon against your enemies. Find peace with the people you live with," began Makoto.
Alex handed the baby over to Nagisa as the blonde said, "The children are the future of this country, if you only teach them to fight between each other they won't know anything else. You need to stop fighting!"
"I agree with Nagisa and I want to add that many children will lose their parents if you don't stop this fight..." agreed Rei.
"More importantly," said Rin, "We need to take down whoever is in control of this city…only then we can create a new beginning here."
Alex could feel the smell of the Chiropteran getting stronger and stronger by the minute as he sat down to rests his haed over his ears; he didn't want to probe the mind of his prey to the point that they know that he and the others are here.
The other boys turned to see Alex as he replied, "I…it's worse than I feared. A Chivashi…is waiting for us."
"C-Chivashi?" asked Rin.
"Is it a Chiropteran?" asked Makoto.
"You could say that...they are a higher class of the Chiropterans...while Rasputin and myself are higher level Chivashi...called Kings," explained Alex.
"So…the fighting will be dangerous," sighed Nagisa.
"Is there any way of winning with them? Any weakness?" asked Rei.
"The Watcher's did research on them and came up with a hypothesis if how they can be defeated," said Alex, "They think by chopping their heads off or burning them alive will do. But they are not to be fooled around with. They have wicked staffs of power…and the worse part is that…injuries mean nothing to them unless if it's on the head.
"Let us join you!" shouted another Starist.
"Yes please!" begged another, "Allow us to take back our town!"
"It's dangerous," said Rin, "However, you're better off at fighting the guards down than the prey we are seeking."
"We'll do our best to help you!" shouted the other Starists.
Alex's eyes widened and turned to Rei in shock.
"Alex?" asked Rei, feeling worried.
The Chiropteran turned to Rin and said, "I don't want them to be used as puppets…Rin, please reconsider this!"
"Listen to me," said Haruka as it was his turn to talk, "We will help you. And if they are willing to do so, let them. This is a war we are now entering into…and back when Makoto and I were pirates, we had to learn that selecting our team wasn't always an easy choice."
"We need their help and they need ours," agreed Nagisa.
Alex nodded after a moment of hesitation as Rin smiled and rasied out his sword, prompting the crowd to cheer on and prepare for battle.
Murabba Palace
Rikuto walked through the halls with two of his guards while he could smell the scent of Alex, the Chiropteran King. He hissed loud enough for them to hear.
"What is it my lord?" asked the first guard.
"It's time…" said Rikuto, "Go! They are here!"
Once the guards left, the Chivashi walked up to a mirror and transformed himself into a copy of Rin Matsuoka with a smirk on his face.
"Show time," said the Fake!Rin with a snap of his fingers, "Alex is here now…"
"This way!" shouted the Real Rin as he led through the halls of the palace. While they managed to get in through the secret passageways, the other Starrists combated against the guards in hopes to distract and provide them enough time to defeat whoever was responsible for the mess.
"Thank god you lived here," sighed Haruka, "I doubt we would've got in here safely!"
"But what about the others?" asked Makoto, feeling a bit worried.
"They'll be fine as long as Akane is with them," said Nagisa, "I trust her."
"And the Tabukists?" asked Alex.
"Well the Tabukists, according to Masaru, they're wanting to rebel against the silence so they'll make a temporally truce with the Starrists," explained Rin.
"Well I do pray that everything goes well with them," replied Nagisa.
"Me too," agreed Rei, "But where are we going?"
"Wherever this "Chivashi" is at, right?" asked Rin as he looked at Alex.
"It's here…it's no doubt he's waiting for us…" said Alex.
Rin's eyes widened in shock as he realized a possibility, "T-the throne room!"
"Oi! Rin!" shouted Haruka.
"Rin! Slow down!" cried Makoto as he and the others rushed after the red hair.
"Why he is always rushing into danger without thinking?" sighed Rei as he shook his head.
Rin turned to the corner to the throne room but before he could stop to take a breath and check on the others, the fake Rin used his power to trap him inside a cocoon and placed it on the ceiling; waiting for the mutation to take effect.
"Excellent," said the Rin/Rikuto, "In a little bit of time you will be twisted and altered to my bidding."
He could hear the others arriving so he took a step out of the room to see them and said, "You guys! We have to take a little detour."
"H-huh? What's the matter?" asked Makoto.
Alex's eyes glowed red as he could feel the strange presence standing before them but he had to stay calm and wait for the right moment. Rei could tell something was not right but he didn't want to arouse suspicion either.
"A guard told me to leave the area," said Rin/Rikuto, "We have to hurry because it's going to get bombed down!"
"But Rin…" began Nagisa as he was getting suspicious also, "The guards didn't recognize you!"
"Well one of the seemed to have remembered so he told me to get you guys out of here and…" began the False Rin when he saw Alex pinning him down to the wall and pointing his katana at his neck.
"Lead…us…to…the room! You got it!?" growled the Chiropteran.
"A-Alex!?" gasped Rei.
"NOW!" shouted Alex, "You fucking piece of shit! I know that it's you…Chivashi!"
The fake Rin placed his hand on Alex's chest and blasted him down to the wall on the other end of the hall.
"I guess I can't cosplay for five minutes," laughed the Fake Rin as he morphed his face back to his black hair and his darker, scarier eyes.
This time, Nagisa's eyes glowed hot pink and growled, readying his magic, "WHAT…DID…YOU…DO…TO RIN!?"
"Oh he's resting," smirked Rikuto, "Just like you all will soon…to join us…and to become one of ours!"
"E-even so," growled Alex as he got up from the rubble, "It's been over 60 years Chivashi! I failed to kill Rasputin when he destroyed Lha'li with you guys! I WON'T LET YOU TOUCH THEM!"
Nagisa gasped as he realized that revelation while Alex soared up to the Chivashi and smashed his pretty to the wall, throwing themselves into the throne room.
The others arrived in the room and readied their weapons while Nagisa vowed to find Rin. Rikuto laughed evil and threw Alex to the side again but the Chiropteran King flipped a momentum and landed back on his feet safely.
"Nagisa!" said Alex, "Rin is up in the ceiling in that cocoon!"
"I see you remember what Tesseract taught you," chuckled Rikuto, "Chivashi and Chiropteran Kings can produce cocoons as a means to mutate their prey for food or for enslsavement."
Alex grunted and readied his sword while Makoto and Nagisa's clothes transformed into oufits designed for flight and soared up to reach to Rin.
"In a matter of minutes, Rin will become MY slave," said Rikuto as he readied his powers against the others, "He will be part of the plan!"
He turned to see Makoto and Nagisa and unleashed a blast of energy towards them. Makoto turned and quickly threw up a water shield, almost throwing them off flight.
"Give it up!" growled Alex, "It's us 6 agianst to you 1 here!"
"Oh no," smirked Rikuto, "It has only begun…"
"Don't even try!" said Haruka, "Waters of freestlye…slice forth that bastard!"
The water blast proved nothing as the Chivashi hissed and used his powers to knock them all down, laughing at them, "Foolish ones….as long as the final star…your beloved Alex remains a Chiropteran, your magic is nothing against us!"
"W-what are you saying!?" growled Alex.
"I guess you really don't know who you are? I'm surprised your fellows here didn't give up on you because of your cruelty!" smirked Rikuto.
"Alex we will talk about it later! Now we need to kill this bastard! Please we will explain everything! Believe me!" said Rei as he got up on his feet and growled with vengeance at Rikuto.
"I have nothing more to say to you," said Alex as he prepared his sword with his blood and charged up but before he could slice him down, Rikuto's body shimmered and vanished away, causing Alex to fall to the ground.
"We'll meet again…oh so very soon," echoed Rikuto's voice.
D-damn it, thought Alex, he escaped!
The cocoon craked open as Nagisa and Makoto called Rin in their arms and were worried that they were too late to save him. However, the red-hair opened his eyes and they brought him back down to shake off the dust and dirt from the cocoon.
"R-Rin!" gasped Nagisa as he hugged him tight, spilling a few tears down, "Oh I thought we lost you!"
"Na-Nagi-saah," coughed Rin as he hugged the blonde as well.
The others joined up to hug (even Alex) as they were relieved to have Rin back safely to them and this team.
The Six reunited safely as the rebellion outside finally calmed down when the guards discovered the Six of them and were initially shocked in disbelief but after hours of getting the chaos to settle down, the people of Neo Tabuk set up a morning celebration of their lost prince to return.
And finally, a new era of peace began with the Starrists and the Neo Tabukists as the both religions traced back to the past and discovered something new about the religion and their history.
Days Later
Rin stared down at the city before them on a balcony of the palace as Haruka even shared a little smile at the calmness and tranquility. It had been a rough few days but the city finally calmed down as everyone celebrated Rin's return and the survival. Several of the kids ran around and played with whatever they had.
"Well at least we finally brought peace here," said Makoto.
"For now…at least," replied Alex.
Rei shared a smile as Rin replied, "However, it's far from over if we are going to obtain true peace."
"And I'm afraid you're right Rin," said Alex, "We have healed the Pirates and this town...but there are other cities out there."
Rin turned to see Masaru and Akane as the two rushed into the scene, breathing for air as they had something to tell them.
"We got word from the escapes from Lha'li!" said Akane.
"They are holding a truce with Neo Tabuk...but they demand aid and help for the city in return," said Masaru.
"Very well then," nodded Rin as he turned to Nagisa.
"Oh Rin-Rin!" smiled Nagisa as he hugged him, "Thank you…"
"The council will need to set up on the financial resources and all of that..." began Rin when he saw Alex falling to his knees again and pressed his hands over his ears.
"A-ALEX!" shouted Rei and Nagisa as the Chiropteran struggled to feel Rasputin's whereabouts. He closed his eyes to feel Rasputin's mind…scattering around like leaves in the wind.
"Alex!?" asked Rin.
"Are you okay!?" asked Haruka.
The Chiropteran breathed heavily and sat on his rear to calm down; closing his eyes once more as he finally saw a gigantic mega city not far from the ocean before him. He saw a strange looking place with a massive curtain or something and saw Rasputin standing there, almost as if…
"H-he…he's there…" began Alex.
"R-Rasputin!?" asked Rei.
"Where?!" asked Nagisa.
Alex coughed up to spit out some blood from this pain and he replied, "A-Aeuropa City…"
Rei gasped and stared at him with shocked, "H-how did he get there!?"
"Remember what Aki and the others said?" asked Alex, "Rasputin had big plans going on and part of it was to do with here and Aeuropa City. But just from what I saw…it's confirmed that he's already there."
He could barely get back up on his feet as Rei helped him up with Rin holding Alex on the other arm.
"W-we have to go…" said Alex, "Before it's too late…"
~Episode 5 END~
~Episode 6 PV~
Alex: Aeuropa City…the town of the possibilities.
Rei: So Rasputin is there…we have to stop him!
Nagisa: I won't let him take away anyone's lives anymore!
Makoto: Haru, don't you think this sounds like a trap?
Haruka: It most likely is but we got no choice.
Rin: …*growls* I swear I hope you defeat him, Alex. But remember that you're not alone in this!
Rasputin: Big brother…I will sing to wake all the children up…including my own.
Alex: Next time, Free! Uprising Part 2: Showdown at Aeuro Casino! I won't let you get away with this!
To Be Continued…Water Weds. May 21st, 2014
See you next water time!