Chapter 3: Enforcer and Inferno (Part 1)

Windbloom, Apartment Complex

Three weeks later…

Tsuyo-sa

I couldn't help but sigh as I looked out at the vast city I called home. Only three weeks had passed since the Core had been revealed, three weeks since I had last seen my half-sister and the ones who betrayed her, and already several significant events had transpired. Shortly after the declaration of war, King Siegfried had rallied several of the multiverse's forces under the banner of the Enforcers of Truth (EOT for short) with the goal of using the potentially limitless power of the Core to ensure that peace and unity thrived throughout the multiverse. It was not the first new faction to rise, as shortly after the strange and apparently ruthless man who had made the declaration, someone by the name of White Steel Wrath, had raised up an army of foul creatures called heartless under the command of beings known as nobodies and other dark individuals to create the Agents of Wrath. Finally, a third faction comprised almost entirely of demons and other supernatural creatures headed by Astaroth, the Lord of Rot, came to be known as the Cobalt Covenant, named so after the blue flames of the hell from which many of their number originated. As soon as I got back to Windbloom, I reported everything I had learned to King Siegfried, including the prophecy of the child of destruction. While he seemed to be disturbed by the prophecy, his concerns were focused more on the guests I had brought back with me. Namely, Yuu Koutari, the father of my half-sister and formerly known as the enemy of all worlds, Fury. Despite Yuu's heavy heart, the weight of her misdeeds caused word of her reappearance to spread like wildfire throughout the city. I pleaded with the king to see the regret in the short woman's eyes, and to make her punishment for her past crimes as least painful for her as possible. Yuu was sentenced to confinement in the visitor's quarters at Garderobe Academy, and was placed under constant watch. Many of the citizens called for her death, but those few of us who had known the truth about the former tyrant's change in demeanor knew that she was already in enough pain. Yuu felt as though the gruesome transformation that had befallen her daughter was almost entirely her fault, and had given in to her punishment without the slightest attempt of resistance. She had only one request:

"If you find Evelyn, or learn of anything concerning her whereabouts, please tell me. And, if she is still in her enraged state, please do whatever is possible to spare her life. Her actions are those of a crushed heart, and a mind shattered by pain and sorrow." were her words to me before she was escorted to her quarters.

Unlike the rest of my peers, I was ready to forgive her of her past crimes and to offer any help I could in locating and rescuing Evelyn from her pain. The desire to help my half-sister was shared among White Rock Shooter, Yuu's lover who had witnessed the transformation firsthand, Didymo, the other self of Evelyn who claimed to have been literally torn out of her soul, and myself. Not long after Yuu's sentence was declared, the great hero Ebony had made a sudden return, along with my father, Strength. From what father has told me, the methods behind the hero's resurrection had caused her to split into three different bodies, one of which was White Rock Shooter. Apparently the other two had met up in another world, and though one of them seemed to lack any memory of their time as the one who ended the first multidimensional war, had eventually agreed to reunite. While I was overjoyed to have my father alive and in my life for the first time since I had been born, my feelings toward Ebony were not as strong. Despite her reputation as a champion of justice and a defender of the people, Ebony was also the mother of the two siblings whose selfish and forbidden acts had driven my half-sister insane. Ebony had been shocked beyond words to hear of what had become of her daughters, and of the dark prophecy that loomed over them. I still remember how she had frantically paced back and forth across the living room of her apartment, desperately trying to come to terms with the news.

"I don't believe it…it just can't be possible!" she had said.

"I'm sorry Ebony, but it's the truth." Kurai, the man who first learned of the prophecy, had answered. "Alucard told you himself what fate would befall them."

"How can something like this be fate? My oldest girl falling for my youngest girl? The two of them as lovers? Their having a child? A child that will destroy the multiverse? How can you expect me to believe that? It's insane!"

"It may be insane, but it's true. I was there, I saw the way they were acting around each other." I had said.

Ebony then continued to pace the room and shake her head in denial for the next few minutes until finally slumping into a chair in defeat. White had decided to join us, and though Ebony seemed to be uneasy around the other self, allowed her to place a comforting hand on her shoulder as she took a deep breath.

"Fine. Say they really have fallen for each other, and Hisana really is..." she swallowed back a wave of vomit at the thought of her youngest being pregnant with a child born of incest. "What then? What do you plan to do about their child?"

Kurai paused as he contemplated his response, before finally sighing and staring sympathetically at Ebony.

"It's too late to stop Ryunoko from being created. There is only one thing we can do now…" he said darkly.

Ebony's eyes widened with shock and anger as she realized what he meant.

"You don't seriously intend to…to kill the child?!"

The sword smith let his silence speak for him. Ebony shook her head again.

"No, no I won't allow it! That's going too far, Kurai! It's only a baby for god's sake!"

"Do you think I don't know that? I don't want to destroy such a young life either, but unless you can think of a better idea, then there's nothing else we can do."

"How do you even know if that prophecy is true? You told me yourself that you can't see the whole future, only glimpses! Who's to say the child won't grow up to be an agent of peace instead of destruction?"

"Ebony, you have to understand-"

"No! I've had it with you! I don't care if the child is one of incest, it is still a child! It is still a part of my family! No matter what you say, I refuse to let you destroy it!"

Having had enough, Ebony rose from her seat and walked toward her room.

"My decision is final!" she yelled as she slammed the door shut.

I sighed once again as my reminiscence came to an end. Often times I wished that the world wasn't so complicated, that there weren't any struggles for godly power or interdimensional conflicts or prophecies of destruction. All I wanted was to have my family back together, and to give Evelyn the chance to experience the happiness that she deserves. Reminding myself of the promise I made to save her, I turned away from my window and went to get dressed for the day. After putting on the special red and orange lightweight armor that had been granted to me as a lieutenant in the EOT, I headed towards the recently established command center King Siegfried had ordered built a short distance north of the palace. On the way there, I passed White as she walked up to the apartment where she lived with Ebony.

"How is she?" I asked, knowing that the pale other self had just returned from another visit to her lover.

"She is…unwell. Yuu blames herself too much for what happened to Evelyn, she's not able to let anyone else take responsibility. If you ask me though…" she glanced at me with red eyes half lidded with sorrow. "It's the bastards that live in this city that should take the blame. I know everyone was scared of what might happen given her lineage, but to ostracize a single child just because of its parent? It disgusts me."

Feeling she may have been too harsh, she averted her gaze.

"Forgive me, Tsuyo-sa. Yuu's pain is a terrible sight to behold, and I don't know how much more either of us can take of not knowing whether Evelyn's safe or not. Please tell us if you find out anything, would you?"

I nodded in understanding.

"I will."

She responded with a slight nod, then disappeared inside the apartment as I continued on my way. When I arrived at the command center, Didymo was in the information wing, going about her daily routine of asking for news of Evelyn. Judging by how worried she looked after hearing one report, she had just found out something. Concerned, I quickly made my way over to her.

"Didymo, what's wrong?" I asked.

The counterpart turned toward me with fear in her eyes.

"Tsuyo-sa…"

"Is it about Evelyn nee-chan?"

Slowly, she nodded.

"I just heard a report that a figure matching her description was recently spotted leaving Camelot City. It seems that she…destroyed it."

I paused in worried surprise.

"She...destroyed it…?"

"The entire place was burnt to the ground. There were bodies, thousands of them, either incinerated or smashed to bloody bits. The only survivor they found was a young girl. She's still in shock, but at least she'll live."

I sighed in relief, but couldn't help fearing just how much of a monster Evelyn was becoming. If she had done something like this, then her condition was getting much worse.

"Is there anything else you can tell me? Are you able to reach her through your bond again?"

Didymo shook her head sadly.

"I've tried time and time again, but she won't answer me. Or rather, I don't think she can even hear me now. We were a part of the same person for so long that the separation must have hit us a lot harder than we previously thought. I can barely feel her anymore, and had she not taken so much of our power, I would be out there searching for her myself."

The counterpart walked over to a nearby window and gazed out over the city.

"I hate it, not being able to do anything. She used to rely on my help just to get her through another day when we lived in this city, the hurt that all the harassment and discrimination caused left her with only herself to turn to. When she tore me out of our soul, it felt as though I had betrayed her, like I had failed to be there for her when she needed me the most. I wonder...did I do the right thing? Should I not have stopped her from trying to kill our father?"

Not wanting her to question herself further, I stepped forward and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Didymo, it's okay. You tried to help her, she needed to be restrained or she'd never get a chance to realize that people do care about her." I said.

"But what if it's not enough? Evelyn believes that there is no one left who can love her and accept her as anything besides the daughter of Fury, and now that she's seen Shinzo and Hisana together she'll be absolutely furious. What if that 'chance' I gave her was an open invitation to cut loose with all the hatred she's spent so long suppressing?"

I paused, unsure what to say in response. Didymo had a point, Evelyn's current lack of restraint could be one of the reasons why she would be able to cause all that destruction. I remembered her face once Shinzo and Hisana disappeared. There was hatred there, yes, but even more so there was pain. From what I could see of her eyes, she was crying an endless stream of burning tears. It was the last thing I saw before she roared like some great savage beast and vanished in a blast of hellfire. I didn't want to admit it, but there was a good chance that Evelyn would never be the same again, and she would spend the rest of her days as a monster that slaughtered everything in its path. Solemnly remembering my promise, I suppressed my fear and turned back to the counterpart.

"There is still good in her, whether she sees it or not. I wasn't able to help her back then, but maybe now I can. If I can find her, then maybe I can get her to see reason, to know that there is still hope for a brighter future. There will still be the issue of that prophecy, but that can wait for now. Believe in her, Didymo. It's what she needs now more than anything."

Didymo sighed, but nodded her head in acceptance.

"I pray that you are correct." she then turned back to face me. "I'll keep an eye out for any more information, and let you know when I find something."

I nodded.

"Thank you."

Having finished my business with the counterpart, I moved on to the briefing room, where several other officers were gathered awaiting today's orders. Taking my usual seat by my father and Kurai, I focused my attention on the King as he prepared to speak.

"Our latest reports tell me that the Agents have been skirmishing with the Covenant all across the outer territories, leaving little to no room for our troops to make any impact on either of their forces out there. Therefore, I am sending some of you out to gain more allies for our cause. If we're going to win this war and bring peace back to the multiverse, then we'll need all the help we can get." he said in his usual rough and commanding tone.

"Strength."

My father stood up.

"Yes, Siegfried?"

"I want you to lead a small platoon to the nearest worlds and see if you can round up some supporters. They'll listen to you, I'm sure of it."

My father nodded and sat back down.

"I understand."

"Kurai, I want you to see if you can do something about the recent onslaught of Covenant soldiers on Fuyuki City. We may still have allies there, so save as many as you can."

The sword smith nodded.

"Consider it done."

King Siegfried then turned to me.

"Tsuyo-sa."

I immediately stood up.

"Yes, your highness?"

"Stay here after the meeting. I have something I'd like to discuss with you."

Confused and curious as to what he might have to say, I nodded and sat back down. Eventually the meeting was finished, and after I said farewell to my father I went down to the front of the room with Siegfried.

"I've heard about the situation of your half sister through Didymo." he began. "I've also been getting reports of someone matching her description causing horrific destruction to several civilizations. I owe Evelyn for saving my life, but I cannot ignore the possibility that she truly has followed down the same path as Fury."

I nodded slowly, not liking where this was going.

"Since you are the one who believes the most strongly that she can be saved, I am giving you permission to conduct your own investigation."

Now that, I hadn't been expecting.

"Your highness?"

"Tsuyo-sa, these are dark times for the multiverse. I need everyone I can get to help make sure the Core doesn't fall into the wrong hands, as well as keep the innocents caught in the crossfire safe from harm. I know you say that all Evelyn wants is to have a better life, I'm giving you the chance to give her one. Find her, convince her to see reason, let her help us in this fight."

I paused in surprise, not expecting such a proposition. The King was actually concerned for my half-sister's well being? I wasn't the only one who recognized her plight, who thought she deserved a chance? These hopeful thoughts died down as I began to realize something about the proposition. From the way it sounded, Siegfried merely wanted Evelyn on our side so that she'd be our weapon against the other dominant forces gunning for the Core. Though it disturbed me a bit to think that the noble king would consider such a method, even for the sake of the people, I knew that this might be my only chance at finding Evelyn and making things right. My determination renewed, I stood up straight and nodded.

"I would be glad to undertake this task, your highness." I said at last.

"I thought you might." he then turned around, as if going into deep thought. "Perhaps when this is all over, she will be able to forgive this city and myself for the way it has treated her, and for my inability to help ease her suffering."

"You and me both..." I muttered.

As if in response, he glanced back at me.

"You are to leave as soon as you are able. Begin with searching the worlds most closely connected to her past, perhaps you may find something in them."

"I will. And your highness...thanks."

A simple nod was all he gave in response. Eager to begin my new assignment, I left to prepare supplies for a multi day trip. I was scheduled to leave on my first outing the next day, and as I lay in my bed, I could not help but feel an enthusiastic amount of joy. At long last, I was going to make a difference for my half-sister...

Had I known then the depth of what I would find on this mission, I might have thought much differently...

A/N: Sorry for the long ass delay. Please be sure to review, as I plan on including much more action next chapter