Chapter Four

TWO SIDES

Planet –Earth.

Year –3912 A.D.

Country –Kazun.

Government –Dynasty.

Power –Second ranked in the world

Status –Currently at war with Vandaria.

There are two sides to almost every story. War however, is three dimensional. The conflict between Kazun and Vandaria began ten years before the official declaration of war. Japan had been one of the world's reigning super powers even after their brutal war with America. As the first country to bare witness to the full effects of the atom bomb they became the first to manifest the effects of radiation poisoning on a mass scale. Unbeknownst to them however, even to the current leaders of the wounded country, a godsend, so to speak, was uncovered inside ground zero, Hiroshima. A small boy, his body riddled with pain and radioactive mutations, crawled through the large crater where the bomb impacted Hiroshima. His mind had left him and his vision darkened. He could barely notice the hole in the center of the crater. Only after he fell through it did he manage a weak yelp as he vanished into the darkness. His body splashed through a small pond miles beneath Hiroshima. Normally, swimming to the top of this pool of water would be an easy task for the boy; however his senses had left him, as did his ability to control his body. The boy sunk to the bottom of the pond and his back pressed gently against a large stone sunk into the ground. This stone was unique from the rest of the rocky bottoms of the pond. The rough cracked surface and edges of the stone stood out from the smooth flat surface around it. As the boy's consciousness began to leave him, the radiation pulsing through his body engulfed the stone and the rough rock began to resonate. Seconds later a bright green glow emitted from the stone as green misty arms of light wrapped around the boy. Over the next handful of moments all of the radiation poisoning and mutations riddled through the boy's body healed, however his bloody cuts and wounds remained. The boy's eyes shot open as control over his mind and body returned to him. He quickly swam to the top of the pond and took in a deep gasp of air.

"What…? Where am I? Mommy?" The boy glanced around the cavern. As the boy searched the cavern while floating above the water a small orb of light caught his attention. He turned his head and his vision centered on a small round green rock. "What…is that?" He floated over to the rock then cupped it in his hand. The boy gasped as a green light surged through him filling his mind and body with confusing images and voices. One word remained stuck in his mind. "Aero…."

The global scale war that followed the discovery of magic gave birth to countless factions over the centuries. One faction among the many that stood out from the rest were the Sons of Zakun. This small clan of mercenaries spread their ideologies of a strong imperialistic nation through the four islands of Japan, never fully taking control of the country. They instead, after a long grueling war with a few of the current major super powers gathered thousands of their countrymen and women together and fled to an uninhabited portion of Europe, which had been decimated by nuclear and magical war. In the mid twenty-seventh century the current leader of the separatists, Kazukan Rensuenada, led his army on a successful campaign against invading armies from America, Britain, France, Germany, Russia, China, and the newly formed country Vandaria. After defending their home from their enemies, the citizens of Nakul, under the orders of Kazukan constructed the largest non radioactive explosive device known to man along the borders of their country connected to their neighboring nations. The explosion shined so bright it could be seen thousands of miles away even in the far reaches of space. This event was known as, The Great Disconnection. To honor Kazukan and everything he had accomplished in Nakul's honor, the people renamed their country Kazun. After Kazukan's passing a Dynasty Empire remained with his bloodline rooted deep within the royal family.

Almost every mass of land on planet earth had been merged with technology. All but a few small scarcely populated islands and the large country of Kazun still remained connected to nature. The country harbored all and more of the technology of Vandaria, however; trees still lined the streets and sidewalks. People entered and exited brick and wooden homes. Earth's scarce population of wildlife flourished throughout the country of Kazun. No soldiers marched along the streets of Nakul, the capital province of Kazun. Only the carefree citizens, the war was one of the most distant things from their minds.

Peace and tranquility rained over the carefree citizens of Nakul. Only in the several military installations littered throughout the province did any presence of war exist. In these battle hardened facilities some over a millennium in age, Kazun's imperial soldiers were trained and proficient in their warrior tasks and drills. One installation stood out from the rest, for it was not only the nation's capital headquarters, but also the military capital of Kazun. Soldiers and civilians alike entered Drakoneasho and were reborn into the finest soldiers Kazun, if not the world had to offer. Kazunians were natural born warriors and it was once buried deep within their culture after their separation from Japan that a warrior who is trained to fight is not truly the one fighting. However, with the advancements in technology, training could not be avoided. Although it was true in most Kazunian minds that every human is born with his or her own unique combat style, no one believed that you could just pick up a beam rifle and be more proficient in its use than someone who has been instructed on how to use it. So several classes were incorporated into Kazun's system of combative knowledge. The highest of these classes, was the Techmage academy Essence, constructed into the left portion of the imperial castle. To its right was the direct combat training institution, Flow. This facility was not run by combative instructors in the normal sense, instead the veteran soldiers helped guide their students to learn their own natural styles. This method of training although subtle, still went against the original teachings of old Kazunian history, however, in order to survive the past leaders of the nation had to sacrifice the true harmony of discovering one's natural fighting instinct with the flow of time, and rush the process, only allowing portions of the student's true nature to be revealed to them.

Unlike several other countries around the world, Kazun's magic capital, military headquarters, and main training institutions were all apart of the imperial capital. Flow, for the fighting institution and, Essence for the magic installation. A nickname for the two had been created since no soldier graduated one academy without first completing the other. They were called The Flow of Essence in honor of the Kazunians' deep beliefs that no one can bring about their true magic essence without their body being able to flow with the currents of nature.

All Techmage briefings took place inside the palace briefing rooms however not all ordinary military briefings took place there. The imperial palace, christened, Draglumae by Kazukan, was the center of almost all of the major government transactions. The Flow of Essence usually held a meeting between the two facilities to further imbed the knowledge that magic and the body work as one. Without one, the other would eventually fall. It was this day, three weeks after the return of Koren Danton that two of the instructors at the Flow of Essence, each from a different facility, brought their classes together in the large bright green field in front of Draglumae. The field was rectangular, extending all the way from the stone sidewalk in front of the palace steps to the same sidewalk behind the palace gates. The instructors, Malek Garner and Talon Tensu stood side by side as their students stood in a square formation, the students of Flow to the left and the students of Essence to the right. There was a five foot gap between the two groups.

Malek unfolded his arms and the wind blew his dark green overcoat back as he took a few steps towards Talon's students who stood at ease directly in front of him. "Today you are my students." He could feel the questioning eyes of his own students as his statement hovered into their ears. He reached into his coat being careful not to ruffle the business dress shirt and tie he wore beneath it and pulled out a green orb of Materia. "This is what I usually teach, and today will be no different. You will all eventually have me as your primary instructor in following the tradition that you cannot fully graduate as a special operations soldier or a Techmage without completing both training courses."

Talon took a step closer to Malek's students, never removing his hands from inside the sleeves of his GI uniform. "We know you are wondering why we uphold this tradition even though you all were informed of it before volunteering to join either institution. More than that we know that at least sixty percent of you will fail one or both of these courses. Once you fail you may not come back."

"Excuse me, Sensei but from my impression of everything the Flow of Essence has to offer in my opinion it seems as if the empire is just training Techmages, as I'm sure you all know the once hidden Vandarian academy, Twilight Dragon trained…" One of the students spoke.

"Techmages. Attack, support, and summoning magic specialists. You learnt all of this from me, not just one area, which is why the majority of the failures will be from my branch of the institutions." Malek cut the student off.

"From me…" Talon added. "You will learn that magic may be powerful enough to destroy a building as grand as Draglumae with the flick of a wrist…however…" The combative instructor glanced at Malek.

The magic instructor already knew where his colleague was going with the current situation and followed suit by activating a firestorm spell from the Materia locked in the crystal bangle around his wrist. The students stumbled back as the spell scorched the sidewalk behind Malek then shot forward towards Talon, who only stood silent with his hands still in his GI sleeves. A second before the flames consumed Talon, the instructor vanished from the students' sight. The confused students glanced around the courtyard spotting nothing then suddenly, Talon's shadow appeared over the grassy fields pulling the cadets' gazes to the sky, where Talon soared through the air with blinding speed. Talon landed three feet away from Malek with his arm extended and his fist an inch away from the magic instructor's face. Talon opened his hand and smirked, patting Malek on the shoulder.

"This." Malek also smirked and turned to the two groups of astonished students. "Is what it means to let your body flow with nature."

"He…he…" One of the female students spoke meekly. "He didn't use any magic but…he was still so fast."

"I cannot teach you how to fight, that skill and knowledge is already within all of you. The only thing I can do for you is help you realize that your mind and body are linked in more ways than science can explain. If I were to stand in front of you and attack you, your mind would fill with millions of techniques you could use to counter. Techniques you never even knew existed. Techniques that may not yet exist. However, this link between mind and body are blocked on a subconscious level. You have to embrace what your instincts are telling you when you see an enemy's fist or bullet or even their spell. What you may perceive to be fear or shock is really your mind trying to control your body's reactions. I'm here to help you learn how to let go of the chaos that is the human mind and embrace what your spirit is trying to channel through you." Talon explained.

Several hands rose among the students but only one spoke. "Excuse me sir…our..spirits?"

Talon closed his eyes and held in a chuckle. "Believe what you will, but there is a force inside all of us that guides us. Learn to listen to it, learn to let go of your fear and your body will take action on its own at first. Then you will find that instead of your instincts controlling you, you will control your instincts."

"Our people have always believed in the power of KI, or Chi. Think of it that way and don't be bound by the reality that has been set through the advancement of technology." Malek added. "The body is a living organism…not a machine."

A loud clap echoed in the students' and instructors' ears. Another boomed over the silence followed by several more. "Bravo, instructors…bravo." A deep cynical voice flowed into the class's ears.

Both Malek and Talon held back their anger at the sight of their guest. "Koren…" They both said silently.

"Leviathan is safe within these very walls thanks to yours truly." Koren smiled maniacally.

"Leviathan?"

"Is it real?"

"I thought it was just a myth."

"Then what about Bahamut?"

"Have you heard about that ancient text? About the summoner and his merging with Bahamut?"

Malek glanced over the group of students as their whispers flowed into his ears. It's too damn hard, teaching a group of people how to channel life's powers when life has been distorted into confusion. "What do you want, Blasphemy?"

"Come now." Koren chuckled. "We don't have to use formalities such as squadron names or call signs."

"Who said anything about squad names…?" Malek whispered.

"My squad, Blasphemy had nothing to do with my recent victory." Koren walked past the group of students and two instructors towards the main entrance to Draglumae, his sadistic ego feeding off of the uncomfortable stares the cadets gave him. "Draglumae…the dragon's light…" Koren gazed back at the two silent teachers. "Personally I would prefer darkness…far more powerful."

"The emperor has changed…allowing abominations to mankind like that join the elite." Talon commented after Koren entered the palace.

"A lot has changed old friend." Malek agreed. "Too much has changed…"

Draglumae: Throne Room

The imperial throne room was vast in size but simple in décor. Six massive wooden cylinder pillars were constructed along the left and right sides of a long thick bright red carpet with golden edges that extended from the entrance to the five steps in front of the throne. Three thrones sat above the elevated floor at the back of the throne room, Guan Suenada sat casually in the center while his wife, Selanae Suenada sat to his left. The third throne on Guan's right, was reserved for his nephew, Yen Kang who was not present at the moment. Only four members of the royal guard, Guan's most loyal and trusted soldiers stood at attention, two on either side of the main entrance, one on the left of Yen's throne and one on the right of Selanae's throne.

"Do you think it is right…what Yen is doing?" Guan glanced over at his wife.

Selanae Sueanada, considered by many to be one of the most gorgeous women in all of Kazun turned her calm gaze to her husband. "I don't bind myself by the chains of the world's view of what is good and what is evil." She paused for a moment as she saw a slight shimmer of uncertainty in Guan's eyes. "But…he will be the ruler of Kazun someday. And even Kazukan himself destroyed nations in order to ensure we can live the way we want."

"Yes I know." Guan admitted. "But that was a long time ago, when change in the world was punished openly. But now we are fighting mysteries and rumors. I still cannot bring myself to believe that Japan would choose to reclaim our lands now after nearly two thousand years of peace."

"So you don't believe Yen's claim that Japan has convinced Vandaria to secretly form an alliance with them in exchange for the location of a rare summoning Materia cache?" Salanae wondered.

"It is not that I do not believe him. It is just…" Guan sighed. "Few nations have the minds of their leaders. Even fewer will blindly follow them to the door of war. This conflict will eventually spread around the globe and may leave a near desolate wasteland in its wake as it did so many millennia ago. The people of Japan do not share the mind of their president so if he is plotting to return Kazun to Japan, when his people realize the cause of this conflict…"

The two wooden main entrance doors to the throne room swung open, interrupting Guan and a palace guard stepped through then stopped three feet from the entrance and bowed on one knee. "Emperor."

Guan turned his eyes to the soldier. "What is it?"

"Sire, Chaos Blue wishes to speak with you!" The guard's voice was loud and strong.

"Send him away dear, I'm always uncomfortable when he is around." Selanae's warm expression reformed into a slight frown.

"He is a necessary evil, Selanae." Guan glanced at his wife then nodded to the guard. "Send him in."

Koren Danton stepped into the throne room with a proud and confident stride then stopped exactly one hundred paces from the throne and bowed slightly, remaining on his feet, with a taunting smirk on his face. "Emperor, so good to see you again."

"You were just in here yesterday." Selanae glared at the Techmage.

Koren's smirk widened into a sarcastic smile. "Lady Selanae, you're beauty still shines as bright as the great disconnection." He chuckled.

Guan smirked at Koren as his wife scoffed at the comment. "You may move closer, Koren. I do not trust you, but I know my good health is still in your best interests."

"Yes sire." Koren walked to within two feet of the steps in front of the throne, causing the guards posted their to tighten their hands on their spears. "I only came to inquire about when I would receive Leviathan. I realize the Materia cache near Marotherma was destroyed but when I activated Leviathan I discovered that it was not far from a duplication cycle." His smile widened. "Three or four more uses in combat and…"

Guan didn't bother raising his hand to silence his subordinate knowing that Koren was too proud a warrior to be silenced by any simple gesture. Instead he just spoke, cutting off the Techmages's sentence. "The Leviathan is a great asset to our efforts and will be needed on the front lines of the coming conflict. Therefore I am placing it in the capable hands of my nephew."

An infuriated bloodthirsty rage flashed behind Koren's eyes for a moment then vanished. "The Crescent Warriors! That squadron hasn't contributed nearly as many victories to Kazun as Blasphemy!" His smile shrank to a smirk as he regained control of his unstable emotions. "Why let him distribute the new Materia to his squadron when they are rarely active?"

"Because they will soon be active, Koren." Guan said calmly.

"But…" Koren began.

"Remember your place, Chaos Blue. We do not have to explain our decisions to you. You only need to abide by them." Selanae's voice was cold and resonated with the disgust she felt towards Chaos Blue.

Koren held in his anger then bowed and turned. "Abide I shall. Good day Emperor, lady Selanae." He walked out of the throne room.

Blasphemy Headquarters

A dark structure peeked out from nearly a kilometer behind Draglumae. Its body took on a round edged cube shape with a sharp inward curved spike on every top corner. A black and silver color scheme covered the entire building from the ground up. The front of the building above its shatter proof glass double door entrance the word Blasphemy was etched in bright silver across black steel plating.

"Do you believe in demons?" A soft voice flowed from the lips of a petite woman covered in dark black pants, black sneakers, a tight black t-shirt, and a black leather jacket.

"That's a strange question, considering many refer to us as demons." A man with short brown hair answered the woman.

The woman brushed her long black hair behind her shoulders with her black finger glove covered hands as she let out a depressing sigh. "That's what I mean…" She glanced at the man sitting across from her in a small lounging area inside of the Blasphemy squadron headquarters. "I mean if anything could be compared to a straight out demon born in the fires of hell it would obviously be Ifrit." Her green pupils scanned the room, centering on the television collecting dust at the far right end of the room. "An open declaration of war…"

The man scoffed at the replay of the Vandarian council's announcement. "You never stick with one subject for more than a minute, Val. I think you have A.D.D. or something."

The woman smiled then chuckled. "Don't get me wrong, Drake." She fondly ran her hand over the dagger tucked snuggly in its sheath strapped to her utility belt. "Every thought I have remains on the surface of my mind for quite some time. It's just I don't see the point in dwelling on things I'll probably never understand." Her gaze lowered to the silver tiled marble floor. "It's just…"

Drake remained silent, curious as to what his squad mate was thinking.

"Why?" Valery Fushidan asked no one in particular.

"Why what?" Drake Ternaka wondered.

"Why would god…an all powerful being who supposedly has nothing but love and tenderness towards all life create something that has a natural instinct to destroy." Valery spoke silently as her lost gaze centered on Drake's eyes. "Then give it intelligence?"

Before Drake could answer, Koren Danton entered the lounge with a displeased glint in his eyes and an expressionless face. "And then punish man for every sin he commits towards god's other creations and himself."

Valery smiled at Koren's arrival. "Why let us realize how fun killing can be just so we can be punished for it?" Her smile shrank to a smirk as her gaze returned to Drake. "I was just wondering why if there is a god, why he's such a pompous hypocritical prick that's all."

Loud laughter escaped Drake almost knocking him back out of his cushioned seat. "God damnit, Val I swear your sense of humor is gonna kill me long before any battle will."

"Burning in a lake of fire for all of eternity is a most unpleasant fate." Koren walked towards the lounge exit.

"Nah we won't have to worry about that. The magic in Materia is generated from the power of our ki spirits." Drake leaned back with a grin on his face. "So when my spirit goes to hell I'll just make sure to bring a few ice and water spells with me to stay cool and laugh at everyone who can't use powerful attack magic."

Koren allowed himself a chuckle as the automatic sliding doors to the lounge exit hissed open. "I'll make sure to bring a deck of cards along for the trip. Eternity can be a long time and watching people suffer in only one way can become boring after a few hundred years. Gather the rest of the squadron and meet me in the briefing room within the hour."

Blasphemy's briefing room was similar to that of Cel Solaria but on a much darker scale and only half its size. There were eleven seats for the members of the squadron and one lone podium for that of their commander. Behind Koren, a large screen displayed a digital image of Draglumae which confused a few of the members of Blasphemy. This confusion was born from the fact that the only images ever displayed on the briefing screen were that of the squadron's next objective.

"So the mutiny's come a little early huh?" Another one of the female members of Blasphemy, Narkito Nyosha chuckled with a few members of the squadron.

Koren silenced the laughter with a commanding glare.

Another member of the squad, Devlan Tsung let his shock be read on his face. "You're serious?"

"We have the power to destroy the planet within our guns and daggers, why not start with an empire?" Koren answered.

"Our empire. This is our home we don't have any reason to take it over." Glenn Fergone said shocked.

"Oh shut up." Valery snapped. "The boss is just pissed off because the emperor wont let him play with his Leviathan Materia."

"That's right." Koren nodded. He took a step to the side allowing his squadron a full view of the screen behind him. The image of Draglumae was replaced with that of the pages of an ancient book. Three dimensional renderings of the Earth during the medieval ages flashed across the screen one after the next. Images of dragons and other mythical beasts drawn onto the pages of several ancient texts held Blasphemy's attention for a handful of moments. "Leviathan…" Koren spoke as the images continued to flash onto the screen. "Is the first step into a world beyond what science has defined. World leaders no matter how in touch with their spiritual side…our benevolent emperor included…fear this fact. They feel comfortable in the confused limbo science has wrapped around us. More than that they know that if anything were to rupture the near unstable bubble we have all been forced into…." Koren let the rest of his sentence be read in his maniacal gaze.

Valery's lips formed a wide smile as she finally realized Koren's plan. "Chaos…"

The other members of Blasphemy Squadron began to smile as their leader's plan washed over their minds.

"With Leviathan I will take control of this empire…" Koren stepped back to the podium and faced his squadron. "And then annihilate scientists' dismissal of the spiritual world…and from this renewed knowledge the world will rip itself apart in confusion and fear."

"And we'll be there through it all to join in on the blood spilling and take control of the battered remains of humanity!" Drake added.

"Question." Trenton Danzen, a tall man wearing thin framed green glasses raised his hand. "How exactly are we supposed to get the Leviathan out of Yen's hands? I mean the Crescent Warriors haven't been active in a while but they're still…"

"A lost cause." Gregory Murdock said calmly. I mean there are only six of them and they haven't been in any real combat in almost three years."

"He's the emperor's nephew..." The final member of Blasphemy, Han Yune, said silently. "A descendant of Kazukan. Their bloodline has bathed in the purest form of self trained combat. Not one of them, including Yen have attended the Flow of Essence and are still able to defeat the institution's most renowned instructors."

"Your point?" Valery scoffed. "He may be tough but his squad isn't. They've lost twelve different members already and there has always been only six of them!"

"The odds are in our favor." Trenton agreed.

"Yen wants the throne..." Koren's cold voice silenced his squad members. "He invaded Vandaria seeking to obtain the locations of Leviathan and Bahamut. However things didn't go quite as planned."

"He should have taken, Zamen with him." Valery batted her eyelashes.

Koren chuckled at the comment. "The outcome would have been the same...no matter who was there. The only truth here is that I won Leviathan and I am the worthy wielder of the ancient dragons. Blasphemy will be the new world order."

Draglumae: Throne Room

"The Crescent Warriors are dead." Yen stood before his uncle.

Guan's shock could be read only in his eyes. "Dead?"

"Yes...yes...I killed them." Yen's face remained cold and unreadable.

Selanae gazed at her nephew with hurt and confusion in her eyes. "There was never any planned attack by the Vandarians...you only wanted Leviathan so you could..."

A crimson glow flashed from behind Yen's blue eyes, silencing his uncle's wife. Moments later another crimson glow emitted from the hilt of his katana. A blue aura engulfed him and a blue ring encircled him spreading out into the throne room. An ancient character spread out beneath his feet as the entire palace began to shake.

"Yen!" A familiar female voice shouted.

Yen Kang awoke from his daydream in the commander's seat of the Trojan Cloud, the Crescent Warrior's personal airship. The collar of his red leather jacket stood high and felt cold to the touch on his neck. His black t-shirt ruffled while he shifted in his seat. His black jeans ruffled as he stood up. His short black spiky hair remained stiff even as his right hand glided through it.

"What have I told you about calling me by my first name while on a mission?" Yen smirked at the woman sitting in the pilot's seat of the Trojan Cloud.

"It doesn't matter what you tell me." The woman smiled. "You know I'll never care."

"This is our first real mission in about two years anyway." The copilot added.

Yen leaned forward and kissed the Trojan Cloud's pilot, Rayne Sukio on the cheek. "Take us in fast, Rayne, this is Vandaria's most heavily defended Materia cache site. The Trojan will only be able to sustain..."

"I know, I know, I know." Rayne spat. "You really think we can find any evidence of him here?"

The Trojan's copilot, Denzy Runau glanced back at Yen. "Probably not."

Yen crossed his arms across his chest as the Vandarian military base Hidden Sun came into view after the clouds surrounding his ship parted. "They haven't learned that the power of Materia can be read instead of used. Although power is a universal constant sought by every intelligent being...ignorance of that power will always decide who is worthy enough to wield it."

"So what if we don't find anything down there?" A member of the Crescent Warriors asked as he walked through the sliding door entrance to the bridge of the Trojan Cloud.

A subtle darkness overshadowed Yen's smirk. "Then we'll rip this country apart at its core until we do. And if he's not here then we'll tear through every landmass on this planet until we find him."

Blasphemy Headquarters: Koren Danton's Private Chambers

A black aura, darker than that of Blasphemy headquarters itself emitted from Koren's private chambers inside the base. He sat alone at his desk with a clipboard sized net monitor held out in front of him. The monitor listed the names of the members of the Crescent Warriors and past combat data from those of the surviving veterans of the group. Only two names had data recorded from previous sorties.

Name: Yen Kang

Gender: Male

Birth: 3888

Techmage Rank: 1st Class

Standard Role: Attack

Flame Affinity: 2%

Lightning Affinity: 100%

Ice Affinity: 1%

Earth Affinity: 40%

Offensive Weapon: Katana

Defensive Weapon: None

Accessory: None

Materia: Lightning Level: Max Time Level: Max Restore Level: Max Heal Level: Max Barrier Level: Max

Summon Materia: None

Name: Huroto Jung

Gender: Male

Birth: 3887

Techmage Rank: 1st Class

Standard Role: Support

Flame Affinity: 10%

Lightning Affinity: 5%

Ice Affinity: 89%

Earth Affinity: 23%

Offensive Weapon: None

Defensive Weapon: None

Accessory: 2 Crystal Bangles

Materia: Heal Level: Max Restore Level: Max Time Level: Max Barrier Level: Max All Level: Max Earth Level: 2 Ice Level: Max

Summon Materia: None

"Soon." Koren ran his fingers across the names on the list.

Vandaria: Hidden Sun

The name Hidden Sun was not derived from the military base itself being hidden, but rather the uncanny stroke of luck that resulted in the finding of one of the largest Materia caches in recorded history. Twenty years ago during a small skirmish with Russian forces over trade rights to a smaller Materia cache a Vandarian soldier was wounded and fell beside a large stone plateau. He lost his grip on his rifle and the weapon bounced to the side of the plateau in the fading light as the sun had almost set. Since the sun was so low its light managed to shine through the sight scope of the rifle which intensified the light creating a small beam that shot through a thumb sized hole in the plateau. The once insignificant ray of light hit a massive four hundred ton formation of yellow Materia which in turn spread its light to the other colored rock formations which held the magical ore. This chain of events led to an explosion of light that blinded every foot soldier battling that day. With that new discovery of power Vandaria managed to solidify itself as one of the more powerful super powers of the world. In honor of how the cache was discovered, since the sun was half hidden behind the world as it set, a military installation christened Hidden Sun was built around the plateau.

The base itself was surrounded by a mile high adamantium wall that extended twelve miles to the left and right then surrounded the plateau creating a square wall. Atop the wall were an assortment of automated, remote, and human controlled defensive weapons including over one thousand anti-aircraft guns, eight hundred cannons, and five hundred mini guns. Behind the walls, a large community of soldiers and their families kept the base alive and running. Although Hidden Sun was considered a tour of duty since the harvesting of the immense formations of Materia required several radioactive powered machines which caused hundreds of animal mutations deep within the plateau caves, families were welcome and a few small towns were spread throughout the installation to accommodate for their needs.

Yen gazed out at the military base with a confident smirk covering his face. "Let's go dragon hunting."

The personal attack carrier for the Crescent Warriors took a similar form to that of a standard Kazunian warship. Although half the size of the large vessels it carried twice the ammunition payload. The craft ripped through the white clouds of the sky and fired a large compliment of missiles towards the front left center battery of anti-aircraft turrets along the defensive wall of Hidden Sun. The missiles smashed into the anti air craft guns one by one and a wall of fire rose up from the left of the center of the wall to the right.

"What the hell..." One of the drowsy gate guards leaned forward and glanced at his radar monitor. "Oh shit!" He grabbed his communications receiver. "Foxtrot x-ray this is gate guard! We got incoming!"

"No shit gate guard!" The soldier with the current call sign foxtrot x-ray shouted over the radio net.

Huroto Jung, Yen kang's trusted friend and second in command of the Crescent Warriors smirked as a Vandarian warship escorted by 28 F-25 Falcon fighter jets rose to meet the Kazunian warship. "So what do you think they'll do?" His eyes centered on Yen.

"They'll echo along the wind." Yen said silently. "It's strange how they are no longer living...yet...there they are...still moving...still breathing." His eyes widened and his gaze became distant. "It's amazing. Almost as if they were ghosts."

'"They're not ghosts I've seen ghosts and they're definitely not ghosts." Nazio Fuke, the Crescent Warrior's light weapons specialist commented after entering the cockpit.

Niko Hong, the heavy weapons specialist had entered behind Nazio and gave him a hard smack across the back of his head. "You've never seen any god damned ghosts! Stop being so literal."

"Ow!" Nazio yelped.

Hidden Sun's response was a little less than what Yen had expected or perhaps a little less than what he had hoped for. "Let's go people. We have a job to do."

Nazio, Niko, and Huroto launched from the Trojan Cloud aboard Lancers specially designed for land, air, and sea skirmishes. The battle armors took the colors of their home country with a basic camouflage scheme. Niko and Nazio were also the squads attack magic specialists and began casting two separate spells from inside their Lancer cockpits while Huroto casted a magic enhancement spell on both of them.

Nazio: Lightning Storm

Niko: Fire Storm

A blue aura surrounded Nazio's Lancer while a crimson aura surrounded Niko's. Moments later a swirling inferno of fire spouted from Niko's armor and an electrical whirlpool danced around Nazio's Lancer. The advancing f-25s broke off their assault in an attempt to evade the attacks but they were not the two Lancer pilots' intended targets yet. The magical attacks shot from the Lancers then smashed head on through the left and right sides of the nose of the defending Vandarian airship. An electric current danced around the airship while fire pillars spouted from several points along its body. Within seconds the airship began to fall from the sky towards Hidden Sun.

Inside the military base the civilians inhabiting the small town scattered in fear as the airship twice the size of the residential area of the compound fell towards them. The front end of the craft crashed seventy meters from the entrance to the Materia cache while the back end of the airship smashed into the town, instantly vaporizing half the city in a blazing inferno.

The three Lancer pilots from the Crescent Warriors began their aerial battle with the f-25s, making short work of over half the Vandarian squadron in only a matter of minutes. The Trojan Cloud set down near the burning civilian town and its large exit ramp extended down from the ship onto the steel ground beneath it. Yen Kang, Rayne Sukio, and Denzy Ranua slowly walked down the ramp. As they cleared the ramp several of the Trojan Cloud's automated defensive turrets pointed down, ready to fire on any non authorized passengers.

"That's it? Where's the ground welcoming committee?" Denzy wondered.

Several loud human shrieks followed by several bloodthirsty mutant roars echoed in the three Techmages' ears.

"Does that answer your question?" Rayne folded her arms.

"Yes it does." Denzy smirked.

Rayne scoffed then brushed several strands of her short black hair away from her neck with the backs of her hands. "Peon..."

"Hey what the hell did you just call me!" Denzy's brown eyes widened then sharpened into a glare that he directed towards his squad mate.

"I believe the word was peon. As in lackey." Yen said with a slight grin. "But enough idle talk. The Vandarians seem to have their hands full with the mutants born of the Materia cave which makes our job that much easier. Let's move."

Thousands of frightened civilians scattered across their ravaged town in a frantic attempt to escape the hundreds of mutant monsters spread throughout the city. The battered and confused soldiers tried their best to fight back the monster horde but they were swiftly overtaken by the combined strength of the beasts' might and magic. Hidden Sun became a shimmering display of magical attacks, laser fire, and explosions.

Yen, Rayne, and Denzy darted through the chaos towards the Materia caves and managed to reach the entrance without confrontation. However once they took a step towards the dark depths of the rock formations the roar of an ancient beast halted their advance.

"The hell was that?" Denzy took a step back.

"It doesn't matter what it is. It's dead if it messes with us." Rayne said confidently.

A bright orange light illuminated the cave. Seconds later a large flaming monster emerged from the light hovering above the ground. The beast took the shape of a fireball and orange flames burned around and throughout its body.

"Man...Vandaria's got some weird shit lurking around beneath the surface." Denzy drew his desert eagles.

"As do all of our countries, Denzy." Yen pulled his katana from its hilt and readied himself for an attack.

The flame beast roared again then flew towards Rayne who took on her own personalized fighting stance in response. She clenched her fists then leapt off of her left leg slamming her right foot into the monster's side. The beast shot towards the ground while Rayne's right boot along with the right leg of her piloting jumpsuit caught ablaze. Rayne landed on her left knee and quickly patted the fire out with her fire resistant gloves. The flame beast managed to pick itself up and returned to the air. Moments later an infuriated roar escaped the beast as its body grew double in size. The monster's body shook as it casted a fire spell on Yen. The Crescent Warrior commander charged through the flames then spun to the right cutting a deep gash in the flame beast causing it to screech in pain and increase in size once more.

"I don't like where this is going!" Denzy shouted.

"Shut up and fight!" Rayne snapped.

"Fine!" Denzy frowned then fired a barrage of laser bolts into the flame beast causing it to lose flight again.

The monster remained still on the ground for a handful of moments then began to shake violently. Suddenly the monster rose back into the air and screeched up at the sky as its body grew out of control.

Yen's eyes widened. "Get down!"

The three Techmages darted out in three different directions taking cover behind destroyed buildings and mining equipment. The flame beast's body imploded then exploded with a force equal to that of twelve standard grenades.

Yen, Rayne, and Denzy stepped out from behind their cover positions and regrouped in front of the cave. The three shared a brief glance before stepping into the now darkened entrance.

Blasphemy Headquarters: Squad Lounge

Valery, Trenton, and a few other members of Blasphemy squadron gazed up at the large view monitor on the back wall of the squad lounge.

"Help us! The council has to send help!" A female reporter in the midst of the chaos exploding throughout Hidden Sun screamed. "Kazun has launched an attack on Hidden Sun! The mutants that once lay dormant beneath the Materia cache that were thought to be near extinction have risen with a thirst for blood and revenge!" The woman turned at the sound of a loud snarl. "Oh my god..." She turned and a pack of Lupine filled her horrified vision. Blood and internal organs splattered into the camera lens as the Lupine mauled the unfortunate reporter. "No! Stop! Stop it! Someone help me!" Her cries warped into gurgled groans and the camera hit the ground in front of her ripped open body.

"Priceless." Valery grinned.

"You're enjoying this!" Trenton shouted.

"Aren't you?" Valery asked, genuinely confused.

"Blood and destruction can be fun" Trenton explained. "Especially when it's your enemies that are being mutilated." He folded his arms and frowned. "But not when our other enemies are about to gain the upper hand in the bid for power!"

"Hmm..." Valery smiled evilly and shuddered as she rubbed her arms with her hands. "I think this whole game is kinda sexy. All this violence is turning me on."

"This isn't a fucking game!" Trenton shouted.

"Oh...I wouldn't say that." Koren slowly stepped into the conversation. "If you think about the whole situation in current global events it all seems like a game some punk kid would dream up in his basement."

"The object of winning though...that's what lets us know it's real. We can't just look over a strategy guide to tell us our next move." Drake added.

"What do you got for us, boss?" Trenton glanced up at Koren.

"Our next move. Yen is chasing a lost cause in Vandaria. I have a better idea of where Bahamut is." Koren replied.