Ch. 6: Revelations & Reunion
Everyone else, except for Chrono, Amy, and Lindy, stared at Kaname first, and then the young woman in front of them and then back at Kaname. Nobody spoke a word for almost like…a couple of minutes before Kaname broke the silence.
"Is it really you?" asked Kaname.
"Yes…it's me," she replied.
A huge tidal wave of emotion suddenly washed over him as he almost felt glued to the spot and was almost at a loss for words. Without a second thought, he rushed up to his mother and embraced her.
"You've grown Kaname," she said. Looking up for a brief moment, she then saw the small group that gathered near him, their faces mixed with a feeling of confusion and surprise. Kaname then let go of his mother and tried to regain his composure.
"My name is Selendia," she said, introducing herself. "I was the former Queen of the Crescent Quartet."
"Queen?" wondered Nanoha.
"The Crescent Quartet?" wondered Philip.
"Those that were part of this family had a certain insignia on their right hand. Siblings would have a mirrored image of a particular insignia on their right hand," replied a familiar voice.
"I'd recognize that voice easily," said Kaname.
He turned to his left and then spotted a familiar hooded young man coming out from the shadows. It was the same person with long blonde hair, light green eyes, was wearing glasses, a green vest with faded gold lining at the edges, and a light brown cloak.
"Ah…Yunno Scrya, the archivist that I've heard about," acknowledged Philip.
"That would be me," he said.
"Capt. Lindy Harlaown, Chrono, and Amy have been taking care of me and Mr. Scrya while waiting on you guys," explained Selendia.
"What were those hooded shadow figures I fought earlier?" asked Kaname.
"They're known as Darkhearts…sort of like scouts for demons," answered Capt. Lindy.
"Are those Devourers a product of demonic influence somehow?" asked Philip.
"In a way…they sort of are," answered Chrono. "However…that should be the least of your problems," said Chrono, turning on several monitors.
What Kaname and the others saw caught them completely by surprise. Rows of capsules filled with people that had tubes attached to their bodies in some sort of preserving liquid.
"Who would do such an inhumane thing?" asked Subaru.
"According to our intelligence…several paladin captains have held a grudge against the Council and have secretly hunted down both sides to try and extract some tissue samples from them in hopes of creating some serum that would apply the abilities from either sides in hopes of creating super soldiers," explained Lindy.
"So someone has been making secret deals with both sides and they didn't even know about it," said Commander Jason.
"Any clues as to why someone would want to…experiment with forces that is beyond one's control?" inquired Kaname.
"One of you said it before during the escape…someone has a bone to pick with the old Council. A reason that either sounds personal…or egotistical," said Andrew.
"Why would someone want to do that?" asked Subaru.
"Like with any government…if the community/country doesn't like the way the government is being run and finds it oppressive and tyrannical…then they try and overthrow it," answered Kaname.
"However…if it's an organization that is slowly transitioning and getting new leadership…and then that suddenly gets dismantled…things will either go into chaos or confusion at that point," added Philip.
Seconds later, Kaname spotted something black in a capsule that was in between two other longer capsules.
"Philip…can you try and enhance that?" asked Kaname, pointing to what his eye caught on in the video.
Philip rewound the video footage to the spot Kaname had interest in, froze the frame, and then tried to enhance the image.
It took a minute or two to get the image clear enough to distinguish. Kaname turned to Yuuno and asked, "Would you consider that demonic in nature?"
"I can't tell exactly," he replied.
"Can you try and enhance it a bit further and zoom in?" asked Reo.
"I can give it a shot," said Philip.
Philip tried his best to enhance the image further which revealed the black spot to be a fragment of a black gem.
"A black fragment…what's it doing there?" wondered Subaru.
"That's not possible," said Yuuno.
"What is it?" asked Kaname.
"There's a book I have regarding artifacts of demonic nature. There's only one artifact I could think of that has something that thin and small," said the archivist.
"Which is…" asked Capt. Lindy.
"Drachenauge," replied Selendia. "It's German for 'Dragon's Eye'."
Yuuno picked up a battered old black book and began skimming through the pages till he eventually found what he was looking for.
"The Dragon's Eye is one of three pieces that gives proof of the Demon King. Whoever possesses the other two will be the new Dark Ruler," said Yuuno, reading from the text.
"What are the other two?" asked Subaru.
"The other two are the Crown of Darkness, and the Gauntlets of Necromancy."
"There's been something that has been on my mind for a while now that I think about it," said Kaname.
"What is it partner?" asked Philip.
"The Holy Order Council is supposed to act like a buffer of sorts with regards to the supernatural, correct? If that's the case…then what of the artifacts?"
"They're actually more afraid of them than most would even let on," said Selendia.
"What do you mean mother?" asked Kaname.
"There's more to the reason as to why they would fear whoever would possess those items," said Yuuno.
Kaname became silent for a moment before deciding to head out for a bit.
"Where are you heading?" asked Reo.
"Just out for a bit," he replied.
"You're going to see her aren't you?" guessed his mother.
"Who?" asked Subaru.
"Fate…Fate Testarossa," replied Selendia. "Some consider her a vampire…but…I know one when I see one."
"You're familiar with the name?" asked Capt. Lindy.
"I've come across her once…long ago, and yet she faintly shows a demonic presence," she replied.
"So…she was possibly made using demonic energy?" asked Chrono.
"That's what it appears to be," she replied.
By the time Kaname got set and opened the garage, he went back to the main room, up the stairs, and into the armory before coming out with two Beretta 93R, a samurai sword strapped to his left side, and several flashbangs around his belt.
"Does he always carry light weapons?" asked Selendia.
"Your son is more versatile when not having too much things to weigh him down," said Philip, manning the monitors.
"I won't be long," said Kaname, as he revved up his engines and rode out into the night.
He guessed that sooner or later it would be early morning and that the time was roughly around 10:00 p.m. It was not until he saw a shadowy figure move from rooftop to rooftop that Kaname realized either he was being followed or Fate sent someone else instead…presumably…her Familiar. After making a right on the next intersection, he made a stop at a nearby alleyway and waited, with his right hand holding the Beretta with caution. Scanning the area, he noted several trash bags and a couple of huge trash bins around, both on the right side before his eyes caught a chain-link fence ahead. Suddenly, his ears caught that familiar "whoosh" sound indicating someone was here and quickly turned around to see a familiar orange haired dog eared female, and raised it to see Arf.
"I had a feeling she'd send you," said Kaname.
"I had a feeling that you'd probably want to talk to her. She currently on an errand at the moment," said Arf.
"There's something I don't get though about her," said Kaname.
"What's that?" she wondered.
"Some say she's a vampire, but I know one when I see one. Yet…with her, I sense some sort of…dark presence that surrounds her, telling me that she's neither lycan nor vampire. What is she then?" asked Kaname.
"I'm afraid I don't have the answer to that question," she replied.
"I believe you know one that does. However…I think I've discovered something that could prove to be fatal to all of us. I need to see the one in charge of the vampiric archives," said Kaname.
"That's going to cost you then," said a familiar voice.
Kaname looked up to see Fate's mentor drop down from behind and walk toward them.
"What are you doing here?" he asked.
"Arf…leave us for a moment," said Vercossa.
"As you wish," she replied, and leapt towards the rooftops and out of sight.
Once Vercossa and Kaname were alone for sure, Kaname placed his drawn Beretta back into the strap that held it.
"What do you know of demons?" asked Kaname.
"Besides the fact that they have caused problems for us, not very much compared to paladins," said Vercossa.
"What if I told you that there was a set of artifacts that if found and performing the ritual…would allow one to control a legion of demons?" asked Kaname.
"I'm listening," she said.
"I think this so-called fight is just a cover up…not by vampires, lycans, or beastmen," said Kaname.
"You think it's one of your own," guessed Vercossa.
"Exactly," he said.
"So why come out this late at night to warn us?" asked Vercossa.
"It's because of Fate. I know she was sent to look in on a certain girl but something tells me that some events will unfold that might take this further than it should. I know the rules from centuries ago might still apply but I think they need to be modified," said Kaname.
"You ask for much…but I'm still curious…why would you turn your back on your own kind despite your nature?" asked Vercossa.
"I'll tell you in exchange for the information to the vampire archivist," said Kaname.
"Very well…the archivist's name is Armandis. He can be found near the station that is named after a certain famous samurai. That is all I know," said Vercossa.
Kaname stared long and hard, using his abilities and found that her aura indicated that she was acting calm, but something in the back of his head told him that he shouldn't lower his guard down so willingly.
"I keep myself on a low profile as much as I can, and only hunt outside the city, never fed on a human and I actually have some distrust in vampire politics despite knowing that they have been running political campaigns for centuries," said Kaname.
As Kaname left the alley, Vercossa then said, "You think that Fate might…fall for this girl do you?"
"It's a possibility that can or can't be overlooked," said Kaname, putting on his helmet. "Besides…I'm sure you already know the answer to your question."
By the time he sped off, Kaname kept a close eye on his side mirrors to try and catch anything out of the ordinary. It was not until he spotted something yellow heading in his direction that Kaname hit the brakes, swerved the bike sideways and took out the samurai sword and caught the projectile before slicing it in half.
"I should've known something was up," he muttered. Looking over in the distance, he saw a figure floating in the night sky. It was not until he saw what appeared to be an energy scythe blade coming at him that Kaname realized he had no choice but to use the sword to deflect the attack. Using the visor, DATS was able to analyze the figure in the sky…but what caught his surprise was that what he thought was Fate attacking him turned out not to be the case. Kaname decided to test it out by firing a few rounds, to which it went through the figure.
"A projection…but who could…" wondered Kaname. As he looked on again, the "apparition" had disappeared. Apparently, the controller of the projection also eventually saw Kaname through it and was wearing attire that resembled that of the medieval era as well as a hat with a feather and smirked. He had sent the projection from the rooftops and then decided to leave and let the events that were to come to take its course.
As Kaname was heading back, he used DATS to contact Philip and told him the information that Vercossa told him. However, the expression on his partner's face told Kaname that something was bothering him.
"What is it?" he asked.
"Why are you so willing to trust her even though we can't fully be sure whether or not she's a friend or foe?" asked Philip.
"Because of the way she seems to care for Fate's well being," answered Kaname.
"She's a vampire though," said Philip.
"Or that's what someone wants us to believe. There is only one method for it to occur. The whole biting on the neck thing and surviving the encounter is not true. However, if one is buried after being bitten and presumed to be dead and they crawl out of their grave…that is one method (1). The other method simply puts the other as a puppet by giving of the vampire's blood. They then become a food source but are still kept alive and become that vampire's slave (2)," explained Kaname.
"So…if she's not one of them…then how…" began Philip.
"I'm afraid I don't have the answer to that question either my friend," he said. "I need you to look up the name of a train station that is named after a famous samurai."
"It'll take a few minutes for the computer to narrow it down and then I'll send you the name. DATS should be able to find and lead you to it. Let's just hope this archivist is willing to cooperate," said Philip.
"Let's hope so…for both of our sakes," said Kaname, as he pulled up to a nearby gas station and began to refill his tank and then went inside for a quick snack and paid for a small bag of dried anchovies and the gas before heading back out and checking the status of his tank. Once it was filled, DATS began flashing to notify Kaname that an incoming call was waiting. He checked his visor and noticed Philip was waiting.
"What have you got for me Philip?" he asked.
"The name of the train station is called Musashi Station," answered his partner. "I've already sent DATS the information and the pathway to it as well as alternate routes."
"Very good Philip; tell the others that I'll be coming back a bit late and not to wait up for me," said Kaname.
"I'm not sure your mother would approve though," said Philip.
"She knows the reason why I'm doing this," he replied.
"She does?"
"We both share a telepathic connection," answered Kaname. "She is my mother after all."
"Alright…but don't blame me if your rear is the one on fire," he replied.
'Calculating time and route to Musashi Station,' chirped DATS, as Kaname started up the engine before taking a few pieces of the dried anchovies and popping them in his mouth. As DATS began tracing up the route to the train station, Kaname was already following the pathway dodging incoming cars that were in the lane he was in. If there was one thing that Kaname realized during the quick conversation between him and Fate's mentor was that they were not the enemy and that someone appeared to be pulling the strings behind the scenes.
He was pretty sure that Precia wasn't the cause but someone else that neither he nor his mother could detect. He noticed that up ahead was a small detour due to work on the street and so Kaname took a quick glance at his map and revved up the engines of his motorcycle and made a hard turn left half a mile from where the detour was located and entered several neighborhood districts several miles ahead until his eyes scanned and found the train tracks as well as the station with the image of a man holding the hilt of his sword.
'Now arriving at Musashi Station sir,' chirped the device.
As Kaname parked his motorcycle in between two old houses, he leapt to the train tracks which appeared to be empty before going around and using his eyes found a pathway which led him to an old run down cottage overlooking the area and he set down his helmet near the rocking chair near the door and knocked on the door. When nobody answered, Kaname slowly turned the knob and found that the door was unlocked.
"Hmm…that's strange…either someone has been here, it's abandoned, or…he probably knows he's expecting someone," he said to himself as he slowly entered the premises.
Looking around, Kaname noticed that the layout was pretty basic. On the right was a path that led to the kitchen, to his left was a cabinet, straight ahead was the living room, and as he entered, to his left was a guest room and to his right were a couple of bathrooms. However, right in front of Kaname appeared to be a secret door. As he pulled the door open and saw the flight of stairs descend down, Kaname took several quick glances to make sure that he wasn't going to get jumped before heading down. Below the house appeared to be a tunnel that led somewhere, and yet it was barely illuminated by several light bulbs about a mile apart from each other. Looking around carefully, Kaname then noticed that he appeared to be in a similar setting to that of an underground sewer. There appeared to be brick walls all around and as he went in further, he eventually came across a door and had his sword at the ready before opening it to reveal an individual wearing a white vest and a white jacket sitting cross legged with a cup of tea on his left. It was clear to Kaname that he was in some sort of tea room. The layout was even more basic compared to the house that he just entered a while ago. The floor was wooden, and to his right were a couple of wooden tables. The person appeared to have slightly shaven black hair and was wearing black glasses in which the frame looked wired and the lens itself was small.
"I know what you seek. You are looking for the archivist, are you not?" he asked.
"Yes…I am…and who might you be?" asked Kaname.
"My name is Cathos. I can take you to the archivist but first…I must apologize," he said.
"For what?" inquired Kaname.
"This," said Cathos, as he put his hands together as if saluting before a fight.
What happened next felt like it was going on for an hour despite how quick it ended. Cathos threw a quick jab at Kaname, to which he pulled back before deflecting it with his right arm and tried to land a left hook which hit nothing but air as Cathos dodged before trying to do a sweep kick. Kaname then leapt and spun in midair before using his right hand to catch himself and push upward to bring himself upright facing his adversary. Kaname answered his attack with a low punch which got knocked aside before Cathos tried to elbow him. Their fight continued as they stood on the two wooden tables. Kaname countered by using his left arm to push it aside before using his right hand to try and strike fast like a snake, which got blocked when Cathos used both hands to have Kaname lose coordination. Kaname then responded by a flying bicycle kick to which Cathos leapt back from as if he was gliding and then it reverted to answering roundhouse kick to roundhouse kick and then blocking the other's kick by answering with their own. Cathos then tried to throw a right hook to which Kaname barely dodged and threw a left jab which got parried as Cathos got close and tried to elbow Kaname again with his right until it got blocked by Kaname's left hand before he responded by landing a blow to Cathos' chest while throwing him back with the amount of force put into the jab. It was then that Cathos landed near the edge of the second table before he raised his right hand and said, "Stop…that's good enough." (3)
Kaname relaxed for a bit before asking, "What reason was there for doing that?"
"To see if you were worthy of meeting the archivist in order to get the answers that you seek," said Cathos.
"I suppose that one way of knowing someone is through their fighting skills," guessed Kaname
"Very good," he replied.
Cathos then moved aside a frame with a painting of what appeared to be an old fisherman fishing in front of a waterfall revealing a red button behind it. Pushing the switch, it revealed a hidden door that lifted from behind where Cathos had sat.
"Now come…the archivist is just up ahead," said Cathos, going ahead. Kaname then snapped out of his stunned reaction regarding this peculiar individual and followed.
As they went further inside the area, Kaname then saw what appeared to be something of a metal safe door that looked really old and had strange markings on it. As Cathos input the combination, Kaname couldn't help but ask, "I suppose you were able to read these markings during your travel as well?"
"That's right," he replied.
A loud hiss emitted from the door as it slowly separated revealing a curved stairway going down. As Kaname followed, his eyes eventually caught sight of several bookshelves, a couple of long wooden ladders and several tables.
As they got closer to the bottom, Kaname was barely able to make out a hooded figure that was standing in the middle of the tables and reading a few books at once and was a bit surprised at first but had a feeling that there was possibly more to this archivist than what he presumed. The hooded figure turned to the oncoming footsteps and Kaname was finally able to see what the archivist really looked like. He had long silver hair, an arrow shaped marking on both cheeks, light brown eyes, a black vest, a gray jacket, and long black slacks.
"You must be Armandis," said Kaname.
"I was told that I would eventually be expecting someone that was seeking answers to questions that most others wouldn't have understood. I didn't expect the prince of the Crimson Quartet to come and grace my archival library," he replied.
"You know who I am?" asked Kaname.
"Of course…a certain individual told me of you," replied Armandis.
"Do you happen to know someone by the name of Vercossa?" he asked.
"As a matter of fact…I do," replied the archivist. "We were once…close."
"How close?" inquired Kaname.
"Quite…in a manner…we were once…as you could possibly say…lovers," said Armandis. "Tell me…young prince, what reason have you come that your presence should grace my library?"
"I was told by another archivist that you have some information regarding certain…keys. These artifacts would grant the wielder to control a massive demonic army at whim," answered Kaname.
"Tell me young prince…have you heard of red fragments called the Crimson Fangs?" asked Armandis.
"I don't think I have," he replied.
"Then it appears we are to be here for a while. Cathos, would you be so kind as to prepare some tea for us?" requested Armandis.
"Of course sir," he replied, giving a graceful bow before heading back up.
Kaname looked carefully at the archivist before he spotted a slight hint of red and then looked carefully at Armandis.
"It appears to me that there is more to you than what has been revealed already, Armandis," said Kaname.
"So it would be the same with you…hybrid," said the archivist.
Kaname then stared long and hard at Armandis for a brief moment and said, "How do you…"
"We archivists not only keep record of major events through history, but also of families as well…such as your family, dear prince," said Armandis. "So…shall we begin?"
Sorry for the long delay ladies and gentlemen. Lately I've been busy with schoolwork and trying to catch up with some of my studies. I'll try and continue as much as I can do, since I've slowly started to regain my rhythm a bit as well as momentum. The next couple of chapters will not only cover a bit more detail regarding Fate's mentor, but also the connection between the artifacts that were mentioned earlier and a bit more background regarding how Fate became the result of a desperate attempt at trying to be like the deceased daughter of Precia and how she was willing to use any means to try and bring her back…hence striking a deal with a crafty demon and gaining access to dark magic which will allow her to work on her "project".
Author's Notes:
(2): These small bits were inspired from the book series The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare.
(3) (4): The fight sequence and a couple of those quotes were straight from The Matrix Reloaded in which Neo fights Seraph before being told about the Oracle's whereabouts.