Disclaimer: I own nothing of Code Geass, nor of Guilty Gear, nor to a lesser extent, BlazBlue and Rewrite. I do own this story, and all the inspirations along with it. And of course, the brain where the ideas came from.
"Full-blade scheme, lychan sever the blade of the dawning moon... Hear oh lordly virtue the vice is ravaged... Hmm, I can't make sense of the rest..." Zero trailed off, his head turned this way and that as he looked up at the ceiling.
"What're you doing, Zero?" Kallen asked for the rest of the group as they trailed behind the Command Gear. They were all trudging through hot, dark tunnels teeming with monsters and radiation on their way to the rendezvous for their first time meeting with Gaia. Save for Zero, they were all dressed in masks and a black uniform the Command Gear had procured for them. Zero – was Zero.
When asked, he had replied, "During the meeting, you should not, until survival is the last option, transform into your Gear form. You are yet ready. I, on the other hand, have an image to preserve. The first thing Gaia sees must be Zero." The same advice he'd given her a while back. Well, it wasn't like she could complain, it infuriated her to still have the lack of control Tamaki kept ribbing her over.
It had been Ohgi who had led the group first, through the seedier parts of the Federation district and then on to a dummy Gaia outpost who only had one inhabitant: an ill-smelling hobo who had thumbed the back room where there was a trapdoor leading down towards the unused tunnels. It was there that Alan Spacer- no she couldn't keep calling him that in her mind now could she- Zero had transformed into his full form.
There were still Guardians who patrolled these places, Ohgi had said, but if Gaia said to go use the tunnel to meet, then that meant no Order Knight would be there courtesy of the organization. And besides, he continued, logically, the Order would be reluctant to send Knights down to patrol the tunnels they couldn't monitor: the seithr was almost nonexistent, only a few molecules managing to be transported through the air when they were rampantly consumed above the surface. There was the chance of a lie, and a subsequent trap, but all of them, even Kallen, felt assured that the beacon of power that was the Command Gear had at least thought of that possibility.
It was when they'd gotten past the old subway stations and into long-forgotten tunnels dug into bedrock itself that Zero had gone on ahead, looking up at the strange markings that had been carved by hand and by ars on the walls around them. He had then begun muttering.
"I am reading, young flame. Don't all of you recognize them? It's Gear script." Surprised, they looked up, but Kallen couldn't decipher the weird symbols at all. They seemed familiar, her mind acknowledging that it was something she was able to read, only that she couldn't identify how it all conveyed meaning.
"Ah, it's probably that." Zero said, voice rising as if realizing something. "You aren't in your Gear forms. Perhaps that is the reason." He looked back up.
"What does it say?" asked Tamaki in what Kallen thought was excitement. The guy was literally a fawning idiot when it came to Zero.
"It's gibberish. I'd wager they were written by berserk Gears that had somehow escaped into the tunnels. You can see the desperate handiwork, as they carved it blindly on the cavern wall... One can almost imagine the trudge: wounded, bleeding, the darkness engulfing you with every step, and the sounds of your intruders – or worse things- behind you. Sometimes they write, as these attest to." Kallen shivered, thanking the lantern that Ohgi held which guided them through the dark passages. She'd been told what it was like below the surface, and knew that few skittering things could stand up to a Gear, but for now she was a human, and the unsettling feelings threatened to upset her thoughts.
But Zero didn't seem to mind, floating along on the inky darkness. His feet didn't seem to touch the ground as he went along, murmuring to himself while reading the last words of many a Gear that had gone through before them out loud.
"Maybe," Ohgi said out loud. "Maybe Gaia was able to get a hold of some of the Gears who made it all the way here. It means there's more unreported Gear outbreaks than the media reports."
"That would not be out of the realm of possibility," Zero replied, preoccupied.
"Is that how you met them, Ohgi-san?" asked Kallen. The man gave her a quick smile but didn't answer.
"I see something!" shouted Tamaki. She so wanted to kick the loudmouth in the shin, were it not for Zero holding up a hand to call the party to a halt.
"Tamaki is right. I sense heavy ars concentration up ahead. This must be the start of Gaia's presence in these passages. Are you all ready?" he asked the group. He didn't have to keep asking that almost every time before we do something...
"Good. Then we go. Remember to keep yourselves tame until the situation arises. We are guests, but in an unknown parlor and an even more unknown host, we must remain vigilant."
Closing the distance, Kallen only saw before them an obstruction, a dead end of rocks. She raised an eyebrow, blinking. "An visual illusion. Though rather obvious to the trained eye; I wonder what happens if a Knight manages to get here." The Gear sank his clawed hand into the rock and she watched as the rock gave way like hot bread.
The group followed their leader through the barrier. It felt like a warm curtain of water on her body, and Kallen had a disconcerting moment as the blood rushed to her head. "Wha-?" She stared at the door that appeared before them all.
"A type of sensory reversal array. To trick any intruders." Zero laid a hand on her shoulder and she shuddered as the sensation returned. "The effect would have you immediately exit the way you just came, thinking that was the door."
"But why would they have to have these safeguards up?" Zero turned his head to Ohgi, who had a difficult expression on his face.
"As I thought. You have never been to a Gaia base, have you, Kaname?" asked the Gear as he administered the dispelling ars on the others. "I'd say this is all part of their means as a secret organization. I am an unknown, after all." As if Gaia were confirming, a small door shimmered to existence behind them, and then the group parted as Zero walked up to it.
There was a shudder from the ground below, and Kallen saw everyone's amazed faces as the door disappeared and plain grey wall appeared on the opposite. "We are moving," Zero said. "Moving up at an angle of twenty degrees." She could feel the sensation of being on an elevator, and she realized they must have all been standing on it.
And there was something else. A something around her was strange... something dry and intangible that hung in the air. It was a feeling Kallen couldn't place.
"Zero...there's something-"
"Yes. It is good that you notice it too, Kallen." His face turned to her. "There is hardly any seithr here."
After what seemed like an hour (or two), the trembling stopped. The grey wall opened downward with a prolonged groan, with several layers of panels behind it receding left and right into an open space.
As ever, Zero went in first. The overhead lights activated, shining a hazy glow on the dim room. A number twenty-five was painted on the wall opposite. Above was a long, copper plaque upon which was written "Do not hesitate to eat the fruit of knowledge" Arrayed around the room – were Knightmares.
"A trap?" Someone said, tensing. Zero nonchalantly walked on through, beckoning for them to follow. Kallen kept her eyes on the weirdly modeled Knightmares, some ten in number as they were stood around the left and right walls.
"Aren't those Burais?"
"I haven't seen one in a long time..."
Zero meanwhile, seemed to be scrutinizing the Knightmares. Then he said aloud with confidence, "They're unmanned. They're guards – the first line of defense in this area."
"Are they summons, Zero?" asked Ohgi.
"...No, it doesn't seem so. And they're not alchemical constructs either. They seem to be fueled by a unifying animation array. It should be found...ah, there it is. You probably can't see it. Looks rudimentary." Zero pointed to a spot on the wall near the number.
"You sure know a lot about the way things work, Zero," said Tamaki. "Are you sure you didn't scout out this place before?"
"I apologize if it may seem that way, but I'm merely pointing out things that are obvious to my eyes. I don't really want to feel like a tour guide, but with the lack of a living representative, this shall have to do." Zero started moving towards the far door. Kallen and the rest followed, some of them watching the silent, unmoving Frames with trepidation.
"You hardly ever see a Burai nowadays," Ohgi said wistfully. "The last line they ever made were the SPs, and even those were said to be slower than the earlier Glasgows. It's a good thing Emperor Charles came into power when he did." Filing away the irrelevant piece of Knightmare information aside, Kallen passed through another field that made her shiver, and into a long, stretching corridor with green walls and a red ceiling. It was wide enough to hold ten people abreast. When the last of the group entered, the door melted away to reveal hard, packed earth.
Next came a low, growling sound, and from out of hidden panels along the walls slouched wolves with black fur and glowing yellow eyes.
"What the-"
"Constructs this time. Perhaps they will be our guides?" Zero walked up fearlessly to the number of wolves that stared at him. For herself, Kallen wasn't scared to go tango with a bunch of mutts, but since they weren't attacking...
)()()()()()()()(
"They're harmless, at least for now," he said, eyeing the wolves curiously. He waved for the rest to follow as he moved on. They were constructs, he saw that clearly, but something about them felt off. They felt...wrong, much like how Gears felt to him before he'd awakened. It was like these things were familiars, but he could not spot their master's mark, which would have appeared on their bodies like that cat's a few days back.
Eventually, the corridor reached an intersection. While he looked around, one of the wolves loped off into one branch and turned to look at him.
"That way? Good boy." Somebody chuckled behind him as he followed the wolf.
Suddenly, the panel clanged shut behind him. Lelouch quickly twisted his body to see that he had been sealed off from the group. Straining his senses, he heard sounds of a struggle behind the barrier.
"Hmph. Predictable." C.C had warned about this possibility happening, though to Lelouch it was a base thing, unlikely for them to do. Well, they were Gaia after all. The wolf was growling behind him, possibly to urge him to go forward to whatever trap they had prepared.
Strands of shadow embedded themselves into its hide, and the wolf uttered a low, pained yelp as it disintegrated into its base components. Lelouch scrutinized the red material, his mind coming up with a few dozen conclusions. "Summoning using blood as a catalyst? Or as a base... Perhaps a construct using intricate infusions of one's life-force, but it doesn't explain the blood..." The excited mental exercise was put aside when he heard the sounds beyond the wall disappear.
He hoped Kallen and the rest wouldn't do anything stupid. Shrugging his vast, folded wings, he continued down the corridor. The wolf's blood-red stain seemed to evaporate from the floor, and when Lelouch chanced a look, it had disappeared entirely.
)()()()()()()()(
"Whew. Who'da thought the Harbinger of Chaos would feel so heavy!" commented a mage. "I almost felt like I was gonna lose my lunch!"
Kallen and the rest had been subdued, their bodies bound by some unbreakable cloth, their eyes and mouth covered. There had been a slight scuffle in which Tamaki had punched one of the mages that had literally winked into existence as if they had always been standing there in the corridor. That was the last thing Kallen saw. They were now being carried through the air by some form of ars, helpless to do anything other than breathe and listen.
"Cut the chatter, just do your job. We do not need to trouble Her Exalted One long with this rabble. Once Zero is safely in our hands, then we can relax."
She so wanted to test the limits of the things they'd bound on her body by transforming, but Zero had cautioned them beforehand. Not until they were in danger. And it seemed they weren't in danger – yet.
What did Gaia plan with Zero? Could they have something to control the seemingly overconfident Gear? If they had, then they were all screwed. Disregarding their leader, all of them were now free to be distributed to whichever mage wanted their bodies for study.
She wouldn't see her mother, or the others again.
Please be alright, Zero... or I'm gonna kick your ass from beyond the Other Side!
There was the sound of more panels opening, which preluded a sudden buzz of many people talking. Some hissed in whispers, some whistled, cried, shouted. They all probably thought this was a show. She thought Gaia was composed of amoral mages, not chattering gossips.
Then there were more panels, and their captors began talking in a language she did not recognize. And then after more doors sliding open and close, the noise was instantly killed off, leaving the group in a long, ringing silence.
"Her Exalted One, the Holy Woman of the Far East, will speak!" said a voice, announcing it in a way which reminded her of Rivalz proclaiming another one of the Prez' plans. "The records speak true: 'The future of the world rests on the backs of the wise.'" She listened to the sound of many fires burning, music to her ears, and a steady beat of a percussion. A bell rang somewhere, low and incessant. The two latter sounds ended after a while, and then all that was left was an uneasy silence. Unable to talk or see, Kallen fumed in the dark, unable to get the lingering incense in the air from entering her throat.
A soft, gentle voice began to speak. It was achingly sweet to the near-point of simpering, it was reserved like the stillness of a lake in winter. "Welcome, dear guests – the companions of Lord Zero, the Harbinger of the Future. You have had a long journey, and it is my deepest pleasure of welcoming you to our humble quarters. Please make yourselves comfortable."
That was a fine way of saying things... "comfortable" indeed. We're not your guests, we're prisoners! Goddamn sugarcoating roobs.
"Lord Zero seems to have had a slight delay... Servants?"
"The Lord Zero will be here shortly, Exalted One. Your servants are...entertaining him in the receiving hall."
"I cannot wait," the voice seemed to say in repressed excitement. "Come come, don't be shy, honored guests! Tell us of Lord Zero. His is an existence that is a great blessing to the world. The old ones speak of him as an agent of the future. He shall lead Gaia and the world into a state of rebirth and prosperity!"
"Exalted One!" came a fervent cheer. It was followed by many other bleating voices. "The world! And ourselves!"
Whackos. Maniacs. At least Zero's ramblings made sense, even if they were a tad conceited in tone.
"And I shall be his most loyal servant. No, a maid maybe? Ooh, his personal toy!" And he wasn't the least bit flaky like this roob. "It would be presumptuous of me to be his wife, for he deserves the best in mating partners... like that Gear over there? Or that one? Oh, if only I was a Gear!" Yep. The whole one-sided conversation was surreal. If it weren't for the heavy situation they were in, she would've pointed a finger and laughed. Wait, had she meant her? Mating partner? Sorry Zero, it looks like I'm gonna have to rough up this kid. The dangerous candle of thought winked out when the next voice came.
"Your Exalted One, it seems Zero is on his way." The other voice sounded smug. Oh no. It felt as if the world had been tugged out from under her. She was sure the others felt it too. It can't be! Zero shouldn't have been subdued so easily like that! In the moments when her face betrayed her fearful emotion, she seemed to have forgotten breathing.
"Zero is being conveyed here as we speak."
)()()()()()()()(
He'd barely stepped into the room when the door slammed shut behind him, leaving him trapped in total darkness. A human might have shivered at the sudden darkness, or had taken a courageous stance. Lelouch merely looked, glimpsing the shapes of a dozen mages and a hundred different ars and arrays scattered in the small room.
"So you're the welcoming committee." He quickly cast his senses about, looking for the telltale array that promised instant unconsciousness or sleep. He then looked beyond the ars, for any poisons or gas that could conceivably have been set-up by Gaia. He recalled Ohgi's assertion that the International Guild of Assassins was somehow affiliated with the secret organization.
When he found nothing, he breathed a little easier. He didn't stop discerning for dangerous Ars Magus just in case. "Just you lot? No raging golem, packs of dire wolves or a swarm of ravenous, flesh-eating insects?"
"That would be rude, for you are Gaia's honored guest. Do not mind these obstructions. We would just like for you to come in peace, Zero. 'Tis but a precaution," said one of the mages politely. "We will not not harm your companions – or you - if you will cooperate. Just step into that circle."
He moved; but stopped just shy of the wide binding circle they had set up on the floor. (with another backup placed on the ceiling) He was able to see each of them clearly, faces masked and cowled, hovering between fear and exhilaration. Lelouch could almost taste it in the air, which appealed to his baser instincts as a Gear. It made him giddy, as if he'd downed a shot of highly intoxicating liquor.
"And what will you do with all of us?" he asked, feeling no true curiosity.
"This and that..." another said. His voice sounded amused, excited? "But first we have to present you to the Holy Woman."
"And who is this Holy Woman?"
"You'll be learning that very soon, Zero. Right after you take one more step."
Lelouch paused as if he was seriously considering it. The more vocal arrays hummed like buzzflies. He had a grudging admiration for Gaia's handiwork – all of the arrays were hidden from the naked eye, having been stripped of visual properties. It was a technique he had yet to completely master. There were glyphs placed all over that even he couldn't identify, something that excited his expansive mind.
Oh so many things to learn...
Below the dusky indigo circle which made up a major portion of his face, there was a gold-colored slit, a marking in the shape of a bird taking flight in the horizon. Even he didn't know, or could guess at what that particular ornament was for, until that very moment.
There was a faint sound, like old, worn paper being torn in half, and the slit opened to reveal black, serrated protrusions like savage stalactites and stalagmites inside a cave.
"Certainly, I shall take that step."
)()()()()()()()(
Kallen heard a door slide open, a voice announcing: "Behold. Lord Zero comes: harbinger of the world's future! Holy Maiden, we present him to you!"
She strained to hear, to see. She desired to know what the hell was going on that she couldn't see behind the blindfold. She was sure the others felt the same. How could a Gear as formidable as Zero have fallen under the influence of mere roobs? What was going to happen to them now?
"Present him before the Exalted One." There was the sound of many steps, and from her position on the floor, each of their vibrations seemed to her a sinister countdown. Damnit Lamperouge, you have got to have a card left up your sleeve...
"The most sincerest welcome to you, Lord Zero! Welcome to Gaia, we who safeguard the world's secrets, that the world may prosper in eternity! We and your companions have been waiting eagerly for you arrival... Please, make yourself at home. This place is a sanctuary for you and your people, far away from vindictive, unforgiving eyes.
"Oh, why is he silent?" He probably had a lot of spells bound on him, just like them. Well, he was dangerous – was – since he'd let himself be captured like this.
"I believe he is enthralled with your presence, Exalted One. Please go on, he seems eager to hear what your holiness will say."
"If it is alright with you, Lord Zero... We, the earth's guardians, will promise your people freedom and equality within our ranks, and we give you leave to pursue your own affairs when and how you see fit. In exchange, you must lead us to the prosperous future that the texts have promised you would do. Together, we can remake this world – rewrite it for a better tomorrow!"
She felt a burst of magic, followed by a roar; Tamaki had gotten first before her in transforming in outrage. Orders were shouted and there were many frantic yells while she felt the others transform. Kallen did her own part, encasing her body in a sheath of flame and letting her whole self fall into the deep, secret pool of her legacy. Just enough to let me free, then I go back, she mentally told herself, apologizing to the Zero in her mind. Just for a little while...
Seemingly oblivious, the Holy Woman said, "Oh, it seems your companions are very eager, Lord Zero. ... Why is he still silent?" Kallen was lost in a dread haze when she finally saw the torch-lit room and the many distorted shapes around her. Stop, stop, stop- The power seemed too much, was always too much, had been since Zero had begun teaching them, the desire to kill, maim, destroy was too, too much. She reached her hands out, monstrous and red to unleash destruction, when a hand steadied her.
"Ohgi-" the boulder-faced Gear shook a head, saying something she couldn't quite understand, as if he was shouting from the other end of a tunnel. Why would he stop her? I can't move- This was all wrong, Zero was captured, a worst case scenario if ever there was one, she wanted to say, but the words wouldn't come to her lips-
"At ease, my young, loyal flame." And then it all ended, as if cold water had been splashed onto her face. She blinked many times, feeling the loosening strands of her Gearhood dissipate from her body as she turned to face the Command Gear, Zero.
Hold on, if he was behind him, then who was-
"What is the meaning of this servants? You would dare place a fake, inglorious body before me? This is an outrage!" Oh boy, the flaky lady was pissed. The other Gears in the group had reverted just as her, while the other people of Gaia, who were cowering and swearing and pointing fingers at the real deal stepped back.
"Quite a dishonorable attempt at deception. I expected more from Gaia, most exalted Holy Woman," Zero said smoothly. Kallen saw the group of mages that had brought the "Zero", which she saw was actually an ars-bound man in a black hood.
"Assuredly, Lord Zero," breathed the Holy Woman, flustered, "I did not order this wretched action...Servants!" she demanded indignantly. "How dare you shame me in front of Lord Zero? How dare you-"
"Oh shut up, bitch. Mages, assume the formation of the Lion! Contain Zero at all costs, now!" Oh, they were in for it now. The head roob who'd spoken strode up, hands weaving an ars while the rest started chanting behind him. Warping into existence near them were many shapes, some growling in the language of beasts – wolves, carrion, giant snakes. Behind the curtains hiding her, the Holy Woman spluttered in even more indignation. She would be pissed too, if her so-called "servants" called her a bitch and ignored her orders so suddenly like this.
"The Holy Women of Gaia," continued Zero, as if reciting a lecture to a group of truant schoolchildren. Kallen saw a datapad in his hands. "Chief symbol and representative of the organization's spiritual foundations. It is a tradition that was adopted from the archaic fertility and other matriarchal cults whose head was a sanctified, sometimes virgin woman. The current role of the Holy Women is to keep the ideals of Gaia alive," he tossed the pad aside, "Even if the rest no longer abide by its original tenets."
"Attack!" Bullets, magical and non-magical, sped upon Zero. For a moment, she believe that it was still an illusion, that it would rain harmlessly around him. But then the Gear had waved a hand, and the bullets impacted on midair, as if an invisible barrier had appeared. "Dispel that! Cast the magics now!" Use ars? She just now noticed – here, there was yet no ars as the places where they'd been. The animalistic constructs lunged into battle as one, converging on Zero.
"Much as I am fascinated by the unique form of 'alchemy' that your mages possess, I do have more important things to attend to. Especially with you, Holy Woman." Another gesture, and suddenly alarms blared out all around the room, followed by the distant sound of explosions below and behind them.
The mages stumbled, as a side-door opened, dislodging a panting woman, "Explosion in the lower levels! Exalted One, everyone... seithr- seithr's flooded the areas-!"
"Seithr bombs...? Zero, you monster!"
"You do not deserve to call me a monster. I tire of this." Kallen found herself bracing, as she saw the others did too. A vortex of invisible power had erupted from Zero, stirring up fierce winds in the bare room and making the entire room shake. The darkness in the room pooled and seemed to come alive, extinguishing the few torches that burned and discharging from within its depths many thin tendrils and tentacles as thick as a man's leg. Each found some purchase in the Gaia mages' bodies, immobilizing them and stifling their cries. Some lanced into the sides of the beasts with such force that they disintegrated. The walls and ceilings cracked and were threatening to cave from the pressure. Kallen and the rest stood in the midst of it all, unharmed.This was Zero's raw power.
The Command Gear strode out fully, pushing aside the fake "Zero" he had obviously set up since the beginning, and Kallen was shocked to see a hint of blood on the underside of his wings in the instant that he shifted them. Had he been injured?
"I have need of you, Holy Woman. You are one of the world's more useful allies. However-"
The storm intensified, and with an explosion of dust and concrete, the room fell apart, to which Kallen instantly threw out a hand to shield herself from stray debris. All around her, the bare, seithr-filled air whipped around and it was like she'd emerged back from the tunnels to return to the Sacred Preserve. She looked around, amazed to see that they seemed to have been on top of a building of sorts all along. Beyond the writhing mass of darkness that held the Gaia mages bound, there was a view of many other buildings set into the side of a mountain, the rest of the mountain itself separated by a dome like the Preserve's.
"L-Lord Zero..." Kallen looked back and received an even greater shock. The so-called Holy Woman looked like a kid! A mere brat, whose skin as pale white as the moon, hair long and dark as deepest night, wearing ceremonial attire and a childish face. Oh, she looked scared. Take that you roob. Zero went up the steps, his rune ring resplendent and his wings spread as if he was taking flight. "What is the meaning of..."
"I do not seek to protect the world. Would you defend a friend who has done wrong? No, you will try to change him, to encourage him to pick up better ways. For good or ill, you will stand by him, but to be a good friend, one must be firm in letting them know that they are wrong.
"So it is with me and the world. The world that is full of lies, deceit, of many untold and silent suffering, where my people, and even some of yours languish in a life that is more unlife – it must be destroyed! And in its place I shall forge a new world, a world of the future, where man and Gear understand each other – a kinder and more gentle world!"
The great pressure ceased, but the darkness remained. The simulated sunlight above seemed unable to cast light into the mass that restrained the mages. The tension in the air was palpable.
Zero had spoken in fierce, forceful bursts. Now he spoke gently, as if apologizing for a misdeed. "If you agree to join hands, Holy Woman, then together we shall paint that picture of a better world. A world where even you – in your capacity as a symbol – are unfettered from the bonds of your self-imposed illusions. What say you, Sumeragi Kaguya: Holy Woman?"
Kallen saw the kid look fearfully at the proferred hand, all dignity and grace gone. Instead there kneeled a girl who stared uncertainly at the future that lay promised in the black palm.
Ah, she's breaking down, the redhead thought, a roob can't handle Zero – or maybe any Gear - like this, they're all human, after all- But she was instead surprised to see the girl nod and daintily put her trembling hand on his. She didn't know what Zero felt, as he said nor implied nothing while he helped the awe-struck to her feet. She stumbled, as if she'd just remembered how to stand. Then he turned slightly to glance at the group, as if signalling that everything was cleared.
Really? In just one night, Zero had trampled on the hierarchy of Gaia just like that?
"You are a great being, Lord Zero - truly. Sent by the world itself. Only fools would not follow your grand vision. But if I may request...?"
"Certainly." And his power receded from the mages, dropping them on the ground in ungainly heaps.
"No, I didn't mean that. You can do with them as you will – most of these miscreants have failed in the service to their Exalted One – and if you won't I will order a great Culling anyway. What I meant was-" And here the girl shyly pointed at Zero's wing. Kallen raised an eyebrow as the Gear understood and plucked a feather from it and gave it to the Holy Woman, which she received with fanatical reverence.
"Thank you, Lord Zero! Thank you very, very much!" Hey, I got his feather too, but do I look like I just won the lottery?
Zero turned and seemed to float like a wraith back towards them. Kallen decided she didn't like the glint in that kid's eye as she gazed at Zero's back.
"The conditions are cleared, everyone. We will move to the next phase." Tamaki and the rest nodded, stepping over the rubble to the only exit to the floor down. Some more Gaia members had emerged from the broken corridor, but went past them to begin restraining the mages who had been in the room.
"Where are we?" Kallen muttered at last, glancing at the bird's eye view of the city below.
"Narita, if I'm not mistaken. It's one of Area Eleven's satellite colonies. I read that the sword-saint Tohdoh was instrumental in establishing it. We have come a long way – it is not farfetched to assume there was a sense-altering ars during that elevator ride." Zero stepped past her now, probably intent on retreating and disappearing as quickly as possible. The Order would not have missed the outright power that the Gear had thrown around, and if they knew it was Zero, would soon be converging on this very building as they escaped. "I bid you goodbye for now, oh exalted Holy Woman. We shall meet again." The Holy Woman seemed to have been struck speechless while some fresh attendants flocked worriedly around their worn-looking leader.
"Zero," Kallen asked again in an undertone when they had left the damaged chamber. "You seem injured. Is everything...?"
"A miscalculation," Zero said in an equal undertone. He made a sound that was like an innocent chuckle, but with his voice it took on a more sinister tone. "I underestimated the capabilities of a Japanese mage. It was quickly rectified – don't worry."
And with that, their group left the secret base in the direction they'd come. Alarm klaxons kept on ringing as they passed through the corridor, Zero's mere presence a deterrent to any curious member who passed them.
"What now, Zero?" asked Tamaki. "Do we get to destroy things now?"
"We could – but if I'm not mistaken, the other side will have started playing their hand. I will wait for their next move. In the meantime – you lot must look to your practice. We have all realized I may not be able to always be there to help – being true Gear would have mitigated situations like this from happening.
"And I do not speak lightly when I say that the next time won't end so easily in our favor. We have not defanged the snake."
"But the Holy Woman promised-" Ohgi said. Kallen saw a hint of respect in his eyes.
"Kaguya Sumeragi merely represents Area Eleven's Gaia. If I'm not mistaken, the other parts of the organization won't take too kindly to missing the chance of capturing me. They will attempt more, or maybe aim to destabilize the hierarchy of this group. But for now..." The Gear sighed, as if he'd just exhaled all his tension. "For now, Gaia is on our side."
AN: Busy week, but I managed to pull through with a two-fer.
Thanks for reading!
Merlin Out.