"Please don't do this," Moka whimpered while staring down the barrel of an automatic rifle, the weapon being held by an HDA soldier who was glaring at the vampire. All around the group of monsters armed soldiers were keeping their sights set on the otherworldly creatures with a keen aim while nearby a news crew was filming the scene from between two buildings. On both ends of the street HDA personal and police officers were blocking off the road and keeping civilians back as a growing crowd was gathering to see the monsters being dealt with by the HDA.
"We're not your enemies, we're on your side," Gin said looking around at the soldiers, slowly shifting back to his human form while he held Kokoa in his arms still.
"Yeah, that is not our bird up there, seriously, never seen it before in our lives," Render added while looking up at the colossal rylo which was circling above the towering district in the city.
"You monsters think you can just take over our world do you? You think we're afraid of the likes of you?" the soldier in front of Moka spat out while the vampire watched him with nervous eyes.
"No, I know you're not afraid of us, you've got it all wrong," she pleaded.
"We don't have anything wrong here monster, you've shown your true nature and attacked us when we gave you a chance for peace, you unleashed another tyrant into our world after the first one you sent after us failed, you won't be fooling us again with your words or treachery," the soldier snapped with anger.
Two more soldiers walked up with their rifles poised and held them to Apoch and Astreal's heads, the girls staring ahead with fright as the men stood at their sides. A few more kept their aim on Mizore and Felucia while another two soldiers watched Akasha carefully from down their sights. Gin looked around worriedly as all the soldiers were set to gun the group down in a flash.
"Please, we're begging you to listen to us," Apoch pleaded.
"We're not the ones who attacked your cities or harmed your people," Astreal said desperately.
Moka slowly kneeled down while keeping her hands held up, the soldier before her keeping his gun aimed at her head.
"I'm begging you, please, we're not your enemies, we're not the ones who are attacking you," she pleaded while looking up at the man.
"You think you can slither your way out of this with your lies again? Are all you monsters so full of shit that you think you're above us, that we'll just listen to whatever you say like blind sheep?" the soldier scoffed as he kept his aim on her head. Over by the side a few soldiers saw the cameraman and male reporter from the news crew rushing over from the alleyway.
"Hey, get those people out of here now!" one of the soldiers called out. The group looked over to see the reporter and cameraman running over while keeping Moka in their sights.
"Ladies and gentleman, the HDA is preparing to put to death the monsters that have brought on this horrible catastrophe, the very ones who we once let into our world under the foolish belief that they wanted peace with our kind. What do you monsters have to say for yourselves before you are executed for your crimes against humanity?" the reporter announced with a stern glare at Moka.
"Get that camera out of here now! Someone get those people back! The rest of you, put these monsters down for good!" the soldier in front of Moka called out as he prepared to fire while readying his rifle.
Mrs. Aono dropped her dish and cup of tea as she stared at the TV with wide eyes alongside Mr. Aono, both of them watching the news report as Moka was about to be executed.
"Oh… my… no! Moka!" Mrs. Aono cried out.
"What are you doing? Don't shoot her, she's telling the truth and she's my son's hot girlfriend!" Mr. Aono cried out.
"Mizore!" Tsurara cried out as she and her husband watched the news report from their home, both staring with wide eyes as they saw their daughter about to be gunned down on live television.
"Don't shoot; they're on your side!" Mr. Shirayuki shouted out.
"Don't fire! Stop!" Ageha cried out as she saw the reports along with the other monsters in disguise who were watching the TV while inside a lounge within a high class hotel. The other monsters around her starting yelling at the screen as their own kind was about to be killed on TV.
"Oh good lord, please don't shoot them," Ageha said quietly while holding a hand over her mouth.
"Moka!" Luna cried out. She looked to the dice next to her, then to Hex, then to the TV again with frightened eyes as she saw Moka looking into the camera with teary eyes.
"Looks like luck's ran out for them, pity," Hex said looking to the TV. Luna shook her head then looked back to his dice, her hand over them trembling slightly.
"Moka!" Ruby cried out as she and her group watched the news report from inside the villa.
"Oh my god, they're going to execute them in the streets!" Razico said with shock.
"Don't shoot them, we're the good guys!" Ahakon cried out. Yukari clung to his arm while watching the report with frightened eyes.
"Run away you guys! Run away!" Ran cried out.
"Where are they going to run to, they're surrounded," Fang Fang said nervously.
"Where's my sister, or Gabriel? Where are they?" Complica cried out. Ceal and Kurumu kept watching the reports, with the mage still working to heal the girl's body while the succubus watched Moka with fearful eyes.
"Moka… no…" she said hoarsely before cringing in pain again.
"No, don't shoot, don't shoot," Rason pleaded desperately. Arial looked at the report with worried eyes while Dark kept looking down at the floor with a strained expression, the demon still remaining silent while avoiding eye contact with everybody. Sun watched the reports with fearful eyes, seeing Gin standing there and surrounded by armed soldiers who were about to shoot him dead in the street.
Moka slowly closed her eyes as she whimpered softly, with her group looking around at all the men readying to gun them down.
"Please… you don't understand," she said softly.
"What's not to understand, you're a monster just like all of your kind," the soldier scoffed as he readied his finger on the trigger. Moka chocked back her cries then looked to him with desperation.
"You don't understand, we're not your enemies, we're not here to take over your world; for god's sake we're scared to death of you!" she screamed out at the top of her lungs. The surrounding crowds started to grow quiet as all the soldiers halted in place while keeping their rifles aimed at the monsters, all of them questioning what they just heard the monster cry out. Moka looked to the camera with frightened eyes and shook her head.
"Why do you think we were hiding? Why do you think we were so worried about revealing ourselves to you? Why do you think we had to learn to blend in to survive here in your world? We're scared of you! Terrified!" she cried out. The news crew looked at her curiously as the girl struggled not to break down.
"You humans own the earth, there's absolutely no disputing about that. You outnumber us a thousand to one at the very least, you have weapons and technology that put to shame our best warriors and magic, you're the dominant species in this world. As terrifying and dangerous as we seem, you're the ones that are truly powerful and feared. That's why we hid in our own monster world, that's why we ran from this world when you shot at us, we can't fight against you!" Moka cried out. The HDA soldiers glanced to each other then back to the monsters while keeping their weapons poised still.
Mr. and Mrs. Aono were watching the report with wonder as Moka cried slightly while talking towards the camera.
"We've had to hide in our own world, in what little room we have left to live in while in fear of you. I'm a vampire, an S-Class ranked monster in my world, considered one of the strongest and most powerful, so maybe that will help you see how threatening you are to us when I say that I'm scared being in front of humans like this," Moka continued with watery eyes.
"Moka, dear," Mrs. Aono said softly.
"We were instructed by our dark lords to learn how to blend in with mankind, to disguise who and what we were from the world so we might be able to live out here in peace. Those that graduated our academy were allowed to move out here at their own risk, to try to make a life for themselves while always hiding what they truly were to everyone around them," Moka continued as Mr. and Mrs. Shirayuki watched her on TV with worried eyes from inside their home.
"Please listen to her," Tsurara said softly. Moka whimpered and closed her eyes.
"We just want to live, that's all we've ever wanted. Our numbers were drastically cut down long ago when you humans inherited the earth and drove us out, we're struggling to survive and keep our races alive with everything we have," she said with remorse.
Ageha and the other monsters in the lounge inside the hotel watched as Moka continued her attempts at reasoning with the HDA.
"Yes, I know, monsters attacked you in your world; first with Fairy Tale, then with Alucard, and then more and more started fights within your world and harmed your people. I'm not going to lie and say all monsters are kindhearted like us, but are you going to say all humans are angels? That none of you attack your own or others out of anger, spite, or hatred? Monsters are capable of good and evil as much as every human being out there," Moka reasoned desperately. Ageha looked down with worried eyes, knowing that even though her daughter was the Princess of Hell and daughter to the most evil entity in their world, she was still kindhearted and loved by many, and even destined to mate with an angel from the heavens.
Luna and Hex watched as Moka looked into the camera with pleading eyes while still being held at gunpoint.
"Please, listen to me. We're not your enemies, but there are those out there that do wish to kill you all, along with us. The ones that brought about the suffering at your school and city, the ones who came here along with that giant demon over my head as I speak, they are truly evil monsters. And they're not just attacking you and causing pain here in your world, they've even targeted us in the monster world. They're not from your world or ours, they're from someplace entirely different; someplace where their ruler wants to conquer everything he lays his eyes on. This monster, this dark evil king, he's preparing an army of his own. The demon you see above is just the first of countless more he has waiting in the darkness, countless more that he'll unleash onto both of our worlds to wipe us all out," she explained urgently. The camera moved up to see the rylo squawking again while circling above the city with a slow glide. Luna looked at the image with worried eyes then to Hex, the boy merely shrugging while still watching the report.
"Father's love for conquering and razing worlds to the ground never did interest me, just seemed boring in all honesty," he said plainly. Luna looked at him curiously then to the report again.
Ruby and her group watched the report except for Dark who continued to look down at the floor in silence.
"Give us a chance to prove that we're on your side, that we believe in defending mankind just like you do," Moka pleaded while looking up to the soldier. The camera turned to see him watching her with a sharp eye while still ready to fire at a moment's notice.
"You monsters killed our children, destroyed our homes, brought about a hellish nightmare once again onto one of our cities, and you have the audacity to say you believe in defending us? That you're on our side?" the man snapped with anger. Moka showed a remorseful expression and shook her head.
"The ones that attacked your children and school were monsters, and they were killed by monsters. The giant destroyer Alucard that attacked your home was a monster, and it was killed by monsters, myself included. The ones that are bringing about this hell which has touched both your world and ours are monsters unlike anything we've ever known; they aim to kill us all. Our school taught us to value a life, whatever it is, and we hold that dearly now. Give us a chance to prove our worth to you, that we can be allies. One chance, to earn your trust," she pleaded before bowing her head and closing her eyes. The cameraman panned up to show the rylo for a moment before looking back to Moka, then to the soldier as he continued to watch her with anger.
"Give us a chance, please," Yukari whimpered.
"Can any of them take down that rylo?" Razico asked.
"No, they won't be able to kill it even with all of them combined. It's far stronger than any monster in our world, it would be above that of even a dragon's power ranking," Ran said nervously.
The HDA soldier narrowed his eyes at Moka while the surrounding troops kept on guard.
"Give me one good reason to even consider giving you another chance monster," he scoffed.
The group and cameraman looked up at hearing the sound of an explosion, seeing red and purplish flames blasting out from the windows of a nearby building high above the street. From the smoke and flames two winged figures flew out and started punching at each other in the air.
"Gabriel!" Ahakon said with surprise.
"Who is that he's fighting, is that one of those evil minions?" Ruby asked cautiously.
Gabriel swung his fist around, with Rathieal dodging back before swinging his fist out, throwing a wave of red and purple flames towards the angel. Gabriel spiraled down to the side, a few of his feathers singing from the flames, then banked around and swung at the dark monster again, striking him in the face and knocking him back. The evil monster spun around then threw a flaming spear of his fires again towards Gabriel, the angel dodging it before racing towards his opponent. The spear flew into the building behind them and exploded into a firestorm, with smoke and glass shards flying out into the air.
"Going to guess that's a bad guy," Yukari said simply.
"Rathieal," Ran breathed out with fright. The group looked to her as she backed up fearfully.
"You know him?" Ruby asked. Ran shakily nodded as she held her hands close to her chest out of fright.
"He's… he's the one that kidnapped us for our old master," she said while trembling slightly. The group looked at her with surprise then to the TV as Gabriel and the dark monster clashed again in the air above the street.
"That's the one that kidnapped you and your sisters?" Yukari asked.
"Yes, I remember his fiery magic well, his spears of red and purple flames, that's him. He took us away when we were still young; he killed our guardian parents and took us into the darkness. He was always so cruel to us, he used to choke me and my sisters with our collars just for fun, he loved making Rin cry," Ran whimpered while backing up more. Ceal glanced to her then to the TV which was showing Gabriel and Rathieal flying around in the air above the street while trying to strike at each other.
"Well then siren, it appears the angel is going to exact revenge for you," he said before resuming his concentration on Kurumu's injury.
Up in the air Gabriel swung at Rathieal again, the dark being dodging under the strike before swinging out with a fiery punch of his own. The angel was struck in the chest and thrown back towards a building, his chest smoking slightly from the hit before he crashed through a window into a hallway. People around screamed and backed up as he got back onto his feet, his wings arching back before he flew out again towards his foe. Rathieal flung out a fiery spear towards Gabriel, the angel spiraling around and catching the weapon with his hand. He withheld his scream of pain as his hand burned while he reoriented from his spiral and threw the weapon back at Rathieal, the dark being dodging aside as the fiery spear flew past and seared through a few of his feathers. As the flaming spear flew over and exploded into a building, causing glass and smoke to billow out from the blast, Gabriel raced over and struck Rathieal across the face, then again, then again, and then again while the two flew back over and slammed into the building against a window. The grass cracked and shattered slightly before Gabriel flew up while holding onto Rathieal, the dark monster being dragged and plowed through multiple glass windows as the two ascended higher alongside the building. After a few floors Rathieal kicked Gabriel off of him, the angel flying back as the dark monster was pushed back into the building. Gabriel reoriented just as Rathieal flew out of the broken window with another fiery spear in his hand, the monster swinging at the angel who darted around and resumed trying to strike down the evil minion with fury in his eyes.
Down below everybody was watching as the two were darting around while high above the streets.
"There's your reason," Moka said looking back to the soldier before her. He glanced down to her as she looked back up to the two airborne fighters.
"Even the heavens above have seen that some monsters are good souls, that some of us are worth protecting and fighting for," she said softly.
"Holy shit… is that… an angel?" the reporter asked with an open mouth.
"Yes, his name is Gabriel; he's a guardian angel of the human world. He and his friend Rason have been helping us fight against those that are truly evil in this world," Moka said as she watched Gabriel fighting the dark monster above. She then looked to the HDA soldier with desperation, the man looking from her to the fight above then back to her.
"Please, you have to see that you're pointing your weapons at the wrong monsters. My friends and I have fought hard to protect you people; we're not your enemies. Those that attacked your homes are the very same that are attacking us, the very same that are bringing this hell upon your city," she pleaded. The soldier growled and kept his gun aimed at her head.
"You won't be fooling us again monster. You all acted like you wanted to help us by killing your other little pet that you set loose in our world, you won't trick us again," he snapped.
"Alucard wasn't a pet or under anyone's control, he was a horrible monster that wanted to kill you all just as much as us!" Moka pleaded.
"And now you expect us to believe that you're all here to help once again, just conveniently showing up when your demon up there is terrorizing our city?" the soldier yelled out.
"We came here to stop that thing and rescue our friends that it had taken away!" Moka reasoned.
"Don't give us that crap, and how do we know that angel up there is really an angel? There was a boy with white feathered wings fighting with you on that day you acted like our saviors, that was probably some monster that just looked like an angel, the same as the one up there right now!" the soldier accused sharply.
"Open your eyes; he's fighting to stop a real monster up there! He's fighting for you and all of us!" Moka pleaded desperately.
"You're all monsters, you're all the same!" the soldier yelled back at her.
"What must we do to prove to you that we're on your side?" Astreal cried out. The soldier next to her whacked her in the head with the end of his rifle, the girl dropping down with a painful gasp.
"Astreal!" Leon called out. He then glared at the soldier that was aiming his gun down at the witch while the others looked to her worriedly.
"Please… we're here to help you…" Astreal whimpered as she looked up at the man aiming at her.
"Listen to us, we are not your enemies," Akasha declared looking around at the soldiers.
"That demon up there tried to take away two of our friends and seriously injured another, that thing is not from our world nor is it on our side at all," Gin said shaking his head.
"Give us a chance to take it down, we'll prove to you that we're on your side," Render said looking to the soldier aiming at Moka, the man glancing to him then to the vampire who was watching him with worried eyes. The soldier grunted and readied his finger on the trigger.
"Why, so you can act like heroes again just like when you did with that Alucard thing? You're not fooling us again!" he shouted out.
"Please, give us a chance to prove to you that we're not evil!" Moka pleaded.
"Shut up monster!" the soldier yelled out, the girl slowly shaking her head with worried eyes.
"Please don't," she begged.
"Dammit, just give us one chance to kill that thing; what do you have to lose in doing that?" Felucia yelled out. The soldier aiming at Moka growled and nodded.
"Fine, you want a chance to show you're not so bad? Alright then, I'm going to count to ten, and if you don't stop your little pet from going on a rampage by then you're all dead right here and now," he said with malice. Moka and her group looked to him with surprise.
"What?" Moka asked in disbelief.
"That thing's your attack dog, if you want to live for more than ten seconds then call it off right now!" the soldier ordered.
"That monster isn't ours, we can't control it," Gin said shaking his head. The soldier aiming at Moka held his gun to her head pointblank, the girl staring at him with fright.
"There's your chance monster, it's more than you deserve. You want to talk about peace and how you're not evil? Then put a stop to your attack right now and surrender peacefully," he ordered sternly.
"We can't control it, and we certainly need more than ten seconds to stop that thing," Moka pleaded while trembling slightly. The man narrowed his eyes as the group looked around at all the men readying to fire.
"You wanted a chance, well there you go. Ten!" the soldier called out.
"Wait, how are we supposed to kill it in ten seconds from here?" Render asked franticly.
"Nine!" the soldier continued as all the HDA men readied to fire.
"Please, this isn't fair!" Moka pleaded shaking her head.
"Eight!"
"What are we supposed to do in ten seconds? Are you fucking kidding us?" Felucia yelled out while looking around with frustration.
"Seven!"
"We can't kill it in ten seconds!" Gin argued while holding Kokoa close to him tightly.
"Six!"
"You're being unreasonable, we need more time than this," Akasha argued while keeping her hands held up.
"Five!"
"Please don't do this, we need more time!" Apoch pleaded as Astreal slowly got up, the witches keeping their hands raised while seeing the soldiers readying to shoot them down.
"Four!"
"Moka!" Mrs. Aono cried out as she and her husband watched the report from their home.
"Three!"
"Mizore!" Tsurara cried out while she and her husband held each other close out of fright for their daughter.
"Two!"
"Don't!" Ageha yelled out with fright as she watched the TV in the hotel's lounge.
"One!" the soldier shouted out as his finger readied to pull the trigger on his rifle.
"NO!" Astreal yelled as she looked up to the rylo in the sky, her wings sprouting out from behind her and glowing brightly. A sudden surge of energy swirled around the witch, knocking those near her back into a stumble as a bright light shined from her wrist. She held her hands up together above her as the group watched her with surprise, seeing the bright red light in her hands sparking and glowing brighter still.
"Astreal?" Moka asked quietly.
From Astreal's hands the red light shot out in both directions, forming a glowing red rod which she held onto with a focused expression. Her glowing wings arched back as the line she held glowed brightly and curved slightly in her hand, bending back as she drew her other hand away from the one holding the magical energy. The group watched as an arrow of red light took form, resting against the magical beam that formed into a large sturdy bow of red magical energy. The witch held the arrow back as a string of white light formed behind the arrow and linked to the bow on both ends, the arrow sparking and having red swirls of light rolling off it. Moka stared at the witch with surprise as the girl's monster energy skyrocketed past her normal capabilities, then past what Kokoa's overcharge could produce, then past even her own vampire energy when her rosary was removed, then past when Tsukune had his full power unleashed as well, and then further still. Moka stared with shock as Astreal's monster energy went far beyond anything she's felt before.
'What the… where is this energy coming from?'
'This isn't possible, Astreal's nowhere near as powerful as this; how is she drawing so much energy out of thin air?'
"Sister," Apoch breathed out as she watched her sister manifesting a great deal of magical energy, the blonde haired witch holding her arrow back as her magical bow was primed. The bow and arrow crackled with arcs of electricity sparking around them briefly, the red translucent bow being held firmly by the witch whose long blonde hair was fluttering behind her.
"Holy… shit," Felucia said with wide eyes.
Astreal growled as she took aim at the rylo above, her hand holding the arrow trembling slightly as the magical projectile pulsated with a great deal of power from within.
"Artimus Arrow!" she yelled out before letting the arrow go which promptly shot out with a loud bang and powerful shockwave. The ground under Astreal shattered from the force as the arrow streaked up through the air, the group around her being thrown back as dust flew out wildly from the force.
Gabriel punched Rathieal with a powerful strike to the face, the dark being flying back slightly before stopping and glaring at the angel.
"You miserable little insect, you and your pathetic little bugs for friends will be nothing but ash on the ground before my king!" he yelled out as he geared back with one hand, forming a fiery purple and red spear which crackled with energy. Gabriel tensed up before a powerful streak of red light shot up through Rathieal, the dark being exploding into ash and smoke as the arrow flew up at high speed into the air. Gabriel blinked as he saw his foe having been annihilated in a flash by the mere contact from the arrow then looked up with bewilderment.
"What the hell?" he said in disbelief.
The arrow shot up into the sky at high speed, swirls of red energy rolling off of it in wisps as it raced towards the rylo. The colossal demon screeched loudly before the arrow struck into its belly, detonating into a powerful explosion that tore through the monster and erupted out its back. Everybody down below watched with wide eyes as the rylo screeched hoarsely as the eruption from within it etched its way through the monster's body. A moment later the entire demon detonated into a powerful blast, erupting into a firestorm of red light and flames that billowed up into the sky with a distorted wave of air from the shockwave rippling outwards. A massive bang echoed out followed by the roaring of the flames and crackles of the air as the colossus was completely annihilated. People all around the city stared at the sight with wide eyes as the monster was destroyed with a tremendous explosion of fire and red light. Slowly everybody looked back to Astreal, the witch staring with wide eyes at what she had just done as her bow and wings flickered before vanishing. She remained in place as she stood there amidst destroyed concrete and rubble while everyone around her slowly got back up to their feet.
"A-Astreal?" Moka asked with a mixture of wonder and concern. The blonde haired witch wavered slightly then slowly lowered her hands as she looked over to the vampire, complete bewilderment on her face still. She blinked then slowly looked around to seeing everyone, man and monster, staring at her. Silence filled the street as throughout the rest of the city sounds of sirens and people screaming from what they just saw were heard.
"How…" Apoch breathed out as she stared at her sister.
"Damn girl, you been working out or something?" Felucia said with awe.
"Astreal?" Leon asked softly. The girl slowly looked over to him while remaining silent. After a while she finally spoke up with the only thing she could think of saying.
"Um…" she said quietly.
"Holy shit," an HDA soldier said while looking up at the sky above, seeing the flames and smoke billowing away to reveal that the rylo had been completely vaporized.
Ruby and her group were just staring at the TV in silence as the camera showed that the rylo was completely destroyed by Astreal's attack, with Dark however still looking down and showing no reaction to what just happened.
"Well, it appears I was mistaken," Ceal said simply. The group glanced to him as he resumed working on healing Kurumu's body.
"It seems your witch friend exacted revenge for the siren. Didn't see that coming," he said with a small shrug. Everybody else just looked back to the TV with stunned expressions.
"Wow…" Arial said softly.
"How… how strong is your witch friend anyway?" Fang Fang asked with a nervous smile.
"She… she just… she just killed a rylo with a single shot," Ran said with complete disbelief.
"I thought that thing was supposed to be virtually indestructible," Razico said scratching his head with puzzlement.
"They are! How did… how did she do that?" Ran cried out.
"That was an Artimus Arrow, how could she have cast that spell?" Ruby said with disbelief.
"An Artimus Arrow? What's that?" Complica asked.
"It's a spell that launches a concentrated arrow of magical energy," Ruby started, the group glancing to her as she stared at the TV with wonder.
"But I've only heard of a few witches that knew of it let alone were able to cast it. When the arrow is primed it draws an extraordinary amount of power from the magical ether, much more than should be possible for the caster," she explained.
"What does that mean?" Rason asked. Yukari looked down to her hand with wide eyes.
"If I even tried to hold it I would explode from the magical current surging through me, the amount of energy it collects is way beyond what's safe for any caster to wield," she said with fright. The group looked to her with surprise then to Ruby.
"That arrow is essentially in tune with the magical ether, and draws more energy from it the longer it's primed and the farther it's fired. You all saw the force it gave off when it was fired, Yukari or myself wouldn't have been able to even hold it without exploding from the power surge that would be going through us into the arrow. How Astreal was not only able to wield but also fire it with perfect accuracy… it's unbelievable!" she exclaimed with a stunned expression.
"She should have burst into pieces the moment she formed that arrow, yet she charged it up and fired it like it was nothing!" Yukari added with disbelief. Sun just stared at the TV with wonder as the camera showed the smoke and flames clearing up above the city.
"Well, it appears your friend is very talented indeed to be able to control such a dangerous spell like that," Fang Fang reasoned with a curious smile.
"It's amazing, she took it down all on her own," Ahakon said in wonder.
"Amazing? It's a miracle! I can't even wrap my head around it, how did she manage to figure that spell out and use it like that out of the blue?" Ruby said with astonishment.
Luna was staring at the TV report with wonder, having seen that Astreal singlehandedly destroyed the monstrous demon that was circling above a human city. People all around the lounge in the hotel were staring at the TV with stunned expressions as they witnessed the giant demon in the sky being blown into dust by what appeared to be a blonde teenage girl using some sort of bow and arrow made of light. Slowly Luna looked down to the table next to her, seeing the dice under her open hand which remained in place after having rolled them.
"It worked," she said quietly as she saw that she had rolled two sixes on her first try, and thankfully just in time as she had grabbed the dice in a panic after the HDA soldier started his countdown to kill Moka and the others. Luna then looked to Hex, the boy smiling calmly at her as he reached out and took his dice back.
"You seem surprised; I told you it would happen should you win. And by the way, lucky roll," he mused playfully as he pocketed his dice.
"You… you made that happen?" Luna asked while looking at him with wonder.
"You did, when you rolled and won the game. Reality changed to make your wish come true, and it seems it used that girl as a means of doing so," Hex said as he looked back to the report showing Astreal standing amongst a group surprised monsters. Luna stared at him for a moment longer then looked back to the screen as well, she along with everybody else who was there in the lounge watching with wonder at the sight.
Astreal looked around at her friends then up at where she had dispatched the rylo all on her own. She couldn't explain how, but out of nowhere she suddenly knew how to perform the Artimus Arrow as if she had been practicing it her whole life. The intense power surge and how to not only summon but control it felt so natural to her, and yet now it seemed like a hazy memory in her mind.
"Sister? How did you do that?" Apoch asked as she looked at her sister with wonder. Astreal glanced to her then looked back up at the sky.
"I have no idea, I just… did," she said while slowly shaking her head. She blinked then looked to the HDA soldiers nearby who were watching her with cautious expressions while keeping their guns poised on her. She looked at them worriedly then slowly raised her hands defensively.
"May we please talk about this now?" she asked nervously. The men glanced to each other then to their captain who was looking back at Moka with a careful eye, the man keeping his gun aimed at her as she turned her attention back to him.
"Well… um, we did it," she said with a small shrug.
Up in the sky Gabriel watched as the HDA soldiers were aiming at the group while having them surrounded.
"You've got to be kidding me," he said with frustration before he flinched slightly, holding his arm as it was burned from his fight with Rathieal. He then flew down and landed next to the group, all of them glancing to him as the HDA soldiers kept their aim on them all.
"Gabriel, you ok?" Gin asked.
"I think I'll be alright. By the way, which one of you did that? And how?" Gabriel asked looking around at the group.
"Astreal did it," Leon said looking to his girlfriend. Gabriel looked to her with confusion.
"How on earth did you do that?" he asked. She smiled weakly at him and shrugged then looked back to the soldier that was keeping his gun aimed at her. Gabriel looked around at the armed men then glanced to Moka.
"Where's Luna? What happened to her?" he asked.
"We'll explain later Gabriel, now's not the time," Moka said cautiously. Gabriel looked at her worriedly then around, not seeing any sign of the chronofly nearby. The soldier in front of Moka looked up at where the monstrous demon was destroyed then back to the vampire. The girl looked to him and raised her hands again.
"Please. My name is Moka Akashiya, daughter of the great dark lord Issa Shuzen. We don't want a war with you, we never did. What happened in your cities the other day and here wasn't our doing, but… we are to blame," she explained. The group looked to her as the soldier narrowed his eyes slightly.
"What do you mean you are to blame?" he asked carefully. Moka showed a remorseful expression as the news crew once again had her in their camera's sights.
"The school and city near it that fell under attack, that happened because those from this darker world came looking for one of our own who was attending there. They attacked and killed all that got in their way in an effort to take her away, the resulting fights happening from our friends defending themselves and all they could around them," she explained with remorse. The man continued to watch her as the other soldiers kept their weapons poised on the group. Moka shook her head with worried eyes.
"That's why I was there along with others, we came to find our friends and return them to the monster world before your people got caught up in this. We wanted to keep you out of this dark world's focus and try to deal with the problem without dragging you into a war," she reasoned. The soldiers remained silent while the news crew looked to each other curiously.
"Then you arrested us, you took us away and scheduled us for execution just because we were monsters. We didn't want to cause any trouble, we didn't want anyone to get hurt, we only came to try to help, but you wouldn't listen to us," Moka continued. Felucia and Akasha glanced to each other then to the others in the group questionably at that remark.
"Ok, what all did I miss yesterday?" Felucia asked plainly.
"A lot," Mizore said flatly.
The HDA soldier glanced to his friends then back to Moka as she spoke up again.
"We didn't want to hurt you yesterday, but you gave us no choice. We had to free ourselves from being wrongly imprisoned and accused of being enemies of mankind. Yes, we did harm and even kill some of the HDA when we broke out of your jail, we didn't want to but we had to. You wouldn't listen to us, you wouldn't even try to understand, you just blamed us for everything all because we were monsters and you were scared!" she cried out. The soldier showed a frustrated glare as he readied his finger on the trigger. Moka closed her eyes and lowered her hands to her sides.
"We wanted peace with your race, and still do. But tell me honestly, did you want peace with us?" she asked. The man remained silent for a while before Moka looked to him with an accusing glare.
"Did you? Were you even willing to give us a chance, or does us being monsters automatically mean we're the devils? We told you that we would deal with monsters that were out of line, just as you deal with your own kind who cause trouble in your world, but the moment a monster acts out you all jump to the notion of war!" she shouted out. The soldier kept his aim steady as he just watched her glaring at him, not saying anything back.
"We risked our lives to help save you, to save all of you, and you still think we're nothing but horrible monsters! We exposed ourselves to you, told you everything you wanted to know about us, we wanted to live in peace with you! But the second a rogue monster causes a scene you blame all of us, you're unbelievable!" Moka shouted out. The soldier showed a slightly worried expression as the other men glanced to each other with concern.
"But-" the man started before Moka yelled out and shook her head with frustration.
"We put an end to Fairy Tale! We stopped Alucard! We killed those that destroyed your school and city! My friend here even just shot that massive demon out of the sky by means that I can't even begin to fathom! What do we have to do to prove to you that we're not evil?" she screamed out. The soldier looked at her worriedly then to his friends who were showing similar concern.
"You know what," Render said as he reached down and picked up his swords. The men looked to him cautiously as he shook his head while keeping his blades held down at his sides.
"I was going to say sorry about having to kill some of your comrades the other day, I mean hey, I didn't want to dice them into pieces, they were just trying to kill me and my smoking hot girlfriend, so of course I wasn't going to take that lying down," he started, with Apoch blushing and holding a hand to her mouth while the group looked at Render with raised eyebrows. The boy shook his head then phased his swords back into the magical ether, the light coming from his palms shifting the weapons into nothingness as he traced his hands over them.
"But it's obvious that none of you are sorry about the way you've been treating us or are even willing to listen to us. Our friend here just obliterated that demon above for you and you're aiming your guns at her again, the hell kind of manners is that?" he scoffed.
"You people are more of monsters than we are," Mizore said with discontent. The soldiers glanced to her as she shook her head slowly.
"You won't even give us a chance just because we're different; you think we're all the same. I could have used lethal force earlier while trying to help my friends escape the real evil monsters that were here when your police tried to shoot us. They didn't even ask questions or try to detain us; they tried to kill us on sight. But I didn't kill them, they're alive, and aside from having a few bruises they'll be just fine," she said harshly. The HDA soldiers looked at her carefully then to the others who were glaring at them with discontent.
"We stopped the monsters who were running around here causing havoc, but I guess that means nothing to you does it?" Leon said flatly.
"Listen to their words, these monsters are good souls," Gabriel asserted while waving around at the group.
"I put an end to several large demons in your city and this is the thanks I get? I see mankind's manners haven't changed in all these years," Akasha said as she reached down and picked up her sword. The soldiers just watched her then looked around at the group while keeping their guns poised to fire. Moka shook her head slowly then looked into the camera as the news crew continued to film her.
"The HDA has been nothing but a barrier in any efforts to forming peace with you people; they treat all monsters as absolute evils regardless of their nature. I've laid my life on the line for your kind and this is what I get for it, a gun to my face and accusations of being a plague in your world. I value life, no matter what it may be, do you?" she declared firmly. The news crew glanced to each other then looked back at the girl as she turned her attention to the soldier in front of her again.
"We put a stop to the monster attack in your home, we tried to save as many lives as we could, we've begged you to listen and allow us the chance to explain what happened, yet you still point that thing at me," she said glancing to the rifle. The man looked to it then to her as she held her hands out at her sides.
"You want to kill me just because I'm a monster? Can there really be no peace between our worlds? If so, then go ahead and shoot, you won't get an easier shot than this. Just remember we're willing to give peace a chance, but this monster in the darkness, the one that has attacked both of our worlds in his quest for total domination, he will not be so merciful as to offer you a similar chance," she said sharply.
The news crew looked back to the soldier as he watched the vampire remain motionless and defenseless in front of him. The other HDA soldiers looked around at the group carefully then glanced to each other. Over at the ends of the street police and HDA personal were keeping their weapons poised on the standoff while having cautious expressions. All the spectators and civilians watched while falling silent as people all over the world viewed the news report with wonder. The HDA captain looked at Moka carefully then over to where the large brute and spider demon were lying dead in the street, then over to the behemoths that were also lying dead in the road. He looked up at the sky where the gigantic flying demon had been destroyed then back to Moka as she waited for his response. After a moment he put a hand to his earpiece as the other soldiers watched the group carefully. The captain glanced around at the monsters then back to Moka as she watched him while keeping herself open for execution. The man then grabbed his radio and held it up to his mouth, and then lowered his rifle.
"All units stand down," he ordered out. Slowly the other soldiers lowered their rifles, with Moka and the group looking around at them curiously. Over by the blockades police officers and HDA soldiers lowered their guns as well while people in the crowds started talking in hushed tones to each other.
"All units stand down," the captain ordered again before lowering his radio. He looked around at the group then to Moka.
"You, daughter of the dark lord, the director of the HDA wants to see you personally," he said. Moka looked at him carefully as she slowly lowered her hands.
"To see me?" she asked. The captain nodded and held his rifle down at his side.
"You are to come with me at once, you can make your case to the director," he explained in a commanding tone. Moka looked at him carefully for a moment then glanced to her friends, all of them looking to her curiously.
"Fine, I will go with you, however my friends are going free," she reasoned while looking back to the soldier.
"They will remain in HDA custody until the director decides what to do with them," the soldier replied with a stern tone.
"They will do no such thing, the last time we were held in HDA custody you tried to execute us simply because we were monsters, my friends are not going anywhere with you. I'm offering to go willingly and peacefully with you to talk to your superiors, however my friends are leaving and returning back to the others that are recovering from the torment you caused us," Moka argued while crossing her arms.
"You're in no position to negotiate this," the soldier snapped with narrowed eyes.
"One of my friends was critically wounded trying to stop that flying demon, my little sister is unconscious from exhausting herself to help save you people, we're all tired from fighting and going through so much all in one morning; they are leaving to rest while I go with you, end of story," Moka declared assertively. The soldier drummed his fingers on his rifle as the other men watched the group carefully while having their weapons held to their sides.
"I will go with her as well, however the others are returning to their friends," Akasha said walking up to her daughter's side. Moka looked to her curiously as the woman held her sword over her shoulder against her armor.
"We will speak to your superior; the others here have earned a reprieve from their ordeal and being threatened by you. That's more than reasonable," she asserted. The captain looked at her carefully then to the other monsters.
"You expect us to just let those monsters run free?" the man asked looking back to the vampires.
"If you want us to be your allies, then yes," Moka asserted.
"If you want our cooperation then you will allow them to leave peacefully, there is no negotiating this," Akasha stated firmly. The captain raised an eyebrow at them while the other soldiers watched the group of monsters cautiously. After a moment he glanced to Gabriel.
"Are you really an angel?" he asked skeptically. Gabriel nodded slowly as everybody looked to him. The captain eyed the boy carefully then slowly shook his head.
"Why is it an angel from the heavens fights for monsters?" he asked. Gabriel looked around at the group then to the captain as the news crew filmed him.
"We used to judge them all as evil creatures just like you do, they were monsters after all. However we have seen the good in them, that they are capable of being kindhearted just as they can be malicious. Not all monsters are good souls, the same as it is for humans, but there are many that do wish for peace and can be trusted. They may be different and often times scary or intimidating, but that doesn't make them evil," he reasoned. He then looked down with a worried gaze.
"Some of them are even quite enchanting, being more beautiful than one would have imagined," he said softly as he remembered Luna's smile, the chronofly flashing before his eyes briefly. The group watched him as he remained silent for a moment before looking at the soldier again.
"These monsters are my good friends, I along with those above trust them after all they have done in their efforts to help protect the innocent, you should do the same," he reasoned while gesturing around at the group. The captain glanced around at the monsters then looked to Gabriel again.
"If I shoot you I'm going to hell, aren't I?" he asked plainly.
"Very likely," Gabriel said with a shrug. The soldier nodded then looked to Moka and Akasha.
"I'm not going to spill his blood, I'd rather not take the chance he's telling the truth. However, if we were to let your other friends go what guarantee do we have that there won't be another monster attack in our world?" he asked cautiously.
"None, we can't guarantee such a thing, just as you can't guarantee none of your own kind will cause any trouble. We have what's called free will you know," Moka answered shaking her head.
"Perhaps if our kind wasn't met with threats and accusations they wouldn't be so inclined to fight," Akasha mentioned with a raised eyebrow. Moka started to speak before the soldier raised his hand to silence her while holding his other hand to his earpiece. The group watched him as he kept his eyes on the vampires while listening to his device. After a while he then waved over to the side where a few HDA trucks were parked.
"Bring over two trucks, now!" he called out. The men by the roadblock looked to each other then two soldiers got into their trucks and started their engines. The group watched as the trucks started driving over to them then looked back to the captain.
"You two are coming with us, we will escort you to the HDA command center located outside of the city and you will speak to the director personally. You will have an armed escort at all times," the man stated.
"I hope that doesn't include restroom visits," Moka said dryly.
"And the others?" Akasha asked. The man waved to the trucks as they pulled up next to them.
"They will be taken to wherever you wish for them to go. We will not arrest or shoot anyone unless we have to, nor we will be stationing any guards or forces where your friends are, but you are not going to be hiding again while in our world. The HDA will monitor the location for the safety of our own people, there are no negotiating these terms," he explained in a professional tone. Moka and Akasha looked to the trucks then to the others, all of them exchanging glances while the soldiers around them remained on guard.
"Do we have your word that you will leave us alone if we show you where we are resting?" Gin asked carefully.
"The director has given his word on the matter, however if talks between him and your two representatives don't go well then we will be paying you a visit again real soon," the captain said glancing to him with a sharp eye. The group looked to each other then to Moka and Akasha. Moka nodded then looked to the captain.
"Very well then, we'll take his word for that," she said.
"Question," Render said raising his hand. Everybody looked to him as he smiled curiously and rubbed the back of his head.
"Would it be cool if we stopped and got something to eat on the way back? We sort of missed breakfast this morning what with everything that's been going on," he asked with a small chuckle. The captain merely looked at him with a dull stare before rolling his eyes and looking away.
"Fine," he muttered. Render smiled brightly and held his hands together, a bright light shining from them as the group watched him curiously. The light swirled around and engulfed the boy then flashed and vanished to reveal him standing there in his normal form.
"Great, because I don't know about the rest of you but I'm starving," he said with a laugh. The HDA soldiers stared at him with puzzled expressions while the news crew was rendered speechless by the sight.
"What the… what just happened to him?" Felucia asked with a raised eyebrow.
"A bit curious myself," Akasha mentioned while looking at the mage with a bit of wonder. Moka smiled slightly at Render then looked to the HDA captain.
"Alright, let's get going, we have a lot to discuss with each other," she said assertively. The man nodded and waved them towards one of the trucks, the two vampires then looking to their group one more time before walking over towards their ride. They boarded the vehicle inside the back along with a few other soldiers, the two vampires sitting down across from each other inside the truck while an armed soldier sat down beside them each. Moka crossed her arms and legs calmly while Akasha rested her sword down between her legs while holding the handle with both hands. A soldier closed the back door and the vehicle then drove off past the roadblock and crowd down the street.
"Do you think they'll be alright?" Leon asked carefully.
"Like we have a choice but to trust them," Gin reasoned as the group looked around at the soldiers near them. The HDA captain holstered his rifle behind him then waved to the other truck.
"Get going monsters, just tell the driver where you want to go, and don't try anything stupid. This is your last chance for peace with us," he said sharply. The group glanced to each other then started to walk towards the truck while the captain walked over towards the news crew.
"And I said get that camera out of here, move!" he yelled out as he put his hand over the lens. He wrestled the device out of the man's hands then ripped out its battery while other soldiers headed over to detain and remove the news crew from the scene.
Inside the HDA armored truck Moka was looking at Akasha with wonder, the woman smiling gently at her while their escorts were watching them carefully out of the corner of their eyes.
"Mother… how are you… why are you…" Moka said softly. Akasha shook her head slowly with a kind smile.
"We'll have our own little chat after all this has been taken care of, ok?" she reasoned calmly. Moka nodded slowly as she stared at her mother with wonder, stunned that she was somehow back and sitting right across from her. Akasha winked at her then looked towards the front at the driver.
"So, who is in charge of your organization anyway? I would like to know the name of the man we'll be speaking to," she asked. The man kept his eyes ahead of him while the two vampires looked at him curiously.
"His name is Hothorne Tamaka, he'll be expecting a very good explanation from you two regarding what's been going on in our world," he answered. The two vampires looked to each other then down as they prepared on how to explain everything that was happening and looming ahead to the director, knowing that this was going to be their last chance at pushing for peace.
Inside the casino's lounge people were talking loudly with both skepticism and concern about the HDA taking the group of monsters alive rather than killing them. Some people were wondering if they could indeed be trusted again while others were still firm in their belief that the otherworldly creatures were just acting friendly to weasel into the human world again.
As they were talking amongst each other while the TV had cut to a static image of the news channel's station after the HDA captain had turned off the camera, Luna and Hex were walking out of the lounge together. They walked through the casino towards the back while Luna was looking down at the ground with a distant gaze. Hex glanced to her while having a calm smile on his face, seeing that she was deep in thought about the recent events.
"You should be happy Luna, after all your wish came true," he mused playfully. Luna nodded slowly then glanced to him.
"If I had lost… you would have had my heart and love?" she asked softly. Hex nodded as he looked back ahead casually.
"That is what the stakes were, yes. You wished to gamble big so I did as well, and I've always loved the prospect of gambling for a fair woman's heart," he reasoned calmly.
"I'm not sure if I should be flattered by that or not," Luna said curiously. Hex chuckled and glanced to her.
"I would think it would be a compliment, you are quite a treasure after all," he said with a shrug. She smiled slightly and shook her head.
"I don't believe you're that dark king's son, you're far to kind and generous to me. You're nothing like him at all," she said softly. Hex laughed a bit and shook his head.
"Well, I'll take that as a compliment," he jested. Luna giggled softly then looked at him with a curious smile.
"What would you have done with me if you had won?" she asked. Hex stopped and glanced to her, the chronofly watching him with a curious smile.
"If you had won… I would have been all yours. Would you have still been a gentleman with me then or would you have been more of a monster?" she asked softly.
"Well, I would have made sure to keep a smile on that face of yours, however I probably would have had some fun with my new toy," he reasoned casually.
"So I'm just a toy to you? A tool?" she asked tilting her head.
"You're something that I'm going through the trouble of keeping safe from those that would do horrible things to you, isn't that enough?" Hex asked with a raised eyebrow. Luna smirked and nodded.
"I'm just a means to an end with you, isn't that right?" she asked. Hex chuckled and turned to face her, the girl watching him with a slightly saddened smile.
"You my dear are special, in more ways than one. I need your help with something important to me, something that only one like you can assist me with. I think me helping you with your problem earlier was a fair trade for your services," he reasoned. Luna looked down with a slight smile and nodded slowly.
"I owe you everything Hex, and I intend to make good on that. Whatever it is that you need of me, I'll do it," she said softly. She then watched as he took her hand and started walking her through the casino floor again, her eyes going from their hands to him with wonder as he walked her along.
"That's a good girl," he said calmly. Luna blushed slightly then looked down as she let the boy walk her with him.
'Why does he have to keep saying that to me? He's the son of great evil, yet he's so… charming.'
Luna looked at the boy again as they walked through the casino, with other humans going about their own business as the sounds of games and laughter was heard around from the crowds.
"Um, so where are we going now?" she asked softly.
"You'll see," he said as the world around them faded to black. Luna looked around with wonder as they seemed to shift from walking through a busy human casino to inside a strange void of darkness all around. They walked along on translucent gray stone bricks while all around was an empty void.
"Where are we?" Luna asked softly.
"Somewhere and nowhere. Stay close to me, you don't want to get lost here," Hex said as he pulled her closer. She gently held onto his arm while looking around, seeing and hearing nothing in the darkness which stretched on forever.
"This place, this is that black void behind the time stream, and that rift which led to that dark world I was in. Where is this anyway?" Luna asked with wonder. Hex chuckled as they approached a small rounded courtyard which appeared to be floating amidst the darkness. The stones below shifted from translucent bricks to smooth gray marble tiles while having intricate designs etched into them of swirls and oddly shaped patterns. The edges of the courtyard seemed to branch off into other stone walkways which melded into the darkness a few feet away from the central court.
"Someplace beyond your concept of reality," he said as they walked onto the center of the court. As they did the surroundings seemed to shift from darkness to a blue and red cosmos with stars gently drifting by. The ground below them lit up slightly where their feet touched while the many bridges that extended out from the court became hazy transparent pathways that again melded into the backdrop as they stretched further out. Luna looked around in awe then up to seeing dozens of other courtyards with extended bridges of stone pathways floating about through the cosmos, some having colored tiles while others had small water fountains or stone statue centerpieces. Some of the courtyards were floating by at odd angles while some were even upside down, showing that there was no up or down here in this place. Luna stared at the sight with wonder then looked back to Hex.
"Where are we? What are you anyway?" she asked with wonder.
"Sorry, not nearly enough time to go into detail about that, and I have other matters to be dealing with rather than educating you about such things," Hex said as he looked towards a stone bridge to their right.
"But this place is amazing, I can't understand… where in time or space is this?" Luna asked looking around. Hex held her chin gently and brought her gaze back to him, the girl falling silent as she stared at him with wonder.
"Luna, this isn't a field trip for you. Understand?" he said knowingly. She slowly nodded while keeping her eyes on him.
"Good girl. Now then, let's get going, there's somebody I want you to meet," Hex said looking back over to the stone bridge.
"Whatever you ask of me," Luna said quietly while keeping her eyes locked onto the boy. He walked her over towards a pathway, the stones lighting up with a faint glow as the light rippled out into the cosmos where the bridge would lead to.
"Glad to hear it. We're going to go pay my sister a visit," he said calmly. Luna looked at him curiously then to the pathway before them as they got to the edge of the courtyard.
"Your sister?" she asked.
"Yes, you see my sister is trapped, all because father grounded her for not wanting to stop playing. Like me she has no real interest in following in his footsteps for ruling worlds with an iron fist, instead she only wishes to play with her pets. Father was most cruel to my little sister, locking her away for so long, I can't stand for her to be so mistreated like this," Hex explained. Luna looked at him with gentle eyes as she held onto his arm.
"That's the favor you wanted me to help with? Freeing your sister?" she asked. Hex nodded and looked to her with a sincere expression.
"I'm unable to free my sister from her prison even with all my power. However, perhaps with your chrono magic we could find a way to release her together. That is why I have brought you here with me Luna, I can come and go through her sealed plane of existence, but I can't bring her out with me. Chronoflies are capable of moving through the time stream and even further beyond, maybe you can help find a way to save my sister," he said gently.
"Hex…" Luna said softly. She smiled and nodded while gently holding onto his arm.
"Of course I'll help you, I would love to help free your sister from your father," she said assuredly.
"Thank you Luna, I'm glad to know I can count on you," he said as he started walking her forward. She smiled timidly and looked down.
"You really are nothing like your father, and your love for your sister only reinforces the fact that you really are a gentleman," she said softly. Hex chuckled as they walked along the stone pathway through the cosmos, the surroundings starting to slowly fade to black.
"Well, I do care for my little sister, I won't deny that," he reasoned casually. Luna looked to him with a smile as the cosmos around them vanished, the two walking on a floor which couldn't be seen.
"I think you cheated on that roll Hex," she said playfully. He looked to her as their feet started to walk on a stone floor.
"What do you mean? I can't cheat with my rolls, whatever happens with them happens, that's what makes it fun to gamble with," he reasoned. Luna giggled and shook her head.
"No, I mean… with winning my heart," she said softly.
"With winning your heart? What are you talking about, I didn't win your heart," he said with an amused smile. Luna smiled gently then looked down.
'Maybe not yet, but you certainly captured my eye.'
Hex looked at her curiously then ahead as he stopped, the chronofly looking ahead then to seeing somebody else standing before them. She was wearing black sandals, a dark blue miniskirt with black swirls around it, a white sleeveless shirt, and gray fingerless gloves. Her hair was silver colored with thin streaks of black running through it, held in two long messy pigtails with dark blue ribbons. She was the same height as Yukari, with her left eye being yellow while her right was blue.
"How's my little sister doing?" Hex asked gently. Luna looked at the other girl with wonder as they all stood amidst total darkness while still being able to see each other perfectly.
"Big brother, you came to see me," Pandora said with a loving smile at Hex.