Overlooking a brightly lit cityscape under the night sky Hex was gazing around at the sights from a hotel window, casually toiling his dice in hand as he glanced around at the human marvels below. Behind him lying on the bed Falla was watching him with a loving smile, dressed in a slinky black and purple dress while her legs dangled back above her carelessly. Akasha walked into the bedroom while flinging her hair casually behind her, dressed in a white robe from the hotel while her hair was shiny and clean after her herbal bath.
"Hex, what are you thinking?" Falla asked playfully. Akasha sat down on the bed while leaning on one arm, watching the boy with a coy smile on her face.
"I hope he's thinking about what we could do tonight," she said with a purr. Hex chuckled and walked back towards them, the girls watching him with high interest as he pocketed his dice.
"Just thinking about our next move is all," he said sitting down on the edge of the bed, gently brushing his hand through Falla's hair as the chronofly sighed happily.
"And what is our next move?" Falla asked softly as she nuzzled against his hand.
"Making sure those keys find their way back to my sister's box of course," Hex said simply. Akasha nodded and lied back on the bed, her robe coming slightly undone as she watched Hex with a curious smile.
"I'm quite certain my daughter and her friends will be taking them there, as soon as the gateways are reopened again," she reasoned. Hex nodded and looked to her with a smirk.
"I imagine that is their goal; however it isn't the only one they have. They seem pretty adamant about protecting the humans in this world, and it appears they're going to have their hands full with doing just that," he mentioned. Falla showed a worried expression as she gently took hold of his hand.
"Do you mean with your father? Is he starting his invasion soon?" she asked softly. Hex shook his head and looked towards the window as Falla started kissing his fingers, the boy paying her no mind while watching the sky carefully.
"No, he halted his plans for a reason, and I think I know why he did. I feel as though another player is on the game board," he said distantly.
"Another player?" Akasha asked, sitting up and looking at Hex while a few strands of her hair dropped in front of her face. Hex nodded and stood up, walking over to the window as the girls watched him curiously.
"Something else is out there, another party if you will. I don't know how this will affect my odds with this game, however I'm thinking Moka and her new police force may be a bit busy trying to play heroes in this world to go after my sister's box for the time being," he speculated.
"But we need those keys to get to the box, they have to open it to free your sister," Falla said worriedly. Hex nodded and glanced back to her as the two girls crawled to the edge of the bed, both watching him with adoring eyes as the boy chuckled.
"Don't worry, they will open the box, we just may have to give them a hand," he said looking back out the window.
"So what should we do now?" Akasha asked brushing her hair back behind her ear.
"For now, all we can do is wait until the gateways are opened again. Once they are, we'll help Moka and her friends find their way to my sister's box," Hex reasoned.
"And then?" Falla asked curiously. Hex looked out the window up at the sky with a calm smile.
"And then their luck will run out," he said simply. Falla giggled and looked at the boy with a coy smile.
"Sounds fun," she purred.
"Does this mean we're going to play some games in the meantime?" Akasha asked playfully. Hex glanced down to the city for a moment then looked back to the girls with a suave smile.
"Get dressed Akasha, I want you looking like the minx you are when we hit the sights here in the city," he ordered gently. Akasha sat up as she let the robe fall off her shoulders, winking at the boy while Falla just continued to watch him with loving eyes.
"Whatever you say Hex," Akasha said before getting off the bed and walking over to the side of the room where she had a flashy black and red dress and skirt set aside. Falla got up and walked over to Hex as the boy gazed down at the city.
"Are we going to have lots of fun tonight?" she asked with a purr, holding onto his arm and looking down at the city as well. Hex nodded and glanced to her.
"You bet, we're going to enjoy our time before the world comes to an end."
Up on the floating island hidden from the world a monastery was seen, the grand estate playing home to Fairy Tale's main HQ. Within the building was a large hall which served as a throne room, seemingly identical to lord Issa Shuzen's. The stein glass mural on the wall above the throne had a rosary emblem on it while torches were lit all around the hall to keep it well illuminated. Sitting in the grand chair was Gyokuro, the vampire having a calm expression as she had one hand resting leisurely against her jaw. Standing at attention at the foot of her ascended throne, or rather remaining at attention since one didn't have legs to stand on, were Raika and Gairen, the two high commanding officers waiting for the presentation promised for their leader.
"Do you suppose he's gotten sidetracked again?" Raika asked flatly.
"Perhaps Routier distracted him, she does love toying around with those she finds like a cat with a mouse," Gairen speculated.
"No, Routier is located in the east wing of the monastery right now, I believe she's enjoying herself with some time torturing the prisoners," Gyokuro said carelessly. She blinked then glanced to the side with a raised eyebrow.
"Three prisoners to be exact… no, never mind, now it's only two. I keep telling that girl if she makes them bleed so much they won't be able to be toyed with much longer," she said dryly.
The grand doors to the hall opened, with Xia-Long casually walking in with two Fairy Tale soldiers and a scientist dressed in white clothing. They walked across the court and stopped at the foot of the ascending throne, with Raika and Gairen watching Xia-Long skeptically.
"Well, it's about time," Gyokuro said watching the boy with a cold stare.
"Sorry about the wait my lady, however I believe this will be worth the suspense," Xia-Long said gesturing to the scientist. The man stepped forward then bowed humbly while the soldiers stood at attention behind him.
"Gyokuro Shuzen, it's an honor to be in your presence like this. I can't tell you how much I've looked forward to meeting you-"
"Save it, I didn't ask for you to be here just to kiss my feet like the worm you are, now do you have anything worth my time to show or is your life meaningless to me?" Gyokuro said with annoyance. The human jumped a bit then smiled nervously and nodded at her.
"Yes, of course, apologies my lady. We've brought with us the most promising of subjects for your approval, behold," he said gesturing to the doors.
From the entryway five figures walked across the court towards the throne, all of them remaining silent while a dark aura was sensed from all of them easily. They stood at attention in a line behind the scientist, the man stepping aside with the soldiers as the Fairy Tale commanders examined the subjects carefully.
"Only five?" Raika questioned.
One was identical to Kokoa in every way, the subject wearing a black tattered miniskirt and sports bra while her hair was held up in black ribbons. Her emerald eyes were cold and glaring while her fangs were seen with her light scowl. On her feet she wore dark combat boots while her skin gave off a small haze for a moment.
"Yes, that's all we could safely produce and keep in working condition, to make more would cause… problems," the scientist reasoned.
Another was a perfect copy of Ruby, the witch wearing a dark gothic dress and having her hair held up in the same style as her counterpart. In her hand she held a wand similar to Ruby's, the two orbs having a dark crimson glow to them instead of a purplish hue.
"You see, much like the Kikion Project, these replicas… well, don't like to be replicated. To create more only causes anger between them, they've been seen to viciously attack and slaughter each other to persevere their individuality," the scientist continued.
Standing next to the Ruby clone was a perfect replica of Kurumu, her wings being extended along with her tail while she wore a dark skimpy low cut skirt and sports bra. She had high heels on, her nails shimmered briefly for a moment, and her hair was held in her traditional pony style with a black bow ribbon. Her wings gave off a translucent crimson glow for a moment as did her eyes.
"However in all honesty we don't need to create more, these subjects far exceeded our expectations with their abilities, they are the perfect weapons for your plans my lady," the scientist boasted.
Another was seen to be a perfect copy of Yukari, the young witch wearing a black skirt and shirt along with a dark cape behind her. She had a witch's hat on and held a wand similar to Yukari's; however the wand had a cross style mesh rather than a star and glowed with a crimson hue.
"Their monster energy far exceeds what their originals could produce, their physical strength is greater than one would dare give them credit for, and they will not be hindered by concepts of morality or compassion for those around them. They will be perfect warriors for you to command," the scientist assured.
The final figure was the copy of Mizore, the snow girl staring at Gyokuro with a cold look in her eyes as a chilled draft flowed around her body, the floor slightly freezing over by her mere presence. Ice slowly formed down along her arm to her hand before receding again, the snow girl just staring at the Fairy Tale leader with a cold expression.
"These five are in perfect working condition and are ready for deployment however you see fit," the scientist reassured. Gyokuro eyed over each of the subjects, seeing that their monster auras were both extremely dense and immense, however she was curious as to the fact that until they arrived in the hall they were nearly undetectable, even to her. After a moment she glanced to the human with a raised eyebrow.
"And where is the other?" she demanded. The man jumped a bit then trembled nervously as the vampire stood up while glaring at him.
"Where is the one that was created from the miserable excuse for a step-daughter of mine?" she demanded sternly. The scientist smiled nervously and nodded.
"Ah, yes, Test Subject Number 1, her. Well… she's not… quite ready yet," he said shakily.
"And why not?" Gyokuro asked. The man glanced back to the doors then to the other five clones nearby, all of them remaining silent as Xia-Long gave a simple shrug.
"She's still got a few bugs in her," the boy said simply.
"Ah! It's not exactly that, it's just… we ran into some… complications with that one. Her monster energy and signature… they're not… normal," the scientist reasoned quickly.
"What do you mean not normal?" Raika questioned.
"The cloning process with her… we can't explain it, but it didn't turn out like we hoped. With these they were created perfectly, no problems at all. But with the other one… the clone…" the scientist said nervously.
"What about her?" Gyokuro demanded with a narrowed stare at him.
Deep within the monastery in the testing halls scientists and soldiers were gathered around a particular containment pen. The glass was scratched and cracked, with the warning lights flashing along the corners of the chamber. Inside the containment pen a figure was chained to the far wall, with shackles over her ankles and wrists which were held back against a steel wall. She had blood dripping from the shackles as she kept trying to get free, the strong bindings just barely holding her as warning alarms were going off from the computer terminals.
"Her monster energy… it isn't that of a normal vampire. The computers are finding two different signatures of the same girl in her blood."
The subject was growling like an animal, wearing a tattered black miniskirt while having nothing on above her waist, with only her hair covering her breasts. However her hair wasn't colored a normal pink like her counterpart's, instead it also had silver streaks through it.
"It's almost as if there are two different personas in that blood, and the computers couldn't split them apart."
Her fangs were bared as she snarled with anger, her eyes being crimson with green around the edges.
"And it's not just that. Her monster energy is dangerously high, further above even the clones here, and what's worse is that it's untraceable," the scientist said nervously.
"What do you mean untraceable, there isn't anything that can escape my eye, I can detect the exact condition and presence of everyone on my island without fail," Gyokuro said firmly.
"I know my lady, however her aura… it's not normal. The others here are designed to keep their true powers repressed to others around them, I'm sure even you noticed they weren't powerful until you saw them up close, correct?" the man questioned. Gyokuro looked to the clones then reluctantly nodded.
"Yes, I will admit that did catch my eye, your point?" she asked.
The clone of Moka roared as she snapped free from her shackles, the girl grabbing her head and screaming as she went mad with rage. The pen filled with electricity as the workers tried to keep the subject from breaking free, being faced with a daunting task as this particular clone was far different from the others.
"Subject Number 1, her monster aura is non-existent. She's a ghost to everyone around her, she cannot be sensed because her monster energy doesn't show up by any means at all," the scientist explained.
"That sounds like an impressive feature, why is that a problem?" Gairen asked.
"Because Subject Number 1 is uncontrollable, she's volatile, she's undetectable until she's seen by the naked eye, and also…"
The clone of Moka roared and raced towards the front of the containment pen, with soldiers sticking their guns through openings before opening fire on the enraged subject. Bullets tore through the girl and knocked her onto the ground as blood splattered across the floor, with the scientists watching in wonder as the warning lights and sounds didn't stop. Moka growled and slowly sat up, her wounds closing up all over her body. A few soldiers stared with wide eyes as the girl's head which was blown open closed up and healed again, the flesh and bone regenerating flawlessly as the girl roared at the men with a deranged look in her eye.
"She cannot die," the scientist said nervously.
"What?" Raika asked.
"She cannot die. We've tried shooting her, decapitating her, burning her, freezing her, everything. We can't kill her; we can only try to hold her as she never stops with her rage. We're trying to study and find out what it is we've created, but… I fear we've created a rather horrible monster with that girl," the scientist explained. Gyokuro scoffed and looked up with a distant gaze.
"I always knew that girl was a mistake, it seems that is consistent with her no matter how she comes to be," she said with spite.
"Do not worry my lady, we have her contained in the lower halls, we'll deal with that mistake without fail. However these subjects here are ready for you to command whenever you wish," the scientist stated assuredly. Gyokuro chuckled and looked to the man with a cold smile.
"I'm not worried, quite the contrary, I'm most pleased with what you've created, especially that abomination you've made in my step-daughter's likeness," she said calmly.
"My lady?" the scientist questioned. Gyokuro laughed and looked up with a careless gaze.
"It's only fitting that Akasha's own daughter bring about the end of humans everywhere, that monster you created will serve her purpose well, as will these others you have created," she assured. The scientist looked to the others with worried eyes then smiled nervously at the woman.
"I see, very well then my lady. I'll continue our work with Subject Number 1, I'll report back to you as soon as I can with any updates. Thank you," he said graciously. The woman waved him off, the man and soldiers then quickly leaving while the clones remained in place. Gyokuro then looked to the five replicas with a bitter smile, all of the clones just watching her with cold, emotionless gazes.
"Prepare all troops for mobilization, use the conflict below to recruit any other pawns we could use, and be quick about it. We have our new weapons, all we need now is the right time to strike," she commanded.
"Yes my lady," the three officers said with a salute. Gyokuro laughed a bit as she eyed over the replicas.
"You all wished to bring about peace in this world with mankind, now you're going to damn it to hell."
Under the night sky four figures were seen standing amongst the remains of Issa Shuzen's castle, with a few clouds overhead obscuring the view of the blood red moon and stars above. A small breeze gently blew by as Rin walked through the rubble and debris that was once the dark lord's castle, the siren looking around carefully for any sign of her key or the zombie that took it. Nearby Talon and the witch sisters were searching around the leveled estate, all of them only seeing the remains of the witch sisters' handiwork at destroying the building earlier.
"Oh great, first we dig around that school for Falla's remains and now we're doing the same thing here for a zombie's undead corpse, this sucks," Jacqueline pouted. Jovian shook her head while pushing over a charred cabinet, the ruined furniture crashing over to the side as the witch sifted around in the dirt under it.
"Quit complaining and just look harder, if Rin's key is anywhere here we need to find it," she reminded.
"But this place is so big and it's so destroyed and there's crap everywhere, how are we going to find it?" Jacqueline whined.
"For starters you can stop complaining, we're doing this for Rin, remember?" Jovian answered, glancing to her sister who sighed and nodded.
"I know that, but this is like a needle in a haystack, only the haystack is a dump," Jacqueline pouted. The sisters looked over to seeing Rin shoving over a broken door that was collapsed and looking around frantically amongst the debris under it, the siren grunting and quickly digging around under the stones with a frustrated expression.
"She's really upset about losing that key," Jacqueline said softly.
"It was something that would lead her to finding the one who wronged her, without it she's even further away from her goal," Jovian said remorsefully. Talon watched the siren digging around the debris then started walking towards her while waving the sisters towards him. The two girls promptly followed him as he approached Rin who was muttering and tossing away bricks and debris in her search.
"Rin, she's not going to be here," Talon said simply. Rin yelled out with frustration and held her head as she dropped to her knees, looking down with a whimper while the witch sisters watched her with gentle eyes.
"I need that key, I need it. I need it!" Rin yelled out shaking her head. Talon rested his hand on her shoulder, the girl looking up to him with watery eyes.
"That zombie would have left this place long ago, and if she did indeed take your key out of your pocket then she would have left with it," Talon reasoned. Rin whined and looked down with sorrow, feeling anger and frustration building at losing her way of finding Falla again.
"Dammit, I needed that, it's not fair," she whined. Talon helped the girl up onto her feet, the siren wiping her eyes and looking to him with saddened eyes.
"Calm yourself Rin, this doesn't change anything for you," Talon said calmly. Rin sniffled and looked down with concern before he brought her gaze up to his by the chin, the girl looking at him with wonder as he showed a focused expression.
"You will find the one you seek, one way or another, do not think that all is lost," he assured.
"But how, what do I do now? That key was my ticket to finding her again, she was going to come straight to me with that," Rin said worriedly.
"That zombie is working for those vampires, and those vampires are old friends of yours and Falla's, aren't they?" Talon said, with Rin slowly nodding as she stared into his eyes. The boy nodded and let her chin go as he looked up to the sky.
"Then our goal remains the same; find and eliminate those two vampires for their crimes. When we find them, we'll find the one who stole your key, and if not, we'll find another lead to the one you seek from them. You don't need the key Rin, there are other ways of finding Falla," he explained. Rin looked at him with gentle eyes then to the witch sisters, the twins nodding in agreement.
"He's right Rin, one way or another we'll find out where Falla is, she will not escape her punishment at your hands," Jovian assured.
"Just make sure to save a round in your gun for when you find her," Jacqueline said with a wink. Rin smiled a little and nodded then looked to Talon.
"Thank you master," she said softly. Talon remained silent as he looked back to her, the girl then looking down timidly as she held her hands to his chest.
"Please don't ever let me go," she said shakily. The witch sisters looked at her curiously as the siren seemed to be fighting back tears. Rin took a shaky breath then looked back to Talon with a worried smile.
"I need you," she said softly.
"Wow, she's cutting right to the chase with how she feels for master," Jacqueline said with a giggle. Talon glanced to the sisters then to Rin as she slowly shook her head.
"Please don't ever let me go, I need you to control me," she said softly.
"Rin, you don't need-" Talon started before Rin closed her eyes and nodded.
"I do need you, I need you to tell me what to do, I don't want to be lost and confused anymore," she said while trembling slightly. After a pause she looked to him with pleading eyes.
"I'm nothing more than a weapon, one that's spilled blood before, that's all I'll ever be. The blood of my friends, my family, it's all on my hands, it'll never come off. Please, I'm begging you, don't let me be used for evil again, I need you to direct me, to wield me," she begged softly. Talon looked at her with a blank expression as the girl looked down with closed eyes.
"Don't let me fall again," she whimpered. Talon looked at the girl for a moment then glanced to the witch sisters, both smiling sympathetically at the siren.
"Master, I believe she means it," Jovian said softly.
"She needs you just like we do," Jacqueline agreed. Talon paused for a moment then rested his hand on Rin's shoulder, the siren looking to him with timid eyes.
"You shall not fall again Rin, that I promise you," he said with a nod.
"My life is in your hands master," she said resting her hands on his chest again.
"As are ours," Jovian and Jacqueline added together as they held onto his shoulders gently. The boy looked around at the girls who were all watching him with longing eyes. All three girls were putting their lives and fates into his hands, all ready to follow him and his command no matter what.
"I don't want you all to be my slaves," Talon said shaking his head.
"Then I'll be your weapon, and kill whoever you order me to," Jovian said assuredly.
"I'll be your tool for revenge, and kill those that hurt you," Jacqueline said with a smile. Rin held onto Talon's shirt tightly as she gazed into his eyes.
"I'll be anything you want me to be, I'll do anything you ask, I'll never say no to you. This is all there is for me in my life, please don't take that away from me," she pleaded. Talon looked at her with a blank expression as the girl smiled softly at him.
"A slave, a weapon, a tool, I'll be anything; just please, give me an order, tell me what to do. You're the only one I want to listen to, the only one I'll follow," she said gently.
A while of silence passed as Talon just watched Rin with a blank expression, the girls showing concern as he didn't say anything.
"Please master, order me, tell me to do something, anything," Rin pleaded. After a while the boy shook his head, with the girls looking at him worriedly now.
"Stop, now," he said, removing her hands from his chest. Rin looked at him with desperation and backed up a step.
"Please… master…" she whimpered.
"Talon," he corrected. Rin looked at him worriedly as he watched her with a sharp eye.
"Address me by my name, Talon," he said, with Rin looking down nervously.
"Rin," he said firmly, the girl looking to him with a squeak.
"That's an order," he stated sternly. Rin stared at him with wonder as the boy shook his head.
"No more calling me master, I have a name, now say it," he ordered.
"Talon," she said under her breath.
"Louder," he ordered. Rin gulped then nodded.
"Talon," she said softly. Talon glanced to the witch sisters as they watched him worriedly.
"You two as well, no more calling me master," he said.
"But mas-" Jovian started before the boy looked to her with a cold glare, the girl gasping and backing up with fright.
"I understand you need me to be one for you to survive, that you and your sister need a master in order to live. However, the reason I summoned you was for you to claim your own revenge against Fairy Tale, you being my… servants isn't something I intended to happen," he stated firmly. Jovian trembled as the boy walked up to her, her eyes staring into his as her mouth quivered.
"Now, if you truly do wish to serve me, if there is no other way for you, then fine, so be it. But if that's the case then I order you to address me properly, I didn't take you two under my wing in order to feel superior or put you down in life, so you will call me by my name just as I do with you, understand?" he stated. Jovian nodded shakily while Jacqueline raised her hand with a worried smile.
"I don't mind being called your slave, really," Jacqueline said before Talon looked to her with a glare, the girl jumping with a yelp then backing up a bit.
"What is my name?" he demanded.
"Mas-" she started before the boy narrowed his eyes at her, the witch whimpering then smiling nervously.
"I mean, T-Talon," she said shakily. The boy looked to Jovian as she watched him with longing eyes.
"What's my name?" he repeated.
"Talon," she said softly. Talon nodded and looked to Rin, the siren watching him with timid eyes. She looked down briefly then back to him before walking up to him.
"Please don't let me go," she said softly.
"Rin, I'm not casting you away. If you wish to follow me still then that's your choice," he said simply, the girl watching him with wonder as he slowly shook his head.
"Just stop calling me master all the time, I'm not having you come with me to be my slave," he said tiredly. Rin looked at him curiously then down while gently nudging a stone with her foot.
"I don't mind though… being your slave," she said softly.
"But I do," Talon said, with Rin looking up to him curiously. Jovian and Jacqueline walked over to her sides, with Talon glancing around at the three of them.
"I summoned Jovian and Jacqueline, so that they may have their own revenge against those that used them for such horrible deeds in their past. I allowed you, Rin, to accompany me since you offered to help with dispatching those from Fairy Tale in return for finding the one that hurt you so badly in your past. The reason you three are with me isn't to serve me as slaves, but to exact your own vengeance against those that used you like weapons. I don't wish to be like those that harmed you, I don't wish to use you; I only wish to help guide you towards your own retribution," he stated, and then looked to Jovian then to Jacqueline.
"If you two are truly bound to me, to do as I say as from your spell's design, then it can't be helped. However I see you as my equals, not as my lesser, I see you both as those who were also harmed by Fairy Tale, and are deserving of revenge against them," he said, with the sisters watching him with adoring eyes. He then looked to Rin as the siren watched him timidly, the girl slowly removing her headphones as she only wanted to hear him right now.
"The same goes for you Rin, you are not my slave, you are my equal, somebody who was wronged and who deserves a chance at revenge. If you're going to follow me, if you really insist on me ordering you around, then I order you, all of you, to remember," he said firmly.
"Remember?" Rin asked.
"Remember what?" the witch sisters asked together.
"Remember why you are here, remember why it is you are seeking revenge, remember the pain that you've been dealt, remember what is truly your mission here," Talon stated. The girls looked down with closed eyes as Talon walked up to them.
"Fairy Tale, Falla, all those that used you like weapons against innocent people, those that corrupted and tainted your hands with blood all for their gain, remember why we are doing this," Talon reminded.
"Falla… she'll pay for what she did to me," Rin cursed with clenched fists.
"Fairy Tale will suffer for using us the way they did," Jovian said with malice.
"We'll make them pay for turning us into murderers," Jacqueline said with anger. The girls then looked to Talon as he nodded in agreement.
"Remember why you are here, what we have to do. If you wish to follow me, then do so knowing that you're not my slaves, you are my fellow weapons of war, my equals," he said calmly. The girls looked to each other for a moment then to him again.
"We understand Talon," Rin said, the girls glancing to each other then walking up to the boy. Talon looked around at them as they smiled softly at him while holding him close.
"We are not your slaves," Jovian said with a shrug.
"We don't have to follow you," Jacqueline said shaking her head.
"You are not our master," Rin said with a gentle smile. The boy looked around at them with a blank expression as the girls just held him gently.
"What are you all doing?" he asked. The girls all looked to each other then to him again.
"I want to belong to you," Jovian said softly.
"I want to follow you," Jacqueline said gently.
"I want to be yours," Rin said softly, with Talon looking to her as she smiled gently at him along with the witch sisters.
"You picked us up when we were broken and forgotten, you helped us see clearly and kept us focused on our goals, if it wasn't for you we would be lost," Rin said softly.
"We will follow you wherever you go, do whatever you say, because we want to, not because we have to," Jovian said in agreement.
"We're all your weapons now, nobody else can ever wield us but you, that's what we want," Jacqueline said as the girls stepped back and smiled at him, the boy just looking at them with a blank expression.
"Please, help me become the best weapon I can be," Rin said with determination.
"Help guide us in destroying those who used us for evil," Jovian said with a focused expression.
"Our lives are in your hands, now and forever," Jacqueline said proudly. Talon looked around at them for a moment then to Rin as she put on her headphones with a faint smile, the girl running her hand along the handle of her gun briefly before resting it on her hip.
"Like I said before, I'm Talon Ryashen's weapon, this is where I belong," she said assuredly.
"You are our master, but we shall address you as Talon from now on as per your request," Jovian said politely.
"What are our orders now, Talon?" Jacqueline asked as the girls watched him with gentle smiles. The boy glanced from one girl to the other then looked around at the remains of the castle.
"Very well, if that is what you all want, so be it. For now, our search here is over, the zombie and Rin's key are not around these grounds anymore," he said shaking his head. The sisters looked to Rin with worried smiles.
"Sorry Rin, we'll find it again," Jacqueline said hopefully. Rin shook her head as she watched Talon with a calm expression.
"It doesn't matter; I don't need that key to find Falla again. Like Talon said, all we need to do is find those vampires, we'll find out where that bitch is hiding from them," she said assuredly. The sisters smiled at her then looked to Talon as he spread out his wings.
"We'll find somewhere to sleep for the night then resume our hunt tomorrow. Let's go," he said, with Jovian walking over and holding onto him while Rin extended her wings and took hold of Jacqueline. The two flyers took off into the air, with Talon leading the way and Rin following the boy while watching him with a gentle smile. As they soared through the air over a forest Jovian glanced back to seeing Rin following behind then looked to Talon with a small smile.
"She does like you a lot," she mentioned, with Talon glancing to her as she held onto him from around his shoulders.
"I'm aware of that Jovian, it's as obvious as the unique love you feel with your sister," he said looking back ahead. Jovian twitched a bit with a squeak then smiled worriedly at him.
"Um, our love?" she asked slowly.
"Very little escapes my eye Jovian. I've noticed how Rin feels towards me, just as I've noticed you and your sister committing acts of incest in the bushes," Talon said plainly. Jovian blushed brightly and glanced away nervously.
"Oh… you… you saw us?" she stammered.
"No, I heard you. It was considerate of you to take your sister out of eyesight from us during that, however you didn't take into account that if you call out 'stick your tongue in deeper' loudly followed by a passionate moan, those nearby would have a pretty good hunch as to what you two were doing," Talon said dryly. Jovian turned a deep shade of red before she buried her face in his shoulder.
"I'm sorry Talon, please don't hate us, we can't help it. I love her, so much, and she loves me, we can't control how we feel," she said worriedly.
"Relax, what you and your sister do is none of my concern, I don't judge others by what makes them happy in life, and I can see that your sister means a lot to you," Talon reasoned. Jovian looked to him timidly then back behind to seeing Jacqueline being held in Rin's arms.
"I would die for her Talon, I love her so much," she said softly.
"Don't worry; I won't let you be separated from her. If you two really do love each other that way, then that's between you two and nobody else," Talon said calmly. Jovian looked to him with caring eyes before he glanced to her with a solemn expression.
"However, I'm not looking for a girlfriend right now, my only goal is to slay all those who were ever part of Fairy Tale, that's it," he said before looking ahead. Jovian looked at him for a moment while her hair fluttered in the wind then showed a small smile.
"That's ok, I think she's happy with just being your weapon," she said with a shrug. Talon kept looking ahead without answering, with Jovian then looking back to seeing her sister's hair fluttering in the wind while Rin carried her.
"We're all happy with being yours, this is where we belong," she said softly, the witch then resting her head on Talon's shoulder and closing her eyes as the hybrid carried her off into the horizon along with Rin following closely behind.
Standing atop a cliffside Tsukune was gazing out at the horizon ahead of him, seeing the blue sea rolling by below while blue and green streaks of light drifted through the air below the clouds. The sight of the large moon that was very close in the sky along with a few sparkling celestial rings that shimmered briefly around the nearby moon gave the place a very unique and otherworldly feel to it, however Tsukune had started to become used to the irregular days he had been spending here. Day and night came and went unexpectedly and in unusual hours, the weather would shift from peaceful to stormy in the blink of an eye, monsters and demons of powerful and vicious nature lurked in the woods behind him, and a siren was staying close to his side as always, the same one that was gently landing down behind him in the clearing between the cliffside and forest.
"Tsukune? What are you doing over here?" Ren asked as she flicked her hair back casually and walked up to the boy. Tsukune glanced back to her with a small smile then looked ahead again.
"We haven't heard from Ruby in a long while, I wonder why she hasn't come back yet," he said curiously.
"We don't need her here with us Tsukune, we're doing fine just on our own," Ren said shaking her head.
"I know we are, I'm just curious why we haven't heard from her. I think it's been a few days, though it's rather hard to tell here to be honest," Tsukune said looking up at the sky. What seemed to be a few days had passed at least, however he knew that in Paradise time was difficult to keep track of with its unpredictable day and night cycle. Ren glanced up at the sky briefly then back to him with a calm smile.
"She's probably spending time with her boyfriend; she knows we're ok. Relax Tsukune, I'm sure nothing's wrong," she assured while walking up to him. Tsukune nodded and looked back to her with a small chuckle.
"You're probably right, I'm sure if anything was going on they would tell us," he reasoned with a shrug. Ren nodded and looked up at the sky.
"Tsukune, how long do you think we've been in here?" she asked softly. Tsukune looked up and around at the sky in the horizon while Ren walked up to his side.
"I'm not sure. Days seem to come and go here pretty quickly, but I don't think we've been in here for that long though," he speculated. Ren nodded slowly then closed her eyes and breathed out slowly.
"However long it takes to cure you of your bloodlust, we'll stay here together and get through it," she said softly. Tsukune glanced to her with a warm smile as the siren stood there, her hair and feathers gently moving around in the breeze.
"You don't regret being here? You could be back in the monster world with your sisters, away from all this danger and being isolated from everyone. Don't you miss that?" Tsukune asked. Ren merely shook her head while keeping her eyes closed.
"Tsukune, being here with you is the best thing that ever happened to me," she said, then looked to him with a saddened smile. Tsukune looked at her curiously as the siren turned to face him.
"My whole life has been a series of letdowns; ever since I was little something always went wrong with me. I wasn't as good a singer as my sisters growing up, I didn't make many friends in my old village, I lost my parents to some horrible monster when I was young, I was kidnapped and forced to be a singing canary for my old master. No matter if something ever tried to go right for me, there was something worse that came along with it that just pulled me down even further," she said before looking down. Tsukune watched her with a gentle expression as the siren wiped a tear away before looking to him again with a gentle smile.
"But in here, with you, it's not like that. I almost died Tsukune, it was horrible and scary, but then something far greater than what I thought could happen happened. You saved me, and gave me the power to fight in the world. All this time I've spent with you in here, it's been wonderful. I heard about everything you did in your past Tsukune, everything that you've done, you really are a hero," she said softly, with Tsukune smiling and rubbing the back of his head. Ren glanced down while her hands fidgeted together behind her back.
"I've been trapped in this world with the world's greatest hero, one who saved my life more than once and even gave me the strength to fight back in the world. You're so kind, caring, generous, and brave, there's nothing bad about you Tsukune, no downside to ruin being with you at all. I know it's dangerous here, I know we'll be stuck here for a long while, but I don't care. Being with you, I've never felt so happy before," she admitted. Tsukune smiled curiously at her as the girl looking back to him with a timid smile.
"Well, thank you for saying that Ren, and I'm glad to hear you're feeling happier now as well. I know when you first came here you had trouble smiling around others," Tsukune said kindly. Ren nodded and looked down with a small smile.
"Yeah, I was afraid coming here the same thing would happen to me, more despair and letdowns. But I was wrong, you made everything all better. You changed me for the better," she said looking back to him. Tsukune smiled at the girl then looked off into the horizon.
"I hear that a lot from my friends, starting to wonder if it's really true what they say. I just don't want anyone to-" he started before Ren quickly hugged him close, the boy jumping a bit then looking to see the siren holding him dearly and resting her head on his shoulder.
"Thank you so much Tsukune, for not letting me go. I don't know what I would do without you," she said as her wings slightly retracted behind her. Tsukune smiled a bit then hugged her, the girl looking off into the horizon over the sea while she held onto him. Her scent filled his nose, the sweet fragrance of the siren along with her blood making the girl seem more prominent to him as he hugged her.
"I'll always be there for you Ren, just like I would be for any of my friends," he said gently. Ren showed a dull expression to that while she was looking off at the sea, the girl closing her eyes and nodding slowly.
"Right… friends…" she said quietly. She bit her lip lightly and took a small breath through her nose, then bit down harder as she clenched her hands on his shirt. Tsukune looked at her curiously as the girl leaned back and let go of him, her hand resting over her mouth as she looked down with closed eyes.
"Ren? What's wrong?" he asked. After a moment she looked to him and lowered her hand, showing a small smile while blood was seen coming from her lower lip.
"Sorry, I got too excited hugging you and… well, I bit my lip a little hard," she said with a small shrug. Tsukune looked at her curiously as the girl slowly moved her tongue around where there was some blood coming from the small wound, the smell seeming to become even more powerful to him as he felt his throat dry up slightly.
"Oh, I see, well try to be more careful," he said with a weak smile while rubbing the back of his head. Ren nodded and tilted her head slightly with a curious expression.
"Tsukune? When was the last time you had something to eat?" she asked. The boy glanced away and tried to push the smell of her blood out of his mind.
"Um, been a while, maybe we should go look for something to eat," he said with a small shrug. Ren watched him with longing eyes then walked up to him and held him close, the boy looking to her with a jump as she showed a timid expression.
"If you're hungry, how about some of my blood? I know how much you like it," she offered. Tsukune glanced to the blood on her lip then looked away while smiling weakly.
"Uh, that's alright, you don't have to, I'll be alright until we find something else," he reasoned. Ren shook her head and smiled playfully at him.
"Nonsense Tsukune, I'm here to help you remember? Offering you my blood is no trouble at all, I hardly feel fatigued anymore now that I've become like you," she said with a giggle. Tsukune looked to her curiously as she slowly rubbed her neck with one hand.
"Although, my neck is a little stiff right now, maybe drinking my blood from there wouldn't be so good at the moment," she mentioned.
"It's ok Ren, we can start making our way back to our island, I'm sure we'll find-" Tsukune started before the girl slowly brought up her arms around his neck and leaned closer to him.
"Then again, I'm bleeding right now, so no need for the blood to go to waste," she said softly, with Tsukune glancing to her lips then to her as she gazed at him.
"Um, what? But… you don't mean…" Tsukune said nervously. Ren nodded slowly then leaned in and kissed Tsukune, the boy jumping with surprise as the siren held onto him from around his neck. She didn't use her tongue; rather she kept her lips pressed against his while she tasted the blood mixing in with their saliva. For Tsukune however he tasted the blood very clearly, something that was so pleasant for him while at the same time he was stunned at how Ren had chosen to give him the blood. Both surprise and confusion came to mind as he didn't know how to react. He knew kissing the girl was obviously not something he should be doing, however the taste of her blood was so intoxicating and inviting that he had trouble telling his body to get away, with Ren still holding him close to prevent him from doing so. Slowly he closed his eyes and tasted the blood, savoring it as he lightly lapped it up with his tongue. Ren held in her moan of joy to hide that she was enjoying it the way she was as she let the boy drink her blood, her eyes fluttering a bit before opening slightly and watching Tsukune who was drinking his delicious blood from her lips.
'That's right Tsukune, you know you want this.'
She felt the boy lightly biting her lip then as he became engrossed in getting more of the blood, the girl feeling her heartbeat picking up as she tried to keep her own tongue in her mouth. The thought of French kissing him came to mind, however she know that if she did that her intentions would be even more noticeable to him and may push him further away at the moment.
After a while Tsukune leaned back with a soft gasp as he relished the taste of the siren's blood. Ren blinked a few times then removed her arms from around him as she smiled bashfully at the boy.
"I hope that tasted ok for you," she said gently. Tsukune looked to her with wonder then down as he felt guilty about having kissed her like that.
'Oh man, I couldn't stop myself. It's not like I wanted to kiss her, I just… yeah, Moka's going to kill me.'
He glanced back up to Ren as he contemplated whether Moka would understand that the delicious blood got to him, much like how she too became overzealous and carried away by his blood before, or if she would flat out kill him and maybe even Ren too if she learned what just happened.
"Um… yeah, it did. Thank you Ren," he said before holding a hand to his lips. Ren nodded with a giggle then glanced to the forest nearby.
"Good, and if you ever need more, please don't hesitate to ask. I'm here to help you, however I can," she said looking back to him with a kind smile. Tsukune smiled slightly and nodded then looked down with a troubled expression, with Ren watching him with a growing smile on her face. She looked to his lips then to him again as she slowly licked her own lips and savored the taste.
'Best kiss ever.'
Ren started to walk towards the forest, turning her head back to Tsukune who glanced up to her. She winked at him then walked off towards the woods first, her hips swaying gently along with her hair as she had a coy smile on her face. Tsukune watched her go then slowly followed after, looking up with a quiet sigh as he tried to control his thoughts. Although his hunger had been slated, the image and feeling of the siren kissing him was etching into his mind causing more distress. He knew he had wanted to fight her off, he wanted to tell her to stop, but the smell and taste of the blood made his thoughts and judgment cloudy.
'If Paradise doesn't kill me, Moka just might.'
The two walked back into the forest together; the vampire who was learning to control his power and bloodlust, and the siren who had fallen in love with him.
Inside the testing halls of Fairy Tale's floating island two scientists were walking through the area, passing several specimen pens and computer terminals while other workers were continuing with their jobs.
"So our leader approves of the clones we've produced so far? That's outstanding, I was worried with Subject Number 1's odd turnout she would have been upset," one of the men said with a bright smile.
"I was scared to death she would have killed me up there for not having them all ready, next time you can present our findings to our leader yourself," the other said shaking his head, having a fearful expression on his face.
"Would you relax? All our hard work is paying off, now all we need to do is get the bugs worked out with Subject Number 1 and then we're in the clear. We'll be promoted to the head of the research and development team for sure after this, then we can lead our entire division however we see fit," the first one said with stars in his eyes. The second one nodded then stopped as he looked to a monitor nearby, the other man walking a bit then halting and looking back to seeing his comrade reading something on the display.
"Something wrong?" he asked as he walked back to his friend.
"I had wanted to ask the higher-ups something earlier, however I'm afraid I got too afraid to bring it up," the first man said as he touched something on the screen, the display changing to showing a listing of special projects and research going on in their division.
"Oh? Like what?" the other man asked.
"We've been working with six test subjects, all being developed and cloned from six monsters that stopped Kiria and even Alucard before, correct?" the first man asked carefully.
"Yes, what do you think we've been doing all this time?" the other man laughed. The first one shook his head and pointed to the screen.
"I've just been curious about this, the supplies and testing measures that are outlined in our section for working on these clones, we're only supposed to be using six different monster signatures from recovered blood samples, correct?" he questioned.
"Yeah, and?" the other man asked. The first man ran his finger up along a selection of high level projects outlined for their division.
"Well, here are the six clones we've been working on all this time, all our efforts and resources being pooled into just perfecting these six for our leader," he explained, then rested his finger on a project icon that was listed above the six clone projects.
"Then why is there a seventh project listed? And above all of ours? I thought these clones were our leader's priority with our division," the man questioned. The other scientist looked at the entry, seeing that it was of higher importance than their six clones, yet had no details or even a codename for it.
"Huh, well whatever, our leader only wants us to work on these six clones, and we've only gotten five of them operational. Our only concern is getting Subject Number 1 sorted out as soon as possible, that's all. Whatever else is being worked on down here isn't our team's concern or responsibility," he reasoned with a shrug. He started walking off while the other man just looked at the entry with a curious glance.
"What else are they working on down here that they don't want even our team to know about?" he wondered before walking off as well.
Deeper within the floating island, within a secured section of the underground complex a large gathering of Fairy Tale guards and workers were gathered in a rounded hall, with the centerpiece casting out a light greenish glow that lit up the restricted area. In the middle of the room was a raised platform with dozens of tubes and cables sprawled around and up into the circular holding pen, the glass container filled with a bubbling blue liquid while an ominous green glow was coming from a figure inside.
"How much are we supposed to be administering to this subject?" a scientist at a computer terminal asked worriedly, his eyes glued to the figure in the container.
"Orders say three times the normal amount," another said while watching the subject carefully.
"Make it four times," Gyokuro said as she walked into the room and towards the center platform. Everyone around the room jumped and then saluted her as she eyed the test subject carefully, the woman then glancing to the scientists at the nearby terminal for the platform.
"Four times the amount of Blackheart for this one, I want it imbued into every fiber of its being and monster energy," she said before looking back to the subject.
"F-F-Four times? Is that… safe?" the man asked shakily.
"Are you questioning me?" Gyokuro asked glancing to him with a sharp eye. The man jumped then shook his head quickly.
"No! Never! I just hope the subject is able to… tolerate such an extreme dosage. It's taken us so long to construct this much of the subject, I wouldn't want any setbacks for you regarding its completion," he explained nervously. Gyokuro eyed him for a moment then looked back to the container.
"Four times the amount, do it," she ordered. The man nodded then typed on the terminal, with black liquid then being seen pumping through some of the tubes into the liquid inside the container. The room gave off a deep crimson glow again and again as the black liquid swirled around and fizzled into the water around the subject. Inside the container a figure was floating in place, a girl who was only seen as a dark silhouette against the green and red glows emanating around her body. She was as tall as Luna, had the same figure and bust size as Luna, and had large butterfly wings behind her just as Luna did. The subject's eyes slowly opened a peek, giving off a green light as streaks of torn space ripped and pulsated around the body briefly. All eyes watched as a distorted wave of air bent and twisted around the subject, causing the steel and reinforced glass to creak and groan. The men watching the computer terminals around the room looked to their monitors, all seeing constant flashing warning and caution signs about the subject's condition.
"Subject appears to be accepting the dosage, readings are within safe levels, but only barely," one of them said with a bit of unease in his voice.
"How much longer before this one is done?" Gyokuro asked while keeping her eyes on the figure. The scientist at the terminal next to her read something on his screen then looked to the test subject.
"We're roughly about 30% complete with this one," he reported.
"What? The other ones are already standing and walking on their own right now, how is this one not even close to being finished yet?" Gyokuro demanded while looking to him with a sharp glare. The man turned pale out of fright and shook his head.
"We can't rush this one my lady, it would be far too dangerous. The other subjects were hard to keep in line as they were, with Subject Number 1 in particular being nearly impossible to keep down. With this one… if we were to lose control of it…" he said nervously looking to the figure in the container. Gyokuro watched him with a slight scowl as he gulped and glanced back to her.
"We would have no way of stopping it," he said fearfully.
"I was under the impression that this subject had an explosive device inside of it as a fail-safe, is that not the case?" Gyokuro asked. The scientist hesitated then nodded.
"Well… yes, it does, the radio frequency can be accessed and used by any Fairy Tale transmitter," he confirmed.
"Then what is the problem?" Gyokuro demanded. The scientist stammered something nervously for a moment before the woman chuckled and looked at him with a cold smile.
"I see, you're afraid of it, aren't you?" she asked. The man glanced to the subject then to her again while shrugging a little before rubbing the back of his head. Gyokuro laughed and looked around the room.
"You're all afraid of this one, aren't you? That miserable excuse of a clone for my step-daughter may have caused some uneasiness down here, but am I hearing correctly that this one here, even having a bomb primed inside of her, is more terrifying to you?" she questioned amusedly. Everyone glanced to one another while remaining quiet, with Gyokuro looking around at everybody then laughing.
"That's good, you should be afraid of this one. After all, if you were her target you would never see her coming. Nobody would, nobody would be safe from her, nobody would be able to protect you from her; and that is exactly why we are creating her. The name Alucard is known far and wide for being the mighty destroyer of the monster world, once thought to be invincible and the epitome of true terror. However he was defeated by rogue monsters and that mistake of a daughter of mine, his legend will now fade away in the history books. It is time for a new destroyer to rise in this world, only this time it will serve the monster realm, it will serve Fairy Tale in the annihilation of those who are truly a plague in this world," she declared proudly. She looked back to the subject as the tubes started to pump more Blackheart into the container, with the black liquid fizzling and swirling around the subject's body as all eyes fell on it.
"Those other clones will dispatch their counterparts with ease, they will destroy their lives, their families, their friends; they'll take everything away from those misguided insects before crushing them into the ground. They will put an end to this foolish notion of coexistence; they will shatter that despicable dream once and for all. And then when mankind finally understands their place, that their so called heroes are nothing but weak little monsters, that their time in the world is up, that is when they will meet their new destroyer, their new butcher, their new angel of death," she declared coldly. A bright green glow came from the container as the black liquid swirled around and dissolved against the skin of the subject. From the bloom the figure was seen to be a perfect copy of Luna, except for the wings. For this one the wings were comprised of black borders, green segments, and blue dots. Gyokuro chuckled as she watched the chronofly with a cold smile, her keen senses detecting the extremely high monster energy building within the clone even though to those around them the aura was almost nonexistent.
"My lady, what name should we give this one?" a scientist asked. Gyokuro glanced to him then looked back to the chronofly as a deep crimson glow came from the subject before fading to a green hue again.
"Discord."