Supernatural: Chronicles of the Order 6

Chapter 26: The Emperor's Audience

(DISCLAIMER: No, I don't own Supernatural because it belongs to Eric Kripke and Warner Bros. So, enjoy the show! Rated M for graphic violence, adult content, and adult language.)

I was in a pull-cart as I was being escorted at the behest of Emperor Wan as I was most likely to be there to the Capital for a reason. And do you know where the Capital is located? It was located in the southern region of Alphana in which it also has the name of Skyward City as I was there to meet with Emperor Wan soon enough. Earlier, I was packed for the journey as I had my suitcase full of things that I needed, for I also had my latest journal to write in while I rode in the pull-cart for the rest of the journey. Even though I was going to meet with the ruler of all Drakonus, I wasn't alone as I had Dvora riding along with me. Still, no matter how many times I tried to keep her from coming along, I was met with being threatened with having Dean coming just to attack me if I didn't obey the protocol of having a bodyguard along.

"The caravan will be coming towards the seaside town of Yavanar soon," she said. "It's the official rest stop for us until we get to Alphana soon."

"That's where Skyward City will be," I said.

"You should be lucky that I'm here for the ride because if Dean found out that you didn't have a bodyguard with you, he'd kick your ass."

"And yet he still sends people to babysit me against my wishes..."

"Well, it's better than having you become Julilla's sex toy. Anyway, you can't go alone because it's not healthy to do so."

"You're one to talk..."

"It's the truth, Sam. You may try to think that you can do it all alone, but you're wrong. You need support on the field, not just go there half-cocked. Besides, it never hurts to have backup, wouldn't you agree?"

I didn't say another word as I continued to write in my journal the rest of the trip. By the time we got there to our rest stop, we got out of the pull-cart as we stretched our legs. The town of Yavanar was a calming place as it had an inn and a cafe that suited our tastes. By the time we entered into the cafe, we sat down at a table as we ordered some lunch that consisted of shrimp dumplings with a side order of grilled squid with arugula. Both of us were hungry as we busy eating our lunch while waiting for the seaship to bring us over to Skyward City as planned.

"This squid is tasty," said Dvora as she took a bite of some that was on the platter.

"The food's good, but the dumplings are a no-show," I said as I took a bite of one of them on my plate. "Whoever made these added more vegetables than shrimp to them."

"C'mon, what's wrong with more vegetables in a dumpling?"

"Everything has to have balance in food, not have other ingredients overpower the main thing. The squid is feasible, but whoever made those dumplings, didn't put enough shrimp in them."

"That is true, but don't blame the cook about it. And another thing, didn't your past self always had a thing for rabbit food?"

It wasn't long until I noticed a repentant cook come out of the kitchen as he was feeling too guilty about his blunder. He never expected to fail like that as he was worried about the aftermath of what he tried to bring out. Still, he was in over his head as he was desperate for forgiveness at this moment.

"I'm so sorry," he said as he was scared.

"Don't worry about it," I said. "The dumpling is good, but there should be more meat or seafood in them," I said.

"Business is slow, but the seaships carrying the seafood will be coming here shortly… Still, it's been said that the one known as the Galactic Messiah will bring this galaxy to a golden age, but I blew it, my Lord."

"Do not call me 'my Lord.' I don't like being addressed by that term because it's not fit for me. All I am is just a simple Man of Letters like the rest of the people I work with. For the record, I go by Sam and that's all."

"How dare you, Sam?"

I heard a familiar voice coming from a nearby table as I saw Yashamaru standing in front of me. As usual, he had his reasons to be here as he was most likely to remind me of my future position as a new god to this galaxy. Still, I wasn't used to being called by such honorifics before as I was about to be put into the doghouse for not accepting such accolades on my part, for it was something new to me on the spot.

"You should accept such honorifics in your presence, Sam," he said. "And if you think that you're not worthy of that, then you're pulled back down to your position as servant to the fort on Gehenna."

"I'm not used to being called 'my Lord,' but not in front of those who see me out in the open," I said.

"Get over it; there's nothing to be ashamed of when it comes to those who revere you to the masses."

"I'm just a simple man of letters, Yashamaru, not someone who is just an up-and-coming god!"

"In the Elder Days, your past self wanted to get out what he was meant to become in which he once desired to have a normal life, only to accept what he truly is in the end. As for you, you don't accept the given honorific that those who view you as a legend that they give you."

"I really don't like being addressed as 'my lord' because it's not fitting for me to have it."

"You better listen to me further, Sam." I feel Yashamaru coming towards me as he wrapped me around with the silver wire hidden in the vajra in his hands. "You are an upcoming god, but you should also accept the respect and accolades you deserve. Now, accept what you truly have or else you will suffer dearly, are we good?"

I nodded as I felt the wire free me briefly. When I returned to my table, I noticed Dvora stare at me as she was stunned to see me being roughed up like that. No matter how harsh that incident was, I ignored it as I finished up my food and was ready to pay the bill. Still, I did my part as I watched Dvora do the same in which we left the cafe without saying another word. By the time we were going towards the inn for the night, we saw a seaship that bore the Drakonar Emperor's royal banner on it as we were being called there for a reason. It wasn't long until we saw several members of the Drakonar Army emerging as they were ready to escort us to Skyward City, for we saw Daorani in the crowd with her subordinates so far.

"My Lord," she said as she kneeled. "Emperor Wan awaits your arrival."

"And I'll see to it," I said. "Also, don't call me 'my Lord.' I'll always be addressed as Sam and that's all."

"Hey, didn't Yashamaru tell you to accept honorifics after what he tried to do to you?" said Dvora.

"I'm not used to being called to such high regard like that, but I'd rather stick to either Sam or Sammy as my form of addressing."

"Sammy is considered to be the name that is picked for an overweight prebuscent boy," said Daorani. "As I recall, your Shinigami companion told you to accept your title without further argument, but you feel awkward about it. Therefore, from now on, the Drakonar Army or any other planetary military will always address you as 'my Lord' and that's that, wouldn't you agree?"

I didn't say another word as I was being escorted into the seaship with Dvora in tow. When we were put into the ship, we set sail towards Skyward City as we were most likely to be having an audience with Emperor Wan soon enough, for it was mandatory to do so at this time of need…

Crowley was laying in one of the spare rooms of our castle on Alecrast as he was still recovering from a stomachache. Even though he was wanting to remain in our other one on Drakonus, he had no say into arguing as he had no choice but to recover at his own pace. When he got up, he decided ot roam out of his room as he was busy overseeing the activities of the Medical Corps as they were bringing in patients right and left. Still, he didn't want to bother them as he crept outside to where he noticed Valerie arriving in which she was desperate for work due to her hardships she had since her husband's death. Still, he noticed the Elven widow to be fair game as he was most likely to cement his legacy with the one who was earmarked into carrying his future seed soon enough, but he had to hide from the Medical Corps' staunch director if he wanted to survive the castle's strict protocol first.

"It's a nice day for the spring," he said as he spotted Valerie approaching.

"Wait, I know who you are," she said as she turned around. "You were the one who was almost killed in that teahouse in Akatsuki last year."

"You were expecting another Elf for comfort, Mrs. Stevenson?"

"I put off marrying again after my husband was killed before Cchristmas in which I have so much to do right now."

"Valerie Stevenson, you know that I see you as the resident MILF in this village, but you turn every man (or woman) down after you had such tragedy in your life."

"Let me remind you that I have four children to feed. That's why I'm doing odd jobs ranging from mining tradarium to selling produce just to provide for them."

Without warning, Crowley heard footsteps approaching as he sprinted back to his room. Even though he was a demon once again, he still feared retaliation from Kazuo as he was also afraid of having another finger shoved into his anal cavity for his annual checkup all the live long. Still, he was biding his time as he would stop at nothing to bed Valerie soon enough, for he had seen her many times before and after he was human and demon at the same time…

The seaship arrived in Skyward City as I noticed the architecture all over the place. It was a bustling metropolis of sorts as I saw the buildings towering up to over a hundred feet and climbing. Even Dvora was seeing the architecture so grandly as she spotted a music store that had tons of K-pop oriented memorabilia in it. Even though she was wanting to check it out, she didn't have time to shirk her duties as she followed me towards a bullet commuter train that was leading to the palace. When the both of us entered inside, we sat down as we took our seats the moment the commuter bullet train took off at high speed. I noticed the city at close range as I found it to be much bigger than the cities on Kaijirin in which I couldn't wait to tell Reiko all about it. Writing in my journal, I was detailing my journey here in Skyward City as I was most likely to be caught up in my upcoming address to Emperor Wan so far.

"I just wished that I went to that K-pop store," said Dvora as she was feeling discouraged.

"You'll get another chance after our meeting with the Emperor," I said.

"Anyway, the Emperor is single, but his advisors keep telling him to get hitched in this time of war."

"It's the usual royal hierarchy with any planetary ruler in which if sons are born, they inherit titles of their choosing. If daughters are born, they are swiftly married off to the Order as brides."

"Princess Mary of Kaijirin was married to your dad in which you and Dean do have somewhat royal blood flowing in your veins."

"The only carriers of a royal bloodline only exist in the males of the family."

"Not true, Sam; females also have a royal bloodline that consists of extra benefits so far. Still, of all the royal planetary rulers I've seen, the Alecrian royal family hasn't been seen in years since Henry Winchester fled his duties to become a member of the Order of Letters. From all I heard, the Alecrian royal seat has been occupied by the stewards in which they despise the ruling family. They even have ties to the Old Guard from the Elder Days and we all know what they were trying to do."

"Attention, passengers," said a voice over the intercom. "We will be arriving at the royal palace shortly. Please stay in your seats before the train stops. Thank you for your cooperation and have a nice ride."

It wasn't long until the train stopped at a station as we got out and were walking towards the parking lot of the royal palace. With a group of royal soldiers approaching, we were being escorted towards the main hall of the royal palace as we were seeing the structure of it being on display. The architecture of it was exquisite as I was seeing it for all it was worth. All I needed was to bring Reiko along someday, for I wanted her with me more than anything right now. By the time we were going towards the throne room, we noticed Castiel standing in front of us as he was more than likely to be guarding me just as much as Dvora in this time of crisis right now.

"Emperor Wan will be here shortly," he said.

"I see that you're getting better after what happened to you," I said.

"The arm and leg are functioning very well, for they are now in synch with my angelic energy than I ever imagined."

"You lost your arm, didn't you?" said Dvora.

"I lost both my arm and leg at the hands of Clegenny Marquand during the Zetian ambush, but If Sam hadn't enhanced the prosthetic limbs that I have now with his silver hair, I would've been done for."

"I see what you mean, but Yashamaru still forbids him to trim his hair in which it's connected to the universe and such. And every time he tries to see him or anyone try to snip it off, he scolds them to the extreme, so I suggest that you watch it."

At that moment, we heard the sound of a fanfare playing as we saw a royal procession approaching in our tracks. The sight of the royal guard and servants welcoming us was something new as we noticed Emperor Wan coming towards us all dressed in his decorated regalia. It was at that moment when he was ready to address his subjects as he noticed me standing in the middle of the procession altogether. It was also at that moment when I bowed at his presence of royalty due to my humility and manners.

"My Lord, there's no need for you to be kowtowing right now," I heard him say as he sat down on his throne. "Therefore, it should be the other way around since you unleashed that surge of raw power into the sky in Menark a week ago."

"Your Majesty, it's an honor to be at your presence, for I will be ready to assist you in this time of need."

"There are matters present, for you should listen carefully, My Lord. The Executive Division has taken over one of my regions on this planet and did away with the Chieftain over there while replacing it with a factory already set up by those deplorable Tollers, who bow down and kiss their asses."

"If there's a factory that supplies most of Darbus Toller's leftovers, then we'll destroy it eventually. So far, there's been a total of six factories that have been destroyed in the process in which Darbus Toller's leftovers won't regroup."

"That factory in Heigus' capital of Andarias is located in a stronghold near the city. It's heavily guarded, but we're gonna have to await the approval to storm it. Also, there's a member of the Executive Division in which she's known as Liesel Eichenberg, who was a prodigy in her own right along with her twin brother, Lorne. Both of them are dangerous in which they are loyal to their leader, Julilla. Still, we need to focus on the task at hand in which we need all the help we can get."

"Vasily!"

I noticed a young girl sprinting towards Emperor Wan as she had silver hair like mine in which her eyes were the same as mine as well. I never expected someone like her to show up here as she was wanting to see the Emperor just as much as the rest of us. Still, I wanted to know more about what was going on as I was inquisitive about how the girl had the same silver hair like mine for some odd reason, for I also view her to be a possible suitor for the resident bachelor for an Emperor so far.

"Danielle, what are you doing here?" he asked as he saw her coming towards him. "You know that I have an audience with the legend with raw power here in my court."

"Vasily, you know that you can't put off marriage forever," she said.

"It seems that you have a suitor just tailor-made for you," said Dvora as she noticed Danielle stare at the Emperor. "Looks like that she has Sam's good looks, but does she look different to you?"

"Danielle was a childhood friend of mine," he said. "She lost her parents when she was little, but for a while, she ended up getting sick in which she was also suffering from cancer at the time. She was even losing her hair in which she was on the point of becoming bald. When she received a wig of silver hair, it fused onto her head in which it cured her from her illness, but it rewrote her DNA in the process."

I stared at the young lady in question as I sensed potential coming from her upcoming union between her and Emperor Wan. With what was going on so far, I was most likely to be playing cupid until I noticed a familiar member of the Rakuen Priesthood arrive swinging. It was Marthona herself as she was more than likely to force Emperor Wan to marry the woman who had silver hair in the process.

"Vasily Shen, also known as Emperor Wan XIV," she said. "For far too long, you've ignored the union between yourself and the woman who was healed by the raw power that saved her life. And you say that this war is getting in your way to settle down?"

The Emperor was in the doghouse this time as there was no way around such proposal to shack him up with the woman with the rewritten DNA in her body. Still, I was most likely to be intervening at the last minute, for this wasn't the first time that I had to deal with the Lethal Virgin who almost tried to do away with Shigeru two years ago.

"You've come a long way, Marthona," I said.

"Sam Winchester…, the last time I saw you, you intervened into presiding over the wedding between Shigeru Mitani and Futaba Momotora two years ago," she said. "Your hair turned silver, it's also written in the astrologer's logs."

"I know, but sadly, my hair can't ever change back to normal right now. As for the current situation about the Second Galvanic Uprising, there's no time to officiate a wedding in this time of crisis because of the fact that the Executive Division has taken over the Drakonar region of Heigus."

"Just because there's a war going on, doesn't mean that the Emperor can back out on his own wedding. Now, if you excuse me, I suggest that you do so just to cement the union between him and the girl in front of him, is that clear?"

I never expected to hear such talk from Marthona as I had to officiate the wedding between Emperor Wan and Danielle soon enough. Even though I had business with the Emperor, I also had to do my part into getting him together with the childhood friend that he knew for a long time, for he couldn't hold off his own wedding forever…

Yashamaru arrived in Skyward City as he was looking for me in this large capital of all Drakonus as a whole. The search for me was getting more difficult for him as he spotted a platoon of members of the Hunter Corps arriving just in time. Among the crowd was a familiar Draaza woman as it was none other than Deejatra in which she was doing her part into fighting in this ongoing war, for she was there on business like the rest of us.

"Deejatra Trelundar, I presume?" said Yashamaru. "It seems that you're here with your squad in the Hunter Corps."

"We got word from other members of the Order about the possible attack that will be conducted in the city of Andarias, which is Heigus' capital on this planet," she said. "Luckily, we could be running into my sister, who's stuck watching over Sam while Kevin and Irylla are in their group fighting the good fight out there."

"Liesel Eichenberg is out there and she's not the type that can be messed with, for that rings a bell to you in this time of crisis."

"I've seen her before. I also know that she served alongside her superiors among the Executive Division in which she's known to use her whip on her victims. She even went too far into killing a pregnant woman in a rage, but the baby miraculously lived. She never ages, but I've known her for having a short fuse against those who would go against her. She's also known to be a prodigy in the Alecrian Army before she joined forces with the enemy forces we were fighting against, but we shouldn't take her behavior lightly."

Deejatra made her point clear as she was aware of what Liesel could do to her victims. Still, the panic about the Executive Division taking over a region on Drakonus was a cause for alarm in which we couldn't turn a blind eye in this time of danger, for it was everywhere indeed…

Later on in the evening, I was in my room in the Emperor's palace as I was going towards the bathroom to take a bath. By the time I got in there, I stripped off my clothes as I was going towards the wash basin to clean myself up. Now, the bathroom itself was big for something in the palace as I was wanting to tell Reiko all about my trip to Skyward City. When I went to the wash basin, I began to clean myself up as I was most likely to be taking a bath soon. I was also glad that I had a separate room so I wouldn't have Dvora hovering all the live long in which I finished rinsing myself off and stepped into the bathtub, which was filling up with hot water. By the time I sat down while the water filled up, I was missing Reiko dearly as I wanted her to come long with me. I longed for her as I turned off the water the moment it filled up to the brim of the tub.

I was busy relaxing in the moment of comfort as I was also feeling worried about how Reiko and the others were doing. I wanted to be with them after my business here in Skyward City as I began to feel drowsy. I was starting to feel a little sleepy as I drained the water out of the tub the moment I stepped out of it. Drying myself with a towel, I placed it into the hamper as I put on my nightclothes for the evening. With my teeth brushed and rinsed, I left the bathroom as I went towards the bed in my room. It was at that moment that I felt the memory foam of the bed mold onto my body in which I even crawled into the covers. I was ready to fall asleep until I heard the door to my room open up in which I spotted Dvora entering in here all dressed in a nightgown and robe. Still, she was a nuisance, but I had to tolerate her as my bodyguard as she was most likely to be on high alert for something so far.

"Sam, we've got company," she said.

"Damn it, Dvora; go away," I said as I yawned.

"Emperor Wan spotted something in the hallway just now."

"I'll inspect it first, but after that, I'm going back to bed."

It wasn't long until I got up out of bed and left my room with Dvora following me from behind. When we got into the main hall, we noticed two dead bodies with holes in their chests as they were about to be taken into the morgue. I noticed it straight away as I saw the gaping holes where their hearts were in which I had a gut feeling that we weren't alone on this. To my shock, I saw a yellow post-it note on the floor in which I saw the words, "look at their tattoos first," in black ink. I noticed what was put on the dead bodies as I recognized the tattoo directly, for the deceased were members of the Black Dragon Guild so far.

"Looks like whoever killed those two assassins had their reasons to put a damper on the Black Dragon Guild," I said.

"A werewolf took them out, but they only attack at random in their time of feeding on a full moon," said Dvora. "It seems that there's been an accomplice with with Lassie here."

"And most werewolves resort to feasting on the hearts of their victims in which they do so on a full moon or such."

I spotted a second set of footprints on the floor as they were bloody in which I followed them towards the window. It was opened as I also spotted the full moon shining in the night sky. It wasn't long until I saw Emperor Wan approaching as he never expected two members of the Black Dragon Guild to be killed in such a gruesome manner, for this was something out of the ordinary indeed.

"It had to be them of all people," he said.

"The Black Dragon Guild is known for carrying out assassinations on their targets. If they end up failing, they either die by suicide or get killed in the process," I said.

"The Black Dragon Guild has been a thorn in my side since I took up position as Emperor of Drakonus. Normally, those assassins would've came towards me, but the werewolf in question got to them first, which I am thankful for."

"Well, the assassins had it coming anyway, but their killer must be dealt with by one silver bullet to the heart," said Dvora. "If that monster attacks anyone else, then we'll find it and take it out."

The matter of the werewolf killing members of the Black Dragon Guild was unsettling for me as I was most likely to be caught in the middle of this dangerous affair. Still, I had my priorities into officiating the wedding between Emperor Wan and his future bride tomorrow, for it was a duty that I had to uphold so far…

The full moon shined bright in the sky as a young man with black hair and blue eyes emerged out into the open. With a cooler in his hand, he went towards an apartment complex as he entered inside to see a young girl with burgundy hair and green eyes emerging with some plates and cooking utensils in her hands. Sitting down, the man was grinning as he was thrilled with what he done earlier, for he was no stranger into seeing the Black Dragon Guild on a daily basis.

"You're on a roll tonight, Lucas," said the girl.

"Well, we both made short work with those asshats who tried to take out the Emperor earlier," he said. "For the record, he's about to get hitched with his future bride in tow."

"Ever since the bride in question felt better after suffering from cancer, the wig of silver hair on her head did the trick by curing her and rewriting her DNA in the process."

"That's kind of scary to hear, Maureen. I bet that my ancestor, who was once human, would be floored to see something like that, but this is worse than his case with a drinking spirit."

"Still, the Black Dragon Guild are now in cahoots with the Executive Division in which they were also responsible for seducing my father to join in the ranks until he was betrayed and killed by his own cohorts. I want them gone like everyone else in which they won't stop until they dominate this galaxy here."

It wasn't long until Lucas opened up the cooler as he got out a can of beer and opened it up. The taste of it was a comfort to him as it was a treat after feasting on the hearts of the two assassins earlier, for he wanted them out of the way first. As for Maureen, however, she had nothing but contempt for the Executive Division as they were dangerous indeed, for they would soon be outnumbered the moment she would soon see them crawl on their knees. Just as both she and Lucas were about to flee Skyward City altogether to pursue more of the Black Dragon Guild, they saw a group of Hunter Corps soldiers bursting into their apartment room as they had them surrounded due to what they were: a werewolf and his accomplice.

"Hands in the air!"

"C'mon, there's no need to go all SWAT team on me," said Lucas as he had his hands over his head.

"I can't believe that we had to get rid of those Black Dragon Guild assassins, but attracting the Hunter Corps?!" yelled Maureen.

It wasn't long until Deejatra stepped in as she was thoroughly examining the cooler in which she noticed the evidence of a half-eaten heart in a plastic bag. She tailed the werewolf and accomplice carefully as she was ready to either arrest or kill them in the process, for they were what they were: monsters, plain and simple.

"Lucas Fitzgerald, descendant of Garth Fitzgerald," she said. "You're coming with us whether you like it or not."

"Deejatra Trelundar, of the Hunter Corps," he said. "You just had to butt in, didn't you? I bet that my ancestor's rolling in his grave while reading the funny papers."

"Don't make any sudden moves! Both you and your girlfriend are under public scrutiny right now in which we've gotten word that you have killed up to fourteen people here in Drakonus' capital city here."

"They were members of the Black Dragon Guild in which they sold out to the Executive Division just like they did with my father!" cried Maureen as she had her hands up. "I know of their tactics very well because those sick people prey on the vulnerable and gullible."

"Maureen Arbogast, daughter of the late disgraced general, Perceval Arbogast. It seems that your aiding this mongrel here-"

"That 'mongrel' is my boyfriend! We both do the right thing by icing some of those scumbags who sell themselves out to the Executive Division. You guys aren't the only ones kicking ass and taking names 'cause we can't let them cause more widespread havoc than they already did. They want the whole enchilada when it comes to bending this basket of planets to their will and by doing that is to force the future savior to bow down and kiss their asses."

"Maureen, we can't get past the intimidator right now," said Lucas. "All we need to do is to cooperate before-"

Without warning, everyone in the apartment complex heard an explosion as Deejatra noticed a group of robots approaching. She saw them up close as they were simply remnants of the Old Guard's motive of thinking all those centuries ago in which she also spotted a familiar nuisance in the crowd. It was Lorne Eichenberg as he was there with the group of robots in which they were firing grenade launchers at the building. Lucas and Maureen noticed them outside as they were ready to pounce until one of them jumped towards them. With his werewolf instincts kicking in, Lucas himself tore at the robot as it was destroyed with a gaping hole in the center of it. Even Maureen jumped in as she proved herself useful in which she was developing some werewolf instincts of her own the moment she saw another robot bursting into into the building as it had a rocket launcher in its hands. In one fell swoop, she destroyed the robot before it had a chance to fire at her in which she wasn't about to fall down quietly.

"Robots?!" she yelled. "Is that what the Executive Division resorts to when the Black Dragon Guild fails?!"

Without warning, a robot emerged as it had a set of swords in its hands. Maureen was no stranger into dealing with cuts and scrapes as she was ready to dismantle it until she saw a sniper bullet hit it into its metallic skull. It wasn't long until Deejatra had her sniper rifle at the ready as she was most likely to escort both Lucas and Maureen out of harm's way, for it wasn't safe in the outer slums of Skyward City right now. They had to warn me soon enough as Lorne and his robots were on the warpath so far.

"We have to get out of here!" yelled Deejatra as she escorted Lucas and Maureen outside in an alleyway. "Lorne has overstepped his line into bringing those things from the Old Guard into the fold."

"Old Guard? What the hell are you talking about?" asked Maureen.

"Those robots who tried to kill you are known as remnants of the Ketch Cybernetic Initiative. They were highly intelligent in which they obeyed the Old Guard's commands until they went out of control at the time. That was when those who left the Old Guard joined forces with the Order to shut them down for good until they were active once again."

"Those Ketch things…," said Lucas. "What exactly are they?"

"The Ketch robots are named after the Old Guard's top assassin, Arthur Ketch, who was killed by the Mary Winchester of old in the Elder Days during the upcoming birth of Lucifer's son."

"I heard all about it in my ancestor's annals when he was once targeted by those guys, but having that maniac's legacy running around like Cybermen on steroids?"

"Found you!"

Deejatra spotted Lorne as he had his gun in his hands. The member of the Executive Division was there to do away with those who killed his allies as he was ready to shoot at both Lucas and Maureen in plain sight. Still, he was no stranger into seeing Deejatra there as she had her reasons to despise him due to his loyalty to the warhawks who would stop at nothing to pull this galaxy asunder.

"You destroyed my toys!" he yelled.

"You threatened to kill two people who are putting a damper on your superior's motives to choke this galaxy to her own advantages," said Deejatra. "I know of you to be member of the Alecrian Army, but your actions to bring out the Ketch robots to kill two witnesses because they got in the way."

"Lucas Fitzgerald is a werewolf and you're betraying your comrades into letting him go, which is dangerous on your record."

"In my occupation, hunting isn't just about killing, but doing what's right when it comes to those who pose no threat to us or the rest of the innocent people, especially when it's hard to do so. Therefore, we play by our own rules because both soldiers in the Hunter Corps and other freelance hunters are the only things that the Old Guard could never control and that scares them, even for you."

In a fit of anger, Lorne was ready to fire until he disappeared without a trace. Deejatra never expected help to put the fiery member of the Executive Division somewhere else before until she saw a note on the ground. Picking it up, she saw the words, "someone had to step in," in black marker as she noticed other members of the Hunter Corps coming to her aid. With a paddy wagon approaching, they escorted Lucas and Maureen out of harm's way as they also had to deal with yet another threat who has joined the Executive Division in their unquenchable thirst for power, for it was also their undoing as well…

The next morning, I was up and alert as I was dressed in my Elder's robes to officiate the wedding of Emperor Wan and his childhood friend, Danielle. With the venue in the chapel, I was good to go as I was carrying out what was made in front of me, for I was more than just a simple diplomat after all. I was happy to be of service as I saw the Emperor dressed in wedding garb in which he was ready to marry his bride that was chosen by the Rakuen Priesthood so far. I was most likely to be observing the festivities without delay as I noticed Castiel sitting near the food buffet where he spotted stacks of hamburgers cooking. There was the sight of char siu buns on display as he wanted to get one until I stopped him in his tracks.

"Not until the wedding is performed," I said.

"The food on display has a strong attraction to those who view it," said castiel.

"And you only tasted molecules on the horizon..."

"Ever since I acquired those prosthetic limbs that were infused with the raw pwer that you have, they have a certain side effect that was once similar to my temptation under Famine in the Elder Days."

"Still, we need to observe this wedding so far in which I also have to be briefed about the next mission afterwards. It's diplomacy that fits any member of the Order perfectly."

It wasn't long until I was on my way towards the altar of the chapel as I saw Emperor Wan waiting for his bride, who was being escorted by members of his imperial court. The chinese wedding dress was the same color as the groom's clothes in which they were both red with gold embroidery stitched all over. As usual, I had to carry out the wedding as I was more than likely to be ready to marry them off in an instant. With the dignitaries all over the planet attending, everything was going smoothly as I was ready to bring Emperor Wan and Danielle together at last.

"Dignitaries, close friends, and members of the Drakonar imperial court," I said. "We are gathered here today to join Vasily Shen and Danielle of Skyward City in holy wedlock. Both of them were chosen by the Rakuen Priesthood for a reason in which they will be forever together for the rest of their lives. Vasily Shen, also known as Emperor Wan XIV, do you take this woman, Danielle, to be your lawfully wedded wife; for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, till death do you part for as long as you live?"

"I do," he said as he looked at Danielle from beneath her veil.

"Danielle, do you take the Emperor to be your lawfully wedded husband; for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, till death do you part for as long as youlive?"

"I do," she said.

"For this union, I bring these two together." I bring out a pair of rings as I put them on the new couple's fingers. "It's been said that childhood friends often come together for a reason and now, they have something to show for on this wedding day. Therefore, by the power invested in me, as a member and Elder of the Order, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."

At that moment, I saw the new couple kiss in front of everyone as they were finally married at last. With a bouquet of flowers in the brides, she was ready to toss it to the next one to wed as she saw several wedding guests vying for it. By the time she threw it, the bouquet of flowers flew into the air as it landed towards Dvora, who caught it in her hands. Even with the wedding commencing, she was ready to meet up with me as she spotted Danielle taking off her garter and flinging at the future groom who would be wedded off next. When the garter was flying in the air, it was caught in the hand by none other than Deejatra, who arrived on the scene in which she was most likely to be bringing me some unsettling news about the situation beyond the palace walls.

When I left the chapel room, I went towards the reception hall as I followed Deejatra to where a plate full of sweets were on display. She was concerned about what happened as she was most likely to be dishing out the bad news anyway.

"We have a problem," she said.

"Now's not the time to interrupt the wedding reception right now," I said.

"The two werewolves that we caught are in protective custody at the moment."

"What's going on so far?"

"Lucas Fitzgerald and Maureen Arbogast were almost killed last night by by a platoon of some of the Old Guard's leftovers. The perpetrator who launched the attack against them disappeared before he got a chance to do away with us on the spot."

"Was it Lorne Eichenberg?"

"None other, but the robots in his arsenal were Ketch robots that are programmed to do one thing and that is by killing anything or anyone who gets in their way." I see Deejatra bring out a piece of scrap metal as it displayed the Aquarian Star on it, which was the symbol for the Men of Letters and beyond for centuries. "The robots came from the Old Guard, but the Executive Division earmarked them for their use just in case that Darbus' leftovers become soulful and disposable."

"The last time we met, we were locked in a battle against the Executive Division in which we lost our headquarters on Alecrast, only to see me with silver hair for all eternity."

"Time flies, but our battle still rages on, Sam. As for our enemies, we're locked in a further battle with things that should've been left alone on the sly."

"He'll know eventually, Deejatra," said a familiar voice as she entered into the reception hall.

It was none other than Reina as she was most likely to be briefing me on the current situation so far. As for what would happen next, we had to be ready for what was yet to come as the time to shut down the Executive Division's stranglehold of this planet was already beginning as we speak.

"We need to talk, Sam," she said to me as she stood firm.

To be continued...