Supernatural: Chronicles of the Order 6

Chapter 33: Seto's Gambit

(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.)

Two thousand years into the past…

Seto was the first to be on the scene as she saw police and an ambulance standing in front of a rest stop in which a body bag was being carted out of the bathroom. After hiding out in the Middle Ground since the Darkness debacle, she was staring at the one who pulled that deed in which she knew of him personally when she followed him to his rental car. She was told of him as she was briefed by her superiors at the time about the shady hitman who was about to leave with his gun and silencer in his hand.

"Seto Ashizoka, I presume?" he said to her as he turned around.

"Arthur Ketch…," she said. "It looks like the snobs in the British branch of the Men of Letters decided to send in their attack dog to kill the victim of a family confinement just to clean up the messes that the Winchesters made."

"We're the better bet because we're smarter than the American branch, for we bring back results to our Elders."

"Yeah, like that bitch who runs that academy… My boss read about the profile of Dr. Hess and her duel tactics at that deplorable Kendricks Academy, but your tactics on bringing monsters to the hilt of the sword reminds me of the days when Soulless Sam was running around after the Apocalypse."

"You don't scare us, Ms. Ashizoka, for your organization still keeps the Winchesters on a short leash even after they made a mess."

"I did a little digging on your petty branch of the Men of Letters and the dissenters who spoke against their methods even had stories about people resorting to committing suicide because of their heartless tactics. And what about your 'world free of monsters?' What will happen if you and your snobby superiors run out of monsters to kill? Will you up and kill the dissenters and innocent bystanders that get in your way? I read the report about how your cunt of a snob broke into the bunker, snatched up Sam, and tortured him after the Darkness restored the sun. Still, if you and your meddling snobby higher-ups continue to spy on those you consider to be inferior, there will be a reckoning if you're not careful."

"Let me put it to you carefully, Ms. Ashizoka, I'm always careful."

Seto watched Ketch get into his car as he drove off into other parts unknown. Still, she had to warn the Winchesters as she grabbed her phone and sent a text to them in which she was aware of what the British Men of Letters' true objectives by further means of control of both humans and monsters in plain sight…

Present day…

It had been two days since the discovery of Benezia as I was getting dressed and ready to go towards a summit on Trost. With my suitcase packed to go on the journey, I was ready to go as I on my way out the door. The job of an Elder was no walk in the park as I had a job to do. When I went towards the interlocking room, I entered into the door where our home on Alecrast was as I was on my way towards the kitchen where the basement floors were at. By the time I went downstairs, I entered into the room with the red rubber ball as I closed the door behind me. I was on my way to my destination as I opened up the door and found myself at a train station in a Trostian rest stop where I noticed some of the Elders and dignitaries were waiting for their ride like me. Still, I was without any backup as I was a prisoner of my own edict that I made, for I had no other choice but to go it alone whlie waiting for my ride to come along. When I saw the train arriving, I got on as I was the only one who didn't have a bodyguard in which I noticed everyone coming and going from it. Still, I went inside of the train as I sat down in a compartment before it took off.

It had been a year since I once came here on Trost as I saw the landscape where I noticed many Trostians working in the fields while tending to their crops. Even though I was alone, I found it to be peaceful to watch things that way until I saw the door open up. In an instant, I saw Dvora entering as she sat down across from me all exhausted from running. I was once under the watchful eye of the helicopter parent once again as I had no other choice but to comply on this matter.

"It's about time that I got on this thing!" she yelled as she panted from running.

"I forgot to lift my edict on allowing bodyguards to serve me again, but once it's there, it can't be reversed," I said.

"Ginryu just reversed it not too long ago, Sam. Besides, you can't go alone for too long anyway."

"I missed my solo effort already..."

"Don't be like that… And as I recall, you ended up going to a place that's beyond the radar until now. Even the higher-ups are floored to see the activity on the second planet that you're on."

"That's because the first ones are always inhospitable to colonization in which we would be walking on a hot surface of a frying pan if we touched down on it."

"For the record, Sammy, the first one in the central part of the Ashizoka System wilil always be closest to the sun, for it's like Mercury in the Solar one. Anyway, I did some digging while you were on a depression binger in which I procured this." Dvora fishes out a book with a brown leather cover similar to the old journal I found once during my years at the fort on Gehenna as she hands it over to me. "This is the journal of Seto Ashizoka in which she lived a long time now and she's in charge of all four head honchos of the Order of Letters."

"You stole that? What you're doing is committing a felony that could land you on Shark Island for the rest of your days."

"I love that you even ask me that, but Seto's journal has further entries in which she's been going up against those machines that Deej saw in Skyward City on Drakonus. You know; the Ketch robots that look like Cybermen and Borg on steroids without the urge of assimilating people?"

I looked into Seto's book as I saw the details of further cases that happened in the time of the Elder Days. The entries were candid and up close as I noticed a picture that was dated almost fifteen hundred years ago as I saw the sketchwork that showed a fortress of ruins in the form of the Old Guard's newly refurbished Kendricks Academy from Earth, but it was on Gethos at the time. I continued to look at the details until I saw a sketch of a man with two irises on each eye in which he had old markings all over his face. That image unnerved me as I feared the worst so far, for there would be no end of it anytime soon.

"This man…, who is he?" I asked.

"His name's Taren Capel," said Dvora. "Mom once told me about how he used the Old Guard's base of operations to his advantages in which he used the Ketch Cybernetic Initiative not only to kill monsters, but those who served it. The Kendricks Academy moved there to Gethos just to distance itself from the current mainstream Order of Letters in which they did things similar to what was once used in the Elder Days. Still, Seto managed to put her foot down in which she helped into shutting down that psychopath before he did any more damage."

"I never knew of this until now… And this Taren Capel…, he's in prison for his crimes according to some of the entries in this journal."

"Taren Capel was the one responsible for rewiring the Ketch machines just to turn on his subordinates and dissenters, even after some of the monsters were killed. Some people say that Taren Capel is the heir apparent and likeness of the man he was reborn from and we all know that he got what was coming to him in the Elder Days. The guy came from the Old Guard, only to act as an executioner to the hunters who once worked with the Isoldati at the time. Mom was on the cusp of the matron stage in her Draaza biology in which she had a loathing for Ketch, but he had it coming anyway when he and Dr. Hess issued out an executive order to have the hunters and those in the Isoldati slaughtered by any means necessary, including the tactic of siccing a hellhound on one of them."

"According to Reina..." I felt my voice slightly breaking as if it was ready to choke out a heartbreaking sob. "...Taren Capel… was a war criminal who did things in which the higher-ups and deserters of the Old Guard had no choice but to confine him where he is now for the rest of his days on Gethos."

I continued to read into the further details as it showed more of what Seto was doing at that time of new beginnings. The reading of her journal was considered to be a game changer as it was also something that I had to look into, for the machines that were spawned by Taren Capel's machinations were already being built at the hands of the Executive Division as we speak…

Trisakal Ruins, Talvari Region; Gethos; Fifteen hundred years ago…

Seto was out and about as she received word that there had been danger lurking all over the planet at the behest of the budding Order of Letters. It had been a month since that climactic battle between Torune Mitani and Lucifer in which the latter reduced the archangel to nothing more than an imprint for the rest of his days. Even though Torune was hailed to be a hero, Seto had a lot of respect for him as she was grateful that he saved the galaxy from certain death. When she got towards the Trisakal Ruins in the Gethan region of Talvari, she stopped as she was tired from travelling in the sand that made that planet inhospitable, but profitable due to the endless minerals that were being mined by sandminers and other things. Getting out her journal, she wrote the latest entry as she was on her way to storm the academy that was hidden in a dome in a sea of sand. She was an advocate that spoke against its methods.

The trek to the domed area was treacherous as Seto saw the signs of a sandstorm brewing the moment she ran for shelter below the ruins' basement. The place below was a sanctuary for those who sought refuge as Seto used it to her advantage due to the upcoming haboob that occurred earlier. She saw the sand pouring from above as she refused to leave her spot, for she was on a mission to bring down the academy in the dome surrounded by sand. The long wait turned to night as Seto stayed firm until she saw someone approaching. With her gun poised at the target, she was ready to fire at it until she saw it to be a desperate man who had his own gun pointed at his head. She never saw anything like it before as she once looked into the infamous Kendricks Academy due to their "conditioning methods" on their new recruits, for they were once innocent before they became brainwashed killers just to "follow protocol and smile for one's superiors."

"Stop right there!" she yelled as the man obeyed. "You're from the Kendricks Academy in the domed city of Hessania, which is surrounded by sand, aren't you?"

"I can't take it anymore!" he yelled. "I hear the screams of my fellow men who keep questioning Director Graves' approach to upholding the honor that the Old Guard stand for!"

"My name's Seto Ashizoka and I'm what you call the dowager to the Order of Letters. I'm looking for Ardeth Graves, who is wanted for abuses that is a crime against humanoid kind. The person in question has been releasing the Ketch Cybernetic Initiative in which I had reports about the further dissenters from your group being slaughtered by them."

"Those infernal machines… They're killing everyone there! He did it! I know that he did it!"

"Who did it?! Spill it!"

"Taren Capel! It was Taren Capel! He did it to us by rewiring those robots to his own advantage!"

"Taren Capel? That's a fictional guy from a Doctor Who episode!"

"No, ma'am! He's real and he's the perfect genius behind the Ketch Cybernetic Initiative… They're coming! They're tracking me down because I spoke against them!"

Without warning, Seto saw a group of Ketch robots approaching as they violated her sanctuary for no apparent reason. What she didn't expect was that they shot and killed the man who was telling the real truth about what was really going on over at the Kendricks Academy. She never saw anything like it before as she had to get away from their gunfire before she ended up getting killed. Running for cover, she was firing back as she shot one in the head before it charged towards her. She was outnumbered by those robots as she was done for until she saw someone dressed in desert clothing come towards her with a sword. It wasn't long until Seto saw the figure destroy the Ketch machines as they fell to the ground one after another in which he stood firm against such a scourge like that.

"You came a long way to stop those bucketheads, but you're shit out of luck here in the desert," said Seto. "The Kendricks Academy concocted up those things just to kill monsters, but going after dissenters from the Old Guard?"

"It's true about what Taren Capel is doing right now," said the figure as he removed his hat and goggles. "Your nephew told me to aid you in this time of crisis, for I just killed a few machines along the way."

"Torune Mitani… You're the High Elf who became a hero in the epicenter where Kanto Village on Alecrast is. I've heard about you before in which you were known as the man who killed Lucifer."

"Lucifer is a lot of things, but you can't kill the devil. I only reduced him to being an imprint while his physical body is forever trapped in his cage for all eternity."

"Lucifer is an archangel! He was also known to be God's favorite out of all His children, only to get pissed off at Him for standing by His creations instead of the angels He crafted."

"I knew about him in the records, but the Order's still a fledgeling organization and not up to full. As for the threat in front of us, they're under a different influence that your deceased friend told you about."

"It's Taren Capel and he's known all over as the greatest scientist in the Old Guard, only to turn to genocide towards his fellow comrades. Whatever motive he has, he must be stopped or else it'll be disastrous if we don't do something."

Without warning, Seto and Torune saw several more robots approaching as they were charging towards them the moment they fled further into the shadows. Both of them thought of something as they saw a door and closed it tight in which they were alone, but not without clues. Getting a flashlight, Seto turned it on as she was having the light that she needed in which she noticed something painted in the ruins. What she saw was that of the Destiny of Worlds as the future would soon unfold many centuries later, for it was a sign and an omen that could never be ignored right now. There was an image of two people: one human man and one High Elf woman, as they were put on display in such a strange omen like that. What she didn't expect was that the man looked like the Sam Winchester of old, but with long silver hair and a jeweled sigil on his forehead.

"That looks like Sam…," she said.

"That is the Destiny of Worlds in which it was heavily foretold by the Draaza," said Torune. "In the end of it all, it will all come to fruition in which the prophecy will unfold once the one with raw power is born to be the god of this entire galaxy in our wake."

"That's not gonna happen. I've seen Sam and Dean all dangled up like worms on a hook while being used as pawns by Baldie, Crowley, Team Fatalist, and even that bitch, Ruby. They were even tempted and enticed to break the sixty-six seals in which Lucifer got out just to seek out Sam to wear like a prom dress while Dean was earmarked to be Michael's tuxedo. They were put there just to have the huge prizefight between Michael and Lucifer in which one of them got beamed towards a bleak future once. In those fruitcakes' case, it's the Apocalypse all over again in which both angels and demons profited off of it until Sam sacrificed himself to end it while his body ran around soulless, only to get his soul back."

"This won't be like the Apocalypse, Seto. What the Draaza foretold was that the Destiny of Worlds will lead all of us into a golden age, for it will ring true till the bitter end. In this future, many can ignore a lot of things, but you can't ignore a prophecy that is in front of you. You may think that this is a bad thing, but this is something that can't be pushed aside, no matter what is put there.

"Let's hope that you're right…, but if this goes sideways, then I suggest that you do the right thing and shelve it before it goes out of control."

Both Seto and Torune heard the banging of the robots from outside the tightly sealed door as they were safe for the time being. As for the threat about the machines that were causing widespread havoc, they had to be contained or else there would be damnation on the horizon…

Meanwhile, back in the present…

I continued to flip through the pages of Seto's journal as I never expected her to be paired up with the legendary Torune Mitani before. What I realized now that her notes about seeing me and Reiko on display over fifteen hundred centuries ago was a game changer indeed. Even though the train ride to the Trostian city of Velgar, which was a long way away. I was seeing the view of Trost as I also noticed a patch of human encampments doing their usual daily businesses when I saw them go by on this train ride. To my surprise, I noticed Dvora sleeping as I was grateful that her chatter wore herself out even after I began to read from the book she purloined. With my stomach growling, I decided to get up from my seat as I was on my way towards the dining car to get something to eat. By the time I got to the dining car, I noticed a Trostian woman sitting at one of the tables as she was eating her lunch in which she was suspicious about what I was doing, for she didn't like other Elders who forsake the hired help that was given to them.

"You picked the wrong time to go wandering about, didn't you…, Sam Winchester?" she said to me.

"I wanted to get something to eat first," I said.

"Where's your backup?"

"She's in the compartment sleeping after she caught up to me."

"Well, you better get your ass in gear and wake her up. The Executive Division is rife with taking out Elders since the death of Reina Kratedes last week, but there's no way in hell that we're gonna be put on the chopping block right now."

"You shouldn't scold him like that, Zaphra," said a man in hipster clothing as he was sitting in the back reading a newspaper. "I've been resurrected while reconciling with Castiel just to see a future god in my presence? What is this world coming to right now?"

"Careful, Balthazar, there are further dangers besides that of the ice queen and her cronies lurking about."

"Hey, you shouldn't ditch me like that!"

I saw Dvora coming into the dining car as she sat at the counter on a stool. She may have slept on the long trip, but that never meant that she could be shirking her duties in order to protect me on this mission. Still, I had the usual helicopter parent with me as she wasn't about to let me off the leash just yet. Once again, I had to deal with her as she wasn't about to let me wander off in which we were in the same boat so far, for I wasn't about to wriggle out of it yet.

"I bet that you decided to have something light on the trip," she said.

"The prices on the dining car are very high, but the sight of green tea and rice balls are appealing to me," I said as I was ready to order up. "As soon as we get to Velgar, the better."

"I'll have the nebri skewers, pork buns, and the Ulti-Meatum burger, complete with some matcha custard. My charge here will have the same, but make his with some rice balls and a large cherry pie." Dvora had her order put in which I was completely suckered in. "For the drinks, I'll have two matcha shakes just to add onto the flair."

"Damn, you're hungry," said the cook as he was flabbergasted. "You remind me of that guy from the Supernatural books in which he had a thing for burgers and pie." Dvora pays for our meals as the cook was ready to bring on the order for our food. "I bet that the gods are smiling at you today 'cause all that's the lunch special here."

And so, we waited for our meal as we sat down at a table in order to have it ready for us. With the preparation well under way, I noticed the cook bring out the two sets of nebri skewers and pork buns as we were also waiting for the two burgers that Dvora mentioned earlier. By the time we had the rest of our meal, shakes, and dessert put in front of us, I began to taste the nebri skewers as they were highly native to Trost altogether. The meat on them were very seasoned as they even resembled that of beef, but very tender. With the Ulti-Meatum burgers finally done and put in front of us, I saw them to be more of a monstrosity than a culinary staple as I noticed Dvora getting a knife and fork to cut into it. The look on her face was one for the ages as she took a bite from it in which she noticed that there wasn't any lettuce, but bacon in which she didn't mind it one bit.

"You ought to try what's in front of you," I heard her say. "This is good, but this baby's the top seller due to its all-meaty goodness."

"It seems that the Ulti-Meatum didn't have any lettuce on it this time," I said.

"Hey, If I'm going for a burger, I want all the meat I can get, not rabbit food! I hate lettuce and it's better on a Big Floompy than what we have!"

"You remind me of Dean, but he likes a little lettuce on his burgers from time to time."

I decided to slice into my Ulti-Meatum as I cut it in half. The inside was made to perfection as I noticed another burger inside of the large patty of meat, complete with some ketchup all over it. Taking a bite of it, I tasted it as the large designer burger was good all over, complete with the fancy ketchup and bacon that was fit to cause a coronary, but I was unscathed due to the raw power that I had within me.

"It's good," I said. "I never tried anything like this before until now."

"The Ulti-Meatum is taken from a cartoon about a blue jay and a raccoon working in a park in which that tasty treat comes once a century. And if anyone who hasn't tried the Ulti-Meatum, they're labeled as chumps."

"Well, I'm no chump, for I'm just a simple Man of Letters."

I continued to eat at the Ulti-Meatum as I ended up developing an appetite after rushing without having anything all day on this train ride. With the pork buns eaten, I was beyond my normal eating habits as I felt the raw power fueling what I ingested. Even Dvora was shocked to see me down the food I had as she decided to eat up her fill just like me. We both had our fil as we finished up the nebri skewers pork buns, and rice balls, but the remainder of our Ulti-Meatums the piece de resistance by the time we devoured them after a long way. When we got towards the dessert in the form of matcha custard and the cherry pie in front of us, we completed our food eating dilemma as we were full from what we ate.

"Oh, I'm so full," said Dvora.

"You're not the only one," I said as I was feeling the pinch of feeling full from all the food I ate.

"The Ulti-Meatum surely did it in… And do you know what's put to create such an awesome burger? It's two cheeseburgers on the top and bottom, complete with a large patty with another one inside of it while being slathered in your daily dose of Himalayan ketchup. Oh, you should tell Reiko about this..."

Both of us were ready to leave our table until Zaphra noticed the Seto's journal in my hands. She never expected me to have it there as she had a bone to pick with me due to what was written on it, for there were details about the Old Guard and what it once stood for back then.

"Where did you get that?" she said.

"Dvora took it, but I read it along the way" I said. "It seemed that Seto had a run-in with the Ketch robots back in the day when the Order was taking in stragglers from the Old Guard."

"Seto has a severe disdain for the Old Guard in which she even helped into shutting it down in the process. What she didn't expect was that a Terran war criminal, who was genetically crafted and perfected, caused the Ketch robots to turn on their creators in that deadly skirmish on Gethos fifteen hundred years ago. And that war criminal is none other than Taren Capel himself. He was the one who was deciding who got to or die all because his handlers were focusing on the monsters among us. That tragedy was similar to the hunter extermination in the Elder Days by the Old Guard back then until they were running with their tails between their legs."

I never expected Seto to be holding a grudge against the Old Guard like that as I knew her reason to do so. Still, I had to delve into what was there as the news about Taren Capel in her journal was more than enough to get some answers soon enough…

Trisakal Ruins, Talvari Region; Gethos, Fifteen Hundred Years ago, again!

Seto was walking along a long path from underneath the ruins as she had Torune walking alongside her. Both members of the Order were tired as they sat down on the ground to rest up before going further. The two of them were up against the Ketch robots as they had to alert their superiors before it was too late, for they had to do it quickly when the chips were down.

"Headquarters, this is Seto," she said as she was talking on her radio. "I've encountered enemy machines all over the ruins! I need backup immediately before it all blows over!"

"Seto, do you copy?" said a woman over the radio. "The Order knows your location and is sending backup to aid you."

"Danae… It's about damn time that you answered, but there's more trouble on the horizon right now!"

"The Order and the Gethan Army have entered towards the domed city of Hessania just now. Very soon, we'll come and get you and Torune out of the ruins you're in."

"You better be 'cause those bucketheads are threatening to break down the doors in this popsicle stand!"

Without warning, Seto heard something in the distance as she sprinted towards a group of Ketch machines standing firm. What she didn't expect was that there was a man who resembled the robots in his likeness in which he was different due to having two irises on each eye. He was menacing as he was ready to strike the moment he sprinted towards her and seized her by the throat. Seto was struggling to get free from his grip as she saw him to be very dangerous indeed.

"Seto Ashizoka…," he said to her. "It seems that my original design from the Elder Days knew about you the moment he saw you."

"If you're talking about the asshat that has those bucketheads built in his own image, then he's as good as dead!" she yelled as she was struggling to get free.

"You know that this isn't about the usual monsters that we kill, but the whole concept of the robots ruling everyone else, including our decisions on who gets to live or die."

"Whoever you are, you won't get to see your handler when he gets what's coming to him..."

"You mean Ardeth Graves? He was going soft, but his demeanor was a threat to us. So, I killed him with a silencer gun that was similar to the one that Arthur Ketch used in the Elder Days. And another thing, my name will be known to the galaxy and that will always be Taren Capel, for it will be feared by all and revered by all."

It wasn't long until Torune came to the rescue and used some spirit wards to subdue Capel in which he released Seto on the spot. When they saw him stepping out of the spirit ward trap, they were in for a long fight as they began to attack him head-on. The genetically perfected being knew their moves in which they were no match for him. They were being overwhelmed as they were being restrained by the Ketch machines who came with him, for they were ready to be executed on the spot.

"You know that you're no match for me, so I suggest that you give up," he said.

"You're nothing more than a monster yourself if you target those who did nothing to you," said Torune as he was struggling to get free. "You were one who instigated the revolt against your superiors all because they were concerned about having more moderate methods than the usual mind control."

"Torune Mitani…, or perhaps known as the man who killed Lucifer? I know a great deal about you in which your clan viewed you as an outcast due to the black sclera and blue irises in your eyes. You were considered to be a freak until you were taken in by a group of Shaolin monks, only to see them slaughtered at the hands of Lucifer."

"My Shaolin brethren were warriors, but their memories won't be in vain. As for you…" Torune breaks free from the robots who held him down as he used more spirit wards to subdue Capel. "You're nothing more than a murderer with no morals or regards over others. What you truly are is an abomination that shouldn't be alive or created to begin with, for you are a threat to everyone around you."

At that moment, Torune used an Elven incantation as he finally caught Taren Capel the moment the spirit wards began to cocoon him up. The Elven incantation was too much for the genetically perfected being as he was finally encased in a stone-like cocoon in which he would never get out for the rest of his days. By the time backup arrived, they swarmed the ruins as they destroyed the Ketch machines with many shots they could muster. The battle against the Old Guard was over, but the repercussions about the war criminal who caused widespread slaughter in his wake was encased in his cocoon for many centuries yet to come. It wasn't long until a Draaza woman with a black and grey comb and blue eyes appeared as she was observing what went on earlier, for she had a feeling that there would be no end to what the Old Guard still clung to.

"Thank goodness that you're alive, Seto," she said. "Doroka's on his way soon..."

"Danae…, it's better late than never, and congratulations on your engagement to Doroka Trelundar," she said. "I'm floored, but we should report to Ginryu about this."

"These ruins will have a stern warning to those who are eager to explore them, for they will house a war criminal who slaughtered his own handlers and others," said Torune.

"Was it that genetically altered prick who killed Director Graves?" asked Danae.

"It was, but we're shutting down the Kendricks Academy in the domed city of Hessania as of now. We play by our own rules and instincts in which the dissenters from the Old Guard will live among the ranks with the rest of us. We are neither the Men of Letters, nor the Old Guard, but we will always and forever be a part of the Order of Letters as of now."

"And let's see it through," said Seto. "We have an obligation to protect the innocent, research into lore, and observe our surroundings. That's what we're made for, isn't it?"

It was all over as both Seto and Torune left with Danae and the rest of the backup as they were departing Gethos for Alecrast. As for what was yet to come, this battle became legend, for it was written in memory so far…

Meanwhile, back in the present… again!

Dvora and I were back in our compartment as we were sitting in our seats after our meal in the dining car earlier. When we went towards the Trostian region of Kaduk, we saw the scenery touch at the ocean as we were finally going towards the city of Velgar after a long train ride. The place was a large metropolis as I saw the numerous skyscrapers that were adorned with solar panels and wind turbines everywhere. I wanted to show Reiko this splendor as I even noticed a resort that rivaled the scenery of Vanizia on Alecrast. When the train got off of the station, Dvora and I got off of it as we noticed Balthazar being the first one out and ready to go towards the resort in front of us.

"You should book a room at the Crystal Pavilion," he said. "It's where the Elders are staying right now."

"You know that there's a summit here with the other Elders," I said. "Sooner or later, Ginryu and the others will be coming here."

"Yes, but you and your bodyguard should get a single bed instead of a set of twins if you're going to make it through the night. Besides, I knew all about your marriage to Reiko Mitani, but it won't kill you to have a little fun with other women, now would it?"

"I hate to break it to you, but Sam's not the cheating type, Balthazar," said Dvora. "Besides, we carry the same blood as people with a purpose. I looked at my family tree and I have Winchester blood within me just as much as that of a Trelundar."

"Just as it was getting good, but has it ever occurred to you, that you're in the matron stage of a Draaza's life cycle?"

"Sorry, but I haven't settled down yet. As for guarding Sam, I can't shirk my duty right now."

"Zaphra and I will see you there, for this summit will be the most crucial yet."

Dvora and I were on our way towards the Crystal Pavilion as we were most likely to be getting our rooms before the summit started. Little did we know was that Ailnoth was watching in the distance as he was most likely to be returning to Julilla, but not without seeing what was standing in front of him. The figure who stood firm was a familiar one from the beginning of the Order as it was none under than Danae Trelundar, who had the usual black and grey comb with blue eyes, but she was different this time, for she was something else right now.

"So, you've come to oversee the summit that the Ashizoka children had conjured up," she said.

"Danae Trelundar, whose husband's ancestor is known for his flaws by even bearing the Mark of Cain and releasing the Darkness," said Ailnoth.

"This body may be Danae's, but I'm using it right now..." Danae's eyes flash briefly to an onyx black as Ailnoth knew of what was possessing her. "I'm here at your disposal, Ailnoth, for the Order of Letters will be on the verge of extinction soon."

"It happened before in 1958 when Abaddon killed the Elders of it, only to freeze in time the moment she followed the Henry Winchester of old to the year, 2013, just to end up dead before giving his grandsons his key to the bunker."

"That was then, but the one everyone fears the most with his raw power will be there at the summit."

"Yes, and so will your meatsuit's daughter, who is a dead ringer to her human ancestor. Sooner or later, the Executive Division will send in the leftovers from Darbus Toller's collection, along with the Ketch robots that were found in the Old Guard's emeory banks. They will attack, for the Elders and other dignitaries will fall below us."

Ailnoth made it clear as he was ready to see the dirty work come to life in front of his eyes. Just as he was about to do so, he spotted Cain standing in the distance as the Father of Murder was biding his time just to get him alone to fight him. Ailnoth was not about to let him get the upper hand as the time to enact a large ambush was coming, one way or the other…

I was in my room at the Crystal Pavilion as I was taking a shower in the bathroom. The area I was in had a much greater scenery in which I ended up taking the honeymoon suite at the top when everyone else turned it down. By the time I finished up, I stepped out of the shower stall as I dried myself off and was about to get ready for bed. With my teeth brushed and my hair combed, I dressed in my nightclothes as I tossed the dirty clothes and towel into the hamper and left the bathroom. When I walked towards the bed, I climbed into it as I was beginning to miss Reiko terribly, for I was yearning for her to come towards me. When I heard the door to my room open, I sat up as I saw Seto enter as she was wanting to get her journal back, for I had it in my nightstand so far.

"I take it that you're looking for your journal," I said as I got it out from the nightstand when I handed it over to her. "I read all about your report when it came to dealing with Taren Capel and what he stood for."

"Torune was the one who sealed him up in his prison," said Seto. "Luckily, if he hadn't stepped in, Taren Capel would've killed me by now."

"You bear a grudge against the Old Guard and the machines they cultivated, don't you?"

"After Torune sealed up Taren Capel, we finally rushed towards Hessania on Gethos in which we finally shut down the Kendricks Academy over there. With the Old Guard's dissenters taking the fight against their former handlers, we saw it to be a chamber of horrors in which the victims experienced being drugged, brainwashed, tortured, and even immersed in electric shock therapy. We had enough evidence to turn the tide against the Old Guard's bad habits since the Hunter Extermination in the Elder Days, for we had no other choice but to shut it down completely."

"It's good that you did or else Taren Capel would've still be at large. As for what the Executive Division is doing, they want not only my raw power, but total dominance over the galaxy in the form of an office building that only-"

"-Decides on who gets to live and who gets to die? I've seen it when I had to get some of the remaining hunters out of the way in the Elder Days, only to happen to see a newly resurrected Mary Winchester from that time kill without remorse due to the treatment she was forced to endure. Luckily, she was broken from the British Men of Letters' brainwashing methods, but the further battles after that was just the beginning of our worries. Even though I was against you in your part of the Destiny of Worlds, I can't stop you because you're becoming more like a god every single day. Sooner or later, your wife will exhibit the same silver hair like you, but your remaining children will have your original genetics in the long run."

"If I'm here in the galaxy to be the new god of it, then I will always play by my own rules, for I won't let anyone else fall at the hands of the Executive Division."

"Spoken like a true god… In the end of it all, you should continue moving forward, for the time of the golden age will begin soon."

And so, I saw Seto leave the room with her journal as I was alone for the night. Laying down, I began to think about Reiko as I missed her dearly, but I was far away. With the summit approaching, I had to put off seeing her before that as I had to hear what was put in front of me first, for the Order of Letters was already in battle on the horizon…

To be continued...