The three kings walked past the large doors of Illyria's council room.

Daryl has arranged a meeting today, on a early Monday, with all of the members of the nation's council. It was time to regard the appearance of Aiden and the attack of the 'demons'.

Safe to say the atmosphere of the room was tense. The three kings could feel the anxiousness of everyone. But they could not judge them for the anxiety.

After achieving a double victory over the Queen of the Gears, the Valentine sisters declaring war against the world, and the most recent terrorist attack on the White House, it was understandable why everyone was so worried to how this meeting would go.

Ky, Leo, and Daryl took their assigned seats at the middle of a wooden table, giving the three kings the trait of facing all of the members.

"Your majesties, we are all glad that you made it here today." A male council member stood up from his seat and bowed to the three kings, the rest of the members following suit.

The table for Illyria's council members was a crescent, wooden shaped table that also gave the trait of directly facing whoever they were conversing with.

"Since we're all here we can officially get started" The man sitting at the very center declared as he sat back down, the rest of the members following suit.

"So based on your report files from the attacks that went down last night, a bunch of rift openings started to suddenly appear throughout the Eastern section of the kingdom, correct?" One of them got straight to the point by recalling the reports their rulers sent them.

Ky choose to be the one to answer. "Yes. We immediately responded to this by sending down various squads of our knights to the locations. Along with me, Leo, and Dr.Paradigm joining in for additional help."

The man at center nodded in understanding. "Then later on you all came across those hostile monsters that wielded large scythe's. Though they were all quickly neutralized thanks to our mysterious savior that appeared just a day before, is that true your majesty?"

Ky nodded. "Yes, that is also correct. At first we were confused as to why a young man was suddenly aiding our knights in battle. But me and the other kings decided that it wasn't worth dwelling our time on for the time being as we were just relieved to hear that no severe casualties were reported from our knights."

Hopeful murmuring went on between of the council members.

The 1st King let out a small breath of releif to the positive response he was hearing. Hopefully the positivity would be seen for the young man in the near future. Ky knew that Aiden would soon have to meet with the council, and he wanted his guest to at least feel like he is being welcomed here.

The main member cleared his throat, quickly bringing the room to it's serious silence.

"That is refreshing to hear about Lord Ky. In the past few years, whenever a sudden being comes out a rift opening it usually goes with them threatening to harm the world. Glad to know that this isn't the case." The man let out a chuckle of relief.

"My thoughts exactly!" Leo added with a proud smile.

"If I may cut in on this..." A female member announced, the main member giving her the nod to go on. "...How is his attitude exactly? While the majority of us are relieved to hear about his heroic intervention, we have concerned feelings about his personality."

The three kings knew what she meant. Illyria was and will be eternally grateful for Sol's heroics in the past, even though he hates seeing it that way. But there is no denying that his lone-wolf attitude gave all of Illyria's council a negative view on any warriors the kingdom housed in.

"I can assure all of you that he is not a crude young man." Daryl spoke up, bringing all of the attention to him.

"I'll admit, his emo hairstyle gave me the impression that he was either rudely blunt or arrogant fighter." Daryl started as he added in an amused chuckle that boomed throughout the large room.

"But those expectations were immediately gone when he bowed to us after we thanked him. Not because we were the kings of this kingdom, but because he accepted our gratitude."

All of the members listened to the 3rd king with their utmost attention.

"And if that isn't enough to convince all of you that he doesn't have a foul attitude, then perhaps his following words will do the trick." Daryl declared with a small smile.

"And what were his words?"

Darly sent them his signature small smile before quoting answer. "I may have been a big help, but the strong fighting spirit of the knights and me teaming up with Leo helped in the elimination of those monsters. And for that, they should also receive a large amount of gratitude as well." Those words right there, were his"

Leo's smirk widened whilst Ky formed a soft smile to the rehearing of Aiden's humble words.

The council members murmured in relief and surprise to the humbleness the young man showed to the three kings. They definitely did not expect nor anticipate for a young warrior to display such humility.

"I hope that is enough to satisfy your question?" Daryl questioned.

The female member smiled softly. "It does your majesty." She placed a hand on her chest as she gave the 3rd king a curt bow. "Thank you for the information."

Leo's magicom rung, all the attention shifting onto himself.

"Forgive me, but I need to take this. It's most likely an urgent call." Leo bowed apologetically as he stood up from his seat and exited the room.

"Shall we proceed while Mr.Whitefang is taking care of his work?"

"That would be fine." Ky answered with a nod.

...

Leo pressed his index finger on the magicomm once the doors behind him closed. "Mrs.Rage, I hope this isn't a good morning call"

["I apologize if I interrupted your work, but I just wanted to inform you that I have just met with our mysterious guest."]

If Leo was drinking a beverage, then he would've immediately spitted it all over the castle's well furnished floor.

"I beg you pardon!?"

Millia was slightly taken back by the 2nd King's response. ["I hope I didn't cause any inconveniences to your work."]

Leo quickly recovered his boisterous tone and attitude. "You caused no such thing! I just didn't expect him to meet with you this quickly."

Was he grateful that no one could witness his slightly scrunched face.

Millia let out a short hum of agreement. ["Well I was bound to meet him sooner or later. And I can say that I am glad that he's leaving me with a good impression. He's well mannered, humble, and has a pretty gentle flair in his mannerisms."]

Leo let out a amused laugh. "Well I am certainly glad that your quickly taking a liking to him, Mrs.Rage. Though knowing your past affiliation, I'm certain that your suspicions about him are high."

["You guessed correctly. He may have a gentle air around him, but I sense a rather dark feeling in him. A feeling that he's hiding from us, or so my paranoia thinks."]

"If that's true then perhaps he's afraid on showing it. Remember, there are some 'certain' individuals that hide their true abilities for the fear of accidentally harming the people around them." Leo explained to the former assassin, who hummed in understanding.

["You prove a good point... alright, I won't waste any more of your time and let you resume your work. I once again apologize for interrupting, have a good day, Mr.Whitefang."]

Leo let out a frustrated sigh once the former assassin ended the call. "There goes the introduction plan..."

...

Back at the hotel:

Aiden was currently playing a relaxing riff on his guitar as he was sitting on his bed, his thoughts overrun about this whole ordeal.

It has been one day since he was dropped into the future and has so far been quickly taking a liking to the city he's currently residing in.

Still it baffled the young man as to how medieval looking the kingdom was, despite it being in the future.

Half of the vehicles he's seen didn't match the futuristic vibe he pictured. The electric powered 'horse' carriages that he's seen had a blend of the past with the functions of the future. He had to admit that the design was ingenious to fit the look of the kingdom, but he'd also admit that they look absolutely ridiculous.

"Can't believe the people here are taking those steps to represent their home" He internally chuckled.

Still Aiden was nervous about how skeptical the kings and the top ranking members of P.W.A.B were of him. He's always been aware that not everyone knew that demons actually existed, let alone Hell itself. But that didn't mean the feeling of solitude infected him during the conversation with the three kings and with the two blonde individuals he met.

("Don't stress yourself too much over this, Aiden. It'll take some time before they are able to comprehend your current situation") Eva explained her side to Aiden in order to mitigate his growing worry.

"I know. I just don't want to feel like I'm a threat to them."

("That's the problem, Aiden. You're letting their perspectives weigh you down. We're aware that it's been a while since you fully interacted with another person, but even with that, you cannot let this entire situation destroy your purpose")

The young man exhaled lightly, his fingers pulling away from the guitar strings. His head elevating so his reddish-brown eyes could stare at the room's wall.

What his eyes were currently seeing didn't matter. What was going on in his mind did matter.

Ever since that day, his social life forever changed. He didn't interact with other people as openly as he did, and it was thanks to his newly developed fear of trying to build or establish a relationship.

That fear caused him to become an introvert outside of demon hunting.

Once he finished a demon extermination, he would head into whatever place he called a 'safe haven,' and practice whatever guitar riffs his mind begged for him to play.

Or go into the amulet's dimension to spend time, or even the rest of the day, with his foster parents.

But when it was a requirement for him to interact with another human being, that's when he would put on whatever expression felt necessary and get what he needed.

And now here he was, an entire century and a half into the future where he had to build a fully interactive relation with the city's rulers.

This time, there wasn't a way for him to avoid them.

A knock on the door brought him back to reality. He places the instrument to the side and walks to the door, knowing who it was on the other side.

("Aiden, whatever happens, you can always count on me and my husband having your back.") Eva reminded her adopted son as he stood in front of the door. She could feel his hesitance in opening it and facing the world that was on the other side.

("I know. And I wouldn't trade it for anything.")

Aiden powered through his worry and opened it, greeted by Ky sending him a curt bow.

"Forgive me if I was interrupting anything important."

"I really wasn't doing anything vital at the moment." The young assured the 1st king with a small smile.

"That's relieving to hear, so shall head to my office?"

He nodded "Wait for a second so I can get my coat"

Aiden closed the door and quickly snatched his coat that was hanging on a chair. He slipped it on and exited his room, Ky waiting for him as he patiently stood next to his door.

"I'm ready now."

"Good, my personal carriage will take us to the castle. Though we can take a short stroll on foot so you can familiarize yourself to the city." Ky offered to the young man.

"I am honored to hear that, but I want to see head to your office first, I am curious as to how this castle looks like" Aiden answered as he politely rejected the offer.

Ky nodded in understanding "Fine by me."

...

Ky served a hot cup of tea to Aiden, who was sitting on a chair across from his study desk.

After arriving to the castle, Aiden had to try to subdue his urge to explore every inch of the place. He may have been a well-mannered young man, but there were times he would reveal a childlike action that he has suppressed deep inside of him.

The 1st king couldn't help but smile to the young man's eyes inspecting every detail that the castle had. It made him feel a sense of nostalgia to the time when Elphelt and Ramlethal's eyes were also filled with that childlike curiosity.

"I hope this tea is enough to suit your tastes." Ky said to the young man.

"I'm sure that it'll taste lovel.y" Aiden assured to the 1st king as he wrapped his thumb, index finger, and middle finger around the handle, sipping the hot liquid as he brought the cup to his lips.

"Good to see that you enjoy it." Ky said in slight relief once he heard the satisfied sigh Aiden let out after gulping down the tea.

"Let's get started then shall we?"

Aiden put the tea cup on it's plate as he gave his undivided attention to the 1st king.

"Back in the mid 2060's, the U.S. government began the mass production of these powerful creatures known as Gears for the main purpose of using them for war. And with these new weapons, they have succeeded in conquering multiple lands across the globe along with their sworn allies."

"However, that all changed when Justice was created during the mid 2070's. This being rebelled against it's creators as it was designed with the ability to control all of the Gears that existed. Using this ability, she formed her army of various Gears and declared a World War against humanity. Thus marking the beginning of the Crusades..."

For the past number of minutes, Ky went over the history of the war up until it's climax that ended with Justice being sealed off into a dimensional prison by the Holy Order.

It marked the end of the monstrosity terrorizing the Earth with it's presence.

Sadly, that wouldn't be the last time the world would hear of Justice. 2-ish years later, a tournament was held that eventually resulted in her release.

Luckily, a man named Sol Badguy defeated the malicious creation once and for all, saving the world from another attempt of total annihilation. Though, it was thanks to him being the original Gear and the wielder of the powerful fire known as the Flames of Corruption.

"...That era must've been the most nerve wrecking period for humanity" Aiden said after Ky finished his recap of the Crusades.

He nodded in agreement. "It was. There were so many people that I remembered saying that we had no hope of winning this war. I could understand where they were coming from. But if that was the case, then we refused to go down without a fight."

"I could imagine the rivers of tears that must've formed when they heard of Justice's defeat" The young man lightly joked with a slight smile.

Ky chuckled softly. "Oh, you have no idea how right you are about that. We we're...well I can't find the correct word to say this, but every single one of us was glad that the war has finally ended."

The 1st King looked out of his office window with an unreadable expression. "Some of us even tried to refuse that her defeat was a reality; that it was all just a hallucination fabricated by our strongest desire for a better future."

Aiden and his foster parents could sympathize and relate to the desperation of those hopeless souls.

"You must have some pretty intense war stories from that time, though I would like to know more about these Gears. Throughout this war there seems to be hardly any specific information about them." Aiden voiced out a missing detail that is bothering his curiosity and switching the glum mood that infected the air.

"Considering how Justice rebelled against her own creators, the United States government did not want another one to be created. So once she was gone for good, the president ordered for the thorough elimination of all files related to the Gears. Information files included." Ky firmly explained as his blue eyes stared deeply into his teacup for a moment before bringing it to take a sip.

The young devil hunter nodded in understanding to the decision the president made. If the world didn't want to be subjected to another century long war, then it was necessary to not repeat the same mistakes.

The 1st King glanced at the clock resting on left side of his desk. Seeing that he and Aiden have wasted a small chunk of time. "Forgive me for sounding rude on this, but I'll have to end our meeting so I can resume my work." Ky said to Aiden in an apologetic tone.

"I understand Lord Ky. I presume I'll see you back here?"

"When the time calls for it?"

"In that case I will take my leave so you can finish your duties, your highness." Aiden bowed before exiting the office

Ky waved at the young man "Take care, and enjoy your stay in Illyria!"

Aiden sent Ky a quick nod before walking out of the door, closing it behind him.

A soft smile formed on the 1st King's lips as he saw Aiden out the door.

"Well Dr.Paradigm, it seems that your wish of him becoming an ally is coming to fruition." Ky said to himself as he began filling out the stack of paperwork.

...

But in the same continent, another story was commencing in a suburban neighborhood in London.

"Give that back you bloody ol' creep!!!" The British voice of Axl Low yelled out to a speeding hooded figure.

Currently he was chasing some creep who was currently carrying a guitar case containing Marlene, I-no's lifelong electric guitar.

Axl could guess that this guy stole the instrument to pawn it off. He has heard a lot of rumors that various nasty individuals of the criminal underworld were more than willing to pay top dollar for that specific instrument.

But because he was one of I-no's very few friends (though she would never admit it in a casual fashion) he wasn't going to let the only thing that remained of her disappear into the hands of some greedy jackass.

("Alright, let's give this another shot!")

Axl activated his god-like ability to stop time itself as the crows that were currently perched on the nearby trees and lampposts froze within an instant. Sadly, it didn't affect the thief as he kept on fleeing like nothing happened.

?"Oh, come on!!! Fine if you're gonna do this then I'll just have to catch you the good ol' fashioned way!")

Axl resumed time again, the nearby crows going on with their previous activities like the impossible didn't happen.

The British time traveler seized his running as he leaned himself against a nearby lamppost, panting his lungs out as he got tired of chasing the thief.

The thief glanced back at his panting pursuer, forming a triumphant grin before he resumed his escape.

But this was apart of Axl's plan, feigh his tiredness so the thief could keep on running, thinking that he successfully pulled off a robbery and capitalize on that moment of triumph to catch the bastard off guard.

Axl got off the lamppost and, in a man sized sphere of purple light, teleported himself to the rooftops of the houses before he broke into a sprint, jumping from rooftop to rooftop to shorten the distance.

Axl's eyes saw an alleyway that cut to the left. He formed a grin as his time traveling abilities predicted that the thief would take that shortcut to ensure his escape.

He teleported again to the rooftop that was right next to the alleyway, his target quickly reaching his destination.

"Come on. Come on you little bastard..."

The man quickly rounded to the left, entering the alleyway and falling into Axl's trap.

The British man dropped down, slamming his fist down onto his head as the man was knocked out against the small rocks below him.

"I'll be taking this back." Axl said to the unconscious thief as he kneeled down to the guitar case, sighing in relief as he saw the guitar laid snuggly in it's place.

He closed the case and carried it by the handle as he stood up, ready to teleport himself back ho-

"Get back here!!!"

All of a sudden, Axl got lifted into the air as a pair of clawed hands latched onto his sides.

Before he could even look as to who was gripping him, the British man got slammed against the roof of a car. The force of the slam severely denting the roof and breaking nearly all of its glass.

"Guh!" Axl cried to the sharp spike of pain his body was injected with. Though he wasn't knocked out by the slam of his attacker but couldn't make out his surroundings as his ears rung.

"I'll be taking this off your hands..."

Axl slowly turned his body sideways to see who attacked him, his eyesight was blurry but he could make out an abnormally tall white figure kneeling down to grab a black object that rested on the concrete road.

Axl's eyes widened as he just realized that he dropped the guitar case when the thing attacked him. He desperately got off the car but ended up falling down onto the road, his foolish mistake making his pain worse as he grunted loudly.

"You sure are desperate to get this back, Mr.Low. Well it pains me to say this, but you won't be seeing this personal relic for a while..."

The thief said to him before it disappeared into a shadowy spiral.

The British man looked puzzled as to how that thing knew his last name. But it would have to be minded at a later time.

He quickly turned his head to the sound of police sirens, taking that as his cue to leave, he disappeared in another purple spiral with one thought on his mind:

"I-no is gonna kill me in my sleep."