Supernatural: Chronicles of the Order 8

Chapter 1: A Simple Moment of Recovery

(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 on my way towards a harbor as I was ready to begin my recovery. With a seaship arriving, it was ready to take me and my family to Matarote Island as I had a long way to go before returning to work on the field. With Reiko and the children going first, I was the last to go on board as I was confined to a wheelchair due to the exhaustion I had. By the time I was ready to go into the boat, I noticed Reuben as he wanted to see me off before returning to work, for he was concerned about my health after all that has happened.

"It seems that this is goodbye," I said.

"Just because it's goodbye, doesn't mean that it's forever," said Reuben. "Therefore after seeing you in bed and unconscious for six days, I noticed that Gethig's been busy, but he's on patrol looking for love."

"I thought that he was dead…"

"The imprint of raw power that he has saved him from death, but he's under strict orders to have deliveries to you and your family while you're staying on Matarote Island on Westeros until you recover up to full. Even Dean says for you to stay put or else he would kick your ass in real time."

"Thank you…" I began to weep a little more as I felt the tears streaming down my cheeks. "I feel useless right now… What if you're defenseless without me saving you from certain death?"

"We're all pulling our weight right now, Sam. Besides, there are those who have imprints of raw power there to kick ass and take names. As for you, you need to recover before you fall apart. It's the best that you can do."

I reluctantly agreed as I went into the seaship with my family in tow. I was leaving part of one of the mainlands on Westeros as Matarote Island was something that I never went to before, for this was the beginning of my recovery so far. When the seaship departed to the ocean, everyone was praying for my recovery as it was time for me to go. Little did everyone know was that Seto was watching in the distance as she wasn't too thrilled with me for leaving for a while, for she would soon go after me for not doing my job in the Order of Letters.

"Damn him!" she yelled. "He's abandoning his duties to uphold his work in the Order just like his past self did when he abandoned his brother while he was in Purgatory back in the Elder Days!"

"You shouldn't be angry with him, Seto," said Jack as he appeared out of nowhere.

"Jack Kline…, again! You're like those meddling kids and that dog in the Mystery Machine!"

"Sam already destroyed Project Amaterasu in which he also had to deal with Sawney Masbath, who was also killed for his sins."

"I'm grateful that Sam took out that deplorable pissworm, but I'm not too happy with him leaving for some secluded island just to be rotting like some vegetable that's sprouting mold all over!"

"Sam needs to rest. After dangerously overexerting his raw power to destroy the Sol-3, he hasn't been feeling too well due to the continuous exhaustion that he suffers from."

"Like hell, he is! Sooner or later, he will be roped back into the field by force! I won't let him shirk his duties after all that has happened! The Second Galvanic Uprising is still going and the only primal weapon powerful to put it to bed is being benched, which complicates things even further."

"Leave him be, Seto. Sooner or later, he will return when he makes a full recovery. Besides, it's best that he stays put on Matarote island for his own good. There are his acolytes who are more than willing to take charge and fight off the Executive Division, but he will stay there on Matarote Island whether you like it or not. You can't make his decisions for him while he's ailing after using his raw power to shut down Project Amaterasu nor can you compromise his health, either. The last fight took a lot out of him in which it took him six days to rest, but the higher-ups in the Order issued an ultimatum in the form of having him recovering from that last battle, is that clear?"

Seto left the harbor as she saw the seaship I was in sailing further away in the ocean into parts unknown. The thought of me going to Matarote Island to allow myself to take care of my health was considered to be a betrayal of my duties as she would stop at nothing to bring me back to the field, for I would soon be put in that situation against my wishes in the long run…

Matarote Island, Westeros, Two Years Later…

I was recovering nicely as I was safe inside of the island fortress that was the heart of where I was staying at. It had been two years since my departure after I destroyed Project Amaterasu as I was still bogged down with the same exhaustion that nearly killed me after that grueling battle. The fortress on Matarote Island was something that I marveled as I was busy exercising both my mind and body in order to recover up to full. It was a warm and inviting place as I was going towards the courtyard to see Reiko and the children in which they were busy getting ready for their first day of school on a calm September day. The two years that I spent were soothing for me as my stay on Matarote Island even surpassed my exile in the Dabb Mountains on Shiganshina almost four years prior. To my surprise, I saw Gyatso carting our third set of twins, both daughters, in their stroller as they were dressed in summer clothes. I looked at them as they were even displaying their jeweled sigils on their foreheads like their four siblings in which I found them to be beautiful so far. I was grateful that I was recovering slowly as I was eager to make sure that all the children were ready to go to school the moment I noticed the oldest twins, Aora and Ghimru, dressed in school clothes just in time for preschool. I was blessed that I was there for my family as I was grateful to be basking in what was forced upon me by the Order's higher-ups, for it was their way to allow me to focus on my health for once.

"It seems that we have some new students for school," I said.

"New students?" said Aora out of curiosity. "But the school is for the older kids…"

"School is for everyone, young man," said Reiko. "Besides, your father wants you to learn just like the older children."

"She's right about that one," said Gyatso. "We've been here on this island for two years and most of this place is one hidden treasure trove after another."

"I found some melons on Stohess once," said Ghimru.

"Hey, you better not be slacking off!" yelled a familiar voice as he returned from his daily fishing with some of the catch already in his bucket. "Today's the first day of school and you better not have Sam or Reiko getting pissed at you for not going."

I spotted Dirk as he was in his second year of high school during our stay here on Matarote Island. After being here focusing on my recovery, I was blessed that my oldest ward was thriving at fifteen years old as he was dressed up in his school uniform. He was learning like the rest of the children as he was also the big brother of the family, for he had many responsibilities that were thrown in front of him.

"It's been two years since we came here to this island, Sam," he said to me as he put the bucket of fish down. "This island is a lot more than just a place of recovery for you in which I read some of the letters from Shion about your exhaustion."

"I know," I said as I was starting to feel the pinch of the lingering ailment that had plagued me since the destruction of the Sol-3. "I keep getting letters from Dean and his squad on Shiganshina as they continue to fight in the Second Galvanic Uprising that was started by General Tobias Wetzel three years ago."

"And from the letters and medical records coming from Reuben, your recovery would take four years to get back in the swing of things in which everyone in the Order wanted you to rest up."

"After using my raw power to take down Sawney Masbath and destroying Project Amaterasu, my overexertion took a lot out of me in which it's hard for me to even do the simplest of task without falling onto the ground."

I heard the school bell ringing as Dirk took charge into leading the older children to classes near a schoolhouse that was housed next to the ocean. I also spotted the girls led by Jill as they were dressed in school uniforms just in time to do some learning just like the rest. By the time I saw Zia and Zoran running in their clothes, they were wanting to go to school, but Reiko forbade them as they were too young right now. With the older children in school, we took the younger four as we were on our way towards our residence in the fortress in which we were most likely to be giving them their breakfast in the form of fresh fruit and milk. It wasn't long until I noticed Mason here in the kitchen as he was preparing some breakfast banchans that consisted of a potato stir-fry, sigeumchi-namul, and green onion eggs that put regular morning meals to shame. We also spotted Anaira here as he was sent at the behest of Dean to help me in my recovery two years ago. He was busy making an overnight French toast casserole while he was staring at what was cooking in one of the spare ovens, for he couldn't get enough of doing it. Still, breakfast was the most important meal of the day as I was starting to get hungry in which I spotted Dvora carting her baby son as he was sitting in his high chair. I also spotted Deejatra coming as she was also pregnant with her first child in which it was also going to be a Cetra, for she was wanting some breakfast like the rest of us.

"Both of you are cooking non-stop," said Dvora as she was busy putting on her son's bib.

"Hajime knows how to eat at the potato stir-fry banchan that Mason cooks," said Anaira.

"Even though all of us are here with Sam and his family, we can't shirk our duties after breakfast or else Reuben will have our heads," he said as he was finishing up some of the banchans he was cooking up. "Oh, the taste of sigeumchi-namul is like Ma makes, but it's great for breakfast."

"Everything's great for breakfast," said Deejatra as she sat down and waited for her meal like the rest of us. "I may prefer a sweet meal, but Mason's banchan set is more nutritious than eating milk and cereal."

"I hope that Anaira gets done with the French toast in the oven," said Reiko.

PING!

I sat down at the table as I spotted Anaira getting out the overnight French toast casserole the moment he set it on the table. With Mason breaking out the breakfast banchan set, he put it on the table as he noticed everyone and the younger children getting into it. Even though I was wanting to get into the food that Mason cooked, it was mainly empty as I had no choice but to dig into the French toast casserole that Anaira made in which I saw it to be good due to the apples and cinnamon that were baked into it, for I was happy to get my breakfast so far…

A few hours after we had our morning meal and our dishes washed up and put away, I was out of the fortress as I was mainly taking a walk along the shoreline. My recovery was going strongly as I walked towards my favorite beach to write in my journal in which I saw the waves crashing on the wet sand. Just as I was about to write in my journal, I saw a set of words being written on the wet sand as "you are needed" were scrawled onto it. Needed? Of course I was needed in which I spent two years of not only recovering, but helping out with everyone who was there with me on this island, but what I didn't expect was that I felt a splitting headache looming. What was going on? Why now? It wasn't long until I felt a vision creeping in which I saw a dark plume of smoke that was seen clear as day in which I saw death all over the place. I delved further as I found myself in a base on Valinor in which I saw a woman and her son fleeing from the violence that was there without warning. In that moment, I saw her stare at me as she was disappointed in me for not being there to help, for it was very troubling indeed.

"Why, Sam?" she said. "Why haven't you aided us in the past two years?"

I returned to reality as I had a gut feeling that I had to cut my recovery short and return to the field work that I had to catch up on. When I left the beach, I was on my way back to the fortress as I was shaking with fear. I had no other choice but to go back to my field work as I couldn't ignore it much longer. When I saw a courier arriving with a letter, he gave it to me as I opened it up and found out that Dean's unit had liberated the Stohessian region of Tau Ventrathi in which it was once an Executive Division stronghold, only to have a monster that was there terrorizing everyone.

Hey there, Sammy (It read),

We just had to deal with a plant monster after liberating the Stohessian region of Tau Ventrathi in which that thing was Poison Ivy on steroids with a side order of bad mom all over. We returned to Shiganshina back to our base, but Ben's been busy hunting monsters while salting and burning ghosts in the Wintry Plains. Thankfully, we're not bored, but we held our own in which I'm more than blessed to see everyone pull their weight when it comes to that ongoing war that General Wets-His-Pants started up in the first place. Therefore, you shouldn't worry too much and focus on the four-year recovery that the higher-ups in the Order placed on you. It's best that way 'cause you can't be fighting half-cocked all the live long.

Sincerely, from your big brother,

Dean Winchester, Captain of the Seventh Squad of the Hunter Corps.

I held the letter close as I was glad that Dean was safe. Still, I had to focus on my recovery as I returned inside of the fortress in which I spotted a painted rock that had the words, "you are needed" written in pink letters. Putting it down, I rushed towards my room as I noticed a piece of blank paper on my bed in which I saw the words, "you are needed," in bold black letters scrawled onto it. Crumpling up the paper and tossing it into the trash, I was putting my foot down as I had to focus on my health and recovery in this four-year stint to restore myself up to full like the other members of the Order asked me to. When I was about to lay down, I saw Demon Dean standing in front of me as he was glaring at me the moment he saw the fear in my eyes, for he wasn't about to let me go quietly.

"It seems that you abandoned your big brother while he's busy busting his ass all over Shiganshina," he said to me as his eyes flashed black. "Didn't you read the signs? Everyone is wanting you to return to the lion's den and no one will keep you here on this island just to become a rotting vegetable."

"The higher-ups in the Order told me to stick to my recovery, not go back in the field prematurely," I said. "My health is more important right now because I have to stick to it."

"And what about your brother, Sammy? He's out there in some backwater place on Shiganshina getting his ass handed to him by some sort of ruggaru that knows how to kill and mutilate his victims."

"Dean is safe on Shiganshina right now. He knows how to hold his own in which he is a veteran of it in this ongoing war."

"If your brother's safe on Shiganshina, then how come his corpse is fished out of the river with the imprint of raw power yanked out of his chest? I bet that the chunk of rock can fetch a huge price on EBay just now."

"Shut up! Dean's alive and I know he won't go into danger so recklessly with his unit around."

It wasn't long until I saw Demon Dean used his telekinesis to push me against a wall. He wasn't about to let me take no for an answer as he refused to let me do so. I was backed in a corner again as I also had no choice but to bend the knee and do what the signs asked of me, for I had no other choice but to obey. When I left my room, I got out of the fortress as I walked towards the harbor in which I was most likely to be returning to the field against my wishes. Looking back at the island, I was ready to leave until I heard my vidphone ringing in which I answered it gingerly.

"Hello?" I said in a shaky voice.

"About friggin' time that you picked up, Sammy!" said Dean over the phone. "I just got back from my mission on Stohess and I hope that you got the letter that was delivered to you earlier."

"I thought you were dead, but you're alive, thank the gods."

"What are you talking about?"

"I have to return to my field work, Dean. I'm needed to take out Project Helios soon enough."

"You better not or else I'll take the Impala over to that island on Westeros and kick your ass! Your health, both physical and mental, are more important to you right now 'cause you can't just go back to work half-cocked. Let us do the handiwork for you. Besides, you've been spending your years helping everyone, now it's our turn to help you. Don't let all of this go in vain, you got that?"

I felt tears streaming down my cheeks as I put away my phone. I was glad that my older brother was safe, but I was being beckoned to return to my work on the field as I had no other choice but to do so. When I saw a seaship docking near the harbor, I was ready to take it back to the Order's main headquarters on Westeros as my time to go back to work was weighing heavily on me. Just as I was about to get on the boat, I turned around as I saw the fog that surrounded the island produce an image that passed on, only to appear with a warning to give me, for he wasn't about to let me get away from my recovery soon enough.

"Are you that reckless to jeopardize your own health just to return to your field work?" I heard him say to me with a stern tone. "Are you that gullible to be beckoned by false message just to add to your recovery time?"

"Kazuo…," I said as I saw him staring at me.

"I heard about how you destroyed the Sol-3 and put an end to Project Amaterasu. I even heard about the demise of Sawney Masbath as well. Still, you overexerted your use of your raw power just to protect those who are vulnerable."

"That battle nearly killed me, but I've been slowly recovering from what I went through two years ago."

"Your brother called you earlier, didn't he?"

"He did and he would kick my ass if I didn't focus on my recovery."

"Just because you're focusing on your recovery doesn't mean that you're out of harm's way, Sam. You can't just say that you're fine when you're still suffering from the dangerous overexertion of your raw power that nearly killed you. In the end, your convalescence is more important than field work, for it will be beneficial to you in the end…"

I saw Kazuo's spirit fading away for another day as I felt compelled to stay put on the island. My recovery was more important than anything as I couldn't let myself be led astray while trying to heal from what I was ailing from. When I returned to the fortress, I was looking all over so I wouldn't get any dangerous messages or a grim form of chaos coming from Demon Dean in the long run. I returned to my residence as I went towards the men's area of the bathhouse and took off my clothes while placing them into the hamper. Sitting next to a wash basin, I scrubbed myself as I was also cleaning the long silver hair that I had on my head. I was happy to be safe after hearing Kazuo's words as I later heard footsteps approaching in which I turned around and saw Dirk leading the other boys into the bathroom in which they were mainly getting ready to be cleaned. It wasn't long until I saw Mason and Anaira entering into the bathhouse as they stripped off their clothes and went towards the wash basin like the rest of us the moment we all kept cleaning ourselves up after a long day.

By the time we finished cleaning up, we went towards some of the bathtubs as there was even a shallow one for the babies in which Gyatso didn't mind being with the younger boys. When I went into one of the bigger tubs, I relaxed in it as I noticed Mason and Anaira in the tubs between me. Even Dirk was in one of the tubs as he was glad to be enjoying the bath after enduring a first day of school, for he had a long way to go like the rest of us in which it was beneficial for us to be on Matarote Island in the first place.

"Oh, it was rough," I heard him say as he laid back in the tub he was in.

"Every first day of school is rough," said Mason.

"And the worst of it, one of the teachers in the schoolhouse even gave us homework on the lore that was once spotted in the Elder Days…"

"Some of that lore can help you be a better hunter," I said.

"It'll be a while before going back to field work, but there's no way in hell that we're returning to the field or else Reuben will have our asses," said Anaira.

We were glad to be in the bathhouse as we had a very pleasant conversation that kept us sane on this island. Still, I had a lot more time to recover as I also had to stick to it in which I didn't have any more problems for the rest of the day, for I had a long way to go in my convalescence…

Dean returned to the base in the Dabb Mountains on Shiganshina as he was basically keeping tabs on me while I was busy recovering. He was wanting me to take four years off after my overexertion of my raw power that destroyed both Sawney Masbath and the Sol-3 where Project Amaterasu once stood. After two years of seeing me off, he wasn't about to let me off the hook as he was determined to keep me housed in the four years that were needed to recover from what I suffered from. When he went outside, he saw some of his unit bringing in some game for further meals. The sight of turduckens and deer were great to be put into the meat locker as he noticed Desna returning from a reconnaissance mission earlier, for he was ready to report in after all that has happened.

"It's been two years since Sam and his family went to Matarote Island," he said.

"He's not going back to work till his four years are up and ready for a full recovery," said Dean.

"Shion and the others had their reasons to keep your brother in his furlough, but there is one who is not too happy with him for taking a leave of absence."

"I know who it is and that's Seto in a nutshell. When she saw Sam and his family leave for Matarote Island on Westeros, that leave of absence pissed her off in which she equated it to his past self abandoning my own in Purgatory in the Elder Days. Still, she's been sidelined by the Order's higher-ups in which they refused to let her interfere in Sam's convalescence, but she's not giving up on hauling his ass back to work."

It wasn't long until Magda ran out of the base as she caught up to Dean with Tansu following her. They were worried about something as they had to inform him of what would happen next, for it wasn't about to be pretty so far.

"There's been an attack on a Zasselian base on Valinor just now," she said. "It's all over the news."

"Son-of-a-bitch!" yelled Dean as he rushed back inside.

It wasn't long until Dean went towards one of the lounging rooms in which he saw the news on the television screen. The sight of the Zasselian soldiers on Valinor being attacked was more than enough to put Dean and his unit on edge as he had a gut feeling that the Executive Division was behind such a brutal attack like that.

"The death toll in this morning's attack has risen to fifty," said a newscaster on screen. "From a standpoint, the local officials in the mining town of Balin noticed a suspicious person dressed in gold armor with a suicide bomb detonator in his hand the moment they found his corpse near the Zasselian base gate. The Executive Division has once again claimed responsibility to the attack after the current efforts to have their suspicious activities hampered in the past two years by the Order of Letters, the Intergalactic Space Police, and various planetary governments. We will have more to come in this damning news story."

Dean turned off the t.v. as he had a gut feeling that the Executive Division wasn't done in this ongoing war yet. Even though I was not ready to be going back to work, my brother refused to rope me along as he wasn't about to let me be on the field due my convalescence. He had to do this with his unit as he had to fight the good fight in this ongoing war. Just as he was about to leave the lounge room, he heard Magda yelling from outside as he rushed to see what was going on.

"You really know how to push other people's buttons, don't you, Seto?" he heard her say.

"Your husband is in for a rude awakening when he finds out about that attack on a Zasselian base that was on Valinor," she yelled. "I'm not about to give up on forcing Sam to return to work after that incident that killed fifty people in Balin and the Valinorian Government has been on edge since there had been rumors about Project Helios being set up on the Sol-4."

"You sure aren't here to borrow the crockpot, are you, Seto?" said Dean.

"No, but I'm wanting to borrow your brother."

"Didn't you hear the higher-ups in the Order two years back? Sam has four years to recover from what happened to him when he took out Project Amaterasu. That raw power he overexerted nearly killed him and he needs to recover a little more before going back to work."

"Who gives a fuck what the higher-ups say?! The attack on a Zasselian base is an act of war in which the Valinorian Government saw one of Darbus Toller's soulless dolls blown to bits with a detonator in his hand! The Executive Division are here all over the place, Dean! There's no turning back when it comes to dealing with those asshats who went in and did away with some Zasselian soldiers that were here in the Valinorian town of Balin! I say to you again, flush out your brother and force him back to the field or I will!"

"Sam's off limits, Seto, even to you! Don't force it on him, so I suggest that you let him recover to full or else he won't be in working condition like an injured racehorse!"

It wasn't long until Seto stormed off as she took the stairs down to the town of Yukishiro in which she wasn't about to give up into bringing me back to work without me recovering up to full. By the time she reached Yukishiro, she went towards a pub as she sat down on a barstool and ordered up a glass of bourbon in which she slowly sipped it while devising a plan to force me back on the field. While she was sipping her glass of bourbon, she noticed a man with navy hair and red eyes with a set of stylish glasses sitting next to her as he was dressed in a sharp business suit while he ordered up a Jim Beam highball. She never saw him before as he was there on business of his own, for he was someone that couldn't be messed with right now.

"You're in bit of a pickle, aren't you, Seto?" he said as he sipped his highball.

"As long as I'm not turned into one with rat guts for appendages, I'm just peachy," she said.

"It seems that your efforts to lure out Sam from Matarote Island on Westeros has ended in failure due to the higher-ups not forcing him back to work in this crucial moment against the Executive Division."

"The Order's higher-ups have Sam put there to 'recover' while people are dying all over the place!"

"Funny…, the last time I forced Sam to do something, I was ready to drag him to Hell if he didn't forgive his would-be tormentor."

"I know who you are…, Mara!"

"It's Maro to you in which I had to switch bodies after the last one was brutalized in such a gruesome manner. I had my fair share with dealing with the Executive Division in which I was caught in the blast during my stint with dealing with a load of daevas at the wrong time and that was on Trost."

"I bet that Milverton's shitting gold bars while reaping in the bad souls going to Hell in this ongoing war that General Wetzel drummed up."

"I hate to break it to you, but Milverton was ousted two years ago by Abaddon. Ever since she took over Hell's throne, every demon is afraid of her in which she cleaned house and shut down the gladiatorial dens that the former ruler put up. With Abaddon in charge, she has a stranglehold on demons who were once loyal to Milverton, but she forces them to be added into the wall of bones as punishment for going against her. Still, I've been a thorn in her side in which some of the renegade demons have gone into hiding, especially that one wears the meatsuit of Darbus Toller's soulless dolls. As for our 'other problem' at hand, going to Matarote Island won't be easy, but there's a way to get into it without disturbing the fog around it. There's a loophole in the abandoned underwater bullet train system that connects the island to one of the mainlands there on Westeros. Once we do that, we'll force Sam to return to the field and stop the Executive Division before they raze this galaxy into a giant cinder."

Seto was elated by Maro's advice as she was eager to get towards me after what was going on in my absence two years ago. Still, she wasn't about to give up the fight as she also cared about what happened at the Zasselian base on Valinor. She was gunning for me as she wasn't about to waste any more time when it came to putting a dent in the Second Galvanic Uprising. Finishing up her bourbon and paying for her drink, she left the pub as she was on her way to the train station in which she spotted a suspicious man sitting on the bench. She had a gut feeling that something was off as she saw the man get up and bore out his fangs at her while displaying a retractable tendril from one of his hands. Remaining calm, Seto punched through the suspicious man as she impaled him the moment he slumped to the ground in which she remembered what he was, for it was a monster that was found in the Elder Days. Just as she was about to wait the train, she saw Maro approaching as he was aware of the monster that she killed earlier, for this wasn't the time to drum up a slow chat anytime soon.

"It seems that you eliminated a storsoi not too long ago," he said.

"Storsoi? That explains the vampire teeth and wraith tendril on the guy," said Seto.

"Storsoi is a Draaza word for mixed monster, but according to the annals of the Elder Days, a monster like that goes by another name in general."

"From what I heard, the Dean Winchester of old called such a monster a Jefferson Starship in which some of them infested a town called Grant's Pass, Oregon. Luckily, the Mother of the Year, who caused this shit to boil over, ended up dead by phoenix ash that was mixed in a shot of whiskey. It's a little mundane, but we can't let our guard down if we run into one of those Jefferson Starships again."

Seto was ready to leave as she saw a train approaching. With Maro in tow, she was ready to leave Shiganshina as the time to find me was just the beginning of putting an end to the Executive Division and those who were allied with them, for they had to do their part into disobeying the Order's higher-ups and force me back into work once again…

"Why, Sam? Why haven't you aided us in the past two years?"

I woke up in the middle of the night as the vision from earlier continued to plague me the moment I got up out of bed. When I left my room, I went outside of the fortress as I looked at the waves crashing near the shore of the ocean while the island was being surrounded by fog. Even though I was goaded by Kazuo's spirit by not returning to the field during my recovery, I was starting to feel guilty for not returning to work as I was forced to own up to my mistake into doing so. The recovery I was enduring was about to come to an end prematurely as I feared it due to the fact that I missed out on so much. When I returned to my room, I noticed Reiko in our bed as I covered her up in the blankets we had on it. By the time I crawled back in the bed, I was starting to fall back asleep until I heard something breaking into the fortress. Getting out of bed, I rushed into the interior of the fortress as I noticed Seto and Maro standing next to the fountain in which they weren't about to take no for an answer this time.

"Howdy, Sam," said Maro. "Last time, I wore a prebubescent girl's body, but I had to stick with the male model this time."

"You shouldn't be here, not while I'm still recovering," I said.

"After two years of playing possum, it's time to get your sorry ass back in the field," said Seto.

"The recovery that I'm under takes four years to make it up to full after I destroyed Project Amaterasu and did away with Sawney Masbath."

"Well, I hate to break it to you, but you're needed back on the field…, NOW!"

"I can't do that yet, so I suggest that you file a report to Shion or any of the other head honchos that run the Order."

"Yesterday morning, a Zasselian military base was destroyed in the Valinorian town of Balin," said Maro as he was fixing his glasses. "The Executive Division claimed responsibility in which fifty people were killed by one of Darbus Toller's soulless dolls that was used as a suicide bomber… Fifty people, Sam!"

"I can't help right now because everyone in the Order says that I'm off limits right now."

It wasn't long until Seto ran towards me and slapped me in the face. She was not having it as she was fiercely determined to get me back on the field in which she didn't want anyone else dying at the hands of the Executive Division. Even though I was still not in fine fettle, I was starting to feel more exhausted than normal as I noticed Maro fish out a cylindrical can of chips that were similar to what was packed into Pringles cans. He was ready to force me to use my raw power in this experiment as I didn't want anything to do with such frivolity right now.

"It's time to get back in the game, Sam," he said as he set the chip can on the bench. "Your raw power is vital to do many things, so I suggest that you start using it again."

"It's that shit again," I said as I was getting testy towards the two intruders. "You know that I won't do it!"

"Oh, you will whether you like it or not and when you do, you'll be rewarded with heaps of praise just to see your raw power back in play again."

"I want you to leave and let me continue my convalescence!"

"Perhaps a little force will put you to use it again…"

It wasn't long until I saw myself transported to a dungeon of Hell as I saw a wall that had nothing but bones and entrails all over it. What I didn't expect was that General Wetzel was added into the wall that was filled with blood and bone as he was cackling at me for being weak, for this was an unwanted gesture that I never agreed on.

"Your raw power cannot protect you forever, Sammy!" I heard him say to me.

To my shock, I saw various hands coming up from the ground as they were starting to drag me further. I was about to die until I saw a hand grabbing me and pulling me out of my predicament in which I was back in the interior part of the fortress. I was scared of what I went through as I also didn't want to demonstrate my raw power right now, for I just wanted to go back to bed.

"Well, Sam, aren't you gonna use your raw power or do I have to put you back in that illusory trap with the bloody walls in Hell?" said Maro.

I stared at the can of chips as I used my raw power to open them up the moment I saw some of them falling out onto the bench. After that unwanted demonstration, I felt my knees buckle as the exhaustion was starting to get to me again. Still, Seto wasn't convinced as she was still adamant into dragging me out of Matarote Island and back onto the field in which she refused to let me off the hook, for she wasn't about to let me resume my convalescence.

"It's about damn time that you got back in the game, Sam," she said.

"I did your demonstration with the chips! Are you happy now?!" I yelled as I felt a sharp pain in my legs. "You knew that I wasn't fully recovered and yet you pressed on just to act like a bitch!"

"How dare you show your teeth at me?!" Seto rushed towards me as she punched me in the face the moment I fell onto the ground. "You're going back on the field whether you like it or not, Sam! After what I observed when that military base was destroyed on Valinor, I won't let you shirk your duties again, not after what happened to the fifty people who lost their lives! And another thing, I'm not pulling you out of your furlough just to be a bitch! I'm doing all of this for the greater good so that no other innocent person perishes at the hands of the Executive Division! Starting tomorrow, you're coming with me and Maro and we'll be going to Valinor to observe the damage and honor the fifty people who lost their lives at the hands of that suicide bomber at the Zasselian base! Those people didn't deserve to die for no reason in which the Zasselian Embassy are willing to take their fallen back to their homeworld for burial! As for this mission, I suggest that you start following orders or else you'll be forced into a corner, you got that?"

"Alright…, I'll come with you, but after this, I'm going back here to finish out my convalescence, is that clear to you?"

"Thank you for your cooperation," said Maro. "At least the forced persuasion worked just in time to catch a ferry to the spaceport near the coastal town of Wildwave. There's an Order of Letters ship that's headed to Valinor as planned, so don't be late."

I was forced to bend the knee to the two intruders as I had no other choice but to cave to their demands. Still, the visions and messages that I had were more than enough to force me to cut short my long convalescence as I was most likely to be leaving Matarote Island against my wishes. I never wanted to leave Reiko or the others as I also couldn't ignore the incident that was on Valinor in which it was an act of war that was brought on by our sworn enemies who were also ready to activate Project Helios. What I didn't expect was that Reiko was watching in the distance as she was disappointed that I was forced to agree with Seto and Maro the moment they were forcing me to go back on the field that went against my convalescence altogether…

To be continued...