Chapter 39: Storm of Convergence

After a day of activity Ange would dare say was a decent match for the routine she'd become accustomed to at Arzenal, if not more enjoyable, a shower was more than welcoming. It was perhaps just as surprising that the plumbing systems of the facility were working just like everything else. She could almost admit to being impressed at the care Salamandinay took with restoring the place. Almost. She wasn't keen to give the DRAGON princess that much credit just yet.

"I am impressed, Ange…" Salamandinay spoke up as the two of them and Naomi were washing off. "You have impressive skills."

"Didn't you get enough of an impression of that in our world?" Naomi mused, leaning on the edge of her shower stall.

"Well, you're not bad either…" Ange took a moment, "...Sala…man…day."

"Not quite," Naomi mused, Salamandinay pouting in annoyance.

"It's Salaman-din-day," said the girl, putting emphasis on the bit Ange left out.

"Oh right," Ange bashfully laughed. "Anyway, I haven't had a match like that since my Iaria days." Salamandinay raised a brow, while Naomi looked to the other direction, seeing where this would likely go.

"Iaria?" Salamandinay asked.

"It's uhm… a sport, in our world," Ange said as it sank in for her as well that it was something of a slip up.

"Well then, after we bathe and have lunch, why not compete against each other in that next?"

"Yeah… we can't." Ange felt the slightest twinge of guilt at Salamandinay's resulting look of disappointment, "Norma can't play. You have to be able to use Mana. Just like everything else in that damn society."

"Oh I see," Salamandinay nodded. "We've heard much of it from Lizardia. Yet by all means, we cannot wrap our heads around your world's system. The difference between those who can and cannot use Mana is, well… arbitrary, to say the least."

"And yet that arbitrary difference is exactly why we ended up where we did," Naomi commented, a bitter edge to her voice as she shut off her faucet. "One small difference and we Norma get treated as less than human."

"I would be lying if I were to say we were not under the impression our enemies were soldiers intentionally fighting against us knowing our cause," Salamandinay stated, looking between the two Norma, "A part of me is still reeling from learning just how young the Norma enter combat. The thought of throwing children into battle is… appalling."

"Not like we're still not," Ange remarked, "I'm still sixteen myself."

"And I myself am barely an adult by my peoples' standards," Salamandinay remarked. "This really is all so twisted, isn't it? One world where the haves disdain the have-nots and where people as young as us must fight to try and change things."

"Quite a farce, isn't it?" Naomi hummed.

"No matter how much we suffer, the teachings of Aura guide us to think and exist within bonds of caring for one another," Salamandinay carried on. "Do you not feel anything about a world as twisted as yours? Ange, I know that as a princess you were once in a position to lead others. Is it not your duty as a leader to right the world's wrongs?"

"You've got some nerve," Ange muttered, "I'm not a princess anymore. Leadership? Duty? That's none of my business anymore. Besides, most people are content with that twisted world, so who cares?"

"Yet from what Sir Alain says, even more people are discontent as well," Salamandinay remarked, Ange flinching. "Should those who want to see that twisted world change not be able to see it happen, all because of those who are content in the cruelty? Sir Alain certainly seems the type who wants it to change. Why don't you share that desire?"

"Embryo and Aura have nothing to do with me," Ange said, "That's all."

"If so, what will you do now?"

"Huh?"

"Knowing the truth now, will you still do nothing?" Salamandinay pressed. "Because it looks to me like your allies are more determined than ever."

"Why would I not be?" Naomi said, "It's our world, twisted or not. Even after what me and my friends have been through, we still want a place to belong. Knowing the source just helps put things into perspective."

"Perspective, huh?" Ange murmured, a thoughtful expression on as she looked ahead. What have I been thinking about? Before all of this I was just going with the flow. But, if things are changing, then do I actually have any plans beyond just surviving? Ange sighed as she let her forehead touch the wall of the shower. "Freaking hate this complicated stuff…"


The mood Vivian had dealt with all day was, by contrast, much more fun filled. She'd spent nearly the entire time telling her mother about whatever stories she could about Garm Squadron and Alain. And Lamia was everything from interested to amused with each story her daughter regaled her with. At the moment, Vivian had finished one of several stories she had about Salia's rather poor attempts at hiding her hobbies.

"You have some interesting friends," Lamia chuckled.

"I know, right? And then after she thought I fell asleep, Salia started reading this book she had stowed in her drawer! Then she started muttering about things as she read it."

"Oh my. Sounds like this Salia was having some… lady's thoughts." Vivian tilted her head and Lamia chuckled in amusement. "You'll find out when you're a bit older."

"Ersha and Alain keep saying the same thing!" Vivian whined, Lamia perking up. "Ah, Ersha is the one I told you about! The girl who takes care of all the little kids in Arzenal."

"Ah right, the one you said used to beat people up before she mellowed out."

"Yeah. Everytime I ask about things from them, Ersha and Alain are always telling me to wait." Lamia simply smiled at her daughter's pouting. "It's not like I'm that much younger!"

"Fifteen is still quite young," Lamia mused. "Though from what you said, I suppose in that Arzenal place, it somewhat isn't."

"That's what everyone says," Vivian nodded when she felt the hairs on her neck rise up along with the ever-familiar tingling going up her spine. "Tingling… what is…"

And then suddenly, the entire world started shaking.


No sooner had the rumbling started than the entire group bolted out onto the roof of the sports center. And what greeted them was a sky that had turned dark as night, lightning booming through the clouds as the winds began to howl. Arcs of lightning then suddenly converged on the Tower of Aura, slamming into the ground as a vortex began to rise, a gleam in the air turning into a rapidly spinning ball of something within it.

"What the…" Ange's eyes widened as she swore she saw something inside of the vortex. "It's the Iaria stadium?! What the hell?!"

"Tusk… this is…" Alain got a silent nod from Tusk, both young men bearing tense expressions as that storm began to intensify. Alain grit his teeth and turned to Salamandinay and Ikuchi. "We need to get people moving now! That thing isn't good!"

No sooner had Alain shouted the warning than it happened. As the storm pulsed and edged further out, the buildings it ebbed across suddenly flickered, changing in shape before rapidly twisting into some mixed ruin of both. And both Tusk and Alain couldn't help but imagine the likely result of any poor soul caught in its path. The sole image being bodies, warped and bent, stuck within stone and mortar as if melted right into it.

"Enryugo!"

"Seiryugo!"

On the command from Salamandinay and Ikuchi, both their gems gleaming, their Ryushinki came darting across the sky in Flight Form, arcing to the edge of the building as their cockpits opened.

"Kaname, alert the high priestess! Naga, take those four somewhere safe!" Salamandinay ordered as she and Ikuchi leapt into their respective machines

"Hold it!" Alain shouted, darting past Naga and Kaname to leap onto the Seiryugo. "I'm coming along! I know what those storms are!"

"Are you insane?!" Ikuchi shouted, growling as Alain dropped through the hatch before it could close. "Stay here and look after your comrades!"

"They can handle themselves! Look, this machine is like Wyvern, right? Then he and I should be able to help you get this thing working right! It should be able to help stop that storm before it gets worse! I obviously can't let the big guy out when he's just a frame, so it's gotta be you two!"

"What?" Ikuchi gasped, Slamandinay's expression on the monitor matching his.

"It's a gamble. But Wyvern… ahh dammit, I'll let him explain it!" Alain leaned across Ikuchi's control panels, finding that just like Wyvern there was a slot for the terminal device. Slotting the item in despite Ikuchi's protests, one screen soon flashed with the usual representation of Wyvern's presence. "Rundown of that system I used at Arzenal, go!"

"Alain is speaking of the ND Burst subroutine," Wyvern stated. "It was the same function that blockaded Salamandinay's usage of the Discord Phasers. That storm you see is a similar phenomenon of space time distortion. Theoretically,if you were able to activate the ND Burst function within the Lindwurm, you could potentially hold the storm at bay long enough for the civilians to evacuate."

"That was one thing, this is another!" Ikuchi protested. "Besides, without the same quantum computer as the Wyvern, we're not sure Seiryugo can even use the same systems!"

"It has nothing to do with the quantum computer," Wyvern countered, "It is all systems innate to the Varia-mail units. Give me a few moments, and I should be able to undo the black box locks in the Lindwurm. I now possess the data to bypass the system locks so it will not take long."

"If it can help us, then please make it quick," Salamandinay said. As her and Ikuchi's cockpits closed. "Ange, we'll resume our contest another time."

"Keep the reckless idiot safe for me, got it?!" Naomi shouted as a Brig pulled in at Naga's call. "If he gets hurt, I'm taking it out on both of you!"

"Your mate is rather… enthusiastic," Ikuchi noted as they pulled away.

"Just be glad the rest of them aren't here. Worst thing in the world is a pissed off squad of hellhounds."


As the Brig they had mounted coasted towards the temple grounds, Ange couldn't get rid of the stewing frustration in her chest. When they finally landed, Naga and Kaname went one way, while the other three instead ran off towards Tusk's Air Runner parked on the main platform. As they did, the DRAGON girls' own Ryushinki were rising up from nearby launch lifts.

"Once we notify the high priestess, we should go too," Kaname said, Naga nodding.

"You three, this…" As Naga turned, only then did she spot the others at Tusk's Runner. "Hey! What do you think you're doing?!"

"We're going to help Vivian!" Ange shouted, then grumbling as she looked the Runner over. "Damn, it'd be a tight squeeze…"

"We'll just have to manage," Tusk said, throwing his leg over the seat. As he started the Runner up, he noticed Ange staring at her ring. "Ange?"

"Sala-whatever called hers at will… So maybe…" Ange's fingers closed as she had an idea. It was a shot in the dark, but she didn't feel like wasting any time. "Villkiss! Get your ass out here and help me!" When nothing happened as she held her ring out, Ange let out an annoyed growl. "Hey! Don't just sit around in that damn hangar! Get your ass in gear dammit!" Finally, the ring began to shine as the air before them shimmered and Villkiss flashed into being before them.

"Looks like Villkiss and you have the same type," Naomi smirked as Tusk turned away with a flush.

"Please don't go implying anything about me." Tusk sighed, Naomi chuckling as she hopped onto the Runner behind him.

"Wait a second, there's no way Mio's crew is done fixing that machine!" Naga as Ange climbed into the cockpit.

"Then I'll just yell at it again if it acts up!" Ange snapped, already hitting the throttle as Villkiss's engines flickered to life. As Villkiss shakily rose into the sky, Tusk's Runner was right behind it as they shot off towards the town. Hold on Vivian, we'll be there soon, Ange thought, her eyes looking to the town as it kept flickering between the streets of Misurugi and its natural architecture. "Just what the hell is this?"


As the Enryugo and Seiryugo came soaring over the city, Salamandinay went ahead as she saw a bolt strike a cliffside right above a fleeing crowd. Firing her mounted rifle, the beam blasted the falling boulder to dust, the crowd pausing as the two machines came to a hover above them.

"This place is dangerous! Flee to the temple! Hurry!" Salamandinay commanded. Within the Seiryugo, Alain gave a sigh of relief as he spotted Vivian and Lamia within the crowd. At least they were safe.

"What even is this storm?" Ikuchi muttered, his eyes going wide as he watched it close in further on the fleeing crowd. One unfortunate girl tripped and as she desperately tried to get back up, the storm overtook her, leaving nothing but merged rubble and her frozen hand grasping at nothing. "This is… what the hell?"

"This is what happens when space-time is warped in on itself," Alain's hand tightened on the edge of Ikuchi's seat. "I saw something like this ten years ago. When Embryo and that damned lackey of his destroyed Farbanti. Listen, both of you, trying to blast that wall with normal weapons isn't going to work so don't waste the energy. Wyvern, how much longer 'till you get this guy unlocked?"

"I will need at least two more minutes to do so."

"So we just wait?!" Ikuchi snapped. "My people are dying!"

"Will it even stop this?" Salamandinay asked.

"Probably not," Alain admitted as he put a hand to his head. "But at least it'll stall for a few seconds." Think dammit! There has to be some way to stop it! Wyvern and Seiryugo don't have the means to more than stall it. The only thing I can… Alain's eyes went wide as a sudden epiphany hit him. "What happened at Arzenal… Sala, you may need to…!" but Alain was cut off when the High Priestess suddenly hailed them.

"Salamandinay, Ikuchi, retreat," the girl ordered. "The Ryushinki and Seiryugo are pivotal in the fight to reclaim Aura. We cannot risk them."

"But…" Salamandinay protested.

"The people of Vivel are on their way here. Let them take care of the rest."

"That won't be enough!" Ikuchi shouted, "By the time they get here more people are going to die! We've lost enough lives just trying to find Aura!"

"Retreat," the High Priestess repeated it curtly.

"We can't just abandon these people!" Salamandinay said through gritted teeth as Alain let out a growl.

"Look, brat!" Alain snapped, Ikuchi looking at him with a strained gaze at the audacity he was displaying. "Don't go throwing away your people's lives so freely! Nobody deserves to die like that no matter what else is at stake! And I think I've figured out how to stop this! Sala, it's the Discord Phasers!"

"Huh?!"

"It's the thing that happened at Arzenal! It's a gamble but it might work!"

"But there's no way it could…" Salamandinay was cut off as an object came flying out of the vortex and right towards her. An Iaria sled, of all things. As Ikuchi moved the Seiryugo to try and intercept it, the Villkiss suddenly came darting in, its sword slashing through the object.

"Why are you just standing around there, Salamandrill?!" Ange snapped. "Alain, didn't you say you could get that guy to stall this thing?!"

"Working on that!" Alain snapped back in kind. "But, you showing up is actually perfect!"

"Please tell me it's not something stupid…" Ange groaned. Looking below, she too saw what was befalling the people unlucky enough to not get away from the approaching tempest. "What the hell…?"

"It's Embryo," Tusk said, his Runner pulling up alongside the three machines. "That bastard can control time and space. My parents, friends, so many others… they all died just like that!"

"I… I've seen this before…" Naomi muttered, the grip she had on Tusk's shoulders tightening. And as she looked around, she suddenly gasped. "Vivian!"

All eyes turned at Naomi's sudden shout. On the ground, Vivian was kneeling before a wrecked Iaria board, with Lamia pinned beneath it as she desperately tried to lift it up.

"We'll go help her!" Tusk angled the Runner down, arcing towards the ground as quickly as it'd take him. Naomi didn't even wait for him to fully land before she jumped off, Vivian turning to her and Tusk as they ran over.


"Good, they should be able to handle it," Alain noted, turning back to the approaching storm. "Now as for this…"

"Just get to the point!" Ange snapped. "What do you need Villkiss for?"

"Once Ikuchi gets this tempest stalled, you and Sala need to pull off the same thing you did at Arzenal!" Alain said, both girls going wide eyed. "I know it sounds stupid but it's the only idea I've got alright?!"

"No, actually… yeah, that might work!" Ange gasped. "He's got a point! Whatever the heck these Discord Phasers are, I think they work the same way! If we hit it with that, it might do what Alain thinks it will!"

" It won't work," Salamandinay said. "The Discord Phaser's colliding would destroy the entire town and the tower!"

"So just cut the power by about 30%!" Ange snapped.

"It can't be adjusted so easily!"

"Look, we're both low on time and options!" Alain yelled. "If you can think of a better way to stop it Sala then let's hear it! But if not, we're better off taking a gamble that could save as many as possible than letting them all die!"

"Salamandinay… we should try it!" Ikuchi said. "Alain is right. Better we take a gamble and fail than not even make the attempt! AI, are you finished?!"

"It has been finished for some time. I was merely waiting for you all to solidify your plan," Wyvern replied. "I did find that when doing so, Lindwurm's systems should have been unlocked when it came into contact with Wyvern. It seems as if its own black box connection was severed, thus the need to force it open."

"Then let's use that… ND Burst or whatever it is," Ikuchi said. "Salamandinay, this may be the only choice we have. And I'm willing to bet on their gamble!"


Meanwhile; Tusk, Vivian, and Naomi were struggling to lift the damaged Iaria board off of Lamia. To their mutual surprise, the thing was much heavier than they had expected it to be.

"Mii please," Lamia said, giving her daughter an assuring smile. "It's alright. Just go and save yourself.

"No way!" Vivian objected, tears in the girl's eyes as she kept struggling. "I won't leave without my Mom!"

"Don't even THINK about about giving up!" Naomi said between her grit teeth. "No way in hell am I letting you die when Vivian just met you! I'm not gonna let another of my friends lose their family if I can help it!"

"So just… move when we get it up!" Tusk groaned, looking upwards, "Guys come on hurry up?!"


"I got it!" Ange said, "We don't need to lower the output! We just need to fire at the same time so that they cancel each other out! Just like what happened at Arzenal!"

"A counter blast?" Salamandinay murmured. "That wouldn't be…"

"We don't have a lot of options!" Alain shouted. "Once Ikuchi fires off the ND Burst, you two are only gonna have a short window to fire those things. So quit prattling about the what if and do the stupid thing! Trust me, sometimes being a reckless dumbass works out more than you'd expect!"

"If anyone knows that it's him," Ange snarked. "He's the biggest dumbass in a place full of them! And besides, aren't you a princess?! Stop this crisis and save your people! That's a ruler's duty isn't it?"

"If we're ready, I'll get things set," Ikuchi gave a slight grin as Salamandinay's face became more resolute, the girl nodding to him as he moved the Seiryugo towards the center of the storm. As Ange and Salamandinay began to sing, Ikuchi moved ahead. "The ND Burst…how do I use it?"

"I used it on impulse more than anything," Alain's admission earned him a bewildered look from Ikuchi. "But it activated when I wanted to protect the people around me. And I know you want to do the same for your people so focus on that!"

"The desire to protect others." Ikuchi murmured. His fingers tightened around his controls, the melody of Salamandinay and Ange's song seemingly weaving around him despite the noise from the tempest. "Seiryugo… help me. Help me protect my people. Help me put a stop to these 500 years of war and bloodshed! If your purpose truly is to bring an end to suffering, then please, help me make sure no more lives are lost today!"

Alain smiled as Ikuchi's plea was answered by the console shining with the same wing sigil he'd become familiar with. The Seiryugo's drives shifted to a forward position and Ikuchi rushed right for the wall of the storm, the erupting stream of particles from the drives colliding with the wall just as it pulsed again. The stream turned into a tsunami and Ikuchi and Alain braced themselves as the frame rattled from the blowback, but held firm.

"Sala, Ange!" Alain shouted, "Here's your opening! Fire at this storm before Seiryugo can't hold the burst anymore!"

We're getting to that! Ange thought with annoyance as she kept singing. The ring on her finger began to pulse and Vilkiiss's armor began to shine gold alongside Enryugo as the Discord Phasers opened on both their shoulders, sparking with energy as they charged. Salamandinay fired first, impacting the storm right above where the particle wall was keeping it at bay. But before Villkiss could fire, the Discord Phaser on the left shoulder suddenly blew. Ange yelped as she was sent careening downwards, air whipping around her as the blast had also blown open the cockpit.

"Ange, you're falling!" Sala called.

"I CAN SEE THAT!" Ange growled as she yanked at her controls and jammed the throttle, yet Villkiss refused to respond. "Now of all times? Dammit! Aren't you the machine that helped destroy the world?! Get your ass in gear Villkiss!" As much as Ange hated to admit it, a part of her was really hoping Alain would be right about Villkiss being able to fix itself. "Do it or I swear I'll kick it all the way back to our world!"

As if answering her challenge, Ange felt her ring pulse once more and with a renewed roar of its engines, Villkiss's armor gleaned brighter as the damage done to the cockpit and even its entire arm were restored, the rest of the body following. Almost as if the damage had never happened to begin with. Now back to 100%, Ange righted Villkiss and took aim at the storm, the Discord Phasers roaring to life as Ange resumed singing. Just like over Arzenal, twin vortexes erupted from Vilkiss's shoulders, and dragged across the face of the storm to meet those of Enryugo, the two blasts overlapping just before the particle wall from Seiryugo began to die down. The world vanished in a blinding flash, and when their vision cleared, the storm had vanished. While the damage to the town remained, and the Tower of Aura was in an even worse state than before, calm had returned to the valley.

"Ho-ly shit that worked!" Alain laughed as he slumped against the back of the cockpit's seat, Ikuchi wiping away a slight nosebleed as the Seiryugo descended. "Honestly part of me was worried it wouldn't."

"You said it yourself," Salamandinay commented. "Better to take the gamble and fail than not try at all. Thank you. Both of you."


And now that things hadcalmed, Tusk and Naomi could sit in relief that they'd gotten Lamia freed andthat anyone left was able to get away unharmed. Currently, Lamia was holding Vivian as the girl cried into her chest.

"Mom!"

"Mii!"

"Well… I would say all's well that ends well…" Naomi murmured, a warm smile on her face. "But they're going to have a lot to fix."

"It'll be fine," Tusk assured, watching as Villkiss, Enryugo, and Seiryugo descended to the ground. When Villkiss's cockpit popped open and Ange stepped out to give him a wave, Tusk returned the gesture, glad to see she was alright. "We've all been through a lot. And rebuilding is always possible so long as people are alive."

"That insight of yours helped with getting Ange to cool off?" Naomi teased, Tusk's face flushing. "But, yeah. So long as we're alive, we can always rebuild. And keep living for the people who didn't make it. I just hope this time, there's actually a good ending to all of this."

"Yeah… me too."


With the crisis now over, once their machines landed the four within emerged to breathe a collective sigh of relief. As Alain helped Ikuchi scan over the damage, Salamandinay and Ange stood up to have a chat.

"Looks like we managed, somehow," Ange hummed, patting Villkiss's.

"Thanks to both of you, our people are safe," Salamandinay said, bowing her head to both Ange and Alain. "You have my gratitude."

"I just wanted to help a friend," Ange muttered, looking to the side.

"Oh, so you do think of her as one, eh?" Ange shot Alain a glare in return for his smug smirk. But, he dropped it when he turned to Salamandinay. "But, same for me. As we say in Arzenal, wingmen stick together."

"Still, I never thought that song could help us," Salamandinay commented, Ange raising a brow. "What you sang was the song Embryo used to destroy this world. Where did you learn it?"

"My mother," said Ange, "She said it would always guide my path."

"Fascinating," Ikuchi hummed. "Aura taught us the version that Salamandinay sings. We call it the Song of Stars."

"Honestly, I feel foolish now," Salamandinay mentioned. "Trying to own others? My own immaturity is humbling. Stopping a crisis and protecting my people… that is how a leader should act. Please forgive my earlier selfishness. I would like you to be my friends as well. To learn with and walk alongside you." Ange pursed her lips is thought

"Well, 'Salamandenden' is too long," Ange muttered.

"You didn't even say it right," Alain dryly added. "Just call her Sala like I did. Though granted that was kind of a heat of the moment thing."

"I didn't comment on it earlier, but isn't that a bit disrespectful?" Ikuchi muttered.

"Hey, some people call me 'Ribbon' back home thanks to this," Alain held up his right arm, displaying the ribbon Ange only now realized he still had it. She'd honestly forgotten it was a thing he wore. "I've heard worse nicknames."

"Hmmm… how about Salako?" Ange suggested.

"Well… I suppose I'm not averse to the idea," Ikuchi's eyes went wide as Salamandinay put a hand to her chin. "Then… how about I call Ange 'Anko'?"

"Not happening," Ange objected in a split second, Alain and Ikuchi snickering. "And since when were you two so buddy-buddy huh?!"

"Since about the time we found common ground in noting how similar you two are," Ikuchi joked. "Though I'd say calling each other friends isn't quite there yet."

"I'll take wingmate," Alain chuckled. "Though I do want a rematch. Once Wyvern is fixed up, how about we pick up where we left off over Arzenal, eh?"

"Very well. I'd like to test myself against you when your partner is performing properly. However, there's a few things to address before then."

"Right… like that dang blood test," Alain sighed as he flexed the fingers of his right hand a bit. Just a bit longer everyone. Whatever situation you're in, stay alive so we at least have friends to come back to. With that thought in mind, Alain cast his eyes up to the darkening twilight sky. When we first got here I thought this sky was unfamiliar. But the more I realize how similar it is to ours, the more I don't dislike this. Maybe when this is all done…THIS is where we should go. Maybe…