CHAPTER 56

THE STORY OF GOD

Dawn was just about to break over the six nations, the black sky shifting to a navy blue tinged with a bright orange promising a beautiful morning for the civilians who would spare themselves a few hours more sleep before the morning began. The only humans who weren't afforded this pleasure were the NMB council table. Three of its members, Chancellor Sullena, Senator Mark and Head Minister Cody had been busy all the previous night long getting everything prepared for Emperor Julio's plan. His and the other world leaders' announcement of wanting to clear out the Norma from Arzenal and transfer them to the Galia labor camp was odd and unexpected, but the council did as commanded without question.

"Have the troops all been organized?" The Galia Emperor questioned through a Mana window hovering over the center of the round table.

"Yes Emperor." Senator Mark confirmed. "Forces from Endurant and Velda are to be stationed at the labour camp when the Norma are transferred there. Those from Galia, Marmeria, Rosemblum and those in Misurugi loyal to Villson have been assigned to join Emperor Julio and his royal troops in their mission to Arzenal."

"And what of Mr Villson?" The Galia Emperor asked. "Have you managed to contact him on the situation? Our intelligence can't seem to find him." Their eyes met with trepidation as Vice-president Boris, Dutchess Caitlyn, and Jadis had yet to return. And the repercussions of their scheme to assassinate Dutch Villson without their superiors' authorization would be most dire.

"I fear we have yet to reach him." Sullena finally answered. "But Boris and the Duchess have personally insisted on our behalf to check in person at his private villa." Behind the steel doors of the council's meeting room, two lone figures eavesdropped on the conversation. The smaller of the two was gagged and in cuffs while the other leaned against the doors, his ear pressed against the metal.

'Seems our so-called world leaders' have permitted these spineless weasels to command my soldiers to assist the royal brat without my knowledge.' Dutch realized with a flare of anger. 'They'll soon pay the price for trying to double-cross me.' Pulling his ear from the doors, Dutch summoned a Mana window to contact his most trusted lieutenant. "Jadis what's your status?"

"I'm inside of the Misurugi headquarters. The troops are moving into the war ships. As soon as the coast is clear, I'll slip in and blend in with the others." Jadis was dressed in a NMB combat tactical suit and in the background, he could hear marching soldiers, no doubt filling into Mana transport warships ready to head to Arzenal. "Jeffry and Brawl are already in position. Seems we'll be the first wave to storm Arzenal."

"The boy's smarter than he looks." Dutch admitted with a nod. "He won't risk riding with those loyal to me. "Just watch yourselves. You all know what's at stake. We cannot allow the Ange girl to fall into the hands of her brother. Embryo needs her the most out of all the other candidates for the Ragna-mail. She is the most important target."

"What makes you think his Highness will betray your boss' orders?"

"His ego and pride are more important to him than orders." Dutch answered, knowing full well Riza had persuaded the boy to attack early. And once they retrieved the Ange girl unharmed and exposed the DRAGON spy to Embryo, he'd be the one back on top again.

"What of Subject Alpha?" Jadis asked.

"I'll take care of him personally, but I'll join you all soon once I deal with a few loose ends." Dutch cut the call then turned his attention to the bound and gagged figure next to him. "Don't try anything stupid or try to warn them, Duchess. Not unless you want to spare your daughter the same fate as your son." He pointed a threatening finger in her face, its nail now yellowed, pointed, and the skin running across the tip to the knuckle black and scaly. The sight of this abnormality put the fear of God into the Duchess and she gave a weak nod. After checking the council's meeting with the Emperor had ended, Dutch slipped off her cuffs and gag before shoving her into the room and making the rest of the traitors leap out of their seats in horror.

"M…m…m…Mr…Villson!" Minster Cody said breathlessly, his face mirroring the same ghostly white as the others.

"Please sit down all of you." Dutch spoke softly. It was not a request but a command. The five of them sat in silence while Dutch moved to the front of the room.

"Where's…Vice president…Boris and…Jadis?" Chancellor Sullena stuttered.

"He won't be showing his face ever again unfortunately." Dutch stated. "And neither will the rest of you in a few moments." They all were ready to speak but Dutch raised a hand, revealing his blackened scaly fingers which sent them into stunned silence. "I know of your plans to replace me with Jadis, but you all failed to realize those of us who have fought on the front lines have a tendency to remain loyal to each other. That's the trouble with you pampered elites. You've all thought of those you consider lower born to be beneath you. My father learned that the hard way." Dutch began to slowly walk around the table as though circling his prey. "Before I was even born it was his life's ambition to work as head of the NMB, to protect our kind from the likes of the Norma and Ancient folk. He was a brilliant captain in the ranks of the NMB but those like you spat in his face despite all he did in service to this world. 'Leave politics to the men of proper breeding,' they told him. My father was not a kind man and he had his faults, but he taught me that true power didn't come to those born into it, but those who would do anything to achieve it. Back when I was young, he raised horses on our farm. Beautiful, rare breeds. I loved them dearly, particularly one who was also my father's most beloved and best racing horse. But one day it fell off a slope and broke its leg. I thought my father would help it easy enough with Mana. But he just pulled out his pistol and put it in my hand. He told me, 'It's better to die strong than live as a shadow of your former self.' He then pressed my finger on the trigger. I screamed. I wanted him to die. But years later, I realized that there's no room for weakness."

At these words Dutch took out the dracunium pills and downed three of them in one gulp. His lips peeled from his teeth like a dog snarling, the fronts of which now pointed and jagged as the five council table members were frozen in terror. Dutch gave a feral like growl and with a click of his fingers the lights suddenly went out. Next an emerald-green glow emitted from Dutch's hand, growing brighter and more intense until to their horror, his whole forearm was engulfed in a dazzling green flame. The last thing the four council members heard was a monstrous, inhuman howl that echoed through the room as a blinding green fire ball shot from the monster's scaly hand and engulf them all.


It was a long sleepless night for Lucas and his crew after the horrifying news that the Sanctuary's location had been discovered and was now under threat by Embryo and Blackadder. As they all waited anxiously for Dolton and Jasmine to return with news and the island's residents awoke to start their last day on Arzenal, the sound of the lift coming down sent them all jumping to their feet.

"What's happened?" Lucas asked immediately as Jasmine exited with Dolton. "Have you made contact with the Sanctuary?"

"No good." Dolton said heavily. "Seems Embryo was smart enough to also cancel out Mana communications too. Guess he didn't want Senator Bronson to warn his daughter and risk her alerting the Norma of their scheme."

"But what of the Sanctuary, Captain Jacob, Hosea and all the others?" Lucia worried. "How are we to warn them Embryo and Cal's clone are coming for them. I could go on my skyhook and…"

"Absolutely not we've discussed this already!" Lucas said firmly.

"No we didn't discuss anything!" Lucia argued. "You just decided…"

"He's right." Jasmine cut in. "By now Embryo and the NMB will be watching the skies. And they'd see us the moment we sent out so much as a speedboat. All we can do is take care of ourselves and hope Hosea's bird can make it in time." The thought of relying on Dexter of all things did not do much to ease their worry.

"So what do we do now?" Frenzy asked.

"Nothing has changed. We get the Aurora prepped, stocked and ready to leave tonight." said Jasmine. "If Jacob and everyone else gets out of there we'll rendezvous with them later and decide on our next plan of action."

"Let's get to it then." Lucas ordered. "Keeping busy will at least take our minds off of it."

"What's the status on the Inspecter?" Ralph asked.

"Maggie is going to give her another dose to keep her out." Jasmine assured him. "She'll send a nurse down to fetch you once it's safe for you to walk back around." As everyone minus Ralph hurried onto the lift, Jasmine held Lucas back. "Mei and her crew as well as a few girls in my circle have agreed to assist you. We'll need all the help we can get." Slowly the lift ascended back up to Arzenal's main hanger, Lucas gazed up at the darkness where a dazzle of morning light stretched through the opening. When everyone was asleep last night, he had time to think. His theory of Cal's odd behavior during their mission of saving Ange and his inexplicable telepathic connection to his clone would not leave Lucas. Once they reached the main hanger, Lucas disembarked from the group and headed straight for the Commander's quarters again. If his theory was correct then she needed to know.


As the sun came up, the pure colorless vastness of the morning sky stretched through the skylight above and with a soft yawn, Miranda finally woke up. Rubbing her eyes, she shifted herself up into a sitting position and looked around her bedroom that so happened to be the attic within the house. Its wooden walls were painted bright blue, the white ceiling dotted with small cute wild animals, and one side of the room full of toys. Her favorite was her large doll house set against the wall underneath a circular window and on the other empty side lay a trap door with ladders built upon it. Just as she was about to get up from her bed, the trap door was pulled down and a moment later a head appeared through the gap to Miranda's joy.

"Morning sleepy head." A lean man with long blonde hair done up in a ponytail greeted her with a smile.

"Morning daddy, what day is it today?" Miranda yawned, stretching her little arms out.

"Oh, silly pumpkin, how could you forget when you get your special treat today?" Her father scooped her up in his arms and carried her downstairs to the dining room.

"It's Saturday!" Miranda beamed with excitement seeing the three plates full of pancakes awaiting her, topped with sweet syrup which gleamed like gold. Saturday was always an incredibly special day where she, mommy and daddy would take their rare ventures outside together as a family, out in the fields and hills where no one was around. Her parents had always told her since she couldn't use Mana that bad people would take her away if they found her. Their large house was set far away into the countryside, 1 mile from the nearest village but every so often Miranda would spot children in the distance playing in the neighboring fields from her circular window but was forbidden to ever interact with them. It was one of many of mommy and daddy's rules she hated.

"Not so fast pumpkin you'll choke." Her father cautioned as Miranda began stuffing fork loads of pancakes into her mouth.

"Where's mommy?" she asked noticing they were one short at the table.

"Mommy's fine pumpkin, she'll be up soon." Her father pinched her cheek affectionately, but Miranda didn't believe him, recalling their little argument from downstairs when she had pretended to be asleep.

"I can't keep doing this." She had heard mommy exclaim. "We have a new one on the way. Wouldn't it be best for all of us if…"

"No, we're not giving her up!" She had never heard daddy sound so angry before. "We're a family! Without her there's no us!"

Ever since mommy's belly had gotten bigger, she seemed to begin distancing herself from Miranda. She would always play and let her help with the cooking, now she barely talked to Miranda and seemed irritated by her presence. Her father picked up on Miranda's gloomy silence. "Perhaps some fresh air will do us all some good today. Once you're finished go brush your teeth and put one of your nice dresses on. You go play while I go check on mommy."

Miranda did as she was told and dressed in her favorite white dress with yellow pattern flowers. It was one of the best gifts she gotten for her 4th birthday just a few months ago. She waited a while for her parents to call her down. But the minutes dragged into hours and mid-day had arrived. What was keeping them? Through the skylight the sky grew darker and with it came a rustling wind and Miranda knew a storm was coming. Guess going outside today wasn't a possibility.

As she busied herself by playing with her doll house, Miranda thought she could hear low grunts and moans coming from her parents' room that only grew in intensity. Was mommy hurt? Then came a sound that scared the life out of Miranda as mommy wailed in agony. Unable to ignore her mother's cries, Miranda listened intently at the top of the ladder. Minutes later the doorbell rang, heart pounding she was about to climb down but her father soon appeared. "Miranda pumpkin, mommy's not feeling well."

"What's wrong with mommy?" said Miranda in a small shaky voice.

"Miranda please listen!" His face was white and his eyes livid with panic. "No matter what you hear, don't come down, understand? Just stay up here and stay away where no one can see you!" She gave a weak little nod as her father clambered back down and she heard him run to the door. Soon she could make out 3 new people hurrying up the stairs and into her parent's room. It was common practice for Miranda to hide in her attic bedroom when a guest visited the house but whatever was happening must be bad as daddy had forgot to close up the ladders to her room. There was a lot of talking but she couldn't understand what they were saying. The horrible cries then turned to screams that punctuated through the house as though something was causing mommy unimaginable pain. Unable to stay put for much longer Miranda steadily climbed down and could now hear her father's voice more clearly through the open gap to her parent's room down the hallway. "Is she going to be okay doctor?"

"The baby hasn't turned over and has gotten stuck. The paramedics from the nearest city hospital should be here soon, but the storm outside might cause delay. I'll do what I can but we have to deliver your baby here or they could both die." Peering through the gap in the door, Miranda saw a man in a doctor's uniform along with two female nurses while her father stood around the bed where mommy was sweating profusely. She gave another loud cry and bursting into the room Miranda made a run for the bed to help just as the doctor's assistant channeled the light of Mana to levitate a leather bag to them which bumped into Miranda's head, causing the green barrier around it to shatter like glass.

"Norma!" One of the nurses screamed as her mother and father looked on horrified as the doctor and his assistants ran out of the room. Her father took her by the hand and forced her back up to her bedroom without another word and closed the ladders shut, leaving her trapped in her room.

"Why aren't you helping?!" Her father demanded. "My wife is in there dying! Forget about the Norma, save her and my child!" But his words fell on deaf ears. There were more screams from her mother, then silence, followed by her father crying, then more silence. It was several long minutes before Miranda moved from her bed to check what was happening when large men in black uniforms came up and dragged her downstairs. Her father stood near the door his head in his hands, and once outside into the pouring rain and wild wind Miranda saw a bodybag wheeled into an ambulance as the men were leading her to another vehicle to take her away.

"Daddy! Help!" Miranda yelled managing to wrench free and began running back to the house where her father stood at the doorway. "Daddy help me!" She pleaded clutching her father's leg but her cries for help jammed in her throat at the furious, cold, hatred in her father's face.

"I told you to STAY AWAY!" The powerful strike of her father's palm across her face sent her crumbling to the ground. "Why couldn't have you been better?! I thought you'd be perfect, but you were a Norma. A filthy disgusting Norma!" His voice was filled with unimaginable hatred towards her, as though she was the vilest thing in the world to him.

"Daddy please!" Miranda cried as those same large powerful hands dragged her away and threw her into the vehicle. The last things she saw was her home and her father pulling further and further away as though she was being dragged through a dark tunnel. "DADDY!"

"Yes Captain." Distant collective voices echoed even louder out through the dark tunnel, snapping Miranda back to reality as she found herself within the squad's new meeting room inside the gym. The last thing she remembered was gazing into the cracked wall mirror before her nightmare last night came pouring back to her. At the front of the room, Cal and Hilda stood at the blackboard on which a bunch of formations had been drawn. Miranda kicked herself for not paying attention but thankfully nobody noticed.

"The first thing we need is to get our new recruits up to speed." Cal addressed the room as Mary, Marika and Nonna looked both anxious and eager to finally be able to fly. "As of this moment we are all still on duty and need to be on the lookout incase those three enemy para-mail show up again. But first, let's get some breakfast before we hit the simulators." They all filed out of the room but were stopped by a group of security. "The commander requests Ange's presence." Head officer Trudy said in her usual cold sneer.

"What for?" demanded Hilda. "We've got training to do." Cal put his hand up to silence Hilda because it looked like Trudy was looking for an excuse to use force now she and her team were in Jill's private circle.

"Go ahead, but make it quick before I take it up with the commander myself." Trudy glowered at him, and Ange reluctantly went with security before things got ugly. As the squad made their way to the cafeteria, Miranda held back. It felt like a lifetime since she last dreamt of that nightmarish day she had tried so hard to forget. Coco would always put her at ease when she had those nightmares but without her and all Miranda had endured, those horrid memories were returning with a vengeance and affecting her performances. She had hoped Ange would be here to back her up after telling her the story yesterday but perhaps it was time to open up about her past to the one person she trusted most. She still remembered what Lucas had told her last night.

'I want you to help your Captain in any way to unite all your squad mates together. Without the Norma and humans united for what's ahead, our mission will be for nothing. Can you help us with that? Because if you succeed, I might consider taking you on as my personal steward."

Though she had desired to be taken under someone's wing, it had all been a dirty rotten lie with Hilda, and Cal had others to consider. If Lucas trained her personally then she might redeem herself and become a formidable pilot instead of a burden on her squad. 'I'll do my best.' she vowed, I'll prove myself worthy to him, to my squad, and to Cal.' She skipped ahead to catch up with Rosalie as they all arrived at the cafeteria for a much-needed breakfast. But unknown to them, one of them was missing and still fast asleep in her hammock.


Ange's patience was wearing thinner by the second as she waited outside the Commander's quarters. Leaning against the wall and tapping her heel against it in rhythm to her mother's song caused Ange's mind to think back to that black-haired girl piloting the red unit. 'Who was she?' she wondered. 'How did she know my mother's song? And what did she mean by…the truth lies with Aura?'

It was odd not having Momoka by her side now Ange was out of that dank and cold cell, but she knew Momoka had kitchen duties. Her head maid was becoming very popular among the residents with her luxurious cooking skills. Finally, the door finally opened, and Ange turned to face the Commander only to see she wasn't alone. Lucas came out and looked at Ange for half a second before leaving as Ange stared in bewilderment at Jill who was dressed in a black silk robe that fell just past her hips while her jet-black hair had been taken out of its usual ponytail.

"Come." Ange followed Jill inside and was led outside to a private onsen which was far more elaborate compared to the squad's. Porcelain statues stood amongst the rocks and plants that lined the perimeter, several of which served as fountains that poured a steady stream of fresh water into the bath. Jill let the robe slip off her slim frame before stepping into the hot steaming pool.

"What's this about?" Ange demanded, not in the mood for her mind games.

"Join me. Secrets are best shared out in the open." Jill said simply. Ange's eyes narrowed but the steaming water looked too tempting after having been confined to a cell without a shower for almost a week. She stripped out of her clothes and stepped into the steaming water as Jill poured two glasses of whiskey. "Want one?"

"I haven't even had breakfast yet so just get to the point before I change my mind." Ange snapped. "I want to know everything. About Villkiss, the DRAGONs, my mother's ring and song, Tusk, Lucas and Lucia and the humans in their group, and the connection between Cal's gramps and Arzenal."


With half the grounds destroyed and knowing they all would be leaving Arzenal for good tonight, Cal and Hilda decided to skip the usual morning drills and jump straight to the simulators which gave them an early opportunity to observe the new recruits' pilot skills. After breakfast; Mary, Noona and Marika dawned the standard starter grey suits and first on the agenda was to get all three used to flying. While the rest of the squad did their preferred group practice sessions; he, Hilda and Ersha trained each recruit separately. Their first flights weren't bad and they persevered through the grueling simulation which was more than Cal could ask for. But soon enough they all came to the usual simulation sickness and were emptying their breakfast into the buckets kept close at hand. Afterwards, Cal checked on the other simulator pods and stopped by Miranda's who was attempting a Category 3 battle on her own. She had changed from her usual Glaive to a Razor unit and to Cal's surprise she was taking to the unit change rather comfortably. Until a Brig's blue scale orb hit her from the side.

"Not bad holding out that long." Cal told her. "But jumping into a Category 3 battle on your own is a leap, even for more experienced pilots." Miranda looked disappointed. "Don't worry about it. You did great otherwise. Just don't go rushing in and overdoing it."

"I know," Miranda admitted. "It was stupid of me. But I gotta hold my own and improve soon, otherwise I'll just keep being a burden." Suddenly, her eyes shifted to scornful disdain and Cal turned to see Hilda approaching them. Unable to stand Hilda's presence, Miranda walked away to chat with Chris who for some reason didn't look in a delightful mood either. Cal had noticed her and Rosalie's unusual distance for each other's company and wondered if they had had an argument.

"What do you think the Commander wants with Ange?" Hilda asked.

"If I had to guess, it might have to do with Embryo and the truth about the world." Cal said quietly. Both went silent as they wondered how Ange would take it. Cal noticed Hilda gazing with a guilty look in her eyes towards Miranda and Chris, then at Rosalie who was standing out of place with Irma and Tanya who herself looked rather lost without Chris at her side.

"I really messed up with those three." Hilda admitted. "Even with the new recruits our chances are low in surviving what's out there. And I'm worried if I apply myself too forcefully like Zola, it'll only push them away more. But if I'm too passive like Salia was in those first few days they won't respect me as their Captain. Guess this is karma for how I butted heads with Salia after she took over for Zola."

"We have to do something before we leave this place. But you're Captain now and they might need reminding of that." Cal told her. Hilda looked at him suspiciously as that annoying grin of his was starting to creep back onto his face. "But if your orders are as vigorous as your skills in bed then you'll have no trouble filling Zola's shoes."

"Pervert." Hilda scowled as she flicked her twin tails in his face but was unable to hide her blush. Unable to stay mad at him, she offered him a sip of her water bottle and smiled awkwardly. Cal found it quite cute seeing her this shy and just a few yards away, Ersha watched the two with interest. After everyone took a short break, Cal's next plan of action was to fix burned bridges between his squad mates. It was now more vital than ever that everyone put aside their differences. He also needed to help build up Miranda's confidence which gave him an idea to kill two birds with one stone.

"Rosalie, Chris, I want you both to pair up with Hilda and complete a Category 2 attack." Rosalie and Chris didn't look pleased. "Miranda, I want you and Margret to complete a Category 1 battle without failure." Margret scowled but under Cal's eye she complied and they both did reasonably well as a pair. Hilda, Rosalie and Chris were another matter as Chris went rogue and through sheer defiance and spite against both Hilda and Rosalie, managed to take down over 50% of the targets. The next item on their agenda was all of them fighting together against a category 5 attack, but he decided to hold off on and instead called attention to the four youngest squad mates. His idea was to help build up Miranda's confidence by having her take charge of the three new recruits in a smaller category 2 battle.

"Okay, Hilda, I want you paired up with Miranda this time, Noona I'll be watching over you, Ersha with Mary, and Vivian you'll be…" Cal looked around for his second vice-captain and suddenly realized she wasn't there. "Vivian…Vivian? Have any of you seen Vivian around." Everyone's faces went static, and it dawned on Cal that Vivian had overslept. "Chris, Rosalie, fill in for me and Vivian. I'm going to give her a wakeup call she won't forget." As he walked off, Cal stopped when he heard someone running after him.

"Hey, I was worried since you didn't show up to our room last night." Ersha said as she caught up.

"Sorry about that." said Cal. "I was quite occupied with…things."

"I understand, but I'm glad you're trying to bring everyone together. It seems Rosalie and Chris had a little spat as Rosalie asked to bunk with me last night."

"I noticed that too. But don't worry, I'm not giving up on any of you. We will get through this, including me. That's a promise." Ersha's concerned expression softened. "I shouldn't be long with Vivian."

"You won't be too harsh on her, will you?" Ersha knew it was his duty as Captain to be firm, but his change in demeanor over the week had her worried. To her surprise, he pecked her on the cheek and flashed her a grin.

"Nah, but I might have her skip lunch or have her train in that thick onesie of hers for the rest of the day." He winked back before heading off in the direction to Vivian's room, leaving Ersha to gaze in astonishment at Hilda, knowing it was her that broke through Cal's shell of blind rage and vengeance to bring a small trace of the Cal she loved back to the light.


Jill didn't answer Ange's list of demands right away, she took a swig of whisky then gazed up at the cloudless sky. "Okay I'll start off at the beginning," she said, allowing herself to relax. "A long time ago, before this world existed...there was a god." Ange gave an impatient grumble, but Jill continued. "He came from a time before the age of Mana, a time when war and hatred defined the world he was born in and he sought to break the cycle of chaos."

"What the hell are you rambling on about!?" Ange snapped impatiently.

"You wanted to know the truth." said Jill with a coy smirk, so Ange listened on. "With the circle of violence, prejudice, greed and discrimination reaching beyond breaking point; God decided the world was a lost cause. He created a new race of humanity and bestowed upon his creation the gift of the Light of Mana." This time Ange remained silent, and Jill knew she got her attention. "The infinite power of Mana allowed the new humanity to thrive in a utopia, free from war where every wish and desire came true without conflict. But soon problems began to crack through the surface."

"The Norma." Ange muttered.

"Precisely. It started small at first, but they kept appearing," Jill continued. "Baby girls born with mutations carried in the old genes that God used to make his new humanity. As time went on, the rate of these mutations began to increase exponentially. The people began to grow anxious and social order threatened to break down. But God eventually found a way to use these imperfections to his own advantage. He implanted data into the collective consciousness of humanity that these girls rejected the Light of Mana because they were violent, anti-social monsters called 'Norma'. So, the world came together to deal with these Norma and lock them away into designated prisons across the 6 nations, cut off from the rest of the world. Having something to discriminate against actually stabilized human society. Sacrifices, scapegoats, offerings; it doesn't matter what they call us. Norma have only one purpose. We're born to be hated." Jill heard the water shift and looked to Ange whose expression remained stony but her eyes exuded disbelief. "What's wrong? Don't believe me?" Ange frowned as she regained her usual proud front.

"You're quite the storyteller. How did you come up with this nonsense?"

"You think I can make this up? If you don't believe me, you're free to leave." Jill said as she downed the rest of her glass.

"Nah," Ange decided. "Might as well tell me the rest. But tell me one thing. You said God made all humanity hate the Norma. So then how do you explain the humans in the twins' community? And how come they and Tusk can't use Mana. They admitted themselves they're not Norma?" Jill smiled and poured herself a fresh glass.

"Brace yourself. This is the best part."


Making his way through the hallways, Cal contemplated on ways to punish Vivian for sleeping in. The prospect of blaring an airhorn or dumping a bucket of ice-cold water brought a sense of mischievous glee, something he had not experienced since the festa. Cal was halfway along his usual short cut when he heard a pair of angry voices coming from behind a door that led into the locker room that once belonged to the second squad. It sounded like Lucas and Lucia. He hesitated not wanting to intrude on them when the sound of his own name made him stop then move closer to the door.

"Makes no sense not to tell him!" Lucas said heatedly. "This could be a detriment to Libertus. I've tried to tell the commander, but she insists on keeping it under wraps until those at the sanctuary find more proof that..."

"Lucas the truth would destroy him!" said Lucia shrilly. "Do you really want Cal going into battle with THAT hanging over him?"

"I don't want to break him I want to put him on his guard!" retorted Lucas.

"But what if this is just speculation?" There was a notable doubt in Lucia's own words that suggested she believed in it more than she wanted to admit.

"Lucia, you saw what Cal was about to do amid Ange's execution, like he purposely wanted to sabotage the mission. That was not Cal, or at least he wasn't in full control. I saw the look in his eyes, and they weren't his."

"But what's that got to do with Siegfried and Libertus?" We're not fully sure how far this goes. Besides for all we know it could have just been a side effect from whatever experiments Embryo and Trager performed on him and his clone."

"Think Lucia!" Lucas' voice raised. "What if next time that THING takes full control of Cal when he's inside Siegfried and turns on us. What if it's too late and we're forced to…" The words seemed too terrible to speak. "Do you really think I want that on my conscious?!" There was silence and Cal apart from his heart thumping in his ears could make out Lucas pacing around the room.

"I don't like it either, but it's what Embryo wants since Cal's obviously a huge threat to him. And what better way to get rid of him by having us do it for him." Lucia said with dread in her tone.

"I have a feeling that form Siegfried took yesterday is a direct cause of what's inside Cal not because of his emotions." Lucas finally spoke after a while. "It's like Siegfried is mutating."

"You mean…it could be because of his blood, or his clone's power over him?"

"I'm not sure. It's strange, but I'm not gonna let that happen. Cal has to know, otherwise…" Cal didn't have time to react when the door opened but he was ready for them. They stood inches from each other and both Lucas and Lucia were stunned into silence. "What do you think you're doing?" Lucas said affronted. "Were you ease dropping?"

"You two weren't exactly hard to hear." Cal frowned. "But I think you two owe me an explanation." They looked to each other; Lucia more apprehensive than Lucas but they conceded defeat.

"No point putting it off much longer." Cal stepped inside the locker room, and they made sure to talk outside of the showers at the destroyed second squad's onsen, so no one would hear them.

"Okay." Cal glared. "Start talking."


Ange let herself ease a little, despite how farfetched the Commander's tale was the heat of the water allowed her mind and body to relax and she decided to indulge in having Jill meet her demands.

"With the world finally regaining balance, society was at peace. A golden age for humanity had opened but not everyone was meant to be included in this new time of peace and prosperity." Jill spoke and her words peaked Ange's interest. "A small group of humans from the preexisting world known as, 'The Ancient Folk,' rejected God's ways. Humanity knew they couldn't share the world with them as like Norma they couldn't use Mana but didn't have the same mutation to reject it."

"So that's why Tusk, Lucas and Lucia can't use Mana?" Ange gasped.

"Yes, they and a small few confined to their hidden bases are the last of their kind." Jill added.

"How did they almost go extinct?" Ange asked.

"The world leaders waged a war of extermination against them without the knowledge of their civilians. Their hidden communities were decimated until only a handful were left, scattered across the world and lost. But one of the Ancient Folk stepped up and decided enough was enough. With his small clan he raided and defeated many NMB bases over the years as they began to fight back. His name became a figure of hope for his scattered people across the world and drove fear into the hearts of the humans that dared challenge him. Siegfried, they called him."

'The same as Cal's unit!' Ange realized.

"This one Ancient Folk possessed three fragments from the old world: a sword, a bow, and a large ruby he wore upon his wrist that once belonged to a royal family lost to history. Eventually, Siegfried gathered what remained of his people and they challenged God to reclaim their homeland. Though they tried repeatedly to overthrow God and his followers, they were outnumbered and were eventually pushed back. The largest and bloodiest fight left the dead too many to count on both ends and Siegfried mortally wounded. With his dying breath, he passed on his three fragments to his successors which kept their hope of fighting against God and this world alive as they remained in hiding for many generations. They came close to giving up and awaited their extinction, but they finally discovered something that could turn their fortunes. 20 years ago, they gathered what was left of their forces and attacked the Dawn Pillar. They fought long and hard, costing them half their comrades including the twin's mother, but the Ancient Folk finally breached through and found God's ultimate weapon, the Ragna-mail." Ange's eyes expanded. Tusk had used the same term when Cal's clone appeared with his blue striped, black unit that looked remarkably like Villkiss. "They are one of seven mechanical angels of creation and destruction; the prototype for para-mail."

"So it was Villkiss they stole?" Ange realized.

"Yes, originally named the Bilkiss, the Ancient folk baptized it as Villkiss, to turn god's own invention against him." Jill went on. "But God was one step ahead of them. He had placed special locks on Villkiss that required a special genetic signature to unlock it. All hope seemed lost once again until then they found Arzenal. That's how they met the Norma. Both rejected by the world, they joined forces to overthrow God in an alliance called Libertus." Jill paused for a moment. "But they soon found they were not alone. An unknown source contacted libertus and they flew out to a remote island where they discovered a single human living within its caves. He had fled and abandoned his own kind in order to protect a baby in his possession, a child the likes of which this world had never seen or thought possible could exist."

"Cal and his Gramps?" Ange gasped.


Cal waited for his answer as the rising anger bubbled in his stomach like acid by the fact more secrets were being withheld from him. The light of the sun dimmed as it disappeared behind a wall of clouds, turning the air bleak as Lucas cleared his throat. "Okay, last night I had a lot to think about when you told me the truth of your royal heritage, your clone and all these…VISIONS you've been having." Cal's anger dropped and curiosity took its place.

"What are you saying? That you have the answers to what's happening with me?"

"Not exactly. But I do have a theory. Do you remember anything during your times you experienced blank periods when you lost track of where you were?" Cal remembered clear as day, the time he found himself in the bathroom after slamming Momoka against the wall. He recalled Ange's execution and everything going black during the crowds' chant for her death before next moment coming back and being pinned against the tree by Lucas. Then there was yesterday. He was walking down the hallways when he was suddenly rinsing his head under the cold shower when he was discovered by Ange and Momoka. But during those three occasions they all had the same thing in common. The familiar icy mist and fog suffocating him, his spine feeling like it was incased in ice and the painful stab in his heart as though it was trapped in a tangle of poisonous thorns. All the result of Blackadder's unknown power in tormenting Cal's mind. Cal relayed this in full detail and whatever Lucas' theory was on the matter seemed to confirm it even more by his troubled look. "Well, I believe and so does the Commander, that you and your clone share some telepathic connection. That's how you two are able to see through each other's thoughts and feel the other's emotions like you did last night."

"But why is this happening to me?" Cal asked. "I'm not some human with special enhanced Mana like Blackadder. I'm just a Norma."

"Maybe, but you're forgetting that you alone were the result of experiments conducted by Embryo and Trager, and who knows what they had planned for you. Trager told you himself he lied to his colleagues that you were to be euthanized, didn't he?" Cal's mind went blank as he realized that in all he had experienced, he had failed to consider that. If he wasn't going to be killed what did Embryo have planned for him?

"Yeah he did. but what did you mean by something taking control of me because Embryo sees me as a threat?" Lucia, who remained so far had remained silent, finally put her foot down.

"Lucas that's enough!" She insisted, her voice piercing through the shower room. "This can wait until we meet back up with Captain Jacob when we have all the answers."

"Which might never come! I'm not saying you're wrong, but that might take weeks and who knows what will happen then?" said Lucas.

"No! I want to know what's going on!" Cal demanded ignoring Lucia.

"Lucas don't do…"

"We believe Blackadder is trying to possess you." Lucas blurted out before Lucia could stop him.


"Hmm…where do I even start with Gaz." Jill hummed. The grief of losing such an honorable man and trusted ally was still fresh even after almost a year. "Okay, long before Cal was born, Gaz worked with…"

"Spare me the details of the lab and the Norma experiments." Ange interrupted. "Hilda told me all about that." Jill supposed she shouldn't be surprised as conversation topics would have been limited during their time in solitary. Jill once again took a swig of whiskey and gazed at the sky.

"When we first discovered them, it took some time to trust the lone human. They offered him a place at the island of Xeon, the last refuge for the ancient folk. But Gaz decided to keep his distance and raise Cal away from a life of battle and violence. Still, he was far from idle. Thanks to Gaz and his experience with Mana and the NMB, he helped to keep Xeon well hidden and cover up the tracks of those involved in Libertus when stealing NMB military equipment and supplies. Then, as luck would have it, he found the answer in breaking through Villkiss' locks. All that was needed was a Norma of royal blood, and it just so happened Arzenal had one. A young Norma from the Galia Empire had been shipped off to Arzenal when she was 10 years old. Her name was Alektra Maria von Loewenhurz the first Norma ever born from royal blood."

"Alektra Maria von Loewenhurz?" Ange murmured as she put a finger to her chin, thinking hard. "I read about her back in Misurugi. She was a princess of the Galia Empire who died at age 10 of an unknown disease. They said her death was greatly grieved by the whole six nations." Jill smirked as she climbed out to sit on the onsen's ledge.

"You heard wrong. They threw her away to Arzenal to protect the pride of the Galia Empire. They hoped she'd die by a DRAGON. She nearly gave in to despair during those first 5 years, but she gained purpose when she was chosen at 16 years old to pilot Villkiss. The blood of a royal Norma allowed Villkiss to accept her as its pilot and her Royal Ring, an heirloom from God himself, allowed her to control it." Ange's eyes filled with awe and shock as it dawned on her whose presence she was in.

"You? Your Alektra?"

"You want me to continue or does your brain need a break?" Jill asked sarcastically as Ange frowned at her. "Good. As time went on and with Villkiss' power finally unlocked, it allowed those at Libertus to study God's machine. The Ancient Folk were soon able to re-engineer God's technology and they created a machine of their own, Siegfried. A machine to act as Villkiss' protector and knight." Ange's eyes widened even more as everything was starting to connect. "With everything they had, Libertus prepared to strike its final blow against God. I had been cast into hell but now I had comrades, a purpose and a mission. To obliterate this world and all of God's fabricated bullshit along with it. But I was too weak and didn't have what it takes. I failed them all."

"What happened?" Ange asked. Jill grimaced as she stared at her prosthetic arm and clenched its metal hand into a fist as the worst day of her life replayed over in her mind.

"10 years ago, the NMB that we know now was led by Gaz's supposedly dead best friend Dutch Villson, discovered Xeon's location. They ambushed us, caught us off guard and annihilated the whole island. It was a massacre but if it hadn't been for Gaz who had warned us minutes before, then I fear we all would have died that day. I managed to survive, but I lost everything. My friends, my comrades, my right arm and my ring, but I refused to die. I somehow made it to Gaz's Island where he patched me up and escorted me back to Arzenal safely. Tusk was the only one I thought had survived and he too was picked up by Gaz and brought to Arzenal, but he fled and abandoned us a few weeks after. We searched everywhere for him, but we never found him. As for me, I took on a new identity and Gaz helped cover up any trace and evidence of Libertus from the NMB. But I refused to give up, and it seemed Jacob had the same idea.

"Whose Jacob?"

"He was one of the few Ancient Folk who we thought had died that day. Turns out a tiny number of them had survived and had gone into hiding again. Jacob was chosen as their new leader. But he knew without the numbers they were doomed and so they set out to build a new army. They turned to their known enemy, looking for humans who just like your dearest parents tried to keep their Norma children a secret and hide them from the world. The last of these Ancient Folk offered these humans a safe place, far away from God and his followers' eyes where they could not find them, and soon they began to build their new communities hidden around the world. They started off small, but the Ancient Folk told their new allies the story of Gaz and his brave actions to save a male Norma. The humans spread the tale to others just like them and soon others willingly joined the cause. Overtime their numbers grew, so large they established 5 different Communities. The Sanctuary, Apex, Galia falls, Endurant Harbor, and the Tripartite Pack.

"And you and Gaz have been in contact with them ever since?" said Ange.

"No!" Jill answered at once. "I didn't know they even existed until a few months ago. And I doubt Gaz knew as he would have told me at once. He and I were working alone to bring Libertus back but in order to do that we needed to find a new pilot for Villkiss. And Gaz was the one who first realized the secret your parents kept from you and the entire world." Ange looked at her scathingly. "Don't fret, we had nothing to do with your secret getting out. I did make plans on having Gaz make contact with your parents and smuggling you out, but that never came to fruition because he was killed by Dutch a few days after he told me of your Norma status." Ange stared down at her mother's ring upon her finger, her mind racing so fast she couldn't think straight. Jill, or rather Alektra, her story was so convoluted yet incredible that it couldn't be real and yet there was no other explanation. She had seen the evidence with her own eyes.

"When you gave me back my ring," she said, "it was so I could awaken Villkiss? And you kept me alive just for Libertus?"

"That's correct. I've been waiting for you for a long time. But I needed you to reach your full potential so you could fight. So I threw you to the wolves without a second thought knowing you'd either get stronger or die." Slowly, Ange rose up to Jill's level.

"Theres one more thing I have to ask. It's about Cal." Jill gazed at her in surprise. "He told me everything about his royal blood and his clone and I suspect you know what could be causing his strange behavior and how he's somehow able to feel his clone's emotions." Jill bit her lip, clearly frustrated that Cal had shared this compromising information to Ange.

"Just speculation and guess work. That's all." Ange listened carefully in anticipation.

"Then tell me."


"Possess me?" Was this what Blackadder was trying to accomplish? By taking control of Cal's body? Cal remembered the sudden unwarranted anger, rage and desire to kill Momoka a few weeks ago, the same during Ange's execution, feelings that didn't belong to him in those few short moments. Was this part of Embryo's plan in getting rid of him? By having his allies turn against him if Blackadder managed to take control of his mind and body. He recalled the time of laying in bed all those months ago and suddenly finding himself on the cliff edge. It left no doubt in his mind that Embryo or Blackadder wanted to make his death look like a suicide. Cal felt as though he was carrying some deadly germ inside of him. As if Blackadder was biding his time until Cal was at his weakest and most vulnerable to possess him fully.

"Are you okay Cal?" Lucia timidly asked. Cal was beginning to shake and leaned himself back against the wall so he could try and regain himself.

"If this is true," said Cal weakly, "then is there a way to stop him from getting…inside?" He pointed directly at where his heart was. He did not want to believe it, but he was left with no doubt in his mind and all his experiences when Blackadder was taunting, stalking and speaking out to him inside his mind or soul that Lucas' theory was true. It made him sick to think that those blue slit pupil eyes at one point stared back through where his should have been.

"We don't know but we hope the Sanctuary will have the answers to that." said Lucas who couldn't help but pity Cal's fragile state. "But with what your clone is trying to do it raises another problem regarding Siegfried and Libertus."

"What about Siegfried?" Cal gulped taking in a deep breath.

"Remember, it was designed to be a reverse engineering of Embryo's technology. We don't know what the side effects could be because of your royal blood and your clone's power over you." Lucas pointed out. "How it teleported when we were attacked by Dutch, it's never done that before. And the form and aura it took during the attack yesterday, it's unlike anything my people and those at Libertus have ever seen before." Cal remembered the moment he almost met his end and how Siegfried acted of its own accord, how all his sense of pain and fear vanished and overcome with a violent bloodlust. But was it the result of Blackadder's power, Cal's rage or both?

"Now you know why." said Lucas. "If Siegfried takes on that form again and Blackadder has his grip on you, who knows what could happen. You have to give it up before then."

"You may be right." Cal admitted as he regained himself. "But one way or another I'll find a way to stop him from doing so. And I need Siegfried if I have any chance to match against Blackadder and his Ragna-mail." Lucas's eyes filled with anger.

"We can't take that chance. I don't want to have to be the one to take you out! I made a promise to protect my people and ensure their survival. So give it to me and we can find a new rider for Siegfried." He pointed at Cal's wrist adorned with the ruby gemmed bracelet. "You have to know a losing battle when you see one. Even Istvan knew his limits…"

"Shut up!" Cal snapped. "Don't compare me to Tusk's father! I'm not him and I'm not one of you! I'm a Norma, the only male one in this whole damn world." Lucas looked as though he was about to take the bracelet away by force, but Lucia held him back.

"Lucas please, there might be another way to overcome this." She urged

"You can't be serious." Lucas said in disbelief. "Can you honestly say half heartedly that your totally 100% comfortable flying alongside him, knowing what's waiting to happen if Blackadder takes full control? For god's sake Lucia do you think our people or Istvan would have wanted this? To have our unit in the hands of Embryo's lapdog?" Lucia didn't answer as she knew Lucas was right on some level. Cal however, stood his ground on the matter.

"Look I don't care how Istvan did things." said Cal calming down. "If there's a way to unlock Siegfried's true power, then I'll do it my way, on my own terms. If you think you can do it better, then here!" Cal slipped off the bracelet and held it out to Lucas who stared down at it with a mixture of temptation and anger at Cal's audacity. "If it really means that much to you, then take it!" Lucas hand slowly reached out; his fingers trembling slightly on the face of the ruby, but for some unknown reason he found himself powerless to take it. Cal saw the pained shame etched into every part of Lucas' face as he slowly pulled his hand away and Cal slipped the bracelet back on. "If it's that important then instead of arguing, help me. Nobody understands how the Ragna-mail work better than Embryo and maybe we can figure out how to truly draw out Villkiss and Siegfried's full power at will. But I can't do it on my own and neither can Ange. You can do it without us or with us, your choice Lucas."

"Alright, Alright!" Lucas bellowed whose face became solid and menacing. "But if you can't find a way to keep your clone from taking control, then I'll be left with no choice but to do what's right for Libertus and my people."

"Good, because I expect nothing less from you." Cal nodded.


Ange was speechless, everything Jill had revealed in full detail was incredible, but her theory that Cal's strange behavior could possibly be the result of his clone trying to possess his mind and body troubled Ange to the point she thought the water of the onsen was turning cold.

"Now you know what's at stake, not just for yourself and all of us, but your knight as well." said Jill. "Libertus can't operate without you two and now, the final lock on Villkiss has been released thanks to your song." Standing up, Jill stared down at her with eyes that burned with pride, hope, and rage. "End this world Ange. Do it for the sake of all the Norma suffering across this world. Destroy it all with your song." Ange looked to her mother's ring and through the storm of emotions raging inside of her, came to a decision.

"I want to thank you." She finally said. "If we hadn't met, I'd have no idea just how helpless I was. I was so weak and naïve when I first got here, I wasn't worth my own skin." Jill smiled but Ange frowned. "And because of that...my answer is no."

"No?" There was a distinct empty chill in Jill's tone, but Ange's mind was set.

"Even if everything you told me is true, the only one who gets to decide what to do with my life is myself. No matter how noble your goal is, I decide my fate and I won't be used as your little tool for Libertus."

"So, you want out of Libertus?" said Jill.

"No, don't get the wrong idea, I still want retribution for what this world has done to me. And if it's Cal's ambition to get revenge against the humans too and set the Norma free, then that's good enough for me to help." Ange thought of Cal and Salia and how the Commander had used them to her own goals. "But I'll do it my way, on my own terms, I'm nobody's tool to use as they see fit." Jill simply smirked but her eyes were a purple flame. She turned away and wrapped herself in a towel before picking up her folded clothes when Ange realized she had missed out one important detail. "Wait." she called before Jill reached for the door. "The DRAGONS. You never told me about them." Jill scoffed and shook her head in mockery.

"I've already told you enough," she answered. "You want more, then give me something worth it." Ange glared at her and Jill took a small amount of satisfaction of denying Ange's request. "Now get out and get back to your duties, princess." She ordered in her coldest voice leaving Ange to stand alone in the onsen.


The constant snowstorms surrounding the Velda mountains seemed to be easing which was a good opportunity to make another supply run once the winds died down. Within the main surveillance room of the Sanctuary, Captain Jacob observed the staff still trying to gather intel on Julio. It was exactly 10:30 AM Velda time when they finally found something notable.

"Captain, I think we got something here?" One of the staff announced.

"On screen." Jacob ordered as a live feed off the coast of Misurugi displayed a line of red markers with their course set Southeast. "Seems Julio is making his move." Jacob commented, but the amount he was using seemed a little overkill to attack Arzenal. "Keep an eye on those enemy ships. Brief me once you're certain of their destination." Suddenly, one of Dolton's personal team of tech heads came racing into the room.

"Captain I've got something to show you!" She gasped.

"What is it private Gwen?"

"Our correspondents in the Tripartite pack have just delivered us the test results regarding the Male Norma's blood sample." Gwen explained, holding up a USB containing the files on Cal's blood. "We also did a few checks of our own and we managed to hack and access the world birth records database. Including those locked within the Dawn Pillar's highest security files." A wave of her hand and a Mana screen opened up beside her. "After linking the Male Norma's blood to the locked files, we finally got a match." Upon the screen, millions of yellow names appeared in a complex tree graph dating back almost a century. A collection of all the family trees throughout this world's history. Once Gwen plugged in the USB stick into the console and linked Cal's blood file, his name appeared and connected straight to the Rosenblum family. Cal's name was positioned at the bottom along with two others; FIONA ROSENBLUM and MISTY ROSENBLUM. A single yellow line connected them to their mother the current queen of Rosenblum; while Cal's line connected to an adjacent name. ASHLEIGH LOUISE ROSENBLUM.

"Guess the kid was telling the truth after all." Jacob turned around to see Major Malta with a cup of coffee in hand. "He really is the nephew to the current Rosenblum queen."

"This is good news indeed." said Jacob relieved. "Keep digging, we need to know whose seed was used to create Cal." It would finally provide all the answers as to why that program was started in the first place. Major Malta also looked pleased that there would finally be answers as to why she and the other Norma suffered in Trager's lab. Her attention however drew to the red markers on the map. "Even with Arzenal on our side we've got a large fight on our hands against a force of that level."

"Maybe, but we have Villkiss and Siegfried." said Jacob confidently. "And with the Beowulf war ship finally constructed along with Aurora, our chances of victory have never been higher."

"You think the Commander of Arzenal will want humans inside of Aurora?"

"I know Jill distrusts humans, but she'll have to deal with it." When Malta didn't answer, Jacob looked to her and saw she was looking at Gwen's Mana screen. And not only had her stoic face had gone rigid with shock and dismay, but her pale skin had lost what little color it had. She clammed both hands to her mouth to hold in her horror-stricken scream as her cup of coffee smashed onto the floor. "Malta what's wrong?" Jacob rushed to her side as she collapsed to her knees. It was as though the life itself drained out of her. No noise came out through her mouth but her eyes; still staring at the screen; were livid with sickening shock as though she was experiencing unimaginable pain. "Malta speak to me what's…"

"It's impossible!"

"It can't be!"

Several of the tech staff sitting at their consoles also sounded horrified and Jacob finally turned to face the main screen and felt the air leave his body. "Oh…my…god!" His voice shook. A new separate yellow line not related to the Rosenblum family tree had connected to ASHLEIGH LOUISE ROSENBUM, the name of Cal's biological father. It was only until the ear-splitting blare of the base's alarm echoed through the entire base, followed by flashing red lights signaling red alert did everyone snap out of their horrified state.

"Attention all base personnel." Hosea's voice broadcast over the PA system. "This is Omega level alert. All residents evacuate immediately."

"Gwen. Take care of Malta. The rest of you; get down to the emergency tunnel." Rushing across the reconnaissance room, Jacob pushed his way through the mob of fleeing residents and personnel until he finally reached the command center. "What's the situation?!" Jacob demanded and Hosea handed him a piece of parchment delivered by his raven Dexter. It was a written warning by Jasmine. "Shit how did they find us?!"

"I don't know, but we have to hold whatever comes back until everyone escapes through the tunnels."

"What does radar show?" Jacob ordered.

"Nothing." One of the techs answered. "Hold on. I've got a contact. Looks like it's just one vessel."

"What is it? An NMB assault jet or a warship?" Jacob asked.

"No Captain, I think it's a Para-mail!"

"Raise the surveillance camera." Hosea ordered. Something wasn't right. If the enemy knew of their position, why would they send a single Para-mail by itself. Could it be Dutch Villson again? No. Even if the damage Cal had inflicted on the Ragnarok could be repaired and with all its capabilities, even his unit couldn't take out an entire base by itself. On the forward viewscreen, a view of the surrounding mountains appeared. The storm obscured their sight but they could just make out the black shape of a para-mail with four wings. But it's distinct outline looked oddly familiar.

"Launch all missiles and activate all auto base defenses!" Jacob bellowed as he snatched up the intercom. "All non-essential personnel evacuate now. Pilots to the hanger! We need to keep that thing occupied until everyone is away!" From the video feed outside, white streaks from the missiles' thrusters painted the sky in stripes of white as they homed in on their target.

"Captain what about the artillery guns they might…" Hosea tried to suggest.

"They're no match. It's a Ragna-mail!" Jacob argued and to his horror the defense missiles were all shot down with such accuracy they didn't even get near the enemy who now rose further into the sky.

"All of you run! RUN!" Jacob recognized the shape similar to the one that annihilated Xeon. The staff abandoned post as Hosea followed behind Jacob through the hallways and the chaos of the last evacuees. Suddenly, they could hear a high cold voice singing outside. They had no time to fight back, it would use its ultimate weapon upon the base any second. Finally, they reached the hanger, it's main door already opened and all pilots mounting upon their skyhooks. "Team X, use your Para-mail to draw the enemy's attention while we make a break for it. All of you get to our rendezvous points near Arzenal. Now go!" Jacob yelled. He and Hosea mounted their own skyhooks, and they began filing out of the hanger doors just as the song reached its end.


"Pitiful fools." Blackadder smirked to himself as he flew Xerxes higher and higher above the mountains, the terrorist' base in his sight. No matter how many missiles they fired at him he shot them down with a lazy aim of his beam rifle. Why delay the inevitable instead of just facing extinction with what little dignity they had? Once their defenses had been dealt with, Blackadder closed his eyes and cleared his throat. He had practiced the song all his life and now with his master's authorization and honor, it was time to put his unit Xerxes to full use at last.

Ikuoka amata no

Inochi no honooo

Sururi ochite wa host ini

Xerxes' black armor glowed bright gold like a shining star through the thick snow swept winds, growing brighter and brighter. Blackadder's cold emotionless voice rang through to all those inside the mountain to hear. They should be grateful that his song would be their eulogy.

Utae Utae

Xerxes' shoulders opened up along with its shoulder armor that ran from the engine pods attached to it's two wings, revealing the four Discord Phasers. Blackadder opened his slit pupil eyes and saw a large number of skyhooks launching out of the mountain like a swarm of hornets but it didn't matter. He'd take care of them no matter how long or far they fled.

Ima futatsu no negai wa

"This is the end of you all." Blackadder smirked with gleeful pleasure that the ant's nest would finally be destroyed. As the song reached its end, a vortex of twisting energy erupted from the Discord Phasers, breaking apart the snowy winds to hit the mountain head on as the base of the Sanctuary was consumed in a blinding light and crackles of red lightening shooting in every direction. Through the shades of his jet-black sunglasses, he watched at the destruction unfold before him.

"A most beautiful end." He coldly chuckled. "Far more beautiful than vermin such as you deserve." Several seconds passed before the light finally died out, leaving behind a gigantic crater where once the mountain base of Sanctuary stood. But flying towards him were six para-mail and Blackadder scoffed. "Is that all? Fine, an appetizer will satisfy me for now until I move onto the main course of Cal and Dutch."

TO BE CONTINUED…