K here's the next chapter hope every enjoys
Broken Angel: Rising Demon
Chapter 7: A daughter's pain, a mother's Fury!
-Fairport USA. November 5th 1998-
"It came from the vault. We detected off the chart readings. There is no doubt in my mind." A middle-aged man in a lab coat said over the phone.
Riley held herself among the piping, listening in on the conversations occurring below.
"Seven people? That's…. unnerving." The scientist noted.
Riley stared down at him for a moment before shifting through the wall using her intangibility to move deeper into the facility.
Room by room Riley advanced further, stopping only to occasionally listen in to the scientists, technicians, and security personnel. Whatever had caused the outburst of demonic energy, they knew what it was, and it was more then likely contained here in the facility.
On one of the walls, Riley took a moment to note a company logo. 'Armacham Technologies Corporation'.
"Another corporation…" Riley thought to herself as she moved further and deeper into the underground facility.
She eventually made it to an elevator shaft that descended down into the chamber that held the electrified sphere. Riley was quick to descend down the shaft, moving too quickly for the human eye, or even the security camera's to spot her.
As she approached the heart of the facility the demonic power she felt, swelled in strength. Whatever was down here, it was nearly as powerful as Elsa was in terms of raw energy, though unlike Elsa, this power was pure rage, and hatred.
Riley arrived in the chamber that was the source of the demonic power she had felt. The room itself was a round, wide open area, roughly a hundred meters across. Along the middle exterior of the circular chamber, was a series of rooms and catwalks connecting them to the Elevator and various side chambers. In the center of the room was a ten meter wide metallic sphere. Now that Riley was seeing it in person she now understood what the electricity running to it was for.
The large metallic sphere gave off a blueish black aura, that looked to be like some sort of electromagnetic shield or something similar straight out of science fiction. Just looking at it and seeing how it affected the magic that was pouring out from it, it quickly dawned on Riley that this electrical field was being used to disrupt, or dampen the power passing through it, in a way weakening it's effects on those outside of the sphere.
Whatever it's true purpose was, Riley could clearly tell that it wasn't doing a very good job at it. The power that radiated within was incredible, definitely on par with some of her familiars, in terms of raw power. If Riley was correct, and this half-demon was one of her children, that would make it the strongest of her half-demon children, beyond Elsa, Eleanor, Zabuza, even Elizabeth, and thus the second strongest of her children, just after the Darkness itself.
"Well, let's see what this thing is." Riley hummed as she drew her wand and fired a Reducto Maxima at the generators on the ceiling. The bolt of magic slammed into the generator, tearing it open in a massive explosion that rocked the entire facility. Explosions began to cascade outward, blasting out parts of the metallic exterior of the chamber.
Riley spotted the large sphere begin to fall as one of the explosions tore it free from whatever was holding it suspended on the ceiling. Around the same time, the shield around it, collapsed, and with it, whatever measure of resistance that was containing the entity within, vanished as well.
With a gesture, Riley caught the sphere with her magic, tearing it apart as she pulled it closer to her. With her Byakugan she could see the entity contained within the sphere. It was placed inside of a metal cylinder, just big enough for an adult human to be held inside of it.
Riley ripped away bits and pieces of the sphere until the container within was exposed, she then summoned the container towards where she stood near the elevator, allowing the rest of the metal sphere to fall down into the blackness below them.
Riley was gentle as she set the container down before her. As soon as it touched ground, Riley moved forward to tear it open, when she suddenly felt a presence push into the outer layers of her mind.
Riley flared her power, pushing the presence back as an illusionary manifestation of the presence began to appear before her.
Standing before Riley was the figure of a small eight year old girl. The girl was pale as a ghost, with long inky black hair that reached the middle of her back. Her eyes glowed orangish-red and crimson blood stained her ivory flesh. She was dressed in a long dark red dress that was heavily stained with blood as well. She didn't wear shoes, and much like her head and upper body, her feet and lower legs were died almost completely black, as if she had waded through a river of blood.
The only other object of note on the illusion's body was a twine bracelet on her wrist, and attached to it, was an inky black feather.
Riley stared down at the illusion. She could clearly see that it wasn't real and if she wanted too, she could dispel it by simply flaring her power once more. The feather though, caused her to pause. This was another of her children, and she seemed to be able to project her will and even her senses into these illusions. This 'child' could clearly see Riley, despite being little more then an image. There was will behind the image though, almost like it acted as a conduit, as if this projection could lash out with a sizable portion of the original's strength.
Riley was curious as to why the child was not frightened. Despite having her wings, tails, and horns retracted. Riley wasn't hiding the rest of her demonic features. Not her pale grayish skin, nor her pointed ears, or long nails. Riley also had her wings manifested in coat form, and given Riley's height and the weight of her Rinne Sharingan, she should have come off as immensely intimidating to such a small child.
"Do you recognize me?" Riley asked as she unfolded her wings.
The child stared at her, tilting her head ever so slightly. Her gaze was powerful, despite her small size. To a lesser individual, that gaze may come off as violent, even predatory, though through it all the child's face remained completely passive.
Before an answer could be given, the sound of heavy boots racking the catwalks, caught Riley's ear. She turned her head, just as three security guards came rushing out of one of the nearby structures, each one armed with a pistol. They aimed their guns at her, but hesitated when they finally got a good look at her.
Riley glanced back at the child who was still staring at her. Something about the little girl's visage began filling Riley's heart with anger.
"Dearest little sister… so much pain, and anger..." The Darkness cooed, as both it and Riley began taking in the emotions filling the small child's demonic aura.
"They were holding her here, like a prisoner." Kurama growled.
Riley felt her anger spike as that realization finally set it. Whoever these people were, they were holding her daughter in this place, possibly experimenting on her. Just like with Eleanor, and Elizabeth. Riley's eyes bled red as she turned her gaze back towards the three security guards.
Her KI began to expand outward, hitting the three and causing them to start screaming. One of them immediately pulled the trigger of his handgun, sending a bullet screaming through the air, where it would have hit Riley in the shoulder, but the bullet turned to ash before it could clear the distance.
Surprise filled Riley's features as the three men began to convulse painfully and their skin began to undulate as if waves were passing through their blood stream.
Suddenly, and without warning all three men burst into showers of red mist. Hot steam filled the air, and for a single moment, before gravity had a chance to react, Riley caught a glimpse through the cloud of blood. All three of their skeletons, dyed red with blood, stood upright where the men had been, each one held in position for a single moment, almost like an epithet to their last instant alive in this world.
Hehehe..." The Darkness chuckled with demonic glee.
"She boiled their insides. She vaporized their flesh and organs with nothing more then concentrations of her power..." Kurama noted, his own visage twisted with excitement at the bloodshed.
Riley turned her gaze back towards the child, recognizing that she had been the one to kill the three.
The little girl slowly approached Riley, her gaze haunting and piercing as she locked eyes with the mighty archdemon.
"I know who you are." Riley heard whispered into her mind.
"Mommy..." Came the second whisper as the child reached no more then a meter in front of Riley.
Riley knelt down, even on a knee she was still much larger then the small, thin little girl.
The child did not stop her advance until she was within arms reach. Once within that distance, Riley allowed her gaze to soften and she reached out with one hand, placing it near the child's non-physical cheek.
The small child stared unblinkingly at Riley, hellish orange eyes, meeting godly, blood red eyes. Slowly Riley brought up her other hand, motioning as if she were cradling the child's face.
"It's alright… they can't hurt you anymore." Riley stated, opening her mind and allowing the obviously powerful psychic to bond with her, much like how Eleanor had through the Little Sisters.
Almost immediately the presence reached out and connected with Riley's mind. Riley pushed forward feelings of protectiveness and acceptance, assuring the child that she was here to help, and that she wasn't going to harm her.
As she was doing this, Riley also crossed the link between the two, viewing some of the memories within the child's mind.
The first memories Riley saw involved the child sitting on a swing, tied to a crooked tree at the base of a cooling tower, which was presumably for a nuclear reactor. Following those memories, more came forward, images of the lonely child being poked and prodded by scientists as they forced her to display her powers so they could study them. These images drew anger from Riley, as did the images of the same child drawing pictures of herself, holding the hand of two people. One was obviously Riley, with her gray skin and pure black wings, while the other looked a lot like Kaede.
This came as a bit of a surprise to Riley as this marked the child as the first of her half-demon children to recognize Riley off of appearances alone, not just her wings. And the child knew who her mother was as well. She even gave Kaede her horns and red eyes in her crayon drawings, signifying that she had a very clear image of her birth mother, even at a very young age.
These memories came in a rush, over the course of about a year, probably when the girl was between seven and eight. During these memories Riley learned the name of her child, Alma Wade.
At around eight years old, Alma began lashing out at the scientists that were studying her. She used her powers to assault them mentally, driving more then a few of them insane, and causing many others to hallucinate and one to even commit suicide because of Alma's retaliation.
Not long after that suicide, Alma was locked in this facility. She was placed into a medically induced coma to try and control her. Afterwards, her memories were few and far between, most of them, nothing more then darkness, and loneliness, as despite her body being comatose, her mind was fully aware of the world around her.
Riley now knew when Alma had been put in this facility. From when she was eight years old, to when she was fourteen, she was kept in this chamber. Then the scientists did something that made Riley's blood run cold in a way that it never had before.
Despite being in a coma, Alma was aware of what they did to her. Though she didn't understand it at first, she began to feel life grow within her, as the doctors medically induced pregnancy within her.
Alma bonded with the child growing within her, connecting to it with her mental powers. The baby was strong, but not nearly as mentally gifted as Alma was. Still she loved the child, as it was able to help her fight off her loneliness and despair.
Fast forward nine months, and Alma awoke from her coma, during the midst of labor. The doctors and scientists, it seemed had intended to remove the child via C-section, however, as soon as labor was induced, Alma woke from her coma and delivered the child naturally. All of this, occurring when she was no more then fifteen years old.
There were no words to describe how Riley felt as she watched the head scientist, Harlan Wade, Alma's 'father' take away her newborn son without even letting Alma hold him. It was the most emotional Alma had been in her life, as she screamed and begged for the baby to be returned to her, but she was too weak to put up a fight, and the doctors quickly spirited the child away and placed Alma back into a coma.
Not long after, they impregnated her a second time, and again, Alma bonded with the baby, this one more receptive to her mental powers then the first. And just like the first, as soon as labor hit, she awoke from her coma and gave birth naturally. And once more, without even getting a chance to see the baby this time, her adoptive father stole the child away, and Alma was put to sleep once more.
Ten years had passed since then. Ten whole years, Alma had been alone in this tube, floating in darkness.
There were no words to describe the rage that Riley felt. The most recent memories that Alma had were reaching out and connecting to her younger son. The bond they shared had remained after all these years, and she was still connected to him. The demonic outpouring Riley had felt, had been Alma synchronizing her mind and powers with her younger son, causing him to slip into a violent frenzy and murder several staff members and scientists around him.
The guards had been able to subdue the boy before Alma could direct him to escape. That was what had happened moments before Riley arrived in this facility. That had been what the scientist here were freaking out about.
"My dear sweat child… they will never hurt you again." Riley growled as she rose to her feet. Behind her she heard the sound of the elevator racing down the shaft. It came to a halt and over a dozen security officers raced off of it, training their weapons on Riley and barking commands at her.
Their words died in the air as their brains finally registered the two sets of night black wings that extended off her back.
Riley half turned towards them, her face twisted with inhuman rage.
From her wings, the Darkness' Serpents manifested en-mass. A dozen of them emerged out of the black cosmic distortion of Riley's wings, their eyes glowing a hellish red.
"SLAUGHTER THEM ALL!" The Darkness shrieked, either feeding off Alma's rage, or Riley's, at that moment Riley didn't know or care. She simply flexed her KI, causing all twelve guards to seize up in fright, and then she willed the dark serpents forward.
All twelve of the serpents targeted their own individual guard. They shot forward like eels, snapping with their jaws, cleaving through flesh, muscle, and bone like it wasn't even there.
It was over in mere moments. By the time the bodies hit the ground, most of them had between six and ten gaping wounds where the serpents had either bitten off large chunks of flesh, severed limbs, or even in one case, bit one of the guards' face off.
The serpents retraced quickly into Riley's wings as she turned back towards Alma. Wasting no more time, Riley stepped through the illusion of her daughter and quickly approached the pod she was actually held within. As she approached she heard the safety latches flip on the pod and it began to open, more then likely in accordance with Alma's will.
The pod burst open after a moment, a gush of warm liquid pouring out of it. What emerged from the pod could barely be described as human.
After giving birth to her second child, Alma had simply been left in this pod to rot. She was kept alive, but without any sort of physical movement or interactions with the outside world, Alma's body had withered down to a worse state then even what Kushina's had been in when Riley had found her.
What stood before Riley was not the same little girl reflected in the illusion. Instead, what stood before her was an emaciated corpse-like woman. Her skin was pulled taught, and she was rail thin. Her ribs stuck out sickeningly, and her stomach was swollen, indicating that they hadn't been feeding her anything at all. Just enough for her to survive. Her oily black hair stretched down to her lower back, but it had no vibrancy to it at all.
Alma's face was sunken in, her eyes as well, leaving nothing but two black voids where vibrant eyes had once been. The only thing that showed that this person was actually not dead, was that her skin hadn't begun to rot yet. Otherwise, she could easily be mistaken as a member of the walking dead.
Riley approached her daughter, her heart tearing itself in two at the sight of her. This was worse then any of the others by a massive margin. Riley reached her and immediately brought her hands up to hold Alma's skeletal face.
Alma stared back, her body shaking and in pain. Rage, anger, fury, wrath, pain, sorrow, pity, remorse… all reflected in Riley's eyes.
"I'm so sorry… I didn't know. I'm so sorry for everything. I'll make it right though. I'll heal you. I'll find your babies. And I'll kill every single fucking person responsible for this. I'll make them pay for what they've done to you." Riley whispered, closing her eyes as tears built in them.
Despite her anger, Riley couldn't help but blame herself for this. She had known about her missing children for a few years by this point. The ones in the past may have all the time in the world, but the ones in the present… they were living right now. And in Alma's case, suffering.
"I will make this right. Alma… my beautiful little girl." Riley whispered. She felt the tears in her eyes finally break free and roll down her cheeks. A snarl formed on Riley's face as she felt her anger begin to build further when suddenly she felt fingers brush her face.
Riley opened her eyes to find Alma's long gangling fingers reaching up to hold Riley's face, in much the same way Riley was holding hers now.
Hollow eyes stared back into Riley's, and she felt her rage grow to new heights. "Let's go get your babies. But first..." Riley stated as she pulled Alma into an embrace, holding her close and shielding her from what was about to happen.
Power built around Riley as she channeled her rage. Her furry in that moment, unleashed a literal hellstorm of destruction out from around her. With a roar of pure furry Riley unleashed a blast of her raw power, so primal and ferocious, that it had no form, and simply appeared to be a massive chaotic blast of pure magic.
And just like that, the Origin Facility, and everything above it, disappeared from sight.
-Riley's House, Britain. Five minutes prior-
Kaede and her dog were still engrossed in their movie, when suddenly the TV went to static. The sudden static drew the nearby Daphne, out of her reading and she lifted her gaze towards the TV which no displayed static.
Slowly the static cleared, revealing several figures with drawn up hoods standing on a rooftop overlooking a decent sized city.
"What's happening?" Kaede muttered.
"I have no idea." Daphne responded. "Hey… you guys come in here!" She called out towards the kitchen where the men were still playing their card game.
The rustling of chairs could be heard as Hashirama, Madara, Tobirama, Izuna, and Kaguya all entered into the room along with Dobby, they looked at Daphne curiously, but she simply gestured towards the Television.
"To all those seeing this. Know now that the time has come. The End of the Age of Man has begun. We stand here upon the precipice. I call out to all of my brothers and sister, to all of my children. Behold now, the power of our great goddess. To the faithful, I swore to you that her wrath was real, and now I show you the truth of my words." One of the hooded men stated. He was currently staring out over the city.
Slowly he turned to the camera, showing the world his face and revealing a man with sharp features. He appeared to be bald, but with a dark goatee. His eyes were dark and piercing, with a gaze that almost seemed to reach through the television screen. It almost felt like he was looking into the eyes of everyone watching.
His face held a seriousness to it. A focus and drive that reflected in his eyes. Slowly a smile crept across his face.
"She shows us now her power. She shows us her wrath. To all those with true faith, let us bow low before her might. And to the rest of the wretches, the lost, the destitute, the ignorant. To all of them… stand and bear witness to our goddess. Bare witness to your punishment!" He stated, his smirk growing more intense as his eyes shone with what could only be described as excitement.
"The world of man has brought her pain, see now how such things will be rewarded." He finished and then turned and gestured out towards a distant part of the city. Both his arms were extended outward as if welcoming someone into his embrace.
For a moment, there was silence. Nothing happened. For another moment this continued.
Then suddenly, Daphne and Kaede felt it. Unspeakable pain and rage poured over their bonds with Riley.
Hashirama and Madara both caught the sight of the two women seizing up and turned towards them.
"Ri-Riley?" Daphne muttered as she started to hyperventilate. Her arms wrapped around her as she started to shake. In all the years she had been bonded to Riley, never before had she felt her mate so angry. Not even with the death of Katie's mother, or with Naruko's rape, did Riley express such absolute fury.
Kaede was in no better shape, having never felt this either. "This…. Riley? Why?" Kaede got out incoherently.
"Brother?" Tobirama inquired.
"It's Riley." Hashirama stated as he quickly stepped forward and knelt next to Kaede placing a gentle hand on her shoulder, trying desperately to calm her down.
"But I thought she was here. We just saw her." Izuna noted glancing at Madara who's Rinnegan eyes were locked firmly on the television.
Suddenly, it happened.
Out over the city, they saw blackened clouds explode into existence low in the sky. These clouds rapidly expanded, darkening the city in moments. Then… an eerie silence. The wind died out, and from the city thousands of birds rose up flying away from where the man was gesturing. The other figures that stood by his side dropped to their knees and kowtowed, pressing their foreheads to the rooftop.
Without warning, bolts of lightning began to arc down from the heavens. In only a few seconds, dozens of strikes lit up the city. Then, suddenly, there was a rush of wind, followed by deafening silence.
A low hum quickly filled the silence, as before the eyes of everyone watching, the ground in the distance rose up dozens of meters, before erupting in a hellish explosion.
The shockwave quickly tore across the city with many of those kneeling shaken as it rocketed by them. Not their leader though. He stood perfectly still his arms outstretched, watching the event in all it's spectacle.
Reds and Blacks, and Grays, colored the explosion, though it was unlike any explosion seen by non-magicals. Around the edges of the blast buildings, streets, and all manner of debris tore up from the ground, slowly vanishing into the chaotic cloud of devastation, while others simply rose slowly into the air, defying gravity in it's entirety with the methodical ease of their ascension.
It was obvious to anyone that had ever seen a real explosion that this one was not natural. Something beyond understanding was occurring before the eyes of countless individuals.
The debris continued to rise for several long moments before it began to change direction. As the light of the explosion died down, leaving only a blackened cloud of smoke, and ash rising into the sky, everything about it began to rotate.
Slowly, almost delicately, the cloud began to twist. Before their eyes, the column of smoke, ash, and debris, began to rotate, rising higher and higher into the sky, while at the same time, the clouds began to rotate as well and began to descend.
Within seconds the two halves met, forming a kilometer wide, nightmarish column of death and destruction.
The dull roar of the explosion was soon replaced as the wind began to pick up, muffling all other sounds as the cameraman struggled to remain upright. Again, the man who had spoke stood unmoving taking in the chaos before him with reverence.
The terrifying assault was not finished however. Light began to build within the kilometer wide tornado. A dim orange glow could be seen building at it's base. Within a minute or two, the light had grown more intense. Within three minutes, fire could be seen erupting our of the massive twister.
Hellish orange and black flames soon engulfed the massive column, lighting up the darkened city.
It was obvious to Riley's family, the fire being produced was Fiendfyre.
Around the border of the inferno buildings began to light ablaze. Wooden structures burst into flames, while the metal ones began to warp and twist. Even from this distance away from the chaos, they could see through the camera the unimaginable heat pouring off of the this fire tornado.
The air within a hundred meters of it, vibrated and caused everything within to burn.
Riley's rage was felt through all of this. To her mates, it felt almost like a scream of pure fury that started with the blast, carried through until now. Only in this moment did it finally let up, and nature, took command of the chaos.
Slowly the tornado began to expand, for hundreds of meters, surrounding it's flaming base, the city began to tear apart, rising into the air, and forming a blackened superheated outer shell to the flaming twister that quickly began to obscure the flaming torrent in a sea of blackness.
Explosions could be seen lighting up the twister's outer most parts, the heat contained within, was enough to ignite things like gasoline and oil.
It took another minute but the tornado soon began to resemble, in shape, a normal twister. It was no longer the pristine perfect column of death and destruction. Around it's outermost extent, a massive cloud of twisting debris extended outward, causing the already massive tornado to appear nearly two kilometers across.
Riley's mates felt her rage cool as she regained some measure of her senses. As soon as she could focus Daphne tried desperately to call out to her wife, but received nothing over their bond.
"Why the hell would she do this?" Tobirama demanded.
"She's angry." Hashirama stated quietly, still knelt next to Keade whom was still shaking, her eyes wide in disbelief and terror.
"Angry? All of those people! That city! Do you have any idea how many people possibly…!" Tobirama began to shout but Hashirama cut him off loudly.
"I know! She wouldn't lose control like this unless she was extremely angry. She wasn't even this mad when Katie lost her mother. I can't imagine what could have triggered this. We need answers." Hashirama stated, rising to his feet.
"It has to be one of her children." Madara noted, earning looks from both Kaede and Daphne, both their eyes widening at the implications.
"Oh god..." Daphne got out as she quickly shot to her feet, calling out to all of her fellow mates to meet her at the Hidden Village.
Hashirama paused in his movement, his eyes also wide. There was fear in them, fear that both Madara and Tobirama recognized.
"If this is about one of her children..." Hashirama began.
"I know. Let's go!" Madara stated, knowing exactly where they needed to go.
"You see now my children. This is her power. She cries out for blood and vengeance. To the faithful, here and now, I call out to you. Stand and prepare yourselves. Our ascension, begins now! To the ignorant and the foolish, I ask that you open your mind to the true path. Join us, and stand with the true god of our world. And to the wretches and the cowards that will stand against us… behold your fate…" The man who had spoken throughout the broadcast stated, his words carrying over the winds as he turned his focus back to the camera, causing Riley's family to also turn their attention back to the TV. As he came to a dramatic pause he extended a hand out to the camera, palm up. Into that palm, a grayish puff that looked almost like a large snowflake, landed on his hand. It took only a moment, for them to realize that it was not snow, it was ash. "…naught but ash."
And with his final words, the broadcast ended, returning to the movie that Kaede had been watching. It took a moment for some of them to realize that this had probably been broadcast over every channel, possibly all over the world.
-Pentref Cysgodian Hud, Britain. Ten minutes later-
Itachi stood in the command center of the Hidden Village. In front of him were a dozen TV monitors all playing various news channels, all of whom were reacting to what was just seen. As of right now no one knew anything, and they were scrambling to figure out where the event had taken place and who the individuals were that had spoken.
Itachi knew this was Riley's doing. The power behind it, it could only be her. The question was, why? Why destroy this city? Riley didn't care for senseless slaughter. She wouldn't do something like this unless she was immensely angry. Something had happened that drove her to this reaction. He simply needed to know what.
By his side was Shisui, his friend of similar mind, knowing this was Riley and desperately wanting to know the reason behind this attack.
Shikaku was busy delivering commands to his fellows, as the Legion tried to get a beat on what was happening.
Katie was also present, having experienced the same reaction as the rest of her mates. Without much pretense, Daphne, came bursting into the room, dragging Kaede with her. She was followed closely by Hashirama, Madara, Tobirama, Izuna, and Kaguya.
Very quickly Fleur was also escorted in, and she looked to have been crying. She quickly found her way into Katie's arms as the two tried to shake off the oppressive feeling of their beloved mate's unimaginable fury.
It took a few moments before Luna was also escorted in, she looked less perturbed then the others, but it was obvious that she too had also been crying.
Outside of them, some of Riley's children were also present, looking terrified and in shock. Zabuza, and Haku were absolutely dumbfounded. Elizabeth was sitting off by herself, shaking and terrified. Elsa was in a similar state, sitting next to Anna who was trying to snap her out of it. Not long after Daphne's group arrived, Eleanor showed up with Wesker, and Annette Birkin who was supporting William.
The man was in bad shape, his veins glowing red and he was almost growling, like an animal. He didn't seem like he could stand and his teeth were clenched together so hard they seemed like they might start cracking.
It was obvious that through all of their connections to Riley, in whatever form that took, they had all felt her unimaginable fury.
"What is going on?" Wesker demanded upon entrance.
"That's what I'd like to know." Itachi stated, turning his gaze towards Daphne and Kaede, whom simply shook their heads. He then glanced at Fleur but she wasn't paying attention. Luna was quietly staring off, also not paying any attention.
"It's Riley, isn't it? Is she in danger?" Came the question from Arturia Pendragon as she came storming in through the door.
"I think she's found one of her offspring, and I'm guessing she wasn't happy with their condition." Madara stated in a low tone to Itachi. Itachi's eyes widened slightly at that, and he glanced towards some of what he knew to be Riley's children.
"If she found one of our kids in a bad way, then she isn't going to stop until she's leveled the entire continent she's on." Daphne whispered, adding her own two cents to the conversation.
"We know she's next to the ocean. The city view from the broadcast showed the coast in the distance. Yugito Nii says that the Two-Tailed hellcat is feeling an explosion of power across the sea from us, meaning it's the Eastern Seaboard of the United States. We also know that whoever these people were, they somehow managed to hack in and broadcast this live showing, across multiple nations, even ones across the sea." Shikaku stated aloud to those in the room, bringing everyone up to speed on what they knew.
"That man… are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Hashirama inquired to Madara.
"Yes. That had to be Kane. Riley's so-called Prophet. The man who founded the Path of Unification in Columbia, and in the Land of Sky. He knew this was going to happen. He set this up to show the world what Riley can do." Madara answered.
"Does this mean the statute of secrecy is broken?" Came the question from one of the intelligence operatives working nearby.
Silence filled the room at that, as Itachi stared intently at the TV screens.
"No. Not yet at least. They wont have an answer for what happens, not unless MACUSA or some other magical agency provides one. This showing of divinity as it were, isn't proof that the magical community exists. Just like with the Angel of Carnage, and the battle between Riley and the Ten-Tails, the world has seen something it cannot explain, and it will struggle for answers in the coming days. For now… we need more information." Itachi stated to the room, earning nods from his subordinates. He then turned towards Riley's family members and called for all of them, plus Riley's mates, and Arturia to follow him back to his office.
Hashirama stopped along the way to use his own nature chakra to ease William's pain and help him settle down. He was quickly able to push back Riley's demonic influence as it was obvious that she wasn't focusing her attention on this. Once that was done he joined the rest.
Once everyone was crammed into the office Itachi demanded answers.
The current theory was that Riley had located one of her children and their condition had most likely driven her into a blind fury. For context so that everyone in the room knew just how back this was, Katie was willing to tell them about how Riley reacted when her mother had been killed due to the Leaf's treachery, and how it had caused and icy fury to consume Riley.
While they were all in discussion a familiar face arrived in the Hidden Village for the first time in over a year.
Thomas Gaunt, aka Tom Riddle, better known as Lord Voldemort. Voldemort had spent his time since the war ended, teaching the Dark Arts at Hogwarts. His understanding of the art, as well as his command over it, made him well suited to the job, and he enjoyed teaching.
He'd kept out of the spotlight since the end of the war, keeping himself most in an advisory role in case Lucius, Itachi, or Riley needed him. Given the peaceful atmosphere, that wasn't a common occurrence so his presence was rarely felt.
It was obvious that his connection to Riley was still as strong as ever, as the effects on his body were similar to William's though much more controlled.
He arrived and was immediately brought up to speed on the situation.
"Without knowing exactly where she is, there is little we can do to assist the situation." Tom noted to Itachi.
"I know. Our best option right now is to have her mates continue to try and reach her, meanwhile, we need to prepare for whatever fallout comes from this." Itachi responded.
"That includes the possibility that Kane was correct about this being the end of the Age of Man." Kaguya stated aloud, earning looks from those around her.
"What do you mean by that?" Hashirama inquired.
"He referenced the Age of Man, and I believe it was, in a way, a secret code, directed at learned magical beings. Historians reference the ancient past, times like where I ruled as the Rabbit Goddess, as the Age of Gods. Sometime after my defeat, began the Age of Magic. Which lasted I believe up until about a millennia ago, when magic started to fade and weaken. That was around the time a lot of magical organizations began to go into hiding is it not?" Kaguya explained.
"She's right. Merlin often spoke of the end of the Age of Magic. Even during my reign, he hinted that it was coming to a close. I suppose that means he was correct. And this Age of Man replaced it." Arturia agreed.
"But what does that mean for us?" Itachi inquired.
"The Age of Gods was marked by a handful of incredibly powerful beings. Individuals who could challenge me in strength. Those that were either descended from the Shinju directly, or had accessed fonts of power here on the Earth. I may have stood above them, in terms of raw power, but I was not the only god in the world, at that point in time. Truthfully I only became the strongest god when I dominated the will of the Shinju tree and tied it's power to myself. Simply eating one of it's fruits made me a goddess. Dominating it's will and taking all of it's power, make me 'the' goddess. My defeat at Hagoromo and Hamura's hands marked the beginning of the end of that age. Hagoromo and his sons began teaching the average person how to harness magic and use it themselves. The proliferation of magic amongst humans ensured that magic was something no longer contained to special races like dragons, or phoenix, or select beings, and instead it was granted to everyone with the tenacity to learn it. This ended the Age of Gods, and began the Age of Magic which laster the next two thousand years as human harnessed magical powers. Then, for some reason about a thousand years ago, the non-magical users began to overpower the magical ones, driving them away, making them fearful and paranoid. Magical humans, and magical races went into hiding. They stopped teaching their abilities to others, and soon only a select few who had natural gifts with magic already, would be welcomed into their societies. That, I'm guessing, was the beginning of the Age of Man." Kaguya explained to them all, earning very curious and almost enthralled looks from everyone in the room.
Only Riley, and Madara had ever really been privy to some of the Ancient Goddess's knowledge of the true order of things. While she may offer her wisdom to others, she kept a lot of things to herself, only really sharing them with her husband and heir. To learn of how the world was truly classified and what these things meant was truly fascinating, both for the magically inclined like the shinobi in the room, and for those like Eleanor, and Wesker, both of whom were much more scientifically oriented. It was Eleanor who broke the silence, curious to hear more.
"What do you think caused the downfall of the Age of Man?" She asked the old goddess.
"If I had to make an assumption, I would say technology. Magic, as you've seen, can fulfill almost all of the needs of a person. They don't really need technology, as magic has an answer to anything, so long as you're willing to find it. Why use a telephone, when you can use a two-way mirror? That is a perfect example of what I believe led to the fall of magical society. Human technology advanced to a level where it started to challenge the things that magic could do. More specifically, weapons reached a level that they became deadly to magical beings. I'm assuming that much like here in Britain, back then there were many individuals that looked down on muggle technology and didn't see the usefulness of it. Then it finally reached a point where it could threaten magical users, and the muggles used that newfound power to exert their dominance over magicals, causing both groups to begin to despise each other. Magicals were driven into hiding and eventually the world forgot about them, and non-magicals took over. Using technology to control the world. This Kane seems to believe the my heir will bring about the end of the Age of Man, if she hasn't already. In truth, seeing the power that is amassing her in Britain, due to her influence, I wouldn't be surprised if my heir brought about a second Age of Magic. Seeing as how she's been teaching others to use muggle technology and enhance it with magic, I cannot see why such a societal shift would not reverse course as it were, and return the world to it's proper state. Ruled by magic." Kaguya answered, again earning great curiosity and thoughtfulness from those around her.
"This Kane, you know who he is? You called him Riley's prophet?" Tobirama inquired, directing his question towards Madara.
"Yes. Riley had encountered his work before. In the floating city of Columbia, a religious organization known as the Path of Unification started up a few years after she rescued Elizabeth. This organization, while not knowing Riley's true identity, worshiped her as a goddess. A supreme being, above all others from the sounds of it. The worshipers in Columbia were generally peaceful and non-violent but nothing in their faith asks them to refrain from violence if it comes calling. We encountered Kane's work a second time in the Elemental Nations. The Sky Ninja were followers of the Path of Unification and actually worship Kane as a prophet, and savior. They believe that it was his arrival and their subsequent faith that helped stabilize their village during a time of crisis. Kane left a prophecy in the hands of the Sky Ninja. That one day they would face a coming Day of Wrath, that would alter the world forever. The prophecy he left is remarkably similar to a prophecy that Luna saw when she was ten years old. We believe this means that Kane is a seer and more then likely he met Riley a long time ago. At least over eighty years back. Possibly even longer though." Madara explained to the group, answering Tobirama's question and bringing everyone up to speed on that.
"So that man was probably Kane. And he's called about the followers of the Path of Unification to 'prepare for ascension'. He's also asked that people open their minds to the new possibilities that may come into being. It sounds like Kane has foreseen the breaking of, or even plans on breaking, the Statute of Secrecy." Itachi stated, earning a nod of agreement from Madara.
"I think so as well." Madara hummed thoughtfully.
"Well, if that's the case, then we best get ready for the chaotic mess that's about to be unleashed, because something tells me, this isn't going to end well for the people of that city." Tom suggested, earning quiet from the room. Itachi offered a small nod, as he turned his thoughts towards his friend. What horrors had she seen that unleashed such rage within her? It seems only time will tell.
-Fairport USA. At the same time-
Riley marched through the streets of the city. Her head obscured by the hood of her Dementor cloak and her face hidden behind a black void placed over her face to hide her appearance.
Chaos reigned supreme in the world around her. In the distance behind Riley, the flaming twister had expanded to well over two miles at it's base, and was surrounded by three hundred mile and hour winds. The twister slowly gave chase after Riley, being drawn after her by her will. Riley remained several miles ahead of it though, and it was moving at about the same pace as she was, so their was little danger of it catching up with her steady pace.
Anyone that got in Riley's way, died. No exceptions. A bus came barreling by Riley, it got too close as with a gesture, the bus flattened like a pancake, killing everyone within, instantly.
People were no better. As Riley made her way through the streets, a building would occasionally empty out, releasing the handful of occupants still within. These people were often instantly shredded by Riley's tails.
Slowly, she made her way out of the Auburn Industrial District and across the city, where on the opposite side, within the forest, there was another underground facility. The Ward Facility, where Alma's children were being held.
Though unseen, Alma's presence was felt as she moved with her mother towards the Ward Facility. Alma had psychically linked herself to Riley, using the Archdemons powerful form as a vessel, to replace her weak and fragile body. Despite being a half-demon, Alma's powers were so great that even without a physical body she could still maintain her form, and the potency of her powers.
And just like her mother, the daughter's wrath was unmissable.
Riley's thoughts were focused entirely on vengeance. Only for a single moment did she ponder which of her mates would be the mother of her newest child, the answer actually lay in the reaction of the Darkness itself. Riley suspected it's intense reaction to Alma's suffered, hinted at her being more then a half-sibling. Riley was almost positive Alma was Kaede's daughter, and that made her anger so much more intense. Kaede herself had suffered at the hands of scientists, for almost her entire life. Now her daughter had suffered the same. Riley would make them pay for this, all of them.
She was continuing her advance when she spotted something peculiar. A familiar face, moving around the outskirts of the devastation, rescuing civilians.
A dark skinned man, in a peculiar black and green full body suit. On his hand was a green ring that emanated with intense power, and from the ring, he was projecting a large bubble that he was using to carry a large number of civilians away from the danger zone. He hadn't seemed to have noticed her yet, but Riley couldn't help the sneer that crossed her face at the sight of his rescuing the people she wanted to suffer.
If she hadn't been so focused on her destination she may even have turned her attention on him.
Deciding that she was done waiting, Riley shot forward, activating her Byakugan as she did.
In her sightline she spotted other strange occurrences, there was another man, this one wearing a hood and a brown jacket with a blue hoodie covering his head. He was moving at incredible speeds, grabbing people off the streets, and racing them away to the other side of the city, furthest from the tornado.
He wasn't alone either, there was another man, dressed similarly who was moving even faster, grabbing people and moving them away from the devastation. The only difference between the two, was that the second one, trailed with bolts of lightning as he moved.
Again, had Riley not been so focused on the Ward Facility, she may have stopped to investigate these people. Instead she simply chose to let them do as they wish. She had scientists to slaughter, the civilians were little more the token deaths, to her at this point.
So with her focus set, Riley shot forward, blasting past the buildings and across the city in the space between seconds, she arrived to find a decent sized house, marking the entrance to the underground facility. She felt Alma grow anxious as they closed in on her children. Riley could feel the boys below them. Quickly she dove into the ground, pushing past layers of dirt and rock, until the entered into a small observation room, overlooking another room containing two single sized beds.
Blood stained the main entrance-way into the observed room, and on one of the beds was a single boy, who looked to be unconscious. The doorway into the room was open, and scientists could be seen discussing something or another, more then likely it was either the events that had occurred here earlier, or the very recent destruction of the Origin facility that had contained Alma.
Riley stepped through the glass and into the room, casting a wordless Body Bursting Curse, at the two scientist causing their bodies to erupt in a shower of blood, organs, and bones.
She heard screams from the hallways, obviously from someone nearby who had seen the two erupt into featureless piles of gore.
Riley paid them no mind and crossed the room and stood over the sleeping boy. Opposite of her stood a projection of Alma, as a young child, much like how Riley had seen her when they had first met.
Riley silently placed her hand on the boy's head and used Enervate toawaken him from his slumber. The boy shot up, letting out a cry of pain and rage, as he lashed out with surprising psychic power. Riley felt the assault wash over her, and a smile spread across her face. Her youngest grandchild was quite powerful, even at the age of ten.
The boy continue to lash out for several moments before settling. His breathing was heavy and raspy. Slowly his gaze turned towards Alma's avatar, which he could clearly see. Slowly she reached her hand out to him.
The boy stared back for several long moments before reaching out and taking her hand. Slowly he removed himself from the bed, and the two started around the bed aiming for the door. Riley knew what Alma was after. The second child, or more specifically, the first. Using her Byakugan, and her senses, she quickly located him in another room not far away.
Upon spotting Riley, the youngest of her grandchildren gave her a curious look. Riley returned his look and reached out to him, placing her hand on his head, and offering him a gentle smile.
The heavy sound of boots filled the hallway and a moment later a guard peeked around the corner. His face was immediately speared by one of Riley's tails. Quickly Riley turned, her face splitting with a monstrous toothy snarl as she marched into the hallway and proceeded to tear the guards limb from limb.
The trek through the Ward facility was quick but methodical. Riley tore her way through dozens of guards and scientists as they moved forward intent on cornering the source of Alma's misery and the one who kept her children from her, her adoptive father, Harlan Wade.
Harlan and a half dozen scientists and guards were stopped at an elevator shaft. They were cornered as they tried to call the Elevator and get to the surface. The moment, Riley spotted them she shot forward tearing the guards to pieces, and cursing the scientists with the most foul curses she could manage in her frenzy.
In the time it took Alma and her youngest child to walk the twenty yards from the end of the hallway to the elevator entrance, Riley had completed her work, and now stood over the cowering form of Harlan Wade.
Tucked into the corner, watching fearfully, was the elder child. There was obvious fear in his eyes but he seemingly recognized Riley. Slowly his gaze was drawn towards Alma and his little brother as both stepped up to him. The boy stared at the childlike visage of his mother with curiosity and confusion. He then turned his gaze towards his brother.
The younger boy stepped forward, placing his hand on his elder brother's shoulder and standing by his side as both boys faced Alma.
She stared at the two of them, her childlike visage, haunting and twisted. Slowly she race her hands to them, offering them to the two boys.
Both boys shared a glance with each other, the younger of the two offering his elder brother a nod and stepping forward, taking his mother's hand again. Slowly the older of the two stepped forward as well, reaching out and gently taking Alma's hand into his own.
As the trio was reuniting, Riley stood over Harlan Wade. Her eyes, slitted and blood-red, and her face revealed to the man so that he could actually look into her eyes.
"Do you know who I am?" Riley demanded, her voice carrying out without her lips moving.
"I've seen you before. In drawings..." Harlan muttered, obviously terrified of what he was seeing.
"You tortured my daughter… You… Hurt… Her…! Now… you'll feel everything she felt… and so much worse!" Riley snarled as she shot forward, tearing into the man, filling the hallway with his screams.
Off to the side, neither boy heard a thing. To their minds, they were standing on a hilltop, holding hands with Alma on a quiet sunny day. For them, all was right with the world. They were together at last, a family.
-To Be Continued-
Alright there you go. Hope you enjoyed the start up of that chapter, more to come as Riley targets the Armacham corporation next and takes it down as an added bonus. We learn a bit more about the end of ages, and of the ancient past, and we got to see some of the DC heroes starting to make appearances. You all should recognize Green Lantern, or more specifically John Stewart, but I also referenced the younger forms of Superman and the Flash. This is still before they put on the costume, so to speak, but they are doing the hero thing, just a bit more from the shadows. Seeing as how this was seen on national TV, it's not a surprise they'd know about it. Hope everyone enjoys, and looks forward to the next chapter. See ya!