Alright here's the next chapter for you guys to enjoy. Let me know what you think, let's keep on truckin on. And just as a side note, I am not making any sort of political statements with this story, I am simply writing what I believe would happen in the context of the world. It has nothing to do with any political ideology, and I'm not out to paint anyone negatively, this is just fiction.
Broken Angel: Rising Demon
Chapter 22: The First Step.
-November 7th 1999-
The world was left dumbfounded by the events that took place the previous day. An entire US fleet, taken from it's position and dumped somewhere else, only for Superman to kindly carry each ship, one by one, back to the ocean.
The world was left in a state of disbelief at how quickly Albion had managed to dismantle the UN's threat for embargo. In their attempts to strong-arm the Albions into compliance, all they had managed to do was make themselves look like fools. People found it funny, despite the tension. The US sends a fleet to try and scare the Albions so the Albions take the fleet and put it somewhere where it wouldn't be much of a problem.
It was almost passive-aggressive with how it all played out. Of course now the average citizen was more concerned than before, since the Albions could just transport entire fleets away, preventing anyone from getting close to them. If they wanted to attack, there wouldn't be very many conventional methods to counter them, if they could just send whatever fleet you sent, back to it's starting position.
After it happened, Artoria released a statement to the public, declaring that if the UN continued to make threats, if the United States continued to make threats, than the next response would be far more aggressive. Albion would not be bullied, the people would not be pushed around, and Artoria would not be commanded like some simple servant.
Immediately after the event, Albion went on high alert, showing that if the UN wanted to escalate things, then Albion would happily escalate them.
Sensing the possibility for this to escalate further, Riley spent the remainder of the day going around the perimeter of the entire country and she began planting black chakra receivers in the ground.
It took her all day even with clones, but if it came down to aggression, Riley could use the chakra receivers to activate a powerful barrier ninjutsu to block out any form of attack from others.
The receivers were placed in the waters just around the island, or buried along the border between Northern Ireland and Ireland. Riley wasn't the best when it came to barrier ninjutsu, but she knew enough to create hardened barriers that were capable of withstanding incredibly potent attacks.
She made sure to inform Artoria of her defensive measures, just in case the Queen wanted to activate them and seal off the nation from the outside world.
-November 8th 1999-
A public statement was released by the ICW decrying the actions of the US and the UN, imploring them to stop with the aggression. Fear mongering and threatening were only going to lead to conflict, and while the magical world may have difficulties dealing with the muggles, the Shinobi were just ruthless enough that they'd fight regardless. The horror of armies of magically enhanced warriors engaging in conflict with non-magicals, it would basically be like the Battle of Sinnon all over again, when the Legion killed thirty thousand in one night.
They sent messages to the UN security council emphasizing the facts that not only were the Albions dangerous, but Riley could bring the dead back to life. Meaning numbers didn't really play a factor in a fight against them. Riley could just continuously bring her fallen comrades back from the dead, ensuring that Albion never suffered a single loss. Just like she had done during the Fourth Great Shinobi War.
The aggression had to stop, everyone had to calm down, because there was no beating the Albions. Not even mutually assured destruction would hold them back, as Riley could just revive those that perished. This was a fight that could be won, it didn't matter how technologically advanced, or how many soldiers other nations had, when death did not matter, it all became a war of attrition, and the Albions would win those conflicts.
The ICW tried to stress as clearly as they could, that turning this into a greater conflict would end very poorly for those who started it.
In response Artoria released another statement, decrying the fear-mongering as unjust and hateful. She expressed that the people of Albion would not stand for it, and would continue to carry on, with or without the approval of surrounding nations.
Discussions were then had between Artoria and the Round Table. She spoke with her advisers and discussed if they shouldn't activate Riley's defensive measures and seal off the nation from the outside world. It would be a drastic action, though it wasn't dismissed outright, even by the muggles.
-Hellsing Manor-
"This barrier of yours, what would it's activation mean?" Hugh Irons inquired, directing the question at Riley.
Within the meeting chamber of the Hellsing Manor, Artoria sat with all of her advisers, including the Round Table, Hashirama, Madara, Tobirama, and Merlin. Riley was also present, standing by Artoria's side while the meeting was had.
"The Six Red Yang Formation. A barrier technique once used by the Sage of Six Paths. Only those with the Rinnegan can accomplish this technique. It creates an incredibly powerful red barrier that stretches high up into the atmosphere. The barrier can be enclosed completely, preventing anything from escaping, or entering. Such a barrier would strong enough to withstand the power of the Ten-Tails, meaning no nuclear weapon could hope to pierce it. The only way in or out of the barrier, is by using Space-Time ninjutsu. That is the barrier I can create in the event of an attack, though I do intent to work on something new. A barrier much like the one that Konoha had around it. Something tied into a sensory system that not only detects everyone who enters, but also reads their emotions and or intents. Such a thing would help us deal with infiltrators and the like that wouldn't just rely on investigation. With my placement of black chakra receivers around the country, I can actually create a number of barriers, though the method was originally intended for the Six Red Yang Formation. I'm certain I could develop a more fine tuned barrier." Riley explained to them.
"So if we wanted too, we could effectively seal off the entire nation, and prevent outsiders from entering. It's not really an economically valid option, but then again, the economy is still recovering from Millennium's attack. With the aid of magic, we could become entirely self-sufficient." One member of the Round table noted.
"We could work on developing a barrier that would prevent outsiders from easily seeing in. That would remove their ability to spy on us from space, or even high altitude." Hugh Irons stated.
"The world is experiencing a rapid change, and we risk getting caught up in the storm. There is wisdom in removing ourselves from the chaos, taking a step back and turning out sight inward." Merlin counseled.
"Merlin is right. Sometimes it's better to simply walk away. The other nations are afraid, and they have every right to be. With that being said though, we cannot allow their fear to push us towards a greater conflict. A war based on fear would gain nothing, and only lead to the loss of innocent life." Tobirama agreed.
"Perhaps sealing off the nation is for the best, though maybe not entirely. Perhaps a specialized barrier that would prevent anyone from getting in, and then we establish specific access points, allowing us to know everyone who comes and goes. I don't know about separating entirely from the rest of the world, but putting some distance between us and them may reduce the problem, and give us all time to relax." Hashirama offered up.
"The difficulties with such a barrier come with powering it, but luckily we have a battery that can take the brunt of keeping it running while we find a permanent solution." Madara added, glancing at Riley.
"I can keep a barrier like that up, so long as I am here, but a permanent measure may be far more beneficial." Riley agreed.
"Perhaps a method of storing magical energy that could be tied into the barrier, to keep it running even without you. Is such a thing possible?" Ser Penwood inquired.
"Yes. That is a viable option. We'd have to develop special seals or runes that could hold the necessary levels of magic needed to keep the barrier operating passively, as well as keep it working if it was attacked. Barriers hold their shape and effect by constantly draining magic, and when their shape is affected by outside forces, such as when they are attacked, they drain magic even quicker. So it would need to be a powerful battery." Tobirama explained to everyone, earning contemplative looks.
"Well… I might have an idea as to where to look to find such a battery. Though before I waste my time, is this something you're considering?" Riley asked Artoria, turning all attention onto the Queen who had been listening quietly, taking in everything her advisers were saying.
"Yes. With the escalation of uncertainty and fear, perhaps it is for the best that we retreat from the spotlight, and allow ourselves time to focus on own problems. The country needs guidance, we need to focus on recovering and than on building strong ties amongst the populace. We cannot be wasting time on what others think of us." Artoria responded.
"Alright then. I'll look into Ancor Vantian, see if I can't decipher how it was powered and reverse engineer it." Riley stated, earning curiosity from almost everyone except for Hashirama and Madara.
"Ancor Vantian?" Artoria inquired.
"A massive flying fortress that was once an ancient weapon of incredible power. Called the throne of Kings, and the Fortress of the Empire. The Sky Ninja had been searching for it when Shinno went rogue. I recovered the fortress when he was defeated, and I killed the Zero-Tails. I've had it stored within Kamui, since the Fourth Great Ninja War. It's without a power source, and it's heavily damaged, but it might hold the key developing a method to power this new barrier scheme. It also might not be a bad idea to upgrade the old fortress with modern technology, and give it to the military to use. The fortress itself is capable of flight and can house several thousand combatants. It's also equipped with a powerful, focused energy beam weapon, that is supposedly able to strike at targets from extreme ranges with a beam of magic." Riley explained to the room.
"Do you think you can repair this fortress?" Artoria inquired.
"I should be able to manage it. Most of the damage done to it came from it being buried for hundreds of years. I find the right power source to get it up in the air, and then we can focus on upgrading it to a modern standard. We might even be able to replicate the technology. Especially with information on the Lutece Particle." Riley hummed, again earning confusion from the table, though this time it was Madara, Hashirama, Itachi, and Daphne who understood what she was referring to.
"The Lutece Particle was a creation of Rosalind Lutece, a brilliant scientist who discovered a way to generate particles that could be suspended in the air. In a manner of speaking, she discovered anti-gravity, as these particles either aren't affected by gravity, or counter it in some way. These particles had the effect of transmitting their ability to objects they come into contact with. This method was what was used to create the floating city of Columbia. Those of you in the military may have heard rumors about the flying city. This was one of the creations that helped it come into being. We stole information on the particle and it's creation, and have been able to replicate it, in our own labs within Rapture." Itachi explained to them.
"My goodness. Will wonders never cease?" Ser Penwood let out a sigh and rubbed at his temples.
"Set to work on repairing the fortress and uncovering it's secrets. For the time being, I believe it is for the best that we isolate ourselves, and turn our attention inward. We must build a better world for our own people, before we can worry about others. Let them bicker, let the world speculate. We will prosper while struggle to understand." Artoria commanded, her gaze hard and icy.
Riley smirked at that, admiring her lover's strength and determination. If that was the path forward, than Riley would see to it that they prospered from it.
-November 10th 1999-
Immediately following Artoria's orders, Riley ventured into Kamui and turned her attention onto the dilapidated fortress.
Riley spent weeks within the ruined fortress, analyzing it's secrets and repairing the damage done to it.
She returned to the chamber that had once housed the Zero-Tails, and deciphered the old sealing rituals that had been used to draw in it's demonic youki and use it to power the fortress.
Riley analyzed the sealing ritual, and began making modifications to it. She brought in Kaguya and Kushina to help her, showing them the sealing ritual, and together the three devised a plan to reconfigure the systems powering the fortress, allowing energy to be stored within it for long periods of time and designing runes and seals to draw in nature energy to continuously power it.
With a new sealing ritual established for the fortress, they were able to get it working again. Riley used her magic to charge it's new 'batteries', which were truthfully just massive storage seals that could contain the raw magic and feed it out into the seals and runes that powered the fortress. These batteries would be continuously fed energy from other runes, that gathered in nature energy much the same as the runes Riley had designed for her island did to power the barrier around it.
While they busied themselves with the fortress, they discussed designed a similar sealing ritual on a macro scale. Something large enough to continuously power a barrier that would essentially operate indefinitely. During these discussions, Riley also worked on creating a specialized barrier, one that could detect threats and repel them, while still allowing things like oxygen, water, or animals to pass through.
She wanted to make a barrier that could be placed around the country but not disrupt the ecosystem within. Something that would allow birds to fly in or out, but it would stop planes. Something that would allow fish to swim in, but not boats. Something that could let air in, but block an explosion. Such things were possible, nothing was impossible with magic, the question simply was, how to do it.
While they worked on the seal diagram needed to power something on that scale, Riley came up with some basic ideas for what kind of barrier would be needed to essentially build a wall around the country.
Eventually she recruited Tobirama to her cause, and then Madara, Hashirama, and Izuna. Then she went further, gathering up everyone who knew anything about barriers, and they basically formed a collaborative council of minds to think up and design this new barrier.
The process took several weeks, as well as some of the most brilliant people that Riley knew, but by the end they emerged from Kamui with a plan.
Artoria was quickly brought up to speed with the plan, and in an unprecedented move, a statement was issued across the nation that per the growing hostilities, the Kingdom of Albion would be closing it's borders for a short duration, and all foreign entities will be removed.
Essentially what it came down to was if the UN wanted to play hardball, and start making absurd demands because they were afraid, then Albion wouldn't be involved any longer. They had too much to worry about in regards to their own nation, they didn't have time to worry about what everyone else thought.
So the order went out, all foreigners who weren't citizens, or who weren't in the country on a travel visa were asked to leave by the end of the month. This meant the employees of foreign embassies were also being kicked out.
It was clear that Artoria wasn't going to play games with the safety and stability of her nation. If outsiders wanted to fear monger, let them, Albion would no longer be participating.
-November 20th 1999-
In an unprecedented move, Artoria gained the allegiance of the Goblin Nation and appointed a representative from their people to serve as one of her advisers. The Goblins had once served under King Arthur, over a thousand years ago, and to this day, they had never forgotten their oath, despite how they felt about the Ministry.
Artoria accepted their allegiance and welcomed them, making sure the public was well aware of the existence of the goblins and of their status as official citizens of the realm.
It didn't take long for other magical peoples to hear about how Artoria was welcoming them and offering them a place amongst society with open arms. Long ago she had ruled over a great expansive kingdom. She had ruled magicals and muggles alike. Humans and non-humans, dark and light. From vampire covens, to werewolf packs, to fairies, and gnomes, and even the centaurs, magicals were beginning to come out of hiding as the power of magic grew, and Artoria worked hard to ensure that all had a place within her kingdom.
The reaction from various nations to the news that Artoria was sealing off the country and pushing it towards a more isolationist view, was utter dumbfoundment.
The sudden reveal of magic and it's incredibly nature, and the rise of the first Magical Nation, and the first thing that it does is immediately sequester itself away from the world.
While the masses were probably happy to let the magical world return to being hidden, those with any sense of discovery were dreading it. The magical world provided so many opportunities to advance technology. There was so much that they could do, and they could do it so easily. An explanation was recently publicized about certain runes that could be used to make an object indestructible. It effectively formed a barrier around the object and any and all damage received would go to the rune and be absorbed. This was how goblins made swords and armor that was indestructible, this was how magical homes could be protected from damage. So long as the rune had magic it would absorb all damage. The only way past it was to destroy the rune, either by actually destroying it, or by overpowering it.
Already there was the idea of using something like that on space shuttles. What if such runes could be made to deflect solar radiation? That question was already being asked, and people were wondering if it could be done.
Unfortunately for these people, the magical world as a whole wasn't ready to join with the non-magical world. The two were basically separate everywhere except the Elemental Nations and Albion. So Albion was currently the key to getting these questions answered.
With them sealing themselves off from the outside, this left many a would be scientist and inventor disheartened, and upset with the political and social landscape of the world. An amazing future was there, waiting for them to seize it, and all they had to do was work with their magical counterparts. Instead everyone was worried about what-ifs.
It truly was upsetting to see, but the Albions were adamant about looking after their own interests. They owed the world nothing, and had no reason to answer to it.
Every deal was examined, every agreement, reworked. Corporations were lobbying for the Queen to reconsider, or trying to get a time table for when the country would reopen.
Right now the plan was for a couple months of just focusing on themselves. Just a couple of months to get things in order and get the country on track, then they could deal with everyone else.
-November 29th 1999-
Two days before the barrier was meant to go up. The plan was in place, everything was set up, it all looked to be heading in the right direction.
The plan would involve generating a specialized barrier complex. This barrier would consist of two parts. The first part would be a barrier similar in nature to the one that had been placed around Konoha. It would function in the same manner, though it was upgraded by Kaguya with her deeper understanding of Uzumaki barrier designs.
This barrier would form a dome around the entire country, and it would alert the barrier team any time that something passed through it that possessed will. Meaning fish, birds, animals in general could come and go without triggering the barrier, but people, magical and muggles alike would trigger the barrier upon entrance. The barrier team would work closely with air traffic control teams that monitored the skies, if a plane showed up that wasn't supposed to be there, not only would radar detect it but so would the barrier team.
Now one of the upgrades added to the barrier design was that it would also detect intent, on those passing through the barrier and it would trigger a stunner effect in a person who passed through the barrier with ill intent.
In essence, if a person entered into the country through the barrier with the intent to kill someone, they would be immediately stunned by the barrier and the barrier team would be alerted to them. Individuals who were stunned by the barrier would then be taken to a member of the interrogation core, where they would be given veritaserum and questioned about what had happened and why they were angry. If it was found that they were planning to commit an act of terrorism, espionage, or sabotage, then they would receive the proper punishment, while people who were instead planning other violent crimes would be given to psychiatric help.
This barrier would be tied into a special seal formula, that was placed in the center of the country in a secure location that was then hidden with Fidelus. This seal formula was tied into powerful runes scattered all throughout the land, that would absorb ambient energy and feed it into the seal formula, powering it and sustaining it.
The second part of the barrier system was an immediate system that would allow Riley to remotely activate the Six Red Yang Formation barrier to block out incoming attacks.
The barrier itself was visible to the naked eye and disrupted visual and thermal light. Meaning satellites could no long see what was happening within the county. Radio waves and the like were unaffected, but essentially it was now impossible to see what was happening within the country from space.
To avoid basic missteps like say a pissed off pilot getting stunned while flying through the barrier, two massive openings were placed in the barrier. One in the eastern edge of the country and one in the western edge. Any plane arriving would have to pass through one of these two openings.
The openings themselves were generated by special runes placed on stones that would create wide openings in the barrier. These stones were only a few feet across and had Lutece particles attached to them, via small capsules. These stones floated high in the sky and left these two openings for inbound planes.
The barrier didn't affect anyone leaving and the stunners would only affect these individuals for a few minutes so ships weren't as big an issue as even if the person driving the ship was stunned there was less danger of the passangers being harmed before Legionnaires could arrive.
Another part the protective barrier system was the establishment of a private floo network from Pentref Cysgodian Hud. This floo network would tie the hidden village to a dozens of small outposts that were evenly spread out around the borders of the country. It would take a month or two to finish getting it all set up but at the end, the idea would be that the barrier team would be informed if anyone entered into the barrier, either by sea, on land, or in the sky, unless they passed through one of the two holes.
If this person held ill intent, they would immediately be stunned by the barrier. This would only last a few moments, but it would be long enough for someone to investigate and apprehend the individual. If anything occurred around the outskirts of the nation, there would be special outposts setup tied to the floo network that would allow legionaries to travel to anywhere around the borders of the county and be able to reach a location within minutes, either by running, flying via broomstick, or with Apparation.
For a few months, the country would be closed to travelers and all trade would be heavily monitored and brought in line with new regulations.
As a final caveat to these defensive measures, Riley spent a day going around to each town, city, village, and military base around the country and she placed a Hiraishin kunai at each of these locations. If an incoming attack was detected, Riley could instantly teleport to the location of the attack, and repel it.
Such an idea was also going to be translated over to the Legion's floo network. That would be the next step after the external outposts. Once that was done, they would begin establishing connections to every location within the country, allowing the Legion to rapidly respond to any situation within their borders. And the Aurors would be provided access to this network as well, decreasing their travel time.
With the imminent closing of the country, Artoria prepared to roll out a number of new initiatives to get things organized and help establish order.
Firstly, the recruitment of aurors was put as a main priority, and began training with muggle police officers, so that both sides could learn how to deal with criminals from either side of the magical spectrum.
It was this first idea that Artoria rolled out that led to discussion about whether or not to begin distributing plasmids, tonics, and vigors to specially trained police forces. These conversations were held in depth as risks and rewards were debated. The greatest risk involved for non-magicals was over indulgence. Plasmids could grant them basic magical abilities, but it would take them days to regenerate the magic required to use them, which was what the Eve substance was used for. A normal human could maybe use a basic magical spell, three or four times before they didn't have enough magic to keep using it. Eve allowed for rapid replenishment of one's magic, but it would strain their cores if used repeatedly.
If something like that were to be used, it would be held under strict control. It was an idea that held certain merits but Artoria wouldn't commit to it until they had certain procedures and safety measures in place to keep things from spiraling out of control like they did in Rapture.
The idea than shifted to tonics instead, enhancing the physical abilities of their police and soldiers, making them stronger, faster, and with greater reflexes. It wouldn't bring them up to magicals levels, but it would give them a greater fighting chance against magical enemies, and it would elevate them above other nation's fighting forces.
This idea was discussed even more in-depth, and Artoria commanded that studies be done on special gene tonics to be used to enhance their military forces. Once ideas were established, they would have this discussion again, and Artoria would decide at that time whether she wanted to give the green light for actual human trials to be done, on muggle volunteers.
The next initiative Artoria rolled out was the use of magic to enhance farmlands and soil to increase food productivity. With the use of storage scrolls and the like, food could be stored indefinitely, with the use of magic. So there was no real concern of waste, so ramping up food productions and creating huge stockpiles of food would ultimately insure there was never any shortages.
This initiate would begin by offering to pay the farmer who were willing to have magicals tend their lands and show them how magic could be used to increase the yield on crops, and the speed that it grew.
Konoha had been proof of how rapidly plants could grow when powerful magics were introduced, especially magics that were aligned with nature, such a wood style.
The power of the First Hokage had caused the forests around the village to grow massive and quickly. Hashirama's personal training ground would later become the infamous Forest of Death, a place that was wildly overgrown.
The effects of such magics, weren't limited to just the plants. Animals that fed on these plants, grew quicker, and often grew larger as a result. That was why there were giant tigers, giant snakes, giant boars, giant everything really.
Pigs were actually one of the best animals to use because they could eat anything and would keep growing larger and larger the more they ate, and magic would increase their strength too, so you would get massive boars, that could provide the same amount of meat as a six or seven pigs.
It all came down to control. Only use as much magic and enhance things within your ability to maintain control over it. Otherwise you get places like the Forest of Death.
Another initiate that Artoria wanted to work on was education. All schools would need to begin adding studies into the magical world, as well as the true histories of the past. As she had learned in the modern age, an informed and intelligent populace often made better choices, and acted intelligently. It kept fear to a minimum if people understood what was going on and what existed out there in the world.
It was ultimately for the best to get people up-to-date on what was real and what wasn't.
These policy changes were just the start. Artoria intended to fully revolutionize the nation, allowing it to use all that was available to it, to grow and improve.
-December 1st 1999-
The barrier had gone up. An act of magic that astounded the world. A massive dome of shimmering air rose up around the entire country. It wasn't visible from within but on the outside it looked like Albion had been encased in a giant slab of gelatin.
Those on the outside could no longer really make out what was happening within, nor could satellite's see what was occurring under the veil.
This change was met with uncertain acceptance from the people's of Albion. It was nice to not have to worry about being spied on by others, so that was a benefit, people were just concerned for how long the country would remain separated from the outside world, and how this would affect them.
-Riley's Home, London. December 2nd 1999-
Fleur and Kushina busied themselves with making lunch, both enjoying the quiet preparations, able to lose themselves in thought as they prepared a meal for their family.
Lucille was in the living room being looked after by Luna, as well as Paxton and Darren. All was well until they heard a shout from one of the boys.
Fleur and Kushina raced into the living room to find Darren cradling Lucille in his arms while Luna lay on the couch violently convulsing.
"Luna!" Fleur cried out, rushing across the room to kneel by Luna's side. Kushina was right there with her, examining the young woman as she shook violently, her eyes wide, and staring straight off into open air as she violently shook.
Not a moment after the cry left Fleur's lips, Riley manifested, seemingly out of nowhere.
Riley scooped Luna into her arms and held her as she shook, through their connection, Riley saw a vision playing out in Luna's mind. Once more she was experiencing a prophetic vision, and once more it was filled with death and destruction.
Riley watched the vision play out as she held Luna in her arms. She watched as meteors rained down from the sky, slamming into the earth causing incredible destruction. Cities were bombarded, countrysides set aflame. In the final moments of the vision, Riley saw the moon fall from the heavens and slam into the earth, at the very last second, an image flashed of a pair of brilliant blue eyes, that held a white glowing floral pattern within them.
That image was only present for half a second, but it seared itself into the demoness's mind.
Soon the vision began to repeat, as Luna continued to shake and convulse.
"Luna… it's alright… I'm here." Riley whispered, pulling her mate close, and gently kissing her forehead.
"You're safe. Everything is alright." Riley continued to try and reach her.
It took a few moments but Luna's eyes began to tremble and tears began to well within them and slide down her cheeks.
"It's okay, my love. It's okay." Riley said quietly as cradled Luna close.
Slowly, Luna's eyes began to focus onto Riley's face, and she started to sob.
Riley felt Luna grab onto her, pulling Riley as close as she could. Riley received the gesture and held Luna as tightly as she could without hurting her.
"What happened?" Kushina asked, watching the two with surprise and uncertainty.
"She had a vision. A prophetic dream." Fleur stated, staring at the two, her eyes filled with sadness.
"She's never had visions while awake before. They've always been in her dreams." Riley noted as she continued to cradle Luna to her chest.
"But she had this one while awake. She wasn't sleeping, she was watching the baby." Fleur stated, glancing at Paxton and Darren.
Darren stepped over to Fleur still holding Lucille in his arms. The baby was sleeping quietly, having not noticed any of the drama that had just occurred.
Fleur smiled at the boy, patting him on the head, and offering him thanks for keeping an eye on his newborn aunt.
"She was awake, holding the baby. Then she just slowly fell over onto her side and started shaking. Darren took the baby from her when she looked like she was going to drop her." Paxton explained to them all.
"She had this vision while she was awake. It just struck her out of nowhere." Riley surmised, glancing over her shoulder at Fleur and Kushina, neither knowing what this meant in regards to Luna.
"Everything's going to be alright." Riley offered, turning her attention back to Luna.
"No… it's not. I keep seeing it, the world ending! I keep seeing it dying!" Luna muttered, her voice hollow, filled with despair.
"I wont let that happen. I wont let any of your visions come true." Riley reassured her, causing Luna's tearful face to look up at her.
"Promise?" Luna whispered quietly. The fear in her eyes, greatly upset Riley. She felt her anger swell but she kept it in check, and leaned down, kissing Luna's forehead and pulling her back into an embrace.
"I promise, my love. I wont let the world be destroyed." Riley swore to her.
Riley felt Luna settle at her promise, though it did not chase away the fear entirely. Riley's gaze hardened at that, she would need to prove her words the truth, and defend this world from the coming danger.
-Hellsing Manor, Later-
"A troubling prophecy." Merlin noted as he sat back in thought.
Riley had just finished explaining to Artoria, Merlin, Hashirama, Madara, Tobirama, Itachi, Daphne, Izuna, and Kaguya, about what Luna had seen.
"This would be the third of such prophecies." Hashirama noted, earning a curious look from Merlin.
"One prophecy foretold a coming Day of Wrath, where an Archdevil would invade the earth. The world would be dragged into the dark realms and all life would be enslaved. The second prophecy involved a great flood that would consume the world. And now this, the moon falling on the planet." Artoria explained.
"Perhaps the latter two share something in common. The moon falling could be what causes the flood. The moon is hollow according to Black Zetsu. Meaning despite it's size it's mass is significantly less. Unless it was moving at an incredible velocity, the damage caused to the planet would eventually heal. It would still cause the extinction of most life on Earth, but it wouldn't destroy the planet entirely." Tobirama offered.
"It's possible. All I do know is that the last of these prophecies is causes by an Ootsutsuki. I saw the Tenseigan. Those eyes have gravitational powers, just like mine. Pulling the moon out of orbit and dropping it onto the earth, is possible." Riley stated, her words earning unease from Kaguya who shifted nervously and pulled into herself. The action was not missed by Riley, or Madara, the latter of which placed his hand on his wife's shoulder, offering her reassurance.
If the Ootsutsuki attack, we must be prepared to retaliate against them. What are our options in dealing with these crisis?" Itachi inquired, gazing around at those within the room.
"If it comes down to it, I'll destroy the moon to stop it from being used as a weapon." Riley stated, her voice filled with cold confidence, something that unsettled her family members, all of whom noted that Riley was absolutely furious at the moment. Her eyes were blood red, and her hands balled into fists.
She was definitely on the warpath. Seeing one of her mates so frightened and unable to do anything to help them, always set Riley off like this. It would take her a few days to calm down, unless of course a plan of action was found quickly.
"Well we have our plan B, but what about a plan to stop the Ootsutsuki?" Itachi again pressed.
"We need to be prepared for their invasion. The moment we sense something is off, we need to enter an alert state. This attack could come at any moment, so we should prepare with drills, to ensure that our forces are ready if it comes to an attack. Beyond that, until the enemy makes a move, all we can do it is prepare. Unless of course we launch a preemptive strike on the moon." Tobirama expressed, earning a thoughtful look from Artoria as she considered that.
"According to Riley, the primary attack will be proceeded by a meteor shower. So we'll know when the attack is coming. For now we must turn out gaze towards the moon. Should anything unnatural begin to occur, we'll be ready for it." Artoria commanded, earning nods from her advisers.
Riley was eerily silent as this happened, something Artoria noted.
"Give us a moment." Artoria commanded to her advisers, ordering them to clear the room so she could have a moment to speak with Riley.
A few seconds later and the room was empty, leaving only Riley and Artoria.
"Something is bothering you? Something more than you've shared. I can see it. Daphne could see it too. I'm sure the others would have noticed if given the time." Artoria began.
"It's almost time." Riley muttered, her gaze distant.
"Almost time for what?" Artoria asked, stepping up to her.
"For us to become one. The Ootsutsuki are coming, and my best chance of defeating them is to receive Hagoromo's training." Riley explained to her.
"To make us your paths." Artoria remembered what such training would entail. Riley would grant a portion of her ocular powers to all of her mates, making them her paths. She would need to endure a few years of training to make sure that they could manage it, and during that time, she would receive training from Hagoromo Ootsutsuki. Artoria and Riley would be married in the not to distant future, and her relationship with Yugito was going along well. It was indeed almost time.
"We can't wait much longer, my love." Riley said to her.
"I know. Focus on Yugito, make sure she's ready. When the time comes, I will be." Artoria replied, earning a soft smile and a nod from Riley.
The two shared a quiet moment with one another before calling the others back in to resume the conversation.
-December 5th 1999-
The next few days were tense around Riley's house. Luna was a bit out of it, and wouldn't even go near baby Lucille. She was scared she'd have another vision and possibly end up hurting the child. Riley and Fleur did what they could to calm her down, and settle her mind, assuring her that what happened wasn't something that she could control and that they both knew she would never intentionally hurt the baby.
It unfortunately did little to settle Luna's fears. Eventually, Fleur found a way to help her. She waited for when Luna was sitting on the couch, and she sat next to her, the baby in her arms. She then handed Lucille off to Luna, despite her protests, making Luna hold the baby, while Fleur sat by her side.
Fleur stated by Luna's side for the rest of the night, assuring Luna that she trusted her, and that the baby felt safe in her arms.
Luna's protests eventually faded. She still didn't feel safe having the baby, and she had sworn to both Riley and Fleur that she wouldn't have her if she was alone, to ensure that nothing would happen, but she did calm down a bit.
Fleur and Riley both tried to convince Luna otherwise, but it simply fell on deaf ears. Until the child was old enough to take care of herself, Luna wouldn't watch over her alone. If she had another episode, and no one was there to look after the baby, Luna didn't want something bad to happen to the little girl. So she wasn't going to be watching her alone. It was something she was just going to have to live with.
While Riley and Fleur weren't happy about it, they understood that Luna was simply choosing to be safe, and she couldn't stop herself from having visions, especially if they were now starting to happen while she was awake.
Riley hated not being able to do anything to help Luna out of this, all she could do was try and reassure her that everything was going to be alright, and that this wasn't going to change anything. While Luna wasn't overly convinced, it did bring a light smile to her face to see that Riley was trying so hard to help her.
-December 7th 1999-
Every day, more changes came about within the country of Albion. People were adapting and taking in these changes as they went about their lives. Magic flourished, as those with access to it spent their days using it benefit the new world Artoria was making.
New ideas for businesses were being established, new questions being asked, all in all, people were surviving.
An official statement arrived from Russia, condemning the actions of the UN as nothing more than bullying, and they made an offer to meet with Artoria to discuss working together to move forward in this new world.
Artoria was receptive to the cordial offer, sending a reply that she would meet with them in a few months to discuss the possibility of trade agreements and the like.
When news leaked to the rest of the world that Albion was willing to work with the Russians, it finally hit home to the west that if they didn't do something quickly, then this new magical power forever be at odds with them.
Everyone knew that this was all just an attempt to capitalize on the growing power of the Albions. Even Artoria knew it. Though she honestly had no reason to hate any other nation, so she would happily speak with any who were willing to have a civilized discussion about cooperating.
Russia, China, Germany, France, America, Japan, India, it didn't matter who it was, if they were willing to put aside their fear and actually come to the negotiating table to discuss reasonable methods of working together, than Artoria would. She didn't care about their politics, only about what was happening within their lands. How a government treated it's people was indicative of how it would treat others. Artoria would speak with those willing to speak, but she would make her decisions based on what was best for her people.
It seemed like the walking away approach my actually be working, at least on the government level. While many amongst the various populace were happy that all the craziness had settled down, those that were higher up in the various nations, knew that Albion was poised to seize upon the reveal of magic, and elevate itself to unknown heights. Many feared that a new British Empire could rise, seizing the reigns as a global superpower.
It was all uncertain now, all that the UN knew for certain was that they couldn't continue with these arguments, lest Albion become an enemy, and actually turn on them.
So for now, people were just talking. Artoria kept her personal feelings out of her dealings with the surrounding nations. Those that had criticized or tried to bully her, she simply dealt with them in a stoic manner, responding to their messages and offers, with a focused and determined nature. Replying each time to their offers for meetings, that she would discuss with them, when she was ready too, and for now she was focused on Albion and it's prosperity. Until that was assured, the rest of the world could just sit back and watch.
While everything was happening on a national level, Riley was doing exactly as Artoria suggested and was focusing her attention onto Yugito. The two had gone on several more days, and had been spending a lot more time together.
Their physical interactions had also improved. They were touching more often, holding hands, kissing. They even spent time training together. Riley started bringing Yugito around to spend time with her mates, and meet her daughter. Yugito was awkward around the others, even a bit intimidated by them, due to their relationship with Riley and the apparent unified front that they shared.
Riley made sure to make her feel welcomed, and made sure she was as comfortable as she could be.
Eventually the time came where things began to get far more physical, with light petting becoming fondling. Yugito, while nervous, didn't shy away from it, and even returned Riley's actions, groping at her breasts while they kissed or cradling her hips or butt.
The time was fast approaching, both of them knew it, but Riley was well aware that before they reached that level of intimacy, there was a few things she had to discuss with Yugito.
-Kamui-
Riley pulled away from Yugito, earning a sultry look from the Two-Tails Jinchuriki. Riley offered her a smile which she returned and leaned forward to resume kissing.
"Yugito, wait." Riley stopped her, letting out a sigh as she did.
"What is it?" Yugito inquired, giving her a curious look.
"There's some things I need to tell you. Things that I have to explain before we go any further." Riley began, letting out another sigh.
"What sort of things?" Yugito asked.
"Well there's three major things you need to know. This isn't one of them but before I begin I want you to know that I really like you. Like a lot. I like spending time with you. I think you're interesting, I think you're fun. I do like you. So lets just get that cleared up before I start with this whole explanation." Riley began, her words earning confusion from Yugito.
"One of the abilities I possess with my eyes, is the ability to grant a portion of their powers to someone else. I don't know if this transfer is permanent or if I can control if it's active or not. But I can give a person some of my ocular abilities, or perhaps it's better to say I can use a person as a conduit for some of my powers." Riley began, rising to her feet and standing before Yugito who stared up at her, nodding slowly in understanding.
"Something is coming. Something terrible. We fear that one day the monster that aided the Akatsuki during the Fourth Great Ninja War, will come back, and to help prepare for it, I've decided to use this ability to allow others to use my powers. Now like I said I don't know if I can undo this gift, once it's given, and I don't know fully what'll happen when I give it. All I do know for certain is that I can create eight of these conduits, or 'paths', allowing eight people to access a portion of my ocular powers. I've chosen my mates to be those either people." Riley explained to her.
"So… you want me to be one of the people to receive some of your powers?" Yugito surmised.
"Yeah, more or less." Riley replied.
"Well… I mean I don't really know what to say. I'm honored you would consider me, and well… considering the nature of your fears, I can understand why you would want it, but why was this something I needed to know before we went further?" Yugito inquired in response.
"A prophecy. A prophecy that hints towards our fears being true, that this Archdevil will invade the earth. Luna, had a prophetic vision when she was a child and in it, she saw this attack, and she saw herself there with me. She was older, maybe in her thirties or so, but she saw me there with eight others, and they had my eyes. When I give this power, a side affect is that you'll gain the Rinnegan, and you'll also share a line of sight with all the others who share in this power, essentially you'll be able to use a portion of the Rinnegan's powers, and also see through the eyes of the other people who are joined with you. She saw eight people with me, with my eyes. There are nine paths in total with the Rinne Sharingan, counting myself, you, and Artoria, that would mean I have my eight paths." Riley began.
"So… that's why you accepted the marriage alliance? You knew you needed an eighth…?" Yugito began, a bit of sadness seeping into her voice, but it stopped when Riley knelt in front of her and took Yugito's face in her hands.
Riley offered her a smile, and leaned in to kiss her. Yugito returned the kiss, unable to resist how good and right it felt.
"Remember what I said. I do like you. And I do want to be with you. Yes I accepted it because I knew I needed another mate, but I was fully committed to walking away if I didn't feel like there was a spark between us. I'm telling you this because I want to move forward with you. I want us to be together. I like you, Yugito Nii. I think you're fun to be around when you're not acting so cagey." Riley said to her, her playful jab earning a light chuckle from Yugito.
"Alright. I believe you. So… the others know about this?" Yugito asked.
"Yeah. I intend to go through with it, after I make you all my mates." Riley answered.
"Alright then. So what are you waiting for then?" Yugito asked, curiously.
"Well I have to sleep with you first." Riley replied with a teasing grin, earning a minor blush from Yugito.
"Why? You said have to, not want to." Yugito noted.
"There's a reason I call my lovers my mates. Our relationship isn't as simple as us just being together. This has to do with the second thing I wanted to tell you." Riley answered.
"Alright, and what is that?" Yugito inquired.
"I'm a demon." Riley stated.
Yugito was silent for a moment, as she just gave Riley a weird look.
"I knew it! I knew there was something off about her! Kurama you sly fox, what did you do?" Matatabi shouted within Yugito's mind.
"Made a deal to turn her into a demon. She was accidentally eating my soul and I didn't want to die, so I taught her how to adapt her soul to the part she absorbed. She's a Tailed Beast, like us." Kurama answered, his reply was heard by Yugito, who realized that this wasn't some kind of joke.
"You're a demon?" Yugito muttered in disbelief.
"Yeah. Just like Kurama said. I started to absorb him, so to stop it from happening I let him out of his seal and made my body into his new temple, and he taught my how to become a full demon. I'm a Tailed Beast." Riley explained to her.
"So that's why you're so powerful? You were a demon all this time… I… I actually remember feeling something. Feeling a powerful evil presence a few years ago. Back before the war when I was at Hogwarts for the exams..." Yugito began earning a nod from Riley.
"That was me. That was the moment I ascended and became a full blooded demon. The reason all of this matter to the previous stuff is because when we have sex, it'll forge a magical bond between you and I. My magic will claim you as my mate, I'll be able to sense your emotions over a distance and if we focus we can mentally communicate. My mates are already like an extension of myself, which is why I chose them to be my paths. Once I make you and Artoria my mates, I'll have no reason not to make you my paths." Riley offered to her.
"Wow. I mean it makes sense, but still." Yugito began.
"Are you okay with this?" Riley asked.
Yugito was quiet for a moment as she looked up and met Riley's gaze. For several long moments, Yugito ran that question through her head, finally she allowed herself to smile, earning one from Riley in response.
"It answers so many questions about you. You being a demon and all. I guess it all makes sense." Yugito responded.
"There's one more thing you need to know." Riley began.
"Yeah?"
"We have kids." Riley said, offering her a smile.
Yugito stared back at Riley, blinking dumbly. Offering her a chuckle, Riley began to explain the situation in regards to her children lost through time. At the end she asked Schrödinger to come out and meet his mother.
Yugito stood dumbfounded at she stared at the half-demon boy. Riley was pretty sure that the Two-Tails feinted when she saw Yugito's offspring.
Yugito didn't know what to make of the situation and was left quite dumbfounded by it all. Schrödinger simply laughed at her, finding her amusing and not really minding that she didn't know how to respond to the whole situation.
After their awkward meeting, Riley took Yugito back to her houses to show her the box of time-turners older Elizabeth had left.
-Riley's Home-
"Wow… there's still so many." Yugito noted as she ran her eyes over all of the devices.
"Yeah. You wanna use one?" Riley inquired.
"What?" Yugito asked.
"Do you wanna use one? All of these are kids out of time, they're waiting on us to rescue them. So you wanna go look for one. Go on an adventure?" Riley explained, earning a look of concentration from Yugito.
After a moment she retrieved one of the Time-turners. The piece of paper attached with it, that held the names of the parents was opened but it revealed something Riley wasn't expecting. On the paper was Riley's name twice, as well as Yugito's name, but Gaia's name was also present.
"What does that mean?" Yugito inquired.
"It means that this Time-turner leads to a place where two of my kids are located. One with you and one with Gaia." Riley replied, eyeing the paper curiously.
After a moment she made a noise and vanished in a flash. Several long moments of silence went by as Yugito glanced over to the waiting eyes of Riley's mates and children.
"Two new siblings to go along with the baby? Wow you're family is really growing fast." Anna noted to Elsa, earning a nod from her as Riley reappeared with Gaia, who looked fresh out of bed.
"Adventure time!" Riley stated cheerfully.
"Are you sure you don't want to lay down for a few moments?" Yugito noted at Gaia's tired appearance.
"No, it's alright. I don't get to spend enough time with my wife-to-be, so I've got to indulge her whenever possible. Besides, no matter how long it takes us, it'll only be a few minutes out here." Gaia responded.
"Alright, we'll see you all in a few minutes." Riley waved to her mates and children.
"Enjoy your three-way." Katie called back, earning a laugh from Riley while, Gaia and Yugito blushed.
While Katie was getting admonished by Daphne for her uncouth joke to the Kazekage, Riley placed the Time-turner around the three of them and set it in motion.
"I wonder where we'll end up?" Gaia questioned with curiosity.
"Given my track record with these things, I'm guessing someplace wonderful and strange." Riley replied with excitement as she activated the Time-turner and everything went black.
-?-
Sight quickly returned to them, and the three women found themselves dressed in beige pants and simple shirts, all three covered by long matching cloaks to keep out the cold. Other than that, they each bore kunai pouches and shuriken pouches, and Gaia had her sand gourd.
"That was weird." Yugito muttered as she stared down at her change of clothes.
"That felt unnatural." Gaia agreed.
"It's time travel, it's supposed to feel weird." Riley stated to the two.
Gaia was about to respond when the sound of foot steps approaching drew her attention away from Riley.
She turned her gaze to scan the area. The three were standing on the outskirts of some small village, nestled in a rocky, forest filled landscape. Approaching was a squad of individuals, each dressed in dark red, and black armor. Each was armed with a spear, all of it looked to be eastern Asian in design. The leader of the five man squad wore the same armor but had no weapons.
He bore a stern glare and as he and his squad approached he locked eyes with Gaia.
"You three…" he began, earning their full attention. "Who are you?"
"Travelers." Gaia responded, her gaze calm and focused.
"Traveling from where?" He asked, his voice filled with suspicion and no shortage of malice.
"That's none of your concern." Gaia responded, her voice filled with authority. Her response earned a glare from the leader of the squad of soldiers and he immediately let out a growl and made a motion with his hand.
"Alright… if you wanna do this the hard way, we'll do it the hard way." He said as his men spread out, flanking him and leveling their spears at the three women. Their leader stepped forward, holding up his hand as he did.
In his hand, a fireball burst into being. The fire itself floated over his palm, burning in the air.
"You either talk, or you get burned." He warned.
"Walk away, or I will kill you." Gaia responded, her voice filled with a warning. Riley smirked at her commanding nature, and Yugito kept the appearance of being relaxed but she was already to respond in an instant.
The man's eyes went wide at her and the ball of fire over his palm faded. Then with a roar of rage he punched at her. From the end of his fist, a ball of fire shot forward and raced across the distance towards Gaia.
Her sand immediately rushed to defend her, blocking the fireball before sinking down to the ground.
"You… you're under arrest for the crime of Earth-bending." The man stated with a smirk.
Riley and Yugito shared a look with one another while Gaia let out a sigh.
"It seems the locals are not friendly." Gaia noted.
"It would seem so. Time to see what kind of trouble we can get into." Riley said with a smirk, eager to sink her teeth into this new landscape they had found themselves in and find her two missing children. This was the perfect opportunity to enjoy some bonding time with Gaia and Yugito, and unwind from the recent upheaval in the world.
It was time to have a bit of fun.
-To Be Continued-
Alright there you go. Hope you enjoyed the chapter, and look forward to the next one. I think all of you can guess where they ended up. See ya next time, Ja Ne!