Broken Angel: Rising Demon

by I LIKE FEAR 1-2

The Age of Man, is over. The Age of Magic, is about to begin. A Demon stands upon the Earth. A beast, named goddess by right of passing. Darkness settles upon the Earth, will this goddess usher in a golden age for humanity? Or will she cast them aside to drown in their own sins? Behold the rise of the demon, and the Kingdom of Albion. (Sequel to Broken Angel)

36. 36: A Goddess Revealed

Alright time for the next chapter, hope you guys enjoy.

It's been a while but I'm back. Two whole months to get this chapter done, and it's been a huge struggle for a multitude of reasons. At some point this chapter got up to 30,000 words because I couldn't find a good stopping point so I went back and condensed it. It's now sitting at 25,000 words which is a bit better. I'll have the next chapter up in two weeks since I'm already started with it. Again, sorry this took so long, had some trouble at home, and had to deal with being very busy at work as valentines day came and went.

I should explain that one of the reasons this took so long to get out was a rather personal one. One of my dogs passed away, two days after Christmas which was heartbreaking. The reason that kept me off writing actually has to do with his name. See we got him after I originally started Broken Angel, and my family named him, without my input, and they'd decided on Riley. I always thought it was a really weird coincidence, especially because I had originally put in my story that Riley was named Riley, because Remus had thought of it for a dog's name. So really weird coincidence, but I chose to keep the character name, and just move on. Sadly he passed away due to some unknown illness that suddenly struck him, and he wasn't really all that old, only six when he died, so that was really heartbreaking. It kinda put me off writing for a bit afterwards, in regards to this story. So that was a big reason why I didn't do much writing in January, than when I did get back into writing, it was as Valentines day was closing in, so I was really busy at work. I apologize for this taking so long, again. I don't intend to make it a habit.

Broken Angel: Rising Demon

Chapter 36: A Goddess Revealed.

-Riley's Mindscape, October 17th 2000-

Riley sat staring out across the expanse of her mind, her training with Ralael having concluded a short time ago. In what had felt like several weeks within her own mind Riley and learned to harness and master the powers of this new form for her Zanpakutō.

When she focused her thoughts on Ramira and awakened the blade, it took the form of a bone-knife. It was a crude instrument, sharp, in the way that broken bone could be. She could use it for stabbing or slicing, but in both measures, the cuts would be jagged, and rough. There was no finesse to this weapon form, no elegance to it. Much like the warhammer form, it was a crude instrument of death.

Being crude though, worked to the weapon's advantage. The power of the bone-knife lie in the consumption of blood. The blade fed on blood, and it was blood that fueled it's power, which was the ability to infect a target with terror.

Essentially how it worked was that the blade was gorged in blood, once it had consumed enough blood, it would develop a 'charge' for a poison-like attack. This 'poison' could then be delivered into the body of a target by simply allowing the blade to contact their person. Contact was all that was needed at that point, not even a cut, just pressing the blade to the flesh of a target was enough. Now the reason this power was described as a poison was because it acted like one. Once the poison was delivered it would spread through the target's body like a disease, it's effects growing over time.

It would start with anxiety, a person would start to feel uncertainty or worry, than it would grow into concern, and doubt, than it would begin to manifest into fear, and than terror, up until it became mind-numbing insanity.

This was not a fast-acting weapon, and the strength of the target's will would determine the time it took for them to be fully consumed by the infection, but the technique was almost always fatal, at least in a mental sense as the target would eventually slip into paranoid delusions of terror, to the point of their minds breaking. Though when this occurred differed from person to person. This instrument was a tool of assassination, and suffering, differing from the last two weapons immensely. The nature of the blade's powers, as well as it's shape and design made it ill-suited for combat, but made it an excellent tool for a long and slow death, and there was no cure. The 'poison' it delivered was an infection of the soul, and the psyche, once infected, you couldn't be cured by any normal means.

In many ways, the effect of the bone-knife was that of a curse, that was delivered and acted like, a poison, or like a disease even. It was a tool of violence, insanity, and murder.

Now that she had a third form of her Zanpakutō, Riley began to notice a trend. Each of the three forms were heavily tied into the version of her that they'd come from. The Gunblade form was elegant and precise, able to shape energy into preset forms that Riley could call upon in whatever manner she wished, it emphasized control and focus, and reminded Riley a lot of the heroic Narumi she had encountered on her first travel into a what-if. The second, the Warhammer form, was a blunt tool of destruction. It's greatest power was the ability to load spells into it's firing chamber but it always released them in the same way, as a magical blast of energy, of raw power. It was much like the vengeful Riley who only wanted to see her suffering avenged. And finally now, the Bone-Knife, which could feed on blood to create a curse that would infect a person with panic and terror, much like how Ramira made people feel about her.

Seeing these connections, Riley realized that these forms weren't random. In fact, she was starting to speculate that if any of those three versions of herself, had a Zanpakutō, than it would possess the same powers as the form that was generated when she thought of them. So Heroic Narumi would have the Gunblade, Vengeful Narumi would have the warhammer, and Ramira would have the Bone-Knife.

Closing in on the end of her training with Ralael, Riley had voiced such thoughts, and the angel openly admitted that she was right. That if each had their own Zanpakutō, than it's true form would be that of the weapon that was created when Riley thought of them.

So with that realization, Riley was left now with more questions. If she was able to call upon the theoretical Zanpakutō spirit of her alternate selves, than what was her Zanpakutō's ultimate power?

It had a singular power, and that power involved manifesting the theoretical Zanpakutō forms that her alternate selves would possess if they themselves possessed their own Zanpakutō. In Riley's mind, that hinted towards this power being something related to cross dimensional connections. She still wasn't entirely sure just yet, she had completed three of these journeys and she had six more to go. More was coming to life with each trip she went on. She was hopeful that the next trip unveiled a greater clue that would help her to finding out her Ralael's true name, so that she would be able to achieve Bankai.

Deciding to give it some more time before she tried to piece together the sword's name, she allowed herself to awaken and exit her mindscape.

-Riley's Home, London, Albion-

Riley awoke with a sigh, and sat up in bed. Her movement awoke Yugito, who's eyes fluttered open. In an instant, Yugito's eyes adjusted to the dark, her demonic nature allowing her to recover from slumber in a moments notice.

She spotted Riley sitting up in bed, staring off into the middle-distance. It took her a moment, but she noticed something was off.

"Riley? Are you alright?" Yugito whispered over their mental bond, drawing Riley's gaze to her.

Riley offered her a gentle smile when she spotted Yugito's mismatched Rinnegan eyes staring back at her. One green, and one yellow.

It was an odd thing how Yugito, Gaia, and Kaede, all have different colored Rinnegan. At first Riley wondered if they may have unique powers because of it, but eventually she came to understand that the reason why the Rinnegan changed color was due to an incredible power that was foreign to the nature of the Rinnegan, being passed through it. For example, when Riley was furious, her eyes turned red. This was because she was a Tailed Beast, more specifically, she was based off of the Nine Tails, which had red eyes, so when she embraced her truer demonic nature, her eyes became red and slitted, but when she calmed down, they returned to the purple color that they were when she first developed them. The reason Yugito's were yellow and green was based off of the Two-Tails, which had one yellow, and one green eye. Same with Gaia, who's Rinnegan was yellow, though her pupils were diamond shaped. Kaede's were blood red like Riley's were when enraged, due to her demonic nature, but they weren't slitted.

Artoria's eyes had a fiery orange hue to them in her true dragon form, though otherwise they remained purple.

It took several long moments for Riley to finally answer, letting out a sigh, and then a tired chuckle.

"I had a long day, my love." Riley offered to Yugito.

"Wanna talk about it?" Yugito inquired.

"Maybe later, for now I just want to relax." Riley responded, as she laid back down, and allowed herself to get comfortable once more.

Yugito settled at her words and returned to slumber, knowing that Riley would talk about it, when she was ready.

For the remainder of the morning, Riley sat with her eyes shut, but did not return to sleep. Even as her mates awoke and went about their morning routine, Riley remained in bed. Only when most had departed, save for Kaede, and Yugito, did Riley choose to get up.

She was siting in the bath with Yugito and Kaede when Yugito finally broached the subject again, inquiring about what was bothering Riley, and why she seemed so distant all of a sudden.

"Sorry if it seems like I'm a bit off today. Last night Ralael came to me again, and brought me to another what-if, and I earned a new form for my sword. This what-if wasn't overly pleasant and it left me a bit emotionally drained." Riley explained to Yugito, earning a nod from her, accepting Riley's response.

She had learned about the nature of Riley's sword, shortly before becoming her mate, though the unique abilities of the sword still eluded her, she understood that it had the power to take Riley places and show her possibilities regarding herself.

"What did this one show you?" Kaede asked.

"What I'd be like if everything about my childhood was worse. That version of me lived a worse life, and she ended up broken, and distant. She hated everyone and everything around her. She had no friends, no real family. She was utterly alone." Riley answered.

"But you're not. You have a lot of people who love you. So why does it bother you so much?" Kaede asked curiously.

"That's not what really bothers me. I mean it's thought-provoking, and it's definitely something I hope never happens to me, but it isn't what's got me in a bad mood. No, what's bothering me is what I had to see in regards to some of you, my mates, my friends. That version of me hurt and killed a lot of them. I know they weren't my friends, or mates, or family, but it still hurts to see it. I don't like knowing what that looks like. And I had to hurt Fleur, while I was there. She was that Riley's lover, though that version of me didn't love her back. When I dealt the killing blow on my alternate self, I had to listen to Fleur's screams of anguish. I don't like knowing what that sounds like. I can still see Fleur screaming over the body of her fallen lover, and it tears at my heart, even if she isn't my Fleur. I know what that stuff looks like now, and it bothers me." Riley offered to them.

"Wow… I'm sorry Riley. That sounds awful." Yugito offered sympathetically.

Kaede gave Riley a look before moving over to her side and leaning against her. Riley accepted the gesture with a smile, and placed a kiss on her devilish lover's forehead.

Yugito offered the two a smile and returned to bathing, allowing Riley the time to relax and unwind from what was obviously a difficult experience.

Riley stayed home the rest of the day, spending most of her time with her daughter Lucille, though she did make the rounds to speak with all of her children that lived with Riley.

She and Lucille sat with Elizabeth, and they talked about some of the places that Riley had been too. Than Riley went and spent time with Elsa and Anna, talking about what the two had been getting up to lately, and how they were enjoying themselves. Riley then went and spent some time with Paxton and Darren, she taught the two boys a few new tricks with martial arts, and helped them practice for a while. After she was finished training with them, she went and spoke with Azula, and allowed Lucille and Shakik to spend some time together. Azula was still aloof with Riley though she did open up a bit more, and the two got to enjoy watching their children squawk and babble at each other, neither yet being old enough to really be able to play with one another. Lastly, Riley took some time to meditate and sit with Alma in her mindscape. While Riley sat meditating, Alma quietly brushed Riley's hair. Even within Riley's mind, Alma often took the form of her childish self, as that more closely represented how she felt. Occasionally Riley would offer her some sort of gift, even if it was mostly just a token gesture, Riley would have flowers grow near her and she would take one and place it in Alma's hair and compliment her. This always served to make Alma feel flustered, as she didn't know how to react to compliments, so she'd often get very shy. Much like her son Darren, Alma almost never said a word, and instead conversed with Riley with her feelings and actions. It may take a long time before Alma was ready to finally leave Riley's body and regain a physical form but Riley was patient, and more than happy to allow her daughter to use her body as a safe space, for as long as she needed.

The day ended as swiftly as it began, with Riley spending it's entirety unwinding from the mentally exhausting events she'd endured. Now that she had though, she was ready to awaken refreshed, so she could begin tackling more of the issues facing the world at large.

-October 19th 2000-

The world continued on it's path. All over, conflict raged. Wars were fought over land and resources. Massive armies fought tirelessly over what they viewed as vital. Because of the conflicts, refugee crises became common place. Millions were displaced by the conflicts, and that number was adding to the massive collection of people already left homeless due to the devastation caused by Second Impact.

People were beginning to starve, and that made them desperate. Even in countries that weren't at war, they were feeling the sting of loss, as they faced massive shortages of vital resources.

In Africa and the Middle East, the presence of B.O.W's was becoming more and more common. While not massive zombie outbreaks, attack type Bioweapons were being deployed in various conflicts across the world.

With the Umbrella Trials still stalled out in the United States, it was obvious that those within the company were trying to find a way to escape the threat of incarceration by any means necessary, even if that meant selling stolen Bio-weapons to various militant groups across the planet.

-October 25th 2000-

An official statement was given by the Vatican, the Pope releasing an address that claimed that it was the fault of magic that had brought the world to ruin. He rightly pointed out that Albion had escaped the devastation completely unscathed, and now they hoarded their safety and security on their elevated kingdom.

This statement came as a response to rumors spreading that magicals were being forced into service for various governments, militaries, and political groups. This included rebels, and terrorists, who began deploying magicals as weapons to assist them in their wars.

A particularly gruesome event in Saudi Arabia that involved hundreds of Inferi slaughtering their way through the streets, drew world-wide attention. A group of refugees, led by a collection of dark witches and wizards, used the living corpses to take ownership of an entire town by killing all of the prior residents.

This resulted in a major battle that lasted for three days and nights before the military bombed the town to dust, and killed all of the remaining inhabitants.

The Vatican's stance against magic wasn't surprising, though the fact that Riley had saved the Mediterranean from immediate devastation and provided many of those living on the coast, time to evacuate seemingly went unrecognized.

The wall of earth stretching across the straight of Gibraltar still remained there, and had kept the tsunamis from spilling rapidly into the Mediterranean. The ocean still came in through the Suez Canal, but that was at a much slower rate, allowing people plenty of time to escape, and avoid the devastation of an actual tsunami, there only major worry was flooding now.

Rome had survived immediate destruction thanks to Riley's efforts, even if the Vatican now faced the issue of flooding, and they were forced to evacuate inland or find some way to deal with the rising ocean levels.

Still, people were more concerned about her not doing more. She had raised all of the British Isles, surely she could have done more for other people. That's where a lot of people's head were at, when it came to Riley. At least for outsiders, the Albions themselves absolutely adored her. She had saved the entire country, and was often seen doing what she could to help her people.

Whether it was by working with Hashirama to infuse the land with Wood Style Chakra, allowing plants to grow at a more rapid rate, to helping build new ports, and harbors and returning beached ships to the sea, Riley often busied herself by being helpful, usually with tasks that Artoria was working on.

Naturally, the declaration from the Vatican earned outcry from the Albions. When questioned about what, if anything could be done to help the rest of the world, the answer given by the magicals of Albion was that the world had it's chance to form ties, and build bridges with it's magical populace. It had squandered that opportunity and now had to face the consequences. Albion had to look out for itself first and foremost, everyone else would have to make due on their own.

-October 30th 2000-

Another statement, this time made by the Italian government, decrying the Albion's reluctance to help as people were suffering. The statement served to rile up local populations around Europe. An image was being painted of Albion prosperity. While no one outside of Albion actually knew what was happening within the county, they speculated about how well they must be doing. Best case scenario were people painting images of a return to normality, a country where life went on and people could live their lives in peace. Worst case was people portraying the Albions as living in an idyllic paradise.

Either way you look at it, people were starting to resent the Albions for their survival, and escape from hardship, and the fact that they weren't offering their help to anyone and everyone, rubbed people the wrong way. When so much of the world was in need, people found it selfish that they weren't being helped, when they knew the Albions had so much to give.

-October 31st 2000-

"The world stands on the brink. Wars rage across the planet, and all you can do is look up and beg for help. Do not allow despair to bring you to your knees. Rise up, children of the world. Rise up and reclaim your strength! The Goddess protects those who protect themselves. Look not in envy to others success. Look to yourself, and find your strength. Followers of the Path, our ascension has begun. Rise up, and prepare yourselves. Our time has come."

A statement that blanketed the world.

Words spoken by the enigmatic Kane in a broadcast to every news agency in the world. His words and appearance brought rampant speculation to the forefront of discussion. Especially as people recognized him from the attack on Fairport nearly two years ago.

Riley herself had seen the very first showing of this proclamation and it renewed her desire to locate the mysterious figure and find some answers. She was half tempted to approach Keel Lorenz and ask him about Kane, but she held off for now, and instead watched SEELE from a distance to see how they reacted.

-November 4th 2000-

"Do not allow the weak to dictate the strong. Do not stand idly by while your loved ones are ravaged by the horrors of this new world. Rise up, Children of the World, rise up and take back what belongs to you. Those who would call themselves your masters would turn your anger towards their enemies, all the while they hoard all that remains for themselves. Do not allow them to obfuscate the truth with their lies and their distractions. While you suffer, they feast lavishly in their homes. While you freeze in the cold, they sit in comfort, warmed by the fires of your ruin. They would seek to turn you against the Goddess, but you all see the truth, as I do. Her power is absolute, and only through submission and allegiance can we hope you earn her favor. Rise up, my friends, rise up and take back what is yours! See an end to these oligarchies that have led you to ruin and turned you against one another. Join together, and take back the power to control your own destiny. Join us, and together, we will stand before the glory of the Goddess, and know salvation, and unity!"

Another declaration, made by Kane, earning further speculation from people. Riley didn't know what his game plan was, but she was determined to find out.

-November 8th 2000-

Spray painted across back alley walls in Italy were declarations of resistance from Kane's followers.

Words like, 'Our unity is at hand,' 'Salvation through submission,' and 'Their god has left them.'

It was obvious to many that the movement, Kane had started, was gaining traction.

-November 10th 2000, London Albion-

Riley stood with Artoria and her advisers as they watched a news report detailing incidents surrounding the emergence of a new group. One that seemed to hold powerful ties to Kane, and were followers of the Path of Unification.

Most people still didn't know much about this group, or their beliefs, and no one had managed to get an interview with any of the members as of yet, to learn their motives, beliefs, or ideals. All that people knew was that they worshiped a Goddess, and preached about unity and submission to a higher power.

Already though, people had made the connection between Kane's current sightings, and his appearance at Fairport.

This had some people asking if the so-called Goddess that they worshiped was the same entity that destroyed the Auburn Industrial District in Fairport over two years ago.

With people making those connections, Riley knew that it was only a matter of time before someone revealed that she was the Goddess that the followers worshiped, and when that happened, everyone would know that she attacked Fairport.

While Riley wasn't exactly worried about her attack being made public, she was concerned for how it would affect Albion. Fairport was on the Eastern Seaboard of the United States, and had been destroyed in the flooding. Not to mention, Riley was already ready with a response if the news got out.

Though, that still wouldn't absolve her of the crime, nor would it diminish people's fury. Riley's response may earn her understanding and acceptance from her allies, and her people, but the rest of the world would refuse it.

"If news gets out that Riley was the one who attacked Fairport, than it could lead to war." Tobirama stated, addressing the crux of their worry.

"It wont come to that. If the Americans wish to escalate things to military conflict, I'll deal with them myself." Riley responded.

"Riley, you cannot handle this alone. Striking out on your own is what put us in this awkward situation." Artoria stated.

"Maybe. But I wont allow my friends or family to suffer for my actions. If they want war, then I will give it to them. I'll hit them so hard, they'll never think of raising arms against us, ever again." Riley responded.

"There is little that can be done to justify your actions to them. You went on a rampage because of what Armacham did to your daughter and grandchildren. That is the price of dealing with a Jinchuriki. Their rage is to be feared, and one should always take their reaction into account when moving against them." Tobirama noted.

"It wasn't just Armacham, uncle. Don't forget that the whole of Project Origin was funded by the United States Army. As far as I'm concerned, the US government paid for my daughter's and grandchildren's pain and suffering. If the information comes to light about my involvement in the attack on Fairport, than I'll reveal everything I know about Armacham's dirty business and their ties to the US Army." Riley stated, earning a quiet nod from Tobirama and Hashirama, while Madara leaned back in his seat, and turned pensive.

"Unfortunately I don't think there's much I could do in regards to stopping this information from getting out. Making it a magical secret is a possibility, but given everything that's tied to what happened there, making everyone forget about my involvement may cause even greater harm. So I guess when it does get out, I'll just deal with it myself. No need for anyone else to have to answer for my actions." Riley added after a few moments.

"There isn't much we can do, other than wait for the reveal and the inevitable fallout." Artoria decided.

"I'll handle it." Riley told her.

"No. We shall handle it." Artoria responded.

"Artoria…" Riley began, but Artoria cut her off. "You were right, when you said that some of the fault lies with the US government as well. All throughout history, the servants have suffered for the actions of their masters. As it was in my time, as it is now. Did the people of Fairport deserve your wrath? No. But they suffered it, none the less. When you choose to follow someone, you accept the repercussions. If the person you follow, makes a mistake, you will pay for it, even if it was no fault of your own. Their army contracted Armacham to conduct their experiments, which led to Alma's suffering, and the birth of her two children. It lead to Riley's onslaught. Actions have consequences. Just as we now feel the consequences of Riley's actions, so too did Fairport for the actions of the Armacham corporation and the US army. It's the same as with the people of Raccoon City. The US tried to hide it's involvement and to do so, they murdered all who were trying to survive the outbreak. As far as I'm concerned, they have no ground to claim moral superiority. What Riley did was terrible, but what Armacham did was equally as terrible. Innocent people suffered, and died. Unfortunately, that is the world we live in. Some will understand, some will not."

"The US government will not. They'll try to put up a fight, even if it's only on the political field." Hashirama noted.

"Then so be it. This is a cycle of violence that has been going on for as long as I can remember. I doubt I will live to see the end of it. My duty is to my people, to all those who chose me as their queen. That includes Riley, and her family. I wish that it had not happened, and I would have tried to stop you, had I been in a position to do so, but I was not. I wasn't in a position to try and mitigate the damage, nor was I queen at the time. What Riley did was reprehensible, and what Armacham did, equally so. Innocent people die all the time in conflict, due to no fault of their own. I cannot bring them back, nor can I undo the pain of their loss. I also cannot undo Alma's suffering, or that of her children. In the end, an evil was done to her, and in response, Riley delivered an evil unto them. That is the threat of a demon, and it is my duty to mitigate that threat as much as possible. So we will handle this, together. Within a few week's time, you will be my wife, and princess of Albion. Nothing will erase the blood on your hands, but I will not have more needlessly spilled. So we work together to handle this. Understood?" Artoria declared, her eyes locked with Riley's.

"Alright. If you think you've got a better way of handling this, than we'll do it your way, but if they choose violence, I wont hesitate to put them down. You may wish that it didn't happen, but it did. It did because they just so happened to have tortured the wrong people. They hurt my daughter, and I punished them for it. If they seek to hurt my family, then I'll punish them again." Riley warned, matching Artoria's gaze.

"I'd expect nothing less. Try not to go on another rampage until after news of this one leaks." Artoria said to her, earning a smirk from Riley.

"No promises love. I can be quite temperamental. But for you, I'll try my best." Riley offered in response.

"Good. Then let's focus on how we can deal with this, when the connection is made, because it's only a matter of time before Kane's followers start pointing towards Riley as their Goddess. So we must be ready to respond when the time is right. While Riley's actions in regards to Fairport will draw anger from the Americans, the things she's done to help the world cannot be ignored. Having saved it from the Ten-Tails, she then saved Albion from ruin during Second Impact. A good act does not wipe away a bad, nor does a bad diminish a good. What the rest of the world thinks is secondary to how our own people will react. So how do we address this, when the time comes?" Artoria stated.

"I think Riley was on the right track with revealing the truth. Though a mother's fury can arguably be used to justify what happened, that would mean revealing information on Riley's offspring, which I don't believe is the right course of action. We could perhaps say that Riley learned that someone close to her, that she knew from a long time ago had been captured by Armacham and had undergone those horrific experiments. Only Armacham would know the truth, but they'd have no way of knowing Riley's true connection to Alma. By claiming that Alma was one of Riley's close friends in childhood, it could allow us to paint a picture of what happened that benefits us." Madara offered as a possibility.

"True. It we paint Riley's actions as a violent retaliatory strike against Armacham, to play devil's advocate, Riley's attack wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been. Her attack was primarily centered around the industrial district and it was after work hours for most people. Over twenty-thousand died in her rampage, but almost all of them were those who were simply unlucky to have found themselves close to her. The tornado she summoned moved slowly through the city, allowing people the chance to flee. All things considered, it could have been a lot worse." Tobirama made note, Madara nodding in agreement, as did Hashirama.

"When the news gets out, we'll tell our people a version of the truth. They needn't know the exact relationship between Riley and Alma, only that someone Riley cared for, was held hostage by Armacham for years. She was tortured, experimented on, impregnated against her will, twice, and then the same thing began happening to her children. I wont absolve her of it, but knowing that lengths Riley will go to, in order to protect those she cares for, I think it'll win her some favor from our people, especially if we don't hold back on revealing what Armacham did to Alma, Paxton, and Darren." Hashirama added, Artoria offering a slow nod of agreement as she considered their suggestion.

"We could also use the angle of the Ten-Tails as well. As a being of raw emotion, and power, it is difficult to control. As far as anyone knows, at the time Riley had the beast under her control for only about two years. They can only guess at how long she spent in her pocket dimension, so we could just as easily lie and say that she was still learning to rein in the demon's power. At the moment, the whole of the magical community believes that Riley is the host to the Ten-Tails. They don't know what she is, or that she fully absorbed the beast." Tobirama suggested as well.

"True. That could work to our advantage, and help to deter a possible attack." Hashirama stated.

As they continued to discuss how to handle this developing problem, Riley stood in silence, her eyes shut, arms crossed. A part of her was annoyed that Artoria put her foot down, and chose to take charge of this situation, though Riley understood why she needed to. Artoria was responsible for the actions of her people, and that included Riley. She may not have been queen at the time, but she was now. So while Riley was annoyed, she chose not to press the issue and instead let them come with ideas to fix things. If Riley had a contribution, she would speak up, but otherwise, she'd just remain silent.

"Guess it's time to become responsible adults, huh?" Kurama noted with a chuckle.

"I guess fucking so." Riley thought back, as she allowed her mind to begin wandering. She got the gist of how they intended to handle this issue, so she'd focus her attention on the issue of Kane, and the growing movement of her followers.

"It's only a matter of time before they become violent." Kurama pointed out.

"I know. They'll begin to clash with other groups, especially as this movement gains more momentum, and every time I do something, I'm just adding fuel to their flame." Riley thought to herself.

"Sooner or later, Kane is going to reveal his location, and we can finally get a few words in with your so-called prophet." Kurama said to her.

"Yeah. I'm looking forward to that day. I have so many questions." She agreed.

"Are you listening anymore?" Riley heard Artoria's voice, question in her mind.

Riley opened her eyes to find, Artoria giving her this annoyed look, which nearly made Riley crack a smile.

"Of course, but you all seem to have this well in hand. I'm just thinking about Kane, and when I'm finally going to find him and speak with him." Riley responded over their telepathic link.

"You think he'll reveal himself soon?" Artoria inquired.

"God's I hope so. This man has been an enigma in my life for what feels like forever, and I'd like to know what his deal is, so I can scratch that mystery off my list. Knowing his intentions and goals wouldn't hurt either." Riley answered.

"Yes, that would be quite helpful. For now though, we'll just have to wait, and hope for the best." Artoria stated, earning a nod of agreement from Riley.

Eventually a course of action was decided, that the Queen was happy with. They would wait for now and keep silent, and when the time came and someone revealed that Riley was the Goddess that Kane's followers worshiped, they'd be ready to respond and answer any and all questions.

Thankfully they had seen this coming and were preparing for it. Things could have been far worse, had they been caught flat-footed in regards to this reveal.

-November 18th 2000-

Battles continued to rage across the planet, and tensions were growing among the faithful, especially in Italy, near to the center of the Vatican's power. Kane's followers were appearing more and more, with bolder statements.

Anger was building towards magicals as the Vatican continued to voice anger towards them for what Toneri had done. Despite basically being an alien, people were unable to see the difference between him and the magicals on Earth, so his crimes were now being placed on the heads of innocent people.

For many, it was argued that magic had caused the destruction of Second Impact, and even for those who didn't outright blame the magicals for what happened, a lot of people did agree that since it had been done with magic, than magic was a source of greater evil.

This rapidly growing resentment did not bode well for magical populations across the planet that were being pressed into service for their countries. As far as the Albions were concerned, this situation had turned into a powder keg, and it was set to erupt.

-November 21st 2000-

Hinata was pregnant. Naruko's and Hinata's friends and family celebrated the event, as well as the upcoming wedding between the two. They'd marry in the early winter of the following year, so that was something for people to discuss when they weren't discussing the royal wedding.

Riley most certainly looked forward to another niece or nephew to dote on. Naruko may annoy her at times, but she was currently one for one on kids that Riley absolutely adored.

Of course, hearing about Hinata's pregnancy made Riley start considering her next child, and who she would have it with. She'd soon be up to five wives, six not long afterwards when she married Luna early next year. It was getting to be that time again, and Riley found herself thinking about it more and more.

-December 1st 2000. London, Albion-

Artoria sat in her office late at night. It was almost time for her to retire. Most of her advisers had gone home for the night, the only one still around was Merlin, though he'd been in and out all day, something about brewing a potion that was meant as a gift for her. Her wedding was in two days, so she was trying to finish as much work as possible before then.

After what must have been an hour of his absence, Merlin returned, carrying with him a bottled potion.

"Where have you been you troublesome mage?" Artoria inquired, offering him a quick glance before her eyes returned to her work.

"Preparing a gift for you, my queen. For your wedding. Though I guess it could arguably be a gift for your wife, depending on how this turns out." Merlin replied with a beaming smile.

Artoria raised her eyes to him once more, raising an eyebrow as she did.

"You prepared me a wedding gift? What is it?" Artoria inquired, suspecting some form of shenanigans from the magus.

"Well, I got to thinking, with your wedding, you'll be securing your position as Queen of Albion, linking Albion to Sunagakure, and eventually Kumogakure, while also bringing in many of Lady Riley's close allies. And while that is all an excellent step forward, the best way to secure your hold over Albion, is with an heir." Merlin explained to her, earning a sigh from Artoria.

"This feels almost like a conversation we've had before. I'm well aware that my kingdom needs an heir, and that's most definitely something I intend to pursue once the time is right." Artoria responded.

"Yes, and while I'm happy to hear that you've given it thought, this time around, things are a bit different. Before it was Guinevere who would have to give you an heir, this time around, you'll be the one carry them." Merlin pointed out.

Artoria stared at him for a moment, blinking as she did. "What do you mean? The same logic still applies, Riley can still give me an heir the same way."

"No, not in the same way, my Queen. She is a full blooded demon. If you get her pregnant, her child will be born of your magic, but not your blood. That child wont be a pure heir. Only a child that you carry, will actually have the Pendragon blood in their veins. As well as the magic. You are also a dragon now, which is something to consider moving forward." Merlin made note, causing Artoria to blink again, and then let out a sigh.

She could remember having this conversation with Riley, and Merlin was absolutely right. In order for her to produce a true heir to her bloodline, she had to carry the child, Riley had to get her pregnant, otherwise the child would only have her magic, and not her blood.

"That was something I hadn't taken into account." Artoria admitted.

"Yes well, I took notice of it, and came to an interesting realization. Pregnancy will be much harder on you, due to the age of your body." Merlin noted, again causing Artoria to blink.

"The days where you have to hide your gender have passed. When you had to hide as a man, the immortality provided by Caliburn, and then by Excalibur greatly benefited you in that regard. Now however, such things are unneeded, and your youthful body is actually detrimental towards your goals of producing an heir. Pregnancy will be much harder on you, because you're still trapped in your teenage body. The effects of your immortality are so potent, that not even your ascension brought you up to your true age. So I worked on creating an aging potion." Merlin continued, setting the potion down on the desk in front of Artoria.

"An aging potion…. What are you planning, Merlin?" Artoria questioned, with a critical gaze.

"Have no fear, my Queen, my intentions are genuine. I swear to you that I have done nothing to alter, or manipulate the effects of this potion. All it will do is age you up about ten years. I've done nothing else to it. That's why I said earlier it could also be a gift to your dearest Riley, depending on how everything works out." Merlin offered to her, holding up his hands to show he meant no harm.

Artoria continued to stare at him for several long moments, suspicion dancing in her eyes before they lowered to the potion. She reached out and took it in her hands, eyeing it curiously as she thought on what to do.

"So all I have to do is drink this, and it'll will age up my body about ten years?" Artoria questioned.

"Yes, the effects of the potion are designed to put you to sleep so you don't feel your body rapidly growing. I'd recommend taking it before bed, and by morning time, the potion should have done it's job. Your body will reflect what you would have looked like, had you aged normally, but it wont continue past around ten years of growth. You'll have reached your full height, and your body will be at the prime breeding age for a woman. Which will also ensure the health of your heir, when you and your wife start trying for a child." Merlin explained to her.

Artoria sat in thought for several long moments. Artoria had never really cared much for her appearance. Her stunted growth had indeed benefited her in the past, allowing her to pass off her appearance as a youthful male trapped in a teenage body. Nowadays that wasn't necessary. It's not like Artoria wanted to change her appearance, in truth she'd never given it any thought.

The idea of childbearing had passed her mind a few times, though she'd always just considered Riley for the role, or that she'd just deal with it, when it happened, though Merlin did bring up a few good points. There was one thing though that was a concern with this idea, beyond of course that it was Merlin making the offer, and he was known for his mischievous nature. The issue was that she wasn't human anymore, but was in-fact, a High Dragon. So she needed to know if this potion would even do anything, now that she wasn't human.

"I hope you took into account that I've become a dragon now." Artoria noted.

"Of course I did, your grace. Everything has been taken into account. The potion will work, I know it. The end results though, are still up in the air." He responded with a smile.

Artoria gave him another look, still searching for a hint of treachery. She could clearly remember when Merlin had turned her into a pseudo-male so that she could impregnate Guinevere. The end result of that, being that she was forced to struck around with a twelve inch cock, for three days. She could still hear the Magus laughing in her mind, saying that he thought anything less wouldn't be 'kingly'. In response she had her knights toss Merlin out of Camelot and she kept him out for two weeks.

"Tell me the truth, Merlin. It's a great crime to lie to your Queen, what have you done to this? What form of shenanigans are you attempting?" Artoria questioned him.

"I would never lie to you, your majesty. The only modifications I made to the potion were to allow it to work with your new body. Nothing else, I swear it. I have no idea what you'll look like after you drink it. I only know that you'll have the body you would have had, had you aged naturally. Now whether that's a good or bad thing, we'll just have to see." Merlin responded to her, chuckling at his own joke at the end.

"Alright, I will discuss this with Riley, and baring any for of deception on your part, I thank you for your foresight. When the time comes to produce an heir, I need to be in the best health I possibly can be, and ensure that my child has the best circumstances to grow in." Artoria offered as she rose to her feet, earning a smile from Merlin.

"I hope everything turns out marvelously, my queen. Your wedding is fast approaching, and it does my heart good to see you so excited for it. Love is a magical emotion, and can lead to such spectacular events. I hope your wedding is everything you wish it to be." Merlin said to her, earning a small smile from Artoria.

"Thank you, old friend. Truly. Despite the headaches you've caused me over the years, I don't know where I'd be, without you." Artoria offered to him.

"It's my pleasure, my queen. Go now, I think the day's work is done." Merlin suggested.

"Yes. I agree." Artoria replied.

From there, Artoria went home and spent the night in quiet slumber. She'd talk to Riley about the potion when they went on their honeymoon. Riley was going to take her into Kamui, and they'd spend a few weeks there, while only a few hours passed in the world.

-London, Albion. December 3rd 2000-

It was quite the media spectacle. The royal wedding taking place between the Queen, and the woman who'd saved the entire country. The populace ate it up. Artoria had forgone a bachelorette party, and had spent the previous day just working. Even though she wasn't taking more than a day or two off work, she was a workaholic by nature, and tried to get as much done as physically possible.

Now she stood in her wedding dress, allowing the finishing touches to be put on her outfit. She was dressed in Queenly regalia that had been customized as a royal wedding gown. It was most certainly a ceremonious garment, and quite pompous if Artoria was being honest, but she allowed it, as the whole point of their wedding being so public was as a showing of their unity, and the great power it would fully tie to Albion.

With her marriage to Riley, things would begin to change. No longer would Riley just be an independent factor that did what she wanted. She protected Albion because it was her home. She wanted it to prosper, because it was her home. Now though, she'd be princess of Albion. That would make Riley a representational force for the country. She would be watched, more than she ever was before, and that would no doubt be very good, and very bad, for them.

Still, Artoria was committed to it, and accepted the good with the bad.

"You ready?" Came the question from Daphne.

"Yes." Artoria responded.

"You look great." Daphne offered to her.

"Thank you. Is she peaking?" Artoria inquired, glancing over at Daphne.

"Nope. She's not watching through my eyes. She wants it to be a surprise." Daphne replied.

"Good. Than let us get started." Artoria said, earning a nod from Daphne, and soon after a goblin arrived to tell her that everything was ready.

Artoria's and Riley's wedding would be very much like Riley's and Daphne's. A goblin would officiate the wedding, and marry them in the old ways, allowing the two to be married by magic, and allowing for a quick ceremony. Despite the fanfare, Artoria wasn't interested in standing in this outfit all day.

Despite appearing calm, and stoic, Artoria didn't or couldn't hide her smile when she met with Riley and the two stood before the goblin.

As the two stood there, joined hand in hand as the goblin spoke, they shared a mental conversation, all the while, friends, family, well wishers and the media watched on.

"You look incredible, my love. So very dashing and regal." Riley offered.

"Why thank you. You look beautiful Riley. Truly." Artoria offered in response.

The two continued to offer on another compliments, before hearing the goblin ask for their vows, and their exchanging of rings.

As Artoria placed the ring on Riley's finger, she spoke her vows. "Riley, from the day we met, I had high hopes for you. For so long now, I've fought by your side, like we've been together for a lifetime. I've always had confidence in myself, I've always believed that I could accomplish my goals, but until I met you, I never considered how far in life I could go. You inspire me, Riley, to be better, to be more than what I was. You make me feel like there's no limit to how far I can go. With you, I feel like I can always be more, and I wanted to thank you for that. I love you, and I look forward to all that we'll build, in the coming days. I believe that together, there's nothing you and I cannot do."

"I love you, Artoria Pendragon. I love everything about you. Your strength of heart, your courage, your indomitable will. I think you're incredible, and I always have. I love you with all my heart and soul. You make me feel more alive, more connected to the world, and I cannot thank you enough for that. I hope our life is filled with joy, and love. I know I'll never stop fighting to be better, and I'll never stop encouraging you to be better. Let's walk forward into the future, together." Riley responded, as she placed Artoria's ring on her finger. A ring that matched the one's she'd given to her other three wives, though the center stone was a pale green emerald, matching Artoria's eye color before she gained the Rinnegan.

The two pressed their foreheads together, as the crowd clapped at their proclamations.

The goblin than continued the ceremony before calling on magic to unite the two in holy matrimony.

Then, much like before their aura's erupted outward and joined together. Both appearing to almost vanish in a burst of raw power that earned gasps from the crowd. Artoria in a deep red torrent of magic, and Riley's a blackish red miasma.

The two melded together and settled, joined the two in marriage.

Than like before, they were instructed to form the bond with a kiss, and seal it with an act of true love.

Cheers came up from the crowd of onlookers as the two kissed, and afterwards, the two enjoyed the after party, and spoke with all of their guests which included those like the Raikage and Mizukage who'd been invited to attend, as well as so many others.

Riley made the rounds to her friends and family, posing for several photos as she did. As they spoke with their guests, Riley got to endure a new form of hell, as many of her friends and family took great pleasure in addressing their new princess by her royal title. Riley had been called many things in her life, some good, some bad, but never before had anyone, called her princess. But now she was one, by virtue and edict of the Queen. She was now the Princess of Ablion, by virtue of her marriage. An honorable royal title, but the idea of Riley being called a princess, amused the hell out of her friends and family, since Riley only ever appeared regal, when she was trying to be. Still though, Hashirama did make note that Riley may end up as one of the most famous warrior princesses the world had ever seen, and that was something that Riley could get behind.

It was also noted that Riley had gotten a new last name, to add to her laundry list of them. She was a Pendragon now, by marriage. After a bit of spit-balling Riley settled on a way to address her names that rolled off the tongue a bit better. Riley Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Slytherin, Uzumaki, Uchiwa, Senju, Pendragon, Black. It wasn't the first time in her life that it dawned on her that she had a last name for each of her mates. One given to her, and seven to give out. Of the seven she had to give, she had already given four, and she knew where the last three were going.

Daphne got the Slytherin name, Fleur, the Uchiwa name, Kaede got the Uzumaki name, Gaia got the Black name, Katie would get the Gryffindor name, Luna would get the Ravenclaw name, and finally Yugito would get the Senju name. All so well thought out, and it just fit so perfectly. While finding the convenience so very odd, Riley did enjoy when things worked out like this.

Later that night, Riley and Artoria finally departed to spend some time in Kamui and enjoy their honeymoon.

-Kamui-

The two were laying in bed, relaxing from the day's events, when Riley started to get a little handsy.

Artoria let out a chuckle, as Riley began kissing at her neck, and finally decided to broach the topic of Merlin's gift to Riley.

"Riley… before we get started on consummating our marriage, there's something I wanted to bring up." Artoria stated, drawing Riley's gaze to her.

"What is it?" Riley inquired.

"Merlin brought something to my attention a few days ago. He made note of my need to produce an heir to secure my kingdom, and how that heir would have to be born to me, in order for it to carry my blood, you being a demon and all…" Artoria began.

"Yeah… I mean, I get that. You saying you want to start trying right now?" Riley asked as a playful smirk began touching at her lips.

"No, I mean… not yet. I… well… I agree that I need an heir, and probably sometime soon, it would be best to produce one, but the important thing he noted was in regards to my body." Artoria explained.

"What about your body?" Riley questioned, giving her a curious look.

"Well, it's not exactly best suited for carrying a child." Artoria offered.

"Artoria, it's fine. You're small, but so what? Women smaller than you, have had kids just fine, and I can keep an eye on things, make sure everything is alright." Riley said to her.

"I appreciate that, and I'm sure you could make sure that everything went well, but the issue isn't that I'm small, the issue is that this body, my body, is still that of a teenager. Remember, I stopped physically aging when I drew Caliburn from the stone. I'm still physically the same as I was then, which was a long time ago. In the past, my body size worked well with my need to hide my gender, but now, it doesn't matter. Truth be told, I'm a woman in a teenage body, and Merlin realized that my smaller body, may be a detriment to my ability to produce an heir, even if it's only a minor detriment, my size will make it more difficult for me to birth a child, or produce more than one heir. So he offered me a special aging potion that he made himself. It'll allow me to grow an additional ten years, over night. All I have to do is take the potion, and I'll end up in a body more suited to my actual age. While I agree with both of your points, I also realize that I don't need to remain in this body, but I… know you like my appearance, and Merlin made a point to express that he had no idea what I'd look like after ten years of growth. I could end up far worse off, which is why I wanted to talk to you about it. I care more about how I look to you, than I do myself, so I wanted your opinion on it, what you think." Artoria explained to situation to Riley, earning a nod of understanding as Riley sat up and thought on the situation.

"And Merlin took into account your a dragon now?" Riley inquired.

"Yes. He did." Artoria nodded.

"Alright, well then, I agree with Merlin that it'll probably be easier on you, if you have a full grown body, when we have kids. Yeah we may not know what you'll look like with ten years of growth added on, but who cares? I'll love you regardless. You're my wife now. This potion may do something to your looks, but the same thing could happen if you get into a fight and get hit in the face. I'll still think you're beautiful and I'll still love you. I personally think it couldn't hurt. I mean at the very least, you might grow a few inches taller, which would make it easier to project your strength, and being a bit taller would help it battle, giving you a bit more reach, and the like. I don't mind what you look like. If you think it's a good idea, than I say go for it, and if not, then nothing will change, and that's fine too." Riley responded after a few moments to consider it.

"Alright then. I actually agree with your points, and I think it's a good idea. I'm not expecting to grow much, I mean I was fifteen when I drew the sword from the stone, so at most maybe I'll be a few inches taller, but you're right that it wouldn't hurt my image if I wasn't standing below everyone else. I think I'll do it." Artoria decided, earning a nod from Riley.

"Okay then. So… you wanna do it now, or wait?" Riley asked.

"Wait, until later on tonight… I… well I figured we could use this time to help me get used to a new body, I could train here, practice so that when I return I'm not awkwardly strutting around for a few weeks." Artoria responded, a blush touching at her cheeks.

"Makes sense." Riley nodded.

"And also… just in case, we could get one last use out of this body." Artoria added, earning a grin from Riley.

"Oh, that's true. Alright then. One last dance with my beloved wife in her younger form before we upgrade it." Riley responded, crawling forward as she did, to begin kissing on Artoria's neck once more.

"Upgrade', you have more confidence than I do." Artoria noted quietly as her hands rose up to Riley's back.

The two settled into gentle love-making for a few hours before becoming a bit more enthusiastic. Shortly before they went to bed, Artoria fished out the potion that Merlin had made for her. She gave herself one last look, using her shared link to Riley, before downing the contents of the potion and cuddling up next to Riley.

Within minutes, Artoria was clonked out.

Riley spent the night, deep in the recesses of her mind, blocking out the sounds and Artoria's transformation as well as anything she might be feeling. She wanted to be surprised when she awoke, to see what her beloved looked like in the morning.

All night she dealt with Kurama teasing her that Artoria was gonna be ugly as sin when she woke up, which Riley kept refuting but Kurama took pleasure in trying to conjure up images of Artoria that was just painful to look at. Riley took the fox's harassment on the chin, and confidently waited for when Artoria began to awaken. She was certain that her beloved wife would be gorgeous no matter what.

Eight hours later, and Artoria began to stir.

Her eyes peeled open and she groggily began to stretch. As she went to strength her arms, she smacked her hands against the headboard, and what had happened the night before immediately pierced through her groggy mind, as she immediately recognized that her arms were longer.

Artoria sat up, just as Riley's eyes shot open, and she too sat up.

Artoria turned her gaze to Riley, and found Riley's eyes as wide as saucers and her mouth hanging open.

Artoria stared back at her for several long moments, dread building in her gut. The look on Riley's face could only be described as absolutely dumbfounded astonishment.

Riley had yet to unblock their ocular connection so Artoria was left with going over to the mirror to get a look at herself. She didn't want to look down at her body, she wanted to see herself in the mirror, so she quickly pulled herself out of bed and stood up, naked as the day she was born.

When she stood she came to two sudden realizations, one she was taller, much taller, and the second, was that even staring straight ahead, with her chin parallel to the floor, she could still see her breasts and nipples, sticking out from her chest.

Her face began to turn red, as she felt Riley's gaze upon her. Slowly, she glanced over her shoulder, and found Riley still gawking at her.

"Holy shit…" Riley muttered in disbelief.

Artoria felt her body tingle, at the look slowly morphing on Riley's face. Her shock, and surprise was quickly morphing into lust. Artoria was about to turn away, when Riley suddenly undid the block on their shared eyesight, and Artoria got a sudden and clear look at her new body.

Disbelief didn't even begin to describe what she was seeing.

First off, Artoria had grown several inches, which was more than she'd expected. She was now at least six inches taller. Putting her at above average height for a woman. She was still noticeably shorter than Riley, but not so much shorter that it would we awkward for them to interact physically anymore. She was probably around five foot six inches.

Her hair was also longer. Where before it went down to the top of her back, now it stretched down to her middle back, and considering she was taller now, that meant that her hair was even longer than it appeared.

Then came the more embarrassing changes to her appearance.

Artoria was no longer the small lithe woman she had been before. From Riley's view she got a good look at her back, butt, and hips. She had an hourglass figure now, with curved hips and a firm round butt. Slowly, she turned to face Riley, and got a look at her front now. She still had a flat stomach with noticeable abs, but her body had more fat on it then before. Her breasts had grown immensely. They were much larger now than even Riley's.

Artoria's face bled red, as Riley gawked at her. This went far beyond her expectations.

"My gods… Artoria… holy hell…" Riley muttered, the metaphorical hearts in her eyes were almost physically manifested, as far as Artoria was concerned.

"Please stop staring like that, you're embarrassing me." Artoria said quietly, turning her gaze away from Riley, and attempting to shield herself with one of her arms. Furthering her embarrassment, she realized that she could no longer hide her bust with just an arm. Just one arm, left most of her breasts still exposed.

As she was realizing this, Riley crawled out of bed and approached her.

"I… don't even know what to say. You look fucking incredible." Riley said to her.

"Thank you." Artoria replied shyly, as she returned her gaze to Riley.

"So uh… I know this is gonna sound really trashy, especially because I spent all of last night telling you how beautiful I thought you were, but I really wanna have sex with you right now." Riley admitted, unable to hide her desire.

Artoria blushed at that, and smiled. It took a few moments to compose herself, and when she did, she let her arm drop, and fully displayed herself to her wife.

After a few seconds, she offered what she hoped was a seductive look, which got her an immediate reaction from Riley who closed the distance between the two of them, and locked lips with Artoria.

The queen moaned throatily into the kiss, as she felt Riley's lust pass into her body, making it vibrate with arousal.

Her breasts pressed flushly against Riley's body, and Riley's hers, as the two made out.

Artoria still couldn't believe how large they'd become. She knew, she just knew that Merlin had to have had a hand in this. When she was finished with her honeymoon, she would find that troublesome mage and skin him alive.

As they kissed, Riley's hands found their ways to Artoria's breasts, taking them and fondling them as the two continued kissing.

Slowly, Riley pulled Artoria back onto the bed. She sat down, the two remaining lip locked, as Artoria crawled onto Riley's lap.

Riley began to lay back, Artoria following along with her, until Riley was on her back, and Artoria on top of her.

Artoria paused her kissing and glanced down, taking note of her breasts once more, and how they hung from her chest.

Riley offered a giggle at the look on Artoria's face as she resumed fondling Artoria's large round breasts, paying special attention to her nipples, as Artoria began kissing at Riley's neck.

"Look, I'm gonna need you to tell me if I'm gonna end up in hot water if I start uttering a string of compliments to your new looks, cause I know how it makes me look, considering what I said yesterday, but you are really fucking sexy." Riley said to her as Artoria continued kissing at her neck.

Artoria pulled back for a moment, her gaze meeting with Riley's.

"It's alright Riley, I don't doubt that you liked the way I looked before, but I understand that 'this' is far more conventionally attractive." Artoria expressed, earning a nod from Riley.

"Yeah, I thought you were sexy before, but you are an absolute babe now. The others are gonna freak! I think I'm still freaking, I haven't wanted to fuck someone this badly since I lost my virginity." Riley admitted, earning a blink from Artoria that quickly morphed in a blush.

"You… really like my new looks that much?" Artoria asked, as she sat back, giving Riley a good look at her upper body.

"I mean, yeah. You're doing things to me right now, that I don't know what to make of. I've always felt lucky to have such beauties as my mates. I think each and every one of you is beautiful and sexy in your own ways, and I like it, but this… you have the body of an absolute goddess, Artoria." Riley answered.

Artoria continued to blush, feeling butterflies in her stomach at Riley's compliment.

"Honestly I… wow… I…" Riley continued only to trail off, as she stared at Artoria. Something was off, something that touched at Riley's senses and made her arousal climb ever higher.

"You're stammering, Riley." Artoria noted shyly, as she brushed some of her hair behind her ear.

"I… oh… shit…" Riley spoke, and then suddenly let out a curse.

Artoria felt it through their shared bond first, Riley's lust skyrocketing. She turned her gaze suddenly to Riley and felt her stomach drop as she caught sight of Riley's eyes. They were blood red, and shining with unspeakable lust.

Artoria knew that Riley was starting to have one of her episodes. For as long as she'd been Riley's mate, she hadn't endured more than a couple of Riley's episodes, and it had never happened when they were alone, Artoria always had the help of almost every single one of Riley's mates. This was also the first time since becoming her paths, that Riley had had an episode, and Artoria was feeling the effects of it through their shared bond.

She felt her body tingling, every erogenous zone on her body was vibrating with pleasure. Her hands found their way to her body as she let out a groan of pleasure. One hand slid across her breasts while the other moved between her legs, where it brushed her opening.

Artoria let out a gasp of pleasure as she felt her own wetness. Her sensitivity was through the roof, and she could tell that Riley was having an internal war with herself, fighting with every ounce of her being not to pounce of Artoria and fuck her for all she was worth.

Both women knew this situation was dangerous, but neither could turn away from it. Riley rose up onto her knees and as she did, her cock emerged, standing at attention.

Upon seeing Riley's erect member, Artoria couldn't help but imagine it piercing her folds, which led to her fingers doing just that, causing her to moan loudly. That moan, immediately triggered Riley, and Artoria quickly found herself on her back, with Riley's cock invading her nether regions.

She could only cry out in pleasure, as Riley's magics rushed into her body, causing her to feel unspeakable ecstasy.

Deep within Riley's mind, Kurama awoke and took note of the situation.

"Well that's certainly not what I expected her to look like, and it seems Riley wasn't expecting it either. She took one look at Artoria and saw such beauty, coupled with her incredible power, and now, all Riley can think about is breeding. This went away for awhile after she conceived Lucille, but it came back. Seems like this will be an ongoing issue, its no wonder why she has such a huge brood of children, her mates probably agree to get pregnant on a cycle, just so they can all enjoy almost a year without one of her episodes." Kurama thought to himself.

Nearly twenty minutes went by, as the two rolled around the bed, fucking like their lives depended on it. Both women were lost in a lustful haze, unable to think straight for their own reasons. Riley because she was having an episode, and Artoria because she was nearly constantly achieving orgasm. In truth, the space between her climaxes could be measured, often times in seconds, if that. It was more intense than anything she'd ever felt

Kurama just continued to observe, knowing that there was little he could do to help in this situation that Riley wasn't already doing. The only thing that could stop it was if Riley had suddenly hurt Artoria, but that was iffy at best. With how strongly they were bonded together, Riley should feel any sudden pain she causes to Artoria, and that should break her out of her lustful episode, but they had no way of knowing for sure, because it hadn't happened yet, so none of them knew if a sudden danger to her mates, would be enough to snap Riley out of this all consuming lust.

The only other way that Kurama could think of was if Riley allowed her magic to do as it pleased, and she impregnated Artoria.

Deciding to offer the Queen a helping hand, Kurama reached across Riley's bond with Artoria and spoke in her mind.

"Hey, it's me. I know you're kinda in the middle of something, and I think you realize you're gonna have to deal with this until Riley tires herself out which could be hours from now. You've got two options to get out of this, either hurt yourself, badly enough to cause actual damage, and that may shock Riley out of this, or let her knock you up. I don't know what it is that triggered this so suddenly, it could be your new looks, but Riley noticed something just before her desires went crazy." Kurama said over the bond.

"Give me an heir, Riley! Give me a child! I know you want it, I want it too, just do it!" Artoria's voice echoed across their bond, into Riley's mind.

"Smart choice." Kurama noted with a smirk. Artoria knew she couldn't handle one of Riley's episodes alone, and she would be hard pressed to break the demoness out of her stupor until she was done, so there was no way of getting her out of Kamui, so the only options left for Artoria were to whether the storm, or give Riley what she wanted.

And she most certainly got it. Artoria let out a scream of ecstasy, as Riley released reproductive magics into Artoria's womb.

Kurama watched with interest, as the two continued to mate. Riley began to slow down, but she didn't stop. Her lust was draining away, as her power felt a new avenue of strength begin to form within Artoria's body,

The fact that Riley continued on, despite getting what she wanted was curious for Kurama. He suspected the answer lay in Artoria not currently ovulating. So the reproductive magics were just sort of hanging around in her womb, waiting for an egg cell to come along to be fertilized.

It was interesting seeing this happen in real time, and it answered a few questions that Kurama, Riley, and all of her mates had had, in regards to her episodes. It also opened the door to a few more questions.

Artoria remained in ecstasy for several long minutes, unable to come down from her pleasure high, as Riley continued to fuck her. The onslaught of magic had diminished to more manageable levels, though Artoria had yet to notice it.

Another ten minutes or so went by before Riley stopped, and simply held Artoria in her arms. For a few moments, the two were silent, than Artoria pulled back and stared at Riley, whom stared away sheepishly.

"I'm going to murder that magus." Artoria declared.

"I am so sorry." Riley began, turning her gaze back to Artoria.

"Don't be, it's fine." Artoria said with a shake of her head.

"It's not fine. This is exactly what I didn't want to happen, and it finally did. Now you'll most likely end up pregnant, and we haven't even really talked about it, I know you mentioned it before, but I got the hint that we were gonna wait a bit longer until things calmed down." Riley continued.

"True, I would have wanted to wait, but these things happen. I could have chosen to ride out the storm, but instead I chose to save my sanity, and I made a judgment call. So it's fine." Artoria declared sternly.

"Come on, I know you weren't ready for this, and you're mad, I can tell." Riley said to her, visibly deflating at how badly she screwed up.

"I'm not mad at you, I'm mad at Merlin." Artoria stated.

"Merlin had nothing to do with this." Riley responded.

"Oh he did. That scheming bastard had something to do with this. Hormones, aphrodisiacs, something else was in that potion that triggered your reaction, plus there's my new form, there's no way I was going to look like this. He did something, and I'm going to throttle him for it." Artoria declared with a fire in her eyes, that earned a nervous chuckle from Riley.

"Artoria…" Riley began, but Artoria cut her by taking Riley's face in her hands.

"I don't know when I was going to be ready. I don't know if I could ever actually make that call. It's something I never believed was in the cards for me, for most of my life. Being a mother. I don't know if I could ever fully say that I was ready to become one. Perhaps it's for the best, that this was how it happened. I know you're feeling down, but you shouldn't. I want a child with you Riley, I need a child as well, Albion needs an heir. Love and duty, two major reasons to want a baby, all that you did was remove the choice of the time, but that's been the way of things since the dawn of human history. Countless people have had sex for the pure pleasure of it, without even the desire to eventually have a child, and they ended up with one. As far as I'm concerned, this is just nature, acting as it does. So if I end up pregnant, then it is what it is, and we'll raise our child together, and they'll be the greatest prince or princess the world has ever known." Artoria stated boldly, earning a soft smile from Riley.

"Okay. If you're sure about this, I wont argue. I can't wait to see what comes of this." Riley responded, brightening up as she did.

Artoria smiled at her, happy to see that Riley wasn't taking this too hard.

"The Fox spoke to me, while we were in the heat of the moment. Told me you noticed something just before your episode triggered. What was it?" Artoria inquired.

"Oh, well I noticed your magic reacting in an enticing way. I'm not quite sure how to explain it, I guess the closest thing I can get is to say that it looked almost like a form of allure. You seemed radiant, I mean you still do, but I mean like literally radiant, like Fleur does when she activates her allure.

Artoria was quiet for a moment as she pondered that. Deep down she knew, she just knew, that Merlin had something to do with this. He specifically brought up the idea of children, and producing an heir in order to convince her to do this, and now, suddenly she might just have one. Merlin also knew of Riley's episodes, after having seen Artoria in a disheveled state after having endured one. She had explained to him what it was and why it happened, and asked if he knew of any remedy. He simply shrugged and said that he did not, but now Artoria wasn't so sure.

Merlin's loyalties were a strange thing. He was meticulous in his plotting and scheming in order to achieve his goals, he would back-stab, undermine, hinder, or just act the nuisance in order to get what he wanted, but he always knew where to draw the line. He never conducted acts of full-blown betrayal or treason. He knew where the line was, and always kept from crossing it, which was why, even though Artoria felt that he was the biggest pain in her ass, that had ever been, she still trusted him to do what he said, and to aid her when she needed him.

So now she was left wondering if he did have a hand in this, or if it was all just random chance. Regardless she would beat some answers out of him, when they returned home.

"So… you wanna get some breakfast and relax, I can give you a massage if you'd like." Riley offered, sweetly.

"I'd like that." Artoria responded, after a few moments of thought.

The two of them did just that. They got dressed, which required Artoria to wear Riley's close as hers now no longer fit her. Despite feeling a bit meek about what had happened, Artoria could still sense Riley's arousal and desire. The way that she'd glance at Artoria and stare at her, did little to hide what she wanted, but she knew the demoness wasn't going to bring it up, at least not for awhile.

The two enjoyed breakfast, and than a nice bath, where Riley gave her newest wife a nice shoulder massage.

Artoria enjoyed it immensely, though she was a bit distracted by how her breasts would now float in the water.

Occasionally she would feel waves of Riley's lust pass over through their physical contact, but Riley didn't try to initiate anything, she just stamped it down.

After the third time it happened, without even so much as a playful pet from Riley, Artoria decided to show her wife that she wasn't mad at her, and didn't want her to be so hard on herself. It was something that Riley couldn't control, and in fact was a direct result of her being a demon yet having such control over her power. Demons were meant to be maelstroms of power, literal hurricanes of death and destruction when it came to their magic, Riley wasn't, and because she acted more like a devil, her magic lashed out in way to expand itself.

Artoria wasn't mad at Riley, nor was she really all that upset. She also desired her wife's touch, she wanted it, wanted them to enjoy their honeymoon together. So she shifted herself, and turned to face her beloved mate.

The two stared at each other for several long moments before Artoria offered what she hoped was a seductive look.

She got a reaction out of Riley, who's lust began to grow. Artoria leaned forward, and the two met in a passionate kiss before Riley suddenly pulled back.

Artoria could feel her own arousal growing, but Riley's sudden reaction caused her to pull back as well.

"What is it?" Artoria asked.

Riley stared at her intently, as if trying to figure something out.

"It's fading away… that feeling I felt before… right before I lost control. Do me a favor, get really horny again." Riley said to her.

"W-what? I…" Artoria responded, confused.

"I saw something start manifesting there for a moment. I think it was accompany your own lust. Here… let's see if I can work it back up." Riley said to her as she reached out and pulled her back into a kiss. The two remained lip locked as Riley reached around her, and grabbed Artoria's butt, giving it a squeeze as she allowed her own lust and desire to pass over their shared bond and through their contact with each other.

This quickly got Artoria worked back up, and Riley noticed it again.

"What am I seeing here Kurama?" Riley asked her demonic companion.

"Seems you were right. I think that's Allure, or a power very similar to it. Look at her, you can feel your desires growing as you take this effect in. It's something magical, something encouraging your own lust, beyond just the sight of her." Kurama made note.

"Yeah…" Riley agreed, taking in Artoria's aura, and how absolutely enticing it was. It took a moment, but of taking it in and feeling her arousal grow before Riley slammed up her mental shields. As she expected, the effects quickly faded. Her arousal and lust became less cloudy, she could focus her mind more, and found that she was no longer having a hard time.

"Alright, let's talk, I think I might have just figured out what triggered my episode." Riley said to Artoria.

"You did?" Artoria questioned, blinking away her own lust, and settling down.

"Yeah. Let's get dressed, and we'll talk about it." Riley said as she stood up, helping Artoria to her feet as she did. The two quickly dressed and went to sit on Riley's bed. There, Riley began to explain it.

"I think you have the power of Allure, Artoria. Similarly to vampires, or veela. I've never know dragons to have it, but you're a High Dragon, and as far as I known, they've been extinct for a long time so there isn't a lot of knowledge written about them. They do have greater magic, and the power to manipulate people with illusions, so I wouldn't put it past them to have a power similar to Allure." Riley explained to her.

"But we never noticed this before when we had sex. I know I've been busy, and focused more on my duties, since we became your paths, but we've still slept together quite often, and this has never happened before." Artoria noted.

"I think it's because of your age. Or more specifically, the age of your body. Dragons get stronger as they age, maybe they unlock more powers as they get older. As a teenagers, you were like a juvenile dragon, though now as an adult, you're an adult dragon. Maybe that means you have access to more powers now, which could explain where this came from. Otherwise it was something Merlin cooked up." Riley offered to her.

"He wouldn't have needed to cook it up, if he knew what would happen when I became an adult." Artoria realized as a fire appeared in her eyes.

Riley recoiled as Artoria fumed, shutting her eyes and holding up a clenched fist that was visibly shaking.

"It's not just attraction she can manifest. It's a power like Allure, but more so tied to all of her powerful emotions." Kurama made note, as Riley took notice of an aura of anger, frustration, and supreme annoyance began to radiate out from around Artoria.

Just like the lustful aura from before, though this one, let Riley feel her mates absolute frustration. If Riley wasn't so fully bonded with Artoria, thus allowing her to already feel all of her mate's emotions, this aura would have just as easily conveyed the depths of her feelings.

"I can see it now too. It's like you can project your feelings as an aura, it's similar to Allure, but only in it's effects, it changes how I and others would perceive you when you release it. Unlike Allure which is designed to enhance the users looks and make them more desirable, this power is meant to project your feelings out around you. I can see it now, even though it's effects are different from before." Riley realized, drawing Artoria out of her anger, and bringing her back onto topic. The result to her aura, further confirming Riley's suspicions as it faded away once she settled down.

"Hmm… the ability to project my feelings as an aura? We need to train with this. I need to get control over this power. Not having control over it, accidentally got me pregnant, or at least it might. And in the future, it may give away my feelings to the people I deal with. Keeping your true emotions hidden and under control is paramount in dealing with political opponents and rivals. Please, help me to understand this power, so I can control it." Artoria asked of her.

"Of course. I'll help you get it all under control." Riley agreed with her.

Artoria smiled, and the two immediately got to work on taming these new changes.

This power worked with all of Artoria's emotions, whether she was angry, lustful, confidant, or happy. If she felt an emotion strongly, her magic would be colored by it, and it would act similarly to how Riley's Youki acted normally. A demons magic was always colored by emotion, but it seems Artoria's dragon magic could be colored by emotion, if she felt said emotion strongly enough.

Using this as an avenue of understanding, allowed the two to form a way to control this power.

It took well over a week for Artoria get used to keeping her aura suppressed while she engaged in menial tasks, but she was still unable to keep it down during more trying tasks, like sex, or fighting, things that took more mental and physical work than simply talking or having an argument or debate. So they kept working on it.

Riley greatly enjoy the fact that sex and fighting were two of the more strenuous activities that could prevent Artoria from keeping control over her aura, and over the week, the two partook in both quite often, usually multiple times a day.

By the end of the week, Riley could see it clear as day. Artoria was pregnant, the news being met with a radiant smile from her beloved wife, and also one of the first times Artoria used her aura to actively convey her emotions, rather than simply trying to control it.

Artoria was absolutely radiant, and the two spent that entire day, laying with one another, talking about the future, what they would name their child, and of course, making love intermittently.

The following day, Artoria asked Riley if it would be possible to remain in Kamui until after she had given birth. She explained that with trying times ahead for them, she didn't want her rampaging hormones to cause her to make a mistake or react out of turn. She needed to be clear headed and focused in order to lead the country during these troubling times, so if at all possible, she'd wanted to remain here until her pregnancy had reached it's conclusion.

Riley told her that it was possible, and that was more than happy to hang around her for a couple of months, just the two of them. She did note though that she had no idea how long Artoria's pregnancy would take, considering she wasn't human anymore. Riley knew that it took only weeks for a dragon to lay eggs, after they were fertilized, but that it took around six months before they hatched. Artoria was obviously going to have a live birth, rather than laying eggs, so she didn't know how long it would be before the child was ready to come out.

Artoria simply shrugged off her concern. She was happy to spend all that time with Riley, enjoying the peace and quiet.

Riley accepted, and increased the time dilation within Kamui. Allowing for more time to pass within the pocket dimension while it still passed slowly outside. They had only planned to be gone for a day or two, so Riley adjust the time dilation to fit there new plans.

In the following days, the two continued training. Riley monitored Artoria's pregnancy, keeping a close eye on how the child was developing so she could develop a road map for how long the pregnancy would last.

During their training, Artoria attempted to transform into her dragon form, just so the two could see if there was any changes. They found that he dragon form was even larger than before and radiated more magic from it's breath. Reaching adulthood had matured Artoria's magical core, granting her access to even greater magical reserves which she had to learn how to control.

In a transformed state, Riley made note of something interest, the baby would transform as well. Though still little more than an embryo, it changed shaped when Artoria took her dragon form, and changed back, when she returned to her human form.

It was interesting to note, and made Riley wonder if High Dragons still laid eggs, or if they gave live birth, like mammals did?

She didn't know but it was interesting to make note of.

Aside from their training in regards to Artoria's aura, she also got used to moving in her new body. It proportions, it's weight, she had to get used to how it moved in battle, and so she spent a lot of the early time, training with her sword.

Though as her pregnancy progressed, she focused more of her attention of refining movements, eventually towards her gear as a whole. Despite her armor and battle dress having sizing charms attached to them, neither fit her body shape anymore. Her dress needed to be refit so that it could better deal with her new proportions. And her armor, needed to be reshaped, as it was now incredibly uncomfortable to wear, considering her bust was now squished tightly within it, making it hard to breath.

So Riley set about modifying her armor, creating a new set for her, that would better fit her new body type. Using what she knew about Artoria's current armor, as well as Artoria's own input, Riley used the Creation of All Things Technique to create a new set of armor, that Artoria could wear.

With some tweaking on Artoria's part, Riley eventually managed to make something that Artoria found worked perfectly. (Her armor set is now her Artoria(Lancer) full armor set.)

Armor and the new battle dress that came with it, suited Artoria's body much better. It was designed to be functional while still allowing her to have freedom of movement and be comfortable within it. Riley even constructed her a helmet shaped like a lions head, and added lion's fur to it, as well as a lion's fur half-cape. Lion's were Artoria's favorite animal, and she had once raised a lion's cub during her early years as King of Britain.

Artoria enjoyed her new armor, and took the time to train in it, by practicing her sword moves, but eventually she was forced to proactive without it as her belly began to grow.

Weeks turned into months, and Artoria found that she was having a harder and harder time performing physical activities, and eventually one day, she found herself staring at her reflection in the mirror, taking note of her massive pregnant belly.

"What will it be, Riley, a boy, or a girl?" Artoria asked, finally putting voice to her wonders. She knew that Riley knew, but hadn't said anything, since Artoria hadn't yet asked.

"A boy." Riley answered, stepping up behind Artoria and resting her head on her shoulder.

"A boy. I'm carrying a son. A child that will one day be king." Artoria said as her hands found their way to her belly.

"Have you decided on a name?" Riley asked, knowing the two had gone over plenty of names over the last few months.

"Not yet, but now that I know it's a boy, I'll settle on something." Artoria responded, earning a nod from Riley.

That night, Artoria had a dream. She saw a figure standing with all of Albion at his back. She saw him standing as a bulwark against an onrushing darkness. Standing as a protector to all that they held dear.

When she awoke, she knew that the figure in her dream, had been her son and it made her determined to come up with a suitable name for him. So she spent the day sitting with Riley, discussing names and their meanings, and finally, she decided on one she liked. Elric, meaning Wise Ruler, in Latin. It was a hope she had for him, that he would be a good and thoughtful ruler.

Riley accepted the name. Elric Pendragon, as the name of their first son. She could only hope that Artoria was right, and that the name would fit him.

Several more weeks went by when one day, seemingly out of nowhere, Artoria water broke.

Riley took her back to their bedroom, and helped her get as comfortable as possible.

If not for the seriousness of the situation, Riley would have found it very amusing, since Artoria spent most of her labor cursing at Riley through gritted teeth.

Not long afterwards, their child was born. He gave a strong cry as he came into the world, and both of his parents were overjoyed to finally get the chance to meet him.

After getting Artoria and the baby all cleaned up, and checking to make sure both were in good health, Riley brought Elric over to his mother and placed the child in Artoria's arms and then settled in next to her, watching as she held their son.

Riley took in the sight, dedicating it to memory. Her lovely and beautiful wife was as open as she had ever been. There were absolutely no walls up at that moment. Not the king, not the queen, not the night, just Artoria, looking more like a woman than Riley had ever seen her.

In that moment, all the other things slipped away, and all Riley could see was a mother, holding her newborn child. Riley found it to be one of the most lovely sights she had ever laid eyes upon.

"His eyes are pale." Artoria noted, as the baby stared up at her, his eyes half lidded.

Riley stared down at the child's eyes taking note of how pale blue they were. It was a very unique color to see on a baby, and it definitely stood out. Elric was above average size for a newborn, and he had a tuft of messy blonde hair on his head.

"I think he's gonna end up quite the charmer when he grows up." Riley stated with a smile.

"I hope so. I hope for all the best things in life for him. I never considered being a mother, yet now, here I am, with a son in my arms. I don't even know how to describe this feeling. Joy, happiness, pride? It's difficult to get it down, just what I'm feeling, but… it's good." Artoria said in responded, earning a gentle smile from her wife, as the baby shut his eyes and started to fall asleep.

For over a week, the two remained in Kamui, Riley constantly checking on both mother and child to make sure they were healthy. Artoria recovered very quickly, and quickly became very energetic once more. After only five days, Riley cleared her for some mild physical activity, and less than an hour later, Riley found her practicing with Excalibur, going through her moves, and reacquainting her body with physical exercise.

The pregnancy had lasted about as long as Fleur's had, and Artoria hadn't had much time to train her new body after she got pregnant, so she took the opportunity to resume her training.

Two days later, Riley found that Artoria was back to perfect health. She had put on a few extra pounds, thanks to the pregnancy, but those would quickly be shed as returned to her normal physical routines. if she wasn't outside training, she was inside with Elric. The baby spent most of his time sleeping, as babies are apt to do, though unlike Lucille who was a very quiet baby, Elric made sure the world knew that he existed.

If he awoke without either of his mothers immediately present he would start to cry, and boy did he have a powerful set of lungs.

After a few more days, the two decided that enough time had passed, and Artoria was ready to return to work. So they gathered up all their things, and collected their newborn, and returned to the real world.

-Riley's home, London, Albion. December 5th 2000-

Riley and Artoria appeared in Riley's room at her home, around midday. It was empty, with all of her mates have left for their daily activities.

As soon as Riley reappeared, she felt her sight-line connect with the rest of her mates, alerting them to her return.

A chorus of 'welcome backs' came flooding over the bond, which earned a pleasant smile from Riley.

"Hey ladies, uh… no questions, you're gonna have to wait until tonight for an explanation, but uh…" Riley sent over the body before turning her gaze to Artoria, who was dressed in casual-wear and holding Elric in her arms.

Artoria made a face at her, before glancing away, a blush creeping upon her face.

Silence was the immediate response Riley got from her mates, and then moments later, a chorus of questions came flooding over the bond.

Riley let out a laugh at that, as her mates took in the changes to Artoria's body. It was Katie though he first pointed out the other big surprise that Artoria was holding.

"Is that a baby!" She yelled over the bond, earning silence from all the rest as they all took in the sight of the slumbering newborn.

"His name is Elric. Elric Pendragon, prince of Albion." Artoria responded as she turned her gaze down to her son.

More questions immediately came flooding over the bond, but Riley silenced them by posing a question to Daphne.

"Hey Daph, is the Round Table in a meeting right now?" Riley inquired.

"Yes." Daphne responded after a moment.

"Is Merlin there?" Artoria questioned.

"Yes." Daphne repeated.

"Excellent. Don't mention my return, I'll be there in a moment." Artoria instructed, as a fire ignited in her eyes.

Riley offered a wicked grin, as the two quickly exited the room and headed downstairs where they found Kushina in the kitchen with Lucille, the child was sitting in her high-chair being fed by her grandmother.

"Riley, welcome back!" Kushina greeted her upon seeing her. She then caught sight of Artoria and blinked several times in surprise.

"Your majesty? Is that you?" Kushina questioned, rising from her chair.

"Yes, lady Kushina. I took an aging potion while we were on our honeymoon. I was wondering if you could babysit for a few hours, I need to deal with a troublesome magus?" Artoria inquired.

Kushina blinked a few times then her eyes drifted down to the bundle in Artoria's arms.

It took her a moment to comprehend what it was, and when she did, her jaw fell open.

"Is that a baby?" She asked, dumbfounded.

"Yes. This is my son, Elric." Artoria answered, stepping closer to allow his grandmother a view of him.

Kushina stared down at the baby in disbelief, before letting out a laugh. "He's so cute…" She cooed as she reached out gently poked at his cheek.

"I didn't know you two were planning on having a child right now." Kushina noted.

"It wasn't our intention going into it. It just sort of happened." Riley answered, as she kissed baby Lucille on the head, and wiped some of the food off of her face.

Lucille was over a year old now, and was growing ever more expressive by the day. Upon seeing her, she offered her mother a wide toothy grin, which Riley returned.

"I see. Well I'd be happy to look after him for awhile. Anything special I need to know?" Kushina inquired.

"Nope, he's your typical baby. Everything he needs is in his diaper bag here. If you need help with anything, just give me a shout, and I'll come racing back. I've just gotta go watch Artoria flay the greatest wizard to have ever lived, alive, and then I'll be back." Riley responded as Artoria handed off Elric to his grandmother.

Kushina blanched a bit at that, as she took note of the fire burning in Artoria's eyes.

She offered the two her best, and quickly got everything settled before they departed to go and find Merlin.

Artoria arrived at the Ministry of Magic and marched confidently through the halls. Riley followed by her side, and the two earned several looks as people recognized the face of their Queen, but on a much different body.

Artoria was also still dressed in casual-wear which was unusual for her.

The two arrived at the meeting chamber where Artoria's personal advisers, Lucius, and the Round Table were all having discussions.

The guards on either side of the door shared a look with one another as Artoria approached.

Despite her change in appearance, they were both sensors, and recognized her magic and presence. Riley marching by her side, also helped to confirm what they were seeing. The two opened the door into the chamber, allowing the queen access, which served to halt discussions within, as all eyes turned towards the door.

Daphne was sitting on the far side of the room, fighting with every ounce of her being to not gawk at the sight of Artoria.

Everyone in the room stared at her for several long moments, many of the knights of the Round Table didn't immediately understand what they were seeing.

"Before any of you ask, I took an aging potion while I was on my honeymoon. When I drew the sword Caliburn from the stone, it stopped me from aging, so the you that you knew all this time, was my teenage form. This is what I should look like, given my age. Now, Merlin!" Artoria quickly stated before turning her gaze to the Magus of Flowers.

"My Queen, you look incredible. How was your honeymoon?" Merlin inquired as Artoria circled the room, closing in on him. He took note of the fire burning in her eyes, and felt himself quail as she approached.

"You knew, didn't you?" She questioned him.

"Knew what?" He asked, nervously.

"About a High Dragon's Aura projection ability. You knew about it, and you didn't tell me." Artoria accused him, knowing well enough that it was true. It was from Merlin that she learned most of what she knew about High Dragons. There was no doubt in her mind that he had known about the power, and she strongly suspected that he intentionally hid it from her.

"Oh, well I didn't think it was important. You were technically a juvenile dragon and couldn't use the power so…" Merlin started to explain but Artoria cut him off.

"I was a juvenile, until you gave me an aging potion." She stated with authority.

"True… so you developed the power? Well that's fascinating." Merlin offered with a pleasant smile.

"Don't play coy with me, Merlin. You knew I would develop the power, and you didn't warn me about it." Artoria stated, narrowing her eyes at him.

"What was there to warn about? It's not like it's a harmful ability." Merlin responded with a shrug.

"It's not harmful unless it can act like a Veela's Allure, and drive my wife into a frenzy. I confided in you about Riley's episodes. You knew that she could have them at any moment, and that Allure could even trigger it. You didn't warn me about this power, and do you know what happened because of that?" Artoria questioned him with a potent glare.

Merlin stared at her for a moment, blinking as he did. Finally he responded, "I'm guessing she had an episode."

"Yes." Artoria responded, earning a sigh from Daphne, and a collective sigh from the rest of Riley's mates, whom Daphne was feeding this whole conversation to over the bond.

"Well I hope you got to enjoy your time at least." Merlin offered.

"Oh, I enjoyed my time. I also enjoyed my pregnancy." Artoria said darkly.

Merlin blinked at that, before his eyes went wide.

"Yes, because of your deceit, I ended up pregnant on my honeymoon. Riley and I remained in Kamui for the duration of my pregnancy so that I could have my child in peace." Artoria explained to Merlin, and inadvertently everyone else in the room.

While the various knights shared glances with each other and tried to wrap their mind around what was happening, Hashirama and Madara shared a glance before glancing over at Riley.

"Everything alright, Riley?" Hashirama inquired through the Gravemind link, his suspicion being that Riley's episode and Artoria's pregnancy were linked, even though it hadn't outright been said yet.

"Yeah. We're good. We had a son, by the way." Riley replied, earning a smile from Hashirama.

"I see. Please know that it was not my intention to deceive you in such a way, I just didn't think it was important." Merlin expressed, appearing humbled.

"Don't play your games with me, Merlin. I've known you to long to have forgotten how that mind of yours works." Artoria responded, folding her arms over her chest, as a stern glare spread across her face.

"I apologize, my queen. I will endeavor to ensure that every detail is expressed in all future conversations." Merlin offered to her.

"I'm sure that you will. We'll discuss this more tomorrow, after I've thought of a fitting punishment for you." Artoria stated, causing Merlin to blanch.

She then turned to the rest of the room, and allowed her aggravation to fade. Everyone saw it, almost like a literal shift, she went from aggravated, and annoyed, to stoic, and commanding in the blink of an eye.

"Apologies, my friends, for what you had to see. That has been brewing in my system for months now. I intend to return to work tomorrow, so I will leave you to your discussions, however I do have a command for you. Prepare a press conference, to address these recent changes. We will need to inform the people as to why I suddenly look like this, and about their prince. While on my honeymoon, I became pregnant. Riley and I remained in her pocket dimension for the duration of my pregnancy, and I gave birth a healthy baby boy. His name is Elric. Elric Pendragon. Please ensure that everything is prepared to inform the kingdom." Artoria instructed, earning nods and cheerful claps from her countrymen.

The arrival of the prince was sudden, but not exactly unwelcome. After having the full situation explained to them, so that everyone was on the same page, the Ministry set about preparing a press conference for the following day, so that they could inform people of all the changes.

Riley and Artoria then returned home, with Artoria leaving a threatening look for Merlin, signifying that she wasn't done with him yet.

Once home, they spent their time with Kushina, Lucille, and Elric, while they waited for everyone else to come home.

That night, Riley and Artoria sat with the rest of Riley's mates, and regaled them with their time in Kamui. They told them of Artoria's new Aura projection ability, and how it had triggered an episode for Riley, because she hadn't been expecting it. Riley knew to shield herself when Fleur activated her Allure, so she wasn't driven into a frenzy, even when they were having sex, and Riley was already in the mood, but Riley didn't even know that there was anything to prepare for, so when faced with Artoria's change in looks, and her ability to project her own lust as an aura, added onto the fact that Riley could sense her lust through their bond, and it triggered a powerful reaction in Riley, that led to Artoria getting pregnant.

It was interesting to note, that the pregnancy, did stop Riley's episode in it's track. She went on for a bit after passing her magic into Artoria's body, but for the most part, she stopped with her lustful frenzy, so now they all knew that conception could be used to halt her episode, and if the trend continued like with Fleur, Riley wouldn't have another episode for several years. Though that time could appear a lot shorter, depending on how much time Riley spent in Kamui.

-December 6th 2000-

Albion was in shock, after learning about recent events. They suddenly had a new prince, on top of just getting a new princess in Riley. People were left stunned by the news that the Queen had gone on her honeymoon, gotten pregnant, had her child, and returned all in the span of a few days. That wasn't to mention the recent changes to her physical appearance which was easier to wrap one's mind around.

Still though, there was celebrations to be had. The new crown prince, Elric Pendragon, was a healthy, happy newborn, and people were looking forward to the chance to see the new baby boy.

Artoria already had plans in place to have a small photo shoot, so that the country could get an eyeful of their new prince. That was another benefit of the modern era, that she had to get used to. In the past, you just heard about the birth of a new prince of princess, and raised a toast to them and moved on, never knowing what they looked like, or whether or not they were in good health. In today's modern era, after a quick one hour photo shoot, the entire kingdom would know what their prince looked like, and could now envision him in their hearts and minds.

True to her word, Artoria returned to work the following day, just as focused and primed as she had always been, though now she carried with her a weapon of incredible power.

The following day, she sat down with Merlin to directly address what had happened, and Merlin admitted that he did know of the power of Aure projection that High Dragon's possessed, and he guessed that she would gain it, but his intentions were never to use that to produce an heir. While he was ecstatic to see that Albion now had an heir, his intentions for the ability were more so to aid Artoria in commanding her subjects.

He had hoped that she would manifest this power, because he knew that with it, she could produce an aura of command and authority that would be unrivaled. Artoria already had a naturally powerful aura, but with this power, she could enhance it to levels, unseen in mortal beings. It would grant her the ability to actively display her emotions, like her sheer strength of will, her charisma, her authority. And she showed it, on her first day back. Having spent most of her time pregnant, practicing her control over her aura, Artoria was now a master at it, and could project her feelings confidently in order to shape her image in people's eyes.

By allowing her confidence to shine through her aura, her subjects would feel more inspired and confident in her abilities.

Having this ability would make Artoria a better leader, and it would greatly benefit her in dealing with her political opponents.

Artoria accepted his explanation, though warned him that any future attempts to obfuscate the truth, or keep things from her, would be met by a the swiftest kick in the ass, he'd ever received. She made sure to remind him, that her new wife was a prankster, who would do anything that Artoria asked of her, and would more than happily act on her own to avenge Artoria's distress or annoyance. If Merlin wanted to play his games, that was fine, but Artoria had no intention of hiding her annoyance, and she had no qualms about laying bare her frustrations with her wife. Which meant he'd have to deal with Riley, who'd more than happily play games with the Magus of Flowers.

Merlin caught the hint, knowing full well that a prank war with an Archdemon wouldn't end well for him, and once more apologized.

-Riley's home, London, Albion. December 9th 2000-

Artoria was red-faced, and quietly begging for Riley to cut off their shared sight-lines. She was currently riding Riley's cock, while be ogled, by the remainder of Riley's mates.

Fleur, Katie, Luna, and Kaede, were doing absolutely nothing to hide their lustful gazes, as they took in the sight while fucking their own clone of Riley. Daphne, Yugito, and Gaia, were occasionally sending her glances, whenever she would make noise.

It was like she was on display and it embarrassed the hell out of her.

"Why do they have to stare?" Artoria whined to Riley, as she approached her tipping point.

"You know why. You're hotter than the fiery pits of hell, and you've got the body of a goddess. Why wouldn't they stare?" Riley responded as she sat up and kissed Artoria.

"You're doing this on purpose." Artoria accused, as she pulled back from Riley and gave her look.

"Why wouldn't I? You're my wife, and you deserve all the adoration and affection in the world. My mates seem to think the same. So… wanna keep on with the show, or would you rather this get more interesting?" Riley said back.

Artoria blushed deeper at the implication, but relented and laid back. Once on her back, Riley resumed her thrusting, while Katie crawled over, and leaned down to kiss the queen. Artoria returned the kiss, enjoying the softness of Katie's lips. She let out a grunt of pleasure as she felt a hand grope at her breast, and lips wrap around her nipple.

Luna quickly joined in on the other breast as Artoria reached her climax.

Riley let out a playful giggle at the sight of her, and glanced around at the rest of her mates, all of them enjoying the reverberations of Artoria's release, as it passed into Riley and then out over their shared bond.

With another giggle, Riley created several more clones, that quickly descended upon her mates. She was happy that, at least for a moment, the world was a good place.

-December 10th 2000-

Riley spent some time in Kamui, upgrading herself, and her familiars using the powers and items she'd collected from Ramira's world. That included all of the Sharingans she'd gained from Danzo, his prosthetic arm,Ramira's Sharingan and Rinnegan, and some of the chakra of the Two, Four, and Six Tails. She still had Shisui's Mangekyou which she intended to give to Shisui, now that she knew how to fuse two Mangekyous together, she could use the power to grant both Kakashi and Shisui the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan. For Shisui it would just be in one eye, but they still had Obito's Mangekyou, from when Kakashi killed him, that they had kept stored away.

She split the Two-Tails chakra in half, granting one half to Skorge, allowing him control over Hellfire, and the other half she placed in Fenrir, giving him access to Hellfire as well.

The power of the Four-Tailswas also split, with half going into RAAM, and the other half going into Michael granting both greater strength and control over Lava Release.

The Power of the Six-Tails was placed into Amygdala, giving it the ability to produce fluids, and mucus that were toxic, corrosive, or acidic.

Not counting Ramira's eyes, Riley had Nine Sharingan, with which to work with. Unfortunately, she couldn't awaken the Mangekyou within them, as they were no longer tied to their owner, for their owner to view the death of the one they loved most. Riley did wonder if she could force them to evolve into the Rinnegan, but she guessed that was unlikely considering the eyes had already spent years, sitting in a bed of Hashirama's cells, and if they hadn't evolved yet, they probably wouldn't.

After a bit of of pondering, Riley decided to grant the eyes to her attack familiars. Giving them greater fighting potential. Two eyes were given to Skorge, two to RAAM, and two were given to Loki to aid him in his missions due to the hypnotic potential of the eyes.

The remaining three Sharingan, Riley placed into her body, acting as fail-safes for her to use Izanagi through, without weakening her Rinne-Sharingan.

She then took the prosthetic arm, that Danzo had, and broke it down into usable cells, that she placed in all of her physical familiars, granting them greater regenerative abilities.

She then took Ramira's Eternal Mangekyou, and grafted it to her body. Namely to the inside of one of her tails. Much like the mouth of a squid, the eye sat nestled within the tendrils at the end of her tail, and when unfurled the eye could be seen set between them. Riley hooked her sight line to the eye, allowing her to see out of it when it unfurled and given that it was attached to the end of her tail, it had a wide range of movement and a wide arc of view. Though the advantages to her field of vision were nice, it was nothing the Byakugan didn't already provide, no whatRiley was more so interested in was the effects she'd seen produced when she'd filled Ramira's Kamui dimension with exploding tags. It had allowed her to essentially summon explosions at sight, by using Kamui's long range variant.

With Ramira's Mangekyou, Riley now had access to her Kamui which was separate from Riley's Kamui. Unfortunately, Riley's explosive stunt had destroyed everything Ramira kept within her Kamui so there was no raiding it for interesting supplies or items. It did though, offer her the ability to use it as a medium for long range attacks. If Riley filled Ramira's Kamui with poison, let's say, she could release that poison at the focal point of her view, or deliver it from her body, by passing her body into Ramira's Kamui.

To keep things simple in her own mind, Riley started to refer to the two dimensions as Prime Kamui which was hers, and where she kept her stuff, trained in, used her Intangibility through, and things like that, and Ramira's Kamui, became the Attack Kamui, where Riley would fill it with poisons, explosives, and all manner of offensive measures that she could release at a glance from the eye at the end of her tail.

Finally came Ramira's Rinnegan. Having this raised Riley's total Rinnegan count to four, including the three Rinne-Sharingan that she possessed.

She grafted the eye onto her palm, and kept it sealed there. When the eye fused with her body, she felt herself receive all the benefits of the Rinnegan added onto what she already had. Since it was a new Rinnegan she gained the effects of having it again. Meaning her strength, speed, stamina, intellect, problem-solving, endurance, magical regeneration, and magical potency, all increased. Though the effects weren't all that noticeable, considering how powerful Riley already was, though she did notice the increase, which had been unexpected.

Her intention when sealing the eye onto her palm was to use it as a medium for some of the Rinnegan's more taxing abilities, so that she wouldn't have to tax her Rinne-Sharingan with them.

Using Ramira's Rinnegan, Riley could use all of the powers of the Six Paths, though she was bound by the limits of the Rinnegan, namely that she could only use one path at a time, and some of the stronger abilities had a five second time delay between them.

She held onto it, just in case she encountered another Rinnegan since she now knew how to fuse eyes together, thanks to Ramira, if she found another Rinnegan she could fuse it with the one she had to create a new Rinne-Sharingan, granting her even greater power.

With these various upgrades, Riley spent some time learning to use them and training her familiars. It was a rather short training trip, lasting only a month in Kamui and only a few minutes on the outside.

Once Riley was finished with her training she sought out Kakashi and Shisui to explain to them what she had learned and to offer them the chance to fuse their eyes, to create an Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan.

Kakashi accepted so that he could gain access to the intangibility aspect of Kamui while also gaining the ability to use both techniques without harming his sight. Kamui was a monstrously powerful technique, and having both aspects of it, would make Kakashi nearly unstoppable in battle. He didn't have the Hashirama cells that would allow him to use the techniques like Obito did, but his ability to use them would still go way up. If he mastered the close range variant of Kamui Kakashi would also gain access to Susano'o, which would increase his combat potential astronomically. Shisui accepted, for the sole purpose of avoiding another eye with Kotoamatsukami floating around in the world. Since both of Shisui's eyes held the technique, and since it wasn't a combat technique, gaining the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan, wasn't much of a benefit to Shisui. He would gain access to the ability to use Susano'o without going blind, so long as he focused the power through his one Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan. Though even that, wasn't all that useful, as Shisui wasn't the type to use the technique unless absolutely necessary. It just wasn't in his fighting style. Shisui was the type to get in quick, strike, and then retreat, usually using the Body-Flicker Technique, hence the moniker, Shisui of the Body-Flicker, or Shisui the Teleporter. Still though, he wanted to keep Kotoamatsukami out of the hands of those who'd abuse it's power, so he accepted receiving the eye of his alternate self.

After fusing the eyes, Riley took the two men into Prime Kamui to train with them. It was only for about a week, but Riley helped them get a start on learning to use their enhanced eyes.

Though there wasn't a noticeable change in the pattern of their Mangekyou, Riley did note an increase in the intensity of their eyes that usually came with the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan.

After the short training trip, they returned to the world, more ready to face the challenges that would soon rear their ugly head.

-December 30th 2000-

Wars continued to rage, even as the yule holidays came and went. People fought for land, for ideals, for resources. Whatever the reason, now was as good a time as any for people to solve their differences through bloodshed. If countries weren't at war, they faced protests and riots, as their populaces revolted against the measures their governments were taking. No one was perfectly happy, not even in places that had survived Second Impact, relatively unscathed. Food shortages were a huge problem, worldwide. Fishing in the southern hemispheres was so much harder now, not only due to the presence of the red sea, but the fact that their were almost no ports, or docks for large scale fishing ships, to dock at.

The problem was that you needed to rebuild docks, and fishing vessels, but in order to do that, your country had to be relatively stable, and if you lived on the coast, not only was the ocean much higher, but your area had probably been decimated by Second Impact, so there weren't many people rushing to get these vital pieces of infrastructure rebuilt. Especially in the war torn countries in the south, where any attempts to build structures on the water, could be seen as an attempt to build naval facilities, which led to attacks on these locations.

It was a domino affect, that continued to destabilize the world and lead to worse and worse refugee crises.

People were calling it the end times. The Great Flood, from biblical literature, and now all the conflicts, had many people calling this the End of Days. Some even claimed that the Rapture had occurred during Second Impact, and that all of those left, were meant to suffer in this new, hellish world.

The Vatican had finally found new ground to set up shop, now safe from the rising waters, they began to preach their edicts and scripture, though the spiritual guidance, wasn't exactly the most helpful as they continued to pin the blame of this on magic, and witchcraft. Claiming it to be an affront from god.

Kane's followers responded to the Vatican's vitriol with their own. Claiming that the Catholic God was nothing more than a farce, a lie told to humanity for two thousand years. All of the old gods, were gone, if they had ever existed in the first place, now there was only one Goddess.

They preached that if the world wished to overcome this disaster they must look to the Goddess, and better themselves. They must join together, and stand as one. They encouraged all the desperate peoples of the world, to cast aside their false gods, and ideologies and embrace unification. All of mankind was bound to the Goddess, and when they died, they joined with her.

Kane's followers preached that their was unity in death, so there was no need for them to be separate in life. Why stand in opposition to one another, when in the end, all peoples would join with the Goddess anyway? They proclaimed that Second Impact was a test, a trial set forth by the universe, for them to prove their strength. Those that fell, failed, but those that survived, would stand at the dawn of a new world.

They called for all of the peoples of the world to rise up, and look to Kane for guidance, for he knew the way, and knew the will of the Goddess. She was among them, and she protected them. When humanity needed her most, she had intervened to save them. When all other so-called gods, sat back and let humanity face annihilation, the Goddess answered their cries for salvation. She would save those who deserved it, she would protect those who protected themselves. They called upon all people to forgo waiting, forgo hoping, to rise from their drudgery and their destitution, and reclaim their place in the world.

As these proclamations were made over the weeks, Riley watched on, knowing that the time was soon coming, when the world would realize who Kane's Followers truly worshiped.

-January 15th 2001-

Unitology, that was the name being given to Kane's followers belief system. With Kane being seen as the defacto head of the religion. He was seen as a prophet, and even a messiah that would guide humanity into the light of the radiant power of their Goddess. Groups and governments around the world were trying to find him, trying to locate the man, as his movement grew in strength.

Unitologists, was what people were starting to call the followers of the Path of Unification.

Though no one yet knew of any sort of power structure within the belief system, already people were starting to call it an organized religion.

People were especially interested in claims that the Goddess walked amongst them, and had saved the world from devastation, and that she had, and would save her followers.

This led to speculation onto her identity, with some claiming, especially in the magical community that the Goddess had to be the Princess of Albion, Riley Uchiwa. She had the Rinnegan, the eyes of god. She had the Ten-Tails, sealed within her, which was the corrupt form of the Tree of Life, some believed. She had saved the world from the Angel of Carnage, from the Ten-Tails, she had protected Albion from Second Impact, and her clones and rushed around the world saving thousands from the tsunamis and floods.

If there was an individual that could be the physical manifestation of the Unitologists' Goddess, Riley seemed like the most likely choice.

This idea quickly gained tracking in central Europe, and a news agency managed to get an interview with the leader of an organized Unitologists protest in Germany.

They discuss many things, mostly surrounding the belief system of Unitology, but the most interesting part came when the reporter asked about Riley, about the idea that she was the Goddess that his people worshiped, and that led to a question about her actions, saving the world and such, but also about the destruction of Fairport, where Kane had made his first public appearance.

The protest leader responded in a calm demeanor and simply explained that Fairport had earned the wrath of the Goddess. She had besieged the city as punishment for what happened there. When asked if he knew why it had happened, he had said no, but that he believed it was justified. That something terrible had been done there, and the people needed to be punished for doing it, or allowing it to happen. He claimed that too many people lived in apathy, allowing injustice to occur around them. To many people drifted through their lives, allowing their communities to turn to garbage, while they focused solely on their own existence.

He told the reporter that their beliefs surrounded the idea that people should stand together, that a person should live their lives for themselves, and for those they love. That they should focus on bettering themselves, and the lives of their friends and family, and in-turn encourage their friends and family to better their own lives and continue the process.

In many ways, the ideology was a lot like the Will of Fire, though instead of just believing in one another, it was a way of living your life. To live for the betterment of yourself and your loved ones. Like the Will of Fire, the idea was that if a person followed the path, and encouraged others to do so, and they in turn encouraged others, than all peoples would be united in this belief, and all peoples would be encouraged to better themselves, and improve their lives and work to make their friends and family happy.

He proclaimed that if the Princess of Albion truly was the Goddess in the flesh, than the people of Albion were truly blessed to have her protection, and already knew salvation, and that all other's should aspire to stand with them.

The report ended not long after that.

-London, Albion. January 16th 2001-

The finger had been pointed, and now everyone was agreeing. If there was one person who fit the criteria for this so-called Goddess, than it was Riley.

A statement was being prepared by the Albion Government, meanwhile a flood of information requests were coming in from other countries.

People were talking, asking about Riley, and now a decision needed to be made about what they were going to do.

Riley stood back, as Artoria and her personal advisers discussed this. Hashirama still thought the truth was the best course of action. Not just out of belief that people were genuinely good, but because it painted picture of it being a mother's wrath. If people knew that it was one of Riley's children who'd suffered in Fairport, they'd be more understanding. Many a parent would happily burn the whole world down if the things that happened to Alma, happened to their children.

Artoria found that she agreed with him, but they couldn't tell the world that Alma was Riley's child. While Riley had wiped out the Armacham Corporation's headquarters and research lab in Fairport, the company did still exist, and on the off chance they chose to release information on Alma, such as her age, people would quickly realize that it made little sense, and telling the world about Riley's time traveling shenanigans, could lead to mass hysteria with people speculating about time itself being manipulated and altered.

Finally it was Madara who voiced another option. They go with a partial truth. A lie by omission. They tell the world about what happened in Fairport, but they lie about Alma's relationship with Riley. Instead of it being her daughter, they make up a story, something along the lines of Alma being one of Riley's friends in childhood, the two grew close, almost like sisters, and then Alma disappeared. Fast forward over a decade, and Riley learns of Alma's location and goes to find her, and finds her in that terrible state. In a fit of rage, Riley unleashed her power upon Fairport in retaliation against Armacham and the US government.

There still existed the possibility of it leading to a war, but if it came to that, than they would deal with it.

Riley remained quiet through all of this, simply listening in on their discussions. It gnawed at her that her actions were causing trouble for those she loved, and she wasn't allowed to handle it herself. Now that she was a true public figure, she had an image to maintain.

Already the populace of Albion was in discussion about this, with most people wanting answers. Riley was their hero, she'd saved them all from Second Impact, and she'd saved the world from the Ten-Tails, that at least earned her the right to explain herself in most people's eyes.

Finally, a course of action was decided upon, and a statement was drafted up to release to the public. They also got into contact with the major news networks both magical and muggle, and set up interviews to discuss these things.

The statement was formal, yet descriptive. It described in some detail how the attack on Fairport was indeed carried out by Riley, as an act of retaliation against Armacham Technologies Corporation, and the US government for what had been done to someone Riley cared very much for. The statement went into some detail about how this person was tortured, experimented on, forcefully impregnated, twice, and left to rot in a tank for ten years.

Riley found her, rescued her, rescued the two children she was forced to have, and then in retaliation she destroyed Armacham's compounds and headquarters in the city, and everything else that got in her way.

People's initial reaction to the news was shock, not only that it was true, but what had led to it.

An hour later, a press conference was held where Artoria delivered an address to the country. She called the actions of Armacham ruthless, heartless, and monstrous. They had tortured and human being in some of the worse ways imaginable for years, and then did the same thing with the two children they forced her to have. The people of Fairport were unwitting and unknowing bystanders in the monstrous acts committed in their home, and they payed the price for what happened.

Artoria pointed out that all around the world, magicals were being oppressed by their communities or forced into service because of their powers. They were treated like second-class citizens or worse, depending on the nation. And now you had groups like the Vatican condemning magicals for the crime of existing, which is exactly what had led to the destruction of Fairport in the first place.

Over twenty thousand people had died because the Armacham corporation, and the US Government wanted to harness the powers of this one girl. Because of the things they did, everyone had to suffer. It wasn't fair, and it wasn't right, but it was, what happened. When such unspeakable acts are committed, to often the consequences aren't felt. The people of the US faced the consequences for their governments actions, for Armacham's actions.

No one deserved what this little girl went through, and the idea that anyone, let alone a governmental body would condone the torture of a child for their own military gains, just showed that their was no moral high-ground. Just monsters of a different breed. Riley retaliated against them for what was done to someone she cared for, and she would again, in a heartbeat. Just as she'd fight against anyone who sought to bring harm to her homeland, or her people.

This event just went to show the dichotomy of their new princess. She would do unimaginable things to protect her people, and she would retaliate just as violently, if you pissed her off.

Artoria's speech earned a powerful reception as she called on US and Armacham to answer for what happened. They had the files, and paperwork, and all the proof they needed to know what happened there. If Armacham or the US government insisted upon lying or claiming it to all be falsehoods, than information on Project Origin would be made public so that people could understand just what they were hoping for and just why a small child was tortured for her whole life.

-January 24th 2001-

The reaction from the world was a mixed bag. The Albion's accepted their Queen's statement. Follow-up interviews with Ministry members, as well as a more thorough interview with Draco who'd become the primary for most Ministry interviews, helped to paint a clear picture of what happened. People understood more clearly of what they were dealing with.

And more importantly, many within Albion, began to see things, as the Unitologists did. Riley had saved the world, she had saved all of them during Second Impact. She'd thrown back invaders trying to bring harm to their country, twice. She'd also unleashed world-shattering fury on those that had brought harm to someone she cared for.

Their princess had saved them, and would kill to protect her people, and those she loved. Most people, even the most forgiving, couldn't look past everything that had been done to Alma Wade. All the horrific experiments, the fact that she was medically raped, and forced to carry two children to term, that she was forced into a coma for most of her life, how her children were then experimented on with the express intention of turning them into weapons. That kind of treatment was absolutely horrific, and no one could say that they wouldn't have reacted the same way if they found out that a childhood friend, someone they cared for very deeply, had had that done to them.

People in Albion were understanding, because Riley had saved them, and because of that, they were starting to understand the Unitologists a bit better, some even, proclaiming that they were right.

With the release of Artoria's statement and confirmation of Riley's attack on Fairport, the World's leader spoke out in droves. While many governments condemned what happened, the US government spewed vitriol in furious statements decrying the attack as an act of war and demanding justice, even the Vatican got involved condemning the attack as an affront, and that regardless of the reason, to use magic to hurt those with no power to defend themselves was proof of what they were trying to say.

Kane released another message, praising Albion for releasing the identity of their Goddess, and finally bringing her to light for all the world to see. Riley was their goddess, she was their deity made flesh. Her was the power to unite, and reshape the world, and Kane called upon all of his followers to submit to her power, and join together. They were almost ready to take the first step towards their unification, they needed only the strength to take that step.

Regardless of the feelings of the rest of the world, Riley carried on as she always did. She kept and eye on things, took care of her family, and occasionally performed good deeds for her people.

She kept out of the limelight as much as possible, and just enjoyed herself while letting Artoria handle things.

-Riley's home, London, Albion. February 12th 2001-

Riley laid in her bed, taking in the sound of her slumbering mates. Artoria, Daphne, Yugito, and Gaia were all absent at the moment, Artoria still at work, as was Daphne, Yugito was with Gaia in Sunagakure, as the time had come for her to transfer there for her diplomatic duties.

In a few short days, Riley would be getting ready for her marriage to Luna, so that would be an exciting distraction from the shit that was consuming the world.

As Riley laid in bed, quietly listening to her mates, and keeping an ear out for her babies, Riley suddenly felt an interaction on the edge of her home's wards.

Her eyes snapped open, and her Byakugan, sprung to life as her gaze shot towards the source of the disturbance.

Just outside of her wards, she found a group gathered under Notice-me-Not charms. There must have been almost thirty of them. Soldiers mostly, draped head to toe in black uniforms. No markings or identifiable traits. There were three magicals with them, the three were dressed the same but were working on her wards, trying to breach them, to allow the force entrance.

Most of the force was armed with suppressed machine guns and sub-machine guns.

Riley immediately shot out of bed, awakening her mates, and alerting all them what was happening as they saw through her eyes.

On them, Riley spotted a port-key. They were ready to retreat at a moment's notice. As she shot through the air, she tossed four Black Chakra Receivers that landed in a large square formation around the unit.

She then channeled her magic through the rods, activating a barrier that would prevent apparition or port-key travel.

"Shit!" One of the men said as they spotted her land just inside the wards, her eyes locked firmly on them.

The raised their weapons and immediately many of them tried to speak the same word. The word they spoke must have been the activation phrase for their port-keys but with the barrier up, they weren't going anywhere.

Riley advanced on them, and several opened fire. Bullets hammered against her skin, and bounced harmlessly off.

Riley's gaze grew menacing as she approached them, when suddenly she heard a yelp, and someone swear behind her.

Her Byakugan was still active and her gaze immediately caught sight of one of the bullets hitting right over the window leading into Riley's room. The person who'd sworn was Katie who'd peaked outside to get a look but recoiled back when a bullet impacted just over her head.

"You almost shot my mate!" Riley snarled internally. "My babies are in that room…"

At that second thought, Riley's building rage, exploded outwards and she shot forward.

Screams tore out, as the soldiers were torn limb from limb. Riley was ruthless, tearing at them, ripping body parts off of them, she cut all thirty men to pieces in the blink of an eye. By the time Riley had finished tearing them apart, Madara had exited her home and was approaching her.

"Who were they?" Madara asked as his gaze passed over the sea of corpses.

"CIA, black ops… they came in on board commercial aircraft, a few at a time. There's still more of them." Riley responded before vanished in a burst of speed.

Moments later she dropped through the ceiling of a warehouse in London. Inside were about a dozen more CIA operates. Riley didn't bother playing with them. Within an instant all of them were corpses.

Riley quickly took in their souls and read their thoughts and memories. For a long moment she went through everything as she pinned down the names and faces of those responsible for this attack.

"Oh Artoria…" Riley sung over the bond.

"...Riley." Artoria responded, having seen everything that just happened.

"They were CIA operatives. You know what that means? Time to punish them again." Riley growled with barely contained vitriol.

Artoria let out a sigh and lowered her head, around her, the Round table stared at her, all of them noticing both Artoria's and Daphne's sudden reaction when they saw the attack through Riley's eyes.

"My Queen?" Ser Penwood inquired.

"A CIA strike-team just attacked my home outside of London. The princess has dealt with them, and removed this incursion from our borders. Seal the barrier, the country is now under lockdown until we figure things out. It seems the Americans have chosen their response to this. Prepare our forces, it seems we can no longer sit by and watch as the world burns." Artoria informed them, earning a cold chill from all those around her.

Despite her calm demeanor, the queen's fury was unmistakable. The prince was at her home, the same place this strike team had just attacked. Now, there would be hell to pay.

-To be continued-

Alright, there we go, this chapter was long as shit, and it took me forever to do, but I finally got to a place I'm happy with. Hope you all enjoyed, and sorry again that this took so long.