05/04/2012, Grigori HQ, Afternoon.
Vali's fists fly in a fast blur of motion, each strike landing with a resounding crack against the training dummy. His frustration pours into every punch, every kick is raw, unfiltered, and unrestrained. He fights bare-handed, no Sacred Gear, no magic, just the sting of his knuckles against the splintering wood.
With a final, thunderous jab, the dummy's head explodes off its shoulders, spinning through the air in an exaggerated way, a feature added by Azazel. The body wobbles, then collapses in a heap of splinters and sawdust.
'How are you feeling now, Vali?' Albion's voice echoes in his mind, calm but probing.
'Better' Vali replies, exhaling sharply. He wipes sweat from his brow and turns toward the room's entrance just as Makoto and Azazel step inside.
"Vali" Makoto says with a nod, his expression collected.
"Makoto, I..." Vali hesitates, stumbling over his words. "I'm glad you agreed to join the team. So… thanks".
'So this is the Star?' Loki's voice murmurs, low and intrigued, though his words are lost in a jumble of cryptic muttering.
'Loki?' Apollo asks, but the Trickster God doesn't answer. Instead, he materializes in front of Vali, his form flickering like a mirage. He circles the White Dragon Emperor, his mismatched eyes narrowing as though dissecting a puzzle.
"L-" Makoto starts, but Loki raises a finger to his lips, grinning.
'Shh. Don't worry, Universe. They won't see me' Loki whispers, his chuckle echoing only in Makoto's mind.
"Yuki, is something wrong?" Azazel asks, his eyes darting between Makoto and Vali.
Nothing" Makoto replies, his tone flat.
'What's he even doing?' Apollo demands, his voice tinged with irritation.
'That's Lokiiii' Fafnir screeches, his tone equal parts mocking and amused.
As quickly as he appeared, Loki vanishes, slipping back into the depths of Makoto's psyche.
'Loki, what were you doing?' Kohryu asks, his tone more measured, but no less curious.
'Oh, nothing important, Huanglong' Loki replies airily, his voice fading like smoke.
Azazel claps his hands, breaking the lingering awkwardness. "Well, I'll leave you two to it. Vali, fill Yuki in on how things work. And… good luck, I guess". With a final glance, he exits, leaving the two alone.
"We can go" Vali says, summoning a glowing magic circle beneath their feet.
"Where are we headed?" Makoto asks.
"The Land of Oz".
Makoto hums thoughtfully.
'The Star and the Universe together… an interesting duo, hee hoo' comments Jack Frost chiming in, his voice light and playful, filling the silence between the two.
'For this, they are similar. Too similar' Yoshitsune observes, his tone tinged with amusement.
'I might die of boredom. But I have plenty of way to entertain us' chuckles Loki.
'I'd enjoy some silence if it weren't for you' Leviathan growls, her voice a low rumble.
'What is the Land of Oz? I've never heard of it' Izanagi asks, his curiosity piqued.
"By the way" Makoto says as the magic circle hums to life. "What is the Land of Oz?".
"A pocket dimension" Vali explains. "Created by a group of human magicians: the Wizards of Oz."
'Even humans can create pocket dimensions?' Kohryu muses, impressed.
'I'd love to pick their brains' Loki adds, his voice dripping with mischief.
'Dindin, you're being quiet. Something wrong?'
'Yes. You'.
"I should warn you about the others" Vali says with a small smirk, his tone edged with dry amusement. "Expect... challenges or spars, especially from Bikou. He's… enthusiastic about that. Like me, but much louder and annoying at times".
'Other battle junkies? Fantastic' Odin grumbles, his mental voice heavy with disdain. 'Moreover I'll be the only one manifesting. Small mercies'.
'Says the god who couldn't wait to "teach the Star a lesson" last time' Apollo quips, his sarcasm sharp as ever.
'A lesson he learned'. Odin retorts. 'He didn't pick a fight with the Universe this time. Teaching the rest? Exhausting'.
'I could take your place, Dindin' Loki purrs. 'I've always fancied your look. All brooding and one-eyed'.
"How many others are on your team?" Makoto asks, steering the conversation back.
"Five" Vali replies. "Me, Bikou, Arthur, Le Fay, and Kuroka".
'Kuroka?' Makoto's mind flashes to the cat-woman, her startled reaction when she saw him along with Koneko and her fake threats to shive him away. 'That explains why she knew our location. The Councillor must've tipped her off' Apollo deduces.
'Her motives lie elsewhere' Izanagi interjects. 'She wasn't there for the Hanged or the Universe'.
'This complicates things' Makoto thinks.
'We'll handle it' Messiah assures, his voice a soothing balm. 'Diplomacy first'.
"And one more thing" Vali adds, his tone clipped but deliberate. "Our team operates differently within the Khaos Brigade. We answer directly to Ophis".
'Ophis? Does that mean Nyarlathotep is pulling his strings now in her place, hee hoo?' Jack Frost frets, his voice trembling fearing Vali might be in danger.
'Unlikely' Izanagi counters noticing the Demon Doll's worry. 'If that were true, the Star wouldn't stand beside us'.
'Yet time is not our ally' Kohryu warns. 'Once Nyarlathotep discovers Vali's role as the Star, our window closes and we might find ourselves in a fight too risky for our current situation'.
'Then we destroy the Shadow before then' Yoshitsune declares, his resolve ironclad.
"How does it work?" continues Makoto. "Does Ophis… personally assign your missions?"
Vali shrugs his shoulders. "In a way, yes. Mostly, we act independently. For exaple, Ophis tasked Kuroka with negotiating an alliance, she met an ambassador from Nalnerno, a dark elf kingdom in Nidavellir. It was somewhere near Mount Fuji".
'So that's why she was skulking around that amusement park' Izanagi muses.
'Which means a traitor walked among you that day Universe' Lucifer observes coldly. 'Someone close to that Peacemaker'.
'Dark elves…' Odin growls, his disdain palpable.
'Oh, don't pretend you're not thrilled, Dindin' Loki croons. 'Don't try to forget the awesome wars we did side by side as brothers against those pointed-ears people!'.
"We're here" Vali announces abruptly.
The magic circle dissolves, depositing them in a sprawling meadow under a violet-hued sky. Around them rise marble structures, columns and temples carved with intricate Grecian motifs, their pale stone glowing faintly in the eerie light.
"This is the Land of Oz?" Makoto asks, his gaze sweeping the horizon.
"Yes. The entire organization was founded by a Greek magician, despite the name suggesting otherwise. I don't know about their story. I couldn't care less for those people" Vali mutters, then adds, almost awkwardly noticing how his tone could be misinterpreted as rude.
"B-but if you want to know more you can ask Le Fay. She's knowledgeable about these types of things".
'Watching you try to be polite is… novel, Vali' Albion remarks, amusement threading his voice.
'What's that supposed to mean?' Vali snaps inwardly.
'It means you're trying. A first'.
Vali glares at nothing with a bit of embarrassment, while Makoto studies the landscape, the air sweet with Mediterranean flora and a faint distant hum of magic.
'I like it here, hee hoo!' comments Jack Frost.
"Oh! Is that the famous Makoto Yuki in the flesh!?".
A streak of gold cuts through the violet sky, a blur of motion that reveals itself to be Bikou as he lands with a flourish in front of Vali and Makoto. His golden Kinto Cloud dissipates into wisps of light, leaving him standing tall, his staff planted firmly in the ground.
Bikou's athletic frame and wide grin radiates in front of the two, his every movement fluid and deliberate. His brownish hair, wild and untamed, frames a face marked by sharp, monkey-like features. High cheekbones, a mischievous grin, and eyes that gleam with a feral intelligence. His golden and red armor catches the light, its intricate designs shimmering, while his long staff hums faintly with latent power.
'Seiiiiten Taiseeiii?' creaks Fafnir.
'No. Someone related to him probably' says Kohryu recognising immediately Bikou as a descendant of the Sun Wukong of the world they are in.
"Nice to meet you Makoto Yuki! My name is Bikou! Oh you must understand my trepidation, but Vali here talked about you like you are the second coming of Jesus Christ or something" chuckles Bikou pointing his finger at Vali.
"B-Bikou!" a faint shade of red appears on the White Dragon Emperor's face causing his monkey yokai comrade to laugh.
"Chill Vali! I was just kidding, but I told you. What could you expect after speaking so highly of someone". Bikou turns again towards Makoto.
"You know Makoto usually Vali is always so gloomy and reserved. A very boring guy if you ask me, but one day he starts to put even more intention into his training" starts to frantically say Bikou stunning Makoto.
"Ok. That's enough Bikou" says Vali shutting Bikou's mouth.
Despite the Sun Wukong's defendant protests he can't free himself from Vali's grasp.
"Let's go meet the others" proclaims Vali dragging Bikou with him as Makoto follows behind.
'The Star seems more at ease' observes Kohryu.