Diana ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Neuschwanstein Castle, Island of Creation The early rounds of Ten Sekai Sentou Kyousou were over. Those who were defeated did not have to leave until the tournament was over. However they were banned from leaving Neuschwanstein Castle until all future matches were decided. It was probably the best way to keep the losers from interfering with the winners. It was the middle of the night now. And tomorrow would see the beginning of the Semi-Finals. Aarin stood cross-armed before the glassless, open-air window of Setsuya's room. Setsuya himself sat across from the Englishman with the Fire Cutter in hand. He ran a smooth hand over its blade with a damp towel, cleaning it. The Fire Cutter had not seen much action today with Chizuru, but Setsuya still felt obligated to take care of it. Aarin spoke as he looked out to the grass fields that surrounded Neuschwanstein Castle, grass fields that had been dubbed 'Eden'. "...So. Looks like as if both you, me, and Ingrid proceed to the next round. And though I am pleased with this... there is this feeling I can't shake about this tournament. Something... feels off. Doesn't feel right..." "Aarin," Setsuya looked up at his friend, "You can feel it too?" "The group that host this tournament," The Englishman said, "Those called the Shougatsu Financial Group. They are more than they appear. Today I fought someone. But he was not human. He was machine. With all honesty... I fought an Android." Setsuya blinked. "You're kidding me? But I thought almost all Androids built before the landing of the Genesis Comet were rendered obsolete. And no one on Earth has the power to build Androids now." But Aarin wasn't so sure of that. "...That machine was far too advanced to have been built before the landing of the Genesis Comet. It was built recently. I'm sure of it. And I am also sure that the ones who created it are the Shougatsu Financial Group. Weapons of that nature are banned in Safe Zones... and so I think they staged this tournament outside of the Neo-France Safe Zone in order to escape Safe Zone rules. Which also makes me think that there is a hidden agenda behind this tournament. This is more than a display of our fighting talents. The location is too remote and the fights are too private. There has to be some sort of ulterior motive. And I won't leave this island until I figure it out." Maybe it was time for Setsuya to come clean. "...Look, Aarin. I have something I need to tell you." Finally, Aarin looked away from the window. "What is it?" "I didn't come to the Island of Creation and Ten Sekai Sentou Kyousou for fun. I came for other reasons. Remember I told you a girl I met in China? Well I went to go see her just a few months ago. And she was kidnapped by the Shougatsu Financial Group. And those bastards want this Fire Cutter sword in exchange for her. I don't know what they're up to but I can't let them have Lin-Lin or the sword. And that is why I am here. To get Lin-Lin back from them." Aarin's blue eyes hardened a little. "...You mean to tell me that you knew these people were involved in illegal activities and you didn't think to tell me about it?" "Oh here we go," Setsuya rolled his eyes, "Look, it's not like I had much choice. I didn't wanna bring it up because I didn't think you or your bratty sister would be in danger. And if you kicked off it would blow my cover while I search for Lin-Lin. She's somewhere in this Castle. I have to find her before the tournament ends." Aarin crossed his arms again. "I suppose I can understand the sentiment. But I've always said that you have a fetish for putting too much on your shoulders. You can't do this alone. You need our help." "You mean Ingrid too?" The Japanese youth sighed, "Man, you Englishmen always like to involve yourself in things. But this time you are knee-deep in the shit already, my friend. I gotta feeling that none of us are going to make it off this island alive if the Shougatsu have anything to say about it." At that point, Aarin took the time to think about it. Think about what the Shougatsu were after. Wasn't it just a bit convenient that Ingrid, Aarin and Setsuya were all invited to a tournament this exclusive? What secret or link was existing between them? What was it that made them so attractive to the Shougatsu? Then Aarin realized. "That's it!" "What's it?" "The Swords..." The Englishman looked down at his weapon, the Wind Soul, "These swords we have are linked. Mine has the power of Wind Magic. Yours has the power of Fire Magic. And Ingrid's has the power of Lightning Magic. That is what the Shougatsu Financial Group are after! That has to be it. These must be three of the Four Sacred Swords that your father Keijiro excavated. Why didn't I see it before...?" Setsuya looked down on the Fire Cutter. "But... what do they plan to do with them? Why would these guys, stocked to the teeth with some of the finest technology in the world, need three swords like these?" Aarin lowered his eyes. "...I'm not sure. That is the real problem. What are these people planning? Until we find out we cannot let our guard down. Keep as quiet about all this as possible. The finals will start in two days. Once the final match gets started, we better start searching for your Chinese friend and for some answers. We can't let this organization take the swords unless we know exactly what they're up to." "So now what?" Setsuya asked. "Get some rest," Aarin replied, "And just carry on with the tournament as normal. If these Shougatsu people discover that we are aware of their plan to seize the swords; that might make it hard to deal with them. While we are on the Island of Creation, we're at their mercy. So we have got to play our cards right... all we can do now is plan." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Kakato-Jiki Apartment Building, Kuji, Neo-Japan For the past three months, in all the times that Julia had ever had anything to worry about, she always came up to the top of her apartment building. The roof. Just to clear her head. It was stone structure, the normal kind of building you would have expected to see during the Pre-Comet World. But the view was what set this place alight. Aside from this building and a few others, the streets of this town were made up from shacks, ruined stone structures and steel-supported tents. It was not a happy place. It was a place of suffering and misery. You had to fight to survive here in a town like Kuji. Places like this did not receive much aid from the Safe-Zone Project for rebuilding. And thus this town was what people made of it. But when the sunset came, that beautiful, hauntingly captivating sunset; this town was enveloped with a wave of splendour that overshadowed its nastier aspects and highlighted the true significance of it. This was a place to fight. Not against mortal enemies. But for life. For your future. Your own and your children's. That sunset made it easy to see the dogged dignity that this little town of Kuji had to offer. Which was why Julia felt so comfortable when coming here. Seeing a sight like that gave her strength to keep going. To keep fighting her troubles until the very end of the line. Today was no different. Though she missed her Father deeply... she knew him better than anyone else. And she knew that Simon McAmish would want her to keep going until she got home to where she belonged. He would never forgive her if she didn't. "I'll keep going, Dad," Julia claimed, looking into the sky, "I'll keep on going and going until I get back home. I'll make you proud of me. And I won't let your efforts go to waste." "Is this where you've been?" The Scottish girl looked over her shoulder to the small compartment door that led back into the apartment building. Ayame stood there with her sheathed Nobunaga, looking to the year older woman. "I was worried when I didn't see you in our room. How are you feeling?" Julia wrapped her arms around herself. It was still a little cold out here and that bothered her a little bit. Which was surprising, since her birth home was Scotland, a place that had been perpetually covered in snow since the landing of the Genesis Comet. "I just needed some time to think," Julia offered, "To clear my head. Everything is so messed up. Just when I thought that things were finally going to get better. Now I'm confused as to how I should handle all of this. What should I do now?" Ayame walked next to her. "Well for starters, how about going home? You said it yourself. It's probably what your Dad would have wanted. And I don't see why that should change. Besides, you have to arrive home before your Father's body does. It might be shocking to your grandfather if you don't explain it beforehand." Julia nodded. "Yes. You're right. I know what I have to do. The paperwork for the shipping of my Father's body won't be ready for a day or two. As soon as its taken care of... I'll go home just like we planned." As she expected. But Ayame could see that there were still doubts about all of this in Julia's mind. Who could blame her? Ras was gone but who else knew what the Shougatsu might send after Julia. Though she was handling this to the best of her ability, Julia still needed a hand for support. That notion was shown bluntly in her big jade eyes. They reflected a woman in need of security. A woman tarnished by so much sadness in such a short life. Her voice was beginning to sound frail, too. "...Ayame...?" "Yes?" "Could you just... hold me for a little while?" She asked, quietly, "...Please?" She didn't even have to ask. Two seconds later she was fully wrapped in the lithe and strong arms of the Dark Katana. Julia slipped her eyes shut and leaned into Ayame's shoulder, just feelings safer being held in her embrace. Julia's voice then broke into sobs again. Not from sadness, just this unmistakable fear of the unknown. "I'm so scared, Ayame..." The brown-haired woman said in a whisper, "I'm so scared..." Ayame sighed, holding the girl closer to her. "...Don't be. I made a promise to protect you. And I know that I fumbled when it came to your Dad... but I won't fail to keep you safe. Trust me. I'll protect you, Julia." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Underground Laboratory, Island of Creation Deep beneath the large marble halls of Neuschwanstein Castle, something wonderful had taken place. Something wonderful in the eyes of some; and something unholy in the eyes of others. Below the Castle was small complex. It was unlike the island itself. That was remote and beautiful and natural. This place however was artificial and technological. The brightest of colours in there was the colour of white. White coats buzzed around steel halls with clipboards and pens attached to them. Computers were lined around select rooms of the complex. Some rooms were devoted entirely to the use of chemicals. Test tubes and Bunsen burners laid out across dreary white tables and observed by the scientists that got their kicks from such experimentation. This was their life. Exchanging personal happiness for scientific discovery. But they had done something that few could ever had dreamed possible. The fruits of their efforts were now being picked. And though they did not take the time to realize it; they had immortalized themselves for every in the halls of history. The experiments that they conducted in this underground laboratory, the efforts they had made, all of it led to this moment. And this was probably the moment at which history would be forever changed. There was a main room in the underground complex. It was built at the centre of the entire laboratory. Only a select few had gathered there. But one of the ones involved was the Great Knight Zephaniah. It was the middle of the night, and so the leader of the Shougatsu had abandoned his suits for nothing more than black bedroom trousers and a pair of shoes. Not very elegant. But at this point, code of dress was the least of Zephaniah's concerns. The English swordsman's scarlet eyes widened with glee as did the eyes of the three other scientists that stood beside him. In front of their gazes was a large test tube. Far larger than anything else in the laboratory at that time. It was large enough to contain a human being. And it did. Zephaniah walked up to the test tube, which was covered in condensation from the clash of the cold lab and the warm test tube. He wiped some of it aside and looked into the glass tube. It revealed the face of a beautiful woman. "...She is ready..." Zephaniah cast his eyes to someone at the side, "You there! Get ready. You shall awaken Diana now!" The junior scientist nodded to his leader and performed a few keystrokes on the computer he was manning. The fluid inside the glass tube began to drain from it. Inch by inch that life supporting liquid was sucked from the test tube to another place through the drainage system. The sleeping woman inside slumped against the side of the tube, as she was no longer supported by the weightlessness of the life support liquids. Zephaniah took his joyful eyes from the woman and looked back at the scientists that were with him. They knew that was his way of saying that he could take it from here. All of them took the message and left the room, exiting through one of the two automatic doors that slid open and closed with their approach. All that was left was Zephaniah and the woman in the glass jar. His love. The surrounding glass of the tube automatically began to lower from its upright position now that the liquid was gone. The glass followed its example and vanished from sight. Leaving the damp, naked, sleeping woman in a slumped position on the metal floors of the room. Zephaniah instantly went to the side of the room and gathered together the women's clothes that had been left there on a table. A simple white dress, a pair of white shoes and a silver neck chain. The Great Knight took them all and scrambled over to the sleeping woman on the floor. He kneeled to her and ran a hand through her damp silvery-blonde locks of hair. The man had been waiting for years to simply touch her again. Now it was finally happening. Zephaniah quickly went about clothing the girl in the white dress and the shoes. It was and awkward situation but he gave no thought to it. He was too happy to care about such things. Soon she was fully dressed. Like a picture of perfection; aside from the damp hair and pale tone skin. Remaining in that test tube for so long had probably felt like a nightmare (if she had been awake at anytime). But that mattered not. Zephaniah stood her up and smiled at her, finally putting on the finishing touch. The engagement ring. He slid it onto her wedding ring finger and placed his two strong hands upon her dainty shoulders. He shook her gently as they stood there to awaken the girl. And slowly her bright navy blue eyes fluttered open and were embraced with light for the first time in over three years. This was the return of Diana Angelinous. "Diana," Zephaniah spoke, "It's me... I finally... brought you..." The young woman stood there for a second. As if to assure herself of what she was seeing. Her disbelieving eyes looked up at the vision of the taller man. Her shaky hand reached up to touch Zephaniah's face to confirm that she wasn't dreaming. This was no dream. Diana's other hand touched her own face. "...Aesus...?" "Welcome back, my love." Then her fearful eyes melted into ones of extreme joy. Tears formed at them as she went to enfold the neck of the Great Knight with her thin arms, holding him in a long awaited and gravely desired embrace. Zephaniah himself secured his grip around the smaller woman with great protection and passion. Everything he had ever wanted was wrapped up in this one woman. Nothing else really mattered to him. Not the Four Swords, nor Second Origin, none of it compared to the value of Diana in his heart. A few moments later Diana pulled back and looked up at her love. "...Aesus..." She said, "What has happened? Why am I...? What is happening here...?" Zephaniah looked away to one side as his smile began fading. "...Diana. I no longer use that name. At this point in time I am known as Zephaniah. Things have changed since that day. The day that I..." Diana was still confused. "What are you talking about? Where have I been? I remember that we were walking together in the park to celebrate our engagement. And then... that gang arrived and... things get hazy from there. I can't remember anything after that. Will you please tell me what happened?" Finally Zephaniah released Diana and stepped backwards, turning his back to her. He was afraid of this. It looked like the trauma from that day had buried some of her memories. After all... the easiest way to deal with painful memories was always to ignore them. The Great Knight himself had been trying to bury his own memories of his past. But that meant burying his memory of Diana with them too. Which was something he could not do. "You deserve answers," He replied, "Diana. The day that you and I walked in that park was the day my life changed forever. We were attacked by a gang in Bristol. I could not protect you from them. They brutalized me... and..." Diana probed him. "And what...?" "And..." Zephaniah grit his teeth in disgust, "And... raped you. Forcing me to watch. The vile scum made me sit and watch as they took advantage of the only thing on this blasted planet that I have ever loved. They finally broke my spirit as... they took your life. In my eyes I saw your death. Forever scarred by it. By my helplessness. My weakness. My failure to protect the woman I loved. And most of all... my hatred for the sickening world that allows such atrocities to take place. This vile, stinking world. Rotting in both body and heart. Plagued by selfish, bloodthirsty perverts who seek only gain what they can by trampling on the dignity and god-given liberties of those weaker than them. There was only one thing I could do. I had to escape such a world. I took my revenge on them after feigning my own suicide. And I rose from the shadows to kill those that did this to you. From then on my only goal was to take my rage out on this world. And to find a way to bring you back from your premature grave. It has been three years since then. Now you have new life. With my family's connections and money I was able to build an organization that would be able to facilitate research into your revival. The Shougatsu Financial Group. After years of work my scientists discovered a process. One that could bring you back to life. By instilling nanomachines into a corpse and infusing it with magic we were able to reanimate the corpse fully. With the majority of the memories of experience and emotion inside. Those subjected to this process are called Deities. Beings which possess power far superior to both humans and magic users. You are the first of them. And together we can build a new world. Free from the evils of this one." Diana was horrified by all of this. But even more so by the man standing before her. The woman's bright blue eyes widened with shock as she stepped back. "W-What is all of this? This is madness! You are not the same man I once knew!" "Of course not!" Zephaniah returned, "That man was weak! He couldn't protect you!" "But I loved him!" Diana yelled back, terrified of this all, "What has become of you, Aesus? Surely you see how wrong this all is! Bringing people back from the dead? No one but God has ever had that power or that right. Can't you see that this goes against the will of God? You tempt fate with such actions!" In truth, Zephaniah was not expecting this. "Aren't you happy that I brought you back?" "...I am... pleased to see you again," Diana replied slowly, "...I love you more than life itself. But it was my time to depart then. That was the will of God. I know that it was not fair but life is never so forgiving, even to the innocent. Mimicking powers of the Almighty will bring nothing but calamity to the world. Even more so than the Genesis Comet. You must stop this before it gets out of hand!" The larger man crossed his arms. "I cannot do that. Everything is set for my plans. I have come too far to turn back now. I will not back down. The world must suffer in the name of justice. Nothing can save these people from their fate." Diana stepped back from Zephaniah. She was horrified. She... was actually afraid of this man now. What had happened to Aesus? Before he was so kind and gentle, now he was frightening. Dark. She couldn't stand it. To see someone she loved so much become so twisted. New tears appeared in Diana's beautiful blue eyes; but from sadness, not joy. The First of the Deities ducked around Zephaniah and ran for the door, crying. Even though she had no idea where she was. "You tyrant!" She yelled in her sadness, "You're not the same anymore!" Zephaniah reached for her but she was gone before he could even reply. The Great Knight stood there with disbelief. He finally brought back the woman he loved and now... she was almost afraid of him. "This... is not how it was supposed to be," The Englishman growled and thrust his fist downward. It pounded the steel of the floor and left behind a shallow fist mark, "This is not how it's supposed to be! Graaaaaaaaaah!"
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