Devil's & Guardian

Ah yes, I see," the being who was called Alucard... or Dracula... or by various other names... said. "Our new recruits have arrived... and since they had brought along new problems as well. So it is on me to `entertain´ them," he stated.

They all saw that the eyes of the woman introduced to them as Seras had turned into the same crimson red as her master´s and like with him they could see long sharp canines in her mouth.

Yes, Issei thought... Vampires, both of them. He could feel Asia grabbing his arm a bit harder than she already had before on their way here. While she had clearly seen many frightening things before, these two were still something new to her.

And in the other side of his eyes, he also saw the sharp glances of Raynare and Irina's that were sending in their direction as they watched Asia hanging on his arm.

"You are two of the Devil Kings of your world." Alucard turned to Sirzechs and Serafall. "And you also brought other's of your kind with you."

"That is right," Sirzechs answered.

"Now, let us begin," Alucard stated smugly. "You wanted to start negotiations between our groups. Isn´t that right?" he asked.

"We do," he replied.

"Good, then would you please answer my first question," he said while a nearly predatory grin was starting to form on his lips. "Why should I not simply... kill you?" he asked in a completely casual tone.

This was followed a just a short moment of silence, as everyone around registered what had just been said.

"What?... " Sirzechs exclaimed a second later. "Wait a minute. We are here to talk, not..."

"We are here to talk about possible relations between our people and you," Grayfia pointed out in his place.

"I know completely well why and how you came here," Alucard interrupted them. "You wormed your way into this meeting through blackmail and veiled threats. You were taking advantage of the fact that two of my comrades had a girl with them that needed help. Whyshould we even want to talk to you?"

"We Devils are one of the three Factions of the Supernatural world. We are one of its strongest races," she argued. "We could be a great help for each other."

To hers and Sirzechs shock however, the red dressed figure in front of them only started to laugh.

To their horror, they all saw how the ground around them suddenly began to turn into a black shadow-like substance, covering the entire area around them.

And to their even greater shock they saw Alucard's eyes growing out of the black mass and starring at them... eyes that had the same red color as the ones of the creature before them. It was a single horror-scenario they were trapped in.

[Calm down partner,] Ddraig said to Issei who felt the urge to protect the others... even if he knew it would be useless. [Nothing will happen to you and the others, trust me] Ddraig told him. [This here is surely just a test - or a warning in case of the Devils.]

`How can you be so sure about that?´ Issei replied.

[I have some experience with such situations... and with people like him. Trust me. Besides that, do you really think a member of the group you have joined would just attack you for no reason?]

"What you are... is parasites," Alucard replied coldly. "You are living off from humanity, but have the gall to call yourself the superior race."

From one moment to the other and without a warning, the black substance that surrounded them had started to move... against them. Deep black spikes, tentacles and spears were forming themselves out of the shadows and leashing out toward them all. They were grabbing them, the tentacles circling around their feet and holding them in place, the spikes still pointed in their direction. A few of them, like Kiba or Koneko, were actually sinking into the ground, the black matter they were standing on starting to act like quicksand.

Raynare, who had until now been in her human `Yuuma Armano´ form, transformed back into her real self.

Kalawarner panicked and formed a light-spear, that was however instantly knocked out of her hand by a black tentacle.

Asia was now screaming in terror, but she was still somehow holding herself.

"Well, let us begin our little `game´, shall we?" the Vampire in front of them stated. His voice now sounded different, louder, as if it wasn´t just coming from him but from everywhere around them. "At the one side we have our little group of `volunteers´," he said, looking to Issei and the others. "And here our `guests´ who have just `invited´ themselves along," he commented with a side-glance at Sirzechs, Rias and the other Devils.

"You say you want to talk to us? You think you have something to offer to us? Your Faction above all had been nothing but a thorn in our side for centuries in your reality. We call ourselves the Guardians because that is what we do, protecting the many universes from threats... external or internal. And you have truly done everything to make our job worse."

As if to make a point, the spears that were growing out of the ground - the ones aimed at the Devil part of their group - were now growing a bit closer to their targets.

"You claim territory in the human world and simply state it is yours... not asking or even informing the people who already live there. You use your powers to manipulate everyone there whenever it is convenient. But that is not even the true problem.

You paint a target on the places for your enemies. You are dragging countless outsiders into your conflicts without even telling them. While it is our purpose to protect all worlds including yours and secure the peace, you intentionally involve large areas in the human world into your Cold War." While he said this, he wasn´t sounding angry or aggressive. No, he was talking in a casual and even friendly tone with them, the smile never leaving his face. As if all that he was accusing them of wasn´t even an important matter. He was mocking them. Behind the taunting facade however, there was cold steel.

Rias remembered how she heard the same accusation from the Fallen Angel Gaeriel. She could not even truly deny it. The logic was quite simple and devastating. Like Murayama had only been hurt because the Fallen Angel was targeting them. She admitted she felt bad about this. But she knew controlling territory in the human world was in the best interest of their race.

xxx

Sirzechs on his part was starting to get actually nervous. As he had been talking the power of the creature had raised more and more and had now just surpassed his own. And it was possible that he was still holding back.

He began to ask himself if they had walked right into a trap. He now remembered the smile of the man who had send them here.

The entire peerage of his sister and their allies had been immobilized, with one move. They came here in hope of a peaceful contact and maybe, in the best case, a valuable agreement for both sides.

But now they seemed to be right in the middle of a outbreaking fight. He regretted ever coming here. It had been an impulsive and foolish decision, especially with the methods they had used. But as they heard that they had the chance to make contact with a Faction from outside their world, they just couldn´t help themselves.

Only he, Grayfia and Serafall were still free. But that didn´t mean that the shadow mass wasn´t bothering them. They were just far too strong to be overcome by it so easily. Grayfia had frozen the ground around her and was using the ice to keep the black substance away.

There were only three reasons they had not already tried to strike back. They had come here with the intention to talk, not fight... and they had absolutely no idea how powerful this being was. And most important one of all, they were all in another world and if they made an enemy out of the organization who controlled the place, they would most likely be trapped here.

"To boost your own numbers and to use their abilities for yourself, you turn humans and other creatures into your kind," Alucard continued, "all too often without even asking them first - your own sister is a prime example of this," he commented. The creature sends Rias a look that made her insides turn to ice.

"And then you have the nerve to act as if the people you have turned just for your own benefit owe you loyalty in return. And if some of them rebel against you and break away, you call them Stray Devils - hunt them down and kill them, calling them monsters and a threat to humans and Devils alike... conveniently ignoring that they only became like that because of you." There was still no trace of anger or unrest in his voice. He was speaking like he was talking about the weather. And somehow this made his hostile words even more frightening.

"That... that is the way of our law," Sirzechs replied.

"Devil's Law?" he asked sarcastically. "Don´t make me laugh. Laws that you have created just to serve your own purposes you mean? Do you think you are the first group of wannabe-conquerors who just walk in, with friendly words on their lips and thin justifications, take everything they want and act as if they have a right to be there?

I raised up entire forests out of their impaled bodies in my old homeland. I have hunted down supernatural trash like you for sport a few centuries later. Now - do you want a little demonstration of my old hobby." He grinned... and the pikes that were pointed at them all were moving even closer.

Sirzech's knew he didn´t have a choice anymore. It was clear that the Vampire was not open to reason.

So he did what he would have usually done far earlier - he attacked, using his Power of Destruction against this opponent who was threatening his family. The energy he fired at him would was concentrated on a small place, but would have been strong enough to wipe out a city.

Sirzechs saw that the body of the Vampire was completely disintegrated. The black substance all around them however was still there.

He could only hope that he had done the right thing. If the rest of the Guardians considered them their enemies now, they might never be able to return from this world. But he had been threatening to kill them all, he reasoned. With the others backing them up, there was a good chance that they would accept their explanation... But he never came to end this thought.

A loud laughing was suddenly heard from everywhere around them. It was Alucard´s voice.

Sirzechs and the others froze as they looked around them. They could barely believe it. Suddenly five Alucards were standing at different places around them. All of them looking identical to the one he had just `seemingly´ destroyed.

"You think it is that easy?" the five incarnations said at the same time. "You think you can just force your way in here with blackmail and underhanded tactics and we will just have to talk to you because in your small part of the universe you seem to be someone important? You think you are powerful beings, a force that should be respected by everyone?

You are sitting on top of a system build up on corruption. You consider yourself `good people´ - because you treat your slaves somewhat better than some of your demented peers. But you let all kinds of abuse, mistreatment, murder and manipulation flourish right next to you.

You are nothing but cancer that has befallen the human race... and I seriously consider a radical treatment," one of the Alucard´s said.

The Devils realized that his power had indeed grown once again. It outshone everyone here by far.

Even Ddraig admitted that his own full strength did not even really compare. Whatever Alucard had once been, he was no longer simply a Vampire or human, he had evolved into something more... a higher being. His power seemed practically endless. Reality itself seemed to be breaking under it.

For a short moment the Alucard´s eyes switched from their blood red to a pinkish color.

Now it was on Sirzechs and his fellow Maou to panic. They just began to realize how badly they had misjudged the situation. He tried to use his powers again, only to find out that he couldn´t activate them. One look at Grayfia and Serafall told him that they were in a similar situation.

"Time space and... reality follows my commands,"Alucard informed them simply. "Mind over matter you could say. I decided that you shouldn´t have your powers, so they don´t exist right now. Tell me, how is it to be helpless?"

He made a gesture and both Sirzechs, Grayfia and Serafall felt a invisible force constricting around their bodies. They could no longer move, they couldn't breath and it was forcing them to their knees.

Then he released the hold on them a little.

Some of the others - specifically the Fallen Angels and the two Exorcists - were actually feeling some grim satisfaction to see not only one but two Maous beaten and humiliated like that. But at the same time they were of course terrified. If this being could do that so easily, what chance did they have?

"A magical girl Devil," Alucard remarked drily with a look at Serafall, "now I have truly seen everything."

"I surrender," she said simply and with a grin. "I have a sister that I need to take care of. Please don´t hurt me," she asked him with a `cute´ voice.

"If you say so," he replied, returning the smirk on her face. He could read the thought of even a Maou like a book. He knew perfectly well what this `taking care of her sister´ looked like. He admitted this particular Devil actually amused him.

"And what do we have here?" he said sarcastically, turning to Raynare, whose feet were shackled to the ground by two black slings. "A `little girl´, claiming to be a `mighty´ Fallen Angel, who was so desperate to be loved and appreciated that she was willing to turn into a murderer."

"You are right," she answered surprising some people around and letting her head sank down a bit. "That is exactly what I am," she admitted. A few days ago she would have had a fit if someone talked about her like this. But after all what happened during the last days, she had to say, Alucard´s description of her failures was exactly correct.

"Good," he replied grinning, "admitting your shortcomings is the first step to grow. And your two comrades." He looked at Dohnaseek and Kalawarner. "Two low level soldiers whose only concern was to rise in rank and who didn´t care who they had to hurt for it. Who now realized they had been betrayed by one of their leaders. The only reason they are even here is that you have saved them and dragged them here. Do you truly think these two are fit to be new recruits?"

The two Fallen Angels didn´t say anything.

"If I can learn my lesson, I am sure they can as well," Raynare replied.

"We will see," Alucard said. "And here we have two Exorcists, all full of glorious and self-righteous ideals," he addressed Xenovia and Irina. "Yes, I remember the fights I had with your kind back in the days. And a little Nun, who is only here because she wanted to have friends," he said to Asia. "Do you all still think you are fit to join us or do you rather want to go home, now that you know what you are dealing with?" he asked them mockingly.

"Leave them alone," Issei called out.

"Ah, Issei Hyoudou, always willing to stand up for his friends. Even if there is no greater thing for him than the next pair of breasts. But let me tell you this, if you truly want to be one of us, you will have to do more than just that. You will have to fight and risk your life for people you don´t know, even for people you despise. Are you willing to do that?"

"Yes," Issei answered seriously, "I am."

Alucard let his eyes gliding from one of them to the other now.

"Good. Then you have all passed the first trial," he said, his voice returning to normal.

The black substance around them began to resolve and set them free.

"So Ddraig was right, this all was just a test," Issei stated as he registered what he just heard.

"This little demonstration had two purposes." They heard another voice. It was Darien who had just appeared right behind them. "The first was to test the resolve of our new recruits... and show them what kind of opponents they might be facing in the future," he informed them. "The other was to teach our uninvited guests a lesson about their methods to ask for a meeting," he said in the direction of Sirzechs and the others who had just been standing up again.

"I thought you are taking care of Murayama?" Issei asked him.

"I am. This body here is just a psychic construct," Darien responded. "My true self is inside with your friend."

They others were starring from him to Alucard and back. This `psychic construct´ as he called it was now easily radiating more power than a twelve winged Angel or a Maou... and if that was not even his true body, than... what kind of being where they dealing with?

"I welcome you all here in the headquarter of the Caerleon Organization, also called the Ashema Group. Or as we are more commonly known... the Guardians," he told them. "I have taken a look at your friend Issei and so far everything seems alright with her."

"Thank you," he said.

"And now to you," Darien turned to Sirzechs, Serafall and the other Devils. "As I see Alucard has `explained´ to you the reasons why an alliance between our groups will not work out. Unless of course there will be some drastical changes in your policies," he stated.

"I see," Sirzechs who was just getting back a hold on himself replied matter of factly. "I admit that the ways we have forced this meeting were not acceptable. We apologize," he said, looking at Serafall.

Darien, Alucard and Seras exchanged a look as well at that statement. Was the apology sincere? Or were they just saying it because they were outmatched? They could of course read their minds to find out. But what difference would that even make?

"Yes, we have come to an `understanding´," Alucard remarked drily.

A few of the Devils were giving him angry or nervous glances.

"An political alliance is not possible, at least as long as things are like they are," Darien stated. "Our interests are just too different. There is however one thing we are willing to do. We are willing to provide your sister and her peerage with training."

"You are?" Sirzechs asked a bit surprised.

"Yes, but don´t misunderstand me. We are not doing this as a favor to you or even as a way to establish some kind of relation, even if that might be a side-effect. We just don´t want a bound between the Gremory and Phenex families. Your Faction is trouble enough for us like it is. We don´t need the Phenex Clan get involved into Maou business as well. That had been our only interest from the beginning."

"What?" Rias called out and send a hard glance at Gaeriel, who just shrugged with the shoulders and gave her an innocent smile. She just realized that the Fallen Angel had been playing her from the start. The `help´ against Raiser she had offered her was not in exchange for her peerage´s help in securing and guarding Freed Selzen, it was in her own damned self interest.

"I see you know a few things about the politics of our race," Sirzechs replied now sternly.

"Of course. If we are to protect a universe, we have to know what is going on in it," Darien stated. "Of course we could also wage war against your race and just subjugate you. But this is not the way we do things. And besides that, I think that would be a quite boring afternoon," he commented with a bit of taunt.

A few of the Devils looked offended about the implication that their race were weaklings. But after they had seen what Alucard alone was capable of, they could not really deny the truth of the statement.

Issei admitted this was a side from Darien he had not seen before. So far he had ever been either polite and mild-mannered or a practically invincible super-entity. This snarky side was truly something new.

"Your sister and her peerage can stay here. Of course we won´t teach them any powers or fighting techniques that are unknown in your reality. Nothing that could give you an advantage over your enemies and upset the balance of power. I am sure Serafall´s sister Sona will be able to come up with something to explain the absence of all of them. But as soon as they do something suspicious, they will leave. If they manage to win our trust in the time they are here, we might talk about it more. Is that acceptable?"

Nobody had told him about Sona. He showed once again how easily he could read their thoughts if he wanted.

"It is," Sirzech answered finally. "If you agree Rias... " he asked his sister.

It wasn´t what they wanted. But at least it was something. A part of him was unsure about leaving Ria-tan with these people. But if they wanted to harm them, they could have easily done that whenever they wanted. They had made so much clear.

If only a single one of their members was that powerful as Alucard had shown, then what about the entire organization? If they made these people their enemies, they were lost. If that was the lesson they had wanted to teach them, they had surely learned it.

The first little `test´ Alucard had passed on them all was over. It had accomplished both of its objectives in a very brutal matter.

"Are you okay Asia?" Issei asked her.

"Yes, it is okay," she said. "It is just... we are here to train. But I... I never wanted to fight... and I don´t know if I can."

"This is not so important. Your training will be first line consist of better use of your healing abilities. You are here under our protection, not as one of our members and you don´t have to perform any combat training if you don´t want to... unless of course you decide that you want to join us," Darien informed her. "I will leave now and return my `full attention´ to my new charge you have brought me." With this words his secondary body simply vanished.

xxx

Gaeriel had heard the short exchange as well. She could only look at Asia, who seemed quite content so far. The confrontation with Alucard had scared and shocked her of course. Still she had not completely panicked... good. Maybe she was actually able to stay with them, as part of their team.

Gaeriel remembered the true reason she asked Darien to put Asia under the Guardian´s protection. She remembered hearing about the life this girl had led... and how much of it was ultimately her fault.

Her dark secret... one of them at least. That was also the reason she wanted to prevent Raynare from making the same mistake she once did.

Even if none of the others were aware of it... even if none of the other would ever find out... she knew she had a lot to make up to this girl.

xxx

Alucard was just looking after the two Maou and Grayfia who were just leaving their dimension again.

"I feel your doubts old friend." He heard Darien´s voice in his head.

`Do you really think this will make an impact?´ he asked.

"Your little `demonstration´ had at least given them a warning... in more sense than one. They needed to know what they might be dealing with some day. A single one of the Lords could easily turn their world to ash... if they ever truly turned their attention to it.

We might not like the Devils, but that doesn´t mean we don´t care if they all die."

`Speak only for yourself,´ Alucard replied with a smirk.

xxxxxxx

Somewhere inside the building

She was slowly waking up. She remembered... Issei, Fallen Angels, Devils, things that just couldn´t be... the fight she had watched. She remembered being taken hostage, the sudden pain and then...

As Murayama opened her eyes and looked around, she realized that she was lying in a room she had never seen before.

"I see you are awake," she heard a voice. She saw that it was a young brown haired man who was sitting in a chair close to her. He was wearing some strange and futuristic looking body armor.

"Where am I? Who are...?"

"Your classmate Issei has brought you here... after you have been hurt," the man answered. His voice sounded friendly, consoling even. It actually helped her to calm down a bit.

"You are in the headquarter of our organization," he explained. "You can call us the Guardians. The name I am currently going by is Darien."

Headquarter? Guardians? Issei brought her here? she thought, not really understanding anything. The things she remembered were a dream, right? They couldn´t be real.

"No, you're wrong," the man said to her. "What you remember did indeed happen. You followed Issei and got caught in a fight between his group and an enemy."

How? she asked herself. How did he know what she had just thought?

"You can say I am, to put it simply, reading your mind," Darien told her. "It will not be easy for you to accept this, but you died in the fight."

Murayama remembered, the pain, the strange glowing weapon sticking out of her chest. Issei kneeling over her... no. She crinched.

"Issei had used a special technique of our group to bring you back... just like I did it with him not so long ago." As he said this, he made a slight gesture with his head toward a table at the other side of the room, where a cup of water was standing.

She saw in disbelief how the cup was lifted off into the air and flying through the room towards them... and landed on the nightstand right next to her.

"As you see there are many things around here that might... shock you," Darien explained. "Issei has brought you back. But sadly he hadn´t really mastered this technique, so we were keeping an eye on you. You live again. But you are different from before."

"Different...?" she asked.

"Issei wanted to help you. But he couldn´t fully control the technique and didn´t know the side-effects. Murayama..." ... he adressed her by her name and then said the things she could hardly believe... "you will no longer age. Your body will be able to recover from most injuries and regenerate itself. And it is also likely that you will also develop other `abilities´."

She wasn´t sure how to feel about this... or even how to take what she had just heard.

"O-other abilities," she repeated insecure. "What other abilities?"

"This is a bit hard to predict... even with my powers," Darien replied. "It depends on how the energy Issei transferred into you develops and how your body will react to it. A form of telepathy is very likely, maybe over time telekinesis like you have it just seen from me. Some forms of magic are also a possibility. But we need to wait and see. It is to a great part depending on sheer chance and that it something even I can't foresee."

Murayama wasn´t quite sure how to swallow this.

"We will keep an eye on you for the next few days. Should any side-effects of your metamorphosis appear, we have way to react to it. I promise you, we will let nothing happen to you," he told her reassuring.

xxxxxxx

Outside, a short time later

Their combined group was wandering over the wide area around the building.

"So you see," the girl named Seras explained to them, "my master had once hold off an army without lifting a single weapon. He instead had the impaled bodies of 20.000 enemies placed in their way. As the commander of the invading army saw this, he was so horrified that he turned back."

A few of them who had heard it shuddered from this story. Some of them had actually heard it before.

"Nice," Raynare commented. "So Issei-kun, whenever you complain about how bad I am, I will just remind you of this story and that there are people much worse than me."

"I know," he replied emotionless. He had actually seen many of them just in the last few days, he thought.

"Does that mean you will forgive me then?" she asked him in a bit of a sweet tone, her voice basically a mixture of `Yuuma´ and the `regular´ Raynare.

Issei didn´t answer. A part of him wanted to. But as soon as he thought back about it, he suddenly felt a pain in his chest, exactly at the place where her light-spear had pierced him.

xxx

Raynare on her part caught herself starring at Issei and at Asia who was still walking right next to him, as she felt the same feeling coming up in her as several times before, jealousy. She remembered their date. How he had practically showered her with affection. How he would have done practically everything to make her feel happy - even if he by far not always succeeded.

But since he was `only a human´, she had considered him too far below her notice to even take him serious.

Now she wanted to have all that back. Stupid arrogant bitch, she said to herself.

That he was a complete pervert didn´t even disturb her much. After all she was far from a saint herself - quite an ironic thing for an Angel to say, she thought.

Physically he was still not that impressive. He wasn´t bad looking, but a bit scrawny and not really imposing from his stature. Well, maybe this might actually change with the kind of training they were going through. But now that she had seen what he can do... who he could be... only with the right motivation. First him coming back from the dead, then fighting and defeating Kalawarner and then challenging herself, all that... for Asia, she thought with some scorn. This was not the puny human she had seen in the beginning. No, this was a hero.

To think that she would actually be starting to fall for a guy she had already killed, so ironic and stupid.

She knew she had only herself to thank for that. If she had not been so ready to - as the humans say it, `jump the gun´ - and kill him over a mere suspicion, it would still be her he would be doting over. Now he could barely look at her without pain. She knew she also couldn´t even blame Asia, even when there were times she wanted to strangle the little Nun.

She couldn´t help herself, she admitted a part of her was afraid - no terrified. Issei did have feelings for her, maybe even loved her despite what she had done, she was sure about that. But... there was Asia, the `living embodiment´, she thought sarcastically, of innocence... and the Exorcist girl, his childhood friend after all. When it came down to it, why in the world would he choose her? His killer... a cynical coldhearted bitch.

Of course there was an alternative. Why not? she thought. `When it came down to it´, she would rather share than loose... and like she said, the chances were not exactly for her tastes. So she would probably help to make Issei´s dream of a harem come true.

xxx

"Yes Master Alucard used to be kind of a bad guy," Seras said to them with a somewhat shy smile.

"Oh yes, while he is a true ray of sunshine now," Rias remarked grimly, thinking back to their confrontation with a shudder. While her brother, Grayfia and Serafall had returned to their world, she and her servants had accepted the other to stay for the time being.

"If he is that powerful," Issei asked, "how did Van Hellsing ever been able to beat him anyway?" Issei asked.

"Quite simple," it was Alucard himself who answered him, who had so far only been walking next to them and listening to their conversation in slight amusement. "For one I was back then not nearly as powerful as I am now. But it was still more than enough. No, the true reason is that Abraham was simply much more than an old englishman with a woodenstick."

"The truth is, Abraham Van Hellsing was a member of the Guardians," they heard another voice. It was the old man who had been with Darien earlier. "Even if he, in opposite to many others, never accepted immortality. He instead handed down the duty to his descendants.

The roots of our organization reach back thousands of years," the old man stated. "Of course it didn´t always have the same name. It had been involved with Arthur´s Camelot, it is closely connected to both the Vatican and the Protestant Churches of this reality... and existed even long before that."

"Our current headquarter is close to where the center of the Hellsing Organization had once been standing, that Master Alucard and me have been working for in the 20th Century... as, well, monster-hunters. It had been founded by the british crown to fight supernatural threats," Seras explained. "Actually it had been a sub-organization of the Guardians. But very few people knew that."

"Even after 700 years you still talk too much... `policegirl´," Alucard interrupted her.

"If you want to get an idea, look," the old man told them and pointed to the place before them.

Right now they were standing in front of a part of the estate that they all easily recognized as a large graveyard.

"This place serves as a memorial for the members who had been lost during the long war. In some cases, their actual remains are lying here. In other's the markers are just symbolic," the old man explained. "This area is permanently cut off from the outside world. The space itself is particular shifted into another dimension, so that a normal person could not stumble upon it by accident."

They were taking looks at the different gravestones.

"Abraham Van Hellsing." It was the scripture on one of them that Issei was reading loud. "Herakles," he continued to read. "Thor of Asgard."

Something, a nearly unreadable expression, seemed to flinch over the face of the old man for a short moment. But then it was gone.

"Sir Lancelot of the Lake." They heard Irina reading in fascination.

"People like that were part of the Guardians?" Issei asked.

"Yes they were." They heard Darien´s voice. As they turned around they saw that he and Murayama had appeared right behind them.

"Hyoudou-kun," Murayama addressed him, "I was told that you have saved my life."

She seemed a bit different from like she usually was... more timid. Murayama was a fighter, an outspoken confident girl. But with all she was suddenly confronted with, it was no wonder. At the horizon behind them she could see the buildings of an futuristic city, the London of the 28. Century of `this´ Earth, as she had been told. She and the man named Darien had just teleported. Was it a wonder that it was all a bit hard to take in?

"Yes," Issei replied, " but as it looks, I didn´t exactly do it right. Sorry about that."

"Don´t say something like that. Without you I would be dead. Besides that, it was my own fault for following you like that. I should be sorry."

"Don´t mention it," he replied a bit surprised about Murayama´s reaction. "By the way. Darien," he turned towards him. "You have never really mentioned one thing. If people like this were your allies, who exactly are you fighting against?" Issei asked.

"Ultimately, the greatest foe our order was formed to stand against the so called Great Darkness, a force often also called Ahriman... and it´s followers. It is... " he halted for a moment.

"Raynare," he turned to her and the other Fallen Angels, "tell me, are you and your comrades feeling any different since you are here?"

"Now that you mention it," she said, "yes. It feels somehow... I don´t know, different. And I also think I have access to more energy than before for some reason."

"You are right," Dohnaseek mentioned. "Somehow our energy is different."

"That is no wonder," Darien replied. "You are Angels in the end, Fallen or not. And there is a difference between your universe and ours. This here is what we call a mainline universe."

"What exactly does that mean?" Issei wanted to know.

"Like I have told you, the true God is a universial force - the creator of the entire multiverse. The God from your reality was a small part of himself that he had separated into a new form to watch over your world... and as this incarnation `died´ during your Great War, it merged once again with the greater whole.

In some other realities however, like this one, Gods true self had decided to watch over them directly. That is what these three are feeling. His presence is in every fiber of this reality. The Darkness is, if you want to call it that, the counterforce of God himself. Or like some people see it, his dark side. Like God is the Force of Creation and Life, it is the Force of Destruction. Like him it is omnipresent... in every universe.

A long time ago however, the Darkness had chosen heralds, the beings that we usually call the `Lords´ today and these heralds had chosen servants of their own, entire armies. This is how the organization that is calling itself the Aka Maha or the Dark Order came to be. Like us they are active in countless worlds and realities. They are our direct enemy. Our organization was created to counter them. But I will explain more about them later.

For now. It is time for you to begin your training. Some of you will first face a few more tests. Seras will explain everything to you. If you excuse me. There are other matters me and Alucard have to attend to."

With these words both of them vanished. In opposite to the supernaturals from their world, a few of them noticed, they didn´t need a magical circle or another help. They just disappeared.

"You know," Xenovia said now, "for the fact that such famous people had been part of their organization, I am surprised that I have never heard of him. I mean, he is your leader, isn´t he?"

"What makes you think that you haven´t?" Seras stated. "Of course not under this name. Many have been calling ourselves different over the centuries. He is the head of our Order, while my master Alucard for example is one of the other leaders. A long time ago though, he was known under a different name... Galahad."

"The Knight of the Round Table who had found the Holy Grail?" Xenovia asked surprised.

"Exactly."

"Wait a minute, in the legends, wasn´t Galahad...?" Irina asked.

A few of them, like Ris, Akeno and Raynare realized it as well. They looked at the gravestone Darien had paid attention to earlier. The one with the name of the legendary Sir Lancelot. It was in fact the marker in honor of his father.

"But if he was originally a human knight, how did he became... whatever he is now?" Irina wanted to know.

"He, just like his father Lancelot and King Arthur himself and some other knights... just like their enemy Mordred, were actually born with the power of sorcerers and had trained it over the time." It was the old man who explained this. "They were all trained by the Druids of Avalon... some even by Merlin himself."

"What few people know, in our universe, as Arthur and Mordred slayed each other in the final battle, Mordred had already reached immortality. He had pledged himself to the Darkness and become one of it´s followers. And as Galahad finally found the Grail, he and Mordred founght about it. In the end both won... or neither, depending how you see it."

"Don´t tell me?" Xenovia called out.

"Yes, the power of the Holy Grail was absorbed by both of them," Seras stated. "But this wasn´t even everything. Over the centuries both of them grew stronger and stronger, beyond humanity or what you would call gods."

"What became of Mordred?" Irina wanted to know.

"He is still around. He is now one of our most dangerous enemies... one of the `Lords´. At the last state, I think he is currently calling himself Faust by what I have heard.

Now then," Seras said to them, "I think we have spent enough time here. For today we still have another challenge for you. We have a special training area that you will pass. We call it the Labyrinth."

xxxxxxx

Back in their own reality - The Underworld

The blonde young girl was wandering through the wide parks that were part of the land that belonged to her family´s estate.

The girl was a pureblooded Devil. Her name was Ravel Phenex... the younger sister of Raiser and the other child of the Phenex family.

Close behind her were two others. Both were members of the peerage of her father... and currently more or less serving as her bodyguards. Not that it was likely that anybody would attack them, here right in the middle of the Devil controlled Underworld.

But you could never be careful enough. Someone might still try something... and that was exactly what happened.

The two guards tensed a bit as they saw an unknown man appearing before them.

They realized after a moment that it was another Devil as they felt his aura and he spread his wings. They relaxed only a little bit. That he was a member of their race didn´t necessarily meant that he was on their side.

"Who are you? This is the territory of the House of Phenex," one of them said.

But the stranger didn´t answer. Instead he made a gesture... and a large wound was ripped into one of the Devil´s bodies as the blood shot outside.

"Weak," the stranger in front of them simply commented.

The other Devil saw in shock how the blood of his partner, that was flowing through the air, became solid and formed a spear that was directed at him. And at the same time he realized that he couldn't move from his place. He used his energy to shield himself and the makeshift weapon didn´t cause any real damage.

But while he stopped the attack, the enemy in front of him made another. Suddenly he changed... his one pair of Devil wings disappeared and was replaced by two of a Fallen Angel.

The Devil guard had no time to be surprised or wonder, since he was stepped by two light-spears a moment later.

That left only the girl.

Ravel admitted, she was terrified. In opposite to most other pureblood Devils she didn´t have her own peerage, but was part of her brother Raiser´s, his bishop to be precise. As such she had faced many dangerous opponents, in Rating Games.

But this was different... it was bloody reality... and just like the guard, she was unable to move a limb.

"Your family should have found better bodyguards, Ravel Phenex," the man said to her, before he wrapped one of his arms around her body, still keeping her paralyzed.

He waited for a short time more. He knew that the rest of the Devils close by would have sensed his presence.

Like he had expected, three more servants of the Phenex Clan teleported in less than a minute later... and saw their young lady being held hostage by a Fallen Angel.

Before they could actually say or do something however, a magic circle appeared beneath Crocel´s feet and both he and his prisoner vanished before their eyes.

xxxxxxx

As they reappeared, they were no longer in the Underworld but on Earth, standing in front of a large very derelict looking castle. It´s appearance could only be described as sinister, like it was ripped out of a horror-movie.

As he stepped through the gate, dragging the helpless Ravel along with him, they were greeted by a group of people.

"I see you are back Crocel," Kokabiel greeted him friendly, "and you have actually succeeded with your little suggestion," he said, looking at Ravel, who was now more than terrified.

She of course knew who he was. Every Devil of her position would be informed about the leaders of the Grigori.

The rest of the group before them were Kokabiel´s right hand Sartael, along with another Fallen Angel whose name she didn´t know. The last member of the group was the human Valper Galilei, once known as the Genocide Bishop.

This place here served not only as Kokabiel´s secret base, but in first line also for Valper as a location where he could continue his experiments away from the eyes of the world. Down in the yard he saw a couple of the humans that were here as `raw material´ being brought inside by another Fallen.

"It was actually quite easy," he replied. "They didn´t expect anyone to try something like this."

"Still, kidnapping a High Class Devil right out of the Underworld," Sartael commented, "impressive."

"And we are of course also thankful for the information you gave us about this organization called the Guardians," Kokabiel added. "With that and this new tool you have given us for our goals, your role in the coming new order will be secured."

They didn´t know anything about his Devil wings, the man named Alyk Crocel knew, to them he was simply one of their kind, instead of a hybrid. Being able to take the appearance of both races like he wanted, he was able to move freely in Devil and Fallen Angel controlled territory.

"She's the youngest child of the Phenex Clan, that will play a role in the coming events with their planned alliance with the Gremory," Crocel pointed out. "I have made sure that the other Devils saw me before I left with her."

"Very good," Kokabiel responded. "Yes, Ravel, that was your name, wasn´t it?" he addressed her with fake friendliness. "You will be very usefull for us."