Kill the Other World

Raizo's mind was overtaken by Vesta's past. The melding of their energies enabled him to see part of her history in an instant. These are the events he witnessed in the girl's mind, a story all too familiar to him but deeply changed by the presence of one who was not himself.

"Please don't! I'm just a simple merchant!"

Within a lonesome, dimly lit alleyway set amidst the backdrop of the sprawling Imperial Capital, a man cried out, begging for whatever remained of his fleeting lifetime.

If not for the singular lamppost illuminating the dirt-ridden and rat-infested location, that bald, caucasian merchant would be completely immersed in the darkness of the night. Broken, yellow teeth, a foul scent, and a raggedy brown vest and pants were his most defining characteristics. Blood ran down the left side of his lips, and his breathing and heartbeat were irregular. Moreover, the man looked out of his mind, his eyes wide open, and his body paralyzed by fear.

To the merchant's right the shop wherein he spent most of his days was set ablaze whilst his two coworkers were still inside. A part-time worker around the age of sixteen and a young woman whose eighteenth birthday celebration had taken place not even twelve hours ago. Painful howling and screaming could be heard as the two had their flesh slowly boil and melt off of their bones like butter.

A small girl loomed over the merchant, she was around the age of 13 yet gazed down upon him as if she had a more overpowering presence than his own. Despite his injuries, he could still muster enough strength to look at his assailant. She had albino white skin and long, snow-white hair that extended to around her waist. All of that is accompanied by bright, primrose irises and pitch-black pupils. This little princess held twin lances that were almost twice her size and as crimson as the moonlight above.

"Smuggling weapons to Rebel forces is considered an act of treason to the Empire. Therefore...you are no more than a traitor who awaits execution," the child spoke whilst her target continued crawling away from her until he had his back against the lamppost.

"Spare me, please!" he pleaded.

"Never show mercy to your enemy, for they may rise against you once more," the child concluded with great apathy before mercilessly driving the crimson lance she held in her right hand through the center of the man's forehead.

This young assassin was effective, perhaps too effective. When striking she employed enough strength in her thrusting motion to puncture the target's brain wholly, thus cracking through the back of his head and subsequently the lamppost itself. When pulling her weapon back out of the man's skull, she inadvertently pulled the entire head off of his neck causing blood to gush upwards repainting the walls of the alleyway in red.

"Mission Accomplished," she murmured under her breath while watching the merchant's roll across the pavement, his eyes now rolled back and his tongue sticking out.

A once prosperous shop was consumed by flames, and its owner and employees were left either rotting or erased by flames amid a collapsing structure. The girl didn't look back or shed tears for the fallen. Instead, she just disappeared into the night.

***

The passing of time seemed to be slowed down as the white-haired assassin darted across the deserted streets of the Imperial Capital. The clock had just struck midnight. Soldiers and citizens alike were now asleep leaving the empty streets open for assassins, late-night patrols, and criminals. To avoid any possible complications the little girl moved through rundown alleyways and made use of basic parkour maneuvers to jump over entire households and small buildings.

A city like no other—the Capital of Sin as some called it—was littered with small businesses, stores, and households that ranged from incredible mansions crafted using complex blends of Roman, Greek, or even Chinese architecture to rundown homes that were regularly victims of vandalism.

No more than a minute had passed when the little killer made it out of the city. Aware of imminent dangers such as the Danger Beasts and creatures that lurked outside the walls, she elected to rapidly jump from tree branch to tree branch without making a sound. By now her handiwork had likely been reported to the local authority, but as her deadpan expression would suggest she couldn't possibly care less.

The girl stopped upon reaching a wide open clearing in the heart of the forest surrounding the outskirts of the Capital. She dropped down from the trees and looked ahead whilst letting out a sigh of relief.

"Home," she spoke in a whispering tone only to then drive her twin weapons into the grass.

"Open," the child proclaimed before bringing her hands together as if praying. However, she kept both her index and middle fingers pointed upward. This motion made it so a clicking noise echoed across the forest, almost as if a lock was being broken.

Space itself was seemingly distorted in a way that resembled the shattering of glass. Behind the broken illusion, an entire village composed of wooden households typical of that era, tents, and other such commodities were revealed. Children could be seen practicing their martial arts alongside their parents, forging weapons, running obstacle courses, and tending their wounded comrades with medical herbs and other common medications. Much like the white-haired killer, the children here appeared to be assassins in the making.

The lance-wielding girl picked up her preferred tools of death before walking straight across the small village and towards a large, brown tent that rested at its heart without care for any of the boys and girls eyeing her up—all with expressions of either jealousy or untold desires.

"Vesta! Wait up!" a female's yell echoed into the youthful princess' ears, revealing her name to all in the process. She turned to see a girl around her age with sapphire blue hair cut around shoulder length and bright aqua eyes that were somewhat deprived of their true color due to the glasses she wore. As per usual this girl wore black robes that flowed down toward the ground akin to a priestess' attire.

"Assana, what's up?" Vesta calmly inquired, a smile stamped across her lips. The would-be priestess meanwhile had to hunch over to catch her breath after the short sprint she just did.

"Did you just make it back? How did it go? Are you hurt?" she harangued her with questions.

"Easy, easy! I'm fine, dummy. The mission went well, though my gear needs some cleaning."

"You got my present all dirty?"

"No, not at all. I told you I would never use your blades unless I had to. That's why I only took my mother's lances," Vesta clarified.

"So my blades are not good enough?" Assana retorted with a pouting face and a high-pitched tone.

"No, they are just… too special to be used on low lives. Don't worry, I love your gift. I just don't want to ruin their beauty," she reassuringly stated before putting her hand on the girl's head, gently patting her. Assana could only smile cheekily before another girl came up to them.

"~Oh Vesta~ About time you got your ass back here! I missed you!" the unwelcomed girl put it bluntly. Vesta could barely muster the strength required to look at her face. Long, pale blue hair kept neatly arranged into a longtail accompanied by tanned skin and foggy silver eyes. Yuki was her name just like in Raizo's world albeit she looked slightly different. Nonetheless due to her pristine looks and voluptuous form she was the object of many fantasies to men all around the village.

"Jeez Yuki, nothing spells attention whore better than the way you are acting!" Assana said, inadvertently getting Vesta into even more of a fuss. Yuki merely chuckled at her statement.

"What's the matter, cousin? Are you jealous that Vesta and I get all the attention from the boys round'here?" she taunted while swaying her hips to the side.

"Jealous? Vesta is my best friend, and as for you… How can I be jealous of someone who dresses like one of the Revolutionary Army's bimbos?!" Assana exclaimed before pointing at her cousin's outfit. Yuki looked down at herself and smiled.

"At least I have a body to show. I bet a guy doesn't even know you are a girl under all of that you have on!" Yuki teased. Vesta could only sigh and shake her head at such indecency.

"You two need to get along."

A few more moments of pointless banter passed eating away at Vesta's patience. However, that daily session of internal suffering was interrupted when another familiar face suddenly came up and patted her on the shoulder.

This time the individual presenting himself was a handsome young man whose long, silver head of hair contrasted heavily with his piercing, emerald-green eyes. His attire was similar to that of a traditional ninja with the exception that he was unmasked and sported a purely white coloring. Rather notably, the man was taller than all females present by half a foot.

"Good to see you back home...darling," he remarked. Hearing those words almost made Vesta unwillingly vomit a bit inside her mouth.

"Don't you have anywhere else to be? I'd rather not deal with you right now," she put it bluntly only to then push him away with the blunt end of one of her lances.

"Still mad about what happened to your lover eh? Wake up, Vesta. Women can't lead this clan as well as our men can. Normally the leader's son would take over the reins of the clan after proving himself in combat—but guess what? Raiden had you instead. Tradition demands that in such cases the daughter must be married off to a suitable candidate chosen by the leader himself!" the egotistical man stated boldly with a sly smile.

"Over my dead body," Vesta countered. By now both Assana and Yuki had stopped their arguing and grew unsure of how to react.

"It's not your choice to make, we're just tools for the clan. We were friends, we worked well together, that's why I was chosen," Aquilo argued. His words were immediately met with a slap across the face—a strike delivered by Assana no less. Vesta had no words, all she could do was lower her head and dart away from that scene and towards the large tent, she meant to go to originally.

"See what you did?" Aquilo shifted the blame onto Assana whilst rubbing his cheek, "You should learn to control that temper of yours."

"You're an idiot," Assana retorted before taking her to leave alongside Yuki.

"Well it doesn't matter—she will be mine soon."

After a minute or two, Vesta came upon a large tent with the crest of a white wolf on a black hilltop howling at the red moon—this was the symbol that represented the Order of the Blood Wolves.

"We repay sins with blood," the small killer reminisced on what those words truly meant. This simple phrase was the guiding main principle indoctrinated into her life and carved into her mind from an early age, an assassin's creed to always be upheld and worshipped.

Vesta walked inside after wiping away her tears and was immediately granted a glimpse of the black-haired, red-eyed man who patiently awaited her arrival. He kept his hair worn in a top ponytail; his clothing resembled the robes of a samurai. Next to him was a woman whose appearance was most accurately described as an older incarnation of Vesta—down to the snow-white hair and primrose eyes—the two were very clearly related.

Vesta approached them and respectfully lowered herself onto her knees.

"Clan Master, I have returned," she said formally.

"Rise, Vesta Ikazuchi. You may speak freely," he said. Vesta lifted her head and sat down normally before the two.

"It's good to be home, mom...and Raiden," she stated with a grin.

"You address Hestia as your mother, but you still refuse to address me as father huh? Very well."

"It's good to have you home," the mother, Hestia, smiled. As always she was quite elegantly dressed in a handmade, grape-purple yukata.

"All targets neutralized—their complex was burned down with them inside to cover up any sign of foul play," the daughter explained. Raiden nodded then stood up and walked towards Vesta.

"That's another group of 'targets' taken down for those bastards in the Capital," he cursed freely whilst patting his daughter's shoulder.

"Father, is it wise to speak of the Empire in such a way?" she inquired.

"The Capital is an oozing mess of corruption now. It has been lost in darkness ever since that Prime Minister took over. We've been doing the Empire's dirty work for so long now and we didn't even realize it. It's time for them to realize that we aren't the dogs they see us as," Raiden strongly proclaimed while clenching his fist. Vesta merely tilted her head as she heard her father speak in such a manner.

"Father—we are bound by our code to protect and serve the Empire—are we not?" Vesta further inquired.

"I raised you well, perhaps too well. You are young and still naive. Sometimes a man has to do what he feels is right regardless of the law," he elaborated with a concerned expression.

"But father..."

"My decision has been made and the elders have already agreed. We are moving south to help the Revolutionary Army. For now, go to the underground archives and meditate," the man ordered.

"Why though? My mental state is perfectly fine."

"Haven't you caused enough trouble, Vesta? Don't question my orders. Again—go meditate."

Raiden took his eyes away from his daughter as she left without saying another word. The leader of the Blood Wolves could tell that Vesta was not satisfied with her current predicament, but he lacked the time to resolve such an issue. He looked over to his wife as if saying to get ready for the worst—his hardened expression told her everything she needed to know; something was amiss.

Without questioning the intention behind her father's words, Vesta took off to the northern end of the village. It was a quick trip—completed in about ten minutes or so. Her destination was another brown tent that sheltered a rocky formation, a cave, that contained an underground passage wherein the archives were kept. She quickly descended into the depths by way of a wooden staircase built there for convenience.

Surprisingly the walk down was rather long.

Three minutes passed before Vesta reached a large hall lit by a row of torches on each wall. Bookshelves filled with scrolls from the history of the Blood Wolves could be seen alongside documents regarding lineages, past missions, and secret arts. A mysterious urn placed atop a bronze pedestal sat at the heart of it all.

An ominous message was inscribed in gold just below the urn:

"The one who knows true despair can wield the power within."

"Despair huh? I wonder...could this set me free from this nightmare?"

Hours after Vesta journeyed into the archives, a mysterious figure clad in a hooded, red robe walked to the mysterious illusionary barrier surrounding the home of the Blood Wolves. This individual made use of a series of hand signs similar to what Vesta had used to enter, thus causing the mysterious concealment technique to shatter. A legion of Imperial soldiers stood behind the hooded figure. They began to march into the village with weapons in hand. Soon enough the oncoming storm began flooding the location, the sight of armed soldiers amassed in great numbers instigating a fearful response.

***

Just like in Raizo's world, the Blood Wolves were massacred and as the chaos concluded, Vesta, who remained underground, continued with her meditation unaware of what occurred topside. After a handful of hours had passed, the heir to the title of 'Blood Wolf Queen' concluded that she had enough of her father's task and elected to cut her meditation short.

Vesta grabbed hold of the twin lances she inherited from her mother no more than a few days ago and readied herself to return to her parents.

"How odd...not a single attendant came down to bring me food or any sort of summons," she thought to herself. However, she did not predict what awaited above.

As she got closer to the entrance the smell of blood and smoke became ever so prominent—the moment she popped out of the cave and emerged from the tent was when she bore witness to the fallout of what had happened.

"Wha...what the hell is this?" she mumbled under her breath as the adrenaline began to kick in. Men, women, and even children have been hacked away into lifeless, dismembered husks or shot to pieces without care.

Vesta took a step.

And then another.

And another.

And another.

She felt herself on the verge of tears as her legs shook and her expression twisted in agony.

"Pl-please...is anyone out there?" she called out to no avail.

"Someone...anyone!" she kept calling over and over and over again till she began coughing from smoke inhalation.

"Mom, dad, Yuki, Assana…any-anyone, please—

"Ves...ta."

When despair had taken hold—the cry of a lost wolf grabbed hold of Vesta's attention once more. There she was, shot in her hip, bleeding to death...Vesta's clumsy best friend.

"Assana!" Vesta yelled as she dropped her weapons and rushed over to her side. The desperate child knelt and lifted her limp body in her arms, shaking her a few times.

Suddenly—her eyes began to open.

"Ve....sta," Assana spoke weakly, the vivid color in her eyes starting to vanish.

"I'm here!" Vesta desperately grabbed her hand.

"I'm...sorry."

"Sorry? For what? You didn't do anything wrong..."

"They came so fast..."

"Who did?"

"The...Empire..."

"Why? Why would the empire..." Vesta inquired but her memories of Raiden's words came rushing back—that would be considered treason—but she didn't understand why they would raid the entire village.

"Here...your mother wanted you...to have this if the worst were to happen," Assana spoke as she handed Vesta a piece of paper. She had lasted this long due to her adrenaline kicking in, but the rush of it wouldn't last long.

"Where are my parents? Did they take them?" Vesta asked whilst taking the paper. Assana nodded a yes. Her strength was fading fast and as such the young assassin put her hand over hers.

"Vesta...I should have said this before...I loved our days together. I'm sorry you suffered so much...I'm sorry for not standing up to your decision of being with Adena...I'm sorry. Please, don't cry...It's okay...I'll always be with you."

Assana closed her eyes to sleep forevermore.

Vesta lifted her friend's face closer to her own then gently pressed their foreheads together. There was no pleading for her to come back, no sorrow-filled screams, only a horrifying silence.

When she had no more tears left to give, she stood up and opened up the paper her parents left behind:

"To Our Beloved Daughter,

If you are reading this, then your father and I have been taken away or we are dead. If the worst has truly happened, then the clan has been wiped out.

Who knew that only a short time would have passed before you would be left alone. We knew something was going to go wrong after we sent you off on your last mission. To be honest, we have been planning a revolt for a long time but we just kept you away on missions so you wouldn't meet the same fate.

In the archives is an urn filled with the blood of a legendary dragon that this clan became famous for slaying generations ago. It was cultivated into an Extract-type Teigu named; Indra's Judgment.

Drink it and master its power.

Only then can you defeat the Empire.

We love you,

Mom & Dad

P.S. You must be the tool of vengeance for the Order of the Blood Wolves."

Vesta immediately clenched the paper in her hands and ran back down the stairs leading to the archives. The girl felt her heart sink to her stomach as she rushed down those wooden steps—the remembrance of what had just transpired made her want to vomit. Her parents had been taken, her best friend murdered, and the clan exterminated; all that weight made the Young Wolf want to fall to her knees and accept defeat.

"No...not yet," she murmured under her breath. She took the urn from its pedestal and gazed within only to be greeted by a pool of thick, red liquid embedded in sparkling electricity.

"Amazing isn't it? Even after centuries that blood is as fresh as the day it was first collected...or so I'm told. Regardless I wouldn't drink it if I were you...the last guy who took a sip had to shit out his organs before dying," a familiar voice echoed from behind Vesta seconds before she could gulp down that liquid. The girl didn't even need to guess—she already knew who was there. After she put the urn back on its pedestal and turned to face her assailant, she was faced with the hooded figure who set this crisis into motion.

"Take that ridiculous thing off...I'd recognize your voice anywhere," she said.

"Come on…my darling—the Blood Wolves of old who sought to destroy the Empire and take power for themselves are no more, and now a new breed shall take over. You and I will repopulate this clan and be the ones to rule over the Blood Wolves! Our genes will be the spark that rekindles a world of true assassins serving loyally under the Prime Minister!" he proclaimed before pulling his hood down.

"You did this...Aquilo."

"That's right, and now you will submit yourself to me or you too will face the same fate as these fools…."

"You..."

Vesta clenched her fists. Despite the clear advantage the male had, the girl charged forth anyway, guided by her own hatred. In a split second, she caught up to the male and threw an uppercut in his direction. However, the taller individual merely moved his head out of the way before she could hit his chin and kneed her stomach with enough force to make her gasp for air.

"You little bitch!" Aquilo shouted right as he followed up with an open-palm strike to the area in the girl's neck known as her Adam's Apple. Vesta was already holding her stomach in pain, but now the impact of Aquilo's strike took away her ability to breathe.

"Gah...ah...I..." she could barely speak as she stumbled back in pain.

"I'm surprised you're still conscious...now let's see how much you can take!"

Aquilo immediately pulled a set of knives out of his pocket robes—only to then kick Vesta's face in, thus causing her to collapse back first against the ground. Not once questioning the moral implications and consequences of what he was doing, he mounted the girl's body and stabbed through both of Vesta's hands in order to restrain her movements.

"Wow...not even a little bit of screaming eh? You sure know how to restrain your emotions. It doesn't matter though—I'll make you mine," Aquilo spoke before outright licking the girl's lips, letting his unnatural amount of drool fall all over her face. Vesta just couldn't keep a straight face anymore.

"Tch...I'll never accept you! You're scum! I hate you! YOU DESTROYED MY LIFE!" she screamed as loud as she possibly could whilst trying to kick him using up whatever remained of her stamina.

"Let us begin...for these are moments that you'll never EVER forget!"

Aquilo continued his onslaught with quick use of another set of knives. He repeatedly sliced at the girl's right wrist, leaving a deep cut. Vesta cried out in pain to no avail, only draining more energy out of her weakened body. However—it would get a hell of a lot worse. With a hard push, Aquilo stabbed the aforementioned deep cut and pulled it upward in order to completely open Vesta's veins.

"RAHHHHH-AHHH!" the girl gave in to the pain. Aquilo meanwhile got up close, close enough that Vesta could feel his breath on her face. The man laughed at the girl's screaming.

"Weak bitch," he whispered into her ear. Before Vesta could process his words or come up with a response—Aquilo plunged the knife he had used to open the girl's wrist into her belly button.

"AAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Vesta howled as blood spurted from her wound. Her agonizing scream echoed across the underground archives. The pain caused by the blade increased as he twisted it to make sure to insert it deeper and deeper—Aquilo smiled while at it.

"You're so cute," he said. A deep kiss followed suit as the older male took advantage of the poor girl disregarding her pleas for mercy. Pulling away slowly from the kiss, a strand of jewel separated between their lips before snapping. Vesta gasped violently for air as a result and though the male yearned for her to submit all she did was gather the bloody saliva in her mouth and spit on his cheek.

"Give up already," Aquilo ordered whilst removing the knives he had plunged into the girl. He got up and walked a few feet away, certain that his beloved Vesta's resolve was broken and that she was done for.

Alas, Vesta could move on her own, or at least drag herself across the ground, and that is exactly what she did. Turning so that her stomach would be against the ground, the girl crawled towards the pedestal in hopes of getting to the urn containing Indra's Judgment. Blood poured from her stomach and wrist creating a trail of red wherever she dragged herself across. Vesta knew she didn't have long, her blurry vision told her that much.

"What kind of sick monster does this to someone? No… he is too far gone—his obsession took over his reasoning," Vesta's mind proceeded with the situation as she hugged the bronze pedestal in order to force herself up on her feet.

Thus...she grabbed the urn one last time while shaking in pain.

"Oho...are you sure about that? You're expandable and all, but I'd rather not see you die trying to use that wretched curse," Aquilo jested in bemusement. Vesta however didn't listen. Instead, the girl gulped down the blood contained within—every single drop.

After she was finished—a deafening silence took over.

"Well that was pointless...sad—I expected more," Aquilo continued to taunt the female, "Face it… you either give yourself to me or you and your parents will be as good as dead."

"..."

Unbeknownst to Aquilo—Vesta felt a burning sensation within herself. Beneath her torn clothing a pair of symbols were carved into her skin forming the shape of wings. The wounds her nemesis had inflicted upon her now healed almost instantaneously. She felt weak for a moment but never gave in to the pain.

[Eh...you didn't even fall to your knees… such determination is remarkable]

Vesta could not tell whose voice that was, but at the same time, she did not need to know.

"I don't care who you are, be it a dragon, god, or the devil himself… give me the power to escape this nightmare."

[Hmm...very well; Vesta Ikazuchi—one who despairs in her helplessness cannot change the winds of fate, but the Rose-Eyed Stormbringer will soon take up the dark sword. Hate and anger are a double-edged blade, and the day will soon come when you bare your teeth against destiny]

Amidst the endless sorrow, buried within an endless black hole of sadness, the girl who tasted the blood of something transcendental of mankind's knowledge turned to face the Silver Fox who sought to ravage her body even if he had to kill her for it. Vesta gazed into that monster's soul as she separated her lips to speak:

"Judgment has come down from the path which spans from hell. It has been decided that you must die"

Sparks of electricity swirled around the girl, thunder and rain could be heard devastating the land above, toppling over mountains, and completely extinguishing the flames that put an end to the Blood Wolves. Aquilo took a step back, unsure of what had happened. Undisclosed to him, this was nothing more than the side effects of Vesta's awakening.

"Wha...what is going on here?!" he desperately demanded to know, "You useless bitch! Women like you are nothing but whores made for my entertainment! I will be King of the Blood Wolves!"

As Aquilo spoke—Vesta reached out with her hands. In her palms, a flow of electricity took the shape of twin lightning-shaped blades. Moreover, her appearance changed. Now radiating with electrical energy, Vesta's white hair gleaned with a twist of silver and white; under her eyes, dark indigo trails went down her cheeks whilst her rose hues began to glow.

"You traitorous pig… try as you might; Wolves will never lose their freedom and you will never be a king!"

Vesta's words caused the clouded heavens themselves to spiral endlessly—thus creating a large downpour of lightning and torrential rain. At the center of those clouds, a large beast made out of pure electricity morphed into the shape of a wolf's head.

"RAHHHHHHH!" Aquilo screamed whilst charging desperately toward Vesta, dagger in hand. However, all he accomplished was the loss of his upper limbs. One stroke of her dual blades traced in the shape of an X melted through Aquilo's flesh and bone causing the man to howl in pain.

"Be sliced by the blades of summer snow, you fragile thing," Vesta mocked the fool who dared stand in her way.

"No! AHHHHHHHHH!" he let out a blood-curdling scream as he watched his limbs fall off his body.

"Die… Return to the Earth's soil as the insignificant pile of excrement that you are," Vesta howled with all of her might. It was then—at that very same attosecond that the lightning-wolf descended from the clouds above shattering the speed of light like it was nothing and colliding head-on with the village that once housed some of the greatest killers in the land.

The resulting explosion could've reduced the entire Capital, nay the whole planet to ashes had the girl not subconsciously held back her emotions. Further, the supernatural nature of this power made it so the condensed blast of blueish-white radiance only consumed the village. Ultimately Vesta's home, the remains of her friends, and even the underground archives beneath the earth were consumed amidst an endless sea of white. For Vesta, it was almost cathartic to see the man that she had come to despise most be erased from existence in a flash—body, mind, and soul as well as the concept of his being all gone in an instant.

"Blood is the currency the wolf uses to repay sin and corruption," she declared whilst standing on what was now a deep crater. By now her body had returned to its normal state, and likewise, the skies cleared to reveal the sun.

[Accessing 'Fury of the Storm' upon first obtaining my power...color me impressed, girl. The explosion of your raw emotional spectrum allowed you to access a greater deal of my power than I expected, perhaps far more than what the situation called for]

The voice in Vesta's head continued to explain the situation. "Who cares? You're a living weapon and I'm your master. That's all I need to know."

Vesta's voice had become deeper. The emotions she had kept in check for so long came boiling to the surface only to meet the trauma she felt from the destruction of her clan.

"Never again…" she uttered.

"Power… I need more power."

That was when the vision of Vesta's past ended and Raizo's consciousness snapped back to reality.

"She's a version of me from a different reality. Born female… She was a victim of the clan's traditions and forced to play the role of a girl satisfied with her destiny before it all came tumbling down. Now you want the power to make sure you're never hurt again…" Raizo thought as their eyes met.

Without delay the two mirrored each other's movements, using their impressive speed to move out of Night Raid's headquarters. Raizo did not want to get his friends in danger and Vesta was merely following Raizo because he was her target.

"Once I consume the power of your Indra… I will be one step closer to being undefeatable!" she howled with intense glee. It was clear that in the time since her tragedy Vesta had become a monster that was desperate for power.

"I won't go down easy!" Raizo exclaimed. The battle between the Stormbringers was about to begin.