Phantasmal Sonata Part 2

Location: Elysium

"As much as I want to know the details of the future that has Lucy's attention, the concerns of a King await it seems. Good grief," Mercer, the legendary God Hunter sighed as he was pulled away from matters of great concern that would inevitably have his son and a small control group travel through time. Just as the man arrived in the throne room, he took a moment to pause and adjust his glasses when he saw the figure of the person waiting for him.

The Envoy of the Crimson Luster was meditating whilst sitting like a samurai. With the new artifact firmly fixed to his arm, the great pressure around his vessel seemed to wholly eclipse the inner depths of power that the King of Elysium sensed within Sakinah Vashti. Moreover, a zen atmosphere of pure focus and tranquility seemed permanently fixed upon him.

"It has been a while, my friend," Mercer remarked as he went to sit on the throne to address his guest according to proper procedure, "What brings you to me?"

Akaro smiled, "I have come to return what is rightfully yours."

The Primordial essences within the Envoy shone with divinity as they left his body and returned to the King.

"Are you certain of this?" Mercer pondered whilst reaching out to receive the godly power.

"Yeah. I have no need for Yuiripe's or Jack's aid anymore. Their essences should be with you," he reckoned before finally standing up. The loss of the Primordial power did not dim the strength of the Red-Eyed Envoy in the slightest. The knowledge of the Resolute Blade Arts coupled with the experiences in the Ryu-jin lifeblood made Akaro far more than he was beforehand to the point where the presence of Primordial power was insignificant.

"Father, apologies for interrupting your private audience," the voice of Lucian Mercer resonated within the space.

"Go ahead, son, what is it?"

"My brother and his party have returned from their trip."

Akaro raised an eyebrow when he heard that message and looked at Mercer in bewilderment.

"I'll explain on the way, come on."

*****

"Lucy felt a disturbance in the flow of time throughout creation. All possibilities emanating from the infinite futures were converging on a single point shrouded in darkness that she could not perceive. It was in a time span of seven years from now. Curious of what was to come, she commissioned Raizo and a small contingency unit to head into that time period to scout out what exactly was to come," Mercer explained briefly as he and his long time friend made their way to the main house.

"Something that bad has your wife desperate enough to enact that solution? I can only imagine the source," Akaro calmly replied.

Within the breath of a moment, the pair entered the threshold of the mansion only to find Lucy standing there with the group of Raizo, Reina, Musashi and Arcueid together in front of her.

"Well then, I wasn't expecting you to be here, Akaro-kun," Lucy spoke in slight surprise as she saw the man enter alongside her husband.

"Heh, I see you got some upgrades. As much as I would like to nerd out over the look, you're right on time for--"

The Primordial Time Goddess was interrupted when a sudden spike in bloodlust filled the room. In a flash, a white ghost rushed towards Akaro at a ludicrous speed that no one could have possibly predicted. When the White Princess of the True Ancestors saw the visage of the Crimson Envoy, memories of their past rushed into her mind. She recalled how he used the underhanded act of sealing her away inside the palace atop of the Throne of Heroes thus dooming her to an eternal rest. Though she was somewhat tamed by the affection given to the Stormbringer, a part of her still seethed with that bitterness having known a shameful defeat.

With her razor sharp claws out, she went straight for Akaro's jugular to deal a massive blow that she felt would be appropriate to consider them even. However, just as she approached, the Envoy merely stood there and stared her down before casually releasing an ounce of pressure waves from his body. This compressed force stopped Arcueid's advance dead in her tracks whilst catching her in the air.

"I'm sorry, but it seems you cannot reach me anymore," he noted. As the pressure eased off, the noble beauty felt her rage subside as she instantly understood the gap between them now.

"So it would seem. I guess I will just have to dismiss the score between us. Congratulations on your growth, Son of Dragons," Arcueid acknowledged whilst strolling back to her previous position as if nothing happened.

"Well now that the theatrics is over...let's uh get started then, shall we?" Lucy smiled wryly.

Seemingly unfazed by the dialogue and the events that transpired around him, Raizo remained quiet. He did not even look up to greet his father or the newly empowered Crimson Envoy as they entered the room. Instead, his mind was taken by other thoughts. He saw the visages of the future in his mind as if he was reliving the experience all over again. The lives that were lost, the worlds consumed and erased, the allies that fell, the very face of the worst outcomes of war personified in one setting as hopelessness incarnated by the Aspects of Rakshasa sunk into his mind. However, the most truly haunting facet of that future was the sight of his future self giving in to Rakshasa's will and giving up on Akasha. That man's face would not fade away...nor his words.

"Is it...really my fate to become that in seven years?" he pondered to himself. Then he was nudged by Reina to snap back to his senses and focus.

"This was passed onto us…" he said holding out a small notebook to give to anyone who wanted to reach for it first. The boy was too distracted by his inner thoughts to care at the moment.

"This is...an outline," Lucy said as she took the book and flipped through the pages. Mercer walked up alongside his wife and peered down at the contents thus reading along for a quick second.

"A detailed account of the Outer Gods' plan to take over individual worlds thus encircling Elysium's forces and reducing our numbers until the realm is overwhelmed? Who gave this to you?" the God Hunter asked.

"The Future God-King of the Ryu-jin…" Reina answered whilst looking over towards the man adorning the mighty relic.

"Me?" Akaro raised an eyebrow knowing that he still harbored some conflictedness over the matter.

"What was…"

"Sorry Akaro, we don't have time to talk about the details over what went down. According to this, the first world to be targeted is going to be the Earth that is home to the Symphogears. Then a series of worlds whose strength will all but secure a line in the sand for the war to come," Lucy explained.

"Tch...I have to grow stronger so we can stop them…and that fucking tragedy from ever coming to fruition…" Raizo clenched his fists whilst gritting his teeth in frustration. Akaro felt the energy emanating from the young Stormbringer, he felt the mixed vibrations of agony and shock alongside a fierce determination.

"Normally, this task would be given only to those acknowledged by the Counter Force as Counter Guardians to fulfill; however, given the circumstances, a temporary means should do just fine," Akaro decreed.

The Envoy touched the youth's shoulder. At that moment, a pale green light suddenly beamed down into the room and left a small zig-zag mark where Akaro touched.

"There, the Counter Force officially acknowledges you as a Guardian...in training of course. You'll be my apprentice."

"Wait...I've traveled to other worlds before and meddled in affairs...what's the difference now?"

"Those were circumstances beyond your control. This is a direct mobilization from Elysium. The Counter Force would just pull you right back if you left without this."

"Huh...so...what about Reina-san, Musashi-san, and Arcueid?" Raizo asked.

"I received my powers directly from the Goddess-Above-All eons ago, being acknowledged by the Counter Force was something that just naturally followed," Reina chimed in.

"I lost track of when it happened but I guess I've always been a Counter Guardian," Musashi chuckled.

"I'm a True Ancestor, and I quite frankly do not give a damn so the Counter Force just gives me the best regards," Arcueid shrugged.

"Now that the paperwork is skipped, there is no time for a plan. We're just going to move out right here and now with the group we have," Akaro enacted taking his natural role as a leader.

"We're going to have to lockdown Elysium for the foreseeable future in order to properly prepare for war," Mercer proposed.

"Indeed, just when we were in the midst of rebuilding some form of normalcy, this happens," Lucy sighed.

With the decisions made, Akaro, Arcueid, Reina, Musashi, and Raizo were about to gear up and set off while Mercer and Lucy were set to begin their operations. Before anyone had a chance to move, a rift in reality tore open as if someone was unzipping space from the outside. In that moment, a singular female emerged with bluish-silver eyes completely wrapped in a white-hooded robe. Though her random appearance was unique, her aura passed a sense of relief over the anxious room.

"Ya sure know how to make an entrance, don'tcha Lexi?" Lucy cheekily expressed holding a palm over her chest as if she was startled by the ghastly display.

"Apologies, I've been working," she said before holding out a circular, holographic device to show a cosmic map of the Omniverse. In it, all those present could see a strange, tenebrous, dark miasma that has enveloped various universes.

"I analyzed that miasma. It has properties of both Imaginary Number Space and the True Void's life extinguishing aspect. You all will need a way to pierce this barrier as not even teleportation will work against it," the woman explained.

"Any ideas on how to get through then?" Lucy asked.

"I do have an idea, but it would be best to show the Away Team firsthand. I'll need you all to follow me. Sorry for taking away your guests, Grandfather, Grandmother," Alexis bowed her head.

The formalities in her tone indicated that the girl was in a much more serious mood than her normal, go-with-the-flow self. Realizing that, Lucy did not bother giving her the usual quip over the somewhat irksome addressal of "Grandmother".

"Well ya heard the lady, time to follow that yellow brick road kids. Go on," the time goddess urged towards the makeshift Team AKARA. As a result, Akaro and the crew proceeded to do as commanded and follow Alexis into the rift.

On a rare occurrence, Alexis allowed visitors into her workshop. The world that opened up for Akaro, Arcueid, Musashi, Reina and Raizo to behold was a massive, widespread landscape filled by an extensively colossal mountain range. The tallest mountain peak among the range was a titanic volcano that apparently erupted recently raining down a fiery abyss of death and destruction across the land below. What should have been crimson skies died in a hellish inferno of lava and black smog was occupied by gigantic, rotating gears that turned forever. With the metal structures churning in the air, the magma boiling as it seeped down the rocky cliff sides, the beating of three hammers high were constantly echoing out in unison.

"No need to be alarmed, this is just my world...my domain of Unlimited Blade Works," Alexis introduced.

"Hey what a minute...I heard of that Noble Phantasm before...some guy in the Throne has that ability," Musashi noted.

"Yeah I fought against a guy who had some ability called Unlimited Lost Works or something like that," Raizo added.

"Yes...I know whom you are referring to. He is quite frankly, a filthy, peasant casual that has no clue the true depths of his potential...in fact, his abilities at their maximum potential is like a drop in the infinite depths of the seven seas if you were to make a comparison. But alas, bragging is so unbecoming of me. My idea involves us making use of a transport, one of these particular designs to be exact," she says as she clapped her hands together.

A blast of pressure was relinquished from the girl's body in that instant as the volcano erupted once again. Pillars of lava spewed high into the skies as the sounds of hammer colliding against molten steel rang out. Then a pyroclastic flow rained down upon the empty space before the group filling an empty, bowl-shaped rocky crag full of magma which began to mold into a unique shape.

A fortress-like vessel appeared that was at least ten times the size of the Antarctic Base known as Chaldea. It took on a claw-like C-shape with a singular, spherical structure held in the middle. It was equipped with tons of communication arrays and armored domes that secretly housed hundreds of cannons as its defensive measures. Six main gun barrels were aligned on the ship's surface: two on top and one below on both sides of the C-shape. Giant cylindrical engines numbering 12 in all were lodged onto the back of the titan powered by dozens of reactors contained with it. With the matching emblems of the letter M, formed by blades painted in red and gold along the surface, the gunmetal silver and black vessel was complete.

Upon its completion, the heroes were released from the confines of the realm and brought outside of the Mercer Manor. The newly created vessel now loomed overhead, leering down upon the expedition party.

"So uh...who's gonna be piloting this behemoth?" Akaro asked with a raised brow. The legendary blacksmith of Elysium then answered by merely glancing at the Stormbringer for a brief instant. In turn, the name that came to mind almost instantly escaped his lips.

"Only one person has the capability to do so. The aesthetics make it almost reminiscent of a Noble Phantasm we're already familiar with, Aniki. So if I'm thinking of whom I think Alexis has in mind, then she can only mean the Wise Queen of Assyria herself -- Semiramis."

"That's right, Uncle. Her capacity to pilot this work of art would be unparalleled. However, she will require support from one more familiar with the inner workings of the ship. Therefore, I too will be joining you all on this strange journey," Alexis declared as she snapped her fingers.

A brilliant silver light enveloped her body from a second before the anomalous glow cracked apart revealing her true form. She wore a long, ruby red, royal dress befitting of a queen prepared to go to war with a matching red cloak adorned over her shoulders like a proud monarch of the Renaissance period. The vestments of her upper torso were strewn together and clasped by golden buttons with a matching set of golden plates over her shoulders on the outside of her cloak. Similarly, she wore neck armor that was also gold in color with ruby and diamond stones firmly struck into the surface. Her soft, alabaster skin was exposed for all to see including the delicate, yet mature beauty of her face. Her long platinum, blonde hair was bound by a golden horned crown which held it up in a braided bun only allowing two ribbon-like bundles of hair to hand down past her breasts and towards her navel. A golden adornment covered her forehead with two rubies stacked atop one another in the center to compliment her pale, lavender colored eyes. This was the Primordial Blacksmith in all her glory.

In the legends of the Mercer family, she is known as the Grand Archer; the efficient and merciless self which she usually kept hidden by her youthful appearance. She held a personal belief that a being who emerged after countless lifetimes of war and bloodshed was unfit to stand amongst the Realm of the Gods or to battle alongside them. Yet in this time of great crisis, an exception had to be made.

"A fellow Grand servant...and Archer no less, this is quite a surprise," the mutually tilted Grand Saber observed with an approving nod.

"For someone so young, she has great depths of power much like my own," Reina further observed.

Nodding in response, the woman then refocused her attention on the Stormbringer.

"Uncle, I shall serve as the guide for you on this journey," she proclaimed. Whatever youthful grace and innocence she displayed before was completely gone as she held a much more serious atmosphere about her. However, the youth felt like there was a sense of loneliness to her presence as well yet influential all at the same time.

"Well...guess it's time for all hands to get on deck," Akaro surmised.

Another rift in space opened up before the group as Alexis extended her hand out towards it.

"Then let us begin shall we?" Alexis invited.

"Hold on, should we not designate this vessel with a name?" Reina proposed with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah calling it the new Hanging Gardens or whatever would feel pretty redundant if you ask me. Hmm…" Musashi added.

"Tsukihime,"Arcueid chuckled.

"That is copyright infringement,"Alexis sighed heavily.

"I mean hey, we have done crazier things," Akaro shrugged.

"The Last Word," Raizo randomly chimed in.

"Uncle...did Grandmother let you play video games?" Alexis raised an eyebrow.

"Not sure what those are...but think about it. When all else seems hopeless, when everything seems lost, when there's no one left to stand up and fight even in face of all the odds...we, Team AKARA, always has the last word. So it fits, right?" the Stormbringer explained.

"I like it," Akaro nodded with Reina, Musashi, and Arcueid following suit.

"Very well, I find this acceptable. Now then, let us prepare to depart. I will go pick up our pilot and brief her on everything she needs to know," the Grand Archer concluded. As a result, The Last Word received her crew whilst getting prepped for her maiden voyage.

About fifteen minutes or so passed. Located on the state of the art bridge with a holographic series of screens that made one feel as if they were floating in space, the members of the crew took to specific areas of the ship. Akaro immediately took to the weapons controls on the far right side of the room while Musashi took over the weapons controls on the far left. Reina and Arcueid were busy examining the navigation charts on open display in the middle of the room. Semiramis, after being summoned from the libraries within the Mercer Manor, sat in the central control seat becoming acclimated to the feel of the new ship with Alexis seated promptly to her right side. Much like the Hanging Gardens, the Wise Queen of Assyria was given similar reign over The Last Word; however, the Grand Archer had a supporting role of operating the more elaborate and complex controls that was beyond Semiramis' comprehension thus giving the woman the role as Co-Pilot or Quartermaster.

"I must say Alexis-san, you have quite a taste for aesthetics. This flying fortress feels almost completely identical to my own Noble Phantasm," Semiramis complimented.

"I designed this ship with you in mind for it. I tried my best to make as close to the Hanging Gardens as possible. I trust that you are adapting to it quickly?" Alexis inquired.

"Indeed, it felt foreign at first but it only took a few seconds or so to adapt."

"Good, preparing for launch. Initiating all activation protocols. Engines online, reactor levels stabilized. All hands, brace yourselves for takeoff," Alexis reported.

"Core temperatures normal, mana flow optimized, coordinates set. Last Word initiating final launch protocols. Taking off in 5...4...3...2...1," Semiramis said.

A translucent blue aura emanated from the ship as the engines ignited in a mighty roar. A white spiral rift opened before the colossal fortress, then in a silent flash of movement, The Last Word took off bursting through the portal crafted from its own energy and influence over unconventional realms. In what felt like a fraction of a second, the vessel arrived at the edge of a cosmic storm enveloped around the Symphogear universe.

A poisonous mist wafted throughout the space opening up like the mouth of a giant maw as the clouds embraced the flagship. Instantly, The Last Word was seized by the corrupted miasma causing the ship to quake. The bridge felt like the heroes were caught on land in the midst of a giant earthquake. The turbulence drew a sudden air of worry on deck, but eventually The Last Word leveled out as it proceeded through the flaming darkness.

"It will take around 24 hours for us to clear through this abyssal mist. I highly recommend everyone take a moment to rest in order to prepare for what comes next. I insist on this," Alexis stressed.

"Sounds good to me," Akaro said as he got up from the control station and headed over to an empty area in the back corner of the room thus taking a formal samurai stance for meditation.

"Hmm...I'll join you in that. Some image training will do me some good to keep my reflexes sharp," Musashi nodded in approval before taking a similar stance near the Crimson Envoy.

"You know, we still have our own business to discuss," Reina said to Arcueid as they continued viewing the charts.

"About?" the White Princess innocently asked.

"The whole marriage thing to Mas...I mean, Raizo. Do you really think it wise to proclaim such a title when there are other women in his life?"

"Oh come now, if the women in his life cared so much for the poor boy, then he would have been married long ago. As far as I saw, he is but a mere object of their affection, nothing more than that. At least with me, I belong to him in body, mind and spirit. Besides, are you sure you are not just speaking from your own sense of jealousy?"

"Excuse me?"

"Well, to my knowledge, you two only share a contract."

"A Soul Oath to be exact."

"Right, but since your near death experience and new transformation, the Oath has to be rebonded no? Like a formal contract must be made and such just like a relationship between Master and Servant during the Grail Wars. So far, you have yet to do it. Why so hesitant, Grand Saber?"

"Tch...it is not that simple. Besides, such a situation is of a delicate nature as you know."

"Uh huh...you call it delicate, I call it insecurity."

As Reina and Arcueid continued their somewhat heated debate, Semiramis sighed and proceeded to raise herself up from her the Captain's seat.

"Alexis, I hand over command to you. There is something I must attend to away from the bridge," said the regal female.

"Very well, take as much time as you need," Grand Archer responded plainly.

Raizo was off to the side staring at the displays on the screens to the left trying to process the information on them. His mind was already aloof with other thoughts pertaining to what happened in the future. He knew he had a job to do in the here and now, however, he was still disturbed deep within his heart. It was here that he felt a tug on his shirt from behind.

"Follow me, please," Semiramis murmured to the youth as if she needed to talk to him about something vitally important.

"Sure," he nodded as he followed along.

As they quietly exited the bridge, Semiramis led Raizo down a series of long, widespread hallways and corridors away from everyone. Eventually, they made their way towards the sector where all the living quarters was stationed. After passing by a few doors, they came upon a room that only had the label "2-B" plastered across it. The steel doors slid open in a bout of steam as the calming candles within welcomed the pair in a sense of peace and intimacy.

A Queen-sized bed adorned with black and gold pillows was neatly set in the middle of the room whereas two wall shelves filled with books were organized on either side of the room. A plush area rug was laid down on the floor to add warmth to the ice cold floor. A wooden desk and matching tablet were fixed in the empty areas with a myriad of notebooks and glasses sitting upon them.

"Um...this is…" Raizo raised an eyebrow whilst looking around. As the pair passed through the threshold, the doors shut and locked behind them.

"This is my room," Semiramis declared calmly yet proudly.

"Well...that makes sense but...why are we...mmph?!" Raizo was about to ask whilst turning on heel to face the girl but he suddenly found himself caught in her embrace and her soft lips pressed over hers.

The kiss filled with longing and affection lasted a slow drifting 10 seconds that seemingly paused everything around them until she pulled away slowly.

"Forgive me, I just...wanted to do that ever since reuniting with you in that tower. I can tell you are troubled by current events. Would you not like to discuss them with me?" she pleaded.

"I...don't…" Raizo stumbled over his words trying to figure out what exactly to say, "It's not that...I don't want to. It's just…"

"Complicated?"

The boy nodded in agreement to what she said.

"Then perhaps you need a moment to not dwell on it...perhaps be taken somewhere else…"

"Maybe...but every passing second that I am able to think to myself...this pain just sits there and my mind is just flooded with thoughts…."

"Then...why don't I give you something else to focus on?"

Semiramis pressed herself against Raizo's body thus forcing the youth to step back until she pushed him over on the bed. At that moment, she reached around her back to undo her long, night style dress, then she brought her hands to the front to undo the straps of her corset. At that point, pieces of her clothing fell to the ground exposing the softness of her skin and the curvaceousness of her body.

Raizo found himself inadvertently undoing the buttons of his shirt whilst making sure the Janus Armor was completely deactivated. As he proceeded to undress, Semiramis crawled atop his lap and helped him strip off his shirt before pushing him back flat against the surface of the bed. She leaned down and pressed her lips against his, this time allowing their tongues to dance with one another between their mouths. In that instant, the youth unconsciously grabbed onto her hips to hold her in place while he felt his blood flow down towards his crotch causing something to swell in response.

Rubbing her breasts against his chest, she reached down and ran her hand across the boy's pants thus feeling what was hidden from the eye in her grasp.

"We only have a limited amount of time together...forget everything and be with me," Semiramis said in a sultry tone of voice.

"Yeah...that's all I want to do right now…" Raizo said to the eternal beauty as the two continued to share this moment and indulge in one another.