Slay the Chaos

Year: 1025, 16th Day of October

-8 hours after Raizo's escape-

In the south at the headquarters of the Revolutionary Army, the forces were still rattled over the events that took place mere hours ago. Raizo Arashi was supposed to be executed at the decision of the high command, however, the youth survived and escaped daringly. Leaving behind nothing but chaos and disbelief, the rebels had been caught scrambling around, shoring up defenses, and arming themselves for what may result in a full mobilization of the army. Raizo was now considered a war criminal and because of his affiliation with Night Raid, he was a serious liability to the security of various sources of information pertaining to the freedom fighters' movement.

In the midst of everything, only one man in particular held some form of composure and that was Fujitora. After the stunning show that Raizo put on before his escape, the man immediately began to put together a contingency plan so that he could salvage the situation. The first step was getting the troops in line and busy doing something so that no one would dwell over what was seen firsthand. He knew that if that spectacle set in the minds of the soldiers, it would only stir fear that Raizo was more than just a human being. The Stormbringer overcame death and perhaps would wreak vengeance upon them all. It was absurd but it was also a possibility that the senior officer could not afford to ignore.

Upon issuing his orders to all other officers, Fujitora had then gone back to his office to write a message addressed to a certain contact. The letter contained a rough summary of what happened which he signed and sealed in an envelope. Entrusting it to the care of one of his personal spies, he sent the message off, designating that it reaches its destination before nightfall—a rushed delivery if you will. After that business was taken care of, the man immediately sought the advice of the high command for an appropriate response to the ordeal that was at hand. Upon hearing the proposal and given the special permission he needed, the man walked off seeking out Night Raid.

The sun was still high in the blue skies above as the cool, autumn air cascaded over the camp. There was still plenty of movement within the camp as various soldiers continued their designated jobs. Fujitora sat inside a special command center holding a document in hand containing the executive order that he sought to achieve just a while ago. Sitting at his desk, the man leaned his right elbow on the hard surface resting his face against his hand while staring off into space thinking of all that has transpired.

"That little bastard! Everything was going according to plan and he somehow decided to ruin it! Raizo Arashi, you have become more of a thorn in my side than the issue of your mother. I pray you meet your end soon enough…"

As his hatred for the youth seemingly boiled over, the anger visible in his emerald irises, he was suddenly joined by the presence of five individuals. As they filed in one by one standing before the man, two guards stood behind them for safety purposes due to the result of things. Realizing he had company, Fujitora took a deep breath before leaning back and acknowledging the presence of his visitors.

"Night Raid, glad you are able to join me given the current state of affairs," the masked officer began with his usual charismatic tone. Najenda invited herself to take a seat right before him crossing her legs with attitude as though she felt nothing but disgust before the man before her.

"Fujitora, I can't say I'm surprised that you decided to call us in here. So, what do you want now?" the eye-patched woman scoffed in contempt. The remaining members of Night Raid merely stood quietly behind their leader, each holding their own facial expressions of disgust toward the masked individual before them.

"That's a pretty harsh way of saying hello to a comrade don't you think?" the officer remarked. Najenda chuckled in return.

"Please, you lost the respect that comes with the term "comrade" the moment you decided to have one of my team members arrested, put through a bogus trial then sentenced to be executed. I may not be able to prove anything now but let's be honest with each other; you wanted Raizo dead for your own goals."

"That's quite the impressive imagination you have General Najenda. I cannot believe that you would insinuate such things about me given all that we have shared in times of crisis. I was only doing my job by addressing a credible threat to our cause and sure enough, I was correct."

"Cut the bullshit Fujitora. There was no cause for any of this and if you didn't start anything, none of it would ever have happened. You were merely pissed because Hestia came and sought you out personally thus leading to that broken arm. If it wasn't for the fact that everyone is in disarray, I would do something to you that would ensure you were never heard from in this camp again."

"Easy on the threats my dear, you never know who will be next in the courtroom."

"Whatever, so what the hell do you want?" Najenda asked once more. It was then that Fujitora slid the envelope over to the woman so that she could read the contents inside. As soon as she did, her face seemingly dropped to the ground before her in complete and utter shock.

"You…you…you can't be serious about this," she stammered over her words. The rest of her team immediately gazed over the woman's shoulder to see what was written down. As they finished one by one, reactions of dismay appeared before them.

"Effective immediately, Night Raid will be dispatched to locate and apprehend Raizo for execution. If you do not comply with this order, you will all be arrested and subject to execution on conspiracy to commit high treason. Before you even try to argue your title Najenda, sure you are a high-ranking officer but your relationship with the party in question constitutes scrutiny of your loyalties to us," Fujitora explained. Najenda gritted her teeth as she clenched the paper firmly in her hands.

"You treacherous son of a bitch," she hissed in anger. For someone of her composure to get this way was something that was a rare thing. Even Akame and Leone were surprised but it was not like such conduct was not warranted. This whole situation was just one setup after the other, like everything that was happening was just a matter of playing a chess game for the devious snake behind the mask. Najenda wanted to snap at this moment but it would be selfish of her to do so without considering the lives of her teammates.

"You should consider watching yourself from now on Fujitora," Najenda spoke as she stood up about to leave, "Someday, your games will come to an end. When that time comes, you just might breathe your last breath."

"Heh, if he's not careful…it might be sooner rather than later," chimed in Leone giving the man a sharp, predatory look. The air soon filled with bloodlust as a result. Akame merely put a hand on her longtime friend's shoulder trying to keep her calm despite having her own hand on the hilt of her cursed sword.

"You lot never cease to amuse me. I anxiously wait for that day but until then, you have your orders so I suggest you carry them out with the utmost haste."

"Sure thing but let me get one thing clear. We're bringing Raizo home, not to his grave," the general spoke in a foreboding tone before walking out with the rest of the members of Night Raid following behind. Despite her determination to bring Raizo back, it was going to be difficult moving forward. Fujitora had the ear of high command and made a public showing of Raizo's more demeaning deeds before everyone in that courtroom. In addition, it didn't help that Raizo cheated his execution and escaped. She had to find a way of proving that Raizo was innocent and Fujitora was just an overly ambitious bastard. If only she could use the report of that particular event that forever shook the foundation of this world, then everyone would understand but…that would only invite more trouble than good. As they exited the tent and prepared to depart from headquarters, Najenda addressed her team for what felt like would be the last time for a while.

"Listen up everyone; we may have to consider splitting up. I know it isn't an optimal situation but we know Raizo better than anyone and there are probably a number of locations that he could have gone to," she explained.

"I recommend heading back to Old West Town. There may be some clues there given the recent traffic that it has attracted lately. Besides, Raizo could be searching for a way to find his mother," suggested Akame. Tatsumi nodded in agreement and spoke his peace.

"I agree but those guys from the Sapphire Phoenix could also be lingering there as well. If you're going there, you are going to need some backup," spoke the young man. Giving a curt nod of approval, Akame accepted Tatsumi as her partner in this endeavor.

"I need to head back to our hideout. Maybe I can use something of Raizo's to track him by scent," Leone thought. Considering her abilities with Lionelle, she would be the most probable member to locate the missing man in question; however, there was a hint of distance in her eyes that she tried not to show.

"Alright, then it's settled. Akame and Tatsumi will head back to Old West Town to do their own investigation while the rest of us will head back to the hideout. From there, Leone will forward with her own strategy. Let's all have safe travels and return home alive," the commanding woman uttered with firm determination, however, little did Najenda know that Night Raid wouldn't be the only ones hot on the Stormbringer's trail.

Hundreds of miles to the north in the Capital City, the preparations were in order at the request of Supreme Commander Esdeath. The Imperial Army was now completely mobilized and ready, all of which encroached around the vicinity of the city itself. Before they were stationed out in the field but because of sudden attacks as well as the unpredictable movements of an unfamiliar enemy, situations changed. The remaining members of the Jaegers were also geared up and ready to move out as well.

Wave and Kurome decided they would head south toward the last known location of Night Raid. During the last meeting that Esdeath had with her former team, she told everyone that they should settle any old scores that would prevent them from focusing on the final battle to come. Even though it would be smarter to wait until the final war began to fight on the battlefield, the black-haired female along with the country boy both thought it best to handle their grudges sooner rather than later. Kurome could only think about her sister, Akame, and the need to settle the score once and for all while Wave thought that it was time to fight against Tatsumi. Whether they would run into the pair was just a matter of fate.

As for Aquilo, he and Yuki were to head up a small platoon of soldiers and march toward the northwestern direction in order to seek out any troop movements of the Sapphire Phoenix. Though it was a remedial task, it would also give an opportunity for The Silver Fox to potentially come face to face with the former leader of the Blood Wolves and put an end to his past once and for all. As the platoon set off to depart from the city, the spear user's mind was taken with thoughts. His female companion rode up next to him on horseback to gauge conversation.

"Hey, are you okay?" asked the female archer as her pale eyes gazed toward his general direction. Lost in his thoughts, a couple of seconds passed before the woman reached out and nudged his shoulder causing him to snap back to reality. The man would then turn his sight toward her confused by what had been going on.

"Huh? What was that?" he asked turning his head to ascertain his general location. Releasing one of his hands from the reigns of his steed, the male scratched the back of his head before pushing aside his silver bangs from his face thus focusing his full attention on his companion. Yuki then sighed slightly and shook her head before asking again.

"Are you alright? You have been rather distant since this morning. What's going on with you my love?" she spoke in concern. Aquilo could only smile. He felt refreshed knowing that there was someone he could turn to when he felt burdened. He still had a lingering affection for his superior officer but he knew that her heart was set on that scrawny, cancerous little punk that thought he was worth something because he wore armor. Understanding this, he turned everything he could toward Yuki once they reunited. In addition, he tried to keep himself away from the Ice Queen so that he could maintain a certain air of professionalism toward the woman and stay true to Yuki.

"I'm just taken by thoughts right now. I feel like something has changed in the air with regards to this war and whatever it is, it will affect all sides," he spoke forebodingly like he knew that something was coming but he couldn't understand what it is.

"That's just what war is. The winds constantly shift in the favor of a side destined to win. No matter what happens, it's just how things are. Though with the way this war has become, it's hard to know what side is winning and who stands to ultimately lose in the end," Yuki replied.

"I suppose so. Hey Yuki," he began while the woman never once broke her focus from him answering with just her eyes, "Do you ever regret doing what you did and choosing to side with me over Raizo?"

Yuki gasped a bit thinking that question was something that was completely out of the blue. She had been so caught up in the simple fact of being on Aquilo's side that she never really thought about her position. There were times when she forgot why she chose Aquilo's side over Raizo's but it ultimately came down to her perspective on the fate of the Blood Wolves.

"There are times when I forget why I've made the decision I have made but to be honest, no I do not regret it. I get why the Blood Wolves were annihilated. We as a clan violated our oath that was sworn back during the first generation of our kind. Dissent against that sacred vow warranted death. However, I will not lie that I was greatly upset with you. After all, my cousin was one of the victims of that horrific night and I often wanted to kill you myself.

That all changed though when you and Raizo came face to face in the Valley of Ruin. I looked into your eyes and saw the regret of what you did. You never wanted the Blood Wolves dead, only Raiden for his foolishness. That became even more apparent when Raizo spoke Assana's name. You never intended for her to be killed either."

"You're right and wrong at the same time. I do regret many of the clan being slaughtered but I do know that a lot of them were loyal to Raiden's leadership as opposed to the code. If I could have caused dissent and led a coup, maybe things would have ended differently but fate had other plans in mind. I do wish that I could have saved Assana."

"What's done is done. We can only move forward with the future."

"Yeah but…something is just…" before Aquilo could finish his thought, a messenger rode to his position carrying a specific document that was sealed by a symbol that only he would recognize.

"Urgent message General, it's for your eyes only," the man spoke as he handed the paper over to him. Aquilo raised his arm telling the company behind him to hold their position while he read the contents of the document:

"Silver Fox,

It appears that my plans have gone astray within the confines of this base. I tried to remove an obstacle out of our way for the foreseeable future but it did not exactly work out; however, you will be pleased to know that due to this event, the Crimson Harbinger is no longer a legitimate asset of the Revolutionary Army. He is in fact a war criminal thanks to what would have been the greatest unsung victory for us. It would appear that he is seeking out his mother once more so you may wish to take a strike at him before he accomplishes that. Good luck.

-Mask"

"Damn it," Aquilo cursed while gritting his teeth. He looked at the messenger ready to give his orders.

"Get a raven and send a message to the Supreme Commander that Raizo Arashi is an official outlaw and a war criminal. He is no longer backed by the Revolutionary Army and if we head him off quickly before he reaches the Sapphire Phoenix, we can take out a significant threat for the war to come."

"Yes sir!" the male spoke before riding off to carry out his orders. Aquilo would then look back to Yuki who was astonished by what she just heard.

"I…I…can't believe it," she stammered.

"I know that there was a change coming. Raizo is now a traitor to the Revolutionary Army? With nowhere to go, we can finally settle this once and for all. We just have to find him first."

"Let's just hope we don't run into the Sapphire Phoenix before we run into Raizo."

"I doubt they will do anything unless our intelligence gets leaked to them; however, that is very unlikely so they better have some sort of god by their side."

It was a bold claim that Aquilo made as he rocked his horse thus spurring it to action. The Silver Fox was feeling confident in himself but little did he know that the Sapphire Phoenix had more than just one god on their side. He was unwise to not realize this fact even if he had a partner to count on.

Meanwhile, in the northwest, the troops that composed the armies belonging to the Sapphire Phoenix were rallying together to make final preparations for the coming incursion against the Empire. The Revolutionary Army was still a viable target but their leader, Hestia, suggested that if faced with the decision of which side to strike first then they would go after the bigger threat. The Capital City was not only closer but held a considerable strategic advantage.

For starters, the entire city was heavily fortified with a wall surrounding it which makes it easier to defend against threats from all sides. In addition, most resources could be stored within the city. Plus, the people being oppressed would be easier to sway to their side as opposed to getting the armies to surrender. If enough chaos occurred within the gates of the town, then the Emperor…rather than the Prime Minister would have to deal with threats that were both foreign and domestic.

While those under her command had been hard at work, Hestia was merely walking around the grounds of the massive encampment with Genesis at her side. She tried to keep herself occupied with matters concerning the army as well as her plans moving forward but she could not fight her maternal instincts. Though she tried to shove those thoughts to the back of her mind, the one who was foremost and obscuring her focus was her son. Ever since that event at The Archive, the warmth she felt from holding her son in her arms for the first time in what seemed like decades had stirred her heart. It was rather ironic considering that she had forsaken all other forms of emotion for quite some time therefore, she couldn't describe the sensation she was feeling in her heart. She knew she had greater responsibilities but it felt like her reunion with him again would be imminent.

"Is there something wrong milady?" asked the giant that was walking behind her. His low, soothing voice reached her ears trying to discern her condition. Brushing her white bangs away from her face, the woman nodded her head as she snapped back to reality.

"Oh, apologies Genesis, I am just having a moment to myself in my mind," she replied giving the male a soft smile.

"I hope it isn't anything bad or too troubling. Is there someone that has given you a grievance that you require me to deal with?" he asked growing antsy thinking that someone has deliberately disturbed her peace. Hestia waved at the man telling him to calm down.

"No, it isn't as serious as that. I'm just having one of those moments as a mother where you incessantly worry about your child."

"Oh, the boy named Raizo," he began, "Do you really think he will come to us?"

"Of course I do. After all, he hasn't seen me in 6 years or so. With the way we were suddenly reunited, I have no doubt that he will find his way to me. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if he was to somehow be blamed for what I did to the rebels those weeks ago."

"If that is the case, then Raizo's life may be in danger."

"True, but he is my son and the last remaining blood wolf. Well, unless you count those traitors but they are hardly relevant to the story."

"I believe you may be correct. So if this is the case then shouldn't we be scouting for traces of an intruder?"

"You may a valid point. Is it possible for you to generate more of those raven familiars?"

"Yes milady but alas, I need to wait until nightfall. My powers would be stronger at that point and I can cover a more effective range if need be."

"That's right, I forgot about how the daylight affects you for a moment. Do forgive my selfishness then."

"It is nothing milady, I only wish to provide the best of my ability to you. I can probably generate some now if you truly wish it."

"No Genesis, that won't be necessary. In fact, I think you should get some rest while the sun is still up. Though you are strong, I know that you have not been resting properly lately. After all, you have been looking over Zephyria's recovery, no?"

"Indeed. She woke up a few days ago and has been in a rush to get back into peak condition to make up for her blunder. I told her to take it easy but she hasn't been listening. I shall take your advice though. The others are around somewhere. I heard Adena took a trip to some mountain range away from here to search for some volcano. As for Orion, he told me that he was going to go star gazing, and with Zephy, she should be flying around in the skies trying to build up her speed."

"Thank you for telling me Genesis, now go get some rest. I can take over from here," the woman smiled gently. The man would bow in deference before leaving her side and heading back to his own chambers. As for the woman that appeared like a goddess, she headed toward the back of the camp away from prying eyes before using her powers of gravity to lift herself into the air and fly upwards where she sensed strong gusts of wind and loud sonic booms echoed in rapid succession.

Thousands of miles in the sky above the clouds, Zephyria had been conditioning her body to accelerate at speeds that could breach light speed status or slightly higher. She knew that in her match with Raizo at that time, she was the only one who couldn't match him toe to toe in that state that seemingly appeared to be a corrupted form of his blue aura state. She tripled the layer of armor she wore to provide extra weight so that her body would move faster when she removed the armor. She was hoping to try and build up to six layers so that she could at least sport 2 layers of armor at a time and not suffer any real reduction in speed.

As she soared back and forth covering a defined diameter, she was thinking to herself of all the flaws that she had in regard to her fighting style and her current build. Despite being a member of an elite team, she felt like she could be the weakest of them all so she had to take every advantage she could to be stronger. It was then that when she turned around to fly back, she suddenly slammed right into what felt like an invisible wall which caused her to yell.

"FUCK!" she shouted angrily pounding the solid air before her but before she went into a tirade of shouting insults, Hestia appeared before her holding out her hand with a smirk on her face. Seeing the woman, she knew that Hestia was merely playing a trick on her so she couldn't be upset for too long.

"Lady Hestia, it's a surprise to see you…way up here?" she tilted her head in confusion. Zephyria knew that she could sustain flight due to manipulating the wind but how did Hestia get up here? Then she remembered that the woman could control gravity so she deduced that the gravitational pull on the mature woman's body must have dropped down to zero.

"I wanted to come and check on you given recent events. By the looks of things, it seems that you have fully recovered. Also, I wanted to play a little prank on you," spoke the woman chuckling a bit. Zephy could only smile in return as it was quite a fun distraction.

"I am doing a lot better Mistress. I just wanted to train my body a bit before we take back to the field."

"I see, well I am just relieved to see you up and running again…or should I say flying?"

"Yes ma'am, I appreciate your concern. Thank you."

"Where is Adena?"

"Oh, she is somewhere in the mountains just a ways north of here. If you follow me, we should be able to find her. Though I think you're going to want to stay close so I can keep giving us fresh oxygen. She is in…a rather hot place right now."

"Lead the way then."

Nodding in acknowledgment, Zephyria flew close to Hestia before taking off quickly, the mistress not even remotely far behind. A layer of air surrounded them that kept the air fresh. Soon they came upon skies filled with thick black clouds composed of poisonous gasses. The temperature within the area spiked as well from what came to be seen as a volcano—Mount Kira. This place was far removed from any populated area due to the unpredictability of the dangerous mountain as well as the perilous living conditions of the area but for someone like Adena, this was like a second home.

Zephyria and Hestia descended considerably from the sky towards the opening of the mighty mountain. The darker-skinned female kept the air bubble around them while Hestia repelled any harmful flaming debris using her powers. As they landed near the top, the two females began to sweat immediately. Nearby on the ground was clothing that was folded up neatly into a pile completely untouched by anything popping out from the molten cavern below.

"Adena, Lady Hestia is here! Stop fooling around and come out!" yelled Zephy summoning the more free-spirited female. Suddenly, the mountain began to shake in response and the lava bubbled exponentially. Hestia looked at Zephy with a raised eyebrow as if saying that she may have just caused an eruption to start. In the next instant, however, a pillar of fire rose from the middle shooting high into the sky before descending upon the women's location.

As the fire casually waned away, the dripping of lava dropped to the ground turning to igneous rock almost immediately. Standing there was a singular female who was stark naked. Her curvaceous and well-endowed frame was visible for all to examine that was currently present, with two feathers appearing like tattoos visible on her lower abdominal area. Flicking through her lush, red hair, the female opened her eyes before stretching in joy.

"Well, that was a nice bath. The heat was perfect and I feel stronger already. So what's going on?" spoke the female in a relaxed tone walking over toward her clothing pile ensuring that her body temperature was decent enough before putting them on. Soon being clad in her black dress and regular attire, she rejoined the pair of females.

"That was quite an entrance. What if we were the guys? Would you have been as casual?" asked Zephy.

"Hell no! For starters, I'm pretty sure the guys know by now not to come to seek me if I am not in the camp. In addition, if they did see me naked somehow, they wouldn't have eyes anymore," explained the redhead.

"Now, now, no need to get worked up. I just merely wanted to know where you were and how you were," Hestia said calmly to alleviate the girl's imminent temper. The last thing she wanted to see was this volcano erupting in response to Adena's attitude.

"Anyways, so what's going Lady Hestia? Did something happen back at camp?"

"No, I just need a distraction that's all."

"Is that so? Well the fact that you and Zephy came all the way to Mt. Kira for that is quite flattering to me. Though I only came here because I didn't know how to deal with a feeling I've been getting."

"What's that Adena?" asked Zephy curiously tilting her head to the side.

"I feel like we're going to be running into Raizo…and soon."

Hestia gasped. So she wasn't the only one that was having weird feelings about Raizo. It makes sense that she would be feeling a weird tension about things given the way her reunion with her son went but for Adena to be feeling off too? Something must be off. A thought crossed the back of her mind stating that she knew it was the right call to pledge Raizo to the fiery female when they came of age. Honestly, it felt like she already had a daughter now.

"We should head back to base and discuss matters further. It makes no sense for us to be standing here and talking about it," suggested Zephyria growing concerned over the behavior of the volcano.

"Agreed; sorry Adena but I would prefer not to deal with splashes of lava in my lifetime. Though I can reject anything coming our way, I'd prefer not to continue sweating like an animal," Hestia spoke while waving a hand at herself.

"Come on, the heat isn't that bad!" Adena winked teasing them both.

"Stop being such a hot head in front of the mistress and let's go already!" Zephy yelled in annoyance at her female companion's carefree self. Taking a moment to laugh, the trio then got serious and all assumed their respective positions before taking off into the air. Zephy glided in the sky using the air, Hestia manipulated her body's weight by gravity and Adena jetted herself into the air by producing flames from her palms like thrusters before sprouting wings like a phoenix and flying on her own.

"Why don't we have a little race back to camp?" Adena suggested.

"Oh? Are you challenging your queen?" Hestia smirked.

"Well to be fair, there is nothing wrong with a little friendly competition Lady Hestia," Zephy confessed.

"Alright then, sounds fun. The last one there has to cook dinner for the five of us tonight?" Adena stated.

"Sounds like a good idea. Just because I'm the leader, try not to make it too easy for me girls."

"Sorry Mistress but I'd like to think I rule the skies."

"Oho? Let's see if you do then. Ready?"

"GO!"

As the trio blasted off into the distance back toward camp, the sky seemed to shift from the display of their combined power. Fire, wind, and gravity all combined to seemingly distort the skies and manipulate the way the clouds were formed. Luckily there wasn't anything else flying in the sky because they would surely be dropped if caught in either of the women's paths. As they ripped through the heavens, the race soon came to an end as they descended toward the outside of the encampment so as to not disturb the peace that the soldiers shared while working.

"Looks like I win after all," spoke Hestia coming in first place.

"Damn, I could have sworn I had you!" Adena exclaimed coming behind in second.

"Tch…I'm still the rule of the skies!" Zephyria spat coming in last. The former two couldn't help but laugh at the flustered expression.

"Well tonight, you're gonna be the ruler of the kitchen so be sure to rustle up something good eh?" Adena said while smacking the girl on her ass to tease her.

"Impress my taste buds and I might do something special for ya later," the redhead flirted heavily before kissing the girl on the cheek. As Adena turned to walk toward the main house, in her mind, and her heart she felt bad. She knew that having her fun with Zephyria wouldn't last forever since Raizo still held a significant place in her heart. She hated thinking like this but it was almost like the fire user was using the Sky Queen to fill the void in her molten heart since she did not have the boy back in her life yet.

Destroying the trio of women's train of thought, a rift in the sky tore open as the sight of the stars and the darkness of space became visible. Like a strong suction, everything seemed to be pulled toward it before Orion came through and immediately sealed it back up with a grin on his face.

"Well then, that was fun. I got to see a few stars go supernova, a meteor shower and a comet sucked up by a black hole. Gotta love the cosmos," he said taking a moment to stretch.

"Welcome back Orion, I trust your trip was eventful? How goes that project that I assigned you to work on involving that particular device?" Hestia inquired.

"It's nearly done. Soon we will have our own playground to use in which we can go all out on our enemies or just train ourselves to the limits. I just have to make sure there is a way that anyone can use it and not just me," the youth replied. The group then made their way back toward Hestia's main lodging to relax and discuss things.

"Good. We're going to need it soon."

"Don't worry Mistress; I will get it done. You have my word."

Nodding, Hestia continued forward but suddenly, all of them felt an intense pain shooting at them at various locations on their bodies. Each person emitted a glow where a mark that symbolized their respective teigu was formed. For all of them to feel it at the same time, it could only mean one thing.

"We have to brace ourselves, everyone, Raizo is indeed coming after all," Hestia spoke looking to the heavens in the far distance. Dark storm clouds were ahead billowing forth as thunder could be heard and lightning seen in the distance.

"Adena, you and I are going to go on a little field trip," Hestia spoke, "Are you up for that?"

"Forgive my manner of speaking but, I thought you'd never fuckin' ask," the girl said clutching her chest.

"Well, he damn sure isn't called the Stormbringer for nothin'."