Ninjas: Members of a Feudal Japanese society of mercenary agents. They were highly trained in martial arts and stealth, who were tasked with covert operations ranging from espionage, to sabotage, and assassinations.
At least... That is what humanity defines them as. The real truth is that ninjas are nothing like the cheap knockoffs in the realm of humankind. True ninjas are an elite, warrior race of godlike beings whose powers and abilities surpass anything that mankind has ever dreamed of; real life supermen and women. As large and extraordinary as their abilities are, ninjas have unfortunately been stamped with a less than stellar reputation across the multiverse. Either feared or outright hated by most races, they haven't had the best luck in making too many friends nor allies.
To most, ninjas simply are freaks of nature who do nothing more than cause chaos and devastation throughout the multiverse. Countless myths and legends have been told about this mysterious yet infamous race, and have been passed down from generation to generation. Ninjas may have committed some heinous acts in the past, yes, but they are not the monsters that countless societies have made them out to be. They never were. As much as they have tried to redeem their race, and escape from under their father's overwhelming shadow, the four vaunted siblings can never seem to make any foreseeable progress. The few beings that they can call friends are all they have.
For a race as powerful and proud as the ninjas, the damage left by a tyrant has left them with a depressive and outcast future. Unless Dante, Ubel, Daeva, and Evron can trudge through the fear and inspire all of those that surround them.
With Aerowen's conquest now on the precipice of beginning, the ninjas will need all of the help that they can get, less the multiverse be brought to its knees. The Blood Assassins: they are the monsters knocking at the door. Though nothing is as black and white as it may seem.
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What do we define as obsession? For most, obsession is simply an idea that continuously intrudes one's mind. It relentlessly hounds them to no foreseeable end, until one day... One day, it drives them insane. For Aerowen, she defines obsession with one, singular word, and it began with a D.
Devil's Peak:
8:45 AM
The winter air was chilled and crisp, the winds were harsh and sharp, and the land was white and slick. Far away in the distance was a red and silver tower, a tower that stretched 4,000 feet in the air. The shape of it was like that of a wine bottle: curvaceous and slender. This was Devil's Peak: the proud capital of the Blood Assassins. It usually overlooked a seemingly endless valley of multicolored foliage, but the grueling winter season now had everything covered in snow and ice. Perched at the very top of Devil's Peak stood a tall, and slender woman. Her inky black hair hung low, and her cold blue eyes lashed out at every snowflake. She gazed out at the sea of ice before her, pursing her tight lips with ponder. Her eyes widened in surprise upon the flurries of snow creating a face, THAT face. The face of her obsession, her allurement, her idée fixe. The woman clenched her eyes shut and reopened them, now finding nothing to see, just the gentle flakes of snow dancing in the wind.
Aerowen sighed and caressed her bare skin. For as cold as the weather was at the moment, she didn't seem to mind; all but her bosom and upper thighs was exposed to the elements. She had been out here, standing in the same spot for hours now, lost within the depths of her own mind. She thought of him, and she thought of him a lot. Aerowen glanced over her shoulder into her room. It was a massive space, at least half the total size of a football field, and covered in various pieces of leather furniture. A soft, orange glow remained consistent throughout the entirety of it, giving the room a unique warmness to it. The walls were plastered to the brim with rather... disturbing items. They were pictures of all shapes and sizes, pictures of him. Aerowen's sweetest sin. Her own little definition of obsession. The woman smiled lustfully at the pictures, continuing to caress her body sultrily. A part of her despised just how much she loved him, but she simply couldn't help it. She wanted him. She needed him. It was sickening.
The stainless steel double doors to Aerowen's room glided open, revealing a petite redheaded woman wearing a purple robe. She had rich hazel eyes, a face covered in freckles, and a pointed chin. This was Cytherea: Aerowen's second-in-command and little sister. Cytherea stood at the edge of the room for a few moments, eyeing the overwhelming amount of photos with notable disgust. She sneered and headed to the balcony where Aerowen stood.
"Lady Aerowen." Cytherea bowed respectfully. "My apologies for interrupting you, but the council wishes to discuss your plans of the conquest."
Aerowen gave her a momentary sideways glance, before fixing her gaze back on the ice covered land. "Tell me something, Cytherea." Aerowen replied. Her voice was smooth and light.
"Of course, my queen, anything." Cytherea quickly said.
"Why are we still going through with this?" Aerowen questioned.
Cytherea looked on in confusion, furrowing her brow. "Because m'lady, it is your wish to-"
"It was MOM'S wish to rule over the multiverse." Aerowen hissed, quickly silencing her timid sister. "I couldn't care less about ANY of this, and am only going through with this conquest to shut the damn council up. Ruling over the entire multiverse isn't my goal. It never was."
"Please forgive me, my queen I... I was completely out of line." Cytherea begged, whimpering on her hands and knees.
Aerowen glanced down at her sister and slowly knelt down to her level. She massaged Cytherea's face and grabbed a hold of her chin, gently raising her head up to see the girl's frightened eyes. Aerowen gave her a smile.
"Hey, I'm sorry for snapping at you, Cyth. I didn't mean to, okay? You don't have to be afraid of me." She said in a reassuring manner.
Cytherea hesitantly nodded, and Aerowen then responded by hugging her tightly.
"Now, you go tell those old bastards to give me a minute, and I'll be right down. Can you do that?"
Cytherea nodded vigorously. "Yes ma'am, I'll do so right away." She stated with determination and hurried off the balcony, and out of the room.
Aerowen stared after her and her smile instantly faded away, gaining way for a vicious scowl. "Idiot." She murmured softly. The council was really starting to piss her off about this campaign; they were lucky that she didn't just slaughter them all. Aerowen gazed at one of the many portraits of him, hanging on her walls. She moved over to it and rubbed it up and down with her fingers.
"We will be together again soon baby, I promise." She whispered, and licked the photo sensually.
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Jefferson City, Missouri
6:10 PM
It is amazing how fast weather can take a turn for the worst. One minute, you could be enjoying a hot summer afternoon, the next, you're looking down the swirling barrel of an F4 tornado. Unfortunately for the people of Jefferson City, that is exactly what transpired today. The twister was merciless, carving a path of destruction throughout the city, and leaving nothing in its wake. Weather emergency centers had fortunately been quick enough to predict it, allowing for most of the population to evacuate ahead of time. Still, some people weren't so lucky. A lack of transportation, not listening to the warnings, or a debilitating injury left a handful stranded and deserted. As was the case for one woman, trapped inside of her apartment, with no time to escape. She was a young lady, probably around her early twenties, and had light brown hair and brown eyes to match. She hadn't payed the tornado warnings any attention beforehand, and was now paying the price.
The enormous tower of wind was swiftly closing in on the woman's position, howling and whistling in the process. Ear splitting booms and cracks rang out as the tornado shredded whatever buildings were in its way. It sounded like the end of the world, and as far as the girl was concerned, it was. She was curled in a ball inside of her closet, hands wrapped tightly over her head, and sobbing uncontrollably. Her eyes were puffy from the amount of tears being squeezed from them. She prayed nonstop for whatever god was out there to spare her, spare her for her ignorance. The woman's apartment started to rattle, the ceiling tiles began to fall, and the tornado's roar drew near. The girl was hysterical now, screaming to the tops of her lungs for anyone or anything to save her.
The tornado was upon her now, evident from the violent shaking of the apartment building. The entire structure swayed from side to side, the windows were blown in, and pieces of the building were beginning to get eaten away. The woman continued to shriek and sob in complete terror, as the walls were soon ripped away, and the monstrous winds enveloped the girl. She screamed and shouted as she was swept off her feet, being carried further and further through the twister. The girl continued to scream, until suddenly, the air was still, and the winds were calm. She felt weightless, almost as though she was... Flying.
The woman slowly peeled open her eyes and peered down below her. She was no longer in Jefferson, but was now instead in Kansas City. How had she traveled so far so fast? The girl soon got her answer as she looked up, and was met with quite the bizarre sight. She was staring at a man. This was no normal man though, obviously. Aside from the obvious (him flying), he had this certain... Aura to him, and she could both see and feel it. His eyes were violet and almost seemed to glow, and his entire physique was powerful and confident. The woman was cradled within the man's muscular arms as they flew through the evening sky. The strange man finally located a sufficient building, and slowly descended down to it.
Upon touching down, the man knelt to one knee and delicately laid the woman down. The latter sighed deeply in relief and closed her eyes, attempting to calm her nerves even just a tad. When she reopened them, she saw the tall man turning to leave. She quickly pushed herself up.
"Wait!" She called out, still gasping for breath.
The man stopped in his tracks and slowly turned around to face her.
"Ttt-tha- thank you so, so much fff-for saving mmm-my life. I don't know how many times I can say that to you, but... I am just so grateful to you." She said in a shaken voice.
The man gave her a gentle smile and bowed. "You are most welcome." He calmly replied.
The woman returned his smile with a shaky one of her own, her nerves still buzzing tremendously. "Before you go, can I ask what your name is?" She asked timidly.
The man was silent for a moment. His eyes glowed subtly as his smile grew some. "My name is Ubel." He said.
The girl pursed her lips a bit and nodded happily. "I'm Haley." She responded and immediately gave Ubel the biggest hug that she's ever given. "Thank you for saving me, Ubel: my guardian angel." Haley whispered.
Ubel was surprised at first by the sudden embrace, but he graciously returned the show of affection. No one had ever really shown him that amount of appreciation before. After a few seconds, Haley finally drew away and looked Ubel dead in his eyes, her smile unfading.
"You're really handsome, you know that?" She flirted.
Ubel laughed gently. "I didn't until now. Thank you, Haley."
Haley twirled a piece of her hair. "Do you have like, a girlfriend, or anything?" She asked in hopefulness.
Ubel pondered the question for a moment, thinking of only one girl that he was interested in, one that understood and accepted him for himself. While she wasn't his mate, and the fact that they had only met a year prior... Ubel still had hope. She was more than just a human to the ninja. He looked down at Haley and smiled.
"It was nice meeting you, Haley." He said as his eyes began to glow brightly. In an instant, Haley was knocked unconscious and Ubel set her down delicately on the floor. She wouldn't remember any of this when she woke up; Ubel preferred it that way. She, nor anyone else he saved could ever know that he was a ninja. For Ubel's sake, and more importantly, for Earth's.
Ubel took one last look at the sleeping girl, and, with a small sigh, shot off into the air at supersonic speed. He sped away towards his earthly home, deep within the Rocky Mountains of Canada.
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Ubel had greatly enjoyed his stay on Earth. At first, he was simply there at Dante's request to help defend the planet from any future, high-powered attacks... And because a certain someone had what humans called a "birthday" coming up, and Ubel simply couldn't miss it. Over the course of his stay however, and him growing more and more comfortable with the tiny world, Ubel began to genuinely like it. Everything was just so simple and peaceful here, and humanity for the most part had been extremely kind. Them not knowing that Ubel was a ninja greatly helped with that, although a lot of them seemed to find what they defined as ninjas, "cool". As great as Earth had been so far, Ubel did feel a tad lonely being here. While he did have three good friends that would consistently check in on him, he felt very much like an outsider, and distanced himself safely away from humanity because of it. Ubel hadn't told neither Demmy, Demiurge, or Molly about it, but he could tell that they saw it in his eyes. Hence, the constant visitations and invitations to various events. Those three had made Earth feel more and more like a home away from home by the day, especially the latter. The ninja did still miss his home and his siblings, but it comforted him to know that he at the very least, had three friends that cared as much about him as his own kin did.
Ubel also made sure that he was never stepping on any toes; Earth was Demogorgon's realm, and Ubel completely respected that. He was just there to help in any way possible to defend it, and pick up the slack. Fortunately, Demmy had been a very humble ruler, and she only had one rule for Ubel to try his best to follow: keep the destruction to a minimum. To Ubel's credit, he did keep that promise... Mostly. During a rather... Intense training session in South Dakota, Ubel accidentally shattered Mount Rushmore, and the entire mountainside for that matter. Luckily, no one was around to see it, and Ubel did attempt to fix it as best as he could. It didn't exactly work. See, that was the thing with Earth that Ubel didn't understand: they had all of these beautiful structures, yet they built them so poorly. Everything here was so delicate. Obviously Ubel didn't quite understand that the great deal of power he possessed might of had something to do with it. In any case, Ubel now had to be extra careful not to get too overzealous; it was yet another reason why he tended to distance himself from humankind.
It wasn't so bad; Ubel had created a rather large and beautiful palace within the Rocky Mountains to escape off to. He could train as hard as he wanted to and not put any lives at risk, and remained hidden from any peeping eyes. Aside from the demon sisters and Molly, no one else knew where the big ninja was, and he wasn't complaining.
Mere minutes after leaving Haley, Ubel touched down upon one of the balconies of his earth home. It was currently flurrying and the wind blew hard. Ubel sighed and removed the silver tank top that he'd been wearing, and tore it into purple sprites of energy. He leaned against the cold, diamond railings, and gazed out at the valleys and canyons that were within his view. His hair blew upward from the strong breeze as he watched this galaxy's sun begin to set. Ubel could already see the Earth's moon with his natural, incredible vision, and allowed for a soft smile to slip. He had gone there many times during his year on this planet, and was impressed by the serenity of it. It was one of the best places to train in this solar system, aside from Mars and Saturn's largest moon: Titan. Additionally, Ubel had given Molly one of her gifts on the surface of the moon. Her initials, glowing brightly in purple, were forever embossed on the lunar surface. It was both incredible and bizarre, really... How a human girl could get to a god so strongly. Ubel didn't mind it at all. In fact, he... He enjoyed her company, very much so. With the orb that he gave her last year, Molly could summon him whenever she wanted, and he would always be there. Ubel's smile faded a bit as he thought of his siblings back home. Deep down, he really really hoped that Dante, Evron, and Daeva would come to visit soon.
That was a bond that could never be broken, no matter what happened.
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Realm of the Ninja
11:00 AM
The star of Orion hung proudly in the sky, casting its brilliant light upon the entire realm, and lighting the kingdom up in a dazzling display. The air was cool and crisp, and the exotic foliage that covered the land basked in the sunlight. The snowy peaks of the mountains in the distance sparkled and twinkled. Deep within the kingdom, alone inside of the vast dinner hall, sat Evron at one of the long golden tables. He was busy eating away at a rich, and tender steak with a large side of steaming hot wild rice. Ninjas didn't necessarily need to eat in order to survive, but that didn't mean they couldn't still enjoy a good meal. With their mother gone, the ninjas' Aunt Beatrice was in charge of cooking duty, and she was reeaally good at it.
Daeva walked slowly into the hall, groggily dragging her feet. The red shirt that she was wearing was jumbled and twisted, and her black leggings were rolled up to her knees. Evron glanced up from his food and snorted.
"Well well, look who finally decided to get up." He mused. "How'd you sleep, princess?"
Daeva rolled her eyes and made her way over to the table. Despite just waking up, she didn't look it; she was still just as gorgeous as ever. Sorcery. Daeva took a seat on the table itself and moaned exhaustively.
Evron slowed his chewing. "You know we eat there, right?" He said.
"Not a big deal." Daeva muttered. "I'm guessing everyone else is in the village?" She asked.
"Yep."
Daeva blinked in confusion and shot Evron a look. "Where's Dante?"
Evron gulped down another piece of his steak. "Off being a diplomat." He replied nonchalantly.
Daeva rubbed the grogginess out of her eyes and focused on Evron's words. "I'm sorry, he's what?"
"That's right, little sis, our brother is currently at a diplomatic meeting, filled with a bunch old hags with nothing better to do than to have meetings." Evron stated with a hint of annoyance.
Furrowing her brow, Daeva went on to ask, "um, why?"
"Because apparently they summoned him to the damn thing. Plus, him going would help repair this crappy reputation we have." Evron affirmed and leaned back in his seat. "It's not like Dante wanted to go, but if it helps us in any way, you know he's gonna go for it."
"So why didn't he ask either of us to tag along?" Daeva questioned.
Evron shrugged his shoulders. "Because they only needed one representative, Dante is the oldest, I couldn't care less, and you'd be a distraction."
Daeva opened her mouth with offense. "How would I be a distraction?!" She demanded.
"Because you're you, sis. Hell, last week you made fifty men divorce their wives just so they could be with you." Evron retorted.
"I can't help that I'm sooo beautiful, Evron." Daeva replied playfully and flicked a piece of her hair.
Evron rolled his eyes. "Well regardless, I-" Evron stopped and gazed down at the table; his plate was nowhere to be found. He looked up and saw Daeva scarfing down the last of his food.
"What the-when did you steal my plate?! I was looking right at you the entire time!" Evron demanded.
Daeva finished chewing and sat the empty plate down. "About three minutes ago." She mused with an innocent grin, and hopped off the table, walking briskly out of the dinner hall.
Evron groaned in irritation. "UUUGGH, you're so annoying!" He spat.
"I love you too!" Daeva called out.
With a huff, Evron sunk down in his chair and folded his arms tightly. "Oooo, I'm Daeva, I can go at hyperspeed, I'm the fastest thing in the multiverse; I can do whatever I want." He mocked in an annoyed, high-pitched voice.
".....I heard that." Daeva suddenly whispered right in his ear.
A high-pitched shriek soon followed.