BotM: New Beginnings

[Dawsbfiremind]

The evening sun shown through a gap in the mountains, cutting a bright orange trail through their center. The strong winds whipped the snow off the peaks and scattered them through the air, making the area seem even colder.
This is where Lotus found herself when she awoke.
She looked around slowly, squinting as the flying snow stung her face.
Where am I? she wondered, slowly rising to her feet. She looked down in her hands and saw that she still held the small, ribbed metal ball that she had found in the ruins above her house.
How'd I get from there to here? she asked herself, holding the ball between her right thumb and index finger and holding it up to the light.
Something caught her gaze beyond the ball. Slipping the ball into a pocket, she saw that one of the small mountain peaks looked unnaturally angular. Its spire gleamed a harsh yellow in the sunlight, adding to its apparent odd nature.
Curious, Lotus stalked forward, her boots crunching in the snow. She reached back a hand to prevent her sideways ponytail fro blowing into her face.
Getting closer to the center of the ring of peaks, she looked up and saw that the rest of the peaks had the same unnatural look and shine.
"I've seen this somewhere before," she muttered. Turning around slowly, she scrutinized each of the peaks.
A strong gust of wind blew, almost tearing her cloak-jacket off of her. She shuddered as the icy snow met with the bare skin of her arms under the sleeves of her cloak-jacket.
Through the wind, she glimpsed a familiar symbol etched onto one of the peaks. By the time she fastened her gaze on it, the snowy haze had covered it again.
But she knew where it had been. It was only about one hundred meters above her.
Tensing her legs, she leapt towards where it had been.
She collided with the spire a little higher than she had intended. That's okay, she thought. I can just climb down to it.
Reaching for a handhold, she found that the combination of smooth metal and ice rendered the spire slippery. She began to slide down.
She scrambled for a handhold, which seemed to only increase the rate of speed at which she fell. Her hands simply slid over the spire's surface while her boots shaved off the ice that covered the metal.
Finally she halted as her hand caught a jagged object. Se gritted her teeth as she felt it cut into her hand, followed by a bloom of warmth that traveled down her arm and shown red through the white sleeves of her cloak-jacket. Looking were he hand caught, she saw that there was a tear in the metal spire that led to is interior. Grimacing as she shifted her weight onto her already injured hand, she swung through the hole and inside the spire.
The wind still howled unpleasantly outside, but it seemed agonizingly still without it inside the structure. Lotus felt her arm heal itself quickly in the slight tingling sensation that always accompanied the use of her regenerative abilities. She pulled back her sleeve and looked at her hand. As expected, the wound was entirely healed, leaving only a stain of blood that traveled almost to her elbow. She grabbed a handful of snow and used it to wipe off the bloodstain, as well as to numb her residual pain.
Looking around, she saw that she was in a small room filled with machinery, all marked with the same symbol she thought she had glimpsed on the outside of the spire.
She recognized it from the books her mentor, the half-man, had in his library. It was the symbol of the ancient Cryaens.
"Which means," she muttered, moving out of the doorway in the room and into a much larger hall. "this is a Cryaen ship."
"Indeed."
Lotus whirled at the deep voice, and came face-to-face with a tall, blue-skinned man.
"A second generation Sky Kraken," the man, obviously a Cryaen, continued.
"Where am I?" Lotus asked him. "Last I remember, I was in the ruins above my home."
"Hm," the Cryaen squinted at her. A small lens appeared and hovered in front of his eye.
"You are from the same universe as I," he said dryly, as if he had just stated something unsurprisingly obvious. "That makes you the second traveler from home I've come across."
Lotus narrowed her pink eyes at him. "What?"
"You have something of mine in your pocket," he said, acting as though Lotus had never spoken in the first place. He held out his hand and the small ball flew from Lotus' pocket and landed in his palm.
"My dimensional shifter," he muttered, holding it up. He looked at Lotus. "Where did you get this?"
"The ruins above my home," Lots said through gritted teeth. The Cryaen was beginning to annoy her.
"So that's how you got here," he mused. Turning to face Lotus, he bowed.
"My name is Lacrimosa, Cardinal Engineer of the Cryaen race." He straightened. "Welcome o Earth one sixty-five."
"Earth what?" Lotus asked.
"We are from Earth ninety-eight," Lacrimosa explained, striding along the railing that ran on the inner curve of the walkway they stood on. "You touched my dimensional shifter, which brought you to its last programmed location, which is here, Earth one sixty-five."
"Okay, so I'm on a different Earth," Lotus said. "so how do I get back?"
"You do not," Lacrimosa said, flattening the ball in his grip. "This cannot exist, thusly giving you no way back to our home universe."
Lotus leaped to catch it as he tossed the flattened object over the railing, where it fell into the cavernous gloom below.
"But it could have gotten me home, right?" Lotus asked.
"Correct."
Yelling, she swiped at him with enough force to dent machinate. Unfazed, Lacrimosa threw a small blue orb into the air and promptly turned into a cloud of mist that her fist passed through harmlessly.
"Then why'd you destroy it?" she shouted, swiping at the mist again.
The cloud moved away and re-formed into Lacrimosa. "Because its invention caused the death of my race," he said. I used it to explore other worlds, but as I left with this," he gestured around tem. "our greatest ship, the great war began. Time had distorted, so while I was gone for only a few days, years passed by in my home universe, and my people were killed, only because they were caught between the Primordials and Eldritches as they fought. I could have at least fought with them, but I did not, because of this. My one mistake. Engineers are not supposed to make mistakes."
"And that's why you destroyed my only way to get home?" Lotus asked, beginning to focus intensely.
"Yes," Lacrimosa said. "Balance was restored. That which destroyed has been destroyed. No more mistakes."
"So now I'm stuck here," Lotus growled, feeling power begin to surge through her.
"Most likely," Lacrimosa said. "Just like me and the other traveler from Earth ninety-eight, the girl with the shark mask."
Lotus' eyes widened. He means Thresher! She can alter reality can't she? She can get me home!
The power surge finished with its customary spike, and Lotus' eyes turned a bright magenta. Rushing forward, she grabbed Lacrimosa by his skinny blue neck.
His yellow eyes widened. "An impressive amount of power for such a young girl."
"You better believe it," she said, glaring at him. "You took away my first option for getting home, now you will take me to my second one."
Lacrimosa cocked his head.
"Take me to the girl with the shark mask."
Understanding flashed through the Cryaen's eyes. "Gladly," he said. "I will get you halfway there." With a quick motion of his hand, a small trio of machines formed a small ring that began to glow.
"Let us see if you can survive this world," he said as the glow formed a portal that sucked Lotus inside.
Lotus hit the ground hard on the other side of the portal, her eldritch mode still active.
Where am I now? she wondered. Its much warmer and brighter, and there's no wind.
Picking herself up, she saw a village just a few hundred meters away.
He said he'd get me halfway, she thought, resolving to kill the Cryaen if they ever crossed paths again. I wonder if anyone here has seen Thresher?"
She suddenly detected something mentally. Focusing her eldritch powers, she was able to tell they were warriors of some sort, and they were wondering why she had just appeared out of a glowing hole in the sky. After a moment, it became clear they considered her a threat.
Oh boy, she thought, grimacing. Here we go.

[Godzilla165]

A cool, and crisp morning washed over the Realm of the Ninja. Orion was gleaming proudly high in the sky, the fields of beautiful foliage danced and swayed in place, and a light fog covered the towering mountains in the distance. The kingdom itself twinkled brilliantly in the sunlight, looking like that of a massive piece of jewelry. It was a rather calm and quiet morning as well; everyone seemed to have been taking their time getting up, including the ninjas themselves, which was especially rare. Everything was at ease and incredibly serene... Until all of that was disturbed by an uninvited guest falling from a portal in the sky. The mysterious girl had landed right outside the enormous, golden and ruby gates. Soon after her arrival, a crowd of Yakuza, men, women, and children alike had gathered around the girl to see who, or what exactly she was. Many of them were visibly annoyed and outright angered of her being here, what with her suddenly trespassing on their world and all. On the other hand, some of the Yakuza were noticeably cautious towards the young girl, as they could feel the amount of power she possessed. Some of the braver members began advancing towards her, their body language clearly hostile, and their intentions essentially plastered on their faces.

Suddenly, Dante, Evron, and Daeva all teleported out in the center of the large group of Yakuza. Having just woken up, all the three of them were still in their pajamas. The crowd of Yakuza quickly bowed, and the aggressors yielded.

"Lord Dante, Prince Evron, and Princess Daeva, good morning." They all said respectfully.

Dante smiled warmly at all of them, "Morning you guys." He responded before turning his attention back to the strange newcomer.

"Who the hell is this kid?" Evron inquired telepathically.

"I don't know," Daeva began, "but whoever she is, I'm sensing some pretty major power for how young she seems to be." She continued, visibly curious from the girl.

Evron's eyes glowed a bright red as he snickered internally. "Pfft, honestly sis, you think this kid has power? We've dealt with people that would squash her little, pink-eyed ass." He said harshly.

Dante shot him a glance. "Easy, Evron. She's obviously lost, and needs our help." He murmured.

"Hey, I'm not trying to insult her or anything like that. She can't hear me anyway, so it doesn't even matter." He retorted. "I'm just saying that she's just a kid, is all. What I really wanna now, is how the hell she got here in the first place?"

Dante shook his head, before looking at the crowd of Yakuza still standing behind them, and clearly still distrustful of the strange child. "It's okay, everybody, we've got it from here. Everyone just go about your business as usual, and go relax; there's nothing to be worried about." Dante audibly reassured them and calmly waved the onlookers away. The Yakuza bowed and began to head off back towards the kingdom, leaving the ninjas alone with their new guest.

"Maybe we should get her name first, before doing anything else." Daeva offered.

Dante nodded, "Good point." He said and bent over some to meet the girl's pink eyes. He gave her a warm, and friendly smile, his emerald green eyes glowing subtly. "Hi, sweetheart. What's your name?" He gently asked.

Lotus stared intently at the being before her, sensing the sheer amount of power that he, and all three of them for that matter, possessed. This made her feel a bit on edge, and cautious as to what they might do to her. They seemed nice enough, though, especially the man in front of her, and the beautiful girl. The other one though, with those intense red eyes, seemed like he'd be a problem. Regardless, Lotus focused her attention back onto the green eyed man standing in front of her, that comforting smile he had still traced across his mouth. Lotus couldn't help but return the expression; that smile of his was almost infectious. After several seconds, she finally managed to sputter out the words, "M-my name's Lotus."

Dante raised a curious eyebrow. "What an interesting name." He thought. In any case, he simply nodded and rose to his full height again. "It's nice to meet you, Lotus, my name's Dante. These are my siblings: Daeva, and Evron." He said. The latter ninjas did a quick bow in response.

Lotus gave a single wave back and gazed around the incredible world before her. It was unbelievable how beautiful, and dare she say, otherworldly this place was; it was as close to the standard depiction of heaven as one could possibly get, without actually being there. "What is this place?" Lotus questioned in awe.

Dante outstretched his hands out to his sides and grinned enthusiastically. "Welcome to the Realm of the Ninja!" He trumpeted.

"Take it down a notch, jeez." Evron moaned, rolling his eyes.

Daeva elbowed him in the side and looked at Lotus. "Don't mind him, he's always like this." She said. Evron gently elbowed her back in return.

Lotus furrowed her brow and crossed her arms. "Wait a minute, so you mean to tell me that you guys... Are ninjas?" She asked in disbelief.

The ninjas all looked at one another. "Yeah." They said proudly in unison.

"Lemme guess, now you're going to start screaming and running away in fear, eh? We're just a bunch of freaks, we know. Not like we haven't heard that one before..." Evron grumbled.

Lotus giggled and shook her head. "No no, it's nothing like that, I just always thought that ninjas were supposed to be these Japanese guys that dressed in all black, and snuck around at night all the time." She jeered.

Evron snorted, "Yeah well, don't believe everything you hear, kid."

"And what's, 'Japanese'?" Daeva asked confused.

Lotus threw her head back a bit in more disbelief. These guys really were otherworldly. "Oh, nevermind." She casually waved it off.

Dante folded his arms tight to his chest. "Well then, can we get to the more important matter at hand here?" He began, "What are you doing in this realm, and how exactly did you get here?" He inquired.

Lotus's face darkened, "Some bastard Cryaen named Lacrimosa sent me here through a portal, or whatever." She hissed, and kicked a nearby pebble. "He said that he'd get me halfway back home, threw me into that portal, and it spit me out here. I'm still new to this whole, 'portals and other realms', thing."

Dante turned from Lotus to glance at Evron and Daeva, both of which had similar looks of curious concern on their face. Dante turned back to Lotus and knelt down to one knee. "And where is your home, exactly?" He asked.

Lotus took a second to remember what Earth Lacrimosa had told her, before rudely throwing her through a vortex in space. Suddenly, her face lit up and she snapped her fingers in remembrance. "Earth ninety-eight!" She announced.

Dante's eyes glowed brightly in surprise. "Another Earth? I always imagined that more were out there, you know, multiverse and all... But I just never came across another one." He said.

Evron grunted, "Eh, all of them are just backwater planets anyway. I still don't understand why Ubel decided to go and help defend one of those things."

Lotus held both of her hands up. "Whoa whoa whoa, wait a sec. Multiverse? Ubel? What are you guys talking about?" She demanded.

"Ubel is our other sibling, he's on the Earth the three of us are familiar with right now." Daeva chimed in, brushing a strand of hair out of her face. "The multiverse though... That'll take a lot more explaining."

"Well, is there any chance you guys can get me back home?" Lotus asked hopefully.

Dante smiled softly, "Oh yeah, easily!" He stated. "But not before we get you some food, and into some new clothes."

Lotus glanced down at the clothes she was wearing, and looked back at Dante blankly. "I'm not that hungry." She calmly threw back.

"That's not what your stomach is saying." Dante retorted, peering into Lotus's soul.

Lotus wrapped her arms tightly around herself. "That's just creepy, dude." She muttered.

Dante rolled his eyes and grinned, "She's all yours, Daeva." He said and turned to head back to the kingdom.

Daeva stared at him in shock, her blue eyes glowing. "Wait wha-"

"She needs another woman's perspective and fashion sense; you'll be fine, sis!" Dante called out, and teleported inside the kingdom.

Evron smirked playfully, "Have fuuun." He taunted, pecked Daeva on the cheek, and teleported away as well.

Daeva slumped her shoulders and groaned, before turning her attention back to the impatiently waiting Lotus. "Come on, let's go." Daeva murmured, and motioned the girl towards the gates.

Lotus obliged and began walking beside her. "You're unnaturally beautiful, by the way. What are you, like, the prettiest girl in this so-called multiverse?" She complimented.

Daeva smiled and laughed, "Aw, thank you, and yeah, I think so." She stated nonchalantly. "You're really pretty too, you know?"

Lotus flicked her hair to the side, "I know." She said playfully.

They both laughed and headed into the kingdom.

[Dawsbfiremind]

Dang, didn't save this one.

Ach, it stunk anyway.

[Godzilla165]

Regina, Saskatchewan.

The night was late and quiet. The streets below were empty, and the sky above was clear and star-filled. The city itself felt like it was slumbering, dreaming about the bustling day tomorrow. Standing atop one of the taller buildings in the city, was Ubel gazing at the streets below. He had been there for several hours now, lost within his own mind. From as far as Ubel could sense, he was currently the only soul awake in the entire city. Still, even he was starting to get a little heavy-eyed. He didn't want to go, "home" right now, though. Ubel didn't know exactly why, either, but his mind just couldn't stop running at the moment. Something was telling him that there was another war brewing, and at the head it all was someone more ruthless than THE Ninja himself. Someone cruel. Someone sadistic. Someone... Psychotic. Ubel was also missing home more and more, his real home. Earth was great and everything, and he was more than happy with helping to defend it from evil, but things just didn't feel the same without his siblings here with him. They've been through so much together, and it was incredibly hard for Ubel to have up and left for Earth under Dante's orders. Still, as difficult as it was, and as much as he missed his home, the big ninja had a duty to uphold for this planet. Plus, it was always nice to see the demon sisters, and Molly of course.

Ubel gazed up at the single moon the Earth had, his violet eyes glowing warmly in the pale, white light. He had visited it a handful of times now, as well as all the other various lunar bodies in this system. There was something about this particular moon however, that Ubel liked over the rest. Maybe it was the simplicity of it, and how peaceful it was? Whatever it may have been, Ubel always enjoyed his trips there. Out of the corner of his eye, Ubel spotted something rather peculiar. Upon closer inspection, he saw that it was a man standing at the edge of another building across from where Ubel was, currently. The big ninja furrowed his brow in concern, and wasted no time in teleporting over there.

Appearing a few feet behind the man, Ubel began inching his way closer to him. "Um, excuse me, sir? Are... Are you alright?" Ubel asked.

The man jumped and whipped around, his face drenched in sweat. He had long, curly brown hair, a full, unkempt beard, and hazel eyes. He was unhealthily skinny, his clothes looked as though they hadn't been washed in days, and Ubel could smell him from where he was. The man backed further towards the edge of the building. "Don't come any closer! I'll jump, I don't care anymore!" The man threatened in a trembled voice.

Ubel held up his hands just to show he wasn't a threat. "Hey hey heyyy, I'm not here to hurt you, okay? I promise, I'm not. I just want to help, is all." Ubel said.

The man's breathes were trembling and sporadic, little tear droplets starting tracing down his face. "Just STAY BACK!" He screamed.

Ubel obliged and slowly sat down on the ground. "I'm staying right here, okay? Let's both just take it easy and have a talk, yeah? Can you do that for me?" He asked.

The man stood there for a few moments, before hesitantly taking a seat on the edge of the building, his back facing away from Ubel.

"What's your name?" Ubel inquired.

There was an air of silence for several seconds, before the man finally murmured, "John, John Ashley."

Ubel smiled, "Nice to meet you, John. My name's Ubel."

"Can you just leave me alone, please?" John begged.

Ubel stared at John blankly. "No." He responded. "I'm worried that If I left right now, you'd jump off this building. I wouldn't want that to happen to you, John."

John glanced over his shoulder, "Why do you care? Life doesn't care about me... No one does." He said defeated.

"I care." Ubel stated firmly.

"You just met me, quit lying. What would you lose if I jumped off this building right now, huh?" John's voice fractured, his words became stifled. "There's nothing left in this life for me, Ubel! I am just so tired. Everything in my life has been crashing down around me. My so-called friends have all betrayed me, my career is ruined, and my mom, the only person that cares anything about me, was just taken away by lung cancer."

John sunk his head and began to weep, but not just in sadness. His tears were filled with heartbreak, his wails were that of a man who couldn't fight any longer. He whimpered for God to have mercy while rocking back in forth, and clutching his chest. His soul felt like it was being ripped apart.

Ubel stood to his feet and walked over to John. He sat down beside the man, and embraced him tightly. Surprisingly, John didn't fight it; he could do nothing more than collapse into Ubel's arms and cry into his shirt. "It would hurt me so much if you went through with this, John. You may not know me at all, but just know that I do care about you." Ubel gently reassured. "You say that you don't have anyone else in this life, but... You've got me, you've got me now, okay?"

"It... It's just so hard, Ubel." John choked. "Life has beat me down so much; I just... I don't want to go on anymore. Do you have any idea what that feels like?"

Ubel didn't say anything at first. That memory, the one he tried so desperately to push back and yet... There it was again. He glanced down at John and nodded calmly. "I do." Ubel said, and stared off at the slumbering city, remembering that horrible day.

*************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Don't Leave

It always saddens the heart to know that people are so quick to judge and hate others for the most baffling reasons. They spew words that sting like arrows, and do things for the sole purpose of breaking someone down, when they have no idea what that person might be going through, and how their words can deeply affect them. Everyone has their own problems, and no one is in any way, perfect. It is never acceptable to cut someone down when they are dealing with any form of depression, because it can easily lead them to the point where they no longer want to go on. Someone could seemingly have it all from an outsider looking in; they could have all the money and power in the world, but still feel completely empty inside. They feel lost and helpless when everyone they encounter turns them away, and makes that person feel as though they have nowhere else to turn. They no longer wish to live, and believe that they would finally have peace in death. By the time someone comes along who truly cares about this lost soul, and wishes to see them prosper in life, it is far too late. Another life has been lost because of the cruelness of others, and the ignorance that they have towards one’s personal demons.

Ubel was nearly a victim of this long ago, when he temporarily attended a multiversal school of academics for nearly a year. He had entered into the equivalent of high school. It was an overcast afternoon, and it had come time for lunch at the academy. As all the other students walked together to head down to the cafeteria, Ubel, like all days, walked alone and sat by himself when he eventually got there. For a few weeks now up until this point, Ubel had been eating with his professor in his classroom. Today, however, said professor was needed in another part of the school, leaving Ubel at the mercy of the entire student body, 6,000 strong. He got his food, sat down at his usual table, and kept his head low just to hopefully remain inconspicuous. Then, Ubel felt a cold, and wet liquid splatter on his back. Someone had thrown a carton of sour milk at him, and there was a roar of laughter afterward. Ubel merely kept his head down and continued eating.

“That’s a nice look for you, you ugly bastard!” A male voice called out from behind, granting another bout of laughter.

Ubel remained silent.

“Yeah, it really drives home how disgusting you and your entire race is!” Another voice called out. More laughter followed.

Again, Ubel did nothing; he just continued eating.

“Why don’t you just get the hell outta here, huh? Did you actually believe that you would make any friends here?” Another voice chortled. “You’re just a worthless freak, scum of the multiverse!”

“No one likes you!”

“You’re a monster!”

“Go AWAY!”

“Piece of shit!”

“Yakuza trash!”

“Worthless goddamn ninja!”

All of these taunts and insults, and many more were hurled at Ubel with no sense of quitting. More old and rotten food was thrown at him, and cold laughter filled every orifice of his psyche. Up until today, Ubel took it without any reaction on his part; he was taught to be strong and fearless in the face of evil, so simple heckling was not a problem. Seemingly, anyway. Words hurt in ways that even physical injuries cannot. They hit deep and marinate for much longer. A papercut is nothing compared to losing an arm. Everyone has their limits. No matter how strong you may be, there is always a limit, and Ubel had reached his. Tears began to drip from his chin and onto his lunch, and he quickly got up from his seat, and ran out of the cafeteria. He could still hear the storm of cackling in the background, and even as he flew away from the campus, he could still hear it. It was as if such had been burned into Ubel’s mind, carving its way deep into his inner thoughts and clawing away at his emotions. A trail of tears was left in his wake as he flew through the vacuum of space. Dante had warned Ubel about enrolling in any real school system; he knew just how mean and cruel kids could be. Ubel blamed himself for not listening to reason; it was all his fault for how those students treated him. They were right: he was nothing more than a freak of nature, and scum of the multiverse. He was a monster.

Ubel arrived back in the Realm of the Ninja, headed straight for his room, and shut it forcefully behind him. He went straight to his dresser and looked up, finding his katana hanging overhead. Ubel removed it from its post, unsheathed it, and stared at it. He ran his fingers across its folded, and black shape, his tears pattering onto it. Ubel dropped to his knees and screamed bloody murder. His voice was cracked and choked, his breaths gasped and short. He just cried, cried, and cried, and cried there in the middle of his room.

After a few minutes, Ubel took in a few deep breaths, and managed to calm himself down enough to focus on the task at hand. He raised the sword up in the air, took his other hand and wrapped it around the handle, and turned the blade around where it faced him. Ubel then slowly moved the blade closer and closer to his chest, until the tip of it was pressing against his heart. Ubel clenched his teeth and shut his eyes; his palms were sweaty and his hands were trembling. He applied a bit more pressure, allowing for the tip of the blade to slowly work its way into his chest. A few gasping and pained grunts left Ubel’s throat, and he began to hyperventilate as the blade went further and further in. Before long, Ubel had reached his heart, and could feel it thumping wildly inside of him. This was it. Ubel took in one last, trembling breath, before he began to apply a little more pressure…

That is when a knock on the bedroom doors stopped Ubel from going any further. A familiar voice soon followed. “Ubel?” It called out. It was Dante. The stainless-steel doors slowly began to open, and Dante poked his head out from behind them. “How was your day at-“Dante’s question was silenced as he watched in horror what his brother was doing. His green eyes widened to the size of baseballs and glowed brightly. He looked around at all the blood that had seeped onto the floor, before turning back to see Ubel covered in his own blood, and staring at him through tear-soaked eyes. It seemed like it was all happening in slow motion. Dante dashed over to Ubel and knelt down in front of him, constantly reassuring him that everything was going to be okay, while simultaneously removing the blade ever so gently out of his chest. Luckily, Ubel hadn’t pierced his heart, but had Dante came just a second late…

Finally, Dante had gotten the katana out of his brother’s chest, and threw it across the room. He looked on in disbelief at what Ubel had done to himself, before staring into his violet eyes, of which were dimly lit. “Ubel I… Wha… What did you do?!” Dante asked in a shocked, horrified voice.

Ubel just stared back at him. His chin was trembling, his teeth were clenched, and his face was red and drenched with sweat. His eyes were pouring. With a choked gasp, Ubel collapsed into Dante’s arms and sobbed. It wasn’t even a normal sobbing, but instead was more of a muffled scream of internal agony. Dante could feel Ubel’s heart breaking as he held him. Dante just held him there, caressing his head with one hand, rubbing his back with another, and allowing for him to cry. His eyes were closed, little tears beginning to rush down his own cheeks. Dante’s hands were covered in the blood of his little brother. In his mind, he knew he should have been there to protect him, and the fact that he didn’t, and didn’t also see what Ubel was going through… That hurt Dante the most.

He gently shushed in Ubel’s ear. “It’s okay, we’ll get through this together, alright? Just don’t leave. Please, don’t leave.” Dante murmured delicately.

They sat there for hours, their tears intermingling together, and never letting one another go. Depression is a very real, and very powerful force. It can affect any and everyone, even ninjas. If you ever need help, or feel as though you just can’t go on any longer, please reach out. There is someone that cares, and your life is so precious.

Please, don’t leave.

*************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Ubel himself began to tear up some, quickly shaking the memory away. He could sense all of the tragedies and events that were happening all over the globe, and people crying for help. For some reason however, Ubel's attention was focused solely on making sure John was okay. He rubbed the sobbing man's back, and just let him cry.

"Everyone has left me, Ubel. Everyone." John cried out.

"I'm not going anywhere. I promise." Ubel reassured delicately. He would keep that promise as well. Ubel was going to stay there with John for as long as the man needed. He would make it his duty to be the one person in John's life.

He wouldn't leave.

[Godzilla165]

As Daeva and Lotus walked through the expansive halls of the kingdom, both had been silent for quite some time. The former simply couldn't think of anything substantial to say, and the latter was busy taking in the incredible scenery around her. Lotus had never seen so much gold, diamond, rubies, and whatever else in one place before. Everything gleamed and sparkled, the floors were polished to mirror perfection, the walls looked to have been made out of solid gold, and enormous, pearl white columns proudly in every corner. At times, Daeva would have to stop and wait for Lotus to catch up, what with the girl sight seeing and all. Eventually, they both found their way to the dinner hall, and took a seat at one of the many polished stone tables. Lotus furrowed her brow in curiosity, and began vigorously scratching the surface of the table with her fingernail. Daeva, leaned back in her seat, merely watched on with a confused look on her face.

"Just what the hell is this table made out of anyway?" Lotus suddenly asked.

"Comet crystals." Daeva responded casually.

Lotus's face lit up as she looked at Daeva, "Shut up. No way, really?!"

Daeva smiled and nodded.

Lotus took one last look at the table, before shaking her head and sinking down in her seat as well. "You guys have it made here, I swear." She said. Lotus glanced at Daeva, her pink eyes now glowing sneakily, and her lips pursed. "Can I like, live here, by any chance?"

Daeva raised an eyebrow, "I thought you said you needed to get back home." She pointed out.

Lotus shrugged her shoulders, "Yeah, I know but... After seeing this place, it's like paradise here; my home is a dump, can I pleeease stay?" She begged.

"Nice try, but no." Daeva giggled. "We gotta get you back to your friends and family. Don't you wanna see them again?"

Lotus didn't answer at first, taking some time to really think said question over. She stared at Daeva blankly, and very subtly shrugged her shoulders again. "I dunno, I guess. I mean, what real family do I have, honestly?" She murmured.

Daeva stared back her, listening intently. She brushed a strand of hair away from her face, and leaned in closer to Lotus. "Tell you what, until we can you back to your own home, you can stay with us as long as you'd like. Deal?" She smiled warmly.

Lotus grinned softly and nodded. "Deal." She affirmed. After minute, Lotus furrowed her brow again, and crossed her arms tightly to her chest. "Now, you have to tell me about this whole, 'multiverse' thing, or whatever."

Daeva smirked and gave her a small nod. "Okay, fine. But first, we've gotta get you something to eat." She said.

"Well, how long is that gonna ta-" Lotus cut herself off as she suddenly caught a whiff of a brand new aroma, that made her stomach snarl in desperation. She looked down and immediately found a plate of freshly cooked chicken, rice, a large roll, and dressing to top it all off. A silver fork and spoon where both sitting to her left, with silk napkins to her right. Lotus's eyes widened in shock as she stared back up at Daeva. "How... How did you..." She sputtered for words.

Daeva smiled as her blue eyes glowed brightly. "Fastest being in the multiverse." She nonchalantly retorted.

Lotus continually stared at her, enthralled, her mouth hanging open a bit.

"Well, don't just sit there, eat up!" Daeva stated.

She didn't have to tell the young girl twice. Lotus wasted no time digging into the steaming hot food before her, scarfing down bread and rice like no tomorrow. She didn't care if she wasn't being, "lady-like", at the moment; She was starving.



At the entrance of the dinner hall, stood Dante with his arms crossed, watching Lotus tear into her food with amusement. He chuckled to himself and felt happy that the girl seemed to be a least somewhat comfortable here. Behind Dante, a soft hand suddenly caressed his hair, before wrapping its arm around his neck. Dante turned to meet Aphrodite's eyes, and pulled her in closely for a kiss. After they finally separated, she focused her attention onto Lotus.

"Honey, do you really think that having that girl here is a good idea? I'm all for helping others whenever they're in need, but... The power that she wields at such a young age, it's crazy, don't you think?" Aphrodite asked, concerned.

"I know, my love, and I share some of your concerns too, but... Lotus is just a young girl, and she needs our help right now. I honestly feel like we can trust her." Dante responded.

Aphrodite sighed and rested her chin on his shoulder. "I hope you're right Dante, I really do." She murmured.

"Besides, a young, mysterious girl who fell out of the sky, and has incredible power that we don't really know about is now in our home." Dante turned to Aphrodite and winked. "What could go wrong?" He said jokingly, gave her a peck on the cheek, and left out of the dinner hall.

Aphrodite smirked at him, took one last good look at Lotus, before following after Dante, and leaving Daeva and Lotus to themselves.

[Dawsbfiremind]

Thresher stood over her makeshift workbench, using the yellow light of a lamp to illuminate the complex box of wires she was fiddling with.
She brushed some of her hair out of her face. She had taken her mask off to better see what she was working on, though the sensation left he feeling naked.
"It is still a bad idea," Gaze said for the hundredth time in the past thirty minutes.
Thresher sighed. She was beginning to wish she hadn't brought a copy of the miserable AI with her.
"It's not something that I'd expect a machine to understand," she growled.
"Marina equipped me with the capacity to understand the criminal justice system. I have no data on what you currently plan, therefore making it something I'd advise against."
Thresher gritted her teeth, using pair of needlenose pliers to adjust a bright orange wire. "Advise me then."
"Your current plan to draw out the Ninjas is borderline illegal," Gaze explained.
"Sometimes you walk a thin line pursuing justice," Thresher mumbled. "Sometimes the line between legal and illegal gets blurry."
"Even so," Gaze continued. "If it does work, it will not put you on good social standing with the Ninjas."
"Social standing, social standing, blah blah blah," Thresher mocked, tightening a connection. "I'm not doing this for social reasons."
"I would not think you would do anything for social reasons," Gaze remarked.
Thresher frowned. Darn these AIs and their oddly sarcastic sense of humor. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a stick of gum.
"How many pieces of gum are in your mouth right now?" Gaze asked.
Thresher slipped the stick between her lips. "Five now, why?"
"A normal person would have difficulty controlling their salivation at this point," Gaze answered. "I was simply curious."
Thresher installed the plate on the top of the device, ignoring the female-voiced AI. "Done."
Gaze said nothing. Thresher could feel her computed disapproval, even if the machine felt no emotion.
She stowed the square object in a bag. "We'll set these out, then we'll be ready."
"I have no part in this," Gaze said.
"You do too," Thresher said, grabbing the small tablet Gaze spoke from and stuffing it in her pocket. "You're with me as long as I carry you."
Before Gaze replied, Thresher pinched the volume key, muting her voice. That's better.
The door opened as she donned her mask, and Thresher's temporary landlord entered.
"It's pretty late, are you-" he stopped as he saw what she had been working on.
In one fluid motion, Thresher pulled a pistol out of her hip holster and shot him in the chest.
"No witnesses," she said, stepping over his comatose form. She pulled a bottle out of her bag and sloshed some of its contents behind her.
As she exited, she summoned a small glowing disk and rotated it, producing a three-tone burst of music. In response, the liquid ignited. The fire quickly spread across the wood floor.
She lifted her mask slightly and blew a bubble. Time to get to work.

The next day, in the Realm of the Ninja

Dante finished pulling his armor on the best he could. The Ninjas were in a frenzy, swarming in a confused mass around him as he stamped down an enourmous hallway.
Evron jogged up to him, armor halfway on. "What's all this about?"
"Some kind of terror attack," Dante said. "Bombs went off in the middle of a city. The people were apparently throwing everything they could get their hands on at the source but nothing was working, so we sent in some of our own warriors."
Evron shrugged. "So?"
Dante stopped and looked his brother square in the face. "We've lost all contact with them."
Evron stared back. "You better not be pulling my leg."
Dante turned back around and continued walking. "I wish I was."
Evron ran after him. "But that's impossible! What kind of terrorist can stop a Ninja?"
"I might be able to answer that," Daeva answered psychically.
Dante's pulse quickened. "How?"
"Lotus can sense something," Daeva said. "She said she can feel a familiar presence."
Evron raised his eyebrows. "something from her world?"
"Seems like it. You're approaching us, I can feel you. Come see what you think."
Dante turned a corner and came upon the sight of Daeva staring intently at Lotus, who was slouched against the wall, Evron catching up a moment later.
Dante stopped in his tracks. The young girl's eyes were glowing pink, and he could sense the waves of power emanating from her. Unlike those of other being he had met before, the power struck him as being ancient and untamed. It sent prickles running down his arm.
Lotus looked up at them. "Guys," she mumbled. Dante crouched beside her. "We're here."
Lotus' head trembled slightly. "She's from my world, I've sensed her before."
Evron crouched down as well. "So how do we beat her?"
Lotus shook her head. "Don't know. They always say you can never catch a shark."
Evron lifted an eyebrow. "What?"
"Lotus," Daeva said, stroking the girl's white hair. "I need you to focus, tell us everything you can about her. Who is she?"
Lotus took a deep breath, her eyes drifting half shut. Then a spasm wracked her body. Dante felt another presence.
"Lotus, pull out!" he shouted. "You're psychic powers are weaker than hers! She's using you!"
Lotus' eyes snapped open, this time yellow with catlike slits. A large toothy grin spread across her face.
"Greetings!" a distorted female voice said through Lotus' mouth. Her teeth flashed brighter in random patterns as she talked.
"Who are you?" Evron demanded.
"How do you want me to answer Evron?"
Evron's eyes widened and he put a hand to his temple. "You read my mind! I couldn't even- How!"
"Mm," the voice said. The yellow eyes squinted at him. "You're afraid of being weaker, are you? Is it because of what your father did to you?"
Evron grabbed Lotus' jacket. "Are you trying to pick a fight?" he shouted.
"Yes," the voice answered. "I'm waiting. All you have to do is come down here and prove how strong you are."
Evron stared at the distorted face for a moment, before teleporting away.
"Evron, no!" Dante shouted.
"He might die," the voice continued.
Dante glared at the face. It raised an eyebrow at him.
"Are you going to save him, oh glorious warrior?"
Dante hesitated, then teleported after Evron.
The face disappeared, leaving Lotus' panicked face behind. Daeva held her trmbling form. "It's all right."
"No it's not," Lotus whispered. "She's going to kill them.

Dante almost gasped in shock as he saw what he had teleported into. The city seemed to have frozen mid-explosion, jets of fire hanging immobile alongside flying chunks of rock and concrete. To his right and slightly in front of him, he could see Evron standing motionless.
He began to ask if his brother was okay when he noticed he couldn't move his mouth. Nor his eyes. Panicking for the first time in a long time, he attempted to move, but none of his muscles responded. It was then he became aware of a sound not dissimilar to ambient music playing in the city.
Then a shadow passed in front of the largest explosion.
He stared as the feminine form touched the ground and began to slowly approach them. He reached out his mind tentatively, suddenly noticing his brother's frustration and rage.
He suddenly knew why as the woman approached, her pink hair surrounding her like a halo. Her face was covered by a shark mask with the same yellow eyes and toothy grin as the face that had appeared on Lotus.
"Glad you could come." The same distorted voice came from behind the mask, accompanied by the teeth in the grin lighting up randomly.
"Let me go, demon woman!" Evron psychically shouted.
"I'm no demon," the woman said. She leveled the barrel of a pistol at his head. "But I'm certainly no angel either."
Evron's rage was boiling over, exacerbated by the playful grin of the shark mask.
"Call me Thresher," she said, touching her collarbone and dipping her head slightly. Evron tried to use his power - any of it - to escape, but to no avail.
"Can't do much when reality is frozen around you," Thresher said.
"Then how're you moving?" Evron asked.
Thresher clicked her tongue and tapped the gun's barrel against his head. "No good player ever tells the other players about their ace."
She looked over at Dante. "Even if you and the other players work towards the same goal."
"Work towards the same goal?" Evron echoed. "How is blowing up a city align to our goals?"
Thresher shrugged with her hands. "That was a means to an end. I've been looking for you Ninjas for two years now with no luck. I avoided violence as long as I could, but in the end it had to be done in order to get your attention."
"To do what?" Dante asked, mentally glaring at her.
Thresher paused, then stalked over to him. She raised herself above his eye level with an apparent alteration in gravity before squatting down of the balls of her feet.
"You're the reasonable one," she said, placing one hand on her masked face and cocking her head playfully. "Will you listen?"
"That depends on what I'll hear," Dante said. Evron grumbled something.
"Good," Thresher said, leaning back. She let one leg dangle over the apparent edge of the gravitational anomaly, folding up the other and hugging it against her chest. "Now, to cut to the chase, where's Vyros?"
"Who?" Dante asked, trying to worm his way inside her head.
The glowing yellow light in the mask's eyes flicked as if it was blinking. "Come now, surely you would have noticed when he entered your world."
"Great, Evron growled. "Another trans-universe traveler."
Dante mentally shook his head. "I don't know, I-"
"Come now," Thresher said, dropping to the ground as the gravitational anomaly disappeared. "He's tall, winged, has one eye, is made of a million red tendrils, and is completely insane like his mother. Surely you would remember him."
Dante considered her for a moment. "Sorry, I don't."
Thresher stalked around him, stopping to his right and behind him. "Do you?" she asked Evron.
He mumbled back a crude phrase.
Thresher shot the gun at him. Dante's anger began to boil like his brother's.
Thresher stalked up beside him, pinching the bullet between her thumb and forefinger.
She let it go and it began to sail through the air slowly in the direction of Evron's head.
"Now I'd rather us be allies," she began, crossing her arms. "buuuut it seems like you have until that bullet burrows into his skull for one of you to remember. And believe me, with reality like this, it will kill him."
Evron began psychically slinging every curse word he knew.
"Don't," Dante said. "We don't know honest."
Thresher tapped a finger against her arm. The bullet kept inching closer to Evron.
"Are we in danger too?" Dante asked.
Thresher seemed to consider the idea for an overly long time before nodding.
"The let's help you," Dante said. "You said we're working for the same goal."
"Yeah!" Evron yelled with a tinge of bitter sarcasm. "Why don't you get Lotus to help you too! She's from your world after all!"
Thresher turned and fixed her eyes on him.
Dante's heartbeat quickened. "Please?"
Thresher didn't move, but she emanated a single mental question towards Dante.
"What does she look like?"
Dante sent an image of Lotus to her. "You talked through her didn't you?"
Threher frowned at the image. "Did I...?"
She stood still as they did. Dante would've been sweating if he could.
"Come on, just get it over with!" Evron shouted.
Thresher pinched the bullet between her fingers again. Then she turned so she faced Dante slightly.
"As long as we promise not to kill each other."
"Deal," Dante agreed. And he meant it.
Evron was suddenly silent.
Thresher placed her pinched fingertips against his cranium. "Deal?"
Evron didn't answer.
"Say 'deal' you idiot," Dante urged.
Evron remained silent. Thresher began to loosen her grip of the bullet.
"Deal," Evron sighed.
Thresher pulled her hand back and crushed the bullet in her grip.
"Good," she said. "Now just a second."
She held up one hand and the fire began to shrink rapidly, followed by the shrapnel reconstituting itself and reforming into what it been before.
The music stopped suddenly, causing Dante and Evron to fall over as they were suddenly released.
Evron glared at the shark-masked girl.
"So," Thresher said. "now that we're allies I suggest we get to work. We have an eldritch to kill after all."
Dante frowned at her as well. "A what?"
He got the feeling that Thresher grinned underneath her mask. "Looks like you have a bit to learn. I will explain, back at your headquarters."
"Bro," Evron said to Dante psychically. "I don't think we should take her to the Realm of Ninja."
"I don't think you have a choice," Thresher said.
Dante shook his head. "Neither do I."

Spoiler:

Edits: a few continuity errors and a typo.

[Godzilla165]

Back in the Realm of the Ninja...

The day had turned from a crisp and cool morning, to a lukewarm and sunny afternoon. The star of Orion was at its peak in the sky, and cast its transcendent light upon the land. Within the kingdom, sitting against one of the walls of a massive hallway, were Daeva and Lotus. They had been there since Dante and Evron had went to chase after whoever that... Person was, who took control of Lotus's body, and were both waiting anxiously for them to return. Daeva hadn't told Aphrodite, just to spare her the inevitable and stressful worriment for Dante's well being. Plus, she was currently teaching the kingdom children how to knit and sow their own clothing, and Daeva really didn't want to ruin that moment. The latter gazed over at Lotus sitting beside her, whom of which had her head leaned softly against the polished wall, staring out at nothing. Daeva allowed a tiny smile to slip as she gently stroked the girl's hair. Lotus met her glowing blue eyes, and returned the expression. Even though she had only been there a day and a half, Daeva had found herself growing closer to the girl, all three ninjas, and even Aphrodite were for that matter. They had this almost instinctual feeling of protecting and teaching this girl, as though Lotus had become a little sibling to them. Daeva, as much as she adored her brothers, was finding that not technically being the youngest sibling anymore was kind of nice for a change. Suddenly, both of them instantly perked up, their eyes glowing brightly.

"They're back!" Lotus exclaimed.

Daeva nodded, "Mhm, but it looks like they're not alone. Whoever is with them, their energy is... Off putting, to say the least."

Lotus quickly jumped to her feet and tugged on Daeva's arms for her to as well. "Come on, we need to go see who it is!" She said.

Daeva obliged, and casually jogged after the pink-eyed girl towards the entrance.


A swirling portal of golden energy appeared in front of the towering gates of the kingdom, and from it, exited Dante and Evron, along with their newest... Acquaintance, Thresher. Evron leered over his shoulder at Thresher, and turned to Dante.

"I still don't know why the hell we brought her here, bro." He muttered psychically. "I mean, for Yakuza's sake, she destroyed half of a city just to get our attention, FROZE us in place, and had us at her mercy. Do you seriously think she's in any way trustworthy?"

Before Dante could even answer, Thresher decided to answer that question herself. "Awww, what's the matter, Evron, are you afraid of me?" She mused, clearly smirking underneath that mask.

Evron whipped around and got right in her face, his red eyes glowing profusely in rising anger.

"Evron, come on, it's not worth it." Dante tried pleading. "Just let it go-"

"Afraid?! Do you really think I'm afraid of you?! HA! I could break you in two without so much as a second thought, little girl." Evron growled.

Thresher rested her hands casually on her hips, the permanent, grinning shark mask angering Evron even further from its mockery. "Well, you haven't even seen what I'm really capable of yet, so maybe you should be... I dunno." Thresher shrugged.

"Is that a threat?" Evron hissed.

Thresher blinked once, "If you perceived it to be, then that's your problem." She retorted. "And come on, Evron, I was just kidding; I thought we were friends."

Evron narrowed his eyes, "Let's get one thing straight, demon woman: we may be temporary allies, but we are NOT friends." He sneered.

Thresher smirked again. "I'll grow on all of you soon enough, trust me." She mused and gave a single pat to Evron's cheek, before walking towards an awaiting Dante.

"Hey! You're lucky I let you do that! I could have ripped your hand off if I wanted to, you know!" Evron roared.

"I know Evron, you're such a big tough guy." Thresher playfully taunted, causing the ninja to grit his teeth in boiling irritation.

Thresher stopped beside Dante and gazed up at him, finding him already staring back at her. She crossed her arms, "You don't trust me either, do you?" She inquired.

Dante looked away, "I haven't really seen anything else from you to make me feel otherwise." He calmly responded.

Thresher rolled her eyes, "Ugh, look, I went after you guys specifically for a reason. You ninjas possess some overwhelming power, and that's just the kind of power I need to help find, and defeat that bastard, Vyros." She said.

Dante look at her, raising an eyebrow. "What's your point?"

"My point, is that I chose you guys, because you always do anything you can to help those in need, and right now... I need your help. Besides, I trust you, so the least you can do is give me that same respect." Thresher stated.

Dante stared at her for a moment, looked back at Evron, whom was rolling his eyes as far as they could physically go, and then returned his gaze to Thresher. The ninja Prime let out a deep sigh, and nodded. "Fine, we'll give you the benefit of the doubt. But, if you ever so much as think about harming innocent lives again, I-"

"Don't worry, I won't. Cross my heart." Thresher casually said, performing the motion. "Now, come on, show me this fancy kingdom of yours. This place already looks like freaking paradise."

Dante hesitantly waved a hand in front of the gates, and in an instant, the golden doors swung open. Dante motioned for Thresher to go first. She tipped an imaginary hat, and strolled towards the towering kingdom. Dante stared after her, as Evron stood beside him, sneering to himself.

"How the hell do you, 'cross your heart' anyway?" He asked.

"I have no idea." Dante muttered.

"Well, in any case, I hope you know what you're doing, bro... For all our sakes." Evron said and followed after Thresher.

"So do I." Dante murmured to himself.


As the three of them reached the front doors, they found both Daeva and Lotus waiting for them. Thresher gave them a quick bow, shot Lotus an interested look, and made her way inside the kingdom. Both girls looked at one another strangely, and then Dante and Evron. Daeva raised an eyebrow at them, "Uhh, who is-"

"Don't ask." They both said.

[Dawsbfiremind]

Earth 98, 1244 BC, Top of the World Tree, inside the Earth

"Vyros, son of Fell Pandora, the decision is unanimous."
Orquata's voice rang through the titanic branches of the World Tree. Light shafting down from the opening to the surface world thousands of miles overhead cast a dim glow on the scene, accentuated by the glowglobes that grew naturally on the tree.
Orquata blinked, hiding her brown eyes for a fraction of a second. "You are branded 'traitor.'"
The mass of red tendrils said nothing, and the large eye atop it appeared to be closed.
"The council of Eldritches have sentenced you to imprisonment in the Blind Space."
"Then you should be too."
Orquata blinked again, this time in surprise. The other Eldritches stirred, murmuring to each other.
Vyros looked up, his single eye opening. "Most of you look like me. If I am being sentenced for giving up my human appearance, then most of you should be sentenced as well. If I am being sentenced for betraying the Eldritches, then this woman should be sentenced as well."
The large eye squinted at Orquata.
"She has not betrayed us to death and war," an Eldritch said.
"No," Vyros agreed, his voice projecting from somewhere within him. "But she has threatened us with extinction."
"When?" Orquata asked, an edge of steel cutting into her voice and her white, feathered wings rising involuntarily.
"When you married a fully human man."
"We are all human, Vyros," another Eldritch said.
"We are gods!" Vyros shouted. "And this woman has seen fit that we are to mix with men!"
"Quiet!" a large Eldritch said, stamping a large mace into the floor with four hands. "The condemned should not speak!"
"Monos," Vyros said, addressing him. "Pursue that justice which you love and sentence this woman who has bred with a human."
A collective gasp emanated from the crowd. Monos turned his lower half of a face to Orquata, whose face burned.
"See?" Vyros said. "You say we are all human. You say she did nothing wrong. But still you are repulsed at the concept of the half-blood child that is incubating inside her."
Vyros tilted his eye. "Or should I say, 'twins'."
Orquata's eyes widened.
"Two girls."
Orquata put a hand to her midsection, feeling the small pair of lumps within.
"You decided to name them Lesena and Onenia," Vyros continued. "or in the common tongue, 'Clouds' and 'Heaven's Shard,' did you not?"
Orquata glared silently at Vyros, who stared back with his giant eye.
A faint woosh echoed around them as Monos leaped through the air, bringing his mace down on Vyros' presumed head. A few red tendrils splattered to the ground.
"The parasite king shows his true colors," Vyros muttered.
Monos gestured with one of his arms. "Send him off."
Everyone hesitated.
"Send him off!"
An Eldritch with a circular, mirror-like, free-floating orb for a head came forward.
Vyros blinked at him. He bobbed the mirror orb in response.
A silver portal opened in the air above the restrained Vyros, and a bone-chilling howl came from it. Vyros drifted upwards, pulled by the vacuum, and disappeared into the silvery void.
Orquata rested her hand over her unborn children again as she watched the portal close.

Earth 165, thirty-eight years before present events.

Vyros opened his eye.
He was on solid ground.
He stood, his tendrils forming legs as he needed them.
Solid ground. It had been millennia since he had felt it underneath him.
"So this is the world you travelled to Lacrimosa?" Vyros said to the air. "Before I get to work, I will need a suitable disguise."
He started towards a chain of mountains. Time to take a page out of Monos' book.

[Godzilla165]

Back in the Realm of the Ninja, within the kingdom's walls, Thresher was strolling through the expansive halls, gawking at everything around her while the ninjas and Lotus followed closely behind her. When Thresher would occasionally reach out to touch a piece of art or jewelry of some kind, she would get a firm and equally annoyed, "Don't touch that", from Dante. Upon the last one, Thresher merely shook her head slowly and huffed.

"Still don't trust me, do you?" She playfully inquired as she continued to walk.

Dante, having now caste away his armor into nothingness for the time being, calmly blew a strand of hair out of his eye. "Like I said, we're giving you the benefit of the doubt. What, you didn't think it'd be easy to gain our complete trust, did you?" He retorted.

Thresher shrugged, "I don't know, I was always under the impression that it meant the same thing as trust."

"Well, I can assure you it's not. Think of this as your probation." Dante mused. "That is, until you prove to us that you really are completely trustworthy."

Thresher rolled her eyes, "Greeeaaat, I've always loved being on probation, it's so fun."

Evron sneered from behind her. "Hmph, yeah well, that's what happens when you level an entire city just to get someone's attention."

"Oooh Evron," Thresher began, "I told you already, I only did that because I knew you guys would come running, and I was all out of options. I know you all quite well, as a matter of fact. Besides, I did promise that I'd never do it again." She stated innocently.

"Whoa whoa, hold up a second, 'know us quite well'? We literally just met you a few minutes ago, how could you know anything about us?" Daeva scoffed.

Thresher stopped in her tracks, and turned around to face them. Resting her hands gently on her hips, she turned to Daeva. "Daeva: youngest out of the four of you, breathtakingly gorgeous, fastest being in the multiverse, and yet... Is easily the weakest out of all of you." Thresher jeered.

Daeva made a face that looked as though someone had just slapped their mother. "Excuse m-"

"Dante: the oldest out of you all, the most powerful by a long shot, is the leader of the ninjas, and current lord of the Yakuza. Interestingly enough, is also the only one between you guys to ever reach that of a, 'ninja Prime', and is also dating the former Olympian goddess, Aphrodite, and has been for quite some time now. And yet, for some reason, even after what like, millions of years of being together, still hasn't proposed the famous question. Perhaps the steely warrior is afraid of commitment???" Thresher continued nonchalantly.

Dante blushed something fierce, and stared at Thresher in total disbelief. "Wait, what?! No no, that's not-"

"Evron: only a year younger than his brother, yet significantly weaker. Is known to be kind of a hard ass, rarely smiles, and could quite possibly possess the most potential out of all four of you, but his short temper holds him back. Could it be because deep down, he knows that he'll never truly live up to his older brother?" The woman kept going.

Evron's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree as he gritted his teeth; his anger was boiling over. "WHAT!!! Who the HELL do you think you ar-"

"He is also the most... Interesting one to me out of you all." Thresher declared softly, folding her arms close to her chest.

Evron's eyes dimmed some, as his mouth re-twisted into a scowl. "And why is that?" He asked dryly.

Thresher tapped a finger against her arm, and used one hand to adjust her shark mask. "Because you remind me a lot of me before I was, well... Me."

All three ninjas glared at her, not so much in anger, as in a mixture of both simple curiosity, and utter disbelief. Just who was this woman, exactly?

"Oh, and let's not forget about Ubel, the one who isn't here right now, yes? Soft spoken, mild mannered, is the biggest ninja physically, but would rather use his words than his fists or his weapons, but will still kick some ass if need be, has a crush on a certain human girl named... Molly?" Thresher affirmed, before she slowly tilted her head towards Lotus, whom of which was standing close to Daeva the whole time, remaining completely silent. "And last but certainly not least... You. You, strangely enough, I seem to know nothing about at the moment. Interesting."

Daeva instinctively put an arm in front of Lotus, as both Dante and Evron moved in closer to her as well. Lotus wasn't necessarily afraid of this strange lady, but she did peak the eldritch's attention. Dante gritted his teeth internally. "How-how do you know so much about us??? Just who in the Yakuza are you?" He calmly demanded.

Thresher shrugged again, "Like I said, I've been following you guys closely for quite some time now, watching you from the shadows, and gaining whatever intel I needed." She responded, now staring at her fingernails. "Hell, I even have an idea as to what the next storm will bring, and trust me... There will be one. And at the head of it all, is someone from your past, Dante."

Dante narrowed his eyes at her, before giving Evron and Daeva a look of growing concern.

"As for who I am... Think of me as a fourth wall... only one that's been broken many, many times." Thresher continued. "But, I am also an ally to you guys, and I genuinely mean that. Just because I know all of that stuff about you, doesn't mean that I'm all of sudden gonna go out and use it against you in any way. Even if it takes years to get you all to trust me, I won't stop until you do."

Dante raised an eyebrow. He didn't know what to think right now. On one hand, he could both see and sense that Thresher was in fact, being genuine in her promises. On the other hand, however, she had so much information on both him, and his siblings... And that made things trickier than they needed to be. "Wait, you said something about a storm that was brewing, and that it would be led by someone from my past. Do you have any idea of who it might be?" The ninja Prime asked.

Thresher slowly shook her head. "Sorry, but I only know the basics to that little dilemma, but trust and believe that I'd tell you more if I knew more." She said.

"Well, can you at least show us the face of the person that we're dealing with?" Daeva inquired.

"Yeah! I wanna see who, or what the hell's behind that mask of yours." Evron piped in.

Thresher stared blankly back at them for what seemed like minutes, the permanent grin of her shark face mask appearing to have almost "shrunk" a bit. Finally, she broke the awkward silence by responding with something oddly... Disturbing. "...This is my face." Thresher murmured almost robotically, causing all three ninjas, as well as Lotus to all glance at one another. "Now, onto the matter at hand: Vyros. We need to find out anything and everything about him, and fast. Do guys have like a library or hidden sanctuary in this place, or something?"

"Yeah, we have ten." Dante mused.

"Of course you do." Thresher said exasperatingly.

"But let's first start with Hale, he's the realm's head scientist and technician; if Vyros did somehow enter through here under our noses, Hale will know for sure." Dante affirmed.

"That settles it then, lets pay Mr. Hale a visit." Thresher declared, whipped around, and began strolling down the hallway.

The others stared after her for a moment, and Lotus tugged gently on Daeva's arm. "I don't know about her, you guys. She seems a little... Out of it, don't you think?" The girl asked.

"You can say that again." Evron grumbled.

"Well, what choice do we have right now? Besides, benefit of the doubt, remember?" Dante said in a reassuring, albeit still skeptical voice. With that, he motioned for the rest of them to follow, and marched off to catch up with Thresher. "Uhhh, do you even know where you're going???" Dante called out.

"Not really!" Thresher exclaimed.

[Godzilla165]

Regina
7:10 AM

Ubel had gotten up rather early by human standards, and had been at work making a meal for himself inside the kitchen. Something had been bothering him all morning, something that happened last night. A memory that Ubel had hoped was filed away in the crevices of his mind, had jarringly been brought back into fruition. He was chopping this strange plant that Molly referred to as an, "avocado", up into small chunks so that he could mix it into the concoction that was brewing on the marble stove. A series of sudden knocks on the front door gave Ubel pause for a brief moment, before he smiled to himself. He already knew who it was; he had sensed her before she even arrived.

"Ubellll... It's me, open up!" Molly's familiar voice called from outside.

The ninja quickly obliged, and unlocked the door psychically. A soft "CA-CLUNK" of the lock rung out. Molly immediately stepped inside, and was shivering vigorously. She pushed the heavy door shut with her foot and whistled. "Jesus, it's freezing out there!" She exclaimed, walking briskly to the kitchen. Molly soon met Ubel standing behind the kitchen counter, and gave him a big, joyful smile. "Hiiiiii, I hope I didn't come at a wrong time, but I kinda just wanted to see you." Molly began, and held up two, white cups of frozen yogurt. "Look what I've got!"

Ubel gave Molly a weak smile, and went back to slowly cutting up his avocado. The latter's enthusiastic grin faded a bit, and she furrowed her brow.

"Okayyy, you're not jumping up and down, and twirling me in the air like you usually do whenever I bring you frozen yogurt." Molly implied as she went and plopped down on one of the counter seats. She stared at Ubel, looking specifically at his eyes. "What's wrong?"

"Oooh, nothing. It's nothing, really, I'm just...Tired, that's all." Ubel calmly brushed off, careful not to look directly at Molly.

The girl narrowed her eyes, "Come on, Ubie, I can tell when you're lying." She retorted.

Ubel glanced at her, raising an eyebrow. "Really? How?"

"You're eyes do that glowing thing like they usually do, but they pulsate ever-so-slightly whenever you're not telling the truth. It's like I'm at a rave or something." Molly responded.

"A what?"

"A rave, it's this party where there are these crazy lights, and a TON of dru-" Molly stopped mid-sentence and stared at Ubel. "Don't try to change the subject, alright? I'm being serious, what's wrong? You look like you haven't slept at all..."

Ubel gazed into her dark eyes, before shutting his and sighing. "Last night, I... I talked a man down from committing suicide." He murmured heavily.

Molly raised her eyebrows, "Oh... Well... I mean that's, that's good...That's awesome Ubel, I know that made you feel really good, right?"

Ubel leaned on the counter and hung his head. Molly furrowed her brow again, and got up to console the anguished ninja. "Hey, whatever it is that's going on with you, you can tell me, okay? I'm right here, just... Just tell me what's wrong."

Ubel's eyes grew dim. There was a moment of restless silence, before he finally broke it. "It's not the act itself that's causing me to feel like this, but the memory that was brought up because of it. The reminder, the..."

Molly grabbed his hand and squeezed it gently, as she gazed intently at him. "The what, Ubel?"

The big ninja looked her in the eyes, "The time that I was depressed like that, the time where I almost... You know." He said.

Molly looked at him with an expression of diluted shock, she was trying her best not to make it so obvious; she had to keep her composure for him. "I didn't know... You never told me that before." She said very quietly.

"That's because it was a long, long time ago; after a while, it had been suppressed to the back of my mind. Until last night, where it seemed like it was just yesterday when it happened." Ubel calmly responded. Molly peered down at his hand, and felt that it was shaking slightly. This surprised and worried the girl; she had never seen Ubel so visibly distressed before.

"I'm sorry, Ubie, I don't want you to have to keep talking about something like that." She reassured him. Molly looked over at the two cups of frozen yogurt, and reached across the counter to scoop them up. "Here," she said with a smile and offered Ubel his, "let's go eat our yogurt before it melts; you wouldn’t believe how much I had to pay for basically two tiny cups of freaking ice-cream.

Ubel lightened up some as a warm smile traced across his lips. He followed Molly to the long, kitchen table, and sat down next to her. "You know, you still haven't told me just what in the world, 'ice-cream', is exactly." He stated.

Molly scarfed down a spoon full of hers and pointed down at the cup. "Basically this, but it makes you really fat."

"Sooo why eat it?" Ubel asked, genuinely confused.

"Because it's freaking delicious!" Molly affirmed. Suddenly, she grabbed her head in pain, swearing to herself. Ubel grabbed her shoulders, his eyes wide with distress.

"Molly! Molly, are you alright?!"

The girl giggled, "I'm fine, Ubel. Remember what I told you about, 'brain freezes'?"

Ubel sighed in relief and sunk down in his seat. "Seriously, Molly, you can't keep scaring me like that."

"I've told you what they were like, eight times already!" Molly laughed.

"Yeah, but you always make it seem like it's the most life-threatening thing ever. Like, it always looks like you're having a seizure or something." Ubel taunted.

Molly socked him the arm, laughing. "Shut up, it does not!"

"Does too! It goes a little something like..." Ubel shut one eye and twitched his head in an exaggerated, mocking fashion.

Molly roared in laughter until her cheeks were red, leaning far back in her seat. She slapped Ubel on the arm again. "You're such a dick!" She insinuated, giggling. They shared a bout of laughter together, continuing to joke and mess around for a little while, before finally subsiding. Molly leaned back in her seat some more, letting a cozied sigh escape. "I always love coming here." She murmured softly.

Ubel looked down at her, "Then why don't you come over more? You used to come over everyday, remember?" He inquired.

Molly stared blankly at the wall across from her, desperately wanting to tell Ubel the true reason why, but something was preventing her from doing so. Something inside of her subconscious was forcing the girl to hold her tongue. Molly soon turned to Ubel, chewing on her bottom lip, notable anguish in her eyes. "Ubel... What do think about nightmares? Like, how do you view them?" She asked.

Ubel raised a curious and confused eyebrow, "What a strange question." He thought to himself. But, Ubel didn't think too much of it, and thought hard about said question that Molly just proposed to him. "I... I used to fear them, but now, I've grown to embrace them. I... Look into their eyes, as they look into mine... And I try to decipher just what exactly they might mean. Nightmares and I, we... We have an understanding, you know? I no longer fear them, as much as I'm intrigued by them."

Molly listened intently to what Ubel was saying. After he was finished, she nodded her head slowly as if he had just given her some priceless information. "I'll um... I'll keep that in mind the next time I have one." Molly said.

"Is something going on?"

Molly quickly shook her head, "No no, I was just curious. Can never be too sure about nightmares, right?" She gave a nervous laugh.

"...Riiight." Ubel hesitantly agreed. "And listen, Molly, there's something I've been meaning to get off my chest with you. Something about last year."

Molly gazed at the ninja, shuddering to herself as she remembered all of the horrific events that occurred during that time. "What is it?"

Ubel took in a deep breath, exhaled, and closed his eyes. "The things that I did last year... The crimes that I committed against you, Demmy, Demiurge, everyone... That wasn't who I am, I-"

"Ubel, I know that's not who you are." Molly affirmed.

"I know, but that's still no excuse for what I did, and I'm sorry... For everything." Ubel shook his head. "THE Ninja had our hands tied, Daeva and I, we... If we hadn't done what we did, our entire realm would've been destroyed, our people slaughtered." Ubel closed his eyes, "Every life that I took, every society I razed... It hurt me. I would sneak away any chance I'd get, and I would cry until I just couldn't anymore." Ubel looked at Molly with saddened eyes. "That was the darkest time of my entire life. Trapped under THE Ninja's reign for thousands of years, while my brother lied in torment inside of that monster's skin."

Molly stared at Ubel earnestly, listening to every sorrowful word that he said. Deep down, Molly could feel something begin to bubble inside of her. It caused for her hands and feet to tingle, her stomach to tighten, the hairs on the back of her neck to raise. She didn't quite know what it was, but seeing Ubel open up to her like this, it...

Molly rested a hand on the big ninja's shoulder. "You don't have to explain anything to me, Ubie; I could only imagine what you and your siblings went through during that time. Being forced to have done things that you didn't want to do... I should be the one who's sorry, sorry for all the things that you guys had to endure at the hands of that bastard." Molly stated and grabbed Ubel's cheek. She gave him a warm, and kind smile, one that oozed reassurance and comfort. "I forgive you." She muttered.

Ubel gave her a tiny smile, before embracing the girl in his arms. "Thank you, Molly." He whispered.

"Of course." She said in a muffled voice. Once they separated, Molly rested a hand on her cheek, and stirred the now soupy remains of her frozen yogurt. "How's Daeva been doing after all that, by the way?" She asked.

Ubel nodded, "Really good. One thing about Daeva: she'll bounce back from almost anything."

"And Dante? I can only imagine how he must've felt being practically trapped in his own body for thousands of years, while this... Other version of him ran rampant."

"Yeah, Dante is... I dunno. He says he's alright, but I know my brother. He keeps up a strong and optimistic appearance for us and Aphrodite, but Dante has gone through a lot, a lot of torment, a lot of pain, dating back as far as when our father was still around. Some of which even, he hasn't told us." Ubel affirmed, shaking his head. "I worry about him, you know? That's my big brother, and I just know that whatever is inside of him is building and building, and I'm afraid to see what happens when it all finally comes rushing out."

Molly didn't say anything; she could feel how anxious it made Ubel to talk about this, so she quickly tried to think of something that would hopefully help in lightning the mood. She smiled as it soon came to her. "The birthday present you gave me, you know, on the moon?" She began. "I look at that every single night before I go to sleep. And the days when there are a bunch of clouds covering the sky, and I can't see it, I get sad... Sad because I won't get to see the amazing work you did for me, one that will still be there even after I'm long gone."

Ubel smiled gently, "Are you sure I didn't anger any of your world's scientists from doing that?" He mused.

"They'll get over it." Molly shrugged. "Besides, they're more worried about how it got on there in the first place. I mean, you should just see how confused they are; it's actually pretty funny, to be honest."

Ubel laughed, "Oh no, what have I done?"

Molly giggled and peered down at her thumbs as she twiddled them around. "But to me... It's the sweetest thing that anyone has ever done for me." She murmured and glanced at Ubel, whom was already looking at her. "So if I haven't said it enough already, thank you, Ubie."

Ubel did a slight bow with his head, smiling affectionately. "And if I hadn't said it enough by now, even though it's already past... Happy Birthday, Molly."

Molly returned the affectionate expression, rested her head gently on Ubel's broad shoulder, and sighed a cozied sigh. Ubel peered down at her silently for a moment, before following her stare to the massive window hanging beside them, and out at the rising sun. The big ninja delicately rested his arm around the smaller frame of the girl, as Molly snuggled up closer to him, and the both watched silently as they bright and proud sun ascended slowly into the sky.

The girl suddenly furrowed her brow. “Wait, did you say, ‘Aphrodite’? Like, the Aphrodite?” She asked.

Ubel nodded, “Mhmm, I never told you? Dante is dating an Olympian goddess, and has been forrr, a few million years now I think?”

Molly shook her head in disbelief. “You guys never cease to amaze me, you know that?” She said. “Next you’ll tell me that you know Father Time”

“Oh yeah, he’s a family friend. Really nice person.” Ubel responded nonchalantly.

Molly’s mouth hung open in shock, “SHUT UP. Really!?”

They both laughed.

[Dawsbfiremind]

"Here we are," Dante said.
Thresher stared mutely at the elevator he had pointed to. "An...elevator?"
Evron raised an eyebrow at her. "You got a problem with elevators?"
Thresher shook her head. "No, it's just...deceptively normal."
Dante pressed a button, causing the door to open. How so?"
"How do I put it?" Thresher mused. "It's just that this place being like it is and how you're able to teleport and all, I was expecting something not so...common."
"I see," Dante said, following Daeva and Lotus inside. "I never thought of it like that."
Thresher stepped into the elevator as if expecting a trap to spring on her at any moment.
"Come on, come on," Evron growled. "It's not like it'll bite you."
"Excuse me, but I like to be more careful than you do, Captain McMeanStud," Thresher said, hopping in and looking at the door to make sure it didn't try to close on her.
Evron puffed out a breath as he stepped in after her and punched a button, causing the doors to close seamlessly. "And about the elevator, we have to have some way of getting helplessly underpowered visitors from one place to another."
Thresher leaned against the wall and crossed her arms. "How sweet of you."
Dante looked at Daeva and Lotus, seeing that they were both withholding a laugh. "What is it?"
"Captain McMeanStud," Daeva managed to say before letting the laugh escape. Lotus joined her.
A slight chuckle escaped from behind Thresher's mask.
"Yeah, yeah, I guess it's kinda funny," Evron said, rolling his eyes.
He considered Thresher for a while as she silently watched the numbers on the overhead panel blink on as they passed each floor.
She gets on my nerves, he finally decided. Looking up from her, he noticed that Dante was giving him a smug look. He made a face back at him.
The elevator stopped and, with a ding, the doors opened.
"Wow!" Lotus said, breaking free of Daeva's grip and running out into the lab. "Look at this place!"
"Yeah," Thresher said, following the white-haired girl. "It's so massive and...lab-like."
"I know!" Lotus said, jumping. "It's even bigger than the Present Future labs!"
Thresher looked at her. "You've been to present future?"
Lotus shook her head, her joyous outburst suddenly gone. "No, but the half-man showed me pictures of it once. I'd love to go there though."
Thresher stared at the girl for a moment. "Remind me to ask you some questions later."
"Hale should be around here someplace," Dante said, looking around. "HALE!"
Thresher looked at Daeva. "So Hale is like the Ninja Realm's wise old sage?"
Daeva made a face, shaking her head. "More like that one Uncle who you invite just because he makes you feel normal."
"Oh," Thresher nodded. "I know what you mean."
"Who brought a kid in here?" said a tall, thin man that popped out of what appeared to be empty space, his brown hair so wildly unkempt that Thresher thought he might have just emerged from a jungle.
"Hale!" Dante said. "Glad you could be here!"
"Skinny McThinStarved," Thresher whispered to Daeva.
Daeva smiled. "Crazy McStrangeHair."
Hale blinked. "What can I do for you?" He glanced over at Lotus. "Does it have to do with the kid that's running around in here?"
"Grumpy McOldFart," Thresher said.
"He's not that old!" Daeva answered, laughing.
"No, but he kinda reminds me of the kind of eccentric old people I've met. Sort of like: 'hey you kids get out of my lab!'"
Dante looked at them. "No, it has to do more with the girl in the shark mask. She needs to ask you something."
Hale squinted at her with his yellow eyes. "It better be interesting."
"That depends on your definition of interesting," Thresher said, mirth finally subsiding. "I need to find somebody."
"Look," Hale said. "I'm not a detective. If you want to find a missing person, ask somebody else."
"It's not really a person," Thresher said. "He's an Eldritch."
Hale suddenly appeared interested. "A what now?"
Thresher opened one hand, causing a small glowing disk to appear.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Evron said, summoning his weapon in preparation for whatever Thresher might be doing.
She glanced at him for a moment, then rotated the disk, creating a low, musical sound. A latticework of light surrounded them in a dome as the music floated through the lab.
"How're you doing that?" Hale asked excitedly, staring at the disk.
"One question at a time," Thresher said, summoning another disk. As she touched this one, the music created a solid sphere of light that hovered between them all.
"This is Earth Ninety-Eight," she said. "Where I'm from."
"Me too!" Lotus chimed in. Hale looked at them both, his excitement visible on his face.
The sphere turned into what appeared to be the anatomical model of a human, but with several odd differences.
"What is that?" Daeva asked.
"This is a Primordial," Thresher said. "The breed which all humans came from, and arguably the most advanced beings in creation"
Dante looked at Hale. "What do you think?"
Hale slowly moved around the light model. "I can confirm what she says. This being looks even more advanced than you do. He looked at Thresher. "How many of these are left on your world?"
"None," Thresher answered. The light model shrunk, then sprouted tendrils that lead to more and more small light models.
"Over the years their genes spread out among their descendants, making hundreds of different breeds of humans." She took the first light model down from the primordial and expanded it.
"This is an Eldritch, the first breed to rise from the Primordials," she said. "Much like the flux, of which I am one, their status is based more on their skill manipulating the Origin - a power that exists in our world - than their breed. They can occur in any breed, live for millennia, and are amazingly powerful."
"Interesting," Hale mused, stroking his chin.
"Now," Thresher continued. "If they, shall we say absorb the origin their morphology changes drastically. Case in point, as well as who I'm looking for, Vyros. He's also from Earth Ninety-Eight"
The light model morphed into a vaguely humanoid being made up of red tendrils and topped by a single massive eye.
"Eww," Lotus said, wincing.
Hale looked at Thresher. "You want help finding this?"
Thresher nodded. "I've tracked him down to this world. I need to know exactly where I can find him."
Hale stared at the light model. "I have no knowledge of how to find something like this, but I do know a way to start loking."
Thresher cocked her head. "How?"
Hale looked between her and Lotus. "Are either of you psychic?"
Lotus raised her hand. "Sort of."
"Good!" Hale said, nodding. "Right this way."
"What are you thinking of doing?" Dante asked.
Hale fiddled with a large machine. "She should be able to detect anything from her home world when her powers are in full swing. We need to find the mechanism which she uses for her psychic powers, then try and use that as a baseline for a detector of sorts."
"Question," said a new female voice. It was distorted, but clearly not in the way Thresher's mask distorted her voice.
A disk flew from Thresher's pocket and hovered in front of Hale. "Will it cause the subject any pain?"
"No," Hale said. "Who are you?"
"Darn it Gaze!" Thresher said, grabbing wildly at the disk. "I thought I turned you off!"
The disk dodged Thresher's attempts at grabbing it. "I found myself needed."
"Well, currently, you're not!" Thresher growled, summoning a glowing disk and twisting it. "Off, now!"
The disk shut off, falling into Thresher's hand.
"Wow," Lotus said, staring at it. "That was the Gaze."
"A copy of her at least," Thresher said, slipping Gaze's disk into her pocket as the light structures finally dissipated.
"Here we go," Hale said, the large machine turning on finally. He handed Lotus a small strap. "Put this on your arm please."
Lotus looked doubtfully at him, then at Daeva. She nodded encouragingly.
Lotus tightened the strap above her elbow. "Okay."
"Good," Hale muttered. Here we go."
The machine's screen lit up, displaying a mass of smaller windows alongside a model of Lotus similar to Thresher's light models.
Hale frowned. "Shark-girl, what breed is she?"
Thresher moved beside him and stared at the small windows. "A...genetical," she said in surprise.
Hale glanced over at her. "A what?"
Thresher looked at Lotus for a moment. "Can you bring up her genetic parents?"
Hale nodded, punching a few keys. "What!"
Thresher whipped her head back around to the screen. "What is it?"
"She has seven genetic parents!"
Thresher nodded. "That's common for all geneticals, they're genetically engineered."
Lotus' head sagged slightly as she heard this. Daeva looked at her for a moment, then put an arm around her.
"Who are they?" Thresher asked.
Hale brought up the seven separate models n the screen.
"Let's see," Thresher mumbled.
"What, looking for someone?" Evron asked.
Thresher became unnaturally still. "Expand that one."
"This one?" Hale asked, pointing.
"Yes, that one!"
"Okay, okay," he grumbled. "There."
The model of the person expanded, reading MAIN GENETIC PARENT, FEMALE, UNKNOWN DNA COMPOSITION.
"Can you get a model of the face based on this data?" Thresher asked, her voice shaking slightly.
Hale wordlessly punched a few keys, bringing up the image.
"Dang," Evron said. "She ain't bad looking."
Thresher slipped to the floor, landing in a crumpled heap.
"You okay?" Dante asked as he and Hale attempted to prop her up.
Gaze's disk rose from Thresher's pocket. "Emergency power on, vital signs increasing."
"What's happening?" Dante asked.
"Pulse, blood pressure, and breathing rate are elevated," Gaze said. "Cause - panic."
Thresher rose suddenly, looking directly at Lotus. She moved around the group, taking care to face Lotus the entire time.
"What's wrong?" Evron asked.
Thresher shook her head. "No..."
Then she ran into the elevator, closing the doors behind her.
"Where are you going?" Evron shouted.
"Beats me," Dante sighed. He turned to Gaze. "Is she in any danger?"
"As long as she calms down she will be fine," Gaze said.
Dante nodded. "Hale, go ahead and make that detector of yours. I'm going to see what has her spooked."
Hale nodded uneasily. "Fine by me."
Lotus said nothing, instead staring at the image on the machine's screen.

[Godzilla165]

Devil's Peak

Within the walls of the towering castle that was Devil's Peak, sat its queen in her throne, watching lazily as her fellow assassins trained and socialized all around her. Aerowen had since been lulled into a daydream, one that was the same as all the others. She thought of her one true love, Dante, and the future that they'd one day share together. She thought of how badly she desired his touch, his lips, his love... But then, on the flip-side, Aerowen also thought of how much she despised the ninja Prime, and how much she wished to see him suffer. No... No, she didn't mean that, she couldn't have! Aerowen cursed to herself for allowing such a horrible thought to slip past, and pleaded internally for Dante to forgive her. They would soon be together, she just knew it. But then, there was also the, "small" dilemma of the one whom Dante currently shared his love with. Aphrodite: that incessant bitch, that crude whore! Why, why did SHE get to share the same bed with the being who was rightfully Aerowen's?! It wasn't fair, the multiverse had cheated the Blood Assassin long enough; Aerowen would get what was hers. She would make the ex-Olympian goddess suffer, feel the pain that she felt for millions of years, and then, with Dante watching, Aerowen would carve Aphrodite's head from her shoulders. She has always wanted to bathe in the blood of an Olympian, to taste the blood cells that once flowed through their veins. Aerowen would get that opportunity, she'd make sure of it. And then, Dante would be rightfully hers for the rest of eternity. No more distractions, no more obstacles, just their everlasting love. Aerowen couldn't wait to taste him; just the thought of such made her... Enthusiastic.

"Your highness?" Cytherea suddenly inquired, rudely shaking Aerowen from her trance.

She leered down at her subordinate. "What is it?"

The girl took a nervous gulp, bowing as to avoid her queen's icy glare. "Ww-we have located a rather familiar energy signature, my queen. We think that it may be from that of a ninja." She said.

While Aerowen stared blankly at the trembling assassin, her mind was racing with excitement. YES, this could be the opportunity that she was looking for... To be one with her lover once again. "Do you know specifically who the energy signature belongs to?" Aerowen asked.

Cytherea, "Unfortunately not, your highness. All that we know for certain, is that it is resonating from a backwater planet called: Earth."

"Worthless idiots." Aerowen hissed, rising from her chair.

The girl immediately collapsed to her knees, and tucked her head into her chest, with her hands clasped together in the air. "Please, forgive me, my queen. That is all the information we could find! We will strive to do better, to never disappoint you again!"

Aerowen ignored the pleading cries from her sister, stepping over her, and heading into the large crowd of other assassins. When they saw that she was nearing, they all stopped whatever they were doing, and quickly lined up next to one another on either side of Aerowen. They all bowed in respect, remaining there until their queen said otherwise. Aerowen came to a stop in the middle of the room, and gazed all around her at her fellow warriors intently.

"Listen up. I have just heard the news of there being a ninja currently residing on a backwater planet, and so, I need a team of four to escort me to said planet in order to see if those rumors are true or not." Aerowen stated, her silky voice filling the room.

It didn't take long for four volunteers, along with Cytherea, to step forward from the crowd, still bowing to their queen. Aerowen looked at the five women before her, smiling internally. "Rise." She murmured, causing for the five of them to straighten themselves up. Aerowen slowly paced around the group, inspecting them like a recruiter would to a squad of soldiers. While none of them showed it, the five women were terrified of what Aerowen might do, or what she was thinking of doing. "You five will do as I say immediately when I think it, and you will crush anything and everyone that even tries to stand in my way. Is that clear?" Aerowen questioned.

"YES, YOUR MAJESTY." They responded.

"Good, we leave for this, 'Earth', tomorrow."

"My queen, if I may..." An assassin spoke up from the crowd.

Aerowen glanced at her coldly from over her shoulder.

The girl swallowed nervously, "We still have not discussed any details regarding the upcoming conquest; the council is getting restless. They believe that time for multiversal domination is now, and-" The assassin didn't even get to finish, as in the blink of an eye, she was being choked to death with Aerowen's hand wrapped casually around her throat.

"The council members can all go to HELL for all I care. I am the queen of this realm, meaning I decide when I'm ready for this stupid conquest to begin. Now, do I make myself clear? Or, will I have to make an example out of you in order for the council to grasp that point?" Aerowen growled, her icy blue eyes seeming to pierce through the girl's very soul.

The assassin did her best to choke out that she understood, and, with a dissatisfied hmph, Aerowen lazily did a twisting motion with her hand. A wet, sickening crack echoed throughout the room, and the girl slumped to the ground, her neck now twisted a complete 180 degrees, her body still twitching. Aerowen turned her gaze from the lifeless husk beneath, to the rest of the maidens surrounding her.

"Does anyone else wish to ask me about the conquest?" She asked.

"NO, YOUR HIGHNESS." They all exclaimed.

"Are you sure?"

"YES, YOUR HIGHNESS."

"Good," Aerowen muttered, and turned to stroll back to her bedroom. "That is all." She stated as she left, allowing everyone to quietly breathe a sigh of relief and return to whatever they were doing.

As Aerowen slowly walked to her room, a lustrous smile etched across her supple lips. "I'll be seeing very you soon, my love." She murmured.




*************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

As Hale was busy typing away at something on a computer screen in the far right corner of the lab, the room itself had grown quiet since Thresher's abrupt departure, aside from the various whirring and beeping noises of machinery. Evron sat cross armed in a chair near the door, and appeared to be using the lax situation as an opportunity to get a cat nap in. Daeva remained by Lotus's side, as the girl continued to stare at the screen in front of her. Daeva noticed that the girl was acting differently than usual, as in, a lot more melancholic. Resting a gentle hand on Lotus's shoulder to get her attention, Daeva sat down beside her.

"You okay?" Daeva murmured.

Lotus merely shrugged her shoulders, "I really don't know, Daeva. That thing that Hale said about me having seven genetic parents, it kinda got to me, you know? Like, I feel like I'm some genetically engineered weirdo or something." Lotus drooped her head, "It sucks, not knowing who your parents really are."

Daeva nodded slowly in understanding, "I get it, I really do. My siblings and I, we can kind of relate to that."

"You can? How?"

Daeva sighed, "Well, let's just say that our parents weren't in our lives for long. When it came down to it, it was really Dante that raised us for the majority of our childhoods." Daeva said. "But, when it came to our mother, it wasn't like she had a choice to stay with us. As much as she loved us, for the sake of our lives, she was forced to leave and never return."

Lotus stared intently at Daeva as she spoke, her pink eyes lighting up with notable interest. "What was your Mom like?" She asked.

Daeva looked blankly at the wall in front of them, smiling to herself. "Tender... Warm." She purred as she began to reminisce. Little did she know, Lotus had quietly placed a hand on top of hers, and peered inside of Daeva's memories.


*************************************************************************************************************************************************************************


10 million years ago...


"Mother, may I ask why we are in the archery range and not with the boys?" Daeva questioned as she and Tiamat entered into the massive room. The arena was filled to the brim with a myriad of different types of bows, arrows, shuriken, daggers, etc. Hundreds of different sized shooting and throwing areas were lined up perfectly next to one another, and all featured uniquely shaped targets of different sizes and dimensions. Tiamat picked one of the largest areas for her and Daeva to train in, and pushed open the door to the inside. She grabbed up twenty-five throwing knives and dumped them into Daeva's arms, much to the young girl's surprise.

"We are here to test your precision, my dear. You may wield incredible speed, but you will not be able to utilize it properly if you do lack the required finesse." Tiamat elegantly clarified and strolled right in front of a nearby target.

"I understand that piece Mother, however what I do not understand, is why you are currently standing IN FRONT of a target?" Daeva remarked puzzled.

Tiamat chuckled and crossed her slender arms. "To give you a worthy challenge of course. You are going to throw each knife as fast as you can into the target behind me, WITHOUT striking me. I do not even want to see a scratch in my flesh, understood?" Tiamat advised firmly.

Daeva's eyes widened in shock and she reeled her back. "But Mother, I cannot, I am not read-"

"YES you are Daeva, I have complete faith in you. Just focus on the goal at hand, breathe in deeply, and strike the target twenty-five times." Tiamat calmly reassured with that a delicate grin.

Daeva stared into her mother's eyes for several moments, and finally, with a deep breath, crouched down into a throwing position. "I am ready." She asserted with ferocity. Tiamat nodded and placed her hands firmly on her hips.

"Go." She blurted. With that, Daeva launched the first knife screaming towards the circular target at light speeds.



As the last throwing knife slammed into the target, Daeva was breathing heavily and shaking from the adrenaline rushing through her veins. She slowly and cautiously opened her eyes, only to find Tiamat still firmly standing in the exact same position; she hadn't budged an inch. Daeva breathed a sigh of relief and collapsed onto her butt, allowing for her body to calm itself down. "Can we please never do that again?" She pleaded, wiping sweat from her forehead. Tiamat grinned proudly and strolled over to sit beside Daeva.

"We will not have to, as you passed this trial with flying colors." She calmly reassured and wrapped a gentle arm around the tired girl.

"Thank the Yakuza for that." Daeva said enthused. "May I go and see what the boys are up to now?" She asked anxiously with glowing blue eyes.

Tiamat chuckled and moved a strand of Daeva's hair back into place. "Of course, my dear. I must go and see what Dad is up to anyhow. Go have fun, you have earned it." She stated warmly and received a tight hug from Daeva.

"Thank you, Mother! I love you!" The young ninja joyfully exclaimed and dashed off to wherever Evron and Ubel were.

Tiamat stared after her, smiling ear to ear at her baby girl. "I love you more." She muttered. How she loved her so... All of her children, for that matter. The four of them were her greatest creations, and the love she had for them was infinite. Tiamat would give them the multiverse if she could, but she herself would have to be enough for now.


*************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Lotus gasped as she removed her hand from Daeva's. She had seen it all: the warmness, the love that their mother truly had for them, the beautiful moments they all got to share with her. But then, Lotus had also seen the tragedy that soon struck the Ninja realm, when Tiamat was banished from her own home by her own husband, the being the four ninjas called, "father". She both saw and felt the heartbreak that Tiamat felt as she was ripped away from her children, the gallons of tears that flowed from both her and them, the pain, the misery... Everything. Lotus covered her mouth as she felt her eyes welling up.

Noticing this, Daeva quickly wrapped a comforting arm around the girl, allowing her to weep in her bosom. "Hey hey, what's the matter, sweetheart?"

"I-I am so, so sorry that you all had to go through that." Lotus whimpered.

Daeva was understandably confused. "Go through what?"

Lotus wiped her tears away, and looked away in guilt. "I... I saw into your mind when you were remembering your Mom. I saw everything."

"Oh..." Daeva said with saddened eyes.

"I'm sorry, Daeva, I'm so sorry for doing that. I just-"

Lotus was caught off guard as she found herself locked in a tight embrace from Daeva. "I miss her so much" Daeva whimpered.

Lotus was silent for moment, thinking of just what to say that could possibly make her feel any better. Soon, she just wrapped her arms around the ninja, and closed her eyes. "I know..." Lotus hummed gently, tears still streaming down her pale cheeks. "I'm here, though, sis... I'm here."

Daeva separated from the girl, staring at her through tear-filled eyes. "Say that again."

Lotus looked deep into her eyes, smiled softly, and pointed at Daeva. "Sister." She affirmed.

Daeva pointed at herself, “Me, your sister?”

Lotus nodded, grinning.

“You called me sister?”

“Yes!”

"Sister... Sister!" Daeva cried and hugged the girl tight enough to have squished her.

Resting her head against Daeva's chest, Lotus closed her eyes and allowed for a heavy sigh to escape her lips, one that was of comfort and everlasting warmth. "Family..." She whispered.

“Heyyy, what’s with all the yelling?” Evron groggily groaned as he made his way over to them.

Daeva and Lotus looked at one another, and giggled.

Evron blinked, “What?”

[Dawsbfiremind]

The Beijing Supercity, Earth 37

Jing closed the door behind her, shutting out the babbling noise of conversations. She had not love of celebrations, especially when there was something else that worth pursuing.
She blew a strand of white hair away from her eyes. If I remember correctly, it should be in the main study on the floor above me in a glass case.
She grinned to herself as she trotted down the hallway silently. Finally, the heirloom weapon of the Guilong family will be back where it belongs.
She slowed her pace as she came to a set of stairs, taking care to ascend them slowly so as not to alert anyone who might be nearby.
Rounding the corner, he froze in her tracks as she came upon a group of guards slumped on the floor. Bending down, she saw that their ear were bleeding.
Who got here first? she wondered, stalking into the main study. Nothing appeared to be in disarray and it was still in the glass case.
Jing rushed over to it, finding herself unable to breathe with excitement as se looked upon the rifle of Emperor Qin Guilong. Putting her hand to the glass, she discharged a blast of plasma from her fingertips, sending the glass flying around her. Then she reverently picked the rifle up, holding it aloft in victory.
"Welcome back to the Guilong family," she said."
Then a thump sounded from the end of the hallway. She whipped her head away rom the rifle.
Someone's here alright, she thought, leveling the rifle in the sounds direction.
Then she noticed she was holding a metal pipe.
"What?" she said. "Where'd it...How'd-"
"Slight of hand sweety."
She turned and saw a young, black-haired man sitting at the study's desk, the rifle in one hand.
"Simple stuff really," he continued, looking at her with blue, catlike eyes. "All it takes is a distraction, a simple sound to divert your attention. Then...poof!"
"Who are you?" Jing asked.
"I am the Gondolier."
"That rifle belongs to me," Jing growled.
Gondolier nodded. "Yes, yes, what with you being the last of the Guilong line and the pilfering princess who's somehow successfully stolen every other relic that has ties to your beloved family, I could imagine you'd feel that way."
Jing's eyes narrowed. "Who are you really?"
Gondolier shrugged. "I'm a trans-world black market dealer of...shall we say useful relics."
Jing's eyebrows shot up. "You're going to sell that?"
Gondolier shrugged. "Not yet. We need it for something first. Then yeah, I'll sell it."
Jing's hand crackled with electricity. "No you won't."
Gondolier blinked. "Cricket, ground her."
Suddenly a wire wrapped around one of Jing's arms and the electricity disappeared.
A woman clad in black body armor walked around her. "Think that'll do it?"
Gondolier nodded. "For now at least. You know how to shoot this thing princess?"
Jing gave up fighting against the restraint, instead relegating herself to glaring at Gondolier. "Yeah. I can show you if you want."
"Nah, that won't be necessary," Gondolier said. "It's just that if you can, I've got a bit of a deal for you that may involve you gaining you freedom."
Jing gave a lopsided grin, heating the wire with concentrated fire energy "You're not giving me much of a choice."
"No," Gondolier said. "You're not giving yourself much of a choice."
Jing blinked, feeling the flow of fire energy falter as her concentration broke.
"You didn't think you'd be caught?" the woman Jing guessed to be Cricket asked as she sat on the edge of the desk. "Look at you. You've left your fingerprints all over this place in the short time you've been here. That's called evidence in our line of work, and evidence get you caught."
Jing attempted to re-focus her fire energy.
Gondolier leaned forward. "Look, I can't shoot a rifle, Cricket's better at close range combat, and our other buddy Doubloon prefers shotguns, mainly because his aim is terrible. We need a sniper for our next mission, a sniper who'll use this gun. If you'll be our sniper, not only will I let you free, I'll ensure you won't be caught and give you a discount when the gun goes on sale."
Jing looked down, thinking.
"What do you say?"
Jing looked up, finally letting the fire energy slip away. "I'll do it."
Gondolier grinned. "That's my girl."
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
Earth 165

Thresher leaned over the edge of a railing, looking out over the Realm of the Ninja. Taking in a deep breath, she removed her mask and wiped the sweat off her face.
"What're you afraid of?" she asked Dante.
Dante stepped out behind her. "How'd you know I was here?"
"Because your stealth skills are terrible. Now what are you afraid of?"
Dante leaned over the railing as well. "More things than I'd like to admit."
"Mhm," Thresher grunted.
Dante looked at her, but she turned her face away, keeping it obscured.
"I'm guessing you're afraid of showing your face?" he asked.
She sighed. "That's one of the things."
Dante blinked. "What's the other?"
"That girl's main genetic parent."
"Who are her real parents?" Dante asked.
Thresher's gaze swiveled towards him, letting him glimpse one of her sky-blue eyes.
"Geneticals don't have parents," she said. "They're manufactured. Don't you get it? She wasn't born, she was grown in a tank."
Dante stared at her. "Why?"
Thresher turned her head back slightly. "Because somebody wanted to have the power of her main genetic parent."
Dante glanced at a red, heart-shaped tattoo under her eye. "Who is she?"
Thresher closed her eyes. "The Myth."
Dante frowned. "Who?"
Thresher straightened. "Her name's Myth. She's a superbeing to put it bluntly, a genetical from another era. But her manufacturers didn't count on her unique combination of genes and what they would make."
"What did they make?"
Thresher turned and looked at Dante silently for a moment. Her heart-shaped face was young, but had the mark of a person who had seen more than someone her age.
"Something stronger than a primordial," she whispered. "You remember how I froze you and you idgit brother? I did that to her too, and she almost killed me."
Dante's eyes widened. "It didn't work?"
Thresher shook her head, looking back out over the Realm of the Ninja. "She's...Terrifying. Thankfully I fight alongside her, otherwise I'd be even more afraid of her. You just better be thankful she's not a villain."
Dante looked behind them. "Is Lotus that strong??"
"Maybe one day," Thresher said. "That's what I'm afraid of. I don't want to get on her bad side."
Dante straightened. "Then get on her good side."
Thresher looked at him, then nodded, putting her mask back on. As it clicked into place, the glowing yellow eyes of the mask obscured her blue eyes.
"You know," Dante said as she walked away. "I like you better without the mask."
Thresher stopped, clenching a fist. "That's what he told me."
Dante raised an eyebrow. "Who?"
"Not important," Thresher said.
"Who are you?" Dante asked. "Behind that mask I mean."
Thresher stopped mid-step, the lights in her mask's eyes blinking slightly as she blinked. She raised it and wiped at the moisture dripping from her eyes.
"Lily Oate," she whispered. "Former sound mixer for the Vox Anima vocal group and current member of the Urban Legends, fiancé to...to..."
"Do what?" Dante asked.
Thresher turned back. "I am Thresher. That's all you need to know."
Dante nodded, realizing that he wouldn't get any further answers. "Okay."

[Godzilla165]

Dante and Thresher eventually made it back down to the lab, and were immediately greeted by an awaiting Evron. Thresher was the first to exit from the elevator, walking briskly past the ninja, and causing him to glance at her weirdly. "What's with her?"

Dante just shrugged. While Thresher didn't explicitly tell him, the look that she gave him up on the balcony made it clear that Thresher didn't want Dante to tell anyone what she had revealed. At least, not yet.

"Why, were you worried about me or something?" Thresher mused.

Evron turned and sneered, "Pfft, in your dreams. I just wanted to make sure that you weren't up there planning to blow up our home or something."

Thresher crossed her arms, "Surrre you were."

"Anywayyy," Dante began and turned to Hale, "have you discovered anything new yet? Something we can use to stop Vyros?"

Hale nodded, but it wasn't a confident one. "Well, the good news is: I did find something while you were gone, sir."

"And the bad news is?"

"It's nothing really to do with this, 'Vyros', character that you all are looking for." Hale said, messing with his hair.

Dante raised an eyebrow, "Then... Who is it for, exactly?"

Hale turned his attention from Dante, to Thresher, and finally to Lotus. "This one." He pointed out.

Lotus looked at Daeva, and then at Hale, pointing to herself. "M-me?"

"Precisely, little one." Hale affirmed.

"Well, do you know what it's about for her?" Daeva asked.

Hale slowly shook his head, "Unfortunately not, princess Daeva. At least, not yet, anyway." Hale turned and studied one of the larger monitors. "It should take me a few hours to gather everything I've found together."

"Well, that settles it then." Thresher said and turned to the ninjas. "So, what do you guys do for fun around here?"

Dante smirked, "Funny you should ask that, because Evron and I did plan on sparring with each other today. That is, unless he's too scared to now."

Evron snorted in disbelief, "Please! I'll kick your ass so hard, you'll be wishing for a new one!"

Dante got right in his brother's face, "Okay, let's make this interesting then."

Daeva groaned, "Noooo, not another bet."

Lotus looked up at her, noticeably confused. "What? Are they like, really competitive or something?"

"That would be an understatement, honey."

Evron narrowed his eyes, "What'd you have in mind?"

"If I win, then you have to cook breakfast for all of us, everyday, for a whole week. AND, you have to get a gorgeous makeover from Daeva." Dante responded.

Daeva grinned excitedly, rubbing her hands together. "Okay, noow I'm interested."

Evron shuddered at the thought. "And what about when I inevitably win?"

Dante shrugged, "Same thing applies to me. But you and I both know... That's never gonna happen."

Evron studied Dante's smug face, and finally smirked, his red eyes glowing brightly. "You're on, woman hair."

Without a second to spare, the two ninjas raced to the elevator, pushing and shoving one another out of the way to get there first. Dante soon just teleported out of the lab, leaving a bewildered Evron to curse loudly. "Heyyy!!! That's cheating, asshole!!!" He roared before blinking out of the room himself.

Thresher rested her hands on her hips, a smile etched across her lips. "Well, this should be interesting." She mused.

Lotus turned to Daeva with excited eyes, and bouncing up and down. "Can we watch them?? Please please pleaaasseee???"

Daeva laughed, rolling her eyes. "Fiiine, let's go. Just don't get too close, okay?"

Lotus gleamed, "YAY! Come on, come on!!" She exclaimed, literally dragging Daeva by the arm towards the elevator.

Thresher started to follow behind them, but stopped to glance back at Hale, whom was vigorously typing away at a computer panel. "You sure can find Vyros?"

"Don't underestimate me, miss." Hale turned to Thresher, "I'll find him. Now, you all go and fun, and leave me to my work."

Thresher nodded, and went to turn around, but stopped once more. "One more thing: Who is your money on?"

Hale grinned to himself, "You'll just have to wait and see, won't you?"

Thresher smirked underneath her mask, "Looks like it."

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Upon reaching the outside of the kingdom, Daeva, Lotus, and Thresher were met with a massive crowd that had already arrived before they did. They gazed out to the expansive fields, several hundred yards away, and laid witness to Dante and Evron circling one another.

"Huh, looks like they've drawn quite the crowd, haven't they?" Thresher mused.

Daeva didn't answer, she was more focused on what was about to happen than anything else. She knew how crazy her brothers could get during a sparring session, especially when there was a bet involved; Daeva needed to be ready to intervene if things got too crazy. Lotus glanced up at her, noticing Daeva's concern. "Are Dante and Evron going to be alright?" Lotus asked.

Daeva gazed down at the girl and gave her a warm smile, "Don't you worry one bit about them, sweetheart. They'll be just fine."

Lotus chewed on her bottom lip nervously; she had her reservations, but she trusted Daeva. She returned her attention to the inevitable battle in front of them, squeezing Daeva's hand.

"Sooo, how does Evron expect to win this? Dante completely outclasses him, I can feel it." Thresher pointed out.

Daeva pursed her lips, "Evron is a master tactician; what he lacks in raw power, he makes up for in strategy. Whatever he's planning for this fight, he's been doing so all day. Whether or not it works, however, is a different story."



Dante and Evron continued to circle one another, reading the other's every movement.

"You sure you still wanna do this? I won't hold it against you if you quit now." Dante mocked, smirking.

Evron frowned, "Stop talking and let's do this already."

Both ninjas then stopped and faced each other, hunching down into their respective fighting stances.

"When I win, I want a big stack of those things from Earth that Ubel keeps talking about. What'd he call them again? 'Pancakes'? Yeah, those sound delicious." Dante mused.

"Well, when I win, I want bacon, and LOTS of it." Evron threw back.



Thresher adjusted her mask, "Here we go." She murmured.

Daeva tensed up a bit; things were about to get hectic, and fast. There were murmurs and whispers among the crowd, individuals mainly asking if they were a little too close for comfort, and if things would escalate or not.



"Hey bro..." Evron suddenly called out.

"Yeah?"

"Don't hold back." Evron smirked.

Dante smiled, "Okay, if you insist."

In the blink of eye, the two ninjas raced towards each other, charging at light speeds. When they connected, the entire realm felt it, causing for the ground beneath to shake violently, and everyone to nearly be knocked off balance. Evron was sent flying backwards from the sheer kinetic impact, spiraling out of control for several thousands of feet before managing to regain control. He shook his head clear of any dizziness, and was instantly met by Dante's fist less than an inch away from his face. Evron just managed to dodge to the left, feeling and hearing the titanic sonic booms that surrounded that potential blow. He tried to go for an undercut attack to Dante's stomach, but was immediately denied from a sharp parry by the latter's knee. The two ninjas went on to trade blow for blow, parry for parry, with Evron being kept firmly on the defensive. They traveled across the sky at speeds of light, appearing to almost be blinking in and out of existence every nanosecond. Just then, a brutal roundhouse kick from Dante sent Evron careening to the ground like a falling meteorite. The warrior smacked into the earth with an ear-shattering, BOOM, kicking up a cloud of dust that reached miles into the sky, and splintering the ground all around him. Evron quickly pulled himself up from the crater, and had less than a millisecond to flip out of the way of Dante's flying fist slamming into the dirt.

Evron landed about a yard away, and immediately dashed towards his brother like a raging bull. He tackled Dante off the ground, taking him further and further into the sky. Thinking quickly, Dante grabbed a handful of Evron's hair as leverage, and planted a sharp knee square in his gut. This knocked Evron loose and higher into the air. Dante flew towards him, aiming a fist straight at his face, but connected with nothing. "Evron", disappeared into thin air, leaving Dante floating in the air.

"A decoy." He thought to himself.

Just then, Evron came down from above like a diving falcon, hurtling a heavy foot at Dante's cranium. The latter was quick to read this, and side dashed out of the way just in time to answer back with a well-placed elbow to the back of Evron's head. The tactful ninja flipped through the sky, heading for ground level once more, but Dante was waiting for him this time. When Evron was close enough, Dante sent him back into the air with a back flipped kick, teleported, and launched Evron back to the ground once more with a downwards elbow. The ninja Prime continued this assault, even alternating between up and down, to left and right.



Thresher stared on in slight shock and awe; She couldn't believe what she was seeing . "What the hell is Dante doing, Daeva?! That's his own brother that he's pummeling! Why isn't he going easy on him?!" Thresher demanded.

Daeva sighed as she watched on. "He is." She muttered.

"What?"

Daeva pointed her head, "Watch this next strike, look at Dante's movements."



As to assist in making Daeva's point, Dante landed yet another quick and brutal strike to Evron's visage.



"You see how quick and hasty he's being in his attacks?" Daeva pointed out.

"Yeah, so?" Thresher asked.

"Soo, if those blows were deliberate and had even half of Dante's power behind them...Evron would've been long dead by now." Daeva turned away from the fight to look at Thresher. "He's been holding back this entire time, because Dante knows that he can't go all out, not with Evron, and not here. He'd never truly risk the life of his siblings, or the sanctity of our home for a bet."

Thresher stared at Daeva for a moment, before gazing back up at the battle at hand. "So this... This is just a sliver of your power, Dante?" She wondered.

Lotus remained silent, completely fixated on what was going on. A part of her was excited, getting to witness firsthand what a ninja's power was really like. But, Lotus was mainly nervous; she was still fairly green to all of this, and she didn't want her new family getting hurt in any way. Maybe she should stop the fight...



Finally, after being juggled for what seemed like hours, Evron managed to find a brief but clear opening of escape. Using it, he dashed to the right of Dante's incoming kick, and, using the latter's momentum against him, body slammed the ninja Prime with all of his might. As Dante flew towards the earth, Evron held out a splayed, left palm, clutching the forearm with his right. Soon, red energies literally began stretching from his fingers in the form of bright red lightning bolts. The energies converged and congregated to form a growing orb in the middle of Evron's palm. The sphere continued to increase in size, until it was around the size of a basketball. Then, with a ferocious roar, Evron unleashed the massive torrent of energy from his hand. The entire surrounding area glowed red as the the chaotic beam raced towards it target at light speeds. Still dazed from the previous blow, Dante had no time to react, and was soon enveloped in a sea of blinding red energy. The enormous amount of pressure and force pushed the warrior deep into the ground, digging him further and further down.




Everyone that was watching shielded themselves from the enormous blast, and the hot air rushing towards them as a result. Daeva wrapped Lotus in her arms as tightly as she could, turning her back to the explosive power. Thresher dug her heals into the dirt as she tried desperately to keep her mask from flying off. Seconds later, the blast had ceased, and everyone slowly and cautiously peeked out to see what had happened. Thresher shook the wild locks of hair out of her face, her yellow mask eyes blinking in and out due to interference from the energy beam. Daeva looked down to make sure that Lotus was okay, and found her a little dazed, but ultimately just fine. She then looked up to find an enormous, newly formed crater placed a few miles away, and sighed to herself. The land would quickly heal itself after this was finished, but there was another problem to be had now.

"Oh no..." Daeva murmured.

"What is it?" Thresher inquired.

"...Things just escalated." A new voice answered from behind. The three turned to find Aphrodite standing behind them, her attention focused on the large, smoldering crater in front of them.



Evron descended slowly from the sky, and found his footing a few hundred yards away from the hole in the ground. He was on edge, for he knew what was about to transpire next. Seconds later, Dante exploded from the crater and landed in front of it. His clothes were singed and still burning, and his skin was covered in smoke and dirt stains. His green eyes glowed intensely, staring straight at Evron. An angered frown was traced on his lips, and he clenched his fists, cracking them. Eventually, said frown faded to a tiny smile, and Dante chuckled.

"This is fun." Dante mused and went on to summon the Twin Jewels of Valor into his hands.

"I'll say." Evron confirmed.

"Ready for round two?"

"Bring it."

As Evron too summoned Shikoro, the both ninjas went on to summon their respective armor over their entire bodies. Without anymore words, they began to circle each other once more, blades at the ready, and ignited with raw energy. Now, it was serious.

[Dawsbfiremind]

Guardian Prime, Threat Response Session 4716.113
"Gondolier's mark has left Earth 37," a Guardian said, its mechanical voice droning throughout the sanctum from beneath the large helmet it wore. "It appears he retreated into a deadzone."
Four processed this with the detached air that he had been trained to possess. "He's in his main hideout."
"We believe it to be within closed space," another guardian said. There should be a trace of the trail at his departure point."
"So I am to track him?" Four asked.
"Track and eliminate," a guardian sitting higher in the sanctum clarified. "We know you have the drive to eliminate him, thus were you chosen."
Four blinked, his way of nodding. "I'll do it."
"We knew," the first Guardian said. "We've lost seventy-nine Hunters like you to the multiverse's greatest thief. Do your best not to become the eightieth."
"We've opened a portal to Earth 37 in the transporter room," another Guardian said. "Depart immediately."
Four didn't answer. He simply did as he was told.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Jing squinted as her eyes adjusted to the brighter room. As her pupils shrunk to accommodate the influx of light, she saw that she was inside of a structure so large she couldn't see any of the walls.
"Home sweet home," Gondolier said, putting his hands in his pockets and stepping off of the strange pad they were on.
"What is this place?" Jing asked.
"Closed space," Cricket said. "Think of it as an artificial world between universes. We're undetectable to anyone on other worlds here."
"This is the center of our operations," Gondolier said, turning to face them and walking backwards. "Everything we get awaits a buyer here, or at least goes through here on the way to the buyer."
Jing looked at a battleship-sized sphere made of smaller, constantly-moving spheres that floated behind a glass enclosure. "Why can't you just take it to the buyer directly?"
Gondolier shrugged with a motion of his head. "Might find that we'd like the object more than the payment. That sphere, for instance, was to go to a buyer for three googol tons of gold, provided we could actually get it off Guardian Prime. It wasn't until we brought it here that we found it to be a map of the entire multiverse. We hooked it up to our transporter and have been met with the ability to instantly travel to ninety-seven percent of all world in the multiverse."
"The other three percent are surrounded by protective shells of unknown origin," Cricket continued Gondolier's lecture. "Earth 17, 44, 98, and 2029 are just a handful of planets off-limits to plane-crawlers like us."
Jing stole one last glance at the sphere. "This is a little more than I can process."
"Don't try," Gondolier said as they passed a row of tanks in which various creatures floated within blue liquid. "Just let it be."
"Zoological specimens," Cricket said as Jing looked at the tanks' contents in revulsion.
"Who buys this stuff?" Jing asked.
"More people than you would think," Gondolier said.
Jing stopped as they came to a tank containing a monkey no bigger than a soda can. Out of an odd compulsion, she tapped on the glass.
The monkey's pupils spun rapidly before forming three words.
GET ME OUT.
Jing's eyes widened. What the heck?
"Hey," Gondolier called. "This way."
Jing let her gaze stay on the monkey for a moment before following him.
They entered what appeared to be a meeting room in which a tall blond man with yellow catlike eyes was examining Jing's rifle with several lenses emerging from a Swiss-army-knife-like gadget.
"Lady Jing," Gondolier said. "I give you my cousin and associate Doubloon."
Doubloon turned and smiled. "Nice to meet you."
Jing nodded, her gaze still on the rifle. "Likewise. "What are you doing?"
Doubloon turned back to the firearm. "Ensuring this gun's authenticity."
Jing glared at him. "You doubt its reality?"
"No," Doubloon said. "Simply its identity."
"It's the real thing," Jing growled. "I know it."
"What assurance to you have?" he asked over his shoulder.
Jing blinked, unable to answer.
"Is it the real thing?" Gondolier asked.
Doubloon turned, flicking the lenses back into place. "Yes."
Gondolier and Cricket sighed in relief.
"What's so important about my family's rifle?" Jing asked.
They all paused for a moment.
"You are well-versed in your family's history, correct?" Doubloon asked.
Jing nodded. "Yes."
"Wonderful," Gondolier said, leaning over the table between them. "Tell us: how did your family attain this rifle?"
Jing blinked. "Legend has it that the guardians of the world gave it to Qin Guilong so he could defeat an evil being from another world."
Gondolier clenched his jaw.
"After he killed it with the rifle, the guardians let him keep it so that he may defend his country, or at least that's what mythology states. How he really got it is-"
"That is how he really got it," Gondolier muttered.
Jing blinked again. "It is?"
Gondolier nodded. "The Guardians are a sociopathic group of beings who believe it is their job to police the accessible multiverse. They gave your ancestor that weapon to do their dirty work for them."
Jing frowned. "What dirty work?"
Gondolier sighed. Cricket put a hand on his shoulder.
"They killed a Primordial looking for a world in which to find refuge for his family."
"How do you know?" Jing asked.
Gondolier looked at her. "Psychometric devises."
"What?"
He stretched, shrugging off Cricket's hand. "They can show us the past through data imprints left on the world. We were able to witness the full story from every perspective."
Jing's anger deflated. "Oh."
Gondolier nodded. Doubloon and Cricket both looked at him, eyebrows raised.
"But as to why we need it," Gondolier continued. "It is, as your family history indicates, a weapon that can kill Primordials and, more importantly to us, Eldritches."
Jing frowned. "Eldritches?"
"A type of superbeing," Gondolier said. "We've found a signals from one on open-travel world Earth 165, an individual known as Vyros. We have a buyer for his heart, eye, and most importantly his spark."
He looked directly at Jing. "And we need you to be the sniper that shoots him down."

[Godzilla165]

"Wait, what do you mean, 'things just escalated?" Thresher spoke to Aphrodite, confused.

The Olympian goddess kept her eyes trained on the upcoming battle, slowly shaking her head, eyes filled with angst. "Evron just turned the tables, and both he and Dante realize it." Aphrodite sighed, "Dante won't be holding back nearly as much now."

"Yeah, this is going to be a pretty short fight. I hate to say it, but Evron's got no chance this round." Daeva agreed in a heavy voice.

Thresher turned her attention from Daeva to the fight, inadvertently adjusting her mask. "Go easy, Dante, don't be an idiot." She murmured.



Dante and Evron continued circling one another, blades at the ready. Their eyes were intense and serious, their brows set and determined, and their postures...Ready. The two ninjas soon ceased their dance, and faced the other. There they both stood, as still as a statue, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Just then, Evron's left eye twitched, and that was the trigger. Dante surged towards his brother at light speed plus, giving the latter absolutely no time to react. The ninja Prime slammed into Evron so hard, that the kinetic energies were enough to crater the ground beneath them for miles in every direction. Evron was hurled through the air like a speeding bullet, his body shattering the sound barrier. The wind had been pummeled out of him from that one, single blow, and had the ninja slipping in and out of consciousness. Eventually, Evron recovered and shook himself awake just in time to see a blade headed straight for his armored chest. The ninja managed to parry the sword with not even a nanosecond to spare, catching it in the serrated teeth of his own. Even though he may have caught that one, there was still another blade for Evron to worry about. And, in less than the blink of an eye, the ninja was blindsided with a powerful slash to the side of his helmet, sending him barreling towards the earth. Evron quickly pulled up at the last minute, and somersaulted safely onto the ground. No time to rest was given, as Evron just barely leaped escaped within an inch of Dante's blade sinking into his cranium.

Dante pressed his assault, unleashing lightning quick jabs and slashes, and forcing Evron to remain firmly on the defensive. The latter was quickly becoming overwhelmed, only able to parry one strike before getting hit with another. The sheer heat, combined with the force being put behind each consecutive hit, was enough to buckle Evron's defenses and push him backwards. Dante threw one of the jewels at Evron's legs to stumble him, and then teleported behind him, and back flip kicked him into the sky. Evron had no time to recover, as Dante was already awaiting his arrival above, and slammed him back to ground with his feet planted firmly into Evron's chest. The force of the collision was enough to hurl dust and massive particles of disturbed bedrock and soil thousands of miles into the air, conglomerating into a towering mushroom cloud. When the dust finally settled, the two ninjas had been swallowed by an monstrous crater. Evron lay embedded several feet deep in bedrock, with Dante standing over him, swords pointed right at him.

"I think that's game, bro." Dante confirmed.

Evron growled, "Not yet."

"Come ooon, Evron. Just say you lost, so we can go and get started on those... What are they called again?"

"Pancakes!!!" Evron roared, before exploding out of his dirt prison, and hurling Dante back. The former's body glowed a deep red, energy circulating all around him. Evron crushed Shikoro into red cinders, and replaced it with two, white hot blades formed entirely of raw neutrons. Dante stood across from him, visibly surprised by Evron pulling out the Neutron Sabers; he only used those things when it was absolutely necessary.

"Evron, come on, that's enough. Let's just end it here before things get out of control!" Dante offered.

"Not until there's a clear winner! Now, quit talking and let's finish this!"

Dante stared at Evron for a moment, thinking of what he should do. If he walked away, Evron would still attack regardless; he was never one to stop sparring until there was a definitive winner. So, with a deep sigh, Dante readied for battle, aiming to end this as quickly as possible. Both ninjas ascended into the sky, high enough to not cause any harm to the onlookers below. When they were high enough, Evron was the first to engage this time, charging forth with a thundering war cry. Dante soon met him, and, once they clashed, the sky bellowed and shook. Evron was fast and vicious with his strikes, relentlessly slicing and slashing at Dante, desperately trying to land a hit. The latter wouldn't allow it, however, as he casually dodged and weaved every potential hit with effortless grace. He could still feel the immense heat behind those blades, however; one bad hit, and he'd be in serious trouble. Dante rocked Evron's face with a quick punch, and shot across the sky away from him. Evron was quick to recover and gave chase. The ninjas lit up the sky with red and golden energies, streaking across like speeding comets. Evron sped after his prey, trailing behind him with steely determination. Unbeknownst to Evron, Dante was merely leading him astray; it wasn't Dante who was the prey.



Thresher watched on intently, tracking them as they raced through the air. "What's Dante doing? Why is he running away?" She asked.

"He's not." Aphrodite calmly corrected, smoothing her hair. "He's ending this fight."

"By...running away?"

"By leading Evron into a trap, making him feel as though he has the advantage." Aphrodite said.

Thresher crossed her arms, "I'm not sure I completely follow. Wouldn't Dante be putting himself at as disadvantage by doing that?"

"Not when it comes to Evron." Daeva piped in. "By Dante doing what he's doing right now, it gives Evron a false sense of security, making him believe he's the one in control. Evron always let's his guard down whenever this happens."

"Huh, you'd think he'd learn by now, right?"

"Yeah well, that's Evron for you: Stubborn, hot headed, but still keeps a stuffed dragon that our Mom gave to him in his closet." Daeva snickered.

Lotus cracked up as well, her eyes still glued to the fight above. "Oooo, I'm gonna taunt him sooo hard later." She mused.

Aphrodite gave a pleasant smile to the girl, before she also returned her gaze to the sky. "Don't go too hard on him, hun." She thought to herself.



As the ninja brothers neared the towering mountains in the distance, Dante suddenly turned on a dime and charged Evron. The latter was thrown off guard, and immediately halted himself to block the incoming attack, but was utterly confused when Dante teleported away. Evron whipped his head to and fro, trying to get a visual; he needed to finish this, and fast. Evron couldn't use his Neutron Sabers for long, less he wished for his energy to be severely drained. Just then, Evron heard what sounded like a miniature planetary collision happening above him, and he looked up just in time to be met with Dante's fist planting itself into his face. Without hesitation, Dante punished Evron with a considerably held back, but still devastating ultimate technique. Instead of 500,000 consecutive hits, Dante went easy, and only landed roughly 40,000 blows to Evron's person. These hits consisted of several different punches, kicks, blade strikes, and finally, to finish it, a nasty elbow to Evron's face. The ninja fell from the sky like a rock, spiraling out of control. Instead of smacking into the ground however, Evron was met by an awaiting Dante catching him in his arms. Evron craned his neck to look at him, and could tell Dante was smiling from ear to ear, even with his helmet on, from his eyes alone.

"Can you stand?" Dante asked.

Evron grunted a dry, "Yeah." And stubbornly pushed himself off of Dante. When Evron found his footing, he fell to one knee, still considerably dazed and weakened from the battle. Fortunately, Evron did allow Dante to help him up and fly him to the kingdom.

"Soooo..." Dante began.

"Don't say it..."

"....I winnn! Which means... Pankites for the next the week!!!"

Evron ripped off his mask and chucked it into the sky. "Pancakes, their called, PANCAKES, alright?! If I'm gonna have to cook these damn things for you and everyone else, then at LEAST you can remember their damn names!" He barked.

Dante smiled, "Look, don't be mad because youuu lost the bet, okay?" He taunted.

"Please! I didn't 'looose' anything, you cheated like always!" Evron shot back.

"I didn't cheat! I won fair and square, and now you're just upset because I absolutely wrecked you! Just admit it, and we can move on."

"Only when you admit that you cheated."

"I. Didn't. CHEAT." Dante retorted.

"Did so!" Evron snapped.

"Did not!"

"Did too!"


They both bickered back and forth like that all the way to the kingdom, where mostly everyone had returned to whatever they'd been doing previously. The only ones left remaining were the four girls, awaiting their return.



"Well, that's the end of that." Thresher casually informed. "So, how long was all that, huh? That must've killed a good bit of time."

Daeva shrugged, "About 15 minutes, maybe?"

Thresher gazed at her, sinking her shoulders. "Seriously? That's all?! Damn, well... What else do you guys do for fun around here, besides nearly killing one another?"

Daeva thought for a moment, before her blue eyes glowed brightly with excitement. She looked down at Lotus and grinned. "You wanna go and make some of the best cupcakes that you've ever tasted?"

Lotus's face brightened, "Um, YES!"

"Good, because Aphrodite makes some that will absolutely blow your mind."

Aphrodite grinned and nodded, "It's true, they're preeetty great."

"Well, what the hell are we waiting for?! Let's go!" Lotus exclaimed and dragged Daeva by the arm, inside.

Thresher went to follow, but stopped and looked over her shoulder, pondering.

Daeva stopped and looked back at her, "You coming?"

"Yeah yeah, I'm just gonna wait for the boys to get here. We'll catch up."

Daeva considered her for a second, before finally nodding and following after Lotus and Aphrodite.



Thresher was resting against a marble pillar when Dante and Evron finally made it back. They landed and Evron woozily made his way towards the entrance, shooting Thresher an annoyed look.

"Nice work out there, McMeanStud." Thresher mused, walking alongside him.

"Ugh, shut up."

"No, I'm serious." Thresher defended. "You were fighting an uphill battle the entire time, but you held your own out there. You've got my respect."

Evron looked at her, before quickly looking away. "Thanks."

"Hey, so where is everyone else?" Dante suddenly asked.

"Your girlfriend took Daeva and the other one to go and make some cupcakes, or something."

Dante's eyes widened with excitement. "Aphrodite's famous cupcakes?!"

Evron looked at him, eyes wide as well.

"I'M GONNA GET THERE FIRST!!!" They both roared and raced off towards the kitchen, leaving Thresher behind, both bewildered and amazed.

She just stood there for a minute, resting her hands on her hips, trying to process what just happened. "I...Are cupcakes like a multiversal thing or something?" She asked aloud.

"Must be. Cupcakes are, according to various lifeforms: delicious." Gaze's voice suddenly spoke out from Thresher's pocket.

Thresher let out an annoyed groan and smacked the side of her pocket, and headed towards the kitchen.

"And yet they don't know what a pancake is..."

[Vatarian]

The tap of Aerowen's laquored nail against the windowsill she leaned against was slow, deliberate, and rhythmic. You could count the seconds by it. And in the cavernous room, with its cold architecture, vaulted ceilings, hard floors, and rock-solid walls, a small noise could be amplified greatly.

One could make the mistaken assumption that it was nothing more than an idle tic or quirk.

You would have to know her very well, or have a view of her from the outside of the frosted glass she rested her forehead against to discern the reality that the mistress of Assassins was stabbing the varnished wood she leaned on with vindictive force, as if it had done some personal slight against her, with each resounding tap.

It was hard to say exactly how long the tapping stretched on for, but there was a VERY clear stopping point, and it came as the massive, ribbed doors to the room creaked open just wide enough for a short, willowy young Assassin to slip in, her long, blue-grey cloak whispering against the polished marble flooring as she took a few long steps into the room, then dropped quickly into a deep bow, down on one knee.

One moment, it had been as if some vast deity's collossal faucet dripped somewhere in the huge, dim hall. Now, it was dead silent, save for the breathing of two women, one as old as some civilizations, one barely more than a teenager. They shared a commonality, and it was that both were trying to breathe as quietly as possible. Aerowen, to mask her barelg lidded fury and impatience. The girl, to mask her exertion and anxiety.

"Rise and report,"

Aerowen drawled, straightening up a bit, and fixing her hair.

The girl did, and very little of the news she brought had any effect other than to deepen Aerowen's frown. Only 3 of the 5 Corsair barons of the outer wastes had agreed to fight at their side. Two of the three were asking for more money. The Infernal Lords continued to ignore her requests to meet. On and on and on. Some of it was good news, sure, but to Aerowen, it all tasted so.... Very underwhelming. What was she to do with mediocrity? With half-victories? She sought conquesr, and one of the greatest warriors that had ever lived as both enemy and lover, and she had.... Errand girls who were terrified of her, squabbling pirates, payment disputes, demons playing hard to get, and on and on and on.

The girl continued to list things off, and with every word that came out of her mouth, Aerowen's grip tightened in the sill, until she was gouging holes in the wood, and the girl's voice began to shake with fear as she heard it.

"Tell me... Good news. Give me something.... Interesting."

Aerowen spoke through her teeth.

"We, uhm. Disc- I mean... That is to say... News that a new universe was discovered has come to us. Not a parralel. A new one."

Aerowen's hands relaxed. That was. Interesting. New cosmos weren't a common discovery. They were isolating new parralel dimensions practically every other day, but NEW places? A real, genuinely new cosmos? New of that kind came along one in a millennia, maybe.

Aerowen turned, frown evening out, one eyebrow rising.

"Elaborate, child."

And the girl did. The news had come from... Well. Really, Aerowen didn't care where it had come from, and once she'd heard enough to know it was reliable, she snapped at the assassin to skip to the point. And so she did.

436 billion years. That was what they were putting it at. That made it the oldest universe on record, which was apparently causing quite a stir in the scientific community. But that wasn't the most interesting part, though the concept of a universe that had resisted a quiet disintegration by heat-death or the usual implosion and rebirth into a new universe for so, so many ages was interesting enough on its own.

The interesting part was, that in this dead, dark universe, full of dead stars, crumbling worlds, and dust and coldness, something very interesting had just occurred. An energy-signature on par with the most powerful supernovas and quasars on record had just appeared. It was how the cosmic sphere had been spotted, as it drifted by the more familiar cosmos and its alternate versions, which they dwelt in. The bloom had lit up ontologistic telescopes trained on the right planar coordinates.

Bureacratic sorts and scientists and record-keepers and so on were scrambling and tripping over their own asses, trying to figure out what to make of it.

Aerowen knew exactly what to make of it.

"Prep a corvette-class ship, a on-site security force of 100 of our best, and an escort of fighters. I'm going to be the first person to chart a new universe and find out what that anomaly is."

The assassin stuttered.

"B-but your grace, we don't have a planar portal big enough to accomodate a ship of that size."

Aerowen stalked up to the younger woman, took her by the chin, and tilted her head back until the girl was forced to meet her eyes.

"Then we're going to steal one. Prep. That. Ship."

[Godzilla165]

Hollywood, Los Angeles
10:00 PM

It was a warm, starry night in the hills of Los Angeles. The city was alive with bright, neon lights pulsating through the streets, and the famous Hollywood sign shined down in the far distance. Several miles away from the city, on a secluded hilltop overlooking it all, sat a parked car. It was a vintage car, a 1979 baby blue Chevelle, to be exact, with its chrome wheels and sparkling paint job. Its convertible hood was down, and in it sat what appeared to be a couple out on date night, currently exchanging sweet nothings and not-so-tender kisses with one another. The boy had on a red track jacket with what looked to be his school's letters printed in big, white letters on it, and some pressed light blue jeans. His brown hair was slicked back from some top shelf hair grease, and his brand name sunglasses where currently getting smushed by the bosom of his enthusiastic lady. She herself had on a white skirt that bloused at the bottom, with some knee high socks to match. Her shoulder length, dirty blonde hair laid against her neatly fitted, black bow on top. They both looked to have been in their late teens, early twenties at the most. When they finally pulled away from one another, the girl allowed for an eccentric giggle to slip.

"Why does it feel like we're in a movie or something?" She asked.

The boy wrapped an arm around her and leaned against his seat. "Because, we're in Hollywood baby! That means..." He turned and looked at her, grabbing a hold of her face. "We're automatically movie stars!"

The girl laughed ferociously and went in for another kiss. The boy quickly removed his jacket and tossed it out on the ground, helping his honey to unbutton her infernal skirt. Suddenly, the line of tall bushes behind them started to rustle. The girl pulled away and peered through the side mirror on her side, while her hungry boy toy continued getting familiar with her neck.

"Sssh, did you here that?" She asked, keeping her eyes on the bushes.

"What, hear what?"

She pointed towards the bushes, "I could've sworn those bushes moved a second ago!"

The boy took a quick glance at them, rolled his eyes, and pulled her attention away from them. "It was probably just the wind or something, don't worry about." He impatiently concluded.

The girl looked like she wasn't buying it, but her adolescent mind was much too focused on something else than to worried about a little squirrel, or something, rummaging through the woods. She nodded and locked lips with him again, vigorously undressing, whilst helping him to at the same time. A few seconds later, there it was again; the tall, thick bushes behind the couple started to rustle, more aggressively this time. The girl pulled away once more, much to her boyfriend's annoyed displeasure.

"There it is again!" She exclaimed. "Tommy, I don't think I'm comfortable being here anymore. Something's definitely out there."

The boy, now confirmed as Tommy, groaned and face palmed. "Oh my God, Sandy, nothing is out there, alright? You're just being paranoid."

Sandy looked away from the bushes and turned her head to the side. "Well... Maybe." She half-hardheartedly agreed, chewing on her bottom lip."

Tommy pinched her chin and pulled her face to his. "Look, if there's any peeping little perverts watching us, I'll kick their asses so hard, they'll never get a boner again." He jokingly reassured her.

Sandy smiled and giggled, before locking her lips with Tommy's once more. They continued on, uninterrupted for a few minutes now, whatever it was that may have been behind those bushes, seeming to have gone away. Perhaps, maybe it simply was just the wind, or a squirrel that was causing all of the ruckus. But then, behind those tall, thick bushes... Came forth a low, guttural growl. It was loud enough that both Tommy and Sandy heard, and felt it resonating through their bodies. They immediately looked in the direction of the noise, whatever feelings of sexual tension now completely dissolved. They both shivered as fear began to build up inside them. Sandy wrapped her arms tightly around Tommy's, as he himself clenched one of her hands in a vice like grip. There they sat, in the baby blue, 1979 Chevelle, with the convertible top down... Just watching those bushes, waiting for anything, anything at all to happen. Then, what felt like an adult bull had just been dropped on the hood of the car, caused both of them to whip around and lay witness to something utterly grotesque.

It walked on two, scaled legs of greenish coloration, supported by three taloned feet. It's arms were properly muscled and just as scaly as its legs. In fact, the thing's entire body was covered in said triangular formations. It's three fingers were adorned with razor sharp claws at the ends, and serrated spikes on the knuckles. Its chest was broad and stocky, as well as its thick, veiny, and curiously gilled neck. Its dull pink lips curled back to reveal at least a dozen, quarter inch long fangs, dripping with purple saliva. The creature glared at the young couple through two, yellow eyes, with slit pupils. The beast was at least 7 feet tall, and appeared to weigh as much as a full grown rhino, evident from the front of the baby blue Chevelle, with the convertible hood down, now pressed to the ground. The creature was festering in its ugliness, and it was absolutely rancid, smelling like old road kill mixed with rotten eggs. The monster opened its terrible maw, and bellowed a roar that immediately sent both Tommy and Sandy high tailing it towards the woods, leaving whatever stripped clothing and other personal items behind. Even through their petrified screams of terror, they could still hear the sounds of the creature's footsteps behind them, almost sounding like a group of horses galloping.

Tommy looked back to see the horrifying hellbeast quickly gaining on them, though clearly holding back to stalk its adolescent prey. As Tommy whipped back around, he was met with Sandy standing in place like a statue. Not having enough time stop, Tommy crashed into the girl and sent them both to the cool ground. Tommy groaned in pain as he slowly dragged himself onto his back. He looked over at Sandy, and frowned.

“Hey! Why the hell did you stop?! We need to ru-” Tommy stopped as he saw that Sandy was staring at something. He turned his head to follow her gaze, and soon saw what she was looking at: two, huge, metallic red, and armored feet. Tommy gulped before slowly contorting his body, to peer up at whoever were the owners of said feet.

What Tommy and Sandy were met with, were an incredibly tall, and muscular... Man, dressed head to toe in thick, broad armor. A torn, black scarf flew from the back of the figure’s helmet, and his glowing, violet colored eyes were locked firmly onto the approaching beast.

“You two love birds get to safety. I’ll take it from here.” Ubel calmly ordered.

Tommy and Sandy stared at Ubel, then at one another in complete shock. They seemed to be frozen in place for the longest time, until the howl of that horrific monstrosity shook them of their trance. The couple quickly did what Ubel said, and dashed off deeper into the woods. Seconds later, the tall beast burst forth from a patch of bushes, ready to rip his human targets into chunks of flesh, but immediately lost all bloodthirsty passion when its eyes found their new target. The monster almost seemed to shrink in its posture, like that of a defeated wolf tucking its tail between its legs. The beast hissed harshly, baring those vicious fangs, claws at the ready to strike.

“That’s far enough.” Ubel stated.

The monster growled, agrily snapping its jaws.

“What are you?”

More hissing and growling ensued.

Ubel folded his arms, “Where did you come from? I thought that all of the stragglers would’ve been cleaned up by now...”

The creature pointed one of its wrinkly fingers at Ubel, and gurgled, “Neeeennnjaaaa!”

“...Yeaaah, that’s, that’s what I am alright. And you are?” Ubel responded.

Yet more growling and now spitting was the response.

“Gross. Now, why were you chasing those two, innocent humans?”

The monster responded by licking its chapped lips.

Ubel narrowed his eyes, “Here’s what’s gonna happen: You’re going to stop hunting and killing human beings to satisfy your own sick cravings, go back where you came from, and never show your face around here or anywhere else again. Unless, you want to deal with me.”

The grotesque reptilian bared its fangs and barked loudly, splaying its razor sharp claws.

“Last chance,” Ubel threatened and held out a splayed hand, “leave... Now.”

The beast let loose a hellish bellow, and leaped into the air and into the trees, using them as cover. The monster zipped all around Ubel at incredible speeds, appearing like a shadow fading from one branch to the other.

“So, it’s fast.” Ubel thought, keeping a close eye on the thing.

Without warning, the unholy spawn charged Ubel from behind, aiming a taloned claw right at his neck. The creature must have been greatly surprised when, in the blink of an eye, the ninja had it by the throat. Howling, spitting, and gurgling curses, the demonic entity desperately tried to claw at any part of Ubel it could reach, specifically his eyes. Its claws dug into his armored gauntlet, as its legs kicked and twisted in the air. Ubel raised an eyebrow, studying the thing closely.

“You’re not the only one of your kind, are you? There are more of you out there... Can you tell me where they are?” Ubel inquired. “Dante’s soul searching would reeaally come in handy right about now...”

The beast merely spat and hurled throaty insults towards the ninja.

“Tell me where your hangout is, and I’ll let you gooo... I promise. Cross my heart, even though I still don’t know what that means.”

Of course, the thing wasn’t having it, and reached a clawed appendage out as far as it could to slash at Ubel’s eyes. Finally deciding he had had enough, Ubel pressed his other hand against the monster’s chest, and, with a lazy amount of force, sent its body hurtling through the air for miles. Ubel then looked up at his other hand, to find that he was still holding the beast’s decapitated head within his palm. The gruesome abomination still had a look of utter shock on its face, until its yellow eyes eventually glazed over, and its forked tongue hung freely from its disgusting maw. Ubel sighed heavily, before vaporizing the head in his hand.

“You can come out now!” He called out.

Seconds later, Tommy and Sandy slowly eased out from behind a large tree, and cautiously made their way over to the large ninja.

“That... That thing, is it... Did you kill it?” Sandy asked, her dirty blonde hair now all frizzy, her black bow crooked.

Ubel nodded, “You won’t have worry about that thing ever again.”

Tommy was shaking as he crossed his arms tightly to his chest. “So, what do we do now? I mean, we were just chased by a goddamn MONSTER through the woods, dude!” He exclaimed.

Ubel waited until he finished, and turned around, facing the direction from which they came. “Go home and finish your date, and be with your families; it’s not safe out here.”

Tommy’s mouth dropped in disbelief. He looked to Sandy for an answer, but she herself was still in shock from the whole thing. “Are you serious?! We almost got eaten by a fucking swamp...THING, and you want us to go home and act like all of this didn’t just happen?! And who, or what the hell are you anyway?! NO, alright, we’re going to the police, because this shit is fucked up man!”

Ubel slowly turned back around to face them both, his eyes now glowing brightly. “You two are gonna take your car, go back home, finish the rest of your date, and forget that any of this ever happened. Okay?” He stated firmly.

Both Tommy and Sandy’s faces went from terrified and hysterical, to calm and relaxed, almost as if they had been put into a trance-like state. “Yeah... Yeah, o-okay. That sounds like a plan to me.” Tommy agreed.

“We’re gonna go.” Sandy said, pointing in the direction of that baby blue, 1979 Chevelle, with the...

“That sounds like a good idea.” Ubel nodded, and watched as the young couple walked slowly back to their car, to salvage the rest of their would-be date. Perhaps, Tommy would get lucky after all.

With that, Ubel’s gaze focused up, and his brow hardened. “Time to find the rest of those things.” He muttered, and, without a second to spare, blasted off into the starry sky.

[Dawsbfiremind]

"I heard story once. Man thinks that reflection is his real self. Doctor sees him, says "He's your reflection, you are you." Man says "No, he's me. I'm trapped here by his mirror, yet he is free." Doctor says "Why do you think that?" Man answers "He always looks so sad. It must be because he knows I'm trapped here."
- Attributed to an Inmate of Xiangshan Prison for the Peculiar, Earth 98

Daeva looked upon Lotus' sleeping form silently. The moonlight caused the shining metals and precious stones in the room to glow almost as bright as the young girl's white hair.
"You sure have gotten close to her," Dante said to his sister.
Daeva didn't bother turning her head. "She's...I just feel like I'm meant to protect her."
Dante put a hand on the back of Deva's chair. "Like you're an older sister finally, huh?"
Daeva shook her head slightly. "No. It's almost...maternal."
Dante blinked down at her. "Maternal?"
"She has no parents," Daeva whispered. "She only ever mentioned someone called the half-man a few times, other than that the only person she's really talked about is someone she calls Myth."
Dante straightened. "That's her main genetic parent. Lily told me some about her."
Daeva raised an eyebrow, looking at him. "Lily?"
Dante blinked, then looked down. "That's Thresher's real name. She doesn't think I know though. I acted as if I hadn't heard her."
Daeva looked back at Lotus. "Lily. Not the name I would've put with that girl."
"I'm about to go see if she's settled in and ask her a few questions," Dante said. "You should get to bed soon."
"I will," Daeva replied, not meaning it.
Dante nodded and left the room.
Daeva frowned slightly. She read my memories before in Hale's lab. I wonder if I could read hers...
She let the thought roll around in her mind, considering it. A breeze ruffled Lotus' loose hair. The song of a nightbird drifted from the distance.
Slowly, Daeva leaned forward and touched Lotus' forehead with her fingertips.
Immediately, the scenery around her changed as she was sucked into the girl's memory.

"She blooms."
"The Lotus."
"The clone of the Myth."
Daeva looked through a semitransparent green liquid. Her arms - Lotus' arms - were wrapped around herself. Her body was covered in plates resembling a robe of large rose petals.
"It's time. Get her out."
All at once they were dumped out of the liquid and into the open air. The sudden cold chilled Lotus and she huddled even tighter. She cried like an infant, though Daeva could tell she already had the body of a ten-year old.
"Success," one of the scientists said over Lotus' wailing. The other scientists nodded, appearing pleased with themselves.
A blanket was suddenly wrapped around them. Lotus' head turned and Daeva glimpsed a scarred part man part machine being tat she instinctively knew was once human.
"Is this what was done to all of them?" the cyborg asked.
"If you're talking about the first clones then yes," the main scientist said. "But the other Myth clones never made it this far. They thrashed, wailed, then died."
The cyborg wiped away the liquid from Lotus face. Lotus winced, and her infant-aged brain rapidly began to develop, bringing forth sensations that struck Daeva like a hammer

Cold-hurt-scared-help-thing-half-man-helping-friend-first-cares-parent-father.

Father.
Half-Man.

"She needs a caretaker," the half-man growled. "A parent!"
The lead scientist raised an eyebrow.
"She's a child!" the half-man shouted. Lotus slowly extended a hand and brushed the human half of his face. "Fa...ther."
The half-man blinked in surprise.
"Looks like you're it," the scientist said. "But remember - she's not a child. She's not human. She's a weapon. Drill that into your head every day.
Then they walked away.
Lotus brushed the half-man's face again. "Fath...er."
The half-man looked down at her, his head silhouetted by the lab's lights. "Don't listen to them. You're a human girl. You are precious, Lotus."
He held her close. "Lotus..."
"Fa...ther," she said, still trying to force out the words.
"Yes," he said. "I am your father. And you are my daughter."

Daeva jumped out of the memory, tears rolling down her cheeks.
Lotus jumped awake. "What! What happened!"
Daeva embraced the girl in a tight hug.
"I'm sorry Lotus. I'm so sorry."

[Dawsbfiremind]

Dante knocked softly on the door to Thresher's temporary room.
"Who is it?" she asked in a tired voice unobstructed by the mask. Dante heard her fumbling about, likely looking for the mask.
"Me," Dante said. "Can I come in?"
There was a pause. "If you want." Dante opened the door and saw her strapping the shark mask back on.
"You don't have to wear that all the time you know," he said.
"Yes I do," she answered. "This is the face I show to everyone. My face."
"Except for 'him'," Dante said.
She stopped in the middle of tightening a strap.
"Your fiancé, right?"
She turned her head, her real eyes faintly visible through the unlit eyes of the mask. "You heard?"
Dante nodded. "I wanted to ask you abut him. About you."
Thresher leaned on one arm. "What if I don't want to talk."
"I won't make you," Dante said. "I have painful memories too."
Thresher nodded. "I know."
Dante sat in a chair. "So, will you talk?"
Thresher looked at him for a moment. "Does your girlfriend know about this?"
"Yes," Dante answered.
Thresher glanced at the door that was still slightly ajar. "What was her name? Aphrodite?"
Dante nodded, glancing at the door as well.
Thresher leaned back. "Well don't leave her standing out there, she can come in too."
Aphrodite slipped through the doorway. "How did-"
"Don't ask," Dante said.
Thresher pointed to a second chair. "There's your seat, madam."
Aphrodite blinked in surprise. "Madam?"
"A formal title from where I come from," Thresher explained as Aphrodite took her seat.
They all were silent for a moment.
"Now will you tell us?" Dante asked.
"Tell you what?" Thresher said. "Why would you need, or want, to know about me?"
"You want to work together," Dante said. "I have to know more about you before I trust you."
"Still stuck on that huh?" Thresher mumbled.
"Dante told me what you did to him and Evron," Aphrodite said. "I won't let him fight alongside someone like that until I know they won't try and kill him again."
"I wasn't trying to kill him," Thresher said. "And you never can be positive about what people would do next."
Dante sighed. "You're not helping your case, Lily."
"I'm telling it like it is," Thresher growled. "For all your power and age I find you ninjas to be younger than I had hoped."
Dante frowned. "What?"
Thresher nodded. "Exactly."
"How old are you?" Aphrodite asked.
"Twenty-three," Thresher said.
"And we're the younger ones," Dante said, standing up. "You're more full of yourself than I had expected."
"Take care ninja," Thresher said. "I don't judge age by years, I judge it by maturity. You think you're omnipotent because you've slain things that could destroy universes, but you've never experienced anything from out section of the multiverse."
Dante frowned, cocking his head. "What?"
Thresher summoned a sound disk and turned it. A cluster of universes appeared.
"Here's your section." She pointed at one of the universes. "You reside in this one, Universe 165."
The diagram zoomed out and moved to another cluster. "This is my cluster. The one in the middle houses Earth 98."
The diagram zoomed back out. "What do you notice?"
Dante and Aphrodite in surprise before looking back at Thresher. "They're...really close together. Too close for us to have never noticed them before."
"Are you sure Ubel's never been to any of them?" Aphrodite asked.
Dante shook his head. "I'm...pretty sure."
"You've never heard about them for one reason," Thresher said, poking the sound disk, causing an orange matrix to appear around the second cluster. "That's the reason. A planar shield. It keeps each world isolated. I can distort it with a great deal of effort, which is how I'm able to be here. Otherwise, there's no way to travel to or from any worlds in this cluster."
"What about Lotus?" Aphrodite asked.
Thresher shook her head. "As far as I can tell, she was brought here with a similar ability. Otherwise, I don't know."
"So what does this have to do with us not being equipped for things from your world?" Dante asked.
Thresher looked up at him. "Why do you think they're enclosed?"
Dante blinked. "To prevent things from coming into the worlds?"
Thresher shook her head. "No. To prevent things from getting out."
Dante looked back down at the cluster. "What kind of things?"
Thresher shrugged, letting the diagram and sound disk dissipate. "Massive interstellar creatures, Eldritches, plants that have wiped out civilizations, fear incarnate, a whole host of things. Who knows what exists in these worlds? I just know a few."
Dante sat back down. "So...you come from a hard world."
"Probably the safest in the cluster," Thresher admitted. "But I did come from a hard life."
Dante nodded. "So did we."
Thresher nodded as well. "I know."
Dante looked down. "You already know ours, right?"
Thresher nodded again. "Sorry, I shouldn't have-"
"Don't be," Dante said. "Just tell us about you."
Thresher sighed. "I'd rather not go into detail."
"Fair enough," Dante said. Aphrodite nodded encouragingly.
Thresher took a deep breath. "I was born in a prison in Xiangshan on Earth 98. My mother died soon after from malnutrition. Some of her acquaintances in the prison trained and cared for me until the day I could escape through the sewage pipes. I wandered around through Xiangshan for some time..."
She broke off, looking down. Aphrodite reached out and touched her hand, which Thresher quickly retracted. She reached back and turned the mask's eye-lights on, obscuring her real eyes.
"It's okay," Dante said. "You can tell us."
Thresher sighed.
"I was...taken," she said softly. "Spent a few years in another kind of prison."
"Why?" Aphrodite asked.
Thresher looked directly at her. "Because they were in the business of selling young girls."
Aphrodite blinked, looking down. She opened her mouth to say something, then closed it.
Dante clenched his jaw and sighed, nodding slightly.
"Escaped from there a few years later," Thresher continued quietly. "Found by a girl who wanted to start a singing group. Passed tryout. Became Thresher."
"And your fiancé?" Dante asked.
Thresher twisted a strand of hair between her fingers. "Singing group made of flux like me who could manipulate things with sound. They became criminals. I joined in sometimes. Legends came to stop them. I changed sides and helped take them into custody. Allowed to join the Urban Legends on his recommendation."
"Your fiancé's?" Aphrodite asked.
Thresher nodded. "Another flux named Cyrus. He always took care of me, never looked at me as if I were strange. Said he liked the me under my mask."
Suddenly she looked up. "Hale better be able to track Vyros with that contraption of his."
Dante blinked at the sudden change of topic. "He will."
Thresher stood. "Time passes differently in our worlds. To Cyrus, I've only been gone for a month or two. That's why I haven't aged any more than that, my body's still used to that time frame. But to me, it's been five years."
She grabbed Dante by the collar of his robes. "Five years ninja! I'm ready to be home!"
Dante nodded and placed his hands on her shoulders, feeling her wince involuntarily.
"Trust me," he said. "We'll do everything in our power to get you home."
Thresher nodded. "Thank you."
"Wait," Aphrodite said. "Didn't you say that there's a barrier that keeps your world separated?"
"I also said I can breach it," Thresher said, shrugging Dante's hands off her shoulders.
Aphrodite stood from her chair. "But Lotus..."
Dante's eyes widened. "She can't get home..."
"Not without her."
They turned to see Lotus and Daeva standing in the doorway.
"Me?" Thresher asked.
Lotus nodded. "I need you to get me back home."
Thresher turned to her, considering the much smaller girl.
"You're Myth's clone, Thresher said. "I can use your help too."
Lotus gazed at her flatly. "With what?"
"Help me kill Vyros," Thresher said. "and I'll get us bot home."
Lotus nodded once. "Deal."
Thresher nodded back. "Good. We start in the morning."
Deva put an arm around Lotus' shoulders. "Then I'm coming too."
Lotus smiled up at her.
Dante straightened "You both have the support of all of us."
Thresher looked at him. "Thank you."

Spoiler:

Darn typos.