Ben 10 Porn Story: No More Heroes Chapter 9

…. I dont have the right to say anything more than necessary. I updated so late that it is right for everyone to put me on their hate-list.

Disclaimer: I dont own Ben 10.

Chapter 9

Lilia Ariel

Gate. White expanses. Herself….

Lilia woke up in a white room of a hospital. She recognized the room as the very same room that Richard occupied before he went missing. On her bedside, Lila and her mother was staring at her with relief while a familiar redheaded male was talking animatedly with the large Frankenstein-like figure that she figured as Victor at the door. Lilia, how do you feel, sweetie? her mother asked.

Im… Im fine, mother, mum, Lilia said groggily. A sharp stab of pain on her stomach and chest preventing her from making any movement, let alone sit.

Ah, so you woke up, Reno said dismissively. Lucky that Vic here got you before you bleed to death. What kind of nurse that cut herself with a scalpel so bad like that? Or is it just me, or youre attacked?

Cecilia, Lilias mother, snapped her head to Renos directions. You mean my daughter is attacked by one of the students? she said sharply.

Always think that everything is possible mam. But its not necessarily a student. It could be anyone…. he trailed as he took out a book from his black, uncared suit. Lets see. Your wound, Ariel, is narrow stab wounds, possibly caused by a specially modified knife, dipped with Halosinion poison to stop your mana from automatically healing your wound. Not many people knew how to do this, or even have the skill to handle Halosinion.

How did you…?!

I worked part-time for four years in a weapon chemical factory, happy? I know all kind of chemicals, including the most dangerous poisons known, he snapped, both at Lily and the book shut. Lilia, however, stared at him right on his eyes and she knew that he was lying.

But she didnt know how.

But theres something weird about your accident, too. Your womb and parts of your digestive system vanished, but doctor said that theres no sign of removal whatsoever, her mother said rather sadly. They say its very stra…

Before Lilia could take the last bit of information in, something was creeping its way up in her throat and she had no choice but to vomit. Blood was the only thing that came out from her mouth and it left her feeling very weak. Lila quickly gave her a glass of water to soothe her burning throat.

Yep, a large portion your digestive system is gone, meaning that you would do that every now and then and youll have to eat a very soft food, so get use to it, Reno said offhandedly. Halosinion are known to digest internal organs, so only the First-Grade members of assassin squad, which is under the control of Galliray, was able to use that poison, he said, carefully emphasising the word assassin and Galliray before he scratched his chin thoughtfully. Hmm… curious isnt it? he said.

Oh, dont mind me, Im just thinking out loud, he added when he saw the eldest woman in the room looked at him with a strange stare.

Err… if youre thinking, why do you make a suggestive statement? Victor asked, raising his eyebrow. I mean, isnt that a bit ridiculous? Assassin squad are only used to kill enemys leader, right?

Yeah, but try to put yourself in a strategist mind my big, ol pal: Richardson Tennyson, the most influential, attractive, genius, and somewhat dangerous and bitter person, and Lilia Ariel, an almost harmless young girl and a very close friend to him. Hurting her is definitely easier than hurting Richard plus you get something to lure Tennyson in, Reno said nodding to Lilias direction. She felt a cold stab in her heart when Reno stated that she was a close friend. What he was saying was true and there was no way of denying it. Whats more, you gain advantage of hostages over him, and like any little good tacticians and strategists know, every little advantage could change the course of the battle. … Wait a cotton picking minute, I sound exactly like Richard, am I? Man, I definitely had to stop doin that.

He got a point there, a deeper, bemused voice, owned by Professor Shard Lance stated matter-of-factly. He was leaning on the door frame with a serious and bemused expression in his broad, crystalline (literally) face. The Tennyson family are amongst the people that could mobilize all Earths military forces to take an offensive stance. And the Galliray Council Members are desperate to get his influence back. Im not trying to antagonize, but I think they will use any way available to do that, including assassination and an all-out assault on Earth.

Yep, once they mobilize the Seven Divisions, namely Dragon Division against Earths Unified Nations (E.U.N), well be able to stop them when the hell freezes over, Reno agreed, nodding as he got up from his chair. Well, if you excuse me, I got to call Nimbus.

Lilia watched him left the room. Strangely, she felt the Levins emotion when he was leaving: bitter and rueful. Rueful because he couldnt do anything and bitter because he remembered about his missing step-cousin.

She suddenly frowned. Wait a minute, since when I know about this? she thought. Even mana had its limitation, and mind reading was one of that limits.

Dont worry… a soothing voice said in her mind. The voice somehow made all her worries disappear, so she decided to settle back to her sleep. The last thing she remembered before she fallen into the oblivion was her mothers worried face.

Its alright…

IXI

She woke up when the night had fallen. She turned her head to the left and spotted the sleeping figures of her mother and sister. Bright moonlight entered the room, filtered by the window. Noticing this, Lilia turned her gaze to the window, relishing the sight of the full moon.

She always admired the beauty of the moon and how it made the hardest heart soften. She often found Richard staring in the pale moonlight, all cold and calculating expression on his face was gone, replaced by a gentle and sad look. Often, she wished that she could sit beside him under the pale light, resting her head on his shoulder as they talked about anything but the ongoing war.

Sadly, it stayed as a wish.

Ms. Ariel…

She whipped her head around, scanning the room for the source of the gentle, yet intimidating voice. And she found it, staring at her through the darkness with a luminescent red eye. Good Evening, Lilia Ariel, the voice said politely, still in its curiously intimidating way. I trust that youre able to talk now?

Dont even bother calling for help. I went over the trouble of putting the rank three sleeping draught to all body of water I could find in this city, even puddles on the street, the voice added, laced with the tone of cruel amusement. They will not be awake until five oclock in the morning.

What do you want with me? Lilia asked slowly, preparing to cast a defensive spell.

…Im a messenger, Ms. Ariel. And what I want is to give my message, the voice said. Oh, wheres my manner?! My name is Armando Lupine, call me everything you like. But I do prefer the term Gentleman Burglar.

And the owner of the voice stepped into the faint moonlight filtered by the window. It was a brown haired teenager, about Renos age with luminescent red eyes and a knee-length black cape, he hold an equally black top hat on his left hand. Lilia recognized the name. Armando Lupine, often nicknamed as Shadow Thief Lupine was the almost legendary burglar that could break into any secured facility without setting anything off.

Lupine was infamous for going overboard with his stunts and acts. Once, he put all clocks in Paris five minutes faster so he could steal a necklace from a museum.

And the Lupine looked exactly like the new French student: Jean Luc Francis.

Forgive me for surprising you, but I take the form of Jean Luc Francis for my amusement and to conceal my real identity, he said, grinning cruelly. You could say that I did not have a real face.

Now lets get to the point, shall we? Oh by the way, Ms. Ariel, have you seen the Gate?

The… Gate? Lilia said slowly. The supposedly familiar word sounded alien on her tounge.

Yes, the Gate, not our everyday gate, but the Gate. The very same thing that Azmuth and more recently, Richardson Tennyson, saw, he said. Youve made a payment, so you should have seen it.

Lilia was puzzled. Payment?

Your digestive system? Its gone isnt it? he said evidently raising an eyebrow. Now, I shall perform my duty, if you may. Ive got a message for you, from the Tennyson.

Lupine produced a sealed envelope from inside of his hat. It bore Richards personal seal (he never used the Tennyson family seal) and the name Lilia Ariel was written there with black ink. The writing was visible even from the dim moonlight and Lilia recognized them instantly as Richards handwriting. Ah, so you can read it. I suppose Mr. Tennyson uses an ink that only visible to someone with your mana signature, he said approvingly. Mr. Tennyson had predicted that I will break into his residence and you getting attacked after he left. So he left me with this message and someone to guard you.

Who is it?

… An Angel, Lupine said, grinning wider. Alicia, come to the light.

Another figure stepped in, a young woman this time. Lilia recognized her face as Alia, Richards missing sister, but with a different hair and eye colour. But she could feel that Alias look-a-like were different from the missing Tennyson. Dont be fooled by her look, Ms. Ariel. Mr. Tennyson modelled her after his sister, but activating her again is a pain in my side.

A…activate?

Shes an android, B.C.I.O (Bio-Crystalline engIneered andrOid) model, left by Mr. Tennyson to protect you when he cannot, Lupin stated matter-of-factly. The only one of her kind, and he made it just for you.

He is correct, Alicia said for the first time, her tone was firm and carried a drop of coldness, just like her creator. My father had entrusted me with your safety, as well as his friends safety.

What you must realize Ms. Ariel, is were at war. You had to follow your eldest sister path, Lupine grinned. Ive crossed path with your sister a few times before, an all-out attack spells could prove to be immensely useful.

Richardson Tennyson went missing because he wanted to fight in this war. As far as I know, he was recruiting mercenaries from all over the universe to help his effort, he continued. Ive done my part by stealing important weapons, information, and experiments. Victor and Reno was preparing to do their part and your sister is currently fighting in the war.

But…but I dont like it! I could not hurt people, even to save my life! Lilia shouted, feeling the unusual sensation of anger. Just because of war, it doesnt mean I have to fight!

And if you dont like it, it does not mean you could escape the responsibility, Lupine said, fanning the flames. His cruel grin widened as he enjoyed the anger on Lilias face. Im sorry for my rudeness, but playing with emotion is one of my favourite games. Help me keep my mind sharp and my intimidating skill up to perfection.

Lilia was about to shout when Alicia put one comforting hand on her shoulder. Mistress, calm yourself down, please, she said gently, yet firmly and commanding. Lupine is the one that seriously crippled the Galliray force. But father is the one that managed to trace him and expose his identity, so Lupine had no choice but to cooperate with father, she shot a playful glare to him. Isnt that right?

Tch, dont say that out loud, will you? Its embarrassing enough that his alarm caught me red-handed while Im retrieving you and your fathers little note, he said as he turned his back at them. Read the note, Ms. Ariel, if you please. I need to meet with my… acquaintances.

He stepped back soundlessly into the shadow, a great feat considering that he was wearing a pair of hard soled black leather shoe, and promptly vanished. And the door didnt move at all. Dont ask me how he did it, Alicia said when she saw Lilias surprised look. The Shadow Thief had done it again.

IXI

Lilia

This will be the last words you will hear from me. You will not met Richardson Tennyson again, so dont try to look for me.

Ive decided that the name Tennyson should vanish from the universe. My sister (if she lives after Im through with her), will not be able to bear the name anymore, because as far as Im concerned, she is not my sister. A traitor to be exact, the one that affiliated herself mindlessly to my sworn enemy and stabbed her brother in the back

I left Alicia to protect you and your friends. Shes has all traits that a living being had, except the ability to age and breed, although she could change her appearance at will. So you will and must treat her like a human being. I dont care what you say, but what I care is that you treat her with respect and gratitude.

I also left you the code to my house, Alicia will know it all so dont hesitate to ask her. But be aware that I put a strain on her so she cannot reveal any code to my lab.

Last thing I wanted to ask you is to give Alicia a new name. Her current name is Alicia Alexandria Tennyson. Change her name so she will not bear the shame my name has brought. That is a burden only for me to bear.

PS: Put Alicia far, far away from Reno and tell her to stop calling me father. I dont have any family left, and Im not interested on starting a new one.

Alicia sighed. Father is always like that. He never acknowledged me as his daughter, she said as she finished changing Lilias bandage. He did the same to you too, doesnt he?

…yes, he treated me as a friend, but he never accepted me as one, the red haired girl said as she put her clothes backed on. What did he mean you will not met Richardson Tennyson again?

Father has a way to… erase his existence. He frequently changed his appearance name when hes scouting, Alicia sighed. If he did not want to be found, finding him is as possible as talking to a stone and hoping that stone would reply.

So, I still have to give you a name, am I?

… I dont know, mistress. If you give me name, thatll make you my mother, Alicia said, tapping her head. I dont know if this is one of fathers piques or merely a glitch, but my programming told me that if you gave me a name, itll make you my mother and denounce my father. I… I dont want that to happen…

Lila came in soon afterwards, bringing foods and spare clothes with her. Its been a week the incident and Alicia and Lila had been taking care of her. Her mother was pretty happy with Alicia, although she still asking question about her origin. Lilia had been covering for her by saying that Alicia was a transfer student, which was backed up by the Headmaster who seemed to understand Alicias origin.

Sister, how are you feeling?

Im fine, Lila. Thanks to you and Alicia, Lilia said softly. Folding up Richards message and gave it back to Alicia. So, what happened in school?

Usual thing. Reno is almost unbeatable in Sparring Matches, Victor got another award alongside GEO-1111, and the Headmaster is causing another mayhem by putting smoke pellets on the students food, Lila shook her head. Seriously, that Headmaster is one heck of a practical joker.

Well, when youre a severely gifted genius, you tend to take radical ways to amuse yourself, Alicia said. Azmuth for example, spent his free time making people temporarily lost in space by scrambling their navigation device and cloaking them with controlled mirage so they cannot be found.

And Richard spent his time installing defence mechanisms on his house, Lilia muttered. Are all geniuses is like that? Paranoid, bitter, and cannot trust anyone beside themselves?

Alicia just smiled. Lilia bet on all her life that she knew the answer.

Alexander March

Giving up already?

Never!

The brown hared young Human go up again, after the umpteenth time Alexander knocked him down. The latter was already bored of this very one-sided fight, but his opponent known nothing about giving up and seemed to be in need to learn how to stop. Alexander right arm was still in its diamond-covered state. The shard had formed a deliberately blunt long blade and gave protections to his arm and shoulder.

Well, Petrosapiens (Diamondhead, if anyone forgot) crystalline power was his main ability that served him without a flaw. He had managed to recruit three people besides Edward Rhein during his journey, but he still in need of man power. So he set his gaze at the descendant of an alien hunter known as Lt. Steel.

Alexander lazily blocked his opponent BeamBlade, he had seen his opponents weakness ever since he glimpsed him walking through the Bounty Hunter Guild headquarter. He sighed tiredly as he expertly and quickly twisted his crude diamond blade around the BeamBlade and knocked it off his opponents hand, a fancy sword-work he learnt during his early life. Rule number thirteen in a swordfight: try to be the only one who wields a sword, Alexander yawned from under the scarf that hid the bottom half of his face. Look, this is not helping me at all. I could disarm you all day, but that wouldnt help me accomplishing my goal.

Shut up! I wont give you my help, no matter how many times you beat me! the brown-haired man said scathingly as he picked up his sword. Eat, DASHING STRAFE!!

He slashed his sword wildly as he dashed forward toward the younger Alexander. Truth to be told, Alexander was only sixteen for just three days but he was already thinking like a battle-scarred forty years old. He backed away from the wild-moving opponent before throwing two shards of crystals to distract his opponent.

No pattern… typical Steels movement.

The bait was taken when the brunette batted away the shards. In an instant, Alexander used a technique he called flashstep to close the gap between him and his opponent before giving a low roundhouse kick to his opponents leg, causing him to lost balance. Cmon, Steel. Its not helping us in anyway. A fact that you have a temper as short as a toddler did not help me end this war and it didnt help your fitness state.

Oh its helping me alright. This whipped my bot to shape! Leon cried out, picking up his BeamBlade once more.

Apparently, being hard headed his bad for your health, Alexander thought. He would have said that out loud if Edward was here. But he was away, recruiting other mercenary under watchful eyes of another person from the Rhein clan, namely, Raphael Rhein.

He decided to start attacking from a distance. BeamBlades were only good when used in close to medium range combat so a long range weapon or attack would effectively disarm the Steel for good. But there was a teeny weeny problem: his crystal power also only good at medium and close range combat.

So he had to activate other powers he got. So he chose not to.

Even if youre an Experiment, Alex, I could beat the likes of you any time!

Isnt that a bit racist of you, Steel? Yes, I bore the power of a species that should not be mine, but Im not Gallirays creation, Alexander stated in a calm, yet cold and firm way. And the golden rule of fighting: never gloat at the face of the enemy.

Then he flashstepped toward the Steel, grabbed the hem of his clothes and with one swift movement, slammed him to the ground. And for good measure, he put long shards of crystals to pin the hot headed young man down. Want to talk, or not?

Let me see, Leon said in a singsong voice. Of course… NOT!

This is getting annoying, Alexander mused. But annoyance would only get in the way of thinking straight, so he shrugged it off. Is this normal? I could shrug anything off, even anger, without difficulty, he asked himself as his annoyance gone instantly.

Then again, the boundary between normal and insane in his life was always vague. Heres the deal, you helped me, and Ill help you, he said. Equivalent trade. I know that your family exiled you for your over-the-top Battle Drive, so why dont you use that for the war?

The Steel family were known for their Battle Drive, a state of mind that made a member of the Steel family stronger, faster, and smarter in the cost of their judgement, movement pattern, and ethical sense. Because of the Battle Drive, which always partially dormant, most Steels always craved for fights and bloodsheds.

What you had to know, March, is the Steels Battle Drives are the only thing that kept us moving, Leon said harshly. Thats what made us, the Steel clan, the most successful Hunters on the universe. So I dont see any point to waste such a good resources on the war? Hunters made pretty pennies for themselves, no matter who they served.

Yeah, I notice. Mercenaries are just like that, and believe me, I know how it felt to be mercenary, Alex stated coldly, seeing that Leon was this close to activating his Battle Drive. Dont you dare to fully active your Battle Drive.

Too late, Leon grabbed one of the long crystal shards, not caring that the sharp edges cut deeply into his skin. He licked his own blood, activating his Battle Drive in the process. Ill give you the honour to be the killed with my Battle Drive, Experiment. So be grateful.

Ive forgot how to be grateful long ago, Alexander replied calmly. What I remember is how to fight.

So do I.

And they ran toward each other, weapon brandished, ready to kill.

IXI

Silver

Frigid arctic wind hit his unsmiling face and caused small stinging sensation on every inch of his serious features. He was about to leave the boundary of the arctic sea when the transreceiver on his cars dashboard beeped. The name Manic was written on the small receiver screen.

Silver nodded nonchalantly to the receiver, pushing the receive button using his physic power. Yo, whacha doin Silverware!? a hyperactive, slightly psychopathic voice belonged to Nicholas Manic Lightspeed. Rufus just call me, yo! He said that the Rheindeers called for somebody that can read Gallirayean code.

Gallirayean code was a writing that only the Councils, High Generals, and Division Generals able to read. The resistance however, managed to decipher the code after a tedious espionage and mustering the strength of all Code-Breakers the resistance had. But only the Code-Breakers were able to read the whole darned things without getting lost in the middle.

… First, stop calling me Silverware, second, whys so sudden? Silver said as he sipped the black coffee from a cup. Raphael Rhein is a very competent Code-Breaker, why he needs me to translate the Gallirayean code?

Dude, dont cha ask me. I just a Neo-Guardian, Manic said offhandedly. Silver could imagine he shrugged his shoulder. Oh B.T.W, say hello to Raystrom and Marina when you meet em, kay? Ciao!

Silver sighed as he changed his course to the nearest Gravity Jump gate. He wanted to visit a nano-tech exhibition called the Helvaska Fair at New-Northern Moscow, but Rufus just wouldnt let him have his well-deserved break. So he braced himself for some long hours of deciphering texts.

IXI

Raphael Rhein was a young man with neck-length black hair and nonchalant light blue eyes and an X shaped scar on his left cheek. His left eye was shadowed by a long fringe of his hair, making him looked like a hardened criminal. He had a bad habit of chain-smoking two cigarettes at once. He wore his usual v-necked shirt with a knee length over coat with a heavy-looking BeamBlade on his back.

He may look like a human, but the truth was way weirder. You see, the Rhein clan were members of a near-extinct species called Lycanninoid (Play of the word lycanthrope and canine and humanoid).

In Earths medieval times, Lycanninoid came to Earth to peacefully settle amongst human, counting the fact that they could change their werewolf-like form into human form. But tragically, they were often mistaken as werewolves because the moonlight made them unable to maintain their human-form. Other than that, theyre pretty harmless if you overlooked the fact that they could push a little hill if they are in their normal form.

The Rhein clan fixed this problem by putting a seal on their gene, making them human most of the time until the seal is deliberately lifted using special technique. Edward Rheins genetic seal was not complete and there were some glitches on his DNA because of the incomplete seal, causing him to stay in his werewolf-like form most of the time.

But Eds human form was charming enough. He was a late teenager with the same hair and eye colour as his brother. His hair however, did not get in the way so everyone could see his smiling face. But his eyes were watery because of the smoke that drifted from his brother direction. Cough. Brother, can you please put that cigarettes out? he said as he coughed, carrying manners a long way.

If it was Silver, he would just say put it out pal, or your face gets it. Lets get to the darned point, what am I suppose to decipher?

Edward winced over Silvers bluntness. Umm… Ralphs got it. He dubbed it Gallirayean code version 2.0, he said as Leo put out one of the cigarettes on his mouth before he lit another one. Its an entirely new code, but I think you could read it easily.

Ralph handed the psychic a pile of paper bearing the writing of the Gallirayean codes. Ive managed to compare it with the few remaining remnants of the Tennyson code, and I found a remarkable similarity in them, he said after taking a long draft of his cigarettes. However, I could not decipher Tennyson code, because nobody except the Omnitrix wielders and a handful of member of the Tennyson family can read it.

And as you know, the last known people that could read the code are Richard and Alia Tennyson. Both are missing and presumed dead.

Wait a minute, since when theyre presumed Dead? Galliray made that up again?

… Fortunately, yes. Mike informed me of a cover up on the Richard Tennyson case. Unfortunately for us, all government in the universe believed it, Ralph continued. Even Rufus is having a hard time convincing the governments that Richard Tennyson is still alive.

Playing politician to slow down the Gallirays plan is not the only thing that Rufus can do, isnt it?

Worse. Theyre voting on the use of Megaweapon right now. If they decided to use the new De-Mat cannon, Ralph paused, taking a considerably long draft before continuing. Were toast.

IXI

Alia Eldritch

Council meeting was boring, but this meeting was an exception. With all five High Generals in the room debating about the use of Megaweapon that each General scientist squads had developed. All Special Squad Leaders were there too, even the I-dont-take-your-order Nichovillan Stalingard.

Generals Rufus was convinced that the only thing that should be done was to paralyse the enemy weaponry, so he proposed the use of EMP (Electromagnetic pulse) missile nicknamed Diablo that will disable any device within reach of ten million kilometres. But General Frontiere proposed the use of De-Mat cannon, a cannon that literally erase the target from existence.

De-Mat cannon was an improved design of a Megaweapon prototype nicknamed Terra-Deformer cannon. Just one blast from the De-Mat is enough to erase anything it hit from the existence. It was tested on an uninhabited planet called TX-I. The result was astonishing and beyond their expectation: the Jupiter-sized planet was gone. Just a bright light and poof, no more planet to seen and there was no evidence of explosion the planet disintegrating.

It was gone, without a trace, not even a particle was left. Imagine what it could to an inhabited planet. Whats worse: it can be fired across the universe, practically reaching anywhere as long you know the coordinates.

Alia had voted against the De-Mat cannon, but four against two was classified as out numbered. Kid, Antonio, the leader of the Siege Squadron, Harun Ibn Abbas, the leader of Elemental Squadron, and Wan-lee, colonel and leader of War-Scientist Squadron had voted against it as well. But the rest were siding with the General Frontiere. The decision lay on Calrizeus vote.

… What are the drawback of the De-Mat cannon? he asked.

It needs a cool down period of three hours and a full refitting of the barrel each time it is fired. And the amount of power we use for just one shot can power all Earth nations for three years, Ericson (General Frontiere) answered calmly. Also, the De-Mat go through anything until it found a considerable resistance, a planet for example. Itll be dangerous to use when our units is on its firing course. So Ill advise that we do not use it unless its necessary.

General Rufus, what is the drawback of the Diablo?

Diablo will disable any electronic device within reach, but its useless against biological life forms. It can be fired across the universe, like the De-Mat, but the autonomous Gravity Jump module on the missile often brought the Diablo to the wrong spot, Rufus said, his calmness matched General Frontieres. It will only seek the specified target, but our nearby unit will also become disabled.

The councils began to ramble amongst themselves. Karen however, smiled at her husband. Alia knew why: because Eric had practically put a restriction on his weapon, putting General Rufus and his Diablo on the upper hand. Eric and Rufus always tried to minimize the casualty from both side when they took command, so Eric was giving way to the less harmful Diablo.

Alia also spotted the telltale sign of General Frontiere determination to stop the De-Mat project. He has been sending letters to Karen and Alia, begging them to convince the councils to put a stop on the De-Mat project. He also deliberately stalling the project by carelessly putting the forms he needed to sign and lost it.

Miss, there is a message for you, Leonardo whispered clearly, but almost inaudible so only Alia could hear him as he handed her CP. The word Kuf pulsed gently on the display screen.

She opened the message immediately. Kuf was investigating the disappearance of her brother for her birthday present, helped by the a few Marksmen that Kid sent alongside him.

The message was brief:

Alia

I had my suspicion on an individual named Alexander March. He seemed to know a lot about your brother, even the projects that your brother had been working on recently.

But Im afraid that Alexander is an insanely strong and secretive. Ive cut some corners with him and he almost managed to destroy me. I cannot progress any further in this investigation.

Kuf

Alia stared the message. She remembered a prophecy made by an Andonite Mage when the Galliray Order was founded.

The order fall lies in the hand of the Emperor of the Third Month. The Emperor will rise from a grieving King that bore the name of the one who first described a Legendary Beast of the Seven Sea. He bore the Power and Knowledge in exchange for his ability to love. He will denounce his own blood and fled from his fate.

He will bring the Five Sacred Civilizations through the Five Gates and rise against the order. He will bring the end of the war, in exchange of sadness, which he will bear for himself.

Alexander is the name of an Ancient Emperor (as in: Alexander the Great) and March is the third month in Earths year. Alexander March can he be the one? To answer that, she had to find who he was before he took that name.

The problem was, there were billions of name that might refer to an Earths past kings. Name such as Edward (e.g.: Edward VI of Tudor), Henry (e.g.: Henry VII of Tudor), Louis, or even Francis was a bit too common for human. Whats worse, humans had spread all over the universe and increase in number from a mere billions to thousands of billions.

… Leonardo, can you do me favour? Search all names of Earths baron, kings, and lords. Try to make a connection with any sea beast from the any legend you could find, Alia said after a long thoughtful silence. Focus on the Kraken. Ive remembered parts of the ancient lore that said the beast is called under the name of the first one who described it

? Pardon me for speaking out of my turn, but why?

…. The bringer of the fall is coming, Leo. We dont have much time, Alia sent a look to Kid, who nodded slightly so no one will notice. Galliray is in danger. And I will not let it fall.

IXI

That brings the end of this chapter. Anybody who could guess why Alia is focusing her research on the Kraken will receive the ver