Infinite Justice: Beyond (Marvel,DC,DBZ X/Over, IC, Open)

[The Greater Gambia]

“We don’t have time for a hospital. Plus I’m fairly sure they couldn’t fix whatever the hell is wrong with you.” She remarked, picking him up in her arms with surprising ease. Some might find the scene tender if she didn’t have a frown on her face. “We need you, so we’re not going to put you in jail. And we plan to compensate you or whatever.” She spoke. “We need your help delaying a terrorist group, so that they don’t blow up more of Hong Kong.”

Zhao jumped out of her arms. The action sent stinging pain all throughout his body. While he wasn't invincible, immortality and time made it easier to tolerate pain.

"So, this is my problem because? He said sarcastically.

"I could care less if this city gets blown to shit. My problem now is to find out where that damn commissioner went or killing enough Triad hit squads so that they realize they can't do shit to me."

[Charmera]

“We don’t have time for a hospital. Plus I’m fairly sure they couldn’t fix whatever the hell is wrong with you.” She remarked, picking him up in her arms with surprising ease. Some might find the scene tender if she didn’t have a frown on her face. “We need you, so we’re not going to put you in jail. And we plan to compensate you or whatever.” She spoke. “We need your help delaying a terrorist group, so that they don’t blow up more of Hong Kong.”

Zhao jumped out of her arms. The action sent stinging pain all throughout his body. While he wasn't invincible, immortality and time made it easier to tolerate pain.

"So, this is my problem because? He said sarcastically.

"I could care less if this city gets blown to shit. My problem now is to find out where that damn commissioner went or killing enough Triad hit squads so that they realize they can't do shit to me."

"Well there's the carrot. They've told me that they're willing to offer you what basically amounts to a blank check. Nearly whatever you want they'll give you." Ling spoke. She folded her arms, frowning.

"I'm suppose to be the stick. To drag you there even if you don't want to go." She remarked. "Plus, you're in this city dumbass. If they blow it up, you're going to die too."

[The Greater Gambia]

Zhao jumped out of her arms. The action sent stinging pain all throughout his body. While he wasn't invincible, immortality and time made it easier to tolerate pain.

"So, this is my problem because? He said sarcastically.

"I could care less if this city gets blown to shit. My problem now is to find out where that damn commissioner went or killing enough Triad hit squads so that they realize they can't do shit to me."

"Well there's the carrot. They've told me that they're willing to offer you what basically amounts to a blank check. Nearly whatever you want they'll give you." Ling spoke. She folded her arms, frowning.

"I'm suppose to be the stick. To drag you there even if you don't want to go." She remarked. "Plus, you're in this city dumbass. If they blow it up, you're going to die too."

"Ha! I'd like to see what these terrorists have that can do a better job than an almost endless amount of napalm. But, a blank check does sound appealing." Zhao pretended to think it over for a second.

"Fine, you have a deal. Not like I wanted to be handed by your giant man hands again. Lead the way."

[Charmera]

Oxford, England, Nearby University of Oxford.
Alex smiled proudly at what was just recently merely an old mansion. The little known Darwitch manor was said to be haunted, which was specifically why Alex chose it. Placed said to be haunted were often closer to magic, and she felt it was true with this place. Owned by the Darwitch family before it finally came into college hands after all the living relatives died, the manor had been rotting for years before Alex finally worked with Loss to try and convert it into a place of study. The renovations weren’t easy, and Alex had to call in a few favors with spacial mages to make sure that it was bigger on the inside than it’s already large exterior would indicate.

“Well Professor. I think we have out school.” She spoke, a wide smile on her face. “Classes start at 1pm today, since that’s when renovations end. And so far… we’re the only teachers… Though it should be fine. Our cohort is rather small at the moment."

[The Republic of Atria]

"I'm sure if you tell them you were with the guy who killed Darkseid, they'll be okay with it." He snickered. "Well... Before this whole thing started... My dad died when I was five. Killed by a drunk driver. My mother hated me, was an alcoholic, and tried to kill me... Twice? Three times if you include after she became a Red Lantern. Which I did not even know existed before then. Luckily for me, she was not very good at it. I had her sent to rehab to get off the booze. My dad had a monstrous life insurance policy. I'm talking millions. Since she was gone, I got the money. And I lived off of that for two years before I got caught in the Terrigen mist. Poof! Soft pink little human gone, gangly, blue, super fast and awesome Bolt was born. That's the gist of it anyways." He explained. "You're the Green Lantern. You probably know the best places to hang out at that don't involve losing a very unhealthy amount of blood."

Xander and Naja

"I... Don't think that's possible." He said shaking his head. "You... If my eyes aren't lying to me, and my knowledge of biology is correct, are not typical organic beings. You're made of energy. Seems to be a combination of plasma and nuclear. You have no central nervous system, brain, organs or really anything that I have. I could read you all 6 billion lines of my genetic code right now. Which you also don't seem to have. I'm sorry but you must have me mistaken for someone else."

"What have they done to your mind..." The female said. "We have watched you since you landed on Earth. Our species has the ability to manipulate matter. The humans twisted your consciousness into believing that you were one of their creations. As a result of your conditioning your body created this meat sack for you to use. This is not what you truly look like."

Even after her explanation, which was air tight as far as he could tell, he still didn't believe either of them. As the look on his face was implying. "What do we need to explain or do to get you to believe us?" The male asked and then got a brilliant idea. "You study the physiology of the flesh creatures, correct? Explain to me, if you were truly one of them, you would not be able to survive if your mind and heart were damaged to the degree that they were many times during you life. The species that they made you believe you were, the Sun Men and the Ape Men. Neither of them could survive the physical trauma that you have endured. We however, have no such organs and can take any shape we please." He explained. Which seemed to actually get Xander to think.

"That... I never actually thought about that." He admits. The explanations and the fact that they were able to tell him about the things he's been through, only solidify their argument. "Then... Why didn't you ever show up? Why now?" He asked.

They both let out their equivalent to a sigh. "It's complicated." The female said. "We are one of the few races to achieve transcendence." Though "achieve" may have been a bit much. They were born as they were. "And we argued and debated for thousands of your earth years about what we should do to this galaxy. Be it's guiding light and kind hand. Or let it grow as it will. Finally, an agreement was made. One infant would be sent to a primitive world and would be watched for one Earth decade." She said. "We birthed you. It pained us to send you without our guidance, but after everything you've done to aid that world despite the pain it caused you. We're both very proud of you. You've done so much in such a short time." She said and put her hands on his shoulders. "Return home with us. Not permanently. But long enough for you to understand. Your lover is welcome as well."

Xander didn't know what to say. Naja, who was listening to every word, decided to say something. "I think we should go. This seems like kind of a big deal."

"Oh... Alright." Xander surrendered. "Let's go home."

[Scotatrova]

War of Kings
Kalder

A portal opened up in the sky, and Kalder fell out of it. He plummeted to the streets below. He got up and jumped out of the way as a car sped past him.

"People are really friendly here."

He took a look around, and awed at the unfamiliar city.

"Speaking of, where is here?

Kalder flew back into the sky to get a better surrounding, but it didn't help much, so he flew up higher. After looking around, he caught glimpse of the Chicago Skyline.

"Chicago? That rock dropped me off in Chicago!? How is this my own personal hell, when I was just here not that long ago?"Well, I better get back to the Knight's headquarters and save Maeya from that walking boulder."

He then flew off the ground and flew back to the Knight's lair. He noticed that there was something quite different about it, but he couldn't place his finger on it. He called out

"Hey, yo Knight! Are you here!?"

---

Aquaman

Aquaman stood on the shore of the beach, Black Bolt and Medusa stood ready behind him, while Medusa's sister, Crystal, joined the two. Aquaman motioned his hand, asking them to stand back.

"What are you doing here Namor?"

"Your people seem confused Arthur."

"They're not my people, at least not in the way you think. I'm not their king."

"If you aren't leading them, then what have you been doing up here?"

Aquaman turned and looked out at the sea. The jet seemed to be hovering just above the water but Aquaman noticed that there was no sign of Atlantis.

''Where's the Atlantean Army?"

"Just beneath the surface waiting for my signal. You broke our agreement Arthur, to never join surface world affairs, and yet joined the war on the side of this Wakanda. I find that very difficult to believe."

"This has all been a horrible mistake."

"Mistake?"

"You need to send the Atlanteans home, and come with me."

"No. We are going to sink this island nation into the ocean. This Cape Verde will be a cautionary tale, or not. Who knows? Perhaps one day these surface dwellers will refuse to believe Cape Verde ever existed either."

Black Bolt, Medusa and Crystal stepped forward, after Aquaman had motioned them not to.

"I said I would handle this."

Medusa's hair flipped as she spoke.

"We've been listening Arthur."

"And it doesn't sound like it's being handled."

"Are these 3 your rulers?"

"No. You need to give me more time."

"We're already tracking Atlanteans moving into either side of this island Aquaman. There is no more time."

"Namor is coming with us."

"I'm sorry..."

Suddenly, Aquaman reached out and grabbed Black Bolt's neck, to the surprise of both Medusa and Crystal.

"...But you've forced my hand."

[Tomia]

Hannah blushed at that comment, she had not often been told that she was pretty, much less really pretty. Her sisters said it a few times, but it had never been said by a member of the opposite sex. Most boys were far too distracted with Sarah to notice her with anything other than confusion. She was after all odd looking. Her ears stood out for miles.

“Really…?” she asked, surprisingly shyly now.

Roy blushed a little as well, still shocked about what he had said himself. It seemed like Hannah was surprised that he had called her pretty. He realized she probably didn't hear that a lot at all, which made him feel quite said. It wasn't like he was saying it to be kind, he genuinely believed she was beautiful. "Really Hannah, you're the prettiest girl I've ever seen." Roy said earnestly, his embarrassment slowly being replaced with a desire for her to believe him. "You know, you're my first friend really. At least, the first one my age. I always wanted a friend, someone I could talk to and trust. I feel like I finally have that now. Thanks to you." Roy told Hannah, clearly becoming more willing to open up to her about his feelings.

[Confederation of imperial states]

War of Kings
Kalder

A portal opened up in the sky, and Kalder fell out of it. He plummeted to the streets below. He got up and jumped out of the way as a car sped past him.

"People are really friendly here."

He took a look around, and awed at the unfamiliar city.

"Speaking of, where is here?

Kalder flew back into the sky to get a better surrounding, but it didn't help much, so he flew up higher. After looking around, he caught glimpse of the Chicago Skyline.

"Chicago? That rock dropped me off in Chicago!? How is this my own personal hell, when I was just here not that long ago?"Well, I better get back to the Knight's headquarters and save Maeya from that walking boulder."

He then flew off the ground and flew back to the Knight's lair. He noticed that there was something quite different about it, but he couldn't place his finger on it. He called out

"Hey, yo Knight! Are you here!?"

Rooftop on Chicago
5 Minutes Ago

The Knight chased a Woman in a red and blue suit, as she used her colorful ziplines to swing from roof to roof. The Knight chased her with a bloodlust, eager to finally catch her. "HaHa, neva gonna catch ME" she yelled to the knight as she ran. The Knight gritted his teeth, as he glided down, and rammed into the woman's back, smashing her face first into a wall. as The Woman groaned, The Knight flipped her over, the Blood a contrast to her suit, The Knight grabbed her by the throat.
"WHERE IS THE ARCHITECT JOLLY!?!?!?!" The Knight yelled at her, his voice older, but none the less meanacing. "I don't know, and It wouldn't be any use to you if I did". The Knight scowled, grabbign her ziplines from her,

"then you're no use to me...". The Knight grabbed her by the back of her suit's Collar, and tossed her off of the roof top. She yelled, screaming at he top of her lungs as she plummeted. until she finally hit the ground, with a sickening splant. The Knight shook his head, as he walked off.

Now, Back in The Knight's Domain

The Knight walked quietly in the shadow filled Domain, Until he heard someone yell, "Hey, yo Knight, Are you here?!". The Knight grew angry as he approached the figure.
------------------------------------------
Kalder stood in a darker, grittier, and Scarier Knight's Domain, One where weapons and other deadly tools were a normality. From the shadows to his right, a figure in a Red and Black Knight suit stepped out. "WHO ARE YOU" The Knight said, grabbing Kalder by the collar of his suit, "WHO ARE YOU" The Knight yelled, tossing Kalder over a table, causing it to fall onto it's side. The Knight walked over to Kalder, grabbing him with his left hand on Kalder's collar, and the right Hand ready to throw a hard punch. "How do you Know about this place?! TALK!".

[Charmera]

"I'm sure if you tell them you were with the guy who killed Darkseid, they'll be okay with it." He snickered. "Well... Before this whole thing started... My dad died when I was five. Killed by a drunk driver. My mother hated me, was an alcoholic, and tried to kill me... Twice? Three times if you include after she became a Red Lantern. Which I did not even know existed before then. Luckily for me, she was not very good at it. I had her sent to rehab to get off the booze. My dad had a monstrous life insurance policy. I'm talking millions. Since she was gone, I got the money. And I lived off of that for two years before I got caught in the Terrigen mist. Poof! Soft pink little human gone, gangly, blue, super fast and awesome Bolt was born. That's the gist of it anyways." He explained. "You're the Green Lantern. You probably know the best places to hang out at that don't involve losing a very unhealthy amount of blood."

“Wow. Sounds like you’ve been through a lot. And I know what happened to your mother… it’s pretty awful” She remarked, then paused, placing a hand on Otis’ should. “I suppose it’s only fair that I share too… My parents also died when I was young it was in the firestorm as a space pirate bombed the world we were on with other martian refugees. The space pirates captured me and kept me as a slave. He terrorized the galaxy for a few year and then the Lanterns came and blew up his fleet. And then one took me and trained me. Probably the best parts of my life were fighting with the core.” She remarked. Then paused when he asked.

“Well, one place that’s great is this club in Gotham. I went there once and it was pretty nice.” She remarked. “Tambourin is supposedly nice this time of year, and Oa never gets old. There’s countless space bars and trading points we could visit, and loads of deserted planets that look really cool. Like the Crystal palaces of Rigel III or the floating islands of Akarte Sigma.”

[Altito Asmoro]

"Wow, you can survive that. I take it you're not some experimented humans? Or maybe you are a mutant? Well, in any case this proves that my first attack is futile, I see." said Len. Of course, he's not smiling but this experience made him regarded his enemy as not a normal enemy he fought months ago in Gotham and NY. Or at least at the part of NY he lived to.

Alpheid shrimp? He explained that it's quite an amazing subject, with a claw so powerful it generates sonic wave. Great. Before he could reacted, the sonic wave was generated, sending him down to the ground. It must be heard to the neighbors around, "Hey, can we move somewhere else? We don't want unnecessary casualties, right? Your attack is powerful, but I know I'll win."

Damian color change stopped as it suddenly as it had started, already beginning to revert. "Of course. The civilian population can not be put at risk." Damian said as his bodies shape returned to normal, making just as many grotesque sights and sounds. "Lets walk shall we, your choice." Damian put pulled his phone from his pocket and began to text, "Do you mind if I bring a friend to watch? They wont interfere, they know how I am."

Len went down to the ground, slowly. "The sound's so disgusting. Why you become like this?, oh and sure. He can be here as well," said Len. He walks along the person, and then he asking again, another question, "I don't see why we should fight. I mean, both of us have no intentions to die now, right? I mean, I don't have one will to die."

[Zarkenis Ultima]

---

If Hiroshi had tensed up as a result of being in the proximity of creatures of the female designation, the girl with the mechanical arm either didn't notice or didn't think that such a snippet of information was relevant enough to care about it. In fact, she did not seem to notice (or mind) Hiroshi's relatively cold and hostile demeanor, simply continuing to smile politely as she listened to the response of the half-Saiyan, confirming that this primitive planet was indeed a good place to lie low and relax as she waited for Black Nova to finish her self-reparation process, since she couldn't just leave her sister alone on a strange planet, harmless as it was, when she was at her most vulnerable. However, along with the confirmation of her suspicions, the girl was struck with several doubts as she listened to the man talk about a few things that didn't make any sense to her; namely, the Dragon Balls. Tilting her head curiously, the girl kept her polite smile on.

"Thank you stranger!" She said with unwithering cheer as she glanced over her shoulder at the unconscious Black Nova, whom she had been carrying on her back, before unceremoniously dropping her on the grass beneath her feet, casually observing as the blonde cyborg's form tumbled to the ground and wound up resting on her side, not unlike a regular woman lying on her bed, though clearly suffering from a lot more damage than the average female. With that done, the girl with the mechanical arm created a small sphere of solid energy out of nothing and then placed it between Black Nova's arms, leaving it there so that it would provide her younger sister with energy in case her own reserves ran out before the self-repair was over.

After that, she looked back at Hiroshi. "Oh, I forgot my manners. My name is Black Sun, and my little sister here is Black Nova. Nice to meet you!" The girl said cheerfully, not considering that one might be confused by the fact that the one who appeared to be the younger of the two in fact was the older. "I doubt whoever did this to her is going to come here looking for her. Knowing my sister, if anyone's going to look for a grudge match, it's her. But anyway, what are these 'Dragon Balls' you talked about? I've never heard about them, and I've been around." She said, feeling rather curious.

---

---

Seriskira sat quietly in the rainforest of Nerentar, meditating on the events that had transpired recently; most notably, her duel against Black Nova and her ascension to godhood. The battle against the blonde cyborg pirate (even now the thought of that evoked disbelief regarding the likelihood of such a thing) had revealed a certain truth to her, one that she should realistically have taken into account already, though this was clearly not the case. This truth was that, though she was very strong, the strongest of all Hadrian fighters in fact, she was not infallible. She was, in fact, weak against the likes of the cyborg that had nearly wiped the floor with her over in the deserted planet that had been their battlefield. She had come to realize, with absolute clarity, that there were threats to the peace and prosperity of Adai far greater than what she could handle. Now, such a thing should have been obvious, considering how they had recently been evacuated from their homeworld during a war with an enemy far greater than what they could face, but the crux of the matter was that they could not expect someone else to save them time and time again. Hadrimmelis had great power, yes, but it was not wise to expect her to save them from everything, as her duties extended far beyond her children. Thus, they would have to defend themselves.

Even so, the godlike power that she had been endowed with after her battle against the cyborg... it left her with a bad taste in her mouth, so to speak. Naturally, it was not because it detracted merit from her victory, as she had only received that power after triumphing over Black Nova, and she had only managed to do that thanks to a keen tactical analysis, a moment of lucidity, and a daring gambit. Yet, immediately after she realized that she was weak, after she realized that she had to grow stronger, she was given that power without even asking for it. The chance to gain such a power by herself, to grow powerful on her own, it was taken from her without so much as a word. Of course, she was not complaining, as deep down, every Hadrian warrior wanted power, the strength to trascend their boundaries, and all that good stuff. On top of that, becoming the Goddess of the Hunt had saved her from an uncertain fate in that deserted world where she had fought Black Nova. But even then, she was not too content.

Suddenly, something interrupted her tranquility. It was not something that was easily perceivable from within the small clearing that Seriskira had claimed for herself, nor was it something that could be observed beneath, or above. It was, in fact, not close to her at all, but it interrupted her all the same. One of the traits that she had gained along with her godhood was the possession of senses far keener than they had been before, and this, coupled with the fact that she was well used to Nerentar and the other environments of Adai (since warriors such as herself were taught to be completely aware of their surroundings since an early age and many of the biomes in Adai were quite similar to those found in Hadrimmelis), meant that she could instanty perceive when something was present in Nerentar or anywhere else that did not belong there. Thus, she was obviously well aware that a pack of Bone Panthers had just breached the boundaries of the rainforest while in hot pursuit of a pair of... persons? Strange, but no less problematic.

With a soft sigh, Seriskira put the cup of tea that she had been holding down onto the rectangular checkered red and white cloth on which an ornate porcelain teaset sat along with Seriskira herself. An uninformed observer might have objected that it was dangerous to let someone such as her handle the porcelain, or express amazement at the fact that she could do so with such precision, but it was in truth nothing that any Hadrian would be impressed about. Most Hadrians were taught since their childhood how to perform delicate tasks with their large claws, and most Hadrians happened to have a taste for tea (not earthling tea, but a beverage made of herbs that were native to the volcanic tundras of Hadrimmelis and were later brought over to Adai by some colonists who had wisely kept some seeds), so it was only logical that most people would be able to handle a teaset effortlessly without causing any damage to it. In fact, once upon a time, this ability was quite the opposite of an elegant trait: Hadrian nobles had others do everything for them, and so, if you knew how to brew tea and such things, then you were clearly a commoner. Of course, it had been a long time since any Hadrian had cared about someone's blood over their strength of muscle, wit and character, so such customs mattered little anymore.

Standing up, the redheaded huntress jumped high into the air and then took off at high speeds, her wings steadily beating to carry her across the sky. She hardly even needed to look down, simply guiding herself with the sounds of nature, and soon she arrived at the location of the commotion that had interrupted her introspective tea time. Swooping down, she landed right inbetween a pair of humans and the pack of Bone Panthers that they were running away from. Immediately upon noticing her, the Bone Panther at the front of the pack began desperately trying to slow down, most others imitating it, as they did not wish to confront the Hadrian Goddess. However, after the lead beast had turned around and before it could flee with the others, Seriskira grabbed it by the tail and then pulled the beast closer, gripping its head so that they were face to face.

<<THIS IS NOT YOUR PLACE!>> The Hadrian growled in the language of the beasts, before releasing her captive. <<Do not return here.>>

The Bone Panther was, understandably, scared shitess and so, it ran away as fast as it could upon being released from the Hadrian's grip. Seriskira merely placed a claw on her hip as she watched it abscond, shaking her head. The beasts of Adai had stopped amusing her ever since she had acquired these powers, which was unfortunate. However, she was not willing to dwell on this for long, and so, she turned around instead, staring at the two humans with an annoyed expression on her face as she crossed her claws in front of her chest, raising an eyebrow and waiting for some sort of explanation.

---

---

---

Jamie was about to protest, to say that her intention had been precisely to turn around and go down a different street before the Blob had made the first move and attacked her, but in the end she figured that it probably wasn't going to do much to change the minds of these people. They seemed to really want her to join them, for some reason she couldn't quite understand, and they were probably going to insist until she agreed to at least think about it. Of course, she could always turn around and walk away if she wanted, but she decided to go along with the other girls and see what they had to offer. After all, how bad could it be? She would stay a bit, think about it, and if she wasn't convinced, she would simply leave and they couldn't do a damn thing to stop her if that was what she wanted.

"Fine... I'll go upstairs and look around..." She conceded, following the girls as she idly rubbed the dull gray ring on her right ring finger. "As long as they don't try to take you away, everything should be fine." She thought to herself, still feeling a bit suspicious and uncomfortable there.

---

---

"As you wish, my friend. If you decide to accept my offer, then I will be..." Nelli trailed off. She was evidently unaware that Mars thought that her offer was strange and unethical, as scrying was nothing out of the ordinary as far as she was concerned, but that was unimportant; what caused her to stop talking and begin thinking was the fact that she had only just realized she did not really have a plan for staying in the human world. She clearly could not return to the Hall of Descent, since her mother the Obsidian Butterfly would likely be very mad at her and might lock her within that realm without the possibility of escaping ever again, which was not something she desired, especially now that she was beginning to see how fascinating the mortal world was. On the other hand, she didn't know where she could stay either, which was inconvenient to say the least.

"...I will be around, I suppose." She concluded a bit uncertainly.

---

---

"You're quite welcome, though I only came here to make sure Cloudy was safe." Etla said as she dismissed her silvery armor and her gilded greatsword, sending them back into the Dimensional Storage used by the Rainborn, ending up in her civilian attire once again. She pulled her mechanical rabbit out of the Cloud afterwards, placing it on the ground and pointing at it. "Isn't he cute?" She asked Serene with a smile on her face, clearly unconcerned about the mortal danger that the two siblings had just been in. To her, the battle had been little more than an interesting diversion.

---

---

Akihiko noticed Masami's stare and looked away, feeling a tad nervous. He was not quite used to a woman's scrutiny (except his mother's, which he was practically immune to by now), but on top of that, he couldn't help but feel that his secret was in danger among these people. They had asked to borrow his power in their mission, and he did owe them for freeing him and helping defeat the Five Storms, but even then he started thinking that perhaps it hadn't been such a good idea to come along with them. However, he kept silent, not voicing his thoughts as he didn't wish to raise any more suspicion.

He did, however, speak up after the whole riddle shenanigan. "Hold the phone, can someone fill me in before we commit suicide?" He asked.

"Simple. We're doing an errand for Masami's aunt, and we have to stop a rampaging spirit or something like that before being done with it. Oh, and apparently Akari's mommy's involved in all of this, too." Garnet chimed in. Akihiko simply stared at her with an eyebrow raised, prompting the blonde woman to shrug. "Hey, there's a lot I don't get either, but I'm not complaining." She said, before turning to Masami. "That said, we're going to have a long talk once this is done, because I'd like to at least understand what I've been doing for the past day or so." She told the Kitsune.

Afterwards, she took a deep breath. "Alright, if this is a prank, you're toast, kitty." She said to Akari, before jumping down.

"Oh jeez, what did I get into?" Akihiko wondered, before jumping down as well.

[Deminis]

-snip

Len went down to the ground, slowly. "The sound's so disgusting. Why you become like this?, oh and sure. He can be here as well," said Len. He walks along the person, and then he asking again, another question, "I don't see why we should fight. I mean, both of us have no intentions to die now, right? I mean, I don't have one will to die."

Damian didn't even need to think about the question, "Simple, You made a claim to being powerful. So I feel a desire I need to test my strength against you, Just as i would for any superhuman, or inhuman or great power. You see when i was young, i found i could adapt my body to any situation, so long as i could understand the changes i was making within. I guess after so long, i'm just kind of curious how for my adaption ability can go. Sorry if i offended you earlier with my mini power rant by the way, just kind of came to me, hehe."

[Galnius]

Cunero Teles Din Harutichi, thirteenth price of the Veserano, a civilization spanning across the galaxy. To the people of Earth, he is known as Star Dancer and Peter Turri. His title, the Explorer Prince. His job, exploring things of interest. Right know, he was planning on doing just that. "Alright", he stated, addressing a group of five other. These five, a club recently formed dubbing themselves 'The Marianas Corps', had spread themselves lazily within the main lounge of Xavier's School for Gifted youngsters, which also functioned as the base for the X-men. Forge, Colossus, Kitty Pryde, Beast Boy, and Freefall listened to the alien prince's ideas. "So far, I have set up enough resources and money to get our trip going. I have one question before I start gathering people to assist us....Forge, how goes it with the tech improved discs and pods?"

"Like you even need to ask!" Says Forge, excited. "Once I got mey hands on those discs of yours, the rest was a breeze." He pulled out two discs, activating them whereas they 'attached' to him. "Fast speeds, can create a false atmosphere for the wearer allowing him or her to breathe underwater. Best part is, it can give you the ability to withstand everything from the vacuum of space to 10* the recorded pressure of the ocean."

"Wonderful, absolutely wonderful. I don't know how you do it" replied Cunero. He ranted on and on, gracing the blessing of finding forge, and time was lost to him.

"Hey Peter", laughed Kitty, entertained by his antics. "Shouldn't you be asking about the sub any time soon? I believe its rather important."

"Indeed", agreed Piotr Rasputin, aka Colossus. "I'd like to know how that has come along as well."

"Well, why doesn't our good prince give both that and his new discs a test run, eh?" Forge tossed him two discs, identical to the ones still attached to him. He proceeded to hand them amongst the group.

"No need to give me any", replied Beast Boy. "I am pretty sure I am fine with what I have."

"I wouldn't be all too sure about that." Warned Cunero, placing his on and adjusting them. "Even within such a remarkable planet, there are many secrets that may be held. Furthermore, what if you go too deep for a sperm whale or Giant squid. Or, well, truly every animal has a limit. Take them Garfield. It'll do you well." Watching Beast Boy reluctantly take them, he traveled to a synthetic pond nearby. "Maximum pressure Forge. If I die here, I vow to haunt you as an apparition." Laughing with a boyish gleam in his eye, Star Dancer dived in, going under the water towards the sub. "Communicators still working?" He inquired.

"Yup, here ya loud and clear", answered a voice into his ear. "So, is there a reason you are taking your sweet time getting to the sub?"

"Well Roxy", he said back to Freefall, "I simply can't get over this feeling. Its like being weightless, whilst surrounded by hundreds of tons of pressure. Forge, I once again extend my gratitu-"

"Don't start on that again. Just get to the sub an' stop wastin' time, or I'll have ta come in a getcha."

"Is that a challenge?" he replied with a smirk. Nevertheless, he once again began his travel to the sub. Once he opened the hatch leading into it and went inside, he was struck with awe. As the water cleared and the door opened to the, as forge called it, 'main foyer', he sent out a message. "Damn guys, you must see this. I know Forge already has, I mean he built the damn thing, but the rest of you..."

"No need to beg alien boy, we're-a comin'." A few minutes later, the entire team sat in the main foyer, Forge remotely having it roam underneath the water.

"This thing must be at least 3 stories tall. Forge, how did you manage to get this after seeing just my ship?"

"Well, it wasn't too hard, I just added tons of rooms, a main dining area, a weapons system, a captain's brig, a containment shelter for anything of use that we find, a large canned goods food supply..."

"Jeez Forge" replied Kitty. "Are we going on a trip to the ocean or are you sending us the long way around Neptune?"

"Actually", he replied, "If we were get to Neptune somehow, or wished to study the power readings coming from there afterward, it would only be a two week trip, as opposed to the three days this would take. You see, travelling through space is actually a lot easier than water, as there is nothing-"

"Yeah yeah I get it. You've impressed me Forge. So far that seems to be a rather rare occurrence."

"Well Miss Pryde, it's an honor. So, Harutichi, is it to your liking?"

Cunero looked up from his communications disc, using it to send a message to people throughout the world by tapping into the satellites. "Message has been sent out, we begin in one week."

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

One Week Later, Coast of California

The Prince of Veserano looked over the half-hundred he had selected to accompany him to the bottom of the sea. There was 75 rooms aboard the sub, dubbed 'Stellar Marie', and he wanted to be assured that he did not go over capacity. Alright, is everyone ready to go?"

[Deminis]

In the dark cold reaches of space, Within the great workings of Cortex. A monstrous machines stand completely still listening to the commands of his master. "I will not fail you master." The metal machine bows with dignity before slowly exiting the room, his massive mechanical legs slowing him down tremendously. The moment the doors shut behind him he vanishes in a flash of dim light, and electrical feeling fills the air where he once stood.

Moments later, somewhere on the long coast of California, An electrical field sparks and spits, the sand charring to blackened glass in a ten meter radius. a moment later the electrical current flashes outward leaving the massive machine in its place. It broke each foot loose from the molten glass as it cooled around his padded Tarsus like foot. As it finally cooled the glass shattered under his weight, and it was clear the sand alone would not hold him. A hatch on his left opened suddenly, a coiled apparatus emerging from the hatch slowly, attaching itself to his tendril like appendage. As it completed itself he waved the contraption over the sand before him as it solidified into stone. Another hatch on his back opened, reveling an antenna. "I await your appearance." he called out into the ocean, a sonic like wave riding through the cells of the water. ((Will sound like the walls of the Sub are talking))

[The Templar High Council]

She regarded Jamie. her face full of surprise. "What do you mean! That was the blob!" She exclaimed. "You took him out real nicely, that's what I'd call impress and heroic. You really have a tallent with this." She remarked. Then paused. "And... well. We could use you on the team. And I don't say that to everyone."

Then she was attack hugged by Kylie."Yeah! It's been ages. And time to chill would be awesome. I'd love a chance to marathon something or play some games.... or just chat." She remarked with a smile. 'In fact, something we could all do together would be nice."

Mindy spoke. Katie nearly cringed. She turned, an awkward smile on her face. "Heh... you heard that? I did say you were badass... So... Please don't kill me in my sleep."

She turned back to Kylie. Then moved to holding Cora's hand. "Sure. Sounds great." She turned to Cora, concern on her face. 'You sure your alright? Magneto could have fried some of your systems or something... we should probably get you an appointment with JQ's medic... we have a medic right?"

"Now. We get to chat now." Kylie laughed, as the elevator arrived in front of the girls and Kylie stepped in. "It's only about... 40 or so floors up? More? You probably don't want to take the stairs." Kylie pulled her JQommunicator out from her pocket and pressed it against a small black, circular screen. The screen flashed with the team's symbol, just a stylized JQ, and a panel slid away to reveal 4 more buttons. Bottom two were floors with rooms, third was training room, and fourth was the living area and initial team's rooms.

"Come on, we don't have all day!"

Following everyone upstairs, staying midly behind the pack, Marybeth continued scoping out the area, unphased by the 'Mindy Smile'. When you see a bunch of sadistic psychopathic nazi scientists as your daily life, not much seems to get to you. Admittedly, it was fun to make them curse in German when they failed. Hearing Katie and Cora speak, however, brought her focus back to the real word, almost making her gag. She fought it down, of course. Dear God, I didn't know people could be so......REVOLTING with their emotions. She shook her head. "So, what does this joint have? Any sweet tech, a car or two? Soundproofing? My room will definitely need soundproofing."

"They're soundproof, I'm pretty sure. The whole building was built in a day, but the guy who did it can do practically whatever he wants with the... universe. So I'm pretty sure he thought about courtesy when he had the building in mind." Emerging in the team's living room, The Author finally found a semi-accurate image of the living and dining rooms, with the bedrooms on the upper floor. Just less extravagant. "We have this big 'ol computer that can access SHIELD websites and stuff, we don't have any cars because everyone can either fly or teleport or move fast. Guess we might have to change that, huh?" Kylie smiled and scratched her head, looking around her home.

"Fine... I'll go upstairs and look around..." She conceded, following the girls as she idly rubbed the dull gray ring on her right ring finger. "As long as they don't try to take you away, everything should be fine." She thought to herself, still feeling a bit suspicious and uncomfortable there.

"Well? What do you think? Got any questions or... stuff?" Kylie had never been forced to pitch the superhero lifestyle to someone as a job. Usually, people jumped at the chance. Or came here asking to join. She usually had to try and dissuade normal people from trying to fight crime, so this reluctance was new to her.

[The Republic of Atria]

The two Elos flew with Xander and Naja following right behind them. "So, the whole reason I was sent there was a form of social experiment?" He asked.

"Earth has changed substantially since your arrival. Whether or not everything was because of you or not is irrelevant. The death of the Dark One being the known and celebrated. You are not responsible for his death. A child was. Strange as it may be. But what you have changed, taking over the other species of the galaxy... For their own betterment. You gave them hope and strength after it was dead." The female said. "You and the ones you associate yourself, the World Dragon, The Asgardian Mother. The Slayer of the Dark One. The Martian. The Wielder of the Blade. A force to be feared and respected. You were even successful in finding a mate."

That caused Xander to turn red. More of embarrassment than anything else. "I sincerely hope you gave me at least a little privacy. I know you meant well, but there are some things I would rather keep to me and my wife."

"We did. We felt it was best to speak to you now. As you were off world. The detection equipment on your world would have warned you about our presence had we not concealed ourselves and we may have been mistaken for a threat. However, what we have noticed is that you have been amplifying the physical attributes of the people who live in your nation." Xander was just happy to have a conversation about something that didn't involve his personal and private life.

"That? Yeah. To many threats out there for me to handle alone. So I made an army." He explained. "The people are more than capable of defending themselves in the event of attack. It was quite simple actually. I modified the strain of DNA that allows Kryptonians to absorb sunlight and made it so they can metabolize nearly any form of energy. This allows them to become far more powerful than they ever were. And removes the need for such things like food and water, which I'm working on, I swear. Not everyone trusts me yet. Things take time."

"We are not bringing you home to criticize your methods or what you have or haven't done. We are taking you home to show that we can indeed do our part to better the universe. You have done this much in a mere decade. Just as yourself. Imagine with hundreds of millions of us. The Old Ones will oversee the final decision."

"Old ones? You have government?"

"Not in your traditional sense. They are the eldest. And most powerful of our kind."

"So, since they're the oldest, you think that they're the wisest because they've been around for such a long time? I've learned that can be incorrect."

"You don't understand. Many think of them as Omniscient. They are not infallible. They are not all knowing. But they are intelligent. We do not answer to them. We are free to do with our lives as we please, but many are swayed by their wisdom." The male explained as they arrived to a much larger than average blue star.

"Welcome home, son."

[Mavorpen]

snip

Jamal ran for another 20 minutes after entering the forest. His lungs were burning. His heart pounded as though any moment it would explode out of his chest. He was starting to become dizzy as he overexerted himself despite not having eaten for over 10 hours. For the first 10 minutes of running through the forest, he found himself wishing that he had at least stayed just an hour longer at Jessica's home and eaten breakfast. Then, his thoughts took a more morbid route.

Jamal began wondering why he was even running in the first place. He began wondering why he didn't just give up and stop. Then he began wondering why he hadn't began having these thoughts until now. At first he attributed it to pure instinct. He fond it was easier to just wave it away as being a simple product of a fundamental human's desire to continue living. But deep down he knew that he just didn't ask these questions because he didn't want to. He didn't want to acknowledge that truthfully, these were the questions that mattered the most to him.

And so, Jamal continued to run, trying to push these thoughts out of his mind--or at least bury them underneath something he actually wanted to think about. And then, he heard it--the beating of wings. At first, he thought he was just going insane and hearing things as the result of the combination of his exhaustion and desire to eat and drink something. But, there was a part of him that hoped that whatever was producing this sound would present him with the opportunity to actually rest.

And then, Jamal heard something swoop down behind him and land. Jamal instantly stopped on a dime and fell forward, dropping Cypher and rolling a few times. Logic had dictated that he should have continued running, despite what he had heard. It could have been his mind playing tricks on him--trying to convince him that enough was enough and that it was time to give up. However, his body wouldn't listen, and as a result of whatever landing behind him being the first sign of help from another being on this world, his body just stopped supporting his desperate desire to continue running. He finished rolling and lied down with his back to the ground.

Jamal stared up at the sky for a few seconds, taking sharp, erratic breaths as he struggled to gather enough air in his lungs to satiate his body's desire for oxygen. Then he turned to his left and watched Seriskira grab the tail of one of the Bone Panthers who was attempting to flee and force it's face to be mere inches from her own. Jamal couldn't make out everything, however, as his exhaustion still prevented his vision from returning back to normal. He couldn't make out any finer details as everything appeared fuzzy. It also didn't help that Seriskira said something to the Bone Panther in her native tongue, which Jamal obviously didn't understand. Jamal found himself wishing he had Worldmind to translate for him.

Even though Jamal couldn't see clearly and couldn't understand what Seriskira was saying, he felt a wave of relief wash over him. She could have been another predator just claiming him as her prey for all he knew. Still, his instincts told him otherwise, even though he couldn't explain what made this so. After the Bone Panthers had all fled, Jamal rolled over on his stomach and struggled to his feet--still desperately gasping for air. His vision began clearing up slightly as he looked up at Seriskira and opened his mouth to speak, but due to the dehydration, it simply came out as raspy wheezing. Instead, he turned and began lumbering towards Cypher, who seemed to be unconscious. His legs violently shook--causing him to occasionally stumble--until he reached Cypher, at which point he immediately collapsed to his knees.

Jamal looked over Cypher's body and saw the hole that he had created when he punched through his abdomen. The hole was actually closing--likely due to some sort of healing functionality of his suit, Jamal figured. Still though, Cypher was continuing to lose blood, and he couldn't wait any longer for the possibility of the suit to fix the internal bleeding he was experiencing. He reached down and pulled off Cypher's helmet, revealing his face. Six ubes emerged from inside of the suit and connected to Cypher's neck--three connecting to the left side and three to the right. Jamal slowly raised his right hand and frowned as yellow energy began flickering around it, as though he was struggling to light a match.

Jamal closed his eyes and a voice rang out in his head. Jamal, it's foolish of you to expect to control your chi without learning how to breathe. There is a common misconception that meditation is about losing one's focus and thinking about nothing. That is false. It is about gaining focus. It is about being aware of your surroundings. It is about clearing your mind and allowing your surroundings to enter your consciousness and then let them pass. Acknowledge them, but do not allow them to linger. Do not become attached to them. After 10 or so seconds, Jamal's breathing became steady and the chi gathered around his hand stopped stuttering and exploded, becoming a steady, bright yellow flame.

Jamal placed his open palm on the hole in Cypher's abdomen. Cypher's eyes shot open and he began screaming out in pain as the wound began sizzling while it was cauterized. Once Jamal was finished and he lifted his hand from his stomach, Cypher's eyes closed once again and he slipped back into unconsciousness. Jamal then took off his shirt and held it above his head. He looked up at it and opened his mouth as he wrung his shirt, forcing the sweat contained in it to drip into his mouth. He quickly swallowed and then exhaled, too glad to have drank something to even complain about the taste. He then turned his attention back to Seriskira and sat down cross-legged. "Thank...you." He said, his voice still hoarse. Of course, he could gather from her body language and facial expression that she was expecting an explanation, but he could barely keep himself conscious, much less be able to give a detailed account of what he was doing on her planet.

[New Rnclave]

---

If Hiroshi had tensed up as a result of being in the proximity of creatures of the female designation, the girl with the mechanical arm either didn't notice or didn't think that such a snippet of information was relevant enough to care about it. In fact, she did not seem to notice (or mind) Hiroshi's relatively cold and hostile demeanor, simply continuing to smile politely as she listened to the response of the half-Saiyan, confirming that this primitive planet was indeed a good place to lie low and relax as she waited for Black Nova to finish her self-reparation process, since she couldn't just leave her sister alone on a strange planet, harmless as it was, when she was at her most vulnerable. However, along with the confirmation of her suspicions, the girl was struck with several doubts as she listened to the man talk about a few things that didn't make any sense to her; namely, the Dragon Balls. Tilting her head curiously, the girl kept her polite smile on.

"Thank you stranger!" She said with unwithering cheer as she glanced over her shoulder at the unconscious Black Nova, whom she had been carrying on her back, before unceremoniously dropping her on the grass beneath her feet, casually observing as the blonde cyborg's form tumbled to the ground and wound up resting on her side, not unlike a regular woman lying on her bed, though clearly suffering from a lot more damage than the average female. With that done, the girl with the mechanical arm created a small sphere of solid energy out of nothing and then placed it between Black Nova's arms, leaving it there so that it would provide her younger sister with energy in case her own reserves ran out before the self-repair was over.

After that, she looked back at Hiroshi. "Oh, I forgot my manners. My name is Black Sun, and my little sister here is Black Nova. Nice to meet you!" The girl said cheerfully, not considering that one might be confused by the fact that the one who appeared to be the younger of the two in fact was the older. "I doubt whoever did this to her is going to come here looking for her. Knowing my sister, if anyone's going to look for a grudge match, it's her. But anyway, what are these 'Dragon Balls' you talked about? I've never heard about them, and I've been around." She said, feeling rather curious.

Hiroshi:

"They're sort of like... Genies I guess, if that makes sense." Hiroshi admitted. " You collect all seven of them and you get any two wishes you want, within reason. For example, they can't make you the strongest person in the universe, believe me, plenty have tried." The Saiyan-Kaioshin added with a smal smirk, but one without any hostility.

Slowly, the smile broke away however, Hiroshi uncrossing his arms, slowly finding their way to his sides as he gave a once over of the girl and her companion.

" Um... My names Hiroshi." He answered slowly, looking at the girl lying on the ground.

The waves breaking on the shore seems to be the loudest noise on the planet while they stood in silence. He didn't mean for it to be awkward, he just didn't no what to say to these new people, strange as they were.

" Whats up with your friend there? She looks... Unconscious. Is she hurt or something? I mean, I have an apartment if you're looking for somewhere safe to keep her. I've got a few errands to run so she can stay there without being bothered." Hiroshi admitted quickly, almost slapping himself in the head for practically offering his home to these women he'd just met.

'I see my awkwardness with women isn't just with Claudia. Even when I'm not trying to bed them the words don't come out right'

[The Silhouette of Adventure]

Oxford, England, Nearby University of Oxford.
Alex smiled proudly at what was just recently merely an old mansion. The little known Darwitch manor was said to be haunted, which was specifically why Alex chose it. Placed said to be haunted were often closer to magic, and she felt it was true with this place. Owned by the Darwitch family before it finally came into college hands after all the living relatives died, the manor had been rotting for years before Alex finally worked with Loss to try and convert it into a place of study. The renovations weren’t easy, and Alex had to call in a few favors with spacial mages to make sure that it was bigger on the inside than it’s already large exterior would indicate.

“Well Professor. I think we have out school.” She spoke, a wide smile on her face. “Classes start at 1pm today, since that’s when renovations end. And so far… we’re the only teachers… Though it should be fine. Our cohort is rather small at the moment."

"It's perfect." He smiled broadly. "I have a few advertisements out on the magical side of things. We should get quite a few applicants soon. It's not everyday you find out you're perfectly qualified to teach at Oxford." He opened a folder in his hands. "Darwitch, hmm? I remember the family that built the place. Rich folk, pleasant, if a bit irritable. They weren't fond of the college." A sly smile came to the Professor's face. "Might've been my fault. As it turns out, a magician with two years experience, a faulty explosion spell, and a crop field don't go together very well." He closed the folder, walking forward. "Regardless. Do you know if the paperwork has gone through to transfer our resident students to live here at the Manor? Oh, and I believe I am teaching the first class- Introduction to Magick 101, correct?" He opened the door, holding it for Alex. "Ladies first."

---

God of Death - Empty Battlefield

The Reclaimer meditated in the space where the Fault had been located. Here at this breach between worlds, Death had at once been at her strongest and her weakest. The destruction of a cosmic Abstract was no small matter for Her, and the incursion by the Cancerverse forces had disrupted her influence more than they had suspected. These 'Many-Angled Ones'... A reckoning was coming.

But to Henry Retlyer, none of this mattered.

The war is over. It's time for my freedom.
We are a man of our word. One hour- And don't spend it in Gotham.
What?! You said it was my choice-
That was a request, not an order. Gotham has... Too much death. Too much rebirth. Too many who live who should be dead, and vice versa. If you choose to go there, I cannot say whether or not I will be able to lend you control for the entire hour. Manhattan has the same problem.
Fine. Let's go to Atlantis. I've always wanted to see it.
This, we can do.

The Fault was healing- It would scar and scab, but it would heal.

[Finland SSR]

A Heart of Darkness

Frank Mayhem

---

We ran after the concerned Shaytan, trying to keep up with him as he was speeding through the corridors and hallways. As far as I have seen, the Prince usually tries to keep a cool and calm stance, so such a behavior was surprising to me. Something's really, truly not right. I mean, I know that the Celestial Army is breaking into the Cathedral, but... What but? Of course it's because we're being sieged by millions of robots right now.

What else?

Shaytan was speeding fast, almost at supersonic speeds, but I kept track of him. Though, the fact that it has so far taken us minutes to travel through the Cathedral just proves it's gargantuan size. As we were running, and running, and running, it all started to look... weird. When was this structure built? It couldn't have been constructed recently, or else the Celestial Database would have information about it. It couldn't have been too long ago, either - ancient Herans would have no way of making such a structure. And underground! The heat sensors in my feet registered heat of over 40 degrees! Which is lower than normal at this altitude, so the Herans must have known where to build it to not fry their feet, known where to build it so the structure wouldn't melt from magma below, must have known architecture and engineering on such an advanced level that the structure wouldn't collapse from the 10 kilometers of rock above.

What can I say, it's a marble. The Earthlings are known for building tall, wide or both, but even they would be surprised by the magnitude. Oh, we're here.

Shaytan ran towards the door that was the exit to the Main Hall - the first part of the Cathedral I saw a few hours ago, and stopped as his feet approached it. We soon followed. The Prince looked at us, in a similar fashion like when he gazed at me when we first met face-to-face, though this time his emotions were hard to determine. Pain, panic, anger, confusion, concern, anxiety and lust for battle were all thrown into this chimera of a stare. Even I was knocked off the rails for a while.

"What was it, Prince Shaytan?" Itaku suddenly spoke out. "What did you call us here for?"

The tall, bearded Heran warrior was lighty panting, but as he heard his pupil's words, he looked towards the entrance in the most desperate way I could imagine.

"Itaku, you're needed at the Altar. Frank, you're not, but you're still coming with us."

Something's gonna go down, I can feel it. Shaytan slowly opened the heavy door and we squeezed through. Oh, my... As I looked to the right, towards the tunnel that is the entrance, I saw it completely filled with rocks and at least 50 battle-ready men waiting for something. The faint thuds were starting to grow louder, more distinguishable from the background sounds and voices. It's like something's trying to break in... Come on, we know what are those things, no need to be dramatic.

We strode through the Main Hall, no longer in supersonic speeds, but still rushing towards the target. And the target was there, under the massive statue of the "First Angel" in the center of it all. Thousands were panicking, running around all around us. They knew what's going on. They are the survivors of the thing that is about to come here. I saw women, covered in scars and burnt clothes, fleeing to the back while carrying infants. The older of the organic offspring were running after them. The last few Heran soldiers gathered in small groups, trying to fix up the last of their wounds before charging towards their destruction. We passed through an old man, lying on the ground with a massive injury on his head, a beautiful crown placed on his chest, drawing the attention away from his body, which was basically one big burn wound. Nevertheless, with his last ounces of life, he tried to move out of his deathbed and stubbornly help out the warriors, but was stopped by the dozens of weeping people around him. Shaytan detached from our group for a moment and kneeled in front of the old man, talking to him. A few minutes later, he caught up with us.

"What was it?" I asked.

"He's not going to live for long," the Prince replied, as if I knew who that person was. "Father tried to help us out back in the Capital - I fear that was his last fight."

So that was...

Suddenly, the crowd stopped. Stopped moving. Silence ensued. Silence... like I've never seen before. After stopping in whatever track they were going on, everyone took a look at Shaytan's father. The nurses around him tried to cover their eyes and hide their sorrow, but to no avail. It was clear to everyone who wasn't blind or deaf - the electrocardiogram was a beeping, echoing line. We moved towards the old man's deathbed. He was lying down, calmly, with a faint smile, as if he knew what was coming for him right after that one moment.

Shaytan soon folded his hands and lowered his head, whispering something in the Heran language beneath his breath. The people around him - every single one, children and adults, women and men, warriors and innocents - followed. Some even kneeled down. Some, I could register, had tears dripping across their faces. I witness a signt to behold... and it was something I could never experience myself. The leftovers of a proud and pious race, the last of their kind, all united in sorrow and respect for one man, one person - that man was their leader. He, like thousands of others, wasn't supposed to meet his end today. All his people fight for is the right to survive, a right that my race was created to take away.

This... this is a genocide! A deliberate purge of all living beings throughout the entire universe! And only now have I realized... When I was freed from the Celestial Army, I told myself to not interfere in my race's politics and doings ever again - to think that I turned a blind eye to their deeds!

My race has a heart of darkness. A heart of impurity. A heart set out to destroy. And I am one of them - I can't change it. No matter how hard I try to mask my origins, the fact still stands. Those monsters birthed me.

But... not all hope is lost... right? There's nothing that says people can't change. Yes... I might be a former Celestial Android, I may be a part of the most murderous species in the Universe, but I have one thing in common with their victims - I have the right to choose.

And I choose to help-

Suddenly, a massive explosion rocketed in the background. It's the same faint thud like before, except it was much closer this time. The guards at the gates listened up and went on high alert. Now, now I could make out what it was. Lasers. Energy blasts. Explosions. Thousands of robots burrowing through the ground. Towards US.

"We have to go." Shaytan spoke as he placed his battle-worn hand on my shoulder. He was certainly taller than me, I'll give him that.

"But... your father?"

"If we stand around and do nothing, he won't be the last one to die."

Point taken. Me and Itaku hurried after the Prince, and now probably also the King, of Hera, towards a barely noticeable shaft right in front of the massive statue lumbering above us. As we pushed through the saddened crowd, I asked the young Heran girl:

"What do you think this is all about? Shaytan seems really onto whatever he's taking us for."

"If it's at the Altar, then perhaps it has something to do with the Clerics..." she replied.

Oh yeah, she said they are searching for the 'First Angel' or whatever.

"Who knows, maybe they have something new to tell us..." Itaku muttered as we approached the shaft. Shaytan let the girl leap in first, the followed her. I was the third in the line, and as I touched down on the rubble below and looked to the inside, I saw a bunch of people in long white robes, chanting something Heran in unison.

This is one of those creepy meetings with religious people, isn't it? Itaku and Shaytan slightly bended down, I followed. One of the priests, a vigorously old and wrinkly female, was holding a small crystal ball, while the others were standing in a perfect ring around her. The inside of the sphere was cloudy at first, but it soon started to form an image. The priestess lifted the ball up as it started to show a somewhat normal woman, and exclaimed:

"Ahura Mazda did not leave us in times of great despair! He has finally turned to see the suffering of our people, and has finally given us a clear hint on the prophecized savior!"

I folded my arms, waiting. Meanwhile, the Cleric, while holding the ball in her left hand, put her right one on Itaku's head. Ouch, that's gotta be disgusting.

"Itaku Sayyid, you have been a member of our nation for a long time. You have impressed us with your skills in every art imaginable. You have fought within our ranks for years as well as the bravest men, even though you are still a youngling. We can't believe we have overlooked you for so long..."

Oh, quit it with the suspension already! Everyone's going to die in a few minutes if you keep this up!

"...It is clear that Ahura Mazda has chosen you as his greatest warrior."

I could see Itaku's face from here - she was just as shocked as I would imagine her to be in a moment like this. I don't even know why I see this ceremony so sarcastically - I am witnessing history.

"There are only a few steps left before you can join the ranks of Ahura's angels. Don't worry, little girl, it will only take a few minutes."

Shaytan pointed his thumb to the back, telling me that we're supposed to leave. I was quick to follow his orders, moved towards the exit, flew straight up until I reached the light filtering from above, and touched down on the warm, hard tiled ground of the Main Hall. Shaytan was right behind my back the whole time. As I looked to the shaft, all I could see was a tile, as if there was never a hole to begin with.

"So, all we do now is wait, right?" I asked the Prince. He promptly replied:

"No, we make sure there is something to wait for."

Uhh, what...

BOOM!

I immediately turned towards the source of the explosion, and the first thing I heard, the first thing that reached my sensors was a frightening shout from one of the soldiers, echoing across the room:

"ENEMY AT THE GATES!"

You were correct. That's what Shaytan meant. Before our eyes, the Great Scourge that the ancient Herans prophecized was barreling down on the Cathedral. What was once only a small rock-filled tunnel was now a kilometer-wide hole, almost completely full of the grey and black unstoppable mass we call the Celestial Army. Thousands of androids were charging into the room every second - every second! The last few Heran soldiers landed on the ground in a formation and powered up to their super forms, then went on to fly right into their doom. The weak and unarmed civilians, however, were fleeing to the back of the Cathedral as fast as they could possibly manage. But they won't live long - if I can't help it.

"This is where I will truly see which side you are on," Shaytan spoke. I turned to see him already transformed. "I despise traitors, and I hope you're not one of them."

"That advice won't be necessary. I've already decided who I support."

Influx, on! Nice. I'll need every ounce of strength I can find within me. And thus... we moved forward. Knowing we will find nothing but death if we fight. Death of our brothers and sisters, death of our friends, death of our loved ones. And our own death.

But this was one of the few times that I stood on the same side as mortals. And I hope it stays that way.

[Charmera]

---

"You're quite welcome, though I only came here to make sure Cloudy was safe." Etla said as she dismissed her silvery armor and her gilded greatsword, sending them back into the Dimensional Storage used by the Rainborn, ending up in her civilian attire once again. She pulled her mechanical rabbit out of the Cloud afterwards, placing it on the ground and pointing at it. "Isn't he cute?" She asked Serene with a smile on her face, clearly unconcerned about the mortal danger that the two siblings had just been in. To her, the battle had been little more than an interesting diversion.

---

---

Akihiko noticed Masami's stare and looked away, feeling a tad nervous. He was not quite used to a woman's scrutiny (except his mother's, which he was practically immune to by now), but on top of that, he couldn't help but feel that his secret was in danger among these people. They had asked to borrow his power in their mission, and he did owe them for freeing him and helping defeat the Five Storms, but even then he started thinking that perhaps it hadn't been such a good idea to come along with them. However, he kept silent, not voicing his thoughts as he didn't wish to raise any more suspicion.

He did, however, speak up after the whole riddle shenanigan. "Hold the phone, can someone fill me in before we commit suicide?" He asked.

"Simple. We're doing an errand for Masami's aunt, and we have to stop a rampaging spirit or something like that before being done with it. Oh, and apparently Akari's mommy's involved in all of this, too." Garnet chimed in. Akihiko simply stared at her with an eyebrow raised, prompting the blonde woman to shrug. "Hey, there's a lot I don't get either, but I'm not complaining." She said, before turning to Masami. "That said, we're going to have a long talk once this is done, because I'd like to at least understand what I've been doing for the past day or so." She told the Kitsune.

Afterwards, she took a deep breath. "Alright, if this is a prank, you're toast, kitty." She said to Akari, before jumping down.

"Oh jeez, what did I get into?" Akihiko wondered, before jumping down as well.

'
Ihra turned off her invisibility, the sword no longer bending light around her for the sake of her illusion. She placed the sword in the cloud as her sister had, looking at Etla. "Hello sister." She first turned to the two siblings. "I came when I heard noise nearby. Are either of you hurt?" She was more concerned about the siblings than her sister it seemed, seeing as that was the entire reason she was here. She had been busy tending to a few things of her own concern. And of course Etla's Christmas presents.

Japan
"Jump down there and you'll be completely fine. The portals that work this way often lead to enchanted clouds or something of the like. Cherry Blossoms sometimes." Akari remarked.

And they did, landing in a bed of cherry petals at the end which magically broke their fall. Masami looked around, seeing a large, almost impossibly oversized mansion, with paper walls and Japanese style architecture. There was a stillness to the area, as if it had been preserved.

"Alright. Short version to tide you over." Spoke Masami. "Akari and I are sisters as you may know, and I was adopted as you might guess. Part of a family trade actually, and I was returned when my counterpart died." She explained. "My mother was killed, and for a long time I suspected it was my Aunt, Azami... But she has new information... including this." She lifted the note with the Haiku that led them there.

"It's in my mothers handwriting and riddle. Which me and Akari noticed. I'm not sure what it means, but I think there's more to this than Azami has been telling us."

Masami paused. Taking in the stllness of the mansion and it's... familiarity. "I don't like this. I think we should all get ready for a fight." She remarked, suddenly transforming, all her four tails present. Even in this situation, one could see her now much more radiant beauty gained from her latest tail.

[Altito Asmoro]

Len went down to the ground, slowly. "The sound's so disgusting. Why you become like this?, oh and sure. He can be here as well," said Len. He walks along the person, and then he asking again, another question, "I don't see why we should fight. I mean, both of us have no intentions to die now, right? I mean, I don't have one will to die."

Damian didn't even need to think about the question, "Simple, You made a claim to being powerful. So I feel a desire I need to test my strength against you, Just as i would for any superhuman, or inhuman or great power. You see when i was young, i found i could adapt my body to any situation, so long as i could understand the changes i was making within. I guess after so long, i'm just kind of curious how for my adaption ability can go. Sorry if i offended you earlier with my mini power rant by the way, just kind of came to me, hehe."

"Huh, so it's kind of an ability from birth, huh? Well, anyway, from the point of my perspective I just don't find any way we can get from fight between each other, so truce, perhaps? I'm sorry for what I did before but you have to understand, I just ran away from Gotham and New York all the way to Siberia only to found myself fighting against superhumans and humans alike, so I just couldn't find anyone I can trust," said Len. He didn't exactly truth about the "ran away" part as he didn't really ran away from Gotham willingly but it had been done. He punched someone and had to escaped unless the Avengers/Justice League tried to captured him.

[Deminis]

"Huh, so it's kind of an ability from birth, huh? Well, anyway, from the point of my perspective I just don't find any way we can get from fight between each other, so truce, perhaps? I'm sorry for what I did before but you have to understand, I just ran away from Gotham and New York all the way to Siberia only to found myself fighting against superhumans and humans alike, so I just couldn't find anyone I can trust," said Len. He didn't exactly truth about the "ran away" part as he didn't really ran away from Gotham willingly but it had been done. He punched someone and had to escaped unless the Avengers/Justice League tried to captured him.

"I can certainly agree to a truce of sorts, However, I would still like a fight, even if only in mock. I have never been able to battle a Kryptonian before after all." Damain smiled lightly. "And are there any mutants that aren't born with power?" He continued to walk, pulling out his phone now and then to message his friend.

[Confederation of imperial states]

Chicago Police Department Headquarters, Interrogation Room
10:30pm

Detective John Brakenbrook steps into the dark Interrogation room, quietly closing the door behind him. The Interrogation room is dark, the only light being the one above the door, and one on the table, in the middle of the room. The Architect sits at the table, his face just illuminated by the light of the lamp on the table. "ah, Detective, I was wondering when you would show up". The Detestive walked over to the table, his footsteps echoing from the clanking against the tile. The Detective slid the chair from the table, sitting down and resting his hands on them. John looked at The Architect, "I've come here to find the answers we're looking for, just like we've said before". The Architect snickered, "and I gave you My Terms for telling what I know, so, Where is he?". "he'll be here soon, I'm just filling out anyt requests for the Interrogation", "a Watch". John raised an eyebrow, "trust me, What I will divulge needs to be exactly on time, Now, can i have one". without moving his eye from The Architect, John took a Standard Police force pocket watch from his pocket, setting it down on the table.

The Architect grabbed the Watch, however The Detective also reached and unlocked the architect's cuffs, taking them and putting them in his pocket. The Architect peered at the Detective as he stood ip and walked back to the door. "you sure letting the chains off this Dog is such a good idea?", The Detective stopped at the door, "I'm confident He won't let you escape". The Detective left the Interrogation room, after a buzzing sound, the lights came on, Revealing The Knight was standign behind The Architect. The Architect showed hardly any shock when The Knight walked around to the opposite side of the table, sitting down, "you wanted me?" The Knight rehtorically asked. The Architect Snickered, "yes, Because you're the Only man in this city I trust with the following Information". "tell me what you Know, Architect", The Architect sighed, "always so Serious, You need a sense of Humor". The Knight kept his grim scowl, The Architect sighed, "FINE, Look, THere is a Tyrannt, a Criminal Warlord, named Stahl", "I know about him". The Architect didn't snicker this time, "what you Don't know is, He's in the City". Internally The Knight was shocked, externally nothing changed from his demeanour.

"Stahl Is plannign to battle you, The Protector of Chicago, you've rattle his cage, now he wants you dead". The Knight peered straight at The architect, "why are you telling me this?", "Stahl, his little Cronie Gustapo, and their little Status Quo on the criminal Underworld is so boring, and now with them hopign to make everywhere as bland and boring, with no Anarchy, just Order, i need to do something". The Architect leaned forward, "and who better to Defend against his attack than you, The Knight, who stood up against 6 of thw world's deadliest assassins and beat them all into the ground". The Knight slightly nodded, getting up and walking back to the interrogation room door, The Knight stopped just grabbing the doorknod. "and Knight", The Knight turned his head, "we'll be seeing each other again". The Architect laughed. The Knight walked out of the Interrogation room, pondering what the Architect had said.

End of Order and Chaos Chapter 1,
Next: The Long Winter

[Tomia]

Mars
Mars heard Nelli's uncertainty about where she would be staying and frowned a bit. He hadn't meant to make it seem like she wasn't welcome there. "Well, you could always stay here Nelli. We're always open to people who don't fit in, who need a place to call home." Mars told her sincerely. He had grown greatly on an emotional level the last few months and now saw the Young Bloods as a very important thing for people who were outcasts and didn't fit in elsewhere.

Darian and Serene
Serene thought Etla was a bit odd, but couldn't but laugh a little bit when she pulled Cloudy out of some weird dimensional portal. "He is pretty cute." Serene admitted with a smile. Meanwhile, Darian turned to Ihra, "Ya, we're okay. Just some bumps and bruises is all." He said before suddenly transforming back to his natural form in a short blast of fire. "That demon was a particularly nasty one." Serene nodded at that, "Thank you all for your help, but Darian and I should probably be going now. These attacks are unfortunately frequent things, and we wouldn't want ti put all of you in danger." Serene said the three women before her. She barely knew these women but she didn't want any harm to come to them.

Sam
Hours later, around 4 or 5 AM, Sam reappeared in her room through a brightly colored portal. She looked quite tired, and her clothes were slightly ripped and dirty, and her hair was disheveled and a bit messy. It had been quite an adventure making her way back to her room and right now all she wanted was to take a shower and fall asleep.