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The Clash at Giwash
”Do you feel it? This stagnant chill. This unnatural chill. Something's coming… Everything will change once again.” - Unknown
The city of Giwash, one of the greatest cities in the world. A city were cultures from around the world are capable of mingling, and knowledge is cultivated. In fact, Giwash has established itself as a center of learning, with multiple schools at all levels, companies and research institutions. Most of this research and knowledge coming from Giwash surrounds a mysterious phenomenon that has fairly recently spread across the globe.
Since time immemorial, humanity has told tales of heroes blessed with inhuman power. But only recently, specifically since the end of the 19th century, and turn of the 20th century, have such fictions become reality. Not reality through the intervention of some powerful being, but through the rise of the metahumans.
They did not just suddenly appear however, it was slow. The first accounts of metahumans were few and far between. Well, relative to the occurrence of metahumans now, which is still very, very rare. Oh, I should also by now, I mean in the year 2051, and by very, very rare, I mean about 0.001 percent of the entire world population could be considered metahumans.
Even though metahumans have always been rare, it hasn’t stopped them from shaping history, or at least helping to. Metahumans have been present in all conflicts from the moment they were discovered, with neither side rarely having more than the other, as if some greater force wished it to remain balanced. In fact, it wasn’t until the second world war that metahumans were deeply involved in a conflict between nations, and from that point on, no military could not be without some metahumans ready for action.
Through the later half of the 20th century, metahuman rights were questionable, even among the “good” western nations. Metahumans were often taken from their families, taken to military research institutions and bases, trained to use their powers, and more importantly, trained to give their life for their country. Only until the 80s and 90s did metahumans start on the path to gain more rights. That said, even into the 21st century, many metahumans still live as second class citizens or worse in many countries.
One of the countries that treated their metahuman population the same as their regular population was the United States. I say was because quite simply put, nothing lasts forever. Over the years, tension built up, and certain events passed, leading to disaster. A disaster in the guise of a civil war, and fracturing of the nation into 13 independent nations.
But what does this all have to do with the city of Giwash? Much like the independent City of New York, Giwash is its own independent city-state, with a similar size and population, surrounded on all sides by the Autocratic state of of Cascadia. In fact, the exact geographic centre of Giwash is located in the centre of Crater Lake. But now you’re thinking, wait, I’ve never heard of such a city existing in that location. Well it doesn’t, after all Giwash is just a fictional city that exists for the purposes of the setting of our story.
Which now brings me to the history of the city of Giwash, and how its connected to the rise of metahumans. The city of Giwash was founded by a small group of people back in 1830 as an isolated community that wished to keep to themselves overlooking Crater Lake. Over the years, the small community didn’t grow much, and at a time looked like it was going to be abandoned. That was until in 1893, when an unnamed man discovered something under Crater Lake, while he was hunting near by. The story goes that the unnamed man heard something whispering to him, and lead him to the lake. He then dove into the lake, and disappeared for a few days before reappearing on the shore of the lake. He was completely unharmed, and could only remember one thing, that there was something under the lake.
Something that he insisted was responsible for the creation of the lake, despite evidence that the lake was formed by a massive eruption of Mount Mazama far in the past. A few days later, this unnamed man became the first recorded metahuman, and attract the attention of the American government, who quickly quarentied the lake, and established a new, top secret military base on Wizard Island, that would forever be known as Installation Alpha, and the unnamed man disappeared once again, this time never to return.
Over the years, not only did this base grow, but the small settlement that was near it grew as well. The settlement grew much faster however, and by the second world war came around, Giwash was now a rather sizable city for the time. After the war, the city and Installation Alpha began growing slightly faster. And it was after the war that a strange pattern began to become obvious. While metahumans were being born and discovered across the world, Giwash and its surrounding area had by far the greatest density of metahumans. Because of this, by time the 80s rolled up, there was plenty of civil unrest as protests for metahuman rights became more regularly.
In fact, if it wasn’t for the citizens of Giwash, many suspect that metahuman civil right movements would have never picked up or succeeded. It also helped that the American military was found to be guilty of kidnapping metahumans, and keeping them at Installation Alpha. Not much happened after the 90s in Giwash, except for the fact that the city was now one of the largest cities in the United States of America. By the 2010s, Giwash started getting to a size that was comparable to New York City, with many big businesses establishing offices there.
It was not long after reaching this milestone when tensions that had been building across the United States snapped. The snap occurred around the year 2020, give or take a year, and resulted in a civil war that lasted nearly 10 years. At the end of it, the United States was no more, and so the 13 nations mentioned previously came to be, with some being more influential and powerful than others. The greatest of these 13 nations quickly became obvious, as it was the now independent city of Giwash, due to its economic significance, and the fact it had the highest population of metahumans. But perhaps most importantly, unlike in some of the other 13 nations, metahumans never lost their rights during the war. As such, many metahumans fought for Giwash during the war, and after the war, many remained with the military.
The city of Giwash after the war continued to grow, but now with another nation around them, they needed to get creative. So as they grew, the citizens of Giwash found the city building taller, and even building underground. But the greatest construction project the city underwent was right in the centre of Crater Lake, a large tower structure that would become the new seat of the city’s government. This structure was finished around 2043, and was known as Anzakargetsu, and was taller than the Burj Khalifa. There were also three large bridges constructed coming from the north, east and west, connecting Anzakargetsu to the rest of the city. All branches of the government operate out of the Anzakargetsu, including the military. In fact, the military had a fourth bridge constructed from Anzakargetsu to Installation Alpha, and it is rumoured that the military is working on something underneath Anzakargetsu, as all levels below the surface require high level clearance to enter.
Well, I think that’s about it, I’ve explained the rise of metahumans, the history and importance of Giwash. However, it still feels like I am missing something. Oh, right, what I am going to tell you is normally a secret. A secret that only a small number of people are privy to. The supernatural, the mythical and the legendary are more real than you think, and magic, well that’s real to. Though, it should be noted that those who are human and use magic are even rarer than metahumans, at about 0.0001 percent of the entire world population.
There are multiple reasons for why magic and the supernatural have remained secret in this age. The first reason is the fact that since the renaissance, magic users and the supernatural beings have been slowly declining in numbers. The second reason is that magic users and supernatural beings have been hunted by certain groups, including the church, forcing many of them to take up secretive lifestyles. Third, and perhaps the most important reason since the rise of metahumans, the majority of people lack the knowledge to differentiate most magic users and supernatural beings from metahuman. Thus allowing magic users and supernatural beings to hide among the population of metahumans.
Why am I bringing up magic? Well, there are rumours among those who know of magic that something is attracting powerful supernatural beings and magic users to Giwash, and so organizations that hunt such beings have also been attracted to the city. If this is true or not, it matters not. All that matters is that something is happening in the city of Giwash, something that could change the world.
Unknown Location, Somewhere in Giwash
Late Night, Friday, October 6th, 2051
In some corner of Giwash, hidden away from prying eyes, a dimly lit room could be found. The room was circular, lighten up by basketball sized purple orbs of light that floated in circles around the room. The walls were lined with thousands of books, bones, and strange objects. In the centre of the room, a raised circular platform could be found. There was no floor surrounding the raised platform, instead their was just a pit. The edges of the platform where bordered by strange purple runes that glowed softly.
In the centre of the platform, a single figure could be found, sitting with their legs crossed and floating a good foot of the ground. If one was to enter the room, they could have easily felt the amount of power that radiated just from this one person. After all, this person was one of the strongest Witches ever known, perhaps the strongest witch currently active in the world. This person was the Witch of Arcadia.
Born Luana Gérin-Lajoie, she had seen her fair share of blood shed, and unnecessary loss. It was what she had seen in her life, and a meeting with the legendary Witch of the Black Sun, that lead her to where she was now. Sitting in her private study, diving deeper into her own immense magic power, leading a secret organization, and waiting for all the pieces of her plan to fall into place. At this point, most all of the pieces of her plan had fallen into place, and she was entering her endgame, unknown to the rest of the world.
As she sat their, the wall opened up behind her, and bridge was formed from solidified magic. This bridge connected the platform to the now opened doorway. The light from beyond the doorway flooded Luana’s private study, but she did not turn around. Two more figures entered the study. They appeared to be much younger, perhaps only in their preteens, but this was not the case. These two figure were twin homunculi, so while they appeared to be only in their preteens, in actuality they were only 10 years of age.
“Mistress! Mistress!” The black haired homunculus shouted as she rushed over the bridge to Luana. The black haired homunculi froze at the edge of the platform, which happened to also be the exact moment that Luana looked over her shoulder. Despite the fact that she was wearing a mask, the black haired homunculus knew that the Witch of Arcadia was not only looking at her, but was expecting a show of respect from the homunculus. Without a word being exchanged, the black haired homunculus took a knee and lowered her head. Once the white haired homunculus joined her sibling, the black haired one spoke again, “I’m sorry mistress, but we have news…”
“At ease Melanctha.” Luana spoke as she descended and then stood up before turning to the two homunculi, “I know you are excitable, and that in your excitement you often forget to show respect to your creator. Anyways, what news do you two bring. I expect it is good.”
“Yes Mistress, it is good. Very good.” Melanctha said after she and her white haired sibling stood up. “Well, good and bad… But far more good then bad. The Ebony Blood Syndicate has what we requested them to obtain for us, they have found the Key and have successfully got the Key into Giwash.”
“That’s good.” Luana said, “And what about the bad news?”
“The Ebony Blood Syndicate has broken their word.” Melanctha responded, “They are now demanding double the agreed amount payment along with a ridiculous holding fee. Though, I do not expect this to be much of a problem for you Mistress, especially since I know where they are keeping it.”
“No, it isn’t. A hassle, yes, but problem, no.” The Witch sighed, “Contact the D.M.A in the morning, and tip them off to the location. They’ll take the Key from the Syndicate, and then it is only a matter of pulling a few strings to get the Key into our hands.”
“Understood Mistress.” Melanctha said with a smile.
“Now, Ymkje, what news do you have for me?” Luana turned her attention to the white haired homunculus, “Also, how is school?”
“My time at the Skell Head Academy is satisfactory so far.” Ymkje now spoke, “But more importantly, I have not only located what I believe is the Lost Volume, but I have recently confirmed it. The Lost Volume is in the hands of student at the Skell Head Academy. I have befriended the student in question, and I am ready to betray them in order to obtain the Lost Volume on your orders Mistress.”
“That is very good news.” Luana chuckled, “Looks like we no longer need to obtain a Volume from any of the Eight Families, after all, we now know that five of the 13 volumes are here in Giwash, and five is all we need. Ymkje, remain friendly with the student in question, keep an eye on them, and wait for my signal. I also want you to learn how a student at the Skell Head Academy got their hands on the 13th Volume.”
“It will be done Mistress.”
With that, the two homunculi left and the Witch of Arcadia was left alone once again. And so, the final pieces are falling into place… Arcadia will be restored, whether its without blood or with blood is yet to be seen… what will you all do?
The Anzakargetsu, D.M.A Headquarters, Giwash
Morning, Saturday, October 7th, 2051
Going to be one of those days… Special Agent Kato Galen thought to himself as he walked the halls of the D.M.A. He had just gotten in, and was already being called to see one of the assistant directors. When he entered the assistant director's office and sat down, he was handed a folder. Two minutes later, he was running out of the assistant director’s office, and heading for the office he shared with his partner Aurek Lowell. They were one of the multiple teams of agents assigned with finding and taking down the Ebony Blood Syndicate.
“Aurek! Aurek!” Kato shouted as he entered the room, “Put the chocolate away. We got a tip.”
The CLNN Building, Giwash
Morning, Saturday, October 7th, 2051
The doors to the building opened, and threw them entered a certain holy man. A holy man who didn’t look like a holy man. This man was a knight of the Order of Saint Cyprian of Antioch, and a fairly powerful magic user. This man was Brother Godwyn, and he was known among the Order for his unorthodox views and methods, but even he was surprised at the order he was given by those above him in the chain of command. They wanted him to reach out, and gather allies for the Order, as apparently something was coming. And so, they sent him to meet with a certain demoness that had been in the public eye for quite some time.
“Hello sir, how can I help you?” the receptionist asked.
“Good morning.” Brother Godwyn spoke, “I am here to see Miss Ludovika Sarsenbaev. The church is planning a charity event, but we need a master of ceremony. Due to the nature of the event, we can’t just have some old man serving as the master of ceremony, so after some discussion we have come to the decision to ask if Miss Ludovika Sarsenbaev would be able to serve in the role.”
“Alright sir,” The receptionist spoke, “Can I just get your name?”
“Brother Godwyn.” He spoke, “And make sure she knows that I come from the Cathedral of Saint Cyprian of Antioch.”
“Very well sir.” The receptionist spoke and reached for his phone, “If you could just sit over there for a moment.”
With that, Brother Godwyn took a seat, and waited.