Garuda arc

One week later.

Rotun

"CLEAR OUT! NOW!" An avian warrior shouted. He yanked an elderly woman by her hair inside her own home. He and the rest of his men were tearing the place up to throw everyone out.

"Get your hands off me right now! My son is a member of the royal guard! You don't have the right to kick us out!" The elderly woman shouted.

The avian grabbed her hard by the face and had a furious smile on his face.

"Not anymore. This is an order by his royal majesty! By decree of his grace, Edwin of House Sylphion, first of his name, king of ventus and protector of the realm, all garuda who cannot afford to pay their taxes will be evicted immediately! No exceptions! You should be grateful that you lesser beings are even allowed to live with a roof under your head at all. You scum! NOW GET THE HELL OUT!" The avian warrior shouted as he punched her hard in the gut and sent her crashing through the door and outside on the ground.

"Get the rest of these scum out of here! If they resist, teach them a lesson!" The avian soldier shouted.

Across Rotun were dozens of homes getting raided by the avian army. Many garuda families were dragged out from their homes. The avians who were married to their human partners tried to fight back but were brutalized and called traitors to their own kind.

Afterward they were taken away in avian drop ships for transport. The elderly woman threw up a lot of blood as she laid on the dirt. She tried to stand up but the avian hit her harder than he meant to. She was too old and frail. An attack like that was fatal.

"Save our people, my dear son. Save us..... Albatross." The elderly woman who is revealed to be Albatross' mother finally gave out and fell into an eternal slumber.

***

Later that night

"Another!" Albatross demanded from the bartender.

The bartender made no fuss and gave Tross another shot. It had been a week since the birth of Emilia and the death of Queen Rosa. And Albatross couldn't be worse for wear.

A few days later, Kaiber visited the king and made him a proposal to help him increase tax pay within Rotun. Since most of the garuda there couldn't afford to, Kaiber insisted that King Edwin evict most of them and let the avians take over cause they could afford to pay up their taxes and homes.

When Albatross got word he was furious and picked a fight with Kaiber. But King Edwin stopped it. He wasn't in the mood for their arguing so he told them to leave and that he would think about it.

But that only made Albatross angry. For KIng Edwin promised he would help Tross' mother and his people. Tross understood he was in mourning but this wasn't for him. It was for everyone in Rotun. His people. Edwin's people. And when Albatross tried to convince Tenjin to change the kings' mind Tenjin said:

"I can't do that. Things are different now. I have to actually take my job seriously. So no. I won't be asking the king for favors. You'll just have to trust him like I do. I'm sorry." Tenjin said remorsefully.

Tross grit his teeth and broke the glass bottle in his hand.

"Fuck your sorry! Sorry won't help my people now will it!?" Albatross shouted as he slammed his fist down on the bar stool and broke a hole into it.

"HEY WATCH IT! You're gonna have to pay for that" The bartender shouted in anger.

"Shut up! Put it on my tab!" Tross spat. The bartender scoffed and left. Tross held his head and tried to calm down.

Just calm down. Tenjin always had your back. And King Edwin never left you astray. They'll help me! I know it! Albatross thought.

"Well, well. Look what we have here."

Albatross turned his head to see two young avian men around his age. Rikon and Cardon. Two of Kaiber's youngest sons. Rikon had red feathers with a yellow beak and orange tip. Cardon had orange feathers with a black bear and a red tip. They both wore their tribal warrior uniforms and arrogantly smiled at Albatross.

"If it isn't the king's favorite boot licker." Rikon jeered.

Albatross laughed bitterly.

"And if it isn't Kaiber's favorite attack dogs. Did he forget to put your collars on again?" Albatross shot back.

Cardon got mad but Rickon calmed him down.

"Oh come now. It was merely a joke between comrades. There is no need for personal insults about our father." Rickon.

"Enough of your blabbering. What do you want? Albatross turned his head away and went back to drinking.

"Oh nothing much. We just came here to offer our condolences." Rickon said and smiled viciously. "To the death of your whore mother." Rick said sadistically.

Albatross' eyes went fully wide as he broke his glass bottle via instinct.

"What....what the fuck did you just say to me?" Albatross questioned in a deadly tone.

"Oh? Are you going death, Tross? He said your mother is dead." Cardon sneered.

"Oh brother. I think we should tell him the full story or he'll never get it. You see Tross, your mother and hundreds of garuda, humans, and avians that supported them who couldn't afford to pay their taxes have been evicted from their homes in rotun. Your mother resisted and well...".

Albatross abruptly stood up from his stand and had a look of pure rage on his face.

"THAT'S A FILTHY LIE! The king has issued anything of the sort! He gave me his word that he would give my people safer housing! You people did this without his authority!" Albatross yelled.

"The king.....gave the order." Rickon said with an evil smile.

Albatross froze in place. In complete disbelief of what he was hearing.

"He's right, boy."

Albatross turned his head and saw Kaiber walk into the bar.

"I went to see King Edwin a few days ago. I told him that Rotun was a poor city on the brink of collapse. In order to restore it to it's former glory and create safe housing and jobs for everyone living there, I told him that we avians could afford to pay up. That way everyone wins. Garuda will be able to live there.....eventually." Kaiber said with an evil smile.

"When?" Albatross asked in fear.

"Could be months. Could be years. Could be never again. Afterall, why waste a good island on race traitors, whores and basta-."

"KAIBEEEERRRRRR!!' Albatross in a fit of pure rage flew after Kaiber ready to attack him.

Out of nowhere, Rickon and Carden stabbed Albatross in both his wings with their swords.

"AAAAAAAAGGHHH!" Albatross screamed. He fell to the ground right under Kaiber who stared down at him. Kaiber's sons kept him pinned to the floor by placing their knees on his back and stabbed through his wings into the floor.

"Hey! You can't just-!" The bartender shouted and tried to get involved.

"Say another word and you're next." Carden said. The bartender closed his mouth and begrudgingly looked away. Everyone in the bar did. They didn't want to get involved at all.

Albatross kept crying in agony as Rickon and Carden brutally dug their blades into his wings. He tried to stand up but Kaiber stomped his foot down on the back of Albatross' head.

"Foolish boy. Have you still not learned your place yet?" Kaiber asked.

"How..could you!? My mother! She was...she used to be your-!" Albatross tried to finish but Kaiber stomped down on his head harder. Albatross' nose broke along with his teeth. He bled from inside his mouth.

"She was just a whore who I bedded until I grew tired of her. She meant nothing to me. Neither do you. Bastard." Kaiber said venomously.

Albatross grit his teeth from under kaiber's boot. Pure hatred and bloodlust in his eyes.

"And if you ever speak to me with disrespect, an accident may fall upon your friend." Kaiber threatened.

Albatross' eyes widened. He completely froze in place. No longer resisting against Kaiber and his sons. Kaiber grinned down at him with satisfaction.

"Good. You have finally learned your place among your betters. It was foolish of you to think of yourself as my or my true sons as your equals. King Edwin may have appointed you as his royal guard but he'll see soon enough that my sons are far better suited for the role."

"Which is why I took the weight off your shoulders and proposed my plan to rid Rotun of the garuda. And it worked. His majesty favors me now, bastard. Not you. Like I told you before. You and your whore of a mother are nothing but trash to be disposed of. Remember that." Kaiber said arrogantly as he got his foot off Albatross. He then picked him up by the head and then punched away through the bar door and onto the street. Kaiber and his sons walked out of the bar.

"Make sure he gets the message thoroughly just to be safe. I'm taking my leave." Kaiber said as he flew off into the sky. Rickon and Carden snickered as they cracked their necks and knuckles and proceeded to brutally kick Albatross on the ground.

After 10 minutes of torture, Carden spat on Albatross and left with Rickon after calling Albatross a bastard. Leaving Albatross brutally injured in the dirt.

***

After Kaiber and his sons left, the bartender called the authorities and Tenjin was the first one there to get Albatross to the hospital.

The damage to him and especially his wings were severe. He had a black eye, his jaw was fractured, both his arms were broken, he had several crushed ribs, his leg was bent the wrong way, and head trauma.

If it were not for the mana crystals they received from the Midgard Republic, Albatross wouldn't have been conscious. Let alone be able to fly again. He still had a cast on his left arm and tons of bandages wrapped around his waist.

After Albatross woke up, Tenjin informed him of what happened with Kaiber. The witnesses at the bar claim that Albatross was drunk and angry over the accidental death of his mother and started the fight when Kaiber's sons only wanted to comfort him.

That Kaiber's sons defended themselves. No one at the bar took any video of what happened so they could only go off on their word. King Edwinstill had Kaiber's sons suspended from active duty but nothing happened to Kaiber. He was the chief of the avians. If Edwin had him arrested without solid proof there would be civil unrest.

Albatross didn't care though. Kaiber's men killed his mother, took his home and nearly beat him to death just for being his bastard son. Just for being a garuda.

And because of that, Albatross' entire view of King Edwin was completely tarnished. He felt completely betrayed. But he didn't scream or make a fuss. He just sat in his hospital bed with a look of disdain on his face.

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

"Tross. I am truly sorry about your mother. And about what happened to your town." Tenjin said sincerely.

"Why? You weren't the one who betrayed me. You're Not the one I should be hearing this from." Albatross spat.

"Hey come on. That's not fair. His grace didn't know-."

"His grace made a promise to me. And he broke it without a second thought. Why? Tell me why Tenjin. Why did the honorable and benevolent King Edwin turn his back on me and my mother when we needed him? After everything I've done for him. WHY!?" Albatross cried out.

Tenjin kept quiet at first. He didn't know how to put it into words but he had to tell Tross the truth.

"The crown is in debt to the republic. Or to be specific to both the C.T.C (Cyber Tech Company) and the Mage Foundation. With the mage war going on between the Republic and the Machina empire, King Edwin needed more ships and mana crystals to protect our people in case Emperor Zenal came to pay us a visit."

"But King Edwin couldn't afford everything so they gave him a loan. For the hundreds of dropships, mana crystals and other necessities, the crown of ventus would eventually pay back both organizations with interest. That's why taxes have been going up all these years." Tenjin said.

"So.....he put our kingdom in debt. Turned my home into a shithole, then he kicks us out, and gets my mother killed all for a fucking war that has nothing to do with us!?" Albatross yelled out.

"That's not true, Tross. It has everything to do with us!"

"THE HELL IT DOES! OUR PEOPLE! HIS PEOPLE needed his help and he turned his back on them. All to help outsiders and those fucking avians! And leave the rest of us lesser beings with nothing!" Albatross roared.

"THAT'S NOT TRUE! This war is going to affect all of us! You think Zenal is just going to stop with the republic!? We are all in danger! And we have to be ready to face him when the time comes! Look, I'm sorry this happened to you and your mother, but he didn't mean for this to happen!" Tenjin argued.

"No. He just didn't care. He doesn't care about any of us except his daughter and his precious golden boy." Albatross spat.

Tenjin was now furious. He grit his teeth at Albatross.

"What!?" Tenjin questioned.

"Oh come on, Tenjin. You don't think I haven't noticed? How he treats you compared to the rest of us. Even compared to his other royal guard? He treats you like a son. He was never going to honor his deal with me because he was too busy looking at you. You.....his golden boy." Albatross said with disgust.

Tenjin grabbed Albatross by the shirt.

"Don't you pin this shit on me! I supported your dream! I want better lives for our people too! And so does his majesty. He lost his wife for fuck's sake Albatross. He's not in his right mind. He barely even sleeps. I'm not saying he's not at fault but don't sit here and claim that he doesn't fucking care. He's the reason why Garuda aren't in chains right now! He's the reason why the both of us are alive right now! Don't you ever forget that!" Tenjin said with fury.

"And because of him my mother is dead, my town is Don't forget that." Albatross said in a depressing tone.

Tenjin was angry but he didn't say anything more. He let go of Tross' shirt. Tross scoffed at Tenjin and turned his head away.

"Run along golden boy. Go back to licking your master's boots. I'm going to take a page out of your book and sleep." Albatross.

"Tross. Please. No matter what, I'm still your brother. Let me help you." Tenjin said sincerely.

"Ha. Go help his majesty's bitch princess grow up to be useless like him. I don't need your help or your pity. And someday, both Kaiber and his royal highness are going to know how it feels to lose everything. You can bet on that, brother." Albatross spat.

Tenjin was angry. He wanted to punch Albatross in the jaw but let it go and left the hospital.

Later, Tenjin paid Rickon and Carden a visit in their cells. He beat the shit out of both of them for what they did to Albatross. he beat them until they were bloodied and had almost every broken bone imaginable. They were in body casts for eight months. Not given any mana crystals or special treatment. And the guards didn't rat Tenjin out since he was close to the king.

But none of it mattered. Tenjin had lost more that year after he became both the king's royal guard and closest ally. His queen, his town, his best friend and any trace of his old life. Gone with the wind.

The only good thing to come from all of this, was helping raise the future heir of Ventus.

***

Hours after Tenjin had left the hospital, Albatross was left alone in the dark resting in his hospital bed. But he couldn't sleep.

The things he said to Tenjin. He knew he couldn't take them back. He meant what he said but it didn't make him feel any better about himself. He hated himself even more than he hated Kaiber and Edwin.

Tenjin. His only real friend. A man he considered his brother. Albatross just tossed him aside like Kaiber did to him. He began to cry in shame when suddenly a red butterfly fluttered onto his blanket. Tross noticed and looked at it with shock and curiosity. He pulled out his finger and it flew and landed on top of it.

"What the? What is this? Mana?" Albatross asked.

"My what a pitiful creature you are." A sweet voice said in the darkness.

Albatross jumped back on his bed in a panic. He couldn't see or sense whoever spoke to him.

"WHO'S THERE!? Show yourself!" Albatross shouted. He tried to hide his fear but in his condition he still couldn't fight so he was in much danger if this person was a foe.

"Now now. Calm yourself little bird. I'm not here to harm you."

"Then what do you want? And who are you?" Albatross questioned.

Suddenly multiple red mana butterflies fluttered inside the room. They flutter and circle around together right before Albatross' eyes. Out of the small vortex of red butterflies came a beautiful young woman wearing a black hooded cloak. Albatross couldn't make out her face but he could see her ruby red eyes glow in the darkness.

"What I want is to grant you your heart's desire. As to who I am. Well if you should accept I shall tell you. And I swear from this day until our deal is done, I will become your benefactor."

"Oh yeah? And what do I get out of it?" Albatross asked.

"Your revenge of course. With my help, you will have your revenge on that fool Kaiber and on that gutless false king Edwin. All you'd have to do is grant me your soul and you shall become a king of your people. if you strive hard for it. No longer will you and the garuda have to suffer under the false pretense of the avians or a weak ruler. With your help Albatross, you will give your people a future. A future where they are free!" The red headed woman shouted.

Albatross gasped. He didn't know if he could just trust this woman but at the same time he was desperate. He had just lost everything. What good is his soul if it was broken to him anyway. And she did say he could still help his people.

The only thing Albatross was unsure of was betraying Tenjin, but this was bigger than him and Tross already severed their friendship. The red headed woman could see Albatross wavering in his eyes and her smile grew.

So interested, my little bird?" the woman asked with an evil grin and pulled out her hand towards him.

Albatross without hesitating any longer reached his hand out to the woman. The souls inside their bodies began to glow. And her head fell off. Finally revealing her face to Albatross.

"Smart. You should know that unlike Edwin, I alway keep my word. I swear this to you upon my name as Circe, the vermillion witch! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Circe laughed wickedly.

Albatross screamed as his soul left his body. Forming the contract that binds him to the witch that helped lead him to a path of destruction towards both Ventus and himself.

***

Now

"RAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!! CIRCE! I'M USING IT NOW!" Albatross roared.

CIRCE!? Emilia, Henro, Ryoka and Tenjin thought. They were shocked to hear Albatross scream the witch's name.

The Fenrir: Fury's Imperial Flagship

Circe's Bedroom

"Oh dear." Circe sighed.

"What? What's happening?" Garō asked.

"Albatross is desperate now. So he's going to use the trump card I gave him. The fool. You've already lost your soul so now you're willing to lose what's left of you. Truly pathetic." Circe said with a disappointing tone.

Back at the battlefield, Albatross kept screaming. Red veins appeared all over his body. His skin turned grey and his back began to metamorphosize. It looked like something big was coming out from it.

"WHAT THE FUCK!? What the hell is happening to him!?" Henro questioned.

"Ew." Ryoka said with her tongue out.

Tross. What have you done? Tenjin questioned.

Emilia was terrified. Not for herself, but actually for Albatross. She couldn't fathom what was happening to him.

"Albatross." Emilia said with sincerity.

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" Albatross roared at the top of his lungs as a huge creature broke out from his back. It looked to be a giant insect like yokai. It has saucer-like eyes, a gaping mouth full of sharp teeth, eight legs, enormous wings, and a long stinger protruding from the rear of their segmented abdomen. It was as big as Ziera's omni-fighter.

Shinchū. One of Circe's hungriest yokai.

"A YOKAI!?" Henro shouted.

"I wonder if it's edible?" Ryoka pondered.

"THAT'S WHAT YOUR CONCERNED ABOUT!?" Henro shouted.

Albatross' back began healing. He grew his wings but now they looked more demonic and grey with red veins. His brown hair was now white. He also has small black horns on his head. He looked at Emilia and his eyes were now fully black with red pupils.

"Albatross. What happened to you?" Emilia asked out of concern.

"What you and your father forced me to become. I'm taking back my future. Right here.....RIGHT NOW!!!!!!!!" Albatross roared. He used his wind magic to bring his sword back to him. Tross dashed toward Emilia readying to swing his blade.

Emilia blocked his blade with her daggers. Emilia grunted as she struggled to push him back.

It's not that he's gotten stronger. But more like this transformation has given him an adrenaline boost. His wound still hasn't healed. And his mana isn't back at full strength! I can still win this! Emilia thought.

"EMILIA! WATCH OUT!" Tenjin shouted.

The Shinchū had blitzed behind Emilia. She managed to turn her body but it was too late. The yokai stabbed the right side of her waist with it's stinger.

"AHHHHHHHHH!!!" Emilia cried out. She now had a small hole in her waist but it didn't stop there. Albatross swung down his blade behind her back.

"Garuda-Yokai Style: Vortex of Death!"

"AAAGGGHHHHHHHH!!" Emilia cried out in pure agony as blood spilled from her back.

Garuda-Yokai style? I can't.... Emilia thought as she fell onto the ground.

"EMILIA!!!!!!!!" Hero roared.

Tenjin immediately tried to fly over to Emilia regardless of his condition. He got a few feet in the air but he felt his heart stop for a second.

"GAH!" Tenjin choked as he fell back onto the ground.

"Idiot! Don't force it or you'll die!" Ryoka lectured.

"I don't care! I...have....help her! I can't....fail her again!" Tenjin said in a desperate tone.

"You're in no condition to fight and you're no good to her dead. Neither of you are. You boys stay here. I'll handle this." Ryoka said. Before she flew off Henro grabbed her leg.

Ryoka looked down at him and furrowed her eyebrows. Henro looked up at her with a desperate expression.

"You.....you've looked down on me ever since we met. You treated me like crap just because I'm a demon and because I'm not as strong as you. And I hated you, because you're just a bitch." Henro said as he took deep breaths.

"But....you are way stronger than me. So I know you can save Emilia without me. But please.....please....let me help. Emilia.....saved my life. She's half the reason.....I even want to keep going. And All I did today was let her down! I couldn't even do my one job and heal my boss!"

"You may not need me but I need this. I want to do whatever I can to help her. To pay her back for everything she's done for me. So...I'm begging you. Please......please....ACCEPT ME AS YOUR TEAMMATE THIS TIME!" Hero begged.

Ryoka looked down at him questionably. She pondered his words and thought back.

***

"It's true that the strong feed on the weak, and Henro does need to work on himself as well. But that does not make Henro a coward. Don't forget, he put his life on the line to save Ziera. Yes, he's flawed. But who isn't? You can't hold everyone to the same high standard." Julia said.

"Work with Henro. Show him that you are worthy of his respect. And in turn, he'll show you that he is worthy of yours." Julia said.

***

"Alright, well you guys know the rest. Aurora of the crimson knights killed my mother. So once I find and take back her head to ifrit, I'll prove that I am worthy of inheriting the throne from my uncle." Ryoka said proudly.

"Cute. But for what it's worth. I hope you succeed." Henro said in a fake dismissive way. Ryoka saw through it and smiled.

"You going soft on me, imp boy?" Ryoka asked.

"Fuck off!" Henro yelled out.

***

"Damn. That's some history you got there. Well... at least your mom is still alive. So you can still save her. And uh... And keep your chin up or something. I don't know! Just stop crying! Shut up!" Ryoka yelled out.

Whatever you say, your majesty." Henro and Emilia laughed. Ryoka scoffed.

Ryoka smirked. She looked down at Henro and said:

"No."

Henro gagged and was completely stunned.

"You're too weak to be my teammate. We gotta fix that when we get back to those lame team bonding exercises." Ryoka said.

"Huh?" Henro questioned.

"So no. I won't accept you as my teammate yet. But tonight, I will accept you as my comrade. So let's help our fearless leader shall we, Akumera?" Ryoka asked with a toothy smile.

Henro was shocked at first but he didn't have time to waste. He grinned and grabbed her hand.

"With pleasure, princess." Henro said.

Back at the fight, Emilia took a knee and was breathing hard. She faced both her opponents but was barely hanging on as is. She was exhausted, had plenty of broken bones, broken ribs, damage on her wings, and a hole in her waist. Both Albatross and the Shinchū were overwhelming her.

"This fight is over, false princess. Just surrender and die." Albatross demanded.

The odds were against her but Emilia didn't care. She knew her friends wouldn't run from a fight. Neither would Tenjin. And especially not her father. So Emilia spat out some blood on the ground and slowly stood up. She raised her daggers toward her opponent and got into a battle stance.

"You have not even a spec of honor, Albatross. If you can't defeat a false princess in a one on one duel then I pity Circe. If she wanted a pawn, she could have done much better." Emilia said.

Albatross growled at her angrily. He wasn't even trying to keep his composure anymore. She easily got under his skin and she knew that.

Emilia grinned at Albatross. She wasn't afraid of him and refused to give him that satisfaction.

"But coward or not this fight isn't over yet. So fine. I'll just kick both your butts. Come on! I can still dance. Can you?" Emilia asked mockingly.

That only pissed Albatross off. He was so angry the red veins on his face glowed brighter.

"DIE!!!!!" Albatross roared as he and the Shinchū flew towards Emilia.

Emilia readied herself for whatever was about to happen until...

"Sun Dragon's: Inferno Slash!" Ryoka swung her sheathed sword and released a fire flash that cut the yokai in half. Killing it.

"HA! That was barely a snack for my Ignis." Ryoka boasted.

"WHAT!?" Albatross shouted.

"Ryoka!" Emilia blushed as she shouted with a smile on her face.

"Hey! Forget me already?" Henrp asked as he appeared right behind her and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Henro!"

"Fallen Magic: Radiance."

"But wait! Your condition!" Emilia pleaded.

"Don't...[cough] worry about me. Just kick his ass already would ya? I want to take a nap." Henro snickered.

"You heard the man. Get to it already!" Ryoka shouted and grinned.

Emilia felt so happy to have them by her side but now wasn't the time. She clapped her cheeks with her hands and flew off. Emilia grinned and felt more confident than ever.

"RIGHT!" Emilia shouted.

Emilia clashed her blades with Albatross'.

"EMILIA!!!" Albatross roared.

"LET'S END THIS ONCE AND FOR ALL! ALBATROSS!"

HYBRID