Ashira couldn’t believe her eyes, her body running cold as the announcer declared Kenuran the victor. The projected body of Moyo had turned to motes of light the moment before he could use his edict attack that seemed to draw in all the aether in the air around it, a truly most devastating attack. With the rest of the now eliminated diamonds and multitudes of ascenders, she watched in horror as their undefeatable wall finally crumbled before the enhanced strength of house Dracon.
Rage and sorrow filled her eyes that glowed as she gripped her blade hard,
“Those….” She spat, her rage blinding her so terribly she couldn’t finish the sentence,
“Ashira” Raina said softly, the other diamonds watching the heir of Kairos literally shake where she stood,
She paused and turned behind her, seeing the golds on their knees with pressure on their body, the silvers passed out. Thankfully the bronze and below weren’t allowed in the viewing room due to this particular sort of mistake, with a muttered apology she snapped her aura back into her body tightly, the golds gasping and the silvers jolting awake, shivering at the feral aura of the threefold style. She turned to master Skatha, eyes pleading to go see Moyo, she couldn’t imagine the state of mind he was currently in.
Master Skatha shook her head,
“He needs time to process the loss and damage to his path” the master replied,
“Damage to his path?’ Ashira asked, the other diamonds turning sharply to her,
“What the titan blade did there was neigh impossible, transitioning from Anshara to touching his aspect” she explained
“He did what?” Lothar asked, surprise in his voice,
They were all startled, but not Ashira, while she was surprised he was able to touch his aspect, she knew Moyo. The titan would keep pushing his boundaries, going the extra mile just to attain his goals, but this time he pushed too hard,
“All the more reason he needs us, he needs me” Ashira begged,
“you have your fight to look forward to, you want to help him?, then win, carry on the thousand blades mandate of free lesser worlds and destroy the dragon in the finals” master Skatha said as she began walking away,
“Where are you going?’ Alvar asked, of all of them, he seemed the one most undisturbed, but his body language spoke differently,
“To meet with the titan” she responded as she phased away,
The titan had influenced them all in one way or another, the ascender from no notable house, clan, school, or sect who proved his worth on the big stage. Ashira saw Alvar grinding his teeth in silent fury, she swore then and there that house Dracon would pay, peace be damned. Their reign of careless attitudes and bullying had finally touched her by proxy and left a bitter taste in her mouth.
While her heart begged her to go right over to the stasis station in space where no doubt the titan was, she channeled her feral and monstrous side. The one part that had her father grinning back home, calling her the true heir of Kairos. It was a shame she would be going up against a Garuda, the ember lady who was on their side too, but while Sonya fought for the prestige of her house first and foremost, Ashira fought for the fate of the world of the man who had been there for her all this while. She turned with cold fury and made her way to the docking station,
“Kairos!” Gisela called as Ashira glanced backwards,
“For the titan” she said,
Ashira nodded briskly and made her way to the transport ship, the silvers and golds staying out of her way. For once she was content with her rank giving her this sort of treatment, her rage blinding her to the palpable fear of the silver ranker that drove the transport ship, closing her eyes, she took deep breaths, calming her brimming rage,
Again house Dracon hurt someone close to her,
Again the dragons act with impudence despite all the eyes watching them,
She closed her hands into a fist, the metal of the armchair she sat on squealing as her fingers were impressed on them. She would make her way past Sonya and face Kenuran, and she would make him pay for this. The silver ascender cleared his throat as she cracked open one eye,
“we’re here” he said,
She nodded and got up, getting off the chair and making her way to the exit of the craft,
“Honored diamond” the silver called as she paused, glancing at him,
“I am not worthy to ask this of you great diamond, but please, for the honored titan blade, make them pay” he said, head bowed to the ground,
Ashira nearly shook from the crescendo of feelings within her,
“They will, by my name I swear” she replied,
The silver bowed deeper,
“You honor me o great one” he said as the craft closed,
Ashira turned and made her way into the stasis station, her footsteps ringing hollow against the metal floor of the station as she made her way to her chamber where the pod was situated. Where they were seven who walked this hall, now only she remained, the last hope for a world currently facing its calamity. She made it to her pod as a message came in through her HUD, making her pause,
K: So, your titan lost to the red jaw, a shame
Ashira balled her fists at the provocative words of her mother who in her eons of existence never bothered to learn the term subtlety, she took a deep breath and replied,
“The titan lost due to the tricks of the dragons, if you watched the fight, you’d see so” she bit back,
K: I did watch the fight little one, touching on aspect and no doubt shattering his path, I do hope you won’t be so foolish, albeit using the authority of a lesser ruler like the thousand blades
Ashira prayed for patience as she replied,
“There are other ways to defeat a foe than extremes, father taught me that”
K: good, that overgrown bird Raye thinks her broods are better than we are, crush that notion child
At least that was one point they both agreed on, she closed the message as she entered her pod, closing her eyes as the stimulation took place.
***********************
Raye Garuda, matriarch and ruler of house Garuda sat in her viewing chamber. It also served as a miniature form of her realm, an extension of her power, her daughter the burning princess Fiona sat to her left, by her right were the two other masters of house Garuda along with the few diamond expert clan lords of house Garuda. The house was made up of mythical creatures, although not as abundant as house Kairos, the true progenitors and masters of the diverse mythical species of the archailect.
She sat with a wine glass in hand, her red hair braided as it stood starkly against her milky white skin. Her eyes stayed glued to the large screen, watching her granddaughter Sonya sit lotus style, waiting for the announcer to call her to the arena. She glanced at Fiona who sat close to her, rigid in posture,
“You seem calm, with the exit of Ajax’s disciple, one would think your simmering vengeance against the death blade would be laid to rest” Raye said, her voice a whispering echo of power,
The elders all turned to her, eyes wide, different creatures with different powers that made up the council of house Garuda. Raye had said it on purpose, the mischievous gleam in her eyes giving her away. The thought of Ajax death blade taking a disciple would throw the powers that be in the archailect into a fit, no one wanted the school of the reaping katana resurfacing, especially the brigade. Her daughter Fiona sighed as she spoke,
“You play games at the expense of the mental health of the elders, the titan blade is no disciple of the death blade, simply a form of a mentor from house thousand blades, be at ease elders” she responded, her voice airy,
The matriarch smiled subtly, twirling the contents of her glass,
“Be that as it may, you do not look satiated” Raye said,
“My dispute is with the death blade, not an ascender worthy of honor” Fiona replied,
“you want to take him under your wing?, with a broken path quite a lot of resources would need to go into him to make him at least a decent diamond” Raye said, one eyebrow raised,
Fiona waved her hand,
“No, the titan is spent, let the thousand blades see to his recovery, he did represent them. I’m more bothered about the heir of Kairos” she replied,
House Garuda and Kairos shared a bond, a bond steeped in millennia-old customs forgotten by most. It was a bond formed between a master ranked Garuda with the abilities of a phoenix and the matriarch of house Kairos millennia ago. A bond so steep, it permitted the matriarch of house Garuda into the privy secret of who Ashira threefold style really was. One of the few trusted allies of house Kairos, the Garuda was surprised to see the child representing the thousand blades.
A few inquiries from the matriarch of house Kairos had produced no tangible result, only the fact to watch over the child by proxy and not to step in whenever harm befell Ashira. Raye had always found the parenting methods of Kairos to be a bit brutal in nature, sure every offspring was to be allowed to explore and see the cruelty that made up the archailect, but Kairos took it to a whole new level. She paused as a message filtered into her HUD, a smile on her face,
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“It seems the matriarch of Kairos feels our Sonya is not much of a challenge to her daughter, she wagers two systems for this battle” Raye said,
Fiona turned to her sharply, curiosity in her eyes,
“What systems?” she asked,
“The Salavan and Uti systems, bordering the draconic galaxies” Raye replied,
She saw her daughter’s intake of breath,
It had always been house Garuda’s goal to have a foot near the Dracons, just in case they needed to attack as quickly as Dracon pushed its allied rulers who bordered the galaxy of house Garuda into skirmishes along their borders. With two systems near the Dracons, the diamond king could finally begin his crusade, it would be a perfect gift for her husband who had been bored for centuries. Raye sat up straight,
“I accepted the offer, now let’s see what Sonya can do with this Ashira girl” Raye said,
**************************
Ashira stood stoically in the remade arena, having been demolished in the god like battle between the titan blade and red jaw, it had taken a snap of the masters from true blade to get it back into pristine shape. One hand on talon, her hair tied behind her, she watched Sonya step onto the field of flames and toxin. It bothered her that the true blades thought her main path to be that of toxins, but if they decided so, then she would play to its advantages. The announcer Iax shouted his voice echoing,
“a clash of great houses!” he started,
“Lady Sonya Garuda, ember lady and heir to the great house Garuda versus Ashira Kairos, royalty of house Kairos, ascenders, are you ready?” he asked them both,
They nodded together, eyes firmly on each other,
He floated back up to the sky, Ashira noticing in that minute second that the pure white hair of the announcer now seemed almost totally black,
“Begin!” he ordered,
Ashira wasted no time, eyes glowing pale as she slammed her jungle realm into reality the same way Sonya did immediately. A line of gold and red fire filled with intent screamed towards Ashira who stared at it calmly, talon flashing with gold intent to trip the attack apart. Sonya had used that instant to get close to her, her red blade flashing as it clashed with Ashira’s blade. The two began an intricate dance of both blades and realms, one looking to dominate the other even as the skies above flashed between red flames trying to form into burning quills and the toxic green blades.
The pushed each other apart, Sonya moving her fingers in intricate gestures as a large rune circle formed behind her, Ashira transforming one hand into her gantlet claw, gesturing for Sonya to come. Sonya showed no visible reaction, but Ashira felt the flames burn hotter,
“CRY” Sonya commanded even as a barrage of quills filled the air,
The cry of a large bird echoed all around them, fracturing the realm of Ashira who bore the attack with a calm expression. Then she channeled a bit of her golden intent and swung he blade,
The command of Sonya shattered like fragile glass much to the surprise of the ember lady who reeled back to get her bearing. Ashira was having none of that however, blitzing her way close to the ember lady who suddenly snarled, bringing her blade down on Ashira,
“You do not fight like a Kairos” Sonya growled,
Ashira knew well enough what Sonya was capable of, the movement reading skill of house Garuda that was passed down from mother to daughter was a literal legendary skill. It was why she used no known movements and her blade work reduced to that of a mere novice, only with the raw power and intelligence she had. Ashira gave no reply, her blade turning green as Sonya hissed and dodged the attack of the poisonous blade. The ember lady in a flash of fire appeared a good distance away,
The rune circle glowed in the air as it began to warp and form into another shape, that of a large bird, the representation of the authority of Garuda herself. The golden form with red eyes and burning wings released its aura around the arena, the very arena floor vibrating as Ashira buckled under the pure power of the Garuda. The legend of Raye the matriarch of house Garuda had been an interesting one, born simply as a Garuda and later on being the only one of her kind left, she had fought her way to diamond before going on an expedition to find the last phoenix also.
Nothing was heard from the golden blade Garuda for decades till she suddenly appeared back, bearing the bloodline ability of a phoenix. All methods were used to reveal how she had gotten the ability, but Raye the Garuda had divulged nothing, all those who were sent also disappearing mysteriously. Everyone else got the message, stay out of her business, the Garuda making it clear and loud just as her aura now dominated the entire fighting arena,
“They say the aura of a true Kairos is a terrible sight to behold” Sonya said as she prepared to attack, blade glowing with intent,
Ashira stared on beneath eyelids that struggled to keep itself open, the power pressing down on her,
“But so far you have shown none of the true might of house Kairos, are you really royalty or some low branch member?” she continued,
Ashira took deep breaths as she rose to full height, despite the burning and oppressing aura of gold and red flames that ran rampant through the air. Sonya stared at her with narrowed eyes, suspicious as she should be seeing as Ashira seemed to shrug off the aura somewhat. The heir of Kairos closed her eyes as she let the memory and action of what she was about to do take her,
************************
Ashira Kairos, heir to the house Kairos and nine year old kept punching the face of the little boy with deep green scaly skin that had insulted her mother, with her pudgy baby hands herself, she kept slamming the Childs face even as it left no visible wounds. The offsprings of the great salamanders were more resilient than that and it infuriated her,
“Mama is no monster” she growled,
Then she got summarily picked up like a cloth with a hook and turned to see a man with grey red hair and eyes staring at her in exasperation.
The children that had surrounded her and the salamander kid bowing immediately at the presence of the man, the man flicked his eyes to the kid who trembled as the gaze of the man settled on him,
“I will be paying your father a visit, it seems clan salamander has begun to raise bullies” the man said as the boy ran away, the children surrounding him following in his footsteps,
The man sighed and turned back to a little Ashira who crossed her arms and pouted,
“Ashira Kairos, what did you think you were doing?” the man asked,
“Drop me Vardant, he insulted my mama, called her a monster” Ashira grumbled,
“You do know your mother is known as the queen of monsters, right?” master Vardant asked, amusement dancing in his eyes,
Ashira sniffed and turned away, master Vardant chuckling as he carried her back towards the large gleaming fortress in the distance. Ashira was unusually silent even as they began to trudge through the snow,
“It bothers you so much” the master said,
Little Ashira sniffed, fighting back the tears,
“Am I a monster?” she asked quietly,
“the truth?, yes, we all are, our entire house, but monster is subjective” the master replied,
“What does the word mean?” Ashira asked, her face scrunched together in confusion,
“It means it depends on what is being said my princess” the master replied,
“We are monsters because the archailect sees us so, we are monsters because we defend what is ours with feral dedication, we are monsters because we never relent in the pursuit of strength”
He placed her down as she stared up at him, not paying attention to the figures in black who appeared behind her, head bowed,
“Honored princess, glorious child of the great mother, your servants apologize for letting you off despite it being your orders”
Ashira gave them a stink eye as they revealed how she had slipped them,
“Your father isn’t going to take things easy with them for letting you out of their sight” Vardant said,
Ashira wasn’t really bothered, her mind on the words of the master, she could always coerce her father into letting them go, she was his world and he adored her like no other. She turned to the master,
“Why do you think we are monsters?’ she asked,
Master Vardant, the master forge smith of house Garuda smiled and grabbed her gently, the two of them phasing away with the jumpy power little Ashira called it. They appeared in the grand hall of house Kairos; it had been built piece by piece over years of hard work by the skilled sculptors and artisans of house Kairos and it served as a waiting room for the throngs of people who wanted to meet with the royalties of house Kairos.
Right now the hall was a quiet structure of stone and precious metals, only the cravings on the walls spoke of ancient feats, feats master Vardant had brought her to witness again,
“Every carving in this room is a testament to the great strength of Kairos and your mother, every time they proved themselves true monsters” master Vardant said,
He turned to her,
“We are called monsters when our true strength shines it terrifies everyone, when we crush those who oppose us with no mercy, those who would oppress those weaker than them, we call it the Kairos rage” he explained,
“The Kairos rage” she echoed, eyes wide,
Master Vardant chuckled,
“Someday, when you’re old enough, you will be taught how to unleash that rage, but heed my warning little one, the rage is neigh unstoppable, you mustn’t let it rampage, else both friend and foe alike would end up hurt” he warned,
Ashira nodded enthusiastically, skipping towards the spot where a pathway had opened up and a giant of a man stepped through, singing the words Kairos rage,
*****************************
Ashira Kairos delved into herself even as her mind snapped back to the battle she was in, the flames no longer touched her, they wouldn’t dare make a scorch mark on the bloodline ability of the Kairos. The scaly armor had covered her body during the trance state, empowering her to heights untold since the training with master Skatha. She could see Sonya wreathed in flames, her body hazy with the outline of the Garuda bloodline, and it was a majestic and terrible sight to behold,
Ashira delved deeper,
One lock tore loose from the rage, a single lock in the ten she fashioned mentally to hold down the rage of Kairos. Everything became red, blood red rather than the bright red of the flames Sonya conjured. She walked through the flames as Sonya opened her mouth, the sonic cry of the Garuda ripping through the air, batting at the mantle and scaly shield of the bloodline ability of Kairos. Sonya attacked in a maelstrom of burning quills, her blade flashing as the entire arena shook and cracked under the rampage of the Garuda, everything going up in flames.
The runes that held back the power of the flames whining so loud, the masters of clan true blade had to empower it, holding back the rage of the Garuda, nothing could be seen in the cataclysmic power of the flames that burned. A voice tore out of the flames, so loud and filled with authority that it commanded the attention of everyone watching the battle, from rulers to mere iron experts,
“RAMPAGE”
Pure feral and monstrous aura saturated the entire arena, recording constructs crashed, the runes that held back the power of the flames fractured and the flames itself died off. It revealed a glassed arena, one whose sand had all but crystallized into glass from the heat of the flames, it also revealed Ashira with her blade stabbed cleanly through the chest of Sonya whose body had been slashed in so many different ways and angles that she was almost unrecognizable, save the face that had been left untouched.
What made everyone pause was the monster that was Ashira, green tail flicking venom, two large horns of glowing bronze on her head with the golden furred skin of a feline. Baleful yellow eyes glowed through her feline shaped head and her body had transformed, looking bigger but more feminine. The entire aura around her spoke of nightmares and terrors of the dark, it spoke of terrors that scared terrors, and it drove the ever living fear into the spectators who shivered at the sight.
The runes snapped back into place, Sonya coughing out blood as her bloodline ability sputtered out, despite the healing ability of the phoenix she possessed, it did nothing in the face of the pure poison of Ashira’s path,
“monster” she croaked and dissolved into motes of light,
“Ascenders, the final winner of the round of two, Ashira threefold style Kairos!” the announcer said from the air above,
The crowd shouted as they recovered from the aura, the name Kairos on their lips, Ashira turned and began walking back, even as she began to transform back to herself, the monstrous form going back under seal. Making her way back to the waiting room before willing her consciousness back to the station. She opened her eyes to see a familiar figure seated, green eyes staring at her with a smile,
“Hello Eogan” she whispered,
He smiled at her quietly,
“Hello lady Ashira” he replied back,
They maintained the silence for a few seconds,
“I heard about the titan, are you alright?” he asked softly,
She nodded as she stepped out of the pod, taking a deep breath,
“Father?” she asked,
“With the sage, I came ahead of them, they should be here in a few days” he replied,
She nodded and sat, shoulders shaking as Eogan drew her close letting her sob quietly,
“You did well Ashira, he’d be proud of you, Moyo I mean” he said,
She nodded quietly as tears kept falling,
“Is there any way we can help him?’ she asked,
“Perhaps, where is he now?” Eogan replied,
“No idea, but I’ll go find him, I always do” she said