Nine months, that's how long it'd been, the eerie long calm before the storm, for others maybe, but for Raven it'd been impossibly long, here he was, engaged in mortal combat with his body, the body was faster, stronger, hit harder, struck to kill, and to what would be himself and all those who knew him's amazement he met the body blow for blow, the unconsciousness empowered body giving all to rend it's freedom away from it's host, his consciousness, many things had led to this battle, even as blows connect he remembers, the events that'd led him here, the Conference!

NINE MONTHS PRIOR

Raven glances to his phone screen, on it a call, the number unknown, he groans rising as he picks it up,

"Hello?" He questions over the silent line,

"'Which one are you right now?'" the oddly familiar voice questioned over the line,

"What?" Raven questions with obvious confusion,

"Which is it?" The voice questioned again, "Ethan Raine? Or Raven Voss" the voice questions, Raven's relaxed expression evaporates his eyes going sharp,

"Who's this?"

"Seven thirty, Arinx store, the roof, be there" the voice replies before dropping the call,

(Silver),

{I know},

Another call rings, Raven is quick to answer when an all too familiar voice calls out,

"The cafe we met, I'm in a black Ferrari, be here in twelve" Kevin states. Minutes fly pass and Raven finds himself seated next to Kevin who tears through the lights with blistering speed, eventually he slows before a densely tree covered forest, driving in further the outline of a huge mansion peeks just beyond the horizon, eventually the arrive at the gates of the mansion,

"Come with me" Kevin states heading into his home as he nods to the bowing caretakers, eventually the two come to a small dining room, Kevin takes a seat motioning for Raven to take a seat opposite him, Raven complies before Kevin deems it fit to speak,

"Ask" he states,

"Ethan Raine" Raven states, "Every thing you know", Kevin smirks lightly before closing his eyes and sinking into the couch,

"Fine then, let's take things even further back, how much do you know about the three main Murim factions?" Kevin questions,

"Not much, I know MURAKAN are more or less an evil organisation, THE SYNDICATE leans towards neutrality, I've heared little about the last,

"ALITHEIA" Kevin replies, "the weakest of the three, the ones adamant to keep the status quo as it is" he states, "Before the generations, in the time of Circles and martial families Gray Wade then a teen if ordinary birth with the only thing special about him was being fortunate to become a Murim-in began his ascension, fuelled by his hate for Murim, it's constant squabbles and apathy towards the endless harm they brought the non's, something he'd been not long ago, fuelled by his hate for their cause in his mothers death he created the very first Circle and smashed every family in his way, eventually his cirlce had grown so big and powerful that the families had no choice to join forces and thus created the first martial organization, what is now known as THE SYNDICATE, Against all odds Gray eventually won the war and created ALITHEIA who we're then the most powerful, they forced the Murims-ins further into the dark and established the commandments, then came the problems, Gray had won, but what next?, He had no desire to rule, eventually abandoning the mantle to his officials, they fought and eventually the organisation spilt after his death, thus MURAKAN came to be, an organization which seek to bend first UWA then the world to their wants, the only barrier that held them in place was your father, though born of low birth and discriminated even despite being a member of a huge Shifter family, he rose above every hurdle, reformed THE SYNDICATE and held order in partnership with what was left of ALITHEIA, Eventually your father went missing and as we're both aware is headed by non other than your mother, Rachel Vasiline Voss, formerly headed by your father, the man widely regarded as the most powerful 'being' to live and closest to the gods, Nathaniel Aubry Voss", Raven's eyes go wide as he stares frozen in shock,

Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

(Even I don't know my fathers name),

"How do y...",

"I can't tell you that",

{Then tell him to stop dodging the question},

"Ethan Raine" Raven re emphasizes,

"Not much is known off him or his origins, the inky thing definite to any certain degree is that he worked with Hide to help create his dynasty, and to help forge it's foundations was both the first brain and sword he had, he destroyed the second generations",

(The time after Gray),

"Then help establish the third generation",

"Where do you fit into all this?" Raven questions, Kevin smiles,

"Simply an observer",

"Then what happened to my father?" Raven questions,

"That i cannot answer, what i can tell you this, the man who engineered the body your consciousness currently inhabits means you harm, I'm sure that familiar of yours has realised it by now, all i can say to you for now is to finish your mission with the crews as fast as possible, the NETHERS encroach on our world, corruption festers behind the veil, once your work is done you will be here"

"Here?" Raven questions, as Silver ponders while observing Kevin silently,

"Yes, the coliseum of kings is soon to rise, there the chosen who will be the first scions of the perilous times to come will be chosen by trial of combat"

{The Tournament of Gods, the spark of divinity} Silver states grimly,

"You're far from ready, i myself is curious, what sort of being would the PERFECT SHIFTER be" Kevin grins,

"I'm not a fucking labrat!" Raven sneers,

"Oh but you are, make no mistake Cebasa himself intends to use this body as a host for his conscious, that's only possible if you lose to the festering corruption in your head that is, he's a pitiful man, couldn't beat the man, couldn't get the girl and now in his absence aims for the son, I'll say this once Raven Nathaniel Voss, end the era of Crews and i will aid you in becoming the closest to godhood since the epoch of relics" Raven exhales trying to weather his stormy mind,

{I see, he's made it pretty obvious} Silver comments,

(....),

{Here i thought you were picking up, there really is any hope} Silver sighs,

(Just tell me already!) Raven replies,

{He's Ethan Raine} Silver declares, Raven turns his head upward sharply to meet the sight of Kevin smiling lightly, Instinctively Raven didn't ask, he'd know the moment Silver stated it, that's when it'd all clicked, before him sat the man myth and legend, The strongest of the new generations, Ethan Raine.

The two make their way into Kevin's car, whipping winds accompanied by radio silence and jumbling thoughts, A call buzzes through the ghost silence, Raven glances to his phone's screen with barely a tilt in his frown,

"I think there's somewhere you should be" Kevin states pulling up momentarily qt his apartment complex, Raven nods getting out the car, Kevin turns to Raven having wound down the passenger side window,

"Ask",

"Vin, Wuu and You" who's strongest, Kevin smiles,

"Between Vin and I?" he states with the bearest upward tilt in his smirk, "He's the legend of the third generation and the scion of yours, the fourth" Kevin replies before,

{He's stronger} Silver states,

(I know),

{The gap shortens},

(But when we fought...) Raven trails,

{He wasn't trying to win} Silver replies, {i doubt there's any of his generation much less yours that can rival him, he's infinitely close to STAGE ONE, Brain Control}

Nathan Warden Elaine and the girls dine happily when a youth barges in through their complex's bottom flood doors, Warden and Nathan's heightened senses pick the sound, and discreetly albeit still to Elaine's trained notice they blur down the flight of stairs and in a flash they're before a bruised and battered youth clutching at the edge of consciousness,

"Attackers, west side!" He manages, "Drak..e a..nd Jos...h" he manages before falling unconscious, Nathan and Warden's faces harden simultaneously, Elaine comes running down minutes later, she calls for Alexa and Ary with a shout as the three help the injured youth up,

"Nathan",

"I know" he replies as the two empower themselves with 'Force' to and blur towards their destination,

(Drake, Josh, be safe!).