Leaked Files No. 5

A compilation of all stories from the Multiverse involving the Seraphim. For better organization and easier readability

## The Seventh Trumpet Sounded- Terrus, VYLE-666 [07-07-2021 A.D]

The universe was in a massive war. The denizens of the planet of Terrus, have found a way to traverse other universes with the help of Syndicate. However, it was not for positive reasons. For thousands of years they had known the multiverse existed. What they called their prophet had seen it, a ripple in space time, a glimpse into another world. After that fateful night, he had let the people know of his findings, and pleaded for the governments of the world to direct more resources towards finding a way into other worlds. Hundreds of years later, that Prophet had a religion after them. And the governments all merged into one. Under one currency, and under one ruler. It was a truly unified world, with one goal: Take over the universe.

Then came the Syndicate, an organization with a similar goal. They saw usefulness in the world, and made them their puppets. They helped advance their multiverse traversal technology. Within years, Terrus Conglomerate had taken two universes in their Wing. They weren’t planning on stopping, until another group got in their way.

“Unidentified spacecraft have been spotted in the North sector of space,” a Terrus pilot said on his radio. He looked on and saw an armada of starships and capital ships coming his way. The pilot looked on in fear as the ships slowly moved closer. He then swallowed heavily and said in a threatening manner on the radio, “You are entering Terrus Conglomerate territory. Turn back now, or face the consequences.” He then hears a response back from a very young sounding boy. “What would the consequences be, tiny ship guy?” He scoffed, surely this kid doesn’t realize the power of the Conglomerate. He got on the radio again, “You will meet death at the hands of Terrus.”

“Oooo so scary. Is that all?”

“Foolish to downplay us.”

The pilot contacts the rest of the Terrus fleet and says, “We will not falter. We are the Conglomerate. You will kneel to us whether you like it or not.” In an instant, the pilot is shot down by a blast from the Seraphim fleet. Bloodclaute flicks Hellscream in the back of the head and says, “Trigger discipline much?” Hellscream nervously says, “My bad, I got a bit excited.” Soon after, multiple Terrus ships fly towards the armada. “Alright everyone, as usual,” Creed says from the main Seraphim Capital ship, also known as the Bethlehem. The Seraphim ships all move into position, making a pincer-like formation and shooting down the enemy ships. Here Lies Fate walks up next to Creed as the Bethlehem moves forward. “The leader is still on the planet. I have seen her,” Fate says, touching Creed’s shoulder. “Is she powerful?” Creed asks.

“There is a reason she rules 3 universes.”

“Then I won’t hold back.”

Fate doesn’t say anything, even though she foresaw the end of it all. She shivers and walks back to her seat. She believes what will happen will be too much, but then thinks, will it? Her past is of pain and blood. Maybe this is retribution. She shakes the thought and begins to give orders to the Dominion fighters.

A few hours pass, and the Seraphim closes in on the planet of Terrus. The anti-space weapons on the planet’s surface engage and begin a barrage of laser fire and missiles. A few Seraphim ships are destroyed, but the pilots are saved by an Elysian on the Bethlehem who teleports them into the capital ship for safety. Though they can’t save them all. Some losses are made and the Elysian grieves at the ones they couldn’t protect. Priestess comforts them and tends to the pilots’ wounds

Tech-Savvy says in an annoyed tone as she shoots from a turret on the Capital ship. “Those were good ships and good soldiers. Fuck.” She then presses a button that opens up multiple hatches under the ship. She presses another button and a rain of highly explosive photon bombs fall into the atmosphere. Due to the speed of the bombs hitting the ground, the explosions completely clear out the ground tanks and anti-air guns. The Seraphim make it into the atmosphere and drop off Creed, Here Lies Fate, El Diablo, Priestess, Imperialist, and Blink. They’re met by a platoon of Conglomerate soldiers, guarding the large obsidian spire in front of them. Creed tries to negotiate, “Guys, this doesn’t have to get any worse than it is now. Just let me get to the Queen so she can surrend-'' a bullet strikes Creed in the head. He reels back and regains his balance. The bullet sticks to his forehead, but instead of being impaled, it crushes against his skull. Creed reaches for the bullet and takes it off his head. He examines it a bit and then finds the soldier who shot it. He flicks the bullet towards the soldier and it impales him at the speed of sound. The other soldiers look in horror at their comrade, with a giant hole in his chest. ”I’m going to ask again. Take me to the Queen,” Creed says, still calmly. The soldiers slowly raise their guns at the group. Creed sighs and says, “Teddy, Corvus, go ahead.”

El Diablo and Blink nod as they walk towards the soldiers. They all tell them to freeze, but to no avail. El Diablo holds their hands at their sides and from the ground, comes dozens of imps and other demons of varying size. They run towards the platoon and begin to rip them apart. A few imps swarm one of them and claw at him until his bones can be seen through his uniform. Blink disappears in front of a few soldiers. They look around but can’t see him. One of the soldiers is then thrown into the railing and slammed into it repeatedly into his face now has a crescent moon shape wound across it. Another one is seemingly lifted into the air on his side. She begins to scream as she realizes she’s being pulled apart. Her scream is cut off as she finally splits in two, with blood and her intestines falling down to the floor. The two halves are thrown away. The two quickly clear out the platoon, leaving a bloody path to the entrance to the spire. Creed walks forward, with the rest of the group following behind.

The throne room was quiet. Every single guard was at attention towards the door. The queen watched with the guards, anxious and waiting. She tenses up as the screams of her loyal subjects grow louder and closer. The guards gasp and murmur as they hear a thud on the steel plated door. Blood begins to seep from below the door and on the boots of the guarding soldiers. The bloodcurdling screams of the defending force stops on the other side of the door. Not a single sound is heard. The guards stay on their defensive, holding their guns and their swords. It seems as though moments have passed by, before the steel door bends in the center suddenly. The guards jump and ready themselves. Another bang on the door is heard as the steel crumples once again. Finally, it gives way and tears open. Blink’s leg is now piercing through the door. He begins to pry the rest of it open as the guards open fire on him. Hundreds of bullets hit him and seep into his skin as he continues to pry the door open. When he finally does he goes invisible. The guards panic and begin shouting orders to stand their ground. Creed walks through the door with Marko out and shoots multiple soldiers, each one with a chunk of their body missing after the pellets hit. The soldiers open fire, but the bullets fall a foot before it hits the target. Priestess slowly walks behind him, holding her staff and protecting Creed with an aura shield. The Queen tenses up more as Creed slaughters her guards before her eyes. When there’s no one left, Creed turns his attention to the Queen and dissipates Marko.

“Queen Yvonne Pascal. I would like for you to surrender,” Creed requests as he stands before her throne. She shivers before steeling herself and answering, “Why would I give up? To the likes of scum like you?”

“Well it doesn’t seem like you have any more meat shields to protect you from said scum.”

“You really think I can’t defend myself?”

“Oh no I trust that you are a strong, independent woman. You’re queen of three universes. Well, more so a dictator but, I guess you can soften the blow with queen.”

“Are you mocking me?”

“‘*Are you mocking me?*’ Yes. And I’m gonna ask again. Surrender, and it’ll make life easier for all of us.”

“You underestimate me. Your little band of heroes are nothing before me.”

Yvonne then gets up and conjures something in her hands. A maroon glow comes from her fingertips as she sends out a wave of energy. The blast hits Creed, but is protected by the Aura shield from Priestess. Creed isn’t fazed, and rolls his eyes. “With gusto this time,” Creed taunts as he picks at his fingernails. Yvonne grows angry and tries to lift him in the air, to which she’s successful in doing. Creed looks down and has an impressed look on his face. She throws him across the room into a wall and leaves a hole in it. Yvonne then looks at the others and smirks. “Was that your strongest? What a pity. I guess it won’t be fun taking care of the scraps.” She then throws another blast at the group, to which Priestess blocks easily. “I think you may need to take another look,” Priestess says, nodding towards the gaping hole. Creed brushes himself off as he gets out of the wall and looks at Yvonne. “Nice throw. Didn’t see that one coming.” Yvonne’s pride breaks a bit, before making her fingers glow again. Before she can do anything, Creed says, “Bri.” In an instant, Imperialist dashes over to Yvonne and grabs her arm. “What are you-” Yvonne is interrupted by the feeling of her power waning. As Imperialist held on to Yvonne’s wrist, she could feel all of her magical abilities being sucked out of her. Imperialist then pushes Yvonne to the ground and walks back to the group. She creates a maroon glow in her finger as she walks back, commenting, “Pretty strong. No wonder everyone feared you.” Yvonne gets up, sensing her abilities are gone. “What…did you do to me?” she says as her dread shows. Imperialist answers, “I took your powers. They’re mine for now. But I don’t think you’ll live long enough to have them back.” Creed walks up to the throne, as Yvonne tries to retreat into it. She presses a button and a large laser drops from the ceiling. It fires at Creed, hitting him in the back. Creed continues to look at Yvonne as the laser struggles to scratch him. Blink reappears as he jumps, with his clothes tattered but his body seemingly perfectly fine and rips the laser down. “Fate, show me what she’s done these past few years,” Creed says. Here Lies Fate walks over and touches Creed’s shoulder. She then brings the three into a domain of the past. Yvonne is seen in multiple visions of tormenting people. Many were still alive during their so-called executions, cursed with immortality by her mages. Screams of the people rang through all their heads, and even children. The domain shrinks, and Fate steps back for Creed to process it all.

Creed looks down on Yvonne, who’s now looking back at Creed in genuine fear. “You tortured…the children as well?” Creed interrogated. “You killed them, killed them all. You even killed your whole family. Everyone that didn’t bow before you. You tormented in cold blood. You made their lives hell. Worse than the Hell I’ve been to. You fucking psychopath. You’re a monster.” Yvonne stutters as she tries to keep her pride, “They were weak. I filtered out the strong. The ones who didn’t show their strength, their resolve to take what’s ours, they were of no use.” Creed crouches low, and stares down Yvonne. She looks concerned, and realizes there’s no way out. She pulls a knife from her throne and thrusts it at Creed, but her hand is caught and quickly broken by him. She gives a cry of pain. Creed then says, “That’s not nearly as painful as the things you put your victims through.” He raises his fist and slams it down on Yvonne’s chest. The strength of the blow creates a shockwave around the entire planet. Yvonne’s bones crack under the strength of the blow as she cries out again, louder than the last. Creed does it again, this time much harder than before. The blow creates another shockwave, this time causing the tectonic plates to move. Creed does this continuously, cursing at Yvonne as the planet trembles to his fist. On his seventh punch he pierces through Yvonne’s heart. At the same time, the planet becomes bombarded by earthquakes and lightning strikes. The planet opens itself up in response to the trauma of the punches. Molten core spews out from the cracks of Terrus. A continent sized piece of the planet flies out of the planet, into deep space. The entire building begins to rumble. The group begin to run back to the ship. Priestess shouts, “Creed, the planet’s going to go. We have to move.” Creed, looking at Yvonne, who’s clinging onto life, says as he gets up. “I hope my son Hades sends you to the deepest parts of the Abyss.” He walks out as the building implodes on itself.

The group escapes the planet on the Bethlehem before it explodes. The armada fly deep into space as they watch the planet of Terrus fling pieces of itself across the solar system and finally die as the core of it wanes out of existence. Creed watches and then holds his face in his hands. The group comfort him. “I did that. Me,” Creed says as his voice breaks. Tech-Savvy rubs his back and says, “It was out of anger. Anyone n the same position would’ve done the same.”

“Belle, I destroyed a planet…”

“There were no more good people there. Yvonne made sure of that.”

“But, we liberate, we don’t destroy.”

“There was nothing else you could do…”

“I feel like there was. There had to be. Aaliyah? Was there?”

Here Lies Fate turns her head and answers, “No. That was the Absolute. You were meant to destroy Terrus. No matter what.” Creed looks at the ground and nods. He then says, “I’m not going out on missions anymore.”

“High One?”

“I’m too dangerous. I don’t know when to control myself. That could’ve happened to any planet with innocent lives. I’ll leave it to the Precocious Squadron. I’ll only go in when I’m really needed.”

“Are you sure this is what you want High One?”

“Yes, I think doing things myself has reached a point where it might endanger people, and us.”

“I see. I understand.”

“I’m sorry everyone. I’m a fuck up.”

“Nonsense Seraph. You are a driving force for this war. If anything, it was on the Conglomerate for their misdeeds. You were simply karma.”

The Seraphim then transport back to CRDNCE-218, where Creed settles down and appoints Imperialist as leader of extradimensional missions. The agreement was that everything would be handled as best as possible, but if push comes to shove, they would contact Creed for the final blow.

At a single call, the Angel of Death awaits.

*“Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and within his temple was seen the ark of his covenant. And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake and a severe hailstorm.”-Revelation 11:19*

## Gods Trying To Be Human- Arthur's Bay, CMLT-919 [04/12/2022 A.D.]

[*Conversation between the Roundtable and the Cherubs and SERAPH*]

ANGEL: Hello, Seraph

SERAPH: Sup, Arch

ANGEL: I would like to talk about the nature of your universe.

SERAPH: Sure, go ahead.

ANGEL: Firstly, I would like to mention how interesting it is that our languages are phonetically identical and identical in grammar as well. What did you say your language is again?

SERAPH: Oh, it’s called English in my universe. In our universe, Camelot is a mythical kingdom only in fables. England took over most of the world so, English is the most spoken language

ANGEL: Astounding. How fortunate for Camelotian and English to be extremely similar.

WITCH: Do you guys have magic?

SERAPH: Magic? No, no magic. That’s also a fictitious concept where I’m from.

WIZARD: Then how do you explain your elemental abilities?

SERAPH: These? [A sound of fire and electricity crackle] They’re all within my body. My cells are different from regular human’s. As are most of my people. We’re called Elysians, the name kind of explains itself. Our biology is entirely different from a human’s. Each person is different. Like Here Lies Fate, she turned into a whole Druid.

FATE: As strange as it sounds, I was a Human before. Sometimes I don’t wish to see the Absolute Fate.

SPECTER: How the hell do you explain shit like that then?

SERAPH: Oh that? Well that’s because Alternatives and Elysians have a chance of connecting to one of our universe’s realms. Like me, I was a “normal” Elysian before I became connected with the Immortal Realm. El Diablo is connected to the Gone Realm and can summon demons. Here Lies Fate uses Voyd, Sanction, and the Underworld. It’s a phenomenon that not many of us can explain. It just happens. Not even Jehv can really explain it.

ANGEL: Ah yes, this “Jehv” you talk about. Who is he?

FATE: He is God.

[Silence in the room for a few moments]

SPECTER: Repeat that?

FATE: The being that is lovingly called Jehv by our team is the God of our universe.

REPTILE: And you guys just casually mention him? Like that’s not a huge damn thing?

FATE: Have you not met your god? Do you have one?

SPECTER: No comment

FATE: I see.Well, Jehv is our advisor in a way.

SERAPH: We’re kind of best buds. In fact he’s in this room right now.

[A metallic sound is heard and then a wooshing]

JEHV: Howdy

SPECTER: What the fuck?

JEHV: What a potty mouth. Almost worse than this kid

SERAPH: I don’t curse THAT much.

JEHV: Have you heard yourself?

SERAPH: Okay maybe I curse a bit.

VOID: How did you two meet each other?

SERAPH: In a church. I was looking to a pastor for help and he was disguised as one.

JEHV: I knew it would happen so I came there preparing before he came in. I had to test him to see if he was really the latest of the Credence Family. Good thing I did.

ANGEL: So it was you who told me to prepare when I was in that strange place…

JEHV: Hey, you’re just as smart as your other part here. Yeah, I pulled every version of you guys into Heaven to talk to you. You all have a very big role to play. There’s more than the Leviathan out there. You all need to be ready for it.

WITCH: Yes, we have a few…thoughts on a certain being.

IMPERIALIST: Who would that be?

VOID: Classified information for now.

FATE: [giggles]

REPTILE: What are you laughing about?

FATE: Classified information has no meaning for me. I have already foreseen it.

STRONGMAN: Did you breach our security?

FATE: No, no. It’s part of my ability. I know everything that is and will be. But I can also change what could be or prepare you for what will be.

SERAPH: Here Lies Fate can see the future basically and change it at will. So, she already knows the threat you guys are talking about.

THUNDER: Why don’t we have an anomaly like that?

ANGEL: Outstanding. Your world is like…an Olympus for us. Full of gods.

SERAPH: Well. that’s our curse I guess. None of us asked to be this way. I just wanted to be human but I’ve long accepted that I am what I am now. It gets tiring a lot of times but it’s my mission and my duty. To protect my universe, and everyone else’s.

ANGEL: It must be a heavy burden on your part. On all of yours.

KAM: Being one of the only humans kind of makes me jealous but I still pull my own weight.

SERAPH: We wouldn’t be here without Kam. One of the MVPs. Our universe may be a shithole but it would’ve been worse without him.

ANGEL: Well, hearing all of this has helped me gauge your universe and the people inside it. I value this conversation very much.

SERAPH: Hey, maybe you could swing by one time. We’ll hold a nice dinner for you all. The entire Group.

ANGEL: I would appreciate that, if you let me help with making the dinner.

SERAPH: Fuck yeah of course you can.

ANGEL: Wonderful! I will be eagerly awaiting your invitation!

[AUDIO LOG END]

## The Angel's First Lesson- Arthur's Bay [04/16/2022 A.D.]

[*Audio transmission from 001-ANGEL to SERAPH of GOI-002-SE. Recorded during the beginning of the founding of CACG*]

ANGEL: I have something to report to you and ask for advisory on it

SERAPH: Well go ahead?

ANGEL: It seems that a very malicious entity had begun killing our agents and destroying our sites. It feels otherworldly and it seems that it came from no where.

SERAPH: What does it look like?

ANGEL: It appears to have horns, a slightly scaly body, and it stands at 10 feet. Its aura is…unmeasurable.

SERAPH: Oh that’s a demon for sure.

ANGEL: Please clarify on the term “demon”?

SERAPH: You’ve never heard of demons? Man your world is a lot better than mine. They come from Hell, in my world. It’s a realm of complete shit to be honest with you. Evil ass things. All they want is for people to experience pain. I’m surprised you’re not out there killing it right now yo.

ANGEL: That’s the issue. I’m stuck on how to use A-005.

SERAPH: You mean the necklace?

ANGEL: Correct

SERAPH: Damn it’s weird hearing numbers for everything. But what do you mean you’re stuck?

ANGEL: I am unable to pull out instances of A-006 at the moment. And…I was wondering if you had any counsel for it.

SERAPH: Ope- I know exactly the remedy for that. Aight, so, stand up.

ANGEL: Okay [*Rustling is heard*] I am standing.

SERAPH: Now, find your Mark

ANGEL: [*A few seconds pass*] A-000 located on my left leg.

SERAPH: Punch it.

ANGEL: ….Could you repeat the request?

SERAPH: I said it. Punch the Mark. And don’t pussyfoot it either. Really hit it.

ANGEL: …I see. One moment please. [*Silence then a large thud is heard with a groan*]

SERAPH: Wow. You definitely hit it.

ANGEL: [*In pain*] Next course of action?

SERAPH: Now breathe in and out and then touch the necklace

ANGEL: Affirmative… [*Breathing is heard and then a humming noise*] A-005 is now luminescent…!

SERAPH: Now think of what you want to take out and just pull.

ANGEL: [*Humming noise gets louder and stops*] An instance of A-006 has emerged from A-005. It appears to be a halberd!

SERAPH: Ooo I like that. I prefer a glaive myself but that works too. Now go get that demon. Send it back to my world so I can have a word with it.

ANGEL: Affirmative! I appreciate the counsel and advisory SERAPH.

SERAPH: Man, a formal talking version of me is definitely something I won’t ever get used to. Aight, peace out and be sure to hit me up again if you need anything.

ANGEL: Understood. Ending transmission. I will update on the situation.

[*TRANSMISSION END*]

*The Director retreats all agent forces on the rogue entity and neutralizes it himself. The ring behind his head glows brighter than usual.*

## Nice to Meet You- GEO-7, Grail [04/21/2022] A.D]

The alarms blared with enough volume to pierce cloth. Agents were rushing through the halls yelling to each other giving commands. One shout was clear “Secure the Roundtable!” It was Agent Malik King’s supervisor, who had already darted out the lab room a few seconds after the alarms started. He was stuck in place, like a deer in headlights.

For years he was trained for situations like these. He was told many times by the Director that there would be a moment where the Group would be in danger. And many times where the whole world would be in danger. However, he was trained for a containment breach and an incursion from the Camelotian Government. He wasn’t trained or prepared for an attack by the Syndicate.

Gunshots and screaming were heard from outside the hall. At that moment, his lab partner closed and locked the sliding door and turned off the transparency mode. “They’re looking for the necklace,” the lab partner explained.” If they can’t get it off the Seraph they’ll get it off the Director. They know he’s not as strong as him. They’re sick. Who would ever hurt the Director?”

Malik looked around and found his assigned handgun. “Well, the Syndicate it appears,” Malik responded while loading his weapon. “Do you think any of them have abilities?”

“Well, the Seraph said most of them are human, save for someone named Coldfront, and Havelock is rarely seen.”

“So a gun will do fine, I’m hearing. You have yours?”

“Yeah, yeah I do.”

She pulls out her pistol and loads it as well. They both hear boots rumble through the hall like thunder and orders being given. They ready their weapons and stand at either side of the door. They wait for what seems like ages. The constant stomping pounds into Malik’s head and looks at his lab partner. There’s an apparent look of determination whilst also having the look of absolute terror.

The Syndicate is nothing they have ever faced before. While the Camelot Army was already something to be feared, the Syndicate’s armada was bred for multiversal travel and the like. They’ve fought demons, entities, and even gods. Humans were cannon fodder to these people. You could barely even call them human themselves with how cold and hardened they were.

After a while the boots stop, and they halt right at Malik and his partner’s door. A radio is heard and then a man shouts, “The Multiverse Director’s office is here. Break it down.” This is followed by a loud thump on the door. Malik and his partner look at each other as they realize they’re trying to kick it down. Malik grips his gun and signals the partner to find cover. What they want with him is anyone’s guess, but they can say for sure it wasn’t going to have a good ending.

The door thumps more and eventually more radio chatter is heard. The thumping stops for only a moment before what sounds like a laser is heard. Malik aims his gun and waits for them to finally cut through and when they do, opens fire on the first three soldiers he sees. He manages to dome one and injure the other while the last one ducks for cover. More soldiers come through and start to spray the lab with bullets. One ricochets and hits the lab partner and she lets out a shriek of pain. Malik is too far to tend to her wound and could only keep firing. He wonders how long until he runs out of ammunition. Is this it? Will he die here? He ponders these thoughts as he now mindlessly pulls the trigger hoping it’s enough to ward them off. That’s when a loud crash is heard behind him. When he looks back, he sees an entire small aircraft lodged into the wall. The room goes silent and murmuring is heard within the aircraft.

Malik knows something is up when the smoke doesn’t settle at all. In fact, the smoke begins to increase in volume as it slowly creeps out of the aircraft. The Syndicate soldiers step back a bit, and then step back more as the smoke touches them. One gives out a yelp of pain and begins shooting at the smoke and eventually chokes and falls to the floor. The others begin to open fire as well at the smoke. The aircraft cockpit opens and out jumps a woman in a green coat. She rushes at the soldiers while they’re distracted and with a quick swipe of her small sword dispatches the soldiers in the room.

Malik looks in awe of the woman and snaps out of it when she calls out, “Your plan worked this time Yarad, but I don’t quite like crashing our jet into our friends.” He wonders who she’s talking to, until the smoke starts to form at one point into the body of a young teenager. The teenager puts his hands behind his head in a lackadaisical fashion and responds, “Hey, it was the quickest way to get in. Plus, it was pretty fashionable, don't you think?” The woman rolls her eyes and responds with, “Recon the base, I want to see if the Roundtable is safe and take count of the survivors in staff of the site.” The teenager simply nods and forms back into a cloud of smoke and leaves through the broken down door.

Malik hears another set of steps and sees a woman tend to the lab partner. She’s wearing robes and has a large engraved staff. She says warmly to the partner “Please hold still. You’ll be okay.” She puts her hand to her wound and the room gives off a slight warm feel. The partner’s gash slowly closes up and eventually, it’s like nothing ever hit her. The partner looks at the woman and thanks her with teary eyes. The woman smiles in response and looks at Malik. “Are you hurt too?” she asks. Malik stammers and shakes his head in response. She nods and starts walking out the lab.

Malik stops her and says “Who are you guys?” She and the other woman look at him directly. The woman in the coat has one green eye and another pitch black with a sigil inside the iris he begins to recognize. The robed woman speaks first, “My name is Priestess. It’s nice to meet you. Though I wish it were on more diplomatic terms.” She smiles and curtsies. The woman in the coat walks forward a bit and says “I’m called the Imperialist, and we’re the Cherubs of the Seraphim.” She shows the emblem of the Seraphim on her jacket and Priestess does the same with her headpiece. Malik and the lab partner look at each other and get up to walk towards them.

The lab partner says, “So you’re the ones from another universe. We’ve heard a lot about you guys. The Director speaks so highly of you.” She shakes Imperialist’s hand and smiles wide. Malik speaks up and says, “How did you know we were in trouble?” Imperialist looks at Malik and answers, “We got a tip from Here Lies Fate that this would happen. So we took an aircraft and came here as fast as we could. I’m sorry we weren’t fast enough. Some of your staff were unfortunately killed, I assume.” Malik shakes the thought and stands up straight, “It’s okay, it’s better than losing all of them. Thank you, ma’ams.” he bows his head in respect and Imperialist gives a reassuring smile.

The teenager comes back and looks at Imperialist and reports, “Roundtable is secure, and I took out like three squads. There’s more, but nowhere near the rest of the staff.” He looks at Malik and gives a toothy grin. “Oh heya, I’m Hellscream. I flew that jet into your lab. Sorry about that.” Malik chuckles and shakes his hand. He’s amazed by how strong and coordinated these people were. He thought about how one teenage boy was able to take out three groups of what seem to be super soldiers. “Welp, we better get going. Bria? Milly?” Hellscream looks at the two and they nod back. They look at Malik and his partner and salute then run into the hall. Malik looks at his partner and says “So, lunch after this is all over?” to which she responds by laughing and nodding.

## An Informal Meeting- GEO-7, Arthur's Bay, Grail (05/26/2022)

The Roundtable was having a scheduled meeting. They were discussing new containment procedures and potential upgrades to Geo-7. However, during the talks, the lights dimmed and their devices started to malfunction. “What the fuck is happening? Thunder, did you not recharge the generator?” Specter asks with an annoyed tone. Thunder responds defensively, “I charged it to 100% just an hour ago. Plus the tablets and phones are glitching, so it has to be something other than the power.” Then, a puff of pitch black smoke appears out of the corner with an elegant yet condescending voice emanating from it, saying, “So these are that green hat brat’s new friends?” The smoke dissipates and absorbs into the being.

He’s wearing a pitch black suit without a single stain to speak of on it. He stands tall, with his hands in front of him. He’s giving a grin, bearing his sharpened teeth. Strongman gets up and advances toward the intruder, but is blown back by an unknown force into the wall. “Is that how you greet guests?” The man asks in a disappointed tone. He then creates his own chair and sits down at the table opposite of Archangel. He looks up and down at Archangel sizing him up before giving a scoff. “Gods, I hate looking at you. You look too much like him.” Archangel looks a bit nervous but keeps his composure and responds, “Would you be so kind to clarify who you speak of? There's many 'hims' in this facility alone.” The man is taken aback a bit, and answers, “Well, you certainly are way more formal and put together than him. And by him, I mean your counterpart. From *my* universe.” Archangel’s eyes go wide and his temperature runs hot. “Does that mean, you are…?” He starts with a shakiness in his voice. There’s only a few things that can catch Strongman off guard. His ability prevents him from anyone getting the jump on him. He’s been through hundreds of trials in the field. It would have to take someone completely off the charts to slip by his abilities undetected. The man flashes a menacing grin once more and finishes Archangel’s sentence, “Levi Abaddon. You may have heard of me.”

The room goes silent. Witch gets up and casts an arcane missile at Levi. Levi simply lifts his finger as if shushing and the magic blast vaporizes completely. He looks at Witch and says, “So impulsive. I would sit down if I were you.” Reptile shouts, “Masks on everyone!” before jumping on the table and breaking several phials. The Roundtable Council put on their masks with filters and watched Levi, to which he simply stared. He finally breathes in, which takes out all the toxic fumes in the room into his nostrils with one inhale. He breathes out cinder and smoke. “Okay, you can stop playing around with your toys now. Sit down, and let me speak.”  With a wave of the hand, jet black chains coiled around each Roundtable member. Void Walker tried to slip their body out of the chains using their veil, but it completely disintegrated. “Impossible…” Void says to himself. Seeing this, Specter tries to phase through the chains and gets burned as soon as they try. They let out a pained yell before growling at Levi, “Fuck you, you 'Prince of Darkness' wannabe piece of shit.” Levi looks over with an amused face. “Feisty, I guess not all of you are as polite as your leader here,” he comments before covering Specter’s mouth with more chains.

He looks back at Archangel and continues, “I’ve been watching you. You and your little... organization. I know you’ve been talking with a sort of... rival of mine. He’s quite the character... Always getting in my way.” Levi clenches his fists, tightening the chains subtly, but then he clears his throat and adjusts himself. Archangel inquires, “What would your plans be in the ultimate scheme of things, Levi? I don't believe we ever got your side of the story.”

“My plans? Well, mostly to spread my love across all Worlds. Bring salvation across all of existence. Peace and order can only be achieved by having one ruler. What better ruler is there that knows order than yours truly?”

“How would you go about keeping order and peace across the Multiverse?” the Archangel asked, with genuine curiousity in his voice.

“It’s simple, let everyone know how great my power is. I can do anything. I can fulfill everyone’s desires and everyone’s wishes. They’ll believe in me. They’ll worship me. Why do you think the Havelocks came here, as they’ve done to dozens of universes? I’ve given them everything they wanted, and showed them the truth. They seek to complete my dream and theirs. Your universe is just another vessel that needs a bit of...discipline. I can’t have anyone in my way, you see?”

Wizard speaks up for the first time since Levi arrived, “Then why talk to us and not just kill us right now if you’re so able to?” Levi looks at Wizard and answers, “Killing people myself is messy, and I hate getting blood on my suit. I like to let others do it for me. At least it was always like that until that cretin came into the picture. But besides that, I’m giving you a chance. All of you. To join the cause. You’re all weak right now, but under me, you’ll be more powerful than any threat that’ll come your way. Like a certain one that seems to be on the loose…?” Levi grins at Wizard and he looks away in shame. Archangel speaks up, “I appreciate your offer, Levi, but I will have to decline. The CACG doesn’t wish to control anything, only to protect our world and analyze anomalies. It would be against my morals.”

Levi frowns before bearing his teeth and snarling, “You’re just... like... **him.** I guess no matter what World you come from, you *frustrating little **brats*** share the same thing: ignorance and stubbornness. You’ll never understand what I’m doing for all of you.” He gets up and adjusts his suit again. “Then I believe this meeting is over. If you so wish to be foolish and continue to work with that idiot, then I guess we’re done here. In time, your World will fall eventually to my love. I would consider making your peace with anyone else that chooses to be a heathen.” Levi bows and walks through the wall in a puff of smoke. At the same time, the black chains unwrap and dissolve into smoke.

The Roundtable all catch their breath. “Who the fuck was that?!” Reptile exclaims. Wizard goes to check on Specter. “Director, are you okay?” Thunder asks. Archangel clears his throat and gives a thumbs up. He stares at the wall where Levi disappeared. He mumbles, “A Pillar of Reality in the flesh...” remembering what the Seraph, Dr. Kam, and Techno-Mechanic told him. It was that moment he realized that Levi was everything they told him. He knew that the CACG alone couldn’t stop him and that something dark was coming to the Grail eventually. He picks up his tablet and contacts the Elysian Sanctuary, under the High Priority Line. The line connects with the Seraph replying “What’s up, Arch?”

“Seraph, we... the Roundtable just came in contact with the Leviathan.”

Seraph stays silent for a few seconds and all he could mutter was,

“Fuck.”

## A Worthy Protege- Hazor, Earth-218, CRDNCE-218 [05/30/2022 A.D.]

“Now, pull,” the man in the green beret says to the Director, to which he listens by pulling out a weapon from his chest. He retrieves a broadsword, with its hilt decorated in gems and metals. The Director looks at it in awe. “Cool right?” the man asks while pulling one out himself. “Its name is Reinigen, and it’s the first ever weapon from the necklace.” The Director looks at the man and smiles, “It’s such a beautiful weapon. Tell me, Seraph, how many more are there?”

“You should know. Think, it’s in the back of your head. Like a memory.”

The Director looks at Seraph in confusion then looks down at his necklace. He starts to think, and not long after reaches for the necklace again. He remembers every weapon inside the necklace, even though he’s never seen them before. He remembers a glaive, a war hammer, a shield, a long bow, the staff Priestess has, and a shotgun along with many other weapons. He knows what they are, and yet he doesn’t. His face visibly shows shock, and Seraph sees this. “Crazy, I know. That’s how I felt when I first got the necklace. I also felt it when you made that halberd when I taught you how to pull out a weapon the first time. I know exactly what it looks like and how to use it, despite only you making it and using it.”

“Teach me more, sir,” Director says with eager eyes. “Okay, even if I am your teacher, please don’t call me sir,” Seraph says while walking forward towards the targets. “It took me weeks to get Bria and the other Cherubs to just call me by my name. Seraph works too, but no sir.”

“Yes, Seraph.”

Despite them being the same person from different universes, the Director is younger than the Seraph. He also found out that he is slightly older than Hellscream, his other counterpart, as well. Because of this age difference, and him being leader of one of the most powerful organizations in the Multiverse, the Director feels the Seraph is superior to him in position, as well as an older brother. Seraph pats Director’s head and says, “Okay next, you’ll make another new weapon.” the Director nods and looks out into the horizon. Seraph continues, “It can be anything. Something that fits you, something that has a goal, something to protect, to attack, anything. The necklace will make it for you.”

The Director closes his eyes and puts his left hand on the necklace, to which it responds to his touch by glowing a soft light. The Director stands still for a while then gives a pulling motion. The weapon emerges in a flush of bright light and slowly dims to a small assault rifle. It has a collapsible stock and a drum magazine with the words “Pendragon” on it. The iron sights are made of a strange metal with a gyroscope adjacent to the left side of the first sight. Seraph whistles and says, “A draco, what does it do?” Director responds by aiming at a tree and pulling the trigger once. The bullet fires at almost the speed of light and pierces the tree, and the one behind it, and another, into what seems like 12 trees pierced by the singular bullet. The bullet disappears and a click is heard in the magazine. The holes in the trees reach a diameter of about 9 inches and start to glow. The glowing then turns into what seems like a saw made out of light and cuts the trees down in place. Seraph smiles, “Fucking nice. I knew you had more than that halberd. Also thank you for naming it something that wasn’t a set of numbers. It’s kind of a mouthful to say ‘A-006-1’.” The Director blushes and lets the draco dissipate into the air.

He looks at Seraph and requests, “Please teach me more things, I want to be effective in the field. Sitting at a desk all the time is tiring.” Seraph laughs and accepts. “Okay, let’s teach you some move-” Seraph starts before he stops. The Director looks at Seraph then his eyes widen as well. They both felt it, and they both knew: Another weapon was just added into the necklace. Like an instinct, they both reached for their necklace and pulled out a long single edged blade, it was engraved in ancient metals and was Asian in design. It was a miaodao. The two examined the blade more and then looked at each other. Seraph shrugged and tossed the miaodao into the air, letting it disappear. Director looks at the blade and keeps holding it pondering, “So there is another. But…not here.” Seraph agrees, “Yeah, someone not on our timeline. From the future it seems. Well, I guess we better not worry about it now. Let’s teach you a few things. Like being acrobatic. Gotta keep moving to keep your enemies confused and on their toes.” Creed smiles and pats the Director’s back and explains more. The Director listens with an excited expression, with the new sword still in his hands.

## The Observatory- Jericho, Vela, CMLT-919 [06/01/2022 A.D.]

On the moon of the Grail, construction is nearly finished for the Angel’s Outlook. Bellona is doing the finishing touches on the communications device. “A twist here and….done!” Bellona says with a smile as the device turns on. Imperialist bows towards Bellona in respect and uses the device to contact the Sanctuary, known a Hazor, in their home universe. The communicator rings twice before being picked up. The holographic screen shows a video feed of the throne room with the Seraph looking at all of them through the screen with a smile. He simply greets with a “Sup y’all.” Imperialist kneels and responds, “Hello Seraph. We’re near the completion of the Outlook. All systems are healthy and the gate is working as expected.”

“Nice. How is it over there? Is everyone comfortable?”

“Living quarters have been made to be extremely home-like. They also have internet and specially made mattresses.”

“Ah good, I don’t want everyone to have bad backs waking up. So what’s the status of the planet?”

“The Grail is fine in the sense that the Syndicate hasn’t made a move. Their starcraft are still in orbit. It looks like they’ve made a few outposts on the planet.”

“Gotcha. Well, you’re in charge of operations in that universe. If you want to hit those bases you’re free to do so.”

“Yes, Seraph. I do have an inquiry though.”

“Go ahead, Bria.”

“What of the Archfiend?”

“Oh the magic monster?”

“Yeah.”

The Seraph let his eyes wander among his room. He ponders deeply and then asks her, “What do you think of it?”

“I believe if nothing is done, then CMLT-919 will become uninhabitable.”

“What’s the CACG doing?”

“Unsure. Their records haven’t been updated in a while.”

“A bit troubling. Hopefully it’s just because it hasn’t shown its face again.”

“I hope so too.”

“Well, here’s what I think. Since this is their first major threat, let’s see how they handle it. We won’t interfere, only until it seems that the universe will be at risk of becoming uninhabitable. That’s when you guys can step in to take care of it.”

“I agree. I went down there once to give some members a few tips. Along with Murietta and Yarad.”

“Sweet. Hopefully they listened to your guys’ advice. How are you guys though? How has the universe been?”

“Honestly? Better than the last one. I didn’t have a Klurg come into our base every day to try and suck my blood.”

“I remember that. You were this close to making them go extinct.”

“I was going to do it too.”

“Oh yeah, and if the Archfiend *does* come after Jericho, you can give it a warning shot.”

Imperialist grins and remembers in one universe where a threat had encroached their outpost territories. She had snapped her fingers like the Seraph did and half disintegrated the creature with a singular lightning bolt. It, as Imperialist noted, “Ran like a scared little bitch with its tail between its legs”. The people of the universe revered them as gods sent from the heavens. Imperialist looks at the Seraph and bows and says, “As you wish, Seraph. I also wanted to ask: How is the Archangel?”

“Archie? Oh he’s fine. Though he’s still in infancy of his abilities. I got him to create another weapon. He calls it the Pendragon. It’s a cool ass draco. I need him to have more experience. Especially out in the field. I might take him to other universes to get some. He’s strong, his powers are maturing and maybe eventually he’ll be the Aspect he’s meant to be.”

Imperialist remembers the word. Aspect. A word to describe beings that are extremely powerful and represent a single element or feeling. She goes down the list in her head:

* Hellscream, the Aspect of Smoke
* Here Lies Fate, the Aspect of Fate
* Bloodclaute, the Aspect of Blood
* Imperialist, the Aspect of Power
* Techno-Mechanic, the Aspect of Progress
* Priestess, the Aspect of Health
* Xeno-Sorceror, the Aspect of the Hunt
* Seraph, the Aspect of Vengeance

These people have shown to be extremely powerful and near godlike in their field. They are all integral to the objective of the Seraphim to eventually defeat Levi and the Syndicate.

She speaks with Seraph a bit more before ending the conversation and hanging up. She walks out of the room, and sees Hellscream leaning against the wall near the door. “How did the call with the big bro go?” Hellscream asks while eating a mint chocolate chip ice cream cone. Imperialist responds, “It went well. We’ve been told to not act on the Archfiend unless it comes for us directly. I’ll let Fate know so the Dominion can relax about it. They’ve been antsy about that thing.” Hellscream whimpers a bit, “So no fighting the big bad magic dude? Aww….”

“I know you want to fight things, but we have to test them. If they need help, I’ll be the first to let you know okay?”

“You better. I wanted to use my dome again. Oh yeah! Check this out Bria!”

Hellscream aims his index finger at a bottle on a railing. He lifts his middle finger  and a shot of smoldering cinder comes out at high speed to hit the bottle into a recycling bin. He smiles at Imperialist in a show-off manner. Imperialist comments, “Impressive. You can make solid smoke objects now?”

“Yessir! I can also make a gigantic smoke space object. I call it the smoldering meteor.”

“Your powers are maturing. I’m proud of you Yarad.”

Hellscream blushes and continues on his ice cream. He looks at Imperialist’s right eye, where the Mark is, and asks, “So how’s it feel having a connection with me and big bro?” Imperialist responds, “Well, my powers that I got from him aren’t as strong as his, but now every power that I do absorb are stronger than they used to be without the Mark. It’s amazing really. I feel more confident I guess. Ever since we left our planet, my life has gotten a bit less shit. When I see that realm with you guys, I feel like a part of something. Something important. I have a purpose, and I want to complete that purpose.” Hellscream smiles and elbows Imperialist, “I’m happy for you, Bria. We’re making the multiverse a better place. And when it’s all over, let’s visit Earth again. See what’s going on over there!” Imperialist smiles at Hellscream and nods. They look up to see the Grail, a beautiful planet with enormous continents, and then head to the Dominion barracks to report to Here Lies Fate. They’ll set up watchtowers, and specialized weapons to keep watch of the Archfiend if it ever finds out of Jericho’s existence. They’ll be ready in case it reaches even a single galaxy-sized finger towards them.

Reptile and Specter hang out at a mountain range in the Unified Frontier. They banter with each other and even throw a few punches at each other. While they take in the scenery and spar with each other the sound of an almost futuristic engine gets louder and closer. The two look up and see a giant aircraft hovering lower and lower to the ground until it lands gently on the lush green grass.

## Field Training- Arthur's Bay, CMLT-919 [06/02/2022]

Reptile and Specter both ready themselves but relax as soon as the hatch opens. Who comes out is Imperialist, Bloodclaute, and Hellscream. They wave at the two and Hellscream turns into a puff of smoke. He reappears behind them and puts both his arms around the two. With a cheery voice he asks, "Hey guys, whatcha dooooin'?" Specter phases through his arm backing up. "We were just chilling. The hell do you guys want?" Imperialist and Bloodclaute come up to them, to which Imperialist answers, "Status report. Making sure you guys aren't dead. The usual. You two seem to be doing good. How's the rest?"

"I don't know. Go bother them or some shit."

"I thought me on my period was bitchy."

"Fuck you."

Imperialist smiles at Specter and then at Reptile. "I caught you two sparring. I haven't fought since the attack on one of your sites and the soldiers were pretty bad at their job. How about we join in?" Reptile scowls and responds, "I just want to let you know, if we fight, I'm going to kill you. I don't pull my punches." Imperialist chuckles and nods. Hellscream puts Reptile in a headlock and playfully says, "Oh you couldn't kill us if you even tried, but it'll be fun!" Reptile hisses and swipes at Hellscream aiming for his neck, though it passes through completely in a swirl of smoke. Hellscream moves back over to Imperialist and Bloodclaute. "Feisty. I like it. So let's do 1v1s yeah? Who wants first?" Reptile steps forward and taunts, "I'll go through all three of you by myself. It won't matter."

"Ooookay cool! Lizard dude versus?"

Bloodclaute comes forward with her eyes closed. She sighs and adjusts her blouse. "Murietta steps up! Coolio!" Hellscream says as he creates a gun made out of smoke. On my...Mark. Heh, get it? Annnnnd go!" The smoke gun fires with a spark. Reptile and Bloodclaute run at each other with Reptile pouncing at her and sinking his teeth into her forearm. He backs off and wipes his mouth and says with a sassy tone, "And I win. If you guys get mad you lost a member just remember you guys asked for this." Bloodclaute stands still and looks at the two holes in her arm. She looks up at a now grinning Reptile. She smiles back and looks at her watch. "How long until the venom sets in?" She asks. Reptile answers, "In a few seconds you'll start to feel the effects. It's gonna hurt. Bad."

Bloodclaute looks back at her wound and starts to wince. Reptile starts to laugh and says, "Next one?" While laughing, he realizes Bloodclaute is also laughing. "The fuck? What are you laughing about?" He says with a confused look on his face. Bloodclaute keeps laughing as blood from her wound rises out. The blood suspends into the air and suddenly flies towards Reptile. Reptile dodges but the blood continues to persist after him. "What the fuck is this?!" Reptile yells as he evades the flying blood trail. Bloodclaute continues to laugh and lets more blood out of her arm. More and more blood accumulates in the trail as it gets faster towards Reptile. Specter looks on in a bewildered state. Imperialist smiles and then proceeds to play on her phone. The blood finally hits Reptile, starting on his arm. He hisses in pain, "FUCK. Why is that so sharp?!" His clothes become bloody and cut up and he slips on the ground.

Blooclaute puts her arm down and answers, "Your ability won't kill all the time. You'll meet people who can directly counter it. You need to learn to adapt to it. Dodging won't save you. Work on another offensive measure. Also, don't be so sure of yourself. You'll look stupid if you lose." She leans next to Reptile and further explains, "I clotted my blood as soon as you bit me. I let the venom run its course in that clot and finally let it out to attack you. I used your own venom against you. If you couldn't tell by now, I can control blood. Your ability is very weak against mine. I would work on another method of killing if your first method doesn't work. All of us have another one. It's saved our asses tons of times over." Bloodclaute pats Reptile's head and returns next to the aircraft.

Hellscream gives a cheer and reports, "And crazy blood lady wins against snake guy! Now, the ghost against Bria!" Imperialist gets off her phone after taking a picture of herself and steps forward. Specter scowls and crosses his arms. Hellscream looks at the two with his gun pointed into the air.

"This'll be good....annnnnd....go!"

Imperialist slowly advances towards Specter and keeps her stance. "By the way, your ability works against me. I'm still human. Just mutated," Imperialist informs Specter. Specter looks at her and responds with, "Stop talking and fucking fight." Imperialist rolls her eyes and creates a flash of light from her hand and quickly sets herself up behind Specter. She does a low sweep, but doesn't connect as Specter makes her leg phase through them.

Specter gives off a tired groan and levitates forward leaving the grass razor sharp and shoots out at Imperialist. She backs away and looks at the grass while quickly taking off her boot. The boot then closes up instantly with a loud clap. "That was close," she comments. She also takes off her green jacket and gives it to Hellscream. She runs back to Specter and fakes them out by creating a wall of fire in front of her. Specter gives a confused look at the wall of fire then sees her jump out the wall. She touches Specter for a split moment before phasing through them. "What the fuck?" Specter asks themselves. They move back a bit, feeling the phase through. Imperialist circles back around, now floating in the air and kicks Specter in the back of the head with her left heel. Specter reels forward, still stunned.

They snap out of it and throw a few punches at Imperialist, to which she dodges gracefully at. She stares Specter down as she deflects their assault. She grabs their arm and puts her other palm on their chest. She swipes her leg and knocks them down to the ground and pins them. Specter tries to phase through but finds they can't. "Why the fuck can you touch me?!" Specter yells. Hellscream comes up to them, his lower body in smoke and starts counting down. Specter struggles more and tries to use their free hand to escape by touching the grass, hoping it would shoot out to attack Imperialist. It turns razor sharp, but it doesn't do anything else other than that. Imperialist sighs and waits for Hellscream to reach 10 and then lets go. She finally answers, "My boot. You used your ability on it. When I touched it to take it off I got a bit of your power. Just enough to touch you. The more I could interact with you, the more of your ability I could use. Also why the grass didn't shoot out to hurt me like last time. You really hate people huh. I could feel the hatred with your ability."

"Fuck people."

"You won't become an issue in the future will you?"

"Depends."

"I hope not."

Hellscream chimes in, "Well, that was fun to watch! You guys need anything? A drink? A snack?" Imperialist responds, "I'll take a chocolate bar, thank you." Hellscream nods and quickly floats towards the aircraft. Imperialist helps Specter up and looks at them more while holding their arm. "You're what stands between the Syndicate and your universe's prosecution. They're ruthless. And if they find out how to contain you again, they *will* torture you. Just like Murietta said, find ways to adapt. If you want, you can take that hatred for humans and come with us on missions to get rid of Syndicate bases. More help is always nice." Imperialist lets go and looks out into the mountains that span for miles. "Just think on it. The Group would be a huge help. I know you got your own problems, but I feel like eventually, the Syndicate will finally make their move in a big way. By that time, I hope they're weak enough for us to make them retreat. Hey, maybe we'll even see that scumbag Levi." She looks over and releases the ability on her boot and puts it back on.

Specter looks away and scoffs. Imperialist smiles a bit and walks away to the aircraft. "We're going to go make rounds around the planet, and then we'll be off. You know where to find us," she calls to both Reptile and Specter. The three Seraphim members get into the aircraft, with Hellscream waving from the cockpit. It takes off gently and leaves the two alone on the mountain. It travels towards the horizon where a gigantic spatial base floats over the planet. The base has a Syndicate emblem on it. It makes a loud creaking noise, and adjusts its wings and flaps. It can be heard across the entire Unified Frontier, as people below in the mountains look up with concerned eyes.

## A Meeting With Fate- Jericho, Vela [06/03/2022 A.D.]

Archangel comes through the gate into Angel’s Outlook. It’s bustling with Humans and Elysians alike. The settlement is covered in neon lights and riddled with wind towers and solar powered panels to power them all. He looks around and sees children playing with each other at a nearby playground. Some are watching a few show off their abilities and others are play-fighting with them. He smiles then looks at his map of the area. He identifies the barracks and heads there, welcomed by a few Dominion soldiers with a, “Evening, Archangel”. He greets them in response and asks one of them, “Is Ms. Paladinia here?” The Dominion soldier checks his tablet and answers, “The Domination is in her quarters. I’ll notify her of your visit.”

“Thank you.”

“Have a good evening, Director.”

The Dominion soldier opens the Barracks door and lets Archangel walk in. The inside is intricate and cozy. The floor is covered with soft carpet and the walls are a pleasant pattern. There are plants and paintings littered around the halls and softly illuminated by LED lamps. He takes in the majesty of the building and walks towards the receptionist desk. The worker looks up and gives a warm smile and says, “Welcome to the Dominion’s Regards. How may I assist you today?” Archangel smiles back and responds, “Hello, I’m looking for a Ms. Paladinia? I have a meeting with her.”

“And what would your name be?”

“I go by the name of Archangel.”

“Archangel….right right! You’re the Director of the CACG am I right?”

“That is correct, yes.”

“It’s nice to meet you. I’ve heard about you. You’re doing a great job keeping your planet stable.”

“I thank you. It’s been a bit challenging but I think we’ll manage.”

The receptionist nods and looks through her computer. After a few seconds she chimes, “Ms. Paladinia is in 3A. The elevator is right next to me. Have a nice evening, Archangel.”

Archangel thanks the receptionist and enters the elevator to head to the third floor. He arrives at the door labeled 3A and knocks. The door is answered by what looks like twins. They look at Archangel and then at each other. The one with the golden laurel crown smiles and says, “Greetings, Director of the CACG. Lady Fate has been waiting for you.” The one with the obsidian crown smiles as well, “Yes, she is meditating but she is very aware of her surroundings.” Archangel nods and they let him in. He looks around the room. It’s like a small forest, with vegetation growing naturally and a variety of animals thriving in the miniature ecosystem.

At the center of the room is Here Lies Fate, meditating in midair over a lake with her holding an orb that looks like it’s containing an entire universe in itself. Archangel is led by the twins to her and they both walk away. Archangel gazes upon Here Lies Fate. He remembers that she is now a Druid. Ivory antlers sit atop her head, decorated with ornamental jewelry. Her hair flows a beautiful verdant  and her blouse a soil brown and with it, the Seraphim symbol stitched onto it. Around her neck is a pure white snake that coils gently along her body. Her right eye is covered by bandages and her left eye completely uncovered. She is a beautiful sight, and it takes Archangel’s breath away.

“Arch. Good to see you,” Fate says, unmoving from her meditation. Archangel snaps out of his awe and stammers, “Hello Ms. Paladinia. I’m sorry to come on such short notice.”

“It’s fine. I’m on no mission. I have all the free time right now.”

“I see. I was wondering-”

“If you could see your future?”

“...Yes. That is correct.”

“Of course. But first, may I ask why?”

“Well, ever since I had that dream and was given abilities beyond my understanding, I’ve been…nervous. Unsure of what direction I should take. What will happen to me and my friends. It’s been bothering me ever since and I was hoping you would shed some light, if it isn’t too much to ask.”

“An understandable reason. Very well, I will tell you.”

The room warps around Archangel and Here Lies Fate. The orb in Fate’s hands begins to expand and envelop the two. The orb expands to the point where they are now both in the fabric of the universe. Archangel can see every star and galaxy from where he stands. His eyes dart around, collecting as much information as he can of his surroundings. Then, a blue light trails around them both, forming a ring.

Here Lies Fate speaks up, “It seems that the CACG go on to combat an extremely terrifying threat. One that will trump every threat you will ever encounter. A being that can wipe out your universe within an instant. There is also another fate. You will become an Aspect and will be placed among the Omnigenie’s Guardian Collective. Like your counterparts, and me.”

Archangel looks down and looks back up at Here Lies Fate. he speaks up and asks, “So will my universe ever be safe?”

“That is unknown to even me for now.”

“How strong is the threat?”

“Levi cannot control this threat without effort.”

Archangel shakes at the thought of it. A threat like Levi? And it’s coming from this universe? Do all universes have a threat like this at this scale? He stammers and as he tries to find the words, Here Lies Fate opens her available eye slowly and asks, “Would you like to change this fate?” Archangel stares back into her rose tinted eye and looks down. What would happen if he said yes? Would it be selfish for him to do so? What are the consequences of doing this? All these questions ran through his head within seconds. He decided that he wouldn’t risk it, and that he’ll face the threat head-on if he needs to. He looks back up at her and answers, “No, thank you.”

Here Lies Fate smiles and closes her eye again, “I see. Then is that all you wished to know?” Archangel thinks for a bit and shakes his head. The universe shrinks back into her hands and they are both back in the forested room. She says in a happy tone, “It’s good to see you Arch. You and the rest of the gang should visit Jericho more. Our gates are always open to you. Though, the ghost one might need a chaperone. I’ve seen the way they act.” Archangel chuckles and responds, “Yes of course Ms. Paladinia. I apologize, I’ve just been busy dealing with things with the Group. I will try to visit more often.” Fate nods and says, “You can call me Aaliyah you know? You’re so formal all the time. Loosen up a bit will you?”

“Sorry, Aaliyah. I thank you for accepting my request. I hope to talk to you again. I must go back to Headquarters. There is something I must attend to, I just received a message from the Rescue team-”

“Yes. It’s starting isn’t it? I won’t keep you any longer. If you need assistance. The Precocious Squadron is always a call away. The Dominion will also assist if needed.”

Archangel looks a bit surprised but then remembers that Here Lies Fate’s abilities allow her to see any event and what has happened and what will happen. She knows about what happened to Wizard. And she knows what *will* happen afterwards. He waves goodbye and walks out of the room. He checks his phone and sees that Specter, and Void’s trackers are approaching Geo-7. They have returned from The Zone.

He walks to the gates and it takes him directly to Arthur’s Bay upon inputting the coordinates. He’s now inside the Roundtable office. He looks around and settles himself then walks to the aerodock, waiting on the rescue team in possession of Wizard. He also spots the AV approaching the aerodock. The first mission to save his World has begun.

## The Archmages - [06/03/2022] | GEO-7, Camelot

The sun was starting to set over Arthur's Bay when the expedition team came back from A-027. Specter, Luca, and Void all looked out the window of the AV as it began its approach to the aerodock, seeing Wizard being hauled off in a stretcher. "What the fuck happened?" Luca muttered, his anxiety clear in his voice. "Shit. He really failed, didn't he?" Specter whispered. The pilot took the AV down and landed in Dock 7, letting all of the members disembark. "Keep me in the know, alright V?" Henry said as he patted Void's shoulder. Void responded with a simple nod and ran off to see Wizard alongside Specter. They both bolted to the infirmary, inquiring about which room Wizard was in when the Director entered. "You two are back earlier than expected," he said, but he already knew they had caught on to how dire the situation was.

"Is he going to be okay? Are *we* going to be okay?" Void asked in a panic. Specter remained silent, but it was clear he shared the same worries. "Just... don't worry about it for now. Head to the briefing room, we're having an emergency briefing as soon as I'm done talking with Wizard." It was clear that even he was worried about what was happening. Wizard wasn't the type to go down easily, and the fact that he only barely made it out of the Aurette Coast made it painfully clear that this was a threat that wouldn't be handled without a fight.

### The Plan - [06/04/2022] | GEO-7, Camelot

The meeting room had a stillness in its air. Void walked in with the dossier they were each given prior to the meeting, a folder containing arcane rituals, magical history, and even old fuzzy photographs of carvings and scenic vistas. All of which had one common thread between them... Item A-079. Witch was at the front of the room, presumably ready to click away at a slideshow to help the Council get an idea of what type of threat they're up against. Specter, Thunderbolt, Hypersonic, and Reptile were already seated at the roundtable, with Strongman and the Director himself following shortly after Void. As soon as they all were seated, Witch had began the briefing.

"Let's cut to the chase about A-079. I'm not going to sugarcoat things either. This is one of the most dangerous entities we've seen... barring *some* exceptions. It was widely known in the mythos of multiple magical societies as a powerful demon with immense arcane abilities, and to this day... we had no reason to believe it truly did exist."

She clicked the remote in her hand, as the screen in front of the room was plastered with a massive expanse of land terraformed around A-079's radius. Crags, spires, and miniature mountains shielded the creature from the rest of the world.

"The Aurisian Military has been pushed back by smaller entities, A-079-Beta. While their soldiers have the perimeter secured, they can't push any further than they are now. And the kicker?"

She clicked the remote again, this time showing a shockwave of energy from orbit.

"It's choosing people. According to the research Wizard and I had conducted on the Archfiend's legends, it needs powerful mages to break the seal."

The Director finally broke the silence amongst the audience in the table, "And what are we supposed to do about A-079 itself? Wizard had already tried everything he could to seal it away again, none of it worked."

"The Mages, Archie," Witch said with a grin. "If we can get just one of these seven 'Archmages' on our side, they'd be able to seal A-079 away with ease. The problem though... we don't know their allegiances. The wave could've hit anyone, Chuckleskull operators, PlutoCorp investors, even some poor hot dog vendor out in the Capital. But with that, we have a lead."

Witch clicked her remote one last time, bringing up a satellite photo of a city in the Straille. As a blue-tinted overlay came across the image, the councilmembers could see two distinct blips out of a dozen others. "We've nailed the location of two Archmages. If our calculations are correct, their powers will be coming in today. We move now, and we can still have a fighting chance against this monster."

"Then it's settled, you, Void, Specter, and Strongman are shipping out to Straille. I'll inform them through proper channels," the Director said, turning his gaze to Calliope, Thunderbolt and Reptile. "You three, I need you to oversee the preparations for when we attack this thing."

"And you, Director?" Void asked inquisitively.

*"I have some calls to make."*

### Taking Flight - [06/04/2022] | GEO-7, Camelot

"You weren't followed, were you?" Void questioned. He saw Nikita as soon as he entered his lab, sitting down at the holoprojector table. "I'm not an amateur V, what about you? Completed the drop for that magic bread loaf?" Void nearly snickered, pulling a dossier from his jacket. "I'm assuming you have the tissue sample."

"V, we need to talk," Nikita said, instantly serious. He stared down Void, nearly piercing the black veil that hid his face. "Whatever that thing is. It was gone when I got back here. Containment Division channels said it happened while they were moving that Roundtable member."

"Wizard? Wait, it's *alive?!"*

"It would seem so. Was dead enough when I got to it and took the tissue sample."

"Shit, shit, shit! Is there- fuck... I can't talk about it right now."

"I heard, Straille? Be careful out there V, I'll try to glean as much information as I can."

Void laid the dossier down on the table, giving Nikita a second look before exiting the lab. "We're talking this through when I get back, I think we're close to whatever the Council couldn't figure out." Somewhere else in the facility Strongman was honing his physique and abilities in the training area, fighting a crowd of new training androids shipped in just last week. Around five of the automatons surrounded him, and after a moment of waiting one moved to strike. Holding a baton, the first android swung a baton at Strongman's gut. But within an instant, Strongman sidestepped the blow and delivered a swift strike to the back of the android's head. And just as easily as he took down the first, he felled the others within mere minutes.

And further into GEO, a flock of crows fly away as an explosion rocks the firing range. Witch is still trying to prepare herself for the recovery mission, trying the explosion spell she and Wizard had made specifically for something like this... a spell she never thought she'd have to use. The explosive beam blew the target to bits, on par with most of the Group's explosive ordinance. She nearly jumped when a small hologram was projected from her wristwatch. "Witch! The AV is departing in 7 minutes." It was Kaori, the Group's diligent digital assistant. Witch didn't hesitate, she packed up the rest of her gear and started walking to the aerodock, just as Void and Strongman departed for it as well.

"Took you three long enough," Specter said as they arrived. He was already nearly in the cabin of the AV, carrying a small laptop as well as an equipment case. Witch broke the ice with a short chuckle, "It's easy to get places first when you're part ghost." Strongman, Void, and Witch stepped into the AV, with Witch closing the AV door behind her. And in seconds, they were airborne. "So, the briefing," Witch started, tapping at her wristwatch until the holoprojector activated. "We're looking for two different suspects in Saint Kay's Quarter, a student and an office worker. The student, Hibiki Tsubana is from Yepren. She's supposed to be in Straille for studies. And the office worker, Oliver, is a Straille native. We've already been approved to take them into our custody, it's just a matter of reaching them and restraining them."

"Which is where these come in handy," Specter said, patting the case. He opened it up to reveal two pairs of handcuffs engraved with various runes, some that the others recognized as A-015. "It'll keep them from using their hands to cast any magic," Witch explained. With the briefing done, all they could do is wait until they got to Straille, mentally preparing themselves for whatever might happen.

### Power, and Defense I - [06/04/2022] | Saint Kay's Quarter, Straille

A suit-clad man sat atop the building, taking a drag off a cigarette as he saw an AV flying overhead. Just as he was about to turn his gaze from it, a resounding voice rumbled through his head. "They have *his* scent on them. The Archmage of Defense can wait," it said, in a deep inhuman growl. The man took another drag from his cigarette before putting it out on the concrete balcony before jumping off shortly after.

The team was ready to deploy. The pilot had found a good place to let them out of the AV, and they had all their equipment on hand. Witch jumped out first, then Void and Strongman, and finally Specter floated to the ground with a trail of ghostly essence. Void drew his revolver, scanning the area while Witch took a good look at the map on her tablet. The arcane signatures were coming from two separate areas, with one being just meters away from them. And for just a second, she felt it in her bones. The whine of pure magical energy building in the air rang out through the evacuated city.

"Agua, V!" Witch shouted, casting a ward right in the nick of time. As the purple-hued protective field went up, a massive column of pulsing red energy smashed against it, eating away at it as Strongman grabbed Void and dove down just before the ward shattered. Following the cue, Witch and Specter got into cover as well. "What the fuck was that?!" Void shouted, him and Strongman deafened by the beam. "I think that's our Archmage of Power, we don't stand a chance against him right now!" she shouted, pointing towards a nearby car Logistics had left in the landing zone for them. "We just need to get out of here, if we can lose him I can cast a cloaking spell so he can't find us again!"

Specter immediately sprung into motion, dematerializing and flying towards the car as Void unholstered his revolver. "I'll hold him off, you guys get to the car!" he shouted as he started firing at the Archmage of Power. Witch and Strongman started running towards the car as Specter cranked the ignition, all the while Void and the Archmage traded precision shots at each other. Although the revolver wasn't very accurate, it did its job of suppressing the mage while the rest of the team piled into the car. And as soon as Strongman and Witch entered the car, he turned to run.

But with a supercharged column of pure destructive magic, Void was vaporized before the team's eyes, leaving behind a cloud of darkened smoke. Whether out of well-placed composure, or pure panic, Specter floored the throttle as the car sped down the street away from the Archmage. They rounded a corner in the car, with Witch casting the cloaking spell as soon as they broke line of sight, silencing her footprint on the mana around them. "Fuck, fuck! He could've just killed us all!" she shouted as soon as they were on a straightaway. "Look, we need to focus on the task at hand, we're fine now and that's all that matters," Specter said in an attempt to calm everyone in the car down. Witch took a deep breath, pulling out her tablet and taking a look at the arcane energy readings. While they were leaving the Archmage of Power in the dust, they were hot on the trail of the Archmage of Defense. Everyone in the car just hoped that they'd go easier than the energy-beaming madman.

### Making A Call - [06/04/2022] GEO-7, Camelot

Archangel enters the Roundtable meeting room and looks around his chair. He feels around the workspace and perks up when he touches the item. He quickly grabs it and reveals that it’s a special modified pager. He presses the large call button and out pops a gigantic projection on the wall. It has a green tinted background and text comes up saying “Contacting…”. It rings a few times and the image transitions into a feed of the inside of an aircraft. Hellscream looks over and smiles at Archangel and greets him casually saying, “Sup bro. Whaddya need?” Archangel smiles a bit at this and responds, “Good afternoon Hellscream. I wish the situation of me contacting you was more light-hearted today, but I must ask for a favor.”

Imperialist and Bloodclaute walk into view. Imperialist chimes in and asks, “Sure Arch. What do you need?”

“Well, there is a predicament going on. We’ve located two Archmages and from the last time I spoke with the Roundtable they were pursuing the Archmage of Power. However, the Archmage of Defense also must be secured. I was hoping I would be able to call upon some assistance from you.” Hellscream’s face lit up and gave a wide smile and exclaimed, “Oooo magic! I’ve always wanted to see how that works! Bria we should go check it out!” Imperialist looks and smiles at Hellscream and then looks at Bloodclaute. She responds to the look with, “I’m down to do something. I’m bored anyways.” Imperialist looks off-screen and nods at seemingly two others and looks back at Archangel confirming, “Alright, we’ll help you out Arch. We’ll pick you up from CACG HQ and go from there. I have to ask though, how have things been?”

Archangel looks down and says in a somber tone, “Wizard of the South has been critically injured. We’re…not sure if he’ll recover. And if he does, he won’t be the same.”

Hellscream chimes in casually, “We’ll just have Liandren heal him. Easy enough.” Archangel is a bit taken aback and asks a bit thrown off, “C-Could you repeat that?”

“12th Disciple? Our Vice Head of Health of the Seraphim. She’s pretty sweet. She can heal Wizard in no time. We’ll pick her up and send her to your infirmary!”

“Our best doctors are struggling to keep him stable. 12th Disciple is...able to assist?”

“More than assist. She’s got that totally. We’ll swing by Jericho real quick to go get her.”

“I…thank you. I am in your debt.”

“Nah don’t worry about that. Anyways, we’ll be there in a few minutes. Sit tight. And I won’t bust into a wall this time. I promise. See you soon Big Bro!”

Hellscream smiles and as the other wave, the feed is cut. Archangel sits down and thinks. He hasn’t felt this much stress before. It’s getting to him. He looks at his necklace and remembers the training he went through with the Seraph. He snaps out of it and says to himself, “I will do my best to save the world.”

Soon after, he hears the sounds of an aircraft landing, to which he responds by walking out to greet the members of Seraphim coming out of their fighter. Hellscream and Imperialist walk out first, with Virulentus, Bloodclaute, Volume 0, and 12th Disciple all following after. They’re all wearing unique clothing but with the same Seraphim brand stitched on. Archangel bows a bit and the other CACG agents salute. Hellscream runs up and hugs Archangel, nearly crushing him under his strength. “Archie I’ve missed ya!” Archangel responds with a grunt as he tries to utter words. Hellscream realizes he’s constricting him and lets go. “Oh, my bad,” Hellscream giggles. “Alright, Liandren’s here so she can head down to where Wizard is.” Archangel looks over at 12th Disciple, who shyly waves.

Archangel leads them all to where Wizard is. 12th Disciple walks up to Wizard’s bed and looks at his wounds and the heart rate monitor. She speaks in a soft manner, “This will take a few minutes. Please give me the room with the patient.” The CACG nurses and doctors look at each other and then Archangel, to which he answers by simply nodding. The nurses nod as well and walk out. The lead Doctor stays and says, “I would like to see what methods will be attempted on my patient.” A nurse tries to pull him away but 12th Disciple speaks again and says, “As you wish. I would only ask that you not interrupt me.” The doctor reluctantly accepts and sits at his desk he set up in the room. Archangel looks at 12th Disciple and thanks her. She responds by smiling warmly and assuring, “Wizard will recover just fine. Everything will be fine.” She then turns back to Wizard’s bed and closes her eyes. Hellscream taps Archangel’s shoulder and whispers, “Time to go Archie.” Archangel nods and follows the Seraphim out of the room. They all walk outside and enter the aircraft. Hellscream readies the ship and has Archangel sit next to him. He turns to him and asks, “So, where we headed?” Archangel answers as he uses his phone to ping the Roundtable, “Straille. I’ll ping for Witch’s location and we’ll head there.”

“Hell yeah. We’ll be there in about a few minutes. This thing’s fast. Built it myself. Fastest ship in the multiverse. Maybe one day I’ll do a drive around a few star systems.”

Archangel smiles and finds Witch’s location and transfers it to the ship’s GPS. Hellscream locks it in and says, “Remember to wear your seatbelts everyone. It’s very important for safety. Don’t want anyone flying to the bridge as I take off.” Imperialist chuckles as she looks at Bloodclaute, who defensively says, “Yarad didn’t warn anyone that time!” Virulentus laughs and shouts to Archangel as the jets start roaring, “Welcome to the Precocious Squadron, Archangel. It’s nice to meet you.”

The ship reaches a high altitude above the clouds and jettisons to Straille. Archangel anxiously waits as the team reaches the destination. Hopefully things pick up. He has to prove to the Seraphim that they’re useful. And prove that they can hold their own in the face of imminent World destruction.

### Awake Again - [06/04/2022] | Saint Kay's Quarter, Straille

With a deep heave, Void woke up in the forest. A deadened gray nightmare, a place he know uncomfortably well. Emerging from a pool of black liquid, he coughed up some of the inky black substance as he tried to clear it from his throat. "Well... fuck. That guy killed me, seriously?" he asked himself, briefly remembering the flash of light before he woke up here. "That little magic shit. So help me god-"

A rustle. Just the innocuous snap of a broken twig and the crunch of leaves under a creature's feet, but this wasn't a place *for* a creature to be. Void looked up, and came face to face with a pair of pitch white eyes just beyond the veil of darkness in the clearing. He wanted to do something, anything, but his body wouldn't react. He felt his feet sink into the ground, and before he knew it, he was yanked back into the inky black pool.

"Heyo, I see some weird shit down there," Hellscream says, squinting his eyes, "Wait a minute, is that the extradimensional guy on your team?"

Archangel walked up to the cockpit as Hellscream put the Nazareth into hover and looks at the face-down figure on the ground underneath them. "That's Void, it looks like he just resurrected. Can you put this thing down in that parking lot?" Archangel said while pointing. Hellscream complies with a "You betcha" and lands the Nazareth right where the original team dropped off.

"*God,* I need to stop doing that," Void said to himself, weakly prying himself from the ground and into a sitting position, just in time to see Archangel rushing towards him before manifesting Pendragon. "I'm assuming one of those Mages did that?" Archangel said, visually sweeping the area for hostiles. Void looked down at the charred ground underneath him, as well as his scorched revolver. "You'd be right to assume that. Fucker got me just as we were disengaging." Archangel took out an injection pen, shooting a dose of adrenaline into Void's arm. "That should get you back on your feet."

The rest of the Precocious Squadron exit the Nazareth and scan the area. Hellscream walks out last and floats over to still smoldering crater that the Archmage created. He inhales the smoke from the burn and lets out a sigh saying, "That's good shit. It's a bit too fresh for my blood though." Virulentus scoffs and baps Hellscream upside the head and comments, "You're so weird. Do you just go around inhaling smoke all the time?"

"Not *all* the time. I just...get curious sometimes."

"Sure buddy."

"You act like I didn't catch you drinking out of my laundry detergent."

"That was one time! And you said you wouldn't tell anyone!"

"Well maybe ya shouldn't have judged me for breathing in magic smoke. Who knows, maybe I'll be a smoke wizard now because of it."

"Fine fine, I won't judge you. For now."

Volume 0 puts her ear to the ground and stands still for a few seconds, then goes up to Archangel and says in a low but mellow and soothing voice, "There are no hostile footsteps in our radius." Archangel responds, "Thank you Ms. Iridesca. Void, you only met Imperialist once, but the rest are new to you. This is the Precocious Squadron of the Seraphim." Hellscream floats over and puts his arm around Void's neck and greets himself, "Sup bro? I'm Hellscream but my enemies call me 'that dusty fuck'. You can call me Hellscream though. I'm not your enemy. At least I hope not. I'm sure not." Volume 0 waves and smiles.

Bloodclaute walks up to Void and curtsies while saying, "Murietta Kavalier, but you can call me Bloodclaute. You can probably guess why I have that name. I serve to protect the my dearest Seraph. Anyone who even thinks about hurting him, dies. I sincerely hope you don't ever think about laying a hand on my dear. I will assist you in the name of His Sublimity." Hellscream whispers to Void, "Bloodclaute's kinda...not *all* there but she's cool. Has a thing for Big Bro. I suggest never talking bad about him around her. If you value all 10 pints of blood in your body. Wait do you...have blood? Imma just assume ya do. Dude one time, I made a joke saying Seraph was an old man and she rushed all the blood from my legs to my head and I couldn't walk until I said sorry. Granted I can, you now, fly, but flying gets boring sometimes. There was also one time where-"

Virulentus flicks Hellscream's forehead and interrupts, "Let's not talk the guy's ear off now, Yarad. Wait...does he have an ear? I can't see one. Oh well. He can still hear us. Hi, I'm Lexi, but you can call me Virulentus. I make toxic explosions and whatnot. Can even make new viruses out of random. Don't worry though, I'm not a biohazard at the moment. Only to people I wanna fuck up. Also that's Volume 0 over there. She can hear at very long ranges and when she screams, can silence the sounds of anything. Even body functions, which cause them to stop. So heart beating? Now it isn't. Instant heart attack. It's crazy."

Imperialist walks up to Void and reintroduces herself, "Hey Void. You may remember me from our first meeting. If not, a quick refresher is that I'm Imperialist. I absorb abilities. I would keep the formalities going and talk more, but sadly we have an extremely powerful mage to catch. Can you brief us? Were you able to identify the assailant?" Void nodded his head, pulling out a cloth to wipe scorch marks off his revolver before activating his utility gauntlet's holoprojector.

"The mage who attacked us on arrival was the Archmage of Power, I don't know much about magic myself, but Witch explained that he has mastery of all magic that focuses on raw power and destruction..." Void pointed towards the crater, "Like shooting a beam that did this." A picture of the Archmage's face was projected from the gauntlet, and a small map of the area came up beside him. "The observatories are only picking up two arcane signatures, and you were sent to capture two mages, so that means... Witch must've cast a cloaking spell," Archangel remarked. There was one small problem, however. The two signatures were getting closer together, meaning the Mage of Power was going after the Mage of Defense.

### Power, and Defense II - [06/04/2022] | Saint Kay's Quarter, Straille

"I'm telling you, I'm getting some bad vibes here," Strongman idly said as they pulled up to the university. The students had been evacuated like everyone else in the Quarter, all but the Archmage inside. Specter put the car into park, getting out while Witch and Strongman followed suit. "Specter, Agua, there's guns in the back, go ahead and grab one before we head in," Witch said, taking a small disc from her bag and tossing it into the sky. The small drone started to float as it reached the peak of its arc. "Kaori, you're getting all this?" Witch asked, while a Kaori responded with a short, "Yes, camera feed is live and recording."

Strongman and Specter returned with a CACG issued submachine gun and shotgun respectively. "We ready to breach?" Strongman asked, chambering a round in the SMG. "Well, I guess we are, let's go." With a swift kick, Strongman breached the door and lead the three of them into the entrance. After a short sweep of the reception area, they started into the building's corridors. The small drone whirred as it followed them, all the while they were systemically scanning rooms and moving further in until they got to the dormitories. "Her room is 407 D, fourth floor," Witch said gesturing towards an elevator in the hall. All thee of them got inside, not holstering their weapons in case this mage was as violent as the last.

"We don't have any time to lose then. Hellscream, we need to get there before that mage does," the Archangel said, as serious as ever. Hellscream grinned, "Finally, some action." Archangel helped Void get back on his feet, and sped to the Nazareth with the others. As soon as the entire squadron was strapped in, the Nazareth took off and flew towards Witch's coordinates, the Saint Kay Polytechnic University.

"You are now on, Dormitories Floor 4," a robotic voice said as the doors opened. Witch, Strongman, and Specter all visually swept the area as soon as they stepped out of the elevator, wary of possible hostiles. They advanced further and further, still shaken from watching their friend get blasted away just minutes earlier. But they had a job to do, and so they kept walking until they found the dorm room of the Archmage of Defense. Strongman readied himself to kick another door down, but was stopped by Witch. Without another word, she came up to the door and tried the knob. The door wasn't locked, and swung open as all three of them saw a girl sitting at her bed, looking at her TV in horror at the government message to evacuate the quarter.

"Hibiki Tsubana? We're with the Camelot Anomalous Containment Group," Witch said softly, resting a hand on her pistol. Hibiki looked at the trio with fear in her eyes, but upon seeing the patches sewn onto their vests she calmed down somewhat. "Are you here to arrest me for not evacuating? I didn't see it, honest!" she started saying, speaking at a mile a minute before they were cut off. Witch's eyes widened in shock as she saw the Archmage of Power in the building across from the massive window in the Defense mage's dorm. "Get down!" Witch shouted, running to protect Hibiki just as the girl effortlessly casted a deep blue ward, just in time to block a hit from a column of pure destruction magic.

"What the fuck is this?!" she shouts, recovering from the initial adrenaline and seeing the magical wards coming out of her hands. Witch grabbed her and ducked down with Strongman and Specter as the Power mage started to recover. "Look, the short and skinny of it is that there's some magic demon out there that gave people powers. Luckily today, you aren't one of the batshit insane ones trying to kill us like him." Hibiki looked at her in awe, and then again at her fingers. "So, how do I do that shield thing again?" she asked, but Witch was mortified. "You can't do it again? Are you trying?!" she asked panickily. A blue fizzle came out of the mage's hands, but nothing more.

Sensing the fact that they were already pinned down, Strongman popped up from his cover and started firing at the mage. He managed to get off a few good shots before getting a shot of destructive magic through his calf. He went down, and Witch looked on in horror in realization that she could hear the Power mage charging up a massive beam, ready to blow the entire dorm room out of the building. She closed her eyes, and as a few seconds went by, she couldn't hear anything anymore. Not the whining of pure magic, not the panicked breathing of Specter in cover. And then, the almost futuristic sound of an engine tearing through the sky at breakneck speed, and a dull thud.

"Excuse me big scary man in a suit, is this spot taken?" Hellscream said over the loudspeaker. In a swift movement, Void dropped out of the Nazareth and onto the Archmage of Power, with Archangel jumping out just a few meters away. "This is for killing me, cunt!" Void shouted, hardening his right forearm with A-007 before swinging it straight in the Archmage's face. The blow connected with a satisfying crunch, causing the Archmage to recoil if only for a second. "You call that a punch?" the mage growled, surrounding his body in magical energy with a bloody red hue.

"What about this then?" Archangel retorted, charging up to the mage and swinging Vryheid into the mage's chest with all his might. The force exerted by the hammer sent him flying backwards and into one of the roof's railings. The steel nearly bent under the force the mage carried, but just by a hair, the Archmage managed to recover. "Shit, nice save boss!" Void quipped, looking over to Witch and the others while giving them a cheeky thumbs up. Imperialist, Hellscream, and the rest of the Precocious Squadron disembarked on a neighboring roof, shortly after landing the Nazareth. The Archmage of Power was surrounded, and they were all about to see just what they were up against in full force.

### Boiling Point - [06/04/2022] | Saint Kay's Quarter, Straille

"You shitty little *brats!"* the Archmage shouted, sending a shockwave throughout the area and nearly knocking some of the less-prepared off balance. His body swelled with magical energy as his musculature grew by the second, nearly doubling his size and leaving him standing above everyone in his presence. He ran straight towards Archangel and Void, ready to pound them both into the cement. "Look alive! Or dead...whichever you prefer." Hellscream quips as he turns his lower body into smoke to hover over across the divide between the rooves. He slingshots a chunk of smoldering coal, with it exploding into a cloud of smoke around Archangel and Void. "Smoking isn't *all* bad. At least not for our side over here...but I dunno about *you* though," Hellscream says as he floats over the now enveloped roof. Sensing the opportunity, both Archangel and Void get out of the mage's line of sight as the rest of the Precocious Squadron moved in under the cloak of the smoke screen.

But as they all made it onto the roof, gusts of wind started to pick up as a red glimmer emerged from the smoke. In mere seconds, the Archmage unleashed a cyclone, dispersing the smoke and letting him lock onto Archangel. Inhumanly fast, the mage managed to land a devastating blow on Archangel, sending him three feet into the air. Before he could lock onto another, Bloodclaute came in, jumping and latching on to the towering mage's back with two blood pikes, whispering in his ear as she siphoned his human essence through the blades, "You touched Archie...you're lucky I can't kill you. But I *can* make you hurt more than he did..." As she slowly dragged the blades down the mage's back and he struggled to get her off, his fury built even more. With a roar, he managed to get a grip on her, powering through the rapid rushing of blood to his legs and throwing her off like a paper ball to which she elegantly recovered with a cushion of blood.

She giggles softly but maniacally and licks the blood off her hand. He wonders what she's giggling for, until he starts to feel a bit woozy. Are those...fumes? He covers his mouth and looks over to see Virulentus standing there with her arms spread out. She smirks at him and quips, "It usually doesn't smell like this around me, I promise." The fumes seep through the mage's hand and it begins to burn. He gives a muffled grunt and staggers a bit from the strong, almost anesthetic scent of the gases Virulentus is sending out. She puts her arms down and waves, seemingly at him. He looks confused on why she's waving, until he realizes she isn't waving at him.

The few moments he was distracted gave Imperialist enough time to walk up from behind him, patting him on his shoulder as he recoiled and faced her. It was all she needed, just enough contact to absorb a portion of the overwhelming power the mage had tapped into. And soon as he realized it, it was too late. "This was all you had? I'm disappointed. For someone titled the Archmage of Power, I expected more," she casually said, staring at him while he looked on in disbelief. She looked at her hand, feeling the power coursing through her as she gently pointed her finger at the stunned mage. "Don't worry, I'll hold back," she said, smiling. The Mark in her right eye illuminates and shortly after, a crackling beam of concussive energy slammed into him with the force of a freight train, driving him back and up against one of the walls on the roof. By the time Imperialist had stopped firing, the mage had left a human-sized imprint on the wall.

Watching from afar, Witch slumped down and finally let out a breath. "Specter, call the extraction team," she said as she rushed over to Strongman. She uncapped a small vial, pouring it over his wounds. "Ah, *fuck,*" he said as the serum painfully reconstructed his leg. "You couldn't've just let me bleed out?" Witch chuckled at the remark before looking over her shoulder. Void had just helped Archangel back up from his brush with the mage. "Ey Archie! Catch!" she shouted, using a bit of magical power to throw a pair of the warded handcuffs to him. "Should I call the extraction?" she asked as he caught them, but he was cut off before he could answer.

A maniacal giggle filled the air. First, there were sparks, and then a small cloud manifested beside the Archmage of Power and the Archangel. A man with piercing green eyes stepped out of the mist, followed by the source of a giggle, a woman that took her place right between her partner and Imperialist. "Thanks for retrieving our property friends!" the woman said before her companion sent the incapacitated mage through a portal surrounded by a similar mist. Nearly everyone on the rooftop trained their sights on the pair, with even Strongman and Witch drawing a bead as well. "I think you misunderstand," the man from the mist said before staring straight at Witch. Before he could continue, Void shot two blunt slugs at the pair, just as Imperialist fired another concussive beam at the man. But before they could hit either of their targets, the projectiles were stopped midair by a wave of the man's hand. He glared at Void and Imperialist who smirks at him and remarks, "Bad guys who talk too much end up losing. Just some advice." He looks back at Witch and says, "You have till the next blood moon. Go ahead and bring your little wizard friend too."

Before Imperialist, Void, or Strongman could get off a shot, the mist washed over the pair. And once the cloud had dispersed, there was no one left, just a crater where the battered Archmage used to be. Witch could only look on in awe, as the Archmage of Defense peeked over the hole in her dorm room at the scene. Archangel stared at the crater as Void collapsed from exhaustion. Hellscream, Virulentus and the rest of the Precocious Squadron group up with Imperialist and look at Archangel. Volume 0 bows her head down and says, "I'm afraid I wasn't able to silence the two intruding parties. I apologize. I was also not able to hear their approach." Archangel waves his hand in dismissal and responds, "You did enough in your help with the Archmage of Power." Hellscream chimes in, "Yeah! I mean silencing Imperialist's footsteps so he didn't hear her coming was smart. And screaming is pretty tiring so, all good." Volume 0 blushes and fiddles with her hands in response. Bloodclaute holds Archangel's face and has a look of concern. She asks, "Are you okay? Are you bleeding anywhere? How hard did he hit you?" Archangel stammers and explains, "I'm fine really. He didn't hurt me much. I appreciate your concern Murietta,"

"I can kill him. I can make him hurt. I'll rip him limb from limb if I have to."

"Honestly, it's fine!"

"We'll get Priestess to check on you. Make sure nothing got damaged."

"The only thing that got damaged is my shirt. I promise."

Bloodclaute lets go and bites her thumb. She looks at Imperialist and asks, "So, should we hold back again next time?" to which she responds with, "Still no killing, but they could possibly be broken." Bloodclaute gives a mischievous grin at this answer and types things into her wristwatch. This turns on the Nazareth and it slowly hovers over to the rooftop they're on. It lands gently and the hatch opens. Bloodclaute walks in saying, "I'll see if there is any residual magic on the ship." Imperialist nods and looks at Void and Archangel. "Those two were stronger than the Power guy there," Imperialist comments. To which Void and Archangel nod in agreement. "They don't look like slouches. You sure you're prepared for that? You were already struggling with just one." Archangel looks down in shame and responds, "That is true. We couldn't have had the upper hand without you. We need to improve, we need to adapt."

"Maybe contact Seraph again? You're still young in your powers."

"I will do that. Thank you Bria."

Hellscream looks over at the dorms and sees the rest of the Roundtable with the Archmage of Defense. "You all look like you need a ride." he says as he floats over into the hole that the Archmage of Power left. "Nice room decor. Shame a lot of it got vaporized. The Archmage of Defense looks at Hellscream and timidly asks, "A-are you also CACG?"

"Nah, I'm part of the Seraphim."

"You mean those guys on our moon?"

"Yeah, well that's some of us. There's a *lot* more in our universe."

"...Universe?"

"The Group will fill you in. Anyways, hold onto me y'all."

Witch, Specter, Strongman, and Archmage of Defense all slowly grab onto Hellscream. He giggles and turns him and the others into a cloud of smoke that travels towards the rooftop and reconstructs everyone. Imperialist, and Virulentus both enter the Nazareth and Volume and Hellscream follow suit but stop at the hatch. Volume 0 says softly, "The Nazareth is ready to depart to Arthur's Bay. The travel will be 3 minutes long." She enters and leaves Hellscream there, to which he looks at them all and asks, "Well, you coming?"

### [Post Operation Summary]

GEO-7 Aerodock received all operatives deployed on assignment. Extraction of A-079-Alpha subject confirmed. SACA cleanup teams arrived on scene shortly after CACG-Seraphim departure. Evacuation order lifted for Saint Kay's Quarter with an exclusion zone around areas of engagement.

Following arrival to GEO-7, the Director has instated Stage 4 combat readiness protocols. Task Force "Wizarding Wardens" and the Arcane Research Division have been placed on standby.

## Forces of Nature- Arthur's Bay [06/04/2022]

The first thing Wizard could hear was a soft voice saying, “Awake.” he slowly opens his eyes and sees a woman with bluish hair and a blouse looking down at him. There’s a soft glow behind her head and her eyes are a deep brown. He looks around and sees that he’s in the Infirmary of Geo-7. He says slowly, “What…I thought-”

“That you were dead?” the woman says, finishing his sentence.

“Yeah…how am I alive?”

“I brought you back to health.”

“Who are you? And how?”

“My name is 12th Disciple. I’m part of the Seraphim. A Dominion, to be specific. I brought you back to health by willing it so.”

“Willing it…so?”

“Correct. I prayed for you to be in perfect health, and now you will not have to meet the god of the Underworld.”

“But, that’s not possible.”

“You want to say that after all the Group agents you’ve worked with and the entities you contain?”

“You have a point.”

“You are fully recovered.”

The lead doctor gets up from his desk and walks up to Wizard. He admits, “I don’t know how she did it, but without her, you would’ve been dead. As much as we tried to help.” Wizard sits up and checks his body. All the burns, scars, lashes, and holes in his body were completely gone. He felt his arms and his stomach to check if it was real. A ringtone is heard and 12th Disciple checks her device. She smiles and looks at the doctor and Wizard. The Archmage of Defense has been successfully secured. There were no casualties.” The Wizard looks surprised. “Wait…really?” he asks. 12th Disciple casually nods and says, “The Precocious Squadron assisted in the operation. They were requested by the Director himself.”

“Precocious Squadron?”

“Correct. A special battalion of the Seraphim that stays in this universe to assist in Grail affairs as well as finding intel and doing special operations on the Syndicate. They were trained directly by dear Seraph.”

Wizard thinks over it, still not used to getting help from a basically Alien organization. He looks up at 12th Disciple and finally says, “Thank you. All of you. Though we still have work to do to stop Archfiend.”

“Of course. They also identified two new Archmages as well. One seems to be able to manipulate the world on a spatial level. The other one did not reveal their abilities.”

Wizard nods and gets up. “They’re all in the main office?”

“I would assume so. I must go too to regroup with Precocious Squadron. My duties are needed in Jericho.”

She gets up and bows towards both the doctor and Wizard and leaves the room. The doctor looks at Wizard and asks, “I don’t quite get it, but they’re quite the group. My pride kind of broke when she walked in and did her work.”

“I wonder how much more we’ll see of them.”

“Knowing Archangel, we’ll be seeing their help a lot. Especially for the coming times. Something tells me this Archfiend problem is reaching its climax.”

Wizard nods in agreement and pats the doctor on the back. He grabs his robes and dresses, then walks to the main office of the Roundtable. He sees Archangel dressing and grabbing things. He inquires, “Going somewhere?” Archangel looks and smiles at Wizard, “Ah! It’s good to see you back in full health.” He hugs Wizard and pats him on the shoulder. “I’m leaving for a few days to get some training from the Seraph. To debrief, something big will happen in seven days. We have to be ready for it. My abilities are…still juvenile. The one I know who can help is Seraph. I suggest brushing up on your magic. Maybe take a look at that Codex finally to see what you can get out of it? I didn’t get to suggest it to Witch but I will later.”

“Okay…this is all happening very fast.”

“I know. Which is why I’m in such a hurry. Our world is in danger, time will not stop for us like it can for the Seraphim.” Wizard chuckles at what seems like a joke, but realizes that the organization is so colorful the joke might actually have truth to it. He nods and wishes Archangel luck. “Void will be in charge in my absence. As per usual. I hope you all make substantial progress. And I know you will,” Archangel says as he adjusts his shirt. He hugs Wizard again one last time and walks out of the office. Wizard sits at his seat and processes all the information he received. He steels himself and promises to himself that he won’t fail like last time. This time, the Archfiend will be sealed. Forever.

## Dead Men Tell Tales- Arthur's Bay, Camelot [06/05/2022]

“Fuck you, bitch,” Specter says aggressively to Reptile. They were arguing again, but this time it was something more serious than it usually is. The tension between them has reached its breaking point. Reptile sneers and says, “*I’m* the bitch? Who’s the one who ran from the Archmage the first time and let Void die? Could’ve been the one to sacrifice themselves since you’re basically dead anyways. Maybe he woulda run away since you smell like Death anyways. Dirty fuck.”

“I’ll show you death.”

“Do it bitch.”

The two begin fighting each other. Reptile slashes at Specter to which they let pass through them using their ghostly abilities. Specter gets a good hit on Reptile, causing him to stagger. He recovers and sprays toxins at Specter. They cover their mouth and grab a nearby weapon in the office and impales Reptile. He looks down then up at Specter, who realizes what they just did. They start panicking and talking fast to Reptile, but it becomes muffled as he starts to fade off. The last thing he hears is “I’m sorry” before it all goes black.

Reptile opens his eyes again and finds himself in a prairie. He looks confused and gets up to look around. The hills roll for what seems like an endless amount of distance. The sun is bright and high in the sky. He sees a house to his right and walks towards it. The house is modest in design and well kept, with no external impurities. He knocks on the door and waits for a few, until it opens. He sees a young man answer and he smiles and says, “Oh hi. Can I help you?” Reptile responds, “Uh I’m actually a bit confused and lost. I don’t know what’s going on really.” The young man chuckles softly and opens the door wider, “Well, I see no reason to leave you like that. Come on in.”

Reptile walks in and sees an evenly modest internal decoration. The house is clean, albeit with a few things strewn around on coffee tables. The TV in the living room is on playing a drama show. He smells the sweet fragrance of something in the oven. The young man closes the door and walks to the oven in the kitchen. He takes out a large pan of freshly made chocolate chip cookies. He places them on the counter and turns to Reptile. “Would you like something to drink?” he asks to which Reptile asks, “Yeah, do you have tea?” The man smiles and starts the kettle, “Of course I do. Have a seat. The cookies will be ready to eat soon.” Reptile obliges and sits at the table in the kitchen connected to the living room. He looks around more and out the window, which emits a very pleasant light into the kitchen.

The man sits down across from Reptile and starts up a conversation, “So, what do you remember last?” Reptile thinks about it and answers, “I remember getting stabbed by my best friend and then everything going…” Reptile then starts to realize it. “Oh fuck, I’m dead,” he says as he rubs his face in anxiety. The man looks at him and confirms, “Yeah, you’ve officially passed over."

"So then where am I? Hell?"

"Would Hell look like sunshine and rainbows?"

"Heaven then?"

"Nah. This is the Underworld."

"So Hell?"

"Two very different places. Underworld is simply where people come after they die."

Reptile looks down at the table somberly. The man gets up and pours tea into a cup and gives it to Reptile. He also puts three cookies onto a plate and puts it next to the cup of tea. "Yeah, it's a lot to take in," the man says as he bites into a cookie on his own plate. "Why are you so casual about this?" Reptile asks. The man smiles and says "Well I've been here for a very very long time."

"Who are you?"

"Oh I didn't say my name did I? My name is Dawcus. You?"

"Uh Reptile."

"... that's your real name?"

"Well no. It's a codename, but I pretty much go by that."

"Codename? You a part of an organization or something? CIA? FBI? NATO?"

"CACG."

"Ooooh that one. I've seen a few of your guys pass through here. The ways they died were unfortunate."

"So what do you do here? Do you just live here?"

"Sometimes I go out here to get away from my responsibilities."

"Like what?"

"Mostly dealing with people. It gets tiring after a while you know?"

"True."

"So what was your status in the CACG?"

"The Roundtable."

"Big wig huh? Sucks that you died."

"I kind of need to go back. I still have stuff to do."

Dawcus looks at his plate and then at Reptile. He gets up and walks up to him. He smiles and asks, "Like what?" Reptile looks a bit uncomfortable and answers, "There's a demon that will destroy the world in a few days if we're not ready. Being one member down means heavy trouble."

"Demon huh? The Archfiend?"

Reptile looks a bit surprised and stammers, "Y-yeah. How do you…"

"Word comes around. I have a few people on the outside who let me know about things."

Reptile squints at Dawcus and asks, "Who really are you?"

"People call me many things: Godless, Secular, son, young one, Grim Reaper, and Hades."

Reptiles eyes open and he stammers, "You said Hades?"

"Yeah, Ruler of the Underworld. At least until I pass it on to someone else."

"Pass it on?"

"Yeah. Hades is a title. Named after the first ruler. Many people before me had the title. Baron Samedi appointed me as ruler after he was done. Enough of that though, back to what you were saying. You want to go back?"

Reptile nods and tries to explain, "My world is in danger, and I died cause of a stupid fight. Is there a way to go back?"

"There is. I just need to look at your file and ask dad."

Dawcus goes into the living room and opens up a shelf while is full of binders and files. He prunes through them and picks out a small folder. He opens it and reads it. "Was recruited by the CACG after several breakouts of another organization and few murders of innocent people in your body count."

Reptile looks away in shame and Dawcus continues, "Died in a petty fight against agent codenamed Specter. Huh, I know the struggle."

"You had a fight with a friend too?"

"Yep, my sister. Despite me not being able to stand her sometimes, she's my best friend. Been through a lot. We still do go through a lot. She's the Sun and I am the Moon. We matured a lot since our last fight though. A few years ago. Now when we have different opinions, we leave it at that or come to a compromise. We know each other have a job to do. We're doing our best."

Reptile looks at Dawcus as he reminisces and looks through the folder. He finally finished up and closes it to look at Reptile. "Will you guys be okay if I bring you back? No bad blood?" Dawcus asks. "Yeah. I know he didn't mean to actually do it," Reptile answers.

Dawcus nods and puts the folder back into the shelf. He looks up and starts talking, "Hey dad, I got someone who wants to come back to life. His name is Reptile." The room is silent for a bit then Dawcus seemingly keeps talking, "Oh you know him? Cool. Says he needs to come back to deal with a demon….yeah Archfiend…okay cool. Alright I'll do that  Okay bye. Love you too." He looks back at Reptile and smiles softly. He gives Reptile another cookie and goes to the sink to wash the plates and cups. "I'll guide you back to the land of the living," Dawcus says as he finishes up cleaning the dishes and puts them away. He motions Reptile to follow him and reaches a door inside the house. Reptile stands next to the door as well and looks at Dawcus.

"It was nice meeting you Reptile. You have…issues…but don't we all? Hey, if you need help. Let's say, bringing that demon down here with me so I can deal with him, call me. Just say 'Hades, I seek punishment on this demon' once you weaken him enough and I'll take care of the rest."

Reptile nods and asks, "Who is your dad anyway?"

"Oh. The Seraph."

Reptile looks taken aback and Dawcus chuckles. He opens the door and behind it is a bright light. He motions for Reptile to walk through and he does so. The light envelops Reptile and it slowly fades into darkness. Reptile blinks and sees Specter still over him. Specter's eyes grow wide and a smile comes across his face. "Holy shit! You're alive!" Reptile sits up and says, "That I am."

"Dude I'm so sorry I seriously didn't-"

"I know man. It's cool. But I don't think I'll have another chance so let's not try to kill me again."

"What do you mean?"

"I guess I just cashed in a favor with the Grim Reaper."

"Wait, the Afterlife is real?"

"Yeah, and it's pretty beautiful."

"You got to tell me more about it."

"I got you. But first I need to get a new shirt. You kinda destroyed it."

"Oh yeah. Right. Also where did that cookie come from?"

Reptile gets up and scratches his head then looks at his other hand, holding a chocolate chip cookie. He takes a bite and smirks. He responds and says, "From the Reaper himself. He's a good baker. Makes good tea too."

Specter takes a piece and eats it. He smiles and pats Reptile on the back. "Come on. We got a briefing from Void soon."

"Void? Where's Arch?"

"He's off-world training. He'll be gone for a bit."

"Hope he's doing well."

"Yeah me too. Anyways, come on, let's go."

The two walk out and head towards the Roundtable office, ready for the new briefing for the coming decisive days.

## Post-Game Summary- Jericho, CMLT-919 [06/05/2022]

“So, how was it?” Here Lies Fate says as she meditates in her room. Imperialist and the rest of the Precocious Squadron sit around her and eat a variety of food they requested from the Barracks kitchen. Hellscream says with his mouth full, “It was fun! We kicked that red guy’s ass!” Virulentus nudges Hellscream and answers Fate, “A lot easier than I expected honestly.” Volume 0 wipes her face with a napkin and chimes in, “It was a pleasure working with the Roundtable. Perhaps we should do it again?” Bloodclaute agrees, “Archie was fun to watch. I wonder how his training is with Seraph?” Imperialist says to Fate, “We did defeat the Archmage, but then others came and took the target.” Fate moves her head towards Imperialists and asks, “There are more?”

“Yeah, one can teleport and the other didn’t show what they can do.”

“Are they a threat to the Seraphim?”

“Of course not. Guy wasn’t much stronger than the ‘Power’ guy.”

The room starts to giggle at the word “power”. Fate smiles and inquires, “I’m certain the name Archmage of Power did not match the wearer?”

“Not even close. He couldn’t even level the entire dorm building.”

“How was the Roundtable in dealing with this mage?”

“Well…they were in a bit of a bad spot before we picked up Void and got to where the rest were stuck in the Defense mage’s room.”

“Does this concern you?”

“It does.”

“They are still young.”

“That is true. Archie did head to Seraph to train.”

“He will be put through many a trial with the High One.”

“That’s for sure. Which is good honestly. Then the Archfiend won’t be able to put a scratch on him.”

Here Lies Fate opens her available eye and looks at all of the Squadron members and asks “Should we tell Archangel of his true nature?” The squadron stop eating and look at each other and back at Fate. Volume 0 starts, “Would this affect anything?” Bloodclaute looks nervous and says, “How would Archie take it?” Virulentus stammers, “M-maybe we should wait for a while. It seems too soon.” Hellscream nods in agreement. Imperialist looks at Fate and answers, “Not as of now. It’s not important for him to know right now.” Fate closes her eye and smiles. “Then we shall wait,” she declares. “In the meantime, what of the Syndicate?”

“They’ve been standing still. Which is concerning. They’re usually always moving around.”

“You believe they are planning something?”

“I think they’re observing the Roundtable. They stopped all actions when the wave of magic hit Camelot.”

“They are also gauging the Group’s skill level.”

“Exactly. And it sucks that we can’t attack right now cause we don’t know which ship is the real one.”

“I wonder if there is a way to clear the corruption.”

“There probably is, but we won’t know for a while until Eden fully analyzes the ships.”

“How is Eden by the way?”

“They’re doing fine. We recently replaced their computer with a new cooling system so now they operate under 20 degrees celsius. I’ve never seen them so relieved.”

“They’ve always been a go-getter.”

“That’s true. Last time they spotted Syndicate intel they overclocked their entire system to try and get it. Almost throttled.”

“An admirable trait. Are there any new orders from the High One?”

“Nothing more than keep watch of Grail and help when asked. His Sublimity is busy trying to ask for guidance from Pollyannus and making sure Archangel becomes an Aspect.”

“He is a lot more calm than his younger self.”

“Yeah, he would’ve flown to Grail in a heartbeat and dealt with everything himself if he was 17 again.”

“At least you bunch have more to do now. What will you do about the event during the Blood Moon?”

“We’ll be ready if the Roundtable asks for help again.”

“Will you hold back this time?”

“Who knows? If that demon looks at me wrong I might just vaporize him.”

“I look forward to the events that will unfold. Be steadfast and prepared.”

Imperialist nods and Fate responds with a smile. The others finish their food and chat with Fate more before leaving to their room. Imperialist looks up at Grail from the window and thinks about the small scuffle they had with the Power mage. She then thinks about Archangel training with Seraph. She looks at her watch and says, “Hey Eden. How’s it looking on Archie’s training?” A digital being projects from her watch and looks up at Imperialist and responds, “Archie just took one of High One’s hand beams. He is preparing him for the Heavenly Strike. He’s learning fast.”

“That so? You think he'll be ready?”

“From my past data from the fight with the…’Archmage of Power’... and his amount of training with High One, he will be more than ready for the Archfiend. Chances of success are inconclusive, but my personal opinion? He’ll do fine. He’s got good heart.”

“That’s true. Thank you Eden. Could you report to me more when something comes up?”

“Of course Bria. I will let you know. Keep doing your best.”

“You know it.”

Eden waves before disappearing back into the watch. Imperialist talks to the Squadron, and think of plans in case they fight the Archfiend, then talk about what game they want to play today.

## Thunderclap and Flash- Roundtable Office, Arthur's Bay, Camelot, Grail [06/06/2022 A.D.]

Calliope plays music at his office seat. As the 808s mellow out his brain, he thinks about the footage of the fight between the Roundtable and Precocious Squadron vs the Archmage of Power. He wondered if he could’ve done more than recon and taking point. That’s when he feels a light tap on his shoulder. He turns around and sees a woman in a hoodie looking at him. Her eyes have a swirling pattern and she’s wearing all black. She smiles at him and touches her ears. He gets the gesture and takes off his headphones. “Hi, you need sumn?” Calliope says to her. She asks with her soothing voice, “You are Calliope correct? Subject-003?”

“Yeah. Who are you?”

“My name is Volume 0. But you can call me Cassandra. I’m a Throne to the Seraphim.”

“Oh, the Seraphim. You on here on some business with Arch?”

“No actually. I’m here to talk to you and...Thunderbolt?”

“Oh. I can grab him real quick.”

Calliope takes out his phone and texts Thunderbolt. Within a few minutes, he arrives. He sees Volume 0 and waves and asks, “Hello Ms. Iridesca. You wanted me?” Volume 0 smiles at Thunderbolt and sits next to Calliope. She asks, “How do you two feel about working at the CACG?” Calliope and Thunderbolt look at each other and then answer one at a time. Thunderbolt says “It’s cool. I mean I have no real complaints. Though I would like to do external missions like the others.” Calliope nods in agreement, “It gets kinda boring sitting here. Though I guess it’s better than what Wizard and Void went through.” Volume 0 looks at both of them and nods. She then looks at Calliope’s speaker and holds it. “Is this the tool you use for your abilities?” He nods and adjusts it while explaining, “It affects other people based on my mood. If I’m happy, people will vibe and dance. If I’m upset, people will riot. If I want to kill, well…”

“I see. So you have a form of psychokinesis. But through the speaker.”

“Yeah, pretty much.”

“I’ve heard it can be very loud.”

“Yeah. 120 decibels.”

“That’s impressive. And for you Thunderbolt? I heard you generate high amounts of electricity.”

Thunderbolt sits near the two and confirms, “Yeah, 300 volts. I also recharge the generators when they’re low, which is every few months.”

“That is quite a lot of power. It’s a shame it isn’t used on the field. If I remember correctly, Archangel also has electric abilities. The High One also has electricity powers.”

“Yeah, though Archie’s is more for offensive purposes.”

“I’m sure yours can be as well. 300 volts is nothing to ignore. You could even put out an electromagnetic pulse to wipe out power grids if you wanted to."

"Yeah, but there hasn't been a reason to do that."

"What about the Syndicate? They're making bases on the Surface of Grail now. Eden had found out they're planning on occupying the Unified Frontier."

"Eden? Like the Vault?"

Volume 0 chuckles and holds up her watch. The watch projects a digital avatar and they introduce themselves, "Hello, I'm Eden. I'm the digital assistant to the Seraphim and I travel Cyberspace to help people in any way I can. Also I'm not exactly an AI. I was organic. But now I'm not. It's hard to explain. Anyways, hi Calliope. Thunderbolt. I read up on your Syndicate files as well as CACG files. Don't even ask how I got into them. Just know that I can." Calliope and Thunderbolt look at Eden and they smile back at the two. "I would say you can call me anytime, but you already have someone for that. You should introduce me to them one day. I feel like we'll be besties. Anyways. I'll leave you guys alone. Gotta research this new disease. Bye bye!" The digital avatar disappears into Volume 0's watch.

"I wouldn't even know where to start," Thunderbolt says while looking down. Volume 0 touches his shoulder and answers, "You can start by suggesting what you can do when you guys finally fight the Archfiend. You two are more valuable than you think. Then after all that, talk to me. We can collaborate on annoying the Syndicate."

Calliope gets curious and asks, "I never asked, what do you do?" Volume 0's face brightens up and responds, "My screams can reach 170 decibels and silence anything of my choosing." Calliope looks amazed and asked, “How do you get so loud? I’ve tried myself but it seems I can only do 120.” Volume 0 looks at the speaker and holds her hand out. Calliope gives the speaker to her and she examines it. She reads the back of it and explains, “The wattage is maxed out. 250 watts seem to be its limit. We can increase that though.” Calliope looks up at her and inquires, “How would you do that?”

“I wouldn’t know. But Belly would.”

“Belly?”

“Ah, Bellona Timothy. Our technician. She made our Starfleet and the tech that transports us to other universes. I’m sure she can work on this. Would you mind being away from this for a while?”

“I mean sure, I’m not really using it anyways.”

“Understood, I will return this as soon as possible.”

Volume 0 smiles and enters things into her watch. A wormhole opens in front of her and she waves as she walks into it. Calliope and Thunderbolt look at each other. "They're an interesting bunch," Thunderbolt comments. Calliope adds, "Casual too. It's like they've done stuff like this before."

"Looking at their files they have. Multiple planetary threats and even some universal ones."

"Really? That's...wow. How come they don't help as much?"

"Testing us most likely. Also probably explains why they come to us to train or help us with certain things."

"Testing us for what?"

"Remember that Project Medieval Carnival thing?"

"Oh right. Something about a operation to finally bring things to peace."

"Yep yep. Archie seems for it. What about you?"

"Don't know yet. Maybe I'll have an opinion later."

### Arthur's Bay, Camelot, Grail [06/07/2022 A.D.]

Calliope and Thunderbolt talk with each other about the necklace around Archangel's neck. Calliope asks, "So, the necklace increases Archie's defense by how much?" Thunderbolt checks the files and answers, "99.93 percent."

"Why .93? Why not the whole 100?"

"Beats me."

"Such a weird number."

A wormhole opens in the wall and out comes Volume 0. She's smiling and holding the speaker that Calliope lent to her. "Hello you two. Bellona was successful." She gives Calliope a close look. It's slightly larger, with a new grill in front of the speakers and it seems that there's an added subwoofer inside. The back of it has a new port. Instead of a miniUSB port, it has been replaced with a USB-C connection port. On the left side of it, the logo of Ark Ventures is prominent. Underneath it has a message saying "Be sure not to blow your friends' heads off now-Bellona" with a artistic representation of her with her thumb up. Calliope takes the speaker and turns it on. There's less feedback than usual and it powers up in less than a second. Calliope looks at Volume 0 and asks, "What else was added?" Volume 0 checks her watch and states, "The total board power for the speaker was increased from 250 watts to 330 watts. The battery was increased from 50 watt hours to 500 watt hours using a Dark Matter infused rechargeable battery. A subwoofer was added for increased vibrations and the grill has been replaced to increase acoustics. Maximum loudness should be 165 decibels."

"Woah, that's huge."

"Indeed. I did say Belly could do it."

"Tell her I said thanks. You guys are alright."

"We try to help as much as we can. And for you Thunderbolt. I give you this."

Volume 0 pulls out from her bag a harness and a gauntlet. Thunderbolt looks at it and puts it on. It covers his upper torso with strange metal bearings and seemingly electric components the chest piece has a faint glow and has the logo of Ark Ventures on it. The gauntlet is sharp at the finger tips, with rod like protrusions littering the forearm of it. "What does this do for me?" Thunderbolt asks as he adjusts the harness. Volume 0 answers using her watch again, "The harness will store electricity when your body discharges excess amounts of it passively. This energy will flow through the harness and create an electromagnetic barrier around you, protecting you from projectiles like bullets and other missile-like objects. It will redirect these objects away from you. The barrier however does not protect from lower metallic objects. Electric-based attacks will be absorbed into the barrier. The gauntlet also works in tandem with the harness. It will also collect passive electric discharge and can be used offensively. By aiming the gauntlet at a target, you will be able to direct a blast of electricity at a voltage of your choosing. This can be used to better charge a device or generator, or kill your opponents." Thunderbolt looks at the gear again and his face beams. "Thank you so much Cassandra. I don't know how to repay you." Volume 0 smiles and warmly says, "Pay me back by winning. We're all rooting for you." She gives a bow and walks towards the door. Before she leaves, she stops and says, "The world is counting on you". The door slides shut and the two look at each other. They both smile and get ready to show the others the new toys they got.

## Extreme Methods- Hazor, Earth-218, CRDNCE-218 [06/07/2022]

Archangel hits the ground with a thud. Seraph walks up and commands, "Get back up." Archangel groans in pain and slowly picks himself up. He readies himself again and Seraph advances on him. Archangel deflects a few blows but leaves himself open. Seraph lands a hit on his right cheek that sends him flying. He lands again with a loud thud and a grunt. Seraph waits for him to get up and encourages, "You can't beat the Archmages with a display like that.'

Archangel had asked the Seraph for training after his first run in with the Archmage of Power. He had told him all about it and even showed classified footage of the encounter. Seraph happily agreed to train him and warned him he wouldn't be kind about it. Archangel had been punched, kicked, zapped, burned, and blinded for 3 days at this point. His hair has been singed slightly, with his face tattoo he regrettedly got as a teenager completely burned away and replaced with slight scarring on his cheeks. His body physique had changed slightly, with more toned arms and legs. Due to the sheer power of Seraph's onslaught nonstop, it had taken an effect on him physically and physiologically. Despite all this, he got back up to try again.

Archangel gets up and gets into the fighting stance Seraph taught him to which he responds by advancing again. Archangel learned from his past mistake and blocked and dodged most of his punches and kicks but faltered at the electric shockwave. Seraph shakes his head and scolds, "Archie you have to be ready for attacks like that. Bad guys pull out an ability all the time. You have to learn to be ready for it." Archangel looks down and nods. He says, "It's just, your abilities hit so much harder than what I got hit with by the Archmage."

"That's the idea. You need to be hit with hard attacks. That way, the mage fucks will be easy to deal with. It'll feel like a fly landed on you."

"Okay, then I will prepare for that attack."

Archangel gets ready for Seraph. He gets into a stance and dogs his feet into the ground. Seraph shoots a large beam of light at Archangel. He takes the hit and keeps his feet on the ground. He gives a grunt and moves forward. The beam was around 30x stronger than what the Archmage of Power fired at Witch, Specter, Strongman, and the Archmage of Defense. It's been fired on him around a hundred times now over the past few days of training. It was an extreme attack, but gradually Archangel was able to withstand it. He started off on his ass as soon as the beam came out, but now he's taking it with stride.

He endured the beam for a few more minutes and then disperses it using his arms. He pants heavy and holds himself up using a nearby tree. He looks at Seraph and gives a thumbs up. Seraph smiles and compliments, "Good job dude. Ready for the real one?" Archangel's eyes widened. "R-real one?" he stammers. Seraph chuckles and explains, "You thought that was my real attack? You realize that move was even weaker than Bria's lightning strike? That one destroyed a gas giant planet." Archangel looks in disbelief. He had taken three days struggling with that one wave of light and just got it down pat. Now he's finding out there's an even stronger ability up his mentor's sleeve.

Archangel bucks up and says, "I am ready for the next phase." Seraph gives a thumbs up and walks towards his side of the training area. Archangel gets ready and plants his feet to the ground yet again. But this time, Seraph didn't throw a wave of light or fire out of his hand. Seraph looked at Archangel and simply raised up his hand and snapped his fingers. Archangel looks confused but is given a hint by the Seraph. He points his finger up at the sky. When Archangel looks up he sees an area in the clouds slowly get brighter. It increases in intensity until a gargantuan holy beam of light, fire, and electricity splits the clouds and lands onto Archangel. The celestial torrent pummels into the ground where Archangel stood for 6 minutes, to which it fades slowly after. Where Archangel once stood, is now a crater that's around 33 feet in diameter and 42 feet deep. Seraph walks up to the crater and looks down. He laughs as he sees Archangel laying on his back.

His face is full of shock and surprise. But he's relatively unhurt. Seraph jumps down and helps Archangel up. Seraph asks, "Well, how was it?" Archangel looks at Seraph and says with a meek tone, "I think I'm ready for now." Seraph pats him on the back and explains, "Every time you get hit with what would be a life ending move or attack, you build tolerance to it. It's just how we are. I knew you wouldn't die with that move I just did, and I was even holding back. Now you have heavy resistance to that amount of force and power since your cells are used to it now. Think of it like an evolution, you'll only keep getting stronger and tougher. It'll just take some time. I mean look at me, it took me a good four to five years to become what I am now. You're still young, you'll get there."

Archangel looks at Seraph and nods. He thinks about the first fight with the Archmage of Power. He remembers the end of it, with Imperialist casually incapacitating the powerful sorcerer and casually insulting the new threats that appeared. She had no fear in her whatsoever. In fact, none of the Precocious Squadron even flinched at the threats that had almost absolutely killed Void, Witch, and the others. He remembers the look of fear on the Archmages face as Imperialist absorbed his magic and amplified it tenfold right in front of him with the lift of her finger. The Archmage of Power looked like child's play matched up against the one dubbed as the Aspect of Power. Archangel, and he believes the rest of the Roundtable, had sorely underestimated what their new partners can do.

Seraph ruffles his hair and asks, "So, you think you're ready?" Archangel nods and responds, "I at least won't die."

"Have you guys used that Codex yet?"

"Uh, no, not yet."

"It'll help a lot. I mean, a *lot*. Tell Wizard and Witch to learn spells from it. Show those assholes a new trick or two."

"I'll get on that. Thank you Seraph."

"Of course. I think you guys will do fine."

"Do you really?"

"Yeah. You basically have the same powers as me. Void basically can't stay dead, one is *basically* dead, you got a poison-creating semi-human, an almost unbeatable bodyguard, an electric powerhouse, and you have mages. That's a very colorful group. You got this."

"I appreciate your assistance."

"Anytime. Also, you should take this since I kinda...burned your clothes."

Seraph hands Archangel a hoodie and sweatpants. "It's very casual," Archangel comments as he puts the clothes on. He twirls around and checks the chest of the hoodie to see both the CACG emblem and the Seraphim emblem on it. He smiles at Seraph and he responds, "We're not much for uniforms. Also these clothes are extremely durable. Can't be ripped, burned, or dematerialized easily. Bellona made it to fit you perfectly."

"Tell Ms. Timothy I thank her."

"Of course Archie."

Archangel shakes Seraph's hand and Seraph's face lights up. "Oh! And one more thing. What I want you to do is think of a place you've been or seen and want to go and snap your fingers," he says with excitement. Archangel looks confused but then nods in confirmation. He looks down and starts thinking. Seraph backs away and waves.

Archangel looks a bit confused but thinks of Geo-7. He snaps his fingers and a lightning bolt envelopes him. Within an instant, he finds himself back at Arthur's Bay. He looks around, extremely confused. He looks down and sees a light burn mark where he stands and realizes he just transported back home through a lightning bolt. He chuckles a bit and says to himself, "Thank you Seraph. I won't let you down."

## Omnigenie's Wish- Sleepwalker's Wing, Reality's Edge [06/07/2022 A.D.]

Seraph and Jehovah use the Immortal Realm to reach the Sleepwalker's Wing, the hub for dozens of universes created by one Pillar of Reality. They walk into a temple full of flowers and cozy decor. They see their creator, Pollyannus, rubbing their eyes and slowly getting up from their bed. Seraph and Jehovah both wait for the Pillar to speak. "I am awake," the deity says to both of them as he gives a yawn. A collection of stars and nebulae fly from his mouth as he exhales. He sits up and looks at them and smiles. "How may I help you two?"

"Pollyannus," Jehovah says as he bows his head. "We would like to report on Archangel and ask for guidance."

"You may."

Seraph walks forward and says casually, "Hey Polly." to which Pollyannus responds by giggling. "Dear Seraph, it's nice to see you after some time."

"It has been a while yeah. How was the rest."

"No complaints on my end. You have news of Archangel? The Director of the CACG?"

"Yeah. So, I trained him for a few days and I noticed something."

"Oh? What would that be?"

"He has awoken some new powers. Either that or it's been working in tandem with his other abilities."

"Intriguing. Tell me more."

"I shot a celestial beam as him and he dispelled it. He also has knocked away a beam as well in his training. I'm assuming he has the ability to control Inertia and even Antimatter itself. Nothing was left of my beam. It was like he broke down the beam."

"Oh my. Those indeed are colorful abilities."

"It's a strong ability, but he's still young in them. Though his halo has gotten brighter. He's growing. I would give him time."

"Yes, indeed. Then he shall truly fit the role of Determination."

"I like that title. It fits him."

"I've seen him in my dreams. He and his friends are...as you all Below say, 'Hardy'."

"You think they'll take care of the Archfiend?"

"I believe so. The Grand Magus of their universe took care of him alone. He was an amazing One Below. Their Wing's Pillar wouldn't hold their tongue about it for decades. His offspring will do well. Tell me, have they used the grimoire I provided?"

"No, I don't think so."

"Then perhaps they are not looking close enough. Or reading well enough."

"It is in another language that only Bearers can understand natively so I guess we bear with it."

"Perhaps it shall be relinquished from the CACG?"

"If it doesn't get used, then yeah. Seraphim will take it."

"I assume you'll find use for it?"

"Yeah, we'll give it to Cadmael."

"Ah, Cadmael. The poor child."

"I wish we had made it to his world in time."

"Some Fates cannot be changed. Many are Absolute."

"So, what now?"

"You must prepare for the Leviathan, and other threats that await the horizon. You also much make sure the CACG will be a strong ally. That is my dream."

"I will do that. Thank you."

"You're doing amazing, Dear Seraph. I have hope in all of you. I must take my next slumber. Until then."

"See ya sleepyhead."

Pollyannus smiles and lays back down. Both Seraph and Jehovah bow their heads and walk out of the temple. "How's the training on your end been going?" Jehovah says to Seraph. He responds, "Peachy. I feel like I'm catching up to Levi more and more."

"When was the last time you fought him?"

"With Yarad and the others. He ran like a bitch. I wish I had killed him then and there."

"But then you wouldn't have allies for the other one."

"True. Fate is weird isn't it?"

"It truly is."

The two make it back to Hazor. Jehovah puts himself back inside the necklace and stands dormant. Seraph goes back to the main room to check his status report on everyone. he then sees a strange message from one of the CACG operatives. From Malik King Himself, he says in his head, "Sure, why not." and readies himself to meet the doctor.

## Wings of Freedom- Liberty Valley, Unified Frontier, Grail [06/07/2022 A.D.]

The Seraph enters Liberty Valley from his wormhole. He looks around until he finds the Precocious Squadron and Here Lies Fate waiting for him. He walks towards them and they all kneel as he gets close. “It’s good to see you, dear Seraph,” Imperialist says. Here Lies Fate curtsies and greets, “It has been a while since I’ve seen you in person, High One. Never a sight for sore eyes.” Seraph rubs his neck and motions for them to stand up, to which they oblige. He looks at all of them and smiles. He sees Hellscream and gives him a noogie, to which he giggles in response. “Hey bro,” Hellscream says while escaping Seraph’s grasp. Volume 0 smiles gently and says in a low voice, “I’m glad you’re doing well, Seraph.”

“I hope this universe is treating you well, Cassandra.”

“Yes, it has. I’ve gotten more comfortable ever since I got here with the team.”

“That’s good. Very good. You were such a quiet one when you first joined. I love seeing growth. By the way, you guys said you have something for me?”

Bloodclaute dotingly reports, “With the help of Eden, we found a hint on where Agent B might be. We can bring him home finally.”

Seraph’s face brightens and he asks excitedly, “Agent B?! Oh man, it’s been so long since I’ve seen him!”

“I did miss his laughs. Also, we’re collaborating with the CACG on this.”

“Oh really? I thought they were dealing with the magical demon guy.”

“Yeah, the Roundtable is busy, but one of the Advisors insisted on helping us. His department of agents are all willing to help.”

“Cool, where are they?”

Hellscream responds by walking towards the Nazareth. He knocks on the side of it and in response, a person walks down from the hatch. Seraph smiles when he sees Malik King walk towards him. Instead of his usual lab coat attire, he’s now wearing a padded uniform with a Kevlar vest. On the front of it has the logo of the Group on it. Malik smiles back and says, “Hello sir, I look forward to collaborating with you.”

“Sup, Malik. How many people you got with you?”

“The agents I brought with me are called the In And Out Unit. There are about six of them.”

“How good are they?”

“Just like their name, they’re our best agents in infiltration and extraction.”

“Good, so what’s the plan?”

“Ms. Iridesca will make our footsteps silent and we’ll make the extraction as clean as possible.”

“Sounds good. We’ll make this the place to come back to.”

“Yes sir. We’ll start later tonight.”

The group talks more about the plan and then disband for the afternoon. They’ll be ready for the coming hours on the plan to rescue their favorite agent.

### The Operation- Camelot, Grail [06/07/2022 A.D.]

Malik and the In and Out Unit move into position at the seemingly innocent confectionery. They had heard that the business is a front for the terrorist organization known as the Iron Front. They locate a window at the side of the building and rotate towards it. Malik says in his comm device, “Throne Volume 0, we are in position. Ready to enter.” They wait for a minute and then hear light footsteps coming their way. They direct their attention to the sound and see Volume 0 walking calmly towards them. The agents salute and she puts them at ease. “Please stand straight so I can have a good view of your shoes,” she requests, to which they oblige by standing still.

Volume 0 kneels down and whispers, which creates visible sound waves from her mouth. The waves hit each of the agents’ shoes. She then turns towards the window and whispers at it as well. Instead of bouncing off the window, the soundwaves permeate it. Volume 0 turns towards the seven agents and confirms, “You should be able to enter now quietly. Go ahead and break it.” Malik reluctantly nods and gestures for an agent to break the window. The agent takes a breath and swings the stock of his rifle at the window. Everyone except Volume 0 grimaced at the action, waiting to hear the loud crash of glass breaking, but they heard nothing. Absolutely nothing. The glass falls to the floor but nothing is audible at all. The agents look at each other in disbelief, and then quickly regain their composure. One by one they enter the building, with Volume 0 following shortly after.

Malik looks around to see if anyone is around and keeps his gun at the ready. “Agent Crown, can you see if there’s any special entrances?” One of the agents nods and puts on a special visor. He searches around until the visor beeps. He points in the direction and walks towards a wall covered by appliances. One of the agents asks, “It’s behind this wall?” Crown nods and looks around. The rest of the agents follow suit. Malik watches their backs as they search. Volume 0 crouches next to Malik and asks, “You’ve done operations like this before?” Malik while scanning the area responds, “Sometimes. I’m usually in the office all the time.”

“How does it feel?”

“Ma’am?”

“Doing missions.”

“Oh, I guess it’s pretty refreshing.”

“Gives you room to use your abilities.”

“Abilities?”

“Of course. Your abilities. You can actually use them.”

“How do you know about that?”

“Your employee files. You’re impressive Malik. You should do more field missions.”

“Thank you ma’am.”

Volume 0 smiles and watches the agents search the brick wall, They turn sink handles and open refrigerators. One of the agents says to Malik, “We can’t find anything. Crown’s visor says there’s something here but…we haven’t gotten any luck.” Malik says while scouting, “You scoured everything Agent Royal?”

“Yes sir.”

“It has to be there. The visor was cleaned and repaired just today.”

Volume 0 raises her hand and says, “Move the fridge. Bet there’s an entrance there.” Agent Royal looks at Volume 0 and then nods. Volume 0 talks low at the refrigerator and the Agents quickly move the appliance. Behind it is a door that’s padlocked. Agent Royal smiles and pulls out a lockpick. She works at the padlock until she successfully unlocks it. The agents all stand around the door and ready each other to enter. Royal counts to three and enters the area with her gun pointed. The rest of the Unit spills in and scans the area stealthily as they walk down into what seems to be a basement. The stairs terminate into a large open space. There are mechanical parts moving, boxing up and labeling several metal parts as well as what seems to be samples of the Metal Plague.

Agent Crown says in his comms, “Got about 10 hostiles at five o’clock.” Agent Royal adds, “Got 15 more near another entrance northwest of our entryway. Possibly a place we need to check.” One agent that’s been quiet speaks up and says “Hell…they all have metal parts on their bodies.” Malik says, “Let’s move away from the entryway. At least find a safe place to regroup.”

The agents and Volume 0 all regroup at a pocket in the room. They all recount the amount of guards and workers in the room. They recounted and found there were around 40 guards, with the majority of them being around the entrance Royal spotted. “That’s got to be where Agent B is,” Agent Crown deduces. “Royal, Tsar, what do you think?” Royal responds, “It’s either that, or they’re hiding something else important.” Tsar agrees, “Either way, we’ll get a lot of information. But how do we even get through?” Volume 0 smiles and enters something into her watch. Malik notices this and asks, “You have a plan ma’am?” Volume 0 looks at Malik and says, “Get ready to fight if we have to.”

A crash is heard upstairs and then loud rumbling. The agents look around in confusion as the ground shakes under them. Malik looks at Volume 0 as she has a large grin on her face. The guards in the factory respond by going upstairs, while some stay to guard the entrance that was spotted by the Group agents. Shots are heard from above and yelling. Orders were being shouted followed by blood curdling screams. Volume 0 says to the Agents, “Now’s our chance.” She gets up and walks towards the heavily guarded entrance. The Agents quickly follow after with their guns at the ready. A guard spots them and shouts, “They made it down here! Fucking kill them!” The others don’t waste time and begin unloading their rifles at the direction of the agents. They find cover behind crates and shelves.

Malik orders, “Give me covering fire!” The agents in unison say “Yes sir” and fire back at the guards. Malik vaults over the table he was hiding behind and charges towards the Iron Front guards. A few focus their aim on him and spray in his direction. Malik gracefully dodges each bullet and fires back, tagging a few. To him, each bullet was moving extremely slow. He evades each bullets’ path easily and runs at speeds faster than the guards can keep up with. He jumps around the area to and fro. The guards have trouble keeping up with him. “He’s like a fucking spider!” one of the guards shouted before getting domed by Malik’s handgun. He shoots another and shouts, “Volume 0, now!”  Volume 0 walks out into the open and screams at the remaining guards. The sound waves hit the guards and they instantly drop their guns. They grab at their chests and necks and collapse to the floor. The agents get out from cover and watch as the guards seem to be gasping for air, but they don’t hear anything at all from them. They are completely silent. They suffer in that silence before they finally stop moving.

Crown, Royal, and Tsar look at each other and regroup with Malik, with the rest of the agents following behind. The shouting and noises from upstairs subside. “Guys? Why is there a shit ton of blood at our way out?” Tsar says as he stares at the stairs, now pooling up with copious amounts of the life essence of several people. Wet footsteps are heard and the agents raise their weapons. Volume 0 motions them to stand down and they slowly do. The wet footsteps get louder until Bloodclaute is visible walking down. Her blouse is completely clean, which contrasts her skin, which is stained with blood. Seraph follows after and trailing behind him is a cloud of smoke. The smoke reaches the group and reforms into Hellscream. He gives a big toothy smile. Volume 0 pats Hellscream’s head and kneels as the Seraph approaches. The Seraph pats Volume 0 on the back and helps her up. “So, this the room?” Seraph says as he nods his head towards the door with lifeless bodies littered around it. Malik responds, "Yes, sir."

They all walk towards the door and Royal picks open the lock. Inside is a barely furnished room. On the floor and under the covers is a person. Seraph walks forward and crouches by the person sleeping. He gently nudges the person and calls out, "B?" The person shifts a bit and takes off their covers and their face lights up as they realize who they're looking at. The person starts speaking in his Arabian accent, "Seraph?! That you?" Seraph smiles big and holds out his hand. Agent B grabs on and is assisted up. He looks around and sees Malik, the Agents, and the other members of the Seraphim. He hugs Seraph tight and exclaims, "You found me! All of you! *Alhamdulillah*!" Malik smiles and says, "It's good to see you again, B." Bloodclaute asks with concern, "Did they hurt you?" Agent B looks at Bloodclaute and explains, "Yeah, they poked me with many things. Not the Metal Plague I don't think. I would be synthetic by now. But, I think they were testing my abilities. It wasn't fun. They only fed me bread and some leftovers I got from the guards." Seraph comforts, "Well, we'll give you a big dinner when we get you back." Seraph looks at Malik and says, "Good job, guys. Sorry I came so late." Malik waves it off and says, "It's fine sir. We still got the results we wanted. I do think, however, that B should stay in your care for a while until the Roundtable finishes their mission. Then he can continue his duties afterwards."

"Sounds good. Alright guys, let's move out. Watch your step on the way upstairs. We kind of made a mess."

The agents and the Seraphim exit in single file, with the agents exiting first. The agents one by one gasp and say something under their breath. Crown can be heard saying "Oh...shit" as he walked out. Malik looks confused until he finally reaches the door. He walks out and sees the building has been completely leveled. There's at most debris on the ground where the confectionery used to be. He takes more steps and the wet squelching of viscera and blood can be heard under his boots. He looks down at Bloodclaute, to which she smiles sweetly in response. A pang of terror goes through him. He's reminded of how deadly the Seraphim is, and reminds himself never to get on their bad side. They all enter the Nazareth, which is parked a few yards away from the building and they exit the scene before Iron Front reinforcements came to assess the damage.

### A Breath of Fresh Air- Liberty Valley, Unified Frontier, Grail [06/08/2022 A.D.]

The Nazareth lands where they all met and they all exit the ship. Agent B runs out and takes a large breath of air. He exhales and laughs, "It's been so long since I've seen outside. And especially this view!" Seraph follows after and responds, "It never gets old does it?"

"Absolutely not. The sun hits so perfectly here."

"I sometimes go out here when I get tired of my own planet."

"Maybe your planet can make something like this?"

"Maybe, but it'll never match the natural beauty of this place. Anyways, you ready to go?"

"Yeah. One moment please."

Agent B walks toward Malik and his unit. He hugs them all and they all respond by hugging back. He laughs and says, "Thank you again for saving me. I will not forget this moment." Malik waves him off and says, "It's nothing. Of course we'll come for our agent. No man left behind." The Seraphim members add in to the group hug and comfort Agent B as they do. After a while, Agent B walks with Seraph and he opens a wormhole. A mess hall can be seen on the other side. Seraph says his good byes to the Precocious Squadron and leads Agent B into the portal. They all wave back and watch as Seraph and Agent B disappear into the wormhole. Malik King gives a sigh of relief and says to Volume 0, "Thank you for assisting us in this operation. We are extremely grateful." Volume 0 nods and responds, "We're a call away if you need us again." Malik smiles and he walks towards their Aerovehicle. The agents follow suit and all pack into the AV. The vehicle lifts off and heads back towards Camelot. Imperialist asks, "I assume it went well?" Volume 0 says in an excited voice, "I got to scream today." Hellscream gasps in shock and comments, "Yo?! Aw man I missed it!" The group giggles as they all enter the Nazareth and fly off back to Jericho.

## Archfiend Epilogue- Syndicate Inquisitor, Above Grail [06/11/2022 A.D.]

From the orbit of Grail, the battle between the Roundtable and the Archfiend is seen with bright colors, gunshots, and explosions. The General and the Vice General of the Syndicate, Judas Havelock, and Keira Levin, watch from above. Judas watches Archangel as he effortlessly deflects the large arcane ball and sequentially destroys it. “He’s grown,” Keira comments, watching with Judas. “Are they a threat now?” Judas watches on more as they begin to seal the demon away. “They’ll get in the way of our occupation for sure,” Judas answers. “It seems this planet’s defense systems aren’t as pathetic as I thought.”

“What’s the plan?”

“We won’t go in with guns raised. It’ll come with resistance. I have a better idea. We control the world by passive means.”

“Elaborate?”

“How good are you in politics, Keira?”

“I was a soldier who almost became Secretary of State, Judas, of course I’m good at politics.”

“Perfect. Then I want you to run for an office in Camelot.”

“I’m basically an alien to them. How would I go about doing that?”

“Already done for you. We’ve given you an identity. You are Heralda Smith. You were born in 2000. You had a loving mother and father who took you to the most prestigious schools, and you graduated at the top of your class. Both High School *and* your college, which was the Camelot School of Law. You majored in Political Science and minored in Legal Studies. You are running for Lord of the Lake. Lady of the Lake since you’re a woman. It’s the third most powerful position in Camelot, only just behind the Sovereign and their deputy. You’ll be the leading lawmaker. You’ll know what to do. For now, get ready for your campaign. You start early tomorrow. Our ads and our sponsors have already begun to show your face across the country through TV, internet, radio, and all other forms of media.”

“All thought out huh. How long has this been in the works?”

“Quite a few months. It’s why I had you learn about Camelotian culture along with the issues and concerns the people have.”

“Alright, cool. I’ll show my face to the people then. I need my makeup. Tell me how I look when you catch the press releases.”

Keira gets up while patting Judas’s back and walks out the bridge area. Judas observes the battlefield that the CACG and the Archfiend fought in. He focused on the Roundtable and thought to himself. This universe is unlike the others he occupied. The others fell under his control swiftly, with promises of purifying their universes from the abnormal. This universe however seems to embrace the abnormal. It disgusted him. He thought these people were diseased. They were brainwashed to think this was okay. He wants them to see that the CACG is the enemy. He wants to show them the way to salvation, and spread his lord’s love to the people. He then hears the computer say that a ship has detached from the Inquisitor, and watches Keira touch down on Camelotian soil. He smiles, and expects the coming weeks to be the most stressful ones the CACG has ever had.

Elections begin soon.

### Geo-7, Arthur’s Bay [06/12/2022 A.D.]

Witch and Wizard relax in their study. After the fight against the Archfiend, they were exhausted and drained. They talked amongst each other about the demon and the aftermath. They also begin talking about the elections coming up soon for Leader of the Lake. They then hear something in the other room. It sounded like magic was being cast and was quickly followed by intense rummaging. The two perk up from their seats. “Who the hell is that?!” Wizard says as he gets up and begins to walk towards the door where the noise is coming from. The rummaging continues and Wizard walks closer towards the door. He begins to conjure a fireball as he puts his other hand on the doorknob. He motions for Witch to stand close by him. She abides and conjures her own spell. They both count on three and open the door. They see someone in green robes throwing around tomes and books. “Hey! Who are you? What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Witch shouts as she readies her magic. The person doesn’t react and continues to rummage. Wizard increases the intensity of his fireball and threatens, “You better answer before I fucking fry you.” They then hear a beastly voice that fills the room.

“Go back into the other room. If you know what’s good for you,” the voice says. Wizard and Witch jump in surprise at the voice and look around. They couldn’t find the body of the voice and revert their attention back at the man. Witch warns one more time, “If you don’t answer we’ll fucking send you to the afterlife.” The man stops what he’s doing and sighs in annoyance. He says calmly, “I need something from here.” Wizard, not accepting the answer, throws the fireball at the man’s way at full speed. Witch also shoots an arcane blast to follow up. The man quickly turns around and swipes the fireball and arcane blast out of existence with his hand stretched out. The two look surprised and get ready to shoot another volley of magic until they both catch a symbol on his robe, which looks like the Seraphim symbol. Witch asks in confusion, “What are you doing in our office? And I’ve never seen you before. Wait…how did you even *get* in here?”

The man keeps looking around and answers, “I’m looking for something I was asked to pick up. You haven’t seen me before cause I’m on the field all the time. I got in here using a portal.” The man rummages through more until he finds the Heavenly Codex. He picks it up, dusts it off and comments sarcastically, “You sure took care of this well.” Wizard explained, “We couldn’t really find any use for it. There weren't any spells we needed.” the man looks at the Codex and then looks at the two in what seems to be disgust and responds, “There’s literally a spell for *every* situation in this. It’s the *whole point* of the Codex. For *every* situation. There’s even a ***Table of Contents*** at the front.”

Witch asked in defense, “Even one for sealing away a demon?”

The man looked at the Witch with a straight face and says, “This was created by Angels and Holy beings…to defeat demons. Jesus it’s like you guys didn’t even read it. Bunch of novices.” The Witch stands silent, a bit embarrassed. Wizard looks away in defeat then says, “And who exactly are you?” The man reads the codex and begins casting a few spells while answering, “They call me Xeno-Sorceror. I’m a Pioneer of the Nine-Star Army. In direct collaboration with the Seraphim.” Witch asks, “Nine-Star Army? What’s that?”

“A private military that works to keep the peace and prevent demons, monsters, and other Blights from taking over. Not from Seraphim’s universe. It’s another one. A different universe. They called it HUNT-217.”

“Called it?”

“Yeah, the universe is dead now. Has been dead for a while. Levi destroyed it in the Bellow. Now there’s a few million of us living in CRDNCE-218 and working with the Seraphim to stop the Syndicate.”

“That’s all that’s left of your world…?”

“Yep. Just us. Anyways, Pioneers are…mercenaries in a way. I’m one of them. I get hired to do a job, I take it, and I get it done. This is one of them.”

“Why didn’t the Seraphim just ask us for it back?”

“They didn’t give the order. Pollyannus did.”

“Who’s Pollyannus?”

“A Pillar of Reality.”

Wizard and Witch both look at each other in concern as they hear those three words. They remember the time they were chained to their seats by Levi and were powerless before him. Xeno-Sorceror notices their looks and comforts, “They aren’t evil. They’re actually helping the Seraphim in preventing Levi from destroying the rest of the universes that resist him. He watches most of his Wing, which is called the Sleepwalker’s Wing. They are universes coded 200 to 299. He has taken notice of your universe though because of the Seraphim’s presence here. So he pretty much sees and knows everything in here. He also knows, this Codex could be used in other ways. So he commissioned the Nine-Star Army, and then directly me, to get it.”

Wizard looks at Witch again and slowly nods, “Alright then. You can take it.” Xeno-Sorceror chuckles and repeats, “'You can take it'. It’s ours to begin with. We just let you borrow it.” he puts the Codex away in his robe and pulls out his sword from the sheathe on his back. It’s a large single edged Miaodao. He cuts the air vertically and opens a portal. On the other side is the settlement on Jericho. Xeno-Sorceror looks at them before leaving and says, “That Magus book probably will do enough for you. Get better at your magic. It would be nice to have other magic users help me in my missions. For now, hit the books. For the love of everything.” Xeno-Sorceror jumps into the portal and it shortly closes afterwards. Witch looks around and says in an annoyed tone, “He could have at least cleaned up after himself. Fuck. Look at this mess.” Wizard agrees and comments, “He was strong in magic though. Like, grossly strong. We would’ve lost if he was the enemy.”

“We need to study more. That kind of gave me a new goal.”

“Same here. Well. Time to get to cleaning I guess.”