Aiyana's S Rank Exam {Invite Only}

There comes a time in every life where one must face situations they know full well will cause them emotional, and sometimes physical, grief. Today was one of those days for a woman known as Aiyana Shuer. The woman had since left Sabertooth, feeling out of place in the guild with how others behaved and their stance on killing at times, and had struck out on her own while keeping in touch with those the celestial fox had befriended; or fallen in love with. The day had come for her to confront her parents about what had happened to her as a child long ago, something that still made her feel sick to her stomach every time the memory even rose a little bit from the depths of her mind. How a father could give in to lust when it involved his own daughter was something the nine tailed fox would never understand, but she had to get it off of her chest or it would eat her up from the inside until she was but a hollow shell with nothing but pain and misery left in her life. That was not what she wanted, not at all.

The woman knew she could get there just by going through the celestial realm, but another person that she knew had promised to come with her and be a pillar for her to lean on for support. That person was known as Mao; Mao Nakiri. It was strange being paired off with a single person. All her life she had went from one romance to another without a second thought when one ended. They knew how it went, and neither of them had cared. Sure, Aiyana still had phases with others. But there was that tinge of guilt, that thought of 'what would Mao think if she found out,' stuck in the back of her mind in the two instances where she had gotten lost in the heat of the moment. Not wanting to bring it up, not sure how it would affect her, the woman just allowed it to stick with the rest of her bad thoughts that she was slowly working towards getting rid of. Once she had everything under control she could simply focus on her own life, and those she called family.

A gathering of weapons and armaments was not needed. It was her family that she was heading out to see. Sure the girl was going to most likely cause a dangerous situation by bringing up what she was there for, but it was not like they would be going into a war for their lives today. There would be no bloodshed, she hoped, nor any shape of death. All she was going to do was confront them on this and see where it went from there. Long black hair would be carefully brushed as she looked at her own golden eyes in the mirror before her. She was standing there naked as a tear made its way down her cheek and to the floor, a stray thought reaching her mind that made every positive thought about her self-image drift away instantly. Her body was not her own, her parents would not even know it was her anymore. Even her voice was no longer her own. All she had was her very soul and memories that she had, everything else was the result of the trickster celestial spirit deciding to do one last prank out of spite. How could she confront them when they would not recognize her? How could she say what he did to her when it was not even the same body it had happened to? No! They were memories! No matter what had happened to her since her parent's actions had shaped a part of what she did!

Hair would be quickly done even as Aiyana figured out what kind of clothing to wear when she went. Her usual clothes would end in disaster, something slutty was not what she wished for her parents to see when confronting them on this. That would just bring up things about how she enjoyed it now, so what was the difference then. Never mind the fact her own sub-conscience blocked it out over the trauma it caused. Nothing fancy would be worn this day, a simple set of traveler’s clothing in shades of blue, brown, and tan that were nothing to catch the eyes of others while providing her with comfort and a sense of safety at the same time. A regular pair of leather boots would finish the magical clothes that would be what she wore for the rest of this trip.

An unhappy sigh would leave her lips as she looked at herself one last time in the mirror before stepping out of the doorway of the small room that she wished she could just stay in instead of doing what was planned. A brief wish that Mao was a celestial spirit as well ran through her mind, the wishful thinking bringing her to a moment where the two could simply forget about this world and stay in the Celestial Realm for as long as they wished without a need for anything else. But alas it was impossible, so Aiyana had to deal with this issue here and now; no more excuses! A deep breath would be made before the girl walked outside to meet Mao there. The woman was clad in her usual amount of excessive clothing, though managing to maintain a sense of fashion at the same time. It was something the fox would never be able to do, manage to match so much clothing a the same time.

”All right, it's at least a couple days travel at least if we leave now. Do you have everything you need?” The words, softly spoken, would receive a simple nod that told her everything that needed to be said before the two began the medium length journey to meet her parents. There was a lot of talking done, but most of it would begin when the two made it safely to the port town of Hargeon a day later; where they would be getting on a ship to make their way to Lavantir Port City.

”Well Mao, I guess I should try and explain as much as I can before we begin the voyage to Lavantir Port City. I don't want to try and do it all on the way cause who knows what kind of distractions we'll come upon while out on the ocean.” The last part was true, there were a lot of things to stop them from talking while on the open sea. There were creatures of the deep that would attack ships coming across, pirates wanting to loot and steal, and then the others on the ship could try to speak with them at any time and provide and unwanted distraction. ”My family has always lived in Lavantir city, even before I was born. As soon as I got the chance I ran away from home to become a mage. I was lucky to make my way to Hargeon, eventually meeting Mei and you because of it. I'm not sure how it would have turned out if I had remained guildless and on my own. Given how I am, it might not have ended as well as it did. Anyways, my dad is a monster of a man. He's well over six foot tall, and he's large even for his height. He is also gruff and to the point, unlike my mother. She's a small woman, about my height, that is very soft spoken and easy to lead. That's probably why she let my father get away with what he did. I don't think my sibling still lives with them. God rest their soul they were a mess when I last saw them. Shy, quiet, easily embarrassed, and no drive to do anything on their own because of how useless they feel.” Realizing she was speaking too much in one go, her own thoughts growing unsteadily random as she tried to stay on focus, the celestial spirit took a deep breath even though she had no need for the oxygen in the air. ”Sorry, I'm just worried and it's all spilling out at the same time. I'll try to stay on subject this time. When we go there they will not recognize me, and they won't know you at all. I have not stayed in contact with them so I'm going to have to prove I'm them before I can even bring up what we're here for. When we get to the city I want to walk around first, see my hometown for a bit before we ruin the entire trip with a bad conversation.”

A lengthy conversation that would last for hours, mostly Aiyana speaking and Mao giving simple answers and declarations of understanding, went on until Mao grew sleepy. With the woman heading to sleep below deck, Aiyana took the time to go to the Celestial Realm and meditate for a bit. A booming voice rang out, reaching into her very soul as it spoke, to ask a question of her while she sat there. ”My child, why are you worried so? Is there something you want to talk about? You can tell me anything, this is my realm and I will help you in any way I can while you are here.” The voice was that of the Celestial Spirit King, the mighty all powerful ruler of the celestial realm she half belonged to.

”King, I am worried about what I am about to do. I have a bad history with my family, something I do not wish to talk about vocally and am going by ship with my mate to the city I grew up in to confront them about it. I'm scared, I don't want to do this. I know it'll be the end of my family there, and I would rather just wish this all away and never think of it again.”

”I see. That is quite the predicament to be in, unfortunately. As it's in the human realm I can do nothing but with your luck and wish upon you the courage to get it done without backing down. If you ever need someone to talk to, remember I am always here. I need not sleep, nor will I ever forget anything that you tell me.”

”Thank you Spirit King, it means a lot hearing it from a leader of an entire realm of existence. But I must go, time passes quick and it is getting close to dawn and the arrival to the city I speak of.” The nine tailed woman would stand up before bringing herself back to the realm of humans, her true home realm, to find the sun slowly peeking up over the water to allow light to hit the closed eyelids of those that were trying to sleep. That meant Mao would most likely be up soon, and that they would also be arriving shortly. Both happened within the next three hours, Mao waking up a half hour before they arrived, and the two would step onto the pier of a city that she knew like the back of her hand.

”Welcome to Lavantir Port City. Please try to follow the laws while here and remember that the guild is always keeping on eye on everything. Have a pleasant visit here and do try to come back again in the future after!” The greeting was the same as always. She had heard it so often in the past that she could have said it at the exact same time as the greeting girl spoke to them while they continued walking. The guildless mage would turn to Mao as she spoke up about her plans before going to her old house.

”I want to visit the guild before we head over to my parent's house. I remember going there as a child, and it had a small effect on my life choices to become a mage. I could have ended up with them, had my past not been like it was. I wonder if my sibling joined them. Christine was a super bookworm and would be a very helpful person for them to have, even if they had no magic of their own." Black Rose's guild hall was not a long way away from where they were, fifteen minutes of casual walking through the port city were all they needed to make their way inside of the large building that still seemed familiar after all these years. Many of the faces that looked at her were those of people she did not know. The woman had been gone from this city for long enough that the changing of guild members had taken hold. Those she had seen had either retired or been lost in the line of duty for the guild or any other goal they were moved by. There was only one person she knew that was still in the Black Rose. That was Elyx, the one that currently held one of her keys and a contract with her. A simple walk around the guild is all she would do for now. The young woman had no want to draw too much attention, something that seemed to be happening as the strange looking pair wandered about silently as they took in the beauty of the place.

After about a half hour inside of the grand building would see them walk out and begin to make a beeline to the small marketplace that was by the pier to get food. There were many places there to eat, but all Aiyana wanted was a few apples for the couple to split. Her appetite was not the best right now, and it was not like she actually had to eat to survive either. After food was eaten, and the two sat around for a bit to relax, Aiyana Shuer would stand up before speaking softly. ”Well, I guess we should get down to business while we still have daylight with us. I want them to be able to see my face in the sunlight while we do this. And I want to be able to see their reactions to what I want to say.” With that said they would begin their trek to the little house she had grown up in. Her entire childhood had been spent in that house, and while most of the memories were pleasant they still left a foul taste in their mouth. It was like cooking, one bad ingredient ruined the entire thing.

It would not take long for them to arrive at a wooden house with a beautiful flower garden at each side of the main door. Windows were unable to be seen through, the shades closed to keep the inside a mystery to those whose intrigue was more important than the privacy of those that lived there. It seemed no one was outside, however, so the now nervous woman made a slow walk up to the door before doing a knock that she had done every time she had knocked on her door. Maybe it would be a small clue as to who she really was once she started explaining herself. It would take an excruciatingly long time for there to be an answer to her knock, a few minutes at most really, and the woman to see her mother look at her before speaking.

”Oh my! Aren't you a pretty one! Though you're not who I expected to be here! How may I help you, mam?”

”I...Uh...I'm here to tell you about your daughter. There has been some terrible happenings. Is there a way partner and I could come in and take a seat while we discuss it?”

”Oh my! I assume you mean Aiyana, that poor girl! She ran away years ago and has stopped sending us letters shortly after! I hope everything is all right! Please do come in! I want you to tell me everything you know!”

Mao and Aiyana would be waved inside, though the nine tailed fox was upset with herself on how she had gotten them inside. She should have just started with who she actually was, but now that she had started like a stranger she would just tell everything until she told them it was herself before them. The two were waved in, being guided over to a nice couch. After making sure Mao found a spot to sit Aiyana would do the same, the frostfire dragon slayer making sure to position her tails so she would not become uncomfortable after a short time of sitting. After the guests had sat down, the woman before them would sit down in a simple wooden chair before asking her to begin.

”A little while after your daughter ran away she was welcomed into a guild called Lamia Scale, though I'm sure she was still sending letters at that time, though, until the grand ball for the legal guilds happened. It was there that she found a friend struggling with her memories and decided to transfer to the guild of Sabertooth and keep an eye on her. It was around this time that she took a job with a friend still in Lamia Scale to deal with a banished celestial spirit that was causing problems in another country.” A gulp would emit from Aiyana before she let out a long, calming, breath before starting again; the next part would give away who she was if her mother was paying attention. ”It was on this job that your daughter lost her body to the spirit, the nine tailed fox changing bodies with her before expiring; the process irreversible because of it.”

It was after these words that the woman she was talking to began to grow a suspicious look upon her face. She was listening, but she was not quite sure whether to believe the creature before her was her daughter or someone trying to pull an elaborate prank on her to get into the house for something.

”After that, from what I was told, she went into hiding and came close to suicide during it. Something about a new body with so many extra limbs that she had no control over. Someone found her that helped her out, though I don't think anyone has seen him since. After that happened she went along until she got together with Mao, who is the woman that is here with us today. It was during time together that Mao found a book that the late Jeffery Shuer had written to Damion and Cassandra, you and your husband. That note spoke up something from the past, in enough detail to tell her that there was something bad that had happened in her childhood, something the changed woman should come to them about before it ate up her mind and soul until she was just a husk of herself. That's why I'm here, about what you did to your daughter. What dad did to me!"

The words were a trembling, angry, mess near the end; Aiyana's eyes flooding with tears as her mother stood up with wide eyes before saying one thing. "Damion! Come here! Our daughter is here and has something she wants to talk about!"

Moments later one would hear the pounding of feet echoing across the floor as a large, burly, man made his way into the room; an unhappy look on his face. A mouth, surrounded by a full mustache and a long beard, let loose what sounded like a growl but was actually his deep voice using real words; if one could pay attention instead of reacting in fear out of instinct. "Where is she? All I see are two half-breeds standing in my house!"

"Damion! The nine tailed one IS our daughter! And I don't think you should talk like that right now, not with what she's about to talk about..."

"Hah! What happened? Finally say no to something on legs spreading yours and get cursed for it?"

The man wouldn't actually realize why his face hurt, or why he was on the ground, until he moved lifted himself up a bit and looked around to see a furious nine tailed fox making ragged, uneven, breaths of rage as fists stayed clenched in anger. ”HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO YOUR OWN DAUGHTER! IT WAS NO WONDER I RAN AWAY, WITH WHAT YOU DID TO ME WHEN I WAS JUST A SMALL CHILD! HOW COULD YOU?! WHY WOULD YOU!”

A groan would be made as he got back on his feet, more of an annoyance than pain, and began to chuckle a bit before coming looking into her eyes while silent. ”It's simple. Why should it matter what I did to you? I only have one real child of my own, and that's Christine; the useless whelp we kicked out to do something useful with her life. You're nothing but an adopted child we tried to take pity on, but I found you more fit for other things because of how pretty you are. How unfortunate you actually remember, I liked you better when you still loved us.”

Before Aiyana Shuer could react to the words, another did so in her place. Movement from slightly behind her would make her realize that Mao was in motion.

[3580/7000]

For Aiyana’s sake Mao remained calm during their journey, allowing the woman to reacquaint herself with her hometown before eventually making her way to the doorway. In truth a large lump formed itself in her belly though, emotions an odd thing now that she could feel them without that hazy feeling thanks to the gemstones. They helped regulate them before, keeping her more easily moderate, but even standing behind her at the door the tailed girl barely refrained from fidgeting. ’No, I must keep calm for her. This won’t be easy so I cannot become another obstacle in this.’ That’s what she told herself over and over as they found seats in the abode that permitted both her oversized tail and her multitude with some form of comfort.

The mother’s shout almost startled her, though it felt somewhat gratifying to see some alarm on her as well: perhaps she hadn’t known? Though something felt a little off, the animalistic mage unable to quite pin her finger on it. Hearing the term “half-breed” caused her ears to flicker backwards, expression hardening some. Granted she was a stranger in their home…but the phrase resonated closely with the usual insult of her kind amongst her people: mixed breed.

Armed with knowledge about this man, it came as a great task not to start a low snarl or hiss towards this man, his very visage leaving an awful taste in Mao’s mouth. And yet the urge to snap a little remained, getting a little accustomed at blocking out some tastes anyways where her new abilities were concerned. But no, they couldn’t cause problems here and she wouldn’t do that to Aiyana. Teeth grit as he mocked her for the change that caused so much emotional turmoil for her before…she truly couldn’t recall the last time she experienced such a vivid sense of anger. Small satisfaction filtered in at watching her mate knock him down, though it evaporated just as quickly at his chuckling.

Something broke.

One moment he stood there, cocky and self-assured he’d get away with this crime, and the next moment he lay flopping about on the ground, splattering blood all over their nice furniture and rug as the two severed limbs waved around. Screams erupted from his throat, tearing at the inner flesh and Mao belatedly realized she couldn’t recall standing. She couldn’t even recall summoning a portal – let alone two – and yet she felt the limbs dissolving in that otherworldly stomach. Thin pupils stared intensely at the man as he quieted somewhat, puffing gasps rocking his chest even as a hand clamped around what remained of his arm, eyes wide as pain continued to control his senses.

Hints of blood tickled her taste buds.

Within the span of seconds after his little declaration two portals opened up by the man: one by his right arm and the other by his left leg. Fangs lined the portals, ensuring they lead to her spatial stomach rather than just an alternate dimension, quickly piercing through flesh and bone to remove a majority of the limbs, leaving only stumps in their wake. The suddenness of it and the loss of a leg forced the man to the ground before pain blossomed horrendously in his mind, clouding all senses and sending him squirming and rolling about as the yelling began.

”What you did is beyond despicable,” the even tone came out audibly, but with quiet intensity rather than resorting to yelling as she stared down at the inhuman thing on the floor, ”No child should have to suffer merely because they lack blood relations: they should be protected. They should be loved like family. Yet you are little more than the wolf in sheep’s clothing and I shudder to think that you even had a child to call your own. Be thankful I have enough control to leave you with what I can barely stomach to call a life as there is no one in this world who would truly mourn the loss of a stain upon humanity.”

That drive continued to push her, forcing Mao to crouch down by him and watch with some small pleasure as the man’s frantic eyes turned towards her: she had his attention. ”Understand this now because I’ll only warn you once. After today if you come anywhere near my mate I will not hesitate: your life is mine now and you live by my grace alone. If I so much as have the feeling you seek retribution or harm to her you will not even see me before your end. Your eyes may only see a half-breed before you, but make no mistake: I am a hunter. I do not kill freely or without reason, but I hold no qualms making an exception for you.”

Staring into his eyes Mao confirmed he’d heard her through the pain before standing, eyes sliding towards his wife. Intensity remained in them, watching the woman’s face change and listening to her reactions to this moment. Openly she contemplated performing a similar move on the woman, more disgust running through her veins for this contemptible family. She could only hope their “blood” child came out better somehow, or avoided too many wounds and emotional scars by their hands. Some sense filtered back in, allowing her to relax her posture somewhat from the predatory readiness to pounce upon the woman, though she continued to watch her carefully. After all the worst criminal in this event lay on the ground bleeding out, trying to stem the flow even as his wife frantically tried to stop the blood from rushing out his leg, forcing a belt around the limb.

Shock. Surprise. Bewilderment. No matter which word you used for it, Aiyana could not believe what happened right before her very eyes. She had never seen Mao act aggressive towards someone, at least not outside of combat that affected them, and being so brutal. One moment the girl was sitting, the next standing, and portals were tearing off an arm and a leg of the person that had just told her she was adopted. Adopted? Why would they never tell her? Who were her parents before? No, this was not the time to stop and think! Now was the time to act! If she did not stop the evil one before them from bleeding out, both of them would be arrested by the police force her and go in for a long time; murder was not something one was slapped on the wrist here in Lavantir Port.

Moving into action, the girl going from a standstill to a sprint, the frostfire dragon slayer would create a layer of the element to cover the wound of the arm to try and cauterize it even as it froze. While one hand was on the bloody mess that had once been his arm, Aiyana turned to look at who she had once thought was her biological mother; Mao's words freezing the woman as she stared at the two of them with eyes so wide they seemed to be beginning to pop out from their allotted sockets. ”Do something! Cassandra!” Aiyana yelled at the woman whom seemed frozen in place, the words breaking her out of the shock she was in. Suddenly moving into action as well, the older woman would get a belt and force it around the stump of the limb to stave off the flow of blood.

Screams of anger, rage, and pain, bellowed out from the man that was now on the ground. The noise level was intense, his deep voice echoing out into the neighborhood enough for people to surely call in the police that Black Rose watched over. ”Cassandra, tell me he's lying about any of this. At least tell me you didn't know! When they get here I'm telling them what he said, and you know they can divine the truth through use of magic anyway.” The celestial spirit desperately wanted her adoptive mother to say 'no,' that she had never known about the rape. Instead Cassandra remained silent, the woman's head bowing to look directly at the ground as she guiltily took a few steps back before slowly sitting down on her knees while against the back wall. More tears would fall from Aiyana's face and to the floor, she had no family here. They were both criminals and were not good for her to ever associate with after this moment. ”I see...then I'm sorry. One of us has to be. I won't be visiting you guys in prison, nor will I be sending letters. I'm adopted, and that means paperwork. I'll be looking for it while Mao watches you two until authorities arrive.” With that the woman would stand up, the wound on Damion's arm under enough control to warrant her moving away from it, so that she could step away and into the room she knew the information would be in; her adoptive father's study.

The room smelled of books and candles, unexpected of such a man, as she began to go through the multiple drawers that were around the room. Hundreds of thousands of papers about lacrimas, artificial magic and beings, even studies about those created purely through rituals that were looked down upon by those with morals were among the many she looked at. It wasn't until she got to the main desk that the large man sat in front of that she found the binder full of strange writings that slowly began to translate as she stared at them. Startled at first, having never seen anything move into a language she could read before her eyes, the woman simply stared as the words began to make sense. Once it was all done, it was apparent that it was a letter written to Aiyana; given it had her first name at the very beginning of it.

”Dear Aiyana,

If you are reading this message it means you have grown enough to understand that you are not really who you thought you were. You are from a far grander family than you realize, royalty in fact. But not of this world. What the people of this land call 'Wakusei Portals' is something our people have been experimenting with as a dialed type of transportation, rather than the static ones they have here. It is through this experimental transportation method that we ran from the extinction of our race from a war that was brought upon by the greed of another. If you ever wish to learn about your true home, and family, please come to the lost desert and find us in the large structure there. It is a remnant of our home that came through with us, and it is where you will find us safely hiding from those that may wish us dead.

Your protector, and fellow Terran,

Kreisa Laniore”

What? Another world? Another race? Terran? Too many questions were raised instead of answered. How was she royalty if she was simply dropped off and set to be adopted? Could they not just keep her with them instead? Why put her through everything she had gone through? There was no reasoning behind it, and it left her no choice but to take the letter and find her way to them to get the answers directly from them. Before she could do that there were other things to take care of, like the Lavantir police busting the door down and the typical yelling that would be made by them when they thought there was a murder going on. The young woman would slowly make her way out, weapons and magic being threatened on her as she came out of the room with letter in one hand while both were raised above her head.

”What's going on here! Someone get medical on the way, this man is missing two limbs! You with all the tails! Explain this right now!”

”Uh...I request a formal meeting with either an Ace or the current Guild Master of Black Rose. I can explain everything but I want there to be someone that can sense the truth with magic while here for it.”

The words would pause the yelling, save for the man called Damion's, and would result in everyone being brought to the guild to speak to them so everything could be sorted out. It would be four hours before everything was sorted out, full details hard to come by when one was in emergency medical operations to make sure he stayed alive to the end. Luckily there was still one other in the guilty party that could speak, and a temporary insanity declaration would me made in Mao's defense; as even Mao seemed surprised by her own reaction and how quick it had happened. Once all was done Aiyana would ask Mao to head back so she could go on the search alone. She did not want to bring someone else along for this, as there was no proof that any of it was real until she made it there and wanted to make sure no one else came to harm over a wild goose chase. The many tailed woman would take the ship back to Hargeon Port before the two would split ways. Mao heading back to the guild hall of Sabertooth while Aiyana made her way to a a desert she had been to only once, on a job with a friend she had not seen in years; Mei.

Aiyana always wondered what had happened to the lady, the amount of time it had been since she had even heard about her was so long ago it seemed as if none of it was real. From what she remembered of the desert it was quite large, and the sand was miserable. But she had the advantage of actually wearing proper clothing this time! Having another realm that she could go back to when she grew weary or injured helped as well. ”Well, I guess I should start heading in. They said it was in the middle of the desert so...maybe a good three or four days of running and I can make it there?” The woman's words would be said allowed before she began a run that would not stop, unless something else forced her to do so.

A day of running would only allow her to see sand dunes and a blue sky with little to no clouds going across it. The hot day would turn to a freezing night, though Aiyana paid little to know attention to that. Boredom had already overcome the energetic mind of hers and she was lost in thought on thinking about what she would find and trying to figure out what she would ask first when she arrived; if she arrived. As the night turned into the dawn of day two in the desert Aiyana realized she needed something, companionship. Already the regret from going alone was hitting her, but she knew that Mao would have needed to rest more than her, given she was a magical creature and thus would run the entire way without having to stop for breath; or breathe at all. Memory was here but seemed avid in remaining silent even when Aiyana began to try and speak to her, leaving her with one other choice in someone to talk to; Tom Ato.

The flash of light would not be noticed, not in the bright light of the desert, as the plant based demon would come into existence so the celestial spirit had someone to speak to. She would probably regret it in the end, but she knew he would talk about anything and give an opinion, even if a terrible one. ”Good morning Tom! It's nice to see you when we don't have to fight everything around us.”

”Wow! You mean for once I can be around and not have to fight to survive? Woo! I was starting to get a little salt covered from the amount of sweat I was breaking to do so! Anyways! It's good to see you too. Everything been going all right for ya?”

”Well...not really. We've had some family trouble and...well it turns out I'm adopted...”

”So you're That Adopted Kid! Huh! I never would have expected you to be one of them! You seem so much more like a normal kid.”

Ignoring the insults laced through it, he was a trash talker by nature after all, she had to find out what he meant by 'normal kid.'

”Hey! What do you mean by normal kid? You realize I'm in my mid-twenties, right?!”

”Buttercup, I'm a demon tomato from a food planet! I'm well over two hundred years old as it is! I can just about call anyone kid and be accurate in comparison to my age!”

Their conversation would continue on with a mix of talk about what was going on, and why she was in the middle of the desert, until they both stopped to a skidding halt as they saw something coming their way off in the distance. They would try to discuss what it was for a few moments, but after that it was quite obvious that a griffon was heading their way, and most definitely was not coming for a pleasant talk and tea time.

”Hey Tom, remember that thing about not having to fight to survive? Looks like you jinxed it this time!”

”Yeah...it seems that way! But now it is too late! WE MUST FLATTEN THIS GRIFFON LIKE A PANCAKE AND SHOW HIM WHAT REAL FOOD CAN DO!”

Aiyana's sigh was not heard over the sound of the trash talking tomato demon's war cry, something that was probably a good thing, before she also began the charge towards the creature so they could take care of it and finally get to the construct she needed to find. The screech of the flying creature was loud enough to make her ears buzz, though Tom seemed to ignore it, as the three collided into a fight that no one else would ever know occurred.

Feathers would fly as Tom grasped at a wing and pulled hard, bringing the bird to the ground even as it swiped with long talons at the nine tailed fox. The scream that came from her mouth was met by another screech from the griffon as it made a pained one while Tom Ato broke it's wing. Blood splattered from the wound on Aiyana's forearm, the physical form of the woman still bled, even as she let loose a blast of frostfire that would cover the talons and legs of the beast; dropping it to the ground for a while. Frozen and unable to move, the creature used it's one working wing to swat the tomato away before attempting to use its giant beak to peck at the woman's face. It was easily dodged by tucking and rolling under the bird before letting loose a kick that would knock the wind out of it. Tom, having finally recovered from being swatted away, charged again and hit with a punch that was hard enough to make a cracking noise that echoed across the emptiness of the desert. That was all that was needed to put the conglomerate of a monster out long enough for them to run and get out of sight before it reawakened.

Another day of running would prove to be uneventful until she began to see the glimmer of something reflecting sunlight into her eyes; some kind of metal perhaps? Hours would pass as she continued to run, the glint of light slowly revealing itself to be a floating sun disk that seemed to be made of pure gold. It was beautiful to behold, to look at from this range, but she had to get closer. It HAD to be the place in the letter, but how did something so big come through any kind of transportation between worlds? She would probably never know, but it would be something amusing to look into when she was settled down and had plenty of free time. These thoughts would run through her mind as the trio made it to the entrance of the massive building. It was more akin to a capital building in size, like that of the major power for an entire country, rather than a building for anything else. Could this be what was the main leadership building from whatever planet she was from? There was only one way to find out; entering.

”Hello? Is anybody here?” The words echoed throughout the large room that she had walked into after taking a couple hundred steps. A large throne sat at the other end of the room, centered on the wall while statues on either side depicted strangely dressed gods of another religion. ”No one's here? But the letter says that they would be here if I came. Maybe they're just hiding?” The words were muttered under her breath as she tried to sense any kind of magical energy around the area. If there was they were good at hiding themselves, as she could only sense the magic of her own pet and summon. ”If anyone is here, and you can hear me, my name is Aiyana. I found a letter that told me about who I really was, and I just want to know if it is really true!” The last sentence came out with a slight hint of pained irritation. How could one not be upset and finding out they weren't who they thought they were after all this time?

Silence would ensue as the woman waited, impatiently, in the center of the room to see if anyone would show. Disappointment would slowly sink in as no one did, the girl slumping a bit as she made her way to the throne and took a seat, the huff she made covering up a noise that drew Tom's attention. The curious demon went off in the direction of it, Aiyana not noticing in her sadness, only to let loose a scream as he was set upon by a woman with a dagger. ”Begone demon that would trick us with voices and names! You have no power over my people!” The words would snap the celestial spirit back to attention as she followed them to a person standing there as her now dead summon disappeared into thin air. Eyes would look into Aiyana, as if staring into her very soul, before the one that had stabbed Tom dropped down to her knees. ”Forgive me Aiyana! For I thought that it was the demon saying what I heard! Had I realized you were with it I would not have acted with hostility!”

Aiyana, unsure what to say, stared at the woman in silence for a minute or two before she swallowed a bit and cleared her throat. ”Is it true? Am I what this letter says I am? And if so, how safe are we here?”

”It is, you are the last of the royal line of Terra, and I am one of the two servants that have awaited your possible arrival to this place. We are safe, for now, but we know not if the the race that destroyed our planet has sent any more assassins our way, or if they are biding their time until we are lax and vulnerable.”

”No, I will not allow an entire race to be brought to extinction, especially my own! We will begin again, right here in this building. We may not fill a planet, but we can start here and begin to grow. I will make sure we're safe. I'll make a guild with one goal, to make sure all sentient life is taken care of, that no one is killed for any reason. It will mean being on our own, no other governing body will agree with that idea, but if we work together we can make it work. Go and find others, or figure out where they may be hiding. I'll go and get Mao and tell her about this. I know she'll be more than happy to come and assist with this endeavor; even if it means leaving another guild to do so.

The future was bleak for a race that was cut down to under one hundred people. For all Aiyana knew there were only a handful left of those that had fled through the experimental wakusei portal. But that did not matter now! They could rebuild, grow, prosper even! With faith and dedication they could do anything! If she could find like minded people they could even manage to protect everyone, not just her people, throughout every plant and realm. Earth Land, Terra, the Celestial Realm, any other place she may not have been to yet!

”We'll also let those weary of fighting, and those looking for redemption to join us. So long as they can stay within the small set of rules we have they will be welcome here; and everyone will have a chance to prove themselves first. Only if they show they can not refrain from killing on a whim, or that they will not turn from evil deeds, will we exile someone from ourselves.”

Thus would Aiyana create the guild, Pharaoh's Call, after a long journey of self-discovery. Who knew that one bad deed of another could bring about such change, such determination, in one person. And of one person could push two to the same ideals, those could go forth and multiply it infinitely until all were safe from harm. Not because of being forced to, but because they would know what the right thing to do was. Justice above revenge. Light would outshine the dark deeds of all the races, a new era of peace and prosperity could be brought about. All they had to do was try with all their might and they could make a difference. Just one person saved would mean so much to Aiyana, especially with all of the death and destruction she had seen since she had become a mage; since she had run from home that one day to get away from the dirty secrets from bad parenting.

[7008/7000]