The Contractor, Kyubey

Hello everyone and welcome back to the insanity that is The Blood Guard. Today's article, we will be covering part of the origin story for why Artz had suffered so much and go through things that no one ever should have gone through. It all started with a simple contract with the wrong person before understanding the dynamics of how that world effected every other reality in existence.

 

The creature more commonly known as a Contractor comes from another dimension and supposedly have no emotions of their own which is why they do not understand why the sacrifice of a single life to save billions was considered taboo or immoral.

According to Puella Magica Madoka, these so called contractors are part of a race known as The Incubators and it was their mission to collect massive amounts of energy to utilize in the construction of new planets and various interstellar phenomena as the universe continues to expand. Their supposed end goal was to prevent the eventual demise of said universe but much is still unknown about the Incubators so it's difficult to draw any definitive answers on that front.

This cute little guy is the main subject for this article and his name is Kyubey. In Puella Magica Madoka, Kyubey would seek out young girls, mainly eight to fourteen max, and offer them a wish, anything within his power to give...which was quite a lot apparently...but in return, they had to have magical powers bestowed upon them to destroy powerful evil creatures called witches.

What he neglects to mention, which is also a fair bit, the gem produced by the sealing of the contract was, in fact their soul and should they be separated from it, either by distance or time, the body from whence it came from would die with no chance of revival.

Then there is the soul gem itself. He deliberately leaves out the part of what would happen if a soul gem would become so tainted that it becomes a grief seed. Now the soul gems can be purified but the item required for it is extremely difficult to procur and it comes from the witches themselves upon defeat...if at all.

There is also one very big piece of information that is conveniently omitted or simply not volunteered at all. These so called magical girls that fight the evil beings known as witches are, in fact, are their predecessors, the previous magical girls that had become before them ...including themselves. When a soul gem has become completely blackened by despair, it will force the grief stricken magical girl to transform into that which she fought so hard to defeat...a witch.

When this truth became known in the series, everything goes sideways big time which cause the other magical girls to essentially lose their shit over it, leaving only Homura as the last one standing, having prevented Madoka from becoming a magical girl the entire time.

Madoka, having witnessed everything and learned so much, finally made a contract with Kyubey and in doing so, she gained the power to prevent all witches from ever coming into being. Instead of such a terrible fate, she gave them peace in the form of disappearing, their souls freed from the gems and their converted bodies fading from the world.

There was, however, a slight hiccup and that was the magical girl with the power to traverse back in time to before Madoka made a contract with Kyubey. She had done this many times before because she kept losing the girl she loved more than her own life and it was because of her that Madoka's potential was so strong, allowing her to become a goddess in the first place. Homura thought for certain that nothing could overturn her love's wish until the other incubators decided to see how much energy could be provided by the creation and subsequent defeat of a witch.

Again, there was a hiccup... this time in the form of Madoka that fought valiantly, breaking through the barriers keeping her from her friend. Upon reaching her, the tides were turned once more and Homura refused to simply disappear so she ripped a shard of Madoka's soul from her and fused it with her soul gem, becoming a dark goddess but it allowed them to relive their first timeline together but without the a certain furball getting in the way.

Now I don't know much more about the series after this, simply that Kyubey appeared to be leaving because humans were too contradictory and that they didn't make sense. Which is why I went and researched a bit. I discovered a small paragraph of how the lovely dark goddess, Homura, cursed the incubators to feel all the pain, sorrow, grief, and despair of all the magical girls...especially Kyubey. So in typical Artz fashion, I decided to give it a whirl Artz style...and yes, that is a thing.

After the events of the show, the Star Child was being drawn to specific verse like someone was calling to her so she allowed herself to be transported...which didn't make her Guard happy...and she found herself in a normal looking city, Japanese going by architecture and signs. She wondered what had so desperately called her to such an ordinary place.

'Help...please...I do not...under...stand...too much...I can't...make it...stop...please...'

Artz was shocked because not only had the voice bypassed her psychic defenses, but she also recognized the voice. It was impossible...why would he be there? She looked all around, becoming more and more frustrated as search bore no fruit.

'Kyubey, where are you?'

'You can...hear me?'

He was definitely in a lot of pain but of the physical variety but emotionally, he was like a Catergory 10 hurricane.

'Of course I can hear you, you stupid cat/rat. Now tell me where you are.'

'No. I will not allow another human to hurt me.'

'I don't want to hurt you, Kyubey. I want to help you. Oh and for the record, I may have been human once but I'm 100% celestial avatar now. *pause* Look, this is gonna go down one of two ways; either you come to me of your own accord or I'll use my power to drag your ass over to me then try and figure out what the hell is going on inside you because it feels like a war zone on fucking steroids.'

The Contractor somewhat relented. He did not appear but he did explain the recent events in his past and that he was now being punished for his deeds. Imagine his surprise when Artz suddenly picked him up from behind and held him close. What confused him was the fact that ahe ahe was crying...for him, she was crying because he was hurting. He was then further perplexed when she offered to take the curse from him and carry it herself.

He was an incubator so naturally he agreed to this contract of sorts, but instead of her becoming a magical girl, his eyes bulged as his body trembled ... emotion. He was feeling emotions, his own personal emotions, and he felt his eyes get hot and his cheeks get wet. What was happening to him? He caught a glimpse of himself in thw reflective surface of a window and he realized what are the weird sensations meant.

He was crying.

No incubator has ever shown tears, revealed emotion, or show anything remotely close to sentiment. They didn't care, they just did their jobs, using whatever methods were most efficient...and now he knew why. The ability to feel had been stolen from them, by what means he did not know, but he did know that his kind were only supposed to make contracts when absolutely necessary and only as a last result.

This was not good. He had made so many contracts across so many lands, realms, and realities...he was a monster. He got bonked on the head rather hard and he looked up at the source to see his savior glaring at him.

'What I'm about to say, I have told to countless others whose deeds make yours pale in comparison. Monsters do not shed tears but you do, so you see, you're not a monster at all. You were just a little lost is all.'

Why? This was the question bouncing around his head because this woman made absolutely no sense. He didn't get much more time to think about her words because they were suddenly dodging an attack...from the Dark Goddess.

'Those that make contracts with these vermin feel nothing but pain...'

'I'm gonna stop you right there because I've experienced things far worse than simply living the same set of events over and over again. *she tries to speak* I...am...talking! You will listen to what I have to say because I've walked through history; age after age, eon after eon, countless millennia, trillions upon trillions of years. 

I have seen the rise and fall of kingdoms, empires and countries. I created a massive city with my own two hands, filled it with people and then it fell. Why because of time. My curse, little girl, is that I make friends, watch them get married, have kids and grandkids, only for them to die from old age while I remain untouched by time...young and beautiful and powerful but I would give it all up for a mortal life with the man I love, surrounded by the few friends that just refuse to die just so that I wouldn't lose them too.

You ripped out a part of her soul without her consent, becoming a cosplaying demonic deity of a wannabe, but where you stole, I gave. I gave a piece of my soul to the ultimate evil that had destroyed my city and all the people in it and from that fusion came a being far more powerful and benign than anything else in creation. Let me show you what true love and devotion looks like.

Come to me, Crow of the Deathly Hollows.'

'Ah, so my assumption was indeed correct. I had feeling that we would be crossing paths with you soon, Sir Kyubey.'

The demonic butler took the contractor into his arms and cradled him gently. Kyubey didn't understand, none of this was making sense. He could feel the darkness and evil from which the butler's body was made of but he sensed no evil from his actual soul. In fact, the one known as a Crow held within a soul of such incredible purity. He was so entranced with it that he barely noticed the Hollow stroking his fur in gentle yet soothing manner...so warm.

While the little Contractor was thoroughly enthralled by the Second Hollow, Artz jumped onto the roof of the building opposite of Homura. The Star Child knew that there would not be a peaceful solution to this conundrum because with taking on the link from Kyubey, she realized just who exactly she was dealing with.

There are an infinite number of parallel realities and in each reality, Artz and Anna exist in some shape, form or fashion, along with quite a few others...mainly the Prism Guard. How does this apply to her current situation? The so called demonic goddess was...Anna...and Homura held an unending and unyielding love for Madoka...Artz.

She couldn't set this world straight herself but she could take Kyubey away from this reality and into the Realm. She had felt it when his own emotions began to erupt from within, having been suppressed for generations. He needed time to recover, how to cope with sudden surges, the intensity of it all, how to control his powers so that his emotions couldnt trigger them, and create a mask to prevent others from sensing his true self...lethal intent and demonic cloak were two phrases that popped into her head.

She smirked inwardly, a fusion of the Copy Ninja of the Leaf and the Demon of the Mist...she felt like cackling like a mad woman but held it in. Work first then diabolical scheming later. Well she's said it frequently enough that people should have gotten it by now...expect the unexpected especially when she's involved.

And on that bombshell of a line, I will leave it there. I haven't really done much into Kyubey's involvement with the Guard. He just sorta pops up whenever he pleases just to give you a jump scare. *snickers* I know that there are some die hard Pokemon fans out there and hey, I played up to just before Sun and Moon and that's only because I didn't have the money...still don't but I absolutely hate what they have done to poor Sylveon. It had so much potential and could have been the new face of the fairy type. *wails in sorrow*

The Hall of Music

Hello everyone and welcome back to the insanity that is The Realm. I apologize to all those still waiting for the next installment of Starsea, but I hit a bit of a snag but it's almost untangled.

So until I can sort out that conundrum, I will be posting various articles from a range of subjects. As the title suggests, this post is dedicated solely to the verified theme tunes that are connected to The Realm of the Blood Guard. Unfortunately, only a few have been fully verified at this point in time, but this will change and other verified theme tunes will be added to this post with time stamped updates. Now without further ado...let the musical mayhem begin.

Name: The Blood Guard

Song: Hair Up

Origin: Disney's Trolls

Name: Poseidon Jones

Song: Black Heart (Pirate's Love Song)

Origin: YouTube Music

Name: James Hook

Song: The Davy Jones Theme w/ lyrics

Origin: YouTube Music

Name: Light Zimmerman

Song: I Think it's Called Clara

Origin: Doctor Who - The 12th Doctor

Name: Durga Zimmerman

Song: Ain't No Rest For The Wicked

Origin: The Borderlands

These have all been solidified, verified and are unlikely to change. Now for the reason behind these theme tunes. *raises an eyebrow* What? Well of course there is a reason for them...besides making everyone (Artz) into screaming fans. 

Each song represents the character obviously. In Stardust, Anna explains how The Davy Jones Theme is truly befitting of the Fourth Captain. I would copy and paste it here but that gives you less of an incentive to go read my fan fiction stories...Lady Artimes Blaine is my pen name should you wish to peruse my other works as well.

Hook: Stop advertising your fan fiction, wench, and get back to the article.

Artz: Is that an order, Captain?

Hook: Ye...*is blasted into a wall by a massive sound wave* No, that would be a no. Bloody hell, William, take it easy on your poor old godfather, would ya.

Durga: *deadpan expression on his face* I will when you stop bossing Artz around all the time and as for being old or being my godfather are irrelevant because Artz always comes first.

Hook: *smirks, a wicked humor in his eyes* That she does.

Artz: *doesn't even respond and just walks away while the two idiots keep squabbling like children*

*clears throat*

Right, where was I? Ah yes, explaining the theme tunes. For Hook, go read Stardust at fanfiction.net. Now onwards to the next to the next theme tune...Poseidon. I was first introduced to this via the Pirate's Love Song then found out the actual title which was Black Heart. You would assume, if by going by the title alone, that it should apply to Hook rather than Poseidon.

The major difference between the two is essentially the temperature of their personality and how that persona is expressed. Hook is explosive and doesn't hide his feelings if he can avoid it, thus falling into the hotter end of the emotional spectrum. His passion is like a storm and his love for his wench is unending. Even if death claims them, their love will never die.

Then there is Poseidon, a man viewed as the nicer of the two souls in one body. These people who see them this way don't know him at all. His time as Killian was filled with sorrow, loss, uncertainty, and terrible pain. He had fallen in love with Artz as a child whom he accidentally murdered with his powers, his soul on the verge of shattering. By forgetting all of that, even her, he was able to go about his life though it was a bit lonely for it was just him and his brother, both parents dead and left to fend for themselves.

Poseidon: You're doing an exposition dump, love, and spoiling quite a bit. *drop kicked out of the article*

Moving right along, the Jones brothers join the Navy and Killian meets an impossible girl, his beloved Clare. The two fall in love, get married then he's shipped off with his brother on a mission to a mystical realm called Neverland. His life is torn apart when his brother is killed by his faith in their corrupt king and he becomes a pirate.

Little did he know that his beloved Clare was a rather well known pirate and when they cross paths, it becomes a whirlwind of adventures and treasures...only to receive the greatest treasure of them all, a child...his son, Erin, but it cost him the life of his wife, the mother of first born child. After a time, he returned to pirating, fell in love again, proposed to her whilst revealing the coordinates to Port Rhianna, the safe haven for his son and the families of his crew.

Once again he lost it all, the port had been set ablaze, his son was murdered, his best friend and his son's governess had been beaten, raped and forced to watch as they killed her charge. Then came the revelation of the traitorous bitch that had betrayed him and was, in fact, married to The Butcher of the Royal Navy. He cut off his head, tried to kill her but couldn't. She did eventually pass after having been a prisoner on his ship for almost a year. 

He burned her corpse and returned to the Jolly Roger but he stepped aboard his vessel, the final piece of Killian Jones was swallowed up into the darkness that was James Hook. One day that fragment would be returned to him, granting him the chance to become the God of the Sea, Poseidon, but since that's the roadblock I'm currently at, I'll jump back to why Black Heart suits him so well.

Hook: Finally.

Poseidon: Took her long enou...*starts pulling his counterpart away* We might want to run away right now. 

*Hook looks up with an oh shit we're fucked look and the pair run away*

Artz: Hmmm...I wonder what made them run away this time.

Voice: *high pitch voice* Contract?

Artz: Yep that would do it. Hey Kyubey.

Kyubey: Hello again, Starry Night.

Artz: *giggles* Yeah, Anna sent me a mug with Vincent van Gogh's Starry Night with the Tardis flying amongst the stars. I almost started crying at how wonderful a gift it was and I am so happy to have a friend like her...a true friend.

Kyubey: *ears perk up slightly only to flop with a heavy sigh* It would seem the fiery one is summoning me again. *jumps off her shoulder before he lands on the floor he vanishes*

*sighs*

Yes, I know. I have a terrible habit of getting sidetracked by oddest of things...*leans back in her chair to try and see what was going but then shakes her violently and sits back up*...that's life in The Realm for you. Never a dull moment.

*Grey comes flying through a wall courtesy of the Saiyan Prince, Vegeta*

Artz: *frowns* Since when were you added to the Realm?

Trunks: *rubbing his neck sheepishly as his father drags him into frame* We've kind of been here from the start, but with so many new worlds, solar systems, and countless life forms, we kinda got swept up into it.

Vegeta: Hmph, he was too busy flirting with some random woman and forgot to file the damn paperwork for the gating network on time.

Trunks: I said I was sorry, Dad, but that didn't stop you from doing the deed with that cat girl.

Vegeta: *smirks* I always get what I want...unlike you. *his son's hanging in shame with a dark cloud overhead* You've been rejected by every woman you have ever flirted...*cut off by a new person*

Girl: You shouldn't be so mean to your son and I'm not about to say no to him because he smells so delicious!

Artz: And Rosario+Vampire has invaded. *raises hands to cover her face but still peeks through fingers to watch*

Well I guess that's it for now because my brain has spiraled in a completely different direction. I think this will be turned into its own series as well so you don't have to do a ton of scrolling to get to the updates. Catch on the flip side, dearies! *poof*

Discussion # 1 - Reflection and Direction

Hello everyone and welcome back to the home of the Blood Guard, The Realm. The title of this article has undoubtedly made you wonder what I'm about to talk about. Please keep in mind that anything I say or comment on is either an opinion or strictly hypothetical and in no ways absolute fact or undeniable truth. Thus the reason why the article is referred to as a discussion with the secondary title including the word reflection.

Warning: Religious content is in this article and is at the core of this discussion. There is no need to participate if you do not wish to!

Firstly, I would like to establish that I am indeed a reborn Christian. I believe in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ and acknowledge that he did walk among us and he willingly chose to die for our sorry asses because he thought we were worth it...so yeah, Jesus is definitely the savior and if you want to go to heaven, then he's your man...but it does not mean that I don't believe in other things or question what is within the pages of the Bible.

For starters, I'm a Christian that believes in reincarnation. Why...*points down*

Artz: *sighs in contentment* I can finally relax. Way too much angst and drama in my life, but hey, I finished everything God wanted me to. I deserve a vaca....

(Chuck for the Supernatural fans)

Chuck: Uh Artz, I need to talk to you.

Artz: Time is relative and isn't heaven timeless? *rolls over on her comfy sofa chair*

Chuck: *sighs* Must you be so difficult? Look, there is a bit of a crisis going on and I need someone with a certain skill set to settle things.

Artz: *sits up and stares at him* Dude, I've been here for like less than ten minutes and you are sending me to earth as some holy messenger or something?! What the frick, man?!

Chuck: *chuckles nervously before giving her a sheepish smile* Or something...

Artz: *a look of horror on her face* No! Don't you dare! *tries to run away*

Chuck: *snaps his fingers and she disappears, she then storms through the pearly gates and very much not amused either*

*coughs* Sorry about that, but Anna and I have a lot of fun with Supernatural's version of God. The point is that I believe that he sometimes has to send souls back to earth to be reborn to complete whatever task that required a certain set of skills. *ignores the Taken reference and moves on*

Oddly enough, the second thing revolves around the concept of perfection. Every person is different so everyone has a different view of what perfection should be, so how can God be completely perfect if we all view him differently? This concept of perfection, in my personal opinion, is simply an unattainable goal because humanity seeks happiness, therefore they seek perfect happiness. 

Ironically this pushes towards the fact that there are countless religions in the world...again perfection...the existence of a higher power. God, Allah, etcetera...could all be variations of the same entity that created us and everything around us. Why because we are all different. Our race is singular...humanity but there are so many different points of view that usually prevents any kind of cohesion except in a crisis. *shakes in disappointment*

We band together to defend our own then go back to squabbling like toddlers when it's over...bipolar much? Now then, we have established that I'm crazy *dramatic bow* and I have some pretty crazy ideas on general concepts for both religion and humanity. Time to move on to more specific topics that, quite frankly, I'm a little disturbed by and could use some people to debate this with.

Bias...plain and simple, right? Nope. While reading the Bible, the Old Testament reveals that a God fearing and devout man could and did have multiple wives. Get a bit further on down the road and whilst roaming around the New Testament, a God fearing and devout man could only have one wife.

This simple deviation brought up a lot of questions for me which led to more questions which resulted in The Star Chronicles. It was while Anna and I were bouncing back and forth with scenes for her story that I realized why it had struck me as being a contradiction of itself. It was the time period in which the Bible was being written. In the Old, it was multiple and in the New, it was singular.

When you factor in the societal norms of the time periods they were written, everything goes sideways because although the Bible is the word of God, it was written and put together by mortal hands. Historians have verified that several books of the Bible were removed over the course of history...possibly to better fit the changing times and be a more structured yet controllable society.

Now again, this is just my opinion on what I have read in the Bible and yes, I've read several different versions of the Bible. My grandmother has quite the collection of bibles and commentaries so this isn't just based on KJV or NIV, King James Version and New International Version for those that wasn't dragged to church like I was growing up. 

When I watched The DaVinci Code, they brought up the fact of certain testaments being left out so I decided to check for myself. I was genuinely surprised by what I found. I'll go write down the urls and post them in another article that will be more centralized around them if anybody wants me to. Anyways many books of the Bible were deliberately left out when it was being put together. 

Why...bias. The culture and views of the times determined what we in the modern age now study. Just how much do we not know? That is a Huge question mark for me because I prefer to have the whole story first from all the different view points before I start clapping like a retarded seal at Sea World. Information is essential which is why my OC commonly reiterates that memories are precious and must be protected because without that knowledge, you don't know who you are, where you've been, what you've done...how can you avoid making the same mistakes over and over again if you don't have the full picture, the complete story?

Now before I start preaching on that and getting totally sidetracked, there is another factor in play in regards to the information provided to us by the Bible and other religious texts...gender. Every bit of ancient texts with very few exceptions, thank you Cleopatra, are entirely male dominant. No I am not one of those feminist extremists. I am simply pointing out that much of what we know is from the masculine perception.

Slight segway here...if we are made in God's image then why are there two genders instead one? Humanity could easily have reproduced asexually without the over complication of the fertilization process. All of it could have been done internally. Therefore either God had a mate, a female counterpart or a really annoying sister, or God is actually genderless and takes on whatever form he/she deems appropriate...Supernatural has me stuck with this dude. *gestures to Chuck who waves nervously, her sister staring at him with a very unhappy expression on her face* 

Artz: Oh I know that look. The kitchen is beyond wrecked and every dish in the house needs cleaning or replacing.

Chuck: In my defense, it was Raphael that made the mess when he blew up Castiel.

Amethyst: *in a simple dress clearly meant for cleaning came and stood by her Supernatural counterpart, Anna* You're God and you let our favorite Martian explode then leave the mess for us to clean up?

Chuck: *doesn't get a chance to answer because another Anna appears, walking straight out of a mirror and cracking her knuckles*

Anna: *a sadistic smirk on her lips and her eyes a liquid silver* Hello Sweetie.

Artz: *walks away to continue the article, ignoring the crashing and banging and explosions going on nearby* 

Damn it, I cannot stay on topic, can I? *glares at her Guard* None of you answer that. Right then, back to where I originally deviated. I had started writing The Star Chronicles starting with Starsea but kept getting hung up on the singular spouse thing...the irony is that the answer came from probably the most well known verse of the Bible...John Chapter 3, Verse 16.

For God so loved the world...

Right there, that line sent me into one hell of a spiral because like I said earlier ...everyone is different and because everyone is different, so too is the love we have for each person. If anyone has watched Twitches then they'll understand what I'm about to say. 

Love is infinite. You can always make more when you need to.

So many different movies and books I've watched and read over the years, combined with this revelation of sorts, has led me to The Realm...a true sanctuary for all...The Blood Guard...a family spanning the ages...The Star Child...she just wanted to be kind, to spare every person the pain and sorrow she has endured, to love freely and without regret because she didn't want to be selfish. 

And for these reasons, Artz has been demonized because she doesn't hold back...not when she could help someone, especially if they're right in front of her. The main point I am trying to convey...badly I think...is that nothing is just black and white. There is no such thing as perfection but there is such a thing as determination. To fight and claw your way through life, shatter the shackles of what is considered normal or socially acceptable.

The White Fang of the Village Hidden in Leaves, he made a choice and that decision may have led to his death but forced Konoha to take a good long look at itself. The first step is the hardest because all are terrified to venture into the unknown. Yet another example of what I've learned and of course *smiles*, to be a stubborn foolish idiot that chases after the people they care for. 

*Naruto pops into the frame with a cheesy grin on his face before getting knocked out of frame by his pink haired teammate who goes crashing into the emo Uchiha and their sensei sighs heavily before walking past the frame, waving lazily at Artz before disappearing altogether*

Artz: *runs her fingers through her hair with an exasperated sigh escaping her lips* This...this is my life now. I have a constantly developing parallel reality called The Realm inside my head...I think the phrase peace and quiet is now forever beyond my reach.

Natsu: *in the distance at one of the training fields* What did you say, you stupid hag?!

Ayano: *shrieks in indignation* I am not a hag, you asshole!

Van: *starts laughing and Ayano demands to know why he's laughing* I'm laughing because you focused on the word hag, completely ignoring the fact that he called you stupid.

Artz: *walks away before she gets caught up in that fiasco, only to sigh again as Homura got his ass handed to him by his opposites mentor, Tsukimi* At the rate I'm going, I'm gonna need a drink. *the wind swirled around her before a well endowed woman with long flowing dark hair appeared behind her, a sake bottle in each hand* Kazehana...impeccable timing as always.

Kazehana: Seeing as how the article has gone to the birds, *gets a flat look from Artz* we should have a sake drinking party.

Artz: Kazehana, you don't need an excuse to drink sake. How many times do I have to tell you that? It's not like it affects you anyways.

Kazehana: *pouts* But it's no fun drinking by myself. I'm so lonely. Pretty please...I'll grab Matsu and Kagari too! Make it a girl's night!

Artz: *pulls out her mobile and speed dials a certain person* Feel up to a girl's night sake style tonight? *smiles* I love you. *ends the call*

Kazehana: *serious* You just called the Leader of the Chaos Brigade, didn't you?

Artz: *smirks, her eyes twinkling with a wicked mischief* She's busy for a while so I called someone else. *walks away with the Sekirei of wind trailing behind her*

Kazehana: Then who because both Mystic and Mars are busy and Venus and Neptune are on Sol side.

Artz: Oh...just the Envoy of Chaos.

Kazehana: Well I wanted some fun and you can't go wrong with a demented, pink haired pixie in the mix.

Lumina: *pops out of a reflective surface* Why is it that everyone focuses on my hair? Natsu has pink hair along with several other members of the Guard so why do I get singled out?

Artz: Because they keep wondering why the game said rose colored hair. First color that pops into your head when I say rose?

Kazehana/Lumina: Red/White

Artz: Red for love, white for friendship...the irony is that roses also come in pinks and yellows. Hmm or maybe it was yellow that meant friendship and white equates to purity. *shrugs* 

Kazehana/Lumina: New Earth.

Kagari: *approaches them in a semi formal black and white suit...she often takes over for her twin when he is required else where and thus the suit* I do believe that there was a Kate & Leopold reference in there as well.

Matsu: *appears out of a temporary rift made up from equations, ones and zeroes* Hey guys, sorry I'm late but Claudia needed some last minute advice. She didn't want to turn it on only for it to...*massive blastwave of air and dust crashed into them. Fortunately, Lumina was able to minimize the damage*

Artz was the first one on her feet and landed at the crater that was once Claudia's tech lab. Said owner of the lab was climbing out of the humongous pile of ash, her face and skin covered in soot. She shook of a bit but she couldn't stop smiling like an idiot.

Claudia: My lab is toast but totally worth it. *lifts her goggles to reveal the clean areas beneath*

Matsu: Claudia! Are you okay?! You said it wasn't going to explode!

Claudia: *unrepentant* I lied. I need this exact spot to explode at this time because it was the only way to keep the dragontorc gateways still functional in the future when we can't use the portals. *is surrounded by swirling beams of light before disappearing altogether*

Hook: Wench, quite while you are no longer ahead.

Artz: *sighs* Supposed you're right. *wanders off* So sue me for getting side tracked. It's just so noisy in here *taps her head* that it's a miracle that I can get anything done at all.

Poseidon: That is Artznese for How the hell am I suppose to get the third captain to actually being the third captain, then get both him and Hook to Aquarius just as a certain domain is being transported to the realm?

Anna: *drop kicks everyone out of the article* I don't have time to deal with y'alls bullshit right now! I need Artz focusing on Hurricane Delta and she can't do that we you lot hanging about! NOW SCRAM!!!

Artz: So much for the sake party. *sighs as she returns to the weather channel*

Intermission #3 - Follow the Muse

This intermission was actually the original epilogue for the Secrets of the Deep article in the Starsea series, so I decided that since it was so long that I would just make it its own article. Like I said, follow the muse. You never know just how deep the rabbit hole goes...or how many they are in the first place. *rubs temples*

Artz: I'm ending it here and yes, I know it's brief but the next bit radically switches perspective...

Mars: She's simply tired of being in aqua lad's head and I don't blame her one bit.

Crowley: *walks in with a drink in his hand* I'm genuinely surprised that she made it this far into fish boy's origin story.

Artz: What is this... A fire convention? A Phoenix, the king of the crossroads...

Crowley: That's the King of Hell, love. Some of us can afford the upgrade.

Artz: The point is that this is a water based story so what are fire based characters doing here? *several explosions are heard* What did you do and to whom?

Natsu: *slightly muffled* Fire Dragon Roar!

Artz: *waits for the explosion then frowns when nothing happens*

Wrath: *also muffled* Full Counter!

Artz: How did this happen? You two know better than to place two insanely hyperactive and powerful people into a sparring match, especially not Wrath and Natsu!!! Why?! Just why...why would you do this to me?!

They both smirk before dragging her outside to see what's really going on. Wrath and Natsu were sending wave after wave at something but not at each other. She finally got a good look at the center and had to hold back the laughter bubbling up inside of her.

Anna was reclining on a rather comfy pool chair with sun glasses on...and surrounded by ice. Artz had suggested a new kind of runic circle for her to try based on the NeverMeltIce from the Pokemon series. Anna used marbles and places arrays in them with the effect she desires. The painted ones are temporary but the engraved ones are permanent unless she feels like deactivating them.

Natsu was trying to power up his fire power by consistently combining it with Wrath's counter but with very little success. Anna just sits there, sipping from the straw in her glass, nibbling occasionally on some snacks while reading a book. Hey...she recognized that book.

Ah...looks like Wesley was finally able to duplicate Wolfram&Hart's universal library system. Pick up a book, whisper what you want to read to it and voila. She doubts that it works between planets, let alone outside of the Realm. If it did, she would have to make her own her version of the Library from Doctor Who...without the Vashta Nerada...obviously, before it would actually work at all but something about this entire situation just seemed off.

Artz: *looks to Mars and Crowley* Do either of you know where Wesley is right now?

Mars: *smirks* I told you she would notice. *a rather smug look on her face* So I win.

Crowley: Hold up, the wager was not about noticing it, remember? *looking self assured*

Mars: *becoming angry* You little...

Crowley: Demon...sorry thats Jaken. How about Dalek?

Now she knows that something is definitely off.

Artz: *glances between them* If you're referring to the interconnection system that is obviously attached to that book then yes, I noticed. I am, however, currently unaware of the range; planetary, system wide, galactic, universal or essentially Sliders in a book. *Mars stands a little taller, reminding her of Mayor Mills when she believes she has won*

Since Crowley is here, it is definitely system wide because he doesn't traverse past the Alpha solar system. *Crowley shrugs nonchalantly while taking a sip from his glass but she notices the slight gleam in his eyes*

Moving on. The fact that Gin is here proves that it's bigger than that, galactic at least. More so is the fact that she is within two feet of Crowley, whom she generally avoids due to her long standing feelings about men and that she is conversing with someone of the masculine orientation means that the interconnection system encompasses the entire Realm.

Factoring in a wager between you two means that there is probably a very big planet of books out there that I haven't noticed because I'm stuck in a non-virtual world in real life. Gin would have made certain that everything operated efficiently and has a staff present to smooth out any hiccups that may occur at any time just in case.

Also Crowley would have insisted that there could or would be some kind of virtual simulation interactive system... basically our own holodeck. He's become a real trekkie as of late and has been using that suave charm to convince just about anyone to help him build one *the man blushes slightly in embarrassment*

And now for the final piece of the puzzle for that is the interconnection system...Anna. The fact that Anna is even remotely involved means that the system encompasses Sol side and many of the smaller worlds connected to it...so its current range is in between universal and Sliders. *both blinked at her then groaned*

Mars/Crowley: Fuck me.

Two figures step out from shadows, looking rather pleased with themselves.

Missy: Mmm...saucy. *dances, spins and slides her way over to Mars, taking her into her arms* Don't you look scrumptious. *kisses Mars for several seconds before allowing her to breathe*

Mars: *looks to Artz, desperation on her face* Help me! *starts being dragged away* Please!

Meta: *walks over to the quite frankly horrified fire elemental and throws an arm around the man's neck in a friendly manner, a cheesy grin on face* Why hello there, Crowley. Just the person I was looking for. Need to bounce a few ideas on you. *face becomes serious* 

I kept up my end. Wasn't easy getting an entire holographic interface re-engineered from the partial schematics of a fictional source to allow the addition of molecular cohesion and such a finite control system for physical sensitivity. Now you wouldn't want Ayano becoming the Queen of Hell, now would you?

Crowley: *drink vanishes, straightens his tie, and smooths out his suit before swallowing the lump in his throat* I've never gone back on a deal in my life. Once a crossroad demon, always a crossroad demon...and keep that blasted little shit out of my territory, at the very least my castle. I've got enough problems with that idiot apprentice of mine. *jerks thumb towards Natsu*

Artz: *rather bemused* Do I want to know?

Death Toll: I can answer that one but you're cutting this out and putting it into an intermission piece.

Artz: *looks at length* Oops. *reconfigures* Okay, so we're an intermission piece. What gives, DT?

DT: The obvious, of course...a simple transaction of services but certain stipulations had to be met should both sides of the deal were to happen. In this case, Missy was recruited by Mars to assist in the interconnection system project. Meta, on the other hand, was approached by Crowley to build the Realm's version of the holodeck but without the constraints and restrictions depicted in the Star Trek universe.

Artz: With you so far but what about the wager they were talking about?

DT: *smirks, hands in pockets and a lit cigarette in his mouth* The other half of the agreement was just how much you would be able to discern whilst being distracted by the hyper twins and your moon princess.

*chuckles* They honestly thought that you wouldn't figure it out, especially not completely which is why they are now being subjugated to the sadistic whims of our resident Timelords. Missy told them flat out that it was never gonna work because you're you. Even Meta agreed, saying that you would become engrossed in the puzzle presented to you rather than paying a lick of attention to the hyper twins. Everything else is pushed away into becoming background noise or just flat out ignored.

Anna: *walks up to them, two passed out boys in a floating bubble following her* More like time becomes irrevalant and when she finally shakes loose its like 7 a.m. and she had started something at like 2 p.m. in the afternoon the previous day and she goes Huh?.

Artz: Yeah...I'm not gonna argue with that because I've literally pulled an all nighter writing, typing, editing and posting a chapter all in one night so yeah, I become oblivious to time...so does Anna when she hits her groove. Oh my god, when she gets going...

Anna: *smirks* I pull an Artz of course and word vomit all over the place.

DT: While splattering coffee all over your computer at the same time.

Anna: *forgot the konked out hyper twins were still in the bubble following her and once again, coffee was spilt all over her laptop and even on the book*

Artz: You might want to run...*dark aura flowing off the brunette* because I think she is about to kill you for jinxing her. *notices that he's gone and she just sighs* 

I know...it's not very action packed or fourth wall breaking but you did get a few sneak peeks of what's to come. So leave a comment/review at the bottom of the article because your support is very much appreciated and...*feels Anna's lethal intent hitting critical levels* ...and might just keep me alive. Till next time, dearies. *disappears in a cloud of magic*

Hope and Ren pop up and wave at Anna then points to a nearby training field where lots of cheering could be heard. The amethyst eyed girl dropped the hyper twins and stalked her way towards King Arthur and his Elite Knights.

Mordred: *comes out of his hiding spot while taking a bite of a green apple* And they say I'm sadistic. *girls giggle and vanish* Now for you two...why do I always get landed with the donkey work...and no, hard work does not breed a harder soul. *sighs again while lazily waving bye to the readers*...but it would make for one hell of a proverb.

Starsea - Part XII - Secrets of the Deep

Hey everyone and welcome back to the Realm! Last time, we left a mysterious purple eyed woman commanding Killian to rescue their friends and family. Let's see how that went, shall we?

He didn't appreciate being ordered around, but he did remember Balthazar's words about his past. He doesn't remember William or Artz or Koschei. He didn't remember how he apparently once wielded his powers as a water elemental when he was a child. Then something occurred to him...how did his parents die? Liam said their father had been murdered by a group of bandits, but how did their mother die? 

There was something there, something he was missing, something that revolved around him, his mother, and his powers. His head began to ache and his body started trembling as a memory tried to break through, the emotions of that memory already flooding his being.

'I wouldn't do that, if I were you.'

Killian glanced over at the mysterious maid that had so easily and adeptly removed the demonic parasite like she was pulling a weed. Did she know about his past? Could she...would she help him recover those memories?

'There are some things that you are not yet ready to know and it's not for your safety but for everyone around you. Your powers have reawakened and they will express what you feel inside; specifically dense, raw, intense, deep, and powerful emotions. *sees the question in his eyes* 

Yes, it happened once and thus the reason why your powers were buried, along with the memories of the event and of her. It was the only way to save you...and stop you from flooding the entire world. You are far more powerful than realize, Killian Jones. That's why Hook's existence is necessary. It's too much for the physical body to handle. Take care of her, Killian.'

'Poseidon.'

The amethyst eyed maiden smiled, her eyes shimmering with tears of joy. She did promise that he would regain his memories in time, but to take the path down memory lane as slowly as he could...to prevent as much damage as possible when his powers lashed out. He nodded in acceptance and she disappeared in a silver light.

He turned to the portals, wondering which one would lead him back to his physical form. He heard the soft giggle of a girl coming from below him and watched in fascination as the gothic pixie in the floor's reflection walked away and stood in front of a mirror. He strode towards the Mirror, not even bothering to ask why or how or even who and just walked through the it...and right into the aquatic mental mindscape that he and James shared.

'Bout bloody time brat! The wench isn't going to be able to fend it off much longer! *fend off what?* The bloody Kraken for starters and then there's Silver trying to be a one man army against an insane amount of sharks! *informs him about Koschei* You're friends with a kraken? This just keeps getting better and better! What about the giant spider that can breathe underwater...*explanation*...Kali! 

Dear Lord, throw in one impossible wench and the entire world goes completely mad. *asks why he didn't know about any of this* I was dormant until adulthood and then I was stuck in the dark, so excuse me for not being up to date on the latest gossip! Look, I know that we don't have special powers like...*interjects* Really? Well I be damned...but do we actually know how to use them? *sheepish silence and the Scourge actually face palms* 

That's it the end. We'll have to wing it and see what happens. *wing it?* Right, sorry...some of the wench's modern slang. *slang?* Save first, educate later...*groans when he brings up the memories he had altered* alright, but I want to know what the hell happened when you suddenly checked out of our body. *about to ask but works out what checked out meant* 

Can we go now? I kinda want my ship tentacle free, preferably with our son and the wench on board. *glares* Alright, alright, stop trying to set me on fire with your eyes while in an underwater mindscape. We'll save Kali and what was that thing's name again? *HIS name is Koschei* Right, sorry. *Hook holds hands up in a placating manner* We'll save Koschei too. *frowns* Oh god, that means that we won't be pirates anymore. We're going to be heroes! *a horrified expression on his face* I don't wanna be a hero!'

Now it was Killian's turn to face palm. Of all the times for James to have a vanity crisis...he wasn't much better off though, but at least his soul was fully intact now. He knew who he was, who he truly was, but he wasn't quite ready to accept the title and responsibilities of being her God of the Sea.

'Once a pirate, always a pirate, mate. So let's show them what a true pirate looks like.'

Just a little more time and a chance to actually slow down and think. So much has happened in so brief a time. Even the legendary pirate captain known as James Hook needed a bloody vacation and he freely admitted to it. Killian...no, Poseidon didn't have the same luxury as Hook but he had plenty of people...friends that he could talk to about this, but he kind of needed to figure out how his powers worked first.

Artz: I'm ending it here and yes, I know it's brief but the next bit radically switches perspective...

Mars: She's simply tired of being in aqua lad's head and I don't blame her one bit.

Crowley: *walks in with a drink in his hand* I'm genuinely surprised that she made it this far into fish boy's origin story.

Artz: What is this... A fire convention? A Phoenix, the king of the crossroads...

Crowley: That's the King of Hell. Some of us can afford the upgrade.

Artz: The point is that this is a water based story so what are fire based characters doing here? *blinks, noticing that the space they originally occupied was now empty...receives a message from DT* Oh...so that's why they suddenly vanished. Still doesn't explain why they were here at all. *wanders off to finish the intermission article*