Everyone reconvened inside the warehouse, burn marks and all, metal cabinets tipped over sung red, June, seated on one of those, couldn't help but whine as a bandage was wrapped over her chin. Wincing at the sting signature to alcohol being poured over the wound, Natalia watched as Azazel apologized under his breath, seated just to her side as Darrell's marks, symbolizing the flames' effect, were hidden by a simple descending sleeve.
As everyone conditioned by the flaming balls engulfing the warehouse tended to their wounds, Ace stood in the center with Hana by his side. The final meeting with Riot, held by the Scarlet King, Requiem Master at his side started.
"As everyone here knows, Kima, the Master, and I planned to reconvene at the Riverton center at the start of the war on late July 21st to early July 22nd. Fortunately for us, we were gifted specialized information, courtesy of none other than the demon who dared to torture me… the Jester."
The very mention of his cadence, no matter how distant that being dared to be from them all, signaled a reverberation of fear, chambering their souls in the restriction of the Jester's chains.
Flashing back to the event they were describing, Ace stood with Kim at his side, the cold air of the winter mountain landscape soaring through the Master's white hair… their gazes locked onto his familiar figure. Limbs raised, palms exposed, a comical shiver slid off his frame, for that signature smirk of his sent Ace flying ahead with vein-revealing fingers inverted to form a Red-fueled fist.
Just as those knuckles were mere milliseconds away from digging into his enemy's cheek, setting ablaze that spiral as he dared to forsaken himself into another bloody battle against the infamous fallen angel, Icarus himself. Serving as the nonchalant voice dog reason to his impulsive decisions, the Master's hand sent him to face plant to the ground, frame devoid of motion, for only twitches discharged from his limp fingers, lashes fluttering.
"Surely you didn't hurt him, did you, Miss? One fatal move and he might die… you never know," As usual, Icarus, even being locked down by the Master, who stood at the height of the realm of supremacy, otherworldly serenity entangling her spirit… couldn't withhold that smugness from his vocalization.
"It seems that you wield the potential to perceive this place, despite you not being One of Inheritance, originating from the Old World. Icarus Chrollo… the Jester, what have you come for?" Hana queried, upraising a brow over her right eye, revealing the coloration of the pupil from the pale-skinned lid.
"I hold information regarding the coming war Riot is reserved for against the Evolution Frontier, which I'm a part of. I want it to be made inherently clear that I'm bugged, that there is no doubt the Founder knows of my many meetings with not only you but the sabotage at my hand- that being, murdering the Head that imprisoned Wilder. That being said, I'm going to inform you of the total amount of challengers that'll appear on that day, starting from the insignificant and going… to the Founder."
Kim couldn't help but let her fingers quiver, for the wolf summoned at her side, formed by the moonlight glistening onto her face's side whined at the sight of such a malicious monster before their very eyes. Whimpers calmed as a perpetual motion slid off her fingers' tips to stroke back the fur on her beast's back, Icarus allowed his smile to fall, his arms in unison, for as his lips parted, the fruit of knowledge was bestowed upon them all.
"As of right now, we now have an inside source stating that Alexander Amara, our mentor, is alive. Currently, his whereabouts are unknown, but Icarus confirmed his living. Now that that's out the way, we can resume with the assumption. The reasoning behind the Founder coating the entirety of Riverton Island was due to the summoning of spirits from the Old World into their new bodies, as soldiers or assassins under the command of the Foretold Founder. Currently, the numbered Old Spirits within the confines of Riverton are unknown, but if August and Azazel resided there without prior knowledge, there's no doubt there remain others unaccounted for. Karlo, are there any others your other self would remember meeting?"
Ace turned his direction downward, watching as the doused paper tapped against Natalia's arm, Karlo's head snapped at the sound of his name exiting the ginger's lips. Tapping the butt of a fist against his temples, the flood of memories outpoured to the forefront of his mind. That consciousness rushing past events that'd occurred so long ago, just the Old spirit of the current Azazel hovering beside his counterpart... there was a cord of deja vu struck through his veins.
That remained understandable, though, for this body was not his own, but a byproduct of the Old World's kindness, that remained understandable. Even so, something ached at the back of her mind, for as her father raised and excused himself, her eyes couldn't escape his back. Vanishing into the curtain of night overshadowing the forest's outskirts, the vibration of leaves as they dazzled kindly in the wind, attached to brown branches embedded in trees, as his azure eyes reflected the dark sky... there was the thought resurging from his mind's depths.
"Even now, he stills haunts me. I thought it was just a hunch- or I was hallucinating, but it seems that it's true, even still. That overwhelming presence wasn't a dream..."
Though he'd tried to flee the stuffy area by exiting the warehouse, Azazel's voice was overheard, for the next vocals that intruded upon this personal revelation were none other than his very own daughter's.
"You're talking about the Founder, aren't you? I've been wondering about it ever since you told me about your theory in that diner... what is he? What's the truth behind the power Callum Rivers wields?"
Just before he could reluctantly answer her- inform her of the truth the vastness of the Universe's ancient power, a hand touched to her shoulder, just as she did earlier, there Hana was, standing beside her smaller pupil.
"Don't ask your father... I've been waiting to inform you all for a while, so allow me. This is the best time as any to say that Callum Rivers is possessed by the Avatar of Dominance: the son of the Temple Guardian, none other than the New Allfather's chaotic counterpart and other self: Naraku."
As the truth revealed itself from word of mouth, halfway across the sea, off the coast of what used to be Texas, Riverton's home stood vacant. For that pile of idle bodies murmured, whispering slithering into the ears of the superiors, revealing themselves from behind those crimson curtains.
Audience members in front of the podium whimpering for their lives, cowering with babes in their arms, children's faces hidden in stomachs, as he exited from the curtains, pushing out from his body, his new body stood tall, for his beloved family stood to the sides of his frame like soldiers, arms behind all their backs. Ryosuke, Heidi, Icarus to his right, Rizia, Kelly to his left, in the center, as always, there was the dominant source. He who stood atop everything, infecting everyone with his sickness, that infatuation they couldn't escape, the desire to stay chained down to him; the parent of their home.
The mic's feedback sent an agitating whine to the subjects' ears, but they dared not to make any sounds, for a predator was stalking their every move. Standing to the right of the Founder with arms crossed, Icarus's lips shut tight, but that confident snigger over his mouth never dared to fade. For that was the very thing keeping them in line, the slaves' frightened souls entangled by the strings of chaos, though he never spoke a word, they knew for a fact: he'd slaughter them all just for the hell of it.
"CITIZENS OF RIVERTON!!! I COME TO YOU WITH A SPECIAL MESSAGE ORIGINATING FROM THE LIKES OF THE FOUNDER HIMSELF!"
The indistinct sounds from the crowd silenced almost instantly, their eyes trained on his figure with arms extended outward as if puppets on strings, blindly obeying their master. Clearing his throat while his lips stood as close to the microphone as close fingers are spread apart from each other, his throat prepared to vocalize… this new announcement.
"As all of you know, I, Callum Rivers, had founded Riverton over 10 years ago in the summer of 2011! Of course, I couldn't perform this conquest alone, for I had my trusty companions by my side who've aided me in reigning over my home as the higher-ups of ANZEN's ranks. The reason you haven't heard much of me or my comrades is that we adore working in shadows, however, the time has come for secrecy to climax. On July 22nd, a war is arriving, and I, for one, 'm going to be at the center of it. Or rather, not me, but someone… some of you already know all too well. A special guest for the event of chaos that will soon arrive amid the summer."
Callum's arms were drawn to his behind, eyes closed, gel-slicked hair idle in the spring against his nape, the podium slid to the side via the hands of his Frontier allies. At that night, the alignment of the stars wasn't any notable, the shine of those lights reflecting onto their white faces, for as Riz and Ryosuke hung their heads in shame, that sound resounding out the depths of his soul as the chains unlocked to reveal the truth was as deafening as a banshee's cry in the dead of a forest on a chilly summer night. For the scarlet coloration of his eyes shifted on that day, the moon's ivory tint was overshadowed by the curtain of darkness as blackened clouds dominated that celestial ball hovering above the domain of the planet.
Those very words...
"Enchain."
Carnal Desires Arc - Ascension: FIN.
Next Chapter - The War Arrives.