As the War of Unity came to a close, the Attendants made by Novak's power continued to live and thrive in Nexus. They took care of the people there and declared open loyalty to Iris.
She could not transfer their power to herself, unfortunately, but...
Since they were Attendants, they would not perish if Novak ceased to exist. Instead, they would just resume aging as normal when their Aspects faded. Iris could make them hers at that point.
They were carefully monitored for signs of this.
Iris, unfortunately, never learned what became of Novak. She was a goddess residing in Excelsis, whereas Novak was a god from Avalon.
She didn't trouble herself with it though.
Isabella and I began a new life as 'Special Forces' Enforcers.
It meant that we would be constantly traveling.
Over time, Nexus was built up into a much more respectable place to live. People were given proper treatment and food, as well as clothing and shelter. No longer would they be forced to live like rats and slaves.
Isabella and I would constantly move from city to city as we were told, but we had certain freedoms.
We reserved the right to go wherever we pleased. At times, we would head back to Torantis to visit friends like Emily. She had become a dear friend to Isabella.
Other times, we would go to live with the other Enforcers for extended periods of time.
There were even times where we lived in several cities in Nexus. The people there were immensely grateful to have us and treated us like royalty. Like heroes.
We would also aid them in the reconstruction of Nexus as well.
Some of the cities there had also been given proper names. We were still trying to keep track of them and Iris made frequent visits to ensure the survival of their people.
Iris and Dante eventually reconsiled and remained good friends. Dante promised to always serve faithfully and had no intention of ever being in a relationship.
He was married to his position as Leader of the Enforcers.
Iris respected his decision and simply chose not to push it forward.
She came to accept it wholeheartedly in order to remain as a worthy guide and protector to Ignitus.
Leiso continued her work as a general and rebuilt the Nexian military. Now the world had a single military force.
The Ignitian Military.
The remaining Enforcers continued their work investigating the world as a whole. Carlos would often lock himself away and work on his inventions.
He wanted to fully perfect the Divine Engine just in case such an issue arose again.
Eventually, it became part of the standard armor and military equipment of both Attendant soldiers and Enforcers.
Ensuring that the Abyss Engine...or anything diabolical like it, would never be able to harm any of us ever again.
Over time, the wounds of the war would begin to fade. The Enforcers all prepared themselves to live exceedingly long lives at this point.
Isabella and I were perfectly prepared for this sort of thing as well. We looked forward to spending time with one another for eternity.
A couple of years after the war ended, Emily's father died and she was made to prematurely take the lead over the corporate empire that her father had owned. Much to her excitement, Isabella was there for her every step of the way.
Truthfully, I had always been a bit awkward around her, but she was pleasant to be with.
She inevitably married a nice man around her age and they worked on the company together. His name was Zack and we became good friends.
He was quite thrilled to have personal relations with two Enforcers and often invited us over for dinner with him and Emily.
As the years went by, I began to truly realize the importance of loving and caring for people around me.
It seemed that humans were much happier when around one another. We really had a special gift to create communities and show love to others.
That didn't stop me from being somewhat antisocial, but I digress.
I had my own way of doing things. Isabella may have been a social butterfly, but I was happier just keeping quiet at times.
During this time, we never neglected our training.
We made sure to grow our Aspects and learn to use them as effectively as possible.
We were the sworn protectors of this world, after all. We were often deployed against suspected otherworlders.
There were a few incidents where individuals would appear, pretend to be heroes, and ultimately get captured by Isabella and me. It was just part of our job. Iris would simply take them to Excelsus and they were placed in their proper locations.
I may have forgotten to mention, but Isabella and I truly stopped aging about two years after we gained our Aspects.
Currently, I stood at about 6'3 with the appearance of a 20-year-old man.
Isabella had the appearance of a 22-year-old woman. She now stood at about 5'10. Her teenage charm had begun to fade but it had been replaced by an extravagant and more mature elegant beauty. She was even more gorgeous than before.
Along with the other Enforcers, we were considered celebrities. Often being invited to talk shows and other things.
I was given several opportunities to have a modeling career with Isabella. We declined, but that didn't stop the offers.
Still, we joined public events and concerts for fun.
Iris wanted us to maintain good public relations, of course.
After everything, we lived pretty peaceful lives at this point.
One day, Iris came to us and spoke about the Ooze, however...
"Are you two still considering going back to Avernia?" Iris asked.
We nodded.
Despite everything, we wanted to at least avenge our former home.
"I regret to inform you of this...but I found your world...or well..."
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"Avernia no longer exists, you two. I was allowed to look at its location, but the world has completely disappeared," Iris said.
Well, there goes that plan...
"Is there anything that can be done?" Isabella asked.
"No. The council doesn't seem to know where it went. Additionally, another world called Daser nearby has begun to experience similar problems to what you described... Also, worlds far away are having these issues as well," Iris said.
"Is it possible that the Source can attack multiple worlds at the same time!?" Isabella said.
Iris nodded sadly.
"That seems to be the case. We are very concerned with the situation regarding the Black Ooze, but currently, the council is working in secret to manage it. They're still looking at Mizik to deal with it."
"If they want to deploy us against it, they're welcome to. But, there's no guarantee that we can actually kill the Source yet. The shadow dragon mentioned he was many times stronger than she was. That could be a problem," I said.
"I asked them about that, by the way. They said that they would request your presence once you were properly prepared. Whatever that means..." Iris said.
The question of 'are we strong enough to fight the Source yet?' Was a complete enigma to all of us.
We had no idea if we could actually fight someone like that and win. But we still planned to try. One day, we vowed to kill the Source. To both avenge our world and protect all of creation.
"We are ready whenever it decides to show its face. If it's spreading to other worlds, then..."
"I know, Mizik. Inevitably, it will arrive on Ignitus. We are prepared for that possibility whenever it arises. It's been thirteen years since you two first arrived here and you have done nothing but help us. I must admit that I both love and treasure the two of you like my own children. Thank you for devoting your strength to our precious Ignitus," Iris said.
We both smiled and bowed down to Iris.
"No, Iris. Thank you for trusting us. For giving us the strength to fight on and help you. You're important to us, Iris, and we both adore you," Isabella said
"Aww...you two!" Iris ran over and gave us both a big hug. "You know I love all of my Enforcers, right? Never forget that! I love you both sooooo much!!!"
"We're not likely to, Lady Iris. And we love you too," I said.
After that, we continued our duties for some time.
Having so much free time and such a long period of rest was pure bliss.
We worked diligently to get stronger and fought hard for the people of Ignitus.
However...our lives were not so easy.
Eventually, new enemies rear their ugly faces...and so do old ones.
One day, as Isabella and I were relaxing by the pool in a private resort owned by Emily, months after our conversation with Iris...
We felt something.
It was as if a horrible evil had just entered our world.
And we felt that old familiar feeling...
The one that signaled death wherever it was felt.
The one that alerted us to its presence...
Yes... We knew it all too well... The time was now to do battle with that dark force we hated so much. The one that stole everything away from us.
IMPENDING DOOM