To all those who actually read these little disclaimers, this is a work of fanfiction. I do not own Rosario + Vampire or any of the trademarked characters and locations from the respected creator. I am only placing this disclaimer here for the sake of stating the obvious, as it should be plain to see for everybody with common sense that of course I didn't create Rosario + Vampire. Seriously, do we really need these disclaimers here? Who the hell is going to try to say they created R+V? Who could really be that stupid?

Rosario Vampire: Brightest Darkness

Act VII

Deep within the endless darkness the quite murmurs and growls of beasts and monsters unlike any other in the human and monster world were heard, all of them being mere shadows and silhouettes that were just barely visible around a small bloom of light that came out of nowhere. The smooth black stone floor had elegant swirling designs etched into them, a small glimmer of the light being seen shining off here and there. And on the floor a marble chessboard was set up, the pieces for a new game with elegantly crafted figurines standing ready. A girl's hand slowly reached out and moved her white pawn forward, placing the piece down quietly while the other player watched her with a slight smile on her face and two multicolored eyes.

"I suppose it goes to show just how bored I am here, playing a dull and uneventful game such as this," Pandora chuckled before she took her left knight and moved it forward over her pawns, not seeming to care too much about her move or strategy. Her eyes glanced down to the board then back to her challenger as she leisurely brushed a hand through one of her long pigtails.

"It must be so nice for you though, you can come and go as you please; in fact you can go anywhere you want, anytime you want. I hate being so envious of others about the simplest of things," Pandora said with a bitter smile.

"I'm trapped just like you are, but not as you are," the other girl said under a whisper.

"Trapped? Ha! I'm the only one here that's trapped, I'm the only one I know of that can't leave when I want to, I'm the only one that's stuck here in this infernal prison," Pandora scoffed. The other girl remained quiet while moving her knight forward as well, with Pandora glancing to the piece briefly before looking around at the darkness that was close by.

"At least you can leave and see the world around you, see what lies beyond this darkness. Though I must ask, I am rather curious, why did you come here of all places? And of all times?" Pandora asked glancing back to the other girl with a raised eyebrow.

"I didn't know where else to go right now, and I wanted to meet you, face to face," the other girl said quietly.

"Why? I never thought once about meeting anyone like you," Pandora questioned.

"I told you I'm trapped too, you have your laws, and I have mine. At least I can play this game with you here, at least I can actually talk to you," the other girl answered. Pandora smirked then moved a pawn forward on the board carelessly.

"I see, your affinity, your catalyst for yourself. Heh heh, I remember making that law for myself too, but that was… well, too many ages ago for me to remember clearly now. Tell me, how long have you been?" Pandora asked simply.

"Don't know," the other girl answered as she moved another pawn forward.

"You don't know?" Pandora asked with a dull smirk.

"Time is lost to me, and also constant," the other girl replied.

"Speaking cryptically and so distantly, you really think anything of what you've done or gone through is beyond my comprehension? Don't patronize me, just answer the simple question, how long have you been as you are now?" Pandora said shaking her head.

"I am, that's all," the other girl said simply.

"You are annoying me now, not wise if you want me to continue playing this stupid game with you," Pandora scoffed as she moved a bishop forward with a scoff.

"You don't understand," the other girl said softly.

"I just told you I do, I do better than you I'm sure," Pandora snapped. The other girl whimpered, with Pandora then watching her curiously now.

"No, you don't. I am…" the girl said with a strained voice. Pandora looked at her carefully then showed a sly smile.

"Oh my, your affinity. It's actually…" she said softly.

Sitting across from her a girl her size and apparent age was wearing an elegant white dress lined with green trimmings, that and her white dress shoes and short white socks being a stark contrast against the dark floor she was on. She wore her usual white headband in her short blue hair. Her green eyes slowly glanced up from the game board to Pandora while her butterfly wings behind her fluttered once.

"Time," Complica finished with a small nod.

Pandora eyed the girl over then chuckled amusedly.

"I don't believe it, you are the timeline now, that's so twisted!" she said before laughing and falling onto her back, with Complica watching her with a dull gaze while her fingers drummed on her leg.

"I don't think that's very funny," she said softly. Pandora looked to her with a wide smile and shook her head.

"No? I think it is. You can see everything can't you? Oh, it must be so horrible to know how everything will go now, nothing is ever going to surprise you again, that's going to be so boring!" she laughed. Complica sighed then looked up at the darkness above.

"Not boring, more like depressing," she said softly.

"Depressing? How is that depressing? Oh, I get it, your friends, your family; you know how it will all end for them, don't you?" Pandora accused with a sly grin, slowly sitting back up and cocking her head to the side as she watched Complica nodding slowly.

"My father is coming to this world very soon; you know that, don't you?" Pandora questioned. Complica merely nodded once while remaining silent.

"Why did you come back here then? To this world, to this reality, to this upcoming graveyard? You can go anywhere you want; you know that, don't you?" Pandora asked.

"I have been everywhere, I know that. This is the only reality I want to be in, it took me so long to find it again, I'd rather not leave if I don't have to," Complica said softly. Pandora blinked and looked at her confusedly.

"Wait, what?" she asked.

"I told you time is lost to me, I've lost count of how many years I've been like this," Complica said softly before she moved her knight on the board forward. Pandora smirked and nodded a bit as she watched Complica just stare at the board with a distant gaze.

"My big brother told me about your birth, how you came to be from a very unlikely and odd occurrence, strange thing about it only being a few hours ago in this world though, don't you think?" she quipped.

"Hours, days, years, centuries, they're all a blur to me now. Too many timelines, too many realities, too many to go through and still remember a home in one of them," Complica said shaking her head.

"Ah, so you literally exist where time exists, I must admit that is a new one as far as our kind goes. If that's the case, you're just…" Pandora mused with a hand to her chin.

"An anomaly, just like you," Complica said as Pandora moved her knight forward, the chaotic girl then glancing to her challenger with a raised eyebrow.

"So, is it within your laws to answer me this, will I be leaving my prison anytime soon? What do you see in my future?" she asked.

"Can't say," Complica replied.

"You can't say, or you won't say?" Pandora questioned.

"Both, I cannot influence or change the course of events for anyone with either words or actions, to do so will cause great problems. I can't even tell my sisters that I'm alright, that I still exist and can see them clear as day, I can't tell them anything, unless… they…" Complica whimpered before shutting her eyes.

"You have a trigger as well for your affinity, don't you? A way of unlocking your full power, isn't that right? Tell me, what are the conditions you have with your laws? I'm very interested in knowing how much longer I have to wait in this forsaken place, what must I do for you to tell me that?" Pandora asked slyly. Complica glanced to her then away while shaking her head.

"I do have a way of doing so, but don't bother asking me. We can't interact with each other as such, and not even my power can free you from here. You know this already," she warned. Pandora growled with frustration then looked up with a dark glare.

"I had a feeling of such; neither my brother nor you apparently can free me from this place and its existence. And you can't tell me whether or not those on the outside will be able to free me or not, can you?" she asked looking back to Complica. The chronofly shook her head once while remaining silent. Pandora paused for a moment then narrowed her eyes at the girl.

"That means that me knowing whether they will succeed in bringing me my keys here or not will affect them doing just that. Very interesting," she said to herself. Complica merely glanced to her then looked back down to the game board while remaining silent.

"You can see all your friends and family though, wherever they may be?" Pandora asked. Complica looked to her and nodded once.

"You know what lies before them, every single one of them, don't you?" Pandora asked again.

"Yes," Complica asked softly.

"Every timeline in existence, you know what possible paths can and will be taken," Pandora said curiously, with Complica nodding once to that.

"Then… you know what move I'm about to make now, don't you?" Pandora asked glancing down to the board.

"I don't, you have no timeline, just as I don't. I don't know what you will do, I have no way of seeing that," Complica said shaking her head.

"I see. I suppose that would make the game a little boring for you," Pandora reasoned, with Complica nodding once to that. After a moment Pandora raised an eyebrow in question.

"Tell me this, if you can, is the timeline for your friends set?" she asked. Complica hesitated then nodded as a few tears started to well up in her eyes.

"As things are now, it is set," she answered.

"As they are now, so that means they could still surprise you, couldn't they? They could do something that you can't see coming?" Pandora questioned.

"They have free will, and they can try to shape their own futures, but they can only change so much with their actions, the rest is inevitable," Complica said looking back down to the board.

"Well, since my freedom depends upon them living a little longer, can I at least ask you if they will survive what is coming their way?" Pandora asked tiredly. Complica hesitated then slowly moved her knight forward, taking Pandora's bishop and knocking it over, and then looked to Pandora with a saddened gaze.

"Not all of them."

Under the night sky all had fallen quiet around a large military compound located further away from a human city. There were still patrolling guards on the move both inside and outside of the facility, the armed personal dressed in tactical gear with the letters HDA written on the shoulders with red ink. Inside the compound the night shift workers were busy with their jobs, ranging from walking the halls on patrol while others worked with readying supplies of armaments and equipment for use the following day.

Walking down a hallway Kasumi was aimlessly making her way through the facility while having a saddened expression on her face. She passed two soldiers who glanced back to her briefly before continuing on with their duties, both knowing this civilian woman was permitted to be here by the director. As she made her way through a pair of doors she sighed heavily, wiping some tears from her eyes as she tried her best to keep herself together during this troubling time.

"Oh, Tsukune, I wish I knew what you were doing, if you're ok or not. I can't stand not being able to be there for you like this," she said softly to herself. Looking ahead she made her way towards a firing range by following the signs posted around the halls, hearing a faint gunshot now and again showing that somebody was still practicing at this late hour. Walking over to the doors and looking in through the window she saw the large firing range set inside the building, well, technically below the building as they were a few floors underneath the ground level of the complex. The large firing hall had a few lights on with flat humanoid outline targets set further down the shooting range, one of which was getting hit again and again with bullets as the gunshots continued to sound off. Kasumi walked into the hall, covering her ears as the shooter kept firing again and again. Inside the range two soldiers were standing guard near the entrance, casually talking with one another before noticing Kasumi walking in. They then looked over to where the shooter was in the middle of the shooting brackets, a girl dressed in the HDA Monster Coalition uniform of sleek black shoes, long white socks, a blue and black striped miniskirt, a black sleeveless combat vest which she had unzipped down the middle during her practice, a blue shirt underneath that had short sleeves, black fingerless gloves, a white armband that had HDA written on it with red letters, and in her hands a handgun which she fired again and again with a professional stance. After another shot she stopped and slowly reached up to pull down her black earmuffs she had for the firing range, her eyes then glancing over to see Kasumi walking towards her with a troubled look on her face.

"Auntie? What are you doing up still?" Kyouko asked as she lowered the gun.

"What am I doing? What are you doing? Why are you here shooting a gun?" Kasumi asked looking to the loaded weapon in her niece's hand. Kyouko glanced to it then over to the target she had been hitting, her shots having struck around the outline and also within a few times.

"I'm practicing, what else?" she replied with a small shrug. Kasumi trembled then shook her head while holding her hands close to her chest.

"That's not what I meant! I heard you were down here shooting a gun and I couldn't believe it, why are you-"

"Because I'm going to fight too, you know this!" Kyouko snapped at her.

"No you're not. For god's sake, Kyouko, you're not a soldier, you're still a young schoolgirl!" Kasumi cried out.

"It's my choice to make and I've made it, auntie," Kyouko asserted.

"But why, why are you choosing to get involved with this?" Kasumi demanded.

"Because I am involved with it! I'm involved with this just as much as everybody else is, and dammit, I'm done being the helpless damsel in distress, I'm sick of standing off to the sidelines while my friends risk their lives to save me and everyone else, I'm through with doing absolutely nothing while the world around me falls apart! This time I'm going to fight too, I'm going to make a difference, I'm going to help!" Kyouko shouted out at her. Kasumi stared at her speechless as Kyouko sighed and looked to the gun she was holding.

"Dark and Felucia showed me how to use this earlier, taught me how to hold and fire it, all because I had to resort to begging them to teach me. They didn't want me doing this either, but they understood that it's my choice to do so, so they showed me the basics of how to handle this thing," she explained.

"I can't believe I'm hearing this, you are not going out there with them tomorrow, you're not leaving these walls at all," Kasumi argued sternly. Kyouko glanced to her then shook her head slowly.

"I already am, it's all set. I ride with Moka's team tomorrow, that's why I'm staying up as late as I can to get the hang of this thing. I'm going to be ready to stand with them as part of the Monster Coalition," she stated proudly.

"You're not a monster! You're a human girl with no magic or super strength or anything!" Kasumi shouted out.

"Which is why I'm learning to use a gun, auntie! I'm a human, and this is what humans use in a fight, why we're feared and known to be such a threat to monsters in their world, because of our own kind of weapons," Kyouko argued while holding the gun off to the side towards the target. She looked over to it and fired a shot, hitting the right shoulder of the outline before turning to her aunt with a stern expression.

"Tsukune saved the world, auntie, he stopped so many evil monsters from wrecking everything, even though he was human he faced so many dangers and came out on top," she reminded.

"Tsukune isn't human anymore, and he became the way he is now because he nearly died trying to stand up to monsters as a human. Kyouko, listen to reason, this isn't something you're ready for," Kasumi pleaded desperately. Kyouko looked at her with a distant gaze for a moment then down while shaking her head slowly.

"I told you, I'm not standing idly by anymore while all my friends put their lives on the line for everyone. I know I'm not the most skilled soldier out there, but I'm going to try with everything I have nonetheless. Auntie, this is my choice, and I've made it. When the others leave to fight, I'm going with them," she reasoned before looking back to the woman with a solemn expression.

"Kyouko, you can't do this," Kasumi said worriedly.

"It's already done. I'm done being a helpless civilian while all my friends fight our battles for us. I'm going to be a soldier, just like them," Kyouko replied shaking her head slightly. Kasumi opened her mouth to speak in protest before Kyouko put her earmuffs back on and turned to face her target.

"I'm going to be up late, auntie, you should go get some rest," she said before ejecting the spent magazine in her pistol, taking another from her counter, and sliding it in with a sharp click. Kasumi watched her with worried eyes, the teen then glancing to her with a small smile.

"I can handle this, don't worry about me," she assured.

"How can I not worry about you? With all we've seen and heard approaching us, how can I not fear for you?" Kasumi asked.

"Because I'm going to stand and fight with those that can stop Babylon and anything else that dares come our way. It's my turn to be the protector now, and you can be damned sure I won't fail," Kyouko answered before looking back ahead. Kasumi covered her ears as she watched Kyouko firing again and again at the target, her aim while not sharp and perfect was at least hitting close to the target. After a while Kasumi turned to walk away, with Kyouko focusing on her target practice with all her might.

'If Tsukune can make a difference, then so can I.'

Kasumi left the firing hall, closing the door behind her then sighing as she heard her niece training to be a soldier in the upcoming war. After a moment she growled then stormed off down the hall with discontent, making her way through the facility by following the signs towards the gym on her level. Walking through the doors to the training hall she saw it was mostly dark inside, with all the exercise equipment remaining still and unoccupied except for a punching bag that was wavering back and forth as it was struck rapidly by a lone figure. Kasumi walked into the hall as the echoing thumps of the bag being hit were heard, the woman watching as Moka was punching the bag again and again with a focused glare in her eyes. She was dressed in her HDA uniform except for the combat vest which was lying on the floor nearby. Moka's long pink hair flowed behind her as she quickly punched the bag which was held in place by a few extra chain suspensions since the vampire was using more force than a normal human could.

"Moka, what's this I heard about you taking Kyouko with you tomorrow?" Kasumi asked as she walked up behind the vampire. Moka slowly relaxed her stance then glanced back to the woman with a small shrug.

"She wants to join us for the fight, and I just couldn't talk her out of it. I figured she would be the safest under my watch if anything," she explained.

"What do you mean you couldn't talk her out of it? I understand this is something you can handle, you're used to fighting in and surviving crises like this, but Kyouko, she's not ready for anything like this, it's far too dangerous for her," Kasumi pleaded.

"Mrs. Aono, I tried to talk her out of it, but she refuses to back down from her choice. She wants to take to the offensive and help out however she can, there's nothing I can do," Moka said turning to face the woman while crossing her arms casually.

"First off, call me Kasumi; you don't have to be so formal with me now, my dear," Kasumi started, having a calm expression that quickly shifted to her usual freaked out face.

"Secondly, what do you mean there's nothing you can do?" she screamed out while grabbing her hair.

"Mrs. Aono, I mean Kasumi, I'm sorry, but she just wouldn't take no for an answer," Moka said holding her hands up defensively.

"So? Then send her home to be with her family, or have her placed under guard here in the compound, just don't let her go with you! You have the authority with the HDA to stop her, so do something! She can't be a soldier in this war, she hasn't even graduated yet!" Kasumi cried out. Moka sighed then rested a hand on the woman's shoulder, with Kasumi struggling to calm down as she held the vampire's hand with a whimper.

"Kasumi, if I felt that there was absolutely no way she could handle herself, I would have done just that. But the truth is I've seen the look in her eyes when she told me, not asked me mind you, but told me that she's going to stay and fight. She has the same resolve, the same determination that your son has," Moka explained gently, with Kasumi looking down and taking a slow breath as she slowly let go of the vampire's hand.

"But she's not super strong or can use any magic to help her, and she's never fired a gun before, she can't go out there with you like this," Kasumi said worriedly.

"Dark told me she's a fast learner, at least with what he's shown her so far. As I understand it he even allowed her to stay and practice in the firing hall tonight while he and Felucia left, he knows she's not going to shoot her own foot off," Moka reasoned with a small smirk.

"But… but…" Kasumi said looking back to her with concern.

"She's an Aono, she has that fighting spirit in her, the same one that Tsukune does. She has the ability to make a difference, even though she's human. In fact, according to Complica's story, it was her that saved Complica from being killed in the original timeline. If it wasn't for her bravery we wouldn't have this chance to fight back now," Moka pointed out. Kasumi sighed and nodded as Moka looked to the punching bag with a calm expression.

"I'll watch over her myself, and she's not going to be using any heavy weaponry out there on her first day. Her orders are going to be to sit back with the HDA soldiers and provide cover fire only if necessary. My sister and I along with her boyfriend will be in the same unit, and we should be able to handle any opposition without Kyouko having to even draw her gun let alone use it," she reassured.

"Can you really promise me that she'll be safe?" Kasumi asked.

"As safe as the rest of us are. Kasumi, she'll be just fine, I won't let her get hurt. Just know that she wants to be out there, she wants to help restore peace in this world. She's a very brave girl, you should be proud of her," Moka said with a small smile.

"I am, but I can't help but worry about her, she's still just a baby," Kasumi said softly. Moka glanced back to her then forward again as she flexed her hands slightly.

"She's old enough to stand up for others, that much is for certain. Get some rest, Kasumi, it's late, and you've had a long night," Moka gently insisted.

"What about you? Aren't you going to bed yet?" Kasumi asked. Moka shook her head as she got into a fighting stance again, her eyes narrowing as she watched the punching bag before her.

"Not yet," she replied. She started hitting the bag again and again with swift and hard strikes, the chains holding it in place clacking as the echoing thumps of the bag sounded off in the hall. Kasumi nodded slowly then started walking out, taking one last glance back to Moka as the vampire was obviously very motivated to fight now.

"You're all still children, please don't push yourselves too hard," Kasumi said before walking out of the hall, the doors slowly closing behind her as Moka continued her workout. She growled softly as her rosary lit up, her strikes becoming harder and faster as she envisioned Hex before her, the boy having a cocky smile on his face while he leisurely tossed his dice up in one hand.

'When I find him again…'

'I do hate that I can't lay a hand on him myself, without Tsukune around it looks as though I'm out of this fight entirely.'

Moka stopped her swings and focused hard on her power, her rosary glowing brighter as the vampire tried to bring out all the power she could. She bared her teeth as her fists clenched tightly, the ground below her cracking a bit as the crimson glow that began to swirl around her cast the hall into a red hue.

'Don't strain yourself trying to bring me out for a few meager hits on this training bag. Besides, even if you can get me to surface for a moment my power is still limited by the rosary seal, it's not worth the stress it puts on you.'

Moka slowly breathed out as her aura began to diminish, her stance relaxing slightly before she looked at the training bag with a dull glare.

'I'm sorry, I wish I could do something to let you join us with this, we could really use your help.'

'As much as I would love to join in with the fight, I have faith you'll be able to handle this just fine in my place. Just make sure when you do find Hex again…'

Moka nodded slowly as she closed her eyes, seeming to calm down completely as her crimson aura vanished around her. After a while of silence the vampire suddenly yelled out while striking the bag with a fierce punch, causing the bag to snap free from its chains and fly across the room before smacking into a wall, bursting apart with sand then pouring out onto the floor as the vampire glared at it.

"I'll make him regret ever having laid an eye on our mother," Moka hissed with a sudden flux of her vampire energy.

The bright flashing lights of the club switched around with red, blue, and green colors, the electronic dance beat filling the large room as dozens of people were out on the marble tiled dance floor. A thin haze of smoke hung above near the flashing lights while the speakers kept playing the heavy song that the crowd of finely dressed partygoers danced to. To the side of the club were two ascending floors of tables and booths for the patrons to enjoy the music and have drinks at, with many high rollers of neighboring casinos along with wealthy entrepreneurs seen enjoying the atmosphere with scantily dressed women hanging around them.

Sitting in a circular booth at the top level overlooking the dancefloor a boy with differently colored eyes was leaning back in his seat while looking up at the ceiling with a distant gaze, his hand toiling around his dice as he seemed to be deep in thought about anything other than the party before him.

"I wonder how Pandora is enjoying her time with her new playmate. How very unusual to have found that one again so quickly, and at the same time after so long," Hex said to himself.

"Hey, kid!" a man's voice yelled out. Hex looked to seeing two large men in business attires glaring at him in front of his table.

"Aren't you a bit young to be in here?" one of them said raising an eyebrow at him. Hex smirked and tilted his head slightly.

"I'm quite certain I'm old enough to be in here, gentlemen, I'm easily older than the two of you combined," he mused playfully.

"Alright, enough games, get out of here," the other man snapped as he pointed down to the exit at the side of the club.

"But my good sir, games are the only reason I'm here at all. That and I'm showing two lovely young ladies a good time, so if you don't mind, beat it," Hex said with a smirk. The men growled them marched over and yanked Hex out of the booth, holding him up by the shirt while his smile remained on his face.

"What was that? Who do you think you are telling us to beat it? We own this place, you little punk!" one of the men shouted out. Hex smirked then glanced down to the hands that were gripping his shirt.

"If you wish to keep your hands, my charming fellow, I'd recommend removing them from my shirt at once," he said with a slightly threatening tone. The man growled before he suddenly jerked back with a loud grunt, his hands letting go of Hex while the other human watched with surprise as a woman was grabbing hold of his friend's shoulder and applying great pressure. Standing behind the man who dropped to his knees in pain was a woman with long pink hair dressed in a black slinky floor length dress, black and crimson high heels, and a crimson lace garter around her left thigh which was seen through the dress's side. Her emerald eyes watched the man cringing in pain while a bitter smile was on her face.

"Just what do you think you're doing with him?" Akasha asked with a raised eyebrow. The other man stared at her with surprise then saw Falla walking past him towards Hex, the girl dressed in a slinky lace up dress along with black heels and a silver bracelet that had a large clear diamond adoring the top on her right wrist. The girl had two champagne glasses in her hands, her eyes glancing to the man with a sharp glare before she set the drinks down on the table and gently straightened out Hex's shirt.

"Hex, who are they?" she asked before looking to the standing human with a harsh glare. Hex chuckled and held a hand up then waved over to the table, the two girls then glancing to him before slowly walking over and taking a seat in the booth together.

"Relax, girls, these two are the owners of this establishment, and I do believe they were welcoming our stay here," Hex said simply.

"You little, how dare you and your mother treat me like that!" the man on the ground said as he got back up and cracked his knuckles in a threatening manner.

"Mother? Haha, no no, she isn't my mother, she's… well, I suppose you could say my crimson jewel," Hex said glancing to Akasha, the woman blushing and holding a hand to her cheek.

"Hex, you're far too kind to me," she said softly. The men looked to her confusedly then to Hex as he smirked and tossed his dice onto the table, the two girls watching the cubes with a casual eye as they took a drink of their sparkling wine.

"Now, where were we? Ah, yes, I bet you two were just about to assure us that we wouldn't be disturbed up here in our private booth," Hex said with a shrug.

"What? This isn't a private booth, and you're not welcome here at all!" one of the men barked out.

"Hey, how old is she, she can't be drinking that!" the other yelled as he pointed to Falla.

The dice rolled to a stop with a snake eyes, the two men blinking then smiling proudly at Hex as the boy leaned back on the table with a raised eyebrow at them.

"Mr. Lagon, a pleasure to have you drop by here again, I do hope this booth is to your liking," one of the men said gratefully.

"Please, let us know if there's anything we can do for our number one customer and his two beautiful dates on this night," the other said with a wink at Akasha and Falla. The two girls giggled softly with amused glances at them while Hex merely nodded before tapping his fingers on the table, causing his dice to roll back to his hand.

"Thank you, now, off with you, and see to it that we're not disturbed again," he said waving them off. The two men bowed then walked off together, with Hex then looking back to see Akasha smiling coyly at him with one hand carefully propped up under her chin.

"I hope he didn't bother you earlier with his brash attitude," Akasha said with a shrug.

"To be honest I was almost hoping not to win that roll, it would have been interesting to see you getting a little more physical to deal with them," Hex said with a twitch of his eyebrow.

"Mmm, well I don't mind dancing for your entertainment, one way or another," Akasha purred.

"I'm up for some dancing too, either way to be honest," Falla mentioned with a smirk at Hex.

"I'm sure you are. Akasha, why don't you head down to the dancefloor and show me what you can do," Hex said motioning down to the dancefloor. Akasha nodded and stood up while Falla looked at Hex with a saddened smile.

"Hex, why can't I dance for you too? I promise to make it very erotic," she purred. Hex chuckled and sat down next to her while Akasha walked down the steps towards the dancefloor with a calm smile on her face. She got down there then walked out among the people as the lights flashed and bloomed around her, the vampire then dancing with a smooth flowing body and gracefully swinging hair, the crowd around her taking notice of the extremely attractive woman who seemed to be an excellent dancer. Hex and Falla watched as the vampire kept her eyes only on Hex or had them closed when moving about, paying all the others around her no mind at all as she tried to capture and hold Hex's interest in her movements.

"I'm sure you could give me quite a show, Falla, but for now I thought we could enjoy the atmosphere here together," Hex said casually. Falla giggled and snuggled up closer to his side with a coy smile.

"I'm not opposed to that at all. Though you shouldn't leave your dates for so long in a place like this, you were gone for thirty minutes and I swear my heart ached for you every second that you weren't here," she said softly.

"I told you I would be gone briefly while you two enjoyed this place together, it wasn't my intention to be so cruel to you," Hex reasoned with a shrug. Falla sighed and nodded as she laid her head on his shoulder.

"I suppose, I know how important it is for you to see your sister. I just miss you so much whenever you're not around me," she said softly. Hex nodded as he watched Akasha dancing, not seeming to pay Falla any mind while the girl remained as close as she could to him in the booth.

"By the way, Falla, I thought you might like to know your sister Complica is back in town," Hex said casually. Falla jumped with a gasp, knocking over her glass of champagne as she looked to him with shock. The boy chuckled then casually set her glass upright on the table while she stared at him with wide eyes.

"What? Complica? She's… back? Really?" Falla asked shakily.

"That's right. When I left earlier to say hello to my sister I came across your sister in The Garden, seems she was looking for this reality and we just happened to meet at the right time," Hex said while watching Akasha dancing for him, the boy eyeing her movements while Falla held her hands to her head with a stunned expression.

"Oh my god, can I go see her? Can I? Is she ok? Is she alright? What happened to her?" Falla asked quickly. Hex watched Akasha for a while then glanced to Falla with a simple shake of his head.

"I'm afraid right now you cannot. Your sister appears perfectly fine, although due to her new state of existence she cannot interact with you, at least not right now. I left her with my sister, thought she might want a playmate to kill some time with," he explained, and then chuckled in amusement at his choice of words.

"What do you mean? What happened to her? It's only been a few hours since she vanished, how did she find her way back so quickly?" Falla asked urgently.

"Falla, calm down, you're going to cause a scene," Hex said glancing to her expectantly. Falla took a shaky breath then looked down while holding a hand over her mouth.

"She's back? Oh my god, she's… oh, Hex, please let me see her again, I just have to hear what happened to her," she pleaded looking back to Hex. The boy rolled his eyes then stood up from the booth, holding a hand back to her which she quickly grabbed and held onto as she stood up next to him.

"Let's go somewhere that we can talk in peace, I see that this is going to ruin your mood about staying here tonight," Hex said dryly as he started leading the girl down the steps towards the dancefloor. Falla held onto his arm while looking down with wonder, stunned to hear that her sister had already returned from her sudden departure from their reality. The two walked down to the dancefloor and over to Akasha, the vampire then looking at them curiously as Hex motioned towards the exit with his head.

"We're leaving," he said simply.

"Already?" Akasha asked.

"Now," Hex said, with Akasha nodding quickly with a worried smile before they all started walking towards the exit together. As they passed by the entrance the two owners waved to them with happy smiles, with Hex and the two girls ignoring them as they left the club. Walking out into the city the three then made their way down the sidewalk with other people walking around them going about their own business. The bright lights of the neon signs and video screens above on the towering buildings lit up the streets with a colorful bloom, the busy city being very active during the night with all of its entertainment spots. Akasha held onto Hex's other arm, with the boy smirking a bit as the world started to fade to darkness around them. Slowly everything vanished as the three continued walking along a floor that could not be seen in the darkness.

"Why did we leave already? I was just getting started," Akasha said with a smirk and glance to Hex.

"Akasha, Hex said Complica came back already," Falla said to her with an eager smile.

"What?" the vampire replied with surprise.

"She's back, and she's also not," Hex clarified as they approached a small rounded courtyard which appeared to be floating amidst the darkness. The stones below their feet shifted from translucent bricks to smooth gray marble tiles while having intricate designs etched into them of swirls and oddly shaped patterns.

"What do you mean she is and she's not?" Akasha asked as the surroundings seemed to shift from darkness to a blue and red cosmos with stars gently drifting by. The ground below them lit up slightly where their feet touched while the many bridges that extended out from the rounded court became hazy transparent pathways that again melded into the backdrop as they stretched further out. Dozens of other courtyards with extended bridges of stone pathways floating about through the cosmos were seen all around, some having colored tiles while others had small water fountains or stone statue centerpieces, and some being at odd angles while some were even upside down. Hex and the two girls walked into the center of their courtyard before Falla and Akasha stepped in front of the boy with curious expressions, with him looking around at the floating courts with a distant gaze.

"Falla, your sister has truly ascended into something greater than what she was. Her affinity is that of time itself, the very time stream of which you derive your power from," he stated, with the two girls looking at him with both wonder and confusion.

"What do you mean by that?" Falla asked. Hex glanced to her then gently waved around at the endless sea of gateways and courtyards.

"I mean that she has become a true queen of time, if there ever was one. In fact, in her own way, she is time. As such she knows all that will ever be, all that has ever happened, and all that lies before you," he explained. Falla stared at him with wide eyes as she tried to form words to respond to that. Although what he described was more than she was able to understand, she got the impression that her little sister was indeed a powerful being now. She shook her head then quickly looked around with a hopeful smile.

"I can't believe it, that's incredible. Can I see her?" she asked.

"You can never see her, Falla," Hex said, with the girls looking to him with concern from that.

"What? Why not? Why can't I see her now?" Falla asked desperately.

"Falla, like me and my family, your sister is bound by the laws of her affinity, laws that she cannot break. She cannot interact with lesser beings now, she told me she cannot speak to or be seen by you anymore," Hex said simply.

"What? But… I don't understand, why can't I see her now?" Falla pleaded.

"I'm a bit confused here, how did she find her way back so quickly? She only vanished from our world a few hours ago," Akasha pointed out. Hex nodded and glanced to her with a smirk.

"A few hours from this perspective, yes. Still, it took her countless years to actually find your world again, according to her. You see, she-" he started before a sudden violent explosion echoed out, with the three feeling the courtyard they were standing on shaking a bit. Hex slowly looked around with a careful eye as the two girls felt a cold chill run down their spines.

"What was that?" Akasha asked.

"Hex? What was that?" Falla asked as the two girls looked to him again. He merely gazed around at the endless sea of floating courtyards with a focused expression.

"That can't be good," he said, almost to himself.

Complica dropped her queen on the board with a sudden gasp. She looked up with a startled expression as Pandora was staring down at the game board with growing ire, the chaotic girl having only a few pieces left as her king was being backed into a corner by Complica's impressive skill with the game.

"Something's wrong, I have to go," Complica said standing up quickly.

"Really? Ha, giving up already?" Pandora laughed with a smug grin at her.

"No, but something isn't right, I have to leave. Besides, you were going to lose in two more turns anyway," Complica said while still looking up around at the darkness above her. Pandora blinked then looked at her with an accusing stare.

"Hey, I thought you couldn't see what move I was going to make," she questioned.

"Yeah, I kind of lied about that, I had to otherwise you wouldn't have played anything with me. Sorry, but I see your future regardless of you not having a timeline," Complica said with a shrug.

"What, you do? Wait a minute, then that means you were leading me on this whole time!" Pandora yelled out, her voice sounding deafening yet causing no discomfort with Complica who didn't even flinch in the slightest.

"Sorry, I tried to let you win a few times during the game, but you never saw the right moves to make," Complica said before she waved her hand up in the air then down with a swift motion, creating a curtain of torn space that had brightly colored stars and a vast cosmos faintly seen within that dropped down around her, Pandora watching with a careful eye before it vanished with a quiet crackling sound, revealing the girl to be gone. Pandora growled then swatted the chessboard away with a grunt.

"For fuck's sake, I HATE IT IN HERE!" Pandora yelled out into the air, with her pets roaring out around her in the darkness.

Complica suddenly appeared on the courtyard with Hex and the other two girls, with Falla and Akasha then looking over to seeing the young chronofly with surprise.

"Complica?" Falla asked with wonder, her eyes starting to water up as she saw her little sister alive and well before her. Complica looked to her and showed an uneasy expression, not saying anything back as she slowly nodded, and then turned to Hex, the boy quickly grabbing Falla's hand before she tried to run towards her little sister.

"Do not speak to her, do not listen to her, do not look at her, Falla," Hex ordered sternly.

"But, Hex! She's-" Falla cried out before Hex spun her around and held her shoulder and chin firmly to keep her gaze on him.

"Close your eyes, cover your ears, and do not speak to her, right now," he ordered, then glanced to Akasha and nodded once. Akasha looked at him with concern then shut her eyes and covered her ears. Falla whimpered as Hex looked back to her, the boy then letting go of her and wiping a tear that she had on her cheek.

"You must do as I say, Falla, I will explain soon," he reasoned. Falla trembled a bit then shut her eyes tightly while holding her hands over her ears, feeling so conflicted about turning a blind eye to her little sister like this. Hex then looked to Complica questionably as the girl was looking up and around at the floating gardens, not seeming to be choked up about seeing her sister again at all.

"What was that just now?" Hex asked.

"I don't know, but something's wrong, very wrong, I can feel it," Complica said worriedly.

Another loud explosion echoed out in the cosmos, the floating courtyard then shaking with Falla clinging to Hex with a tight grip using both hands while she kept her eyes closed. She and Akasha stumbled a bit from the shockwave while Hex glanced around with a sharp eye, feeling a strange disturbance in the cosmos around them. Complica watched as Falla clung to Hex with a dull stare then looked to Hex as she showed a slight amount of resentment. Knowing she couldn't speak while Falla's ears weren't covered she then held in her frustrated grunt before looking upwards with a focused gaze. In a flash she vanished with a crackling distortion of space and stars flaring up from where she just was, with Hex then removing Falla's hands from his shirt.

"Alright, you two can open your eyes now," he said as he reached over and pulled Akasha's hand down. The two girls looked to him with puzzlement as he seemed to be scanning the cosmos above them for something.

"Hex, what is going on here?" Falla asked.

"Not sure, your sister left to find out herself," Hex replied with.

"Not that, I meant why couldn't I speak to her or look at her? She was right here in front of me and I had to look away from her, why?" Falla asked desperately.

"Because if she alters your timeline with any action or words on her part, very bad things will happen to you," Hex said looking to her. Falla and Akasha stared at him with surprise as he slowly shook his head.

"She knows everything that's going to happen, every possible timeline that exists she knows of like they're a part of her own being. But she cannot speak of such things to any. Her place is merely the watcher of time now, not the guide," he explained.

"How do you know of such a thing?" Akasha asked.

"Because she told me. Of course I would have wanted to know, curiosity and all that, so I asked what she's been up to all this time. Quite a lot was the answer, more than one would imagine. But let's just say if she breaks her law it will be very unfortunate in more ways than one," Hex answered.

"But… how could she have known about anything like that? What happened to her, and what did you mean it took her countless years to find our world again?" Falla asked worriedly. Hex merely looked up at something with a focused gaze, the two girls then looking up as well to seeing a floating courtyard far away from them seeming to implode with a ripple of light blasting around it, the spatial gateway then exploding with a violent storm of torn space and dark patches of light etching away from it briefly.

"What was that?" Akasha asked nervously.

"A reality was just destroyed," Hex said narrowing his eyes.

"A… reality was destroyed?" Falla asked with growing fright.

"How can a reality be destroyed?" Akasha asked carefully.

Suddenly another floating courtyard further away from them blasted apart violently, the three looking to seeing the spatial garden being destroyed by torn space and dark patches of light.

"Hex, what's going on?" Falla asked as she clung to his arm nervously.

"An entire existence was just wiped out," Hex said, a small amount of frustration being evident in his voice.

"What does that mean?" Falla asked shaking her head.

"It means countless worlds and lives in that existence were just erased in a single moment," Hex said, right before another floating courtyard ruptured apart with violent tears of time and space, the stone court seeming to be annihilated from the inside out as Hex and the girls watched its destruction from their floating court further away.

"And there goes another," Hex said with a raised eyebrow.

"Does… this sort of thing happen here often?" Akasha asked carefully.

"Never has before," Hex answered shaking his head.

"What does this mean?" Falla asked nervously. Another floating courtyard was decimated by the storm of tears and dark patches of light, with Hex watching as the remnants of the court floated off in tiny fragments into the endless cosmos around them.

"Something has indeed gone very wrong," he said carefully.

Suddenly Complica appeared back on their courtyard, the girl looking around with a cautious expression on her face while Falla and Akasha turned to her with wonder. Hex cleared his throat, with Complica then looking to her sister with an uneasy frown, the elder sister struggling not to speak before she reluctantly closed her eyes and held her hands over her ears. Akasha did the same as Hex walked over to Complica, the girl watching her sister with remorse as she saw Falla showing a sorrowful frown on her face.

"I'm so close to her, and yet I can't tell her how much I missed her all this time," Complica said quietly to herself.

"What is going on? A few realities nearby seemed to have been erased altogether," Hex asked with a raised eyebrow. Complica looked to him while remaining silent. After a while Hex nodded slowly with a solemn expression.

"You can't tell me," he reasoned. Complica shut her eyes and looked away, with Hex glancing around to where the other realities within eyeshot were obliterated.

"If you can't tell me, then that means whatever happened to those realities can and will happen to this one as well, and your words to me could change whether or not it will happen," he concluded. Complica opened her eyes while remaining silent, a frustrated expression coming over her briefly before she turned to Hex with a careful eye.

"I can't say what you don't know that can change your fate, but I can tell you what you already do know or what can't change your fate," she stated decisively.

"How cute, is that your catch phrase for your law?" Hex asked with a slight smirk.

"Shut up! It took me two decades to get that just right for others to hear, I worked hard on making that sound perfect!" Complica shouted back with a flustered glare at him, her voice thundering strongly yet not affecting Hex in the slightest. For Akasha and Falla however they gripped their heads tightly to try to block out her voice as the muffled words of Complica were somewhat heard. Hex rolled his eyes then showed Complica a dull expression.

"Alright then, what can you tell me that won't change our fate?" he asked.

"You're all going to die," Complica said dryly.

"Anything else that might be a little more helpful in the least?" Hex asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm sorry, that's all I can say for now without breaking my law. I want to say more, but…" Complica said before trailing off, looking over to the side as another floating courtyard detonated with a powerful storm of tears in space and dark patches of light. Complica glanced to her sister with concern then to Hex with a stern glare.

"If I could say more I would, believe me I wish I could, but I can't like this," she stated firmly, seeming to have an expectant tone at the end. Hex watched her for a moment then smiled slightly.

"Unless they pay your price," he said with a small chuckle at the end.

"I don't want them to do such a thing and you know it, if I could have you do so instead I would gladly make that the only choice for you," Complica retorted with a scowl on her face.

"Ah, but we can't play each other's games, now can we?" Hex mused. Complica growled and clenched her fists. Anomalies such as they couldn't use Pandora's keys themselves, couldn't play against Hex with his game of dice, and they also couldn't pay her price of which she was bound to abide by from her own law of existence.

Hex nodded then gently pulled down Akasha and Falla's arms, the two looking to him then to Complica with wonder as Complica hung her head low and closed her eyes.

"Listen, I'm afraid Complica here can't tell us what's happening, or rather she isn't allowed to right now," Hex said with a shrug.

"I'm sorry, but did… did she just say something about doing something for two decades?" Akasha asked pointing to Complica. Complica quickly slapped a hand over her mouth with surprise as Hex glanced to her.

"Fortunate for Akasha hearing that won't be a problem for her, though you might want to control your voice around others unlike ourselves, something you obviously haven't had much practice in," Hex said dryly. Complica looked down while taking a slow breath through her nose, knowing that had she shouted out something more particular than what she did it would have been very bad for Akasha and Falla, and possibly even herself.

"Complica?" Falla said quietly, her eyes staring at her little sister that she thought was lost forever. Complica slowly looked up to her with a remorseful glance, not seeming to be happy seeing her sister again like this.

"How could she have been doing anything for two decades, she just left our world a few hours ago," Akasha asked with wonder.

"I'll explain what can be explained to the best of your comprehension soon enough, but for now we need to solve a little mystery as to why a few realities have been completely annihilated, and to do that Complica here is our key," Hex said gesturing to the little girl.

"But I thought she couldn't speak of such things without dire consequences," Akasha remembered while watching Complica carefully. Hex nodded and looked around at the endless cosmos with a curious eye while Falla continued to stare at her little sister with a few tears forming in her eyes.

"Not unless somebody pays a price," Hex mentioned.

"Price? What price?" Falla asked softly. Akasha and Falla looked to Hex as he glanced over to the little chronofly.

"She knows what's going to happen, she has seen something that she wishes to warn us about, but she cannot say anything because of her law. However, like Pandora and myself, there is a way for lesser beings such as yourself to gain what should normally be impossible to gain. She has a 'trigger' of sorts, a condition that can be met in which she can then speak freely about any secrets of time she knows. She doesn't grant wishes like I do, she bestows knowledge of the future, and possibly a means to changing one's own timeline," he explained. Falla and Akasha looked to Complica with wonder as she held her hand out to the side, a searing line of distorted space ripping through the air from her palm before forming into a swirling ribbon of torn space and time. A bright flash flared up inside the spiraling ribbon before the spatial tear vanished, revealing Complica to be holding a shiny chrome baseball bat that had a clock inside at the top, similar to where her old bat had its smiley face on it. The clock had a second, minute, and hour hand spinning around slowly behind the glass with the gears and clockwork seen behind them, all spinning and turning about while not a sound was heard from them at all. Complica looked to the bat with remorse then glanced to Akasha and Falla, the two watching her with curiosity and puzzlement.

"She has a game of sorts for others to play like you do?" Akasha asked.

"Well, not quite a game, more like an exchange. There are no chances to be taken with her, you don't risk losing more than what you already do from her only price," Hex said with a shrug. The two girls looked to him curiously as he glanced to them.

"In order for her to speak what isn't supposed to be spoken, to change what she isn't allowed to change, somebody has to pay a steep toll. Unfortunately I cannot do so myself, I can't just as she can't play my game of chance anymore, not as we are now. That means you two are the only ones here who can pay the price," he informed solemnly.

"What price? What are you talking about?" Falla asked worriedly. The group looked to Complica as she closed her eyes and held her bat up at her side, pointing to the clock with a saddened expression as the hands in the clock continued to slowly spin around. Hex glanced to the two girls at his side then to Complica.

"For every second that she speaks to you or impacts your timeline by any means, you will lose one year of your life in exchange."

Inside the HDA compound there were various departments and offices set up for a wide range of uses. From training halls and barracks, sleeping quarters and lounges, briefing rooms and military intelligence stations, maintenance garages and storage bunkers, the HQ for the HDA was equipped for all the needs and requirements that a high-ranking and distinguished military force dedicated to protecting humans from supernatural and otherworldly threats would want.

"Yo, hit me again," Felucia called out as she held up a hand, herself and Mizore sitting on stools at a bar together. The drinking lounge had a large bar setup along with multiple tables and booths set around the hall, with large flat screen TVs mounted on the walls showing news and sports networks. A few other HDA soldiers were seated here and there, all of them taking this moment to relax on break or after a long shift of duty. Felucia and Mizore were just looking down at their drinks, with Felucia being given a refill of her beer while Mizore had opted for an iced tea rather than alcohol. As the bartender finished topping Felucia's drink off the demon glanced to her friend who had been silent while she mostly just stared down at her beverage.

"You ok?" Felucia asked gently.

"Complica vanished from our existence, Moka's mother and Falla were taken away by Hex, we're heading out tomorrow to act as peacekeepers, and Babylon is planning on invading our world and killing every last living soul that he can. You'd think I'd be shaken up a bit knowing all this, but strangely, I'm not," Mizore said softly while slowly swirling her tea around with one hand.

"It's no surprise, after everything we've been through, being schoolgirls seems pretty boring in comparison, don't you agree?" Felucia chuckled as she nudged Mizore playfully with her elbow. Mizore nodded slowly then glanced to the girl with a solemn expression still.

"I used to only think about finding a husband at Yokai Academy, finding my soul mate and starting a family. When I first enrolled at the school that was the only thing I had on my mind. Now, I'm a soldier on a battlefield, fighting to protect humans and monsters alike in the name of peace. Having a family right now, I can't imagine doing that like this, knowing that I have a different job to do that's so important. It's so strange, the old me would never have chosen to come out here and fight in a war, but here I am, ready to be the first out there in combat if need be. What happened to me, Felucia?" she asked softly.

"What happened to you? That's easy, he happened to you," Felucia said glancing over her shoulder. Mizore looked back to see Dark sitting at a table nearby with Arial, the snow angel holding onto his side and crying softly as she looked down with a remorseful expression. Dark wasn't listening to his usual music, rather was holding Arial gently while he had a blank expression on his face, seeming to be deep in thought as he tried to comfort the weeping angel. Even Arial wasn't listening to her music as she still felt sorrow for the loss of her friend.

"He brought out that fighter inside of you, Mizore. He turned you from a weak slushy from the mountains into a warrior and defender of others just as he is," Felucia reasoned with a shrug.

"My heart bears the mark of a demon from hell, I've drawn blood and killed in the name of peace, and I've come to love a forceful and commanding lover in bed. I've changed so much, ever since the day he came into my life," Mizore said softly.

"My life changed too because of him. Well, it did when I was alive anyway," Felucia said with a small shrug. Mizore looked to her with a faint smile as the demon stared at Dark with loving eyes, something that Mizore felt no threat or anger from anymore.

"I used to be a stupid, stupid demon from hell, thinking I was above humans and that they were nothing but insects. But then I learned about him, how he was everything I ever wanted in an idol, a role model, and… well… you know. He was perfect in my eyes, and still is. So when he stood up for the weak and the defenseless, when he rebelled against Fairy Tale, so did I. I did so without any hesitation, and not just because I hated working for those assholes, but because I knew that Dark was right with his choice, he knew who the real monsters of this world were. I am who I am today, despite being dead, because of him," Felucia said gratefully. Mizore nodded slowly then glanced to Arial as the young angel and Dark slowly stood up from their table.

"We are how we are, because of her," Mizore said softly.

"Yeah. When she freed Dark, she freed us too," Felucia agreed with a nod.

Dark and Arial walked over to the two girls, with Arial holding onto Dark's hand and crying quietly. Dark glanced to his angel with obvious concern then to the two girls as they turned to face them.

"We're going to turn in for the night, she's asked if I can sleep next to her so she can rest easier tonight," he informed. Arial wiped her eyes then glanced up to Felucia with a small frown.

"You can sleep with him tomorrow, but tonight I need my demon, ok?" she said softly. Felucia smiled weakly and nodded then glanced to Mizore, the snow maiden merely watching Arial with a dull stare.

"Yeah, sure, I guess I can wait another night," Felucia said while rubbing the back of her neck. Arial nodded then glanced to Mizore with a scowl, the snow maiden watching her for a moment before showing a small smile.

"Sleep well, Arial," she said softly.

"I just lost my best friend in the whole world, how the hell do you think I'm going to sleep tonight? Wipe that smile off your face, there's nothing to be happy about right now," Arial hissed at her. Mizore closed her eyes as she struggled to keep calm from the snow angel's words. She then looked at Arial with a blank expression and shook her head slightly.

"You'll see Complica again someday, I know you will," she said softly.

"And just how do you know that?" Arial barked out at her.

"Because I believe, Arial, I believe she'll come back," Mizore replied. Arial looked down with a whimper and shut her eyes, with Mizore then slowly kneeling down before her and wiping a tear away. The snow angel flinched from the touch then growled at her before seeing Mizore showing a small smile again.

"And when she does come back, you two will have a lot to talk about. That's something you should be looking forward to," Mizore said kindly.

"She may never come back again, you idiot. I might never see her again," Arial snapped with teary eyes.

"Don't lose hope, Arial. She's still out there, she can still come back. Don't lose hope for her," Mizore said softly before standing up again. Arial looked down with closed eyes before she started walking towards the exit with Dark, the demon glancing back to Mizore and mouthing out 'I love you' to her, the girl nodding as she understood and repeated the silent words to him, with Dark understanding that phrase even with Mizore's lollipop in her mouth. As they got close to the doors Arial stopped and looked ahead, envisioning Complica standing before her in her casual clothing with a saddened smile on her face. The image of Complica walked forward and hugged Arial, not being felt by the body but certainly by the heart as Arial whimpered and tried not to cry again. She took a shaky breath then glanced back to Mizore with a teary eye.

"Thank you, Mizore," she said softly before walking out with Dark. Mizore and Felucia watched them go with wonder before Felucia feigned a shiver and held her arms around herself.

"Brr, did you feel that? Feels like hell just froze over," she mentioned before turning back to her drink. Mizore looked down with curiosity for a moment then sat next to her demon friend again, taking a small drink of her tea as the two girls prepared for a long day tomorrow.

"What?" Falla asked with shock, staring at her little sister who merely kept her eyes closed and her bat held up to see. Akasha stared at the little girl with disbelief then she and Falla looked to Hex as the boy had a blank expression on his face.

"Every second we hear her talk or learn about our future, we lose one year of our own lives?" Akasha asked carefully.

"Correct, it's how her law works. If she shows you the way to changing your future, your own fate, it will take years off of your own lifespan as payment," Hex confirmed with a nod. Akasha and Falla looked back to Complica as the little girl opened her eyes, her gaze seeming to pierce right through Falla's with a slightly colder look that the young princess never had shown before. Even though she was the same caring girl that they remember seeing earlier that day, it was apparent that she had changed significantly since then.

"Complica, what… have you become? What happened to you?" Falla asked softly.

"Careful, Falla, should she answer your questions you will be giving up precious years of your limited life," Hex warned. Falla gasped with a hand over her mouth, watching as Complica merely stared at her in silence.

"That's why you didn't want us to hear her or see what she was doing just now; it may have taken some of our lifespan away from us if we overheard anything. If she reveals anything about our timeline, she's essentially killing us," Akasha reasoned carefully.

"In a way, yes, I suppose you could look at it like that. However, back to the matter at hand, she can't tell me what's happening around us, what happened to the realities and universes that ceased to exist just now. Since she can't say, that means that whatever happened to those unfortunate realities can and will happen to this one, and her words of warning could influence that being changed," Hex explained.

"So what do we do now?" Falla asked worriedly.

"Only one thing can be done. She'll have to tell you what she knows. Speaking to me alone she can't say anything at all; I'm unable to offer any of my lifespan as payment for her law. She needs to speak to lesser beings such as yourselves, only you can pay her price," Hex said with a shrug.

"Every second she speaks to us we lose a year of our lives. My word, if the tale is too long she could very well kill us right here and now," Akasha said shaking her head, with Complica nodding slowly in agreement.

"Well, at least Complica knows how to speak fast, I suppose that little quirk of hers will come in handy now," Falla reasoned with a nervous smile. Complica glanced to her then to Hex while remaining silent, the boy thinking for a moment before turning to the two girls.

"There is a little loophole that she mentioned to me earlier about her pesky law. She only must take away the lifespan of an individual to reveal the secrets of the unknown future, however that individual may then speak freely to any they so choose without any cost," he mentioned. Akasha and Falla looked to him curiously as Complica lowered her head while closing eyes.

"In other words, you both don't need to give up your precious years that have yet to be; only one must do so, and then tell the tale once it's been told to the other. Only one of you needs to listen to her and give up years of your life," Hex finished.

"Only one of us has to do that?" Falla asked looking to Akasha. The vampire glanced to Complica then to Hex as the boy nodded once.

"In order to start the trigger, she has to confirm that you truly wish to give up years of your life, and you must accept her terms. If you do, then she can speak freely about what she's seen, something that you'd best pay the utmost attention to while you can," Hex clarified. Falla closed her eyes for a moment then stepped forward with a saddened smile at Complica.

"Ok, I-"

"No, I'm going to do this, not you," Akasha argued as she pulled the chronofly back.

"What? But why, she's my sister, I want to hear her voice again," Falla pleaded.

"Because you only have so many years ahead of you, that's why. I'm a vampire, my lifespan is far greater than yours, she can speak to me longer about what is happening and it will not cost me so much as it would for you," Akasha stated decisively. Falla opened her mouth to argue before Akasha held a hand over it to silence the girl.

"Don't argue with me, your life is short enough compared to ours, don't kill yourself over seeing your little sister again. We still have to save your sister Luna from what's coming, not just from Babylon but also whatever this calamity is, remember?" Akasha reminded. Falla nodded slowly while Complica glanced to Akasha then to Hex with a dull stare from those words. Akasha then let go of Falla's mouth and gave her a stern look, the chronofly reluctantly holding her hands over her ears as she looked to Complica one more time, hesitating for a moment before closing her eyes as well.

"Alright, I'll do it. I would love to spare Moka and Kokoa such a dire fate if I can, so I'll pay what must be paid to do so," Akasha said turning back to face Complica. The little chronofly watched her carefully then tilted her head to the side.

"Are you sure you wish to sacrifice part of your life to know what is in your future?" she questioned, her words echoing slightly in Akasha's head as the vampire felt a sense of uneasiness and weakness before the girl. After a pause Akasha slowly kneeled down to face the girl and nodded.

"Yes, tell me what you can, please," she requested. Complica stared at her with a piercing gaze, the clock on her bat then stopping suddenly with all the hands resting at the top of the dial. She then slowly nodded and opened her mouth to speak, with Hex and Akasha listening carefully as the second hand on the girl's clock started to move with a gentle ticking sound.

People were screaming in a panic as they ran around in the streets of a human city, the sky above being dark and crackling with thunder and lightning in a dark storm. From the clouds above a rylo descended towards the city, the colossus class demon letting out an ear-piercing squawk as electricity started to flare up around its wings and spines along its back. HDA fighter jets shot their missiles at the demon while on the ground soldiers were firing with rifles and tanks, all the firepower striking the colossal monster and doing nothing to faze it.

"We can't stop it!" a soldier called out on the radio as the jets flew around wildly to avoid the lightning strikes, the bolts of electricity striking into buildings and blasting them into fiery infernos.

"It's going to destroy the entire city, evacuate everyone now!" another soldier called out on the radio.

Standing in the street a lone girl was watching the demon while crowds of humans ran away in a panic. Astreal's long blonde hair flowed behind her as she stood in the street with a cold glare up at the demon, the witch dressed in the HDA Monster Coalition uniform while faint red glows of light traced down her arms to her palms.

"I won't let you harm these people," she declared before her magical glowing wings manifested behind her, the witch suddenly being surrounded by a torrent of magical energy as her power skyrocketed. She held her hands up together, the red light sparking in them and growing brighter as the ground below her shattered from the force. From her hands the red light shot out in both directions, forming a glowing red rod which she held onto with a focused expression. Her glowing wings arched back as the line she held glowed brightly and curved slightly in her hand, bending back as she drew her other hand away from the one holding the magical energy. An arrow of red light took form, resting against the magical beam that formed into a large sturdy bow of red magical energy. The witch held the arrow back as a string of white light formed behind the arrow and linked to the bow on both ends, the arrow sparking and having red swirls of light rolling off it. Astreal primed the arrow and watched as the rylo above let out another deafening caw, the lightning flaring around it striking down into nearby buildings violently. People around the street stopped and watched the witch standing there with her glowing wings and the bow and arrow which was giving off waves of immense magical energy.

"Artimus Arro- AHHH!" Astreal screamed out in agony before a bright red light engulfed her, followed immediately by a massive explosion that detonated with an earthshaking shockwave. People nearby couldn't even scream in time before the powerful blast of energy annihilated the city, the witch's attack self-destructing and claiming the lives of all within the gigantic blast radius.

"Astreal!" Leon cried out as he shot up from his dream, a look of fright on his face as he struggled to slow down his breathing which was racing. He held a hand to his face and covered his eyes, trying to push the image of his girlfriend being killed by her own spell out of his mind. After a while he slowly lowered his hand, his breathing gradually calming down as he wearily looked around inside his room in the HDA sleeping quarters. He was sitting up on his bed while the room had only a few basic commodities and a small faint blue light coming from the ceiling lamp.

"Leon?" Astreal asked softly. Leon looked to the blonde witch that was lying next to him under the covers, the girl having a sleeping shirt and shorts on while he himself only had his sleeping shorts on.

"What's wrong?" she asked as she slowly woke up and rubbed one of her eyes.

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to wake you like that. It was just a bad dream," he apologized softly.

"About me?" Astreal asked as she slowly sat up next to him.

"About what's coming our way," Leon said holding a hand to his head and looking down with concern.

"We'll get through it, I know we will, together," Astreal reassured as she gently held his hand. Leon nodded then hugged her close.

"Promise me, Astreal, that you won't use the Artimus Arrow spell again," he said with concern. Astreal looked over his shoulder with wonder then closed her eyes.

"Is that what you dreamed about?" she asked.

"I dreamed that it killed you and wiped out an entire city when it backfired, I can't bear the thought of you being killed by your own spell like that," he explained.

"Leon. I honestly don't even know how to cast the spell, I couldn't use it now even if I wanted to," Astreal reasoned as she held onto him.

"I know you've been thinking about it, wanting to learn it. Please, I don't want you to get killed," Leon said softly. Astreal held onto him with a saddened smile and slowly shook her head.

"It could help us though, if I learned to control it. I managed to fire it before, surely I can-"

"You only managed to fire it because of Hex's power to change reality. You heard what Ruby and Yukari warned us about regarding that spell, you could die merely trying to hold the arrow in place. Please, Astreal, it's too dangerous to meddle with. Promise me you won't try to use it again," Leon pleaded. Astreal leaned back from the hug and smiled gently before kissing him, the two closing their eyes as they cherished the moment with each other. When the kiss ended Astreal nodded and gently brushed Leon's hair, which was still set in his usual poofy spikes.

"I promise, Leon," she said softly. Leon nodded and smiled at her before lying back down. Astreal lied down with her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes, then shivered and held onto him tightly.

"Astreal? What is it?" Leon asked as his girlfriend shuddered before looking to him with worried eyes.

"Leon, it still hasn't gone away. That feeling, it's still here," she whimpered. Leon held her close as the witch closed her eyes and tried to calm her mind down, feeling a very cold chill running down the back of her neck.

"Are you sure?" he asked worriedly. Astreal nodded and held onto him.

"I don't know why, but it's like something cold is breathing down the back of my neck. It won't go away, Leon, it won't go away," she breathed out. Leon held her close and looked up at the ceiling with concern, feeling his girlfriend shivering slightly in his arms.

"I won't let anything happen to you, Astreal, I promise," he said softly, the two then trying to fall asleep together in their bed, both feeling growing anxiety about what may be coming their way.

"WHAT?" Pandora screamed as she stared at her brother with surprise. Hex, Falla, and Akasha were standing before the chaotic anomaly while inside her box, the single bloom of light surrounding them coming from nowhere while the monsters of Pandora remained just out of view in the darkness all around. Hex nodded slowly while kneeling down to face the girl, having a small amount of concern seen on his face, while Akasha and Falla were looking down with disbelief from what they had learned.

"I'm afraid so, Complica told us what's happening around this reality, a rather troubling tale to say the least," Hex said shaking his head.

"Wait, she told you? But why would she tell you that, she wouldn't say a damned thing to me earlier," Pandora asked with confusion.

"Akasha here was kind enough to pay Complica's price to allow her to speak to us. Unfortunately Complica wouldn't have been able to tell you nor I anything otherwise because of her law," Hex said gesturing over to Akasha, the woman nodding slowly while glancing up to Pandora with an uneasy frown.

"I lost 36 years of my life to pay her price, though I suppose that's not too bad for a vampire such as myself," she admitted, then glanced to Falla with a raised eyebrow.

"By the way, has your sister always talked nonstop like that before? I'm glad she was able to convey so much so quickly, however I can't believe how she managed to just keep going like that. Even when she dropped to the ground gasping for air she still kept talking between her breaths," she questioned curiously.

"Yeah, that sounds like my little sister alright, I guess some things never change. I'm just glad she didn't pass out that time otherwise you might have lost years of your life for nothing," Falla said glancing to her.

Pandora looked at them with a nervous whine then to Hex as the boy had a solemn expression on his face.

"But, big brother, if that's true…" she said nervously.

"Yes, I know," Hex said looking up with a distant gaze.

Falla stared at Akasha with shock then Complica while Hex watched the vampire carefully, all of them standing on the floating courtyard as another spatial gateway further away blasted apart in a storm of torn space and dark light. Akasha slowly nodded as Hex held a hand to his chin in thought, seeming to be contemplating what the vampire just told him carefully while Falla felt her knees wobble in fear of what she just heard.

"Are you serious?" Falla asked nervously. Akasha nodded again before she looked to Complica as well, the girl glancing to her bat which had the second hand stopped in place after 36 seconds. She showed Akasha the clock with a remorseful frown, the vampire then smiling slightly and shaking her head.

"It's alright, little one, I have many more years ahead of me. Well, at least, I hope I will," she said before looking to Hex with concern. Falla dropped to her knees and stared at Complica with disbelief, the little girl then walking over and slowly holding a hand out to her cheek. Falla grabbed the hand and held it dearly, feeling the touch of her younger sister clear as day, although it only brought little comfort as what her sister had told Akasha was almost too much to both bear and believe.

"Complica, is that true?" Falla asked. Complica closed her eyes and nodded, knowing she could confirm the news now that Akasha had told them herself.

"Yes, I'm sorry, sister," she said softly, her words slightly echoing out in Falla's head as the elder chronofly didn't know whether she felt joy at seeing and hearing her little sister again, or fear from knowing the truth about what was coming their way. Hex nodded slowly and glanced around at the floating courtyards nearby.

"So, those alternate realties all met their end at the same time, or rather the same time within their own universes," he mused. Falla looked up to him with fearful eyes while Akasha glanced to Hex with a cautious expression.

"Hex, does this mean…" Akasha asked, her voice trailing off as she feared to know what this meant for them. Hex glanced to Complica with a raised eyebrow as the little chronofly looked to her bat, with all the hands in the clock now spinning around again.

"And you don't know what caused them to cease to exist on that date?" he asked again.

"I already said what I know and can say, there is nothing more I know about this to tell you," Complica replied shaking her head, her gaze then resting back on her sister.

"Complica…" Falla said softly as she held onto her sister's hand.

"I'm sorry, sister," Complica said before slowly letting go of Falla's cheek and hand. She backed up and looked around at the endless cosmos they were in, casually twirling her bat around at her side which made a slight echoing whine and trailing a distorted wave of air behind it.

"I love you, Falla. That much I can say without cost," she said before spinning her bat around at her side again, this time trailing behind it a controlled tear of torn space and colorful stars. The spatial tear seared around in a spiral before crackling and vanishing, revealing Complica to be gone.

"Complica," Falla said quietly while holding a hand over her mouth. She whimpered and looked to Hex with fearful eyes as the boy slowly shook his head, his eyes gazing around at the floating courtyards as he showed some irritation at the situation.

"All those realities faced annihilation on the same day in their own universe and timeline," he concluded.

"Does that mean that each one going off around us now is ending on that same date in their own reality as well?" Akasha asked carefully.

"It would seem to be the pattern at hand here. The fact that Complica could only tell us this and what the date was that she found all those timelines to end on only assures this theory's validity," Hex said with a nod.

"But, Hex, that means…" Falla whimpered as she quickly scrambled to her feet and held onto his arm fearfully, with Akasha slowly walking over to stand close to him for comfort also as she too had a worried expression on her face. Hex glanced to the two girls then looked up as another spatial gateway further above blasted apart in the same violent and cataclysmic manner as the others did.

"It means the reality with our dear friends and family is about to come to a rather abrupt end, very soon," he confirmed with a solemn tone.

Pandora stared at Hex with disbelief and fright before slowly shaking her head with a whimper.

"But, big brother! If this reality is erased then my box will be too, and me along with it!" she cried out grabbing her hair. She dropped to her knees crying like a little girl while Hex watched her with sympathetic eyes, the girl's screams and cries echoing through the darkness around them. Falla held her arms around herself as she tried to keep her breathing steady.

"This isn't good. Even if we take Luna away from this doomed world anywhere we go could be wiped out just as well," she said nervously. Akasha struggled to keep calm and collected knowing what was coming their way, her fingers drumming on her thigh anxiously as her eyes darted around slightly in thought.

"That's true; I would love to take my daughters away from this place before Babylon destroys it with his invasion, but anywhere we go will come to an end very soon all the same. Oh, Hex, what will we do?" she asked turning to Hex with desperation. Hex slowly held his arms out as if to hold his sister, being unable to do so of course as he couldn't actually touch her body in this state, and watched Pandora crying and shaking her head in fear of being annihilated while trapped in her box.

"We have very little time, so we must use it wisely," Hex said, with Pandora slowly looking up to him with watery eyes while holding her ethereal hands to his chest as if to hold onto him. Akasha and Falla looked to each other with concern then to Hex as the boy glanced back to them.

"Our plan remains the same, we must free Pandora from this place however we can, only then can we take her away from this world before its destroyed one way or another. And while we do that, we need to find out just what is causing this calamity to strike like a predictable storm, we'll need to ensure that wherever we go won't meet with the same fate as those other existences," he stated confidently.

"Hex, we're almost out of time already," Akasha warned.

"She's right, if what Complica said is true, then that means…" Falla said nervously. Hex nodded and looked up with a distant gaze, the other girls around him doing the same as they all realized they were racing the clock.

"Yes, everything in this reality will come to an end in seven days."