Oracle in Azure

By Indigo Siren

Disclaimer: Bloody Roar is © to Konami/Hudson Soft. Any characters and storylines from the games that do not belong to me are being used for entertainment purposes only. However, I do own the ideas and original characters created specifically for this story. No profit is being made with the publishing of this story. All rights reserved.

A/N: This story has been revised and corrected as of 2015. (Hopefully I haven't missed anything, but whatever the case, it should read a lot clearer now.) This story has grown roughly by just over 10,000 words, though remains pretty much the same in its core plot and progress that was first devised over a decade previous. Over 70% of the story has been in some way corrected, from very minor word additions to overhauling bulk paragraphs. It was a lot of work to sort out, but it was well worth it!

The story is an adaptation based loosely around the plot of Extreme (Primal Fury). And when I say loosely, I mean REALLY loosely. The story was written as a way of explaining the origins of Uranus (through what info we had and with using some theories as well), and trying to write her as a character who was deeper than the shallow two dimensional 'kill everything' boss-lady we got in the games. A lot of focus is on Uranus's confused state of mind as well as her lost sense of identity. The story also uses the Uranus and Cronos mother/son relationship theory that has been quite a talking point for many years. It has always been one of those things that I've found interesting. Ambiguous fact or merely an offhand theory... it doesn't really matter. It's a fun idea whatever the case, so I went with it! Anyway, I hope you find the story enjoyable with any pairings and characterisation suiting.

Prologue: The Last Escape

The not too distant future...

... A world on the brink of economical collapse; it was a world that only knew pain, chaos and destruction. There was nothing left but an all consuming hate that had left billions of lives in ruin.

But how had the world ended up this way?

It had all come down to the intense prejudice and fear that had lingered for so long in the wake of the Zoanthropes' existence coming to light. Eventually, the last threads of peace and hope had snapped.

The equality that had been so hard fought for was crushed by those who couldn't bear the thought of uniform treatment for their beast-shifting counterparts. At one time, there had been a glimmer of hope that maybe a day of peace could soon be reached; that humans and Zoanthropes would finally see eye to eye. But a chain reaction – now lost deep within the annuls of time – caused a complete breakdown in communication on both sides. It was the tiniest of sparks to ignite a roaring flame of hatred.

Political affairs soured amid a loss of compassion and rationale, and before anyone could truly know what was going on, the war had broke out, one country consumed at a time. And it was the Zoanthropes that suffered the most; that was, until they decided to fight back, but by then, their numbers had dwindled to less than that of their human foes, and they were slowly but surely overwhelmed.

Everywhere the eye could see was nothing but devastation; a void of lifelessness. Buildings smouldered in ruins that were once cities, now merely barren wastelands. Whoever had managed to survive thus far had hidden in fear within the disaster zone, leaving streets well and truly abandoned.

Sitting high up in the demolished front of an old Tokyo paper factory, was a woman – a Zoanthrope, neither cowering nor willing to fight. The lone woman, dubbed 'Uranus' by the men who'd captured her for experimentation, now sat as a quiet observer amongst the desolation.

It had only been a short time since she'd escaped, still wearing the plated rubber suit and the broken chains of her captors. She sat almost rigidly on her ledge, staring into the blank, cloudless sky. A light breeze tickled against her azure-coloured hair, dancing in front of her sharp amber eyes; it was almost an irritation, though she made no effort to push away the offending locks. Her mind was elsewhere, consumed by memories of the horrors that had befallen her. Absentmindedly, her clenched fist crackled with electricity.

Those horrors were indeed many. They never left her waking mind, each miserable thought plaguing her very soul. She'd lost everyone so dear to her – friends and family; all dead because of the ceaseless fighting. Every day she waited for a call for peace to end the suffering, a call that never came. One way or another, one side would win; though, there was a possibility that nobody would win, and everyone would simply wipe themselves out, destroying all life on Earth.

Her eyes looked upon herself, regarding what she was now; nothing like her former self.

When her mother died, something inside her finally cracked; a piece of her had shattered into tiny pieces, and the young girl she'd once been suddenly changed into the form she presented now. It was so confusing, suddenly becoming this new person; her mind in its fragile state had completely fallen into disarray, thirsty for vengeance. But even with the strange powers that'd been bestowed upon her, she couldn't help feeling afraid deep down. With nobody left to care and console her, how could she possibly survive alone in this world?

Sometimes she would forget the person she once was, consumed by the strange new mind that had come with her altered body. This new mind was much more harsh and aggressive, far removed from her original personality. But still, the true 'her' existed deep down, fighting to remain. Sometimes it was good to forget, so she wouldn't have to remember the horrors that consumed her life. But she couldn't completely let herself go, even if one day she feared that everything she used to be would completely fade from her memory. If that happened, she would truly be lost within the broken confines of her own mind. This unstable form may have had great physical strength, but the mind was, indeed, very damaged.

She'd tried to fight back against the chaos with this newfound power, but for her troubles, she'd ended up captured. She had been lucky to get away when she did, otherwise she'd have been dissected as lab meat, globules of her remains picked over in a Petri dish.

Closing her eyes, she forced herself to push back the devastating memories of her departed friends and family. No matter how many times she tried to focus on the loving memories of those she had once cherished, they were consumed by the terrifying images of their demise. The heartache and grief was almost suffocating.

No more thoughts! No more pain! She inwardly screamed. I don't want any further part in this nightmare! I have to escape, even if it kills me!

Somewhere in the back of her mind, a voice started to speak. She recognised it as one of the scientists who had been testing on her.

'What a tremendous power; a very strange Zoanthrope, indeed. She is a key... a key to the ages. Its right there, buried deep inside... She's a paragon of time... Her dominating power could rip apart the very fabric of existence itself...'

A paragon of time; that's what he'd called her. Just hearing that small statement over and over in her head started to get her thinking.

If I stay here, I'll never be free. Trapped forever in this horror... But if I am what they say, then maybe I can escape this place and never look back. I could start a fresh new life, far away from this time. No more prejudice or living in fear. Maybe I'll go to a time when Zoanthropes weren't even known about. I don't care, as long as I'm safe...

Her mind and heart were set, delighted with the notion of escaping to freedom. This was the last choice she had.

She rose from the ledge and stepped off the building, floating gently down to the ground. This was just one of her many new tricks.

Carefully touching down on flat, solid ground, she looked around the area with a solemn gaze. Knowing she was well and truly alone, she put her focus into using her powers, hoping her attempt would defy time itself. How she would accomplish this, she wasn't all that sure, but if the 'key' was really inside her, then she could make it happen.

Closing her eyes and placing a hand out ahead of her, she focused with all her worth, pulling on metaphysical cords deep down inside, searching for that power; an unworldly power that could take her away from this place and through the channels of time in search of a new haven. Electricity sparked at her fingertips then snaked up her arm and around her form as she concentrated deep down, trying to coax out the power within.

I need to find this power! I must leave this time if it's the last thing I do! Powers, take me far away from here! How far into the past would she go? It didn't seem to matter too much. Maybe twenty or so years; she kept the rough number in the back of her mind, seemingly a most suitable time period to aim for.

She reached out with her powers, clawing with metaphysical hands as if trying to tear the air apart before her.

Take me away from this horrible place! Fate, guide me! Please give me the power to manipulate time!

She could almost see it behind the darkness of her tightly closed eyelids, a swirling mass starting to emerge from within; something that could break through the air and open up a tunnel to a faraway place. The swirling colours were beautiful and astounding, the energy coming from it extremely intense. She demanded that it surface from the inner depths, to use its power and essence to create her path through time.

The swirling mass began to change, rising up and metaphysically overflowing from within her. The warmth it radiated touched every part of her, but the core intensity of the power focused into her hand, still held out before her.

A vortex of energy coiled around her being, electricity dancing off her body as the power began to take a semi-physical form before her. At her fingertips, there was a strange sensation, as if she was touching something jellified; and if she pressed hard enough, she could break through it. Focusing and pushing with her fingers, the pliant, invisible barrier she could feel before her broke apart. A powerful burst of energy almost knocked her back.

Her eyes snapped open and the swirling tunnel she had envisioned was floating before her, the opening wide and inviting. Smiling with hope, she carefully reached out to it, fingers gracing its outer surface. The pull that came from within was so strong she could barely hold her position.

"They were right about me," she said aloud to herself. "I do have a power over time. And now, they'll never use me again." And with a resolute leap, she propelled herself over the threshold into the void. Behind her, the entryway closed sharply, as if it never existed.

She'd never have to face that terrible war again.

The tunnel of time was a vortex of blazing light and flashing colours. She was thrust though it at unbelievable speed, barely managing to catch glimpses of the thousands of passing images, like portholes into millions of other times and dimensions. But one particular hole had opened to her, pulling her through. It was a replica of her timeline, but a place yet unaffected by chaos; a place twenty-five years in the past.

The exit-way absorbed her in a flash of light and before she could comprehend what was going on, she was thrown out, head over heels through the warm air beyond, hitting the hard ground below with some force. She yelped in surprise.

The sheer exertion of time travelling had sapped all of her energy, leaving nothing left for her to move. Try as she might, she couldn't get herself to stand, her legs giving out with the effort. She collapsed in a heap, exhausted. Her head lolled to the side, taking in a brief glance of her new surroundings.

It didn't look anything like Tokyo – the place she had once called home – or even Japan for that matter. This was somewhere much, much different. Golden sand stretched all around her, reaching out to the horizon and beyond. Somewhere in the distance, exotic buildings stood, shimmering in the haze of the hot climate. They were fairly large with dumpling-like roof tops. The air was dry and heavy, the sky almost ablaze with the heat of the midday sun.

Sighing with some relief, she fell into a world of unconsciousness.

When Uranus awoke, she was no longer sprawled on the hard sandy plane; instead, she was resting comfortably on a soft bed in the finely decorated quarters of a lavish house. The bed covers were made of the finest red silk and when she moved, the material rolled with a liquid velvet touch against her skin. Happily she lay there, sinking into the plump mattress with a relaxed sigh. She hadn't slept on a proper bed in such a long time.

What pulled her mind away from this comfortable paradise was the sudden thought of how she'd got there. And who'd actually brought her there…

Still rather tired and not daring to move yet, she remained stationary, wanting to remain comfy in her quiet contemplation. It wasn't long though before someone entered the room, carrying a glass of ice cold water.

Uranus carefully tilted her head so she could take into her sights the man who'd come to stand beside the large bed. He was a bearded gentleman, and by her guessing, he was in his mid-thirties, with beautifully deep gold tanned skin. Most of his body was adorned in very regal-looking robes, the colourful red and gold fabric creaseless. He placed the glass down on a mahogany bed stand, and sat on the edge of the bed.

"How are you feeling?" He asked.

"Tired," was her immediate response. "Where am I?"

"You are in Rājasībhūmi, the hidden city of the Zoanthropes," he said.

She smiled lightly. She was indeed in a time where Zoanthropes were still a big secret.

"You... know what I am?" She asked.

"Yes, of course, or I wouldn't have told you where you were," he affirmed and then motioned to the glass of water. "Would you care for a drink? I am sure you are parched from being in the desert."

She nodded, carefully sitting up. Her body was still rather numb, recovering from the strenuous time travelling. She took the glass and gratefully sipped the contents.

Fresh, clean water... Another of those wonderful things she'd not experienced in a while.

"What is your name?" He enquired, his eyes taking in her unique features curiously.

She thought about his question for a moment. What name would she give? Her true name, now just her former identity? How could she? She wasn't that person anymore – not physically that was for sure, and mentally... only just. And besides, she was starting a new life, wanting to push aside all the things that reminded her of the horrors of her former life.

"Uranus," she answered, divulging her given name, an identity she was sticking to from now on. It may have been the name those assholes had given her, but it seemed befitting to steal something from them.

"And I am Orion Orma, a descendent of the ten leaders of the royal Zoanthrope bloodline. I am here at your service to see that you are welcomed graciously into our community. Where are you from, Lady Uranus?"

She couldn't help but raise a small smile at his formal address of her, looking down bashfully, but the smile slipped somewhat when she thought about the question.

She was hesitant. "Well… it's not of this time. I have travelled far from a warring world to come here."

Orion was most curious of her answer. "Not of this time? You mean… a sort of time traveller?"

She nodded, looking at her pale hands, waiting for him to call her a liar or talk of the absurdity of such a claim, but his following statement startled her greatly.

"Your powers are great, I can feel it. I am not surprised by what you say," he said, looking into her overwhelmed expression. Smiling, he took the nearly finished glass of water from her, putting it aside before carefully taking her hands. "Do not worry, Lady Uranus, you are most welcome here."

"You don't have to address me with such a title, sir," she murmured softly.

"With such a strong aura and benevolent eyes, I think you deserve to be addressed as such, my lady."

She chuckled beside herself. "Thank you, sir."

"And please, would you not just call me Orion?"

"Oh... okay." She actually smiled again, properly. She'd not smiled like this in a very long time; not an honest one full of happiness.

Tears welled up in her eyes, and without thinking she threw herself into his arms and sobbed. His words were of such great warmth and comfort to her after all she had been through in the latter part of her life. In his arms, she suddenly felt a sense of security and trust.

"Thank you..." she murmured into his ear, "... Orion..."

He carefully wrapped his arms around her. "You're welcome."

When she was feeling stronger, Orion took Uranus on a tour around the city. It was a pleasant little coven with a caring Zoanthrope community. It was beautiful, though not in any grand way. Some buildings were fairly old and showing their wear, but their insides were finely decorated and kept spotless. She'd been granted the chance to visit a few when Orion introduced her to many members of the community.

She found out that Orion was a very prominent figurehead; he was a descendant from an esteemed royal bloodline. He was their leader in a way, who looked out for the entire community. One day he hoped that he could build a kingdom that would see a world of unity. His popularity was great and everyone was eager to follow him to achieve his dream.

In the back of her mind, Uranus could distinctly see this kingdom and it began to jar a few memories of Orion in a future world, but they quickly faded away with most of her other broken memories of that time. She wouldn't say a word that his dream kingdom was going to come true.

Rājasībhūmi was a wonderful place. Everyone was so kind and welcoming; there was such great love and unity amongst the people, like a big extended family. She respected how they stuck together, and most of all, Orion, for his ambition to make something of the city and keep everything in order.

She admired him deeply for his kindness towards her. He'd kept her feeling warm and secure in his care, and deep down, she couldn't help but love him, even though she'd only known him for such a short amount of time. She'd not experienced that feeling in so long. She needed it, desired it, and wanted to be surrounded by it. There was no way in the world she would ignore it.

And this feeling, she was surprised, was returned.

Orion was besotted with her. The shimmering of her soft blue hair, her adoring amber eyes like the brightest stars in the night sky – they all enraptured him. Her power, her presence and her child like qualities had his heart telling him to cherish her.

Treating her no less than an empress, he had dresses of the most flamboyant silk made for her in every colour she so desired, to compliment her unearthly beauty. With gifts of gold and silver at her bedside every day, she was spoiled greatly by his attention. To expect this treatment was a thing of dreams, and she was drawn to him with an open heart.

In a short while of her first arriving, Orion was resolved that he wanted of her, and asked that she would stay with him and become HIS Lady Uranus.

How could she say no after being treated in such a loving way?

And in his adoring arms, she let herself be touched deeply by his warmth, holding onto him tightly for as long as she could, so that she would never feel lonely again. They shared longingly in each other's affection, showing love in every degree, every touch like a dream. They revelled in each other, having both found something they were missing.

And if blessed with a gift from heaven, Uranus found herself with child, and nine months later, gave birth to a son, aptly named Cronos.

"Uranus, the deity of the sky, begets Cronos in Greek mythology," Orion had said, looking upon the young woman cradling his child.

He was such a beautiful baby, with dark skin and stunning eyes, which brightly shone a gorgeous green-turquoise. The little tuft of hair on his head was so fair it appeared almost white; unusual though quite lovely to behold.

He was something special indeed, as is what the many priests agreed when they came to visit the newborn. Through the chants and the blessings, there were murmurs of immense certainty to the great power within this child.

"He shares the power that derives from his mother," one spoke out during their visit. "And in his eyes you can see that he holds his father's great wisdom. The aura that floats around him glows brightly with love and great health. You shall be proud to know that his beast is that of the legendary phoenix. Only one is born once in a thousand years. He shall be a great leader and will bring great peace to the hearts of many."

Shock spread amongst the community to find out this baby would bear such legendary beast form. In their temple, the phoenix was etched into a great stone monument on the back wall with words of an ancient language inscribed below it; the language of Zoanthropes of old.

It said: 'The legend of the phoenix's fire shall cast away all evils and save the people from impending chaos.'

Everyone had high hopes for Cronos.

Uranus absorbed all the joy of her baby's arrival and the bliss that had come with her new life. She had almost forgotten all the worries that once plagued her. There were no more nightmares of a cursed future to spoil her sleep. She was finally safe, with no further need to think of such miserable things.

Though, it was just under four years later that her blissful bubble suddenly burst.

At the time, she was preparing to marry her love, to finally unite the family, but it seemed Orion's mind was elsewhere.

Over a year ago, a mixed group of Zoanthropes and humans – supposedly researchers from what she'd learned – had arrived in the city. At first, these people seemed no more than a group who wished to settle into the quiet community. But when strange things began to occur, Uranus started to worry.

Citizens would disappear and reappear within a matter of days, with no memory of where they'd been. An old community hall had been converted into some kind of research facility and anyone trying to get close would be sent away in an instant. She'd tried to go there herself but was shooed away without explanation. And when she asked Orion about the researcher's dwelling, he told her it was nothing for her to concern herself about.

But of course she was deeply concerned. It worried her that that place seemed to be the cause of the strange incidents, and she feared that something could happen to herself or even her precious little Cronos. She shielded her naïve four-year-old son a lot of the time, overprotective of everything he did. She had a very real fear of what could happen to him in the outside world. She could never truly shake her own harsh experiences.

These strange occurrences went on for some time until she finally decided to get to the bottom of things, and while the researchers were out one afternoon, she managed to get inside the research facility to find out what was going on.

She suddenly felt cold as she came upon the equipment she found, reminding her of the times she was used as a test subject. Then the next thing she saw threw her into a state of shock. At the top of a document was an emblem, one she could never truly forget.

It was the red triangle symbol that belonged to Tylon.

She didn't want to believe it, never in her wildest dreams. She couldn't imagine Orion getting involved with a company such as Tylon.

But rifling through the documents, she was proved horribly wrong.

These researchers were part of an outsourced department, who'd signed an agreement with Orion to start some experimental research into the genetics of the Zoanthrope 'trigger' gene. By what the documentation ranted on about, it was all 'in the aid of peaceful future'.

She choked on her tears, dropping the documents as if they'd scolded her hands.

Tylon and the word 'peace'? How laughable!

Emotionally destroyed, she rushed back to her room, hiding herself away as her mind struggled to come to terms with what she had discovered. Her thoughts cast back to the many horrors of a world broiled in chaos before regressing to her memories of the harsh experiments that were conducted in Tylon's labs. It confused her, this sudden appearance of Tylon in this time, and how Orion, such a kind and respected man, could be involved with such a company.

It made her extremely bitter indeed, her heart broken by his secret involvement with such an evil company. It made her wonder what he had planned for her...

Was this little world of theirs merely a cosy little fantasy set up to ensnare her? How could a man so set on creating peace work with such a diabolical conglomerate like Tylon?

Truly a man with cruel intentions...

Now she understood why he seemed keen for her to be introduced to these men when they came into their circle. The realisation nearly drove her mad. She'd escaped one horror to end up straight in another.

Curse him! He wants to trap me! She couldn't bear the thought of coexisting in the same place as him anymore, let alone the same time.

When night came and he returned home, he was shocked when she rushed at him, screaming with fury, calling him a liar and a back-stabber.

"What is it? What have I done to upset you?" Orion asked, trying to calm her down.

Snapping away from him, she looked over her shoulder with a face creased with disgust. "You, claiming to want peace, bow down to Tylon?! How can I possibly love such an evil man?!" And she rushed away before he could press further. His attempts to find her after this came up naught.

She had trashed all the things he'd given to her. She tore apart her jewellery and broke most of the furniture in their bedroom. She stared with revulsion at the bed. This is where they had cherished moments of love and passion, but had all been tarnished now by his willingness to get involved with such horrific things. Her love evaporated with the thoughts of all the cruelty that had been quietly going on around her, and for all the suffering that was yet to come.

She threw away her many, beautiful dresses and put on the rubber plated suit she'd been clad in when she'd arrived in this time. She grabbed a lightweight gown and wrapped it around her before leaving, storming down the long corridor towards the gardens.

It was in that instance that her tiny son peaked out of his bedroom, rubbing tired eyes.

"Mommy, I heard funny noises," he said timidly.

She gave him a side-wards glance, not really wanting to meet his eyes. She couldn't bear to. This little boy was supposedly born from the love between herself and Orion.

"It's nothing, Cronos. Go back to bed now, little one." Her voice was strained as she spoke, though retained some kindness. She flicked her hand with an ushering motion for him to go back to bed.

The small child didn't disobey and slipped back into his room quietly.

I shall not lay eyes upon him again... Her mind affirmed as she blinked back the tears. Hurriedly, she headed for the gardens.

Standing on the dewy grass, she stared longingly at the stars for guidance.

"What should I do? I can't stay here!" She said aloud. "I can't go back to the future. I'd never submit myself back to that horror!"

She covered her face, sobbing, trying to consider what to do next. Even if she pressed on into the future or pushed back further into the past, the disaster in years to come would still occur. How could such a tragedy be avoided?

Amend it...

The idea struck her like a bolt of lightning and the tears stopped. She gaped at the night sky hopefully. That was it! She could set this timeline right and change what was to come; she had to prevent the chain reaction occurring that brought about the future chaos.

"But what started it all?" The times documented before the chaos in her former time were mostly vague. She'd been almost oblivious to the events leading up to the outbreak of war, but she forced herself to think.

She searched back through her memories to when she was a young girl, bringing up a memory of her listening in horror when a certain situation had occurred...

An assassination…

"Wait…" It almost felt co-incidental that she'd met Orion and discovered this dark secret. It was all coming back to her through fragmented memories...

Orion and his grand kingdom...

... And his murder…

That was it! It was Orion and a few other men who had been killed; that was the start of it all! That was why the chaos had befallen her time!

Ironic that he would be the one to start it all, a man that had wanted peace though helped such a terrible company. It had all fallen around the time of the fighting tournament, one that would happen fifteen years from now.

Feeling almost sick with the idea of having to save him, she gathered the energy in her palm and focused on opening a doorway in time.

"If it stops that horrible future from happening, then I'll do anything," she whispered to herself.

In a burst of electricity, the familiar doorway that had taken her from her own time appeared before her, and without consideration of what she was leaving behind, she leapt into the light, focusing on getting to the future and stopping the decent to darkness.

The destination she would arrive at was the same land, fifteen years later; months after the incident with the XGC mark and the Tabula…

A/N: Hopefully that wasn't too confusing a start! Though, from the next chapter onwards, we will be in more familiar times during the events of Extreme/Primal Fury! Look out for all your old faves!