Three Days Prior.
A distant hill, not too far from Ashina but at a distance still worthy of mention. At the bottom of said hill laid a somewhat abandoned structure, one that had been left untouched for years. It was all ruined by now, but at a glance one could tell that it was meant to be hidden. Placed where the trees, vines and lush environment would protect it from any prying eyes. All of that to keep a startling secret, a production site, not for anything ordinary...but for something much more deadly.
Diving into its interior were flickering lights, research papers scattered on the floor, tables flipped...ice? No, it was...different. Something had happened. Water dripped from the ceiling and parts of nature had already started to crawl their way inside. In the deepest parts of the compound was a large capsule, a malfunctioning monitor next to it.
The thing inside of it...a man...a machine...Toshiro?
His eyes were closed in a state of perpetual stasis until he'd be awakened...
The floor was creaking as the sound of foot steps clicked and clanked, bouncing darkness from the lack of light started to fade. It was swallowed by the light of the torch that had followed the person into the depths of the lab. The sound of water dripping bounced off of the walls. Satsujin had showed up at the abandoned structure. The lit torch flawlessly guiding her as she slowly approached the being. She looked on silently.
"Where are its brothers and sisters? There should be three more."
The flame followed her as she turned searching around the lab. She stepped on the research papers as they crumpled against her feet. Water continued to slowly drip from the ceiling crashing against the ground, small puddles lied around as she continued to search.
There were no others present, there were more capsules there but they were empty. Long had they been shut off, the passage of time shattering the glass they all had. Failed experiments perhaps. But strangely, the walls and floor had something that would catch anyone's attention. A shimmer of silver, hints of a slight purple in its odd appearance. It remained in a permanent state of movement, it was small but it was always shaking, micro-vibrations on the surfaces. They created shard after shard of whatever it was.
The capsule that housed the body hummed as she kept exploring. Something must've happened years ago. Especially as right next to the capsule was another body, its remained stuck in place on this silver space.
Satsu turned around, looking at the small being in her presence. A malevolent look in her eyes. She slowly made her way towards it, ignoring the absence of the others currently was a possiblity she considered.
She knew they had escaped some time ago most likely. The androids themselves had a function to awaken within a certain time period, the owners keeping them isolated to add more DNA, to ironically make them more human. That was of course, years and years ago. Now they roam the world. Satsujin knew they needed members for the group. Getting a few Androids that mimicked the era far before hers was a great strategy. With the Spirit World Scandal and the androids she would be able to dissect and take apart the political world at the snap of her fingers.
There was no possible chance her era was going to survive such an onslaught of chess moves at once. Her mother Azūru, taught her by one philosophy. A good matador does not immediately kill a bull. You wait until it's stuck a few times. You wait until it's been worn down, scraped apart. A shedding of it's skin. A shedding of it's life force and well being..and then you strike at the perfect moment. You tear him apart. The system was the bull to her. She would make chess move after chess move behind the scenes and she would rip apart the world as she knew it. That was her purpose, her way of living, her philosphy, a justification for the enigmatic nature of what being human was. A juxtaposition and a foil to what the schools push. A dichotomy to the existence and structure of the world. Something that had interested her from the day she spread her wings from the womb and rose. She silently tapped the Android, possibly provocatively. She wanted all the power that melted and overflowed from this earth. She could feel the mana cells within her grasp, yet invisible to any commoner. She despised the idea of becomimg like that. Too her, conforming to what the person in power wanted as as bad as being normal. 'Average.' That word rang through her head. Almost as if she could see it on a red screen in front of her. It made her sick to her stomach.
It had been a long time, much too long. The body was supposed to be awakened much sooner, years sooner. But its creator had been killed before he had the chance to activate it. At the hands of another of his creations, one with brown hair and golden eyes…but upon her closer inspection, it was clear as day what he really was. Set aside by time, this was the copy of the renowned Zenin. A replica of the King of Frost in his prime, a young adult. His hair was short except for two long strands down the sides, but still that signature shade of white. His face was the spitting image of the original, only that part of the left side of his face was cracked, the passage of time had affected his synthetic skin. Colorless skin by his stay in stasis for so long, he was almost unnaturally pale.
At this point, it could not activate on its own. However, his body was still connected to the capsule, wires coming out of his back and shoulders. There was still a way, and the frozen corpse beside the pod knew this. A hand reaching for the malfunctioning monitor, the small amount of electricity in this place lighting up the screen. A word on the bottom right, ready to be pressed.
"Manual Initialization."
The humming was getting slightly louder, little by little.
"Ah. I've heard tales of the King of Frost..but to think that he was cloned. What an interesting turn of events."
She was delighted, almost happy. Her slender fingers moved and tapped the button. Something that wasn't foreign to her in this age. Her mother had no clue on how to use a cell phone. The idea of it was ridiculous to her. Likely do to her years in age. Satsujin had specifically impregnated the human world in order to lear, understand and dominate their culture. Technology wasn't uncommon, no, it was pretty frequent in this age. What had intrigued her however, was the ability and intelligence to replicate DNA 1 to 1.
Satsujin could make clones, however that being her Tokubetsu was a lie. That, was only herself. Everybody had dreamt about the idea at one point or another. Imagine being able to recreate someone from scratch. A loved one. A lost friend. A distant lover. Imagine having another person, that wasn't that you but was at your disposal. The idea not only intrigued her at first, but it eventually lead to pure ecstacy, and even somewhat of a fear within her nervous system.
She could feel her nerves growing sharper. Maybe out of a possible confrontation. Maybe out of a Possible Accident. She stepped back after pressing the button, looking on as her Dark Blue eyes reflected off of the screen.
The low sound raised in volume dramatically, the humming turning into a booming noise. This only lasted for barely a few seconds, however, the surrounding area was even more encased with the silver ice like crystals, the dripping water being covered immediately. A hand reached out, trying to almost find the exit before gripping on the inside of the capsule to pull himself out. The capsule creaked as the body inside moved, the wires disconnecting from his back. Opening his eyes with a barely noticeable wirr.
The body stood on its own two feet, its eyes darting from left to right before locking on to Satsujin. He did not recognize this one.
"Who the hell are you?"
His blunt attitude being carried over to the clone. His pale skin and eyes staring back at the woman.
"I'm Satsujin Zenin. Azūru, the ancient Zenin's daughter, and Daughter of Loki, the god of mishief. You were meant to awaken fifteen years ago. Plans changed when your creator died. I have revived you myself."
She stood tall against him, the attitude not causing her to stumble, move or make any sudden movements. Her eyes looked like a cats, almost as if her pupils were lined out.
"I've come to awaken you with an offer."
"A Zenin? I don't know you. I don't take offers from random people." He looked around. The memories implanted into him coming back slowly.
She stepped to the side, still looking at him.
"You have the blood of the King of Frost, as well as the memories..so let me bother you by tell you something you already know. The best business deals are from ones that you meet for the first time. It's never with the people that you know. Speaking of ones you know.." Satsujin reached into her pocket, pulling out two pieces of paper, more specifically pictures. Rakata and Kananami. She held them up for him to see.
"You do know these two however."
Stepping down from the capsule, the crystals cracking beneath his feet as he quickly snatched the pictures.
"Rui and Kyōki…No. These are the others aren't they? They're missing. I was the last one to wake up. Fifteen years late you said? What happened to them? We have a mission."
"Your mission has been terminated. Kananami has died. Rakata has decided to join forces with the enemy. Not to mention the death of your creator which means you now lack a purpose. A reason for living. What you existed for has vanished from this world..long..long ago...An entire generation now."
He squinted his eyes, handing the pictures back.
"What was this offer you said before?"
Satsu reached into her pocket once more after taking the pictures, revealing a necklace to him. A silver pendant shined off of the Ice that traveled around the lab.
"Join me. Let me give you a mission. You can find your brothers and sisters and ask them any question. We will correct the world as it is..and continue on what your creator envisioned you to do."
The silver pendant was one of a scorpion, she held it out in front of him.
"I ask that you consider an alliance with Teisei. My group will ascend to the heavens and tear it apart as we see fit..until there is nothing left..until we destroy everyone and everything as they grovel at our feet."
"It's interesting, but what can you give me that I can't do on my own? I'm awake now. With no creator or mission to follow."
"In this world you'll need political immunity from the higher ups. You make the wrong step and all the ones or even ones that you don't know of will come together to crush you as quickly as possible..but with me on your side, you'll be able to not only have a mission, but you'll be as free as you'd like. I don't believe there's anything inherently wrong with a blood bond. We share it, and I know you can sense it."
They weren't directly connected technically, but the memories of Toshiro did make him feel some sense of familiarity to another Zenin, even though he had his fights with most of them.
"Fine, but I don't work under anyone. It'll be an equal exchange."
"Nobody does. The snake may be one being, Without its head it's just the rest of its body…but…the Scorpion is equal to the Scale, as the Scale is equal to the Octopus. There is no leader, and there is no head of the table. There is no chief. Only the table that we will feast at. The only thing I ask you to do..is help me continue the path and recruit others."
"Fine. I'll be part of this animal of yours." *
He said, grabbing the necklace she had offered him. "But, even with no mission, I still have one thing on my mind."
"What might that be? What brews on your mind after being gifted such an offer?"
"Something more simple."
He ran his hand through his white hair, getting it out of his face.
"To defect, Rakata…and Toshiro…I will kill them myself."
She smiled at the thought.
"My my…I'll grant you that then. However, I would consider defecting the family of Toshiro. And the one that lives with Rakata. I believe they will be in your way."
"I don't have orders blasting in my ear, but…let's call it a selfish need. There can only be one me."
"Do as you wish. You will exist as Toshiro Zenin, and you will take the throne as your own then I assume?"
"Toshiro has a throne? My memory must be outdated by now."
"He's married now. Has a wife, children, two kingdoms he runs with his wife. The Land of Frost. Shimo no Kuni. He owns an entire nation. One of the highest paid men in the world right now."
"Wife? I think I understand. Noelle came back to me…"
Targo would pocket the necklace, starting to move forward.
"I can't rush in yet though, I'll know when I have the perfect chance."
"Well I said it earlier and i'll say it again. A good matador does not kill a bull when it's red hot. It waits until it's been stuck a few times..and then he strikes and takes every last bit of it that he can."
"You sure speak like a Zenin. Am I the first one you looked for?"
"Of the Androids? I suspected that you were all here. In total there should have been six of you. It seems like there could possible be more. However, Kananami has perished. Until the time of despair once again. Her vessel was used to revive Lilith. Rakata is living, raising a child that has zenin blood. Counting you that's three. Three of you are missing as of right now. A serious problem for the both of us. There should be a copy of each individual hero. Shion, Rai, Toshiro, Kyōki, Arika and Rui. There was one that existed with all of the DNA, techniques and strength. Kanpekina Sonzai they called them…That's all the knowledge I have. If you speak of the zenin there are more than ever nowadays. Ashi Zenin has three children, Toshiro Zenin has three. Of course you have Kyoki who passed..and my mother Azuru and my aunt, Amaterasu."
"I have slight knowledge on Kanpekina Sonzai, but not enough to be substantial. I don't know why I was the last to awaken, but looking around here makes it look like I should have woke up a long time ago."
He said referring to the chaos of the silver ice.
"You did that instantly. Your awakening caused this damage. It must be from the energy you've been sitting on for years. It must've left your body as soon as you turned on. Tell me, do you have an understanding of mana?"
"Mana? I don't know what you mean."
"I see. During your slumber, firteen years prior to now there was a war between Lucifer and the Hero's of yesterdays world. 'Lucifer' is the one who runs the underworld. An inferno with 9 layers that house all the evil beings of this world. His existence is a causality, a break in the fabric of reality. Due to this, the dream world and this one joined together, causing essence to be morphed into something far more versatile and deadly. Perhaps even world ending. Mana. From
there Kyōki Zenin became the first ever witch, and with an attack she altered the worlds energy and refined it, changing life forever. Ever since then, the world has been catered toward raising the next generation. The school of each nation has a large part in the structure of society today because of it. Years ago they battled, and collided forces. The hero's obviously winning and setting things as they are today."
"That sounds completely unbelievable, but I'll see for myself soon enough, won't I?"
"Of course. Until then, we'll move forward."
"Do you plan to find the others?"
"Yes. As I said im recruiting currently to destroy the same thing you desire to destroy."
"I want to talk to the others too, so I'll help in finding them."
"Interesting. With your addition that's four members of Teisei. If we include your brethren that would make seven. The numbers round out nicely..though the more is merrier. Sounds like a plan then."
"Let's get moving. This place is a mess already."
"You were created in the same lab. Is there a possibility that you're all connected in anyway? It would make it easier for us to track them down."
"We have certain trackers that help us maintain a general idea for each other's locations, nothing exact. It gets less accurate the further away too. Although, Rakata is nowhere to be found at all, he must've removed his."
"I know where he is..but we should save that for later. He too has settled down with his own family."
"A family? That's unexpected, but it's fine. We'll continue with that later."
"If you search within the archives of your software do you have any idea about potential candidates to join?"
"It's been a long time, but my sister, Alice. We never got along, she was always a pain. But, maybe she could help you. Aside from that, the other clones hopefully haven't grown soft."
"Alice…So you're implying that there are more androids than the ones I know of? That could very well be a possibility..though I don't understand why Daisuke Hatake, nor his daughter were not even attempted to be replicated then."
"I wasn't referring to another replica, but the Alice Toshiro grew up with. To answer your question though, I would think that their power would be difficult to completely replicate. We were mostly created from data and fragments of DNA from the Shibuya Tournament, a place that Daisuke wasn't in. Unless, Alice has long since died. My memory isn't fully back yet."
"I'm not sure about that Alice. My mother hasn't mentioned her and she isn't spoken of today in modern society."
She thought on his words.
"I see. If the records speak correctly there were more than just you five. A sage by the name of Haigatake and A legendary vagabond by the name of Yugi were there during that time. Do either of those two register in your database?"
"I remember Toshiro knowing them somewhat. Yugi was eliminated by Rui in their fight. I don't know how it really ended or what happened to him. In my mind there is some information on trying to replicate him, and Haigatake. But they were too unique. A replica could never match Yugi's pure physical strength, and one of us can't naturally be imbued with sage energy. It's something they tried to do with Rakata, but to my knowledge that was the indication that it wouldn't work.
"In todays world either is possible now. The time from shibuya was probably seventeen years ago from today. There is an entire civilization that specifically feeds off of it now. Replicating those things, at least to a certain degree is possible now. Perhaps an upgrade in technology could also benefit you in the long run."
"Is that right? Then my memory isn't as trustworthy anymore, I'll have to make my own."
"It should be reliable up to the Shibuya Gauntlet. Anything afterwards i'll have to fill you in."
"I'll be relying on you to tell me the changes that have happened."
"..Of course.."
Satsujin made her way up the stairs out of the basement, cracking the top hatch open.
"I believe it would be best to destroy this facility."
"Everyone is already dead, the machines don't work. What would be the point?"
"I don't like there to be proof that I was in a certain place or spot. I'm currently on the run from someone."
"Everyone is on the run from something, what are you running for?"
"Me and two other ones fled from the spirit world. We've initiated and instigated war between the two sides. However. we're currently being searched for. If they can track back to this location they may find me and drop the whole brigade."
"Hmm, alright. I won't pry." After fulling stepping outside, that same sound from before emerged from his body. In his open palm, the air would start to shake fast, but its speed would fall off just as quickly. Until it would eventually freeze in place, a jagged blade with silver and blue hues, it looked almost transparent. Targo then swung his arm to cut the entrance of the building horizontally, the sound becoming louder. The entire building was suddenly covered in this silver, transparent, unstable ice. A small tap on the brittle surface from Targo would cause the entire thing to slowly crack before collapsing in on itself. It was there when it became clear. In order to replicate Toshiro's signature ice, the scientists had to get creative. Targo has special mechanisms in his body that create a sound at a very specific frequency that he can personally direct. This sound vibrates the molecules it comes in contact with, causing their movement to rapidly speed up and slow down. A high level of resonance to 'freeze'. Targo's own ice to use how he sees fit. The aftermath of the destruction caused the air around the building to take almost a static appearance, distorting before fading away into normality once again.
Satsu watched on, a slight wave of relief fell on her as she moved on.
"I appreciate the move. It will benefit us I swear by it."
"Think of it as a show of good faith in this deal of ours."
She held her finger to her face in thought. "Tell me…does your database tell you anything about Kimera?"
"No, is that something else that has appeared after my memory?"
"Humanoid creatures that represent animals. Ancient beings. It probably does not exist in your database as of right now."
"Are they something we'll come across soon?"
"I plan on making an offer to their queen. So yes..not to mention that they still resent humanity. Their time to conquer will come soon."
"An offer? You want them to also join you?"
"I want the best army of individuals as possible. So if that means recruiting them as a possibility then absolutely."
"I get your plan. Where to now?"
"Do you have any recollection of a being named Sahykinn?"
"Yeah, one of Muju's creations. What about him?"
"Seems as though his DNA has been tracked around recently. I plan on tracking him down. I'd prefer if you tagged along, i'm not sure what i'll run into.
"Doesn't he have some grudge against humans? Why wouldn't he immediately attack you?"
"Sixteen years ago he was defeated by Rui Kosoku. He is no longer around, yet his energy still lingers and exists. That's suspicious, I have no interest in a multi-sided war. It is specifically the zodiac versus the confines of society, a triple threat or fatal four way would not help whatsoever."
"Rui was the one to defeat him? Now I want to see what the hell happened to him."
"It's never been disclosed, The only thing that has is the result of the battle..the result of vengeance."
"I'll tag along with you, you caught my interest."
"Glad my social skills and sense of adventure has not gone rusty."
"Should you be happy about your skills working on a seventeen year outdated memory? We'll see. Let's move, I don't plan to stay here."
"Very well. I think it's time you meet the others anyways."
Satsu began to walk, leaving the destroyed lab.