#hilbert ron anjou

[k0smik4t]

If the Dragon Raja series got popular in the west during the early 2010s, we would definitely have a ton of ship videos on YouTube with Cascada songs

[neruheart]

Today is Anjou's bday aa -random pics-

[ojisanmansion]

[hectabdr]

Dragon Raja V - Part 3

“Yormungand had to die, that wasn’t his fault”

"But he was still a participant in her death, he is that kind of person after all, the one that carries a big weight on his back.”

Caesar and Abbas stared at the principal's notebook.

This is obviously a secretly recorded video. The picture is clear but the angle is awkward. Obviously the video equipment is hidden in a corner that is not easy to find. Caesar involuntarily turned his head and took a look at the location of the camera, the scene on the screen is undoubtedly this office, and the thing used for recording is on the bookshelf.

On the screen are two people sitting across their desks, Anjou and Finger, as the steam in two cups of black tea rises curlingly.

This is obviously very important and both sides are very cautious when choosing their words, there is a long silence after each sentence.

“Is the young man doing okay these days?" The conversation started from Anjou’s side.

"Not so good, he’s depressed, the death of the little dragon girl made him feel sad, he was wondering what he killed, in his eyes, the boundary between humans and dragons has become blurred."

Finger is acting strange and serious.

“Yormungand had to die, that wasn’t his fault”

"But he is still a participant in her death, he is that kind of person, the ones that carry a lot on their backs, like a damn camel.”

"Comfort him, let him know that he shouldn’t think too much about it, after all, there will be more and more dragon kings emerging, and he will get busy.”

“Ask him not to think about it?, that’s easy to say, but what should I do? He thought the dragon girl was his friend, maybe she was the girl that he’s always been waiting for, but suddenly she turns out to be a dragon queen, the culprit of the disaster that will destroy the world, he had to kill her with your knife, and whoever tries to fix that mess will find themselves untying a complicated knot.”

“for knots that are inherently incomprehensible, only time can help us find the answer."

"If forgetting is an answer, you are right." Finger stood up, picked up an ugly hat, dusted it and put it on, "Farewell Mr. Principal, I hope this will end soon. Now I can graduate and leave, please arrange for me to go to a tropical branch where there are beautiful girls and sunshine. I don't want to be a fugitive spy anymore, it’s quite awkward.”

Finger turned and left, and Anjou kept looking at his back. "You said Lu Mingfei has a knot, what about you?" Anjou asked behind Finger, "You call her the little dragon girl, was she your friend?"

"How could she not be? such a good-looking girl, with a great personality, I also thought about pursuing her, but I didn't have the chance, suddenly she became a dragon, and then she died."

Finger half-turned, looking at Anjou, "But I have knots and they’ll only hold me back, I am the principal’s tool after all, and tools don't need ideas of their own."

Anjou nodded, "Very well then.”

Finger didn’t leave, he. Stared at Anjou for a long time, "Then what is Lu Mingfei in your eyes? Your best student? Your destined savior? Or a little baby like a son? You just asked me to take care of him, but who is he? Don’t tell me that he’s nothing.”

This time Anjou was silent for a long time. “He is also a tool, just like you, he just has a different purpose. His purpose is to end the history of the Dragon Raja!”

Finger took off his hat and bowed like a medieval knight swearing allegiance to the king.

The video ended at that point, Caesar and Abbas remained silent during the whole thing. Compared with the video they brought back from China, this one seemed too plain, but it was more shocking.

It revealed a huge secret to them, and it is related to the end of the Dragon Raja!

The entire secret party knows what Hilbert Ron Anjou is, an old man that holds a grudge against the dragons because of the death of his close friends.

Many people say that he has become such a strong figure today, that anyone who is on Anjou’s side is also declaring war against the Dragon Raja, but no one knows how Anjou plans to eradicate the Dragons. Most of the time, he is still a diligent principal, teaching and educating people, managing school affairs, and reporting to the school board, but sometimes the reporting method seems a bit arrogant, he also spends a lot of time collecting antiques and attending wine and tea tasting parties.

Does Anjou really feel that such a lack of focus can wipe out the Dragon Raja? People around him make those types of questions. However, from this video, it appears that a huge plan to destroy the Dragon Raja was prepared long ago, like an undercurrent under the ice, and to achieve this incredible goal, he has to pass his mission to the hands of a young man called Lu Mingfei. Whatever this person is, has become something disturbing to think about.

"It's the principal who wants me to watch over Lu Mingfei. I am both his protector and his watcher. If he presents any changes, I have to report them to the principal." Finger said, "If he has any trouble, I have to be responsible for wiping his butt. Sometimes this guy can be super troublesome.”

"So you are the babysitter arranged by the principal for Lu Mingfei." Abbas said.

"Male nanny, to be precise, a competent, reliable and low-key male nanny." Finger sighed, "I am the one who accompanies him to drink, and I am also the one who accompanies him to pick up girls. Something happened to the college, I immediately buried the college commissioners sent to find me on Cuba, and went all the way to help him. Why would I be considered to be anything but a nanny?”

"But the school board and the execution bureau know nothing about your assignment?" Caesar asked.

"Yes, I have a one-line direct contact with the principal, just like the police sent out to go undercover in a dangerous gang." Finger was a little proud. "Do you know what the worst possible fate of a single-line informant is?”

Caesar shaked his head.

“To find out that his contact died! The only person in the world who knew his true identity died, and it was useless for him to attempt explaining his mission to anyone! So I secretly recorded that video, so if the principal suddenly hangs up or he doesn't admit that I am his undercover agent, I will have evidence in hand.”

"Mr. Principal really found a… Smart undercover." Abbas said insincerely.

Such an undercover agent who always thinks about retreat, holds compromising evidence in his hands, and can always betray his friends at the right time…

"Then what change did you observe in Lu Mingfei?" Caesar asked.

"It's more than an abnormality! What I am monitoring is a monster, okay?" Finger sighed, "This is a very unstable baby, usually to the extreme, he doesn’t show a signal of wants and needs, if he did, his eyes would brighten up at the presence of a beautiful lady! I like the kind of amorous and sister-like ones, however, I’m also willing to go for literary girls. This guy is taking over the student union and showed no interest in a single woman from the white dress club.

I used to yearn for luxury, when this guy won your Bugatti Veyron, I took at least two hundred photos of the event, I took pictures of him. The plain expression on his face when he held the steering wheel, you can tell that I was envious!"

"Envious?" Caesar interrupted.

“I am envious! What's wrong with my envy? I'm just a loser! I envy people who drive nice cars and have beautiful girls who want to eat together and grow old side by side. How can this be? He shows no interest in any of this, and the principal still counts on him to be the savior!”

Caesar was speechless, so he could only move on with a gesture.

"But when this baby is angry," Finger suddenly became serious, "it will become a road roller, and everything that stands in front of him will be crushed, even if it is a Dragon King or something worse."

Caesar and Abbas glanced at each other.

"Your reaction, I assume you must have seen him in his draconized state." Finger keenly noticed the stares between Caesar and Abbas.

Caesar and Abbas both nodded slightly, and Finger could directly utter the word “draconized”, which shows that this is no secret to him.

"Has he been draconized many times?" Caesar asked.

"I do not know how many times, the Three Gorges Dam, Beijing Subway, Tokyo, Japan ...... I know about those.”

Caesar’s face slightly discolored, "You mean every college action against the Dragon Kings..."

Finger sneered, "Do you think that the academy is lucky enough to kill Dragon Kings one after another? Don't you realize that every time we manage to kill a Dragon King, Lu Mingfei is also there?”

"The time at the Three Gorges Dam, I used the storm torpedo..." Caesar said.

"You did hit Norton hard, but it was Lu Mingfei who hit Norton underwater. You detected a rapid rise in water temperature back on the ship, right?”

Caesar hesitated and nodded.

Indeed, after the heavy damage dealt to Norton, they detected that the water temperature had risen by about ten degrees Celsius in a short instant. In a huge body of water like the Three Gorges Dam of the Yangtze River, it takes a terrifying amount of heat to heat up ten degrees, which is enough to change the regional climate.

At that time, the college also speculated that Norton was not dead, as the king of bronze and fire, high fever was one of Norton's characteristics. But then the temperature stopped, and no accidents happened, the college was relieved.

"That is the harbinger of the super-high-level Yanling, the ‘Candle Dragon'. If that Yanling is completed, it will be enough to instantly heat the Three Gorges Dam into a pot of boiling hot soup." Finger said, "but Lu Mingfei killed the injured dragon, he saved all of you, and perhaps saved the world.”

Caesar’s face was gloomy, he has always regarded the honor of "killing Norton" as the monumental achievement of his life, but now it seems that he lost it.

"Then he is on our side?" Abbas asked.

"I don't know, but so far, he really hasn't done anything against humanity."

"Then what is he? a dragon king? We are raising a dragon to fight other dragons?"

“You’d have to ask the principal." Finger shrugged.

............................................

The elevator slowly descended, and Caesar and Abbas looked at the increasingly negative number representing the floors, and they were surprised that the college still had such a deep underground space.

The elevator looks very old, it would make anyone suspect that it hadn’t been maintained for decades. The entrance is in the basement of the principal's office.

"This reminds me of an old Japanese movie." Abbas said.

"Spider's Nest City" Caesar said.

Abbas nodded.

The elevator in the Hall of Valor will go down to the ice cellar, and the elevator in the library will go down to EVA’s server room.

Where will this elevator take them? The college’s underground space resembles a spider’s nest and one can’t help but guess what kind of monsters are hidden in its depths.

"When building this college, they first hollowed out the entire bottom of the mountain and moved in all the treasures that the secret party had accumulated in Europe for thousands of years, but the place I want to take you to, most of the elders don’t know about it." Finger said, "I call it The Hub.”

"Hub?" Caesar asked.

"A space where all the wiring and electronics are stored and organized," Finger glanced at Caesar, "It's like a biological nerve center.”

The elevator stopped and the doors opened. Caesar and Abbas looked at the huge and messy space in front of them with surprise in their faces. It really is a huge space, wires of various colors and millions of levels are entwined in different directions. The four walls are all huge old computers, and one can see the ancient transistors in the dark. There was a dim light flashing in the middle, and the tape-like memory was spinning, making a small click.

"This is a computer room." Abbas said softly, "or a computer museum."

"The earliest general-purpose computer was built at the University of Pennsylvania in 1946, people called it ENIAC. At that time, the Secret Party realized that it was a promising machine, one that could change the world, so they copied ENIAC here and renamed it EVA." Finger said, "This is what you see now.”

"So EVA was born in 1946." Caesar looked up at the huge cabinets.

"In the following decades they have been strengthening her with newer technologies, until she turned her into a super network capable of monitoring the world, and her own processor has become larger and larger, which is placed in the underground space, but the underlying command library can still only be written and modified here.” Finger wiped a large amount of dust with his hand.

“We can regard the processors under the library as the nerves of EVA, and this is her brain.”

Under the dust cover is an old console, and the display is a monochrome screen from the 1980s.

Finger switched the power on and started to operate it skillfully, the green code flashed quickly, and finally stopped.

"The core command library is written in Latin?" Abbas asked.

"Yes, this system was developed for her alone, and the language was created for her alone. Based on Latin, this core command library means..."

“It’s fine, I can read Latin." Caesar stopped Finger and translated this short command library word by word.

"The first is to protect Mingfei's life; the second is to erase all possible threats to Lu Mingfei’s life. The third command declares that not a single order that conflicts with these two rules will be executed".

"It even contains an order to kill." Abbas said softly.

The second article is indeed a killing order. If EVA judges that she cannot guarantee Mingfei's life unless she has to kill someone, then she is authorized to do so. "Erase" is a neutral-sounding word, but when used on a living target, it means to obliterate.

"According to the third article, she will not execute the board’s order to search for Lu Mingfei around the world. We should be thankful that the board never had the opportunity to order EVA to kill Lu Mingfei," Finger shrugged, "otherwise she might judge that it is necessary to wipe out the school board.

"What should we do?" Caesar asked, "If we can't conquer the core command base of EVA, then we are in a trench with the enemy.”

"You don't need to conquer it, you can't penetrate the firewall from the outside, but here, you only need to type a different set of commands in the console." Finger hit the enter key.

A blinking cursor appeared on the screen, and both Caesar and Abbas were stunned. This cursor meant that this cruel and unreserved core command library could be modified like an MS Word file.

It makes one feel like a God who wants to modify the rules of the world, simply by dictating it. He could say "there is no gravitation in the universe", and see the solar system collapse in an instant, the sun and countless large and small planets and moons no longer revolving around each other, and just floating alone in the universe.

Finger began to press the backspace key, deleting the command lines byte by byte. His expression was arrogant and his actions were cold, like an emperor signing an edict to declare war.

"That's it! All the commands to protect Mingfei have been deleted, and EVA works for us from this moment!”

The blue beam of light was illuminated from above, and the translucent girl appeared in a holographic projection.

"The order was revised and passed, Lu Mingfei, student ID number AI071721, was deleted from the protected list and turned into a red high-risk target, suspected to be a first-generation or next-generation pure blood dragon, with an unknown degree of danger, which could lead to a city-destroying disaster. The wanted order has been issued." EVA said blankly.

A huge projection screen was opened behind EVA, and countless windows popped up on the screen. The information that had been deliberately obscured by the EVA appeared in front of Caesar and Abbas.

There were photos of Mingfei when he entered Malta by boat, Mingfei and Finger were keeping an eye on the street, covering the view of the alleyway, a photo of Nono changing clothes in the depths of said alley. There was even a video of Mingfei supporting his uncle while he threw up on the roof of the Fuyuan restaurant. It happened to be taken by a household drone passing by. While Mingfei thought that his whereabouts were very secret, cameras everywhere recorded his every move, and then transmitted the data via satellite, and concentrated it in the EVA database.

Caesar couldn't help to look up at the sky.

Although he was indoors, he seemed to be able to feel a pair of huge eyes made up of electron currents open in outer space, staring quietly at the earth.

Those are EVA's heavenly eyes, silently observing every corner of the world, watching human emotions, sorrows and tricks. There are no secrets she doesn't know, nor an aspect of humanity she doesn't understand.

"So when we were looking for you all over the world, you set out from Malta, sat in first class, flew to China grandiosely, lived in uncle Lu’s house, and met with his high school classmates, and somehow you succeeded. He even gave a speech in his middle school?” Abbas sighed. “A low-level order turned the whole college blind.”

“Right’?" Finger sighed, “If it wasn’t because the principal is biased towards him, I wouldn’t have been able to help myself, otherwise I would have captured the guy to bring him back to the college and added tens of thousands of volts to him. I don’t believe that he wouldn’t confess after so many rounds of fierce powering!”

"But we still don't know where they are at the moment." Caesar quickly operated the touch screen and read the information given by EVA.

"In my last call with Chen Motong, I instructed her to drive away, preferably through the border crossing to leave China, so as to avoid my tracking.”

"So you still talked to Chen Motong before we got here?" Abbas asked.

"When you approached the elevator, my logical analysis told me that your intention was to modify my underlying database. At that time, the order to protect Mingfei was still valid for me. The strategy I made was to tell Nono that they should start to flee.”

"What did you say to Chen Motong?”

"You can check our conversation record." While EVA was speaking, the conversation record was already unfolded on the projection screen.

After reading the call log, Abbas nodded, "So Nono already knows that you have become their enemy.”

"With her cleverness, if I contact her again, she won't believe anything I say, so don't hope to lead them into a trap by using me."

"The phone you sent them contains the escape route you designed for them? Where did you direct them to escape?”

"I don’t know, it’s an escape route that I designed a long time ago. If Mingfei ended up running away from the academy, he would be able to use it. After the design was completed, I erased the data permanently from my database."

“A machine designed to counter itself, is that true?”

"Yes, a route that is difficult even for me to follow. They still have a copy of me in hand, which will increase their success rate. In this world, in the field of artificial intelligence, only I am qualified to be their enemy. “

"According to the original second core order, we are people who would endanger Mingfei's life and safety. Have you also considered erasing us?”

“I did thought about it, but unfortunately, I can't erase anyone in the principal's office. This office was originally my back door, from the moment you stepped into the office, I couldn't kill you anymore.”

"You are worthy of my respect as an enemy or as an ally." Abbas sighed softly.

“You know what?" Finger shook his head over and over, “First of all, I am absolutely loyal to the Academy! Don’t look at me as Lu Mingfei's old iron nanny, I will always take care of the Academy!

Second! I might remember some important stuff about him and Nono that you would consider important! For example, what if the guy was willing to get rid of you and steal your fiancée? Would that have been the case if I wasn’t there? Who knows, but I definitely stood there as a firm wall between the two, I promise you that nothing happened between them while I was there!"

Caesar ignored him and stared at the screen earnestly.

Finger turned to Abbas again, he was strangely speechless. To be honest, Finger didn't knew Abbas as well as Caesar. The former president of Lionheart liked to sit and meditate.

"In order to identify with your aesthetic and world-view, Abbas, I’ve been studying the Quran whenever I have the time. Although my understanding is limited, I still want to get closer to God in my heart.”

Abbas grinned bitterly and stroked the short beard of his jaw, he patted Finger on the shoulder, "Stop reading the scriptures, religion doesn’t suit you."

"Why is it not suitable for me?" Finger was puzzled, "I want to seek the truth as well!"

"You are a man who can betray anyone, even a god." Abbas smiled.

Part 4

[dragonrajafanfiction]

Genji Heavy Industries (End) Turning Point

After all this way, we finally see the MC reach the turning point in her life.

If you’ve read this far, I thank you very much. I hope this has made you love the world of Dragon Raja

You could no longer see Caesar or Chu Zihang, but at this point, you weren’t looking. Your eyes were locked on Chisei Gen. Caesar’s final orders rang in your head like a command from Heaven. Your hands were caked in dried black blood. You were trembling with pain and fatigue, but that last brief surge of Blood Rage had revived your senses enough to stare at him, much like a cat would, eyes dilated and your body flexed. If he moved a muscle, you would draw your weapon.

Chisei watched the flames with resigned calmness however. He was tied firmly and his life was in Caesar and Chu Zihang’s hands just as much as yours was. “MC.” He said. “Where did you learn how to fight like that?”

He’s looking at you now, with the fire reflected in his eyes. His stare was confident. Even though he was asking a question, there was no question in those eyes. No curiosity. It was as if he were asking a question he already knew the answer to.

But how could he know the answer? The hairs on the back of your neck stood up. You’d learned how to shoot and hand-to-hand combat from your training in Black Swan Bay. Your training in Black Swan Bay was mostly centered however on your Yanling, focusing your spiritual energy into the ground, learning the limits of your power, how much you could manipulate the earth without suffering physical effects… This was all ingrained into you in a way that bordered on lab experiments with each result meticulously recorded and logged. It was just constant testing and while you were being tested, you learned your power and how to control it.

But Chisei hadn’t seen you use any of that. What he had seen from his vantage point in the mural hall rafters was you, walking out after Caesar and Chu Zihang armed with nothing but the laser sight of a Soviet era rifle and a pistol which you used to bait a member of the Deadpool into attacking their own kind. He observed how closely you could read the actions of the deadpool and how you picked her targets to attack. He heard your giddy laughter echoing on the mural hall walls.

After that, he would have seen clearly how you fearlessly approached that deadpool after she was exhausted, shot her in the head and then used her severed claw as a knife. How you used the non-lethal bullets from your pistol like a fist. How you were using that claw as your only weapon to render these A-ranked super monsters as weak as worms. It was no wonder that he looked at you when he was using Majesty to subdue the deadly and left a few living ones in his trail of mass destruction for you to kill. He had wanted to observe you close up.

When you don’t answer immediately he turns back to observe the fire. “Among the Hydra we have a name for that fighting technique you’re using. It’s called “God’s Eyes”. The heart of God’s Eyes is to subdue the enemy by your understanding of their movements and by your complete control of the battlefield. According to those that describe it, it takes at least a decade to approach mastery of elements of this technique. But you have mastered all of it and you’re so young. I’ve never seen anyone use God’s Eyes like you. You had to have learned from a master… but there are no masters of this technique. Only a few books that reference it or reference other works that describe it. It’s a technique that’s lost to history.”

“There’s only one man I know who can use God’s Eye on your level. And that’s Hilbert Ron Anjou. But you two just met a few weeks ago. Right?”

His eyes watch your face, but you nod, completely innocent, and his eyes narrowed to slits. You just stare back at him. He finally sighs. Whatever theory he may have had about where you learned your technique collapsed.

“Anjou can clear a room with just his pocket knife. Just like you. I don’t know anyone else who can do that.”

You do, of course, but disclosing that involves your deepest secrets and given the huge deadpool tank you found at the bottom of Genji Heavy Industry, you can be excused for not exactly trusting this man with secrets about your past. “Perhaps after this is over, we can talk more. Over sake?” You ask, taking a page from Caesar’s book.

“I would like that.” He sighed again. “I would also like to know how someone like you ended up with these people from Cassell?”

“I ask myself that every day.” Your lips quirk upward.

This was the first time you actually had a moment to sit and talk with Chisei Gen one on one and it actually wasn’t that hard. It took your mind off your pain enough for you to crack a little joke. Chisei lowers his eyes and, much to your delight, he chuckles and your smile grows.

“For my last moments, if these are my last moments… I suppose I could have worse company then these weirdos. My only regret is that Lu Mingfei isn’t here. But knowing him…” You roll your eyes to the ceiling, imagining him flapping his arms and squawking about how much danger you were in. “...nah, I'll take that back. What I really regret is that if we don't make it out of here, he’ll have lost all his friends. I know how that feels. I don’t want him to feel that.” 

You rest your head against the wall of the elevator and gaze out into the flames. “Looking back, my life is very odd. Even if you ask me a thousand questions about myself, I wonder if I would even be able to answer a single one. Simple things like… where were you born… Who are your parents? Where did you go to school…?” Your voice trails off. After a moment's thought, you shrug.

Chisei looks at you, silent.

A burst of gunfire and a sudden sharp explosion made you squeak and flinch! This was it, you think, this was the end. Was it really going to end this way? Caesar’s last order was to make sure that Chisei Gen did not touch the elevator door, but he also told you to stop seeking death! You only had your miserable little peashooter pistols, your miserable little claw and your miserable little knife and your miserable laser pointer.

You were suddenly struck with a sudden and intense desperation like nothing you’d ever felt.

You force yourself up to your feet while Chisei Gen sits there astounded.  “What are you doing?” Chisei shouts. 

Your voice is choked off as you stagger toward the elevator door, groaning with intense pain, but this fierce determination drives you forward. Chisei can now see the full view of your ruined back, your skin-tight combat suit is torn to ribbons where the Deadpool’s claws sank deep into muscle tissue.

Caesar and Chu Zihang were visible again! Caesar held two Sten submachine guns with both hands and Chu Zihang had one. The two back to back were using the bullet screen to suppress the group of deadpool while moving slowly in the direction of the elevator shaft. The group of deadpool that had been overturned by the shockwave of the explosion regrouped, their hideous golden eyes surrounding Caesar and Chu Zihang, the bullets repeatedly knocking them to the ground as they repeatedly straightened up and charged forward. The only thing that protects them is the bullet screen in front of them, and once the screen disappears the group of deadpool will pounce and bite.

You stand in the door, a silhouette in the light of the flame, shoving a magazine into your pistol. Your black hair is being pulled by the intense flaming winds like you were standing right in the breath of a massive creature. You finally relent. You finally gave in. You finally believe the last words of your friend. You finally believe the words of Caesar and the eyes of Chu Zihang.

You have to live!

The pale red columns collapsed one by one. The hot wind and black smoke rampaged through the hall, the frescoes curled in the fire, and the painted dragons and snakes finally flew away in the black ash.

The two rival men were fighting back to back, and the group of deadpool were getting closer and closer, so close that Caesar once passed the barrel of his gun into the deadpool’s open mouth before shooting it out. Chu Zihang stuck his sword and Onimaru in front of him, so if a deadpool got too close he would draw his blade and force it back, and then pick up his gun and fire.  But sooner or later the bullets will run out, just like a man holding a torch to scare the wolves would eventually see that torch go out. 

So you wait, watching them, hand on your pistol, observing the battlefield with God’s Eyes! You knew how many pieces of ammunition you had and, from your observation of Caesar’s reloading, you could make an estimate of how much he had left. When you determined that they were close to being out of ammo, you raised your pistols and opened fire!

The staccato rhythm of your pistols is like the rhythmic hits of a boxer’s gloves. The bullets strike the sensitive areas of the beasts, their eyes, their open wounds, their burns. They hiss and flinch as though being stung by a sudden swarm of bees. You drop the empty magazine and reload and shoot again and again and again, cursing them with the deepest and blackest of words. 

Each bullet was precious, like a drop of life’s blood. You couldn’t waste a single one. You watched the behavior of these monsters. If they reached for your friends, your bullets stung them like the whip of a ringmaster before vicious tigers. If there was even a possibility that they might think twice about doing it again, your quick and painful punishment gave them pause. If they hesitated, you rewarded them by not shooting them. But if they looked ready to pounce you shot them where it hurt.

Your support is just enough to turn the tide. The resistance of the deadpool falters and this time it doesn’t recover. If they rise up they’re either hit by the two men and if they’re not hit by the two men, they’re hit by the pistol fire.

A strange noise like the pop and snap of firewood shifts your focus and your pistol swivels and points at Chisei. “Stay Down!” You roar.

Chisei’s face is a mask of pain. His body was writhing strangely, his joints were all dislocated, and the bones moved independently of each other. It was like his arms had turned into spaghetti!

“I said stay down!” You lower your pistol to his ankle and pull the trigger. 

Click. Your eyes widen.

Chisei smirks. “You’re out of bullets. It’s okay…” He grunts. “I’m not going to run. If they want blood…” He gasped. “I’ll give them blood.” Before you could comprehend what was happening, he suddenly freed himself from his restraints by wiggling out of his shirt. His bare chest looks like an ugly bag of broken bones! He cut himself across the wrist with Dojigiri, staining the white fabric of his shirt red. He stood up and walked to the elevator entrance and threw the shirt into the fire.

With that last act, Chisei Gen completely collapsed. You tried to catch him but the action pulled at your wounds and you both went down to the floor. Both you and he had given your all.  You let him fall to the floor and just tried to annoy them with your laser pointer while you grit your teeth, but the Deadpool had a far more tantalizing target in mind already. You realize what’s happening, but you can’t pull the unconscious Chisei back into the elevator. You’re so choked with smoke and exhaustion you can’t even call for help.

"What's going on?" Caesar couldn't believe his eyes, the smoking muzzle points to the ground. The guns in his right and left hands stopped firing, but still no monsters pounced on him. 

They were about to run out of bullets when the swarm of deadpool suddenly withdrew from them and scrambled to slither up to a corner of the hall. A minute ago they were still a seasoned suckling pig roasting in the fire, and now they suddenly turned into a disgusting slop, and the whole group just left.

"Hurry! Run!" Chu Zihang yelled. 

Caesar suddenly woke up. Tight now they do not have time to think about the rationality of this miracle. The fire burning C4 explosives may explode at any time. It was still too early to celebrate. They simultaneously took off running. They shed off every entangling weight, taking off their heavy windbreakers, which still had scattered firearms and bullets in them. There was a loud bang and a searing wind behind them. It was some piece of C4 explosive behind the shaded wall that had exploded. It was so powerful that it completely took the wall down.

The first thing he saw when he cleared the smoke was you struggling with Chisei in the elevator door. His fury spurred him faster. He was coming at you like a raging bull. You couldn’t even begin to explain! Caesar didn't hesitate to pull the trigger, and blood exploded from Chisei’s calf. 

“Caesar!” Your voice is a useless squeak. Caesar had grabbed Chisei and unceremoniously tossed him like luggage back into the car.

Chu Zihang picked you up and hit the door close button on his way in.

The pain woke up Chisei  and he was just about to struggle to sit up when Caesar rushed into the elevator and threw a straight punch at his face.

“Stop…” Your voice is just a hiss, and you realized that you’ve completely lost your voice. Perhaps the heat, the dry air, and your screaming in pain had ruined your vocal cords.

The chain of explosions had already begun. Blinding sun-like lights are lighting up the corners of the hall as waves of hot air swept through at speeds that exceeded those of a hurricane, setting other blocks of explosives ablaze. The old freight elevator squeaked and closed with difficulty, and with a few centimeters left in the doorway, a hot air stream a few centimeters wide burrowed into the elevator, a bright red that ignited the remaining files in the car. But the elevator door finally closed. 

It slowly sank into the elevator shaft, and a few seconds later there was a heavenly explosion from above, and a bright wave of air rushed into the elevator shaft, throwing the burning corpses of the deadpool into the void. The snake shadows burned in the fire, their fat dissolved, until gradually  the bronze skeletons were revealed. These tyrannical creatures finally were cut off from life, and as they died they gathered around a shirt and shredded it.. 

As the freight elevator rumbled down, Caesar stomped hard on the burning documents, and then lay down exhausted on the file box, and kicked at Chisei’s face.

“Stop it!” You hiss. But Chu Zihang held you tight and you were far worse off than he was. Turned out that weird period style armor had actually protected him quite a bit. You dug your nails into him but he didn’t even flinch.

Chisei said nothing, powerlessly wrapping a cloth band around the wrist wound. He had cut an artery, and soaked at least a fifth of the blood in his body into the shirt. He made his shirt irresistible to the monsters. The result was that he couldn't even stand up. Caesar wasted no time, tying him up even tighter.

You’re breathing a bit easier now. Instinctively, you take deeper breaths. As your adrenaline lowers, fatigue crashes again like a weighted blanket. Breathing now became agony, but with no voice, no one could hear you moaning. There’s just the strange whistling noise, like the soft whine of a little dog.

"What do we do with this guy?" Caesar pointed at Chisei with the Desert Eagle.

You don’t even lift your head.  

"It's naturally best if we can take him prisoner. But it's hard to leave Genji Heavy Industries by ourselves in this situation, and it's even harder to take him away." Chu Zihang said. He tilts his head down to look at you. “She doesn’t seem to want any harm to come to him.”

"How about using him as a hostage threat? There is no way the Yakuza would give up the precious Emperor, right?" 

"It's hard to make sure we're not followed, Tokyo is the Hydra Yakuza's home turf, and we won’t be able to escape it no matter how much we run.”

"It seems the best way is to shoot this guy. Sooner or later the Academy and the Hydra family will have to go to war, such a precious weapon can not be left in the hands of the other side. Anyway, his body is flowing with dragon blood, I have to kill him as a dragon slayer!" Caesar pulled the bolt and loaded the gun. 

No way! Caesar hadn’t killed anyone this whole time! And now that you’ve come this far and you had fought beside Chisei and he’d saved all your lives, he was going to kill him?

You jerk against Chu Zihang and try to sink your teeth into him. His strong arm tightens. He whispers so softly you can barely hear it. “It’s a bluff.”

In a moment of silence, you hear something else sigh.

There were only four people in the elevator, and you heard a fifth breath! 

The side wall of the elevator car suddenly caves in! Before Caesar had time to react, the monstrous bony claws penetrated the sidewall and plunged into Chisei’s ribs from behind! Blood rained down like a fountain on the sneak attacker's face as it let out an ear-piercing scream of joy! 

Even Caesar was stunned when he saw the Deadpool, even though they had just stepped out of the hordes of Deadpool that were trying to kill him. This Deadpool was so amazing. It was more than twice the size of the others! The longest of them  was over five meters, the shortest was only about three meters, and their upper bodies were about the same size as a human, gradually getting thinner and longer below the waist, before finally taking on the shape of a snake. But this monstrosity is more than eight meters long. Its abdomen is bloated, like a pregnant queen ant. It dragged this overly deformed lower body upward but fell down, so it had just arrived at the mural hall. It became the only survivor. It was attracted by the smell of Chisei's blood and recklessly tore through the elevator car.. 

This deadpool had the face of a middle-aged woman, and her face was not as pale as the other deadpool.  Instead, it was rosy and lustrous, like a woman who had become rounded in pregnancy. Caesar took a glance at its abdomen and suddenly understood. Its snow-white, scaleless abdomen had snake tail-like traces shining through. This was really a pregnant Deadpool  and a pregnant deadpool could only give birth to those more fearsome than itself, because the fetal dragon blood would be purer. The fetuses also seem to have felt the freshness of the blood of Chisei and are stirring in the mother's body. 

What had been suspected all along was confirmed, the Deadpool was capable of producing offspring, and this bloated, deformed mother's womb was breeding devils! 

The Deadpool clung to Chisei, licking the blood excitedly. Chisei clung on to the handrail to keep from being dragged into the elevator shaft. Deadpool's bloated body weighing hundreds of kilograms hangs below the elevator by that single grip.

Chu Zihang presses his hand firmly on your mouth. You wanted to scream in rage, pure frustration and despair. But the monster hadn’t noticed you at all yet. You were too weak to fight this thing. You all were. You said ‘no more sacrifices’ but now you really had no more to give but yourselves, and this monster wanted Chisei. You could get away scot free if you left him behind. 

Caesar tried to aim several times in the process of raising his gun, but he had no chance of hitting Deadpool, who was hiding behind Chisei. If he fired, he would first have to injure him, and it was unknown whether the force of the bullet could do that and injure the deadpool. He just fired a shot at Chisei but now he needs to shoot him again. But Chisei is extremely pale from blood loss. He originally had a feminine beauty, and now he looks like a dying girl. His soul is leaving his pale body. If he suffered another gunshot wound, Chisei could certainly die. 

This world was so black, so dark, that the minute you started to believe that perhaps Caesar could be right and you could live and you could live with all your friends, that scythe of death came to collect its taxes on your happiness. You hated this world, you hated this life!

Deadpool licked the back of Chisei’s neck with her long tongue. Her sharp teeth are seeking the veins in his neck as she begins to give birth to her babies.  The green and white snake-like fetuses fell one by one. 

At this time there was a "thump" sound above the elevator, and the speed of the elevator's descent suddenly increased. The elevator filled with boxes of documents was close to the upper limit of the load. The weight of the giant deadpool plus the four of you exceeded the limits of the elevator, not to mention that it was running in the fragile track after the earthquake. It was slamming into the depths of the elevator shaft at an accelerating rate, at which point the Deadpool would of course be smashed to death, and the four of you would invariably be buried with her. 

"Shoot!" Chisei yelled with his last strength. 

You watched Caesar look into the eyes of Chisei in surprise. 

"Shoot me! Hit me in the neck! Its head is right back there!" Chisei spurted out a mouthful of blood. 

Caesar gritted his teeth fiercely. He was ready to shoot. 

But his fingers were trembling, it was as if the blackness of the world had surrounded him and was pressing in on him, closing in and laughing, mocking him. You stood in that darkness and you could offer no answer. After all, what mercy had the world ever offered you?

A mere few days ago, you wouldn’t hesitate to reasonably make the judgment that sacrificing one person can save everyone, and it's worth doing. But now you stared at Caesar and shook your head. You didn’t want to live in a world without his justice.

You take your bronze claw dagger and stab it into Chu Zihang’s side! Caesar turns at his gasp of pain. You rise up like a lioness to seize Caesar’s wrist and push it upward, pointing the Desert Eagle in the air. You’re face to face with him and bare your teeth.

"’Never leave a friend’ is your justice.” You force the words through your dead vocal cords. Your eyes stare into his eyes and they’re cold and black as the ice sea. “I live for your justice and I will die for your justice!" 

Caesar stares for a moment and, for that moment, the cheeks on either side of his face grow gradually pink.

Chisei suddenly smiled. He rarely smiles. His smile is surprisingly beautiful. 

"Gattuso-kun, in fact, I have thought about being ...... friend of justice." Chisei let go of the handrail and was instantly sucked into the void outside the elevator car.

Caesar barely prevented you from plunging out there with him in your effort to stop him. He threw you back against the door of the elevator. Your vision exploded into sparks and for a moment you couldn’t move. 

“Chu Zihang!”

The elevator suddenly stopped, pressing you to the floor. You blink your eyes open. Caesar and Chu Zihang are gathered by the hole in the elevator wall, shoulder to shoulder. They weren't moving, in fact, they were grunting with great effort. They were backing up from the gap and in their hands was the rope. The rope that he’d tied Chisei up in was being pulled up back into the elevator and attached to that rope was Chisei!

You gasp and crawl forward. He was unconscious, pale like death. His sword was stuck through him, front to back, but he was alive. He was still alive. Caesar looks down at you, but oddly doesn’t meet your eyes. He looks shy, almost embarrassed?

“We need to find a way out of here.” Chu Zihang, ever practical, hands you the claw dagger back. You stare at it a moment and then tuck it in your belt to let Caesar carry you out.

Together, you climb out of the elevator and into the darkness of the shaft, until you take a rest on the beam. Caesar is puffing on a cigar. You’re sitting in Caesar’s lap like a child. Exhausted, you’re turning the bronze colored claw dagger over and over in your hands, watching the play of light on it.

You all sit in silence like this for an hour.

Your head was burning and you felt numb and yet, deep down, the arctic ice that had held onto your soul since waking up at Cassell was starting to fracture and the summer sun was beginning to rise. You rest your head against Caesar’s chest and look up into his eyes.

He lets out a puff of smoke. “You’re not going to fall for me, are you?”

Your eyes narrow and then you huff. “No. I was just thinking…You weren’t going to let me die from the moment we met, right? You stinker.”

Caesar tapped the ash over the edge of the beam. “So you finally get it.”

“Uh huh. I’ll always miss my friends.” Your lip trembles a bit but you once again control it. “But… I think… with you… That’s okay.”

Caesar bit his cigar and grinned. “Glad to hear it.” 

You lower your eyes to Chu Zihang who had been tending to his own injuries and was now working on Chisei’s many wounds, while he rested on the beam. “Sorry, I stabbed you.”

“It was impressive.”

You laugh, unsure of how to respond to that.

The building was chock full of Hydra operatives now. You couldn’t leave the elevator shaft yet. They were probably all looking for Chisei so you had to wait for him to wake up.

Chisei started to stir under Chu Zihang’s medical care. Caesar carefully settled you against the wall of the shaft and catwalked over to stare down into Chisei’s eyes. He pulled the last cigarette from his pocket, stuck it in Chisei’s mouth and lit it, the fire illuminating the man’s pupils. Chisei struggled for a moment but he was still in pain and tightly bound.

"The emperor hybrid is really different, huh. A serious wound like harakiri only took an hour to heal. I want to have such a good body.." Caesar moved the lighter closer to his face and illuminated it to Chisei, showing his healing injury. In the next moment, he’d kicked Chisei off the beam. The rope pulled taut where the end was tied and Chisei Gen hung from it.

"Won't you consider untying me?" Gen Chisei smiled bitterly, "It's a little inconvenient to smoke and hang from a rope." 

"Not quite.  With someone of your low integrity, I still can't believe you. The minute I untie you, you’ll assault us again.." Caesar gripped his cigar, "Let’s just have a good conversation." 

"Is the family style of the famous hybrid Gattuso family that shameless?" Chisei exhaled a puff of smoke. 

"You call this shameless?" Caesar shrugged, "If you think this is shameless, you haven't met my studly old man." After a few seconds of silence Caesar mumbled.  "Sorry." 

"There's nothing to apologize for. At the time I really wanted to escape and leave all you behind. I'm not a friend of justice. I've done a lot of bad things, I've killed people." 

"Ghosts?" Chu Zihang asked. 

"We call them Ghosts, but they are actually the same hybrid species as us, only more likely to become deadly." Chisei whispered, "To some extent all of us are ghosts." 

"The mural is ruined, but we took pictures. Although you do not want us to, we have to take these pictures. The Academy and the Hydra are now in a hostile relationship, and now that the Deadpool group is also finished, your cooperation with us is over, and we all revert to hostile relations." Caesar took a drag on his cigar.

You listen to the conversation and your heart is surprisingly calm when you hear that you won’t be seeing Chisei any time soon. Chisei looks up at you. “I guess we’ll have to make plans for sake later?”

Caesar gives you a look of sharp disbelief.

You stick your tongue out at him. “I meant it as a lady.” But you offer no further explanation. It wasn’t his business.

"Then you have to leave quickly, with my recovery speed, this rope won’t hold me for long.." Chisei smiled again. 

"You can’t fool me. This rope can tether an elephant. I also tied it with a sailor knot, so the more you struggle, the tighter it will get.  Your body is not as strong as we thought. You super hybrids are slightly stronger than us, but your bones and muscles can not be compared with a real dragon. You might be worse than those deadpool but the minute you release your Yanling you’re defenseless. In short, you're strong, but not necessarily without flaws." Caesar sneered. 

"Well, well you guys see through me. What do you want to do with me?" 

"It was too difficult to take you away, and, in the end, I decided to leave you here. Your men are looking all over the building for you, but they didn't expect you to be hanging in the middle of the elevator shaft just yet. Seriously, I think that Assistant Sakura likes you a lot, don't you?" Caesar waved his cigar. 

"I'm not getting a girlfriend until I leave Japan, and isn't it a bit much to ask a woman like her to give up her life to go to France with me to sell sunscreen?" 

"Isn’t that exactly like leaving behind your status as the head of the big family to go to France?" 

"I am a person who has done a lot of evil. My hands are stained with the blood of many ghosts, fleeing to France to settle down would be good, I am not going to France, I’m trying to escape." Chisei said leisurely. 

"You said you also want to be a friend of justice?" Caesar raised an eyebrow. 

"Everyone wants to be a friend of justice when they are children." Chisei said faintly. 

"Are you mocking me for still being stuck in a child's state?" Caesar gave Chisei a poke and sent him spinning. 

You giggle. It hurt but that struck you as funny.

“What are you laughing at?” Caesar smiles at you.

You reply "Friends of Justice are the words from Ultraman, a cartoon for kids." 

"Ultraman?" 

"Superman who came to Earth from the universe to help Earthlings fight alien monsters. The heir of the Gattuso family should not have seen that kind of thing. We all watched it when we were kids. In elementary school, kids could be seen discussing which Ultraman was more powerful and saving their lunch money to buy plastic models of Ultraman. Did you do this MC?”

“No,” you chuckle. “I was a Sailor Moon fan. And James Bond fan.”

“Ah…” Chisei sighs. “Ultraman said his fans are friends of justice. We are friends of Ultraman, so we are also friends of justice. The more powerful monsters will be defeated by the friends of justice. Every episode they say that, so as children, we are convinced." Chisei mumbled slyly, "One year school performance, I went on stage to sing the theme song of Ultraman, I still remember the tune ......" 

"Beep beep beep, 

lots of monsters. 

Look behind you, 

beasts through the street there, 

just to your left and right. 

Can't get enough, can't get enough. 

Fly one foot and hit three low, 

don't presume to fly away. 

Who comes from  the universe to fight for freedom? 

Who will be faithful to defend the world? 

It is you, the great friend of justice!" 

You clap your hands. “You have a good voice, Chisei.”

This scene is really weird. The big head of the Japanese yakuza and the only emperor hybrid hanging in mid-air singing the theme song of "Ultraman". The heir of the Gattuso family, Caesar Gattuso and A+ blood Chu Zihang, and you, the S-ranked young woman, are his audience. Everyone should have laughed, but no one did. All of you had childhoods that were long gone, and you paid respects to them the same as you would a long dead ancestor.

The song ended and Caesar clapped his hands. 

"But I didn't become a friend of justice, I became the bad guy." Chisei said softly, "My friends are bad people. Yasha turned out to be a street fighter. Crow is a loan shark organization's strong man. Sakura is a killer. And I have done a lot more bad things than you can imagine. You might think the Japanese executive bureau is here to maintain order. But more often, it all just ends in bloodshed.. The mob is like this. In this business only violence speaks. The ones who are the most violent are the loudest. We live by doing evil. We belong to a family. We must be loyal to it. For the benefit of the family, we may strike at the innocent. For the benefit of the family we can sacrifice our companions or ourselves. Everyone can be sacrificed so that more people can live a good life. This world is so cruel. I am not Hikari Ultraman.I can not save everyone. If doing evil can make my people live a better life, then I am willing to become a bad guy." 

"Bad people can become good, but bad things will never become right." Caesar said. 

Chisei made the effort to give Caesar a look, "At your age you can still say such things, Gattuso-kun. I envy you." 

"Is that another Japanese style taunt?" 

"No, people who strongly believe in justice are happy people." Chisei said softly. 

Caesar was silent for a long time and raised his eyebrows: "What a bitter thing to say. But there's no time for your bitterness, I hear footsteps approaching, it's your people looking for you, right?" 

"Goodbye then, have a good trip." Chisei said. 

"The next time we meet, we'll be enemies again. Can't we say some warm and fuzzy goodbyes?" 

"Don't get involved in this. Leave Japan if you can, this is not something you can get involved in." 

"That kind of bullshit might as well be Saying Sayonara.”

"Sayonara." Chisei said softly. 

"Sayonara." Caesar said, "People who could have been friends end up like this. The world isn't cruel. It’s Bullshit.”

You stare down at Chisei. You want to say something, but you feel like you and Chisei were strangely similar. You were both violent people and trained to be so from an early age. You both felt similarly when Caesar spouted on about justice and being right and good in a world that was cruel. 

“Chisei… please don’t give up…” You whisper, but your voice is still hoarse.

“Come on, girl, he’s not worth your time.” Caesar once again lifts you up on his shoulders like a child and starts to climb. But you look over his shoulder. You and Chisei lock eyes as he hangs there in the void and you keep looking at each other until you’re both out of sight.

[koukouture]

Updated DR profiles pt.1 Aisha Agape (a.k.a Amari)

(I don’t have any art at the moment So bear with me)

Name: Aisha Agape (former) Aisha Shizuya (current, adopted) 

Age: 18 - 19 as the story progresses I believe

Height: 5′0 probably around 5′5-ish with heals

Talent rating: S Power: Mirror, can copy anything, fighting techniques, and weaker versions of other people’s powers, given she has come into contact with their blood. 

Extra skills: Healing, stopping the flow of time

Family: Eros Agape (father/deceased) Marian Agape (mother/ current status unknown, most likely deceased) Ren Shizuya (adopted brother) Renata/Zero (believed sister, not proven)

Aisha hails from the Agape family, commonly known for wielding sickles. She possesses  the soul dancer traits she inherited from her father, a Gemini, healing abilities, and the rare ability to stop the flow of time on shower objects, people or monsters. She shines more as a warrior however, as she doesn’t know how to use her abilities. 

Her go to weapon is a sickle like the rest of her family, although she copies her teammates fighting styles, mainly Johann, Lucien, and Rens abilities. 

She was raised in Black Swan Bay in Siberia, but after the bombing she was found by Hilbert Ron Anjou, principal of Cassel college. She is now studying there and she spends her off time trying to find out more about her family. 

Personality: Aisha is a bit guarded at times, but, she’s usually very open and prone to trouble. It’s her schemes that often get her and her friends into a mess at any given time. However, she can suddenly shift to cold and serious when it comes to her enemies, especially if they’ve hurt anyone close to her. 

Trivia:

- Aisha’s last name means love, coincidentally, her father’s first name also means love. 

- When designing her, I noticed that in my sketches of her she sort of reminded me of Rapunzel with her long blonde hair. And that shit is really long

- biggest crush on Chimei, she’s his number one fan lol

- Aisha is very self conscious, mainly about her height. So, she wears heals  - She was a Soul Dancers originally, but I changed her into a reaper later. Which is why she has Soul dancer abilities but can swing a scythe around like the grim reaper. 

- She unlocked her soul dancer abilities for the first time during the dragon invasion drill when she thought Ren was in danger. She practices her healing abilities regularly on small animals and plants, but cannot heal a human yet. 

- Her and Ren both have one thing in common: abandonment issues. They can’t bear the thought of their loved ones leaving. 

- When she looks in the mirror, sometimes her reflection won’t move with her and do it’s own thing. That’s her Gemini. She’s grown really paranoid and scared and covered the mirror in her dorm room. 

[hotdrajaboys]

You head straight for the Lionheart booth. There’s a bit of a line. But the Lionheart Booth is full of dramatic scenes of the clubs accomplishments. A video is playing explaining everything complete with CG renderings of people slaying Dragons while a voiceover plays.

“The Lionheart Society is the oldest club. It was first established by Maneke Cassell in 1901, of whom Cassell College bears his name, it has always been a bastion of the most elite of Dragonslayers. Hilbert Ron Anjou is the last surviving member of the original Lionheart Society and carries on this mission through Cassell College.”

“The first members of the Society were slain by a dragon, and it’s the commitment of Lionheart to carry out Cassell’s mission to eliminate all dragons!”

“We only accept the strongest and the most fiercest of students who are prepared to stop at nothing to achieve this goal! Join us and become a true dragonslayer!”

A. Stay in Line.

B. Look around for Johann Chu 

C. This club is not for me! I’ll find another!

Chapter 1: Cassell Gate

“Excellent, excellent! You know what to do now right? Good luck pursuing the man of your dreams!”

You look down at your phone and dial the number of Dragon Raja Dev. The world around you suddenly starts to dissolve and pixelate. You start to feel very, very strange but then you’re standing in the middle of a college campus. You’re wearing a white skirt, a vest and some pretty heels. You’re carrying a backpack.

Students are rushing around you. There’s a banner advertising Student Club Association Day! Booths are set up to advertise different associations and clubs. You’ve played this game before so you know that Caesar runs Student Union and Johann Chu runs the Lionheart Society.

But there seems to be a lot more booths then that. There are booths for dance teams, sports, and the arts.

Do you…

A. Go straight to the Student Union booth

B. Go straight to Lionheart

C. Explore the other booths

D. Leave the festival.

@friedwagonoperabanana

[veoutsold]

@neruheart Anjou

[k0smik4t]

Cake looks yummy

[neruheart]

I wonder who is the other person? I wanna be their bff 😂

[dragonrajafanfiction]

The Origin of MC

Just filling in some blanks here. Heheh

“Are you really okay with leaving her there?”

Principal Hilbert Ron Anjou had just boarded the helicopter and soared into the stormy skies over Tokyo headed for an artificial island. An impossible number of Corpse Guards, zombie creatures enchanted by alchemy, had awakened and answered the call of the Light King’s arrival. Not only would that many creatures overwhelm Japan and cost thousands of lives, they would announce the existence of dragons to the world. The Nations of the world would come across a power more dangerous than nuclear bombs and the resulting slaughter that would come from a new Cold War would make a disaster in Tokyo fade from the history books. They were the last stand against the encroaching horde and the potential world shattering disaster. It was likely that Anjou wouldn't survive this encounter. The possibility of failure was high. Their only hope was to attract all of these beasts and survive that concentrated number of monsters long enough to set off a bomb that would kill them all in an instant.

And yet Caesar was asking about that girl.

Principal Anjou reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a swiss hand powered gold watch. He pressed his thumb and it snapped open. “You lasted five whole minutes. It seems this mission has matured you.”

“Answer the goddamn question.”

The tone in Caesar’s voice would have made even a seasoned mobster beg for his life. Caesar was good at bluffing and bluster and could be intimidating for fun. Anjou turned his head and looked Caesar in the eyes. That icy stare was completely serious. Whatever Anjou said would likely define their entire relationship going forward. Either Anjou would win Caesar over now or potentially end up on a hit list down the line.

Anjou returned the watch to his pocket and  then dug out another object. He handed Caesar a black thumb drive marked with the Cassell World tree. These black drives were top secret and only issued to those directly involved in high level operations. “The password is Lenin.”

When Caesar plugged in the drive into his tablet computer, he had twenty seconds and one chance to enter the password correctly. His eyes widened slightly when Chu Zihang deftly reached over and entered it for him. Caesar leaned away. “Hey! He gave it to me, not you!”

Chu Zihang was expressionless and silent. He knew Caesar had an issue with remembering and entering passwords on the Trieste.

Caesar huffed and looked at the image before him. It was the MC lying covered in cloth on an operating table. An IV was in her arm and an oxygen mask was over her face. She looked asleep.

“When she arrived we thought she was dead. Not only was she frozen solid with no pulse, she was riddled with bullets from large caliber machine gun rounds.”

“Where did she come from?” Caesar flipped to the next picture that displayed the last clothes she wore. It was a colorful and warm coat and dress, like a young girl should wear to a party.

“She came with no postmark or packing slip. It’s not like UPS would deliver cargo like that.” Anjou chuckled. “She was hand delivered to our doorstep like a baby in a basket.”

Caesar flipped to the next picture. There was a note on modern notebook paper that had two numbers on it. “Coordinates?”

“Yes, when we entered the coordinates they took us to the middle of the sea of Japan. Nowhere near Siberia.”

“Then the person who sent her knew about the dragon’s awakening before we did?”

Anjou didn’t turn around. He stared into the stormy sea ahead of them. The dark ocean was foaming white and was hilly with waves, like a moving mountain range. “She also came with two injections of a special serum that would stabilize her bloodline.”

Caesar flipped to that photo of the serum that was entrusted to Chu Zihang. It was labeled in Japanese script with the symbol of the Devil Clan on it. “Who ever sent her... knew… everything?”

“You haven’t written your report yet. If you say they knew everything… then I assume you understand what you're looking at more than I do. What I remember most was when her heart finally started to beat. It was within that hour that I received notification that the dragon embryo was detected at the exact coordinates on the note she came with.”

Anjou sighed. “How could I not send her with you? Hybrids like her are not permitted into Cassell College with good reason. It was a gamble. After all, she could have been sent to sabotage us.” Anjou finally turned to face Caesar, eyes narrowed. “Was she?”

Caesar’s shoulders lowered and released their tension, looking at the tablet. “No. She has been an asset to the mission and knew vital information. I don’t know how we would have made it without her.”

Anjou nodded sagely. “It’s not that I’m okay with leaving her at the Well. I trust that is where she needs to be. Where she was assigned to be by the one who sent her. I believe MC was sent to kill the god.”

Caesar looked up, eyes wide. “Then why bother using the weapon at all? Just shut it down!”

“I’ve left the kinetic weapon in the care of the Vice Principal.” Anjou grinned. “He has the same information I do.”

Caesar sat back in his seat, letting all his breath out. He smiled, running his hands through his hair. “You could have just said that.”

Anjou turned to face front. “Consider it a trust building exercise, my boy!” 

Anjou was serious on the outside but inside he was gleeful. Judging from Caesar’s response alone the MC had made a fantastic impression on her first mission. If she completed this assignment, she was sure to get a passing grade and scholarship at the college! 

[dragonrajafanfiction]

Anjou’s Motivation

Chisei Gen thought: "Anjou is a gentleman, an educator, but he likes to play, sometimes at the expense of doing his job." “

"It's just a mask he uses to disguise himself. He's very good at covering his heart with flashy appearances, very few people know about his past, and I've been getting some clues for almost a decade." Tachibana Masamune clapped, "Yasha, go to the archives and get me the files of Hilbert Jean Anjou." ”

The plain-colored file bag was soon placed in front of Tachibana, from which he poured out a file and placed it in front of the Chisei. Chisei looked at the home page, the heart slightly surprised.

“Name: Hilbert Ron Anjou

Birthday: 10/28/1878

City of Birth: Harrogate, Yorkshire, UK

Education: Ph.D., Trinity College, Cambridge”

It's a personal file by Hilbert Jean Ange, the president of Cassel College, hundreds of pages thick, with dense text documenting details from birth to this day. As a mixed-race and also of rare longevity, Anjou has lived for almost 130 years. Many of the things he may not remember, were quietly recorded in this file. Chisei never knew that the family's archives still contained such top secrets, even within Cassel College, no one knew about Anjou's past. His old man was dead, and his past was buried in a grave.

"It's a patchwork of several archives, and the result of our own adjustment, so it may not be accurate. However, it may restore Professor Anjou's life. The content is too complicated, I'll pick the important parts to tell you. 

"Unlike what many people think, Hilbert Jean Ange is actually an orphan whose last name, 'Anjou', comes from French, but he was actually born in Yorkshire, England, a small city called Harrogate. He is not only a nobleman, butas a child lived very poor, so he can be said to have suffered. His adoptive parents adopted a lot of children and trained them to beg, and Anjou was one of the most special of the children. He was a hybrid, and at the age of twelve he showed amazing talent. He learned Latin and Greek without a teacher, and was appreciated by the local bishop, who offered him an annuity to study in London so that he could get a chance to go to Cambridge University. There he met the man who really changed his life, Menek Cassel, the elder son of the Cassel family, the founder of the Secret Party LionHeart, and one of the greatest dragon-slaughterers of all time. “

"Menek was twenty-one years old at the time, and Anjou was sixteen years old, and after a lonely childhood and teenage years, Anjou met another man with dragon blood for the first time. Menek recommended him to join the Secret Party and become the first member of the Lions Heart Club. But even Menek didn't think he'd unearthed such excellent blood, and the teenager who came out of the small town of Harrogate would end up as the leader of the Secret Party and the terminator of the dragon. To Anjou, Menek was like his brother, and everyone in the Lion's Heart was his family, because with these people, he was finally able to struggle out of his loneliness. It was the happiest time of his life, he studied at Cambridge, secretly participated in the activities of the secret party, his charm was the greatest bloom. The girls wanted to be with him, the boys were proud to be friends with him. He is a good academic and wore the latest fashions. The playboy image he showed today is the foundation that accumulated at that time.”

"Today's Lion's Heart is just a student association at Cassel College, but at the time it was the Youth League of the Secret Party, the world's best dragon butcher's team. Lion Heart will give Anjou not only friendship, but also glory and dreams. Everyone thinks Lion heart will be the light of hope for the secret party, and Menek Kassel has no doubt that he will be the next secret party leader. But suddenly the great change came, in the event known as 'the Lament of Summer’, the secret party's home Kassel Estate was attacked by the Dragons at night, a Dragon King-level enemy infiltrated into the estate, and the Dragon Servitors surrounded them from the outside. Lionheart fell as war dead.”

"It sounds weird, " Chisei interrupted Tachibana’s account, "In this case, the dragons show similar patterns of behavior to humans, they use strategies, launched a similar military night raid attack, which is not in line with the dragon's behavior patterns." Dragons are proud, noble clans that wake up to growl at the world, destroy all enemies with unparalleled violence, and disdain convert operations.

Tachibana nodded: "Yes, it's very strange, but we can't get to know the truth." 'Lament of Summer' is the top secret of the Secret Party, and hundreds of years on, the Secret Party has not released its findings on anyone other than the school board. But all the evidence suggests that the dragons did launch such a night raid, that they broken in from the inside and should have completely destroyed the secret party. But there is a man who pulls the wind, the world's genius Menek Cassel actually broke out to match the power of the Dragon King. The Cassel family, the greatest dragon-butcher family in history, declined, and no one could ever inherit its glory. The LionHeart was  gone, and Hilbert Jean Ange is the only survivor. ”

"Ange wasn't in Cassel's estate at the time?" Chisei asked.

"No, he was in close contact with the Dragon King, and after his injury he fell into the cellar and passed out as though dead. He recovered the next morning and witnessed the saddest images of his life, with corpses piling up, human beings and Death Servitors hugging each other at the last moments of their lives, not out of affection, but trying to tear each other apart. The only person standing was Menek Cassel, but it was a corpse with a broken knife. Before that, Anjou probably never thought that the war between man and dragons would be so decisive, so cruel, flowing with blood like a river. Only one side survives this war, and even if all you can do is move your jaw, you have to climb over and bite your opponent's throat. ”

"Anjou dug his friend's graves with his own hands and burned them to ashes. He buried the ashes, and he buried his past. When the Secret Party found him, he walked alone in the wilderness, like The Walking Dead, and after he was rescued he said only one word, 'The world turned out to be so cruel'. The doctor said he could not imagine such a seriously injured near-death patient could have such energy, with so many bodies piled up to be burned on the pyre. The doctor said that there must be some amazing mental strength to support the body of the young man. Then Anjou fell asleep and earned a year before he woke up again, and the doctor almost thought he wouldn't wake up again. ”

But he did not become depressed when he woke up, but showed amazing activity. In the 'Lament of Summer’, the secret party elite suffered heavy losses. The young Hilbert Jean Anjou suddenly rose to power at the top of the secretive party. To some extent, he was the beneficiary of 'Lament of Summer. But that didn't bring him any joy. The elegant, active, conceited Anjou disappeared, leaving only the lone, iron-fisted powerman. The old playboy is only the mask he used to disguise himself, he had only a lonely avenger in his heart, always carrying a sharp iron blade. He continued to consolidate his rights, cultivate cronies and take control of the entire Cassel Academy in order to mobilize the most elite teams when it came to dragon slaughtering. This led to the school board's dissatisfaction with him, but Ange is irreplaceable. He had been to hell and back, so he is no longer afraid of death.”

"He was lonely and poor, but his encounter with Menek Cassel changed his life. Overnight, he won honor, dreams, friends, even family, but overnight lost all this, once again closed in the abyss of loneliness. The Dragons took everything from him, and he was determined to take revenge. What the doctor called 'some amazing spiritual force' was hatred, and the dragon taught him the cruelty of the world, from which moment he transformed him into the world's most terrifying dragon-butcher.” Tachibana whispered, "The dragons should regret keeping the man alive." ”

Silence for a long time, Chisei sighed softly: "No wonder everyone said 'don't be an enemy with Anjou', that kind of man's heart hidden coal mine, anger is ignited will not be extinguished until the enemy is burned, or burn themselves to ashes." ”

"Hate has created a paranoid personality, he is a ruthless man, no relatives and no friends. He was good to the students, because he needed them to fight for him, everyone was a tool in his eyes, a tool he used to avenge the Dragons.”

---- Dragon Raja III

[dragonrajafanfiction]

Dragon Dancer: Masterlist

You can also read Dragon Dancer on Ao3.

Main Story Quest Rewritten Series

The Crane Team

Cassell Cynics

Tigre’s Story

Lore and World Headcanons

Dragon Dancer I (Completed)

Forbidden Love Arc Some NSFW

Dragon Dancer II (Completed)

Dragon Dancer III (Completed)

The Wedding Arc

Dragon Dancer IV (Completed)

Handcuffs (Completed) NSFW

WORKS PER CHARACTER

Bai Meixiu (AKA Carli)

Hilbert Ron Anjou (Angers)

Johann Chu (Chu Zihang)

Lu Mingfei (Luminous)

Chisei Gen (Yuan Zhisheng)

Caesar Gattuso

Nono (Chen Motong)

Chime Gen/Ruri Kazama (Yuan Zhinü)

Erii (Eriya) Uesugi

Z

Chu Ru’Yi

Other Fics

AU SERIES

Angela AU (Ongoing)

The Devil From Black Swan Bay (Ongoing)

Class of 2032

MEDIA

In game References

Dragon Dancer Art

Music Inspiration

INGAME STUFF

Luminous Chats (In-game Prompts)

Finger Chats (Ingame Prompts)

Shavee Chats (Ingame Prompts)

Carli Spends Money

[dragonrajafanfiction]

Class of 2032: The Return of Tom

Foli lowered his phone from his ear.

The ship was pitching wildly in the rough seas. The air was full of flying corpse guards. Thunder and lightning came one after another. Battles raged on the decks. But he was silent and still staring at the phone where his brother Dofi had spoken his last words. That girl from Cassell College was of a lost lineage, one of the original ten serpents that hatched out of the Great Egg of the Dark King and the Light King before the Light King’s rebellion and before the creation of the Four Lords on the throne. Hilbert Ron Anjou had correctly inferred that there were Light King Hybrids and tracked them down in Japan, and he had inferred correctly that the Dark King and the Light King ruled over a completely different dragon civilization prior to the Four Lords.

He correctly tracked those dragons to Africa and found the Hybrids there. And now, out of Cassell, not only had he found the hybrids of Mawu-Lisa and Legba, but a Hybrid of a third serpent. The West African Hybrids had scoured the world for generations collecting relics of the lost civilizations of the original ten but never once had they ever run across a single person from those other bloodlines. Yet here, that interloper Anjou had brought them a person, this girl.

He put his phone into his pocket and straightened his cap on his head. Dofi was his playmate, the one who always kept his spirits up. His soft voice spoke from the dark. “Lieutenant?”

Lieutenant Summer Hart looked up at him from her station at the helm, watching the radar as hundreds of dead slaves flooded the water, undermining the ship from beneath. The depth charges were powerful but only repelled and killed a small number of the beasts. More were coming. Meanwhile, on the deck, the Cassell gear department were working on the airborne missile launcher that would finish off the dragon in the sky. Around them, Cassell warriors were in a desperate battle to keep the monsters at bay.

“I’m going to transfer the command to you for the time being.”

The woman looked at him, her eyes serious. Transfer of leadership was only performed in dire emergencies. He certainly had his pick of emergencies to choose from now but she had a feeling there was something else on his mind.

“There is something precious on this ship that cannot be lost.” He walked to a locker and opened it. A long sword reflected the silver light of the lightning outside. It’s cutting edge glowed faintly red. The hilt was carved wood and overlaid with gold, marked with Egyptian Hieroglyphs. “I must personally protect it.”

“The Cassell team has a wounded member but the plan to stop the King of Sky and Wind at the hatching site is moving forward on schedule.” She informed him, watching him as he armed.

“I will let Cassell College deal with their ancestors. This fight has nothing to do with us.” He took down a submachine gun from the rack and hung a belt of alchemy ammunition from his shoulder. He closed the locker and wrapped it around his waist. He felt numb with grief. “Don’t tell them I’m gone.”

Captain Foli’s mind had already moved on to other things. They were facing overwhelming odds from the King Dragon and its Corpse Guards as well as the fleet of Secret Party ships all competing for the glory and the scraps once that magnificent Sky Dragon was turned into carrion. Foli trained his eyes on the screen that was live broadcasting CCTV footage from inside the ship. He flipped through camera after camera until he saw movement. A lone young woman running through a corridor. A few seconds after she passed by the camera, the view was taken up by these horse-sized creatures, galloping after her. 

The girl wasn’t familiar with the ship. She was heading for a dead end.

“Divert personnel to block 387. I will join them.”

In the dark flooded corridor, Ru’Yi skidded to a halt where she'd been running for several minutes. Her lungs were finally starting to burn and the monsters were catching up. There was a large equipment room ahead and no way out. Behind her, these devil horse-like creatures scraped their claws on the metal floor, sending out sparks and gouging long tears in their effort to speed up and gain traction, but she kept running, entered the room and pushed the metal door behind her, locking it shut with the heavy yellow bar. A loud slam and she was thrown back. The beasts put a large dent into the foot thick door.

She picked herself up, gasping for air, looked around quickly and found a fire extinguisher! It was in a red box with a glass panel. Ru’Yi broke the glass with her elbow, tearing her sleeve open, and pulled it out, working frantically to start it up, yanking out the tab and putting it on spray.

Huge claws worked their way through the crack in the door, peeling it back with a metallic screech and revealing blazing golden eyes and flashing teeth. Ru’Yi aimed right for those eyes and let the fire extinguisher loose! A sharp blinding spray of fire retardant chemicals shot out. The creature squealed and disappeared back  but more of them crowded the door.

There was a crow bar behind the fire extinguisher and she gripped that and turned left and right until her eyes fell on a pipe that read, “Caution: High Pressure” in red. 

The door was ripped off its handles and the beast leaped inside just as she smashed a symbol that warned her not to smash it. A jet of boiling hot steam scalded the creature and he raised its arms to shield its face. Ru’Yi scrambled against the wall  to make her way to the door, sobbing in terror.The beast spun around and raked its claws through the air. Ru’Yi’s sneakers slipped in the water and she fell.

Her eyes focused on the lifted claw, hooked with points as sharp as knives glimmering in the low light one second from coming down on her. “Daddy!” She curled up. 

The creature screamed and staggered back under sudden gun fire!

“Get in! Get in!” The members of the West African Executive Board were no cowards. They leaped into the small equipment room, barreling behind long handled spears with shining red tips. Those spear heads penetrated the dead slave skin like they were nothing  but ordinary creatures and pinned them to the floor.

One man crouched under the array of spear shafts and held out his hand with wide eyes to Ru’Yi. “Give me your hand!”

She reached out and he pulled her, sliding her under the door. 

“I’ve got her!” He yelled, hurrying back. 

“Get down! Get down!” Someone yelled. 

“Clear!”

A large bomb went sailing over all their heads and into the equipment room. A bang and a flash and the room filled with mercury vapor.

“Keep shooting!”

Ru’Yi clapped her ears over her head to dampen the hammering of the machine guns and the howls and the screams of the dying beasts.

“Sir!”

Ru’Yi opened her eyes. Captain Foli stood, his eyes wide and his face set. He towered over her like a giant in uniform. “What is your name!” He snapped at her.

“Ru’Yi… Chu Ru’Yi!” She didn’t have time to dodge his hand. 

He took hold of her. “You are now in the custody of the West Africa Branch.” His eyes glowed golden and Ru’Yi felt the room suddenly tilt. She threw her hands to catch herself, but the room spun in the other direction!

Captain Foli gripped her tightly. To an outside observer she moaned and twitched uncontrollably. She paled and broke out into a sweat.

“Stop! Stop!” She begged him. “Help!”

The soldier who brought her here looked at her and then at the Captain. He’d never seen him use his Yanling before, and much less on a civilian.

Foli gave him a severe glare. “Get back to the fight!”

Ru’Yi was unable to walk on her own so he supported her as they made their way through the corridor. Snarling beasts rounded corners and bolted at them but they were quickly cut down by his submachine gun or his blade.

“Where are you taking me…” Ru’Yi moaned.

“Below decks. There is too much to explain to you right now. But you have to survive this. No matter what.”

“I feel sick… I feel sick!” 

Captain Foli entered a hidden medical area near the area where Ra was slumbering. His Yanling was simply referred to as Vertigo, so of course she felt sick. It severely interfered with his target's sense of balance.  

He opened a cabinet on the wall and pulled out a rack of syringes. He never said anything further. He just shoved a needle in her arm. Then he placed her on the table and strapped her into an emergency travel pod. This pod was reinforced with extremely strong metal and carried a seven days oxygen supply. Even if the ship sank and all aboard were killed, someone could return and find her.

Ru’Yi’s cries turned into a weak incoherent moaning. “Daddy… Daddy help…”

Foli pressed his lips together. He regretted taking her from her family, but his brother had died to give him precious information that he didn’t have to die for… if only he had listened to him earlier.

The heavy bulkhead of the ship suddenly deformed on one side of the room, knocking over furniture and sending supplies flying into the opposite wall. Captain Foli jumped up and aimed his machine gun. For a few seconds, nothing happened, but then another loud bang, like someone was hitting the side of the ship with a battering ram! Seawater and rain rushed in and the smell of the ocean flooded the room.

Captain Foli slammed the escape pod shut, and locked it. Claws pierced the metal hull and peeled it back.

What came through was something that looked like a person, but his arms were converted into massive wings. His eyes were red and gold like an open flame, a black trenchcoat flapped from his neck like a cape. His shirt was torn and he was bleeding from his chest, the red running from his body, diluted from the intense rain.

This was no corpse guard. His face wasn’t pale like death and his eyes sparkled with intelligence and anger. Foli brandished his machine gun at him but the creature showed no fear of it. He leaped into the ship with a heavy thud. “Where is Ru’Yi?”

His voice was clear and unmistakable English.

Foli’s eyes turned frigid. He silently opened up a volley of machine gun fire on this beast-man creature. 

It’s eyes burned and it’s wings lifted and filled the air with a strange smoke! Foli covered his nose and mouth, but this wasn’t ordinary air. It pressed against him, spinning in rope-like vortices that pressed his arms to his side and squeezed like chains! He staggered against the wall.

The ‘smoke’ cleared and the young beastman lowered his wings that had served as a shield. Its red-gold eyes fell on the escape pod. He approached cautiously, eying Foli who was leaning against the metal wall.

The smoke was warm and moved independently of the beast. This hand to be some sort of unknown Speech Spirit. Foli watched him lightly caress the escape pod with his wing hands. Then his claws scored the thick metal.

“Heh. You won’t be able to break through it. It’s made to withstand just about anything.” Foli smiled. “She’s not of your kind. She’s of ours. So we’re taking her home.”

“Not of my kind? Explain.” 

“First… I am Captain Foli. I mean her no harm. Quite the opposite. She’s of West African Descent.”

“You’re kidnapping her. You drugged her.” He snarled, revealing sharp fangs.

“You won’t be able to open that thing without my help.” Foli smiled at him. “So you can leave her there and kill me. Or you can let me go and I’ll let you come with her.”

[dragonrajafanfiction]

Afternoon Tea Pt 1

Ru’Yi was not dressed in her uniform but a fine cotton lace yellow gown and ballet flats.

She’d done her hair in braids and pinned it up in a bun and donned blue crystal earrings.

It was a special occasion to have tea with the Vice Chancellor, Mr. Baldwin told her. Few students were invited into that library so she should look nice.

It wasn’t the large library, but a room in the Vice Chancellor’s personal office. A floor to ceiling window let in ample light that shined on several old fashioned globes and towering bookcases, the tops of which were reachable only by ladder. She craned her head up, walking through the door as Finger Von Frings held it open for her.

“The Principal’s office is built on top of the original Cassell Manor,” He said, closing the door behind her. “Hilbert Ron Anjou tried to recreate this particular space from memory. He liked to come here and think about the past.”

She looked up in wonder at the tall man, walking next to him to the table. 

“How’s your friend?” He asked as he removed his cowboy hat and settled it on the globe.

“Tom’s...” She paused, considering how to politely put his precarious situation. “...doing better. He says that he’s going to stay on medication for the rest of his life though. They can barely keep him below 50%...” She said sadly. “I’m just...” She sighed. “...glad they can.”

“I’m glad to hear that too.”  He lifted the antique porcelain teapot and poured the hot water into her cup. He then sat down and she followed. “ I’m not much for tea. I’m more of a beer guy myself but...” He shrugged. “...hey tradition’s tradition.” 

He picked up a manila envelope from the table and opened it. “I wanted to tell you a little bit about the past and... show you this.”

He slid a photograph from the folder and held out it to her.

It was a picture of a group of people, standing together. They were all dressed formally, some ceremonially. One a man with pale hair stood in a beautiful ornate kimono. Another with a kimono but not as ornate. The rest of the men were in dark tuxedos. “Hey! That’s Mom and Dad! And... Is that me?!”

“You were very little back then. Yeah. Barely a year old.” He settled back leisurely in the chair, letting his legs stretch out. “Recognize anyone else?”

“There’s you. And Auntie Nono and Uncle Caesar. That’s all.” 

“That was the first congregation of the Cassell House of Reagents. Shortly after Anjou’s death, we had to figure out a way forward for the College.” He stirred his tea with a small spoon. “Cassell College has been through plenty of dark times. But many would say that what happened before Anjou died was the darkest time in our history. Ever since, we’ve just been trying to recover and praying that a dragon wouldn’t wake up in the meantime.”

“This is the stuff, Dad doesn’t want to talk about.” She said frowning.

“It’s not that he doesn’t want to talk about it. It’s that he can’t. The details of that time are sealed. Confidential. Need to know only.”

She looked at the photo again. “A lot of people seem pretty sad.”

“There are those in that photo who’ve since passed on. Schneider, Manstein... Guderian...” Finger lifted his eyes to the hat on the globe, sadness coming over his face. “...Flamel.”

The names were unfamiliar to her other than Anjou. She kept her silence.

“You’ll learn more about this people later on. Heh.” He smiled a little. “But even before that, we lost a lot of people.” He shook his head. “Friends... long time friends. Some people lost family. A lot of people died. Your parents especially suffered a lot. That makes it even harder to talk about.”

“At that meeting, there was an issue of unstable hybrids that your mother was especially passionate about. They could be born naturally. But a lot of them were actually created by a very evil group of people. They were victims of that time but... the Cassell College still treated the same way they’d treated these hybrids for centuries.”

He shifted in his chair. “You see, back before we had things like Genetic testing, when Hybrids were newly created, they used an alchemical process to forcibly create hybrids. The embryos grew in the natural way, in the womb of a mother. Many of those women died. And even if they lived, there was a chance for those hybrids to be unstable. Those unstable hybrids would grow into monsters. So... as soon as a child was seen to be unstable... it was violently killed. It didn’t matter how young it was.” He said with a slow sad shake of his head.

Ru’Yi swallowed her tea. Trying to imagine a child being put to death.

“Meixiu stood up because she had been unstable but received treatment from an unknown source. She was cured. She said that she spoke for all the mothers who had to watch their children die.”

“She said that going forward, it can no longer be the policy of the Secret Society to destroy unstable hybrids without seeking a cure for them. Technology had advanced. There was no longer any excuse. She demanded that we put forth significant efforts to cure instability.”

He sighed through his nose. “Even now, I get choked up because I know how hard it must have been to stand up and say that. But even then, the old guard refused. The old guys said it was too dangerous. That people would die. That a cure would never be found.”

He pointed to the two Japanese men in the photo. “This here... is Chisei and Chime Gen. She has a special friendship with these two. Chisei used to be High Patriarch of a group formally known as Hydra but is now just the Japan Division. Even though he wasn’t the leader at the time, he was still highly respected by them. He had been on the front line of destroying the unstable hybrids of Japan. He killed dozens... maybe even hundreds of them.”

“So when he stood up and confessed that he still is haunted by his actions to this day and voted her direction? It was like the entire building moved. You could feel history being made.” 

Finger’s blue eyes twinkled. “All of the Japan delegates voted his way.”

“Caesar is an old politician at heart, but Chisei is his dear friend. He voted his way as well... and where Caesar goes,” He waved his hand, “...most divisions will fall in line.”

“In the end, you saw a split between the old generation and the new. All the old guard voted to keep things the way they were but... none of the new blood agreed. Cassell turned in a new direction... into the future.”

“There are still those who agree with the old guard. But it’s too late now. Especially with a severe case like Tom being successfully treated, we have reason to believe that the new era will last.”

He pulled another photograph out and held it out to her. “Don’t tell your mom I have this.” He grinned proudly.

It was a picture of her mother embracing the Japanese man. She could tell by the way the fabric gathered in their hands that they were clinging to each other tightly. “Is this... Chisei?”

“Mhm. Maybe someday I’ll get to tell you their story. But it would be better if you heard it from them. After all. I was only there for part of it.”

“Are those evil people still around?” Ru’Yi asked.

“Hm?” Finger’s eyes widened slightly.

“You said.. evil people created unstable hybrids.”

Finger’s eyes lowered. “I don’t wanna say too much. But the truth is the knowledge is out there now. And so long as there are dragons and hybrids and people who want power, there’s a chance one or two will pop up.”

“Dad told me not to ask about what happened after I arrived here.” She lifted her eyes to him.

Finger looked at her in silence for a few seconds then he nodded.

“I’m... unstable?” Fear clawed at her heart.

“No.” He smiled. “You’re not.”

She let out a breath in relief.

“I just... wanted to you to know a few thing so you can feel proud of your parents. So you don’t feel like they’re hiding things from you. They’re not.” He shook his head. 

“Thanks, Vice Chancellor...”

“Oh Please... call me Finger! That title is so ... “ He grimaced. “It’s a mouthful.”

“Right.” She laughed.

“So, I’m curious Ru’Yi...” He leaned forward a bit. “Why did you join Cassell College anyway...?”

[dragonrajafanfiction]

Dragon Dancer II: Chapter 1: The Gentleman

The light colored facade and fanciful decor of the hundred-year-old Hotel Le Royal Monceau in Paris was truly fitting for spring. Principal Hilbert Ron Anjou tipped his hat in appreciation of the sight and at the doorman who greeted him with “Welcome back, sir.”

Master list

“It is truly a pleasure to be back!” He gestured behind him. “This is my new special student.”

The doorman, dark-skinned and appearing to be in his thirties, regarded the teenage girl standing behind him. She wore a white jacket, her shapely brown legs curving out from a pleated yellow short skirt that some men might eye, hoping for a glimpse of a little more. She was less than impressed with the gracious amenities, avoiding eye contact and fiddling with the tassels of her hood strings.

The doorman grinned anyway. “Well, a fine student she is.” He earned himself a tip for remaining cheery rather than concerned about her gloomy expression.

Anjou checked in. Though his hair and beard were white, he didn’t move like a man that old. His spine was straight, his limbs strong, his manner energetic and jovial. His eyes were focused and crisp. His voice was strong, despite his happy smoking of a Cuban cigar.

The hotel staff were clearly smitten with him, losing their stiff professional manner and laughing at his jokes, eyes glittering with mirth. Even though he wore a custom tailored suit that cost more than most people made in a year and wore rings of rare crystals -- some of alchemical make, so rare and so precious, they might as well have been alien -- they treated him as a friend. 

That was Anjou’s charisma.

It wasn’t until they stepped into the gold mirrored elevator that that charisma faltered.

His student looked lost, unhappy, vulnerable, and achingly beautiful. Her slight figure added to her fae-like appearance. Anjou watched the elevator operator’s face flicker on her, his natural empathy and need to protect a fellow human welling up in his eyes.

The man surely had worked in this hotel long enough to know he shouldn’t ask questions. Anjou watched in wonder and allowed the man’s feelings to develop, chuckling internally as the sight of her worked its magic -- just as it did on Caesar on the Day of Liberty.

Like Caesar, this bellhop forgot where he was, forgot his duty, and was drawn into a disadvantageous position, risking his precious prize -- in this case, a tip.

“Uh… are you okay?”

She lifted her head, surprised to be addressed. Her wide eyes were like windows to her soul, easily read, hiding nothing.

“Yes… are… you alright?” He asked again, committing to his error.

She smiled at him. “Just a little sick from the flight. That’s all.”

Anjou’s eyes returned to the bellhop as he suddenly realized his blunder. To his credit, he didn’t apologize.

“I hope you understand sir…”

“Oh, I understand perfectly.” Anjou’s voice was so warm and reassuring that he might as well have reached over and patted this fully grown man on the head. “And I commend you on your brave spirit and humanity.”

Anjou took out his wallet and produced a tip of three hundred euros. “Here. Spend it well.”

The man let out a wheeze, eyes wide.”Yes. Thank you sir! Thank you… is there anything more I can…”

“I’ll take it from here.” Anjou interrupted, as the doors opened.

His student blessed the bellhop with one more smile, as she left the elevator. The man only broke her gaze after the doors attempted to close on him.

As soon as she arrived in her room, his student fled to her bedroom and shut the door. This was hard on her.  Normally, high ranking students were eager to get off campus and put their education to good use as well as take advantage of the plush amenities their rank afforded them. But she grew up in modest circumstances and only longed for things money couldn’t buy. 

She’d bewitched the other S-ranked student, Lu Mingfei, into a deep friendship with her. She’d drawn the leader of Lionheart into being her lover and lured Caesar Gattuso into practically handing over Day of Liberty to her. Had he not gotten her off campus, he might have found himself without a school.

Everything she had accomplished didn’t apply here, however. She had no friends, no lover, and no influence. As far as she was concerned, Paris was a desert. 

He pressed a key on his phone. The voice on the other end had a slight French accent over the otherwise impeccable English.

“Anjou, a day is too long to go without hearing your voice.”

“And it has been far too long, Capetian. The student and I have just arrived.”

“Excellent! Were there any problems?”

“None! The passport was flawless.”

“And the flight?”

“The weather could have not been better. Let’s hope it remains that way. Paris is making me fall in love all over again!” He chuckled. “Of course, every season is a good season in Paris. Have you located the others?”

“Yes, sir… they…”

Anjou stopped him. “Now, now… brief me tonight at dinner. I would like you to meet our young genius.” 

After a few more loving goodbyes and reminders not to be late, Anjou hung up the phone and went to the bedroom.

She was Charlotte to strangers, Carli to friends, Meixiu to her lover. She was a young woman of many names. He referred to her most often however, as “my dear”. She was dear to him, having come out from the jaws of death and through sands of time to return to his school like a little turtle dove.

Her scowl reminded him, however, that she was actually a hybrid. First Generation, S-ranked, and just as much dragon as she was human. She was not pleased with him. He’d disrupted her plans to spend time in Chizuru with Chu Zihang and made no mystery of her love-sickness. He weathered her glare. “You’re free to stay here and rest while I make arrangements and prepare for the briefing meeting tonight. The mission itself won’t start for a few weeks while we prepare. Try to have a good time.”

She’d taken these arrangements personally and turned back to the window without speaking to him.

After the Day of Liberty, Caesar said that once he’d gotten close enough, she’d drawn him into darkness so forbidding that he thought he had truly died. When he returned to the land of the living, he was breathless, disoriented. She fought him like a wildcat, and then shot him like a dog.

He would savor these moments when she was still under his wing. He got the feeling they would be a memory all too soon.

Anjou adjusted his tie, donned his light trench coat and went out, leaving the “Do not Disturb” sign on the door.

He enjoyed his walk around the city, admiring the art and architecture, the comings and goings of tourists and natives. Women pushed strollers dressed in tracksuits, older men sat in the square and played chess. It was this idyll that was threatened. He needed her here, but was determined to make her first mission as pleasant as possible before the coming storm.

Just as he predicted, the rain started as the sun began to fall. He only went to the bar on a rainy night.

His student dressed up for the evening, in a modest designer black gown and a string of pearls. The afternoon nap seemed to have done wonders. She was smiling again. Her eyes were brighter. They made their way to the bar on the hotel roof. 

The city’s sea of glittering lights and those of the Eiffel Tower drew a gasp from her.  He put his umbrella to the side and sat near the window. He smiled at the bartender. “How are you doing this year, my old friend?”

Capetian emerged from behind the bar, a glass on his platter. Thin and aged, his dark eyes weary under folds of skin, he smiled. “I’m well, old friend.”

The booths were lit by low hanging directional lamps between pools of shadow that provided privacy despite the open layout. It was next to impossible to hear what was going on at any other table. Something about the design of the place kept the noise down while at the same time, keeping close conversation clear.

The smell of the mint liquor wafted from the cocktail glass. Anjou raised his to his lips and sighed with nostalgia. His student eyed him, content to sit and watch him be happy. A menu was set before her and she looked it over.

The waiter, also older, and so pale he looked like a ghost in the lamplight, softly spoke. “I will be pleased to see to your needs this evening.”

She once again seemed shocked to be talked to. “Um… I need a little more time. Thanks.”

“I’ll take this year's caviar plate for a starter.” Anjou nodded.

The waiter bowed and faded back into the shadow.

Capetian took his seat next to Anjou, who produced a Havana cigar from his jacket pocket and snipped off the tip with a pocket knife. “The Bombay expedition was successful. We’ve found a dragon palace remarkably preserved under the slums. We are currently making our way through the catacombs. However, the dragon is not making it easy to find its chambers.”

He flicked his lighter against the cigar until the tip glowed. “We’ve never seen such a repository of draconic script. And the entry to the complex is predicated on our understanding of it. EVA has done her best with cataloging the known ciphers and arranging and organizing the unknown ciphers along with their context. But this requires a … human touch.” He let out a puff of blue-tinged smoke. “Have you arranged the safe house?”

His student turned to the waiter, ordering a mushroom risotto with a salad. But she was listening. He could tell.

Capetian described a spacious townhouse on the forested outskirts of Paris. At great expense, he’d purchased it, as well as leased the adjacent properties to provide maximum privacy and security for what was bound to be a long term project. He’d stocked the kitchen, installed a private network with direct access to EVA, and a complete off the grid power, water, and sewer system.

The waiter returned with the caviar platter. Anjou offered it to the student who cringed at the sight of the raw fish eggs. “Come now… you’re here to experience new things!” 

While she hesitantly spooned a bit of the roe onto a cracker, Anjou settled on the Kobe beef tartare for his order.

“Have you contacted any of our agents yet?”

“Not yet, I wanted to make sure that nothing came up at the last minute. We’re spread thin here, almost all the agents are occupied with their own projects, but they understand that none are more urgent and pressing than this one. They are willing and available.”

He smiled and nodded. “Your cooperation is deeply appreciated.”

Capetian turned to the girl, watching her clumsily taste caviar for the first time. “And the girl… is she ready?”

“Charlotte?” This time Anjou couldn’t help but laugh, earning him a surprised look from Capetian. Everywhere she went, this uncertainty about her talents followed. He was shaking with laughter, wiping away tears. “Charlotte is the least of my concerns. My biggest concern is your agents’ capability of handling her.”

Capetian’s jaw dropped, “Pardon…?”

Anjou leaned on one elbow, tilting the ash into a silver tray. “She is the winner of the Day of Liberty, S-ranked, and is an essential asset to this mission. I’ll be assigning Agent Robertson to her care and safety. I’ll expect your agents to guard her with their lives and cater to her every request while she works.”

He drew a long puff from his cigar, relaxing to the flavor, the smoke pooling a moment in his mouth. “She has already killed. She can do so again. If they don’t believe me, then they may see for themselves if they try anything improper.”

Charlotte’s gaze lowered and she lost all interest in the caviar.

Capetian swallowed. “Understood, sir.”