Phantom

The Last Nephilim

By

Gabriel Common

Co-writer

Christy Lea Wilkerson

2

This is a work of fiction. The events and characters

described herein are imaginary and are not intended to

refer to specific places or living persons. The opinions

expressed in this manuscript are solely the opinions of

the author. The author has represented and warranted

full ownership and/or legal right to publish all the

materials in this book.

Phantom

All Rights Reserved.

Copyright © 2008 Gabriel Common

This book may not be reproduced, transmitted, or stored

in whole or in part by any means, including graphic,

electronic, or mechanical without the express written

consent of the author except in the case of brief

quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Cover art Design by Tiffany Compton – deviantart user

profile - Eisoptrophobic

Cover Landscape art by devianart user profile –

Wyldraven

Federation cover symbol – Angelo Ruiz

Book Editor – Virgo Castro

Special Thanks to Lamar Latham

ISBN-13: 978-1490511924

ISBN-10: 1490511924

3

Prologue

Since the beginning of time, mankind has been

in a constant struggle between good and evil. However,

there are some places where the battle is a more physical

one, then a mental. It all started eons ago, in the early

years of time, with the three planes of existence. The

higher plane was called Heaven, it was inhabited by

celestial beings called angels, the middle plane was

called Eden, it was inhabited by physical beings called

humans, and the lower was called Hell, it was inhabited

by dark beings called demons.

4

There has always existed constant war between

Heaven and Hell, with Eden being the battleground.

One day a legion of Angels grew tired of following the

orders of the divine king of Heaven and decided to rebel.

Being that they were celestial beings with no free will,

they launched a scheme to merge their species with the

humans. Led by the three archangels; Lucifer, Samyaza

and Azazel, a legion of two hundred angels entered

Eden and spread their seed throughout the universe

creating what became the Nephilim; physical beings that

possesses the powers of angels, but the free will of man.

Teaming up with Hell, the Nephilims’ goal was

to corrupt mankind and overthrow Heaven. The war

went on for decades, until one day the Divine King had

had enough. He destroyed all of the corrupt beings,

uprooting them from Eden and closed the gates between

the three planes, so that no type of corruption like the

Nephilim would ever again reach Eden. Even though

the angels and demons could no longer physically

influence mankind, they were still able to mentally

influence them with what they had taught the humans,

and this is where our story ends with Earth.

5

But far from Earth in a distant galaxy called

Evangeline, the Angel and Demons were finding ways

to bend the rules. The Demons teamed with evil humans

and gave them special powers. The demons first created

the Kaiju, humans with the ability to shape-shift into

powerful creatures. They then created the Summoners,

humans with the ability to convert their bodies into

temporary gateways allowing the Demons to cross onto

Eden.

The Angels on the other hand teamed up with

good humans and created The Divine Federation, an

organization dedicated to stopping the evil humans from

reopening the Gates of Hell. Within this Federation,

certain humans would be selected to be given the

Angels’ gift which gave them certain powers similar to

angels in order to battle the Kaiju and the Summoners.

These groups of elite warriors were called Arcs.

6

1

The painful screams of a woman in hard labor

echoed throughout the halls of a hospital. In the

delivery room, a nurse held Rose’s hand trying to

comfort her through the labor while the doctor talked

to her through the procedure.

“Come on….. Rose, push! You’re almost

there!” The doctor yelled.

Rose let out a loud scream that ended just as

she heard the cry of her son.

As the doctor and the nurse laid eyes on the

baby boy, their mouths dropped in shock. The doctor

reached around to the baby’s back for a better view

of the little feathered wings protruding its way out of

the baby’s back.

7

“Oh my God!” spoke one of the nurses, in

shock. “What is this?”

Rose suddenly screamed again in pain

startling everyone in the room.

“There’s another one coming,” the doctor

shouted handing the first baby to one of the nurses.

The medical crew rushed back to their station

frantically to help Rose deliver her second child, as

her screams escalating echo rambled throughout the

hospital.

Under the night sky on the rooftop of the

hospital stood a man dressed in black staring into the

stars as the painful screams of Rose echoed in his

ears. He was depressed that there was nothing he

could do to comfort her. Suddenly he was taken by

the voice of an old friend floating into his ear from a

distance behind him.

“I didn’t expect to find you here, Krisstan.”

Not turning around, Krisstan replied, “At the

hour of my sons’ birth, where else would I be?”

8

Finally turning around, he stared into the eyes of the

man who had just spoken to him. “I see they’re

trying to play on my emotions by sending you

Michael…I guess they’re taking advantage of the fact

that you were always like a brother to me.”

“You betrayed us Krisstan. You knew the

rules, but you paid them no heed. I’m afraid; there is

nothing I can do for you now.”

Krisstan put his head down and sighed “I

see…...”

“Please Krisstan, do not flee.”

“At the hour of my son’s birth, what kind of

father would I be if I did?”

“Then let us return to heaven for your

judgment, the Seraphim are waiting.”

Krisstan put his hands together and his head

down concentrating on his teleport while his body

gradually floated as he lifted his head and opens his

arms. His body glowed while a white ball of light

emerged, out of his body. At the same time, his body

began emitting bright white steam, while two wings

gradually grew out of his back. As his appearance

was going through the changes, Michael’s body also

9

rhythmically followed the transformation. The

environment around the two suddenly shifted. It

quickly brightened and the building around them

faded out; while they both faded into a bright room,

which was built with crystal walls and golden pillars

that circled around them.

In this plane, their bodies rather were not

glowing and emitting white steam as it did in the

mortal plane. Now in heaven, they appeared as

normal being left only with white, feathered wings

extending out from their backs.

“So you’ve finally decided to return

Krisstan?” came a thundering echoing voice that

seemed to vibrate the environment, followed by the

sight of seven glowing beings that faded into the

room. Their bodies shaped as humans but they had

no physical features; only glowing wings that

stretched out from each of their backs. They were the

Seven Seraphim of heaven, the highest beings of the

Angel hierarchy.

Krisstan kneeled before the seven and spoke,

“Please be merciful, for I am aware of my sins and do

not deserve your grace.”

10

One of the Seraphim stepped forward, and in

a voice that echoed as a song, he spoke. “Krisstan,

you went against the word and gave in to your lust

for a mortal being. I’m afraid mercy is the last thing

you will receive.”

“My action was not the effect of lust but love.

I love this human, and at this moment she is giving

birth to my sons, Raven and Traiven.”

“Krisstan, despite your motives, your sin

cannot be justified.”

Another Seraphim then stepped forward and stated.

“Now you have brought the Nephilim back into

existence. You know being half human gives them a

free Will, while still possessing the power of the

angels… You also know that was the reason why

every Eye of Eden was destroyed but the one that

you were charged to protect. But what did you end

up doing?” He continued, “You used it to manifest

yourself onto the plane of Eden to be with a human.”

Krisstan bowed his head and sighed, “Day

after day, I watched the humans live out their lives

while living among them; and day after day I envied

them. I was able to contain myself until I met Rose,

11

that’s when everything changed.” He then lifted his

head. “I never intended for things to go as far as they

did but I don’t regret it.”

“Krisstan!” Shouted another Seraphim.

“Anywhere else we would be able to grant your life

with your love and your sons, but Earth is an isolated

planet unknown to the rest of the universe. You will

continue to guard the Eye of Eden, but you will be

banished from Heaven and put on planet Croft.

There you will remain and raise one of your sons,

your other son will remain on Earth with his mother

and will never learn of his origin.”

Krisstan gave a depressing sigh and bowed

his head letting out a single teardrop. He then gave a

silent plea, “I am sorry Rose.”

Eighteen years later . . .

Far away in a distant galaxy called

Evangeline a large fleet of warships headed toward

the planet of Sabola, a red looking planet with its

12

rocky surface. On top of its surface existed a large

rusty looking fortress shaped like a large pentagon.

The fortress had a series of pointy, tall towers on

each of its exterior angles. There also existed

pathways that connected the towers and thick pillars

that extended from each tower horizontally to the

center that held up a wide pyramid shaped section.

There were cannons mounted atop the pyramid and

turrets posted in large windows all along the walls of

the structure.

The Soldiers scattered within the fortress, as

an alarm sound reached its peak. A voice shouted

over a communications system giving orders for the

soldiers to mount their battle stations and prepare to

defend their castle. The voice came from the man

posted in the dome above the fortress; this was the

command center of the fortress. In the command

center, the walls were rounded with computer

screens that had soldiers sitting at each station

organizing their defense. Their uniforms were brown

trousers and long sleeve brown dress shirts. On their

shirts were two vertical rows of white buttons on its

center. Also in this room existed a circular black

13

panel that stood in the center with a holographic

video feed that floated above the panel. The video

feed showed a fleet of warships heading toward their

planet. Along the east section of the wall, was a wide

section that had no display of computer hanging

above it. A light suddenly cut through the middle of

this section and it glided open, letting in three men.

Two of the men were dressed alike; while the other

had on a dark brown hooded cloak, with the hood

hanging over his head almost covering his face. He

quickly lifted up his hood; revealing his face that

carried blonde hair with bangs that stretched down

to the top of his blue eyes. His appearance projected

him as to be in his late thirties; making it difficult for

one to quickly spot out that he was actually ten years

older than his appearance. Though his face appeared

innocent, his body without a doubt spelled out he

was an athlete. He was built with broad shoulders

that he could use to run through anything that gets

in his way. He walked to the center hologram with

his two companions; they watched in silence as the

fleet of ships gradually approached their way. The

blonde man gave a doubtless smirk, “Looks like the

14

Federation didn’t waste any time.” He said calmly

with his unique deep voice, that sounded years older

then he looked.

“Just as we expected Lord Lance,” Replied

one of the men who stood behind him.

“Is our new defense system ready?” Lance

questioned.

“Yes, but we still haven’t tested It.” Respond

another man who sat at one of the control panels.

“Well there’s no time like the present,” Lance

said with a cocky smirk on his face.

“My lord!” called another one of the men

from his computer station. “We’re receiving a

transmission from General Shinnle.”

“This ought to be interesting,” Lance replied

as he walked over to the computer screen and stood

behind him.

An older man appeared on the screen before them

wearing his full regalia, a black trousers and a black

thick long sleeve shirt that had a white splitting line

that ran from the neck area down to its tail. The shirt

button also ran next to the white splitting line, it also

carried red stripes on its shoulders. Over his heart

15

was a symbol, which was a silver shield with white,

feathered wings that protruded on its sides. The

symbol also carried two swords that were crossing

behind the shield with a gold ten-point star over its

front.

“General Shinnle!” called Lance. “Didn’t you

think sending your warships was obvious enough?”

“No blood has to be shed today, Lance.”

replied General Shinnle. “You are guilty of crimes

against Eden, surrender and let the people of Sabola

free of your war.”

“You are the one with an entire fleet of ships

ready to attack my planet, and you’re trying to call

me the bad guy?” Lance replied yelled. “Is it wrong

for me to seek a different ending to life other than

what the Divine King has to offer?”

“It is when you put the lives of others at stake

to do it.” General Shinnle replied.

“Well then go ahead!” Lance stated. “Send

your armies and send your Arcs.”

“You can’t win Lance.”

16

“Maybe, but I’m not as foolish as you think. I

did expect you to eventually find out that I was the

leader of the Summoners, so I planned accordingly.

Your men won’t even make it through our

atmosphere.” Lance boasted. General Shinnle face

changed as he got angry and went off the screen.

Lance then turned back to his soldiers, “Protect the

Gateway at all cost, I’m sure that’s what they’re

really after.”

The fleet of warships had just reached the

atmosphere of a Sabola. Leading the fleet were large

grey carriers, each had rectangular fuselage that were

adorn with short wings wide enough to stretch

across from the front of the ships to its back. The

carriers also had long windows mounted in front

with short rounded cockpits within. The ships also

possessed large thruster that looked like large vents,

which hang massively on its back. On each ship

mounted the Divine Federation’s symbol. Also,

directly behind the carriers were dozens of smaller,

oval shaped ships. These ships were dark blue in

color with wings that curved out toward its back.

Like the carriers, they had front windows behind its

17

short nose, also large circular thrusters on their backs

and the federation’s symbol, which mounted on its

sides. In place of a star over the shield on the symbol,

each had a different three-digit number, all starting

with the number seven. These smaller ships were

called Phantoms. They each held an average crew of

between seven and eight people. Their missions were

to carry and deploy a pair of elite warriors called

Arcs.

As the group of ships descended gradually

from its normal flying range; large hatches gradually

slid open on the large carriers releasing dozens of

small, one-man fighter ships that rushed down

towards planet Sabola. As they entered its

atmosphere, they stumble upon large floating gun

turrets that quickly opened fire, shooting out streams

of green glowing energy, which instantly destroyed

each of the fighters with a single hit.

Across the solar system from Sabola, on a

bright green and blue planet called Vana, General

Shinnle stood over a large square platform watching

a holographic feed of the battle. “STOP THE FLEET!”

18

He shouted as he saw a few of his carriers go down.

He was surrounded by soldiers dressed in a similar

uniform as he was. Some of the soldiers sat at the

control panels in front of him and some sat behind.

The room Shinnle and his soldiers were in,

was brightly lit to which it revealed its gray walls. It

also carried a shining ceiling that lit the room as if

light came in directly from the planet’s natural light

source.

“Run a scan of their atmosphere, find an open

point of entry.” General Shinnle demanded.

“I’m afraid you’ll only be wasting your time,”

came the voice of Lance as he appeared on the screen

in front of General Shinnle on the other side of the

holographic feed.

General Shinnle walked around the feed and

replied to Lance. “We won’t give up that easy

Lance.”

“Proceed if you wish, but these are not

ordinary turrets, they fire compressed shots of

intense plasma energy that explodes on its touch to

anything. Even your shields can’t withstand the force

as you have already witness.”

19

General Shinnle stared at the screen, blank in

silence, unable to think of a solution to the pressure

to which his fleet faced at that moment.

“Don’t try to look for a point of access…

You’ll find these turrets around our entire

atmosphere.” Lance added with a confident tone in

his voice.

A soldier who had just left his computer

station whispered on General Shinnles’ left ear. “He’s

right sir.”

“I checked and those turrets are everywhere.”

The soldier also added. General Shinnle strained his

fist in anger; he then turned to one of his men, “Call

them back.” He turned back to his screen and said to

Lance, “You won’t be able to hide behind your

defenses forever Lance.”

Lance gave a smirk, “Soon I won’t have to.” And

then went off the screen.

Meanwhile, a dark blue ship marauded just

outside of plant Sabola’s atmosphere.

20

“This is Phantom Seven-Three-Five. Vana, Do

you copy?”

“This is Vana. What’s your status Three-Five?”

“We’re in position and ready to commence.”

“Stand by for further instructions.”

“Aye.”

Benny turned his chair around facing the

center of the bridge where Captain Joker Jenkins sat

sipping on a warm cup of tea.

“Captain, Vana has ordered us to stand by.”

“I know Benny, I just heard the message.”

Benny turned back around to face the front

screen that was also accompanied by, the helm and

the control panel on its side. Suddenly, a metal door

in the back of the bridge slides open and a young

woman named Bethany Smartly walked in. She wore

white slacks and a white jacket that carried light

green stripes on her sleeves. Also on the jacket at the

chest region was a light green symbol of a hollow

circle, with a green line vertically crossing the

bottom. She kept her eyes directly at the screen while

she walked to the front and stood beside Benny.

21

Gazing at the massive brown planet displayed in

front of them.

“Ironic…” she said. “…for having such an

evil leader, the planet is sure a beautiful site.”

At that moment, a transmission from Vana spoke

over the communication system. “Three-Five, this is

Vana, do you copy?”

“Loud and clear,” responded Benny.

“You have been ordered, by General Shinnle

to abort the mission.”

“Why?” questioned Joker from his chair that

sat in the center of the ship.

“A new development has just surfaced about

the enemy’s defense system. We’ll abort the

operation until we have a way through.”

“Understood” Joker sighed. “Benny, turn this

ship around and take us home.”

“You got it.” Replied Benny.

Outside their ship, a group of Phantoms sat

just outside of the atmosphere. Each ship had two

human figures standing on top of them looking

down on planet Sabola, all except for Phantom

Seven-Three-Five which had only one figure

22

standing atop its roof. The young man standing on it

had black hair and blue eyes; which complimented

his very young face. He wore the Federation uniform

with its logo, three five-point stars marking his rank.

Also, on his chest was a small dull silver chest plate

that matched his shoulder armor. This was the

uniform of the Arcs. On his waist hung a sword with

a shiny blue blade fixed onto a white handle. The

sword’s hand guards were shaped like wings of a

silver Phoenix with the rest of its silver body swirling

around the white handle. This young man’s name

was Raven, the son of Archangel Krisstan, and a

human mother Rose.

“Raven!” came the voice of Joker over a small

communication device he wore in his ear.

“Due to insufficient data on the enemy’s

defenses, we’re aborting this mission for now.”

“But captain, what about the Gateway? Every

second we avoid them is a second they’re closer to

raising Cassius.” Raven stated…

“If we act now, we’ll lose. Their defense is too

powerful; we’ll have to find another way.” Joker

yelled.

23

Raven stared down at the planet in anger

wanting to follow the orders of his captain, but at the

same time he felt extremely disappointed and angry

over the recent loss of his former teammate in which

he blamed the Federation for such lost.

Raven took in a deep breath, and as he

excelled, his white, feathered wings violently

stretched out his back.

“Raven! What are you doing?” Asked Joker.

“You guys can run if you want to, but I’m

going to destroy that Gateway before the Summoners

can use it.” Raven bent his knees and then leaped off

heading straight toward Sabola’s surface.

He fell through the sky face-first into the

atmosphere. As he approached the planet, all the

turrets in a synchronized motion aimed in his

direction and opened fire. Raven, at that point, kept

changing his wings in motion. This caused his body

to shift from side to side, dodging the barrage of

turret fire, speedily approaching. As he passed a low

satellite hovering over the planet’s atmosphere, it

24

deployed two small mechanical robots that chased

after him in every direction he turned.

While maneuvering his way to evade the

stalking robots; he took a sudden noticed of red

beams, which barely missed piercing its way through

his clothing. Looking the direction to which the beam

came from; he realized it was being released by

stalking robots. He lifted his left hand up and a small

gun emerged from his sleeve. He leaned toward the

robots and fired back successfully destroying one,

while the other robot immediately shot the gun out

of his hand. Instantaneously, he quickly drew his

sword and deflected countless shots, which

approached him with speed that left him no second

to take a breath. As he quickly turned back around to

have a good sense of his direction, he caught the

sight of a mountain fast running toward him.

Instinctively, he turned his body to the right

avoiding a collision, but then he fell to the mountain

side. He quickly sprang back up and swung his

sword cutting off a piece of a rock from the

mountain. As the piece of rock fell off and was

accelerating its way to the ground, he kicked it

25

toward the robot hitting it upon contact, which

caused the robot to explode into debris.

Lance watched on the screen through the

point of view of the last robot camera as the rock

flew speedily toward it and then his screen cut into

black.

A soldier walked in and went up to Lance.

“My lord, their fleet is retreating,” he stated. Lance

pressed a button next to the screen and the image of

Raven before he destroyed the robot took center of

the screen. “Apparently not,” stated Lance as he kept

his eyes on the screen. Turning to the soldier as one

experiencing a bipolar moment, he screamed. “FIND

HIM AND KILL HIM.”

“Yes sir!” the soldier responded frantically.

Just at that instant a voice of a young man traveled in

the room from the entrance. “Leave him to me.” It

stated. Both froze. Then, looked toward the direction

26

of the voice as an image of a gray figure, standing in

darkness of the doorway, emerged into view.

“Moth, how nice of you to finally join us.”

Lance stated looking relieved. “I had sent for you

days ago.” He continued. Moth held on to his words

a bit, while slowly walking into the room, before

responding. “Had to make a quick detour.” Then he

gestured his finger toward Raven on the screen. “I’ve

faced him before, so let me settle things with him.”

“He is no ordinary Arc, he’s a Nephilim. It

isn’t going to be so easy to kill him like you did with

his former partner.” replied Lance. Moth silently

turned and begin his walked to the door. Then said

on top of his voice “Good, I would like a challenge!”

Raven, who had taken flight again after his

encounter with the robots; suddenly ran into a view

of a massive fortress in the distance away from his

sight. He shifted his body and changed his direction

toward the top of the fortress, where he intended on

landing. Just as he was about to hit the fortress’s

surface, he quickly stretched his wings and turned

27

his body vertically bringing himself to a midair stop,

he then retracted his wings and fell a few feet onto

the highest point of the fortress. There he could pick

up on the sound of a sirens going off from every

section of Sabola. The soldiers were scrambled

around the area. For that reason everything worked

in his favor, because he took advantage of the chaos

to reach his destination without being noticed. At

least that’s what he thought.

In the middle of the chaos, he was able to

reach his destination unseen. Just as he was about to

hit the fortress’s surface, he quickly stretched his

wings and turned his body vertically, bringing

himself to a midair stop. Then, retracted his wings

and fell a few feet onto the highest point of the

fortress.

Joker waited patiently on the bridge of the

Phantom for a word from Raven. His voice finally

came over the communication system. “Captain, I’ve

just reached the castle.”

“HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND?!” Joker

shouted angrily.

28

“I’m already here so we might as well

complete this mission.” Raven responded.

Joker sighed calming himself down

gradually. “Do they know you’re there?”

“I was spotted by two sentry robots,” said

Raven.

“Darn! Raven, you can still turn back. I’m

sure by now they’re looking for you. If you stay,

you’ve only got minutes to destroy the Gateway and

get out.”

“I only need minutes.” Raven said.

“If you face any confrontation, abort

immediately. Do you copy?”

“I’m sure it’ll be nothing I can’t handle.” He

stated.

Raven moved toward a large machine, in a

courtyard in the center of the dark castle, which is

located underneath the command dome. He tilted his

head up as he moved closer to the machine. He

stopped before a huge grey arch and stared up in

amazement, for it towered over him. “Wow, this

29

thing is huge.” He whispered to Joker through his

earpiece.

“Just hurry up and destroy it Raven. I don’t

want you on that planet for too long.” Joker

whispered back as if Raven’s life was in danger.

“Got it!” Raven responded.

Raven walked to the control panel and pulled

out a small device, which was shaped as a pin from

his belt. He aimed it at the panel and a red beam shot

from the device touching the panel. A few seconds

passed before the beam retracted.

“Captain, I just sent you data on the

Gateway.” Raven whispers.

Joker stood over Benny, stared at the screen as

information on the machine appeared. “I’m looking

at it now,” Joker said.

“Looks like they’re almost done, I’d say about

one more week.” Benny remarked.

“If they could open a gateway to Hell, then

they can release all of the demons that are too

powerful for them to summon, including Cassius.”

Joker mentioned.

30

“I didn’t think it was even possible.” Stated

Benny.

Raven, was staring at the machine, as Joker

voice came into his ear set. “There are theories, but

I’d rather not find out. Raven destroy that thing

now!”

Raven at that moment noticed a bright glow

emitting from top of the machine. He looked up and

saw a clear square box with a divine white light

trapped within. As he Raven stepped closer to the

arch, the light grew brighter. His mouth dropped in

shock as he realized what the shinning object was.

“Captain,” He whispered. “It’s the Eye of Eden, this

must be how they’re able to build the gateway.”

“Of course, they’re going to convert it to

connect to Hell instead of Heaven. We can’t let them

finish it!” Joker said making sure that a sense of

urgency is heard on his voice.

“On it!” Raven snapped as he grabbed the

handle of his sword, unsheathing it. “Unfortunately,

I lost my gun in the landing. I’ll have to do this the

long way.” Raven said, as if talking to himself. He

31

bent his knees taking a stance to strike the machine,

but before he could make his move, he was stopped

by a familiar voice calling his name. He violently

stopped him in his tracks.

Raven turned and immediately caught the

sight of a shadow figure of a person standing behind

him, a few feet away. As the man stepped into the

light, Raven took note that the figure was dressed in

a gray outfit which came with black gloves that

extended past his elbows. He also had on a gray

mask made out of a clothing material, that covered

most of his face except for an eyehole for his left eye,

and an upper right corner, which revealed slightly,

what seemed to be some sort of decayed flesh.

“Moth,” Raven said angrily as he tightened

his grip on to his sword handle. “I was kind of

hoping I’d run into you again.” Raven added.

“Well, after my last job against your team, I

thought it was time to give you a closer experience of

my power.”

“Raven!” came the voice of Joker through

Raven ear set. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?

DESTROY THAT THING NOW!”

32

“Sorry, Captain, I’ll get to the machine. But

first, I have some unfinished business.” Raven

reached to his ear and took out his communication

device.

“I’ve been waiting to finish you off,” Moth

said. He stretched out his arms, and a foot long blade

emerged out from each of his gloves, over the backs

of his hands. Raven slowly lifted his sword and bent

his knees as Moth lifted his arms with a sinister grin

on his face. He then bent his knees, in his unique

fighting stance, which seem to be different from

anyone Raven had ever seen.

The two stared at each other for a second as

the fury of an impending battle builds up within

them both. They suddenly rushed toward each other,

Moth swung his right blade and Raven blocked it

with his sword. Moth quickly saw an opening while

Raven’s sword was blocking his right blade and

swung his left blade at Raven’s chest. Raven quickly

jumped backward dodging the attack while thrusting

his left palm forward emitting a powerful unseen

force. Moth quickly crossed his arm as he was hit and

was pushed back several feet but managed to land on

33

his toes. Raven launched toward his enemy with his

sword cocked back and took a swing. Moth

rhythmically synchronized Raven’s movement by

lifting his blades, blocking each attack until he finally

went on the offensive and thrust his right blade

toward Raven’s chest again. Raven quickly spun

around dodging the attack and ended up behind

Moth. Raven quickly swung his sword, hitting Moth

on his back. Moth was pushed forward a few steps,

and quickly turned to blocked Raven’s next attack.

Moth thrust his blade again and Raven flipped over

Moth, dodging Moth’s attack yet again. This time, as

Raven came down swinging, Moth quickly jumped

forward, out of the way and turned his body. He

then grabbed some small disk like blades from his

cloak and threw them at Raven. Raven quickly

jumped back and evaded the blades, but failed to

notice that Moth had rushed toward him with his

right palm cocked backward. Once Moth reached

Raven, he threw his palm forward with all his might

and emitted a force greater than the one Raven had

used. The force threw Raven backward, which

34

caused him to crash into the electronic control panel

of the gateway, before he fell to the ground.

Raven stood up and quickly regained his

stance but noticed Moth looking over him in fear

with a terrified look on his face. Raven turned and

looked up to notice sparks flying from top the

gateway. The gateway shook violently, as if it was

about to explode, as the light from the Eye of Eden

slowly grew with intensity. Both men started their

sprint away from the gateway; it exploded and

created a bright light that disappeared as fast as it

appeared.

The force had pushed Moth to the ground,

once he recovered; he looked back and saw that the

gateway was destroyed, with the Eye of Eden still

intact. But then again, Raven was gone.

Meanwhile inside the Phantom, Benny was

cautiously scanning the area while Joker tried

reaching Raven through the communication device.

“RAVEN! RAVEN! COME IN!” Joker shouted but

received no response.

“Captain, I’m not finding him anywhere,”

said stated Benny.

35

“Widen the search!” Joker shouted.

“I’ve searched the entire planet…Raven is

gone.”

2

36

The bright moon shone over the peaceful

town of Elton, Louisiana. A small town of

approximately twelve hundred people, where

everyone knew each other. It was surrounded by

farmland and forest, and it only had a single two-

lane road that connected the town to the rest of the

Earth. The sun had been down for just a few hours.

The moon was in the center of the sky, shinning its

light over a small construction zone; where a new

building was in the process of being built. The pipe

had just been laid and connected at the construction

site, for the purpose of feeding gas for the building’s

heating system.

The door of the empty unfinished building

suddenly had burst open, and two teens dressed in

black and wearing ski masks stepped inside holding

cans of gasoline in their hands. The chap, who took

the lead, stepped into the room with confidence and

start to look around for a target location.

“Are you sure we’re doing the right thing?”

Asked the other teen who seemed to be a year or two

younger?

37

“We’re doing this town a favor.” Answered

the older teenager as he had turned and grabbed the

cans of gasoline from him. “Now keep a lookout

while I set things up.”

“Ok” responded the younger teen as he had walked

out and closed the door behind him.

Inside the building, the teenager opened up

the cans and poured gasoline on the floor making

sure to maintain a planned pattern. Once he had

completed the emptying of the cans; he tossed them

aside, unaware that one of the can had hit a gas pipe,

creating a crack that allowed gas to seep through. As

he stepped out the building, he noticed a distance

light gradually approaching the site. He quickly ran

to the nearby roadside, meeting up with his partner.

“Go finish the job,” he told his partner. “I’ll

lead him away.”

“Are you sure this’ll be okay?”

“Yeah, the floor is concrete. It isn’t flammable.

It’ll just scorch the message and that’s it.”

He quickly pulled off his ski mask revealing

his eighteen year old boyish face that carried short

black hair and blue eyes. He casually walked down

38

the road, as the car grew closer. His partner ran back

to the building, ignited a match, and then threw it on

the gasoline. The fire began to scorched the words GO

AWAY! onto the concrete floor.

The car came closer, then stopped, as the

teenage boy called out, “Sheriff Payton, what a

surprise!”

“Wish I could say the same to you, Traiven.”

replied the Sheriff. “We’ve gotten a tip that there

were trespassers on Mr. Tanner’s new property.”

“Oh,… you think it’s me.”

“It wouldn’t be first time.”

“Come on, I learned my lesson.” Traiven

spoke sarcastically, then continued; “Even though no

one wants this guy here, we just have to sit back and

continue to let him be. He is taking all the jobs from

the good people who lived here their whole lives.

Don’t worry, I understand that now.”

“This is America, Traiven,” said the Sheriff.

“Unfortunately.” Traiven murmured.

Payton sighed, “Okay look, nothing seems to

be out of order, so I’ll let you go this time. Just please

stay out of trouble, and say hi to your mom for me.”

39

Before the sheriff could roll up his window to drive

off, a big bang and a bright flash of light that came as

a blur from his peripheral vision suddenly stopped

him. He quickly stepped out of his car with his hand

pulling out his gun from the holster. That when he

took notice of the building going up in a violent

flame. He turned to Traiven with a very angry look

on his face.

“Okay,” said Traiven, with his hands in the

air. “That was not my intent.”

Phantom Seven-Five-Eight had just swung into

the atmosphere of Earth. As it faded back out of the

clouds, two dark figures dove off headed straight

toward the planet’s surface.

“Avoid any type of confrontation you meet.

We can’t at any cost risk giving ourselves away,”

said Captain Lamar Latham over the communication

system.

“Don’t worry, we will.” came the voice of a

middle-aged man speeding down to earth, followed

by the voice of a younger man who accompanied

him.

40

“Why can’t we carry our weapons?”

“People on this planet are unaware of any

activities outside their atmosphere. Carrying a

weapon might draw unwanted attention.” Stated the

captain.

“But what if we run into trouble?” The young

man further questioned.

“If you do, it’ll be nothing you can’t handle

without your weapons. Also, Rukaryo carries a gun,

and that’s all you need.” Lamar stated in an effort to

implant some confidence in the young man.

“Remember, Shawn, we’ve just found out

about this ourselves,” came the voice of the older

man, Rukaryo. “There’s no way the Summoners

would be here also.”

“True,” replied Shawn, “but it kind of makes

me wonder what other kinds of secrets the Angels

are keeping from us.”

“It’s not our place to question them, Shawn,”

said Lamar. “They have good reasons for their

actions. Our job is just to be their hands here in Eden,

so let’s get this done, so we can return to Vana as

soon as possible.”

41

The sheriff’s car pulled up at Traiven’s home

with the teenager’s mom waiting at the front door.

The sheriff opened the passenger door and let

Traiven out. The two men walked up to Rose, as she

stood with her arms crossed over her chest, seeming

very angry.

“Thank you so much,” she said to the sheriff.

“And I’m so sorry about this.” She added.

“Mr. Tanner is actually out of town right

now,” said the sheriff. “But we did contact him. He is

willing to work something out.”

“Okay, thanks.”

“Take care,” the sheriff said and then turned

to Traiven. “Try to stay out of trouble for the rest of

the night.” The sheriff then turned, walked back to

his car and drove off; while Rose and Traiven went

inside the house.

“I’m sorry Mom,” said Traiven. “But I had to.

Look at all the trouble this guy has caused, he’s

putting everyone out of work.”

“Traiven, I don’t want to hear it!” Rose

snapped angrily. “It’s not your place to take matters

42

into your own hands like this. Do you have any idea

how much trouble you’ve caused?”

“I didn’t mean to do that much. I was just

trying to leave him a message.”

“Traiven, go to your room!” She yelled.

“But Mom….”

“GO TO YOUR ROOM! I’M NOT IN THE MOOD TO

DEAL WITH THIS NOW!”

Traiven quickly silenced his tone; then turned

and went upstairs. He walked in his room and closed

the door behind him. He sat on his bed with his head

down for a minute to think. Although he felt bad for

again causing his mother grief; at the same time

didn’t regret the damage he had caused to the

construction site. He then looked up at the clock on

his wall and saw that it was five minutes past

midnight. “Darn!” he thought, realizing he had only

five hours before he had to get ready for his shift at

the coffee shop. Traiven rolled over and closed his

eyes; he was too tired to do anything else that night.

5:00 AM

43

Traiven jolted up in his bed to the annoying

chime of his alarm clock. He rubbed his eyes trying

to awake himself. When he looked down, he noticed

he was still wearing the same thing he had on the

previous night.

“Was I really that tired?” He questioned himself.

He quickly rushed out of bed to get ready for work.

Traiven had just walked through the door of

a small coffee shop, that was covered with a beige tile

floor. The walls and ceiling were brown, which

intended to create a calm ambience to the room.

There were small brown tables and stools posted

around a circular counter, located at the center of the

room. There were coffee and cappuccino machines in

the middle of the circular counter. A teenage girl

with black hair, brown eyes and dark skin was

wiping down the machines.

Traiven walked to a small hatch at the counter,

opened it and walked in.

“You’re late,” said the girl as she handed him

a brown apron.

44

“Sorry Givona, I overslept.” Traiven replied

as he grabbed the apron and tied it around his waist.

A door from the back suddenly opened and another

teenage boy walked out wearing an apron. He had

short grey hair and he was pulling a mop and wash

bucket. His name was Clinton.

“Hey did you guys hear about what

happened to Mr. Tanners new building last night.”

He said as he started to mop the floor.

“Oh, no.” Traiven lied trying to hold his

innocence. Suddenly, they all heard a banging on the

front door of the shop. Their attention quickly turned

to a young man, in his early twenties holding his

head as in excruciating pain. He had long black hair

that hung down to his shoulders, from the back and

sides of his head. He also had grey eyes and was

wearing a black pant, with a long brown coat, that

hung to his ankles. The young man shook his head,

then put his hands on the glass door and began to

push it, as if he couldn’t figure out how to open it.

The three teens inside stared at him in

confusion.

45

“Maybe we should give him a hand?”

Suggested Givona.

“Or, we can bet on how long it’ll take him to

figure it out the door doesn’t open that way.” Stated

Traiven sarcastically.

Clinton quickly rushed to the door and opened it,

letting the stranger inside.

“Thanks,” said the stranger. “Your door is a

complicated device. You should make it more

obvious; how to open it up.”

“Right” Replied Clinton, with an awkward

look.

The man walked in instantly and fixated his eyes on

Traiven’s face. His mouth dropped in amaze to see

how uncanny Traiven’s resemblance was to Raven.

Traiven grew uneasy as he noticed the

stranger starring. “Can I help you?” He asked.

“Yes,” the stranger answered.

“Traiven…Right?”

Traiven nodded in confusion.

“My name is Shawn. I’m here on important

business. I need to have a word with you.”

46

Traiven stepped backward creating more distance

between them, “Okay look… I wasn’t planning on

blowing the place up, okay? That was an accident.”

“Wait, what?” Asked Shawn.

“Come on, Mr. Tanner can’t be that mad

about it. I know he has a thing for my mom. So

maybe we can work something out.” Said Traiven.

“Traiven, are you really trying to whore your

mom out so you don’t get into trouble?” Asked

Clinton.

Traiven replied with an angry finger pointed

toward Clinton. “Don’t talk about my mom, dude!”

“I think there is a misunderstanding here,”

replied Shawn. “I’m not here in regards to this Mr.

Tanner. The ones I work for are of much greater

importance than any man of your world.”

“Wow, this guy’s pretty deep.” stated Clinton

in amusement. “Go see what he wants Traiven, I’m

curious now.”

“Is there any way we can discuss this in

private?” Shawn asked ignoring Clinton’s interest.

Traiven sighed with relief to know the man wasn’t

who he thought he was, “Sure follow me…”

47

Traiven and Shawn were now standing at a

large dumpster behind the coffee shop.

“This is the smoking area,” said Traiven. “Or

at least it would be if any of us smoked. So what can

I do for you?”

“Listen Traiven, my master and I came from a

very far away place to find you.”

“Master?... What are you, a slave or

something?”

“He’s my trainer; also he was a friend of your

father.”

“Really?” asked Traiven, while scratching his

chin in interest. “He knew my father, okay where is

this guy?”

“We separated in an effort to find you. We’ll

be joining him soon when we leave.”

“Okay, but what do you mean leave?”

“Traiven, we’re here to take you back with us.

We need your help.”

“With what?… And for how long are we

talking about here? I mean, don’t expect me to just

48

up and leave with strangers, just because you say

you know my old man.”

“Traiven tell me, what do you know about

your father?”

“Nothing, he died when I was a baby and

that’s all. Also he wasn’t from this town so no one

else here knew him.”

“Traiven, your father died only five years

ago. He was killed by a powerful being named Sanit;

who, like your father, wasn’t human.”

Traiven gave a smile in disbelief. “Okay, ha, ha. Did

Clinton put you up to this?”

“What, no!” Responded Shawn.

“Seriously, you’ll have to try a lot harder if

you want to pull one on Ol’Traiven.”

“Traiven listen to me, many lives are at stake.

And from what I’m told, you’re the only one with the

power to save us all.” Shawn added.

“Oh, I get it,” continued Traiven. “It was

Akan who put you up to this. He’s trying to distract

me before the big match. Well, you go tell him I’m

not as stupid as he thinks. And tonight I will end

him.”

49

Traiven then pushed past Shawn and went

back into the coffee shop.

Shawn stomped the ground angered, he then

lifted his right hand to his ear and spoke over a

communications device. “Master Rukaryo?” He

called. “This’ll be tougher than we thought. Where

are you?”

The voice of an older man came over his

earpiece. “Sorry Shawn, but you’re going to have to

do this yourself! We’ve picked up the presence of a

ship entering the atmosphere.”

“So?” questioned Shawn.

“That isn’t common here. I need to check it

out and to make sure we weren’t followed to this

planet. So you’ll have to convince him yourself.”

“How? He’s just as stubborn as Raven.”

“Find a way, I have faith in you.” Said

Rukaryo.

Shawn sighed; “Fine, I’ll see what I can do.”

“Also keep an eye on him; I’m going to meet

with a contact.”

“A contact?” Said Shawn in disbelief.

50

“Yes, we’ve had an Arc stationed here since

Traiven was an infant to keep watch over him.

Traiven knows our contact so he can probably help

us, to convince him to join us.” Responded Rukaryo.

“Ok then, good luck.” Said Shawn.

Across town at the sheriff’s office, Sheriff

Payton was sitting at his desk with his deputy. They

were going over paperwork and they heard the

sound of the door opening. As both looked up, a tall

middle-aged man, with rough skin and dark hair

spiked backward, walked through the door. His look

was serious, and he wore black pants and a long

brown coat.

As Payton realized who he was, his mouth

dropped in awe. It was as if he had just seen

someone who was raised from the dead.

“Hey,” he called to his deputy without

turning from his stare at the stranger. “Why don’t

you go grab us a couple of cappuccinos,” he

commanded his deputy.

51

“Sure thing,” replied the deputy as he walked

past the stranger out of the door.

“It’s been a while Payton.” Said the stranger.

“Master Rukaryo!” Replied Payton as he

stood up, unable to hide his emotion. “It’s an honor,

but if you’re here then that means…”

“Yes,” said Rukaryo cutting off Payton’s

words. “It’s time.”

“Traiven is working at a coffee shop a few

blocks down the street.” Said Payton.

“I know, I have someone watching over him

right now.” Answered Rukaryo.

“It’ll be better to let me explain things, he’s

known me his entire life...”

“Yes I know,” interrupted Rukaryo, “And

you will, but for now we have a major problem. I

think we may have been followed by a Summoner.”

“Really?” Asked Payton with a nervous tone

on his voice.

“Yes, and the Arc who’s traveling with me,

isn’t ready to take one on; so I’m going to need your

help.”

52

“Okay,” said Payton as he stood up. “What

do you need?”

The bright moon shone over the peaceful

town. Everything was quiet as the people were all

turned in for the night, getting rest after their day’s

work. All was silent, except for one hidden event that

took place in an old barn, deep in the nearby forest.

This was the best-kept secret of Elton’s youth.

Sounds of the crowd echoed throughout the forest.

Inside the barn, a crowd gathered around its center.

Within them, warriors dressed in padding battle.

Each with long thick bows that had thick padding on

each end. The warriors stood on an elevated

platform, which had a large cushion underneath. The

two warriors will viciously battling each other, trying

to knock the other off.

Clinton pushed through the crowd until he

reached an open space, where the upcoming warriors

were warming up for their battle. He quickly walked

up to Traiven, who was wearing white pads and

53

holding his bow, ready to enter the arena. Clinton

quickly spoke, “Hey Traiven, Akan’s been practicing

so you might want to be on your toes this time!”

Traiven calmly replied, “Sure, whatever.”

“Is that all you have to say? I just watched

that guy battle. He has gotten better. You should

really take him seriously this time.” Clinton

remarked.

“Come on Clinton, you know I can’t lose.

Never have and never will.”

“I just saw him beat two guys at once.”

Clinton insisted.

“I’m really not worried.” Traiven said while

giving his back to Clinton as he walk toward the

platform. Clinton grunted in anger and also walked

off.

Shawn slowly walked into the barn, curiously

looking around for Traiven. He noticed someone at a

distance who was at the coffee shop that morning. In

an attempt to reach this individual, he pushed his

way through the crowd toward him.

54

At that same time, Clinton walked up to a

table and talked to a teen that stood behind it. “Yo, I

wanna change my bet to Akan.”

“Wow,” said the teen at the table. “What

happened to all your faith in Traiven?”

“Traiven lost his mind, so...Akan.” Clinton

stated.

Shawn walked up to Clinton, after hearing

Traiven’s name. “Excuse me, are you a friend of

Traiven’s?”

“Who wants to know?” Asked Clinton, as he

turned toward Shawn. “Oh, you’re that crazy guy

from this morning?”

“Crazy?” Repeated Shawn with a serious but

curious look on his face.

“Or not,” Clinton said backing down in fear.

“It’s very important that I find him.” Shawn

stated.

“Sure, I’ll let him deal with you, follow me.”

Responded Clinton.

Shawn followed Clinton through the crowd

to the open area where the warriors were preparing.

55

Traiven was holding his bow and swinging it around

for his warm-up, as the two men approached.

“Not you again,” lamented Traiven as he

lowered down his bow.

“Traiven, we still need to finish our

conversation.” Stated Shawn.

“Look, I’d love to buddy, but I have a battle

coming up in a few.”

“This is more important than that.” Shawn

insisted.

“I doubt it.” Traiven said, as he turned

around to continued his warm up.

Shawn angrily stepped up to Traiven and

grabbed his bow.

“What’s your problem?” Traiven snapped

angrily.

“We don’t have time for this, Traiven!”

Shawn shot back, with his voice raised out of

desperation.

The voice of announcer came out of a speaker

and interrupted their conversation “NOW FOR OUR

56

NEXT BATTLE, WE HAVE THE RETURNING CHAMPION,

TRAIVEN MARYLAND.”

The crowd cheered and yelled out loud, making it

obvious to notice that Traiven was the crowd

favorite. Then the announcer continued…“VERSUS

THE CHALLENGER, AKAN MORIS!”

“I’ll deal with you later,” said Traiven as he

pulled his bow away and walked toward the arena.

Traiven entered the arena, and the crowd

cheer rose even higher. Just as Akan was about to

enter, Shawn grabbed his bow and pushed him

away. “Hey!” exclaimed Akan vehemently.

“Go away!” Shawn stated as he entered the

arena.

“Are you out of your mind?” Questioned

Traiven.

“Okay! Let’s make a deal,” Shawn said…“I

win, we talk. You win, I’ll leave you alone.”

“Are you serious?... I’m the best, plus you’re

not even wearing any padding.” Stated Traiven in

disbelief.

57

“Don’t need it. You won’t land a single hit on

me.” Said Shawn.

“IT APPEARS WE HAVE A NEW CHALLENGER!”

Remarked the announcer. “What’s your name?” He

asked as he held the microphone to Shawn.

“Shawn!”

“OKAY, GUYS LET’S BEGIN!” Called the

announcer before leaving the ring.

“You really are crazy,” said Traiven…“As I

said before, I’m the best.”

“As well you should be…with the right

training, of course.” Shawn stated with a smile on his

face.

Traiven quickly rushed toward Shawn and

swung at his head. Shawn calmly tilted out of the

way and thrust his bow at Traiven’s chest, causing

him to fly off the platform, crashing to the padded

the floor.

The crowd stared in a silent shock for a

moment, then cheered and jumped. Shawn walked to

the edge of the platform and jumped, landing next to

Traiven. He held out his hand to help him up. “Now

58

we talk,” he said. Traiven grabbed Shawn’s hand and

lifted himself up. “Who the hell are you?” He asked.

“Come on… let’s find a more peaceful place.”

Said Shawn.

Away from the barn, Rukaryo and Payton

walked through the forest until they came upon a

huge crater.

Inside was a small one-man craft. They went closer to

examine it further.

“Captain, do you read me?” Rukaryo called

over his communicator. Captain Lamar Latham

responded from the stationed ship Phantom Seven-

Five-Eight, “Yes Master Rukaryo?”

“I just found a small transport ship. The style

resembles one of the Sabola’s ships.” Stated Rukaryo.

“Sabola?” Asked Payton. “Why would they

be here?”

“A lot has happened recently, their ruler is

also the leader of the Summoners.” Rukaryo

responded.

59

“You have to find, whoever was in that ship

and take him out immediately.” Lamar commanded

frantically.

“Aye, captain.” Answered Rukaryo, as he

continued through the forest with Payton.

Away from the forest, Shawn and Traiven

were walking on a small gravel road, on their way

back to town. Traiven interrupted the moment. “So

let me get this straight, you came from another

planet to find me, so that I can fill my missing

brother’s place, whom I knew nothing about, because

he and I had the same dad…Oh! Wait a minute, that

will be an Angel dad.”

“Correct,” replied Shawn.

“And you don’t get why that sounds crazy?”

Questioned Traiven.

“I don’t understand why you’re being so

incredulous Traiven. I’m offering you a chance to be

an Arc, the universe’s highest honor. People would

kill for that.” Shawn stated. “Also, negativity doesn’t

get you anywhere.”

60

Walking through the forest, Traiven and

Shawn made it to a stone-made bridge, that was

thirty feet high from its bottom and on its bottom,

existed dirt ground filled with large rocks. As they

made it to the middle of the bridge, Traiven stood in

front of Shawn stopping him, then said, “Look dude,

I don’t know who you are or where you came from,

but you really need to leave me alone. You’re

obviously insane, and I don’t want any part in

whatever you’re talking about. My dad wasn’t an

Angel, and I never had a brother, and . . .” At that

moment Traiven noticed Shawn staring past him

with a slight look of fear on his face. But nevertheless

he avoided his look and continued “…are you even

listening to me?” But before Shawn could say

anything, Traiven then turned to see what Shawn

was looking at. That’s when he noticed a man

wearing a brown cloak, with chest and shoulder

armor, and he also had a sword at his side. The

mysterious man stood by the railing of the bridge, in

the middle of a thick cloud of fog.

“Friend of yours?” Traiven asked.

61

The two suddenly heard the sound of large footsteps,

before they noticed a large beast crawling out of the

fog on the other end of the bridge. The bulky animal

was the size of a horse and had a thick coat of red fur

that covered its head and neck. It crawled toward

their direction, with all four legs, that had large claws

at its tips. As it got closer to them, they noticed that

its face was shaped like that of a jackal, with horns

coming from the top of its head.

“This isn’t good,” said Shawn.

Shawn suddenly received a transmission

from Rukaryo. “Shawn, keep your eyes open. Our

worries maybe true, we think there may be a

Summoner in the area.”

“And I think we just found him,” answered

Shawn. At that instant, the two watched fearfully as

the beast sprinted toward them.

“Traiven, do you trust me?” Asked Shawn.

“No.” Said Traiven without thinking and

with a tremble in his voice.

“Good.” Said Shawn not paying much

attention to Traiven, but to the menacing foe in front

of him.

62

As the creature pounced forward and got a

few feet away from them, Shawn quickly pushed

Traiven, causing him to fall off the bridge while he

jumped off the opposite side.

Shawn landed on his feet atop a tall rock

above the swamp; while Traiven landed with his

back on the dirt.

Traiven slowly stood up, looking at himself,

surprised. “Wow, I’m unharmed.” He then turned to

Shawn in anger. “You pushed me!”

“LOOK OUT!” Shouted Shawn.

Shawn pushed Traiven again and jumped away as

the beast landed next to them, barely missing Shawn.

The Summoner came down and landed on a rock

next to the creature.

The beast pounced again on Shawn, but

Shawn flipped back; landing on his hands, then he

pushed himself into the air, while grabbing a rock

and chucking it at the creature. The rock hit the

creature’s head, which caused the animal to fall to

the ground. But it quickly recovered and stood up

again as if it didn’t happen.

63

Once Shawn landed, he pulled out the gun

that Rukaryo gave him and opened fire shooting out

red beams towards the beast. The shots hit the

creature, but it did little damage. The beast, then

again, sprinted toward Shawn.

“TRAIVEN, CATCH!” Shawn shouted, as he

tossed the gun to Traiven. “TAKE OUT THE

SUMMONER; IT’S THE ONLY WAY TO STOP THE DEMON!”

“BUT I’VE NEVER KILLED ANYONE BEFORE!”

Respond Traiven.

“IF YOU DON’T, THEY’LL KILL US!”

Traiven aimed the gun at the man in the

cloak, closed his eyes, and pulled the trigger. The

Summoner quickly pulled out his sword and

deflected the beams. Traiven continued firing shot

after shot, but the Summoner blocked each and every

one of them. The Summoner jumped up and flipped

over Traiven, as he landed, he swung his sword;

which hit Traiven and sent him flying several feet

away, crashing into a rock.

“No escape now Raven,” said the Summoner

as he made one final lunged toward Traiven. Just as

the Summoner’s blade was falling down toward

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Traiven’s neck, another figure quickly rushed in,

kicking the Summoner’s sword out of his hand.

Traiven looked up to see, recognizing a familiar body

standing before him, facing the Summoner.

“Are you alright Traiven?” He asked.

“Sheriff Payton?” Traiven replied in

confusion.

“Don’t worry… I’ll handle him.” Said Payton.

He then turned his face back for a second to make

sure Traiven was not seriously injured.

“We have a lot to talk about.” He said.

Payton then turned back around, grabbing his club

from his belt; he held it up high pulling off its end to

reveal a long blade that was attached to the handle.

He then jumped forward and took a swing at the

Summoner while swinging his blade. But the

Summoner quickly recovered his sword and lifted it

in an attempt to block the attack, but the force from

Payton’s weapon caused the Summoner’s sword to

fly from his hand, yet the second time. As the

summoner scrambled around in an effort to recover

his sword, a distance away, Payton reached in and

kicked his ribcage with an enormous force that sent

65

him flying, before he crashed to the ground next to

his beast. On his recovery, he stood up and called on

his beast,

“Come Syn,” he ordered his beast, as he

jumped on its back. “We found out what we needed;

let’s report back to Lord Lance.” They both quickly

took off and disappeared through the forest.

Payton and Shawn turned back to Traiven to

see him staring speechless.

“Traiven?” Called Payton.

After a few seconds of silence, trying to process

everything that had just happened, Traiven slapped

both hands on his face and replied, “Holy Hell!”

66

3

Traiven, Shawn and Payton had just walked

through the front door of Traiven’s home, exhausted

from their battle. As they moved into the living

room, they were caught by surprise, to see Rukaryo

leaning back on the coach, while sipping on a warm

cup of tea.

“Ah! Guys, you’re here,” Said Rukaryo.

All stared at him in disbelief, before Shawn

responded to him. “We were just nearly killed by a

Summoner and his demon while you’re here

drinking tea?”

67

“Well, I was going to help; but figured you

guys could handle it. Besides, I think Payton wanted

me to give him this one.”

“It’s been so long since I’ve seen combat.”

Payton mentioned.

Traiven stared at Rukaryo for a second in

confusion before he said anything. “So you’re

another, like them?”

“Traiven, is that you?” Called Rose as she

walked into the room. She quickly walked to Traiven

and embraced him. “I’m so glad you’re safe.”

“Don’t worry Rose.” Replied Payton. “You

know I’d never let anything happen to him.”

“OKAY HOLD UP!” Shouted Traiven as he

tried to catch up with all that was going on. “I still

have no idea of what’s going on!”

They all stared at him in silence, then looked around

to each other, waiting for someone to clearly explain

things to him. Rose finally stepped forward and

sighed, then began to speak.

“Honey I’m sorry, but I was never

completely honest with you about your father. He

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wasn’t a soldier in the military, as I previously told

you. In fact he wasn’t even human.”

“Wait,” said Traiven as he held up his palm

to silence her. He then turned toward Shawn and

said, “So, you were telling me the truth.”

Shawn silently nodded and Traiven turned

back to his mother.

“Then who was the guy who tried to kill

me?” He questioned. “And what was that thing that

was with him?”

“He’s part of a clan, who practices an art

called Summoning.” Answered Rukaryo. “They are

able to turn their bodies into a temporary doorway to

hell, allowing low level demons through to our

plane.”

“So there are more like him?”

“Yes, and they all want you dead.” Said

Shawn.

“But what did I ever do to them?” Questioned

Traiven.

“It’s what you are Traiven, the last Nephilim

in existence. You’re the only one who can bring

down their dark lord.”

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“Traiven, I was sent here the day you were

born by the Divine Federation to watch over you and

your mother.” Said Payton. “You were supposed to

live a normal life, and your brother was supposed to

live a life in service to Heaven. We had all assumed

he was the one to defeat the Demon King, but the

Summoners are getting close to finally Summoning

him, while you’re brother is gone and no way to be

found. So being the last Nephilim it is your duty to

take his place.”

“Come on guys, I’m not a powerful warrior.

Shawn was able to defeat me in five seconds. Not to

mention how useless I was against that Summoner or

whatever and his pet.”

“It’s your birthmark honey.” Said Rose. “That

thing on your back that looks like little wings it was

put on by the angels to suppress your power, but it’s

only limited to Earth. Once you leave the

atmosphere, it’ll fade away and your true power will

awaken.”

“Of course you still have to learn how to use

it,” added Rukaryo. “As any Arc does.”

70

“Wait,” replied Traiven. “Shawn used that

word to me also. Is that what you guys are?”

“Yes.” Rukaryo answered.

“Well you’re no Nephilim, and I saw Sheriff

Payton beat the Summoner with ease. What’s you

guys’ story?”

“Well,” said Rukaryo, “we do possess the

power of Angels as you do, but we weren’t born with

it. We must go through a selection process; after

which we are given what is called the Angel’s gift. It

gives us certain attributes of the Angels; but our

power is nowhere near yours. Being human our

bodies can only handle so much.; but being half

angel makes your power limitless.”

Traiven had his head down in thought; he tried to

take in everything that Rukaryo had just told him.

He then lifted his head and asked, “So what do you

want from me?”

“We believe that the Summoners are trying to

summon a demon, whose power exceed all we’ve

face in the past. Being half angel, Raven was our only

hope of defeating him, but now he’s gone, making

you the only Nephilim left. Come with us, back to

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Planet Vana, and we’ll train you to become an Arc

just as your brother was. Unfortunately we don’t

have time to give you a complete training, so we’ll

have to teach you the basics and you’ll learn

everything else in the field. In theory, you should

pick it up quick just as Raven did.” Stated Rukaryo.

“Look, this is too much. I can’t just up and

leave like this. I have a life here, I’ve got plans.”

Traiven snapped.

“Traiven, you don’t have an option.” Said

Payton. “Your existence alone is defiance, and you

know that it was decided when you were born that

you and your brother must be servants of heaven.”

Rose walked up to Traiven and put her hand on his

shoulder. “I’m sorry son. I don’t want you to go

either, but you don’t have a choice with this.”

Traiven turned to her. “But Mom, what will

you do when I’m gone? I’m all you’ve got.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll make do.” Rose responded.

“Don’t worry Traiven,” replied Payton. “I’ll

stay here a bit and take care of your mother.”

“Traiven,, I don’t want to rush you but time is

short,” said Rukaryo. “We must leave soon.”

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Traiven turned to Rukaryo and asked, “But

how can I be sure that none of those monsters will

come after my mother when I leave with you?”

“They’re after you Traiven. If you leave, so

will they.” Shawn responded.

“But if they don’t, I’ll send them right back to

Hell.” Added Payton.

Traiven put his hands on his head and began

to pace back and forth. His mind was filling with

thoughts of his past and his future. “Isn’t there any

other way?” He asked.

“I’m sorry Traiven, but this choice isn’t yours,

being a Nephilim you are obligate to serve the

Angels. It is the only reason your life was spared

when you were born.” Answered Rukaryo.

“I can’t be held accountable for my dead beat

dad’s mistakes.” Responded Traiven.

Rukaryo sighed, “Look Traiven, just give this

a chance. You don’t know what you’re turning

down.”

Traiven suddenly stopped pacing and turned toward

Rukaryo. “Promise me that I will be able to return to

Earth when this is all over.”

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“All I can say is that if you come with us, and

help us defeat the Summoners, then your task will be

complete giving you freedom to make your own

choice.

Traiven stared at the floor for a second in

thought. He then picked his head up, walked over to

Rose and hugged her. “Sorry I’ve been such a pain all

these years.” He said.

“It’s okay Traiven, I always knew you were

special.” Rose responded.

Traiven then stepped away from Rose and

walked up to Rukaryo, “Okay,” he said with regret.

“Let’s get this over with.”

74

4

Traiven and Rukaryo emerged from a circular

platform on top of Phantom Seven-Five-Eight. Traiven

slowly stepped off the platform and admired the

sight of the large blue and green planet below them.

“Wow,” he said, “Is that—”

“Yes,…” said Rukaryo interrupting. “…Vana,

the capital planet of the Divine Federation and your

new home.” He said.

Shawn then emerged from another platform and

walked up to the two.

“Traiven,” said Rukaryo, “Now we start your

training.”

“Up here?” Traiven asked.

“Yes.”

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Traiven then pointed at the ground and said,

“Why can’t we start down there?”

“A key component of an Arc’s success is the

element of surprise. In most missions, but not all, the

Phantom stays just outside the atmosphere and the

Arcs jump down to the planet. That way, we avoid

being seen by the enemy.” Rukaryo stated.

“What do you mean jump?” Asked Traiven.

“One of the perks of our power is that many

common laws of the mortal plane are able to be bent,

such as the laws of gravity. We can fall from infinite

heights without as much as a scratch. This is your

first lesson. Angels use this attribute to fly, but we

humans don’t have wings; therefore, all we can do is

jump.”

“But that’s impossible.” Complained Traiven.

“Haven’t you noticed that we’re in space yet

we’re still able to breath?” Replied Rukaryo.

Traiven quickly looked around trying to

validate their location. “Wait, I thought there was no

air in space.” He said.

“Arcs are divine beings,” Answered Rukaryo.

“And when dealing with the divine nothing is

76

impossible. We are able to breath were this is no air.

Just like we can bend the laws of gravity.”

Traiven stepped to the edge and leaned over,

getting a clearer view of the planet Vana. “So you

want me to just jump off?” He asked.

“That’s the idea.” Said Rukaryo.

“Traiven, remember the bridge?” chimed in

Shawn. “You fell off without being hurt.”

“But it did hurt a little,” replied Traiven.

“That’s because you never gained control.”

Shawn Responded.

“What do you mean?” asked Traiven.

“You can get hurt if you don’t concentrate

and gain control of your power,” intervened

Rukaryo. “It has to be a conscious effort in order to

land safely. And don’t worry, the distance is great, so

you’ll have plenty of time to gain control from here.”

“And what if I don’t?” Asked Traiven.

“I’ll be right beside you coaching you along

the way down.”

Traiven looked over the edge again, in

thought for a second. He then turned to Rukaryo and

77

said, “Can’t we just start off small and work our way

up?”

“No time for that.” Stated Rukaryo with a

very serious look on his face.

“Well, can’t I at least have a parachute, just in

case?” Asked Traiven.

“What’s that?” Asked Rukaryo.

“It’s something that you use for—” Before he

could finish his sentence, Shawn pushed him off the

ship.

Shawn, at that moment, turned to Rukaryo and

noticed he was angry. “Well, I know you were

thinking it,” he said. Rukaryo sighed and then

jumped off, then Shawn followed.

Rukaryo and Shawn speared downward

through the air face-first with their hands to their

sides to increase the velocity to which they were

traveling. As they caught up to Traiven who was

falling also face-first but screaming and swinging his

arms and legs out at random motion. Traiven

shouted at Shawn “HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND?”

78

“THERE’S THAT NEGATIVITY WE

TALKED ABOUT.” Shawn screamed back.

“Traiven, relax,” Shouted Rukaryo. “IF YOU

WANNA COME OUT OF THIS ALIVE, YOU NEED

TO CALM DOWN.”

“ALIVE!” Traiven snapped in panic.

“PUT YOUR ARMS TO YOUR SIDE AND

STIFFEN UP!” Shouted Rukaryo.

Traiven slowly brought his arms in and aimed his

body downward.

“NOW, I WANT YOU TO FEEL THE WIND

PUSHING AGAINST YOUR BODY. RELEASE

YOUR BODY, LET IT HOLD YOU AND CARRY

YOU TO THE GROUND.”

Traiven closed his eyes and felt his body sway gently

as his speed gradually reduced as if he was floating

in the air.

“KEEP IT UP,” said Rukaryo.

Traiven then opened his eyes and saw the ground

rushing toward him, he panic and blacked out just as

he was about to reach it.

79

Traiven slowly opened his eyes and found

himself lying on the ground staring up at Rukaryo

and Shawn. He asked. “What happened?”

“You did it!” answered Rukaryo.

“Really?” Traiven questioned in disbelief.

“Well, kind of. You hit the ground pretty

hard, but good thing is that you survived,” replied

Rukaryo. “So I guess we can count that as a success.”

Traiven stared up at the faces of Rukaryo and

Shawn. As both were looking down at him, he

noticed a dark shadow gradually descending upon

them. He slowly stood up; not taking his eyes off the

large ship that hovered past them.

“Wow,” he said in amazement as he watched

a Phantom pass directly over and slowly soar over

the base until it reached a large cylinder shaped grey

building that had a wide tower connected to its front.

The round roof of the building slid open, letting the

ship dock inside. Traiven slowly looked around the

area and was amazed by how large the buildings

were, and how it had strange architectures that

seemed to have been more advanced than the ones

on Earth; even with its old age medieval castles look.

80

As he continued taking in the sight of his new

environment, he noticed a large fortress in the

distance that towered over the entire base. It had

large grey pointed pillars that shot up into the air.

The pillars were posted in a position of a ten-point

start and were connected by thick grey walls. There

were three wider pillars in the center that shot up

above the other ten around them. These were shaped

like large rectangles with spikes on its tops. People

were walking around in uniforms that carried their

rank on top of the Federation symbols. “This place is

unreal,” he said as he kept his eyes on the distance

fortress.

“That large structure in the distance is the

Castle of the Federation.” Pointed Rukaryo.

“Castle?” Questioned Traiven.

“Unlike Earth, most planets are run as one

single nation.” Stated Rukaryo. “Each is run under

its own royal family.”

“Except Sabola.” Added Shawn as he folded

his arms to his chest.

81

“Well, Sabola is a story for another time…”

Stated Rukaryo. “…And I know you’re the one who

wants to tell him about it Shawn.” Rukaryo added.

“Okay, but then who’s the king of this

planet?” asked Traiven.

“Vana is run by the Divine Federation.” Said

Rukaryo. “It has no king. Soon you will get familiar

with the planets and the royal families. Right now,

we need to get you settled in, then you will have a

meeting with General Shinnle and the other master

Arcs. Let’s go.” Rukaryo finishing his statement then

led Traiven through the base.

Across the solar system, just outside of

Sabola’s atmosphere, a large ship, the size of a small

moon sat waiting. It had a gray hull and was

spherically shaped.

On Sabola’s surface, in the dark castle, a small

group of men walked through a hall dressed in

brown clothing that was decorated with animal fur.

Their body’s bulk and showing off their muscular

physique. They were warriors; with their bodies and

82

faces marked with red war paint. They carried hand

guns and also knives made from bones.

As they walked through the castle halls,

others would stop before them and quickly move out

their path. The Summoners they passed would look

at them with an angry confusion that seem to point

out they had some sort of animosity against the

visitors. The group of visitors finally entered a large

room where Lance stood on the opposite side of the

door, staring out a large window that covered an

entire wall. Once inside, the group halted and their

leader, who was the only one that wore a fur coat

along with his other clothing, stepped forward

toward Lance. He had long dark hair, and a rough

looking face with a scar over his right eye. His skin

looked very rough and also very well aged. He

stepped closer to Lance and spoke in a very deep and

monotone voice. “I hear you’ve been seeking me,

Lance.” He paused then continued “So I thought I’d

come to you.”

Lance waited a bit before responding, while still

facing the window. “Ganga, it’s always a pleasure.”

He then turned to face his visitor.

83

“You’d better have a good reason for seeking

me out, Summoner.” Ganga snapped before Lance

could utter out another word.

“I do. I regret to say it, but I need your help.”

“With what?” Asked Ganga.

Lance then stepped up a bit toward Ganga, “I know

you’ve heard the stories of the dark sword

Perdition?”

“And?”

“I need to know if the legends about it are

true. Does it truly have the power to connect Hell to

Eden?” asked Lance.

Ganga gave a cynical grin, “Of course not,”

“Then I guess you don’t have any worries

about telling me where it is?”

“Why do you think I know?”

“Because you know everything, Ganga.”

Ganga then closed his eyes and gave another grin,

“That I do.” He then reopened his eyes. “ Whether it

has the power to open Hell or not, I would never do

anything to make you closer to raising your Demon

King. Have you forgotten what that demon has done

84

to us? I’d sooner trust help to Angels before I do any

favors for Hell.”

Lance strained his fist in anger. “Have you forgotten

it were the demons that made you, Kaiju?” Lance

snapped angrily.

“And I know their true intentions; do you

really think Cassius will keep you around once your

use has expired?” Ganga asked with an irony within

his voice.

“Choose your words wisely, Kaiju. You are

on a Summoner planet.” Lance snapped with a

menacing look on his face.

“You Summoners are nothing more than

doorways for them. You should think twice before

you bow down to Cassius. He’s the reason we Kaiju

decided to take our own path.” Ganga shot back.

“Now here’s something you don’t see every

day,” came a younger voice from the room entrance.

They all turned and watched as Moth walked into

the room. “I didn’t realize you two were friends,” he

stated.

85

Ganga turned back to Lance. “So now you’re hiring

assassins to do your work? If not for your demon

masters, you Summoners would surely be useless.”

Lance snarled at Ganga, before speaking “When

Lord Cassius does rise, you will regret every word,

Ganga.”

“I’m looking forward to that day, cause then

I’ll get to send him straight back to hell.” The Kaiju

then turned and walked out of the room with his

escorts.

Moth walked farther into the room and was

greeted by Lance. “Moth, I sent for you a while ago.

Why can’t you show up on time for once?”

“Cause I have more important things to do.

Now who do you want me to kill this time?”

“You told me that Raven was dead.” Lance

snapped.

“I said he was gone. It isn’t my fault if you

take my words out of context.”

“One of my Summoners encountered him on

an uncharted planet called Earth. Now he has

returned to Vana, I want you to find him and finish

the job!”

86

Moth without much hesitation silently turned and

walked out. Lance turned back toward the window

and watched as an army of soldiers, being led by a

Summoner with a hooded cloak, marched into

several war ships. As if set on cue, the Summoner

instinctively turned and looked at Lance through the

window, Lance nodded his head at him, and the

Summoner walked into his craft and took off.

Visions of a large mountain appeared in

Traiven’s mind as he lay in bed tossing and turning.

The vision guided him through a cave that ended at

an altar, with a strange red sword nestled on it. He

suddenly heard a voice echoing through his head

like a whisper saying, Swords of Ingress.

The morning light shone through the window

and hit Traiven’s on his face, causing him to wake up

and open his eyes while rubbing his face in

exhaustion. He sat up in his bed but feeling weak

with a bad headache. What a weird dream, he thought.

He then looked around and took note of estranged

looking glass ball in front of his bed, also strange

crystal on the ceiling, and smaller crystal on a post

87

next to his bed. There was also a rack on the wall to

the right of him; beside it were two closets that

arouse his curiosity. He rolled his linen to the side

while he placed his right foot first on the soft floor

before his left. He used his hands to push himself off

the bed. He stood up then stretched out his arms

and legs. It feels like I’ve been sleeping for days, he

thought. That’s the most comfortable bed I’ve ever slept

in. He walked over to one of the closets and opened

it. Inside was an Arc uniform with a Federation

symbol on the chest. The shirt had no stars on it,

symbolizing that he had no ranking.

“Put it on,” came Shawn’s voice. The voice

startled Traiven as he turned to find Shawn standing

behind him with a similar uniform. His uniform

though had a symbol with a single star in the middle

of its shield.

“Haven’t you people heard of knocking?”

Asked Traiven.

“Rukaryo is waiting outside. You’re going

before the Arc Masters.”

“Why do you have a star on your uniform

and I don’t?”

88

“Because you have to earn it, once you

successfully complete your first mission by following

the basic procedures, you’ll get your first star.”

Shawn walked over to the other closet and then

opened it revealing a sword, Arc armor, and also a

gun. “Today you learn combat,” he said. “After your

meeting, that is.” He added.

“You know, I’m still kind of worried about

that part of the job. I still haven’t gotten over the

monster trying to rip my head off.” Traiven

lamented.

“Don’t worry, you won’t be put against a

Summoner until you’re ready, and Rukaryo’s a great

teacher. Also, being a Nephilim, it shouldn’t take you

too long before you’re killing demons left and right.”

Shawn tapped Traiven on the shoulder. “I’ll see ya

this afternoon at the canyon.” He then turned and

walked out.

Now out of his room, Traiven walked down

the arching steps toward the lobby, he admired the

statues posted all around the area. When he had

reached the bottom, he noticed four statues in the

89

center of the lobby, posted inside a large fountain. He

walked up to them and then read the inscription:

[The Four Horsemen who saved the universe from

the wrath of Sanit.] He read the names under each

figure: “Cid Hughes,” “Vincent Shinnle,” “Sneaux

Sasuke,” and then “Raven Hunter.” His eyes

widened in amazement as he realized that the face of

Raven was completely identical to his. Wow! He

thought. He really was my twin brother. At that

moment he suddenly heard a whimper; he turned to

his right to see a young Arc staring at him, also

bewildered. Traiven stared back, confused but was

able to slowly lift his palm to say, “Hi.”

The young Arc jumped in excitement. “Oh, it’s such

an honor to meet you. I’ve read about all your

missions’ sir. You’re such an inspiration.”

“Thanks,” Traiven replied, a bit confused.

“Ah . . . stay in school.” He patted the young Arc on

his back then walked out the front door.

As he walked out of the lobby; he was hit by

the colorful sight of the base. He walked down a

large flight of stairs and saw Rukaryo leaning over a

90

shiny red vehicle that hovered a foot above the

ground. Its shape was similar to a corvette except it

had no wheels, but a flat bottom and no roof.

“Are you ready?” Asked Rukaryo

“Do I have a choice?” questioned Traiven

sarcastically.

Rukaryo leaned into the vehicle and then pushed on

a button, which activated the doors on each side to

slide open. Both men got in the vehicle and took off

toward a castle that stood distance away.

As they drove on a grey stone path, Traiven

sat in the passenger seat admiring the base, while

they passed through series of structures. He watched

ships land and take off, soldiers walking about the

base, also Arcs sparring at various parts of the base,

all looked like they were in a vicious battle. In that

moment, the seriousness of it all began to sink in.

Memories of the Summoner attack on Earth kept

flashing through his mind. At that moment also, he

realized exactly what was expected from him.

Rukaryo looked over and noticed an uneasy

gaze from Traiven. “Are you alright?” He asked.

91

“No!” Traiven replied with certainty. He

turned toward Rukaryo. “I don’t think I can do this.”

“One of the key components to an Arc’s

victory in battle is the faith he has in himself. You

have the power Traiven, now believe in yourself and

use it.”

“Easier said than done; my only worry back

at home was to remember the ingredients of a latte.

Even if I messed up with that, it was no big deal.

Obviously here, it’ll be fatal. From what, you guys

tell me; so much is riding on my shoulders, but I’ve

never been any more than a screw up.”

“Traiven, you clearly don’t know your true

potential. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you don’t go

out into the field until you’re good and ready.”

They had finally reached the large fortress.

Rukaryo pulled in and landed in an area next to

other vehicles. “Are you ready?” He asked Traiven.

“Do I have a choice?” Traiven answered.

Rukaryo leaded Traiven to a large, silver door in the

front of the building. There were soldiers in front

who stood guard. As they walked up, one of the

92

soldiers opened the door and let them both in, while

greeting Rukaryo.

They stepped into a large lobby, with two

flights of stairs before them. There were grey statues

of various angels posted around the area. Also,

above them was a large, circular, flat diamond

window to the floor above.

“Come on.” Said Rukaryo.

They walked to a large door, at the back of the lobby,

that opened inwardly. It revealed a long hall, with a

red carpet and a silver door at the end. Traiven took

notice to seven pictures along the right side of the

wall of seven Arcs, each wearing a symbol on their

chest with a ten-point star.

“We like to call this area Master’s central.”

Said Rukaryo. Traiven took it all in without saying a

word. As they continued to walk, Traiven noticed a

picture of Rukaryo on the wall as well. He stopped to

gaze at it.

“Is this you?” Traiven asked.

“Yep, they’re always seven master Arcs in the

entire federation… We’re signified by a single ten-

point star on the crest of our uniform.”

93

“So that’s what those stars mean, right?”

Questioned Traiven.

“Yes, there are five ranks of Arcs. The

apprentices who have no stars, then the one star, two

stars, the three stars, and of course the highest rank

which is the Masters who carry a single large ten-

point star. Your brother was a three-star Arc. He was

the youngest Arc to ever reach that rank. It usually

takes an average of fifteen cycles to get it; but he did

it in five.”

“He sounds great.” Said Traiven.

“He was not only powerful, but a strong

leader as well. Many would argue that it was because

he was a Nephilim, but he embraced his human side

more and used it as his strength. Now let’s not keep

the masters waiting any longer.”

They continued their walk until they reached the

silver door that stood at the end of the red carpet.

Rukaryo placed his palm on a panel beside them and

the door opened. Inside revealed a large room. The

walls were filled with screens that were on display,

in various parts of the room. There was a large

circular table with six people seated on it. There also

94

existed one empty seat. Each of the people, who sat

at the table, wore their Master Arc uniform. On each

of their chairs, was a control panel. General Jonathan

Shinnle sat in the center; to his left was a very visual

muscular dark man in his late forties. He was bald,

and his brown eyes perpetuated the serious look on

his face perfectly. His posture was straight, with his

arms out in front of him staring at Traiven. Traiven

didn’t fail to notice that his right arm was metal and

looked very mechanical. His name was Caliber

Johnson.

To the left of him, was a woman around the

same age. She had smooth black hair that hung to the

bottom of her face; this gave her a kinder look than

Caliber. She was relaxed with her arm down to her

side. She gave Traiven a slight smile. Her name was

Laura Vidal.

To her left was a taller man in his early fifties.

He had a slim, tall looking body; but one could still

see that he was a bit muscular. He had short spiky

hair and grey eyes. Though he seemed relaxed, he

carried on with a blank look. His name was Leon

Pessik.

95

To the right of General Shinnle, was the

empty seat, and to the right of that was a tan woman

in her late forties. She had a golden blonde hair that

was tied back in a single ponytail. Her eyes were

amber colored and she also had freckles on her face.

Her name was Lexi Miles. She also was staring at

Traiven with a serious look on her face. She sat

straight up with both of her arms on the table.

To her right was a man around the same age

as her. He was a bit wider than the rest. He had short

blonde hair and grey eyes. He sat relaxed but staring

at Traiven with a grin. His name was Justin Moody.

There was a black, round platform in the

center of the table that seemed to gradually sink

down leaving an open space, with an opening in

front of Traiven and Rukaryo.

“Go into the center.” Rukaryo whispered.

“And remember, you’re in front of the Masters, so be

respectful.” He then walked around to the empty

seat next to General Shinnle and sat down, as Traiven

walked into the center, in front of the Masters.

“Welcome.” greeted General Shinnle without

hesitation.

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“Wow!” exclaim Laura with excitement. “The

resemblance to Raven is uncanny.”

“HA! He’s puny!” Said Cabiler. “What makes

you think you can become an Arc?”

“Never said I could.” Snapped Traiven.

“Come now young Nephilim, don’t be

modest.” Said Leon. “We’re all aware of your

power.”

“This is news to me.” Replied Traiven.

“Traiven, do you have confidence that if

Cassius was to rise today, you can defeat him?”

Asked Justin.

“Not really.” Replied Traiven.

“It seems he needs a lesson in respect first…”

Added Lexi, as she turned around glancing at the

others for affirmation. “…Although his attitude is

similar to Raven’s.”

“And that’s where the similarities end.” Said

Caliber. “This kid will not succeed; send him back to

Earth.”

“I agree.” Said Traiven.

“Caliber, you never had any faith in Raven

either.” Added Rukaryo.

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“But Raven could get the job done.” Replied

Caliber.

“Traiven, I know things are sudden for you.”

Said General Shinnle. “But your destiny is one of

great importance. Not just for you, but for the entire

galaxy. The Summoners are so close to raising

Cassius; which could happen any day now. With

Raven gone, you’re the only Nephilim left in Eden.

So the responsibility will be on your hands.”

Traiven sighed and then looked down. “This

is just too much for me.” Then he lifted his head.

“I’m not a warrior; I couldn’t even make the high

school football team.”

“As I said before Traiven, you need faith in

yourself. With the right training, you can soon

surpass us all.”

Caliber crossed his arms, “Ha, that’ll be the

day; when a puny kid like this surpasses me.”

“If Cassius gains control of Eden, it will affect

everyone, Traiven.” Said Lexi. “Including you,

whether you want it or not. So, don’t you think you

should at least be prepared?”

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Traiven grunted and turned his face away in

despair. Lexi had just raised a valid point and now

he knew there was no way he could talk his way out

of this.

“Don’t worry, Traiven.” Said Rukaryo. “I will

be the one training you.”

Traiven looked back up and replied. “Okay, I

will agree, but I have terms.” He then gestured

toward Caliber. “Besides, Berry-Big-Balls over there

doesn’t even want me here.”

Caliber angrily slammed his fist on the table,

“This is not a negotiation, you little runt!”

“Caliber please,” said Shinnle. “I think it’s fair

to say that it’s the least we can do for all we’re asking

of him.”

“I want your word that when this is all over, I

can return home to my friends and family. And that

you’ll never bother me again, no matter what.”

“That seems fair.” Replied General Shinnle.

“Okay you have our word.”

“Thank you.” Said Traiven.

“Now Traiven,” said Rukaryo, “You can take

your leave. We have things to discuss; our meetings

99

are for Masters only. You can return to your barracks

and Shawn will meet you at noon, to take you to the

Canyon, to start your training.”

Traiven nodded his head as he turned to walk out.

The black platform rose back in the center, while a

holographic image appeared on the table.

5

It was noon and Traiven had just walked out

of the barracks to see Shawn waiting for him. He was

leaning on a hovering vehicle that had a set of small

wings protruding out of its side. It also had a small

tail on the end. The seat was behind two handlebars

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that resemble those of a motorcycle’s. As Traiven

walked closer, he noticed that there was another

vehicle behind the one Shawn was leaning on.

Shawn had his arms folded, and his scythe on his

back. “About time,” he said. “Did you get lost on

your way here?”

“Naw…I was just admiring the statues again.

My brother seems like a pretty celebrated guy.”

“Yeah...Also no one else knows about you, so

you’ll probably get mistaken for Raven a lot.”

“Yeah, right.” Traiven replied rolling his eyes.

Shawn sat on one of the vehicles. “These are

called Chasers. They’re incredibly fast.”

Traiven walked up to the other vehicle and

scrutinized it. “They look pretty cool.”

“Don’t worry, they’re warm. Anyway... These

vehicles are only used by Arcs. Only our reflexes are

fast enough to drive them, which is why Rukaryo

thought it would be a good way to begin your

training. We’re going to take these to a canyon that is

pretty far from here. Stay focused, stay calm, and pay

attention while you’re piloting. Trust me, if you

crash, it won’t be a pretty sight.”

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“So I guess it’s literally a crash course,” joked

Traiven, as he laughed.

Shawn stared at Traiven in confusion. “I don’t

understand.”

Traiven shook his head and sighed, “Never

mind, let’s go.”

Traiven sat down on his Chaser, and they

took off.

Across the solar system, on planet Robant,

inside its famous research laboratory, Dr. Bryan

Wilson sat at his computer inputting information to

complete an experiment. His assistant was adjusting

knobs on a nearby machine, which looked like a

circular platform with an arch above it.

“Rusty?” Called Dr. Bryan.

“Sir?” replied his assistant.

“Grab me an object for testing, anything will

do.”

Rusty grabbed a small metal stool and placed it in

the center of the room. “Here you are,” he said.

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“Targeting now,” said Bryan. He pressed a

button on his computer, and the stool was instantly

transmitted onto the circular platform.

Dr. Bryan smiled in amazement. “We did it!”

“Wow!” Replied Rusty.

“Next step is to try it on a biological life-

form.”

Just at that moment, there was a loud explosion that

shook the room, followed by a loud siren.

“What is it?” Asked Rusty panicked.

“We’re being attacked!” Said Dr. Bryan.

Outside the laboratory, several large pods crashed to

the surface, near the lab. A few seconds after the

impacts, the pods opened up letting out Sabola

soldiers that rushed into the lab. Robant soldiers

response was quick; they rushed to the scene and

engaged the Sabola soldiers; taking position outside,

making sure to block the entrance. At the same time,

they quickly set up turrets, as they brought in large

combat vehicles.

Just when they took control and started

pushing back the soldiers of Sabola’s, two large

fireballs came down from the sky; causing two

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explosions. One destroyed their turrets, and the other

destroyed some of the Robant’s vehicles. The

soldier’s attention was drawn to the sky. They looked

up to see a red muscular, distinctive demon hovering

above them. Though shaped like a human, it had

horns coming out the top of its head. Amazedly to

them, its body was constantly in flames.

The demon held out his hands and formed

two more fireballs; he then threw them down

destroying the remaining vehicles; leaving a large

opening for the Sabola soldiers to quickly rush into

the lab.

Far from the battle on planet Vana, Shawn

and Traiven raced through the mountains of Vana on

their Chasers. Traiven had a rough time, struggling

to avoid the rocks as they randomly jumped in his

way.

“YOU’RE DOING GOOD, TRAIVEN!”

Shouted Shawn from his chaser.

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“I’VE ALMOST CRASHED FIVE TIMES

ALREADY; THIS THING IS TOUGH TO

CONTROL.” Replied Traiven.

“IT’S FAST AND IT SURELY GETS YOU

WHERE YOU WANNA BE IN NO TIME. WE’RE

STOPPING AT THAT CANYON UP AHEAD.”

As they came to the canyon, their vehicle

slowed down and came to a stop barely missing the

edge.

“You’ve made it,” came the voice of Rukaryo

as he walked up to Shawn and Traiven.

“Barely,” replied Traiven as he turned to

notice Rukaryo standing next to him holding a one-

handed broad sword in a sheath. The symbol on his

uniform had a single star, but unlike the star on

Shawn’s uniform, it was bigger, and it had ten points

instead of five. This was the master rank insignia; the

highest rank an Arc could reach.

“This is for you,” Rukaryo said, as he handed

Traiven the weapon. Traiven grabbed it; he then

pulled the weapon out of the sheath revealing a

shiny, silver blade. He held it up to the light and

stared. “This is nice” he said, “this thing looks epic!”

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As he stared for a minute, he suddenly had a thought

and quickly pulled down the sword. “Wait a minute.

Why don’t we just use guns, like normal soldiers?”

Rukaryo answered, “Because our primary

enemies are demons, and guns are useless against

them. The only thing that could defeat a demon is the

power of an Angel. We fuse our power into our

weapons as we fight; so without us, the weapons are

just useless pieces of metal.”

“Can’t we just fuse our power into a gun?”

“It doesn’t work like that way Traiven, and

that’s what you’ll learn to do today, how to fuse your

power into this sword.”

“What happens if I don’t?” Asked Traiven.

“Then the sword will snap like a twig.”

Answered Rukaryo.

“Okay, how do I fuse my power with it

then?”

“It’s a sense of willpower. The easiest way is

to imagine that your sword is connected to you like

an arm.” Rukaryo then turned to Shawn. “I want you

to take it easy. I only brought one weapon for him,

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and I really don’t want to have to go all the way back

to base to get another in the middle of our training.”

“Sure thing,” said Shawn as he drew his

scythe.

“Now, it usually takes a while to learn

everything about being an Arc,” said Rukaryo.

“Unfortunately for you, we don’t have that long, so

we’re just going to teach you the basic skills and you

can learn the rest along the way. Raven was

originally taught to use his angel side by your father.

Once he joined the Federation, it only took him a

couple of days to learn the basics of what we do.

Even though you can’t use your angel side yet, the

theory is that it should only take you about the same

for the basics. You can use a little of your angel side

from what I’ve seen, but you’re nowhere near where

Raven was.”

“Then how am I supposed to learn as fast?”

Questioned Traiven.

“You don’t have a choice. In three days you

two will leave for your first mission.” Said Rukaryo.

“You mean we’re already assigned to a

Phantom?” This time the question came from Shawn.

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“That’s correct, Phantom Seven-Three-Five, but

enough talk for now. We need to get started.”

Responded Rukaryo.

“What are we going to do?” Asked Traiven.

“You’re going to learn combat by sparring

with Shawn.”

“But last time, he beat me in less than a

minute.” Said Traiven.

“I know, but this is only training. Shawn will

start off only on the defensive while you attempt to

knock him down into the canyon. Then you’ll switch.

At the end of the day, you two will have a match.”

“How am I supposed to learn in one day?”

Inquired Traiven in disbelief.

Shawn ignored Traiven’s question and

jumped over the canyon from rock to rock until he

reached the center. He held his scythe in an attack

stance.

“READY!” He shouted.

“Now, Traiven,” said Rukaryo also ignoring

Traiven’s question. “Draw your sword and attack.”

Traiven unsheathed his sword and jumped out onto

a rock. He stared at the bottom of the canyon for a

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second, and then launched toward Shawn. Shawn

quickly swung his scythe and blocked the attack; he

then pushed Traiven back with his blade. Traiven

flew back and landed on a separate rock.

“Not bad, Traiven,” said Rukaryo. “For

starters that is.”

Traiven jumped at Shawn again constantly swinging

his sword. Shawn blocked every attack, and then

pushed Traiven back again.

“It’s more than mindlessly swinging Traiven.

You need strategy.” Said Rukaryo. “I’m giving you

one more chance. Shawn, if he doesn’t succeed this

time, I want you to go on the offensive.”

“My pleasure,” replied Shawn.

Traiven bent his knees and tightened his grip on his

sword. He quickly launched toward Shawn and

swung. Just as Shawn picked up his scythe to block,

Traiven pulled his sword back and extended his foot

kicking off Shawn’s blade, upward before he quickly

swung down. Shawn instinctively noticed that he

had no time to block; so he quickly jumped back

barely, missing Traiven’s attack.

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Shawn landed on another rock, noticing Traiven

coming toward him. With no time to think, he threw

his left palm forward and emitted a powerful force

that pushed Traiven back causing him to slam

against the canyon wall, and before falling to the

bottom.

Traiven stood up, dusted himself off and then

jumped back up landing on a rock next to Shawn.

“What the heck was that?” Asked Traiven.

“Shawn used his energy to create a force

which pushed you back,” answered Rukaryo.

“You almost had me, which is why I had to

use it,” replied Shawn. “You’re better than I

expected.”

“Yeah, well we still have a long way to go,”

said Rukaryo. “Get back into place and go again.”

Shawn and Traiven stood in their battle stances; then

quickly lunged toward each other. Traiven tightened

his grip on his sword and swung as hard as he could.

Shawn lifted his scythe and blocked the attack. As

their blades connected, the force caused Traiven’s

sword to shatter into pieces. Traiven stood in

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confusion; then turned to Rukaryo. “Why’d you give

me such a cheap sword?” He said.

“I already told you that would happen if you

didn’t learn to focus your power.” Rukaryo then took

his own spear and tossed it to Traiven. “Now try

again.”

6

Phantom Seven-Four-Two had just entered the

atmosphere of Robant. Its Captain Richard Worland

was sitting on the bridge, looking through a small

rectangular screen with information about the

impending mission.

“Sir, we’re ready to deploy the Arcs,” said

Charles the pilot.

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“Good.” Richard reached down on a panel in

front of his chair, pushed a button and then spoke,

“Cid, Maya, are you ready?”

“Yes,” came Cid’s voice from a speaker by his

chair.

Richard turned to Charles. “Deploy the Arcs.”

Charles pushed a red button on his control

panel. Two circular doors opened on top of the ship,

and two people emerged on elevator panels. Each

was wearing an Arc uniform. One was a thirty-eight-

year-old man. He had curly red hair and brown eyes.

He had a long battle-ax on his back. His name was

Cid Hughes, a three-star Arc.

The other was a twenty-seven-year-old

woman. She had long black hair and gray eyes. She

had a spiked chain diagonally wrapped around her

chest. Her name was Maya Shinnle, a two-star Arc,

and widow of the late Vincent Shinnle.

“Do you two understand this mission?”

Asked Lamar.

“Yes,” answered Maya, “search and rescue.”

“Also find out the reason the Summoners

invaded the lab.”

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“Yes, sir.” Said Maya.

Cid and Maya bent their knees then jumped

down toward the planet.

As the two Arcs fell to the surface of the

planet, Cid pulled out a small pair of binoculars and

looked through them, magnifying his view of the

surface.

“Looks like Sabola’s army has the lab well

guarded,” he said.

“Why do you suppose they’re here?” Asked

Maya.

“Don’t know, but I really don’t wanna wait

and find out.” Responded Cid.

“Do you see the Summoner?” Questioned

Maya.

As Cid looked down, he noticed a large

creature standing in front of the entrance. It had a

large muscular body with red skin. Its head was

bold, with horns protruding from its forehead, and

pointed ears on the sides of its head. “It’s the demon

Ukobach,” said Cid. “Meaning his summoner Max is

somewhere nearby.”

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He then put his binoculars away. “He must

be inside. Listen, I’ll keep Ukobach busy. Find Max

and take him out.”

“Got it.” Said Maya.

Cid swung his arms and causing himself to

fall faster, leaving Maya behind. As he neared the

surface, he pulled out his battle-ax, twisted his body,

and held back the battle-ax. He came down with a

tremendous amount of force, while swinging his ax,

emitting a powerful shock wave that threw all the

Sabola soldiers back. Ukobach stood there with a

grin, taking the blast without getting a single scratch.

Cid quickly lunged at Ukobach, swinging his

ax. Ukobach jumped, dodging the attack and landing

on top of the lab; Cid chased after him.

Maya finally touched the ground in front of

the Robant soldiers and noticed that Cid’s attack had

cleared the way. She turned to the Robant soldiers

and shouted, “COME ON!” They all rushed into the

lab.

The Summoner Max and a handful of men

were trying to gain access to all the information

stored in the computers, in the lab. Bryan and a few

114

other scientists were being held against the wall,

guarded by two soldiers.

“What’s taking so long?” Asked Max angrily;

as he stood over the shoulder of one of his men,

accessing the computer.

“Well, we’ve got most of the data, but we’re

still trying to find everything.”

A soldier suddenly rushed into the room.

“Sir, Robant soldiers have entered the lab.”

“What! How did they get past Ukobach?”

Asked Max.

“They were joined by an Arc team.”

Max angrily punched the console. “Darn!

Okay, prepare to retreat,” he said.

“Yes, sir,” said the soldier as he ran out.

Max turned back to the soldier accessing the

computer. “We’re done here.”

“But… what about the rest of the data?”

Max turned and walked up to the scientists.

“We’re taking them with us.”

On top of the lab, Ukobach and Cid were

knocked into a fierce battle. Ukobach ignited his

115

body and rushed toward Cid. Cid quickly rolled to

the right; barely dodging the attack.

“Give up, Arc,” said Ukobach. “You can’t get

near me.” He formed a fireball in his right hand and

threw it at Cid.

Cid quickly rushed toward Ukobach, jumped

over the fireball and came down toward him,

swinging his ax. Ukobach lifted his claws and

blocked the attack.

The Robant soldiers, led by Maya, fought

their way through the lab. The Sabola soldiers were

desperately trying to hold them off; while Max and a

handful of the soldiers took the scientists out through

the back. Maya grabbed the handle of her chain and

swung it, unwrapping the chain from her chest. She

then launched forward, passing through the Sabola

soldiers.

While Cid and Ukobach were locked in battle,

they noticed Max; along with the scientists and some

soldiers, running out on the landing pad behind the

116

building, as a large ship flew in and landed next to

them.

Max, suddenly noticed Maya heading toward

his group. “Hurry up and load the scientists,” he

shouted to his men. “I’ll hold her off.” He drew out a

sword and rushed toward Maya.

As Maya battled Max, and Cid battled

Ukobach, the Sabola soldiers were able to get all the

scientists into the ship. Two cannons suddenly

emerged on the top of the ship and shot at Maya. She

evaded them quickly, while taking her attention off

Max.

“UKOBACH, LET’S GO!” Shouted Max.

Ukobach laughed and said to Cid, “Looks like

we’ll have to finish this another time, Arc.”

Cid angrily lunged at Ukobach, but before he

could land a hit, Ukobach’s body quickly evaporated

and was sucked back into Max’s body. Max then ran

into the ship, and it took off.

“HOLD YOUR FIRE!” Shouted one of the Robant

soldiers as they watched the ship fly away. “THE

SCIENTISTS ARE ON BOARD!”

117

“You don’t have to destroy it. Just shoot it

down,” replied Cid.

The soldiers opened fire, but their shots

wouldn’t penetrate the ship’s shield.

“It’s no use,” said one of the soldiers. “And a

stronger blast would destroy it completely. There’s

nothing we can do.”

They couldn’t do anything but watch, as the

ship quickly flew away.

Back on Vana, Captain Joker Jenkins was

walking on a long red carpet; through a gray hall,

with tall stone, walls. There, he could see the seven

pictures, along the right side, of the wall of the seven

master Arcs. As he had reached the silver double

doors at the end of the hall and stopped, the doors

opened and General Shinnle walked out to Joker.

“Walk with me, Captain Jenkins,” General

Shinnle said.

They began to walk down the hall, toward

the other end.

“Captain Jenkins?” called General Shinnle.

118

“Sir?” answered Joker.

“How is the maintenance on your ship

coming?”

“Fine sir. Next time we deploy, everything

will be fully operational.”

“That’s good.”

“Sir, if I may ask; what’s the status on

assigning us new Arcs?”

“That’s why I called you here. They will be

finishing up training soon.”

“So we’re getting rookies?” Asked Joker.

“Yes.” Answered General Shinnle.

“But sir, Phantom Seven-Three-Five is an

advanced ship. We have high-level qualifications,

why are we getting low class Arcs?”

“Because of whom they are, one of them is

the last member of the Seran family, the other is a

Nephilim.”

“Wait...., another Nephilim? But I thought

Raven was the only one.” Replied Joker.

“We all did, but the angels kept a secret from

us to protect him. It took a lot of convincing; and

given the circumstances, they finally allowed us to

119

recruit him. His name is Traiven, and he is the twin

brother of Raven. This whole time he’s been living on

a distant planet called Earth with his mother.”

“Wow, I didn’t think that anyone would ever

be able to replace Raven.”

“And still no one can. Raven was a powerful

Arc. Traiven just realized his origin. He doesn’t even

know how to use his Angel side, but I want you to

put him to the test. First, you’ll get small missions

just to get him some experience. Once he is familiar

with his power and has advanced knowledge of

being an Arc; then you will resume your former level

of missions.” Added General Shinnle.

The day went on; now the three moons of

Vana had sat in the night sky over the base. Traiven

stood on the high balcony of the barracks, looking

over the base and was beautifully illuminated by

Vana’s three moons. One was blue, one was light

orange and the other was light green.

What a beautiful sight, he thought.

120

He then saw another sight in the sky. It

looked like a large burning rock, a bit smaller than

the moons. It was traveling across the sky, right over

the base.

Is that a comet? He asked himself.

After a few moments of staring, he heard a

voice addressing him. “Raven?”

He turned and saw a man wearing a two-star

Arc uniform. He had white hanging hair and white

eyebrows. “Raven, I thought you were dead,” he said

while examining Traiven’s uniform. “When did you

get demoted? You must have really upset General

Shinnle this time.”

Traiven sighed. “I’m not Raven.”

“Really! Wow.... you look just like him. I

swear you two could be brothers.”

“We are. I’m Raven’s twin brother, Traiven.”

“No way, who’d ever thought this whole time

Raven had a twin. He never told anyone about a

brother.”

“Well, that’s ’cause he didn’t know. Neither

of us did. I was living on Earth with our mother

121

when I was suddenly brought here to take Raven’s

place.”

“Oh, I guess that makes sense. I mean with

the Cassius threat and all.”

“What’s a Cassius threat?” Questioned

Traiven.

“Not what but who.” Cassius is the demon

king. The Summoners have been trying for years to

bring him to this plane.”

“Can’t they just summon him?”

“Fortunately not, he’s too powerful for any

Summoner. But if they ever succeed in raising him,

then Cassius can summon his demon army.” Said the

stranger.

“Well, what are the odds of that happening?”

Asked Traiven.

“They’re getting closer every day. The thing

is that if they ever succeed, they say Raven was the

only one powerful enough to beat him. I guess that’s

why you’re here. If you’re Raven’s twin, then you

must be a Nephilim.”

122

Traiven sighed and bent over the railing.

“That’s what they’re all telling me. Everyone expects

so much of me.”

“You need to have faith, Traiven. If you don’t

believe in yourself, you’ll never make it as an Arc.”

Traiven turned to the man. “You’re Sneaux,

aren’t you?”

“Yes.”

“There’s a statue of you in the lobby next to

the statue of Raven. You’re one of the Four

Horsemen. What does that mean?”

“Well..., years ago, we were up against a

powerful foe. In order to beat him, we needed more

than just the power of the Angels, so four of us were

chosen to empower the Four Horsemen. It was

temporary, of course.”

“Can’t you use that power to defeat Cassius?”

“No, the horsemen can only be summoned

once every thousand years.” Responded Sneaux.

Sneaux suddenly received a communication

on his transmitter. “Sneaux, we’ll be leaving soon.”

“Aye, Captain,” Sneaux replied.

“What was that?” Asked Traiven.

123

“I have to go. I have a mission on one of

Juno’s moons.”

“Okay, it was nice to meet you.” Said Traiven.

“You as well… and good luck.”

Traiven watched as Sneaux walked away.

124

7

Lance, leader of the Summoners, was staring

out the window in his quarters, high in the dark

castle. The door opened, and a group of soldiers led

by Max, escorted the kidnapped scientist from

Robant and Dr. Bryan in and up to Lance.

Lance turned and walked up to Bryan, “So

how are you liking your stay so far?” Lance asked.

“Eventually, my planet will retaliate,” replied

Bryan. “Invading Robant and kidnapping some of its

citizens, is an act of war.”

“Oh, I’m not too concerned about that. First

of all, not even the Federation can pass our defenses.

Secondly, once you and your men help us bring Lord

Cassius to this plane, no one will dare take us on.”

“What makes you think we’ll help?”

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“What makes you think you have an option?”

Lance answered with another question.

“I’d gladly give my life, if it meant stopping

the demon king from rising.” Said the scientist.

“How noble, but the thing is” Lance stepped

closer to Bryan “I’m not going to kill you. You’re too

important for that; but your men are a bit more

expendable. Do as I say or their blood will be on your

hands,” said Lance.

“Don’t you get it? What you’re asking for is

impossible. A link cannot be made from one plane to

another. My work is creating a link between two

points in the same plane. That’s all.” Said the

scientist.

“That’s because you never tried it, it’s all a

matter of converting vibration frequencies.” Lance

answered. “The Seran were closer to accomplishing it

before, but they were wiped out. Luckily for you, we

still have some of their research.” Lance turned to

Max. “Take him to the lab with the others.” He then

turned back to Bryan. “And for the sake of your men,

you’d better finish sooner rather than later.”

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The soldiers grabbed Bryan and pull him

away.

The morning sun shone over the base in

planet Vana. Traiven was standing in the center of a

large metal dome. There was a rectangular window

at the top of the wall, where Rukaryo and Shawn

were watching Traiven, behind a long control panel

and a window.

Rukaryo pressed a button on the panel and

spoke to Traiven through a voice system. “This is the

simulation war room. It’s where you learn how to

think when you fight. I want you also to practice

emitting force at your opponent.”

“But I’m still learning that,” replied Traiven.

“The more you do it, the more you’ll learn it.”

Said Rukaryo.

“Yeah,” Shawn filled in. “Especially after all

of that complaining you did yesterday.”

“I wasn’t complaining,” stated Traiven. “I just

didn’t think it was fair for you to keep doing it.”

“The Summoners aren’t fair Traiven,” said

Rukaryo. “Now let’s get started. We still have quite a

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ways to go and one more day.” Rukaryo then turned

to Shawn. “I wonder if Raven complained this much

during his training.”

“I HEARD THAT!” Shouted Traiven.

“We’ll be watching and coaching you. I’ll

send out robots one at a time. Each robot is powerful,

and only has one weakness. Throughout your battle,

you have to figure out their strategies and

weaknesses. Then use that information to your

advantage all while trying to evade their attacks.”

“That sounds hard.” Said Traiven.

“If you can’t defeat these robots, then you

won’t stand a chance against the demons.” Said

Rukaryo.

“Fine” Traiven said, as he pulled out his

sword and jumped around to loosen up. “Let’s do

this.”

“Then here we go.” Rukaryo pushed a button

on the control panel, and part of the wall opened

letting a large, metal creature walk into the dome.

Then the door closed behind it.

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It was as tall as an average human and looked

like a cat. It had spikes on its head, red glowing eyes,

and sharp teeth and claws.

The robot didn’t hesitate to take action. It ran

around the room, not taking its eyes off Traiven.

Traiven ran toward it and swung his sword, but the

robot quickly evaded the attack. It then charged at

Traiven knocking him off, sending him flying against

the wall. As soon as Traiven hit the wall, the robot

was on top of him like a lighting swinging its claws

toward him.

Traiven strayed to the left, dodging the

attack, and swung back; but the robot was able to

block his attack with one claw. Then, the mechanic

cat hit him with the other claw causing him to again

fly against the wall.

Rukaryo spoke on the microphone. “Traiven,

you can’t beat it by swinging mindlessly. This robot’s

reflexes are too great. You have to find an opening.”

The robot charged again toward Traiven and

lashed at him. Traiven quickly dodged the attack. It

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swung again and Traiven lifted his sword to shield

himself.

The robot pushed Traiven back with its paw,

then charged at him and swung at him again,

knocking him to the floor. It then pounced on him,

but Traiven quickly flipped back, dodging the attack,

and slid several feet away in a three-point stance.

There’s no way I can beat this thing in close

combat, thought Traiven. But I have an idea.

The robot charged at him yet again, but he

quickly jumped out of the way, and landed on the

opposite side of the room.

I hope this works, he thought.

This time Traiven stared into its eyes as it ran

toward him. When it got close, it bent down and

pounced on him. Traiven quickly pulled his right

palm back, then threw it forward, emitting a

powerful force that slammed the robot back against

the wall on the other side of the room.

“Good job,” said Rukaryo. “This robot can’t

be defeated in close combat, so getting some distance

was the only way.”

130

He then pushed another button. The robot got

up and walked back through the opening it came

from and another robot came in. This robot was

rounded in shape like a big ball; it also rolled on

caterpillar tracks.

A little ball on top of it glowed red. A hole

opened up in the center of it, and a single cannon

emerged.

“Okay Traiven, this robot doesn’t have swift

reflexes or fast movements like the other, but it has

strong fire power. Good luck.”

Traiven tightened his grip on his sword, and

then charged toward the robot. Just as he got close,

flames shot out from its cannon, and he quickly

strayed to the left, barely dodging the flames. It

turned to him and shot more flames, but he dodged

it again. It constantly shot flames anywhere he would

land, so he kept moving, dodging every attack.

If I stop moving, I’m done, he thought.

Traiven ran close to the robot and swung his

sword as hard as he could, but his sword shattered

into pieces without leaving a scratch on the robot’s

131

hull. The machine quickly turned its cannon, but

Traiven kick off of it, dodging the fire just before it

shot. He continually moved around, dodging the

flames.

“How am I supposed to beat it now? I have

no weapon. Traiven thought.

“Think Traiven…If this was a real battle, you

wouldn’t have my help. So I’m not giving it to you

now.” Rukaryo said to himself.

Traiven continued to move around, dodging

attacks. He began thinking. I bet the ball on the top is its

weakness.

Traiven suddenly changed his direction and

ran directly in front of the robot. As soon as it shot

flames, he quickly jumped to the top and swung his

leg, kicking the red ball off, causing the robot to shut

down.

“Wow, good job,” said Rukaryo. “You’ve

gotten better. Of course, that last robot was a bit

weak, but I wanted you to learn that sometimes in

battle, there’ll be only one weakness on your

opponent’s entire body. Anyway, I think you

understand the basic principles of combat now. The

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Summoners don’t use robots very often; their

demons are extremely powerful.

Only an Arc can defeat a Summoner.”

“Oh, I get it.” Traiven then bent over,

breathing heavily in exhaustion. “Piece of cake.”

“So are you ready for the next couple of

robots.” Said Rukaryo with a serious face.

“WHAT!” Shouted Traiven while still grasping

for air.

Rukaryo laughed. “I’m just joking. Come on.

Let’s go get some food.”

Rukaryo walked into a room with a big round

table. Sitting at the table were General Shinnle,

Captain Joker, and Captain Richard Worland; who

was the captain of Phantom Seven-Four-Two. He

walked to the table and sat down with them.

“Welcome, Rukaryo,” said General Shinnle.

“Thank you, sir.” Answered Rukaryo.

“Now we can begin...I called you three here

to discuss the potential threat of Cassius. Sabola has

kidnapped the scientists from Robant, who were

researching teleportation. The Summoners are most

133

likely expecting to use this technology to find a way

to repair their Gateway.” Said General Shinnle.

“So, does that mean Raven did succeed in

destroying it?” Asked Rukaryo.

“Yes, and it was Seran technology that they

used to create it and the research from the Robant

scientist is the closest they can get.” Continued the

General.

“We’re running out of time,” said Joker. “We

need to find a way past their defenses.”

“That’s why I called you three here.” Replied

General Shinnle. “Richard, go to Robant and assist

them with the rescue of their scientists. I’ll be joining

you there after I finish up things here.” Said General

Shinnle, then he turned to Rukaryo. “Rukaryo, is

Traiven ready?”

“Well, sir, he does know the basics, but he

has no type of experience what so ever.” Answered

Rukaryo.

“Then we’ll get him some.” Replied General

Shinnle. “Joker, I’m sending him and Shawn to you.

We’ve been asked by Sarazetty for help to investigate

the mysterious attack of some of their citizens. A

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mission like this would usually be given to the

Guardians, but I think it’ll be a good mission for

Traiven’s first. No Summoners and no demons.”

“Yes, sir.” Answered Joker.

“I’ve sent Phantom Seven-Two-Nine to assist

the overthrowing of one of Sabola’s off planet bases.

We’re hoping to find information there about their

defense system.” Said General Shinnle. “Our

intelligence tells us that there may be information

about their floating turrets there. If we can find out

how to disable them, we can finally launch our

assault.” He added.

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8

Traiven slowly stepped out of the pod,

admiring the scenery. He, Shawn and Rukaryo had

landed behind a large cylinder shaped hanger, with a

wide tower connected to the front of it.

“This place is huge,” Traiven said in

amazement said. “So where’s my ship?”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself, Traiven,”

replied Rukaryo.

“Aren’t we going to Phantom Seven-Three-

Five?” Asked Shawn as he stepped out.

“Yes.” Said Rukaryo.

“WELCOME!” Came a voice from a distance.

The three looked at the station and saw Joker

walking up to them. He walked up to Traiven,

grabbed his hand, and shook it. The first thing

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Traiven noticed was the difference in the symbol he

wore. He had no stars, but a circle over his shield

that had two lines crossing diagonally on it and two

lines that cross the diagonal lines, one vertical and

one horizontal.

“Ouch!” Said Traiven as he pulled his hand

away. “What a grip.”

“I’m Captain Joker Jenkins, the commanding

officer of Phantom Seven-Three-Five. Let me just say

I’m glad you’re here. After we lost Raven, I thought

there was no hope. But luckily, they found you.”

Joker then stepped toward Shawn. “And you must

be Shawn?”

“Yes, sir,” Shawn answered.

“You have quite a reputation for such a small

record.” Joker said.

“Well, sir, I have a lot to fight for.”

Responded Shawn.

“Good to hear.” Said Joker.

He then turned back to Traiven. “So from

what I understand here, this is all new to you.”

“Something like that,” replied Traiven.

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“I’ll do my best to help you get familiar with

your new life.”

“Thanks.” Replied Traiven.

“Now then.” Said Rukaryo to Joker. “I leave

them to you.”

“Thank you,” replied Joker.

Rukaryo walked away and Joker led the two

through the back door of the large building.

Shawn whispered to Traiven, “Wow, Traiven,

you’d better be on your toes. I bet they’ll be

expecting a lot from you.”

They reached a large door and Joker turned to

them then said, “Okay boys, welcome to your new

home.” He pushed a button on the side of the door,

and it slid open. Behind it was a huge hangar. They

stepped inside onto a long platform that stretched

around the entire wall of the hanger, with a railing

on the outside overlooking a large trench as wide as

a football field. They stepped forward to the railing,

and sitting in the trench was an oval-shaped dark

blue ship, in the center, that filled the entire hole. The

ship had wings that stretched out diagonally toward

the large circular thrusters on its back, and a window

138

in the front, behind a short nose. On the sides,

toward the front, was the Federation logo with the

numbers Seven-Three-Five over the shield. There

were guys in red suits working on it and moving

around through the area. They were scattered both

above the platform, on the platform and below it.

“So this is our ship?” Asked Traiven in

amazement.

“Yep,” said Joker, “a Phantom’s mission is to

carry and deploy Arcs wherever they are needed.

Now, come let me show you the inside.”

Joker led them to a ramp that stretched from

the balcony, through a small hatch, leading into the

ship. As they walked into it, Joker led them through

a narrow passage that was two people wide. The

walls were light blue, the floor was soft as a carpet,

with long dim lights along the deck.

Joker led them to a round door. “Now this is

the bridge. I’ll introduce you to some of the crew

here.”

The door opened and the group walked into a

bridged that was big and spacious. There was a

single chair in front, behind a wide screen, a control

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panel and two blue sticks at the helm for steering. In

the very center of the bridge was a captain’s chair,

with control panels to the left and the right. A large

screen hung from the ceiling before it. On the left and

right of the walls, were chairs in front of control

panels. The one to the right controlled the weapons

system and the one to the left was the engineering

system.

Joker led his group to the center of the bridge.

Two men walked in front of the group and greeted

them.

Joker began the introductions. “From left to

right, the one with blue stripes on his uniform is Pilot

First Class Benny Rom, the one with gray stripes is

Guardian First Class Shafer Chris.”

Each of the men wore a federation logo but

instead of stars over the shields, they had two lines

crossing diagonally with a vertical and horizontal

line crossing the center of diagonal ones.

“Why don’t they have stars?” Asked Traiven.

“Only Arcs are ranked in stars.” Replied

Joker. “The rest of us use a different ranking scale.

Recruits have one diagonal line, apprentices have

140

two parallel diagonal lines and soldiers have three

parallel diagonal lines. Third classes have two

diagonal lines that cross one and other. Second

classes have the same but with one vertical line that

crosses. And first classes are what you see on these

today. Master classes are the highest rank and it is

what you see on me.”

“Hmm,” replied Traiven. “That’s a lot to

learn.”

“Don’t worry you’ll get the hang of it in no

time.” Said Joker. Then he continued his

introduction. “Now Benny here flies the ship during

the day, but at night, the rest of the crew takes shifts

for Benny, so he can get some rest. Except for you

two,” he said gesturing with his finger, “Since you’ll

be the ones who’ll be out on the field. You’ll never

have to fly the ship.” He then gestured toward

Shafer. “Now as a Guardian, Shafer’s job is to lead

the defense if the ship ever gets attacked. He is also

the security officer of the ship.”

Benny walked up to Traiven and shook his

hand. “It’s an honor to meet you. You look just like

your brother. Hope you can fight like him as well.”

141

“So do I,” replied Traiven.

“Guys, I know you all know of Traiven, but

let’s not forget our other Arc, Shawn,” said Joker.

“Ay sir,” Benny and Shafer said.

“Now follow me, I’ll introduce you to the rest

of the crew.” Said Joker.

As they continued to walk through the ship,

they ran into a woman with red hair and freckles.

She was in her early thirties and had red stripes on

her uniform.

“Sir, I’ve just completed the maintenance

check on the engine. We’re good to go,” she said.

“Great,” replied Joker. He then turned to

Traiven and Shawn. “This is Engineer First Class

Belle Sasuke.”

She walked up to Traiven and stared at him.

“Wow, so Raven really does have a twin brother.

That’s amazing.” She said.

“Captain, we’re all clear in medical,” came

another voice from behind them.

Joker turned and saw Bethany standing

behind them. Her eyes widened and her mouth

dropped as she noticed Traiven. She and Traiven

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stared at each other for a moment, and then Bethany

exclaimed out loud, “Wow!”

Belle whispered to Traiven, “That’s Second

Class Medic Bethany Ester. She was Raven’s fiancée.”

“A spitting image of Raven, right?” Said

Joker.

Bethany spoke again with a cold tone on her

voice, “He may look like Raven, but I can still tell the

difference.”

There was a sudden beep that came from a

device on Joker’s belt. He picked it up and spoke on

it. “Yeah.”

“Sir, we’re getting a transmission from

General Shinnle.”

“I’m on my way.” Joker put the device back

on his belt. “Sorry, I have to go. Just explore the ship

a bit. Get used to it for now and later you’ll be shown

to your quarters.” He then walked away.

Belle walked up to Bethany and put her hand

on her shoulder. “Are you okay?”

“Um, yeah,” answered Bethany. “I have to get

back to work.” She then turned and walked away.

143

“I don’t think she likes me too much,” said

Traiven.

“Don’t worry,” replied Belle. “Raven meant a

lot to her, and she still hasn’t gotten over him yet.”

“Is Raven dead?” Asked Traiven.

“Don’t know. As a matter of fact, no one

knows. He just disappeared, but the Federation has

people working on it.” She said.

Shawn suddenly spoke sarcastically, and

interrupted the conversation. “As much as I like to

hear more about Traiven’s missing brother, I’d really

like to find a place to put my feet up.”

“Well, I can show you to your quarters,”

replied Belle.

“That would be great,” answered Shawn.

Back on the bridge, Joker was talking to

General Shinnle on the screen.

“So how is everything? Are your new Arcs

settling in?” Questioned General Shinnle.

144

“Yes sir, I’ve just shown them around.”

Responded Joker.

“Good, now I hate to cut your indoctrination

short, but you must get going. Sarazetty’s just

reported another attack. They need you there now.”

Said the General.

“Do they have any leads?” Asked the Joker.

“There has been a sighting of a strange

creature. From the description of the creature, it

doesn’t sound like a demon.” Added the General.

“Kaiju?” Inquired Joker.

“Let’s hope not. I want your Arcs to go down

there. Find out what’s going on and stop it before

anyone else gets hurt. If it is Kaiju, then abort

immediately. Traiven and Shawn are not ready to

take on a foe that powerful.” Responded General

Shinnle.

“Yes, sir.” Said Joker.

“Good luck.” Wished the general.

As General Shinnle went off the screen, the

door opened and Traiven walked in, followed by

Shawn.

145

“Get ready boys, we have a mission,” said

Joker.

“What kind of mission, sir?” Asked Shawn.

“You’re going to investigate the attack on

innocent people on the planet Sarazetty.” Answered

Joker.

“Got it,” said Traiven enthusiastically. “So

when do we leave?”

“Now, we’ll arrive there in the morning, so

get some rest. Trust me, you’ll need it.” Joker replied.

Meanwhile, across the galaxy, on a large

moon next to the noble planet Juno, bombs exploded

and the sound of gunfire filled the plains. Soldiers of

the Federation took cover behind barriers and in

trenches, while returning fire the best they could.

However, they were no match for the two massive

machines that were protecting Sabola’s fortress. The

machines were huge and stood on four bug-like legs.

Above their legs were two lairs; each having three

rotating cannons following the soldiers’ every move.

The Sabola soldiers were posted behind the machines

146

in case the Federation would advance. There were

small fighter ships flying around the sky from both

sides of the battle. The Federation ships were trying

to destroy the machines and the Empire’s ships were

protecting them.

The Federation soldiers were starting to lose

hope. Suddenly, their spirits were lifted,] by the sight

of a Phantom coming down from the sky. Its number

was Seven-Two-Nine.

The soldiers cheered as they saw the Phantom

draw closer. The Phantom was being escorted by the

Federation ships. It landed twenty yards behind the

area where the Federation soldiers were making their

stand.

A figure watched the battle from the window

of the fortress as the Phantom landed. He had a

muscular body that was covered in orange fur with

black stripes running vertically all around its body.

He stood up on two legs and had sharp claws and a

tiger-like head. On its head protruded a horn from

his nose. He was the demon General Nue.

“Lieutenant!” Nue called.

“Sir?” Replied a soldier standing behind him.

147

“A couple of Arcs are about to join the battle,

do everything you can to slow them down.” Said

Nue.

“Should I have the walkers target the Arcs?”

Asked the soldier.

“Don’t bother, send out the troops and rush

their army before the Arcs reach us. And if they do,

I’ll deal with them myself.” Responded Nue.

“Yes sir.” Said the soldier.

Nue’s Summoner named Klide suddenly

walked up behind Nue and asked, “Are you sure

you can take them both?”

“There’s more to me than just looks.”

Responded Nue.

Across the battlefield the two Arcs had just

walked up to the captain of the Federation soldiers.

One of them was Sneaux Sasuke; he had a straight

sword at his side with a thin blade. The other Arc

was massive and it wasn’t difficult for one to see his

muscular physique, his look was bold and his brown

eyes projected him as one not to mess with. To add

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depth to this intimidating image, on his back hung a

big hammer, the size of an average twelve year old

child. His name was Benson Johnson, son of the

Master Arc Caliber; he was a two-star Arc.

“Good, you’re finally here,” said the captain.

“I don’t really have the time to give you a proper

briefing, so I’ll be quick about it. Several months ago,

Federation forces had entered this rock and begun to

wipe out the Sabola’s presence one fortress at a time.

Since then, our numbers have gone down nearly

seventy percent. This is the final fortress. As you can

see, they have brought out two heavily armed

walkers that easily wiped out half of our remaining

men. We’re now at a standstill and are unable to

progress any farther. We need you to take out those

two walkers, so that our forces can continue the

assault and take out the final fortress, eliminating

Sabola’s presence here.”

“Got it,” replied Sneaux. “General Shinnle

also wants us to search the fortress for info about

their defenses of Sabola.”

149

A soldier walked up to the group. “Sir, their

forces are on the move, they’re headed straight

towards us.”

“Darn! Arc team, are you ready?” Asked the

captain.

“Yes,” answered Sneaux.

“Okay.” The captain turned to the other

solider. “Hold your ground as soon as the Arc team

engages the walkers, we’ll advance.”

“Yes sir.” The soldier then ran off.

The Empire’s soldiers rushed toward the

Federation’s barrier. Sneaux and Benson jumped out

and ran through the crowd too quickly to be noticed.

As soon as they got close, the walkers turned

their cannons to them and opened fire, but the two

Arcs quickly dodged every shot.

The Federation soldiers then ran out and

engaged the enemy.

Benson jumped up into the air and swung his

hammer down. As he landed, his hammer hit the

ground and caused a great shock wave, which threw

the walkers off balance.

150

Sneaux lunged toward one of the walkers and

swung his sword, slicing off one of its legs. It fell to

the ground, and the soldiers controlling it fell out

and ran away.

Benson then lunged toward the other walker

and hit it with his hammer, cracking it and causing it

to fall to the ground. The soldiers who were

controlling it got out and ran away as well.

The Federation soldiers had finished off the

Sabola’s soldiers and ran toward the fortress. As they

got close, Nue jumped out in front of the fortress and

threw his palm forward, creating a force that pushed

all the Federation soldiers back, several yards away.

“It’s Nue,” said Benson.

“Come on, Let’s take him,” said Sneaux.

Sneaux and Benson rushed toward Nue. Once

they got close, Sneaux swung his sword, and Nue

jumped back dodging the attack. Just as Sneaux did,

Benson jumped forward and swung his hammer, but

Nue swung his left fist and knocked it to the side. He

then threw his right palm forward, and emitted a

force that pushed Benson back causing him to crash

to the ground.

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Sneaux lunged forward and swung his sword

again. Nue swung his right claw and blocked

Sneaux’s attack, then swung his left claw and

blocked another attack. He then jumped up and spun

around while swinging his leg, and kicked Sneaux in

the face causing him to fly back several feet, crashing

to the ground next to Benson.

Benson helped Sneaux up while saying, “Boy,

this guy is tough. He hasn’t even broken a sweat.”

Sneaux wiped the blood from his lip and said,

“He’s one of Lance’s generals. I don’t expect

anything less.”

Klide suddenly walked out of the fortress and

said to Nue, “My lord, I’ve just got word from Lance.

We’re ordered to return to Sabola. Robant and the

Federation are planning an attack.”

“Fine,” replied Nue. A ship then flew from

behind the fortress and landed next to Nue. Right

before he stepped on it, he said to the Arcs, “As

much as I would like to finish you right now, I have a

more important matter to attend to, at the moment.”

He then stepped on the ship, and it took off.

152

9

Phantom Seven-Three-Five soared through

space on its way to Sarazetty. Traiven was

wondering around the ship to familiarize himself

with it. He came to a window and stared out and

watched as he and the ship passed the dim planet of

Robant, lit with bright streams of light wrapping

around it’s surface. I can’t believe I’m actually in outer

space, he thought. If only my mom could see this, he

sighed. I’ll probably never see her again. It’s crazy how

things turned out. One day, you’re branded the jousting

champion of a tiny town, the next, you find out you’re not

even human.

He stepped away from the window and

continued walking around the ship. As he came to an

open doorway with a light green symbol of a hollow

153

circle with a small line stretching from the middle of

the circle vertically from center to the bottom, this

was the medical symbol of the galaxy. Traiven

looked inside the room and saw a white bed

surrounded by several medical instruments.

Is this supposed to be a hospital? He thought.

He walked inside the room and looked

around, but was stopped by a voice calling him.

“Hey.”

He looked toward the door and saw Bethany

standing with her arms folded.

“What are you doing here?” She asked.

“I was just curious.” Traiven responded.

“Well, this isn’t the place to wander around

in. Do you have any idea how much some of this

equipment cost?”

“Don’t worry. I’m not going to break

anything.”

Hearing those words from Traiven gave her a

flashback of the first time she talked to Raven.

Raven was holding a medical instrument. He was

turning it around, scrutinizing it, and trying to figure out

154

what it was. When Bethany walked in and asked, “What

are you doing?”

“Oh, I was just wandering around this ship,

trying to get used to it.” Raven answered.

“Well, don’t wander in here. This is some

expensive equipment, and I can’t afford for anything to

break.” Said Bethany.

“Don’t worry. I’m not going to break anything.”

Suddenly, the instrument he was holding slipped

out of his hands and fell to the floor, shattering into pieces.

Bethany put her hand on her head as she

came out of her flashback. “Please, just go.” She said.

“Fine,” said Traiven as he walked out of the

room.

Elsewhere on the ship, Shawn stood on the

bridge, silently staring out the front screen. Joker was

sitting in his chair, sipping on a hot cup of tea. He

looked at Shawn and noticed a serious look on his

face, as if he was in deep thought.

“Shawn?” Joker called.

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“Sir?” Answered Shawn as he turned to Joker.

“I hear you’re a Seran, making you rightful

king of Sabola.”

“Yes sir.” Shawn responded.

“I also hear that you’ve always been at the

top of your class at the academy.”

“Yes sir, that’s why they chose me to team up

with Traiven.”

“I’m impressed.” The Joker stated.

“Well, I’ll try my best ’cause I want to get

better. So that I can, one day, take down the

Summoners and avenge my family.” Said Shawn.

“What do you know about your family’s

history?” Joker inquired.

“Not much, only that they were very

intelligent and wiped out by the Summoners.”

Joker sighed, “Well, the truth is…”

“Sir, I have Sarazetty in sight,” said Benny,

interrupting Joker.

“Get us in the atmosphere,” said Joker.

“Yes sir.” Benny responded.

The door opened and Traiven walked in.

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“Traiven, you and Shawn go to the hangar

bay. You’ll be deploying soon. First, you’re going to

investigate the situation, then report back for further

instructions.” Said Joker.

“Yes, sir,” said Shawn.

“Got it,” said Traiven.

As Phantom Seven-Three-Five approached the

atmosphere, another ship keeping its distance was

tailing them. Equal in size but had a more triangular

shape. It had short wings on the sides, thrusters in

the back and a pointed nose.

Inside the ship, a figure stood in a glass

cylinder, with orange steam filling around him. After

a few minutes, the steam cleared and a computerized

female voice reported, “Regeneration complete.” The

dome lifted, and from the smoke walked a young

man in his late twenties. He had short black hair that

was spiked forward. He looked like he had just

exercised by lifting five hundred pound bench

presses. His face was young with blue eyes. He

stepped out of the dome shirtless, wearing only gray

trousers.

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He walked through his ship until he reached

a reflective wall. As he scrutinized himself, he

noticed his skin was very slowly beginning to decay,

as he his body was a walking corpse.

As he stared at himself, his ship’s computer

spoke to him again, “How effective was the process

this time, Lord Moth?”

“It seems the decay is happening faster every

time,” Moth answered.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a

small metallic tube with a syringe on the end. He

stabbed it into his forearm, injecting a small doze of

liquid into his body. “Even the serum is losing its

effects.” He said.

He walked over to a rack where the rest of his

gray clothing was, and he put them on. “What’s the

status of our mission?” He asked the computer.

“It appears that Phantom Seven-Three-Five is

nearing the planet Sarazetty. They’ll be in the

atmosphere soon. Should I follow?” The computer

responded.

“No, if they’re on a mission, I’d rather wait

till after they deploy their Arcs. Then I’ll go down

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myself. I have to catch Raven alone. There’s no way I

can take on two Arcs.”

“Very well, Lord Moth.”

“Let’s just keep an eye on them for now.”

Moth added.

Back on the Phantom, Shawn and Traiven

were in the hangar bay, preparing for their mission.

They were standing next to a wall with various

weapons hanging from it. The wall held guns and

melee weapons, like swords and knives. Shawn

grabbed a sword from the wall and handed it to

Traiven. “Try not to break it this time,” he said.

Traiven grabbed his sword and attached it to

his belt. “Do you think we’ll have to use our

weapons?” He asked.

“I hope so,” said Shawn as he grabbed his

scythe from the wall. He then grabbed the top of the

handle underneath the blade, and the pole and blade

retracted to a smaller single-handed weapon. He

then attached it to his belt.

“That’s neat, so your handle can grow long or

small,” replied Traiven.

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Shawn then grabbed two earpieces from a

counter under the weapons and handed one to

Traiven. “This is how we’ll keep in touch with each

other and the ship.”

Traiven watched Shawn put it inside of his

right ear and did the same.

They instantly heard Joker speak from the

bridge. “Now we’re expecting you two to be here for

a couple of days, so the first thing I want you to do is

check into the inn. We already have reservations

made for you. Then I want you to meet up with the

king. After that, explore the city, meet and talk to

citizens. Try to get as much information about the

situation as you can through casual conversation.

That shouldn’t be too hard ’cause it’s been

happening a lot lately.”

“Sir, why don’t we just storm the place, find

out what’s going on, and take care of it?” Asked

Traiven. “It wouldn’t take us more than a day.” He

added.

“That’s because we don’t know what’s going

on. If you do that, then whoever’s responsible will

know that the Federation is on their tail. They just

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might pack up and leave before we can stop them.

You can’t let anyone know who you are or why

you’re there. Got it?” Said Joker

“Yes sir,” Traiven answered in a disappointed

voice.

“Now get ready to deploy.” Ordered Joker.

“What do you mean?” Asked Traiven.

“We’re dropping you off from the

atmosphere. You’ll jump down to the Sarazetty’s

surface. The whole time you’re there, the ship will

orbit the planet.” Said Joker.

“Again, why don’t you just land?”

Questioned Traiven.

“Phantoms rarely land on a planet. In most

missions, we don’t want the enemy to be aware of

our presence, so the ship stays in the atmosphere

while the Arcs go to the planet alone. I’ll be giving

you orders from the ship.” Said Joker.

“Enough with the questions Traiven,” said

Shawn. “Are we going to start this mission or not.”

“Well, excuse me for not spending years

training for this.” Traiven replied in a sarcastic voice.

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The two each stood on circular panels next to

each other. Both panels rose up through the ceiling of

the hangar bay, taking them to the outer hull of the

ship. They were now standing on top of the ship and

staring down at the planet’s surface. It appeared

bright and colorful.

Sarazetty looks amazing, Traiven thought.

“Are you ready?” Asked Joker from his chair

on the bridge.

“As we’ll ever be,” answered Traiven.

“Remember, if you need us just call and we

can provide support from our position.” Joker added.

“Yes, sir,” replied Shawn.

“Arcs deploy!”

Shawn looked at Traiven and said, “Just

follow my lead.”

Shawn bent down and Traiven did the same.

They quickly dove off the ship face-first toward the

planet. As they fell to the planet’s surface, they felt

the heat of the atmosphere around their bodies. Their

uniforms produced plasma heat shields, which

protected them from burning.

162

Traiven’s eyes were closed at initial landing,

but once he opened them, he could see blurred colors

getting bigger and brighter. When they came into

focus, he could see that the colors were the lights of

massive buildings.

“Look” said Shawn as he pointed to a forest

just outside the city. “We’ll land there so no one will

see us.”

“Got it.” Responded Traiven.

They turned their bodies in the direction of

the forest and fell toward it.

“Traiven, will you be okay on landing this

time?” Asked Shawn through the earpiece.

“I think so.” Said Traiven.

They fell past the trees. Just as they got over

the ground, Shawn twisted his body and created a

force that made them stop midair for a second, then

landed in a three-point stance, while Traiven crashed

to the ground.

Shawn helped Traiven up. “Are you okay?”

Shawn asked.

“I would be if that’s the last time I ever had to

do that.”

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“Don’t worry. You’ll eventually learn. Now

come on, we’ve got work to do.”

On the bridge of Phantom Seven-Three-Five; the

crew was contacted by Shawn. “Captain, we’ve just

reached the surface.”

“Good,” replied Captain Joker, as he leaned

back in his chair. “Benny, take us outside.”

“Yes sir,” said Benny, as he grabbed the

rubber ship control sticks, steering the ship away.

Lord Moth watched, standing on his ship as

the Phantom flew out of the atmosphere. He was

posted just outside the atmosphere. He spoke to his

ship’s computer, over a communication device in his

ear, similar to Traiven and Shawn’s, “Whatever you

do Ana, don’t enter the atmosphere. Even if you’re

cloaked, they could still pick you up with their

magnetic radar.”

“Yes, Lord Moth.”

The ship spun until the planet was over Lord

Moth’s head. He bent his knees and then pushed

himself off; straight toward the planet’s surface.

164

Meanwhile at Robant, General Shinnle along

with Captain Richard, Cid, and Maya, had met with

the King of Robant, Joseph Williams the 2nd. They

walked into the castle war room in Robant escorted

by guards. They met up with three generals standing

around a holographic diagram of the dark castle of

Sabola, on a circular panel.

“Thank you for meeting with us,” said King

Joseph.

“Anything to help bring down the

Summoners your highness.” Replied General

Shinnle.

“I am truly sorry that you were dragged into

this war,” said General Shinnle.

“Do you know what the Summoners have

planned with our scientists?” Asked King Joseph.

General Shinnle answered, “The Summoners

have been trying to open a gateway to hell, so they

could bring the demon Cassius to this plane.”

“Can’t they just summon him?”

“No, Cassius’s power is too great for any

Summoner to harness. We are afraid that Cassius

165

might bring numerous demons with him; whose

powers may be too great for our Arcs to stand a

chance.”

“And they believe our scientist can do that for

them?” Inquired the King.

“Sabola isn’t exactly known for their

technology. They were close to creating a gateway

before by using research left behind by the Seran, but

it was destroyed by one of our Arcs.” Answered the

general.

“So you were able to get an Arc to their

surface?” Asked the King.

“Yes, but they knew he was there before he

touched the ground. It’s almost impossible to get

men to the surface unnoticed, and we’d face a

significant number of casualties trying to break

through their defenses.” Said General Shinnle.

“What about your Arcs?” Questioned the

King.

“They can’t fight a war on their own. But if

we know where the system is that controls their

166

defense, we can send them directly to it and destroy

it before launching an attack.” Assumed the General.

“Then we would need to get information on

the layout of their castle.” said Richard intervene and

said.

“Yes,” replied General Shinnle. “We’ve just

ended an assault on a Summoner base on Serprus.

We did get a layout of the castle on Sabola, as well as

a few structures just outside of the castle.”

“What did your guys find out?” Asked King

Joseph. “Nothing specific, but we do know that all

additions to planet’s forces they had made, are

housed in all of their structures built in front of the

castle.

Most likely their defense system is in one, but

we don’t know which.”

“Can’t you destroy them all?” Asked King

Joseph.

“There is too many to take one by one,” said

Shinnle. “We only have twenty-five Arc teams, and

167

many of them aren’t familiar with fighting multiple

opponents.”

“Don’t forget General, the Summoners don’t

know our exact number of Arc teams.” Said Richard.

“We can use that to our advantage.”

“What do you mean?” Asked King Joseph.

“We’ll have to get all of our Arcs to the

planet’s surface and have them spread out. We

designate two teams to find and destroy the defense

controls, while the others act as decoys.” Said

Richard.

“Would that work?” Asked King Joseph.

“Yes,” answered General Shinnle with a sigh,

“But it will cost us severely. You’re talking about

sacrificing men.”

“And if they succeed with raising Cassius.

How many people will lose their lives?” Replied

King Richard.

“General Shinnle turned and thought for a

second, then replied. “Captain Richard given the

circumstances, this is a good place to start, but I will

need to take it up with the Masters before we can

move forward.”

168

“I understand,” said Captain Richard.

“Just know that whatever you decide, Robant

will be behind you in full force.” Added King Joseph.

“Thank you,” said General Shinnle. “Just

have your army ready for anything.”

169

10

Traiven and Shawn had just walked into the

castle of Sarazetty. The lights were dim and the walls

were brown and designed with wood patterns.

Traiven noticed a large chandelier, hanging in the

center of a large lobby that looked as if it was made

from antlers. He was surprise to see that it was lit

with candles. They were standing on a large rug that

was a darker brown than the walls, with various

shades of green leaf patterns around it. There was

large staircase before them with two brown large,

statues of wolves on each side.

“Hey Shawn,” whispered Traiven, “This is

totally not what I was expecting.”

“Then what were you expecting?” Asked

Shawn.

170

“Something a bit more technological. I mean

they do have the technology to space travel, can’t

they have a more advanced looking pad?”

“I don’t know how things are on Earth, but in

this galaxy we have style.” Answered Shawn.

Traiven stretched his head for a second in

thought. “Guess I never thought of it that way.” He

said.

“Welcome!” Came a voice from in front of

them.

They looked forward and saw a man in his

early-fifties walking toward them, followed by two

soldiers. They all wore brown uniforms and the old

man was wearing a fur cloak. “My name is Joshua

Black,” the old man said. “King of Sarazetty.”

“It’s an honor your highness,” Shawn said as

he bowed. He then grabbed Traiven’s arm and

brought him down as well.

They arose and Traiven spoke, “So sir, I hear

you have a monster problem.”

“Well, we aren’t sure as to what it is exactly,”

replied King Joshua, “but we were hoping that you

could help us find out. Why don’t you follow me to

171

our command room and I’ll tell you the details.” Said

the king.

King Joshua led the two Arcs up the stairs;

then they took a right down a wide pathway. As they

were walking, Traiven noticed wooden carvings of

various animals posted along the walk, but no more

wolves.

The king led them through one of the doors in

the pathway, into a large room with a round

platform in the center. Surrounding the platform

there were men and women working on their

individual computers along the walls. One of the

generals walked in and joined them.

King Joshua introduced his general. “This is

General Frank Sandoval.”

“It’s an honor to meet you,” said Frank.

“I’m Shawn, and this is Traven.” Replied

Shawn.

“Okay then, let’s get right to it.” Frank

responded. “For the past few months, there have

been strange attacks, done late at night. We’ve been

trying to find out why this is happening, but

whoever’s responsible has been able to cover their

172

tracks pretty good. That is, until a week ago.” The

general pressed a button on the panel and a

holographic image appeared. It was a shot of a

creature standing in the forest. It was barely revealed

behind a group of trees, making it hard to see its full

body. All they were able to see was a green shade

and what appeared to be the head of a humanoid

reptile.

Shawn bent down and scrutinized the image.

“Well, I don’t see any horns that immediately rules

out a demon. And it has green skin, that rules out a

Kaiju, but it also doesn’t look like any animal I’ve

ever seen.” Shawn said.

“It kind’ a looks like a lizard,” said Traiven.

“Exactly,” replied Shawn, “but I’ve never

seen a lizard of this size before. It could be an

undiscovered species.”

“If so, it’s a dangerous one,” replied King

Joshua.

Shawn turned to Traiven. “We have to find

this thing.”

“It looks dangerous,” said Traiven.

173

“You’re an Arc Traiven,” replied Shawn,

“and this thing is probably just an animal.”

“I can provide men to assist you,” said King

Joshua.

“We would need you to set up a perimeter

around the forest to make sure it doesn’t leave while

we’re searching.” Said Shawn. “Also a surveillance

team to keep an eye out and report back to us any

findings during our search.” He added.

“You got it,” replied Frank.

“As far as the search itself, Traiven and I will

handle it alone.”

“We are?” Asked Traiven fearfully.

“If it is just an animal, then we don’t want to

scare it away.” Replied Shawn.

“Ok, I understand, good luck,” said King

Joshua.

“We’ve been searching the forest for months

to find out what’s going on,” said Frank. “But of

course, we don’t possess the skills that you Arcs

have.”

174

“Our ability to cover lots of ground in a short

time will be a great advantage.” Said Shawn. “It

won’t be able to escape us.”

“Good.” King Joshua turned to Frank. “Begin

setting up the perimeter and surveillance.” The king

ordered. He then turned back to Shawn and Traiven.

“Once it gets dark, you can begin your mission.”

“Okay” replied Shawn. “We’ll go and report

back to our captain for now. Don’t worry, we’ll find

this thing and save your people.”

Shawn and Traiven left the castle, and were

walking through the city heading back to the inn to

make their report back to their ship.

“Hey Shawn, I’ve been thinking,” said

Traiven.

“About what?” Asked Shawn.

“Well, I know everything about the

Summoners and the demons, but who are the Kaiju?

This is the second time I heard them mentioned.”

“The Kaiju are a clan of shape-shifters. They

may look like ordinary humans, but expose them to

175

an abundant amount of lunar energy… Say a full

moon and they transform into powerful creatures.

What makes them so lethal is the fact they always

operate in packs. You’ll never face just one.” Said

Shawn.

“They sound worse than the Summoners.”

Traiven responded.

“They can be. Luckily, they’re not a threat to

the Federation.” Shawn added.

“Why’s that?” Asked Traiven.

“Because they’re neutral. At one point in

time, they were servants to the demons. They were

the reason the Angels decided to infuse their powers

into humans; creating the Arcs, but they grew too

proud to continue taking orders. So they started

serving themselves.”

“What did the demons do about it?”

“What could they do? The demons are all

trapped in hell. They couldn’t physically do

anything; their own creations turned on them, kind

of ironic. That’s when the Summoners came in. A

clan of humans agreed to help them to cross over to

our plane, in exchange for freedom in the next life.”

176

“What do you mean by freedom?”

“Well, everyone knows that pure souls go to

heaven and corrupted souls go to hell. Well, imagine

if you were able to live your life, as you wanted,

without having to worry about the tortures you’ll

face in the afterlife. That’s basically the deal

Summoners made; which is why they serve the

demons. So that when they do go to hell, they’ll be

treated with respect. I can’t believe they don’t find it

a little suspicious that the demons themselves want

to leave.”

“Aren’t the Kaiju worried about that?” Asked

Shawn.

“Well, the Kaiju are kind of immortal. They

never age. Of course, they can be killed by an Arc;

which is part of the reason they remain neutral. They

don’t want war; because they know what would

happen to them once they die, and believe me the

demons can’t wait till the Kaiju souls are in hell.”

177

Back on the bridge of Phantom Seven-Three-

Five, Benny was sitting at his chair when a call came

in over the communication system. “Sir, we’re

getting a transmission from the Arc team,” he said.

“Patch them through,” replied Joker.

Back on the surface, Shawn was standing on a

balcony at the inn, staring over the city as he talked

to Joker through his earpiece, while Traiven was in

the room preparing for the mission.

“From the image we saw, it’s nothing we can

identify.” Said Shawn to Joker. “But we think it

maybe some kind of creature.

“Let’s hope that’s all it is,” replied Joker.

“We do have a plan in effect to find it, with

help from the Sarazetty soldiers.”

“Don’t attack it right away; find and observe

it for a bit. See if it might have a nest or something

just in case there might be more than one.” Said

Joker.

“Yes sir.” Answered Shawn.

178

“And remember, if it is a demon, abort

immediately. You’re not ready to take one on yet.”

“We’ll do, sir.”

Shawn then turned and walked back into the

room where Traiven was sheathing his sword.

Shawn gripped his scythe and put it on his side. “Are

you ready, Traiven?” He asked.

“Kind’a nervous.” Answered Traiven.

“Don’t worry, just remain calm and focus.

Remember your training and don’t be afraid to push

yourself. Trust me, you have more power than you

realize.” Said Shawn.

“How many missions have you been on,

Shawn?”

“This is my second. My first was when

Rukaryo and I went to retrieve you from Earth.”

“Then you’re new at this too.”

“Well, I did have a while of training.

Anyway, the sun will be down soon so let’s get

going.”

179

Later that evening, Traiven and Shawn stood

at the entrance of the forest looking through the dark

woods. The Sarazetty soldiers stood behind them

with their weapons aimed forward, in battle-ready

position. General Frank walked up to the Arcs and

reported, “We’re all set up, and the surveillance is

online. Trust me, nothing’s getting out of this forest

without us knowing.”

“Thanks,” replied Shawn. He then turned to

Traiven. “Ready?”

“Not really,” answered Traiven with an

apathetic tone of voice.

“Okay, let’s go,” said Shawn with a smile on

his face.

Traiven took a deep breath staring ahead at

the dark forest before them. Thoughts flooded his

mind; thoughts about what types of things could be

lurking in the forest before him.

While intruding into the forest, Traiven had a

flash back from Earth; he and a friend once ran into a

coyote in the forest next to their town. They were

able to scare it away with sticks, but the creature in

this forest make the coyote seem like a mouse.

180

“TRAIVEN!” Came the voice of Shawn

snapping him out of his thought. “You sure you’re

okay?” Shawn asked.

“Sorry,” he answered. “Don’t worry I’m

fine.”

As they entered the forest Shawn bent down

and felt the ground with both of his palms.

“What are you doing?” Asked Traiven.

“Tracking, since we can barely see anything;

I’m trying to feel for abnormal prints on the ground.”

“Well, how’s that working out?”

“Well, I do feel something but it may just be

an animal. Then again we didn’t see what this

creature’s feet looked like, so I’m really not sure how

its feet are shaped.”

“Well, it did seem like a type of lizard

creature,” said Traiven. “Just think how lizard feet

are shaped.”

Shawn searched a bit more then said, “I just

found some prints, but it seems to split off in two

directions.”

“So there’re more of these things?” Asked

Traiven.

181

“That could be a possibility; we should split

up just to be sure.” Shawn stood up and turned to

Traiven. “It seems one track is heading south and the

other is heading west.”

“Or maybe we can take them one at a time?”

ask Traiven.

“We don’t want to risk missing an

opportunity; splitting up is the best way.” Shawn

responded.

“Unfortunately” Traiven sighed. “Okay, I’ll

go left.”

“Good luck. We can keep in touch through

our transmitters.”

“Sure!” Said Traiven raising his voice trying

to give himself some valor.

They each took off, going in their separate

ways.

Traiven walked slowly and cautiously

through the dark forest, looking around in every

direction. There was little light from the moon and

the trees constantly waved in the wind. Fear slowly

182

took over Traiven but he tried his best to hold it

together. He quickly unsheathed his sword just in

case something jumped up on him.

“ARC TEAM!” Came a transmission from the

ship causing Traiven to jump in panic.

“AAH!” Traiven shouted.

“Are you okay?” Asked Joker.

“Yes.” Answered Traiven, with a sign of

relief. “Just thought I saw a deer or something,

what’s up?”

“Arc team, report your status.”

“I think I may be getting close,” came the

voice of Shawn. “Traiven, how about you?”

“Did you two split up?” Asked Joker.

“Wasn’t my idea,” replied Traiven.

“We had to,” answered Shawn.

“Then be extra careful.” Said Joker.

“Easier said than done,” said Traiven. “And

with my luck, I’ll be the one to run right into the

man-eating lizard.”

There was a sudden static over Traiven’s

transmission, and he could barely make out what

they were saying. “Tr . . . ow . . . ion.”

183

“I’m sorry, Captain. What was that?” But he

got no answer. “Captain! Shawn! You there?” Still

there was no answer.

Traiven’s attention was suddenly taken by a

strange voice coming from a tree a few meters from

him. “Having a bit of communication trouble?”

He turned and saw a being leaning on to a

tree, holding a circular device with a blinking green

light.

Traiven stared at him in confusion. “Who are

you?” He asked.

Moth put his device on the tree. “Don’t you

recognize me? It isn’t that dark in this forest.” He

then stretched out his arms and his blades emerged.

“After all, we do have some unfinished business.”

Traiven stared in silence for a second trying

to figure out who he was until he finally gave up and

replied. “Nope, sorry doesn’t ring a bell. Wait, are

you a fan?”

Moth angrily strained his fist and said, “You

are unbelievable!” He then lunged toward Traiven

with his right blade cocked back. His movement was

so quick that Traiven didn’t have time to act. He just

184

stood there in a daze tightly gripping his sword in

front of him. Moth swung his blade and hit Traiven’s

sword with all his might, shattering it into pieces,

and causing Traiven to fly back and crash to a nearby

tree.

Moth rushed toward Traiven, and grabbed

him with his left hand, cocking his right blade

backward. Before he could swing, he noticed Traiven

putting his left hand up and turning his face in fear.

Moth brought his blade down and threw Traiven to

the ground. “What’s gotten into you?” Moth asked.

“Where’s that fight you brought before? You know I

hate easy victories.”

Traiven slowly stood up and replied. “What

are you talking about?”

“Don’t play ignorant. You’ve fought me

before.”

Traiven gave a sighed in relief. “Oh, so that

makes sense. Look, I know this might sound strange,

but I’m not Raven.”

“What do you mean, you’re not Raven?”

185

“I mean the guy whom you’re referring to

isn’t me, okay? He went missing months ago.” Said

Traiven.

“That’s impossible, you look just like him.”

Moth scrutinized Traiven a bit more. “Wait, your

sword and your rank badge. Are you a clone? I

thought the Federation was against that.”

“I’m Raven’s brother, Traiven.”

Moth retracted his blade and slowly walked

up to Traiven in amazement. “This is unreal, two

Nephilim.” He then stepped back. “Well, I guess this

is your lucky day then. My job was to kill Raven and

you’re not him.”

Moth turned around, and preceded to walk

away, then turned back for a second. “But don’t

worry. If I know Lance, you’ll be seeing me again

real soon.” He then turned back, grabbed his device

and walked away.

Once Moth had left the area, Traiven was able

to receive a transmission from Joker. “Traiven, are

you there?”

“Yes, Captain, I’m here,” answered Traiven.

“Good, we lost you for a second.”

186

“Hey, Traiven, I found something,” came the

voice of Shawn. “Head south and meet me.”

“On my way.” Traiven responded.

187

11

Traiven stepped through the forest and came

upon Shawn, squatting down holding a piece of

dried scale.

“So it is a man eating-lizard.” Said Traiven.

Shawn looked up at him and replied. “The

evidence keeps pointing in that direction.” Shawn

then dropped the scale and stood up. He noticed the

broken sword handle in Traiven’s hand. “Really?”

He asked. “We haven’t even been out here for an

hour.”

“It wasn’t my fault,” explained Traiven.

“There was this little grey man with a circular thingy

that had a blinking light on it, I think he’s a fan”

Shawn silently stared at Traiven trying to

convince himself that Traiven had to be smarter than

he seemed.

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“You know,” continued Traiven. “One of

those crazy stalker fans who try to kill their idols.”

Unknowing to the two Arcs, there were a pair

of green reptilian eyes watching them from within

the trees distance.

Shawn finally shook his head and said, “Just

use your gun for now.”

As the green reptilian eyes received a clear

view of Shawn’s face;, an image appeared in its head

of a similar but older looking man standing over him

as a long needle slowly entered his pupil which

caused him great pain.

Shawn and Traiven suddenly heard a

movement in the trees behind them. As they turned

toward the sound; a green scaly creature the size of a

full grown man jumped in front of them shaped as

human, but covered in rough green scales. It had

sharp teeth, long claws and a long green tail.

The creature pounced on Shawn pinning him

to the ground as Traiven watched helplessly.

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The creature stared down at Shawn’s face,

and took a large sniff. It then spoke in a hissing voice

that vibrates. “You reek of Seran.”

“Who are you?” Asked Shawn.

“You’re his son aren’t you?” It replied.

“GET OFF HIM!” shouted Traiven holding

his gun with both hands aimed at the creature.

His hands were shaking a bit with fear. “I

swear I’ll shoot.”

“TRAIVEN JUST SHOOT HIM!” Shouted

Shawn with his back against the floor.

As Traiven stepped closer the creature swung

its tail and knocked the gun off from Traiven’s

hands, then swung its tail again and knocked Traiven

into the forest. It then brought its tail in and brushed

it over Shawn’s face.

“Your father caused me a lot of pain.” It said.

“Allow me to return the favor.”

A single sharp claw emerged from the end of

its tail.

Just as it was about to stab Shawn, Traiven

ran from the forest and threw his palms forward,

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emitting a force throwing the creature into the air

and off of Shawn. While in the air, the creature spun

its body around and landed on its feet.

Shawn kicked his feet up and caused his body

to flip up. As he landed he grabbed the handle of his

scythe with his right hand, and pulled it from his

belt. He quickly spun it, as the handle and blade

extended into a two handed weapon. He caught it

with both hands, in a stance ready to strike.

Traiven quickly brought his hand up to his

ear and spoke to General Frank over his earpiece.

“We got it, we need support come to our location.”

“On our way.” Came the voice of Frank.

Shawn and the creature stood staring at each

other; both waiting for the other to make a move.

“Who are you?” Asked Shawn.

“Why don’t you go and ask your father

Seran.” Replied the creature.

“I don’t know what you think is going on, but

my father was killed years ago.” Said Shawn.

“Figures, they had it coming.” Responded the

lizard.

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The creature then jumped toward Shawn and

lashed out with its right claw. Shawn quickly swung

his scythe and blocked the attack with its blade. The

creature swung its left its claw. Shawn swung his

scythe to the right, but the creature jumped up over

the attack lifting both of its feet into the air.

It spun around and kicked Shawn backward.

While the two were battling, Traiven was frozen in

fear. Though he wanted to help; he was too afraid to

act.

As Shawn recovered from the creatures last

attack; he noticed the creature rushing toward him

on all fours. But it was too late to move, and the

creature pounced on him pinning him to the ground.

“Now,” it said, as it again lifted its tail to

Shawn’s face. “Where were we?”

“TRAIVEN HELP!” Shouted Shawn.

Traiven ran toward the creature and was

about to throw his palms forward again to create a

force attack, but it quickly swung its tail and knocked

Traiven back into the forest.

It lifted its tail and forced it down on Shawn,

but before it could reach Shawn’s face; a stream of

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red energy shot from the forest and hit the creature

knocking it off.

Sarazetty soldiers quickly ran out and

surrounded it with their weapons aimed. Frank

walked out and shot it with a net gun, capturing it.

They helped the two Arcs up and gathered around

the creature as it tried to fight its way out.

“Are you boys okay?” Asked Frank.

“Yeah,” answered Shawn. Shawn then turned

to Traiven.

“Shawn, I’m so sorry I froze up.” Said

Traiven. “I just got a bit afraid.”

“You’re an Arc Traiven.” Shawn said with

anger. “If you can’t handle something like this how

are you going to take on the Summoners?”

“Come on this is my first time, I’ll get better.”

Answered Traiven.

“For your sake I hope so.” Shawn then

walked off, leaving Traiven in despair.

“Is everything okay?” Asked Frank.

“Yeah,” answered Traiven. “I’m just really

new to all this.”

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Frank patted him on the shoulder. “Don’t

worry kid. Battle can be intense at first but you’ll get

use to it.” He then shouted to his men. “OKAY GUYS

LET’S TAKE THIS THING IN.”

Traiven sighed then walked away to catch up

with Shawn.

Meanwhile on Sabola, the Demon General

Nue walked through the dark castle with an angry

look on his face, closely followed by Justin, his

Summoner. He busted through the door to Lance’s

office.

Lance was standing in front of the window,

staring out over the castle.

“So this couldn’t wait for us to finish the

battle?” Asked Nue.

“There’s word that the Federation is planning

a direct attack on Sabola. We need to prepare.” Said

Lance.

“Don’t be foolish, Sabola’s defenses are

impenetrable. They won’t be able to reach our

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surface without suffering fatal casualties.” Replied

Nue.

“When will you demons learn not to

underestimate humans?”

Nue angrily strained his fist and moved

closer to Lance. “And when will you Summoners

learn who are the servants and who are the masters.”

Lance turned, facing Nue. “That idea of yours

to steal the research from Robant has put us in their

crosshairs as well. We don’t stand a chance against

both of their armies.”

“Then where are we with repairing the

Gateway?” Questioned Nue.

“The hard part is getting those Robant

scientists to cooperate. Maybe we should have just

abandoned the Gateway idea, after Raven destroyed

the first one.” Said Lance.

Nue growled then stepped closer to Lance in

anger. “You humans are so pathetic. Always ready

too quickly, every time you get a scratch. If they

won’t corporate then make them. Post a constant

watch, and make sure they stay on schedule. Time is

running out we need Cassius now.”

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“Okay, but what about the Federation?”

“Leave the defense to me.” Nue then turned

and walked out.

Back at Sarazetty, Shawn and Traiven were

standing in the main lobby of the Castle. They were

each standing at a side of Joker, staring at Joshua

who was standing before the staircase between two

brown wolf statues.

“The Divine Federation has our gratitude,”

said King Joshua. “If there’s anything we can do just

name it.”

“Thank you your highness,” replied Joker

with a bow. “We do request that you give the

creature to us for study. I think it may be a former

experiment of the late Seran King.”

“Of course.” Said King Joshua.

“Thank you, we will send for it when we

return; although, with the current war raging on, it

might take us a while before we can provide an

escort.”

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“No problem, I do understand your struggle

against the Summoners. Tell your General to just say

the word and our forces will be at your aid.” Said the

king.

“Thank you your highness.”

Joker again bowed, this time along with

Shawn. Traiven stood there watching until Joker

grabbed his arm and brought him down as well. The

three rose then turned and walked out.

Phantom Seven-Three-Five was soaring through

space on its way back to Vana. Traiven and Shawn

were standing on the bridge in front of Joker, in his

chair making their complete report. Shafer, Belle and

Bethany were standing behind Joker, and Benny was

at his chair piloting the ship.

“This guy was so fast I could barely keep up

with him,” said Traiven as he finished explaining the

mysterious assassin.

“His name is Moth,” replied Joker. “He was

the one Raven was fighting before he disappeared.

We all think he may have had something to do with

it.”

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“I doubt that,” replied Traiven. “It didn’t

seem like he even knew Raven was missing. But the

way he moved was just like an Arc. What’s his story

anyway?”

“Wish I could tell you.” Answered Joker. “No

one really knows who he is or where he came from.

He’s extremely powerful and seems to have the same

skills that Arcs possess. He might have been an Arc

at one point, but we have no records of any Arcs who

have gone unaccounted for.”

“He let me go though. What’s up with that?”

asked Traiven.

“Surprisingly, he does have a sense of

honor.” Answered Joker. “Even knowing that he’ll

probably be asked to finish you; he let you live now

because you weren’t his target. Although he is an

assassin, he doesn’t want to be branded a murderer.”

“Wasn’t he the one who killed General

Shinnle’s son Vincent?” Asked Shawn.

“Yes, but what we need to worry about is the

fact that you most likely will see him again and have

to face him Traiven. You need to be ready when that

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time comes. He was always a handful, even for

Raven.”

“Traiven still is nowhere near ready for real

combat. He froze up during our battle with that

creature,” said Shawn.

“Then you still have a long way to go.” Joker

said to Traiven. “Moth wouldn’t dare enter Vana, so

you’re safe as long as you’re there.”

“Well, that’s a relief,” said Traiven.

“However when you do face him, you will be

alone.” Added Joker. “Moth will see to that. We’ll try

to protect you the best we can, but eventually he will

set his stage. Moth seems to know how we operate,

so it’s only a matter of time.”

“So that’s it?” Asked Traiven. “If I can’t kill

him, he’ll kill me?”

“For now, it’s best that you don’t leave Vana

until we figure this out. You need to train as much as

you can, and you really need to learn to balance your

power if you don’t want to keep breaking your

weapons.” Said Joker.

“So this means, until Traiven can get better,

we won’t be going on any missions?” Asked Shawn.

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“Shawn, I know you want to be in the field,

but you two are a team. You’re only as powerful as

your weakest link.”

Shawn angrily turned to Traiven. “I have a lot

to fight for Traiven, you better train well ’cause I

won’t have you holding me back.”

“I’m trying.” Said Traiven.

“Don’t worry Traiven.” Intervened Shafer. “If

you’re even half the man Raven was, you’ll have no

problem.”

Bethany angrily folded her arm and turned

toward Shafer. “You say that as if Raven’s dead.”

“I didn’t mean it like that Bethany.”

Explained Shafer.

Bethany turned and walked out in anger.

“What can you two tell me about this

creature?” Asked Joker changing the subject.

“He somehow knew that I am a Seran.”

Replied Shawn while staring down in thought. “He

said that I looked just like him. I think he knew my

father.” He then picked up his head toward Joker.

“What were the experiments they were practicing

exactly?”

200

“There is much about the Seran that went on

behind their facade. So much that we have neglected

to put out, so we don’t tarnish their name.”

“I was always told that my family stood for

the development of mankind on their own accord.”

Stated Shawn.

“Yes, but we neglected to mention that they

were trying to prove that mankind didn’t need the

aid of Angels, Demons or even King Ye-hovah

himself.”

“So they were trying to play God?” Asked

Shawn.

“They were trying to create a being with

abilities equivalent to Arcs. Needless to say all the

experiments were failures. The creature must be one

of them, but the question is how did it get to

Sarazetty?” Questioned Joker.

“Captain why didn’t I know this about my

family?” Inquired Shawn.

Joker sighed trying to lighten the message as

much as possible. “Shawn there is a lot about your

family that we’ve kept from you. A lot you’re not

201

ready to hear, but I promise when the time is right

we’ll tell you the complete truth.”

“Truth?” Shawn took a step forward getting

closer to Joker. “Captain, tell me, was it really the

Summoners who killed them?”

“They did play a significant hand in their

deaths, but they weren’t completely to blame.” Joker

responded.

Shawn struck a look of shock as to what he

feared the complete truth might be. He wanted to ask

more but wasn’t sure he wanted to hear the answer,

so he turned and silently walked out.

Traiven was about to go after Shawn, but

Joker stopped him. “Don’t worry about him right

now, Traiven,” Joker said. “Shawn has lost a lot in

his young life and he wants nothing more than to

personally avenge his people.”

“Captain why didn’t we know any of this?”

Asked Shafer.

“The Seran were very secretive in their

affairs.” Answered Joker. “And when we found out

what horrific thing they were planning; we couldn’t

let it come to pass.” He added.

202

“What?”

“The Gateway they were creating wasn’t

originally meant for hell.” Answered Joker. “They

were building it to enter heaven. So think about it,

they believed man should be the dominant beings,

trying to create humans with the powers of Angels,

and also trying to create a Gateway to heaven.

Anyone could have seen what they were planning.”

“They were waging war on heaven,.” added Belle,

with a look of surprise.

203

12

Bethany was sitting at her desk in the medical

room, going over research on a flat panel, when she

heard a knock on her door. She walked over, opened

it, and took sight of Traiven standing with a bruise

on his arm.

“What happened?” She asked.

“Oh, Shawn and I were doing a bit of

sparring and I got hurt… You know I think he did it

on purpose.”

Bethany sighed, “Come inside, I’ll take care of

you.”

Traiven walked inside and closed the door

behind him.

Back on the bridge, Joker was sitting sipping

on a cup of warm tea, while looking at a screen in

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front. His feet were kicked up in a very restful

manner.

“Sir!” Called Benny.

“What is it?”

“We’re nearing the atmosphere of Vana.”

“Good, bring us in safely.” Said Joker.

“Yes sir.”

Benny began steering the ship toward the

planet. He pressed a button on the ships panel, and

brought to a visual the surface of the planet, on part

of his screen.

“It’s seems like a lot of phantoms are

returning.” Implied Benny.

“There’s a Masters’ call tomorrow.” Replied

Joker. “General Shinnle is ready to discuss a plan to

get pass Sabola’s defense.” He calmly lifted his

teacup and took another sip. “Looks like this war is

nearing its end.” He added.

Back in the medical room, Traiven had his

arm up on a table exposing his wound; while

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Bethany tried healing it by slowly inching a small

laser over every part of the wound.

“You’re really good at this,” he mentioned.

But she just ignored him. “So how long have you

been on this ship?” He asked, but she maintained her

act of silence.

Traiven sighed and gave up, then remained

silent as she finished up with the wound. After a

moment of silence, he grew bored so he leaned

toward Bethany and looked into her eyes and said, “I

bet you’d talk to me if I were Raven.”

Bethany angrily stuck the laser through his

skin, causing him great pain. “OUCH!” He cried.

“YOU DON’T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT RAVEN!”

She shouted angrily.

Traiven slowly stood up and walked out. As

he did he ran into Belle

“Hey, Traiven,” she called. “Did you get

hurt?”

“I don’t think Bethany likes me much.”

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“Well, she was crushed when Raven

disappeared. It’ll be a while before she gets over it.”

Said Belle.

“You’re right, I should just stay out of her

way.”

Belle put her hand on his shoulder and said,

“Don’t worry, I’m sure she’ll come around sooner or

later.”

“Then I’ll give her some space now.” Said

Traiven.

“It is for the best. When Vincent Shinnle was

killed his wife Maya was crushed, and If anything

happened to my husband, I’d probably be the same

way.” She replied. “But I guess that’s the price you

pay for falling in love with an Arc.”

“Your husband is an Arc?” Asked Traiven.

“Yes, his name is Sneaux.” Belle answered.

“Wait, I know him; guess I should have put

two and two together after hearing your last name.”

Traiven acknowledge.

“When did you two meet?”

“After my first day of training, he was on his

way to a mission, so I didn’t get to talk to him much.

207

He seems like a really good guy.” Traiven

responded.

“Yeah he is.” Belle admitted.

Phantom Seven-Three-Five had just docked on

Vana. As the door opened, Joker, Benny, and Shafer

happily walked out.

“It’s good to be home,” said Benny. “Hey,

Captain, Shafer and I are going to go out and

celebrate another mission completed, wanna join

us?”

“Nah…I’m going home. When I get back

from a mission, all I wanna do is seeing my lovely

wife and daughter.”

Shafer walked up to Benny. “Hey, why don’t

we take the new kids out?”

“You’re right, it’s about time we show them

how we have fun in the Federation.” Benny

responded.

Traiven and Shawn had just walked out of

the ship when they heard someone yelling at them.

“HEY!” Called Benny.

208

“What?” Asked Shawn as he and Traiven

walked to meet Benny and Shafer.

“So you two have any plans for tonight?”

Asked Shafer.

“Sleep,” answered Traiven.

“Sleeping is for losers,” replied Benny.

“We’re about to go and celebrate another mission

accomplished. Why don’t you join us?”

“Sure,” answered Traiven. “What do you say,

Shawn?”

“I’m going home and rest Traiven. I suggest

you do the same; I won’t be taking it easy on you in

training tomorrow.” Shawn then walked away.

“Typical Arc,” said Shafer as the three

watched Shawn walk away.

“Okay, Traiven come on, let’s go,” said

Benny.

“Okay, sure” replied Traiven. The three

walked away.

Bethany had just finished cleaning her

workspace when Belle walked in and took her

attention.

209

“Are you okay?” Belle asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Answered Bethany.

“You never really leave this room.” Said

Belle.

“Yeah, well I don’t have much to do on this

ship but work.” Bethany responded.

“Why not take a break. Go exercise or

something.” Added Belle.

“Look Belle, I know you’re worried, but I’ll be

fine. Now I’m going to go home and get some rest.”

“Bethany, you haven’t been the same since

we’ve lost Raven. It’s time to let him go and move on

with your life.”

“I SAID I WAS FINE!” Stated Bethany

showing she was agitated.

“Okay,” replied Belle stepping back with her

hands up. “I’m only trying to help.”

Bethany put her head down for a second and

sighed, lifted it and apologized. “I’m sorry, it’s just

been a long day.”

“Okay, but remember I’m always here when

you’re ready to talk.” Said Belle.

210

“Thank you, but I just need some sleep right

now.” Bethany responded.

Belle nodded, “Okay I’ll see you tomorrow.”

She then walked out.

Benny, Shafer, and Traiven were walking

down the streets of the big city next to the base. The

sky was dark and lit by the lights of the buildings;

but the bubbling crowd on it brought life and

excitement to the environment.

“This place is fly,” said Traiven.

“How do you guys have fun on Earth?”

Asked Benny.

“Well, I never went out much.” Traiven

answered.

“Then, we’ve got just the place,” said Shafer.

Shafer and Benny led Traiven into one of the

buildings. Once they were inside, people were

standing around, dancing, talking’ and projecting

very well that they were in-fact having a great time.

The room was huge and had colorful lights flashing

from several points of its ceiling. The music though

211

was loud, but it wasn’t enough to be disturbing or

noisy.

“This is where we used to take Raven and

Vincent,” said Benny.

“Do you want anything to drink, or maybe a

snack?” Asked Shafer.

“Maybe later,” replied Traiven. “But I really

like this music.”

“Oh, it was created by a popular musician

named Lightning,” said Benny.

“Lightning?” Asked Traiven.

“Yeah, he’s the best musician in the galaxy,”

answered Shafer. “I once had to work as his

bodyguard.”

Benny grabbed a small cup from a lady

walking around with a tray and handed it to Traiven.

“Here, try this.”

Traiven took a sip, “This is good,” he said.

Then he took another sip and he felt all warm and

excited.

“It’s a type of health drink that helps you

relax,” said Benny. “Kinda like a tea but with a fruity

taste to it.”

212

“Don’t you have anything like this on Earth?”

Asked Shafer.

“Kind of, but the stuff we have does a bit

more than just help you relax.” Said Traiven.

The three started walking through the crowd.

At that point, Traiven noticed a young girl smiling at

him. She was tall and slender with brown hair and

gray eyes. She looked in her early twenties.

But he immediately took his eyes off her,

while the three kept on walking, until they came to a

small round section that was separate from the room

with four chains. In its middle was a round table,

which was surrounded with a sectional. As they

approach it, the guard lifted one of the chains up and

let them in to take a sit.

“The same table we always get,” said Shafer.

“It’s just sad that Raven and Vincent is longer with

us to enjoy this place again.”

“I’ve heard so much about Raven,” said

Traiven, “But how was Vincent?”

“Vincent was great,” answered Benny. “He

had a good sense of humor. He would always find

213

ways to brighten things up. He was the other Arc on

our team, and General Shinnle’s son.”

As the three where talking, Traiven took

notice of the same girl smiling at him. After a few

moments passed, he decided to go talk to her.

Suddenly he stood up saying, “Hey guys, I’ll

be back in a few.” Then he walked straight to the girl.

“Hey stranger,” he said as he approached her.

“Hey,” she replied.

“So I couldn’t help but notice how you kept

smiling at me.” Said Traiven.

“Well, that’s ’cause I think you’re cute.” She

responded.

“Really? Well, you’re pretty cute yourself.

What’s your name?”

“Anya, and I already know your name.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, who doesn’t nowadays? You’re a

legend, plus there is only one of your kind left alive.”

“Well, I wouldn’t call myself a legend, but

from what I hear, I am the last one left.”

214

She leaned a bit closer. “You know, this place

is kind of loud. Do you want to go someplace more

quiet and talk?”

Traiven’s eyes widened with excitement. “Of

course, I do.”

“I’ve got just the place,” She suggested, “A

nice little lounge not too far from here.”

Just as Traiven and Anya walked out, Benny

and Shafer looked around.

“Okay, but let me go tell my friends I’m

leaving.”

“Don’t worry, they’ll figure it out on their on.

Besides we won’t be gone long.”

“Okay let’s go.”

Back at their table Benny and Shafer were

looking around for Traiven, “Hey, where did Traiven

go?” Asked Benny.

“I don’t know. Maybe he got lost.” Answered

Shafer.

Anya led Traiven through the city, away from

the lit streets.

215

“Where are we going?” He asked.

“You’ll see,” she answered.

As they kept moving, the scenery grew

darker and darker.

“So you Arcs don’t usually carry your

weapons outside of the field, right?” She asked.

“There’s no reason to.” Traiven answered.

They came to a long alley that was held by

two tall buildings. Traiven walked ahead as Anya

slowed her pace. A few steps more Traiven came to a

dead end.

“Where are we?” He asked but got no

answer. He quickly turned and saw that Anya wasn’t

behind him anymore.

What’s going’ on? He thought.

As he stared at the dark entrance of the alley,

he noticed dim red lights that were glowing brighter

with every inch they got closer. There was a sudden

thumping sound, that was growing in volume,

accompanying the lights.

As everything that came with the lights came

into focus, he realized that it was a huge beast three

times his size. Shaped like a human, with brown skin

216

and long muscular arms that reached down to its

feet. It almost had the look of a large ape. Its sharp

teeth were very revealing, and its horns also

protruded out of its forehead. At the same time he

noticed that Anya was sitting on the shoulder of the

beast.

“I bet you wish you had your weapon now,

Arc. Without it, you’ll be no match for me,” came

Anya.

Now why didn’t I see this coming? Thought

Traiven.

Anya jumped off and landed behind the

demon.

“Kill him,” she said, and the demon rushed

for Traiven.

When the demon got close, it swung its arms

down toward him, but Traiven quickly flipped back

and evaded the attack. As he landed in a handstand,

he looked up noticing the demon pacing faster

towards him again.

Traiven immediately glanced back and

noticed that the wall of the building was right behind

him. The demon got closer, and it swung its arm

217

again trying to reach Traiven, but he sprang himself

up with his hands, jumping on the top of the

building behind him.

What did I do now? He thought, trying to make

sense of the sudden attack.

He then noticed that Anya had jumped on the

building next to him with unbelievable ability. Then

he heard her yell, “YOU’LL PAY FOR KILLING MY

BROTHER!”

Just then, the demon also jumped up on the

same roof and launched towards him. Just as the

beast was about to deliver a swing, Rukaryo

suddenly appeared from nowhere. Rukaryo jumped

in the way of the beast and thrust a spear through the

demon’s chest, causing it to fall back into the alley.

At the same time, Anya also held her chest in

pain, due to being connected with her demon, and

fell to the floor next to the beast. As she was

grunting in pain, a blurry vision of a spear came to

focus in front of her face.

218

“You’ve got some nerve summoning on a

Federation-owned planet,” Rukaryo said. “Call your

demon off or I’ll end this by killing you.”

“Fine,” said Anya as she gradually stood up.

“But I warned you Raven that I would have my

revenge.” She said to Traiven.

“What are you talking about?” Traiven

Asked, “I’m not Raven.”

“Do you think I’m stupid?” Questioned

Anya.

“Anya, he’s telling the truth.” Said Rukaryo.

“Raven went missing months ago. This is his brother,

if he were Raven, you’d be dead by now.”

“Hmm, well you have a point there.” She

said.

“So that’s what this was about?” Asked

Traiven. “You wanted to kill me ’cause you thought I

was my brother?”

“Well, how was I supposed to know Raven

has a twin?” She lifted up her arms, and the demon

turned into steam and was sucked back into her

body.

“You could have asked,” replied Traiven.

219

“And you know the rules about summoning

while under the Federation,” added Rukaryo.

“Luckily, I was patrolling nearby. If anyone else saw

that a Summoner was on this planet, they wouldn’t

have hesitated to kill you. I’m only sparing you

’cause I know you’re not with Sabola anymore.”

“You must really hate Raven,” said Traiven.

“He killed my brother Cy,” answered Anya.

“Your brother was an enemy,” said Rukaryo.

“Raven was only doing what he had to.”

Anya turned in anger and walked away.

“Thanks Rukaryo,” said Traiven while

rubbing his forehead with both hands.

“You really need to be more careful. Raven

has a lot of enemies that are now going to be your

problem.” Said Rukaryo.

“So what’s her story?” Asked Traiven.

“She is a Summoner that left her clan ’cause

she didn’t agree with their ideas and beliefs.”

“And my brother killed her brother?”

“Yeah, Raven killed Cy while protecting a

Federation base on one of Juno’s moons. Apparently

she hasn’t gotten over it. She’s actually a prisoner

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here, but she was never really a threat to begin with.

That is why we gave her freedom around our planet.

She left Sabola on her own free will. Now she serves

in the Arc armory and she isn’t allowed to leave

Vana.”

“And you guys trust her with Arc weapons?”

Asked Traiven in disbelief.

“Well, only an Arc can truly use our

weapons, so it’s fine.”

“Well, I really should get back. Benny and

Shafer must be wondering what happened to me.

Thanks again, Rukaryo.” Traiven then turned and

ran off.

Traiven awoke the next morning tired from

his previous night. He got dressed and walked out

the door. As he was walking down the staircase of

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the barracks, he took note of busy people rushing to

and from the entire area. He slowed his paced and

walked down toward the exit, while making sure to

take note of everyone’s face. It must be that a big event

is about to happen. He thought.

He didn’t fail to notice that random people

were giving him warm and friendly stares. Some

greeted him, while others just put out a large smile.

As he stepped outside, he was hit with amazement to

see that the entire base was just as busy. He took a

stop to his walk and just stood there, looking around,

overwhelmed by the sight.

There were large ships hovering above him

which seemed amazingly large and as far as he could

see. Soldiers were loading onto platforms and

floating up to the ships. There were also large

vehicles moving onto the platforms and entering the

ships as well. He then continued his walk, until he

heard a strange voice calling his name.

Traiven looked ahead, and saw an older man

with red curly hair, wearing a three star logo, looking

at him.

222

“Hey.” Replied Traiven with a confused look,

as he noticed the man waving him down. He slowly

moved toward the stranger.

“My name is Cid.” Said the stranger. “It’s an

honor, I’ve served with your brother on a number of

missions, and he was a great Arc.”

“That’s what I hear.” Replied Traiven, still

curious about this Arc.

Traiven thought for a second; then recognized

him from the statues he had seen of the four Arcs

labeled as the four horsemen. “You’re Cid Hughes

right?” Traiven inquired.

“Oh! So you’ve heard of me?” Cid responded

with a question of his own.

“You’re one of the remaining four

horsemen!” Mentioned Traiven in admiration.

“Yep,” said Cid. “First it was Vincent to die,

now Raven.” Cid then folded his arms and shook his

head. “We are cursed.”

“Anyway what’s going on; why does it seem

so busy this morning?” Asked Traiven.

“We’re going to war. There’s a Masters’ call

for the Phantoms.” Cid responded.

223

“Yeah, I think Joker did tell me something

about it.” Traiven recalled.

“A Masters’ call is where all the Phantom

teams meet with the Master Arcs for a briefing.

Master Rukaryo, told me to make sure you don’t get

lost finding it.”

“Lead the way.” Said Traiven.

Across the base in a large circular hall with a

dome glass roof, the seven Master Arcs sat behind a

long rectangular podium, in their usual order.

In front of them, were rows after rows of

people all dressed in the federation uniforms, their

rows were inclining from the first row to the last.

This is definitely a Masters’ call. Traiven thought in

amusement.

General Shinnle sat in the center of the

Master’s podium, slightly higher than the others.

General Shinnle slowly rose and took a stand,

in front of the crowd, ready for his briefing. He took

a deep breath, and then let out a relaxing sigh. “Arc

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Teams!” He called. “As you all know, we were

waiting to find a way to cross Sabola’s floating

turrets. We need to launch our attack and that time is

now.”

The crowd listened with great interest; they

knew that they were going to battle immediately.

General Shinnle continued to speak. “Recent

developments have proven that the Summoners are

finally able to repair to their Gateway.”

The crowd was in awe as some of them stood

in fear to the thought of Cassius, the Demon King,

entering Eden.

“We don’t know how much longer they have

until its completion.” Continued General Shinnle.

“This is why we can’t wait any longer.” General

Shinnle then brought his head down and sighed

before revealing their final and fatal solution. He

lifted his head and continued. “Raven was able to

make it past the turrets to the surface, leading us to

believe that it is possible for an Arc. Unlike Raven,

none of you have wings, so you’ll have to use your

energy to maneuver around the turrets. Your mission

is to make it to the surface and disable their defenses

225

so we can send in our army. I wish I could say it’ll be

easy, and that you’ll all make out of this alive. But

there are possibilities of you going up against the

entire army of Sabola on your own. And we are still

unaware exactly how many Summoners there are.

Nonetheless, given your skills, we do predict you’ll

have a chance for success, and we have planned a

strategy that will work; Master Rukaryo will

explain.”

General Shinnle sat down and Rukaryo stood

as a holographic layout of Sabola’s dark castle, and

surrounding structures appeared between the

masters and the crowd. The castle that appeared was

a large pentagon shape structure, which stood to the

left of the layout. To the right of it and behind a large

armed gate, there were five smaller domed shaped

structures. They were highlighted in red.

Rukaryo pointed to the highlighted structures

and said, “Ever since the Summoners have gained

control, they’ve been making additions to the planets

military and defense.” He added. “We do know that

all of their additions are controlled within this

section. Each of these domes is a control system to

226

their new addition. Destroy the controls and the

turrets will be offline. We’re not sure which one of

them controls the turrets; that is why we have to

destroy them all.”

The holographic image shifted to three

separated areas. “It’s to dangerous for us to try and

jump directly on the castle; so we’ll divide into four

large Arc teams, led by Master Caliber, Master Lexi,

Master Justin and myself. There’s no way we’ll be

able to take on the entire army, but with our speed

and abilities we should be able get past them. We’ll

have to use teamwork. Some of us, in each team, will

have to hold their soldiers off, while the others go for

the control system. Once we do destroy the system

and our army comes in, we’ll head into the castle

then find and destroy the Gateway. This isn’t going

to be easy and we will face casualties, maybe even

more than we speculate. But it is our duty as Arcs to

defend Eden from the forces of Hell at any cost, and

that’s what we’ll do.”

“Yes we will!” The crowd cheered in unison.

227

Across the galaxy on planet Sabola, Lance

had just entered the large courtyard that housed the

Gateway. The courtyard was located in the center of

the castle, with the command center held up above it

by large metallic pillars. The walls wrapped around

the courtyard in a circle, and the large Gateway sat in

the center, with a control panel attached to its left

side. In the courtyard were two scientists roaming

about with their brown coverall. These were the

Sabola scientists overseeing the work of the scientists

that were captured from Robant. The Robant

scientists stood apart since they were the only people

with white coveralls, with black electronic collars on

their necks.

Lance walked out and up to Dr. Bryan who

was standing by the control panel.

“I trust everything is moving along in good

time, Dr. Bryan?” Asked Lance.

“As I told you before Lance, you can’t rush

this if you want it done right.” Replied Bryan.

“I hope you realize that no one is coming for

you. No one can get pass our defenses, so if you are

228

trying to stall, you’ll only be putting the lives of your

fellow scientists on the line.”

“We’re trying Lance, but this is a difficult

task. We have to convert the Eye of Eden to no longer

link with heaven but rather to Hell.”

Max, summoner of the demon Ukobach,

suddenly walked out onto the courtyard and up to

Lance. “Lance we have a problem.” He said without

hesitation.

Lance turned to Max for a second then turned

back to Bryan. “Get back to work.” Lance said. Then

he and Max turned away from Bryan. “What is it?”

Asked Lance.

“Robant and the Federation have been

planning to launch and attack. Now it seems like

Sarazetty may be joining them.” Said Max.

“No worries,” replied Lance. “Our defense is

impenetrable.”

“Word is they’ve found a way to pass it.”

Said Max.

“That’s impossible.” Lance responded.

“Raven’s passed it before remember.” Added

Max. “It can be done.”

229

Lance rubbed his chin in thought for a

second, and then replied. “If they do pass it, we

won’t stand a chance. Ready the fleet and start

mobilizing the army just in case.”

“Yes sir.” Max responded.

“And get me Moth, I haven’t heard from him

in a while.”

Max gave a slight bow of his head then

turned and walked away.

Back on planet Vana; Joker, Shawn, and

Traiven stood in front of a door, which hung to a

huge building. As they were getting ready to enter

the building, Traiven looked up at the beautiful sight

of the building before them. It looked like an ancient

castle from Earth only that this one was massive. It

was made of brown bricks, with large towers placed

on the roof. There were statues of Angels posted all

around the roof, as though they were guarding the

building. The very top of the largest tower in the

center of the roof was a statue of a different figure.

230

The statue was shaped like a large human,

but it had no facial detail beyond eyes, nose, a

mouth, or ears. Its wings were large and shaped like

the wings of a monarch butterfly.

“Wow, this place is massive.” Said Traiven.

“Have you ever been to a temple before?”

Asked Joker.

“Of course, back on Earth I used to go to

church every Sunday with my mom.” Traiven

responded.

“I mean a real temple.” Said Joker. Joker then

opened the temple’s doors. Stepping in, Traiven was

amazed by the sight. It was the size of big stadium

with an altar in the very center. There were statues of

Archangels that stood around the altar, and statues

of other Angels scattered around the entire area.

There were lots of people scattered around, some

were praying and some were talking. The Angels

were moving around, while stopping to talk to a few

of them. Traiven looked up and saw the sight of the

sky with thick white clouds, and golden platforms

sitting in its mist.

“Wow…Where’s the ceiling?” Traiven asked.

231

“It’s heaven,” replied Joker. “Unlike the ones

on Earth, a Temple is a place where heaven meets

our plane.”

“Like a gateway?” Traiven inquired.

“More like a window, we can see each other

and communicate, but that’s all.” Joker responded.

Traiven looked ahead to the wall on the other

side, and noticed a large balcony built up onto the

wall.

On the balcony was a red throne where an

old man was seated. He had long grey hair and quite

some noticeable wrinkles all over his face. There

were two, three star Arcs standing behind the old

man.

“Who’s that?” Asked Traiven as he pointed to

the old man.

“That’s the prophet.” Replied Joker. “He’s a

human who possess a special connection with

heaven. He’s the only one who can communicate

with the Angels outside of this temple. In fact, it’s his

power that keeps this temple and heaven linked.”

Traiven then noticed that a young woman

walked out onto the balcony. She looked the same

232

age as Traiven, and had a slim body with light skin,

that carried a soft clear face. Her eyes were bright

and blue, which stood out from her blondish hair.

She had on a white dress, which had a golden liner

on its tail and neck area.

“Let’s go.” Said Joker taking Traiven’s

attention from the woman.

They walked to the altar where Shinnle was

awaiting for them. “Ah, Joker, welcome,” greeted

Shinnle. He then turned toward Traiven and Shawn.

“Thank you for meeting me.” He repeated.

“With all due respect sir,” replied Shawn.

“Shouldn’t we be preparing for the attack?”

“This is important.” Answered Shinnle. “I

have asked for a meeting and they wanted you here

for it.” He said as he pointed up.

They all looked up and watched as two

Archangels descended from heaven and landed right

next to them. They had on robes, armors and shields

that they carried on their backs. They were also

adorned with swords on their sides. It was the

Archangel Michael and Archangel Raphael. Their

feathered wings protruding from their back were

233

whiter than any white Traiven has ever seen. They

also had transparent golden halos hovering about

two inches from their heads.

As Michael and Raphael touched the floor,

Shinnle, Joker and Shawn kneeled before the

Archangels. Traiven stood, looking at the Archangels

in confusion, until Joker grabbed his arm and pulled

him down.

“Rise,” said Michael, and they uniformly did.

“Thank you for allowing this meeting,” said

Shinnle.

“So why have you called us today?” Asked

Raphael.

“The matter of Raven Lord Raphael,”

answered Shinnle.

“Yes, you wish to know if he is dead?” Said

Michael. “Well, his soul has not ascended to heaven.”

He added immediately.

“So is he alive?” Asked Shinnle.

“That would be logical,” said Raphael. “But

we have not sensed his soul in Eden.”

“How could that be?” Asked Shinnle again.

234

“Raven did encounter the prototype

gateway,” intervened Joker. “According to our

knowledge, it was un-operational but it could be

possible that when Raven knocked it, he caused an

effect on the Eye of Eden, somehow activating the

machine.”

“Meaning he could be trapped in Hell.”

Added General Shinnle.

“If this is true, then there is nothing we can

do,” said Michael.

“There is an agreement between heaven and

hell.” Said Raphael. “We don’t cross into their plane,

and they don’t cross into ours.”

“We can wait for Sabola to finish the

Gateway,” said Joker. “But if we do that, then we’ll

have Cassius to deal with.”

“Cassius is ruthless and he has a massive

demon army at his disposal. Even with Raven, there

will be no chance of victory.” Said Raphael.

“Wait!” Said Traiven, interrupting the

conversation. “Are you guys saying you’re just going

to leave Raven trapped in hell?”

235

“We want to rescue him,” answered Michael.

“But the truth is that by doing so, the sacrifice would

be too great.”

“Besides, Raven alone cannot take on Cassius

and his army.” Added Raphael.

“But I’m here and I can help,” said Traiven.

He then turned to Shinnle. “You said so yourself, I

have the potential to be just as powerful as Raven.”

He then turned back to the Angels with a confused

look on his face. “Alone, Raven may not be able to

stand a chance; but together, we can take Cassius

down.” Inquired Traiven.

“Traiven, you do have the potential,” said

General Shinnle. “But you are not ready to take on a

demon. Raven was trained by his father to use his

Angelic state, you didn’t have that chance.”

“You still haven’t learned to focus your

power.” Added Shawn.

“And we now, we’re started to rethink our

previous decision to bring you here in the first place.

We originally believed you were the last Nephilim,

but we’ve been hearing talk from the Seraphim

Angels that prove otherwise.” Said Michael.

236

“Wait!” Said General Shinnle, as he turned

back toward the Angels in surprise. “So there’s

another Nephilim?”

“They are still looking into the reason Sanit

had betrayed us. The evidence shows that he may

have had an intimate relation with a human on Eden.

If this is true then there is no doubt that he has an

offspring on your plane as well.”

“What about the swords of ingress?” Asked

Traiven.

“What do you know of the swords?” Asked

Michael in confusion.

“Is it true?” Asked again Traiven impatiently.

“The swords of ingress are weapons that hold

their own power.” Raphael stated. “But you are not

ready for the trial of perdition. There are two swords,

Nirvana the Divine sword, which was wielded by

Raven, and The Dark sword Perdition that is

guarded by a powerful celestial creature. The two

swords were created by King Yeh-ovah himself; only

an angel can release it and only a human can wield

it…Truly a sword for a Nephilim.”

237

“Give me a chance.” Said Traiven. “I can’t let

my brother stay trapped in hell. Tell me where this

sword is?”

“You are far from ready to take on the Trial of

Perdition Traiven.” Said Raphael. “In hindsight, it

was a mistake to bring you here.” He added.

Traiven squeezed his fist in anger. “What are

you saying?”

“I’m sorry Traiven,” intervened General

Shinnle. “From the report of your mission on

Sarazetty, you are nowhere near ready to be an Arc.”

“But I know the basics.” Replied Traiven.

“Yes, but you lack experience. And without

Lord Krisstan here; you won’t be able to learn to use

your angelic state.”

“Then what will I do now?” Asked Traiven.

“Now the choice is yours, you can stay and

begin training to be an Arc when we start the next

cycle, or you can return home and we’ll never bother

you again.” Said General Shinnle.

Traiven gave a look of shock; going home has

been what he has wanted from the start. But after

learning what was going on with the Summoners

238

and Sabola, he was now starting to have conflicting

thoughts. One thing Traiven knew for certain, he was

not the type to just turn and walk away.

Joker walked over and put his hand on

Traiven’s shoulder and then said. “Traiven, we won’t

think any less of you if you do decide to leave.

Unlike the rest of us, you didn’t have a choice, but

now you do.”

Traiven opened his mouth to speak, but was

still unsure as to what he wanted, so he bowed his

head and said softly. “Can I please have some time to

think?”

“Sure,” replied General Shinnle, take all the

time you need.

“Wait, what about me?” Asked Shawn. “I’ve

been training for years to fight in this war. I’ve been

at the top of all my classes at the academy, I can’t let

that go to waste.”

“And you won’t,” answered General Shinnle.

“You will still fight in this war, we need all the Arcs

we can get. Rukaryo will fill Traiven’s spot on your

team for now Shawn.”

239

The Angels now turned their attention to

General Shinnle, and Raphael spoke, “Now, what are

the other matters you wish to discuss?”

“We need to know how far the Summoners

are in their plan.” Said General Shinnle.

“Somehow the Summoners are able to hide

their actions from us.” Stated Michael.

“We are about to set a plan in motion to bring

down their defenses.” Added General Shinnle.

Traiven stepped forward and spoke

interrupting their conversation. “I have one more

question.”

“Yes?” Asked Raphael.

“Who was my father?”

“His name was Krisstan.” Answered Michael.

“He was an Archangel and a good friend.”

“How did he really die?” Traiven asked.

“He was killed by a Seraphim who betrayed

us several years ago. The seraphim killed him to get

the Eye of Eden your father was protecting.”

“What is a Seraphim?” Traiven asked.

“The Seraphim are the oldest and most

powerful angels of our hierarchy.”

240

“Oh,” said Traiven, as he gradually put his

head down. “I see…”

“We must now take our leave.” Said Michael.

“Good luck.”

Raphael and Michael slowly flapped their

wings and ascended back into heaven.

General Shinnle turned to Joker, Shawn, and

Traiven; and said, “Joker, Shawn, we are still

studying the layout of Sabola’s castle and trying to

select the perfect landing spot. As soon as we’re sure,

we’ll launch the attack. It could be anytime now…so

be prepared.”

“Yes sir.” Answered Joker and Shawn.

“Robant and Sarazetty will be providing us

assistance with the attack.” Added General Shinnle.

He then turned toward Traiven. “Traiven, once this

mission is complete, we’ll be able to return you home

if that is what you choose.”

Traiven sighed. “Okay.”

Joker, Shawn, and Traiven bowed before

General Shinnle, then walked away.

241

13

Traiven was slowly walking through the base

with his head down. Soldiers were scrambling

around him preparing for the attack, but the exciting

sites of this new world didn’t amuse him as it did on

his first landing. In fact, things were getting very

serious and real fast. When he first landed on Vana,

all he wanted was to go home to his mother and

friends. Now, after knowing everything that’s been

going on, he didn’t feel right about turning his back

on the Federation. He kept having a fight within

himself to try and find the courage to stay.

“Hello,” came the soft voice of a young

woman pulling him from his thoughts.

Traiven lifted his head up to see a young

woman standing before him. She looked the same

age as him; and he thought she was exceptionally

242

beautiful. Her complexion was fair and her eyes were

haven sky blue. The wind made her blond hair sway,

following the direction of the wind. He took notice of

her long white dress, which had a gold trimming on

the bottom and the neck area of her dress. He

recognized that she was from the girl from the

temple.

Holding the side of her dress she gave him a

bow.“My name is Kallista, it’s an honor to meet you

Traiven.” She then rose back up looking into

Traiven’s eyes.

Traiven stood staring at her for a second in

great confusion. She spoke as if she was familiar with

him. Traiven finally worked up the nerve and

replied. “Hi.”

“I hope I’m not being too forward,” She said.

“But I’ve wanted to meet you since I heard about

you.”

“You have?” Asked Traiven with a tremble

on his voice.

“Yes, Raven and I grew up together. He was

like an older brother to me; he was a great man.”

243

“Yeah, that’s what everyone tells me. You are

the girl from the temple right, the one who was next

to the old prophet?”

“Yes.”

“What are you? His squeeze or something?”

“Squeeze?” she asked not understanding

what he meant. She shook it off as if it was not

important and stated “No, I’m a priestess, also next

in line to be prophet, and that is why I am always at

his side.”

“Wow, seems like a big responsibility.”

“Yes, and it is one I am prepared to take on.

I’ve trained my whole life for this.”

Traiven sighed, “Well at least you saw it

coming, I didn’t get that luxury.”

“Destiny can be daunting.”

“Huh! Tell me about it. Imagine one day

suddenly people showed up at your house, taking

you from all you love and telling you that you’re

supposed to be a savior. Now they tell me they don’t

even need me. After all that I’ve learned, how can I

just turn my back now?”

244

Kallista gave him a warm smile and replied,

“But don’t you see Traiven? You’ve been given a gift.

You are now free to choose your own path. You

don’t have to turn your back on the Federation if you

don’t want to. If you do stay and fight, I know you

will be a great warrior and a big asset.”

“How do you know?” Traiven asked, not

knowing what to believe.

“Because if you didn’t truly have the passion

for helping the Federation; why would you have

conflicting emotions about this decision?”

“Wow… Guess you’re right, it never occurred

to me that way. ”

One of the Arcs from the temple, who was

guarding the prophet, suddenly came up

interrupting their conversation. He bowed before

Kallista.

“Lady Kallista,” the Arc said. “It is time for

you to return to Croft.”

Kallista turned to the Arc, “Yes, I

understand.”

She then turned back to Traiven. “It was a

pleasure meeting you Traiven.”

245

“You too.” Replied Traiven, “And thanks.”

He added.

“It is my duty to serve to Federation in any

way I can. As I mentioned, Raven was like a brother

to me, so I consider you family as well.”

Kallista gave him one final bow and Traiven

bowed back in gratitude; then watch as she and the

Arc loaded into a nearby vehicle and flew off.

Meanwhile on Sabola, Lance was standing in

the command center above the courtyard. He was

putting together a defense strategy; when suddenly

Moth burst through the doors. “What was so

important that you had to disturb my vacation?”

Demanded Moth.

Lance turned to Moth. “From what I

understand, you’ve completed the job, right?”

“Something like that,” Moth snapped back.

“And you didn’t bother to report back?”

“I’ve been busy.” Calmly said Moth.

246

“On vacation… Is Raven dead?” Asked Lance

running out of patience.

“Raven is dead; but that Nephilim you sent

me to kill wasn’t him.”

“Really?” Asked Lance with a surprised tone

on his voice.

“Yes.”

“How could that be possible?”

“Apparently, Raven has a twin brother the

Federation kept from everyone.”

“Well, is he dead?”

“No.”

“And why not?”

“My job was to kill Raven, not his moronic

brother. A different target means a different

contract.” Moth responded with confidence.

“Didn’t you think I’d want you to kill him as

well, since he is a Nephilim?” Said Lance raising his

voice at Moth.

“I’m an assassin Lance, not a murderer. If I’m

not hired, then I don’t do the job.” Said Moth,

keeping a tranquil tone of voice.

247

Lance sighed, “Fine, I’m hiring you to kill this

Nephilim.”

“Okay, but my price just went up.” Moth then

turned and walked out without looking back

The sun shone down on the large training

canyon of Vana, brightening up the sight of Shawn

and Traiven standing on tall rocks, yards apart from

each other. Shawn stood with his arms out, holding

his scythe in his right hand, putting the blade held

downward. He suddenly lifted his weapon above his

head, spun around, and ended it in an attack stance,

holding his scythe with both hands.

Traiven drew his sword, bent down and

kicked off, launching toward Shawn. Traiven swung

his sword violently as Shawn quickly jumped

backward, evading being torn apart by the blade.

Shawn’s weapon hit Traiven’s chest, forcing

him to land back on the rock he had jumped from.

Shawn launched at Traiven and swung his scythe to

the left. Traiven quickly lifted his sword blocking the

248

attack, pushing Shawn’s scythe way. While Shawn’s

weapon was just completing its rotation, Traiven

swung his sword again, furiously almost slicing

Shawn in half. Shawn quickly rolled to the right, the

blade barely miss him. Recovering, Shawn snapped

his scythe around in a very much an unexplained

manner, hitting Traiven on the back, pushing him off

the cliff.

Traiven crashed to the bottom of the canyon.

Just as the pain began to set in, he took notice of

Shawn quickly coming down, swinging his scythe

toward him. Traiven ignored the pain and quickly

sprang up from his back, missing the attack by

inches. Shawn didn’t stop, he launched at him

repeatedly and furiously with all his might, causing

the collision of the two blades to create sparks.

Finally, Traiven’s sword gave in, cracking under the

pressure of Shawn’s scythe.

“YOU’RE NOT FOCUSING!” shouted Shawn as

he swung again, cracking Traiven’s sword a bit more.

Shawn swung again, and this time Traiven lifted his

sword high, blocking the attack and locking their

blades together.

249

“That’s it,” said Shawn. “Now focus, don’t let

your sword break.”

Shawn pushed more pressure onto Traiven’s

sword with his scythe. Traiven tightened his grip and

put all his energy into one final push that caused his

weapon to finally shatter into pieces.

Shawn stretched out his hand and helped

Traiven up. “You are getting better at focusing your

power, but I don’t think that’s your problem,” said

Shawn. “You’re still afraid.”

“I really am trying Shawn.” Traiven said,

while trying to excuse himself for having been

defeated on this simple training exercise.

“Well no worries, you still have time before

the new cycle starts. So we can train some more

when I return.”

“Well good luck, and don’t get yourself

killed.” Said Traiven

“I’m not planning to.” Shawn said as he

turned and walked away, leaving Traiven behind.

Just as things began to calm down, Traiven

heard a familiar voice coming from above. “I thought

250

you wanted to leave, Traiven.” He looked up and

saw Rukaryo sitting on a rock above him.

“How long have you been there?”

“I saw the training, and I must say you have

gotten better.” Said Rukaryo

Traiven sighed, “Well, still not good enough.”

“From the looks of you; you have too much

fear in you.”

Rukaryo then jumped down, landed on the

ground and picked up the handle of Traiven’s

shattered sword. “I understand that you grew up in a

completely different world from us. As far as I can

remember, our entire galaxy has been a constant war

between good and evil. So for the rest of us it was

easy to overcome our fears of battle.” He handed

Traiven the broken handle piece of the broken

sword. “From what I understand about Earth, good

and evil are more on a mental war than a physical

one.”

Traiven brought his head down and replied,

“We do have our wars, but they’re nothing like this.

Plus, on Earth, I would have never even had to

worry about seeing battle.” He then lifted his head

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and stared into Rukaryo’s eyes with confidence. “But

I now understand that I have to make my own

destiny. After everything I’ve learn about myself and

what is going on, I can’t just turn my back on it. It’s

my universe, and it is my calling.”

Rukaryo smiled, “Well you are starting to

sound like an Arc.” He said. “Head to the castle

armory and grab yourself another sword.” said

Rukaryo. “I’ll help you train the rest of the day.”

Traiven smiled back and quickly ran off

heading to the castle.

Traiven was now walking through the castle

of Vana, on his way to the armory. He walked into a

large circular room with weapon racks on its walls.

Then he noticed an open door, leading to separate

rooms. He walked up to it, and slowly walked in.

Looking around, he took note of a collection of

swords hanging on a wall and glorified as if they

were divine. He walked up to it and he reached out

for one of them, but he was stopped by a familiar

female voice. “Traiven?”

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Traiven turned and saw Anya standing at the

entrance.

“Anya,” He said, stammered in fear and

surprise.

“Hey,” she said as she walked up to him.

“Are you here to try to kill me again?” Asked

Traiven with tremble in his voice.

Anya sighed, “I’m sorry about that, I’ve just

been going through a lot of stress lately and I wanted

someone to blame.”

“So you blamed me?” Inquired Traiven,

gaining his composure.

“Well, I thought you were Raven. I mean he’s

the reason I’m a prisoner here.”

“Well, you don’t seem like a prisoner to me.”

“Yeah, it’s complicated. They do trust me

here, ’cause they know I left Sabola of my own free

will. But I am a Summoner, so they like to keep an

eye on me at all times... Anyway, can I help you? I

work here in the armory.”

“Yeah, I forgot about that; they must really be

trusting of you.”

253

“Well, these are all Arc weapons, so it isn’t

like I could use any of them.”

“You and me both, this whole Arc thing is a

really tough gig.”

“Let me guess. Your sword keeps breaking

right?”

“You got anything that won’t?” Inquired

Traiven.

“No, the blades are all pretty much made of

the same metal. The power is in the Arc, not in the

weapon.”

“Now you sound just like Master Rukaryo.”

“Sorry, I can’t be more helpful.” Anya

commented.

Traiven sighed and scratched his head in

thought. After a moment, he spoke again “I did hear

of one sword that might be useful.”

“What?”

“Have you heard of the Swords of Ingress?”

Questioned Traiven, while losing himself to the light

gray colored eyes of the beautiful girl.

“Yeah, Raven had the holy sword named,

Nirvana. They say the two swords were created by

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Yeh-ovah himself. He created them when he closed

the doorways between the planes. He created a light

and a dark sword to help maintain the balance in

Eden. It was the Archangel Kisstan who hid them,

and placed a celestial creature to guard each one,

Kron guards Perdition the Dark sword.”

“Wait! Krisstan?” Traiven asked in surprise.

“Yeah, why?”

Traiven placed his right hand on his chin,

looked up, and thought, “So that explains the dream.

He wants me to go get the sword.” He thought out

loud.

“What are you talking about, who?” Asked

Anya, all confused by Traiven’s words.

“My father,” He then turned back to Anya.

“Where can I find this sword?”

“You’re not planning on going after it, are

you?”

“Look, this sword seems like my only hope to

start pulling my own weight around here. Besides, I

think my father wants me to get it.”

255

“Are you a fool Traiven? You’re no match for

the guardian of the sword, Kron. You couldn’t even

handle me in the alley.”

“That’s ’cause you caught me by surprise,

plus I didn’t have my weapon.” Said Traiven

excusing himself.

“You probably would have just broken it

anyway.”

He grabbed her shoulders. “Look Anya, this

may be my only chance to make things right. Only a

Nephilim can stop Cassius and I’m the only one

around. So please tell me where I can find it?”

“Well I don’t know where it is, but I know

someone who might.”

“Great, where can I find him?”

“I’ll help, but under one condition.”

“Anything.”

“Take me with you.”

“But I thought you couldn’t leave Vana.”

Responded Traiven.

“I can with an Arc escort.”

Traiven turned away and thought for a

second, then turned back. “No, look I’m already

256

taking a big risk by going myself. I can’t risk your life

as well.”

“Traiven I can handle myself. Besides I know

you’ll need the help. It’s not like you know your way

around our galaxy anyway.”

Traiven sighed, and stood for a second in

thought, then said, “Fine, do you have a ship?”

“No, but we can use a transport shuttle.”

Anya responded.

Anya then walked into the back of the

armory, grabbed a sword, handed it to Traiven and

then said, “Meet me at the transport station in an

hour.”

“Okay, I’ll see you then.” Traiven then

walked off.

Later that day, Traiven and Anya had just

stepped off a transport ship on Sypher, one of Vana’s

moons. They stepped off into a large transport

station. It was a large glass dome, with glass tunnels,

257

connected to large transport shuttles taking off and

landing.

“There,” Anya said as she pointed to a

landing shuttle, “That’s the shuttle to Robant.”

“What’s on Robant?” Asked Traiven.

“The Kaiju command ship is currently in its

atmosphere, meaning their leader Ganga must be on

the planet. If anyone knows where the dark sword is,

it’s him.”

They both walked over to the tunnel as the

shuttle landed. Once it was secured, the doors of the

tunnel slid open and let the arriving passengers off

and the departing passengers got on. Traiven and

Anya walked into the shuttle, unaware of the hooded

figure that was following behind them.

Once they were on the shuttle, they walked

through until they had reached a large area that was

secured with a tables and chairs.

“This is interesting,” Said Traiven. “The

transportation back on Earth is a lot more boring

than this.”

As they walked farther in, the hooded figure

rushed up and roughly grabbed Traiven, throwing

258

him against the wall. He then removed his hood,

revealing that he was Shawn. “What the hell do you

think you’re doing, Traiven?!” Shawn asked angrily.

“You know you weren’t supposed to leave Vana. Are

you really that eager to die?”

“Wait!” Said Anya. “What is he talking

about?” she asked.

Traiven pushed Shawn off, and then turned

to Anya. “There’s kind of an assassin after me.” He

responded.

“The assassin Moth?” Questioned Anya.

“You know him?” Inquired Traiven.

“Well, who else would take on a job to kill an

Arc!” Anya replied feeling betrayed. “I can’t believe

you never brought this up before; and to think I

trusted you.”

“What? You were trying to kill me no more

than twenty-four hours ago,” replied Traiven.

“You’re lucky I’m trusting you right now.”

Shawn interrupted, “Well, it doesn’t matter

now because we’re going back to Vana.”

“I can’t do that Shawn.” Said Traiven.

“And why not?”

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“Because I’m on a mission.” Added Traiven.

“What do you mean? There’s no way you’d

get a mission now, especially on your own.” Said

Shawn, with a very serious look on his face.

They suddenly heard an announcement in the

shuttle. “The shuttle will be departing in ten minutes

bound for Robant.” Said a female electronic over a

speaker.

“Wait! Robant?” Asked Shawn. He then

turned to Traiven. “Why are you going to Robant?”

Traiven sighed, then replied “Look, I don’t

think I’ll ever learn to focus my power, so I’m going

to find a weapon that I won’t have to focus on.”

“You mean the Sword of Ingress?” asked

Shawn. “What part of too dangerous didn’t you

understand?” he added.

“I have to do this Shawn. Trust me, I’ll be

fine. I don’t know how I know; but I was meant to

get this sword.”

“And what about Kron, how do you plan on

beating him?” Asked Shawn.

“Haven’t thought that far ahead yet.” Traiven

responded.

260

“Traiven, I can’t go back to Vana without

you.” said Shawn.

“Then come with us.” Replied Traiven.

“You’ve always wanted harder missions. Here’s your

chance.”

“Not a suicide mission!”

“Maybe if we take on Kron together, we

could stand a chance.” Said Traiven.

“Have you forgotten that I have a war to fight

soon?” Asked Shawn.

“I’m pretty sure you’ll make it back on time.

Did you even see that diagram at the call meeting?

Finding the safest way past those turrets will take

forever. You’ll make it back in time.”

“And what if we get killed?” Asked Shawn.

“As you told me before, that’s just the risk we

take as Arcs.” Responded Traiven.

Shawn turned away and thought for a

second. He then turned back and sighed, “Fine, but

as long as you listen to me. I’ve been an Arc longer

than you have; so I’ll be in charge of this mission.”

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“Great!” Traiven said excitedly, while tapping

Shawn on the shoulder. “I knew there was someone

interesting under that buzz-kill shell of yours.”

“What’s a buzz-kill?” Asked Anya in

confusion.

“I had given up on trying to understand

Traiven’s Earthly language a long time ago,”

answered Shawn.

Back on Vana; General Shinnle, Rukaryo, and

Caliber were in the control room of the castle

gathered around the center square platform, all

watching a holographic image of planet Sabola that

covered the entire platform. The three gathered by

one section scrutinizing it trying to find an area to

launch their attack.

Caliber lifted his hands and stretched the

image out, zoning through the atmosphere to the

turrets. “It seems like, no matter what, we’ll face the

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same amount of fire anywhere around the

atmosphere.” He said. “There is no safest way.”

“That’s what worries me.” Replied General

Shinnle. “I know what we have to do; but I’m still

not comfortable with sending our Arcs to their

deaths.”

“That’s the choice we made when we joined

the Federation.” Replied Rukaryo. “We’re prepared

to do whatever it takes to protect Eden.”

The door suddenly slid open and in walked

Benny with Shafer; they walked up to the three at the

panel.

“Sir?” Benny called out to General Shinnle.

“We need to have a word with you.”

“Can it wait?” Asked General Shinnle. “We’re

trying to figure out the safest plan of attack.”

“But that’s why we’re here.” Replied Shafer.

“We may have a solution.” He added

The three Arcs turned toward the two in

surprise.

“You’d better not be wasting our time,” said

Caliber with his deep voice.

263

“Not at all, sir,” replied Benny confidently, as

he and Shafer walked closer to the panel.

Benny brought up his hand and pushed the

image further, zooming out to space. He then turned

the view a bit to a large comet in space about to pass

by Sabola. He then pulled the image in and zoomed

down to a large rock nested on the comet, the size of

a Phantom.

“As we all know Brawnwich Comet here

passes through our planetary system ever year

making its way past each planet.” Said Shafer.

“Yes.” Replied Rukaryo reluctantly.

“Its next destination is right next to Sabola.”

Said Benny. “And it just happens to pass directly

over the dark castle. We’ve calculated that if we plant

a charge here and detonate it at just the right time;

it’ll release the large rock, sending it directly toward

the Castle.”

“But the turrets will only shoot it down.”

Replied Shinnle.

“Yes and we’re counting on it.” Replied

Shafer. “At the speed it’ll be going and size the

impact would take out the castle and the entire castle

264

city. But if the turrets shoot it, it’ll burst raining

down a barrage of smaller rocks toward the

structures just outside of the castle. Each would have

enough power to destroy every structure as they

hit.”

“Not to mention that they’ll take out some of

the turrets on their way down,” added Benny. “If

they don’t hit the right structure, at least the Arcs

will have a safe opening to drop down.”

General Shinnle scratched his head in

thought. “It sounds quite vivid and I see it being

successful, but we’ll have to be precise when

detonating the charge. Even a second of a miss-queue

can case unwanted damage.”

“Benny and I have already calculated time

and position to make sure this goes according to

plan.” Stated Shafer. “We’ll have to be the ones to

plant and detonate the charge.”

“How long before the comet will be in

position?” Asked Rukaryo.

“Forty-eight hours.” Replied Benny.

“Then we must act fast,” said General

Shinnle. He turned to Caliber and Rukaryo.

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“Mobilize the army for an immediate launch and tell

King Joseph, and King Joshua to do the same.”

“Yes sir.” Replied Rukaryo.

General Shinnle then turned to Benny and

Shafer. “I want a list of everything you need. I want

you off this planet and heading to that comet in no

less than two hours.”

“You got it,” replied Shafer. “Let’s end this

war.”

Across the planetary system, a shuttle had

just begun to make its approach into Robant. Inside,

Anya stood up and walked up to the window staring

out. As the planet Robant came into sight, her eyes

widened and she smiled in excitement. There was a

large fleet of brown ships posted right outside of its

atmosphere. Along with a large grey ship, shaped

spherical, in their center. The planet looked like a

large dark blue ball with streams of lights flowing

around it.

“Don’t get out much?” Asked Traiven as he

walked up to her.

266

Anya turned to Traiven and smiled. “No,

that’s why I wanted to come along. I never get to

leave Vana, no other Arc trusts me enough to take

me out.”

“Well glad I can.”

Anya lifted her left hand and touched

Traiven’s temples; staring into his eyes. “I love

looking into your eyes. They have so much

excitement in them.”

“It’s more like confusion.” He responded not

thinking.

“I think you’ll make a great Arc, just like your

brother.” She added.

“Try telling that to everyone else.” Traiven

said while moving his face down and looking

straight to the floor. He then sighed and looked out

the window, seeing the fleet of brown ships along

with the grey spherical one. “Is that the Death Star?”

He asked as he pointed.

“Death Star?” Anya queried not knowing

what he was talking about. “It’s the Kaiju command

ship.” She finally answered.

267

“Oh, those are the guys who transform under

a full moon, right?”

“Yep, that is why their command ship is

shaped like that. It has the ability to emulate a full

moon whenever they need it.”

“Well that’s useful.” Said Traiven.

Suddenly, they heard a mechanic voice over

the speakerphone, “We’re entering the atmosphere of

Robant.”

“Looks like we’ll be landing soon,” said

Shawn as he walked up to them. “It is still night here;

is this where the sword is?”

“This is where we’ll find out where it is.”

Replied Anya.

“How?” Asked Shawn.

“I have a contact who seems to know

everything.” Stated Anya.

“Some guy named Ganga.” Added Traiven.

“GANGA!” Replied Shawn in anger.

“What is he bad or something?” Asked

Traiven.

268

Anya spoke up confidently answering

Traiven’s question. “Ganga is the leader of the

Kaiju.”

Shawn angrily stepped up to Anya, “You said

nothing about us dealing with Kaiju!”

“I told Traiven who we were going to see.”

She replied, and crossed her arms.

“Traiven doesn’t know anything!” Shouted

Shawn in anger.

“Wait,” said Traiven. “I thought these guys

were neutral or something?”

“That doesn’t mean they can be trusted.”

Shawn answered, without taking his eyes off Anya.

Traiven stepped up and pulled Shawn back.

“Look Shawn, you can turn back if you want to, but

from what I understand these guys are our only

hope, correct?” Said Traiven and turned his face back

to Anya.

Shawn sighed. “Well, we can’t exactly ask the

angels that right now.”

“Don’t worry,” replied Anya. “You guys are

not on their radar so you’ll make it out of here fine.

269

Beside he’s an acquaintance of my dad, so Ganga

wouldn’t dare lay a hand on us.”

In the meantime, the transport ship had just

docked in a large hangar, in the center of a large city.

The sky was dark and the building shot up to the sky

shining with bright lights. The buildings were towers

similar to skyscrapers on Earth but taller. There were

thin lines running across the city, connecting to each

building that held a long shuttle, carrying around

passengers. There were also vehicles around the

surface and soaring through the air.

Traiven, Shawn and Anya stepped out of the

hanger onto a long and wide paved, lined road; with

larger lit buildings around them. They took notice

that there was a white mist of clouds gathering in

various parts of the planet surface. Traiven

immediately took notice of the people walking

around in rags leaning on the sides of some building.

He also noticed that some of the walls were cracked

and ruined.

“This place is a dump.” Said Traiven.

“We’re in the slums.” Said Shawn. “Don’t

worry not all of Robant is like this.”

270

“Where are the cool parts with the robots and

flying cars?” Asked Traiven humorously.

“You won’t see much robots.” Replied

Shawn. “Robot labor is illegal.”

“Why?” Asked Traiven.

“Well, they were abolished to help keep the

economy up.” Answered Shawn. “If everyone

employs robots then they’ll be no jobs for humans.”

“But what about those training Robots we

used?” asked Traiven.

“Well, you can employ one with a permit,”

answered Shawn. “But even then, you’re only able to

use it for either training or to perform jobs that are

impossible for a human to do.”

“Come on.” Said Anya interrupting their

conversation. “The Kaiju has a base of operation here

in which they conduct trades with the citizens of

Robant. It isn’t too far from here.”

“Lead the way.” Replied Shawn. “But I still

don’t trust you.”

Anya ignored his comment and began

walking while the two followed.

271

14

Traiven, Shawn and Anya were led into the large

bridge of the Kaiju command ship; escorted by two men,

dressed in brown fur.

The room had a flat floor, but the walls and ceiling

circled around them like a sphere. There was a large

sphere door behind them, that was built as a circular hole

in the in the entire front wall. Ahead of them was a

window revealing the large dark planet of Robant. Two

men, also dressed in brown fur, sat in front of the small

single section control panel. There were also three men

sitting six feet behind them, each in front of their own

section of control panels. They also had a small screen

hanging down from the ceiling before them. Behind them,

in the very center of the bridge, sat Ganga. His chair was

boosted up a bit higher than the rest of them. His section

had two control panels sitting in the position of arms. A

272

large screen also hung before him from the ceiling. The

rest of the bridge was an empty large space.

“Sir?” one of the escorts called as they walked up

to the back of Ganga’s chair. “You have visitors.”

Ganga’s chair turned completely around, until he

was facing them.

“We found them on the surface asking about you.”

said the escort.

Ganga leaned forward and took a good look at the

three, and when he noticed that two of them were Arcs, he

then leaned back and asked, “So, what interest would the

Federation have with me?”

Anya stepped forward and spoke, “We’re not here

on Federation business.”

“Wait!” Said Ganga as he remembered Anya’s

face. “Anya? Is it really you?”

“Yes Ganga.” She answered.

Ganga then leaned back and laughed, “Ha, Ha, I

should have known you three were not acting on the

Federation. Why would they trust someone like you?”

“Yeah why would we?” Asked Shawn, as he

turned toward Traiven.

Ganga leaned forward and looked at Traiven, “So,

you must be the brother of Raven.”

273

“How do you know I’m not Raven himself?”

Asked Traiven.

“Because, I know just about everything that goes

on in my galaxy.”

“A little suspicious for someone who claims to be

neutral,” replied Shawn with an attitude.

Ganga quickly turned his attention to Shawn.

“And you must be the son of Dante Seran, all you Serans

look alike. And we Kaiju have never once claimed

ourselves neutral.” He added, “That’s just a brand the

Federation gave us because we no longer do the demon’s

bidding. Now did you come here to talk allegiances or do

you have a better reason for wasting my time?”

“We’re looking for something.” Spoke Anya.

“And you’re mostly likely the one who can help us find

it.”

“What?” Asked Ganga.

“Perdition...” Answered Traiven. “The dark

sword.”

Ganga scratched his chin for a second in thought,

and then replied. “I may be able to help, but what interest

would you have in such an evil item.”

“That depends on the wielder.” Replied Anya.

274

Ganga gave a smirk toward Anya. “Ha, of course I

see why you would want it Summoner. If all the legends

about the sword are true, then your father would do

anything for it, including using you.”

“What legends?” Asked Traiven as he turned

toward Anya. “What is he talking about, who’s your

father?”

“So your Summoner friend here is keeping

secrets,” said Ganga.

Anya turned toward Traiven and grabbed his hand

at her side, then replied, “My intentions are good.”

Shawn sighed and answered Traiven’s question.

“Her father is Lance, leader of the Summoners.”

“Wait, Really?!” Asked Traiven as he pulled his

hand away.

“I thought you knew.” Said Shawn.

Ganga quickly spoke interrupting their quarrel.

“I’m surprised you’re this naïve, Nephilim. It makes sense

why Lance would want the sword, because of the legend

about it.”

“Again, what Legend?” Asked Traiven.

“That’s just a myth,” Replied Shawn. “Even the

Angels denied it.”

275

“Of course they would,” replied Ganga. “They’d

never risk telling the truth to anyone in Eden.”

“Tell me what’s the legend?” begged Traiven.

Ganga gave a grin; “The names are riddles, the

Swords of Ingress, Nirvana and Perdition; created when

King Yeh-ovah sealed off Eden from the other

dimensional planes. Nirvana meaning Heaven while

Perdition meaning Hell, and Ingress means passage.”

“Wait so the swords are keys?” Asked Traiven.

“Well that’s the myth,” answered Ganga. “But still

I wouldn’t trust a Summoner to be anywhere near that

sword.”

“I renounced my clan a long time ago Ganga.”

Stated Anya. “You know that.”

“So you say,” replied Ganga. “But even I know

better than to trust a Summoner.”

“Okay enough!” Snapped Traiven being tired of

Ganga’s interrogation. “We don’t have time for this, tell us

where the sword is?”

“What’s in it for me?” Asked Ganga.

“What do you want?” Asked Traiven.

Ganga looked up and scratched his chin for a

second then turned back toward Traiven and asked,

276

“You’ve just recently found out that you were a Nephilim

correct?”

“Yeah, why?” Replied Traiven.

“So, I’m guessing you don’t know everything

about your talents.”

“You can say that.” Responded Traiven.

Ganga pressed a button on his chair and a strange

writing came up on the screen in front of the ship. It was

unlike anything Traiven has ever seen, a language

completely foreign to him; like random shapes connected

to each other in odd unfitting ways.

“Read that.” Said Ganga.

“I don’t know what that is.” Answered Traiven.

“It’s the celestial tongue. It’s impossible to learn,

and you must be born with celestial essence in order to see

its true meaning. Meaning anyone not from this plane can

read this text.”

“Where did you get this?” Asked Shawn.

“I’m only offering one favor.” Answered Ganga.

“You wanna find the sword or know where I got this

code.”

“I can’t read it.” Said Traiven.

“That’s because you’re not trying.” Said Ganga.

“Step closer and look.”

277

Traiven stepped to the screen, staring at the figures

but the more he looked the more foreign it seemed.

“Relax.” Said Ganga. “Clear your mind of

everything but what you see before you.”

Traiven took a deep breath, then let out a sigh. He

focused only on the writing. As he did, he began to feel a

slight vibration throughout his body, accompanied by a

slight headache, as the words slowly blurred before his

eyes. The figures shifted back into focus and appeared in

clear written words that Traiven read aloud, while trying to

stay focus, as his headache rapidly increased. He spoke in

deep breaths and grunts, “Where humans and beast

coexisted...” Traiven then began to fall back but Anya

rushed and caught him. As his headache slowly faded

away the words became foreign again.

“Are you okay?” Asked Anya.

“Yeah,” answered Traiven as he stood back up.

Ganga smiled, “It’s something you need to get

used to; but thanks, that’s all I needed.” He then turned his

head back toward his men at the control panels of the

bridge and ordered, “Set a course to Juno.” He then turned

back to the three. “Perdition is located on Juno, in an

ancient cave, within a large mountain right next to the

capital city.”

278

“Thank you.” Said Anya.

“Now remember this, the sword is being guarded

by a powerful celestial” Added Ganga. “The sword acts as

a link that binds a creature inside of the cave. So you have

to kill it before you remove the sword or the creature will

escape and attack the city.”

“Got it.” Replied Traiven. He then turned to

Shawn. “Don’t worry, we’ll get this thing, then be on our

way to Sabola to take down the Summoners.”

Shawn sighed and replied. “If only it were that

simple.”

Back on Vana, in the hanger of Phantom Seven-

Three-five, Benny and Shafer were standing in the hanger-

bay of the ship as they guided a group of workers to load

up the bombs into the Phantom. The entrance of the

hanger-bay was a large ram under the tail end of the ship.

It stood up on large metal legs, coming up from the bottom

of its haul. The workers were carrying flat hover panels

that held large crates.

Shafer stood in front of the crate in the hanger-bay

guiding it in, while Benny stood behind it just outside of

the hanger-bay directing the pushers.

279

“We leave in five minutes. Will you be ready by

then?” Asked Joker as he walked up to Benny.

“Yes.” Answered Benny.

Rukaryo walked up to them and asked. “Joker,

have you heard from Shawn? He’s nowhere to be found.”

“No.” Answered Joker. “But come to think of it, I

haven’t seen Traiven around either; you think they could

be training?”

“Maybe, I was going to help Traiven with his

training but he never returned. He did seem a bit

devastated.”

“Maybe he’s thinking about leaving.”

“Well still, we’re launching soon and Shawn

needs to be here, if he wants to be in this mission.”

“Oh… Shawn?” Asked Benny as he heard their

conversation. “He’s off planet.”

“What?!” Screamed Rukaryo as he turned toward

Benny.

“Yeah, I saw him earlier getting on a shuttle to the

moon port.”

“Why would he go there knowing there’s a

mission soon?” Asked Joker.

280

Rukaryo shook his head. “Sorry to say, but we

don’t have time to wait on him. We need to get going

soon, we can discuss this with him later.”

“Okay,” said Benny as he and Shafer finished

loading the crate. “The comet will be nearing Sabola soon.

We need to leave now if we’re going to make it on time.”

They all walked up into the ship from the hanger-

bay. The workers backed away and the ceiling opened.

Benny, Shafer, Rukaryo and Joker walked onto the

bridge where Belle and Bethany were waiting. Benny

walked to his seat and sat down while starting up the ship.

Joker sat in his captain’s seat while the others sat in their

respective seats around the bridge and strapped up. Benny

moved the control sticks and the ship floated out of the

hanger-bay. They could see other Phantoms around them,

all taking off into the sky.

“Sabola here we come.” Said Benny. He quickly

pulled his steering sticks back, and the ship quickly

accelerated toward the sky.

281

Meanwhile, on the Sabola, Lance walked out into

the courtyard. The prisoner scientists were hard at work on

the Gateway, while one of Sabola’s scientists stood

watching and supervising their every move.

Lance walked up to one of the scientist of Sabola

and asked, “How much longer till the Gateway is

operational?”

“Very soon my lord.” Answered the scientist.

“They’re just a few more calibrations we must make, then

we’ll be ready for a test.”

A soldier quickly ran in and addressed Lance. “My

lord, the enemies’ fleets are mobilizing!”

“WHAT!” Lance shouted in anger.

“They’re heading our way.” Said the Soldier

Lance turned away and thought for a second.

“Sir our defenses are fully operational and our

army is standing by.” The soldier added.

Lance gazed forward, giving direction for the

soldier to go, while he was still in thought. That’s not good

enough… he thought. Lance then turned to one of his

soldiers as an idea entered his head and said. “Send out the

fleet to intercept them before they reach our atmosphere;

maybe we can slow them down.”

282

“Yes sir.” Came the soldier’s response as he

bowed then ran off.

It was early in the morning at the capital city of

the planet Juno. Traiven, Shawn and Anya stood just

outside the gates to the city. Before them was a long

stretch of forest, with a large group of brown mountains in

the distance. The biggest mountain stood out in the center

towering over the rest. Behind them was a large gate in

front of a massive city. The buildings were clustered

everywhere, stretching tall and far behind the height of the

gate, with vehicles soaring through the air. The city had a

noble look to it. Most of the buildings and vehicles had a

golden-orange tone to it, making the city look like it was

scatter with gold. The buildings reflected the bright sun

light and poured the tone of its colors on just about

everything.

Traiven scrunched his eyes as he looked forward

at the large mountain in the distance.

“So, are you ready to do this?” Asked Shawn as he

looked at Traiven.

Traiven remained silent staring ahead.

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“Having second thoughts?” Asked Shawn.

“What? Don’t be stupid,” answered Traiven.

“Don’t worry Traiven,” said Anya. “Once you

have that sword, you’ll be unstoppable.”

“Huh?” Snapped Shawn. “The weapon doesn’t

make the Arc.” He said. He then began walking forward,

leaving them behind.

Traiven turned toward Anya. “He may not look it,

but he’s just as eager as we are.”

Anya smiled and they began walking along with

Shawn.

They entered the forest, Shawn walked in front,

and Traiven and Anya trailed behind. They were walking

in awkward silence until Traiven spoke to Anya, breaking

the mood. “So what’s the deal with your father?” He

asked.

“What do you mean?” She questioned.

“Why did you leave him? I mean being the big

guy’s daughter, you must have had it pretty nice.”

Anya smiled, “Yeah, but that’s not really the life I

wanted. The thing is; I was raised by my mother not my

father. She was a good person.”

“What happened to her?”

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“She passed away years ago, that’s when my

father and brother took me in and taught me the art of

Summoning. Then after my brother died I left. He was

special to me, and it’s my father’s fault he’s dead.”

“Don’t you care about your father?” Traiven

inquired.

“I was never really close to him like I was to my

mother and brother. Even being a prisoner on Vana is

better than being in his clan.”

“Well at least you got a cool guardian demon from

the deal.”

Anya laughed at Traiven’s ignorance, “Ha, it

doesn’t work like that.” She said. “The demons are the

masters not us. I was able to use him against you because

killing an Arc is what he wanted to do. I can’t use him to

do my bidding.”

“What about the strain your demon has on your

soul!” Said Shawn in order to bring up the topic.

“What does he mean?” Asked Traiven.

“There’s a reason we don’t trust her.” Replied

Shawn.

Anya sighed and spoke with an obvious despair in

her voice, “In order for a demon to claim you as its

Summoner, you must give it ownership of your soul.” Her

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voice now sounded cold as ice, and the look in her

beautiful gray eyes glazed.

Traiven jumped back in surprise, “So you sold

your soul to a demon!”

Anya replied with her head down. “My father

made me do it; he wanted me and my brother to take

charge of the Summoners one day. Luckily, I haven’t

summoned my demon as much as the others do, so he

doesn’t have as much control over me.”

“But he still has some control.” Replied Shawn.

“Okay that’s it!” Said Traiven as he stopped

before her and grabbed her hand. “I Promise that I will

find a way to get you your soul back.”

Anya smiled, “That’s very kind of you Traiven,

but it can’t be done.”

“Well not with that attitude.” Traiven replied.

“After we get this sword and win this war; I’ll appoint

myself on the mission of getting you your soul back.”

Anya smiled, then walked up to him and wrapped

her arms around him, “Thank you, you’re the only one

who’s ever show me any kindness since I left my father.”

“Huh, and I wonder why…” Stated Shawn with a

cocky expression as he continued to walk forward.

286

“Don’t worry,” Traiven said to Anya, as they

released one and other. “That’s his enthusiastic face.”

Anya gave Traiven another smile and they

continued to walk forward.

The three had finally reached the mountain. The

terrain before them was very rocky, with a large opening

in front of them, leading into a cave within the mountain.

“So this is it,” said Traiven. “A lot bigger than I

had expected.”

“Well, from what I heard, Kron is pretty big,”

replied Shawn.

“Wait!” replied Traiven as he turned toward

Shawn in fear. “How big are we talking?”

“I really don’t know and I never thought that I’d

have to find out.”

“You know, I’ve never really heard anything

about what he looks like,” said Anya.

“That’s because no one’s ever lived to talk about

him,” replied Shawn.

“Well, it’s time to break that cycle,” said Traiven

as he began to walk forward.

287

Shawn sighed and followed, but Anya stayed

back.

Traiven turned back and asked her, “Are you

coming?”

“She can’t,” answered Shawn. “This cave is a

special den created by King Yeh-ovah to house the dark

sword. Meaning it’s a holy ground, and because a demon

owns her soul she can’t step foot on it.”

Anya again gave Traiven a smile then walked up

to him, hugged him and planted a soft kiss on his cheek,

“It’s fine, just go,” she said. “I’ll be waiting here when you

return.”

Traiven nodded his head with a warm smile; then

he and Shawn walked into the cave.

The two Arcs walked throw the darkness of the

immense cave; they weren’t able to see anything, but

heard the sounds of rocks shuffling under their feet.

“It’s so dark in here,” Said Traiven.

Shawn pulled out a tube and slightly squeezed it,

causing it to light up their surroundings.

“Well that’s convenient.” Said Traiven.

“You really need to prepare better before you

leave Vana.” Replied Shawn.

288

“Noted.”

They continued their walk, looking around in

every direction, until they came to a dark passageway with

a red light at its end.

“That must be it.” Said Shawn whispering as he

began to approach the passage.

As they walked forward, Shawn turned toward

Traiven and said, “Traiven, I know your intentions are

good; you need to be more careful about who you trust.”

“I take it you mean Anya,” replied Traiven.

“Don’t worry, I can tell she is sincere.”

“I know she is, but the thing is that a demon

controls her soul. For that reason, it really doesn’t matter if

she’s genuine or not. That’s the real reason why no one

trusts her. No matter how innocent she is; when the demon

gives an order, she must obey and that’s the way it works.”

“Yeah well, I’m going to kill the demon and free

her.” Responded

“Well as far as we know, the only way to kill a

demon is by killing the Summoner, while it’s summoned.”

After a few more minutes, they came to a large

open space where a bright red light was shining, and

noticed that it was shining from an object at the other end.

289

It looked like a small step, climbing up like a pyramid,

with an altar on its top. The altar had statues of a demon

on each side; and an orange square stone, with a sword

sticking out. The sword had a shiny red blade, held up by a

black handle. The hand guards were golden and shaped

like dragon wings, the rest of its golden body swirled

around the black handle.

“Perdition,” said Shawn as he looked around. “But

where’s its guardian?” he questioned.

“Well, the sword has been here for a while. Maybe

Kron died off,” answered Traiven.

“I don’t think so.”

They cautiously walked toward the sword; on top

of a large black platform that looked like a long bridge

made of rock, and stretched from the entrance of the room

to the top of the pyramid. When they reached the pyramid,

Traiven stepped off and onto the altar while Shawn

remained on the platform. Traiven stared at the sword in

amazement and slowly reached for its handle, but was

stopped by Shawn’s voice.

“Wait,” said Shawn. “Remember what Ganga said,

we have to kill Kron before removing the sword.

Otherwise, we’ll release him and he’ll attack the city.”

290

“But Kron isn’t here.” Replied Traiven. “Trust me;

I know what I’m doing.” Traiven grabbed the handle and

the blade began to glow as he lifted it up and out of the

square, and a sudden pulse of energy burst from the sword

and waved throughout the den. The blade then dimed back

to normal and Traiven stood there holding it in front of

him, staring at his image reflecting from the shiny red

blade. “Wow!” he said in excitement. “We did it.”

“Where’s Kron?” Asked Shawn as he quickly

looked around.

“Does it really matter?” Traiven said, then turned

toward Shawn. “We got the sword now, let’s get out of

here.”

The long platform that Shawn was standing on

suddenly began to rise higher and higher into the air.

Traiven watched as it slowly rose. Then the platform

started revealing huge teeth and a pair of fiery red eyes,

the size of his head, looking directly at him.

Traiven stared with his eyes wide open and his

mouth dropped in fear. “So… that’s Kron.” He said

slowly, in fear.

The teeth slowly opened, then quickly launched at

Traiven and snapped closed. Traiven jumped back, barely

missing its bite.

291

“WE’VE BEEN ON TOP OF HIM THE WHOLE TIME!”

Shouted Shawn.

The large beast jumped up toward the ceiling and

busted out of the top of the mountain. Kron was a huge

dragon, with its body covered with black scales. He had

large bat-like wings on his back, a long tail, two arms, two

legs, spikes going down its back and two large horns

sticking up on his reptile-like head. Traiven jumped out of

the cave and landed on top of the mountain. He watched as

Kron flew away. He could hear Shawn shouting from the

top of Kron’s head. “TRAIVEN, HURRY UP! HE’S HEADED

FOR THE CITY!”

Traiven jumped off and landed on the top of a tree

back in the forest; he then began to chase after them,

jumping from treetop to treetop.

The sun was shining down on the capital city of

Juno. It came right through the window and awoke the

king from his sleep. He got out of his bed, stretched and

yawned. It’s so good to be home, he thought. He walked

over to the window and looked out; gazing at the city for a

second. His attention was then was taken by the sight of a

huge black object in the distance flying toward the city.

What is that? He thought. He then squelched his eyes and

292

got a better view. Wait! Is that? His eyes then widened

with terror. “Oh, God help!”

Shawn held on to Kron as he passed over the gate

and entered the city. I have to stop this beast, he thought.

He lifted his scythe and quickly swung it down hitting

Kron. The attack slowed him down a bit; but Kron

continued on roughly moving his body through the air,

trying to make Shawn fall off. The dragon picked up

speed, racing toward a large building. Then jolted his

body, making Shawn fly off and crash into the building.

The people of the city ran out their houses in terror

as Kron flew around, shooting fireballs at the city,

destroying the buildings one by one.

Traiven finally made it to the city with the dark

sword in his hand. As soon as he got there, he jumped up

toward Kron, swinging his sword. As soon as Traiven got

close, Kron swung his tail and hit Traiven sending him

crashing to the ground. Shawn jumped on top of a building

next to Kron. He tightly gripped his scythe then jumped

toward the beast. Kron quickly swung its claw and

knocked Shawn out of the sky. Kron then noticed Traiven

flying toward it with the sword cocked back, ready to

swing. Kron quickly shot a fireball at Traiven from its

293

mouth. Shawn quickly jumped up and pushed Traiven out

of the way, sending them both crashing down into a

building.

They both stood up in the rubble of the building

and watch Kron circling the sky above them.

“Well, any ideas?” Asked Traiven.

“OH, NOW YOU WANT TO LISTEN TO ME!” Shouted

Shawn angrily. “IF YOU LISTENED TO ME FROM THE

BEGINNING, WE WOULDN’T BE IN THIS MESS!”

“Look Shawn; I understand you’re mad at me, but

now’s not the time to point fingers.”

“Look Traiven; I don’t have any ideas. Kron is

just too much for us. We’re only still alive because we’ve

been lucky.”

They then noticed Kron charging at them.

“Here he comes,” said Shawn. “We might lose our

lives in this battle; but I’m not giving up without a fight.”

Shawn jumped up and lunged toward Kron’s head.

He gripped his scythe tightly and swung it at Kron’s face,

but before he could land a hit, Kron quickly swung its

claw and again knocked Shawn from the sky. Kron then

shot a fireball at Traiven, but he jumped up evading it.

While in the air, Traiven watched as a building behind him

294

fell apart, and all he could think about was the people that

were inside of it.

What have I done? Traiven thought as he watched

the building fall to ruins piece by piece… People will die,

and it’s all because of me.

Traiven landed on top of one of the buildings. He

closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths; while he tried

ignored his fear. He focused on what he needed to do to

save the city. No! I won’t let this beast just hurt anyone

else. He thought.

Traiven opened his eyes and focused his energy on

his sword, the sword gradually lit up glowing bright red by

every second. “Okay, let’s see what this thing can do.” He

then roughly swung his sword and caused a wave of light

that hit Kron and caused Kron to crash to the ground.

“Amazing!” He thought while holding the sword

up in front of him. Traiven then jumped to the ground and

landed in front of Kron.

Traiven and Kron stood facing each other for a

moment. Traiven then launched toward Kron. When he got

close, Kron swung its claw down trying to squash him; but

Traiven’s reflexes suddenly took control and he quickly

changed his direction evading the attack. Upon his

successful escape from Kron’s blow; Traiven jumped up

295

toward Kron’s head and swung his sword, which sliced

Kron across the dragon’s face leaving a big scar.

“I’m actually doing it.” Traiven thought. He

wasn’t quite sure where his sudden skills were coming

from and was impress with himself.

Once Traiven landed, he noticed smoke coming

from Kron’s nose. Kron opened its mouth and a stream of

fire shot out toward Traiven. Just before the fire hit

Traiven, Shawn jumped in the way and emitted a force that

acted as a shield blocking the fire, but locking them both

in a position where neither was able to move.

“I DON’T KNOW HOW LONG I CAN HOLD HIM OFF!”

shouted Shawn. “YOU BETTER DO SOMETHING FAST!”

I need to finish this now, but what do I do?

thought Traiven. He looked down at Perdition. “Okay, let’s

see if you’re really as powerful as they say you are.”

He held the sword in front of him, closed his eyes

and concentrated. The blade again glowed bright red; he

then opened his eyes and ran towards Kron. Once he got

close, he jumped up and swung his sword; slicing off

Kron’s head as easy as slicing off a piece of tomato with a

sharp knife. Traiven then fell back to the ground and made

a rough landing, followed by the head of Kron landing

next to his body.

296

Traiven and Shawn stood up in wreckage, and

stared in relief at Kron’s corpse beside them in victory.

“We actually did it,” said Shawn with a smile

while breathing out loud.

Their victory was short lived when they noticed

Juno soldiers headed toward them in shuttles and fighter

ships.

“Not exactly the victory party I was hoping for.”

Said Traiven.

Shawn gave Traiven an angry look.

The ships finally reached them and landed; but

half of the fleet remained in the air, as a precautionary

measure. As some of the pilots were stepping out, a large

demon suddenly rushed out and knocked them both to the

ground. They both quickly rose and just as Shawn was

about to attack, the demon knocked his scythe away. The

demon then grabbed him with its large left hand; then

grabbed Traiven with its right. It then pined them against

the wall of a nearby building, causing Traiven to drop the

dark sword.

As the demon held them, Anya walked in behind

the demon and picked up Perdition, the dark sword.

“Anya, what the hell are you doing?” Asked

Traiven.

297

“I’m so sorry,” she answered. “But I have no

choice.”

“I should have known,” said Shawn angrily.

Anya closed her eyes in shame, then opened them

and spoke, “Traiven, you’ve been so good to me and I hate

to do this to you; but Shawn was right. This demon does

have control over me, and there’s nothing I can do to stop

it. But don’t worry, I’ll be able to let you both live.”

“Then that’ll be a mistake on your part,

Summoner,” said Shawn. “ I’ll hunt you down,” Shawn

added.

“I deserve that.” Replied Anya with her head

down still in shame.

Anya then turned and ran to one of the landed

ships, knocking the pilot aside. Her demon burst into

steam and was sucked back into her; as she quickly

jumped into the cockpit and took off.

“We have to go after her,” said Traiven.

“I don’t think we’ll be able to for a while,” replied

Shawn as he held his hands up noticing the soldiers

closing in with their weapons aimed at them. “This will

end worst for me than it will for you.” Added Shawn.

“Why?” Inquired Traiven.

298

“Because the King of Juno is my uncle, from my

mother’s side.”

“Wow, so you’re screwed. What do you suppose

they’ll do to us?” Asked Traiven.

Shawn answered with anger, “Well, let me see.

We’ve violated an order to stay in Vana; unleashed a huge

dragon that destroyed half the capital city of Juno. Oh, and

let a Summoner get away with the dark sword Perdition…

I’m sure they’ll take it easy on us.”

While looking around, as the shuttles landed and

the soldiers grew closer, Traiven turned to Shawn and

murmured; “Wow, sarcasm, I didn’t think you had it in

you.” As Traiven turned his head back, he noticed a

specific shuttle that some a group of soldiers had un-

boarded and left it unguarded. “You know we could just

follow her to Sabola and get the sword back,” Traiven

paused and then added, “I’m sure we couldn’t possibly get

into any more trouble I suppose?”

Traiven smiled then turned toward Shawn “Do

you trust me?” He asked.

“No.”

“Good.” Said Traiven. He then quickly grabbed

Shawn and pulled him toward the empty shuttle ship. He

299

pushed the soldiers aside, and the two ran in, quickly

closing the door behind them.

“WHAT THE ARE YOU DOING!” Shouted Shawn.

“Can you fly this thing?” Traiven Asked

They heard gunfire hitting the hull.

“Maybe,” Answered Shawn.

“Then let’s go get that sword back.”

Shawn jumped into the cockpit and started up the

ship. They made a quick lift-off accelerating into the air

leaving the planet.

300

15

In the center of the planetary system, the

large fleet of Federation, Robant and Sarazetty war

ships made their way toward the planet Sabola. In

front of the fleet there were the smaller fighter ships,

followed by the Phantoms, then the large carriers

loaded with ground forces.

Phantom Seven-Three-Five was posted just

outside of the ranks beside the carriers. Its entire

crew sat on its bridge staring out ahead. Benny gave

a slight smile as he noticed the comet in the distance.

“There she is.” He said pointing with excitement.

Joker stood up walk over to Benny. “Okay, I’ll

take control, go prepare to board it.”

Benny stood up and Joker took his place as

he, Shafer and Rukaryo walked off of the bridge to

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the hanger-bay. As Joker steered the ship away from

the fleet, he suddenly heard an explosion beside

them. They all looked toward the sound and saw

smoke flowing from the carrier beside them.

“What happened?!” Asked Bethany.

Suddenly, small brown fighters and larger

battle ships emerged from the distance while firing

upon their fleet.

“Looks like they’re expecting us.” Said Joker.

In the hanger-bay Benny, and Shafer had just

put on their thin space suits, and clear thin oxygen

masked.

“Aren’t you going to suit up?” Asked Benny

as he noticed Rukaryo was not putting on a

breathing suit.

“I’m an Arc remember.” Replied Rukaryo. “I

can breath in space.”

“Guys we’ve had a change of plans.” Came

the voice of Joker over a communications system

from the hanger-bay.

“WHAT IS IT!” Shouted Rukaryo.

302

“It seems Sabola has sent a welcome party.

We won’t be able to land on the comet in this enemy

fire, if I fly close can you guys jump on?” Said Joker.

Rukaryo turned toward Shafer and Benny.

“Can you guys do that?”

“Well,” replied Benny. “At least we’ll know

what it feels like to be Arcs.”

Rukaryo gave a grin then fitted an earpiece to

his ear and spoke. “No problem!”

Benny walked over to the crate and opened it

removing square bombs and two small portable

drilling machines. The machines themselves looked

like the back of grey metal chairs, with two arm rests

on each of its side, which held controls for the drills.

The drills hung from the top metal arm that could

extend and retract.

Benny and Shafer each picked one up and

strapped it on. Rukaryo grabbed the four square

bombs and strapped them in a pouch, draping it over

his back. He then spoke over his earpiece again.

“Okay captain we’re ready; bring us in smooth!”

“You got it!” Replied Joker.

303

Phantom Seven-Three-Five maneuvered

through Sabola’s fighters and cannon fire. A gun

turret rose from the top of the Phantom’s hull and

started to fire back at the fighters. It closed in directly

next to the comet and matched its speed. The

Phantom then positioned its self next to a large

boulder. The comet was on the right side of the

Phantom.

Benny, Shafer and Rukaryo emerged from the

Arc exit panels, on the top of the ship. They walked

to the edge; Benny and Shafer reached on their backs

and pulled out a gun with a grapple attached to it.

Rukaryo aimed his left fist at the comet, and a small

hole opened in his suit to allow his grapple to shoot

out.

“WATCH OUT!” Shouted Joker. “There are

fighters heading straight for us.”

The three quickly shot their grapples into the

comet and jumped toward it while reeling

themselves in. They crashed to its surface next to the

boulder with great force, that almost made them fly

right off.

304

“We need to be careful,” said Rukaryo. “The

gravity here is weak.”

“Okay we have twenty minutes,” Said Benny.

“We need to drill four holes around the boulder, it

shouldn’t take us long with this equipment.”

“THEN LET’S GET TO WORK!” Scream

Shafer.

Benny and Shafer each stood on opposite

sides of the boulder quickly going to work, drilling

into the comet, underneath the boulder.

“LOOK OUT!” Shouted Rukaryo as he

noticed a red beam heading straight toward them.

Benny and Shafer quickly stopped working

and ducked. Rukaryo grabbed his spear from his

back, and moved it in a way that it blocked the

approaching shots. He was using Arc ability to

manipulate the gravity around him in order to keep

from flying off into space.

“Captain, we’re never going to get anything

done with these fighters on us,” Stated Benny.

“I’m on it,” Replied Joker.

The Phantom turned around and put some

distanced between it and the comet. As the fighters

305

moved in, The Phantom cannon turned and took out

the fighters, one by one.

On the bridge of Phantom Seven-Three-Five,

Bethany was sitting at Shafer’s defense station

controlling the turret. Belle was sitting at her

engineering station. A fighter suddenly came up

behind the Phantom and open fire, shooting its tail

end. The hit caused the ship to jolt.

“Sir, we’ve taken some damage!” Said Belle in

panic.

The ship continued to jolt, as shots continued

hitting it. With every shot, the ship grew closer to

destruction.

“SIR, WE WON’T LAST LIKE THIS!” Belle

screamed.

“We have to!” Replied Joker. At that moment,

the ship suddenly jolted a lot harder; along with the

sound of an explosion, that caused everyone to

nearly fall from the seats.

Bethany quickly turned toward Joker and

screamed, “Captain we’ve lost the turret!”

“DAMMIT!” Shouted Joker in anger, as he

slammed his fist on the panel.

306

“Captain we have to move; there are a large

group of fighters heading straight for us!” Shouted

Belle this time.

“We’ve completed the drilling!” Came the

voice of Benny. “We’re setting the bombs now.”

“HURRY!” Screamed Joker. “We can’t take

any more attacks.”

On the comet, as Benny and Shafer were

setting the bombs; Rukaryo looked up at the

Phantom and immediately saw four fighters shooting

at it. “CAPTAIN, GET OUT OF HERE, YOU CAN’T

TAKE ANYMORE DAMAGE!” he yelled over his ear

piece.”

“NO!” Came the voice of Joker. “WE’RE NOT

LEAVING YOU!”

“IF YOU STAY, WE ALL DIE! NOW GO,

WIN THIS WAR.”

They suddenly heard explosions going off a

distance away, while immediately noticing the

enemy fighters being destroyed one by one.

“Did someone call for a miracle?” Came the

voice of Caliber over their communication line.

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Phantom Seven-Two-Nine came flying in while

destroying the fighters and clearing the way.

“We could have probably used it sooner

rather than later!” Rukaryo said in a very happy but

sarcastic tone.

“Just be happy we showed up at all!” Replied

Caliber.

“We’re done,” said Benny as he walked up to

Rukaryo.

“Okay, come back to the ship and we’ll set

this thing off,” replied Joker.

Phantom Seven-Three-Five quickly came in

right next to the comet.

“We don’t have time to reset our grapples,”

said Shafer, we’ll have to jump.

“Take off your drills.” Replied Rukaryo.

They threw their drills to the ground. They

each grabbed an arm of Rukaryo and they leaped

onto the Phantom. Back on board, they went back

down to the bridge as the Phantom made distance

away from the comet.

Joker stood up from the pilot’s seat and

allowed Benny to retake control of the ship.

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“We have a few minutes till the comet is in

position” Said Benny as he quickly sat back into his

chair.

Joker walked back to his captain’s chair and

opened a communication link with General Shinnle

back on Vana.

A live stream of General Shinnle, back in the

war room of Vana, appeared on a screen that hung in

front of him.

“Sir, the bomb is set and we’ll detonate it

soon.”

“Good,” replied General Shinnle. “I’ll send

the word out, and good luck with the assault.”

“Aye sir.” Responded Joker.

“DETONATING NOW!” Shouted Benny.

As the comet passed by Sabola, the bombs

blew, breaking off the boulder and sending it flying

toward the planet’s atmosphere. The crew of

Phantom Seven-Three-Five watched as the floating

turrets of the planet’s atmosphere activated and shot

the boulder to pieces. Many of the bolder pieces were

falling at great speed and were falling toward the

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castle. Some of the pieces also fell into the turrets,

destroying many of them in the process.

In the meantime, on Sabola’s surface in the

command center of the dark castle; soldiers were

scrambling their forces and preparing for the

eminent attack. Lance stormed in angry and unaware

of what was going on. He walked to the circular

panel in the center surrounded by his soldiers.

“What’s going on?” He demanded as he

pushed his way to the center.

“Sir, a large fleet is approaching!” Said one of

his men.

“And our defenses?” inquired Lance.

They suddenly felt a large continuous

vibration of the entire room; accompanied by the

rumbling sounds of large debris hitting the ground

and explosions, just outside of their walls.

“Defenses are down!” Answered the soldier.

“What…how did they get past the turrets.”

“I’m not sure.” Answered the soldier.

“SIR THE TURRETS ARE DOWN!” Called

another soldier.

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“THE ENEMY IS ADVANCING! Shouted a

different soldier watching his monitor.

“STOP THEM AT ALL COST!” Shouted

Lance “GATHER THE SUMMONERS AND KILL

EVERY ARC THAT TOUCHES OUR SURFACE!”

Another solider quickly rushed in and up to

Lance. “I bring news.” He said breathing very

heavily.

Lance angrily grabbed him. “IT BETTER BE

GOOD!”

The soldier replied shaking in fear, “Ye…s,

the Gateway is complete and ready for activation!”

Lance gave a sigh of relief then replied, “Lock

up the Robant scientist; and then tell ours that I’m on

my way.”

The solider nodded then ran off.

Outside of the atmosphere, more fighter ships

of Sabola emerged from the planet and engaged the

large fleet of the Federation, Robant and Sarazetty

ships as they entered the atmosphere.

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The Phantoms maneuvered through the fleet

of ships skillfully dodging enemy fire. The Sabola

fighters kept their aim at the target and succeeded

destroying one of the phantoms, then another. But

before the matter got worse, the Federation fighters

were able to quickly approach and aided in

providing cover for the rest of the Phantoms to safely

reach the atmosphere.

As each of the phantoms dipped into Sabola’s

atmosphere, the Arc teams quickly dove off, just

before the Phantom changed directions and headed

back out into space. As they plunged towards the

planet’s surface, Rukaryo gave them a briefing over

there communicators.

“OKAY OUR MISSION IS TO FIND AND

DESTORY THE GATEWAY, THEN RESCUE THE

SCIENTIST OF ROBANT.” Stated Rukaryo.

“AND KILL THE SUMMONERS!” added

Caliber.

As Rukaryo fell, he could make out a tiny

spec on the ground. “That must be the castle.” He

thought. He then noticed a fighter ship-heading

straight towards him. It began to open fire but he

312

maneuvered his body, dodging every attack. He then

pulled out his gun and returned fire.

The Master Arc Lexi, was also in the group of

Arcs heading from the planet’s surface. Lexi noticed

a couple of fighter ships following her, with shots,

fast approaching. As the shots got closer to her, she

threw her arms towards them and created a barrier

that absorb the shots. Sneaux was swinging his

sword and slicing every ship in his way. He was also

using his sword to deflect approaching shots.

Rukaryo finally made it past the crowd of

ships and got a clear view of the dark castle. He

could see a the soldiers of Sabola scrambling, as

Federation, Robant and Sarazetty soldiers reached

the surface and began to storm the castle, from the

main entrance. He then looked toward the center of

the castle and saw the Gateway sitting in the middle

of the courtyard. He also took notice of Lexi falling

beside him, then turned to her and shouted, “I SEE

THE GATEWAY, LET’S GO FOR IT!”

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Lexi nodded her head then Rukaryo spoke

over his earpiece, “Lexi and I are going after the

Gateway, the rest of you find the kidnapped

scientists.”

“You’d better not mess this up.” Replied

Caliber.

“Don’t plan to.” Respond Rukaryo.

Rukaryo and Lexi immediately shifted their

bodies in the direction toward the courtyard.

Down on the surface Lance quickly entered

the courtyard and noticed his men running around in

panic. Some were packing their equipment into small

escape shuttles, parked on the other side of the

courtyard, and Sabola scientists were preparing to

dismantle the Gateway. “WHAT’S GOING ON?”

Shouted Lance as he stomped up to his scientists.

One of the scientists replied shaking in fear,

“My lord, we’re out manned and out matched! We

must leave!”

Lance angrily grabbed him by the neck and

said, “That’s why we built the Gateway you idiot.”

314

He then pushed him toward the panel to the

left side of the Gateway and continued, “Once we

raise Cassius, he’ll summon his demon army and

crush the Federation.”

“But my lord, there are still tons of test we

must run before we can activate it, we’re still not

even one hundred percent certain that turning it on

will be safe.”

“Activate it…NOW!” Screamed Lance. The

scientist, still shivering in fear, turned toward the

panel and began to operate the Gateway.

Lance grew a dark grin as he heard the sound

of streaming energy flowing from the Gateway.

Suddenly, they saw a small bright white ball slowly

growing from its center. As it grew bigger, its surface

danced like flames and flowed around its core like a

wave. Then they could feel a slight force fighting to

drag them toward it, as the machine started sucking

up tiny particles lying around the courtyard.

“LANCE!” Came a loud voice from above.

They looked up and watched Rukaryo and

Lexi land into the courtyard in front of its entrance.

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“YOU’RE TOO LATE ARC!” Shouted Lance,

“THE DEMON KING WILL SOON RISE!”

The two Arcs quickly took off toward Lance

and the Gateway; but a human figure unexpectedly

landed before them like a strike of lightning, and

created a powerful force that tossed them both

backward.

Once they recovered from their fall; they saw

a tall but slim muscular being approaching. His skin

was rough and blue, he had horns protruding from

his head, and a current of electricity was slowly

sparkling around its body. A hooded Summoner

stood behind him.

“Sorry,” said the demon, “but you weren’t

invited.”

“It seems you have lost Arc.” Added Lance.

“If I were you; I’d leave before Cassius gets here.

Cid and Lexi helplessly watched as the white

light in the Gateway grew larger and larger, and

became almost big enough for Cassius to cross.

“WHAT’S THAT?!” Shouted one of the

Sabola’s scientists, as he pointed into the sky in fear.

They all instantly looked up and saw a small a

316

golden brown shuttle plunging down directly

towards them. The ship was dented and wrecked,

with smoke was coming out of it profusely.

“Rukaryo,” called Lexi. “It’s a shuttle from

Juno, why is it here?”

“I don’t know,” Rukaryo answered. “But

remind me to thank them, it’s on a direct collision

course with the Gateway.”

“SHOOT IT DOWN! NOW!” Shouted Lance.

On the bridge of the damaged ship, Shawn

was desperately trying to maintain control, as

Traiven stood behind him and watched in panic as

they quickly descended.

“Slow down!” Traiven cried. “You’re going to

get us both killed!”

“I’m trying!” Replied Shawn as he fought to

maintain control.

“I thought you said you could fly this thing!”

Screamed Traiven.

“I said maybe, and this is all still your fault so

don’t scream at me!” Shawn screamed back.

317

The ship suddenly jolted downward,

increasing its speed as the Sabola fighters chased

after them.

“Oh no!” Said Traiven. He then reached for a

lever on the control panel. “We have to out run

them.”

“No, Traiven, don’t . . .”

Traiven quickly threw the lever forward

causing the speed to increase even more.

Shawn tried everything he could to gain

control, but the ship’s angle stayed in one direction.”

“Turn! Hurry up.” Said Traiven. “We’re

going to crash into that glowing arch thingy down

there!” He added as he noticed the Gateway below

them.

“I’m trying, but the helm isn’t responding.

The system must have gotten damaged when those

fighters attacked us.”

“Then what are we gonna do?” Asked

Traiven.

“The only thing we can do.” Responded

Shawn.

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Shawn pulled out his scythe and swung at the

front screen bursting a hole in it. He then looked to

the ground, and noticed a small Juno fighter ship

landing in an empty docking platform right next to

the castle. “There she is,” he said as he turned to

Traiven. “And remember, do whatever is necessary.”

Traiven nodded.

“JUMP!” Shouted Shawn.

They both jumped from the ship through the

cockpit and fell down heading toward the castle,

while the wrecked ship continued its direction

towards the Gateway.

Shawn and Traiven landed next to Anya’s

ship, just as she stepped out with the dark sword,

wrapped in a brown cloth. Shawn gripped his scythe

and jumped toward her swinging. Anya quickly

strayed to the left and right dodging the attacks.

Shawn jumped up at her continuously, but at one

point she quickly opened her arm and steam flowed

out of her body forming her demon.

The demon came out fist first and punched

Shawn in the chest crashing him to the ground.

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Shawn jumped back to his feet and Traiven quickly

ran towards Anya.

“TRAIVEN,” he Shawn yelled. “I’LL HOLD

OFF THE DEMON. YOU GO GET THE SWORD.”

“GOT IT” Replied Traiven.

Shawn launched toward the demon and they

engaged.

Anya sprinted toward the castle, but Traiven

was able to jump in her way with his sword in hand

before she was able to make it there. “Don’t do this

Anya,” he said. “You’re better than this.” He added.

“Traiven, I don’t want to,” She cried. “But I

have no control over my actions.”

“I don’t want to fight you.” He said.

“And I don’t want to fight you either but

you’ll have to kill me; it’s the only way.” She replied.

Anya quickly pulled the dark sword out of

the cloth. “I’m sorry, Traiven.”

Anya launched at Traiven and swung her

sword; but Traiven, who was gradually becoming a

master in his skill, quickly lifted his sword and

blocked her attack. At one point, they locked blades

for a second then pushed each other off. Traiven

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quickly lunged at her again and swung his blade, but

unfortunately Anya was able to block its impact

before landing on her.

She pushed his sword away with hers, and

then thrust her blade forward toward his chest. He

quickly spun out of the way, while swinging his

sword around toward her back. She also was quickly

able to swing her sword back, blocking his attempt.

On the other side of the area, Shawn and the

demon continued fighting. Though the demon was

constantly swinging at Shawn, it was no match for

Shawn’s speed. Shawn was able to dodge all of the

demons attacks with ease. At one point, Shawn

quickly swung his scythe, hitting the demon dead on

in its chest; but to his surprise, it had little to no

effect. Shawn swung again, a little harder, and his

scythe stuck into the flesh of the demon’s right

shoulder. The demon quickly tightened its muscles

in the area holding the blade of the scythe, making

Shawn unable to pull it out.

The demon quickly grabbed him with his

giant hand, making sure to add crushing pressure,

with the intention of seeing Shawn liquefy by it. He

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then spoke, “I’m going to squeeze the life right out of

you,” As the squeeze got tighter; Shawn let out a

painful loud cry.

Traiven turned and saw the demon attempt

to end Shawn’s life. Turning back to Anya she said,

“You have to save him Traiven, killing me is the only

way to stop it.”

“There’s got to be another way! I can’t kill

you; I made you a promise. Remember?”

“I’m sorry, Traiven,” she answered. “The

demons are in control not the Summoners.

Remember that too…” Said Anya.

The painful screams of Shawn got louder;

Traiven being worried of his only friend dying said,

“I’m sorry Anya, you said no one cared about you

anymore, but please know that I do. I always have.”

A tear suddenly rolled down Anya’s cheek.

“Traiven, please don’t let Shawn die because of me.”

She launched at Traiven again. Traiven quickly

strayed to the right, dodged the attack, spinning

completely around her. Once he was behind her,

without hesitation, he thrust his blade toward her

back and it went through all the way to her chest. As

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she fell, an instant flame engulfed the Demon

causing it to disintegrate with a loud scream.

Traiven gradually fell to the ground on his knees,

while tears gather around his eyes, and the tears

rolled down into the ground. He grabbed Anya’s

lifeless body and pulled it onto his chest. He then

looked up to the sky and let out a loud scream that

echoed miles away.

As Traiven slowly recovered from his pain;

he looked up and saw Rukaryo standing before him.

Rukaryo bent down and placed a comforting

hand on Traiven’s shoulder.

Shawn slowly walked up to them and helped

Traiven up.

“Are you boys alright?” Rukaryo asked.

Shawn nodded and Traiven remained silent.

Rukaryo then looked directly at Shawn, “The

Gateway is destroyed, now we just need to find the

kidnapped scientist.”

“And Lance?” Asked Shawn.

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“He’s already retreated,” Rukaryo answered.

“Many of his forces are. A few Summoners did stay

behind, their most likely trying to buy him so time.”

“Okay, let’s go free this planet.” Said Shawn.

“It is my rightful kingdom after all.”

Rukaryo turned back to Traiven still noticing

his look of extreme agony. “You did what you had to

do, Traiven.” Said Rukaryo.

Traiven took a deep breath, then let out a

sigh. Then he stated, “I am the Nephilim, but how

am I suppose to save the universe if I can’t even save

one friend.”

“Traiven,” Responded Rukaryo. “Anya’s soul

may have belonged to a demon, but her heart was

truly pure. The actions she took, that led her here,

were against her will. But now that you have killed

her demon, you have freed her soul.”

Traiven slowly brought his head up, and even

though he was heartbroken, he understood

Rukaryo’s words and gave him a slight look of

gratitude.

Rukaryo turned back to Shawn, “Let’s go

finish this,”

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Shawn grew an enthusiastic smile.

Rukaryo then turned back to Traiven, “Get

home safe.”

Traiven gave him a silent node.

Shawn and Rukaryo then took off inside of

the castle and Traiven went another direction.

325

16

Rukaryo and Shawn met up with two other

Arc teams, Arc team Seven-Four-Two, Arcs Cid and

Maya. Also present was Arc team Seven-Two-Nine,

Arcs Sneaux and Benson.

“Okay guys, we split up from here.” Said

Rukaryo. “Remember if you run into a Summoner

don’t let him escape.”

They all nodded and the teams split up and

ran in different directions.

Rukaryo and Shawn ran through the castle.

There was barely anyone to take notice, since the

most of Sabola’s forces had already retreated.

The entire castle was quiet and dark only lit

up with dim lights.

“This place is dead,” Said Rukaryo.

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“I have a bad feeling about this.” Replied

Shawn. As they continued their walk, they came to a

long passageway; which seemed like a hall

connecting to another building.

“Come on,” said Rukaryo stepping into it. As

soon as he took a step forward, a thick wall quickly

came down behind him and separated him from

Shawn. Rukaryo ran back to the wall, banged on it

and shouted. “SHAWN! SHAWN! WHERE ARE YOU?”

“I’M BEHIND THE WALL!” Shawn screamed

back.

“WHAT HAPPENED?” Asked Rukaryo.

“I DON’T KNOW!”

“WE DON’T HAVE A CHOICE NOW! WE HAVE TO

SPLIT UP!”

“THAT’S WHAT I’M WORRIED ABOUT!”

Rukaryo turn around and continued walking

down the hall slowly and cautiously. He came to the

end where he heard the sound of footsteps slowly

walking toward him from another connecting

passageway. He waited a bit, then quickly jumped

out and swung his spear in the direction of the

sound. Before he could land a hit, he noticed it was

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Maya walking up to him. Rukaryo instinctively

curve his hand giving her room to dodge the attack.

“WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?”

She shouted.

“I thought you were the enemy. I’m sorry.”

Said Rukaryo.

Maya took a few deep breaths and calmed

herself down. “Where’s Shawn?” She asked.

“Don’t know. We got separated.”

“Yeah, the same thing happened to me and

Cid. I’m starting to think this whole thing was a

setup to trap us individually. They may have wanted

us to get into the castle.”

“Maybe, we did destroy the Gateway, so I’m

not too sure they would stick around for us.” Said

Rukaryo. “But the scientists are still here, let’s

continue.”

Shawn walked cautiously through the castle.

This place is like a maze, he thought. As he took

another step, he heard a voice calling his name.

“Shawn!” The voice called.

328

He looked toward the sound and saw Sneaux

running to him.

“Hey,” Shawn said as he walked to Sneaux,

“did you get separated from your partner as well?”

“Yes.” Responded Sneaux.

“I’m starting to think that they were

expecting us.” Said Shawn.

“Well, have you had any luck?”

“No, this place is a labyrinth.”

They suddenly heard some sounds of battle

coming from the distance.

“Come on, it sounds like trouble.” said

Sneaux as he sprang toward the sound, followed by

Shawn.

On another part of the castle, Cid, Maya’s

teammate, walked cautiously through the castle;

keeping all his focus on the surroundings. Suddenly,

he noticed a stairway and walked down on it. Once

he had reached the bottom, he was shock to realize

that Benson, Sneaux’s teammate, was standing in

front of a metal door.

“Benson!” Cid Called.

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Benson immediately turned to him. “Cid!

Boy, am I glad to see you.”

“Where’s Sneaux?” Cid Asked

“We got separated.”

“So did Maya and I. What’s behind that

door?” Asked Cid.

“I’m pretty sure it’s where they keep all their

prisoners, I’m hoping the scientists are in there.”

Benson answered.

“Well, there’s only one way to find out.” Said

Cid.

Benson reached out and open the door, both

walked into a big circular space, which had metal

doors all around it. On each of the doors, there were

little barred windows.

“HELP US!” Came a voice from one of the

doors.

Cid and Benson ran to the door and looked

through the window. They could see people sitting

around in what look like a small cell. One of the

prisoners got up and walked up to the window.

“Are you guys the scientists from Robant?”

Asked Cid.

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“Yes,” the man answered. “I’m Dr. Bryan.”

“Well, don’t worry, we’ll get you out of here.

Where’s the key?” Asked Cid.

“I have it,” came a voice from behind them.

They both turned around and saw the Summoner

Max. He was swinging around a glass card with a

thin rope attached to it. He then put it around his

neck, and his demon, Ukobach, appeared in front of

him. “You want it?” Max said. “Come and get it.”

Cid drew his long battle-ax and Benson drew

his large hammer. The two Arcs quickly lunged

toward Max and Ukobach.

“Go!” said Max, and Ukobach ignited his

body and lunged toward the Arcs.

Meanwhile, Shawn and Sneaux followed the

sound of battle until they reach a large room, with a

tall door at the end of it.

“That must lead outside to the castle.” Said

Sneaux.

“Looks like we went the wrong way.”

Replied Shawn.

331

“No,” came a voice from behind them.

“You’re exactly where I want you to be...”

As they turned around, they saw the demon

Nue with his Summoner Klide standing behind him.

“Oh no.” Said Sneaux.

“Who is he?” Asked Shawn.

“He is Nue, Sabola’s demon general.”

Answered Sneaux.

“Is he tough?” Asked Shawn.

“Very, one thing about him is that his

Summoner Klide never gets involved with his

battles. I want you to keep an eye on him. Watch

everywhere Klide goes while we engage Nue. As

soon as we get an open opportunity, I’ll hold Nue off

and you take out Klide. Of course Nue will do

everything he can to stop us from getting to him, so

we have to injure him a little to slow him down.”

“Okay.” Said Shawn. Then both Sneaux and

Shawn drew their weapons.

“Finally,” said Nue. “I thought we were just

going to stand here and look at each other all day.”

The Arcs and Nue ran toward each other.

332

Meanwhile across the castle, Ukobach lashed

out with his claws, but Cid blocked the attack with a

swing of his ax.

Benson quickly jumped into the air, and at

that moment, he landed and swung his hammer

down causing a shock wave to the area.

Ukobach and Max quickly sprang up into the

air, evading the wave. While they were in the air, Cid

pulled out his gun and opened fire at Max.

But Max swung his sword and deflected the

shots. Once they landed, Ukobach quickly ignited his

body and rushed toward the Arcs.

Back near the entrance of the castle, Sneaux

and Shawn swung their weapons at Nue in a

synchronized motion, but Nue knew how to deflect

all their effort.

At some point, Nue quickly spun around and

kicked them both backward.

333

Shawn aimed his gun and pulled the trigger,

Nue flipped back, dodging the shot again. Just as he

landed from the flip, Sneaux launched forward with

a swinging of his sword, but Nue spun his body

around ending up behind Sneaux. Once he got

behind, Nue threw his palms forward and emitted a

force that threw Sneaux several feet away, and

crashing into a wall. Nue then turned to Shawn and

rushed toward him.

Back at the prison, Cid and Benson rolled to

opposite sides evading Ukobach’s attack. Ukobach

flew around the room, in a gust of flames, and

headed toward the two Arcs. Cid pulled a small ax

from his belt and threw it at Ukobach; but the demon

swung his claws and knocked it out of his way.

“Let me handle this,” said Benson as he

stepped in front of Cid. He swung his hammer

around in a constant circular motion, as Ukobach

rushed toward him. Once the demon got close, he

swung it down and created a great shock wave that

caused Ukobach to fly back against the wall, then

sent him falling to the floor.

334

Ukobach slowly stood up in pain; Benson

rushed toward him and swung his hammer hitting

him on his rib cage, which caused him to fly several

feet away, crashing to the floor. Max rushed toward

Benson but Cid quickly cut him off and swung his ax

hitting him in the chest region, sending him straight

into the wall.

Benson quickly rushed toward Max and

swung his hammer as hard as he could. It hit Max on

the head, knocking him unconscious immediately,

causing his demon to evaporate into the air. Benson

reached for Max’s neck and grabbed the keys to the

prison cells, then snapped it off, “Now let’s get those

scientists out of here.”

Meanwhile, Nue was heading straight toward

Shawn. Nue roughly swung his right arm punching

Shawn in his face, then swung his left arm punching

him in the stomach region. As if choreographed, Nue

spun around and kicked him, slamming his body to

the floor; upon impact the floor cracked.

Sneaux ran up from behind Nue and swung

his sword. Nue quickly leaned to the right and

335

dodged the attack, and then he spun around toward

Sneaux with his knee lifted straight into Sneaux’s

chest, making him fly back several feet. As Sneaux

landed, Nue rushed towards him, grabbed Sneaux

and tossed him several feet away to the floor. Once

Nue realized how weakened Sneaux seemed to be,

he turned his attention back to Shawn.

“I’ll finish you first and then I’ll worry about

him,” Said Nue as he stepped closer toward Shawn.

Nue lifted his right hand and his sharp claws

emerged. He quickly swung them down toward

Shawn in order to finish him off, but before he could

strike his final blow; Nue suddenly burst into flames

and quickly disintegrate. Shawn looked ahead and

saw that Sneaux had stabbed Nue’s Summoner Klide

through the chest.

“That’s the problem with being summoned,”

Sneaux whispered. “Kill the Summoner and the

demon falls.”

336

17

Traiven walked slowly through the empty

castle, surrounded by the sounds of battled just

outside of its walls. His head was down and he was

still sad from his recent choice to take Anya’s life.

The vast emptiness of the area around seemed to

mimic his emotions exactly.

Traiven continued to walk until he reached

the large courtyard with the wrecked Juno ship, he

and Shawn had piloted to Sabola. Beneath the

wreckage was the damaged Gateway and high above

it was the large command center of the castle,

hanging up on diagonal pillars.

Traiven continued to walk further into the

courtyard in hopes to find an exit on the other side

that would get him closer to the outside of the castle.

337

“I saw your battle with that Summoner,”

came a familiar voice that stopped Traiven in his

tracks. “You have gotten better.”

Traiven looked up following the direction of

the voice. He saw Moth sitting on top the wrecked

ship, in the center of the courtyard.

Traiven strained his fist with anger and

replied. “What do you want? The war is over and the

Summoners have fallen.” Traiven said.

Moth simply smiled and replied. “It was

never about the Summoners, I really don’t like them,

and I am done with them as a client. But before I cut

them off completely, there’s one last task I had

promised to complete… and that’s to kill you.” Moth

said this while still sitting on the wreckage. “First let

me ask you a question.” Moth added, “How does it

feel to finally take a life, especially one of a

Summoner.”

Traiven stared at Moth in silence as the anger

built up inside him.

Moth continued, “I don’t blame you, they

truly are traders of Eden. Honestly death was too

good for her.”

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“No,” replied Traiven in a silent tone, while

struggling to hold back tears. “She was different.”

Moth laughed, “Ha, if you think that then

you truly are naive. What exactly made her different,

her pretty face or her charm? She was playing you,

just as all Summoners do. And from what I saw, she

was ready to kill you and your friend without a

single hint of remorse.”

“SHUT UP!” Shouted Traiven in anger, as he

grew tired of hearing Moth’s insults of Anya.

“One can see straight through you, angel

boy.” Said Moth. He then jumped down from the

ship. “It seems to me like you’ve made of the mistake

of falling into her trap and developed feelings for

her. Of course she did underestimate your strength.

You surprised even me, when you took her life. But

you don’t have to worry about being separated from

her for long; cause I’ll be sending you to join her in a

few minutes.”

Traiven put his head down and thought for a

second; trying to calm himself down and regain

focus. After a few breaths he was able to gain control

of his emotions and ready himself for his current

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threat of facing Moth. Traiven finally lifted his head

and asked. “Moth can I ask you a question?”

Moth tilted his head in confusion to Traiven’s

sudden request. He had begun to notice a slight

change in Traiven’s focus, and decided to humor

him, “I guess I could give you that.”

Traiven took a deep breath then spoke. “Are

you the last Nephilim?”

Moth again leaned back and laughed, “Ha,

have you lost your mind?”

“You have the powers of an Arc, yet there are

no Arcs unaccounted for.” Traiven said. “You claim

to be an assassin, yet you possess honor. I personally

think it’s a heart. That’s why you didn’t kill me when

you had the chance, you have a conscience.”

“That doesn’t mean I’m a Nephilim.” Moth

replied.

“You can’t deny that your conscience is

guiding you to do what’s right Moth. That’s why I

couldn’t turn my back on the Federation and go

home, it’s the conscience of an Angel.”

“You are so ignorant.” Replied Moth. “I’m

going to enjoy killing you even more now.”

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Traiven tightened the grip of his new sword

and spoke in full confidence. “Try it, but I don’t think

you’ll have the heart to finish me off.”

Traiven and Moth stared at each other for a

brief moment. Then Moth strained his fists and both

immediately rushed toward each other and locked

blades. At a point, they kicked back, sliding several

feet backward in opposite directions. They stared at

each other for a few seconds again, and then Traiven

quickly launched forward swinging his sword. Moth

lifted his right blade and blocked the attack. He then

swung his left blade, hitting Traiven on his legs.

Spinning around, he kicked Traiven’s back with his

right legs, causing him to fly several feet back

crashing to the ground.

Traiven recovered quickly and noticed Moth

falling toward him, with his right blade cocked

backward. Just as Moth got close, he threw his right

blade forward toward Traiven’s chest, but Traiven

flipped backward evading the attack sending Moth’s

blade straight into the ground. While Moth was

struggling to pull his blade of the ground, Traiven

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jumped toward him swinging his sword. Moth

quickly freed his blade from the ground, then

jumped back into the air, dodging Traiven’s attack.

Traiven jumped after Moth in the air, swinging his

sword furiously in all directions. Moth wasn’t a

rookie in mid-air combat, and blocked every attack

with ease.

Once they both landed back on the surface,

Traiven threw his right palm forward emitting a

force of energy; but Moth stood in one position,

spinning around to create a tornado that deflected

Traiven’s force. In completion of his spin, his body

shot forward hitting Traiven, knocking him to the

ground.

Just as Traiven stood up, Moth rushed in and

hit him with his right blade, followed by his left.

He then threw his right palm forward and

emitted a powerful force of energy that threw

Traiven several yards, crashing him into the wall of

the courtyard, causing it to crack.

Traiven fell to his knees in pain. Moth slowly

walked up to him saying, “Is that all you’ve got? I’ve

expected a lot more from a Nephilim.”

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Traiven, strained with anger tightened his

grip on his sword, then swung it at Moth. Moth

leaned to the left as the blade wafts past his ears. He

lifted his knee and kicked Traiven in his chest,

following it up by grabbing Traiven and throwing

him into the air.

“I’M GOING TO FINISH YOU ONCE AND

FOR ALL!” Moth shouted. He then bent his legs and

concentrated. His blades began to flow bright with

energy and he jumped into the air.

After flying several yards up, Traiven

stopped and began to fall back down. He noticed

Moth coming towards him and was too weak to

evade.

So this is it? Traiven thought. This is how I die?

He closed his eyes shut while exhaling out loud.

Flashbacks of his times as an Arc started flashing in

his mind.

Everyone’s expecting so much from me, and I’m

going to disappoint them all.

Locked in thought, a winged image of a

figure entered his mind. The figure seemed to be

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standing in front of a bright light making it hard for

Traiven to make out any facial details.

Don’t give up, it whispered.

But he’s too strong; I can’t win. Traiven thought

in reply.

You have more power than you realize.

Concentrate, and have faith…The image disappeared as

the word faith faded into thin air.

Traiven shook his head, opened his eyes and

tightened his grip on his sword.

As Moth grew close he noticed something

different about Traiven. He looked into his eyes and

saw that they were glowing bright blue. As Moth got

close he swung his blade at Traiven’s neck but

Traiven calmly lifted his sword and blocked the

attack, stopping Moth in mid air. He looked into

Moth’s eyes while white, feathered wings suddenly

ripped out from Traiven’s back.

Traiven threw his left palm forward and

emitted a powerful force that sent Moth crashing to

the ground. As Moth struggled to stand up he saw

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Traiven slowly float down in front of him, with his

newly formed wings waving in the air.

Moth grew an evil grin, “Finally, a real fight.”

They jumped back in opposite directions then

lunged towards each other locking blades. They

constantly swung at each other, but each swing was

blocked by the next. They jumped back again.

Traiven quickly lifted his right hand and caused a

bolt of lighting to strike down towards Moth. Moth

quickly evaded it and threw out a few metal discs at

Traiven, but as the discs reached half of its

destination; it stopped in mid-air for a second, then

fell lifelessly to the ground.

Traiven tightened his grip on his sword; the

sword began to fill with energy. Moth also squeezed

his fists and his blades and focused. Staring at each

other, both roughly kicked off the ground and

launched toward each other. Just as they got close,

there was a big explosion from the castle. Smoke

filled the air blinding them both. When the smoke

finally cleared, Federation forces rushed into the area

and Moth was gone. Traiven was bent over the

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ground breathing heavily in exhaustion. His body

was back to its original state. At the moment, the

other Arcs ran out toward him.

“Are you okay?” Asked Rukaryo.

“Fine…Just fine,” answered Traiven.

“What happened?” Asked Shawn.

“Moth, but he got away,” answered Traiven.

Rukaryo gave a sigh in disappointed, “Well

so did Lance, but at least the scientists are safe.”

“We did manage to take Sabola,” said Sneaux

walking up to them. “Meaning victory is ours.” He

added

“So is it over?” Asked Traiven.

“For now…” Answered Rukaryo. “…But I

have a feeling that there is a greater battle to come.”

Far from the planet, Lance stared out the

window of his ship and watched from a distance as

the Federation, Robant and Sarazetty forces

surrounded his planet. He then noticed a smaller

ship fleeing from the planet, unnoticed by the fleets.

This ship was grey and shaped like a triangle. Lance

gave a grin as he realized the ship belonged to Moth.

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Lance then turned back toward his former planet and

thought; Enjoy your victory for now, because very

soon…The Demon Empire will rise, and this time, it won’t

be so easy to beat us.

Meanwhile on Moth’s ship, Moth was

standing in front of a large screen, speaking to a

mysterious stranger about his recent actions.

“Just as you said.” Stated Moth. “All Traiven

needed was a little incentive to awaken his true

power.”

“As for the Summoners?” asked the stranger.

“Lance got away, but the Gateway was destroyed;

and so was the Eye of Eden.”

“I see.” Replied the stranger. “Return home

for now. We need to discuss our next plan of action.”

Moth nodded his head and the screen shut

off, revealing the sight of outer space before his ship.

“Computer!” called Moth as he turned and

began to walk toward the back of his ship. “Status

report?”

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“Regeneration at ten percent.” Said computer.

“Life force stable.”

“Luckily I was able to get to her in time to

revive her.” Replied Moth as he walked to his

regeneration capsule.

Moth looked into the capsule and saw Anya

strapped in, unconscious, with a dark blue

mechanical helmet on her head that kept her life

stable. Orange steam within the capsule was

repairing her wounded body.

Moth gave a grin and thought, Don’t die on me

yet Anya, your use hasn’t expired yet.