Chapter 2: The Ruler Convention
Chapter 2: Return to Crystal Kumen
Session 151: The Hapian Dynasty
Location: The Academy
Following the events of the alternate future, things are quickly spiraling out of control - people are going missing, there are people who are remembering the alternate future and have become paranoid, arming themselves and seeking new technology, or remembering the technology used and trying to create it much sooner than it should be created. So the plan by the Academy is to somehow unite Geyze as one people under one leadership, and try to unite them together with their Kumen brethern, so that something like the C'en threat can never happen again. Calling a meeting together with Unit 6 and the Academy leadership, they debate how to set forth how to bring this about, and who to begin with first. Qui warns her situation might not be so stable now that she and Gwen have reformed, after the future situation, which allowed her body to heal her leg.
However, during the talk, there is a crash through Miyuki's ceiling, as Ellie and Sylph crash through it, scrattering debris everywhere. It seems Sylph and Ellie have managed to combine into one being, much to everyone's surprise, since it has no been heard of before, before they seperate into two once more. Rain continues her report that the Daemon queen asked them to look into her missing sisters, claiming she had two, but she only remembered one. Rain thinks with Celes and Liana missing, people are going for those of power, leaving behind those who are easily manipulated perhaps. They decide to return to the Hapian Capital, to investigate the palace to see if they can learn clues on what happened to Celes and Liana, to see if it can lead to the other missing people.
6.26.5991
Location: Hapian Capital
As they arrive, those not having the same connection to Celes and Liana begin to forget who they were, with Rain having to be reminded by Rain as their flying carriage lands. As they begin to enter, a suitcase they brought begins to move and Selena busts out. Vyvy carries her but as they near, Sylph feels like something is off - that something has been co-opted here. Aska arrives to guide them to the upper echelons of the palace where she informs them the queen has taken ill the past week and is dying, and Malfoy will be wanting to make Sasha or Celes the next queen. The teams split up, one to check out the spirit realm, the other to investigate the queen and Malfoy.
Ellie, Aska, Vyvy, Sylph, and Selena journey along while Aska explains the history of the castle and how it was built partially in the Spirit Realm. As they move further in, they see a black aura in the area filled with corrupted spirits. They would see corrupted reality shards positioned in blocks of 4, set up in a design, and Aska reaches out, purifying them. As she finishes, the spirits and crystals are purified, and once gone, Celes and Liana are revealed. However, even Aska is not sure who is bringing people into the spirit realm and using the shards in such a manner, as she hands Ellie them. Selena and Vyvy help bring the two unconscious people out of the spirit realm.
Sasha and the others arrive before a whithered old Hapian queen, who looks like she might pass away at any moment, laying on her death bed. She warns Sasha that Malfoy will try to force the crown upon her head the moment he gets the chance. Shion places Miyuki in fox cub form on the Queen to try to cheer her up but Sasha tells her that it is Miyuki, who knocks her off with her hand, the animosity between them still there - at least on the queen's part. A moment later Miyuki eats the queen whole, even as Malfoy walks inside, horrified at the sight - calling the guards in. During all this Miyuki spits up a corrupted crystal shard that was inside the queen, and by the time the guards and Malfoy arrives, Miyuki poses as the queen, fooling them all. Malfoy, confused and brokenm is carried out while the cooking staff is brought in. They learn who the person was that did the deed, a tester called Rebecca, and at that moment Celes and Liana arrive. Reunited again, they now have to decide who will lead the Hapian Dynasty.
Session 152: Tora Steps Down - Who Will Rule Kumen?
Location: The Club
The team relaxes at the club after the chaos of the future adventures, with Asarar buying Bella gifts for when she goes through the Time Gate, Ymir drinking whiskey - and getting chided by Ylva - Kira being distracted, Riki doing tables with Luci trying to stop her, and Wolfe forcefully carrying her to a table to rest. They catch a holovid of Tora saying she will step down next month and will be opening elections for the next President of Kumen to be elected.
At the Aquarius, no upgrades have begun on the Aquarius yet due to Yuki sitting on her butt, eyeing mission logs and moving through the ship like a zombie, as if she is missing something in her life. Airym asks to begin the upgrades and repairs, so Yuki distractedly lets Cypher and Chelsea begin, with Riki and Wolfe joining them while Riki works on drawing pictures for Ruhi when she is born. During all this, Mireille and the other spirits sit down on the lower decks of the ship, holding a blue gem she formed in Session 50 of TAW6, with an image of Erica inside it. She links with the other spirits, becoming the focal point of the spiritial energy, and the entire ship begins to llght up with energy and parts overload. One by one the spirits begin to collapse, which makes Airym and a few others go to investigate, the blue gem begins to glow with energy, that then explodes with a loud boom.
From the smoke, there can be found a nude Erica with a little baby that has Yuki, Erica, and Saorise's DNA. During all this, Ruki asks Wolfe if she can run for President too and seems to eagerly look forward to it. Yuki tackles Erica on sight, her memories returning, and the two embrace, reunited. Riki meanwhile tries to draw the scene, thinking it is an orgy before Wolfe stops her. However, during all this, Mireille seems to have gone missing. Unknown to them all, she seems to have gone invisible and unable to interact with them, as well as unable to leave the ship. She has become a true spirit.
A group arrives at Tora's office, they ask what is going on with her stepping down, as well as the CEOs being allowed to take part of the election. They learn if a CEO can vote, they cannot run, but if they run they must step down as CEO. Ylva transfers her power to Ymir and runs for the election, and Riki announces her intent to run as well.
Session 153: The Legionare-Daemon Alliance Part One
Location: The Academy
Tenebrae and Nocturne, the twins who were born to Shade after the future arc, are born now and the two servants of Malfoy, who is now suffering a mental break, are helping to raise them - Neek and Keero. The team prepares to head to the Daemon Realm next, in both the hopes to bring them around to a united Geyze, and learn more about missing people that are occurring. Qui decides to join them, in the hopes of seperating from Gwen, and to observe them.
7.12.5991
Location: Daemon Capital
Arriving at the Daemon Capital on their flying carriage, Shion uses her Academy Capital to get a ride to the Daemon Tower to meet with the Daemon Queen, Neophyx Ilas an Asmos Daemon. When they arrive, they find her there, along with her middle aged sister, Shinobu Illas, a vampire Daemon, as well as Hapes Guyus, now Emperor, it seems. Hapes begins to question Alita about who did the union on her wedding, learning Shade did it, and mentioing the Legion would not exactly recognizing it, giving them a little wiggle room. He mentions that in the Legion Republic it is not frowned upon for royality to have two wives and a mistress, and that they want him to marry Shinobu, uniting their kingdoms. Shinobu seems defiant and agrees, and they work it out, when Shion asks when Hapes became emperoer and he pauses, wondering who Jules is before remembring who he is and he went missing a few weeks ago, making the group realize another has gone missing.
While the wedding preperations are made, Rain leads the group to her mansion in the noble district. The team ponders who is responsible for the missing people and if they are inside the spirit realm. While having dinner and eating their food, talking, Mykel gets hot soup dumped on his head by Shinobu, trying to scare him off. During the excitement, Simon feels out for anything and only feels Shade's dark spirit energy in the area since it is her realm. Deciding to ask for Shade's help, they go seek out Vyvy before diving into the spirit realm in this area.
Session 154: The Legionare-Daemon Alliance Part Two
Location: Daemon Capital
The team travels through the streets of the city, passing the various venders, while Qui studies Simon, Rain explains how the indentured servants work here, and so on. They run into the Empress along the way who has Vyvy with her and they wish her to summon Shade; they also learn that Vyvy has been to the Spiritalist to talk to Kalam about the Spirit Realm to learn more. Shade, drawing attention once summoned, brings them back to Rain's manor where they can talk in peace. Shade explains to them what the Spirit Realm is like so they can understand what it is like, and one can become lost and broken down inside it. She provides protection for them so they can safely explore the Spirit Realm for a time, so they set out to find a hole into it.
After a bit of exploring, they discover a weak spot that Alita, Ceilia, and Simon work together to rip it open enough for everyone to enter. Once inside they find a world full of fog and full of sprites floating around, they feel out life signs and head out in that direction, coming across a spirity version of the Daemon Tower inside it. Once inside they find the elevator pad doesn't work and attacking it just weakens them, so Shion tries using their sprite/communicator to talk to Spira and Shade, asking them to move to the spot in the real world. A few moments later, Vyvy would feel her dragoon powers working despite not feeling them before, she flies them to the top floor where they find a dark ritual being performed with Karen Illas and 12 other nobles in a circle, strange spikes, and magic runes.
Ceilia discerns it is a magic circle using the nobles and Karen, so Alita and Ceilia work together to stop whatever spell is being performed to save all 13. Once saved, they shatter the connection and they are all freed. However using all their energy is causing their shielding in this realm to fade and they are beginning to feel the effects of being here, so they have to hurry out of there.
7.14.5991
Isis shakes the Daemon Empress' hand, the Daemon/Legionare Alliance now forged with Shinobu married to Mykel and moving to the Academy and Karen recovering at the Daemon Tower. Vyvy gives the two maids to Karen and Shinobu, Keero going to Shinobu and Neek going to Karen for the time being.
Session 155: Mages and Spiritalists Part One
Location: Up North, the Spiritalists Kingdom
The team flies on their carriage to the Spiritalists, hoping to learn answers about the Spirit Realm kidnappings, using Salamander as a heater due to the sheer cold of the realm. After landing and Ellie and Vyvy having a somewhat spat over Sylph, they head up to the Summoni Castle, Isis peering down the sheer drop of the cliff contemplatively. Kalam and some Summoni monks arrive and leads them up the path to the castle, where they find Selena has once again snuck along in the luggage. During the scolding, Celsius seems like she feels off, saying that something feels odd here to her, like it is calling her. Maeryn volunteers to stay with Selena and Gwen, since the cold affects her being a plant woman, after all, and Alita would feel a hole nearby much like what they found in Daemon Realm. They decide to ask Kalam about it, Alita wondering if maybe the Spiritalist area is more naturally weak to the Spirit Realm since she detected it so easily, and go seek her out.
After a bit, they are led to her quarters, meeting her alone instead of with the other two leaders, where she tells them the history of the Spirit Realm. The three spirits, Void, Aska, and Shade was born and the Spirit Realm was made with their creation, and they made life, the First Race, that they call the Ancients. With that, a comet came and wiped them out some 12,000 years ago, which was Tora's arrival, and that set off a series of events. The Spirit Realm became twisted and toxic to life, so the spirits moved to the realm where the Ancients had lived and new life slowly cropped up and sprites and new spirits were born, but so too twisted life come out of the Spirit Realm. Around a 1000 years ago, despite the Spirit Realm being sealed - note we later learn the Spirit Realm was sealed by Aska, Void, and Shade - the Mages, being attacked by the Legionare, tried to escape into the Realm and found a way inside, where they were twisted by the Spirit Realm that had been changed. So the Spiritalists were put in charge of making sure the Mages who were transformed inside the Realm never got out, and more people never got inside.
Kalam believes they are using people to try to bust back into their realm with their archic knowledge of the past, as well as the taint they know carry from being in the Spirit Realm. Kalam thinks that Celsius is a damaged spirit, perhaps sent out to taint others. She thinks they should go to the Spirit Realm with Celsius if they want to learn more about who she is and if she really is a tainted spirit or a "whole" spirit. When they ask who Kalam really is all she can say is she is from another world, but doesn't know where she is from, having came here when she was a young child long before many of them. She gives them the master key to enter the Spirit Realm find the Magi Order and learn who Celsius is and perhaps destroy the source of the taint if they are lucky, giving them a drink to help them last a day inside. Miyuki asks Celsius if she is up for this and she agrees.
She leads them down to the temple where the other two leaders are unconscious. Isis has their children follow them at a safe distance not wanting to lose sight of them, then they walk up to the Tear/Gate; Isis holding Miyuki's hand and walking through, Simon studying and learning more about it, then walking through, Kasha in fox form corraling the kids through, and so on, each entering the foggy world on the other side.
Session 156: Mages and Spiritalists Part Two
Location: The Spirit Realm
The group finds themselves in a foggy world that looks much like much like the one they left, only void of people other than themselves; the drinks that Kalam gave them seems to increase their strength and insight while in the Spirit Realm, giving them an advantage while inside the Realm. Alita uses her phermones to get past some guards in the spirit realm and they continue on their way, they are lead for hours by Celsius. They arrive not at a mountain area but a plain with a frozen crystal, with some sort of cavern underneath it. Touching it just makes people feel unnaturally cold like a Spirit made it, so they have Celsius touch it, who states it feels like it's part of her. After working together they move it and uncover the cavern, and Celsuis immediately goes into the cavern ahead of them, making the others scramble after her.
As they enter they find an underground cavern of ruins with homes and passages, but most of all they find a familiar sacrifice ritual set up with people in it, in the same pattern as before, but in the middle is another spirit that looks like Celsius in the middle looking drained. Celsius remembers who the other spirit is - her twin, both of them made by the Magi long ago with the spirital energy here, hence the partial taint, and used them both to try to break out. However, her twin and her wanted to escape but there was only time for one of them to leave, and her twin choose Celsius, and not wanting to leave is what led to Celsius to being mentally damaged in the escape.
The team decides to split up, one team to rescue the hostages and the other spirit, while the rest deals with the Magi, since acting will spring both teams at once, but the drink and the Spirit Realm at least will increase their power. Shion, Sasha, Simon, Miyuki, and Liana move quickly in for the hostages, Simon creating a haze spell that clouds the room to obscure the vision of the Magi but with the increased power of the drink, the entire area literally becomes completely obscured for all. Thanks to it, the enemy is confused long enough for the team to grab everyone before the cloud vanishes, then they move out and avoid the patrols. The other team, with Ellie, Vyvy, and Celsius attempt to reach the twin and bring the ceiling down hopefully. Sylph has Ellie fire her at the twin with her bow and with the drink powering the shot, flies over the magi's heads against the crystal that is imprisoning her, then Vyvy warps Celsius onto the crystal where Sylph is at now. Unable to break her twin free, Ellie has to warp over to them with her recall to Sylph, then uses fire spells, the crystal shattering and all of them falling, Vyvy using her ability to warp them all to her.
During all this, Isis stands by as the hostages are brought to her and then Ellie, Sylph, Vyvy, and Celsius and her twin appear next to them. Once they do, the team brings the roof down on the Magi, the Magi Leader enraged at their homes being ruined by the team, grabbing a few of them. Alita fireballs him and they rush out of the tunnel and outside, but as they go to go, they see more Magi running past them, some children and others who were not part of the fight, running and screaming in pain on fire. Sasha seems confused at the children and women who Vyvy puts the fire out, and they team realizes that these are the descendants of the Magi who fled into the Spirit Realm long ago.
Before they can decide what to do with the Magi that survived, a crack appears in the ground with Dark Spirit energy flooding out, the taint that Kalam said was there lurking. It seems the battle and the twin being freed has unleashed it now. Shiva, the twin, wonders what has happened to her sister, but for now they flee back to the Spiritalist Temple, where they found Kalam in cuffs, arrested by the other two leaders. They see peeved, but Shion thinks she sees a way out, needing the shard from Vyvy's eye, since she was from their side, and then needing Miyuki and Isis to go into the taint. Being from her world, it may be enough to close it up, as a counter balance. After saying their goodbyes to the head mistress, the team works together, Ellie, Vyvy, the spirits, and Miyuki and Isis go into the tainted area so Miyuki can eat/consume it, vanishing into the spirit realm. A bit later, the Realm seems cleansed of the taint for good.
Shion thinks it might also mean that her mothr and a few other elements not meant to be in the Mirror Universe are gone now, things might return to normal in the Spirit Realm. But is this really a good thing? The Headmistress is now gone, and they are meant to unite Geyze and Kumen.
Session 157: Nature and Forest
Location: The Academy
Shion has taken over the Academy from her mother, closing the school part of the Academy for the the time being and dismissing the teachers and focusing on the units, so that they can deal with the unification of Geyze and Kumen. She states that typically graduation occurs in March anyway, so the remaining students will learn from the remaining units and they are running out of time to unite the world, and need to become more proactive before they can focus on becoming an Academy again, starting with the fact that they have opened up brand new world that can be accessed - the Spirit Realm - and the Spiritalists have first crack at it. She also states word is getting out what they are attempting, with Celes taking over the Hapian Kingdom as temporary Queen while Sasha is at the Academy, the Daemon-Legionare alliance likely going to join them when the time comes, so Shion wants to tackle the Naturalists and the Ents next, asking if the team wishes to split up to deal with them or have another Unit deal with one. They decide to handle the Ents, leaving the other team to deal with the Naturalists.
7.24.5991
Location: The Great Forest
The team, arriving outside the Great Forest, travels through it over the course of four days until they reach the capital of the Ents, where they find a coalation of Venus strangely. Gnome is hiding behind Leaf when they arrive to talk, and they learn that Leaf's mother is dead as well as Cassava's mother, which has lead to some of the tension in the air here, since they are both the leaders now of their groups. Maeryn goes to Cassva and she explains her mother led a sneak attack to try to get Gnome, leading to a lot of deaths on both sides, which has led to the hostility. They think Gnome shows more of her blessing to the Ents, but Gnome says that is just because of the past, and Leaf says the Venus would not believe the past even if she told them.
Cassava joins the group and says the truth will not matter to her people, and in fact knows the truth, but her mother's teachings have been drummed into their heads for generations. Cassava reveals they were, in fact, one race once long ago before they became different - her race became greedy with power, changing their bodies and became what they were now, their mating killing people. Alita and Simon think that may be able to be reversed when they recall the third race, the mixing of the Ents and Venus races when they mate with each other - the Aents. She nods when they convince them to try and she manages to convince 5 of the 7 delegates she brought, starting the wheels turning to convince her race, and slowly starting the path to change the Venus.
The team asks Leaf and Cassava about joining an Alliance with the other Kingdoms, and she readily agrees, while Cassava says she needs more time. Leaf gives the team some gifts and during this the group realizes Leaf and Cassava are seriously crushing on each other, showing signs that their kingdoms might likely become closer in the future than they realize.
Session 158: Corporate Alliance
Location: Kumen, The Club
With the Presidental Race going on, the Corporations are trying to influence by chiming in and talking about the candidates, which the Club is watching while they relax and drink. Wolfe and Jan struggle to make Riki presentable, struggling with her porn roots, as the upcoming weeks of the race begin. Kira bemoans that she almost misses old days as she watches Logan and Ymir hanging out, Ymir working on the corporate work load, Riki running out to pass fliers with her face on it, Cypher groping Chelsea's breasts, and so on. It seems for the next month, the team is settled down in rest mode until they are needed, and each of them are finding their own ways to adjust.
7.8.5991
At a Rally, a lot of people are gathered to hear the candidates speak now. Riki gives a surprisingly well thought out speech to everyone of equality and reaches out, then Ylva does the same, actually fairly a cut above Riki's. A third candidate is also there who seems to be fairly smary that looks like he might be in the corporation's pockets, that both Riki and Ylva have to look out for. Over the next few weeks, the candidates are narrowed and soon only those three seem to be standing until the fateful voting day.
7.24.5991
On the voting day, Asarar's team finds what looks like what might be tampering for votes going to the smarmy noble to try to push him to win. As the numbers come in and the Club keeps the noble from winning in, the vote is very close, with Riki barely winning. She immediately makes Ylva her second in command, her Deputy President. Riki heads out to make a speech and prepare for what is to come.
Session 159: The Amazonion Family Rule
Location: The Academy
While working at her desk - in the middle of the yard for dome reason - Shion announces to the team the results of the Kumen election, letting them know since Riki is related to Wolfe, and her relationhip to him, that should help tie Kumen and Geyze when they work on uniting the two planets. While relaxing they learn Qui left after the Great Forest mission with Gwen and she got control back, to see if she can rally control back with the future knowledge she gained from everything that happened. Gathering their supplies and spirits, they head out after her.
7.29.5991
Amazon Capital
They arrive at the capital and see all the changes Qui has been making since taking over from her mother - the equality she has been adding and many other changes to the Amazon way of thinking with the Legion helping to adjust the process with intregrating males into society (with the Amazon going to the Legionares and doing the same with the females). Shion seems to need to rest occassionally, having added a ninth tail since the Spirit Realm incident, needing at times to go into a child size to regain energy since she hasn't adjusted yet.
On the way they see Undine is still healing Kiichigo, keeping her in a healing bubble to restore her body to complete perfection.
They find Qui and learn she is working on writing new laws as fast as she can before they can learn she is bonded with Gwen again, since she has new heir and if she is dethroned due to it, a new Matron might be conservative and reverse everything. As they discuss ways Qui can hold onto her powerbase, Undine/Brooke asks everyone to come with her after wetting Qui's outfit, moving back to her temple to talk to the team. As they talk, relating to them how the two combined the first time, Brooke soaks each of them with her shrine's water - a near death experience - and Qui save the dying Gwen with her life force. This caused them their to share their life force and bodies; Brooke says such miracles can be done even with ordinary persons if they have enough spiritual energy and a connection of love. The events with the time/damage to Qui's leg must reconnected them and given them a full life force once more.
The team muses and comes up with a plan when Brooke leaks, after telling them she needs them to break the conection with their spirit energy, she can supply their life energy with it, but she will only take volunteers. They surmise if they get enough voluneers it will be barely impactful for everyone so Vyvy, Simon, and everyone hold a speech to gather everyone without letting Qui/Gwen know, and they bring it up so that they can volunteer their life energy - as much as the truth as they can without alerting her. It works and when they return to Qui's tent, they find them split up and likely with a large amount of life now each.
Session 160: The Ruler Convention
Location: Location: Hapian Capital
The various rulers of all the Kingdoms, including Riki and those from Kumen, are gathered at Hapian Castle for a Ruler Convention so the Academy can try to convince them to sign documents to unite Geyze and Kumen together for the first time ever in a new era. As each of the representatives arrive, Celes for the Hapian delegation, Qui for the Amazons, Lead and Cassave for the Ents and Venus, Helen for the Naturalists, Queen Illax for the Daemons and so on. However, the two Spiritalists leaders do not arrive and instead send a delegate called Lucian to represent them, looking upon the precedings with disdain as Shion presents a treaty for all the nations to sign to unite them as one.
However, before they can begin, Lucian instead presents a declaration from the Spiritalists stating they are claiming the Spirit Realm for themselves - in return they will never leave their border or bother anyone else's or start a war. He leaves it to be signed, leavint the proceedings so they can deal with their own treaty without him there. With Riki kicking off the proceedings offering an alliance, one by one they begin to sign, with a few like Helen holding out until she feels more assured, but soon all sign. Afterward, as the party celebration begins, the problem of what to do with Lucian remains.
Vyvy and Simon investigate and talk to Lucien, who reveals he is one of the two remaining leaders, and that their desire is to expand into the Spirit Realm, leaving the rest of the territory to this new alliance. Vyvy still insists on an inspection before they sign, so he dissmissively lets them go talk to the other leader, who seems to say the same thing after Aska warps Simon to her. However, upon returning as the party is ending, Aska does let drop one fact: it is strange the two have not gotten the council to vote and replace Kalam, explaning it is a council of 9 who decides if one of them should be removed for inappropriate actions. Learning that, the two plan to go seek them out.