Chapter 15: The Final Chapter: Resolution, Part 3- The End

“When do these orders take effect?” Omicron asked.

“Immediately, I suppose. But there is no rush.” Warlic said. “Now if you would-”

“What was that?!” Ryukai yelled.

“I felt it too.” Mika said.

“Me too.” Omicron said.

“What is it?” Warlic asked, concerned.

The three DragonGuard immediately entered their Exarch Gundam forms. Omicron began to interpret the calculations the suits were automatically making.

“I’m detecting our power source has been connected to something.” he said.

“What is it?” Ryukai asked.

“It seems like...each is connected to an object of equal power. At GEARS. Specifically within the three Houses.” Omicron reported.

“Could it be...the House Artifacts?” Mika asked.

“It seems like it. They’re absorbing our power and sending it somewhere. These co-ordinates don’t make any sense though. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Mika and Ryukai looked at the co-ordinates in their Gundams. They couldn’t understand them either.

“Valoth!” Warlic exclaimed. “You said he was connected to all the worlds and that the Darkness warned you about freeing him. The House Artifacts, from what I was told about them, they are the links to not only the dragons but to other worlds.”

“That means...” Ryukai began. “Our power is being used to fight Valoth in the other worlds too?”

“The universe is trying to repair itself. You’ve set off a chain reaction. The Shadow of the Dragons system was designed to end Valoth specifically. I never could have imagined this was the their plan.”

“How can we help the others?” Mika asked.

Warlic smiled. “All you have to do is exist.”

***

Ryukai awoke and found himself standing on the roof of GEARS. The last thing he remembered was touching the Drakylon Cube. Then there was a flash.

He looked up and saw the shadow through the barrier around the university. It howled as a great claw of shadow slammed into the barrier. Another howl. Another strike. A third howl. A third strike. A fourth howl...

And a smash. The barrier collapsed under the power of the shadow. Tendrils of shadow headed for the university.

“No!” Ryukai yelled. He felt power well up in his palms. He raised them and a blast of light rocketed towards the shadow being. It collided, and there was a howl from Valoth.

Ryukai suddenly felt a great surge of power. He closed his eyes, and the power of light surrounded him. Suddenly he could feel so much change. He felt the weight of fighting a war, of being destroyed trying with all your might to save your world. Of being reborn to fight those that would threaten all the life in your universe. Of being put through a demon’s torturous game. And then he awoke.

“So I’ve arrived...” he said. “I am Ryukai of the DragonGuard. And this? This is Exarch Gundam Sariel.”

Mika saw a giant mobile suit made of pure light from her position on the roof. It launched upwards and began to fight with the being of shadow. She wanted to stay and admire it, but claws of shadow headed for her.

Fear entered her heart for only a moment. Then power came to her. A sword of light manifested and she cut through the claws of darkness. And the power grew. The power of a lonely childhood on an overcrowded planet, of being rescued by someone who cared, of fighting the same battle as that man, being reborn like him, and being put through the same torture.

“Mika Ray. DragonGuard of the Exarch Gundam Ramiel!” she cried out as she launched into battle.

Omicron, from his rooftop position, witnessed these two beings of light arise and fight the shadow. The same claws of darkness reached out to devour him. But he didn’t know what to do.

He dodged, but one claw went straight through his chest. And then he felt the experiences rush through him. The connection to his friends, Ryukai and Mika Ray. His will to fight, his sacrifice to save the world, his rise again, his possession by the greatest evil of the world. The evil that had just pierced him. And then he felt it. He came back from that, and he arose once again to fight that evil.

A great bolt of light erupted as he transformed like the others. “Omicron. The pilot and being, Exarch Gundam Phanuel!”

The final member of the DragonGuard climbed upwards to join his comrades. The astral powers they unleashed, the light, the missiles, the beams, the swords. It was all so familiar, yet knew. They were the heroes of many worlds, but still their own person.

And that power fueled them. New friends that were old friends. Beings of incredible power that were university students. Those that were killed and revived.

“Valoth!” Ryukai screamed. “This is your punishment for everything you have done!” The rage of his attacks caused the giant being of shadow to begin to retreat.

“My life, I was finally given a chance to live...and then you stole that from me! From us!” Mika yelled.

“Our power is far greater than yours. This is the last version of you that remains isn’t it?” Omicron exclaimed.

“You fooooolsss...” the cloud of shadow screamed as it began to diminish. “I’ve conquered you all over and over again...”

“But in the end, we have always won.” Ryukai yelled.

“No matter how many times we had to sacrifice ourselves...” Mika yelled.

“No matter how thoroughly you tried to destroy us...” Omicron yelled.

“I am the ultimate being in existence! I am flawless, I will always win!”

“No....”

“You...”

“Will...”

“DIE!”

The warrior will lead the world into a new era. Mika unleashed the full power of Ramiel. The mage will learn its true purpose in this world. Ryukai unleashed the full power of Sariel. The thief will steal what is left of his enemy. Omicron unleashed the full power of Phanuel.

***

“For all of us, the new era has begun. He remains no longer in any world. Our greatest enemy, is gone. Let an age of peace and prosperity begin.”

***

THE END

Chapter 14: Resolution, Part 2: Goodbye

Mika, Ryukai, and Omicron stepped through the gates and walked into the throne room. They had returned to Loreon to report back to Kingadent Warlic.

 “What in the world did you all do...” he said. “The Shadowscythe all retreated, in the middle of battle.”

 “He’s gone.” Ryukai said calmly.

 “Do you mean....Valoth?”

 “Yes.”

 “I don’t know what to say. Congratulations. Thank you. I have a million questions to ask.” Warlic began. “If you’d like to go and take some time off, that’s-”

“I’ll stay.” Mika said. “I’ll answer any questions you have.” Omicron and Ryukai nodded signifying that they would stay as well.

***

 Ryukai ran through the halls of GEARS. He needed to find the others as quickly as possible. The vision that the Cube showed him felt like reality. He could feel himself having died only a few minutes ago.

 As he ran through the crowd of students, he looked around for a sign. The Cube told him that he would know one of them when he saw one. Ryukai hoped that a quick glance would be enough.

 He made his way down each floor. He had noticed nothing so far, and was running out of places to look. Then he noticed someone. A male student was sitting on a bench, and he was glowing. Ryukai could immediately tell that he was a Chosen.

 “Excuse me.” he said approaching the man, trying to quickly think of something to say. “What is your name?”

 “I’m Omicron.”

 “Omicron, umm, what House are you a member of?”

 “House MystRaven. Why?”

 “Well, I need you to come with me. To House MystRaven. They’re double checking the list of new recruits.”

 “Oh, okay then.” Omicron said. The two moved quickly to the House. Omicron felt a bit uneasy, but came to the conclusion he could trust this stranger. After all, he knew exactly where they were going.

 “In here.” Ryukai said once they arrived at MystRaven. He opened a door and there it was, the MystRaven Door.

 “There isn’t anyone in here.”

 “I know. I lied. I just needed to bring you here.”

 “Why?” Omicron asked, preparing to defend himself if he was attacked.

 “He doesn’t know.” said a voice. “But you do need to be here.”

Omicron and Ryukai turned to face the door. The mask placed upon it was smiling. “Hello, Omicron.”

***

 “That is amazing.” Warlic said. “It’s so difficult to believe. Even though this is what we hoped for all along.”

“It doesn’t matter how it ended.” Omicron said. “Just that it did. Everyone is finally safe again.”

 “We can’t be sure.” Mika said. “After all, once the nearby planets build up their resources they might rebel against the new Empire.”

“Mika, would you like to be placed on a project to defend against exactly that?” Warlic asked.

 “No vacation?” she said with a slight smile.

 “You are all free to take the rest of your lives off if you wish, but I have a feeling that’s not what any of you want. After all, the world needs to build up again. We need to recover from the evils of Valoth.”

 “What project?” she asked again.

 “We are going to start rebuilding the orbital stations. We’re calling them the New Loreon Orbital Stations, or NLOS. We’re starting with three for now and we could use something as powerful as the DragonGuard Gundams for that.”

 “Of course.” she said. “It would be my honor.”

 “What can I do?” Ryukai asked.

“Well...”

***

 “You...what...” Omicron stuttered.

 “You’re supposed to be a hero you know. If you can’t speak to a talking door, I haven’t the slightest idea how you’ll survive the next few hours.”

 “You’re...the House Artifact.”

 “V.E.R.Y. G.O.O.D. O.M.I.C.R.O.N.” the door said very slowly. “We don’t have much time. Just come over here and open me.”

Omicron reached out for the door handle. He hesitated for a moment before opening the door. Before Ryukai could see what was beyond it, the door slammed shut and Omicron vanished.

 “What just happened?”

 “Go find the last Chosen. Quickly, you have no idea how little time remains. It will only take four hits from Valoth’s new form to break the shield around GEARS.” the door warned.

Ryukai left the room quickly and began his search again. He ran as quickly as he could, looking for someone who was glowing. This time, he started at WolfBlade and searched from there.

 Once again he found himself in the main lobby. And there he saw a female student with the same glow that Omicron had. He ran up to her.

 “Quickly, you need to come with me!” he yelled.

 “What?” she asked as she took a step back.

 “House WolfBlade. They’re double checking the new recruits. They want to make sure everyone is here within the safety of the shield.”

 “Oh. You scared me. You know you could have approached me a little more softly...”

 “We don’t have time. I mean, they don’t. It’s urgent.”

 The two ran together towards the House. “So who are you?” Mika asked. “Are you an assistant to Xaria?”

 “Something like that.”

 The two arrived at WolfBlade in three minutes. Ryukai was out of breath, but still managed to point to the door to the WolfBlade. Mika entered the room.

 “Where is everyone else?” she asked.

 “No time. The WolfBlade, take it!”

 Ryukai flashed to his vision of the future once again. He could feel that it was coming. The gigantic shadow, Valoth, was about to arrive.

 “I’m so sorry.” he thought to himself.

 “To defend yourself with.” he said pulling out his energy saber.

 Mika immediately ran and grabbed the sword. The moment she touched it there was a flash and she was gone.

“Hurry now. Back to the Cube. You must bond with it as the other Chosen have to their artifacts.” the sword instructed.

Next Time: The Final Chapter

Chapter 13: Resolution, Part 1: Acknowledgement

Ryukai stood in the main hall of GEARS University and looked out of the window. Anger raged inside of him as he saw the Shadowscythe destroying Soluna. It was a blurry image, as the barrier distorted the light, but he could see the destroyed buildings and the flames. 

 He was stuck here, where he could do nothing. Although, he knew it was the right choice. Dean Warlic wanted to ensure the survival of the students, the survival of Lorians. Ryukai still couldn’t stand it though. He wanted to help.

 “Why don’t you help then?” a voice said.

 Ryukai turned around to see who was speaking. He couldn’t see anyone or anything. “Is someone there?” he called out. The hall was crowded and it was possible that the person had moved when he turned around.

 “Not someone, exactly.” the voice said. “And certainly not here, Ryukai.”

“Who are you?” Ryukai thought.

 “Come to the RuneHawk dormitories. I will show you who....rather, what...I am.”

 Ryukai ran quickly to the stairs. He didn’t know what to think, but he hoped it was fate calling him. If he couldn’t fight the Shadowscythe outside, maybe there was something he could do here. Whatever was calling him, he hoped it was for that very purpose. Or did he know? Had the voice given him the idea?

 After climbing a few stories, he arrived at the House Circle. The entrances to the three Houses of GEARS could be accessed from here. Ryukai ran to the door with the blue hawk symbol and opened it.

 “Just a bit further” the voice said guiding him.

Ryukai then saw where he was being led. In front of him was a door. The door that led to the room where the Drakylon Cube was stored.

***

 “How...” Ryukai said snapping out of it. He stared at where Valoth’s body was lying just a few moments ago. “How could this happen?! Our lives were ruined because of him...and he vanishes just like that?”

 “He’s gone.” Mika said with certainty.

 “That’s it...he’s gone! No suffering, or pain...he’s just gone.” Ryukai screamed. It was over too quickly. There was an emptiness. He was not satisfied.

 In the corner of his eyes, he saw something emerge from another room. Sariel quickly turned and aimed its staff downwards. It was a Shadowscythe alien.

 “So Valoth is finally gone...” it said. “All these years of control are over.”

 “You can speak our language?” Omicron asked surprised.

 “Yes. I’m sure you are surprised because of our barbaric nature. Well, that was all Valoth’s doing. He stole our intelligence and made us all into soldiers.”

 “How long have you been under his control?” Mika asked.

 “Since he came to our world.”

 “I meant you specifically.” Mika stated.

 “The answer is the same.” the Shadowscythe said. “I am one of the oldest Living Shadows in existence.”

 “Is the war over?” Ryukai asked, his staff still pointed at the alien.

 “Of course. Valoth made us fight, destroy, and assimilate. But I will return to my people and take up leadership once again. We will begin to evacuate from your worlds and retreat back to our ancestral lands.”

“This is too easy...” Ryukai said.

***

 Ryukai stood before the Drakylon Cube. “You are the voice?”

 “That is right.” the Cube replied.

 “What are you exactly?”

 “A simple House Artifact. I am the prized possession of House RuneHawk. I am what they believe to be the key to finding the lost dragons.”

 “Are you? Is that what you will do?”

 There was a slight chuckle in Ryukai’s mind. “In a way yes. I am here to re-unite what has been lost. And I need your help, Ryukai.”

 “What do you need me to do?”

 “You and the others have been lost. You are not where you need to be, and you are not what you need to be. If you care about this world than I need you to find the others.”

 “Others?” Ryukai asked. “What are you talking about?”

 “The Chosen. You are the Chosen of RuneHawk. There are two others for the Wolf Blade and the MystRaven Door. I need you to find them and bring them to their artifacts. They must be re-united.”

 “How can I find them?”

 “You must search GEARS. Trust me, you will know when you see one.”

 Ryukai wasn’t sure what to think of this. He still hoped that this could be a way of helping, but he also had a slight distrust for the voice. After all, there was no proof that it was what it said it was.

 “You don’t trust me. This is not good. We are running out of time. Quickly, take three, just three, steps forward.”

 Ryukai did so, with a bit of hesitation. On his third step there was a bright flash of light. He was somewhere else now. The world spun around him and the colors changed. He could feel cold air.

 His vision cleared and he looked up. The sky was black, and it was moving. Fast. Ryukai looked around. He was standing on the roof of GEARS. All around him, he could see Soluna was destroyed. The city was burning and there wasn’t any sign of life around him.

 Then it roared. The sky. And he looked up again. This wasn’t the sky. The darkness, was shadow. As far as he could see, it looked like it was hovering over the planet.

 It roared again and tendrils of shadow shot forth and pierced the earth. The shadows kept moving, deeper and deeper. The land began to collapse inwards as the shadow roared.

 And then, it descended. Ryukai tried to run, but he couldn’t escape. The shadow collapsed and he was crushed.

“Save them.” said a voice. “Find them, and save them. You must realize your destiny before it is too late.”

Next Time on Gundam: Shadow- The search begins. Resolution continues. 

Chapter 12: Apocalypse, Part 5 of 5: Aversion

A small laugh escaped through Valoth’s groans of pain. A large shadow tendril emerged and surrounded Ryukai and Omicron. Sharp teeth emerged from it.

 “Make another move, and I’ll devour them.” he announced barely managing a smile.

“What do you want?” Mika asked.

 “Let me leave. All I want is to escape.” he said, clearly planning something.

 Mika looked down at Ryukai and Omicron. They might be able to escape with their natural DragonGuard power, but could she take that risk? She definitely didn't want to let Valoth go, but he was gravely injured. Tracking him down and finishing him off might not be that difficult.

 “Fine.”

 Valoth tried to smile, but the pain was too great. He slowly started walking away. The shadows extended so he could continue to hold Ryukai and Omicron hostage. He moved towards a large hangar door and pressed a button.

 The gate opened and he stepped through. The shadows dissolved and he quickly pressed another button. The gate slammed shut, and all the other exits in the room closed too. They were sealed in.

 “This is all so perfect.” Valoth yelled through the hangar door. “I won’t be at the center when the machine activates to harvest your energy, but that won’t matter. I’ll simply absorb it once all three of you and your Gundams are dissolved.”

Ryukai and Omicron ran for their Gundams. Without even thinking, they burst into blue flames and entered the Exarch. Omicron’s flame hit the suit and there was a flash.

***

Omicron walked into the GEARS auditorium. He did not know what was happening, only that an assembly had been called to address something. He sat down and a few minutes later Dean Warlic began to speak.

 “Students, staff, and administration...I regret to inform you that there has been an unfortunate disaster. Loreon Orbital Station 7 was destroyed yesterday. Many were lost and I wish we could mourn them, but we simply do not have time. LOS-7 was our last defense against the Shadowscythe. With it gone, an invasion is imminent. All of you here are the future generation of protectors, so after much thinking...I have decided to lock down GEARS. No one will be able to enter or exit starting immediately.”

Omicron was shocked. He knew the war against the Shadowscythe hadn’t been going well, but he never thought that the situation would be this dire. There was a lot of chatter among the students. He himself did not care about the lockdown, but he worried for Loreon.

***

 “Everyone ready?” Ryukai asked.

 “Yes.” Omicron and Mika responded.

 “Good, because we need to act fast. This room is completely sealed off and we have two objectives. Kill Valoth and stop this chamber from destroying us. Any ideas?”

 “I’m detecting strong energy currents running through the walls of this chamber, so destroying them to get out isn’t an option.” Omicron noted.

 “What if we go under them?” Mika asked pointing to the metal grating on the floor.

 “Excellent.” Ryukai said smiling. This chamber must have been prepared quickly. Valoth was probably in a rush and didn’t have time to make sure we couldn’t escape. “Mika, you search for a way to disable the power in this station. Me and Omicron will look for a way out.”

 Everyone agreed and immediately blasted away large sections of the floor and began to move through the maintenance tunnels. Valoth had caused them all so much pain, it was time to end this. That anger fueled their Gundams and they moved with incredible speed.

 Within a few seconds, Ryukai and Omicron found what they were looking for. The ground exploded underneath Valoth as they shot upwards and launched the monster into the air. Valoth’s pain increased a hundredfold.

 And it got worse for him. Sariel unleashed its Fangs while Phanuel launched DG missiles. Valoth’s flesh began to tear apart, and his body was brutally disfigured. However his screams reached his allies. The ShadowScythe came and helped him, blindly. Even though he was so close to death, Valoth still controlled all of them.

 The shadows fought as one, exploding out of their shells and into pure shadow. Sariel unleashed Souen, combining with the Fangs to create wyvern like constructs that shot blue flame at the shadows. Each shot ate away at the shadow, but it was relentless. The shadows felt no pain and continued to come, hoping to aid their master.

 Phanuel slid back all of its panels and unleashed a storm of missiles and lasers of pure light into the shadows. The pain that the shadows could not feel, was felt by Valoth. He was missing at least 1/4 of his body, and he couldn’t stand the pain. He couldn’t move. Even though a ship was so close...even though escape was so close...he couldn’t reach it.

 “He’s suffered enough.” Omicron announced.

 “No! He can never suffer enough!” Ryukai snarled. He remembered the memories of being ripped apart like Valoth was now.

 “We can’t waste the Exarch’s power on this!”

 “This is all that is left, Omicron!” Ryukai yelled as they continued to obliterate the waves of shadow energy. “Once he is gone...it is ALL over! All our pain and suffering...will finally be gone!”

 “Then end it now!” Omicron yelled. Phanuel charged up all its astral energy, and overloaded its systems. In one large blast, the shadows for a mile around them were destroyed.

 The astral energy filled the air, and removed the Souen from Sariel’s fangs. The Souen gathered around Ryukai, and he aimed his staff at Valoth. And in one single shot...it was over.

 A spear of finality burst forth from the staff. The crimes that Valoth had committed were translated into anger, which became power. The happiness they once had that was snatched away, became power. Their entire lives were destroyed, mutilated, their minds twisted. Pure rage was focused in the astral energy and the power was incredible.

 Unconfined, it would have destroyed everything. But Ryukai’s single goal gave the energy its own mind. It had one purpose, and all its energy was poured into that. As it pierced Valoth, it gave him no time to scream. And instead of going clean through the demon, it gathered inside him, and in a moment he was vaporized.

 An outside observer would see this as a quick victory. But to Ryukai, Omicron, and now Mika who was behind them...this was all their fighting. Time slowed down as they remembered, and when the astral spear struck Valoth....it was as if the universe exploded. 

 Everyone was silent. There was now time for emotion. There was time for victory, time to cry, time to laugh, time to be angry, time to be happy. And with so much time and freedom suddenly available...they had nothing to say.

And so the Exarch Gundams stood there. In silence. Their enemy, and the enemy of the world, was gone. They had freed every world...every world but one. And there was only one final resolution before their souls could truly rest. Valoth had brought disunity to each of them.

But now...is the time for unity. The time for Resolution.

Next Time on Gundam: Shadow- The first chapter of the Resolution chapters. Their journey is over, but their is one piece missing. When they freed the Darkness of Valoth's control, they freed everyone. And Valoth is gone everywhere, in every possible world...but one. One remains, a single world must reach its resolution to save everyone. 

Chapter 11: Apocalypse, Part 4 of 5: The Final Prison

Mika awoke and found herself in darkness. She felt horrible, like she had been knocked out. She slowly rolled over, and encountered a bright light. In front of her she could see three pillars, glowing a bright blue. No...those weren’t pillars. They were the Exarch DragonGuard!

 She stood up and looked around. Right now she was in a large half-spherical chamber. In the center were the three Gundams facing each other, and in the center was Valoth.

 Mika struggled to step forward. She slowly made her way into the light. “Valoth...”

“Oh, Mika. You’ve awoken. Welcome to the Shadow Circle.”

 “Shadow Circle?”

“This is where my plan will finally be realized. It is finally time for me to ascend to the level of a God. To go farther than those two idiotic Eternal Dragons.”
“What are you doing with the Gundams?” Mika asked.

 “The only way to defeat those two is to become Shadow. I need the power of Light, extreme light...your DragonGuard at their final level. It took you three such a long time to reach it, I’m a bit disappointed. Anyway, the Light combined with my natural Darkness, will create a great force of Shadow. And do you know what that will do?”

Mika was silent. Her eyes were angry, and this made Valoth smile.
“It will call forth the Shadowscythe. And those pathetic beings...I will merge with every single one of them. Then I shall be the ultimate Shadow being and this world will be mine.”

 “Do you need all the Gundams?” Mika asked.

“Yes.”

 “Good.” Mika said before exploding into a blue flame. The fire rocketed into Exarch Ramiel. The Gundam shimmered as the fire moved towards the pilot seat. And then, the world flashed.

***

 The mobile suit’s swords clashed. In a GEARS arena, two pilots were fighting each other as part of a class assignment. The professor, Denara, sat with the rest of the class in the stadium’s seats observing the students.

 The red mobile suit quickly withdrew its sword. This caused the opposing blue suit’s sword to rocket forward, in a perfect position to slice Red’s head off. But before it could reach, Red ducked and punched upwards. The force of the blow caused Blue to tumble forward, and was now flying through the air upside down.

Red spun around and leapt forward with it’s sword. Blue’s mobile suit was pierced. Both suits shut down immediately while the stadium’s systems made the announcement.

 “Winner! Red Pilot: Mika Ray!”

 The students in the stadium cheered. Denara was impressed. Mika was one of her best students, and was the best pilot she had seen in quite a while. She had already started to consider writing a letter of recommendation for the advanced course for her.

On the field, Mika and Blue walked back towards the stadium. “You’re going to have to do better than that if you want to fight the Shadowscythe.” she commented with a smirk.

 “It’s only our second week! You’re the odd one out. Some of the students here can’t even hit a stationary target.”

 “Well they have a long way to go.”

 “Hey, did you hear about the attack earlier today?” Blue asked.

 “No, what happened?”

“They say the Shadowscythe bombed one of the orbital stations. LOS-7 I think. Apparently everyone was killed. They even lost an Admiral. I think her name was Odessa.”

***

 Mika charged forth with her Gundam. She swung her broadsword at Valoth, but he simply sidestepped and stuck back with a roundhouse kick. Ramiel was pushed against the wall.

Reacting quickly, Ramiel threw a set of beam knives into Valoth. He groaned, but did not react as Mika expected. Instead of removing them he just charged forward and pinned Ramiel to the wall.

Ramiel charged its eye beams, but they were useless. Valoth acted quickly once again. This time he pushed Ramiel’s head sideways and the beams were released into the air.

“Pathetic. I expected more from an Exarch.”

That was when Mika noticed where Ramiel’s left palm was. It was adjacent to Valoth’s right arm. She activated her Astral Sword and the flame erupted from Ramiel’s palm and went straight through Valoth’s arm.

He screamed in pain. Mika used this opportunity to condense the sword into solid form and use it to swing Valoth away. The sword returned to flame and she made several quick cuts into Valoth’s flesh.

The beast fell over, in great pain. Ramiel prepared its final strike. Without the Gundam’s full power, the Astral system couldn’t be used to vaporize Valoth. But she could still plunge the sword deep into the heart of this monstrous being.

The sword plunged downwards, but was unable to connect. A tendril of shadow emerged from Valoth and knocked the sword aside. Mika could tell this was a reflex because Valoth himself had his eyes closed and was screaming in pain.

Mika struck again and again. But the tendril kept blocking. No, it wasn’t the same tendril. There were multiple tendrils emerging from the shadow. And with each strike one was vaporized and another came to defend Valoth.

On her twelfth strike, the sword disappeared. Her Astral Energy was too low to allow it to manifest. Ramiel raised its left arm, and an assault carbine unfolded from underneath. The tendrils once again came, but the blast from this weapon went straight through the shadow and into Valoth’s body.

He screamed in pain as the divine energy began to dissolve through his body. “Stop! Please!” he begged. “I’ll let your friends go..you can take your Gundams! Please, just leave!”

“Let me see them and then we can talk.” she said. She wanted to kill this demon now, but he was in critical condition. It was more important to make sure Omicron and Ryukai were safe. And if they were? Then she would finish him off.

Valoth said something in his own language, and a gate opened to reveal Omicron and Ryukai.
“Thank you, Valoth. Now it is time for you to die.” Mika announced.

A small laugh escaped through Valoth’s groans of pain. A large shadow tendril emerged and surrounded Ryukai and Omicron. Sharp teeth emerged from it.

 “Make another move, and I’ll devour them.” he announced barely managing a smile.

Next Time: Apocalypse, Part 5 of 5: Aversion

Chapter 10: Apocalypse, Part 3 of 5: War Through Reality

Chapter 10: Apocalypse, Part 3 of 5: War Through Reality

 “Wait...” Ryukai said. “This course leads...into Valoth?"

 In a great flash of blue the Gundams were gone. Before anyone could respond to Ryukai they found themselves in darkness.

 “I guess I’m back.” said a voice. Mika and Ryukai were surprised. The voice came from inside Exarch Phanuel. But it was not Zorbak.

 “Omicron?!” Mika and Ryukai exclaimed.

 “Yes. It’s me.”

 “How is this possible?” Ryukai asked.

 “This place, is a place that all the realities touch. Every single possible universe. And in most realities, I am Omicron and not Zorbak. We are the same person really, but this form is the one I am usually in.”

 “How do you know this?” Mika asked.

 “I don’t think I have time to explain. Right now we are at the center of everything. We are in the Shadows.”

 “My territory.” said a cold voice. The DragonGuard looked to see Valoth in his true form. It was the alien Shadowscythe form, not the form he took when he was pretending to be Omicron. All of their hate for him surfaced and they prepared for a fight.

 “You are truly at a great disadvantage here.” After he said those words, the shadows began to move. Shadow copies of SDF mobile suits began to appear. Thousands of them. Valoth disappeared as the mobile suits flew forward.

 Ryukai was the first to act. He knew in his new Gundam, Exarch Sariel, was designed for an attack like this. Sariel released its Fangs, which began to decimate the Shadow SDF’s. It only took a single shot to take one down. But for each one that was taken down, three more would appear from the shadows.

 This caused the others to act quickly. Ramiel leapt forward with its Radiant Broadsword, unleashing needles that destroyed nearby enemies as well as swinging at specific ones. Phanuel slid back many of its panels to reveal launchers of light, needles, and missiles.

 The sight of the battle was flashes of darkness and light. The enemies continued to swarm, and overwhelm them. They were fighting off the nearby enemies easily, but there were so many that they were making no progress towards Valoth.

 It almost felt like a battle they could not win. Until a voice spoke to them. “You fools! Unleash your full power. This is the final battle, there is no need to conserve your Astral Flame!”

 Each pilot looked towards the other, and together they agreed. Simultaneously they unleashed the full power of the Exarch DragonGuard. Ramiel summoned large wings of blue flame and fired waves of fire at the shadows as well as summoning tsunamis of the astral flame.

 More power was added to the attack as Sariel unleashed beams of light from its staff, that combined with Souen, created a grand moving web of flaming tendrils that pushed through the enemies.

 Phanuel finished off the attack by covering itself in an armor of blue flames. Combined with the large concentration of astral flame, the shield was greatly expanded and it thrusted forward slamming into the shadows.

 The range of the pure blue flame increased until there was a great crack. All of the shadow suits exploded and the area was lit up by the flame. Before them was a large set of red eyes.

 “Valoth?” Omicron asked.

“Do not confuse me with that monster. I am Darkness. All Darkness.”

 “That still makes you our enemy, doesn’t it?” Mika commented.

 “Fools. You mistake Darkness for your enemy. Your true enemy is Valoth, no one else. He stole the power of the Universe and has used it for evil. The Shadowscythe were not his to take.”

 “Are you telling us the Shadowscythe aren’t evil?” Ryukai asked.

 “They are Shadows. They are the result of my brother, Light and I. We are the Eternal Dragons that control this world. The Shadowscythe are a race of beings that used to inhabit this world alone. But then Valoth appeared from another world. He took them and rose against us. And now you are all that can stop him.”

 “When Drakath said that Valoth was the enemy of all...I had no idea this was what he meant.” Mika said shocked.

 “And he has trapped you here while he continues on with his plan.” Darkness said. “You must sever the tie he has created with me, remove his power, and then stop him in your world. I warn you though, this will destroy the bond that currently exists between all the worlds.”

 The DragonGuard could then see a chain connecting the Darkness to the Shadows. It was barely noticeable, but it was certainly there. Ryukai took the spear end of his scythe and cut through it easily.

 The darkness began to light up with the blue flame. It grew uncontrollably and began to devoureverything. The world began to disappear. They felt light, almost as if they were being consumed by the flame. And then..they felt nothing. They were gone from where they were a moment ago.

***

 “Welcome, new recruits to GEARS University.” Dean Warlic said with a smile. He was in the university’s large auditorium addressing the new students that had just gotten off the shuttle. “Before I begin with my opening speech, we’re going to make sure everyone is here. So please sign your name as the data pad is passed around.”

 The pad was signed by each student, one by one. Eventually it came to the last five students.

 “Artix” signed the first.

 “Lisa” signed the second.

 “Mika” signed the third.

 “Ryukai” signed the fourth.

“Omicron” signed the last.

Next Time on Gundam: Shadow of the Dragons

Apocalypse, Part 4 of 5: The Final Prison 

Chapter 9: Apocalypse, Part 2 of 5: The True Purpose

“It is time.” Drakath said from the Carrier. “Initiate the final secret of the DragonGuard...the Shadow of the Dragons System!”

Each of the DragonGuard saw a small black orb manifest. They each grabbed it, and felt it calling for an answer. “Activate?” it called out to them.

Responding to the call, they answered. The black orbs expanded, and were lit up by the flame. They could now see, they had become bombs. They planted themselves upon the planet-sized demon and exploded.

But the explosion was different than what you would expect. The bombs became voids that began to drain the power of the Demon Valoth, as well as the DragonGuard. Valoth lost some of his size...and the DragonGuard returned to normal Gundams. They were no longer living flame, but metal once again.

“What just happened?” Zorbak asked shocked.

“He is now confined to this world. To all worlds.” Drakath said. “This is your chance to free all the realities. Valoth is the manifestation of shadow in all of them. Defeating him here...will free everyone!” he yelled triumphantly. 

 All of them felt the change occur. There was a greater change than simply finding themselves in a true Gundam once again. The living flame, was now contained within them. They were able to perceive what Valoth truly was.

 “This has always been our goal.” Mika said. “Even if we didn’t know it.”

 “Our destiny.” Ryukai added.

 They were all ready for the final battle. Valoth was still gigantic, as large as several warships, but he was now equal to all of them. It was going to end here.

 “You think you have weakened me...” he said recovering from the massive amounts of pain that came with his power reduction. “But I will show you, I still possess great power. Arise, my Shadowscythe Army!”

 Inside the Carrier of Hope, Drakath growled. For Valoth had not raised an army in the form of an Armada, but living beings. From inside the ship, before his very eyes, monsters rose from the shadows.

 They were different from normal Shadowscythe though. They were twisted, almost a desperate attempt to take down the dragons. Drakath smiled seeing that they were not whole.

 “Drakath.” the beast in front of him said in a dark, growling voice. “Your race dies here.”

 “Valoth?”

 “Yes. I have transferred part of my consciousness into this vessel. And with it, you will fall.” the beast continued.

 “A desperate attempt. You should give up instead of putting us all through this.”

 The beast stared. It was not as intelligent as the real Valoth and even though it was partly him, it could not comprehend a statement like that.

 “This beast has been crudely crafted. My fleet is falling yes, my kind being slain, but this is only because you know you are about to fall. You are in great pain. You are a pathetic being and I truly feel sorry for you.”

 The Valoth Beast smiled. It leapt forward and dug its claw into Drakath’s body. Blood began to flow out of him and stain his scales. “Is this pathetic?”

 Drakath was still smiling. He didn’t put up a fight because he knew it wasn’t worth it. “While this message will never reach your true ears, it is worth saying. You have already lost. So much information about our kind has been lost...but those three know it now.”

 The Valoth Beast removed its claw from Drakath’s body and he fell to the ground. “Mika Ray, Ryukai, and Zorbak. They possess everything now. Even if shadow overwhelms us, they will survive. They are the last dragons.”

 The Valoth Beast didn’t understand. A stupid being like it couldn’t. But the real Valoth did, even if he wasn’t told it. He knew everything Drakath had said in his mind. This battle...was ending.

 The DragonGuard watched as the draconic fleet was destroyed internally. Ships began to explode out of nowhere. The shadows were killing all the dragons. Rage flared up within them.

 “We can’t save them.” Zorbak said, trying to focus their rage on the one responsible for this.“Focus on Valoth!”

 Mika and Ryukai didn’t want to abandon their friends. But they had no choice. They turned towards Valoth and prepared to fight. These suits were new, but their instincts told them how to operate it.

 Mika was the first to attack. “Exarch Ramiel.” she whispered, knowing the name of her angelic Gundam. A beam axe extended from its right hand and she flew forward towards and using all of the Gundam’s strength, she swung the axe and smashed it’s edge into Valoth.

 The sound was metallic. The strength of her attack rang throughout space and Valoth himself. Before he could react, Ryukai did the same.

 “Exarch Sariel.” he said. His Gundam, which now truly resembled a mage, lifted its great staff. Light energy gathered around it, before exploding into three beams of light. They zoomed towards Valoth, and then gave the appearance of wrapping around him. In reality, they were slicing his skin and then lodging themselves within him and exploding.

 Another metallic ringing sound. Throughout space, it rang. It had a strange effect on the DragonGuard. They didn’t understand it, but they knew it was exactly what they wanted to hear.

 Zorbak was last. “Exarch Phanuel.” His Gundam was a bit larger than before, and seemed to have no weapons besides the gun it held in its hand. Phanuel raised its gun and fired like a machine gun at Valoth. Each bullet caused more ringing.

 It intensified, and they could feel the vibrations bouncing throughout space. But it was more than that. Drakath had told him they were going to free every reality.

 Mika smiled. “That sound...its the sound of our fight everywhere isn’t it?”

 Valoth was now motionless. It seemed robotic, almost. All of the DragonGuard attacks seemed to have stopped it. “Has time..stopped?” Zorbak asked.

 Everything around them seemed silent. The ringing stopped. “Course calculated.” announced each Gundam to its owner. “Dimensional path prepared. Preparing suits for jump.”

 “Wait...” Ryukai said. “This course leads...into Valoth?”

 In a great flash of blue the Gundams were gone. Before anyone could respond to Ryukai they found themselves in darkness.

 “I guess I’m back.” said a voice. Mika and Ryukai were surprised. The voice came from inside Exarch Phanuel. But it was not Zorbak.

“Omicron?!”

Next Time on Gundam: Shadow of the Dragons

Apocalypse, Part 3 of 5: War Through Reality!

Chapter 8: Apocalypse, Part 1 of 5: Our Demon Foe

The shock ended. But the screams continued. As everyone awoke, they looked up, bleary eyed, at the cruel demon watching them.

“Do you see now why it was necessary?” Omicron said with a smile, as he always did.

“Now you can truly hate me, you can...” he began. A technician approached him and whispered something into his ear.

“How dissappointing. It seems Starbuck expired before you could see his memories. Oh well, he was worthless anyways. In sixty seconds you will all be free, and I will be gone. The hunt begins, soon.” he announced as he walked out of view.

Fire erupted on the fists of the Dragonguard. 55 seconds remained.

Their desire to kill Omicron ravaged their minds. 30 seconds remained.

The fire began to spread. The hate they had soon turned into a desire for justice. The blue flame began to engulf their bodies. 15 seconds remained.

Now each of them was covered in the ultimate power. The Astral Fire they had gained when they restored Zorbak. 10 seconds remained.

Their time for vengeance was now. 5 seconds remained.

Mika stared up, Ryukai clenched his fists, and Zorbak closed his eyes. 1 second.

A bright light burst from the seas of Loreon. The Poseidon exploded in flames that tore apart the water as three large comets of blue fire erupted upwards. The energy sent shockwaves across the surface of the planet.

“We will tear him apart.” Mika said as they rocketed into space.

“Omicron will be punished.” Ryukai said.

“For all the crimes he has committed against us and our friends.” Zorbak said.

Just as quickly as the Poseidon exploded, they were in space following a trail of dark energy that only they could see. As they broke through the atmosphere, they broke that which bound them.

The comets that they were exploded, and they did not lose speed, as they became the Astral Dragonguard Gundams. Each one of them was made of an unknown metal that could only be seen as light blue. The frames weren’t even completed, because the Gundams were each one of them.

The fire of their souls had erupted into the shape they desired. Mika’s desire to strike at the heart of Omicron caused Valkyrie to sprout wings that were eight times the size of the “mecha” and wield a halberd of equal size.

Zorbak’s desire to protect the innocent caused his “mech” to fall to pieces. The odd blue metal separated into three separate pieces that formed into gigantic shields protecting a sphere of intense blue fire that surrounded Zorbak.

Ryukai’s desire to punish Omicron, to torture him, caused his “mech” to condense around him. An infinite source of power condensed into a second skin of fire around him.

They weren’t pilots. These weren’t mechas. What they were now, was themselves. An incarnation of their desires. They flew through space of their own will, and the flames of the Astral Dragonguard followed them.

Their speed increased almost to the speed of light, as they finally caught up with Omicron. He was almost a mirror image of them. Except he was surrounded by a sphere of dark energy.

“You all look so angry, why not lighten up?” he said laughing. “Joke around with your old buddy, Omicron.”

“You are a demon.” Mika exclaimed.

“You are Valoth.” Ryukai added.

“You will never be Omicron. He was a good person.”

“Omicron was me. He was a fake. A delusion in your mental prison.” Valoth said taunting them. Mika struck with her halberd, but the dark energy deflected the giant weapon. Ryukai let loose a hellstorm of blue flame from his stored energy, it slowly ate away at the darkness, but was then deflected by Valoth’s will. Zorbak’s three shields surrounded Omicron and closed in, trying to squeeze the darkness, and illuminate it.

However, Valoth simply shattered the shields. Zorbak quickly regenerated each one, and then spoke. “Omicron was someone you tried to be. We may have been in a prison, but he was real. And you can never take away the True Omicron.”

Strengthened by Zorbak’s words, they all attacked once more. Mika’s halberd drove itself past the shadow and pierced Valoth. The demon roared and grabbed the halbered with his hands and thrust it outside of his dark sphere. Ryukai then created a wall of spikes in front of him out of the flame. They surrounded the shield and swept inwards, tearing it apart. All but three were destroyed, and those three pierced Valoth’s head, knee, and stomach.

Before the darkness could free him of the astral flames, Zorbak surrounded Valoth with his shields once more. As the spikes were thrust out of his body, they ricocheted off the blue metal and once again pierced Valoth.

Then they heard a roar. This time, it was truly a demon’s roar. It shattered the spikes and shields, and the dark energy expanded, grabbing onto the astral flames. But it could not hold them. Their Gundams repelled the darkness, and it collapsed into Valoth.

With another roar, he absorbed them and his body of flesh ripped apart. Red crystal wings coursing with doom energy sprouted from the body of shadow. The shadows grew, and Valoth’s size increased to one far larger than the Gundams.

The doom crystallized his entire body, and then shattered. His skin was now that of a true demon. His appearance was that of a demon. Shadow and doom had no influence here, this was their true enemy.

The Demon Valoth.

“Finish me!” he roared. “I dare you to use those flames, to try and overcome my might. You can not destroy me no matter how hard you try. Not even with an army at your side!”

“Lies!” yelled a voice from behind all of them. A large ship approached. It was the Carrier of Hope. The voice was that of Drakath. The emperor of the dragons was commanding his fleet, the draconic fleet behind him, from their old ship.

“You think you can destroy me? You pathetic dragons admitted defeat already. You left your fate in their hands...not even the Shadow of the Dragons can defeat me now!” Valoth proclaimed.

His demonic form plunged downwards into a planet....it was H. They hadn’t realized they were right outside of Essence. Within seconds, the planet exploded, and in its place was the Demon Valoth, now the size of the planet he consumed.

The army and the ADG looked upon the planet sized foe. “We will drag you back to Hell.” Mika exclaimed.

“Aren’t you the least bit frightened?” Valoth taunted.

“We have saved the world twice. Even if it was in a fake world...it was real to us. It was the same as this world.” Ryukai said.

“All this time, we have been preparing for this moment. And we will succeed. It is our destiny.” Zorbak proclaimed.

“It is time.” Drakath said from the Carrier. “Initiate the final secret of the DragonGuard...the Shadow of the Dragons System!”

Chapter 7: The Last Memory

Zorbak’s First Memory

“And finally Zorbak, this is Maria 5 former pilot of Guardian Spirit.” Warlic said.

“Hello, Maria.” Zorbak said introducing himself.

“Hi.” she responded with a smile. “If you don’t mind me asking...what are you? Your so tiny and cute.” she exclaimed.

“...I’m a moglin.” Zorbak said slightly embarrassed. He was about one fourth the height of everyone here, and was worried people wouldn’t take him seriously. Apparently he was right.

“I’ve never seen a moglin before. What planet are you from?”

“You would know it as Planet 51, but we call it H.”

“H?” she asked.

“That is what it sounds like in our language. It isn’t spelled like that of course, a one letter name for a planet is quite silly.”

Maria chuckled. “I suppose so. So, shall we go and see Guardian Spirit?”

“Yes.” Zorbak said. He was more at ease, now. Perhaps it was just the initial shock of seeing him that made her laugh. Perhaps we really was being taken seriously.

The two entered Guardian Spirit. It was much roomier than Zorbak had expected. They stood in a spacious spherical chamber with a single seat in the middle facing a monitor.

“Guardian Spirit is quite bulky, so there is plenty of space inside here.” she said.

They talked about the Gundam for a while, but then began to digress form the topic. They talked about Maria a bit before the conversation turned back upon Zorbak.

“Planet 51 has only a single moon, however it is quite large. Larger than each of Loreon’s combined.”

“That seems like it would be quite a sight.” she said surprised.

“It can be. We look forward to the setting of the moon instead of the sun. We aren’t exactly nocturnal...we wake and sleep when we please.”

“That sounds like such a stress free life. I’d love to go on a vacation there.”

“If only the leaders of H wished for visitors. They fear your kind, all kinds of species. So until a time when that changes, no one will be able to visit H except for moglins. Though they don’t care about Essence, our moon.”

“Do people visit it? That seems like it wouldn’t be fun at all.”

“Essence is a very lush place with unique gravity. You would definitely enjoy it more than being on H.”

“Perhaps I should visit then, sometime.” she said smiling.

Zorbak’s Second Memory

“Shadow of the Dragons?” Zorbak asked. “What is it?”

“I’m going to read it, and then you will see what I do.” Mika said cryptically.

This is the tale of the fall

of Dragonkind,

of Shadowkind,

of Mankind.

We sought out the power

of our Predecessors.

We found, Doom.

The Doom of the Shadowkind,

empowered them.

We were locked away,

within the Essence.

We built society,

and observed the outer world.

The Shadowkind

sent terrible beings

into the world.

We watched them destroy.

We knew we needed to save.

So we called upon our power,

the power of Light.

To build the Gundams to guard us,

To guard Dragonkind.

But where there is Light,

there is Shadow.

They would find us,

if we used its power.

If we unlocked the mysteries of the world,

The Astral Power would cast a great beacon.

So, it was up to them...

To Mankind.

To darken our light,

To strengthen themselves,

and to awaken the Light

when the Shadow grew weak.

This will bring forth the Shadow of the Dragons,

a force that will destroy all,

or save all.

Our last chance,

to save the world.

To apologize for what we have done.

We pray to Mankind,

we pray they will save us all.

The Shadow of the Dragons,

shall be the End of the Dragons.

SoTD Chapter 6: Mika Ray

Chapter 6: Mika

Mika’s First Memory

“I will introduce you to each other so you can learn all you need to know about the Gundams. Mika Ray, this is James Starbuck the former pilot of Phoenix. Ryukai, this is Odessa Pureheart, former Swordmagi pilot. And finally Zorbak, this is Maria 5 former pilot of Guardian Spirit.” Warlic said.

“Hello, Ms. Ray.” Starbuck said with a smile on his face.

“Captain Starbuck.” she responded. “So this is Phoenix...” she said looking at the Gundam. It was definitely not like any mobile suit she had ever seen before. In fact, she knew calling it a mobile suit would be wrong.

“I’m sorry that I’m not prepared to give you a tour. This happened quite unexpectedly.” he said with a chuckle.

“That’s fine.” she responded coldly.

“But it is still possible...please, follow me.”

Mika’s Second Memory

“Just like Ryukai, you are.” Omicron said angrily. “How is it that my creations aren’t strong enough to fight university students?”

“What do you mean just like Ryukai?” she said, ignoring everything else.

“Oh that’s right. You know it better as the ‘elevator accident’.” Omicron said smiling sinisterly. “Unfortunately, that isn’t exactly what happened. Soon enough you will learn, you will experience, what happened to him.”

Just then the door to the basement was kicked open. Ryukai ran in with Zorbak, and the two hurried over to Mika.

“Zorbak, free Mika. And run.” Ryukai commanded. The moglin nodded and untied Mika and began to leave.

“I’m not leaving him.” she said to Zorbak.

Before Zorbak could respond, she was next to Ryukai and facing Omicron. The man there...no, whatever demon it was hiding inside a man’s body...was smiling. He never stopped smiling.

“Even all three of you combined couldn’t stop me. Isn’t that right, Ryukai? Oh wait. You can’t tell anyone or you will have a fun little episode...”

“What did you do to him?” Mika demanded.

“A little bit of rewiring in his brain. I also found some very interesting genetic sequences, and I can’t wait to find out if they are in you too.”

“You won’t be doing that.” Ryukai protested. He wanted to leap forward and rip Omicron apart.

“And how are you going to stop me? Did you ever stop to think that I also changed other parts of you? Maybe if you try to attack me you will find yourself sprawling on the ground and gasping for air. Who knows? Oh wait...I do.” he taunted.

“Let’s find out.” he said, surprising Omicron. Ryukai rushed forward and threw a left hook punch at Omicron. His fist connected, and there was a squishing sound as his face collapsed and a green liquid oozed out.

Ryukai looked at his fist, and when he did he noticed an odd phenomena. The green liquid was being converted into dark wisps of energy and they flowed back into Omicron’s face, but they did not repair it.

“So you really can do permanent damage to me.” he said, with half of his face comprised of living shadow.

“Darkness...” Mika uttered. “No. You can’t be...we can’t be...” she began.

“This night hasn’t gone as planned at all.” Omicron commented. “I’ll be back after I rethink my strategy.” With that he melted into shadow energy which searched the room for an exit. It found a small crack in the wall, and in seconds was gone.

Mika’s Third Memory

Zorbak, Ryukai, and Mika were all sitting at a table in the GEARS University library. In front of them was an old book. It had been perfectly preserved.

“It was from the year 2012.” commented the librarian, Maya, before leaving them to study its contents.

“So do we finally get to learn about what you continue to ramble on about, Mika?” Zorbak asked.

“Yes. I’m sorry, but this is the evidence I needed to confirm it.” she responded. “If this book says what it should...then, everything will make sense.” Mika opened the book and skipped through the blank pages. She knew they would be there. She finally reached text around the middle of the book.

“The Prophecies of the Domus?” Ryukai asked. “Are these...the House Prophecies?”

“Yes.” Mika said. “However, this isn’t what I am looking for. Long ago on my home planet...no, that planet I lived on, the one that was certainly no home to anyone...I came across this book. And in it, it spoke of not only the GEARS prophecies, but it foretold future events from another source. I brought this book here for Maya to look after.”

“What other source?” Zorbak asked.

“The dragons.” She said turning to the page where a large dragon was sketched. It surrounded the heavens and beneath it there was ancient draconic writing.

“What does it say?” Ryukai asked.

Mika replied: “The Shadow of the Dragons.”

SoTD Chapter 5: Ryukai

Ryukai’s First Memory

“These are the true pilots of the Dragonguard.” Warlic announced acknowledging Ryukai and two others. “Mika Ray will be piloting Phoenix, Ryukai will be piloting Swordmagi, and Zorbak will be piloting Guardian Spirit.”

Warlic then continued on. “I will introduce you to each other so you can learn all you need to know about the Gundams. Mika Ray, this is James Starbuck the former pilot of Phoenix. Ryukai, this is Odessa Pureheart, former Swordmagi pilot. And finally Zorbak, this is Maria 5 former pilot of Guardian Spirit.”

“Hello, Admiral Pureheart.” Ryukai said shaking her hand.

“Ryukai.” she said. “I have to say this is a surprise, Warlic never said he was going to pick different pilots for the DragonGuard.”

“Well he didn’t tell us why we had to pilot them either...” Ryukai explained. “So I’m sorry if you wanted answers.”

“Honestly, I am not sure what he means when he says that we should show you guys how the Gundams work. I have no idea what Swordmagi is capable of.”

“I’ll learn in time.” Ryukai said displaying a positive attitude.

“Now let’s go talk to Warlic about this. I’m not going to hand over my Gundam to a complete stranger.” she said with a smile.

The two walked over to the Dean who was talking to a student. “May we borrow you for a moment?” Odessa asked.

“Of course.” he said turning to her and Ryukai.

“I’d like to know why you are giving our Gundams away.” she asked bluntly.

“Trust me when I say these students are the most fit. We searched through the genetic records of GEARS and had a professional select the best candidates.”

“A professional?” Ryukai asked.

“Yes. In fact I can introduce you to him. He’s currently waiting for all of us at the Knife and Spork.”

With that, Warlic gathered everyone and they walked towards the Knife and Spork. They begin to move away from their pairings and mingled with each other. Everyone soon knew one another’s name and the type of person they were.

At the Knife and Spork, Warlic guided them to a large table in the back room where a man in a black suit was sitting.

“Everyone, this is Omicron of Soluna Genetics.” Warlic said introducing them.

Ryukai’s Second Memory

“Omicron.” Ryukai said angrily. He was on the floor, in a pool of his own blood.

“I’m quite surprised Ryukai. A typical member of RuneHawk wouldn’t have been able to take down seven of my men like that. Perhaps you are more of a brute?” he laughed.

“What the hell do you want with me?” Ryukai said insulted.

“I want to find out what makes you....you. Your genetic profile is very interesting, which is why I chose you. Sorry for bringing you to such a place like this in such circumstances...but I need my answers. From each and every one of you.”

They were in a dark cellar located near the base of GEARS University. Ryukai held his side in pain. “I won’t let you get to the others.”

“I don’t really think you have a choice.” Omicron noted. “Now let’s open up that precious brain of yours and do a little exploring. I promise that tomorrow, you will remember all of this, but will find yourself unable to speak of it.”

“What?” Ryukai asked.

“If you try to tell anyone what I am about to do to you, and that goes the same for the others when it is their turn, you will find yourself having an extremely painful and lucid seizure.”

Omicron’s body then began to change. His skin “unfolded” and darkness poured out of it. The darkness wrapped around his human shell and bright red energy erupted from his eyes and claws. The next thing Ryukai felt was cold. A dark cold feeling that would be impossible to describe.

Ryukai’s Third Memory

“You were terribly injured.” Nurse Helia said to Ryukai who was laying in the Infirmary of GEARS.

“What...happened?” he asked. He knew what happened last night, but he did not know what everyone else was told.

“There was an incident involving the elevator. It was utterly destroyed while you were in it. It is a miracle you weren’t killed.” she explained.

“How are you doing?” asked a voice. Ryukai turned his head to see Odessa and the others from yesterday were all gathered.

“I’m doing fine. A bit traumatized...” he said knowing it was a vast understatement.

“We will have to find a temporary replacement pilot for Swordmagi, it seems.” Warlic said. “I’ll contact Omicron.”

“No! I’m fine!” Ryukai yelled out. He needed to warn them somehow of what Omicron...no, that dark creature, would do to anyone he selected as being “genetically interesting.”

“Listen to me...” he began. “Stay together. Make sure that you don’t go near...aaaggh!” he screamed in pain. He twisted and convulsed in the hospital bed. The pain, was everywhere. He suffered physically and mentally. He couldn’t feel anything but the pain, but he knew he cried.

He cried because he knew it was hopeless. There was no way he could warn Mika and Zorbak. They would all experience the same nightmare, but they would not be able to speak of it.

So there was only one solution. As he screamed in pain, he yelled in his mind. “I WILL KILL OMICRON.”

Next Up: Chapter 6-Mika Ray: With the revelations of Ryukai experienced by all, what memories of Mika will be shared?