[Inner Central Cavern]

The inner cavern was still intact, but dust as thick as clouds covered the narrow hallway. Kuroshi pushed the male rebel back while Hideo's father kept the tied up Dan safe from the vines as the rebels attempted to take him back.

"You know, if you aren't going to show me anything interesting, move out of the way!" Kuroshi yelled, flicking him with a single finger. The man collided into a rock throne, shattering it into pieces. "Now, that wasn't too bad, was it?"

"Kuroshi, do not drop your guard!" Hideo's father said as he sliced an incoming vine.

"It'll be okay," Kuroshi said, waving his hand dismissively. "I doubt their leader is much stronger."

"Is that so?" a female voice called out, yet there was no one to be seen. "Ayao, kill this prideful man."

Kuroshi stepped back as a serpent sprung out of the vines.

Hideo's father stabbed the vines with his solar staff, but the serpent slithered away and coiled itself around the weapon.

"I have been waiting for you, lord of these lands," the female voice called out. "Now, how about we start discussing the terms for peace? That is, if you wish for your son to be returned to you."

"Get away from it! Don't let it bite you!" Kuroshi yelled as he turned around. He gasped as he felt a knife press against his neck.

"You let your guard down as expected," said the man from before as he pressed the knife in further. "Now, your blood shall feed our revolution, dog of the crown!"

Kuroshi chuckled as darkness sprung out of his neck. He didn't seem to feel any pain at all.

"You shouldn't be too sure. Dark Blood! Cat's Howl!" the cloaked man yelled. Shadows flung out of the cut in his neck and went around the male rebel. The blood had taken on the shape of what looked to be cat fangs.

The rebel quickly backed away and formed two wooden shields around him out of thin air.

"What?" the serpent said, turning its head away from Hideaki. It narrowed its eyes at Kuroshi. "That technique..."

"What's wrong, Ayao?" the woman's voice called out.

"To think there was someone other than that dastard Tekeshi who can use such a technique."

"Dastard?" Kuroshi asked. He crossed his arms and scoffed. "Tekeshi was a good kid."

"Good?" the female's voice cried out. "You call the one who took my father's life good? The one who destroyed my family and dukedom?"

"Your family? Tekeshi didn't destroy anyone's family," Kuroshi said, surprised.

"Of course, he did! He killed my father while your king killed my mother! If Tekeshi wasn't dead, then I would gladly kill him with my own two hands," she said, glancing down at her twitching hands. Vines erupted in all directions.

"Sister! Stop!" the duke yelled as he dropped his staff.

"Huh?" the serpent said, turning its eyes on him anew. It slithered away from the staff in surprise. "Your eyes, they're the same as my previous owner."

"What's your name?" the woman's voice cried out.

"You mean, you don't know?" Hideaki asked.

"Honestly, I only know that you are of the same house as me. You're seen as a traitor to the Makkuroyama, a man undeserving of the name. But apart from that, we knew nothing else. The people would only refer to you as 'Sir' or 'Lord' Makkuroyama.

"It also doesn't help that in public you would often be veiled. That made uncovering who you were difficult as there could be decoys," Lorenzo added. "Kidnapping Dan helped decipher your identity once and for all."

"Not quite, dear," the rebel leader's voice echoed. She stared back at the Duke. "He hasn't told us his name yet."

The duke picked up his staff and stared at the serpent in the eyes. He snickered. "I'm Hideaki Makkuroyama, son of former Grand Duchess Kazane Makkuroyama and ex-Seven Flame, Hideyoshi Kasai no Ki," he said. He glared at the serpent as he approached it. "If what you claim is true, then that means that all this time you were alive. How could you have fallen this low, big sister? Using our mother's weapon on a child like this?"

"You call her sister, yet you aren't worthy!" said the green-haired man as he sliced the dark teeth-like tendrils sprouting from Kuroshi's neck using blades of wind.

"My husband speaks the truth," Hideaki's sister said. A majestic-looking green-haired woman stepped out of the wall of vines.

"Master," Ayao said, slithering over to her.

The woman smiled at the serpent. "Thanks for everything, Ayao. That's all for now."

"Are you sure, Mistress?"

She nodded.

"Alright," the serpent said as it glowed bright green. In an instant, it dissolved into green flames.

She turned to look at her brother. "How did you end up becoming a dog to the crown, Hide? They're the same people who ordered the destruction of the Kasai no Ki along with our own dukedom. Our land is no more, splintered by the new king to prevent another uprising like the one our parents lead!"

"I won't deny that King Orlin made mistakes, but so did Father and Mother," Hideaki said as he spun his staff slowly. "We should never have allied ourselves with the Kasai no Ki when they were fighting a civil war. The former Kasai no Ki king used our dukedom to ferment discontent in Kuroriku. It gave him time to end his own clan's centuries-long civil war. In the end, our actions doomed both our people and that of the Kasai no Ki."

"We are Kasai no Ki!" his sister shouted, causing the walls of the small stone hall shake.

Hideaki's golden eyes fell to the dust-covered floor.

"We are also Kuroriku, but first most we are individuals. You still cling to the past, seeking to amend the wrongs through the use of violence, which in turn only wrongs others! You may be my sister but in the end, what you did to Dan was just as bad as what our Kuroriku brethren did to our dukedom!"

The woman gasped. "No, it's..."

"It is!" Hideaki said, shaking his head. "To get your way, you were willing to resort to taking an innocent as a hostage, and even now that you know the one whose soul you hold is that of your nephew, you still won't step down. You wish to know why I became a 'dog of the crown'? I did so to provide some sense of peace to our people, to give them a homeland. Isn't that what you also desire?"

"Yes, but..."

"But what?" he snapped, swinging his staff. "You rebels spout platitudes about how you're oppressed, yet are you truly? During all these years, I held resentment as well. Yet, I contained it for the sake of not only myself but of our people. As the son of the former Grand Duchess, I was seen as the perfect candidate to heal the wounds. It hasn't been easy to convince everyone, as you can attest to. Yet, I won't give up until I can pacify the region. Not for the crown but for the sake of its inhabitants who are tired of all the fighting."

Zaki brought her hands close to her chest and looked down. "Brother..."

***

[Years Ago]

"Big sis, wait up!" called out a white-haired boy as he tried his best to catch up with his sister.

"As if, Hide! I'm going to win this race!" his older sister said as she ran through thick bamboo-like grass over a meter taller than her.

"I can't," Hide said as he came to a crawl. His body wobbled as he grabbed a grip of a stalk of grass for support.

"Hide?" his sister called out, turning around. She sighed. "You really need to get out more, Hide." She held her hand out for him and giggled. "Come, let's go back.

Hide grunted as he took her hand. He mouthed out, 'thanks, sis'.

He raised his head toward the sky. When they first left town, it was clear, but now it was covered in smoke. The thunder in the distance they had heard for the past couple of hours grew closer and wouldn't stop.

"Odd, I don't recall any fires were scheduled for today. Could it be wildfires triggered by the thunderstorm? Come, Hide, we need to get going."

Hide didn't move. His eyes were focused on the black-winged beings flying in the sky, shooting arrows and throwing spears at something.

"What? What's going on?"

"Hmph, it was only a bunch of children," a voice called out as stalks of grass fell over. Emerging from the grass was a black-haired teen wearing golden armor, which exposed his chest and abdomen. His golden eyes narrowed as he noticed the clothes they were wearing. They seemed to be made out of silk. "Are you two nobles?"

"Ma-maybe," the girl stuttered. She snuck a glance over at Hideaki, who was shaking.

The teenager reached his hand out for them. "In that case, you'll be coming with me!"

"Why?" Hideaki said, letting go of his sister's hand.

"Your dukedom is no more," the teenager said. "Now, come with me peacefully, and you'll be spared."

"It's no more?" Hideaki's sister asked. Her eyes shifted toward the sky above, and then it hit her. The weapons, they were the source of the thunder they had heard since they'd left home. "You're invaders!"

Hideaki stepped back and fled further into the tall grass.

"Hey!" the teen yelled.

"Run, Hide!" his sister yelled as she blocked the teen's path.

"Get out of my way," he said, slapping her and sending her colliding into stalk after stalk of bamboo-like grass.

"Hide..." She tried to get up, but every bone in her body ached. Still, she couldn't stand by and do nothing. She had to save her younger brother.

"Went out to town to get me some milk, and I find the place in flames," she heard someone grumble.

Is it one of them? No, I...

"Hmm?" a young man dressed in rags said as he came up the clearing that had formed when the teenage invader sent the girl flying. He gasped as he saw the bleeding girl. "Hey, are you alright?" he asked, rushing over to her. He came to a halt and squatted next to her. His golden eyes widened as he saw the full extent of her wounds; some bones were bent in awkward angles. "Damn, those monsters really aren't going easy on anyone."

"Please, help Hide," the girl said, her eyes closing. "My brother... needs help. The one... who did... this... is... after him"

"First, let me treat those wounds," he said as he reached for the brown sack strapped to his belt. He opened it up and took out several herbs and applied them over her face and arms. "Oh, hear my pleas, sacred goddess, mother of all in heaven and earth. Heal this girl." A green aura surrounded the girl as the anchor-shaped necklace around the boy's neck glowed in the same color.

"Thanks," the girl said, wincing as her bones were put back into their proper place.

"No need to mention it. Now, wait here. I'll go locate your brother!"

***

[Present]

Zaki blinked away tears. She stepped forward and reached a hand out to her younger brother.

"Oh, Hide. No matter how much we searched, neither Lorenzo nor I could find you," she said, caressing his face. "I always assumed you had died at the hands of Eiji."

She turned away and covered her mouth as tears dripped down her face.

"I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have done what I did. I'll fix it now." She waved her hand toward Dan, causing a small lime-green sphere to emerge from her right hand. The soul entered the rabid young man, bringing his thrashing to an end.

"Zaki," Hideaki said, staring at her and his child.

Zaki knelt down and smiled at the sight of Dan's sleeping face. "When I first saw this boy, I couldn't help but think about the little brother I lost on that fateful day. It hurt me to have to use him, but it had to be done. I could not let the horrors of that day go. Not after having lost my entire family. Perhaps if I had you, I would have been slightly less vengeful, or perhaps my mindset would have affected you too like it has done with my children."

"About your children. That daughter of yours," Hideaki said, lowering his eyes. "When I met her, I sensed something odd about her."

"While she might not look like it, Suzu is a sensitive child," Zaki said, moving away from Dan. "Yet she had a strong desire to aid us in our revolution. Unknown to us, she ended up invoking a demon to give her the strength to fight. If it weren't for her angel tool, she would've been taken over by that demon by now." She closed her eyes. "You noticed it too, didn't you? The brief surge in demonic aura outside."

Hideaki continued to avert his eyes and nodded. "Yes."

Zaki shook her head. "I should've listened to her when she told me not to go this far. Fortunately, she got knocked out before taking the next step, else she could've lost herself completely."

Lorenzo gritted his teeth. "I should've paid more attention to her." He rubbed his forehead and shook his head. "It's my fault for pushing her into this."

"Hideaki, Kuroshi!" a voice called out. The rocks preventing their escape were pushed aside from the outside. Standing at the hall's entrance was none other than Eiji himself.

Zaki stepped back, eyes were filled with rage. "So, you finally came. Hand over my daughter and son, and I'll drop this!" she yelled as vines danced around her arm.

Eiji stared at the sleeping Dan and snickered. "You don't appear to have any leverage anymore."

"We don't need any to deal with you!" Lorenzo yelled as he gripped the hilts of his swords.

"Stop! Let me handle this," Hideaki said, stepping in front of his sister and brother-in-law. "Let her and Lorenzo go. I'll take the blame for it."

"Nope, you can't do that," Kuroshi said, his eyes narrowed.

Lorenzo's grip on his swords tightened as he readied himself to fight against Kuroshi and Eiji. "I see. If Reno and Suzuki are to be executed for treason, then we'll go out fighting after all. Or at least I will!" the man yelled as he charged at Eiji.

Kuroshi sighed and slapped the swords out of the rebel's hands. He calmly turned to look at Lorenzo. "Hey, let me finish, will you? I meant to say that I'll take the blame. After all, despite Osamu hating me, he knows he can't punish me. He needs me."

"Needs you?" Hideaki asked, raising an eyebrow.

Lorenzo leered at him. "Is that so?"

Zaki scoffed. "We should've focused all of our forces against you then."

Kuroshi chuckled. "That would've been bitter-sweet for Osamu."

"Right, well, bug eyes hates and needs me too," Eiji said, shrugging. "But you can take the scolding if you wish. Unlike you, I am no masochist."

Kuroshi grumbled. "Hey, now, neither am I!"

"You're honestly letting us go?" Zaki asked as she glanced back and forth between Kuroshi and Eiji.

"Yes, ironic, isn't it?" Eiji asked, turning his back to her. "Just so you know, I do not blame you for hating me, but please do not place your hatred on those who had nothing to do with the war."

Zaki let out a cynical chuckle. "To be spared by the enemy, how humiliating. Lorenzo, revert your angel tool back to its item form. We're leaving this place." She turned to look at her brother. "Sorry for everything, little brother."

Hideaki smiled weakly. "It's a good thing that no one lost their life in all of this. Else this might've been more difficult."

"Really?" Lorenzo asked as he picked up his weapons.

Eiji nodded. "I apprehended all of your colleagues. Unfortunately, they, along with your children, will be held in our custody."

Lorenzo stopped himself from reverting his swords back to their anchor necklace form. "Custody?" he asked, stepping forward.

"Calm down, Lorenzo! I said to revert your angel tool back to its inactive form," Zaki yelled, putting a hand on his shoulder.

Her husband stared at her. "Zaki, we can't..."

She turned her head away. "Enough, Lorenzo. We knew that there would be a price to pay if we lost." She glanced at her brother. "So, when will they be freed?"

"In five years," Hideaki said, lowering his head. "It's the shortest sentence I think I can get King Osamu to approve."

The rebel leader gasped. Her yellow-green eyes peered at the rock floor beneath her feet. "I... I see."

"Normally," Kuroshi said, crossing his hands over his chest and leaning against the vine-covered cavern wall. He raised an index finger. "There is one way for them to get out quicker, and that's for them to join the military. Well, for your kids. The other rebels would be cannon fodder, and I think we got plenty of that at the moment to work with."

"Cannon fodder?" Zaki said as she narrowed her eyes at him. "You dare call your own soldiers that?"

Kuroshi sighed. "Well, even your own kids can be regarded as cannon fodder as they are now when it comes to what we'll be up against." His eyes grew serious. "Hmph, even we can be regarded as such."

"What is the crown planning," Lorenzo asked, eyeing Kuroshi and Eiji suspiciously. "Who are you going up against?"

The masked man took his back off the wall.

"We are getting ready to counter an invasion of our own. Though chances are that we might fall far quicker than the old Makkuroyama dukedom did. And by 'we' I do not mean only Kuroriku, but the entire universe of Zionia itself."

**Solar Note: Thanks for reading :3. If you enjoyed this episode then click on that star! What did you think of the revelation? Were you surprised? Also, what do you think of the upcoming threat? Think that Tetsuya and co. will be able to survive what is to come?**