Hello everyone, Flame/Alyx here.

Well, I'm gonna come right out and state my decision, that being that only the next two chapters, this current one and Chapter 17, will be dedicated to the Herrscher of Sentience.

I apologize to those who wanted a properly lengthened arc but the more I thought it over, the more it clashed against what I already had laid out after it with the Herrscher of Domination Arc.

Not to worry though cause I'll be attempting my best to cram enough important information concerning this part of the story into these two chapters.

I hope y'all understand and respect my decision and I also am really grateful for all the votes and feedback I got over this decision so thanks.

My spring break from college begins next week so I'll try to be a lot more actively during that time, assuming my time isn't being useful up by Persona 3 Reload's New Game+(I need help that game is my addiction).

Also, the Bronya seggs chapter for Valkyrie Escapades will begin production after this chapter so stay tuned.

Enough rambling, let's get the show on the road.

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A week and a half had passed since the events that took place at Coral as Alex, Mei, and Raven had all settled back down at Serpent HQ.

In the time since, not a single word had yet come from Kevin as the man himself was still weirdly absent from everything that was going on in the base.

Though Alex didn't really care, he did find this odd as seeing that Kevin was the one in charge, he figured that he'd at least drop by once in a while and if not, leave a message occasionally as it had been dead since on his end.

Despite that, the days went by smoothly as Alex and Mei were frequently together having usual conversation around the base as Mei would stay to continue training while Alex would be sent out on minor mercenary requests given to him by Raven so the boy could remain busy.

All the while Raven would keep monitor on his infected left arm to make sure that it remained in check and didn't cause more harm than it already has.

Needless to say, Alex was more or less enjoy himself despite the fact that he was basically under house arrest.

Especially more so that he was now being watched wherever he went after Jackal had found out that he temporarily had gone rogue and abandoned the team to help the Ice Herrscher.

Currently, Alex and Mei were hanging around the Serpent's main lounge area along with Raven as the three currently had nothing to do.

That was until Jackal had entered the area and called to their attention.

"What is it?" Asked Raven.

"We've finally received word from the Sire. He wants to go over what happened at Coral. The transmission will be up on the roof. Head there in a few minutes." She said.

Mei and Raven would nod though Alex simply got up, hooking his sword onto his back and placing his hands in his pockets as he walked past her.

"And where do you think you're going?" Asked Jackal.

"I'm going for a walk in the city. I want no business with Jack Frost." He said as Jackal just sighed.

"You're already under surveillance for your actions at Coral. You seriously wanna be under stricter regulations?" She asked.

"Kid. If you don't go, it's likely that the sire will enact a severe punishment on you." Said Raven.

Alex remained silent for a bit before shrugging her off.

"He doesn't scare me. I'll be back. And don't worry I'll be safe." Was all he said as he'd wave to them goodbye before leaving the lounge.

Raven too would sigh as Mei stood up and reassured her.

"Well I'll guess it'll just be you two. Don't forget." Said Jackal as she walked back to her office.

Mei and Raven would soon make their way up to the roof as there in the middle was a device to receive transmission calls.

Raven would approach and turn it on as after a few rounds of static, a life-sized hologram of Kevin would appear before them.

The male would look around, realizing that Alex wasn't present.

"Where is he?" He asked.

"The boy declined to come. He went out on a walk in the city." Said Raven.

"I see."

"Is, Alex gonna be facing any punishment for his actions in Coral?" Asked Mei as Kevin surprisingly shook his head no.

"Despite Alex temporarily defecting to assist the Herrscher, it ultimately amounted to nothing. He even helped in taking it down so I see no reason to do so." Said Kevin as the two girls nodded. "Speaking of the mission, congratulations. You all did well."

Mei would remain quiet for a bit, seemingly thinking over something before she spoke.

"Tell me something. Did you predict that I'd suppress and seize the Herrscher Cores by utilizing my powers?" She asked.

"You realized that solution on your own." Said Kevin, denying her claim.

"Did you ever consider what would've happened if I failed?"

"Not once. From here on out, you'll only succeed."

Mei again remained quiet for a moment before speaking.

"What makes you so confident on that?"

"The eruption in Coral gave birth to two Herrschers that fused into one by having one's core be consumed by another, becoming a far stronger entity. You did something similar. You conquered........Herrscher.................powers.............."

Kevin's transmission suddenly began to go static towards the end as Mei had a hard time hearing that last bit.

Before Mei could ask what he said, Kevin's hologram began to flash, the static getting worse before it eventually shut down on its own suddenly.

"Hm? What happened?" Asked Raven as Mei walked over to the status screen and looked at it.

"The comm links are down. This isn't a signal interface either. Something else is going on here nearby." Said Mei.

"So we got an emergency. Alright I'll get the base on lock down and inspect everywhere. I suggest you go get the kid. He could be in danger." Said Raven.

Mei nodded and quickly head out into the city.

'Where ever you are, please be safe Alex.'

[Meanwhile]

As Alex walked along the city streets, not really paying attention to where he was going, he wound up ending up in the same area where he had fought Mei when he attempted to leave the World Serpent's base after first being brought there.

The boy would look up and around the surrounding buildings as he just sighed and had a slight chuckle.

"How the hell did I end up here of all places?" He asked himself, closing his eyes. "Must be fate I guess."

As Alex said that last part jokingly to himself, he grabbed his left arm as for the past couple of minutes, it would tingle for a bit, seemingly reacting to something as Alex himself also felt like he was being watched.

He tried to ignore it but the feeling had only grown stronger and stronger.

Now that he stood in this plaza, he was very sure that what he was feeling wasn't just in his head.

After taking a deep breath, he opened his eyes and look behind him to see the presence he was sensing.

"I always seem to encounter some strange things here." Said Alex.

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Chapter 16: Complete