A/N: Yo! New chapter fam!

Broke my personal record again with this 30k words chapter, strange that I find this story easier to write than TBDE.

I hesitated with moving forward to be honest, mostly because I had planned all along to put them as the first enemy, I didn't really expected that real world events would lead to this sentiment translated in the streets of real life Europe. I thought of maybe changing the course since I had already publicly stated my displeasure with them, I don't want people to think this story is propaganda. But I have to commit, this was the course of the story from the start and I would be a coward if I turn back now. So, I'm inclined to remind you that this story is entirely FICTION, if your country, beliefs or religion is shown as an enemy or in a negative way in my story, it's not because I have something against them, is simply for the sake of the story. Remember that you're not reading the story of a hero and his heroic group, you're reading the story of a man doing what he has to for the sake of his home, even destroying others.

With that said, thank you for continue reading this story, it means a lot to me!

Off with it then.

Hell Bells

"Bloody fucking hell…" An extremely tired Derek Morningstar muttered to himself as he leisurely walked through the darkened streets of Luxembourg City, on route to the last meeting of the day, "I'm a fucking dragon god and even so… they mauled the shit out of me." He took in the cold breeze of December's night fully, letting it quell the exhaustion he had right now.

The reason of the silverette's attitude, was the fact that he had spent the last five hours having a very tense meeting with his mates, then his teammates and the rest of the people under his wing.

Without a doubt, the one he had with Rias, Akeno, Tsubasa and Seekvaria, who had teleported herself to Luxembourg the moment the news reached the eastern side of the globe, was excruciating for him. Not that he could blame their anger of course, it was totally warranted and understandable.

They acknowledged the need for him to keep quiet, understanding fully that someone with his blood, was going to be received with both open arms and full on hostility, so it was understandable that the son of the Devil decided to keep it to himself.

But they still felt very hurt by such a huge secret, Seekvaria especially, as she was the very first and the fact that both Tiamat and Kuroka knew the truth about him, the former because she could sense it through their bond and the latter because she was the one that stabilised his vital essence after he went Juggernaut, therefore feeling the unmistakable presence of divine blood, fired up Seekvaria's rage even more, feeling as if she wasn't being appreciated.

Tiamat was also there, though since she already knew, decided to remain quiet until she stepped in to defend Derek, telling her Harem sisters that the Morningstar blood was something that went beyond any form of relationship, as it was more of a curse than anything else.

But it was Derek that surprised them all when he genuinely apologised, explaining that they were right to be angry at him, more so than the rest. Their bond was a sign of their trust, and perhaps it was because of what Gabriel said to him, but Derek admitted that he was being a real asshole to them.

It was a huge shock for them all, Tiamat included, when he continued saying that always telling them that that was just the way he was was no longer an excuse, he needed to mature and take on the full responsibility that came with being their man. It brought tears to Seekvaria's eyes when he promised them to do better for them, as she never, ever expected to hear that from him.

Now, if only he told them those three magic words they all itched to hear.

But it was one step at a time for the Red Dragon, Derek has never really felt anything close to what a normal guy would, he knew nothing of how to behave in this kind of situations and basically, was only going to try for their sake. Because no matter how hard he tried to deny it, without them he would be absolutely lost.

"Ah shit…" Derek whispered while his head remained down, walking almost on automatic through the city, the people moving away from his path, admiring him as he go, "And I have to worry about a fucking war as well…" He cracked his neck, sighing before he added, "At least the first plan is still a few months away…" He looked up, at the moon, "Should give me enough time to settle everything I need to before I focus solely on the war." He knew that when the war began, he was going to have to leave his mates and people for a while, perhaps even years. He was going to visit them whenever the chance appeared of course, hence why he was planning on moving them all to the Silver Palace, his biological father's castle in the Underworld's capital. But even so, he needed to be one hundred percent focused on the war effort and he had no clue how long the fight will last.

Jonathan had said that they should try to keep it as short as possible, a maximum of two years, but Derek knew that one little thing and all shit could fall upon them, there was a big chance that this war, turns out to be humanity's own downfall.

He had to stop when he suddenly felt a pang on his chest that forced him to stabilise himself with the wall, coughing roughly, his remaining hand placed in front of his mouth, catching the blood that he coughed.

"S-Shit…" Derek whispered, regaining his breath, this little episodes had become scarcer, but rougher, "And of course… my fucking time is r-running out…" He added to his list of problems.

"Then you better put your plan in motion, hatchling…" Ddraig's voice resounded within Derek's head, the boy listening as his partner added, "It's the only chance you got."

Derek rested his head back, a hand clutching his chest, where his heart was, eyes closed as he whispered back, "Tell me about it…"

The British royal finally managed to recover his wits after some minutes, taking a deep inhale and after spitting the remaining blood in his mouth, he fixed his jacket and continued his way towards his destination.

The rest of the way was spent in silence, Derek contemplating the next steps of his plan, figuring it out how best to proceed. Mainly, how to keep his personal life intact.

Sooner than what he expected, he suddenly found himself right in front of the luxurious hotel his date was hosted, taking a deep breath before he walked in, heading towards the reception to ask, "Good night, Ms Dracul's room?"

The male receptionist turned to face the Hamilton, widening his eyes and stuttering as he recognised him, "M-M-Mr Hamilton!…" Derek nodded, the receptionist recovering his wits and after shaking his head, said, "Ms Dracul t-told us about your visit, so please, take the k-keys and go right ahead, the presidential suite on the twelfth floor, milord."

"Thank you." Derek said and after a nod, he walked towards the lift, pressing the button and stepping into the machine once it opened its doors, leaning back on the wall with a heavy sigh, eyes closed, pondering.

He kind of had an idea of what the Vampire Queen wanted to discuss with him, and while some years ago he would've been completely annoyed by it, now, he could actually find some usefulness to it. Securing the Yōkai and the Vampires by substantially becoming their King, could expand the influence of the Templar Order into the strategic areas that both women possessed.

Mainly due to the fact that Britain, his nation and the Templar's owned territory, was actually going to war against Europe, more specifically, the European Union, "Romania is right in the Balkans, we can use the resurgence of patriotism in the region to create the new European government…" He recited his grandfather's words again, adding as an afterthought, "As for Kyoto, it's good that the White Lotus changed their HQ to China, could be a big entering point for us." Templar supremacy was the goal and as a fervent believer of his Order, Derek will do his part.

The door to the lift finally opened, with Derek sighing and stepping out of the elevator to continue his path to Natalia's room, finding it moments later.

He grabbed the keys and turned the lock, opening the door and walking into her suite, looking around, trying to find her.

"You're finally here, Derek." Natalia's silky voice drew his attention towards the balcony of her room, the man feeling a little taken aback by seeing her figure, only covered by a thin robe, her beautiful body and face glistening with the moon's light, alluring him.

Natalia for her part, smirked as she saw Derek's reaction, a tingle on her dead body resonating strongly over her. She was a beautiful woman and she knew that well, there were countless of marriage proposals waiting for her every day in her office. But no one really had anything worthy to make a deal with. She had no intentions of a real relationship, or at least, that's what she was to propose to Derek.

"Please…" Natalia said, walking into the house, tying the robe tightly to her body. The man nodding and after he closed the door, Derek walked towards the nearest couch and sat, observing as Natalia grabbed two glasses and a bottle of wine, walking towards him with a seductive step, "Thank you…"

She was interrupted however, when the Hamilton shocked her as he waved her off and said with eyes narrowed, "Stop, you're beautiful indeed, but it's not going to work on me, Natalia…" He still took the cup from her hand and served himself some wine, adding after sipping it fully, "You're not the first one who tried to seduce me like this, and you won't be the last."

Despite the harshness of his words, Natalia smiled, relieved to forget about her ploy of seducing him. She knew it was not going to work on him, or at least, expected that, but she still needed to test him to see if he was truly worthy of being her mate. Only a man who was capable of resisting his animalistic urges and that is able to set the tune for the dance, could claim such title.

"Then I assume you know what I want to talk to you about?" Natalia then said, serving herself some wine and refilling Derek's glass, sitting on the couch in front of him, crossing her legs.

Derek shook his head, stating, "Not really, I have an idea, but please, do tell me." He narrowed his eyes at her, leaning on, his draconic aura oozing off of him, making her understand that he was the alpha here.

And surprising Natalia, her own body completely understood that. It may have been because he held the blood that created her species, or perhaps, because he was a Heavenly Dragon. Dragons alone hold a commanding aura as it is, a heavenly one, is just absurdly so.

The Vampire Queen giggled, nodding as she said, "Alright then…" She took a deep sigh, locking her blues to his blues, saying with a calm tone, "I simply would like to offer a deal with you…" She tilted her head, continuing after the pause, "As you probably know, I've been Queen of the Vampires for almost a millennium now…" Derek nodded at that, "My father ruled for almost a thousand years, our species is about to reach a little over two thousand years and a half old, so I've been Queen for half of that time…" She sipped her wine, continuing after, "To put it simply, the elders and the heads of the main families are getting… restless… for my lack of an heir."

Derek sighed, sipping his beverage, adding with a small nod, "So I guess that what you want from me, is a child?…" Natalia nodded with a small smile, listening as the Hamilton said with narrowed eyes, "And what do I get from this deal?"

Natalia smirked, crossing her legs in a sensual manner as she stated, "Well, you get to use my body as you see fit… whenever you feel like…" She leaned on, adding, "I know that you're not interested in emotional attachments… neither am I… so simply think of this as a business deal."

"That's not gonna cut it…" Derek's words most definitely shocked her, the man continuing, "That I am at the moment not interested in children, does not mean I won't care about them when I have one…" He locked his blues on her, saying with a grave tone, "I do plan on taking care of them, so if you want a child from me, you're going to have to take the Morningstar name…" Natalia's eyes widened, the man continuing, "You will have to be officially a wife of mine." While his own words would've surprised him before, lately, he had understood that he couldn't just do everything on his own, he needed people who had his back, so just entering in this sort of deals without a care, was no longer acceptable.

That was a genuine shock for Natalia, but surprising Derek, it was one she welcomed, as she smiled a little and said, explaining her reaction, "I am surprised… very surprised…" She sighed, adding, "The only reason for why I branded this as a business deal, was because I didn't thought you'd be interested in anything more…" She sipped her wine, speaking after, "Though, I did not lied when I said that I am not interested in an emotional attachment… for now… and I know that neither are you…" Derek nodded at that, the woman continuing, "But still, I would be relieved and glad to take on your name and be your official mate, it's… it's been lonely for me…" She took a deep sigh, opening up to him, "The truth is, the child was not only to appease the elders, it was also so that I could have someone with me…" She smiled at him then, she was as inept as the Morningstar when it came to emotions and such, but she was still a woman and without anyone by her side, loneliness was an emotion she had come to despise, "If that is what you desire, then I'd be joyous to comply with your request."

Before the woman could believe that the deal was done, Derek informed her of something he believed might make her reconsider her position, "That's okay, but you need to know something about the children I will have…" Natalia leaned on, listening intently as the male added, "I have ensured that my sperm doesn't hold the Morningstar divinity…" Her eyes widened, the man continuing, "While obviously they will still be Morningstar by blood, regardless of the mother, they will not be pure-blooded Morningstar like myself."

Natalia surprised him again when she showed no care about said statement, instead, she said honestly, "I understand and actually don't mind, regardless of such, you're still a Heavenly Dragon and I'm still the Vampire Queen, our child will be strong regardless…" She sipped her wine before she then asked with genuine curiosity, "But why? Can you tell me?"

Derek sighed, massaging his neck, explaining, "Because this bloodline is a curse…" He focused on Natalia, continuing, "Believe me, if I could, I would completely erase the Morningstar blood from me, but I can't, I can only ensure that my children only retain the same kind of blood that runs within the Lucifuge family, in essence Morningstar but without the divine aspect of it… I…" He sighed, his eyes looking lost as he concluded, "There's no need to put such burden on them."

His answer only ensured Natalia of her decision that she had finally found her perfect mate. A reliable, strong, dedicated man that despite being able to be a monster for their sake, could also show lapses of how he truly cared.

Thus, the Queen smiled, sipping her wine before she whispered, "I am actually quite relieved to hear that, I do not want our child to be chased around by those who want the Morningstar blood, I am sure that the others would be as relieved as me."

Sighing in defeat, the son of Lucifer leaned back on the couch, melting himself on the soft surface before he gave it one last lazy shot, "You really have no problem with being the mate of a man a thousand years younger than you?"

Natalia smirked a little irritated, stating half warningly, "While I do not appreciate you calling me old…" Derek smirked, charming the woman with that simple gesture, "Time is of no significance to me, I am immortal after all…" She sipped her wine, adding after, "Also, I'm sure you know that in the supernatural world, morals are very different, in fact, my father and mother came from the same womb, you know?…" Derek raised an eyebrow at that, genuinely surprised, "Besides, you're already fucking Tiamat, she's even older than I am."

Derek closed his eyes, resigned, not that he was unhappy with the outcome. Natalia was a hugely powerful asset to his cause and the woman herself was stunning. Most importantly though, she was very much like him, cold, detached, calculative, he needed a lover like that, one that could understand that side of him.

"I do have another question…" Natalia's voice made him look back at her, nodding at her to continue, "With all this said, what's in it for you?…" She narrowed her eyes, conveying her seriousness as she explained, "This deal is wonderful for me, I get a child with you, you satisfy my needs and I become officially your partner, taking on your name might make me more notorious, but that's not such a bad thing…" She pointed at him with her glass, finishing with her inquire, "But you, there's hardly anything there for you… you already have women as beautiful as me, there are hundreds more piling for you as well… you don't need power, for you are more powerful than me and my whole race combined… so what's in it for you, my dear?"

That's why he was interested in the blonde vampire, she was as vicious and direct as him, his perfect match one could say, "Romania…" The woman's eyes widening, the silverette continued, "I will essentially become the King of Vampires…" Natalia nodded at that, listening as he kept going, "So I'm going to have a way to spread my Order's ideals to the Balkans, we need them for the coming war."

"I though you said my home was out of bounds, Derek." She challenged, eyes narrowed, she was still the Queen of Vampires and she could not afford her kind being dragged into World War Three.

Derek sipped the rest of his liquid, saying after he gulped it down, "And it is, Transylvania and Romania as a whole won't be directly involved…" He leaned on, sighing before he explained, "Look, the Templar's main goal for the next months, is to unify Europe to avoid it turning into another battlefield, we don't want Europe to be the epicentre of the fight again, but to do that, we need to take down the main obstacle for a new Europe…"

Being highly in touch with Humanity and their politics, Natalia's eyes widened as she understood what her soon to be mate was implying, "The European Union…" Remembering his speech, she also figured that the sudden raise of patriotism in the Balkan block, was the intended target for Jonathan's new Union, "You're surrounding Germany and France, aren't you?"

Derek just nodded with a small smirk, surprised to see her deducing so much with so little information.

Natalia just sighed then, leaning back, crossing her arms below her bust as she said, "Whatever, it's not my problem…" She then narrowed her eyes and said, though this time, her voice was a mixture of seriousness and wifely one, stating, "Just please, as my man, promise me that you'll ensure that YOUR Vampire Kingdom remains out of it… promise me."

Derek sighed, saying, "I am not your man yet, nor are they my kingdom still…" He focused on her, continuing, "But I will be soon, so you have my word as your partner, my dragon word, I will protect you and our kingdom."

Natalia remained staring at him for some moments before she smiled widely, honest, happy with the outcome, saying relieved, "Thank you… it means a lot for me to hear you say that."

Derek sighed while he nodded slightly, whispering as he massaged his neck, "You'll have to talk to Seekvaria, Rias, Akeno, Tsubasa and Tiamat though…" He focused on her, "They are the ones that decide this matters now, it was the deal."

Natalia raised an eyebrow, hearing that from Yasaka as well who also had to go through something similar, "That's… strange… I didn't thought you needed their permission…" She wasn't trying to put his status as an alpha in question, but her words came out wrong and she regretted it the moment she spoke them, as the room got hot and her body shivered.

"I don't…" Derek stated with cold narrowed eyes, explaining, "But back when I allowed Seekvaria to call herself my mate, she had made me promise that if a woman entangles herself with me, there were two rules I had to follow… one, no one night stands, if I want sex, I have mates for those needs, so a new woman will only be accepted if I have a long and serious thing with them… hence why you have to take my name…" Natalia nodded at that, still shivering by his pressure, "And two, she and those that come next, are the ones that decide whether a woman is accepted or not, this is their family as well, so they should have a say…" He leaned on, whispering a little dangerously, "I do not need their permission, they know that too, but I follow said rules because…" He stopped there, not able to continue.

But Natalia had a dashing smile after that, she knew exactly what he was about to say and it filled her with happiness that her best friend's son was not completely gone, "I understand…" She said, helping him avoid what he was about to say, already understanding her man well, "I am greatly joyed to hear that you will hold my voice in such regard as well." It was the truth, she was an independent woman and she will like to keep it that way. Though she still knew that with Derek being a dragon and having a Harem, he will be the alpha in the relationship. She didn't minded that with him though.

Derek took a deep sigh, leaned back, eyes closed before he stood up, saying, "Then you should expect them tomorrow, they'll want to talk to you…" Natalia nodded, standing, walking towards him as he fixed his posture, adding, "I have to go back now… I… I need to take some fucking ice cream to them…"

Natalia laughed loudly at that, fixing his jacket for him, kissing his cheek with a lover's delicacy, whispering as both locked eyes, "Got a lot of making up to do, I've heard…" She wasn't surprised that he was grilled by his mates, if she could say anything about the women that Derek surrounded himself with, was that they are by no means weak-willed, in fact, some are even fiercer than the Morningstar himself, like Tiamat.

"Tell me about it…" He whispered defeated, a small shiver running down his spine at the thought of going back to a group of very angry and hurt women, "Also, do not leave the country just yet…" Natalia's eyebrow raised, showing her confusion, "It appears that my next mission is taking me to Romania, and I'm going to need your help for it." He explained.

While surprised, Natalia was none the less joyed, smiling as she patted his chest and nodded, saying, "Of course dear, I'd be delighted to."

Derek nodded, separating from her and saying one last time, "Then I take my leave."

Natalia watched as he walked towards the door, smiling, waving at him as she said, "Okay, I'll see you tomorrow, be careful." Derek nodded at her and soon, he disappeared from her view, her room's door closing.

Natalia then just stayed on her spot for some seconds, a hand on her chest as she smiled, wishing she could feel some heat or beats from the organ she knew didn't worked. But still sighing, she looked at her balcony, a small melancholic look on her face as she whispered to the wind, "I promise you, Lilith… I will take good care of your son…"

"Sona, you're here as well." The blonde devil known as Seekvaria Agares said as she approached her fellow noble devil. Behind her, the entirety of her peerage following their leader.

"Yeah, I see they called many." The blackette woman said as she eyed the very large crowd that was gathered at the moment.

Seekvaria nodded, looking around. Besides them, there were two other devil families, Rias' peerage and even Sairaorg Bael's, currently chatting with his cousin, stating once the four devil families got close, "Do any of you have a clue what this is all about?"

Rias, Sona and Seekvaria shook their heads, with the blonde saying as she eyed the strange warehouse they were all in, "I don't know but whatever it is, has to be huge to involve not just us, but Angels, Fallen, Vampires and Yōkai."

They all nodded, observing the people that did not belonged to the Devil faction.

Besides them, there were four people that they could tell belonged to Heaven. Three of them, they recognised as Irina, Xenovia and Griselda, who was not just pardoned by the Church, but Michael himself apologised to her and Asia even, making Griselda an official representative of Heaven in Luxembourg, the former exorcist wishing to remain close to her leash. The last member of Heaven's contingent, was a handsome young and tall man with shiny blond hair, wearing a set of priest clothes, his aura was quite calm and had a somewhat sleepy face, currently being berated by Griselda.

Not far from them, there was a small group of three people, all of them belonging to the Fallen Angel faction. The two women, were Derek's devotees Raynare and Kalawarner, currently talking to a handsome black haired male, a little older looking than his companions, with Japanese features. Beside him, there was a rather large black dog resting, eyes closed, a powerful aura oozing off of both of them.

A little further from the crowd, there were three people minding themselves, showing no signs of wanting to be close to the rest. They're group consisted of two men and a woman. The first male was rather skinny, pale as a ghost, his brown hair flowing with the wind as he donned a black coat that covered his whole body, eyes closed. Beside him, there was another skinny but beautiful pale young woman, blonde, with a face and figure that seemed to be straight out of a fairy tale, equally calm and reserved. And lastly, the one that seemed to be the strongest, was a gruffly looking male with short black hair, eyes closed, wearing just a vest that left his naked torso out in the open, a rare thing since they were all vampires.

Then, not far from the devils, there was another small group of four people, two women and two men, all of them radiating a friendly aura, but still remaining calm and to themselves. The first woman was a purple-haired female, hiding herself behind her fellow Yōkai, she seemed to be sucking a popsicle, wearing a loose white shirt with black sleeves, a thigh-length greenish skirt with purple long stockings adorned with pink stripes, a pair of comfortable snickers. The young male standing in front of her in a protective manner, was a tall white haired male wearing a black business suit, his eyes seemed to be of different colours, one green and the other golden, overall he was the one with the most powerful aura of the four, but still seemed to be quite amicable. Next to him, was another male, taller than the other, he also had white hair but longer, almost reaching his lower back, he was also wearing a similar suit but unlike the younger male, he seemed more serious and reserved, as he remained with his arms crossed and eyes closed. And lastly, talking to Kushina at the moment, was a beautiful tall black-haired woman wearing a traditional white kimono, a gentle smile on her face as she amicable chatted with the Uzumaki who had approached to greet her fellow yōkai.

As for the last set of people in the warehouse, consisted of the people currently serving under Derek's wing, those being Akio, Aleister, Xuelan, Siris, Yubelluna, Marion, Burent and Kushina, all of them chatting with the peerages as they waited for Grayfia to appear.

Finally, after what it seemed like forever, there was a silver glow in the warehouse, all the people within it turning towards the far side of the building, observing as a beautiful grey-haired woman with a maid's outfit appeared, bowing as she said, "My apologies for keeping you here for so long, the leaders took more than expected but now they're ready for you…" She looked at them all, her hand glowing as she stated, "Please, remain in your spots and do not move."

Everyone did as told and just after Grayfia lifted her hand, the ground began to shine, blinding them for a second. Once they were able to see again, they were confused as they saw the same warehouse they were in, though there was definitely something different about it.

"Please, follow me." Grayfia said and with that, she turned around and walked towards the entrance, leading them out of the warehouse.

The dozens of people were surprised when after stepping out of the building, they found themselves walking in a completely different world, easy to tell by the purple-kinda looking sky and the fact that they seemed to be floating in space.

Rias was the one that voiced everyone's question, "Grayfia, where are we?"

The maid looked at her sister-in-law over her shoulder, replying, "We are in a different dimension, similar to the ones used for the Rating Games…" She looked back at the front, continuing her explanation, "Your living signatures have been added to the access spot in the warehouse, so you are now able to access this dimension on demand."

Mildly confused, Seekvaria fixed her glasses, adding her own inquiry, "But what for?"

Grayfia replied with a simple, "It'll be best if you hear it from the leaders themselves."

While not happy, everyone just accepted her words and continued their trek towards wherever the beauty was taking them.

They marvelled once they reached a beautiful castle-like building, white, with breath-taking architecture that made them all awe.

As they all murmured between each other, Grayfia continued leading them inside the castle, their wonder growing even more at the beautiful interior, almost as if they were in the home of a god.

Eventually, after some moments of more walking, Grayfia finally seemed to reach her destination, as she led them towards what it seem to be the main room, huge wooden doors in the way.

After Grayfia opened the doors, the expectants were surprised to see the people that were waiting for them all in a huge room with a circular table at the centre, a small podium right on the far side of the room, placed in a way that seem to allow someone to speak to the table directly.

Sitting at the far side of the table, looking at the young and not so young people entering, was a congregation of powerful beings comprised of Natalia Dracul, Yasaka Uzumaki, Sirzechs Lucifer, Azazel, Michael and a man that many meet for the first time, the most powerful human in the world, Jonathan Hamilton.

As they stopped, making space for everyone to be able to see, Grayfia continued walking until she settled behind her husband. She wasn't the only one in said position, as behind Azazel was Penemue, then behind Michael was Gabriel and lastly, behind his grandfather, was Derek Morningstar. Those that haven't met him in person, revelled at his intoxicating presence, the container of the blood that made their species.

Once everyone settled, Sirzechs was the one that stood up and said, "Thank you all for coming, we apologise for the delay, but we were held up by small inconveniences…" As they all nodded, the redheaded King looked back at them and with a small smile, asked, "I am sure you are all confused as to why all of you were called here?"

Nodding, Rias looked around her and was the one that said "Yeah, what's the meaning of this calling, Lord Lucifer?"

As Sirzechs sat back, Michael was the one that replied her question, "As you are all aware by now, our species have reach an agreement, an alliance better said…" They nodded at that, listening as the Archangel continued, "Therefore, we decided to signal the start of our cooperation, by creating a team with our most prospected blood…" Their eyes widened at that, "We have officially called this team, The Watch."

Yasaka continued for him, "Essentially, this team will serve many purposes, but it is mostly to symbolise the strength of our alliance, therefore you should expect to be called upon in big emergencies, like facing off directly against the terrorist group known as Khaos Brigade."

Pausing, Natalia continued, "You were all specifically chosen based on your strength, passion, determination and future…" She smirked at them, adding, "You are the representatives of your races and our alliance, so be proud of yourselves."

Some of them smiled, though the blonde petite vampire known as Elmenhilde, Natalia's handmaiden, said with a small frown, "It seems kind of disproportionate however…" With everyone's attention on her, she did felt a little conscious about her words, but still managed to say, "I-I mean… there are over thirty devils here, I don't see much balance."

Azazel chuckled, replying, "That is true, but that means that there isn't much from the other species to pick from, so you should be pushing your peers to be better instead of complaining…" Elmenhilde winced at his words, but the Governor continued unmuted, "Besides, while there are many more devils in the team, the top three of you, are Dulio, an angel, Tobio, a human working for me, and Sōshi, a yōkai…" Focusing back on the vampire, he concluded with a teasing smirk, "So don't get too taken by the numbers themselves."

Elmenhilde just nodded dumbly, everyone quiet as the King of Devils spoke again, "Now, allow me to explain how your team works…" He cleared his throat and then continued, "While there won't be ranks, there is need for a hierarchy that deals with the missions of the Watch, so the team will be divided like this…" He focused on three women, pointing at them as he said, "Penemue, Gabriel and Grayfia will act as 'Connections' to us, meaning that you will receive your orders and missions from us, through them, their part on this team will be more of a secretarial one, they will help you out on the field if necessary, but they will spend most of their time here in your headquarters."

They nodded, silent as the devil continued, this time, focusing on them, "Now, I want you all to understand that outside of missions, there is no one that can order you around, you are all equals, warriors fighting for the same cause, so treat each other with respect…" His aura made it clear that it was not a suggestion, but a rule, "However, there is need for leadership on the field, so after discussing it, Dulio Gesualdo…" The laidback priest had his eyes widened, surprised when Sirzechs continued, "You are as of now, the acting Commander of the Watch, what missions the team takes, who goes and so on, will be decisions that are up to you to take… you should also get to know your people so that you can find one or two that can help you manage the team."

The man named was surely taken aback, but still bowed and said with a harmonious voice, "It is an honour, thank you."

Smiling at the young man, Sirzechs concluded the organisation of the team, saying, "Now, the last part of your team…" He glanced at both Azazel and Derek, explaining once looking back at the full members, "Are Governor Azazel and Derek… Morningstar…" It felt so weird to say that name again, "They will not be members as such, as they will be acting as your advisors, meaning that if any of you feel lost or need guidance with how to proceed, you can always go to any of them and they will help you."

While Derek was even younger than some of the members of the Watch, none dared to question his position, as his prowess, legend and achievements, were known throughout the world. Not to say anything of the fact that out of everyone in the room, he was the only genuine god.

Once Sirzechs finished explaining the hierarchy of the team, Jonathan spoke, "Due to certain obstacles that Humanity is facing right now, we are not able to deliver a full contingent, so you should understand that Akio and Aleister, won't always be available…" His eyes were aimed at Dulio, who nodded his understanding, listening as the human leader continued, "But you have my permission to free roam in Human territory, in the case you need to do something outside the law, contact Derek, if you do not have his permission and still go through with breaking the law, there will be consequences."

It was amazing how a human could instil such respect and fear in beings physically more powerful than him, as everybody nodded and said nothing, feeling a nervous shiver running down their spines as the old man stared at them all, uncaring of who they were.

After Jonathan spoke, Yasaka sighed and said, eyes on them, "Now, we wish we could have time to celebrate the formation of such wonderful team, but we already have a priority mission for the Watch…" She narrowed her eyes, adding with a grave tone, "And it is important that you know that just like every other mission you receive, the information you'll get for this team, is classified to the highest degree."

Jonathan was the one that narrowed his eyes as he complemented Yasaka's words, "Divulge anything you hear, see or do here, and your life will be the price."

They all readily nodded, even the strongest of them knew that the people before them were vastly more powerful than all of them combined. It wasn't hard to figure out that Derek Morningstar was here as an enforcer rather than an advisor, and every single one of them have heard of the man's brutality, it wasn't worth it to fool around with this.

"With that said, it's time for you to know of your very first mission…" Michael began talking, turning to Derek as he continued, everyone paying close attention to him, "As everyone knows by now, young Derek here is… the son of Lucifer Morningstar…" There were nods at those words, silent, the Archangel continuing, "His very existence was something none of us predicted, and sadly, it appears that it also opened the possibility to a very grim reality."

Seeing their confusion, Natalia was the one that continued, "As you know, the enemy right now is the group known as Khaos Brigade…" They nodded, the woman continuing after the pause, "Originally, we believed that the terrorist cell was being led by the Infinite Dragon Ophis, but Blue Ben's appearance and Derek's own confirmation, made the terrifying possibility that someone more sinister was behind the group, almost a given."

That raised many eyebrows, listening as Azazel continued for the Vampire Queen, "Ophis has never been a being that cares for the world, the majority of dragons only care about strength, she's no exception…" He sighed, "I still believe that she's after Great Red and that's why she formed this group, but I am certain that there is someone else using her for his own gain."

"Who?" Sairaorg asked, arms crossed, intrigued and fired up.

"My uncle…" Derek's voice startled them all, their eyes widening as he said a name all of them have heard in the darkest of tales, a man who was thought to be the real Devil, "Rizevim Morningstar."

There was a shocked and tense silence after those words, with Seekvaria whispering,
"D-Dear, are you sure?" Their fear was warranted, as the man had left an enormous mark in the history books, a terrifying dark one.

Derek nodded, saying, "I am, I've seen him…" Their shock increased, listening as the Morningstar continued, "I have no clue what he's after, but I'm certain it's not good."

Continuing for him, Michael spoke, "The main issue is that Rizevim has always been rash and uncaring of the mess he makes…" He felt a little bit of anger at the memory of Rizevim killing Jesus, even in the face of his own death, Jesus had smiled and continued to love Rizevim regardless of him being his own killer, "But it has been over a millennium since he was thought to be dead, the fact that just now we're hearing again about him and yet, he's still lurking in the shadows, worries us greatly because he's just not like this."

"He's planning something huge…" Azazel added, eyes narrowed, saying after a pause, "Something that could lead to a catastrophic outcome."

"He needs to be stopped then." The toughest looking vampire said without a hitch, ready for the fight.

"Yes but it's not going to be that easy…" Sirzechs warned, continuing after a brief silence, "Rizevim has a power level that could rival any of the main deities, he's a god as well and a Morningstar at that, don't you ever underestimate a dragon, however form they have…" He sighed, adding, "Thankfully, Derek's appearance also opened a door that could lead us to victory."

Confused, they all turned to Derek for a moment before Sirzechs said something completely unexpected, "There is also a possibility that Lord Lucifer is still alive…" That was the biggest shock of the night for them, eyes completely widened, every single one of them, regardless of affiliation, could only marvel at the thought of one of the world's biggest legends being around still, with the redheaded King speaking, "While Derek believes that he is dead, Jonathan brought something to our attention that made us green-light your first mission."

All eyes turned to Jonathan, even Derek who still hasn't seen the footage his grandfather apparently had. The senior male cleared his throat and as he leaned on towards the table, he grabbed an electronic tablet and after a couple of shuffling with his fingers, an image was sent to a large screen at the side of the room, all eyes travelling there.

Derek narrowed his eyes and tightened his jaw, his anger spiking, alerting everyone in the room.

But Jonathan continued, "The place that you're seeing right now…" The image depicted a lonely street in the middle of the night. At the far of the image, there was also an apparently burnt down building, cars passing by, the image belonging to a security camera fixed on the outside of a an opposite building, "Is what was left of Brussels' Grand Fiesta Hotel…" Those who knew about Derek's story, understood his anger, as they were seeing the place where he lost his parents, "What happened in there, is a secret that only Derek has the right to reveal, so I'll leave that to him…" Derek remained silent, everyone confused, but listening as the black-haired male continued, "But suffice to know that something… scarring… occurred to him in that building."

Derek remained silent, eyes narrowed, still feeling a swirl of emotions within his belly, thankful to his years of experience in the field that helped him control himself in this moment, appearing collected but slightly irritated.

"What I want you to see…" Jonathan spoke again, earning their attention as he added, "Is this woman right here…" Thankfully, the camera had good definition and as the footage rolled, they saw a tall woman with apparent short white hair, she was wearing a black suit and black jeans, with a white shirt or sports bra underneath it, it was somewhat difficult to tell. As the footage moved on, it was clear to see that the woman seemed very interested on the burnt building, as she looked over it for a considerable amount of time, though in some frames, it did appeared that she was being mindful of being spotted, as she constantly looked around, "Whoever this woman is, seemed to be investigating the scene on her own. There was no one authorised to investigate the scene, as I made it clear to everyone that the building and what happened was off limits."

After he spoke, Jonathan stopped the video right when the woman's face turned towards the camera, the Hamilton patriarch pressing some more on the tablet and the image zoomed in to her face. While somewhat pixelated by the close-up, her face was still easy to make out. Her hair was in fact white, her skin was also dark, light-skinned. She had a very beautiful face and was wearing a pair of black shades, a suspicious thing since it seemed to be night time.

"I want you all to memorise her face…" They nodded, confused but keeping the woman's face in their mind, listening as the old man continued, "Now, the picture that I'm about to show you, is one that I have gone to excruciating amounts of efforts to keep it hidden from the world…" There was a tense silence at that, Jonathan continuing as he eyed his grandson, "Even from Derek."

Derek still had his back on everyone, but he did narrowed his eyes. While not angry at his grandfather because he was just like him, keeping secrets from even those closest to his heart, he still find it annoying.

"Okay Jonathan, please continue." Sirzechs urged, intrigued.

Jonathan nodded and as he observed his pad, he swiped a couple of times until he sent an image to the screen.

Even Derek was shocked when his eyes settled on the image, the rest feeling even more shocked.

"T-That's…" Natalia whispered, a hand to her heart as she stared at the black and white picture.

"Lucifer and Lilith… Derek's parents…" Jonathan said with a nod.

The image on the screen, was black and white, clearly old, probably in the mid 20's by the clothes they were wearing. The image depicted a smiling Lilith with a smirking Lucifer on her side, an arm around her shoulder. Behind them, there was what appeared to be multiple relics on display, seemingly in a museum, many people walking and admiring the relics on the background of the picture.

"Wait, that's the woman!" Yasaka added after the initial shock wore off.

Her words made everyone focus on the person standing right in between the couple, the same white-haired woman, though she seemed a little younger, with a wide smile on her face, Lucifer's hand on her shoulder while Lilith was holding her left hand.

The fact that they looked like a happy family, made Derek's jaw tighten, an action that was caught by everyone in the room.

Nobody dared to comment on it though.

Keeping Derek's attention on the meeting, Jonathan spoke, "Indeed, it appears to be the same woman…" He then swiped the tablet again, the image changing, this time a picture taken by a paper it seems, the dark-skinned woman present there as well, with a somewhat similar outfit, standing alongside many people, all of them wearing Police outfits of some sorts, "This is the most recent picture we could find of this woman, for what we could gather of this particular picture, it appears that this was the culmination of an important investigation in Tromsø, Norway, there is a chance she was or is part of the Police Force there."

"Do you believe she's there?" Natalia asked, probably the most eager one of them all to find any trace of Lilith and Lucifer, her heart longing for the woman she saw as a sister.

Jonathan shrugged, replying, "Hard to know, I have used my agents many times to find her, but so far, we've come short…" He narrowed his eyes, somewhat impressed, "She's quite handy as there is no trace of her seemingly anywhere."

"And that's why you believe she has a connection with Lucifer?" Michael commented as he massaged his chin, Jonathan nodding at his words. If this woman had nothing to do with them, then she shouldn't be that difficult to find.

"Why keep this from everyone else, Jonathan?" Sirzechs then asked. There was no anger in his voice or anything the like, the only one who had any right to be angry was Derek, but he seemed unfazed. Though Sirzechs and the other leaders were without a doubt intrigued as to why Jonathan had this information and had kept it hidden even from Derek.

Jonathan sighed, leaning back, replying, "Derek…" Everyone glanced at the young man in question who still refused to look back at them, still listening as his grandfather spoke, "When we found out about his uniqueness, I had to ensure that he was no menace to Britain, so I did a thorough search on his background…" He looked at his fellow leaders, continuing, "While Derek is indeed the Red Dragon Emperor, as I'm sure you're already been told by him, there were moments in his childhood where he showed a power that was not alike anything else, including his Red Dragon's power…" They nodded at that, remembering Derek's tale, "So I was obviously curious and wary of what it was… sigh… eventually when he found out the truth about his blood, it all made sense and I decided to forfeit the search, as I saw no necessity in continuing…" He looked at his grandson, finishing, "If Derek had told me that he wanted to find them, then I would've disclosed the investigation to him, but he never cared, still don't… but things have changed and now, there is need of Lucifer."

Nods followed that statement, with Yasaka being the one that said, "Then, I say that you should be the one dictating this mission…" She was looking at Jonathan, adding to her words, "You're the one that has more clues of what trails to take."

The rest of the leaders nodded at those words, agreeing, with Jonathan sighing, muttering, "Alright then…" His blue eyes then travelled to the new members of the Watch, everyone standing in attention as Jonathan commanded, "You have four objectives on this mission, thankfully, there's plenty of you, so you're going to have to pick the right people for the job…" He was looking at Dulio, adding, "Remember to also leave people on standby, we never know when an emergency might occur…" Dulio nodded, "As for your targets, you will be investigating the places this woman was spotted on…" He leaned on, crossing his knuckles before his face, continuing, "Those being New York, Brussels and Tromsø…" He eyed his grandson, who was now looking at him as he said, "Lastly, a group will head to Bourton-on-the-Water, you're going to visit Mary Philips…" Derek's eyes narrowed at that, an aura of protectiveness surrounding him, confusing everyone as Jonathan continued, "She's the woman that's in charge of the orphanage Derek was picked up from, this group however, will be accompanied by Derek…" He eyed the man in question who nodded, pleased, "As he is quite protective of her."

The leaders were surprised, but they could tell by the way he spoke about the nurse that took care of him when he was a baby, that Derek saw the woman as someone precious, so him protecting her and perhaps even watching over her, was not so outlandish to believe.

"Your assignments are simple…" Jonathan said, earning everyone's attention again as he continued, "Those who go to New York, go to the New-York Historical Society museum, that's the place where this picture was taken…" He glanced at the black and white picture of Lucifer, Lilith and the strange woman, "All museums have a tendency to keep records as old as their foundation, so get those records and focus on the visitors from nineteen twenty-three…" He then focused on their clothes, adding, "Everyone seemed to be wearing heavy coats, so focus on the winter months."

Dulio nodded, asking, "But how do we know what to look?"

Jonathan sighed, saying after, "Focus on finding three people with the same last name, they seem to be there as a family vacation, so they more than likely registered as such."

Dulio nodded, with Jonathan changing the image to the video footage of the woman inspecting the remains of the burnt down hotel, "For Brussels, you are allowed to go into the building, I already informed my men protecting the area…" He looked at the members, continuing, "While her visit occurred twelve years ago, she's most definitely not human, so it's likely that she left some sort of presence or anything that can tell us what she is behind."

They nodded, their eyes now observing the picture the woman with many policemen, the Hamilton patriarch stating, "As for Norway, leave that for last, I have a strong feeling that they are there, but currently, Norway is a strategic point for us Templars, I don't want to screw anything up with them until we're one hundred percent sure they are there…" He focused on them, adding as he pointed at Derek, "Thus, the last group will accompany Derek, when he's free, to England…" They nodded, the man concluding as he leaned on, "If you gather enough information that tells me that I was on the right track with this findings, then I will risk Norway for this, if not, then you'll have to find another way."

"Understood." Dulio spoke for his team. While definitely surprised after being appointed as the leader of such team, he was a man of God and thus, he would follow the command of the man who God left in charge, Archangel Michael.

"Then…" Sirzechs spoke, bringing the meeting to a close when he added, "Congratulations, we're all confident that our trust in you will be heavily rewarded…" He pointed around him then, concluding, "Do please look around and get familiarised with your headquarters, take Grayfia with you, she can show you around…" Grayfia nodded and walked towards them, with the Devil King saying last, "Your mission will begin as soon as possible, but do first get acquainted with one another, you are the future of our species, so a lot is resting on your shoulders."

They all nodded and one by one, began following Grayfia as she led them to the exit of the room, giving them a tour of the castle.

"Do you think this initiative will succeed?" Yasaka asked her fellow leaders, hopeful but still somewhat doubtful.

Azazel sighed, leaning back as he replied, "I do believe so…" He eyed Yasaka, adding, "If they can put their differences behind that is."

"I doubt any of them even know why we were all fighting to begin with…" Michael added, saying after a pause, "But with God's help, I am sure that this will mark the beginning of something beautiful."

They nodded, hopeful. Though as usual, the human side was more critical than the rest, but didn't voiced such as Jonathan stood up, fixing his suit as he said, "Then if you'll excuse us, we've business to attend to."

They nodded, being busy people themselves, with Sirzechs stating, "Of course, thank you for coming personally Jonathan, it means a lot to me."

Jonathan did smiled slightly, surprising them as he said, "This is important work as well, Sirzechs, a united world, with every species living in it, it's most definitely a worthy cause."

With that, they began chatting amongst themselves while Derek approached his grandfather, crossing his arms as he said, "So, Romania?"

Jonathan focused on his grandson, nodding, placing a hand on his shoulder when he replied, "Indeed…" He walked towards the exit then, Derek behind, listening as the elder added, "Come, let us discuss your mission."

There wasn't really much that Jehovah felt he could do anymore.

He has lived for almost four hundred thousand years. A mere experiment for the being he considered his father, Great Red. He still remember the moment he came to be, an accumulation of energy that condensed and with the blessing of the Dragon of the Apocalypse, later became the being that was named Jehovah.

Funnily enough, despite the fact that Great Red was known to be distant and focusing solely on himself and his dimension, the Dragon of Dragons was in fact the being that 'birthed' Jehovah. It had begun as an experiment, to simply see how limitless his power of creation was, and it genuinely surprised him that he could indeed create life, not just any life though, but divine life.

"Even with your delinquent ways, you were a true bormah to me, Faal Enook…" Jehovah whispered, a small peaceful smile on his face as he sat over the ledge of his special room, enjoying the breeze that hit his face, the same one he has enjoyed for over a millennium now.

He has seen it all, do it all practically. He himself inherited the curiosity of his father, a curiosity that sparked the birth of Lucifer, his eldest son. Like himself, Jehovah had made Lucifer out of his own flesh, a condensation of energy that came to form the very first devil. The birth of every divine dragon was always like that, a dragon with the power to rip a piece of themselves apart, would then be able to condense it and give it their blessing, the recipe to create a divine dragon.

Same curiosity was the one that pushed Jehovah to create a species that held his views, his dreams and hopes, the species that began with the birth of Michael, the very first Angel. His angels then came to be almost on their own, soon enough, there were thousands of holy beings that he'd come to cherish and love with the affection that characterised him.

Though, said affection fell short when compared to the love he had for Lucifer, then Uriel, then Rizevim and lastly Jesus, the only beings that were born out of his own flesh, the only beings that shared his blood, his draconic divinity.

For a time, life was joyous to Jehovah. Back then, he had just pushed the evolution of the first bacteria that will later evolve into what it's known today as Humanity, and their evolution had fascinated God.

It was also the time when his children were all together, without any ambition or dark desire that may corrupt them, only the joy of being young and learning. But as time went by and Lucifer and Uriel grew, so did their power, Lucifer especially became something so unbelievable that Jehovah was sure that he would surpass him, perhaps even reach the level of their very own grandfather, Great Red.

But while it joyed Jehovah to see Lucifer's and Uriel's power, there was someone that felt a lot different.

"Perhaps…" He whispered, a great pain in his heart as the old god continued, "Perhaps it was my fault…" The image of Rizevim always seething at Lucifer and Uriel's power, was something that would never fade away in his heart, as it was a clear statement of the darkness that lived within every draconic being. It became a habit for Jehovah to forget that he and his blood were dragons, humanoid perhaps, but still dragons to the very core. And just like the rest of the draconic family, they were susceptible to corruption by their own immense power.

Perhaps he could've intervened, perhaps there was something that he could've done to not only stop Rizevim from turning into the monster he did, but to stop the difference between him and Lucifer from happening, the one that drove his eldest son away to begin his own species and kingdom. Maybe show them that regardless of power or respect, Jehovah loved his sons in equal manner, maybe dot on them more. But it was all nonsense and he knew that well. At the very core of the being known as Jehovah, he was still a dragon and regardless of how much he tried, power and respect was always their most basic need, the one that could simply never be quelled.

"How I wish I could have them all with me…" The old man thought with eyes closed and a deep sigh, adding to himself with a whisper, "To be a family." He thought of his four sons and grandsons, the Morningstar family that once could be.

"It's a little too late for that, don't you think, old man?" There was a voice that sent shivers down God's spine coming right from behind him. A voice that made his heart ache the second he recognised it.

"An old man like me can dream, my boy…" Jehovah replied, slowly and tiredly standing up, turning behind with a sigh to face the newcomer, smiling still among the pain as he added, "It is normal for a dying soul to think of those he loves."

It surprised Jehovah how Rizevim, for just a moment, actually pouted at those words, leaving the god a drop of satisfaction at knowing that at least, even for just a second, his words actually resonated with him, with the bratty little son that was still within the monster known as Rizevim.

"Your sentimentalism was at fault of your fall, o' father." Rizevim crossed his arms as he said with a devious smirk, not really feeling it but still keeping up appearances, even knowing that his father could easily see through him.

Jehovah walked towards his third son, replying with a small melancholic smile, "And your ambition proved to be your downfall, my son."

Rizevim just huffed, not having anything to say back at that. Despite the fact that the legendary devil had thought of many things to say to his father, now that he was right there in front of him, all of those things simply went away, irritably replaced by the part of him that just wanted to be by his father's side.

Jehovah walked back towards the ledge of this room he had built to rest, crossing his tired arms behind his back, admiring the wilderness before him, eyes half-lidded with a small smile as he asked, "I guess you've come to finally kill me, correct?" He looked at his boy from over his shoulder.

Rizevim sniggered at that, arms still crossed, there was no visible emotion on his eyes, not even the hatred that Jehovah once saw so clearly, "You can't be killed, father…" He walked towards the old man, standing beside him, looking at the forest as well as he added, "You're but an impression left by the real you."

God smiled, nodding, combing his long beard as he added, "Mmm… indeed I am…" Sighing deeply, he looked at the man and despite all the horrors he had caused, God just couldn't find the strength to hate his son, it was even more painful to hate him, "Before you destroy this impression of me however…" Rizevim stared at him, "I'd like to ask a question."

"I just want to destroy everything you've done, father…" Rizevim replied the question before God could even word it, the heart of the old man aching when he saw the monster his son had become once again as Rizevim continued, "There's nothing more to it, I don't want to torture anyone, I don't want to dominate the world, I don't want to fight for eternity like the rest of our dragon kin…" God was then shocked when Rizevim's face changed from that of a hateful man, to that of an excruciatingly tired one, stating with a whisper as he looked at the distance, "I… I just want to end it all…"

It was then that God completely understood what Rizevim's ultimate goal was, whispering as such, "The World-Eater then…"

"The World-Eater indeed…" Rizevim corroborated his father's words, causing a tremendous pain in his old heart.

There was a painful silence after that, Jehovah and Rizevim resorting to simply stare at the distance, a strained bond between them but still the bond of a father and son, one that could just never be broken regardless of the circumstances.

"And what of Derek and Vali?" Jehovah asked, turning to face his son, wishing to know what fate awaited the two youngest Morningstar, already cursed the moment they were born.

Rizevim did remained silent for some moments, that is until he took a deep breath and turned to face his old man, saying with a surprisingly calm expression, "They are the chance…" God was genuinely surprised by that answer, "I am going to play my game, and I am going to make it excruciating for all of those that oppose me…" He sighed, closing his eyes before he looked at his side, towards the forest. It was then that he turned again towards God and with an inhuman speed, he thrust his fist into God's chest, the old man moaning as he fell on his son's embrace who simply whispered serene, "But I am not going to make it unfair."

God embraced his son one last time, feeling the power he had left the impression with, slowly fading away, still smiling as he understood his child's words, whispering, "T-Then… I leave it to you… my c-children…"

It was with those words that he dissipated in a cloud of dust moments later, the last remnants of Jehovah's physical being, now completely gone from existence. Fading right in Rizevim's arms.

There was no joyous laughter, no cruel or vicious smirk on Rizevim's face. There was only the face of a calm and determined individual, one that long ago, had made peace with his dream and what he had to do to achieve it.

"What will you do, my nephews…" He whispered as he slowly walked back towards the entrance of the sanctuary, placing both hands in his pockets as he smacked his foot on the ground, causing the whole place to shake violently and soon begin to give in to his power, crumbling as the Morningstar madman continued his walk, whispering to himself as he left, "What will you do…"

"Thank you." Natalia said with a dashing smile to the chauffer as he opened her door, her beauty radiating along with the night as she stepped out of the limousine, her dazzling black silky dress hugging her impressive figure like a lover, her blonde hair being combed in an elegant style, a pair of beautiful and luxurious earrings on her lobes, smiling when a man stepped beside her, snaking his arm around her waist as he started leading her towards the Gala currently being hosted in Bucharest's most luxurious hotel.

The man holding her tightly, was none other than Derek Hamilton, wearing a formal black suit, his hair combed to the side, still a little rebellious as usual, but fitting enough for the formal occasion. In Natalia's honest opinion, Derek looked absolutely dashing, a thought that was apparently shared by every woman in the Gala as the moment they walked in, all eyes were on them, the men drinking her looks, while the women doing the same with her partner.

"Who would've thought that the Mafia could throw such lavishing events?" Natalia whispered as she latched herself closer to Derek, smirking at everyone, letting them know she was here with him.

The Gala they were attending, was in fact a meeting of powerful mob bosses disguised as a high-class ball, organised this year by the Romanian Mafia. All around them, were rich people dancing and talking to each other, most of them unaware that amongst them, some of the most infamous mob bosses mingled with them.

"Serves as good front." Derek replied, his eyes roaming the room, looking for his target.

"Mm… let them find you, darling…" Natalia said, Derek looking at her as the woman continued with a sexy smile, "You're officially my mate now and I have this rare chance to be with you alone in my home country…" She grabbed his hand and began leading him towards the main hall, where many couples were currently dancing at the slow beat of the music, "So take me to dance."

Derek just snorted but complied none the less. Just before they had come to Romania, Natalia had a long talk with Derek's mates, he didn't knew much of what they talked about, but she had apparently earned their approval, thus, he was now bounded by his word to make her his official mate once approved.

Not that he had anything against it of course.

The couple surfed through the crowd, Natalia smiling elegantly at the people who nodded at them, while Derek simply nodded back, allowing her to take him wherever she wanted.

Finally, they reached the main floor, with the Vampire Queen turning to face her partner and delicately locking her fingers to his, smiling when he placed his left hand on the small of her back, bringing her close to him and shortly after, falling into the rhythm of the music.

As Natalia gently placed her head on his shoulder, eyes closed, enjoying the dance, Derek caught glimpse of Akio who was currently serving some champagne to a couple of attendees, the woman wearing an attendant outfit, disguised amongst the waiters. Her job required her to go undercover until she could safely approach her target, who was currently enviously looking at Derek and Natalia, two women beside him, hugging him, seemingly unnoticed by the son of Romania's top Don.

He wasn't the only person feeling envious however, as Derek was able to see the saddened look on Akio as she quickly glanced at him and Natalia, the silver-haired male understanding her longing for him.

"How is it that you know him so well?" Natalia's voice suddenly drew Derek's attention to her, the woman still softly resting on his broad shoulder as he led her on.

What Natalia was asking, was how Derek was able to foresee the man's jealousness, as the Morningstar had talked to Natalia about him just before they arrived to the dance. The man's name was Adrian Casimir, son of Matei Casimir, the biggest mobster in all of Balkan Europe. He was also the one that Derek needed Natalia's help with.

Derek huffed, replying with a whisper, "Adrian lived in London back when I was a child, we were in the same school and classroom…" He looked at the man who so far hasn't looked away from him, smirking at the brunette male, infuriating the Romanian even more, "He was the bully of the school when I arrived, tried to bully me, ended up with a bloody and broken nose…" He looked back at Natalia, the woman looking up at him as he concluded, "Ever since, he's had this one-sided rivalry with me… I knew that the moment he saw you with me, he was going to try and steal you away… he's just that pathetically predictable."

Natalia chuckled, sighing, nodding as she continued dancing with the son of her best friend, now turned mate, "Very well…" She whispered before she looked up and kissed Derek's cheek, adding another whisper, "But for now, focus on me and nothing else, your mission can wait a dance."

Derek could only comply his lady's request.

It was genuinely strange for Natalia to be and feel like this. She has never experienced this kind of emotions, something weird flapping within her belly as she slowly moved around with the man she has chosen as mate. She knew that their relationship was meant to be just a little more than a business deal, and frankly, she preferred it that way as she didn't really knew what love even meant, what you were supposed to feel. All she knew, was give and take. Strangely enough, just like dragons choose mates.

There is hardly any conventional love in a dragon bonding, the winged reptiles are too proud to acknowledge any sort of emotion other than pride and strength, and weirdly enough, she felt exactly that way. Perhaps because the blood that gave birth to her kind, was draconic blood.

But for some strange reason, Natalia felt herself very comfortable inside the Morningstar's embrace, rocking around at the slow and personal beat of the music in the background. The beating of his chest against her breasts, the calm and collected breaths that hit her face, his intoxicating scent that filled her nostrils, it all filled her with a foreign excitement that she felt compelled to delve herself in fully, without restraint.

"You know about Vali, don't you?" Derek's sudden whispered question made the Vampire Queen surprised.

But, she had already expected the question, as she knew well that there was no way that someone as observant as the British royal, could miss her recognition of Vali's true identity, one that she was sure the other leaders knew about as well but just like her, decided to be silent about. If Derek hadn't acknowledged him during their meeting, then it was for a reason, and being as brash and resentful as he was, no one wanted to risk anything with the newly revealed Morningstar.

"Yes…" She whispered honestly, opening her eyes, those mesmerising blue orbs aimed straight at him as she added with a silky low tone, "I… it definitely shocked me… I never expected Lilith to bear twins…" Derek hummed, prompting the blonde to add a question, "I guess you left something out of your story, huh?"

Derek remained silent for some moments, sighing before he replied, arms still around her, "It was necessary."

Such a dry response was not one that had Natalia satisfied, thus, she inquired, though still careful not to breach a subject he might be uncomfortable with, "Why?" She still used that sudden tone that appeared out of nowhere, a tone she chalked up to her new status as the man's mate.

And it appeared that her tone worked on him, as while Derek still seemed reluctant, he actually replied his question with the voice of a man confiding on his wife, not a leader to another leader, "One Morningstar out is catastrophe enough…" He did seemed to struggle with the next part, though it was more for the words to use than anything else, "And besides… Vali… he… he has a team… with one of my mates there too, as well as two of my cousins… sigh… but that's all he has…" Natalia was marvelled when she saw, if just a for a bit, a glimpse of emotion in his eyes as he looked at the distance, adding, his hold on her tightening, "I have one of the most powerful militaries, people and organisations behind me, I can face all the dangers that come with being a Morningstar… Vali… he has me of course… but I can't protect him publicly, not now at least… he… he's just not ready to face all the shit on his own…"

It was so strange for Natalia to be able to dissect Derek's true meaning, the hidden truth that laid beneath those harsh words. She could tell, perhaps by the resonance the two shared, that Derek was in fact worried of his younger sibling. It brought a gentle smile to her face to see that the son of her best friend could truly be saved from the darkness he was in.

'At the end of the day… he's still a big brother at heart…' She would never voice her thought aloud though, knowing full well that Derek will not appreciate the remark. It did saddened her slightly, but she could understand well what Derek was going through. As a fellow leader, she knew the kind of monsters that lurked in the darkest night.

"Thank you…" She whispered, her eyes closing again as her head gently rested on his shoulder, whispering when she knew he was looking at her, "For being honest with me."

Derek did remained quiet for some moments, habits kicking in, searching for a good way to kill the romantic atmosphere that was created by her kind and soft words. But he stopped himself, remembering the promise he'd made to his Harem just a few days ago.

Natalia was now part of said Harem and thus, his promise was also to her. So he shocked her when he replied with a husky whisper, "You're not the Vampire Queen tonight, nor am I the Human God at the moment…" He sighed, still unable to get rid of his frown, not comfortable with his own words but still keeping his vow, "You're Natalia and I am Derek."

Natalia could understand Derek enough to simply remain quiet, still a little shook by his monumental effort to actually be the closest he could to a genuine lover. While no expert herself, she was still moved by his effort, and effort that she greatly appreciated with a small genuine smile. A rarity in her.

"Mr Hamilton…" The dancing couple were interrupted moments later by a young man, dressed elegantly, Natalia able to see the gun hidden inside his jacket, "Mr Casimir would like to invite you to his poker table…" The young man said as he pointed towards a balcony, a blond man raising a glass towards Derek, the young man before them adding, "He will be delighted to share a glass of wine with you, milord."

Derek sighed, nodding, saying under his breath, "Alright then…" He looked down at Natalia, the woman understanding his hidden message, the male asking, "You coming?"

Natalia smiled, shaking her head as she said softly, "I'd like to look around while you play bad boy…" She giggled when he chuckled, leaning on and kissing him on the cheek with a sensual sway, whispering as she did so, "I know my part, don't worry."

As she separated, Derek nodded and fixed his jacket, looking as Natalia walked away with a seductive sway on her hips, hiding his smirk as he saw Adrian immediately following her with his eyes, all falling straight into his plan.

"Lead on." The Morningstar stated to the young man and this one nodded, walking on with Derek in tow.

"Hahaha! Derek!…" An old blond man said with a boisterous laugh, pointing towards the chair that was left unoccupied on his table, adding as the Hamilton entered the VIP room, "Please, please, take a sit, my young friend…" He smirked then, gesturing towards the stack of money placed on the middle of the table, adding with a challenging tone, "We were just about to raise the stakes."

Derek huffed as he sat, thanking the waitress when she brought him a glass of wine, not worrying about any kind of poisons or substances his drink may have, his draconic physiology made it impossible for any foreign substance in his body to survive. But taking his hand to his pocket, he took out his wallet and grabbed a good chunk of cash, throwing it at the table, smirking as he grabbed five cards, "I like the way you think, Don Matei."

As the Romanian man chuckled and the game of poker continued, the blond man smirked as he questioned the British, "I must admit, I was very surprised when I saw you walking through the door…" The Hamilton focused on Casimir, listening as the mobster added somewhat wary, "I am sure we are up to date with our… tribute… to you, government fellas."

Derek rubbed his nose, eyes cold and dull, throwing a card as he looked back at the gangster, replying, "Oh you are, I'm not here to…" Everyone in the table felt a small shiver as the Hamilton spoke with a smirk, "Reprimand you, Matei…" He sighed, taking a sip of his wine before he added as another player drew his card, "I'm here for two reasons, which I'm sure my uncle Victor already spoke to you about."

Matei's eyes widened along with the rest of the gangsters with them, with the Romanian man actually gulping as he said with a bittersweet smirk, "I see… so you're really going against the European Union, huh?…" Derek smirked, earning a sigh from the Don before he added, "What is it with you Brits and your obsession with ruling all?" He sniggered bitterly, not sure if his words had pissed off the man before him.

Much to everyone's relief though, Derek chuckled, nodding as he simply uttered, "That is just the British way…" Drawing another card, Derek returned to his impassive posture as he added, "The terrorist attack in London has already sparked a sense of defensiveness in the British people… it has also spread the flames here in the eastern bloc…" The silverette narrowed his eyes, concluding sternly, "We simply need you to fan those flames."

Matei leaned on, eyes wary, asking for clarification, "You mean… you want me to arm the people?"

Derek nodded, stating after, "You will be compensated of course…" He took another sip, looking around, his eyes narrowing when he saw that Natalia was already engaged in a chat with Matei's son. Keeping his smirk to himself, the Hamilton turned back to the mafia Don and added with a warningly tone, "Do not shed blood though, not Romanian, nor foreign, we're trying to make this… takeover… as quick and clean as possible."

While not happy, the Romanian Mafia couldn't really do much against the Hamilton. The British rulers had been incredibly smart when their Empire collapsed, as instead of simply accepting a secondary seat, the British immediately pounced on the Mafia clans all over Europe. Controlling crime, gave you as much power as any throne.

'There's a reason why Empires are always portrayed as evil… and British…' The Don obviously kept that to himself, as while sure that the Hamilton will agree with his thinking, Matei wasn't so sure he would appreciate the commentary, "Very well then, it shall be done…" He said, keeping his thoughts to himself. Though, the Romanian did asked after a pause, "You said you had two reasons to come here, what's the second?"

At that, Derek let out a bit of his Morningstar aura, just to make them subconsciously submissive to him, knowing that the mobster won't be forthcoming with information regarding his primary target, "Ah yes, well, it's a simple matter related to a relic…" He narrowed his eyes, Matei confused, "A World War Two object…" It seemed that the Romanian was still confused, so the Hamilton was a little more explicit, "Bell shaped."

Matei couldn't avoid tightening his jay for a millisecond, relieved that he was able to stop any reaction from showing, knowing that the Hamilton would be able to see any movement on his part, "Bell-shaped World War Two relic, you say?…" The Don played it off, leaning back as he shook his head, seemingly ignorant, "I'm afraid I have no clue what you're referring to, Derek."

Unfortunately for Matei, Derek did caught the movement on his jaw. That was all that Derek really needed, he knew that Matei was not going to let anything out about a treasure of such value, he doubted there was anything more valuable in the world than said relic. So even if the Hamilton family themselves came knocking on your door to ask about it, Matei would do all on his power to keep the relic in his power.

But with his reaction, Derek had a confirmation that indeed the Romanian Mafia had the relic, "I see then…" He whispered, seemingly disappointed. His eyes then roamed to the main hall, looking at Natalia who was now chatting with some other women, Matei's son no longer with her. That and the fact that Akio's aura was no longer in the building, meant that the mission was a success, "Then perhaps, we were misinformed."

Matei felt relieved inside when he saw the genuine disappointment on the Hamilton's face, sighing, playing his cards as he stated, apparently supporting, "I think so, something as important as what you seem to be looking for, would be immediately turn over to your family, Derek, you know that."

Derek eyed Matei with a look that made everyone nervous, until the Hamilton smirked somewhat amicably, stating with a nod, "Ah yes, you and your men have always been… reliable."

Matei nodded, shocking himself at how collected he was able to maintain himself at the moment. He had no idea how Derek did it, but despite being so young, the boy was absolutely terrifying. It was as if there was something so sinister around him. Matei genuinely didn't know who he rather deal with at this point, Derek or Jonathan, both, in his honest opinion, were the same kind of devil.

Derek then threw his cards to the table, losing the game, drinking the rest of his beverage before he stood up, fixing his jacket as he said, "Well then, I must go back to my date for the night…" He looked at Natalia who smiled at him, the Hamilton saying after, "It was a pleasure, gentlemen."

The gangsters in the room nodded nervously as Derek walked towards the exit, stopping just right beside Matei who said with a friendly tone, though there was some wariness hidden within his words, "Are you staying in Bucharest for the weekend, Derek?"

Derek stared at the Romanian with a blank face before he tilted his head and ever so slightly smirked, his hand going to the man's shoulder, a statement of power over him when the Hamilton asked calmly, "I am indeed, Matei, is there a problem?"

It took all of Matei's experience to remain calm under the direct pressure of the Hamilton, shivering slightly but still able to smile at the boy and pat his hand, trying to play it off as a friendly gesture, "Not at all, just wanted to know in case you wanted to come by again, I have many things that may make your visit more… pleasurable."

It didn't took a genius to understand what kind of pleasure the mobster meant, as some of the women present in the room were smiling at him sultrily. But deciding to just play along, the Hamilton took his hand off of his shoulder and said as he resumed his exit, "I shall consider it, good day gentlemen."

He didn't bother to look back as he left the room, the dragon in him was telling him to kill them and stop their human trafficking business, but the rational side of him knew that it wasn't just that simple.

Taking his phone as he walked back to Natalia, he dialled a number, waiting a few rings until the voice of Akio was heard saying, "I'm at the clothing store babe, but they only have black suits, do I buy it?"

While Derek hated to use this sort of word play, it was necessary to throw off any suspicion, as the Romanian's had the building wired and with a system that allowed them to intercept and listen to every call. Thus, code words were needed.

"Yeah, that's the one…" He said, approaching Natalia who smiled as she saw him, walking towards him while Derek added to Akio, "Though, John knows that I want the suit, so make sure to at least get the measurements before he moves the suit to another store."

He could picture Akio's smile on the other line, the woman always loved this role playing games, mostly because she always ended up being his wife, girlfriend or mistress in these things, "Alright babe, I'll call ya if I need ya."

Derek just nodded and hung the phone, Natalia now in front of him, snaking her arms around his arm, her face now next to his as she whispered, "Shall we go?"

Derek just nodded with a sigh, wanting to go and have some rest in the hotel. Though now that he smelled the scent of the woman next to him, he could tell that resting was the last thing she had in mind.

Derek sighed as he sipped his whiskey with a delighted moan, enjoying the burning sensation in his throat as the liquid travelled to his stomach. The breeze of the night hitting him was also a wonderful sensation, the silverette currently looking over the city of Bucharest on the balcony of his suite in the hotel, now only wearing his pants and unbuttoned shirt, relaxing after meddling with the Mafia of Romania.

He was also constantly monitoring Akio through the feel of their connection, which despite all Akio did in the past, still existed. Derek knew why it did and he was considering that perhaps, it was time to just let it go and free her completely from the guilt she still felt. Alice may have forgiven her, but Derek has yet to acknowledge it from his part, it weighed on her mind heavily and he knew it, as tonight showed when he was dancing with Natalia and Akio was simply looking over the corner of her eyes with a small grimace, longing.

But for the moment, he focused on her mission, which was to assert where the relic was and possibly get the blueprints if she found them. Though Derek had instructed her to keep watch through the night, as Matei was sure to move the relic somewhere else, knowing exactly that Derek was going to look for it. Akio's job was to let him know when the relic was on the move and then, they'll hijack it.

"Umm…" The sudden feminine voice of the other occupant in the room drew Derek's attention back into the suite, his eyebrow raising when he saw the wonderful view of Natalia straight out of the shower, wearing nothing but a thin gown that made out the outline of her body, the woman biting her lip as she looked away, a small blush on her face as she whispered, surprisingly abashed, "S-Stop staring so much…" She squirmed, feeling the lust of her new mate as he devoured her with his eyes.

Derek smirked slightly, snorting as he asked, amused, "Really? The legendary Natalia Dracul, Queen of Vampires, is feeling shy?"

Natalia pouted and walked towards him, hitting him on the chest, drawing a chuckle from him. The woman then simply got close to him, burying her head in the nook of his neck, saying with a blush and timid tone, "S-Shut up Derek!… I… I a-am…" She closed her eyes, whispering the last of her confession, "S-Still a… v… gulp… v-virgin…"

Now, that was shocking for the Morningstar. He never thought that a woman that was over a thousand years old was still a virgin, more so when it was a vampire, who were known to also be quite depraved, "Well… that's a shock…" He looked down on the woman who still refused to look up at him, commenting with a small smirk, "I would've guessed that you were already quite experienced."

She sighed, biting her lip, stating after a moment of silence, still embarrassed, "It's not because of a lack of candidates…" She felt a shiver when Derek snaked an arm around her waist, continuing, "I just simply never felt like it…" She looked up this time, still blushing but now determined to make her point clear, "I've always been focused on leading my people, I had decided back then to just explore sex with someone I… the one I'd choose as my mate."

Derek and Natalia remained staring at each other for some moments before the Hamilton broke eye contact with a gentle huff, saying, "I've always been curious about that…" Feeling Natalia's confusion, he looked down at her to explain his words, "I mean, how do pure-blooded vampires have sex? You need blood to get it working, pure-blooded vampires don't have blood, so how do males reproduce?"

Natalia giggled, resting her cheek on his shoulder as she replied, "True, technically, male vampires have a dysfunctional penis…" She sighed, continuing after a pause, "But a little after our creation, some of the most knowledgeable vampires created a potion that worked for a while, though it lasted very short, males needed to finish quickly to impregnate the woman…" She shivered as a cold breeze passed through her gown, Derek walking them both inside, still in his arms as she added while he closed the balcony's door, "The potion worked for reproduction purposes, but for those who wanted lustful, casual and dirty sex, it was useless, it came to a point where female vampires would rather reproduce with other species than their own."

Derek's eyebrow raised, intrigued, asking, "That sounds like a crisis."

Natalia nodded, saying, "It was…" She then walked towards the bed, sitting, a little embarrassed by how her skin was showing to the man towering over her, adding with a whisper, "That was one of the reasons for why my father called yours, the day he met Lilith…" She looked up, finishing, "Lucifer then created a pill that fixed that, it needs blood of any kind to work, the pill simply sends the blood to the penis and voila, you have an erection."

Derek smirked, now above her, shocking Natalia at how small she felt as he leered over her, the man closing their distance, his hands on his pockets, now breathing right next to her ear. Despite being over a thousand years old, Natalia couldn't help but pant at the new sensation he made her feel when he whispered, "I bet it pales in comparison to a dragon erection though."

LEMON START

Natalia felt her chest so heavy as she whispered, gently falling down on the mattress as Derek pushed her with his body, blues locked to blues, "R-Really?…" She winced at how innocent she sounded, but truthfully, she had no clue about sex, none at all.

Derek chuckled viciously, his hand gently tracing the woman's thighs, eliciting a moan from her as he whispered right next to her ear, his body now fully on top of hers, "Really…" He began to grind his hips on hers, the woman's eyes widening as she felt something solid rubbing against her, the silverette smirking as he questioned, "Can you feel it?"

Natalia could only pant as her hips grinded on their own, already feeling the cold breeze of the room hitting her most precious spot that now laid uncover, her gown parting to let the Morningstar man in, eager, moist.

"Y-Yeah…" Lucifer be damned, she hated herself right now. She felt so absolutely helpless and needy, not even able to control her own body as it relentlessly screamed for the man on top of her, "D-Derek… come on… d-don't keep me waiting…" She moaned pathetically, biting her lip as she eyed her man with lust-filled eyes, absolutely enamoured by the guy.

Derek chuckled viciously, still grinding his hips but now taking her hand to his bulge, using her fingers to unzip his pants, smirking as she gasped when he used her hand to free his member, the woman's eyes focused on the appendage she knew existed only by text books.

He continued to use her hand to stroke himself, the woman seemingly lost in the heat embracing her hand and hips, eyes locked to his penis and nowhere else, "You wanna skip the foreplay, blood-sucker?" He whispered suggestively on her ear, greatly amused by the complete turn of attitude in the woman, a measly pudding at the mercy of his touch.

Natalia could barely think straight anymore, not even noticing when Derek opened her gown to reveal her breasts, pressed tightly against his chest, still stroking him on automatic, capable to whisper a simple, "Y-Yes…" She managed to look back at him, emboldening herself to rub the tip of his member against her entrance, whispering with a sweet tone that she was sure only he will ever hear, "W-We have an eternity for foreplay…" She moaned as she introduced the tip, wincing a little as she added, locking her blues to him, "R-Right now… I just w-want you… need you…"

That was it for the Morningstar, whose draconic-self took over the moment he heard the neediness of the woman he already saw as his.

Knowing the pain she was about to be in, Derek suddenly thrust inside her vagina with a ferocious push, the woman actually moaning in both pain and pleasure as she felt something tearing within her, holding her man tightly, both out of an indescribable need of him and support, the pain too fresh to let him do anything else.

Derek complied, remaining still as he held her, listening to her breathing steadying for some moments until he heard her faintly saying, "D-Darling…" She began grinding her hips, moaning, adding, "Do it… mark me…"

Those magic words flipped a switch in the silverette who just growled lowly, sending shivers down her spine before she began to moan increasingly as he drilled her, beginning slow, her hands messing his back.

She was sure that everyone in the floor could hear her when Derek increased his speed tremendously, as she was now on her fours, her head plastered on the pillows while her butt remained up, the Brit royal pounding on her core over and over again, messing her up badly in every way she could think of.

She offered no resistance when he snaked his arm around her belly and pulled her up, a feather practically as he continued to penetrate her viciously, Natalia screaming in both pain and pleasure as he sat her on his lap, the downward movement causing a particular deep stab inside her vagina, causing a sudden orgasm that surprisingly, left her unconscious for a couple of seconds.

When she came back to herself, she was received by the amused chuckle of the Hamilton who was now pounding on her doggy style, the woman able to recover some of her wits as she said between moans, "H-H-Hey… auu… d-don't laugh you… hmmm… d-dick…" Saying that word made her suddenly aware of the member still within her, sending her blushed face to the pillows again, embarrassed but in an absolute bliss that she would cherish for the rest of her life.

The merciless pounding continued for who knows how long, Natalia could barely stay awake as her body received the blissful punishment of having a dragon as a sexual partner, absolutely sure that there was no other species in the planet that could have sex in such bestial manner. She felt almost like a fricking sex-doll.

"You… uuu…" She tried to say, now on top of him, her back pressed against his chest while her butt bounced on his lap, looking at her side to face her lover, faces so close that they could feel each other's hot ragged breath, "Y-You better not b-break your promise t-to… hmmm… t-to me… I-I…" She suddenly felt herself too embarrassed to continue, shocked to hear the almost unnatural attitude of her. She was about to say something that she wasn't too sure Derek would like.

But Derek understood what she was trying to imply, and while it did not made him entirely happy, she was his mate now, and he had promised to do better for them. So holding her even tighter, he increased his thrusts in such a manner that she couldn't keep her composure and began moaning again, tearing up as the Morningstar whisper on her ear, "You have my word." Right about when he pierced her with one last deep thrust.

Natalia couldn't keep her brain up as she felt a sudden rush of heat flooding her womb, gagging, her head thrown back over Derek's shoulder, twitching as he finished releasing his sperm inside of her, the woman feeling such rush that she couldn't even feel Derek's teeth sinking onto her flesh, marking her as his and him as hers for eternity.

END LEMON

As usual, the sudden rush of emotions and sensations proved to be too much for the newcomer Vampire Queen, and immediately after her high, she fell like a feather onto Derek's chest, in a blissful sleep, still twitching a little but eventually settling down with a content smile on her face.

Derek panted a little, tired, gently pushing Natalia aside and covering her with the sheets, brushing some strands of hair as she slept, her post-coital beauty being something undeniable. A hidden hobby of his, was to always stare at his women after a night of passion, seeing their completely satisfied expression filled him with a sense of accomplishment.

But almost as if the plot required it, his phone rang from his pants laying on the floor, forcing the Morningstar to sigh, knowing who it was.

He just leaned on Natalia, whispering, "Sorry Nat, but I gotta go." Despite still being in a deep sleep, Natalia seemed to sense his words, as she frowned a little, curling.

Derek just sighed and surprising himself, he just leaned on and kissed her forehead, the smile back on her face as he frowned, standing up from the bed and putting his current thoughts aside to grab his phone.

"The suit is on route, feel me up and I'll meet you there."

Was the message he read from Akio, "And the show goes on…" He whispered with a tired sigh before he turned his demeanour back to his real one, that of the Human God. This mission was a pivotal one for the Templar cause, and as a fervent believer of his Order, he would do his best to see it succeed.

Akio didn't even flinched when she felt a presence behind her, her eyes kept on the truck that's currently being loaded with a huge heavy crate, a couple of men sliding it carefully into the trailer's huge box, a young man she recognised as Adrian Casimir leading the operation, with a young black woman and a slightly older tanned man eyeing the procedure intently, their guards up, expecting anything.

"Did you took good care of her, Boss?" Akio didn't know what drove her to sound so bitter with that, but it automatically came out. She just refused to look at him, not afraid but rather embarrassed.

Derek just sighed as he stood next to her, on the edge of a building's roof, eyes falling into Matei's son as he replied his subordinate's question, "Yes Akio, I did…" Knowing that she was biting her lip in frustration, the Hamilton brought her back into their business as he commented, "I see that Adrian acted exactly as I expected."

Akio too managed to put everything bothering her in the back of her mind, huffing with a smirk as she said, "Yeah, Natalia didn't even need to do much, just allure him a little bit and soon enough, the idiot was trying to impress her with this…" She looked at her boss, adding, "Telling her all about how he was in charge of a millionaire operation in his father's workshop… didn't took me long to find the place."

Derek snorted, shaking his head, amused at how easy to predict the young arrogant man was, always resorting to use his wealth to impress someone out of his league, "Those two…" He said then as he narrowed his eyes at the woman and man standing behind Adrian.

"Yeah… Illuminati…" Akio whispered, biting her lip as she eyed Derek, asking, "Ya think Matei's working with the Suits?"

Derek shook his head, explaining, "Matei is smart, but he's not smart enough to know about our little secret world, he probably believes he's just making a profit selling the Relic to some American millionaire…" He stopped when he caught a whiff of a scent he recognised with ease, his eyes narrowing at the distance, adding, "Did you planted the explosives?"

Akio's eyes widened a little, looking at Derek confusedly, but still answering, "Yeah… I put them below the truck's box as you said…" She tilted her head, looking back at the truck that was now starting, the two Americans and Adrian inside now, the tanned man being at the wheel, "I thought the plan was to retrieve it, not destroy it."

"It was…" Derek replied, going back to the truck as it began to move, "But it seems that would be impossible now…" He crouched, his aura flaring, turning battle-mode, "You did retrieved the blueprints, right?"

Akio smirked, grabbing a tube-like container from her back pocket, showing to Derek as she said, "You know I did."

Derek smirked at the blackette, saying with a ferocious glance, "Then there's no need to hold back…" As the truck left the workshop, Derek focused back on it, laying out the plan quickly, "There is a third player around, so we need to draw them out first… I'll attack head on, take care of the Suits and Adrian, and get the thirds to show…" He looked back at his once lover, speaking after the pause, "I have a feeling we're about to encounter an old friend…" Akio's eyes widened when she realised who Derek was talking about, "So the moment he shows, blow it up, I'll make sure it's completely destroyed."

Akio just sighed with a terse nod, whispering as she prepared herself, "Whoever's accompanying him, will surely come for me."

Derek stood up, grabbing his Ghost mask form his pocket and donning it, looking at Akio as he said, "Yeah, but I know you can deal with it…" He shocked her greatly when he caressed her cheek, Akio's eyes widening when he leaned on her ear and whispered, "You're my mate after all."

Akio couldn't even speak or move as Derek disappeared from sight, her emotions threatening to take over her control as the flood came hard. But conjuring all of her training throughout the years, she managed to control herself. Though the huge smile on her face and glassy eyes, were things she could not fight off, "God dammit, Derek…"

"I seriously don't see why go through such pain to relocate this piece of junk…" Adrian said annoyed, a big frown on his face as he eyed the obscure road, adding, "I fail to see how anyone could steal it that easily… that thing is massive."

The dark-skinned woman next to him scoffed, biting a toothpick as she said with a rough tone, "Easy there brat, the Hamilton is in town…" She narrowed her eyes at the road, an uneasy feeling in her gut as she added, "Anything can happen with that Prince around."

The mere mention of Derek made Adrian's blood boil, tightening his fists as the memory of being rejected by the Brit's date replayed inside his mind, "Huff… Please… what could that dumbass do?…" He eyed the two Americans, who just snorted at his words, the blond Romanian adding, "Besides, he's probably getting his tiny prick wet with that whore of his."

The tanned man driving the truck chuckled, shaking his head as he said, "Brat, you should kn… ugh!…"

Everything happened so fast for Adrian, as he barely saw how a bullet suddenly went through the front window and straight into the driver's skull. His sudden death provoked the wheel to be stirred violently, forcing the heavy truck to take a sharp turn that overcame its strength and ended up sending the truck rolling down the abandoned highway, thrashing violently for some moments until it came to a full stop, crashing against a pole.

It took Adrian some seconds to come back to the world, a huge pain on his side assaulting him as he slowly opened his eyes, taking in his surroundings, "W-What the fuck…" He mumbled when he realised that he was still inside the truck, the vehicle ending back on its wheels.

"G-God dammit…" He heard a feminine voice complain beside him, belonging to the female escort his father had appointed to accompany him with the cargo, "Fucking knew it." She added as she unbuttoned her seatbelt and painfully got out of the cabin, immediately drawing her weapon and taking cover behind the truck, dragging a whining Adrian beside him.

"H-Hey!…" Adrian said, wincing as he was thrown to the ground, the woman kneeling beside him, her eyes roaming all around them, "What the h-hell is with you, woman!?" He asked, trying to get up.

The woman quickly pushed him down though, whispering harshly, "There's a fucking sniper out there! Sit down!"

Adrian though, tilted his head, forcing his way up as he asked annoyed, "Sniper? What the heck are you…"

The woman quickly kneeled and took cover as Adrian was suddenly hit in the head by a bullet, forcing a whisper out of her, "Fuck, fuck, fuck…" She gulped, sweating, not knowing what to do, straining her senses to try and get a grasp of the shooter's location, "Where the hell are you, motherfucker?" She whisper, peaking her head out just a little bit.

"Behind you."

The sudden voice startled the woman and forced her to whiplash her head back. Too late though, as Derek had already put a bullet in her head, killing her instantly.

"Now, where are you?" Derek whispered to himself while he looked around, knowing that someone was observing him intently. But deciding to ensure that the cargo was indeed what they were looking for, Derek walked towards the box's doors, opening them, narrowing his eyes as he saw a damaged metallic box, tightly held to the floor by many straps, some already broken after the crash.

The Hamilton stepped into the box and walked towards it, inspecting the material, knocking the surface a few times with his knuckles, stating behind his mask, "Hmm… titanium… reinforced with a layer of tungsten… too much for any regular cargo…" He narrowed his eyes then, his fist suddenly becoming surrounded by black fire, the heat in the atmosphere augmenting as he whispered with eyes narrowed, "Not strong enough to keep me out though." Whit those words, he cocked his fist back and punched straight through the hard material, the safe being no match for a god like himself, giving in as Derek tore the door off his hinges, throwing it outside the truck.

As Derek carefully removed the hay that covered the prize, his eyes narrowed when he was met by a huge bell-like object, metallic, some parts of its body rusted, but there were two things that miraculously still remained intact. The ominous feeling the strange object produced, and the carved swastika on its surface.

But, just as he expected, he felt a familiar presence landing some metres away from him, a growl coming from outside, forcing the Hamilton to close his eyes and sigh, a little disappointed that he was going to have to destroy the Relic so soon, "Either it stays in Templar hands or none…" He walked out of the box, adding as he looked at the adversary, "We still got the blueprints, so that's good."

As he walked towards the contender, the trailer behind him suddenly exploded, with Derek throwing a dragon shot in the mix to ensure that no trace of the Relic would remain.

When the explosion lighted up the empty highway, Derek stopped some metres away from the adversary, a gruff looking man, hair almost white, eyes completely empty, his skin a sickly pale, but his muscles and power still exuding like a beacon.

Derek just narrowed his eyes, now red, looking ominously through the holes in his mask, the roughly painted skull adding to the frightening image of the being once known as GhostOne, now face to face with his old comrade, "It's been a long time, Niko…" Derek couldn't help but feel slightly excited though. Throughout the years, Niko was truly one of the very few that could actually make him sweat and struggle, having beating him even once, "For the good 'ol times." Derek commented before he disappeared in a flash, intending to hit the corpse of the man formerly code-named GhostFive.

"Fucking sick bastards…" Akio mumbled after she pressed the button in the explosives' remote, shielding her eyes for a moment to avoid the blast's flash, her eyes once again setting on the figure of her once teammate Niko Kozlov, currently locked in a fierce fight against their former leader.

"I see now, you were simply drawing us out." A feminine voice drew Akio's attention to her back, already alerted of her presence long ago.

Thus, Akio turned calmly towards the woman behind her, a smirk on her face as her eyes settled on the figure of a beautiful tall woman. She examined the adversary, Akio feeling suspicious as she glanced at the woman's long hair, a silky shiny grey, just a shade lighter than Derek's. Her eyes were also strangely familiar, bloody red with a black slit as pupil. The woman's outfit was a beautiful black and red Victorian-style royal suit, golden ornaments adorning the dashing outfit, a sheathed rapier at the side of her waist, the woman's hand currently resting on its hilt, ready for action.

Akio returned her eyes to the woman's own, commenting with a shrug, "You Novum filth should already know by now…" She smirked, her hands going to her pockets, a magical strip surrounding her right leg while she brought it forward, adding with a vicious tone, "The Boss is always ahead."

Akio was wary when the mention of Derek seemed to cause a slight tightening on the woman's jaw, her red eyes travelling towards the dragon in question for just a second before they went back to Akio, the woman drawing her rapier as she said, "Yes, he does seem to always know what to do…" Suddenly, a blue aura surrounded her body, her eyes shining a dangerous red and as she pointed her sword towards Akio, the woman asked, "I doubt he destroyed the Relic just to stop us from taking it, I take it you have the blueprints that mysteriously disappeared then?"

Akio though just smirked even wider, tilting her head as she said, "Before I kick your sexy ass, may I know your name?" There was something about this woman that made Akio's gut tickle, something very familiar.

The silver-haired female seemed to hesitate for a moment, but seemingly coming to a decision, she just replied, sword still aimed at Akio, "Selvaria Bles, and you Akio Fudō, shall die by my blade."

Akio chuckled, welcoming the challenge with an amused, "My, my… how dangerous…"

The agent's eyes went slightly wide however, when Selvaria suddenly disappeared from sight, appearing right next to Akio in a matter of seconds, her rapier already in the midst of a dangerous swing aimed right at the blackette's side.

But having trained with Derek for so long, Akio was able to surprise Selvaria as the half-Asian woman did an impressive side-flip, going over Selvaria in a single move and with great speed, Akio sent a powerful kick towards the silverette's back the moment she landed.

But it was then turn for Selvaria to impress, as she used her elbow to parry the kick, both women wincing at the strength of their blows, separating and regaining their stances, eyes completely locked towards each other.

"Funny…" Akio's voice made Selvaria a little wary, listening as the blackette continued with a strange smirk, "That move you just did… it's an awful like one of the Derek's own…" Smiling playfully, Akio tilted her head, asking with a strange tone of voice, "Though that move should only be known by one person… but that's just weird… I mean… she's dead."

Selvaria knew Akio well enough to know that the blackette was a damn playful and noisy cat, it wouldn't take long for her to connect the dots. But, the woman once known as Vanessa Jones, also knew that not answering her question with anything, would only help Akio solve the puzzle, "It's normal for an enemy to study their adversaries thoroughly…" She quickly remembered all the lessons the love of her life gave her, somehow putting her pain aside as she continued, "That I am your enemy, doesn't mean I do not respect Mr Hamilton, he's the peak of our species and as a swordswoman myself, I can only admire the man I aim to kill."

Despite her attitude, Akio was genuinely confused by this woman. There was something about her that rang a bell within Akio's mind, but she still couldn't really grasp it, "Makes sense." She conceded.

Was all the Ghost woman said before she leapt towards Selvaria and with her magically reinforced her kick, landed a vicious hit on her opponent, who quickly brought her arm up and parried the strike with her forearm.

'Damn… no wonder she's considered the strongest human female there is…' Selvaria thought as she felt the inhuman strength behind Akio's kick, knowing well that had it not been for Derek's blood, she wouldn't have been able to fight against Akio on her own.

But not wasting any time, Selvaria used the fact that Akio was currently in a lock and quickly brought her rapier to try and stab the blackette.

Akio cursed as she barely managed to lean back, the tip of the rapier still leaving a thin trace on her belly.

Jumping away, Selvaria seized the fact that Akio was taken aback by the slash and with incredible speed, she made a dash towards the blackette, jumping and with her rapier up, she brought it down on her opponent, intending on burying her sword deep in Akio's skull.

She was surprised however, when Akio parried her strike with two black daggers, the playful woman smirking as she said within their stalemate, "Congrats, you made me use my daggers, not many can say they have."

Selvaria smirked, stating, "How honoured."

Using the powers bestowed to her by Derek's blood, Selvaria concentrated her aura on her arms and hands, her strength increasing substantially, forcing Akio to grit her teeth and use her daggers to redirect the slash and try to kick the silverette's feet.

But Selvaria was able to leap back, avoiding the low-swing kick. Using her momentum, Selvaria tried to pin Akio's foot on the floor with her rapier, but the blackette was faster than her and as she avoid the stab, Akio threw a dagger at Selvaria, successfully hitting her on the left thigh.

'Damn… as I thought…' Selvaria thought to herself as she took the dagger out of her flesh and threw it aside, jumping back to a safe distance, adding as she eyed Akio with narrowed frustrated eyes, 'I still can't control my power enough to fight her on my own… need to retreat now'

"Recognising a losing battle, I see…" Akio commented with an infuriating smirk, her hands back into her pockets, now in a relaxed stance, smirking at the swordswoman as she added amused, "It's okay, I can tell you're inexperienced with those strange powers of yours…" Picking up her dagger, Akio smirked at Selvaria one last time before she started walking away, commenting nonchalantly, "Hopefully, when we meet again, you'll have full control of your power, I do look forward to that."

Clicking her tongue, Selvaria turned her power off, commenting somewhat irritated, "So you're just letting me go like that?" It pissed her off but honestly, she was going to take the chance. As of this moment, she was still no match for her, she even shudder at the thought of how she'd fare against Derek himself.

Akio stopped, tilting her head and as she shrugged, said, "Yeah, I don't really know why but something tells me I shouldn't kill ya…" Looking at Selvaria over her shoulder, Akio smiled viciously and when she stepped over the ledge of the building, left some words before she jumped off, "Not now at least."

Selvaria just stared at the spot where Akio was just moments ago, surely heading towards her love. Now that she was alone, she put her embarrassment and frustration to the back of her mind as she allowed herself a glance at the man she loved, still fighting Niko, a pang in her heart but gathering strength, she uttered, "Remember why you did it, Vanessa… remember…" With that, just as she arrived, she was gone with the wind, vowing to come back stronger than ever.

Derek grunted as he jumped away, avoiding Niko's fist barely, the zombified beast of a man ending up hitting one of the walls beside the road, destroying it without effort.

"Fucking hell…" Derek uttered before he delivered a vicious kick to Niko's side, the dead man grunting as he was sent skidding some metres, grabbing his sides as his dull eyes settled on his former leader, "Miyo is getting better at her craft…" He narrowed his eyes as Niko charged at him like an enraged bull, the Russian male throwing a punch that Derek avoided by leaning his body slightly, using his elbow to deliver a painful hit on the larger man's arm, the sound a bone breaking reaching the Hamilton's ears, "But still, without Niko's mind…" He grunted as he punched the man's gut with draconic power, sending Niko flying back, rolling around the ground while Derek added, a little winded, "This is just a brute without control… what is it that you're aiming for , Novum?"

The Morningstar knew that there was something off. Niko was strong, and he proved it as he stood up and charged at Derek again, both of them locking into a flurry of fists, some of them even landing on Derek's body, strong enough to push some blood out of his mouth. But even so, if Derek was to get really serious, there was no chance that Niko could take him on, not when he can't even think for himself.

Derek got a huge punch on his face, the force behind it being enough to cause some serious pain in the son of Lucifer, enraging him, growling and as he went back up, his fist got coated in flames, cocking it back and with a silent boost, he thrust it right at Niko's chin, the impact being vicious enough to make a loud crack as Niko flew back, jaw broken, rolling until he crashed against the remains of the truck.

Derek's eyes narrowed when he saw Niko entering the sea of flames that was engulfing the truck, no signs of him for a couple of seconds until Derek's ears caught a noise that made him look back quickly, his eyes settling on a distant plane that was flying over Bucharest at quick pace.

Only then did Derek realised that during all of their fight, Niko was pushing him further away from the destroyed truck. But it was too late as another sound made him turn back and see how suddenly, a hook with a steel rope was shot towards the sky.

The plane intercepted the hook and using its momentum, lifted off a burnt Niko from the wreckage, Derek cursing as he saw the zombie carrying what it looked like a core of some sorts, probably from the Relic itself.

Grabbing quickly his gun, Derek aimed it at the rope and shot it multiple times, but the rope being too thin and moving so violently due to the wind, it made it impossible for him to strike it. Thus, he changed his target to Niko, but the bullets simply sunk in him, causing no harm to an already dead man.

"Fucking hell…" The silverette whispered irately, knowing that due to the restrictions placed on him in the human world, he couldn't risk chasing the plane by flying himself. With all the mobiles and cameras in today's age, someone was bound to get a glimpse of him.

"Derek!" Akio came rushing at him, panting, wary of Derek's reaction. While not completely played by Novum because they were most certainly after the Relic as a whole, the secretive group still managed to pull one on the Templars.

"It doesn't matter anymore, Akio…" Derek began saying, the sound of sirens at the distance forcing him to walk towards Akio and hold her by the waist, teleporting them both out of sight, "At least we got the blueprints, I doubt there's someone with them capable to recreate the Relic with just the core." He said once they reappeared at the top of a building, far from the highway that was shortly flooded with policemen and fire-fighters.

As Derek released her, Akio looked at the highway as well before her eyes travelled to the sky, where the plane had disappeared, biting her lip when she asked, "I'm not so sure about that though, I think they were stalling, buying time for the plane to arrive."

Derek nodded with a sigh, his blues going to Akio, still wearing that mask that reminded her of the darkest version of her love, asking, "Talking of which, what happen to your opponent?"

Derek was not a fan of letting people go, he was a man that always put secrecy first, therefore most of the time any kind of witness, innocent or not, would usually end up dead at his hand. That's why Akio did gulped, scratching her scruff sheepishly while she whispered, laughing nervously, "Y-Yeah… about that… I… umm… I l-let her… go…"

Derek's aura leaked ever so slightly at that, not angry, but annoyed. Long ago had he learnt that he couldn't really come to lash out against the women he considered his, "I take it you have a good reason for that?" He still asked with a low tone, arms crossed before his chest, expectant.

Akio took a deep breath before she focused on the man and replied, still a little nervous, "There was something about her… something… familiar…"

Derek's eyes twitched, intrigued, taking off his mask and as he walked towards the edge of the building, he said, "Tell me about it on the road."

Akio just nodded, jumping right after Derek, still feeling like Selvaria had a different objective all this time.

"So, you got it?" A feminine voice said from the other end of the line, relaxed but with a tint of eagerness in her alluring voice.

Selvaria could almost imagine Mei playing with her auburn hair right now, pleased with the mission. While not a complete success, they still managed to succeed in one and a half of their three targets, "Yeah, Matei kept it in a vault somewhere in Siberia… he considered it his most precious treasure." Selvaria replied, looking out through the window of her room, still in Bucharest, it wasn't safe for her to leave on her own just yet, she needed to wait until Derek was gone.

"Hmm…" Mei hummed before she chuckled, adding, "If so, then I take it you had to go… far… with him to get such information."

Selvaria gagged, replying, "Hell no, he did put his hands on me, but thanks to Derek's blood, he fell in love with me in an instant…" She thought of Derek, biting her lip as she added, "I don't think I would be willing to cross that line if I had to."

Mei was silent for some moments until she said, understanding, "Then let's hope you never have to… you have Derek's blood, with your looks and his aura, you should be able to get anyone dancing on your palm without the need to sleep with them…" Sighing, Selvaria listened as her new leader added, "As for the book, we have the rare opportunity of being the only ones privy of its existence, we must take this chance."

"Got it." Selvaria said, jumping on her bed, laying on her back, an arm over her eyes while her phone remained at her side.

After a brief pause, Mei spoke again, "What did you do with Matei?"

Selvaria sighed, answering, "Nothing, it would've been a huge red flag for Derek if he comes to Romania to find that Matei was dead, I had to play hard to get with him to keep Matei off my back while Derek was here…" She sighed, closing her eyes as she continued, "But I doubt Derek is going to let him off, he already killed his son, Matei was not going to be happy about that, so surely, Derek's going to deal with him…" She looked at her side, finishing with a whisper, "If he hasn't already."

A soft giggle from Mei's end, was followed by her saying, "Ah yes, the always vicious Human God…" A silence followed that statement, only broken when Mei sighed and added, "Get back here as soon as you can then, we already have at least the core, so there's nothing else left in Europe for us… a little bird told me that Britain's campaign is about to begin, so I don't want anyone interfering with it, we don't wanna get caught in the crossfire just yet."

Selvaria's eyes opened, sitting up, surprised and biting her lip as she felt melancholy for her nation, asking with a whisper, "Against who?" Her eyes where aimed at the window, nervous. Being an enemy of her home country, resulted harder than she initially believed.

Mei seemed reluctant to reply, probably because she knew Selvaria well enough to know her thoughts. But still, after a deep long sigh, Mei whispered something that shook Selvaria's heart, "Europe."

Kushina could easily count with one hand the times she actually felt this nervous about something. Though, she could hardly blame herself, as she was one hundred percent aware of the massive obligation she was about to take, the path that she could never go back from, since for a Templar, there was only the Order or nothing.

"Relax Kushi…" Her sister's voice sounded beside her, the redhead being enveloped in a loving embrace by her elder sister Yasaka, who was thankfully allowed to observe Kushina's initiation, immensely grateful to Derek and Jonathan for letting her being here for her sister in such crucial moment in her life, "Where's that fiery redhead we all know and love, huh?…" Yasaka kissed her sister's forehead, grasping her by the cheeks as she added with a smirk, "You're the most determined person I know, get that fire that characterises you out, sister."

Kushina did felt a wave of reassurance after her sister's words, smiling, hugging Yasaka tightly and asking as they embraced, her voice a tiny whisper, "Are you fine with this, Yasa?…" Kushina closed her eyes, tightening the embrace, adding, "You know… I… I'll be a Templar and nothing more…"

Yasaka did sighed at that, for a moment considering perhaps telling her a little white lie. But the Yōkai Queen decided that her sister was now old enough to deal with truths, so the blonde replied honestly, "I'm not thrilled of course…" Pushing Kushina just a little away, enough to grasp her shoulders, the elder Uzumaki smiled and continued saying, "You're my baby sister and I would love to have you by my side forever, but I know this is something you want, this is your path Kushi and you should follow your heart…" Caressing her cheek, the blonde finished with a smile, "Derek and I reached an agreement and he is my mate now, he made a promise to do everything in his power to keep our sides in good terms and I believe in him completely… believe in your Master as well, okay?"

Kushina smiled at that, nodding, whispering back, "Yeah… you're right… that's what I'll do 'ttebane!…" Yasaka smiled as she saw her fiery sister return, taking a deep sigh before the redhead walked towards a door, stopping just to say one last thing to her sister, "I'll see ya on the other side, 'kay?"

As Yasaka nodded with a smile, Kushina looked at the front once more and with a deep inhale, she opened the first door of her Templar trial, stepping into an empty corridor, the door closing behind her, with the redhead whispering after, "Sigh… I wish Master was here…" It was a little saddening for Kushina to hear from Jonathan that Derek couldn't make it to her initiation, but she took consolation in knowing that he believed in her, thus, she had to do her part to prove that her Master's trust was in the right place.

As Kushina's mind went back to the now, she began walking through the corridor, a little weirded out by its emptiness, not even a gentle breeze of air present.

Just as Kushina finally reached the other end of the corridor, where an empty wall awaited her, she began to look around, confused, until Jonathan's voice was heard, seemingly from nowhere in particular, "From the very first moment our Order came to be, Arthur Pendragon instilled three values into our brotherhood, values that have lasted through the years without compromise…" As he said that, twelve symbols appeared on the wall before Kushina, startling her a little but she quickly regained composure, listening as Jonathan continued, "A regular soldier knows well which symbols to pick, but you're not a regular soldier, you're the apprentice of a Knight Templar, therefore you must prove that you don't only know which are those values, but that you also know exactly, what they mean to each other."

As Jonathan's voice faded away, Kushina took a deep breath, happy to know the exact answer to her leader's question, "The values of our Order are knowledge, power and order, each feed each other, a step by step to our ultimate goal…" After she spoke, the Uzumaki eyed the symbols until she found one with a line intertwining itself into a three pointed star, touching the red-glowing symbol, saying, "Knowledge is the first step to take…" Her eyes then went to one at the bottom, finding the classic symbol of England, the royal lion, "Through knowledge, one achieves power…" Her violets roamed the wall for a moment before they settled on their last objective, the classical Templar cross, pressing her hand over it and stating, "And through power, one achieves order."

Just after she pressed the last symbol, the wall before her began to lower, opening a path for her to continue her way, now entering what it seemed to be a huge library, countless of books all over the walls, four floors tall.

The redhead amazed as she looked around, unable to comprehend how a place like this was possible since as far as she was aware, she had entered a simple office inside a warehouse.

"Knowledge is intangible…" Jonathan's voice was then again heard, saying, "It holds no direction, no will, no intent, no purpose other than to serve as cornerstone between two worlds, the old one and the anew…" There was a sound coming from the middle of the room, drawing Kushina's attention, marvelled as a pillar with a small diamond bowl at the top rouse from the ground, Kushina able to see red liquid filling the bowl when she walked towards it, Jonathan speaking again, "The blood before you, contains the knowledge of Templars from the past and today, engraved in the essence of your sponsor…" Kushina's eyes widened at that, her sponsor being Derek Morningstar himself, "Drink it, feed on his knowledge and embrace it."

Kushina gulped as she stared at the red liquid, taking a deep inhale before she sank both hands in the blood and scooped up some of it, lowering her mouth to first lick it tentatively before she drank it whole, gulping it down with eyes closed, the metallic taste leaving a sour feel in her mouth.

The taste was the last of her worries however, as all of a sudden, an incredible heat travelled through her throat and stomach, Kushina dropping to her knees as she screamed in excruciating pain, her head being assaulted by the most painful headache in her lifetime.

She saw millions of things, places, people, wars, hatred, love, sex, pain. All of it condensed in seconds that to her, seemed like centuries of pain, tears falling from her eyes while she did a gigantic effort to not smash her head against the floor in a vain attempt to stop the torture.

Fortunately, the pain went as it came, disappearing along with all the visions, letting a shaking and weak Kushina who couldn't move an inch for quite a while.

"Kushina…" Yasaka whispered, biting her lip, a hand on her chest as she tried to keep herself composed.

She was currently alongside Jonathan Hamilton in a separate room, observing Kushina's initiation through a large screen. Seeing her baby sister suffering in such brutal manner almost broke her composure, near to jump in and protect Kushina.

"If her will is strong…" Jonathan said by her side, posture stiff, eyes void of emotion, looking at Kushina with genuine curiosity, wondering if perhaps she'd make it, "She will survive."

Yasaka feared the answer to her question, trying to stop her mouth from uttering it, but it was too late, "And if it's not?"

Jonathan didn't even flinched when he replied, "Then she'll die."

Yasaka wanted to scream.

'C-Come on Kushina…' The redhead said to herself, frustrated at her inability to move, some tears still falling as she began to feel like perhaps, Derek was wrong about her, maybe she wasn't cut out for being his apprentice, his sword, to be with him…

'NO!…'

As if a hidden strength from within her was released, Kushina slowly began to kneel, her head still on the ground before she used her arms to lift her shoulders up, groaning as she did so but still determined.

'I am Kushina Uzumaki…' She said in her mind as she struggled to stand up, her legs feeling like jelly, using the pillar as support, 'Derek Morningstar's apprentice…' With some inhuman effort, she finally managed to stand up fully, grasping the pillar tightly to stabilise herself as she stated with utmost determination, "And a god damn Templar 'ttebane!"

As if speaking a set of magic words, a wall on the far side of the room lowered, the library shaking a little as a new path was opened for the Uzumaki that while she slowly walked towards it, she could even feel Yasaka's relief from down here.

"Power shares many similarities with knowledge…" Jonathan's voice rang throughout the new room Kushina found herself in now, the woman now a little more composed, straining her eyes to try and make out anything in the darkened room, "Coming in multiple shapes and forms that ultimately give you different paths to follow…" She heard the sound of rock grinding against rock, Kushina's violets narrowing as she saw a light shining over a pillar, a large case with what she could tell were thousands of pounds in it, Jonathan saying, "Sometimes it comes in the form of money, money that you can use to buy your way to your goal…" A pillar arose next to the first, another light shining upon it, showing a small set of golden tools, the Hamilton patriarch continuing, "Sometimes it comes in the shape of knowledge, science, technology, the art of creation, the ability to analyse, create or destroy any obstacle in your path…" Kushina turned her head slightly to focus on the new pillar, this time, there was a beautiful white cape with golden adornments atop of it, fitting for the mightiest of Kings, "Other times, it comes in the shape of charisma, attraction, beauty, manipulation, the ability to gather masses and use them as your weapon, to fight and die for you…" Kushina was then attracted to the last pillar that rouse, this time, sustaining a rather plain looking sword, white in colour, the blade looking brand new but strangely dull, "Most times however, it comes in the shape of destruction, death, domination."

Kushina walked tentatively towards the pillars, looking at the four she knew where her options, options to decide her path and what kind of Templar she wanted to be.

It wasn't a harsh decision for Kushina to be honest, she had no interest in business or the criminal word, neither did she had the brain to become a scientist or medic, much less the charisma to actually lead a nation. But she definitely had the fire to be a warrior of the highest calibre, one that could make her sister and Master proud.

Thus, Kushina reached towards the blade, but stopped when Jonathan stated, "Commit to it."

Kushina froze, slowly understanding what the Grandmaster of her Order was asking of her. Thus, she took a breath and moved her palm towards the edge of the blade, grasping the metallic part of the sword tightly and with a silent wince, she slid her hand over the blade, leaving a nasty trail of blood coating the sword.

But much to her surprise, as she retrieved her hand and grasped it tightly, the sword seemed to be absorbing her blood as it glowed a shiny gold, blinding her a for moment. When she was able to look at the blade again, she was amazed by its transformation.

"Whoa…" She whispered as she gingerly grasped it, inspecting it eagerly. The hilt of the blade went from a lifeless white, to an intricate arrange of red with golden chains engraved to its design, the crest of her family marked in the golden pommel, the guard being nothing short of royal. As for the blade itself, it was now a beautiful dark golden, with intricate red symbols marked on the metal.

Just when she finished inspecting her new weapon, the wall on the far side of the room, followed the same process than the previous ones, prompting Kushina to grab the equally beautiful scabbard on the pillar and sheathed her new sword, walking towards the next stage of her initiation.

It was confusing for Kushina when she entered an entirely different place from those before, as instead of being in just a room or library, she seemed to be in a small sized coliseum, her violets roaming around the strange structure until her ears picked up the sound of growls and struggling.

Her eyes widened when after she reached the ledge of the balcony she was in, she observed that at the centre of the coliseum, there was a scaled down version of a jungle, a couple of trees and rivers, some parts filled with greenery while others were slightly devoid of plants.

But the main focus of her attention, were the two tigers currently engaged in a fearsome battle to the death. Roaring, slashing, biting, nothing was out of bounds for the two wild combatants, the felines' eyes filled with anger and determination to kill the other.

"As you have chosen the path of destruction…" Jonathan's voice won Kushina's attention again, listening as the old man explained, "You must understand that destruction it's not inherently bad, it can be used in many ways, both for good and bad…" Her violets went back to the two big cats, with the Hamilton saying, "It can be used to create disorder, but it can also be a force of order…" Kushina was genuinely confused by this test, but thankfully, Jonathan elaborated on her task, "Basically there are many ways that you can use destruction to bring order… One, you use it as a tool of fear, tyranny, you show you have the ultimate power and you threat everyone to unleash it upon them if they fail to maintain order…" Kushina's mind was working over time, "Two, annihilation… why struggle when you can simply get rid of the problem?…" She gulped, not liking that path, "Three, you use it against them and threaten their existence, thus, they will be forced to choose between cooperation, or death…" She did not liked that one either, her heart was compassionate, she would like to help those who needed it instead of harming them, "Or perhaps…" Kushina turned to the sky, not really knowing where Jonathan was but figuring he might be up there somewhere, "You can find your own path."

"What?…" Kushina whispered to herself, utterly confused, her violets were locked to the fighting tigers who refused to give, both being as determined to kill each other as they were when she entered.

'Analyse the situation…' Aleister's words suddenly came to her mind, replaying one of their lessons, her eyes widening when she remembered the rest, 'Sometimes, what you need to attack is not the obvious.'

Her brain began working overtime, analysing the field and the animals within it, trying to figure out why the two tigers were fighting.

Her eyes widened when she got it, "Territory!…" She bit her lip, eyes on the field, "They're fighting over territory…"

With the situation analysed, Kushina now focused on how to resolve the issue with her power, going over multiple scenarios and each of their repercussions, wanting to keep both tigers alive and well.

It took the redhead quite some moments, this one being the hardest of her trials so far. But almost as if by chance, she smiled and declared, "That's it!…" She jumped to the ledge and as she crouched, she unsheathed her brand new sword, channelling her chakra on it, the blade beginning to be coated with a powerful white light, Kushina's smile wide and as she jumped towards the field, she cocked her sword over her, swing it down with a fierce declaration, "Stop fighting 'ttebane!"

Her swing released a powerful slash of energy that hit the ground right in the middle, both tigers leaping back to avoid harm, but the small jungle shook as Kushina's insanely powerful attack literally split the earth in two, throwing up dirt and smoke all over the arena.

Kushina covered her eyes from the dirt, waiting a couple of seconds until she opened them again, smiling widely when she saw a huge crack now dividing the jungle in two.

The two tigers approached the edge of their respective sides, looking down on the deep crack before they focused on one another and after a tense silent exchange, both tigers retreated into the depths of their side, no need for fighting anymore.

"YOSH!…" Kushina cheered loudly, a huge smile on her face as she jumped, elated, feeling proud of herself at the moment, "I did it! I brought order without causing anyone harm!" She added, so happy that for the moment, she completely forgot about her fatigue.

"You did, Kushina…" Jonathan's voice was heard then, prompting the woman to stop abruptly as she had forgotten that there were people watching, shrinking herself with a blush while the Hamilton continued, "Now, proceed to your last test."

Kushina shook her head, sheathing her sword as she said with a tiny stutter, "Y-Yes!"

Like the previous instances, a wall opposite to her, lowered and opened a path to her final destination, a little nervous about it because she was sure that the past three, would be nothing in comparison to the last.

"Will she be able to overcome her last test, I wonder…" Jonathan mumbled, arms behind his back, posture still straight and unemotional. Though, there was genuine intrigue coming from his voice, probably at the prospect of his grandson having another outstanding apprentice. Those didn't come around often.

Yasaka turned to her fellow leader with uncertain eyes, biting her lip. Her blues then turned back to the screen, widening them when she saw the person awaiting for her sister, inhaling nervously as she whispered, "Do your best, Kushi…"

"M-M-Master!…" Kushina exclaimed, eyes wide in shock, skipping some heartbeats as she looked at the man awaiting for her in the last room, Derek Morningstar himself, leaning against the wall with a calm expression, a small smirk on his face when he saw Kushina, "Y-You're here…" She whispered, still stunned.

Derek snorted, straightening up and walking towards her, the woman shaking a little when Derek stood right before her, saying, "Of course, you didn't thought I was going to miss my student's initiation now, did you?"

Suddenly, Kushina felt tinny, wiggling, biting her lip as she fiddled with her fingers, smiling with a nice blush on her cheeks, looking down as she whispered, happy, "N-No… I… I didn't…" She did of course, but to know that she was wrong, made her very happy.

Derek just snickered as he shook his head, turning around and once he reached the centre of the room, which was a white room with nothing but walls, he looked back at Kushina who was now looking at him, "You've impressed me with your decisions, Tomato…" Kushina did inflated her cheeks, but remained quiet as the man continued, "But now is time for the real test, to see if you actually have what it takes to be a Templar."

Derek's eyes made Kushina stand in attention, all her emotions put at the back of her mind for now, ready to prove herself to her Master, "Yes!" She claimed, still nervous, but now with the boost of having Derek here with her.

Derek stared at Kushina for a moment, inspecting her, finding it strange that he actually wanted her to succeed, 'Let's see how much you believe in your ideals then…' He thought before he nodded and snapped his fingers, an opening suddenly appearing on the ceiling of the room, an object falling through said opening right beside the Morningstar with a heavy thud.

Kushina's eyes widened along with her gut twisting as she recognised that the object was in fact a man, currently thrashing on the ground, his hands and feet tied tightly with ropes, a bag on his head that kept his identity hidden. It seemed that he was also being silenced with a cloth, as his desperate voice came out like mere mumbles.

Derek walked towards the stunned Kushina, the redhead's eyes falling onto her Master who stood before her now, reaching beneath his coat and after a second, he took out a gun, handing it to a wide-eyed Kushina who could comprehend what was next.

As he practically forced Kushina to grab the weapon, Derek stood behind her, using his arm to lift Kushina's and aim at the pleading man, his voice a deadly whisper right next to the Uzumaki's ear, "Kill him."

Kushina's eyes and mouth widened after that, shaking as Derek stepped away, "W-W-What…" She whispered, absolutely unsure of what to do.

Derek stood right next to her, Kushina turning her head to face him as he repeated, "I said kill him, plain and simple." Derek's voice was so cold and his eyes so dull that it frightened Kushina, reminding her of the man that tortured Sayid and killed his wife in the name of a revolution.

She turned her head back on the man, hearing him whimper, making it even more difficult for Kushina to know how to proceed, "W-Why?…" Her mouth said on its own really, gulping as she realised the implications of what she was saying right now, "What d-did he d-do?" She knew she shouldn't question her superiors, but she couldn't stop herself from asking, it wasn't in her nature to be this heartless.

Derek's eyes narrowed with a venom that made Kushina's heart sink, realising that she was disappointing him, "Your superior is telling you to kill this man, it's not your place to question why…" He walked towards her, the posture of a General as he stood right next to her, saying to her ear with the chilling tone she's only heard him use on his enemies, "Are you going to disobey, Cannon Fodder?"

The absolutely dehumanising way in which the man she admired referred to her, almost made Kushina burst down into tears, but somehow she managed to remained relatively composed, lowering her hand and head, already resigned to whisper a defeated, "I-I… I c-can't do it…"

Derek's aura leaked like a volcano, walking to stand behind the paralysed frightened figure of Kushina, the Morningstar leaning to whisper right behind her ear, his voice filled with venom, "I didn't catch that, repeat it."

Kushina could only close her eyes tightly, disappointed and heartbroken, but still replying truthfully, "I s-said… I c-can't do it, sir…"

"Why not?" Was Derek's dry question.

"B-Because…" Kushina bit her lip, shivering, but still able to reply without deceit, "That's not what I believe in… s-sir…"

Kushina closed her eyes when she felt a wave of coldness over her, already knowing that she had disappointed him and that probably, would have to go back to Japan after this.

But so much was her shock when she felt something tiny and cold hit her collarbone, her eyes opening warily until they widened as she saw a collar with a silver cross now on her neck, the cross she recognised as once belonging to Vanessa Jones.

Kushina turned around to face Derek, utterly confused, whispering wide-eyed, "S-Sir…"

"Congratulations Kushina…" Derek actually rewarded her with a small grin, showing her his pride over her, adding, "You have now officially reached the rank of Templar Initiate."

Kushina was too stunned to move, her hand subconsciously grasping the cross on her collarbone, whispering, "I… I d-don't understand…"

Derek sighed and walked towards the still whimpering man, looking at him before he focused on Kushina, explaining, "The test was not to see if you were capable of doing as you're told regardless of the action…" The redhead's eyes widened, "The test was to see how faithful to your own beliefs you are…" He walked towards her, continuing once in front of the fox yōkai, "You're not meant to be mere cannon fodder Kushina, you're meant to be a great asset to our Order, one that should know what to do and how to act without a Knight needing to tell you…" He looked back at the man, adding, "Blind obedience is detrimental to our cause, if we have an army full of drones, we're risking some power maniac take control and use the blind trust to their advantage…" He looked back to her, "A soldier capable of thinking for themselves, to question their superiors and follow their own beliefs, helps us reach an understanding…" He balled his fist, bringing it forward as he spoke again, "While we won't shy away from forcing unification, the ideal thing is to reach it through understanding rather than pacification… the former could only work until the people get tired of the regime, the latter though, could last for centuries."

Kushina's eyes widened as she realised the true meaning of the Templar's goal, "Order… it's our goal… through any means necessary…" She looked at her Master, finally enlightened and fully understanding her Order, "Including friendship."

Derek chuckled at that, smirking as he said with a raised eyebrow, "That's a quite cheery way to put it… but yes…" Derek smirked, looking at her violets as he concluded, "Any means necessary."

Kushina smiled and then went on her knee, like a knight, bowing to her Master, her head down as she said, "Then I, Kushina Uzumaki, promise to protect our cause and follow your lead, through thick and thin…" She looked up, finishing with a determined look, "As your apprentice and sister Templar, Master."

"Stand up." Derek said.

Kushina did as told, standing straight before him.

Though she felt a blush on her face when Derek stepped close to her and snaked an arm around the small of her back, pushing her tightly against his chest, her hands grasping the fabric of his coat as her eyes remained locked to Derek, her body hot all over while she whispered wide-eyed, confused, "M-Master?…"

Derek just smirked, his free hand now cupping Kushina's cheek, sensually leaning on her face, Kushina feeling so confused but still, automatically puckering her lips, riding the wave.

Though Derek just passed her mouth and went straight to her neck, opening his mouth and in a swift move, he sunk his teeth on her neck, transferring his essence in her.

"Aaahh…" Kushina moaned, tightening her grasp on him as she felt an incredible hot rush flooding her whole existence, her feet like jelly, only standing because Derek kept her up.

Once finished, Derek pushed Kushina back a little, the woman panting, her face as red as her head, her breasts pushing over his chest.

His charming smirk didn't help relieve the heat in her navel at all though, as he stated with a husky whisper, "You are now my apprentice Kushina, we're connected for ever, use our connection wisely."

Once she could finally stand on her own, she looked down, still feeling so hot after such intimate event, "T-Thank you… M-Master…" She still whispered, deciding to focus in something else for now.

The wall on the far side came down as well, Kushina's eyes travelling to it and as she saw her sister smiling, Kushina walked towards her, embracing the Yōkai Queen, with Yasaka saying honestly proud, "I'm so proud of you, Kushi, I knew you would pull it off."

Kushina smiled, tightening her grip on her sister, whispering happily, "Thank you Yasa, for believing in me."

"Well done…" Jonathan's voice made Kushina release her sister, bowing at her new leader with utmost respect. The elder Hamilton was smiling slightly, taking his hand beneath his coat and after looking for something, he took out a red armband with a Templar cross embroidery in black, giving it to Kushina as he said, "You will be under the direct command of Derek from now on, so your obligations will be appointed by him…" Kushina took the cloth and bowed, eager to begin her work, "But for now, you should go and celebrate, this is a great achievement in your life and with the war that's to come, you won't be having much free time, enjoy what you have right now."

"Thank you, sir." Kushina bowed again as she said gratefully.

"Yasaka, Kushina…" Derek suddenly spoke, drawing the attention of both women as he added, "You should head out first, there's something I must discuss with my grandfather."

Both women were a little disappointed but still heeded him, bidding their farewells and walking out of the room, heading towards the Hamilton house to have a little celebration for Kushina.

"So…" Jonathan began saying, walking towards the man that still remained bounded on the ground, adding as he looked down to him, "I take it you couldn't retrieve it then?"

Derek shook his head, crossing his arms, resting on his right foot as he replied, "No, too many inconveniences around, apparently Matei was working with the Illuminati…" The Morningstar eyed the man thrashing, adding, "Whether he knew about their true identity or not, I don't know."

Jonathan nodded, asking, "And Novum?"

"Were there as well…" Derek replied, narrowing his eyes as he continued, "With a revived Niko…" Jonathan sighed, "Had to destroy the Relic, but they somehow managed to retrieve the core, don't know what they can do with it though…" Derek reached for his coat and then took out a tube, tossing it to Jonathan as he concluded, "Without the blueprints, I mean."

Jonathan nodded, opening the container and reaching for the enrolled paper within it, smirking as he unrolled it and analysed it with his blues, "Ah yes, Hitler's ultimate weapon…" He looked at the blueprint of the bell-shaped object, the infamous Nazi swastika printed at the top left corner of the paper, the Hamilton adding, "The Die Glocke."

Derek nodded, inquiring with a tilted head, "Can we build it?"

"Oh, I'll make sure we can…" Jonathan stated, pleased with the outcome, trusting his grandson's judgment fully, "As for our little Matei here…" The elder then added when his eyes travelled back down to the roped man.

Jonathan kneeled and removed the bag from the man, revealing a severely bruised Matei Casimir, eyes wide in fear.

Jonathan removed the gag then, allowing Matei to stutter out, "M-Mr Hamilton… w-what…"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk…" Jonathan interrupted the Romanian, stating with a cold tone, "To be playing with the Illuminati… such a bad behaviour must be punished, Don Matei."

Matei looked at Derek, panicked before he looked back at Humanity's top honcho, pleading, "I d-don't know what you're talking a-about! I swear!… all I know is t-that you killed my son! W-Why!?"

Jonathan sighed as he stood up, walking towards Derek who handed his grandfather the gun, the black-haired Brit cleaning the cannon, eyes focused on the weapon when he replied, "Ah well, there was need for new leadership, Mr Casimir…" Jonathan then looked at Matei, concluding with a small smile, "After all, we're starting a revolution here."

Matei's eyes widened, pleading, "N-No! Wait! I'll…"

He couldn't speak because Jonathan had already put a bullet in his head, ending the man's life in cold blood.

Jonathan sighed, holstering the gun back on his belt, cleaning invisible dirt off his hands while he said to his grandson, "Come Derek, we've much to discuss."

Derek nodded and as Jonathan walked away, the son of Lucifer followed behind his human grandfather. He still had some free time left before he had to meet up with Akio, he had something special for her.

Akio could easily count with one hand all of the times she actually felt this nervous, heck, she was sure there were only two times her heart beat like this. One when her clan forced her to kill her very first man at the tender age of twelve, her duty as the heiress of the Fudō Clan, a pillar within the White Lotus. And two, the time she was inducted into Ghosts, still shivering at the memory of the horrific trials the man she was to meet put her through.

But this kind of nervous was a whole different beast.

"Come on Akio…" The blackette whispered to herself as the lift continued its course to the top of the building. The woman was currently wearing a set of casual clothes, a pair of blue jeans that accentuated her behind quite well, a yellow loose top with a black bra beneath it, a black leather jacket to shield her from the cold night of Luxembourg. Her hair was now tied in a ponytail, two bangs at the side of her face, made up with just a tiny bit of makeup, mostly lip-gloss, "Don't get your hopes up yet…" She tried to convince herself.

But the agent formerly known as GhostThree couldn't help but be hopeful. Derek had reclaimed her back in Romania, she was absolutely sure she didn't imagined it. And now, just as they got back to Luxembourg to initiate Kushina, Derek told her to meet him at the top of the Cravat, in the Presidential Suite.

Despite the almost obvious invitation to resume their relationship, Akio was so fragile when it came to Derek and her feelings for him. Her actions five years ago still weighed so heavily on her, mostly because while Alice has already forgiven her, Derek has not, and she honestly find it hard to believe he ever will. Because there was no one more precious to the Morningstar than Alice, and Akio had hurt Alice terribly, despite her good intentions.

"He's probably going to give you a mission, that's all…" Akio mumbled to herself as she stepped out of the lift, gulping, shivering in fear or excitement, she did not know, "You're still the woman that almost took Alice from him." Her heart sank at her own cruel words.

Before her own thoughts could turn any darker, she suddenly found herself right in front of the door to the room the man of her thoughts was occupying. With a shake of her head and a deep sigh, she balled her fist and knocked the door, biting her lip in anxious anticipation.

"It's open." Came a masculine voice from inside the room.

Akio just inhaled and without wasting any more time, opened the door and stepped inside the room, her eyes roaming all over the luxurious place, trying to find her leader, "D-Derek?" She hated herself for stuttering, but she was just too nervous, almost forgetting to close the door behind even.

"The balcony." Her leader's voice resounded once again, the woman turning to her side towards where she could see a sliding door opened, the beautiful night skyline of Luxembourg peaking its face through the opening.

Gulping, Akio walked towards the balcony, her confident smirk appearing once again in an effort to fool Derek, a façade to hide her current anxiousness, "Hey Boss, what is…" She stopped mid-sentence when once outside on the balcony, her eyes widened as she saw Derek leaning against the ledge of the terrace, a glass of whiskey on his hand, wearing only a pair of black jeans and a royal-blue shirt, the top buttons left unattached, showing his muscular collarbone to her, "W-What i-it's going on?" She whispered, biting her lip, confused and even afraid. The intense rush of emotions that assaulted her the moment she saw the man she loved, almost threatening to take over her actions.

To be frank, this was a pivotal moment for the Morningstar and as he sighed, drinking his whiskey with eyes focused on the night, he finally came to terms with the fact that he didn't had much time left, so might as well try to be a man his women felt happy to love, regardless of his own inability to actually change, he could at least try.

Thus, as a heavy silence fell upon them, with Akio keeping her tender eyes locked to the man, unsure and nervous, Derek simply placed his whiskey glass on the ledge and walked towards a table at the corner of the terrace, stopping just in front of a machine Akio could tell was a portable speaker.

Derek rested his weight on the table for a second to sigh before he spoke, "I realise how unfair and hurtful I am to you…" Akio's eyes widened, her heart skipping beats as the Hamilton continued, "To Seek, to Rias, Tiamat, Tsubasa, Akeno, Kuroka… perhaps to Yasaka and Natalia as well…" The blue-eyed male then took out his phone from his pocket, unlocking it and as he rubbed his thumb over the screen a few times, he continued, "I realise how much I've hurt you unnecessarily, not just now after your betrayal, but even before that, through the years we were together and I always told you that you and I were merely fuck-buddies…" Akio could already feel the tears falling as Derek pressed his phone, a single guitar sound coming from the speaker, a riff she recognised well.

"D-D-Derek…" Akio whispered, not knowing if the man in front of her was the real Derek or not. Though his scent told her he was the real deal, his actions were so foreign of him.

Derek walked towards her, Akio too stunned to do anything as Derek now faced her, faces millimetres apart from touching, whispering as both soldiers locked eyes, "Seeing the look on your face when I danced with Natalia…" The black-haired female began to struggle for air, blushing very brightly as he continued, "It made me remember the promise I had made to the other girls, to do better, to be better for them…" He snaked an arm around the small of her back, bringing her close to him, while his free hand left gentle touches on her right arm, Akio unwilling to look anywhere but his eyes, "Saying that that's just the way I am, no longer cuts it."

"Almost heaven… West Virginia…" The lyrics followed, drowning the background with the sweet sound of country music.

"You remember that song?" Derek asked, face still somewhat devoid of emotion, but Akio knew that it was simply because Derek didn't know how to show them, or perhaps even feel them.

Akio though, almost automatically, placed a hand on his chest, the other one grasping his, interlocking fingers as she whispered, eyes still wide and glassy, "Y-Yes… at the bar in West Virginia… w-when we met Aleister for the first time…" She began to swing as Derek gently moved along with the music, softly, a simple waltz almost.

"Life is old there… older than the tree…"

Derek nodded, looking at his side, sighing before he asked, "And do you remember what happened on that bar while we took a break from the mission?"

"Country roads… take me home…"

Akio's eyes began to tear up as her grip on him tightened, mouth slightly agape, whispering almost unbelievingly, "W-We kissed…" The memory was so vivid for her, even today, "For the first time…" It was perhaps her most treasured memory, the day she gathered the courage to let her feelings out for him. She might have masked them as a simple thirst for a good pounding, but it was good enough for her anyway, knowing how uncaring he was with such things.

"West Virginia… mountain mama…"

"Yeah…" Derek said, his face turning back to face her, his hot breath causing such a strong rush in her that it was almost unbearable to sustain, "And ever since, we've been through a lot, you and I…" She leaned on him, closing their distance, "Good and bad, as allies and foes."

Akio felt so light right now, so naked, so weak, so in love, so much so that she could only close her eyes as he kissed her like never before, the kind of kiss she's wanted from him since she could remember.

"I don't know how to be thoughtful…" Derek whispered to her ear after the kiss, Akio's eyes wide as she rested her face on his shoulder, listening when he continued, "I don't know how to show my feelings to you or how to act on them…" He tightened his embrace, the woman silently sobbing out of happiness, "I can only ask the same I asked the others, to let me try and show it my way."

In that moment, as her favourite song continued playing on the background, Akio cried like never before, feeling finally back home, in the embrace of the one person that believed in her before anyone else, that helped her find a new purpose and that despite his rudeness and brutality towards her in the past, was always there when it mattered. There she understood what he was trying to say, in his own cold and uncaring way, and she responded accordingly.

"For as long as life permits it." Was her ginger whisper, her arms around his neck, face still buried on his shoulder, kissing him there, enjoying this dance she was sure, she will remember for the rest of her life.

"Country roads…" Akio then began to whisper along with the song, happy like never before, "Take me home, to the place, I belong…" She felt every little word, Derek snorting and shaking his head as she blissfully sang, "West Virginia… mountain mama… take me home…" She kissed him again, whispering as she did, "Country roads…"

As for Derek, he felt content, enjoying the moment. With the war soon to start, along with all the troubles in the Supernatural world that were sure to pile up on him, he knew that moments of respite like this were going to be scarce in the next few years.

But being honest with himself, perhaps, just maybe, his road to redemption was finally here.

A/N: To be fair, I had heard 'Country Roads' way before Fallout made it popular, I always wanted to finish a scene with the song and it was a cool coincidence that the lyrics fit with Akio and Derek's special moment. I'm trying to mellow Derek as the story progresses, can't tell if I'm doing a good job with it but I think it works for him, as I do not see him changing a lot, he's very damaged and only agreed to change for the sake of his people. But we'll see where it goes. For now, thank you for reading and see ya lads next chapter, cheers! :)