Voltiana

In an unknown place...

Akari followed Aoki as she navigated pitch-black terrain. All around her, she noticed the jagged mountain peaks and dry grasslands.

"This place is so barren and deserted..." Akari noted. "What possible use could it have?"

Aoki continued her path, ignoring the creepy sounds of screams and whispers.

"Any clue to the exit?" Akari asked.

Aoki ignored her, continuing to trek through the grass. Akari rolled her eyes in response.

"Fine, when we get lost, I'll blame you."

After about half an hour, they finally reached the end of the grass, only to find what appeared to be a small house, and a vast pit behind it.

"That's quite a drop..." Akari thought. "Who would build something so close to it?"

Aoki began to open the door, but Akari stopped her.

"What are you doing?"

"Going inside," Aoki answered. "Obviously."

"Clearly we should make sure the house is safe before entering, should we NOT?" Akari replied.

Aoki scoffed. "Going inside IS how you make sure it's safe, idiot."

Akari pulled her hand off the door. "How about we try something more...LOGICAL?"

Aoki glared at her for a moment before stepping back. "Fine. Work your MAGIC, Princess."

Akari held up her hand, which began to glow with energy. "I don't need magic."

Then she blasted the door open. After waiting a while, she started to walk inside.

"I think it's clear."

"Hmph, just opening the damn door would have worked just as well. Tsk, Royals..." Aoki muttered.

The inside of the house was dark, so Akari used her energy to light up the area. When she did, the girls noticed the house had a dusty interior, and was comprised of a small kitchen, lounge, and bathroom.

"How can anyone live here?" Akari asked. "It's barely even a shelter, much less a home. The entire place is about to fall apart!"

Aoki picked up a dirty fork before tossing it aside. "Some people have to live this way. Royalty like you wouldn't understand."

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

Aoki continued into the lounge, looking around for anything of interest before moving to the bathroom. Eventually, she returned to the kitchen, sighing.

"It's just a house. Nothing here."

Akari turned toward the door. "Well, that means it's back to square one."

After a few steps, however, she felt a creak below her and looked down. Removing her foot, she found what appeared to be a trap door.

"Hey, wait! Was this always here?"

Aoki knelt and examined it, before pulling on the handle. "It's locked. Needs a key."

"Alright, let's split up and search—-"

"I've GOT IT."

Aoki dropped a red card to the ground, and Akari had to immediately put up her forcefield just as it detonated, blowing up the trapdoor and taking half of the house with it.

"Are you CRAZY? You could have killed us both!"

Aoki pushed on the forcefield, seemingly unbothered. "But I didn't. Now let me out of this thing."

Akari dropped the forcefield, shaking her head. "She IS a psycho. I need to hurry and get out of here, I can't stand this girl any longer."

Aoki noticed a ladder below the trapdoor, leading down to a basement. Without hesitating, she jumped down.

"Well?" she called up. "Are you coming?"

Akari took one last look at the broken house before jumping after her.

Once Akari used her energy to light up the basement, she and Aoki saw what appeared to be a study. There was a large desk with a bookshelf surrounding it. On top of the study lay a few books, and what seemed to be a journal.

"Those seem important," Akari stated. "We should take a look."

She picked up one of the books, trying to make out the title, which was faded and dusty.

"War of the Ancients"

"This looks like the book you stole from us!" Akari realized.

"Hmph," Aoki said. "You didn't need that book in the first place. Now let me see what's in here."

She took the book from Akari, flipping through each of the pages one by one.

"What does it say?" Akari asked.

Aoki tossed it aside. "Nothing important. Just fairy tales and a bunch of redacted details."

Akari eyed her suspiciously before sighing. "Fine. Then let's see what else is in here."

She picked up another book, which had the title:

"Art of Poetry"

She took one look inside and set it back down immediately. "Well, that's of no use...maybe the journal?"

They both opened the journal and glanced at the first page, which read:

"Day 1:

My first day of work was very eventful. The Order is much more mysterious and intriguing than I thought. And their Master...well, I'll just keep my lips shut for now. Tomorrow I am to oversee their training procedures. They've been working extra hard in the attempt to locate the power they call 'Deity.'"

Akari and Aoki both shared a look.

"What's the next page say?" Aoki asked.

Akari continued to flip pages, noticing that most were either ripped out or unreadable. After a while, she found another page.

"Day 178:

After almost half a year of working for them, I've found the Order works in...ways I could not previously comprehend. The Lesser Ranked members are more, ambitious and down-to-earth, while the Elite Ranked members have more of an...untouchable aura to them. I wouldn't want to get on their bad sides. Although I haven't encountered them too often, the Elite members show more distinct and remarkable qualities than those of the Lesser members. It's no wonder the Master has complete trust in them. I must be careful, however. They have great power, but each of them seems to hold dark secrets to their name."

Akari continued to another readable page.

"Day 395:

I've gotten to see more of the Obsidian Order in action. The Lesser Ranks show a strong drive that has really impressed me so far. Rank 11 in particular has served as a leader of sorts for them, due to most of the Elites largely ignoring them. Speaking of the Elites, they rarely are used in active military operations, so most of their time is spent inside the castle. The gap between them and the other ranks is IMMENSE. I got the pleasure of seeing Ranks 9 and 10 in battle, and I won't ever forget the sight."

Akari then found another page.

"Day 488:

Can you BELIEVE it? Rank 1—THE TOP RANK, actually acknowledged me! And even more than that, he gave me useful advice! I shouldn't be surprised, he's one of the only Elites, other than the Master, of course, to show respect towards the weaker members. His skill and intelligence are incredible, it's clear why all other ranks show him the utmost respect."

Then she moved on to the next.

"Day 663:

"I've spent more time in the presence of the Order. Ranks 8 and 7 seem more...welcoming than the rest. Those girls are nice enough on the surface, but judging by the sounds coming from their rooms, they are not to be trifled with. It's hard to even get close to the top 5 ranks. They seem to breathe different air than we do, and they DON'T mess around. If I were you, I'd do my best to avoid them at all costs."

Finally, Akari found the last page of the journal.

"Day 1,898:

They've finally found it. The power they've been searching for. Apparently, it's in possession of a boy named Dachii Jones, who's currently a soldier for their most hated enemy: The Voltians. It's clear by the reactions of the Order—-they won't rest until the boy is back here. Funny thing, the Master seems to...recognize the boy, to some extent. Maybe he's seen him before?"

Akari put the journal down. "That's the end."

Aoki remained silent for a long time, taking in the information. "Elites...?"

Akari tilted her head. "Do you know who they are? I've never heard of them."

"Just...rumors. That's all. If they do exist, just like the journal said, they never show their faces."

"Well, if Ionix is ranked 11th, SOMEONE has to be above him, right?" Akari pointed out.

Aoki gave the journal an uneasy glance before heading to the ladder. "We should go. Dachii needs our help."

Akari followed, keeping her eyes on Aoki.

"What's she hiding, I wonder...?"

Meanwhile, in Raijin Arena...

"This is it, guys!" Himeka cheered. "Let's show them who's boss!"

"YEAH!" the squad yelled.

Himeka threw her boomerang directly at Ionix, but with a swipe of his arm, he used an electric blast to send it flying out of the arena.

"That's right," Ionix said. "Show your hand!"

Kanai walked up next to Himeka, looking between Venire and Ionix. "What's the plan, Himeka?"

The boomerang Ionix deflected came right back to Himeka, and she caught it without even looking.

"Simple. Me, Dachii, and Hikari will take the Big Bad! The rest of you, handle the girl!"

"Wait a second," Dachii interrupted. "Why am I being volunteered to fight him—-?"

"GO, team, GO!"

By the time Dachii caught on, Himeka had already closed the gap between herself and Ionix, attempting to kick him in the head.

"Faster!"

He fired off a lightning bolt at her, making her quickly attempt to block with her boomerangs, but she still got sent flying across the arena.

"Hey!" Hikari exclaimed. "Leave her alone—-!"

"YOU'RE NEXT," Ionix said, his voice booming through the arena as he zipped behind her.

"Woah!"

She ducked his first punch, but he charged up his leg and kicked her, sending powerful electricity radiating through her.

"Ow!"

Before Dachii could do anything, a wave of lightning headed his way, and he jumped right over it. When he landed, Ionix sized him up, an amused look on his face.

"So, you still refuse to bring out your true power? Even in this desperate situation?"

He motioned to the side, where soldiers were battling against Zharians, and to Himeka and Hikari, who were both still on the ground.

Dachii pounded his fists together. "That's okay, these gauntlets will do the trick!"

Ionix lifted an eyebrow. "Really? Show me."

He lifted his foot and stomped down, and the entire arena floor began to glow yellow. Lines of electricity began to converge on Dachii's location, before they all exploded outward like a tidal wave.

"Did you know Elements are much stronger when you're in their natural environment? Just as you would be stronger at the North Pole, what do you think has been happening to me inside this arena?"

He held up his hand, and lightning from the storms above immediately flocked to it, creating a deadly ball of lightning inside of his palm.

"Now, let's see how long you last."

He threw the ball at Dachii, but Dachii rolled out of the way just in time.

"I think it's worth the risk," Dachii thought. "It's time to hit him with a PUNCH!"

Dachii's body began to feel light, and he got up close to Ionix, pulling his fist back.

"DENSITY...PUNCH!"

The fist headed straight for Ionix's face, but he stood still, unmoved. "Try again."

BOOM.

Dachii got launched into a wall, crashing into it with a painful THUD.

Venire watched the fight from afar. "Wow, after all that announcing I had almost forgotten what it feels like to be in a real battle. Ionix is still as powerful as ever..."

As her skin began to change to black, she saw a group of Zharians crash into the ground next to her.

"Hmm?"

"She's one of them, guys!" Kanai announced. "Let's take her down!"

Venire turned her attention to Kanai and the others, who were all in battle stances.  "Isn't this cute?"

Kanai put her hand to the ground and it immediately started shaking violently.

"Vibrate."

The entire ground beneath Kanai started to shake, and in turn, so did the ground beneath Venire, making her shake as well.

"What—-?"

As soon as she was distracted, a group of soldiers tried to rush her, but she looked up, her eyes glowing green.

"Foolish!"

With one snap of her fingers, a massive cloud of green gas emerged from her body, trapping the soldiers inside, who started coughing.

"What...is...this...?"

One by one, they all dropped to the ground, as Kanai watched in horror. On the other side, Ionix paced around Dachii.

"How about we make this event more interesting? Venire, I think it's time we show the WORLD what we are capable of!"

Her eyes widened. "You don't mean...?"

"Yes. Broadcast it nationwide. Show the world a battle they won't forget for eternity!"

Venire nodded to a nearby Zharian, and he hurried into the tunnels as the crowd cheered and yelled.

Dachii sat up, and suddenly the lights appeared a lot brighter as cameras emerged on top of them.

"Yes," Ionix laughed. "Show the WORLD!"

All across Asmana, screens began shifting to the battle occurring in Raijin Arena. The TV in the S-1 Mansion...

"The hell?" Luca blurted out.

...the screen in the castle meeting room, which was filled with the King and his officials...

"By the stars..." King Ayrad said.

...the mansions of the Generals...

"Hey, look! It's Dachii!" Tomoko exclaimed.

And everywhere else inside the nation, including Morino's house, where Kia was watching with an expression of shock on her face.

"Son!"

—-