When The Phoenix Rises From The Dark Ashes [Open]

Ryurou Shi was livid. He stormed from his room, one that had been transformed into a sanctuary, a haven for all religious men and women. He left his room...in ruins. The well kept room had been obliterated, the DNA and the very traces of his essence removed. The Spirit of Death made a path as he tread the halls. Workers backed away, noticing that He no longer wore his mask. No, he had not worn such a thing since after he rescued Redline...and with it the hope of OCEAN.

"I'll see you.....on the...other side." He remembered Redline's words as they echoed. His response?

"No...you won't..." It was after these words Redline faded away, and was resurrected...but it was then that the Spirits came to Shi. They hounded him, threatened him and told him of his failure. Shi only looked to them and growled. It was then that the words that were said that changed him...eternally.

"Ruyrou Shi. You dishonor not only yourself, but the Spirits in which entrusted you. You have broken your oath and denied to do your duty as Death in order to save the human known as "Scott Silver" It is for this reason that you have not only forfeited your right to life, but you have forfeited your chance at redemption. You shall never again return to Sepam, the realm of the Spirits." The Crane Spirit of Wind said.

"You deserve nothing more than the wrath of thunder for this grievous transgression. Before this you had murdered no less than three hundred of our kind, leaving only few spirits left...and now you deny your charge." The Monkey Spirit of Thunder growled. Shi looked to neither spirit, but instead his eyes cast upon the one Spirit whom had ever shown him mercy...forgiveness. He looked to the beautiful looking human woman, pale shimmering skin and hair the color of the oceans.

"Ryurou Shi...why have you done this? Why would you give up your redemption...for a mortal to attain his own?" She asked. Shi spoke only to her, his words kind to her, but harsh unto the other two spirits present.

"Because even a Spirit needs something to believe in." The Spirit of rain shed a tear, and the entire earth would see rain that day. To the Spirit of Rain she could see that her mercy upon him all those years ago was not wasted. He had truly understood the meaning of self-sacrifice...and in so he truly earned his redemption in her eyes. To the others? They were blind...they could not see the forest, complaining the trees were blocking their view. To Thunder and wind...he was a fool..putting faith in a mortal. To Rain...he was the truest spirit of them all.

Shi snapped back ignoring Redline as he brushed past him, into the mess hall. He looked upon his students, all of them looking eager...all of them were skilled warriors...all humans who trained and became superhuman through the trainings and teachings of Ryurou-sama. Shi looked to them, sadness in his eyes. Redline zipped up next to him.

"Shi....you don't have....to do....this" He stated, an arm on Shi's pauldron. Shi took a deep breath in and sighed.

"Circle of Death...pack up. We're leaving." He said, turning to depart upon his own way, Redline cutting him off. "You are always welcome under my roof...brother." Shi replied, mournfully pushing through Redline to make his way towards his grand exodus with his disciples. He was expecting trouble, but not the trouble he felt. It was a surge of energy... THAT energy. Shi would have shadow-stepped, but in truth...the energy didn't scare him. If Zell At-no... if Ouroboros wished to come try his hand again he may. THIS TIME Saileyra can be here to defend her "precious" family. Shi stopped in the hallway...
* * * * * * * * *

Silus was here... so this was the place his Dad's destroyed? He looked about, ears and eyes alert. He half expected someone to be out here. He began on a small walk towards the ruins of the OCEAN Headquarters...half expecting Ryurou Shi's men to attack him again. The eleven year old looked around, swallowing audibly as he began walking towards the entrance of the base. He marveled at the craftsmanship, and he began to walk around the grounds a little, soaking it all in. His hoodie was four sizes too large, and his jeans were ripped but snug on him. Not expecting the warm weather he wore a black beanie with a green little Chibi dragon on it as he looked around, his blue-purple eyes taking it all in. To the normal eye he looked just like a small, troubled American child... no one could even feel the strange energy emitted from him. The energy from the Arc he traveled her from though...that was another story.

Michael sighed audibly, a small cloud of dark ethereal mist emanating from his mouth as he looked over the destroyed base of OCEAN. It was not like he had expected really, a desiccated ruin that was nowhere as marvelous as the place that his father had said that it was. The place was collapsed in on itself in some places, while others were whole with only a minimal amount of pant growth. Did they truly fall apart without the young Titan king to keep them together, or was it something else altogether, a lynch pin that was pulled unexpectedly out. Arms were crossed over each other, Michael dressed simply in a white polo shirt and khaki colored cargo shorts, not really dressed for anything. It was just a casual thing for him, perhaps he could even pick through the ruins like a vulture and tear it apart.

Search for something left behind that would prove useful to him, and there was the minor scent of death. ”So this is the place? Looks like shit.” Fera noted crossing arms over her chest, dark brown hair blowing within the wind, an amused smirk upon her lips. She was his daughter, and someone that he would have not wanted wasting her time with him around this desolate ruin. Still, her being there brought a smile to his expression, softening it for a second before he allowed it to harden once again. ”You sure this is the so called great OCEAN base that grandfather told you about?” Michael turned to her for a moment before returning his attention to the base in question.

”Well it was in the same location, so I would have to say that it is.” Michael noted as they both slowly descended upon the city in question, landing softly on the ground as he took in the area around. A stray breeze ruffling his hair ever so lightly, silver pools narrowing into predatory slits, green flecks seeming all the more prominent within his skull. His own dark energy seeming to blow along in the wind, spreading out for everyone to feel; perhaps not something that he wanted but then again maybe it was his intentions. Michael let a whistle move along with the wind, walking towards the center of the greater ruins, with daughter in tow.

Silus watched as the woman jumped down, his violet-blue eyes widened. Pretty lady means deadly lady. That's what Ouroboros had told him anyway. He seemed to hold some form of respect for the woman who ran OCEAN. He staggered back, and his heart raced. He wasn't exactly expecting to find anyone here other than Ryurou...because he was in a situation he didn't think he'd ever find himself in.

     "Well eh... I am a normal child. Well...for my people anyway." Silus said shyly, his head sinking into his extra large hoodie. He was blushing form embarrassment. He had a bit of a "stranger Danger" complex, and it didn't help that the woman was apparently both beautiful and deadly. He gulped and watched as she came forward and knelt down by him, looking him in the eye. The reptilian slits made Silus smile. "oh cool!" He said, suddenly excited, then he noticed that he might have been construed as rude.

      "I-I'm sorry. You're eyes are really cool." He said bashfully as he cleared his throat, he glanced around, looking for Shi. Was this lady going to try and kill him? Well...she was probably going to try, but if she was anything like Shi she was gonna figure out pretty quick that Silus wasn't just one of those people who died. She asked him why he was there, and stated once again that he wasn't human.

     "What am I doing here?" He asked, making sure he understood the question well enough. He smiled slightly as he looked around. His little childish grin drawn out slightly as he narrowed his right eye and arched his left, almost questioning. "You might wanna let me make you a chair." Silus said, he held up his hand and form nowhere, stardust began to conjoin, Nether and Aether energy flowing through Silus in perfect tandum. The Stardust solidified as his eyes began to glow their strange mystical blue-violet color. He smiled when a hig-tech futuristic Sci-fi computer chair popped up behind Saileyra. Silus then turned around and conjured a little japanese kneeling pillow for himself. He plopped down on it, wiggling and setteling into it as he cleared his throat and took off his beenie. His messy and shaggy brown haired boy gave a happy and refreshed "aaahh" before sitting down and looking to Saileyra, a smile on his face.

     "Well... well. My name is Silus and I'm kinda just roaming around looking for Mister Ryurou. Ya see...I come from a family of people who...aren't so nice. I'm the only one who wanted to help people, so I left home and joined up with the little "hero" group called "Awesome Squid". Yeah the founder accidentally put an I instead of an a.... Anyway I lead that group and we tried to help people...but my dads don't like me being a "hero" and have a thing of destroying superhero groups..." He said, averting the gaze of the pretty but scary magenta eyes. "More or less...the group disbanned and now I'm trying to find heroes and people who want to do good things. My dads both told me about OCEAN...and well... Mister Ryurou and I have a bit of a history...he owes me so I was gonna guilt-trip him into working with me... since ya'know... OCEANS' gone..." he admitted. The only thing he neglected to mention was that his father's were Ouroboros and Sean Collin...both the people responsible for the large decay of OCEAN...and the near slaughter of many members since. He bore the guilt of both of his father's on his heart...he was the only "good guy" in his entire family...he had to do something to stop their madness.

    "Shi has to help me...or humanity is kinda bones." Silus said, not recognizing that the expression was "boned" though he let the severity sink in. He suddenly felt it...Shit...Michael was here!

* * * * * *

   Meanwhile Shi carried on, he retreated to the obliterated room that was his quarters one last time. Tears were beginning to well up in his eyes. He wanted to punch Saileyra and hug her all the same. She was so....frustrating. He growled and threw his fist into the wall, Nether filled, knocking the door down as he exited. HE didn't hate Saileyra...he couldn't....but he was sure mad enough to hurt a few tresspassers. Speaking of which.

The corpse of the fallen OCEAN was silent, and his senses picked up everything that moved through the gloom. Nothing was lost upon Michael’s mind as the silver pools darted about, taking in every detail of the environment. Not even an animal walked about this place, as if they were warded away from the ruins, something that seemed a little off to him. Michael could sense something however, a small amount of nether purveying the compound, an energy that was familiar within a way and one that made him bristle. The energy spoke to him on a primal level, drawing up a level of loathing that he could not quite explain, yet Fera could feel this, and it made her withdraw a step from him. As much as she loved her father, the woman knew when it was best not to be so close to him, knew when keeping distance could be healthier.

”I assume you see it, that energy.” She asked heels clicking within the silence, raising a dark colored brow as she waited for an answer of some kind. It took Michael however a few seconds to really give her an answer, locked within thought.

”Oh, I feel it. I just don’t know what it is exactly, something familiar, but…..foreign.” Michael mused out loud as both stepped through a large glass door with many cracks spiderwebbing through it, some parts having fallen out altoghether. Michael tapped it lightly, as they seemed to simply fall apart, with a loud shattering sound. Another fragile part of this place falling apart, another monument of the places fragility. ”Hello! Anybody home?” Michael let his voice raise loud enough to echo through the halls, bouncing about as it did so. Fera seemed to recoil when he did so, looking at her father as if he were insane.

’What are you doing?”

”Isn’t it obvious, looking for people.”

”Well you’re doing it wrong dad.” The voice of Shael noted as he seemed to appear out of nowhere, small tanned skinned child dressed in his usual camo pants and little black shirt with the skull emblazoned upon it. Michael looked down to the kid for a moment, before pressing his palm against his face. ”I smell something….and I don’t like it.” It was possible the kid tagged on Fera as a flea, yeah that was it.

"O-okay." He stuttered, pleasantly surprised. From what his dads told him he was standing before a total bitch. She was really nice though, and she smelled good. Not that he was actually intending to smell her, but his advanced brain had given him a bit of an edge on superhuman sensory. He smiled as a hand was produced to him. He hesitated, but eventually gave up his hand. He was only used to being clingy to Ouroboros. This lady was nice...but he was almost...afraid to look weak. Well, he wouldn't need to worry much longer. Not with what he had planned.

His hair stood up on end as he sighed, feeling Michael's energy...and others. There were more Ethereal's around, and it was at a time like this he was glad that he didn't emit energy until he was scared or endangered. ?he also felt the strong force of Nether and Death. His breathing only shook momentarily, which was far better than any child could be expected...especially if they had been put through the Hell Silus had. He felt Shi approaching, and several others. Soon there were several dozens of humans...but all of them were different. They looked like the pinnacle of human discipline, they looked well trained, weathered but no sign of tear or weakness. These men were soldiers of immense powers...humans whom have transcended human limitations...all without sacrificing what they were.

"stand aside." Shi snapped to the creature whom collided with him. Nether energy seething form his mouth like a black miasma cloud, poisonous in nature. He continued his stride, several students pouring out behind him. They all came to a stop. Shi walked through, finding Silus, his eyes widened and narrowed. "Silus?" He asked, obviously surprised to see the boy. Though Shi was long gone...redemption given off too far... his heart ached, the pangs of insufferable guilt immediately took hold of him. He looked to Saileyra, and to her his ever-large true form was made apparent to her, as it was to all whom looked into his eyes.

"I-I need to...t-talk to you." Silus said, forcing himself to swallow, despite his constant tremoring in Shi's presence. From the guilt on Shi's face and the boys shaking it was clear to see that there was definite history here. Shi sighed and motioned, his pupils all flooded out, continuing on their way. He stood there, his prod and proper posture as he looked down to the child.

"You have my ear..." Shi said, his eyes flashed back to Sai. He was cut too deep to even be bothered to address her right now, and as far as he was concerned...Death shouldn't cry...not because of mortals especially. His eyes shot open as he growled. "You were followed." Shi said, he did not blame Silus...though he did believe that it was an inadvertent opportunity made. The power was so similar, but altered...different in some way. He was sensing Michael, though he knew it not. He figured he had a moment before the source came too close.

"I believe it is one of your family...but it is neither of your fathers." Shi stated, it trailed out into an interested growl of sorts, him humming in thought. "Silus, I will listen and if I can help you I will...I owe it to you. But for your sake child speak quickly...if this is another of your family then you may not allow you to leave here alive." he said, an uncharacteristic urgency in his voice.

”Shael, what is it that you smell?” Michael questioned the young ethereal, raising a dark brown eyebrow curious of what he would say. Would it be the smell of decay that one would expect upon catching a whiff of death, or something else. A dark purple aura began to radiate from Michael, the dark ethereal dancing across the small hallway that they walked through, one neo within its design but now fallen. Shattered glass, bits of metal and even wire decorated the floor that they threaded upon, crunching and groaning issuing from what they stepped upon. It was Michael's own energy that illuminated the area, casting off a sickly purple glow, one that made the place seem all the more dark, all the more dead. These flickering lights played off of Fera and Shael's skin, much like one would expect from a blacklight.

”It smells like a rotting corpse...and dragon.” The latter made the male wonder for a moment, when had his child actually encountered a dragon to learn its scent, or what the race specifically smelt like? Something within him wondered what his son was hiding, but that could wait until they found what was releasing that foul energy. It was nether for sure, and that was energy that Michael knew, yet something about this specific nether seemed to anger him greatly. It was then that he felt it, another energy within the area, a familiar aura that belonged to a Titan. Sheiara had been tailing him for a while, but he knew, simply letting her believe that she was being stealthy.

The three would walk through the dark building, following that gathering of Nether, with something within its center. Soon enough however they once again walking into the light, Fera strangely quiet until a crow landed upon her wrist. The woman seemed to be nodding to the animal, understanding everything that the animal had said, a small smirk forming upon her lips as she looked to her family slyly. 'There are some people to the south of here, three people of interest and the rest are humans.” She noted nodding and letting the bird fly away, smirking as she waited for her father to take this answer in. With a small nod Michael motioned with his head towards the south.

”Well I guess that means we can find out who these....humans are.Maybe they can tell us more about the fall of this place.” The Ethereal King mused with a smirk, as all three approached the destination in question, though Shael shot ahead in the form of a swift silver colored wolf.

"Well there's a nether energy too. I guess we're just gonna have to kick their butts huh?" Silus gave a little chuckle. Shi grunted a little, not expecting how different this child truly was from his fathers. The adorable child smiled and shifted the beenie on his head and gave a toothy grin. Silus's violet colored eyes watched Shi, his hair stood up on the back of his neck. He smiled innocently enough but he was not under the delusion that it was going to be easy. He looked to Saileyra and nodded at her.
 
      "You wish to confront this threat then?" Shi asked, more for confirmation than anything else. Silus' left eyebrow arched up and his lips closed, a drawn out smirk as if he had been slightly weirded out by the question. In truth it was more of Silus looking to Shi, questioning him why NOT fight them.
 
     "Yeah- why wouldn't we? They're gonna hurt people if we don't." Silus said, to him the decision to confront his brother, his king...it was clear as day. The crown didn't even belong to him, it was something he just up and took. Granted, Silus didn't want the thing, but still...the crown belonged to Shael...not Michael. As he cracked his knuckles, he sighed as he turned to Shi. "He disowned me when I tried to help the humans...He bullied me when I didn't have powers, and he picks on the weak to make himself feel strong. He's my brother, and I guess he's my King too. Now I'm gonna do the right thing and beat him up..." Silus said, there was no desire to do so in his voice, it was very solemn, it was the voice of a child who KNOW what needs to be done, and though he took no pleasure in it, he'd be the one to bear the burden. 
 
      "To see you...a child, accepting the responsibility of other's safety. I can truly see why you were the leader of the heroes...even when you were the youngest." Shi said, slightly stunned at Silus' resolve. He pulled Shisoul from it's sheath and nodded. "Let us face these foes..." Shi said as he bowed his head to Silus, whom mimicked the action with a child-like giggle. His innocence was almost sickening to the spirit...a sign that the corruption had taken hold... Before he left he would need to tell Saileyra....
 
      "You want to join us Miss Saileyra?" He asked the woman with a wide grin, itching to go out and make things right. He waited for an answer before walking out towards the direction of Michael's energy, a grim look on his little pale face...knowing what could happen to him...or even to Michael... Watch out Michael...you're brother's done playing games.

Shael paused for a moment, ears perking up as he looked for the source of something, a small noise within the distance that caught his attention. ”There's something near....” The wolf boy thought eyes scanning around, looking untrusting as they scanned around. Within an instant he shifted, now becoming a black bird that soared through the air with a fine grace. With black beady eyes it scanned for everything within the area, looking for anything out of the ordinary and seeing the strange woman crouching within the tree, looking over Fera and Michael. So someone was around here, and they were watching over his family. With that done he flew down to Michael and shifted back into his humanoid form, landing cleanly on his feet. ”Someone is watching us.” He said grabbing tightly onto Michael's hand as they continued to walk along, head moving towards where she hid.

”Well, isn't that rude. Not having the decency to welcome us here.” Michael mused with a smirk, silver pools glittering for a moment before becoming dark purple orbs that danced with malevolent power. Within an instant a tendril of dark ethereal formed from his back, the end taking the shape of a cannon at the end. Within an instant a blast rang out from the tip, aimed to destroy the tree and anything within it.

Shi took proud strides, just behind Silus who walked ahead, violet-blue eyes scanning the neaqrby environment, thinking of possible things to use in an advantage against Michael. Shi snapped his fingers and in an instant, two samurai looking humans stood at Shi's sides, following onward. Silus felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. Ever since the "change" Shi had gone through...his very steps were silent, but somehow they had a haunting echo that seemed to surround...eerie enough to make ones hear beat slow.

Silus was the first to sense it. The closer he got the closer he discerned not only Michael's energy, but the energies that resembled his. They were young Ethereals....like him. He let out a little musing "whine" as he felt the presence of a fourth. It was a strong Nether, though nowhere in comparison to Shi's. Then again... nothing was comparable to Shi and Sean...they were Death incarnates after all. Silus closed his eyes and stepped forth to feel his shoulder grabbed by the gruff hand of the Asian man. Nether energy shot out and formed a wall before Silus and shot up. A large draconian claw of Nether energy wrapped around the cannon blast, intercepting it and ultimately canceling out each other. Shi's claw would successfully defend Saileyra from the blast, though it instantly revealed that he was in fact close. It was of little consequence really. Though it probably surprised Sai...the last time she saw Shi..he had no such powers. Silus stepped forth and his violet-blue eyes fixated on Michael. No sooner had Silus appeared had Shi himself appeared hand on the hilt of Shisoul, and his two upper-class students at his side.

"What are you doing here?" Silus asked. Something about him was different. He had a form of gravitas to him, a solemn one. He looked with cold stern eye, fixated on Michael... but even behind the stern eyes like a wounded puppy looking to Michael. Was he afraid? Yeah...maybe he was. But he remembered something Ouroboros had told him. He once asked his "daddy" what it was like to be a hero. Ouro just sat there, arms wrapped around the little Silus as they sat on a bench in the park. Silus remembered Ouroboros telling him about the lives he had saved as Zell Atterrius...how many people he impacted and the satisfaction it brought him back in those days. I wish I could be brave like you. was all Silus had said. Ouroboros chuckled and nestled his little son...but the words he spoke echoed inside him, even now.

When you wish for bravery...do not expect some magical fairy to appear and sprinkle pixie dust on you to suddenly make you brave. Do not expect God or anything of the Cosmos to reach down a divine hand to light it form inside you. When you wish to be brave...you truly WISH for an opportunity. Only you can be brave, you need to step up even when you are terrified. Believe it or not...between you and me. There are a lot of things I'm terrified of. But I'm more terrified of what it could do to you if I don't stop them. I get terrified...but it's because I'm terrified that I fight them... I guess that's what Bravery is though... Taking a stand.

Silus was raised by a warrior, and because of that he knew the things that Shi had taught. He watched his siblings fight and usurp thrones while others simply ran around and flew kites. Silus was terrified and there was no denying it. But he knew what he needed to do. To him it was clear as day. No sooner had Ouroboros' blood dried had he put the crown on his head and sat his ass on the Ethereal Throne. Silus eyes began to water a little as he knew what had to be done. Michael was his brother...but how he treated him...the verbal tormenting. That's not what you do to family, that's not what you do to someone you supposedly love. He only cared about his own power...though he noticed that Michael had not been alone. Fera and Shael. Silus' eyes softened and he smiled, waving to Shael and Fera. He wasn't entirely sure about Fera's thoughts on him...and honestly he didn't have any particular ones formed about her. Lil'Shael though. He was a HUGE fan of little Shael, those two being around the same age was interesting. It was a recipe for trouble too though. Silus REALLY lived up to the namesake of "Loki" when he hung out with his nephew, but the best part was that they never got into trouble. They were both too adorable for anyone to stay mad at. It was the perfect criminal pairing right there. He turned his glare back to Michael. If he didn't know better, he'd say Michael had brought them just to get to him.

"Those children.... they are not to die." Shi stated, the second he did, the samurai behind him pressed their hands together and lowered their heads.

"Your word is law."
"Your word is law." The generals said obediently in total unity of voice and movement. They remained like that, not moving in the slightest. Disciplined to the point that they appeared as marble constructs.

"Thanks for the visit. Bye guys." Silus said, the first part was nice towards Shael and Fera, turning harsh and hard at the "bye" as he glared to Michael.