Anya gladly guided Lass and Ikarisa through the center of the city square, as they made their way to a massive, filled with items store.

"I'm back!"

A familiar figure was waiting their arrival, papers at hand while moving onto Anya first.

"Ah Anya! I was just thinking about you, some products came in and we need your signature-", Anya cut Sonia’s words, swiftly signing the documents.

"Done. Listen Sonia, I've got some very special guests with me right now. They are here to talk some...big numbers. So please take the entire thing to the secretary office for reviewing. Signature is there so it’s a whatever.”

”Got it boss!”, Sonia looked besides Anya and fixated her eyes on none other than Lass, “Wooaaaa-“, he smile began to widen more and more.

”Ah…here we go.”, Lass tried to avoid eye contact.

”Oh my god! You finally left that small town for once in years! I can’t believe it! What’s the reason?! Did you gave in to the tease?! You got excited about the new KoK tournament and wanted a look?! I’m telling ya, Anya is a part of it and it’s bound to be epic! I haven’t looked at it yet due to work, but man I’m going to bench watch up until her matches today!”, she excitedly said.

”Yea, I know…after being a part of it.”, Lass quietly said.

Sonia got even more excited, “What?! Wait, you’re the rising star I heard word about?!”

“Not only that, he kinda kicked my ass on the second round. I’m eliminated, but I guess there’s next year!”, Anya happily said.

Sonia got even more excited, “What?! No, no, no way! His skills outmatched Anya’s?! Ha! That ‘weapon testing’ wasn’t all you were doing, right?! I’m texting Nikki about this, it’s so epic!”

Through all her excitement, Lass began to lose hold of the situation rather quickly, Anya thankfully for him stepping in.

”Hey, uh, Sonia. We’re kind of running late on a delivery to the Reingard Hall, right? You really need to step it up a notch and get there in time for the party supplies.”

Another employee stepped from the side as he scouted the situation, pushing Sonia away to the staff room.

”Yeap. And I need to be there to back check all of the supplies, so you’re running me late as well. Let’s go.”

”Ah, thanks Leo.”, Anya nodded.

”Ah, fine! Will do, but Lass, we’ve gotta talk about this later, ok?!”, Sonia looked back as she was being pushed by Leo.

”Sure, I guess.”, Lass replied.

”Drive safe you two”, Anya said.

”You too boss!”, Sonia and Leo yelled back.

The two of them left the room in a hurry, leaving behind everyone else alone at the store.

”Thanks for the save. I really can’t bring myself to reply in this type of situation. Too much excitement.”, Lass sighed.

”No worries, I got the que myself, big guy.”, Anya winked at Lass.

”Um…wait. Are we driving somewhere?”, Ikarisa quirkily asked.

”Hmm? Nah, everything we need is right here!”

”Then why did they wish you to drive safely?”

Anya stuttered, “I-I uh…I’d rather not talk about that a lot, ehehe…”, she nervously laughed.

"That being said, they seem really loyal to you. You know…for mere employees.

"I’d like to treat this ‘job’ in a friendly way. I did pick up a few antics from my dad, but no way in hell I’d be a copy of him. Just said the boundaries with them straight up, I might cut their paychecks, but that doesn’t make me rule them with an iron fist. Unlike my dad, I like to think I still have a heart and that’s what doesn’t make me a good boss according to him.”, she shrugged, “But when it does come down to it, I can very easily differentiate the line between friends and work or polite and complete ass. It kind of pisses me off that because of my dad’s sheer presence, most people in this place have to act like living robots. Pisses me off.”

"Tell me about it. It's the first time I've seen you not smiling on everything."

"To you this is a store. To me it's my own, personal, living hell, that asks for more when I have nothing left. If I could give it all away or burn it to the ground to start anew, I would. I grew to hate the corporate atmosphere anyway.", Anya said with a scoff.

"That's so sad...", Ikarisa said silently.

"A-Ah nevermind!", said Anya as she snapped out of it. "Let's go up to my office. Everything I've found is up there.

Going up her office they where both surprised to see it being the furthest thing from a merchants boring old office. Instead of boring paperwork, they found massive, detailed and marked maps of all of Riza. Instead of simple items from the shop stock, they found numerous magical items of all sorts and origins. Floating ball like drones, holograms and virtual screens everywhere maintained and analyzed a number of different relics. Even in the dark, the entire room would have simply forever stayed illuminated. Truly a sight sight full of wonders.

"This is most impressive.", Lass said with acknowledgement.

"Oh wow! Look at all these!", Ikarisa happily said.

"All of life's works.", Anya said with a chuckle. "You can tinker around with anything you want...but the real research is here.", she said, bringing out a big book on the table. "That's right, I am so amazing on the field as I am off it. Alpha female!"

"Hah. Don't overcompliment yourself mutt. You already had it bad once today...anyway. What exactly did you find out?"

"This.", she said laying a big lance on the table. "It's a really old weapon I had the intense luck finding out in the black market around Reingard. It was sold off expensively too, but money was never the issue. It originated from an area high above Gardard deep in the Frigo race's area...and if you run it's mana signature through the scanner with the data I got from Lass...bam! Identical signature! Though obviously the lance has a weaker one, since it's been unused and tossed around for so long.”

"Hmm...and have you been able to find the origins of this thing?", Lass said with interest.

"I tried to but it was a hit or miss twice. I have it reserved for restoration tomorrow so until they can show me just exactly what that is, I can't be sure."

"T-That's...", Ikarisa paused at the presence of the lance.

A nostalgic look came across the goddess's face. As she herself knew the sad story hidden deep within the massive lance.

"Huh? You recognize this?", said Anya with excitement.

"I...I do. This lance is the type of weapon given to Elysium class Valkyries...the highest rank there is."

"Valkyries? You had those too?", said Lass.

"They are fade reports of such beings but...not too great to make it into the history books. More like bedtime story books if anything.", said Anya, trying to trace back in her memory.

"Well they existed!", Ikarisa said angrily. She then let out a sigh before continuing with her words. "Valkyries...you all remember the tale of Kaima and the events that evolved within it and Riza bellow. Gods had preemptively created Sentinels as the guardians of Kaima itself. They where their own race, Valkyries we called them. Each Sentinel, at the peak of their strength, was able to create an entire army of them...but when I gave life to Riza...the War Of Zero happened. It's what I like to call it...it was a war both devastating and detrimental to the future of Riza, which we won. When the first Sentinels stepped on Riza, affected by the ability to have free will stepped in to let their Valkyries be set free. Of course that did not stand good with those still in control of my brothers...so a conflict of massive scale happened. Those who wanted to be freed and those under the gods control where fighting for their respective visions."

"So there indeed was a war far greater before everything?", Lass asked.

"Yes. Sentinels, Valkyries and even other living beings from Riza bellow where slaughtered and brutally murdered in horrifying ways. The war was won with me leading the freed Sentinels and Valkyries against the Enmities...but the cost, as well as the result was by far what I was hoping for. Almost immediately after the last Enmities were defeated by the rest of the Valkyries...they started losing their powers and wings. Their armor faded away, their minds went insane...the survivors of the war where set to live forever in insanity, slitting their throats, cutting and hurting themselves in madness. At least for the majority...those who lost everything but could keep their minds fled and spread all over Riza, now living among every other race. At least they did…before they were hung down and killed in the World War. It was around the time I saw Dante slaughtered in front of me...all because...", she held the tears she wanted to shed. "No, not now. Out of the army of Valkyries that survived, all but one was the exception.

"I think I read a little something on her from a book at one point. Some rogue Valkyrie correct?", asked Anya.

"My memories are hazy just like Lass’s…what I’m telling you right now is what someone told me as I can’t really remember for myself. But for some reason…despite not knowing how I got here, this name echoed through my head over and over. Cecilia Elisia. The only Valkyrie who lost her wings but kept her power and mind. She still saw me in that state...that horrifying state. She and I travelled the world trying to suppress all remaining threats from the chaos in Riza as my brothers and Sentinels where left sealed in Kaima. When the time came to part our ways, I gave Cecilia the Wing Of Aether. A lance designed to protect and serve her so long as she drew breath, from which she would never be separated. And along with that lance, I gave her several other powerful relics to scatter all over Riza, so that my brothers couldn't get their hands on all the power they could, when they finally broke the seal and returned. Though the relics are one on their own, this lance, as well as Dante's sword, Excelsior as he called it, were not one and the same. Cecilia's power was as unique as Dante's when this whole ordeal ended...but this...this lance being here means…Cecilia…”

Finally breaking down, she could hold her tears no longer. She knew that for the lance to be present on it's own without it's rightful owner, meant but the death of the one she once held dear, and the end of a hope she once held on to for seeing them again.

"You dummy-I...", Lass forced his words to stop, empathizing with Ikarisa.

"Risa...", said Anya lowering her ears.

"No...much like you and Lass, I'm stronger than I look! I have to be…I must be!", Ikarisa said as she swiftly collected herself. "Within the Wing Of Aether...lies the thing that was most wanted by many."

As she started chanting something the once rusty lance began to fade away, as a pair of glowing gauntlets inside it took it's place.

"Wow! Nice!", Anya said, wagging her tail.

"'So long as this message exist to be spoken hopes and dreams will never be broken. And come it's time be turned to ashes in the age of damnation...life and light will bloom again from the ether of the heavens reflection'. Cecilia...thank you. I will carry on this message for us.”

"You really...you really are something else Risa.", Lass said calmly.

"Thank you.", Ikarisa chuckled softly. "With this I'll be more than able to use my powers in intense offense."

"Wait, you have combat experience?!", Lass said as he got worried.

"I...yes. But trust me for now...I'll tell you everything later. I mostly fought against my brothers monsters, other beings and people are...no I can't.”

"Well at least we got a double breakthrough! So Lass's powers are connected to that Cecilia...should be able to find something about her. And you got a powerful-woah!"

As Anya spoke, the ground started to violently shake, as items around the office began to fall all over the place.

"An earthquake?!", Lass said as he braced himself.

"No. It's not.", Ikarisa said angrily, knowing what the calamity was.

"We need to get outside, now!"

"Back door from here!", Anya yelled as she showed the way.

When they all made their way outside they where but surprised and terrified to find immense hoards of powerful monsters covering both the ground and the sky. Slaughter and murder filled the streets as the once stone pathways and alleys where starting to be painted in deep red.

"What the hell?!", Lass said in disbelief.

"Look! The KoK challengers!", Anya said as she pointed towards them.

Everyone from police, to soldiers and even tournament challengers where fighting the desperate fight to protect everyone.

"N-No...not again...not again!", Ikarisa said through tears, running off into the battlefield.

"Risa! Wait dammit! Anya listen to me! Get to the front of the fight and tell them to spread their numbers evenly along the suburbs, then back out and enter the main plaza! Priority are the innocent, not the monsters! I'm going after her!"

"On it!", she said as she pulled out her weapon.

Running after the quick little goddess Lass was surprised to see her tiny body and clothes all dyed in a deep red. Holding on to his sense he quickly approached her only to find out that the blood he had thought of her to be soaked in was anything but her own.

"Not again, not again!", Ikarisa kept saying through her tears. "Not again!", she cried as she created a wave of swords, eliminating an entire group of monsters. “Ghk…thank you for doing this for me…again.”, she whispered.

"Risa...what the-", pauses and looks at a giant troll.

A massive black looking troll approached right above Ikarisa, as it was raising a massive blunt weapon to crush the tiny goddess.

"Kya!", she yelped as she covered her face.

"Shit, I've gotta block it!", he said as he stood before her, using his body as a shield.

"Hah. Where did the elegancy of the sword go? I'll take care of this myself!", the voice inside Lass echoed.

Releasing the full force of his sword, a powerful wave of slashes came from 'Lass's' swordsmanship. Releasing the slashes and blowing them up, the standing monster was swiftly reduced to a puddle of blood, nothing remaining to resemble it ever existed. He then turned his eyes to the tiny goddess, whose bloody body had started to be cleaned on it's own with her waterfall of tears.

"I'm so weak aren't I? Even though I don't want this to happened again...even though I don't...", Ikarisa kept crying and crying unable to stop. "I still can't do it! Useless! Useless, useless, useless-", she yelled grabbing her hair and hitting her head. Images of terror and suffering filled her head as her breathing became rapid and her eyes wondered all over. She herself was in disbelief of the scale of the chaos she had found herself into once again. Thankfully, not after long, she was stopped by Lass.

"Shut up! Just stop it!"

"E-Eh?", she looked up at Lass with her full of blood face.

"You think it's all your fault but it was never the deal?! I don't care what you say, cause you have no right to say those words anyway! I don't care that you're the goddess and I don't care what you have done or what had happened in the past! All I care about is you and you as you are right now, got that?! So stop crying! Come on, we've still got a long way to go, so stay with me! I’ve faced this before…I know I have! So I’ll lead the way! You’ve only grown more and more courageous in the few days that I’ve met you, so show me what you’ve got!”

For a moment in the fired up battlefield went silent, as both their eyes connected. To what she thought would never see, Lass's passion and care was all that was written in his eyes, something which she was lacking to experience for what seemed an eternity.

"I-I...Lass I...", Ikarisa said, wiping her tears and calming down.

"Come on. Let's do this one...together. ‘We move and fight as one until we see the light of dawn’!", he said as he softly picked Ikarisa back up.

"Right!", said Ikarisa, once again collecting herself and taking on her battle stance.

And so the fires rose higher, as the capital was under attack by heavier numbers by the second. To the enemy's displeasure, the hope that never faded, was indeed about to consume them...