[center][img]http://i.imgur.com/KBBwK0P.png[/img][/center]Somewhere in hell, a certain vampire rested in her dark palace circled by nothing but the deadly roses she cherished so much. "I can't believe it," Victoire said to herself, sinking her claws at her throne's arm, "even when I guarantee their victory, I still come out at a loss." The smallish vampire gazed bitterly at her hand, missing the ring which was so important to her and remembering that, even when she won she still lost.

"Will this ever end?" Victoire asked herself. However, her monologue was interrupted by an untimely intrusion of an individual whose appearance looked quite similar to Victoire's own kind. "Who are you? And what are you doing here?" the Blood Countess asked, angry at the interruption.
[center][img]http://i.imgur.com/Hk9VtKw.png[/img][/center]"Oh please, do not mind me. If you want to continue the self-loathing monologue feel free to do so," the girl said as she walked into Victoire's throne room nonchalantly, stopping to pick one of the Blood Countess' roses and admire its fragrance. "However, if you want to make a more useful contribution as one of our kind, I have a suggestion that might interest you."

"I don't have time to waste on intruders like you. If you like my Demon Roses so much, I'll let you have an intimate feel of their embrace," Victoire said as her patience ran thin before commanding her roses to tear apart the intruder.

"Oh my, where's my education?" the other vampire said. "I'm Helena. But I guess that you can call me queen. After all, I'm the most powerful of our kind," Helena said, finally identifying herself while stopping Victoire's attack with a single hand.

Victoire's eyes almost fell off her face as she saw the girl stop her attack with the same easy as one swats of a fly. "Lies!" she yelled. "I have never heard anything about a Queen, much less about you," Victoire said, with irritation noticeable in her voice. "Explain what you want here—"

"Shh, shh, my child. Did your mother never teach you to not speak out of your turn?" Helena said in a patronizing voice, pretty much mocking Victoire's outburst. "If you really want to know, all I want of you is that you raise a special kind of rose to me. After all, my own castle is so devoid of life. It could very well use some new decorations..." Helena opened her hand, showing that the rose she picked a while earleier had changed from its usual crimson, to an alluring blue hue.

One could only imagine what Helena had in mind.[center][img]http://i.imgur.com/KBBwK0P.png[/img][/center]At the Elysian Paradise of Celestia, many events seemed to be taking place. A general unrest could be felt permeating the many halls and aisles of the heavenly palace. One of the reasons for such was the news of the sound defeat they suffered at KC-00032, especially when it looked like most of those who left for that battle never returned. Not only that, but most of the Heavens' best combatants just disappeared out of the blue, retired to whatever corner of the Nexus they originally came from. The future didn't bode well for the holy hosts of the Divine Imperator, not at all.

"Sincerely, it's almost like everything is conspiring to leave those harpies be the only ones doing the fight around here," Diana said to herself as she walked around the corridors while drying of her hair, after getting off of a public bathing pool. "I think it's not just this place. The Nexus as a whole have seen better days. I wonder if this mean that something big is about to happen?"

A sigh escaped Diana's lips as she stopped by a nearby balcony and gazed at the sky aimlessly. "If only I could see Bastion once more," Diana said to no one in particular.

All the while, the clouds danced in the skies above.[center][img]http://i.imgur.com/g7jDDxi.png[/img][/center]While Iona was being her ever dutiful self, searching the Nexus and beyond for clues on what the recent events meant, Juno was ordered to stay behind band make sure that no more disturbances could either enter or leave the world of endless warfare. This naturally meant that she was the one to reply to Deva's summons.

"Did you call us?" Juno said as she walked into the Divine Imperator's audience chamber. Her eyes were downcast as if the Snake of the World had a great burden resting on her shoulders. Even her voice was more composed than Juno's usual self, as was evident when she said "Iona is searching out the truth. Meanwhile, I have to keep anyone from trespassing the boundary."

"I feel something bad, something that makes me want to protect Celly and the others more than ever," Juno said solemnly before making a pause and turning her head to the side as if she were trying to see the very horizon beyond the walls of Deva's palace. "Do you know what it is?" she asked, after turning her face back to Deva.[center][img]http://i.imgur.com/KBBwK0P.png[/img][/center]Back at the seat of Mankind's power, Eos observed stoically as those she called for arrived in her audience chamber. Not long after Hibiki, Shizuka and Krieg, a collaborator that Eos wasn't counting on at first came in to deliver some very special equipment to those before her.

"Before anything else, I would like to thank you for your role in KC-00032's defense. It was only thanks to the efforts of troops like you that we could preserve that which belongs to us," Eos said as soon as everyone was in their rightful place. "As proof of my appreciation for your efforts, I shall grant you a few rewards, so that you can keep on serving our purpose for the troubled times that are about to come."[center][img]http://i.imgur.com/cOEZrOz.png[/img][/center]"First, Krieg will have his Eyes unsealed. While it's too early to trust your capacity as a commander, this power shall help you fight on par with the Nexus' best." Just as Eos spoke, Krieg —and thus Endian— would be able to feel the power of his former Golden Eyes being unsealed, the surge of powerful energy coursing through its circuitry. "The Meido Sisters shall be granted a special gift, shared by their very soul. Each of you will have one Silver Eye. Alone your powers shall be weak. However, when together, they'll rival even those that I posses. There's no doubt that you'll use this power well. Additionally, I have placed Dr. Karizawa's TEP project under your jurisdiction. He shall report to you, and you shall make sure that his objectives match those of the Machina."

"While this is the end of the gifts I have offered out of my own power, our newest collaborator shall explain the detail of a very unique project. With this you'll have the edge you'll need in future battles," Eos said, gesturing for their newest ally yo step forward and explain what she had in mind.

"Is there anything you would like to say?" The High Queen asked.