〘Date: 2/13 - Wednesday〙
〘Time: 9:00 AM〙
〘Location: Texas, Royal Creek - Hunt Residency〙
Momo stood outside in the backyard, stretching her arms and legs, waiting for the morning training to begin. As she prepared herself, she noticed me, Amelia, and Karin stepping outside, a pleased smile forming on her face.
"You actually showed up! I guess you saw the news as well?" Momo asked in a chipper tone, placing her hands on her hips.
Karin smiled back at Momo, nodding her head and running her hand through her hair. "Yeah, I saw the news...and it would be nice to get some rust off my bones."
"You three go on ahead and get in some light sparring before the drills begin. I have something I need to do before beginning," Amelia hummed, parting from our group and made her way back toward the house.
Momo watched as Amelia walked back inside the house, shrugging her shoulders and clapped her hands together, beaming a smile at me and Karin. "Alright, while that old lady handles her boomer shit, how about we see what Ryder is actually capable of?"
Karin glanced at Momo, tilting her head and raising an eyebrow with confusion. "I thought we knew what he's capable of? Did you not see him yesterday?"
"Yeah, but those were some goons and Leona heavily underestimated him. Let's see how he fairs against The Big One and The Great Flame!" Momo grinned, smacking her fist against the palm of her hand with blazing confidence.
I smirked at Momo's challenge, resting my hands behind my head with a smug grin. "A two against one..? C'mon, give me an actual challenge here. This is a bit too easy..~"
Momo rolled her shoulder, letting out a soft giggle before rushing me with a swift jab to my face, catching me off guard. While I was in the midst of recovering, Momo landed a powerful open palm strike to my chest, the force of her attack knocking me backwards.
Momo shook her wrist with a confident smirk, hopping up and down with fiery energy. "C'mon, babe~ Put your money where your mouth is!"
I recovered onto one knee, placing my hand on my chest and coughed slightly, looking up at Momo with an amused smile. "You caught me off guard...but that will be your last lucky hit.."
Momo taunted me with a a challenging gesture then took on her stance, faint fiery energy forming around her body. "Come at me, Pretty Boy..~"
I chuckled softly, lightning crackling around my hair as I prepared myself to charge at Momo. With a strong lunge, I rushed forward with a leaping spinning kick, but Momo ducked under my strike, going for an upper back fist aimed at my midsection.
Elbowing the air, I released a force of wind to shift my aerial trajectory, causing Momo to miss her attack. I landed behind Momo, striking her with a staggering blow to her back then spun her around and delivering my signature Hawaiian Slap to her face.
Karin's eyes slightly widened at the sound of my slap, grunting softly as she indirectly felt the sting of my strike. "Damn...Do you need me to tag in, Momo?"
Momo hissed softly from the stinging sensation of my attack, holding her hand on her cheek and shook her head. She stood up straight, glancing at Karin with a grin and a thumbs up. "Nah, I'm still just warming up! He ain't seen nothing yet, this is still child's play~"
"Child's play? Heh, for me maybe. You're a bit rusty, while I'm just getting started," I taunted, fixing my jacket and hair before getting into my stance again.
Momo smirked mischievously at me, cracking her knuckles and got into her stance as well. "Oh, honey...you haven't seen anything yet..~"
Momo scanned my figure up and down, studying my body language for a moment before dashing into combat. Momo launched a quick right hook, but I blocked her strike and went for an immediate counter.
Momo blocked my strike, countering with a low sweep and followed it with a donkey kick to my cheek as I was falling. I grunted as I was knocked back, rolling along the ground as gravity took me away. Momo ran after me, her Love Sigil faintly shimmering to life on her back.
"Face my Erupting Upper!" Momo bellowed, launching an uppercut just as I recovered onto my feet, fiery energy sparking around her fist with searing energy.
I grunted heavily as I was struck with her Uppercut, her strike knocking me slightly off my feet. Momo began rushing me with a series of attacks, leaving me no room for adaptation or assessment. She knocked me in the air with another uppercut, jumping upwards and knocking me away with a blazing spinning kick.
I grunted as I flew backwards, catching myself in mid air using the winds and safely lowered myself onto the ground. I panted softly, feeling the effects of Momo's enhanced blows. 'I knew manifesting a Love Sigil on a woman would increase her overall, but...her attacks are much more volatile...'
〔Phroa: That's the power of a Love Sigil for you! However, she's still learning to adapt to her new changes! Right now, she may seem faster, stronger, and better, but you can adapt to her!〕
I nodded in agreement, reaching behind myself and taking my fingerless gauntlet from my back pocket. I slipped it on my hand, wiggling my fingers to adjust to the tight fit. 'Let's switch it up to some Moji Combat..~'
I dashed toward, rounding off one hand and landed on my feet, backflipping and generating a ball of fire at my feet. I kicked the fireball at Momo, the flames ripping through the air at high speeds, causing Momo to panic and hold out her arms for protection.
The Love Sigil on her back began to glow, an ethereal red energy awakening around her hands. The fireball impacted against her hands, allowing her to absorb the flames. Momo and Karin looked surprised, witnessing Momo using Alchemy for the first time.
Momo grunted and physically recoiled back after she fully absorbed the flames, panting heavily as beads of sweat began rolling down her face. Looking down at her hands, she noticed they were trembling, just as shook as she was in the moment.
Amelia, who was watching from the window, let out a knowing smirk, chuckling softly as she sipped on her wine glass. "Hmm...so this old lady was right..~ She does have one of those Love Glyphs or whatever they are called. This revolution has just become more interesting," she chuckled, getting up as the doorbell rang.
Karin walked toward Momo, gently grabbing her wrists and looking at her hands, inspecting them with a mix of curiosity and awe. "That was Alchemy...how—" Karin began, gasping and quickly letting go of Momo's wrists.
"You're marked! That's the only way to explain it!" Karin exclaimed, covering her mouth in genuine disbelief.
"Marked? I'm not marked! Fredrick never got to me like he did with Leon—Nngh..!" Momo grunted, arching her back slightly as a burning sensation began surfacing on her back. "Damn...! Is it hot out here or something? Whew..."
"Yes, yes you are marked! I can see it glowing!" Karin argued, nodding profusely as she caught a glimpse of the Love Sigil on Momo's back.
"What the— How?! I didn't do anything with Fredrick! The last guy I was with was—" Momo began, gasping and quickly turning her gaze toward me in disbelief. "You marked me..."
I smiled at Momo and walked toward her coolly, letting out a soft chuckle. "I didn't mark you, your body manifested it on its down. It's called a Love Sigil, and I'm assuming you've heard of it since you're talking about markings."
Karin grunted softly as she knew she had exposed too much, glancing away from me with a reluctant expression. "I guess I've been caught. Yeah, we know about those...Love Sigils, Leona has one and Fredrick's fiancee has one as well.."
〔Phroa: Impossible! Only people who are within Shiro's bloodline can mark people with Love Sigils! How the hell did Fredrick learn that?!〕
'I'm asking the same question...Aunt Habilee told me that I'm the only one who can actually use The Art of Love like my dad...so this is new to me as well,' I replied mentally, wanting to find out Fredrick's secret as well.
Momo exhaled softly, walking toward Karin and patting her shoulder. "Alright, sis...it's your turn to get your ass kicked. All of a sudden, I'm wiped out.."
Karin rose an eyebrow at Momo, watching her make her way toward the wooden bench near the fences. "Huh, I guess you are just as extinguished as I'm washed up. All that big talk from before?"
Momo flipped Karin off as she sat down, chuckling lightly and sighed softly as she leaned back against the bench. "Yeah, yeah...well I have an alibi, alright? Last night knocked me away, so I need recovery time!"
〔Phroa: Interesting, Allie never had that effect on her after she manifested her Love Sigil.〕
'That's because she never awakened it after activating it. I know what an awakened Love Sigil looks like,' I replied mentally, a quick moment of my mother saving me as a child flashing in my head.
'It activates during a deep emotional moment, granting the wielder access to their source. Momo awakened hers as I shot a fireball at her, and since she's new, her stamina got wiped clean,' I explained, turning my attention to Karin, watching as she put her hair in a ponytail.
Karin tightened her jacket around her waist, studying me carefully and took a step backwards. "You know...when I look at you up close, you look just like him. A spitting image of Earth's Savior, Shiro Moji. You have all of his mannerisms, his charisma, his mysteriousness, but you have a more...logical aspect to yourself."
I stayed quiet as Karin spoke, my expression changing to an amused look. I watched as she paced back and forth, my analytical eye scanning her every step. I could feel the energy rising around us, my heart racing from the anticipation.
"You walk around with Dominance, not Deliverance. You move like a King and not a Lord. You can manifest Sigils in women, just like he can...and yet..." Karin continued, shaking her hand as she began to fire herself up more. "I can't understand you like how I can understand Fredrick..."
"I've been thinking about your appearance since last night, and I can't lie to myself. I need to know what you are because you walk like Fredrick, but you don't act like him," Karin questioned, stopping in her tracks and facing me with a demanding expression.
I closed my eyes and rolled my shoulders, humming softly as I felt her demands charging at me like a stampede. "What am I...or who am I? Either way, I understand what you want from me...but if I tell you who I am then you owe me a favor."
"A Queen can't demand unless a King approves, so if you want to know who I am...Beat me for it. Show me how much it's been on your mind," I said, raising my pants legs up and getting into my stance.
Karin accepted my challenge internally, her gaze hardening and a marking on her neck shimmering in a dark blue hue. She wanted to know who I really was, with everything that's happened in one day, her ambition was now at an all time high. The Big One was coming.
With her best foot forward, Karin lunged forward and grappled onto me, quickly putting me in a headlock. I grunted softly as I struggled against her strength, wrapping my arm around her waist to push myself from her submission.
Karin released me from her hold, holding onto my hand struck me with a powerful back kick to my stomach, a pulse of water energy blowing me away. I grunted as I rolled backwards along the ground, my back crashing against the reinforced wooden fence.
"Damn! You going all out on him from the jump!?" Momo exclaimed, springing up from her seat in disbelief and entertainment.
Karin covered her mouth, gasping in disbelief and regret. "O' Mother Gaia... I didn't mean to hit him that hard..."
I stood up slowly, holding my back and grunting softly. Standing up straight, I looked at Karin with a smirk, blue lightning crackling around my body. I dashed toward her, launching a swift tornado kick at her head.
Karin panicked slightly, ducking under my kick and raising back up to quickly block and parry my series of strikes. She went for a counter strike, but I slipped around her punch, landing a crushing blow along her chin. Karin grunted as she staggered to the side, trying to regain her balance.
"C'mon, you wanna find out who I am right? Figure it out!" I taunted, striking her with my Hawaiian Slap.
Karin grunted as I slapped her, strands of her hair falling against her face as she stood still in slight disbelief. She immediately fired up, walking toward me with a growl and aggressively pressing her forehead against mine. "You dare slap me..?"
I chuckled softly at her emotional outburst, looking her in the eye as I stood my ground. "Sounds like a milk chocolate princess is mad that she won't get an answer from me...What? You're mad I slapped you, huh..?"
I shoved her face with a smirk, causing her to stumble backwards. "Will that fire you up? You wanna figure me out right? Then come figure it out," I taunted once again, shoving her face again.
With a frustrated growl, Karin launched a punch straight to my face, but I dodged her attack with a taunting chuckle. Karin threw another punch then a cross, but I evaded both attacks, hopping up and down and shrugging my shoulders.
Karin grit her teeth, rushing forward once against with a barrage of punches and kicks, but I slipped through each attack with a grin on my face. Upon her last attack, I parried her strike by pushing her arm up then landed a Destiny Flash straight to her sternum, blue lightning flashing upon impact.
Karin groaned as she was knocked backwards, hitting the ground and rolling backwards onto one knee. She coughed lightly and huffed heavily, looking up at me with disbelief. 'Lightning...just like that move he used against Leona. How many affinities does this guy have..?'
"C'mon, Karin...Is that all you've got? Not even a scratch? I guess The Big One is now nothing more than a small ripple in the pond," I egged, using my Joker persona to try to spark her up even more.
Karin grit her teeth at my taunt, falling for my rage bait and standing up quickly onto her feet. The Sigil on her neck began glowing brighter, bubbles of water energy forming around her body. "You think you're so funny huh..? A small ripple..? I'll show you a small ripple!"
〔Phroa: Oh man, now she's mad! You done fired her up now!〕
Amelia walked toward the window, leading her guest toward the window as well with a soft chuckle. "Oh, looks like they are still going. It's getting fiery now, don't you agree dear?"
Leona walked toward the window as well, leaning against the sill and peeking outside, her eyes widening in shock as she noticed me, Karin, and Momo. "Granny, you said they weren't here..!"
"I know what I said, Lioness, but that was the only way to get you here. This drill is going to be a special one, indeed," Amelia hummed, letting out a soft mischievous laugh.
Karin leaned forward, sprinting forward and launching a swift attack aimed at my midsection. I quickly blocked her attack, countering with swift jabs, followed by a roundhouse kick. Stomping down on the same foot, I generated a root to wrap around Karin's ankle.
Karin grunted and looked down at the root, balling her fists and concentrating her focus on the root. Pulling her arm back, she began extracting the water from the root, causing it to wither away and crumble.
〔Phroa: Whoa! How did she do that! She split the elements of the root apart!〕
My lips curled into an amused smirk, noticing Karin surrounding herself with a ring of water. I stomped down on the ground, awakening my Ocular Flair and surrounding myself in blue esoteric energy. 'Yeah, I noticed that...she must have Advanced Alchemy..'
Karin rushed toward at me, leaping in the air and cracking a whip of water at me. "Let's see if you can handle how the New World gets down, Mr. Revolution!"
I quickly dodged the water whip, flipping backwards and surrounding my hand in an energy blade, parrying each crack from her whip. I charged forward, gripping my wrist and used a burst of speed to move faster using Lightning Energy.
Karin lost sight of me, my body moving faster than her own perception. With a swift movement, I struck her midsection, appearing behind her and standing up straight. Karin stood frozen for a moment, the ring of water around her dispersing into water droplets, her body falling onto one knee.
'What...the hell was that..?' Karin thought to herself, clutching her stomach and wincing in pain as lightning crackled around her paralyzed body. 'He afflicted Static upon my body..?'
"Hmph, you're still a ripple in the pond. No bigger than a splash in a lake. You're washed up, a mere mermaid cast out of Neverland," I said coldly, looking back at Karin from over my shoulder.
Karin grunted softly at my harsh tone, closing her eyes as she felt her heart stop. She wanted to respond, but the static around her body made it hard for her to even move.
"These are the words Fredrick will most likely say to you...not to diss you, but because it's true. He didn't just call war on me, it's all of us. Momo, as much as I love you, Fredrick will call you nothing but a past flame, and Leona, a forgotten spark in the clouds!" I roared, looking at both Karin and Momo.
"The last of your empire will fall because you have lost the plot! Fredrick will destroy the rest of Amelia's legacy, and it's time to start getting serious. And it starts with you, wanting to know who I am and with you and Momo... closing this chapter," I dared, looking down at Karin with a dominant gaze.
"Or maybe...that was your plan all along when you broke apart The Swords by striking Momo in the back and selling out," I added harshly, my eyes glinting with a hint of mockery.
Karin's heart completely stopped, her eyes flashing with a renewed tidal wave. She quickly stood up, pivoting around and generating a sparkling orb of water. She roared as she slammed it against my body, the orb shining and detonating into a massive water explosion.
I groaned as I was knocked away, using a force of wind to recover in the air and looked down at Karin, clearing my throat with a bit of surprise. 'That surely fired her up...'
Karin grit her teeth and looked down, ashamed of her second emotional outburst and growled lowly as The Big One began to bubble to the surface. "I...didn't do it on purpose! I didn't sell out! I'm tired of everyone spreading that lie!"
"Everyone thinks I purposely wanted to ruin the legacy of one person, but it was either....THIS! Or have Government Officials on our head 24/7!" Karin yelled, gradually breaking down as the haunting memories began flashing back into her head.
Momo grunted softly as the memories began resurfacing for her as well. The familiar sensation she felt from the iron pole stinging her back once more. She leaned forward, resting her arms on her knees as tears began welling up.
Leona heard every word Karin spoke, lowering her head as well and took a deep, shaky breath before exhaling slowly. She covered her face, her heart aching once more as the pain from Karin's betrayal returned.
"I didn't want to do it! I did it to protect all of us, and I know...you all would rather be dead than to deal with Fredrick, and yeah, I agree. I should've let you take his head off, but I was scared okay?!" Karin cried out, her tear streaked face facing Momo.
Momo shook her head, shaking her leg before raising from her seat like a firecracker, pointing an accusatory finger at Karin. "No! No! You weren't scared, you were just a coward!"
"Coward?! Listen to yourself, Diana! You don't think! You just act!" Karin retorted, poking the side of her head with frustration.
"Oh, don't you dare call me that name...you don't have the right to call me that anymore!" Momo fussed, storming toward Karin with ignited anger.
"See? This! This is what I'm talking about! You never see my side and never have! It's always about you!" Karin yelled, shoving Momo back with anger.
"Bitch!" Momo yelled back, shoving Karin back with even greater strength.
Karin growled loudly, charging toward Momo and tackling her to the ground, unloading strikes at her face and head. Momo guarded herself, her own emotions taking over her as she pushed Karin off her, landing a strong kick at the middle of her chest.
I watched as Momo and Karin brawled on the grass, their unresolved emotions now coming back to surface. I could tell Phroa wanted me to intervene, but I stood still and just watched with a quiet gaze. I was only the match holder, now it was time for them to either put out the flame, control it, or burn away with it.
Amelia watched as Momo and Karin brawled as well, shaking her head with slight disappointment and exhaled softly. She glanced at Leona, noticing her eyes were filled with sorrow as she watched her sistren fight each other with pain and anger.
Momo groaned as she pushed Karin off her, panting heavily and gripping her hair with a mix of frustration and bottled up pain. She growled lowly, her heart beating quicker from the collapsing feeling inside her. "I hate you so much! You ruined everything! Everything is your fucking fault! I hate you, Karin! I should've killed you like Leona wanted!"
"You hate me?! Well, I hate you for even getting us into this mess! It was YOU who wanted to protect the old guard! Wake up, whore! We are in a new age!" Karin screamed back, her voice breaking down into cries.
Momo screamed again, charging toward Karin with a tackle and took her to the ground, throwing a fiery punch at Karin's face. Suddenly, a hand caught Momo's fist, catching both Karin and Momo off guard.
"Stop it...please, that's enough.." Leona softly cried, her grip on Momo's wrist tightening.
Momo's eyes couldn't believe what they were showing her, her body freezing as if she saw a ghost. Karin stared at Leona in pure awe as well, a few tears rolling down her face from the overwhelming emotions.
"I can't take this anymore...you both are so fake! You both are cowards! You both threw away Granny's legacy in your own way!" Leona yelled, pushing Momo away from Karin then pointed down at Karin. "You betrayed her granddaughter and joined the enemy, you turncoat!"
Leona turned toward Momo, pointing at her as well and growled lowly. "And you burned down the entire Spade University building, nearly erasing your grandmother's legacy for this bitch! You forgot about me while you focused on the one fake friend who ruined you!"
"I'm not a fake friend, you don't know anything!" Karin bellowed, her voice echoing into the air then fell into heavy pants and soft sobs. "I loved you both...I never wanted to hurt you. But, it was either have us all killed because we ignored the consequences...or live to see another day by surrendering."
"I loved you both too much to let us die so soon...we were just three teenagers with a dangerous dream! We dragged your fucking brother into this shit when he was 11! He would've died just like Mama Hunt!" Karin continued, standing up from the ground and met Momo's gaze.
"That's not true—" Momo denied, but was cut off by Karin's frustrated groan.
"You know it's true, don't you dare deny it, you selfish bitch! All this to kill one guy?! You would only win the battle because the war would start after he's dead! Nothing would've changed!" Karin yelled, panting heavier as she began losing breath with each word.
Momo fell silent, holding her hand to her chest as she began to reflect on the past. Her body began shaking with sorrow, tears streaming down her face and her heart slamming against her ribcage. "I'm not selfish...I just didn't want Momma's legacy to fade away like Papa's did..."
Karin fell silent as well as she heard Momo's soft, mournful tone, her own heart beginning to ache. For the first time in a long time, she heard Diana and not Momo. Leona felt her own heart ache at Momo's tone, now understanding why Momo fought so hard back then...and why she still fights now.
"It was never about one person...and Matt felt the same way. We watched Mom die defending us...we felt her last breath. I...I just..." Momo began, falling to her knees and began breaking down like she never has before.
Amelia heard Momo's cries and stood up from her seat, knowing it was time for her to step in. She began thinking about her daughter, her own heart aching with regret even if it's been years since her death.
"Alright, that's enough arguing for one morning. Now that we've let out our anger, let's talk about how we fix the issue instead of pointing fingers," Amelia said, standing in front of the three with a stern expression.
"Blaming can only lead you so far, and we've been fighting and blaming for four years. It's time we own our actions and take accountability. No one here is in the right or wrong, just three knuckleheads who can't truly see eye to eye when it counts!" Amelia fussed, her gaze shifting between the three girls.
Momo, Karin, and Leona gave Amelia dejected expressions, averting their gazes and looking down. They each looked as if they were getting scolded by their teacher after a bad session, each of them lowering their guard in submission.
"Ryder is right in what he said. All three of you are washed up, nothing but dust in the wind. You can't beat Fredrick's army as you are, but now we can fix it if you three are willing to see eye to eye again," Amelia said, giving the three of them a hopeful smile.
Momo glanced at Karin and Leona, always having the reunion of The Swords in the back of her mind. Karin looked between Leona and Momo as well, a hesitant expression on her face. Leona grunted softly, lowering her gaze at her hands.
Momo pumped her fist out in front of her, her flames forming the handle of the blade and gazed between the two with hopeful eyes. Karin looked at Momo's fist, knowing she was going for their old team gesture and placed her fist above Momo's, her water energy forming the hilt.
Leona stared at their hands, seeing that it was forming the symbol of their logo. She looked up at the two girl, letting out a soft conflicted sigh. She turned her gaze to Amelia, seeing her hopeful look and closed her eyes.
Leona looked at Karin, their eyes meeting for a silent conversation. She closed her eyes, shaking her head slowly. "I can't...Momo, I can forgive easily. Karin, I can't forgive you. Even after betraying us...you saw us as an enemy, casted us to The Diamonds and Clubs like trash."
"I'm sorry, I can't be a member of The Swords with a traitor," Leona rejected, walking away toward the house.
"Leona! Wait!" Karin called out to her, but knew it was too late as she watched her retreat into the house.
Amelia sighed softly, crossing her arms and glanced at Karin and Momo. "At least we got somewhere, but we've gotta remember... She's the Queen of Hearts now. She's still stuck with the Riches."
"Yeah, I wish we could just break her out...that way she can't walk away from us again," Momo said, lowering her head and held her arm.
With the reunion attempt ending in a failure, we decided to take a small break before starting with Amelia's drills. Momo and Karin sat together on a bench, sitting with their shoulders together as they began trying to reconnect with one another.