April 21st, 2012, Land of Oz, Afternoon.
The air in the vast, sun-baked colosseum thrummed with the energy of clashing powers.
Within its ancient stone arena, Vali Lucifer, the White Dragon Emperor, was exchanging blistering blows with one of his teammates.
His opponent was a blonde young man with rectangular glasses and formal navy blue business attire, who moved with a grace that belied his sharp, professional appearance.
Arthur Pendragon, a direct descendant of the legendary king, was testing the limits of his proficiency with the holy sword Caliburn against his leader's overwhelming might.
"You are getting slower, Arthur," Vali reprimanded, his voice echoing metallically from within his gleaming Scale Mail as he deftly parried a series of swift, demonic-empowered strikes.
"It's not me getting slower, Vali," Arthur retorted, a faint sheen of sweat on his brow. "How did you become so strong? It's been only a week since our last spar."
As he spoke, he utilized Caliburn's innate power, teleporting a short distance away in a shimmer of golden light to avoid a devastating punch that cratered the ground where he had just been standing.
"I met someone very interesting," Vali replied cryptically, already pivoting to track Arthur's new position.
"Oh, really!? Vali met someone he considers interesting?" a voice shouted from the sidelines of the arena. "Now I have to meet them!"
The speaker was Bikou, a vibrant young monkey yokai and descendant of the great Sun Wukong, who was observing the match with unrestrained enthusiasm.
Vali ignored the comment, his focus absolute. The moment he pinpointed Arthur's location, he surged forward. The ground cracked under the tremendous thrust of his legs, and a cloud of dust plumed in his wake as he closed the distance in an instant, his armored fist aimed with precision to disarm the swordsman.
'Be careful, Vali,' Albion's voice cautioned in his mind. 'When you sparred with Yuki, it was this very move that cost you the victory.'
'I know,' Vali thought back, his determination unwavering. 'That's why I'm working on it. The next time we meet, I'll ask him to spar again. I hope he's at Grigori tomorrow.'
His focused attack proved successful. With a sharp, resonant clang, Caliburn was wrenched from Arthur's grasp, clattering to the stone floor. The holy sword's innate aura flared, causing Vali's demonic armor to sizzle and smoke faintly upon contact, but the damage was superficial.
"Well done, Vali," Arthur said calmly, pushing himself to his feet and retrieving his sacred weapon. "I'm impressed."
"It's not enough," Vali grunted in annoyance, the Scale Mail dissolving into motes of light around him. "This is child's play for Makoto."
Bikou's laughter echoed from the stands. "Makoto? Who's this guy?" he asked, leaping down to join them on the arena floor.
"A friend," Vali replied briefly.
"Oh, well, just let me meet him someday, okay?" Bikou said, his tail twitching with curiosity. "And have you thought about offering him to join our little squad? It's rare to hear about someone you consider a friend."
The question piqued Arthur's interest as well, and he looked at Vali with renewed curiosity.
The idea of recruiting Makoto had not previously occurred to Vali. Would he even agree? He would undoubtedly be a tremendous asset to their team's mission.
Azazel had lied when he told Vali that Makoto was a Sacred Gear user; of that he was sure. After pondering it, Albion had concluded he possessed no such thing.
However, he wielded a holy sword of immense power, which could be a great boon to Arthur's training and his own objectives. That Odin, a god, was by his side was a advantage no one in their right mind would refuse, and Le Fay, with her passion for Norse mythology, would be thrilled.
The central problem was: what could Vali and his team offer Makoto in return? Why should he accept? He wasn't obsessed with fighting like Vali or Bikou.
He wasn't a fugitive like Arthur, Kuroka, or Le Fay.
Perhaps he would be interested in joining their explorations of the supernatural realms? Maybe he would agree to help them with their spy mission on the Khaos Brigade?
"Hey, Vali, are you there?" Bikou asked, waving a hand in front of Vali's face.
"Yes," Vali replied, refocusing. "I was just thinking."
"By the way, do you know where Kuroka is?" Arthur inquired, sheathing Caliburn.
"Ophis sent her to meet with a new potential addition to the Khaos Brigade," Vali explained.
"Now we're diplomats?" Bikou joked, summoning a magic yellow cloud to sit on.
"Ophis? Where has she sent her?" Arthur pressed.
"Japan. A certain Daugouc Emberseeker is going to be the intermediary between the Khaos Brigade and the Kingdom of Nalnerno," Vali answered.
"Wasn't that one of the dark elves' kingdoms in Nidavellir?" Arthur asked.
"It is. It seems their king is getting closer to the Brigade."
However, a nagging thought persisted in Vali's mind: if Ophis were ever to discover Makoto's existence, she would undoubtedly do everything in her power to bring him into the Brigade. He would likely become one of its strongest members, which was precisely what Ophis wanted.
'What is on your mind, partner?' Albion asked, sensing Vali's pensive expression.
'I was thinking about what would happen if Ophis discovered Makoto,' Vali replied.
'The only thing I am sure of is that the boy would not agree to join the Khaos Brigade. He clearly neither needs nor wants power for its own sake, and if he is with Azazel, it is obvious he does not seek war. You know better than I that the crow is a convinced pacifist,' Albion stated.
'Are you saying he could join us to help monitor the Brigade's movements?' Vali asked, trying to follow the dragon's train of thought.
'That is one possibility. But you want him to help you kill your grandfather, am I correct?'
Vali grimaced at the thought of Rizevim Livan Lucifer, the scum of all scum, the one who had ruined his childhood. 'That is my final goal, you know. With Makoto, everything would be easier. Far easier,' he eventually conceded.
Unbeknownst to Vali and his team, they were being watched by discreet, malevolent eyes from a hidden vantage point overlooking the colosseum.
"They are here, Lord Beelzebub," one of the wizards of Oz whispered, having just accompanied the Shadow to this observation post.
The Shadow, Shalba Beelzebub, hummed and gazed down at the three youngsters. "Just three?" he asked, his voice a sibilant whisper.
"No, my lord. There are a total of five members. They work directly under Lady Ophis's orders," the cloaked mage explained.
"Go away," Shalba commanded. The wizard immediately nodded and obeyed, vanishing with a soft pop of displaced air.
"He is The Star, is he not, Father?" the Shadow asked the sleek, black butterfly perched upon his shoulder.
"He is, Shalba," came the deep, resonant voice of Nyarlathotep, the Crawling Chaos.
"Why do we not kill him, Father?" Shalba asked, his form twitching with a readiness to transform and unleash a storm of dark flies upon Vali and his team. He awaited only Nyarlathotep's order. "His death would weaken the Universe, would it not?"
"No, Shalba. We need the Universe to be as strong as possible. I have already told you how useful he is; he is essential to our plans, after all," the butterfly explained, its voice dripping with ancient malice.
"I understand," Shalba said, accepting the answer, though disappointment tinged his voice.
Nyarlathotep's wings twitched, and he took flight from Shalba's shoulder. "May I ask where you are going, Father?"
"I wish to pay a visit to Riser Phenex. From what you have gathered, he is destined to be the Priestess's husband, a union the girl despises. I will use him as an experiment for the Reverse Personas." With that, the form of the butterfly shot upwards and vanished into a tear in reality.
Shalba watched him go before turning his gaze back to Vali, a cruel smile playing on his lips. "I am not allowed to kill you," he murmured to the distant figure, "but Father said nothing about… messing with you. I still cannot do anything too drastic. What a shame. I hope, at least, you can provide fine entertainment, Vali Lucifer."
With a soft, dark chuckle, Shalba activated a teleportation circle and disappeared from the hidden perch, leaving the colosseum unaware of the danger that had just passed it by.