"Shadow Dominion: Sword Grave"
A burst of energy pulsed through the world, rippling through the waves, draining the color from reality for just a moment. The next instant, a clear metallic ring sounded for a hundred miles, and a black streak of light pierced through the blue star core.
The star shattered like glass, destroyed before it could alter reality in any manner.
Noah descended from the sky, shadows that had shrouded his figure from view dissipating like smoke.
Seeing this overwhelming display of power, the Saint-Supremes quickly lowered their heads in submission, clear reverence present in their eyes. In their minds, if they were the sky above all Awakeners, then Noah Blackwell was the heaven above them.
Noah glanced at the corpse of the Titan class Void Creature below. It had been an Orange Titan, yes, though it possessed a single blue core. The colossal size of a Titan was present, but its essence, the power, was nowhere to be seen.
He turned to the Saint-Supremes, "What do you all make of this"
A question, yes, though it sounded more like an order, one that carried absolute authority over every being.
There was a brief hesitation among the Saint-Supremes, though Corpse Supreme quickly got the gist of what Noah was asking. He clasped his hands together with a slight bow.
"Titans are not supposed to appear this frequently, and this is already the third case in the span of half a year. Something has changed in the void where these creatures reside, causing so many Titans to crawl out"
Another Saint-Supreme stepped forward, "That does not explain why these Titan's are so weak, nor the fact that they possess mismatched star cores. Something or someone is behind this anomaly"
Noah nodded, a frown etched onto his face, "I'm afraid that this may be a combination of both theories"
The man pondered for a moment, shadows a constant swirl around his body, making the atmosphere ominous despite the morning rays. After a few moments, he turned around to look at the remains the the Titan in the sea.
"We need to absorb more forces and increase our strength. Pressure those neutral and in opposition to join our side"
"And if they don't?" Corpse Supreme said with a thoughtful look on his elderly face.
The sky darkened visibly as the temperature dropped down enough for the water below to freeze over. Noah's cold voice echoed across the shoreline.
"Deal with them as you must, and if you can't," a slight pause, "Then I will take action personally"
The Saint-Supremes glanced at each other, some with fear, others with excitement. Nevertheless, they all bowed deeply with respect.
""We shall carry out the Harbinger's decree""
"One more thing," Noah said, the world returning to normalcy, "Have your Awakeners... spare with my Void Subjugation Corp. It will be a good experience for those younglings"
Corpse Supreme hurriedly spoke, "That is a wonderful idea! I shall construct a battleground fitting for the training of these seeds. When must they begin these spars?"
Noah looked up at the sky, basking in the glow of the sun. After a moment of silence, he spoke with resolute coldness.
"In six months, on the darkest day of the year"
And with that, a pillar of darkness enveloped his figure, shrouding it from view as the pillar slowly shrunk. Within moments, Noah disappeared from the area, leaving the Saint-Supremes with the aftermath of their battle against the anomalous Titan.
-
Inside a dimly lit office room, Emerald sat with her head buried within her arms that were crossed over her glossy oak desk. Still in formal attire, a thick stack of papers towered before her, a looming obstacle that seemed impossible to overcome.
She groaned through her arms, clearly distraught and overwhelmed.
"Why couldn't we have hired some human secretaries..."
A deep voice cut through the room, "Well then you'd have to file paperwork for their salaries too"
Emerald shot up to her feet, her hair a disheveled mess as she jolted to the familiar presence that appeared behind her. Her sudden movement however knocked down her electronic tablet, causing it to slip off the table. She quickly bent to grab it, but from her angle, Emerald would have hit her head on the desk and missed the tablet.
A powerful arm pulled her by the waist, causing Emerald to press her body into a familiar chest, a man whose scent she had long committed to memory, along with the contours of his body. She glanced up, her emerald green eyes blinking innocently at Noah who had manifested his body into her workspace.
There was a moment of silence that passed through them, though Emerald quickly composed herself and pushed herself off of the Harbinger's body, though it was more accurate that she forced herself off of him.
"M-my tablet," she stammered slightly.
Noah curled his right index finger, a slight smile on his cold face. A black tendril emerged and rose to eye level, wrapped softly around Emerald's trusty tablet. He had grabbed it with his darkness dominion at the same time as he had pulled his aide into his arms.
Uttering a "thanks" under her breath, Emerald quickly fixed up her disheveled appearance, straightening her clothes and hair before taking the tablet from the tendril of darkness. Pushing up her glasses, she once again assumed the appearance of a trusty secretary.
"To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit, Noah?"
The man smiled for a moment, wondering if he should continue the teasing. Eventually he went against that thought, opting to get straight down to business.
"On the day of the winter solstice, the Void Subjugation Corp shall have a spar against the Awakener forces of the Saint-Supremes aligned with us"
A frown found itself onto Emerald's face, clearly not on the favorable side of this development, "That's in six months, will they be ready by then?"
Noah's eyes narrowed ever so slightly, "Whether they are ready or not is the least of my concerns. Inform the Corp of the date, and tell them that those who perform well will be trained under me personally"
Hearing the last promise he made, Emerald's eyes widened with shock, though she quickly hid it.
"Is there anything else?"
Noah nodded, "Try your best to investigate any hidden organizations that may still be present in the world. I'm afraid the recent emergence of anomalous Titan's may be the work of Awakeners"
Emerald took a seat on her chair, "What makes you so sure?"
Noah's response was a snap of his fingers. His body turned into a wisp of smoke that lifted Emerald slightly from her seat. Moments later, he materialized once again, only this time seated in her chair with the flustered Emerald slightly curled up on his lap.
Paying her discomfort no heed, Noah began to speak, "The star cores of a Void Creature must be uniform in color, so how do you explain these Titans with various colored star cores?"
His expression darkened, "This reminds me vaguely of the Revival Incident, someone is trying to stir up trouble and disrupt the natural order"
Emerald nodded her head, understanding the gravity of the situation, "Don't worry, I shall get to the bottom of this"