Chains Of Pride

Rikona's voice could be heard throughout the entire building. At this point everyone was wondering who dared to stir up this demoness once again? Didn't they learn what angering Rikona did?

"Of all the irresponsible, dangerous, asinine, harebrained, thoughtless...ugh!!!! Damn it Numani!!" Rikona's rage failed to subside, instead, it rose even higher.

"Why?! What did we do?! Is it because of that one time I spotted Kura changing?? It was by accident!!" Makoto on the other hand seemed as if he was pleading to the heavens for this situation.

"You what?!" Rikona, though angry, still caught that bit.

'You what?!" This time it was Gin who spoke, a splinter of jealousy awoke within him.

"You what?!" Yang Min joined in as well, anything to point blame at Makoto was okay with her.

"Can you all be quiet for a minute?!" Numani's petite voice squeezed in.

When she saw that they finally quieted, she continued. "I was able to put up a ghost program at the last second, keeping them off us for now, but we have little over a month at most till they lock on to our location."

Hearing this, everyone finally calmed down, though still anxious. Now Rikona's plan needed to be followed whether they want to or not. This kinda makes the last chapter of their conversation seem like a waste.

"Yang Min, Gin, call up everyone. We need to get this across right now." Rikona said getting up, ready to leave. "And you!" She said pointing at Numani, "After this, we're going to head to those Taliums, we have filling the lower levels. You better hope to whatever gods there be that this trade-off was worth it, and that those codes work!"

She left the room, soon followed by Makoto, Gin and the others, leaving a still fl.u.s.tered Numani. She couldn't help but feel that she really let everyone down, she truly was reckless this time around.

Makoto hurried to match pace with Rikona, "So, after you address everyone, what's ne-?"

"I plan to try waking up my sister," Not even giving Makoto a chance to finish asking, rushing along to where she usually gave her announcements.

She was already able to see a sparse gathering by the time she spotted the open area, "Man does Gin work fast." Rikona thought to herself.

It didn't take long for the Taliums to gather up once again, they were wondering if they were going out for another mission. Was the demoness back again?! Were the tears that some of them saw all fake?

Rikona didn't waste time, she immediately went to the front where all the gathered Taliums stared at her.

"There are a few things we need to get out in the open, first, the Association may have figured out where we are…"

This news was a like a bomb going off in the gathering. A cacophony of noise and discussion broke out as the Taliums spoke among themselves.

"What did this mean? Does this mean we will have to go in even more isolated hiding?"

" What's more isolated than a large building out in the middle of nowhere? Underground?"

CL.A.P!

"Quiet!" Rikona's Talium empowered clap did the trick as silence returned to their gathering. "It'll take them a month at most to get to where we are, so we have time to get ready. Starting tomorrow, along with Zutto Shu and I, you'll all be undergoing intensive training to increase your strength."

"The level of difficulty concerning HQ can't be described with words, so I won't spare any of them here. Just get some rest for today, relax and take it easy, because come tomorrow, you're all be going through boot camp."

They didn't know if their eyes were playing tricks on them, but some of the Taliums could have sword they saw some an evil glint in Rikona's eyes.

After informing them of some miscellaneous information she deemed necessary for everyone to know, the gathering quickly dispersed.

Some went to acclimate themselves for the training by undergoing meditation, others went straight to bed though it was still evening. Others just went to take a walk and clear their heads. The one prevalent thought though was the shadow of the Organization that loomed ever greater over their heads.

Gin was a bit ecstatic but at the same time anxious as he walked behind Rikona and Makoto. They were going to try and see if it was possible to wake Kura up, her awakening would simultaneously be a weight off their c.h.e.s.t whilst being a boon to their strength.

Even Yang Min and Minyatsu Lerner who walked alongside couldn't help getting infected with his positive energy as they felt this time would be different.

"I really hope this works," Rikona sad, starting to feel a bit anxious herself.

"Just give it your best, no one will blame you for the end result." When he saw Rikona nod in agreement he felt better. Though he knew in his heart that she would still continue to blame herself should Kura fail to wake up.

Before long they arrived in front of Kura's door. No one made any move to open it, they all came to an unspoken agreement to let Rikona overcome this hurdle herself.

Taking a deep breath, her hand shakily stretched out and reached for the knob. It was uncanny how a person that was responsible for bringing to ruin 9 technologically advanced military level bases found it hard to work a knob, but here we are.

Though to be fair, the matters of the heart were always harder to deal with than the matters without.

After a moment that seemed like an eternity to Rikona, her hand finally landed on the knob and began to turn it.

Creak…

Slowly but surely the door crept open revealing the sleeping visage of Kura. Rikona's eyes instantly welled up with tears the moment she saw her little sister. Suddenly a rush of warmth tightly gripped her hand.

She looked to the side where Makoto had stepped up, holding her hand to let her know that he was there, that they were all there.

With a renewed confidence, Rikona took steady steps getting closer and closer to Kura. Yang Ming and Lerner some time after. Gin decided to stay at the entrance he wanted to earn his entry here, earlier didn't count. Explosions were all over the place, there was an energy cyclone in the next room, that special on netflix got cancelled. Shit got real! So that definitely didn't count.

"P-Perennial's Mechanism."

The soft voice of Rikona drifted over. The gentle clinking of chains could be heard as they materialised out of nowhere behind her, undulating softly.

Rikona's construct didn't take long before it formed, occupying the space above the slumbering Kura.

"Backtrack."

The command came over, spamming again the heaven-defying ability of returning something to a previous time.

This time however, Rikona didn't spread the effects to Kura's body, instead, she focused the energy to Kura's stomach area. To the location where all the in'essence was located and sprung from.

When she became an Avartel, she could vaguely sense where the Blood Origin was located. Though it loosely existed as both Ethereal and Corporeal, it mostly existed in the ethereal realm only becoming slightly more corporeal the stronger one grew.

If she had to define it, the Blood Origin existed much like the dantian did in those chinese novels she used to read back in university. However, now was not the time to think about this, she intensified the effects of attempting to turn back the clock on Kura's Blood Origin.

"Ugh!"

Sweat rolled down her face forming a small puddle underneath as her outstretched arms orc.h.e.s.trated Perennial Mechanism to continue feeding its energy to Kura.

The process was slow and even though the area of effect was small, the drain was greater for some reason. Kura's Blood Origin was like a boundless sea, ever expanding and with no end. It drank Rikona's energy as if it could never be quenched.

Still Rikona never relented, not even for a moment, this was her sister they were talking about. How could she left this chance go? She had to give it all she had.

After more than an hour, no one moved, no one spoke. Rikona's face was pallid at this moment, sapped of all colour. The last strains of energy from Perennial's Mechanism came out before it shattered into motes of light.

Yet, Kura still didn't wake up, not even a stir could be seen. Rikona stood there lifeless unable to move. Even after expending all the energy she could, she was still unable to wake her sister.

Lerner's diagnosis a little earlier showed that there were no changes. Kura's body was still void of in'essence, her coma would go on indefinitely.

Once again, she failed, till how long must she suffer this torture! Was her sister consigned to this damned eternal sleep!

"Rikona…"

Makoto's voice came over, this was a big blow to her. Though she knew it would be so easy, the end result still greatly disappointed her.

"It's okay," Her weak voice barely managed to escape her lips. "I just need to get stronger is all. Once I get stronger I'll be able to wake her for sure."

Makoto was a bit shocked to hear this. She didn't allow this development to cripple her resolve nor did she allow it to send her into a blind rage, a spear whose tip would undoubtedly be pointed at the Organization.

Everyone had left earlier in a downcast mood per a silent gesture by Makoto. The pain in Gin's eyes were especially apparent and made Makoto feel like he had failed the man somehow.

'Sighs…'

Makoto helped Rikona up seeing that she was still weakened. With one arm around his shoulder he asked her, "So what now? Do you need to rest for now, to get ready for tomorrow?

She nodded her head in refusal, "No, there's still too much to do. Just...help me out for now, until I bring my strength back up."

"So where to?" He asked.

"The lower level, where we will be asking the little dark-skinned imp who put us in this situation if any of the captured Taliums are already freed. We ju-" Rikona looked around. "Ah where is everyone?"

"I sent them away, thinking you'd need some time for yourself, I'm nobody so I don't apply," Makoto quickly answered.

"Aw that's sweet, I'll need them back though and I'm a bit weakened so even basic telepathy is a bit strenuous for me, so…" Her aim was obvious without saying anything.

She couldn't have noticed that at this time behind her, within Kura's Blood Origin. A very faint light suddenly came into being, washing Kura's body in light for but a moment.

Rikona's snapped back in surprise when she noticed this. Too fast, the phenomenon was too fast for Rikona or in this case anyone to be sure of what they saw.

"Did I see wrong...? Oh great, now the power drain is causing me to see things," she thought to herself as she closed her eyes once more to calmy recover the energy she expended.