"I'll be expecting you and everyone else in the training room within the next hour, have I made myself clear?" Lola had justified her aspiration to be sure that everything goes according to plan.
Tornado had no words to describe the warriors of the Northern Coast army. All he knew was their determinations were ultimately and heavily inspired by Lola herself, being a fifteen-year Core General, motivated by her own anger and searing cold-blooded rage that'd pushed to a limit she'd be willing to go past.
"These Mizukas. I can never understand any of them. Always full and anger and rage. Taking it out on everyone else just to intimidate them," Brook bawled loud enough for Lola to hear her. Even if Lola were to hear such insolence, it's completely evaded by her concentration.
"Don't let it get to you. After all, she does have a point. We are in a very perilous situation right now. Black and his group are going to stop at absolutely nothing to destroy not only this army, but this planet if they can reanimate Kuronina," Tornado agreed to Lola's assessment, even if it was too illogical for him to comprehend the horror of the Core General's enraged character. "But I also agreed with you as well, she does have to try and cocoon her darkest emotions or else it'll cost her, she'll be pushing everyone away without fail."
"One more thing I must say, Brook and Tornado," Lola stated before giving herself the chance to have a solo time to herself. "Trusting people and exchanging help can ultimately keep you alive and happy when it comes to those who have something have common ground with you.”
***
Trailing in the hallway with the same, angered expression, Lola utterly refused to take responsibilities for her behavior or complete control of the situation. She took another sip of coffee to her lips to try and relax.
She approached the Training Room after launching the plastic cup of coffee into the trash and wiping her lips with a napkin. The room was as quiet and calm as clear water. The atmosphere hadn't cooled down her temper, instead it enraged her even more, feeling the vibe of Tornado's aura trailing behind her with his words.
Lola thought back to the talk she and the elderly canine had before leaving her facility almost a while back.
You owe your son and the others a childhood. Just hearing those words from Tornado had devoured Lola's mind. It's been trying to make her convince herself that she wants nothing to do with anyone else's lecture whatsoever. You owe your son and the others a childhood.
Before she had a chance to start training herself, she heard on the upper level adjusting openly. Summoning her sword in thin-air with flames developing into a katana blade with a red bird symbol painted across.
What became confusing to her was that no one appeared at the entrance. The view had grown eerie and more concerned for the General to deal with. Not allowing herself to make the first move, she send another entity located in the Training Arena.
The door closed automatically with mythical black chains locked on the exit side of the premise.
"Lola Mizuka," Black's hellion voice crept upon Lola's spine. The woman turned around incredibly in a blur speed, trying to catch the reaper off guard.
To a sustain twist of movement, another individual soared its way from behind Black's cloak and the blade simultaneously stopped her in time before Lola could deliver the blow.
Both the Dark Sword and the Mizuka Blade exchanged nothing but swings and blows. Motioning the sword into various directions until Lola saw an opening. Strangely the entity motioned herself backward once the General came in full throttle.
Lola moved on the ground, but tripped onto the left side of her body. Grunting, Lola couldn't muster the strength to stand properly, gawking up at the Grim Reaper who remained still.
"You scumbag," Lola cursed with her eyes exploding in sheer rage. "You have the nerve and audacity to take that girl from me. She better be alive!"
Black still didn't move, not caring much of where the results go. Lola struck him, only to see a small pillar of mist floating through the air and fading away quickly.
"Lola," an innocent-like voice had made contact with her eyes. The view had motioned itself in a slow, blurred effect. Despite the distraction and struggle shes's had with the entity attacking her without feeling so hesitant. It grew even colder than the frozen wilderness as shiverness had surged from her arms to her legs.
"C-- Cry- Crystal?" Was all the Intoxian Army's head General struck herself with. "What-- What happened to you?"
***
(Less than an hour earlier
Black and his newest apprentice; Crystal E. Aruba, are on the verge of venturing the Western Coast of the Intoxian Army to do the one thing that Black's been training her to do for the last few days. In a short amount of time, Crystal's convinced herself that Lola's undoubtly disliked her because of the several reasons that the Bloodlust leader's been aware of for the last eight years.
***
Two hours ago, Crystal had answered the Reaper's queston about why she chose to take the Black Sword without hesitation and train her with the ability to obtain the power of confidence and courage.
"Crystal, you never seemed that hesitatant of making a decision on the things that you do, especially the stunt you just pulled that quite took the rest of the organization by surprise," Black uttered, launching the black hood of the cloak over his skull.
"Well, I did have a reason of doing so. But I rather not talk about it. It's something that I must say toward Lola's face in order for her to understand that consequences of what happens when she disrespects the Nature of the Aruba Bloodline," Crystal sheathed the Dark Sword on her back after placing on her Bloodlust Revelation attire. Wearing an outfit similar to Black, but one that was suitable to her. When she placed it on, she was sucked into another world; filled with darkness, gore, blood, distaste for humanity. All of it was conquered by the one thing Black had manipulated her mindset with: The truth about Diamond, the Diary Symbols, the Avarian Beast, all of the above.
The childhood she had to endure due to school bullying, life-threats from other students, having her birthday ruined in the worst way, then years later, abducted by a rogue organization and learning the truth about so much about her past, it was clearly enough to show that Crystal's being, somewhat, misjudged the world because of her family's history.
***
"Lola, I must ask of you something before I see you again," Crystal's voice went from vivid tangerine to dark St. Patrick blue. "Diamond K. Aruba."
The room drifted in the background color of rich blackness with Black's appearance nowhere to be seen. Two people who have formed a mother/daughter bond; spiritually speaking in most terms, had stood face to face. Lola's personality was nearly looking out of character with the choice of words that could shape the gravity and how it'll weigh down on the red-haired general.
"It's true, Crystal. The child that Diamond Aruba birthed a long time ago... Was you," Lola answered with her face completed blanked out. Suffocating into a pool of guilt and turmoil all unfolding out in the open. "Crystal, please listen to me."
Crystal aimed her sword at the Core General in hopes of trying to kill her, "Lola, the battle doesn't care about excuses. It only cares about who rises and who falls. Lola, I will make sure that Kuronina is revived and the Diary Symbols are awakened the following month. I entrusted you to love me by telling me the truth to everything. This is the thanks that I get for being loyal and understanding of you?"
Black could feel the satisfaction of how he was aware of Crystal's deepest emotions and how he used it against her. To give her the 'right' information that Lola should have uttered a long time ago.
"Lola, I learned that the Nature of an Aruba has the tendency of expecting honesty, dedication, and love from those that share an alliance with them. But you broke that law and now, you're going to regret it by coming forth with your sword," Crystal seemed as if her actions were justified in Lola's eyes.
Who am I kidding? I was the one that was trying to protect her, but all I can do now is--
/> "Tell her the truth," Black slipped into Lola's mind and knew what she was thinking. It threw the General off in every turn. Struggling to figure out which way to go in the issue at hand. "If you wish to live to see another day like this one, I'd advise you come clean and start speaking."
If I keep lying to her, which is a rare thing for me to do, I'll lose her trust completely. The one promise that Diamond didn't want to get out to the world was Crystal being her daughter. The incarnation of Kuronina must remain classified, I don't give a fuck how the whole reanimation comes, Lola thought. She couldn't maintain her balance of knowing what's in front of her. But Diamond made me swore that I would never let Crystal know about anything. I'm just so scared of losing her for good. Light of Diamond, I pray that you're on my side and you'll help me save your daughter.
Lola released the blade from her arm that's been spared,
Diamond, please forgive me, Lola faced her sword side-ways with her arm remaining strong. But in order to save this planet and prevent Kuronina from being revealed. I must, with your complete understanding, take the life of your only child!
***
Chapter 23 - A Theory About Death
***
Charging at the entity that is her daughter-figure, Lola felt her blood boiling in anger, due to Black's manipulation. She had released a tremendous amount of flames to cacoon her sword with the sounds of a phoenix crying out on each powerful blow. Crystal moved out of harms way by ducking and came in full throttle. The General had motioned herself by warping to the otherside.
The two had moved in a full speed, but before the two could exchange blows, Lola cloaked herself into the flames, trying to distract Crystal without having the intentions of trying to kill her.
Black, amused and enjoyed the view, knew the training method he gave to Crystal would quickly pay off. He noticed something a bit off about Crystal's movements.
Crystal went into the flames to try and make contact with Lola's right shoulder, but her stance was beyond Black's expectations. Crystal's Black Sword that went into the fire with her right knee up front and her left leg placed behind. She extended her arm out and instantly released a natural ability from her weapon.
Hmm, Black sooned realized that Crystal had done the same thing she did in their first two games of Chess a few nights ago. Now I understand why she did all that on purpose. Crystal's intelligence are appealing to myself and the rest of the group. Perhaps I should grant her something special.
He watch his apprentice extracting the sword from the Cloaking Flame perfomed by the General. The technique suddenly weaved an ominous black glob in the opposing direction, nearly catching the General off guard.
Lola motioned herself out of harms way and stormed in with the flames from her Cloaking Flame. The burning elements had caught Crystal in the back; her lack of focusing had drowned Black's expression very quickly, but suspected that his new apprentice would think faster and smarter.
The General moved in once more and pratically drilled the blade into the teenager's chest. Black seemed motionless, being the Reaper that he is. He couldn't show any facial reaction, no matter how much he wished to.
I'm amused that there's more to this child's power than from when Diamond was fought like this back in our era, but I wonder what else it is, Black thought to himself, unsheathing the scythe from behind him and started speaking in an unfamiliar tone.
"Crystal, please forgive me," Lola said calmly, having her sword piercing right through the teenager's chest with blood leaking down onto the floor. "I swear that I never wanted to hurt you."
"Then why did you hurt me," Lola's eyes grew in disturbance. She heard the young gal's voice from behind and didn't know how to react to it. It was an illusion the Mizuka General was fighting. "You've betrayed and broken the law of an Aruba Nature and that is something that I never want to forgive people for."
"Crystal I would never try to do that," Lola didn't have any other options but to stay honest. "I was only trying to protect you from the truth. I wouldn't want to take a childhood from you just by saying something that'll get you riled up about this organization."
"Then," Crystal came from behind Black's cloak with a wet face caked by tears and snob. "You fighting a duplicant figure of myself just showed what kind of person you really are."
Blown by the angry winds of Black's movements, Lola could barely defend herself and felt his foot colliding onto her skull, drilling her face into the ground with an medium-size crack beneath her.
Crystal came to Lola with an upsetting expression, "Lola. You lied to me. You've clearly wasted fifteen years of your life trying to make me feel good for others to resent me because of your type of love for me."
Grunting in sheer pain, the General could feel the tropical red blood escaping from her forehead and mouth after the impact. She didn't know what else to think but feel the guilt inflitrating her mind. It shattered her with pure anger and disapproval of her skills as General.
"Breaking the promise you made to Diamond," Black intervened, towering a helpless leader with his scythe put away, but his disciple wanting to kick her in the face. "There's no need for that, dear child. You'll soon get your way with her next month. I thought that I just deliver a physical message instead of trying to candy-coat it."
"But, Black," Crystal seemed dense about the issue, but understood where the Reaper was coming from. "OK. I understand."
"Good girl," Black rubbed the top of Crystal's head before developing a portal that'd transport them back to Leseardo in snap. "Now, go on inside and I'll be right behind you."
The room in Lola's eyes seemed to be having everything disappearing in sight. All she could do was helplessly witness the moving tyrant with his face staring down at her with cold-thirst for blood. He altered his mind and thought prolonging her suffering for as long as he's expecting himself to.
"Look, Mizuka. In life, there are strong people that can handle the truth and there are weak ones like Crystal who can't handle it. She clearly showed that she wasn't strong enough to have me speak to her in such detailed terms, but in the real world, lying will get you killed a lot quicker than you pinpointed your lifespan to be," Black's hellion speech had frost-biten the General's spine.
The rose quartz colored floor had seemed pretty much clean, despite the blood and small black smoke from the flames growing, Lola tasted nothing but blood that felt like hard steel. She felt like dying, but felt a sudden urge of fire enlightening her strength.
"Hey-- Where-- *panting* where the fuck--- Where the fuck are you going, Black?" Lola tried her hardest to move under her own power. "What's the true meaning of you reanimating Kuronina?"
Black gave a harsh, desturctive answer that increased the tension of people's theories as to why the 'Avarian Beast,' and what their purposes are, "I'll give you my own plot theory that I've had, Mizuka. Why did Diamond beg you, with the last will of her strength, to take care of her daughter after she died? That's all I'm going to tell you."
Suddenly, a nerve had caught Lola's mind. She remembered a while back from when she and Tornado talked about Diamond's death and why she gave it up simultaneously. The only concluded theory both General is the same that Lola's giving to Black.
Lola felt the pain flowing within her stomach, coughing instantly with the last bit of strength before collapsing, "All I can I say is, maybe, she just didn't want the Diary Symbols to run freely around the world until someone or something could find it. Not to mention that if the Symbols are embedded in a newborn Aruba, it fifteen years for them to develop properly."
Black never suspected a much more unexpected answer from his arch-rival, "Believe it or not, Mizuka. I thought the same thing on the day that she died."
Countless theories that everyone world-wide had always spoken of, unaware of what had happened to Diamond, exchanging the Diary Symbols to Crystal, the disappearance of Kuronina and much more that's created controversies.
"People had confused themselves where scientists, who
work for Globe Government, had been planning to abduct Kuronina and stop Diamond from going with Black. They were thumbing their noses at her and she became furious about the issue," Black stated. Even he, himself is still mind-frozen in a color of non-photo blue. "The one thing that I never suspected was that Deima, at a very old age, was willing to step up to the plate and raise her granddaughter with the remainder of her days. She only had four years after Crystal was born before she passed on. But lost her own life, due to grieving circumstances. Not to mention that there's nothing more dispicable than a parent losing their child."
Lola commented on Black's own perspective, "You may think that it's easy to try and deciphering the powers of the Diary Symbols is easy but--"
"I never said it was simplistic, Mizuka. It's a very complex task to accomplish, but I'll be more than certain that Crystal is capable of controlling her powers and increasing her courage," Black admitted, for a pitiless antagonist, always showed a sign of respect in front of those who'd fight back. "I think I'm done having this discussion with you. My newest associate is awaiting my return to Leserado."
"You are giving my little girl back," Lola stood heavily, both legs trembling, due to the amount of strength she's losing. "Taking the innocence of a child is the most inhuman thing for the Bloodlust Revelation to do. I don't understand you."
"Oh, trust me, my dear. You'll get the clear indication as to what Kuronina truly needs to be reanimated for in a few weeks. Now, if you excuse me, I must get going," Black acknowledged Lola's curiosity.
"You are staying here! Understand me," Lola bellowed outrageously. Before she could stand, the screaming had left her unconscious after the beating she took at the hands of Black. I-- I have to tell Tornado and Brook that we-- We need to rescue Crystal and stop Kuronina from getting rebirthed.
***
Chapter 24 - Blackmailed Or Alliance
***
An hour and a half had passed since the confrontation between Lola and Crystal and Black's true intentions of trying to revive the Avarian Beast. The Core and Southern General were discussing the issue at hand and Lola had given everyone the opportunity to lie down and rest for the day. All the trauma and catastrophe that'll be unfolded on February fourth, Lola's been willing to try push herself passed a limit she's never gone by.
Intoxia Warriors - Mizuka Blood (Book One) Page 22