Enter a cute puppy in the middle of the day.  Kids playing in a park in the background.  A loud thump echos through the park followed by another as if something heavy were striding this way.

The cute puppy is scooped up by a massive hand covered in green scales and long thick ugly claws.  A splash of blood and entrails splash across the camera.  Yelling and running and mass panic of the park ensue.

Enter a lone man, dressed in dark leathers, sporting a new technomech cross-bow wearing a necklace of varying size teeth around his neck. Panning back to see the whole see, the creature, large and massive resembling a scaly looking bear with thick armor plating for skin.  The man knocks the bow.  Aims.  The bolt flies through the air and pierces the eye socket of the massive green creature and it collapses to the ground in a heap to the cheers of the crowd around.

Over the cheers Li Tan speaks.  Monsters are real. Magic is real. (Images of Ascendancy's feat play in the background) The world is no longer what you thought it was. Learn from the masters.  Join me in the battle against the darkness that is to come. Defend your life or become one with the power with in.  Classes starting for all levels at The Monkey King's School of the Mystical Arts.

Address and website flash before the scream fades to black at the sound of a massive roar.

National Geographic wanted to send a whole entorage with her and Sierra declined repeatedly.  "I don't need all of you trapsing behind me.  Stay here I'll call if I need you to pick me up."  She had a satelite phone with GPS for that very reason.  Their expense!

So by the time Sierra was alone in the pack lands she could feel the peace of the woods.  The world was right.  There were no two-legs around for miles and miles.  It was bliss.

Never pounced around Sierra's feet, his exuberance was infections.  She sent a image that said she was coming as fast as her legs could carry her, and he returned it with the equivalent of an eye roll.  Kids of any species were always the same.  But it made Sierra happy to have a companion with her.  Out of sight of two-leggers Sierra had taken out her contacts and she felt free - more her self than ever before.  There was something about the lands where wolves roamed free that made her happy.

She reached out into the winds looking for pack.  Images of safe, and home and may I come to you?  Her pack was far away, but she reached out to the locals.  It was custom, but what she found was restlessness.  She sent an image of her and her pup, looking for pack, needing pack.  But more importantly wanting pack.  The images came back the same, strange things afoot.  Wariness.  

Sierra sent out the offer to help.  Which was accepted, with a bit of caution.  But the wolf divulged their location and Sierra told them she'd be there soon.  They'd be there.  But it was a distance yet.  

Sierra slung her deer skin pack over her shoulder and insured her camera was safely around her neck before setting off in the direction of pack.  And now the fun begins she thought to Never who only happily agreed.

After walking out of the cafe Nox used every talent he had to avoid anyone getting a clear shot at him.  If the distraction of his power didn't dissuade them, that would at least keep him alive long enough to disappear.  Nox could only hope the bitch would give up.  At least long enough to disappear completely.  Money was a problem.  He had some saved up and he'd not been spending much living with Dorian, and Dorian had paid him to shepherd Cruz around, but that was over now.  Cruz would have to deal with the Atharim on his own, he was capable.  Nox wasn't going to help Dorian.  Not for the price of his own head, fuck that.

Even the walk home hadn't curbed Nox's anger, he only stewed in it.  And when no one actually tried to kill him, Nox dropped the power and everything tumbled into his head.  How could he be so stupid?  On so many accounts.  Dorian was a fucking traitor - no question about it.  The man was nothing but a selfish prick and Nox should have known.  What kinda man despises his father?  What kinda man joins the police just to spy on them?  And then he turns tail on them because his son is a god?  What was to say he'd not turn on anyone else just to save his boy.  Even the same person who was protecting him.  Fuck that!

Nox didn't know where he'd go.  But he was gone - it didn't matter where.  Nox walked up the drive way and punched in the servants code into the side door and after he pushed the door open it smashed into the wall behind it.  He was angry and it was seeping into his actions.  Nox was grateful the stairs were down close by and he hopped down them three at a time making a loud noise.  There was no question about his temper at the moment.  Dorian better not show his fucking face anytime soon, Nox thought to himself.

The cool basement air was home and there was a sense of nostalgia and loss as he stormed into his room and started thrusting clothes into his duffle bag.

Nikolai jostled in his seat for the hundredth time so hard the only thing kept him from falling out of it were a pair of hefty straps clasped over his shoulders. His glare rolled above a wan expression, challenging the soldier nearby to keep his quiet. Another ”apologies for the turbulence, Ascendancy” and he might obliterate the man, but only after vomiting on him first. Seizing the power now would be torture.

As obliteration of anyone was an unwise decision given his life was cradled in the hands of the Custody navy, he let his gaze roll to the rivets behind. The flight was unbearable. Two hours later, Nikolai would have thanked the deities, dead or alive, to touch solid ground again. Travel by navy transport was not a frequent activity for him, thankfully, used only for the most covert of needs. His personal jet was recognizable immediately. Today called for stealth.

In the cold war, the base in which he found himself was the most formidable of the Russian Northern fleet. Today, custody armament was far more sophisticated than the nearby, watery graveyards that sunken submarines suggested. Antiquity was one reason for his presence, but as the first prickle of icy air tingled his cheeks, he pulled the hood of his jacket high and eagerly crossed the tarmac to approach the second. Extensive construction surrounded them. Newly recommissioned bunkers, auxiliary buildings, and shipyard infrastructure stretched the horizon, but the majority of construction was not apparent. Most of the actual reinforcement was underground.

A high-ranking commander met him just inside the command center. Wearing a stately uniform, the man was a grizzly bear of formidable size with a handle-bar moustache as thick as his leaden accent.
“Welcome, Ascendancy,” Andrei Bulgarkov dipped his head. The others around the room saluted respectfully. Nik’s study slid unflinchingly along them all, falling finally to a figure all in black: Michael Vellas.

The infuriating man barely looked up.

A few minutes off the plane, and Nikolai was already wreathed within the masks of his own steely exterior. He ignored Vellas in favor of Commander Bulgarkov.

Most of what the naval officer described next were related to construction updates and decisions about logistical details that Nikolai neither cared to hear nor understood anyway. Work was progressing. Their goal approached. That was all that mattered. Money was guzzled, but Nik expected as much given the task. He clasped his hands behind his back and listened until posing a simple question.

“And the weapon?”
Commander Bulgarkov turned to Vellas. It was clear who was in charge of their tests.

“Failure.” He stated with brutal honesty.
Tight jaws and square shoulders were the only reaction. The Ascendancy nodded quietly: such was the reason for his presence today.
“Then let’s get to work.”

Olivia was born to Igor and Katerina Sokolov in the fall of 2023. Her parents worked hard to provide a safe home for her and her younger brother Andrei. 

Katerina was an AI analyst, responsible for evaluating and treating the various AIs created and used in the tech field. Being exposed to the vastness of the the internet (and its users), AIs could be (rather easily) influenced to adopt racist, bigoted, homophobic or even violent idealogies. Protections and ethical guidelines had to be programmed in and their "mental" health monitored.

Even so, being an emergent intelligence of complexity, a gestalt of massive stacks of programming, learning algorithms, and hardware layers, their evaluation and maintenance came under the care of what could essentially be seen as AI therapists using holistic probing methodologies. That was what Katerina did. 

Igor, by contrast, owned a florist shop, delighting in creating artistic renditions with living plants.

Together, professions night and day, they created a home of warmth and love and peace for Liv and Andrei, a place where they could pursue their dreams and be secure in discovering who they were.

Olivia's first crush was a girl named Ling. She was 11. She was shy about telling her Mother. At the same time, she had never been afraid to share her feelings with her before before. Mother, though, noticed she wasn't herself and asked her to walk with her to the market. Along the way they stopped at a coffeeshop and sat down, away from the icy cold. The warmth was inviting and mother so kind and gentle. She confessed to her about her feelings.

And that was that. No drama. No speeches. Just content acceptance. Mother must have told father, but if so Olivia never knew when. Father never treated her any differently.

So when she'd worked up the courage to ask a girl to be her date to a dance a year or two later, no one batted an eyelash.

Liv loved working with her father in his shop. The flowers and plants were so beautiful, especially when arranged so wonderfully under his eye.

She was drawn to beauty. By the end of school, she was determined to be an artist. She painted on canvas, sketched using charcoal on paper, and scultped with clay. Each medium seemed to have its own temperment and feel. And she loved discovering what that uniqueness was. And she took piano and guitar lessons just because.

She was generally happy. Mostly. The one dark memory being Alana. Her best friend since childhood. She was 17 when she realized her feelings for Alana had changed. They had grown. Her heart ached when they were apart. And when together she was in a different kind of hell, as she wondered and hoped and prayed  for her feelings to be returned. Every word, every playful laugh or joke was now looked at through desperate lenses.

An attempted kiss ended it for them. Alana tried, she did. But it was just too weird after that. They could never get back to normal. And Liv couldnt just make herself stop feeling that way.

Her first year as an art major at university should have been a time for fun and exploration. But the loss of Alana- her best friend and first love- crippled her. It was so easy to get lost in school and just be an introvert.

Laila changed that. Fiery. Exciting. Free. She was everything Liv imagined. They moved fast, eventually living together. And for the first year or two it was good. Mostly.

Toxic relationships are not so clear when a person is in them, she realized later.

In the end though, she was broken, wanting to die. Now doing general studies, wrist in a cast, she couldnt go home. She was too ashamed. She couldn't explain to anyone. She was no longer an art major. And she was always hiding. She couldn't face them.

Wandering Krutitsy Monestary near the Kremlin, trying to find God somewhere among the trees and buildings, she instead found herself under a stone stairway. On her knees sobbing, she finally opened her heart, pouring our her soul to God. Her last rites. She was done.

But God, in his infinite kindness sent his angel, her wings quiet and warm, enveloping her in a comforting embrace. As if in vision, the world lit up. Like God was showing her the true beauty of life as he saw things.

And she grasped, clinging to that.The peace and strength of God enfolded her. And it was enough.

Days later, in her childhood bed, God finally let go. But it had been enough. She had found the courage to leave. She fell ill for days, but father and mother never left her side.

And after she got better, eventually she was out again. Soon she started her classes- in Microbiology now. And after that, took a job at a coffee shop. Her family, her school, her job. That was her world.

And it was enough. Occasionally, she feels God's angel near her. Usually after she pours her heart out in prayer. She smiles when that happens. She knows she is not alone.

There hadn't been much more to go over with Viktor Lih.  He told the pale man to meet in back at Domovoi in the morning.  They'd go over all the details then.  Hopefully the lad would get a good nights sleep.  He seemed very on edge.

Nox had gone to see Yun Kao.  His part of that was done for the moment - until the next favor anyway.  Dorian had made an early appointment with the captain.  It went as well as could be expected.  It had been a two fold inquiry, one on behalf of requesting Lih and Sarkozy.  But it had been mostly to press the Atharim issue.  Specifically working with his ex-Atharim informant who had been working the case almost exclusively until Dorian had transcripted him into his cause - protecting his family.

Dorian laid out everything first.  How the boy had tracked monsters, how he killed them, how he'd found evidence of foul play.  And his extensive maps of the tunnels.  His technological advances in mapping as well as specialized software that made their lives all easier.  The latter thankfully was all Sage and Aurora, so not even Atharim tech.  That was great for Dorian.

It wasn't until the cap was nodding happily that he dropped the boys name.  "Nox Durante."  had come out of his mouth and the captains face soured.  The name was news in Domovoi - confessed to murder and completely unscathed afterwards.  No word what really happened.  Dorian promised to keep the boy on a tight leash.  And to never leave him alone with sensitive information.  And a plethora of other restrictions.  Not that Nox would actually be a hindrance, he'd never step food inside the precinct if he could help it.  Dorian either, but at least permission was granted and Nox could work unfettered in the investigation.

Now Dorian only had to wait for Lih and/or Ivan to show up.  Didn't matter which one was first.  There was tasks for each of them.  And some of them combined.  Vaia Plus was involved in monsters and monsters were Domovoi business now and with a few ex-Atharim they might actually do some good in this on the books even.

Armande was silent the entire way to the truck, purposefully ignoring any conversation that might have occured between Valeriya and the girl. He had no interest in following their budding sisterhood.

And inside the cab it was a tight fit. Thankfully, it was Valeriya's hip and leg touching his. Still, he had to breath slowly and carefully so as to keep from retching, sharing the air with a godling in such a cloistered space.

"The war, not the battle," he had to repeat to himself.

For a second they passed under a streetlight and he caught part of Vale's face in his peripheral vision. Even then, it was swallowed in shadow.

And his heart clenched. He felt as if he were losing her. It had only been a few months...but he had come to depend on her. A confidant. A friend. A counselor. A support.

They were bound by destiny and purpose.

And he loved her.

And yet he felt as if he were losing her. Losing her to this dark goddess.

Rage flickered at the edges of his soul. He craved a secure connection. The message had gone out. How long for the Khylsty to assemble he did not know.

The breaks squeeled as he pulled up to the house. The surrounding vacant lot, empty buildings and fenced spaces were dead. He palmed the door and bid them wait.

He did not expect Matvei to attack but caution was his nature. Reassured, he called them in. "Make preparations. Call me if you have need, " he said to Valeriya. She could play host if she wanted to. The thought turned his stomach. A godling in his home.

Finally, in front of a secure terminal, he felt control return.

It had taken a few days, and a mishap at Dorian's estate before he had set up an appointment to meet his pet channeler.  His little informant of the Atharim.  His traitor.  Not that the detective wasn't his own traitor of all sorts.  But he'd been true to his word.  Not surprising after the death of Abt.  The investigation into Vega had ceased after a few words from the right mouths.  And with that settled the Detective had sent details.

The boy wanted to meet in a public place.  He wanted coffee.  All doable, and since Yun wasn't concerned Slav was the only man she brought with her.  He sat at a table with in eye shot, but he was not with in hearing distance, that that it mattered he had a listening device planted on Yun.  Blackmail was ever so useful.

Dorian had given him a name - Nox Durante.  The file associated with the boy were non-existent.  He was a ghost.  His birth certificate, gun licenses from the US, his CCD identity.  All very clean, not even a parking ticket.  The only mars on his record were the two CCD registries - the channeler and the Atharim.  A man of both worlds.  He'd come here to Moscow, gotten into an accident and here he stayed.  Why or how that was even possible was not lost on Yun.  These Atharim must have powers beyond even her.  He was nothing but a boy.

Yun was dressed in a warm parka in an business suit dress.  Not uniform. This wasn't about being a cop informant it was purely business related.  And she wasn't on the clock.  That was later that night.  Where her talents were more often needed.  Her gun was tucked under the parka in it's leather holster it was a familiar weight, and brought her comfort.  The cold hard steel pressed against her ribs.  

The waitress came again with her coffee.  "Can I get your guest anything?"

Yun looked up at the girl with a soft smile.  "I'm early, it will be cold by the time he arrives."  Yup picked up her own Chai latte and sipped at it while she got the lay of the land.  This was the boy's choice.  Why?  It was what she was here to figure out an hour early.

Parting at that moment in her life had been the hardest things he'd ever done.  She'd never had a friend before, much less someone like Elyse who was more than a friend.  And a pack - she had a pack.  But this was important, Sierra couldn't live off of her pack.  That wasn't her, even if she was nothing really.  Her education was nothing compared to theirs, she could barely help Marta at all.  But that was the life of a doomsdayer.  Sierra didn't regret her upbringing.

She felt more at home in the wilderness anyway.  National Geographic didn't pull out any stops with her flight, or her accommodations.  And they had been over zealous in equipment, but Sierra only took the bare essentials.  Though she did take the solar powered battery with her.  Being able to charge her battery while out in the field would be such a treat.  

Never was missing his friends, but he was excited even after he nearly lost it on the airplane.  Silly pup running in circles on her lap.  He'd been so excited and then so afraid.


And now Sierra was spending her last night in the middle of humanity before she was off into the wilderness alone with never and nature.

The door was open.

There was a moment’s pause, then the man strolled in. Walking, slow and steady, a silver tassel slung casually over his shoulder. His face was set and hard. The new desk plate, displaying the golden cursive of Meera’s name, was bright and fresh.

He looked around, felt the electric expectation in the air. He saw the office: the small window with bars; the stained, paper-covered desk; the single potted fern in the corner; the sickly, fluorescent bulb… all the rest.

Eiji shook his head to himself as he sat in the wooden chair. They’d spent a couple of days in the relative stark administrative offices of the Guardian, orientating Eiji, but it had felt much longer to Eiji. The hospital administer had insisted on conducting extensive interviews first, reviewing his medical and military history with the Belgian doctor, and Eiji had become a little bored with either sitting in as a silent observer or waiting around. He had expected some hard interrogations, but the doctors so far had been very low-key and relaxed.

Eiji had been looking forward to beginning actual treatment at the Guardian, but there seemed to be no particular direction to what they were doing. The belgian doctor moved with a purpose, but he didn’t share it with Eiji. Eiji wasn’t really sure what they were looking for, but when he pressed for answers, the doctors had a habit of replying in riddles. 

Eyes wide. Waiting. Waiting.

Then Meera appeared before him.

A slow smile dug its way across Eiji Lynx’s face. He’d seen some badasses in his time, and many of the best were in the air force’s ranks. 

But he’d never seen such a casual display of utter cool. He liked his new doctor already. This stern office, the cool stride, light damn it, she’d won him before they had ever started.

“Eiji Lynx. Glad to meet you.”

Eiji Lynx