The Aurian Chronicles chapter 23: Worlds in collision

 Amanda walked into the NYPD in full uniform. She casually adjusted her appearance in the mirror and made sure every loose thread was off her. She brushed every stray curl downward and restyled to a professional bun. She walked into her office and tried to keep it together, not wanting to let anyone see she was on the verge of a breakdown.

"Nice to see you again, Lieutenant Cross." Said Dominic as he glared at her. Amanda stayed on her computer as she typed away at her desktop. "Is that how you've learned to address your superiors?" She asked emotionlessly as she stared at her screen. Dominic just grunted and stomped his foot. "You're my superior? Could have fooled me! It's been two weeks since you went on that date with Capryse, and you went from giddy schoolgirl to immediately picking up the slack! What the hell is wrong with you?" He demanded.

Amanda just stopped and pushed her keyboard forward as she breathed a shaky sigh, and then a harder one, and she immediately began to cry. "He knew who I was this entire time!" She said hysterically as Dom immediately pulled the blinds down over the door behind him. "What do you mean, he 'Knew who you were.' You mean that you were a cop?" He asked curiously.

Amanda just pulled some files out for him to read. "My last name isn't technically Cross... Well... It IS, but... My father's last name is Song, as in the Song family from the 99 Louts... a Chinese crime syndicate... While my Father and I were clean as far as the crime family was involved, we DID flee to America when I was young... If he wanted to, Antonio Capryse could literally do anything from having my reputation dragged, to turning my father and me over to one of the neighboring families... Sky's the limit there." She admitted nervously.

Dom Studied her closely. "Do you think he would, though? You talked like he was the man of your dreams," he said with a hint of bitterness in his voice. Amanda just put her hand on her head. "Do I think he would what? Essentially, have me killed? No... No, I do not... But I couldn't take any chances, I offered him literally anything... He said all I had to do was cover the cost of a favor to another acquaintance of his... I even signed a contract in red ink... No clue what that means, but he not only made his vow, he legally had both my father and me legally wiped from the Song family bloodline... We're worthless in the crime world... Thank god." She explained as she breathed a sigh of relief.

Dominic studied her carefully. "Okay? Then what is the problem? Mr. Capryse, if anything seemed to help you... So what? is it the cost thing?" He asked carefully. Amanda just nodded back at him. "He said the transaction will go down in a few days... And frankly, I am nervous as hell... Was this all I was? A bargaining chip... I should have listened to you, Matthews... I'm sorry." She said as she looked up at him. 

Dominic just looked at her desk. "Listen, I don't think it'll be anything too bad if your name was wiped.. If anything, he wiped the value he could have had if he himself were a crime lord... Tell ya what, let's hit Sound City after this and catch DJ Lytestryke's show! We'll have some drinks, some mozzarella sticks, and even dance a bit! If nothing else, it'll get your mind off of all this!" He offered.

"Officer Matthews, are you asking your superior out on a date?" Amanda asked sternly, causing Dominic to wince. Amanda just giggled softly and nodded. "Fine, fine, I'll get some clothes from Flawless Fashions and meet you tonight... For now, we've got other fish to fry." She said as she pulled up incidents going on near Farley Incorporated.

Dominic leaned in as he saw agitated workers around the building. "Looks like one of those strikes is finally about to happen, that moron is about to collapse under the weight of his own greed," he muttered. Amanda nodded, "I don't know what caused all this, but I want all the squads to be ready... my intuition is telling me something huge is going to happen, I don't want us scrambling when it does." She said seriously. Dominic nodded confidently at her words. "Good to have you back, Ma'am." He said as he left.

Meanwhile, Saryn was pouting as Mr. Capryse casually ate away at some Chicken and Dumplings Autumn had made. "Did it really have to go down so soon like that? We're just... Letting her go?" She asked with a crestfallen voice. "I wanted at least a little more time with her... The things we could have done!" She said with a grumble.

Mr. Capryse rolled his eyes and ate a dumpling. "Sadly, my hand was forced... Although the sacrifice of Amanda's full loyalty will ensure things go off without a hitch when Mr. Farley makes his move... And with that last stunt he pulled with Darkness, it looks like that will be very soon... So just relax, dear, while we take over yet another portion of New York." He explained while crossing his legs.

Saryn just let out a huff as she placed her hand on his. "Deal, but if it's possible afterward, I would like to try and smooth things out with Cross.. She was a lot more fun to work with than I thought." She said as she looked in his eyes. Mr Capryse just smirked and nodded. "Deal... I look forward to your next move in that regard." He said, even though he was halfway sure that was going to be impossible.

Saryn smirked back and sat back in her chair as Autumn laid out fresh fruit and whipped cream for dessert. "So what now? Do we wait in a bunker or something?" Asked Autumn curiously. Mr. Capryse just pulled his daughter into his lap and rubbed her chin, causing her to kick her legs adorably. "No, sweetie... Now? We simply wait until Old York burns to the ground, and we arise from its ashes."

The Verdant Hawk: Put a G.R.I.N on that face!

 The Blistering sun beat down over Pink Top City. Traffic was at a gridlock, and worst of all, the snack lines were backed up all the way. Celeste Marcella was grumbling as all her favorite snacks were bought up from the freezer. "All of them! MY ENTIRE LIST!" She shouted to herself as she lifted the entire freezing unit over her head, much to the shock of other customers.

As she got ready to throw, A tall, Blonde woman in a purple Suit top and short skirt combo cleared her throat and stepped forward. "Excuse me! You seemed a bit stressed. Is something the matter?" She asked in a soft voice, as she visually inspected the young woman from head to toe. She pressed a suit button upon eying her feet. 

Celeste just glared up at her, and noticed the absurdity of the situation she caused as she sat the freezer down and breathed in sharply through her nose and let out a deep exhale. "Sorry about that.. I guess I got a bit hangry... All the snacks I usually get were bought up.." She said as she stretched her arms. Celeste was wearing a simple Megadeth T-shirt with a Cheetah pattern skirt and a pair of leather ankle strap boots.

The woman smiled and reached in her purse. "I can see that... Here!" She said as she gave her a large box of assorted Belgian chocolates. "I don't really need these. You can have them!" She said with a smile, a card was on top of the box with 'G.R.I.N' Written in purple. She raised a brow at the card. "What's that?" She asked curiously.

Lydia just patted her softly and smiled. "That's my company! G.R.I.N! Great Relaxation Is a Necessity! We specialize in finding out the stressors in our clients and helping them out! Tell you what, as a sign of good faith, I'll give you a free treatment! Tell them Lydia Hysteria gave you a personal invite at the desk, and we'll show you a good time!" She said with a smile.

Celeste eyed the card and the chocolates. "Um.. Sure! I'll definitely give it a shot later!" She said as she showed a wide grin, showing her sharp canines. "Oh my! Off to a good start already!" Teased Lydia as she laughed into her hand before heading off to do her shopping. Celeste just looked at her card, then the chocolates, and shrugged before heading home.

"G.R.I.N huh? Yeah, I've heard of them... They based out of New York a few years back... the results were so good they spread out over the East Coast!" Said Jaxon as he sat with Celeste on the couch when she got home later that evening. Jaxon was wearing nothing but a red robe with black trim. "So you gonna actually go? I have heard nothing but good things about the place since the one here popped up."

"Yeah... That lady seemed very nice.. didn't even question how I lifted an ice cream freezer, though." She said as she flipped between channels. grimacing as she scrolled past 'Varg the Viking,' as did Jaxon, who just shrugged. "She probably didn't even think about how heavy it really was, babe... And hey, if she calmed you down and kept you out of trouble, she can't be all bad, right? And besides! These chocolates are awesome!" He said as he munched a few chocolates that came from the box Lydia gifted Celeste.

Celeste nodded, "Makes sense, I guess I can check it out this weekend... HEY! Those are MINE! GIMME!" She said as she pounced on Jaxon, who was laughing and happily stealing her snacks for no other reason than to mess with her. Celeste finally took her sweets back and munched on one. "Man, these ARE good! I hope she has more at the spa!" She said with excitement.

Celeste arrived at G.R.I.Ns building later that weekend, whistling at the sight of it. It was roughly the size of five supermarkets, both high and wide. The letters G.R.I.N were written in the form of a small smile. The windows that were left open showed various massage machines and forms of equipment that Celeste could immediately recognize, but everybody that was visible from the outside seemed to look relaxed and at peace. Celeste nodded to herself as she walked in. "At least I know I'll be in good hands." She told herself confidently.

Celeste made her way to the counter, where she saw a woman in what looked like a cross between a white Yoga outfit and scrubs a nurse would wear. She had medium-length blonde hair and bright blue eyes. "Hi! Welcome to GRIN! Because Great Relaxation Is a Necessity! How may I help you?" She said in a bubbly voice.

"Um... Hi... Someone named Lydia gave me this card and recommended me personally." Said Celeste as she gave Lydia's card to the attendant. The woman lit up and grinned widely. "Oh my goodness! You are so LUCKY! Lydia Hysteria is the CEO of this company! If she gave you this, it means you get a free full treatment plus benefits! Let's get you into your new outfit right away!" She said as she took Celeste by the hand and guided her to a changing room.

Celeste grumbled uncomfortably as she emerged in a white bodysuit. Although it was form-fitting, almost like a second skin, it was nowhere near what she normally wore in her day-to-day life. "Do I have to wear this?" She asked with distress in her voice as she tried to completely look herself over.

"Of course! During your treatment, this outfit is going to help us determine your stress spots and not only relieve the built-up tension, but make it harder for it to return for a while!" Said the attendant. Celeste just looked at her. "Hey, shouldn't you be back at the desk?" She asked. The attendant just smiled at her. "Nah, I just had someone cover me while I walk you through, not every day we get a VIP!" She said as she guided her to her first spot.

"So what's this?" She asked as she saw a spot with a bed that had monitors attached to it, along with scanners as well. "This here determines the spots of your body that radiate the most heat, that's where the fun begins," She said softly as she laid Celeste on the bed. A bright scanner slowly beamed over Celeste's body in a 360 rotation. Celeste stretched out and let it continue to scan her for a few minutes.

A loud beep went off as the attendant whistled, "You must be on your feet a lot! They're lit up like a Christmas tree!" She told her as she admired the other spots on her breasts, inner thighs, underarms, and even spots on her erogenous zones. Celeste just scratched the back of her head and looked down. "You uh... aren't going to massage those or something, are you?" She asked, causing the attendant to laugh.

"Oh heavens no! There is more than just hand-on-skin contact at this spa! though you will be getting tended to by skilled hands, we have so much more to offer than that! and we certainly don't need to touch certain parts of your body to get stress out! Trust us with your safety and comfort during your stay!" She explained as she walked her through the facility.

After a few minutes of walking, Celeste headed to a Neon purple door as the attendant handed her a specialized magnetic card and waved. "When you walk by the right door, it should buzz, proceed into that door for your personal treatment, when you are done, you will end up back at the lobby... Hopefully with a wide Grin!" She told her happily.

Celeste laughed nervously and nodded as she walked through the door. "Well, what's the worst that could happen? It's just a really big Spa trip? How bad could it be?" She asked as she headed through the door to start her treatment.

After passing by the first few rooms, the card in her hand buzzed. "First stop" she said as she walked into a bright room. a cushioned chair with rubber nubs extended forward with its zero gravity feature. Celeste slowly sat in it before it slowly arched back and began harnessing her in. "Hey! What the-?" She demanded as it began buzzing softly, causing her to relax. A countdown appeared before her set at thirty minutes as the room began to fill with the scent of lavender and vanilla. "Oooooh not baaaad," She said lazily as she closed her eyes with a smile.

Celeste almost pouted in disappointment after her half hour was up. The chair stopped buzzing immediately as the timer told her to please proceed to the next room. "I would have preferred that to be the whole treatment." She said as she walked to the next room. Inside was what looked like a tub, one that advised her to leave her attire on. She shrugged and slowly laid inside it as some sort of blue gel with tiny white beads filled up until she was fully submerged except for her head. "Ooh! WARM!" She said as the latex seemed to hug her skin even tighter, giving her the sense of feeling fully naked. "Oh... my... that's good!" She said lazily as her feet felt like soft marshmallows. 

Another hour had passed, and Celeste seemed to be walking on her tiptoes as she couldn't help but have a lazy smile forming on her face. "Gosh, I might have to buy memberships with Jaxon after this." She said with a light blush as she walked into the next room. This one had another bed, but with mechanical hands with padded foam gloves on them. "Oh, this is gonna be so good!" She said as she immediately laid down, only to yelp as the hands gripped her and lifted her off the bed.

Celeste started to struggle as the room filled with more lavender vanilla scent while the hands began massaging her weak spots. "OOOH!" She squealed happily as her struggling stopped immediately. "You know what you're doing," She said as she submitted to the pampering of the mechanical hands. She lightly giggled as they rubbed some lotion on her body. "I can feel it through this goofy outfit!" She said happily as she was rubbed down fully, not caring in the slightest wear they touched, even welcoming it now.

After an hour she was giddily strolling through the hallway as she saw the final spot. Inside was a hot spring where her clothes and a towel awaited her. "Please leave your singlet on in the hot springs, it will be removed on its own!" Said an automated voice. Celeste just happily walked into the hot water without a care and watched as the suit melted off her body. A chemical was added to the water that caused the steam to give off more of that lavender vanilla scent. "Oh my god, I feel light as a feather... like I can fly! I wonder what all the other treatments in this building are like! Maybe I'll get to find out with a full membership!" She said as she relaxed. 

When her time was up, she dried off and got back into her clothes as she skipped to the desk with a grin on her face. The attendant casually giggled at the sight of her. "Now THAT'S the expression we love to see!" She said with a smile. "Well, yeah! Because Great Relaxation Is a Necessity!" Repeated Celeste as she filled out a review. "I'll be buying a membership, and can I get another form for someone else?" She asked. The attendant nodded and handed her another form. Celeste waved her goodbye before happily leaving.

"Thank you for stopping by!" Said the attendant with a bubbly smile. Unbeknownst to both her and Celeste. Lydia Hysteria was grinning while watching the security cameras and uploading Celeste's data to a microchip. "Yes... Thank you, Celeste Marcella... Thank you for everything." She said as she laughed loudly.

Welcome to the Aurian War

 As you have been made well aware in "The Aurian Chronicles," Aura exists as a power within, activated by the user's spinal fluid do achieve their "Aura" power. Going beyond that. These Aurian powers exist in "Strands" Spread throughout the Multiverse, and while there will be four universes in total, today we will be discussing "The Aurian War."

Rather than a simple individual known as "The Composer", discovering Aura and trying to use it to change the world for the better, Aura has been present in humanity right from the very beginning. Due to the natural hostility in mankind, you can guess that these various skills catalogued throughout history were not always used with the best intentions at heart.

Due to the increased deadliness of warfare, the age of the draft has been lowered to 14 years of age, with the option of donating children to the cause at even younger ages for financial compensation. It is HERE that Aurian soldiers are made. They are taught the horrors and of defeat, and the pleasures of victory at a very young age, all to ensure total victory.

Nations do NOT operate like they do in the regular do, the more their leaders acquire in terms of landmass, the more control they secure, because of this, elections have been forgone in the sake of a "might makes right" system. Politicians are not expected to last long, as there is always a knife at their necks.

Aurian soldiers are nothing short of perfectly groomed sociopaths. All they need is the promise of a good reward for victory, and they will charge into horrific situations with smiles on their face... Some of them not even caring if it's their last day alive. Not ALL Soldiers buy into their programming, some of them do their best to save as much money as they can, and abandon the war lines entirely, and while they are fully allowed to do so, they are met with nothing but scorn from their peers.

I hope you've enjoyed this brief guide into how systems work in this alternate universe. As the story opens up, we will be diving into the Void Weaver "Dusk Sonnet" and how her life as a soldier has corrupted her mind, body and soul. Fully expect the four universes mentioned above to collide in the future, and please keep an open mind. "The Aurian Chronicles" Will be the main story, but I do hope that you will still stay tuned for these other side projects going forward.

                                                                 -Until next time!