Content Warnings:

-sexual themes

-Violence

-Vulgar language

-Blood and gore

-references to SA

Late that humid night, one of my imitators stepped onto a torch-lit stage, “Welcome back to the Recycling Theatre. I am Fabula Loquitor, the Tale Teller. Remember to leave your memories at the door on your way out,”

The performer stepped on a trigger in the floor. Reubgoldberg machines beneath and behind the stage went off. Behind the performer, a painting of a city with a great white tower so tall that none could see the top on a clear day, slid out like it were on a conveyor belt.

“A myth has entered Tsuno. For the last few weeks, since that great Triquake, whenever Tsuno has been attacked, whether it be from Disaster Beasts, Northerners, Corrupted Beasts, or simply other nations, the myth has been sighted. That's nothing, however,  as she's been seen many a time these last thirty hundred years. Do you still wish to hear my tale of her?”

The audience raised it’s hands. It was an audience of eager children, seeking the tales to be told, with with adults watching over them of course. Amongst the adults was a lone woman with blue eyes like whirlpools.

The feux Tale Teller smiled and stepped back, “Good. Let’s set the stage then, before the beginning of now. There was a Disaster Beast so destructive and dangerous that it earned the title: Eversor Bestia.

It was only second to the Disaster Queen, Omnes Videntum Deum, in its power. Unlike the beloved Queen however, she could not be controlled, even by herself as she obliterated everything in her path. Even her own kind hated her and the feeling was *very* mutual. 

She faced many opponents until one day, she was sealed away in a Disaster artefact. After that, she became a parasite that travelled from Possessed to Possessed, devouring them whole, attempting to take back her freedom. One day, it took a new Possessed, a new Shadow Velvet: Ursa.

Her true name and face were lost due to Twilight interference, but what we know is concrete. Thirty-one hundred years ago, Stultorum Campus's Easter port, Rem, was a warzone for Aeternum Lords. A place where the Verdin Aeternum and their Inquisitors laid waste. Here, Ursa teamed up with Taipan Twilight and The Year of Fools, to lead a revolution against the Verdin.

After nearly one hundred years, and alliances with minor Aeternum Lords like the Twelve Owls, RNM, and The Krylo Family, did they push the Verdin back to the western edge of the continent. Things took a turn, however, as one of the Fools, Jadeite Drescher, betrayed them all. The Fools would fracture that day, and if they had not died, they went off on their own. 

Ursa was no exception, heading out into the world with the Disaster Beast, Bellator Terra. They would be hunted for a few years until they vanished into thin air. 

There was never another Shadow Velvet. Some assumed that Eversor simply let go and passed on, but some are not so optimistic. Some fear Eversor is lying in wait to devour us all. Some wonder if Ursa finally overcame the Beast and has been doing the same.

That's what the Aeternum want us to think of course. They tell us to view her, a Possessed, as one of our greatest enemies, but I believe that she will save us-,”

A bolt of yellow light went right through the feux Tale Teller’s head. Their body fell to the ground, dead. 

The crowd was completely silent.

A warrior in smooth thin armour that vaguely resembled a samurai stepped forwards. Their armour was orange and bore a white pendant of a Great Horned Owl.  At their side was a sheathed katana with blue accents, and in their hands was a rifle with yellow glowing accents.

“Clear off,” she ordered, stepping through the crowd.

While she examined the body, the blue eyed woman stood up, 188.976 CM tall, from amongst the crowd, “What gave you the right to do that, Lena?” she asked, her voice like a Mother black bear in hibernation.

Chapter I

Echoes of the Bear

“Kumamoto Setsune,” the samurai responded, looking up from the stage, and back at the woman in darkness.

The woman wore a white kimono with thin, red stripes. Around her waist was a large, black bow, around her head and chin was a red rope, and upon her feet were white socks and red wood sandals. She had shoulder length, reddish brown hair, a beauty mark beneath her left eye, and like the rest of the audience, had yellow skin.

The entire crowd was silent, like a mine waiting to be stepped on. Setsune glared at the Lena{the Samurai}.

“How’s work at the brothel?” Lena asked, almost condescendingly.

“You’re welcome to come by and find out for yourself. There’s a bit of a line though,” Setsune responded, her eyes sharpened, her hands behind her back, her right holding her left by the wrist.

“Perhaps you should focus on that then?” Lena ordered, picking up the fresh corpse.

“And what gives you the right to run your business like this?” Setsune asked, getting in her way as she tried to leave.

“The law, Setsune. The spreading of treasonous material is forbidden by the Twelve Owls. It's even written in the Aeternum Guidelines for Society and War that ‘the Aeternum are to possess the Possessed. Any unpossessed Possessed must either be taken possession of proper or pass their Possessed position onto another person. In this case, spreading the idea that a rogue Possessed is somehow a hero, is treason,”

“So that calls for immediate execution. Even the Verdin Inquisition at least gave people a ‘fair trial’,” Setsune argued, her hands to her side, ready  like they were claws.

The Lieutenent placed her hand on the hilt of her sword, “This is a non-negotiable. If you wish not to be arrested or worse, stand down and return to your ‘place of work’,”

Setsune sighed, “Very well. I hope we don’t see each again, Lena,”

………

Lena put on an orange kimono. The pair were within a dark bedroom with a large, ravaged, faded pink bed, falling apart red carpet, a dirty bathtub, and tattered, violet walls. It was lit by many scented candles, trying to hide the fact that the room smelled of dirt and sweat.

Lena was a bald girl with brown eyes, and a pair of horns tattooed on her head. She had well built muscles as well. She was just a head shorter then Setsune and was missing a small part of her left ear.

Setsune stepped out of the bathroom in a red robe, black cloth covering what parts of her legs and ankles that could be seen. Even through her robe and cloth, anyone could tell she her body was a plump one. She sat down on the bed, crossed her legs, and took a drink of what looked like beer in a fancy looking glass(made of plastic).

Lena turned to her nervously, “Is Ana out?”

“Curious about her skills?” Setsune asked, smirking and raising an eyebrow.

“Of course not, I’m purely….,” Lena responded, placing her hand on her heart before she looked down nervously.

“Lena…you can do much better than having to pay for a lover ya know?” Setsune urged, smiling and shaking her head. “Like if you want to have me as a lover-,”

“I don’t,” Lena insisted, raising her head. “I mean…I’m-,”

“You don’t need to apologise for not wanting to date someone you pay for,” Setsune assured, placing a hand on her shoulder and taking a drink.

“Yeah, but girls looove you for your job,” Lena sighed, placing her hands in her lap. “(I can see why),”

Setsune got down on her knees, and placed her hands on Lena’s, “You could always quit your job, cover up those tattoos and…get comfortable,”

Lena swallowed some air, “You can’t bribe me with free sex, Setsune,”

Setsune sighed, and sat back, “That’s a shame. Ya want it anyways,”

“No strings attached?” Lena questioned, eyes widened.

Setsune smiled, her pupils dilated.

“YES YES YES,” Lena exclaimed, nodding rapidly.

There was a heavy knock at the door. An older woman with grey hair and a funeral kimono peered in.

“Thank you for your business, but there are other clients, and Setsune here needs to prepare for her next customer,”

“O-of course, Moma{Mama},” Lena exclaimed, jumping to her feet and giving Setsune a bow. “Thank you for your time,”

Setsune stood up, reached over and caressed her cheek, a warm smile on her face, “It was my pleasure,”

Lena blushed and left in a hurry. Moma scoffed at her from behind as she left and entered the room.

“You’re quite the actress to put up with someone like that,”

“She’s not so bad out of uniform,” Setsune stated, taking a drink and tilting her head. “She’s just…been deceived,”

Moma groaned, “And she’s in a dangerous position to have been deceived,”

“...Yes,” Setsune sighed, taking another drink.

“Then stay away from her,” Moma scolded, shaking her head. “You can’t risk drawing too much attention,”

“It’s just that I-,”

“What do you want, Setsune,” Moma asked, her eyes narrowed.

“I…I’d like to find my family if I could,”

“And are you going to be able to do that if your dead? The Great Horned Owl isn’t someone you want looking your way,” Moma  advised, sitting on the bed.

“That I know all too well,” Setsune responded, sitting next to her and looking down.

“I have your name on the waiting list for Rem,” Moma stated, placing her hands on Setsune cheeks. “Think about what you want, and keep your head down, at least until you can get on a ship there. You can look up in here,”

Setsune chuckled, “I’ll try my-,”

“Nope, no trying. Live up to it this time, do you hear me?” Moma ordered, poking the side of Setsune’s chest, just left of the centre.

“I will,”

“Good,”

There was a loud boom outside. Sirens went off.

Setsune took a deep breath. She placed her hands behind her back like before.

Moma sighed, and turned to Setsune, “I didn't fucking say not to try to save people,”

Setsune stood up and whipped off her bathrobe. 

Above her centre chest was a broach with a white lining and gem designed like black and red fire. From it, many strands of cloth wrapped around her body, leaving an opening for her belly button, and stopping at the base of her neck, her lower arms and lower knees.

She placed her hand on the broach and vanished.

---

Lena entered the armoury and immediately got to putting her armour on and taking up her weapons. There were eleven other feux Samurai there as well. Some had lighter armour, weapons, and purple attachments. Others had orange glowing gear in the form of shots, pads, and pills. There were a few that had green attachments on their armour, and white capes on their backs

“What are we up against?” Lena asked, putting her helmet on.

“Just a bunch of Northern Savages led by a Disaste Beast called…Tempestas or whatever. Words is, it thinks its hot shit enough to attack,” the caped one stated. “Remember the rules: Stick together, protect Aeternum property, and outsmart the enemy proper,”

“YES CAPTAIN!” The other Eleven Samurai responded.

They rushed out of the armoury. They entered into a hangar where a massive airship awaited them. They quickly climbed inside and set off. They climbed above the city, a collection of Japanese inspired buildings at a long port. They were but part of a massive collection of cities surrounding a great body of water that was shaped like  a waxing gibbous, with the ladder part of the mood flooding over into a great body of water, filled with many islands.

A part of the city was hit by a barrage of shots made of yellow. No origin seemed to exist though.

“INITIATE TRANSPORTION TO THE COLOUR REALM!” The Captain ordered.

“YES CAPTAIN!”

They hit a button, and the world around them changed. To the Reflect Realm, they had vanished, but for them, the entire moon became concave. The city became a series of twisting and turning constructs of blue and green, keeping a large body of yellow and black water in the sky from breaking through.

The body of water was not completely one, only made of multiple spheres. Amidst it were other, rougher looking airships. Some were already on the ground, many were attacking from the air, carefully trying to avoid being washed away.

“ATTACK!” The captain ordered.

---

Humans that haven’t entered the Colour Realm look closer to jellyfish from those within. They were bundles of the six Colours(blue, yellow, green, orange, purple, red) swimming through the realm, with a bit of white in their membranes. Warriors in make-shift gear hunted the jellyfish.

Some used handheld buttons to transport them into the Colour Realm. Men, women, children, people, they took whoever and whatever they could. Once transported into the Colour Realm, their skin became whiter than snow, and their hair changed to any of the six colours.

A Mother and child cowered in fear as they were trapped in a corner by one the warriors. They held each other, shaking like they were naked in the deep arctic.

“RAPE AND PILLAGE THE AETERNUM'S FODDER-!” one of the Warriors announced before their head was clawed off.

She had a dress made of wrapped strands of red cloth. Her entire body was wrapped in black cloth, even her claws. Around her shoulders was a white scarf. Her skin was gray. She had fangs. There was a beauty mark beneath her sharp, ocean blue eyes. Her black hair was messy. And she had a pair of bear ears on her head.

She smiled at the Mother and her child, giving them a calm bow. From behind, a large warrior with a blue axe attempted to strike at her. 

She frowned, her eyes sharpened. She turned.

A green aura flowed through her cloth. The axe simply shattered against her before she jabbed her enemy.

She sunk her claws, directly into their chest, blood spurting out as she ripped through their flesh. She pulled out their heart and threw the body aside.

Other warriors attempted to attack her. She switched to a purple aura.

The warriors all froze in fear, running away as fast as they could. She turned back to the Mother and Child

“Find a place to hide,” she urged them, her voice like a Mother bear woken from hibernation.

She extended her cloth, and sped off in a flash. It was her, Shadow Velvet Ursa.

To Be Continued………