Exodus Files: Gates of Hell.

Chapter 21: The Beginning Of Something Evil.

Shilu was crying in her prison cell the whole afternoon. She was imprisoned by the tyrant Gates. She sacrificed herself in order to save Sora and be a slave to the armored entity.

The young maiden cannot believe that she was not able to say goodbye to her beloved sister. Her hands were shaking as her tears continuously flow on her face. Her eyes were already swelling. She was stuck in the corner with random thoughts playing in her head. Suddenly, a loud banging noise broke the silence of her solitude, a small window opened and from it a small plate was slid in. Shilu was in that closed prison cell for three days and was not able to eat anything. She dig in like that was the last meal that she could ever eat, not minding the food that was served if it was something she could eat or not.

At first, she tried to fight back and escape from her captor's clutches, but in the end, she ultimately failed, giving up the idea of escaping. Although Arlaz was a great master, the castle walls were really thick. For three days, her strength withered. She remembered of her sister the whole time she was in that cell. She recalled the events prior to that day, the two of them were studying. Sora was smiling at her when all of a sudden an explosion knocked them down. And when she came back to her senses, Gates was already holding Sora by the neck. The very thought of the tyrant made her shiver.

The prison doors opened. Shilu's eyes were hurt by the bright light. From the light, two merger henchmen came in the room and picked her up by the arms. They carried the weak child to the blacksmith's throne room. Gates was sitting in his throne; the tyrant then raised his hand and pointed at the girl "Gentlemen, I present you Aki. My own child. The Majestic Phoenix."

Laraffa pouted and complained "Why is she the Majestic Phoenix?? I am a direct descendant of the Phoenix!" Gates slammed at the armrest and yelled at the Phoenixid "HOW DARE YOU QUESTION MY DECISION?" Laraffa shrunk in fear.

Gates stood up and floated towards his new recruits. The tyrant approached Ikezubo first "Child, this is Harabeshi Ikezubo, and he will be the Valiant Sea Dragon, he is from the Aquorion tribe and a skilled swordsman." Gates then hovered and floated near Guk "This is Prince Guk'Yul'Saval, the heir to the kingdom of Torkaz. He will become the Black Knight Tortoise." and he introduced the Trigerstryfe last "And this is Archobos Stein. The Furious White Tiger. He is a Trygerstryfe. He will also become the team's captain." Gates set his foot on the ground and walked towards the throne, he then turns around and raised his right arm and announced "The four of you will be my extermination team. You will bid my will and wreak havoc across the lands of Netherplains."

Although still weakened, Shilu used her powers and stared at the three warriors. She first stared at Guk. She immediately saw his past. Guk's story flashed before the Santelmo's eyes. It was a rainy afternoon. The Kingdom of Torkaz is under attacked, not by an army but one single monster. It was the dreadful Dark Knight. The notorious outlaw managed to outmatch the Kingdom's 156 soldiers; where in 25 of them are Elite Squad members.

The Torturkian prince was still a youth back then, he was hiding in a small broken-down bunker a few feet away from his father, the current king. The king was mortally wounded but still managed to stand. He was carrying the royal lance that was passed down from generations of his clan. The Dark Knight was just standing from a distance. His dark aura rattles the ground. Although the strongest of his kind, the king was easily vanquished by the Demon Knight. As the ruler fall, the Accursed one picked up than lance and absorbed it, disintegrating in to thin air. Guk witness his father's demise. And vowed to take down the Dark Knight.

Guk searched far and wide only to find the Knight. He trained to become stronger. But he is not after the Dark Knight for vengeance; he wants to claim the Knight's nightmarish name. For so long the Torturkian prince have desired the throne for his own dark plans, but failed to kill his father. Now that the king is gone, he wants to get the royal lance and be officially proclaimed as king.

The young mage then switched her focus to the Aquorion. Shilu saw his past. He was raised in a clan of loyal and strong Aquorion samurais. His master believed that Ikezubo will someday become the captain of an Elite Troop in their village, but he failed. From that day forth, Ikezubo trained really hard, leaving his youth behind in order to be the strongest. Day and night the Aquorion pushed himself to be the best. One day he came to his master and showed his powers...Yet the old Aquorion was unsatisfied, right there and then he challenge his master to a duel. The young samurai was triumphant, but the latter lost control and murdered his own master.

Ikezubo was shocked of what he has done. He was standing there for a minute, motionless, as he looked at his dead master. He then looked at his katana. It was soaked in the blood of his former teacher. The samurai snapped and laughed maniacally. He left his home town in search for a stronger opponent; sweeping the cities he passed by. Ikezubo's power lust became his only love.

Shilu then looked that the Trygerstryfe. Amongst the three, the Trygerstryfe seem to bear the biggest burden. Unlike the two, Archobos stared directly to her eyes. She immediately felt pain. The night sky turned red as the city of Ivalice burns. It was eight years ago. Archobos was running and looked for his brother. His feet are aching already but he never gave up, he searched all around town, even tried to peaking at burning buildings, he even lifted debris and dead bodies just to make sure that his brother is still alive. Patroclos is the only family Archobos know and loved, and he cannot afford to lose him, no matter what.

The young boy kept on running until he tripped. He immediately stood up and wiped the dirt and tears on his face. Archobos then heard the clashing of metals from a distance. He ran as fast he could only to witness his brother's execution. Patroclos as decapitated by the untamed Oni. As Patroclos' body drops on the ground, the Oni seeked for his next victim and immediately spotted him. Archobos was frozen. Still in shock of what happened, he was unable to move his feet. He tried to move his body but the Oni's glare petrified him. The Demon charged towards, Archobos fainted and didn't know what happened next. The young boy woke up the following day, left alone in the middle of the city, together with his dead brother. After giving his brother a proper burial, he left Ivalice and became a thief. He grew up in the streets of Thresquav and vowed to kill his brother's assailant, Nivrae Lacronite.

The mage fainted. By the time she opened her eyes, she was tied down. She tried to release herself and screamed but the bound was really tight. She then saw Gates talking to some monster in gowns, like doctors of some sort. The whole room was so bright. As Shilu turned her head to the left she saw a dead body next to her bed. Gates noticed that Shilu was awake, as the Tyrant approached her, she plead "Let me outta here!" but the armored persona laughed and replied "You are my slave. And I will do whatever I want." He then snapped his fingers and the surgeons immediately approached her and started operating on her. She was helpless. She felt the grinding pain while the scalpels and injections touch her flesh.

Shilu fell unconscious. Although unable to move, she is able to feel and hear the things around her. She was moved from one operating bed to another. She felt like her soul was extracted from her body and was reinserted. As she opened her eyes, she immediately fell to the ground. She didn't mind the pain, but she immediately noticed the change in her skin tone, she whimpered "What have they done to me?" right there and then she realized something was not right. She went hysterical and tried to stand up and searched for anything that will show her reflection. She was able to grab a broke mirror and as she looked into it she was surprised to see a different person. Face, hair, voice and body. All were changed.

Gates suddenly shows up. He approached Shilu and tapped her shoulder "Welcome to the world, my daughter." Shilu swayed Gates hand yelled at him "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ME?" Gates stood up and walk away while laughing "I made you perfect. Now, Shilu Vhalgas is dead. You are Aki Lyonheart." The weak maiden refused to accept it and tries to throw a slap at Gates, but she was easily blocked. The tyrant then grabbed Shilu by the neck and raised her couple of feet off the ground. "You are my slave. You are to accept my decision, even if it is against your will. I AM YOUR MASTER!" he then dropped her on the ground and left. She is helpless. Shilu was bound to hi s words. The young maiden cried and cried until she cannot cry anymore. That day, Shilu Vhalgas died. That same day, Aki Lyonheart was born.