Salem

"Shen looks like he's been in a good mood lately." Pyrrha was talking to Blake while staring at Shen sitting next to her. He was tapping on the desk in front of him while listening to something through the headphones on his head. "True, I've never seen him so relaxed." Blake looked at Shen as well, seeing he had a large smile on his face.

"He's only been here for a few days but his grades are already catching up to mine. Same goes for you two Blake you two are incredible. I can see why you two are together." Blake's face changed as she looked towards Pyrrha waving her hand. "No, me and him aren't in any kind of romantic relationship. It's complicated."

Pyrrha looked surprised as she turned to her. "Really? I mean I was just assuming that… Well you're always following him by the heel. You idolize him alot dont you?." Blake glanced to see if Shen was paying attention before speaking. "Don't get me wrong, I do look up to him. It wouldn't be too far to say his goals are mine. But that's as far as things go relationship wise…"

Pyrrha looked slightly confused due to how Blake worded everything. 'She's always kept to herself but it sounds like her and Shen have strange views on one another.' Blake's eyes grew a bit dim after thinking to herself for a moment as she said something else in passing. "In any case I can't afford to be selfish on the matter. He would be disappointed if I did."

Blake sounded almost annoyed speaking about it as Pyrrha was taken back a bit. Her eyes made their way back to Shen for a moment as she spoke to herself. "Really…" Blake looked down at her hands as Pyrrha snapped from her daze. "Well sorry for the misunderstanding." Blake nodded as she brought her attention to the class coming to an end.

'Time to leave already? I swear these classes are getting shorter each day. I was actually enjoying the peace.' A lightning devil fruit had a lot of amazing uses, such as being able to call down lightning-like Zeus. Another one, though was being able to power and use electronics he wanted without needing a proper source.

Such as the headphones he was wearing over his head. Even better was that he could control them quite easily as well. He was listening to music and songs from his old world without needing to do anything but recall them from memory. 'The perks of having powers compared to those without I suppose.'

Standing up, Shen made his way out of the classroom, humming the entire way. Blake followed him as well, as the two of them made their way back to the HQ. Watching them leave, Pyrrha thought to herself for a moment. 'I wonder what Shen's is so busy with in the first place. He doesn't look like someone who would have a job or take things seriously at all.'

It was as she was packing her things for school that the teacher made her way to her. "Pyrrha do you mind doing me a favor? Blake and Shen left before I could mention it but I have some forms I need them to fill out." Pyrrha smiled and took the forms the teacher had in her hands. "Sure I'll get right on it." The teacher thanked her before leaving as Pyrrha looked down at the forms.

'Actually even more importantly where do they even live? I don't think they have ever talked about where they stay in the city.' That thought lingered in Pyrrha's mind as Shen finally arrived at the HQ on the other side of Argus. "Oh?" He was surprised to spot Cinder, Emerald and Mercury walking out of the building.

Their last meeting was around three days ago, so it was quite a surprise. "There he is." Mercury spotted Shen and Blake first pointing to them. Emerald turned her head and noticed something off. "Are they wearing academy uniforms?" Hearing what Emerald said, Cinder raised her hands to her lips. "Indeed they are. I'm quite interested in why that is."

Blake shot a menacing glance towards Mercury that caused his face to turn grim for a moment. 'What the hell was that about.' Shen, on the other took the headphones off his head and greeted them. "Well if it isn't my favorite trio. To what do I owe the pleasure." Cinder seemed to have regained her composure around Shen and answered calmly.

"Us? Nothing however the meeting you so desired is waiting for you. I wouldnt keep her waiting." Cinder said that as she began to walk away. As she passed by Shen, she whispered in his ear. "Although I'm sure you already know that, hehe." Mercury and Emerald followed behind her as Blake's eyes narrowed on Cinder's back like a cat.

"I don't trust that woman. Why didn't you bring up the fact she was having that guy spy on us?" Shen glanced back at Cinder and smirked. "Oh I don't plan on doing a thing to Mercury or Cinder." Turning to look at Blake, Shen leaned closer towards her. "After all I have you. You can deal with Mercury and the rest of them for me can't you?"

Shen was looking Blake directly in her eyes as she didn't speak for a moment. She seemed dazed and surprised by how close Shen was to her. "I- Yes I can don't worry." Hearing her answer, Shen placed his hand on her head, which drifted to her face. "Good but not yet. I want Mercury to be dealt with first but until I give you the surprise I have ready for you."

Turning away, Blake seemed shaken awake by Shen's sudden change in attitude. "Um, what gift exactly are you talking about?" Shen waved his hand before speaking. "No spoiling anything. I have it prepared in my room so just wait there. I'll need to handle this meeting privately." Shen didn't waste anymore time talking as he entered the building.

He immediately went into the elevator to the same floor as when Cinder arrived. Immediately he could feel an air of difference as he made his way into the room they had met in before. Floating there, only the portion of her body above her legs were physical. Everything else was like a mist or fog.

She was a woman with deathly pale skin and eyes darker than any pit. Her dark red eyes looked over Shen as she turned and met his gaze. Her hair was greyish white, and veins the color of blood ran across her body from her face to her chest. A black dress with red outlining was all that she wore, yet it was the only thing that would differentiate her from a monster.

'Well… The show definitely didn't do her credit in one regard. She is absolutely terrifying.' She was inhumane in every description of the word. And that dreadful feeling Shen had when he stepped out of the elevator rose when he entered the room. This was Salem, and although the number of people who could actually very well kill him was countable on both of his hands.

Salem was close to the top of such a list. "So you are Shen. Despite seeing you before you're different in person. There is fear in your eyes yet it's hidden behind confidence and a fake persona. Impressive to say the least, so much so I doubt your age." Shen remained composed as she spoke while sitting down.

"Seeing all that form just a glance? I would question if that was just an educated guess." Salem smiled as she glanced around the room. "You know about me yet you speak as if you don't. Contradicting coming from a boy who says he understands my true wish. Yet it also doesn't explain how your capable of using Magic."

Shen shifted after hearing that. 'I see, so she saw me using Gae Bolg that makes sense then.' Bringing his attention back to the conversation, Shen got to the point. "You desire one if not all of three things. Yet all of them are connected to one another in various ways. And when set in motion the entire world will set into an upheaval. And I plan on bringing that forward many times faster than you have planned."

Salem narrowed her eyes as she began to approach Shen. "I have lived for longer than you can imagine. I have seen kingdom's, empires, tyrants, false gods and people of history. I have seen both the creation of a civilization and been responsible for its destruction. Yet you say you understand my goals?" Salem leaned down to look at Shen.

"Laughable yet at the same time I am interested in your folly. So tell me what is it that you desire from me? What do you wish for so deeply that you are willing to align yourself with the enemy of every being in the world?" Shen's eyes remained focused as he spoke with no reserve. "There are only two things I require from you."

Holding up a finger as if counting down, he started. "One is an attack, no I want you to assist me and disseminate Argus. Soon enough I can promise their defenses will be down and their escape locked away. When that happens I want you to hold nothing back." Shen's words were cold and uncaring and, at the same time, somehow carried the lives of every person living in the city with them.

Salem didn't react for a moment as she suddenly began to laugh. "Hahaha… I find it amusing. Fine If that's your desire then so be it. And what of your other request?" Shen held up his hand, stretching his index finger and thumb apart. Salem saw a practically glowing red string between those two fingers. "This."

It was a Life Fiber or, to be more precise, Life Fiber's. Entwined with one another multiple times over. It was not only stronger than any Life Fiber Shen had created before, but it was the accumulation of nearly a week's effort. "I want you to imbue the very same magic you use for Grimm into this. Should be simple enough for you."

Salem looked at the Life Fiber with interest as she looked up at Shen. "And what exactly are you planning with this?" Shen smiled as he did not give a direct answer. "Oh dont worry youll see it for yourself up close and in person one of these days. Until then you'll just have to be satisfied with my 'folly'."

Salem's eyes narrowed down even further as she smirked. "So be it." Her form began to disperse as her entire body turned into that same volatile red and black fog. It resembles what leaked from the Grimm orb's Salem used to communicate with. However, instead of dispersing entirely, the fog compressed itself as it flew towards the Life Fiber in Shen's hand.

'Life Fibers on their own are quite useful allowing me to change my appearance and what not. Even in combat they haven't let me down and thanks to being a HybridI never had to worry about dying for the most part. But no matter what that's just the base of their use. Their true power comes from when they're embedded into clothing.'

Shen had used Life Fiber's to fix and create clothes before. However, that was simply on a whim with no intent behind it. As such there was no result. But this time around, Shen had focused and pushed the ability itself to the limit. 'In Kill La Kill if I remember correctly clothing comprised of 30% Life Fibers was said to be the limit a normal human can handle.'

At his current stage, Shen could go on to create a Life Fiber that reached 40%. 'They said no normal person could handle 50% without going insane. But people in this world have Aura making them a lot more durable and harder to break. I'm interested in seeing how all of this will add up when I give my 'Gift' to Blake.'

The fog and mist fully fused with the Life Fiber in Shen's hands as a malicious look appeared on his face. From the normal red, it shone before some of the Life Fiber's began to turn black. It displayed an entirely different form that Shen had never seen before. Quickly a System Notification followed the transformation. [New Linked Skill: Corrupted Life Fibers!]

"Especially considering how unique this is going to be."