(Irene POV)

I stood on a stage in front of a bunch of different people, holding a microphone in my hand. It's been a couple of days since the Takao Attack, and now it's time to finally put the plan into action.

In order to stay inconspicuous we had this hideout in an abandoned building. As nice as it would be to use one of the lower floors of Aegis Mansion, the sight of a bunch of people coming into the Mansion would be quite suspicious.

I tapped the microphone, making sure that it worked.

"Hello everyone. Thank you all for coming today." I said, receiving a plethora of claps and cheers in response.

"If you have come here, then you know what you are getting into. If anybody wishes to back out now, they can go." I stated.

Nobody moved. A small smile slipped onto my lips.

"Good. Welcome to the Cult Of Loki." I greeted.

The crowd once more erupted in cheers.

"That has a good ring to it, doesn't it?" I lightly chuckled. "Anyways, this is the formal start of our organization."

"We all know why we're here. We're becoming an organization to protect the Aegis Family and it's allies, but most specifically my fiancé Ken Kage." I started my speech.

"The world is dangerous. With the return of the Takao Family and the Assassin League hiding in the shadows, there are many threats in this world." I continued.

"You must be completely ready to fight. That's why we'll be training you as well. But once you're in the Cult, you're not getting out. I do not wish to repeat another incident like the one with my brother." I stated.

"I'll give you one last chance to back out." I added.

Nobody moved.

"Alright. From now on, you all part of the Cult Of Loki. First, introductions are in order." I told them.

"My name is Irene Aegis, Senior Sister of the Cult. I have the highest authority in the Cult, and will be making most of the decisions. I don't mind hearing your thoughts, however." I continued.

"These are the other Sisters." I stated, gesturing to my side.

Four others walked onto the stage, standing next to me.

"Iris Aegis, Erica Arthurson, Yui Yosei, and Lily Akuma." I stated. "These are the people with the second highest authority."

"If we are in a case where none of the Sisters are available, the next in charge is Diane." I replied, gesturing it my other side.

Diane walked up the stairs onto the stage, stopping besides me. Despite her blindfold, she was still able to easily walk and maneuver around without the help of a cane or another person.

It impresses me quite a bit.

"She's not a Sister, but head of soon-to-be Team Alpha." I informed. "Team Alpha will be the highest group it is possible to get into. At the moment the only member is Diane, so if you work hard you may get promoted."

"Only the strongest will go into Alpha. But even if you aren't in Team Alpha, don't worry. Everybody will be helpful." I continued.

"Now that introductions are over, I'll have you informed that we have received our first missions." I stated.

The crowd gasped in surprise. Even Iris and the rest of the Sisters were surprised.

"The first mission is this." I told them, pulling out a sparking silver phone. "This is a phone of one of the Takao delinquents. We believe that with it we may be able to track down the location of the Takao head."

"Who here is good at mechanics and with repairing electronics?" I asked.

A couple raised their hands.

"You will be working on fixing the phone. That's your first job." I stated. "Who here is good at hacking and tracking?"

Another person raised their hand.

"You will work in tracking down and pinpointing the location of the Takao leader." I told them.

"That is our most immediate priority. But we have a couple other missions which we must prepare for." I continued, handing the phone to one of the people who raised their hands.

"The next mission is once the location of the Takao leader is triangulated, we will take them out as quickly as possible, whether through an assassination or a full-out assault." I stated.

They tried to hurt Ken...unacceptable...not to mention her as well...

"We also wish to take out the new assassin The Pink Death. She has committed a sin against us, trying to murder Ken." I continued.

"Ken won the fight, but she is still at large. Unfortunately, due to her extremely high potential the Assassin League will protect her." I informed them.

"That is why we must become stronger so we can crush the Assassin League." I stated.

The crowd cheered.

"Thank you, thank you." I nodded. "Now, who here doesn't have an Arcana?"

Most of the crowd raised their hands.

"Who here would wish to unlock an Arcana if they could?" I added.

Some of the people dropped down their hands, but most of them were still raised.

"All right. Diane, pull it out." I ordered.

"Yes!" Diane nodded. She went to the back of the stage, before easily pushing out a large machine similar to a giant test-tube.

"Through a ton of researching and engineering the Aegis Family researchers and mechanics were able to create our own version of the Arcana Awakener." I revealed.

The crowd let out a huge gasp of surprise.

"No way?!" Yui exclaimed.

"...incredible." Gasped Iris.

"Seriously?!" Lily stated at it, wide-eyed.

"...oh my god." Erica gasped.

"Unfortunately it does not awaken the Arcana as quick as the government's does. However, it will still unlock your Arcana without risk as long as you have reached fifteen years of age." I stated.

"It's been thoroughly tested, so there is no worry of injury nor death. A trusted researcher will operate the machine, letting you unlock your Arcana, if you wish for it." I continued.

"That being said, thank you for your time. I have all of your contacts, and I will let you know where and when training will operate." I finished.

The crowd cheered, going wild.

The sight made me smile. All of these people working for the Aegis Family and Ken. It truly brought me happiness.

"Diane." I said, catching her attention. "Take some strong people to the next Underground Fight Ring. You'll be in charge of getting a presence in the Underworld."

"Yes!" Diane saluted, before quickly running off.

"Alright, let's go." I said, turning to my other Sisters.

"You had that?!" Yui exclaimed. "How?!"

"We have a great researching team." I replied, nodding.

We walked off of the stage, about to head out of the building when someone called out for me.

"Ms. Aegis!" Someone yelled.

Turning around, I watched as a girl our age ran up to me. She wore shorts and a shirt, but had a cape covering half of her, from her right shoulder down.

"She seems familiar..." I heard Yui mutter.

"Yes? What is it?" I asked.

"I just wanted to say...thank you." She replied, bowing down.

"What?" I responded, confused.

Just like Yui said, she seemed familiar. But I couldn't put my finger on it. Have I helped her before?

"I'm a first year student at your school. When the Takao Gang attacked the streets I was there, trying to help people run away." She stated.

"But I still have a long way to go. I suffered a terrible injury." She continued. She pulled aside her caps, revealing something shocking...

Her right arm was gone.

"I was the girl that Kage saved and Yosei healed." She revealed. "I can't thank all of you enough for saving me back there."

"I promise, that I'll become one of your strongest members in order to help you the same way that you all helped me." She stated.

A small smile slipped onto my face. "I look forward to it."

"Okay! Thank you!" She grinned, before running off.

How amazing.

Because of Ken, this girl wasn't killed that day. Because of him, she lived with a new purpose.

Ken truly is a good man, compared to trash like my brother and the assassins.

I'll keep him safe, no matter what. The Cult will grow. And it all will start with the end of the Takao.

"Come on, let's go." I said to the others. "We need to prepare for the upcoming war."