I

  Juno stared at his stump of an arm; nothing could make him believe it was a fluke or even a miracle. No, this was caused by another etheric being. This person standing just a few meters away from him, his back turned on him, holding the delicate blue haired girl in his arms.

  The young man seemed only concerned for her, her bloody face and body barely being held together by her will to live. His hand began to caress her cheek, but it glowed and made her gasp as she breathed air. His shoulders fell as a sign of relief.

  Juno still fixated on how he was wounded, he glared at the young man, only for the young man to glare back. His sharp and haunting blue eye shined with bloodlust.

  Juno instinctively took steps back and stopped as he couldn’t believe what he just did. Juno had always been the one to stomp over his enemies, someone who would always hurt and gain pleasure from such acts and never meet the consequences. Juno has had his fun with girls his age and never get into much trouble, including never losing a fight.

  But now, the lack of his arm proved it otherwise. “Who are you?!!” He snarled. The young man just sighed and placed the more stable Bon-Bon with his cape wrapping her. Lifting himself, he just simply twitched his arm, vanishing from the line of sight of Juno.

  Juno dumbstruck, felt a sudden pain on his ribs, and found his armor pierced and his rib cage broken. Groaning and even falling to one knee, he was met with an elbow strike and fell onto the snow. Shouting in frustration, he summoned his axe, slamming it onto the shoulder of the young man. This made him grin like an idiot but faded away as he realized that the only thing he destroyed was his hoodie.

  The mysterious young man had black hair that was the same as the night. Almost caught by surprise, Juno felt a strong grip on his jaw, and with a twist, his whole body turned and fell once more.

  Unlike the previous time, Juno was repeatedly punched in his face, the helmet not withstanding the first strike and breaking on impact with the fist. His hideous features were shown, and the young man showed his disgust.

  “Bastard!!” Shouting as he released his Etheric Pressure, he pushed his opponent off him and summoned a wave of crimson lightning and flame all together. Striking the smaller and thinner man, he smirked as he saw his opponent bend.

  “Yeah, that’s right. Not so tough now!” His words were eaten as a pure raw strengthened kick hit him in his liver. Puking blood, Juno had no chance to heal in time as the boy grabbed his remaining arm, twisting it and ripping it off from its socket. Juno cried and wailed as he felt his blood rain over the white snow.

  “God, oh god!!” He cried to the heavens. The young man only stared with disappointment at the giant crying. “Even after so long, you haven’t changed.” He said as he kicked Juno.

  “Who the fuck are you?!! A Hero from Altior?!!” Juno shouted as he kicked his legs. “You could say that. But that doesn’t really matter. All that matters is why you would attack directly after so long?”

  Juno tried to control his gushing blood, but his wound wouldn’t close as his opponent was a Hero of higher level. “Fuck you!” He shouted at the blue-eyed boy. “I have been waiting for you to get out of your hive.”

  Juno concentrated energy in his mouth and shot pure energy out as the boy took it directly. Juno felt horror as the young man stood there unfazed by his attack. “How?!” He cried out. The boy looked back at Bon-Bon and then back at Juno. “How about some treatment.” He said as he lifted the giant. They were eye to eye, Juno’s crimson eyes trembling as the blue eyes were calm, no fear, no remorse, no emotion.

  His fist cross through Juno, and a strong grip held his spine. Juno all could do was groan and cough blood. Then, he felt a sharp pain in his knee. His knee bent the wrong way, along being torn off. He tried to cry out but was stopped by the young man as his mouth was covered.

  Then, his other leg began to hurt, and his leg’s bone cracked into millions of small pieces which made his leg all floppy. He let out tears as he saw that the boy didn’t stop staring at him.

  “And to believe that I used to fear you.” Juno began to widen his eyes as he remembered. He began to feel a sharp and screeching pain throughout his entire spine as the hand that covered his mouth stabbed into his throat.

  Unable to speak, unable to move, and unable to scream, he felt as the fingers of his enemy drove further and further until he felt lighter. His head began to be infused with mana, and he looked at his opponent.

  He felt light, but as he fell, he saw a corpse, having broken armor with no arms and one mangled leg. It was his body. He couldn’t believe it. The young man turned away from his head and slowly ignited his corpse. His eyes trembled as he was left.

  The last thing he could see was the back of the man who had humiliated and defeated him. Lifting the injured Bon-Bon, he disappeared from the vision of Juno.

  As his sight began to blur, the shadowy figure returned, who seemed to not even bother to check for his body. Blackness took over and the grip of death pulled him away.

  II

  BON-BON

  My mother caressed my hair, brushing her fingers in my brown hair, and she let out tears. I didn’t know why she was crying, but her smile told me she was relieved. Her kiss made me feel warm, causing me to giggle and make her smile.

  Her eyes showed sadness, but as well a hint of hope. “Its time to wake up baby, open your eyes.”

  My eyes felt heavy, and my body sore with much aching going through every nerve. As I stared at the ceiling, I realized it wasn’t the gray sky, but a ceiling of a house. Twigs, mud and some leaves that reminded me of banana leaves held its structure. The white color of the ceiling made it look as to insulate the interior.

  The wall was made of some kind of cement and was quite well maintained. Moving my head, my eyes cleared, and I saw a girl sitting near the white chimney. Her purple light hair was long and braided neatly on the sides. She lifted her hands to cover her mouth. Her porcelain skin was white as snow, and she wore winter clothes that covered her from head to toe.

  “Os vi’sve, de’b report al Sanctus.” She shouted as she left the small room. Lifting myself, I could feel the fur, which looking down, it was a blanket. Then I realized I was naked, none of my clothes were anywhere near me. Taking a check on my System, I was in process of healing my body.

  It clicked as I just remembered the state, I was in. I lifted my arms, which I could feel, but an immense soreness took over after a few seconds of leaving it above my shoulder. It felt as if I finished to workout. Or even after running a marathon.

  Taking a better look around me, I found that the room was quite warm, the heat that emitted from the chimney was enough to heat up. A small table fit for two persons was three or four meters away from the chimney. Two chairs made of wood were on each side, one used by the girl who just ran out the room.

  The place had a sweet and clean scent, cinnamon, perhaps sandalwood? Then my eyes detected a moving object. Just flinching made the pain course through my body, and feeling helpless, I just sat there seeing what it could be. Then, leaping on top of the bed, a small kitten barely the size of my forewarn sat and tilted its small head.

  The completely white cat had chestnut brown paws and a small spot on its face, like a dot placed between its blue feline eyes. Meowing, it lifted its paw as if to inspect me. Giggling, I made small noises to call it closer. The door creaked as I could sense a mana signal.

  The kitten lifted its ears and ran back to where it came. As I heard metal rustling and something similar to a sigh, a young man entered the room. Behind him, the same girl from before stood trying to peak in the room.

  “Gra’Xia, pode ve’te.” The young man said to the girl. She blushed and bowed deeply. Then she looked back at me, waving and leaving all together. As the door closed slowly, he turned, and what caught my eye first was his blue inhuman eyes.

  I took a small pause to try and act normal, but he looked away. “Please cover yourself, have some respect for yourself.” The cold and calm tone let out, and with it, I stared down. Though my body was technically naked, some parts like my stomach and shoulder were covered in strange kelp. But my chest was exposed, and seeing it clearly, I began to feel my face burn.

  Squealing, I began to roll myself in the blankets, the small hint of cologne came to my nose, which made me more embarrassed. This was probably his bed. As if he knew I was already covered, he came inside.

  His hoodie was gone, and what took me by surprise was his hair. Black as the night, almost like feathers of a majestic fallen angel, along his white skin highlighting it. The sharp features made him very attractive, and he looked younger than me, almost a teen.

  Dressed in a dark green turtleneck shirt and having gloves that reached above his elbow, black jeans and combat boots. Though I had to admit, he’s cuter than anything else. But that all went away when his eyes looked at me with no emotion.

  This was the guy that radiated such warmth? He sat on the chair where the girl was, leaning back on it. His hair was messy and tied in a tail behind his head. By how little his aura could be sensed, I could tell he wasn’t an ordinary person.

  “Who are you?” I asked him. He looked at me with such intensity, I felt flustered by how he kept a cool demeanor. “That’s what I was about to ask you.” He said as he crossed his arms. “Sorry, but I can’t say, its classified.” He stared at me with a brow raising.

  “Classified, a Hero is classified?” I blinked. “So, you know I’m a Hero?” He nodded, along with him pressing his nape.

  “Each generation of Heroes has a stigmata on the nape, which yours shows to have the rune 14.” I touched my nape, just remembering that it's what proves me as a Hero. “So, you’re a Hero too?”

  Staying quiet, he just shrugged. “Just a wandering Hero who was at the right time and right moment.”

  “You’re lying.” I said as I tried to read his expression. This guy had no reaction, its almost as if he was just a picture or froze completely. He was good at concealing his emotions. “Well, can’t deny that, but I could say luck or whatever was on your side. Another minute and you would’ve died right then and there.”

  “Yeah, that’s why I asked you, who are you?” He looked at the ground, where the small kitten jumped on top of his legs. “I am the one who saved you from dying, along have brought you here to prevent from any of the other traitors from capturing you.”

  “Again, with dodging the question.” I hissed. He didn’t even break his demeanor. “If all you want is a name, well, I am Noctis.” Blinking repeatedly, I said, “No last name?” He shook his head. “Just Noctis.”

  “Alright, Noctis. Why did you bring me here, if you are truly a Hero, why didn’t you just take me back to Joyce?” I asked, trying to reach for my Cosmo. “Because you were in a bad shape. No matter what type of healing magic the people in the capital used, you would’ve perished. And I didn’t want to see you die, I know what it feels like to almost die alone.”

  That made me feel horrible. Taking a second to think, a growl roared in the room. Noctis looked at me, then pointed down to my stomach. My face turned red as I tried my best to hide my embarrassment.

  “Wait here.” He said as he stood up. Leaving the room once more, I could hear a pot begin to be placed on something metallic. He was gone for a few minutes, that is until the smell of meat and brew came to crawl into my nostrils. I began to feel my hunger claw at my stomach.

  After hearing liquid fall in a bowl, he came back with a bowl and a glass of water. The bowl was quite big, and the glass of water filled to the brim. He came close, which caused me to tighten my grip on the blankets covering my exposed body.

  “Here, it may be leftovers from last night, but it will do for your appetite.” I looked at the wooden bowl and spoon. He stared at me and put the glass of water on the table. Taking a sip from the bowl with the spoon, he showed me he swallowed and waited a few seconds.

  “See, I’m still alive.” He lifted the bowl towards me, in which he filled the spoon with what appeared to be chicken soup. I blushed as I took the spoon in my mouth and chewed. The rich flavor of chicken meat and what seemed to be carrot exploded in my mouth.

  I must’ve shown what I felt as he lifted another spoon fill of the soup. Taking another bite, I felt the vegetables that were soft enough to be easy to chew and the chicken tender and filled with taste of the brew.

  He spoon fed me for a while until I finished the bowl. He lifted the glass of water which I took and drank. I just realized how dehydrated I was as the glass of water was like being filled with life again.

  “Better?” He asked as I finished the water. “Um, yeah. Thanks, Noctis.” He took the bowl and cup and put them on the table. “Now that you have had your food, I believe you can tell me who you are.”

  I took a small breath. “Bon-Bon Lee, Hero of the Seoul generation.”

  “So, you’re Korean?” He asked. That took me by surprise. “Yeah, how did you know?”

  “I’m from a time where I know which country you are from, especially when you mention the city of Seoul.” He said, his eyes looked at the chimney.

  “So, what now?” I asked him, which I began to stare more at his face. His bangs covered half his eyes, but I could tell he was thinking. “You need to rest, even though you had for three days already.”

  If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

  “Three days?!!” I shouted; my body ached as I tried to move. He looked at me again, only to tilt his head.

  “If I’ve been asleep for three days, then that means that my class thinks I’m dead.” I began to lose my calmness as my anxiety kicked in. “I need to return; I need to go back.”

  Trying to lift myself again, I realized I was too weak, adding the fact that I could barely use magic as I suffered quite the extreme backlash. “Before you hurt yourself, please do understand the situation.”

  His words were like the winter breeze, cold and enough to wake me up from my panic. “Understand that not only are you injured, but there is a war going on. Adding to your problems, you might as well be wanted by the Tokyo Heroes.”

  He was right, not only did I survive, but Noctis had saved me and taken me to a safe place. But one thing came to mind. “What happened to Juno? I doubt he would’ve let you take me away. Are you an ally to them or…” he let my words float in the air for a moment.

  His eyes narrowed and turned hollow to the point I thought I saw the abyss in his eyes. The emotions or what was left of them, were gone as he said, “I killed him.” My blood wanted to stop pumping; my heart scared to beat at his presence. His intent was way beyond what I felt from Juno or any other person.

  “You killed him?” He nodded to confirm my question.

  “He’s nothing but a corpse now. You don’t need to worry about him.” His voice was rather empty of emotion, almost bluntly.

  “Just how much stronger are you to the point you could kill a Phase 6 Hero?” I asked. But an answer never came, he just scratched the ear of the kitten that purred with comfort. “You should rest Hero Bon-Bon. I’ll need to treat you again in the afternoon, so take a small nap, and if you can’t, do meditate. You lack connection to your Cosmo.”

  He lifted the kitten in one of his arms, stood up and left me in the bed. I just stared with shock; my words unable to leave my mouth. Noctis left as I just sat on the bed. He’s an enigma.

  No matter how much I can tell he was a calm person, that single moment that I mentioned Juno, I could tell he was showing such killing intent, almost as if he could remember the feeling when fighting him. But how could someone like him —a man who showed me empathy and even saved me from certain death— have such a terrifying aura.

  I place my head back on the fluffy pillows and stared at the ceiling. Eating and moving with soreness began to make me drowsy. My eyelids felt heavy, and with that, i blacked out.

  III

  Noctis lifted my arms, trying to see if I had any problems moving, or even having any soreness left. For the past two days, I began to see that I was really in a bad shape. Today I was able to stand and even use magic. He massaged my hands and fingers, something that was quite like relaxing my magic circuits.

  Even though he looked young, Noctis showed how much he knew about the Hero anatomy. Through the two days, he seemed to heal my body with just massaging me, along pushing his mana to mine. He stretched slowly my arms and legs.

  Lucky for me, I had clothes this time, only thing was the scent it had of him. I felt more as if he was always holding me. Noctis then pulsed small waves of mana in order to keep me from losing strength, a way to make my body regain its endurance.

  As he did this, I meditated through the time and found that my Cosmo was growing steadily. If I kept on this pace, I would reach my Phase 3 in no time.

  As he stated before, Noctis brought me to a village that’s near the border of the Abyss, where winter never leaves. The girl from before Teia, was one of these villagers. She would come to visit Noctis every morning, who I believe has a crush on him.

  Teia seemed rather different from a normal human, having purple hair, porcelain skin, along her eyes being quite intriguing. Her eyes had a beautiful purple color, her scleras being a darker shade, almost gray or black, highlighting her pretty irises. The tattoo on her forehead was a symbol or rune of the village, which surprised me.

  Teia would cook for Noctis as he left to hunt beasts and even bring some materials to help with cropping and the harvest of vegetables. He truly was a mysterious man as he knew how to harvest, heal and hunt.

  The language Teia spoke, Noctis had told me is an ancient tongue that was mixed with the elven language, which was where the people of this village originate.

  Noctis pushed mana slowly and gently through my back, making it easier for me to regenerate each part where it still felt heavy. This took us a few minutes, keeping his palm on my back, I could sense the regeneration healing completely my body.

  He stopped pushing, and I felt my circuits push my mana all throughout my body, no problems flowing in them. I smiled as i felt my mana return. Joy filled my heart as I began to flow mana in my body like streams of water. It felt strange for my body to have no mana, which even felt like a part of me was missing.

  “I believe you can use mana again. Whoever did that to your body tried to break your connection completely. Though it seemed they failed to target your Cosmo entirely.”

  “You mean that they tried to make me mana-less?” He nodded. “For one to use mana, the circuits act like connections to the main source, your Cosmo. They failed to break the connection, only trying to numb your circuits. You were lucky.”

  Taking in what he said, I did read in one of the books that a mana arts was the ability to control another person’s mana. This took in the fact that they needed to understand most of the mana and the circuits that moved such energy. For an ordinary mage their entire life to understand and master, but it was possible for Heroes to master it under one year.

  “But how did you manage to reconnect it?” I asked him. He simply cracked his knuckles, making fist and relaxing his fingers right after. “Because I was in the same situation as you were, only I managed to master it when I was trying to defend myself.”

  As he finished, I began to get hungry. Hopping off the bed, I went to see outside of the room. A small corridor that could fit one person at a time was in the middle, with the entrance being on my right, and on my left, were three more doors. One a few meters from where I stood, is where the kitchen was.

  The other was the bathroom, which was quite simple and clean. A small bathtub, a toilet and a small sink next to it. But the other room was somewhere I never entered as Noctis told me to never head inside.

  Peeking at the kitchen, where I found the stove. I found flour and some milk in the small box near the corner that worked like a freezer to keep meat and vegetables cold. It as well kept some milk inside, which I began to mix to make something to eat breakfast.

  Right then, I turned on the stove, placing the pan that was hung with other utensils in front. Making the mix, I began to cook, and the sweet scent of pancakes took over. I drooled as they were being made and check for other things. Finding honey and butter, I began to prepare it and after making a dozen, I cleaned the utensils and placed the two plates.

  My head peeked to see if Noctis was in the room, but he was not there. Going to the bathroom, I found that Noctis was there, just staring at the sink. “Are you okay?” I asked. He looked up at me, glowing blue eyes made me flinch, but he just sighed.

  “Yeah, just having a small meditation session. Lifting himself, I could tell that he was hiding his aura. This was truly impressive as I couldn’t sense even a slight hint of it. “Come have breakfast.” I said hurriedly.

  Taking the seat in front of me, he lowered his head and took a second as he began to cut his pancake with the fork. I just stared at him the whole time, trying to see any reaction or even to see through his eyes.

  “It’s rude to stare for so long.” He said as he took a bite. “I’m sorry, I’m not like this all the time, its just I’m wondering why you would go so far to help me?”

  He ate his pancake, my words hovering in the air. “I would be no better than the Hero who left you in that state, also, you had a slight 5% chance to live, so I took the odds.”

  I stayed quiet, my plate already finished as the seven pancakes I ate were gone just like that. He finished his and stayed silent. “I see. Thank you.” I said without looking at him.

  “You should take the time to meditate; I’ll be going outside in the back.” I was confused, but he stood up and left. I wondered why he always left after eating breakfast. Putting the wooden plates and forks in the sink, I laid back on the bed. Closing my eyes, I began to meditate.

  The nebula of my Cosmo was expanding, and the color began to turn into a light blue and lavender fusion. The fragments were continuing on showing the improvements of my magic skills.

  For a while, I began to get bored from just meditating, which I knew would bring me to completely syncing my mana and Cosmo, but I was getting tired of being inside this room. Lifting the boots that survived my brutal beating, I put them on and grabbed one of the capes made of fur from the small hanger.

  Opening the door, I was met with a breeze that felt like being in the empty snowy hills. As I took the view, the small house was surrounded by a huge wall made of bricks. Taking a few steps, I could sense someone with an aura that made me feel pressed.

  Noctis did say he was going out the back. I grinned maliciously as I tiptoed to the back, where I found him with only a thin shirt and his gloves. He moved slowly, each position precise, his footing perfectly place. And from what I could see, the house was in front of a huge cave. The cave, looking closer, was a giant tunnel that was made of pure stone.

  Noctis was training, and as well, seemed to do so while being fully immersed in his stances. From what I saw, I could tell he was taking stances of Muay Thai. His knees and elbows placed, and a sudden pressure shot out like waves of sound. His kicks made the wind break and whistle.

  Each movement like water, and each hit meant to kill. I could tell that he began to move differently, his hands started to wave, and with each motion, his body began to build momentum.

  As he finished, he took a deep breath, eyes never opening, and began to jab, his feet never touching the ground completely. The ground below had no snow, and was only dirt, which showed me it was a daily routine.

  As he began to shadow box, I saw that each jab and punch he threw, the wind was broken, and the mana particles were dispersed. This meant he was using raw strength, speed and even flexibility.

  I didn’t know how long I was staring as he kept on moving to almost every martial arts I knew. Then, he began to meditate. His body floated, one of his legs just hanging as the other was crossed.

  “What is it Hero Bon-Bon?” I flinched out of my daze as I stuttered. “I got bored.”

  He looked at me with a brow raised, his meditation never breaking. “How are you able to even stay in that state even though you're talking to me?” He shrugged, only to proceed staying there.

  “If you’re able to walk, let’s head to the village so you can clear your mind.”

  “No, I can’t stay any longer here, I need to return to my friends.” He sighed and lowered himself. “First, you should understand that we are on the other side of the kingdom to head to Joyce. Second of all, you’ll get lost the second you leave the village.”

  I stayed silent, unable to think of a response. “Let’s take a walk, so you can think properly.” Walking ahead, I just took my defeat and followed. The wall that surrounded the house had a small gate that leaded to a small path made of dirt around snow. Looking above, I could tell that the place was sealed from any sky, but the sun was still present.

  “How is the sun shining?” I asked. “The village was made underneath the cave where the last battle of the previous war took place. This village was founded six centuries ago, along being isolated from civilization. The ceiling is made of crystals that shine during the day, and there,” he pointed without looking at a giant hole that was a line in the middle of the cave, “is where the sun shines.

  I just stared at how dumb that looked. It’s almost as if the sun burned a hole from the crystals. “Woah.” He just looked at the path, while I stared at the single line that showed the sun. A bit further, a man with purple hair similar to Teia was standing inside a small hut made of fur and some trees. The trees that were farther from where the path was, I could sense two more mana signatures.

  The young man was around my age, his eyes the same as Teia, but he had a red tattoo on his forehead and one on his left cheek. “Vis’ve Dia Sanctus.” The same language the girl had spoken.

  “Vis’ve Dia Uris.” Noctis said. They spoke a bit, something I couldn’t understand, and then the young man —Uris his name I believe— waved. I waved, and he whispered to Noctis. Noctis nodded and Uris showed his astonishment. They patted their shoulders, and he gestured for me to follow.

  “What did he say?” I asked him. “He wondered if you are really a Hero,” he said, “Uris along those of his age have never met another Hero. Only their great grandparents have met more than one. Along the idea that they believe we don’t all look like humans.”

  “Really, what makes them think that?” I asked Noctis. “Because from what they heard from the outside is that we were similar to gods.”

  Taking the main path that led to a small fountain made of pure silver, in the middle, a black dragon was displayed, one with massive six wings that were detailed as angel wings, along having its arms and legs hugging what appears to be a planet. The black dragon seemed to be made of obsidian or another type of structure.

  “Are dragons real in this world?” I asked as I pointed to the statue. He stared at the dragon, which was standing around 8 feet.

  “They were known to be deities back at the old age. They were known as the protectors of the world. But no one has seen one in over twenty thousand years.” I listened, which surprised me. A medieval world, where dragons did exist, but haven’t been seen for over twenty thousand years.

  I looked at the statue once more, which I could see runes written all around the fountain.

  “Er Empy’Real col riso u deci ru su salve de sper’alza el Mun’De.” Noctis said in a harmonious and clear voice. “The Empyreal who fell and rose to save the world and bring back hope.” He spoke.

  “That’s what its translated as?” I asked him. He nodded. “The old language is quite difficult to translate, though it is clear that it implies the dragon that restored hope or faith in the world.”

  “Faith? Hope to what?” The questioned began to spill from my mouth. “In the old scriptures, the Primordials gave the races in this world many gifts, knowledge, magic, and wisdom. These three things made them prosper as a united world, in which there was barely any wars. Plus, the fact that many of those old age era denizens were so wise and keen in magic, they had crafted artifacts and even wrote the books we use to this day.”

  I was dumbstruck. The fact is he’s telling the truth. “In the ancient times, the dragons were protectors, even probably the ones who guarded Cypher. Even way before the summoning of Heroes, the dragons were considered gods. From the statue, it represented the hope in the gods, hope in living and mostly, keeping that hope gives everyone more to live for.”

  I understood that Noctis was telling me that even way before us or the other Heroes, there was problems with beings that kept disrupting the peace of this world. Taking a few steps further, I began to see huts and small homes made of cement and clay. Just like Noctis’s, they were small, probably just for a couple and their child.

  Each one had the similar shade of purple, making it seem like a painting. Near the corner, there stood a group of young women, probably my age or Noctis’s. They all could be considered beautiful or even gorgeous. They had the similar eyes and skin color, but their hair were different shades of purple and blue.

  Each one had a tattoo on their forehead, even most of them being dressed in winter clothes. They’re expressions lit up as they saw Noctis.

  “Oh no.” He said as he turned to look at them. His deadpan expression told me this was a routine.

  “Good morning, Mister Noctis.” One of them shouted. They all went to where we stood, and Noctis stiffened. I could tell he didn’t like attention.

  “Mister, are you coming to dinner tonight?” Another of them asked him. I was surprised being able to understand them, but I could tell they were talking the same language the kingdom spoke. Thanks to the System I could understand and speak it.

  “Yeah, are you?” Another spoke out. She grabbed his arm. Noctis seemed to just accept his fate. The chattering didn’t stop, I was being pushed aside, and I was left to witness how Noctis was grabbed and pulled. He looked as if he was tired, then a shout emanated from behind them.

  “Hey! Leave Mister Noctis alone!” Lifting myself to my toes, I saw a woman with indigo and purple hair, her tattoo on her forehead was different from the other girls, and she seemed to be between her late 20’s. Her bun was quite big above her head, and one eye was covered by her bangs. They all lined up on the side of Noctis.

  She took a calm approach and bowed in front of Noctis. “My apologies, Mister Noctis. It seems they still don’t know how to approach boys without seeming like fiendish beasts fighting for a piece of meat.” She glared at them. They all pretended to whistle and even poke at the ground.

  “Good morning, Ster.” Noctis said. She smiled widely as she looked at me. “So, this is the Hero who you saved.” I looked at the woman who kept glancing at me and at Noctis repeatedly.

  “Yes, she seems to be one of the Heroes brought in this generation.” He said as he lifted his arm to gesture at me. “Though you may all be from different eras, every one of you are quite the beauty.” Her eyes scanned me, something that gave me shivers.

  I was flustered, her words making me feel embarrassed. “Stop it Ster. Anyways, why did you come all the way here? Does your father know you came down?” She cleared her throat. “It’s my father who asked me to bring you to the elders. They wish to know the state of the Hero.”

  Noctis lifted his brows. “Oh, is that so? They worry too much.”

  She giggled. “Of course, when you brought her, almost everyone wanted to help her.” Noctis showed to nod and turned to look at me. “Let’s go Hero Bon-Bon. It seems they worry if they don’t see you.”

  I was confused. The elders? Noctis and Ster were walking in front of me, but I could tell that even a lady with manners and maturity like Ster, she was still flirty with Noctis. It seemed he was the crush of every girl, which other girls of our age came and went to greet Noctis, proving my point.

  As we headed higher, there, a giant hut that seemed like a rectangle that stretched like a greenhouse was in the middle of a beautiful garden of pure crystal flowers and vines. The hut was made of clay and large grass that covered mostly the roof. The strong scent of sandalwood filled the air, and in the door, we found a young man meditating.

  “Hey brother, I found Mister Noctis and the young Hero.” He opened his eyes, which surprised me that were indigo, and his sclera were black completely. His hair was a pale indigo color, and his forehead had a strange cross tattoo with a swirl underneath it. His serious face was relaxed as he saw Noctis.

  “Ah, sis, Mister Noctis.” He said with a deep voice. The young man stood up and seemed to be open as Noctis showed up. “She must be the Hero.” He said, his eyes trying to avoid mine. “Ster told me your father wanted to see us.” He nodded to affirm.

  “Yeah, please come in.” He said as he opened the door made of furs and what appeared to be animal skins. Inside, the warmth radiated from candles that were on the walls. Inside, certain drawings were shown. Nothing but a big space was the interior, along seven altars, four on the corners, and three in the middle of the three walls.

  In the center, eight elders were sitting on a mat that was pure cotton. The two young siblings went to the elder man that seemed to be their father. Old, but his physique said he was built like a wrestler, along having gray and indigo hair. His eyes were paler than his children, and his forehead had a rune tattoo right between his brows.

  “Please come in Noctis boy. Bring the young Hero.” He locked his arm with mine, which made me stay flabbergasted. We reached where they sat, along Noctis letting his cape and mine be put in the arms of Ster and her brother.

  Sitting in the middle, it felt quite intense as the elders stared at us intently. Though they all had passive expressions, I felt tense.

  “Would you like some hot chocolate?” The elder asked Noctis. Nodding firmly, the elder lit up and grabbed from his side a small pot made of stone and lifting it to pour on glass cups. Lifting them towards Noctis, he took them and gave me one. It smelled sweet and was very hot.

  “For five days and four nights, I was wondering about the young Hero. It’s seems I worry way too much.” He said with a bit of a raspy voice. “It’s alright, she was in a bad condition when I brought her, anyone would worry very much to see a young woman in that state.”

  He took a sip of the chocolate. His Adam’s apple was quite detailed. I took a sip of mine, which a rich creamy flavor came with no sweetness or even plain taste. It was as if I was drinking something made for the royals.

  “It’s true, even you looked distraught. You wouldn’t let her go no matter how much we tried to help. That’s something I never saw you do before.” I blushed as I saw Noctis look away from me. “It was caused by another Hero, one of the traitors.”

  The elders all looked sad, Noctis showed his empty dead eyes again, but they faded away as quick as they came. “I see, so they have begun to move again.” One of the elderly women said. Her giant round glasses showed her eyes to squint in pain.

  “Yes, now that I have slain the Hero who left her in that state, it’s a matter of time until they track her or my aura.” He closed his eyes. “How are you so certain?” The elder asked.

  “They have one girl, a girl who can track the last traces of mana left by Heroes. Taking the circumstances, they would have waited a day or two before being concerned why Juno never came back. If so, I believe I must return Hero Bon-Bon with her classmates.”

  They all looked surprised by his words. So was I. He didn’t tell me anything, but I was somewhat hoping he would consider this. “So, the time has come for you to leave? I was hoping to live and die with you present.” He said as he showed a sad expression. Noctis only looked deadpan.

  “Yes, I have my business as well against the Heroes of Tokyo, along to let Mister Sebastian’s soul to rest.” The elders all lowered their faces, something I knew meant in this world to respect someone who passed away. I stayed silent, but Noctis seemed to be quite ticked.

  “Though I understand that you wish to seek justice for late Sebastian, I wish you to not drown in such rage, its not good for the soul Noctis. Since I was a little boy, I could tell you would only feel that inner darkness that was left by your—!” Noctis shook his head, which caused the elder to stop from speaking more.

  “This isn’t about what I want, but for what’s good for the world. They seek to hurt millions, not just Joyce.” His voice seemed to be strained, almost as if to hold back his anger. The elder smiled faintly, but the others seemed to understand.

  “Noctis, we understand, and we shall miss you. We know we can’t have you here forever, but we are grateful for you. After all, you did help us be born in this world, live with peace, and teach us the ways to survive and to maintain the village.”

  I felt heart warmed as the elders all looked melancholic. The moment I began to understand, Noctis bowed deeply to them, only for the elder to lift him and hug him tightly. “Thank you, Mister Noctis, for everything.”

  I wanted to cry as I stared at all the elders begin to form a group hug. “Well, we shall have a feast for this occasion, to let you go and to return to secure the world once more. Vis’ve Sanctus.”

  He smiled, something that was quite new.

  “Well, as for the young lady,” the elder looked at me, “we should make some clothes for you, in order for you to travel along Mister Noctis.”

  “Huh?”