Echo of Nothingness (EON III) Continuation

Unsafe? For her perhaps. For the son of Sehun perhaps. For him, not even remotely close. It's not although August considered himself to be all-powerful, no certainly not. There were more than a handful of mages capable of defeating him. He wasn't claiming himself to be fearless, the anxiety he felt on a day to day basis far exceeded anything humanly possible. It was simply that nothing really seemed very dangerous to him anymore, not after training with his father that is.

August dropped into a quick curtsy, a terribly persistent habit of his which had it's roots in his childhood, during the days he pretended to be a girl, ashamed of his unnaturally feminine features.

August hurried in after Solomon, similarly ignoring their host. He had to admit it, he liked this kid. Straight to point, no twiddling of the thumbs or anything of that manner.

Liss was there, he didn't know how to feel about her. And, quite frankly, thinking about it made him feel uncomfortable. Rohan was there, August was already thinking of all the ways to provoke him. Kios was there, August bit his nether lip. With someone as powerful as him there August wouldn't be able to cause as much commotion as he would've liked. He remembered what his father told him, Never get on Kios' bad side, he will kill you. He might be more tamed now, but he is far more dangerous than the entire council of WarLords. Whether or not he was more powerful was a matter of debate. There were other people there, but he either never met them or didn't care.

August slumped his shoulders.

"Son of Sehun." The son of Adrienne turned to the ashy-haired boy, closing in on him, violating his personal space, all space was his after all. "Do away with that mask, it's unsightly." He backed away. "If your hiding a scar or something, Natsumi will be able to heal it, I'm sure. Whenever she gets back."

He turned to the two WarLords tied up on the couch. Funny, he didn't even notice them until then. He wanted to kill them, then and there. They deserved to die for defying his father. But, of course, he couldn't. Not with him there.

Just then a young blond boy walked over to the two WarLords, offering one of them a towel as well as some encouraging words. "Don't sympathize with the enemy." August said, causing the towel to burst into flames. August was accurate enough to destroy the towel alone, leaving the boy relatively unscathed. "Especially not in my presence."

The day didn't start as well as Kios had been led to believe by the smell of fresh pancakes. It wasn't often that Kios even slept in but for some reason he felt like getting a good night's rest. Due to that someone else was cooking breakfast and he had an odd feeling that it wasn't Danyell. Maybe it was because she was still lying down in bed next to him, but he humored himself by sarcastically thinking that he might never find out why he really had that intuition. However he too had heard all the commotion coming from downstairs and got up a few moments after his wife did, for her sake. He was sure that what seemed to be happening would put her under a lot of undue stress so he wanted to take some of that weight off her shoulders.

The smell of pancakes was quite enticing and he was happy to see Liss at the helm of that operation. "Good morning Liss, those look delicious." Kios greeted Kama before entering the living room. As had been said before, the pancakes got his hopes up but unfortunately there was now a hole, albeit a relatively small one, in his wall and floor. He didn't really mind about the damage but the interrogation didn't seem to be going so smoothly. Seeing the state of the two Warlords and Rohan in another room as well as the rest of the house's occupants, he accessed the situation and understood what had happened. However as he was about to step in, a knock on the door interrupted him. Danyell answered it and in came two young troublemakers, the young Soloman and the young August.

A quick glance over and he said in passing, "Welcome back to our house, Soloman." But then the man paused and did a double take. "Wait a minute... Soloman! You really did inherit something from your uncle, somehow." Kios said, pointing to his own left eye. Just then another commotion caught his eye and it snagged a bit of his anger as well. August hadn't seemed to notice him, but that wasn't surprising considering Kios was undoubtedly good at hiding his presence despite the enormity it commanded when the situation demanded it. This however wasn't one of those times. "August. That towel was one of Danyell's. Replace it soon."

Kios turned back so he was now facing both Soloman and August. "You two being here, not to mention arriving at the same time, seems like another series of oddly convenient coincidences but I'll ignore that for now in the interest of stability I guess you could call it. Long story short, the Warlords. They've seemingly been all but defeated but there's just a bit more trouble left. A rather persistent one and it seems we've already started interrogating these two Warlords here in the interest of closing this chapter as quickly as possible. August, I have no idea why you're here. Soloman, your brother was just here last night in case you're wondering why I'm confounded by the incredibly small probability for all these events to coincide so closely. That's all I have to say for now to you two. Don't make any more messes inside the house." Kios' eyes rested on Soloman once more, many thoughts going through his mind. "You know Soloman, you half remind me of my younger self. But only half because the other half is wildly different."

His next action was to pull up a chair beside the two bound Warlords, Kios' expression becaming a little more stern. Without hesitation he spoke to the Dark Warlord, "Alex, I understand why you're angry but you should also understand why you're here. So I expect cooperation. Confirm our suspicions." Kios glanced outside the window. Clouds were gathering on the horizon... it stirred a certain memory within him.

Lissandra glanced up at the sound of her father’s voice, before smiling brightly. It was a smile only her parents, and occasionally her brother, had the pleasure of seeing. “Good morning.” She greeted formally, a slightly childish pride aligning her gaze as he complimented her. Despite feeling inferior to her family members, that emotion was born from admiration and love. A strange and pure jealousy, demonstrated in stubble ways. “I’ll make extras for you.” She promised quickly in reply, before turning her head as he did. Her grin vanished in the blink of an eye. August. She felt her complexion begin to warm, embarrassment washing through her as she recalled their training. However she dismissed it as swiftly as it came, immediately returning to work on breakfast. Even if she hadn’t been able to keep up with his method of training, she was confident that she’d grown in her own abilities. More importantly, there was another boy too now. Meaning she had two more people to feed. Glancing over to Maxson as her rolled into the kitchen, Liss paused for a moment before slowly chuckling. He was pushy, and sought to help in manners that didn’t concern him... But that only defined him as a good person. Even if their personalities clashed sometimes, there he was. Offering to help once more. So Lissandra couldn’t bring herself to truly dislike him. “...Here.” Pulling out a large box of oranges, the young woman set them beside his wheelchair before handing him a large bowl. “You can peel these if you’d like. Then I’ll make orange juice for everyone.”
“Ah-!” Finally falling silent as her nephew pushed past her, Danyell slowly pursed her lips. What more was there to say? She had so many questions for him, but she knew that she’d need to give it time. He was grown now, meaning he was a different person than the little boy she remembered. What he needed was some sense of stability while he processed the new environment. She didn’t know the specifics, but she doubt he was used to the atmosphere of a home. Nor August for that matter. At least not a loving one. “Do you think orphanages tie up their children?” She inquired seriously, her eyes wide as a single eyebrow raised. If that was his mindset, it was obvious that he’d been through a lot. Though her observation was cut short as she smelt smoke. Growling slightly as Jove’s son began barking orders at their guest, Danyell opened her mouth to chastise him just before Kios stepped in. The gesture was enough to send a bit of heat coursing through her cheeks, and evoke a soft smile from her. He didn’t get enough credit for how good of a husband he actually was. Even despite his slip up a few days ago, he truly was her perfect match. “...August why don’t you have a seat. You’re a guest here, try to keep that in mind. This household runs very differently than what I expect from that of your father... Be kind to those within it.” She finally forced out in a firm, yet gentle, tone. No longer livid by the boy’s disrespectful behavior, thanks to her husband’s intervention. With that matter settled, her attention return to her nephew once more. While her husband did a remarkable job of swiftly summing their situation up, she knew there was still a lot more to say... In a gentle manner. So she left the warlords to Kios, and motioned for the boy to come closer as she took a seat. “Solomon... My name is Danyell, I’m your aunt. Spiritual... It’s a little confusing.” She admittedly softly while finally meeting his gaze. It was cold... Almost frightening. Yet she could recall the sound of his laughter, so many years ago. Part of her still saw that child, when gazing at him so intently. “The man who just addressed you is Iskios, your uncle as he said... We’re currently the caretakers of your brother, Zach... But there was an sudden attack...” Taking a deep breath, Danyell finally turned her head from him. Regardless of his earlier statement, she still couldn’t bring herself to tell him right away. She didn’t even believe it herself yet. “That was rumored to have killed your mother... Zofia. Zach went to find the truth, he’s visiting your uncle in Nil. The one who bares his namesake. My son Leios, and Kama’s daughter Natsumi-“ Briefly pointing to Kama across the room, the brunette then pushed her long hair over her shoulder before sighing. “Have accompanied him. They should be back in a few days.”

August met Kios' eyes for the first time, they were fierce, yet, at the same time they looked a lot like those of.... He winced, for a moment he was unable to hide his emotions, showing his fear in full.

"Kios." He began "between you and Sehun, who is stronger?" The question had always bothered him, his father would evade the question everytime August asked him, perhaps even he didn't know the answer.

"Kindness promotes weakness." The son of Jove shot back to his female host. "But, I'll play nice, even if it's only in honor of the friendship my mother shared with you." August clicked his tongue, he said too much. "As for taking a seat, I am going to have to decline. I only came here for my rematch with Rohan and Leios, but seeing that neither one of them are here, I have no intention of staying long." (Rohan is there but August just didn't see him)

He turned to Lissandra, not missing the luminescent blush that vanished from her face as soon as it had appeared. He smiled. So that's how it was. Teasing her wouldn't be nearly as fun as teasing Leios or Rohan, but he supposed that it would make for a good warm up.

"Liss. You are still alive. I guess you actually did learn a thing or two from our training."

Slowly glancing up to meet August’s gaze as he called out to her, Lissandra’s expression soured. She wasn’t fond of his causal prying, obviously seeking to get under her skin. Yet the very sight of him seemed to unravel her despite her mental conclusion. However she managed to push the thought aside given a few moments. The manner in which he addressed her mother was far more irritating than his simple tease. She wouldn’t stand for that level of disrespect towards someone she loved. “Perhaps, though I also learned a thing or two from my mother. Kindness promotes strength.” She retorted in a mumble, slightly paranoid that her mother would hear her. Luckily she seemed deep in conversation with the other teen boy, whom she didn’t recognize. Taking in a deep breath breath as another blush slowly began to form, Liss finally forced her gaze to return to August. “Besides, you may have bested me in training, but in a few minutes I will have undoubtedly bested you in the kitchen. No one tops my cooking... Expect occasionally my parents.” She finally boasted with confidence, and a quick wink.

When Danyell came done, Yuu flinched at her chastisement. "All I said was the truth..." he muttered under his breath crossing his arms. Nonetheless, her ire wasn't something he wanted, especially with how kind she has been to him, glancing at the warlords with a frown he simply backed off, with a quiet "...yes, Mrs. Danyell...", it had been a long time since he'd been scolded and despite the lingering annoyance, it felt oddly comforting '...Whatever I did, I guess it's nice that she cares to try and help me change it. She really is a hero!' He quietly mused as he leaned next to the broken wall.

Only a little while after did a knock on a door draw attention away from everyone, Mrs Danyell opening the door and gasping in disbelief, Yuu quickly followed after her to see what was happening. For all he knew, some masked wearing serial killer had shown up. Though he very highly doudted-

"The hell is with your face!" Yuu shouted bluntly, looking at the new stranger. His face was admittedly covered by a mask, but that in itself was a creepy enough thing. And the weirdly disturbing eye pooking out from the mask didn't help matters. "So, you this guy!" Yuu questioned as she pulled 'Soloman' into a hug, Yuu glared harshly as Soloman pushed her away, gawking as he just strode in while insulting Danyell and his own parents in one go, "Oi!" Yuu snapped at him with as he marched up to him, glaring at the other teen "tell YOU what's going on!? How about you explain YOURSELF!" Yuu noted pointing accusingly at him "Some random guy wearing a freaky mask, and werid-creepy-ghost eye, bursts in and we have to explain ourselves!?" Yuu began, before watching in surprise as Danyell and Kios both explained themselves, "And we're all cool with this! you two aren't getting any red flags!?" Yuu deflated, getting scolded for supposedly being rude, and then this guy getting what he asked far more rudely than Yuu was confusing his brain, 'Is he one of Mrs. Zofia's kids? So, he's Sunflower's brother?' Yuu's glared at Soloman, general discomfort changing it to a frown, 'good lord I need something to eat and help fuel my brain...'

Having been distracted by the whole situation with Soloman, Yuu was pretty unaware of the other stranger that had come in. Turning away from the situation, Yuu froze up as he spotted the other person to have blundered in after Soloman. Yuu's eyes were glued to the feminine form, his mouth let out a breathless gasp, 'that is...' his expression hardened into a glare as he watched her move about, Kios and Danyell’s confirmation sent his blood on fire. "...Vermillion..." he growled out, watching the child of Jove with a heated glare, Yuu's fist clenched harshly, knuckles turning pale from the pressure. "Why the hell are you here..." he growled under his breath, slowly approaching him, watching him threatening the blond boy for being kind, his body trembled as he glared at August. Looking at that face, Yuu was about ready to do...something, anything. 'Why the f*** is that lowlife, Vermillion bastard here!?' He couldn't help the heat coming off him, a strange twinge in his arm edging him on, looking at that face filled with nothing but rage.

Yuu recoiled back as he watched August and Liss converse, he didn't understand how anyone could talk to a scumbag like him. He frowned at the weirdly uncomfortable display they gave, thankfully killing off his immediate sensation. Looking down at his fist, he remembered Umi telling him to look after Lissandra, glancing back at Danyell reminded him of the idea that fighting right now wasn't a good idea at the moment. So, with all he could do at the moment, he swallowed the lump in his throat as he let out a frustrated sigh looking down at the ground. Composing himself, he quickly looked back up at August, "Oi...you should take that advice" Yuu called to August, crossing his arms, "Didn’t you say you were gonna leave soon, we're all kind of busy...so I would suggest you leave now" he tone was harsh, "Afterall I'm sure the Princess of Seiya has a very busy schedule right.."

In the midst of all the commotion, and with a serious tone and honest to gods straight expression had mistaken August for a girl.

Alexander glared at the crowd around them, Cassidy was sniffling as tried to correct herself. He glared at Danyell with spite, "Then you can understand when I say, compared to my family...I could care less about yours." He repeated firmly, earning a jab from Cassidy, rolling his eyes he spoke up again "I chose this path on my own, same for all the others, Mother taught us to fight. But in the end, she was still the only person to care about us enough to raise us. I get that you may not like it, but she is our mother" he glared at Kama, his anger at the events of Rohan attacking his sister still lingered in his mind, "And from what I can tell, she's a damn better parent than some of you here..."

Looking down Cassidy was surprised as to see Iggy approach her, tears stung her cheeks as she looked up at him sadly. Her heart ached, despite her actions was he still willing to be kind to her? Panicking as the towel was set ablaze, Cassidy watched as it burnt away. Iggy's reassuring words playing in her head, glancing up at the others, "I..." her voice trembled, "I'm...I'm sorry" she managed out, Alexander glanced at her with a pained expression, seeing her in such a state. Cassidy held her head up more as she continued, "I'm sorry, for hurting you...For hurting Umi...for all of this" she lowered her head again, tears falling onto the couch as she struggled for the words, "In the spsn of meeting you, all they've done is be nice to me", she didn't mean Rohan, "And I repaid it by betraying you. I never really wanted to do this all, what was I even suspecting to happen, even Mom didn't want me to join into the group. All I wamted to fo was help mama..." she looked up, a small, shakey, smile forming "Our mother who took us in, who raised us when no one else would, Judah, Ryuji, Lnna, Ying...she took us in, inspired us to try and make a difference. All we wanted was to make the world better..." Alex frowned as he took in a deep breath, recalling the years that the Warlords spent together, all of the dreams and hope. "Despite how she was helping us, during the whole time...all I could see on her face was despair, even still...she didn't waver, she wanted to accomplish our goal, no matter the cost. I wanted to repay her for all the times she made us smile, I wanted to be able to see her smile with us as well" she glanced at Iggy, and then looked to the hall where Rohan and Sahara went to "I figured, if she could handle any sacrifice...so could I. I'm so sorry, so sorry..." she closed her eyes as began to cry again.

After a couple moments, Alex glanced towards Kios who was looking at him that familiar gaze. "Tch..." he ducked away from his gaze, clearly perturbed by his presence glaring down at the floor "You know...Cassy and I were trained to take you down, Old man" he muttered out, before releasing a sigh. "You know better, right? She took us in, I lived in the dump for gods sake," he glared at Kios expectantly "She took us in, while other's barely gave us the time of day. We grew up alone, the only other person I cared for was Cassidy. All I cared about was Cassidy, and our Mother. She really wanted to make a better world, and I didn't care if it meant putting you down. All I wanted was future we could be happy in..." he slowly glanced to Cassidy, who regained herself as spoke up again.

"We love our mother, and we don't want her hurt..." she glanced at Kios sternly, though her voice was still shaky, "Which is why we need to stop her" Cassidy looked up at Alex, quickly repenting under her gaze as he nodded.

"Over the years...her condition has been acting up," Alex sighed "All the stress is getting to her. Say what you want, but she really did want to make a better world. But...I think all of this has put too much on her, so we'll help. She could very well loose herself" he glared at Kios, glancing at Cassidy who once again gave a confirmative nod. "You're smart..." He turned back to Kios, "I'm sure you've figured it out by now, Old man." He turned away, the wind slowly picking up to a good rush at this point outside.

"The founding Warlord, and our adoptive mother, Her name is Eve Skyslayer."

Though she’d been fully prepared to scold him, Sahara didn’t have the strength to once he apologized. Despite his tendency to push people away, and put up barriers, Rohan was actually a rather emotional person underneath it all. It was surprising, yet the new perspective made her cherish him all the more. He’d been under so much stress lately, all for the sake of his family. He really loved his family a lot... She wished he could figure out how to express that more clearly. To all those he cared for, for that matter. “I know... I’m sorry too.” Finally forcing back in a whisper, the young woman slowly bit down onto her lower lip. He wasn’t wrong. Cassidy had abandoned them to die... How was he supposed to act? She was seeking to take the lives of his precious family members. Sahara wasn’t even sure how she was supposed to treat Cassidy anymore. Still...
Gently touching the pouch on her side, she curtly nodded along with Rohan. It couldn’t have been completely her fault. The sweet young girl who’d given her the illustration of desert lilies within her pouch couldn’t have wanted this. There was a larger piece to the story they were missing. “You’re right. I’m sure of it... And thank you.” His apology to Cassidy probably wouldn’t mean much to her, but Sahara had a feeling it was a pretty rare occasion. She didn’t take him as the apologetic type.
Just as he slumped onto the floor and closed his eyes, a door nearby flung open. Soon after a frenzy of tiny feet crashing down against the wooden floor came barreling towards the groggy boy. “Rohan!” Screaming through a fit of bright giggles, an adorable young girl suddenly flung herself into Rohan’s arm. Sahara vaguely recognized her thanks to her similarities to her mother. This must’ve been one of Rohan’s siblings. “There was a big ‘BOOM!’, did you hear it?!” She squealed isn’t excitement, earning a soft chuckle from the emerald haired teen. The interrogation did seem to be growing more intense by the minute. It was certainly not a place for children... Yet a child’s perspective on the matter was somewhat calming. The little girl’s excitement and good nature threatened to be contagious. “Did you bring me candy?!” She immediately interrogated her brother, reaching into his coat pockets as a shout sounded behind her. “Tsubaki!”
Suddenly another child appeared, this one appearing much older. Her hair was long and tied back into a ponytail, it’s raven color making it hard to discern that she too was a Yosenju child. However Sahara was able to make it out in her face. “Mom told you to stay put... Sorry Rohan... Mom has morning sickness.” Immediately halting in front of her brother, a soft blush spread across her cheeks as she shuffled in place for a few minutes before hugging him in excitement as well. Though her brand of excitement was much more reserved, in comparison to her younger sibling. “I missed you... You missed reading bedtime stories with me.” She whispered softly before smiling brightly.

“Hey!” Iggy replied as one of the new people there burnt the towel he brought for Cassidy. That was rude of him, plus his attitude was something else, it was like Rohan but more annoying. Which pissed him off, something was pretty hard to do. Iggy clenched his fist then pointed at the boy or girl... “hey sh!thead guess what? I don’t f*cking even know who you are. And do i care? Absolutely not! You’re a rude brat probably with daddy issues, and that doesn’t give you the right to be an a$$hole” he Iggy responded just before danyell stepped in. Iggy calmed down after a few seconds and went back to Cassidy’s side “Smile! You look even more beautiful when you do” Iggy replies trying to get her feeing better.

There was so much going on at the moment, the warlord interrogation, some family reunion, and joves son showing up. Kama would rather go read in peace and quiet, but first they had to get what they needed from the warlord “good morning Kios, oh we got the approval to start on those blueprints we left in your workshop” he commented casually as he turned back to the warlords, they seemed to be getting the hand of their situation. Though there’s was some questions that needed to be answered “yeah we knew it was eve since yesterday, our lovely chef over there brought that information to us” he said point at Liss back in the kitchen “We wanted to know about her whereabouts, we must talk to her. Get her to calm down and drop this ‘kill the heroes and jove’ before she gets killed. We’re only trying to help.”

Rohan was finally getting some sleep, after all that happened that week he definitely needed some rest. Everything was so peaceful... just for literally 1 second. Rohan’s little sister called out to him just before jumping into his arms “he let out a small sigh and opened his eyes again “yeah i heard it, you shouldn’t be done here right now. Stay next to mom, alright?” Tsubaki was really like their mother, so energetic and happy. Rohan quickly reached into his pocket as well and pulled it a small plastic bag with some rock candy inside “i got you rock candy from Nil, i hope you like it.” After handingbehr the bag he tied her shoes for her as Sango came by as well “ah my favorite bookworm! I haven’t forgotten about you...” he pulled out another plastic bag with rock candy for her “i know you would prefer a book but this all i could get for now.” Rohan wrapped both arms around his sister and closed his eyes “i wouldn’t mind if you read me a story right now” he said while falling asleep.

“You can eat the rocks in Nil?!” The tiny redhead immediately lit up, happily accepting her small plastic sack before plotting down onto Rohan’s lap. Now seemingly calm, and content thanks to her gift. Carefully opening the bag as if she’d discovered a new treasure, Tsubaki examined the crystal like candy before munching away. Her feet kicking wildly as the hung over her brother’s lap. Meanwhile Sango wore a bright grin as Rohan pulled her to sit on his lap as well, settling down beside her sister while also opening up her treat. “Oh, I don’t have one on me... Should I go back to the room, and retrieve one for you?” She immediately offered, already beginning to stand as Sahara took a step forward. They were so cute. She couldn’t help wanting to make them happy as well. “I-I could tell you a story if you’d like.” Muttering gently as she looked the siblings over, the young woman found herself chuckling at Sango’s troubled expression. Nevertheless she sat down once more, timidly raised her gaze to meet to meet Sahara’s before responding. “Without a book?”
Nodding slowly in reply as she sat on the ground across from them, the blacksmith offered them an encouraging smile. “If you’d like.” She waited for Sango’s nod, and Tsubaki’s energetic cheers, before taking in a deep breath. This was a story she’d heard a hundred times growing. Knowing its details as if they were written upon the back of her hand... Still a small part of her was worried that she’d fail to tell in with the same conviction as her father. However it was too late to turn back now.
“In Nil, it is said that survival is only possible when in the underground cities. Though in the beginning, survival wasn’t thought to even be a possibility. It was the massive tunnels forged by ancient Nilisian Sand Worm encouraged civilian to adapt to a similar life style. Bringing powerful earth Senshitsu barers to the deepest depths of the desert, challenging themselves to forge a brand new style of Senshitsu... Sand.
However even with these great new abilities, there where many dangers when living with the Nilian desert... The Nilisian Sand Worm who had inspired the settlers also proved to be quite hostile. Those who wished to return to their original homes would have to face the treacherous sand storms above, with little water to spare.
Some of the settlers came to believe the marvelous underground cities they’d worked so hard to build, would be nothing more than the world’s largest tomb.
However thanks to the hard working dedication of those brave men and women, the capital city began to grow. As the new generation was born and raised within the city limits, their society began to further evolve... And finally thrive. They faced the Sand Worms as they came, along with countless other threats, and built a civilian to be reckoned with. As powerful and prideful to this day as it was hundreds of years ago.
Soon the city began to branch out, creating other successful settlements... While also earning the attention of countless travelers.
One of which was spirited and dashing young man, discovering the city on accident amongst his travels. Said to enter upon the very brink of death, the lad was swiftly transported to the medical unit in hopes that it wasn’t too late. Fortunately it was merely dehydration, and he was soon nursed back to health by a kind and gentle soul. A young woman by the name of Lilac.
After overstaying his welcome, and returning to visit her countless times under the pretense of fake injuries, the man finally convinced her to join him for an evening walk. A fated day in Nilian history. It was the day the fair Lilac fell in love. Continuing their courtship for many months, the two found themselves growing more serious. Naturally talk became of their future together. It was around this time the young man grew restless, eager to see the sun once more. He was Kagutsuchian, like your family.”
Pausing to offer the three a smile, Sahara then swiftly continued on.
“Though he couldn’t bring himself to leave his dearest love behind... And as destiny would have it, it was also around that time the fair Lilac came across an injured infant Nilisian Sand Worm. It was during her weeks of carefully nursing it back to health, that her beloved finally confessed to her how homesick he truly was. However Lilac had been born in the underground city, so it was all she’d ever know. The two began grow apart, both torn after attempting to reason with the other for several weeks. All to no avail. For he needed the sun, as much as she needed her native land.
A few months later, the young woman had resolved to call off their plans of engagement. As much as it broke her heart, she couldn’t bare to leave him trapped underground any longer. Though once he’d come at her request, her plan was cut short. You see, the Nilisian Sand Worm had grown significantly in those few months. Now fully healed, the young worm decided to forge tunnels of its own... With his new mother in toe. The young woman had become quite attached to her worm, so she chased after it using her Senshitsu for many many miles. Naturally her lover swiftly followed after her, and the two eventually found themselves lost amongst the numerous tunnels.
Too far in to turn back, and too far gone to carry much hope, Lilac finally found the solitude to grieve. Though not for her pet. For her love she was sending away. However, to her surprise young man declined her offer. Deciding earlier on stay with her, even if it meant never seeing the sun again. She had become his new home. That was when he noticed a new light, though familiar was it’s warmth. He eagerly carried her towards it, and after several hours found himself at an opening. A large collective tunnel formed by the worm to reach the eye of the largest storm in the desert. A storm spanning through a large portion of it to this day.
It was in the clearing that the two found the answers to their problems... The sun within the desert, and a safe enough environment to settle the land. Despite being reckless and crazy, they built a home there. Together. A place where both their needs where met. Over time a for others from the tunnels joined them, slowly building the first Nilian city to sit atop the sand. Still as tiny today as it was back then.
Well... A little bit bigger.
Lilac Town.”

DannyGirl~ wrote:Lissandra glanced up at the sound of her father’s voice, before smiling brightly. It was a smile only her parents, and occasionally her brother, had the pleasure of seeing. “Good morning.” She greeted formally, a slightly childish pride aligning her gaze as he complimented her. Despite feeling inferior to her family members, that emotion was born from admiration and love. A strange and pure jealousy, demonstrated in stubble ways. “I’ll make extras for you.” She promised quickly in reply, before turning her head as he did. Her grin vanished in the blink of an eye. August. She felt her complexion begin to warm, embarrassment washing through her as she recalled their training. However she dismissed it as swiftly as it came, immediately returning to work on breakfast. Even if she hadn’t been able to keep up with his method of training, she was confident that she’d grown in her own abilities. More importantly, there was another boy too now. Meaning she had two more people to feed. Glancing over to Maxson as her rolled into the kitchen, Liss paused for a moment before slowly chuckling. He was pushy, and sought to help in manners that didn’t concern him... But that only defined him as a good person. Even if their personalities clashed sometimes, there he was. Offering to help once more. So Lissandra couldn’t bring herself to truly dislike him. “...Here.” Pulling out a large box of oranges, the young woman set them beside his wheelchair before handing him a large bowl. “You can peel these if you’d like. Then I’ll make orange juice for everyone.”
“Ah-!” Finally falling silent as her nephew pushed past her, Danyell slowly pursed her lips. What more was there to say? She had so many questions for him, but she knew that she’d need to give it time. He was grown now, meaning he was a different person than the little boy she remembered. What he needed was some sense of stability while he processed the new environment. She didn’t know the specifics, but she doubt he was used to the atmosphere of a home. Nor August for that matter. At least not a loving one. “Do you think orphanages tie up their children?” She inquired seriously, her eyes wide as a single eyebrow raised. If that was his mindset, it was obvious that he’d been through a lot. Though her observation was cut short as she smelt smoke. Growling slightly as Jove’s son began barking orders at their guest, Danyell opened her mouth to chastise him just before Kios stepped in. The gesture was enough to send a bit of heat coursing through her cheeks, and evoke a soft smile from her. He didn’t get enough credit for how good of a husband he actually was. Even despite his slip up a few days ago, he truly was her perfect match. “...August why don’t you have a seat. You’re a guest here, try to keep that in mind. This household runs very differently than what I expect from that of your father... Be kind to those within it.” She finally forced out in a firm, yet gentle, tone. No longer livid by the boy’s disrespectful behavior, thanks to her husband’s intervention. With that matter settled, her attention return to her nephew once more. While her husband did a remarkable job of swiftly summing their situation up, she knew there was still a lot more to say... In a gentle manner. So she left the warlords to Kios, and motioned for the boy to come closer as she took a seat. “Solomon... My name is Danyell, I’m your aunt. Spiritual... It’s a little confusing.” She admittedly softly while finally meeting his gaze. It was cold... Almost frightening. Yet she could recall the sound of his laughter, so many years ago. Part of her still saw that child, when gazing at him so intently. “The man who just addressed you is Iskios, your uncle as he said... We’re currently the caretakers of your brother, Zach... But there was an sudden attack...” Taking a deep breath, Danyell finally turned her head from him. Regardless of his earlier statement, she still couldn’t bring herself to tell him right away. She didn’t even believe it herself yet. “That was rumored to have killed your mother... Zofia. Zach went to find the truth, he’s visiting your uncle in Nil. The one who bares his namesake. My son Leios, and Kama’s daughter Natsumi-“ Briefly pointing to Kama across the room, the brunette then pushed her long hair over her shoulder before sighing. “Have accompanied him. They should be back in a few days.”

Despite having put the inquiry out there, he honestly hadn't expected the ensuing verbal barrage he was faced with. Several of the inhabitants of the house threw remarks or explanations his way, including the boy who Solomon had entered the house with earlier. However, finally seeing a face that he vaguely recognized, he decided to keep quiet and tune all of the background noise out, instead focusing solely on the words the he spoke. 'Is that... Uncle Kios...?' he thought to himself, the man's face poking at some long hidden memories in the back of his subconscious. As Kios began to speak, his suspicions were confirmed. But, if this was indeed his uncle, then...

Solomon looked back at the hostess of this bustling house, feeling a slight touch of guilt for his blunt and unfeeling introduction to his aunt. Still, although Kios seemed distantly recognizable to him, he couldn't quite seem to remember the name of his aunt. He shifted his focus back to the conversation just in time to catch Kios's explanation of the current situation. "Warlords..." he repeated, shooting an accusing glance in the direction of Cassidy and Alex, "You could've fooled me." His jaw clenched and his fingers tightened at the explanation of Zach's departure. Once again, he had let the only remaining source of closure and identity slip away from him because of meaningless trivialities. If he hadn't sapped his energy reserves by needlessly blowing up that town in Wu-Long, perhaps he would have been able to arrive in time to catch his brother.

Following Kios's last remark, he felt a sharp pain surge through his head, like a knife had been twisted inside his brain. Solomon hid his pain well, because though he wasn't sure what the cause of the sudden migraine was, he felt it was probably best not to show signs of weakness in what could possibly still be hostile territory. Recovering quickly, his expression soured, and though most of his face was obscured by his mask, the spite on his face was clear. "Listen here, old man," he replied, "You and I are nothing alike, and if you think otherwise, then you're far more naive than I expected."

Solomon was about to continue, but before he could finish his reply to his uncle, Danyell pulled him aside, and the look on her face didn't bode well for him. "Look, if you're here to scold me about-" he started, stopping quickly as he observed her face closer. Clearly, a mere lecture wasn't the topic on her mind at the moment, so he decided for once to stay quiet and keep his unwavering cynicism to himself. Right away, his assumption of their familial relation was correct, and he was reminded of her name, though it still didn't dig up any feeling or memory inside his head. "Danyell..." he repeated, growing somewhat annoyed at the glaring gaps in his memory. Solomon didn't need it to be spelled out for him to know the cause behind his fractured memory: the Ashen. That was an issue to ponder another day, however, as he couldn't let himself once again become distracted from his purpose, as he did yesterday.

At the mention of his mother's name, and the revelation that came with it, Solomon's head started to become clouded. The words that Danyell spoke afterwards were lost upon him, obscured by the shadows that seemed to fill the room around him. He felt...

Empty? He had expected to feel some sort of remorse, or anger, something to remind him that he was human. Instead, he felt... nothing. Truly, he did feel some sensation stirring within his soul, but it only confused him further. Just as he felt close to understanding this emotion, the room fell entirely dark, a ravenous darkness that would make the night sky glimmer like a firefly in comparison. His eye lit up, the sole source of light in the void which now surrounded him. The radiance from his eye burned with a searing, agonizing heat, torching the skin around it. Solomon lurched over, holding his eye in his hand, grunting from the intensity of the pain. He felt his entire body tense up, and the headache from before returned in full effect.

As the torturous surge of pain peaked after what seemed like hours, Solomon felt a hand grip his shoulder. Turning around, he removed his hand from his eye, and it widened in his response to what he witnessed. He could see the outlined silhouette of a woman, her particular shadow somehow visible amongst the endless sea of darkness surrounding him. She reached a hand out toward him, and Solomon felt an otherworldly gravitation pulling the essence of his soul toward her. And, just as quickly as the woman had appeared before him, she was gone, and Solomon found himself back in the room, facing away from Danyell, staring blankly in the direction where he had seen the woman moments ago. Solomon blinked once, before recoiling from the intense ache he felt upon closing his eye. Bringing his fingers back to his face, he felt the skin around his left eye, which was now rough and coarse to the touch, marred and twisted by the burning light he had endured during his vision. Turning back to face Danyell, his expression warped into a sinister frown partially covered under his mask.


Bringing his hand up to face his aunt, a violent spark of Tainted Seishitsu appeared in his palm, before exploding out into a wild beam of energy, impaling Danyell through her torso.

(To Liss)

Today was not his day. First Leios wasn't there and now Liss was shaking off his taunts? August knitted his brows. So she did grow somewhat after all. But there were more ways than one to get what he wanted. A real shame that Rohan wasn't there, August could've slain two birds with one stone, oh well.

"Natsumi truly is amazing isn't she? Kind, comely " he leaned closer to Liss before whispering the final word "powerful."

August left before Liss could react, he didn't have to see her face, he already knew he had won.

August ignored Iggy, he was but a child after all, ripping his mind to shreds would be a thing too easy. August could never take pride in such a thing.


(To Yuu)

Princess? August was called many things in his life, a spitfire, a pretentious pr*ck, and several other belittling epithets that didn't bear repeating, but never a Princess.

"I will leave whenever I feel like it, and not a second before." August noted how Yuu constantly glanced over at Liss, he smirked. "You really should learn to mask your thoughts, when you don't you expose both yourself and your loved ones to every manner of danger."

He turned and walked away. "Oh, by the way." He stopped in his tracks "I'm a boy, if possible could you not leer so much, it's a bit unsettling."


(To Solomon)

Darkness. No, darkness paled in comparison to this, this was the abyss beneath the abyss, a level of darkness August didn't even know existed.

August's first reaction was to summon a sphere of fire, lighting the area in his immediate vicinity.

He should've known better than to let his guard down. Kios, his brows began to moisten, who else had such a mastery of the shadow style? A trap, obviously.

Clearly August was no match for Kios, but if he were to use Liss as captive then perhaps he might have winning chance, or, at the very least, a confirmed escape route.

No. Even he wouldn't sink that low, if worst came to worst, he'll just have to battle his older brother.

Then, just like that, the darkness scattered.

Everyone was exactly where they were before the sudden darkness had struck, in fact, it seemed as if nothing had happened at all. An illusion. August lowered his head, embarrassed to have had made just a miscalculation. Was he always this paranoid?

August's entire form began to quiver.

The son of Jove walked outside, desperate for some fresh air. Unfortunately, this alone wasn't enough to ease his anxiety.

Sinking down, August performed several stretches, from a split to the running stretch.

Once he was warmed up, August began practicing his flame control. Taking a deep breath, August allowed the heat to expand from his stomach into every corner of his body. Before long he was discharging darts of fire in every which direction, destroying what little remained of the neighborhood. The only house he had missed was, of course, that of Kios', for obvious reasons.

Having finished, he returned to Kios' house, far more calm than he had been on his leaving, only to find, on his reentry, a scene so bizarre that it was strikingly beautiful. Danyell lying flat on her back, smoke rising from a hole in her torso, and Solomon just standing there, a crazed look on his face. August licked his lips, maybe the day wasn't that bad after all.

Jove wrote:August met Kios' eyes for the first time, they were fierce, yet, at the same time they looked a lot like those of.... He winced, for a moment he was unable to hide his emotions, showing his fear in full.

"Kios." He began "between you and Sehun, who is stronger?" The question had always bothered him, his father would evade the question everytime August asked him, perhaps even he didn't know the answer.

"Kindness promotes weakness." The son of Jove shot back to his female host. "But, I'll play nice, even if it's only in honor of the friendship my mother shared with you." August clicked his tongue, he said too much. "As for taking a seat, I am going to have to decline. I only came here for my rematch with Rohan and Leios, but seeing that neither one of them are here, I have no intention of staying long." (Rohan is there but August just didn't see him)

He turned to Lissandra, not missing the luminescent blush that vanished from her face as soon as it had appeared. He smiled. So that's how it was. Teasing her wouldn't be nearly as fun as teasing Leios or Rohan, but he supposed that it would make for a good warm up.

"Liss. You are still alive. I guess you actually did learn a thing or two from our training."

DannyGirl~ wrote:Slowly glancing up to meet August’s gaze as he called out to her, Lissandra’s expression soured. She wasn’t fond of his causal prying, obviously seeking to get under her skin. Yet the very sight of him seemed to unravel her despite her mental conclusion. However she managed to push the thought aside given a few moments. The manner in which he addressed her mother was far more irritating than his simple tease. She wouldn’t stand for that level of disrespect towards someone she loved. “Perhaps, though I also learned a thing or two from my mother. Kindness promotes strength.” She retorted in a mumble, slightly paranoid that her mother would hear her. Luckily she seemed deep in conversation with the other teen boy, whom she didn’t recognize. Taking in a deep breath breath as another blush slowly began to form, Liss finally forced her gaze to return to August. “Besides, you may have bested me in training, but in a few minutes I will have undoubtedly bested you in the kitchen. No one tops my cooking... Expect occasionally my parents.” She finally boasted with confidence, and a quick wink.

Derekjay2000 wrote:Alexander glared at the crowd around them, Cassidy was sniffling as tried to correct herself. He glared at Danyell with spite, "Then you can understand when I say, compared to my family...I could care less about yours." He repeated firmly, earning a jab from Cassidy, rolling his eyes he spoke up again "I chose this path on my own, same for all the others, Mother taught us to fight. But in the end, she was still the only person to care about us enough to raise us. I get that you may not like it, but she is our mother" he glared at Kama, his anger at the events of Rohan attacking his sister still lingered in his mind, "And from what I can tell, she's a damn better parent than some of you here..."

Looking down Cassidy was surprised as to see Iggy approach her, tears stung her cheeks as she looked up at him sadly. Her heart ached, despite her actions was he still willing to be kind to her? Panicking as the towel was set ablaze, Cassidy watched as it burnt away. Iggy's reassuring words playing in her head, glancing up at the others, "I..." her voice trembled, "I'm...I'm sorry" she managed out, Alexander glanced at her with a pained expression, seeing her in such a state. Cassidy held her head up more as she continued, "I'm sorry, for hurting you...For hurting Umi...for all of this" she lowered her head again, tears falling onto the couch as she struggled for the words, "In the spsn of meeting you, all they've done is be nice to me", she didn't mean Rohan, "And I repaid it by betraying you. I never really wanted to do this all, what was I even suspecting to happen, even Mom didn't want me to join into the group. All I wamted to fo was help mama..." she looked up, a small, shakey, smile forming "Our mother who took us in, who raised us when no one else would, Judah, Ryuji, Lnna, Ying...she took us in, inspired us to try and make a difference. All we wanted was to make the world better..." Alex frowned as he took in a deep breath, recalling the years that the Warlords spent together, all of the dreams and hope. "Despite how she was helping us, during the whole time...all I could see on her face was despair, even still...she didn't waver, she wanted to accomplish our goal, no matter the cost. I wanted to repay her for all the times she made us smile, I wanted to be able to see her smile with us as well" she glanced at Iggy, and then looked to the hall where Rohan and Sahara went to "I figured, if she could handle any sacrifice...so could I. I'm so sorry, so sorry..." she closed her eyes as began to cry again.

After a couple moments, Alex glanced towards Kios who was looking at him that familiar gaze. "Tch..." he ducked away from his gaze, clearly perturbed by his presence glaring down at the floor "You know...Cassy and I were trained to take you down, Old man" he muttered out, before releasing a sigh. "You know better, right? She took us in, I lived in the dump for gods sake," he glared at Kios expectantly "She took us in, while other's barely gave us the time of day. We grew up alone, the only other person I cared for was Cassidy. All I cared about was Cassidy, and our Mother. She really wanted to make a better world, and I didn't care if it meant putting you down. All I wanted was future we could be happy in..." he slowly glanced to Cassidy, who regained herself as spoke up again.

"We love our mother, and we don't want her hurt..." she glanced at Kios sternly, though her voice was still shaky, "Which is why we need to stop her" Cassidy looked up at Alex, quickly repenting under her gaze as he nodded.

"Over the years...her condition has been acting up," Alex sighed "All the stress is getting to her. Say what you want, but she really did want to make a better world. But...I think all of this has put too much on her, so we'll help. She could very well loose herself" he glared at Kios, glancing at Cassidy who once again gave a confirmative nod. "You're smart..." He turned back to Kios, "I'm sure you've figured it out by now, Old man." He turned away, the wind slowly picking up to a good rush at this point outside.

"The founding Warlord, and our adoptive mother, Her name is Eve Skyslayer."

Masyar wrote:Despite having put the inquiry out there, he honestly hadn't expected the ensuing verbal barrage he was faced with. Several of the inhabitants of the house threw remarks or explanations his way, including the boy who Solomon had entered the house with earlier. However, finally seeing a face that he vaguely recognized, he decided to keep quiet and tune all of the background noise out, instead focusing solely on the words the he spoke. 'Is that... Uncle Kios...?' he thought to himself, the man's face poking at some long hidden memories in the back of his subconscious. As Kios began to speak, his suspicions were confirmed. But, if this was indeed his uncle, then...

Solomon looked back at the hostess of this bustling house, feeling a slight touch of guilt for his blunt and unfeeling introduction to his aunt. Still, although Kios seemed distantly recognizable to him, he couldn't quite seem to remember the name of his aunt. He shifted his focus back to the conversation just in time to catch Kios's explanation of the current situation. "Warlords..." he repeated, shooting an accusing glance in the direction of Cassidy and Alex, "You could've fooled me." His jaw clenched and his fingers tightened at the explanation of Zach's departure. Once again, he had let the only remaining source of closure and identity slip away from him because of meaningless trivialities. If he hadn't sapped his energy reserves by needlessly blowing up that town in Wu-Long, perhaps he would have been able to arrive in time to catch his brother.

Following Kios's last remark, he felt a sharp pain surge through his head, like a knife had been twisted inside his brain. Solomon hid his pain well, because though he wasn't sure what the cause of the sudden migraine was, he felt it was probably best not to show signs of weakness in what could possibly still be hostile territory. Recovering quickly, his expression soured, and though most of his face was obscured by his mask, the spite on his face was clear. "Listen here, old man," he replied, "You and I are nothing alike, and if you think otherwise, then you're far more naive than I expected."

Solomon was about to continue, but before he could finish his reply to his uncle, Danyell pulled him aside, and the look on her face didn't bode well for him. "Look, if you're here to scold me about-" he started, stopping quickly as he observed her face closer. Clearly, a mere lecture wasn't the topic on her mind at the moment, so he decided for once to stay quiet and keep his unwavering cynicism to himself. Right away, his assumption of their familial relation was correct, and he was reminded of her name, though it still didn't dig up any feeling or memory inside his head. "Danyell..." he repeated, growing somewhat annoyed at the glaring gaps in his memory. Solomon didn't need it to be spelled out for him to know the cause behind his fractured memory: the Ashen. That was an issue to ponder another day, however, as he couldn't let himself once again become distracted from his purpose, as he did yesterday.

At the mention of his mother's name, and the revelation that came with it, Solomon's head started to become clouded. The words that Danyell spoke afterwards were lost upon him, obscured by the shadows that seemed to fill the room around him. He felt...

Empty? He had expected to feel some sort of remorse, or anger, something to remind him that he was human. Instead, he felt... nothing. Truly, he did feel some sensation stirring within his soul, but it only confused him further. Just as he felt close to understanding this emotion, the room fell entirely dark, a ravenous darkness that would make the night sky glimmer like a firefly in comparison. His eye lit up, the sole source of light in the void which now surrounded him. The radiance from his eye burned with a searing, agonizing heat, torching the skin around it. Solomon lurched over, holding his eye in his hand, grunting from the intensity of the pain. He felt his entire body tense up, and the headache from before returned in full effect.

As the torturous surge of pain peaked after what seemed like hours, Solomon felt a hand grip his shoulder. Turning around, he removed his hand from his eye, and it widened in his response to what he witnessed. He could see the outlined silhouette of a woman, her particular shadow somehow visible amongst the endless sea of darkness surrounding him. She reached a hand out toward him, and Solomon felt an otherworldly gravitation pulling the essence of his soul toward her. And, just as quickly as the woman had appeared before him, she was gone, and Solomon found himself back in the room, facing away from Danyell, staring blankly in the direction where he had seen the woman moments ago. Solomon blinked once, before recoiling from the intense ache he felt upon closing his eye. Bringing his fingers back to his face, he felt the skin around his left eye, which was now rough and coarse to the touch, marred and twisted by the burning light he had endured during his vision. Turning back to face Danyell, his expression warped into a sinister frown partially covered under his mask.


Bringing his hand up to face his aunt, a violent spark of Tainted Seishitsu appeared in his palm, before exploding out into a wild beam of energy, impaling Danyell through her torso.

Jove wrote:(To Liss)

Today was not his day. First Leios wasn't there and now Liss was shaking off his taunts? August knitted his brows. So she did grow somewhat after all. But there were more ways than one to get what he wanted. A real shame that Rohan wasn't there, August could've slain two birds with one stone, oh well.

"Natsumi truly is amazing isn't she? Kind, comely " he leaned closer to Liss before whispering the final word "powerful."

August left before Liss could react, he didn't have to see her face, he already knew he had won.

August ignored Iggy, he was but a child after all, ripping his mind to shreds would be a thing too easy. August could never take pride in such a thing.


(To Yuu)

Princess? August was called many things in his life, a spitfire, a pretentious pr*ck, and several other belittling epithets that didn't bear repeating, but never a Princess.

"I will leave whenever I feel like it, and not a second before." August noted how Yuu constantly glanced over at Liss, he smirked. "You really should learn to mask your thoughts, when you don't you expose both yourself and your loved ones to every manner of danger."

He turned and walked away. "Oh, by the way." He stopped in his tracks "I'm a boy, if possible could you not leer so much, it's a bit unsettling."


(To Solomon)

Darkness. No, darkness paled in comparison to this, this was the abyss beneath the abyss, a level of darkness August didn't even know existed.

August's first reaction was to summon a sphere of fire, lighting the area in his immediate vicinity.

He should've known better than to let his guard down. Kios, his brows began to moisten, who else had such a mastery of the shadow style? A trap, obviously.

Clearly August was no match for Kios, but if he were to use Liss as captive then perhaps he might have winning chance, or, at the very least, a confirmed escape route.

No. Even he wouldn't sink that low, if worst came to worst, he'll just have to battle his older brother.

Then, just like that, the darkness scattered.

Everyone was exactly where they were before the sudden darkness had struck, in fact, it seemed as if nothing had happened at all. An illusion. August lowered his head, embarrassed to have had made just a miscalculation. Was he always this paranoid?

August's entire form began to quiver.

The son of Jove walked outside, desperate for some fresh air. Unfortunately, this alone wasn't enough to ease his anxiety.

Sinking down, August performed several stretches, from a split to the running stretch.

Once he was warmed up, August began practicing his flame control. Taking a deep breath, August allowed the heat to expand from his stomach into every corner of his body. Before long he was discharging darts of fire in every which direction, destroying what little remained of the neighborhood. The only house he had missed was, of course, that of Kios', for obvious reasons.

Having finished, he returned to Kios' house, far more calm than he had been on his leaving, only to find, on his reentry, a scene so bizarre that it was strikingly beautiful. Danyell lying flat on her back, smoke rising from a hole in her torso, and Solomon just standing there, a crazed look on his face. August licked his lips, maybe the day wasn't that bad after all.

August asked the kind of question he'd expect from Jove and as a result Kios gave him only half an answer, "I haven't seen Sehun for a decent amount of time, so perhaps he's gotten much stronger than before. And if that's possible then I can't answer your question right now." As he returned his attention back to the interrogation, his daughter's apparent smitten-ness with the son of Jove was not lost on him. He was able to push his mixed feelings on that subject away to focus on the more pressing matter though.

Kios blinked slowly as Alex revealed who the founding Warlord was. "Yeah as Kama just mentioned, that's old news. You didn't hear us talking about that last night? I guess you two must've been asleep." He let out a small sigh before glancing out of the window again. "Well it's not like this interrogation really even matters anymore, after all she's already-." He paused as Danyell told Solomon about Zofia's death, he was interested to see how the boy would take it. He did feel sorry for his nephew, but Solomon was already so far removed from both of their families for some reason that Kios could tell was related to his eye.

The boy's reaction to being told about his mother was peculiar at best. Not long after Solomon doubled over in pain that seemingly stemmed from that eye of his did the room go dark. Kios could see perfectly well within the darkness but it had a different quality than his own darkness, it felt far sadder like it could swallow all the emotion from the room. But it couldn't have been Solomon's power, its source was something else but perhaps not entirely. Then a rather blinding light radiated from the boy's bad eye, but that was quickly over and the room returned to normal. However the atmosphere remained tense until the point that Solomon raised his hand and fired a beam that struck Kios' beloved wife, Danyell. And then something surged within Kios, an indescribable wrath.

A silent fury engulfed the room and the surrounding neighborhood in less than an instant. This rage took the form of a darkness from a much more extreme caliber than had just been present, but there was no light to be seen this time. Even just the pressure of the darkness bearing down on everyone would have been impalpable and a very physically nauseating sensation. No sooner had shadows exploded from everywhere than they had disappeared. Kios was now across the room with a hardened expression on his face, holding his wife closely while Solomon was bound to the floor by shadows stemming from strange markings on his chest. The boy was also victim to a rather large gash through his side that somewhat mirrored Danyell's wound.

Solomon was very lucky that Kios understood that the beam would not kill Danyell. She was one of Kios' few anchors that powerfully grounded his morality. If she had died in that instant, Solomon's fate would have followed in the next. Even so he had just acted in a way that hadn't happened since he had met Danyell over 20 years ago. Kios was already mostly back to his normal, calm demeanor and he spoke to his wife softly. "Don't worry about this Danyell, you'll be just fine. You know that I would never let you leave first. When you recover we'll go on a date, regardless of whether or not this Warlord business is over by then." He looked over at his nephew that was bound to the ground for several moments before looking back up. "Kama, get Cherokee please... for both of them."

[Alex]
Alex paused slightly as Kama and Kios informed them that they already know of Eve's identity. "Tch! W-Whatever" The skin on his cheeks warming slightly, as he glared at Kios "Of course we didn't hear it, Ya old piece of crap! We were a bit busy being unconscious..." he looked away from the other's with a huff "Honestly, you're pretty dumb for a smart guy." He slowly looked out a window, the wind having picked up considerably, a nervous expression rung on his face.

Alex watched as the strange white haired boy attacked Danyell, only moments latter as darkness encompassed the area. A familiar sense of awe washed over him as his own darkness surged around himself as well, 'Master Kios...' His red eyes shone in the dark, looking at the man in the aftermath of his power as he cradled his wife, and now had the masked assailant constrained, 'I'm going to surpass you some day...'

A sudden surge ran over him, his eyes widened as Alex jutted upwards "Oi! Kios, not to interrupt you and your fine company. But our Mom, there's a mark on her...it grows when she's under a lot of stress, ut makes her agitated, and causes her to lash out more" he noted as he looked out the window. "Assuming she knows about everything, then she's already here!!"

[Yuu]
Yuu's glared hardened at August's response, watching her walk off 'Remember...gotta look out for Lissandra for Natsumi' his eye twitched in annoyance, 'If Liss is friend with this bastard...probably not a goid start to upset her by fighting-

"Wait, YOU'RE A GUY!?!" Yuu screamed in response, jumping back a good couple of feet as he held up his arms in a "X" formation. "I just thought you two were doing a weird inside girl joke- Wait...was that supposed to be flirting!?" He questioned, a expression of shock and slight disturbance crossing his expression, recalling their interactions "You two were flirting right? Cause that was just plain unsettling to watch..."

Hearing a commotion, Yuu turned away from the kitchen. His eyes shot wide open as he watched the masked freak, a strange beam-like energy coming from him as it pierced into Danyell’s chest, "MRS.DANYELL!?-" he roared to live as flames and chilling frost erupted off him, prepared to charge straight forward, he froze in his place as a crushing darkness enveloped everyone and everything. His flames and frost were smothered out as Yuu relled back under the pressure, 'This is...Mr.Kios' power!?' Yuu watched in astonishment as the darkness receded. Blinking a couple times, he quickly forced himself back into action as he ran up to Kios and Danyell "Mrs.Danyell!? Are you okay! I'd told you letting him in was a bad idea!!" Yuu noted with a shaky voice, he quickly turned to glare at Solomon on the ground "Little monster!" He growled as flames began writhing around his right fist, as he approached Solomon, "I'm gonna kick your ass!"

The house suddenly shook was incredible force, a massive gust of wind slamming into it. Windows shattered under the force, and the door flew open as wind surged through the house. It blew throughout the house, rushing over everyone and everything, before it died down again. What followed was an eerie silence before debris started tearing through the front walls of the house, black wind surrounded Cassidy, Alex, Cherokee, Tsubaki, and Sango as it protected them from the debris. Yuu used his Seishitsu to create walls of ice in defense, falling back as something flew through into the house and launched back outside.

"W-What the hell!" Yuu growled as the wind receded, putting down his ice. He looked over to see the Two Warlords gone, and outside stood a woman with pink hair, she turned to face them as Yuu looked on with wide eyes, besides the strange black markings cover her left side...this woman was without a doubt.

"...Eve Skyslayer..."

Derekjay2000 wrote:"Oi! I'm not done talking to you!" Takumi spat out as he watched Soloman lurch away, that ungodly eye of his taunting him all the wall. Takumi's bowstring still pulled taut, and still primed at his target. Takumi slowly stood up as Soloman reached the end of the wall, had it not been for the number of clones...Takumi would have been more willing to risk a shot. But he was outnumbered, and as much as he wanted to put down the man like the sick dog he was, Takumi was more concerned on surviving and getting the camp back in order.

"Who the hell are you" He growled out, his words digging through the harsh tension the cool night air bellowing soundlessly. Soloman's promise were hollow as the demonic eye on the man...

And then Soloman fell back.

Takumi watched wide eyed as he watched the man fall, before being torn from Soloman to the clones that propelled themselves towards...

"THE CAMP!" Takumi yelled, time seemed to slow to a halt as he watched the clones light up. A ungodly panic ripped through his body, a surge of adrenaline scorched through him as he completely diverted his attention to the clones. 'Everything we lost!' taking aim, the single arrow notched into his bow string had been gatherering and charging energy the entirety of the exchange, 'Everything we worked to build up!' The Divine Relic coursed with radiant green energy, pouring it's own power and Takumi's into his next attack, 'THEY HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS!!'

With one fluid release, just as the clones erupted into a unholy explosion, Takumi loosed the arrow. It instantly tore through the air, erupting into a single massive spear-like blast. The force it emitted shaking the very heavens itself, Takumi being blasted back as it cut through the ether. As it came into contact, a massive whirlwind surrounded the explosion, tearing inward as it struggled to snuff out the blast.

Takumi slammed down into the ground, smacking the back of his head into the hard stone. Coming too a couple moments later, he slowly, pulled himself up. Off balance, and still reeling from his wounds taken during the fight, Takumi slowly walked towards the edge of the pyramid. Looking down, shadows covered his eyes as he looked down at the destruction. Though the Fujin Yumi couldn't nullify the explosion, it's holy power was able to weaken it. "...Everyone should have ran with the evacuation..." He prayed, but he doubted everyone left. He scanned over the wreckage of the town...and the camp. "So much effort, so much time to gather materials, people, recollect important mementos, and records..." he muttered, gripping his bow to the point he was visibly taken, "...All that progress, wiped out in mere moments"

Falling down to his knees, tears began to sting his eyes. Looking down, he recalled that this was the second time...that someone tried to destroy Fuji. The memories of his temple in ruins mirrored in the tattered and torn debris of the tents and crates. How much blood had been spilt this time? Faint whisps of black circled around Takumi, wind picking up around him as his heritage seeped through into his Seishitsu. Takumi slowly stood up, black wind swirling around him, lashing out at the ground and surroundings. Takumi's breath becoming uneven with anger, as the image of that eye burned into his mind.

How much destruction has him home faced, how much blood painted the ground...All because of one person.

"GODS DAMNED MONSTER!!!" Takumi roared with all his might, his face contorted with rage. Screaming to the heavens, praying that monster was still in hearing range, "I'M GOING TO END YOU!!! DON'T BOTHER PRAYING, THERE ISN'T A GOD IN THIS WORLD THAT CAN SAVE YOU FROM ME!!!" Black wind exploded off him, beginning to take a step, he collapsed as the drain on him became too much. The agony of loss and pain, as well as the energy he put into his anger bringing him down. The wind died down as he tried to pull himself up, tears running down his cheeks, cursing himself under his breath as he struggled.

Kamila's gaze followed the clones as they retreated back to Solomon, her eyes wary for any deviance in their behavior. Her eyes continued to dart between the clones as Solomon raved. She would not be caught unawares. Keeping her hatchet at the ready, she determined the best course of action to assist Takumi.

But it was all for naught.

As Solomon fell away Kamila's fear spiked. He had earth seishitsu, was he planning on dropping and burrowing through the cliffside beneath her. She rushed to the edge of the cliff to get a better vantage point. As soon as she reached the edge the clones touched down and the explosion rocked the camp.

Her hearing went first. An ungodly silence as her proximity to the blast caused a profound deafness. She watched the destruction in a panic ridden silence for split second as the very earth bowed with force. Like a star breaking from the crust.

The her vision, the blast so bright it blinded. But there was only a moment of blackness before the force knocked her backwards. Her concious faded before she hit the ground.

----------------------------------------------

Kamila finally woke, her vision blurry and her head swimming. The soft sands mostly cradled her, but rubbed coarsely against her open wound. She gave a soft wimper of pain, her mind muddled with panic.

Her hearing came too and someone's muffled cries reached her. Her breathing halted and began again, panicked and ragged.
"Mother?" She asked weakly. But she was barely audible, even to herself.

Her vision focused enough, Takumi's pink hair stark against the smoking horizon. She felt sheepish suddenly, propping herself up quickly on her uninjured arm. Her torse ached with what was likely damage from the blast.

She tried to call out to Takumi, but her voice wouldn't come to her, a sharp pain ignited whenever she took a breath to deep.

"Takumi-" She finally heaved, the effort making her wince. "Takumi?"

Iskios wrote:

DannyGirl~ wrote:For a few moments after she’d returned to the group, there was silence. Her relationship with her brother had always been strained, and she’d snapped it in half. Honestly, she didn’t know how she should feel. Absolutely none of what she said had been fabricated in the slightest, but did that make it right to confront him? It had been years since the last time Rohan had showed her that he cared. Perhaps pretending was the only way she’d ever be happy.
Perhaps it was better to suffer in silence than to speak up, and lose those you love.
Slowly carrying her gaze up to Leios as she caught sight of his darkness reaching out to her, Natsumi watched breathlessly as he pulled the cigarette from her head before destroying it. Her lower lip trembled slight, however she managed to steady it by drawing in a deep breath. Now wasn’t the time.
This wasn’t about her.
Zach was hurting far worse.
Accepting his hand as Leios reached out to both she and Zach, the young woman’s gaze drifted back down to her feet. Was she really in any condition to make this journey? She’d been an emotional wreck before ever adding Rohan into the equation... Yuu’s sudden withdrawal from their mission really caught her attention, through she couldn’t bring herself to lift her head. Maybe-
No.
She’d begged for them to take her.
Pleaded for them to let her help.
Regardless of what Rohan, or anyone else, thought of her, she had to go. If she said quiet, and gave them both space it should be fine. She’d try her best not to be a burden.
And with that she felt the world melt away into a kind of comforting pitch blackness.
Leios’ powers were really something else, if was as if she could just escape for reality in an instant with them. Dissolve into a safe and empty space filled with absolutely nothing.
She longed for a similar feature in her own senshitsu, a place to cool down at in silence... But alas, she didn’t think she had anything to replicate his technique.
***
Sometime later they reappeared deep with the desert. It was still late at night, but within minutes Natsumi began to crave a glass of water. While she was used to hot weather, she was immediately able to tell the stark difference between Kagutsuchi’s humidity and Nil’s dry heat. She felt like a fish out of water.
Pushing the thought aside as her two companions conversed, the downtrodden redhead waited for them to finish before following after Zach in silence. While her family had but on a lot of vacations, the massive underground cities of Nil had for whatever reason never been a location. She wondered if Zach’s comment about their current state of government was the reasoning behind that, or if it simply wasn’t a tourist destination. Still it was nice to have something to thing about besides Rohan, and she wondered if the makeshift group could actually manage to have fun on their journey. Even with everything going on, an underground city sounded almost other worldly to her. It was funny how one could spend years in one place, never understanding what the next country over was really like.
She wondered if they’d have different methods of medical practice and architecture.
Most likely.
Maybe if things winded down a bit she’d ask Zach about it.
For now the distraction was a welcomed thought.

Sammich wrote:Zach was hyper aware of each breath he took as they crossed the treck of desert. The dry air welcomed him home but the sand itched and made his exposed skin crawl like it had never done before. He kept his eyes on the rocky outcropping ahead where his answers may lie, but his body and intuition fought him all the way.

Manipulating the sand underfoot to ease the trek for his companions Zach lead them to their destination. As they drew nearer a small group of buildings became apparent. Some were built into the stone of the outcropping, carved windows and archways formed a sort of gate at the base of the stone. But there were smaller buildings as well, made from weather wood, but they were few compared to the sprawling structure of the stone fortress. A closer look shows the intricate carvings with the stone itself. The patterns are faded around the edges of the settlement, from erosion, but as they drew closer to the gate they became more defined, more complex, until the simple geometric shapes memorialized grand battles of Nil's history, above the very gate the eery likeness of a fully grown Nilisian Sand Worm loomed, it's spiraled maw open wide as if to swallow them should they get too close.

His awe never waned, from the first time he had seen the South Gate when he was a young boy, pointing out details to his brother, to when he came through alone when he was sent to live with his uncle three years ago, and finally now, with Leios and Umi at his side. His eyes traced the carvings, up and around the walls again, until his gaze was interrupted by a looming figure right in front of him. Zachs eyes widened, a tall, weathered and neigh grotesquely muscular man stood in his way and he'd nearly walked right into him. A fumbling apology on his lips, the man only looked down at Zach critically, beneath dark hooded brows, his dark skin riddled with scars only added to the mans menace factor. The lines on his face and the grey streaks in his short hair commanded not only respect but fear. But before Zach could even form an apology, the mans dark aura cracked with a smile.

"COUSIN ZACHARIAH!" The man boomed, Zach let out a startled noise at his name being said so loudly, blinking up at the man in confusion. He fumbled for his words still.

"C-cousin? Cous- Cousin! COUSIN ZORAN!" The mans face lit up, giving him a feverish nod. "COUSIN ZORAN!" Zach exclaimed as the older man swept him up into a bone crushing bear hug.

"You are so big! Look at you! You're toes are almost still on the ground!" Zoran exclaimed. "I remember when you could fit in the palm of my hand!" He cackled.

"I don't." Zach said monotonously. His cousin only laughed louder.

Zoran noticed his company, gently placing Zach back on his feet he observed them. "Who've you brought to the gates Zach? I don't recognize them." He says pensively, as if he would recognized any Ryujin citizen who would pass through the gates. Zach believed that wholeheartedly. Zoran gazed at them critically, the telltale Fahlih eyes burning into the two.

"Oh! These are my travelling companions." Zach said defensively. "This is Natsumi and that's Leios." He gestured at the two respectively. "Oh- uh..." He turned to stand beside Zoran and face his entourage. "This is my cousin Zoran," He looked sheepish, "He's my moms oldest sister's son." He trailed the family tree in his head. Despite the title of cousin, Zoran was only a few years younger than Zofia and Zachariah the First. Aunt Zena had been happily married by the time the twins had been born.

"We're both Seconds you know!" Zoran stated proudly, joyfully putting an arm around Zach's shoulder, "I was named after our grandfather!"

The joy of being reunited with Zoran had briefly distracted him from his overwhelming mindset but the weight of his heart crept back up into his throat and he called his cousin to attention.

"Cousin Zoran, we're in a bit of a hurry, can you open the gates, we need to see Uncle Zachariah."

Zoran nodded, looking side to side before whispering "He just came through earlier. He was walking around, plain as day could you believe it?" Zach's brow furrowed in confusion. What had Zoran heard?

"Zoran, we don't know if it's true-"

"It is true Zach. Marcy heard it from Aunt Zelda, her husbands still in the guard you know-"

Zach blinked in confusion, "What are you talking about?" Zach had assumed it was regarding his mothers fate.

Zoran eyed Umi and Leios suspiciously, then sighed, his eyes downcast. "The council... their all dead but you're uncle, Ryujin is plunging into chaos. We've managed to contain the information in the city as of now, but it's only a matter of time before the nations hear about the void in power..."

The sand was impressive and so was the sand worm statue but Leios wasn't in the mood to enjoy the sights. He was just following along until Zach nearly bumped into a man near the entrance to the city who was even taller than Zach was. He was ready to back his cousin up if it came down to a scuffle but the mood suddenly changed as they proclaimed each to be cousin and cousin. Unsure of how to act in front of the rambunctious relative of Zach, Leios elected to stay silent. While the two were talking Leios began wondering if this Zoran counted as his cousin too but he decided that the odd circumstances that made him related to Zach through Sehun's side probably didn't extend much further. Leios did eventually speak for a short bit when Zach introduced himself and Natsumi to Zoran, "Nice to meet you Zoran. I'm also Zach's cousin, although through his father's side." He wasn't sure how the Ryujin side of Zach's family felt about Sehun but if it wasn't good then Leios would rather get it out of the way sooner.

Leios' eyes widened when he too heard the news about the Nilian council. He had come with Zach and Natsumi to help his cousin re-cooperate and meet up with his uncle but it was looking like a lot more pressing, and dangerous, matter was brewing.

DannyGirl~ wrote:Upon finally reaching the entrance to the underground city, Natsumi found herself at a loss for words. Though she was in a terrible place emotionally, that didn’t prevent her from gazing to the intricate sandy arc in awe. The amount of detail put into the opening made it feel more like a piece of art than an entrance. However after a few moments she managed to pull herself out of her wonderment, thanks to the sudden stir within the group. A giant of a man bumped into Zach, before seemingly challenging him for a few moments. For a second she was sincerely worried. They were all sleep deprived and exhausted... Another fight was the opposite of what they needed. She wasn’t sure they could even take someone like this in their current states. Luckily it never came to that however. Her emerald eyes widened as the two seemingly hit it off, before Zach took the time to give some much needed introductions. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, I’m Natsumi. I friend.” She quickly responded with a short bow, forcing all the energy she could muster into her usual perky tone. Though that too was tired and worn.
All of the comforts of home seemed to be lost to her for eons now. She wanted Taro. Her baby boy, oh how she missed him. And her fuzzy bunny slippers, with the cute ears. Oh! As well as her teddy bear. What she wouldn’t give to be in one of her silk nightgowns, curled up tightly with her pup and stuffed animal on her heaven sent mattress. This week had confirmed and old fear of hers, she was spoiled. However that no longer bother her in the slightest. By that point she would settled for a blanket and a spare pillow or lap. She just wanted to sleep. Now.
Perking up slightly at the sudden heavy news, the young woman froze for a moment. They were all... Dead? But how? Why? Her father often did business in Nil, yet she hadn’t even been aware the country was having minor difficulties. Much least something this major. “...We should go check on your uncle.” She finally whispered in encouragement, waiting for Zach to make the next move.
And get some sleep.
Though now wasn’t exactly a time when she could voice that particular complaint.
She had to be supportive.
Besides she was sure if she passed out they’d find her a bed eventually.
Until then she’d follow Zach’s directions.

Zach's face fell as he recalled his solemn intentions within the city. Zoran's eyes were downcast until he heard Leios mention the familial relation.

"Another cousin!?" Zoran exclaimed. He neigh lunged at Leios, but halted just shy of a bone crushing embrace, instead extending his hand for a polite shake. "A pleasure to meet you Cousin Leios!" He scanned the young man's features, "Don't worry I do not harbor the same dislike for your father and his brother like my mother and aunties." He boasted, chest swelling with pride, "Family is Family! A Fahlih is a Fahlih!" He said firmly. "And it's is a pleasure to meet you Miss Natsumi!" He extended his hand to her as well.

Zach swallowed nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. Of his extensive relatives, he'd only met Uncle Zachariah, Zoran and his wife Marcy. Three years, he'd been here. Uncle Zach would say it was to focus on his studies. But he remembered how his mother would talk about her own mother. Zach had been content never meeting his grandmother.

Zoran's face fell again. "I wish we could welcome you on a more festive note. But this is a solemn time for our city. The power struggle will only wage higher. Even now there's whispers of a cult-" Zoran slapped his large hand over his mouth. "It isn't safe to talk here." He said, glancing at the youths. "Your uncle will tell you." He made eye contact with Zach.

"O-okay." Zach muttered. Zoran motioned for them to follow and he turned and made his way to the entrance of the city.

A dozen guards positioned themselves around the gate, some aloft in nooks embedded in the sculpture. They stood to attention as Zoran approached. His face was stoic as they passed, but Zach leaned into his shoulder.

"Did you get a promotion?" He asked, Zoran's stern mask cracked a wide grin.

"I run this end of town cousin. The Fahlih's are on the rise again." He whispered. He led them into a doorway inside of the sculpture. A shadowy passage that sheltered them from the desert heat. Zoran guided them down the passage. The passage was well lit by electric light, highly contrasting the archaic structure. They traversed a while, the hallway twisting and turning and gradually beginning on a decline. Zoran stopped, "This passage should lead you into edge of the lower district. There are no guards on the inner gates, accept for the ones that lead to the city's center." Zoran almost looked spiteful. "You know the way from there. No detours." He said firmly.

Zach nodded. Zoran gave him another embrace.

"Be safe cousins." Zoran said, "And friend." He gave Umi a nod.

"You too cousin." Zach muttered. And with that Zoran disappeared back down the passage.

Kios' anger had came and gone far too swiftly. August had hoped for more than a simple strike, he was hoping for a slaughter.

He walked over to Solomon, casting a shadow over his supine form, ignoring Yuu's threats to kick the boy's arse. If that was all it took to down him, then perhaps he wasn't worth befriending after all. Befriending? August perished the thought. What was he thinking, friendship was nothing more than a fantasy. In the end, any friend he makes would just disappear without a word, just as his mother and sister had. What he sought in Solomon wasn't friendship, but someone to test his strength against, nothing more nothing less. And the same could be said for the rest of them, Leios, Liss, Natsumi, Noel, Orion, Rohan as well as Zach. They were all enemies in wait. Yet, despite thinking this, August felt a twinge of doubt deep within him.

August rested a hand on the masked boy's chest, infusing him with some of his energy, before rising back to his feet. He wasn't very proficient in healing arts, he doubted even his father had much knowledge on the technique, but with this, Solomon's natural regenerative abilities will be augmented to some extent, allowing for a far faster recovery.


He walked over to the grieving Kios, his expression blank. He really was strong. Stronger than he had hoped. Maybe, just maybe, his initial idea wasn't wrong. Maybe, just maybe, with Kios' as his teacher he could actually-

"I thank you for your hospitality Kios, hopefully our next meeting will be less," he looked around at the tied up WarLords, the hole in the wall and Solomon and Danny both wounded and, as far he was aware, unconscious "-hectic."

He was just about to walk outside when, all of the sudden a powerful gust of wind blew the door open, the wind, though strong, didn't bother the son of Adrienne very much. Something sped pass him twice, moving faster than he could react. Once all the commotion had come to a close, the assailant had finally made her appearance known.

A woman around the age of Danyell. He had seen her somewhere, he just couldn't remember where.

Just then the woman dissolved into a mound of dust. No. It wasn't dust, it was snow, black snow. August turned to find that everything else around him had begun to breakdown. Liss, Yuu, the couch, the walls, everything. Before long he was standing amidst a sea of black snow.

"This is your end Jove!" He heard a voice from behind him. Turning around he found several teenagers, all standing opposite to him. They were powerful and judging by their expressions and the threats they made, they didn't come to greet him.

August entered into a battle stance when, without warning, all of them, save for one disappeared. The one remaining was a pink-haired girl no older than he was. She assaulted him with every Seishitsu known to man, plumes of fire, gusts of wind, currents of electricity, she even managed to manipulate light and darkness. August found himself overwhelmed by the assault yet, before the girl could deal the final blow, he awoke. He was within the room again, everything had returned back to normal, well normal for him he guessed.

He now knew who the woman at the door was. She was one of the heroes who dueled against his father, now what was her name. As if the universe had heard his question, he was given an answer, courtesy of Yuu
"Eve Skylayer."

A crisp snap sounded from beneath Liss before she could even process what had happened. Slowly glancing down to broken whisk as it fell from her hands, the young woman grit her teeth. Sure, another boy having a thing for Natsumi was to be expected. At that point it hardly even phased her. Though for some reason a slight sting burned within her chest. Was it because he’d insulted her indirectly by mentioning the girl’s power? Or was it possibly something more?
Honestly she wasn’t sure how she felt about August, or even how she should feel in regards to him... However she was now completely certain that she never wanted him to compare her to another person again. Especially not with Umi.
For a few moments she remained frozen.
Silently watching him walk outside, before drawing in deep breaths. She had to stay calm. Her training and her battle with Lynn had each taught her so much. Jealousy and self deprecation were no longer emotions she wished to dwell on. August could praise and have feelings for whomever he pleased. It wasn’t a matter of her concern. Or so she told herself. Deep down it was hard to tell if she was upset or angry. Now that she’d learn to hold herself as an equal to those around her, she expected other’s to treat her as such. Whether or not she’d reach that level with August remained to be seen.
Then something drew her from her thoughts, stunning her consciousness as she heard it.
A scream completely foreign to the usually passionate and caring voice Lissandra had come to know. Come to love.
“Mother!”
***

Finally managing to pry herself from the toilet, Cherokee groaned as she slowly stumbled out of the guest bathroom. She firmly held her stomach with both arms, before drawing in a deep breath. Normally she actually had very easy pregnancies, with little to know sickness... Making that morning rather odd. However she was willing to bet that it was merely a result of stress. After what happened yesterday a little morning sickness didn’t seem all that abnormal. So she brushed the thought aside. Nothing to be done now, it was over! Or so she thought, though suddenly the room went black.
An eerie and powerful substance consuming her in an instant, which hobbled her as she attempted to keep another round of vomit began to shoot up her throat. Though, strangely enough, it vanished as swiftly as it had surfaced. Thankfully along with her urge to barf. Slowly pushing herself to her feet, she heard someone screaming from downstairs before braking into a sprint. At that point adrenaline completely washed over her, carrying her straight past her children. They were safe. Thank Jove.
Tumbling into the room to find a horrifying scene, Cherry immediately rushed to Kios’ side. Spotting a pull of blood underneath him, she soon came to realize that it was actually flowing from his wife. The brunette hidden away within his tight grasp. In her twenty years of knowing Kios, she’d never seen him in such a hostile condition.
“I heard the scream.” She explained calmly as she fell to her knees, before swiftly setting to work. Placing a hand on both Danyell’s stomach, and the strange boys side, as her palms began to glow. All other thoughts and sounds immediately were lost to her, all of her will being consumed by the task ahead of her. These were both nasty blows. The two injured were extremely lucky nothing vital was hit. If that had happened they’d have passed in an instant, and nothing could’ve been done. Even in this state things were uncertain.
As curious as she was to learn what had happened, she couldn’t allow any stray thoughts to interrupt her work.
***

Danyell quickly shot up as her nephew fell to his knees. She helplessly scanned him over for a moment as he clutched his head between his hands, before slowly reaching out to him. Sometimes honesty wasn’t the best policy. Perhaps she’d made an era in judgment. The poor boy had just appeared to them, after disappearing for so many years. In truth she had no idea what happened to him in that time, or who he had become. Though she’d always had a habit of giving people the benefit of the doubt, for better or for worse. On top of that that she didn’t want to pressure him for answers and scare him off. It was only a few seconds later that she’d regret that decision. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. Starting with a deeply pained scream, one she hadn’t heard in twenty years. Her own. She could feel herself heating up, an armor of flames swiftly rising to block the blow. However that damage had already been done. Then her body felt heavy, and she found herself plummeting to the floor before strong arms wrapped around her. A very familiar support.
“K-Kios...” Carrying her gaze up to his as he cradled her closely, the brunette found a weak wisp of a smile forming. She placed both hands over her stomach as Cherry swiftly appeared, before taking a deep breath as the healers water eased her. After a few minutes she recovered from her shock, and was then finally able to speak properly again. “A date, huh? I’m still rather upset with you.” She forced through a chuckle, attempting to settle her husband’s nerves a bit. He’d handled the situation rather well all things considered, though she could still sense he was struggling. If only slightly. “You’re so odd Iskios, I don’t want to go last either you know... If it should come to that I think the stress alone would send me after you.” Or at least that’s what she told him. Truthfully she thought she’d pass on out of desperation to see him again, and loneliness. Was it possible to die of a broken heart? Hopefully she’d never have to find out.
Just then a sudden burst off powerful wind tore through her home, much to her annoyance. She really couldn’t catch a break this week. As debris began to fall around them, Danyell buried her head into Kios’ chest. “Honey, barriers!” Ordering with as much authority as she possibly could given her condition, the woman jolted slightly as she felt Cherokee pull away. Helplessly wrapped in a barrier of wind, much to her surprise. Unfortunately the Kagutsuchi native was still very much in need of a healer. Though at very least the bleeding had stopped. Not surprising though, Cherry was good at what she did. Internal injuries simply took longer.
After the dust had cleared, the brunette coughed and winced before lifting her head to fine the person behind it all. Her old companion of sorts. Accompanied by their old hostages. “Now really isn’t the time Pinky.” She groaned softly, her tone Borge causal and irritated. Part of her now livid to find the teens theory correct. Betrayed by an old friend and fellow hero? That was harsh. Though part of her was relieved. If Eve was the warlord, surely Zofia was safe! She had to be. That was the one hero outside of Saron whom she seemed close to after all.

Rohan closed his eyes and peacefully listened to Sahara’s story along with his little sisters. So she telling them the story of her towns origin? Perfect for Sango and Tsubaki, they both loved it. Once she finished Rohan began laughing a bit as he opened his eyes once again “Then fast forward to the future, a charming red head prince from the land of fire went in search of a shy, green haired woman. He brought her back home to the land of the fire so that she can tell stories to the small princesses” he looked up to meet Sahara gaze “Should i bring her more often? She can tell you all the stories you want” Rohan said jokingly before horror struck the other side of the house. He covered Sango and Tsubaki’s ear from the scream... that was danyell. Rohan slowly stood up and left his sisters with Sahara “you two take care of her...” once he got to the living he was shocked to find Danyell bleeding on kios’ Hands... then there was a stranger too... probably the one who hurt danyell. Jove’s boy was there as well “...what the f@ck?”

The last time Kios was like this was when they fought against jove 20 years ago, Kama was glad he was on their side... but right now he needed to go find cherry so that danyell can be healed “right” just before he could head up stairs cherry was already there “cherry! Don’t push yourself...” he knelt next to her and watched as she did what she does best.

At the same the blonde boy was frozen next to Cassidy, what the hell was going on? Was that guy a warlord? No, he didn’t recognize Cassidy and her brother... so he was a new threat! Good thing rohan and the other were here, it shouldn’t take too much to bring him down if he tried something again. In the mean time he summoned a small ice dagger and attempted to free Cassidy.

This whole time Maxson was hiding in the kitchen, mainly cause he couldn’t see anything that was happened. By the way Liss’ reacted he could safely assume it was some bad, so he rolled over to see the problem himself. Liss’ mom was injured... without thinking Maxson rolled closer to them while cherry healed her “Wow! You’re a really good healer” he added as a gust of wind came smashing through the house. Maxson was quick enough to make the air around them rotate fast enough to make a dome for their protection.

From a distance Rohan smiled as the wind made him step back a few inches. The last one has finally shown up... this whole warlord situation was going to be over soon “eve right? Your children, Judah and Ryuji, are waiting for you in hell. I gotta thank you, now we don’t have to waste our time trying to find you”

Surging through the air, Eve Skyslayer glared at the destruction of the surrounding neighborhood "Ryuji..." she noted with a sullen tone, looking down at the house she shot a hand forward as a powerful glae slammed into the house. The wind traveled through the house, carefully mapping it out as Eve felt throughout the house. 'Cassidy, Alex, Cherry, and the two kids...' she mentally noted as she descended towards the ground, black wind spiraling around her. Slamming down to the ground, just outside, Eve's dark blue eyes burned with fury as she called fourth her power, a sudden surge of debris was picked by her wind and swirled around her in a vortex, and then she carged forward. Debris tore through the lower level of the house, blasting through the walls and tearing through the house as barriers of black wind surrounded Cass and Alex, as well as Cherry, Tsubaki, and Sango, the barriers protecting them from the debris.

Amidst the chaos, a mass of cloak and black wind tore past everyone and reached Cass and Alex, before blasting out backwards out of the house. Throwing them down behind her, Eve glanced down as her two kids looked up at her in shock.

"Mother!" Alex and Cass called out as they watched her stand up, her pink hair bellowing in the wind. Alex looked in shock at the black mark that covered the left side of her face, "Mom...your mark-"

"I know..." she cut them off, as she quickly turned away from them and began to approach the house, most of the front of the house now missing it's walls, "And now it's not your problem anymore. You two are officially no longer Warlords, so I suggest you leave" She glared at the heroes, and company in the house, with disdain "I'm ending things...one way or another! You are not to interfere, that's an order from your Mother not as a Warlord"

"Before we start," black wind slowly danced around herself as she scanned over the group "My son Takumi, and husband Gil are not involved in any of this. They're in the dark as much as you were," she threw off her cloak as it flew off into the wind. Black wind erupted off of her, the force unbearably strong and piercing blue eyes shone with anger "I'm going to end this hell..."

"Thanks too me, Judah, and Ryuji were killed," memories of the two flashing through her mind as she spoke, as she glared at Rohan about his comments. Within an instance, an invisible force slammed into him, Eve's aerospace Seishitsu slamming into his body, before the air around him disappeared leaving him with nothing to breathe. "Two children orphaned by Jove, just like the rest of my group. Like, Ying...who got stabbed because of my foolishness" She pulled out a dagger, the sky pitch black as the clouds churned and the sky howled angrily. "And what did it accomplish, the death of the only one of you I considered a friend..." tears rolled down her eyes as she gripped the dagger. Wiping her eyes off, she resumed to her point.

"Come on Zofia! We should go out drinking~ You're gonna get all wrinkly with all this work and stress!" A young pink haired girl called out, waving happily to her friend.

"Zofia, congratulations on your baby boy!!!"

"Zofia, don't you think our kids will be best of friends?"

Zofia

"Do you wanna know why I hate you all?" She questioned, "Believe it or not, it's not because you let Jove live. That I could live with, that I could accept..." she gazed down at the dagger resting in her hand, "No, not because of that"

Eve Flashback:

"The reason I hate you all..." she glared down at time, gritting her teeth, "is because you all GAVE UP!!!" She launched a massive blast of wind at them all, splitting into blades as they lashed out at everyone. "Do you know how many bodies...how many PEOPLE were slaughtered!? And you all just s*** on the countless sacrifices!?" She yelled, the black mark on her body growing, Cassidy and Alex watched in horror as her rage overtook her. "You all happily praised your hollow victory, meanwhile when my chikd was born, all I could see where the countless badies I had to bury to get to that moment of my life!" She cried out in pain as the wind tore at everything, she looked on with dead eyes as she cried looking down at her dagger, she began to fall down as her assault ended as well. Feet firmly on the ground now, she growled put "But that's where we are different...where you all failed, I succeeded" Holding up the dagger, she let out a hollow laugh, "You know, I was planning on killing myself if I won. After all, I'm the woman that killed her former friends...what place did I have in a future where our kids wouldn't have to fear gods." She gripped the blade tightly and positioned it,  "I sacrificed so much, Judah, Ying, Ryuji, Lnna, Cass, and Alex...and I won't let that all be in vain" With one quick motion she plunged the dagger into her chest, Cassidy and Alex screaming out to her in shock.

"Mother!?" Cassidy yelled "If you use that now, there's no way you can-"

"You didn't even...consider the possibility of being able to kill Jove" She coughed, cutting off her daughters words, blood dripping down her mouth, and hands. A drop of blood fell, but before it hit the ground, it began to glow, becore dissappearing into a red haze "But...I did. All my time I spent...was to look for a way to finish it. Now, behold..." She tore the dagger out, a torrent of red flying out as it glowed, "The power to kill the Gods themselves!!!" Eve erupted with crimson energy piercing into the heavens. Black and crimson mixed together as Eve dropped the dagger, the power surging off her was immense. From out of the crimson glare, Eve walked forward, her blood seeping out as she it was converted into the torrent around her. She held up her hand as droplets of her blood rose and began to form into a sphere. It mixed with her Seishitsu as it surged in her handm

Yuu watched in horror, the force of her wind pushing back his body, and the sensation of being in the presence of the bloody crimson causing him to feel sick. "What the hell is this-" he dropped to the ground as an almost familiar pain surged through his right arm, "What the hell!?"

"A power older than Seishitsu, and Kiko..." Eve noted, glaring at August a hate filled glare cutting into the quarter god, "And with a very specific purpose..." in a dlash of brilliant speed, Eve shot past August slamming multiple attacks into him, a red current of sparks pulsing through him. Damaging him in a much more deeper meaning than mere physical pain. "To think, you all gave up so quickly..." she gritted out in pain, "Don't worry, once I kill you all. Your blood will be the catalyst that kills Jove" power surge off her, as more and more blood seeped out of her. She gasped out in pain, the stab wound burning and her body overtaken by the black mark began to tremble as the skin tore. She rose up as power surged around her as rose up into the air, the force from the wind and mysterious blood power creating a barrier as she began to form a massive sphere of black wind and blood began to form,

Kill. Kill them all...

She glared in response as the pounding headache came with those words.

Kill them all, make them suffer as you have.

Kill

"GaaaHahAaa!!!" She cried out in pain as the pain of her blood being drained and black matk began to tear at her. Her hatred being fueled by her rage as she glared down at them all.

Eve Flashback:

'I'm nothing more than a weapon...' Eve noted, thoughts breaking through the pain, 'Nothing more...nothing less. I don't deserve this life, after all I've done. All I accomplished was failure...' tears poured from her eyes as her power surged more, tearing at her own body as the entirety of the area was surrounded in a massive cyclone.

'Why shouldn't I just kill them all...if all I'm good for is killing people, then...'

"MOTHER!!!!" Eve slowly looked down as, the voices of Cassidy and Alex tearing through the air. They were crying, they looked so afraid. So worried for her.

"Cassidy...Alexander..." her two beloved children, her beloved little warriors, the winds died down as her memories of the Warlords flashed through her mind. Amidst all the pain, she managed to give them all a family, "Takumi, and Gil..." the one good thing she managed to create in this world, thanks to her loving husband who she met all those years ago. Her baby boy, and husband, all of them together, she smiled warmly as the memories flooded into her. The black mark slowly receding as did the rest of her wind, the massive sphere dissipating harmlessly as she looked down at her children.

"...If all I have left behind as my legacy is all of you, I'd never be more proud..."

Cassidy and Alex screams were silent to her, as they paniced to rush towards her. Tears flowed from her eyes as he body began to glow with red light, she glanced over at the heroes her mouth opening as she struggled to speak. Slowly her body began to go numb as she plummeted towards the ground, falling from the heavens.

"I'm sorry..." she muttered as the sky began to clear up, "Ah...all I ever wanted-"

A young pink haired girl, broken, covered in blood, and alone looked up as a temple came into view. Her captors dead with their delusions of her become a tool against the heavens

"I wanted to create a world where children didn’t have to suffer because of the gods..."

Eve walked side by side with Saron, they mourned the countless graves of children and adults as they moved on tl continue the fight against Jove's influence.

"A world where...everyone could rest knowing their loved one's didn't die in vain" her voice trembled with anguish as she closed her eyes.

And a mother holding her beloved children close, smiling down at her son, and her pupils, a single promise as she looked up to the sky.

"...a future where our children didn't have to be afraid..."

And with that, her voice echoed across the sky as her body completely dissappeared. Her tears glistening in the wind, and soul moving on...

Cassidy and Alex rushed as fast as they could, seeing the one and only woman who was willing to care for them plummeting.

"MOOOOOOOTHER!!!!!!" They screamed as they both jumped forward, catching her as all three slammed against the ground. They managed to cushion the fall, pulling Eve up, they scanned her over. Cassidy placing a shaky hand on the stab wound, "Mama...please!" She begged, putting pressure on the wound "We...we still need you!"

Alex body shook as he turned to the heroes, her normally stern eyes blurred and rex with tears "Kios...." he begged, "Please...help her!!!"

Zach waited until Zoran's footsteps could no longer be heard. Glancing over Umi and Leios, almost making sure that they'd truly followed him this far, he took a deep breath and then made the first strides out of the tunnel. He peered out and blinked in the dim illumination of the outer layer of Ryujin. They had emerged a stone throw away from the main entrance, a few guardsmen visible, shifting only slightly under the ominous glow of the watch light. The crumbling structural that surrounded the entrance shielded them from the light.

"Let's stay low." Zach suggested. Beckoning his companions to follow him. He ducked undr another wall and past some scaffolding until he slipped into a dimly lit alley. Only a few stray Ryujan's strayed between the high buildings. Zach kept his head low, he doubted many would recognize him with his current. haggard appearace. He doubted anyone would recognize him at all.
They don't like to acknowledge you here you know that.

He did know that. Alas over the course of his week and odd amount of days away he'd grown accustom to the niche group of people who didn't recognize him for his parents mistakes.
He would be grateful for that time. His family and friends deserved a proper thank you. He followed the strings of lights above, the massive lanterns that kept Ryujin lighted. At their apex was a tall tower, it's carved walls depicted another momentous piece of Nilisian history, Ryujin's founding. The Fahlih ancestral home was farther inward, facing the side of the clock tower with a tree carving upon it. He used this as his navigation tool and guided them through Ryujin's back alleys.

The buildings grew taller, less ramshackled, lustrous tapestries hung in the windows and a soft glow of light resonated from the strings that crisscrossed the alleyways. They finally reached a wider street. Zach crossed, through a throng of people. It was down another alley, a right, and a left, and then their right opened up into a small clearing.

Land was percious in Ryujin, the city grew upward, not outward, lest they comprimised the sanctity of the stone. Having a yard was considered almost unheard of even for the upper class. The Fahlih ancestral home was just as old as Ryujin. There was a small courtyard, enough for moss and a few other subteranean shrubbery to grow. An ornate stoneworked path split the yard, up to heavy oak doors. Zach took a breath as he alked the stone. So many people in his family had before, he thought that everytime he strolled up these steps, towards this door. This time he had a particular family member on his mind.
He paused just before the door. Should he knock? It was just as much his home as it was his uncles. As it was Zoran's. As it was Aunt Zelda's. As it was his mothers. As it was anyone who carried the name and blood of the Fahlih but still he hesitated.

After a solid pause he soundlessly pushed the door open.

Inside the foyer was ominously quiet, the electric lights were out, only dim candlelight it the room, the polished stone floors gleaming beneath plus rugs.

"Uncle?" Zach called softly. There was no response. Zach fear reached his throat. Where they too late, had his uncle already perished at the hands of the ominous force brewing under Nils sand. "Uncle?!" He called again, his voice echoing down the stone walls. Disregarding his companions he tore through the house, shouting for his uncle, eyes brimming with tears.

He tore through the first floor, the dining room, the kitchens, the parlor down the hall he found dark room after dark room. Each fruitless search brought on more panic. Finally he stumbled up the stairs, checking his own room, his uncles, the countless abandoned bedrooms his aunts once occupied.

Then he saw it. A glimmer at the end of the hall.

Under the drapes that concealed his uncles study from the world he saw a flicker of firelight.

"Uncle!" He called again, stumbling down the hall. He pushed the ornate tapestries aside and prepared himself for the worst.

There was no blood on the gleaming desk, his uncle was not slumped over in his chair lifelessly. Rather he was poised in a plush armchair before his fireplace, the embers dull but glowing. His silhouette was almost motionless and brought Zach's voice down to barely a whisper.

"Uncle?" He stirred, subtley.

"Zach?" The older mans voice was husky, an exhaustion overtook his tone. "What are you doing here? It isn't safe-" He began, voice growing angry as he stood from his chair. But his gaze softened when saw the young man's disheveled appearance. Not that he was much better off.

Zachariah the First had bags settled in under his eyes, his hair unkempt, clothes disheveled. He placed a glass of amber liquid on the table beside his chair.

"By the Creator what happened to you?" The older man asked, placing a shaky hand on his nephew's shoulder.

"Uncle I'm fine-" Zach began, "I'm more worried about Mother-" The older Fahlih's face fell.

"Oh Zach-" He murmured, "They told me she died-" Zach's breath caught in his throat, tears welling in his eyes. "I didn't believe them."

A moment of hope, Zach took an intake of breath.

"But they were right."

Zach's tears fell noiselessly. A sudden rage filled him, urging him to question even his uncle.

"How do you know?!" He withdrew from his uncles grasp, "You didn't see it happen how could you possibly know?!" He accused.

"I know Zach. I know." His uncle's voice was hollow. "I can hear her."

"Wha-" Zach began but his uncle raved.

"She's been speaking to me with her voice... my sisters voice..." Zachariah leaned against the back of his chair. Zach still looked confused.

"The Lady." He said firmly. "The Lady of the Waste killed my sister and now she is haunting me."

Ramblings, that was all August heard from the woman. All her passion, all her rage, all her tears, all her desires were nothing more than the ramblings of a child, he should know, he use to make the very same arguments when he has a boy.

When he was a boy? August laughed. He'd been through so much that he had nearly forgotten just how young he really was. Still, the sooner he killed her the better, someone like her had no right to live. Had the heroes not given up against his father, then they would've undoubtedly died (truthfully I'm not even sure if that would've been the case, the Heroes were a formidable bunch after all, but this is from Augustus' perception... So yeah), robbing the world of some of it's strongest protectors? Would that have been just?

He looked over to Rohan. So he had been there? August could've saved him, but chose not to, if Rohan couldn't break himself free on his own, then he had no right to be called his rival.

"Are you done?" August said at last, turning to the woman "I'm actually in a bit of a hurry, so if you are going to fight I'd suggest you do it-"

Deicide? Is that what she just said? A bead of sweat formed on his forehead. That's not possible. But how? No. She's bluffing, obviously. No one could kill Jove.

"Be on guard August."

Father?! August looked around, panic evident on his expression. Yet, Jove wasn't there. Was it just his imagination?

He didn't have long to mull it over, because Eve was already approaching.

August went on the defensive, he wanted to see for himself the legitimacy of her claim. He was now certain that she had been the girl in his dream, but, what was more frightening than her speed, was her technique.

So, she hadn't been bluffing.

Her every attack struck his soul, he could literally feel his life force being sucked dry. However, he observed, it seemed to come at a risk. Blood oozed from her form, some even splattering on the boy, much to his understandable disgust, he was going to have to change when this was all over.

What happened next was disturbing even for him.

Eve had ascended into the heavens, and enclosed herself in a barrier of blood of wind. From where he stood, Eve's barrier looked reminiscent of lunar eclipse. Then, it vanished. The barrier as well as tempest. And the woman, not unlike a meteor, plummeted from the air and crashed into the ground, or so she would've had those two pesky War Lords not cushioned her fall.

What? What just happened? She came here, challenged them all to combat and then just died? Why? Did all of her energy suddenly expire? Did she overestimate her ability? No. He clenched his fist. She had more than enough energy to spare, the reason she stopped was because of those two, he glared at the War Lords. Another instance of being weakened by bonds.

August was half-tempted to resurrect her. How dare she die before the battle even began, it might've even been a fight on par with that of his father against the heroes. But he didn't or, rather, he couldn't. Such powers were beyond him.

He turned to Kios. "So what will it be Kios?"

Sahara could feel the heat slowly rising to her cheeks, before gently slapping them with her palms. Why must he always be so flirty? It made her continually have to re-evaluate where they stood. Did he truly consider her a friend? Or even care for her in the slightest? All of his flirtatious banter put her on edge. Maybe he really was just another player. Before she could give it much thought, a scream pulled back to reality. Immediately turning to help, the young woman froze in place as Rohan suddenly charged past her. His order catching her off guard. Protect her?! Was he serious?! They were just kids, she should be protecting them-!
“Understood.” Eyes widening as earth and stones alike shot through the houses firm foundation, Sahara watched in disbelief as flames swirled within the mass. Soon the two melted together to form a new substance, similar to that of cement, before creating a massive protective dome around them with a few slots for air throughout. “Don’t worry Ma’am, I won’t allow anyone to break through.” Rohan’s younger sister promised calmly, the one her introduced as Sango. The Nilian was completely speechless, how had she done that? With earth no less. “Particular children of the heroes experienced genetic mutations as a side effect of prolonged exposure to Jove’s matrix. This happened to be mine.” She explained with Sahara even having to ask, as her younger sister set herself a blaze. Obviously ecstatic at the idea of showing off her own abilities. “If they break through I can beat them up! I’m going to be just like Rohan when I grow up! He kicks bad guy butt and gives candy to good kids!” She rambled on continually, earning a soft chuckle from Sahara.
“I haven’t figured out the full extent of Tsubaki’s mutation yet, however it seems that she naturally releases an abundance of steam according to her mood. This allows her to alter the surrounding temperature significantly... Which is why everyone tries their best to keep her in her natural state.” Gesturing to small child as she ran around in circles while set ablaze, Sango slowly sighed. “We’re one tantrum or sob session away from a miniature drought or ice age.”
Honestly Sahara was at a loss for words. We’re these two children really so powerful? She couldn’t even imagine where they’d be in a few years... Was the rest of the Yosenju family was as gifted? Rohan certainly was. That left one other sibling right? A sister around their age if she remembered correctly. Iggy mentioned her once, in his ramblings. He talked her up to be a goddess or something, though she couldn’t remember her name. Rohan hadn’t mentioned her at all... So she couldn’t be sure.
Even so, the Yosenju family was remarkable.
“This is our thanks for the story.” The elder sibling addressed professional with a soft blush painting her cheeks.
“Yeah!” Tsubaki chimed in unison, growing giddier by the season. “We’ll protect the shy, green haired storyteller!”
Then came a sudden burst of energy which shook the house around them, leaving the young woman in a defensive stance. Powerful or not, if something did happen to break through Sango’s barrier, Sahara would be the one fighting. Not the kids.
***

It was hard for Danyell to get a word in, which marked a rare occasion indeed. Eve had truly lost it. While she hadn’t known her too well in the beginning, even she could visually see the change in her. It was almost as if her twisted essence was radiating from the core of her very being. Something about it shared a striking similarity to Saron’s condition. The realization caused her stomach to drop within her. Was this the same power he’d sought out? The strange markings on Eve’s face seemed similar, though not quite the same. However if it was even remotely similar, she wondered how much of the original ‘Eve’ even resided with her anymore. Saron’s condition has torn apart his mind, and her didn’t look any better. She’d hoped Eve would keep her promise at the end of the battle, to take care of her old friend... Though now she wondered if her time with him had rubbed a touch of madness off onto her as well. There was no way to tell for sure. Saron hadn’t mentioned Eve much in his letters.
Suddenly the woman drew a knife, before stabbing herself in the stomach, and the brunette’s gaze turned from pain to a subtle hollow shell. She couldn’t feel all her internal damage anymore. All she could focus on was the mirror image she say in her mind. That of her father, holding a sword... Just before leaving her the same way. Her heartbeat and breathing spiked as she spiraled into shock. At first her only clear sign of fear came through an unshakable trembling which left her whole body immobilized. Though after a few minutes her condition would steadily grow worse.
Meanwhile Cherokee held her son close to her, after leaping forward to catch him after Eve’s attack. That’s when something rather unusual happened. The woman’s expression shined with anger, as she met the woman’s gaze after scanning Rohan over for injury. “How dare you attack my family! How dare you force my precious Ro to kill, even out of self defense! How dare you hurt my children!” She started bluntly, before her expression fell slack. Suddenly caught on the woman’s exclamation. Eve had killed... The only hero she considered a friend? But... She’d only known two of the heroes... Turning to glance back at Danyell and Kios, a deep sense of horror and pain brought her to tears. They seemed upset, but not shocked. Then, very hesitantly she glanced over to Kama. A slight desperation shining within her sapphire orbs. He didn’t seem surprised either. They all knew. All of them. Why? Why was she the only one... Eve only knew Saron and Zofia. Saron had disappeared long ago, none of their group knowing what became of him. If everyone knew but her that meant... “Z-Zofia.” Her voice cracked softly, her vision now completely blurred by the water flooding down her cheeks.
No one had told her.
How could they all leave her in the dark like that?
Especially considering how long she’d spent taking private trips out to visit Zofia. She’d always been rather stubborn about keeping her condition a secret, so Cherry never brought her family with her to Nil. Though by the time she arrived she never regretted her decision. Cherokee loved spending time with Zofia. Personality wise they weren’t all that similar, but it had always just kind of worked. They had fun together.
(~Flashback~)
“Aghhhh, all you can think about is work Zo-Zo!” Cherokee pouted through inflated cheeks, a slightly hint of boredom showing in her tone. As much as she loved visiting Zofia, this seemed to be a running trend. Unfortunately her attention span was much shorter than that of her peers. Or at least that’s how she justified her lack of interest on any subject relating to business. However there was always one thing she could talk about for hours. “Wait, I know! Let’s talk about boys!”
“Cherokee we’re married.” Though this was always her friends reply, the soft touch of amusement shining in her gaze never vanished. That’s what she loved about talking to Zofia. You could tell her the same story a hundred times, and she’d still humor you. Regardless of how much you exaggerated it from last time. Though perhaps it was simply her self defense mechanism when dealing with Cherry’s overwhelming enthusiasm.
“You say that every time! Come on tell me about your relationship with Sehun! He seems like such a catch! The tall, dark, handsome, and mysterious type can be so sexy... Can’t beat Love though, he’s absolutely wonderful~” At that point Cherry could sputter on endlessly for hours, and she doubted Zofia would so much as bat her eyelashes. Eventually you become used to hearing forward and usually inappropriate remarks.
“Trust me Cherry, I do not need those details ever again... I guess Sehun did do something romantic the other day.”

“SPILL IT!”
(~End of Flashback~)

Shaking her head as a loud choking sounded from behind her, Cherry froze in place as Eve began to lift from the ground in a tornado of blood. It was an absolutely horrifying sight, completely sidetracking her from noticing the woman behind her.
Danyell could feel something welling up in her throat as Eve to to the sky, choking momentarily before coughing harshly as she slumped against her husband. A heavy trial of blood now gliding down her lips. In the state of shock, she’d temporarily forgotten about all her internal damage. Though now she could hardly breathe, much less stand on her own. Opening her mouth as her eyes widened, she found no words came out. This was bad. She wanted to do something, anything to fix it, but this time there was nothing she could do.
“Mother!” Lissandra screamed from across the room, while bolting over beside Maxson. Fighting through the wind was hard, but the conditions grew even harsher as the blood tornado shook the house. She tightly gripped the boy’s wheelchair to help him fight against the pull with his wheelchair, until his barrier went up. Taking a deep breath as she tried to take everything in, she noticed that now August too was in bad shape. “Leave us alone, you coward! Stop acting like a hero! A hero wouldn’t strike out of vengeance! Especially not their own companions!” Just when she didn’t think she could keep her promise to Lnna any longer, Liss watched speechless as Eve suddenly feel to the ground.
Her body limp and lifeless.
Seeing the dead body before her seemed to shake Cherokee back to her senses. Pausing just a moment before racing to Danyell’s side, the redhead did her best to stabilize her. Which luckily worked rather quickly, despite the brunette losing consciousness. Then glancing to her husband, she grimaced. Why should she save Eve? The woman was too far gone. Both mentally and physically. She’d attacked her family, and killed her friend. Why she didn’t have it in her to personally kill the woman, she didn’t want to save her either. Still, as her gaze met the weeping children at Eve’s side, her legs seemed to move on her own. Healing up her outer injuries before glancing to Kios. “I need you to transport us all to urgent care. If they die there’s nothing I can do to help you.” She whispered softly before hesitantly turning to face the two child warlords. “...We’ll find a new place for you to stay, children have no place in jail... If Eve recovers I’ll have Kama take her to the prison in Seiya. She won’t be able to start something like this again... Hopefully she’ll receive some psychiatric help.”
With that she grabbed the limp woman, and slowly walked over to Kios.
“This is over... Love please keep an eye on the kids. I’ll set things up at the hospital.”
And with that Cherokee waited for Kios to take over, they didn’t have anytime to spare on good byes.
***
After her parents disappeared into shadows, Lissandra let out a sigh of relief. Over... That line of Cherokee’s really struck a cord with her. Something about such an ending seemed completely unsatisfactory, as if nothing had actually been resolved. After everything she put them through... To just kill herself... The whole situation was sickening. That was far from a heroes death, it was far from a heroes path. That notion alone was terrifying. Even someone who once followed her parents into battle against Jove, plummeted into such a dark path. It was something she’d never understand. “Hey, you alright?” She whispered softly while glancing down to Manson, waiting on a reply before ruffling his hair with a slightly grin. “Nice barrier, quick thinking... No more following me around to play hero though, alright?”
With that she quickly made her way to August, scanning him over for injuries. Although the battle was short, he’d definitely taken the brunt of it. Strangely enough though, she couldn’t find any signs of physical injury on him. What exactly had Eve done?
“Don’t tell me that pink haired psycho scared a demigod.” She teased softly, attempting to make light of the situation as she extended a hand to him. “Come here, on your feet. You’re better than this.” Prompting softly as she glanced over to the remaining boy on the ground, Liss’ expression soured. “Then we can talk about why you healed that s***head.”
“You hear me, a**wipe? Stand the f*** up, so I can punch you back to the ground. You’re lucky my dad didn’t end you where you stood.” She spoke in a level yet harsh tone, glaring dagger at the stranger. The cousin she’d yet to meet.
(Any other replies excluding Kios should end in this setting, last posts y’all hop to it)
***
(Much Much Later)

Groaning as light began to fill the cracks of her heavy eyelids, Danyell slowly fought against her body’s cry to fall back asleep. As a world full of color once again appeared to greet her, the woman began to sit up before accidentally yanking down on her long chocolate locks. Truthfully, this happened a lot. However she had no more patience to spare. The length of her hair nearly reached her knees, and it was time for a break. Or a cut, to be more precise. Summoning a small slash of fire to ease her endless hassle, she watched as everything below her waist line fell free onto the bed. Slowing draping around her at random in something like a dance. A beautiful and somewhat saddening dance. Though in the end it was worth it. The feeling of relief which filed her immediately soothed that sorrow.
That was when she noticed her surroundings. A hospital? Slowly flickering her gaze to the seat beside her bedside, Danyell slowly smiled. “Looks like we swapped roles.” She whispered while reaching out to gently fix his hair. As hard as the week she spent waiting for Kios to wake up all those years ago had been, she now looked back on it with fondness. Because him waking up made her happier than she could describe. Then turning to the other side of her, she realized that there was actually another bed in the room. Along with another chair. “Cherry?” She called out softly, a puzzled look framing her face as the redhead spun around to face her. Her usual smile no where to be found. Then glancing back to the bed, she noticed a pop of pink above the pillow.
“Hey, you’re awake! You’ve been out for a few days!” Shaking her head as Cherokee forced a smile, Danyell’s gaze remained focused on Eve. For a few moments she was silent, then she simply rested back against the headboard of her bed in thought. “You saved her, huh? And you’re still watching over her... You really are more than the person I first thought you to be.” She mused softly, before finally gathering her hair and throwing it away. “I couldn’t say much during the attack, but truthfully I pity Eve. She may see it as giving up, though she should’ve known better. Had Jove struck again, we all would’ve returned to the battle for humanities sake... I wish she could’ve had faith in us, though I suppose she didn’t know any of us all that well.”
“There’s an old saying, before walking down the road of revenge dig two graves... Saron and Eve just never got that. These past few years we’ve all been living happily lives, raising our families in peace. Letting go of the past we can’t change... I hope one day they can both learn to do the same. To live for the moment.”
Then something unexpected happened, the other woman began to shake. Whether with anger or sorrow, she couldn’t tell. Possibly both she hesitantly decided as hot tears streamed down her face. Then came a confession she hadn’t expected. “I’m not as good of a person as you... I’m not even a true hero. I followed Kama into the last battle... Had he not been there I wouldn’t have followed. In the public’s eyes I’m one of you, maybe even some of you have come to feel that way over the years... But I actually am the type of person you first pegged me as. I’ve lived a life of conflict and confrontation, and I’m done.”
Then her voice grew a bit softer, as if even more ashamed of what came next.
“The only person I’ve been tending to personally is you. I healed Eve up a bit and brought her along, because I couldn’t bare for her children to see her die. I’m far from an outstanding parent... I know that... But all I could see was my own kids in that moment. So I helped her, but only in the moment. I’ve spent the last few days watching over her...”
“Praying that I was too late, and she never wakes up again.”
“For my family...”
“And for Zo-Zo.”
At that moment, Danyell became aware of just how awful Cherokee really looked. It was as if she’d somehow lost weight in the span of a few days, and hadn’t slept in just as long. She nearly said something, though the ginger swiftly made her way to the door. “You should be fine now, I’ll give you and Kios some space. Don’t worry about checking out, I’ll take care of it on my way back home.” She forced out softly before closing the door behind herself.

“You should probably check in on her at work tomorrow.” Danyell finally whispered after a few moments of silence, before slowly shaking her head. No one lifted Cherry’s spirits like Kama. It wasn’t as if anything could be said to make the situation better... Or that she didn’t understand. With Eve’s confirmation, she could no longer deny the truth. Zofia, her sister in law, was gone. The idea crushed her, but she knew she couldn’t show it. She had entrusted her sons to her, she had to be a strength they could rely on...
Still, that had always been Kios’ thing.
Leaping out of bed and burying her head into his husband’s chest, the brunette began to softly sob.
When someone dies there are always regrets. It’s natural. Sometimes you regret that you never spent enough time with them, or told them you loved them frequently. Other times it’s that you didn’t get to know them on the personal level you would’ve liked too. For Danyell it was all of the above. Sister or no, Zofia has always been busy. A working woman through and through. She had never wanted to bother her, so the two families hardly spent time in each other’s company. It was a very rare occasion for her to see the Nilian at all... And yet she’d still left Zach in her care.
Regardless of whether or not he’d shot her, Danyell would take in Solomon as well. Help to guide him the best she could, now that Zofia could no longer reach out to him.
It was humbling.
And absolutely devastating.

After managing to calm down a long while later, the woman drew in a deep breath before pulling back. “S-Sorry.” She choked out while forcing a weak laugh. This wasn’t how she’d wanted to react, Zofia would’ve teased her... But still, she was a crier. Running a hand through her hair as she recomposed herself, Danyell managed to move on from the subject (for now) while scanning her husband over. Though his hair was always stubbornly messy, he really still was the man of her dreams. She almost seemed to forget they had ever aged most of the time.

Maybe Cherry’s approach wasn’t too bad.

“We should get out of here, you owe me a date.” Danyell teased light heartedly, only managing it in a jest.

Saying such things seriously were too embarrassing for her.

Heck going out on dates still embarrassed her.

However she did appreciate sincerity.

“I know this weeks been crazy, and I’m so glad to be rid of it... But it did open my eyes to how grateful I am for you all over again. I’m sorry I don’t constantly talk you up like Cherry, but I want you to know that you’re a wonderful husband... I don’t know what I’d do without you.” She admittedly softly before leaning over to kiss his forehead.

“Let’s go home.”

That word always made her smile.

It was the one thing they’d both wanted so desperately in the beginning.

The one good thing to come out of the war.





If only Eve had seen that.



End.

Rohan was knocked down by Eve’s wind attack, he was too tired to fight back at the moment. This fight will be fought by someone else... his limit was reached a long ago. Luckily Rohan was caught by his mom, being in her arms reminded him of when he was in pre school. Those were much simpler times “Hi mom” he said faintly as he look back at eve “What a crazy b!tch you guys had as friend. I’m sure dad and Kios got this...”

Kama was furious, eve was their friend but after targeting the other like that? After targeting his family? He felt like killing her himself right, especially after seeing her attack Rohan. Though the felling of anger was replaced with confusion, eve’s decided to take her own life... if it was up to Kama he’ll just let her die and rot in hell. Cherry was a different story, she was too nice for her our good. Kama ran next her as she tried healed eve a bit so that she can at least make it to the hospital “don’t push yourself Cherry.” After the the 3 were taken by the ambulance Kama father his children and kept them close to him “Kios your family is welcomed to stay at our second home, it’s a bit far away from here. Don’t worry about your house though... the company’s insurance got it, so it should be good in a few days”

Rohan gather enough strength to stand up on his own, quickly looking back at Sahara. He shot her a small smile before walking over to Cassidy and her brother... Rohan wasn’t the one for apologizes but this was an exception. He put his jacket around Cassidy and stood in front of her “I’m... I’m sorry about the choking you thing... I wasn’t thinking straight. You weren’t at fault of anything. You don’t have have to forgive me, but if you need a place to stay... the doors to my place will be open. You two should sit down, i can handle the police when they come asking question. I’m popular with them...” he lead the two siblings back to the broken house so that they can rest properly.

Maxwell’s barrier held up against the wild wind cause by the last warlord. The ending was something he definitely wasn’t expecting, he was just shocked at the outcome... either way everyone seemed fine except for Danyell and Eve “Next time don’t get yourself so injured in a fight, mostly i won’t be close to patch you up” he replied back as he shook his head, now back to Fuji... it was gonna be a log trip “well... back to fixing a Nation. See you guys later i guess” Maxson said as he follows away back to his home with Naro and Grace.

Iggy ran up to Cassidy as Rohan brought them back to the house “hey um... I’m sorry you guys had to go through that... I’m sure your mom will be alright, but if you need someone to talk to... I’ll be here!” He pointed at himself with a bright smile, trying to get a smile from Cassidy.

Rohan took back his jacket and walked by August and Liss “what’s wrong with the princess? Traumatized! Pathetic” he said as he walked back over to Sahara “i guess i should get you back home, don’t worry. I’ll come visit you.”

A few days later...
Kama stayed at the hospital with Kios, both of them waiting for their wifes. Once cherry came out to the waiting room Kama shot up and ran over to assist her “you need some rest, you’ve done a great job. I’m proud of you” Kama kissed her cheek and took her over to the cafeteria “let’s get you something to eat then I’ll find you a place to rest”

Before he could take another step, a wave of darkness filled the room around him. A different energy than the woman from his vision, and despite having only fragmented memories of his uncle, the signature of this Seishitsu was unmistakable: he had just invoked the wrath of one of the only mortals to ever rival his father's power.

Solomon's head was spinning, and he blinked a couple of times to restore his focus. However, he was interrupted by an intense, sharp force slamming into his torso. The surging pain triggered his reflexes, and he tried to reach his hand toward his abdomen but found his limbs to be locked to the floor. Finally taking a second to re-acquaint himself with his surroundings, he looked at his feet and saw what seemed to be chains conjured of pure Dark Seishitsu keeping him locked in place, stuck to the floorboards he stood on.

His heart began to race, thumping so loud that he was certain that everyone in the room could hear it knocking against his ribcage. The darkness directly in front of him materialized into his Uncle Kios, holding his wife in his arms with a gentle grasp that provided a terrifying contrast to his furious aura. Solomon gritted his teeth, feeling the wet blood seep from the gash inflicted upon him by Kios, with each drop feeling like a machete being twisted and pushed deeper inside the wound. Breathing out sharply, he tensed and struggled against the bonds that kept him fastened down to the floor. He felt his mind slipping, as if his inhibition was being ripped out of his skull by some unwelcome presence. He shook his head repeatedly to try and keep himself grounded in reality, but stopped abruptly as he heard a soft voice call out to him somewhere in the distance, outside of the walls of this house.

"Lo, lost child of the Light," it called, "The gates will soon be opened, and within you will find freedom!" it spoke. It was a woman's voice, and despite her soft tone, the words resonated in every direction around him, bouncing off the walls and amplifying in volume. "You must guide them! They too are lost, but you will show them the path. Be their shepherd, child. And, when the time comes..." she continued.

Solomon was swiftly brought back to reality, thrown back by the force of the brutal winds which tore down the walls of his aunt and uncle's house. His body slammed against the back wall, and slid down to the floor, fatigued by the intensity of the Darkness Seishitsu combined with...

The gash? Looking down at his torso, the wound was already beginning to heal at a markedly unnatural rate. Placing his hand on it, he only felt dry blood surrounding the gash, despite the injury having only been inflicted a couple of minutes earlier. Quickly standing up, he stumbled as he tried to remain on his feet, still disoriented by the commands given to him by the strange woman. Clearly she wasn't real, or at least not present at their location, as no one else had seemed to take note of her beckons and prophetic statements. Lifting his gaze back up, and shifting his concentration back to the situation at hand, he saw the cause of the destruction, a pink-haired lady whom the others seemed to be somewhat familiar with. The vortex of black wind that formed around Eve lashed out at him, the gales of wind flying by felt like strikes of a whip to his skin. Solomon put his hands up in front of him to shield his face from the lacerating gusts, but remained still, watching the beautiful, but cruel spectacle that played out before his eyes. His mind was much too scrambled for him to take part in the battle, the past few days had felt like years considering how much had happened in such a short time.

One by one, she went after several of the heroes, with no one able to get in close-quarters with her since the cyclone of Wind Seishitsu served as a repelling barrier. First, she took out a boy he was unfamiliar with, and then went after August, the one who he had earlier entered the house with. The frantic and unfiltered anger that each strike was delivered with was deeply unnerving, but Solomon continued to watch with a mixture of confusion and awe. There was no mistaking it: this was a woman with pure, unadulterated revenge on her mind, and frankly, he had no intent of getting in her way. But, just as quickly as the heroes began to drop like flies as her psychotic assault intensified, it stopped.

"It's... over?"

Honestly, he had hoped that the woman's attack would have lasted long enough for him to get his bearings, and slip out unnoticed while the others were still occupied. Solomon had gotten what he came for, the location of his brother, and now he needed to get out of there as quickly as possible before Kios had the chance to get in his way again. But, looking back over at where Eve lay, his eyes widened. Perhaps he wouldn't be taking his leave of this place just yet.

The same lady from his previous visions stood behind Eve and the others who crowded around the warlord, a smirk on the face of the ethereal figure. Once again, his left eye lit up with a familiar burning sensation, the same intense blue glow returning to it, and he again found himself subconsciously gravitating toward her. Before he knew it, his gait picked up to a run as he sped toward the woman, his legs moving without his mind commanding them to. Despite meeting his long-lost relatives for the first time in years, learning of his brother's current whereabouts, finding out about his mother's death, among other bombshells, his mind remained fixated on one thing and one thing only: the white-haired woman. "You didn't finish! When the time comes... then what?" he yelled, the glow from his eye beginning to intensify and spread across his body, tracing dark blue lines across his face and arms. Solomon felt himself become heavier and sluggish, his muscles beginning to seize up as his Tainted Seishitsu started to overwhelm his body. His pace slowed down from a run to a brisk walk, and finally to a slow, labored limp. "Who...Are...You...?" was all he could manage to get out, before the dark blue radiance enveloping his body concentrated itself back into his eye, and exploded outwards. He started to convulse, electricity sparking in the air around him due to the intensity of the energy output. The electricity shocked and burned his body, and, the spiritual, mental, and physical stress of the past hour finally proved to be too much for him to handle. Solomon passed out and his body collapsed onto the ground below, small plumes of smoke rising from the areas of his body which had been singed. His mind went from processing thousands of thoughts and questions per second, to a state of rare tranquility, as he lay unconscious on the battered concrete below.

Maybe this would finally give him the opportunity to catch up on the rest and reprieve he had been sorely needing for the past near-decade of his life.

Then again, probably not.