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(A/N: Sorry guys, I fell asleep at like 9 and woke up at 8pm, so I'll try and get another one out Sunday.)

Sol's blade glided through flesh and bones as I relentlessly cut through the black robed and masked men. Akina and her parents had fled through a place known as Refugee's Trail, a long road made to remind those of Lucifer Blake's journey to the City with a group of over a hundred refugees.

These men seemed to be following her, so I killed them. I wouldn't let them kill anyone else, not while I was still standing. Their screams fell on deaf ears, the only thing I heard was their bodied burning and crackling while engulfed in Sol's flames.

I marched on, following Akina's Light signature thanks to Jack, slaughtering any bastard that dared to cross me. We had come across a clearing and Suki put my mother down on a soft patch of moss while I looked around for any footprints as well as food.

I had found a patch of blue berries and went to pick them when a familiar hand reached out toward the same berry I was about to grab. I looked over and saw Akina's surprised face, her white hair caked with blood and beyond messy while her ears twitched and leaned toward me slightly.

Her eyes were covered in a thin mist as she jumped toward me and knocked me down to the ground with a loud cry. She nuzzled her face into my neck as she hugged me tight enough to crack my rubs. Despite the pain I was feeling from her iron-like grip, I couldn't stop laughing like an idiot as I hugged her back with equal force.

We ended up staying like this for a while, Akina's tail wrapped tightly around my leg, and it wasn't until her mother had stumbled upon us that Akina jumped up with a bright red face. I made sure that there were no injuries on either one of them before getting Suki and my mother, who had finally woke.

We met up with Akina's father and immediately began to discuss our next move. The First City wasn't the only civilization on Earth anymore, so there was still hope waiting in the form of a long ass trip on foot. We all agreed to travel to a city named Ironshell, a place where most races can live in true peace together.

Despite having Guardians of all races, many others believed themselves to be above all of the others, making it a nightmare for the average person to try and live in most cities. However, Ironshell was a safe haven for every race and, if someone would try and harass another person, they would be evaluated and possibly exiled.

We found an empty cave nearby and spent the rest of the day making it as comfortable as possible. There was an abundance of edible plants nearby, so I only went hunting for a single medium sized animal for some extra food just in case. I ended up finding the perfectly sized boar just a few minutes walk away from where we set up camp.

I killed it with a crude Void Bow before carrying it back with Void energy. They were all surprised when I had came back a mere ten minutes later, but there were no complaints when they saw my haul. I walked over to Shin, Akina's father, and handed him the boar so he could skin and dress it.

I moved over to a wall and sat down as I watched Shin go to work while Akina and Suki went to collect more herbs and berries. Jack and I discussed how long it would take to reach Ironshell as well as the various types of Beasts we should be looking out for along the way.

After around an hour, Suki and Akina had returned with four baskets full of berries and herbs for any of our needs. During that hour, I had also focused on making the cave more habitual; I made beds out of the spare materials that Jack made me keep in my inventory, and I was even able to make a toilet with a semi-functioning sewer system.

Sadly, that was all I was able to get done as it had turned dark soon after. Akina and I had made a barrier of Void energy around the entrance to mask our presence, smell, as well as block noise and disguise the entrance to make it look like it was part of the small hill it was under.

After fighting all day long, making that barrier felt like the last straw for me. I was utterly beat. I shuffled over toward my bed and fell face first into my pillow, admiring how soft it was as I closed my eyes and let my drowsiness take over.

Suddenly, something slammed down on my back and woke me up instantaneously. I looked over my shoulder and saw Akina's mischievous smile as she kicked back and dug her elbows into my ribs. I heard everyone laughing as my mother said "My, these two have completely swapped places since they were little kids!"

Akina's mother, Haru, laughed and said "Yes, I agree. Leo used to be so talkative and outgoing while Aki used to be so lazy and anti-social. It's almost weird to see them now, ahaha!" I managed to flip Akina off of me before flicking her in the head with a tired and annoyed look. I sat up and she laughed my glare off before leaning her back against mine and asking "Aw come on Leo, You can't be tired already, can you?" in a teasing voice.

I had a wry smile on my face as I said "Of course I am. You know everything I had to do today and, frankly, I'm probably never going to be this tired again..." Akina shrugged and leaned her head on my shoulder before looking up toward the ceiling. Everyone went quiet as they searched for the right words to say, but Shin interrupted the silence.

"Leo, I'm sorry about your fa-" I shook my head with a smile before saying "No, it's alright. He never treated me like a son, nor my mother like a wife. Plus, combined with the fact that he betrayed everyone for power, I felt that I did the right thing. I feel more of a parental bond with you than I ever had with my father..."

Shin had a kind smile on his face, but that soon turned into a sly smile as he asked "Oh? Should I be thinking about securing my bloodline with an arranged marriage? I mean, you already see me as your father, so it wouldn't be that hard adjusting..." My brow raised as I began to stutter. My mother, Shin, Suki, and Haru were all laughing as they seriously pondered the question, but Akina had gone completely rigid and I was just sitting there with my hand covering the top half of my face, trying to hide my embarrassment.

But I couldn't hide my smile. I was genuinely happy that we all got along and were able to joke around despite the recent events. We eventually decided that it was lights out and I was able to enjoy the sweet, sweet experience of sleep for what felt like the first time in years.

---

Metal rang against metal as Akina and I had a warm-up spar before heading out. Her katana moved impossibly fast, leaving behind several afterimages while its actual blade was barely a blur. I had to use all of my focus to block her attacks so I could wear her out before moving to the offensive. Akina jumped back and sheathed her katana before dropping into a low stance with her hand on its handle, daring me to make a move.

I've seen her use this move more than once and, when coupled with Void or Arc energy, she became nigh impossible to beat. I felt a small smile make its way to my lips as I sent out three lines of fire toward Akina, forcing her to dodge to the side. I saw her disappear and I immediately spun and pointed my blade to her throat, only to find that hers was at mine as well.

We both smiled and shook our heads as Suki whistled in admiration before saying "Alright, now I have nothing to worry about with you two watching us!" I looked back and her and said "Suki, you're a Guardian as well and, if my memory is serving me correctly, you're leagues ahead of both of us combined..."

Suki laughed in a lighthearted manner before moving back into the cave and grabbing her things. We soon set off on out journey toward Ironshell with high spirits. We had entered a forest, but it was like it was deserted. There were no birds chirping, no insects skittering around, there was nothing except trees for miles, and even those felt...wrong.

I sighed and marked it off as an uncommon bout of paranoia before taking the lead and leaving the rear to Suki and Akina. I kept alert but was careful not to show it just in case it would have negative effects on everyone else. Even after an hour into the journey there were no animals, birds, or life outside of the trees. We found a safe spot to rest before having a small bit of food while talking about menial things.

I was about to get up and stretch when a strong and impossibly cold wind swept across the forest as it carried a deep voice with it. "You who dare to enter my forest, state your reasons before I make you my next snack..." We all froze in place as Suki, Akina. and I all had our hands on out weapons, ready to attack the unseen opponent.

The voice chuckled loudly and said "Ah, that sword brings back memories, young man. Tell me...where did you steal it...?" The voice turned cold and I felt a pair of eyes lock onto me with an intense amount of bloodlust. My eyes darted around, trying to find the thing, as I asked "Who are you, and how do you know about Sol?"

The voice snarled and spat "How about you ask Sol himself? Oh wait, you can't!" in a sarcastic voice. An idea popped into my head at the voice's words, so I reached inside of my consciousness and tried to speak to Sol itself, just like I do with Jack, but nothing happened.

I felt an unimaginable amount of anger directed toward me as the voice roared "Don't you dare mock me you bastard!!" The ground underneath us opened up and we all fell in as the wind dove in with us, forcing us to go faster and faster until we would inevitably hit the bottom...

---

A large, Dragon-like beast with two large, curving horns atop its huge spiky head, with spikes running down the entire length of its body, as well as on all four of its legs, a pair of massive, red wings, scales blacker than the night sky itself, a long, snaking tail, clawed hands, and shining, golden teeth filled with Solar energy, sneered down at the hole it had just created as three other beasts joined its side.

There was an albino, scaled, bipedal, dragon-like monster staring at me with its bright yellow eyes, a red furred nine-tailed fox with one bright green eye and one aquamarine eye, and a phoenix covered in bronze flames with glowing orange eyes. The three smaller beasts looked up toward the massive Dragon as it said "That kid has my Master's blood flowing through his veins...I think it's time we gave him a true test now that he has claimed what is his..."