Heroism

Reid stood guard with his sword held up at head level, his mind rushing with questions he knew he could get no answer from. I stood still with a focused gaze, my stance unmoving, unflinching, and unshakable. The two of us stood still for an intense staredown, silently testing each others inner will.

I shifted my stance then warped in front of Reid with a powerful horizontal slice, but Reid blocked my attack, grunting softly as he slid backwards. He looked up and noticed one of my Deep Roots flying toward him at high speeds, parrying my attack with a panicked grunt.

I twirled around swiftly, using my other root to sweep him off his feet then wrapped it around his ankle. I pulled him toward me then struck him with a series of strikes, planting five butterflies upon him before warping into a dropkick in the same position.

Reid groaned as he was knocked backwards, hit back hitting the ground with a moderate impact. He grunted softly as he slowly stood back up onto his feet, panting softly and wiping the sweat from his forehead. 'He's completely different...Much faster than before..'

"Whoa...did you see the way he warped? He warped into the same spot! Yeah! Kick his butt, Noxie!" Effie cheered, using her hands to amplify her voice with beaming energy.

"You feel this too right, Luci? This Dark Lord Form is... different from two years ago," Fleur said, unable to take her eyes off of my dark beauty.

Luciel nodded with agreement, a soft smile forming on her lips as she sensed my very essence. She looked up at Sephiroth with wonder, feeling the healing breeze her body let out onto the fields. "It is...it's so wonderful.."

Reid chuckled softly as he turned around to face me once more, his eyes meeting mine with a more aggravated stare. "Hmph...you must really think you're some big shot now huh? A Prince who's no different from the monsters he protects. Your head will bring in good money..."

"You can frame it however you'd like, but I'd rather be a monster protecting those I love than to be a worthless leech, wasting the same limited air we breathe to survive. You can call me a Monster, but at least I'm something," I said coldly, taking on my Avenger Stance and glared at Reid.

"The Baelfyr House are nothing, but a flame waiting to be blown out. How far could a Royal House fall, working for some lowly peasants," I added with a venomous tone, activating the Butterflies upon Reid's body.

Reid grunted softly at the butterflies then let out a pained groan once they began to sap his energy, all five butterflies flying back toward me and becoming Nature Seeds. He fell onto one knee, coughing lightly and placing his hand upon his chest, his body feeling weakened due to the butterflies absorbing life force energy.

"What was all that talk before about not fearing a Dark Lord? You can barely handle Nutrient Absorption, Floria's weakest technique. Pathetic," I scoffed, looking down at Reid with a stoic gaze.

Reid smirked behind the strands of hair covering his face, his two toned flames spiralling around his body. Without warning, Reid shot up from the ground with an attack faster than the naked eye, his blade crashing down toward my neck.

I dodged his attack quickly, my reflexes boosted by the Nature Seeds flowing around my body. Reid's eyes widened in shock at my evasion then groaned heavily as I retaliated with a destructive blow to his stomach, causing him to stumble backwards and fall onto his knees in deep pain.

"Too slow," I taunted, looking down upon him once more with a royal eye.

Reid coughed lightly with a light chuckle, slowly rising onto his feet once again with a light scoff. He looked up at me, his auburn hair flowing behind him in the gentle breeze. "Hmph... You move very well for a prince who went hiding for two years, yet..."

Reid pointed his sword at me, his Brimstone Wolves crouching down and letting out hostile growls at me. "There's something I can't shake about you, Prince. You hold remnants of that bastardized Goddess known as Lament. Just what are you?"

"A grieving human like you... only I lost everything. It is true that I hold Dark Lord power, but it is also true that I am still human, not a Lament. If only you've seen what I saw those days, you too would go hiding for years, or even taken your own life," I said, readying my sword with a firm stance, my butterflies fluttering around me in beautiful swirls.

"But I'm still here, defending what little beauty is left of this desolate world from selfish pricks like you," I continued, shooting Reid a royal glare. "Reid, you should've left while you had the chance. You will leave here with something broken, whether it be your pride...or your bones!"

Reid grunted as I dashed toward him, my body moving in a blurring motion and leaving him barely any time to react to my attack. I grunted as I used full force in my heavy swing, my blade crashing into Reid's midsection and launching him backwards through the fields.

I flung my weapon toward him then warped toward it, catching it in midair then descended with a crushing downward slash. Reid recovered in the air, preparing his weapon in time to block my attack, sparks flying through the air from our scraping blades.

Reid pushed me away and sent his wolves to strike me down, the two fiery hounds howling as they charged at me. "Don't show him any mercy! Burn him down!"

I watched as the two wolves dashed toward me then stuck my blade into the ground, my five Nature Seeds glowing brightly and casting a nature green aura around my body, my butterflies swarming around me with protection. The wolves slashed their claws at me from both sides, my butterflies absorbing the damage and glowing brightly.

The wolves noticed the bright shine and cautiously backed away from me, the two of them barking commands at one another to keep distance. I smirked at their caution and lifted my hand to snap my fingers, the wolves flinching with anticipation.

"What's the matter, never seen a Prince heal himself before?" I taunted, healing particles flowing around my body and restoring my aura and stamina.

Reid grit his teeth with pure frustration, his grip tightening around the handle of his sword and his auburn hair beginning to spark up into magenta flames one strand at a time. "You dare continue to make a mockery of me?! I'll show you just who you're messing with!"

I watched as Reid powered up his sword, the blade glowing a neon red light, its blade reaching temperatures that could melt steel like butter. I rose my roots at my sides, allowing my butterflies to land upon them then stood my ground once more.

"Prepare yourself! This Brimstone Flames has just evolved into Hellfire! You're finished, Prince of Nothing!" Reid bellowed with a fractured ego, dashing toward me and leaped forward with a furious slice.

I blocked his slash then leaped backwards, preventing him from locking with me for too long. As I landed, fireballs began to fly toward me at high speeds, but I used my roots to swipe them away then launched one of them toward him.

Reid blocked my long reaching thrust, my root scraping against the edge of his blade, a leaf of my root catching ablaze. He smirked at the small ember then dashed forward while scraping his blade against my root, setting the entire root on fire.

I grunted softly as I retracted my root, my butterflies flying to safely to avoid the flames. Extracting water from my unharmed root into a large bubble, I popped the water bubble above my blazed root, putting out the flames and leaving behind a slowly renewing root.

"It's time you fall, Prince! This land is in need of a new one and after I kill you and take that Rebirth Rose, I will become the new King of Exzodia and rule as the People's Hero!" Reid declared, leaping toward me with a fast slice.

I dodged his first slash then parried and clashed with his next two swings, his attacks becoming increasing more aggressive. We continued to clash repeatedly until he knocked my sword from my hand, his blade crashing down toward the middle of my body.

I warped to my sword and grabbed the handle, taking it out of the ground then sliced twice in an X motion, releasing two blade beams toward Reid. One of his wolves charged forward, slashing at the cross waves and colliding with it, causing a large explosion.

Fleur watched the battle from afar with her sunglasses, gulping lightly and letting out a soft groan. "They are evenly matched over there... I can't believe how strong Reid has gotten over the years.."

"Nah, Noxie is 100% winning this! Look at that clash! Oh, oh and— Urgh!! He almost had him!" Effie said, watching the battle on the back of Looni with her binoculars.

Luciel prayed under Sephiroth softly, whispering soft incantations of protection for me while I battled against my fiery rival. Sephiroth glanced down at Luciel with curiosity as she prayed then looked back out in the distance, her gaze landing upon the fiery explosions in the distance.

She let out a dryad call, the Ents guarding the Rebirth Rose responding to the call and charging toward the battle to assist me in battle. The girls watched as the tree army raced down the fields, the ground lightly rumbling from the heavy steps.

Reid and I continued our heated duel, the two of us evenly matched with one another and standing upon equal footing. The two of us clashed and entered a blade lock, both of us struggling to gain the upperhand upon each other.

"Hmph!" Reid scoffed, pushing me back and readied his sword once again. "You're getting tired. Not used to having to keep up with someone like me huh?"

"Tired? Not even close...in fact I'm just warming up," I said, readying my sword once again with both hands gripping the handle.

The two of us prepared to charge once again, but paused as we felt the ground rumbling beneath us. I glanced to the side and noticed an army of Ents charging toward us, a soft grunt sounding in my throat.

I stuck my blade into the ground then warped upon the top of the handle before leaping in the air, my root grabbing my sword and launching it higher into the air. I warped toward my sword and caught it, glancing down and watched as the Ents began to attack Reid.

Reid grunted heavily as he blocked and evaded the Ents' onslaught of attacks with vines and roots, each step he took being careful enough to not get caught in Nature's trap. He began slicing through each Ent with ease, taking them down with one slash and bursting them into flames.

Reid moved his hair from his eyes then glanced up at the sky, noticing me descending from the sky. "Heh! You thought that little trick would work on me?"

I launched my sword down toward him, but he quickly blocked the attack then deflected it away and retaliated with a barrage of fireballs aimed at me. I warped toward my sword then landed on one knee, impaling my root into the ground, the root travelling toward Reid and wrapping around his ankle.

Reid grunted with shock as he was dragged toward me then groaned as I struck him with a staggering slash, his body stumbling backwards and his sword falling out of his hand. I began walking toward him calmly, the blade of my Steel Buster shimmering into a golden light.

"Just know, it's nothing personal," I said, leaping toward him with a downward slice, striking his body and leaving behind a line of golden light.

I slashed horizontally and struck him once more, leaving behind another golden cut in the air then staggered him with a finishing slash down the center, the golden cuts lighting up and dealing three more powerful slashes upon his body.

Reid fell onto his knees then onto the ground, his aura disappearing and his hair returning back to normal, defeated from my Royal Touch. I let out a soft exhale and closed my eyes, twirling around my sword and sheathed my sword behind me.

"Take a good rest and learn your lesson, Baelfyr," I said as I made my way back to the girls, reverting back to my normal form.

Sephiroth noticed the chaos had finally ended and let out a soft exhale, her body turning into nature particles and entering inside the Rebirth Rose. The girls watched as Sephiroth left the fields then turned back ahead, each of them noticing me approaching and hurrying toward me.

"Nox!" Fleur called to me, happily grabbing my arm and smiling at me. "You beat Reid? Is it over?"

I looked at Fleur and gave her a soft smile, nodding my head and glancing between the three girls. "It's over now, so we can finally get what we need for Daisy."

The three girls smiled and giggled softly, each of them nodded and ready to pick flowers for Daisy. As the girls parted ways through the fields for flowers, I began walking toward the Rebirth Rose and gently placed my hand upon the bud.

I crouched down before it and gently caressed its side, the petals lightly shifting in a positive manner. I stood up straight, a green flash catching my eye at the center of the bud. Taking a closer look, I noticed a green orb that was smaller than the of a tennis ball, its surface wrapped in protective vines.

Nox...

Take this...

As a thank you...

It is a Summon Relic...

One of many...

I carefully grabbed the orb and took it from the bud, bringing it closer for a more indepth inspection. The orb radiated an emerald sheen, the soothing aura from the orb engulfing my hand.

That is the Root Relic...

Used to summon Sephiroth when you need her...

You only need 10 Nature Seeds to summon her...

Good luck, Nox...

And please visit again...

Just as fast as the gentle winds came, the soothing winds left, Floria's presence within the fields now gone. Her withering presence filled my heart with longing, longing to hear her voice again just once more.

I let out a soft exhale and opened my eyes then turned around to go meet up with the girls, my gaze shifting down to the Root Relic in my hand. I made the orb disperse into energy particles, the particles entering into my body, a green light flashing in my chest.

"Wait, Effie! Those aren't the right flowers, we need Yellow Lilies! Not Yellow Tulips!" Fleur shouted to Effie across the field, letting out a soft sigh as Effie and Looni began doing their own thing.

"Not the flower picking journey you hoped for huh?" I asked, making my way toward Fleur with my arms crossed over my chest.

Fleur looked up at me and let out a soft chuckle, running her hand through her hair. "You don't need to rub it in..~ Besides, Luciel is at least picking the right flowers. Meanwhile..."

I turned my gaze toward the "best" ninja and Coatyl in St. Meishi, watching as the two picked flowers and made flower crowns for each other. "I mean...we are in a flower field. Plus, her grandpa barely lets her leave Downtown, let alone travel this far out to a Kingdom."

"Yeah...but I know how you get after a big fight. You gain more edge because you're tired, and don't even deny it mister. I've been taking care and training you for the past two years," Fleur said, looking up at me with a knowing smirk on her face.

I rolled my eyes at Fleur and began making my way toward Effie, ignoring her comment entirely. "I'll be sure to get Effie back on track."

Fleur snickered lightly at my reaction and turned her gaze back down to the picture in her hand, letting out a soft hum. "Alright, don't take too long~"

Looni let out happy whines as Effie placed a flower crown upon her head, her tail wagging with happiness to her new gift from her master. Effie giggled softly at Looni's reaction then reached over to pick another flower, her hand touching my boot.

Effie looked up at me, her eyes sparkling with joy at my near presence. She smiled sweetly at me and moved aside to make room for me, patting the spot next to her. "Nox! Sit, sit!"

I walked toward the spot she wanted me to sit at and took a seat next to her, grunting softly as Effie wrapped her arm around mine and rested her head upon my shoulder. I looked down at her, noticing how at peace she looked in my presence.

"I've got you now, Nox..~ Finally..." Effie said softly, her hand around my bicep sliding down to my forearm, her body shifting to get in a more comfortable position upon the grass.

"Will you ever grow tired of chasing me..?" I asked, sitting still for her and looked up at the clear blue skies.

Effie giggled softly at my comment, her gaze lingering upon a napping Looni, watching as a sleep bubble from her Coatyl's nose expanded and shrank. There was a bit of silence between us, the gentle winds carrying the soft melodies of the translucent lavender bells.

"Uhm... y'know... I really admire you. Your strength and resilience, that...hidden drive to keep going. I'm really glad Fleur and Luciel helped you with your struggle," Effie began, her other hand awkwardly rubbing her leg.

There was a bit of silence in between, the air filled with a mix of awkwardness and sweet familiarity between us. I didn't know if she was finished speaking, so I stayed silent to allow her to collect her thoughts.

"Fleur is truly the Big Sister of Squad V... She helped me when I was struggling too. She saved me and Looni from our burning stable with Papa...I'll never forget it," She continued, her voice growing softer as her mind began to try to find anything to talk about.

"... but what I do admire the most...is how you got her to open up. She used to be very still and guarded, but now she's more lively than ever. She's really close to you isn't she..?" She asked, her gaze shifting to the swaying blades of grass below.

"You could say that..." I answered and glanced down at Effie, noticing her shy and reserved demeanor.

Effie let out a soft exhale and held onto my arm tighter, her heart beating harder against her chest with emotions she understood but couldn't get out. "I...I guess what I'm trying to say is... I'm ah... I'm a bit...jealous of Fleur and Luciel.."

I rose an eyebrow at her confession, my curiosity inflating within. "Why?"

"I know it's silly...and I guess I should probably expect the friendzone again huh? I mean...I like you. And I mean in the way Fleur and Luciel like you, the way you like them back and won't show it..." She started, her gaze shifting up to me and locking eyes with me.

"I've liked you for a long time and... I'm just afraid you'd reject me again... And it's not like I can tell the future right? I'm just sayin—"

I placed my finger upon her lips to softly silence her, her cheeks heating up into a soft red hue. I removed my finger from her lips and moved my arm so her hand could slide into mine. "Effie, I didn't reject you before because I didn't like you. That wasn't the reason at all.."

"I rejected you simply because you confessed too early...I simply wasn't ready for anything like I am now. I'm more stable now than what I was a year and a half ago. I do like you...but take it slow for me. Okay?" I said, giving her hand a gentle squeeze of assurance.

Effie's heart began to swell with overwhelming joy, her tears welling in her eyes. Unable to speak out of pure happiness, she threw her arms around me for a tight hug, squeezing me tightly. I grunted softly at her tight embrace, but still returned her embrace with one arm around her.

Fleur and Luciel watched the interaction between me and Effie, the two chuckling amongst themselves and enjoying the sight of Effie's happiness. Her two years of pure chasing finally paid off in the grace of the Virgo Kingdom's flower field.

"Welp...looks like we gotta make some more room in our house for Effie to move in. She's one of us now and honestly, that's the last of us," Fleur chuckled softly, placing her hands upon her hip.

"We could always use more energy around the house anyway~ Plus, we're the only three women Nox actually talks to so he might as well keep us around!" Luciel nodded, her smile brightening as she stared at me and Effie.

The sun continued to kiss upon the earth as she soon reached the zenith, the noon finally arriving and the autumn breeze crossing through the entire fields. The weather was perfect...perfect enough for us to linger around for a few more moments.