Snow continued to fall harshly against the old cabin on the outskirts of town. It continued to fall in greater and greater amounts, to the point that it would likely require work in order to leave the house. However, leaving at this very moment did not matter to anyone within the cabin. If anything, the brutal weather fit the atmosphere that now encompassed one of the rooms inside.

In that room, sat a young boy and an older woman, both with black hair. To many, they’d likely assume that these two were related in some way. But at this very moment, they were distant from each other. The boy was filled with rage, but he did not let it overwhelm him and allowed the woman to speak. The woman was filled with sadness, but she did not let it overwhelm her and spoke to the boy about what had occurred many years ago.

Inkra: [As you probably know, there was a large amount of protests a while back about the improper treatment of oni. With everything that went down in that time, it sparked into a war and from there, that’s where things really began. I wasn’t aware of too much regarding the whole thing. I knew there were some problems between humans and oni, but I never knew what it was actually like. I think around then, I was about eighteen. I was incredibly young when I joined the force.]

She opened up her bottle of alcohol, and began drinking away before continuing again.

Inkra: [From what we were told, it was a war to protect our own kind. This wasn’t some one sided thing, it was just what you’d always expect from a war. Two sides going against each other to protect their families, their people. That’s how it is. That’s how it always is. That’s what I was always told going to war meant. This was just a scenario where people on the oni side got a little too aggressive and that sparked everything. That’s all it should have been.]

Nero continued to look towards her with anger in his eyes, but this anger slowly faded gradually as he saw the pain in her downcasted eyes. Sounds came from the bottle being gripped tightly. He began to worry if she would break it, but why should he care about how she-

Inkra: [THAT’S ALL THEY TOLD US IT WOULD BE!]

His train of thought came to an abrupt halt as Inkra let out her rage with just her voice. He did not fully understand her situation, but things had started to become much clearer as he noticed her eyes starting to water.

Inkra: [They told us we’d be fighting for our side! That this was just to protect our people! Nothing more! They lied to us!]

She once again brought the bottle to her mouth. Nero wanted to stop her, but there was still a part of him that hesitated to interact with her.

Inkra: [During my time training, I met some people. They were nice. I became good friends with them. I know you shouldn’t become too close with others in a scenario like that in case anything goes wrong…but I did. We were all excited to fight together, side by side, and then eventually, the day arrived. We went to war against the oni. At first, everything was standard. It didn’t feel good to take the life of another living being, but protecting our homes was what mattered. Protecting our homes…just ours is all that mattered to them.]

She gripped the bottle even harder, faint sounds of glass cracking filled the air. Once again, the bottle moved towards her lips. Despite how much alcohol entered her system, nothing had truly changed with how Inkra spoke. The only difference was that she had let everything out to Nero.

Inkra: [It took a while for me to notice. We were fighting and fighting. It was all normal from what I could tell. Just keep shooting and we’ll win eventually. But then…we moved up to advance…I went to confirm all the kills that I had gotten…]

She looked up at Nero, tears running down her face as her eyes showed signs of fear and disgust. The bottom of her eyepatch started to become drenched.

Inkra: [...I shot a child, Nero. I killed a child. He was gripping onto his mother, who was also dead. I…I shot a child…I felt horrible…I felt sick…I tried to cover my mouth with my hand, but I couldn’t stop it….I started vomiting over myself…I started crying the hardest I’ve ever cried before…I was gasping for air…I felt like I couldn't breath at all…It was awful…I hated it…and then I realized where we were. We weren’t at some specific war grounds, we were at a village. They brought us to a village…and made us kill the people there…I watched as multiple families were killed…It only made me more sick…I threw up so many times I was practically able to see my own bones outlining my skin…I’m not even sure my friends knew what they were doing…The higher ups certainly did…but we didn’t…and then, the oni themselves had their own soldiers rushing in and killing our people…I felt like shit…I didn’t want to be, but I was relieved that it was happening…We deserved it after everything…But seeing your own friends be torn apart…it’s horrible…all of it…It all made me so disgusted…I was covered in my own vomit and tears, along with the blood of countless innocent people…screaming over what I had done…A few minutes had already passed since I did it…but…I killed a child…I killed a family…I killed multiple…I’m a worthless piece of garbage…]

Her grip against the bottle once again grew stronger, and with it, the bottle shattered. Nero no longer could hold his previous emotions, and quickly tried to make sure Inkra was alright.

Nero: [Inkra!]

Inkra: [Please! Stay back…for now…I’m not finished. Eventually, they made their way towards me…I did nothing but scream and cry over what I had done…But I’m sure to them, I looked like a pathetic coward who was afraid to fight…To some degree, they were right…I prayed for them to kill me…In that moment, more than anything, I wanted to die…My friends were brutally killed…I ended the lives of those who shouldn’t have been ended…I couldn’t even bring myself to either keep fighting, or run away…I was a coward…That’s all I was, and ever will be…They attacked me with their claws…and what you see before you…all of these scars on me…are from those attacks…Even my eye was lost in that fight…We had reinforcements of our own, and they managed to save me. No, who am I kidding…In what world was I saved…I should have died…I should have been killed…There was no reason to live. They performed surgery as best as they could, but I tried to stop them multiple times. I guess they also realized I figured everything out, because I was discharged shortly after. I had nowhere to go. My family was sick, which was why I joined the force. They died while I was in emergency care. I was eighteen, with a fighting style that was forbidden, and now, a war criminal. After the war ended, I read about all the survivors on our side. They were put to death, every last one of them. I ridiculed myself. I should have let them know I was also there. I also fought in that battle. No, it wasn’t a battle, it was a slaughterfest with no true war to it. I hated myself day in and day out. I should’ve just reported myself to them. Why didn’t I? Because I’m a coward. That’s all I ever will be…I ran away…I lived in this cabin…away from everyone…and remained here like the piece of shit I am…]

Inkra began to cover her face with her hands, her voice trembled as she spoke.

Inkra: [I’m such…a worthless human being…]

She looked back up at Nero again, to see the anger from before had returned. She closed her eyes as she continued to speak to him. Unbeknownst to the two of them however, the door was open by a small portion. On the opposite side of the door, was a little girl who was quietly crying as she listened to their conversation.

Inkra: [If you want to ridicule me, or harm me, or kill me, you are free to do so. I will not judge you for it. If anything, I’ll welcome it. I’m nothing after all, and that’s all I’ll ever be.]

Her eyes opened to reveal a much calmer look. She was ready to accept her fate.

Inkra: [Do what is right for you, Nero.]

Nero bit his lip, before the build up of his anger was finally let loose.

Nero: [ARE YOU AN IDIOT?!]

Nero shouted back at Inkra, leading to a confused stare in return by her. This was the first time she had ever heard him yell, and it was in a fashion she did not expect.

Nero: [My father, he was a great man! I respected him very much! But there’s one thing about him I did not like, and my mother and my sister would likely curse me to death for saying such a thing! He was an idiot! After that war you spoke of, he commit suicide many years later! I don’t think he was an idiot regarding certain aspects of that, but there’s a reason I do find him to be one! He had us! He ran from his problems and never spoke with us! He held onto the past without ever sharing his pain! You said all these things about you being a coward?! You’re right! You are a coward! You’re trying to have me kill you instead to relieve you of your past! How do you think your actions feel towards me?! How do you think my father’s actions felt when I learned about them?! There’s a reason having friends and families exist! It’s to share things with them! Experiences you have, troubles, you name it! That’s the purpose of it all!]

Responding to Nero's words, Inkra lashed back with her own thunderous words.

Inkra: [I killed a child, Nero! I ended multiple families! That's not something that anyone can live with! Taking the lives of those who don't deserve to be taken, it's horrible! I know how my actions feel to you, or at least how they should feel! I murdered your own people! I'm responsible for what happened to your father! This isn't something you can easily play off! You may be smart but you're still just a child! You need to face reality!]

Nero: [The one who needs to face reality is you! You know how your actions feel towards me?! What do you know?! That force may have been responsible for what happened to my father, but the greatest problem of all was that he never spoke to us about it! I don't think what you've done can be easily forgotten, I truly don't! But that isn't the point here at all! If you took your own life, if you made me take yours, do you have any idea how that would make me feel?! You're like a mother to me and Mena!]

As Nero shouted more and more, he began to cry. Inkra, who had her tears dried up a few moments before, had new streams that surfaced, falling across her cheeks after her heart was pierced by him.

Inkra: [Nero…]

Nero: [It’s okay to regret what you have done! My mother told me that’s part of life! But it’s how you move forward that matters most! These things aren’t something you need to hold onto forever! Life is about enjoying the time that you have, so stop sitting around and focusing on the past! It doesn’t matter what you’ve done, as long as you keep moving forward and learn from it!]

The room fell silent, the silence only being removed by the drops of tears hitting the floor. Neither of the two knew how to respond.

Nero stood up and walked towards Inkra. His aim was to assist her hand that started bleeding after shattering the bottle. As he moved, Inkra casted her eyes down.

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Nero: [Please, let me look at your-]

Before he could finish speaking, Nero was grabbed by Inkra, who had her hands firmly placed behind him. She pulled him in, resting his head on her shoulder and stroking his hair. Her tears and snot began to dampen Nero’s own shoulder, but he paid no mind to this.

Inkra: [...Nero….I…I’m sorry….I’m so sorry…]

Her voice trembled much more often than before, occasionally being interrupted by her sniffling.

Inkra: [I….I know I’m not your real mother…and I act rude sometimes…but…the two of you…the two of you really mean the world to me!....I thought I had no one…I thought at some point….that I would take my own life….But then I found you two and I….I….]

She could not finish speaking, her throat constantly prevented her as she choked up at every opportunity to talk. Nero gave a firm hug back, crying into her shoulder as well. Mena entered the room in a rushed manner, and quickly hugged the two of them. All three of them created a circle of tears.

Inkra: [You two…are the best thing that has ever happened to me…Thank you….Thank you so much…]

Nero and Mena did not respond, but they continued to hold her as lovingly as they could. For both Nero and Mena, and Inkra, the two parties had once thought they lost everything. But it was thanks to each other that they were able to continue with their lives.

Shortly after their discussion, Mena began to refer to Inkra as “Moms”. She believed that when she said the word Mother, it referred to her own mother. But to say Moms was to refer to Inkra, who had been a mother not by blood, but by who she was to them. Nero enjoyed the idea that Mena had presented, and he had begun to refer to her as Moms as well. This led to another moment in which Inkra hugged the two of them, crying her eyes out.

From this point forward, Inkra was Moms.

From this point forward, Inkra had become their mother.

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???: [Say, ever feel like you’re pretty lucky?]

Nero stood there, listening to the voice in his head and the questions about odd topics it presented. He kept his voice low so as to not arouse suspicion from Yoro or Kaoru. Should they notice what was happening, there was a good chance the three in the cave would likely not survive. However, despite complying with this voice, Nero remained alert in case anything were to go wrong.

Nero: [Lucky? What do you mean?]

???: [Let's think about luck for a minute. You get told you're getting steak for dinner, and then it happens. That's fate. Booooooring. But luck…luck is interesting. You find a nice large bill on the ground as you're walking. That! That right there is the real beautiful scenario! You got lucky to find such a thing, and it's thanks to that luck that you're much richer than you were before! It's real incredible, right? Anyways, I'm getting ahead of myself. But look at you! You got some absurd matōki, good muscle, your speed seems great, divine chi, you already have a girl falling for you, that's all you really need, right? Give it some time and who knows how much more you'll have!]

Nero: [I apologize, but my strength comes from my own race. That part was given to me from the very beginning.]

???: [Yeah, yeah, the oni race. I get that, but not all of them are strong you know? Well, I guess there's areas that each person excels in, but still. Maybe even your speed could be attributed to that. But let me ask, everything else, whatever it may, the matōki, the divine chi, whatever. All of that, where exactly does it come from? From what I can tell, you've got no one in your family who had that much strength. Your sister doesn't even seem to be that similar to you-]

Upon the mention of his sister, Nero quickly flared up while still remaining quiet.

Nero: [Why do you know-]

???: [Hey! Hey! Calm down! I'm not doing anything! I looked into your brain a bit, my bad, and just wanted to get some more info. It's rude of me not to ask, I know, and I'm sorry. I have a method in which I can redeem myself, but we'll get to that later. Right, where was I? Oh yes, you. You're certainly odd. You have zero reason to be as you are, and yet, here he is, the next god of this world! That's certainly exciting, isn't it?!]

Nero: [I'd like to become one, but unfortunately, our next task will be quite difficult. There's no guarantee any of us will survive.]

???: [Daroma? Psssh. You'll be fine. If you fight him, you'll probably win no problem once you figure him out. That said, I see what your plan is, and honestly, I think that girl fighting him will work too. She seems pretty damn strong. The daughter of Airi too?! That'll be good enough to handle him.]

Though he threatened no one, Nero realized how dangerous the situation had been. Anything that he knew would now be known by this voice. No secrets could be kept from such a thing, and thus, a much larger problem would be created should he fail to comply.

???: [I keep doing this! Aaaah! Okay, luck! Back to the luck topic! I don't know about you, but I like luck a whole lot more than fate. Fate can be warped, bended, changed. All it takes is one right turn, and it’ll happen. Luck though, that's something else. Now I don't mean that in the sense of you performing some miraculous attack and going "The gods have blessed me!" That idea is just silly. But there's a way to use such a thing. Sounds crazy I know, but all it really takes is the opportunity to use it. You get lucky, and they miss their attack. You might just stand around and cheer that you got lucky. Oh well, you're dead now. But, if they miss that attack, and you notice it, you use it to your advantage. You attack them back, and now, they're taken care of. Now, I'm not telling you to kill anyone or anything like that. Let's not get crazy here. But there's such a thing as luck that exists, and using it is no difficult task either. I'm sure you're aware of her, the ruler of the world, Devi Bloodfire?]

Despite being able to see into his mind, the voice asked a question regarding Nero's knowledge. It was obvious why it did however. Nero had barely known about the person it spoke of.

Nero: [I've heard of her, but I do not know much. I was told about her by my mother, along with my surrogate mother. She sounded brave from what I was told, albeit there were parts to her that sounded old fashioned.]

???: [Old fashioned is definitely one way to word it. Anyways, she's one of the prime examples for my whole thing here! She doesn't believe in luck, not in the slightest. There are times where you might get something good, but to her, all it ends up being is fate. Fate is the reason you got that bill, fate is the reason you found that stray puppy, fate is the reason you won. Talk about a complete snoozefest of a woman! All she believes in is fate. If she died? She'd probably just think it was fate. She has no idea what the true world functions on!]

He did not fully understand what the voice had spoken about, but somewhere in Nero's mind, he grew intrigued over what it was saying. He aligned with neither side, but was interested to know about both. Suddenly, another voice intruded into Nero's brain.

Shiro: [Nero! We got the gem! Is everything all good on your end?]

Nero: [Y-Yes! Yoro and Kaoru are having fun with each other, and we haven't experienced any issues here!]

Shiro: [Awesome! Heh. I'll tell Kō about the other part too. I think she'll like that…or she might not. She and Yoro argue a lot after all.]

As Shiro's voice disappeared; the other had returned.

???: [Your buddies are making their way back, so I'll cut to the chase! You're lucky to find me, so I wanna make a deal. No timer on this or anything, when you need to, you just come find me right back here. One of the best parts of luck is when a dream or wish comes true. That! That is what's really great! Now, I might want something on my end, buuuut you are free to reject the offer at any point in time should it not suit you. Anyways, here's what I'm getting at. Any wish, whatever you want, I'll help you achieve.]

Nero: [That's a rather bold offer. Not everything can be accomplished however.]

???: [Ohoho! But that is where you're wrong! Whatever it is, whatever you need, I'll provide! Now, let me mention that you shouldn't get too greedy. Don't immediately go "I want forty billion dollars!" That's kinda lame, you know what I mean? But if you have something, ANYTHING, that you would like, let me know.]

Nero: [And you? This is certainly a good offer, but there is obviously a catch to what you're providing.]

???: [A fair question. Very fair indeed. I have some things I'd like, but like I said before, you can decline at any time. Just keep my offer in mind in case anything happens. Your friends are on the way, so I should get moving.]

Nero grew worried over what this entity might have wanted, but the offer chipped away at his mind. Before it left, he asked one final question.

Nero: [There is no guarantee I will come back. In fact, I highly doubt I will consider it that much. But I must ask, what is your name? Just so I know.]

???: [Ah, where are my manners! I've completely forgotten to speak of who I am. Allow me to introduce myself…]

The cheerful voice within Nero's head lost all of it's joy as it began to properly introduce itself.

Hom: [My name…is Hom. I'll be waiting for you, just in case you decide to show up, Nero Virtuoso.]

With it's final words, the voice disappeared, and likely whatever had caused it to speak to Nero had disappeared as well. As the voice faded, three girls came walking out of the cave entrance. One of which, being that of Shiro, had her face strangely dampened.

Shiro: [We're back! Are we all still okay?]

Yoro: [Yep, we've had no problems so far! It's a little worrying, but I guess there's nothing that decided to come out and attack.]

Kōkatsu: [We still gotta remain cautious, but man, what a fuckin’ coward. It decided to start hidin' as soon as we came.]

Silvia: [Regardlessss, my tassssk is done. I had hoped that mine would have not been the eassssiesssst but here we are.]

While Silvia gave an annoyed mumble of her words, Nero looked at the group. The voice was gone. If he had felt like it, he could easily speak to them about what happened. No. He knew what would happen. They may have left the cave, but there was no guarantee they were safe. It likely would not follow them to the next inn, but there was no certainty to this. The risk was far greater than the payoff that could be given. The only information Nero even had was the voice. The origin of said voice was still unknown to all. Nero stood there and focused on it's final message, before refreshing the thoughts in his brain. He turned his attention to Shiro.

Nero: [Shiro. I'm sure you know, but what comes next is…]

Shiro: [Yeah. My task.]

Nero: [This will be our final one. As such, I'd like to fully provide you with the opportunity of fighting Daroma, and as such, I'd like to discuss our strategy once we are at another inn.]

Shiro: [Fine by me. I have some ideas myself I'd like to run by all of you.]

Shiro smiled as she gave her confident reply. Nero then turned towards Yoro, and walked up to her, kneeling down so he matched her in height.

Nero: [Yoro. If possible, I'd like to discuss something with you in private later.]

Her face began to grow bright red as it always had as Nero spoke with her. Steam began to once again-

Nero: [Please calm down. You will enjoy the discussion, but I'd like for you to remain calm beforehand.]

Yoro: [Y-YES SIR! I'LL D-DO AS YOU REQUEST!]

She gave a quick salute towards Nero, suppressing the feelings that would normally burst forth through her. The group looked at the two of them while giggling.

Kōkatsu: [I guess Varius might happen a whole lot sooner than I thought!]

Shiro: [Varius?]

Silvia: [I believe sssshe issss trying to ssssay varioussss.]

Kōkatsu: [No, no. Varius.]

Silvia: [Yessss. That issss what I ssssaid.]

Kōkatsu [Ya said various, I said Varius.]

Silvia: [You ssssaid the ssssame thing twisssse.]

Shiro: [You did say the same thing twice, Kō.]

Kōkatsu: [No, 's way different. Ya can tell, right Kaoru?]

Kaoru: [I'm sorry Lady Kōkatsu but you said the same thing.]

Shiro: [Alright hold on, spell it out.]

Kōkatsu: [V-A-R-I-U-S.]

Shiro: [Oooooh. Okay, I see. And you're using the actual word, right Silvia?]

Silvia: [Yessss.]

Shiro: [Alright, that makes more sense now. Wait, so what or who is Varius?]

Kōkatsu: [Maybe ya'll find out soon, maybe ya'll find out later. Who knows!]

Shiro and Silvia turned to each other with an annoyed look on their faces.

Silvia: [Sssshe issss not being very helpful today, issss sssshe?]

Shiro: [Not at all. Especially when she tripped me earlier and went “Ha! Get puddled!”.]

While the rest of the party continued to goof around, Nero drew all of their attention towards him.

Nero: [Let us move, everyone! We should remain alert of anything that may change, but thanks to our quick end of the third task, we can easily travel towards our next destination today as well. We'll stop by somewhere once the night draws near. For now however, let's focus on the fourth task!]

Nero's command of what would be accomplished next gave a newfound resolve to the group, and led to a reply of collective loud cheering from them. The only person who did not shout back was Yoro, who looked back up at him with a smile on her face that conveyed all the feelings that resided in her heart.

Kaoru: [L-Let's go! I'll become a brave kitsune just for Lady Kōkatsu!]

Kōkatsu: [Yahahaha! That's the spirit, Kaoru! Let's move! We'll kick that bastard's ass, and I'll show Kaoru just how strong her new mom is!]

Silvia: [My own tassssk wassss quite the bore. Thissss nexsssst tassssk will quench my thrisssst!]

As they all shouted, one stood out far greater than the others. The person who had a resolve as hard as steel. The one who took on this task, and was prepared to defeat her opponent.

Shiro: [Alright, let's get going, gang!]

A smile on her face, and a fire in her eyes, Shiro shouted out towards the group.

Shiro: [I'll take Daroma the Dark down all by myself! We're gonna conquer these trials in record time!]

Matching her element, her words were like lighting. They sparked through the air, and crackled as they came down.

The fourth trial would soon begin, and with it, Shiro and her friends would soon face the mighty Daroma the Dark.

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