[BONUS] THEY CALLED THEMSELVES...

[Bonus chappy thanks to Mr. Ham <3 (3/6)]

Leonel had almost forgotten. All this time, Anastasia had taken on the task of guiding Hutch's grandson.

Truthfully, even with the loss of his Innate Nodes full influence on him, Leonel had still not forgiven Elorin. Hutch was his first mentor. Although the two had never seen eye to eye in the way of Weapon Forces, it could be said that it was because of Hutch's insights back then that Leonel eventually came around, fusing their paths into one understanding.

At the same time, though, after losing his own father, he was well aware of the kind of spiral a person could fall into. There were many things that he had done in recent months that lacked any form of humanity or empathy. In a lot of ways, Elorin's actions were far more rational than his ever were.

Plus, Time Force was so esoteric and difficult to understand. Although Elorin didn't have an Innate Node, who knew how it affected him?

What if due to the fact Elorin was such a master of Time Force, he saw all streams of time as the same? What if the day he lost his parents hurt just the same today? What if he couldn't move past events like others could?

The more Leonel thought about how best to maximize his intelligence to deal with this new world he was in, the more he understood just how important understanding different Forces could be toward that end. And after feeling the harrowing effects himself, he was even more inclined to have sympathy.

Plus, there was a more human reason to keep Elorin around.

Ultimately, he knew that Hutch had never had the heart to kill his own grandson. In all likelihood, he had fallen on his blade.

How could Leonel spit on the final decision Hutch had made in his life? It simply wasn't his place to take Elorin's life.

"Let's do it," Leonel finally said after his mind stopped wandering. This wasn't the time to think about such things. He had to take this final step.

A young man ran through a city that looked like a mix between a plumber's wet dream and the complex inner workings of a mechanical watch.

Thick pipes and plumes of hot steam filled the skies while large interlocking worked to move everything along from the trollies that littered the streets to the connecting bridges of more pipes overhead.

If Leonel could see the scene of him rushing past the pedestrians and illegally hopping up and over buildings he shouldn't be, he would feel a wave of nostalgia. All of this felt too much like his Royal Blue Academy days, that simpler time in his life where he would commit a felony every day on his way to and then from school.

The young man pulled his goggles down from his forehead as he entered a particular smoggy region before slipping into a sewer system.

After several turns in the maze-like under-underground system, he finally ran in a bazaar filled with sweaty men oozing body odor and skimpily dressed, malnourished prostitutes.

He ducked into one of the tents to find a woman who was in silent meditation. Although she was relatively average in appearance, she had a bearing that was far beyond most in the region, especially considering the unruly atmosphere. She didn't even seem bothered by the sounds of loud sex echoing from the neighboring tent as she opened her eyes.

Her irises flashed with a golden light as she looked toward the young man before her. Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.

"Eamon, why've you come again?"

Eamon put his hands on his hips, grinning.

"Cindra, I have the location of our engagement party all planned out. Clear your schedule exactly-" he looked at his wrist, having forgotten that he had pawned off his watch for some extra talisman materials. "-well, let's just say 3 weeks from now."

The girl rolled her eyes. "I told you already that an engagement party is something you have after you're engaged, you don't hold it to get engaged."

Eamon rubbed his dirty hair a bit embarrassedly, but chuckled anyway.

"Plus, haven't I already told you to forget about that sort of stuff? Do you understand what sort of responsibility comes with having a wife? You..."

Cindra started to lecture quite seriously. She might look young, but she was over 100 years old, almost ten times Eamon's age. This young man was really too much.

"Hehe, what responsibility? Won't Cindra just take care of me for the rest of our lives?"

Cindra was speechless. What kind of woman would fall into this sort of trap?

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding..." Eamon's eyes dimmed somewhat before he muttered under his breath. "... It's not like we have much time left anyway..."

A flash of pain appeared on Cindra's expression. How could she not know what Eamon meant?

War was coming, and it would be people like them who suffered first.

They looked like they were safe, but there was only so much food here, only so much water. Once the war broke out, they'd be finished and the promises of those so-called leaders of theirs would-

Cindra closed her eyes. When she opened them once again, she had regained her usual calm.

She stood to her feet and walked past Eamon, patting his shoulder.

"Go find a girl closer to your age, little boy. Hopefully one less used and jaded."

Cindra left the tent and Eamon rushed out, but she had already disappeared.

Eamon shook his head. He knew that Cindra was exceptionally powerful, far more powerful than him. He didn't know why she stayed here at all, and he certainly didn't know if his efforts with the mine would even be useful to her, but...

He just wanted to do something for the girl he liked.

Cindra walked slowly, but the distance she covered was incredible.

She headed deep into the city, entering a region that many of the lower class couldn't dream of crossing into.

This place was yet another core of human power. It was the smallest, and the weakest, but it was one nonetheless.

They called themselves the Slayer Legion.