Hours passed. The night turned to day. The sunlight bleached through the windows of Aion’s weapon shop in Elpida Town. Kyros reluctantly left the comfort of the bed on the top floor, his body still aching sore from his battle against Melanie. 

After performing a series of stretches, the young man left the room and headed downstairs. There on the front counter rested a large box with a tag that had his name on it. Without hesitation, he opened the box. Inside resided new gauntlets, custom-made by Aion.

Kyros' mind instantly traveled back to the moment Dire destroyed his trusty gauntlets with a single kick. That one strike broke more than his weapons, his pride as well as his mentor's, shattered with it. Perhaps one the hardest things Kyros ever had to do in his life was mention that his gauntlets got destroyed.

Fair enough to say, Aion wasn't too thrilled about the news. The weapons engineer took great pride and joy in his work. Those that dared to destroy his works of art never saw the light of day again whenever he got their hands on them. 

It took quite the amount of begging and pleading for Kyros to convince Aion to make him another pair. Like the previous pair, they were gauntlets of bronze. However, the metal he used for the detail and craftsmanship was of Robust Steel, a type of mineral found in ores out in the mines outside the country.

It came in twenty-four different grades. Kyros' previous gauntlets were Zeta Grade. Just by the touch, Kyros could tell Aion used a stronger class.

Equipped in the gauntlets were glass tubes filled with liquids of different colors. Just from the sight of it, Kyros gasped in shock. It was liquidated Vitalis. 

"Master Aion isn't playing any games," Kyros softly commented, knowing the dangers of liquidated Vitalis. While they packed more of a punch in combat than regular Vitalis, using them was a bit of a double-edged sword. Its concentrated power alone could demolish an entire town or village if he weren't careful.

Kyros was proud that Aion trusted him to handle such a dangerous substance, but also somewhat terrified. 

The young man slipped on the gauntlets and shifted them to inactive mode. They altered into bracelets. Afterward, Kyros headed out into the town to get some air.

The repairs of the town went rather smoothly. Nearly all damages to the place were fixed as good as new—as if nothing ever happened in the first place. The construction workers from the Lambros Corporation certainly did an excellent job.

Most of the townspeople stood outside of their homes, practicing with the utilization of their Praus. Military soldiers kept watch and tutored those that struggled more than others—indeed a heartwarming scene. Hard to believe that the people once berated the soldiers for their inability to keep them safe.

Over one hundred people died in the town. No one would forget that. It would be forever etched into the hearts of the people that lived there. However, they would not let that fact keep them down. They had to live on. They practiced and trained to grow stronger so that no more lives would be lost in the future.

Along with his stroll through the town, Kyros received a summons from the council. Figuring that it was about his suspension, the man didn't waste any time in borrowing a Nemean and heading to Pandora City.

When he reached the castle, he was escorted into the council room. Once again, Roditis Lambrose with his associates and General Zofia were in attendance.

"Captain Kyros Aleister, welcome." Agathe started the meeting. "We called you here today to discuss a few things regarding your suspension."

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"I understand," Kyros nodded his head and continued, "I'll answer your questions honestly as always."

"Let us start with your participation in the battle three weeks ago," started Bethesda, "you were suspended, and yet you still saw to it to fight against the Acolytes."

"Well, isn't that obvious? Regardless of my suspension, I'm still a citizen of this country. I won't stand by and watch as my people fight and die to defend their homes from the Acolytes." Kyros proudly announced to them. Roditis and Zofia seemed pleased with the show of dedication and patriotism.

"We expected no less from you. It is because of that dedication that we have decided to remove your suspension and reinstate back to full duty." Callidora informed him.

If not for the presence of everyone, Kyros would've jumped for joy and roared on the top of his lungs. Since he couldn't do that, he conveyed his emotions through a big smile.

"Thank you very much. I shall do my best to serve my country. I'll work myself to the bone if I have to."

"We are glad to hear you mention that. You see, we have a critical task for you." Agathe said.

"Name it."

"Before we tell you, how would you describe your relationship with the pair of Huntresses, Runa das Meer and Sarra Zosime?" asked Callidora.

"Our relationship is professional. We've worked together in a few instances and formed a particular bond." Kyros answered without hesitation. He didn't need to think about it.

They were allies at best. He never heard Runa or Sarra refer to him as their friend. Everyone in the room seemed pleased with the answer once again.

Bethesda leaned forward then rested her chin on her hands. "It is interesting that you bring up that bond, Captain Kyros. For you see, we would like for you to strengthen that relationship you have with the two of them."

"Excuse me?"

"It is no secret that this country has a complicated relationship with those out in the Wild Lands. Your partnership with the Huntresses may be a step forward in the right direction to strengthen our relationship with the Wild Landers." Callidora explained.

At that moment, Kyros vaguely realized what they wanted. He too wanted to strengthen the relationship with the people out in the Gardens of Eden. But, he couldn't understand how they wanted him to do that with Runa and Sarra. The two of them were scheduled to leave the country soon.

"So, you will no longer lead the Fifth Recon unit. You will venture out with the Huntresses. Join them on their journey’s as an envoy to the country." Agathe ordered.

"Join them?" Kyros struggled to say.

They were serious. The council wanted Kyros to leave the country and join Runa and Sarra out in the Gardens of Eden. Kyros felt honored that they trusted him with such a task.

However, he also insulted.

First, they suspended him for no significant reason. Then, they wanted to kick him out of the kingdom to do their dirty work.

Not that Kyros wasn't excited, though. He had only left the country once when he was ten years old. The experience was life-threatening. It would be a lie to say that he wasn't traumatized by the whole ordeal. But, he was a child back then. He wouldn't make the same mistakes that he did before.

"I know this may seem sudden. But, it would benefit everyone if Soteria and the Gardens of Eden formed a healthy relationship." General Zofia stepped forward. "Right now, you are the one and only person that can succeed in this mission."

Kyros immediately saluted his superior officer. It was always hard to refuse an order from her, and it wasn't because of her rank.

"Leave it to me! I promise you that I will strengthen the relationship between Soteria and the Gardens of Eden without fail!" Kyros proclaimed. His intentions were pure. However, he had no idea how he would do that in the first place.

"While you are out there, you are required to give daily reports on your situations. Inform us of everything that is happening out there, no matter how insignificant." Agathe instructed.

"Yes, ma’am. I'll see to it that I do that." Kyros nodded his head. "However, Runa and Sarra mentioned that they would be leaving today. They could've possibly left by now."

"Do not worry. We have not received any reports about them leaving. You still have time." General Zofia assured. "We will send word to the guards to keep them at bay until you prepare everything you need for your trip. But hurry, Captain Kyros."

"Yes, ma’am!" I saluted her. "If there is nothing else, I shall head out immediately to get packed for the journey!"

They had nothing else for him. With that, Kyros saluted all of them one last time before he left the room. He felt a burst of emotion inside him—concern, excitement, and foreboding. The Gardens of Eden homed the most dangerous places on the continent of Venetus. No official form of Government existed out there.

But regardless, people still lived out there. It was common belief that those that lived out in the Gardens of Eden were mighty warriors with nearly unmatched strength. And soon enough, Kyros was going to encounter them, and hopefully someone else.