The child looked over his status sheet, instinctively understanding everything. You're my familiar?, he asked Amon.

  Apparently, I am.

  The child nodded, continuing. He stopped at the elements section. Snapping into the barehanded version of the Form of Gale, he watched another affinity pop up, 'Wind: 100%' showing up. He relaxed into his bed as the Breaker snored loudly.

  The child used his spell, watching the mana flow up his wrist and above his hand. He was aware that different types of magic used different types of energy, so, instead of having a single type of energy, as most living beings did, he kept the energy pool within him neutral and changed it whenever he needed to.

  The boy stepped up to the door and sat directly in front of him, settling in for the night.

  The next morning, as soon as the boy estimated that the sun had rose, he stepped out of the room, shutting the door behind him-and with it, the Breaker's snoring. He stepped forward, up to the window, to stare at the star once again. It shone in the sky above him, a giant flaming ball heating and lighting this entire planet.

  As the child heard footsteps, he glanced to the side, seeing the Nightingale. "It's time for more training, child," she said, stepping past him to the door.

  She opened it, her voice instantly rising. "WAKE UP, IDIOT," she screamed at the Breaker, who fell out of bed, getting up and finally starting his day. She closed the door, stepping up to the child. "Today, we're teaching you about magic."

  "Like this?," the boy asked, pulling a strand of Note from his energy pool and flaring his Song of Pure Truth for a brief moment.

  "...Yes," the Nightingale said. "It seems like you're a Noteweaver-," she trailed off as she watched the child perform a spell, a magic circle emerging in front of his hands as he generated a small burst of air.

  She sighed. "Well, there's nothing to teach you then. Go, explore this place," she said, pointing at the compound around them.

  The boy nodded, speeding off out of the hallway, mapping out the maze that surrounded them. Soon, he found a point that interested him.

  At the very top of the compound, there was an observatory. He stepped up to the telescope. Looking into it, the boy recoiled, the light feeling as if something had physically hit his eye. Quickly, he cast a filter over the lens, making it remove only the pervasive light of the star. The boy looked through once again.

  It was as if he was looking at the night sky. Stars gleamed everywhere. The boy looked around, seeing the majesty and wonder that could exist in this world, even with the forces of good broken. However, as he watched, stars dimmed, then disappeared. Just like the one Amon and he had orbited not too long ago. More and more stars disappeared. It didn't make a dent in the quintillions of stars, but it was happening. The destroyers would eventually get it all. The boy stared as the first emotion in years popped up within him.

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  It was rage.

  The emotion disappeared as quickly as it appeared, just like the eighth Chain of Sanity, which had flickered just the same.

  The boy stared at the sky until alarms blared.

  He turned, annoyed that they would interrupt his stargazing. Then the child realized there was a reason for such an alarm, and he was at the highest point in the area. He could look around at what was happening.

  The child ran to the nearest window he could find and leaped out, scaling the massive glass dome of the observatory to sit on top. From there, he turned, looking at the vast, destroyed city around him. And the giant horde of monsters coming this way.

  The boy watched as the monsters rushed in, all the humans they caught instantly dead. They flowed forth like a tide, to fall on the beach of the compound's wall. They started slamming into it. Normally, it wouldn't be a problem, but the sheer number of monsters made it one. The child felt the stone walls groan in protest, about to break.

  He and Amon watched the defenders gather together, forming a line to hold off the monsters. The Nightingale and the Breaker waved them off, shouting things the child could not hear as the line ran back into the compound, leaving the two of them outside.

  The Breaker held a giant sword, a blade longer than he was. It rested on his shoulder, but he brought it into a ready position in front of him now, held vertically.

  The Nightingale pulled out two of the many hidden weapons on her body. Two long knives were unsheathed as she held one in an underhanded grip and the other one with an overhanded one.

  They were the only people outside the compound. They would be targeted as the monsters rushed in, which they now decided to do. The monsters finally breached the wall, rushing the Breaker and the Nightingale, planning to kill them before taking out the compound. The two immediately noted the size of the horde, activating their abilities.

  "Aria of the Nightingale. Prelude: The Night Falls."

  "BREAKER'S BLADE. STANCE ONE: THE BREAKER'S BLADE."

  The child winced. Enhancing his ears to listen to the sound in the fight was a good idea, but the Breaker was simply so loud it hurt. He wasn't very good at naming things, either.

  The Nightingale disappeared as the shadows grew longer, the sun starting to shine with the darker colors of evening. The Breaker simply pulled his blade to his side, exhaling. Pure power built up on it as he swung, a giant sword of pure energy ripping through the horde.

  It wasn't enough.

  Many in the horde died to the Nightingale as well, simply falling into shadows or falling to the ground, their throats cut.

  The Nightingale and the Breaker didn't have infinite amounts of energy.

  The child could already tell that the Breaker had used his strongest move, having only created one stance within his style, and the Nightingale hadn't gotten any farther than the Prelude, either. It was time for him to step in.

  The child casually jumped off the observatory roof, trusting the spirits within the wind to keep him safe.

  He landed on the ground, softly, as if he'd simply taken a step. The horde froze, looking at this child who dared to challenge them. The Breaker froze as well, as he stared, horrified, at the child. The Nightingale emerged, much the same.

  "Kid, run! You're going to die out here!," the Breaker said.

  "They cannot kill me. However, you will die to them, if you keep fighting without my help," the child responded, as the horde changed targets, closing in on this impudent child.

  Then, he connected Amondrienne to his soul. A metallic substance flowed out of his body. Twin shortswords, if you would please.

  Sure!, replied Amon, and the fight began.