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Jack leaned on Noa's shoulder as they made their way back to their allies. Jack felt a sharp pain in his ribs and for some strange reason his legs still felt weak. Bracing against those strikes might have been the cause. They opened the door to reveal Ace, Stella and Luna waiting for them.

"Mission Success!" Jack gave a solid thumbs up.

"What happened to you?" Stella asked.

"I won, but the battle took a lot out of me."

"You sure you won? Could have fooled me." Stella scratched her head.

"His sword techniques were crazy, but I had him beat until he blasted me with lightning." Noa laughed.

"You finally did it. Look at you. I knew you had it in you." Stella patted Jack on the back.

"Nice. That is awesome. You guys are like compound comrades." Ace gave them both thumbs up.

"Why did you have to make it lame," Stella said. Jack shook his head.

"Jack said I can join you guys. I am guessing that means I can train with the moustache right. I can't wait."

"Yea, he agreed to join but where—" Jack started before he felt his support disappear. Stella quickly caught him. Noa had his sword drawn and was slashing at Ace, but the mentor was dancing around him effortlessly. Noa couldn't wipe the grin off his face.

"That was the first time I seen someone who really couldn't wait." Stella laughed. "Where is Darius?"

"I have no idea. Where is everyone else?" Jack asked.

***

"I don't like how she just stayed back. Ace told her to come with us," Tana said as she held the door open for children to follow the crowd. They were all gathering towards the corner of the kingdom. 30 or 40 of them made up the group. As Wave and his team made sure they were all getting supplies they needed. They were able to move quickly though the buildings until they found a safe distance to stand around, bundled in blankets under the snow fall. All of them grumbling their dismay to being outside at this hour while the crew was in search for more.

"Wall is probably the only person stronger than Luna in this Kingdom. I know that girl's strength," Quinn said as he picked up some little ones to help get them to the group.

"I don't want to hear anything from you now that I know who you are." Tana pouted.

"You really didn't know. Everyone made it clear when they saw me again."

"I...I didn't get it okay. Sheesh. Leave me alone."

"Ace is with them. We know it will be fine," William said. He was carrying the old lady since they left the house. Each of the bearded ones was carrying their children or others around.

"Yea...Yea I get it, but I still worry. Ace is still a bit shaken up about Lok. He talks about it some nights when he can't sleep. He feels like he let them down."

"Well why don't we see deary." The old lady pointed ahead with her cane. "We have cleared out the houses the moustache told us to. We can watch from here. Everybody! You want to complain about what happens. Look ahead for yourselves. Let us see for ourselves."

"Granny Cho! Your son has told us about what they plan to do. How can you support something like that?"

"Shut up and watch."

Tana looked ahead. Her stomach was turning more than it ever had. In Evergreen, everything happened so fast. She had just rushed to get Nod's help and by the time she got back, there was just a bunch of fighting. She felt useless, but Ace asked her to help get these people to safety. He told her that people would listen to her. She felt motivated and didn't want to let them down, but responsibility in situations like this was completely new. Time felt slower as her stomach twisted like the hands of a clock. Was this enough?

It happened quickly, but they all became eerily quiet as they saw silhouettes gathered on the roofs around the house Ace and the girls were. They had noticed there were no trainees when they were evacuating but a large amount of them were there surrounding Granny Cho's home. Jack must not have made it. He was too worked up. He didn't have his calm nature that he normally has. He must be beating himself up a lot right now. She hoped Ace got to talk to him. She hoped they had a plan against so many of them.

"I get it is in your nature to worry about them. That is a good thing but worry when we can do something about it. Now is just the time for us to believe in them," William said while putting his hand on her shoulder. Granny Cho patted her head from above.

"I am only here because they are capable of taking on worse odds than this. Part of me hates that I know they will win this, but I need them to anyway. I can't have it all my way," Quinn said as he joined them. Their eyes glued on the distant figures. Who was going to move first? What were they waiting for?

Red light gathered in their palms. Tana could use a bit of fire mimics. Ophelia had taught her, and she used it for task that required a little extra strength. She was often around Ophelia, so she got used to the slight sensation of wisps moving around her. It always reminded her of slightly slipping on water. The amount of red gathered by that many people made her feel like she was slowly pulled forward. Her pours raised and her eyes widened.

Orb after orb crashed into the house. Snow, dirt, wood, and materials of all sorts flew around the air. The group grew silent. Granny Cho's grip was tight on William's shoulder. It must have felt surreal. She was supposed to be in that house. Now there was kids who wanted to do good in that house. Rose rushed forward, but Wave grabbed her hand. Tana's body was stiff. Ace would take care of it, but did he know it was coming? Is that why they evacuated? Why wouldn't he protect the house if he expected this?

"We can't get involved. This is too far," Wave said. Bruce grabbed Rose on her shoulder. She turned to face him, but his expression calmed her down. Frustration contorted his face. She looked back to see Wave biting his lip. Mr. Gray placing a supporting hand on Tana and then William.

"I understand. What do we do?" Rose said with shaky voice.

"We are going now. We will visit Vel's cave and gather more flowers. It is too risky to get anything." Wave turned to William. "I'll definitely read about this when it comes out. When they succeed. Tell them I am sorry."

"Succeed. They are in troub—" Rose started.

"When they succeed. Tell them I wish I had the strength to see the world as fair as they do."

"I will let them know. Thank you for the help," William said.

***

"I didn't expect you to turn on Quinn. Last time you dragged him out of the village by yourself," Jack said as he walked out from behind a building closer to the castle gates. Stella, Noa and Luna walking beside him. The students all turned to face the voice, but Darius clenched his teeth, but his lips curled to a smile.

"He betrayed me first. He lost sight of what we been through. He got humbled by what you put us through. I am just claiming my place again."

"How did they survive? We saw their shadows. The lamp. There was the lamp. They were inside the building." Blaze overtook the conversation.

"It was probably just one shadow, moving around really fast. Am I right?" Darius said.

The rubble began to move. Debris fell off the dark shield as Ace stood up. Tenny jumping on his shoulder. "I guess there is no point hiding there any longer."

"What do we do Darius? The princess put you in charge of this mission," Stareye said calmly. Her voice seemed cold.

"Plans aren't my strong suit. I know how to fight so that is what we do. He said he won't let them die. That is his promise, but he won't kill none of you either. Attack. Attack those guys over there all at once, and hope that one of you kill them."

Ace and Tenny disappeared from where they were and appeared behind Jack's team. The students hesitated with the plan after seeing that. Small discussions erupted in the group. Luna grabbed Ace's hand. He looked down with a surprise.

"You don't have too. I would like it if you supported," Ace said. Luna shook her head while staring at him. He released a sigh. "You sure sure sure? What are we going to do?"

"I am going to capture the king, and well princess," Stella said.

"We are going to hold these guys back." Jack stretched his arm out.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

"I like these odds. It is going to be so much fun." Noa laughed.

"Why don't we all do this together, and then move on?" Ace asked. "The castle is probably full of guards and aren't you guys tired?"

"Kofka doesn't have like an army or anything. I would guess around 50 guards at most, but I am pretty sure that Wall would be the only one with them in the throne room," Noa said.

"Catching them is the quickest way to stop all of this. I will get it done," Stella said.

"And we don't want to hurt the kids," Jack said, "I also want to show them what heroes can be. Who knows, it could push them towards their goal. I just have to dance a little, I am fine."

"Are you guys scared? Scared of these fake heroes?" Darius yelled before leaping off the roof. A new sword and shield drawn as he began to run at the team. "I am done playing games."

"Tenny!" Luna called out as she dashed through her own team.

"Got it!" The mystical creature leapt in the air in front of a running Luna as a thing dark scythe appeared from under his paws. She clutched it on her run to meet her former comrade. A twist on her heel and swift arc from above caused the back of the scythe head to smash into shield of Darius. His knee buckled slightly with the release of a grunt. The impact felt like there was a shockwave.

"Well, you can see what our job is, right Noa?" Jack had his eyes glued to the exchange.

"Got it. I will just rough them up a bit."

"Tenny! I will take a shield too this time," Jack said. Tenny jumped and created a dark shield and thin dark sword. A thin sword in a similar shape to the one Noa was using was created. Noa snatched the weapon as it pulled him forward slightly.

"I felt the weight of yours already, but it really is heavy. I can't believe you fought me with this. Woah, it really is blunt. This is so cool. It will be like a training. How long do these last for?"

"I made them to last 3 hours. It takes more magic but should give you guys more than enough time," Tenny responded. Noa validated with a thumbs up.

"Tenny. If you would help me out too." Stella received a fancy black staff that twisted to a dulled tip. She hefted the weight and nodded. "Why is it different every time?"

"For fun, really. Ace lets me create however I want, and he uses them," Tenny said. "It also keeps me challenged and better at magic."

"That makes sense. Well, I am off. I shall take over this kingdom for you, boss."

"We call him boss! I like that." Noa smiled. "I will hold this side back, boss."

"I don't have a say huh. Do your best. Don't let me down," Jack said.

"Ugh. Tenny, you stay with them. I will go with Stella. Luna. Show them what you want to show them." Ace ran behind the ashen haired warrior.

Jack was confused. What could Luna want to show him? He really wished that she would speak her mind sometimes. Jack looked at the students. They were all hesitating. No gathering of light. Just small mummers and glances towards other students. Jack followed the looks to see the students that got to ask the questions were grabbing the attention of the others. They were in charge, but Darius was also in charge, and he was busy.

"Like training huh." Jack mumbled. "Tenny, I am sorry, but I need your help again. I won't be using this. I will show them how I earned my nickname. Just protect me and my overconfidence."

"Ha. I love it. I don't mind doing the hard work this time. Do you have enough mana for it?" Tenny asked.

"I can probably last around 30 minutes if I keep it to class three spells alone and don't use any for attack. That will be more than enough time for Stella."

"Perfect. Go fly." Tenny smiled.

"Let's go heroes of Kofka! Bring it on." Jack screamed at them before vanishing with a trail of green. He appeared behind Stareye. She reacted amazingly quick as she twisted her body already throwing a punch. Jack had already moved with another Wind Walk. Floating there just above her left shoulder. She tried to twist her body again, but this time she was turned back with a punch on the cheek. Jack held back but it was enough to make her stumble a couple of steps. She turned to face her opponent, but he had already moved on to another student.

Noa didn't have to move. Jack started the attack and the other students decided to finish it. It did seem like more was on the move trying to attack him than the others waiting for Jack to appear. He didn't mind in the slightest. Noa danced between red orbs and attacking children. He lightly whacked then with the sword as they passed. A large smile on his face as he kept an eye on his new boss.

Jack was keeping an eye on his new comrade as well, leading to a feeling of competition boiling. Who could look cooler? That was probably the basis of what they both might be thinking. Jack shifted some red orbs and blinked in front of many more children. Those red orbs wouldn't ever hit Noa. He felt bad. Wait. It is night, and very cold. How did he ever expect to neat Noa with that? Damn, Ace was right about keeping his cool. Jack was just glad he overcame that after realising that he was completely overwhelmed. Not this time though. This was just the side story, so they could handle this. Those two had a fight to overcome. One fight he could keep an eye on himself. What did Luna want to show them?

***

Luna liked the feeling of this scythe in her hands. One palm always had to be in contact with her dark scythe but this one was free. She kept her grip on the lower half of the handle and used it to keep a distance. Only placing a hand on the upper half when she had to switch directions. Darius wasn't a bad fighter, but she knew she wasn't the same fighter she was back then. She wasn't even a fighter. She was a killer. A killer like this guy. Now she was a fighter. Now she could think about her moves instead of using instinct. She didn't need to pry through an opening because she could do this as long as she needed to. She wants them to see. She wanted Stella to see too. She had to show them how she felt.

"All of you are extremely annoying." Darius danced outside of Luna's range a bit. Not diving in but luring Luna to take an extra step to get to him. He used the hesitation to voice his disdain. "That one is zipping around like back then. It feels more than insulting, and you. You think you can take it easy on me now. None of your strikes are set to kill. You are prodding me back like some wild animal. I will show you a wild animal."

Darius picked up his pace with a large step forward. His shield raised as the top of the scythe pushed into it. He planted his feet and let the strike stay there as he hooked his sword into the corner of the scythe blade and handle. Luna couldn't pry it free. Mana to mana, Darius would still be able to overpower her. She was never great at flowing her mana through her. With a continuous flow to keep her scythe up, she never tried it much. Darius used to be her shield. He would open a path. Break a guard. He barely used mimics but was always lifting that heavy shield.

Luna tried to run as much mana to her feet as possible. She had to pry it away, but it went as well as she expected. He was stronger. He pulled with his sword and pushed with his shield. It twisted the scythe from her hands as he stepped forward again. The sword pointed at her head barely missed. She twisted on the ground as snow flew into the air. Her weapon still in her hands, but her grip much closer to the top.

"I have to admit that those guys have gotten stronger. I didn't think they would grow so fast, so I neglected them. I always knew that you were going to be my biggest worry. The Reaper of Eclipse. I have practised and practised for you. They might be able to beat me, but for this entire time. I have been waiting to bring you down."

Darius twisted his body sideways. His shield hand rested on his stomach. The large metal protected from his chest to his thighs. He pointed the tip of the sword at Luna as he stood tall. She stepped in quickly as she aimed for his back with a powerful scythe swing. His step was more impressive. He covered the distance towards Luna's head in no time. She got out of the way, but he stepped through where she was standing causing the scythe swing to be out of range. She would have to twist her body to get it to connect but he would have already been behind her. She lunged forward just to ensure there was enough distance between them. It wasn't just his speed. He was able to reach her much more quickly because he increased his reach. The full length of the blade and using thrusts was his idea on how to beat her. He was prepared.

It's too bad. Jack was quicker. Stella had a longer reach. Lynn was more technical. List was more unpredictable. She had trained with all of these. She fought countless battles she had to think about with these opponents. Ace allowed her to try out everything she came up with. Darius was no match for her. Seeing his style change was enough to surprise her once, but it was time for her to show them. He had to be defeated.

"It is my time. I sat in your shadow at Eclipse. Everyone talked your name on missions we went to. I didn't care back then because you were always pathetic. A shell. Why should I feel envious of someone who didn't even have a heart? Now you are just ungrateful. You and that man walking around without a care in the world, when you both are cruel murderers. You don't belong in the world your sister lives. We are from a dark world. A kill or be killed world. I looked after you in there. I made sure you are who you are. I will remind you, you ungrateful brat. I am going to kill you."

Luna gripped her weapon tightly. He used it to glance off his attacks. Each of his steps were easy to read because of his posture. He barely had any directions he could turn to, so she let his attacks be broken down one after another. She waited for him to gradually realise how futile this entire battle was. She wanted to show him. She wanted to show them.

What Darrius said to her is what she thought about. She was really only ever able to tell Ace. It was after studying one night when he brought a snack for her. She was getting the hang of reading a bit more. Putting sounds together let her figure out some big words. She knew that she was not good with words. She never had to be. She never had to be anything really. It will take some time, but she is working on it. That is why this fight was what she needed. She had to tell them through this fight. She had to tell them thank you.

The dark world was all she could remember. Stella, Jack, Ace, Tenny, Monica, Billy. They all dragged her out of that world. They brought her into their world. She had to tell them thank you, but it is too much words for her. She wanted to let them know that she was happy. The cold stone or dirt pressed against her face when she went to sleep was no longer her life. Now she felt warm in the arms of her sister. In the fur of Tenny when he snuggles up to her. Now she doesn't have to feel her stomach eat itself as she waited for them to think she deserved food. Tana and Ace would make something for her with a smile. Something for her. She didn't have to kill to get a meal. She just had to let them know. She didn't have to sit by herself as everyone talked, because she knew that they were all keeping an eye on her for what she wanted to say. She could hear stories. She could watch them smile. She felt so happy. She had to tell them thank you. Words wasn't what she was good at. People wasn't what she was good at. She was good at fighting and now she doesn't have to look at the fear in people's eyes as she holds her weapon. Now Jack's eyes sparkle when she is about to beat him up. She has to thank them. She hopes she can do it by fighting.

She will beat Darius. Her tie to the dark world. She will show them that she is ready to help them in any way she can. That she can be counted on. She wants them to know that she is not the same girl in the past. Ace told her that they will be able to see it someday. Today she wants them to feel it. She wants them to know that she loves them. Crushing this swordsman is the start to showing them her appreciation.

Darius had sweat dripping off his face. The cold breeze dried as much as it could, but not enough to hide the worried expression. It wasn't that she was fighting much differently than how she always did. It was just she learned to be aware of her technique. She knew what things could work together. She was built from fighting stronger people almost every day. She slowly walked forward. The step put her inside Darius's range. The other step put her in his range before he developed the fencing style. Now she was in grabbing reach, but nothing happened. Darius just continued with his short breaths and worrying eyes. Luna raised her scythe and swung it downwards. Darius raised his shield above his head. He was no longer holding his sword so both arms were used in anticipation of the strike. The scythe stuck into the ground next to him. He peaked from behind his shield. Red formed in Luna's hand. His mouth opened, and eyebrows raised. The red orb hit him on his chest and sent him crashing to the wall. His eyes were rolled back in his head. Tenny appeared and pinned him down with dark binds.

A hand appeared on her hair. It ruffled it a bit as she turned to see Jack with a smile, but keeping his eyes on any opponent that might be approaching. "That didn't take long. Did you want to show us how strong you are? We already knew that silly. I am proud of you. Do you want to help us, teach these kids a lesson?"

She smiled and gripped her scythe again. She couldn't help if he was stupid. She said what she had to say. One day he might understand it.