“Glad both of you have gotten that out of your system, so when are we heading back home”, Polaris Asked, walking down the stairs from the wall his eyes glancing at the two boys walking through the castle gate, with leora and the other residents trailing behind him,

“yeah when are we heading back Aster ?”, Barak asked,

Aster looked around at Barak, one eyebrow raised, and a very confused expression on his face,

“I lost, why are you coming with us ?”, Aster asked,

“my grandmother has known where I am for quite sometime, and with as annoying as she is, she hasn’t sent for me until now, it is probably something very important that they need us for, besides I said you couldn’t make me go, I never said I wasn’t coming”, Barak said,

“well I wouldn’t know, they wouldn’t tell me anything except gather you guys”, Aster explained,

“of course, you never ask any questions, you just do as you’re told, the perfect soldier”, Barak said, with leora quietly walking up to him, she pulled her body onto his, as he placed his arm on her shoulder,

“let’s head inside, since you will be leaving soon”, Leora said, as everyone made their way into the castle’s interior,

“come on lets get you changed”, Leora said, pulling barak by one hand off into another room,

“yeah let her change you, yah big baby”, Aster said, teasingly,

Polaris made his way to a couch in the middle of the room, Aster stood there surveying the room for a moment, he looked down on the floor, looking at the rug that laid in the middle of the in between the two couches, he remembered, that this was the rug that was used in barak’s branch of the families entertainment quarters, just under the table they would sit at when they were all kids and would go over by him to play,

“it’s been a while huh ?”, Polaris stated,

“a while since what ?”, Aster asked,

“a while since you been in here, we used to visit a lot when he first made his hime here, but you began to throw yourself into the enforcer side of the family business, and stopped making time for us”, Polaris said,

“it wasn’t like that pol, and you know it”, Aster said, looking down at Polaris who laid there looking up at him,

“what I know is that, one of the people I was closest to in this world shut me out and never bothered explaining why”, Polaris said, his eye contact unnerving and unflinching,

“if you really want to know it’s because of what we did to Zarin, we…”, Aster said,

“yeah I know what we did, but it had to be done, and I glad we did, it freed the rest of us from the shackles the elders had us in, well feed most of us anyways”, Polaris said,

“well that’s all in the past now, do you have any idea where Lev is, he may not tell me and Rak what he’s up to but he sure enough tells you”, Aster said, his gaze trained on Polaris this time,

“yeah I know, he’s in the city, working a job near the port, got a cozy place all to himself on the outskirts of the city too”, Polaris confessed,

“well we know where we are going next”, Aster said,

In Barak’s Room

“so why bring me in here, I know it’s not to pick out clothes for me”, Barak said, as he laid on the bed looking over at Leora, he marveled at he smooth darkskin, his eyes running down her back and onto her thighs as she bent over looking for an article of clothing,

“Keep looking at m e like that and we might need to delay you leaving until tomorrow”, Leora said, letting out a small chuckle as she made her way over to barak, and straddled him sitting on his lap,

“don’t tease me with a good time”, Barak said,

“but seriously what is it you need to talk about”, Barak asked, leora looked down at him, the man she loved and knew that she would do anything to protect him, and he would do the same,

“I know how it is when you go and visit the clan, I now all of the painful memories it can bring up for you, so do your best to hurry back home”, Leora said touching the chain that Barak wore around his neck at all times,

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“you don’t need to worry leora, I have you to think of so that should keep me sane atleast, if not, I have Aster, Pol and Lev, if we can find him, to help me if I do wonder into dark places”, Barak said, as he looked deep within her eyes,

“but something else is bothering you, I can tell, what is it”, Barak asked,

“I can never hide anything from you can I, I got a letter from my father recently, from what it says he and the church are on the move, and heis demanding I return home at once or he will torch this entire place if he has to come and get me himself”, Leora said, a sad down trodden look in her eyes,

“he can try, but I would gladly defend you from him”, Barak said, sitting up his hand wrapped around her back, he pulled her in close as their lips locked for a soft sweet kiss,

“take care of this place while I’m gone, hopefully it shouldn’t be too Long”, Barak said as he got up off the bed,

Back with Aster and Polaris

Barak walked out of the other room fully changed, with another joint in his mouth, he walked over to the others he could sense the slight tension between them, his eyes focused on Aster whose eyes were glancing back and forth between the rug and Polaris,

“brings back memories doesn’t it”, barak said, as he held the tip of the joint between two of his fingertips as a feint spark lit the end,

“yeah memories of you being a bossy little shithead”, Aster said as he walked off to through the door,

“who pissed him off ?”, Barak asked,

“you, me , himself, who knows, I was asking him why he became so obsessed with enforcer work though, that could be it”, Polaris said, jumping over the back of the couch and heading out behind Aster,

“So it was you then, this is going to be an annoying trip, you know how moody he gets”, Barak said, making his way behind them, As the three headed out of the gate and into the desert,

Leora looked on from one of the upper floor rooms, a soft smile on her face, “those boys make him smile in a way even I can’t, I’m a little jealous sometimes”, Leora said,

“well lady leora, master Barak holds them in a special place in his heart, Rumiya said,

Somewhere else in the world

“Now that that’s over, it’s time to clock out, and start my real job”, Levant said, as he stretched both arms above his head and let out a yawn,

‘maybe I should just go hime and sleep…nah.. the city needs me, and once I get the information I need out of some of the factory workers, I can find and destroy those illegal weapons that are said to be stored at the port’, Levant thought to himself,

‘ for now, lets get on a roof top and see if there is anyone who needs my help’, levant continued, as he leaped from terrace to terrace on a nearby building, until he reached the top, he casually walked along the rooftops, jumping over the occasional gap or alley way, until he reached a building that stood on the main street of the city, he sat atop one of the protruding gargoyle statues that decorated the top of the building, he pulled out a joint lighting the ends with a single flick of his finger, he inhaled deeply and looked down, the street was bustling with activity, women dressed to the nines for a night out, men trying to get with them, people walking or stumbling in and out of bars, while street vendors on the side of the street sold many patrons food or were occasionally running away people who were to drunk to eat, the city seemed to consist of metal and fog to levant, a fog of lights that drowned out the beauty of the night sky, because when you looked up the sky seemed so void of life due to the stars competing with the city’s fog of lights, levant dropped his head, looking off into the distance, if he listened long enough he could here the feint sounds of the ocean,

“it’s at least refreshing to see that Tollton city never changes”, he said to himself,

Off in the distance you could here feint screams of ditsress, “well guess it’s time”, Levant said, as he got up from where he was sitting and made his way across the rooftops in the direction that he heard the screams,

As he jumped from building to building he heard the screams once more, this time from directly below, he jumped from the rooftop, landing on the ground at the front of the building, it seemed abandoned, the front windows were boarded up but the door was left open, and two men stood outside,

Levant approached them, “hey what’s with all the screaming I’m hearing”, Levant said, walking up the stairs to the two men,

“none of your business, now get lost”, One of the men said,

“I’m not gonna ask agai…”, levant was saying before being stopped, A large fist had hit him in his face, causing him to take a step back down the steps,

“you’re gonna regret that”, Levant said as a grin came across his face,

Inside the abandoned building

“cough up the money you owe us man, you wouldn’t want me to hurt your girl again now do you”, the voice said,

“hey I gave you all I had, I don’t have anymore money”, the man on the floor begged, his head facing down to the floor as his hand clasps together as if to pray,

“you should’ve thought of that before gambling away all of the money our family lent you, and you know the rules”, the voice, as a rather large man made his way out of the shadows, with a woman held in his hand,

“not a day late, or the Valek family will break yah”, the large man said,

“Valek please let her go it’s me that owe you the money”, the man said begging and pleading,

“no can do thems the rules”, valek said,

A burst of flames came through the door, as one of the men standing outside crawled in barely conscious,

“boss help he’s an enforcer”, the man said before feinting,

“who dares challenge Valek the valiant”, Valek said,

Levant chuckled to himself as he walked in, “ Valek the valiant, who’s your second in command Ben the brave, no no, wait or is it Malaar the magician, I just cant with you wannabe thugs”, Levant said as he entered the building,

Valek drooped the woman in his hands, as she ran over to her boyfriend, “and who are you, some wannabe hero, well news flash heroes die young”, Valek said,

“you two get outside now”, Levant said, as the couple on the ground nodded in surprise as ran for the door,

“now since this will be quick and easy why don’t you all just die for me”, Levant said, as a streak of blue flames rose off of his arm,

“by the way, I’m not a hero, not yet at least”, Levant said as he smiled from ear to ear,

“LUNAR NOVA: ERUPR”, Levant shouted and a stream of blue flames burst forth from his hands as it chased down the people in front of them, burning a hole through the building and reducing everything and everyone to ash.