The last soldier screamed. Victor clicked the trigger instinctively and he was dead within the second.

He stepped away from the bodies of the Wielders. Seeds had materialized around their bodies as the storm lost control. Victor was afraid that in their last moments, they’d turn it into a hurricane aimed at Los Angeles, but they hadn’t gotten the chance.

He took a breath for a moment but that moment was enough for the Seeds to be snatched right under him. They caught on the wind and floated up into the skies. Right into the hands of the fleering soldiers.

Victor was ready for the receding ground troops to go through him but they kept a wide berth instead. They ran with their tails between their legs, taking the remnants of their vehicles with them.

He was glad to see them go, but knew in his heart that it wouldn’t be the last time he’d meet with the group. They’d come back. Time and time again, until Jeffords finally Conquered the settlement for himself.

Jared jumped down from a flying Wielder’s arms and landed in front of Victor. His helmet dissipated revealing the same pasty-faced kid Victor had met a few years ago.

“Vic, are you okay?” Jared asked him. there were a few minor wounds but he’d thankfully made it out of the battle mostly unscathed.

“I’m fine, Jared. What about you and the rest of the Wielders?”

“We’ve got some casualties. I’ll bring them over to Mr. Wilson when we’re done, but we wanted to get to you first,” Jared said.

Victor let the boy take his arm and drape it over his shoulder as he carried him back to the edge of the city.

“You should keep the helmet down some, Jared, get a tan going. Wouldn’t look as white as a sheet, then,” Victor told him as they made their way back. Jared chuckled in reply.

“The sun’s barely out anymore. I don’t think I’d get a tan,” he replied.

“Alright then, we’ll have to spray paint you. I’m sure the kids would love it.”

Victor felt a little guilty relying on the boy as much as he’d come to. But he was a strong, loyal Wielder, and Victor couldn’t deny the fact that he took a particular interest in his Seed.

The Knight’s Cavalry was something that he wanted to pick up himself, but he hadn’t uncovered any specific locations for it through his years. Maybe later, maybe later.

****

Victor was quickly patched up and escaped from Dean’s offices. His Seeds would handle the rest of the recovery process. His Recovery stat itself helped loads in that regard, though the old man complained he was forsaking his mental health for it.

“You’ll drive yourself mad, lad,” Dean said as he scratched the stubble around his chin.

“I’ll think about my head when the monster’s take aim at it,” Victor had replied.

He’d come out and had to walk through a crowd assembled outside of the clinic. There were so many injured and dead that Victor had to reevaluate what kind of Seeds he scavenged for.

We’re going to need healing more than ever once they come back… He decided to make a note of it for the next expedition. There weren’t many monsters that could drop such Seeds, and those that existed were among the Altesians.

Victor didn’t feel comfortable taking their lives, especially after what he’d done for Qeeny and the rest. It was filthy, and filth like that stayed with you. It stuck to the mind, not the body, and his mind was the only thing going back every time.

Murmurs of the attack rang throughout the mall as Victor made his way to the others. Uneasiness spread far and wide, and a fresh wave of despair could be felt throughout.

“First the monsters, now our own?”

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

“Is dad going to be fine?”

“…What are we supposed to do?”

He steeled himself against the sounds and continued to the conference room hidden in the mall. It was for employees only, and he could still see a few shirts laying about the room along with papers they hadn’t cleaned up yet.

When he arrived there, he found a dozen or so people that turned to him for guidance. There were old men and young, famous actors and butchers alike. All in all, it was an eclectic group, and one that was in silence at his arrival.

“The soldiers say they were after you. that you recognize the men that attacked us today. What do you say to that, Mr. Amadi?” <> asked.

He was a heavy-set tanned man who was utterly cutthroat.

“That I didn’t think our former President would be insane enough to chase me the entire way across the country to get his revenge?” Victor replied.

“But he did, and now we’re all targets in front of him.”

“It isn’t the boy’s fault. He’s trying his best,” Audrey chimed in for him.

“But it is his responsibility,” <> replied, “He needs to be kicked out,” he decided for the rest of them.

Arguments broke out across the room.

“We’re not throwing him out!” Audrey challenged, rising up from her seat.

“You won’t be safe even if you kick me out. Now that he knows how well-defended we area, he’ll want to conquer the city and take it under his wing,” Victor told them.

A shocked silence went through the crowd. One that broke out into whispers soon after.

“And you didn’t think to tell us about this before?” <> asked him.

“How could I know?” Victor bit back.

“You stayed silent, boy. If we’d just stayed quiet and kept our ears to the ground, he wouldn’t have brought an army to us. But you made us a target through your efforts. Rebuilding this mall, spreading those Wielders among us, capturing the Gates, it was all so you could have a defence against him!”

“If I didn’t do those things, you’d still be huddled up, afraid and starving!” Victor shouted at him.

His blood was boiling, and blades itched to pop out of his forearms. It would be so much simpler. Just like the battle outside. Nothing to talk about, nothing to discuss, just a simple sword through his chest to end the argument.

But when he looked down at his arm, and saw the blades straining to cut through his clothing, he moved his hand behind himself. The blades receded instantly and Audrey placed a warm hand on his shoulders.

“We’ll make a decision later. Victor is still injured, as are many of the others,” she told them before dragging him away and out of the room.

“How damn ungrateful can you get?” Victor cursed.

“Ignore them, Victor. You have bigger responsibilities,” Audrey advised.

“What do I need to do now?” he asked, exasperated.

“Get ready for war.”

****

Victor watched Amadeus guide a group of soldiers through training drills. Bolts of lightning lit up the night sky and brought attention to them. They’d keep shooting until their hands were dry and they were tired and sweaty.

They weren’t training Wielders anymore. Not the kinds of people that would take solitary powers and make their own styles through them. what they needed now was uniformity and strength. Victor lamented the loss of their freedom, the fact that they’d been dragged into something stupid, but all he could do was wait.

And as he waited, he grew more distant with the others. The years were approaching now, and he could feel the Timewalker’s Origin regaining its strength. He’d be able to go back, but he’d leave this world behind once again.

Time passed and people passed along with it. Audrey was taken by an illness sometime in the middle, and Victor mourned the old woman’s loss like nothing else. Dean went soon after, heartbroken and grieving.

That left even more up to his shoulders. The other leaders badgered him while he had to protect their sorry hides. He’d have loved nothing more than taking off with Amadeus again, but they both had more responsibilities this time around.

The children grew into great people, helping around the ever-growing city of Los Angeles. Despite the constant attacks they had to weather from Jeffords and his group, it only hindered their progress slightly. Professor Cooper complained about being trapped in the city but couldn’t very well take off beyond the Gates himself.

He too was stifled in there, and many other people felt the same. Those that left the city were hounded by New Columbia, and only a scant few made it past them into the greater world. There were equally as little people coming into the city, and that left the well of news dry for Victor.

That only left him training. And he did grow. With Loki and Professor Cooper’s help, he ascended his Seeds to levels he could’ve only dreamed of beforehand. But it was never enough. There was something in the understanding of the things that he thought he lacked, something Loki had put it best during their sparring sessions.

“You’re not a very good learner, Victor.”

“Rubbing in your victory?” Victor replied.

“Making an observation for you. You are slow to learn,” Loki said. “But at least you do learn. The lessons stick to you forever once they do stick. So, I suppose there is some benefit in your disposition.”

The man replied before exiting the room. Victor had redoubled his efforts after that, but effort only produced so much. And worst of all was his Timewalker’s Origin. He could’ve counted on a single hand the number of boosts it had gotten over the years, and even those were only to his physical abilities.

He would’ve spent longer on the Seed, trying to crack its secrets, had he not been dragged off to excursions into Nirvana, fights against New Columbia and meetings through the day. It made him all the more eager to leave, though he couldn’t.

He was stuck here, he knew. For the rest of his time in this loop.