Aster gazed upwards, his eyes tightening. "Who is that?"
He peered through the smoke and dying sparks. A man riding on the back of a giant bat above the battlefield.
Aster's heart fell. "It's him."
He drew out his orb communicator. "Status. Is the earthquake still happening?" "No sir," replied the voice on the other end. "Inform our leader. The mission is aborted. We have failed."
"Really, sir?" "Yes." Click. The line was ended.
His lava snake hung in mid-air, and his voice fell to a whisper. "We require another day, I suppose."
With a flick of his fingers, Kagunir, the molten serpent, and Mamozi, the feral ape, were up again.
"Mamozi, listen. I am departing now. Until I reach a safe distance… you must keep them at bay."
Face this man above you.
Mamozi slowly turned his head and nodded. Aster mounted Kagunir and flew in the air. While departing, he looked around—his keen eyes detected something on the streets.
"Viny."
His face became solemn. A silence
No time to speak. He turned again—
Kagunir is running quickly, just passed Scholar Plateau, fleeing the attack.
Under him, Levi.
Unconscious. Barely alive. Lying just off the plateau, behind a blackened mountain crest.
Kagunir slid over. Aster carefully picked Levi up, set him across the back of the serpent, and rode behind.
I feel Mamozi died. I must call him back.
He rises.
"…Mamozi," Aster whispered softly. "If you die here, I cannot call you again for one year."
The eyes of the ape went wide. An infrequent sadness crossed his savage face.
Aster looked at Kagunir. "And you too… my friend. You'll disappear soon."
Lava spilled from Kagunir's eyes. Silent tears.
"Protect me."
Mamozi let out a roar, the sort of roar that cleaved the battlefield in two. Then—charged.
Mamozi jumps for swinging that man on the bat.
Behind Aster, the man with the bat sent his arm up. "You again… ape."
He called forth a giant ice ape, one that was even bigger than Mamozi. The two monsters crashed midair. CRACK! BOOM! SMASH!
Fists collided, but Mamozi didn't fight to win—he fought to stall. The man fired another ice beam—missed. Mamozi cried out again.
Flashback:
"Mamozi, if you die—I can't see you again for a year."
And then… he toppled. Mamozi… disappeared. A dedicated summon. A dedicated protector.
Man on bat—so he disappeared
Aster was safe.
The man on the bat slowly stood up, now floating above the 10th-floor balcony of the Royal Palace.
Scarlet stood firm but breathless. "…Who are you, mister?"
The man descended gently, wind swirling around him.
"I am…" he said with a smile. "...Okabaru Vincent."
From behind, a trembling voice shouted, Brother!!"
It was Sunny.
Sunny burst onto the balcony, eyes glowing with tears.
He leaped onto the bat without hesitation, throwing his arms around the man.
"Brother!" he cried, holding him tight. "You're alive—I'm so happy… so, so happy!"
Okabaru smiled, wrapping his arms gently around him.
"Oooh, little brother," "It's been ages since I've seen you."
Tears ran freely down Sunny's face as he rushed on, breathlessly excited.
"Brother, I have so much to tell you! Where I've been all these two years… the friends I made… everything! Now we can all live happily again—just like before! You, me, sister, and Mom and Dad… I think they're fine too. We can go back home… we can be a family again!"
Okabaru smiled softly, stroking his hand through Sunny's hair.
"Sure, sure… We will, Sunny. I promise."
Scarlet stood on the balcony, viewing the scene, her cloak whipped by the wind.
"So. You're Sunny's brother." "You look strong. Strong enough to scare Aster off."
Okabaru gazed at her and bowed respectfully.
"Thanks for looking out for my brother. That means a lot to me."
Scarlet's face hardened slightly.
"Listen, Mister Vincent. Your brother is unique. He has something within him. You should know that."
Okabaru became serious but remained calm.
"I know he has something from another life," he told her. "But I don't care what he was. I only care about what he is today. I just want him to be happy… and free of that weight."
Scarlet nodded slowly.
"You're right. But we're scholars. And there are questions we have. That's why we employed the use of the Life Life Orc."
Sunny took a quick step back, shaking his head.
"No! I don't want to do it again! I can't feel that… not again."
Scarlet moved forward.
"Sunny, I know. But you must. If we don't learn what Yuzen wants—if we don't discover your past—then they'll continue. Again and again. And more lives will be lost. You can stop that."
Okabaru put a hand on Sunny's shoulder.
"Sunny… I want you to live in peace. But… this could help guard that serenity. Maybe we do have to know."
Sunny paused. His hands clenched. But at last—he nodded.
"…Alright. I'll try."
They walked into the 10th floor side by side.
But within, Scarlet came to a sudden stop.
"What… what happened?" she asked softly.
Sunny blinked. "What do you mean?"
Scarlet glanced back, her eyes on the radiant altar.
"...The Life Life Orc... It's fractured."
Scarlet spun toward the wall, shouting at the talking painting. "How did this orc break?!"
From the canvas, an old man's face emerged, grumbling. "When the attack happened… and that kid collapsed—that's when it broke."
Okabaru blinked, pointing. "Wait… the painting can talk?!"
Sunny: Yes, this place is very catchy, and this whole palace is different when you enter the palace from the main gate. You will see a glowing tree lift; this palace is amazing.
Scarlet groaned, rubbing her temples. "All this effort… wasted. We had a chance to uncover the truth about Sunny's past… and now it's gone."
Okabaru placed a calm hand on Sunny's shoulder. "Doesn't matter. Sunny's with me now. If anything comes up—if he remembers—I'll make sure to tell you, young lady."
Sunny chuckled and whispered, "She's not a young lady, bro. She's more than a hundred years old."
Okabaru—WHATTT
Scarlet glared. "I heard that."