Wounded and Fractured Hearts(Blood, Violence, Language)

Chapter 2

The sun had risen and Balthoron was sleeping on the deck of the command platform for the Raptors' Mother Base. A sea elf wearing a blue suit walked over to him, the sea elf brushed faded sea green hair out of his face with a sigh, "Nephew, you're sleeping on a metal deck in the middle of summer, I don't care if it's the arctic circle, you need to wake up now." The Sea elf knelt down and shook Balthoron, whose eyes darted open, "Uncle Lathron!" Lathron nodded, "Hey there, kiddo, your mom couldn't reach you. She wanted to tell you that it'd be alright if you came over as early as tomorrow and spend the week there if you wanted. Also Katashi wants to speak to you, and your grandaunt, Kimiko has been looking for you for some reason."

Balthoron sighed, "Guess I'm going back to Honoo for a while, huh?" Lathron nodded, "Fitting, seeing as that's where you were born. Don't worry, I'll keep things going smoothly here while you're gone." Balthoron shook his head, "I don't want you to stay here, Lathron, you should see your sister." Lathron nodded, "I understand that, but my duty comes first." Balthoron stood up and walked to the edge of the platform, leaning on the rail, "You say that, but what does your heart really say, Uncle?" Lathron walked next to him and looked at him, "I want to go see my family, I've not seen Elbereth or Lenwe in a long time, nor have I been able to go see my Mom and Dad." Balthoron looked at him and nodded, "How are Grandma and Grandpa?"

Lathron smiled softly, "They're doing alright, they're not quite happy with what you kids have chosen to do, being their only biological grandchildren and all." Balthoron nodded, "Aunt Lenwe refuses to be a surrogate mother. You should marry someone, Uncle." Lathron became visibly nervous at this suggestion, "Who would accept an aging Sea Elf like myself, Balthoron!" Balthoron folded his arms and looked out at the Research and Development Platforms, "Uncle, you've been my adviser for the last three hundred years, but to be honest, it's a little lonely without any first cousins running around." Lathron nodded, he knew that all of Balthoron's first cousins on his father's side of the family and most of his second cousins had passed away.

Balthoron sighed and pointed at the R&D platforms, "There's a sea elf over there that keeps asking me, 'Commander, is your uncle single, he's kind of cute.' Which isn't really a question I'd like to be asked, but because Mom and Dad taught me to be polite, I respond and tell her that you are and she should see if you would like to pursue a relationship. I mean fraternizing on base isn't against my policies. Just during wartime, all civilians are to evacuate the base, because I don't want to have any civilian casualties on my watch." Lathron nodded, "Should I go over there and ask her myself? I mean out of the two of us, you're more experienced in such matters." Even though his uncle didn't mean it like that, the words drove into his heart like a dagger and twisted. Even hundreds of years later, the loss of his wife hurt him deeply.

Lathron looked at Balthoron who was trying to hide the pain and placed his hand on his nephew's shoulder, "I apologize for that, Balthoron." Balthoron nodded, "You're forgiven. By the way, you're faster in water than you are on land, right?" Lathron nodded, "That's right, why?" Balthoron shrugged, "I was going to suggest that you dive into the water and swim over to the R&D Platform." Lathron laughed, "At this height, the fall would kill me if I didn't hit the water right." Balthoron looked down, "I don't think it would matter if you hit the water right or not at this point, also, I was kidding. Uncle, you can go over and see her, you have my permission as your commanding officer." Lathron nodded and left Balthoron alone.

Balthoron looked out to the ocean and remembered the happy times that he used to have as a kid. He even remembered his early adulthood as being happy. He longed for those days again, even though he knew that he couldn't have them again, soon a half spider, half elf woman skittered up behind him, "Commander Miyamae, sir!" Balthoron laughed, "Was anyone paying attention when I said that we're all equals while we're at peace?" The female spoke up, "I apologize si... I mean Balthoron." Balthoron nodded and turned to face her, "A Drider, eh? It's rare that I see one of your kind out here at sea, especially since one of my staffers, Caladwen is a Drow and I know the two of your races tend to become violent when in the same area as each other."

The woman nodded, "I know, but Caladwen has been nothing but polite and kind to me since I got here." Balthoron nodded, "What is it that you wished to tell me, Nascha?" Nascha looked down at him, "I was told to report to you for duty." She handed him a datapad and he looked at her skills, "Hmm... you seem to be good at gathering intelligence. You'll be placed on the Intel team." Nascha nodded slightly, "Thank you, Balthoron." Balthoron nodded, "Not a problem." As he watched her skitter towards the Intel platform, he switched the frequency on his communicator to one of the shuttle pilots, "Uncle Lathron and I are going to be heading to Honoo tomorrow for about a week. He might be bringing a guest." He switched the frequency over to Caladwen, "You served under my father, so while Uncle Lathron and I are gone, I trust you with running the Raptors in our stead." Caladwen's voice spoke over the communicator, "Understood, Balthoron."

Chapter 4

Aiko walked along the sidewalk of the Kitsune Capitol's streets on her own, she carried a sword on her belt and was heading down the the orphanage that she had been told about. She remembered the words that her sister had told her, "Elbereth is one of the few people you can trust with your secret, as is Lenwe and Balthoron. They're not the kind of people to tell anyone. As for Yoshiko and Klaartje, they already know. Oh and don't forget to give this note to Elbereth." Aiko sighed as she continued to follow the directions she was given to the orphanage. She came up to a gated mansion and saw children playing on the other side of the gate. She pushed the gate open and walked inside, closing it behind her, the children looked at her and she continued walking towards the building. One little girl came up to her and looked up at her, "Are you here to adopt one of us?" Aiko shook her head, "I'm sorry, but I don't even have a job yet, I cannot take care of you."

The girl frowned, but nodded, "Okay. Miss Elbereth could use some help around here, her sister helps out as does Miss Alivna, but, she said she'd be happy to have more help." Aiko nodded slightly, "Alright, where is Miss Elbereth?" The girl pointed at the mansion, "There." Aiko smiled softly, "Thank you." She walked towards the door of the mansion and knocked on it, there was no answer for a moment. She knocked again and a voice she didn't recognize spoke up, "Hold on a moment, I'll be there in a second!" The door opened to reveal a sea elf with light blue hair and amethyst eyes looked at her, "I thought you were one of my nephews for a moment there, though they would've just walked in." Aiko nodded, "Are you Elbereth?"

The sea elf chuckled, "Elbereth is my little sister, I'm Lenwe, what do ya need?" Aiko sighed, "I was told by my sister, Kimiko, to seek out Elbereth." Lenwe nodded, "She's in the study, but are you sure you want to do this..." Aiko looked down at the floor, unsure, "I'm Aiko." Lenwe nodded and continued, "Aiko. You know if you walk down this path, you might not be able to stop." Aiko nodded, "I need to speak to her because she knew him the most intimately." Lenwe nodded and stepped out of the way, "If you want, I can lead you to her." Aiko nodded slightly and Lenwe started walking through the house, with Aiko following behind her. Lenwe sighed as she stopped in front of a door, "Why do you see knowledge about him?" Aiko closed her eyes, "Because his soul was reborn as me. I want to know if I'm like him."

Lenwe shrugged and opened the door, Aiko saw a sad looking Sea Elf standing near a bookshelf. Lenwe sighed as Aiko walked in, "Your curiosity reminds me of him. But you talk with my sister, alright..." The sea elf turned her head towards her, "You're not one of my children." Aiko looked at the pale purple hair of the sea elf, "Elbereth?" The Sea Elf turned around, "I'm sorry, but I don't know you." Aiko sat down, "I'm Aiko Sano, I'm a Kensei initiate, my sister told me that I should seek you out. If you don't mind there's someone I'd like to talk to you about." Elbereth sat down and looked at her, "Who is it that you wish to talk about?" Aiko closed her eyes, "Yoshiro Miyamae, your late husband..." Elbereth looked down and placed a hand over her heart, "I dislike talking to him because the pain of his loss still hasn't completely faded."

Aiko nodded slightly and pulled a note out of her pocket, "My sister told me to give this to you, I don't understand why. I tried reading it, but couldn't make heads or tails of it." She handed it to Elbereth who read it out loud, "Dear Elbereth, I've sent my little sister to you, because she is the reincarnation of your husband. I'm not expecting you two to fall in love with each other, but I thought it would be nice if the two of you spent time together. I've been noticing how ever since my nephew was killed, you have been a little down and the Galactic war has made things worse. Hopefully my sister can be a friend of your's some day. Sincerely, Kimiko Sano." Elbereth folded the letter up and looked at Aiko, "Kimiko wrote the letter in elvish and she's not one to lie. But forgive me, I still don't want to talk about my late husband."

Aiko nodded slightly, "Do you want to talk at all?" Elbereth looked at her with a smile, "What's your name?" Aiko looked down, "Aiko, ma'am." Elbereth walked over to her and placed her hand on Aiko's chin, lifting it to look into her eyes, "You don't have to be nervous, I've been waiting a long time for my husband's reincarnation to come see me." Aiko gulped, "Y-you have?" Elbereth nodded, "Yes, though I don't want to talk about him, it helps me greatly knowing that he's happy right now." Aiko smiled softly and Elbereth placed her hand on Aiko's shoulder, "Would you like some green tea, I hear it's a Kitsune favorite." Aiko nodded slightly and Elbereth walked out of the room, leaving Aiko alone. She looked around the study and a particular book caught her eye. She walked over to the bookshelf and looked at the book, on the spine it said, "The Memoirs of Yoshiro Miyamae."

Aiko grabbed it out of the bookshelf and walked back over to the chair, looking at it, the book looked quite fancy. Something inside of her told her not to open the book, but she did so anyhow, Elbereth speaking up, "You've found my husband's memoirs. He has been writing them since before he and I had gotten married. There are several dozen volumes of them, but that one, right there, I had made special. Everything important in his life, so that someday his reincarnation would come and find it." Aiko looked at Elbereth, "Do you mind if I read them, I might get some answers as to what he was actually like from the man himself, instead of from second or third hand accounts." Elbereth smiled and handed Aiko a cup of tea, "Go ahead, you can keep it if you want, but Aiko, would you mind having an after-school job?"

Aiko sipped the tea, "Not at all, what do you need?" Elbereth smiled slightly, "I need someone to look after the kids around here. It's a busy job and Lenwe and I are having a hard time keeping up without help." Aiko nodded slightly, "I can do that." Elbereth nodded, "That's good to hear, my own sons are coming here tomorrow, would you like to stay the night and meet them?" Aiko looked at her communicator, "I should inform my mom about it, but sure." Elbereth smiled and placed her hand on Aiko's shoulder, "Let me do it." Elbereth pulled out a communicator from a drawer and turned it on, "Grandmother-in-law, I've invited your daughter to stay over for the night, seeing as she's family, and my own kids are going to be returning tomorrow. Is that alright with you?" Amaterasu's voice spoke up, "I have no problem with it, Elbereth. She's a grown woman and can take care of herself, but thank you for informing me." Elbereth put it away and smiled, "The guest room is down the hall."

Chapter 6

Balthoron walked up to the front gate of the mansion that his parents had converted into an orphanage. Memories and pain started to flood through his mind, but he pushed the front gate open, keeping a straight face. As he started to walk down the path, an image of himself as a child flashed into his mind, happy go lucky. However, as he continued, the image grew into him as a man, wanting to be a hero like his father. Then it changed into him as a combat medic, as he grew ever closer to the door. Then finally, him as a soldier, the image in his mind became ever more bloodied as he reached the door and when he went to reach for the doorknob, he noticed that there was blood covering his hand. He looked around and saw children staring at him and looked down at himself, he was covered in blood, but wasn't wounded, "I apologize." He sighed and concentrated, dispelling the illusion.

Balthoron grabbed the doorknob and opened the door, "Mama! I'm here!" He walked in and immediately walked to the study, where he expected to find his mother, "Mama, are you in here?" Lenwe responded, "Your mother has gone out to get something. But it is good to see you again, Balthoron, you don't really spend any time around here, why's that?" Balthoron walked into the room and saw his aunt, "Well, it's because I've caused too many people to end up here. I've brought many of them here personally and the pain in coming here is too unbearable." Lenwe nodded and hugged him, "That's not the full story, you can tell Auntie Lenwe and Auntie Melui what's going on." Balthoron watched as an arctic elf walked out from a bookshelf and she waved at him, "Hi, Balthoron, why don't you tell us what's wrong?"

Balthoron sighed and was just about to speak when the door to the study opened and he looked, not at the Kitsune, but at the book she held. Aiko frowned at him, "Are you Tsuyoshi or Balthoron?" Balthoron tried to smile, but couldn't hide his frown, "I'm Balthoron." Aiko frowned, "You don't seem to be happy to be here, with your family..." Balthoron nodded to the book Aiko was holding, "You have my father's memoirs." AIko shook her head, "You're changing the subject." Balthoron sighed, "There are several volumes, Mom probably told you that there are several dozens. What she meant by that was there are several dozens of different copies of his memoirs released by the editors. I read his last one, which revealed to me that he knew when he was going to die and he chose to face it. Great-great grandmother told me the significance of it, if Dad didn't die then, Tsuyoshi would have commanded the Verbanan forces during the Galactic war and we'd all be dead."

Balthoron sat down in a chair and looked into Aiko's eyes, "As for answering your subject, I'm a soldier, have been for three hundred years. I'm not proud of what I've done, especially not the killing. Once you take the life of another, you can never come back from that, it irreversibly changes you on the inside, spiritually and mentally. I've personally seen the widows and widowers of the people I've killed in war and I've personally delivered children that I've orphaned to this orphanage. I used to come to visit until one of the orphans tried to kill me for killing her parents, despite the fact that I orphaned her by complete accident." Aiko folded her arms, "Alright then, tell me how do you accidentally orphan someone!?"

Balthoron sighed, "Like I said, I'm a soldier, her parents were my most trusted advisers back then. I trusted them with my life. As the leader of my own resistance force at the time, we were gaining ground. Some new recruit decided to play with a flash grenade at the dead of night. I told him to knock it off and put the grenade back where he got it, the recruit disrespectfully threw it to the ground and told me to do it. I didn't know if it was active or not and didn't quite know what kind of grenade it was, but I knew that at the time, I was the only one at risk. So I backed out of what would be the lethal range for a different type. Suddenly a bright flash of light encompassed my vision, which temporarily blinded me. I heard footsteps and instinct took hold of my confused mind, I pulled my shotgun out and shot at the noise. I was knocked out from a distance so I wouldn't hurt anyone else, when I came to, I found out that I had killed my own advisers. As promised, I delivered their child here."

Aiko nodded slightly, "So her trying to kill you?" Balthoron looked at his hand, "The only thing more powerful than fear as a driving force for fighting are hatred, love and a desire for revenge. She had a combination of all three, she hated me, loved her parents and wanted me to die. She managed to get onto the mother base and worked her way into my quarters. Next thing I know, there was a stinging pain in my shoulder, she had shot me. I quickly sounded the alarm as I pulled out my pistol and pointed it at her, that's when I recognized her face and couldn't continue to hold my gun. I didn't want to kill her. She was fearful, she didn't understand why I was still standing and why I was walking towards her. It was a simple matter to disarm her, but restraining her was honestly the hard part." Aiko nodded and frowned, "What happened then?" Balthoron shrugged, "We tossed her in the brig for a week. Fortunately the weapon was on low power, otherwise I wouldn't have been available to talk to her for that week."

Lenwe nodded, "I remember that one." Balthoron closed his eyes, faces flashed before his eyes, "I remember everyone I killed, every one I've made into a victim of war, whether making them a widow, a widower or an orphan. But, at this point, I can't distinguish between them, I can't remember who is who and what I've done. Some people might think this is a good thing, but..." Melui spoke up, "For you, it's tormenting you, isn't it?" Balthoron nodded, "Yes, but unfortunately this is my burden to bear. Now do you understand, Aiko?" Aiko blinked, "How do you know my name!?" Balthoron, "Cousin Yoshiko doesn't set a fire spell like that off and not get my attention. She and Alvina told me about you and how you're doing in school, oh and not to mention, that Yoshiko recently told me your secret." Balthoron leaned in and whispered in a way that his aunts would hear him, "That you're my Dad's reincarnation." As Balthoron moved back, he noticed Aiko's stunned expression and he placed his hand on her shoulder, "Grandaunt Kimiko has already told you, but I won't tell anyone else, I promise."

Chapter 8

Balthoron, Xifeng and Aiko reached the hill that Balthoron himself had stood upon three hundred years ago, watching in horror alongside his sister, Misaki, as Xifeng's fleet bombarded the city. A cool breeze blew and a scent reached Balthoron's nostrils, flowers, and not just any flowers, the kind his sister used to grow, "Three hundred years ago, I stood here and watched as everything my father and sister had build was bombarded out of existence. You wanted to see what you caused, Xifeng. This is what you caused." Xifeng looked around, her eyes scanned, "Kilf known as Balthoron, this was a military installation." Balthoron shook his head, "No, this city didn't even have a military presence when it was destroyed. The dracoknights were mostly outside the city when the attack happened, you killed nothing but civilians."

Xifeng looked down, "Thraxi known as Xifeng didn't know, Thraxi known as Xifeng apologizes to Kilf known as Balthoron." Balthoron shook his head, "Follow me into the ruins." Balthoron walked down from the hill, and started to walk towards the ruins of the city, images flashed through his mind and he could hear the screams of the people as he approached. He knew that they weren't really there, but with each passing step, it became more and more realistic. He kept moving though, however Aiko grabbed his hand, "Balthoron, you don't have to go in there if you don't want to. You look like you're being weighed down by memories." Balthoron nodded, "I know, I was here when the buildings were still on fire, right after the attack. Misaki and I were the first into the city and I was one of the last to leave."

Aiko sighed slightly, "I... I see." Balthoron shook his head, "Don't feel as such." He walked into the city itself, and walked down a street, "What you see here, Aiko, is a place that has been reclaimed by nature. You do not feel the presence or hear the sounds that I hear." Aiko folded her arms, "What is that supposed to mean." Balthoron motioned with his hand, "You see the ruins of a once great city. I feel the weight of the air pressing down on me, the weight of death. I smell the scent of burning flesh and of blood. I hear the pained screams of the survivors, the sobbing of widows, widowers and orphans." Xifeng nodded, "Thraxi known as Xifeng see an attack Thraxi should've never carried out and that Kilf known as Balthoron is suffering from a medical condition."

Balthoron walked towards a set of graves in a park, he leaned before the middle one and Aiko looked at it, "Who is that." Balthoron looked at the grave which read, "Here lies Hisako Miyamae nee Tsukino. Born: 1415 A.V.L. Died: 1835 A.V.L. She was taken far too early from us." He knelt in front of the grave and tried to hold back tears, "Honey, I've returned. I don't know if you've been reincarnated or not, but I love you still. I haven't remarried as I promised myself that if something happened to you, I would live out the rest of my days as a single man. I'm sorry that I changed from the man you once knew and that I've walked the path that I never wanted to walk." Aiko walked over to a grave to the right of it, "Who is this, Balthoron?" Balthoron looked at the gravestone and his heart sank into his belly. Xifeng walked over to him, "What is bothering Kilf known as Balthoron this badly?"

Balthoron sighed, "Aiko, it's common knowledge that I lost my wife during the attacks, but something I hid from everyone that I could, was that at the time, my wife was pregnant with a girl. She was going to be born a few months later and I was going to totally retire from the military, so that I could raise her without her having to worry about not having a father someday. Then this happened and, first, I found my wife, blood was coming out of her mouth and she wasn't moving. Then I found my sister Hiromi crushed to death in a way that it also caused severed her spine, decapitating her internally. She was killed instantly. I didn't come to check on my wife until later, she had been impaled by debris. Though she didn't die instantly, she died before I arrived on the scene. When her body shut down, unfortunately our unborn daughter wasn't too far behind her. That's why that grave says, 'Here lies Minako Miyamae, your light was snuffed out before you ever had a chance."

Aiko nodded and looked at another grave, "Why does this one have your name on it?" Balthoron sighed, "Because when I die, I want to be buried right next to my wife, I figured it would be easier for me to claim a plot of land and for them to fill in the year of death after I die. I loved her with all my heart and soul." Xifeng nodded, "Thraxi known as Xifeng is starting to understand what Thraxi have caused Kilf known as Balthoron. Thraxi known as Xifeng apologize for all Thraxi have done to Kilf known as Balthoron." Balthoron sighed and stood up, "My wife, if she were alive today, would want me to forgive you, and I know my daughter would as well. For them, I forgive you, even if deep down, part of me still hates you for what you've done. But I guess nothing can be done about that."

Aiko nodded, "All of this is horrific, but you said you were the last one to leave the city, why was that?" Balthoron sighed and pointed to the castle, "In there, I fought my older brother Tsuyoshi. He had recently called for the genocide of the Thraxi people and our sisters had abandoned us. We were two men that were badly hurt by these events and disagreed on how we would get our revenge. Tsuyoshi attacked first and tried to kill me. In the end of the fight, I sliced open his right cybernetic eye and he knocked my sword away. Panicking, I pulled a shotgun off one of the shelves and fired a warning shot. However the kickback, threw my shot off and I blew off Tsuyoshi's hand and dislocated my shoulder." Before Aiko could respond, they all heard a voice say, "Yes, about that, little brother..."

Chapter 10

Balthoron found himself back in Honoo, it had been a bit since he first arrived here, except this time he looked at the temple of the sun, he looked at Xifeng, "Thraxi are not yet allowed into our holy sites, I apologize, I would like for you to meet my great-grandparents." Xifeng clicked her mandibles, "Thraxi do not wish to create strife with Verbanan Peoples." Balthoron nodded slightly, "That's good to hear. Aiko, you excited to be back home?" Aiko nodded slightly, "To be honest, I rather enjoy it around here. Do you have memories of being here?" Balthoron nodded, "My dad was a Kensei." He walked into the temple, with Aiko following behind as he continued, "Dad would be known nowadays as a Kensei Master Guardian. As for me..." Balthoron took the glove off his right hand and showed the brand of Amaterasu, "I'm a Kensei myself."

Aiko blinked, "But you... you don't fight with a sword!" Balthoron nodded, "It's true that I've not used my sword in combat recently, but we live in times of peace and as a soldier, I don't want to give a false impression on the people." Aiko nodded, "What kind of Kensei are you, then?" Balthoron put the glove back on, "I'm not a guardian like my father. I'm a Kensei Warrior Captain." A voice spoke up, "A warrior captain, now that is something I've heard quite often around here, but I didn't expect to meet Balthoron himself here." Aiko smiled, "Hi, Silvio." Balthoron nodded and extended his hand to Silvio, "A Paladin Squire, it's admirable when the Paladins decide to help with the other holy orders. I used to hear stories of one known as Kauko Aaltonen, but that was a long time ago, before any of us were born."

Silvio nodded, "Aiko, your mother would like to see you." Balthoron nodded, "Her mother is exactly why I've brought her back here so early. Aiko is going through her awakening and maybe Great-grandmother can shed some light on this whole thing." Silvio sighed, "She's in the main hall, along with Yoshiko, they've been talking for a while, it seems that Aiko's awakening is coming up soon, and that she'll need a teacher." Balthoron shook his head, "Soon is no longer the time frame, it's now. In fact, it happened a couple of days ago." Silvio nodded, "Well then, I suggest you get her to the main hall immediately." Balthoron shrugged and continued on with Aiko in tow, "I was going to do that anyhow, but thanks." Aiko looked around, "Everything is so different, you feel so powerful, Balthoron." Balthoron nodded, "You're dangerous in this state, so we need to figure out where to go next. Being who you are... your mana is stronger than my own, and I'm quite powerful."

Balthoron entered into the main hall and saw Yoshiko and Amaterasu standing there talking, he could hear them speaking about Aiko from where he was standing. He decided to clear his throat to get their attention, "When talking about someone, and they're present in the area, make sure that you know that they are listening." Yoshiko looked at him, "We're talking about Aiko, dear, not you." Balthoron thumbed behind him, "She's very nervous because I informed her that an untrained mage is very dangerous and her being the reincarnation of you know who, makes her very powerful in addition of this." Yoshiko nodded, and Amaterasu walked over towards Aiko who walked out and hugged her, "Mama, I'm scared." Amaterasu nodded, "Understandable, something is happening to you and the last time your soul went through it, it was... unpleasant."

Aiko frowned, "What do you mean?" Amaterasu sighed, "This is a story that none of the three of you know, but your little brother is also the reincarnation of someone close to Yoshiro. He's the reincarnation of Katriina. Yoshiro's awakening was induced when my Dad killed Kimiko, who was reborn as my daughter, and Katriina before his very eyes. I didn't want anything to do with my grandchild and father fighting each other, but Mom wound up eventually driving my Dad off of the continent. Sometimes Dad comes to visit us, but, during that moment Yoshiro had his awakening, and because of it... we thought he was genetically different, but because he put a mental block on himself, he was somehow immune to psionics, but this cost him the ability to use his own mana, despite being very powerful as Yoshiko can show you, even more so than her if he were to have actually have been trained."

Aiko nodded slightly, "Okay, so... who is going to train me?" Yoshiko smiled slightly, "Well child, I'm in the twilight years of my life, so I'm going to end up training you, if that's alright with you." Aiko nodded, "You've already taught me so much, thank you." Yoshiko looked at Balthoron, "What about you?" Balthoron shrugged, "She has no place in my nation, we're soldiers, and I don't want her to go through war, especially after I showed her what war brings. But there is one final place that I want to take her as now that she is finally awakened, I can finally get to getting her the memento that my father left for Katriina's reincarnation, and the gift my father left for her." Yoshiko sighed, "You're going to take her into the crypt that our family has been buried within." Balthoron nodded slightly, "Her mana is the key."

Silvio spoke up, "Xander and I will have to come too, we're all awakened and the reincarnations of both Walthari and Killian, respectively." Balthoron nodded again, "Yoshiko, can you go get Xander for me, I don't think he'll be too pleased if I try to convince him to come after I bloodied his nose." Yoshiko sighed, "What happened..." Balthoron smirked, "He pulled a weapon on me, I disarmed him, dismantled the weapon and broke his nose." Yoshiko sighed, "Fine, I'll go and get him." Balthoron watched as Yoshiko walked out and Aiko and Silvio looked at him, Silvio speaking up, "You don't look like a soldier." Balthoron started to walk out of the temple and smirked back to Silvio, "Looks can be deceiving. Though I wear a fancy suit on the outside, it's actually made of a special armored weave that protects me against energy weapons. And I typically wear light armor under that." Silvio nodded as he and Aiko followed him, "So you're crazy prepared, huh?" Balthoron nodded, "Helps that someone tried to assassinate me once."

Chapter 12

Balthoron walked down a corridor with Silvio and Xander close in tow, the lights turned on as he continued down the corridor, "So, Silvio, your father wouldn't happen to be Rogelio Espina Cruz, would he?" Silvio spoke up, "Yeah, that's my father, why?" Balthoron turned his head back as he continued walking, "Because I know your father." Silvio looked at Balthoron and concentrated on him, "You have no intention to lie to me, tell me, what do you know about my father." Balthoron nodded, "Your parents divorced, correct?" Silvio nodded, "Yes, my father decided to become a mercenary and my mother didn't want anything to do with that lifestyle." Xander folded his arms, "Wah, what a sob story, my parents are dead and you don't see me crying." Balthoron made a rude gesture to Xander, and continued to speak to Silvio, "Your father is amongst the Raptors."

Silvio nodded slightly, "You're being honest with me, why?" Balthoron stopped, "Tell me, what have you heard about me?" Silvio looked down and Xander spoke up, "Aside from the fact that you're the prick mercenary leader that broke my nose, nothing." Balthoron paid Xander no mind, "Silvio." Silvio looked up at him, "Not very much is known about you before you took command of the Raptors." Balthoron turned around and placed his hand on Silvio's shoulder, "I used to be a medic, it was my job to either save lives or make sure people died in the least amount of pain possible. Also your father used to talk about you a lot and has used a rather infuriatingly large amount of resources in tracking you down." Silvio sighed, "He walked out of my life all of those years ago when I wasn't even a grown man."

Balthoron nodded slightly and thumbed behind him, "There are five pods in the room, Xander, your two are on the right, Silvio, your two are on the left. The one I need to open is in the dead center." The two of them nodded and left Balthoron to his own devices, he looked at the two as they looked at his uncles in their pods and could hear the two recordings left by his Uncle Killian play simultaneously, telling the two reincarnations about the lives each Lupine led and the struggles that Walthari had to go through, being a berserker and all. Balthoron knew that the fifth pod was actually empty, it was a decoy. He walked back down the corridor and placed his hand on a panel in the wall, introducing a bit of his mana into it, causing a hidden door to open. He sighed slightly as he walked down the new corridor and into a chamber where he saw a pod resting.

He walked up to the pod and noticed the scarred Lupine within, "I think it's time we pop you open, now that they've come here." Balthoron walked over to the control panel and pressed a few buttons, causing the pod to come open, "Not fair that you got to sleep this entire time in suspended animation, but I had to take the long way into this era. Oh well, wakey wakey." A hiss sounded and Balthoron walked over to the front of the pod as the Lupine yawned and slowly opened up his eyes, "Good to see that you're amongst the land of the living once more, Corporal Adalwulf Muller." Adalwulf looked down at Balthoron, "Who are you and how do you know my name and where is this place." Balthoron smiled slightly, "This is the crypt, no you're not dead, quite the opposite in fact, though from what my father told me of the time he went to avenge Uncle Rogelio, you should've died."

Adalwulf nodded, "That was one hundred and seventeen years ago." Balthoron shook his head, "That was one thousand and six hundred years ago." Adalwulf blinked, "You're joking?" Balthoron, "Afraid I'm not one to joke anyone, by the way, I never answered one of your questions, I'm Balthoron Miyamae." Adalwulf nodded, "So you're Yoshiro's son... where is he?" Balthoron sighed, "He died sometime after you got put into stasis. Adalwulf, I'm going to bring you up to speed, alright. About nothing has changed except for now there's this alien race known as the Thraxi and the surviving mortals from your era have grown old. Aside from that, Verbana is pretty much the same. The Galactic Maps have changed, with territories changing and the Humans are quite literally the most technologically advanced species in the entire fuckin galaxy."

Adalwulf groaned as he stepped out of the pod, "So, if this really is the future, then did what Kimiko say come to pass?" Balthoron shook his head, "Killian and Yoshiro's reincarnations are rather close, basically really good friends. Xander's got an attitude problem that I think Master Erasmus could fix." Adalwulf blinked, "When did you have time to train under Erasmus?" Balthoron shrugged, "I run an entire private military force as its own nation, I think I could easily manage to find some time to train under a Dragon Monk, especially after the whole end to the galactic war. Anyhow Xifeng is hanging around outside, Thraxi aren't allowed in sites like this, so... if you're really in a hurry to converse with one, go ahead. Just don't get aggressive, she's a diplomat."

Adalwulf nodded slightly, "Balthoron, I think I'm going to go get some fresh air, if that's alright with you." Balthoron nodded, "Introduce yourself to the Mofeta and Mus while you're at it, there's a scent in here that's been bothering me because it feels so familiar, so I'm going to stick around for a while and try to find out what it is." Adalwulf nodded, "It's good seeing you again, kiddo." Balthoron smiled, "It's good to see you up and about, Adalwulf, I hope you enjoy this time period more than you enjoyed the one we grew up in." Balthoron watched Adalwulf head out and take a right, and he headed out from the secret chamber, this time taking a left so that he could follow the scent. However as he followed the scent, he found that it led to his father's chamber, unfortunately for him, he wasn't ready for what he would find...

Chapter 14

Balthoron walked through the crypt, following the scent that he found all too familiar to him. He became confused at this and somewhat agitated. He walked down the hallway leading to his father's chamber and saw Aiko standing there, "Aiko, have you seen anyone here?" Aiko looked at him, "No, I haven't." Balthoron snapped his fingers and an electrical barrier formed behind him, "You're a poor liar, though you wouldn't lie unless you have a reason to, being grandmother's daughter and all." Balthoron scanned the area with his eyes, "Come out." Aiko looked at him, "No one's here." Balthoron sighed, "Misaki Miyamae, you cannot hide from me in here and I've placed a barrier on the only exit." Aiko gasped slightly as Misaki walked out, "What do you want?" Balthoron sighed, "I only wish to talk, I haven't seen you in three hundred years, big sis."

Misaki lowered the cloth from her mouth, "Then talk, brother." Balthoron looked down at the floor, then looked his older sister in the eye, "This doesn't seem like a place that would fit you, have you been in contact with our mother lately?" Misaki shook her head, "I've helped out Klaartje lately, that's about it. I've been avoiding our family lately, especially with the bad blood between you and Tsuyoshi." Balthoron nodded, "I know, I wish we could be a family once again, but Hiromi really held us together. Sis, you look so sad, are you sure that everything is alright?" Misaki nodded slightly, "I'm sure. But I'm not so sure that you figured out why Harumi and I fled in the first place." Balthoron nodded, "Tsuyoshi and I tore the family apart with our enmity with each other."

Misaki blinked as her eyes widened in disbelief, "But..." Balthoron sighed, "Uncle Lathron and I have had a long time to figure that out." Misaki nodded as Balthoron looked away, "Mom misses you, ya know?" Misaki nodded, "I know, but I've always been a thief, I never felt right being around nobles." Balthoron shook his head and sighed, "None of us are nobility anymore, let alone royalty. We're just people now. Tsuyoshi and I lead our own private military forces, Harumi doesn't lead the sea elves anymore and Mom runs an orphanage and well Dad is..." Aiko's heart sank slightly as she expected Balthoron to point at her, but Balthoron pointed at the stasis pod in the center of the room, "He died a warrior, but neither a noble nor a royal. We're commoners now, that's how things have changed, Misaki."

Misaki nodded slightly, "Are you and Tsuyoshi still..." Balthoron nodded, "Yeah, unfortunately, I've recently had time to compile all the recordings I made and send them to his base, I don't know how long it'll be before he gets them." Misaki looked away with a frown, "I see." Balthoron walked towards her, "Sis, I'm trying to get peace between our older brother and I, maybe then, Harumi will return and we can be a family again." Misaki nodded slightly, "She said something to that affect before leaving Verbana. She still loves both of you, but doesn't like the fact that you're still fighting to this day and are actively trying to kill each other." Balthoron hugged her, "I know, big sister. I know. Listen, I want to get out of here and I'm sure Aiko does as well, do you want to come with? I'll drop you off by Mom's."

Misaki nodded and Balthoron let go of her, waving his hand to drop the barrier. Aiko looked at them, "So am I going to lead the way?" Balthoron nodded, "I would like to stay close to my big sister, if that's alright." Aiko nodded and the three of them walked towards the exit of the crypt, Balthoron looking at Misaki as they walked, "So why did you put in those contacts and dye your hair?" Misaki frowned, "I wanted to look like a child of Uncle Lathron's, but Uncle Lathron had married a sea elf, not a Kitsune, so... that disguise would only serve to make me look like someone completely different." Balthoron nodded as they stepped out into the open once more, he looked at Yoshiko who walked over to them, "Aiko is ready to go with you, cousin." Yoshiko nodded and Balthoron looked at Aiko, "This is where we part ways, I'll be sure to come by when I have the time to check up on Yoshiko and to help her train you.

Aiko nodded slightly as she went to follow Yoshiko, leaving Balthoron and Misaki in the park. Balthoron closed the crypt door, and looked up at the sky, "Remember when we were younger?" Misaki nodded as the two of them started to walk towards the street that would lead them to the orphanage, "Yeah, I do. Those were simpler times, Dad wasn't very happy with the path that I've chosen and he'd always dote on the rest of his kids. Though I guess that's because I never gave him the chance, I always avoided him, but Klaartje always told me that Dad loved me unconditionally. The sad thing is, I never got to experience that love often." Balthoron nodded, "I understand, then when I was a child, I remember seeing you for the first time, Dad told me that you're my big sister. The next time I saw you was when I was becoming an adult."

Misaki nodded as they walked down the road, "I'm sorry that I've always been so aloof, Balthoron, you're a good kid at heart, very much like our father was when he was younger, according to Grandmother and Grandfather." Balthoron nodded and didn't respond til they reached the orphanage, "Mom and Aunt Lenwe are inside, Misaki this is where you and I must part ways for now, I have to meet up with Uncle Lathron, but I'll try to bring him around before we leave to go back to the base, alright?" Misaki nodded and opened the gate, "I love you, little brother." Balthoron watched as she walked to the mansion, "I love you too, big sister." As Balthoron closed the gate, he saw a Kani girl standing there, "Take good care of my big sister, okay." Balthoron turned around and started to walk away, but as he did, he heard her say, "Okay, big brother."