BOOOOOOOM!!!
A violent explosion destroyed some nearby trees and shook the ground. Velzari waited from a distance, his hand still extended from his attack. But when it cleared, the body of Kaeline lying in the blast zone, merged into the shadows on the ground.
"Another damn trick." Velzari said, his gears grinded to the near limit.
"ENOUGH OF THESE PATHETIC GAMES!" He yelled to the trees around him.
"Are you a warrior or a coward? Stop hiding behind these illusions and fight me!"
High in the canopy, Kaeline crouched silently in the shadows of the trees.
"He's growing more erratic by the minute."
But her calm façade faltered slightly as she turned to look towards the horizon in the direction of Kaito and the others.
"The signal should be up by now. What's going on over there… Kaito?"
Back at the shattered remains of the shed, Enaros took a cautious step forward. His voice trembled with relief and tears began to form in his eyes as he stared at his daughter. Nara looked roughly around the same age range as Kaito. Her scales weren't one solid color like the other draconians, they were a mix of candy red, orange, and yellow. Her wings on her back seemed to be as large as her body, similar to Enaros.
"Na-Nara… is it really you? W-We thought… We thought we lost you. Your brother—Nix—he's missed you terribly. I've missed you." He wept out.
Beside him, Nix took a tiny step forward, tears flowing down his face as well.
"Elder… sister?"
But Nara… she said nothing. Instead her eyes began to sweep over the battlefield slowly. For a moment, the only sound was the faint crackling of ice in the distance. She turned her head slightly, her red and orange eyes finally meeting him… Kaito.
Kaito, still slightly hunched over and battered from his fight with Aqua, eyes met with hers from the distance.
"That's… Nara?"
But something about her was… wrong.
Her posture was too stiff and her face was devoid of any expression whatsoever even given the circumstances. And her eyes felt… empty. Kaito's gut somewhat twisted with some unease, but he brushed it off. He knew he couldn't afford distractions now.
"Focus Kaito. I need to hurry and signal Kaeline."
With shaky hands, he pulled a compact flare gun from his belt and pointed it to the sky, but then…
"What the—!?"
The flare gun slipped from his grip, dropping to the frozen ground. He looked up to his hand only to see a jagged hole had been carved straight through his palm. Blood dripped down his arm, staining the ice below red.
The pain followed the initial shock instantly. He grabbed the wrist of the injured hand and barely suppressed his scream as his mind and heart began racing simultaneously.
Above him, Aqua lowered her outstretched arm.
"I'm not sure what that was supposed to be, and I don't ever find out. I hope that's okay for you, Kaito..."
Enaros, watching from a distance with a look of disbelief on his face, turned to Nara.
"Nara! We need your help! Help us take her down—we need to save Kaito!"
Just for a brief moment, Nara's posture changed, as if the words of her father finally reached her. For a moment, it seemed like she might finally say something. Then, without warning, her red and dark orange wings expanded outwards fully. She leapt into the air, rising high above the battlefield, far above the trees.
Kaito's eyes widened as he watched her rise higher and higher in the air.
"Wha–What is she doing?"
Aqua watched along with him, her head slightly tilted to the side.
"Hmmm? That's interesting. It seems nothing can stop you from making a flashy entrance. You really haven't changed one bit, haven't you… Nara?
Enaros shouted for her with everything he could muster.
"Nara! Nara!! What are you doing?! Where… Where are you going!?"
"Elder sister! Elder sister, come back!" Nix screamed out, his little voice trying its best to reach her.
From across the battlefield, Tyrek screamed out as well, but unlike the others, his voice was full of panic.
"Enaros! Everyone! Get back NOW!!"
Nara finally reached the apex of her ascent, and the scales on her neck began to glow a deep red-orange.
FWOOOOOOOOM!
Suddenly, she blew flames downward, consuming everything below in an inferno. The once-frozen forest was suddenly transformed into a living hell. The heat was unbearable and the air filled with thick smoke as the trees above burned away. Enaros shielded Nix the best he could, both of them coughing uncontrollably as their lungs filled with smoke.
Aqua, who raised walls of ice around her, lowered her defenses as the flames around her began to die out slightly. She glanced toward Kaito, who was on his knees struggling to breathe.
"You were wrong, Kaito… but we can guide you. Soon, you'll help the grand order find the cosmic heart, and we'll bring peace to the universe together. There's no need for this futile resistance."
Kaito tried to stagger to his feet, but fell right back to his knees. The smoke was too much. His throat and lungs burned with every single gasp, like inhaling pure fire.
"It hurts to breathe…Have to do… something about…fire."
He tried to stand again but his body wouldn't listen. He turned his head towards Enaros, who was coughing violently with Nix in his arms, not doing any better. A second later, they both passed out.
"Enaros… Nix… no." Kaito tried to scream out, but his voice was barely audible and raspy from his throat being burned from the hot air.
He turned his head weakly to see Tyrek sprawled on the ground, motionless.
"No… please… someone…" Kaito tried to scream out, but the words never left his lips.
His body was shutting down, and the last thing he heard was the fading sound of his own heartbeat, each beat weaker than the last as he pleaded.
"Help… them"
"Hel…"
"Help…"
"Help… me…" A younger Kaito aired out, laying in the filthy streets of Thalos, his small body bloodied and bruised from a vicious beating by the locals.
The gang of older kids that had attacked him were long gone, but the pain lingered.
"Help… me… please. Somebody…" He whimpered as he reached his hand out towards the local thalorians passing by.
But no one stopped.
Some even glanced at him, but most went about their day, ignoring him like he never existed.
"Why… Why won't anyone help me…?"
Back at the orphanage, Kaito sat in front of an old computer, the screen displaying yet another rejection. His mouse hovered over the email, fingers trembling, before he scrolled down.
APPLICATION DENIED: ELNATH STAR TRAVELER ACADEMY
APPLICATION DENIED: CAPELLA STAR TRAVELER ACADEMY
APPLICATION DENIED: VEGA STAR TRAVELER ACADEMY
It wasn't just one rejection. His inbox was filled with them—unread, unopened, but their subjects were enough.
"We regret to inform you…"
"Unfortunately, due to limited space…"
"You have not been selected…"
"This is the tenth one. The last possible academy on this side of the galaxy that could take me in." Kaito muttered to himself.
He clicked out of the email and shut the computer down. He leaned forward, resting his head against the old wooden desk. He bit his lip as he began to tremble, trying his best to keep his emotions under control.
But the dam broke.
"Why…" he whispered, his voice cracking.
"Why is it always like this? Why is it always me? I did everything I possibly could… but no matter what… it's never enough.
Behind him, the creak of the wooden floorboards inched closer and closer. But Kaito didn't care. He didn't look up until a hand rested gently on his shoulder.
"Kaito." said a deep but soft voice.
He picked his head up slightly to see Farro standing behind him. For a moment, he said nothing. Then, he wiped at his eyes quickly, trying to hide any trace of tears or sadness.
"I—I'm fine." Kaito stammered.
"It's okay my boy… It's okay not to be fine sometimes." Farro responded as he rubbed his shoulder, trying to comfort him.
Kaito blinked and his lip began quivering again as fresh tears spilled over.
"It's not fair." he barely choked out. "I tried so hard, but… they don't care. They just see a worthless human. Scum of the known universe who means nothing."
Farro's eyes softened hearing those words come out of the young boy's mouth, watching the pain in his teary eyes pile up. He knelt down, bringing himself to his level.
"I know it feels like that. I know it feels like the universe is against you. But listen to me, Kaito."
Kaito sniffled, wiping his face with the sleeve of his worn-out shirt.
"You're stronger than you realize. You have something special that no one else has in this universe."
He pressed his finger on the chest of Kaito, right over his heart.
"You have a heart that doesn't give up, no matter the obstacle in your way."
Farro reached out and placed his hand on the top of his head, ruffling his hair.
"You'll make your own first step without those academies. Because you're not just anybody. You're Kaito. You're going to prove them all wrong. One day, you'll become a star traveler, and not just any star traveler. One day you'll be the king of the stars."
Kaito's watery eyes blinked at him, his lip quivering.
"You–You really think so?"
Enaros smiled, his hand ruffling his hair even more than before.
"I don't just think so. I know so."
Kaito's tears slowed as he stared into the eyes of Farro. He saw something… something truly unfamiliar to him. Unlike the eyes of the locals that were filled with disgust and hatred, Farro's eyes were filled with something else. They were filled with love.
"But first, there is something you must do." Farro said.
He raised his hand, pointing at something.
Kaito looked over to the direction of where he was pointing only to see Enaros, Nix, and Tyrek passed out on the floor of the orphanage.
"Help them, Kaito."
Thud-thud…
"Stand up, my boy"
Thud-thud… thud-thud
"Show them the true power of the future–"
Thud-thud… thud-thud thud-thud thud-thud thud-thud thud-thud
"–King of the Stars."
Aqua CPI scanner began to flicker erratically out of nowhere.
"What the–?"
She looked over towards Kaito and couldn't believe what she was seeing. Not only was he alive… he was standing.
"Impossible… How are you–"
Aqua froze mid-sentence as she watched him raise his trembling hand toward the blazing trees above them. Then, what felt like a monstrous wind storm erupted out of nowhere.
The sheer force of the wind sent tree branches hurtling through the air, bending trees backward and causing her and Nara to brace themselves as they were pushed back slightly.
When the wind finally subsided, Aqua's eyes darted upward and became wide with disbelief. All of the flames were extinguished entirely.
"How?"
Her mind raced, and for the first time, doubt crept into her expression.
"He… has a wind affinity too? Was he hiding that the whole time?"
The thought festered for a bit, sparking frustration that quickly spiraled into pure rage.
"WHY!? Why won't you just give up? It's hopeless, Kaito! You're nothing! You'll never be anything! You're nothing but a speck in the cosmic order! Submit to the grand order and spare yourself this humiliation!"
Those words… they weren't new to Kaito—he'd heard them countless times before his entire life. But something else rose above her words, growing louder and louder by the second.
Thud-thud
"What… is that sound?"
Thud-thud thud-thud
"Drums? No…"
Thud-thud thud-thud thud-thud thud-thud thud-thud thud-thud
"It's… him?"
The sound of Kaito's heartbeat was impossibly loud, reverberating across the battlefield like the beating of a war drum.
"What is this?" she muttered under her breath.
Out of nowhere, Kaito let out an ear shattering roar.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!"
It felt as if he was letting out a lifetime's pain, suffering, and anger all at once for the first time in his life. His essence exploded outward, flaring around him wildly. The ground beneath him cracked violently.
The shockwave uprooted towering trees, sending some hurtling through the air while others splintered where they stood. His essence surged high into the sky, piercing the clouds above.
The sheer force of his power sent Aqua and Nara stumbling backward, their feet scraping across the battered ground as they shielded themselves from the relentless wind. Aqua's CPI scanner began beeping erratically as the numbers climbed at a horrifying pace.
50,000.
100,000.
300,000.
600,000.
Her hands trembled slightly as she stared at the rising numbers.
"Impossible. How can he still have this much essence left? He's supposed to be nearly dead! No… the better question is… just what is he? How is he this powerful?"
Suddenly, something hit her.
"He's not controlling it.He's letting it all out—everything he has left, unrestrained. This isn't an attack… then what is he doing?"
Miles away, Sera and Talon stopped fighting as they stared at the pillar of essence stretching high into the sky.
"That essence, is that Kaito? Shit! Did that idiot lose control again? Did the limiter not work?" Talon thought to herself nervously as she thought back to his fight with Myzen during the tournament.
"No… his essence feels different than it did then. It feels like he's a little more in control. So what is that idio–" Talon's thoughts came to a screeching halt as she looked over to the direction of the captured crew members, her eyes landing on a particular person.
Perched in the shadows of a tall tree, Kaeline's eyes caught the sudden burst of light in the distance. At first, she was slightly confused, but very quickly the realization dawned on her.
"That's it!"
Without hesitation, she performed a series of intricate hand signs and uttered three words calmly.
"Shadow Teleportation Jutsu."
Kaito's essence began to flicker out as his scream died down and the pillar dissipated, his body reached its limit. His knees buckled under him, and his vision blurred. The world spun as he collapsed, consciousness fading.
"I'll admit it, Kaito. Your dying gasp was truly… impressive. But this is it." She said before raising her hand.
"Glacial Eruption."
Ice raced across the ground, jagged spikes erupting toward Kaito as he fell.
But just as the attack was about to reach him, something unexpected happened.
A thick wooden branch shot out from the remains of a nearby tree, twisting and coiling around Kaito's body. It lifted him gently into the air, away from the incoming attack. The ice shattered harmlessly against the ground where he had been.
"What the—?!" Aqua said shockingly.
Her eyes followed the branch until it landed on a figure standing amidst the destruction.
"My, my. It seems I've arrived just in time to save the day."
The figure was… Elysia!?