The Change In Life

In the wonderful and little-explored northern lands, we find a rather isolated kingdom, where a woman with long yellow hair and red eyes was pacing back and forth in a room of the king’s palace in Alahead. She wore golden and white armor.

Suddenly, a window in the room opened... and a man entered in a rather... unusual way, creating many green ribbons around him with magic coming from his right hand. His hair was short and messy, bright green in color, and his green eyes reflected a mix of confidence and security. He wore a long-sleeved white shirt with an open collar, paired with a dark long vest, and his pants and shoes were a dark green. His belt held a kind of pouch, and he also had six fingers on each hand.

“You’re still doing your weird stuff, huh?” she said sarcastically as she saw him enter the room.

“Lin, Lin, one day you’ll understand how important it is to make a stylish entrance,” he said proudly while absorbing his magic.

“Well then? How’s Louis?” she asked as she sat down.

“Louis? Uhm... Is that why you called me? Well... Uhh... I haven’t seen him,” he replied nervously, touching his head and shifting his eyes from side to side.

“What are you saying? You said you’d go see him, and if he’s in trouble! What about his collar?” she said, worried, standing up from the chair and approaching Rei.

“Calm down, calm down, don’t worry. The collar would have already alerted me if something were wrong, don’t think it hasn’t... I have everything under control... hehe,” he said, a bit nervously, trying to reassure her while standing behind her and attempting to massage her shoulders. “Don’t you think you should stop wearing your armor all the time?”

“No, just like you love making your weird entrances, I prefer to wear my armor all the time,” she responded, turning around and removing Rei’s hands from her shoulders.

“... You’re afraid it will happen again, aren’t you? Lin... I have everything under control, this phase is part of my process to become a better paladin, and believe me, Louis needs it,” he said after a moment of silence and began to speak with confidence and calm.

“Of course I’m scared! I could lose him if something like that happens again, and not only that, the people of Ystir will consider us enemies. Your decision is completely irresponsible, I don’t know how the king accepted it,” she said, raising her voice and cornering Rei against the wall while poking him with her finger.

“Calm down! Everything is fine, nothing has happened. Lin... you need to trust your son more,” he said, a bit nervous about Lin’s words.

“I trust my son, but not that magic or the collar,” she replied, annoyed.

“I have everything under control, I can monitor the collar; I will immediately use my magic to go wherever he is and prevent any catastrophe, but I assure you that nothing bad will happen, he controls his powers well, you saw it yourself,” he said seriously, moving away from Lin and taking a jar from a cabinet.

“... Even so, I don’t think it was a good idea to let him go alone,” she said, crossing her arms and looking away.

“Courrr-coo, kuh,” said a messenger crow through the window.

“Huh? The church...” he said, puzzled, opening the window and taking the letter. “Damn,” he muttered after reading the letter once he opened the envelope.

“What happened?” she asked, trying to see the letter.

“Nothing, it’s just a problem of mine, don’t worry,” he said calmly, storing the letter back in the envelope.

Lin used her magic and made Rei crash against the room’s wall, causing a mess throughout the place.

“What are you doing? Are you crazy? Huh? The letter?...” he asked angrily, getting up from the floor, and then panicked when he didn’t see the letter in his hand.

“You... you’re an idiot! You put that he was only human? And with fire magic! I knew it was strange that they accepted him so easily. I have to get him out of Ystir before they...” she yelled angrily after reading the letter and then threw it in Rei’s face.

Rei created a barrier in front of Lin, preventing her from leaving. “Of course not, you won’t do anything! I will fix this, I already have everything under control,” he said seriously, getting up and taking the letter.

“You better remove this, or I’ll wreck your room again,” she said angrily, seeing the green barrier in front of her.

“Calm down, Lin, remember that the king put me in charge of Louis, and I will answer for everything. I knew they would discover what I did, only it took them less time than expected,” he said seriously and with a bit of concern. Lin tried to hit him, but he created a barrier in front of her, which cracked and then immediately restored itself.

“I swear everything is fine. I had to do it; if the current priest discovered we had someone with lava magic who was half-demon, they would have had him executed! And the king wasn’t going to refuse the affiliation for your son. I have a friend I met in the war against Mayestad, and his son will take over as priest and allow Louis to live. I know what I’m doing, Lin...” he said seriously, looking directly into Lin’s eyes.

“But... still, it’s not safe for him to wander around the kingdoms, he could have waited!” she said sadly, lowering her head but understanding Rei’s words.

“Remember that if a paladin remains idle, they will lose their status, and if they lose it, nothing will protect them, and they will be hunted throughout the lands of Lyran. Here he does nothing because everyone hates him, but I told him he would primarily help the people of Ystir, although I think he already had those intentions. He has always wanted to help others because he watched you from a young age,” Rei mentioned, removing the barrier and consoling Lin, smiling at the end of his words.

“You better make sure nothing happens to him...” she said as a tear escaped from her right eye.

“Don’t worry... I promised it to Elio. Haha, what’s the matter? I thought you were still tough and strong,” he said with a smile, seeing Lin’s face.

“I still am!” she said, punching him in the face.

*Kingdom of Ystir - Professor Maxwell’s House*

“All right, Louis, you will deliver all these packages. I trust you; if anyone gets angry, just tell them I already delivered the package and I can leave now,” said the professor while showing him the 50 packages he had to deliver.

“Very well... I will do my best not to disappoint you,” said Louis with determination.

Louis began delivering the packages from the eastern zone. He carried two if they were large, four if they were medium-sized, and the small ones in big bags.

“Shouldn’t he be using the bike?” Hanks asked, confused as he saw Louis walking with boxes on his back.

“Let’s say the bike won’t be used for a while,” replied the professor, pointing to where it was.

“But what happened to it?” Hanks asked, scared when he saw it destroyed.

“I tried to teach him to use it, but... he always crashed, so... that’s how it ended up. We’ll fix it later. Well, let’s prepare the materials to leave after Louis finishes,” said the professor, heading to his lab.

“All right, sir... Poor bike,” Hanks said with pity as he followed him.

*Eastern Zone*

“Good morning, delivery from Professor Maxwell!”

“Thank heavens, I urgently needed this,” said a woman when she saw Louis.

“Sorry for the delay,” said Louis, bowing his head.

“No, it’s fine. I heard Joel, the former delivery boy, got married and moved to the kingdom of Dajara. Put them here,” said the woman while arranging some things and then showed Louis the place.

“Kill her...” said a deep, dark, and resonant voice.

“Huh?” He looked around, confused. “Did I hear something?” Louis asked.

“Hear what?” asked the woman, confused.

“Nothing, I guess it was my imagination,” Louis replied, placing the packages in their place.

*King’s Palace*

In the king’s palace, in a room that surpassed luxury, was Count Jens, the current king of Ystir. His hair was gray but well-kept, he was short in stature, and he wore pajamas.

"Ahhhh, it feels so good to be king! Finally, I have what I deserve, and I no longer have to follow King Liu's orders, huh? Now I'm the king... I don't have to call him that, hahaha. Old fool, now I'm in charge here, at least for a while! I have to stash my money well; Prince Lue will take the throne when he turns 18, but I won't lose my luxuries, and with Rays helping me, everything will go perfectly," he said as he relaxed on his giant bed, with a large table full of food to his right. The walls of the room were white, and it had a large window with golden frames. Additionally, the room had three doors: one to the left of the bed leading to the bathroom, and the other two for entering and exiting the room.

"Sir Jens! I need to speak with you," said a man, knocking on one of the doors; his voice was deep and resonant, with a strong tone.

"Come in, Reck!" Jens replied, a bit annoyed.

"Sir, I need to..." he said as he entered the room. He was a tall, muscular man with dark skin. His torso was covered by heavy black armor, which matched the pants, shoes, and gauntlets of the same material. His hair was short and dark, and his brown eyes showed determination and irritation.

"Before you say anything, no more 'sir.' I'm the King! Understood?" Jens interrupted him with an arrogant and high-pitched voice.

"Yes, King Jens," Reck replied with annoyance, clenching his hand and trying not to show a look of disgust.

"Good, now tell me what you want, Reck," Jens said, grabbing a grape from the table while lying down.

"The cells on level one need maintenance and more guards. What the hell are you doing with the guards?" Reck asked, trying to speak delicately to avoid angering him.

"I do with the knights whatever I want! Shut up and just take care of the cells. And if they need maintenance, why don't you handle it? Aren't you the best paladin in the kingdom? Serve your King well," Jens said, angry, getting up and standing in front of him.

"Understood..." Reck responded, making a grimace of annoyance, and he left the room.

"Good, knights, come and attend to your king," Jens said, clapping, and many knights entered through the other door. The men fanned him to give him air, and the women massaged him and offered him food. "Perfect... Hmm, this is delicious!"

"Rays! You better do something, this is nonsense!" Reck said to a man with light green hair, short and neatly styled, falling softly over his forehead. He had dark circles under his eyes, and his green eyes reflected no emotion. He wore a formal outfit with a dark green jacket over a well-ironed white shirt, complemented by a matching green tie. Over his attire, he wore a dark brown harness that held what seemed to be technological equipment.

"I'll try to talk to him, Reck, but honestly, I doubt anyone will escape," Rays said, disinterested and tired, with a cold, emotionless voice, leaning against a palace pillar.

"Seriously, what happened to you? You used to do everything right," Reck said, disappointed, and walked away from Rays.

"Say what you want... I don't care anymore," Rays replied coldly, watching him go.

*Western Zone - PT Agency*

Mei was sitting at her desk, organizing many papers in her office.

"Canbel! Where are the documents on the woman Mari Yoffiner?" Mei asked after finishing reviewing the papers she had.

"Here they are, boss! I'm sorry I didn't hand them over earlier, I lost track of time, I'm so sorry," Canbel said nervously yet respectfully, quickly entering the office, showing his worry for failing the task.

"It's fine, don't worry, take a break, okay?" Mei said with her sweet and gentle voice.

"Yes, boss..." he replied as he left the place with his head down.

"He takes it very seriously..." Mei said when Canbel left the office. The communicator on Mei's desk began to ring. "Tell me, did something happen, Mern?" she asked with a small smile on her face.

"Not at all, I just wanted to hear your sweet voice," Mern replied with a somewhat confident and relaxed voice, with a playful tone over the communicator.

"Haha, you're silly. Tell me, is Donquichua okay?" Mei said, laughing sweetly, blushing slightly.

"He's fine, he was the first I visited. He seems quite well. I'm almost done here in the kingdom of Dajara. Tell me, did I miss anything while I was away?" he said happily over the communicator.

"*Sigh* You have no idea... That scoundrel didn't maintain the farmers' barriers, and people died due to creatures entering their areas. Damn bastard! I have to remove him from that place as soon as possible," Mei said angrily, hitting her desk as she recalled everything.

"I'm sorry, I should've been there..." Mern said with regret.

"No... It's obviously not your fault. Besides, we have help from a new paladin, apparently from the kingdom of Alahead. His name is Louis A. Keeper. He's a good boy, but he lacks experience," she said more calmly, standing up from her chair.

"Alahead... I think I saw that on the church news, though the surname Keeper sounds a bit... Huh? I have to go, Mei, Diamo just arrived," he said, trying to recall but was interrupted.

"Alright, goodbye!" Mei said sweetly.

"Remember that I love you!" Mern said with excitement before hanging up.

"Yeah, yeah... *Sigh* Mern..." Mei mentioned with a small smile on her face as she put away her communicator.

Suddenly, two large explosions were heard in the distance, seemingly at the king's palace.

"What was that? It can't be..." she said, surprised by the explosion, looking out the window, where she saw it came from the palace. "Damn it! What did you do now?" Mei immediately left her office.

*Outside the Palace*

"Let's go!" "Freedom!" "Hahahaha!" many prisoners said as they fled the palace and the walls surrounding it, while people ran terrified by the event.

"We have to be careful, brothers, first we need to get rid of these bracelets," Kein said, running with his brothers.

"Brother, but Rubel..." Jhin said, running to Kein's right.

"We'll get him out another time. First, we need equipment," Kein replied to Jhin.

"We have to find the guy with the golden mask; he was the one who caused the explosion. I'm sure he has something to remove the bracelets," Inock said while running to Kein's left.

"Very well, let's find him!" Kein said determinedly.

*Western Zone*

"Good afternoon, Professor Maxwell's delivery! *Sigh* I finally finished..." Louis said relieved, arriving at a store in the West.

"Oh, you must be the new delivery boy. Thank you so much, I was almost about to buy elsewhere," said the store owner when he saw Louis.

"Burn it..." said a deep, dark, and resonant voice.

"Not again!" Louis said, frightened by hearing that voice once more, looking around.

"Is something wrong?" asked the owner.

"It's nothing! Uh... I... I’m very sorry they were delivered a day late, I had to learn how the entire kingdom was," Louis said sincerely, lowering his head.

"Learn...? You're not from here? Well, then I wish you the best of luck," the owner replied.

"Thank you very much, sir," Louis said gratefully and left the place. "What the hell are those voices?"

Two explosions echoed in the distance, their echoes reverberating in the air like distant roars. The ground vibrated slightly beneath his feet as Louis looked up, uneasy, watching columns of smoke begin to rise on the horizon.

"What happened...? I don't have my katana... What do I do now?" he murmured uncertainly as he stood atop a tall building, watching the panic in the streets as people fled their homes, terrified by the explosions.

A great yellow wind began to spread over the entire eastern area, like a soft veil of translucent shades swirling around. "Huh? What's that?" Louis, determined, hurried towards the site of the explosion.

"Captain, please... slow doooown! Aaaaa!" Kassie shouted as Mei drove at full speed, her expression both angry and determined.

Upon arriving, Mei immediately got out of the car, her scimitar in her right hand.

"You criminals! Return to your cells, or I'll give each... and every one of you a sweet and gentle beating again!" Mei declared, clearly annoyed but still speaking in a soft tone.

"Thank God..." Kassie said as she got out of the car, kneeling and touching the ground.

"Please, there are way more of us than you. There's no way you can take us all down," responded a man wearing a golden mask.

"Don't be an idiot, Jori! We better get out of here, that's the ex-paladin Mei," whispered the one in the gray mask.

"There are so many of us, Tryl, and besides, if things get ugly, we'll just escape while she fights the others," he replied confidently.

"You there, with the masks! You're men of Zthur, aren't you?" Mei said, fixing her gaze on the two.

"Oh no..." Jori said, visibly scared.

"You blew it..." Tryl said, disappointed.

"You'll come with me; we're going to have a nice chat," Mei said, gripping her scimitar along with its sheath.

Mei rushed towards them all. Tryl and Jori started running to escape. Mei struck down anyone who approached her with her fists and her scimitar.

"Let's go, let's go!" Jori said desperately.

A large wall of ice surrounded all the prisoners. On top of the wall was Kassie, using her magic to immobilize the prisoners.

"Damn it, over here, Jori!" Tryl said, spotting an alley.

Mei saw the two heading into the alley and tried to follow, but many of the prisoners surrounded her.

"This has to be a joke. Rayyyyss!" King Jens shouted, watching the chaos in the kingdom.

"What do you want?" Rays said in his cold voice, entering the room.

"Send Reck and the knights to capture the prisoners. I don't want the people to start hating me! So... hurry up!" he ordered angrily, looking out at the kingdom through his window.

"I'm on it..." Rays responded indifferently.

"I'll leave the rest to you, Kassie!" Mei said, heading down the alley where the men of Zthur had fled, while many prisoners lay on the ground.

"Xitlari! Where did they go? Can you see them?" Mei asked, taking out her communicator from her pocket while running through the alley.

"I see them heading to the eastern area. Looks like they're going to exit by the central bank!" Xitlari responded through the communicator.

"Thanks," Mei said, storing the communicator. She climbed up and began running across the rooftops.

"Stop... bothering me!" Kassie said as she tried to capture them all.

One of the prisoners used fire magic to melt the ice, causing Kassie to fall off the wall she created. "Get her!" the prisoners shouted, waiting for her to fall, but she immediately refroze the melted water and struck down all those waiting below.

"Goodbye, little girl...!" said the prisoner with fire magic, aiming at her back.

Before he could use his magic, he was hit in the face by a powerful right hook that dragged him across the ground.

"Huh? Louis, thank you!" Kassie said upon seeing Louis save her.

"What happened? Why are there so many of these guys?" he asked as he punched another approaching prisoner in the face.

"I'm not exactly sure, but it's probably the king's fault!" she replied while continuing to capture the prisoners with her magic.

One of the prisoners hit the ground, creating a wave of earth that headed toward Louis. He jumped over the wave, dodging it. The prisoner then pulled a large rock from the ground and threw it. With a single punch, the rock shattered into pieces, and with a kick, Louis knocked him out.

"Whoa! You're really strong," Kassie said, amazed.

"Thanks, it's all just training!" he responded as he dealt with two more prisoners.

"Look, brother, it's that boy," said Inock from a distance.

"We'll get our revenge eventually. Let's head to the southern area to remove the bracelets before they create another lockdown," Kein said, calming his anger upon seeing Louis.

"Louis... Use your magic! It will be easier to finish them off, so they never commit crimes again. Make them feel suffering..." said a deep, dark, and resonant voice.

"What the hell...!" Louis said, startled by the voice. This distracted him, and he took an elbow to the face from a very large, tall man, sending him to the ground.

"Come on, kid, hehehe," said the prisoner, about to strike with both hands raised above his head.

Kassie pushed him away from Louis with her water magic, creating a strong current and capturing more prisoners. She then immobilized them by freezing the water.

"Are you okay, Louis?" she asked, worried, as she approached him.

"Yeah... I'm fine," he replied, hiding his face as it regenerated in an instant.

"Capture them all! Don't let them escape!" shouted a knight who had arrived with many others. "Thank you for your help, you can leave now," the knight said, approaching Louis and Kassie, and then moved on to capture the prisoners.

*Eastern Zone*

"This is your fault! You always run your mouth and get us into trouble!" Tryl shouted, annoyed, as he ran.

"Don't be mad! We're almost there with Boss Yeynos, through this alley!" Jori said, running alongside Tryl.

"Where do you think you're going?" Mei said, dropping down in front of them.

"Oh no...! From behind!" he exclaimed, scared, upon seeing her.

Behind them was the scimitar, being controlled by Mei. Mei kicked Jori's leg, making him fall, then slammed his face to the ground and put his hands behind his back. Tryl tried to punch her, but she stopped his fist with one hand. Mei grabbed his arm and pulled him in to punch him in the chest. Tryl fell to the ground, groaning from the pain.

"It hurts... The hit that kid gave me still hurts a lot..." he thought, while enduring the pain lying on the floor.

"Son of a..." Jori said, interrupted by Mei as she knocked him out with a single blow. She then struck Tryl with the scimitar, knocking him out as well.

"Done... Where were you two headed, you idiots?" she said, putting her scimitar at her waist and scanning the alley. "Hmmm, I don’t see anything; it’s just a dead-end alley, but..." she mentioned as she started hitting the ground. "Nothing... Maybe you just got lost. Ann, can you come to my location? I have two guys who will be very helpful. Have you finished with the prisoners?" Mei said through the communicator.

"Yes! Everything is under control. The knights have already arrived, and Ririam is talking to them; I’ll be there right away!" Ann replied with a cheerful and bright voice through the communicator.

"Perfect, I’ll send you my coordinates," she said, ending the call and sending her location.

*King's Palace*

"It seems everything is fine now. Tell me, Rays, did Reck say anything?" Jens asked, watching the knights bring back the prisoners.

"I didn’t even talk to him..." Rays replied, sitting in a chair, staring at the floor.

"What!? How the hell did they capture the prisoners?" he asked, confused.

"... Apparently, when I was looking for him, he had already gone out with everyone to capture them, creating three teams: one for the east, one for the west, and one for the north. He went east because it seems a level 3 prisoner managed to escape..." he said, with less coldness, lifting his head.

"You are a...!" Reck said furiously, entering the king's room.

"Stop, don’t come any closer; you seem very hostile, paladin Reck. You'd better back off," Rays said seriously, preventing Reck from approaching Jens.

"You... You're an idiot!" Reck said angrily, leaving the room.

"Whoa... Thanks, Rays; my heart almost popped out," Jens said, fearfully, sitting on his bed.

"I think I should strip him of his paladin title; it's not safe for him to remain in the palace," Rays said, sitting back down.

"I can’t... If people find out, they will be scared and blame me. Reck is the strongest paladin in the kingdom, the only one who can guarantee our protection," he replied, worried.

"Then stop being such an idiot. At this rate, you'll lose your status in no time, even though you already have a lot of gold saved up," Rays said, rocking in the chair.

"No! I need more! I don't want to lose these luxuries; I'll have to get serious," Jens said, heading to take a bath while Rays looked at him coldly.

"I just have to endure this guy a little longer, and I’ll leave..." Rays thought, standing up and leaving the room.

**Northern Zone**

"Kassie! Huh?" Mei said, flying in the sky with yellow wind magic. "Louis, what are you doing here? Weren't you supposed to be delivering packages today?" she asked as she landed on the ground.

"Yeah, but I started a bit early and finished quickly. Then I heard two explosions and couldn't help but come to help," Louis replied sincerely, warmth in his voice.

"That's great; I’m glad. Come on, I'll take you to Maxwell," Mei said, noticing that warmth in Louis.

"I think I'd prefer to walk..." Kassie said, a little scared to get into the car.

"Don't be scared; I'll go slow!" she said in a carefree tone, although she clearly enjoyed the speed. "Ah... only Louis, Xitlari, and Ann enjoy it when I drive fast," she said with a slight smile of amusement on her face.

As she drove, Mei received a voice message.

"Mei... How much longer do I have to stay here? I want to go on a mission!" Xitlari asked, annoyed, through the communicator.

"Calm down; I'll find something for you, but remember you were the one who suggested the cameras," Mei replied, sending a voice message.

"Hey, Louis! The one who sent the voice message is Xitlari. Poor thing hasn’t been on a mission for quite a while," Kassie whispered to Louis.

"Oh, really? That’s too bad for her..." Louis said, feeling sorry for her.

"What are you two talking about back there?" Mei asked, looking at them through the rearview mirror.

"I was telling Louis about Xitlari. Maybe he should meet her," Kassie replied excitedly.

"Hahaha, you know Xitlari isn’t very sociable; she hardly talks to anyone other than you," Mei said, knowing she wouldn't be interested in meeting Louis.

"One day she has to stop being so lonely, but she talks a lot with you," Kassie said.

"Yeah, but I'm a special case... We’ll see when she meets Louis. And just in case I forget, Louis, don’t be scared when you see her, or she’ll hate you forever, got it?" Mei said with a mischievous smile and a warning tone while keeping her gaze fixed ahead.

"Okay... I think so," he replied, puzzled by the warning.

After a few minutes, Mei dropped Louis off at Professor Maxwell's house and headed towards the PT agency. Louis knocked on the door until Hanks opened it and let him in.

"Louis! Finally, I need you to take care of the house while I work on my project. Hanks, grab the red bag; I'll take this one. How did the deliveries go?" the Professor said, waiting for him sitting on the stairs.

"Well... A lady was very upset, but I followed your instructions and left after delivering the package," Louis replied, recalling the lady.

"Hahaha, I can already imagine who it was, but it doesn’t matter. Besides, you helped Mei, right?" he said as he got up from the stairs.

"Yeah, apparently a lot of the prisoners escaped from the palace," Louis replied, worried as he remembered the hit he took.

"Hmm, I heard about it from the news and the two explosions that were heard. Here, take this; press the button when it hits 5 PM. We’ll be back at 6:30 PM," the professor said, handing him a remote with a single button.

"What is this?" Louis asked, curious.

"I'm glad you asked. This device activates the invisible shield, which is perfectly aligned with the house. The shield is made with invisible magic and the most refined protective magic, accumulated in an amethyst crystal," he replied enthusiastically after clearing his throat.

"Incredible... I'll take good care of it," Louis said, surprised, as he tucked the device into his trench coat.

"Per...fect! We're leaving, Hanks... Ah! And please don't turn it on yet; I don't want it to run out before the month is up, they're quite expensive," the professor mentioned before walking out the door.

"Understood!" Louis replied, closing the door. "Now... what do I do? I don’t know where that voice is coming from, but it’s annoying to hear," he thought as he headed to the kitchen to make a cheese and turkey sandwich.

Louis finished preparing his food. "Thank you for the meal," he said before starting to eat. After eating, he began to meditate and exercise since he didn't know what to do until he fell asleep sitting on the entrance stairs.

Peeking his eyes open, he quickly woke up and went to check the time on the clock on the second floor.

"Ah! I lost track of time!" he exclaimed, startled when he saw the clock, pulling the remote from his trench coat and activating the shield.

"So this is the house of that professor; I expected it to have many defenses and such," a woman expressed, disappointed, as she looked at the house. She had black hair tied back in a ponytail with two bangs on each side of her face. Her eyes were white. She wore a dark, tight outfit that included a cloak and light armor, with a katana at her waist. She was short, and her face reflected that she was very young.

"But, Kumi... We're in a kingdom; it’s obvious that no one would have their house with thousands of traps and defenses," said one of the four hooded figures that were with her.

"Whatever... Let’s finish quickly and go to my father... Huh?" she said, confused.

"Is something wrong?" asked one of the hooded figures.

"How unfortunate... It seems there is an invisible shield; what can we do about that?" she asked, crossing her arms.

"Nothing..." was the instant reply.

"What do you mean, nothing?! Find a solution!" she yelled, annoyed.

"Be quiet, I want to sleep!" shouted an elderly woman.

"Ugh... It’s too early to sleep," Kumi said after hearing the old woman.

"She’s an elderly lady, Kumi..." one of the hooded figures mentioned.

"Hey you! What are you doing?" Louis asked as he looked at them from the second-floor window.

"Huh? Who is this boy? Hmmm," Kumi thought. "Hello! I'm the daughter of Professor Maxwell; I came to bring some things I forgot before I left for my trip," she said with a smile, clasping her hands together.

"That's the worst excuse I've ever heard, miss," said one of the hooded figures.

"Shut up, clown!... Could you please let me look for my things? Please," she said kindly, with a fake smile.

"She never mentioned being his daughter... And if you were his daughter, you wouldn’t need to ask for my permission, would you? But it's obvious that you're not, so get out!" Louis said, instantly detecting the lie.

"Ugh, idiot," she said upon hearing his response.

"I think we can't do anything; we should tell Mr. Yeynos," said one of the hooded figures.

"Nothing of the sort!" she said decisively, drawing her katana and starting to hit the shield. "I promised... that I would bring him... the... piece!" she expressed as she struck the shield.

"Hmmm, how long will it take her to break it... Maybe I should take care of them before the professor returns," Louis thought as he watched her hit the shield and headed to go down the stairs.

"Yes... why don’t you get rid of them? It would be easier and they wouldn't cause any more trouble!" said a deep, dark, resonant voice.

"Again! Who the hell are you and how did you get in?" he asked desperately upon hearing the voice.

"Louis... Louis! I have always been with you... Since that moment... The most glorious moment of our lives..." the voice replied, and many images and memories flooded Louis's mind.

"No! Stop!" he said as he walked near the stairs.

"Come on! I just started insisting!" the voice shouted with fury, causing Louis to fall down the stairs out of desperation and pain from recalling the past.

"Get out of here..." he said, starting to breathe deeply, managing to calm down.

"I still don't have enough strength, but soon I will take what is due," the voice mentioned, disappearing from Louis's mind, leaving him at peace.

Louis looked at his hands, which were shaking... He got up and realized that the remote had broken from the fall. "Oh no..."

"Ha, ha, I told you it would work; not even an invisible shield can stop me," he expressed proudly after kicking the door open while his companions applauded. "Oh... What happened to you? Did you fall down the stairs?" he said upon seeing Louis.

"What do you care! You won't take anything from Professor Maxwell," Louis said seriously, but a bit embarrassed, as he drew his katana.

"Kumi, we'll take care of this while you look for the piece, that way we'll reach your father sooner," suggested one of the hooded figures.

"What an incredible idea, then, go ahead!" Kumi said excitedly.

Two of the hooded figures surrounded Louis as they spun chains they launched at him. Immediately, Louis dodged them and headed towards Kumi, but the chains managed to trap him nonetheless. "Huh? How did they do that?" he thought as he watched Kumi leap onto him and head for the professor’s office while wearing a lens over her right eye. "Absolutely not!" Louis made the chains melt and followed Kumi... "White Mist Union!" the other two hooded figures said, bringing their palms together and creating two hands that grabbed Louis, preventing him from following Kumi. Then the hands disappeared, but Louis could not escape from the four hooded figures.

The hooded figures threw smoke bombs and, very carefully, they took turns attacking Louis, managing to hurt him. Louis heated his katana, and when the next one approached, he cut their sword and then kicked them in the stomach after heating it with his magic. The others hesitated for a moment, but then they decided to attack all three at once. Louis managed to stop their attacks but was being overwhelmed until, with all his strength, he cut their three swords. Then he launched another kick, of which two ducked in time, but one received it, crashing into the wooden wall, which cracked from the impact.

“Damn, this guy is really good!” said one of the two remaining hooded figures as he stepped back.

Louis jumped onto the stair railing and then kicked one of them in the face, sending him flying through the window of the left wall toward the entrance. He then punched the other in the back, causing him to fall and crack the ground upon impact.

“Perfect! Now burn them, ahahaha,” said the dark voice, reappearing.

“Get lost!” shouted Louis, furious, making the voice disappear as he headed toward Kumi.

“Come on, come on, aha! Here it is. That damn old man had it well hidden. Good thing I brought the dark commander’s glasses,” he said as he spotted a secret compartment through the professor's desk.

Kumi crouched down and opened the compartment with her katana. “Oh no, it can't be... An arcane box!” she exclaimed in disappointment upon opening it. As she stood up, Louis was in front of her, and she began to dodge his attacks with great agility. At one point, Louis nearly shattered a shelf full of books. “Ufff, that was close!” Kumi, seeing this, started using items to keep Louis from attacking her, throwing vases, pictures, and other valuable objects to distract him. “Hey! This isn’t fair!” she said while adjusting the vases.

“Hahaha, guys, let’s go!” he shouted happily, escaping from Louis and going down the stairs... But upon seeing his defeated companions, she became furious and unsheathed her katana. “You... will pay for this...” she said, furious, pointing her katana at Louis as she arrived at the scene.

“They're fine, I just knocked them out. You better return that box. I don’t want to hurt a woman,” he expressed respectfully, preparing to fight.

Kumi approached and clashed her katana with Louis’s. “Don’t underestimate me for being a woman,” she said angrily, striking forcefully and pushing Louis back. Then she jumped on him and, with all her might, attacked his head, but Louis blocked the blow using his katana with both hands, one on the handle and the other in the middle of the blade. The impact caused Louis to sink slightly into the floor, which shattered.

Kumi stepped back, and Louis, not wasting any time, lunged to attack, putting the blade of his katana toward the ground and attacking with great speed. Kumi tried to keep up, but she couldn’t believe he was winning. “It can't be... It’s as if... he had read my moves!” she thought while trying to keep pace until Louis managed to cut her left arm and then kicked her, sending her crashing through the window of the right wall.

Louis jumped through the window, positioning himself in front of her, but she didn’t back down.

“I won’t give up!” she exclaimed determinedly, trying to stand firm despite her injury.

“Do you still want to fight?” he thought. “I don’t think you’re in any condition; return the box and surrender to the kingdom,” he expressed, a bit surprised by her determination.

“Of course not! I’m not going anywhere! I must fight for my friends and for the promise I made to my father!” she expressed with great courage in her words.

She started attacking Louis again, but her attacks were slow and easy to block... Louis, with a quick and precise movement, disarmed the girl, making her weapon fly from her hands with a single cut of his katana. Kumi didn’t care and got into a fighting stance to use her fists.

Louis stood in silence, surprised by her bravery, and struck her in the stomach with the hilt of his katana, making her fall to the ground.

“That’s enough...” Louis expressed, feeling pity. “You’re good, but you need to practice a lot more, although you did well,” he said, trying to make her feel better.

“Don’t say silly things!” she shouted, annoyed.

“What a girl, so annoying! Why don’t you show her what... the sufferi...ng!” expressed a sadistic voice in Louis’s mind.

“No! Don’t bother me!” Louis shouted, furious at the words he heard in his head.

Suddenly, a light white mist filled the place, and a man with long hair tied in a thick braid falling down his back attacked Louis... He managed to block the attack, but it still pushed him back several meters. This man wore a white haori (a type of traditional Japanese jacket), open over light white armor that protected his shoulders and chest. Underneath the haori, a light-colored kimono or yukata could be distinguished, secured with an obi (sash). His pants were wide and dark, similar to hakama (a type of pleated pants worn by warriors and martial arts practitioners). In addition, a white bandage covered his eyes, and he wielded a white katana as a weapon. The sleeves of his clothing billowed in the wind, evoking the flow of the mist itself.

“What are you doing here?” Kumi asked, surprised.

“Correcting my mistake...” he replied with a serene voice, as ethereal as the mist, launching himself at Louis... And like fog, he was hard to distinguish for Louis, and instantly the man disarmed Louis and then appeared behind him like mist. With impressive speed, he filled Louis's back with cuts, shredding his clothes in the process... Louis fell to his knees, and when he lifted his head, the man was in front of him again. He removed the bandage from his eyes and looked directly into Louis's, filling them with white mist; after that, it became difficult to notice that his eyes were different from each other. Louis lost consciousness, and his back wounds stopped regenerating.

“You didn’t trust me... did you...?” Kumi said, disappointed in herself.

“Of course I did... But Zthur didn’t...” he replied as he put the bandage back over his eyes. “He didn’t make a mistake... But I did; I wasn’t ready...” she expressed calmly, aiming her katana to pierce Louis’s heart.

"Wait! Don’t hurt him, Yeynos," shouted Professor Maxwell, approaching with Hanks to his right.

"Jonathan! ... Heh, it’s been a while," Yeynos said, his voice filled with nostalgia and surprise.

"Don’t do anything to him, and I’ll give you the piece you asked for..." the Professor said seriously, concerned.

"But... I have the piece!" Kumi said, showing the arcane box.

"That’s a fake... I have the real one," Yeynos said, transforming his mechanical arm to reveal a medium-sized piece, like a sphere with an "S" inside. He took it out and then transformed his hand into a cannon.

"Is that it, Kumi?" Yeynos asked, unable to see anything.

"Yes, father... That’s it..." she said disappointedly, dropping the arcane box to the ground after seeing the piece through the dark commander’s lens.

"Well... I’ll give you the chance to take it yourself, daughter," Yeynos said upon hearing the sound of the arcane box hitting the ground.

"Stop! Give me the boy first," the Professor said firmly.

"Of course not... After I kill him, you and your friend come next," Yeynos replied, aiming his katana again.

"You think so?" A great blue light began to illuminate the Professor’s arm. This light emanated from a crystal embedded in the Professor’s mechanical arm.

"Dad... It’s like a piece of plumorium," Kumi said, surprised to see it.

"Plumorium?" the Professor thought, unfamiliar with the material.

"How? Where did you get that?" he asked, surprised and a little nervous.

"I have my sources," the Professor replied, aiming his arm at Yeynos and Kumi. "Here’s the deal: I give you the piece, and you let the boy go," he stated firmly and seriously.

"Ha, I could easily kill you. You’re not a threat," Yeynos said with great calmness.

"Want to bet? I assure you that the shot from this thing will destroy part of the kingdom; you and your daughter won’t be able to escape and won’t have the piece," he expressed as if he didn’t care about the others.

"You’re still crazy!" Yeynos replied angrily. "Very well, I accept..." Yeynos sheathed his katana, moved closer to Louis, and then stepped back, hiding his left hand, with which he was signaling to Kumi.

"When I shoot, we’ll get closer to Louis," the Professor whispered, and Hanks nodded.

"To avoid any problems, we’ll make an oath, like in the old days," Yeynos said, causing a black mist to surround the Professor and himself. "I swear not to harm this boy." The Professor hesitated but ultimately accepted. "I promise to give you the piece you’re looking for." Then the mist surrounding the Professor and Yeynos merged, turning white and then fading away.

The Professor fired the piece, instantly activating his arm, and moved toward Louis with Hanks. Yeynos drew his katana to attack the Professor and Hanks, but the Professor’s arm created a blue force field, while Kumi immediately went for the piece after the Professor shot it away.

"You’re a bastard! You were going to kill us!" the Professor said angrily, sweating on his forehead.

"And you’re a fool! You deceived me!" Yeynos expressed angrily, striking the force field with his katana.

"Maybe I overdid it a bit... But my technology is the best," the Professor said, after which Yeynos was struck by a great burst of blue light that sent him flying, crashing into a house. Many people looked out their windows, frightened by the impact.

"Haha, haha, haha, is that all you can do? With your... technology, maybe I won’t kill the boy, but you... die today," he said calmly as he approached them again.

"I’d recommend you go for your daughter; there’s a woman driving like crazy, and she’ll be here soon, but not just her..." the Professor said confidently, preventing Yeynos from attacking the shield again.

"Bastard..." Instantly, Yeynos ran toward where his daughter was.

"Ririam! Do you have her in sight?" Mei asked as she drove at full speed, with Kassie about to vomit in the back.

"I’ve got her," replied a man with very dark brown hair and glasses, in a deep and serious voice.

Ririam shot at Kumi with his sniper rifle as she grabbed the piece. Instantly, Yeynos appeared, using his white katana. "I’m giving it back!" he said calmly, raising his voice slightly. The bullet had been returned, and Ririam managed to stop it using the same rifle.

"We have to go; we need to deliver the piece to Zthur," Yeynos expressed as he began to run across the rooftops with his daughter.

"But my friends!" Kumi said worriedly as she handed the piece to her father.

"We’ll have to get them out when the time comes; I’m really sorry... But the priority is to deliver this piece," Yeynos replied, taking the piece and storing it in his clothes.

A large amount of yellow air was approaching them.

"Damn, hurry!" Yeynos said, carrying Kumi and walking at great speed over the houses.

The yellow air quickly caught up to them, but Yeynos managed to get close enough to the kingdom’s exit. With a great leap, he turned into mist and passed over the wall, managing to escape.

"Jonathan! Is he okay?" Mei asked, arriving with her car, as Kassie got out with great relief.

The Professor deactivated the shield on his arm and showed how Louis was doing. Quickly, Mei carried him to Professor Maxwell’s house.

"Will he be okay, right?" the Professor asked, worried.

"Din says he just needs to rest, and he’ll be fine in the morning," Mei replied while checking one of the hooded figures. "Do you think we should inform his kingdom?" she asked, pulling out some kunais hidden in the hooded figure's clothes.

"No... This morning I talked to him... when I was teaching him to use the delivery bike and after he crashed many times..." he said, recalling the disaster. "He told me that... in this kingdom, he can be himself and doesn’t have to pretend or hide... and that no one judges him or treats him like trash," the Professor replied, watching the damage to his house.

"I understand... but for..." Mei began, only to be interrupted by the Professor.

"I think I’ll move near the agency for safety. Could you help me look for one?" the Professor said, determined and recalling something.

"Of course, I’ll help you!" Mei said with her sweet, gentle voice, remembering the last time she asked him for that.

End of chapter.