DEKANI

The war between the Toron and the Severens has begun. With the Valians, Scrava, and Corpo battling the Severens in the battle front of the Star System, one Valian must support his brethren in the battle front of the past: Dekani Price. Without his brothers and sisters in arms to support him, can one Valian soldier take on the entire Severen army of the past alone?

Just as The Old War has made history, so shall the New War. And just as those who take part in the war of the Star System must fight with everything they have, so must Price.

Prologue

Gods are not born.

For they are made.

This was the fundamental philosophy behind Toron architecture.

For we were created by Lord Ballard, as weapons against the Severens.

As the mighty Tora. The military guard of the Toron were not enough.

Did the Toron commit etreum, and take in the survivors of the Void Incident. Thousands of children aboard the craft that day, experimented like livestock.

To produce the strongest warriors. Wrapped in steel. Bathed in the Void.

Gun and blade.

We were unmatched.

Our way of war, taught to us by the Tora Soldier Nava.

We fought back the Severens. And tore them apart. Warriors who felt no pain. Who fought with infinite stamina. For our consciousness was what drove the Lances. Powerful warriors who gave their lives, either voluntarily or involuntarily, to the Toron Empire, to serve the greater good.

But it wasn't until we met Lena, after the Great War against the Severens. After Queen Luna was destroyed and the otherworldly empire fled, and we had slain the Toron Empire with the same weapons bestowed upon us by Toron Nobles.

Did Lena take us in. Her mercy and her morality went past her sequence to see us for who we truly were. Children wracked with hurt for their surrogate mother's death. Children who did not understand the tribulations of war. Children who could not understand the power they were given by the void and by the Toron Empire.

And from that day forth, we were complete.

Tora Nava taught us the way of war.

Lena taught us the way of a defender. Of a spy. Of an assassin. Of a mercenary.

All for her own gain... isn't that right kiddo?

"Silence...." I muttered.

All of that. To destroy and fight the Scrava and the Corpo. The last remnants of the Toron Empire. You fought so the Severens didn't. We were trained to serve the Severens. Deceived by Lena.

"I said be quiet!" I roared, as I found myself awake. My body was still trapped, and I found myself face to face with what appeared to be a gigantic empty skull of a bird.

"Prince Nero." I sneered at the towering Severen.

"Dekani Price." Nero mused, as he paced back and forth in his bony frame.

"Where is Lena?!" I yelled, but Nero paid me no attention, inspecting me.

"You are in no position to speak, little Valian. Without your Lances you are nothing. You are just a boy. Yet despite that, it was still enough for the Void to influence my dear sister into almost compromising all of us."

"YOU deceived her!"

"I brought Lena home." Nero growled, his face inches from mine.

"If it had not been Ballard's emotional yearning for Freya, and the Void warping his mind, Lena would still be apart from her kind. She simply has returned home. And you demand that she leave us once again for a Void devil like you?"

I gritted my teeth.

"Lena is no longer a part of you. She had forsaken her sequence. To become someone better."

"She became someone she was not. Perhaps you will never understand. A Void devil like you would never understand the importance of family because you lived most of your life without one."

My vision became red with rage.

"What do you know of my tribulations, you Severen scumbag!"

Nero opened one of his limbs, revealing two orbs.

"Every Severen's life. Is one of greater. But even so, death is not without mourning. Our mother. Queen Luna. It was because of YOU she had died. This empire was our last chance. Yet your lust for battle. Your lust to kill. Your lust to draw blood."

Nero traced his fingers against my face as I winced in pain.

"That is the difference between us Severen and you Valian. We fought for a purpose. Do you know what we call those who kill for the fun of it? Psychopaths. You and your brethren were given so much power, and you used it for your own desires."

Nero's scratching became more intense as blood began to trace down my cheek. I did my best to withstand the pain. As a Valian, pain was foreign to me. I was always in my Lance. And we never felt pain in battle.

"This universe... it is an unfair and cruel place. Queen Luna was dying. We needed to save our Queen for she had done so much for us. But a higher power destroyed our chances. All for the ridiculous purpose of self satisfaction. But this ends."

Nero backed up.

"This ends because now, Lena has returned to us. She is the new Queen, to avenge Luna. And we will never. Ever. Give another Queen over to the darkness that is the Void."

I closed my eyes as Nero left the room.

Something went ran down my cheek. Tears.

"Mother..."

The Severen flesh was curling around my limbs now as I felt my body start to disintegrate. My very essence disappearing.

Was my war against the Severens justified? Was my very existence justified? Nero wasn't wrong.

We took Queen Lena away from them.

We took Queen Luna away from them.

If I didn't exist...

The Severens wouldn't have so much hate. Luna would have lived. Lena would have been happy.

But because I was here, along with the rest of the Valian, Lena chose to abandon her mission. She raised us, and became brainwashed. She killed her own kind.

Who were the real bad guys in this story?

"Maybe I should just... disappear..." I murmured as everything turned black.

* * *

"Steel your resolve. Your enemies will grow fierce. Trust in your training." Nava said as I resolved out of my Excal lance, falling to my knees and vomiting all over the floor. I was still a little child at the time. Still new to my void powers.

I looked at Nava, his stoic and regal face. He had no sympathy. Sympathy was for the weak. That was the Tora way.

"Stand, Dekani Price."

"But... Nava I can't." I gasped as I crawled forward and grabbed Nava's feet.

"No more... please no more..." I begged, but Nava zipped away with blinding speed, aiming the blade to my face.

"Will you beg the Severens for mercy as well?"

"No..."

Nava knelt down in front of me.

"Will you serve the Toron?"

"Yes."

"Why is that?"

I paused. Nava never asked us stuff like this before. When we trained with the Tora soldier, he was always harsh on us. He never cared about what we felt. We were weapons of war. For the longest time that was how it was.

"I... is such a question relevant?"

Nava's eyebrows furrowed in disgust as he picked me up with one arm.

"You dare question my teachings, Valian?"

"I-"

"Open your eyes. Dry your tears. Recede your nausea. And look around you."

I did what I was told.

"What do you see?"

"Nothing..."

Nava dropped me on the ground.

"You claim to wish to serve our nation. Yet time and time again you hesitate to lift your weapon. You hesitate to bring the blade down. You fear killing. And because of that fear, you never advance, while the rest of your brethren move forward, you remain steadfast. So I will ask you again."

Nava leaned in closer to me.

"Why do you want to serve?"

I closed my eyes and clenched my teeth.

The answer was obvious.

"I want to be a Valian so I can protect my little brother, Arsani. So I can fight in his place. I want to become a better Valian than my brother so I can protect him. But at the same time, I want to keep my integrity."

Nava raised an eyebrow as I continued.

"I will protect Arsani from the horrors of war. Even if we are both at the front. One of us will need to fight, so the other will not. Arsani is pure. If I kill, I will lose myself. And I can't bear to see Arsani watch his own brother be consumed by the darkness."

I got to my feet as I resolved back into my Excal Lance.

"I will become a Valian. I will serve the Toron Empire. But I will do it in a way that doesn't compromise who I am. So I can both protect my loved ones but stay true to myself. That is who I am, Nava. That is my Valian way."

That's right. The whole crux of who I was as a Valian was fundamentally to protect the people I loved. But to keep my own integrity. And to stay true to myself.

My mind flashed to the day Lena had approached me. I chose to stay behind and become a defender, knowing full well that it would be looked down upon by my Valian brethren.

"Do you fear battle, Valian?"

I clenched my fist.

"Yes, Lena."

"Of all the Valians who went forward to take the battle to the front, you swallowed your pride and stayed behind. Your honour for your family, and your integrity overrides your ego. Not many Valian possess this trait."

"That isn't it, Lena. Arsani is gone from me now. He doesn't know who I am. And he has become a far greater Valian than I. My brother doesn't need my protection anymore."

Lena regarded me.

"Then why do you choose to stay-"

I turned to her.

"Because I want to stay and protect you."

Lena paused.

"Dekani..."

I resolved out of my Lance and approached the woman who I thought of as my mother. I didn't care if she was Severen. I didn't care about any of that.

"I don't care if my kind hates me for it. I don't care if I'm called a coward. But... I want to stay and be with you. Because you are also one of the people I hold most dear. I will lay my life to protect you."

Lena pulled me into an embrace as I felt warmth spread through my body.

"You are not a coward, Dekani. You are something far greater than your kind. You are special because you choose not to be special. You are strong because you choose not to be strong. And it is because you offer something the others do not."

Lena stroked my hair.

"I see all the Valian as my children. To each Valian, they acknowledge my feelings. But they act along their purpose. But... you are different, Dekani. Because you reciprocate my love."

Energy began to well up in my body as tears raced down my face. The Severen's control weakening on my body as I clenched my teeth and powered up. I will not let the Severens take over my body. I will escape.

Lena's voice echoed in my head.

"When you are in trouble, I will be here for you."

The shackles began to crack as I yelled. The void energy in my body overloading the confinement I was in.

"And when I am in trouble... Dekani Price... promise..."

Nero wanted Lena back. Maybe his reasons made sense.

But so were mine.

"Promise you will be there for me. My dear son."

"RAAAAARRGGHHH" I yelled with all my might as I destroyed my restraints, floating in the air as I unleashed a powerful void blast and destroying the walls. I landed on the ground as I stared at my hands, which were glowing teal.

I needed to get out of here. I needed to find the rest of my crew. So I can regroup and continue with my quest to save my mother. To find Shane, and to guide him. Just as Lena had guided me.

I ripped my way out of the prison. One step at a time.

Umbra

"Folock, come in." I whispered.

No answer.

I closed my eyes and concentrated, trying to scan for the signal of my ship, but there was nothing.

"Dammit." I grumbled.

Was my Orbiter destroyed? What became of everybody on board? Aurora, Rinne, Umbra, my Lances. Folock. Everybody...

My heart twinged in pain.

Shane...

I hid behind a pillar, as a group of Severens walked by me.

Undetected.

A battle isn't always won with might alone. For a true warrior knows to conquer in the light, and to strike in the dark.

This was a lot harder to do when I wasn't resolved in a Lance. But even so, I remembered everything that Nava had taught me.

I snuck around the ship, until I crawled into a small crevice. I peered down, and nearly gasped.

A dark red and black throne room. From one corner, were several Severens stationed. To the right side of the throne, was Nero. And at the center...

Her body connected to dozens of cables. An extremely advanced Severen exoskeleton. Far bigger than the others around her. But I recognized her right away, that kind, warm, and motherly face that we always thought of whenever we jumped into battle. We fought for that face. We fought for her.

"Lena..." I whispered, as I concentrated, my consciousness escaping as I entered void mode, dashing to the corner of the throne room.

"My queen." Nero's voice echoed in the room, as he got down on one knee before Lena.

"Speak, brother." Lena said.

Nero lifted his bird shaped head.

"The Star System has been thrown into chaos. Our invasion has begun. The New War commences, just as it had so long ago, we shall strike the Toron Empire once more. But this time, they are without defenders. The Tora, long since extinguished. The Valian fight amongst the remnants of the Empire, blinded by their pride."

I clenched my teeth.

Dammit.

The Severens started their attack.

Lena narrowed her eyes.

"And what of our battle in the past?"

Nero nodded.

"We have yet to locate the root. The source of the Valian kind. However, SHADOW has uncovered something revolutionary."

"Speak."

Nero ran his appendage across the ground.

"The Unarmored Valian: Shane Mayen, is not fully Terran."

My heart stopped.

No way... they didn't...

How did they find out what Shane was? If they uncovered his true identity... he would...

Lena looked at her brother, her eyes wide.

"The Unarmored Valian wields the Infestation. He has overcome the Infestation's influence, and fights with the power bestowed only by those from the House of Licita. And now, on top of all of this, he is also not human?"

Nero hesitated. He could sense the frustration in his sister's voice.

"Forgive me, my Queen. It was my error for underestimating the one known as Shane Mayen."

"Why has he not been destroyed, Nero."

"We cannot. My Queen, you must understand. This Shane Mayen... he is part us."

Lena paused.

"Severen..."

"Indeed. I have reason to believe one of our Oculysts may have mated with the Toron Noble Kirin Licita, and conceived a natural born halfbreed."

"If that is true, his potential surpasses SHADOW."

"And not only SHADOW... but I believe Shane Mayen may have abilities similar, if not the same as SHADE."

I clenched my fists, hard. I wanted to stop this so badly.

It felt like I was watching the world unravel. The start of the spiral into apocalypse.

But if I jumped down like that, I would be cut down. I had no Lance. All I had were my void abilities.

"Where is Mayen now." Lena asked.

"The Terran-Severen hybrid has escaped a Murex. According to SHADOW, he has discovered his nature. As of now, we are unsure of what he is capable of. He has amassed a following under his other name: Shardis Licita."

Lena was silent for a few seconds. And to my disbelief, her eyes momentarily glanced at mine.

"Leave me, brother. As with the rest of you."

I watched as everybody filed out.

I stumbled back, still in my void mode, as the cables disconnected. One by one. The body of a woman emerged from the Severen flesh as she walked from her throne to my direction.

"Remove your veil, Dekani Price."

Against my will, I felt myself obliged to obey her, and I materialized in front of my foster mother.

"Lena..." I muttered, as I wanted to walk forward, but stopped myself.

"Why do you hesitate, Valian." Lena tilted her head, as if I was the most intriguing thing ever.

"Lena, please... I... You've abandoned-"

Lena held up her hand.

"If you came here to tell me to abandon my people, then the void truly has warped your mind, Dekani Price. However, I must commend you. You are the first Valian to stand here before me, before the same room that the Maker had once stepped foot in. The same room my mother, Queen Luna stepped foot in."

My breath was ragged, as I felt myself trembling from the emotion that was overwhelming my body. My face became wet with tears as I found myself before the Severen Queen, defenseless. Lanceless.

"Do you know why I did not kill you? Despite detecting your void presence this entire time?"

"What?" I asked, as Lena smiled.

"Why you. Why not Zennen Ful, the greatest of your kind? Why not Achel Divinear, the smartest of your kind? Why not Quorra Lavine, one who commands the largest alliances in Valian history? Yet here, the one who stands before me, a mere mastery rank 18 Valian, who hesitates to kill, who stubbornly only uses the Excalibur Lance because of the very emotions that are spit on by his kind. Dekani Price..."

Lena waved her hand, as the windows in the throne room opened up, revealing the starry sky of a beautiful galaxy. The light of the trillions of stars casting upon the room an illuminance of beautiful colours.

"... the weakest Valian. Has done what no Valian has ever done before. To be face to face with the leader of all the Severens, and be spared."

"Lena, what are you planning. Why are you doing all this? I don't understand at all!" I shouted.

"Perhaps part of the fake me still lives. That illusion of love. For you may have been the weakest Valian, but you were the kindest. You were the only one to ever reciprocate my love. Had it been fake. Even so..."

Lena ran her hand across my face as I closed my eyes, tears running down my cheeks.

"I cannot kill you without feeling some degree of regret."

"Then... don't... don't do this. Call off the war... Please mom... please just come home..." My voice broke, my hands trembling, but then Lena pulled her hand away, stepping back.

"Tch." She said as she turned around, walking back to her throne, my eyes widened as I held out my hand.

"Lena-"

"You misunderstand me, Valian child. Just because I say that I cannot kill you without regret, does not mean I will kill you at all. You are still my enemy."

My heart hurt, but I shouldered the feelings and trudged forward. I knew what to say.

"AM I THOUGH?!" I screamed, as Lena was taken aback.

"AM I?! You say that I am your enemy. But then you say you will feel regret if you kill me. You say I am the only one who reciprocated your love. If that's the case, why are we enemies?! Why would your own enemy be your own son?! Be your own children?!"

Lena's bottom lip quavered momentarily.

"For it was but a lie. A lie made by the void."

"So what if it was a lie?! So what?! If you taking us in was a lie, then maybe my whole existence is one too! Maybe our whole existence was a lie! But even so, we're still here! We're alive! Maybe that's just how it is. Maybe that's just what the world wants, or this maker you keep talking about."

I clenched my fist as I walked forward, Lena instinctively created several Severen tendrils to hold me down, but I ripped them away with void energy.

"Look at me, mom. I'm walking up to you. But as your enemy, you could have just alerted your guards. You could have killed me right here. But you're not. You're not, mom. Because deep down, you know you still love us. There's no reason for us to fight. There's no reason for this at all."

Lena hesitated.

"I... Dekani..."

I stopped, as something ran down Lena's cheek.

A tear.

"Mom!" I ran forward, but she held out her hand, stopping me.

"Dying... I am..."

"Let me help!" I begged, but suddenly, Lena's face reverted back to its expressionless demeanour.

"A lie once more, from your void trickery."

My outstretched hand went slack as I felt defeat all across my body.

"Do you enjoy emotionally manipulating, void devil?"

I gritted my teeth. I said nothing. Nor did I feel like saying anything. I felt like I had just...

"Then I shall indulge in your despair, Valian. Emotional manipulation."

The sound of a blade appeared behind me as I whipped around, to see the silhouette of a man approach me. The sword was glowing a bright blue.

My heart rate increased as I stumbled back.

"What the hell..."

A black scarf fluttered as the man approached me, his exalted weapon scraping the ground and producing sparks. The light from the sparks illuminating the face of a modified version of the Excalibur Lance.

Umbra levelled his sword, and slashed at me with his signature slash dash. I void dashed out of the way, but Umbra closed in again, his blade narrowly missing my face as I fell on my back.

Umbra appeared in front of me, his sword in the air, as he stabbed down. I dashed out of the way once more, evading the strikes of my old friend as we stood face to face.

"What have you done to Umbra?!" I growled at Lena, who watched from above.

"Just as you have emotionally manipulated me, I will emotionally destroy you, Valian Dekani Price. For you so loved this Lance, like a father, I have remade him. In the image of an enemy. He shall see you as such. Now Valian, will you die by his hand, or will he die by yours?"

The Lance material began to corrode, revealing his horrifically scarred face, and his eye, which was full of fury.

Umbra brandished his sword, as he charged forward, fully intent on taking his Operator down.

I concentrated, as my body dissolved into void energy. I dashed forward, entering Umbra and initiating Transference.

"Umbra! Remember who you are!" I shouted at the spectre from within Umbra's consciousness. But I couldn't get through to him. There was something there. Something malicious.

Umbra rejected the Transference as I was shunted out of his body, landing on the ground. Umbra towered over me and slashed down, as I rolled out of the way, scooching back.

"Despair, Dekani Price. Despair, void devil. For you so emotionally manipulated me, I shall emotionally destroy you. You love this Lance. I will exploit this love of yours."

I glared at Lena and fired a void beam at her direction, but several Severen limbs intercepted my blast. I void dashed again to evade Umbra and began firing void blasts at his direction, but it didn't matter. My mastery with the void was average at best. Against the superior defenses of the Lance that I had spent the most time modifying and upgrading.

"Damn you. Nero, you Severen scum!" I growled as I continued evading, but by the last void dash, I stumbled and slid across the floor of the throne room.

I was out of void energy.

"UMBRA!" I roared, but Umbra paid me no attention, dragging his Skiajati across the ground.

I turned to Lena, who regarded me coldly.

"I will save you mother. I promise. I promise on my name, Dekani Price. I will undo whatever Prince Nero has done to you!"

Umbra slashed and caught me in the forearm as I yelled in agony.

"I... Umbra... do you... really not recognize me." I muttered. My vision was beginning to go hazy from the bloodloss. I stumbled back as the throneroom opened up, revealing a distant planet.

"Leave me, void devil. I want no more from you." Lena said, as Umbra rushed forward and tackled me out of the Severen ship. The two of us hurtling to the ground.

"Umbra!!!" I yelled as I tried to escape the Lance's grasp.

I closed my eyes. I needed someone. I needed...

"Folock! Initiate contingency plan Q."

We continued hurtling to the ground as something appeared from the corner of my vision. A horrifically destroyed spacecraft in hundreds of segmented pieces.

I concentrated, and resolved myself into the wrecked Lotuscraft, as I felt myself hurtling to the ground.

Remember who you are. But do not be limited by what you are. Dream not of what you are, but who you wish to be. Lena's voice rung in my head as I summoned everything I had.

Steel your resolve, Valian. For you are different than a Tora soldier as I. Your power comes from within. The stronger your will. The stronger your resolve. The stronger the weapons you wield to battle.

Tora Nava.

I will steel my resolve.

I growled as parts of the Lotuscraft began to fix itself.

"O- Operat- Operator!!!" Folock's voice beamed from within the internals of the Lotuscraft that was currently a part of me.

"Folock! Pinpoint Umbra!" I yelled, as I rerouted the thrusters of the Superorbiter, attempting to slow the fall.

"Unable to find. Operator, we have more pressing issues!"

My internal sensors picked up several bogies.

Severen units.

"Folock, how's the Railjack integrated guns doing."

"45% operational."

"That's more than enough."

I stopped our descent as I spun around, to face the horde of Severens that were coming from the sky. But they weren't just coming after me. I watched as one Severen swooped down and fired a ray of energy which blasted chunks of the land, causing numerous villagers to scatter.

Several of the villagers emerged from their shelters and tried to fight back, but against the might of the Severens, the battle was extremely one sided. My enhanced field of view showed the landscape in more detail, as it was only now did I realize that the whole place was ravaged by the Severen invasion. Fires burning. Corpses and chaos all around.

What were they doing? Were they trying to take over this past as well as the one in the future?

I concentrated, as numerous reticules aimed at the Severen swarm. I then willed my mortars to fire, as numerous rockets chased them down, exploding on sight.

The Lotuscraft, somewhat restored from my Transference, landed on the ground as I continuously fired my guns in turret mode. Fighting back the aerial forces until they retreated.

From the corner of my eye, I caught him. A tall figure with a black and red coat, and flowing white hair.

"Shardis." I said, as he looked me in the eye, smiling.

SHADE then turned around, disappearing into the shadows, as I resolved out of the Lotuscraft, stumbling onto the ground.

I looked back, and watched as my Superorbiter fell apart into pieces, as the void energy that I was emanating was all that kept it together.

No way home.

No way to contact the Valians.

No way to contact Shane, or the rest of my crew.

I was stranded in the middle of nowhere.

Protector

"F- Folock..." I muttered.

"Yes, Operator!"

"Con... concealment Mode."

"Concealing."

I heard the Superorbiter begin to shift its components around. However was left, as it blended with the environment.

I sighed, getting to my feet.

I had resolved into my own Superorbiter... I was probably the first Valian to ever do that. And by resolving, I was able to heal myself a little bit with my Elevation Arcane. But my forearm was still in a lot of pain from where Umbra had struck me.

I stumbled out of the Transference room, peering outside.

"Folock, status."

"Yes, Operator. As you had conducted Transference with the vessel, you have managed to restore some of its base functions. All Lances remain operational. All weapons remain operation. However, the craft will be unable to take flight. Nor will you be able to access the Railjack functions. I'm sorry, Operator. It looks like if we want to head back, we're..."

Folock paused.

"Folock? What's wrong?" I asked.

"Operator... we're... we're no longer in our time."

"What?"

I stepped out of the Lotuscraft, to be met by a small town.

"A town?"

The people were all dressed strangely, but some had garments similar to mine.

I recognized this attire...

It was from an age even before Shane Mayen's age.

"Operator... what will you do?"

I clenched my teeth.

I had to find a way out of this place. If I could acquire the resources to rebuild the Superorbiter, I could timewarp out of here.

However, before I could form any further thought, a girl's scream erupted from within the forest.

"Wha-" I said, as I heard numerous voices trailing the girl from behind.

"Don't run, you little wench!"

"Do as your lord tells you to do!"

"You dare run from Lord Wales?!"

I raised an eyebrow.

"Folock, I am deploying a Lance."

"O- Operator?"

"What is it?"

"Would it not be better to not bring attention about ourselves? I have assessed our surroundings. These people are not technologically evolved. As a matter of fact, they still wield the weapons of the Primal Age. Of sword and sorcery. If they see-"

"It will not be an issue. I will use the Void to purge their memories once my time here is complete."

I got to my feet, void dashing to the attacker's position.

From my distorted view while in Void Mode, I could make out their torches and medieval armour. They were even more devolved than Shane's timeline. Just how far back did Lena send the Severens?

The girl tripped on her dress, and fell onto the ground, soiling it.

The men surrounded her, as she whimpered.

"S- Somebody... please... anyone... Great Venir... please save me... PLEASE SAVE ME!" She screamed.

Rhino Ability Two: Steel Skin

I exited Void Mode and resolved into Rhino, appearing before the girl.

One of the men was about to bring their swords down to strike down the girl, but I caught it with Rhino's left hand, crushing it in my palm effortlessly.

So this was tempered steel.

Compared to the Toron steel, I could see why this was considered Primal.

"What the-"

"A Knight? How did it get here?"

"Those teal lights that line the sides of its armour. It has to be magical. Is it a summons?"

I regarded the attackers. They looked like higher upperclassmen, I would deduce they served the lord that wanted this girl.

But from my time learning under Tora Nava, I knew how to read an enemy's fighting proficiency.

These people were trained to some degree, but were below even a Toron Scrava in combat ability.

The three men charged again, striking with their bladed weapons, but the swords shattered off of Rhino's Steel Skin.

"What kind of armour is that?!" One of the attackers yelped, as I approached them with my 7 foot Lance, towering over the men, the blue lights of the armour casting shadows across their pale, fear stricken faces.

I calmly swung my fist, Rhino's heavy frame adding to its momentum as the force slammed into all three men, smashing them into a tree and knocking them out unconscious.

The girl stared at me, her eyes in fright.

"You. Child of the town. Direct me to this town's authorities." I said.

"P- Please don't take me back... I beg of you, great iron god."

Iron god?

"Operator. I believe she sees you as a deity. To these people, your Lance is evolutionary leaps in equipment to what they wield." Folock advised me.

The girl stumbled back, her lower lip quavering. She was terrified of me.

"Iron God... I beg of you... please show mercy... please..."

Folock rung in my ears.

"Operator, the girl is suffering from hyperthermia. She also seems to also have sustain numerous bruises and internal bleeding. If not for the adrenaline in her body, she will surely collapse."

I approached the girl, kneeling on one knee.

"I am no god. I mean you no harm." I said.

The girl paused, her body was still trembling.

"I will not take you back to your lord. But allow me to treat you to your injuries first."

The girl reluctantly nodded, as I picked her up and made my way back to the destroyed Lotuscraft.

"A- Amazing... this... is this your house?"

"One could say that." I replied, as I entered the Lotuscraft, the interior had changed to befit this world's timeline. I led the girl to Rinne's bed, and sat her down. The sight of the bed terrified her, as she suddenly began struggling against Rhino's hold.

"N- NO! NO, PLEASE DON'T!"

"What? I mean you no har-"

"NO!"

After a few minutes of adjusting, the girl settled down outside of the Lotuscraft, on a log.

Folock had completed his scan, revealing numerous regions of internal bleeding and bruises. Many of the injuries appeared to have been sustained consistently for years, and some of them looked recent.

"That lord..." I muttered.

"Operator, it is not wise to get ourselves meddled in another noble's affairs. This girl may well be a slave to this particular lord."

"I am aware of this, Folock."

The girl saw me approaching and gasped.

"Do you still not believe me to be of no harm?" I asked.

The girl pursed her lips.

"Please forgive me... it's just... it's hard for me to trust another man again... every man has hurt me in some way... I'm sorry."

I sighed, as energy surged in my body.

"O- Operator? What are you doing? You can't-"

"Silence, Folock." I commanded, as I resolved out of Rhino, appearing before her.

The girl's eyes went wide.

"You're... you're a boy!"

I regarded the girl, slowly taking off my Toron visor.

"My name is Dekani Price."

I looked at my reflection from the windows of the Lotuscraft. The gold trim of my Toron Operator Suit shining from the light of the fire that we had made to keep her warm.

"I too, am an elite in society, a noble. But from a different wor- a different country. Far from here."

I sat across from here, as the Rhino Lance remained motionless in the corner.

For a few minutes, we seemingly sat in silence, until the girl spoke.

"Lorai. My name is Lorai."

"Do you not have a surname?"

"I... I don't have one. I have long since forgotten it."

"What happened?"

The girl gazed at the fire with expressionless eyes.

"From a young age... I was sold to slave traders. From one noble to another, from one commonfolk to another, I was nothing more than a dog to them. They beat me and violated me. Forgive me... Master Price. But... I cannot trust another man again. I simply cannot. Not when I am forced to endure like... like this... I can't."

"And what if I told you I was not like the men you have encountered, Lorai?"

The girl looked at me, tears streaming down her bloodshot eyes.

"Please forgive me, from the bottom of my heart, Dekani. But even if you are a noble from another country... this town is ruled by a greater power, a greater royalty and nobles... there is nothing you can do for me-"

The girl suddenly burst into a fit of coughing, blood staining the log.

"Stay still." I said, as I got up from my feet.

The girl stared at me, her eyes widening.

"Dekani...?"

Teal energy began swirling around me.

"I promise you, Lorai. I am not like any noble you have encountered. I am Dekani Price. Not of this country. My weapons. My equipment. My armours. No man can lay a hand on you unless they can go through me."

I dissolved into teal sparks, resolving into my Faerar Supra armour.

Lorai yelped.

"Master Price, what are you-"

Faerar Ability Three - Rejevenation

Suddenly, Lorai stopped, as teal sparks rose from the ground, flowers and plants sprouting from the ground by her feet. Her injuries healing her wounds, as her body became restored, her hair straightening, until I was face to face with a fully restored Lorai.

I reached out and wiped the grime off her face.

"Do you believe me now?"

Lorai stared at me, her eyes brimming with tears.

"Why... why now..." She muttered.

I got to my feet.

"I understand your fear to be brought into another man's home now. I understand that. So I will ensure you will not go through that pain. But I still want to help."

Faerar Ability Four - Sanguine Forest

More and more plants and vines erupted, until a small hut was formed around Lorai, a bed, a table, and a door, a window, everything taking form before her, the lights of the teal glow of my Lance lighting up the forest.

"Why did I have to wait so long... why did it have to take so long..." Lorai sobbed, as she ran up to me and buried her face in my Lance's chest.

"Why did it take so long for someone to save me!" Lorai screamed, breaking down in my arms.

* * *

"The noble who owns me is Baron Tristam." Lorai said, as the two of us walked down the plaza together.

Many of the townsfolk paid us no attention for the most part, however we did receive the occasional unusual glance.

"That boy... from which house does he belong to?"

"Those gold Commodore ribbons, he's clearly a noble, but I don't recognize those patterns."

Lorai clutched my arm nervously.

"Lord Price..."

I turned to her, realizing that her face had turned pale.

"Operator." Folock chimed in my head.

"What is it, Folock?"

"The one known as Lorai may be suffering from traumatic stress. Her vitals are elevating in adrenaline."

I brought Lorai closer to me.

"Are you afraid of the outside?" I asked her.

"N- No.. I..."

"You don't need to be afraid. I will protect you." I reassured her, as we approached a pub.

Lorai must require sustenance. I had tried to feed her some of the food in the Lotuscraft, but her body was still recovering even after Faerar's Rejuvenation power.

"Come." I told her, but Lorai stood at the door.

"I mustn't. Lord Price."

"Why not?" I asked, gesturing her inside, but before I could say anything else, another stood between us.

"Her kind is not welcome, noble boy." A stoic, well developed man said to me.

I turned to him.

"Her kind?"

The man narrowed his eyes.

"For a noble, you are quite uneducated. I am talking about the Fleym. It is beneath you to take your slave girl to such an establishment. Or even to take yourself to one as lowly as this lowly pub. Someone of your standing should be in the Royal Villa."

I peered at the inside of the pub. A number of people were looking at us curiously.

"What is a noble doing here?"

"Is that his sex slave?"

I walked up to the man.

"I will choose to eat wherever I want. Or are you giving a noble orders, as a guardsman to said lowly pub?"

My face turned into a glare, as the man backed off, nervously.

"I apologize, my lord. Forgive me."

I went up to Lorai and took her wrist.

"Let us go inside."

The server directed us to the far edge of the pub, where I ordered two meals. Lorai was hesitant at first, but I insisted, as she slowly began to eat her fill.

"Lord Price." Lorai said, quietly.

"Something on your mind?" I asked.

"Why are you going so far to help me?"

My eyes wandered to the edges of the table.

Why...

Why would a Valian, who was trained since the Void Incident to ignore the weak, to focus on their own strength, abandon their ideals and help another in need?

Perhaps...

Shane and Rinne suddenly appeared in my mind. The two of them, along with Aurora, walking down the streets of Luam. Speaking highly of their Captain.

Laughing.

Peacefully.

Umbra walking Flippy.

If I had gone forward with my Valian way...

I never would have had Shane Mayen onboard the Lotuscraft as my First Mate. And from Shane, did Rinne and Aurora join.

When the Veil attacked my craft from every direction, I remembered Rinne telling me to do everything I could to keep Shane safe, for her sake.

The Severens boarded my craft and we were overwhelmed.

And I watched as everything that I had built up, all the bonds I had formed with each person aboard the Lotuscraft Crew be torn apart.

I looked at Lorai again.

"L- Lord Price?"

"I..."

SLAM.

"Hey hey hey. What's a Fleym doing in the pub? HUH?"

Four stocky men surrounded Lorai, as her face turned pale.

"Hey. I don't recognize those noble garments anywhere." One of the men approached me.

"Are you really a noble? Or are you playing pretend with this girl over here. If she isn't your property, I'd happily take her off your hands."

Lorai gave me a panicked expression, as one of the men grabbed her wrist.

"No! Stop!"

"Don't resist, girlie. People like you should remember your place in society."

That was right...

As a Valian... we were taught the ways of not just the warrior, but of a noblemen.

We knew never to meddle with the lower caste.

They were not like us.

Uncivilized and void of rationality.

They were not the type of be reasoned with.

And because of that, we were always taught to not be involved with the peasant folk.

But...

Since knowing Shane...

My body moved on its own, slowly rising from my seat.

"What are you going to do? Fake noble?" The man sneered at me, as the other men dragged Lorai away. Her look of terror suddenly turned into a look of hopelessness as she gazed at the exit.

"Lord Price... thank you for... thank you for caring of me. Please don't... please don't blame yourself for whatever happens."

"Silver eyes and white hair? Is that even natural? Or did you go to the extent of using magic to modify your own appearance to look like nobility?" The thug grabbed my collar.

I must not kill.

Killing would escalate the situation. But watching the men handle Lorai so roughly, no one in the pub did anything but look away.

"Dekani." Lorai gasped, as I looked at her.

She had a smile on her face.

"It's okay, Dekani. Don't blame yourself. Don't blame yourself, for a mere Fleym like me."

My own voice emanated in my head.

I've... I've encountered something like this before.

No.

Shane did.

What happened to your previous philosophy? Of not getting involved? There's always multiple sides to the story. Because of what you've done, you're now known for assault. A better way would have been to give her your coins and a small bonus. Let whatever was taken get taken. And have the higher authorities or nobles negotiate with Thresh.

I remembered scolding Shane.

He had fought three Valians that day. It was over a mere orphan child.

But because of his recklessness, his actions had transferred to me. And I was charged with assault.

I scolded him, telling him he should never have gotten involved.

I watched as Lorai was dragged out of the pub by the men, who slammed the doors out. I was still staring at the doors, my eyes wide and my body frozen, still standing, as everybody returned to talking and conversing.

No...

Perhaps it was wrong to be reckless.

But the reasoning was still right.

It was always right.

What kind of Captain... what kind of noble...

What kind of Valian would I be? If I chose to be weak?

I slowly made my way to the exit of the pub, as I heard the men begin chuckling. The sounds of fabric ripping.

Void energy began circulating in my body, responding to my intense rage.

There was no bigger weakness...

Than being a coward.

Each step I took, I began emanating more and more teal sparks and light, until my body's illumination reached the attackers, who turned to me in shock.

"What the hell? It's that fake noble aga-"

"No Hans... that's no fake noble... no peasant could wield magic like that!"

Lorai stared at me, her eyes shining, as my surroundings began to tear apart, swirling around me along with the Void vortex that I was emitting from my body.

"Kill him!" Hans said, as he took out a device.

"Operator... look at those arcanes. They're nothing like the ones in our time."

"Because those aren't arcanes, Folock..." I muttered, as the man fired a ball of flame which caught me dead in the chest. I exploded into teal light.

"Dekani!" Lorai screamed.

They aren't arcanes, Folock. They are runes. Magic runes. The same ones from the Ancient Scribes. My void body taking form.

Deploying Lance.

A hooded suit of armour appeared before me.

I resolved into it, as I took out one hand from my collar.

"What in the- a magic knight?"

"Does that even exist? What kind of magic is that?!"

Harrow Ability One: Conviction

I waved my hand, causing a wave of chains to bind the attackers down.

"Shoot him! Use your spells!"

One of the men tried to summon another rune, but I quickly pulled out a quickfire automatic pistol, the Quall Supra, and fired a series of bullets at them.

Sparks flew as the men were disarmed instantly. Smoke steamed from the barrel of my pistol as I aimed the weapon to the heads of the attackers. My Lance regarding them mercilessly, emanating the highest levels of intimidation, just as Tora Nava had taught us to fight.

"That accuracy... he has to be an elite noble. Run for it!"

I closed my fist, causing the chains to intentionally dissolve. The attackers made haste and ran, save one, who stayed behind.

I slowly walked forward, kneeling before Lorai.

"Come, Lorai. We are leaving now."

Lorai choked back a sob.

"Y- Yes, Lord Price!"

I picked her up, still in my Lance as I walked off.

"Black Knight! You won't get away with this! To attack a squire of a Chevalier is a capital offense! You will be an enemy to the Crown!"

I turned to the man, Lorai still in my arms.

"Let them come." I said, as I walked off.

Heroics

We made our way back to the Lotuscraft, but I noticed Lorai had stopped walking, causing me to move ahead of her.

My Lance slowed to a halt as I turned around.

"I'm so sorry, Lord Price. Because of me, you are now wanted by the Chevalier that squire serves."

I hung my head down, analyzing Harrow Supra's gauntlets. Black with gold trim. A Lance whose abilities manifested through damage to the armour itself.

How ironic it was to wield such a Lance in front of Jessica.

If only such abilities and weapons that I wielded were to be put to good use. On Severens, not lower caste members of a weaker civilization...

And not only that, but I had gone ahead and caused an offense to the squire of this nation's nobility. I highly doubted this would end well.

What was wrong with me? Were the things I had once held of high esteem, and the things that I had tried to teach Shane Mayen just hypocrisy at the end of the day?

No matter how many times I had told Shane to not get involved, here I was doing the same thing.

TEEM.

?

Lorai put a hand to my Lance's chest, resting her forehead against the metal.

"Thank you, Dekani."

I slowly raised Harrow's hand, but froze, unable to comprehend it. My chest, not Harrow's chest, but my chest felt strange.

We returned to making our way back home, as I stayed close to Lorai, still resolved in my Lance.

"Lord Price, may I ask you a question?"

"What is it?"

"How old are you?"

"Sixteen."

Lorai stared at me.

"Are you alarmed? What is your age, then?"

Lorai put her hands to her chest.

"Seventeen. I... I never realized how young you were."

Lorai turned around.

"Knowing now that my Knight is even younger than I am... I have no excuse to behave the way I'm behaving."

"Lorai..."

"Dekani Price, at sixteen, you've already amassed so much strength, such nobility and wealth, and such an overwhelming arsenal to the point where you could easily overpower any threat that comes my way. But what have I done? I've been nothing but a burden."

"Do you see me as a perfect human being, Lorai?"

Lorai clenched her teeth.

"Of course I do! What's there not to admire? The man who had saved me from my horrific life, who gave me meals to eat, who protected me with his shining armors and his weapons... could may well have passed off as my younger brother."

I gazed at the horizon.

"I am not perfect. Not in the slightest."

"What do you-"

I knelt down in front of her. The glow of my Lance's armoring illuminating her face.

"Can I trust you with this? Promise me you will tell no one."

"Operator! This is unwise!" Folock cried out, panicked in my head.

I ignored Folock, as Lorai slowly nodded.

"Where I am from, we are ranked by Mastery. As soldiers to our Empire, we are the Valian. The Elite of the Elite. The pinnacle of our Empire's technology and innovation. We are their prized jewels, their strongest hand."

Lorai blinked.

"So... the royal guard, in a sense?"

"You can say that. A Valian, fresh from recruitment, is assigned a Mastery Rank of Zero. Moving upwards in Rank requires one to master Lances and weapons, Archwings and Necrons. The more we add to our Arsenal, the higher our Rank increases. Of my brothers and sisters, approximately 85% of us are above MR20. Those who enter the Valian Council are all MR30."

"And... your Mastery Rank is..."

I smiled.

"18. I am MR18, below even the average Valian. In terms of combat proficiency, I am considered weak. A Valian is trained to ignore weakness and to strengthen absolutely every aspect of themselves. Physically. Mentally. Emotionally. We think nothing of compassion, unless it adds to our efficiency to carry out tasks as a soldier to the Empire. But for me, I have time and time again let my morals take over, leading to inefficiencies everywhere. To my kind, I am a failure."

Lorai looked away.

"There is no weakness in being kind, Dekani."

I paused.

"I-"

"Being kind isn't weakness, Dekani. Not to me. Even if another one of your kind were here before me, who was stronger than you as you have said, I would still choose you to be more protector and my lord. I will never change anything."

What good was a Valian if they were not strong enough to protect...

My arm went slack, the metal clashing against the sides of my Lance.

That was right.

A Valian had nothing to lose other than Lena.

We were objects of war. We had nothing to lose...

I looked at Lorai again.

"Lord Price... if your heart seeks it, I will always follow you. Even if your brethren were here, I will choose you. Always."

But if I lost Lorai today, I knew my heart would be in pain.

If it meant being an even bigger failure of a Valian...

I choose to be Lorai's Knight.

I slowly got to my feet, laughing.

"L- Lord Price?" Lorai stared at me, as I threw my head to the sky. For the first time.

A Valian must not feel. Nava's voice rung in my head.

"HAHAHA!" I laughed.

A Valian must not show weakness.

I resolved out of Harrow in front of Lorai, my human form struggling forward, as I continued laughing.

A Valian must be strong enough to rely on themselves, and only themselves.

I continued walking forward until I was in Lorai's arms, my laughter mixing with my tears.

"Lord Price! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to- I'm so sorry! I'm sorry!" Lorai panicked, as I continued laughing.

"No... Lorai... that's not it." I replied, as something felt lifted from my shoulders. I was feeling something I had never felt before, it was a feeling I only felt before I had chosen go onboard that craft that day, the day that had changed my life forever.

I felt free.

I breathed out, as I pulled away from Lorai's embrace.

Her face had been restored to optimal health, but there were still hints of something there.

She was still in pain.

I want to make sure she was no longer sad in this world, when I leave it.

"Lorai. I want to free more of your kind." I said.

"Free...? But Lord Price, that's not possible! You're saying you will take on the entire Slave Trade Industry!"

"Do you doubt me, Lorai?"

Lorai shook her head.

"No... but... you would go this far for me?"

"I'm a Knight, right? Then I will do what a Knight does."

* * *

"Folock, waypoint all slave trafficking anomalies."

"Waypointing, Operator."

I narrowed my eyes.