Chapter 208, Praesidium and Sacrifice

"Now then, shall we test out this so-called Brave killing bullet?" He grinned.

"Dance upon the winds, Aero Hammer!" Abby and Eddy chanted and a blast of wind assaults the men beside him but to no avail.

"We have to get the Spirit before we can even attempt to harm them." I stated. "Within that lantern is a Spirit."

"And how do we do that?" Ethan defends us with his barrier.

"If we could somehow get the lantern from him, I could do something about the Spirit." I answered.

"Abby, Eddy." Licht nodded to the twins.

"Cloak us within your embrace, hide our form from our enemies, Hidden Night." The twins disappear.

"There's no point trying to attack me, I'll kill you all one by one." The man laughed.

"Just who are you?" Will asked. "I'm sure you're familiar with who you've kidnapped."

"We know." The other masked man stated. "The current head of the Sirius House, a prominent figure in the political world. He will be useful to our cause."

"What's your end goal?" I asked.

"We simply want one thing." The second man answered. "The Chimeras absolute rule. We will plunged this world into chaos."

"Tch. Are you worshippers of the Chimeras?!" I exclaimed as I held my gun.

"Precisely. We wish for the destruction of this world." The first man answered. "When we finally achieve our goals, we can laugh at the fools who mocked us as the suffer in the blood and mud of their foolishness."

The man laughed in insanity, I can say for certainty, there is no saving these people. As he laughed insanely, the lantern was pulled off from his belt.

"Arata-sama!" Abby throws the lantern to me.

"You little!" The third man attacks Abby but Eddy easily kicks him away.

"Abby, Eddy, protect Andrew's father!" Licht order as the men took up their guns.

'Fluer's child who has inherited her blood... Here me!' A voice echoes in my head.

"Ahh!" I fall on my knees.

"Hahaha! That's what you get!" The first man laughed. "The lantern is cursed so that only I can use it!"

'Child of my sister. Do you seek power?' I raise my head to find a man, with a black cloak, he has black eyes and black hair with snow white skin. He carries a torch in his hand. 'These men have abused the power of my lamp for too long. I offer you my power.'

"Arata, are you okay?! Hang in there!" Licht tried to shake me.

"I'm fine." I answered as I got back on my two feet.

"Don't worry! The curse will kill you soon enough." The man laughed.

"Be silent." A voice echoed in the air and suddenly a the cloaked figure appeared before us.

The men were sent flying back and Abby and Eddy protected Andrew's father back to our side.

"Now then, Child of Fluer, offer the song to me!" He stated.

"Your shield is the shield that protects the weak, your hand is the hand that guides the weary." I began chanting. "The Ancient of war who wields the golden shield, the protector or heroes and deliver of victory, I now call thee by thy name to this place, Ancient, Praesidium!"

"I have lost count of the centuries that have passed, I have lost my people, I have lost my homeland." The man began to chant as he began to glow. "Now, a child of my sister by her blood has summoned me to this land, I, the Ancient Praesidium declare, that all who raise their arms against the child shall feel the bite of my blade!"

"An Ancient?!" Licht exclaimed.

"Child of Fluer and this land, answer me, what do you seek?" He asked as he held a torch.

"Destroy all the Vi=rus around us!" I answered and he smiled.

"By my vow and your blood, it shall be done!" He slammed his staff into the ground and a light engulfs the Vi=rus destroying all traces of it.

"Wow... This is... The power of the sealed Spirit?" Andrew asked.

"I hate to say this, but that man is no Spirit." Van stated. "That man... No, that person, is an Ancient."

"An Ancient?!" They exclaimed.

A sudden bullet fired snaps us back to reality. There's a golden bullet flying towards us but it is easily blocked by a shield.

"No harm shall fall upon the ones I will." Praesidium states and a blow sends the men to the walls once more.

"That's enough, Praesidium." I stated and he relents. "I'm thankful for your help."

"The price I now ask." He states and stares at me.

"What is it?" I asked.

"A branch of love and peace." He answered. "Offered on a Sanguine Moon beneath the Pink Blossoms."

"I shall see to it." I answered and he smiled.

"Farewell, child of the threshold of two worlds." He smiled. "Wander not the moonlit night of the Rose Moon nor Red Moon. For the winds have begun to blow coldly with the parting of paths."

In his wake, he leaves the lantern in my possession.

"Offer the fruits or branch of love, before the month of chrysanthemum withers." He says as he enters the lantern. "I shall rest till the day of choice arrives or till my offering I receive."

Before I can say anything, he disappears completely. The lantern falls to the ground and I take it.

"My Dad's safe, thnks to you." Andrew taps my shoulder and smiles.

"Thanks, Arata-kun." His father pats my shoulder and smiles. "My son's in good hands."

As I'm wondering what he means by that, Andrew kneels, tales my hand a smiles.

"I'm taking... one of you with me... One way or the other!" The madman shoots a bullet at Andrew.

I do the one think I can do, even though I know it's futile. That I won't be able to make it. Even so, I try, I try to block him from the bullet. I can tell already that I won't be able to make.

But he does though, without any hesitation, Andrew's father takes the Vi=rus bullet and covers Andrew.