An Old Promise

Trying to get past that little bit of information Xilo listened to Katrin talking about the future. She oddly didn't spend too much time lingering on Xilo's newfound power and moved straight to something else. Even if it wasn't on purpose, Xilo appreciated it. Katrin talked a bit about how she wanted them to go to Belturn's Astral Zone again. "Aeon was right." Since that was the case Xilo figured he would bring up some of his worries. The only response in return for his questions though was simply. "Figure it out yourself." With that Xilo figured she wanted to see how self-sufficient they were. "I also made a promise with Xelfia....and Azurin." Those ruins Xelfia and him had explored had never left his memory.

"The Spirit Dragon that was running rampage....Xelfia wanted us to put it out of its misery. I can finally help achieve that with her."

Letting that thought motivate him, Xilo agreed to the situation without much struggle.

"Good, you'll also be allowed to of course bring everyone here in this room to help, except for Aeon. Do your best, return and then we can move on to bigger things."

Katrin had quite a few places in mind for where she wanted to send Xilo however that would have to wait. "Don't let me down." Seeing everyone getting along and chatting like this Katrin let a smile slip through the cracks that Aeon caught. "Give them a good home boy." Once she was done explaining that she told them they had two weeks to prepare with Aeon. Standing up from her chair she waited to see if any more questions would be asked before leaving. It was time for her to go do some things. With Katrin and Aeon gone Xilo surveyed the current people here. "We've got two weeks to prepare for this trip, let's make the most of it." Standing up himself Xilo started his busy schedule until it was time to leave.

Time passed as Xilo got really familiar with everyone around him. Each day all of them would meet outside in the morning after having breakfast to stretch and practice together. Once it was afternoon they would all go off to do their own routine that either they created themselves or that Aeon gave them. In the evening they would start to do things that weren't related to fighting. Whether it was reading books, learning to cook or taking care of the garden everyone had something to do to keep themselves busy. Throughout the days Aeon would come visit and test their progress in each area at random. The only person who constantly saw Aeon was Xilo. Aeon was paying extra attention to the growth of Xilo thanks to Katrin.

Xilo was also finally able to start using some of the stuff he had gained over the course of time to improve his strength as well as the girls. He was really itching to use it and with Aeon giving the go ahead Xilo used as much as possible. "Power..." He also handed it out to some of the others, especially the two sister-like girls Gale and Nimi. They weren't good fighters so it wasn't going to be useful on them but Xilo didn't care. "I want everyone to be a part of this." Being needlessly greedy would only be the downfall of someone and with his help the two of them actually gained a few tiers of strength along with the rest. Just like that two weeks of time passed by in a flash. Katrin had already set everything up for them to teleport to Belturn and everyone was ready to go.

"Good luck everyone, come back safe and show me what you're capable of. I'm eager to see all of your results."

Waving her hand Katrin and Aeon watched all of them disappear in a flash of light leaving the two of them behind.

"Think they'll be okay?"

"I'm sure of it, Xilo has gotten a lot stronger now and so have the others. They've even started to work like a team a bit. With time I only see more improvement."

"Good, figure out anything about Xilo's power over the past couple weeks?"

"Sadly, no. There is almost zero information on it. The people who have that power are either extremely rare or keep to themselves very well. I found a few leads that might get me something but I'll have to see. The few times I tried to help Xilo with it were also an utter failure. He lost control everytime I tried to push him a bit further and I was forced to stop him. When Xilo said that his kind would go on rampages he really meant it...and those blades are as strong as they look. I still have a few scratches left."

"Every little test is important, just keep trying when he gets back. For now you should focus on gathering more information. I'll be keeping a close eye on Tidal and Cestrin until they get back. If they return successfully I plan to send Xilo and everyone else to Tidal."

"Yeah, I'll get on it."

Feeling his body get covered in energy, Xilo saw the scenery around him change as he found a familiar sight. Standing outside the walls of Belturn they were in the forest a bit nearby. "Try to conquer this whole Astral Zone....We'll see." Turning to Tearia instantly, Xilo tried to get a feel for her emotions. Right now he suspected she had the most qualms about coming back here. Tearia only gave him a light smile to work off though once she noticed his stare. "I'm always here Tearia." Reassuring her, Xilo saw Xelfia staring off into space a little bit from the corner of his eye. "The Spirit Dragon, Azurin....these Icicles." A lot had happened in Belturn and it was time to face that all head on. Grabbing both of the girl's hands, Xilo started walking towards Belturn's walls.

"I hope you're all ready. Beyond those walls are endless enemies after us and an entire Astral Zone to explore."

Everyone silently followed behind Xilo as he whispered something to Xelfia.

"Don't worry...Azurin's wish and yours will be fulfilled...I promised."