Lose It All

Wraith sat inside of the Chief's house while I buried all of the villagers and stood there in front of their graves in silence. My one job was to kill what was hunting them, and I let the culprit slip right through my fingers, resulting in all of their deaths. I felt the weight of all of their lives on my shoulders as voices began to blame me for their death.

However, I didn't let that stop me. I embraced the feelings of grief and guilt and let them guide me so that in the future I would not make this mistake ever again. I eventually met up with Wraith and he made a portal back to the City, but he stopped me with an outstretched hand when I tried to step through.

"Leo. I know this may have been tough on you, but you have to remember that these people weren't close to you. Don't let your heart get to you, and remember all of the people waiting for you to come back home." Wraith pat me on the back before walking through the portal. I let out a long sigh through my nose and lingered for a moment longer before walking through the portal myself.

I appeared in front of a massive mansion that had several fountains outside. Hell, even the gate surrounding the property exuded the smell of rich. I saw Wraith gesture for me to hurry up and I jogged up to him. Wraith leaned over and whispered "While you were gone your girl woke up and was discharged from the hospital, but she'll need your help. This was supposed to be a secret, but I thought you would be better off not crying like a bitch in front of everyone!" before sticking his thumb up and pushing me forward.

I walked up the steps and grabbed the door handle, but froze as soon as I did. 'What am I supposed to say? What am I supposed to do? Act calm and collected, or reveal how I truly feel...?' I shook my head and clenched my fists before forcing myself to open the door.

I saw Suki, my mother, Akina's parents, and, most importantly of all, Akina waiting for me with large smiles on their faces. All of the guilt that was tormenting me melted away as I looked at their happy and carefree expressions.

I found myself speechless for the first time. I had no clue what to say in the moment. I looked at Suki, who was dressed in a nice black dress that complimented her long black hair and ears, before looking at my mother, who was dressed up in a red kimono, which was probably Haru's, before looking at Shin.

My gaze lingered on the well built man, and he seemed to notice as he winked at me and pointed to Akina. My eyes met hers and I could feel the tension in our gazes. She was in a wheelchair, and I could tell that she would never be able to walk again just by glancing at her. She truly was Lightless, however, she still had her Ghost. Something I never truly understood from the old documents I read on Guardians that had become Lightless.

For the first time in a while, I felt a genuine smile spread across my face. It wasn't forced in order to make everyone believe that I was doing fine. It was a smile of pure happiness. I walked forward and leaned down before pulling Akina into my embrace before saying "I'm so glad that you're alive..." in a low tone to prevent my voice from breaking.

I heard Akina emit a low chuckle as she returned my embrace and said "It's gonna take a lot more than this to kill me. I'll get my Light back, and I'll show you how strong I really am." I stayed like this for a moment longer before letting her go and turning to Shin and Haru. Shin had a kind smile on his face as dipped his head and sent me another wink.

Haru pulled me into a hug as she thanked me for coming back safely. Then, I turned to face Suki. Her eyes had a fine layer of mist over them and, despite this, her smile was still as radiant as ever. "Damnit, come here you dumbass!" I found myself in a chokehold as Suki began to lecture me about going off on my own and not telling her about it, even though I'm pretty sure I did...

Suki let go of me and pushed me toward my mother, who had a warm smile on her face as she opened her arms. I hugged her and felt a single tear drop on my shoulder as she said "I'm so happy that you're alive...Wraith told us what happened on your mission. He said that it was a false request and that the chances of you returning was close to zero...!"

She began to sob loudly as she held on to me, fearful that I might disappear. I hugged her tighter as I said "Don't worry. I won't die on you, I promise. I'll grow strong enough to protect you all. I'll grow strong enough to protect our world, and eliminate the dark forces from our world once and for all."

I heard her sigh as she murmured "You're too much like you father back when he was young..." My mother withdrew herself and grabbed my face with her hands and said "As long as you keep your promise, I'm sure that you can accomplish your dream..."

Just then, something clicked in my mind. "Wait, isn't it your birthday, Mr. Tora?" Shin looked at me and nodded his head before saying "Yep, the plan was to throw the party after you came back." I smiled and clapped my hands before saying "Well what are we waiting for? Let's get it going already!"

---

The festivities were in full effect as many people gathered to celebrate, including Wraith and his old Fireteam members, Sigbrand and Sigwulf Grimsson. Sadly, many of the wealthy people recognized me as a member of the Blake family and tried to suck up to me, resulting in many awkward situations where I wanted to drink but had to deal with blabbering idiots.

After escaping the clutches of some particular greedy Nobles, I picked up a glass of red wine and found Akina talking to Suki on the second floor balcony. I walked out and felt the cool breeze his my skin as I waited for the two to finish their conversation.

"What're you smiling like an idiot for?" Suki gestured toward me with her glass as she stared at me like she was trying to see through me. I didn't even realize that I was smiling. I walked closer and said "Well, I guess I just feel at ease. There's such a relaxing and warm atmosphere here. It's easy to forget all of your worries..." I stared up at the afternoon sky and admired how aloof and free those clouds were.

I felt my messy and unkempt hair wave around in the breeze as Akina's hand covered mine. I looked over and saw her and Suki looking at me with kind smiles as Akina said "Leo, you can always count on us for anything. We will always be with you." I shook my head, confusing them both, before saying "No, I can't keep relying on others to carry me through hard times. I'll overcome these obstacles with my own strength..." with a confident expression.

The surroundings were quiet as murmurs began to spread behind us. Curious, I looked back to see what they were whispering about and saw a tall, handsome man with dark brown hair styled into a neat undercut, grey eyes, and a rather impressive build for a civilian. He was walking toward me but, when he neared, he ignored me and walked straight toward Suki after quickly sizing me up.

The man bowed and tried to take her hand, but she recoiled and frowned. The man straightened and apologized, saying "I'm sorry, that was uncalled for. My name is Derek Blackwood and it would be my honor to dance with you." I smirked and took a few steps back, deciding to let this drag on. Mainly for entertainment purposes because seeing Suki chase off suitors will never get old.

However, this wasn't the case. Suki began to look away shyly before taking his hand with little hesitation. My brows raised as I saw traces of the same strange energy within my body come from where the man had just been standing. I moved next to Akina and whispered "I'm going to take you somewhere safe. That man is a potential threat, and I'll have to see how he'll act." Akina furrowed her brows before saying "I don't get i-"

I gestured for her to stay quiet as I grabbed hold of her wheelchair and began to search for Shin and Haru. I already knew that my mother had retired to her room, and I needed to make sure that they were all safe just in case the man proved to be something I couldn't handle by myself.

Akina stayed quiet as I found Shin and began to quickly walk over to him. He saw us and waved as he moved toward us, but his expression quickly turned serious when he saw my face. "What happened?" Shin asked as I got close enough. I shook my head and said "I don't know, but there's a man who uses an energy different from the Light. I'll have to watch him to see his true intentions, though."

Shin nodded and took my place before taking Akina downstairs. Thankfully, there were plenty of elevators in the lavish mansion, something that even my family's mansion didn't have many of. Seriously, just how rich is Wraith?

I shook my head and activated my radar. I had pinged the man so that he would show up on my radar, and I found him rather quickly. He was in the middle of the floor as he led Suki through a rather complex dance that most Nobles would have a hard time learning.

I grabbed another glass of wine from the passing butler and watched as they finished their routine and stood off to the side as they watched other couples dance and laugh. So far, Derek was acting civil with a dignified aura around him, but I had this nagging feeling in my gut.

I watched as Derek and Suki began to walk through the ocean of people as they headed for a nearby elevator. I clicked my tongue and began to descend the stairs, making sure to follow the dot on my radar. It looked like they had gone outside when the dot suddenly vanished, leaving me feeling a little anxious.

I made my way to where the dot was last seen and came across a sight that I never thought I would be seeing. It was a monster that I had only heard about in stories, and seen in textbooks. A monster so horrifying that it was able to force me to my knees with only a glance.

It was her...Savathun, The Witch Queen...

I felt my body screaming at me to move, but I couldn't. I was frozen under her stare. Suki was unconscious on the ground with no visible wounds, but I was focused on figuring out how the hell this thing was still alive. Every story or book would tell you that Savathun, along with her two other siblings, were all defeated in the Battle of Kaz Narzek, but this thing was right in front of me, its bony maw twisted into an evil grin.

Out of instinct, I leapt up to my feet and snapped Sol from its sheath, filling my mind with a little more confidence than before. Suddenly, the monster spoke to me in a blood-curdling voice. "It seems that you are the anomaly in my experiment. I had originally planned to break that little Hero of yours, but I have achieved quite the opposite..."

My hands were shaking violently, and my palms were sweating profusely, but I knew that I couldn't give up and run, not after I had promised my family. I still have so much more to do, and I'll be damned if this monster stops me.

Savathun's grin turned into a neutral expression as she said "Oh? The little worm wants a fight? Alright, I'll make sure to go easy on you." before blinking in front of me and swiping her claws out toward my neck with deadly precision.

I parried the blow and moved in to counter, but she disappeared and struck from behind. I was barely able to dodge the blow with Arc energy coursing through my veins. Just then, I heard a voice that was unlike any other I had ever heard before, but it felt so unbelievable familiar for some odd reason.

"Uh, hello? Is this thing on? Oh, cool! Hey kid, listen up, this monster in unlike any other you have faced before." The voice paused and I thought 'Oh yeah, no shit sherlock!' The voice clicked its tongue and said "I wasn't finished! Ahem, I'll start with that energy within your body. That's what we call the Darkness, and it's a valuable tool once controlled. Second, you'll probably die here unless you use the Darkness and Light together, but there is a chance that you will die from that if you mess up...good luck!"

The voice stopped and I was left with a bitter taste in my mouth. I sent out a line of fire with a swipe of my sword before calling upon the Darkness within me. I felt its presence stir before answering my call with fervor. I guided the Darkness and Light into Sol as well as using it to protect my body. Sol once again turned into the black and milky-white color while my body had done the same.

It felt like I was overflowing with power and the sudden urge to destroy everything popped up within my mind, but I shoved it away and focused on Savathun. The Witch Queen was patiently waiting for me with a bored expression on her almost non-existent face. I dashed forward and swiped out with Sol once more.

Savathun let out a 'hmph' before raising her hand to grab my blade, however, Sol cut through her hand and carved a large gash on her forearm. She let out an ear-shattering wail before pushing me back with a blast of Void energy. Her expression was once of rage as her body began to heal at an alarming rate.

The commotion had drawn out a lot of people but, once they saw Savathun, they ran away with frantic cries, all except for Shin, Haru, Akina, and my mother. Though they couldn't fight, they did the next best thing and quickly snatched Suki off of the ground and carried her a safe distance away. Seeing this, Savathun once again adopted a malicious smile as she conjured a ball of condensed Solar energy and hurled it toward them.

My heart beat against my ribcage and my body moved on its own. I ran as fast as I could and stood in front of everyone as I held Sol out in an attempt to block the blast. The ball crashed against Sol's edge and began to slowly push me back despite all of my attempts to absorb the ball using Sol. I felt blood trickling down my mouth as I struggled to keep the attack at bay.

I saw Savathun conjure three more condensed balls of Solar energy and felt my skin turn clammy. "Get out of here!!" I yelled, but they refused to move. It wasn't out of fear, however, they just refused to leave me to die alone. Selfish bastards...

The three balls flew toward us as Savathun screeched "I'll see you in hell, boy!" as my vision turned dark. My ears were ringing as my body screamed out in pain, but I was more worried about everyone else. I tried to lift my body and look for them, but I couldn't open my eyes, but then I heard the same voice calling out to me.

"C'mon kid! Get your ass up and help me kill this bitch!"