Chapter 13 - Return to the roots

Akio gets up and goes to his dorm to prepare for the upcoming trip. As he packs everything, he hears someone knocking on his door, prompting them to come in. The person comes in and closes the door slowly, though Akio doesn't turn to look at who it is.

The person slowly walks towards Akio, who continues to prepare his stuff, starting to ask what the person needs, though they hug him from behind. Akio is surprised, though he takes a wild guess and asks Kurayami what she's doing.

Kurayami is surprised, since she the only thing that she did to give Akio even the slightest hint of who she is was hug him, though she simply smiles and blushes, hugging Akio tighter. Soon after, she reveals her intentions.

"Akio.. since we're leaving tomorrow and stuff.. I thought.. this would be my last chance to tell you this.. I love you!"

He slightly smiles and replies that he loves her back, as he finishes packing up and turns around, hugging her, then continuing to kiss her in the forehead. Now, over two whole years later, Akio remembers something very specific, as he asks Kurayami:

"Kurayami.. that night.. when you awaited for me here.. what did we do?"

This causes Kurayami to turn as red as a tomato. She steps back and stutters, prompting Akio to think that they did that. He also starts blushing slightly, and Kurayami awkwardly smiles, confirming his suspicions.

Externally, Akio simply blushes, but inside, he's happy, since he has one-upped Genkei. He tells her that it's nothing to be embarrassed of, and that she should prepare her stuff. Kurayami replies that she's ready, and that the only thing left is to wait for the others.

Nodding, Akio sits on his bed, signaling Kurayami to sit beside him, and so she does. He asks him to give him her hands, which she obliges to, as he pushes her down and continues to get on top of her.

"Now, shall we continue what we had paused three years ago?"

Akio grins menacingly, which causes Kurayami to blush, but he reassures her that he's simply joking. However, he still wants to find a cure to her scars. Kurayami looks down and thanks Akio for worrying about her.

He pats her head and tells her that it's alright, though now, they need to see how they'll spend their time until tomorrow. The newly-created couple starts thinking, but this session is cut short. Alex knocks on Akio's door, informing the two that they'll be leaving sooner than expected, since everything is ready.

This puts a bright smile on Akio's face, since he'll be meeting everyone sooner. Kurayami gets up and extends her hand to help Akio get up as well, to which he accepts. Minutes later, everyone gathers at the entrance, as the six teachers reveal something that they had kept a secret from the students these past few years.

They know that Alex was a Shining General, sure, but what about the others? With this in mind, the six reveal their identities as Shining Generals.

Alex, the weaponsmith - Metal General

Grace, the Angel of Life - (former) Life General

Valeria, the governor - (former) Earth General

Chase, the assassin - Death General

Hunter, the absolute - (former) Lightning General

Fender (Blaze's teacher), the fire of judgement - Magma General

With this, the six teachers reveal themselves to all be Shining Generals, and this amazes all the students except Akio, who reminds them that now, since he's 18, the succession's in effect and that he is also a Shining General.

Everyone cheers Akio for his promotion, and afterwards, they hurriedly leave. A few days later, since the trip is quite long, they finally reach the city, and the five students, except Akio, stand at the entrance of the headquarters.

Akio had an idea, so the six Generals and he himself put cloaks on themselves and mask their magic energies, knowing that everyone now has a meeting. This includes the successors and all the Generals that are nearby.

With one swift move, they pass through the guards, and the door to the meeting room opens. The only person that can be seen is Akio, though nobody can realize who he is. Soon after, a wave of sadness and nostalgia hits Akio, everyone is here.

Griffin, Hanami, Sarah, Hisako, Aoi, Jack, Genkei, Alexa, everyone. Jack steps up, asking him who he is, and Akio disappears from their sight, instantly sitting onto the seat of the Head of the Battle Division, who is also the Fire General.

Everyone feels this heavy presence, which was very reminiscent to Theos, and this also does not go unnoticed by Akio, who is happy to have taken this trait from his late father. "Yo, it's nice to finally see you again, everyone." Everyone, recognizing that very voice, is shocked, as the hooded man takes off his cloak, revealing Akio from below. He had almost become unrecognizable.

They are all happy to see him again, but Hisako gets up and runs to her baby boy, hugging him tightly. Alex, from his seat, says that a mother's love cannot be disrupted by nothing, laughing slightly.

This is a shock to everyone, as Alex is here, but they soon notice that the other five have also come. Sarah looks to her right, only to see her mentor, with whom she shakes hands with, being apparently really happy to see her.

The same goes for everyone else, except Genkei, who is currently busy, trying to talk with Akio alongside their former classmates and Hisako. Griffin catches up with Valeria, while they all talk with everyone, though the successors are still quite shocked to see the former Generals.

"Wait! Genkei, I just remembered! Someone's got a girlfriend now, huh, you cheeky little bastard?" This makes both Genkei and Alexa blush, with the two slapping him in the back of his head in unison, as Jack slightly laughs, saying that he may have also gotten a girlfriend.

This, however, surprises Akio even more. Jack, of all people, also has a girlfriend. How incredible! Akio never would've guessed that someone like Jack, of all people, would get a girlfriend, but he congratulates him. He also mentions that he recently got into a relationship with Kurayami, and that he has long since one-upped his friend and cousin.

They do not inquire about what he truly means, but they get to the point at hand. Being a General with such a high influence, Akio now has the right to propose Honorary Generals, which would eventually become true Shining Generals.

The suggestions go as follows:

Kurayami, the Shadow General

Eldric, the Aether (evolved light magic) General

Blaze, the Flame General

Aurora, the Crystal General and last but not least,

Apollo, the Illusion General.

Under normal circumstances, such a proposal would take weeks or even months to finish, but they decide to do it right then and there. With everyone voting yes, the five other students are welcomed into the team.

Hisako is one of the first to lay her eyes on Kurayami, and she sees that her precious Akio now has a wonderful woman by his side. It's not that she personally knows Kurayami, but she can feel it. Genkei and Jack look at her, now understanding how lucky Akio was to have her.

The five introduce themselves to the rest of the Generals, and everyone happily welcomes them, as they take their seats, though Akio is quick to promote them from Honorary Generals to Shining Generals, something that everyone doesn't really see a problem with, since his judgement should be good enough.

However, they got distracted for too long. They focus on the meeting at hand, and the hints that The Dark Wizard is making his presence more intense. Akio notices everything, and theorizes that it could be him preparing for an all-out attack, though it is still unknown.

For now, however, they must focus on his soldiers. During the past few years, more and more have shown up, causing trouble for the Generals and everyone affiliated with them. This catches the attention of Akio and Eldric, who had recently completed such a mission.

They did note that their general was stronger than usual, but it is dismissed as him being a higher-ranking general. Interestingly enough, though, Akio actually notices that there are a few groups of soldiers around, so it could be either a signal, an ambush, or a coincidence.

Nobody, however, is able to think of a reason why, so they dismiss it. With this, however, they decide to call off the meeting, as there is nothing important to discuss for now. Hisako and the successors want to catch up with Akio, but he tells them that he's a bit busy now, though they understand.

Akio takes Kurayami and they go to a familiar building, going in. A young woman raises her head to see Akio, who smiles and waves at her. She is shocked and happy to see him, knowing why he is here. She leads him to a small playground within the building, where a few children are.

A young girl, in certain, who has grown from her prior appearance, turns at Akio and runs towards him. The girl, of course, is none other than Ruby. She hugs her father figure tightly, shedding tears of joy, as Akio picks her up, also very happy to see her. Kurayami awkwardly stands there, and Akio remembers that he has to introduce her to Ruby.

Kurayami amazes Ruby, who hugs the former, knowing that now, she'll be her mommy. Kurayami, not being all that good with kids, simply pats her. The woman, who is the receptionist, asks Akio if he wants to complete the adoption process now, to which he obliges. Kurayami is listed as the parent of the young Ruby, and they formally complete the adoption process, as this time, they take Ruby with them.

There is a slight problem, though. Akio forgot about it, and the thought didn't go through Kurayami's mind.. they have yet to buy a house of their own. That is okay, though, since Akio knows that his mother would be more than delighted to have him and his new family staying in for the night, with him wanting Kurayami to meet his younger sister.

"Wait, Akio, you have a younger sister?" Kurayami is confused, since Akio never brought it up. He confirms it, and it surprises Kurayami, as well as Ruby, since she never knew that she'll have an aunt, though these news make her happier.

Akio, after over two whole years, comes home, announcing his arrival. Hisako and Ichika await, with Ichika rushing towards her older brother, whom she looks up to. After that, she formally introduces herself to Kurayami, with whom she shakes hands, and then she exchanges greetings with her new adoptive niece.

Hisako, on the other hand, hugs Kurayami, now telling her how she feels, and then she instantly hugs her cute little new adoptive granddaughter, as she is finally positive that she can rest in peace, seeing as her first-born has finally made a family of his own. She invites everyone to have dinner for today, and the three accept.

During dinner, Akio and Kurayami share everything about their training to the three women, all of whom are interested. Ruby is more excited, though, listening to the stories of her parents. At the end, Akio finally reaches the part where he talks to them about their most recent mission, and about how they'll go and rebuild the village soon.

Everyone is delighted to hear everything about the teamwork and excellent work of Akio and Eldric, as they laugh. Dinner ends, and Hisako leads Ruby to a room that was originally a spare guest room, though now, she'll know to change it to be the room of her little granddaughter.

Ichika goes to sleep, and Akio and Kurayami also go to his room, preparing to sleep. Before losing consciousness, though, Kurayami reminds Akio that they'll have to buy a house tomorrow, to which he tells her that he won't forget.

As he falls asleep, though, things get interesting.