(September 30th, 2017)

Justin

It has been a few hours since we drove out of the cafe after meeting the messenger. The drive was very calm and relaxing. Rather than drowning in sorrow and thinking about how this is the last drive, the group and I kept reminiscing about all the great times we spent together and the beautiful memories we shared. It felt good to look back on everything we did in a positive light and not let the negatives of it all weigh down on our conscience and break our spirits. Mia kept looking through the photos we took and brought up conversations about each one. When she arrived at the birthday picture, Zack's cheeks turned red. It was an awkward moment for him, but the feeling was not mutual. We accepted Zack into our party and treated him like the brother he is.

"Y-Yeah. I-it was the first time I've sat under a roof with my father in a long time," Zack stated, rubbing the back of his head.

Mia looked at the king sitting in the front passenger seat and placed her hand on his shoulder. "You had fun, though, didn't you?" She asked.

"I did. It was a great party if you didn't mind the presence of the man who impaled your boyfriend with a sword," He answered.

Mia's expression changed from a smile to a frown. "Aww, don't be like that. I... I impaled him, too."

"And I ran my arm through him!" Alex added, sounding awfully ecstatic about it. I shot him a glare through the rearview mirror. "I-I-I-I don't mean it like that! Hehehehe!" We all laughed at the thought of me getting impaled through the chest with magical weapons of kings, demons, and artifacts made by gods. "Which one hurt the most?"

"Well, yours was to heal my wounds, so it didn't hurt at all," I answered honestly. He sighed and sounded disappointed by that, so I turned my entire body to face him and shot him an angry glare. Zack held me and calmly pushed me back into place, asking about his impalement. "Zack's and Mia's were both done with the intent to kill me, so that's something."

"I-I-I wasn't in control!" Mia exclaimed, prompting me to chuckle.

"Mia's polearm pierced even further. Her weapon is stronger than Zack's sword, and so it was more painful."

Upon hearing this, Zack turned all the way to stare at Mia and shouted: "AHAAAA!" and pointed his tongue out, much to the devil's dismay. Mia retreated back in her chair and sat with a frown. The frivolous young king started dancing in his seat just to rub it in. Alex was sad that he was the one behind the least painful stab. To further rub it in, Zack took off his seatbelt and got up, holding on to the windshield to dance and maintain his balance. Mia got so angry that she took off her belt and pushed the monarch down, prompting him to laugh as he placed his seatbelt back on uncontrollably. "I am the one who did the least amount of pain!" Zack sang.

"Actually, I am the one who did that!" Alex replied to the king.

"Yours doesn't count!" Zack replied with his singing voice. Mia started scrolling through her photos once more and stumbled upon one that she took of the two kings. She smiled at it and got lost in it. Zack wanted to gloat some more but stopped once he saw her looking at that photo. His immediate reaction was to sit back and stop whatever he was doing.

"You two look great in that photo," She stated. Zack was smiling in that photo. One that was very genuine and not faked at all for the sake of the photo. I was with them when they took the picture. I noticed how happy he was to take a photo with his old man despite the years of hatred he harbored towards him. In the end, it was all a plea to see his father and be with him. Zack tried to make himself hate his dad so that he would not long for him. The next photo was one where the king stood between his two sons, Zack and me. "You know, he really wanted to keep you away from all of this. He loved you so much and told me about you. You are lucky to have had a father like that."

"What about you, Mia? You said that archdemon I turned to dust claimed that you have a mom." Saying that took her by surprise. She stared out of the car and sighed.

"Y-Yeah. I don't really care about her at the moment. Maybe once all of this is over, I can go and hunt her down myself." Mia's face was expressionless.

"You have a mother, but what about a father?" I asked. She was taken aback by this question even more than the previous one. She gasped lightly upon hearing the word 'father,' and her eyes widened. "I... his majesty was the only father figure I knew. I could not ask for anyone else. For all I know, his majesty was my father, and that's it." The tone of her voice got warmer and less depressed.

"I'm sure my dad thinks the same, too. It's an honor to call you my sister, Mia.," Zack stated. He looked at his 'sister' with a bright smile. Alex expressed his concurrence and ruffled Mia's hair with his hand as she used to do to him when he was a child.

"I don't care who your parents are, so long as you're with me. I'll love you no matter what, okay?" She looked at me through the mirror. She smiled brightly at me before leaning in to kiss me on the cheek.

Scrolling through additional photos, she stumbled upon a selfie Alex took after getting revived. It signaled the forming of the Dragon Crusaders. "This is one of the best moments of my life! To know that I am here with you guys... I... I can't express how much I'm honored to be here with you three." Mia pulled Alex closer to her and ruffled his hair. His voice sounded very genuine and heartwarming. I owe him a lot for sticking by me throughout the years and being my friend. If it weren't for his inspiring resolve, we would not be here at all.

"Your bravery and sacrifice showed me how willing you are to do whatever it takes for your friends, Alex. I plan to repay my debt to you by seeing this whole crusade through," I replied, expressing my genuine feelings as well.

Zack turned to the cyborg and tapped his foot. "You are the reason we're still pushing on, you handsome golden boy! Be proud of yourself! We owe you so much!" The king chuckled before turning back to sit properly, smiling to himself. My brain flashed back to the moment Zack kneeled in front of Alex, asking him for forgiveness after we brought him back.

"I still have lots of photos to show you guys." Mia scrolled through photos of our hunts and the places we went through before stumbling upon the photo Alex took of the two of us. Mia was on my lap, embarrassed that she was getting her wounds treated by me while sitting like that. Her face was turned away from the camera, but Alex managed to capture all of her embarrassment in one beautiful shot. "You know, Alex. I should thank you for this photo," She confessed to the cyborg. "I really like it."

"See? I told you you'll come through eventually!" He replied. Mia then scrolled through more photos and got to the ones where she placed the camera in the imperial base we trashed and took wallpaper-worthy shots. She then got to more romantic photos where she paid a professional in vegas to take them. She uploaded them to the internet immediately that night. I did not approve of that at first, fearing to expose our location. But Mia thought ahead and blurred some of the images that had landmarks and notable areas, keeping the focus on the two of us. It was the night of her birthday, a night very special to both of us. I owe the messenger for forging the two necklaces for us. It was an adorable gesture that was more done out of his heart than his obligation to being the messenger. He did not mention anything related to me being a god and her being a demon. Instead, he addressed me as a man wanting to give a gift for the love of his life. The exchange between us when Mia was with her vampire buddy was heartfelt and sincere.

Then Mia arrived at the pictures she took of us and Zack's friends. "Ah, Jess, and Trevor. The Andersons, too. By the gods, I miss them so much," Zack stated. "Do Trevor and Jess know about Justin's identity?"

"I, uh, I don't think so. I didn't tell anyone about me."

"Why, though?" He asked.

"I just didn't bother. Imagine me going like: 'By the way, I'm the dragon god.' to everyone we meet. But most importantly, you've seen how people treat me in the castle. I don't dislike it, but it becomes too much for me sometimes. Now think about regular civilians."

Mia nodded from the back. "It's wiser to keep his identity a secret. I'm not sure why you are so eager to tell everyone you meet that you're the new monarch, Zack."

"Eventually, everyone's gonna know. I want people to have faith in me and see that I'm doing good so that they can trust me. I don't want anyone to think I'm a lazy good for nothing king. At least you three get to keep your anonymity after this."

Mia scrolled through more photos and landed on the ones where Aurora and Alex were together. The young cyborg noticed the smug expression on his friend's face and swallowed, knowing her thoughts like the back of his hand. "Oh, Alex. I miss you so much..." Mia spoke in A1's voice. I grinned at the white-haired kid and watched him uncomfortably turn around to the other side and look away. Mia, however, was not done yet. First, she turned her hair white before removing her seat belt and crawling to rest her body on Alex. "Do you miss me, too?" Mia's face turned into that of Aurora's before she rested her head on his shoulders. "Or is this only a one-sided relationship?" Mia got too much into her teasing and tried to take Alex's top off while lightly moaning in his ear to turn him on. Knowing Alex, it was working.

To save my best friend, I pumped the brakes, sending Mia flying towards the back of the seat in front of her. She glared at me with eyes that wanted to murder me as Zack, and I laughed. Mia returned to her original look and took her seat once more, continuing to scroll through the camera until she spotted the photos of Ethan, Nova, and the four of us. Mia sighed at the sight of Ethan. She still harbored a little hate towards him for taking the fun out of this whole journey. I started to think about it all and realized that Mia was right. The time we spent with Ethan felt more like a chore and less like a group of teens having fun. Even though we are on a mission to save the world, I didn't feel like myself. All I did was follow orders and train all the time, rather than spending that time with my friends and enjoying what little time I had left. It also broke my heart that she was crying for an hour or so behind me, and I didn't even notice.

"You still feel angry about it?" Zack asked the demon girl. She nodded silently. "I guess you're right. We did turn into braindead robots back there. I really am sorry if we triggered your intense fears, Mia." Zack's sincere apology was reassuring enough to draw a smile on her pretty face. Alex was too busy thinking about Aurora to focus on the current topic, and I kept silent. I did not want to discuss this topic because it made me feel disgusted with myself and my behavior. I totally forgot that Mia's fears of being alone are a thing, and it made me think about what she would do once I leave. Zack would be too busy with his royal business to see any of his friends, and so that leaves Alex and Mia all alone.

"Justin? I wanted to ask you about this high school that's not too far off the coast of the city." Zack showed me a picture of a modern building surrounded by ocean water. The people walking in and out of the building were too small to see, but I noticed that they were all wearing similar outfits. It is an academy built on connected artificial islands in the pacific and has buildings for middle school, high school, and college. I have never been to the place myself, but I have seen photos and videos of the area. The islands are part of the kingdom but have political autonomy for political reasons I don't understand. I don't know anything about the academy in there other than the fact that it promotes fighting tournaments between students from within it and other academies like it. Students go there for many reasons, including fighting for money, opportunities, and whatever else comes to mind. I explained everything I know to Zack, who seemed particularly interested in the place. Alex wanted to enroll in that high school, but his parents forbid him because they didn't want him to become a fighter. I didn't take much interest in the place, and his majesty didn't want me to enter it so that I can focus on my own journey. Mia follows wherever I go, and so she didn't enroll in it. The only people I know to have studied there were Ethan and Nova. In the center island is the main city where students can go and find jobs to earn a living and where tons of battles and tournaments take place.

"A theory states that because there is too much magic and people who wield magic, it's a place to send those people and make a controlled environment," Alex stated. "So that we don't see people fighting everywhere."

"Whatever it is, I don't think we'll have to worry about it, right?" Mia asked while yawning. "Are we there yet?"

"No," I responded.

"Well, how about now?"

"Nope."

"Well... how... about..."

"Wait! Actually, I think we're... no, we're not there yet."

After a few hours, we arrived at another cafe. I parked my car in the parking lot and turned around to see that both Alex and Mia have fallen asleep. Zack, too, was sleeping when I turned to look at him. I exited the car and went inside the cafe, where I ordered some hot chocolate and took a seat while waiting for my friends to wake up. The place was beautiful and did not have too many people in it. I sank into the chair and enjoyed the warmth of my drink while examining the watch to see how far we were to the destination. Suddenly, I heard a familiar voice call my name. "Justin! It's been a while!" Deckard Kennedy spoke as he took a seat in front of me. The man held a coffee cup in his hands and took a sip from it. "Where are your buddies? How's Mia?"

"She's doing great. They're in the car, sleeping after a long journey. How've you been?" I asked the hunter.

"Just great! I was busy hunting throughout this entire region for the past..." He looked at his phone to check the date and then placed it on the table. "Four days. What have you been up to?"

I took a sip from my drink and answered the guy, telling him that I took the invasion as an opportunity to hunt more monsters without the fear of getting my hunt stolen. He nodded in agreement. "I was also out exploring the country." The man looked pleased to hear of my journey, despite me making up a false story that is boring and mediocre by his standards.

"That's great to hear. Have you had run-ins with the empire by any chance? They seem to be patrolling the regions and fighting more aggressively for some reason," The hunter stated.

"Maybe once or twice. We got away unscathed, though." I lied. We have fought the empire ever since we left the city. Every other day we find ourselves being attacked by imperial patrols when we're out hunting. It happened most recently with Ethan, where they appeared even more aggressive than usual, adding up with Deckard's claim.

Deckard sighed and crossed his arms and legs, resting his back on the seat. "I've had to deal with them a while back. I don't even know how I survived, man. They're everywhere these days, and they're attacking every armed individual, military or not. I suggest you stay cautious around them, Justin. Try to avoid them if you can." The concern in his voice was genuine. Hearing the man who fought demons alongside me anxious over the imperials was not something I expected. It made me feel uneasy about dealing with the soldiers. "I don't want you getting hurt or worse..."

"Meh. Don't worry about me. I've dealt with things tougher than brainless tin cans if you can believe it," I replied to the concerned hunter.

"Still, it's not wrong to exercise caution." He was drinking his coffee when a notification popped up on his phone. He leaned in and read it. "Hmm, interesting." He unlocked his phone and scrolled through the hunter's guild app before stopping at a request to find a missing urn. He showed me the picture of the missing item. The urn is white with golden stripes that bore the designs of roses. The people who issued the request are an old couple that value the urn as it is an expensive family heirloom.

"So, how about it?" Asked Deckard, who smiled at my puzzled expression.

"Huh?"

"You and me. We'll go hunt this urn and bring it back. Are you in?" The hunter asked. I looked at my watch and at the door to see that my friends have not gotten out of the car and are still asleep, so I nodded and exited the cafe with the famed hunter after he paid the bill for both of us.

He took me to his car, which was a European white sportscar with cyan and red stripes on the hood, doors and roof, custom rims, and tinted windows. I opened the door and sat next to the famous hunter who made me wonder where he'd store all the hunting gear in such a vehicle. Most of the hunters drive in SUVs or pickup trucks to haul in their gear and camping equipment for the hunt. He is the only one I have seen to have a two-door sports car and take it out for a spin while hunting. "Nice ride, eh?" He asked.

"Yeah, but why a sports car? Do you take it for hunting?" I asked while eyeing the interior for anything related to slaying monsters. There were no weapons, potions, or any camping equipment.

"Yeah, actually. You've seen me fight. I don't need to haul camping gear with me. All I need is these babies," He stated, showing me his fists. It was true that he channels magic through his body and uses martial arts to fight, but I doubt it is enough to fight all of the monsters that made him famous for the hunter he is. "There are some weapons in the trunk, but I don't use anything most of the time."

"Ok, but are you sure it's enough?" I asked. "I mean, you're known for killing giant monsters and stuff. Is this all you need?"

"It's important to kill the monster, not which weapon you use to do it. That's my philosophy," He explained. "You see, I didn't show you the full extent of my powers, right?" He started the engine and drove to the location of the couple. We arrived at an ordinary house in the residential area. It was nothing out of the ordinary. A two-story house with a front yard in which grass is overgrown due to a lack of maintenance. Otherwise, the house gives off an elegant vibe and tells anyone who sees it that the residents are middle-to-high class. We walked to the front door and rang the bell. We waited for a second or two before an old lady who seems to be in her sixties opened the door to us.

"Hello, Mrs. Williams. I'm Deckard Kennedy, and this here is my friend Justin..." He paused and turned towards me. "Justin, what's your last name?"

"Walker."

"Ah yes, Justin Walker. We're here about your missing urn." The lady's eyes lit up with joy at the mention of her lost item. She quickly stepped aside and welcomed the two of us in. Shaking our hands and taking us to the kitchen.

"Thank you for taking the time, gentlemen!" She said. "The police are too busy to help us with this, and most hunters are busy fighting off the empire and hunting monsters. What made you two decide to come?"

"I can't lie. I saw the request, and it was peculiar. A stolen urn? It must be pretty expensive if you made a request to retrieve it." Deckard had his leg crossed and looked at the woman with a lack of frivolity. His reserved tone shows how serious he is about the matter. "Can you tell us more?"

"Follow me if you don't mind," The lady took us to another room that was next to the entrance. Inside were expensive furniture set around the room elegantly. Sofas and tables were all that was inside, but they were enough to set this room apart from the rest of the house that was pretty ordinary. Judging by the way the table in the center was arranged, it gave me the feeling that the missing urn was placed on it. Two flower vases were placed on the left and right sides of the table to decorate the surrounding area around the missing item in the center.

"Was the urn on this table?" I asked, pointing at the center of the table between the flower vases.

"Yes. Yes, it was, my dear." It was evident from the lady's voice that she was tired and sad. She stood back and let Deckard and me investigate the crime scene and see what we can find. I approached the window and looked at the locks. The windows were locked tight, and the locks were not tampered with, suggesting that the thief did not enter from the windows.

"Did you have the windows unlocked by any chance?" I asked the lady who shook her head.

"We keep this window locked at all times. The only thing that enters this room is sunlight. My husband and I didn't even enter the room after the urn was stolen, you see. We didn't want to accidentally tamper with whatever evidence you might find." I could tell that she was saying the truth based on the amount of dust gathered on all the furniture that would otherwise be clean and tidy. The lamp in the corner of the room and the paintings on the wall have gathered dust as well, making me wonder how long it has been since the robbery happened. Deckard exited the room and asked the lady to take him to the backyard. I stayed inside the room and examined everything to see if the robber tampered with anything. I looked under the tables and saw that nothing unusual was under there, other than the amount of dust gathered. The flowers in the vases were not real, but they looked close enough. The urn was the most expensive thing in the room. Even the paintings inside were not even close to it.

Deckard came to the room again and asked: "Hey, Justin. Can you go to the room above you? Just go up the stairs and enter the room directly to your left." He returned to the backyard while I did as he asked and entered the room. I looked around to find that it was an empty bedroom with nothing inside of it. No clothes or personal items, but the bed was messy as if someone was lying on top of it. I walked to the window and stared at it, discovering that it was cut in a perfect circle next to the lock. The hole in the glass was enough to fit a hand through. "Justin, what did you find?" Deckard asked.

"There's a circular hole in the glass. Directly next to the lock, too. This must be how they entered the house!" I shouted to the outside. I examined the window and saw that someone fit enough can easily enter the place. "Yep! This is how they did it!"

"So a cat burglar?" Deckard asked. "Does anything else in the room look weird to you?"

I looked under the messy bed and happened to see the circular piece of glass that the burglar hid. I took out a tissue and grabbed the piece of glass to prevent my fingerprints from tampering with the evidence. "I found it!" I shouted to Deckard, who was still outside. Then, I took the piece of glass and placed it on the bedside table before looking inside the closets. There were no items of clothing inside of any of them, suggesting that this room is unused most of the time. I walked to the backyard and told Deckard of everything I found.

"That room is for any staying guest. We have family members outside of the state who come and visit every once in a while. I didn't think of entering the room because there is nothing in it." I looked at the window outside and saw that it was under a porch. I pointed that out to Deckard, who approached a ladder and pointed at it. He then took the ladder and placed it in a spot easy enough for him to climb and went to the window. He placed his hand through the hole and unlocked the window. I watched as he entered halfway through the window and looked around the room before returning back down.

"The thief had enough time to set up the ladder, cut a perfect circle in the window, and even hide that glass inside under the bed. They even returned the ladder to its original location before leaving," Deckard explained.

"So, could it have been at nighttime?" I asked.

"Our neighbors are still in their homes, mostly. The house to your left is empty, however."

"I doubt the neighbors wouldn't inform you if they saw someone running away with your urn, would they?" Deckard asked the old lady.

"N-No. All our neighbors are nice and friendly, dear. No one would have seen a robber exit our house. Otherwise, they would have told us." The lady seemed eager to defend her neighbors, making me doubt that the robbery happened in the day. I walked to the shed where the ladder was placed next to and opened it, revealing a normal shed that was not out of the ordinary. Everything inside of it was tools for the garden and nothing else. I exited the shed and walked to Deckard, who wanted to investigate the backyard. I decided to leap to the empty house next to us and saw that they had a large pool with four beach seats next to it. The pool was empty, and inside of it was nothing but a few leaves that fell from the trees next to it. The sliding doors were locked from the inside, leaving me with no option but to go to the path between the house and the fence. I walked to the wooden door at the end of the path and saw that a large pot was placed upside down next to it. The fence door was taller than me and was not something easy to climb, and so the upside-down pot seems pretty sketchy to be placed next to a locked door where a robbery has happened.

I jumped on the pot and over the fence to find myself in the front yard of the adjacent house. "What are you doing here?" A boy that was somewhere around my age asked me aggressively upon seeing me getting out of the house.

"Relax. I'm trying to investigate a robbery," I explained. "Do you live around here?" He examined my body from top to bottom, eyeing my clothes that looked like something a rich boy would wear, not a thief.

"No, I don't. My friend does, though. I'm here to see him."

"Which house is his?" I asked. He pointed to the house in front of me. "Can you take me to him? I'd like to ask him some questions." He walked me to his friend's house and rang the doorbell. A young teenage girl with short brunette hair opened the door. She went to hug her friend but stopped when her eyes landed on me.

"Are you this guy's friend?" I asked immediately, skipping the introductions.

She looked at me nervously as I did not give off a friendly vibe. She stood still for one second before answering. "Y-Yes, I am. How can I help you?"

"A robbery took place at that house right there a few days ago. Did you happen to see a sketchy person around here at that time?" I asked the perplexed girl. When she heard that, she got out of the house and closed the door behind her, pointing at the building I just came out of.

"A few nights ago, I saw a girl with hair as short as mine exit the backyard and enter a black muscle car that had its engine exposed. I couldn't see her face clearly in the night, but I could tell she wore a black jacket and was carrying a duffel bag. I thought she was one of the neighbors, but now that you're saying it's a robbery, I don't..."

"You thought she was a neighbor? Don't you know your neighbors? Especially those who live across from you? That's strange." I glared at her and placed my hand on the wall next to her, making her even more nervous.

"N-No! You see, one of the residents of that house is my friend. She's sixteen and has the same hairstyle. I thought it was her, but I couldn't make out her face in the dark. I swear I'm telling the truth." I gazed at her eyes and saw how they shook with worry. She took one step back, and her friend stepped in front of me to try and be brave. I was slightly taller than him and was better built, so it was not hard for me to intimidate him as well. Suddenly, my watch beeped and showed me that I unlocked one of Mia's abilities: Mind Empress. But my ability seemed to be a more powerful and potent version of it, called: Mind Overlord. I immediately used it on both of them and discovered that they are both telling the truth.

I sighed and walked back to Deckard and told him that the teenager over there saw the culprit, but could not identify anything other than their gender, hairstyle, duffel bag, and car. Deckard was ecstatic to hear this news and went to his car with me in tow. We drove away to a parking spot where the vehicle the girl described was parked. "I've seen this car a few times while cruising around town. The owner is one hell of a snack!" The famous hunter stated, licking his lips. I exited Deckard's car and walked to the culprit's vehicle and examined it, seeing that the vehicle matches the description perfectly. The windows were tainted, and I was not able to see the inside of it.

"Psst!" Deckard whispered. "She's here!"

I quickly ducked and moved silently between cars while watching for her movements. When I got a clear view of the lady, I saw that she was a girl who matched the description, just like her car. Her hair was nearly shoulder-length, and she looked to be in her twenties. She opened her trunk and rummaged through it. I was in a position where I could not see the contents of the trunk, but Deckard had a clear view from the inside of his car. I slowed time and traversed to the hunter's sports car, hiding next to it. Deckard blinked a few times. "Whoa. You're fast."

I watched as she rummaged through her duffel bag, pulling out the stolen urn. Despite knowing that the urn was in her possession, I was still shocked to see it in her hands. The urn was even more beautiful in person than it was in the pictures on the app. It shone wonderfully in the light as the thief held it in her hands and examined it before placing it back in the bag. "Why is she still carrying it around with her?" I asked.

"She's probably waiting for a buyer. Let's get inside the car and wait. My knees will hurt from the constant kneeling," Deckard stated, opening the door to his side and prompting me to enter first before he followed. We waited for a few minutes before a black sedan with tinted windows showed up. Two men wearing suits exited from the driver and the front passenger doors, and one of them opened the rear door for an older man who seemed like a rich maniac that was slightly overweight with a white beard and a head full of white hair.

"Mm, nice car," Deckard stated, making me bump his shoulder. "What was that for?"

The girl took out the duffel bag and presented the urn to the men. I took that opportunity to take photos of the exchange between the individuals to submit to the police. "Good thinking, Justin! You've grown since the last time I saw you." As I was taking the photos, the camera app was put on standby as Mia decided to call me. I quickly hung up and resumed taking pictures, but Mia decided to interrupt me again. I hung up again and took another photo. She decided to call once more, and so Deckard raised the windows before I answered.

"I AM BUSY!" I hung up and continued taking pictures in peace. After a minute of exchanging words, the girl and the old man prepared to leave, so Deckard asked me about our next step.

"Do we jump in right now or wait until they all leave?" He asked.

"Attacking them right now may cause the urn to be broken. I don't want to take that risk," I stated. "Can you go after the men in the car?" Deckard nodded and waited for them to leave first before starting the engine. I walked to the lady and cleared my throat to get her attention.

"What do you want?" She hissed at me. "Can't you see I'm busy?"

"Busy doing what? Stealing?" She jumped back after I said that and slammed her trunk shut.

"You have no evidence against me," She stated.

"Other than me watching you the whole time? Yes, actually. I have some evidence." Deckard drove after the men in the suits, and the lady was not able to do anything about it. "Now, you can come with-"

She cut me off by trying to karate kick my face. I blocker her with my wrist and watched her run away by jumping down to the ground level. I leaned over the edge and watched her running away before jumping after her and flying my way to stand in front of her. "Where do you think you're going? Your chances of escaping are slim to none."

She pulled out multiple kunai from her jacket and threw them at me. I had little time to react, only managing to slow time to avoid two, with the third and fourth hitting me in the shoulder and right leg. I winced in pain as I watched her run away before pulling the weapon stuck to my shoulder and throwing it in her direction. She evaded the weapon while running, much to my astonishment. I slowed time and lurched my way to her. Before I knew it, the time slow was over, and she did not stop. I took out the one from my leg and threw it at her and watched as she dodged me yet again. "Oh, come on..." I conjured my crossbow and fired. She took a left turn, avoiding the bolt. I sighed and waited for my leg to heal before sprinting as fast as I could after her. It only took me three seconds to reach her. I stepped in front of her, making the poor lady abruptly stop in her tracks. "As I said before, slim to none."

"You're fast..." She stated. "But you can't catch what you can't see!" She pulled out a smoke pellet and threw it on the ground before completely disappearing. Before the smoke settled, I used my presence ability to sense my surroundings and looked at the side of the building to see her running vertically.

"A ninja, eh? Explains your good thieving skills. But that's not enough to stop me!" I slowed time and flew to the top of the roof before she could catch me. But as soon as the time slow was over, I noticed that my energy was drained quicker than I expected. "D-Damn..." I panted for air while wiping my sweat. "This... decelerating time is taking its toll on me. I think I might've overdone it."

When she reached the roof, her heart dropped at the sight of me. "H-HOW?!" She exclaimed. I grinned and cracked my knuckles. "C-Can you teleport?!"

"I wish I can, sweetheart. Now give up before I unnecessarily break your bones." She gritted her teeth and clenched her fist before charging at me. She did not expect to get punched the second she stepped forward, resulting in me punching out one of her teeth. I grabbed her wrist before she could fall off the roof. "Nice car back there. Did you buy it yourself, or did you use someone else's earnings? Well, you're not gonna be driving it anytime soon."

"Who... who are you?" She asked with blood running out of her mouth.

"Oh, no. We can't have you know that, can we now? I'll tell you that I'm one of King Zachary's friends. Do with that info as you wish." I used my new mind powers to get her to cooperate before jumping to the ground and walking her to the police station where she was arrested. Surprisingly, the officers were expecting me to come by and give them the lady. They told me that another guy came in with a group of men in suits before I did and told them to expect an 'attractive blond guy' to come through the door with a cat burglar. Before I delivered her to the station, I made her give me her car keys and took the vehicle to the couple's home where Deckard has already parked his car, and the husband was waiting for me at the entrance. He was a bald old man with a cane to help him walk. He wasn't that much taller and waved at me when I got out of the car. I approached the man and shook his hand, telling him that I took care of the perpetrator.

"Thank you so much, son. I owe you two for everything!" Mr. Williams said, shaking my hand passionately. I walked with the old man to the kitchen where Deckard was seated, drinking a cup of tea the old woman made for him. "Your friend has arrived, Mr. Kennedy."

"Ah, Justin. How'd it go?" The famed hunter asked.

"It went well. She's at the police station as we speak. What did you do with the rich guy?" I asked the man who smiled at the question before drinking more of his drink.

"I wrecked his ride and took back the urn. But not before knocking them all out and driving their car to the police station..." He paused and stared blankly in front of him. "Well, not in that order, but you know what I mean."

"Then, I guess it's over, huh?"

"What about your cut? I'm thinking of giving you 60% since you earned it," Deckard offered, but I declined.

"Uh, actually, you can reap all the rewards for yourself. I didn't do this for the money if I'm quite honest. And besides, I've already got something pretty sweet."

He and I headed outside, and I watched his astonished look when he saw the lady's car. "Oh, you sly bastard!" The famed hunter exclaimed as I went to my new ride. Before we left, he offered me a selfie on his phone after exchanging numbers, and I gladly took a photo of us on my phone, sending it to him afterward. I shook his hand and thanked him for the good times.

"Hey, Justin. Times are gonna get very hard soon. Who knows what the empire and others might do in the near future. I want you to take care of yourself and those around you, alright?" His voice sounded oddly sincere, conflicting with the frivolous man I've come to know. "We might not see each other for a while, and so I wish you the best, okay?" He walked to his car and opened the door. "Say hi to Mia and take care of her, too!"

"Will do!" The man drove away, leaving me to get inside of my new car and drive it back to the cafe. As I was driving, Mia called me again. I unlocked the phone and spoke. "Hello, there."

"G-General Kenobi... A-Are you still busy?" She asked, seeming nervous about asking after getting yelled at by a frustrated me.

"Nope. I'm returning to the cafe. Are you three waiting for me there?"

"Yes. We're ordering right now. What would you like to have?"

"A chocolate smoothie, babe." I stepped on the gas and watched in amazement as the car roared and sped up. "Whoa! Hahaha!"

"Are you okay?" Mia asked.

"I have a surprise for you guys."

After arriving at the cafe, I saw the crusaders sitting next to the glass and honked my horn. When Mia saw my car, she nearly spat her drink. I laughed before parking the new car next to my original one and entered the cafe, taking a seat next to my girl and hugging her before kissing her on the cheek, unable to contain my joy at obtaining a new vehicle.

"Dude, where did you get that ride from?!" Alex asked.

"Are you buying cars behind our backs?" The king asked, chuckling at his joke. "I wanna drive it!"

"No, can I?" Alex asked.

I drank my drink before answering with a smug face. "Neither of you will drive this horseless carriage. 'Tis mine and mine alone. I'll put it away in my magic satchel before leaving. You're welcome to drive the sports car, though."

Zack sighed and gave up, but Alex didn't have it. "Dude! I wanna drive the new car! Come on, man! Please!" I couldn't help but laugh while drinking. In the end, we're not gonna drive for much longer, anyway. The journey is coming to an end, and there is nothing left to do but get to the oracle and ascend. I started to think about our journey and the friends we made along the way when a brilliant idea crossed my mind.

"Guys! I got a great idea. How about we call our friends to come with us?"

"What do you mean?" Zack asked before taking a sip of his drink.

Alex rested his head on the table and didn't bother answering me. Mia stared at me, blankly, unsure of what I mean. "Guys, come on! Zack, how about you get in touch with Jess, Trevor, and Ian?" Zack's eyes lit up at the mention of his friends he took his phone off airplane mode and called the blue-haired girl. "Tell them to bring swimwear, too."

"Mia, you get in touch with Kevin and Selena. Right now." Mia immediately took out her phone and went to text the two. "And you, gold arm boy. How about we..."

"... call Alpha-One?"

Alex's jerked upwards and shouted: "YES!"

"And I will call Rox... mmm, Rox." I licked my lips to tease Mia, who couldn't help but take a quick kiss on my lips, making me blink in puzzlement. Mia then wrapped her arms around me and kissed my neck as I messaged Rox and told her to call me.

"They got back to me, Justin!" Zack exclaimed. "They're in!"

Mia's phone vibrated on the table. I looked at it and saw that Kevin agreed to tag along, and Selena is more than eager to join us, as she joined Ethan's unit to aid him with her astonishing feline skills and hunting prowess. Mia grabbed me and pushed me against the glass window, taking my lips into hers. "I want you to be all mine tonight, okay?" Mia asked, gently moving her finger across my face as her eyes locked on mine. "That wolf-girl will have to fight for her turn."

"GUYS! AURORA SAID YES!" Alex exclaimed, making me place a hand on his mouth. I removed it after two seconds of silence from him. "She's also bringing her unit, too!" I watched as the expression on Mia's face changed. She grinned while asking Alex for the tablet.

"We're going on a yacht, right?" Mia asked Alex, who stared at his perverted friend with amazement, knowing where the conversation will go. "It will be too hot for their skinsuits, wouldn't it?"

"Oh, yes! It will be very hot! Very very hot! Very very, very hot!" Alex's zest reminded me of a puppy about to eat its favorite food. He grinned along with Mia like the perverts they are.

"Oh, hello, Mia!" Alpha-One greeted the demon girl.

Mia could not contain her excitement at seeing Aurora. "A1, I have a request. Remember when you went shopping? Well, we're gonna do the same thing! This time, however, we're gonna take your entire team!" Mia chuckled with enthusiasm, unable to contain her joy at asking the cyborg with lost memories.

"I don't see why not! We'll meet you once we're ready, okay?" A1 agreed to Mia's plan, making me sigh at my girl's ardor. But I could not help but love her joyous laugh that I haven't heard for a while.

My phone rang in my pocket. I answered it to hear Rox's voice once again. "Hey there, pretty boy. What's up?" The gorgeous girl asked. Hearing her voice made my heart pound faster and stronger.

"Hey, Rox. How are you? I'd like you to join me once again," I stated, my voice expressing the joy of speaking to her.

Mia leaned on my shoulder to listen in on the call. "What? Of course, I'll join you! Tell me where I can meet you, and I'll be there in a flash!" The demon crusader chuckled when hearing how ecstatic the knight was to hear of this request. I took another sip of my drink while listening to Rox. "I'm always at your service!"

I could not help but chuckle at her response. "We're meeting in a port in Oregon and going on a yacht to the island of Drakion Altiorem. It's time we meet the oracle." Rox was eager to join us, much like the rest of our friends. She told me to send her the location and that she'll prepare a ride there.

After leaving the cafe, we found rooms to stay while waiting for our friends to arrive at the location. Mia and I entered our room and readied the bed. As I was taking off my shirt, Mia pushed me against the bed and jumped on top of me, showering me with her love and embrace. I grabbed her gorgeous face and stared deeply into her breathtaking red eyes, getting lost in them. "I'm gonna spoil you all night, Justin. I want you to take me and indulge yourself in me for as long as you want. I want you to do me as much as you desire, okay?" My smile faded as I watched Mia's tears drop on me, and her voice cracks.

"Mia.."

"I... I don't want to forget you..." I pulled her in and embraced her in a hug as she cried on my chest, burying her face in it. "I... I... I don't want you to go..." I pulled her face towards mine and wiped her tears away before kissing her lips.

"Hey... Don't cry, okay? I don't want to go, either. But we both know I don't have a choice. I want you to live and see the sun every day and smile, knowing that we have saved the world. I can't stand seeing you cry over the world you love, can I?"

"What's the world without you in it? I've always looked at you and tried to keep it together. I can't let you go away. If you're gone, what will I do? I'll be forever alone." Tears did not stop falling from her red eyes. Her lips shook when she spoke, and the crack in her voice broke me. My chest started feeling heavy with all the sorrow I felt. "You're my world, Justin."

"You will not be alone, okay? You'll have Alex, Zack, Ethan, and everyone else around you. And I'll be watching over you, too. Whenever you feel alone, whenever you feel that everyone has abandoned you, look at the sky and know that I am there... and here." I placed my index finger over her heart. "I promise you. You'll never feel that I'm gone."

"Never."

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