"Well, yes, of course you did. You, me, Jayden, Nags, Joseph and Mason all received an award from the general for our efforts and contribution. However, you weren't there to receive your reward so I came here to personally hand-deliver it to you! Congratulations kid! You risked your life and stalled them just in time for us to arrive, even when you didn't know reinforcements were even coming! You deserve it!"

High General Ryker spoke with a smile, and looked about to pull something out of his pockets, yet all that Moby was able to hear was a staticky mess in his still broken and grieving mind.

'Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck!'

He had already made it more than clear to everyone that he was the demon lord's successor the second he used his eyes of sin at the Griffith family mansion, a card that he now realized that he should have never revealed.

If that shalker idiot Vilanova and her lord were able to identify him simply from that alone, what said that others couldn't either? And with his popularity on the rise, he had just made the massive target on his back even larger…

Although it was a product of extreme luck, he was attacked and nearly abducted a few days after he revealed his eyes of sin, meaning that trouble might be lurking at every corner since he was now most likely known worldwide for his achievement, now a magnet for all kinds of troubles, putting everyone around him at risk once more… A—

"Kane? Kane? Are you still with me?! KANE!"

"Hah! W-wa—yeah, sorry, I was just thinking,"

"Um… General, by any chance, did they release this story on national television? Maybe it would be nice if they kept my identity a secret since they don't want the shalkers putting a target on a student like me right? You know, so I'm protected... Right? "

"Are you kidding me? Well, of course, you are on the news! What do you expect? Possible war on the horizon and a brave young man risked his life to stall for reinforcements! It's a story any news outlet would pounce on! But don't worry kid! I'm sure you'll be fine! There's nothing to fear! I bet the story is being aired right now too— Oh! Just in time! Look!"

Reaching out with a plant-like energy vein, Ryker turned on the TV inside the hospital room with a simple click of a button.

*Wasn't it amazing! Just look at him right here! And he grew so much stronger in only a few days! This footage is from an earlier fight at the Griffith family mansion a few days ago, and since then his power had grown night and day!*

*Yes Johnson, his moves and skills are truly out of the ordinary. The Hero! Moby Kane, the boy genius rumoured to be the next pillar of power, possibly even justice for humanity as he displayed his extreme prowess, determination, and love for his people that he risked his life fought off what we now analyze as a shalker far beyond the X rank, one with even an ability! He is now in the hospital in critical condition, doctors unsure if he will ever wake up...*

*Derris, and you have to remember, this boy was completely abilityless only a few weeks prior, and now he had reached such strength in only the span of a week or so! This growth is unprecedented! At this rate, he might as well wipe out the entire shalker force all by himself!*

*Oh John! Even at dire times like these you still keep your sense of humour! One thing is for sure though! He will be definitely attending Elite School!*

*Speaking of his ability—there was heavy mystery surrounding it as it was unseen before. His glowing purple eyes and unknown energy are quite unique, their powers still unknown to even ourselves. If he agrees to have his ability replicated, it might be a great boost to the power of the next generation or maybe of the abilityless population since war might be around the corner…*

*We have yet to receive any statement from the government or military about the shalker's response was to abducting and torturing students on human territory. We are just as in the dark as you are but we will update you as soon as we receive a response. This could be the last few days of peace left for us…*

*In other news, former General, now High General Ryker formerly accused of—*

"Stop it… I've seen enough…"

Moby looked at the TV above with open eyes, his face pale as a ghost almost like he had just witnessed his worst nightmare…

'Me!? Hero?! The future pillar of hope and power? They're just trying to calm the masses and give them false motivation… A common media tactic, but a tactic that will fuck me over… Will they now try to forcefully experiment on me?! Will they try and clone my ability into crystals? Will they—'

His mind was in such turmoil with grim possibilities of the future. However, just like every other time in his life, he had to force all those thoughts away to the back of his mind, and try his best to seem natural…

"Are you sure you don't want to listen to the rest? They were just about to get to the good part,"

"No, don't worry, it's okay, I get the gist of what's happening… But why would the military share this information with the public? Wouldn't it insight widespread panic?"

"In reality, we had already received a response from the shalkers that was rather good. Nevertheless, the tension between our 2 races has never been like this in a long time… The media and military was just showing the world that war is still a reality and it was not the time to relax and live in blissful ignorance,"

"I-I see… I would like to know more about the details later if possible, but for now, my top priority is to check up on Abby…"

"Big brother… Are you okay? I still think you need some rest. I'm sure you're girlfriend will come to visit you very soon. You don't need to go see her,"

"Don't worry Hikari I-I'm fine, this pain is nothing, I'll get used to it quickly,"

He patted Hikari on the head, making her cheeks go slightly rosy as she watched him struggle to get out of bed.

*Argh*

He grunted, struggling to move yet still managing to force himself to walk at a decent pace.

"Kane! Wait! Before you leave! I would like you to have this!"

Ryker called out, handing Moby a bright red, low-grade storage ring.

"What is it?"

"Why, this is your reward of course! You started asking questions before I even got the chance to give it to you!"

Moby looked at the general with a serious stare and accepted the ring from his hands.

"Hmmm?"

"Why can't I open it?"

"Oh, It's going to need your student ID to open, not even I know what's in it. It's just an extra security measure just in case,"

"Hmm, I see,"

Moby nodded in acknowledgement, putting the ring in his hospital robe, extremely curious at what could be held inside of it that would warrant such security measures.

"Oh! And before you go. I don't think you actually have any way to get in or contact the Griffiths. For now, they had shut down all communications. I have a few men waiting outside that could escort you there. Don't overexert yourself, you just woke up and you've been through hell of a lot kid…"

Ryker took a small pause, walking up to the door and opening it for Moby to leave, a gesture Moby never thought the general himself would ever do.

"Well, me and Hikari will have to go now to check up on the other soldiers that are in the other room. This might be the last time you two see each other for a long time so say your goodbyes now before it's too late,"

Hikari slowly approached Moby who was leaning on the wall, slowly and nervously before giving him a tender hug, her mouth tightly pressed onto his chest, which did not allow him to see what was hidden under the cloth of her clothing, like she was purposely trying to hide her mouth which greatly intrigued him.

"Thanks for everything big brother, I wouldn't be here without you. It was fun while it lasted… I hope we meet again soon…"

"Yeah, I hope we meet again very soon too Hikari, goodbye for now!"

He patted her on the head once more, before a sudden sound was heard.

"Come on Hikari! Are you coming?"

"Y-yes sir! Sorry!"

She quickly turned around, not letting Moby get a chance to take a peek as she followed behind the general, waving at him with a mellow expression, which disappointed him to some degree yet did not let linger for long as he knew he had far more pertinent things to worry about, a flash of Alex's face and death popping into his mind once again as he felt his entire mind and body shudder in absolute agony.

"Come here son, the general told us to escort you to the Griffith family mansion. Please follow us…"

Abruptly interrupting him and forcing him to go back to normal, he heard a voice from behind him, military men in all black spoke, making Moby look back at them and nod.

"Yes sir..."