“This is… all… your… fa… fault”

“What..” Ken couldn't grasp what he meant. How could this be his fault? He wondered. But he couldn't get an answer. The villager died in Ken’s hands. Ken saw horror in front of him. Human cries replaced the villagers' scream. Cries he remembered so well 5 years ago. He stood up, rushing toward the chief’s home. One villager was slowly crawling out of his home, trying to escape the fire. His rooftop was unstable, ready to collapse at any moment. He desperately tried to move out of the way before the roof fell on top of him. Before it did, Ken swoop in with his power and grabbed him to safety.

“You!!!” the villager said with a grim voice.

“Are you alright? Is everyone ok?!”

“Let me go, you monster!” he wrestled out of ken’s grasp.

“Hey wait don’t” this distracted Ken’s swinging as he hit a wall. Ken immediately shook his head, trying to get rid of the dizziness. He noticed the villager had fallen to the ground, his legs crushed by the debris. But he wouldn't accept Ken’s help. What had happened in just an hour that made these people resent him so much. Ken didn't know what to do. All he could think about was Lola and Liam’s safety. He zipped at the top of a burning building, trying to get a better view of the scenario. But it was all for nothing. The smoke created by the flames clouded the already cloudy village. Some villagers could be seen fleeing out of the village while others were screaming for help. Ken noticed the big house at the corner of the village. He jumped towards it, sliding inside a burned building as he parkoured himself out of the other side. Suddenly, a recognizable scream echoed in his ear.

“Liam…” he murmured to himself.

Liam’s back was against the wall. Flames everywhere.

“No… no… I can’t die now… not until… not until I…”

Ken crashed from the top.

“Ken…” Liam uttered.

He grabbed Liam and jumped out of the house before it collapsed. Liam was coughing because of the lack of oxygen. His hands were barely moving. It was to be expected from a child like him.

“Are you alright? Where is Lola…”

“The gate…” Liam could only whisper those words. Ken only needed that bit of information. After putting down Liam at a safe location, he jumped back in. Using his shield like a battering ram, he dashed across the entire village without stopping.

In the mountain tops, inside Kuro’s building, Kuro poured himself a drink. The 4 of his most powerful men were beside him. Vigle, his trusted right-hand man, Vik, the 6 handed swordsman, Gorger the Madpig, Hugo the red wolf.

“Well, I guess that was one heck of a show, don’t you think so, old man?” Kuro said with a grin to Kalo. Kalo was almost unconscious as his body was tied against the wall with steel shackles.

“You think… you will survive after what you did?” Kalo uttered.

“Survive? Me?” Kuro gave a sarcastic remark.

“Oh, you don’t have to worry about that.” he took a huge sip and let out a loud noise of satisfaction.

“Man, I love lemonade. You know. This could have all been avoided if you just told me the location of the sword artifact.”

“Heh… I know your type the most. You would have killed us either way. After 2 years of mining every location, you realized that the only place you never checked properly was the place you keep your slaves in?”

Kuro felt a bit of a jolt as Kalo caught up on his act.

“Not to mention pressure from your superior and a sudden arrival of a foreign species made you desperate. You think burning the village and blaming those outlaws would be enough? The cycle of hate continues to shift toward the one who started. And that is why you will be punished!”

Kuro broke his glass because of the sheer anger he felt. He punched Kalo in the face as blood spat out from his mouth and a crack formed in the wall behind him.

“You talk a lot about a guy who will die soon.”

“Hehe. I was always ready to die for my people. And now that you finally crossed the line… perhaps maybe I should give a brief story”

“Huh?”

“You see… there once was a great warrior in this Velmor galaxy. His skills with his sword were second next to none. People feared him, some even worshiped him. Not because of the man himself, but the weapon he possessed. Legends say his sword was powerful enough to cut hell itself apart. But like all legends, this also came to an end. Old age, excessive use of life span, who knows what made his demise? But it was said that before his death he plunged his sword inside a stone. That stone soon was labeled hearthstone. By the vast power the sword possessed, the gravitational pull of the stone increased, forming this minor planet known as Poluto. It gave life to this rock filled wasteland.”

Sora heard the voice and walked towards it.

Come to me…

Miku spirited behind trying to catch up to him. Back in Kuro’s lair, Kalo kept on saying,

“You thought that disguising yourself as mining workers you could slip past the entire world's attention and find this sword, didn't you? You even killed my son thinking he had the key location to where your artifact is?”

Kuro could say nothing back. Kalo was spitting facts, one after another. There was no need to go on with the false pretense Kuro had.

“My son had a map. He told me to entrust it to a person he deemed worthy enough to save our village. But I'm not such a nice person. I opened the box for myself and followed the map. That's when I soon found myself at a dead end.”

“Huh?”

“I first thought, was there more to it that my son saw? Maybe he gave a false map? But then I realized it.”

Sora reached a dead end. But the voice echoed behind what seemed to be a dead end. Using his other sword, he sliced the rock in half. There was another cave inside it. The cave was filled to the brim with hearthstones everywhere.

“I realized what my son meant.”

Sora strolled inside. Walking past those mountains of heart stones of different colors.

“The ones who will save us are not the ones who find this map. They are the ones that the sword chooses!”

In the corner of the cave lay a huge rock, where small dims of light were penetrating from the top. Inside the rock was a golden sword stuck deep within it. Sora looked at the sword with wonder.

“Whoever finds that place and wields that sword”

Sora gripped the sword.

“If thee be worthy, shall possess…”

He pulled the sword out of the rock with one powerful pull.

“The Power of Ashura!”

A beam of light dashed right upwards to the top. The light finally reached the top and bursted out of the well in the center of the village. Kuro and the others looked behind their window. The light was powerful enough to split the polluted dark clouds apart. The sun was shining after almost two years.

“Is that?” Vik gasped, feeling the surge of Meto that was pouring out of the village.

A small smirk could be seen in Kalo’s almost unconscious body. The wave was strong enough to extinguish the fire that was set on the village.

“It can’t be… someone found it…” Kuro said.

Suddenly, Kalo let out a laugh.

“You sure you should be only worrying about that?”

They all looked back at Kalo, confused and afraid of what he was about to say next.

“You’re biggest mistake was to kill someone you shouldn't have.”

Ken dashed towards the gate. He looked all around, trying to find Lola.

“Lola!” He shouted. Suddenly, he noticed small animals gathered around in the middle. He immediately jumped towards it.

“The one thing about kind-hearted people is that they hold back because they have things they want to protect and…”

Seeing Ken, the small animals scattered away. As they flew away, Ken could see what was lying on the ground more clearly. His mind was about to go blank. His heartbeat was burgeoning. The Emerald in his chest was glowing rapidly. Lola’s dead body was on the ground as blood was flowing out all around her. Bite marks on her face and body.

“And if you take that away, all that will be left… is a monster“