It was the next day when Akio Stoneheart found herself helping the inhabitants of a small village board the large airship. Monty, herself and more Knights were placed under Holy Knight: Six Guns Zero for the evacuation of Zyran. This was her platoon's fourth stop in the past couple days.

Akio wondered the grounds of the village, helping stragglers and patrolling the area. Things were relatively quiet here. The village was far from Zyran's capital. It was surprising to the emerald haired knight that the place hadn't been destroyed by bandits or the like.

"Ma'am." Said a small child. She had dirt on her face and clothes. She held an old looking toy in her hand, tears flowed down her cheek. "My mommy isn't moving anymore. She won't say anything neither."

Akio guessed the worst.

"Show me where she is little one." She told the child.

The girl led the way to a small cottage. Like the others houses in the village, it wasn't much to look at. It was run down and made of wood instead of the chrome like material used for the houses closer to the capital.

Once inside, Akio saw an elderly woman laying on a bed, eyes closed. She could not see the heaving of her chest that indicated she was breathing. She checked her pulse to be sure. Akio suspected she died from some kind of illness. Being out this far from modern medicine was a frightening thing for those with low reserves of Lifeforce.

The Stoneheart turned to the young woman. "I'm sorry little one. You're mother has left the living."

The little girl face held confusion. Then it seemed as if understanding hit her hard. She began to cry and clutch her toy to her chest.

Akio knelt down and petted the girl's head. The girl looked into Akio's eyes, her own still overflowing with tears. Akio embraced the girl tightly, rubbing the back of her head. Comforting Kariah-Belle had given her the training she needed to be a shoulder to cry on. Aside from that, she still remembered the pain of losing her own family.

Nearly thirty minutes had passed and Akio was now sitting on the floor. Her back against a wall as she held the young child in her lap, rocking gentle. The child had stopped crying but Akio knew inside she was still hurting.

"Akio Stoneheart." Said a divine knight of her platoon. He looked at the lifeless body then to the young girl in Akio's arms. His face said he understood the situation. "We've gathered all the villagers. Captian Himeko wants us all on the airship in ten for the drop."

Akio nodded. The man nodded back before leaving.

The young woman looked down at the girl. "Say your good-byes." She told her.

The girl nodded. She then got up and went over to the corpse that was her mother. The girl said a silent prayer to the goddess of light then said a last goodbye while hugging the corpse.

She then went back to Akio. The little girl took her hand and the two left the small cottage. Akio wished she could give the woman a proper burial but there was no time. She squeezed the little girl's hand gently.

Akio decided no matter what she would see to it herself that this little girl was safe.

Hours went by as the airship flew through the sky. Out the window, Akio could see another airship beside them. Their had to be at least one hundred and fifty people on the ship each ship These ships were used for carrying an army of three hundred into battle so their was still plenty of room.

"Who'd have thought we'd meet another holy knight so soon." Monty said beside her. "Six Guns Zero no less. We get to work alonside so many big names. We must be lucky."

Akio turndced to him and saw the excitement in his eyes. Akio understood his emotion. He'd impressed, not only Van but Iris Eloclipes as well. If he could impress a third Holy knight then he would get more recognition. Earning himself a title and being that much more closer to moving to divine knight.

Akio knew she should be trying to impress but her mind was elsewhere. Her eyes scanned the ship's interior for the young child she had cradled before boarding. Her eyes landed on her freckled face.

If she was being honest, she was using her mission as a distraction to keep from thinking of Lax-Rim, Mae Lu and Riah. Now her mind had been filled with the thoughts of the child's future after today. Her life may never be the same.

It was then that Akio felt as if her stomach began to tie itself into knots.

An explosion shook the air.

Akio turned to look out the ships window before the back of their ship blew apart with a loud explosion.

She could feel the ship falling out of the sky and the wind tugging at her. She held tight to the nearest railing, her heart trying to climb out her throat.

"What the hell just happened?!" Monty shouted. Akio was wondering the same thing.

She watched as the divine knights sprung into action as the less experienced Knights and the villagers started to panic.

"Hey!!" Six Guns Zero shouted, demanding attention. "You're senior Knights will either slow or stop the ship! Have faith in your comerades!"

Akio took a deep breath as tge ship started to slow it's sudden descent.

"What did I tell you!" Captain Himeko boasted. "Our comrades are as capable as they come!"

Out the window Akio could see a few divine knights using wind craft to slow the descent of the ship. It was working well until something pierced through a Knights chest. Akio saw the knights surprised expression and what looked to be red spear.

She could see the other Knights screaming but couldn't make out what they were saying. Before she could grasp what was going on, the ship began plummeting. Everyone inside was being tossed and slammed to different parts of the ship.

The ship crashed into the sand. Akio's​ head slammed hard into the side of the craft. The blow had knocked her unconscious.

When she came too, her head was pounding and blood leaked from her forehead. Her vision was blurry as she looked around and saw the ship was in pieces, chunks and debris scattered in the sands. Some of which were on fire.

Passengers would have died during the land. Akio spotted Monty groaning some ways away. The girl heard yelling and screaming.

Then the sounds of battle.

Akio watched as a Darkness wearing a cybernetic suit pulled the head off a villagers neck.

Other Darkness soldiers attacked villagers from the sky, using streams of fire to torch them and cut them in half with wind craft.

Akio watched mortified as divine knights were sliced in half by a Champion. This one looked similar to the one she had faced days ago.

She continued to look around at the surrounding chaos, she counted three more Champions fighting multiple Divine Knights as well as Six Guns Zero. Even with the holy knight, things looked grim. With her and the Divine Knights fighting against the Champions, the Master Knights and Officer Knights that were left stood fought against a large number of lower class Darkness.

Akio became paralyzed with fear. She began to shake with dread when she saw a Master Knight lose an arm then her head.

Akio spotted the young girl from before hiding under a large piece of debris. She could see her silently crying as a Darkness foot soldier approached. It would be only a matter of time before it found her.

Akio's mind flashed back to the day bounty hunters attacked her family and fear invaded her mind.

She gritted her teeth.

Move! She told herself but the fear held her in place.

"Akio!" Monty shouted at her. He and another master knight were busy defending a small group of civilians. "Akio, do something!" He urged but she was too afraid.

Kyanè wasn't here with her. Monty wasn't able to cover her and she didn't trust the other Master Knights as they were just as afraid as she.

Akio knew she would die today. Die here without ever seeing Kariah-Belle or Mae Lu again. Without ever seeing Lax-Rim achieve his dream.

She trembled harder at the thought of dying. She wasn't ready to die. She could hear Monty shouting at her to get up but her mind went blank. She watched as the creature moved closer towards the girl's hiding spot.

"It's okay to be afraid." The memory of her sister sacrificing herself for her played in Akio's mind. "Everybody is afraid of something. However it's a knight's duty to risk everything for not only their dream but for those who depend on them. When you become a Knight you will understand one day."

Akio understood.

The image of a beaten Lax-Rim and Kariah-Belle stood defiantly in front of her.

"Move dammit!" She cried out at herself.

She bit into her lip hard, drawing blood and using the pain to snap herself out of her fear induced paralysis. Her emerald green mana hull flaring around her.

Just as the Darkness foot soldier threw the debris out of the way, Akios' glowing emerald scaled fist connected with the creature's face. Akio roared and a green explosion sent the creature tumbling along the sand.

"Atta girl!" Monty yelled after slicing a darkness foot-soldier in half with his scythe.

Akio got into a fighting stance. Her jade dagger in hand.

The creature got to its feet, shaking off her attack.

More of the creatures gathered. They looked at Akio with predatory eyes and the emerald haired knight felt a lump form in her throat.

A group would tear her to shreds. She fortified herself for the inevitable as the creatures rushed her. If her fate was death then she'd die fighting for those who couldn't fight for themselves.

Like her siblings and father.

The first of the creatures attacked her with fiery fists. She swayed as best she could but the creature was fast. It caught her with a kick that carried her off her feet. She tumbled along the sand before recovering, the mana around her scaled fist changing into a round shield that covered her forearm.

She barely had time to block when another of the creatures jabbed at her with a spear made of compressed wind. The force was so hard Akio was taken off her feet once more.

She felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on ends. She felt a burst of energy of unknown origin from her Mana hull boosting her reflexes and reaction speed to a level they'd never reached before.

She flipped backwards and twisted her body to avoid an incoming spear only to meet a mallet before she could land. She barely had time to use her shield to block. The force of the attack knocked her up into the sky.

The rush of energy she had recently soon faded as she was hit hard by the creature's mallet. Sending her higher into the sky and shattering her Mana shield.

What was that? She thought about the phenomenon she experienced only seconds ago.

She caught a glimpse of another of the creatures that flew at her with wings made of wind, ready to slam into her with a flaming fist. Their attacks were heavy. If things continued her hull would be destroyed sooner rather than later.

She braced herself as her mana shield formed around her arm.

Suddenly, a gust of wind pushed her upwards, allowing her to avoid the attack. Instinctively, she capitalised, spinning in the air before throwing her shield with a grunt at the creature.

The shield hit hard, sending the foot soldier crashing into a large piece of metal.

Akio didn't think it would kill him and before she had time to think of her next move, she was surrounded. The foot soldiers were posed to attack as they fell.

She tsked. Damn. I can't keep up.

Suddenly, twelve pillars of sand shot in various directions, forcing the foot soldiers to put up their guard as they were taken upwards.

Akio felt arms around her. Suddenly everything went dark then the world opened up around her as she landed on sand. In front of her stood a group of maybe twenty or so Knights, wearing cloaks with either the Officer or Master Knights' insignia.

"You're Akio Stoneheart, huh." Said one of the few master knights there, another Stoneheart "Were trying to hold things down here, keep the villagers safe while they try to escape. Uncle Ralphial speaks highly of you. So does Ianna."

It was then that Akio heard heavy breathing coming from behind her. Akio looked behind her to see the blond ivory skinned young woman. She smiled warmly at Akio. "My master tells me you went against these creatures and survived. Think you can do it again?"

"Here they come!" Another Knight warned.

"More on the way!" Shouted Monty.

Ianna helped Akio to her feet then pulled her signature dual shotguns from their holsters. "Okay! I'm ready!"

"Vissol! Jy! You and a few Officer knights round up as many villagers as you can! The rest of us will defend you!" The Stoneheart barked. "Move!"

Akio thought briefly and decided the current plan was the best course of action.

Akio created another shield made of Mana. "There's a young girl over there." She told the two who were to round up villagers. They nodded then took off in that direction.

"Akio!" Called Ianna. "Let's see how strong you've gotten!"

Akio nodded. The two sparred back in their university days. She knew how dangerous the biohuman's Limbo trait could be.

The knights roared as they met Darkness soldiers from above and on the ground. Akio jumped into battle, her mind focusing on the task at hand.

Ianna disappeared then reappeared seconds later behind a couple of Darkness soldiers, shooting a few of them with shells made of Mana. Her twin shotguns packed a punch but it wasn't enough to pierce their armor.

More foot soldiers came after spotting her. One lunged at her and she disappeared from this plane of existence then appeared over it's head. She aimed her two weapons and roared as a dense blast of Mana blew off half the creature's face.

She vanished just as a Darkness jabbed a spear where she had been seconds ago.

Akio lunged, jamming her dagger through the armor covering its neck. The blade didn't dig very deep and Akio released her grip to narrowly avoid an attack. Just then Ianna appeared on the things back. Flipping, she pulled the dagger free and tossed it to a lunging Akio before vanishing again.

Akio then jabbed the blade into the things chest before kicking it with as much force as she could muster into another of its comrades, the impact sending wind and sand everywhere.

Ianna appeared in front of them. Her twin guns at point blank range to the creature's chest. With another roar she fired a blast that burst through the first one's chest as well as the soldier behind it, killing them both.

She breathed heavier than before. Akio guessed it was from using her trait continuously in combination with her dense Mana cannons. Ianna understood these creatures were fast and they were outnumbered. Her trait could give them an edge, keeping them off balance if she played support.

Three Darkness lunged at Ianna. However Akio was busy keeping two Officer Knights from dying. Luckily the Monty was able to hold them off. Defending and leaving an opening for Ianna and other knights to attack.

Akio was knocked away and witnessed one of the knights she tried to defend get sliced clean in half, she stared at Akio before splitting into two chunks.

"Damn you!" She screamed as she got up and began her attack.

Minutes later Akio found herself panting. Ianna, Monty and maybe a dozen other Knights were in a tight circle. It was only a few of them left and the Darkness had separated the stronger of them. It wouldn't be long before more of the weaker knights were killed. Reinforcements would come and finish off the rest of them.

"A meaningful death." Ianna said looking back at the crowd of villagers rushing over dunes of sand.

"Almost hard to come to terms with." The other Monty said.

Akio tightened​ her grip on her dagger. Her mind again briefly replayed a scene from the first time she ever worked with Kariah-Belle and Lax-Rim. The day of the entrance exam.

Akio had been ready to forfeit. Kariah-Belle and Lax-Rim we're willing to risk their lives to get into Lyzaria.

"Why?!" Akio shouted. Her face was void of expression as she peered at the other girl who was a stranger at the time. "Why continue to fight a battle you can't win?"

Kariah-Belle glared at her. "It's not a matter of winning anymore." She had said. "Now it's a matter of how bad we want this!"

Akio let out a battle cry as the Darkness moved to attack. The knights yelled their defiance. They​ would not be killed without a fight.

The battle raged on for nearly two more minutes when Akio noticed there were less than fifteen Knights left. The enemy had at least thirty on their side. Death was impending.

Akio slammed into debris, her hull shattering upon impact. She got to her feet, groaning. She felt cold fingers grip her throat and lift her from the ground. She reformed her Mana hull then sent her fist for the Darkness soldier that held her but her attack was caught. The creature kneed her in the gut so hard saliva mixed with blood escaped her mouth. It then began pulling her arm, trying to yank it from the socket.

The knight screamed her defiance as she tried pulling against the creature. She pulled with all the might her Mana hull could give her but in the back of her mind she knew it was futile. She closed her eyes and yelled preparing herself for the inevitable.

Tears swelled her eyes as her defiant shout turned to screams of agony. Akio fell onto sand, clutching the bloody socket where her arm was snatched from her shoulder.

Her mana hull shattered once more as she continued to scream. She had never felt a pain like this before. It was pure anguish. She felt as though she would pass out but heard, 'Life support craft' float across her conscious mind and instinctively formed a weaker mana hull to dull the pain.

The injured Stoneheart looked at the creature staring down at her with glee, ravishing in her pain.

Akio simply stared with a blank expression through her teary eyes. She had no more fight left in her. The life support craft was all she could manage.

"Well?" She provoked, accepting her fate.

The beast moved and Akio closed her eyes to await death.

One second.

Two seconds.

Three.

She felt nothing but the beating of her own heart.

I'm still alive?

She opened her eyes to see her old professor a few yards away ripping the Darkness in half using two large iron hands. He turned to her after quickly dispatching multiple foot soldiers.

"You've done well." He had said, pride could be seen in his smile and heard in his voice. "Catch your breath for now, Emerald Flower."

"Emerald Flower?" She asked herself?

"It's what our superior​s have been calling you since your face off with the Champion back in Kartrina." Said a familiar voice from beside her. "Queen Ahmeal came up with titles for you and Monty. I'm not surprised you earned a title in less than a year. You're a genius, babe."

She turned to see Lax-Rim standing beside her, his hand outstretched to help her stand. His goofy grin that said he was happy to see her alive spread across his face.

"How-" Akio began but Lax-Rim answered.

"Before the crash the pilot radioed the closest aircraft. We came as fast as we could."

It was only then that Akio noticed the tide had turned. Now it was the Darkness who were outnumbered as more Knights arrived.

"Lady Himeko!" Akio remembered.