“We’re not killing any humans.” The very sentence that sent a certain chill within everyone. Jun, the master of the three kitsunes and most likely the strongest here, bluntly said this in response to Commander Nathan’s plan.

A plan to use an offensive formation against the castle walls of Baricka, slaughter the soldiers on the walls, occupy the walls as fast as possible, push towards the churches and take the civilians hostage against the max adventurers, that are estimated to arrive in three days.

Everyone turns to Jun, who seems displeased with the plan Commander Nathan had displayed to us. Commander Nathan himself seems ultimately shocked by Jun’s disagreement with his plan. It was a short moment, of course, that everyone stared at Jun’s sudden interruption until Nathan, a demi-human with wolf features, questions, “What do you mean, Master Jun?”

“Did my response confuse you, Commander Nathan? I said it and will repeat it. We’re not killing any humans.” Nathan slams one of his hands against the war map, most likely frustrated about Jun’s sudden sentence.

“Then what is the point of this war! Our goal is to save the people enslaved by these greedy-”

“Indeed, our goal is to save the enslaved. We shouldn’t add side goals that involve more blood being spilled in this beautiful land.”

“How are we supposed to do so!? This is war, Jun. We can’t save the people without blood being spilled! Sacrifices have to be made! Like it or not, this is an invasion we can’t do without bloodshed!”

“Then do you perhaps want to become the very things the humans think of us?”

“What do you mean by that, Master Jun?”

“The humans think of us as savage, unintellectual beings meant to be enslaved and hated for many reasons. Reasons that are inhumane and thought up by others who want nothing but power. The people in Baricka are maybe following these reasons, but it doesn’t mean many should be killed for following these beliefs.”

“What!?” Absolute hatred is heard within Nathan’s voice. “Are you saying we shouldn’t kill them? They deserve to be killed! So many of our people were killed and enslaved due to do this very town!”

“So? They are blind sheep, Nathan. Sheep who are unintentionally following the wolf that is slowly feasting on them. Right now, the wolf is on its last prey. Don’t you get it, Nathan? We are the last prey. We are blindly following the tune the wolf wants us to hear. To turn us into monsters it envisions us to be. Once we accomplish your plans, we’ll be seen throughout the entirety of Olimpia as nothing but savages.”

“For saving our people? How are we going to be seen as savages instead of saviors?”

“They have their way, Nathan. The ones who desire power are already far up the food chain. Once they lie about us, many blind sheep are simply going to follow. It will not only harm demi-people from different regions and countries, but it will also harm the entirety of how people of many races see demi-people.”

Nathan, who was enraged, calms himself then looks at Jun, “Then tell us, Master Jun, what do we do? From the sound of your answers, I believe you have a plan for us, right?” He says this as he sits back in his usual spot and concentrates his sight towards Jun, already standing next to the war map.

“It is simple,” Jun smiles, “We draw their gaze towards something more interesting, then do many things without them realizing.”

“Ah hah!” Commander Ithan speaks up, already seeing what Jun meant. “So we simply set off some fireworks while sending a special team to retrieve the stolen goods!”

“You catch on quickly, Commander Ithan,” Jun says, impressed. “I can see why many people have their eyes on you.”

“It’s nothing! I’m simply adding detail for more people to understand!”

“Now the question is,” Jun continues, “who are these special team members going to be?”

Nisuki stands and speaks, “I volunteer.”

“No, Nisuki. You and Aruko are to stay hidden. We don’t know where or when unknown elements are going to appear.”

“Is this due to your eyes, Jun?”

“Yes, I’ve seen visions. To put it simply,” Jun looks up at Kin, “Kin, during this battle, you will die.”

Kin's eyes widen, then he stands, “What do you mean I will die?”

“Unless something is done, you will die at the hands of a strong opponent.”

“Then what am I supposed to do?”

“Stay here. If you do, no one will harm you.”

Kin clenches his fist, “So I stay here… and do nothing?”

Jun nods, but the moment she does, Kin starts walking towards the exit.

Nisuki follows suit, “Kin wai-”

“Nisuki.” Nisuki turns to Jun, who gives a face saying, don’t. And before Nisuki could do anything else, Kin had already left the tent.

Many years ago...

“Wow, Natsumi! You’re so strong!” A six-year-old golden kitsune named Kin says with a wide smile.

“Am I now?” A white ear and tailed kitsune named Natsumi responds, smiling as well.

The two walk up steps to a temple at the top of the mountain, where all their fellow kitsunes reside. They both smile and laugh as they talk about things they did during their training with Nisuki.

“Kin, you really did well out there. You were able to catch up with me just by sheer speed alone and at such a young age! ” Natsumi pats Kin in the back, but Kin doesn’t seem happy after hearing the compliment.

“That’s because I’ve only focused on training my body. No matter what I did, I couldn’t train my spiritual powers like you, Natsumi. I’m such a failure….” Then all of a sudden, tears begin to crawl out of Kin’s eyes. “No matter what I did, I can’t do a simple thing like lifting a feather with my powers. I’ll never be a good student….” Natsumi immediately pulls Kin’s left cheek.

“Ow! What was that fo-” But before Kin can finish his sentence, Natsumi hugs Kin out of nowhere. Kin almost trips due to this surprising hug but keeps his balance. He pauses for a moment until hugging back the thirteen-year-old Natsumi. The two let go a moment later, and Natsumi looks at Kin with a sad smile.

“Don’t ever think like that again, ok, Kin? You’re more courageous than any of us. Even if the other kitsunes bully you for having weak spiritual powers, you do things none of us can do. So focus on your training. One day, you will be stronger than any of us.”

Kin wipes the tears off his eyes, then looks up at Natsumi with a bright smile. “Thank you, Natsumi!”

Natsumi pats Kin on the head and stands up. “Come on! I bet Aruko is waiting for you at the temple!”

“Yeah! Let's go!”

The two kitsunes run up the stone steps as quickly as possible to reach their home.

Main Perspective:

“Kin! You awake!?” I yell at Kin, who is lying down next to a tree at the top of a hill. Kin stretches and looks at me with tired eyes.

“How long have I been asleep?”

“For three hours, Aruko and Nisuki came up here to check if you were fine, but after they found out that you were asleep, they left you here in my care.” As I say this, I sit next to him. Then, we both stare down at the large campsite, where everyone is rushing around.

“So, how long until the invasion begins?” Kin asks, most likely out of curiosity.

“In two days. I’m supposed to go back to Baricka and scout around later. To see if the max adventurers come here earlier than expected.”

“Do I have anything to do?”

“Nothing. Jun didn’t really mention you after you left.”

“So I really am useless at this point, aren’t I?” I turn to Kin saying this, only to see him looking depressed.

“Kin, are you ok? You seem… really down.”

“I-I’m ok. It’s just that… ever since Natsumi had been placed with a curse, I’ve been useless.”

“Natsumi?”

“She’s a friend of mine. She was always there to cheer me up when I felt down. Every time I get bullied by the other kitsunes for having weak spiritual powers, she would jump them and tell them never to bully me again.”

“She sounds like a wonderful person.”

“Yeah… she is. You want to know something funny?” I look at him with curiosity.

“What is it?”

“I actually proposed to her even when she is seven years older than me. Funny, right? How can a boy marry a girl who is way older in age? I even asked her parents if I could marry her, but all they did was give me weird looks.”

“That doesn’t sound funny at all. It sounds,” Kin turns his head to me, who is looking up at the sunny skies, “very courageous. You really did love her, didn’t you.”

“Even now, I still love her. After all, she has done for me. It has gotten to a point where I couldn’t live without her. If she didn’t exist in this world, I wouldn’t be alive at this point.”

“Then why hesitate to marry her now?”

“It’s just that….” Kin hesitates for a moment as he stares down at his hands until finally saying, “how can someone as giftless as me marry her? A girl with so many gifts, friends, talents… how can someone like me marry such an amazing person?”

“That’s not true.” Kin quickly turns to me, who is smiling at him. “Everyone has a gift. Even if it isn’t noticeable, it still is one. If you haven’t found yours yet, it will come sooner or later. You just need to keep looking.”

“And what if I find that gift? What happens if that one simple gift is next to useless? I don’t want to drag her down simply because of how giftless I am….”

“But you love her, don’t you?”

“Y-yeah, I do.”

“What did she do when she heard about your proposal?”

“All she did… was just pinch me on the cheek and smile….”

“What do you think she’s trying to say with those two actions?”

“...I don’t really know.”

“Then let me tell you what I think she meant.” Kin looks at me curiously. I stand up and look down at Kin… and say out loud, “She loves you with all her heart.”

Kin freezes and keeps his gaze up at me. At the same time, his face turns red.

However, I wasn’t done. “But it wasn’t time for either of you. You both have a duty ahead and can’t love each other until those duties are done. So Kin,” I take a small moment to think of the last thing she would most likely say… until finally, “Keep on fighting. Keep on trying to reach your goals until you finally touch them. She will be waiting for you once you’ve accomplished everything you set out to do.”

I breathed in and out as I finished my prediction of what Natsumi could have thought at that moment. I do this for a while until hearing sobbing from Kin. I smile down at him as he seems to be crying his soul out.

I don’t blame him.

Charles used to do this when he would see me crying because of how useless I thought I was back then. I couldn’t help anyone in Lexigon from when I was still a very young child. I didn’t know what to do most of the time, and it often made things harder for everyone. All I wanted was to help everyone.

When I would cry after failing what I was meant to do in the past, Charles would often give me a big hug and tell me it was alright.

I still remember everything he had told me before, and it had kept me going all the way up till now. This is the same for Kin. He will continue to be embraced by many others and will one day rise as someone more significant than his past self. So all he needs to do now is reflect on himself and become someone he is meant to be one day. Someone with a bigger purpose than before.

I stand up and begin walking, leaving the sobbing Kin to himself to let him evolve into someone better.

But as I do this, however...

The One Who Edifies

Description: Help a person become a better person!

Requirement: Help another person edify and become someone better than their past self!

Charisma +10

…End me.

“I see you’re almost ready, Aden.” I turn my body and gaze behind me to see Jun smiling.

“Yeah, you need something?” I respond as I look at my equipment, making sure I have everything.

In the same tent I’ve slept in, I have nearly finished preparing myself to go back to Baricka. All I am doing now is looking upon my now standard sword that shines as if brand-new. However, as I do, Jun stands at the entrance, holding a necklace in one of her hands.

“Yes, I have a gift for you.”

“A gift? What is it?” Jun walks up to me and hands me a necklace. The necklace didn’t seem to look unique. It has some thick white string and some kind of black metal hanging on it.

I look at it confusingly, “Looks… normal. What does it do?”

“It’s just a normal necklace I’ve made for you. You like it?”

“It’s nice!” I put the necklace around my neck, “It fits nicely! Thanks, Jun!” Jun smiles in return for my thankful response.

I look down on the necklace that hangs off my neck, then hide it within my red cloak, which Nisuki gave me to wear over my beginner clothing. I put my red hood up and began walking towards the entrance. I look upon Jun and make a bright smile. “I’m off, Jun! Tell Aruko, Nisuki, Kin, and everyone else I’m thankful for welcoming me here!”

“I will. Be careful out there, Aden.” I put my usual mask on and walked out of the tent.

“Morph.” My legs change to scally red. Then I sprint off towards my location.

Unseen Things:

Jun stands in place for a moment until saying out loud, “Stop hiding. Your precious toy isn’t here anymore, Lilith.” Jun bluntly says.

Lilith appears a few steps behind her as if phasing into existence. Lilith giggles, “I see there is no hiding from you. As expected from the women who can even sense the Grand Guardian Assassin.”

“Stop with the compliments. Tell me why you are here, you vile torturer.” Jun’s voice slowly turns into that of a frustrated character.

“I came to see if your eyes could truly see the fate of others,” Lilith menacingly smiles, “I see that it’s true.”

“Is that all you came here to seek? If so, then I suggest you-”

“No, I also came to tell you not to worry about Aden. He’s under my care.” Lilith precedes to walk past Jun then stand in front of her. “...Thank you for giving that necklace to Aden. I didn’t have the materials to make it. To keep Aden safe from… her.”

“Of course. I care for Aden as well. A boy like him will most likely change the world….”

“Are you sure about this?”

“About?”

“Leaving him to me. Doesn’t Aden remind you of him?”

“So you’ve noticed.”

“Of course, I wouldn’t allow a name like Haraldson past me. The famous blood moon user that's said to be the strongest Grandmaster out of all generations and even fell in love with-”

“It’s best not dwell any further. He had betrayed his clan and had paid the price for it. Along with...”

“I see you still love her.”

“I do. She has taught me everything I needed to know. It is due to that teaching that I’m alive today.”

“Then aren’t you going to take him under your wing? Aden is the child of both of them. Wouldn’t it be better to take him yourself?”

“Even if I tried, you’ll get in my way.” Lilith giggles once more, seeing that tricking her isn’t as easy as it looks.

“Impossible to trick you as usual. Really difficult to make friends, isn’t it?”

“Enough of your sadistic seek of pleasure. Aren’t you going to care for Aden? He’s about to reach her range of detection.”

“Oh my, how clumsy of me.” Lilith turns around and goes to the exit. “However, don’t worry….” And when Lilith passes through the entrance of the tent, “I’ll make sure Yami doesn't take Aden from us.” After that, Lilith vanishes without a trace.

Jun sighs as she is finally left alone. She then steps out as well and looks up at the sky. She smiles, “Your son grew up to be such a kind person… just like you, Diana.” Jun vanishes to prepare for the upcoming battle... and the swift arrival of the max adventurers.

Main Perspective:

“They are here! The max-level adventurers!” You can hear the cheers of many throughout the city. Cheers to that of hope and great expectations. However, this didn’t sound like good news for me.

I stand within the cheering crowd, hiding as I look above and see six huge griffins slowly descending to the ground.

The crowd in the middle spread out to give room for the griffins to land in the middle of this shopping center.

I watch quietly as the griffins make a soft landing and the adventurers getting off them. All of them have their own individual looks and weapons. However, the moment a certain adventurer sets their feet on the ground, my whole body is filled with a feeling that is now too recognizable, dread.

Congratulations! Your Natural Sense has ranked up to Rank A! +3 PER

The young woman with a weapon just as long as her body stands in place. She slowly looks at her surroundings. She continues to gaze around this flourishing city until she sets gaze on me.

My whole body at that moment told me to run, but at the same time, if I did, I knew I wouldn’t be able to escape her. As her very being told me, you have nowhere to hide from me.

I stand in place. The crowd in the woman's way disperse, trying to make no physical contact with her. She keeps on walking until standing in front of me and looking down with a cold gaze. I stare back at her blood-colored eyes in terror, but at the same time, I try to keep my composure and stand my ground.

We both look at each other for a short moment until she kneels in front and me and makes a smile. She puts one of her hands on my shoulder and says, “What a talented warrior you are. I can feel that you've already been through a lot. If only you had the same eyes as me….” I didn’t respond. Instead, I continue to stand still and try to hide all this terror inside of me. All the terror that keeps on telling me to run.

“T-thank you,” I respond to her compliment, trying to make it seem like I’m nervous of her instead of fearful.

“If you want, I can take you as my student. My clan will welcome a child of your talents.”

“S-sorry,” I apologize, “but I still have so much to learn. I still want to be an adventurer and explore this world. I…” I pause for a moment until finally saying, “I want to become strong my own way.”

The beautiful woman looks at my response in shock. She smiles a moment later, however, then stands and wanders off to the other adventurers.

Under her breathe, I hear, “You’re just like Philian….”

Aden's Stats:

Aden Haraldson:

Race Currently: Dragonborn

Age: 13 Years Old

Guild: None

Classes Currently:

Draconic Warrior (Level 7)

Vital Currently:

HP: 1107.5

Rage: 100

Stamina: 1057.5

Stat Currently:

Strength: 148 Intelligence: 90

Dexterity: 131 Agility: 138

Perception: 132 Endurance: 150

Willpower: 96 Faith: 0

Charisma: 870 Luck: 233

Skills and Masteries:

Draconic Heavy Swing: (Rank B)

Sword Mastery: (Rank 9)

Critical Mastery: (Rank F)

Evasion: (Rank A)

Blood Moon Arts: (Rank 7)

Parry: (Rank B)

Block: (Rank B)

Create Campfire: (Rank B)

Natural Armor: (Rank A)

Natural Senses: (Rank A)

Morph: (Rank 9)

Morph Overtake: (Rank F)

Natural Instincts: (Rank A)