1 week following Pyron's defeat, Crystal City
Kevin's eyes slowly fluttered open. At first, everything was a blur - the quiet room split before his eyes, turning a single row of cabinets along the walls into three overlapping images. A gentle warmth surrounded him as his senses returned. A familiar presence thrived behind the wooden door. The door trembled with two slight knocks, creaking open as Samantha's ice-cold scent entered the room. Her eyes dilated at the sight of Kevin, his back perched against the wooden headboard. "Kevin, you're finally awake!"
Samantha's relief carried through her voice, growing closer as she rushed to Kevin's bedside. Sunlight streamed through the window as their eyes met, brushing their skin with a bellowing warmth. "G'mornin," Kevin mumbled, sliding his arms across the pale walls.
Samantha's quiet expression trembled at Kevin's straightforward tone. "I was certain you would see my face again," she replied, digging her fingers into Kevin's sunlit blanket. "In the week you were asleep, a whole lot happened regarding your performance in Rufala."
"Wait," Kevin interrupted, a moment of realization hammering into his mind. "I've been out for… A WEEK?"
"I shouldn't be surprised," Samantha replied with a playful chuckle. "Sleeping long periods after hard fights is something you always do. Gerald tends to get a ton of rest as well, but he doesn't get near as much…" The mention of Gerald's name sent a sudden wave of guilt through Kevin. "Samantha, do you know wher-"
"About thirty minutes ago, I asked Vinnie to search for Gerald around the city. Victor summoned us to the office earlier this morning, asking him for a recap on everything that went down." In an instant, Samantha's solemn frown faded as she turned back towards Kevin. "I'm proud of you both for everything you've done."
Responding to Samantha's affection with a beaming smile, Kevin shifted his head towards the sunlit window. "Thanks Samantha, that means a lot to me." His smile slowly faded as his thoughts returned to the flame-blanketed outskirts of Rufala. "Even so… I couldn't have done it without everyone else."
Samantha tilted her head. "Everyone else?"
"Kaelan, Forrest, Xavier, Itama, Stephanie… All of them contributed to our progression despite not being entity hunters. Without their help, I don't think we would've made it back from Nahata's coast…" Samantha wrapped her arm over Kevin's shoulder, the cold in her body restraining his surging warmth. "Helping each other no matter the cost; that is the quality of a true friend. The words you said when we first met left a lasting impact on the friends you've made, Kevin."
Kevin's lips parted, but no words came out - just a short exhale that wavered through the air. "But Gerald. After we used Cytron Blast, his flames-"
"He told me it was the only way to defeat Pyron," Samantha restrained Kevin's guilt. "You taught me that being an entity hunter isn't all about having flashy powers - it's about having courage, the will to protect, and enough resolve to grow from tragic events. In this world, powers aren't the only thing that define strength." Kevin froze at Samantha's words, the weight in his heart lifting with a deep, concentrated exhale. "You're right, Samantha." His gaze rose from the white bedsheets, meeting Samantha's with a bright flicker. "Let's go meet up with everyone else. No matter the cost, we have to keep moving forward."
—
In the heart of Crystal City thrives Crystal City Community Park, widely known as a hangout place for city locals and tourists. Vinnie walked along the grass-lined pathway where a steady flow of smiling families, afternoon joggers, and off-duty hunters passed through. Examining the talkative pedestrians as she walked further, the sun's warming rays emerged from under Crystal City's towering buildings. Her light-blue fleece blew alongside the wind's gentle hums as her long, dark hair rose, spreading softly across her rounded shoulders. Her gaze swung towards a tall, oak tree secluded from the bustling path, noticing Gerald slumped against the dense, uneven bark. In a heartbeat, her route flew off the trail, approaching her friend in a nearly-frantic motion. "Gerald!" she exclaimed, blown away by his excessive snoring. After a few moments of nagging, his snores faded, and his eyelids rose. "Vinnie… where'd your chainsaw go?"
"Samantha said wearing a chainsaw in public while off-duty is unusual behavior," she replied, leaning against the tree next to Gerald. "But nevermind that, I just wanted to see… if you were doing okay!"
"Of course I'm doing fine," he replied, examining the distant, concrete path. "Other than randomly falling asleep in the park, that is…" A weight of silence settled between the two, melting into the relaxing scene as a fatigued yawn rose from Gerald's chest. "Is Kevin awake? Where's Michael and Alex?"
"An hour ago, Samantha called me from the hospital and asked me to find you! I searched everywhere, from your apartment, the pizza shop, the grasslands, and even my bedroom!"
Gerald turned towards Vinnie with a pale expression. "Why the hell would I be in your bedroom, Vinnie!?"
With a mischievous snicker, Vinnie lifted her shoulders in a silent shrug. "Never mind that, let's go!"
"Go where?"
"To the hospital, stupid!" Vinnie emerged from the breezing grass as she pulled Gerald's arm, guiding him out the shadowy patch of forest. "Samantha's been spending a whole lot of time at Kevin's side! Why can't we join her?"
Gerald rolled his eyes, feeling the sun's warmth as he rose from the relaxing shadows. "Y'know, I guess you're right…"
—
Michael and Alex strolled through the hospital's quiet halls, silently reading the numbers plastered onto the door as they drew forward. Alex rose his elbows over his shoulders, forming a N as he walked beside Michael. "Why'd they have to put Kevin all the way up on the fifth floor? It's such a drag getting up here!"
"Room 523 is where we're going," Michael replied, disregarding Alex's building list of complaints. "Ever since outbreaks started getting worse in this part of Nahata, the EHC decided to spend its funds on better hospital care." The duo came to a screeching halt, swinging the door open as Samantha and Kevin's eyes narrowed. "Kevin," Alex exclaimed, enthusiastically rushing towards his bedside. "You're finally awake!"
"Samantha spent a lot of time taking care of you while you were asleep," Michael followed up with a low chuckle. "Every day, she would stay until visitor time ended, and she woul-"
"THAT'S ENOUGH OUT OF YOU!" Samantha butted in, bashing Alex with her bulging fist. Her face flushed red as she shoved Alex back, but he kept rambling anyway, completely unfazed. "On the first day, she was so scared that we had to drag her out of the room!"
A low muffle rose from outside, slowly intensifying into a sequence of building complaints. "Vinnie, you don't have to drag me! I can walk on my own!" Vinnie swung the door open with her left hand, pulling Gerald into the room with her right. "Welcome back to reality, Kevin! Gerald was sleeping at the park, so I had no choice but to force him here…" The room fell silent as Kevin's eyes dropped to Gerald's legs. "Gerald, are your legs okay!?" Kevin finally let the words slip out; a question he had been waiting to say since he regained consciousness. Almost instantly, the awkward smirk across Gerald's face faded into a solemn frown. Gerald's legs tensed, the muscles bulging beneath his skin as he struggled with a series of building grunts. After a few moments, his muscles settled. Not even a single ember bloomed from his legs.
Kevin froze. "So it really is true, huh?"
"Seems so," Gerald replied, shuffling towards Kevin's bedside. "Either way, it was a worthy sacrifice."
At that moment, Samantha's words resurfaced in Kevin's mind. In this world, powers aren't the only thing that define strength. No matter the cost, moving towards the future was the only choice left.
A sudden knock interrupted the growing silence.
Samantha glanced towards the door. "Everyone's already here, right? Is there another visitor?"
Before anyone could respond, the door opened. Victor stepped inside, his folded NFEHH robe tucked beneath his arm as he approached Kevin's bedside. "Happy to see you're okay, Kevin."
"Victor," Gerald muttered, "it's good to see you."
"Victor, you finally made it!" Vinnie's enthusiastic voice carried through the room.
With a faint smile, Victor placed his hand on Kevin's forehead. "For someone who just woke up after a week of sleeping, you're unbelievably warm…" Victor paused, reading the room with his sharp gaze. "There's a message I need to convey to you all from King Raja."
"Really?" Vinnie replied before anyone else. "What could he want from all of us?"
"You six have been invited to a banquet in Death Desert tonight. Raja wants to celebrate Team Pyron's success in their mission, and he insisted you four tag along." The moment Samantha opened her mouth, Kevin's stomach growled as he slouched into his bed, a weary groan erupting from his throat. "Ughhhh… That reminds me, I haven't eaten in forever…"
"A banquet!?" Michael shouted, his voice overflowing with excitement. "Isn't that like, where we eat!?"
Alex rolled his eyes. "I already know what you're thinking, Michael. Raja invited us to an organized dinner, not an eating contest!"
"Also," Victor paused, his voice stern. "Kevin and Gerald, you two are one step away from becoming Professional Entity Hunters. After you two give the Vow of Prosperity, things are going to become a lot harder from this point forward."
A chill ran down Gerald's spine. Before he could reply, Kevin let out a fearless chuckle. "This is a milestone in our journey, Gerald. In just a few months, we went from standard hunters to professional hunters. Despite our accomplishments, however, the adventure never ends." Kevin's reassurance broke through Gerald's hesitation. "Fire or not," he turned to Victor, "we're going to keep going, no matter the cost."
Victor let out an uncontrollable smile. The same boys who had grown up together, one step closer to their dreams. Images of their childhood flickered through his mind - Kevin and Gerald as young boys at the Academy. Slowly, the images evolved - from the gates of ENTITY all the way to now. Victor's smile began to tremble, his vision growing blurry as the memories washed through his mind. Without a moment of hesitation, he stepped forward and leaned down, wrapping his arms around Kevin. Gerald stepped closer, immediately pulled into Victor's embrace as well. "I'm proud of you both," his voice trembled. "Whatever you do, never give up. Keep growing, keep moving forward, and never lose sight of your dreams."
"We won't," Gerald replied, Victor's emotion spreading between the three like a virus.
"No matter who stands in our way," Kevin followed up, "Team ENTITY will keep pushing."
"...You guys really won't stop talking about the adventure never ending, will you?"
A frenzy of silent laughs filled the room. Kevin just smiled, shooting his arms towards the ceiling. "Someone's gotta give a little speech, ya know?"
Volume 13, Chapter 87 - Dreams of Tomorrow
That evening, Embercliff, Death Desert
We transition to Death Desert's bustling capital of Embercliff, where a lively banquet takes place…
"All right!" Kaelan celebrated, lifting a cup of soda towards the glimmering chandelier. Next to him sat Rian and Zara, bright smiles blooming across their faces. "Kaelan," Zara interrupted, "Xavier said not to move around too much! Making your arm injury worse is the last thing we want to do at such a lively banquet!"
"Zara," Rian interrupted, stuffing his face with a large plate of meat, "let loose, it won't hurt you either!"
Across the table, Xavier held a bottle of wine with an unstable smile. "Come on, Itama!" he exclaimed, leaning over and clapping a hand on Itama's back. "You've been all weird since you got your scarf back! Pyron's gone, we're back home, everyone is happy, so why not let loose for a while?"
Itama's eyes narrowed, detecting a lonely Stephanie outside by the trickling fountain. "Not everyone," he replied sharply, brushing the white, fabric apron as he emerged from the table. He moved towards the wide, concrete door, feeling the warm desert air as the door creaked open. "Stephanie! Is something…"
"It's nothing, Itama." Her face lowered back towards the surrounding dirt. "Why aren't you enjoying yourself?"
"Stephanie," Itama replied, sitting beside her on the fountain's edge. "You're my best friend, ya know? I'm not going to let sadness consume your emotions…" Stephanie's hands grappled onto the moisturized rock. "You got a near-fatal wound because of me, Itama! How am I supposed to enjoy myself when I know for a fact that I hurt you!?"
Itama sighed, interlacing his fingers between Stephanie's. "It wasn't you, Stephanie. It was Pyron. Back in Flower City, I promised to protect you, and I did just that. Even if the war is over, my promise will always-" Before he could say another word, Stephanie pulled him into an iron-tight embrace, leaving Itama frozen as her tears stained his shirt. "I promise to protect you too, Itama! From this day on, I won't fall again — I'll get overwhelmingly stronger, more durable, everything! I may not have been able to save Trhama, but I'll make it my top priority to protect you and Xavier." Itama ran his fingers through Stephanie's golden-brown hair, easing her with a reassuring grin. "That's right, Stephanie. We'll both protect each other until we die."
—
"Michael," Alex muttered, wiping his face with a golden-yellow napkin. "Your table etiquette is pissing me off - if you continue to eat like a pig, you'll be treated like one, nowhere close to an NFEHH captain!"
"YOU WANNA SAY THAT AGAIN!?" Michael replied, his voice echoing through the dining hall. "You know you shouldn't be talking when it comes to eating food! When we went to dinner with Fasal and Le last month, you stuffed yourself to hell and back!"
"Are you seriously bringing that up!?" Their heads collided as their enraged growls filled the room. Before either one could say another word, Samantha's fist slammed both against the wooden table. "It's awfully disrespectful for you guys to be fighting in a place like this! And also, your manners aren't even bad, compared to those two…" Her finger pointed to Kevin and Forrest, both moving as one as they chowed down on an enormous piece of meat. "We're like Trey and Zora, but we're eating!" Kevin said, his words squeezed through a half-full mouth. Forrest continued with short, coordinated breaths, too focused on the meat to acknowledge Kevin's claim.
Then, his two front teeth hit the large, white bone in the chunk's center.
A wave of second-hand embarrassment washed through Michael as he watched Forrest, his teeth aching from the growing pain. "Ouch."
Kevin flew backward into the decorated, red and brown chair. "When me and Gerald were kids, Victor told us using hot sauce when our front teeth hurt would make the pain go away instantly!"
"Kevin," Gerald interrupted. "After you fell for his prank, your tongue went sore for days…"
The double doors at the far end of the hall swung open as Raja, within the epicenter of a diamond-shaped formation of moving bodyguards, entered the lively room. "What's up, everyone! Long time no see, huh?"
Everyone fell silent at Raja's entrance, their eyes fixed on his prestigious entrance. "Raja," Kevin interrupted with no sign of regret on his face, "what's with the tuxedo?"
"This is a formal banquet!" Raja exclaimed, stepping onto a stage at the far end of the room. "And with formal banquets come formal getups! Anyways, I'm happy you all have made it to Embercliff tonight."
"Raja…" Itama muttered, holding up a cup of wine as his body swayed. "Thanksh fur dis waine…"
Raja's eyes squinted. "Anyways, I congratulate Team Pyron for their astonishing achievement in containing the ferocious beast!" He waved away the armored guards with a kind gesture. The room remained quiet for a moment longer, followed by a round of applause. Raja descended the stage as he moved along the white-clothed table. "When I first assembled this team, many of Nahata's leaders thought of me as a fool. Kevin, Gerald, Kaelan, Itama, Xavier, Forrest, and the uninvited but extremely needed Stephanie. All of them worked hard to make it to this point - through blood, sweat, and tears, I am extremely proud of each and every one of you. Thank you, Team Pyron, for your service to Nahata."
Another round of applause followed Raja's speech as he took a seat towards the table's end, examining the food with a drooling smile. "Enough acting formal, I'm stuffed! Give me all the food you got, please!"
His guards rushed out the room in an orderly fashion. "Yes, sir!"
A few moments after their departure, the lively conversations began to gradually resume. Tonight was the night where Team Pyron, for the first time in a long while, had been able to truly lie back and relax. But, overseas in the LUO Republic, things were far from peaceful.
Abufan Clouds, LUO Republic
"Nana!" A deep, booming voice echoed through the pitch-black room. "After five long years, its finally happened - Nahata's #1 hunter, Ellis Emigale, has finally been pinpointed!"
"It's about time," Nana's voice echoed within the darkness. The dormant lanterns flared to life in pairs, beginning at the double-door. In pairs of two, they ignited down the corridor in a dazzling sequence, its path widening until it finally settled at Nana's feet, revealing his widening smile. "After half a decade, Ellis Emigale's status has finally been revealed. We're going to figure out a way to reach him, no matter what."
And so, Pyron's rampage had finally come to a bittersweet end for both Team Pyron and Team ENTITY. Little did they know, however, Pyron's defeat had only opened the door to something far greater - the epitome of darkness was beginning to move.