Clay, Marina, Edward and Arnold sat around a campfire. The fire lit up the dark snowy night of the northern forests. Clay had been asking Arnold multiple questions all night. Due to this, Clay had figured out that Arnold wasn't hiding, but tracking someone.
"Who?" Clay asked.
Arnold scoffed and looked at the fire. He looked at his comrade. "You're sister."
"Susan?" Clay asked, shocked.
Arnold nodded. "I heard she was hiding somewhere in the north. Wanted to stop by see the young girl again."
"And you couldn't find her?" Clay questioned, slightly amused.
"This area is crawling with Atlesian Guardians, not those second rate ones that call themselves specialists either, these are the real deal. I even encountered a lightning Guardian."
Clay's eyes grew. "A lightning Guardian? Please tell me they weren't trained."
"His speed was intense and brutal, but I was able to escape. They are a rare breed indeed, not many lightning Guardians who bother unlocking their true power, myself included." Arnold stared at the fire, he began to lose himself in thought.
Clay began to fiddle with his fingers. He thought back to his past, his crime. Clay quickly leapt onto his feet. Jamming his hand into pocket, Clay drew a toothpick and placed it in his mouth. His teeth quickly began to chew it, doing this calmed him, but only so much.
He spun around and looked at Edward and Marina. "We're going."
Arnold smirked and stood up. He raised his hand and his double sided axe flew into his hand. He and Clay began walking, leaving Edward and Marina to hurridely scramble to get ready.
Edward, who was reading one of his books, scurried to his feet. He threw his book into his pack and slung in over his shoulder. Marina leapt onto her feet and flowed the three.
"Where are we going?" Marina asked.
Clay kept walking, but answered her. "There is a town nearby, it is small and forgettable. I know Susan will be there."
As the group walked away, the fire slowly began to die. Suddenly it stopped, like a someone had flipped switch. A figure stood a few yards from the fire, she snapped her fingers and flames erupted again.
XXX XXX XXX
Wind blew down into the clearing. The wind lifted snow into the air and delivered a chill to the villagers. The village was small, around ten buildings. These buildings were small and made of wood. Most of them were huddled around the center of the clearing, away from the tall, looming trees of the forest.
One building sat away from the others, fences surrounded the hut. This was a farm, which had little to grow and long been abandoned. It just sat there, occasionally providing shelter for travelers.
The villagers all knew though. They knew what monster resided in that ancient farm. A slumbering devil, a thing that was regarded as unholy and evil. Everyday the villagers prayed for something to take the creature away, yet nothing came.
The villagers had gathered in the middle of town again, they discussed various things, taxes, prices of food and how cold it was. Mainly they talked to the newest traveler in their town, a young woman.
Clay, Marina, Arnold and Edward came out of the treeline, opposite to the farm. The four trudged through the snow towards the small village.
A small girl spotted the four came. She pointed at them and screamed, "look!"
All the villagers turned to the four. Instantly their hearts dropped. They scattered, each desperately rushing to their homes.
The group finally reached the village, they saw everyone rush inside. Clay sighed and looked around. "Really?"
He walked up to a home and knocked on their door. No answer came, making Clay agitated. He knocked again, no answer. Clay grit his teeth and pounded on the door.
"Excuse me!" A voice called from behind Clay. Clay turned around and his eyes lit up at the sight of the young woman. She walked up to him and poked his chest. "I heard you have a bounty on your head."
Clay smirked. "After all this time, no hello?"
Susan smiled at him. "I was getting there."
The two hugged. Susan's red hair seemed to almost glow in the gloomy air around them. The mist had lifted slightly, but grey clouds cluttered the sky, blocking sunlight.
The two siblings parted and they looked into each other's eyes. Clay noted how Susan's blue eyes had darkened to a navy blue. She noted how old her brother had gotten. Susan looked back at the rest of the group. Everyone finally got a good look at her face, even Arnold had forgotten how beautiful she was, like an angel.
"Who are they?" She asked, her voice angelic and soft.
Clay grabbed his sister's hand and slowly walked her over. He gestured to Marina. "This is Marina, a… friend of mine."
Susan giggled. "Nice to meet you."
Marina smiled. "You too."
Susan looked at Arnold and her eyes widened, as did his.
"ARNOLD STARK!" She shouted, overjoyed.
"Hey!" Arnold said, waving.
She rushed over and hugged him. Arnold hugged back, he always remembered her as the hyper girl, who believed in the good in everyone. Susan broke the hug and looked at Edward, she smiled.
"Hey!" She said, waving.
Edward was utterly speechless, he had never seen such beauty. He stood there awkwardly, unsure of what to do. Nothing could have prepared him this.
Clay walked behind his sister and pointed at Edward. He introduced Edward with disinterest. "This… is Edward. He's… well I want to say something nice, but honestly Edward is useless."
Susan shook her head and smiled at Edward. "No, he looks smart, that's a gift."
Edward's heart skipped a beat. "T-t-t-thanks."
Susan giggled, she noticed his pack and a book sticking out of it. "Whatcha reading?"
Susan walked up and grabbed the book before Edward could even move. Inside he was freaking out. "OH… It's nothing."
Susan cracked the book open. She read a few pages and looked up at Edward. "Divine origins?"
"Y-yeah," Edward nervously answered.
Susan's face lit up and she smiled. "Awesome! I love hearing those old stories about the gods and goddesses."
"Like how when the gods left remnant, their seven sisters were left to tend to their creation?" Edward asked, gaining confidence.
"The goddesses of light, fire, water, air, lightning, earth, and darkness. They then went on to gift mortals with their powers, creating the first Guardians," Susan replied.
Edward smiled at her. "Those Guardians would band together and create Hope Reich."
Emma giggled. "And the first king and queen were so loved by the goddesses that they were bestowed all seven powers of them and made immortal."
"And now they watch over the people of Hope Reich," Edward said, finishing their story. "Cool isn't it?"
Susan nodded and her smile grew. Neither of the two had noticed, but they had been slowly getting closer as they spoke, however, Clay did. The cowboy stepped in front of Edward. He looked at Edward, who instantly understood the meaning of the interruption.
Edward took a few steps back, but kept smiling at Susan, she smiled back. Clay looked at Edward skeptically. He slowly turned back around. "Anyhow, what are you doing here Susan?"
"Well this is the only town for miles, but I am here for different reasons," She explained.
Clay raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
"Apparently the villagers are experiencing a problem," Susan said, turning around and pointing at the old farm in the distance. "I was about to investigate it, but you came a long."
Clay looked at the building and grinned. "Right, let's lend a hand."
XXX XXX XXX
Mere minutes before the group had arrived in the village, a man stood in front of the farm. His short silver hair that stuck up in the front made him harder to notice. The man shivered due to his choice of clothing. His olive green jacket with brown accents provided little warmth.
The cold steel long sword that was strapped to his back didn't help either. He entered the old farm's house. The man looked around and sighed.
"So, this is where she wanted to stay?" He asked himself, looking around some more. He looked at the corner. "That's where we'd put her."
The man continued walking around the cold and damp building. Each room, each step, reminded him of things he tried to forget. He had hoped coming here would fix everything, but it only made it worse.
He walked over to a window and saw a sight he never thought see again. Five people walked towards the building. A grin grew across the man's face.
The group of five slowly approached the small house. Clay leant over to his sister. "What kind of monster is this?"
"The villagers said that it was horrible, a true danger to them," Susan said, shrugging.
The man walked out the front door. He stared at Clay, who had stopped walking and was staring back at him. The other four had also stopped, the looked between Clay and the man.
Clay looked at Arnold and he nodded. The large man grabbed Edward and Marina, throwing them over his shoulders. He and Susan sprinted back to the old town, leaving Clay and the man.
The man grinned at Clay. "Clay Feuer… Finally."
"Rigel, how long has it been?" Clay asked. He placed his hand on his whip. Clay studied Rigel, he noticed the blade on his back. "No Elder weapon?"
Rigel placed his hand on his sword's hilt. "No, you know why."
"How are we doing this?" Clay inquired, staring into Rigel's cold and dead brown eyes.
Rigel sighed and released his blade, he shut his eyes. His eyes fluttered open, revealing them to now be a frost white. Rigel looked at Clay, his eyes darting around as he scanned the cowboy.
Finally Rigel seemed satisfied. He released his Gewitter and walked towards Clay. "I don't care how long it has been, but I know you, Clay. What exactly are you up to?"
Clay smirked. "Gonna overthrow the government and put Hope Reich back together."
"Want some help?" Rigel asked.
"You know my answer."
"And you know mine."
XXX XXX XXX
