(The Peddler's Secret)

*September 20th, 1918*

*1:00pm*

Kaede stood in shock as she saw Abayomi and the other previous users of the sword in which contained a group of five people were staring back at her.

"He's right. You wish to save the Romanovs right? So It's best to have a talk with us so we can discuss the sword and even your friend" a rather large bearded man said with a smile as he wore traditional viking clothing.

"He's right, We have much to discuss so let's not waste anymore time okay?" a young woman said in a serious tone of voice as she had beautiful long hair while wearing a samurai uniform to go with it.

"W-Who are you guys and how come I don't see the others?" Kaede asked in a curious tone of voice as she walked with Abayomi to sit with the others in the circle.

"My name is Frode and just like you I was also the wielder of the legendary phoenix sword. You see! The others don't want to acknowledge you as the successor of the sword's power because you broke the taboo in which it is never and I mean NEVER change the past" Frode answered as he looked at the other shadowy figures with a serious look on his face.

"My name is Sakura. We know everything about you Kaede and why do you want to save the Romanovs when they perished in the original history? Tell me everything" Sakura advised as she continued to stare at Kaede while waiting for her response.

"Me and Professor Doc were working on an experiment that could bring any person from the past to the present timeline and It was mostly my idea because I wanted to save Anastasia and her family or worst case scenario maybe just her or one of her siblings but something went wrong It ended up pulling just Anastasia to my time period so I decided that me and her was gonna go to the past so we can save her other siblings and I just want them to be happy and I want to change history as well but there is someone who vows to ensure that we don't succeeded and his name is John Claude..." Kaede explained to everyone as she was met with mixed reactions from everyone.

"And who is this John Claude person? Why does he want to kill them? What goal does he have in mind? That's something I truly want to know" Abayomi asked Kaede as he put his fingers on his chin to think about what was going on.

"I-I honestly don't know but I know that he used to be a friend of Doc however he was fired due to illegal experiments but after that I don't know what happened between that and him wanting to kill the Romanovs but my guess is that he knew history was changing so he wanted to correct it but that's just my own guess?" Kaede explained in a curious yet serious tone of voice as she saw everyone think about what they just heard.

"You could be right I think? John seems to be dead set on completing his goal which could explain why he sent out Peter Ermakov before asking him to retreat" Frode added on as he pondered over Kaede's possible theory regarding John Claude.

"Do you think the falling out between Doc and him had something to do with it? A possible disagreement?" Sakura asked Kaede as she awaited her answer.

"I-I honestly don't know since I never asked for the full details but I'll be sure to ask him when I do" Kaede answered back.

"Don't worry. We all acknowledge you and we aren't mad at you or anything. We just wanted to ask some questions for clarity but it seems you're using this thing for good and we like that" Frode said with a smile as he gave Kaede a pat on the back.

"Since we got that out of the way. Our next topic will be about Peddler and right now He's simply unconscious alongside the sword but fear not! He and the sword are protected by defense barriers but do you want to know his identity?" Sakura asked as she awaited Kaede's answer.

"Of course, That's why he tagged along with me so I can help him figure out who he truly is" Kaede answered back with a smile as she looked around at Abayomi and Frode as they two had nodded their heads in the process.

"Alright! Peddler's true name is Igor and he was born in poverty during the reign of Alexander III however tragedy suck when both of his parents were victims of the events of Bloody Sunday in which caused Peddler or otherwise Igor to become an orphan but luckily he was taken into a orphanage in which he stayed until the ripe age of 18 but this terrible event caused him to completely forget who he was thus causing him to lose his his identity" Frode explained as he looked at Kaede who had a sad look on her face.

"It's terrible isn't it? Revolutions happen for a reason right? The Russian people were tired of the ruling of Nicholas II so they took matters into their own hands and it caused Igor to forget his memory" Abayomi explained to Kaede.

"I never knew Igor went through so much. I want to fight for him as well…" Kaede vowed with a mixture of sadness yet motivation in her voice as she looked towards everyone.

"Well, You can try that but If you expect him to live a happy life then you're mistaken because he's long dead…" Frode explained as this shook Kaede to the core.

"D-Dead?! H-How?! What do you mean?" Kaede asked as she was shocked by this new revelation.

"Three years ago Igor came down with an illness and sadly it killed him.." Sakura answered back as Kaede remained silent due to shock.

"B-But why is he still on Earth? He even ate some of my food that I packed and he even talked to other people?! I just don't get it at all…" Kaede asked in denial as she awaited her response.

"Spirits can come back in many forms perhaps to finish some amends but in this case his spirit sensed your presence which wasn't from this time period so to ensure that you will encounter him. Igor made his spirit physical and only visible to you…" Abayomi explained further to Kaede.

"He's right! Now think about all the times in which YOU only saw him but not anyone else right? I'm sure Igor doesn't even know he's dead but in cases like this, his spirit is roaming the living unaware of his fate" Frode explained to Kaede as well.

"But me and Igor visited a mansion and they interacted with him, but I think Danka's spirit energy must have made his presence known to them…" Kaede said to the group as she had a look of sadness in her eyes.

"Don't be sad Kaede! You have friends you are fighting for right?! Fight for Igor was well! You must complete your training and once you do then Igor's spirit will be finally put to rest okay?" Sakura said to Kaede in hopes of motivating her as Kaede looked up to her.

"Thank you everyone. I truly appreciate everyone's words…" Kaede thanked as she let out a warm smile on her face.

"You're welcome and we are here to help you as well but I think it's time for you to go now and don't worry! Igor knows everything now...farewell Kaede!" Abayomi said with a smile as he waved goodbye.

"You better win! Fight for the good future! Okay?!" Frode said with a smile as he had bidded farewell as well.

"Goodbye everyone! Thank you so much for the information but I have one last question! Will I join you guys If I die in battle?" Kaede asked the group in a curious tone of voice.

"Only if you want to however that choice remains up to you but Farwell Kaede and good luck!" Sakura answered back as a white light consumed Kaede as eventually she disappeared from the scene.

"What a good kid" Frode said with a smile on his face.

*Bialowieza Forest*

*3:00pm*

Kaede woke up from her slumber as she got up to look at the beautiful scenery.

"Thanks guys! I won't let you or anyone down!" Kaede whispered to herself as she saw Igor sleeping on a tree as this made her smile.

"Don't worry! I will train extra hard! You will find peace!" Kaede thought to herself with a smile as she looked at the beautiful sun which illuminated the lush green forest as she continued her training even further.