"Okay Young Light, time for bed." I picked up my child as he struggled to run away.

"Mama nooooo. Wanna play!" he struggled kicking, and smacking my arm as I pulled him into his bed.

"You can play, or you can get a story for bed." The struggling stopped for a second, and my five year old son ran to the bed. I chuckled watching him thrash on the bed as he covered himself in his blanket. I grabbed a chair, and placed it down beside his bed, and looked at him smiling happily. He was a perfect beautiful little boy. He had my blond hair, and his father's beautiful glistening ocean blue eyes.

"Story?" He asked looking at me with puppy dog eyes.

"Yes a story. Let me tell you of our darkest day. The day of loss, and of hurt. But the day where friends were made, and bonds were forged. Let me tell you of the last great story of the Guardians."

25 Years After the Cities Darkest Day

?'s POV

A hoe blade slammed into the ground, and was pulled towards a man standing shirtless, sweat beading on his forehead as the sun shone brightly above him. He pulled the hoe to him, and rose up wiping the sweat off his brow. The man stood tall at 6'1". He had shoulder length hair ruffled around in a messy look currently drenched in sweat becoming a brownish colour thanks to the liquid. He had bright blue eyes that lit up in the light as though the light was dancing on an ocean. He was incredibly muscular due to his time working in the farm. A loud crunch could he heard over to his right, and he turned seeing another man sat on a chair with his feet up on a log. He had dark black hair cut short with the sides of his head shaven. He had multicoloured eyes. His right was a deep green, and his left was a bright yellow. "You know Alex the work you do. It is very much appreciated. Tastes delicious." The man turned to the aforementioned blond man now known as Alex.

Alex's POV

I sighed placing my hoe on the ground walking up to my friend Hugh. He was sitting humming contently eating one of the apples from the trees I worked hard planting months ago, "You know you have a job too you know." I said with a calm monotone voice as I grabbed the apple, and kicked his chair out from underneath him at the same time, "So get off your ass, and do it!" I looked down at him pissed.

"Oi! Easy. Just cause you ain't got nothing too aside from your shitty little job doesn't give you the right to treat your best friend like garbage!" He spoke angrily his accent showing itself as he stood, and got into my face.

"Who ever said you were my best friend, 'mate.'" The last word I said in a threatening sarcastic tone clenching my jaw as I finished. We started into each others eyes both filled with anger. Until Hugh burst out laughing. "I win, again." I smiled with a cocky demeanor.

Hugh was hunched over clenching his sides laughing loudly, "No fair, looking into your ugly mug while you're trying to look intimidating. I just can't help but laugh!"

My smile faded slowly, "Hey! I'm intimidating! Don't make me kick your ass!" His bellowing laughs became louder, and he fell to the ground wheezing reaching towards me as if begging me to stop. He laughed for a few more solid minutes before finally he rolled over onto his hands, and knees coughing loudly almost gagging. Sighing I knelt down, and gave him a few pats on the back, "Easy there. Keep laughing like that you'll make yourself sick again." Once he had caught his breath I offered my hand, and helped him up.

"Sorry 'bout that mate. But you know it's hard to take you seriously when you say you're intimidating. I have literally seen you sitting on a stump with squirrels, and other fidgety wildlife sitting with you, on you even." He wiped the mud off his pants, and picked up the chair, "Also don't say you'll kick my ass. Ever. Say what you mean," he looked at me speaking in a high pitch whiny tone, "'Don't make me get me mommy to come here, and kick your ass!'" He chuckled once again as I stepped forwards, and he put his hands up defensively.

"Hey Alex!" I turned to the right, and saw my supervisor waving for me to come over to him.

"You're lucky I have to go. Go back to your job, we will meet in the center later. See you then." We clasped hands, and gave each other a pat on the back as he left, and I jogged over to my supervisor. I gave her a friendly smile as I neared, "You wanted to talk to me ma'am." My supervisor was a small woman roughly five feet tall give or take a few inches. She had long Auburn hair that reached below her shoulders, and two hazelnut eyes. Her face had freckles dotting the bridge of her nose, and a small scar across her face going diagonally over the bridge of her nose as well.

"Yes I wanted to tell you that you're services are no longer needed here anymore," my heart sank. She was getting right of me?

I panicked, and interrupted her abruptly, "Melanie, ma'am!" I spoke loudly quickly correcting myself, "Please don't get rid of me, I'll work harder, do more time, just please let me stay."

Melanie started to laugh, "No that's just it. They are no longer required because you've done so much work. Take some time off, have some fun. Be a kid. You're only 16, enjoy life. You're mother will do fine without you working here all the time."

"So.. wait. You're not letting me go? I can still come back here to work?"

"Of course Alex, I'm never gonna get rid of my best, and hardest worker." She spoke loudly looking over her shoulder slightly so everyone could hear her say the last few words, "Alex the work you do here is admirable. Honestly I wanted to make you supervisor with me but figured you'd prefer what you're already doing. Take a month or two off, and just have some fun. Then come back, and work half as hard as you already do."

I smiled, and nodded my head, "Thank you Melanie. That means a lot. Will you be coming over tonight to see my mom?"

"Yes I will, I'll see you then. Now get out of here." I gave her a quick hug, and ran towards the Village center when I realized I have nothing of interest to do aside from farming.

'What do kids my age do?' I looked around, and saw some playing games of their own design, and others doing creative things. Some were anxiously waiting for the Rangers return, and some were just lazing around enjoying the sunny day out. 'Hmm nothing interesting it seems. Maybe Hugh skipped work again.' I smiled, and started running to where Hugh worked. I worked as a farmer, planter, food gatherer, etc. Hugh on the other hand had a much different job that really pissed me off when he skipped it because of its importance. I neared the outer perimeter of the Village between the forest, and the lake, and saw no Hugh just his partner. "Hey Jack! Hugh not show up?"

The man named Jack turned to me, he was the same height as me, and had white hair, and trimmed beard. His left eye was bright green, and his right was a faded white colour with a large scar going across it, "No he didn't show up, and now this old geezer before you is stuck defending the perimeter alone. Can you go find him, and kick his ass for me. Don't bother sending him this way our replacements will be here soon. Just give him a right thrashing for me."

I chuckled, and turned back the other way waving to Jack, "Alright Jack see you tomorrow!" I walked through the Village center looking around trying to find Hugh. The village was large, the largest of all the villages. This one was the center hub of all the villages. I got to the village center, and saw a few dozen pathways, and a multitude of buildings. There was a large fire pit in the exact center of the village center, and around the area two boards. One with community information, and another with bounties, and missions for the Rangers. I looked up the sky slightly, and saw a large looming wall in the distance. The Old City. The place forbidden to us, and home to the legends that protected our village, our fathers, and mothers. The guardians. They protected our home like they did their own years ago. They protected The New City, my home

"Oh hello there sweetheart. Melanie let you off early?"

I turned around, and saw my mother standing in the pathway behind me decked out in her old Guardian armour. Her robes, and gauntlets were tattered, and ripped with age. Her guns were scratched, and the paint was worn. I smiled warmly at her, and hugged her as the other Rangers moved around us laughing, and talking amongst each other. "Sort of. She let me off early, and then said not to come back for another month."

My mother laughed her kind laugh. One that could always put you at ease. "Come now dear let's go home. We have company to prepare for." My mother, and I walked back to our house talking about her most recent journey the whole time.

?'s POV

A shadowy person looking at Alex, and his mother. They chuckled a deep quiet chuckle. One filled with hate, and evil. They pulled up a small communicator, and with a distorted voice spoke into it, "Sorry for late contact. I found the target. Time for phase two."

HEY GUYS! Arc II The Aftermath is officially out! I'm very excited to be continuing on with Lost Light, and hope that you all are as well. From here onward though it will be taking a massive shift from the feel of the first Arc. I hope that throughout the upload of the second arc everyone who were fans of the first will continue to be fans, and those who were on the fence can join us who love, and crave more uploads. I will be doing my best to try, and get a monthly uploading schedule or bimonthly upload. But with the hectic life I lead right now - what with me being a parent soon, and all - it might be difficult so during this time I do hope that there will be understanding if I can't get a chapter our right away.

So thanks again guys for checking out Arc II. Let me know in a review if you have any theories as to who this Guardian, and the mother to our new protagonist Alex may be? Are they a Guardian new to Lost Light or one we have seen before? And who is the shadowy figure? What is Phase Two? Leave your theories, and hypotheses in the reviews. See you hopefully next month with an update to Lost Light.

Your friendly neighborhood hitman EsDeath.

Signing off.