Chapter 1
Three months Hope sat on a branch of a tree watching the sunset and thinking about her
dream and the day ....
"Ok, now when you spin around bring the left foot up and hit my arm, like you mean it."
Cale said, Hope took a deep breath and let it out slowly, then without any warning she
spun around and brought her leg up hard against Cale's arm.
"Good." He said as Hope wiped the sweat off her forehead. "All right, I think that is
enough for today." Her uncle said, Hope nodded. Since Daemon's defeat and although she
was no longer the bearer of the armor of Cruelty Hope trained and fought beside the
Ronins, becoming a force on her own, if they was not fighting too hard she could almost
match the Ronins in subarmor, almost.
"Hope, Hope." Hope looked up hearing her name being called and looked down, Anubis
was looking for her. *Maybe.* She thought looking at him as he passed under the tree she
hid in. *Now!* Hope thought but suddenly something jumped down on her, Hope fell off
the branch but at the last second garbed it with one hand.
She glared up at Dais as he smirked. "Better luck next time Hope." Anubis said, Hope let
go of the branch and dropped to the ground. "You both knew the other was here." Hope
accused, Anubis nodded. "Yes we did." He said, Hope sighed and shook her head.
"Predictable?" She asked him. "Yes, you pull those tree jumps of your enough time so
we've come expect them." Dais said jumping down.
Great. Hope thought to herself. *Lets see, can't bear armor, can't fight, can't even get the
jump on your own family. How useless can you be Hope?* She asked herself. " ..... and
.... Hope? Hope are you listening?"
"Huh?" Hope asked coming out of her thoughts. "Oh sorry I wasn't ....."
"Listening." Dais finished for her. "I said that it is time to head in for the night and
tomorrow Mia and the boys are heading to town. She wanted me to ask if you wanted to
go along." Anubis said, since his return to the mortal world he and Mia renewed their
relationship and was engaged to be married soon.
Hope shook her head. "No thanks, I think I'll .... do something." She finished flatly, Dais
shook his head. "Hope what has gotten into you? You don't go into town unless by force
and you keep running off on us. Now what is going on?" Dais asked his niece.
"A boy?" Anubis asked, Hope couldn't help it, she laughed. "A boy? Yea right, no guy
would look at me twice my uncle." She said. "Come on, we had better head back to the
house before the others come looking for us." Dais tried to stop Hope as she walked away
but Anubis stopped him.
"No Dais, let her go for now. I think Cale was right." Anubis said, Dais shook his head.
"But she knows she is part of the team." "Perhaps but remember Dais, Hope has lost
everyone but us to the Dynasty, her parents and adopted mother but though she knows
revenge is not the answer she feels she must do something for what happened to them."
He said watching his niece walk away. *And she doesn't yet know she is the heir to the
armor of Cruelty. But it seems it is time to tell her.* Anubis thought to himself.
That evening .... "Hope?" Anubis asked finding Hope on the pouch, Hope looked over at
him. "Oh ... hey Uncle Anubis." She said then looked back to the stars. "What you
looking at?" He asked. "The stars, I come out here every evening. Rowen hooked me on it
I guess." Hope said with a shrug as Anubis also sat down. "You can make sense out of all
that talk?" He asked, Hope smiled softly.
"Some what, mostly I just like trying to see which are the brighter ones." She said, Anubis
nodded but decided to get to the point. "Here." He tossed her something, Hope caught it
in both hands, she felt a pulsing power run thorough her arms then thorough her body. *It
can't be.* She thought opening her hands she saw the kanji orb to the armor of Cruelty.
Hope looked at her uncle who nodded. "Hope you are the heir to the armor of Cruelty."
"Heir?" Hope asked. "It means when the armors pass to another the armor of Cruelty will
be passed on to you." "But I can't ..." Hope started to objected but Anubis stopped her.
"You can Hope and you will, one day you will." He said, Hope looked at the kanji orb in
her hands, doubt and uncertainly written across her face. "I don't think I can do it alone."
She said quietly.
"Listen little one." Anubis said, Hope looked at him hearing the seriousness in his voice.
"When destiny calls you, you must be strong, we may not be there but remember we are
always with you. And you can face the challenges ahead." "I don't understand." Anubis
smiled. "One day you will." he said and stood up leaving Hope to her own thoughts.
Three months Hope sat on a branch of a tree watching the sunset and thinking about her
dream and the day ....
"Ok, now when you spin around bring the left foot up and hit my arm, like you mean it."
Cale said, Hope took a deep breath and let it out slowly, then without any warning she
spun around and brought her leg up hard against Cale's arm.
"Good." He said as Hope wiped the sweat off her forehead. "All right, I think that is
enough for today." Her uncle said, Hope nodded. Since Daemon's defeat and although she
was no longer the bearer of the armor of Cruelty Hope trained and fought beside the
Ronins, becoming a force on her own, if they was not fighting too hard she could almost
match the Ronins in subarmor, almost.
"Hope, Hope." Hope looked up hearing her name being called and looked down, Anubis
was looking for her. *Maybe.* She thought looking at him as he passed under the tree she
hid in. *Now!* Hope thought but suddenly something jumped down on her, Hope fell off
the branch but at the last second garbed it with one hand.
She glared up at Dais as he smirked. "Better luck next time Hope." Anubis said, Hope let
go of the branch and dropped to the ground. "You both knew the other was here." Hope
accused, Anubis nodded. "Yes we did." He said, Hope sighed and shook her head.
"Predictable?" She asked him. "Yes, you pull those tree jumps of your enough time so
we've come expect them." Dais said jumping down.
Great. Hope thought to herself. *Lets see, can't bear armor, can't fight, can't even get the
jump on your own family. How useless can you be Hope?* She asked herself. " ..... and
.... Hope? Hope are you listening?"
"Huh?" Hope asked coming out of her thoughts. "Oh sorry I wasn't ....."
"Listening." Dais finished for her. "I said that it is time to head in for the night and
tomorrow Mia and the boys are heading to town. She wanted me to ask if you wanted to
go along." Anubis said, since his return to the mortal world he and Mia renewed their
relationship and was engaged to be married soon.
Hope shook her head. "No thanks, I think I'll .... do something." She finished flatly, Dais
shook his head. "Hope what has gotten into you? You don't go into town unless by force
and you keep running off on us. Now what is going on?" Dais asked his niece.
"A boy?" Anubis asked, Hope couldn't help it, she laughed. "A boy? Yea right, no guy
would look at me twice my uncle." She said. "Come on, we had better head back to the
house before the others come looking for us." Dais tried to stop Hope as she walked away
but Anubis stopped him.
"No Dais, let her go for now. I think Cale was right." Anubis said, Dais shook his head.
"But she knows she is part of the team." "Perhaps but remember Dais, Hope has lost
everyone but us to the Dynasty, her parents and adopted mother but though she knows
revenge is not the answer she feels she must do something for what happened to them."
He said watching his niece walk away. *And she doesn't yet know she is the heir to the
armor of Cruelty. But it seems it is time to tell her.* Anubis thought to himself.
That evening .... "Hope?" Anubis asked finding Hope on the pouch, Hope looked over at
him. "Oh ... hey Uncle Anubis." She said then looked back to the stars. "What you
looking at?" He asked. "The stars, I come out here every evening. Rowen hooked me on it
I guess." Hope said with a shrug as Anubis also sat down. "You can make sense out of all
that talk?" He asked, Hope smiled softly.
"Some what, mostly I just like trying to see which are the brighter ones." She said, Anubis
nodded but decided to get to the point. "Here." He tossed her something, Hope caught it
in both hands, she felt a pulsing power run thorough her arms then thorough her body. *It
can't be.* She thought opening her hands she saw the kanji orb to the armor of Cruelty.
Hope looked at her uncle who nodded. "Hope you are the heir to the armor of Cruelty."
"Heir?" Hope asked. "It means when the armors pass to another the armor of Cruelty will
be passed on to you." "But I can't ..." Hope started to objected but Anubis stopped her.
"You can Hope and you will, one day you will." He said, Hope looked at the kanji orb in
her hands, doubt and uncertainly written across her face. "I don't think I can do it alone."
She said quietly.
"Listen little one." Anubis said, Hope looked at him hearing the seriousness in his voice.
"When destiny calls you, you must be strong, we may not be there but remember we are
always with you. And you can face the challenges ahead." "I don't understand." Anubis
smiled. "One day you will." he said and stood up leaving Hope to her own thoughts.