Here's a chapter I've wanted to write for a long time. On with it!
DarkFictionWizard: Edo's was down, so I couldn't check. Thanks for pointing that out.
Captain Obvious: Ok, even though I've seen stuff like that before, I did not need to hear that last comment… but otherwise, yes, they finally got on with it, and yes, Ra lost horribly. The original plan was to use Solar Ray to defeat Sarius when he had one Life Point left from One Turn Kill, but I wanted to try and destroy Ra with a monster too. I think it worked well.
Demon Fan: That was a reference to Juno that probably only one other person will understand-the one who submitted him to me for this fiction. I might try and describe it later, but I don't see where I can yet.
Epyon: Because it has cinnamon sugar swirls in every bite? …Oh wait.
John: You don't have it? I feel your pain. It took me forever to finally be able to own a Gamecube. I exchanged a GBA game I never opened (Megaman Battle Network 4: Red Sun; I already owned Blue Moon) for it. Quite worth it.
Chapter 23: Light's Mission
Juno ran through the most deserted streets he could use, not wanting extra attention from civilians. As he did, he kept his focus on where he could feel Light.
His Mavericks had once been merely ordinary humans. Juno had sacrificed some of his own power to give to them, which made them what they were today. Due to this, he had very little difficulty tracking down any of his Mavericks, since he could feel the part of himself within them easily.
For him, Light was like a beacon, and he was headed straight towards her.
…
"…He got away…" Draken said dully as they stared at where he had been.
"Obviously he did!" Rue exclaimed, finally running over to them.
"Rue! Where have you been?" Claire asked as Ruecian looked over him for any signs of injuries.
"It was Demon Rue," Rue stated. "He told me Juno was coming, so I went to stop him. Demon Rue dueled him but lost. Sorry guys…"
"You trusted that creep?" Miles said in disbelief.
"This time, it worked in our favor," Gaston reminded them. "If Juno had not been delayed, he could very well have made it in time to interrupt the duel between Larka and Sarius."
"That is true," Perseus agreed.
"Then I must say thank you," Larka said to Rue.
"No problem. As much as I hate to admit it, Demon Rue did more work than me anyway," Rue confessed.
"So what are we going to do?" Hope asked. "We can't just let Juno find the second Limiter, can we?"
Sarius turned to Aya and Adene. "You two need to stay here. I'm going after him."
"Master Tirran…" Adene began to protest.
"The answer is no," Sarius stated. "Both of you are aware of how strong Juno is. You need to remain here."
Aya was very stubborn when she wanted to be, and she showed it now. "That is precisely the reason why I am going with you! I will be there to help when you face him, like it or not. Arguing with me will only let him get farther ahead of you, so I suggest you accept that."
"…Fine," Sarius sighed. "If you must." Then, seeing Adene was about to say something, Sarius said, "No. You are not coming."
"Go back and tell Mach and Shadow why we are being delayed," Aya ordered. "That will give you something to do while waiting for us to return."
Adene was wise enough to not try arguing with both of them. So he muttered, "Of course, Mistress Aya," and slowly walked away, calling back Bowen as he went.
While this was happening, Kazel went over to Kisara and whispered, "I am going back to the real world. If this chase with Juno is to happen, I must bring Fell and Larka over to South Carolina. I would retrieve Amy, but I doubt she would appreciate flying again. So I will pick up only those two."
Kisara nodded. "All right. Fly safely."
"As always," Kazel smiled, which looked surprisingly natural for a dragon. Then she vanished.
Sarius noticed the disappearance, but did not comment. Instead, he said, "You've gotten the final god card. Now you need to figure out what to do with the three of them."
"What about Juno?" Amy asked.
"I am going after him with Aya and the Child," Sarius stated. "I assume he will be in South Carolina, since I spent most of my time in the real world there. He would think that a place I was in would be most likely to start looking. There is no need to be concerned over it. If we see each other again, I will tell you of how it went." Before anyone could respond, he vanished, Raid following. The Child and Cyrus followed, as did Aya after she called back Sahaqiel.
"That jerk!" Rue complained. "He doesn't want us interfering!"
"We can't just stay here though," Neo said. "What should we do? Juno could be anywhere in the state!"
"And that's assuming that he really is in South Carolina," Darche stated.
"Kazel went to retrieve Fell and Larka in the real world," Kisara said softly. "Until they arrive, we can search."
Miles looked at her doubtfully. "You seriously think we can find him before Sarius does?"
"If Juno is in an area nearby our place, we might find him long before Sarius manages to," Gen said.
"We won't be able to help…" Sakura sighed.
"Kazel will not be going to you due to your fear of flying," Kisara said to Amy.
"Ah. Tell her she has my thanks," Amy replied. "I probably would have declined anyway."
"Then if we're going to make any progress, we'd better get going now," Draken stated. "Where should we start looking?"
"The forest by Max's condo," Will answered at once.
"Eh? Why there?" Miles asked.
"If Will suggested it, that would be the right place to go," Claire said. "Let's trust in his judgment."
Hope nodded. "I second that."
"I think we'll all agree to it as well," Gen stated. "Let us check that location."
"Then it is decided. We'll come to the condo to meet with Hope, Gaston, Max, and Tenma, and then we will go into the forest," Perseus declared.
"See you when we get there," Rue said, exiting. Everyone else left at once, except for Hope, Amy, Zack, Larka, and Fell.
"I'll tell you how it went later," Hope assured her sister.
"Right. Until then," Amy said, leaving with Sakura. Hope and Gaston were gone a second later.
"How do you feel?" Zack asked.
"Perfectly fine. Sarius was not lying when he said it did not hurt," Larka smiled.
"I'm glad to hear that." Zack brought up his Duel Disk menu. "We will see each other shortly, anyway."
"Yes," Larka agreed. Then the three of them were gone.
…
Light made her way through the forest slowly, trying to avoid tree branches that suddenly loomed out of nowhere. She was not sure where this route led to, but after having no luck in the town, she had opted to check here next.
Now she was wondering if that was a good idea. She had no idea just how big this forest was, and for all she knew, it might be days before she saw another human.
Still, she tried to make the best of her situation by continuing to go forward, in hopes of finding something.
After a few more minutes of walking, she suddenly found herself leaving the trees. This was odd though. Why would the forest abruptly cease?
Then, ahead of her, she saw a large house on a slope above her. It was almost like a mansion, although Light was not sure if she could call it one. There was an iron gate that was locked, which was a good enough message for most would-be intruders that this property was off-limits.
It completely puzzled Light that such a house would be here, in the middle of a forest. But before she could wonder much more about it, she saw someone.
Sitting on the front steps of the mansion was a young boy, who was probably no older than six. He wore a short-sleeved navy blue shirt and black pants, with black shoes to accompany it. His black hair fell just down to his shoulders, although now it masked most of his face since he had his head bent over as he looked at something in his hands with obvious concentration.
Light's gasp caused the boy to look up suddenly. His eyes were a deep blue, and filled with childish innocence.
He sprang up instantly, running over to the gate. "Welcome, miss! Did you come to speak with my mother or father? I am sorry, but they are not currently here right now."
Light continued to stare at him, still stunned by what she saw.
But continuing to look at him did not change facts.
"…Miss? Is something wrong?" the boy asked, tilting his head.
There's no mistake, Light realized. This boy is truly the second Limiter! Male, and he feels like the darkness Limiter… he has to be the one. Light was well aware that Limiters had to be children one time or another, but this was her first time encountering one.
"Er… sorry," Light managed to say, forcing herself to smile cheerfully. "I happened to get a bit lost in this huge forest. Nothing more."
"You are not from around here?" the boy inquired.
"No," Light answered. "It seems this is the only house in the area."
The boy's eyes suddenly seemed saddened as he looked away. "Yes… I always wanted to have some friends, but we live too far away to have contact with anyone." Then he brightened again as he held out his hand towards her. "But I do have some other ways to occupy myself. See?"
Light was again surprised to see that he was holding out a Duel Monster deck. She hadn't been aware that children as young as him would be playing the game.
"Ah, yes… I have a deck as well," Light told him.
"Really? Would you duel with me?" the boy asked excitedly. Then he blushed, looking away. "Oh… sorry, miss. You probably have somewhere to be…"
"No, no, it's fine," Light assured. "I would be happy to play against you. But do you have a Duel Disk?"
The boy shook his head. "I can't get one until I'm thirteen… but I can borrow my father's! I don't think he would mind."
"If you go get it, we can duel right now," Light offered, lifting her arm to show him her own Duel Disk.
"Ok!" the boy said, eagerly running back to the house.
Light smiled to herself again at seeing how eager the boy was. That smile vanished as she remembered how he had looked before though. He had seemed very lonely, which probably explained just why he wanted to play with anyone, even a complete stranger.
He was back rather quickly, and shut the door to the mansion before running back over to the gate, this time holding a Duel Disk. "Do you mind if we do this outside? I'm afraid my parents would not appreciate it if I brought in someone who was uninvited."
"I would actually prefer that," Light replied, stepping away from the gate. The boy unlatched it and shut it again, being careful not to accidentally lock himself out. Then he attached the Duel Disk and slid his deck into it.
"Have you ever played with a Duel Disk before?" Light asked, seeing that it looked a bit large for him.
"No, but I've seen my father do it plenty of times," the boy replied.
"That's good. So, what is your name? I would like to know it, if you do not mind," Light requested.
"Julian," he answered.
"That's a nice name," Light said, smiling at him. She was good at dealing with kids, and she knew that a cheerful personality would always help when speaking to them. It seemed to especially have a good effect on Julian; he seemed to trust her already.
It was still risky, but Light knew she had to try. So she said, "Julian, do you mind if we place a condition on this duel?"
"Huh? What do you mean?" Julian asked, looking confused.
"I have been searching for something for some time now," Light explained. "It turns out that you have that thing inside of you."
"Inside of me?" Julian looked at himself, then back up, seeming bewildered.
"It's something special that many people want, including the person I serve," Light said. "Yet despite how important it is to most of us, it does not do anything for you."
"I don't know about anything like that," Julian replied, looking nervous.
"Don't worry," Light reassured him. "It does nothing for you. I am just concerned that later on, it might become a problem for you if other people try to steal it from you."
"What should I do?" Julian asked.
"All you need to do is stake this thing I need in a duel," Light said. "If I win, you will let me remove it from you. It is a completely painless process, as long as you agree to it. But if you win, I will let you select any card from my deck that you want, and you may keep it."
Julian's eyes widened. "Do you mean that?"
Light nodded. "Completely. I will not go back on my word."
For a moment, Julian considered the option. Then he said, "I'll accept!"
Light smiled again. "Thank you. That is a great help to me."
"I'm happy I can assist, miss, especially since you've been so nice!" Julian said.
"You can call me Light," Light offered.
"Ok, Miss Light," Julian responded. "Are you ready?"
"Whenever you are," Light replied.
Julian: 8000
Light: 8000
"To decide who goes first, do you want to flip a coin?" Julian suggested, taking out a quarter.
"Sure. I'll call heads," Light said.
Julian flipped it, and then held out the back of his hand. It nearly reached the back of his hand when he slapped down the other one, trapping it. Light had seen people catch coins and slap them onto the backs of their hands, but this new method looked a bit trickier to her.
"It is heads." Instead of putting the quarter away, Julian placed it on an empty space on his Duel Disk.
"Then I get the first move. I lay one card face down and end my turn," Light stated.
Julian looked at the field curiously. It seemed like a poor play, but it was possible that she was baiting him to attack so that she could activate her trap card. So he said, "I activate Hurricane! This sends all magic and trap cards on the field to their respective player's hand. Then I summon Landmine Spider!" (2200/100)
Light did not seem disturbed in the slightest by the huge spider that appeared. "Are you going to attack?"
"Yes. But there's a catch to my Landmine Spider. Every time it attacks you, I have to first flip a coin. If I call it correctly, the attack goes through normally. If not, you are still attacked, but I also lose half of my Life Points."
"That seems awfully risky," Light commented.
"I don't mind gambling," Julian answered. "It's one of the only things that interests me when I have to stay here. Anyway, I call heads." He caught the coin the same way he had before, and glanced at it. "It's heads."
The Landmine Spider wrapped its legs around Light, squeezing her tightly with the sharp tips of its legs digging into her.
Julian: 8000
Light: 5800
"I end my turn," Julian said as the Landmine Spider returned to his field.
"I will lay down this card again, and activate a magic card, Earth Crusher," Light announced. "It destroys the monster on your field with the highest defense. Since Landmine Spider is your only monster, it is the one who is destroyed. That is all."
Julian looked unconcerned about losing his monster. "I summon Outburst Bull Oni." (1200/1200)
Light blinked a few times as the vivid red bull appeared, snorting at her. "Do you attack with it?"
"Not yet," Julian said. "I need to play this permanent magic card first. It's called Second Chance. Once per turn, I can negate a coin flip and try flipping it again. Now I'll activate Oni's effect! Once per turn, on my main phase, I flip a coin and call it. If I'm correct, you lose 1000 Life Points, but I lose 1000 Life Points if I'm wrong. I call heads." Julian looked at the coin. "I got tails, so I will use Second Chance to redo that toss." He shook his head as he saw what it had landed on this time. "Tails again… I'm usually luckier than that. I'll attack you with Oni."
Light was not sure which attack was more painful; although she lost less Life Points from Oni, it still was not pleasant to have a huge red bull charging you down.
Julian: 7000
Light: 4600
"I lay one card down and end my turn," Julian said.
Light examined her hand. "Finally, I can actually do something. First, I play Jar of Greed to draw two cards. I lay one card down, and then activate my permanent trap card, Pyramid of Light!"
"What does it do?" Julian asked.
"It has an effect that I will get to shortly. The main use of it is so that I can special summon two monsters with their effects. Both of them require having a Pyramid of Light on the field so that they can be special summoned by paying 500 Life Points. I pay 1000 Life Points to bring out both Andro Sphinx and Sphinx Teeleia!" (3000/2500) (2500/3000)
Julian was amazed by the two powerful monsters that appeared before him, especially since he had rarely seen any monsters that strong. Andro Sphinx looked like a dark-furred lion with blue armor and a yellow mane that had the structure of a human. Sphinx Teeleia had gray fur, stood on all four legs, and had a tail, making her look much more lion-like. She had two small wings with yellow feathers that matched the fur on the tip of the tail. Her pink hair seemed almost like a mane, but not quite. Around one paw was a shackle, its chain broken. The iron collar also bore a chain, its end broken once again.
Light laughed at the look on Julian's face. "If you think that is impressive, just wait until you see what I am going to do next. I play a magic card, Griffin's Feather Sweep! It destroys all of my magic and trap cards, and gives me 500 Life Points for each one I destroy. I lose both Pyramid of Light and Monster Gate."
"Why would you want to do that?" Julian inquired.
"When my Pyramid of Light is sent to the Cemetery, my two Sphinxes are destroyed, and then removed from the game. But this allows me to pay 500 Life Points to special summon another monster from my deck, called Sphinx Androgynous!" (3500/3000)
This monster was even more astonishing. Its body was Teeleia's, with much bigger wings, but it had the upper torso, arms, and head of Andro. It smirked, showing its fangs quite clearly to Julian, who was watching it in awe.
"Now I activate his effect," Light declared. "By paying 500 more Life Points, I can raise his attack by 3000 on the turn he was special summoned. (6500/3000) Now he destroys Oni!"
The Sphinx Androgynous went up to the bull and grabbed it. Then, without any warning, he devoured the bull, horns and all.
Julian: 2700
Light: 3600
"I place one card down and end my turn," Light finished.
Julian seemed a bit sickened by the way his monster had been destroyed, but was not even close to giving up. "I activate my permanent trap card, Needle Wall! On each of my standby phases, I roll a die. Your monster zones are numbered one through five. If there is a monster on the zone number that the die lands on, that monster is destroyed. If it is a six, I roll again. Your Sphinx is on zone one. So let's see what I get…"
The large die landed, bouncing around the field before ending with a one for both of them to see.
"All right! Your Sphinx is destroyed. Now I summon Whimsical Goddess!" (950/700)
Light stared at the woman in front of her, who had on a rather revealing dress. "Your parents know that you play this game?"
"Yeah. Dad says it's a fun game and that I'm getting good at it," Julian replied. "He told me to always hide this card when mom came by though. I don't know why… do you?"
"…That is something I will leave to your parents," Light said. "So what does Whimsical Goddess do?"
"I flip a coin for her. If it lands on heads, her attack is doubled for the rest of the turn, but tails will split her attack in half for this turn." Julian tossed the coin into the air, catching it in his odd manner. "It's tails. I'll use Second Chance to try again." This time, he smiled as he saw the coin. "Heads! Her attack doubles. (1900/700) She attacks directly!"
Julian: 2700
Light: 1700
"I lay one card down. That's all," Julian concluded.
Light revealed her face down card. "I will activate another Pyramid of Light. Then I pay 1000 Life Points to bring out Andro Sphinx and Sphinx Teeleia again."
Julian: 2700
Light: 700
"Andro Sphinx attacks your Whimsical Goddess!"
"Let's see if he can even find them!" Julian said. "I activate my trap card, Magical Silk Hat!" At once, three black hats with a yellow question mark on each appeared, one covering Whimsical Goddess. Then they shuffled around, too fast for the eye to follow, and abruptly halted. The Andro Sphinx paused in front of them, confused.
"Two of those hats have a magic or trap card inside them that I chose from my deck," Julian explained. "Basically, they are there to be fodder. It you attack my Whimsical Goddess, she will be destroyed. Want to give it a go, Miss Light?"
"I don't see why not," Light replied. "I attack the hat to your right with Andro Sphinx!"
The Andro Sphinx devoured the hat, exposing a magic card that shattered.
"That was another Second Chance," Julian said.
"Then I will attack the hat that was in the center with Sphinx Teeleia!" Light decided.
After the Sphinx Teeleia ate away the hat, a trap card was revealed before it too broke apart.
Julian smiled in relief. "That one was Reverse Dice. My Whimsical Goddess remained safe." As he said that, the last hat vanished, revealing a defense mode card.
Light showed him her hand, which had no cards in it. "I cannot do anything else."
"I roll a die for Needle Wall…" It landed on five, showing that it had failed. Julian glanced at the card he had drawn, and summoned it to the field. "I'm going to take one of the greatest risks I have attempted in a while. But I don't mind; it is worth it to try something like this against an opponent such as you, Miss Light. I summon Sand Gambler!" (300/1600)
"I assume he has an effect?" Light said as the man appeared in a relaxed stance, holding a coin in his hand.
"Yes. I flip three coins. If all three are heads, all of your monsters are destroyed. If all three are tails, all of mine are destroyed instead," Julian explained.
"Three heads in a row? That will not be easily done," Light stated.
"No, but I have to try something!" Julian brought up the quarter and began to flip it. "Heads… heads… darn, tails! I'm going to activate Second Chance. Unfortunately, this makes me redo all three coin flips. Still, a small chance is better than none. Heads… heads… and heads!" Julian said triumphantly. The Sand Gambler began to glow blue, as did the two Sphinxes. Then they suddenly vanished.
"That was very lucky," Light said. "The problem with your strategy is that you destroyed both of my Sphinxes at the same time. Now I can pay 500 Life Points to special summon another Sphinx Androgynous!"
Julian: 2700
Light: 200
"You don't seem to mind taking risks yourself," Julian smiled.
"When I have no other choice, I don't mind," Light agreed. "Do you do anything else?"
"I lay one card down and end my turn," Julian said.
"I activate Griffin's Feather Sweep again, to destroy Pyramid of Light and gain 500 more Life Points," Light stated. After a pause, she said, "I'm done."
Julian: 2700
Light: 700
"You won't be able to win if you don't do anything, Miss Light," Julian informed her. "Needle Wall will eventually destroy your Sphinx if nothing else." The die landed on a two this time. "I pass."
Light found it odd that he had not switched Sand Gambler to defense mode, but decided to take the chance anyway. "I attack your Sand Gambler with Sphinx Androgynous!"
"I activate my trap card, Monster Box!" Julian declared. "I flip a coin and call it. If I'm correct, your monster's attack power becomes zero. If I'm wrong, the attack goes through without a problem. I call heads!" Julian flipped the coin into the air, and caught it. "…Tails… but I will use Second Chance to try again!" Once more, the coin landed on the back of his hand. Realizing that this would be the difference between victory and defeat for him, Julian quickly glanced at the quarter, not wanting to draw out the suspension.
"Heads!" he said, immensely relieved. The Sphinx Androgynous attempted to devour the Sand Gambler, but he calmly sidestepped the jaws, flipping a coin straight at the Sphinx's forehead as he went. The coin pierced straight through it, causing the Sphinx to roar in pain before vanishing.
Julian: 2700
Light: 400
"So now you have the advantage," Light stated. "I still have something that I can defend myself with, however. I remove my Andro Sphinx and Sphinx Teeleia to special summon Holy Shine Soul!" (2000/1800)
Despite how strong the Sphinxes had been, Julian found himself far more captivated by this new monster. She was a being that was made of light, her body shimmering in and out of focus in the daylight. On her back were two large, feathered angel wings, and over her head was a halo. Her hair, the same color as the rest of her body, went down to about her shoulders. Her eyes were closed at first, but then she opened them, revealing them to be a pure sky-blue color. Then they faded into light too, leaving her constantly fading in and out.
Light noticed that Julian seemed very interested in this new monster, but did not comment. Instead, she simply said, "The only way I could bring her onto the field was to remove two Light Main-Types. It is your turn."
"Oh… right. I roll for Needle Wall," Julian said as the die dropped onto the ground. It landed on a six, so it was redone, this time landing on a five.
"Then I only have one choice," Julian stated. "I sacrifice Sand Gambler and Whimsical Goddess for Revolver Dragon!" (2600/2200)
The machine appeared instantly, raising its three guns to line up with the Holy Shine Soul.
Julian looked at the Holy Shine Soul guiltily, and then said, "I will activate Revolver Dragon's effect! I flip three coins, and if two or more are heads, one monster on your field is destroyed!" He tossed the coin into the air, catching it as he always did. "Tails, heads, and heads!"
The Revolver Dragon instantly released a barrage of shots. The Holy Shine Soul smiled softly before she was hit, leaving nothing behind.
"…Then Revolver Dragon attacks directly!" Julian said.
Julian: 2700
Light: 0
"I am very impressed by how well you duel," Light told him as she shut down her Duel Disk.
"Thank you," Julian said, looking even happier than he had before, if that was possible, as he took off his own Duel Disk.
"Now, for my end of the deal…" Light went over to him and handed him her deck. "Take out whichever card you want."
"Is that really ok with you?" Julian asked.
"I was the one who wagered it, so I must pay up," Light smiled. "Go ahead."
"Thanks!" Julian quickly looked through the deck, passing most cards by instantly. Once he had gone through the entire thing once, he took out the Holy Shine Soul, showing it to her. "This is my choice."
Despite his interest in the card before, it still surprised Light that he had chosen that card. "Why her? She did not prevent me from losing the game."
Julian looked at the card, and then back up at her, blushing slightly. "Miss Light, I know exactly three people. One is my mother, and one is my father. You are the third person I have met. Even though you didn't know me, you still stayed here long enough to play." He glanced away. "That may not seem like much… but it means a lot to me. That's why I wanted this card. She reminds me of you…" He forced himself to look back up at her. "I know you probably have somewhere else you need to go now, but you did show concern about me. I can't help but see you as an angel too."
Light was not sure how to respond to that. Before she could think of a response, however, she heard a voice bark out, "Light!"
She turned to see Juno step out of the forest, looking highly irritated. Seeing his expression, Light knew that this would not end well.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Juno growled, walking over to her. He glanced down at Julian, who seemed to be petrified by Juno's appearance, but turned back almost instantly to Light. "You were playing games with a child? I had specific orders for you, Light! You should not have wasted time doing things such as this!"
"Forgive me, Lord Juno," Light said softly. "However…" Her eyes darted back down to Julian.
Juno followed her gaze. Now that he was actually paying closer attention to the boy, he realized at once why Light had remained here.
Without warning, Juno drew his sword. "So this is the second Limiter! I did not expect it to be a child, but all the better. I won't have to face anymore annoying interferences. Light, stand aside."
Light regretfully backed away, knowing that she had to follow Juno's orders. She did not approve of killing like this, especially for a child, but she certainly couldn't argue against him.
Julian was completely confused by all this. Apparently, this was one of the people Light spoke of that wanted whatever it was he had. But she had called him Lord Juno; did that mean this was the person she served that she had spoken of? He couldn't imagine why she would be working for such a person. Was it by free will, or did she have no choice? Things had always been simple enough to sort out between right and wrong in his mind, but now he found himself completely bewildered.
There were only two things that he knew for sure. One was that Light did not wish for him to die. Despite the fact that she was not doing anything to prevent this man from attacking him, he knew somehow that her intentions were not bad ones. She was someone he still felt he could trust, even if these new actions seemed to make it look as though he shouldn't.
The other fact he was sure on was that this new man wanted him dead. And he knew there was nothing he could do to stop it. Shaking in fear, he could only watch as Juno came forward, raising his sword.
He suddenly halted, glancing up, and then jumped aside as a black blur crashed into where he had been standing. Fell leapt away from where he had landed, eyeing Juno cautiously.
Kazel landed a short distance away as Larka got off, running over to Julian at once. "Are you all right?"
"…Y-yes," Julian stammered.
We got here just in time, Larka thought in relief. They had been flying back towards the condo after Kazel had picked them up, but she had seen some interesting activity going on below. Once they realized it was Juno trying to attack someone, they had decided to help at once.
But why would Juno attack this boy? Larka wondered as she looked at him. I did not think he would randomly strike out at anyone like this, let alone a child! He must be even more furious than I could have imagined…
Juno pointed his sword at Fell. "It was foolish of you to interfere. Your speed will not assist you against me." Before Fell could react, he lunged forward.
Fell would have been run through on the spot, but a clang of metal said otherwise. Juno stumbled back but got back his footing in an instant.
Sarius brought up his Shibien to be ready to block again if necessary. "Will you be so confident when facing me?"
"Damn it… I knew you would manage to show up somehow," Juno snarled.
"Then you should be ready to fight back," Sarius stated. He glanced over at where Raid had landed. Aya and the Child were dismounting. Then he glanced at where Larka and Julian stood, and was surprised at what he saw, even if it did not show on his face.
"You found the second Limiter before me," Sarius commented. "I did not expect that to happen."
"Even I get lucky at times," Juno retorted.
What? Larka thought in shock. This boy is the second Limiter?
Julian wanted to know what a Limiter was, but given the present situation, he was too frightened to even try to ask.
Suddenly, Tenma ran into the clearing, everyone else following him. Tenma drew back, snarling at Juno, which was the scent he had traced here.
"W-we… finally… made… it…" Rue gasped, trying to catch his breath from the run.
"N-no kidding…" Miles groaned, also feeling as though he was about to collapse at any second.
Will was looking around the clearing. "I saw something happening here…"
"Another vision?" Draken asked.
"Yes…" Will indicated to Juno and Julian. "I saw that Juno was about to kill that boy."
"But why?" Gen wondered, which summed up what everyone else wanted to inquire.
To be continued…