THREE MONTHS LATER

Akira arched his back and turned over hard, the Neuroi fighter streaking by under him. He jinked to the left, then dropped straight down, curling around onto the tail of the second Neuroi that was close behind the first. He made a jabbing gesture with two fingers at the Neuroi.

"Rivus!" he cried, and the Neuroi was instantly engulfed in flames, burned to cinders, and scattered by the wind in a matter of seconds. He spun around and pointed at the first fighter that had tried to swing around behind him again. "Procella!" Lightning cracked from his fingertip and struck the Neuroi ship head on, and it exploded with a huge flash.

He turned again and saw a fighter had swung around behind Yoshika and she couldn't get it off her back. Just as it fired, he threw out a hand towards her. "Pro muro!" he yelled, and several shields flashed up around her, deflecting the fighter's attack. She turned and blasted it to dust with her machine gun, then turned and grinned at him.

"Thanks, Akira!" she called over the radio, then shot off in hot pursuit of another Neuroi. Akira took a moment to catch his breath and get his bearings. He turned in a circle. A large portion of the Neuroi swarm, or what was left of it, was retreating back the way they had come, and the remainder where just being blown away by the other. Someone touched his shoulder and he jerked in surprise, spinning around.

Lynette laughed at his reaction. "Relax, silly, it's just me," she said, coming to hover next to him. "We're pretty much done here. How you holding up?"

Akira wiped sweat from his face with his shirt and took a gulp from a water bottle he kept clipped to his belt. Using his magic always made him thirsty for some reason. "I'm doing okay. I am nearing my limit though, so it's a good thing that these are the last of them. Is it just me, or do the swarms keep getting bigger?"

Lynette looked a little grim. "It's not you; they ARE getting bigger. What's more, the fighters are getting faster and smarter with each attack. I'm not sure how much longer we can keep ahead of them at this rate."

"Hey, don't think like that," Yoshika said, soaring over to them. "I'm sure we'll think of something to beat them. We always have before."

Akira nodded. "Yoshika's right, I'm sure we'll figure something out. Until then, we just have to keep fighting and never lose hope."

TWO HOURS LATER

Akira sighed in pleasure, sinking to his chin in the hot water of the bathing room. The heat soaked into his tired body, easing his aches and soothing the knots in sore muscles. He twisted his head first one way, then the other, and was rewarded with a series of loud pops. He sighed again, feeling some more of the tension and tiredness flow out of him. He could hear the girls in the room next to his, laughing and chattering.

He was a little sad that he couldn't be in there with, not for perverted reasons, but simply because he would have enjoyed their company. He liked talking to them. They were all intelligent, full of personality and life. Especially Yoshika. As someone who wasn't initially part of the group, he could see how Yoshika was in many ways the glue that held the girls together.

She was the emotional anchor, a role that he was pretty sure she was completely unaware of. "Rivus," he muttered, and his water warmed up a bit more, having lost some of its heat as he sat there thinking. After a while longer, his stomach growled and he grinned to himself.

He got out of the tub and drained it, then got dressed and headed for the dinning hall. He got something to eat, then decided to got for a walk. The moon was up, and the stars glittered brightly, studding the velvety blue-black backdrop of the night sky like diamonds. He wandered aimlessly for a time, eventually ending up at the end of the runway.

He sat down, his legs hanging over the edge, simply gazing up at the stars, lost in thought. Eventually he laid back, his hands behind his head, still looking up. He closed his eyes, and before he knew it, he was asleep.

And then he dreamed.

Akira turned slowly in a circle, looking at the faces of the elders around him. His heart pounded in his chest; he was both scared and excited.

"Akira Osaragi, step forth," said the elder in the center, beckoning with two fingers. Akira gulped and stepped forwards to stand in the middle of the room.

The elder warlock smiled. "Relax, young one, there's nothing for you to worry about."

Akira nodded nervously. "Yes, my lord. If I may ask, why was I summoned before this council?"

The man to the right of the head elder smiled at him encouragingly. "It's because you have passed the trails!" said his father, standing up and coming around the table to hug him heartily.

"I...wait...what?" Akira said, completely shocked. He had thought he was about to get yelled at for the incident with the fireworks yesterday. "I passed the trails?"

The head elder nodded. "Indeed you did, my boy. And not only passed them, you aced them. Perfect scores all the way across the board. You are now officially an adept."

Akira's jaw dropped, totally shocked now. "I'm...an adept?" he repeated softly.

Before anyone could say anything , there was a blinding flash, and a tremendous blast of heat washed over him. A huge shockwave picked him up and slammed him against the wall. He must have blacked out for a few moments, because when he opened his eyes, the room was choked with dust and smoke. Hacking and coughing, Akira pushed himself to his feet and stumbled forwards.

"Dad?" he called, looking around. "Dad?"

He took a few steps forward until he heard something splash underfoot. He looked down and saw a dark pool slowly spreading outwards from a pile of stone and wood from where the walls and ceiling had once been on the eastern side of the room. Now there was a gaping hole, and outside, the city was burning. Black shapes sailed slowly through the sky, and crimson beams of energy lanced downwards from them, laying down swathes of destruction.

He heard a cough and turned. Then he saw his father.

"DAD!" he cried, dashing over, and then dropping to his knees next to him. He was covered in blood, a huge, ragged hole in his stomach, and his left arm was missing. "No no no nonononono, Dad! Dad!"

His father opened his eyes slowly, his breathing coming in ragged gasps. "Akira...you...y-y-you h-have t-t-to...get out of h-here," he said, his voice weak and thready.

Akira shook his head, tears streaming down his face. "No! I won't leave you! We have to get you out of here!"

His father suddenly grabbed his wrist with an iron grip. "No, Akira, i-it's...it's t-to late f-for me. I'm already d-dead. You n-n-need to l-live."

"No! I can't leave you behind!"

"Go! Volnus!" A gust of wind slammed into him, knocking him backwards out of the hole in the wall. He crashed to the ground but instantly stood back up. He took two steps towards the house when another brilliant beam of energy arched down from one of the machines overhead. It struck the ceiling and the house exploded outwards, sending Akira to the ground.

The dust cleared, and all that was left in front of him was a smoking hole.

"No," he whispered. "No. N-no, it can't...this can't be...be happening. No, Dad...Dad...DAAAAAAAAAAAAAD!"

"NO!" Akira sat up with a strangled cry. He was panting and shaking, and he was soaked with sweat. He flopped back down and threw an arm over his eyes. Dammit, why now? He hadn't had that dream in almost three years! Why did it have to come back now? He didn't want to relive it every time he closed his eyes!

"Akira?"

He opened his eyes and looked around in surprise. Yoshika stood nearby, a look of concern on her face.

"Oh, hey, Yoshika," he said, his voice hoarse and rough. He cleared his throat. "What's up?"

She stepped closer and looked at him closely. "Are...are you okay? I heard you yell from over by the hanger and wanted to make sure you were alright."

"I'm...I'm fine," he said after a moments hesitation. "Thanks, though.

She sat down next to him. "You sure? It sure looks like something's bothering you."

"I said I'm fine!" he snapped. She drew back with a little gasp of surprise at his vehemence. He froze for moment, then sighed and closed his eyes, rubbing his forehead with the heel of his hand. "I'm sorry, Yoshika, I didn't mean to yell at you like that. I'm really okay, I just fell asleep out here and had a bad dream."

"Oh," she said, and sat quietly next to him for a moment. "Do...do you want to talk about it?"

He smiled a little in spite of his roiling emotions. "No, it's alright, I'll be fine."

"Don't lie, Akira."

They both turned in surprise to see Shirley standing behind them. She came over and sat down on the other side of Akira, wrapping both her arms around one of his and pulling over so he was forced to look at her.

"I can tell you're lying," she said quietly, her face and voice more serious than either of them had ever seen her before. "It was more than just a bad dream, wasn't it?"

Akira sat very still for a long moment, then looked at the ground and nodded slowly. "Yes, it was. It was also far worse."

Slowly, haltingly, he told them. When he was done, they all sat quietly for a while.

"So," Yoshika said slowly after a time. "Your father died saving you during the first Neuroi attack."

"It wasn't just him," he said, his voice tight with anger.

"What do you mean?" asked Shirley.

"We found out later it was all the major warlock schools," he explained. "Haven't you ever wondered why none of us have shown up to fight before now?"

"Now that you mention it, I had thought it was a little odd that you only now came forward," Shirley said, looking up at the stars thoughtfully.

"It's because they targeted us," Akira said bitterly. "The Neuroi, I mean. We only figured this out recently. For some reason, warlock magic is VERY effective against the Neuroi, They're vulnerable to it. Something about our magic disrupts their regenerative powers, preventing them from healing any damage caused by warlock magic. Somehow, the Neuroi were aware of this when they first appeared all those years ago, and they specifically targeted warlocks and warlock schools in their initial attacks."

They looked at him in shock, but he went on. "We were nearly wiped out almost overnight. Less than five hundred warlocks escaped the slaughter, and most of them were just apprentices, who barely knew how to use their power. It wasn't until recently that we've gotten back up to enough numbers to start fighting back." He was crying now, tears flowing down his face. "I just wish my dad was here to help mm. I miss him so much. Half the time, I don't know what the hell I'm doing! I'm just making it up as I go along! I wish he was here to point me in the right direction! Why did he have to die? Why? Why why why WHY!?" He broke down and turned, burying his face in Yoshika's shoulder. Shirley leaned in and wrapped her arms around him, and they held him as he sobbed, his body shaking.

After a while, he calmed down and then gently pushed away from them, sitting up. He sniffed and wiped his eyes. "I'm sorry. I wish you hadn't had to see me like that."

Yoshika shook her head. "No, Akira, don't feel bad. IT's okay, really. I'm glad we were able to help you!"

Shirley nodded emphatically. "That's right! What good are friends if they can't be there for you when you need them most?" She and Yoshika stood up and tugged Akira to his feet. "Come on, let's all head back inside and get some rest. I'm sure we'll have a busy day tomorrow."

Akira nodded. "You're right. And...thanks, both of you."

With that, the three of them turned and headed back into the base, each girl holding one of Akira's hands all the way back to his room.

I hope you guys like the story so far! Please, post reviews to let me know what you think! Feedback is greatly appreciated and it helps me write a better story! Thanks!

PS: I know I changed how Akira uses his magic. This way is much easier for me and makes more sense, and I just didn't feel like going back and changing it in the first chapter. Lol. Hope I didn't confuse you too much! Thanks for reading my stuff!