Here's the chapter with the duel between Kallen and Lelouch.

I don't own Code Geass.

Act II Part 4:

Reason to Fight

"How are you feeling Kallen?" Lelouch asked her while she still recovered in bed.

She gave him a weak smile. "I'm fine," Kallen said, part true. She was physically healed but still had an air of depression around her.

"Are you sure?" Lelouch asked with a worried face. "You've been acting differently since you were beaten...What did that guy say to you?" Kallen dropped her smile looked away from the amethyst eyes that pierced through her soul, desperate not to answer him. Eventually gave up for now. "You'll tell me when you want to, right?"

"Yeah..." Kallen said in a barely audible whisper. She looked back to him and changed the subject. "So, how are you dealing with Ohgi?"

"He's not too happy that I've been hiding on board the Ark," Lelouch chuckled, "but, he's not after my head right now."

"And the rest of the people that saw you?"

"No ones said anything yet...So, what are you going to do when you get out of here?"

What kind of Ace are you?!

"I'm going to continue and finish my training here," she finally answered.

"Aren't you going back to Ashford first?" Lelouch questioned and Kallen shook her head as an answer. "Kallen..."

"Lelouch...There is something I've got to find, and I can only find it here," the Guren pilot told him. The look she gave him was a determined one, but it lacked the same fire Kallen always had.

Lelouch sighed and raise his hands in surrender, he didn't want to deal with her stubbornness. "I hope you find what you are looking for then. But know that you won't find it here." With that, Lelouch stood up from the seat he was sitting in and walked out of the room, leaving Kallen to her thoughts.

Kozuki Kallen has no strength of her own!

Kallen gripped the sheets that covered her tightly. She fought back the tears that wanted to explode from her eyes.

Look! You're crying again! You always cry! How did a crybaby like you get the title of Ace?!

She slammed the wall with her fist. "Damnit!" Kallen lost the battle against her tears. "Why did he have to be Naoto's?"

*************

Lelouch walked down the hall, thinking of what could be eating at Kallen. His thoughts were disturbed by a familiar voice calling his name. The ex-prince looked up and saw Ohgi and Viletta walking toward him. Viletta was carrying a baby with her. Lelouch stopped to talk with them.

Ohgi still shot a glare that screamed distrust at Lelouch. "How is Kallen doing?" the Prime Minister questioned grudgingly.

Lelouch ignored the tone in Ohgi's voice. "She's fine, just something is still bothering her."

"What's the matter?" Viletta asked more calmly than Ohgi.

Lelouch shook his head. "She won't tell me what is wrong."

"Why won't she?"

"I don't know," Lelouch's attention went to the baby in Viletta's arms. "Is this Naoto?" he asked bending over to look at the baby's sleeping face. Lelouch smiled.

Ohgi didn't feel too comfortable with Lelouch being so close to his child. He stepped between them. "Yes, this is my son, Naoto," he answered.

Lelouch sighed, putting his hands in his pockets before walking away. "We should work on our trust issues Ohgi," Lelouch called out before he was out of earshot.

"Why should I trust you?" Ohgi grumbled.

Viletta shook her head but said nothing. She was okay with Lelouch around, but that doesn't mean she trusted him fully...Maybe she did miss him at school. 'Besides Milly, he did make things more interesting,' she thought with a nostalgic smile.

*******************

Unknown Location

"Roland..." Ardor sighed as he sat on his throne in his room. He looked at a picture with only himself at the beach, smiling but...there were three people missing.

"Can't let go of the past?" a voice asked behind him. Ardor didn't have to look at the Remnant to know who it was.

"What do you want Lazard?"

"Oh nothing at all," he mused. "Tell me...What are you remembering?"

"Nothing," Ardor answered as he put the picture in his pocket.

"So, did you meet Kallen?" Lazard asked.

"I did...Heh. I think I was harsh on the kid."

"Heheheh. It seems you long for kinship," Lazard mused.

"Well I did lose two of my sisters," Ardor chuckled sadly.

Lazard quirked an eyebrow. "Sisters?" he asked, putting emphasis on the last 's.'

"You don't remember them...because they never truly existed," Ardor explained.

Lazard decided to drop the subject. It didn't fill his interest. "So, Kallen, was she like you thought?"

Ardor laughed. "Definitely a crybaby. She needs to get over that and be a real Ace...Tell me, what is it that you want from that Adam kid?"

Lazard smiled wickedly. "It's not what I want...It's what my lord wants from Adam."

"Huh?"

"You'll understand when the reunion happens. Soon, it will happen."

"Whatever you say."

"What will you do for your new sister?" Lazard asked.

Ardor scratched his head then crossed his arms. "I guess I'll..."

****************

Ark training room

For the next few weeks, Kallen had been training under Adam's careful watch. Noa took over her Advent training personally. She had become stronger physically, but had not found the strength she was looking for. Kallen wanted a reason to become strong, but just couldn't find it in herself...Just as Ardor had said.

Lelouch kept on asking her what it was she was searching for, but Kallen never answered him. In fact, she kept her distance from him. Even when Zero had come and asked her what was the matter she just blew him off in front of everyone. The Ace of the Black Knights....blew off Zero? That was the question everyone thought.

Of course, Kallen kept wondering whether or not she should have the title of 'Ace' anymore. After all, why should someone who needs another person's reason to fight be an Ace?

But, she was not the only one who kept problems to herself. Lelouch, was wondering who gave him that black and white feather he carried on his belt. Whenever Kallen asked him about why he kept it, the answer was always the same, "It's a lucky charm." And every time he looked at it, he just looked up into the sky, night or day, and smiled for hours on end.

Adam seemed to be training alone more often on his spare time. Why though, no one asked. Adam was a lone wolf after all.

November had past and it was now the beginning of December. Noa believed it was time for Kallen to have one last duel against someone of his choice. "Do you believe you are ready?" Noa asked her calmly.

"Y-yes," Kallen answered hesitantly to the immortal mage. "I believe I've learned everything I can from here...And if there is something I am missing, then I can learn it through experience."

Noa smiled. "Good answer," he handed her a different version of her Guardian outfit, it had full long sleeves and snow pants and boots. "You have to take care of these for the next two week, because it will be your only clothing for where you are going."

"Where am I going?" Kallen asked.

"Kaminejima," he answered. "You will be there for the week with no food or water, simple enough. The island is covered in snow right now, so you'll obviously have to find shelter from the cold."

"It's not just survival is it?"

"You will have an opponent waiting there. By now he has already set traps for you," Noa mused, "Your objective is to fight against this opponent each day without being knocked out. It is a test of your strength, endurance, skill, and wits."

"Easy enough," Kallen responded. "When do I leave?"

"Now."

"Right now?"

"Yep, your flight will take off in about," he paused and looked over at the clock on the wall, "fifteen minutes to get there." Before he said the last three words, Kallen had already made a mad dash to the hangar.

Noa chuckled. "Always on the move, eh?"

************

Kaminejima Island

Sunday, 3:35 P.M.

Kallen stepped of her transport and scanned the area in front of her as the transport departed. The landscape was as Noa had said, covered in snow. Even the sand of the beach was covered in a blanket of white. In her red outfit, she would stick out like a sore thumb to her opponent, whomever that may be.

Kallen cautiously walked across the beach toward the woods, watching out for any traps. Hopefully she could find that waterfall from last time she was here. If it hadn't frozen completely, it would provide a necessary water supply for her. She would also have to get food off the land if she were to last for the next two weeks. All she had on her was a sword, a skinning knife, the clothes she wore, and an empty canteen.

Kallen walked into the forest, carefully searching for an animal trail that would hopefully lead her to the waterfall or some food. When she did find one, Kallen followed and fell into a trap.

A log swung out of the trees on vines. Kallen quickly stepped out of it's path before it could crush her, that's when she heard a calm, deep voice echo through the trees.

"I thought a simple trap like that wouldn't be enough for my Q-1," Lelouch's voice mused, his arrogant amusement evident in his tone. "You can keep following the trail for now...I haven't set anymore traps around the waterfall which I'm positive is where you are going...But know that the most of the island is booby trapped."

"I'm sure you would rather let your traps take care of me," Kallen called out as she continued on the trail. "I'm surprised Noa picked you."

"Why?" Lelouch's voice called out. "Do you honestly believe I can't beat you in physical combat anymore? Don't you remember the King of Knights Tournament?" He sounded closer as Kallen kept walking forward.

"I remember that you beat me in a Knightmare Frame that was obviously more advanced than Rakshata thought," Kallen answered back. "Besides skill in a Knightmare is different than skill on foot! I know that you are faster now, but that doesn't mean you will beat me!" She found herself in front of the waterfall, luckily unfrozen, but Lelouch stood there waiting in his own Guardian outfit.

The sleeves were long and wide over her his gloved hands and his turtleneck was zipped up all the way. The badge held the sheathed sword on his back and his lucky feather hung from the buckled strap of his black half-skirt that covered his left leg. He unsheathed the broadsword on his back with his right hand and pointed the tip at Kallen.

"Well," the Azure knight did his trademark smirk, "shall we begin...Q-1?"

Kallen readied her sword in her left hand. "Don't get cocky, Lelouch!" she yelled as she charged at him.

Lelouch quickly dipped down and swept Kallen's legs when she missed with a slash. She recovered before she hit the ground and assaulted Lelouch once more. He didn't even bother to block, in fact, the prince merely put away his sword. All he ended up doing is dodge Kallen's flurry of attacks without hardly trying.

"You're too slow," he commented with his smirk, agitating Kallen. "You can't catch me just by wildly swinging that sword around, hoping to hit me."

"You talk as if you've already won!" the red head yelled as she launched a strong kick to the side of Lelouch's head. Lelouch caught her leg with ease, then calmly released it, still smirking. Kallen was infuriated by him actually beating her at his own game.

"I think we'll call it a day," Lelouch said after a few more hours of the fight. "Tomorrow, I'll start fighting back. You should calm down by then." He then walked off to wherever his campsite was. Kallen took up on his offer, she did need to find her own shelter after all.

After collecting water into her canteen, Kallen looked searched the island and found a deep cave she could use for shelter. The next thing was to find dry enough wood for a fire then. The wood was difficult since the trees were wet from the snow, but eventually Kallen found enough to use. As for food, it was getting to dark to find any so she would have to find some in the morning.

Kallen huddled close to fire, basking in it's warmth. She stared into the crackling flames, thinking for herself a reason to become stronger. Kallen believed that protecting all she holds dear was a good enough reason, but...

"Why can't I accept that as a reason?" the Guren pilot questioned before letting sleep take hold.

As she slept, Kallen dreamed she was in the Shinjuku Ghetto and Naoto stood in the memorial park against the sunset.

"Naoto!" Kallen yelled out, waving happily. Naoto didn't seem to hear her so Kallen yelled louder. She ran over to him

At last Naoto turned around. "You shouldn't cling to old memories, cry-baby," he said, grinning widely.

Kallen stopped just in front of him, shocked by what he said. She noticed his headband was different from the resistance, it was a red cloth tied on the left side around his head. It was pull down just above the left eye and a piece of the cloth hung loosely under the tied knot.

"You!" Kallen yelled, readying herself for a fight.

Ardor laughed. "Relax, sis," he said.

"We are not related!"

"We are related and you need to accept it!"

"I can't accept it because...because..." Kallen searched for the right words.

"WELL! Spit it out!" Ardor yelled.

Kallen found what she wanted to say: I hate you...But wouldn't that mean that she hated Naoto too? She doesn't hate her brother does she?...Then again Naoto only treated her like a kid just as Ardor is now, and she hated him doing that...Didn't he...?

"Hey, cry-baby!" Kallen was knocked out of her thoughts and glared back at Ardor. "If you've got nothing to say, I'm going!"

Ardor began to walk away. "Hey, wait a minute," Kallen pleaded but Ardor kept moving forward as his shadow began to cover her. Finally, in a barely audible whisper, Kallen said the three words. "I hate you." She didn't believe that he heard her, but to her amazement, Ardor stopped and turned back to her.

"Eh? What did you say?" he asked, mockingly cupping his ear.

Kallen didn't want to waste a second chance so she took in as much air as her lungs permitted and screamed at the top of her voice...

"I HATE YOU!!!" Kallen screamed herself awake. Looking around, the Guren pilot saw that she was still in the cave. Kallen huffed seeing the sun peek through the entrance. Before she got up, Kallen quickly wiped off a wet substance that was on her cheeks.

"This is going to be a long thirteen days," the red head grumbled.

***************

As Kallen predicted, the days were long indeed. Ten days had past and she still had yet to land a hit on Lelouch. "What do you think Milly will say of the physically inept Lelouch beating you in a fight?" he former classmate once asked. The thought scared Kallen a lot.

Besides Lelouch, Kallen had also been having the same dream with Ardor in it. At the same times, she had been playing more memories of Naoto into her mind. Kallen surprised herself when she realized that Ardor and Naoto acted pretty much the same toward her. She never bothered remembering Naoto as the guy that always accused her of being a cry-baby, but only of his death did she remember.

On the eleventh day, Lelouch decided to actually fight back with his sword. "Are you ready Kallen?" he asked. Her reply was tightening her grip on her sword handle. "Then...here I come."

Lelouch ran toward Kallen with speed that could match Suzaku, slicing upwards as he got close. Kallen blocked that blow and the ones that followed, letting Lelouch push her back. He then back flipped away, getting distance, then he threw his sword at Kallen. Kallen quickly ducked down then charged the now defenseless Lelouch.

To her surprise, Lelouch was running toward her too. "Baka!" Kallen yelled has she slashed her blade at him. Lelouch, before Kallen swung her sword, gripped and used Kallen's shoulder to flip over behind her, allowing him to retrieve his weapon. Before Kallen could turn around, Lelouch used his speed to nick her arm.

"First blood to me," he said, triumphant. "That is all for the day."

"What?!" Kallen whined. "We didn't agree to first blood."

"I didn't know you were so eager to lose Kallen," Lelouch joked. "Besides, I've lost interest."

"Y-you what?" Kallen questioned.

"Whether it's this or chess, I take enjoyment in a challenge," he answered calmly.

"I'm not a challenge," Kallen said quietly to herself.

"You...are not doing as well as I've hoped. I expected more from my Ace," Lelouch continued. "You seem to have a lot on your mind, right?" Kallen avoided his eyes, answering his question. "Kallen," Lelouch sighed, "you shouldn't think about things so much...I mean, look what happened to me..." With that, Lelouch walked off with one last statement. "When you've figured out what you want to fight for, I'll actually put in effort."

"How did you-?" Kallen began, but Lelouch cut her with a chuckle.

Looking back at her while he continued moving forward, Lelouch answered. "I know a lot about my Q-1." The answer made Kallen blush, making Lelouch grin in amusement.

****************

That night, Kallen sat on the hard floor of her cave, huddling herself in a ball with her face buried in her knees. She still hasn't found a reason...

"Hey! You better not be cryin'!" Kallen was startled by the yell and looked up to see Ardor in his long black coat, glaring down at her. "Tch! I thought so...You cry-baby, just because I told you that you lack a reason to fight, doesn't mean you can just ball your eyes out."

Kallen quickly stood up, wiping off the tears and grabbing the sword that laid beside her. "What are you doing here?!"

"Baka! What do you think?! I came to see what you were doing!"

"So you're spying."

"Actually...no."

"Huh?"

"I have no orders to do anything for now so...I decided to see what you were up too."

Kallen, lowered her guard a little. "Why?"

"The day we met...I lost two good friends," he muttered sadly to himself. He shook his head and regained his composure. "I thought I should check up on my younger sister, shouldn't I?"

"Go to hell! We are not related!" Kallen snapped, "Just because you look like him, doesn't mean that you are my brother!" Ardor seemed unfazed by her outburst, but inside it hurt him. The 'Go to hell part' he could take easy, the 'not my brother part though'...

"No matter what you and I say...Naoto and I are apart of one another," he said solemnly. "...Just as you are with..." Ardor drifted off then hurriedly changed the subject. "So tell me, have you found a reason for your strength yet? Judging by the way you look, the answer is no." Kallen had no retort.

Ardor sighed in disappointment. "You look for reasons, but all you ever do is look around. That's why you are always so eager to make someone else's reason your own...Kallen, you need to find your own-"

Kallen was infuriated by the truth he spoke. "Don't you think I already know that?! It's just hard to find one!"

Ardor stepped forward, Kallen tensed at how close he was, but seeing his eyes filled with warmth kept her frozen. "You can start," he raise his hand and gently wiped away a single tear that was streaking down her face, "by stopping with the waterworks." Kallen smacked away his hand in frustration. "Do you accept that I am your brother yet?"

Kallen averted her eyes from his when she finally answered. "Fine..."

"Good," Ardor breathed, turning away for a moment.

"I hate you," Kallen involuntarily said in a barely audible whisper. Ardor didn't hear what she said, but knew she said something. Kallen avoided his eyes as he turned back around.

"Eh? Did you say something? I don't have super hearing ya know, so speak up!" he told her.

Kallen looked back at him with her death glare. "Just...forget it."

"Heh. Hate me all you want, twerp," Ardor said with a grin as he patted Kallen's head, annoying her.

When he moved his hand away. Kallen couldn't help but grin back. "I've decided," she spoke without a doubt in her voice. "I'm going to be the one to defeat you brother!"

Ardor smirked. "I'd like to see you try."

"I will beat you!"

"Heh! A crybaby like you doesn't stand a chance against the toughest guy in the world!"

"Don't call me crybaby! My name is Kallen Kozuki, Ace of the Black Knights!"

"I'll call you what ever I want, crybaby. And I'll be the one to decide whether or not you are worthy for the title of Ace, got it?!"

"Go to hell! I don't need to prove anything to you!"

"A weakling like you can't just say they are an Ace and automatically be one," Ardor began to walk away. "I'll be waiting on the battlefield, kid."

"Hey!" Kallen called after him. "Where do you think you're going?! Don't you dare be running from me! I'll take you on right now!"

Ardor laughed, but didn't turn back to her. "No need to rush me in beating you senseless little girl. Besides, I have more important things to do, so see ya kid!...And damnit! Wipe off those tears, crybaby!" He walked out of the cave, into a portal of darkness, laughing joyfully.

Kallen quickly wiped off the tears Ardor rightfully guessed were there. He gave her her own reason to become strong and to fight. "I hate you brother," she growled, "One day, I'll beat you and I'll be the one laughing...I'll be free of Naoto's shadow."

****************

Lelouch searched for Kallen the morning of the twelfth, but couldn't find her at all in the forest. None of his traps were sprung either. Lelouch chuckled, remembering last week when he had to cut Kallen down from a net trap and when she dangled upside down when her foot was caught on a rope two days ago.

When Lelouch came to the beach, he saw Kallen standing there, waiting for him. "Have you found your resolve?" he asked when she was in earshot.

Kallen smiled. "Yeah," she said as a glowing gold mark of the sun with Geass over it etched itself on her right hand. She closed her blue eyes then reopened them to show the golden glow went to her eyes as well. "Show me what you can do now, Lelouch. Show me why you are only second to Adam."

Lelouch did his arrogant smirk. "As you wish, Ace of the Black Knights."

Kallen shook her head. "I'm not just an Ace for the Black Knights," she stated, confusing Lelouch. "I'm an Ace for myself."

Lelouch smirked again as his own Advent, a glowing blue feather with a Geass sigil over it, etched itself on his left hand. "Well, let's see how that works out," he said as the blue glow went to his eyes. Lelouch reached for the sword on his back, but didn't draw it yet. Instead, he waited for Kallen to make the first move.

"Ready," Kallen said.

"Set."

"Go!"

Kallen rushed toward Lelouch with her blade held at the left. She aimed her right hand at the Azure Knight. Lelouch didn't really know what Kallen's Advent could do so he was surprised when he barely dodged the energy blot that fired out of her hand. The dodge was his only one as the Red Lotus had closed the distance between them and slashed at his side. Lelouch was fast enough to block the blade with his own, but the kick to his stomach made a solid connection. Kallen followed up with a punch with her right hand to his face, making Lelouch stagger back.

The Azure Knight blow a low whistle. "Not bad," he commented. "Now that's the Q-1 I was expecting." Kallen smirked, equaling his own arrogance. "My turn," Lelouch said.

He vanished with a gust of wind left behind. Thanks to her Advent's default abilities of physical enhancement, Kallen was able to track Lelouch. She raised her sword over her head and blocked his cut, but to her dismay, it wasn't a sword attack. Lelouch hit both his feet on the flat of Kallen's blade, he back flipped off and threw his sword at the Red Lotus. Kallen blocked the aerial spinning blade but Lelouch's sword held, hitting her sword repeatedly before returning to it's owner. Kallen then noticed the sudden chill that hit her front. Looking down, she saw that her shirt had several cuts on it.

"How?" she questioned.

"I sliced the air," Lelouch answered simply. "I'm the Azure Knight of the Wind remember?"

"I thought it was just speed," Kallen told him. "I didn't take it literally."

"Well that's what you get."

The fight continued through the forest. They hacked, slashed, blocked, dodged, and parried each other while they avoided Lelouch's traps by staying in the trees. Eventually they came to the cliff with the waterfall.

Lelouch jumped from ledge to ledge of the cliff while Kallen fired off more bolts of light at him in quick succession. Lelouch managed to reach the top when Kallen started to climb after him.

When they were on equal ground level, they restarted their match once more. They matched each other blow for blow, their swords ringing as they met time and time again. At one point, Lelouch threw Kallen high into the air. He jumped after her, slashing as they rose higher and higher. Kallen managed to twist her body to dodge a blow and was now to the side of the Azure Knight. She started her own mid-air assault with a flurry of sword attacks.

Due to his wind abilities, Lelouch was able to more easily move about in the air. He dodged Kallen's attacks before placing a palm on her stomach. He shot a gust of air out of his hand, sending Kallen over the tree tops of the island. Lelouch then used the wind to push himself after her.

Kallen saw him flying after her. When he was close, above her, Kallen slashed and missed. The force of the swing made her turn her back on Lelouch.

"Damn," Kallen muttered, knowing what would happen next. Lelouch, when he dodged her desperate attack, his movement followed up with a strong kick that sent the Red Lotus plummeting diagonally to the snow covered beach below. Kallen closed her eyes before she hit the ground.

Before she hit the ground though, she felt someone catch her. When Kallen reopened her now back to normal eyes, she saw Lelouch, no glow, holding her bridal style. Kallen blushed as she let go of the sword in her left hand. "Looks like I win," Lelouch told her with that grin of his.

Kallen chuckled. "You did this time," she said as she was put on her feet.

"Only because I got you into the air," Lelouch noted. "You still need to work on moving up there."

"Yeah, you're right."

"You could have used those energy blasts while in the air," he informed.

Kallen smiled. "I doubt you would've been hit by them since you're able to move so freely up there. I bet you could fly if you wanted."

"I'd rather be down here with you," Lelouch assured her. He chuckled seeing the light blush on Kallen. "Come on," he said, picking up Kallen's sword. "I've got a more suitable place for you to warm up."

Kallen didn't really understand what he meant by that...

**************

Kallen gawked at the so called 'camp' Lelouch had. It was a trailer like the one the original Black Knights used. Kallen got more and more angry the more she imagined Lelouch sleeping on a warm bed while she slept on the cold hard ground of a cave with only a fire to keep her warm. In fact, the moment Kallen saw the trailer, she unleashed hell on Lelouch in the form of her fists.

Lelouch awoke on the couch from his unconscious state about thirty minutes later. He heard the sound of the shower and knew Kallen was washing off.

"I'm bet she missed it," he mused.

*************

"Damn I missed this," Kallen moaned, pleasuring the hot water droplets that hit her skin. She took her time in the shower to enjoy it. At the same time she was happy that she had found a new reason to be strong.

'I want to beat him,' she thought to herself. She remembered the first dream she had, when she was caught in her brother's shadow.

"I don't need him leading me anymore...I don't care how tough he his. I'm gonna beat my brother," Kallen Kozuki, an Ace for herself, pledged.

*****************

Ardor stood over a cliff that looked over the trailer. He noticed someone walk over behind him. No three sets of footsteps.

"Who's there?" he called out.

"It's been awhile, Naoto," said Lance as he stepped close to the Remnant.

"It's Ardor now," the Remnant corrected.

"A new story should have a new main character," Lance agreed.

Ardor nodded. "You got that right...It's harder though." He turned and saw Lance with Noa and a kid with a face similar to Lelouch but with more of a scowl planted on it and he had red eyes and wilder white hair with black on the tips.

"How have you been?" Noa spoke up. There was a sadness coming from him.

Ardor shook his head. "Naoto doesn't blame you, if that is what you want to know. Is this the kid you told me about?" he asked, pointing at Adam. "He looks a lot like-"

"I'll kick your ass if you finish that sentence," Adam warned, his eyebrow twitching.

Adam chuckled, scratching his scalp. "Okay, sorry. I know how ya feel, being thought as someone you are not." That got a conflicted expression from Adam but Ardor was stopped by Noa before he could ask.

"You are watching over Kallen, aren't you?" Noa stated more than questioned.

Ardor gave a small smile in response. "I'll do as much as I can for that crybaby to move on..." With that the Remnant was swallowed by stepping into a dark portal that appeared from nowhere.

"Noa," Adam spoke up. "What did he mean by 'as much as he can'?"

"He is not free," Noa explained. "Remnants are incomplete beings."

"Yeah, you told me that already," Adam said. "Do you mean that there is a price for them living?"

"Yes," Noa nodded, "and his price was his freedom. Most likely he cannot disobey his master."

"You never told me just who that master is," Adam pointed out.

"In time you will meet him," Noa assured.

Adam sighed, crossing his arms. "Why is he watching over Kallen?" he pondered.

Lance answered this time. "Because she is his sister."

****************

Unknown Location

Ardor came face to face with Lazard, but something was off. His eyes were a different color, instead of amber they were now a bright sea-green color with catlike pupils. There was also an air of malevolence about him.

"Who are you supposed to be?" Ardor questioned, on guard.

"Do you honestly believe that her light will allow you to reobtain what you've lost?" the man answered, ignoring Ardor's question. Ardor didn't want to answer so the man continued with a smooth, calm, taunting tone. "If you get too close to that light...Even you will be burned."

"I'll take that chance," Ardor growled, clenching his fists tight.

"No need to get so worked up yet, Ardor," the man chuckled in amusement. "Save it for when we crash the New Year's ball...Your Knightmare is almost finished, and Marcus wants you to choose a personal Drone." He walked on past Ardor without another word.

Ardor had almost forgotten about their debut to the world. "Hmph, noted."

"You still haven't-" Ardor stopped when he turned and saw that the man was gone. "He made me shiver...What is he?" Ardor pondered.

There's the new chapter. What is a Drone? Can you guess what Ardor's Knightmare is or it's capabilities?

Next chapter, I'll put in all of the Remnants, three have yet to be named though...

For questions and comments....Just say it in a Review.