The moment Llew noticed the gleam of heartless steel arrowing towards him, it was already too late.

SHLUCK!

A spray of vile crimson.

But it was not his.

Using her body as a shield, Salome had intervened at the final second, preventing the wicked blade from reaching its intended target.

Copious amounts of blood fell in rivulets down her armor, stemming from where the weapon penetrated the area around her right hip.

"Run.. Llew.." she croaked desperately, clinging to the edges of the blade with twitching fingers.

Llew's eyes were glazed over with confusion. Then, shock. Horror. And finally, rage.

"SALOME!"

A wave of anger pulsed through his veins, blinding his vision with a curtain of dangerous red. Every single muscle in his body tensed via reflex, galvanising him to raise the Blaster Blade above his head as if he knew the sword by some deep, archaic connection.

And with a single, powerful, slash, a blast of bluish energy tore the strange invader in half.

Its remains blurred in the air momentarily before vanishing, revealing that the suit of ivory armor was hollow on the inside.

The creature had been nothing but a void.

Llew stood half-bent, panting heavily from the effort. He felt strangely empty, as if the last strike had consumed every last reserve of his energy.

His last sight before he fell was of Alfred dashing towards him, calling his name…

…

All was dark in the space where the being known as Krypton regained his life.

He noted to himself that he had failed in his mission. But that piece of sour news didn't bother him in the least. He couldn't feel disappointed. He didn't know how.

Suddenly, something vast and overpowering touched his mind. He couldn't see it, but he could feel it all around him. The presence of his Creator.

A thought was stolen from him. And as his Creator acknowledged the results of his expedition to Cray, Krypton waited solemnly as tendrils of unknown shadows absorbed him into the great slumber once more, where he and his kin awaited the day of reckoning.

The Creator was not displeased. He had expected massive opposition and his predictions had not been betrayed. But most importantly, the seeds had been planted. The seeds of chaos.

A screen flickered into existence within the darkness, depicting none other than Sanctuary Guard Dragon.

And the wound that now burned into his chest.

…

"EXCULPATE!"

"Milord, you can't-"

"I don't care! I want answers and I want them now!"

Alfred stomped into the ancient grotto hidden within the waterfall that was situated behind by the Knight's castle. He was fully aware that only those who had been granted the title of 'Blaster' were allowed in that sacred place, and that his current actions were transgressing upon the very laws of Planet Cray itself.

Behind him, Ezel pursued his reckless king. With his Blaster Blade armor in its current state, he had opted for a simple set of armor used by the Royal Paladins for training.

"Where is he?" Alfred demanded as he whirled to face Ezel with a snarl.

"I shall summon him. But be prepared to face the consequences. Neither royalty nor might shall save you from the wrath of he who rules over The Power."

"There is no need for that."

The walls of the cave started to shine with a brilliant radiance as Exculpate descended from above.

Alfred wasted no time in grabbing him by the collar. "What do you know about Llew?"

"Unhand me or I shall cut you down where you stand." His gauntlet blades flared to life threateningly despite the unchanging expression on his face, issuing a silent warning.

Forcing himself to take a step back, the king thrusted a finger at Ezel. "Did you know this was going to happen? Did you know that Ezel was going to lose his Blaster Blade powers?"

"But of course, I could sense the moment The Power began rejecting him. However, I knew not the reason. Nor the solution. The Power weaves as The Power wills. Not even I fully understand it."

"Then why Llew?!"

"Like I said, The Power weaves as The Power-"

"ENOUGH! You don't understand. Llew is one of my greatest friends. And he is still just a child! I will not accept this. I will not let you simply crown him as a hero because of your stupid prophecies and watch him die a fool's death on the battlefield! He will become a great knight someday but today is not that day!"

Ezel did not know what to say. He had also been granted The Power at a young age but the choice had been his to make.

Seeing that Exculpate was all but unmoved by his outburst, Alfred staggered wearily aside and planted his face in his hands. He also wanted to know more about the mysterious and powerful stranger who had hijacked the coronation and if it had any connection to Llew's awakening but he suspected that Exculpate knew just as much as he did. And that was nothing.

Ezel approached him and placed a hand on his shoulder, "Remember that fateful day on which the old King and I brought the three of you here, to the Capital?"

Alfred nodded.

"That day is a day that will always remain in my heart. For it was the day I first laid my eyes on young Llew, and saw that he possessed a destiny far greater than mine. From the very beginning, he has been special. And I could see it. Perhaps all of this was simply meant to be. There is nought to do but accept it."

The former hero's words hung heavily on the King as he realised that he was dealing with forces far greater than himself. Too great to even imagine.

"Then how can I help him?" He muttered.

At this, Exculpate replied.

"You can make him a hero."