Atlas' Diamond Country Club was as exclusive as the name suggested. A marble palace with every commodity available including a giant ballroom which, right now, served as the place where councilman Grey would announce his re-election bid. Men and women of the highest levels of society in both Mantle and Atlas were chatting while drinking expensive beverages and waiters made their way around while carrying large plates filled with expensive appetizers. Kollector was among the masses wanting to exchange objects with the guests. A set of earrings, a watch, a wallet for whatever he had brought from his bag. Hotaru, in the meanwhile, looked from the second floor at a window facing the edge of Atlas and into the pitch-black night sky. 'Nostalgia' would be the word that best described his emotions right now. An impeccable white marble-like floating city protected by a strong military force hit so close to home. Atlas had at one point been considered the center of operations for Seido Industries, but Onaga, Hotaru, and all their allies knew that would be a distraction in the long run.

There were many differences, of course. Atlas was just a flying city opposed to the floating continents of Orderrealm. Furthermore, the city was an artificial construction, although there were floating pieces of land at the border with Mistral thanks to black dust crystals. Orderralm's protectorate, Lei-Chen, was also a small pearl in the putrid landscape of Outworld while Mantle, a stable city nonetheless, paled by a lot in comparison and was just a city lost in the snow-covered wasteland of Solitas. The final difference?

"Well, well, well… look what not even the BANDITS wanted around them" a drunk, deep voice almost yelled behind him. And that, too, was the final difference between both places: Crony businessmen who thought they had the right to run the world as they pleased. It was a good thing they were finally gone after Onaga took over.

Hotaru ignored the insult, knowing that this new arrival would be further driven to madness if he ignored his provocations. "Jacques? Jacques Schnee of the Schnee Dust Company? My… I don't think we have ever been publicly introduced. And you are already talking to me as if we were old peers, I'm flattered" he answered while bowing and then presented his left hand intending to shake the other man's. Jacques just slapped it away.

"We are not friends, you mud-feeder. You are trying to ruin my reputation!".

"An impossible task, it seems…" Hotaru responded sarcastically.

Before Jacques could rant again, a young man with green combed-back hair and thick-framed glasses wearing a white tuxedo placed a hand over his shoulder. "Mr. Schnee, I would advise you to refrain from talking with him; security tells me no one heard your exchange so we should be fine. Also, please, stop drinking for the night".

"Unhand me, rat! Tell the board I'll do whatever I want, it's still my company!" Jacques then pulled out a fancy flask and took a long drink. "Now go and suck on someone else, I'm busy".

"Never figured you as a heavy drinker, Mr. Schnee" commented Hotaru.

"It's because of you! I have to give it to my wife, though… the only useful advice that drunk pain in my rear has given me in decades!".

Jacques' poor assistant was panicking making sure no one heard what his boss was saying, but Hotaru had to admit this was turning very entertaining. While greedy, cold, and manipulative, Jacques did not play any dirty tricks to make himself richer as far as Hotaru knew; but he knew Jacques' kind, soon he would be brought to a breaking point and Seido Industries would be able to swipe the SDC from the map. "Speaking of her, where is your wife? I would love to meet her".

Jacques gave a dry chuckle. "The old wench hasn't left the mansion in ages… But…" he then turned his head in every direction before looking at his assistant again. "Hey, service boy! Where did my son go? He was with us when we arrived".

The young man looked at their bodyguards confused before answering him. "Mr. Schnee… we arrived here over three hours ago…".

"What!? Bah! Whatever, not like any of these meat bags is into little boys anyway… it was always easier when Winter and Weiss were around, parade them, distract the idiots and pick them dry… those were the days…".

That sentence did manage to make a few heads turn. "It's an inside joke, people! No need to bother you with context, haha…" the assistant said making damage control. Those guests decided to then walk away.

"That boy… he may be smart, but he is as useless as they come. I don't even need him; Weiss was my back-up, his chances to get the company are slim, why did we bother!?".

Hotaru was not surprised by the honesty in Jacques' words. He had seen what alcohol did to people who had not developed a tolerance, in intoxicating quantities, it loosened the tongue. His 'conversation' with Jacques, however, was cut short when he saw a new arrival. The only other person in Remnant who he would consider an equal and even someone to learn from. "General Ironwood!".

The headmaster of Atlas Academy, commanding officer of Atlas' army and councilman looked with surprise as Hotaru almost trotted in his direction. When the general went for a handshake, he was surprised by Hotaru's bow.

"It is such an honor to meet you. I've followed your career and it has been nothing but an inspiration. Your colonel-accession thesis on rogue paramilitary elimination was incredibly inspiring".

Not used to have that kind of attention for his military actions, Ironwood just awkwardly thanked the businessman. "Thank you… Mr. Taakoizu… I was not aware military literature was of your interest".

"Well, being a police officer and all".

"Yeah, that is true".

"I must also admit that the 'Special Operatives Unit' is a remarkable project that surprises me how it has not been adopted by the other kingdoms".

"Really? Well, you would be the first person from outside Atlas that has said that".

"Oh, indeed; although, if I may speak freely, wouldn't it be more beneficial to fully integrate both military and huntsmen academies into a single unit capable of battling both civil and grim threats under one command? Of course, the idea of allegiance to a kingdom is only logical and would help reduce the number of huntsmen who turn into mercenaries".

"I… sorry, what?" To be honest, James was more surprised by the fact that what who knew was just 'a common police officer' was so knowledgeable on military philosophy and organization.

Their conversation, however, was cut short by the arrival of another person. "General Ironwood, sir. The situation in Mantle has been taken care of". A pale woman with white hair tied in a bun except for a bang of hair falling over the right side of her face and wearing a white and blue military uniform informed the general while arriving at his right.

"Winter, excellent news. Mr. Taakoizu, meet specialist Winter Schnee; my most trusted operative. Winter, this is-".

"Hotaru Taakoizu, CEO of Seido Industries, former law enforcer of the now-disbanded Mistral Guard initiative and former Administrator of the now destroyed Damashi settlement. Pleasure" she said coldly while squeezing his hand.

"Quite the grip Miss Schnee".

"specialist, for you".

James was surprised by Winter's interaction. Never had he seen her act with such hostility. "Winter-".

"No, it's alright general. I guess that she is not happy by the fact that her once-proud family legacy will soon be a thing of the past. Trust me, she is not the first Schnee to express their discontent". Hotaru said before stepping aside and allowing them to see Jacques and his group.

Both bodyguards and Jacques' helper went stiff when they saw Winter and Ironwood. Jacques noticed their reaction and turned around to face them. And as soon as both he and Winter made eye contact, the tension in the atmosphere turned incredibly dense. The look of disgust in both their eyes was more than obvious. Jacques then began to walk towards them, taking a sip of his flask on the way there.

Once they were face to face, no one dared say anything. After a long pause, Jacques began the conversation. "James… Winter".

"Jacques" Ironwood said, reciprocating the cordiality.

"Mr. Schnee".

Silence fell over them once again. Hotaru simply contemplated in amazement at the amount of hate that a father could have for a daughter and vice versa.

"I see you now face failures by drowning yourself in alcohol," Winter told him.

"A trick I picked from your dear mother who, by the way, is still alive. I mean, you should know with all the long and deep conversations I'm sure you have".

Winter's face turned into a mixture of guilt and anger; whatever Jacques lacked in combat, he more than compensated with manipulation. And from her reaction, Hotaru was also able to see that her anger was directed only at her father. Before she could answer him back, however, her scroll rang. She gave her father one last look before turning around and answering her device. "Specialist Schnee spea-… YOU AGAIN!? How did you get ahold of my contact!? I explicitly said… No, you can't interrupt the general! I don't care how important… We are in the middle of something!? Uuuuugh." She then turned around once again to face Ironwood "Sorry general, It's Blade again. She insists on pursuing this 'black market' theory of hers". With that, she walked away.

General Ironwood also excused himself and followed Winter, leaving Jacques and his group alone with Hotaru again who then turned and decided to play with Jacques some more. "I'd say she has your temper. You must be so proud".

He merely scoffed at his taunt and then grabbed a cup of wine which he mixed with whatever was in his flask. "Ungrateful brat, that's what she is. She runs around playing the role of Ironwood's dog, not caring about the business until it is now on the brink of collapse! But don't think for a moment that I will let you drive me out of Atlas! Know that I will fight tooth and nail to-".

"There he is! The escape master, the man himself! Hotaru Taakoizu!" a cheerful man in his mid-thirties with slick dark-grey hair, red eyes, and a short goatee proclaimed while approaching the group. He was wearing a top of the line suit and tie with a black shirt, black leather gloves, and leather shoes. He was also carrying two cups of what seemed to be brandy. "Care to celebrate with a toast, my friend?" he said as he offered the liquor to Hotaru.

"Sorry… doctors say I must not consume alcohol until I'm out of my pain killers". Hotaru said as he slowly pushed the cup away.

The man looked puzzled at first, but he just returned to his cheerful self. "Well, we don't need these to have a good time". He then quickly turned around and shoved the beverages on to Jacques. "Would you hold these for us, Jacqui!? Thanks, man. You rule". He faced Hotaru once again and continued their conversation. "Oh, where are my manners. Councilman Roy Grey, 'The Man of Future'. Or so my campaign says". He said while extending his hand.

Hotaru stared at the hand with disgust; nonetheless, he shook it. "Hotaru Taakoizu. CEO of Seido Industries".

Grey then wrapped his arm around Hotaru's neck and lead him to the stairs. "Oh, believe me, my friend; I know who you are. We all do! The crusader of justice, the brains behind Seido Industries; the brand of the future meets the man of the future! Wow, can you believe I just came up with that just now? Advertising is going to have a blast with that one!".

As soon as they arrived on the first floor, Hotaru stopped walking. "'A blast' with what, exactly?".

"Well making the advertisements of your support, of course!".

"Support?".

"Yeah! Worked wonders last time. All those athletes, and singers, they railed up the voters. And now? The brave and noble fighter of the people comes to help the young and brave leading voice of Atlas to change the world!" Grey said while moving his arms around for emphasis.

Hotaru did not buy a word of his act. He instead decided to question Grey. "And why wouldn't your allies return to help you?".

Grey's confident smile disappeared and was replaced with one of nervousness. "They are a thing of the past, my man… besides, after paying them I might be short of a few one, two, three… million lien. But come on! With you backing me up, we'll beat Sleet by double digits! Old geezer won't know what even hit him".

Finally, the intention was out in the open. "So, you want me to make Seido finance your re-election bid mostly to pay for the money you didn't own in the first place?".

"Oh, don't be like that…" He then pulled Hotaru towards the bar and sat at the end where they wouldn't be bothered. "I am not asking you for a blank check. I could help Seido gain some ground here in Atlas, I know some contracts are coming in and I would personally help with a head start if you know what I mean".

A lot of things angered Hotaru in this world. Having to work with criminals, play judge for rival gang wars, but the mere insinuation of committing such a blatant act of corruption had him almost take one of the crystal glasses, break it and then slit Grey's throat wide open. But he had to follow the plan. "Oh, councilman, I am way ahead of you. We have already studied the paperwork to contest the biddings, we are just waiting for the process to start. Of course, if you know of any legislation currently being discussed or changed by the council that is sure to pass and affect public and private investment and cooperation, I would be most delighted to read it personally and adjust any changes to our proposal. As for financing your campaign, it is not up to me to make that kind of moves, I only follow lord Onaga's orders, and he insists that our company must be as far from politics as possible. We play no sides".

Grey stared at him dumbfounded for a long time before bursting out in laughter. "Oh, you are too much, you are too much. Ehem, but sure 'you don't play sides'. Anyway, I can speak to the big O himself, no problem. Just let me go get my scroll. Enjoy the party, make friends, see ya soon, bud!".

As Grey went away, Hotaru checked his watch. The meeting would take place in half an hour, so he had to find Kollector soon along with an empty room where they would not be disturbed. 'Most guests should be here meaning that the rest of the club should be empty. I just need to-'.

"Well, well, well. Looks like Roy got himself a new pet project" a female voice said from a table not far away. Hotaru turned around to face a woman with almost his exact haircut but pale blonde wearing a black and grey coat, brown high neck shirt and red vest. She stood up from her seat and was immediately followed by three other women, one of which was a sheep faunus.

"Excuse me?" Hotaru said, with a hint of insulted feeling. He looked at all the women in detail before addressing who he saw as their leader. "I don't believe we have met before. Hotaru Taako-".

The tallest woman in the group then interrupted him. "CEO of Seido Bla-Bla-Bla, we know, and we want you to take your trash somewhere else".

This time, Hotaru didn't say anything. He just looked at them expecting an explanation from that comment.

"Joanna, stand down! I'm Robyn Hill, this one here is Joanna, May, and Fiona. We are the Happy Huntresses" Robyn said while pointing at the tall girl, then the blue-haired one and finally the faunus. She then stepped forward and closer to the businessman. "And we are here because we want your kind out of Atlas and Mantle".

"My kind?".

May then stepped forward to confront him. "Rich and spoiled oversized brats who think they can just buy the world".

"Well I can assure you I have nothing to do with councilman Grey, and neither do I wish to have something. So have a good evening, ladies". He was already walking away but Fiona blocked his path. Before he could order her to move, however, Robyn continued.

"I know you have some sort of deal with the underworld," Robyn said with an air of confidence.

Hotaru was panicking in his mind. It made no sense that she could know about the Atlas underworld. If anything, the crime groups of Atlas were the most discrete. "Really?" he asked as neutral as he could.

"No company can grow as yours did in such a short time. You had help from somewhere".

This calmed Hotaru. She was just speculating. "I assume you have proof to back that allegation, then?". All women went quiet. "And I'm sure the media, police, even the army would love to know about this theory of yours. Why, aren't YOU a huntress? I assume the good general, your former headmaster, would be able to stop me in a heartbeat. Why even Jacques Schnee would even pay for the best lawyers to see me rot for the 'crimes' you accuse me of" he remarked sarcastically; and as much as all the Happy Huntresses were looking at him with anger, he was right. Hotaru decided to then drop the mockery and spoke directly to Robyn. "Madam, I happen to be a… former officer. Believe me, I know more about respecting the law than you do, so take your empty threats somewhere else".

They all remained still until a voice interrupted them. "Lord Hotaru, we must go!" the Happy Huntresses then looked at the hideous man before turning around and looking at Hotaru with skepticism. "Our call with lord Onaga approaches".

After another moment of silence, Hotaru pushed Fiona out of his way and joined Kollector. "Indeed, let's go somewhere more private".

They walked away from the group of women; but as soon as they left, Joanna began to talk to the others. "Uuuuh, big scary fat-cat was a cop! Pshhh… bet daddy got him through the academy without having to lift a finger".

"Wasn't he and Administrator, though?" commented May.

"Yeah, bet mommy had to do a few extra favors to land him THAT job if you know what I mean".

Unknown to the Happy Huntresses, however, was that both Hotaru and Kollector could still hear them. And while he had grown immune to insults regarding his law-abiding fanatism, strict nature, and even his name; he would never allow anyone to deny his accomplishments and much less the sacred names of his parents. And as soon as the mention of his parents was brought, the memories of his childhood flashed on his eyes at the same time.

"I don't want to cut my hair anymore…" a young eleven-year-old Hotaru said while resting his arms and chin on the table.

"You know the rules of the school, young man. Only candidates for the Guardsmen Academy get a chance to let it grow; otherwise, it's a clear neck, clear forehead, and short sideburns" his mother, a chubby woman with shoulder-length black hair answered him.

"Well… what if I want to join the Seidan Guard".

His mother went still and turned around to see if her son was pulling a prank on her. She was surprised however to see the determination on his eyes. "All of this only to be able to have your hair longer?".

"No! I want to be a hero, like dad was!" He excitedly then pointed at the tapestry of his father's graduation group along with his ceremonial helmet and Naginata.

Hotaru's life with his parents was not an exciting one. His father was a former guardsman who had to resign due to a shoulder injury he got by preventing the kidnapping and execution of all the governors of Orderrealm. Once out of the Guard, he decided to use his retirement funds to buy a small fruit farm in the agricultural continent of Orderrealm. There he met a passionate craftswoman to whom he married and had a healthy boy. Their life was simple but fulfilling; they did not hold riches but lived by a strict routine so food and a roof to live under were never a problem. Other members of the community, however…

A loud crashing sound took both mother and son by surprise. They went to see the source and found one of their decorative flowerpots broken by a stone. They then saw a group of four teenagers picking up more rocks to throw.

"Get out of here, dung-beetles!".

"This is Resistance land!".

"Hang the bugs!".

They kept throwing rocks at them until a lava projectile startled them. They turned to their heads to look at a mostly bald man in white robes and a long-braided ponytail carrying a bag of apples. "You are trespassing and harassing my family. Leave now before your parents know you are doing this again; this is your third and final warning".

The boys just looked at him in a threatening way; but once they saw it was useless, they left. Life for the family of three was peaceful sometime after Hotaru was born. But with time, the Resistance gained sympathizers on their region to the point they implemented parallel norms to the inhabitants. They were extorted to give a quota of rations and pay for 'security' or have their land taken from them by force.

Hotaru's father, however, did not fall for their threats and confronted them in every field. He fought them at his farm and called for the authorities to intervene. They lost close friends that feared the Resistance, but they lived by the belief that justice would come to them one day. The belief of living in an Orderrealm like his father envisioned was what he admired most about the man.

Once night fell and the family was eating dinner, Hotaru's dad talked about how his usual buyers at the market refused to chat with him because of some shady people, that he knew were with the resistance, kept glancing at everyone who spoke to him about something other than fruit. Nonetheless, he changed the topic. "It's almost three weeks now, son. Money for your hair cut is at the entrance. I expect you here before noon".

Hotaru turned to face his mother who just gave him a concerned look. He then decided to drop the news on his father. "Dad… I want to join the Seidan Guard. I want to enter the Guardsmen Academy".

His father stopped eating at looked at him with a stoic face. "You do?". He then crossed his arms. "Convince me, then".

His mother was uneasy, but Hotaru stood up and left the table to go to his room. A few moments later he returned with a pile of documents wrapped on a leather envelope. "Application forms, measurements for uniforms, and a copy of my overall grades. I'll get my teacher's signature as soon as school starts on Autumn and then-" He was cut when his father just raised a finger.

The man read the documents for a long time, analyzing every page, every paragraph, every line. Once he was done, he just placed the papers back and returned them to Hotaru. "I expect you tomorrow by noon…" he said before getting another bite of his food. Heartbroken, Hotaru just walked back to his room to place the documents back in place. "Boy, I am not done talking". Both Hotaru and his mother looked with surprise at his father. "I want you back here by noon… with some ice-cream for all of us to celebrate. And I think we'll have more ice-cream in this house from now on for a long time".

Hotaru ran to hug his father and his mother, exited by the fact that his dream to become a hero like his father was closer to fruition.

A year passed and while keeping up with both schoolwork and basic guardsmen's theoretical courses was hard, Hotaru managed to do so with flying colors; the hardships, however, were not the complexity or volume of the topics but rather the other kids. Like right now, he was heading to school on his white uniform as instructed by White town's education law, but more than one dropout was known to keep watch for possible recruits for the Resistance, as well as future 'threats' to it; and just in time, Hotaru's path was interrupted by a knife that got stuck on the ground in front of him.

"Hey! Pick that and apologize!" The white-haired boy yelled at the others on top of the wall.

Three fifteen-year-olds then descended and surrounded Hotaru. They all wore black shirts with orange scarfs, a normal attire for young sympathizers of the Resistance. The tallest kid then stepped forward. "Or else what, little girl? Gonna cry to mommy and daddy?" He then pushed the younger boy. "Fight like a man!".

Hotaru merely scoffed at his comment, stood up, and faced the boy once again. "The law says no minor can hold edge-based weapons under any circumstances. By picking it up I would be as much of a slimeball as you are".

"Well, well. The little girl reads books!". One of the other kids then took Hotaru's bag and dropped the contents on the floor. His bento lunch was ruined, and his notes got covered in mud, but what made him scared was when they found his Guardsmen Manual.

"Oh, wow. Look at this Kun-Paan. The little girl is a dung-beetle!" another of the teenagers said.

"Oh really? Well, boys, you know what we must do!" Kun-Paan said and all boys surrounded Hotaru.

"Is dad angry with me?" Hotaru asked his mother while she cleaned his wounds.

"Angry that you insisted on going to school instead of a doctor or back home? Yes".

"I followed the rules as dad said. If I don't have a perfect attendance record, I might get rejected!".

"And what good will you be to them if you are hurt beyond recovery!?" She snapped back at him. Hotaru didn't respond; he just sniffed and held back his tears. His mother sighed and then held his cheek. "I'm sorry. But you were right by not fighting them, and he is proud of that".

Their conversation was interrupted by screaming parents complaining to Hotaru's father. Once his son had told them about the teenagers who ambushed him, his father found them and sent the police after them. Although minors, due to the number of crimes committed, they had been sent to trial and faced execution; something that the other parents were not happy with and were now threatening the family to drop the charges. Hotaru's father did not move from his position, however.

Once the screaming stopped, the father entered the house once again. "They pretended to frighten me with threats of violence. I just told them the Seidan Guard and the neighbors would find and testify against them". He then walked next to his son and took a deep breath. "I am not mad with you; I'm just mad at what you did. Being a Seidan Guard should not be the only thing in your life. Following the rules should always be a priority, but our rules are more important. And our first rule is that always want you to be safe for us".

The boy took a deep breath, smiled, and nodded. The family then shared a hug.

Hotaru's thirteenth birthday was special for the family. The gala uniform and the custom-made cadet armor had arrived, and the day was spent making portraits of the boy wearing them. It was a happy day even though most of the town had distanced themselves from them due to the father's constant clash with supporters of the Resistance. It didn't help that they had now decided to take his father's farm. But he had managed to fight them off and some guardsmen had even decided to offer protection out of respect for one of their own.

Time went by, and the day arrived when Hotaru would move to the capital citadel as a full-time student in the academy. He would arrive a day earlier to get to know the capital and how to communicate with his family. The schedule was followed to perfection and they even were ahead of it. It would take them a few hours to get to the aircraft port, but they had enough time.

They at least thought so, but a surprise bomb on the mayor's opening of the new road on the mountain, courtesy of the Resistance, halted traffic. Worst still, was that they had arrived just as the flying contraption was leaving the port. The boy was angry, his parents could tell; whenever he was having a tantrum, he would remain silent and just hide from anyone. In this case, it involved him laying down on the cart and covering himself with the cart's cover all the way back to the house.

They arrived at night, and before they went to bed, His parents wanted to relieve their son's frustration. After washing his mouth and cleaning his hair, his mother wanted to give him one of his favorite fruit cakes, but he rejected, being too late and outside of food schedule. But he did promise to eat along with breakfast. With all done for the day, they would try to go to the port again the next day.

The night was going normally, but Hotaru was woken up by a loud cracking at the main door. He heard his parents going down and was ready to go help them. But as soon as he got to the stairs, he was grabbed by his mother who pushed him to her room and locked the door behind her. She then pushed her closet which revealed a compartment big enough for three people and a hole in the ground which lead to the first floor covered by a heavy plank.

That meant bad news. This was their panic escape room. While his mother did all that, Hotaru could hear clashing blades even with the door closed. He would have expressed his concern, but he knew the rules that followed if the escape compartment was opened.

"Hotaru, we've been set up. Someone ordered security to leave early. The Resistance decided to attack this night. Your father is fighting them, do you remember what you must do!?". He nodded. "Exactly silence is key". Hotaru entered the compartment, but before his mother could they heard the door being forced. Mother and son looked at each other with pure panic, and with tears on her eyes, she pushed the closet and blocked his exit. She managed to then run to her nightstand and retrieved a knife just as the invaders, knocked the door down and proceeded to grab and hold her down.

A few moments later, another Resistance soldier arrived. "No sign of the brat, sir!".

One of the people holding the woman down then grabbed her by her hair, forcing her to look at them. "Where is he, skank!?".

She then looked at him with pure hate but answered immediately and without hesitation. "Far away, must be already landing at the capital! He is far away from you monsters!".

"Bring the husband!". The man holding her ordered and soon after, Hotaru's father was dropped on the bed, his face beaten and covered with blood beyond recognition. "Where is your son, dog!?".

Almost unconscious, he looked at his wife and then managed to see with his peripheral vision the small gap behind the closet and the eye of Hotaru. He then turned around and faced his inquisitor. "Gone. He will soon be at the Guardsmen Academy and away from you forever!".

The head Resistance fighter did not respond to what he said. Instead, he grabbed one of his bladed gauntlets and then placed the edge of the weapon against the throat of his wife. "It doesn't really matter. All we want is for this land to become part of our cause; so, we'll only ask this once: Where is your family seal?"

The family seal was the most prized possession of any orderrealmer. It was a legal symbol that represented a person and their family on any legal document. Neither parent said anything, and that made the Resistance leader push the blade into the woman's throat making some blood come out. Both Hotaru and his father watched in panic, but Hotaru had to follow the rules that his parents gave him, so he remained quiet.

A moment passed and then another Resistance fighter entered the room. "Boss! The kid might be here, his bed was unmade!".

The leader then turned around to face the woman again. "Oh really? Well miss, tell you what: If you give us the seal, we won't gut your kid when we find him; and I can assure you, we will find him".

Hotaru's mother looked with sadness at her husband. A tear ran down her face before she addressed the invader once again. "You are lying… My son is not here. He didn't make his bed out of excitement, what kid doesn't? But it doesn't matter, you'll take the seal and then kill us just for the fun of it. But know that one day, all of what you have done will hit you twice as hard! You'll pay for what you have- AAAAGH!". She was silenced by the man slicing her throat open. She gasped for air for a few seconds before her body went limp.

Hotaru's father was now livid. He tried to free himself, but the leader of the invaders just moved behind him and then impaled the blade through his nape and the point came out through his mouth. He died almost instantly and then was thrown towards the closet. Hotaru flinched but held back the scream when the corpse slammed against the wood, and worse of all, the impact had managed to move the closet.

The members of the Resistance then started to move towards the piece of furniture. The boy saw the shadows getting closer and then closed his eyes and prayed to Grava for his safety. "Well what do you know, boys?" he heard one of the intruders say. "Looks like the seal was hidden in here all along!".

"What now, boss? We have the seals of the farmers in this valley".

"We have no use for the houses. Burn them to the ground".

"What about them? Shouldn't we burry them properly?".

"And who is going to yell at us if we don't? Stop talking and get the powder in here".

As the men left the room, Hotaru moved the plank blocking the escape hole as quietly as possible and thankfully not alerting the intruders. He jumped down the hole and arrived at a secret room behind the cupboard which held three bags filled with supplies and a box full of sapphire koins. He waited for the men to leave through the front door before he left through the kitchen and ran as deep as he could through his neighbors' fields. A few minutes later, he was then able to hear an explosion see a column of fire rising from his house and then the others surrounding it.

He was not one to hold back his feelings; but more than sadness, he felt anger. His parents had never done anything to hurt anyone, never done anything to warrant another person's wrath, they never complained or wished ill towards others, all their actions were based on rules that everyone else had to live with as well. Why couldn't they just do the same!?

"AAAAAAAAAAAHHH! I'LL HUNT YOU ALL DOWN! YOU WILL PAY FOR WHAT YOU DID! YOU HEAR ME! EACH AND EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU PARASITES WILL PAY FOR THIS!". He fell to his knees and cried while slamming the floor. After a long time, he decided to leave and fulfill his deepest wish.

He arrived in town sometime at dawn and sat down next to the chariot service waiting for the business to open and hiding with some of the clothes over his head.

Some hours later, the rider arrived and looked at him with annoyance. "Get out of here kid, you can't feed the horses-".

"Take me to the port".

"Excuse me? Who do you-?". He was interrupted mid-sentence when Hotaru presented him the box filled with sapphire koins.

"We leave now!" He commanded as he pushed the box into the man's hands and climbed into the chariot. The man did not say anything and just prepared the horse. Within minutes, they were now leaving town. But Hotaru did not care about anything anymore but to bring everyone in the Resistance down and everyone who prayed upon the innocent as they did. That was his promise.

The memories of the chariot passed through his mind. He balled his left fist and it began to shake, he also clenched his teeth and began to breathe heavily. Kollector noticed and was trying to make him walk again. "Say that again" he didn't ask but instructed Joanna to do. All women then looked at him with surprise, but he just turned around and repeated his statement with more emphasis. "Say. That. Again".

Knowing she had touched a nerve, Joanna chuckled and kept taunting him. "Could you say that again? I didn't hear you…" she said while also putting her open palm next to her ear.

He then marched towards her, stopped mere inches from her face, and repeated himself. "Say. That. Again".

"You're gonna have to be more specific, is it the one where I point out how daddy gave you everything on a silver platter, or…" she then raised her fist and started moving it back and forth. "the part where mommy did some favors for you to be comfy".

None of the Happy Huntresses expected Hotaru to then respond with a headbutt; and while Joanna recovered from the blow, he got behind her, and choke held her with his left arm before making her fall on her knees. "Apologize right now!" he ordered her before applying more pressure.

The other women were already reaching for their weapons except for Robyn who raised her hand ordering them to stop. "I apologize on behalf of my team". Everyone went still and looked at her; Hotaru with curiosity and the others with confusion. "We went too far. We know nothing about you… or your parents… please forgive us".

He looked at her eyes directly, looking for any sign of her lying; but he saw nothing of the sort. He released Joanna who fell on her hands gasping for air. Kollector then arrived next to his master. "Thank you, Miss Hill. Have a good evening" he said before leaving. The women went on the other direction and then out of sight.

"Make no mention of this to lord Onaga, understood!?".

"Mention of what?".

"Good". They were now heading towards the main door but stopped when the voice of Roy Grey halted them.

"H-man, where are you going?" the man asked as he arrived. "You know, the funniest thing just happened: I found my old classmates from Atlas! You know… at one point I had something with each of them" he said while nudging his elbow. "Although maybe all of them at the same time was a bad idea… would have settled with May but then the surgeries happened, and it became boring… I'll tell you, nothing better than a relationship with another…".

Hotaru had long since stopped listening to this person. He instead wanted to distract himself with something else. 'The water is clean. The decorations are great, I'll give him that. Kollector seems to have made some material gains, Is that the Ninth Symphony of Beethoven on the saxophone? I love classical music from Earthrealm, so…calming… EARTHREALM!?'. Hotaru quickly left both Kollector and Roy behind as he approached the stage where the music was coming from. He tried to push his way in front, but it proved harder than expected.

"Please give an applause to The Soul Brother, now up next-". Hotaru reached the front of the stage, but the next band was already there. He turned around frantically and then he saw him. A person in a deep black suit, fedora, gloves, and shoes heading through the main door. Before he left, the man raised his hat, and Hotaru was able to see a pure white bald head.

Ignoring the complaints from the other guests, he made his way through the crowd to catch this man. If his theory was right, he was now on pursuit of the missing leader of the Brotherhood of Shadow.

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And now, what every fanfiction writer fears... canon over-writing.

Don't worry, I will not stop posting; I might get a headache fitting everything going forward, though. Thanks, Ed!

I'm not big on writing backstories out of the blue and I'm not sure if I made Hotaru justice, but I like to think this could be his story in a timeline.