Marathon (3/3)

Disclaimer: Neither High School DXD nor Elder Scrolls belongs to me, all rights to their respective owners.

Chapter 71

— Only those who have not felt betrayal firsthand can give a second chance without wondering what objectives lie behind the actions of those who seek such opportunities. Not everyone who wants to start over does so with good intentions. —

These are Edzard's thoughts after reading a report on the actions of a former necromancer, who massacred the village that decided to give him a chance to be part of the community.

The wind was picking up, carrying sand and dust with it. Despite the winds being strong, they gently swayed, almost as if it were the touch of a lover, the white hair of a young man. The young man's hair was long and unkempt, while his eyes were a pale shade of blue. His clothes consisted of a somewhat loose gray shirt. He wore tight black pants and simple leather boots. His skin was somewhat pale, almost as if it were porcelain. He wore almost no jewelry, except for a large circular earring, which was in his left lobe. That earring had an image of the Sun God of Hindu mythology, the God Surya, engraved on it.

The young man stood looking at the base of the Nilrem faction, analyzing everything with his eyes, which gave the impression that the young man was someone cruel and ruthless. The name of this young man was Karna, and he was the heir to the soul of the hero Karna, the tragic hero of the Hindu epic Mahabharata.

"It seems that there are not many magicians from Nilrem at this base." the young man said to himself as he brought his hand to his back, finding the bitter sensation that was the lack of his weapon.

Not finding his weapon, the young man remembered why he was there. The reason had been simple, he had grown tired of following Cao-Cao's orders, but not only that, but he had also grown tired of working with that being from another world.

'I hope you can come back to yourself before it's too late for everyone, Cao-Cao.' the young man thought as he remembered what had happened before his departure.

Flashback

"Do you really plan to desert the faction, Karna?" asked Cao-Cao as he pointed his spear at Karna.

The response of the heir to the soul of Surya's son was silence as his eyes were focused on all the people he called companions.

"That's right, Cao-Cao. You have made decisions that are leading us into a dead end." replied Karna in a monotone voice, while continuing to examine his enemies.

In front of Karna was not only Cao-Cao, but also Jeanne and Georg. The group made up of the three strongest members of the hero's faction of the Khaos Brigade had gathered to stop him before he left the faction's base.

"Please, Karna-kun, reconsider!" shouted Jeanne as she fixed her eyes on Karna. "You can't leave the faction now!"

"Jeanne is right, Karna." Georg pointed out as he extended his hand towards Karna. "We have already lost Heracles and Siegfried; we can't afford to lose you too. So, if you don't come back willingly, we will be forced to make you come back."

"I'll only give you one chance, Karna." Cao-Cao pointed out as he took a step forward.

"I'm sorry, but this is the end…" said Karna, to quickly take his bow, which was on his back. When he had the weapon in his hands, he quickly jumped back, gaining more distance between him and his former comrades.

"Fool." muttered Cao-Cao with annoyance, then jumped and propelled himself against Karna.

Seeing Cao-Cao approaching, Karna wasted no time and pulling arrows from his quiver, quickly launched them against the leader of the hero's' faction.

Karna's arrows were fast, but they were nothing more than mundane arrows, as the young man did not possess any kind of sacred gear, something that limited him when fighting. That's why, his arrows were easily eliminated by Cao-Cao, who cut them with his sacred gear.

Upon seeing him arrive, Karna quickly moved his bow to defend himself. Thanks to his steel bow, he managed to stop Cao-Cao's attack, but not for long. The leader of the hero's faction changed his stance, allowing him to retract his spear enough to launch a second point-blank attack.

Seeing that attack, Karna was forced to drop his bow, dodging Cao-Cao's attack with a backward somersault. This left him vulnerable to an attack from Jeanne, who had moved and now appeared behind Karna.

"I'm sorry, Karna-kun!" Jeanne shouted as she launched a horizontal cut against Karna. However, that attack did not hit the young man, as he ducked to dodge it.

After dodging that attack, Karna quickly ran to where his bow was and, in doing so, was forced to roll on the ground to dodge a ray of sacred power that emerged from the tip of the «True Longinus».

Getting up quickly, he managed to reach his bow, which was fortunate, as he was forced to use it when Georg launched some elemental spells against him. Seeing them, he quickly tensed his bow and, gathering magic, conjured a fire arrow. Releasing the string of his bow, the arrow shot out and, in the middle of its path, it turned into several arrows.

Karna's fire arrows hit Georg's spells, causing several explosions, which Karna used to escape the place.

The young man began to run at full speed, knowing that he was no match for those three. However, while running, a ray of sacred energy threatened to hit him, but he managed to dodge it, at least partially, as it ended up wounding him in the shoulder. That attack, produced by Cao-Cao, not only wounded him, but also managed to destroy his bow.

"AGhhhh…" Karna groaned in pain as he felt the wound, which made him want to lean against a wall to rest and let the pain pass, but he didn't do it, knowing that if he stopped, he would be a dead man.

So, without stopping, the young man kept running, managing to reach the exit of the base of the hero's faction.

End flashback

"Leaving the base has been the easiest thing… But right now Cao-Cao is sending other members to hunt me down… I can't stay without the protection of a faction." Karna said to himself as he began to walk towards Nilrem's base.

The young man wanted to find a new faction to get protection against the hero's faction, but so far, none of the factions of the Khaos Brigade were really what he was looking for. This was the last one in which he would look for some kind of alliance to join. If this faction was like the others, he would not join and would head to the city of Kuoh to look for the Kuoh pact.

'I don't need a faction that seeks power for selfish ends…' Karna thought as he walked. The reason why the young man had joined the hero's' faction was because of the name, as he initially thought it was a faction of humans who sought to defend their fellow men from supernatural creatures that planned to harm them. However, over time, he realized that it was not so, as he realized that the objective of the faction was not what he imagined.

The young man continued walking under the scorching sun, until his survival instincts became present. Feeling a chill run through his body, he looked to the right and saw a fist approaching his face.

Upon seeing the attack, he quickly moved to one side, ducking slightly. This allowed him to dodge the attack, but he couldn't celebrate, as a second later, a boot appeared in his field of vision. This new attack was directed towards his head, so, to protect himself, he was forced to place his arms in an X to stop the incoming attack.

"Ugh." Was the grunt of effort and pain that Karna let out when that blow hit his arms.

The force of the blow was such that the human was forced to kneel to avoid having his spine shattered by the force of the blow. Although, despite being on the defensive at that moment, Karna managed to attack. The young man's attack was based on catching his attacker's foot and throwing him away.

When his enemy was far from him, Karna quickly looked to where he had thrown him. As he set his eyes on him, he felt his blood freeze, as it was the last person he would expect to see in this place.

The figure that stood before him was not a person he had seen before, as it was the first time he had met him in person. This was because he had not gone to the city of Kyoto but had stayed with the reserves at the faction's base.

'I can't believe he's here… one of the leaders of the Kuoh pact… the so-called third celestial dragon…' Karna thought to himself as he looked at Edzard.

As he set his gaze on him, Karna didn't know whether to curse or rejoice at this encounter. Unfortunately, he couldn't think much about it, as he had to think of a way to prevent him from attacking again. So, determined to talk to the dragon in front of him, he raised both hands in a sign of surrender.

Edzard's eyes focused on the young man in front of him. He had attacked him because there were traces of the smells of Cao-Cao and his group on the subject's body. For Edzard, this was an indication that he was either part of the hero's faction or had been.

'Most likely he is a former member of the hero's faction, due to the faint smell he has… That means he has been away from Cao-Cao and his group for a few days…' Edzard thought as he clenched and unclenched his hands, preparing to attack him. 'He's good enough to be able to defend himself from a surprise attack, but he doesn't seem to have a sacred gear, otherwise he would have already used it.'

After that thought, Edzard began to think about how to incapacitate him to read his mind. However, his thoughts abruptly stopped when he saw the young man raise both hands, non-verbally indicating that he was surrendering.

Seeing his enemy surrender, Edzard began to approach him, as he did not understand why he was surrendering. Finally, he asked the question to understand why he was surrendering, but he had done it from a couple of meters away, as this was a security measure he was using to avoid a surprise attack.

"Who are you and why have you surrendered?" Edzard asked, without taking his eyes off the young man.

Edzard's eyes could see the subtle movements of the young man's body, which tensed up a bit when he heard the question he had been asked. Even so, the young man did not stutter when he began to answer Edzard's question.

"My name is Karna."

"Just Karna?" Edzard asked, curious, as it was common for earth humans to all have surnames.

"Yes, just Karna." Karna replied in a calm voice.

"I see… So, why have you surrendered? I don't think Cao-Cao has members in his ranks who surrender that easily."

A subtle smile appeared on Karna's face when he heard that because it was true. Almost the majority of the members of the Hero Faction would fight to the end before surrendering to a supernatural being, but he was not like the others. He was not guided by the obsession to prove human power, no, what really motivated him was the desire to help and protect humans from the dangers of supernatural beings.

Seeing the smile on Karna's face, Edzard raised an eyebrow in confusion, but in the end he didn't care. However, he couldn't ask the young man another question, as he quickly answered what he had been asking.

The answer that came out of Karna's mouth greatly surprised Edzard, who didn't know what to answer, especially with the last thing mentioned by Karna.

"Let me understand your story… You have left the Hero Faction and are now looking for another faction to join, because Cao-Cao and his faction are looking for you to silence you, right?" Edzard questioned frankly and directly.

"That's right. I'm afraid my goals had distanced themselves from the goals of the hero's faction and that's why I left. And about Cao-Cao's assassins, it's true. They seek to eliminate me because I know the location of the faction's bases, and because I have very sensitive information about the members who compose it."

Karna's response was frank, or so Edzard thought, as he did not distinguish any of the patterns that appear when a person lies. In fact, the young human was very calm when speaking. That would be more than clear evidence that he was telling the truth, but Akatosh's son was many things, but not someone who blindly trusted someone who in the past was his enemy or was on an enemy side.

The reason Edzard was so suspicious about this topic was very simple, the betrayals he had suffered in his life… or at least he would like to say, but the truth was that he had never trusted those who after being your enemies said they had changed and were now your allies.

"You know, you've told me a good story, but how do I know you're telling the truth…" said Edzard, who began to walk in circles around Karna. "Your words could be just wind and no truth…"

Edzard's words struck a chord in Karna's mind, who, despite knowing they were not true, understood that Edzard did not believe him. Even so, he hoped to convince him, because, if he was honest with himself, he preferred to join the celestial dragon who was fighting against the daedras than another faction of the Khaos Brigade. So, knowing that this was a one in a million opportunity, he took a step forward to speak.

"It's understandable that you don't believe me, but I speak the truth when I say that I have left the hero's faction and am willing to overcome any test you give me to consider me worthy of your trust."

The words that came out of Karna's mouth caused Edzard to smile, as he felt he had gotten where he wanted. Although he distrusted Karna's words, he was an asset to obtain information about the hero's faction. So, walking towards Karna, he approached until he was less than a meter away from him.

"So… are you willing to undergo any test to prove that you are trustworthy?" asked Edzard, earning a nod from Karna. Seeing this response, Akatosh's son smiled and extending a hand, spoke. "Then, let me see your mind… To know in that way if you really are trustworthy."

Hearing Edzard's request, Karna felt a chill run down his body. He didn't know the reason, but a part of him was terrified to allow that but knowing that the best option he had to help humanity was with the Kuoh pact, he ended up accepting.

Seeing that Karna had accepted, Edzard placed his hand on his head. A second later, this hand began to glow pale blue, an unmistakable sign that a mind magic spell was being used.

Slowly, Edzard's consciousness managed to reach Karna's mind, allowing him to see his memories. Constantly, Edzard's mind began to be flooded with various memories, which were Karna's childhood. Edzard could see that the young man's childhood had not been easy, as he was an orphan with no living relatives. He had lived in places not very suitable for a young man, but that had made him have a strong desire to protect those who could not do so.

'Ummm… he really has told the truth…' Edzard thought with a slight surprise, as he did not expect this development. For him, people who changed sides because they really wanted to do so were not very common, as most of these types of changes were stratagems to infiltrate the opposite side. Therefore, seeing that the young man really wanted to join another faction to help humans, Edzard decided to trust him… not completely, but enough to vouch for him for now.

"It seems like you're telling the truth…" said Edzard, removing his hand from Karna's head. "Although, I'm not sure if that makes you really trustworthy… so, to verify if you really are trustworthy, you'll have to help me with something."

"With what?" asked Karna after hearing Edzard.

"You'll see…" said Edzard, beginning to tell the young man everything that Nilrem was doing.

Despite feeling surprised, Karna managed to keep his face impassive, but he was not at all happy with what he had just heard.

"So… will you join me?"

"Yes."

Karna's answer made Edzard smile, as he liked that answer. So, turning, he began to walk towards Nilrem's base, being followed by Karna.

The sunlight shone brightly on Edzard's palace, illuminating the rooms of the place. Several of the rooms were currently empty, but there were some with people. The music room was being used by Ingvild, who was playing a soft melody on the classic piano in the room.

The half-devil's hands moved quickly, playing a nameless melody, which was calm.

While her hands played that piece of music, Ingvild's mind was focused on the emotions she was feeling at this moment. This was because her mind was trying to find a way to talk to Asia, but so far, she had not been able to find a direct way to talk to her.

'I have not yet been able to talk to Asia to ask her permission to join the family…' thought Ingvild, as she stopped playing the piano. Taking both hands to her temple, the half-devil began to rub that place, as a small new problem had arisen for her… it was time for her to make her debut in the underworld, and if she was honest, she was somewhat terrified by it.

The young woman was terrified because she did not know how the underworld population would react to her existence. As much as she is now a member of the vanguard against the daedras, she still carried the Leviathan surname, a surname that would surely divide the population in terms of their opinions of her. She was aware that some of them would want her as a member of the Leviathan clan, but others would not.

'The days are running, and time is running out…' thought Ingvild, who got up from the chair she was sitting in to start walking around the place.

She felt her heart speed up with fear and anticipation, as this was an important moment for her. Even so, she hoped to have more support to avoid becoming a political pawn. But it seemed that she would not be lucky, as she had not been able to talk to Asia since that day she woke up in the infirmary.

A phantom pain ran through her body the moment she remembered what had happened on the rescue mission of Marie. The wounds she had suffered, fortunately, had not been very serious, but even so, the pain she felt at that moment she would not forget in her lifetime. However, despite this, she held no grudge against Asia, as she knew that she had not had control of her body. Even so, she had noticed that Asia was tiptoeing every time they crossed paths or were in the same room, something that discouraged her, as it reduced her opportunities to talk.

Letting out a long sigh, she looked out the window and began to think about what to do to talk to Asia to tell her what she longed for… to be part of this strange, but happy family.

'I have to talk to her as soon as possible, to know what she thinks of me.' thought Ingvild as she began to look out the window of the room.

A smile appeared on the half-devil's face when she saw the calm lake next to the palace. Those calm waters reminded her of the days when she walked with her family a hundred years ago, when everything was simpler for her.

She was looking at the lake for a good few second until she finally stopped doing it. Returning to reality, she began to think about what to do to talk to Asia this same day. In the end, she decided to talk to her after dinner, so without wasting time, she began to think about what words to use for that.

While Ingvild was thinking about what to say to Asia, Rossweisse found herself in the same situation. The Valkyrie was sitting in the chair in her room, reviewing the sheets of the recovery classes she would teach when she returned to the academy after her break.

This was because Rossweisse and all the girls from Edzard's group who attended Kuoh Academy had received a health permit to be absent. This permit was given to them so they could rest after the recent event in the Italian Alps.

Although the young woman had her sheets on the desk, her mind was elsewhere… what she had felt on the brink of death. It is said that before dying one can glimpse all their regrets, and to Rossweisse's misfortune, these had created a deep emotional burden in her.

So, at that moment, the young woman was dealing with all the emotions that were swirling in her chest. Therefore, letting out a heavy sigh, she dropped the pen with which she was correcting the material she planned to use when she returned to teaching.

"What should I do?" asked the Valkyrie out loud, who let herself fall on the table, resting her right cheek on one of the sheets. "I know what I want, but I don't know if I should speak now or hold back for a while, at least until Marie-chan's birthday passes…"

The valkyrie's mind debated this for several minutes, until she finally decided.

'As much as I want to rush, starting a relationship with Ed-kun before Marie-chan's birthday would look bad… besides, I have to prepare everything to make it perfect… that will take me some time.' thought Rossweisse as she blushed with embarrassment at the thought. 'Even so, although what I will talk about with Ed-Kun will be later, I will talk to Asia as soon as possible.'

With that thought, the Valkyrie stood up and, smiling, began to resume her duties. Her movements were more fluid than before, as her mind had been freed from a problem. However, this does not mean that all her problems had disappeared, but this was the problem that most gnawed at her mind, so now that it was "solved", she could focus on her duties.

With this new vigor, she began to review the notes again, realizing that there were some more errors to correct in sheets she had already reviewed. Without wasting time, she began to correct everything again. As she did, she imagined some scenarios for what could be considered one of the most important moments of her life.

While Ingvild and Rossweisse were thinking about their respective plans to be able to talk to Asia about their feelings for Edzard, two girls were in the medical wing of the palace, looking towards the entrance door.

The eyes of the daughters of two of the leaders who made up the Kuoh pact were focused on the entrance door of the room, waiting for the arrival of their parents.

Both girls had already recovered from the injuries they had received in that place in the Italian Alps. Each one had awakened at different times, with Marie being the first.

When Edzard and Asia's eldest daughter opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was the ceiling of the palace, something that confused her a lot. This was because she remembered having been in that prison where those bad guys who had appeared in her mother's hometown had taken her.

However, her confusion did not last long, as she quickly smelled the scent of Kunou and, turning her head, saw her resting by her side. That discovery immediately made her realize that she was back in the palace, so she smiled enormously.

Getting up in one impulse, the little dragon extended her hand, hoping to wake her up. However, when her hand touched the skin of the kitsune, she did not respond.

The lack of reaction from her friend caused Marie to be scared, starting to move her with a bit of brusqueness, but in the end, even that did nothing to wake her up. This caused the young girl to start shouting Kunou's name in panic, attracting the attention of the maids, who arrived and quickly controlled the situation, explaining what was happening with Kunou.

In the end, the little dragon understood that her friend was very tired both mentally and physically, so she would not wake up until later. Therefore, she stayed waiting by her side.

Fortunately, Marie did not have to wait too long, as ten minutes later, Kunou opened her eyes. However, unlike Marie, she woke up more abruptly, getting up and taking a hand to her throat. The young kitsune began to take very strong breaths while looking around with extreme anxiety and panic.

The way Kunou behaved terrified Marie, who did the first thing that came to her mind, hug her friend. Although the young kitsune was startled when she felt Marie hug her, she could see that it was her friend who was hugging her. That action was enough for her to notice where she was, calming down gradually.

After that, the room was filled again with servants, who gave the girls quick check-ups, then telling them that they would inform their parents to come and see them. Which brings us to this moment.

"Ma-chan…" whispered Kunou, who was looking at the door without blinking. "They're really taking their time… Don't you think, Ma-chan?"

"Yes… I want them to come now… I must tell them a lot of things." Marie replied while making a pout, as she was annoyed that her parents were not there right now.

"Yes, I understand." Kunou commented, looking at her friend / younger sister with a smile, as she found it cute to see her make that pout. However, she was also somewhat worried, as she knew that her mother would be angry with her for disappearing like that and breaking into a mission as important as Marie's rescue.

After that brief exchange of words, both stopped talking and leaned against each other, supporting each other as they playfully moved their feet. They were sitting on the edge of the large hospital bed in the room. They did this for a couple of minutes, until they were forced to stop, as they smelled four scents approaching quickly. Two of those scents were immediately recognized by them, but the other two were not…

"Who's coming with mom?" Marie asked confused, as these scents were new to her.

"I don't know, but they seem to be older than Asia-san." Kunou replied, detecting that the scent of the other two was slightly sourer, something that showed more age.

Kunou's answer made Marie feel even more confused, as she didn't know older people, except for the pact leaders, but they don't have that sour smell of humans aging. The only ones the little girl could imagine would be her paternal grandparents, but they had a smell already known to her, so they were not.

Fortunately, neither of the two girls had to think much about it, as a few seconds later the room door was opened by Asia and Yasaka, who wasted no time and in one move reached their daughters, taking them in strong hugs.

"My little Kunou, how in the name of Amateratsu did you think of going to a place like that?" Yasaka asked while hugging her daughter as if she feared she would disappear at any second.

On the other hand, Asia was asking another question to her daughter.

"Are you okay, Marie? Don't you feel pain anywhere in your body?" Asia asked while holding her daughter as if she were made of glass.

The mouths of both girls opened, trying to give an answer, but no words came out from there. Slowly, the eyes of the two began to fill with tears, which began to fall like waterfalls, wetting the cheeks of the two little girls, as well as the clothes of their mothers. A second after they started crying, the cries of the two began.

Even though both girls had woken up and had been panicking, in their own way, right now they were in the arms of their mothers, so the feelings that they unconsciously kept repressed emerged, causing both to cry and vent all their fears.

"There, there… everything is okay now, Marie… You are home…" Asia whispered as she began to cry holding her daughter in her arms.

"Calm down, you're safe." Yasaka whispered in her daughter Kunou's ear, who only hugged her tighter, fearing that her mother was just an illusion of her mind.

The two girls cried and let it all out for more than fifteen minutes, minutes in which they were comforted by their mothers. Finally, they began to calm down slowly.

Seeing that the two were already calming down, both Asia and Yasaka decided to ask them questions, which were focused on what had happened. For Marie, the questions were about what had happened in the church.

The little girl's words began as a whisper, but she slowly began to narrate in a better way what had happened. The little girl narrated that she had been playing hide and seek with the orphans, all in a calm manner. Although, that had changed when Marcus entered the place, smiling as usual. The father had told her to follow him, as supposedly Asia had been calling her, but Marie had refused, as she had not heard her mother.

In response to this, Marcus had kept insisting. However, in the end, Marie mentioned that she never paid attention to him, which led him to use a spell to take all the children hostage. Upon seeing them, she tried to use her thu'um, but he used the children as human shields, stopping her. After that, Marie narrated how Marcus hit the children to pressure her to leave. Finally, she agreed, and he snapped his fingers, making some subjects appear. One of them approached and gave her a sharp blow to the head with a boot, knocking her unconscious.

After narrating those scenes, Marie told what had happened during her captivity, showing confusion, and emphasizing the voice that had spoken to her.

"A voice spoke directly to your mind?" Asia asked with much concern, as it was not normal for that to happen.

"Yes, it was a man and he introduced himself as «The Gray Wind»." Marie replied, bringing a hand to her chin, and tilting her head as she remembered the name with which the voice had introduced itself.

"The Gray Wind? What a peculiar name." Asia commented with some confusion, as she had never heard that name in her life.

"Haven't you heard of him, Asia-san?" Yasaka asked curiously, who had Kunou sitting on her lap.

"No." Asia replied while shaking her head. "However, by the way he has communicated, it is possible that the identity of this being is threefold."

"Which ones, if I may ask?"

"Before I answer you, the first thing you should know is that speaking directly to the mind is considered mind magic in Nirm. So, the only identities for this Gray Wind are: First, an extremely powerful magician and very well versed in mind magic. This option is the intermediate in danger of the three. The second is that it was a daedric prince, they are very well versed in this type of magic, as they use it to speak with their champions. Finally, the most difficult of all, but at the same time, the safest, that it was an Aedra."

"Those are not many options." Yasaka pointed out, who was sure that because there were few options it would be easy to find out who this being was.

"Yes, but even so, the sub-options are many and each one has very different levels of danger." Asia expressed while lovingly rubbing her daughter's head. "I'll tell Ed about this… he knows more about this kind of thing than I do."

"You're right… now, Kunou, dear… what happened to you?" Yasaka asked, stopping looking at Asia and looking at her daughter. "How did you find out about the mission and how did you end up at the base in the Alps?"

Yasaka's voice was kind, but at the same time demanding, as the kyubi wanted to know how her daughter had ended up in the Italian Alps along with the members of the ORC. While she had heard the story from the ORC, she still wanted to hear her daughter's version, mostly to confirm what led her little one to do something so risky.

Upon hearing her mother's question, Kunou's first reaction was to look to one side, but knowing that her mother would want answers, she immediately began to give them.

The young kitsune commented on how she had spied on Yasaka's conversation with Asia and the rest of the girls. This made the older kitsune feel surprised by this, as she had not realized that her daughter had been in the room. After that, the young kitsune continued to narrate everything that had happened, leading up to the battle they had fought with Marcus.

The moment Kunou began to narrate everything that was happening in the battle, Yasaka felt herself tense up. So, she gently began to scratch behind her ears, causing Kunou to relax. However, although Yasaka seemed calm, the truth was that she was angry about what she was hearing, especially at the end.

"In the end, my mind began to unravel, but I'm sure I heard Edzard's voice before I fell unconscious." Kunou said, causing both Yasaka, Marie, and Asia to look at her. The cheeks of the little kitsune began to turn red, but it wasn't because of the look she was receiving. No, the reason she was starting to blush were the words that Edzard had said when he appeared.

"Kunou, what's wrong? Why are you blushing?" Yasaka asked with some concern when she saw her daughter.

Hearing her mother's question, Kunou looked at her and began to stutter, but in the end, she managed to say what Edzard had said. I must say that the young girl's words had struck a chord in the minds of Asia and Yasaka would be an understatement, as those words meant that Edzard really considered Kunou as his daughter.

The room fell into an awkward silence after Kunou's words, something that greatly discomforted the two smallest in the room. So, looking at their respective mothers, they asked what was going on.

"Calm down, Marie. Nothing's wrong, I just blanked out for a few seconds." Asia replied with a smile as she looked at her daughter.

"That's right, Kunou. Nothing's wrong." Yasaka also replied with a smile.

The response from both women was not very convincing for the little ones, who each raised an eyebrow in a sign of disbelief. Seeing this, Yasaka looked at Asia and thinking quickly, decided to use the best card they had now to change the subject, so without thinking twice, she spoke.

"By the way, Asia-san… Didn't you have something you wanted to tell Marie-chan?"

Asia's eyes opened the moment she heard Yasaka's words. Remembering that there were two people who wanted to meet Marie, she took her by the armpits and turned her around, making them face each other.

"Listen, Marie." Asia said, catching the attention of her daughter, but also of Kunou, something that pleased Yasaka, as she wanted to divert any conversation about the matter of Edzard calling Kunou his daughter.

"Yes, mom." Marie replied with a smile on her face. "What's up?"

"You see, my daughter… There are two people who want to meet you." Asia replied quickly, causing her daughter to look at her in confusion.

"Two people who want to meet me?"

"That's right. They are two very important people to me… I thought they were dead, but that wasn't true." Asia replied, putting on a bright smile, which began to arouse curiosity in Marie, who didn't know what people could make her mother so happy without being her father.

"Who are they?" Marie asked expectantly, as she wanted to know who they were.

Hearing her daughter's question, Asia smiled enormously. Bringing her face close to hers, she spoke eagerly. "They are your grandparents."

Asia's response caused Marie's little eyes to open wide, as that was a response she never thought or imagined.

"My grandparents?" Marie asked in surprise, as she didn't understand that. This was because she knew the smell of her grandparents and they couldn't be the ones who had come with her mother, as the smell was very different. So, looking at her mother, she asked. "Mom, why do you say the grandparents are here? If those people outside smell different from grandparents Roland and Selene."

The question from her daughter made Asia realize that she had not expressed correctly what she wanted to tell her. So, taking her daughter by the cheeks, she looked at her while explaining what was happening.

"Marie… it seems you have forgotten, but I will ask you something…" said Asia with a smile, knowing that when she asked the question, her daughter would understand the situation. "Tell me, how many grandparents do you have?"

Asia's question made the little dragon put a hand to her chin, thinking about the answer, which she found in a few seconds.

"I have five grandparents!" Marie responded excitedly. "Grandfather Akatosh, my dad's parents, and my mom's parents…"

After saying those words, Marie finally understood what her mother had wanted to tell her. Wanting to confirm if it was true, the little dragon looked at her mother and saw her nod. Seeing this response, Marie stayed still for a few moments, but a few seconds later she smiled enormously. The little one began to move in a fascinated way, completely excited about the news. Marie was so happy about this news that she began to jump on her mother's legs.

"Where? Where are my grandparents?" Marie asked with a lot of anticipation in her voice, looking everywhere.

"Outside." Asia responded with a smile, taking her daughter back in her arms and positioning her so that she was looking at the door. Seeing that her daughter was in position, Asia looked at Yasaka, who was also looking at the door, nodding, Asia spoke. "They can come in."

The moment Asia spoke, the door opened again, and Marie saw two people enter. The two people, whom she understood were her grandparents, greatly surprised the little one. This was because they did not behave as she expected, they moved almost as if they were on a glass bridge. This way of acting diminished the excitement Marie felt about meeting them, something they noticed.

Without Marie knowing it, the reason why they approached with so much caution was simple… the great resemblance she had with Asia, something that reminded them that they were never there for their daughter when she was the same age as Marie. That reminder was a direct spear to the heart of Marie's two grandparents, who began to feel emotionally bad.

"h-hello…" said Marie with some shyness, as she felt somewhat anxious about how her grandparents were behaving.

Both adults shuddered slightly when they heard their granddaughter's voice greeting them. Both of their hearts began to beat quite hard, causing them both to feel somewhat uncomfortable. Even so, they did not stop approaching and when they were in front of their daughter, both acted in different ways.

The first to move, surpassing the speed that both Yasaka and Asia expected she could have, was Zephyra, who moved her arms and took Marie, lifting her quickly.

"WOAAA!" Marie shouted as she was carried by her grandmother abruptly, which confused and greatly surprised her.

"You are so cute!" Zephyra shouted as she pressed her cheek against her granddaughter's, rubbing them in a genuine show of affection. "Honey, look. It's like seeing a miniature version of our daughter."

Zephyra's words made Marcoryan look at where his wife was, smiling when he saw how she was hugging their granddaughter.

"Yes, you're right." Marcoryan responded, who also approached his granddaughter, to start messing up her hair gently.

"Hello, it's nice to meet you, Marie." Marcoryan said with a smile when he saw his granddaughter. "My name is Marcoryan Cumberland and the woman who is hugging you is named Zephyra Argento."

The tone of voice and actions of her grandparents surprised Marie. Due to her previous behavior, she thought they didn't love her. However, upon perceiving these signs of affection, the little dragon realized that they didn't hate her, but loved her. Therefore, without a second thought, she separated from her grandmother, took her face in both hands, and gave her a kiss on the nose.

Marie's action surprised her grandmother, who then shouted with happiness and hugged her tightly.

While Marie was beginning to connect with her grandparents, Kunou was watching all this with a bit of jealousy, as she had never known her own grandparents. This led her to look sad and start looking at the ground.

Her daughter's reaction to what was happening with Marie saddened Yasaka, as she knew how she was feeling.

'I'm sorry you can't meet your grandparents, Kunou.' Yasaka thought sadly as she began to move her hand to comfort her. However, before she could say anything else, she heard footsteps approaching and upon looking up, she saw Marcoryan.

'What does he plan to do?' Yasaka thought as she saw Asia's father approaching them. The mind of the kitsune began to think of some negative things, which she regretted, as she had met Asia's parents not long ago and knew they were not bad people. So, she just stayed watching what would happen in front of her.

"Hello." said Marcoryan, greeting Kunou.

"Hello." Kunou replied, diverting her gaze a bit, as she didn't want to be seen so sad.

"You're Kunou, right?"

"Yes, it's me."

"My name is Marcoryan and I'm Asia's father. Although I suppose you already know that, right?" Marcoryan asked without taking his eyes off Kunou.

In response to the question, Kunou nodded, as it was more than obvious after the presentation that Asia had made.

"Although maybe you don't know that I'm Edzard's great-uncle."

Marcoryan's words surprised Kunou, who didn't know that. However, the little one couldn't say anything else, as Asia's father spoke again.

"That's right, I'm your adoptive father's great-uncle… which makes me and my wife your great-aunts and uncles." said Marcoryan with a smile on his face, lying, as he was not exactly Edzard's great-uncle, but they were more distantly related by blood, but that was not something the little kitsune should know.

Upon hearing those words, Kunou's eyes filled with tears from the emotion she felt upon hearing them. The young girl was so surprised and happy to hear this that she didn't think about how Marcoryan had said that Edzard was her adoptive father.

"So, my new dear granddaughter, would you like to come with us for a walk in the woods for a while?" Marcoryan asked, who had thought of this new little activity to be able to join the new members of his family, both blood and adoptive.

"Y-yes, I want to go with you." Kunou replied, extending her hand, which was taken by Marcoryan.

Holding the hand of the little Kitsune, Marcoryan looked at Yasaka, who smiled, thus giving him permission for his daughter to go out for a walk with Edzard's relatives.

After this assent, Marcoryan approached Marie and Zephyra, then looked at Asia.

"Daughter, I'm going to take Marie and Kunou for a walk with us by the lake." Marcoryan informed, earning an assent from Asia, who saw nothing wrong in allowing her parents to spend time with the two girls.

With the permission of both parents, the two girls were taken out of the room by Marcoryan and Zephyra.

While the girls and the two adults were leaving the room, Yasaka got up from where she was and approached Asia. About to bow in gratitude for what Asia's parents had done, Asia stopped her.

"There's no need to thank for this, Yasaka-san." said Asia, getting up from the bed. "There's no need to do this in family."

Asia's words caused Yasaka to open her eyes in surprise, as they could only mean that she was accepting her into her family. However, before she could say anything, Edzard's wife went ahead and spoke again.

"You shouldn't be surprised, even if you weren't my husband's fiancée, the fact that he calls Kunou his daughter only means that he plans to adopt her, regardless of the end of the commitment between you and him. That makes Kunou become my relative and my parents'."

"I understand." said Yasaka, understanding what Asia meant, something that disappointed her a bit, as she had hoped that she would fully agree with her joining the family. Even so, seeing that they were alone, and that the atmosphere was good, the leader of the youkai decided to speak. "But… What if I wanted to continue with the commitment until the end?"

"How?" asked Asia, surprised by Yasaka's sudden question.

"What would you think if I decided that I want to continue with the commitment until the end and marry Edzard?" asked Yasaka with a serious voice and look, showing that this time she was not joking.

Hearing and seeing the way Yasaka expressed this, Asia realized that she was not joking and internally wondered how she had come to this moment. Even so, even though she didn't quite understand how Yasaka had concluded wanting to continue with the commitment until the end, she decided to just look at her and smile.

"Yasaka-san…" said Asia, catching the attention of the mentioned. "I'm sure you've noticed that I always tensed up when I was with you, right?"

"Yes." replied Yasaka, remembering how Asia changed her way of speaking and behaving when she was near. This had always been something that had bothered the leader of the Youkai, as every time she tried to talk to Asia, she had to see how she was on guard. Although, if she was honest with herself, she understood why she did it.

"Well, it seems that I no longer feel that way when I'm with you." pointed out Asia as she moved her hand and took Yasaka's hand.

Asia's action and her words caused the kitsune to look at where her hand and Asia's were touching.

"I don't know what the future holds for us… but, if you really want to be with Ed, I… I have no problem with it."

Those words touched Yasaka's heart, who could only smile at them.

"Thank you…" said Yasaka, feeling truly grateful to Asia for giving her this opportunity to be part of a family, an extended family where she would share her husband, but one where she knew she would never be left out.

The artificial lights inside Nilrem's base flickered from time to time, making the atmosphere of the place become heavier and gloomier. The long corridors of the base were devoid of any furniture, so you could see to the end of each one of them.

Walking down one of those corridors, which was on the third lower level of that place, were Edzard and Karna. The duo of young people walked with quick, but silent steps… at least on Edzard's part, as Karna was a bit clumsier and could only walk silently if he focused solely on it.

"The atmosphere of this place is very gloomy." Karna commented as he crossed in front of the entrance to a room, from which he could observe its interior. The interior of the room was, strangely, a well-lit place, but free of any kind of furniture, that is, it was completely empty.

"Yes, it's true. But we are on the upper floors… and we haven't run into any member…"

The words that came out of Edzard's mouth were interrupted when, out of nowhere, several human magicians appeared in front of them.

"Intruders!" shouted the first magician who saw Edzard and Karna, thus drawing the attention of all his nearby allies. The magician, after that shout, moved a hand and pointed with it at the two intruders. However, before he could create a magic circle, he was killed by an accurate ice spear to the head.

The magician's body was shot out by the force of the spell, ending up impacting one of the walls, getting embedded there thanks to the ice spear.

That event caused all the magicians to feel a chill run through their bodies, as they saw how their companion had not had time to cast a spell. This made everyone take a step back when they saw Edzard and Karna, who was following the young dragon closely.

"Let's finish them off quickly, Karna." said Edzard, who began to send magic to his extremities.

"Yes." replied Karna, who, despite not having a bow or any weapon, could still fight hand-to-hand without weapons. Therefore, without wasting time, the young human began to run after Edzard, using the dragon as a shield, as he should be able to deflect the magicians' attacks.

The magicians came out of their fear a few seconds after witnessing the death of their companion, immediately beginning to attack Edzard and Karna with elemental spells.

"Fire at will!"

"Don't let them get close!"

"Die, damn sons of bitches!"

The magicians' screams began to echo down the hallway as they attacked the two young men with elemental spells, which ranged from fireballs to air bullets. All these spells moved quickly through the narrow alley, making them direct attacks against Edzard and Karna. However, to the magicians' bad surprise, Edzard moved his hand and conjured a shield, with which he blocked all incoming attacks.

When the spells were blocked, Edzard quickened his pace and appeared in front of the magicians. The magicians' eyes opened in surprise, then gave way to horror when Edzard shattered one of their heads with a single, accurate blow.

Fragments of brain and bone were scattered, dirtying other magicians. These magicians were scared to the nerve when they saw this, ending up soiling their pants. Unfortunately, they couldn't even realize what their body had done, as Edzard looked at them and in less than five seconds, killed them, tearing them apart.

While Edzard was destroying some magicians, Karna came to his side. Seeing the other magicians, he didn't hesitate for a second to throw himself at them. Although he didn't have the same speed as Edzard, the young human was fast, so he was able to catch one of the magicians with his hands and, after a little struggle, ended up breaking his neck, killing him on the spot.

After that action, both Edzard and Karna continued to kill magicians. Both young men used their respective knowledge of martial arts, killing every enemy that crossed their path.

Edzard watched as Karna killed a magician, using a quick and precise kick, which hit the magician's jaw, breaking his neck by force.

'He is skilled, very skilled in hand-to-hand combat… if he had good armor, Karna would be more lethal…' thought Edzard, examining Karna's martial skills while he was destroying a magician, breaking his sternum, and causing the splinters to tear his lungs and heart apart.

The magician's body fell to the ground, sprawling like anything else.

"Karna, are you done?" Edzard asked as he inspected the place, realizing that there was no one else alive.

"Yes." Karna replied in a monotone voice as he looked at the last dead magician on the floor.

"Good, we have to go further down." Edzard said in a serious voice as he began to walk towards a door.

The duo of young men had been killing magicians as they descended through the enemy base. Although they had encountered several magicians, these were no match for Edzard and, surprisingly, for Karna. The young human had surprised Edzard, as he had devilstrated several more than acceptable fighting skills for an unarmed human.

"What floor do you think we're on?" Karna asked as he inspected the place with calculating eyes, aware that he couldn't let his guard down in this place, as doing so would make him an easy prey for ambushes.

"I don't know, but-" Edzard's words were interrupted when his nostrils detected a peculiar and very frightening smell.

Upon smelling that, Edzard wasted no time and without saying anything began to run. This action took Karna by surprise, who after a few seconds of confusion started running, following the young dragon.

Both young men arrived at a room closed by a door, whose interior gave off a very disgusting smell, which threatened to make both Edzard and Karna vomit their breakfasts. Even so, neither of them did, but rather, putting on serious faces, they continued, ignoring that stench.

Edzard wasted no time and with a single kick he destroyed the door, allowing the two young men to see the inside of it. The eyes of both opened wide at what they saw inside.

"What the hell?"

Author's Note:

To those who have made it this far, thank you for reading. To be honest, my English writing skills are not strong, and I'm relying on Google Translate and the dictionaries that come with Office 2019.

And finally, Chapter 71. XD

With this chapter, we end the marathon. I hope you liked it, but it's time to get back to the story.

We see the appearance of an OC. Yes, I'm going to start including one or another original character, as I need to fill some spaces in some plots that I have in mind for the future. Some of these characters will play a role in the story, in one way or another.

We also see the awakening of the two daughters of Dovahkiin, and we notice that some feelings are becoming more entrenched than others. As I said several chapters ago, I have decided that the theme of romance is something that happens behind the scenes, at least in some parts, so that I can focus on other things. I hope to make it feel natural and not forced.

Well, changing the subject, we see that Asia's parents meet their granddaughter and Kunou. Now, the reason why Marcoryan does what he does is simple: he knows the importance of actions like this in the psyche of children, so he doesn't want Kunou to feel left out.

Now, speaking of other topics, the truth is that these chapters were ready a month ago. That means that I have delayed in uploading them for a reason... the truth is that some ideas emerged, ideas that I am shaping into one-shots that I plan to upload in the future. About what these one-shots are about, they are still crossovers. One of them, the most advanced, is one of Warcraft with Elder Scrolls, which currently contains an approximate of 20k words. Unfortunately, if I upload it, it will only be in Spanish, as translating a one-shot of that magnitude would take a lot of time... although that can change, as I have not yet finished everything I want to tell in that one-shot.

I apologize for any spelling errors. Please don't forget to leave a review if you enjoyed the chapter, or if there's something that needs improvement, or if you have any questions about the story. Any constructive advice is welcome. With nothing more to say, see you in the next chapter.