Well, here's a new chapter to The Blade and the Embrace: Eternity. It's been too long since I've written for this story and I needed to remember what was next. Well, this one isn't my best work, but I needed to update the story and it's a very important chapter. Now, I will continue to update all my stories before my birthday in May and I'm happy I got this one done. Now, I'm moving this weekend, so I might not have internet for me to post. However, I'll make sure to continue writing. For now, I will leave you with this chapter. Thank you for everything guys. Bye!

"speech"= talking out loud or conversing

*speech*= thoughts

speech= Pokemon moves

speech= telepathic communication

Xeron was in his mother's garden, helping her with the gardening. He was with his sisters, planting new flowers and was busy doing his work.

His sister Celenia then asked, "So Xeron, Aldira looked happy at her birthday party when you arrived, didn't she?"

Xeron nodded, "Yeah. I guess she was afraid that I wouldn't show up. I wasn't going to miss it for the world."

"So it wasn't because you two got together?"

Xeron quickly dropped the flower pot in his hands and then said, "No. We're not together. Why does everyone keep saying that?"

"Because you two are too close to not be dating."

"I swear to you, we're not dating. Seriously, if we were, I would let you know."

His sister Crystal then said, "I can't believe you two never went out in all the years you two have been best friends. Well, I guess we'll find out what happens when Aldira turns twenty one."

Xeron stopped what he was doing and asked, "What do you mean by that, Crystal?"

"Well, she'll have to do our usual tradition. She'll either have to go on a quick journey or pick a mate. The way I see it, you're right at the top of that list."

"You really think that?"

His sister Elena chuckled and asked, "Who else do you know that she is this close to? If I didn't know any better, I would say that she already had a crush on you."

"It's a good thing you don't know any better."

Elena growled and said, "Watch it! You may be my older brother, but that doesn't mean I can't break this flower pot over your head."

Their mother quickly cleared her throat to get her attention, "There will be none of that. You kids play nice."

All of them then said, "Yes, mom."

Xeron then sighed and said, "I wish dad was here."

Celenia chuckled, "Dad can't save you in this argument. He's on our side with this."

"It's not that. I mean, I would accept Daedalus being here too. The gender ratio is proving to be quite the problem. One male and four females that are constantly on my case."

His mom laughed, "That's because you're in high school and haven't had a girlfriend yet. Also, you're always with Aldira at almost all times. Just ask her out already to put us all at rest."

Xeron got up and took off his gloves, "And I'm done here."

"But the gardening isn't finished."

"I promised the gang I would hang out with them today and I intend to do so."

"You're just going to go spend most of that time with Aldira. Who are you trying to fool?"

"And I'm out of here."

His mom then told him, "If you're going to head to the First Den, then take your dad's sword to him. He accidentally forgot it this morning in his rush to get to work."

"Oh? So he didn't go with Mr. Ryu?"

"No. Master Ryu hasn't called for him yet. I suspect that he's still too busy with his current business. Better for us, since that means that your father won't be away. Just go take him his sword."

"Will do, mom."

Xeron quickly walked back into the house and looked around the house and eventually found his father's sword in his father's study. It was on a stand on the desk and protected in a glass case.

Xeron looked at it for a moment. It wasn't the first time he saw the sword. His father had it for many years; supposedly before he was born. However, he never actually held the blade before, as his father made sure to keep it away from Xeron. Xeron always wondered why and felt excited as he lifted the glass case and took the blade in his hands.

Xeron held it for a moment and then unsheathed it and saw the blade's features. He felt an odd sense of accomplishment holding the blade and would have played with it for a bit if he didn't have to rush over to Auron's place. With that in mind, he resheathed the blade and quickly left the study and walked over to the front door. As he opened the door, he saw Aldira in the motion of knocking, with a surprised expression on her face.

She said to him, "Well, I didn't even have to knock for you to open the door."

Xeron chuckled, "Hello, Aldira. I would have thought that you would have been in Auron's house by now."

"You know that I never leave unless you're with me. I've grown too used to walking with you up to the First Den. Come on, let's go…" She then saw the sword in Xeron's hand, "Is that your father's sword?"

Xeron nodded and smirked, "Yep!"

"He is going to kill you. You know you're not allowed to hold it. He made that perfectly clear to all of us."

"My mom told me to take it to him. He left it home. He should be with the Chief and with Warlord."

"Alright, but if anyone gets in trouble, you're the one going down. Still, how does it feel to hold the sword?"

"As you would expect. Still, I don't see why he needs this thing. He has arm blades like me. Still, I'm not going to worry about it."

He then heard the back door opening and Aldira said, "I should probably go greet your mom and sister."

Xeron stopped her, "No. Let's go."

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Let's go."

He then heard his mom calling out, "Hi Aldira!"

"Crap."

Aldira waved, "Hi Mrs. Fenrir. I'm here to kidnap your son like every single day."

"Just have him back in one piece. Also, you're welcome to stay for dinner today. I'll be cooking my famous dumplings and rice."

Aldira smiled, "That sounds divine! I'll be here tonight."

"You two kids behave and be back before five."

Aldira grabbed Xeron's arm and said, "We will. Bye, Mrs. Fenrir!"

"Bye dears!"

Aldira then quickly drabbed Xeron along and said, "You're mom is awesome."

Xeron sighed, "She and my sisters have been on my case all morning."

"About?"

"They thought that we were dating and didn't let up."

Aldira shrugged, "They have the right to believe so. We're always together. I'm just surprised that we never did start dating at some time."

Xeron looked at her quizzically, "Did you want to?"

Aldira blushed, "I never said that. I was just saying that most people of the opposite gender, that are as close as we are, tend to start dating. Still, our relationship is more of a brother and a sister."

"I agree. You punch me every chance you get. Not very loving."

"Do you want me to punch you now?"

"No thank you. My mom told you to bring me back in one piece."

"I was going to punch you, not tear you limb from limb."

Xeron chuckled and asked, "So what are we going to do to hang out today?"

"The usual. Tomorrow starts the Third Den Fair and we'll be going to that."

Xeron reflected, "Last year, we helped your grandmother win the blue ribbon at the pie contest."

"She doesn't want our help this year. However, she expects to win again."

"Let's hope. She should just sell her pies and make money."

"My family is already rich. We don't need more money."

Xeron rolled his eyes, "Throw some my way. I already pay for your lunches, so I think you should shut up."

Xeron chuckled and said, "Alright, m'lady. No need to get prissy."

Soon, the two reached the transporter and took it to the First Den. Once there, they looked around and saw the military mobilizing.

Xeron asked Aldira, "What's going on?"

Aldira shrugged, "I don't know. Maybe a drill."

"I would have known, since I'm in the Reserves. I doubt it's a drill."

Xeron quickly teleported the two to the main square of the First Den, where they saw they got a up close look at the soldiers marching to the gate.

Xeron then said, "It's not a drill. The soldiers never put on their armor during drills. Something is going on and I bet Auron knows."

Aldira became worried, "Let's go speak with him."

Xeron nodded and took her hand, leading her through the streets and into the way that led to the Chief's home, but stopped when he saw that it was surrounded by soldiers.

Xeron was surprised and said, "This is really odd. They're securing the Chief's manor. Something tells me that someone is trying to invade the Sanctuary. But who? What threat is so big that they're calling for such a large reaction?"

Aldira said to him, "They'll never make it through the force field. It's impenetrable."

"Let's hope it does its job."

Xeron began walking again and walked up to the soldiers at the front gate and asked, "What's going on? What's with the military march?"

One of the soldiers replied, "Someone is trying to get into the city. We have to make every precaution to make sure the city is safe."

"Who's trying to get in?"

"I really don't know. They said some sort of human-like thing is at the gates ordering to be let in. However, the details are a little murky. I really don't know."

"Well, can we go in? The prince is expecting us."

The soldier pulled out a communicator and asked another for confirmation. After a reply he said to Xeron, "Go on ahead."

The soldiers soon moved out of the way and opened the gate and let the two in, closing them inside. Xeron and Aldira then ran to the door and knocked on it. Suddenly, the door swung open and Auron pulled them in.

He said to them, "Looks like a state of emergency."

Xeron nodded, "Yeah. However, I don't understand what's so important about sending the military. I heard it was just one man. Still, I suppose we can't let him enter or know the location of the city. But an entire army is a bit too much."

"Maybe. Still, let's go to the living room. Keerah is waiting for us there."

Xeron and Aldira nodded and walked into the living room, where they saw Keerah looking outside through the window.

Aldira got her attention, "Earth to Keerah! We're here."

Keerah looked at them and smiled, "Great! So Auron and I won't be alone during this. I was beginning to get worried that you two wouldn't show up."

"We made plans. There's no way I was going to go back on those plans, now was I?"

"Probably not." Keerah then looked at Xeron and saw his father's sword in his hands, "Is that your dad's sword?"

Xeron arched an eyebrow and looked at his hand, realizing that he still had it, "Wow! I forgot I had this. I was supposed to take this to my dad. I'll be back. I need to deliver this."

Auron stopped him and said, "Don't bother. The guards won't let you out now. Your dad is just going to have to rely on his arm blades for today, or until the threat has been lifted."

Xeron sighed and said, "My dad is going to be pissed at me."

"This was completely out of your control. Also, your dad is most likely in the military barracks. There's no going there while all of this is going on. Just wait a bit."

Xeron nodded and sat down, wondering what the human wanted, "So what's the human after? Just getting into the city?"

"From what I saw in the gate's camera, he's asking for something called an Eternity Crystal."

"What's that?"

"No idea. He's probably just some crazy idiot. We'll handle him soon enough. Can't be long now."

Auron's mother soon walked in and said, "Probably, but if it's what I think it is, he might be asking for Illia's Gem."

"The thing at the top of her memorial?"

"Maybe. It's the only crystal in the city."

"How would he know about that? Besides, it's not like the crystal has anything truly important outside of this city."

The Queen thought for a moment and shrugged, "No idea. Still, it's best to let the military do their thing. For now, I'll get you kids something to drink."

There was suddenly the sound of a loud siren going off, which alarmed everyone in the room.

Aldira asked, "What's that?"

The Queen gasped and said, "That's the Level 2 alarm. That only rings when the military is having a hard time containing the threat and have called for a retreat back into the city."

Auron quickly teleported a screen into his hands and his eyes widened, "That's no human."

Everyone quickly looked to see the screen and saw a large dragon easily defeating the army and a shadow aiding him in the battle. They also saw the army running back through the gates and closing them.

Xeron ran to the window and looked to see the military taking up positions around the inside gate, trying to make sure nothing got inside.

Xeron said to them, "This is bad. The army never retreats back into the walls. Besides, it's not like that thing can get through the shields."

Auron looked back at the screen and saw the dragon turn into its human for and the shadow taking a more humanoid appearance, "Okay, this things are weird. They seem to go back in forth in between transformation. I wonder what they are."

He then saw the human sprout wings from his back and fly into the air and slowly float over to the shield.

Xeron saw him and said, "Looks like he's trying to punch through."

The others joined him at the window and looked to the man put his hands on the shield and then ball his fist.

Keerah asked, "What's he doing?"

They then saw as the man pulled his arm back and then swung forward, punching the shield. Suddenly, to their horror, the shield shattered and a hole appeared within the psychic shield, letting the man inside.

The sirens suddenly began to wail louder and the Queen gasped, "That's impossible! He breached the shield?"

Xeron said, "How is that possible? The shield has never been breached."

The Queen told the four teenagers, "All of you, get to the lower levels and go into the panic room."

Auron asked his mother, "Mom, what about you?"

She replied, "A queen does not run away while her people suffer. I'm staying here."

"Mom! Come on!"

"Auron, just go! I'll be fine. I have the guards here to protect me. Just go."

Auron quickly hugged his mom and said, "I hope you'll be okay. Please mom. I love you."

"I love you too. Now go!"

Keerah grabbed Auron's arm and dragged him away with the others to the stairs, which they descended and headed to the panic room.

[Mortilend]

Mortilend floated over the army, who were all in shock. He looked down at them and chuckled, "Look who failed to keep an intruder out of their city. I must say, this place is quickly beautiful for a Pokemon city. Still, my focus is not in you weaklings. I have a much greater prize."

A voice then rang out, "And who are you, devil!?"

Mortilend looked down and asked, "And who asked?"

The Warlord soon appeared and replied, "That would be me."

"And who are you?"

"I asked you the same. I am Warlord Zoran, leader of this military and protector of this city."

Thaleus laughed, "Nice job, dumbass! You failed."

"I haven't lost the city yet."

Mortilend suddenly said to Thaleus, "Be quiet, Thaleus! This man is simply doing his job. I didn't expect this army to stop me and I will continue what I came here to do with no worried." He then looked at the Warlord and said, "I am Mortilend. I have not come for your lives or your city. Even still, I will not allow this army of yours to stop me from my task."

The Warlord said to him, "You are an intruder into our city. We deal with you as we have been taught to. Nothing personal, but this city is mines to protect and I will not allow you to sully it with your presence."

"Is that so? Well, let me keep you busy then." Mortilend's hand suddenly spawned a black ball he then chanted, "Spawn, my wyrms. Unleash your fury onto these enemies of mine. Come! Your master calls you!"

At that moment, the sky turned dark and Mortilend then pointed to the sky. The black ball shot itself into the clouds and a loud thunder clap was heard. Suddenly, large black dragon materialized from the clouds and landed on the ground and roared. Mortilend then pointed into the ground and another black ball shot into the ground, making large lizard-like beings burst out of it.

Mortilend chuckled and said, "I will leave you to my acquaintances."

The Warlord asked him, "What sorcery is this?"

"My sorcery."

Mortilend then flew off, searching for the Eternity Crystal that was within the city, leaving the Warlord and the army.

[Xeron]

Xeron paced around the panic room, worried and wondering what was happening outside. Aldira was simply watching him pace, worried herself. Keerah was writing in a journal and Auron was lying down on a bed that was there, wanting to help in the fight.

Auron soon got up in frustration, "Screw this! I can't hide out here while my city is under siege! I need to go help."

Xeron said to him, "There's not much we can do. We're still in training. We'll probably be killed off by that dragon in a matter of seconds."

"I don't care! What kind of prince am I if I just tuck my tail in between my legs and hide like a coward?"

"If anything happens, Auron, the Sanctuary will need a Chief and you're the next in line. If anything, you have to be the one to survive out of all others."

Auron replied angrily as he began to walk towards the secured door, "I don't care! I need to help out."

Keerah quickly grabbed him and said, "Auron, think rationally."

"Keerah, my mom is out there. She's never been trained for active combat and yet she's fighting. I'd be damned if I let something happen to my mother. Also, where are my brother and my sister in all of this? Shouldn't they be here too? If anything, I need to go find them and bring them here. I'm really worried about them now."

Aldira smirked and said, "An adventure it is yet. However, if trouble finds us, we're not sticking around."

Auron smirked, "At least someone agrees with me."

Xeron sighed and said, "Very well. We'll go out and try to find your brother and sister. However, once we do, we're coming right back here."

Auron nodded and opened the door. The group quickly filed out and silently left the lower levels of the Chief's manor. They soon arrived back at the living room and Xeron looked outside.

He then said, "Sweet Mew! There are a lot of enemies outside. It looks like that…thing…summoned them all."

Auron opened the doors and saw no one around the Chief's Manor, "Where is everyone?"

Keerah walked outside and said, "It looks like they're all at the battle." She then looked up and saw Mortilend flying around.

Mortilend stopped and asked them, "What are you four doing out? This is no place for children."

Xeron asked him, "Who are you? Why are you doing this?"

"I am Mortilend. Don't concern yourself with what I want or what I am doing here."

"And why not?"

"Wouldn't you like to know."

Mortilend then suddenly took off again, flying off and surveying the area.

Xeron kept his eye on him, glaring. Aldira walked up to him and grabbed his hand, worried.

Xeron looked at her and said, "Let's just go. Let's go before he decides to come back."

Aldira asked him, "Are you okay? You're worrying me."

"I'm fine." Xeron suddenly heard a female giggle in his head and asked Aldira, "Did you giggle?"

Aldira shook her head, "No. I didn't hear anything."

"It's probably nothing. Just my imagination running wild."

"Okay, I'm really worried for you now."

Xeron quickly led her away and followed Auron and Keerah off the property into the streets. They ran through each street and stopped them they saw two of Mortilend's minions.

Auron said to them, "We'll have to go another way."

Xeron suddenly felt compelled to grasp the grip of his father's sword and draw it. He then unsheathed it and lunged towards the two reptiles and swung at them, killing them both.

Keerah walked up to him and asked, "How did you do that?"

Xeron looked at what he did and replied, "I don't know."

Auron ran forward and said, "In any case, it cleared the way. Come on!"

Aldira asked, "Do you even know where your siblings are at?"

"I'm trying to find a guard to ask him. We're headed to the nearest Guard Station."

"You think they'll know where they're at?"

"Hopefully. Still, I want to just make sure they're safe."

Everyone nodded and followed him until they arrived at the Guard Station that was there. They knocked on the door and a guard opened it up and looked at them.

The guard then asked, "Prince Auron? What are you doing here? Go to your manor and look for protection."

Auron shook his head, "No! I need to find my brother and sister. Do you know where they are?"

The guard nodded, "They're in a safe area in the military sector. They'll be sent to your house once a path has been cleared. Now, head back home. I have to make sure communications between my men isn't lost."

Auron nodded and turned around, saying, "Let's head back guys."

Keerah sighed in relief, "Yes. I don't want to stay out here longer than I should."

[Mortilend]

Mortilend walked up the steps of Illia's Memorial, sensing the Eternity Crystal nearby. He soon reached the top of the memorial and was met with the sight of the Chief and Aeruthael, Xeron's father.

Aeruthael asked, "Mortilend, I presume?"

Mortilend smirked, "Yes, I am Mortilend. However, how do you know who I am?"

The Warlord suddenly teleported next to the Chief and said, "Take a guess."

The Chief then said to him, "You're here for the Crystal, aren't you?"

Mortilend nodded, "Yes. Would you be so kind as to hand it over?"

"No. We know what the Crystal is and it's best that it stays out of your hands. Arceus left it with us millenniums ago to make sure it didn't fall under the control of evil."

"And who says I'm evil."

"Someone who is good does not go around doing the things you are doing. Now, leave this city immediately."

Mortilend shook his head, "I am sorry, but I cannot do that."

"Then you leave us no choice."

All three Gallades then drew their arm blades and prepared for a battle.

Mortilend growled and said, "You have no idea who you're dealing with."

Mortilend suddenly vanished and reappeared in front of the Warlord and threw a punch at him. The Warlord dodged the punch and swung a blade at Mortilend, cutting him on the cheek.

Mortilend chuckled, "Oh…you're a good one."

Mortilend then flapped his wings and sent a gust of wind towards them, but Xeron's dad jumped in front of the gale and charged energy into his blades. He then swung at the glade, sending an energy blade through it and splitting the wind, causing it to miss them. He then swung the other blade and shot another energy blade towards Mortilend, who knocked it away.

Mortilend chuckled, "You're all pretty powerful. Yes, I can see why you're all the defenders of this city. However, I come from a long line of powerful beings that protect this entire world."

All three Gallades then said, "The Arceus Knights."

Mortilend was surprised and asked, "How do you know that?"

The Chief said to them, "We actually knew who you were already. We were warned that you would appear someday by Arceus. We know that alone, we can't beat an Arceus Knight, but the three of us together can put up a good fight."

"You'll need to do better than a good fight."

Mortilend quickly ran towards them and then vanished before any attack and reappeared punching the Chief. He then turned around and kicked the Warlord back.

He then put Xeron's dad into a headlock and said, "An Arceus Knight is not just some warrior you can beat. You'll need to really strategize your approach. Even still, I'm the most powerful of them all. You are all nothing compared to me."

Xeron's dad's eyes suddenly began to glow and he swung his head back and hit Mortilend in the face, making him let go. He then spun around and punched Mortilend with a glowing red fist, which sent him skidding on the ground.

Mortilend seemed surprised and said, "Well, looks like you had a trick up your sleeve."

Aeruthael laughed and said, "More than just a trick."

He suddenly threw his arms to the side and energy blades came out of his palms. He lunged forward and attacked Mortilend, forcing him to dodge.

Mortilend jumped back from one attack and said, "Alright. You want to play game? Then let's play!"

The Warlord then called out to Aeruthael, "Aeru!"

Aeruthael looked back and saw the Warlord toss him a sword, which he caught and the blade began to glow with power.

Mortilend looked at it for a moment and asked, "That blade, what is it?"

Aeruthael chuckled, "This is Shadowbane. It's a blade that has had a home here in the Sanctuary since its inception. There have been two blades since the day that the blade was split in two. One for the Warlord and one for the Fenrir family. It's true that the blade is at its strongest when it's joined again with the other, but I don't need the other one to kick your ass."

Mortilend soon summoned his sword to his hand and said, "You have no idea what I am capable off."

"No, but I will not lose to you."

Mortilend gave a roar and charged for Aeruthael. Once he got to him, Aeruthael vanished and reappeared behind Mortilend, slashing at him. Mortilend quickly spun around and blocked the attack, forcing the two at a fight for dominance.

Aeruthael then jumped back and yelled out, "Kage Nami!"

Aeruthael suddenly fired a large wave of black energy at Mortilend, which hit him and sent him skidding.

Mortilend got up and groaned, "That attack. I remember it. Kage Nami…Illia!"

The Chief looked at him and asked, "You know our great Queen Illia?"

"Know her? She was my best friend at one time. That was her move." He then remembered, "Shadowbane. That was her sword."

"Yes. However, she made the sword split in two and gave it to her closest and most loyal knight, Knight Ariseus."

"Yes, I remember. The great Sanctuary Knight."

The Warlord smirked, "You seem to know a lot about us."

"Once again, Illia used to be my best friend. Look, I do not wish to disrespect you or your city."

Aeruthael then said, "Then let's fight elsewhere. I'd rather not fight here. This is sacred ground for my people."

Mortilend looked up and saw the giant memorial to Illia, with her likeness chiseled into the statue, "Since I still respect her, I will fight elsewhere."

Aeruthael walked up to him and put a hand on him, teleporting them to a battle arena near the military sector, "Let's do this here."

Mortilend nodded and went to one side of field and said, "Whenever you're ready."

Aeruthael nodded and then charged forward, which prompted Mortilend to charge as well, with both of them meeting in the middle.

[Xeron]

Xeron and his friend were running through the street, hoping to get out of their and back into the panic room. Auron was relieved that his siblings were alright, but couldn't shake the thought of his mother fighting with the army.

Keerah noticed his worry and asked him, "Are you okay?"

Auron nodded, "Yeah…but I'm worried about my mom."

"She has many soldiers protecting her. I'm sure she'll be alright."

"I sure hope so."

They then looked up and saw Mortilend's dragon flying around and firing fireballs down onto the ground.

Xeron growled, "That thing is probably making things difficult for the army."

The dragon suddenly landed on the ground and Aldira asked, "Isn't that thing landing near Keerah's home?"

Keerah gasped and sprinted off, "My family!"

The team quickly followed after her, wanting to catch up to her before she ran into anything too dangerous. They followed her until they found her standing in an alley looking out and seeing the dragon easily defeating many soldiers.

Auron walked up to her and grabbed her hand, "This is as close as we can get. We have to turn back."

Keerah shook her head, "I'm not going anywhere without my family."

"I know you're worried, but I doubt that dragon will go to where your family."

"You don't know that." She then ripped herself from his hold and charged a Thunderbolt and fired it at the dragon, "Hey ugly! Look at me!"

The dragon growled and turned in irritation and looked at her. It suddenly began to chase her down and Keerah teleported around to dodge it and hid in the alleys. The dragon looked around for her and roared in irritation.

Keerah was hiding in a narrow alley and was suddenly grabbed from behind and hushed by Auron, who whispered, "Are you insane? That thing would kill you in a second."

Keerah said to him, "At least I got it to get away from my home."

They then heard a low growl and looked to the end of the alley and saw the dragon looking at them with one eye.

Auron gulped and yelled, "Run!"

The dragon suddenly took a deep breath and blew fire into the alley way, just as the two began to run. Auron quickly grabbed Keerah's hand and cut to the left, going into another alley and avoiding the fire. The dragon then flew into the air and then landed at the end of the alley they were in, cutting them off.

Auron kept Keerah behind him and used Protect, attempting to protect them. However, the dragon was suddenly hit by a large energy ball, which knocked it out of the way.

Auron was surprised and then saw a group of soldiers charging towards the dragon and then his mother appeared and said, "Get out of here!"

Auron replied to his mother, "I went to make sure Zeke and Olivia were safe."

"I'm glad that you were worrying about your siblings, but this is not the place for you to be. Go home."

"Mom, I want to help."

"Auron, no. Looks, I love seeing you being considerate about others, but your life is more important than mines at the moment. I'm a mother and my job is to protect my babies. Never forget that, because that's a father's job as well." She said with a smile on her face.

Keerah said to Auron, "She has a point. Let's go."

Auron's mom then said to Keerah, "If you're worried about your family, don't be. I made sure they were sent to safety."

Keerah bowed her head, "Thank you, your highness."

Auron's mom replied, "Don't mention it. Also, no need to call me that. Besides, you're basically family, since you're dating my son."

Auron said to her, "Mom, we'll discuss this later."

"Correct. Now hustle!"

Suddenly, a large blast rang out and many soldiers were sent flying. A large gale of wind then blew through the alley and knocked three off their feet. They got up and one of the buildings began to collapse because of the blast.

Auron's mother looked up and saw the rubble about to fall on Auron and Keerah and quickly ran towards them and threw them on the way, causing the rubble to fall on her.

Auron got up and looked back and saw his mom under the rubble, with only her torso and head sticking out of the rubble.

Keerah gasped and yelled, "Queen Zia!"

Auron then yelled, "Mom!"

Auron and Keerah ran up to the pile and began to attempt to dig her out, but there was too much rubble.

The queen opened her eyes and looked at the two and said, "Get out of here. Get to safety."

Auron said to her, "NO! I'm not leaving without you!"

"Auron, listen to me. You have to get out of here. You won't be able to dig me out before that thing comes back to finish the job. Go!"

"No!"

"Auron, please. You have to run!"

"Mom…I can't leave you."

The dragon's head then appeared at the end of the alley and it suddenly used its arms to topple some of the buildings out of the way so it could walk into the alley.

The queen's eyes began to glow and both Keerah and Auron were thrown away by many yards by a powerful Psychic blast.

Auron and Keerah got back to their feet and saw as the dragon reached Auron's mother and looked down on her. It then lifted its head and roared before lunging its head down at her.

Auron gave a loud yell and suddenly teleported over to his mother and throwing a fist up, punching the dragon. Suddenly, the dragon was thrown back and fell onto a building.

Auron was surprised and looked at his fist and saw his arm glowing slightly and his veins bulging out. He didn't take the time to wonder what was going on and grabbed the rubble that was over his mom and amazingly lifted it off of her and pulled her out of it.

He asked his mom, "Mom, are you okay?"

His mom shook her head, "No. I can't feel my legs."

"That's bad. Let's get out of here."

Xeron and Aldira then teleported over to where they were and Xeron asked, "Where were you guys? We couldn't find you anywhere. Also, what happened?"

Auron replied, "I'll explain later. For now, let's get out of here before that thing regains consciousness."

Xeron looked over at the dragon and saw it slumped over a building, "How?"

"I don't know, but I'm not going to worry about it right now."

Aldira then walked up to the dragon and said, "How did that guy summon such a massive beast?"

Xeron called out to her, "Aldira, get back here! Don't get too close to it!"

Aldira looked back towards him and said, "It's knocked out cold. Besides, I've never seen an actual dragon up close before."

Just as she said that, the dragon woke up and looked at her. It then lifted a large paw and swung down on her, attempting to crush her or cut her in half with its claws.

Xeron quickly saw this and charged towards Aldira, yelling out her name. He took a hold of his father's sword and swung at the arm as he got to them. Just then a large black wave shot out from the sword and knocked the dragon back again before the claws could get to Aldira.

Xeron quickly grabbed Aldira and looked at her, "Are you alright?"

Aldira nodded, "Yes. I'm just a little shaken. What did you just do?"

Xeron teleported them back to the others and looked at the sword, "I don't know. I just had to save you, so I swung. The sword did the rest."

A female voice then emanated in his head, "How interesting. It looks like I have been attached to a most peculiar little master."

Xeron looked around, trying to find the source of the voice. He then thought, "Where is this voice coming from?"

The voice returned, "I'm in your hand."

Xeron looked at his hand, but only saw the sword, "Are you the sword?"

"Yes. I am Shadowbane, but you can call me Twilight. You're Aeruthael's son, are you not? Little Xeron. Well, not so little anymore. Pleased to meet you. Looks like your father's planning has worked out. However, I did not expect you to use a Kage Nami so quickly."

"Kage what?"

"That energy wave that you shot at the dragon. Now, want to kill this thing?"

"Yeah. This thing has threatened my home enough."

"Alright. Listen to me and I will help you kill it easily."

The dragon soon shook off its daze and roared in the air, in pure anger. It opened its mouth and began to charge energy into a large energy ball. It spread its wings and flew up high in the air, while still charging energy.

The queen looked up and said, "If it fires that energy ball to the ground, it might take out most of the den and collapse a couple of dens in the process.

Auron growled, "Then it needs to be killed right now."

Twilight said to Xeron, "You need to get to it. I'll help you do the rest."

Xeron asked her, "How am I supposed to get up there?"

"Get Auron to throw you."

"You're insane."

"His strength is incredible. It's no coincidence. There's a reason for all of them. Just get him to throw you."

Xeron nodded and told Auron, "Auron, throw me at that thing."

Auron arched an eyebrow, "I don't have that kind of strength, Xeron."

"You lifted at least two buildings off of your mother and knocked out a dragon with a single punch. Trust me, you can do it."

Auron sighed and grabbed Xeron, "Let's hope this works."

Xeron nodded, "Yeah. Now throw me."

Auron's arms began to glow again and, amazingly, he threw Xeron in the air, which was confirmed by the sound of Xeron screaming.

In mid-air Twilight told Xeron, "STOP SCREAMING, YA PANSY!"

Xeron stopped screaming and saw that he was darting towards the dragon and began to panic, "What do I do? What do I do? What do I do?"

"Alright, listen to me. First, grow some balls and stop panicking. Secondly, he's going to fire the energy ball at you."

"That's no solution. That's opposite to the solution. That's a major problem."

"Just slice away when it gets to you. Summon another Kage Nami."

"I have no idea how I did that."

"Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeell, FIGURE IT OUT!"

"How!?"

"You really love to argue, don't you?"

"I'm trying to stay alive."

"Look, it'll come to you. Just think about what you will lose if you fail. Not only will you and your friends die, but so will thousands of your people, your society might collapse, and those that survive will be forced to look for new homes as anarchy will take hold and looting and murders go up."

Xeron was silent for a while, taking in the information she was saying and asked, "Why would you phrase it like that?"

"Are you motivated now?"

"Yes."

"So it did its job. Now here it comes."

Xeron wondered what she was talking about and then he looked back at the dragon and saw it finish charging the ball and fired it down towards Xeron. Xeron was beginning to panic again, but suddenly calmed down and gripped the sword with both hands. He thought about everything Twilight said to him and soon felt energy building up inside of him.

He asked Twilight, "Twilight?"

She replied, "Yes?"

"So I just cut through it?"

Twilight chuckled, "Slice away."

Xeron nodded and then the energy began to build on the blade. He waited until the energy ball reached him. He quickly sliced it and saw as the Kage Nami cut the energy ball in half and redirected the energy towards the dragon. The dragon was hit by the energy and it caused it to rear back. Xeron then reached the dragon and sliced down on it, cutting into it and firing another Kage Nami as the blade was still inside of the dragon. The dragon was quickly split in half by the energy wave and both halves fell to the ground.

Xeron smiled and said, "I did it!"

Twilight then asked him, "That great, but how are you going to land?"

"What?"

Xeron looked down and noticed that he was free falling now. He sweatdropped and then began to scream as he fell back to the ground. However, before he could reach the ground, he stopped falling and noticed that he was being held up by a Psychic hold. He looked around and saw Keerah and Aldira with their eyes glowings.

The two let him go and Aldira ran up to him and hugged him, obviously worried scared, "Never do that again!"

Xeron chuckled and hugged her back, "I can't promise anything, but I won't."

Auron then appeared, carrying his mother and said, "We need to get my mom to the hospital. This hugging session will have to wait."

Aldira let go of Xeron and said, "Alright, but what about that man that summoned the dragon."

The queen groaned in pain and said, "My husband, the Warlord, and Aeruthael are dealing with him right now."

There was a large explosion in the distance and everyone looked on to see a large Kage Nami flying through the air and Mortilend flying in the air.

[Mortilend]

Mortilend groaned and patted the soot and dust off of himself and looked down, seeing Aeruthael looking back at him with the sword still glowing with energy.

Mortilend said to him, "You're stronger than you appear."

Aeruthael laughed, "You've been holding back. I can tell, because this isn't the power of the Guardian of Eternity."

Mortilend smirked and looked out towards the city and said, "Looks like that young Gallade killed off my dragon summon."

Aeruthael said proudly, "That's my son."

"Well, looks like my business is done here."

The Chief arched an eyebrow and asked, "What are you talking about?"

"I already have the Eternity Crystal."

"When did you get it?"

"I didn't. My associate then."

Thaleus then appeared holding a blood red crystal, which was once on Illia's statue.

Thaleus handed it to Mortilend and laughed maniacally, "That was too easy!"

Mortilend looked at the crystal and smirked, "Eight more to go."

Aeruthael charged another Kage Nami and fired it at Mortilend. Mortilend looked back at him and reached out his hand and caught the attack and crushed it.

The Warlord growled, "He really was holding back."

Mortilend began to fade away and said, "It's been fun, but I have no desire to kill any of you. You can try to return this crystal back to your city, but you won't survive if you fight me again."

Mortilend suddenly vanished from sight and the three Gallades quickly began a search of the area for Mortilend, but could not find him.

The Warlord stomped on the ground and yelled, "Damn it! He got away!"

Aeruthael said to him, "I knew he would get away. I just needed to distract him long enough for Xeron to awaken Shadowbane."

The Warlord asked Aeruthael, "Is that really part of the plan? He's still a kid."

"You know that it's the way it has to be. You were there when he was born and saw the energy he was born with. If anyone has the potential of fighting that rogue Knight, it's him."

The Warlord sighed and said, "I don't want to see him being used as a weapon."

"It's not just him, but all four of the kids. Xeron and Auron have awakened their special powers. If all goes as planned, Keerah and Aldira will awaken soon enough."

The Chief then said, "Poor things. Their lives are only going to get harder from this point on."

"It's the fate that was chosen for them. Try to keep them all together as much as possible. They'll all need each other."

With that, Aeruthael passed the sword back to the Warlord and began to walk out to survey the scene of destruction.

The Chief followed and said, "We'll need to rebuild and quickly. The shield can be fixed within an hour, but the homes will take a while."

The Warlord said to them, "I can have a task force mobilized to begin rebuilding. You have to worry about explaining the information to our people."

Aeruthael stopped and turned to the other two and said, "Listen closely. Do not tell the kids what's going on with them. Not at the moment. They'll find out soon enough."

"What about Mortilend? We can't have him get the other crystals."

"Trust me, he won't get them all. They're all hidden. We need to wait and train the kids."

The other two nodded and went on to the work at hand.

Okay, so this one had a lot of planning and I know that you were all probably hoping to see the battle between Mortilend and Xeron's father, but I really couldn't plan it out well and it would have made this chapter way too long. Well, another story will be updating withing the next week or two. Once again, moving will make this a little difficult, but I promise it will be done. I'll see you later guys. Bye!