Honored Steps

Pain.

It was the only thing he could feel.

The only thing that told him that he was still alive.

Noctis, at this point, couldn't see anymore.

He couldn't smell.

He couldn't hear.

He couldn't think.

His consciousness was present and absent at the same time.

What did he do? What Was he doing? What will he do?

He didn't know for sure, he couldn't tell.

But, although he couldn't, his body as driven by some force kept advancing forward, making its way through the dungeon.

He slashed, dodged, blocked, killed, got injured, and lost blood.

But even so he kept going.

Killing monsters after monsters.

Came a point where even monsters which and prime instinct was to kill adventurers or living being in general, came to slowly feel fear.

Fear for the injured man covered from head to toes in his own blood.

As if they were culled by nothing but his appearance and seemingly limitless will power.

Slowly as the man with open but empty eyes made his way through the dungeon, the monsters he encountered either cowered in fear and flee or died trying to kill in a desperate attempt.

From the Tenth, the ninth, the eighth, the seventh, the sixth, the fifth, the forth, and finally the third.

And he was still going strong.

…

Quick...

The other member of the team were eventually able to make it to the surface. Although they received some semblance of wound due to them being in their hurry thus not vigilant enough.

But they couldn't care less about that at this moment, that was nothing. Their teammate was possibly dying at this moment. They couldn't loos anytime fretting over that.

So as quickly as they could they decided on their next step of action.

"Chigusa, go inform Takemikazuchi-sama in the briefest delay." Ouka was quick to give commend.

"I am going." Without even thinking about it she separated from the group and started sprinting at full speed toward their family residence.

"The rest, we are directly heading toward the guild to ask for assistance."

"But would the guild really help?" Asuka couldn't but ask.

"We do not have anytime to think about that just now, we have to at least try." Ouka answered.

"..." Mikoto didn't speak instead bit her lips with force, drawing a bit of blood that flowed down. Her expression clearly pained for multitude reasons.

With that decided they quickly made their way toward the adventurer guild, once there, they met grossly went over the event and asked for help, stressing heavily about the urgence of the situation.

"That..." All of the Guild receptionist were rather hesitant about all of this matter. It was not that there was no protocol in place for this situation but it was not a really... reliable one.

"I am sorry, it will probably be impossible to help your teammate." The one they were talking to shook his head in apology.

"Why? How is it impossible?!" Ouka for once was starting loose his calm and shouted.

"Generally when something of this kind happen, the guild would hurry to inform the Ganesha Familia which will take further action to provide assistance if possible."

"Then what's the problem?" Asuka was at the border of tears.

"From how you described the event, those who attacked you were not... amateur, this was clearly not their first time doing this. The time it would take to notify the Ganesha Familia and for them to send a rescue team... it would probably be too late." His tone was really apologetic.

"How can that be..." Asuka muttered under her breath, disheartened by his words.

"A solution, there should be a solution." Mikoto voiced as she looked around.

But all she was met was cast down gazes and apologetic faces.

"What is happening here?" Rose asked as she and Eina walked out from inside.

"You are... the Takemikazuchi Familia?" Eina curiously asked, falling to read the mood, but Rose was not the same.

This general brooding mood, the members of a certain Familia, all of them sustaining wound, with two people missing. Something was not right.

"No, don't tell me..." She hesitantly voiced, something bad happened, she had a bad feeling about this.

"Where, where are they?"

Her feeling was confirmed where two panting people hurriedly entered through the door, a God and a human.

She could recognize the one who asked the former question as Takemikazuchi and the other a member of his Familia like the others present.

"How are you all? Are you alright?" He asked as he worriedly went over, before doing anything he wanted to make sure those weren't in a dangerous state.

"We are alright, but..." Ouka was doing his best to remain calm, loosing it wouldn't help in this situation.

"Fuck!" Surprise, the guild members were surprised as this was their first time hearing Rose curse, her face hardened.

"Not again, I am not going through this once again." She was loosing it, as she undid the tie that was maintaining her ponytail, it was one familiar one.

Although she was prepared for it, she still couldn't help but feel betrayed, how many time does this have to happen? How many more adventurer she had advised had to die? Was she cursed or something?

She didn't know, but what she did was that the Loki Familia should start their expedition today, and generally they took the road toward this hour.

There was still a chance, if luck was on their side, they could do this.

She stormed out of the Guild and started heading somewhere.

"Everyone, stay here and take some potions. I'll be back." Takemikazuchi instructed as his face conveyed seriousness.

"Takemikazuchi-sama? Where are you going?" Mikoto asked as she saw his turn around.

"I am going to get my child back. No matter what." Although he said it almost too calmy, the amount of bloodlust contained within those words were... terrifying.

So much that those around felt their knee weaken and sweat drip down their body. And it was not even targeting them.

This was the influence of the anger of a God of War.

""I am coming too."" almost all of the Familia members said at the same time, at this point they knew it was impossible to calm their God down. But, with his strength it was possible, they could rescue him.

"I am sorry, but I cannot allow that, the presence of a God in the dungeon would have undetermined consequence." Rehmer was certainly empathetic, but letting a God in a dungeon? That was too much.

"And how are you gonna stop me?" Takemikazuchi turned around and looked at guild section leader, a bit of his divinity leaking out.

The world seemed to slow and turn red, blood flowing on the ground as river, multiple kind of weapons and tombstone scattered all around. The image of the God of War also seemed to change, with his hair left to be swept by the wind, wearing an armor, and his glowing red.

This was too simply terrifying, at this sight, all fell down on the bloody ground, trembling in terror.

But soon enough everything seemed to come back to normal as the God slowly calmed down.

This was merely an illusion created by the small bit of his divinity that leaked out from his seal.

"Child, you should know better than try to stop a father from rescuing his son." Because that was what currently happened.

With the way Takemikazuchi viewed a Familia, they were all his child, no matter how prideful, timid, perverted, dense, or rightful they may be. And as such, he had the duty and right to save his son if he was in trouble, even if for that he had to pay a heavy price.

"Hm...?" Tense atmosphere came to disappear when they heard the commotion outside.

People where running around for some reasons, and it was not just one or two peoples.

Something was currently happening as everyone seemed to converge toward a certain point.

"What...? No I have to hurry." With that he left with his Familia members trying their best to follow him, which was not so easy as they were also previously subject to the effect of his divinity.

…

Rose was on her way toward where she anticipated being able to meet the Loki Familia, it was the path they almost always took to go to the dungeon.

Although she knew that they were in no way obligated to help her, she knew most of them were good people who wouldn't ignore her plea.

And even if they did, she knew Ais wouldn't, she had been her advisor since she was level 1 after all. She was sure she wouldn't refuse to help her.

As for why she was going to such a length to help him although she resolved to not get too attached to any adventurer? Beat her, she didn't know.

But what thing was for sure. She wasn't willing to see him die like that.

She squeezed the scarf in her hand even tighter.

Soon her expression changed to hope as she gazed at the familiar silhouettes before her eyes.

"Please..." She approached as she spoke.

…

Orario, the ever active city populated by the strongest adventurers of the world.

Not only adventurers but also all kind of people from all kind of craft and field lived there.

Being the kind of place it was, strange and bizarre scenes happened quite often, and people long got accustomed to all kind of scenes.

Well, at least they thought as what was happening right now was beyond anything they previously saw.

What was happening before their eyes was beyond the understanding of many.

But in no way did it make it more amazing, more scary, more... flabbergasting.

Somewhere within the city, was seen a rather unusual scene.

Those who first saw it got shocked and panicked. Cries started resounding around which attracted even more people.

From that more and more people were attracted toward the scene, as words started to run around from mouth to hear to hear to mouth.

All of that gave birth to the current scene.

A man, young probably, difficult to tell due to his current circumstance, walked down the road.

Something was unusual about him, His arms seemed dead, his back arched forward.

There was a sword in his mouth, held by his teeth.

His body injured and bloodied from head to toes.

He was looking forward, but his eyes weren't focused.

He walked with slow but steady steps, each more bloodied than the other.

As if leaving proof of his passage in his wake.

The people around wanted to look away but couldn't, all was seemingly forced to look by an unknown force but with diverse emotions.

Although they couldn't look away, they unconsciously opened a path for him to pass by.

And so he did, he walked, seemingly with a destination in mind, completely ignoring his surrounding.

"Noctis!!" The Takemikazuchi Familia members shouted as they made their way to the front, this...

They had no words to describe this scene, but they had to help him.

From the look of it he was gravely injured, and loosing a ton of blood.

If they didn't provide medical attention immediately, he as going to die at this rate.

Surprisingly the the first of them to step forward was none other than Asuka, she was going to approach him and provide help.

But she was a step too late. How? That was because, Rose, along with the members of the Loki Familia appeared out of nowhere.

Rose was quick to understand what was happening as per her habitude.

And her first reflex was to rush toward him, to help, just as Asuka she wanted to provide assistance.

Admittedly, she was really worried... well beyond what she herself expected as her body seemed to move of its own.

It was just when he was about to hold him, she felt a hand grab her shoulder before pulling her back on the side rapidly.

"What-" Rose was taken aback.

"You could have died." Ais stated as she pointed at her previous spot where the man now recognized by most who heard the previous shout as Noctis was now standing.

"Wh-Why? Why would he do that?" Rose was shocked, why would he attack her? She couldn't understand, but that was precisely what just happened.

"This guy..." Bete spoke as he looked at this scene before looking at Fin.

"How is this even possible?" Riveria voiced, her tone containing ample amount of astonishment.

"I also wonder, but it's happening right before our eyes." Finn held his spear in his hand as he looked at the boy who started walking forward once again.

"Wh-what? What is happening?" Lefiya couldn't get the situation.

"..." Ais was more interested focused on the boy walking forward than the current conversation.

"That boy." Gareth choose to explain to her. But not only her, as their conversation caught the hear and attention of many.

"He is not fully conscious."

"What do you mean by not fully conscious? Then how is he even walking?" Rose asked back rapidly.

"What he meant is that his body his in some sort of autopilot. Riveria spoke.

"Yes, he seems to move just through instinct." Tione decided to join the conversation.

"This is so cool." Tiona couldn't help but voice, it was like watching a scene directly out of a fairy tales story.

"If he made his way out of the dungeon like that, then it's likely that he will attack whoever get too close to him." Finn was just as impressed as Tiona.

"But shouldn't we help him? Won't he die if something is not done quickly?" Lefiya asked.

"It's possible but if from the look of it, I fear their is no way stopping him without injuring him even further, in his current state he probably doesn't care about pain, and could injure himself involuntarily trying to oppose a stronger opponent and he would very likely die from that. And since he is already unconscious, we can't really... knock him out." Finn explained his thought.

" The question is, how did he end up in this state? What kind of monstrous willpower does it require to keep moving with a body like that even after falling unconscious?" Not only her interest but also her attention were all on this boy called Noctis.

To her question, who other than his own Familia members could answer? Thus, the public attention was now directed toward them.

But the Takemikazuchi didn't speak, nor did their eyes leave Noctis from the moment they arrived.

Even so, they could hear, and knew that they would get attacked if they got closer... so now they could only watch, watch until he stop walking or die.

It hurts, it really hurts watching without being able to help in anyway.

Noctis, however was still... walking, walking toward a specific place, that he had in mind even before loosing consciousness.

And as he did, all watched,, from blacksmiths to adventurers, from farmer to merchant, From Pallums to Humans, from Demi Humans to Elves and from mortal to God.

On the road, in the houses, in a tower... from all around with possible view of the scene.

All watched with batted breath and distinct eyes as a single boy walked.

Ordering their undivided attentions and refusing to let it go.

Noctis eventually arrived at destination before stopping completely, the sword in his mouth falling to the ground.

"So, this is where, you so desperately wanted to go." Takemikazuchi stepped out of the crowd and made his way toward Noctis, but instead of touching him, he went and opened the door of the house.

"Then so be it. Welcome back Noctis. You are now at home." Takemikazuchi said as he opened his arms, with Mikoto, Ouka, Chigusa, Asuka all watching from the side of the door.

His words seemed to have some effect. The until now vacant eyes of Noctis regained their brilliance once again.

"You... are...all... fine... after... all." Noctis managed to voice out slowly with cut sentence.

"I... kept... my... words." He finished as he completely lost consciousness his body titling forward as if he was going to fall.

"Noctis!" Mikoto was rushing toward him to hold him but was surprisingly stopped by Ouka.

"Ouka-dono, what are you doing? he is gonna-"

"Look." Ouka didn't say more and she did as he said before realizing what was happening.

"I see..." She said before stopping herself.

Contrary to what she expected Noctis didn't fall over, instead he remained standing.

Even now with his body almost completely inactive, he was still standing.

It was like he was saying that he wasn't weak enough to fail on the ground.

But his words did give to the crowd, an idea about what happened to him, as they weren't oblivious of the different wounds on the body of the other Familia members.

To put one's live in danger and go to such extend to save the live of your comrades.

Not all could do such a thing, what he did was without a double a noble and great sacrifice.

And as such, all couldn't help but look at him with respect and admiration.

While that was the case... some looked at him with more than admiration...

"Sigh* truly a troublesome child that I have here." Takemikazuchi said as he walked forward.

He did enough, now was time for him to rest.

But this was a scene.

This was a story to be told for years to come.

And it will be without fail.

…

End.