RIPPLES OF THE PAST

Different people's faces and voices are showing in Luce's mind everytime he sleeps. This started to happen after the things that Leopold did to him and the Zodiacs.

'LUCIFER!!!', Luce saw an angel with six wings holding a sword, flying towards him.

'Luce please, help me!', A woman, that Luce had forgotten, was kneeling in front of him. He felt awful at that time, heartbreak and sorrow filled him.

'Take care... big brother.', This time, he's holding a young night elf by the arms, bleeding from a sword wound on his chest.

'Your pride is a sin to the heavens. I condemn you.', Luce only felt anger towards this man, who radiates blinding light, making the fragment blurry.

'I love you...', The voice of the woman he loved, but her face was not clear anymore as his vision gets more blurry, then Luce suddenly jolted up, escaping his nightmare.

"Haah!.."

Luce composed himself and looked around to see that he was sitting beside a campfire together with Hector and Levi. He was sweating profusely as he get close to the fire. The bonfire popped small blisters of ember beside Luce as he looked up to see the night sky.

Middle ring of the Desolate Zone, the place where the sky is full of stars in the night. It gives Luce wonderful memories about this place. Some of them sad and subtle, the others full of joy and excitement.

"Nightmare..?"

Luce turned his head to see Hector, sitting on a rock while shaving his beard to make him look decent. The terrible tiny hairs have been a nuisance every time he tried to cuddle with his daughter.

"Why are you shaving in the middle of the night? You look like a bandit, ready to pillage the villages he can see." Luce laughed at his good friend, the first time he laughed since he escaped from the Empire.

"I'd rather shave my beard than have a nightmare like a baby. I even saw you struggling for your life there. Hahaha!"

Hector then shake his whole body exaggeratingly, imitating Luce when he dreamed about his past. Luce burst out in laughter right after he saw Hector squirming like a worm basked in salt.

The two of laughed the whole night while guarding the whole camp for any star beasts that will come. Levi was sleeping in peace between the two, his shift has just ended. Then, dawn broke and the whole camp is ready to move again.

Luce was standing at the top of a boulder to see where are they going to go in a high view. All he was seeing felt nostalgic for him, the routes that he used as a shortcut when he was young, the caves that shelters many different kinds of star beasts, these barren lands has been his home since he was young.

"Where to, Luce? You remember your home now?", Hector called out, looking up. Levi and Hector were watching him when Luce jumped down the boulder. Some dust caught his eyes, so Luce rubbed them.

"It's really dusty here, huh? We better get moving before the children get dehydrated." Levi walked back towards the camp, the two younger men followed behind him. Looking at his back, the two younger men stared at the back of Levi, the man who defended the seas from every threats that came from outside the Empire. It was a seasoned veteran's back that they were seeing, and it had a calming feeling staring into it.

"So, what are you dreaming about last night? You're really struggling back there when I saw you.", Hector asked Luce.

Luce looked at Hector while rubbing his left eye. He had shaven his beard now, so Hector looked younger in Luce's other eye. Seeing his best friend asking a serious question with that face of his, Luce felt a little happy. He then put his right arm on Hector's shoulder and shook him.

"What now... Getting softhearted after you shaved your beard? This isn't like you, brother.", Luce said while smiling, dodging the question.

"What are you talking about now? I just shaved... What's wrong with that?"

Hector removed Luce's arm around him, rubbing his chin. He knew that Luce doesn't want to talk about his nightmares so Hector just patted him on the back.

"If you want to talk about it... Me and the old man is here to listen to you. Don't keep things only for yourself.", Hector's voice was calming, his eyes was showing worries about his friend but, they are men... It's humiliating for them to open up their feelings, because that's a sign of weakness.

"Thanks, Hector. I appreciate that, really."

Luce then walked ahead of Hector to keep up with Levi. The camps are now packed again for another journey.

When they assembled all the soldiers and other people there, Levi stepped out of the circle to get their attention. He cleared his throat before speaking.

"We are expected to enter the inner ring tonight, then continue again tomorrow. The former castle of the demon's army will be our resting spot inside. It's in the borders of middle and inner ring so, the pressure is much less.

"Don't worry about the demons attacking us there, it has been an abandoned castle for some time now due to the Empire's constant inspection. We will do the same drill... The caravans with us will spread out and protect the children in between, then Luce will protect them from the pressure.

"Those who are in [Legend Rank], nobles or not, please step outside the formation with me and Hector. We will be the ones who will protect the group together with the soldiers beside the caravans. There's a possibility that a [Black Rank] star beast will show up, so always stay alert."

"Yes, sir!"

The soldiers and mercenaries saluted in sync. The reputation of Levi being a great commander in war is a known information in almost every citizen of Regulus, just speaking with him was a dream for a noble, for the knights and soldiers, being commanded by the Grand Duke is a once in a lifetime opportunity.

They started to move towards the inner ring in a formation while using Luce's directions. The Desolate Zone is a place where you can get lost if you go without having knowledge of it. This place will eat you alive if you came unprepared, but this is like walking in the backyard for Luce.

Using gracia, Luce can easily coat the children for protection. They were all inside a wooden carriage, being pulled by four [Stone Camels], a [Yellow Rank] star beast that was raised by the merchants for traveling in an environment like this.

"Uncle Luce, are we there yet?", Mir, called out to Luce with a bored tone.

"Why? Are you going to lose to this heat? Don't tell me you give up. Even Aidan and Hestia are not bored here.", Luce said with a candied tone.

"Hmph. They're not even playing with me! They are babies and I'm a big girl! I won't lose to them!", Mir pouted.

"That's the spirit! Here, have some fruits. Give Hestia and Aidan too, okay."

Luce took a variety of fruits from his storage ring and gave it to Mir. He then patted her head as she peeled a banana and gave it to Hestia.

'She has grown up well... I wonder what Lilith and Luke are doing now. Hope they are both safe and sound.'

Luce looked towards the horizon, wishing for this journey to end soon so that he can see his family again after all this years. But suddenly, a sharp pain pierced his brain, it felt like his mind was aflame.

Luce knelt on the ground while holding his temples, trying to understand what is going on with him. Mir noticed him suffered on the ground, the soldiers also panicked and broke their formation to lend Luce a help.

"Uncle, are you okay.?! Daddy! Daddy!"

"Sir, can you stand you up?"

"What's wrong with you, my lord?"

All the voices around him felt like sharp knives entering his brain, Luce just stayed down while groaning in agony until a bubble made of gracia scooped him off the hot ground.

"Nobody touches him! Get back to your formation!"

Luce heard Hector's voice but the pain was still there. Levi then moved along his hand around Luce's body down to his main core.

"There's nothing wrong with your organs but, the flow of your gracia is in disarray. Calm down, Luce."

Levi released his one black star core and activated it.

[SIXTH STAR CORE - DRAGON'S CLAIRVOYANCE]

This time, Levi clearly saw what's happening inside Luce's body and was shocked on what he saw.

"How is he, old man? Is Luce okay?"

Hector walked to the other side of the bubble where Luce was being checked.

"I didn't see it back when I activated my sixth ability, but Luce's soul is crumbling one by one like shards. It will then, invade his mental space to form...",Levi wrinkled his eyebrows to see closer, "something new. A new soul is forming inside your mental space, it's like combining with something in there."

Levi tried his best to see more, but that's the limits of his ability. In fact, he could see a lot more, but it was different for Luce. Luce was more powerful than him

"Don't worry about me right now! The caravan stopped because of me. Go... keep moving until we reach the inner ring." Luce desperately pleaded for them to continue. He can't go down this easily, he knew he had more to show.

Hector and Levi looked at each other then nodded before turning back towards the frontlines. Luce was then delivered inside the carriage where the children are being protected.

"You, call Marquis Rain and the Merchant King at the front. Tell them to guard and protect this carriage from the pressure of the Desolate Zone.", Hector ordered one of the mercenaries surrounding the caravan.

"Yes, my lord."

"What about you, Hector? What are you gonna do?"

Levi asked Hector who is now taking off his tops, his burly body showing and being basked in the sunlight.

"Eeeeww!!"

Mir look away from disgust when she saw her father's naked body. Even though she was raised as a fighter, Mir's girlish side will appear from time to time.

"I'll make our trip as quick as possible..", Hector released all his star cores, eight in total!

[EIGHTH STAR CORE - IRON TIGER'S ARMOR]

Hector shrugged repeatedly while his earth and wind gracia formed into an armor, with white fur striped with black and grey. The armor fitted Hector perfectly, with claw like gauntlets and light iron shoes, he was ready for battle.

"Run wild, Tiger", Levi playfully said with a smile.

"Raawr!", Hestia and Aidan cheered for him.

"I'll be back, Mir. Wait for me here.", Hector said, his fierce yellow eyes glinted under his helmet.

"Good luck, Daddy!"

Mir waved a hand to her father, then Hector disappeared immediately like a wind after smiling at her.

"Hmph, show off.", Levi sighed in envy.

A seconds later, two men came rushing back towards the children's carriage.

"I apologize that we were delayed, Grand Duke. I had just absorbed my seventh star core and needed to stabilize my gracia."

Marquis Rain, bowed slightly towards Levi, he's wearing a white shirt and fabulous mustache perfectly matched his tied long black hair, he looked like sacred warrior from the eastern continent.

"Me too as well, Lord Levi. I was also getting used to the body of a [Saint Rank].", this time, the fat Merchant King bowed to him not because he was sorry but because of nervousness.

'The Grand Duke Leviathan himself! I just talked to the grand duke!', Moses cannot hide the excitement on his face.

"Hmm.. It's nice to have a couple of [Saint Rank] masters here as the ones you will be protecting are important people for us."

Levi brushed his grey beard as he stepped back to let the two see who's inside the carriage.

The two men were both shocked by who they saw, but Levi can't waste time anymore.

"Protect them with your life.", Levi's tone was serious.

"Yes, Grand Duke!", they bowed together.

Levi then flew off towards the front to help Hector clean up their way.

"I'll leave myself to your care, then."

Luce broke the silence with an awkward smile.