*Sowk*

"Hey, Aya, what would you like to eat?" I asked as we walked down a wide street. The sound of shuffling footsteps and idle chatter filled the air while tantalizing smells waft the immediate area.

"Not sure," he said, looking around the place.

For some reason parts of this town looked awfully familiar, but I couldn't possibly have been here before.

"Does this place ring a bell to you?" Aya asked as if he had read my mind.

"Y-yeah... you too?"

He nodded. "Yeah, but I'm not sure why. As far as I can recall, I have never left the islands until my voyage to Nine Petal a couple months ago."

"Odd..."

"Aya!" Orion yelled, running with a bundle of cotton candy. "Want some? I bought a ton."

Ayawamat narrowed his eyes at him. "Why did you follow us? Shouldn't you be following Yuzuki?"

His face blushed. "I'm not some love sick puppy..."

Aya scoffed. "Like I would believe that."

I giggled. "Yeah. It's obvious you like Aya!"

Orion blinked. "Huh?"

Ayawamat sighed. "Ignore her, Ori."

I laughed. "So you're calling him 'Ori' now to his face."

He grumbled.

Orion snickered. "It's nice that you're calling me Ori again. Wait, so does this mean we're friends again?" he asked with an upbeat smile.

"No," Aya snapped. He avoided his gaze.

"Don't listen to him, 'Ori'. Aya here cares deeply about you. He even got all worked about Hal's poison."

"Really?" Orion asked, his eyes seeming to twinkle. "I knew you were still the same old Aya!"

"Don't call me that!" he snapped, glaring at his childhood friend.

"Hmm? So does that mean Aya here worried a lot about you?" I asked.

"That applies to you too!"

Orion laughed.

Ayawamat formed a fist. "Stop laughing or I'll beat you up!"

He gradually stopped. "S-sorry, it's just reassuring to see you care."

My sorta-friend grumbled.

"Such a Tsun," I whispered close to his ear.

"Buzz off!" Aya said, glaring at me.

I snickered. "That only makes me want to tease you more!" I said, grinning as I walked ahead of him.

"H-help!" a voice called out.

"That was Rhys!" Orion said, glancing around the crowded street.

"He should be with my cousin," Ayawamat said. He took out a black flip phone and dialed a number. "Tahoma, aren't you with Rhys? What? He wandered off? Well, I think he's nearby us. He shouted for help."

"Rhys, where are you?" I called out. I stared at the crowd which looked around in confusion. We could hear the kid, but he was nowhere in sight...

I gasped as I saw some figures dash into an alley. "Guys, I'm going to go on ahead. You continue to look here," I said before rushing in.

"Alright!" Ayawamat yelled.

The alley I had ran into suddenly grew quiet. There was a strange, yet familiar energy around it. I turned around and saw that the exit was blocked off by a wall of darkness.

"This is a trap," I said, clenching my hands into fists. "They lead Rhys here on purpose. This has to be a dead end alley."

The walls shifted as if they were part of a desert mirage.

"You're coming with us," a voice echoed.

"No, let go of me! I don't want to go back! I rather die! Now, let go of me!" Rhys screamed.

My pace quickened. "Let go of him!" I yelled even though I was still some distance away. A sphere of darkness flung out of my hand toward one of the cloaked figures.

The sphere deflected back without any of them even moving a finger or uttering an incantation. The blast knocked me to the ground.

I clenched my teeth together and stood up. Thankfully, my wound healed fast.

"Sowk!" Rhys yelled as he struggled against those holding him.

"D-don't worry, kid. I'll save you."

"Why do you care about him?" one of the cloaked ones asked. "What is he to you?"

"I don't know him well, but I won't stand by while a child is being hurt," I said, staggering to my feet. "As someone who grew up on the streets, I know how that is!"

One of the figures gasped. They glanced at Rhys. "I know he wields the powers of an abysmal, but is this right?" she asked, her grip on the child loosening.

Now was my shot... but if I wasn't careful, it could erase all doubt these kidnappers had.

The one with their back to me sighed. "I'm... not sure either. But it is an order."

"You two have to harden your hearts," a voice called out. I spun around and saw the girl who had nearly killed Sarah.

"Aida..." My gaze returned to the others. "You're H.E.H."

"Kill her," the third of the cloaked people said as he grabbed a hold of Rhys and flew away.

"Hey!" I yelled.

I gasped as a thorny vine ripped through my back and emerged from my chest.

"Sorry, witnesses must be eliminated," Aida said, giggling. "Thanks for the blood though, it sure is refreshing... Hmm, you're..."

Before she could finish her sentence, bullets flew down.

The guy who had fled earlier was fending someone off in the air. Squinting, I saw a man clad in golden battle armor. In one arm he held Rhys while in the other he shot at the H.E.H. guy.

Aida threw me into the wall and jumped to assist her partner in crime.

Yanking the vine out of my back, I snickered. "Great, back up..."

"Who is that?" one of the ones who had hesitated asked. Suddenly, a bullet came flying down. He formed a barrier but the silver bullet formed a hole through it and tore through his black cloak, hitting his heart.

"Hew!" the other one who had hesitated yelled. She ran over and caught Hew as he was about to fall. Her head rose to the one battling Aida and who I assumed was Ben. "You'll pay for this! Aida, Ben, move out of the way!"

They did as she asked. The man pointed his gun at her and shot.

"No way..." she said, unmoving.

"Nia!" Hew yelled, pushing her down. The bullet missed them both, instead puncturing through the concrete floor.

"T-thanks," Nia said. "Let's get out of here." She snapped her fingers, teleporting Hew and her away.

Aida grabbed Ben who had gotten shot in the leg and warped away as well.

I sighed. "Thanks for saving us."

The mysterious man landed on the floor and laid Rhys down on my arms. "Go and be vigilante."

"Okay," I said, nodding. "Thanks once again."

The man turned around. "Don't thank me. Saving you two was merely a coincidence," he said, jumping into the air.

"Who was he?" I wondered, tilting my head. Rhys trembled in my arms. I needed to take him someplace safe.

"Sowk!" Ayawamat and Orion yelled, running toward me.

"Oh, thank goodness, Rhys is safe," Orion said, holding his chest.

"What were those gunshots we heard?" Ayawamat asked.

"You heard them?"

"Of course, they were loud."

"Wait, how did you get in? Those guys put up a barrier around the alley shortly after I entered."

"There was no barrier, but it did feel like this alley went on forever," Orion said, rubbing the back of his neck.

I gasped. Did that man lower the dark barrier on the alley?

"What's the matter?" Ayawamat asked, touching my shoulder.

"It's that man who saved Rhys and I... he appeared out of nowhere. Strangest thing was that he had ways to bypass magic."

"Bypass magic? Is he part of some government agency?" Orion asked.

"Not sure. But for now let's get this kid someplace where he can rest. He's still shaken up."

*???*

Seated on the edge of a skyscraper, I gazed out the the sprawling city of many rivers. The air was filled with the same festive vigor as last night. Viento, the capital of Rios. A place of many wonders.

"Here you are," a voice called out. I glanced back and saw a red-haired boy.

"How did you find me?" I asked, my eyes returning to the glistening city below.

He sighed. "You gave me a device to track you down, remember?" he said, taking a seat beside me.

"Your friends, are they alright?"

The young man stared at his hands. "An is still in a coma. It might be days until he wakes up."

"I see. Magic is dangerous. H.E.H. shows what happens when one abuses it. That's why it must be eliminated, it has only hurt this world."

His brow furrowed. "That's not true, dad! Magic can also save! If anything, it's a double-edge sword."

"Magic, save? Have you not seen firsthand what it can do? Just look at what it has done to your friends! It has rendered them crippled. Ulissis, cease your foolish dream. If you don't then your secret will be unveiled."

He gasped. "Wait, you know about my powers?"

I scoffed. "Of course I do. I had my suspicions when healing magic failed to work on you when you were a child. To be honest, that was the real reason I tried to stop you from attending that school. Ulissis, you aren't like them. You aren't a mage. Instead you're an anti-mage, their worst nightmare. Once they see you as a threat, they won't hesitate to eliminate you."

My son gulped. "I know, but I can protect myself. Plus my friends are there for me."

"Perhaps, but who you should be wary of is Obringo."

"No need to tell me that, he tried to hurt Alto. If it weren't for my anti-magic, I probably wouldn't be standing here right now. He was furious that I stood up to him."

The corners of my mouth rose. "So that's the extent of your powers."

He turned away. "There is a limit to my powers, though."

"Right, I saw," I said, recalling the first battle of the survival event. My right hand squeezed his shoulder. "But you finally have something. Continue to train your body and you won't lose to any mage. Not even the Magus Maximus."

My child smiled. "I can only dream." His smile faded a bit. "Dad, are you okay?"

"Yeah, why do you ask?"

"You seem off. Think this is the first time we talk like this."

My eyes glanced up at the shimmering stars above. "Is it? Well, don't worry, Ulissis, I'm fine. I simply felt like talking to you as a father. It's... something I didn't get to enjoy with mine," I said, standing up.

The golden armor around me folded and retracted until only my shoulders were covered. The armor was the only thing I had of my father. He had given it to my mother for her own protection.

"Anyway, let's go. Your mother and siblings must be waiting for us."

"Okay!" he said, chasing after me. His hand reached out for mine. He had a large, child-like grin on his face. It was both heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time.

**Solar Note: Hope that you enjoyed the chapter :). Only fifteen more chapters and the epilogue left in this story :3. Thoughts? Theories? Predictions?**