Although Issei had made it into the cave just in time to get away from the dragon, he was still in danger. Thieves, bandits, and, wolves. Not to mention that there was nothing but darkness and the walls and floor of the cave were made out of sharp, jagged rocks. Issei thought that there was nothing he could do, so he just sat down against the cave wall and dozed off.
After lying against the wall of the cave for what felt like hours, Issei decided that he had to do something or he would never see his sister again. He was tired of doing nothing, but what was there to do? He was in complete darkness with nothing but the sound of dripping water and his breath.
There is only thing I could do, thought Issei while staggering to his feet. I will have to feel my way through the entire cave while being as quiet as possible just incase there are some kind of bandits in here. It couldn’t be that hard, right, questioned Issei while putting his hands against the wall of the cave.
The rocky walls felt like razor blades, it was extremely cold, and to top it off, Issei hadn't eaten all day. His stomach was rumbling louder than the sound of his footsteps. Louder than the sound of the dripping water. Louder than the sound of wolves howling.
Wolves howling, thought Issei, while slouching down against the rough wall. For some odd reason his hands felt very warm. Not like they were in the sun or anything like that, just warmer than every other part of his body.
After taking a short break from guiding himself through the cave, Issei knew he had to get out the cave and find food, fast. If there were wolves nearby, an entrance, or exit, had to be close unless these wolves liked to travel deep down into the caves, which wasn’t very likely.
Walking through these caves alone were very boring and very scary. A sound that wasn’t water dripping or your stomach growling could be another person or a wolf, maybe even a bear. You may never find out, which would honestly because that means you wouldn’t encounter it.
Just when Issei was about give up, he spotted the tiniest sliver of light out of the corner of his eye.
Did I finally find the way out of this stupid, cold cave, Thought Issei. Please let this be the way out, I’m starving.
After inching closer and closer towards the light, he could see that his hands were tore up and covered in blood. The walls were sharper than he thought. They hurt, but he didn’t think it was that bad.
“Wait,” Issei whispered as he sighed, “That light… That is not sunlight, that’s a torch! I have to get out of here,” he said as he turned around to run.
“Hold it,” yelled a woman behind him. “Turn around.”
As Issei turned around he saw the same red-headed warrior as before.
“Sylvia, how did you?”
“Shut up and listen. I’ve found a way out of this cave and you are gonna help me get out of here so I can kill that stupid dragon.”
“Will I be able to get out too or is it too high up for you to jump out,” questioned Issei.
“No, I’m just gonna boost you up first, then you will go find something to help me get out of this cave. You are not as heavy as me, so I can lift you out of here easier.“
“Ok, so wear is this exit?“
“Over here, follow me,“ responded Sylvia while pointing the torch in the direction of a huge, open cave entrance.
After walking for a couple of minutes, Issei spotted a small sliver of light that looked like it was very close. As they walked closer to it Sylvia halted, which made Issei worry.
“Do you see the light over there,“ asked Sylvia. “That is our way out of here.“
“How are we supposed to sit through that gap? A wolf couldn’t fit through that gap!“
“Are you sure about that? Look again,“ replied Sylvia while waving the torch in front of them, illuminating a humongous cavern that was filled with tiny, glowing eyes.
Suddenly, a huge cloud of what looked like smoke appeared from the cavern. Thousands of little bats were flying in every which direction trying to avoid the light of the torch.
“That opening over there, it’s actually very big. About as big as one of the huts in your village.“
“Yeah, but how are we going to get over there?“
“Like this,“ said Sylvia, putting down the torch and running towards the hole.
“Are you stupid?!“
“Very,“ replied Sylvia right before she jumped towards the hole, caught a rope, and swung gently to the other side. “Are you coming or not?“
“I… are you sure about this?“
“You saw me do it, so come on!“
“Ok, I will try.“
“No pressure, but if you miss the jump you will fall to your death. Still, no pressure.”
“No pressure? No pressure! There is pressure! If I miss I die,” argued Issei.
“Just shut up and jump,” yelled Sylvia.
Issei sighed. “Here goes nothing,” he shouted while running towards the edge, jumping off and barely catching the rope. As he let go he noticed on thing. He let go to early. “Oh god,” he yelled as he landed on the side and started slowly sliding off.
“Hold on,” yelled Sylvia while running towards the edge.
“Didn’t plan on letting go!”
Just as Issei lost his grip Sylvia reached down, grabbed his hand, and pulled his up. For a little over five minutes Issei just laid on his back. All of this action and a near-death experience made Issei forget all about his hunger. Well, it made him forget about it until now.
“I’m starving!”
“We can find food when we get out of here. Now, come here and I’m gonna boost you out of here,” explained Sylvia.
“Ok, let’s do this,” replied Issei while stepping into Sylvia’s hand.
“Here goes nothing,” yelled Sylvia while boosting Issei upwards. “Grab onto the wall or a vine or something.”
“I got it. Ok, I will be back as soon as I can,” he shouted to Sylvia. “You got a weapon or anything?”
“Weapon?! I forgot it back where you found me! I’m gonna run back and get it, you go find something to help me out of here.”
“Wait, what if there are wolves or bandits?”
“It’s called stealth. Use it,” replied Sylvia as she wandered off.
Once again, Issei was alone, or at least he hoped he was alone as he climbed up the rough, rocky, vine-covered wall. Once he reached the top he noticed one thing and one thing only. Smoke, and lots of it, rising from what had to be Kokino Village, or what was left of it. Tears immediately filled his eyes.
“No,” he shouted while climbing out of the hole, “Now is not the time for this! I have to find something to get Sylvia out of this cave.” Issei spun in a circle, looking around for anything he could use as a rope or ladder to help Sylvia get out of the cave. To his amazement he saw hundreds of smoldering campfires, broken down tents, and a lot of bones from different animals. What is this thought Issei. A bandit camp, another dragon attack?
While Issei was walking around the camp looking for anything useful he heard an awfully familiar sound. The sound of wolves howling. It sounded close too. I need a weapon of some kind he thought. Anything will do. As he looked through some of the old tents he heard the howling again, even closer.
“Finally,” he whispered while picking up a small dagger. It had a leather handle and the blade looked like it was made of iron. “This will have to do,” he said while standing up and walking out of the tent. Issei heard the wolves howling once again, but this time the sounded like they were behind the tent.
As Issei walked around the tent slowly, he heard nothing but the slight breeze. Whenever he reached the end of the tent he peered around the corner. Nothing was there.
I better go and find something to help Sylvia out of the cave he thought while sheathing the dagger. As he turned around to go and find a large vine. When he walked around the corner he was met my three hunched down, snarling, white wolves, each of them ready to strike. Issei slowly reached for his dagger, trying not to staartle the wolves. Slowly but surely, his fingers inched closer and closer to the leather handle. Once he finally managed to wrap his fingers around the handle while the wolf to the left stepped forward. Now paying more attention to the wolf on the left, he barely had time to dodge the wolf on the right, which jumped at him, probably trying to knock him over so the kill would be easier. No that the wolves were finally ready to fight, Issei pulled out his dagger and held it up in a defensive position. Another one of the wolves jump at him. Although Issei had no combat experience whatsoever, he had somewhat of an idea on how to use a blade. Issei dodged out of the way and struck the wolf in the side, leaving a growing streak of blood on its side. He shifted his focus to the the other wolf that was running at him. It jumped at Issei, knocking him to the ground. Issei held the wolf back with one hand and stabbed it with the dagger, finishing it off. As he pushed the wolf off of him he noticed the other two wolves running of back into the woods. It was finally over and Issei could help Sylvia out of the cave.
***
After Issei checked the cave to make sure Sylvia wasn’t there waiting and was still retrieving her weapon, he walked over to the woods and collected vines for around ten minutes. As he walked back over to the cave he saw a small, white furball to the right of him. On closer inspection, he noticed that it was a baby wolf.
Did I… Is it? It’s a baby, I have to take it thought Issei as he walked to the wolf pup. “I guess I could take you with me,” he said, crouching down beside the baby wolf. “You couldn’t be that much trouble,” he stated while picking up the pup and walking back towards the cave.
“Hey, Sylvia, I’m back,” Issei shouted. “I have some vines!”
“Finally, I’ve been waiting for like, ten minutes. Tie the vines together to make them thicker and then tie it to a rock or something.”
“Ok,” replied Issei, doing what he was told. After ten minutes of tying vines together, he had finally made a rope long enough to get Sylvia out of the cave.
“Finally, I’m starving,” she said as she climbed out of the cave, now possessing a steel blade. “Why do you have a dagger covered in dry blood? What happened?”
“I was searching through the tents and I found this. Whenever I left to come and gather vines I was attacked by wolves. I managed to injure one and kill another. Later, I found a baby wolf, which I plan on keeping, so no, we can’t eat it,” explained Issei.
“I didn’t plan on eating a baby wolf, but where was that other wolf you killed, I’ve heard that wolf tastes pretty good.”
“It was over there. I haven’t eaten all day,” he said while watching the sun slowly drift behind the hill of the valley. The day was finally over and Issei could finally eat in peace.
***
“Wolf does taste pretty good. Thanks for cooking, Sylvia.”
“No problem, I was hungry too. So what are you going to name that wolf of yours?
“I don’t know, I will find out a name later. I just want some rest,” he replied while lying down on a long strip of leather that was left in one of the tents.
After a few minutes of silence Issei heard a familiar voice that he knew all too well. The voice of someone he hated.
“Well, well, well. What do we have here,” spoke the voice. “It’s been a while Issei.”
“W… Why… Why are you here, replied Issei reaching for the dagger beside him. The man saw what he was going and stepped on his arm.
“Why are you reaching for your weapon? You wouldn’t want to hurt your best friend, Axel, would you?”

“So, what have you been up to, Issei,” questioned Axel.
“Where the hell is my sister?!”
“Watch your mouth, kid,” yelled Axel, kicking Issei in the side.
Issei winced in pain. What am I going to do, he thought. And where is Sylvia? She was just here. “Where is Sylvia? What did you do?!”
“Shut up for once! Sylvia isn’t here to save you this time.”
“Who am I not here to save,” questioned the familiar voice of Sylvia from outside of the tent. “Long time, no see, Axel. We have a duel to finish, correct?”
“Sylvia Valhalla, daughter of Vixxen Valhalla. We meet again. Erza, you keep the kid in here, I have a battle to finish,” ordered Axel, pulling out his steel blade.
“Can do, boss,” replied Erza.
Sylvia and Axel both positioned themselves about 10 yards away from one another, blades drawn. Issei could barely see what was going on outside of the tent because Erza was in his way.
“Hey, kid. Whenever these two start fighting, gather your things. I’m letting you go.”
“I’m not gonna leave Sylvia. She is done with Axel, she is gonna ki-”
“Shut up and listen, Sylvia doesn’t have the heart to kill. One day axel will be back. One day, Axel will try and kill you. You need to be ready, so leave, go to the town of Woodrow. Woodrow is a good place. You can learn everything you need to know about fighting while living in the cover of the mountains.”
“But, I can’t leave Sylvia.”
“Yes, you can! On the off-chance Axel wins, he’ll kill you next! You can’t risk it! Just shut up and head north. I’ll be there in a couple days, so just wait. Head to the Red Ribbon Inn and say you know Erza Aristotle, they will let you in,” explained Erza. “Now take your dagger and run. Run like you’ve never run before. Axel can’t see me let you go or he’ll kill me!”
Issei thought for a moment. Should I just leave Sylvia? Can I trust Erza? Is Woodrow a good place? Finally, Issei made a decision. He took his dagger and cut a large hole that was big enough for him to fit through. “If you are lying about Woodrow being a good place I will find and kill you myself.”
“Wait, I’ve decided that I’m coming with you now. If Axel see that I’ve set you free, I’m dead.”
“Ok, let’s go then,” replied Issei.
“After you,” explained Erza.
Have I made the wrong choice, thought Issei whilst running through the forest towards the base of a large mountain. Should I have not left Sylvia? Would she have actually killed Axel? She may have been the daughter of a great warrior, but that doesn’t mean anything. She might kill Axel, might not. Only time will tell.
***
After reaching the halfway point on our journey to Woodrow, Erza finally had to break the silence.
“I’m sorry about your sister…”
“Wait, you’re with Axel, you could tell me where she is!”
“No, I can’t. Axel has hidden her somewhere that only he knows about. He won’t even tell me, his sister.”
“You’re Axel’s sister? Why did you betray him,” questioned Issei, his hand hovering over his dagger.
“Axel is a bad person. He forced me to help him. He threatened his own sister with that blade of his. He got that old thing from our father. Of course, give it to your son, not your daughter. Dad always liked Axel better than me.”
Why is she telling me this. I barely even trust her and she’s telling me her life story. What’s wrong with her? Does she trust me already?
“I also have a confession to make. Sylvia does have the heart to kill. I just wanted you to come with me.”
“Why would you lie about that,” questioned Issei.
“Thought it made my chances to get you away from her. Sylvia… Sylvia is a bad person to say the least. Axel is as good as dead,” explained Erza.
“How would that make your chances better? Wait… Never mind that. If Sylvia is a bad person, why did she save me before the dragon attack?”
“I’m guessing she knows something. I know one thing about her. One thing she did to your mother and father  a long time ago, back in the war.”
“What do you know about my mom and dad,” shouted while pulling his dagger out and putting it to Erza’s neck.
“Sylvia is the one who killed your mother and father in the war!”
Issei dropped his dagger. “But… Bu… Sylvia…. Sylvia… You bastard,” he yelled as loud as he could while running the other direction, back towards where he left Sylvia.
“What are you doing,” shouted Erza, “Look, I’m sorry about your mom but, you don’t stand a chance against Sylvia. Calm down and think. We were lucky that we got away from their battle.”
“I can’t believe that I trusted her. And how the hell did you know about Sylvia killing my mom?!”
“I… My mother was there. One of the only people that saw Sylvia and also survived. She didn’t pick sides, she killed everyone she could. My mother just got lucky,” explained Erza.
“That still doesn’t make sense! How did she know Sylvia killed my mom and dad.”
“She saw Sylvia kill them! She could have helped, but she was frozen in fear. Frozen by the fear Sylvia Valhalla placed upon everyone in the war. A fear of death.”
A few minutes of silence passed. Issei sat on the ground against a rock trying to comprehend all of the words he had just heard. Right now, they were meaningless. He wanted to fight, no, he wanted to kill Sylvia. But, he also didn’t know if he could trust Erza. As he stood up and grabbed his dagger, he noticed something. Erza was crying. At the moment, Issei didn’t care. He was going to Woodrow.
“I’m leaving,” he said blankly, “You can catch up.”
Erza didn’t respond, but Issei still started walking down the thin, dirt path that looped around the mountains.
***
The moon was rising. The flickering of a lit torch was in its stand beside Issei’s bed at Red Ribbon Inn, a large Inn that lies in the middle of Woodrow. Issei couldn’t sleep because of what Erza told him. Nobody could sleep if they had just found out that their mother was killed by one of their most trusted friends.
“She was just using me,” stated Issei,” Well, she knew something. Or at least that’s what Erza told me. Using me for what she knew I had or could do. Wow, I’m such an idiot,” he said, punching the wooden end table. “I’m going to kill her. I’m going to kill Sylvia!” He got up and walked to the window. He saw what looked like a star. “What is that? It’s getting closer. What… What the,” he yelled as a huge rock landed in a field outside of the town.
Everyone in the town started to panic. Woodrow was a fairly peaceful town and being woken up by the sound of an explosion wasn’t normal. Pretty soon, everyone, including Issei, was looking at the rock that presumably fell from space. It was about the size of young Oak tree, but spherical. The rock also had a faint, purple, glow. Everyone was quiet.
What is this thing, thought Issei. If it’s some kind of space egg, I quit! I’m going to leave this place! 
As the rock stopped glowing, everyone started whispering, probably about what this rock thing is. “What is that thing,” said a random civilian. “Looks like adamantinite,” said another citizen.
Issei walked over to the citizen that called the rock adamantinite and asked, “What is adamantinite?”
“Hey, you’re that new kid everyone has been talking about. Adamantinite is just an evolution of adamantite. Some say adamantinite is ten times stronger than adamantite, which makes it the strongest metal known to man. If you wanna know more, go to the blacksmith’s store in the middle of town,” explained the citizen.
“Ok, thanks, I’m off. I need to get some sleep,” replied Issei while walking off towards the inn. As Issei looked back to the rock and saw a somewhat familiar face. Is that? No, it couldn’t be! Is that Leon?! Issei started running back towards the adamantinite’s location. Once he reached the rock, Leon was nowhere to be found, well, if that was Leon. “I’m just seeing things… Leon is more than likely dead.”
Issei finally reached the inn just as the sun started to rise. He was so sleepy he could barely think straight. Wait, why is this town so calm? Haven’t they heard of the dragon attacks? No, I don’t need to worry about that.
Issei laid down on his bed near the top floor of Red Ribbon Inn. “These last few days… They were terrible. No sleep, a little bit of food, and to top it off, Leon and Mira might be dead,” whispered Issei as he closed the window and put out the torch. I can finally get some sleep, he thought before slouching down onto his bed and drifting into a deep sleep.

“You just gonna sleep all day, or are you gonna get up and look around Woodrow?”
“Wha… Fiv… five more minutes, please.” Issei was way too tired to think.
“Fine. You sleep and I will go tour the town. See ya later.”
Issei finally realized the voice was the voice of Erza. He didn’t care. He wanted sleep. He needed sleep. Six hours wasn’t nearly enough sleep to make him forget about everything that happened yesterday. He wanted to forget it all. He wanted his normal day back. He wanted his sister back. He wanted Leon back. But these things wouldn’t happen unless he did something.
“I’m gonna get them back,” sid Issei while getting dressed. “ I need supplies. A weapon better than this old dagger. Whoever this blacksmith is I hope he knows more about that adamantinite ore or whatever it is.”
As Issei walked through the town of Woodrow he saw the same familiar familiar face. It had to be Leon. It couldn’t be anyone but Leon. Issei ran towards the building that Leon just walked into. “Swords Emporium? Why would Leon come here,” questioned Issei.
After exploring the museum for what felt like hours, he decided to call it quits. He couldn’t find Leon. Leon was probably the person he could trust the most other than his sister. Although Leon could be a jerk sometimes, he was still a good person.
Just then, a loud alarm sounded. An iron gate fell behind Issei just as he got out of the museum. A loud boom came from the building and then a rain of rubble. Issei got into the building across the street just before a large piece of stone landed on top of where he used to be. Another loud explosion.
“It can’t be… Is… Is that the dragon from Kokino Village? Wait… Wasn’t Leon in that building? No…”
Issei had to do something. His dagger was at the inn. Erza was nowhere to be found. He saw something out of the corner of his eye. A sword. Not just any sword. It was the sword from all myths and legends he heard when he was a kid. It was the legendary sword, Ator.
“Oh, god,” yelled Issei as the dragon swooped down to grab him. He rolled out of the way just in time..
“What do you think you’re doing?! You can’t kill that thing,” roared the man. “At least not yet anyway.
“What-”
“I’ll explain later! We need to get out of here. The Caves of Genesis! We’ll go there!”
“Wait! I can’t leave! My friends-”
You won’t have friends to worry about if we don’t hurry! Have you not heard of the Legend of Ator,” questioned the man.
“No I have no-”
The man drug Issei into a dark alley, away from all of the violence. “Ator is the name of that dragon and the weapon you are holding. Only two people in history have ever been able to use it. The first was the mass murderer, Sylvia Valhalla. The second, Issei Markoth, that’s you.”
“Sylvia can use this weapon as well… What does this mean-”
“It means that the dragon does whatever Sylvia tells it to do. It also means that you are meant to kill the dragon and Sylvia.”
“Sylvia meant for all of this to happen? For my village to be attacked? For the murder of hundreds of people? She killed my mother and father in the war…”
The old man flinched when Issei mentioned something about his father. “We need to get to the caves. It’s safer.
***

After traveling deep within the caves, the strange man started to explain everything that had happened. Sylvia’s story, my mom’s story, the dragon’s story, his story.
“A long time ago, before the war even started, actually the cause of the war, an entire mountain appeared out of nowhere whilst everyone was sleeping. This mountain had hundreds upon thousands of miles of cave systems. In the deepest, darkest cave, a place where everyone was too scared to venture. Everyone except for one person. That one person discovered a very powerful creature. The creature that destroyed countless villages. The dragon, Ator. In the same chamber, behind the dragon itself, the weapon. The weapon you use with the same name as the dragon. The legendary magic sword, Ator. The weapon only you, Sylvia, and whoever else isn't human but the same as you can use.”
“Why are we the only ones that can use it,” questioned Issei.
“You are not human, neither is Sylvia. I don’t know exactly what you are, but you being able to defeat that dragon and Sylvia is our only hope.”
“How am I meant to do that? Am I supposed to shoot magical beams out of the sword or something like that?”
“No exactly, but look on the bright side-”
“What bright side? It’s nearly pitch-black in here.”
“Not what I meant,” replied the man. “We are here, the cave where the dragon itself was first found.”
The old man waved his hand through the air in front of him. Dim blue lights, in the shapes of symbols. Some kind of writing in another language. Issei looked around, he didn’t understand any of it. As he was looking around he spotted a large pedestal rising out of the floor. After the pillar rose to be the size of a full grown oak, spiral steps made of bright blue light surrounded the pillar.
“What is this,” asked Issei. He was clearly in awe.
“The Temple of Ator.”
“It’s kind of small for a temple… But it’s beautiful.”
“Stop blabbering and get to the top of the pillar. There is a sacred orb upon this tower. It grants the ones who uses it unbelieveable power for an unidentified amount of time. Only one person has done this. Sylvia. She discovered the orb’s power long ago, at the very beginning of the war. I had an encounter with her near the end of the war. A tremendous power that you could sense from a mile away. Again, Sylvia may still have this power deep down within her. We don’t know how long it lasts. I do not know what will happen when you touch the orb, it may have made Sylvia evil. Nobody knows, but we must try. It is our only hope.”
“What if it turns me evil?”
“It’s a risk we have to take. If we don’t more cities will be destroyed regardless. You have to at least try.”
Issei started to walk towards the tower. A great feeling of loss and despair fell upon him. He didn’t know why. No, not despair, pain. The sharp bits of pain surged throughout his body.
“That feeling… Do you feel it,” questioned the old man.
“Yes, it's like sharp surges of pain all over my body.”
“That is the same feeling I felt in the war. The same feeling I felt when Sylvia approached me. When she struck me down. She thought I was dead. She didn’t finish the job on me like she did your mother.” The old man pulled down his hood. He had the same spiky, brown hair Issei had. He had the same bright blue eyes Issei had. “Issei, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen you. Before the war, when you were still a little kid. You may not recognize me.”
“I know who you are,” replied Issei, his eyes tearing up. “It’s easy to see. The same blue eyes. The same spiky, brown hair. You’re my father…” Issei was more angry than sad. He had been alive even after presumed dead by everyone in Kokino Village. “Why didn’t you find me,” yelled Issei. “You were alive this whole time and didn’t bother to tell anyone?! How could you do this?!”
“Calm down,” he yelled. “You don’t know how long I’ve been looking for you. I was lost deep within these caves, surrounded by pools of lava, nearly dead. I survived by eating bugs and drinking the water that made its way down here. I was just rescued a month ago, and with Sylvia and the dragon about it was too dangerous to venture back Kokino Village. Believe me, I tried. The guards wouldn’t let me out of the city.”
Issei sat on the ground beside the pillar, thinking.
“Issei, Sylvia is near. You need to be able to fight her. Climb to the top of this tower before she gets here, obtain the power of the orb, and fight her. Fight her and win. You are our only hope. Every survivor of Kokino Village, every survivor of today’s dragon attack, you, your sister, your mother. Do it for them.”
Issei got up and started walking up the glowing stairs. They felt weird beneath Issei’s feet, like they were bobbing up and down after every step. After a full minute or two of climbing, Issei was finally at the top. Issei reached towards the orb causing the room to glow an even brighter blue. A blue mist started swirling around him. He felt weird. No, he felt like he would never sleep again. He felt like he could destroy a mountain in one punch. He felt like he could do anything. The misty, blue swirling stopped.
“The sword,” stated the old man.
Issei pulled the sword from its sheath. It was glowing. Issei pulled up the sword and swung it. A blue beam shot out of it and destroyed a smaller pillar in the room.
“How did you do that,” questioned the man.
“I… I don’t know. It just felt natural.”
The stairs made out of the glowing blue energy was no longer there. Issei felt like he knew what to do. He jumped off the edge of the pillar and landed on the ground beside his father. He was perfectly fine.
“How did I do that?!”
“The powers the orb granted you. You are much stronger than any other mortal.”
The glowing blue lights all around the room started fading. They were overpowered by a strong red glow. It was slowly but surely destroying the blue lights. Issei couldn’t believe his eyes. Someone else was walking through the huge, open cave entrance. A familiar face. Issei looked towards his father, who now had a small dagger in his right hand.
“It’s been a long time hasn’t it? And you! You should be dead, Han.” The voice of a killer. It was the voice of Sylvia Valhalla. “It’s time to finish what I started.” A beam of red light shot towards Issei’s dad. It flew straight through his chest. He laid there unresponsive.
“What did you do to him?!”
“I shot a beam of pure energy through his heart. To put it simply, he’s dead. Now it’s time to end the one who trusted someone he just met over someone that saved his life. Now, it’s time to have some real fun.”
Issei pulled up the blade, Ator, and was ready to fight, to end it all. He was going to kill Sylvia.

Issei felt a strong power wash over him. He had just been reunited with his dad after five years, and just as soon as he came, he left. Sylvia’s eyes glew a bright red, Issei’s a bright blue.
“You would be stupid to try and fight me. You can barely even use your powers. Too bad you don’t have a choice.”
She flew towards Issei, kneeing him in the stomach. Sylvia Kneed him so hard, he flew backwards into the giant pillar where the orb used to be. It was the most physical pain Issei had ever felt. He thought about his mother, his father, everyone Sylvia had killed. It was time for Issei’s revenge.
Issei pulled out Ator. It still glew a bright blue color. Everything else in the room glew a bright red color. Issei raised his sword, but before he could even swing it, Sylvia flew at him, kneeing him in the stomach once again. He tried to stand up, but before he had the chance, Sylvia was already there. She kicked him upwards, jumped up, and slammed him back onto the ground. Issei knew he wouldn’t have been able to survive this kind of beating normally. It had to be the power of the orb. Sylvia jumped up and tried to stomp on Issei, but he rolled out of the way just in time. Sylvia left a small crater in the ground. She managed to get herself stuck into the cave’s floor, giving Issei time to grab his weapon. Sylvia managed to get her foot out of the ground and flew towards Issei once again. This time he was ready. He pointed the sword towards Sylvia causing her to fly into it.
“Not… Cool… You are gonna pay for that,” she shouted. She reached forward and punched Issei in the face. Again, it was so hard it sent him flying backwards. He was forced to let go of the sword. “There is no point in trying,” she said. “You can’t use your powers. I’m stronger.” She pulled the sword from the sword from the stomach, the drawstring now broken and coated in blood. Sylvia was still standing after being impaled and Issei was on the ground after a couple of punches and kicks.
“What are you going to do now,” questioned Issei, “Kill me?” His eyes had finally stopped glowing the same light blue color that his sword used to glow. Now the sword glew a bright red color. The same color that Sylvia’s eyes’ glew.
“Not just yet. You still haven’t finished what you started. Remember? You wanted to find your sister and kill the dragon blah blah blah, all of that crazy stuff. Wait… Nevermind… I’m just going to save myself the trouble and kill you now. Don’t worry, I’ll kill your sister next. After that, everyone.”
This sparked something in Issei’s mind. His eyes started to glow once again. He got up and before he could blink, he was behind Sylvia. He couldn’t control himself, he was just doing it. He flew towards Sylvia and kicked her in the stomach,sending her flying backwards for the first time.
“This is getting out of hand... Time for you to die.” Sylvia pointed a finger towards Issei and shot a beam of pure energy at him. He didn’t time to do anything.
***
“Issei! Issei, get up!”
Issei saw nothing but darkness when he opened his eyes. Darkness and the face a someone who he didn’t recognize right away. It had changed. It was the face of someone he knew very well.
“Leon…? How are you still alive? Weren’t you in the first building that collapsed in Woodrow?”
“It’s gonna take a little more than that to kill me. The dragon attacks, Sylvia, the new war that’s about to break out, it’s sharpened everyone’s skills. Erza was here early. She left. Headed towards Snow Peak.”
“Well that’s where we are going,” replied Issei, trying to get up.
“Lay down,” commanded Leon. “You’re injured!”
Issei looked at his chest where he found nothing but bloody bandages. Now that he was thinking about it, the pain was overwhelming. He knew what was happen to happen. “Leon… Get me to Snow Peak,” said Issei right before he passed out.
***
“He’s- better. Will take- couple of days.” Issei listen to someone speaking whilst fading in and out of consciousness. “Excuse me? Issei- needs to heal- back later.”
Issei finally opened his eyes. He was in a dark room that held nothing but a couple of wooden crates and the bed he lied on. He was extremely cold. He was extremely hungry. He was extremely bloody. What? What happened to me… Why am I so bloody? I’m not even in pain, thought Issei. A doctor walked in holding a bottle of pills and bottle of what looked like water.
“Oh, you’re awake,” said the woman.
“How long have I been asleep. Why am I so bloody-”
“Calm down! That isn’t blood, it’s a cleansing serum. Something happened and the pouch holding it busted. Probably because of the cold. This is Snow Peak, the coldest place in Evershade Valley.”
“So Leon did get me into Snow Peak. Where is Leon?”
“He just left. He said he was headed towards the blacksmith's house. Trying to find a weapon that can kill the dragon. Just so you know, you can leave anytime you want. You are healed enough to walk around, just don’t go around fighting with anyone.”
“Ok, thanks,” replied Issei, shuffling through a box trying to find his stuff. After getting dressed and accepting a larger overcoat offered by the hospital, Issei headed out into the city of snow.
Where is the blacksmith? I need to find Leon, thought Issei. He should have some money. I need food! I’m starving. After searching through the city for what felt like hours because of the heavy blanket of snow that trapped your feet every other step, he spotted a small building with a sign that read blacksmith. “I guess this is the place,” said Issei, climbing the small set of stairs. He walked into the shop and instantly had to take his coat off due to the head. Even after that, it was still a little warm.
The room was made up of a rugged stone floor, thick wooden walls coated in scorch marks, and ceiling you could barely see due to smoke.
“Chimney’s clogged again,” said an older man beside Leon.
“I’ll take care of that,” replied Leon, turning around to see Issei. “What?! When did you wake up?”
“About an hour ago. I need money, please. I’m starving.”
“I recommend the Snowbound Inn. Has great food and open rooms to sleep,” replied Leon, digging around for a few coins in his pocket and handing them to Issei.
“Ok, thanks. How long have we been here?”
“About a month. Times are tough. This is the only city that hasn’t been completely destroyed. I’m sorry to say this, but your sister is more than likely dead if she isn’t somewhere in the city.” Before Leon could finish the sentence, Issei was already out of the building.
Issei started walking around the city, looking for anyone with pink hair. After an hour, he gave up and headed towards the Snowbound Inn. That’s when he saw someone. Someone he hated.
Issei ran towards the man and grabbed him by the back of the shirt. The man spun around, looking surprised. “Axel, how are you alive?! Where the hell is my sister,” yelled Issei.
“Issei, how are you even alive?! Sylvia should have killed you by now.”
One of Issei’s eyes glew a faint blue as he picked up Axel with one hand and punched him in the face with the other. “I’m not asking again. Where is my sister?”
“How should I know? She was trapped in a dungeon near Kokino Village, probably dead.”
Issei dropped Axel and started to walk away.
“Where are you going? You started this fight, come finish it,” said Axel, pulling out a small knife. Issei said nothing, but stopped moving. Axel ran towards him.
“Are you stupid,” said Issei dodging Axel’s knife, grabbing his arm, and breaking it with one punch. Axel dropped the knife and started screaming in pain. Issei continued walking.
“Now’s not a good time to be making enemies, Issei.”
Issei didn’t listen and walking through the doors to the Snowbound Inn. Finally, I can get something to eat, thought Issei as he sat down at a small, round table.
“What would you like to drink,” questioned an older lady.
“I’ll take  water, please,” replied Issei.
“Ok, I’ll be back in a minute.”
The place was fairly crowded. Issei now felt bad for taking a slightly larger table. People were waiting outside in the cold. Just then, another two people came and sat down at his table.
“You’re doing better,” said Erza.
“Yeah,” replied Issei. “Better order a lot of food if you’re coming with me. I’m heading back towards Kokino Village. I found Axel.
“How did Axel survive a fight with Sylvia?”
“I have no clue because I broke his arm immediately. It wasn’t that hard.”
“Why did you break his arm,” asked Leon.
“He tried to attack me because I attacked him trying to figure out where my sister is. He said she was in some dungeon near Kokino Village. That’s where I’m going tomorrow, with or without you,” explained Issei.
“There is no way you’re going to leave without me,” replied Leon.
“Exactly,” said Erza.
“Oh, I see you have more guests,” said the waitress. “No wonder you took a larger table. Here is your water. What would you all like to drink?”
“I’ll take water as well,” replied Leon.
“I don’t want anything at the moment,” said Erza.
“Ok, are you ready to order?”
“Well… Nevermind. I’ll take the smoked lamb with steamed carrots,” said Erza. “And add some cranberry mead to that as well.”
“I would like a small crab, please,” stated Issei.
“Not hungry,” replied Leon.
***
“Well, I guess it’s settled,” said Leon.
“We head for Kokino Village in the morning,” added Erza.
“We are going to find my sister,” stated Issei.
They each walked off towards their own rooms, ready for a night of sleep. They had a lot to do tomorrow. They had to get all of their supplies, meet back up in the center of the city, and then head towards Kokino Village. They had to be ready to fight just incase the dragon or Sylvia was there.  Tomorrow was going to be a big day.