Voltiana

After Morino finished telling the story, the room got very quiet for a long time. Everyone sat around, looking at him. Eventually, Dachii opened his mouth.

"Woah! Then what happened?"

Everyone turned to look at him, but Morino just laughed. "Well, we fought together, got married, and had your mother."

Marachii and Dachii both gasped and turned to look at Kia, who was visibly trying to avoid all eye contact.

"Mom?" Marachii realized. "Wouldn't that make you—-?"

"Don't say it, don't say it, don't say it, don't say it, don't say it…" she pleaded. "PLEASE don't say it!"

Before anyone could say anything, she got up and abruptly left the room. Mashimo put a hand on Morino's shoulder.

"You never told me you saved a PRINCESS!"

Morino shrugged. "I guess the time never came. I just had to get it off my chest, why not?"

"So, what was your purpose for telling this story?"

Morino thought for a moment. "Hmm, as a message of hope. There's going to be a terrible storm coming soon, and I need you all at your best before it arrives. Be like me!"

He pointed to himself. "Brave, heroic, but not quite as reckless."

There were a few laughs in the crowd, but most of them continued to hold shock and surprise in their faces.

"Woah," Nishiyama remarked. "I always thought General Morino was just born a super strong human or managed to win the Voltian Tryouts by pure skill alone, but now you're telling me he rescued a princess AND fought a dragon?"

"A unique man indeed," Atomu added. "I wonder what other stories he has to tell."

Morino got up. "Well, story time is over for now. Any questions will have to wait. Dachii, I'll need you to come with me."

"Me?" Dachii blurted out. "Is something wrong?"

"No, no!" Morino quickly answered. "There's something I need to show you, that's all."

Dachii slowly got up. "Okay…?"

They headed for the door, but not before Morino turned around one last time. "Marachii, watch over your mother. I'll be back shortly."

"Will do!" Marachii replied.

Once they were gone, the air in the room seemed to shift again, and everyone started gossiping with one another. Atomu led Nishiyama and Tomoko aside into the kitchen.

"Guys," he announced. "This changes everything."

Each of them stared at Kia, who hastily hurried into her room, and then Marachii, who went to follow her.

Meanwhile, outside of Morino's house…

Dachii tried to keep up with Morino's pace as he led him down a street behind his house, which wasn't celebrating like the rest of the district was.

"Why are we heading this way, Grandfather?"

Morino looked down at him and smiled. "There's something you need to see. It's been locked away for a while."

They stopped right in front of a park, which Morino seemed to recognize. Dachii looked it over. "Is this…?"

"The same park Astari and I went in together? Yes. This spot right here is where we met," Morino confirmed.

"Woah, what's that in the center?" Dachii asked.

There was a giant statue in the middle of the park, which resembled a beautiful and elegant woman with shimmering white hair.

"Let's go inside," Morino insisted, pushing open the gate and leading Dachii inside. The moment Dachii stepped foot inside the park, he felt a cold breeze hit him.

"This place feels alive…" Dachii noted to himself. "Is it tied to the statue, or something else?"

Morino stepped right up to the statue and put a hand on it, closing his eyes. Dachii watched as the statue's eyes seemed to glow purple, and Morino looked up at it.

"It's almost like she's still here," Morino remarked. "Still watching over her family."

"What happened to her?" Dachii blurted out.

Morino sighed. "All good things must come to an end, kiddo. But this isn't the time for a sad story. Did you know she left a small gift for you?"

Dachii's eyes widened. "WHAT?"

Morino grinned. "Watch."

He put his hand to the base of the statue, and once he did, the statue rose into the air, revealing a pedestal with a stone box on top of it.

"Dachii, I want you to know, your powers are not an accident. Not in the slightest."

He took an axe and slashed open the box, which revealed a pair of two gauntlets, made of a glowing light gray material. Dachii stood over them, mouth wide open.

"She made these for me?" Dachii questioned. "But how? Why? I thought the crown was what did it, don't tell me she sent it!"

Morino shook his head. "That crown is from a different source, but she'd always known these gauntlets would come in handy. Here, try them on!"

Dachii put them on his arms, and they immediately locked into place before disappearing. "They're gone!"

"Try to summon your weapons again," Morino suggested. "It's like an upgrade, similar to my axes."

Dachii focused and summoned his gauntlets, and sure enough, the new ones appeared on his arms. "AWESOME! It's like they've totally replaced the old ones!"

Morino placed a hand on Dachii's head. "Sadly, we don't have one for Marachii. But I'm sure he'll unlock his weapon soon!"

Dachii appeared puzzled. "If these powers aren't an accident, how would she know about my Elemental Weapon and not Marachii's?"

Morino patted him on the back. "In due time, kiddo. You'll understand. Now then, I have questions of my own. That Unleash ability you have, how do you harness it? It could be very useful in the upcoming battles."

Dachii shrugged. "A lot of determination was in my mind. I don't know how I did it, I just DID."

Morino nodded. "The fact you were able to perform such a technique is still very impressive. We'll have to revisit this later, the others—-"

"Dachii!"

Both Dachii and Morino turned around to find Haruto running up to them, waving. "Good to see you again! I was looking all over for you!"

Morino lifted an eyebrow. "Haruto?"

Haruto stopped abruptly. "Sir Morino! You…you're actually here! I heard the rumors you had sponsored this event, but I didn't think you actually would show in person!"

"Of course!" Morino stated. "What's a human party without the world's favorite human?"

"How many people do you KNOW?" Dachii exclaimed.

"Many," Morino responded.

"What are you two doing way out here?" Haruto asked. "The party is back that way."

Morino pointed to the statue behind them. "Giving Dachii a family lesson. Have you ever heard of Astari? The Kind-Hearted Princess?"

Haruto shook his head. "I'm not much into Voltian lore. Where I come from, it's forbidden to even bring up their names. My friend and mentor, Ayana, isn't fond of them either, despite her attempts to hide it."

"Understandable," Morino said. "The Voltians have a…complex history. It takes a great deal to see past their flaws, and appreciate their strengths."

"And how did you appreciate their strengths, Grandfather?" Dachii wondered. "Was it Astari?"

Morino smiled. "It was Kia."

"Mom?"

"If I never met a Voltian woman, she would never have been born," Morino pointed out. "Funny how things come full circle, right?"

"I guess that makes sense," Dachii agreed. "Wait, doesn't that mean me and Marachii have their BLOOD in OUR veins?"

Morino turned back to the statue. "Like I said. Full circle."

"Am I missing something?" Haruto asked.

Morino pressed his hand to the statue's base again, and it returned to its original position. "Now, let us go back to the party while we still can. Haruto, did you find any particularly good food places on your way to us?"

"They've started an outdoor grill on the left side of town," Haruto remarked. "The food's pretty good if you want to try it, Sir. I already had 6 plates!"

"Well, let us try this 'grill.' After all of that alcohol, I need something in my belly."

They walked out of the gate, preparing to head left. Dachii looked back at the statue one more time, a million thoughts running in his mind.

"There's only more questions now, instead of answers," he thought. "After this, I'll need to ask Mom and Morino about EVERYTHING."

And just then…

BOOM.

A giant blast sent all three of them flying down the street, causing a rise of smoke in the air.

"AHHHHHHH!"

The resulting explosion shook the entire street, and when Dachii landed, he saw a figure within the middle of the smoke, flames erupting off of them.

The moment the figure stepped out of the smoke, a young man with red hair and glowing orange eyes stepped out of it.

"Hehehe."

Meanwhile, in another part of Batango…

The moment the explosion occurred, Aoki, Mina, and Saori looked up. Everyone around them stopped what they were doing.

"What was that?" Mina asked. Nothing at the party should make THAT kind of noise!"

Saori pointed in the distance, where everyone was looking. The rising smoke towered over all the buildings in sight.

"Dachii!" Aoki realized.

Inside of Morino's house…

All of Squad S-3 were up on their feet, clearly shaken by the noise.

"Crap, that can't be good!" Atomu shouted.

Tomoko was outside. "Haha! Look, everyone!"

They hurried outside, where they too saw the rising smoke. Once Kia and Marachii made it outside, they gulped.

"No," Marachii realized. "This isn't good…"

At the park…

"Well, well, well!" the man stated. "Seems I've found the Holder, right in the flesh! Congrats, me!"

The moment he took another step, Morino got up, axes raised. "Hey, who the hell are you?"

The man gave a polite bow, before giving Morino a wide grin. "I'm Ravos! I come from the Obsidian Order, as I'm sure you've known!"

"Ravos?" Dachii thought. "Dad mentioned him, he IS one of the Elites!"

"What's your name?" Ravos asked. "Warriors should share them on the battlefield."

"Morino," he responded. Why do you look like a human? Surely you wouldn't have taken on that form if you planned a direct attack like this?"

Ravos held up his hands, shrugging. "It's to limit my power. I wouldn't want to burn this entire city of humans to the ground, just to capture one, would I? Don't worry, there's no need for tricks or games. As you'll see, I'm a very straightforward person."

Morino narrowed his eyes. "That's clear. Well, what is it you want?"

Ravos pointed to Dachii. "Easy. The kid right behind you."

Morino tightened his grip on his axes. "Sorry, he's not available."

Ravos watched for a moment before smiling, then breaking into a laugh. "Hahaha! Good."

And without warning, he extended his hand, and a sword formed from it, blazing with flames.

"Is that an Elemental Weapon?" Dachii exclaimed.

Without warning, Ravos slammed it down, and a large burst of flame headed right toward the trio, causing Morino to grab them and jump out of the way.

BOOM.

"Shit!" Morino shouted. "Off that one attack alone, it's clear he's no joke! This isn't gonna be an easy fight, kids!"

"We're FIGHTING?" Haruto shouted out.

In an instant, Ravos appeared behind them, and as he swung, Morino's axe met his blade in mid-air, sparks of fire dancing off both weapons.

"You wield the fire too," Ravos realized. "What nice weapons!"

Morino ducked his kick and tried to toss an axe at him, but Ravos immediately blocked it with his bare hand. "It's been a while since I've fought proper, Morino! Let's do this!"

Immediately, he unleashed a powerful burst of flame right from his body.

BOOM.

Morino and Ravos began clashing in the streets, fire erupting everywhere. Dachii and Haruto both watched, star-struck.

"Damn it, I didn't bring a weapon!" Haruto stated. "What are we gonna do? Look at that guy!"

"I don't know, I don't know!" Dachii replied back. "But Grandfather can't take on something like that! He'll burn him!"

BOOM.

Morino got sent flying down the street, using his axes to stay up. The moment he was distracted, Ravos immediately landed next to Haruto and Dachii.

"Show me what you can do, kids!"

"Shi—-!"

Dachii narrowly avoided a swing of Ravos's blade, but Ravos managed to hit Haruto with the butt of his sword, dropping him to the ground.

Dachii summoned his new gauntlets, and he tried to hit Ravos in the face, but Ravos caught his fist, stopping it dead in its tracks.

"You're the Holder, right?" Ravos noted. "Impress me!"

He threw Dachii through a line of buildings, causing him to land right in the middle of the Batango Party, where startled civilians watched as Ravos descended.

BOOM.

—-