With a bag fully packed and ready to go, Noa took one last glance about her home. What new troubles had chaos brought into play that would require the powers once needed to keep the world from destruction and self annihilation? It was a completely foreign concept to her, though not as bad as the idea that she may once again be chancing her life on an hourly basis just to stay alive. One person came slowly to mind though, as she stood in silent reflection…

‘Vahn…I hope you’re okay…’

Slowly, without so much as a second thought, she took the hallway back through the kitchen, pulled Cort from his room and tucked him in a travel-seat strapped to her chest and returned to the living room, pulling the bag around her shoulder. One final glance around her home and everything in it was the only action left as she closed the door, locking it up tight.

The air was a tender temperature, caressing her skin as she stepped into the sunlight. Even with the warm breezes drifting down from the nearby Nivora Mountains, there was a slight chill that seemed to seep into her, almost as if the world itself knew more of the coming danger that Hari had warned her about. Quickly adjusting Cort’s seat, she made her way out of town, passing by the villagers, who all waved a cheerful good morning.

The plains of Karisto Kingdom stretched out seemingly endless, until they met the mountainside that surrounded the towering city of Sol. But the pass through the mountains was wide and flat, winding down around to the station where the Flying Carts docked before returning to Octam in the Sebuccus Island chain.

As the day began to wear on, Noa’s travels brought her closer to the tight valley that surrounded the city of Sol, the mountains high on both sides. This area had been recently brought to the news media’s attention as a few random travelers had been attacked recently by a native animal group called the Grudes. The human-like monsters stood about six feet in height at their tallest, walking bipedal to scavenge for food. But the most dangerous part about the Grudes was their left appendages. Each one sported a very muscular left arm, covered in semi-precious jewels akin to sapphires, to the point where no skin was visible. At the end of the arms, twin claws the half the length of a human arm jutted out in wicked looking weapons.

As Noa began to make her way into the valley, it became apparent that the reports had not been rumor…there were Grude tracks everywhere. One could not mistake the near human footprints, tangled with a long drag mark to the left of it, where the Grude’s oversized arm drug hard along the ground. The further along Noa proceeded into the valley…the more tracks there seemed to be, and it was becoming apparent that they did not like anything invading upon their territory. The scattered remains of so many of the native worm populous told the story as body after body of the giant insects littered the ground.

‘This doesn’t look good…’ Noa’s mind echoed her worst fears as she stood momentarily and gazed at the decimated worms.

The thought had preoccupied her mind so much as she started off again that the light shadow lurking in the nearby trees had gone unnoticed…

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Floating somewhere beyond the realm of the physical, one particular soul found it rather amusing to watch what his life had done to those whom he had pursued and dogged the entire length of their journey. Not only had his actions caused them each a rather large value of pain, misery and suffering…

But something about them just had him coming back for more…even in these new surroundings. Places that even he himself could not fathom the meaning of. Pausing momentarily for just a minute on the one he had once deemed his equal, watching the frazzled warrior pace the floor of the monastery he was visiting, the soul traversed the boundaries of the physical realm to check up on the youngest of the group.

Gazing upon the vast valley of the Solarian mountain ranges, both east and west…he found his subject wandering amidst the rolling hills that doted the region…unaware of the danger that was about to be had. He watched for a few moments as the girl crept ever cautiously forward with his former master, now a child, bundled to her chest…the local wildlife about to give her a five star greeting. Or, for that matter…possibly a twenty-one gun send off, to coin the phrase.

Something, however…decidedly picked at him.

Was it that Cort, the one whom had blessed him with a Sim-Seru…was about to be attacked and possibly killed?

No…he held no true allegiance to anyone but himself.

Then what was it?

Something was telling him to interfere in the situation. The question was…if he decided to…what would he do, and how would it be done?

Wait…why would he care in the first place? Had not both of these two particular people had a hand in his undoing? Was it not because of both this sister, her brother…his utter rival, and some blue haired brat…that he was now floating here…without a body?

Still…there was a persistent nagging feeling. Something that told him he would be able to get ahead in this little game…if only he would dare to venture forth back into the physical realm.

“Ah Hell with it…” He echoed into the nothingness that surrounded him, concentrating what remained of his severely diminished powers into one essence. Gathering it to himself, he grouped the entire mass of both he and the energy…and propelled himself towards the Solarian landscape, hoping he would not be too late and miss out on the fun…

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A sudden roar caught Noa by surprise as a large shadow descended upon her, the wind whipping past her face as she turned to see the gigantic claws of the Grude sweeping mere centimeters from the tip of her nose. Instinctively ducking back, Noa made ready to protect herself and Cort from the monster. Though without the aide of Terra…and unable to perform any but the weakest of the combined arts she had learned from the travels…it would prove to be a daunting task.

The Grude lumbered forward, dragging the menacing arm and claws the entire way, each footstep putting out a slight tremor as he gained ground on Noa. Preparing for an attack, Noa gathered her energies, those of which flowed around her of the natural elements, and stood ready in defense, stone solid. The monster stepped up, swung its massive arm wide, and once again, barely missed Noa as she sidestepped, strapping her battle claw to her right hand. In the next moment, she struck for the Grude’s face, aiming the metallic claws of the weapon with practiced precision accuracy.

The monster roared and reeled backwards as it became blind, a rage overcoming the beast. It bellowed out at her, flexing the muscles in its arms as a red haze of energy began to float around it. Without warning, it dove at her, moving faster than she had ever seen one of the Grudes move, its arm swinging erratically in any which way it assumed she would’ve been standing.

Barely managing to duck off to the side, Noa checked Cort to make sure he was still safe in his little pouch, before preparing to strike the Grude once again. But that proved to be fruitless…the thing was right on top of her, its voice carrying to the ends of the valley as it roared in anger and malice. No sooner had she finished ducking one swing of the arm did another gigantic arc trace itself towards her.

The monster had become infuriated beyond belief. Knowing it was only mere inches away from hitting its target; the Grude took yet another wide swing…and connected.

Noa felt the wind rushing past her before she felt the impact of the claws upon her face…and was flying through the air before she knew what had happened. She bounced roughly a few times upon her back before coming to a stop a couple yards from where she had just been standing, dazed to confused.

The Grude stepped up to its fallen victim, a roar of triumph echoing through the mountainside. It raised its giant left arm, the claws glinting in the mid-noon sun…and went airborne. The monster had been knocked off its feet by something invisible…some force that drew the breeze in its wake. The Grude fell to the ground about twenty feet away…not moving.

As Noa sat up and blinked the stars from her vision, a presence settled on her, something that felt familiar…yet somehow cold…calculating…and vindictive all at the same time.

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‘Okay…I’m here. Now what do I do?’ He thought to himself as he hovered over the girl. He had not only saved on of his greatest enemies…and his former master, but now he was stuck on the physical plane without a purpose.

‘Looks like I’m hanging around for a bit…’