A man's voice said. "Stand up, boy. A warrior shouldn't be on the ground unless they are incapable of moving any further."
A man with light brown hair and light silver eyes laid in the sand as he looked at another man who had light brown hair and wore blood covered silver armor as he laid motionless in the sand.
The man with light brown hair and light silver eyes, Minimus, felt someone standing behind him. He turned his head and looked behind him.
Standing behind Minimus was a man with short black hair. He wore rough, black and red armor. The black and red armor he wore covered his entire body except his face. He had a horizontal scar across his nose, stubble on his face, and had dark gray eyes.
Minimus looked back at the man with silver armor who laid motionless on the ground as he said somberly. "I'm sorry, Brother. I was trying to prevent this from happening. Even after everything you've done, I didn't want you to die. I wanted to save you!"
The man with black and red armor, Asterios, patted Minimus's right shoulder with his right hand as he said. "I know what it's like to lose someone. I still remember it vividly. But you need to get up, boy. Let's give him a proper send off. Let's not let the animals desecrate his body."
Minimus looked back at Asterios and asked. "Like a burial? I've never buried anyone before."
Asterios reached out his right hand and said, "There is no one to guard his body. We'll have to free his soul instead."
Minimus turned his body to grab Asterios's right hand with his right hand and he picked up the sword that lay beside him with his left hand as he said with a confused expression on his face. "Free his soul? What do you mean?"
Asterios pulled Minimus up off onto his feet with minimal effort.
A woman's voice said. "He means we need to destroy his third core so his body can disintegrate."
Minimus thought with surprise. "Did she just say she wants to destroy his third core?!" He looked over at the source of the voice.
A woman with long black hair walked toward Asterios and Minimus. She wore blood-soaked silver armor and had a katana strapped to her right side. She also had purple eyes.
Minimus protested to the woman with silver armor. "What do you mean we need to destroy his third core?! You can't do that! That is forbidden!"
The woman with silver armor stopped walking as she stood in front of Minimus and Asterios. She said to Minimus. "If it is what Master Alexander wishes then it is what will be done."
Minimus said while confused. "Master? Alexander?" He looked at Asterios and apologized as he said. "Is your name actually Alexander Maxidus? I was calling you Alex Maxidus before because that is what my sister calls you."
Asterios said calmly. "It doesn't matter. Those are the names of my old life. I only go by Asterios now.
The woman with silver armor blushed as she said. "Asterios? That's what you said you'd change your name to once we ran away to a new land together."
Asterios looked at the woman with silver armor and said. "We've arrived in the new land. Did you think I'd break my oath to you? I always keep the oaths I make."
Minimus thought. "They are talking like they are lovers. I wonder..." He said to Asterios. "Is this the wife you said you were looking for earlier, Asterios?"
Asterios nodded.
The woman with silver armor blushed again as she said happily to herself. "Wife? We're not even married yet."
Asterios said. "I'll fix that soon."
The woman with silver armor's face turned bright red.
Asterios gestured to the woman with silver armor as he said to Minimus. "By the way, this is Astraea Asuka. She was my Second Sentinel back on Neoptolemos."
Minimus backed away as he said. "Asuka?! Why are you with an Asuka?!"
Asterios gestured to Minimus as he said to the woman with silver armor known as Astraea. "This is Minimus Scarion. I met him here in this land."
Astraea backed away as she said. "Scarion?! Why are you with a Scarion?"
Asterios sighed and shook his head.
Minimus said to Astraea. "What's wrong with a Scarion?!"
Astraea said to Minimus. "What's wrong with an Asuka?!"
Minimus pointed at Astraea. "You Asukas turn into monsters then you either kill people, turn them into monsters too, or seduce them to make them your puppets!"
Astraea pointed at Minimus and said. "Well, you Scarions..." She stopped mid sentence. Her hand fell back down to her side as she said in a dejected tone. "He's right. That is what Asukas do. I hate being an Asuka. That is why I left the Asuka Empire."
Asterios looked down at the man with silver armor who lay motionless on the ground. He had a perplexed look on his face.
Minimus said with shock. "Huh? You left the Asuka Empire?"
The sound of sand trickling onto the ground could be heard coming from behind Minimus.
Asterios dashed past Minimus. He launched his left foot forward.
Both Astraea and Minimus turned their heads to look at Asterios.
Asterios launched his foot into the face of the man with silver armor whose eyes were closed and his face was about six inches off the ground.
The man with silver armor was sent flying several yards until he collided with a sand dune.
Minimus said to Asrerios. "Why did you kick him?! He's already dead!"
Asterios looked straight at the man with silver armor who was still stuck in the side of the sand dune and said. "He's not. I saw him move." He continued to look at the man with silver armor.
Minimus thought with surprise. "He moved?" He looked at the man with silver armor and thought. "You're still alive, Brother?"
The man with silver armor, Maximus, grabbed the sand dune with his blood coated left and right hands. He then launched himself out of the sand dune and landed on his two feet. A cloud of sand came up off the ground when he landed.
Astraea said with shock. "How can he still be alive? He was stabbed in his right heart by Master Asterios in Neoptolemos and he was stabbed in his left heart by Sister."
Maximus turned and faced Asterios, Astraea, and Minimus with his eyes closed.
Asterios said with annoyance. "One of the gods must have regenerated his right heart after I destroyed it. We'll have to bring him down quickly before he destroys himself!"
Maximus opened his eyes. His light red eyes had specks of black in it. He tilted his head to the left and then to the right as he smiled menacingly. He launched himself toward Asterios.