An unknown voice kept talking to themselves while looking at the graves. "It's been ten years since the Solar Eclipse," they muttered.
"During this small part of our lives, we've been through happiness, sadness, pain, anger, betrayal, and witnessed the death of our beloved.
Everyone came together to fight against that entity, but in the end, we were faced with a seemingly insurmountable obstacle."
"The scene we witnessed that day shattered our hope, leaving us with one thought: how to survive the rest of our lives. Who can blame them?
We believed ourselves fortunate to have been spared during the Solar Eclipse, never suspecting that the truth behind everything would bring us all to our knees."
"Leon, we never thought you were the mastermind behind it all. We never imagined you would declare war against DEXTERS Planet, destroy Earth, and kill everyone who cared for you in your quest for power."
"Leon, I will kill you. No, I have to kill you because you were my friend. If I don't stop you, you will destroy us."
An unknown voice humbly called out and said, "Commander Amelia, we are prepared to go."
Commander Amelia raised her sword and addressed everyone, "Today is the day we put an end to Leon, the Ethereal Overlord."
---
Now, in the present,
Amelia and Codey were en route to report Leon's death to Commander Kenzo.
Codey asked Amelia, "Captain, is it acceptable not to report Leon's death to anyone until now? It has been two days since the Eclipse Tragedy ended."
Amelia reassured him, "We must be certain before reporting to anyone, Codey. Leon didn't perish in battle; he fell victim to a trap. We must ascertain who is responsible."
Codey hesitated and inquired, "But are you sure it was the Cadell family behind Leon's demise?"
Amelia, without hesitation, affirmed, "Yes, after thorough investigation, we can confirm the Cadell family's involvement, backed by several royal families."
Codey, with a hint of fear, inquired further, "Why report directly to the Commander from the Cadell family? Why not seek help from another family?"
Amelia explained, "Codey, you need to distance yourself from this world. It is too complex to explain everything to an outsider."
Codey, with a mix of confusion and sadness, questioned, "So, every royal family is now Leon's enemy? He lived with a constant threat over his head, which is why he kept his distance from us."
Upon their arrival at the Commander's office, Jung awaited them outside.
Amelia looked at Jung and asked, "Why are you here?"
Jung, with a cold, emotionless expression, directed them inside. "Enter; you will understand."
As Amelia, Jung, and Codey entered the Commander's office, they were greeted by a white-haired man standing before Commander Kenzo, who was warmly laughing.
Amelia and Codey were taken aback. They both thought, "Why is he still alive?"
Codey rushed towards the man and hugged him, exclaiming, "Leon, we were so worried about you. We are relieved to see you safe."
Everett interjected sternly, "Young soldier, you are in the presence of the Commander; show respect."
Codey wiped his tears and apologized, "I'm sorry, sir."
Leon explained, "I apologize for not contacting you. Mickey saved me during the eclipse, and I was in Sector C hospital until now."
Amelia had doubts swirling in her mind.
She thought, "This can't be true. We meticulously checked hospital records, and we are quite certain that Mickey told us the truth—that Leon perished that day."
The Commander acknowledged, "I understand the soldier's concerns. We were worried as well, Leon."
Leon apologized once again, and Commander Kenzo turned to Amelia.
"You came here to discuss Leon, correct? That's why I summoned him as well. Speak your mind."
Amelia's thoughts raced. "This one-eyed schemer must have been concealing Leon's whereabouts all this time. That's why he or anyone questioned me about Leon's two-day absence."
Aloud, she confirmed, "Yes, sir. I am here to report that the Auger family is not responsible for Leon's assassination attempt. We believe these three families are behind it."
Commander Kenzo glanced at her and questioned, "These three families—Beaufort, Ekon, and Halifax—are responsible for Leon's assassination attempt? Your evidence points towards them, but that's because they belong to Auger branch families, isn't it?"
Codey was bewildered by the sudden turn of events.
He thought, "She told me it was the Cadell family. Why the change in her story here?"
Amelia continued, "Our belief is based on the fact that our squadmates from Sector A7—Kiera, Hiley, and Jack—belong to these families. They were observing Leon during the battle, and the voids that attacked Leon penetrated their defense lines."
Commander Kenzo nodded. "I see. We will conduct a thorough investigation for confirmation. You may all leave now."
The group responded in unison, "Yes, sir."
As everyone exited the office, Commander Kenzo knelt to the ground in exhaustion.
Everett rushed to his side, concerned. "Sir, what's happened?"
Commander Kenzo admitted, "Everett, at this rate, we may have to eliminate Leon."
After departing from headquarters, Jung addressed the others.
"Amelia, Leon, I need to speak to both of you alone. Codey, you may leave."
Codey persisted in his desire to stay, but Amelia placed a hand on his shoulder with a look of disdain.
She told him, "Leave now, you're being a nuisance. We are not in the mood to entertain you."
As Codey departed, the three of them headed to Sector A7's Cadet Training Building, maintaining silence throughout the journey.
As they approached the Sector A7 Training Grounds, Leon gazed out of the window, taking in the sights of destroyed buildings, the aftermath of the riots, the lingering scent of blood, and the people working together with smiles and hospitality to rebuild everything as if nothing had ever happened. He observed with profound shock, as if seeing it all for the first time.
Meanwhile, in Sector B7 Hospital,
After Codey's revelation about Leon, Ash felt a wave of relief.
"I see. Leon is safe. I thought you were keeping quiet about Leon for the past two days. We were worried that something had happened to him. We'll all go see him once we're discharged."
As the Amelia,Jung and Leon arrived at the Sector A7 Training Grounds, Jung turned to Leon and addressed him directly.
"How long do you intend to play the role of a tragic hero act, following in your father's footsteps?"
Confused, Leon responded, "I don't understand. What are you talking about, Jung?"
Amelia remained silent, observing the exchange.
Jung continued, "You see, I can't express or feel any emotions, but my soul is telling me to run far away from you. It's as if it's afraid of you. I can barely withstand the pressure of your soul."
"Jung, I still don't understand what you're trying to say," Leon replied, bewildered.
With an expressionless visage, Jung addressed him, "Amelia may not be affected, but Commander and I are impacted, Leon. Your soul seems to be attempting to harm a fellow Colorless being by crushing our souls. I'm not sure if you are aware of this, but please regain control of your soul before I am forced to take action."
Leon acknowledged, "I'm sorry. I have no idea why this is happening to me. I'll do my best to control my soul."
Amelia couldn't contain her frustration any longer and confronted Leon, "Why are you still alive?"
Leon began explaining, "As I mentioned earlier, I was in Sector C hospital..."
But before he could finish his explanation, Amelia slapped him and admonished, "Stop with your lies. We searched through all the hospital records, and there was no mention or description of you on our entire planet."
Leon fell silent, looking down, unable to offer an explanation.
Amelia was about to speak again, but Jung intervened, closing her mouth with his hand and forcibly escorting her out of the room. They left without uttering a word.
After leaving leon at Training ground and they both went to Jung's room.
Amelia was seething with anger and couldn't comprehend why she had been brought there.
Jung finally spoke, "If we had stayed there any longer, we would have been killed without a second to react. That thing is no longer Leon."
Amelia was shocked to witness Jung's fear and ran through her mind, "Is Leon becoming a greater threat than we ever imagined?"
After Amelia and Jung left him, Leon wondered , "why both ran after Amelia slapped him" and then he went back to his room.
Leon, back in his room, went to sleep, only to wake up in the Oldman's realm.
The Oldman looked at Leon with a hint of admiration, "I'm impressed, Leon. You can travel to my realm at will."
Leon, his expression cold, demanded answers, "Shut up. What happened to me? Why do I have this insatiable urge to consume everything I see? Why is my soul going berserk? What did you do to me?"
The Oldman smiled faintly, "You don't remember anything, do you?"
He proceeded to show Leon everything, including the battle with The Sun and the Gaian fist.
Leon was utterly shocked and inquired, "You told me that Earth would be destroyed. Yet, now, Earth is fine, and the Sun has been stopped. How?"
The Oldman clarified, "Leon, we did not anticipate that you would absorb the Sun's mana and propel the moon. It was never in the destiny for these events to occur. You changed your own fate."
Confused, Leon questioned further, "I changed my fate? You mean that Gaian fist was my doing? I absorbed the Sun's hand? I thought that hand was your creation."
The Oldman, wearing a blank smile, corrected him, "No, Leon, it was all you. You were the one who accomplished it all. We were merely spectators."
Leon asked, "We? Who are you referring to?"
The Oldman gestured around them and explained, "Look around, Leon. Everything you see in this realm is a light with a soul, just like you. We are all waiting for a certain time."
Leon, his face contorted with anger, demanded, "Waiting for what? I'm terrified of myself now. Even my squadmates fled from me when they saw me. I've become a monster."
The Oldman responded cryptically, "A day will come when you must choose between yourself and others. That will be the day you discover the truth about yourself. Now, return to your realm and seek us out only when you have a wish to make."
Leon woke up gasping for breath, his heart racing. He suddenly heard voices, even though he was alone in his room.
Panicking, Leon rushed outside to see what was happening. He observed people glowing with various colors, and as he gazed at them.
Leon could hear their thoughts and emotions.
"Why is he staring at us?"
"Why does he give me the creeps?"
"Why does my heart ache right now?"
"Why is he grinning like a maniac?"
Leon was both confused and shocked by the overwhelming sensory experience. Suddenly, a hand touched him, and he began to see visions related to that person.
"Mother, I can't believe we have to kill Leo."
"We have to. He's become a threat like his father."
"Go and speak to him. Nobody knows what has happened to him until now. Your uncle instructed you to inquire about his assassination and where he has been all this time. Only you can do that."
The unknown person chuckled, "Okay, I will do that. Can I kill him while I'm at it?"
The response was a maternal one, "My sweet daughter, we'll leave that to the Auger family. We're only observing him this time."
As the vision ended, Leon collapsed to the ground, losing consciousness. Just before slipping into darkness, he whispered, "Miss Zora, why?"
Meanwhile in Soul Advanced Soul Search and Ancient Link Technology.
An unknown researcher exclaimed, "Dr. Che Cadell, we've just received a signal. A soul-like entity has just departed and entered Earth. We don't know what it is."
Che responded, "The real war has begun. We don't have the power to stop it this time."
What kind of future lies ahead for Leon and Earth?
[End of Chapter]