As Oran lays asleep in bed with Bridgette his ring is flickering with light. His adoptive brother was trying to reach him again. Even though they were galaxies apart he could feel the fluctuations where he was. A worrisome amount of power was reaching across vast distances. He recalled the same thing happening during their training when he lived with them and it always came during nightmares of Ren.

“I know you’re a heavy sleeper but damn, Oran, wake up.” Hunter thinks to himself as he continues to try to reach Oran.

Minutes after the last attempt to reach him, Bridgette wakes up to see the ring flashing and looks at it in confusion. She knew exactly what it was but she didn’t know how it worked specifically. She slipped the ring off his finger and looked at it closely. She sits up in the bed in her v-neck shirt and leans over it. Flipping it over and twisting the band the light stops blinking.

“Finally!” The voice says from the other end of the communication. “Apologies.” He pauses and realizes who he is talking to. “You must be Bridgette.”

“Yes, that’s me. Who am I speaking with through this..ring..?” She asks in confusion.

“I’m Oran’s adoptive brother, Hunter. I see he skipped out on a few details.” He chuckled to himself and saw her shaking her head. “He didn’t? Now, I’m surprised.”

“I hadn’t heard your voice before but I know who you are. What’s going on?” She replied with concern. “Is everything alright?”

He shakes his head as he talks,”No but that’s why I’m trying to reach him. Can you wake him up?”

“I can try to but what is this about?”

With a sigh, he knew he had something to explain. “I’ll explain in a second, I promise. Try to wake him up. I’m unsure if you can.”

Bridgette reaches over and shakes Oran lightly but no response. She pushes him harder but no response. Confused, she takes the cover up and sits on him while pushing on his chest, still nothing. She kissed him and nothing happened. “I can’t wake him up…”

“It’s as I feared. He’s stuck in a nightmare like he used to be so many years ago. What I felt must be true then, Ren is back.” He takes a breath deeply and begins talking,”Years ago when he was about ten and Dad brought him here to look after him. He went through a phase for a few years where he would replay the attack on his home and be stuck in the dream until he confronted the person responsible.”

“Sounds like a typical dream so far to me. You figure out what to confront and move on whether it’s death or just the ending.”

“Right, except in his case, he was able to confront the actual person or being which would prolong the amount of time in the nightmare and the effect on his body. Being a child at the time, it would hurt him the longer he stayed in it. Dad on the other hand saw a different outcome; a power that was growing through the dream interactions. Your man, Oran, progressed very quickly using this ability. In his day time training he was taught to harness his power for self healing, communication, distant traveling, and combat training among other things. Father trained his body to not react on the outside and keep it all mental. It would put him into an almost paralyzed state where he couldn’t feel the outside stimuli.”

She sighed deeply and with a worried tone responded,”How do we wake him then?”

“I can think of one way but I need to gather a few things. Keep that ring open like it is.” He paused,”Is he dressed by the way?”

“Yes. He’s in white pants with a shirt that has…”

“A screaming face on the back of it.” Hunter said laughing,”It’s his old training clothes.”

“Y’all are weird. Give me a few minutes to get dressed.”

“Yes ma’am.” He replied respectfully.

During the time that Bridgette was getting dressed Hunter had begun gathering his things as well. A more modern green armored tunic than he normally chose to wear, this one had a special webbing woven into the fabric to make it extremely durable and resistant. He grabbed his sacred sword proven to cut through and seal evil as well as an extremely sturdy shield. The last item he grabbed was a small pouch that he tied to his waist.He laced his boots up and awaited her confirmation.

“Ready and waiting.” Bridgette finally responded after getting dressed.

“I thought I was too. I need to grab one more thing.” He replied quickly.

“When you’re ready.”

Hunter walked down the hall from the office he was sitting in and into the armory. After providing his credentials through a scan of his energy he entered the armory that belonged to his father. He scanned the wall to find a specific blackened blade with gold markings and a gold and silver hilt. After looking around the room for a few minutes he found the blade right next to the shield. “Would have been easier to find the shield first.” He said while shaking his head and chuckling to himself. “Be there in a moment.”

Bridgette waits to see what happens and is entirely surprised to see that he got here right after his voice stopped. This technique seemed to take a lot of energy to her but it seemed like the both of them, Oran and Hunter, had a lot of energy to spare. “I don’t know where you find the power to do that.”

“We’re trained from a young age to have no limits, no boundaries, and only exist as a form of energy ourselves. Eating is nice but it isn’t fully recharging us to be able to do things like teleport. Rest isn’t as much as a necessity any more either but it helps to have a clear mind and focus. Our power comes from our spirits and the universe so it is more or less an infinite supply.”

“What about your bodies? Do they need the sustenance and maintenance required of normal people?” She points to Oran. “He eats more now than he used to.” She said laughing slightly while still worried.

“We don’t HAVE to. Our power keeps us young and youthful but we do practice and eat because it’s normal for us to do so before we start training. We used it more as a time of bonding than for replenishing ourselves.” Hunter heard the echo of their communications and twisted his ring, turning it off; basically hanging it up. “Twist that.”

“Right, right.” She twists it back to normal then she replaces it back on Oran’s finger. “So what do we do here?”

He sets down the second sword and shield while removing his own from its scabbard. “If it's the energy I think it is; just having this on him should remove it.”

“Is it special somehow?”

“It removes evil either by dispelling it or destroying it.” Hunter replied bluntly. “Not many people can wield this blade at all. Most of its owners have been reincarnations of the same spirit. The Hero’s Spirit.” He takes a breath,”Having helped out the universe, his home, and being part of my family, I think Oran should be able to wield this blade to dispel the darkness in his mind. I believe the sword would be thankful enough to help him.”

“Is your blade sentient?” Bridgette asks in confusion due to how he was speaking of it.

“To a degree but more so in the past.” He stated.

Hunter places the blade in Oran’s left hand, being left handed himself as the wielder, he thought it was appropriate. He moves the sword up to where it’s laying across his stomach and the tip end rests on his forehead. Specifically set up that way so the blessed blade can cleanse his mind.

Within his mind, Oran was walking around Driftwood Coast while it was on fire, the night of the raid. The night he first encountered Ren. It wasn’t a long encounter but it was long enough to leave him cursed with a tie to him. Before he could do anything he was whisked away by a magical portal into an overpopulated galaxy far far away from his home. This was where his master and adoptive father found him.

Oran was still walking around Driftwood watching it burn and seeing his childhood home covered in flames. He walked into the home through the fire and the flames and saw that it was set up in the current time for storage. He sat down on the bed and shook his head but a few minutes later the door opened again.

A man clad in a red hood with a white mask enters through the door. The footsteps clang as the black metal armored leggings hit the floors. “You’re supposed to come find me.”

“What’s the point? You’ll come after me either way.” Oran returns to his childhood appearance as he sits on the bed.

“You’re supposed to find me so I can kill you and you can wake up.” Ren replied to him harshly. “You’re supposed to use this as fuel to fight me.”

Oran chuckled to the distaste of Ren,”I don’t want to fight you, Ren. We’ve been through this before and it doesn’t end well for either of us. One way or another one of us will die and the other will come back.” Oran’s body changes to look like his adult self again but without tattoos and bindings. “Then the other will die again.”

Ren’s mask comes off revealing his clean shaven face with a jagged scar down the right side of his face from his forehead to his chin. It was if someone clearly cut that part of his face off in a battle. As well as another across his eyes. It explained to Oran why those parts took longer to regenerate for him. “You’re truly the first Verdell aren’t you?”

“I don’t know.” Oran shrugs reverting to his normal appearance. “Only one who can truly answer that is you, Ren Raiju.”

Ren sits next to him on the bed,”Do you think you’re in control of this world, Verdell?”

“I can tell you that you’re not as in charge as you’d like to think.”He smirks and raises his left fist up revealing the triple stacked triangles on it and on his right, which is resting on his thigh, his triquetra glows in the same golden color. “I’m never alone.”

Ren stands back up shocked and surprised,”That symbol?! Why do you have it?”

“I have friends in high places. Did you not realize who trained me? Did you not realize who my adoptive father is?! The only reason he isn’t here is because he believes I can handle you with no contest. You should have stayed gone or out of my way.” He chuckled darkly,”You’re on borrowed time.”

“We’ll finish this in time.” Ren disappears from his mind and the flames fade out. It was clear that he had been freaked out and outplayed by Oran. In his chamber at the hideout he was catching his breath with an angered and fearful look on his face. “It can’t be…”

Moments later Oran wakes up and feels the energy that is in the room with him: Bridgette sitting beside him with his right hand in both of hers and Hunter standing next to the bed. He feels the weight of the blade in his hand and lifts it off of him. “That explains a lot.” He takes a deep breath while setting the blade to the side.

“How are you feeling?” Bridgette asks worriedly as she watches him sit up. “That was scary for me, Oran.”

“I apologize, Bri. The time we’ve been together; he’s been dead. I didn’t think it happened any more.” Oran explained to her. “I’m tired in more ways than physically.” He looks down at his left hand to see the emblem still glowing on it and smiles at it. “I got a protector it seems.” He holds his left hand up for Hunter to see.

“You know Dad; he’s always watching somehow even when we can’t reach him.” Hunter said while chuckling about the emblem and their father. “What happened this time?”

“Same old for the most part. Burning home tours. I just sat down on the bed in my old home and waited. Ren found me and was stupidly confused of why I didn’t come to him. He wants to fight and I’m over it. He also didn’t realize who trained me until tonight and now I think he’s rethinking his plan. I may have threatened him while the symbol was active.”

“What did you say?” Hunter asks while rolling his eyes.

“I told him he was on borrowed time and I was never alone.” He smiles again thinking about the symbol. “Why are you here though?”

“He came to check on you and confirm what we knew already.” Bridgette interrupted. “He’s your brother after all, why wouldn’t he come to check on you?”

“He doesn’t need a reason at all, I was just curious.” Oran replied with a soft laugh.

“I felt your energy all the way at home. I knew the difference between your normal and your nightmare output. I came to confirm with you that Ren was back.” Hunter clarified his reasons to them. “What are you going to do?”

“If he comes here; I’ll kill him.” Oran stated bluntly and dryly. “If he tries to harm any of my students and family I will not hesitate to destroy him once again. If it gets me seven more years of him being gone I’ll kill him each time he comes back.”

“Sounds about right.” Bridgette shakes her head after his answer. “I’m just glad you’re awake.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.” Oran replied to her. “What time is it?”

“About time for the sun to come up.” She stated.

He turns to Hunter,”Do you want to stay? I could always use a hand and we’re no strangers to multiple teachers.”

“I don’t know for how long I can stay, bro. I’ll hang around today and see what's going on back at home and let you know.” Hunter said somewhat resisting the urge to stay and hang out with his brother. He always felt like he needed to be at home just in case something happened but in this case something was happening here and he was torn between making decisions.

“That’s fine. Feel free to come back though. I know nothing is going on.” Oran chuckled again. “Nothing is ever going on because it’s so well protected.”

“The house could use some cleaning…” Hunter started trying to think of something after that.

“The house cleaning is automated. I should know..I lived there.”

“Alright, I’ll stay a couple days.” Hunter agreed, realizing that he couldn’t use any excuses unless it was something serious. If it was serious enough for him to go back home as soon as possible, Oran would have gone with him.

“I’m gonna go back to bed. As a normal person I need sleep so get out of my bed.” Bridgette said jokingly but also serious. She needed the sleep to deal with all of this and she was stressed out enough waiting on Oran to wake up from his nightmare.

“Deal.” Oran replied.

“I’ll head down stairs and you can say good morning, good night, or goodbye, whichever is appropriate for now. Just grab those and come down when you’re ready.” Hunter then headed down the stairs.

“See ya in a minute.” Oran turned back to Bridgette and kissed her forehead. “Please rest. I’m sorry for worrying you.” He takes his shirt off and leaves it on the bed for her. “You can sleep in this and feel wrapped up in my energy and protection.”

“Appreciated.” She puts the shirt on and it covers down to her knees. “Comfy.” Bridgette takes off her pants and gets back under the covers. “Don’t tell the guild until I’m up. We should all be together for that.”

“Of course, now rest up for me. I’m sure you’ll find me relatively easily when you get up.” He snaps his fingers and smiles at her as he completely changes into his normal attire with that snap. “See you then. I love you.”

“Cheater.” She smiles back at him. “I love you too.”

Oran watched as she laid back down and snuggled into the pillows and covers. Her tiredness outweighs her worry at this moment. He grabs the shield and sword from where it was set and puts it on his back. The binding on his arm lit up as it attached itself to him. His training blade and chosen blade in that galaxy. He wondered why Hunter brought them with him.

Hearing Oran coming down the stairs Hunter begins talking to him,”How is she?”

“She’s exhausted but she’s tough. She’ll be fine in a few hours.” Oran stepped off the last stair. “Why did you bring these?”

“I’m glad to hear it and I’m checking your skill with them. I want you to be prepared for this battle since it's been so long since you had to use so much of your strength.I’ll be your trial.”

“Alright. We don’t really have an open area here to battle in so we’ll have to confine our energy and battle to a small circular training ground or we’ll need to cover the entire guild and its people in personalized barriers.” Oran replied.

Confused by the amount of barriers that would take, he looked at Oran questioningly,”Can you do that?”

“Yes, I can. Barrier defense is something I teach because it can be used in a variety of different ways. Together we could create containment and defensive barriers for our battle.” He explained quickly. “Only option I have. I can’t leave the guild right now.”

“I understand.” Hunter nodded his in agreement. “Then let’s combine our energy and make a bubble for everyone.”

Hunter and Oran headed outside with their gear as the sun was coming up over the guild. They stood in the Memorial Garden where heroes of old were laid to rest. One empty grave awaiting a hero worthy of entry. Oran took his jacket off and set it to the side then sat down on the ground with Hunter sitting in front of him. They take each other’s hand with it held up in front of their faces like a mid-air vertical handshake. Together they focus on defensive barriers starting with a large one around the guild itself. The hexagonal patterning is visible as it forms and fades into a clear dome. Next is the personalized barriers for everyone in the guild. Together they search the grounds for every life and place a barrier around their bodies. This would allow them to continue their days without worrying about getting hurt.

Feeling the energy washing over him, Isaac wakes up in his bed with a feeling of protection and care around him. He stretches and walks over to Lozkhad and wakes him up by shaking him a bit. “Hey, get up. I think Oran is about to do something interesting.” He chuckles softly.

Lozkhad stretches his arms and yawns in the bed. “Is it morning already?”

“Yeah, come on. Get dressed and we’ll head out to meet Oran at the Memorial Garden next to his library and room.” Isaac added.

Isaac and Lozkhad get dressed quickly as they start feeling power fluctuations nearby, one of which was Oran but the other neither recognized. The unrecognized one didn’t feel dangerous but it was powerful. Their energies had mixed together and it felt like they were close as if they knew each other for years. To Isaac it felt like a familial bond.

Isaac grabbed his sword and put it on his back while Lozkhad just waited on him to situate it. “Alright, let’s go.”

“Do you think I’ll get a sword?”

“I know for a fact you will. It won’t be one of these dinky training swords either. With the amount of power you displayed in Driftwood, he probably has something special for you to use.” Isaac explained to him.

“You think so?” Lozkhad said questioningly.

“Yeah, let’s go see him and find out.” He said with a smile.

As Isaac and Lozkhad walk to the library area by the Memorial Garden; Hunter and Oran prepare themselves for a battle against one another. Having known each other for many years they knew the limits they could push with one another. They shake hands and share a brotherly hug before they separate and take their battle stances. Hunter was more comfortable with a sword and shield while Oran just preferred a sword for the most part. While he was trained in it, his preference was to be more lightweight and have a free hand for other skills. This was the test though using both the sword and shield.

“Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten how to use them together after all this time?” Hunter says in a mocking but playful tone.

Oran shakes his head,”No it’s just been awhile.”

“Let’s go then!” Hunter shouts as he rushes forward.

Oran prepares himself and focuses on the movements Hunter is making. The speed he was using wasn’t as high as it could be then all of a sudden he had stepped quicker than expected. A loud clang as their shields collide on impact from the charge. A thunderous sound of percussion as well as shockwave launched all around them. Oran pushed back on the shield with a strong force to separate them again.

“I see you aren’t going to pull any punches.” Oran stated, with a smirk on his face.

“Not if we’re making sure you’re prepared for this battle.” Hunter shouted back to him. “I need to make sure you’ll be alright. I’m not losing a brother.”

Oran nodded his head, ”I understand and I appreciate it.”

“Come now.” He replied with a smile on his face.

Oran and Hunter collide once more in the center of the distance between them. Sparks flying from the blows between sword and shield clashes. Their energy being contained for the most part by their bodies. Hunter distracts Oran with a reflection off his shield and knocks his blade out of his hand which would normally be a good move but this was Oran he was battling. With a hand now free, Oran grasps Hunter’s sword arm and flips him over onto the ground, removing the sword from his hand and placing it in the ground.

Hunter smirks and grabs the Spectre Blade which was Oran’s sword from where it was knocked out of his hand. Oran blocks with his shield and is quickly kicked backwards still standing on his feet with the shield in front of him. The blade comes flying at him as Hunter tosses it and draws his own from the ground. Watching the sword come towards him, Oran reaches out and catches it by the hilt. Hunter runs in and slams his shield against Oran’s chest and body causing him to be off balance and off guard. He slides again this time hitting the library and quickly moves out of the way as the sword pierces right next to him.

“Well that was close.” Oran thinks to himself.

Oran stands his ground blocking with his sword and knees Hunter in the stomach while pulling him back and slamming his shield against him to knock him back. Hunter lunges forward quickly and his blade slides across the top of Oran’s shield and into the wall. He jumps back feeling Oran moving his sword upwards towards him and dodges the hilt aiming for his stomach at close range while letting go of the sword.

Hunter lands back a few feet from Oran who sheathes his own blade and grabs the one in the wall. It turns into a one sided fight with Oran having both blades but only for a minute as he slashes diagonally downward with it and to avoid it Hunter jumps over his head while drawing the Spectre blade from its scabbard.

“I see you’re not making this easy for me, Oran.” Hunter says as he breathes in an attempt to calm back down. He knew that this was just the start of the battle but it was what he needed to do.

“Not today, I’m not. You wanted to see if I could still keep up after all this time so I’m showing you. I’m fighting using your mastery since you’ve always been the better swordsman but I’m the better brawler.” Oran said with a smirk on his face. “I’m wondering if this is training to make sure you can keep up more than if I can, brother.”

Hunter sighs and starts laughing,”You got me. This was practice to make sure you could keep up as well as make sure I could. I practice every day but I’m not in battles. Meanwhile, you stay in practice and get into battles more frequently than I do.”

“What can I say? I like trouble.” Oran replied, chuckling along with him.

“Yeah. You want to trade me swords?” He asks jokingly.

“If I want it back I’ll come take it. For now, I want to use yours.” Oran said with a smile on his face. “It’s not often anyone is allowed to use this blade and I’m going to enjoy the honor while I can.”

“Fair enough.”

The two brothers continue their battle with flashes of energy escaping from their blades when they clash. Bright green streaks flow from each movement as they block and slash at each other only to meet their opposition head on. Oran perches on the roof of his library while Hunter stands on the lower section of the guild itself. Lunging at each other threw the air; Oran and Hunter clash in the center causing a wave of energy to launch all around them. This wave in particular was one of the reasons why they put up a barrier over the school itself and its inhabitants. The ground cracks under the pressure the power wave puts out and causes nearby students to tumble over.

“Did you feel that?” Lozkhad asks Isaac.

“I did. Come on!” Isaac replies.

The duo begin running over to their destination feeling the ground shake beneath them as they do so. This damage could be undone by the two battling with minimal effort but it was still going to be slightly shaky until they were done with their practice. Isaac and Lozkhad look up to see Oran battling it out with Hunter but they don’t know who he is specifically. They can only see their master and this person were having a good time.

Hunter lunges his blade at Oran who slides enough to the side but the blade cuts open his cheek and the blood begins to flow down his face as the blade goes by him. Oran smirks as this was part of his plan to get in close to Hunter. He quickly uppercuts him in the stomach with the hilt of the sword and causes a quick explosion to send him downward back to the ground. The ground collapses under his feet as he catches himself and looks back up.

Oran lowers himself onto the ground to see Hunter with a worried look on his face,”What’s wrong?”

“Just the cut on your face. Looks deeper than I thought it was and the amount of blood coming out of it was worrying to me.” He takes several deep breaths. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” Oran touches the blood on his face and wipes it off along with the cut. “You know we can both heal wounds quickly.”

“I just didn’t expect you to slice open your face just to get in close to me.” He puts the blade into the ground and walks over to Oran to look at him. “I guess you’re right though we both can heal quickly. Looks good as new.”

Oran flips the blade over to the hilt and hands it over to him,”Here sheathe this. We have to talk before we can continue.”

“Are you guys alright?” Isaac shouts from the bridge seeing as it has collapsed.

“Yeah we’re fine!” Oran shouts back. He concentrates on the surroundings for a moment and begins to rebuild them according to his memory. Hunter takes the blade from his hand and sheathes it while he does so. The bridge is rebuilt and the boys come over to them.

“That was amazing!” Isaac says excitedly. “Who is your friend?”

“It was pretty intense for what we felt and saw.” Lozkhad said while agreeing with him.

“This is my brother, Hunter.” Oran replied. “Isaac Merrix.” He points to him. “And Lozkhad.” He points to him as well. “These are my two students.”

“Brother? I thought you didn’t have any family left?” Isaac said in confusion.

“He’s my adoptive brother but still my brother.” He puts his arm around Hunter.

“Pleasure to meet you both.” He says with a worried smile on his face. “He turns to face Oran. “What did you want to talk about?”

“Right; you hesitated. You hesitated because you didn’t want to hurt me. It left you with an opening that I used to get close with.” Oran stated calmly.

“You’re right. I didn’t want you to get hurt but now I realize that it’s me that needed the combat practice. The real battle. I apologize for not trusting in your abilities like you do in mine.” Hunter said with a polite bow.

“No worries here, bro. I know you’ll fight to the best of your ability against a real threat. We’re practicing not battling to the death.” Oran reassured him that everything was alright and they could continue on later. Bridgette exits the building and sees them all together,”First we need to inform the guild.”