It was early morning, and it was finally time for school to start up again. The students would be attending their final term and preparing for the exams ahead before enjoying their summer break. This meant the teachers no longer had much to do, and this included general Lawson[Nat]han, who was in charge of the first-year students.
He was in a chirpy mood as he entered the office, with a hop in each step and whistling a tune. Usually, Mondays would be the worst for most people, but it was the start of something new for him.
Although, their military base had failed at securing the first position and becoming winners of the base event. They had been praised for at least not coming in last. Not only that but Oscar, the supreme commander, had complimented them for how much improvement they had compared to the previous year. He stated he would be coming over the summer when the students weren't present to congratulate everyone.
There were still problems between Truedream and Wesley[Duke] and Paul, but that was something Lawson[Nat]han didn't care to get involved in. The head general could take care of that, as it was above his pay grade. Besides, it seemed like Truedream had stopped making requests from the second base as he was busy preparing for something else.
"Finally, no problems, no drama, I can just relax, " Lawson[Nat]han said as he went to sit down at his desk. That's when he noticed something strange, a white envelope. This was rare in this day and age, where anyone could just send someone a message in an instant. Even if they didn't want to, they could always send you a message later.
So, he was curious about the contents of the letter. As Lawson[Nat]han quickly opened the letter, he realized there wasn't much on it.
"Dear Lawson[Nat]han
I am leaving the military base for good.
From Simon[Leo]."
"Huh?" Lawson[Nat]han thought as he must have missed something. He reread the few lines again and again until reality hit him.
"WHAT!?" He shouted. "He just left like that; it's the middle of the term; who's going to take over the beast class, and what about a new sergeant."
Lawson[Nat]han immediately sat down and started to press his two fingers on his forehead as he could feel a slight headache coming on.
'Well, we did put that condition that he could leave whenever he wanted. But I thought he would have at least informed us, what about common courtesy.
However, he couldn't stay mad for long. Simon[Leo] had helped him in many situations during his short stay here, and it was a person even he looked up to.
"You were a great man, Simon[Leo]. Because of you, there were times when the Wesley[Duke] and the others chose to do something different. Wherever you are, I hope you are doing well." Lawson[Nat]han said with a smile, before quickly cursing at him for giving him more work on his relaxing day off.
++++
On planet Lintarnia it was a peaceful day just like any over. The long grass was healthy and green, and the blue river was flowing nicely next to the quiet Shelter. After leaving the military base, Simon[Leo] had gathered all of his things and had made his move here.
"I'm finally back, " Simon[Leo] said after coming through the portal. The portal used had dropped him in the centre of the Shelter and all his belongings came through with him, were left at the side. Leaving them there, he set off.
While walking through the Shelter, people looked at Simon[Leo] strangely, for they could tell he was blind due to his strange eyes. Yet, somehow, he was walking fine. The Shelter didn't often get visitors, not ones that would stand out as much as Simon[Leo]. So, they all paid quite a bit of attention to him.
While walking through the Shelter heading for a particular destination, Simon[Leo] started to think about the changes his body was experiencing. His Skill[ability] was being restored to what it once was at an incredibly fast rate. He had done it once before, and the second time around was even easier.
He noticed and could feel all the changes in his body since that day. When practising his swordsmanship, it was harder for him to tire out and feel exhausted, and even walking through crowds of people now, he could tell each person was different through their scent like a dog.
He was thankful to Archer[Quinn]; he had given him the ring allowing him to walk in daylight, just to see how it would affect him, Simon[Leo] had taken the ring off while outside. The effects were instant, and it hit like a bomb. It wasn't what he had expected at all.
If it wasn't for the ring, he wouldn't have even dared walking out during the night. Being that weak with him being who he was, wasn't a good idea.
He had also learned to perform a few blood abilities, but he wouldn't use them again after testing them out once. This was because of Archer[Quinn]'s warning, as well as what he could feel through his own body. His hunger and his life force were leaving him. Not only that, but through his Skill[ability], he could see it as well.
It hadn't been long, but he was experiencing small parts of hunger now and then, but it wasn't to the point where he needed to do something about it, not yet anyway.
This wasn't a huge worry, obtaining blood may sound difficult at first, but with him being who he was, he didn't think it would be difficult, especially in a shelter with a population of twenty or so thousand people.
While thinking about all these things, he had finally reached his destination. He stood outside, what looked like a sizeable styled dojo. There were two giant red doors, and a wall surrounding the whole place.
It was sparkly clean, with a white finish and there weren't many buildings around it at all. As if it was an abandoned place.
"They managed to rebuild it to my exact specifications as well. It looks nice." Opening the large two Red giant doors, a man from inside the dojo came rushing out as soon as they heard it.
"Hey get out of here, how many times do I have to tell you, the owner of this place wants no visitors!" A young man started yelling while out in his shorts and sunglasses.
It was clear he had been enjoying the large building to himself, as behind him just in front of the dojo building, was a sunbed.
However, as the young man got closer, he lifted his glasses, and he realized his grave mistake.
"Sir, you're back. When did you come back? Why didn't you inform me earlier?" The young-looking man looked barely over the age of twenty and was flustered. "I would have made sure to have everything ready for your liking."
"Don't worry about that, " Simon[Leo] said. "For now, I just want to rest. How has the Shelter been? Have the travellers got paid well? Were there any troubles within the Shelter?"
"While you were away, I did everything as you wished. The payments for the Factions and travellers have been kept up, although there haven't been many attacks from beasts apart from one or two once in a while, and as you wished, the payments and donations to the Shelter have been kept anonymous." The man replied.
For the last couple of years, Simon[Leo] had been funding the entire Shelter himself with his own money. The beast crystals he had obtained, the money from the previous war, and all the money he received from teaching went to this Shelter.
This place was dear to him because it was the Shelter that he and his master and all the other students used to stay at before the Oregon[Dalki] attack. When they came, they had destroyed everything, and no one survived.
The government had given up on it, as it would have been more expensive to rebuild then build a new one altogether. This was when Simon[Leo] stepped in. He rebuilt everything and invited those related to the ones that had died over to the Shelter free of charge.
Later, the Shelter grew on its own, and it became like any of the others, with taxes and so on being paid. But they still needed protection, and as it wasn't one owned by the government or the big four, Simon[Leo] decided to take up that role.
There was one other reason for him doing all this as well.
"Any news on anyone suspicious entering the city?" Simon[Leo] asked.
"Unfortunately, none that matched your description." The young man replied.
The other reason was in rebuilding the Shelter, was because of his master. The two of them were last seen at the dojo. Or at least the ruins of it. He was hoping that there was a chance he would one day come back. But still, it seemed like he hadn't returned.
"Although there wasn't a man of your description who had entered the Shelter. There were reports of two individuals, a man with a large sword on his back, and a young girl."
"Do you know where they went?" Simon[Leo] asked.
"They travelled up the clifftop, not too far from here near the river."
"I'll go check it out, prepare my things, and bring them in when you can. I left them all by the teleporting station. I'll be staying here… I don't know for how long but at least a little while."
"Yes, sir."
Walking to the cliff top, Simon[Leo] had a clue who the young man was talking about. A while ago, when the kids were in trouble, he had lent them a teleporter to use, and that teleporter led them to this place. However, he was unsure about the man.
The kids hadn't told him their full plan, so perhaps one of them had connections to this man. Either way, with no clues about where his master was, he needed to start somewhere, even though the chances were slim. Maybe the two mysterious people weren't who he thought they were.
Along the way, several flying type intermediate beasts had come his way. Usually, they would be attacking anything on-site, and this included Simon[Leo], but this time they were staying away.
"Can they sense I've changed?" He thought, but as long as they didn't attack him, there was no need to go hunting for beasts.
Finally, he had reached the edge of the clifftop. Using his Skill[ability], he started to look around to see if there were any more clues, and eventually, he found something on the ground.
Picking it up, he noticed that it was a watch, but not just any watch; it was a design he became familiar with not too long ago, a watch from the military.
"I wonder what this is doing here?"
To be continued....
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