Arc I.5: “The Cosmic Guard”
Chapter I: “Restoration”
Episode I: “Settling”
[Woodberry – A week after Apocalypse’s defeat]
Akira was lying sprawled out on his bed, drooling into his pillow.
He and Asuka were still staying with Fevee after the battle. They decided it would be nice to have a break and relax after all the challenges they had overcome.
“Akira, are you ready yet?!” Asuka’s voice rattled through his door.
He stirred with a groan, hair sticking out in every direction.
“H-huh?”
The door slammed open. Asuka stormed in, hands on her hips.
“You weren’t even up yet!”
She yanked at his arm, tugging him off the mattress.
“Ughhh…” Akira groaned as he desperately clung to his sheets, trying to melt back into sleep.
“Fine then—stay here and rot,” She dropped him unceremoniously onto the floor and stomped off.
Minutes later, Akira’s nose twitched. A savory aroma drifted from the kitchen.
“Something smells amazing!”
He shot to his feet and bolted down the hall.
Asuka and Fevee were plating breakfast, a plethora of delicious foods lining the counter.
Akira’s eyes locked onto his favorite— a tall stack of golden, glistening—
“Pancakes!” Akira shouted as he sprang into the air and dove in between them like a diver, gracefully swiping a stack of pancakes as he fluidly swam through the air.
Asuka sighed, though a smile betrayed her annoyance.
“Knew that would wake you.”
“He’s still the same as years ago,” Fevee giggled, covering her mouth.
“Alright, hurry up and eat,” Asuka pressed.
“We only have a couple of hours to get to the UFA mainland for the ceremony.”
Akira looked up with his mouth full, “Cer-eh-moany?”
He gulped down the rest of his food before asking, “What ceremony?”
Asuka facepalmed.
“I told you— they’re holding a ceremony for us. Well, mostly for you. You’re the hero who defeated Apocalypse. But Darc, Rayon, my brother, and I are also being honored for helping to stop the generals.”
Akira scratched his head.
“Sounds like a hassle.”
Her eyes softened when she caught the worn, dry skin beneath his. Still, she bonked him on the head.
“Quit moping. People worked hard to set this up—don’t waste it.”
“Ow! Alright, alright!”
[A few hours later – UFA Mainland]
The UFA’s main campus swarmed with thousands of spectators.
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While not everyone knew of Apocalypse and his terror, they were informed that he was the cause of destruction for many ecosystems and landscapes across the world.
News of his defeat had spread worldwide—Akira’s name was on every broadcast.
With a massive audience gathered before them, Darc, Rayon, the council of seven, and the headmaster were all gathered on the stage in front of a podium— waiting for Akira’s arrival.
Akira descended with Asuka, setting Fevee gently in the crowd before hopping back onto the stage.
The two of them walked to their designated positions on the stage.
“Look, look, there he is!” A girl in the crowd shouted.
“Akira~!” a bunch of fangirls shouted as Akira walked out onto the stage.
“Hmph,” Asuka stamped his foot.
“Ow! What was that for?!” he grabbed his foot with both hands as he grimaced in pain.
“Whoo! Go, Akira!”
“Akira!!”
“Our savior!
“Rayon’s way hotter!”
“I love you, Akira!”
The whole crowd erupted in celebration.
“Wow, they must really love you, Akira,” Darc’s mouth opened wide as he teased.
“You have a lot of fans.”
“Hehe, yeah, I guess so,” Akira closed his eyes and rubbed the back of his head as he smiled modestly.
Asuka looked at him, unamused.
“Don’t let it get to your head,” Rayon scoffed.
“It won’t be much longer until I’ve completely surpassed you.”
“Oh,” Akira looked over at Rayon, his eyes sharpening.
“Is that so? Then I look forward to the challenge!”
“Now, now,” The headmaster grumbled.
“Save the posturing for later. It is time for us to begin.”
The headmaster walked over to a podium at the center of the stage.
The four teenagers got back in line, straightening out to give respect to the headmaster.
The headmaster raised his hand, and instantly the crowd fell silent. They eagerly awaited his words.
“Greetings,” his voice bellowed, “we are gathered here today to celebrate this group of young heroes standing before us.”
The crowd briefly erupted in shouts and applause before letting him continue.
“Thanks to their sacrifice, we are all still standing here in this moment, our days of ‘tomorrows’ still awaiting us. Granted, there were lives lost… but they shall live on with us, fueling our growth and our journeys through life. Let us have a moment of silence to honor those who’ve passed on.”
Everyone in the crowd and on the stage held their heads down, closing their eyes.
Fevee clenched her fists, reminiscing about the time she spent with Rackon.
“May their spirits return to the Song of Aether,” the headmaster bowed his head.
“Now,” he brightened up, “let us honor our heroes!”
“Yeah!!” the crowd erupted again.
“The first person I would like to welcome up is none other than Darc!”
“Woooo!” the crowd cheered.
Darc stepped out of the line and walked around to the podium.
After shaking hands with each of the six members of the council of seven, the final member, the headmaster himself, presented him with a golden medal and a badge of honor.
He stood tall over the group of old men, waving his muscular arms towards the crowd as he celebrated.
“This young hero has made such astounding progress that he is almost unrecognizable from when he first joined our academy! Let him hear your praise!”
“YEAHH!!”
“Next, I would like to welcome a talented young fighter who continues to grow exponentially. You all know him, give it up for Rayon!”
“YEAHHH!! WOOO!!”
Rayon stepped up to the podium with a flat expression, reluctantly accepting his medal and badge.
“I would also like to announce that these two young men have been promoted to Senior UFA Officers, being the youngest in history to achieve such a feat.”
“Woah, seniors while they’re still teenagers? That’s crazy,” someone in the crowd whispered.
“Yeah, but you have to admit that they’re insanely strong. Way stronger than a lot of the other senior officers.”
“Yeah, yeah, and they’re stronger than the headmaster too!”
“What kind of a comparison is that? The headmaster is an old man! He’s already well past the point where he could retire! Of course, those young sprouts are gonna be stronger than him!”
As the crowd continued chattering, the headmaster raised his hand again. Without even having to raise his voice or flaunt his power, the crowd was once again silenced.
Darc and Rayon went back to the front of the stage to stand in line.
“This next young lady has been an irreplaceable supporter for our other fighters. Yet don’t underestimate her! She is quite powerful in her own right and has made leaping bounds in her progression. You’re up, Asuka!”
Asuka waved to the crowd, glancing at Fevee as she smiled brightly. She walked to the podium to receive her rewards, then returned to the line.
“Now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for… the hero who defeated Apocalypse! The prodigal child himself, Akira!”
“WHOOOOOOOOO!!”
“LET’S GOO!!”
“AKIRA!!”
“MARRY ME, AKIRA!!”
“A-KI-RA! A-KI-RA! A-KI-RA!” the crowd started chanting.
“Wow, they’ve got a lot of energy,” Akira said as he walked around to the podium.
“They weren’t doing this when we were called up,” Darc chuckled.
“Tsk,” Rayon gritted his teeth in spite.
Asuka was also peeved, but for a different reason… she scanned over the crowd, making note of all the Akira fangirls.
Looks like I have my work cut out for me… she thought, cracking her knuckles as veins in her temple pulsed.
Darc and Rayon glanced at Asuka, nervous sweat running down their faces.
Akira received his medal and badge, then pumped his fist up in the air, inciting more chanting.
[The Western Mountain Range]
Wind howled across jagged peaks. Rikito sat on the edge of the steep range, tossing a rock he had been playing with between his fingers.
The wind whistled, blowing through his hair, forcing him to close his eyes. In the darkness of his mind, Rikito thought.
“He was the one who butchered her. The last thing your mother saw before dying… was him. This entire time you’ve been chasing after our father— the only thing pushing you forward being your revenge.”
Rikito stood up.
I won’t accomplish anything by just sitting around here.
He looked down at his hands.
“The only way forward,” he gripped his fist, “is up.”
[Woodberry Village]
Akira and Asuka walked through the crowded village, watching as hard-hat workers ran up and down the trails.
“Things are getting busy around here,” Akira said as he looked around.
“Yeah. Fevee told me that the village elder plans to renovate and expand the entire village. They also want to set up this advanced energy-barrier thing.”
“Woah, really? That sounds awesome!”
“Yeah… but where are they getting all that money from? Last I checked, this village was closer to the impoverished side.”
“Hehe, about that…” Akira rubbed the back of his head.
“I may have agreed to give all my reward money from the UFA to the village. I felt bad since part of the reason it was destroyed was cuz of me.”
“What!? All of it… How much did they give you?”
“Uh… about… a million.”
“Oh, a million credits? Yeah, they gave the rest of us about as much as well.”
Sweat ran down Akira’s face.
“What’s wrong?”
“A million… gold coins…”
Asuka’s face turned pale as her expression shattered into pieces.
“G-gold…”
One gold coin… is up to a million credits!
“YOU GAVE AWAY A TRILLION CREDITS!!?” She shook Akira by the collar as she yelled into his ear.
“I know, I know,” he whined.
“And you didn’t even think to save any of it? What an idiot…” she shook her head.
“Well, it's not like I needed it. All I really spend money on is food anyway. They can make better use of it than I can.”
“Oh? Is that so? So then, where do you plan on staying? The UFA doesn’t house licensed officers for free, you know. And I just got done telling Fevee that she should get rid of that old house. I guess that means you’re going to be homeless,” she said coldly.
“Damn, not again…” Akira gripped his fist.
“A-again? Did I miss something?”
“Ah, that’s right. I haven’t really told anyone about my past. I guess I’ll tell you one of these days.”
[Next Time on Lyte of Utopia]: “No Time for Rest / Dark Successor”
[Yield Levels]:
Akira: 1b
Asuka: 5m
Rayon: 50m
Darc: 30m
Headmaster: 10m
Rikito: 100m
- Aether Resurgence: Surge: 200m