What a way to end the last chapter, eh? Also, sorry for the long wait between the last chapter and this one. A lot of stuff came up, between final exams to other stories and starting a new job, my hands were a little full. But, i'm back and we're continuing down our path. Now, we're gonna hold off on Ayuma's grand return to battle with Fitoria, and that's because we have to find out what happened with them the night before when they met. Now, let's get right back into the story. Enjoy!

-POV: Ayuma- -The Night Before-

After falling victim to Fitoria's spell, I fell unconscious. She commanded her children, her Filolial's to transport me to her sanctuary, a safe haven for any and all creatures in this world. There the Filolial's placed my sleeping body down onto a flat stone slab, and arriving shortly after was Fitoria herself. 

"Please stay with me, my children. I may need your assistance in time if she does not cooperate." Fitoria told to her Filolial's as they all squawked and chirped at her. 

"Now then..... wake....." Fitoria said as she walked up to my right side and tapped my forehead with her left index finger. My eyes shot open and I gasped for air, like I had been drowning. I sat myself up and coughed a bit before looking around, not recognizing where I was. 

"What is this place? Where did you take me to!?" I asked as I looked to Fitoria. 

"My sanctuary. My home, as is the same with all Filolial's. Here, you are safe. And here, we can discuss...." Fitoria said as she walked away to sit on a ledge that overlooked a lake in the distance. 

"Discuss what....?" I asked her as I got off the slab and walked over to her. I looked to both of my sides and saw all of her Filolial's staring at me. They weren't taking their eyes off me and it was really starting to freak me out. 

"I have been watching you, Ayuma Saruwatari. For a reason that you now hold dear to your soul, you have chosen to abandon your duties as a cardinal hero. I would like to know why." Fitoria told me as I clenched my fists and gritted my teeth. 

"If you've been watching me then you should already know, right? So I don't see any point in giving you an answer, your majesty." I said, a bit of venom in my voice as Fitoria let out a sigh. 

"It is as I suspected then. The loss of your friend, Neela, has driven you over an edge into sadness and depression. You cannot find the will to act anymore, let alone even hold your weapon which you have also abandoned. You've given up." Fitoria said as I sat down next to her. 

"Yeah..... I guess that's right.... But you're not 100% correct about all this..... about me...." I told her as she looked over at me. She kept her seemingly blank expression but I could tell she was curious. 

"Oh? Then do tell me what I am missing. What have I been misinformed about in terms of your predicament?" Fitoria asked me as I could feel tears starting to drip down from my eye. 

"It wasn't just the loss of Neela..... the loss of my daughter..... that drove me to this...." I explained to her as I couldn't stop crying now. 

"So then it is your heart in its entirety that has caused you to flee." Fitoria said as she was pretty much correct. 

"The people I've met since I came to this world, whether they be my family or friends have all suffered because of actions I did. Everything I've ever done since coming here has had terrible outcomes on either myself or those I love. Just look at what happened to be when I tried to fight Glass." I said, showing off all the tortures I'd gone through, the missing eye, fingers, and much more. 

"I was put into a god damn coma..... And because of that I wasn't there to help my friends and my family....." I said as I lowered my head in shame. I knew everything that happened was my fault. From the very beginning, it was all me. 

"And you've come to realize that that was not all you had done to bring harm to the ones you care for. It all began when you willingly let yourself be possessed by Sefira, the demon knight of corruption." Fitoria said as I now cradled my face in all that was left of my hands. 

"Yes.... I did it all.... I was the catalyst for everything..... the rise of the first demon.... the spark that ignited the war..... the death of my daughter......" I cried as I raised my legs up and buried my face into them.

"Unfortunately, everything you claim is the truth. The strongest, kindest, and bravest of all five heroes, has, in a way, also been their greatest enemy. Had I have wanted to, I could've killed you and the other heroes on my own, allowing the next generation to take your place." Fitoria explained to me as I kinda wish she had done that long ago. 

"Then why didn't you? Why did you not intervene and make it so me and everyone I care about didn't have to suffer!?" I screamed at her but she still showed no emotion. 

"Because I saw potential..... hope.... the same that your friend, your daughter, Neela, saw in you when you had fallen into your coma. Despite being incapable of anything, she believed you could break through it all, overcome any and all obstacles in your path. And I chose to believe her. And, while some things I've seen make me hesitant of you and your position as a cardinal hero, I've seen more acts of greatness that make me realize Neela was correct about you." Fitoria said to me as I let out a very quick chuckle. 

"You say that but all I see is mistake after mistake caused by my very being. I'm no hero, i'm not friend, and I am no mother. I couldn't even look after and defend the one person I cared for more than anyone else. Neela is dead, my husband Alex lost a leg, and the other heroes, not just from this world but from the ones that were opened up, they all got hurt because of me, one of them even dying. I am responsible for everything. I just..... I just can't do this anymore..... I can't be the axe hero...." I cried as Fitoria fluttered her wings a bit. 

"Stop that...." Fitoria said with a bit of disgust in her voice as I looked over to her. I could sense anger coming from her, but still, she had that emotionless face. 

"Stop what!? Not wanting to do this anymore!? I don't know if you've been listening to me, your majesty, but in case you didn't, i'll shorten and simplify it for you!! Anything I do that I believe is the right choice causes harm to people!! What kind of a hero hurts the very ones they're trying to defend!? Innocent people died during the war, people I cared for. I refuse to see anymore people die or have harm come to them, so the only way for that to happen is for me to stop being the axe hero!!" I shouted in her face as Fitoria simply sighed at me. 

"Stop making yourself believe ideas that are not the truth. Yes, you played host to the first demon. Yes, you brought chaos to this world. Yes, you got your daughter killed. But, where there is tragedy and sacrifice, there is equal opportunity for redemption and hope. You single-handedly stopped a wave, you revived from your coma, you were given justice for all the wrong brought upon you and the shield hero, and you slayed Sefira and the demon king, Aidoneus. While you brought all this chaos, you also stopped it." Fitoria explained to me but I just couldn't accept any of it.

"You say I was able to overcome all of those but each one came with some sort of punishment. Stopping the wave got me captured and tortured, reviving from the coma made it possible for Sefira to take total control over me. Gaining justice brought moments that fueled Sefira's power as well. And slaying Sefira brought on the war which ended with me slaying Aidoneus, but also with him killing Neela right before my eyes. You don't understand a thing about all this!!! The great watcher you are, you don't know what it's like to lose someone you love, someone who's a part of you, your family!!!" I yelled to Fitoria as she stood up and then turned to look down at me. I stood up as well so that I could glare back down at her too. 

"How wrong you are, Ayuma. I am one of the oldest beings in this world. I've lived so many years that I have lost count. Hundreds, perhaps even thousands. I am the mother to so many of this worlds inhabitants, and as generations pass, so do they. I have watched so many of my children die before me, each saddening me more than the last. Do not think you are special because you lost one of your own." Fitoria said to me as I saw tears start to come from her eyes now. 

"I.... I didn't...." I tried to say but Fitoria stopped me. 

"You didn't what!? Think about all this!? Is that how you allowed the demon to possess you!? You just didn't think about it!? What about the beginning of all this, did you think about what would happen if you joined him!? Even after all you had heard he had done, despite not being true, you decided to fight alongside him and not the other heroes. Had you have thought things through, perhaps none of this would've happened to you. One simply change could've prevented all this from happening. I hope you live knowing all this." Fitoria shouted at me as I slapped her in the face without hesitation. I only turned her head slightly before she turned it back, glaring at me with pure intensity. 

"I joined him because I knew he had been wrong. I chose to accept the burden that the wrongs on him could also be placed on me. I wanted nothing more than to free his good name, even if it meant losing my own. In that time, we both found families of our own. They helped us grow in greater ways than we could've imagined. We wouldn't be here if it wasn't for them! They fought to protect us, as we did for them. Naofumi was able to fulfill his role, but I failed. I couldn't do anything to save Neela." I explained as Fitoria kept on glaring at me without even blinking. 

"And now that she is gone, you believe you cannot continue to grow into the hero you want to be without her support. Am I correct?" Fitoria asked me. 

"Yeah..... yeah, that's right. Me and Neela grew together, learning off each other. But now that she's gone, I cannot learn what she hoped to teach me. I cannot grow into anymore than what I've already become. Not without her." I explained as Fitoria returned the favor and slapped my face. I turned my face back to look down at her and I could feel a bit of blood running down my left cheek. 

"Once again you allow your stupidity and simple-mindedness to shroud your mind. Your situation is no different from the ideals of a mother/daughter relationship. Yes, you both live off one another, growing in heart and emotion. But eventually, the time comes for the two to separate, traveling down their own paths. The time where you must learn to live on your own. All beings share this concept, but you are refusing to believe and accept it. You think that without Neela, you cannot do a thing in this world, you cannot fulfill your purpose. But what you must realize is that the time of separation has come for you and Neela. Her path lead to an unfortunate end, while yours gave you life. You must learn to live without her. The strength she gave you only lasts so long, so you must attain a new understanding of a world without your daughter." Fitoria explained to me as I clenched my fists, feeling rage start to build up inside me. 

"Stop this.... stop saying all this....." I said as my body began to shake. More tears came from my eyes as every emotion was penetrating me. I just couldn't take it anymore.

"Only by understanding this world without the one you care for the most can you grow strong once more. Only this way can you find the strength to continue and complete your role as the axe hero. And only this way can you find the strength to return to the rest of your family." Fitoria said to me as I snapped. I'd heard enough for her as I pulled back my right arm over my left side and ignited it in flames. 

"I SAID STOP IT!!!" I screamed as I struck her. I rammed the back of my fist into her right cheek and I sent her sliding backwards a few feet. But all she did was rub where I had hit her and keep that infuriating emotionless face on her. 

"It appears everything I have said to you before wasn't capable of clearing your mind and making you realize your purpose. And, it seems I must take more drastic measures to ensure the survival of this world. So, I will offer you a choice, Ayuma Saruwatari." Fitoria said to me as rain began to fall from the sky. Thunder crashed above as all the Filolial's watching us fled into the woods. 

"And what choices are you offering?" I asked her. 

"You accept what I've told you. Cease this little rage you've allowed yourself to be consumed by and let me help you. Or, you continue with this pointless rebellion of yours and we fight. Should you win, I will transport you back to where I found you, and you'll continue on your way and abandon your role as the axe hero. But, should I win, I will kill you, allowing a new, more suitable and understandable axe hero to take your place. Now.... which will you choose?" Fitoria said as I raised up my fists, ready to fight. 

"You don't scare me. I've fought and defeated beings far more powerful and terrifying than you." I said as Fitoria sighed again and extended out her wings, beginning to hover before me, about 10 feet off the ground.

"If that is what you wish to believe, then you are more of a fool than I thought. You will soon realize that the decision you have chosen on was the greatest mistake of your life. You think think that beings such as Sefira and Aidoneus overpower me? Even combined, I dwarf their powers. Before I kill you I shall show you fear greater than what either of them showed you." Fitoria said to me as I ignited my fists in flames again. It's true, I was completely terrified, but I had to do this. It was the only way I could get out of all this.

"Bring it on you fat chicken...." I said as intimidatingly as possible as Fitoria flew at me, moving almost faster than I could react. She flew right up to me and reeled back her right hand. I crossed my arms in front of me to guard and she struck them with her flat hand. But the force was so much greater than I could've imagined. She sent me flying backwards and I smashed right through a tree. The Filolial's near me fled somewhere else as Fitoria hovered over to me. 

"I will give you one last chance, Ayuma. Accept what I have said, learn to live without Neela, return to those you still care about." Fitoria asked of me as I stood up and wiped some blood off of my arms. 

"No.... I just can't do it anymore!!! Not without her!!" I shouted as I spread out my own wings and took flight, ramming my body into her as we flew through the forest, breaking through tree branches. I punched her over and over again, striking all over with my flaming hands but none seemed to be affecting her.

"It is pointless to harm me. Even with your weapon or the aid of all of the other heroes, you cannot harm a creature of pure mana." Fitoria said as she spread her wings once more, stopping us mid-flight and ceasing all momentum entirely. I didn't hesitate from though as I went to strike her again. But, she reached up and effortlessly grabbed my right fist, stopping it and twisting it as she lowered us back down to the ground.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!" I screamed as we landed, but her twisting of my wrist made me drop to my knees in pain. 

"Give up, Ayuma. I will give you a quick and painless death." Fitoria said to me as I reeled back my left arm, now creating lightning on it. 

"If you really have been watching me..... then you know that I don't quit so easily!!!" I shouted as I drove my fist into her chest, making her let go of me as I made her crash through a tree. But she landed perfectly on her feet and blew away the smoke on her with a simple flap of her wings.

"I have watched all of you, and knowing that you do not quit, it does in fact bring great surprise that you actually have decided to run away from your duty as a hero. But, it just shows me how affected you were by the loss of your daughter. I shall rejoin you two. Then, you will be happy once more in death." Fitoria said to me as she reached behind her right side and plucked a feather from one of her wings. But the small 6 inch feather quickly grew into about 4 feet in length, with it looking like it had sharpened as well. She'd turned the feather into a real blade. 

"If you've watched us this whole time, and if you had the power to stop each and every one of the travesties and hardships we faced, why didn't you just step in!? If you had the ability to defeat Aidoneus on your own, then why couldn't you have save her life!? Why didn't you save Neela!?" I wailed at Fitoria as she once again sighed. 

"It's true. I could have stepped in if I wanted to. I could've ended your war, saved lives, and slayed the demons. But, it was not my place to act. If I see that the tragedy at hand can be resolved by the heroes and other forces, then I see no reason to intervene. I knew you were capable of defeating Sefira, Aidoneus, and the remainder of the demon knights, as well as the forces they brought from the other worlds. I was not needed, and it was proven as you, the other heroes, and all the forces you gathered succeeded in your war." Fitoria said as I charged her, becoming more and more consumed by my confusion and rage over her. 

"But you still could've showed up and saved her life!!! She could still be here if it weren't for you!!!" I screamed as I swung my left lightning fist at her again. But she simply sidestepped to her right and made me stumble forward. She then delivered a light slash to my forearm with her feather blade, but the sting from it was unreal. Like something was burning inside it. 

"It is as I said before. Sacrifices must be made to win battles. For the demons to be slayed, an equal offering to this world had to be made from the side of light. And so, two offerings were given. The warrior of one of the other worlds, a wizard named Damos who now dwells within his sister, Tetsa. And, of course, your friend, companion, and daughter, Neela. With their sacrifice, the world maintained its balance, and you were able to survive and win the great war." Fitoria tried to explain but I just didn't want to accept any of it. 

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" I shouted as I swapped to using ice magic. I swung my fists at her and Fitoria went to block with her feather blade, but when I struck it, I froze it completely in ice. She didn't seem fazed at all, not even when I struck it again and smashed it to pieces, leaving her defenseless for the moment. 

"Try as you might to block it all out, but you know it's all the truth. And in the end, you know you can't run away from it." Fitoria said to me as I let out a rage filled roar, reeling back my right arm as far as I could before activating my dragon heart flames. The flames formed into the miniature dragon that wrapped around my arm, with the dragon head merging with my fist. 

"Dragon Heart Quake Strike!!!" I roared as I drove my dragon fist into her face, creating a huge explosion that blew away trees and made even more Filolial's flee away. 

"I've heard enough out of you, Fitoria.... I'm tired of seeing people hurt because of actions that I made. You don't know how that feels. You may watch all your children die with every year that passes, but you don't understand what it's like when you know you're the one who caused them all that pain and suffering!" I shouted as the smoke cleared. To my horror, Fitoria was still in the same place she was before. I had struck the dead centre of her forehead with one of my strongest attacks, and she didn't even receive a scratch or have her clothes burnt. 

"The power of a dragon is pitiful to the power of a Filolial." Fitoria said to me as she reached up and grabbed my arm, twisting it even more than last time with a loud *CRACK* sound filling the air. I screamed from all the pain as I tried to pry her grip off of me with my other arm. But she was not letting go at all. 

"Let go of me!!!" I shouted but her hand was firmly clamped onto my arm. And the more she twisted it, the more screams I let out. She forced me down to my knees like before and began punching me in my face. She broke my nose very easily and gave me a huge black eye, making my vision extremely blurry. 

"Yield, Ayuma Saruwatari. I can make all this pain disappear forever." Fitoria said to me with an intimidating gaze that set fear within me. Nothing I was capable of could harm such a powerful being such as herself. Unless....

"I won't yield...... not to someone like you..... I'll beat you.... and earn my freedom..... even if I have to give in to what I hate the most!!!! DEMON FURY!!!" I roared as I allowed the demonic energy coursing inside me to take over. My veins turned a pitch black colour, as did my hair. My eyes turned a pure blood red color as strength surged through my whole body. I ever so slowly began to push myself back up onto my feet, pushing Fitoria back in the process. 

"How sad. You resort to using the power that caused all this to happen, just so you can try and defeat me. It's a disgrace. Do not think even this power can save you." Fitoria said to me as I found my way back onto my feet. I then reeled back my head and thrusted it forward, slamming it into her face. But just like before, she didn't even budge and it felt like I'd just hit a steel wall. I let out a wail of pain but I endured it, gritting my teeth as I reeled back my left arm, surrounding it in demonic energy. 

"Black Demon Claw!!!" I shouted as I opened up my fist and slashed at Fitoria. I managed to rip up a bit of her clothing but not break her skin, but it proved that this attack was more effective than the others I tried before. 

"It appears I must refrain from holding back now, if this is what you choose to do. You accept the most vile of magic in this world, the powers of a demon. I will now strike you with the power they fear the most." Fitoria said as her wings grew even larger, gaining a golden shine in the process. 

"Grand Filolial Wing Slash!" She chanted as she swiped one of her wings at me. I went to block by raising my arms up to guard but when her wing struck me, the light energy and force was so immense that it broke through my defense and sent me crashing through a huge boulder that was behind me, shattering it to pieces as I landed hard on the ground, my body feeling weak and everything burning. The demonic energy couldn't withstand such powerful light type magic. 

"Cease this pathetic display, Ayuma. I am willing to show mercy and allow all this pain to stop. Just give up, and it'll all be over." Fitoria said as she began to walk over to me. 

"No.... I won't stop..... but.... I can't go back.... to being a hero either..... " I struggled to say as I somehow found the strength to rise up onto my feet. I was nearing my limit, so I had to make sure my next attack would count. Even if it meant killing Fitoria. 

"I won't let you beat me!!! Never!!! As source of thy power, I order thee!!! Decipher the laws of destruction and cast my target unto the abyss in which there is no escape!!! I sentence thee to suffer in hell for all eternity!! I cast the Endless Black Void!!!!!" I chanted as I raised my arms up into the sky. My call was heard as a huge black circle appeared above us. I then lowered my left arm down and pointed at Fitoria as she had stopped to observe the attack I just cast. 

"So this is what it has come to..... You believe that I must die in order for you to gain what you want....." Fitoria said as hundreds of long black arms shot down from the black circle, each coming down for her. She dodged several with ease, taking sidesteps or small jumps but eventually some managed to grab onto her wings and her arms. Fitoria looked like she was struggling to break free of them as more arms latched onto her and began to pull her up to the black circle. 

"I'm sorry, Fitoria.... but this is the only way.... I cannot return to the life I had before..... more people will die if I do.... and that's just something I can't live with....." I cried as Fitoria let out yet another sigh. 

"I have seen all I wished to see...." I heard her say as her wings began to shine with an even greater intense light than before. The arms latched onto her were vaporized, as was the black circle in the sky as it fell victim to the bright light. And as Fitoria hovered above me, she soon came soaring straight down, reeling back her right arm and surrounding it with a golden light. 

"No.... This can't be happening.... I can't go back!! I WON'T GO BACK!!!" I screamed as I went to meet her attack. But no more demonic energy was coming from my body. I'd exhausted myself and I couldn't use anything anymore. No more magic, no more curses, this was it. 

"Grand Filolial Shining Talon!" Fitoria shouted as she came down on me, crashing her fist into my face and blasting my head into the earth. The impact created a shock wave that blew away all the trees around us, cratering the ground as she stood over me, victorious. I couldn't do a single thing to her. The difference was obvious and now, I pay the price for being such a fool. 

"This fight is over, Ayuma Saruwatari. You have lost, and as such, you must now comply with the conditions of our deal." Fitoria said to me as I laid in the crater, my body badly bruised, bleeding in several sections with barely any feeling anywhere. 

"Yeah.... I guess I do..... so..... just get it over with then...." I said to her, trying my best to show no fear as I coughed up some blood. 

"Very well. As agreed upon, I shall grant you death. But, you chose to use the demonic power that you strived to overcome and destroy. You brought shame to yourself within that moment. And so, I will not give you the quick and painless death I promised you." Fitoria explained to me as dozens of Filolial's came walking up, completely surrounding us as Fitoria backed away, walking in between her children. 

"What're you.... gonna do to me....?" I asked her as she pointed to me with her right index finger. 

"My children, tonight I give you a feast. Enjoy to your hearts content. Now...... Eat her." Fitoria said as all the Filolial's approached me, licking their beaks as fear set in once again. I tried desperately to move but I just couldn't muster up the strength to do anything. I just had to lay here and watch as I was eaten alive by hungry Filolial's. 

The Filolial's came right up to me on all sides and began pecking away, tearing up my cloak and clothes underneath before starting to attack my skin. I screamed as all the pecking felt like a bunch of bullets piercing me, and in my pain my body moved into the fetal position with my arms covering my face and neck. 

"Stop it!!!" I screamed but they just ignored me. 

"Stop!!!" I screamed again but they just kept on going and going. 

"PLEASE!!!! STOP IT!!!! STOP!!! STOP!!!!" I wailed as I waited for everything to just end for me. But in that moment, something strange occurred. All the pecking turned into the Filolial's licking me. I lowered my guard in utter confusion and gently batted away the Filolial's. 

"What's going on.....?" I said, crying from the fear brought upon from that experience. Fitoria returned and crouched down in front of me, patting my head which actually did a little to calm me down. 

"You showed me what I wanted to see. After I beat you, you gave me the impression that you wanted to die with what you said to me. But, after setting my children on you, your cries for it all to stop showed me that you still choose to fight back. You still want to live. And so, I have chosen to spare you life. But I will alter our agreement. You, Ayuma Saruwatari, will now devote your life to me and me alone. Understood?" Fitoria explained to me as I rolled over and used all the strength in my arms to push myself up to my knees. 

"What do I.... have to gain.... by devoting.... everything.... to you?" I asked her. 

"A second chance. While I cannot help you in finding salvation for your fallen daughter, I can help you save the lives of others. I am the watcher of this world, I fight for the side of life, and now, a threat has awakened that has the potential to destroy everything. The Spirit Turtle is on the move. Three heroes have currently engaged it, with the fourth on his way. But none of them possess the power to stop it." Fitoria explained to me. 

"And how do I..... how do we stop it..... your majesty....?" I asked her as she used her wings to lift me up onto my feet. 

"This is a matter which I must intervene in, but each millennia the Spirit Turtle awakens, it grows even stronger than the last. I am not sure if I have the strength to best it. But, with you by my side, we have a much higher chance at defeating it. Together, you and I can end the Spirit Turtle until the next millennia arrives." Fitoria explained to me as she placed her left hand in the centre of my chest. It glowed for a second and then went away, but she quickly healed all of my wounds, giving me strength again. 

"Thank you. But, how am I supposed to help you? If this thing could be stronger than you, then there's no way I could do anything to it. After all, I couldn't do anything to you in our fight." I said as Fitoria patted my head again. 

"Always he curious one, aren't you? I did say together, didn't I? So, I shall bestow upon you one of the greatest magical forces within this world I protect." Fitoria said as she then grabbed my cheeks with her right hand and forced my mouth open. Then, in her left hand, she made a gold ball of magic appear. 

"The power of the Filolial Queen. My power. Now, we both share it." Fitoria said as she placed the magic ball in my mouth and closed it. I swallowed it and my body instantly felt a massive surge of power flow through it, even more so when Alex gave me his grand magic. 

Fitoria's magic also changed me physically as well. My hair turned a deep golden blonde colour, my wings shed their black wings and regrow white ones, a brilliant white and gold armor appeared over my body, all the way from the shoulders down, and a new golden eye patch appeared over my left eye. I was reborn with this power. 

"Finally, please listen to these words, Ayuma. No hero is capable of saving everyone, but a hero should take pride in saving those who they are able to. You may have lost Neela, but that doesn't mean you should give up. You still have family that is alive in this world, so you should use every ounce of your being to protect them until your last breath." Fitoria spoke to me as I gave her a nod. 

"I.... I understand, your majesty. But.... there's still something missing with all this...." I said as I raised up my left arm and used my magic to call my axe to me. But, Fitoria reached out and grabbed my arm, lowering it back down as she shook her head at me. 

"No. By having your weapon come to you, it shows weakness. In order for you to make your full return, you must pick up your weapon with your own hands. It shows strength, pride, courage, and determination. And I foresee that it will happen soon." Fitoria said to me as I gave her another nod. She then stepped away as the ground began to rumble. 

"What's going on!?" I said as her Filolial children began pulling a huge chariot through the forest, covered in cannons and lances from bottom to top. 

"This enemy is one of the greatest ever known. We both must use everything we have in order to best it. Which means I must use weapons which i'd prefer not to use." Fitoria said as her whole body began to glow now. She started growing in size, getting larger and larger and changing into her true bird Filolial form. She was absolutely massive, easily the size of a mountain as she climbed into her chariot. 

"We musn't waste any time. Join me, Ayuma. The Turtle approaches, and we must meet it." Fitoria said as I obliged and gave her a nod. I then flew up and landed on top of her head as she used her magic to make the chariot move all on its own. 

"To battle!!! For this world!!! For all life!!!" Me and Fitoria shouted in unison as we were off to face this Spirit Turtle. 

After wanting to get away from it all, being a hero, and all the pain it brought onto me and those I cared about, Fitoria, despite using drastic measures, granted me a second chance at life. I wasn't able to stop the one I cared for the most, Neela, from dying, and I have accepted that everything that has happened was all because of actions that I did. But Fitoria has shown me that I still have a purpose in this world. I can't save everyone, that's the harsh reality that I must accept. But, I can still try and protect the rest of my family. And until I feel I've accomplished that goal, I will wait to pick up my axe again.