~Chapter 6- Orphans~

Night fell. Razan, Lucar, Aero, Jirro and Hopper disembarked from the sandship before continuing towards the Link Temple. As soon as it came into view, Razan stopped. He saw the figure of a man and woman walking out in the open. It was unmistakably Vos and Diva. It was like seeing ghosts.

"Ok boys, I need you to step back for a moment," Razan said.

"We're coming with you," Jirro asserted.

"It'll be best if we talk to them on our own at first. Trust us, alright?" Razan explained. Aero and Jirro nodded and stayed back while their fathers went.

Vos and Diva spotted them and started walking towards them, "Do you think they'll be mad?" Lucar asked, clearly tense for their reunion.

"Wouldn't you be?"

The four met in an open clearing of the desert, the moon shining down on them. It had been over 15 years since they saw each other. Both Vos and Diva looked worn, wearing dark and ragged clothes that suited the Lands of Ranuulo.

For a moment, no one spoke, they simply stared at one another. Razan broke the silence, "Long time no see."

Vos clenched his fist, and Diva furrowed her brow, "After all these years, that's what you have to say!?" Vos exclaimed, his muscular frame towering over both Razan and Lucar.

"What do you want us to say?" Lucar asked.

"How about you explain why you abandoned us? Why you made us raise our son in such a terrible world while you went free?" Diva questioned with a pointed finger. She was just as angry as her husband. She levitated off the ground as if she was readying an attack.

"I'm sorry! You don't know the situation we were put in! We had no choice!" Razan exclaimed.

"Had no choice!?" Vos roared. He charged forward, grabbed both Razan and Lucar by their heads and drove them into the sand. The two brothers kicked Vos simultaneously, creating a shockwave from the impact and forcing him away. Vos charged forward like a feral animal at the two of them.

"I don't want to fight you!" Lucar exclaimed.

Vos charged at Lucar and unleashed a flurry of punches. With each impact the ground beneath them shook. Razan circled behind Vos, wrapped his arms around him and drove him into the sands.

Razan knew Vos was beyond reason right now, he had to fight. While Vos was down, he delivered a powerful kick that sent him spinning through the air.

Vos rebounded and came charging at him. Lucar came to his aid and the two brothers faced Vos together. As Razan felt Vos's punches, he remarked that he grew stronger, much stronger. But as long as he and his brother worked together, they could handle him.

Diva punched the air and purple Focus Bursts rocketed towards Razan, knocking him off balance, and creating holes in the sand around them. She flew down, picked Razan off the ground before tossing him back down. When he struck the sand, he realized she'd become stronger too. The Lands of Ranuulo had hardened them.

Razan and Lucar realized they couldn't afford to give anything but their all, even against their old friends.

---------------------------------------------

Aero and Jirro watched the incredible battle play out before them. Red, blue and purple light surrounded them, and it felt as if the entire desert reverberated from each strike. Razan flowed with his opponents, reacting to every subtle movement they performed. Lucar used great skill to avoid and counter. The woman who must've been Diva moved with incredible speed. The man who must be Vos seemed unstoppably powerful.

Despite the boy's growth over the last few years, they hadn't come close to their levels. It did look like Razan and Lucar were losing however.

Aero noticed a boy levitating through the air towards them, and a red-haired girl following him. It was a boy around his age with brown uncut hair, one that seemed familiar, but that Aero didn't recognize. The girl was Corri. Hopper growled as they approached.

The brown-haired boy landed near them and asked, "What're you two doing here?"

Jirro took a defensive stance, "I have a better question, who are you? What're you doing with Corri?"

"Oh right, you've never seen me without the mask," The boy shook his head and trifled through a bag slung over his back. He pulled out the white mask that the Masked One wore during the tournament and placed it over his face.

"Efilon?" Jirro asked.

Corri spoke, "Valr is his real name. He just used the name Efilon for the tournament."

Aero's eyes widened, "You're Vos and Diva's son!"

Valr nodded, "Ah, your dads have finally talked about me."

The ground shook from another titanic clash from their parents nearby. Both Aero and Jirro had a myriad of questions, but that had to wait.

"We have to stop our parents from fighting. At this rate, they're going to kill each other," Jirro said.

Corri said, "Look at them! They're way too powerful to stop!"

Aero stepped towards them, "They'll stop fighting if they're worried about us getting hurt. We just need to get in the middle of them."

The teenagers looked at the mess that was their parents' battle. Another strike landed, and the shockwave reverberated through the air, "How're we going to do that?" Corri asked.

Aero stared at the battle for a moment before turning to the others, "We've got to attack them at the same time."

"There's no way we'd be able to hurt them." Valr pointed out.

Jirro spoke, seemingly on the same page as Aero, "We don't need to. We just need to occupy them for a second. The moment they realize we've entered the fray, they'll stop."

The four teenagers circled around the titanic battle that was taking place before them, took their positions, and readied themselves. Valr flourished his hand to the air and a burst of purple light emerged from it, acting as a signal. Then the teenagers moved.

Aero charged at Razan and tackled him. Jirro fired several focus bursts at Lucar's back before coming up behind him. Valr flew towards Vos, grabbed his arms, and tried to restrain him. Corri used a Focus Burst to propel herself into the air at high speeds at Diva, grabbing onto her back.

The four parents turned to counter, but paused once they saw who it was. They had no choice but to stop.

Vos spoke angrily, "Get out of here! We have a score to settle."

"We're not going anywhere!" Jirro spoke defiantly, "Why're you even fighting anyways?"

"They abandoned us in the Lands of Ranuulo!" Vos gritted his teeth.

Aero crossed his arms, "But they got lucky. The barrier was closing and they either had to leave then, or not at all."

Both Vos and Diva glanced at one another, "What are you talking about?"

Razan felt a bruise on his cheek and took a deep breath, "Just... let me explain what happened."

Razan explained how they escaped.

"If you were in our situation, you would've done the same," Lucar explained.

Valr continued by telling of the man named Emitt who had gifted him the mask, and how Corri used Ralosia's gauntlets to truly destroy the barrier.

"Why would Emitt do all that? He let me through the barrier because he thought I might be able to destroy it. But what about all of you?" Valr asked.

"I think... that Emitt guy only cared about Bonnie. It seemed like he came for her," Lucar said. Razan tensed up as he spoke her name.

Diva listened quietly, taking in all the information being presented to them. Vos's fiery demeanor simmered down. He took a beleaguered sigh, looked to Razan and Lucar, and said, "For all these years, I was so angry. But after hearing all of this... I can't be mad at you."
Razan nodded, "I'd have been angry too if I were in your position. I wanted to turn back for both of you so badly, but I would've been trapped too."

Diva walked over to the Razan and Lucar and hugged them, "We understand... We're sorry for attacking you."

Lucar chuckled, "It wasn't the first time we've fought. I doubt it'll be the last either."

Vos wrapped his arms around Diva, Lucar, and Razan before picking them up in the air. The four held each other tightly, the grudges they held each against each other had evaporated. The orphans were together again.