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Twenty years ago, the tyrant emperor, Emperor Dolfus, his brother, and their associates have fallen and were dethroned from their respective positions, the ones who felled the evil ruler were members of the Crimson Rebellion, a freedom militia led by none other than the former emperor's youngest son, Prince Axion, one with a heart filled with justice and devotion to the people that his farther tormented for decades.

But, as one last act of kindness, the Prince let his father and uncle live, long as they behaved and didn't cause any trouble, but that peace was short-lived, as the commander of the Rebellion, now one of the Commanders of the Imperial Army, Rudolf, caught both of them trying to flee the country and ordered their immediate execution, with the Princes permission to act accordingly if he noticed any suspicious behavior.

Now, the Dormus Empire lived in relative peace for many years, with the occasional spurt of trouble caused by a group who still followed the former emperor, as well as a branch of the Holy Church of Astalos, God of Creation and Destiny, a zealous group followed the teachings down all the wrong paths and the Dolfus' brother was the one leading the Church at the time.

Axion didn't abolish their religion in its entirety but advocated for proper teachings of it, so no one would follow that path ever again.

It wasn't as peaceful as they had hoped, but Axion and Rudolf made it work. Oblivious to the new danger that was looming over the horizon.

---

5 years ago.

The people of Durham Town were enjoying another peaceful day of perfect weather and a healthy, bountiful harvest.

"Come again!" The door to the bakery opened and out came a young wolf boy of 13 years old, wearing a blinder cap, white shirt, and dark pants with suspenders, jogging as fast as he could without shaking the large bag of baked goods in his arms too much. Lupo, one of the few orphans who lost their parents in a recent skirmish between survivors of the Old Teachings of the Church and the Imperial Army.

Others were waiting just outside of town, in a clearing that only they knew about, a group of five a wolf boy with messy hair wearing a similar outfit to Lupo and a cat girl with long, pinkish hair wearing a long dress, both had light-colored fur and appeared to be in between 15-16, then two more boys, both canines with, one of them was pretty slim, almost malnourished looking with a light tan fur wearing an engineer's overall, while the other was the complete opposite with a very chubby look and a slightly darker tan wearing a farmer's overall. Both were about 12 and 13 years old, respectively.

Then came the youngest of the group, a younger cat girl with similar fur and longish hair to the older girl, she was about 9 years old, she was also wearing a dress. "There he is!" She called out as she finally saw Lupo making his way towards them, bag of baked goods in hand.

"Hey guys! Sorry I'm late, there was a bit of a line at the bakery today." He allowed himself to catch his breath was he was close enough, handing the bag over to the oldest boy. "I thought those berry pies were gonna sell out before it was my turn."

"Hope you brought enough for everyone, though." The oldest boy said as he began handing out some of the bread and cookies that were bought.

"Of course, Clyde, but I could only get my hand on half of a pie's worth of slices."

"Then we better not let Bonnie here eat them all." The slim canine, Arthur teased as he nudged his chubby half-brother.

"Don't worry, you look like you need them more than me, you walking matchstick." Bonnie replied with a nudge back, before eating half of his slice in one bite, humming in content to himself.

"Hey now, watch the language you two, we got ladies here." Clyde mock-reprimanded.

Both girls giggled at the antiques of those two, the older girl, Aina, spoke. "It's fine. It's not like we're not used to more vulgar words around you lot."

"Yeah, you say a lot of baaaad words when you think no one's around." Lilia, the younger girl spoke with a giggle.

"Alright, alright, I'll watch my language from now on, happy?"

"There you guys are!" The six children turned to the new voice, just as the rest of their group joined them.

Three more joined them, two boys and a girl who was dressed a bit too boyishly. The oldest of the new trio, about 14 years old, had black fur all over, with the exception of his chest and abdomen, both visible as he wore a very baggy tank top with some slightly baggy pants, he had a full buzzcut faintly showing the remnants of his blonde hair.

The girl dressed in semi-baggy pants and a t-shirt, had short, curly, fiery red hair, that shined briefly under the light, he hair's color matching the fire that seems to be constantly burning in her eyes.

The third was an older wolf, 18 years, the oldest of the group, he had black fur, all over, his shaggy, short hair covering both eyes. "Sorry we're late. Couldn't get these two to find something proper to wear."

"Proper for what, James? This is a picnic! With our friends!" The 14 year old, red-haired girl, Jessie exclaimed loudly as she took a seat.

"She's right, you know." Logan, the dark-furred, 14 year old, added before joining his half-sister. Finally followed by James.

This group of nine were all orphans from the skirmish that happened 3 years ago, remaining members of the old church were scattered to the wind and some of them found refuge in each of their villages, which earned the ire of the Imperial Army. Granted the Imperials didn't want to fight in fear of harming the citizens and damaging the villages, but the members of the Old Church were the ones who drew their weapons first. The battles that resulted from this violent conclusion caused a lot of destruction and casualties, and unfortunately, the parents and families of these children were among them.

Once they were relocated to Durham village, they all found families that would happily take them in, Clyde and Lupo were greeted into the family of a middle-aged couple who welcomed them with open arms and warm embraces, raising both of them as brothers, the group then bonded together because of that very fact.

"Aina, I need to pee." Lilia pleaded as she tugged on her sister's sleeve.

"Alright, alright, come on." They got up and went away from the group.

"I better go with them, make sure they don't get lost." Logan stated as he got up as well.

"Don't do anything stupid there, Lo!" Clyde mocked which got him the finger from the canine.

Lupo took a look around the remaining group, pretty happy with how tight their friendship was, then his eyes fell on Clyde and his smile widened, feeling pretty proud of his brother. "Someone's smitten~" He jumped slightly as James suddenly spoke in his ears.

"I-it's not like that, you idiot!" He retorted with a harsh whisper, a violent blush burning his face.

"Admit it, you're crushing on him, aren't you?" James teased some more as he nudged Lupo on the arm, gently.

"So what if I was? He only has eyes for Aina." His eyes then fell to the ground, slowly filling with sadness. "He keeps talking about how he wants to marry her when both of them are older."

"And if they don't?"

"I'm too young to be thinking about that stuff, anyway."

"True, true." James reclined back on the log he was sitting on. "But, at least you know what you want. I'm the oldest and I still don't know what I want. Romantically speaking, that is."

"Lucky you, I'd say..."

"AAAAHHHH!!!" The remaining six jumped in their places as they heard the screams, James and Clyde were the first ones on their feet and making a mad dash in the general direction. "Aina! Lilia! Logan!" Clyde called out as they arrived at another, slightly bigger clearing.

In front of them, the trio who went away earlier were each held tightly by men who were clearly bandits, with various weapons. One of them, a lanky coyote was holding Lilia up by her neck. "Looks like we got ourselves quite the bounty, boys!"

"Yeah, these precious things are gonna fetch quite the price." Another one, one of the two hyenas holding Aina and Logan stated.

"You better let them go, or else!" Clyde and James both took a fighting stance, while the others stayed behind.

"Or what, boy? You're gonna take all of us on?" The one holding Lilia pulled out a scimitar from behind him, aiming the blade right at her. "How about we make this easier on yourselves, yes?"

"Fucking bastard..." Clyde growled under his breath.

"Say boys, how about we 'sample' the merchandise before bringing them to the boss? Make sure they're in working order?" The coyote mockingly suggested before letting out a very disturbing cackle.

"You sick mother-" Before James could finish his curse, both he and Clyde let out small gasps as they felt their fur stand on end as very faint electrical energy filled the air.

"Huh... the fuck is that?" The coyote leader asked no one in particular, as he noticed a small flash in the distance behind the trees, which appeared to be jumping around from tree to tree at very high speeds. "Is it, coming clos- GUURRGK" He couldn't finish his question as a pair of boots made very hard contact with his face.

Everyone let out a gasp of surprise as they saw Lupo's figured, faintly glowing as electrical sparks danced around his body, also, Clyde was the only one to notice the circuit-like markings that were glowing under his clothes. Using this momentum, Lupo kicked the coyote off of Lilia and into the nearest tree, twisting and turning his body mid-air before landing a powerful roundhouse kick to the hyena holding Aina knocking an impressive number of teeth out of his mouth before landing, then using every ounce of strength in his legs, lunging himself at the second hyena and crashing into him head to face, everyone could hear the disturbing crunching of the man's nose and mouth as even more teeth were sent flying.

By the time the three children hit the floor, the bandits were all sent flying. "Hey! Who the fuck was that!?" The coyote growled angrily, his face showing very clear prints of the bottom of boots on his face, before all that anger turned into fear, seeing Lupo's glowing body and the dangerous sparks jumping all around him, not to mention the murderous look he was giving all of them. "Y-You're gonna pay for this!" The bandits were running for their lives before he could even finish his promise.

Once they were out of sight Lupo finally calmed down, letting out a breath he didn't know he had, causing his glow and the sparks to fade away as they weren't there. The markings also disappeared "Hey, is everyone okay?" He turned to the trio who were in danger.

Only to be glomped by Aina and Lilia. "Thank you, Lupo! Thank you!" She hugged him pretty tightly.

"I was so scared!" Lilia cried into his shirt, also hugging him tightly.

"Hey now, no need to cry, everyone's fine, right?"

"With the exception of my ego, I'd say so." Logan sat on the ground, pouting slightly.

"Man! Did you all see that!?" Jessie jumped out from behind the bushes. "Lupo was like 'woosh', and then 'bam', 'wham', 'slam', no more bandits!"

"Oh, come on, you guys. You all got here before I did." He blushed from all the praise, scratching the back of his head bashfully.

"Yeah, but you're the one who did all the work. Swooped right in and saved the day." James stated as he gave Lupo's hair some ruffles.

"My little hero." Aina praised as she planted a small peck on his cheek.

Lupo was still getting praised by the others, while Clyde was a bit behind, still in shock about what happened.

---

They decided that they should end their picnic early to avoid further incidents, so they gathered their stuff and went back. Durham Town was, from above, a pretty small place, but it's pretty big when you actually get through the front gates, not a large settlement, but just the right size for its inhabitants.

They arrived and gathered around the fountain in the center, eating what's left of their baked goods as they shared random stories about recent events. "Good afternoon, children." They all stopped in their tracks as they saw the imposing figure of Father Gold, a priest who made a home in the church. "How are you all faring today?" He was a tall old canine, fur already growing gray, his robes dragging behind him as he walked, he was a respectable man to many in the village, but there are a handful few who are... skeptical of his presence.

"We're good Father, thank you for asking." Aina replied with a small and elegant bow. "How about you?"

"I'm good my dear, thank you." He then noticed Lilia hiding behind her sister, fear and suspicion in her eyes. "Come on, now, young one. Am I that scary?"

"Do excuse her, sir. She's like that with everyone she doesn't know. She'll warm up to you soon."

"I do hope so. Don't want her growing up still believing I'm some sort of boogieman." He then turned around and resumed his walk around the town.

"That old man gives me the creeps." James admitted once the priest was out of earshot.

"Come on, he's the only priest that went all the way from the capital to our town." Bonnie spoke up.

"Of course, you'd defend him. Your parents are very devout followers, after all." James retorted with venom dripping from his words. Clearly, he wasn't a religious person.

"Besides..." Aina started before sitting back down. "I don't think he's from the capital. His... 'teachings' are very different from what I heard about from the capital."

"Exactly!" James exclaimed as he got up on his feet. "This guy spouts all of the xenophobic bull- stuff he wants, while the churches in the capital and other settlements are all about acceptance and love for all." He gestured to the others with his mostly-eaten bread. "I'm not a religious person but I'd follow the capital's teachings if given the chance." Then tossed what remained of his bread into his mouth.

"In that case..." Aina sat beside Lupo, putting her hands on his shoulders. "We need to keep this one's secret, as we always did."

"I don't see what would the problem be, Gold doesn't have seem to have that much power." Clyde stated before finishing his own loaf of bread.

"Not power, influence." Aina replied, a bit of sternness in her voice. "He might not have any physical power, but he can easily influence everyone who follows him against Lupo." She hugged him tightly to herself. "And I for one will not let that happen!"

"Yeah!" Everyone else joined and shared her sentiments.

"Tch."

"Alright, I guess we should." Clyde stood up and walked over to Lupo. "After all, we owe it to our little hero here, for saving you." And gave his head a few ruffles, his own wide smile only rivaled by Lupo's own.

Just then, the ground began rumbling gently as something large and heavy moved around. Just then, a small squadron of large vehicles rolled into the town center, the emblem on the side being a shield with red, white, black, and golden squares inside, flanking a silver beast's head that held a gun and sword, which were diagonally crossed, in its mouth.

"The Imperial Army!" Logan exclaimed as he hopped off of his place on the fountain.

"Speak of the devil, huh?" James said to no one in particular.

Once the vehicles stopped and the people of Durham gathered, one of the soldiers riding in them got out to address the people. "Citizens of Durham! We have come asking for your aid in supplies for the Imperial Army and in the name of Emperor Axion Pendragon. We won't ask for much, whatever you are able to give us will be greatly appreciated."

The people started murmuring and whispering among one another, wondering what the supplies are for. "GET OUT! WE HAVE NOTHING FOR THE LIKES OF YOU!" Someone from the crowd cried out, which soon riled up others.

"Citizens, please! We don't want any trouble." The soldier tried to calm the people down, but his words fell on deaf ears.

"And what Emperor? A traitor and usurper is what he is!"

"Get out and taken your heretic ways with you, demon!" Before the soldier could say anything stones were being thrown at the tanks, forcing the soldier back inside.

"Sir, it's no use! They won't listen."

"Well, isn't that troublesome... and our man is nowhere to be seen..." A canine with white fur and slim figure, donned in tight, leather, indigo clothes and long coat, his hair all shaggy and mussed up messily, hummed to himself in thought. "Hmm?" His eyes didn't find their quarry, but they did find something that's, to him, was a hundred times better. "Ooohhh~ And what do we have here?" Suddenly the stones and rocks suddenly stopped. "Ara?"

"Uh, sir...?" The leading canine looked through the screen inside the tank, seeing a very small girl 'protecting' the tank.

"What is wrong with you all? These people are asking for help and you reply with rocks and stones? You all should be ashamed of yourselves." Lilia reprimanded in her most stern voice.

"Lilia!" Aina was instantly by her side. "I'm really sorry, I took my eyes off of her for one second."

"The hell is wrong with you two. Get out of the way!" One of the angry citizens began walking up to them, but just before he reached them, a strong gust of wind blew by, when he opened his eyes, there stood a young boy, blocking his path. "The hell did you come from?"

"If you're gonna hurt my friends, then you're gonna have to go through me." Lupo warned with a deep and threatening tone.

"Insolent brat, get the hell outta the way!" The man made to punch some sense into the boy. Only for his arm to be grabbed and his entire body pulled in. "What the!?" He was then pulled up in a tango-dancing form.

Everyone watched in awe and confusion as the very slim, white-furred canine that seemed to appear out of nowhere, just toyed with the much bigger man like a marionette, both of them dancing to silent music that no one could hear. The spectacle, however, soon had everyone laughing their hearts out, even the other would-be rioters could help but chuckle at their friend's predicament.

Once the 'dance' was over though, the slimmer canine ended things with a wide twirl before spinning the poor man in his place till he couldn't stand, much to the cheers of the people around them. "Thank you, thank you, one and all!" He gave a couple of theatrical bows in response to the cheers, then stood up to address the people. "Good people of Durham! We have come with a dire need of your aid." He took a dramatic pause before speaking again. "As many of you know, there have been lots of casualties over the years of skirmishes between us and members of the Old Church. Many have lost their lives, their homes, the peace that we all have sought after."

He made a wide gesture with one arm, his very movements seemed to be a bit... overdramatic, at best. "We provide as much comfort to them as we can, but even with our vast numbers and resources we can only do so much." He made a tiny gesture of wiping some 'tears' out of his eye. "What you bestow upon us today, will not be for us, but for the poor people, the men and women, the children and elderly who lost everything in this pointless struggle between the two forces." He slowly moved down to his knees. "If not for us, then do it for them. And here I am, prostrating myself before you all..." Then laid his hands and forehead to the ground. "Imploring your aid..."

Everyone was silent, even the rioters from earlier, no one could speak. Here was a man of, clearly, high standing with the Imperial Army, kneeling down before mere peasants, begging their aid. Suddenly, he felt a small tap on his shoulder. "My good man..." He slowly lifted his head, to face an elderly woman with a bag of rice in her arms. "This may not be much, but if it means it would prevent those poor souls from starving, then here." She said offering the bag of rice to him.

"A whole bag, my lady?" He asked with disbelief.

"Eliana has blessed us with a bountiful harvest this year, a bag or four won't hurt us one bit." She assured him with a gentle smile, Eliana being the goddess of Harvest and Agriculture. Soon enough, after seeing her gesture, more people began stepping forward, offering some of their own products and resources to the soldiers, who were very grateful.

"Not sure why... but this sight is... soothing." Lupo said to himself but was still loud enough for others to hear.

"But of course, the people offering their help to their neighbors is always a good sight." Lupo turned to the sound behind him, only to jump with a small yelp, the man from earlier was right behind him, looking right at his face with some sort of monocle. "Tell me, young man: Have we met before?"

"Um... n-no sir. This is the first time." He replied before swallowing some nerves.

"Hmm... funny, I feel as I've known you for a while." He then place his hands on Lupo's shoulders. "The way you stood up to your friends back there, against an opponent way bigger and clearly stronger than yourself, it just reminded me of an old friend." He then held Lupo's face... before smooshing his cheeks together, the man's monocle shining under the light. "No... you were clearly the stronger one here."

"Um... thank you?" Lupo was pretty confused, he barely reacted to having his face mushed like that. His eyes were also strangely drawn to the emblem on the man's right chest. It looked similar to the emblem of the Imperial Army, but there was a strange crystal embedded in the beast's mouth, and the gun and sword were vertical and horizontal, respectively, instead of diagonal like the actual emblem.

But, the man soon let go of his face, before producing a card and giving it to him. "My card. In case you need anything. I have a feeling that we're gonna be best friends sooner or later."

"Professor Saw!" They all turned to the soldier who saluted the man with a fist on his left chest. "Our carriers are full, sir. Awaiting your orders."

"Ara? All of them?" He let out a small squeal as he jumped giddily in place. "Oh, happy, happy day!" He then surprised everyone with a very impressive, almost abnormal jump, landing on top of one of the vehicles and giving a regal bow to the people. "Good citizens of Durham. It reached my ears that you were most generous with your gifts! I thank you, deeply, from my heart. I'll be sure to sing praises of this lovely settlement to the Emperor!" He gave another bow before hopping inside his vehicle, bidding everyone farewell through the megaphone. "And with that, I bid you all farewell and good day!" Then the Imperial Army finally left the town.

Lupo looked at the card in hand, reading the name of the man it came from. "Professor Sebastian Saw... Head of Military Science and Development."

"Come on, everyone, it's time to go home." Clyde called to the other children of their group.

Lupo made to follow him but was stopped by Aina. "Can you come with us, Lupo?"

"Oh! I can go with you, Aina." Clyde jumped in, all of a sudden.

"It's fine, Clyde. There's something I wanted to talk with Lupo about, anyways."

Not knowing what all that was about, Lupo just nodded and followed her and Lilia. "Um, sure, I guess."

As they were walking, Lilia was a few steps in front of them, hopping and skipping along the pavement, while Lupo and Aina walked in silence for a bit. "So... what is it you wanted to talk about?" He finally asked.

"Have you ever thought about joining the Imperial Army, Lupo?" She asked with a serious look on her face.

"Whoa! Where did that come from?"

"It's just... seeing the soldiers and the people today... and remembering the stories you told us about your father and mother. Both of them were in the Imperial Army before they... you know."

"Retired by the time I was born, though. Dad was a Platoon Sergeant, while mom was a Field Medic. Both of them were also, according to them, very close aids of Commander Rudolf and Emperor Axion, despite their ranks, but I stopped believing that part after a while now."

"I think you'd make an awesome soldier, maybe even a Peacekeeper."

"Oh please, the ones who just sit at the borders and do nothing all day?"

"Well, someone with your powers is bound to become something truly great someday." She turned to him with a soft smile on her face. "You have both the power and heart for it."

"If... if you say so." He blushed under all the praise, scratching the back of his head bashfully.

"Can I... be honest with you?" He didn't say anything, waiting for her to speak. "There are times where I wished for two things: That we were both older... and that you liked girls."

The last part made him blush even harder. "Come on, don't say that. You have Clyde, don't you?"

"But, at times, I want more." She let out a small giggle at that. "Call me greedy or selfish, maybe both." She turned to him once more. "But I know one thing for sure. Whoever you end up with, man or woman..." She knelt down a bit... "Will be the luckiest person in the entire world." and placed a small peck on his forehead. "Thank you for escorting us, my little hero."

He watched her and Lilia walk away, both giving him a final wave before heading inside, still wondering what all that was about... although he did have an inkling or two.

---

That night, Lupo, Clyde, and their adoptive parents, Kaiman and Elia were having dinner, talking about the random events that happened today. "Well, what do you know. Seems like we have a hero in our midst!" Kaiman, a middle-aged canine with semi-folded ears spoke up to Lupo, who was lost in his thoughts until that moment.

"Oh! Uh... I didn't do much really..."

"Nonsense dear, Clyde has been telling us how you jumped out of nowhere and saved your friends." Elia, a cat lady with fully folded ears assured. "But I have to say, you could've gotten in danger yourself."

Lupo was lost in his thoughts once again, getting a soft nudge from Clyde. "What's wrong, buddy?"

"Do you... do you think I'd be able to join the Imperial Army?" He suddenly asked, much to everyone's shock.

"Wha- What brought that on?"

"You heard the soldiers who came this afternoon. They're gathering supplies to help refugees, like how we used to be, Clyde." Clyde remained silent. "And... I thought... that I would like to do the same, you know? Help others in need."

Kaiman crossed his arms and hummed deeply in thought. "Well, I suppose you can. After all, you were born and raised by former Imperials, so you'd fit right in. But... you're still too young for that."

"So I've been told." He propped his head with one hand while the other used a fork to pick at his food. "It's just... I want to help my friends too."

"How so?" Clyde asked before taking a spoonful of his food.

"Well, I heard that both Bonnie and Arthur wanted to study in the capital, Logan and James wanted to make a name for themselves there as bounty hunters, Jessie and Lilia... not really sure what they want... and Aina told me that she wanted to become a priestess of the capital."

"Oh!" Clyde suddenly exclaimed, almost choking on his food. "Really? She didn't say anything to me..."

"She was worried you'd do something stupid if she told you. She heard a lot of good things about the Church in the capital, especially after the military and religious reform by the Emperor. But... seeing Father Gold made her a bit skeptical about her decision."

"I see..." Clyde ate the last of his food and got up to put his dirty dishes away... then suddenly facepalmed. "Oh man! I forgot something at James' place. I'll go and get it real quick." Before anyone could say anything, he raced out the door.

"Sheesh, what could be so important that he needs to go and get at this hour? It's not like James is gonna steal it." Kaiman grumbled as he finished his own food and went to put the dirty dishes away. "As for you, young man, you be a better example and go to bed early." He instructed as he pointed at Lupo.

"Sure thing, dad!" He finished what little remained of his plate, then added it to the pile. "Thanks for dinner, mom!"

"Heh, still conflicted about him calling me 'dad'." Kaiman mumbled as he and his wife began washing the dishes.

"He needed a father figure to replace what he lost, and you were there for him when he needed it." Elia replied as she took her time scrubbing the plates and pots.

"And so were you, sweetheart." He finished most of the dishes, before washing his hands, giving his wife a small kiss on the cheek. "Goodnight, honey."

Up in Lupo's room, he sat in bed, unable to sleep for some reason, he then looked outside the room's window, watching the full moon in the sky. He got out of bed and walked over to the window... then closed his eyes as he clasped his hands together in prayer. "Oh great and wise Astalos, I beg for your wisdom. I want to help my friends, I truly do, but I'm powerless to do it from here, if I'm meant to do so... then give me a sign." Hearing and seeing nothing, he just let out a sigh and went back to bed, his eyes feeling heavy all of a sudden, drifting off to sleep almost the moment he closed them.

But that peaceful sleep was disturbed a few hours later, as loud banging came from the door. Lupo stirred from his sleep and sat up on the bed. "Hey, who are you people!? What do you want!?" He heard his father speaking loudly to those at the door. "Wait! What're you- GHAG!!"

"Dear!" That was Elia.

"What's going on?" Concern and fear began filling him, but just as he got out of bed *WHAM* the door to his bedroom burst open.

"Ah, good, you're already awake. That'll make matters easier." At the door stood Father Gold, a stern look on his face, flanked by men from the town. "Take him." One of the men moved forward, grabbing him by the arm and dragging him outside.

"Hey, wait! Let me go!" He was dragged down the stairs, tripping on the last couple, he saw Kaiman on the floor, with Elia kneeling beside him. "Mom! Dad!"

"Lupo! No!" Elia stood up and rushed to his aid, only to be stopped by another, burly man. "What are you doing!? He's just a boy!"

"Silence, witch!" He then smacked her down with the back of his hand.

"Mom!" A few minutes later, he was dragged all the way to the front gate, before getting tossed roughly to the ground. He got up with a slight wince, having scraped a couple of places on his body against the hard ground. "What is the meaning of this!?"

"Expelling evil, is what this is." Gold replied with a sneer, then turned to his devout followers. "Rejoice, my dear people! Tonight, we banish this spawn of the devil from our home and rid ourselves of eminent evil!"

"I'm the evil one!?" Lupo jumped up to his feet. "You're all gathering against me, like I'm some kind of monster, and I'm the evil one?"

"You wield the powers of the usurper that dealt with the devil! Anyone who wields such power is an enemy of Astalos and his devout followers."

"You're a mad man if you think Astalos considers filth like you as his follower."

"Lies and blasphemy! You dare pretend that you speak for him!?"

"Funny, coming from the man who boasts about the very same fact every day." Lupo retorted with a smirk on his face.

"Silence fiend!" He turned to the mob behind him, nodding his head in Lupo's direction, a second later, one of them stepped out of the crowd, aiming a rifle right at Lupo. "You have two choices boy: Exile or death. Choose wisely." As if to get the point across, the man holding the rifle took a shot, hitting the ground beside Lupo, dangerously close to his feet.

"Stop! All of you stop!" Suddenly, Aina burst from behind the crowd, standing in front of Lupo with her arms spread, shielding him from them. "Don't any of you have any shame!?"

"Aina, no!" Lupo didn't want her of all people to get involved. His eyes then fell on the others of their group, either trapped behind the crowd or held back by their parents.

"Out of the way, girl!"

"No! I'm not moving till you all stop this nonsense!" *BANG* "Kyah!" She flinched as another shot rang out, this time at her feet.

"You're leaving use very little choices girl." Gold warned ominously, the man holding the rifle now aiming right at her.

"Stop!" Another man stepped out of the crowd, standing right in front of Aina. "This was not what we agreed on! You said no one would get hurt!" The man was a middle-aged canine with dark fur color.

"Dad!" She called out in fear, tears in her eyes.

"We must expel the evil from our town, if she's willing to side with that demon than she must join him in exile or death!"

"This is all wrong, she has no part in this! Maybe, maybe he's at fault! You said it yourself: The usurper's devils can wield horrible powers. M-maybe he brainwashed her or something!"

"Dad, no!" She called out again, tugging on his shirt. "Lupo did nothing of the sort! You have to believe me!"

He turned around and held her by the shoulders. "Listen to me honey, your mind might be in jumbles now, but Father Gold can help you!" She tried to say something else, but stopped the moment she saw her adopted father's eyes. The man was clearly beyond any reason.

*BANG* Another shot rang out, this time catching Aina's father in the shoulder, forcing him onto his knees. "DAD!"

Lupo watched in horror as Gold's mob were easily turning against each other like that... "Animals..." He growled under his breath, as he remembered that there was one thing left to do. He closed his eyes and tried to focus, his powers were the only thing that could save Aina and her father... "What... what's happening...?" He whispered to himself in horror. His powers are not working.

Gold grinned evilly. "HAH! You see? That is further proof that you are no longer welcomed in Astalos' grace! You tried to use your strange powers didn't you?" Lupo looked up at him, horror painting his face. "You are powerless against the true followers of Astalos and your weakness is proof of it!" He made another gesture for the man holding the rifle, who aimed at Aina and her father this time.

"STOP!" Lupo called out, making the man hold his finger against the trigger but not pulling further. "Enough... If I leave, this whole nonsense stops, right?"

Realizing what he was about to do, Aina gasped in fear as she turned to face him. "Lupo, no!"

"Death or exile, boy." Gold repeated, more calmly this time, placing his hands behind his back. "Choose."

"As if these are choices..." Before anyone could say or do anything more, he quickly turned around and dashed right through the town's main gates.

"LUPO!" Aina wanted to chase after him, make him see reason but was held back by her still injured father. "No! Let go of me! LUPO!!!"

He could hear her voice calling behind him, but if he stopped now and turned back, there was no telling what that mad man would do to her, or even to the others, their families! He had no choice but run. Run as fast and as far away from the town as his legs could carry him.

Some 'hero' he turned out to be.

---

The full moon was soon covered in clouds, heavy and merciless rain poured violently on the world below. Lupo sat under a tree that did very little to shield him from the rain, his body and what little clothes he had on were soaked to the seam and bone.

He heard the loud growls of the forest's beasts coming closer and closer, and it was clear that there were a lot of them, soon they emerged from behind the trees, feral wolves with large bottom fangs that peaked out from under their lips. The pack were slowly closing in, growling menacingly with their jowls dripping with spit.

But just as they were about to go in for the kill, they stopped in their tracks, shrinking back in fear as they noticed the look of murder in Lupo's eyes, and the menacing figure of pure energy that was behind him, looming over him protectively. The beasts knew that this is one prey that they don't want to mess with, so they turned and ran away with their tails between their legs, whining and yelping in fear as if apologizing for the disturbance.

He was left alone to his thoughts once more, his mind spiraling more and more in thought. Thoughts like 'They betrayed me...' and 'I trusted them...' filled his head, realizing that one of his friends must've told the priest, they were the only ones who knew about his powers, it has to be one of them. "They'll all pay..." He growled to himself, clenching his fists tightly. "I'll go back one day... and burn that forsaken nest of filth to the ground with my bare hands!"

He doesn't know how long he was sitting under that tree and it didn't seem like the rain was gonna let up any time soon, on the contrary, it seemed to be pouring harder and harder as time went by. He suddenly felt that his body was getting limp and heavy... his eyes drooping as if trying to sleep, but something inside was telling him that he'll die for sure if he slept now, but he couldn't fight it as his body slowly slumped to the ground, his vision suddenly blurring.

"He... er here!" He heard a faint voice calling out loudly, then saw some shadows gathering around him. "...ing... me... here... ck!" It's no use he couldn't hear a single world before everything around him went silent.

Soon he felt his eyes closing as well, but just before he was fully consumed by the darkness, he saw a familiar face kneeling down beside him. "Dr... Saw..." Then his world went completely dark before he could say anything else.

---

In his sleep, Lupo found himself in a dark void, nothing and no one around him, he tried calling out, but he couldn't produce any kind of voice, then came the sound of a chime, the only thing that he could hear in this void. Turning around he found a giant figure of light standing in front of him, a knight of sorts, his armor had a slim figure with sharp edges, a crest of cloth flowing in the nonexistent wind along with his majestic cape that was held on his shoulders by a cowl of black and golden fur, holding a big shield in his left hand with a sword sheathed into it.

The knight extended his hand, offering a palm to him, feeling a sense of... peace and safety, Lupo extended his hand in return until their palms touched, the very obvious difference in size being very obvious, soothing warmth filled his body as the dark void was slowly pierced and eventually covered by blind light.

Lupo woke up to a white ceiling, a couple of lights lining each side of the room and lighting it up, he slowly sat up with a grunt as his entire body, as well as his head, ached for some reason. Just then, the door to the room he was in opened, and in walked a young human woman with a plate of food and a warm drink. "Oh! You're finally awake!" She walked up to him, placing the plate on the nightstand beside the bed. Once she was close enough, he noticed her military clothes and the emblem of the Imperial Army on her left breast. "Everyone was worried that you wouldn't make it."

"What... happened?" He asked in a hoarse voice, his throat being very dry.

"Our soldiers found you in the forest with barely any clothes on, you soon developed quite the fever by the time we brought you on. You've been asleep for almost three days now."

"Ah... I see..." He looked around the room, it was pretty bare, save for the bed he was in, the nightstand, and the window on the wall opposite the bed's showing countless clouds flying by.

"I was told to inform the commander when you wake up, but you still don't look so good..." She took off one of her gloves and place her palm on his forehead. "Hmm... the fever seems to have gone away. I'll tell the commander that you still need to rest before meeting him."

"Commander...?"

"Commander Rudolf, yes." She replied with a wide smile on her face.

His eyes bugged out briefly in shock. "Are we... in the capital?"

"No, silly. You're on board the commander's pride and joy: The Silver Whale!" No wonder, too many clouds passing by his window for it to be a mere tall building. "Anyways, eat up, get some rest and I'll check on you again soon." With that, she left with a small wave.

He grabbed the plate of food just as his stomach rumbled pretty loudly, further evidence that he wasn't awake for a while as his body demanded sustenance and in such a manner as well, he practically inhaled his food, leaving barely any crumbs before taking his time with the warm drink which turned out to be hot chocolate. "Commander Rudolf, huh?"

*WHAM* The door to his room burst open and before he could react, he was glomped tightly by a very familiar face. "Young boy! I'm so happy to see you awake!!!" Dr. Saw hugged him tightly, nuzzling their faces together as tears streamed down his face.

"Dr. Saw! I said he needs more rest!" The same young lady from earlier pulled the canine off of the wolf boy.

"But I'm so happy!!!" He repeated with even more tears, and some snot, running down his face. "I thought we lost our dear boy to those awful circumstances!"

"Awful circumstances?" Lupo asked in confusion, his throat less dry thanks to the hot chocolate.

The doctor wiped his face from the... fluids, streaking down. "You looked pretty awful, laying under the rain with barely any clothes on."

"I already told him that, Doctor." The attendant added with his hands on her hips.

"We were actually following a strange energy signal that popped in our radar." He continued as he sat on the bed. "And there you were, curled up on yourself, body shivering from the biting cold." He then gave a wide smile, holding his chin in one hand. "But thanks to you, a suspicion of mine was confirmed."

"Suspicion?"

"You don't have to worry about that now." Saw assured as he stood up. "Just rest up for now, but don't take too long, the commander has been dying to meet you ever since I told him about you." He then left, followed closely by the attendant.

She poked her head in back in real quick. "There is a change of clothes inside the drawers of the nightstand." She pointed to a small button just above the nightstand. "Just press that when you feel that you're well enough." Then truly left.

He sat there in thought, still nursing the hot chocolate that, miraculously, didn't spill earlier when Saw barged in. "The Imperial Army, huh? Is this your answer for me, great Astalos?"

As instructed, he didn't take too long, he didn't need long as he quickly felt loads better once he finished his drink and put on the clothes, they were a simple shirt, jacket, and pants, all with the colors of the Imperial Army. "Definitely won't get anything this fashionable back in town." He then pressed the button a couple of times and waited.

About a minute later, the attendant came back, a smile on her face. "Ready to go?"

"A bit nervous, though. Meeting the commander himself is..." He tried to find the right word, but couldn't.

"Pretty daunting, I know. But don't worry, he isn't some hideous monster that will eat you if you look at him wrong." She then stepped out, giving him space to follow suit. "Shall we?" He nodded in confirmation and they were on their way.

He couldn't believe his eyes as he walked through the hallways of the Silver Whale, the ship was one of the biggest war machines of the Imperial Army, able to hold about 10,000 soldiers and staff, many of them passing by them as they walked, as well as 400 war vehicles of various sizes. The hallways were colored in the same colors of the Empire's emblem, carpeted floors and every time he looked through a window, he would catch a glimpse of the clouds passing by as well as the occasional island here and there that, from this height, look more like a diorama decoration.

Soon, they arrived at a double door made of the most pristine wood, Lupo's nerves hitting sky high... well, even more so, considering where he was, audibly gulping down as much of those nerves as his body became pretty stiff. He jumped slightly as he felt the attendant's hand on his shoulder. "Relax, he won't hurt you." He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, then slowly let it out before turning to her, his posture more relaxed and gave her the silent confirmation of his readiness.

She nodded back and stepped forward, knocking on the door a couple of times before speaking in a deep, military-like voice. "Field Medic, Natasha Stein, sir! Requesting entrance with our guest."

"Enter." Came the deep voice behind those doors. One final look back to Lupo, giving him a brief nod before opening the door. Behind the door was a pretty spacious office, complete with a wide desk that was littered with papers, as well as a laptop and a phone on the other side. Looking to the sides, Lupo was in awe at the countless decorations of beautiful paintings, statuettes, displays, and who knows what else.

Sitting on the desk with Dr. Saw standing behind him, was none other than Commander Rudolf himself, the canine's hair shows signs of age, but his facial features and physique were anything but old, even under the military suit, one could faintly make out the powerful muscles underneath. "Good to see that you're in good health, young man. I was afraid you wouldn't make it."

"So I've heard," Lupo muttered to himself before speaking out loud, his body taking a more military-like posture. "Thank you for your concern, Commander."

Seeing this, both Rudolf and Saw were a bit surprised. "A military child, through and through." Saw commented as he rubbed his chin.

"Tell me boy, did your parents, or at least one of them, serve the Imperial Army?" Rudolf asked, his tone deep and thick, but had that slight soothing edge.

"Both of them served in the Crimson Rebellion and briefly in the reformed Imperial Army, sir. My father was a Platoon Sergeant and my mother, a Field Medic." Lupo said the last part with a brief glance to Natasha.

"Tell me, was your father's name Klaus, by any chance? Klaus Silverback?"

"Yes sir." Lupo then surprised everyone further as they took a more military stance, giving the Imperial Army salute and speaking in a determined tone. "Lupo Silverback, son of Klaus and Sarah Silverback, reporting for duty, sir!" Despite his tone, he couldn't stop the tears from welling up in his eyes, but he refused to let them fall, not in front of the commander himself.

Rudolf let out a small huff of content before crossing his fingers together and speaking. "Funny you should mention 'duty', young Rudolf, Saw told me how you stood up to your friends when he and his soldiers came into your town.

"A man was threatening to harm my friends... I couldn't let that happen, sir."

"Such a strong sense of loyalty and duty, just like your father. Tell me, how would you like to join the Imperial Army? When you're older, of course."

He didn't know why, but Lupo's face spread into a wide smile, the tears of sadness were now placed with ones of absolute joy. "Sir, yes sir!" And thus began young Lupo's life as an Imperial Soldier, one whose destiny will lead him down traitorous paths.