The bright Tokyo sun was just beginning to climb over the skyline as spring fell, casting long shadows across the city streets below the Fifth Division Command Post. It was early May now, it has nearly been two months after the devastating battle with Frostjaw Reiken, and the world felt, for the first time in what seemed like forever, calm.
Lucien stood on the balcony of the fifth command post overlooking the beautifull and new city, a faint breeze brushing against his skin. The ocean in the distance glistened, fully restored after months of chaos—the Great Ocean had finally reclaimed its rightful place on this earth, water flowing smoothly where ice and destruction had once reigned because of the calamity Forstjaw. The earth itself was healing, and so were its defenders.
For Lucien, the past months had been a strange kind of peace, for once.
As night fell, the city didn't truly sleep. Monsters still roamed around here in Tokyo, lurking in the shadows, but the scale and intensity of the threats had diminished. Lucien found himself back on patrol, a familiar rhythm resettling in his bones.
Tonight, like many others lately, he walked the quiet streets with Rylen and Jason, Emiluna had the flue so she was resting. The air smelled faintly of rain, and neon signs flickered above closed storefronts.
"Feels weird to be out here without chaos exploding every minute," Jason said with a big smile on his face, tossing a small rock into the empty street.
Rylen laughed. "Don't get used to it Jason. You now know how fast that change. The calm before the storm, they say."
Lucien smirked but said nothing. His senses were alert. Then, a sudden rustle behind a dumpster made all three snap into combat stance.
From the shadows, a level 3 monster—a grotesque, hulking beast—charged forward with a snarl.
Lucien's eyes flared, and Purgeflame ignited around his fists. "Let's end this quick shall we."
With a fluid motion, Lucien dashed forward, dodging the monster's heavy swing, and landed a blazing punch that sent the creature crashing into a wall.
Rylen and Jason flanked it swiftly, their weapons cutting into its limbs. Within moments, the beast fell limp, dissolving into a black mist.
"Still satisfying. Punching those stupid monsters to their death," Jason said, wiping sweat from his brow.
Lucien nodded. "It's good to fight. Keeps us sharp for the next big thing."
By the time dawn painted the sky pink, Lucien was back at the command post, enjoying a rare breakfast with Emiluna, Rylen, Jason.
The table was cluttered with steaming bowls of ramen, pancakes, and plates of fresh vegetables. Laughter echoed through the mess hall.
"You're still eating like you're preparing for a new battle every day," Emiluna teased Lucien, nudging him playfully.
He chuckled, slurping noodles. "Can't slack off now. Gotta keep this body ready to fight."
Jason grinned. "You've become a celebrity around here and even around the world. Everyone talks about the guy who took down Frostjaw Reiken."
Lucien rolled his eyes. "Popularity's a pain sometimes."
Rylen raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong with being popular? You get perks, free stuff and most important, you get respect..."
"Yeah, like extra fan mail and people following you around all day," Lucien said with a smirk.
Emiluna laughed. "I swear, you're more popular than commander Karu now."
Lucien shook his head but smiled. Despite the perks, the attention sometimes felt like a cage. He missed the days when no one cared who he was.
Once a week, Lucien trained with the First Division fighters Karu, Cho, and Kagetsu. The sessions were grueling, full of sweat, strategy, and unspoken competition, but still it was always friendly.
But today's sparring was intense.
The training hall buzzed with anticipation as the four warmed up. Lucien stretched his arms, eyes narrowing as Karu stepped forward, cracking his knuckles.
"Ready to get wrecked?" Karu challenged, a grin flashing across his face.
Lucien smirked. "Bring it on commander."
The first bout was Lucien vs. Kagetsu. He moved with deadly grace, his strikes precise and quick like a serpent's.
Lucien dodged, parried, and countered, cosmic or hell energy flickering at his fingertips. Their fight was a dance of fire and steel, sparks flying as blades clashed and fists struck.
"You're too reckless Lucien, fight with a strategy" Kagetsu said sharply after a near-miss. "Control your energy and use it when needed."
Lucien panted, wiping sweat. "I'm trying, but you've gotten a lot faster."
He smiled faintly. "I´ve trained a lot, need to catch up to you Lucien."
Next, Lucien faced Cho, whose speed and defense were legendary.
Cho shot with her revolvers, forcing Lucien to rely on agility. The hall echoed with their grunts and impacts.
"Not bad," Cho admitted, "but you need to work on your endurance."
Finally, Karu took Lucien on in a relentless round of close combat.
Karu was merciless, pushing Lucien to his limits in hand to hand combat. At one point, Karu pinned Lucien to the floor with a smirk.
"Had enough?"
Lucien laughed breathlessly. "Not even close, im just starting."
They all collapsed onto the floor, panting and laughing.
"Good session guys," Karu said. "You all are getting better and stronger."
"Thanks," Lucien said, smiling wide. "I needed this, i need to get stronger without using my powers."
But outside training and patrols, Lucien's growing fame brought mixed feelings inside of his head.
The hallways buzzed whenever he walked through, whispers and stares everywhere. Some admired him openly, while others looked wary or resentful.
Once, during a mission briefing, a junior officer nervously approached Lucien.
"Uh, sir, I just wanted to say... I've heard about your fight with Reiken. Incredible stuff. You are my idol."
Lucien smiled politely but felt the weight of expectations pressing down.
Later that same day after the briefing, a group of reporters tried to corner him outside the command post.
"Lucien! Any plans for your next battle? How does it feel to be the country ´ s hero?"
He dodged their questions and slipped inside, grateful for the quiet.
The attention was flattering but exhausting, and it made him realize how much his life had changed since the darkness had fallen.
One evening, Lucien sat with Rylen, Jason, and Emiluna in a small eatery near the command post. The chatter was light, but an unspoken shadow hung over them.
Rylen broke the silence. "No word from Archer after he left. Nobody's seen him since the Frostjaw fight."
Jason nodded grimly. "I thought maybe he'd come back by now. He's not answering my messages."
Emiluna frowned. "It's like he vanished for this earth. No one has seen him in months right?"
Lucien looked down at his bowl, stirring his food. "He was... a force to be reckoned with. Maybe he needed time away. The strongest always have the hardest."
Rylen leaned back. "Still, it's weird. Archer's never just disappeared out of nowhere."
Jason sighed. "Maybe he's out there somewhere, healing or hiding."
Lucien forced a smile. "We should be stronger and make him proud when he comes back."
They fell into a thoughtful silence, the absence of their friend weighing heavy.
After the meal, they strolled through the quiet streets, the city's glow soft around them.
Jason cracked a joke about Rylen's terrible cooking skills, Emiluna laughed harder then ever, and Lucien felt the warmth of friendship and family like armor.
"We're lucky, you know," Emiluna said, gazing up at the stars. "To have peace for once, to have each other as family."
Lucien nodded. "It's what I've been missing my entire life."
"Even if it's just for a while, im still gratefull," Jason added.
They laughed again, the sound bright in the night.
The calm had returned. Life had a rhythm again. And for Lucien, that was enough—for now.
The soft crackle of firewood echoed in the darkness of a deep cave, hidden far from any city's noise. Outside, the stars blinked cold and distant over the vast expanse of the Grand Canyon.
Archer sat cross-legged beside the small campfire, the flickering flames casting sharp shadows across his face. His eyes, usually so sharp and fierce, looked distant — thoughtful, haunted.
He pulled his coat tighter around his shoulders, the chill of the desert night creeping in despite the fire.
For months now, Archer had been a ghost and disappeared from the camera ´ s. Since the battle with Frostjaw Reiken, he vanished without saying a word. The last person that saw him was Lucien.
The desert was unforgiving, but out here, away from the world, he could breathe — away from the expectations, the constant battles, the politics of gods and demons.
He poked at the fire absently, watching the embers dance upward.
"How did it come to this?" he muttered to himself.
He had fought alongside Lucien and the others, saved the earth itself, faced monsters that would make most men tremble — yet somehow, the weight of it all crushed him in silence.
Flashes of the battle stormed in his mind — the icy roar of Frostjaw Reiken, the clash of powers, the burning heat of Purgeflame.
But beneath those memories lay something darker — doubts, failures, and a nagging emptiness.
He thought of Lucien, strong and steady despite everything. The friends he left behind, now healing and living lives that seemed impossible just months ago.
"Maybe I'm broken," Archer whispered, the firelight flickering in his eyes. "Or maybe I'm just loser."
The fire dwindled, sparks floating up into the star-streaked sky.
Archer leaned back against the cave wall, staring into the vast canyon below.
The earth was healing. He knew that much. The Great Ocean was whole again, waves rolling peacefully where once there had been frozen destruction.
But inside him, the storm still raged.
He closed his eyes and took a slow, steady breath.
Meanwhile, back in Tokyo, Lucien and the others carried on, the weight of Archer's absence lingering but unspoken.
The Great Ocean had returned fully to its natural state before Forstjaw, water shimmering endlessly where ice had frozen the world's pulse. The land was mending, grass growing green again, trees blossoming where ash had settled.
It was a world reborn, fragile but hopeful.
Lucien walked through the gardens behind the command post, Rylen and Emiluna by his side.
"Feels surreal," Rylen said softly. "Like the world's hit a reset button."
Emiluna nodded. "We fought so hard to get to this point. To have this peace."
Lucien's gaze drifted upward, the sky vast and blue. "It's a second chance."
They sat beneath a blooming cherry tree, petals drifting lazily in the warm breeze.
Lucien spoke quietly, "Sometimes I wonder what Archer's doing right now. If he's found his peace too."
Rylen smiled wistfully. "Wherever he is, he's out there fighting his own battle."
Emiluna reached over, placing a hand on Lucien's arm. "At the end of the day. We all are."
Lucien nodded, feeling the weight of her words.
Life had found a new rhythm—simple moments woven between the chaos of what had been.
Training, fights, laughter, and friendship.
Though the world outside remained fragile, inside the command post, a family had been forged stronger than ever.
And for the first time in a long time, Lucien believed they could finally rest.