Within the heart of a golden citadel, a majestic throne room shone like a beacon of divine power.
Yet, in a dark shadowy corner, the current Elder god sat, their presence a paradox of serenity and foreboding.
A servant entered, their footsteps echoing off the walls, "Great one, we've received a report of a catastrophic event – an entire forest, annihilated by ice.
"The Elder god's gaze snapped toward the servant, their eyes gleaming with a hint of curiosity, "And….?" The servant hesitated before continuing, "It doesn't appear to be the work of human hands." The Elder god's expression turned contemplative, their voice barely above a whisper, "It can only mean one thing... the thousand year mark has passed."
"Summon all members of the Council – this is an emergency."
Under the silvery moonlight, Boros and Akeno sat together, their conversation flowing like a gentle stream.
"How was it?" she asked her eyes sparkling with curiosity.
"The rice balls?" He replied, "Oh they were good."
Akeno beamed her face aglow with pride, "thanks I made them myself."
Boros's gaze turned inquiring, his eyes crinkling at the corners."So what brings a young lady like you out here alone?"
Akeno's cheeks flushed, her voice taking a defensive tone, "You can't just call me young like that…."
"Fine, then what's an old lady like you doing...."
Akeno's face turned red, "You can't just….. wait did you just call me old?"
She said while pulling his ear, "But I just didn't just wander into this forest, I ran away from my clan to find someone, you see I'm not really supposed to tell anyone this, but I'll tell you since I trust you."
"I'm a Shinobi, back home I wasn't exactly the best, I got yelled at a lot, and it made me sad.
"Whenever I asked why we had to train so hard, they'd say it's because of the 'Nexus Overlord'."
Boros's eyes snapped with interest, his voice cutting in sharply, "wait…..Nexus Overlord? What clan are you from again."
"Oh I didn't tell you" Her smile turned hesitant, her voice barely above a whisper.
"I'm a member of the Eraba Clan….."
The name 'Eraba' echoed in Boros's mind like a ghost from his past.
He thought to himself 'I never thought I'd hear that name again.'
A sly smile spread across his face as he pondered "So they survived for a thousand years without their king."
"Good for them" he thought. "I'm glad they're all okay." But as he gazed at Akeno, his expression softened, 'And she's one of them.....great' he sighed. 'Now I feel responsible for her safety.'
Akeno's voice cut through his thoughts, "Hey, are you listening?"
Boros snapped back to attention, his eyes refocusing on her, "What? Yeah I'm listening, I was just lost in thought."
Akeno's eyes sparkled with mischief as she held up the ancient scroll.
"According to this scroll I... 'borrowed' from my clan's sacred library."
Boros nodded with sarcasm "Yes, borrowed."
"I'll return it to the library when I find him." Akeno's grin deepened.
"It says here that the 'Nexus Overlord' was a warrior without equal, capable of conquering entire battlefields single-handedly."
This made Boros smirk.
"I think it's a bunch of crap." Akeno said, her voice laced without doubt.
'Now I don't feel like protecting her anymore.' He said to himself.
"He supposedly wielded the 'Fire Longinius' ability, and he's been asleep for a thousand years."
Akeno's gaze turned serious, her eyes burning with determination.
"According to the scroll, he should have awakened a week ago, my mission is clear: find the 'Fire Longinius' user and bring him home."
A sinister smile crept across Boros's face, "Looks like we're after the same thing, Boros said his voice dripping with malice.
"I'm searching for the Fire Longinius user too...but my intentions are far from pure."
Boros's eyes gleamed with a cold, deadly light. "When I find him, I'll make sure he doesn't live to see another day."
Akeno's eyes widened in surprise at Boros's words, "If he's the one I'm looking for I won't let you kill him" she said, her voice firm and resolute.
Boros's smile twisted into a sinister grin, "The person you're looking for, isn't the Nexus Overlord you're looking for, I assure you." His eyes seemed to gleam with a dark amusement, "Besides, even if you tried to stop me, you wouldn't stand a chance."
Akeno's eyes sparkled with a hint of mischief, "hey Shiro, since we are after the same thing, why don't team up and watch each other's backs until we find him?"
"Besides I already have a lead on where he might be."
Boros raised an eyebrow intrigued "You have a lead?"
Akeno nodded, a sly smile on her face.
"Fine, we'll travel together, let's get moving." Boros stood up, his movements economical.
Akeno laughed, her voice husky, "Hold on Shiro, it's midnight, let's get some rest and head out in the morning."
She lay down, her eyes closing in a slow blink, "Shiro you're not going to sleep?" she asked, her voice a gentle murmur.
Boros's response was a low, enigmatic whisper."I don't sleep."
Boros's voice cut through the morning silence. "Hey, wake up! You've overslept."
Akeno stirred, her eyes heavy with sleep.
Boros raised an eyebrow, "I thought you were a ninja? What kind of ninja oversleeps." He teased.
Akeno rubbed her eyes, a sheepish grin spreading across her face, "Sorry Shiro, I guess I got too comfortable."
"Anyways let's get moving." Said Boros, he walked forward, his long legs eating up the distance.
Akeno laughed, her voice husky.
"You have no idea where we're going, do you Shiro?"
Boros hesitated, his expression sheepish, "I….I know, I just forgot."
Akeno's laughter was a warm, rich sound "Oh sure you do, anyways sit down, let me fill you in on our game plan."Akeno unfolded the map, her eyes scanning the intricate markings,
"The world is divided into four nations: North, East, West and South, we are currently in the eastern nation."
Boros's impatience was palpable, his voice cutting in sharply, "you said you had a lead on the fire longinius user."
Akeno's gaze narrowed, her tone measured "I said I had a lead on where he might be, As I was saying, we're in the eastern nation."
Boros's interruption was swift, his words tumbling out in a rush, "Tell me the lead, already."
Akeno's annoyance was evident, her expression a delicate balance of irritation and amusement.
"Fine. There's a tournament being held in a state in the western nation, guess what the price is?" Boros's eyes narrowed his eyes twisting with possibilities.
"I don't know….maybe a –" Boros said thoughtfully, his hand stroking his chin.
Akeno's voice cut in, her tone dripping with excitement, "A Longinius ability."
Boros's eyes snapped, his voice echoing Akeno's answer, "A Longinius?"
Akeno's nod was a slow, deliberate movement. "It doesn't specify which one, but there's another way to acquire a Longinius ability."
Her voice dropped to a whisper, her eyes locking onto Boros's, and then in perfect harmony, they spoke the same words, their voices a low, deadly whisper.
"By killing the person who has it."
"At first I thought it was a trap, but I dug deeper and discovered the truth, the person they planned to kill to transfer the Longinius ability was a death row inmate."
"Instead of executing him, they found a way to profit from his ability, and that's how the tournament was born."
"Despicable humans, they didn't want to waste the longinius ability so they came up with a way to exploit it." Said Boros.
Akeno nodded with grim, "And that's when I realized, if there's a tournament where strong fighters gather to show their skills."
Boros's eyes locked onto hers, and they spoke in unison, their voices low and deadly.
"He'd definitely show up."
"But then I thought to myself, "if the prize was a Longinius ability, it would be pointless for someone who already possessed one to attend."
"However I considered the possibility that if I were a warrior, awakened from a thousand-year slumber, I'd want to make a grand entrance, I'd want to announce my return to the world in a big way."
"By crushing all the strong warriors at the tournament, And with scouts from different guilds in attendance, there were plenty of reasons for someone with a Longinius ability to show up."
"That's when I decided to take a chance and head to the tournament."Boros's eyes widened in surprise, "You've really thought this through haven't you?" Akeno's cheeks flushed with a soft pink hue as she looked away, her voice barely above a whisper "Shut up, Shiro."
She cleared her throat, her expression turning serious, "The tournament starts in two weeks, and since we're in the east it'll take us at least a month to get there."
"I see...wait a month?" Boros's face fell in disbelief, "We're running that far behind?" he grasped Akeno's shoulders, his grip firm but not ungentle.
"How could you be so careless."
Akeno's smile was a weak apologetic thing, "I was hoping to find someone to travel with...and lost track of time."
Boros's sigh was a heavy exasperated sound, "Let's just get moving." Akeno's eyes searched his face, her face tentative,
"Shiro?"
"What?" Boros replied.
"You're not mad?"
Boros's expression softened his voice a low gentle rumble, "I'm not mad, let's just go."