Annie: And we are back with a new story!

SB/Kierra: Why are we doing another one?

Annie: Because I can, this is one I had floating about in my head after reading 'Oblivion' by nanonox.

SB/Kierra: Oh.

Annie: This one is similar to 'Oblivion' and that is because I used that story as a guide for mine, especially for the first couple of chapters.

SB/Kierra: We don't own anything except our OC's.

Annie: Enjoy!


There was a flash of light as Rowen watched Talpa take Anubis back to his castle without his helmet. His stomach churned as he thought about Anubis, he wasn't a demon but a man, like them; sounds filtered into his mind, the shouts of his friends as they ran towards him and Ryo….

"Ryo!" Rowen called as he turned around and put his bow away and he found his friend crumpled against the ground, his armor scuffed, its plates shifting with each laborious breath. With heroic effort, blue eyes lifted to meet Rowen's gaze, and a small, pained smirk perked up on Ryo's lips.

"Hey." Ryo managed.

"You alright?" Rowen's relief was palpable.

"Of course, I am. You know I don't go down that easy." He wheezed a bit as he shifted his weight to one elbow. Rowen's hand reached out to him and he stretched up to grasp it, carefully pulling up to his feet. It was in that moment he realized just how exhausted he truly was; his lungs burned, his head whirled, and his feet stumbled under trembling knees. Rowen drew his friend's arm up and over his shoulders, coiling his free arm firmly around Ryo's waist to support him as the others reached them.

"The ronin warriors are together again." Cye said.

"It's time to crush Talpa for good!" said Kento.

"Your search is not over yet, ronin warriors." Came a voice as a recognizable jingle followed voice as White Blaze roared.

"Mia, who's that?" Yuli asked, he and Mia have never seen nor heard the person who was walking towards them.

"The ancient one." Sage said recognizing the voice, having heard him speak to him when he and Mia went to find Kento.

"I am pleased with your success in reuniting." He quietly nodded to Mia; his eyes obscured still by the shadow of his hat brim. "Young lady, I commend your bravery and willingness to guide these warriors on their journey. Your resilience gives them the determination to fight and grow stronger. I hope you and the boy have been spared from harm."

Mia flashed a sheepish smile and humbly nodded. "The world depends on them," she replied, "we'll do whatever it takes to help them take down the Dynasty."

His attention turned to the five young men before him. "You have all learned to harness the power of your armors, and your teamwork and concern for one another will be of great importance in the battles to come. But you are not yet ready to face Talpa and his Dynasty."

"What? Why not?" Kento asked.

"There is another." He said.

"Another ronin warrior?" Ryo asked confused.

"A tenth armor." The ancient corrected them.

"Tenth?" they coursed.

"You have already figured it out haven't you, Rowen of Strata?" the ancient asked seemingly changing the subject, he had noticed the look on his face, he had figured something out.

"Anubis is human, he's a man like us." Rowen said as everyone looked at him.

"That's not possible." Kento said with a frown.

"No, it's true. I saw his face! I spilt his helmet in half with an arrow." Rowen said as he shook his head.

"It's gotta be a trick! There is no way they are human!" Kento argued.

"Their armors are the same as ours, aren't they? All the warlords are human with armor, like ours." Rowen questioned the ancient as the others were shocked even further when the ancient one confirmed it.

"Yes, the dark warlords wear the same armor as your own. Your armor has the capability for evil, just as theirs had the capability for good. I have no doubt in the strength of your spirits, so long as your hearts flow with goodness, Talpa has no control over you. Your greatest obstacle however has yet to come." The ancient explained.

"Another armor, but there are only four Warlords." Ryo said thoughtfully.

"This armor is not worn by a Warlord. It has been hidden from Talpa for over seven-hundred years, and it is quite possibly the most dangerous of them all, with the power to devastate much of the planet. You must understand that your armors, and the armors of the Warlords, each possess a virtue. Trust, wisdom, justice, life force, righteousness, loyalty, serenity, piety, obedience." His tone softened; his words tinged with severity. "But this armor could not be imbued with a virtue."

The warriors contemplated his words, quietly exchanging glances before he continued. "Talpa knows that together, you hold immense power, but you are only capable of defeating him if he does not have this armor in his possession. His search for it will undoubtedly deepen now that he knows you have been reunited. Should he reclaim it, the mortal world as we know it will end. You must find it before he does."

"So, who wields this armor?" Sage queried.

"I am afraid I cannot offer you much help in this endeavor," came the Ancient's cryptic reply. "I can only give you the information you need to find it. Remember these words."

'Where roads meet and paths cross,

Stands on the edge of light and dark.

Opposites can even the scales.'

"Be careful, ronin warriors. Trust in your armor and each other, and you will find the fortitude necessary to succeed." The ancient said and with that, he was gone, leaving them with their thoughts.

"We should really take you home," Mia said, her words intended for Ryo but directed at the others in its entirety, "you need to rest." Her voice was soft and kind as always, but underneath was a clear, grim tone of realization.


They tried to rest but they were not very successful, the words the ancient had told them about their armors and the warlords' armors were keeping them awake. Soon they all gathered in the office where Mia was working, trying to figure out the passage. Yuli mentioned it might be a set of crossroads, but there were a lot of crossroads, they had no idea which one it could be at so they decided to try and get some sleep before heading out.


"I want to show the two of you something, this is the true guardian of the crossroads. It has been in our family for seven hundred years, the same length of time our family has been the guardians of these crossroads. One day the two of you will become guardians of these crossroads, but only one of you will live here to guard this place." An old woman said to her twin grandchildren.

"Cool!" they said, the twins were only 6 years old as they looked at the drawing of what could be a samurai from ancient times.

"I guess it is cool, it's called the armor of balance and can be used for good or evil. There is something else I want to show you, there is a way to get to the crossroads from anywhere in the world in a few minutes." The old woman said with a smile as she stood and led her grandchildren away from the book.

"Wow!" the twins said as they followed their grandmother.

"Why only one of us will come here and take over for you, grandma?" asked the female twin.

"Because only one person may use the armor of balance, even if both of you can use it since you are family by blood." She replied as another woman watched them with a knowing smile.


SB/Kierra: We hope you have enjoyed the chapter!

Annie: I decided not to do this story as a one-shot.

SB/Kierra: Review please and be nice with it! Cya!

Annie: Bye!