FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Code Oblivion Chapter 6: Aftermath

Noah let out a sigh as he sat in his chair. They were in a chapel, one which was surprisingly undamaged by the Unsealed attack, there were probably a thousand people inside and it was extremely crowded.

Noah knew there were other vigils throughout the city but the people within the chapel were those who had lost family as well, including high ranking MODD Military officials which was why he and Jerome were sitting between Aidan and Flint.

Flint had a picture of his lost fiance in his paws which he gripped tightly to himself. Loni was sitting on Aidan's other side holding a picture of her own, a tall burly crocodile and he himself was holding a picture of his father.

Loni and Dolan made up the flank with Dolan's little son sitting in his father's lap looking like he was going to fall asleep, which made Noah smile. Since neither had lost someone they weren't holding pictures. They were all offered a spot in the front row as a position of honor given they were the ones to stop Hydra and Jerome was allowed to sit with them given he was the son of the Lt.Com.

In the front of the chapel was Commander Hart himself, now bound to a wheelchair but this did not deter him from having an aura of dominance. Next to him was Jerome's father and another high ranking Officer who, according to Aidan was the Sergeant Major, the head of the Enlisted members of the military force. An imposing dragon with scarlet scales and a deep scowl on his face.

The Lt. Commander however had a much more concerned expression as he gazed down toward the Commander. There had been a lot of murmuring going on when Commander Hart had shown himself in the wheelchair but it quickly stopped when he gave a brief speech. It had been a bit chaotic coming up with a story on how Hydra got freed.

Obviously they couldn't tell the truth on Commander Hart being possessed as that would probably cause a massive panic, knowing something was capable of taking over the body of an Elemental Lord so they came up with the story of the wards having failed, thus causing Hydra to be freed. However, his attention was placed back on the elder wolf as he started speaking once more.

"As you know, I had been parlyized in my fight against Hydra, I won't be able to do some of my duties as Commander but I promise you I won't rest until Eldra is back up and running. We will rebuild! It will take years but we will manage." He said before his voice became solemn.

"Now here we are to speak of the fallen, those who died in this tragic attack on our city." He continued, head bowed in respect in a moment of silence for those fallen before speaking again. "All told we have lost around 1200 people, 900 of those were civilians and the remaining were members of our own armed forces." He said, his voice serious and sad. "We are here to remember them and honor their memory."

Everyone in the chapel murmured in agreement, even Noah as he looked around. It really truly was crowded in here, getting out would be a nightmare, but looking at the man in the wheelchair made him think back to the conversations he had when he finally woke up from his impromptu slumber.

///Flashback///

Noah groaned as he struggled to wake up, his head pounding for whatever reason. Once he made sure his head wasn't going to explode he managed to get his body to respond to his commands and sit up on the bed.

For a second he was about to panic since he was not in his room but reality came crashing down hard on him.

'Oh, I don't really have a home anymore do I? Not with dad gone.' Noah thought to himself as he brought his knees up to his chest. 'What am I going to do now? I can't just return to Crosstown, it'd be too painful. I could stay here maybe? Aidan's sister seemed supportive of it but what did Aidan really feel? Would he be okay with having me around long term?'

His thoughts started swirling in circles until he heard a gentle voice let out a cough to get his attention. Startled, Noah nearly fell out of his bed when he turned his head to see a wheelchair bound wolf gazing at him. Looking around he noticed it was just them in the room. 'Where is everyone else?' He thought to himself and almost as if he were reading his mind the crippled wolf let out a chuckle.

"They are helping prepare for the funeral service, we have a lot of bodies to deal with sadly and we are currently trying to get into contact with family members to see what they want to do with the body of their loved one. If necessary, we will send the bodies to the family so they can do the funerary rights themselves. Those who do not have any living family will simply be given their rights here and cremated along with our fallen soldiers here." The man sighed softly before giving Noah a small smile. "It's so good to see you again Jacob, I was worried you might have passed when you vanished and it was being covered up. But here you are, all grown up."

Noah didn't say anything, he just gave the man a bewildered look, just what did the man call him? "Um...who are you? And my name isn't Jacob sir, it's Noah...Noah Littlesea." He said in a somewhat timid tone, not really understanding what was going on at all at the moment.

The man shook his head, giving another small chuckle. "Ah, so you truly remember nothing do you? Tell me boy, what is the first memory you can recall of your life?" He asked, eyes drilling into the young wolf.

Noah diverted his gaze, feeling a little uncomfortable but the question was easy enough, he would never forget his first memory. It was something near and dear to him after all. "That's easy, it was me waking up in my Dad's house. He said he found me in the forest or something and took me in." A bright smile appeared before quickly frowning as he remembered his dad had perished in the attack.

"We were each other's entire lives, my dad had never dated anyone from what I can remember. Said he didn't want a woman to distract him from raising me and told me how much he loved me while holding me close." Noah stated as tears started welling in his eyes, threatening to fall. "You know something funny? I used to find that so embarrassing, felt like I was too cool and grown up for father-son cuddles. But now? Now I would give anything to be able to cuddle with him once again." After a small pause, he focused his attention to the man. "You never did answer me though, who are you and why did you call me Jacob? Why do you act like you know me when we have never met? Or at least from what I can remember."

"I call you Jacob because it was the name you were given by your parents. I was a good friend of your father, err...birth father, that is. A man named Isaac Reaper, he was a brilliant man and my heart broke when I heard of his passing." There was a clear sadness in his tone.

All this new info made Noah's head hurt, he was going into information overload but it made a tiny bit of sense. It explained his watch and the ever mysterious I. Reaper whose name was emblazoned on the object he so cherished. "So you say my birth name was Jacob Reaper?" he asked, hoping for confirmation.

"'It was indeed, child, but for my name, it's simple. I'm Andrew Hart, the Commander of this country's MODD forces." A proud smile tugged on his lips, chest puffing up a little. "I'm also Aidan and Aria's father, both of them were really worried about you when you wouldn't wake up."

"How long was I out for?" Noah asked blandly, almost afraid to hear the answer.

Sensing he was nervous the elder gently put a paw on his shoulder. "Not for that long I can assure you, only a few hours. But I must thank you, you freed me of that abomination and took out Hydra at the same time. On behalf of myself and this fair city, we will forever be grateful for what you did Jacob."

The young wolf nodded, feeling incredibly flustered at the moment. He still wasn't sure how he felt about being called Jacob, having gotten so used to being called Noah for as far as he could remember. At the same time it was nice to know he did have a past and a name before he had woken up, even if he couldn't remember anything about said life.

Andrew smiled briefly, then his face fell into a neutral expression. "It was a shock when I heard Isaac was murdered. A great loss to everyone. He was a brilliant researcher on the nature of the seals. He tried to figure out why all but the prime elemental seals vanished after the GSW. He was looking for a way to recreate them as the method to manufacture them had been lost to time. Eventually he met your mother. They started a family and thus his attention was more towards that than his research but nobody really blamed him, he had a wife and two boys to look after. Though if I'm honest, Rebecca was the one doing most of the watching. She was a tough lass, working under me before she met Isaac and transferred over to the Rillotian Branch."

"Two boys? I have a brother? Tell me! Older or younger!?" Noah was surprised, his attention fully invested into what the man was saying. The names Isaac and Rebecca didn't mean anything to him, they were blanks but hearing he had a sibling sparked something inside him.

The elder wolf laughed as he gently put a paw up to calm the boy down. "Easy there child, you do, an older one. I actually know him, he's a good man." The Commander said with a smile. "But I must ask, what do you wish to do with the body of Alistair, your adoptive father?"

This caught Noah off-guard. He had been so focused on having a brother that he had briefly forgotten the only father he had ever known. "I think he should be put to rest here. I don't have a home anymore after all." He closed his eyes and let out a sigh, shoulders slumping. "I don't know what I'm going to do now."

A sympathetic smile tugged on the elder wolf's lips. "I can always reunite you with your family," he pointed out gently. "Do you think you might want that?"

Noah furrowed his brows and shook his head. "I don't know, I have no memories of my old life, none at all. I'm not sure how I would handle being with them, even if they are my birth family. I don't know if I can bond with them, plus I feel like I have something to do before I settle. There are more Malefactors running around, much like the one that possessed you."

The Commander winced and Noah gave him an apologetic smile. "Oh? And if there are more, what does it have to do with you? You're a kid. Shouldn't you just be one and leave it to the adults? You shouldn't have to put yourself in such danger."

Noah was having none of it. He was getting tired of being told to sit stuff out. He thought the fact that taking out Hydra would deter people from making that argument but it seems he was wrong.

"Even so..."

"I know I have to do this." Noah said firmly as he lifted up his sleeve to show the Commander the glowing tattoo on his arm. "I was given this power for a reason. I wouldn't have been able to defeat Hydra without it. I might wish to meet my birth family one day but right now, I just want to help stamp out the Malefactors before another incident like Eldra happens."

The old wolf frowned, staying silent for a long moment before letting out a heavy sigh. "It seems I can't change your mind, hmph. You truly are Jacob through and through..." he muttered with a shake of his head. "So where will you go next?"

Noah placed his chin on a paw, thinking it over. "Honestly? You know what's funny? When I was asleep, I had this dream. I saw a city surrounded by mines and a mountain that was also a building. Do you have any idea where that could be Commander Hart? I'm not good with geography outside Rillotia."

Andrew took a pause on that, then snapped his fingers and laughed. "I know it exactly! That would be the great Mining City of Graesham! We get the materials we use in our smelting operations from there. It's in Weleshna and I'm old friends with old Conway Groundwater, the former Elemental Lord of Earth. His daughter took over when he retired but he still keeps an eye on things. So you had a vision...do you think that will be your next destination?" He asked, giving the boy a piercing gaze.

"I guess so, but," Noah tilted his head to one side, "do I have something on my face?"

Andrew smiled and shook his head. "No, but if you choose to go, I want Aidan to go with you. As strong as you are it would be dangerous for you to go alone. You may be powerful but you are still just a child and have a lot to learn about this world." Suddenly he turned his head to face the door. "Aidan you can come in now!"

Noah's body stiffened up. 'Wait, was Aidan listening in this entire time!?' He blushed underneath his dark fur, thankful that it couldn't be noticeable.

The red furred wolf came in. He had a few bandages on his face but he looked fine overall. He walked up towards his father and sat down on the seat next to him. After a few moments of silence the Commander spoke up.

"All these years and you still have the nerve to eavesdrop." Andrew shook his head in disapproval, making the red wolf's ears splay in embarrassment. "Well, nothing I can do about it. What's your answer? I know you want to help the rebuilding process but I feel you might be more useful helping this boy out. You can teach him a lot and he needs a protector."

Aidan didn't say anything for several minutes. He looked in deep thought, staring at nothing in particular and Noah felt himself start to sweat, he was nervous actually. He honestly would like having Aidan around, not just because he was a strong and powerful soldier but if Noah was honest he had started to grow a bit of a crush on him. He would like to know the man better.

"Well Aidan, what do you say?" The man poked at his son, snapping him out of his trance.

"Oh, I was thinking of looking after him already sir. So you want me to take him to Graesham? I'm fine with that." Aidan said while looking directly at the boy in front of him. "So what you think kid? Want this old soldier around?"

Noah nodded vigorously, excited at the thought of having the older wolf around. It would be awesome.

The ethusaum made Aidan smile as he bent over to muss up Noah's already messy hair. "Well then Blondie you're stuck with me. Just know I won't be easy on you, you showed a lot of surprising skill in the fight back there but you could use a lot of improvement. You got lucky I must say, plus you had the others backing you up, but they will all probably return back home." He said before a loud voice rang from behind them both making all three of them jump.

"Like hell I'm going back home!" Flint bellowed out as he ran into the room, briefly bending over to catch his breath. After a moment he gave a small apologetic smile towards Aidan and his dad. "Sorry, you just vanished and I went looking for you. I can't go back home, Byron and I had a flat together in Shellington, I couldn't go back there by myself... I just can't." His voice tinged with sadness. "Right now I don't think I would be able to even return to school. Things are too raw you know? Please let me come with you guys! I want to go with you, see the world. That's something Byron and I wanted to do but with him gone, I want to do that for him. Plus I don't think I would be able to rest if I didn't help the kid out." He said looking down at Noah with a smile. "So can I tag along kiddo?"

"Sure, I'm okay with that. What about you Aidan?" Noah glanced towards the wolf, looking hopeful, then back towards the tiger.

Aidan didn't say anything for several moments. Out of nowhere he laughed and shook his head. "I don't see why you can't. You're pretty good out there stripes! Maybe VCRS isn't so useless after all."

Flint just snorted and shook his head before sitting down next to Noah and started messing with his hair, fully ignoring the indignant 'hey' from the kid. "Guess you're stuck with us a kiddo!" He teased lightly before looking towards Aidan. "So what are we going to do? What's the next step?"

Aidan sighed and stood up, then started pacing. "We're gonna head to Graesham. Noah for some reason had a vision about the city..."

"A vision?" Flint asked as he looked at Noah with a raised brow, making him shuffle awkwardly under the tigers gaze. "You can have visions now too? You're a bit of a weirdo aren't you?" He snickered before messing with the boy's head again. "But why Graesham? Any idea why?"

"I think it might be connected to the Malefactors. I doubt Anxiety was the only one in this world. If more are out we need to stop them before they cause another Eldra disaster. I feel like I was given this power for a reason." Noah said as he rubbed the place where the glowing tattoo was hidden underneath his shirt. "I mean it saved our bacon when fighting Hydra. I think if I can find those who are possessed by the Malefactors I can do what I did with Commander Hart and free them from the possession before they do something horrible." Flint just nodded, listening intently to the boy's words. "Either way I can't just sit by and do nothing. If I can do something I want to do it."

"That's pretty heroic, it really is like you are some comic book character." Flint said, sounding genuinely impressed. "But I understand what you mean. It gives you a drive, a sense of purpose."

Noah beamed, thankful that the tiger was able to understand it so easily because he doubted he would have been able to explain himself as well as the tiger did. "Yeah, that's exactly it! Thanks Flint."

The tiger just waved off his compliment with a laugh before patting the boy on the head, earning an annoyed sigh. He turned to Aidan and the Commander. "So when are we leaving?"

Andrew was the first to speak. "We are going to have a service for all the people who were lost during the attack. I want all of you there. It might take a few days to set up but I hope all of you can stay long enough for that at least." Aidan, Noah and Flint looked towards each other and nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, I think we can but any idea how we'll be able to get to Weleshna though? Are we going by plane?" Noah asked nobody in particular. He hadn't thought about how they would actually get there. He didn't have any money for a ticket and the one he had was lost during the fight so that was out of the question.

The Commander shook his head. "Planes will be down for a good while here in Senetria, given what happened here in Eldra. Plus Weleshna doesn't have many airports going in and out of the country, they have one in the capital city but it's a long way from Graesham and I don't think you would like trekking through a hot desert. My advice would be to go to the port city of Epona, it's the closest city to Graesham and it is a quick boat ride from any port city in Rillotia. I can provide a vehicle for you to use."

Aidan nodded with a smirk on his face. "Alright I'm sure we can find a boat easily enough. Will you contact Commander Groundwater dad so she'll know we're coming? Because it would be nice if we could meet her in Epona."

"I suppose since our Airship got destroyed during the attack, otherwise I would use that to get you there. Regardless of that, once you leave I will contact the younger Commander Groundwater and inform her I'm sending you and some others and I ask her to extend her hospitality to you. Now I have to leave, I still need to get on to planning for the service." Andrew said before giving Noah a brief bow. "Again, it was good seeing you Jacob, I wish you well on your journey. Know you can always come back here if you need to rest your head." He turned towards his son. "And don't worry about the city, we will manage just fine without you, you have a higher calling. Your sister and I will be fine so don't worry about us." And with that he wheeled himself out of the room, leaving the three of them alone.

"He keeps calling you Jacob, any idea about that Noah?" Aidan gazed at him with a raised brow, accompanied by Flint who was also curious.

"According to him, Jacob is the name I was born with. The name my birth parents gave me before I was taken from them." Noah explained with a shrug. "Said he knew my parents, even offered me the chance to see them again but I declined."

Flint nearly fell off the bed from shock. However he managed to catch himself and looked towards Noah, a bit alarmed. "Why would you decline!? That doesn't make sense! But wait...if you have family that's still living how did you wind up in Crosstown with your dad?"

Noah shrugged again, he was still missing a lot of details but that didn't matter right now. "I don't know, but as for why I refused, it's because I have no memory of them. I want to at least remember something when I see them again. All I know is that I have a mom and a brother." He said as he wrapped his arms around his legs and pressed them into his chest. "I can't face them like that." He muttered in a shy tone.

Flint sighed and wrapped an arm around the boy. "While I understand your point, have you ever considered that maybe seeing them would spark something in your mind?"

Noah just shook his head and sighed. "Maybe but I don't know." He got up from the bed and stretched his sore muscles. "Anyway, let's meet the others! See if we can help out with anything."

With nods from both wolf and tiger, they exited the room.

///End Flashback///

Noah was broken from his thoughts when Jerome shook him, turning to look at him with a slight tilt of the head.

The feline smiled in amusement. "You were spacing out dude. I know this is boring but focus alright?"

Noah nodded, feeling embarrassed. He hadn't even intended to space out but he was grateful that Jerome had shaken him from his daydream. He focused back on the front where Commander Hart was still speaking. Talking more of the rebuilding and other future projects, nothing Noah was really interested in so he started looking around. Everyone else seemed like they were hanging onto the Commander's every last word which made him feel a bit guilty.

After several more minutes he stopped speaking and other people came on, people who had lost loved ones and were telling everyone in attendance what they were like. Noah felt his heart skip a beat. Would he be expected to talk in front of everyone?

The young wolf suddenly felt very self-conscious. All of his clothes were basically destroyed when Jerome's hotel burned out so he was basically wearing some of Aidan's old clothes from when he was around Noah's age.

Even if everyone else was wearing what little they had, he still felt anxious about the possibility of speaking in front of so many people. He had always hated having to speak in front of class in school but this was at a whole new level.

Scared as he was, could he really be so cowardly he couldn't honor his father here? Where everyone else was speaking? Sure he wasn't his biological father and the man probably lied to him on just how he found him but Noah didn't care.

Even if he was the one who had taken him from his family and killed them (not that Noah believed for a second his dad was behind that) he was the only father he had ever known. He stared ahead watching the current speaker, a pudgy rhino woman speaking of her lost twelve year old daughter.

Once she finished she was led away with the help of a tall rhino man, who Noah presumed was her husband. Soon after, the Lt. Commander grabbed the mike once again and started speaking.

"Thank you Mrs. Masters...that was a touching eulogy, I'm so sorry for your loss. Does anyone else want to share?" The cougar looked around the room and Noah closed his eyes, taking a deep breath.

'It's now or never...'

With courage surging through him, he stood up and walked towards the podium. Once he reached it he felt his legs start to shake. No way could he do this! There were so many people...so many strangers...surely he couldn't just spill such intimate thoughts in front of them right?

'Damnit Noah just do it! You'll be fine! Just speak and let it out, you might never get another opportunity again.' So with a deep sigh he started speaking, letting his heart spill out his feelings.

///

Seeing the boy walk up to the podium surprised Aidan, he didn't think the young wolf would have it in him to do something like this. He saw Flint shoot him a concerned look, offering a shrug.

He figured the boy would need this and once Flint seemed to grasp that he nodded and flashed a worried smile towards Aidan before he looked back towards the young wolf at the podium. Noah looked terrified, not that Aidan really blamed him. He himself had issues with public speaking on normal stuff but here he was going to spill his poor heart out to strangers.

"Are you sure this is a good idea Aidan? He looks like he's going to pass out." Jerome kept glancing between Noah and the older wolf, unease showing in his eyes.

"He'll be fine, just give him a bit and he'll show you. Have some faith, I know he'll do great." With that Jerome nodded. It seemed like he had developed a bit of an infatuation with the other boy. Aidan found that kind of funny and almost sweet. The pink haired feline was a good kid and he had always been a good friend to Aria so he hoped that maybe this could work out for him. His focus was returned to the blond wolf at the podium who looked like he was about to throw up. The older wolf was half tempted to walk up and get the boy back in his seat but Noah managed to compose himself and start speaking in a tiny, timid voice.

"Um...hello, I'm Noah..." He started out as best he could before looking down at the podium once again, seemingly losing his voice. He regained it after a series of deep breaths. "Like all of you, I lost someone very dear to me." He held up the photo of his father, a handsome man. That was what Aidan gathered, he looked very good for a man who appeared to be in his mid 40's. He had an almost hypnotic smile and those bright, shining brown eyes showed great intelligence and his brown hair was short and well-kempt. He was however broken from his musing when Noah continued. "I lost my Father...well, if you want to be more accurate he'd be my adoptive father. But even still he's the only father I've ever known." The boy said with a sad smile on his face.

"He was a good man, working as a Doctor in my hometown and without a doubt he had saved countless lives during his tenure." He wiped away some stray tears. "I was so proud of him for what he did. He was my idol and for the longest time I wanted nothing more than to follow in his footsteps." Noah continued, his paws clenching hard against the podium. An obvious method to stop himself from crying Aidan figured. "Not only was he an amazing doctor but a fantastic father and person in general. When I was first living with him I used to have constant nightmares. He would allow me to sleep in his bed so I could have someone near me for comfort. And whenever I had any homework I needed help with he would always make time to help even if he had worked a long shift at the hospital and would always make time to attend any school events with me."

Aidan just nodded along, listening intently and looking around. Almost everyone else in the building seemed to be enraptured by the young wolf's story.

He felt a small nudge from his side and saw Flint looking towards him, a bittersweet smile on his lips. "He's doing amazing, I don't think I'd ever have the courage to do that." His ears tucked into his skull. "I feel guilty, Bryon deserves a perfect eulogy but I'm just too scared to go up there, outdone by a fifteen year old, damn I'm pathetic."

Aidan just patted his shoulder gently, sympathetic to his feelings. "Don't feel bad, lots of people haven't made a speech for their loved ones. If you feel so strongly about it you can go after Noah. I'll go with you if that'll help." For whatever reason he had grown something of a bond with the tiger. He reminded him of Alec, which made him smile and miss his older brother.

He wondered how Alec was doing. Was he freaking out right now? The communication arrays were still down so nobody could get contacts in or out of the city. Hopefully they could get it back up soon. The city was also currently in quarantine so nobody was able to leave or get in yet but he figured that it would be listed at least by tomorrow since that was when he planned to leave with Noah and Flint.

His dad had cleared the use of an armored vehicle for them. The plan was to move towards Vinewood where they would attempt to get a boat so they could get to Epona and meet up with Commander Groundwater. 'Okay, that's good and all but you should focus on Noah.' He mentally told himself, as he refocused on Noah who was talking about something he and his dad used to do.

"Another thing we used to do is occasionally go camping in the park near our hometown. We always did it during the summer and my friend Emily would always join us and we'd go swimming in the lake to eat smores." He said with a bright smile, making it obvious that these were very fond memories for him.

Aidan beamed with joy. Noah truly did have an amazing father, only to lose him at such a young age. He couldn't imagine losing his own. It was a thought he didn't even want to consider. He turned towards Flint. "Hey, are you close to your parents? What about your fiance? Don't you have to tell them about what happened to their son?"

Flint had an odd look on his face, a mixture between smiling and scowling. He looked down at his paws. "I'm very close to my parents. I have about three brothers and a sister and we all keep in touch. My parents wanted us to attend university closer to home but we decided to try for Shellington U and that's where we have been for the past several years. Bryon however...his parents...it's complicated, his mother was nice but she passed away before we started University. He and his father don't get along at all. His dad didn't like me much and tried to break us up but Bryon cut him out of his life. I would rather not say a word to him. He has a sister I'll contact but that's about it. It's no big deal though, we had a happy life together and that's all that mattered." Flint said with a sad smile.

Aidan just nodded in understanding. "I'm glad he had a good life, it's sad it was cut short though." He said with a sad sigh. "Are you going to be alright? You've been through a lot, I'm just worried what will happen when the shock wears off."

Flint just looked down and sighed, his eyes looked near tears but he managed to keep himself in control. "It's going to be hard, but I'm going to be fine. I have to be, falling apart will only be a disgrace on Bryon's memory. He gave his life for me and I'll live for both him and I. It's only fair." He said while gripping the photo tighter. "It hurts though, just the thought of living without him is pure agony but I have to survive. Maybe that's why I want to go with you guys, so I can live for something. I can't return back to Shellington right now that's all I can say." He said before looking towards Aidan. "Don't worry about me man, I'll be fine. Not perfect but fine, I'll survive. Our main concern should be Noah... or should we call him Jacob?"

Aidan furrowed his brows. "I... I don't know honestly, I think we should ask him before we leave. It's crazy how much he's been through, I feel bad for him."

Flint just nodded in affirmation with a sympathetic look on his own face. "Yeah, it is crazy. But he's strong, I think he'll be fine. We just need to keep an eye on him."

Their conversation was interrupted when Elena spoke up from Flint's other side. "What are you guys talking about?" She asked, confused. "Why would you want to call Noah by the name Jacob? Is this part of his past memories stuff? And what did Flint mean by helping you and Noah? Is there something you're not telling me?" Both of the boys gave an 'oh crap!' look towards each other. They hadn't thought to talk to any of the others about their plans figuring they all would rather just go home and live their lives and move on from this mess.

"I'll tell you after the service okay?" Flint said with a pleading look. Elena just nodded and smiled before poking Flint in his stomach ignoring the whiney 'ouch!' Flint let out as he rubbed his tummy glaring vehemently at the vixen who seemed to happily ignore him. Aidan just rolled his eyes at the silly scene in front of him. Finally though Noah finished his little speech and he got down from the podium and walked towards his seat brushing away some tears Aidan just gave him a small smile.

"You did great!" the elder wolf said as he patted the boy on the head which made Noah let out a happy sounding hum.

"Thanks Aidan, I didn't think I would be able to do it." Noah said in a shy voice, looking down towards the ground. "But I just forced my way through it you know, I felt like I needed to do this."

Aidan let out a small nod as he looked around at the stained glass windows and focused back on the podium where his dad was back to speaking. "We have time for at least one more person to speak before we end the service. Is anyone interested in doing so." He gave Flint a look and the tiger just blushed and looked away but with a sigh Aidan got up and grabbed Flint by the arm and dragged him towards the podium ignoring the feline's protest. His father gave them both a confused look before looking towards Flint, a small smile on his lips.

"Do you want to speak Flint?" He asked and after flashing a venomous look towards Aidan before letting out a defeated sigh.

"I do sir..." He said in a terrified manner, visibly shaking and Aidan was a bit worried he would pass out now. "I mean, if Noah... Jacob or whatever if he can do it then so can I." He said while giving Aidan another dark look which made Aidan very glad looks couldn't kill because he would probably be six feet under right about now. But instead of showing his nerves Aidan just smiled and patted the tiger on the back and whispered something in his ears.

"You can do it man, we're all here for you. Do you want me to stay here with you?" He asked but the tiger smiled and shook his head.

"Nah, I think I can do this, go back to your seat alright?' Aidan just nodded before leaving the tiger at the podium and sitting right back in his seat.

Elena just gave him a worried look before she spoke. "Are you sure about this? Flint has always been bad at public speaking, what happens if he throws up in front of everyone?" This made Aidan tilt his head in confusion.

"Has he done that before?" Aidan asked, genuinely curious on wanting to know more about the tiger.

Elena just let out a small chuckle and nodded. "Yeah he did, it was during a public speaking class. He was just about to speak before he freaked out and threw up all over the Professor, poor boy wouldn't leave his dorm room for a week and Bryon was the only person he let in." She said with a tiny laugh. "Those two were always amazing together, I envied them honestly." She said, letting out a tiny smile as she spoke. "I thought they'd be together forever and would never be apart but sadly I guess we couldn't get that." She said, sounding sad now. "I'll miss him, he was such a good friend and an amazing lover for Flint and he'll never be replaced but like Flint said, he gave his life to protect us so we have to go live on for him. But any plans you guys have, let me in. I want to be there for Flint and I think Noah could use a female presence in his life."

Aidan frowned. "It could be dangerous, Noah thinks there might be more of those Malefactor things in Graesham, that's why we are heading that way. He wants to track them down before an event like Eldra can happen somewhere else."

Elena just nodded. "Alright, I still want to come, I have just as much a motive to stop the Unsealed as any of you guys. And I still think Noah needs a feminine touch in his life." She said with a wink. "Plus I've always wanted to see Graesham so this is a chance to do so."

Aidan just gave her a smirk before looking towards Noah. "You think you will be willing to add another member to our little party kid? By the way, which do you prefer? Do you still want to be called Noah or do you want us to call you by your actual name?"

Noah just shrugged a bit, a thoughtful look on his face as he contemplated things and once he seemed to figure things out he spoke in a soft voice. "I think...I think for now that Noah is good, it's the name I'm most familiar with. I don't have any connection to Jacob, it's the name I was given at birth but I have no memories of being called that name. So please just call me Noah for now alright?" The other two just nodded, both accepting his decision. "As for Elena, if she wants to come, then by all means since we can't exactly stop her." He said smiling towards Elena. "We planned on leaving early tomorrow, once the quarantine is lifted."

Elena raised a brow. "So how are we getting to Graesham? Flights are down in the country so that's not an option."

Aidan took this one since he had already planned things out. "We are gonna go down to Vinewood and take a boat to Epona where we'll meet Commander Groundwater, she can't afford to leave Weleshna given the Inquisition situation, things are barely kept in order with her there. Really the only reason the country hasn't completely fallen into complete anarchy is because of MODD and Graesham, MODD keeps the militants at bay and the Weleshnian Government basically allows MODD to control most of the country's mining economy. But they should have an Airship waiting for us in Epona."

"Um, Aidan..." Noah spoke up in a timid sounding voice. "Vinewood is in Nanala...you have to go through Vernati to get there by land, so could we maybe stop by Crosstown? I want to spread my dad's ashes and say goodbye to my friend if she's back home." He said looking down. "I just want to see my home one more time before we start our journey."

Aidan just smiled and patted the boy's head. "Sure buddy, we can do that, we have no real set limit to get to Epona so you can take as long as you need to move on. It's never easy leaving home, trust me when I left for academy I cried like a little baby because I had never been away from home but I still went and it shaped me into the man I am now. Plus after the Academy and me not being able to be matched with any Elemental Glyphs I got to go back home and serve under my dad so it was worth it in my mind. I had been hoping to be matched with a Metal Glyph anyway."

"Ah, I was wondering why you didn't use any glyph powers... so you're an Asýnchroni? It's pretty impressive you've managed to gain your rank without a glyph, it must have been hard." Elena said with a sympathetic tone. "I hear most Asýnchroni don't even continue with their studies once it's found out, since they know they would be hard to get rank since they won't have the Glyph powers their comrades would have. The fact you not only kept it up but managed to get to the rank of Lieutenant at such a young age is impressive, I'd gather you and Flint are around the same age so about 22 right? And you would have joined the MODD forces at 18 right after graduation so you rose pretty fast in only four years." She continued sounding even more impressed as she put her head in her paws and smiled up to the wolf man which made him blush and rub the back of his head gently.

"It's nothing really, I've never been the type to give up. Sure it sucked finding out I was asynchronous but I had wanted to join the MODD Forces ever since my dad became the Elemental Lord. I wasn't going to let not having a Glyph stop me from pursuing my dream. As for my break I just worked my ass off, it's what I said before we fought Hydra. Sure I don't have the marksman skills like Major Burke." He said pointing towards the grumpy looking jackal who was busy tending to his fidgety son to pay them any mind. "But I have my own skills, admittedly some of the other Lieutenants don't like me much since they think I've actually fought several of my Afypnístike ranked comrades and have always been able to come out on top so they've mostly shut up the accusations of nepotism." Aidan said with a shit-eating grin. "But there still are some minor mumblings from some people but I don't pay them any mind anymore. I've learned to just tune them out and focus on my job. I can't do all the fancy stuff they do but I don't need to, honestly I think some of my fellows are too dependent on their Glyph's sometimes and use it as a crutch." Elena just nodded.

"It makes sense, when you have immense power. You focus on using it to the point of other skills atrophy, it's a sad thing but it's the nature of us mortals we're terrible at multitasking." She said before she turned her focus on Flint who was giving a particularly passionate speech. "Look at him go, I've never seen him like this. Whatever you did seemed to light something inside him." She said while smiling back towards the wolf. "I have to thank you, I think you are what kept Flint from completely falling apart after Bryon's death." This made Aidan blush and rub the back of his head in an embarrassed fashion.

"It's no big deal, I mean anyone would do it right? Anyone decent at any rate." He said with a shrug. "My job is to help others, it's the entire reason I joined the Force. My father drilled it into my brother and I's head that we are supposed to be servants to the people. We serve as both the military and the police in cities where we have a base in, of course only large cities and cities with important strategic uses. So most smaller cities have their own independent police forces though we still fund and arm them when we can."

"MODD has their fingers in many pots...no wonder there are so many Anti-MODD militias around the world. The fact that a private company has more power than any Government. Honestly I think MODD should have been broken up decades ago, especially since they basically have a monopoly of almost every industry." Aidan didn't give much of a reaction, given he worked under the companies military arm so he didn't think it would be appropriate to say anything against them. Though she did have a point, there were other companies who made their own products; they were far smaller than MODD and could rarely compete with the juggernaut company but some managed to find popularity with those who were against MODD's stranglehold on Mortaelas.

Elena seemed to catch on and smiled and rolled her eyes. "Of course, you can't exactly say much against them can you? Given you worked for them. But you have to admit that they shouldn't have the power they do." Aidan just shrugged once again and looked back towards Flint who was finishing his speech and was wiping his tears away and smiled as he bowed, stepping away from the podium and his father stepped in to end the service.

"Thank you Flint, that was an amazing story. We are all sorry for your loss, but thanks for being willing to share it. Now it's time for us to end this. Thank all of you for coming, We've all lost much but I'm glad we can come together and support each other. You should all be able to leave by tomorrow morning. There will be evacuation buses to bring you back to Sinra and we will provide you with a way back home from here. You don't have to worry about the price since we will pay for everything and we will do our best to create a fund to cover the costs of any lost income." The elder said, and being bound to a wheelchair didn't do a thing to diminish his indominidable presence and the inner strength that shone through him. It was something Aidan deeply admired about his father, even when he lost his wife and his children he didn't break, he kept going strong for them even though Aidan did suspect that his father made sure any moment of weakness was hidden from view.

After speaking some more he formally ended the service and everyone got out of their seats and started to leave. Since the city had been secured the soldiers managed to set up numerous tents and camps for those still currently stuck in the city or for those who lost homes in the attack to avoid any overcrowding within the main tent camp in Asterius Plaza. Soon enough he and the others were the last people in the building and he turned towards both Flint and Noah who were both congratulating each other over their speeches.

"You both did great." He said with a big smile as Elena stood next to him and nodded and also stated an affirmation.

"He's right, you did amazing for a kid your age Noah, did you have any prior experience with public speech?" Noah just shook his head and laughed.

"No, none at all, but I just spoke from my heart you know? It felt good, getting all of that off my chest. It's as if I feel lighter somehow." He said with a shrug.

"It was the same for me, I'll always miss Bryon, the pain of losing him will never go away." Flint said, as he grabbed his chest in a gentle gesture. "But I feel like I can move on now, this gave me a bit of closure so thanks Aidan for forcing me."

"It's alright, I'm glad you got to do this." Aidan said before he felt Jerome brush past him gently as he approached Noah and hugged him tight which made the wolf stand up straight and blush wildly.

"Are you really leaving Noah? Are you sure you don't want to stay? I know we just met but I'll miss you." The feline said as his head was buried in the taller boy's throat.

"Yeah, I feel I have to, and I'll miss you as well. I just wish we got to meet in better circumstances but you don't have to worry, we can still keep in touch. I still have my phone and you do as well so we can always chat." Noah said as he embraced the other boy to bring him closer, Jerome nodded once again before backing away a bit to look the other boy in the eyes with a determined look on his face.

"Right, but you know something? You actually inspired me, inspired me to do something I never thought I would ever do. I'm going to sign up for the MODD Academy. I'm going to become a soldier like Aidan so next time something like this happens I can help the fight instead of standing by and letting others do the fighting." He said, his eyes blazing with a passion Aidan had never honestly seen before, even though he had known the kid his entire life. But hearing his desire he walked up gently and placed a paw on the boy's soldier.

"Hey, you sure about this Jerome? The Academy can be brutal, it's not an easy thing to get through. Are you really sure you want to put yourself through it?" Jerome simply turned around his eyes blazing even brighter.

"I know it'll be difficult. But I still want to do this, I mean my dad is the Lt. Commander so I must have some of that grit in me right? I was honestly thinking about it for a while but was too scared to go through with it, but that's over now." As he said this Aria came up to him and embraced him in a tight hug of her own which made Aidan smile, he had always liked their relationship and he found it cute. Before Jerome had come out he had honestly hoped the two would get together since he knew Jerome would have treated her well but he knew that was an impossibility.

"I'll miss you then, but I'll hold down the fort alright? I'll make sure everyone keeps on track." His sister said with a giggle as she twirled a lock of her long brown hair. "So when you plan on leaving?" She asked curiously.

"Tomorrow, I actually talked to a few of our classmates and they are joining too so I'll be heading to Sinra with everyone else before making my way to Academy,"

"I think you'll do great." Noah chimed in as he wrapped an arm around the other boy's shoulder. "It'd be awesome if we one day got to fight together side by side, I'm looking forward to that so don't disappoint me alright?" He said before giving the other boy a noogie before taking him by the paw. "But I want to speak with you in private." He said with a small wink which made Aidan smirk, he knew exactly what the boy meant and so did Jerome honestly as he went bright red before nodding shyly before they started walking off paw in paw. Aria then found herself standing next to Aidan giggling as she leaned up against her brother.

"You know, I think they'd make a cute couple, it's too bad their paths are diverging so that might be unlikely but I still think they'll be cute together." She said before looking directly at her brother with a sad smile. "I'll miss you Big Bro, but please look after Noah alright? He's a sweet kid and I wish him well." She said before letting out an adorable yawn. "But I think I'm going to get some sleep, it's late and we all have a busy day tomorrow, don't stay up too late Dan!" She said before she ran off in the same direction leaving Aidan with the rest of the gang. He let out a small chuckle of his own before he followed them, he was quite tired in all honesty. So getting some rest would be a good thing for him. With that thought in mind he yawned, wondering what the next day would bring them all.