“HUFF… HUFF… COME FORTH, YOU THRACKERS. HUFF… HUFF… HUFF… COME FORTH!!!” a sweat-soaked and extremely exhausted Dexius cried out as he fought against a trio of VEXAN WARTROOPERS in a clearing shrouded by tall trees only a few minute-cycles trek away from Lord Castron Lakarias’s Cabin.

  With the trio of Wartroopers (thankfully) being only ‘holographic projections’ displayed from his small and mobile ‘Holo-Proj’ device, the Blue Guardian was practicing his expert fighting skills against the ‘training holo-simulation’.

  Fending them off with only the use of his zilitium metal bladed Pulsar Saber, the Last Guardian swung away at the three Holo-Vexan Wartroopers.

  SKEWERING ONE THROUGH ITS CHEST immediately, Dexius stood there waiting as the Holo-Wartrooper bursted into digital dust.

  With only two Holo-Wartroopers left, the Lieutenant lashed out at them like a savage VILIIKIAN Xorkaa-Torr.

  Tackling one down to the ground, Dexius drove the tip of his Pulsar blade through the face shield of the Holo-Wartrooper’s black and red battle helmet.

  With only one War Trooper left remaining, the Blue Guardian rose up to his feet.

  Armed with a Pulsar Cannon that was attached to its right arm, the last Holo-Wartrooper aimed it directly at the young warrior.

  The Holo-Wartrooper then fired off a barrage of red pulsar energy shots at Dexius.

  Batting away the energy shots with his Saber Blade’s edge like they were house flies, Dexius rolled forward and held out his right hand on the dismount.

  “RRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!”

  Thrusting his right hand forth, Dexius used his Sonic Wave Emission to produce shuttering waves of blue light energy from his palm.

  COLLIDING WITH the Holo-Wartrooper, the sonic waves threw it TWENTY FEET BACK into a tree’s trunk, causing the vicious alien warrior to burst into digital dust like the two others.

  With the Training Holo-Sim now successfully completed, Dexius took a moment to catch his breath and reflect.

  Drenched with sweat and wearing nothing but his combat pants and combat boots, the Last Guardian Warrior rested his forehead on the butt-end of his downward facing Pulsar Saber.

  While he rested, Dexius thought back to the day-cycles of his youth… Back to the time he first learned the art of ‘Guardinian Combat’.

  The Blue Guardian was just a mere eight-cycles-old when he had been taken-in by King Luxor and Queen Andridia after the MURDERS of his Telton Spice Farming Parents, who both had lost their life-cycles during the first Vexan Invasion of planet Guardinas a decade-cycle ago…

  _

  TEN CYCLES AGO…

  “LANNY, STOP IT!!!” tearfully cried out young, six-cycles-old Guardinian Lord-Prince, Lerrick Pronos, as his older brother, the then eight-cycles-old Lord-Prince Lanteus, had him in a shoulder-lock submission hold.

  Set out in the Royal Courtyard in front of the Royal Palace, the two young Guardinian Royals practiced their fighting skills while their younger sister, a then six cycles old Princess Ashanna, and their newly taken-in acquaintance, a then eight-cycles-old Dexius Solas, watched from the side.

  “I SAID STOP IT, LANNY!!!!” Prince Lerrick continued to cry as tears started rolling down his cheeks.

  Noticing this, Prince Lanteus let him go.

  As the younger Guardinian Prince rubbed down his sore shoulder, the elder Guardinian Prince Lanteus said, “Oh, cease your whining, little brother! How else do you expect to become a ‘Guardian Warrior’ one day-cycle if you don’t even know how to properly defend yourself???”

  “TIS UNFAIR!” Prince Lerrick whimpered back. “You’re way bigger than me, Lanteus… AND OLDER!”

  “Ah, Lerry... Strength and age has NOTHING to do with it. When in combat, the true victor is the one who has the most WILL to win!”

  Prince Lerrick gave his older brother a cold glare as Prince Lanteus smiled widely.

  “Now, come forth, little brother,” the elder Pronos Prince sternly ordered whilst holding his Practice Saber at the ready with his right hand. “Let us try it AGAIN.”

  “No! I am DONE playing this stupid game, Lanteus!”

  “We’re NOT ‘playing’, Lerrick… And tis not a ‘game’ either! We are training in the SACRED ART of Guardinian Combat!”

  Disgruntled by how much his elder brother overpowered him in combat when they ‘trained’ together, Prince Lerrick threw his fists and Practice Saber down whilst shouting, “I DON’T CARE!!!”

  Prince Lerrick then stormed off back inside the Royal Palace, leaving his elder brother behind in the middle of the courtyard standing all by his lonesome

  As Prince Lerrick went to run up the marble staircase that led back into the palace, Princess Ashanna said, “Come on, Lerry! Don’t you wanna be Guardians one day-cycle like us???”

  “Huh? Like you? KROONISH ANNA!” Prince Lerrick blared in his twin sister’s face. “You can NEVER be a Guardian! YOU’RE A GIRL!!!”

  Looking over at a quiet Dexius, who didn’t speak much since he witnessed his parents’ demises at the cursed, BLOOD-SOAKED hands of Lord-Emperor Validax Vexas’s vicious Wartroopers, Prince Lerrick hatefully scorned, “And neither can COMMONER URCHINS!”

  Prince Lerrick then BOLTED OFF into the Royal Palace as Dexius stared him down.

  With his younger brother now gone, Prince Lanteus just shook his head and said, “Ugh… What a skogger. Now how am I to train???”

  As her older brother contemplated what to do, Princess Ashanna looked to Dexius and noticed that he had an ‘emotionless expression on his ghostly-looking face.

  Feeling bad about what her twin had said to Dexius, Princess Ashanna caringly asked, “Dex… Are you okay? Did Lerrick hurt your feelings???”

  The young orphan gave the Princess a hardened glare as he proceeded to wordlessly shake his head in reply.

  Whilst his younger sister checked on their newfound ‘commoner’ acquaintance, Prince Lanteus caught sight of the two and shouted, “HEY, DEXIUS!!! Would you like to help me train?!”

  Shoving Dexius in his arm, who had his brow scrunched slightly, Princess Ashanna pressed, “Go on, Dex. It’ll be fun! Heh, heh…”

  With nothing else better to do, Dexius rose up from his seat on the marble staircase.

  Walking out to meet the elder Pronos Lord-Prince at the center of the courtyard, the orphan kept the same expressionless look on his bronze-skinned face.

  “ALRIGHT, DEXIUS. We’re going to be practicing a little bit of ‘hand-to-hand’ combat,” Prince Lanteus explained to the silent orphaned boy after throwing his Practice Saber off to the side. “Just try to defend yourself. Father would not like it if I were to harm you.”

  Dexius nodded.

  Prince Lanteus then got in his combative stance as Dexius remained standing firmly in place.

  Confused, Prince Lanteus said, “Dex… You’re supposed to get in a ‘fighting stance’ too.”

  With no response from Dexius, the Prince went on to say a few milli-cycles later, “Well, alright. Very well then. Ugh... Just tell me if I hurt you too much.”

  Dexius remained silent still and as stone as Prince Lanteus prepared for his first strike.

  “YAH!!!” the eldest Pronos Lord-Prince yelled as he threw a right hook at Dexius’s head… AND SHOCKINGLY MISSED!

  Dexius had gracefully dodged the hook at ‘blink of an eye’ speed, which surprised the Prince… IMMENSELY.

  “HUH? Uh… That was a ‘grand’ move, Dex,” Prince Lanteus awkwardly commended. “But I feel as if luck was in your favor… BUT IT SHALL NOT BE IN YOUR FAVOR FOR LONG! RAAAH!!!!”

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  Prince Lanteus then threw a left Roundhouse Kick at Dexius’s side… WHICH HE CAUGHT INSTANTLY.

  Twisting the young Guardinian Prince’s leg and body around, Dexius then KICKED Lanteus in his backside, causing him to stumble forward and fall FLAT on his face.

  “YAY, DEXIUS!!!!” Princess Ashanna cheered from off to the side as she clapped her tiny hands together.

  Dexius kept a serious look on his emotionless face as Prince Lanteus begrudgingly pushed himself back up to his feet.

  Turning around, Lanteus now had a slightly more angry look on his own bronze-skinned face.

  “URGH… ALRIGHT, SOLAS. I am THROUGH with this nonsense! Tis now the time to become serious!”

  In a burst of rage, Prince Lanteus dashed at Dexius in FULL FURY.

  Unbeknownst to the Heir to the Royal Guardinian Throne, the orphaned farm boy tracked his movements with flawless precision.

  DODGING OUT of Lanteus’s furious path, Dexius grabbed the front of his shirt and right arm and KICKED OUT his legs from underneath him.

  “YIELD,” Dexius sternly commanded as he now held Prince Lanteus down with his right hand pressed on his chest and his balled up left fist cocked back past his left shoulder.

  “WHAT IN THE STARBLAZES IS GOING ON OUT HERE?!” cried out a then forty-cycles-old King Luxor Pronos as he watched Dexius holding HIS HEIR down on the ground out in the middle of the Royal Courtyard.

  Upon seeing the King, Dexius immediately let Prince Lanteus free and stood straight up.

  “YOUR GRACE!” Dexius bolstered as he dropped down to one knee and lowered his head out of respect for the Royal Lord-King.

  As King Luxor glared at the orphaned youth, Lord-Prince Lerrick came sniveling up from behind his father.

  “SEE?! I TOLD YOU, FATHER!” Prince Lerrick tearfully cried. “Dexius was trying to HARM Lanteus!”

  Raising his head up, Dexius gave Lerrick a confused look as King Luxor turned his angered eyes back upon him.

  “Is this true, Dexius?” King Luxor asked with his stern, stone-like brow lowered. “Were you trying to HARM Lanteus???”

  Dexius was about to respond until Prince Lanteus staggered out before him to shout, “NAY! Lerrick’s claims are FALSE, father!”

  “What?” King Luxor uttered aloud in confusion as Dexius looked up at the elder Pronos Prince in utter shock and surprise.

  “Dexius was only assisting me with my ‘Guardian Warrior’ training,” Prince Lanteus continued. “We were practicing the sacred art of ‘Guardinian Combat’... And Dexius BESTED me, father. Tis all that TRULY happened. I’m not even harmed. LOOK!”

  With a surprised look on his chiseled and finely-trimmed, graying-blond bearded face, King Luxor looked to young Dexius with more ‘settled’ eyes whilst he asked, “Is that so… BOY?”

  Looking directly towards the Lord-King, Dexius nodded, “Yes… Your Grace. Tis… Tis true.”

  “Interesting,” King Luxor then said as he stroked his beard with his right hand.

  Confused, Prince Lerrick asked, “FATHER… aren’t you going to PUNISH Dexius for trying to HARM Lanteus?”

  “DEXIUS WASN’T TRYING TO ‘HARM’ ANYONE, LERRY!!!” Princess Ashanna snapped at her twin brother.

  “MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS, ANNA!” Lerrick shot back at her with a cold glare as their father stood between them.

  “SILENCE!!! BOTH OF YOU!” King Luxor then roared, ceasing his youngest childlings’ squabbling.

  “So, boy,” the King started as he looked back in Dexius’s direction once more. “You ‘bested’ my heir?”

  “Yes, father. That he did,” Prince Lanteus answered for Dexius, who was now too scared to speak.

  Nodding, King Luxor said, “I see. Hmm… Tis prendekumous… FOR A FARM BOY.”

  Looking at the orphan once again, King Luxor smirked, “Grand job, Dexius.”

  Dexius had a slight grin growing on his face now as Prince Lerrick, on the other hand, had a shocked one.

  “Tis quite brave to go against an opponent who has trained in the discipline of our culture’s ‘sacred combative arts’ since he could first make-foot when knowing NONE AT ALL yourself,” King Luxor continued. “Grand job, my boy. GRAND JOB INDEED.”

  “Grand thanks… MY KING,” Dexius replied whilst lowering his head.

  Looking over both boys now, King Luxor said, “Well, I better let you two continue on with your training then. We shall need the Guardians again one day-cycle, after all. Heh, heh…”

  The King looked at Prince Lanteus directly after saying that.

  Transferring his gaze over to Dexius now, King Luxor added, “And mighty Guardsmen as well.”

  Dexius slightly smirked as Prince Lerrick whimpered, “But… But Father…”

  “LERRICK, cease your squabbling and join Lanteus and Dexius in THEIR training!” the Lord-King sternly ordered.

  Glaring over at Dexius again, Prince Lerrick gritted his teeth as the Orphaned Farm Boy glared right back at him.

  Shaking his crowned head, King Luxor said, “Have fun, childlings… And may the High-Elders watch over you ALL.”

  The Lord-King then wandered off back into the Royal Palace with his Royal Honor Guard, leaving the childlings behind in the Royal Courtyard WITHOUT adult supervision once more.

  “Care to go again, Dex?” Prince Lanteus asked while looking over to Dexius.

  Eyes widened, Dexius nodded, causing the eldest Pronos Prince to smile.

  All the while, as his elder brother and the LOWLY STREET SCRAP his father had taken from the farmlands that were far outside of the Royal city, Prince Lerrick stood at the top of the marble staircase with a scowl painted on his face.

  Keeping his arms crossed over his chest, the abnormally silver-haired royal kept his turquoise eyes fixated on Dexius and Prince Lanteus… But mostly at the former… GLARING AT HIM IN PURE, UNFILTERED HATRED.

  _

  “Dexius?” called out sixteen-cycles-old Princess Ashanna to her sworn protector as she came upon him at the end of his solo training session.

  Looking back, Dexius caught sight of the Princess, who looked very different than usual.

  In place of her long and vibrant purple-colored hair, Princess Ashanna now bore bleached blonde locks that were shorn just past her jawline.

  The only remnants of her former hair color was one single strip that draped down the right side of her face.

  Also, her once turquoise eyes were now just a simple baby blue color.

  “ASHANNA???” Dexius breathed out in a shocked tone.

  “Yes, Dex?” the Lady-Princess smirked.

  “Wha-- What happened to you?”

  “What be the disturbance, Lieutenant? Do you not like how my new hair looks?”

  “NO. That… I… I just…”

  “Just WHAT, Dex???”

  “I just… Did not expect such a ‘change’, is all.”

  Rolling her eyes, Princess Ashanna sighed, “Ugh… Tis fine if you do not like it, Dexius. NO HARM DONE. I would have rather kept my regular hair color… But Lord Lakarias said that if we are to ‘blend-in’ with the humans at this Learning Institution known as ‘School’ then we MUST look like them. So… Castron did something called ‘dying’ to my hair and gave me things called ‘contacts’ to shield my true eye color. I guess that humans are not accustomed to such unmatched beauty as mine.”

  Princess Ashanna giggled briefly as Dexius continued to stare like an idiot at her new hairstyle and color.

  Noticing Dexius’s ‘dead-faced’ look, the Lady-Princess asked, “Something troubling you, Dexius? Does my hair bother you that much?”

  “No… Tis not your hair, Anna,” the Blue Guardian replied whilst shaking his head from side to side. “I think that it looks prendekumous.”

  Princess Ashanna then started to smile widely as Dexius’s cheeks began to redden.

  “Why, that was kind of you to say, Dex… ARE YOU WELL?” Princess Ashanna jested with a snicker. “A grand thanks to you, Lord-Guardian. Heh, heh…”

  Dexius nodded to her in reply

  Looking around at the empty clearing where the sweat-covered soldier still stood with an activated Pulsar Saber in hand, Princess Ashanna asked, “So…. What are you doing all the way out here, Dex?”

  “I was getting some ‘combative practice’ in,” Dexius explained as he pressed a silver button on the Saber’s black hilt, collapsing its zilitium blade back into its obsidian hilt. “Even though we are out of the Vexans’ clutches… FOR NOW I must keep my ‘fighting skills’ honed. You should do the same, Your Majesty… Just to be safe.”

  “Grand thanks, Dex… BUT I shall leave the ‘fighting’ and ‘war-waging’ to you, my Fearless Protector.”

  “Very well. Why have you come to me, Your Highness? We are quite a ways away from Lord Lakarias’s dwelling. Is there a problem?”

  “No. No problem. Everything is surprisingly fine. I only came all the way out here to tell you that Castron wishes to change your appearance as well.”

  With an unsure look on his face, Dexius ran his left hand through his jet-black hair, which was cleanly shaved down on the sides, trimmed on the top, and came down to a perfect curl at the center of his forehead.

  “I am not quite sure about that, Anna,” the Blue Guardian dismissed. “I like my hair the way that it is.”

  “Oh, come now, Dex,” Princess Ashanna replied as she crossed her arms over her chest. “Tis is not that bad. BESIDES, you said yourself that if we are to remain on this planet that we must blend-in with the Humans, remember? Isn’t that what Father INSTRUCTED US to do???”

  Narrowing his eyes sourly at the Guardinian Royal, Dexius begrudgingly sighed, “Ugh… Fine. Very thracking well. I shall go through with it.”

  “GRAND!!!” Princess Ashanna gleefully erupted. “Come with me, Dex, and I shall accompany you back to Lord Lakarias’s Dwelling!”

  Dexius then nodded reluctantly to the Lady-Princess and started walking with her back to Castron’s Cabin, smirking slightly as he went about with his stride.