"You tried to channel Qi?" Uncle Rod asked after the physician left the room.

"I guess." Keros replied absent-mindedly

"What do you mean you guess? Did you, or didn't you?" Uncle Rod asked with a firm tone

"I wasn't in full control. My body just acted on its own... To be honest, that's the first time I've performed that kick outside of my dreams." Keros replied.

"Elaborate." Uncle Rod said

Keros explained what happened when he awakened, the dream that he had, and how he lost control during the fight.

"Having a vivid or lucid dream during awakening is rare. Some believe that its a glimpse into the power that you could obtain, and others think that it's more spiritual than that. However, I've never heard of it playing an effect in the real world. You could have just subconsciously imitated the kick, but your execution was flawless so I'm not sure I believe that." mused Uncle Rod.

"Make sure you keep this information to yourself. If people learn that you had a unique experience due to your awakening that allowed you to exert abnormal power then it will cause you endless trouble." Uncle Rod said seriously.

Everyone was looking for more power and would do almost anything to get it. They would be ruthless if they thought that they could get answers from Keros.

Soon the physician came back in and removed the band and machine. She did a final examination before telling them that he should be recovered.

Keros did have some cuts and a bit of bruising was forming but all of the swelling had disappeared and he could put pressure on his leg again. Although he still felt some pain it wasn't nearly as bad as it had been.

Uncle Rod and Keros left and returned to the Barracks.

-

Keros checked himself in the bathroom mirror. He was still a mess. He had dried blood on his lip and arm, his shirt had the buttons ripped off, was torn in a few spots, and drops of dried blood covered the shirt. His hair was messy, but he could fix that quickly.

The funeral would be soon. He wasn't worried about his cuts and bruises since he often had minor injuries, but he didn't want to wear a bloody white shirt to the funeral. He didn't care what others thought, but he wanted to present his best self when sending his parents off for the last time.

He took off his shirt and threw it in the trash can with a sigh before washing the blood off his body in the sink. He did his best to style his hair before leaving the bathroom.

He found uncle Rod and explained his situation.

"Hmm. We don't have anything that would fit you, but... You said you want to present your best for your parents? Then go as you are right now." Uncle Rod said with a slight smile

"Shirtless?" Keros raised an eyebrow

"Yes. I never knew your parents to be more proud of you than when they spoke about your accomplishment in training and sparring. You endured the training and worked hard to achieve the body you have today, so why not display it to them? Show them what you've accomplished since they last saw you." Uncle Rod explained his thoughts.

'Poetic...' Keros thought. The idea was quite romantic. His parents had helped him achieve a strong, muscular body and always reinforced the belief that it was incredibly important.

Keros decided that it was the option he liked the most. Rather than wearing an oversized shirt, he would show his respect for his parents by proudly displaying the body that they helped mold.

-

The funeral would begin in 1 hour. It wouldn't take place at the barracks of course. There was a section on the edge of the base that served as a funeral home of sorts for those that served. People would likely be showing up soon so they would have to make their way over. All of squad four gathered outside the building and waited on Keros and Catherine.

Keros knocked on the office door lightly, then entered.

"Catherine. It's time to go." He said softly

"Okay." She replied before standing up and grabbing the container.

Keros lead her out, holding the doors open for her to pass through. They joined up with the team and took a few ATVs that Keros had taken to calling army carts.

Soon they made it to the funeral home and went inside. Inside there were already a few people. Booker and his family showed up early, as well as Keros' aunt. The funeral home was simple. It had 10 long rows of benches, a white lectern, a stand for the container to be put on, and a screen that would have a picture of the deceased displayed. It was decorated modestly with a few drapes and carpets.

Booker waved but before he could come over Keros' aunt had already rushed over in a fit and hugged them.

"Oh, my babies! I'm so sorry this happened!" She exclaimed with tears in her eyes. This was his aunt Kate She wore a long black dress. Her hair was long and black similar to Keros' mothers and was tied up into a bun. She wore black heels and silver hoop earrings. She was loud and slightly dramatic.

Keros freed himself from her hugs and stepped back. He liked this aunt of his well enough because she was kind and lively, but he always felt that she was a bit over the top. While he didn't mind it normally, today he wasn't in the mood to endure her constant hugs and boisterous nature.

He watched aunt Kate hugging and trying to comfort Catherine. Catherine seemed to take well too it, and her mood perked up a bit. They were very similar after all, it made sense that aunt Kate could cheer her up. He wanted to put the container on the stand, but Catherine seemed to be holding it tightly. Rather than upset her by taking it he figured it would be best that she kept it if it brought her comfort. He stepped away to meet with Booker.

"Uncle D, Aunt Pat" Keros said while waving. He was addressing Bookers' parents, Darius and Patricia.

"Hey, buddy. How are you holding up?" Darius asked

"I'm hanging in there. I know I don't need to say it, but thank you for coming." Keros said with a light smile.

"I knew you would be okay. You're a strong young man. Of course, you don't need to thank us, in our eyes you all are family and if you ever need anything we will be there for you!" Darius and Patricia said before giving Keros hugs.

Keros spent some time with the Red family, before leaving to greet those that had arrived.

By the time an hour had passed quite a few people showed up. Ole Frank, all of the people that his father had introduced him to that night, as well as some people that he didn't recognize. It warmed his heart that these people cared enough to show up on such short notice. He greeted them all warmly and thanked them for coming.

-

The funeral was starting. It would be incredibly simple. Everyone would go up one at a time and pay their respects to Jack and Jessica's ashes, and afterward, a few people would go up and tell some stories. It would end with a loved one speaking about them, which would be Keros or Catherine.

The proceedings went by quickly. A few people had spoken about Jack and Jessica including uncle Rod, Darius, aunt Kate, and even an officer of the army that had made an appearance. Finally, it was time for the final part.

"Catherine, would you like to end it off?" Keros asked

"Yes!" Catherine said with determination in her voice.

She took to the lectern and poured her heart out. She spoke about her love for her parents, and their love for her. She spoke about their family and the many happy memories they had shared. It took her quite some time before she finished, and it was difficult to find a dry eye in the building.

Everyone stayed for a while longer and socialized, before taking their leave. Bookers family spoke with Keros and Catherine again before leaving as well. Only squad four and aunt Kate were still there.

Aunt Kate had calmed down a lot by now. She was currently looking Keros up and down, as she did her face began to scrunch up.

"What happened to you, and why aren't you wearing a shirt?" aunt Kate asked with irritation

'You only mention the lack of a shirt now?' Keros thought. He found it a bit funny that his aunt was so scatterbrained some times.

"I sparred with the kid and his shirt got messed up. We didn't have time to go pick up another one so we decided he should show off his muscles!" Uncle Rod chimed in before chuckling

"Rodney Walker, I should have known! Still, as unrefined as ever I see." aunt Kate hissed

"Who needs to be refined? I've got by just fine being as rough as I am. Where is that husband of yours?" uncle Rod replied playfully.

aunt Kate began to bicker with uncle Rod. It seemed like he hit a nerve when he brought up her husband.

Keros wasn't her husband's biggest fan. His name is Josh and he is loud, arrogant, and rude. Jost treated his aunt badly sometimes too and would insult her when he got irritated. Keros' Parents didn't like him either but their reasons were more than just his attitude, though they never went into specifics.

After a while, things calmed down. Catherine was told that she would be going to live with her aunt for a while.

"What about Keros?" Catherine asked hesitantly

"He will be coming to live with me." Uncle Rod said softly

"Why won't he be living with aunt kate with me?" Catherine replied

"The best place for him is with me. He won't grow as much at your aunts as he will with me." Uncle Rod explained

Catherine was upset, but she understood. She didn't want to be separated from her brother but it couldn't be helped right now. She knew her brother didn't like it either and he would do everything he could to change it as fast as possible.

The details were ironed out. Uncle Rod would follow the two siblings' home and help them pack up. All of the important belongings would be taken from the house and tonight they would say goodbye to their home, and each other.

-

Keros couldn't take everything he wanted so he only packed his clothes and the important things. He made sure to get his training equipment, as well as his father's gloves. He took all of the pictures and even the two kitchen chairs that his parents used. Luckily Uncle Rod had come and endured the hassle of bringing a vehicle into the streets so they could transport all of their things.

Once both had packed up their things, they got in the vehicle and slowly made their way northwest to their aunt Kates house. It wasn't far and was still in the same district.

When they arrived Keros and Catherine said their goodbyes.

"It won't be long. I'll get stronger and then I'll come to get you. You can contact me through the commlink." Keros said with a quivering voice.

"Okay... I'll be alright, and I'll wait for you." Catherine said with tears in her eyes.

"Take this. Only use it for important things, and don't waste it. Don't let anyone know you have it!" Keros whispered firmly as he got close and slid a credit badge into her hand.

It contained 10,000 of the credits their parents had left. It was the majority of the credits they had left. Keros wanted Catherine to have enough credits for emergencies. He only kept a little to himself.

The two hugged for a long time before separating.

"Thank you Aunt Kate" Keros said sincerely

"Oh, no need to thank me Keros. I wish I could do more for you." aunt Kate replied with an apologetic smile.

After their goodbyes, Keros and uncle Rod left.

-

"Tomorrow you'll go to interview at the mercenary group I set you up with. They call themselves 'Dusk Hunters'. Don't be nervous, and just act the same way you act around me." Uncle Rod said

Keros nodded. he wasn't in the mood to speak. Uncle Rod wasn't bothered by this, and just kept talking

"They are a rough bunch. I don't think you'll have trouble getting in but it isn't going to be fun by any means. They only respect those that earn it, so do your best or learn to endure the disrespect."

"Between missions, you can either stay with them or you can come back to my place on the base. I won't be around much so even though you can stay at my place, you're still going to be alone starting tomorrow."

"Whatever you want out of life will have to be obtained with your own hands. You'll have no one to rely on and no one to blame. Don't make me attend another funeral kid."

"Do you want to join the military? Squad four specifically." He asked

Keros was surprised. This was the first question that he been asked. Keros did indeed want to join the military, but he hadn't much thought about joining squad four. He thought for a minute before responding

"Yes. I've wanted to join the military from the beginning, and now that I know mom and dad were in squad four, it seems like a good choice. Besides, I'm already familiar with most of the team." Keros replied

"Good. A spot will be open for you. It won't be open forever though! Get stronger and learn what it takes to work in a team outside the walls. I'll accept you when I think you're good enough." Uncle Rod said before going silent.

Those were the last words spoken that night. They arrived at a small house on the military base and unloaded Keros' belongings. Keros spent the rest of the night training and trained for over twice as long as his normal routine. He cleaned up and went to sleep.

-

Keros woke and checked the time on his commlink which displayed 5:45. He sat up and immediately began meditating.

When he began he wanted to try unlocking some of the barriers preventing him from reaching the warmth in his chest. He had learned a lot from the book his father left him and now knew that this was named the middle dantian. He would have to unlock this dantian to begin drawing in external energy to nourish his body and to have access to his lower dantian. He would have to unlock his lower Dantian too, but he wouldn't have the ability to do so until he first unlocked his middle dantian.

Oddly enough, he found that the warmth was much stronger and vivid. He felt that he could reach it without any resistance, just like he could his mind also known as upper dantian. He snapped out of his meditation with a shock.

'W-what happened?' Keros though. Last time there had been so much resistance and he had no hopes in reaching it, but now it was suddenly unlocked?! WAIT! Yesterday he had heard a dissipating sound when he had executed that kick. It sounded similar to when he had dissipated the fog after the argument with his father!

He immediately began meditating again and went straight for his mind dantian. Sure enough, much more fog had dissipated. Now he could see up to ten meters around himself, rather than the three meters he could see before. He was stunned but maintained his meditation. He began to understand what had happened and why. The mind dantian focused mainly on self-discovery, and it could be affected by learning more about your true self, and the truths of the world. Yesterday he had been out of control and it was almost as if became a small part of that incarnation from his dream, and the dissipation of the fog happened the moment the experience ended. That incarnation must be his true self or at least part of it. He felt like he figured out a small part of the mystery surrounding his awakening.

Keros decided that he would indeed focus on his middle heart dantian for now. While meditating on his mind dantian would allow for steady progress in self-discovery, he needed the strength that he could obtain from his heart dantian more urgently.

He shifted his consciousness to the warmth and entered its area. He observed the changes. His surroundings were grey, and it looked as if he was immersed within a sphere of water, with chaotic currents of water all around his sphere. All around him were dull lights of various colors that mixed into the streams of current within the water. Those dull lights were the external energy that he could pull into himself to nourish his body. He couldn't move, so he knew he had to find a way to bring those lights to him.

He spent some time experimenting before using the techniques in his father's book. The technique involved breathing in a specific pattern rhythmically to help you feel a pulling power that one's heart dantian could exert. Once the person could feel that power, they could control a small portion of it to influence those lights and pull them into the calm sphere of water that surrounded them and separated them from the chaotic flow outside. Within the sphere, they would be absorbed to grow the persons' strength.

Keros began the breathing technique and slowly began to feel an odd power that flowed through his body growing in strength. When that power reached his heart it would pulse. If you could control a bit of that power and let it build up, you could release it all at once and cause the next pulse to strengthen. The strengthened pulse would cause a ripple in the sphere, which could be controlled and directed to a specific area and drawing the lights within that area into the sphere. It sounded simple, but it was difficult to execute. It required you to maintain focus on withholding that power in your body and releasing it before it became too big, then you had to guide the ripples created by the empowered pulse which also required a large amount of focus. Lastly, you would have to accurately guide it to the perfect spot to draw the light into your sphere.

Keros took some time to learn each part. He wasn't amazing but he felt like he could draw in a light with a little bit of luck. He tried multiple times and felt failing. He would miss the timing of the ripple, or lose control of it. The times that he managed to guide it to the edge of the sphere it ended up being too weak.

He tried again. He held the power in his body back, spending longer than he had before to gather up energy. The moment he released it, he prepared to catch the ripple, help it condense into one direction, and guide it into the edge of the sphere. His heart pulse and he felt a strong thump and a slight roar before the sphere shook and a ripple began to emanate from the center of the sphere. He blocked off the ripple in a horseshoe pattern, causing the ripple to impact against the barrier had created. He allowed the barrier to spring a bit, almost like a cushion. This caused the ripples' power to be redirected toward the only section that he hadn't blocked. Next, he focused some attention on the part of the ripple that he hadn't blocked, and began to guide it while trying to keep it as narrow as possible. The ripple struck the edge of the sphere causing the ripple to transfer to the walls of the sphere.

Keros watched as the ripple struck the wall. It looked as if a pebble had been tossed into a pond. A small section of the sphere protruded and, as chance would have it, happened to touch a passing blue light. The protrusion retracted quickly pulling that light with it. The light passed through the sphere wall as it reformed and floated within the calm waters of the sphere. He could feel warmth from the light and his body began to tingle comfortably. He watched it slowly dim as his body began absorbing the energy it had.