Two weeks flew by just like that. Krystal could certainly feel it after days of strenuous training. On the second to last day of the break, Krystal, Prince, and Faith were relaxing at one of the local beaches in Kunjakumari called Fort Ramya Beach. Krystal hadn’t felt so relaxed for such a long time. The breeze was light, the sun was sparkling, and the water was so calm. Krystal took in a deep breath as she settled into her lounge chair and said, “Now this is spring break.”
“I can’t believe your beach day actually happened,” Prince said as he finished reading the magazine he had in his hands.
“Too bad we have to head back to campus tomorrow,” Faith said.
“Oh, don’t remind me,” Krystal said. “It’s not fair. We barely did any relaxing this break.”
“Uh, that’s your fault,” Prince said.
“Shut up, Prince,” Krystal said. “I can still complain!”
“Well, think about it this way,” Faith said. “You two will soon have three months of summer vacation to look forward to once you get through your exams.”
“She’s right,” Prince said. “Maybe that can be your goal. Get through the rest of the semester and finals, and you can say hello to a chill summer break.”
“Well, we’d have to see if we could make it without any villain drama,” Krystal said.
“You really think something could happen?” Prince asked.
“That seems to be our track record lately,” Krystal said.
Krystal took a sip from her water bottle as she pondered what was ahead of them. The truth was that she had no idea what could happen in the coming weeks. Even summer itself could be littered with fights with potential villains. Fida was on the loose, and there was no telling how many others like Madame Naga were out there.
“Hey, you good?” Prince asked.
“Sorry, just got a lot on my mind,” Krystal said. “Can we just go back to relaxing now?”
“Sure, we can just sit in utter silence,” Prince said.
Krystal was ready to snap at Prince, but she decided to let it go and enjoy the peace and quiet for a bit. For all she knew, this could be the last time for a while that she could enjoy some peaceful time.
***
In the evening, Krystal, Prince, and Faith returned to Mithra and Pradeep’s home. They packed their bags and were planning to head out soon to get back to the dorms in time to settle back in before classes would resume on Monday. As they came down to the main area near the front door, Mithra and Pradeep were ready to see them off.
“You got everything?” Mithra asked.
“Yeah, all good to go,” Krystal said. “I have to say, I’m definitely gonna miss it here.”
“I’ll certainly miss the food,” Prince said.
“Well, you two were fine students,” Mithra said. “I’m glad I could be a part of your journey to becoming stronger.”
“You’re all welcome to visit any time,” Pradeep said.
“Oh, we certainly will…when the baby arrives,” Krystal said, winking.
“Well then, we look forward to your next visit,” Mithra said. “Best of luck to you both on the exams. I’m sure you’ll both do great.”
Krystal immediately went and hugged Mithra. The gesture surprised Mithra, but she was happy, embracing her back.
“Thank you for everything,” Krystal said.
After Krystal let go, Pradeep handed Prince a bag with some food for the journey back. Faith transformed into her full faereon form with Krystal and Prince getting on. As she flew into the sky, Krystal and Prince waved bye to Mithra and Pradeep with them waving back. As Krystal, Prince, and Faith faded further into the distance, Pradeep turned to Mithra said, “So, you’re going to miss the kids?”
“What makes you think that?”
“I can just tell.”
“Well, you heard them. They will come back. We should go to bed soon.”
***
On the other side of the world, right up on Mt. Archer, Neil, Heer, and Gourav had gotten up early to head back to school. Katrina and Storm were leaving around the same time. After eating breakfast and getting their bags, the five of them headed outside of the house along with Dhanush and Satyamma. Katrina turned to Neil and said, “So, I guess this is it.”
“Yeah, I can’t believe how fast these two weeks went. It’s been nice working with you. I guess I’ll hopefully see you at the tournament next year.”
“You could see me before that.”
Katrina could tell Neil was confused. He then said, “How?”
“Well, I’ve never visited New Iris before…let alone seen RTA.”
“Oh, really? You should visit sometime.”
“Is that an invitation?”
“Uh, sure, I guess, I mean if you need someone to show you around.”
“How’s this Saturday for you?”
“Oh, wow. That’s soon. Uh, I don’t think I have anything planned.”
“Okay, it’s set then.”
Storm chuckled, seeing Katrina twirling the ends of her hair as she looked at a confused Neil with starry eyes. He looked at Heer and said, “Is he always this dense?”
“Go easy on him. He’s not used to such forwardness.”
“No kidding. I guess I’ll see you both on Saturday.”
“You’re going to tag along with her to RTA?”
“How do you think she’s going to get there?”
“I feel your pain, Storm,” Gourav said.
Storm transformed and Katrina got on his back as he flapped his wings. “Bye, Master Dhanush. Bye, Satyamma,” Katrina said as she waved to them both.
“Tell your mother I said hi,” Dhaush said.
“I will,” Katrina said. “Heer and Gourav, it was a pleasure meeting you both. Neil, I’ll see you on Saturday.”
“Oh, yeah, see you then,” Neil said.
With that, Katrina and Storm took off. As Katrina turned around for a second, she could see Neil waving to her with a big, warm smile on his face. She waved and turned back as she, and Storm went further into the clouds.
“That’s certainly interesting,” Dhanush said.
“What’s interesting?” Neil asked.
“Both my students going out on a date.”
Neil gasped. He could even see Heer was trying not to giggle. “Date?!” Neil exclaimed. “I’m just gonna show her around town. She didn’t ask me out!”
What a simple lad, Dhanush thought.
“Don’t encourage him,” Satyamma said to Dhanush. “He should be focusing on his studies instead of dating.”
“But I’m not even dating her, Granny!” Neil exclaimed.
“Oh, get over it, Neil. I’m just messing with you,” Dhanush said. “It may be a while till I get to mess with you again.”
“You mean, you won’t visit the city anytime, Master Dhanush?” Heer asked.
“Who knows?” Dhanush said. “For now, I feel at peace here. I will say, you kids are welcome to visit whenever you like.”
“Wow, and to think, you hated that we followed you here in the first place,” Neil said.
Dhanush put his hand on Neil’s shoulder. This surprised Neil, but he could see that Dhanush had something serious on his mind to say. He cleared his throat and said, “Neil, you’ve worked very hard these past two weeks. You as well, Heer. It may be surprising coming from me, but I’m actually glad I took on you both as my students.”
Neil felt the words coming from Dhanush were genuine. He smiled and said, “Well, it’s been the greatest honor to learn from you.”
“The road ahead of you won’t be easy,” Dhanush said. “However, I will be there to guide you both.”
“Wait, you will?” Heer asked.
“I want to see how you two progress by the end of the year, and when summer break comes, you two can come back here for more training,” Dhanush said.
“So, the invitation to visit just became mandatory,” Neil said. “You really do love us, sir.”
“Oh, don’t flatter yourselves,” Dhanush scoffed.
“Still, even if you won’t admit it, I certainly know,” Neil said. “We’ll definitely be back.”
“As nice as this conversation is, we should get going,” Gourav said. He transformed into his full faereon form, ready for Neil and Heer to get on.
“Well then, guess we’ll see you soon,” Neil said as he and Heer got on Gourav’s back, and he slowly levitated into the sky.
“Good luck with your exams,” Dhanush said. “I know you both got this.”
“Make sure you eat well,” Satyamma said.
“We will! Bye!” Neil exclaimed as he waved to Dhanush and Satyamma as Gourav took off.
Dhanush waved back, watching Neil, Heer, and Gourav disappear into the clouds.
***
Soon, Monday morning arrived. Students of Ringmasters Training Academy had arrived one after the other, filling up the halls to the brim. Heer opened her locker, looking at her mirror as she adjusted the blue gingham ribbon she was wearing behind her head. As she was about to pick up her books for class, she noticed that the loud chatter amongst the students around her suddenly became silent murmurs. She turned around and could see immediately what was getting everyone’s undivided attention.
Two male students were making their way down the hall. One of them had short dark hair and dark eyes that pierced through his square-shaped eyeglasses. He fidgeted with the buttons of his short-sleeved white shirt that was tucked into his black trousers. He wore blue loafers that were as shiny as a new coin. On the other hand, the other student was tall with a lean, muscular build. He had scruffy, voluminous black hair, sapphire eyes, and a sharp jawline. He was dressed in a sleeveless black tank that was decorated by the gold chain he wore around his neck and navy jogger pants that were tucked into black boots. Though she couldn’t remember the last time she had seen their faces, Heer recognized them both as Om Awasthy and Valdus Livewire.
Heer was surprised to see them both back so close to the end of the semester, and she could tell from the stunned looks on the other students’ faces that they felt the same. While Om was looking quite nervous, looking around at the other students, Valdus was seemingly calm. He seemed like he had no care in the world, just looking straight ahead, not acknowledging any of the faces staring him down.
Suddenly, Valdus stopped walking as Aster stood right before him, blocking his and Om’s path. Heer was surprised at this action as she never thought Aster had any issues with Valdus. While Aster looked at Valdus sternly, Valdus seemed unbothered, almost amused at Aster’s presence.
“Well, well,” Valdus said. “Are you supposed to be the welcoming party?”
“Why the hell are you back?” Aster questioned.
“Please, we’re only back now because we were allowed to,” Om said.
“It’s not even you I’m concerned with, Om,” Aster said. “The only reason you were suspended was because of this guy.”
“Is that all you have to say to me?” Valdus asked. “From the way you got in front of me, I thought you were going to try and beat me up.”
Aster hit the books that Valdus was holding in one of his hands. Valdus chuckled and said, “Really? That’s all you got?”
“What is going on here?” Professor D’Sena questioned as he made his way through the hall. “It’s our first day back. The semester is almost over, so I don’t want to assign detention to anyone. Now all of you get going to your classes or the cafeteria for breakfast.”
Professor D’Sena didn’t move until students started leaving. Heer saw an irritated Aster leave while Valdus remained cool. She saw his books were still on the floor, so she picked them up. As she walked over to him, she didn’t even have to say a word. He turned to her slightly, still calm.
“Uh, here, they still look okay,” Heer said as she held out the books.
Valdus took them from her and said, “Thanks.”
“Sorry about Aster.”
“Please, seeing a brat like him get so mad is amusing.”
Valdus carried on while Om followed him. As Heer watched them leave, she turned back to her locker, almost stunned by the interaction. Before she could think about it any further, she heard her name being called. She turned to see Neil, Sana, and Rey walking over to her. She smiled and said, “Sana, Rey, how was your break?”
“It was awesome!” Rey exclaimed. “Training was tough, but so worth it!”
“Wait till you see how much better Heer and I have gotten,” Neil said.
“Hey, Heer, are you okay?” Sana asked.
“Oh, yeah,” Heer said. “Actually, Valdus was here.”
“What?! He’s back?!” Rey exclaimed.
“Yeah, Om as well,” Heer said. “Actually, Aster seemed like he was going to fight him till Professor D’Sena showed up.”
“Man, I can’t believe I missed a fight!” Neil exclaimed.
“Well, nothing of that sort happened,” Heer said. “Aster started telling him off and hit his books out of his hands.”
“Aster?” Rey said. “Really?”
“It doesn’t surprise me,” Sana said. “Valdus has never been the nicest to him. We should get to class.”
“Hello, food first!” Neil exclaimed. “It’s blueberry waffle day!”
***
After getting breakfast at the cafeteria, Sana, Rey, Neil, and Heer went to class. Krystal, Prince, Zayn, and Akira were already in their seats along with the other students. “Hey, how come you guys weren’t at the caf?” Neil asked as he sat down with the others.
“We just ran into each other earlier,” Prince said.
“You guys won’t believe what happened!” Rey exclaimed. “Valdus is back!”
“Really?” Krystal asked. “Already? And with Om?”
“Who’s Valdus?” Zayn asked.
“Oh, he’s this student that’s always getting into trouble around here,” Sana said. “Actually, Valdus and Om are at the top of the school academically, but because of Valdus’ antics, him and Om were held back for another year.”
“So, are they in our class then?” Akira asked.
“Yeah, but that’s only because they got suspended right before the finals last year, so they couldn’t even take the exams,” Sana said.
“If they’re so good at school, what did they do to get suspended and held back for a year?” Zayn asked.
Before Sana could answer, she noticed Valdus and Om entering the classroom. She forgot that before their suspension, they shared the same class in the morning. Even though Heer told them of their reappearance, seeing them both for the first time in three months was weird. She noticed how silent the classroom became once the two appeared. As they made their way inside, Valdus stalled, seemingly looking at Zayn. It was then Sana remembered that Zayn and Akira were sitting at the exact seats that Valdus and Om used to sit at before they were suspended.
“Well, well, I haven’t seen your face for sure,” Valdus said to Zayn.
“You must be Valdus, then?” Zayn asked.
“The one and only,” Valdus said. “Now, I don’t really care who you are, but I do know that even though I’ve been gone for a while, this still is my seat.”
“It’s not like you engraved your name on it,” Akira said.
“Listen, if you don’t want any problems, just move,” Om said.
“You guys were gone for three months. You don’t get to tell anyone to move from their seats,” Rey said as he got up from his desk.
Valdus smirked and said, “You think you’re pretty tough, tiger cub?”
“Valdus, quit the antagonizing,” Sana said. “You wouldn’t want to get in trouble again just when the semester is about to end, right?”
“Now, what is going on here?” Professor Luna asked as she entered the room. “Valdus, if you knew better, you wouldn’t stir trouble on your first day back.”
“These two are in our seats,” Valdus said. “Surely, you’d remember that, Professor. I wasn’t gone that long.”
“Those seats now belong to Zayn and Akira,” Professor Luna said. “You can take the empty seats in the back.”
Zayn watched Valdus roll his eyes as he walked to the back of the classroom with Om following him. He had barely known anything about the guy, but he already couldn’t stand him.
“Now then, I hope you all had a relaxing break,” Professor Luna said. “Before we get started, Headmaster Devil is going to make an announcement over the speaker system.”
“Do you know what it’s about, Professor Luna?” Krystal asked.
Suddenly, there was a buzzing sound rattling through the walls of the classroom. Professor Luna knew it was time for Headmaster Devil to speak. After a few moments, he said, “Good morning, students. I’m glad to see you all back and hope your break was restful.”
“If only I could still be at the beach,” Krystal sighed.
“I have an urgent announcement to make regarding our sophomore class,” Headmaster Devil continued. “There has been a slight change in plans with the proceedings of your final exams. After a meeting with the education board, we have been told to push your exams to two weeks from today.”
Sana was immediately stunned by this revelation, and she could see the rest of her friends and classmates were feeling the same way. Rey immediately stood up from his chair and said, “What the hell?! Why?!”
“Sit down, Mr. Murgatroyd!” Professor Luna ordered.
“I know this is definitely a shock to all of you, and it is short notice,” Headmaster Devil said. “Trust me, I didn’t want this either, but the board is pushing for us to catch up with the other schools to get preparations for next year’s tournament done sooner.”
Unbelievable, Sana thought. I feel at least somewhat confident since I have been studying, but I have no idea about the others. Rey certainly has some catching up to do.
“Your teachers will wrap up final lessons this week and assist you in preparing for the written exams,” Headmaster Devil continued. “I know this is stressful, which is why it is important to focus on doing your best. That is how you’ll represent RTA. Good luck to you all and welcome back.”
“Some welcome indeed,” Prince said.
“This sucks,” Krystal said. “How could those people throw us in for such a loop?! It’s like they want us to fail.”
“Like the headmaster said, I know this is stressful, but I as well as your other teachers will do what we need to do to ensure you all are ready,” Professor Luna said. “On that note, let us begin today’s lesson.”
As Professor Luna began her lecture, Sana drew out her notebook and pen, ready to take the best notes she could. She had to do everything she could to score well on the exams. As for Rey, he sulked in his seat, not even having the energy to use his phone to record the lecture. How was he going to be exam ready in two weeks?
Copyright © 2026 Meryl T
All rights reserved. All illustrations created by Meryl T.
The Ringmasters Society 