“We’re finally here!” Krystal exclaimed as she landed her feet on the terrace of a tall building.
It had taken them a while, but Faith had finally brought Krystal and Prince to India. The trio were in the center of the state of Yamuna. They were supposed to be heading to Kunjukumari, but Krystal wanted to stop in first in the Pushpamangalam district.
It didn’t take long for Krystal to seemingly get distracted. Prince had to follow her around to every stall and shop in the shopping district. He could tell Faith was confused as to what they were doing, but this obviously didn’t surprise him. This was to be expected. With all the time and money spent, she had so many shopping bags that she couldn’t even carry them all, leaving Prince and Faith to hold some for her as they went to a small restaurant by the name of Pooja Eats.
“There’s so many good options!” Krystal exclaimed as she looked over the menu. “I think I’m leaning towards the rasam and rice combo. What about you guys?”
“Krystal, what are we doing exactly?” Faith asked.
“What do you mean?” Krystal asked. “We gotta eat after all.”
“She means to ask why you’re not focusing on the task at hand as usual,” Prince said.
“Why must you always put things so harshly?!” Krystal exclaimed. “Are we not allowed to have a nice lunch?”
“We are,” Faith said. “You just shouldn’t lose sight of why we came here. More specifically, why you wanted to come here. It’s certainly not proper to lose sight of a goal once it’s been set.”
“I won’t hold it against you for shopping since that’s just who you are, but even I think we need to get our priorities in order,” Prince said.
Krystal shrugged. She understood what Prince and Faith were saying. She couldn’t help herself getting immersed in India. It was one of the few countries that she had never gotten a chance to see.
Prince sighed. He said, “Look, if you want to keep sightseeing, it’s fine.”
Krystal was surprised to hear Prince be understanding. He didn’t even sound annoyed.
“You’re okay with this?” Krystal asked.
“Yeah. You’re the ringmaster after all. I gotta trust that you know what you’re doing.”
As Krystal pondered, the server arrived to take their orders. She ordered food for everyone and after the server left, she said, “Okay. After lunch, we will head straight to Kunjukumari.”
“Good,” Prince said. “Carrying these shopping bags for any longer is gonna break my arms.”
Krystal and Prince chuckled. Faith found herself intrigued with the duo. Getting to know them and their world was proving to be an interesting challenge for her.
***
After lunch, Krystal and Prince flew on Faith to Kunjukumari. The journey to get there wasn’t too long, but it certainly felt like it for Faith.
“Next time we go traveling, maybe drop the bags somewhere else,” Faith said, feeling the weight of Krystal’s shopping bags on her fareon body.
“Hey! How could we come to India and not shop?!” Krystal exclaimed.
“It could’ve waited until after we reached Kunjukumari,” Prince said.
“The shopping district has amazing deals!” Krystal said. “I couldn’t pass on that opportunity.”
“Okay, okay! Let me just bear with this till we reach the village,” Faith said as she kept flying.
***
After some time passed, Krystal, Prince, and Faith landed in Kunjukumari. They landed directly into the village, and Faith transformed into her chibi form once they reached the ground. Krystal took a moment to note her surroundings. The sweet aroma of jasmine flowers was everywhere along with the tall coconut trees. The houses and shops varied in color but the colors that stood out were cloudy blue and pastel yellow. She noticed lotus motifs on some of the buildings and pathways.
“This village is quite beautiful,” Faith said.
“Yeah, I didn’t expect to see so many flowers,” Prince said.
“I’m so excited,” Krystal said. “All right. We need to go to Mithra Pillai’s house.”
“Well, we have the address that Imani gave us, right?” Prince asked.
“Yeah. Based off the numbers I’m seeing on these houses, it looks like her place must be further down this road,” Krystal said.
“All right then, we should start walking,” Faith said.
“Walking?!” Krystal exclaimed. “Can’t you fly us there?”
“No way. I used so much energy to fly you guys here,” Faith said. “You also can’t rely on me all the time. Proper students must be able to handle certain challenges on their own.”
“It wouldn’t have been as much if you resisted your shopping urges,” Prince said to Krystal as he started walking, carrying half of her shopping bags.
“But…how can I walk in these shoes?!” Krystal exclaimed, referring to her new pink pumps. “They’re gonna get dirty!”
“Not our problem,” Prince and Faith said in unison as they walked further ahead.
Krystal whimpered as she started carrying the rest of her shopping bags. She forgot how light her backpack was as soon as she started walking.
***
After walking for a little over a mile along the pathway, Krystal, Prince, and Faith reached Mithra Pillai’s house. Krystal’s feet had gotten so sore from all the walking that she had to take off her shoes midway and finish the route barefoot. Once they reached the house, Krystal dropped to the ground, exhausted. She looked at the soles of her feet and noticed how red they had gotten.
“So, this is why people keep telling me to wear sneakers,” Krystal said as she remained on the ground, panting.
“Yeah, but you’ll never listen,” Prince said. “This is a nice place.”
“I agree,” Faith said.
Krystal slowly got up and looked at the house. Just like all the other homes in the village, this home didn’t look like the others. The outside exterior was pale yellow with a cream-colored roof.
As Krystal walked up to the front of the house along with Prince and Faith, she took note of the beautiful greenery surrounding the home and the many palm trees surrounding the place. Before they could reach the door, a tall, lean man opened it. He had short dark hair that was slightly curly and wavy at the same time. He wore a forest green short-sleeved shirt with a brown plaid lungi. The man looked at the group and said, “Can I help you?”
“Yeah. Sorry to bother you, but we’re looking for Mithra Pillai,” Krystal said. “This is her house, right?”
“It is,” the man said. “But is she expecting you three?”
“Well, not exactly,” Prince said.
“Then I can’t let you see her,” the man said.
“Oh, come on. We have a note from someone she knows,” Krystal said.
“What is going on here?” a voice asked.
The man stepped aside as a woman came towards the door. Krystal couldn’t help but notice how beautiful she was. Her hair was long with dark, loose curls. She had a teal bindi on her forehead that drew attention to her chocolate eyes. Her ears were adorned by small, silver jhumka earrings, and she wore a dark blue kurta with matching churidar.
“Hi,” Krystal said. “Are you Mithra Pillai?”
“Yes, I am,” the woman said. “Who are you?”
“My name is Krystal. Krystal D’Cruz,” Krystal said. “This is my partner, Prince, and our guardian, Faith. We’ve come a long way to see you.”
“Listen, child, I’m not interested in seeing strangers right now. I already have a lot going on as it is.”
“We’re not strangers though. We were sent here by someone you know very well.”
“And who would that be?” Mithra asked.
Krystal took out the note that Imani wrote for her. She handed it to Mithra, who unfolded the note, reading it silently. As Krystal watched her read it, she could see Mithra’s expression change from confused to annoyed.
“Damn it, Imani. Let them in, Pradeep,” Mithra said to the man.
Pradeep welcomed Krystal, Prince, and Faith inside the house.
***
Krystal, Prince, and Faith were led to the living room. The floor was made of a shiny granite that sparkled like it was just made yesterday. There were at least four plum-colored velvet-cushioned chairs and a forest green-colored velvet couch. They seated themselves on the couch while Mithra sat in one of the chairs across from them. Pradeep served them all lime juice and sat down in the chair next to Mithra.
“Thanks for the juice, sir…Pradeep, right?” Krystal asked.
“Sorry, I didn’t introduce him properly,” Mithra said. “This is my husband, Pradeep.”
“Hello,” Pradeep said.
“Nice to meet you,” Faith said.
Mithra let out a deep sigh. She couldn’t tell if she was tired or annoyed.
“Imani really sent a bunch of kids to me knowing my current situation,” Mithra said.
“Uh, current situation?” Faith asked.
“Let me spell it out for you all since it’s not noticeable yet,” Mithra said. “It’s only been the two of us this whole time, but now a third addition to the family is coming.”
“Aww, you’re having a baby!” Krystal exclaimed. “That’s amazing! Congrats! If I had known, I would’ve brought a gift!”
“Hold on, you said she knows about your situation,” Prince said. “What exactly does the note say? We didn’t read it since it was addressed to you.”
“The general gist of it is that this will be great training for motherhood. And I owe her one,” Mithra said. “Don’t even ask about it.”
Krystal could see the irritation in Mithra’s face increase. She wasn’t sure what she could say to make her less annoyed, but she figured she’d have to start explaining herself.
“Well, anyway, we want someone to train us. Me especially. You see, I have this new weapon, and I need to learn how to use it with my usual weapon,” Krystal said as she drew out her zodiac wand.
“Hold on. Is that what I think it is?” Pradeep asked.
“It is,” Mithra said. “How did you get your hands on one of the zodiac wands?”
“Wow, everyone acts like it’s so hard to get one of these,” Krystal said. “I just read about it in a book, solved the riddle, went to the place to get it, battled my friend for it, and now it’s mine. No biggie.”
Mithra was surprised with how nonchalant Krystal was. She didn’t expect a mere student to get their hands on such a powerful artifact.
“So, your reaction tells me you’ve heard of the zodiac wands,” Prince said.
“Yes, but this is my first time seeing one in person,” Mithra said. “So, you want my help with learning how to use the wand?”
“Yeah,” Krystal said.
“And what about your partner here? Is he supposed to be some cheerleader for you?” Mithra asked.
“Hey! What’s that supposed to mean?!” Krystal exclaimed.
“Mithu, spare her,” Pradeep said to Mithra.
“You heard me,” Mithra said to Krystal. “Your partner is here for you, but are you here for him as well? You want to learn how to use this weapon, but you can’t just let your partner take a backseat.”
Before Krystal could say something, Prince said, “Look, Ms. Mithra, I’m not taking a backseat here. I’m here to support Krystal as her partner. I’m just as invested in this as she is.”
Krystal was surprised to see Prince speak up for her, but she was touched by the gesture. Mithra was also taken aback by Prince’s outspokenness.
“Very well,” Mithra said. “Pradeep, can you arrange some new sheets for them in the guest room?”
“I’ll do that right now,” Pradeep said as he got up.
“So, we’re gonna start training today?” Krystal asked.
“Not today. I need time to understand your skillset and the zodiac weapon you have to figure out the best training methods,” Mithra said. “For now, you can rest as I’m sure you’ve traveled for quite a while. Now I don’t go easy on anyone. Make sure you take that into consideration.”
Pradeep helped Mithra get up, and the two headed out of the living room. Prince looked at Krystal and could tell she was looking a bit nervous.
“You’re intimidated by her, aren’t you?” Prince said to Krystal.
“Me? Intimidated? Ha!” Krystal exclaimed. “It’s gonna take more than that to scare me away.”
“Really?” Faith said.
“This is the same girl who gets scared of spiders. She’s bluffing,” Prince said to Faith.
“Oh, shut up, Prince,” Krystal said as she got up and exited the living room with Prince and Faith following her.
***
Early in the morning, Pradeep came to the guest room that Krystal, Prince, and Faith were sleeping in and rang a large bell. The sound was so loud that it rattled Krystal’s eardrums, making her jump out of her bed and shriek. Faith slowly woke up while Prince remained sound asleep in his bed.
“What the hell is the bell for?!” Krystal exclaimed. “It’s only four in the morning.”
“Yes, but Mithu needs you to eat breakfast as soon as possible. She believes in making the most of the day,” Pradeep said.
“Well, maybe she doesn’t understand the concept of beauty sleep,” Krystal said. “Can’t we get at least another hour?”
“Oh, come on, Krystal. We’re in their home. And since Mithra is your teacher, you have to do as she says,” Faith said.
“What is with your partner?” Pradeep asked Krystal, looking at Prince, who was still sleeping. “This bell can wake up just about anyone.”
“Not Prince. He tunes out pretty much everything from class lectures to bells,” Krystal said.
“I’m surprised he doesn’t tune you out when you talk,” Faith said.
“Okay, now that’s just rude, Faith!” Krystal exclaimed. “We’ll be ready in a bit.”
Pradeep nodded and left the room. Faith turned to Krystal, wondering how they could possibly get ready soon with Prince asleep.
***
After thirty minutes, Krystal, Prince, and Faith had breakfast with Mithra and Pradeep. Pradeep had prepared idli and sambar. After eating, Mithra and Pradeep led the others outside to the garden. As tired as Krystal was, she enjoyed the presence of the jasmine flowers. She had never seen so many before. There were several bushes of them, and their sweet, light aroma was enough to make her stay awake.
“Wow, this garden is gorgeous!” Krystal exclaimed.
“Please tell me we didn’t get up super early to do gardening,” Prince said, letting out a yawn.
“Of course not. We’re going to do our training here today,” Mithra said.
“Um, is this really an ideal place to train?” Faith asked. “I mean, would you really want to ruin this beautiful garden.”
“Actually, the garden is perfect for today’s training,” Mithra said. “We’re keeping things light and simple for now.”
Pradeep helped Mithra get to the small bench for her to sit down. Mithra signaled Krystal and Prince to sit down before her. Pradeep stood by her side while Faith moved over to the trees to watch.
“Okay. We’re going to start our training from a mental standpoint today,” Mithra said.
“Okay, how exactly does that help me with learning to use my new weapon?” Krystal asked.
“Remember, your weapon isn’t an ordinary one. The spirit of Leo rests within the chain. Normal ringmaster weapons are connected to their users through the techniques they utilize for them,” Mithra explained. “In the case of a weapon linked to a spirit, the user has to properly bond with the spirit for the connection to work.”
“Okay, how does that apply to Prince?” Krystal asked.
“Prince, as her human-beast partner, you too will have to connect with the spirit. You have to treat this new weapon as a member of your team,” Mithra said. “In this way, fighting with it and developing the right combinations and attacks will work out.”
“Got it,” Prince said.
“Good. I’m going to demonstrate something for you both,” Mithra said.
Mithra drew out her wand. Krystal was intrigued, hopeful that she’d get to see her powers on display. After all, she was Yashi’s cousin. And from the way Imani spoke about her, she had to be a very capable ringmaster.
Mithra tapped her wand to transform it into her weapon. The wand was in the form of a machete. The blade had a sharp curve at the end and was in an oxidized gold color with a golden handle to match. Krystal was intrigued by its appearance as she had never seen anything like it.
“Wow, your weapon is stunning,” Krystal said. “Does it have a formal name?”
“It’s called an aruval. It was passed down to me by my mother,” Mithra said. “My father passed his weapon to my brother, Dhanush.”
“Oh, that’s the guy that Neil chased after for training,” Prince said.
“I’m going to use my weapon before you, and it’s crucial you pay attention,” Mithra said.
Krystal and Prince stood by, ready to watch. Mithra turned to Pradeep and nodded to him. Pradeep’s body gave off a bright white glow as the entire form of his body changed. He transformed into an elephant. Krystal was amazed at just how big Pradeep was in this form.
“Whoah!” Krystal exclaimed. “I’ve never seen an elephant human-beast before!”
“That doesn’t surprise me. Pradeep was the only one at our school back in the day,” Mithra said.
“What academy did you guys go to?” Prince asked.
“We went to Lotos Caeli. It was a while after graduating from there that we got married and settled down here,” Mithra said.
“I don’t think I’ve met anyone from that school,” Krystal said.
“We can tell you about that later. Right now, you need to focus,” Mithra said.
Mithra nodded to Pradeep. Pradeep closed his eyes while Mithra looked down and concentrated as she drew out her wand, tapping it to transform. Krystal was carefully observing them both, especially Mithra. She looked incredibly focused and in tune with herself. More importantly, her breathing and concentration was synchronized with Pradeep.
“Okay, Krystal, I want both you and Prince to focus your energy and concentrate it just like we’re doing,” Mithra said. “And Krystal, put your zodiac wand down to the side.”
“Well, okay then,” Krystal said.
Prince transformed into his beast form. Krystal transformed her wand into her sonic bell. She kept the zodiac wand on the ground. She closed her eyes and held onto her sonic bell while Prince closed his eyes and concentrated as well. Krystal could feel their sound energies building up internally and synchronizing. It was a lot like the equilibrium technique.
“You’re doing good,” Mithra said as she paid attention to Krystal and Prince. “Now, pay attention and follow what we do next.”
Krystal and Prince opened their eyes. Even though Krystal was still synchronizing with Prince, she watched Mithra and Pradeep closely. Her aruval glowed blue and so did Pradeep’s body. A twisting array of water droplets emerged from Mithra’s aruval. Pradeep raised his trunk, allowing a similar array of water droplets to flow from it. They floated in the air, almost dancing around each other, merging into a single entity. Krystal was in awe of the sight. It felt like something that she would’ve seen at one of the circus shows at RTA.
“Wow,” Krystal said. “That’s beautiful.”
“I want you both to do what we just did.”
“Hold on. How can we?”
“The goal of this exercise is for you both to synchronize properly.”
“But we’ve already done that. Prince and I learned how to use the equilibrium technique.”
“This isn’t an ordinary equilibrium technique. What I’m showing you is the Shakti equilibrium. This technique is a more advanced version of the usual equilibrium technique you learn in the academy.”
“What makes it different?”
“The standard technique is about synchronizing your energy levels to combine them into a singular unified attack. The Shakti equilibrium allows you to synchronize your energies and release just pure energy. The point of this is to allow the spirit of Leo to recognize your energies and be familiar with them. In this way, you’ll be able to synchronize and use the weapon.”
“So, this technique is just for releasing energy? Not for battling?”
“Of course not. I’m sure you’ve seen energy attacks. While this one takes a bit of time to get used to, it’ll certainly be useful in future battles. You may even be able to use it in your upcoming final exams.”
Krystal understood what Mithra was getting at. She knew she and Prince had to do this right to prove they were worthy students to Mithra. She turned to Prince and remembered the time they fought Cyrus for the chain of Leo. His eyes were giving the same look from back then. She knew he was willing to work by her side.
Mithra watched Krystal and Prince close their eyes. She could see the silver-colored energy flowing from their bodies as they synchronized perfectly. The sight of pure sound energy wasn’t new to her, but the way it twisted into a vibrating entity was different. It was somewhat erratic but controlled. She could see their contrasting beings were colliding through their energies.
Mithra was impressed with the way Krystal and Prince were handling the exercise. The two had potential. Probably more than she thought they had.
“Good work,” Mithra said. “You can stop now.”
Krystal opened her eyes and Prince transformed back into his human form. She looked at Mihra and said, “So, how exactly did this exercise help?”
“Look down,” Mithra said.
Krystal looked down and was stunned to see her zodiac wand had a flickering yellow glow. She hadn’t seen it shine like that since she first got it.
“Leo has now sensed your energies. The shakti that you unleashed is now familiar to him.”
“I’m kinda confused. I spoke to his spirit when he appeared before me after receiving the chain. So, why do we need to do all of this?”
“You were trusted with keeping the chain. Have you even heard or seen the spirit since you last spoke to it?”
“Uh, no.”
“Well, there’s the issue. The spirit needs to get to be able to trust you to actually work with you.”
Pradeep transformed back into his human form and helped Mithra stand up. Seeing her up, Krystal got up along with Prince, holding both her sonic bell and her zodiac wand. Mithra said, “All right. Let’s take a short break and we’ll go at it again.”
“Hold on,” Krystal said. “We have to do the same exercise again?”
“Of course. This is going to be our focus for today,” Mithra said. “You performed it well, but you’re still a bit rusty.
“Rusty?! You’re calling me rusty?!” Krystal exclaimed.
“Well, you’re not exactly the greatest at energy control just yet,” Prince said.
“It’s not a bad thing,” Pradeep said. “You’re both young and inexperienced. It’ll take multiple attempts to perfect this technique. I’ll get water for everyone.”
Pradeep headed inside with Mithra while Krystal and Prince remained where they were. Krystal sighed, feeling a long day of training was ahead of them. Faith couldn’t help but marvel at what was unfolding. She found Mithra to be quite the teacher and that Krystal and Prince were in for quite a lot.
***
Krystal fell flat at the dining table. She felt relaxed and exhausted at the same time as she sat slumped in her chair. It was evening time, and she and Prince had completed a long day of training. They practiced the Shakti equilibrium technique so many times that she had lost count. Faith looked at Krystal and said, “Now, Krystal, it’s not good manners to sulk at the dining table.”
“Do I look like I care?” Krystal asked.
“Wow. I think I’m rubbing off on you,” Prince said, chuckling.
“I don’t understand why you’re like this. Prince seems to be handling today quite fine compared to you,” Faith said.
“You know, I’m starting to think you’re picking favorites in this whole guardianship thing, Faith,” Krystal said.
Mithra sat down at the dining table while Pradeep started bringing in the dishes he made for dinner. As she sat down, she took note of how tired Krystal looked and said, “Are you okay?”
“Do I look okay to you?!”
“Now, is that really a way to talk to your teacher?”
Krystal didn’t say anything. She looked at Faith, who was giving her the side-eye. Even Prince shook his head. Krystal sighed and said, “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. I did say training would be intense,” Mithra said. “Hopefully, dinner will lift up your spirits.”
Krystal looked at the table, intrigued by all the dishes on the table. She inquired about the names of the curries with Pradeep who told her the various names. The vegetable curry consisting of carrots, potatoes, and other vegetables was called avial. There was okra curry as well as fish, rice, and pappadums. She began taking a portion of each dish for her plate while everyone else did the same. “Wow, this looks so good!” Krystal exclaimed.
“Indeed. I must say, Pradeep, you’re quite the chef,” Faith said.
“Well, thank you. Mithra’s cooking leaves a lot to be desired, so I handle that around here,” Pradeep said.
“Oh please, I’m not that bad,” Mithra said as she started filling up her plate.
“It’d be funny if you were as bad as our friend, Sana,” Prince said. “She tried making soup for our friend, Rey, and he literally spit the whole thing out.”
“So, all your good friends are back at RTA?” Mithra asked.
“Yeah, pretty much,” Krystal said. “Though I made a new friend at Pytho Sigma.”
“Well, it must be a lot for you kids to come here on your break away from them,” Mithra said.
“Yeah, but honestly, after everything my friends have been through, I think we all thought training was the right way to go for spring break,” Krystal said.
“Speak for yourself, you wanted to go to the beach,” Prince said.
“Oh, shut up, Prince!” Krystal exclaimed.
While Krystal and Prince were bickering, Mithra couldn’t help but think about the old times when she and Pradeep were at the academy. She couldn’t help but smile.
***
After dinner, Krystal, Prince, and Faith were getting ready for bed. Krystal came out of the bathroom after brushing her teeth and putting on her orange silk pajama set. She looked at Faith, who was reading a rather huge book. What surprised her even more was seeing Prince read as well. He was reading an Indian film magazine that he picked up from the coffee table in the living room.
Krystal looked at her phone, checking her messages. She sighed and said, “Unbelievable.”
“What’s the matter, Krystal?” Faith asked, looking away from her book.
“It’s Zayn. He hasn’t replied to my GleeChat messages,” Krystal said.
“Since when do you use GleeChat?” Prince asked.
“How else am I supposed to message people from another country?!” Krystal exclaimed. “You really think my dad would want to pay those ridiculous rates for overseas data plans?! Please!”
“Okay. Why do you care?” Prince asked.
“What do you mean why do I care?”
“You seem to be making quite the fuss over a text. It’s not like it’s a matter of life and death. Maybe he’s just busy.”
“Can’t I just be frustrated that he won’t respond?”
“You can. It’s just silly.”
“Ugh! I need water.”
Krystal put her phone down on the nightstand and headed out of the room. Faith turned to Prince and said, “Why do I get the feeling you were messing with her?”
“It’s our group’s thing. You’ll get used to it,” Prince said.
***
Krystal headed over to the kitchen and got the water pitcher from the fridge, filling up a glass. She paced around, slowly sipping the glass a few times as she pondered over Prince’s teasing. Was Zayn really just busy or was he ignoring her? She didn’t think he was that kind of person, but she also didn’t know him for long. A more pressing matter came about as she felt an aching pain in her arms. All the energy control exercises she and Prince did today made the slightest movement of her arms painful. She was so sore. Mithra said it wouldn’t be easy, but if this was how training was on the first day, Krystal couldn’t imagine what the next two weeks would look like.
Krystal stopped pondering as soon as she heard voices outside. She walked out of the kitchen, went past the living room, and slightly opened the door that led to the garden. Mithra and Pradeep were sitting with each other on the bench, seemingly admiring the stars.
“You’ve been very quiet,” Pradeep said.
“Sorry, I have a lot on my mind.”
“What’s troubling you?”
Mithra sighed. She looked down at her belly, feeling her anxiousness eat at her.
“You seem more overwhelmed than before.”
“Motherhood certainly makes me nervous. It’s even more nerve-wracking with those kids present.”
“They’re nice kids…Krystal and Prince. Faith seems to keep them both in check.”
“I hope they don’t think I’m too hard on them. It’s been so long since I mentored students.”
“You’re doing just fine, Mithu.”
“Hopefully they agree. Imani was certainly right about this.”
“Right about what?”
Mithra sighed and said, “Teaching these kids is a test for how good a mother I’ll be. I don’t want to let Krystal and Prince down just as much as I don’t want to let our child down.”
Krystal was surprised to hear what she was hearing. The whole time she kept thinking that Mithra was strict and hard-headed. However, she also seemed to have a delicate heart as well. She saw Pradeep hold her close and say, “I know it’s not easy to believe, but I know in my heart that you will be an amazing mother.”
Mithra could feel her eyes water. She rested her head on Pradeep’s shoulder. Krystal was in awe of how sweet they were with each other. She wished she could have someone love her in such a way. As she tried to head back inside quietly, she slipped on the floor and landed outside with a loud thud.
Damn these socks, Krystal thought as she slowly sat up. It quickly hit her that she had something else to be concerned about. Mithra and Pradeep saw her. Mithra got up and shouted, “You were spying on us?!”
“Oh, God, no!” Krystal exclaimed as she stood up.
“Then what were you doing? Late night snacking?”
“I just got some water and overheard a little bit.”
“That’s spying.”
“No, it isn’t! I just happened to hear you guys, and I was curious about who was talking. Come on, Pradeep sir, you get what I mean?”
Pradeep slowly got up and shook his head. The disapproval made Krystal say, “Come on! I didn’t intend to intrude on your moment!”
“Too late for that,” Mithra said as she got up. “Pradeep, let’s go to bed.”
***
In the morning, Pradeep had prepared a steamed fish stew called fish molee for breakfast. While eating, Krystal could tell Mithra was still annoyed about what happened the previous night. She said, “I already said I was sorry about yesterday.”
“What did you do?” Prince asked Krystal.
“She listened in on our conversation last night,” Pradeep said as he sat down to eat.
“Krystal, that is not proper etiquette,” Faith said. “Eavesdropping is quite rude.”
“You should listen to your guardian more,” Mithra said.
“I’m never going to live this down,” Krystal said, rolling her eyes.
“Anyway, forget about that,” Mithra said. “You guys need to eat well. Training is going to be intense today, so you need all the energy you can get.”
Great, Krystal thought as she kept eating. Just what I needed.
***
After breakfast, Krystal and Prince had to get ready for the grueling training that Mithra spoke of earlier. The two were asked to come to the chamber room. It was just as big as the garden, but Mithra considered it to be more appropriate for today’s training session. Once they headed out of their room, they went downstairs, meeting with Faith outside the steel door that led to the room. Krystal opened the door, surprised to see how vacant the chamber was. It wasn’t what she expected. It reminded her of the plain white room that Aiden had made them go to for detention.
Mithra and Pradeep were waiting for them. Krystal said, “So, what is this place?”
“This is where we do our special training,” Mithra said. “I haven’t used this space in so long.”
“It’s so empty,” Prince said.
“Yeah, is it not possible to train at the garden?” Krystal asked. “This room feels like an interrogation cell.”
“Today’s training HAS to be here,” Mithra said. “You’ll see why soon enough. Pradeep, are we all set?”
“Teleportation controls are ready to go,” Pradeep said, holding onto a remote.
“Teleportation? Fascinating,” Faith said. “This certainly is a new means of training.”
“Hold on,” Krystal said. “How is this going to work?”
“Just trust me,” Mithra said. She turned to Pradeep and said, “Proceed.”
Pradeep nodded and pressed one of the top buttons on the remote. Krystal looked at the floor and could see that she and everyone else had been transported out of the room. She shrieked seeing where they ended up. It wasn’t even really a room. It was almost like a dark void of some kind. Krystal felt like she had entered another dimension. She and everyone else were floating in a sea of darkness. She felt so uneasy as she couldn’t feel a ground of any kind at her feet. The voidness slowly faded. Suddenly, Krystal could see again as what appeared to be a blue sky formed before her eyes. As she looked down, she saw herself land with Prince on the petal of what looked like a giant lotus flower. She looked around and saw several lotuses surrounding her. Mithra landed on an opposing lotus while Pradeep and Faith were sitting in the distance on a small cloud-like surface.
“Whoah, what is this?” Krystal asked.
“This is the Lotus Dimension,” Mithra said.
“Dimension?” Prince said. “You mean we’re not on Earth anymore?”
“You’re in a realm of my creation. It’s a highly advanced magical technology that transforms the space to my liking,” Mithra explained. “Everything you see here seems real, but it isn’t. It’s a simulation.”
“Simulation magic. It’s just like that detention we had with Aiden,” Krystal said.
“Even though this environment isn’t real, you will utilize it for today’s exercise,” Mithra said.
Mithra turned to Pradeep, nodding to him. He moved to the side with Faith. They were further away from Mithra, Krystal, and Prince. Faith turned to Pradeep and said, “You’re not going to be participating?”
“Today it’s up to Mithu alone to work with them. With how serious things are going to be today, it’s best not to have too many people on the field.”
“Well then. This should be interesting.”
Mithra drew out her wand, transforming it into her aruval. Krystal was puzzled but intrigued. She wondered what Mithra’s plan was.
“All right. Today’s training will be a battle between me and you two,” Mithra said.
“What?!” Krystal exclaimed. “Why would we battle you?!”
“Yesterday’s training made you focus on the Shakti equilibrium. That technique was able to trigger something from your zodiac wand,” Mithra said. “Now the test is to see how it reacts to you both in combat.”
“Reacts to us?” Prince asked.
“The spirit within the weapon will only truly fight by your side if you can prove your power,” Mithra said.
“Is this really necessary?” Krystal asked.
“The answer is in battle,” Mithra said as she held up her aruval. Her aruval glowed a beautiful bright blue color.
Great. I was really hoping to avoid fighting her, Krystal thought. After all, she’s Ringmasters Society level good. I don’t see how I stand any chance in winning. Guess I have no choice.
“All right, Prince, transform!” Krystal exclaimed.
“Ugh, fine,” Prince said as he transformed into his lion form.
Krystal took her stance, holding her sonic bell. She had an idea of what she was up against, but she had only gotten a glimpse of Mithra’s power the other day. Keeping this in mind, she knew she had to keep her guard up.
Mithra swiftly launched her aruval, emitting a strong water current towards Krystal and Prince. Krystal and Prince dodged the attack quickly, but Krystal was quick to notice the water current flow its way towards her, striking her into Prince.
“What the hell?!” Krystal exclaimed as she and Prince got up. “Okay, Prince, use your Sonic Roar!”
Prince nodded and launched his Sonic Roar attack while Krystal assisted him with a sound beam from her sonic bell. As the forces collided into a sonic wave to hit Mithra, she countered with her aruval. She carefully pushed it into the sonic wave, distributing some slight heat that hit the wave back at Krystal and Prince.
As the two fell back, Krystal felt rattled by the attack’s force. She could tell Prince was feeling the same way as well. The rattling effect had even transmitted to the petal of the lotus they landed on. What exactly does she do? She’s throwing water and heat at us, Krystal thought as she could feel the excruciating pain of the vibrations. I’ve never seen a combination of powers like this before.
Before Krystal could direct Prince to attack again, Mithra shot a heavy stream of water from her aruval in her direction. She tried to power her sonic bell through it, but the water was too strong for her to do anything as she got washed up by it along with Prince. Krystal coughed a bit, already feeling out of breath.
Prince transformed back into his human form and said to Krystal, “I think I have an idea of what her power set is.”
“You do?”
“Neil told me a little bit about Shuto and Haruka’s powers. Their powers come from seasons with Shuto’s being winter and Haruka’s being spring. I know they’re not blood families, but something tells me her powers are related to summer.”
“You might be right. That would explain how she can use manipulate water and heat.”
“You’re quite perceptive, Prince,” Mithra said.
“So, is this the part where you tell us about your powers?” Krystal asked.
“Now, now, don’t think that I’m here to explain things to you. And you have more pressing things to worry about,” Mithra said as her aruval began to glow again.
This is tough, Prince thought. This is different from when we faced Cyrus. She’s on a whole other level since she can manipulate our own sound against us.
Prince looked at Krystal. She seemed calm but also bewildered. He said, “Are you okay?”
“I don’t know. I knew she’d be hard to battle, but this is beyond challenging. I can’t even land a hit on her.”
“We don’t have to concern ourselves with landing a hit.”
“We don’t?”
“No. This isn’t about winning a battle. This is about getting the chain of Leo in action. Do you sense anything from it?”
“I felt a single vibration while we were attacked. That’s hardly anything. I don’t even know what to do at this point.”
“It’s all right. Just take a moment to figure out what you need to do.”
She’s not very predictable. That doesn’t mean I can’t play around for a bit to figure out her battle style, Krystal thought. She paused for a moment, looking around at all the lotuses that surrounded them.
“All right. We’re gonna keep going,” Krystal said. “Prince, I think it’s time. This environment is perfect for Plan: Zigzag.”
“Say no more. I got this,” Prince said as he transformed back into his lion form.
Prince leaped off the petal toward Mithra, launching a Sonic Roar attack. Mithra countered with a water current from her aruval. As Prince dodged the attack, Krystal came in and launched a sound energy beam from her sonic bell while Prince landed on a different lotus. Mithra pierced through the beam with her aruval’s sharp edge like it was nothing. Krystal and Prince continued the back-and-forth pattern of attacking, going from one lotus to the other. As Faith watched them, she was confused as to why they were attacking in such a way when they weren’t landing a single hit on Mithra. They didn’t seem fazed by it. She wondered what they were up to.
Krystal signaled Prince to pause. She was starting to get a sense of Mithra’s battle style. More importantly, she was getting a sense of how she countered her opponents. As she continued to think, she could sense her zodiac wand’s vibrations. She could feel the spirit of Leo was beginning to connect with her. She knew that if she wanted him to join her in combat, she had to think of something creative to get to Mithra in battle.
Krystal could feel an idea come her way. As she continued to think, she heard a voice say, I see. You’re more strategic than I thought.
So, you do talk, don’t you, Leo? Krystal thought. You’re about to see how good of a team we make.
“Prince, stay where you are!” Krystal exclaimed.
Prince was not too far from Mithra. In fact, he was perfectly aligned on an opposing lotus with Krystal and Mithra was right in the middle of them. Seeing the look of determination on Krystal’s face, he knew what they would do next and nodded back to her.
Krystal focused all her energy into her sonic bell. While she did that, Prince focused his energy as well. As they were doing this, Mithra was curious, wondering what they had planned as she prepared her aruval to attack back. Mithra got a sense that they were going to attack her from both ends. She spun her aruval around rapidly, unleashing another water current.
I knew she was going to do that, Krystal thought. Krystal plunged her sonic bell to the ground and shouted, “Savage Sound Roar!”
Prince unleashed a mighty roar, and its sound waves headed straight into the water current while Krystal’s sound waves did the same. Krystal sensed a vibration tingling her skin that felt exactly like a heartbeat. She drew out the zodiac wand, and it was emitting a radiant golden glow. The wand transformed into the chain of Leo, attaching itself to her sonic bell. She immediately whipped the chain forward. The chain transformed into a golden current of sound waves that pierced through the water current. The sight stunned Mithra as the water current neutralized. Mithra quickly used her aruval to block the colliding forces from hitting her directly. She looked at Krystal, who winded the chain back in, holding onto its end tightly. She smirked and said, “Well, well. Looks like you both did it.”
Faith was surprised at what had transpired. She looked at Pradeep and could tell he was taken aback, but he seemed to be pleased. She didn’t expect such ingenuity from Krystal in using Mithra’s own attack against her.
Prince transformed back into his human form and said, “Well done, Krystal.”
“Actually, we both deserve the credit. I understand now what we needed,” Krystal said. “I was focusing so much on the perfect attack that I forgot to take a step back and evaluate my opponent. Prince helped me do that. It’s because of us working together that we were able to accomplish this.”
“That’s how a ringmaster should be,” Mithra said. “I will say that your creativity as a team has impressed me. Now that you have officially activated the chain of Leo, the rest of your training is going to be about cultivating a battle style that suits both of you and allows for the chain of Leo to work with you.”
“Well then. We’re going to have some long days ahead,” Pradeep said.
“We did it!” Krystal exclaimed as she walked over to Prince.
“High-five?” Prince asked as he raised his hand.
Krystal smiled as she high-fived Prince. She looked at both her sonic bell and the chain of Leo. They both reverted to their wand forms. Thank you for trusting us, Krystal thought as she looked at the zodiac wand.
These kids might be fun to work with after all, Mithra thought. She cleared her throat and said, “All right. Let’s get a few more rounds in before lunch time.”
“All right,” Prince said.
“Oh, come on!” Krystal exclaimed. “Can’t we take a break after such victorious moment?!”
“That sounds like quitter talk,” Mithra said.
“Ugh, fine,” Krystal sighed.
Krystal and Prince continued their training session with Mithra. As Faith watched them with Pradeep, she couldn’t help but think what was to come. Krystal and Prince were proving to be a surprise she didn’t expect.
Copyright © 2025 Meryl T
All rights reserved. All illustrations created by Meryl T.
The Ringmasters Society 