In the darkest tower of Daredevil City, Madame Naga was walking inside, heading towards a small cellar. Inside that cell was an unconscious Neil, whose body rested on the hard, rocky ground.
“He’s still not up. Good grief.”
Madame Naga turned to see Droh standing right next to her. She turned back, looking at Neil and said, “Of course not. He was knocked out by me. It’ll be a while before he wakes up.”
“I fail to understand you. You continue to waste your time with the students of that academy. Are you forgetting our goal?!”
“I haven’t. But maybe you have. You’re forgetting that I was the one that got you to join me. Should I emphasize on MY plan?”
“We could’ve had our chances at power easily by getting hold of the Shakti Orb. It was right there. And why didn’t you take it? Because you wanted to leave things be with attacking Rey. Your incompetence is driving me insane.”
“It makes me laugh when you say that. Because the feeling is quite mutual. “
Madame Naga’s hands glowed bright purple as she waved her right hand before Droh. Suddenly, a snake emerged from the ground, wrapping itself around Droh and pulling him further into the ground. Droh struggled to break free but was unable to.
“What the hell are you doing?!” Droh shouted at Madame Naga.
“What I should’ve done long ago. Your presence is no longer needed here,” Madame Naga replied as she watched Droh struggle. Droh yelped in pain as the snake finally pulled him underground with Madame Naga waving her hand over the ground in which he had sunk in, creating a dark energy barrier that had enclosed his fate down under.
“I hope you won’t feel bad, Droh,” Madame Naga smirked. “You and Runa are not the only ones I’m done with.”
***
On the other hand, back at the academy, Krystal was in the library. This was quite out of the ordinary for Krystal, but she was indulging herself by paying a visit. She was scattering through every book in the Weaponry and Magic section. In her hands, she was going through the pages of a book called Leo Weaponry. As she was reading, a voice said, “Either I’m in a parallel universe or this is the first time I’m seeing you with a book.”
Krystal looked up to see Sana standing right in front of her.
“Oh, Sana. Just because I’m not a bookworm like you, doesn’t mean I’ve never held a book in my life!” Krystal exclaimed.
“Sorry, I’ve just never seen you pay attention to anything related to school.”
“Whatever. What brings you here?”
“I just decided to stop by after training with Zayn.”
“And how’s the training? Isn’t Rey supposed to be training with you as well?”
“That’s the thing. Apparently, Rey seems to have the flu. He’s staying at the health center. I tried to go visit, but the nurse who’s taking care of him advised that no visitors see him as his illness is very contagious. I’m kinda worried about him. He hasn’t been completely himself lately.”
“I’m sure he’ll be okay. Once his flu is gone, he’ll be back to his normal self.”
“I sure hope so. Until then, I guess I have to train with Zayn by myself.”
“I actually saw you two train the other day. I guess that’s what brought me here.”
“Really? What for?”
“I’m trying to see if there’s something out there that can enhance my sonic bell. I mean sure it’s a fabulous weapon on its own. But compared to you and Zayn, I feel like there’s a limit to how well I can use it.”
“Wow, Krystal. I never thought you’d actually be interested in strengthening your weaponry.”
“It’s not necessarily about stronger weaponry. Finesse is the word I was thinking of. I also overheard what he was telling you.”
“Well then, I better get going. I’m gonna get some dinner and try to check on Rey again.”
“You have fun with that.”
With that, Sana left. Krystal got up and sat at a desk, thoroughly going through the book. As she turned each page, she stopped as the header of one page caught her eye. Leo’s Combo Weapons, Krystal read the header. Krystal started reading the passage underneath, which then led her to a picture of what appeared to be a long chain that was composed of silver and gold links that aligned in a pattern.
The Chain of Leo, Krystal read the caption underneath the picture. Leo, Voice of the Mountains, had carried this chain as a part of his arsenal. Though alone the chain’s power is great, when combined with any one of Leo’s other weapons, the chain enhances the weapon’s capacity of attacks.
Just looking at the picture of the chain was enough for Krystal. It was exactly what she needed. She may not have known anything about the Chain of Leo prior to today, but something about it felt right.
This is literally perfect for me, Krystal thought as she kept staring at the book. If only I knew where I could find it. Why doesn’t this book have a location for it?!
As Krystal looked around for some more information on the page, she noticed some fine print on the bottom edges. If one chooses to seek, one must go to the top peak. And look deep, beyond the crimson rock that stands so tall, Krystal read.
Krystal pondered over the words for a minute. It seemed to be a riddle of some kind. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that it was exactly what was going to lead her to the Chain of Leo.
Krystal immediately got up from her chair, looking at the book, feeling victorious inside. Krystal grabbed the book and slammed it before the librarian at the front desk, saying, “I need to check this book out!”
***
In the health center of the academy, Rey was all alone in his room, lying on his bed. He slowly woke up, alarmed to see an eerie purple glow as he looked at the mirror on the wall of his room. Rey got up from the bed. He removed his fingerless gloves and unbuttoned his white shirt, taking it off. He could see the markings that began from his palms had spread completely up his arms and chest. Rey looked at the mirror in fear as he looked down his upper arm where his tiger emblem was, seeing its color had changed to purple.
Startled, Rey turned around, looking at his back in the mirror. He was stunned to see the same markings there as well.
This won’t stop! Rey thought as he looked at his body through the mirror. Why…why is this happening to me?!
***
Meanwhile, in downtown Daredevil City, there was a small candy shop called Devil’s Delights. Inside this shop, Prince was sitting alone at a table, chewing on a lemon-flavored candy cane as he put up his feet on the table. Near his feet was a bag containing three boxes of assorted candy canes that he had just bought. He usually got candy canes from the shop at least once every two weeks. After such a long day…it’s good to get some peace and quiet, Prince thought as he slowly closed his eyes and relaxed.
“Prince! There you are!” Krystal exclaimed as she busted through the door into the candy shop.
“Well, that was nice while it lasted,” Prince sighed.
“Hey! Please keep it down!” the cashier told Krystal.
“Oh, shut up, buddy! We’re literally the only ones here!” Krystal retorted.
Krystal immediately sat herself down at the table where Prince was at. And she could tell from the moment she sat down that he was annoyed.
“How the hell did you know I was here?” Prince questioned Krystal.
“Because you come here whenever you want to be alone from school.”
“Clearly you didn’t get the emphasis on the ALONE part. What are you doing here?”
“We got a mission on our hands.”
Krystal opened the book she had just gotten from the library, turning to the page that contained the picture of the Chain of Leo. She placed the book in front of Prince, so he could see the page for his very eyes. After looking at the page for a few seconds, Prince simply said, “A piece of jewelry. That’s our mission?”
“The Chain of Leo is not a piece of jewelry for your information! It’s a powerful piece of weaponry that can attach itself to another weapon to increase the capability of attacks! And I need to find this!”
“How do you even know that this would work with your sonic bell?”
“Because I read and found out that Leo, Voice of the Mountains, was a ringmaster that specialized in sound just like mwah. He was practically the first of his kind. And the same book said that all sound weaponry has been derived from Leo. So, my sonic bell is bound to work with it!”
“You actually read something?”
“Shut up! The point is…this weapon can take my sonic bell to a whole other level. So, I need to find it.”
“How do you plan to find it if this book doesn’t tell you where it is?”
“I know where it is! Look at the fine print on the bottom of the page.”
Prince looked at the fine print that Krystal was referring to. After reading it, he was still puzzled as to where she was getting at. It was a riddle, and he didn’t think Krystal was bright enough to solve it just like that.
“You do know this doesn’t actually tell you where it is, right?”
“I’m not stupid, Prince. I figured out the riddle.”
“You did?”
“Yes, I’ll explain it. The first half refers to a peak. That means it must be a mountain or rock of some kind. And my point is proven if you look at the second half about the crimson rock,” Krystal said. “Now, as a regular traveler, I’m aware of some of the most famous landmarks around the world. And there is one place I know that is known for its crimson rock. The riddle is talking about Mt. Roja.”
Prince was stunned. While the riddle itself wasn’t the most difficult thing in the world, he was impressed that Krystal was able to piece it together so effortlessly. It made him realize that this was something she wanted badly. This was the kind of excitement he was used to when she was doing a circus show or even going shopping.
“Look, I know this is all so sudden, but I really want this,” Krystal said. “I’m ready to get stronger.”
Seeing this side of Krystal made Prince realize how important this was to her. And with that in mind, he couldn’t possibly refuse.
“All right, let’s do this then,” Prince said.
***
Outside Devil’s Delights and further down Daredevil City, there was a place by the name of Daredevil Prison. This was where criminals who committed illegal activities involving magic, dark or otherwise, were imprisoned. Inside this building, there was one woman, who hid amongst the shadows of her cell. This woman…was none other than Fida. As she played around with a few pebble rocks in her cell, the sound of footsteps down the hallway paused her. She looked up, emerging from the shadows to see Madame Naga had stopped by to see her.
“Finally. You show yourself,” Fida said upon seeing Madame Naga.
“You look like hell.”
“Don’t remind me. So, what’s your plan for busting me out of here?”
“Oh, I’m not here to get you out.”
“You’re not?”
“I came here to settle things with you formally. So, let me just get it out and I’ll be on my way. From today…you’re out.”
“What the hell do you mean?!”
“What I said. What’s done is done. I don’t need you anymore. So, you’re free to rot here like the eccentric lunatic you are.”
“You can’t do this to me! Do you even know what I sacrificed to join your side?!”
“I’m aware. And honestly…I could care less. You, Droh, Runa…hell even that Stallion fellow were just pawns to me. Creatures like you are so easy to toy around with. It’s almost like child’s play.”
“You damn witch! If you think I’ll just sit here idle, then you have another thing coming!”
“Be careful with your words, Fida. For it is you behind bars. Not me.”
Fida grunted as she looked at Madame Naga, her hands pressing into tight fists.
“If you want something to blame, take it out on your incompetence,” Madame Naga told Fida as she turned her back away, preparing to leave. “Enjoy your newly found solitude.”
With that, Madame Naga left and walked away, having no care in the world. Fida grabbed hold of the bars of her cell, clenching them tightly with her grasp. She let out an angry scream, her hands crushing the bars even further with her grip.
***
The following morning, around seven, Krystal and Prince got up and ready to head off to Dovesdale, the state where Mt. Roja was located. The two went to the Motor & Vehicle office on the first floor of the academy. Once they were there, they picked up two hoverboards that Krystal had reserved for travelling today. After picking up their hoverboards, the two went outside towards the gates of the academy to head out.
“Hey, Krystal,” Prince said.
“Yeah?”
“I hope you’re right about this. We’re travelling pretty far for a chain. I hope it’s worth it.”
Oh, trust me. I know it’s worth it, Krystal thought. The Chain of Leo is as good as mine!
Copyright © 2021 Meryl T
All rights reserved. All illustrations created by Meryl T.
The Ringmasters Society 